Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scaling considerations and dielectric breakdown improvement of a corrugated capacitor cell for a future dRAM

Further scaling of a corrugated capacitor cell (CCC) consisting of a moat capacitor is discussed in terms of cell configuration and device parameters. From the results of experimental analyses and device simulation, key parameters of cell scaling are suggested. In addition to the cell scalability, some improvements in dielectric breakdown of the capacitor insulator are described. This insulator integrity is a key issue for the reliability of dRAM's having a CCC.
Aquatic community as a biological coherent dissipative structure

Recent decades have shown pronounced progress in applied and theoretical limnology due to the development of modern technical instruments and mathematical methods, particularly the major evolution in hydrodynamics where modern data acquisition methods provide adequate informational support to powerful mathematical methods, such as spectral and tensor analyses. Description of the living components of aquatic ecosystems causes major difficulties in the development and application of mathematical tools (PLATT & DENMAN 1975). A number of scientists (PLATT & DENMAN 1975, SILVERT & PLATT 1978, GORSHKOV 1991, SPRULES & MVNAW AR 1991) ha v e used spectral methods for the description of size, structure and dynamics of aquatic communities. Such an approach uses the benefits of recent achievements in hydrodynamics (induding mathematical tools) to study aquatic ecology. However, to date, use of spectral methods in ecology has consisted mosdy of empirical studies without precise theoretical justification of their application. It seems that the theory of dissipative structures (DS) can be a suitable base for the possible integratian of hydrodynamics and aquatic ecology models. According to NICOLIS & PRIGOGINE (1989), a dissipative structure is characterized by the following main properties:
OPTIONS ON BONDS AND APPLICATIONS TO PRODUCT PRICING

Options on fixed income investments recently have received much publicity as vehicles for hedging various types of investment and insurance risks. Insurance regulators have heightened this publicity by loosening or clarifying the regulations relating to insurance company uses of options for hedging purposes. Actuaries have also become increasingly aware of the need to adequately price the risks associated with the options policyholders are implicitly granted under various insurance products. These implicit options include policy loan provisions, deposit flexibility and withdrawal provisions under some guaranteed investment contracts (GICs), and withdrawal provisions under universal life and single premium deferred annuity contracts. Options are also granted in the investment process, most notably call provisions on corporate bonds and prepayment provisions on mortgages. In response to these recent developments, this paper discusses option pricing and how to use it to quantify two types of risk insurance companies commonly face, More specifically, this paper presents, in separate and selfcontained sections: a theoretical approach to the valuation of options on bonds; a computer model for valuing such options; an application of options theory to evaluate the risk of call options on corporate bonds; and an application of options theory to price the risk of deposit antiselection on certain GICs sold to employee savings plans.
The ACCIMA Project — Coupled Modeling of the High Southern Latitudes

The polar-optimized version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF, Skamarock et al. 2008), http://www.wrf-model.org) will serve as the mesoscale atmospheric model. WRF, developed for both operational weather forecasting and research simulations, has a portable code that is efficient in various computing environments ranging from massively-parallel supercomputers to laptops. There are now over 10,000 registered users of the model. The modeling system has a flexible, user-friendly WRF Preprocessing System (WPS) for the advanced research formulation of WRF and a much-advanced data assimilation system (WRF-Var). The PMG has provided polar-optimizations previously for the earlier generation Polar MM5 and currently to WRF. The polar-optimized model known is known as “Polar WRF” (http://polarmet.osu.edu/PolarMet/pwrf.html) and intended for a variety of Arctic and Antarctic applications. Polar WRF has been tested in the Arctic for the Greenland Ice Sheet (Hines and Bromwich 2008), the Antarctic region (Powers 2009; Bromwich et al. 2012), the Arctic Ocean (Bromwich et al. 2009) and Arctic Land (Hines et al. 2011; Wilson et al. 2011). Polar modifications have been shown to improve the performance of the model in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Polar physics additions are now available to the scientific community for the standard release of versions 3.1. 1 to 3.3.1. Additions, including variable sea ice thickness and variable snow cover on sea ice are available to the community in supplemental files provided by PMG. Polar WRF also serves as the atmospheric component for the developing Regional Arctic System Model (Cassano et al. 2011). For Antarctica, Polar WRF is now the only model for operational forecasting in support of National Science Foundation’s operations including transportation and field programs. The polar-optimization includes significant updates to the Noah surface package, with a highlyimproved thermodynamic treatment over snow and permanent ice surfaces (Hines and Bromwich 2008). Bromwich et al. (2009) added a treatment for fractional sea ice over the oceans.
White matter lesions and normal-pressure hydrocephalus: Binswanger disease or Hakim syndrome?

In 1894, Otto Binswanger [1] described a clinical form of dementia in the elderly characterized by subcortical white matter lesions, "enormously enlarged ventricles, " normal cerebral cortex, and "severe atheromatosis of the arteries of the brain" and concluded, "It is very likely that the subcortical loss of fibers is caused by the deficiency of the blood supply resulting from arteriosclerosis. " This condition is known variously as subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy, subcortical ischemic leukoencephalopathy, lacunar dementia, and Binswanger disease [2] . The presence of periventricular, deep white matter infarctions (DWMI) that spare the arcuate subcortical fibers is the typical hallmark of this condition. In 1964, Salomon Hakim [3] published in Bogota, Colombia, the description of a clinical triad of gait apraxia, incontinence, and dementia in adults with hydrocephalus and "normal" CSF pressure. The most striking feature of the syndrome was the possibility of a return to normal function after CSF shunting. Despite widespread disagreement on the terminology, Hakim syndrome currently is known as normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). I have pointed out the difficulties in clinically separating Binswanger disease from NPH [2] . In fact, both entities are characterized by prominent changes in ambulation , such as small-step gait (marche a petits pas), gait apraxia, and frequent falls . A subcortical type of dementia, with changes in mood, behavior, and personality, is common in both, as well as pseudobulbar palsy, emotional incontinence, and frontal lobe signs with loss of incentive, drive, and insight. Profound apathy and abulia may be observed in advanced cases of
Care robot able to show the order of service provision through bodily actions in multi-party settings

Service robots, such as tea-serving robots, should be designed to show the order of service provision in multi-party settings. An ethnographic study we conducted at an elderly care center revealed that the gaze and bodily actions of care workers can serve this function. To test this, we developed a robot system able to utilize its gaze and other gestures in this way. Experimental results demonstrated that the robot could effectively display the order of service provision using this method, and highlighted the benefits of employing the gaze for robots working in multi-party settings.
Feature extraction method for palmprint considering elimination of creases

A new method of extracting palmprint features is presented in this report. Since palmprint images have many creases which are organized like ridges, ordinary fingerprint feature extraction algorithms are unable to extract ridges. Consequently, the goal of this research is to construct a new feature extraction method which can extract ridges under these conditions. At first, the original palmprint image is divided into local images. The ridge candidates are extracted from each local image of the palmprint. Finally, only one candidate is selected as the ridge in the local image by estimating the continuity of certain properties. Experiments with palmprint images indicate that the proposed method can extract ridges better than conventional methods, especially in areas in which both ridges and creases exist.
Quantitative analysis of peptide-MHC class II interaction.

The tremendous progress in the field of basic immunology and immunochemistry made in the last decade has significantly advanced our understanding of antigen processing and presentation by MHC class I and II proteins. In this review different techniques to study peptide interaction with MHC class II molecules are summarized and their impact on the elucidation of quantitative parameters, like affinities or kinetic data, is discussed. A recently introduced method based on synthetic combinatorial peptide libraries allows to quantify the binding contribution of each amino acid residue in a class II ligand and is presented in more detail. As this knowledge is fundamental for current investigations in modern medicine, e.g. for novel immune system based therapy concepts, further aspects like the design of new high affinity MHC class II ligands and the prediction of peptide antigens are discussed.
XMM-Newton observation of M 87 - I. Single-phase temperature structure of intracluster medium

We report the results of a detailed analysis of the temperature structure of the X-ray emitting plasma halo of M 87, the cD galaxy of the Virgo Cluster. Using the MEKAL model, the data provide strong indications that the intracluster medium has a single phase structure locally, except the regions associated with the radio structures. The deprojected spectrum at each radius is well tted by a single temperature MEKAL model, except for the very central region (<2 arcmin) which seems to be aected by the jet and radio lobe structure. The temperature of the intracluster plasma is 1 keV at the center and gradually increases to 2.5 keV at 80 kpc. We have also tted spectra using the APEC code. Although the large changes of the strength of K lines causes a discrepancy between the Fe-L and Fe-K lines for the APEC results, the overall temperature structure has not changed. There is no sign of excess absorption in the spectral data. The single-phase nature of the intracluster medium is in conflict with the standard cooling flow model which is based on a multi-phase temperature structure. In addition, the signature of gas cooling below 0.8 keV to zero temperature is not observed as expected for a cooling flow. The gravitational mass prole derived from the temperature and density distribution of the intracluster gas shows two distinct contributions that can be assigned to the gravitational potential of the cD galaxy and the cluster. The central temperature of the intracluster medium agrees well with the potential depth and the velocity dispersion of the cD galaxy. The latter result implies that the central region of the intracluster medium is equivalent to a virialized interstellar medium in M 87.
WRKY 75 Transcription Factor Is a Modulator of Phosphate Acquisition and Root Development in Arabidopsis 1 [ C ] [ W ] [ OA ]

Phosphate (Pi) deficiency limits plant growth and development, resulting in adaptive stress responses. Among the molecular determinants of Pi stress responses, transcription factors play a critical role in regulating adaptive mechanisms. WRKY75 is one of several transcription factors induced during Pi deprivation. In this study, we evaluated the role of the WRKY75 transcription factor in regulating Pi starvation responses in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). WRKY75 was found to be nuclear localized and induced differentially in the plant during Pi deficiency. Suppression of WRKY75 expression through RNAi silencing resulted in early accumulation of anthocyanin, indicating that the RNAi plants were more susceptible to Pi stress. Further analysis revealed that the expression of several genes involved in Pi starvation responses, including phosphatases, Mt4/ TPS1like genes, and high-affinity Pi transporters, was decreased when WRKY75 was suppressed. Consequently, Pi uptake of the mutant plant was also decreased during Pi starvation. In addition, when WRKY75 expression was suppressed, lateral root length and number, as well as root hair number, were significantly increased. However, changes in the root architecture were obvious under both Pi-sufficient and Pi-deficient conditions. This indicates that the regulatory effect of WRKY75 on root architecture could be independent of the Pi status of the plant. Together, these results suggest that WRKY75 is a modulator of Pi starvation responses as well as root development. WRKY75 is the first member of the WRKY transcription factor family reported to be involved in regulating a nutrient starvation response and root development.
Impact of folic acid fortification of the US food supply on the occurrence of neural tube defects.

CONTEXT Daily consumption of 400 microg of folic acid before conception and during early pregnancy dramatically reduces the occurrence of neural tube defects (NTDs). Before food fortification, however, only an estimated 29% of US reproductive-aged women were taking a supplement containing 400 microg of folic acid daily. The US Food and Drug Administration authorized addition of folic acid to enriched grain products in March 1996, with compliance mandatory by January 1998. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of food fortification with folic acid on NTD birth prevalence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND POPULATION National study of birth certificate data for live births to women in 45 US states and Washington, DC, between January 1990 and December 1999. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Birth certificate reports of spina bifida and anencephaly before fortification (October 1995 through December 1996) compared with after mandatory fortification (October 1998 through December 1999). RESULTS The birth prevalence of NTDs reported on birth certificates decreased from 37.8 per 100 000 live births before fortification to 30.5 per 100 000 live births conceived after mandatory folic acid fortification, representing a 19% decline (prevalence ratio [PR], 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-0.87). During the same period, NTD birth prevalence declined from 53.4 per 100 000 to 46.5 per 100 000 (PR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.64-1.18) for women who received only third-trimester or no prenatal care. CONCLUSIONS A 19% reduction in NTD birth prevalence occurred following folic acid fortification of the US food supply. However, factors other than fortification may have contributed to this decline.
Ethical dilemmas and PD as important steps towards critical e-government design

The delivering of public services to citizens through the internet -- also known as e-government - has gained serious momentum, driven by political ambitions of improved efficiency. E-government, however, is considered complex and e-government failures are well known from media. Research of how e-government is enacted inside government is sparse. Technology mediated public services in real world entail ethical dilemmas. By extracting ethical dilemmas from a qualitative e-government participatory design study, this paper shows how ethical dilemmas may inform future e-government design and design processes. The case, adoption of digital post in a local e-government setting, showed that design flaws, staff's concern for citizens and political fear of citizens' critique had an impact on e-government adoption.
Using heterogeneity of the patient-derived xenograft model to identify the chemoresistant population in ovarian cancer

A cornerstone of preclinical cancer research has been the use of clonal cell lines. However, this resource has underperformed in its ability to effectively identify novel therapeutics and evaluate the heterogeneity in a patient's tumor. The patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model retains the heterogeneity of patient tumors, allowing a means to not only examine efficacy of a therapy, but also basic tenets of cancer biology in response to treatment. Herein we describe the development and characterization of an ovarian-PDX model in order to study the development of chemoresistance. We demonstrate that PDX tumors are not simply composed of tumor-initiating cells, but recapitulate the original tumor's heterogeneity, oncogene expression profiles, and clinical response to chemotherapy. Combined carboplatin/paclitaxel treatment of PDX tumors enriches the cancer stem cell populations, but persistent tumors are not entirely composed of these populations. RNA-Seq analysis of six pair of treated PDX tumors compared to untreated tumors demonstrates a consistently contrasting genetic profile after therapy, suggesting similar, but few, pathways are mediating chemoresistance. Pathways and genes identified by this methodology represent novel approaches to targeting the chemoresistant population in ovarian cancer
Flexible queries over semistructured data

Flexible queries facilitate, in a novel way, easy and concise querying of databases that have varying structures. Two different semantics, flexible and semiflexible, are introduced and investigated. The complexity of evaluating queries under the two semantics is analyzed. Query evaluation is polynomial in the size of the query, the database and the result in the following two cases. First, a semiflexible DAG query and a tree database. Second, a flexible tree query and a database that is any graph. Query containment and equivalence are also investigated. For the flexible semantics, query equivalence is always polynomial. For the semiflexible semantics, query equivalence is polynomial for DAG queries and exponential when the queries have cycles. Under the semiflexible and flexible semantics, two databases could be equivalent even when they are not isomorphic. Database equivalence is formally defined and characterized. The complexity of deciding equivalences among databases is analyzed. The implications of database equivalence on query evaluation are explained.
State-Dependent, Bidirectional Modulation of Neural Network Activity by Endocannabinoids

The endocannabinoid (eCB) system and the cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R) play key roles in the modulation of brain functions. Although actions of eCBs and CB1Rs are well described at the synaptic level, little is known of their modulation of neural activity at the network level. Using microelectrode arrays, we have examined the role of CB1R activation in the modulation of the electrical activity of rat and mice cortical neural networks in vitro. We find that exogenous activation of CB1Rs expressed on glutamatergic neurons decreases the spontaneous activity of cortical neural networks. Moreover, we observe that the net effect of the CB1R antagonist AM251 inversely correlates with the initial level of activity in the network: blocking CB1Rs increases network activity when basal network activity is low, whereas it depresses spontaneous activity when its initial level is high. Our results reveal a complex role of CB1Rs in shaping spontaneous network activity, and suggest that the outcome of endogenous neuromodulation on network function might be state dependent.
Expendable Trihedral Corner Reflectors for Target Enhancement and Position Control in RADARSAT-1 Fine Beam Mode SAR Imagery: Results from an Exercise Narwhal Pre-Trial Deployment

Abstract : In August 2004 Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) Ottawa will participate in Exercise Narwhal, which will be held on Baffin Island. The objectives of Exercise Narwhal are to exercise the Canadian Forces? (CF) role in supporting the Nunavut territorial government's response to a crisis within the Canadian Forces Northern Area (CFNA), to exercise Headquarters CFNA, and to exercise Canadian sovereignty by projecting a CF presence within the North. One activity within Exercise Narwhal is simulation of the recovery of a crashed rocket and satellite payload. For this activity, expendable trihedral Corner Reflectors (CRs) will be distributed over an area of approximately 3200 km2 to increase the radar reflectivity of the crash site. In preparation, DRDC Ottawa conducted a mini trial in May 2004. The objective of the mini trial was to validate the methodology of determining the pointing angles of the trihedral CRs, to assess the visibility of trihedral CRs of different sizes in RADARSAT-1 fine beam mode imagery, and to obtain a coincident Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) dataset with Ground Control Points (GCPs). Trihedral CRs of various sizes were deployed at Connaught Range and other trihedral CRs were deployed throughout the National Capital Region (NCR); three fine beam mode RADARSAT-1 passes were acquired. All deployed CRs were visible with the exception of the smallest, which had a 30 cm back spine dimension, thus validating the deployment methodology. The visibility of trihedral CRs depends upon the normalized RCS of the background against which they are deployed. The smallest CR visible had a back spine dimension of 45 cm. A problem with the RADARSAT-1 orbit resulted in only two of the three images containing all of the GCPs; however, two coincident SAR images with GCPs were produced and are available for SAR geometry studies. Prior to this exercise SAR imagery with ground control was not readily available.
Advancing Cyber Security Using .NET

(2) We propose a new definition of the web services authentication token (i.e., SecureToken) that includes the concept of “trust level” that reflects the inherent reliability of the trust credential. Our new SecureToken normalizes the authentication process so that the tokens generated by new technologies (e.g., fingerprints, signature recognition) can be used seamlessly alongside traditional tokens based on username/password, X.509 certificates, and Kerberos tickets. We will design the algorithms needed to create, manage, verify, and utilize this new class of tokens. This new token type will allow an authentication credential with implicitly higher reliability (say fingerprint) to substitute for a lower-reliability credential (say password).
Intrusion Detection for Routing Attacks in Sensor Networks

Security is a critical challenge for creating robust and reliable sensor networks. For example, routing attacks have the ability to disconnect a sensor network from its central base station. In this paper, we present a method for intrusion detection in wireless sensor networks. Our intrusion detection scheme uses a clustering algorithm to build a model of normal traffic behavior, and then uses this model of normal traffic to detect abnormal traffic patterns. A key advantage of our approach is that it is able to detect attacks that have not previously been seen. Moreover, our detection scheme is based on a set of traffic features that can potentially be applied to a wide range of routing attacks. In order to evaluate our intrusion detection scheme, we have extended a sensor network simulator to generate routing attacks in wireless sensor networks. We demonstrate that our intrusion detection scheme is able to achieve high detection accuracy with a low false positive rate for a variety of simulated routing attacks.