Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High RF performance TSV silicon carrier for high frequency application

Three dimensional system-in-package (3D SiP) based on silicon carriers or interposer is a fast emerging technology that offers system design flexibility and integration of heterogeneous technologies. One of the key technologies enabler for silicon carrier is through silicon via (TSV). The development of 3D SiP will require the devices with different functionality operating at high frequency to be densely packed on the silicon substrate. However, silicon substrate is usually of low resistivity, when a high frequency signal is transmitted vertically through the substrate via, significant signal attenuation can occur that leads to poor RF performance. In this paper, a coaxial TSV structure in silicon carrier is presented for high frequency applications. The coaxial TSV is able to suppress undesirable substrate loss as well as provide good impedance matching. Electrical modeling of coaxial TSV structure was carried out to obtain the required geometries for impedance matching. Three different types of test vehicles were fabricated; Cu-plug TSV in both low (~10 Omega-cm) and high resistivity (~4000 Omega-cm) silicon substrate, and coaxial TSV in low resistivity silicon substrate. The S-parameters of the via structure of the test vehicles were measured from 100 MHz to 10 GHz. The measured results show that the coaxial TSV structure is able to suppress silicon substrate loss and provide good RF performance compared to Cu-plug TSV structure.
A (min, ×) network calculus for multi-hop fading channels

A fundamental problem for the delay and backlog analysis across multi-hop paths in wireless networks is how to account for the random properties of the wireless channel. Since the usual statistical models for radio signals in a propagation environment do not lend themselves easily to a description of the available service rate, the performance analysis of wireless networks has resorted to higher-layer abstractions, e.g., using Markov chain models. In this work, we propose a network calculus that can incorporate common statistical models of fading channels and obtain statistical bounds on delay and backlog across multiple nodes. We conduct the analysis in a transfer domain, which we refer to as the SNR domain, where the service process at a link is characterized by the instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio at the receiver. We discover that, in the transfer domain, the network model is governed by a dioid algebra, which we refer to as (min, ×) algebra. Using this algebra we derive the desired delay and backlog bounds. An application of the analysis is demonstrated for a simple multi-hop network with Rayleigh fading channels.
Refractive index change in bovine and human corneal stroma before and after lasik: a study of untreated and re-treated corneas implicating stromal hydration.

PURPOSE To measure the refractive index (RI) of the mammalian corneal stroma in relation to hydration in vitro and human corneal stroma before and after LASIK. METHODS RI at the anterior stromal surface of bovine corneal buttons was measured after the epithelium was scraped away. Samples were weighed and oven dried to calculate hydration. RI of the stromal bed surface was measured with a modified hand-held Abbé refractometer immediately before and after excimer laser photoablation. Thirty-one untreated persons (group 1: 44 corneas; age range, 19-65 years) and eight re-treated patients (group 2: 10 corneas) were examined. RESULTS RI of bovine stromal surface was significantly associated with hydration (H) (RI = 1.4067 - 0.00599H, r = -0.9079, P < 0.001). Photoablation significantly increased the RI of the midstroma (group 1: 1.3721 +/- 0.0041 to 1.3839 +/- 0.0050; group 2: 1.3717 +/- 0.0038 to 1.3819 +/- 0.0039). Differences between groups were not significant. In group 1 (n = 31), change in RI (DeltaRI) was significantly related to preoperative RI (DeltaRI = 1.155 - 0.833RI, r = 0.595, P < 0.001) and RI was significantly related to age (x) (RI = 1.3634 + 0.00026x, r = 0.603, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Mammalian corneal stromal RI correlates with hydration. LASIK significantly increases the refractive index of the treated stromal bed, and this equates to an average change in hydration from 4.3 to 2.9. For individual cases, change in RI is associated with the pre-op RI. The lack of any difference between untreated and re-treated corneas suggests that with time hydration returns back to normal levels. The RI in the older corneal stroma is slightly higher relative to the RI in the younger corneal stroma.
Lipid lowering agents are associated with a slower cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease

Background: Data from epidemiological studies and animal models imply that disturbances in cholesterol metabolism are linked to Alzheimer’s disease susceptibility. Lipid lowering agents (LLAs) may have implications for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. Objective: To investigate whether LLAs are associated with a slower cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: An observational study in 342 Alzheimer patients followed in a memory clinic for 34.8 months (mean age 73.5 years, mini-mental state examination score (MMSE) 21.3 at entry); 129 were dyslipaemic treated with LLAs (47% with statins), 105 were untreated dyslipaemic, and 108 were normolipaemic. The rate of cognitive decline was calculated as the difference between the first and last MMSE score, divided by the time between the measurements, expressed by year. Patients were divided into slow and fast decliners according to their annual rate of decline (lower or higher than the median annual rate of decline in the total population). Results: Patients treated with LLAs had a slower decline on the MMSE (1.5 point/year, p = 0.0102) than patients with untreated dyslipaemia (2.4 points/year), or normolipaemic patients (2.6 points/year). Patients with a slower decline were more likely to be treated with LLAs. Logistic regression analysis, with low annual cognitive decline as the dependent variable, showed that the independent variable LLA (treated with or not) was positively associated with the probability of lower cognitive decline (odds ratio = 0.45, p = 0.002). Conclusions: LLAs may slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease and have a neuroprotective effect. This should be confirmed by placebo controlled randomised trials in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and no dyslipaemia.
Relationship between parathyroid hormone and cardiac abnormalities in chronic dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND It has been shown that parathyroid hormone (PTH) influences cardiac abnormalities in dialysis patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the plasma PTH level and cardiac abnormalities in these patients without overt cardiac disease. METHODS A total of 81 of the 208 patients who received chronic dialysis treatment at our institution were included in this study. Plasma PTH level measurement, other blood examinations and echocardiography were performed in all patients. The subjects were divided into two groups based on plasma PTH level (<300 pg/ml: group A; > or =300 pg/ml: group B). RESULTS There were no significant differences in echocardiographic parameters between group A and group B. The plasma PTH level was not significantly correlated with any echocardiographic parameter in any patient. In addition, we chose 10 patients with a plasma PTH level of more than 500 pg/ml from group B and 20 patients matched for various characteristics (excluding PTH level) from group A and compared the echocardiographic parameters between them. LVMI and intraventricular septum thickness (IVST) were significantly greater in patients with a plasma PTH level of greater than 500 pg/ml. CONCLUSION PTH was not strongly associated with cardiac abnormalities such as LVH or decreased left ventricular function in the overall group of patients. PTH may not play a major role in the pathogenesis of cardiac abnormalities in these patients. However, PTH could influence LVH in patients with remarkably elevated plasma PTH levels.
BACTERIOCIN PRODUCING LACTIC ACID BACTERIA FROM FERMENTED GREEN GRAM BATTER-BIOLOGICAL PRESERVATIVE AGENT IN SWEET LIME AND LEMON JUICES

Isolation of bacteriocin producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and to identify its biopreservative property in sweet lime and lemon juices. Bacteriocins are proteins produced by bacteria which inhibit the growth of similar or closely related bacterial strains. LAB are predominantly present in the fermented foods are well known for producing bacteriocins. LAB were isolated from fermented green gram batter using de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) media. Total of four isolates were isolated from the green gram (GG) batter and were named as GG1, GG2, GG3 and GG4. The GG1 and GG2 isolates were identified as Lactobacillus casei. The GG3 and GG4 isolates were identified as Streptococcus species according to Bergey’s Manual of Systemic Bacteriology. Antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin was studied at pH 5 and pH 7 by agar well diffusion method. The bacteriocin produced by these organisms inhibited the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sps. The bacteriocin of all the four isolates exhibited highest antibacterial activity at pH5 except in case of bacteriocin produced by GG2 showed highest antibacterial activity at pH 7. The biopreservative efficacy of bacteriocins of all four isolates was observed in sweet lime and lemon juices. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of bacteriocins for all the four isolates was found to be 100 ul in sweet lime. The MIC of bacteriocins of GG1 was 25 μl; GG2 and GG3 was 50 ul, whereas bacteriocin of GG4 isolate could not inhibit the growth even at 100 μl in lemon juice.
Trackmouse trackball in pie menu use: data on accuracy

We conducted two experiments to guide the design of a pie menu to be used with the trackball component of a device that combines a trackball and a mouse. In the first experiment we measured the accuracy of pie menu specific target selection (angular error). In the second experiment we measured the error rate in menu item selection in a pie menu that was designed based on the findings of the first experiment. The results show that a six item menu can be used at about 3% error rate.
Swine enteric coronavirus disease: A review of 4 years with porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus and porcine deltacoronavirus in the United States and Canada

Summary Swine enteric coronaviruses, including porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), have emerged and spread throughout the North American swine industry over the last four years. These diseases cause significant losses within the pork industry and within the first year after PEDV introduction, approximately 10% of the US herd died due to the disease. Similar to other enteric coronaviruses, such as transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), these emerging swine enteric coronavirus diseases (SECD) are age‐dependent, with high morbidity and mortality in neonatal pigs. Since the introduction of SECD, research has focused on investigating viral pathogenesis through experimental inoculation, increasing maternal antibody for neonatal protection, understanding transmission risks through feed and transportation, and outlining the importance of biosecurity in preventing SECD introduction and spread. A survey of swine professionals conducted for this review revealed that the majority of respondents (75%) believe SECD can be eradicated and that most herds have been successful at long‐term elimination of SECD after exposure (80%). However, unique properties of SECD, such as ineffective immunity through parenteral vaccination and a low oral infectious dose, play a major role in management of SECD. This review serves to describe the current knowledge of SECD and the characteristics of these viruses which provide both opportunities and challenges for long‐term disease control and potential eradication from the US swine population.
The Effect of Resistivity on the Nonlinear Stage of the Magnetorotational Instability in Accretion Disks

We present three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the nonlinear evolution of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) with a nonzero ohmic resistivity. The simulations begin from a homogeneous (unstratified) density distribution and use the local shearing-box approximation. The evolution of a variety of initial field configurations and strengths is considered for several values of the constant coefficient of resistivity η. For uniform vertical and toroidal magnetic fields, we find unstable growth consistent with the linear analyses; finite resistivity reduces growth rates and, when large enough, stabilizes the MRI. Even when unstable modes remain, resistivity has significant effects on the nonlinear state. The properties of the saturated state depend on the initial magnetic field configuration. In simulations with an initial uniform vertical field, the MRI is able to support angular momentum transport even for large resistivities through the quasi-periodic generation of axisymmetric radial channel solutions rather than through the maintenance of anisotropic turbulence. Reconnective processes rather than parasitic instabilities mediate the resurgent channel solution in this case. Simulations with zero-net flux show that the angular momentum transport and the amplitude of magnetic energy after saturation are significantly reduced by finite resistivity, even at levels where the linear modes are only slightly affected. The MRI is unable to sustain angular momentum transport and turbulent flow against diffusion for ReM ≲ 104, where the Reynolds number is defined in terms of the disk scale height and sound speed, ReM = csH/η. As this is close to the Reynolds numbers expected in low, cool states of dwarf novae, these results suggest that finite resistivity may account for the low and high angular momentum transport rates inferred for these systems.
An Essay on Fiscal Federalism

This paper is a selective survey of fiscal federalism. It begins with a brief review and some reflections on the traditional theory of fiscal federalism: the assignment of functions to levels of government, the welfare gains from fiscal decentralization, and the use of fiscal instruments. It then explores a series of important topics that are the subject of current research: laboratory federalism, interjurisdictional competition and environmental federalism, the political economy of fiscal federalism, market-preserving federalism, and fiscal decentralization in the developing and transitional economies.
The genetics of the Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: a review.

The Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a hereditary, neuropsychiatric-neurobehavioral disorder with childhood onset that is characterized by motor and vocal tics that may vary from relatively mild to very severe. The exact pathogenesis is still unknown. Following anecdotal reports of familial occurrence, systematic family studies have been carried out since 1980 to establish the mode of inheritance and ultimately to map and clone the susceptibility gene(s). Currently, as a result of combined North American, English, and Dutch studies, the most accepted genetic model is an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance with incomplete penetrance and a variable expression. The objective of linkage studies is to "link" a particular DNA sequence (with known chromosomal localization) with the disease in all affected family members. Essential for these gene mapping studies is a clear and rigorous definition of the phenotype. Such studies are vastly more difficult if the disease phenotype is ambiguous, proper subject assignment being clouded by incomplete penetrance, cases mild enough to escape detection, or genetically unrelated but highly associated traits. Indeed, because of just these features, the initial optimism about the "well-defined and easy-to-objectivate" phenotype of GTS has gradually been tempered. The tics vary in frequency and severity, are frequently suppressed during examination, or might go unnoticed when associated behavioral symptoms like disturbed impulse control, obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit disorder with hyperkinesia (among others) dominate the clinical picture. Whether these associated behavioral symptoms are a part of the phenotype remains to be established. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The identification of pregnancies within the general practice research database

The United States is moving toward active drug safety surveillance using sources such as administrative claims and electronic medical records, but use of these data for studying teratogenicity has been challenging, as they typically do not allow for the easy identification of pregnancies. Our goal was to develop and validate an algorithm for the identification of pregnancies in the general practice research database (GPRD) that could be used to study pregnancy outcomes.
Tactile Signing with One-Handed Perception

Tactile signing among persons with deaf-blindness is not homogenous; rather, like other forms of language, it exhibits variation, especially in turn taking. Early analyses of tactile Swedish Sign Language, tactile Norwegian Sign Language, and tactile French Sign Language focused on tactile communication with four hands, in which partially blind or functionally blind signers use both hands for production and perception in the conversation dyad. In this article, I add to this body of research by focusing on tactile one-handed perception in Swedish Sign Language, in which a signer uses the left hand to produce and receive signs, and an addressee uses the right hand not only to receive but also to produce signs after taking a turn. As part of this discussion, I also look at issues of conversation regulation, hand movement during the turn change, and variation in the backchannel signals. The study shows that in tactile signing, interlocutors must change hand position when taking turns.
How does the urothelium affect bladder function in health and disease?: ICI‐RS 2011

The urothelium is a multifunctional tissue that not only acts as a barrier between the vesical contents of the lower urinary tract and the underlying tissues but also acts as a sensory organ by transducing physical and chemical stresses to the attendant afferent nervous system and underlying smooth muscle. This review will consider the nature of the stresses that the urothelium can transduce; the transmitters that mediate the transduction process; and how lower urinary pathologies, including overactive bladder syndrome, painful bladder syndrome and bacterial infections, are associated with alterations to this sensory system. In particular, the role of muscarinic receptors and the TRPV channels system will be discussed in this context. The urothelium also influences the contractile state of detrusor smooth muscle, both through modifying its contractility and the extent of spontaneous activity; potential pathways are discussed. The potential role that the urothelium may play in bladder underactivity is introduced, as well as potential biomarkers for the condition that may cross the urothelium to the urine. Finally, consideration is given to vesical administration of therapeutic agents that influence urinary tract function and how the properties of the urothelium may determine the effectiveness of this mode of delivery. Neurourol. Urodynam. 31:293–299, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
FoxO‐dependent atrogenes vary among catabolic conditions and play a key role in muscle atrophy induced by hindlimb suspension

Muscle atrophy is a debilitating condition that affects a high percentage of the population with a negative impact on quality of life. Dissecting the molecular level of the atrophy process, and the similarities/dissimilarities among different catabolic conditions, is a necessary step for designing specific countermeasures to attenuate/prevent muscle loss. The FoxO family transcription factors represent one of the most important regulators of atrophy programme stimulating the expression of many atrophy‐related genes. The findings of the present study clearly indicate that the signalling network controlling the atrophy programme is specific for each catabolic condition.
What Are the Effects of Induction and Mentoring on Beginning Teacher Turnover?

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of programs offering support, guidance, and orientation for beginning teachers during the transition into their first teaching job. This study examines whether such programs—collectively known as induction—have a positive effect on the retention of beginning teachers. The data used in the analysis are from the nationally representative 1999–2000 Schools and Staffing Survey. The results indicate that beginning teachers who were provided with mentors from the same subject field and who participated in collective induction activities, such as planning and collaboration with other teachers, were less likely to move to other schools and less likely to leave the teaching occupation after their first year of teaching.
X-ray-absorption near-edge structure study in mixed-valent samarium systems.

We report measurements of x-ray-absorption near-edge structures (XANES) 20\char21{}100 eV above the ${\mathit{L}}_{\mathrm{III}}$ edge of Sm in mixed-valence SmS- and ${\mathrm{SmB}}_{6}$-based systems. We show that the XANES measurements are strongly dependent on temperature, hydrostatic pressure, and sample composition. A phenomenological model is developed to interpret the data, indicating the sensitivity of the spectra to any modification of the Sm valence, interatomic distances, or atomic relaxation. Atomic relaxation effects could be determined for a large number of compounds. We discuss the static or dynamic nature of the valence mixing from the importance of atomic relaxation effects deduced from our data. Possible complications arising from final-state effects and their influence on our interpretations are addressed.
Elliptic Curves, Group Schemes, and Mazur's Theorem

This paper gives a proof of Mazur’s Theorem, which classifies the possible torsion subgroups of rational elliptic curves. We begin with a reasonably comprehensive introduction to the theory of elliptic curves, including proofs of most of the relevant results. We proceed to review many additional topics in modern number theory and algebraic geometry, including group schemes, Néron models, and modular curves. Finally, we bring together all this material by giving a proof of Mazur’s Theorem.
On Being Political

universities was first introduced by Victor Baldridge (1971). As a result of the BEMAS 1982 Bristol conference, this perspective with refinements has been legitimated and is now being applied to an analysis of British schools (see Educational Management and Administration, Vol. 10, No. 2, 19$2 ). Whilst welcoming this change in the study of educational institutions, it is to be hoped that future work does not