Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diffraction Effect in Proximity Printing of Circular Aperture Array

Proximity printing is one of the lithographic processes used in fabricating semiconductor, micro optoelectronic components and micro electro-mechanical systems to transfer mask pattern to the substrate. This research investigates the cause of pattern distortion based on the analysis of diffraction effect of light beam due to the gap between the mask and the photo resistant in the proximity printing process. The Huygens-Fresnel diffraction theorem is first employed to derive the diffraction effect. It shows that irradiance decreases as the gap increased, which is consistent with practice. Further investigation shows that shading area can be exposed, even with a small gap, due to the diffraction effect that makes the exposed image imprecise. A deeper analysis on the diffraction effect in microlithography of proximity printing with single-aperture, dual-aperture, and multi-aperture masks is investigated. It shows that the contrast irradiance between the exposed and the shading regions becomes closer as the gap increases. This makes the boundary of image become vague and causes the exposed image to be distorted. Experiments are then designed and conducted to verify the derived results. Experimental results using φ80μm circular single-, dual- and multiaperture masks showed that the boundary of adjacent circular apertures begins to crossover with each other when the gap reaches 240μm. When the gap increases to 360μm, interference between adjacent circular apertures becomes stronger that results in hexagonal images. This shows that experimental results are consistent with simulations from theoretical analyses. The main contribution of this research is to analytically find the distortion of image in proximity printing due to diffraction effect and to verify the theory by experiments.
Machinability Evaluation of Engineering Ceramics with Digraph Method

A new method is proposed for machinability comprehensive evaluation of engineering ceramic materials based on digraph theory. Machinability attributes of the materials are taken as the nodes and the correlations between attributes are taken as the edges. The digraph model for machinability evaluation of ceramics is set up. According to the diagraph model, the machinability attribute matrix was constituted. Then machinability indexes of ceramic materials were calculated with permanent function and machinabilities of the ceramics were evaluated. In this paper, mechanical property parameters of ceramic materials, including hardness, fracture toughness and elastic modulus, were selected as machinability attributes. Machinability of four typical engineering ceramics were evaluated and ranked with machinability indexes. The grinding experiments give further proof of evaluation results.
The Permeability Transition Pore Complex: A Target for Apoptosis Regulation by Caspases and Bcl-2–related Proteins

Early in programmed cell death (apoptosis), mitochondrial membrane permeability increases. This is at least in part due to opening of the permeability transition (PT) pore, a multiprotein complex built up at the contact site between the inner and the outer mitochondrial membranes. The PT pore has been previously implicated in clinically relevant massive cell death induced by toxins, anoxia, reactive oxygen species, and calcium overload. Here we show that PT pore complexes reconstituted in liposomes exhibit a functional behavior comparable with that of the natural PT pore present in intact mitochondria. The PT pore complex is regulated by thiol-reactive agents, calcium, cyclophilin D ligands (cyclosporin A and a nonimmunosuppressive cyclosporin A derivative), ligands of the adenine nucleotide translocator, apoptosis-related endoproteases (caspases), and Bcl-2–like proteins. Although calcium, prooxidants, and several recombinant caspases (caspases 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6) enhance the permeability of PT pore-containing liposomes, recombinant Bcl-2 or Bcl-XL augment the resistance of the reconstituted PT pore complex to pore opening. Mutated Bcl-2 proteins that have lost their cytoprotective potential also lose their PT modulatory capacity. In conclusion, the PT pore complex may constitute a crossroad of apoptosis regulation by caspases and members of the Bcl-2 family.
The Meniscus Depression Of A Porous SphericalParticle At The Three Phase Contact Line

The description of the processes at the three phase contact line is very important for the study of elementary steps in flotation. When a hydrophobic particle is attached to a gas-liquid interface, it is influenced by a number of forces, including surface tension, capillary and buoyancy forces on one hand and the particle weight on the other. In the case of porous particles, capillary forces acting in the porous surface must also be considered. The meniscus depression at the three-phase contact line is determined by the resultant force. The meniscus depression of the floating particle was studied using the image analysis method. The depression was studied for spherical polystyrene particles of diameters from 0.5 to 3mm. We compared the experimental values of meniscus depression with the data calculated using theoretical and semi-empirical models. The theoretical description of forces acting on the floating spherical porous particle is also given. We found that the existence of pores and surface inequalities has a significant influence on particle behaviour on the phase interface.
Maintaining Gateway Connectivity in Multi-hop Ad hoc Networks

The need for maintaining gateway connectivity in an ad hoc access network is vital considering the 80/20 ratio of Internet traffic. There are several proposals of how to integrate gateway forwarding strategies but they all rely on the route discovery procedure of reactive routing protocols. We propose a proactive approach to avoid the delay of the route discovery process. Mobile IP is often suggested to handle macro mobility and we use the advertisements periodically sent by the gateway to update routing tables in the ad hoc network. Since advertisements may arrive to a mobile host through multiple paths, it is important to keep track of the best path to each gateway. We demonstrate the use of a proposed dynamic metric and how to handle location of correspondent hosts. A simulation study demonstrates the usefulness and efficiency of our approach
Anti-Proliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Activities of 4-Methyl-2,6-bis(1-phenylethyl)phenol in Cancer Cells

It has been found that 4-isopropyl-2,6-bis(1-phenylethyl)phenol (KTH-13), a novel compound isolated from Cordyceps bassiana, is able to suppress tumor cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis. To mass-produce this compound, we established a total synthesis method. Using those conditions, we further synthesized various analogs with structural similarity to KTH-13. In this study, we aimed to test their anti-cancer activity by measuring anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities. Of 8 compounds tested, 4-methyl-2,6-bis(1-phenylethyl)phenol (KTH-13-Me) exhibited the strongest anti-proliferative activity toward MDA-MB 231 cells. KTH-13-Me also similarly suppressed the survival of various cancer cell lines, including C6 glioma, HCT-15, and LoVo cells. Treatment of KTH-13-Me induced several apoptotic signs in C6 glioma cells, such as morphological changes, induction of apoptotic bodies, and nuclear fragmentation and chromatin condensation. Concordantly, early-apoptotic cells were also identified by staining with FITC-Annexin V/PI. Moreover, KTH-13-Me highly enhanced the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, and decreased the protein level of Bcl-2. In addition, the phosphorylation levels of Src and STAT3 were diminished in KTH-13-Me-treated C6 cells. Therefore, these results suggest that KTH-13-Me can be developed as a novel anti-cancer drug capable of blocking proliferation, inducing apoptosis, and blocking cell survival signaling in cancer cells.
Plasmonics and nanophotonics for photovoltaics

In recent years, there has been rapid development in the field of nanoscale light trapping for solar cells. This has been driven by the decrease in thickness of solar cells in order to reduce materials costs, as well as advances in fabrication technology and computer power for simulating nanoscale structures. Nanoscale light trapping offers the possibility of enhancing absorption beyond the limits achievable with geometrical optics for certain structures. It also allows the optical design to be separated from the electrical design, as for example in plasmonic solar cells. Most importantly, thin-film cell designs will need to incorporate nanophotonic light trapping in order to reach their ultimate efficiency limits. In this article, we review the major types of nanophotonic light trapping, including plasmonic, diffraction gratings, and random scattering surfaces and describe the major advantages and disadvantages of each. In addition, we describe the most important related fabrication and characterization technologies and provide an outlook on future directions in this field.
COMPACT HANDHELD FRINGE PROJECTION BASED UNDERWATER 3D-SCANNER

Abstract. A new, fringe projection based compact handheld 3D scanner for the surface reconstruction of measurement objects under water is introduced. The weight of the scanner is about 10 kg and can be used in a water depth of maximal 40 metres. A measurement field of about 250 mm x 200 mm is covered under water, and the lateral resolution of the measured object points is about 150 μm. Larger measurement objects can be digitized in a unique geometric model by merging subsequently recorded datasets. The recording time for one 3D scan is a third of a second. The projection unit for the structured illumination of the scene as well as the computer for device control and measurement data analysis are included into the scanners housing. A display on the backside of the device realizes the graphical presentation of the current measurement data. It allows the user to evaluate the quality of the measurement result in real-time already during the recording of the measurement under water. For the calibration of the underwater scanner a combined method of air- and water-calibration was developed which needs only a few recorded underwater images of a plane surface and an object with known lengths. First measurement results obtained with the new scanner are presented.
Effect of reduced dose of triptorelin at the start of ovarian stimulation on the outcome of IVF: a randomized study.

BACKGROUND Partial pituitary desensitization using gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists may be sufficient in women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for assisted reproduction. However, the minimal effective agonist dose remains to be determined. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of a reduced daily dose of triptorelin, administered at the start of ovarian stimulation, on the results of IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. METHODS A total of 132 patients was randomized in two groups. Pituitary desensitization was obtained in group 1 (66 patients) with a single 3.75 mg injection (i.m.) of triptorelin. In group 2, 66 patients received 100 microg triptorelin daily, which was then reduced to 50 microg at the start of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulation. RESULTS No significant differences were found in terms of pregnancy rate per transfer (38% in group 1 versus 34.9% in group 2), implantation rate (20.2 versus 18%) and abortion rate (8.3 versus 9.1%). The number of FSH ampoules used, as well as the number of days stimulation required, was significantly reduced in group 2 (41 +/- 26 versus 46.6 +/- 25.3, P < 0.03 and 11 +/- 1.3 versus 11.8 +/- 1.5, P < 0.002 respectively). No significant differences were seen in oestradiol concentrations and in follicle number, in the quantity of oocytes collected and fertilized, or in the number of embryos obtained or transferred. CONCLUSION A reduced dose of triptorelin is enough for pituitary suppression during ovarian stimulation but provides no significant improvement in IVF cycle outcome when compared with depot formulation. The possibility of a shorter treatment protocol requiring lower amounts of gonadotrophins should be considered in view of its economic advantage.
Social Media Video Collection Summarization based on Social Graph User Interactions

Social media content has already been used in a variety of applications such as for ranking of news stories, for profiling of user preferences, even for products’ recommendations. However, this type of conversational, user-generated content found in social media, might be used to add value to more traditional event media, such as video. In this paper we examine the capability of automatically producing a meaningful summary of generic videos posted by our social media friends. To do so we take into consideration several parameters such as social graphs, user interactions, video popularity, likes, posts, comments, duration of activity and rate of activity. We believe that these parameters, which can be reliably associated to a given video, have the potential to serve as a powerful form of summarizing data. This paper forms an initial study of one such summarization service and some initial experiments are presented, which indicate the promising performance of the proposed scheme. Key-Words: Video Collection Summarization, Social Media, Facebook, User Interactions, Social Graph
Prophylactic Edaravone Prevents Transient Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury: Implications for Perioperative Neuroprotection

Background and Purpose— Hypoperfusion-induced thrombosis is an important mechanism for postsurgery stroke and cognitive decline, but there are no perioperative neuroprotectants to date. This study investigated whether prophylactic application of Edaravone, a free radical scavenger already used in treating ischemic stroke in Japan, can prevent infarct and cognitive deficits in a murine model of transient cerebral hypoxia-ischemia. Methods— Adult male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to transient hypoxic-ischemic (tHI) insult that consists of 30-minute occlusion of the unilateral common carotid artery and exposure to 7.5% oxygen. Edaravone or saline was prophylactically applied to compare their effects on cortical oxygen saturation, blood flow, coagulation, oxidative stress, metabolites, and learning-memory using methods that include photoacoustic imaging, laser speckle contrast imaging, solid-state NMR, and Morris water maze. The effects on infarct size by Edaravone application at different time points after tHI were also compared. Results— Prophylactic administration of Edaravone (4.5 mg/kg×2, IP, 1 hour before and 1 hour after tHI) improved vascular reperfusion, oxygen saturation, and the maintenance of brain metabolites, reducing oxidative stress, thrombosis, white-matter injury, and learning impairment after tHI insult. Delayed Edaravone treatment after 3 h post-tHI became unable to reduce infarct size. Conclusions— Acute application of Edaravone may be a useful strategy to prevent postsurgery stroke and cognitive impairment, especially in patients with severe carotid stenosis.
NOX1/NADPH Oxidase Expressed in Colonic Macrophages Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Colonic Inflammation in Trinitrobenzene Sulfonic Acid–Induced Murine Colitis

NOX1/NADPH oxidase, a nonphagocytic isoform of reactive oxygen species–producing enzymes, is highly expressed in the colon, but the physiologic and pathophysiologic roles of this isoform are not fully understood. The present study investigated the role of NOX1 in the development of colonic inflammation in a trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced murine colitis model. Intrarectal injection of TNBS caused severe colitis accompanied by body weight loss, diarrhea, and increased myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in wild-type (WT) mice. In contrast, the severity of colitis was significantly attenuated in NOX1-deficient (NOX1KO) mice (the inhibitions of macroscopic damage score, body weight loss, diarrhea score, and MPO activity were 73.1%, 36.8%, 83.3%, and 98.4%, respectively). TNBS-induced upregulation of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1β), chemokines (CXCL1 and CXLC2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was also significantly less in NOX1KO than in WT mice (the inhibitions were 100.8%, 89.0%, 63.5%, 96.7%, and 97.1%, respectively). Expression of NOX1 mRNA was detected not only in the lamina propria but also in peritoneal macrophages isolated from WT mice. Increased expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and iNOS in peritoneal macrophages exposed to lipopolysaccharide was significantly attenuated in macrophages isolated from NOX1KO mice (68.1%, 67.0%, and 79.3% inhibition, respectively). These findings suggest that NOX1/NADPH oxidase plays an important role in the pathogenesis of TNBS-induced colonic inflammation via upregulation of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and iNOS. NOX1 in colonic macrophages may become a potential target in pharmacologic intervention for inflammatory bowel disease.
Development of mucoadhesive biopolymers for food formulation

Development of mucoadhesive biopolymer has received great attention in the pharmaceutical application due to its ability to retain the drug dosage at the specific targeted area. This special property could be applied in food formulation for optimum delivery of the active ingredients in the mouth. This research was carried out to study, correlate and review several in vitro analytical methods that can be used in development process for characterisation of mucoadhesive polymer. Four well known mucoadhesive biopolymers namely, chitosan, pectin, sodium alginate and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were used in this study. A modified rheological characterisation was used to study the interaction between the biopolymers with mucin and the assessment was based on the viscosity synergism. The detachment force characterisation was carried out via pull-off and tensile test using texture analyser and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Kinetic interaction study was done using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCMD) and interpretation of data from the modified rheological characterisation. Meanwhile, the removal of biopolymer emulsion after water flushing in a flow cell was observed under a microscope. It was found that mucoadhesion properties of tested biopolymers were affected by the concentration of biopolymer solutions, molecular weight, contact time, ionic strength and pH. Sodium alginate was characterised as the most mucoadhesive material by all the methods while QCMD shows CMC has the highest interaction with mucin layer compared to sodium alginate and pectin.
Stabilization of factor VIII in plasma by the von Willebrand factor. Studies on posttransfusion and dissociated factor VIII and in patients with von Willebrand's disease.

In normal plasma, the ratio of the procoagulant activity of factor VIII (VIII(AHF)) to that of the von Willebrand factor activity (ristocetin cofactor, VIII(VWF)) or factor VIII antigen (VIII(AGN)) is approximately 1, but ratios > 1 (e.g., VIII(AHF) > VIII(VWF) or VIII(AGN)) may be observed in some patients with von Willebrand's disease and in the "late" posttransfusion plasmas of patients with this disorder. The lability of VIII(AHF) was studied by incubating plasma, diluted 1:10 in imidazole buffer pH 7.1, for 6 h at 37 degrees C. With normal plasmas, 77+/-12% (SD) of the original VIII(AHF) activity remained after incubation. VIII(AHF) was labile (e.g., 35-55% residual activity) in the "late" posttransfusion plasmas (VIII(AHF) >> VIII(VWF)) of a patient with von Willebrand's disease, but not in the "early" posttransfusion plasmas (VIII(AHF) approximately VIII(VWF)). VIII(AHF) was also labile in the (base-line) plasmas of three patients with von Willebrand's disease in whom the ratios of VIII(AHF) to VIII(VWF) were 4.4 to 8.1, but not in the plasmas of four other patients in whom the ratio was approximately 1. The electrophoretic mobility of factor VIII antigen was increased in two of the three patients with labile VIII(AHF). In both of these patients, and in the late posttransfusion plasmas, labile VIII(AHF) activity could be stabilized by the addition of purified von Willebrand factor (lacking VIII(AHF) activity) or by hemophilic plasma, but not by plasmas of patients with severe von Willebrand's disease. Thus, VIII(VWF) may serve to stabilize VIII(AHF) and this might explain the posttransfusion findings in von Willebrand's disease.
Angiotensin II Decreases Nitric Oxide Synthase 3 Expression via Nitric Oxide and Superoxide in the Thick Ascending Limb

NO produced by NO synthase type 3 (NOS3) in medullary thick ascending limbs (mTHALs) inhibits Cl− reabsorption. Acutely, angiotensin II stimulates thick ascending limb NO production. In endothelial cells, NO inhibits NOS3 expression. Therefore, we hypothesized that angiotensin II decreases NOS3 expression via NO in mTHALs. After 24 hours, 10 and 100 nmol/L of angiotensin II decreased NOS3 expression by 23±9% (n=6; P<0.05) and 50±5% (n=7; P<0.001), respectively, in primary cultures of rat mTHALs. NO synthase inhibition by 4 mmol/L of NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride prevented angiotensin II from decreasing NOS3 expression (&Dgr;=−5±8%; n=5). In the presence of NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, the addition of exogenous NO (1 &mgr;mol/L spermine NONOate) restored the angiotensin II–induced decreases in NOS3 expression (−22±6%; n=7; P<0.013). In addition, NO scavenging with 10 &mgr;mol/L of carboxy-PTIO abolished the effect of angiotensin II in NOS3 expression (&Dgr;=−1±8% versus carboxy-PTIO alone; n=6). Angiotensin II increases superoxide, and superoxide scavenges NO. Thus, we tested whether scavenging superoxide enhances the angiotensin II–induced reduction in NOS3 expression. Surprisingly, treatment with 100 &mgr;mol/L of Tempol, a superoxide dismutase mimetic, blocked the angiotensin II–induced decrease in NOS3 expression (&Dgr;=−3±7%; n=6). This effect was not because of increased hydrogen peroxide. We concluded that angiotensin II–induced decreases in NOS3 expression in mTHALs require both NO and superoxide. Decreased NOS3 expression by angiotensin II in mTHALs could contribute to increased salt retention observed in angiotensin II–induced hypertension.
The sum-absolute-difference motion estimation accelerator

We investigate the Sum Absolute Difference (SAD) operation, an operation frequently used by a number of algorithms for digital motion estimation. For such operation, we propose a single vector instruction that can be performed (in hardware) on an entire block of data in parallel. We investigate possible implementations for such an instruction. Assuming a machine cycle comparable to the cycle of a two cycle multiply, we show that for a block of 16/spl times/1 or 16/spl times/16, the SAD operation can be performed in 3 or 4 machine cycles respectively. The proposed implementation operates as follows. First we determine in parallel which of the operands is the smallest in a pair of operands. Second we compute the absolute value of the difference of each pairs by subtracting the smallest value from the largest and finally we compute the accumulation. The operations associated with the second and the third step are performed in parallel resulting in a multiply (accumulate) type of operation. Our approach covers also the Mean Absolute Difference (MAD) operation at the exclusion of a shifting (division) operation.