Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Through Silicon Via and 3-D Wafer/Chip Stacking Technology

Through silicon via and 3D wafer/chip stacking technology is thought to be the essential technology of the next generation high-end semiconductors such as high-speed microprocessors and high-speed memories. However, there are many issues regarding LSI design, process integration, thermal management, and cost are under development. Cost is one of the most critical issues to apply this technology to products. We propose to categorize the through via application into three areas, i.e. low-end, middle range and high-end. High-end area that covers fast MPUs and fast memories need very small through vias to realize high-speed signal transmission between devices. Low-end area that covers image sensors, stacked memories and discrete does not always need high-speed signal transmission, but they need ultimate low cost. Thus, we developed novel through via fabrication technology employing printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication processes. The technology was applied to a CMOS image sensor wafer and successfully demonstrated
Hardware Image Signal Processing and Integration into Architectural Simulator for SoC Platform

The ultimate goal of this project is to build an architectural simulator for System-on-Chip (SoC) platforms to conduct future research. The state-of-the-art SoC platforms, such as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 processor [1] and Samsung’s Exynos SoC [2], normally include application-specific processors and/or accelerators for higher power efficiency. And image signal processing is one of the most important functions that modern SoCs for mobile computing need to have. In order to accurately model the cycle-level behavior of a hardware image signal processing accelerator, we will first develop a RTL implementation of the accelerator, since there is no existing standard. Second, we will synthesize it with cutting-edge technology process to obtain the timing information. With the low-level details we know along the Verilog implementation, we will build a C++ model as other architectural simulator did. Finally, we will integrate the C++ model into our current integrated CPU-GPU simulator [3,4] as an important step towards a SoC simulator. The above three steps are the key tasks for this project. However, the actual steps towards the ultimate goal have changed along the project progress. I will explain the problems with my original plan and the new solutions along the way. The following parts of this report is organized as follows: section 2 introduces the background and motivates the project; section 3 presents the hardware JPEG encoder design which serves as the core part of an image signal processing accelerator; section 4 explains the problems with the original plan to presents the solutions; section 5 details the approaches to build an integrated simulator; and section 5 concludes this report and proposes future work.
Strategic Supplier Segmentation: The Next “Best Practice” in Supply Chain Management

This study of 453 supplier-automaker relationships in the U. S. , Japan, and Korea examines the extent to which automakers manage their "arm's-length" and "partner" suppliers differently. The findings indicate that U. S. automakers have historically managed the majority of their suppliers using an arm's-length model, Korean automakers have managed suppliers primarily as partners, and Japanese automakers have somewhat different relationships with suppliers depending on the nature (i. e., degree of asset specificity and value) of the component. Only Japanese automakers have strategically segmented suppliers in such a way as to realize many of the benefits of both the arm's-length as well as the partner models. Firms should think strategically about supplier management and should not have a "one-size-fits-all" strategy for supplier management.
Vigilance Performance: A Review of Electrodermal Predictors

A detailed analysis of electrodermal predictors, used in vigilance studies, suggests that slow habituators display a high over-all level of performance, regardless of task demands and modality. A difference in cautiousness of responding is not involved in this superiority. The evidence that fast habituators exhibit greater performance decrements with time is somewhat less strong. Electrodermal lability, in the sense of spontaneous activity, appeared to be useless as a predictor of over-all vigilant efficiency. The relationship between rate of habituation and performance can be explained in terms of differential allocation of information-processing capacity, although explanations in terms of arousal have also been offered. Speed of habituation has also been linked to intelligence. If in further research it can be shown that the predictive capacity of speed of habituation also applies to more complex, real-world tasks, a practical consequence may be to employ slow habituators in monitoring tasks.
Varying Numbers of Players in Small-Sided Soccer Games Modifies Action Opportunities during Training

This study examined the effects of the numbers of players involved in small-sided team games (underloading and overloading) on opportunities for maintaining ball possession, shooting at goal and passing to teammates during training. These practice constraint manipulations were assumed to alter values of key performance variables identified in previous research, such as interpersonal distances between players and time to intercept shots and passes. Fifteen male soccer players (age: 19.60±1.99 years) were grouped into three teams and played against each other in different versions of small-sided soccer games, in which the number of players was manipulated in three different conditions: 5 vs. 5, 5 vs. 4 and 5 vs. 3. Dependent variables were the values of interpersonal distance between an outfield attacker and nearest defender (ID), and the relative distance of a defender needed to intercept the trajectory of a shot (RDishot) or pass (RDipass). Statistical analyses revealed that mean ID values were significantly lower in 5 vs. 5 than in 5 vs. 4 and 5 vs. 3 conditions, and significantly lower in 5 vs. 4 than 5 vs. 3. They also revealed that mean values of RDishot were significantly higher in 5 vs. 3 than in 5 vs. 5 conditions. Finally, results showed that the mean values of RDipass were significantly higher in 5 vs. 3 than in 5 vs. 5. Findings revealed how task constraints in SSGs can be manipulated to vary values of key spatial and temporal performance variables (interpersonal distance and time to intercept) to influence the nature of interpersonal interactions between competing players during practice. We observed that these manipulations tended to decrease opportunities for maintaining ball possession during training when equal numbers of attackers and defenders existed in SSGs, and led to more shots and passes emerging when the number of defenders was decreased relative to attackers.
Nasal continuous positive airway pressure devices do not maintain the set pressure dynamically when tested under simulated clinical conditions.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is standard therapy for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The effective nasal mask pressure may be adversely affected by factors that increase system resistance (eg, long tubing and/or water condensation) and by dynamic variables (breathing frequency [f] and tidal volume [VT]). The present study was conducted in order to assess the performance of CPAP machines throughout a range of simulated clinical conditions. DESIGN Four currently used CPAP machines were tested at settings of 5, 10, 15, and 20 cm H(2)O using a pulmonary waveform generator to produce VTs of 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 L at frequencies of 10, 20, and 30 breaths/min. Machines were tested under five conditions: 6-foot and 12-foot tubing, with and without an in-line humidifier, and 12-foot tubing with humidifier and water condensation. MEASUREMENTS Maximum and minimum mask pressure measurements were obtained during five respiratory cycles for each dynamic variable under each of the five conditions and CPAP settings (180 experiments on each of four CPAP models). RESULTS Using typical clinical parameters (VT, 0.4 L and 0.8 L; f, 10 breaths/min and 20 breaths/min; and CPAP, 5 to 15 cm H(2)O), mask pressure consistently varied above and below the set point when additional tubing and/or a humidifier were added to the system (0.7 to 2.9 cm H(2)O below and 0.5 to 1.0 cm H(2)O above the set pressure). Water condensation caused large pressure deviations (inspiratory pressure ranged from 3.5 to 5.6 cm H(2)O below set pressure, and expiratory pressure ranged from 0.7 to 3.5 cm H(2)O above set pressure). CONCLUSIONS Therapy and compliance could be adversely affected because some CPAP machines in current use do not maintain constant continuous mask pressure when tested using simulated conditions, especially when water condenses in the tubing.
Bandwidth-Adaptive Scheduling for Quality of Service Enhancement of Real-Time Multimedia Applications in Network Processor Based Router

Problem statement: An explosive growth of multimedia applications in internet has stressed the performance of routers. Hence managing Quality of Service (QoS) enhancement of real-time multimedia applications over IP is a significant and demanding challenge. Approach: To address this issue, Bandwidth Adaptive Stratified Round Robin (BASRR) packet scheduling algorithm has been proposed in this paper for enhancing quality of service of real-time multimedia applications. Embedded Network Processors (NP) have recently emerged with flexibility and speed to reduce the stress of the router by effectively processing the packets. The main objective of this study was to implement the proposed packet scheduling algorithm in a Network Processor (NP) based router for enhancing quality of service of real-time multimedia applications Results: The effectiveness of the BASRR algorithm has been verified by simulations using Intel’s IXP 2400 network processor. The results show that BASRR achieves about 71.25% reduction in jitter compared to SRR when the traffic has uniform distribution of real-time flows and non real-time flows. The reduction in average queuing delay is about 30% compared to SRR for all the types of traffic. Conclusion: The QoS for multimedia applications has been achieved by the proposed non-preemptive Bandwidth Adaptive Stratified Round Robin (BASRR) scheduling algorithm and outperforms the three well-known scheduling algorithms including DRR, WDRR and SRR. The results showed that BASRR is efficient with per packet complexity of O(1) and provides better fairness and reduced delay.
Estimation of an age-specific reference interval for pulse wave velocity: a meta-analysis

Objective To estimate an age-specific reference interval for carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), an index of aortic stiffness, and to determine the predictive values of the reference range for detecting those at moderate and high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Design and methods We searched MEDLINE using PubMed from 1995 to 2005 for all studies in which Carotid–Femoral PWV was measured using a Complior (Colson, Paris, France) apparatus in Caucasian non-pregnant adults. Twenty-five studies were included, covering 30 groups of subjects; these groups were classified a priori into low (normal), moderate, and high CVD risk categories, with 2008, 5979, and 180 (total 8167) subjects, respectively. Individual-level data were simulated for each group, and an age-specific reference interval was calculated by using fractional polynomial functions. Results We plotted an age-adjusted normal curve for PWV with 2.5, 5, 50, 90, 95, and 97.5 centile limits. Applying this reference interval to the moderate- and high-risk groups using simulations yielded sensitivities of 34.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 33.2–35.3] and 57.2 (95% CI 55.2–59.3), respectively, specificities of 95.3 (95% CI 94.8–95.8) and 95.3 (95% CI 94.4–96.2), respectively, and positive likelihood ratios of 7.3 and 12.2, respectively. Conclusion We constructed an age-adjusted reference curve for PWV. Using the 95th centile of this curve as a threshold (e.g. 10.94, 11.86, and 13.18 m/s for 20, 40, and 60 years old) shows construct validity, as it appears to identify medium and high CVD risk groups reasonably accurately. This reference range needs to be tested using other datasets.
Evidence against apoptosis as a major mechanism for reproductive cell death following treatment of cell lines with anti-cancer drugs

An increase in apoptotic cells may be observed after treatment with chemotherapy, and many authors have assumed that anti-cancer drugs kill cells by inducing apoptosis. The most relevant endpoint of cell death following treatment of tumour cells is loss of reproductive ability as measured by a colony-forming assay, since cells with limited reproductive potential cannot regenerate a tumour. We have therefore investigated the relationship between apoptosis and reproductive cell death following in vitro treatment of mammalian cell lines with anti-cancer drugs. Markers of apoptosis (DNA ladders, TUNEL assay) were evaluated at various times after treatment of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, human bladder cancer MGH-U1 cells, and a murine T-lymphocytic cell line (CTLL-2) with several anti-cancer drugs. These markers were found infrequently, despite the use of doses that cause loss of colony-forming ability, except in CTLL-2 cells. We also transfected and expressed the human pro-apoptotic gene bax and the anti-apoptotic gene bcl-2 in MGH-U1 cells and compared cell survival after drug treatment with that of control cells transfected with the vector alone. Expression of these genes had at most small effects to influence cell survival. We conclude that apoptotic mechanisms had at most a minor role in leading to reproductive death of MGH-U1 and CHO cells after chemotherapy. When apoptosis is observed following treatment with anti-cancer drugs it may be a secondary event which occurs in lethally-damaged cells, leading to their lysis, rather than a primary event that leads to loss of reproductive integrity. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign
Whole Genome Sequence Analysis Suggests Intratumoral Heterogeneity in Dissemination of Breast Cancer to Lymph Nodes

Background Intratumoral heterogeneity may help drive resistance to targeted therapies in cancer. In breast cancer, the presence of nodal metastases is a key indicator of poorer overall survival. The aim of this study was to identify somatic genetic alterations in early dissemination of breast cancer by whole genome next generation sequencing (NGS) of a primary breast tumor, a matched locally-involved axillary lymph node and healthy normal DNA from blood. Methods Whole genome NGS was performed on 12 µg (range 11.1–13.3 µg) of DNA isolated from fresh-frozen primary breast tumor, axillary lymph node and peripheral blood following the DNA nanoball sequencing protocol. Single nucleotide variants, insertions, deletions, and substitutions were identified through a bioinformatic pipeline and compared to CIN25, a key set of genes associated with tumor metastasis. Results Whole genome sequencing revealed overlapping variants between the tumor and node, but also variants that were unique to each. Novel mutations unique to the node included those found in two CIN25 targets, TGIF2 and CCNB2, which are related to transcription cyclin activity and chromosomal stability, respectively, and a unique frameshift in PDS5B, which is required for accurate sister chromatid segregation during cell division. We also identified dominant clonal variants that progressed from tumor to node, including SNVs in TP53 and ARAP3, which mediates rearrangements to the cytoskeleton and cell shape, and an insertion in TOP2A, the expression of which is significantly associated with tumor proliferation and can segregate breast cancers by outcome. Conclusion This case study provides preliminary evidence that primary tumor and early nodal metastasis have largely overlapping somatic genetic alterations. There were very few mutations unique to the involved node. However, significant conclusions regarding early dissemination needs analysis of a larger number of patient samples.
The Process of Transfer from Primary to Secondary in a Bilingual Schooling Context.

The experience of transfer from primary to secondary school can be problematic. This article contrasts and compares experience in mainstream schools and in bilingual initiatives, in particular the Vienna Bilingual Schooling Middle School. Perspectives are also broadened to include viewing primary and secondary schools as two different cultures, with appropriate insights from cultural awareness research. Bilingual schooling is seen as potentially offering a more supportive environment although local contexts may create problems of implementation and integration.
Gender and sexual harassment

▪ Abstract Research on sexual harassment is still in its infancy. Over the past 20 years, research has moved from prevalence studies to more sophisticated empirical and theoretical analyses of the causes and consequences of sexual harassment. This review provides an overview of the prevalence and measurement of harassment along with some suggestions for developing standard measures of sexual harassment. Researchers are encouraged to include organizational forms of harassment in their measures, along with commonly understood individual forms. The most prominent and promising explanations of harassment are discussed including societal, organizational, and individual level approaches. Of particular promise are approaches incorporating the gendered nature of organizational structures and processes. Research on the responses to and consequences of sexual harassment are also presented. The review ends with a discussion of overlooked areas and directions for future research, including the need for more advanced .
Uncovering Faking Samples in Applicant, Incumbent, and Experimental Data Sets: An Application of Mixed-Model Item Response Theory

Most research on faking personality inventories has assumed that individuals are either faking or responding honestly; distinctions within these two groups are generally not made. A recently developed statistical technique, mixed-model item response theory, was used to identify subgroups within samples of individuals taking two different personality inventories under various conditions. For one personality test, the authors obtained a sample of applicants and incumbents. For the second test, a sample of honest respondents and two samples of respondents instructed to fake (coached and ad lib) were obtained. Across the applicant and incumbent data sets, the authors generally found that three classes were needed to model all response patterns. In the experimental faking study, an honest class and an extreme faking class were needed to model the data. Overall, these results demonstrate that previous assumptions about the nature of faking on personality inventories have been too restrictive.
Genome-Wide Survey and Developmental Expression Mapping of Zebrafish SET Domain-Containing Genes

SET domain-containing proteins represent an evolutionarily conserved family of epigenetic regulators, which are responsible for most histone lysine methylation. Since some of these genes have been revealed to be essential for embryonic development, we propose that the zebrafish, a vertebrate model organism possessing many advantages for developmental studies, can be utilized to study the biological functions of these genes and the related epigenetic mechanisms during early development. To this end, we have performed a genome-wide survey of zebrafish SET domain genes. 58 genes total have been identified. Although gene duplication events give rise to several lineage-specific paralogs, clear reciprocal orthologous relationship reveals high conservation between zebrafish and human SET domain genes. These data were further subject to an evolutionary analysis ranging from yeast to human, leading to the identification of putative clusters of orthologous groups (COGs) of this gene family. By means of whole-mount mRNA in situ hybridization strategy, we have also carried out a developmental expression mapping of these genes. A group of maternal SET domain genes, which are implicated in the programming of histone modification states in early development, have been identified and predicted to be responsible for all known sites of SET domain-mediated histone methylation. Furthermore, some genes show specific expression patterns in certain tissues at certain stages, suggesting the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the development of these systems. These results provide a global view of zebrafish SET domain histone methyltransferases in evolutionary and developmental dimensions and pave the way for using zebrafish to systematically study the roles of these genes during development.
What Makes a Good Kindergarten Teacher? A Pilot Interview Study in Hong Kong

The present study was aimed at investigating the perception of teaching and learning of kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong. Despite the philosophical vision of early childhood education, a firm traditional kind of instruction, with emphasis on planning, preparation and external judgment, was perceived as an important indicator for good teaching. Moreover, teachers tended to focus on and describe their own actions as teachers rather than the actions of pupils. There was a shift from children's agenda to the teacher's agenda. A very different role of the teacher, in contrast to the philosophy of early childhood education, was recorded. The vision of developmentally appropriate early childhood education has not been well acknowledged by kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong. It is argued that challenge to their prior beliefs on teaching and learning will facilitate their future professional development.
Inhibition by L-aspartol adenylate of a nondiscriminating aspartyl-tRNA synthetase reveals differences between the interactions of its active site with tRNAAsp and tRNAAsn.

Asparaginyl-tRNA formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 involves a nondiscriminating aspartyl-tRNA synthetase (ND-AspRS) which forms Asp-tRNAAsp and Asp-tRNAAsn, and a tRNA-dependent amidotransferase which transamidates the latter into Asn-tRNAAsn. We report here that the inhibition of this ND-AspRS by L-aspartol adenylate (Asp-ol-AMP), a stable analog of the natural reaction intermediate L-aspartyl adenylate, is biphasic because the aspartylation of the two tRNA substrates of ND-AspRS, tRNAAsp and tRNAAsn, are inhibited with different Ki values (41 μM and 215 μM, respectively). These results reveal that the two tRNA substrates of ND-AspRS interact differently with its active site. Yeast tRNAAsp transcripts with some identity elements replaced by those of tRNAAsn have their aspartylation inhibited with Ki values different from that for the wild-type transcript. Therefore, aminoacyl adenylate analogs, which are competitive inhibitors of their cognate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, can be used to probe rapidly the role of various structural elements in positioning the tRNA acceptor end in the active site.
Persistence of Adult Learners in Distance Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between persistence, life events, external commitments, and resiliency in undergraduate distance education. Scores from the Resiliency Attitudes Scale (RAS), the Life Events Inventory, and one questionnaire relating to external commitments were used to form the independent variables. The study revealed that four RAS skills and five RAS subskills were significantly correlated with persistence. No significant correlation was found for life events or gender. Of the six external commitments included in the discriminant analysis, only work commitments were significantly correlated (p = .0247) with persistence. This study correctly classified 66% of the students as either persisters or nonpersisters.