Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High performance 22/20nm FinFET CMOS devices with advanced high-K/metal gate scheme

A high performance 22/20nm CMOS bulk FinFET achieves the best in-class N/P Ion values of 1200/1100 μA/μm for Ioff=100nA/μm at 1V. Excellent device electrostatic control is demonstrated for gate length (Lgate) down to 20nm. Dual-Epitaxy and multiple stressors are essential to boost the device performance. Dual workfunction (WF) with an advanced High-K/Metal gate (HK/MG) stack is deployed in an integration-friendly CMOS process flow. This dual-WF approach provides excellent Vth roll-off immunity in the short-channel regime that allows properly positioning the long-channel device Vth. Enhanced 193nm immersion lithography has enabled the stringent requirements of the 22/20nm ground rules. Reliability of our advanced HK/MG stack is promising. Excellent SRAM static noise margin at 0.45V is reported.
Presence and characterization of glycolipid sulfotransferase in human cancer serum.

Sulfotransferase, which catalyzes sulfation of the carbohydrate of galactosylceramide (GalCer) and is localised in the Golgi membrane of cells, was assayed for activity in human serum. To do this, an organic solvent was added to the incubated reaction mixture containing GalCer as an acceptor and phosphoadenosine phospho[35S]-sulfate as a donor of sulfate to dissociate the synthesized sulfolipid from serum protein. This was followed by isolation of the sulfolipid on an anion-exchange column. Through this procedure, human serum was found to contain sulfotransferase activity. The serum enzyme was activated by Mn2+. Km values of the enzyme for GalCer and 'active sulfate' were 4.6 microM and 5.2 microM, respectively. The enzyme activity was assayed in sera of cancer patients. The serum activity (mean +/- SE, 0.27 +/- 0.027 pmol.microliter-1.h-1) in renal cell carcinoma patients, whose activity has been demonstrated to be elevated, was significantly (P less than 0.005) increased compared to that of the normal control (mean +/- SE, 0.18 +/- 0.0014 pmol.microliter-1.h-1) and of other urological tumors examined.
Beta adrenergic blockade and circulating eosinophils.

In ten normal volunteers intramuscular injection of 0.5 mg of epinephrine caused a mean drop of 61.7% in circulating eosinophils within 3-½ hours. This epinephrine-induced eosinopenia was completely blocked by oral pretreatment with 40 mg of propranolol hydrochloride. The eosinopenic action of epinephrine is apparently mediated by a beta adrenergic mechanism. Beta adrenergic blockade with propranolol raised the blood eosinophil count of ten normal persons by a mean of 27.8%. In individual subjects the extent of this increase was inversely proportional to the control eosinophil count and directly proportional to the reduction in resting heart rate. The level of circulating epinephrine may be one of the factors which normally determine the number of peripheral eosinophils. Propranolol-induced increases in the eosinophil count may serve as an index of beta adrenergic activity.
Role of proteoglycans in the regulation of the skeletal muscle fibrotic response

Myogenesis consists of a highly organized and regulated sequence of cellular processes aimed at forming or repairing muscle tissue. Several processes occur during myogenesis, including cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Cytokines, proteinases, cell adhesion molecules and growth factors are involved, either activating or inhibiting these events, and are modulated by a group of molecules called proteoglycans (PGs), which play critical roles in skeletal muscle physiology. Particularly interesting are some of the factors responsible for the fibrotic response associated with skeletal muscular dystrophies. Transforming growth factor‐β and connective tissue growth factor have gained great attention as factors participating in the fibrotic response in skeletal muscle. This review is focused on the advances achieved in understanding the roles of proteoglycans as modulators of profibrotic growth factors in fibrosis associated with diseases such as skeletal muscle dystrophies.
The evaluation of homocysteine level in patients with preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between preeclampsia and blood plasma homocysteine levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS The research was conducted in a group of 114 pregnant patients who were subdivided into three groups consisting of: 30 women with severe preeclampsia, 24 with mild preeclampsia, and 60 healthy pregnant controls. Patient data included age, parity body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, homocysteine, folic acid, vitamin B12, hematocrit, hemoglobin, blood urine nitrogen, uric acid and urine analysis. RESULTS There were no differences in the demographic characteristics (age, gravidity and BMI) among the groups. Mean serum homocysteine level was significantly higher in the preeclamptic group as compared to controls (p<0.01). Mean homocysteine level in the control group was significantly lower than in the severe and mild preeclampsia groups, respectively (p<0.001 vs. p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in homocysteine levels between mild and severe preeclampsia groups (p>0.05). Although there were statistically significant differences among the three groups in terms of BUN, creatinine, AST ALT and LDH, no statistically significant differences in serum folic acid, vitamin B12 and hemoglobin levels were found. CONCLUSIONS Plasma homocysteine levels are significantly elevated in patients with preeclampsia and are not correlated with disease severity
Pulsing the Probe Wave to Reduce Nonlocal Effects in Brillouin Optical Time-Domain Analysis (BOTDA) Sensors

We propose a simple technique that is able to mitigate nonlocal effects in Brillouin optical time domain analysis (BOTDA) sensors. The technique consists in pulsing the probe wave, so that the Brillouin interaction only takes place in a portion of the fiber. A shorter interaction length reduces the nonlocal effects induced by pump depletion. The portion of fiber investigated each time can be easily scanned along the whole fiber length, so that the complete Brillouin frequency shift distribution can be retrieved by successive measurements.
Correlations Between CCN1 Immunoexpression and Myocardial Histologic Lesions in Sudden Cardiac Death

AbstractCCN1 (CYR61) is a member of the CCN family of secreted matricellular proteins; it can regulate the expression of genes involved in angiogenesis and matrix remodeling. The latter mechanisms seem to be of vital importance in the pathophysiology of sudden cardiac death. We performed an immunohistochemical analysis on 62 cardiac tissue specimens derived from individuals of young and middle age who had died of sudden cardiac death. CCN1 immunopositivity was detected in 80.6% of all specimens. Semiquantitative statistical analysis of the staining results revealed that CCN1 immunoreactivity was significantly associated with ischemic morphology and hypertrophy of myocardial fibers, interstitial edema, and atheromatosis of coronary arteries in more than 10% of the myocardial fibers. Taking the previously mentioned correlations into account, ischemia seems to induce myocardial expression of CCN1; therefore, CCN1 immunostaining could be evaluated as a complementary tool in the assessment of ischemic areas when no tissue evidence of necrosis is available.
Identification and Differential Abundance of Mitochondrial Genome Encoding Small RNAs (mitosRNA) in Breast Muscles of Modern Broilers and Unselected Chicken Breed

Background: Although small non-coding RNAs are mostly encoded by the nuclear genome, thousands of small non-coding RNAs encoded by the mitochondrial genome, termed as mitosRNAs were recently reported in human, mouse and trout. In this study, we first identified chicken mitosRNAs in breast muscle using small RNA sequencing method and the differential abundance was analyzed between modern pedigree male (PeM) broilers (characterized by rapid growth and large muscle mass) and the foundational Barred Plymouth Rock (BPR) chickens (characterized by slow growth and small muscle mass). Methods: Small RNA sequencing was performed with total RNAs extracted from breast muscles of PeM and BPR (n = 6 per group) using the 1 × 50 bp single end read method of Illumina sequencing. Raw reads were processed by quality assessment, adapter trimming, and alignment to the chicken mitochondrial genome (GenBank Accession: X52392.1) using the NGen program. Further statistical analyses were performed using the JMP Genomics 8. Differentially expressed (DE) mitosRNAs between PeM and BPR were confirmed by quantitative PCR. Results: Totals of 183,416 unique small RNA sequences were identified as potential chicken mitosRNAs. After stringent filtering processes, 117 mitosRNAs showing >100 raw read counts were abundantly produced from all 37 mitochondrial genes (except D-loop region) and the length of mitosRNAs ranged from 22 to 46 nucleotides. Of those, abundance of 44 mitosRNAs were significantly altered in breast muscles of PeM compared to those of BPR: all mitosRNAs were higher in PeM breast except those produced from 16S-rRNA gene. Possibly, the higher mitosRNAs abundance in PeM breast may be due to a higher mitochondrial content compared to BPR. Our data demonstrate that in addition to 37 known mitochondrial genes, the mitochondrial genome also encodes abundant mitosRNAs, that may play an important regulatory role in muscle growth via mitochondrial gene expression control.
Cochlear implantation in patients with Meniere's disease

Abstract Objectives Few studies have addressed the benefits of cochlear implantation for the small group of patients with bilateral, end-stage Meniere's disease, or unilateral disease with contralateral hearing loss from another cause. Our retrospective study evaluates the effectiveness and post-operative performance in these Meniere's disease patients and discusses these findings relative to other post-lingually deafened adults. Methods Among 456 adults who received cochlear implants, we identified eight (1.7%) patients with Meniere's disease who met clinical indications for implantation and a control group of seven non-Meniere's patients of comparable age and deafness. Data gathered included demographics, auditory and vestibular symptoms pre-implantation, and clinical course after implantation, including audiometric scores (consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC), hearing-in-noise testing (HINT), and AzBio score) and audiologic evaluations. Results Comparing the Meniere's and non-Meniere's patients, pre- to post-implant scores averaged 15 and 16%–57 and 76% for CNC; and 4.5 and 40.5%–78 and 81% for AzBio and/or HINT tests, respectively; scores between groups did not statistically differ. Of note, five of eight patients had 0% word recognition scores pre-operatively. Fluctuations in CI performance were seen in five patients with Meniere's disease but not for those without the disease. Conclusions Audiologic testing found a strong likelihood that CIs did benefit our subset of Meniere's patients with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. Fluctuations in hearing sensitivity (perhaps owing to physical changes relative to the implant array with the spiral ganglion neurons during an acute attack or changes in spiral ganglion neurons because of the hydropic state) can often be resolved by subsequent reprogramming.
Optimal inductor winding geometries for minimizing winding loss in gapped inductor designs

This paper summarizes geometrical effects on inductor winding loss based on fixed and variable wire diameter methods as well as core gap effects. Relevant AC and DC winding resistance equations are derived and an effective inductor design method is given to consider the ratio of alternating to direct current and ratio of skin depth to wire radius r. The core gap effect on the ac winding resistance can be minimized by increasing the distance far away from the gap, however the dc winding resistance will increase. Hence the optimal distance results in the minimum total winding resistance. Finally, a new concept of a two step core gap solution is verified by FEA simulation showing the further winding loss improvement by the smart design method of core gap geometries.
Web Service Composition Processes: A Comparative Study

Service composition is the process of constructing new services by combining several existing ones. It considered as one of the complex challenges in distributed and dynamic environment. The composition process includes, in general, the searching for existing services in a specific domain, and selecting the appropriate service, then coordinating composition flow and invoking services. Over the past years, the problem of web service composition has been studied intensively by researchers. Therefore, a significant amount of solutions and new methods to tackle this problem are presented. In this paper, our objective is to investigate algorithms and methodologies to provide a classification of existing methods in each composition phase. Moreover, we aim at conducting a comparative study to discover the main features and limitation in each phase in order to assist future research in this area.
The Assessment of Alexithymia in Medical Settings: Implications for Understanding and Treating Health Problems

The construct of alexithymia encompasses the characteristics of difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, externally oriented thinking, and a limited imaginal capacity. These characteristics are thought to reflect deficits in the cognitive processing and regulation of emotions and to contribute to the onset or maintenance of several medical and psychiatric disorders. In this article, we review recent methods for assessing alexithymia and examine how assessing alexithymia can inform clinical practice. Alexithymia is associated with heightened physiological arousal, the tendency to notice and report physical symptoms, and unhealthy compulsive behaviors. Alexithymic patients may respond poorly to psychological treatments, although perhaps not to cognitive-behavioral techniques, and it is unclear whether alexithymia can be improved through treatment. Interpretive problems regarding alexithymia include its overlap with other traits, whether it is secondary to illness or trauma, the possibility of subtypes, and low correlations among multiple measures. Nonetheless, we encourage the assessment of alexithymia in applied settings.
Initial management of prostate‐specific antigen‐detected, low‐risk prostate cancer and the risk of death from prostate cancer

The recently published Prostate Cancer Intervention versus Observation Trial (PIVOT) did not identify differences in prostate cancer‐specific mortality or all‐cause mortality among patients with low‐risk disease managed conservatively vs those managed definitively; however, recently published data suggest that older men may harbour more aggressive disease than is identified at biopsy owing to sampling error and undergrading. Whether older men with apparent low‐risk disease are placed at risk of prostate cancer‐specific mortality when managed conservatively remains unknown. The study used population‐level data to show that non‐curative approaches for older men with low‐risk prostate cancer do result in an increased risk of prostate cancer‐specific mortality. Differences between our study and the PIVOT trial include the fact that we included a larger sample size, analysed the data using an ‘as‐treated’ approach, and included a healthier cohort of men as evinced by lower 4‐year all‐cause mortality estimates in our study than in the PIVOT. Our results suggest that older men with apparent low‐risk prostate cancer are at risk of undergrading, which probably explains the differences in prostate cancer‐specific mortality observed between men managed conservatively vs those managed definitively. Our study suggests that alternative approaches to excluding occult, high grade prostate cancer are needed in such men.
Cytokine and Lipid Mediator Regulation of Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC2s) in Human Allergic Airway Disease

The recent discovery of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) has caused a paradigm shift in the understanding of allergic airway disease pathogenesis. Prior to the discovery of ILC2s, Th2 cells were largely thought to be the primary source of type 2 cytokines; however, activated ILC2s have since been shown to contribute significantly, and in some cases, dominantly to type 2 cytokine production. Since the discovery of ILC2s in 2010, many mediators have been shown to regulate their effector functions. Initial studies identified the epithelial derived cytokines IL-25, IL-33, and TSLP as activators of ILC2s, and recent studies have identified many additional cytokine and lipid mediators that are involved in ILC2 regulation. ILC2s and their mediators represent novel therapeutic targets for allergic airway diseases and intensive investigation is underway to better understand ILC2 biology and upstream and downstream pathways that lead to ILC2-driven airway pathology. In this review, we will focus on the cytokine and lipid mediators that regulate ILC2s in human allergic airway disease, as well as highlight newly discovered mediators of mouse ILC2s that may eventually translate to humans.
The ubiquity of avian ultraviolet plumage reflectance

Although several bird species have been shown to reflect ultraviolet (UV) light from their plumages, the incidence of UV reflectance, and therefore the potential for UV or UV–enhanced signals, across the avian tree of life is not known. In this study, we collected reflectance data from the plumages of 312 bird species representing 142 families. Our results demonstrate that all avian families possess plumages that reflect significant amounts of UV light. The ubiquity of UV reflectance indicates that all studies of avian behaviour, ecology and evolution involving plumage coloration would benefit from consideration of plumage reflectance in the UV portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Additionally, we demonstrate the existence of cryptic UV plumage patches and cryptic dimorphism among birds.
Application of Neural Network and Simulation Modeling to Evaluate Russian Banks' Performance

This paper presents an application of neural network and simulation modeling to analyze and predict the performance of 883 Russian Banks over the period 2000-2010. Correlation analysis was performed to obtain key financial indicators which reflect the leverage, liquidity, profitability and size of Banks. Neural network was trained over the entire dataset, and then simulation modeling was performed generating values which are distributed with Largest Extreme Value and Loglogistic distributions with estimated parameters providing robust results. Next, a combination of neural network and simulation modeling techniques was validated with the help of back-testing. Finally, we received nine bank clusters that describe the structural performance within the Russian Banking sector. JEL Classification: C45, C53, G17, G21
Abundance and diversity of ascidians in the southern Gulf of Chiriquí, Pacific Panama

Little is known about the ascidian fauna of Pacific Panama. Ascidian surveys were conducted in the southern Gulf of Chiriqui on the Pacific coast of Panama in January 2008 and 2009. Surveys along linear transects at 2-3 m depth (snorkel, 2008) and 5 and 12 m depth (SCUBA, 2009) were conducted at multiple sites within a chain of islands extending out from the mainland. Twelve different ascidian taxa were observed with mean densities of up to ~17 ascidians·m -2 . The most abundant species was Rhopalaea birkelandi. Two of the most abundant taxa (Ascidia sp., Pyura sp.) appear to represent previously undescribed species. Several species of didemnids were also abundant. Ascidians were most abundant near the coast of the mainland and were less abundant near the islands farthest offshore. These data on Panamanian ascidian communities provide a baseline of local biodiversity against which it will be possible to determine whether the communities change over time, if additional species become introduced to the region, or if native Panamanian species become invasive in other parts of the world.
Use of a balanced low-protein diet in chronic renal failure.

Thirty-four patients with chronic renal insufficiency were instructed to subsist on a 20-gm balanced lowprotein diet during a 21-month study period. There was a 22% incidence of inability to follow this strict regimen. Patients who adhered to the diet and had adequate renal function as judged by urea nitrogen clearance of greater than 1.5 cc/min experienced improvement in uremic symptoms. Complications of this regimen included hyperkalemia and edema. Metabolic acidosis was prevented by the use of orally administered calcium carbonate supplements. Return of uremic symptoms generally occurred when urea nitrogen clearance decreased below 1.5 to 1.0 cc/min or when urine volume decreased below 1 liter/24 hr. The duration of remission from uremic symptoms depends on prevention of deterioration in renal function and cooperation of the patients in adhering to this special diet.
Two types of luminosity horizontal cells in the retina of the turtle

1. Two classes of luminosity horizontal cells have been identified in the retina of the turtle by intracellular recording. These cells differ in the area of retinal surface over which they are sensitive to light. For moderate light intensities the maximum response amplitude of ‘type I’ cells increases progressively as the radius of a circle of light is enlarged to over 750 μm. Responses of ‘type II’ cells instead reach maximum amplitude with circular illumination of about 300 μm radius.
Robust linear parameter varying induction motor control with polytopic models

This paper deals with a robust controller for an induction motor which is represented as a linear parameter varying systems. To do so linear matrix inequality (LMI) based approach and robust Lyapunov feedback controller are associated. This new approach is related to the fact that the synthesis of a linear parameter varying (LPV) feedback controller for the inner loop take into account rotor resistance and mechanical speed as varying parameter. An LPV flux observer is also synthesized to estimate rotor flux providing reference to cited above regulator. The induction motor is described as a polytopic model because of speed and rotor resistance affine dependence their values can be estimated on line during systems operations. The simulation results are presented to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach where robustness stability and high performances have been achieved over the entire operating range of the induction motor.
COMPARING QUALITY IN ON-CAMPUS AND OFF-CAMPUS COURSES: PERCEPTIONS OF COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE FACULTY

The purpose of this study was to compare college of agriculture teachingfaculty members ‘perceptions of the quality of on-campus and off-campus courses. The population included 262 faculty members with teaching responsibilities or with teaching experience in the College of Agriculture at Iowa State University. All members of the population were surveyed and the response rate was 54.2%. Overall, college of agriculture teaching faculty perceived off-campus courses to be of lower quality than their on-campus counterparts. On a positive note, faculty perceived the difference between on- and off-campus courses on user-basedand value-basedfactors to be small. From a Total Quality Management perspective, user-based and value-basedfactors are most important. Faculty perceivedgreater disparities between on-campus and off-campus courses on manufacturing- and transcendent-based quality factors. Efforts to enhance off-campus course quality should be focused on the manufacturingfactor. Quality is enhanced on all factors by systematic analysis and improvement of workprocesses (Gilbert et al., 1993). In order to improve the process of delivering instruction off-campus, on-going faculty developmentprograms thatprovide hands-on experience are needed. Faculty should also have technical support and instructional design support available as they develop courses for off-campus delivery.