Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Indium&#8212;Tin&#8212;Oxide&#8212;Silicon heterojunction photovoltaic devices

We have fabricated heterojunction photovoltaic devices consisting of RF-sputtered, highly transparent, and conductive indium-tin-oxide (IT0) films deposited onto both amorphous or crystalline Si. The ITO-amorphous-Si devices exhibit photovoltaic energy-conversion efficiencies of the order of 0.01 percent for the 100-mW/cm2 white light of a tungsten-halogen lamp. However, the relatively high photoresponse of these devices in the blue-UV spectral region leads to a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of approximately 0.5 percent for monochromatic light of wavelength 400 nm. The ITO-crystalline-Si devices exhibit terrestrial solar-cell efficiencies of the order of 1 percent. The performance of such a cell strongly depends on the insulating interface oxide layer, on the surface-state density, and on the incident-light intensity. A model for the operation of these devices is presented and shown to be in quantitative agreement with the experimental data.
140 Gb/s Serializer Using Clock Doublers in 90 nm SiGe Technology

Many design challenges exist in achieving high frequency clocking for high-speed applications. This paper describes a new clock distribution technique and clocking approach with the use of clock doublers in close proximity to sub-circuits to achieve higher data rates, and in many cases, reduce design complexity and power in serializers. A half-rate 4:1 serializer using this unique frequency doubling clock distribution technique has been implemented in a 90 nm BiCMOS process. The design includes a 210-1 pattern length LFSR with phase shifting logic as the testing circuit and a high bandwidth cascoded output driver. The chip has the dimensions of 1.8 × 2.2 mm 2 and consumes 5.78 W from a -3.4 V supply voltage at 140 Gb/s.
Rituals of Defiance: Past Resistance, Present Ambiguity

Bringing together historically and ethnographically grounded studies of the social and political life of Brazil and Mexico, this collection of essays revitalizes resistance as an area of study. Resistance studies boomed in the 1980s and then was subject to a wave of critique in the 1990s. Covering the colonial period to the present day, the case studies in this collection suggest that, even if much of that critique was justified, resistance remains a useful analytic rubric. The collection has three sections, each of which is preceded by a short introduction. A section focused on religious institutions and movements is bracketed by one featuring historical studies from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries and another gathering more contemporary, ethnographically-based studies. Introducing the collection, the anthropologist John Gledhill traces the debates about resistance studies. In the conclusion, Alan Knight provides a historian’s perspective on the broader implications of the contributors’ findings.
10.5 A 90nm 20MHz fully nonvolatile microcontroller for standby-power-critical applications

Recently there has been increased demand for not only ultra-low power, but also high performance, even in standby-power-critical applications. Sensor nodes, for example, need a microcontroller unit (MCU) that has the ability to process signals and compress data immediately. A previously reported 130nm CMOS and FeRAM-based MCU features zero-standby power and fast wakeup operation by incorporating FeRAM devices into logic circuits [1]. The 8MHz speed, however, was not sufficiently high to meet application requirements, and the FeRAM process also has drawbacks: low compatibility with standard CMOS, and write endurance limitations. A spintronics-based nonvolatile integrated circuit is a promising option to achieve zero standby power and high-speed operation, along with compatibility with CMOS processes. In this work, we demonstrate a fully nonvolatile 16b MCU using 90nm standard CMOS and three-terminal SpinRAM technology. It achieves 20MHz, 145μW/MHz operation with a 1V supply in the active state, and 4. 5μW intermittent operation with 120ns wakeup time and 0.1% active ratio, without forwarding of re-boot code from memory. The features provide sufficiently long battery life to achieve maintenance-free sensor nodes.
The influence of technological innovation resources on high-tech product export performance: Evidence from national hi-tech zones in China

We analyzed the influence of R&D funds input and personnel quality on high-tech products export from the perspective of technological innovation resources. Based on the panel data of 52 national hi-tech zones in three consecutive years (2005–2007), we found that R&D fund input positively relates to high-tech products export performance, while personnel quality has a significantly negative effect on high-tech products export performance. Moreover, the R&D fund input and personnel quality influence export performance in an interactive manner. When personnel quality is low, R&D fund input will have a stronger effect on export performance. The results in this study suggest that: (1) R&D fund input should be strengthened to boost the export performance of our hi-tech products; (2) Overseas technologies should be imported and fully utilized to accelerate the transition of domestic products no matter it is low cost commodities or high value-added goods; (3) Improvement of workers' remuneration could increase the export of high-tech products in the short run.
Animal biology and pathology / Biologie et pathologie animales Ontogeny of hydrocarbon profiles in the ant Aphaenogaster senilis and effects of social isolation

In ants, cuticular hydrocarbons are used for nestmate recognition; they are stored in the postpharyngeal gland and shared among the individuals. Newly emerged ants have a very small quantity of hydrocarbons. We studied the ontogeny of the hydrocarbon profile in Aphaenogaster senilis. The total quantities of both cuticular and postpharyngeal gland (PPG) hydrocarbons increased with age from 0 to 20 days after emergence and then stabilised. These quantities are correlated with the development of the ovary. Under individual social isolation, cuticular hydrocarbons increased as normal, but the total quantity of PPG hydrocarbons never increased from the initial low level. This effect of social isolation on the PPG hydrocarbon level indicates the importance of hydrocarbon transfer between nestmates through the PPG and lends support to the gestalt model of nestmate recognition. To cite
A rapid one‐stage whole‐blood HPA‐1a phenotyping assay using a recombinant monoclonal IgG1 anti‐HPA‐1a

Severe neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia and patients with HPA‐1a‐specific antibodies require transfusion of HPA‐1a‐negative platelets. Identifying HPA‐1a‐negative donors requires simple and reliable typing methods. Most existing techniques use polyclonal antibodies, are time consuming and involve platelet isolation. We have used a horseradish peroxidase (HRP)‐conjugated recombinant IgG1 anti‐HPA‐1a (CAMTRAN007) to develop a rapid and reliable enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which eliminates sample preparation and reduces the incubation and wash steps associated with traditional sandwich ELISAs. The assay uses simultaneous incubation of the monoclonal antibody RFGP56 to capture GPIIbIIIa from whole blood and the recombinant IgG1 antibody to detect captured HPA‐1a antigen. It allows 96 samples to be typed in less than 1 h and can be used on stored samples. Initial testing of 85 samples of known HPA‐1a genotype demonstrated that HPA‐1a‐negative samples had OD values of < 0.266, whereas HPA‐1a‐positive samples had OD values of > 0.6. Testing of 1862 random donor samples in two blood centres confirmed these OD cut‐off values and identified 45 HPA‐1a‐negative samples (2.4%), all except one giving OD values of < 0.2. The remaining HPA‐1a‐negative sample had an OD value of 0.303. The HPA‐1a status on all the negative samples and an equivalent number of randomly selected positive samples was confirmed by flow cytometry and polymerase chain reaction with sequence‐specific primers (PCR‐ SSP).
Pharmacodynamic Activity of Amphotericin B Deoxycholate Is Associated with Peak Plasma Concentrations in a Neutropenic Murine Model of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis

ABSTRACT We conducted a dose fractionation study of neutropenic, corticosteroid-immunosuppressed mice to characterize the pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic (PK/PD) parameter most closely associated with amphotericin B (AMB) efficacy in the treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Pharmacokinetic parameter estimates were determined by a nonparametric population pharmacokinetic analysis of plasma drug concentrations following single intraperitoneal doses (0.25, 1.0, and 3.0 mg/kg of body weight) of amphotericin B deoxycholate. Three dosage groups (0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 mg/kg) fractionated into three dosing intervals (every 8 h [q8h], q24h, or q72h) were tested to discriminate between the PK/PD parameters (the ratio of maximum concentration of drug in serum [Cmax]/MIC, the ratio of area under the concentration-time curve/MIC, and percentage of time above MIC) most closely associated with AMB efficacy over a range of clinically achievable exposures in humans. The efficacy of each regimen was determined by quantitative PCR and survival. Reductions in pulmonary fungal burden and improvements in survival were maximized at the highest peak plasma concentrations in each of the dosage groups. Reductions in pulmonary fungal burden and increased survival were most closely associated with Cmax/MIC, with maximal activity occurring as the Cmax/MIC approached 2.4. In our model, Cmax/MIC is the PK/PD parameter most closely associated with efficacy in the treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. These data predict that less frequently administered, higher dosages of AMB would optimize efficacy.
Treating major depression in primary care practice. Eight-month clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND We studied whether standardized treatments of major depression whose efficacy was established with psychiatric patients are equally effective when provided to primary care patients, and whether standardized treatments are more effective than a primary care physician's usual care. METHODS A randomized controlled trial was conducted, in which primary care patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for a current major depression were assigned to nortriptyline (n = 91) or interpersonal psychotherapy (n = 93) provided within well-structured parameters, or a physician's usual care (n = 92). The main outcome measures were degree and rate of improvement in severity of depressive symptoms and proportion of patients recovered at 8 months. RESULTS Severity of depressive symptoms was reduced more rapidly and more effectively among patients randomized to pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy than among patients assigned to a physician's usual care. Among treatment completers, approximately 70% of patients participating in the full pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy protocol but only 20% of usual care patients were judged as recovered at 8 months. CONCLUSIONS Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy effectively treat major depression among primary care patients when provided within specific parameters and for the full acute and continuation phases. Treatment principles recommended by the Depression Guideline Panel of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research are supported.
Neuroserpin regulates neurite outgrowth in nerve growth factor‐treated PC12 cells

Neuroserpin is a serine protease inhibitor widely expressed in the developing and adult nervous systems and implicated in the regulation of proteases involved in processes such as synaptic plasticity, neuronal migration and axogenesis. We have analysed the effect of neuroserpin on growth factor‐induced neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. We show that small changes in neuroserpin expression result in changes to the number of cells extending neurites and total neurite length following NGF treatment. Increased expression of neuroserpin resulted in a decrease in the number of cells extending neurites and a reduction in total free neurite length whereas reduced levels of neuroserpin led to a small increase in the number of neurite extending cells and a significant increase in total free neurite length compared to the parent cell line. Neuroserpin also altered the response of PC12 cells to bFGF and EGF treatment. Neuroserpin was localised to dense cored secretory vesicles in PC12 cells but was unable to complex with its likely enzyme target, tissue plasminogen activator at the acidic pH found in these vesicles. These data suggest that modulation of neuroserpin levels at the extending neurite growth cone may play an important role in regulating axonal growth.
Monocyte differentiation and HIV replication after prolonged culture of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HIV-infected individuals.

Primary cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 51 HIV+ hemophiliac patients (HIV+ PBMC) were set up, allowing undisturbed cellular interaction in the absence of any exogenous stimuli. The optimum time for p24 detection was between 12 and 25 days. Infective virus was recovered from the culture supernatants (HIV+ SN) and the amount of p24 released ranged from 25 to 5300 pg/ml. Cells of the monocyte/macrophage (M/M) lineage were the main source of HIV in the HIV+ SN, as judged by intracellular staining of permeabilized cells with anti-p24 (KC57 monoclonal antibody) and flow cytometry analysis. M/M activation, differentiation, and proliferation occurred along the culture before the peak of in vitro HIV replication. Release of HIV p24 was highest in patients with >200 CD4+ T lymphocytes/mm3 who did not receive highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), but it was still detectable in 60-90% of patients who had responded to 1-2 years of HAART, reducing their plasma viral load to undetectable levels. It is proposed that this simple experimental system can be used to assess ongoing HIV infection of M/M with the patient's own viral variants.
Epistatic and Environmental Control of Genome-Wide Gene Expression

Abstract All etiological studies of complex human traits focus on analyzing the causes of variation. Given this complexity, there is a premium on studying those processes that mediate between gene products and cellular or organismal phenotypes. Studies of levels of gene expression could offer insight into these processes and are likely to be especially useful to the extent that the major sources of their variation are known in normal tissues. The classical study of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins was employed to partition the genetic and environmental influences in gene expression for over 6500 human genes measured using microarrays from lymphoblastoid cell lines. Our results indicate that mean expression levels are correlated about . 3 in monozygotic (MZ) and . 0 in dizygotic (DZ) twins suggesting an overall epistatic regulation of gene expression. Furthermore, the functions of several of the genes whose expression was most affected by environmental effects, after correction for measurement error, were consistent with their known role in mediating sensitivity to environmental influences.
Models of survival in HIV infection and their use in the quantification of treatment benefits.

Because acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a shifting endpoint and sufficient follow-up data now allow modeling of survival time (i.e., time from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seroconversion to death), the authors evaluated non-parametric and parametric models of mortality with the use of data from 554 seropositive participants in the Vancouver Lymphadenopathy-AIDS Study. The authors then applied these models to quantify treatment benefits at the national level in Canada, using back-calculation and forward-projection based on death registries. The study revealed that the lognormal model better describes survival time than the Weibull model. Relative to observations prior to 1987, later observations (in the era of treatment) revealed a statistically significant change in disease progression: the median survival time increased from 10.1 to 12.0 years, but no further survival improvements were observed in the early 1990s. Concurrent with the increase in availability of treatment, the authors have observed pronounced treatment benefits at the national level: prior to 1995, approximately 1,500 deaths were prevented and 4,200 person-years of life were saved. Also, mortality rates were observed to level off in the mid-1990s due to the shape of the historical HIV infection curve and the accumulating availability of treatment in Canada.
Instantaneous Power Balance Analysis in Finite-Element Method of Transient Magnetic Field and Circuit Coupled Computation

An instantaneous power balance analysis of time-domain finite-element method for transient 2-dimensional (2-D) magnetic field and electric circuit coupled computation is presented. Based on the principle of instantaneous power balance and the technique of matrix analysis, formulations for the computation of instantaneous reactive power, active power and eddy-current loss in solid conductors are put forward. The merit of the proposed algorithm is that the integration method for the loss computation is exactly the same as that for the system equations. Therefore, additional numerical errors arising from the integration in loss computation can be avoided. It clarifies the methods for eddy-current loss computation in solid conductors. The precise identification of instantaneous real power and reactive power is expected to pave the way for a new and accurate approach to extract the instantaneous ac resistances and inductances of the equivalent electric circuit. The concept of instantaneous power balance can also be used for force and torque computations.
Analysis of plasma and urinary tea polyphenols in human subjects.

Tea has been shown to inhibit chemically induced tumorigenesis in many animal models, but the effects of tea consumption on human carcinogenesis are not conclusive. In order to develop biomarkers for tea consumption, we developed methods for the analysis of tea polyphenols in human plasma and urine samples using HPLC with the coulochem electrode array detection system. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (-)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), and (-)-epicatechin (EC) are the major polyphenols in green tea. Most of the tea polyphenols were in their conjugated forms in the plasma and urine. The samples were incubated with a mixture of beta-glucuronidase and sulfatase to generate the free form of tea polyphenols. After extraction into ethyl acetate and separation by reversed-phase chromatography, EGCG, EGC, and EC were identified on the basis of their retention times and electrochemical characteristics. Due to the high selectivity of the detection mode, interference was minimized. Good quantitative relationships were established for a large concentration range of tea polyphenols. The limits of detection for EGCG, EGC, ECG, and EC were from 0.5 to 1.5 ng/ml of plasma or urine sample. After ingestion of 1.2 g of decaffeinated green tea in warm water, the plasma samples collected at 1 h from 4 human volunteers contained 46-268 ng/ml of EGCG, 82-206 ng/ml of EGC, and 48-80 ng/ml of EC. ECG was not detected in plasma samples. The maximum urinary excretion of EGC and EC occurred at 3-6 h. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Estrogen pretreatment directly potentiates endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation of porcine coronary arteries.

We tested whether vasorelaxation of coronary arteries is altered after overnight (18-22 h) exposure to physiological levels of 17 beta-estradiol. Ring segments of left circumflex coronary artery from six female and six castrated male pigs were incubated in vials of sterile Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium with 1 nM 17 beta-estradiol, 1 nM 17 beta-estradiol + 10 nM tamoxifen, 1 nM 17 alpha-estradiol, or estrogen vehicle (ethanol) under normoxic conditions in an O2-CO2 incubator at 37 degrees C for 18-22 h. Coronary rings, with and without endothelium, were then suspended in vessel baths for measurement of isometric force. Vasorelaxation responses to the calcium ionophore A-23187, ADP, and nitroglycerin were examined in the rings after prostaglandin synthesis blockade and precontraction with U-46619. Sensitivity to A-23187 (-log M concentration required for 50% of maximal relaxation) was significantly enhanced in coronary rings with endothelium from females and castrated males when rings were incubated with 17 beta-estradiol but not when they were incubated with 17 alpha-estradiol or 17 beta-estradiol+tamoxifen. Acute (2h) exposure of coronary arteries to 1 nM 17 beta-estradiol did not alter responses to A-23187. 17 beta-Estradiol (1 nM) was not itself directly vasoactive in coronary arteries with or without prior incubation with the steroid. Vasorelaxation of rings with and without endothelium to ADP and nitroglycerin was not significantly different among the treatment groups. Relaxation to A-23187, but not ADP, was abolished by removal of the endothelium or exposure to 100 microM NO2-L-arginine. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Invasion of the Arabidopsis Genome by the Tobacco Retrotransposon Tnt1 Is Controlled by Reversible Transcriptional Gene Silencing1[W]

Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons are generally silent in plant genomes. However, they often constitute a large proportion of repeated sequences in plants. This suggests that their silencing is set up after a certain copy number is reached and/or that it can be released in some circumstances. We introduced the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) LTR retrotransposon Tnt1 into Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), thus mimicking the horizontal transfer of a retrotransposon into a new host species and allowing us to study the regulatory mechanisms controlling its amplification. Tnt1 is transcriptionally silenced in Arabidopsis in a copy number-dependent manner. This silencing is associated with 24-nucleotide short-interfering RNAs targeting the promoter localized in the LTR region and with the non-CG site methylation of these sequences. Consequently, the silencing of Tnt1 is not released in methyltransferase1 mutants, in contrast to decrease in DNA methylation1 or polymerase IVa mutants. Stable reversion of Tnt1 silencing is obtained when the number of Tnt1 elements is reduced to two by genetic segregation. Our results support a model in which Tnt1 silencing in Arabidopsis occurs via an RNA-directed DNA methylation process. We further show that silencing can be partially overcome by some stresses.
Risk factors and outcomes of acute renal failure after open cardiac surgery

The incidence, risk factors, and outcome of acute renal failure following open cardiac surgery were assessed prospectively in 5,164 consecutive patients undergoing open heart surgery between March 2006 and February 2011. Acute postoperative renal failure (creatinine >1.5 mg·dL−1 within 3 days after surgery) developed in 64 (1.2%) patients with normal preoperative renal function (study group). A control group of 238 cardiac surgery patients who had postoperative creatinine levels ≤1.5 mg·dL−1 were selected randomly during the study period. A prospective case-control analysis of these 302 patients was performed. The mean age was 56.3 ± 12.5 years; 191 (63.2%) were men and 111 (36.8%) were women. Pre-, intra- and postoperative risk factors for acute renal failure were evaluated. Of the patients who developed acute renal failure, 12 (18.8%) died postoperatively, which was significantly higher than the 2.1% mortality among those without acute renal failure. Five of the 10 patients (50%) who needed dialysis died. The most significant prognostic factor for mortality was cardiac dysfunction. This study confirmed that impairment of renal function after cardiac surgery is uncommon without preoperative renal impairment, but carries an increased mortality rate.