Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
InP photoconductive semiconductor switches generated ultra-short electrical pulse

III V compound semiconductors, such as Indium phosphide (InP) and its doped materials, are very suitable to make the transient high power photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) with its picosecond (ps) time response. An InP PCSS is fabricated, and measured under the input voltage up to 2000 V and the optical energy up to 2000 uJ conditions. The experimental data are explained by using a simple model. It is shown that the output voltages increase initially with the increasing optical energy at the initial stage, but saturate when the optical energy is big enough. The output voltages almost increase linearly with the increasing input voltage under the low optical energy condition, but deviate slightly linear relationship when the optical energy is high. Therefore, this paper proves a light-controlled photoelectronic device which could provide stable ps-order pulse. And this device could be the power source of the ultra-fast electric product.
Measurement of the nonlinear refractive index in optical thin films

Based on the z-scan method, an interferometric set-up for measuring the optical Kerr-effect was engineered and optimized. Utilizing a Mach-Zehnder configuration, the wave front deformation caused by the Kerr induced selffocusing is monitored. Fitting this deformation to a theoretical approach basing on a beam propagation model, the nonlinear refractive index is obtained. The procedure can be applied to measure the nonlinear refractive index of both, the substrate material as well as the deposited dielectric layer on top of the substrate. The nonlinear refractive index of a layer specially deposited for this purpose as well as for several substrate materials was measured and the results presented.
Insights into the Mode of Action of Novel Fluoroketolides, Potent Inhibitors of Bacterial Protein Synthesis

ABSTRACT Ketolides, the third generation of expanded-spectrum macrolides, have in the last years become a successful weapon in the endless war against macrolide-resistant pathogens. Ketolides are semisynthetic derivatives of the naturally produced macrolide erythromycin, displaying not only improved activity against some erythromycin-resistant strains but also increased bactericidal activity as well as inhibitory effects at lower drug concentrations. In this study, we present a series of novel ketolides carrying alkyl-aryl side chains at the C-6 position of the lactone ring and, additionally, one or two fluorine atoms attached either directly to the lactone ring at the C-2 position or indirectly via the C-13 position. According to our genetic and biochemical studies, these novel ketolides occupy the known macrolide binding site at the entrance of the ribosomal tunnel and exhibit lower MIC values against wild-type or mutant strains than erythromycin. In most cases, the ketolides display activities comparable to or better than the clinically used ketolide telithromycin. Chemical protection experiments using Escherichia coli ribosomes bearing U2609C or U754A mutations in 23S rRNA suggest that the alkyl-aryl side chain establishes an interaction with the U2609-A752 base pair, analogous to that observed with telithromycin but unlike the interactions formed by cethromycin. These findings reemphasize the versatility of the alkyl-aryl side chains with respect to species specificity, which will be important for future design of improved antimicrobial agents.
Malaria transmission-blocking immunity induced by natural infections of Plasmodium vivax in humans

Immunity to malarial infections in human populations is known to affect the development of the asexual blood stages of the parasites in the human host and to be capable of conferring significant protection against morbidity and mortality due to the disease. In this study we show that during acute infection with Plasmodium vivax malaria, one of the two main malarial pathogens of humans, most individuals also develop immunity that suppresses the infectivity of the sexual stages of the parasite to mosquitoes. The immunity is antibody mediated and is directed against the parasites in the mosquito midgut shortly after ingestion of blood by a mosquito. This immunity could be expected to have significant effects on the natural transmission of P. vivax malaria.
Elastic Properties and Stability of Physisorbed Graphene

Graphene is an ultimate membrane that mixes both flexibility and mechanical strength, together with many other remarkable properties. A good knowledge of the elastic properties of graphene is prerequisite to any practical application of it in nanoscopic devices. Although this two-dimensional material is only one atom thick, continuous-medium elasticity can be applied as long as the deformations vary slowly on the atomic scale and provided suitable parameters are used. The present paper aims to be a critical review on this topic that does not assume a specific pre-knowledge of graphene physics. The basis for the paper is the classical Kirchhoff-Love plate theory. It demands a few parameters that can be addressed from many points of view and fitted to independent experimental data. The parameters can also be estimated by electronic structure calculations. Although coming from diverse backgrounds, most of the available data provide a rather coherent picture that gives a good degree of confidence in the classical description of graphene elasticity. The theory can than be used to estimate, e.g., the buckling limit of graphene bound to a substrate. It can also predict the size above which a scrolled graphene sheet will never spontaneously unroll in free space.
Genes for Psychosis and Creativity

Why are genetic polymorphisms related to severe mental disorders retained in the gene pool of a population? A possible answer is that these genetic variations may have a positive impact on psychological functions. Here, I show that a biologically relevant polymorphism of the promoter region of the neuregulin 1 gene (SNP8NRG243177/rs6994992) is associated with creativity in people with high intellectual and academic performance. Intriguingly, the highest creative achievements and creative-thinking scores were found in people who carried the TIT genotype, which was previously shown to be related to psychosis risk and altered prefrontal activation.
Enhancing the effect of the nanofiber network structure on thermoresponsive wettability switching.

This letter reports the enhancing effects of a nanofiber network structure on stimuli-responsive wettability switching. Thermoresponsive coatings composed of nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning from thermoresponsive polymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm). The nanofiber coatings showed a large amplitude of thermoresponsive change in the wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic states compared to a smooth cast film. In particular, the combination of the surface chemistry and unique topology of the electrospun nanofiber coatings enables a transition from the Wenzel state to the metastable Cassie-Baxter state with an increase in temperature and consequently an enhanced amplitude of change in the water contact angles: the apparent contact angle differences between 25 and 50 °C are Δθ*(25-50 °C )= 108 and 10° for the nanofiber coatings with a diameter of 830 nm and a smooth cast film, respectively. The fabrication of the 3D nanofiber network structure by electrospinning from stimuli-responsive materials is a promising option for highly responsive surfaces in wettability.
Toward large scale modeling of carbon nanotube systems with the mesoscopic distinct element method

A new scalable and efficient implementation of the mesoscopic distinct element method for massively parallel numerical simulations of carbon nanotube systems is introduced. Carbon nanotubes are represented as chains of rigid bodies, linked by elastic bonds and dispersive van der Waals (vdW) forces. The enhanced vector model formalism of the elastic bond between rigid bodies, developed recently, is employed here to capture the elastic deformation of nanotubes. Dispersive interactions between the neighboring nanotubes are described with the coarse-grained vdW potential. Time integration is performed using a velocity Verlet integration scheme with tunable damping in order to describe the energy dissipation to the implicit degrees of freedom. Due to the scalable message passing interface (MPI) parallelization, enabled by rigid particle dynamics module (PE) of the waLBerla multiphysics framework, our method is capable of modeling large assemblies of carbon nanotubes. This advance enables us to move closer to the length and time scales required to extract representative mechanics of carbon nanotube materials. The promising scalability of the new implementation is probed in two examples of self-assembly of ultra-thin carbon nanotube films and carbon nanotube buckypapers, where formation of hierarchical networks of carbon nanotube bundles, storing both elastic and vdW adhesion energies is observed. The relaxation of one cubic micrometer of buckypaper illustrates the code scalability.
Aptamer‐Mediated Efficient Capture and Release of T Lymphocytes on Nanostructured Surfaces

T lymphocytes have fundamental functions in immune responses to many diseases, such as pathogenic infections, malignancies, and autoimmune diseases. Detections of targeted T lymphocytes provide important information in clinical diagnosis. [ 1 ] For example, human immunodefi ciency virus (HIV) depletes CD4 + T lymphocytes in peripheral blood [ 2 ] and other lymphoid tissues. [ 3 ] As a result, the absolute counts of CD4 + T-cells and the ratio of CD4 + /CD8 + T lymphocytes are used as indicators of the onset of autoimmune defi ciency syndrome (AIDS) and as benchmarks for the beginning of antiviral therapy. [ 4 ] Because of the low specifi city and low effi ciency of traditional approaches based on size, density, and fl ow cytometry, cell counts, cell phenotype assessments, and genomic/ mRNA analysis of target cells require the emergence of new effi cient capture and release technologies. Many functional molecules, such as antibodies, [ 5 ] peptides, [ 6 ] and DNA [ 7 ] are immobilized onto various surfaces such as magnetic beads, [ 8 ] 2D microarrays, [ 9 , 10 ] and microfl uidic channels [ 11 , 12 ] for specifi c recognition and capture of targeted cells. The introduction of microfl uidic techniques [ 13 ] has improved the capture effi ciency of targeted cells to a certain extent by optimization of channel dimension, mixing fashion, and fl ow rate. [ 9 , 12 , 14 ] Since capture and release takes place at the interface between cells and substrates, can we realize the effi cient capture and release only by engineering the surface chemistry and topography without the external fl uidic force? Recently, knowledge about cell–nanostructure interactions in biological and artifi cial cell microenvironments has shown that nanometer-scale topography infl uences diverse cell behaviors, including cell adhesion, cell orientation, and cell motility. [ 15 ] In addition, use of size and shape-matched nanometer-scale topography can enhance interactions between the substrate and target cells. [ 16 , 17 ] These fi ndings inspired us to achieve effi cient capture and release of targeted T lymphocytes by directly controlling cell–substrate interactions.
Low-latency, HDL-synthesizable dynamic clock frequency controller with self-referenced hybrid clocking

A low-latency, HDL-synthesizable dynamic clock frequency controller is presented as a time-efficient alternative to full-custom implementations. Frequency division of a fully integrated hybrid temperature-compensated LC oscillator (TC-LCO) and ring oscillator clock reference avoids PLL locking delays to enable low-latency, hazard-free frequency selection on an actively running CPU. Fabricated in 0.18mum CMOS as part of a low-power SoC microsystem, the circuit dissipates 480muW at 1.8V
Prevalence of periodontitis in the Indian population: A literature review

Background: Periodontitis is one of the major reasons for tooth loss in adults. India, with a population of over 1 billion, is bound to become a developed nation soon. This transition will require a population that is healthy, including in terms of periodontal health. Early studies done in India gave an indication that the population is highly susceptible to periodontitis. Aim: This paper reviews the prevalence of periodontitis in the Indian population. Settings and Design: Review of periodontitis prevalence studies on the Indian population. Materials and Methods: After identifying articles from PubMed and hand searching, the epidemiology of periodontitis is reviewed together with the case definition, study settings, type of population, age and other factors as all these are bound to affect the prevalence rates determined in various studies. Statistical Analysis: None. Results: This review identifies very limited number of studies that provide prevalence data and faces difficulty in comparing various studies due to nonstandardization of case definition and use of nonrepresentative samples. There is a high prevalence of periodontitis among the adults and the economically weak population. Conclusions: There is a very urgent need for standardized population-based studies with a robust design to identify the true prevalence of periodontitis, which in turn will help in planning oral health policies and creating the necessary infrastructure.
MULTISCALE MODELING AND COMPUTATIONAL REMODELING OF HUMAN EYE TISSUES

A stress based remodeling approach is used to investigate the sensitivity of the collagen architecture in humane eye tissues on the biomechanical response of the lamina cribrosa with a particular focus on the stress environment of the nerve fibers. This approach is based on a multi-level biomechanical framework, where the biomechanical properties of eye tissues are derived from a single crimped fibril at the micro-scale via the collagen network of distributed fibrils at the meso-scale to the incompressible and anisotropic soft tissue at the macro-scale. Biomechanically induced remodeling of the collagen network is captured on the meso-scale by allowing for a continuous reorientation of collagen fibrils. To investigate the multi-scale phenomena related to glaucomatous neuropathy a generalized computational homogenization scheme is applied to a coupled two-scale analysis of the human eye considering a numerical macro- and meso-scale model of the lamina cribrosa.
Pancreas divisum: opinio divisa

“Pancreas divisum” describes the congenital anomaly in which the dorsal and ventral pancreatic glands drain separately into the duodenum. It occurs due to failure of fusion of the dorsal and ventral ducts during the seventh week of gestation and is characterised not only by the anatomical configuration but also by the physiology of duct drainage—that is, predominant drainage through the dorsal duct of Santorini.1 The pancreas gland arises during the fifth week of gestation from three outgrowths of the primitive duodenum.2 3 The dorsal pancreatic bud grows at first posteriorly in the midline and later comes to lie in the concavity of the duodenum. Two ventral buds develop slightly caudal to the dorsal bud and the left bud later atrophies but rarely persists to become an annular pancreas. The right ventral bud develops in association with the primitive bile duct. Later the ventral pancreas rotates posteriorly until it comes to lie on the left of the duodenum, caudal to the dorsal pancreas. The duct systems then usually fuse together, the dorsal duct forming the main duct of the body and tail while the ventral duct (Wirsung's duct) becomes the main conduit for pancreatic secretion coursing through the head and opening into the major papilla in the duodenum. The dorsal duct usually also continues to drain along its original course in the duct of Santorini through the minor or accessory papilla which opens in the duodenum proximal to the major papilla. The discovery of pancreas divisum is usually attributed to Joseph Hyrtl (anatomist, 1810–1894), although it had been described previously in the seventeenth century. Three variants have been described1 4: type 1 or classical divisum in which there is total failure of fusion; type 2 in which dorsal drainage is dominant in the absence of Wirsung's duct; …
Constitutive Modeling of Viscoplastic Porous Single Crystals and Polycrystals: Macroscopic Response and Evolution of the Microstructure

noindent Porosity can have a significant effect on the overall constitutive behavior of many materials, especially when it serves to relax kinematic constraints imposed by the underlying matrix behavior. In this study, we investigate the multiscale, finite-strain response of viscoplastic porous single crystals and porous polycrystals. For these materials, the presence of voids leads to highly nonlinear dilatational behavior for loads with a large hydrostatic component, even though the matrix material itself is essentially incompressible. \vspace*{15pt} \noindent In this study, we employ the recently developed ``fully optimized second-order" homogenization approach, along with an iterated homogenization procedure, to obtain accurate estimates for the effective behavior of porous single crystals and porous polycrystals with fixed states of the microstructure. The method makes use of the effective properties of a ``linear comparison composite," whose local properties are chosen according to a suitably designed variational principle, to generate the corresponding estimates for the actual nonlinear porous materials. Additionally, consistent homogenization estimates for the average strain-rate and spin fields in the phases are used to develop approximate evolution equations for the microstructures. The model is quite general, and applies for viscoplastic porous single crystals and polycrystals with general crystallographic texture, general ellipsoidal voids, and general ellipsoidal grains, which are subjected to general loading conditions. The model is used to study both the instantaneous response and the evolution of the microstructure for porous FCC and HCP single crystals and polycrystals. It is found that the intrinsic anisotropy of the matrix phase---either due to the local crystallography in single crystals or to the texture of polycrystals---has significant effects on the porosity evolution, as well as on the overall hardening/softening behavior of the porous materials. In particular, the predictions of the model for porous single crystals are found to be in fairly good agreement with the full-field, numerical results available in the literature. The results for porous polycrystals suggest that the macroscopic behavior is controlled by porosity growth at high stress triaxialities, while it is controlled by texture evolution of the underlying matrix at low triaxialities. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics First Advisor Pedro Ponte Castañeda This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/3005
Minimal Macroscopic Residual Disease (0.1–1 cm). Is It Still a Surgical Goal in Advanced Ovarian Cancer?

Objective The objective of this review was to try to determine by searching in the literature what is the survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer after a primary debulking with minimal macroscopic residual disease (MMRD; 0.1–10 mm). Additionally, this review aimed to explore the survival in patients with residual disease from 0.1 to 0.5 cm. Methods A retrospective search was accomplished in the PubMed database looking for all English-language articles published between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2014, under the following search strategy: “ovarian cancer and cytoreduction” or “ovarian cancer and phase III trial”. We selected those articles that contain information on both percentage of MMRD (0.1–1 cm) and median overall survival (OS) in this subset of patients with stage III to stage IV ovarian cancer after primary debulking surgery. Results Thirteen publications were obtained including information of a total 11,999 patients with stage III to stage IV ovarian cancer. Five thousand thirty-seven patients (42%) had MMRD after the primary debulking (0.1–1 cm). Median overall survival in patients with MMRD was 40 months and disease-free survival (DFS) was 16 months. This group of patients obtained an advantage of 10 months in OS (40 vs 30 m) and 4 months in DFS (16 vs 12 m) compared with the group with suboptimal debulking (P < 0.001). Compared with the group of complete resection, patients with minimal macroscopic residuum showed a significant inferior median OS and DFS of 30 months and 14 months, respectively (OS, 70 vs 40 m; DFS, 30 vs 16 m) (P < 0.001). The group of residual disease of 0.1 to 0.5 cm reached a median survival of 53 months. Conclusions Patients with ovarian cancer with MMRD after primary surgery obtain a modest but significant advantage in survival (10 months) over suboptimal patients. Patients with macroscopic residual disease (0.1–0.5 cm) obtain a better survival (53 months) than those with more than 0.5 to 1 cm. We propose that they should be classified as a different prognostic group.
Gaussian Process Gauss-Newton for 3D laser-based Visual Odometry

In this paper, we present a method for obtaining Visual Odometry (VO) estimates using a scanning laser rangefinder. Though common VO implementations utilize stereo camera imagery, cameras are dependent on ambient light. In contrast, actively-illuminated sensors such as laser rangefinders work in a variety of lighting conditions, including full darkness. We leverage previous successes by applying sparse appearance-based methods to laser intensity images, and address the issue of motion distortion by considering the estimation problem in continuous time. This is facilitated by Gaussian Process Gauss-Newton (GPGN), an algorithm for non-parametric, continuous-time, nonlinear, batch state estimation. We include a concise derivation of GPGN, along with details on the extension to three-dimensions (3D). Validation of the 3D laser-based VO framework is provided using 1.1km of experimental data, which was gathered by a field robot equipped with a two-axis scanning lidar.
HCV and Lymphoproliferation

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious public health problem because of its worldwide diffusion and sequelae. It is not only a hepatotropic but also a lymphotropic agent and is responsible not only for liver injury—potentially evolving to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma—but also for a series of sometimes severely disabling extrahepatic diseases and, in particular, B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. These latter range from benign, but prelymphomatous conditions, like mixed cryoglobulinemia, to frank lymphomas. Analogously with Helicobacter pylori related lymphomagenesis, the study of the effects of viral eradication confirmed the etiopathogenetic role of HCV and showed it is an ideal model for better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved. Concerning these latter, several hypotheses have been proposed over the past two decades which are not mutually exclusive. These hypotheses have variously emphasized the important role played by sustained stimulation of the immune system by HCV, infection of the lymphatic cells, viral proteins, chromosomal aberrations, cytokines, or microRNA molecules. In this paper we describe the main hypotheses that have been proposed with the corresponding principal supporting data.