Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Technology Innovations and Experience Curves for Nitrogen Oxides Control Technologies

Abstract This paper reviews the regulatory history for nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollutant emissions from stationary sources, primarily in coal-fired power plants. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is one of the six criteria pollutants regulated by the 1970 Clean Air Act where National Ambient Air Quality Standards were established to protect public health and welfare. We use patent data to show that in the cases of Japan, Germany, and the United States, innovations in NOx control technologies did not occur until stringent government regulations were in place, thus “forcing” innovation. We also demonstrate that reductions in the capital and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of new generations of high-efficiency NOx control technologies, selective catalytic reduction (SCR), are consistently associated with the increasing adoption of the control technology: the so-called learning-by-doing phenomena. The results show that as cumulative world coal-fired SCR capacity doubles, capital costs decline to ~86% and O&M costs to 58% of their original values. The observed changes in SCR technology reflect the impact of technological advance as well as other factors, such as market competition and economies of scale.
Market equilibria under procedural rationality (revised version of WP 06-02)

We analyze the endogenous price formation mechanism of a pure exchange economy with two assets, riskless and risky. The economy is populated by an arbitrarily large number of traders whose investment choices are described by means of generic smooth functions of past realizations. These choices can be consistent with (but not limited to) the solutions of expected utility maximization problems. Under the assumption that individual demand for the risky asset is expressed as a fraction of individual wealth, we derive a complete characterization of equilibria. It is shown that irrespectively of the number of agents and of their behavior, all possible equilibria belong to a one-dimensional "Equilibrium Market Curve". This geometric tool helps to illustrate the possibility of different phenomena, as multiple equilibria, and can be used for comparative static analysis. We discuss the relative performances of different strategies and the selection principle governing market dynamics on the basis of the stability analysis of equilibria.
Romidepsin for the Treatment of Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are a rare, heterogeneous group of T-cell– or natural killer cell–derived non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The majority of patients with PTCL experience an aggressive disease course and poor overall survival. Historically, PTCL has been treated with chemotherapy regimens used to treat B-cell lymphomas; however, a lack of durable responses to frontline therapies and few effective options for salvage treatment have led to the development of newer therapies. Romidepsin is a structurally unique, potent, bicyclic class 1 selective histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that has demonstrated durable clinical responses in patients with relapsed/refractory PTCL, leading to its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2011 for the treatment of PTCL in patients who have received at least one prior therapy. Here, the authors provide an overview of PTCL, review the role of HDAC inhibitors as anticancer agents, discuss romidepsin use in PTCL, and highlight considerations for advanced practitioners (including the management of side effects).
Robust and minimum norm pole assignment with periodic state feedback

A computational approach is proposed to solve the minimum norm and/or robust pole assignment problem for linear periodic discrete-time systems. The proposed approach uses a periodic Sylvester equation based parametrization of the periodic pole assignment problem and exploits the non-uniqueness of the problem by imposing conditions on the norm of the resulting periodic state feedback and/or on the condition numbers of the periodic eigenvector matrices of the closed-loop system. The solution method relies on using gradient search methods on suitably defined cost functions. Explicit expression of the gradients of cost functions are derived and the efficient evaluation of the cost functions and gradients is discussed. Numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
EFFECT OF PHASE SEPARATION ON PERFORMANCE OF III-V NITRIDE SOLAR CELLS

University of Delaware, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Newark, DE, USA 19716-3130 ABSTRACT: The III-nitride material system provides a wide direct-band gap range of 0.65eV (InN) to 6.2eV (AlN) making it crucial for high-efficiency photovoltaics. Phase separation of material in solar cells not only tends to reduce the short circuit current by forming low band gap recombination centers, but also tends to pin down the open circuit voltage. Phase separation is controlled during MOCVD epitaxial growth by increasing the indium carrier gas flow rate, increasing the growth rate and limiting the thickness of the epitaxy. A high n-type defect density in thick InGaN test structures compensates the p-type doping, which prevents junction formation in the device, and thus, is detrimental for the solar cell. P-type doping is confirmed for thin InGaN test structures with indium compositions as high as 28%, and the resultant test structures demonstrate expected photovoltaic effect. Test structures of band gap 2.5eV measure an open circuit voltage of 2.1V. Test results indicated the significance of epitaxial thickness optimization for high performance InGaN solar cells. Keywords: III-V semiconductors, Epitaxy, Defects, Phase separation 1 INTRODUCTION One of the requirements to achieve 50% photovoltaic conversion efficiencies using the multi-junction conversion concept is to have a component junction of band gap 2.4eV or greater as indicated by detailed-balance modeling [1, 2]. The III-nitride material system, which consists of InN (0.65eV), GaN (3.4eV), AlN (6.2eV) and their alloys, is offers substantial potential to develop ultra high-efficiency solar cells. This material system has an apparent insensitivity to high dislocation densities as the polarization and piezoelectric properties [3, 4] of the material introduce electric fields and surface diploes that may counter the effect of dislocations. Additional advantages include low effective mass of electrons and holes, high mobilities, high peak and saturation velocities [5], high absorption coefficients and radiation tolerance. Moreover, a continuum of band gaps can be obtained by changing the compositions of indium and gallium making it relatively easier for molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) to grow a multi-junction device limiting the number of material sources. This material system has undergone remarkable development due to the use of GaN and InGaN in blue LEDs and laser diodes [6]. A major challenge in the epitaxy of III-nitrides is the high defect density due to the lack of a suitable lattice-matched substrate. Although sapphire is the substrate of choice for growth of GaN, the lattice mismatch of 16% between the two materials gives rise to a high dislocation density in the 10
3′‐End formation of transcripts from the yeast rRNA operon.

Deletion analysis of artificial rRNA minigenes transformed into Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed that a 110 bp long fragment corresponding to positions ‐36 to +74 relative to the 3′‐end of the 26S rRNA gene, is both necessary and sufficient for obtaining transcripts whose 3′‐termini are identical to those of 26S and 37S (pre‐)rRNA. These termini are produced via processing of longer transcripts because in an rna 82.1 mutant the majority of the minigene transcripts extend further downstream. Since the rna 82.1 mutation inactivates an endonuclease involved in the 3′‐processing of 5S pre‐rRNA it is concluded that the maturation of 37S‐ and that of 5S pre‐rRNA requires a common factor. Comparison of the spacer sequences between Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, Saccharomyces rosei and Hansenula wingei revealed several conserved sequence blocks within the region between +10 and +55. These conserved sequence tracts, which are part of a longer region showing dyad symmetry, are supposed to be involved in the interaction with the processing component(s). Deletion of the sequences required for the formation of the 3′‐ends of 26S rRNA and 37S pre‐rRNA revealed a putative terminator for transcription by RNA polymerase I situated at position +210. This site maps within a DNA fragment that also contains the enhancing element for rDNA transcription by RNA polymerase I.
Effect of Sintering Atmosphere on the Selected Properties of the Natural Origin Hydroxyapatite Materials

Natural origin hydroxyapatite was extracted from the long cortical part of pig bones by treatment with the hot NaOH solution. After that, the material was carefully washed with distilled water, dried, and calcined in air at 450oC. The samples compacted under 200 MPa were subjected to heat treatment at 1000oC in air, CO2, O2, Ar and N2 atmospheres. It was found that sintering atmosphere inuences greatly densication of the system, sample morphology, chemical stability and elastic properties. The materials sintered in ai r showed high density characterized by low open porosity and relatively large faceted grains. Heat treatment in the remaining atmospheres led to essentially lower densication. Grain sizes in these cases were much smaller. It was found that CO 2 atmosphere arrested decomposition of the material; no free CaO appeared, and additional CO3 2- groups were built into the hydroxiapatite structure.
Dynamics and heterogeneity of brain damage in multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease driving inflammatory and degenerative processes that damage the central nervous system (CNS). However, it is not well understood how these events interact and evolve to evoke such a highly dynamic and heterogeneous disease. We established a hypothesis whereby the variability in the course of MS is driven by the very same pathogenic mechanisms responsible for the disease, the autoimmune attack on the CNS that leads to chronic inflammation, neuroaxonal degeneration and remyelination. We propose that each of these processes acts more or less severely and at different times in each of the clinical subgroups. To test this hypothesis, we developed a mathematical model that was constrained by experimental data (the expanded disability status scale [EDSS] time series) obtained from a retrospective longitudinal cohort of 66 MS patients with a long-term follow-up (up to 20 years). Moreover, we validated this model in a second prospective cohort of 120 MS patients with a three-year follow-up, for which EDSS data and brain volume time series were available. The clinical heterogeneity in the datasets was reduced by grouping the EDSS time series using an unsupervised clustering analysis. We found that by adjusting certain parameters, albeit within their biological range, the mathematical model reproduced the different disease courses, supporting the dynamic CNS damage hypothesis to explain MS heterogeneity. Our analysis suggests that the irreversible axon degeneration produced in the early stages of progressive MS is mainly due to the higher rate of myelinated axon degeneration, coupled to the lower capacity for remyelination. However, and in agreement with recent pathological studies, degeneration of chronically demyelinated axons is not a key feature that distinguishes this phenotype. Moreover, the model reveals that lower rates of axon degeneration and more rapid remyelination make relapsing MS more resilient than the progressive subtype. Therefore, our results support the hypothesis of a common pathogenesis for the different MS subtypes, even in the presence of genetic and environmental heterogeneity. Hence, MS can be considered as a single disease in which specific dynamics can provoke a variety of clinical outcomes in different patient groups. These results have important implications for the design of therapeutic interventions for MS at different stages of the disease.
Brain Deactivation in the Outperformance in Bimodal Tasks: An fMRI Study

While it is known that some individuals can effectively perform two tasks simultaneously, other individuals cannot. How the brain deals with performing simultaneous tasks remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to assess which brain areas corresponded to various phenomena in task performance. Nineteen subjects were requested to sequentially perform three blocks of tasks, including two unimodal tasks and one bimodal task. The unimodal tasks measured either visual feature binding or auditory pitch comparison, while the bimodal task required performance of the two tasks simultaneously. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) results are compatible with previous studies showing that distinct brain areas, such as the visual cortices, frontal eye field (FEF), lateral parietal lobe (BA7), and medial and inferior frontal lobe, are involved in processing of visual unimodal tasks. In addition, the temporal lobes and Brodmann area 43 (BA43) were involved in processing of auditory unimodal tasks. These results lend support to concepts of modality-specific attention. Compared to the unimodal tasks, bimodal tasks required activation of additional brain areas. Furthermore, while deactivated brain areas were related to good performance in the bimodal task, these areas were not deactivated where the subject performed well in only one of the two simultaneous tasks. These results indicate that efficient information processing does not require some brain areas to be overly active; rather, the specific brain areas need to be relatively deactivated to remain alert and perform well on two tasks simultaneously. Meanwhile, it can also offer a neural basis for biofeedback in training courses, such as courses in how to perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
Silicon-based Integrated Optics: Waveguide Technology to Microphotonics

Light emission in aperiodic thue-morse dielectrics p. 15 Photoluminescent coupled multiple microcavity structures made of porous silicon p. 21 Raman gain in silicon using highly confined waveguide structure p. 27 Computer simulation of charging and erasing transients of a Ge/Si hetero-nanocrystal-based flash memory p. 33 Threshold voltage shift in hetero-nanocrystal floating gate flash memory p. 39 Structural characterization and coulomb blockade of a-SiN[subscript x]/Nanocrystalline Si/a-SiN[subscript x] asymmetric double-barrier structures p. 45 Evolution of the luminescence spectrum during the dry and steam oxidation of SiGe films p. 51 Towards a Si/SiGe quantum cascade laser for terahertz applications p. 59 Recent results on the road to a SiGe quantum cascade laser p. 69 The emission of terahertz radiation from doped silicon devices p. 81 Progress in the growth and characterization of Ge quantum dots and islands p. 93 Growth and overgrowth of Ge/Si quantum dots : an observation by atomic resolution HAADF-STEM imaging p. 105 Si[subscript 1-x]Ge[subscript x] nanocrystals observed by EFTEM : influence of the dry and wet oxidation process p. 111 Uniform dome-shaped self-assembled Ge islands by UHV/CVD after boron pre-deposition p. 117 Classical versus Ab initio structural relaxation : electronic excitations and optical properties of Ge nanocrystals embedded in a SiC matrix p. 121 Origin of the multi-exponential decay dynamics in light-emitting silicon nanocrystals p. 129 Improved optoelectronic characteristics of nanocrystalline porous silicon by high-pressure water vapor annealing p. 141 Theory of large-scale electronic structure calculation and nanostructures formed in silicon cleavage simulation : surface reconstruction, step and bending p. 147 Precipitation of highly luminescent phases from PECVD Si suboxides p. 153 Pump-probe experiments on low loss silica waveguides containing Si nanocrystals p. 159 Multi-color luminescence from nanocrystalline silicon p. 165 Improvement of operating voltage and luminescent properties in nanocrystalline silicon electroluminescent device p. 171 Electric force microscopy of individually charged silicon nanoparticles p. 179 Quasiballistic electron emission from planarized nanocrystalline-Si cold cathode p. 189 Enhancing the sound pressure of thermally induced ultrasonic emitter based on nanocrystalline porous silicon p. 195 Charge transport in silicon nanocrystal arrays p. 201 Possible operation of periodically layered nanocrystalline porous silicon as an acoustic band crystal device p. 207 Thermal conductivity of porous silicon evaluated from phase characteristics of photoacoustic spectroscopy p. 213 Structural modifications of nc-Si/SiO[subscript 2] superlattices by localized photo-induced heating p. 219 Anisotropically nanostructured silicon : a first-principle approach p. 225
Lévy Walks Suboptimal under Predation Risk

A key challenge in movement ecology is to understand how animals move in nature. Previous studies have predicted that animals should perform a special class of random walks, called Lévy walk, to obtain more targets. However, some empirical studies did not support this hypothesis, and the relationship between search strategy and ecological factors is still unclear. We focused on ecological factors, such as predation risk, and analyzed whether Lévy walk may not be favored. It was remarkable that the ecological factors often altered an optimal search strategy from Lévy walk to Brownian walk, depending on the speed of the predator’s movement, density of predators, etc. This occurred because higher target encounter rates simultaneously led searchers to higher predation risks. Our findings indicate that animals may not perform Lévy walks often, and we suggest that it is crucial to consider the ecological context for evaluating the search strategy performed by animals in the field.
Multiple myeloma: A review of the epidemiologic literature

Multiple myeloma, a neoplasm of plasma cells, accounts for ∼∼15% of lymphatohematopoietic cancers (LHC) and 2% of all cancers in the US. Incidence rates increase with age, particularly after age 40, and are higher in men, particularly African American men. The etiology is unknown with no established lifestyle, occupational or environmental risk factors. Although several factors have been implicated as potentially etiologic, findings are inconsistent. We reviewed epidemiologic studies that evaluated lifestyle, dietary, occupational and environmental factors; immune function, family history and genetic factors; and the hypothesized precursor, monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance (MGUS). Because multiple myeloma is an uncommon disease, etiologic assessments can be difficult because of small numbers of cases in occupational cohort studies, and few subjects reporting exposure to specific agents in case–control studies. Elevated risks have been reported consistently among persons with a positive family history of LHC. A few studies have reported a relationship between obesity and multiple myeloma, and this may be a promising area of research. Factors underlying higher incidence rates of multiple myeloma in African Americans are not understood. The progression from MGUS to multiple myeloma has been reported in several studies; however, there are no established risk factors for MGUS. To improve our understanding of the causes of multiple myeloma, future research efforts should seek the causes of MGUS. More research is also needed on the genetic factors of multiple myeloma, given the strong familial clustering of the disease. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
[Metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors].

PURPOSE To assess the occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. METHODS A total of 158 breast cancer survivors were included in this cross-sectional study. Eligibility criteria were: women with amenorrhea >12 months and age ≥45 years, treated for breast cancer and no metastasis for at least five years. Clinical history and anthropometric indicator data (body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference, (WC) were collected. Biochemical parameters, including total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides (TG), glucose and C-reactive protein (CRP), were measured. MetS was diagnosed as the presence of at least three of the following diagnostic criteria: WC>88 cm, blood pressure≥130/85 mmHg, triglycerides≥150 mg/dl, HDL <50 mg/dL,and glucose≥100 mg/dL. The Student's t-test and χ2 test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS The mean age of breast cancer survivors was 63.1±8.6 years, with a mean follow-up of 9.1±4.0 years. MetS was diagnosed in 48.1% (76/158) and the most prevalent diagnostic criterion was abdominal obesity (WC>88 cm), affecting 54.4% (86/158) of the women. The patients without MetS had a longer follow-up compared those with MetS (p<0.05). Regarding the current BMI, PN average, those without MetS were overweight, and those with MetS were obese (p<0.05). Among the latter, comparison of BMI at the time of cancer diagnosis and current BMI (27.8±5.4 versus 33.4±5.4 kg/m²) showed a significant weight gain (p<0.05). Mean CRP values were higher in women with MetS (p<0.05). In the comparison of tumor characteristics and cancer treatments there was no difference between groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors had a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome and central obesity.
The Effects of Testosterone Supplementation on Cognitive Functioning in Older Men

Reduction in testosterone levels in men during aging is associated with cognitive decline and risk of dementia. Animal studies have shown benefits for testosterone supplementation in improving cognition and reducing Alzheimer’s disease pathology. In a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study of men with subjective memory complaint and low testosterone levels, we investigated whether testosterone treatment significantly improved performance on various measures of cognitive functioning. Forty-four men were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests to establish the baseline prior to being randomly divided into two groups. The first group (Group A) received 24 weeks of testosterone treatment (T treatment) followed by 4 weeks washout, and then 24 weeks of placebo (P); the second group (Group B) received the same treatments, in reverse order (Placebo, washout, and then T treatment). In group A (TèP), compared to baseline, there was a modest (1 point) but significant improvement in general cognitive functioning as measured by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) following testosterone treatment. This improvement from baseline was sustained following the washout period and crossover to placebo treatment. Similar Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores were observed when comparing testosterone treatment with placebo. In group B (PèT) a significant increase was observed from baseline following testosterone treatment and a trend towards an increase when compared to placebo treatment. Improvements in baseline depression scores (assessed by Geriatric Depression Scale) were observed following testosterone/placebo treatment in both groups, and no difference was observed when comparing testosterone with placebo treatment. Our findings indicate a modest improvement on global cognition with testosterone treatment. Larger clinical trials with a longer follow- up and with the inclusion of blood and brain imaging markers are now needed to conclusively determine the significance of testosterone treatment.