Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Si interposer with low inductance decoupling capacitor

In order to realize high-performance LSI systems, a Si interposer with Cu filled through silicon vias (TSVs) and a low inductance decoupling capacitor was developed in this work. We fabricated a thin film capacitor (TFC) on the Si interposer and evaluated its properties. Capacitance density of the TFC achieved 2uF/cm2. Temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) was under 15% (25–125 deg C). The leakage current at 3V was below 1nA up to 100 deg C. The effect of TFC's location on impedance was measured. The interposer had lower impedance in case of the TFC embedded close to LSI. This enabled decreasing the impedance at high frequency range. Inductance values and an impedance curve of the Si interposer with the embedded multi-terminal TFC were also evaluated. As increasing number of the terminals, the inductance was decreased, and the impedance curve was declined over a wide frequency range. Finally, based on these technologies described above, we have fabricated a prototype of Si interposer. The embedded TFC is effective to minimize the impedance of power delivery network (PDN) at high frequencies. This Si interposer can improve the characteristics of LSI systems.
Bone morphogenetic proteins: multifunctional regulators of vertebrate development.

A recurrent theme in embryonic development and tissue regeneration is that cells communicate with each other using just a handful of conserved families of signaling molecules. One of the largest of these multifunctional families is that of the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs); with >20 members identified in organisms rang­ ing from sea urchin to mammals (Fig. 1). The name BMP was first given to three proteins purified from a demin-eralized bovine bone preparation that induced ectopic cartilage and endochondral bone when implanted in ex­ perimental animals (Wozney et al. 1988). One of these proteins (BMPl) was a putative protease of the astacin family, whereas the other two (BMP2 and BMPS) were related to human transforming growth factor p (TGPp). It is now clear that the name BMP is misleading because there is strong genetic and experimental evidence that these molecules regulate biological processes as diverse as cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, cell-fate determination, and morphogenesis. Moreover, the verte­ brate BMPs are involved in the development of nearly all organs and tissues, including the nervous system, somites, lung, kidney, skin, and gonads, as well as in critical steps in the establishment of the basic embry­ onic body plan. review
Analgesic‐Induced Headaches: An Unrecognized Epidemic

In this issue of Headache, MacGregor, Vohrah and Wilkinson1 from London report that more than a third of an unselected series of 83 patients, presenting for the first time to their migraine clinic, were taking analgesics every day. Acetaminophen was the most popular analgesic, followed by aspirin, and then by compounds of these simple analgesics with antinauseants. Daily analgesic takers were not more likely to be using caffeine or codeine-containing drugs than those taking analgesics only occasionally. Thirty-three of the 83 had chronic daily headaches, and 26 of these 33 were in the group taking daily analgesics. Put another way, people taking daily analgesics were over six times as likely as those taking occasional analgesics to have chronic daily headaches.
Imaging ion flux and ion homeostasis in blood stage malaria parasites

The steady‐state regulation of intracellular levels of essential ions and ionic gradients is critical for almost all functions within a cell. Thus, it is not surprising to find that ions have been shown to play an important role in numerous parasitic processes, such as invasion, development and possibly drug resistance mechanisms. Live cell imaging has become a widespread technique to visualize and quantify several of these processes, including pH and Ca2+ homeostasis, in an effort to better understand the biology and physiology of cells. This is now also the case for many human pathogens. The aim of this review is to emphasize the importance of this technique and provide an overview of what we have learned so far, using the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum as a paradigm.
The effect of muscle length on intracellular calcium and force in single fibres from mouse skeletal muscle.

1. The effect of muscle length on the myoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and tetanic force production of intact single muscle fibres was investigated in the mouse flexor brevis muscle. Muscle fibres were analysed at 100 microns intervals from 100 microns shorter than the optimum length (L(zero)) to 300 microns longer than L(zero). The fluorescent Ca2+ indicator indo‐1 was used to measure [Ca2+]i. 2. Changes in muscle length did not significantly affect tetanic or resting [Ca2+]i. However, at lower stimulus frequencies (30‐50 Hz) the force‐length relation was shifted to longer muscle lengths. 3. Force‐tetanic [Ca2+]i curves were constructed at each muscle length. A comparison of these curves revealed that the Ca2+ sensitivity was length dependent. Ca2+ sensitivity increased over the ascending limb and plateau phase of the force‐length curve, but over the descending limb Ca2+ sensitivity reached a plateau and then started to decrease once more. 4. These results show that length‐dependent changes in Ca2+ sensitivity of single muscle fibres cannot simply be related to variations in sarcomere length. It is proposed that other factors, such as cross‐bridge attachment and/or developed force, have a role in determining the Ca2+ sensitivity at a particular muscle length.
Crystal Structure of the Oligomerization Domain of the Phosphoprotein of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

ABSTRACT In the replication cycle of nonsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses, the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L) recognizes a nucleoprotein (N)-enwrapped RNA template during the RNA polymerase reaction. The viral phosphoprotein (P) is a polymerase cofactor essential for this recognition. We report here the 2.3-Å-resolution crystal structure of the central domain (residues 107 to 177) of P from vesicular stomatitis virus. The fold of this domain consists of a β hairpin, an α helix, and another β hairpin. The α helix provides the stabilizing force for forming a homodimer, while the two β hairpins add additional stabilization by forming a four-stranded β sheet through domain swapping between two molecules. This central dimer positions the N- and C-terminal domains of P to interact with the N and L proteins, allowing the L protein to specifically recognize the nucleocapsid-RNA template and to progress along the template while concomitantly assembling N with nascent RNA. The interdimer interactions observed in the noncrystallographic packing may offer insight into the mechanism of the RNA polymerase processive reaction along the viral nucleocapsid-RNA template.
Reduced postoperative blood loss and transfusion requirement after beating-heart coronary operations: a prospective randomized study.

OBJECTIVE Coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart through median sternotomy is a relatively new treatment, which allows multiple revascularization without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. A prospective randomized study was designed to investigate the effect of coronary bypass with or without cardiopulmonary bypass on postoperative blood loss and transfusion requirement. METHODS Two hundred patients with coronary artery disease were prospectively randomized to (1) on-pump treatment with conventional cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest and (2) off-pump treatment on the beating heart. Postoperative blood loss identified as total chest tube drainage, transfusion requirement, and related costs together with hematologic indices and clotting profiles were analyzed. RESULTS There was no difference between the groups with respect to preoperative and intraoperative patient variables. The mean ratio of postoperative blood loss and 95% confidence interval between groups was 1.64 and 1.39 to 1.94, respectively, suggesting on average a postoperative blood loss 1.6 times higher in the on-pump group compared with the off-pump group. Seventy-seven patients in the off-pump group required no blood transfusion compared with only 48 in the on-pump group (P <.01). Furthermore, less than 5% of patients in the on-pump group required fresh frozen plasma and platelet transfusion compared with 30% and 25%, respectively, in the on-pump group (both P <.05). Mean transfusion cost per patient was higher in the on-pump compared with that in the off-pump group ($184.8 +/- $35.2 vs $21.47 +/- $6.9, P <.01). CONCLUSIONS Coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart is associated with a significant reduction in postoperative blood loss, transfusion requirement, and transfusion-related cost when compared with conventional revascularization with cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest.
Optimal impedance termination of 25-kV electrified railway systems for improved power quality

Many single-phase 25-kV electrified railway systems today are loaded with conventional ac-dc thyristor-based locomotives, which draw current rich in harmonic content. The flow of this harmonic current through the feeder impedance can result in a distorted pantograph voltage waveform, which, in turn, can constrain the amount of power delivered to the locomotives. A possible solution to improve the supply quality is to connect a hybrid power-quality conditioner consisting of active and passive elements at the end of the traction feeder. However, if not appropriately designed, the installation of a power-quality conditioner can result in harmonic amplification at some points along the feeder. This paper now presents an analysis to study how the power-quality conditioner must function to implement an optimal impedance termination at the end of the feeder to achieve uniform harmonic suppression along the whole feeder length. The theoretical concepts presented have been confirmed in simulation and experimentally using a model traction system.
The influence of experimentally induced osteoarthrosis on articular nerve fibers of the sheep temporomandibular joint.

AIMS To study the effect of experimentally induced osteoarthrosis, or non-inflammatory degenerative changes, on the innervation of the sheep temporomandibular joint (TMJ) through the use of indirect immunohistochemistry and image analysis quantification. METHODS Bilateral condylar scarification was performed in 8 sheep, which were killed at 16 weeks post-operation; 3 unoperated sheep served as controls. Tissues from 8 osteoarthrotic joints and 4 control joints were processed for the immunostaining with antisera for protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5), substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). An additional 10 joints were decalcified to study the morphologic changes induced by the condylar abrasion. RESULTS Osteoarthrotic changes were commonly seen in the anterior and lateral regions of the joint and included fibrosis, peripheral osteophyte formation, cysts, and erosion of articular surfaces. In the osteoarthrotic joints, the distribution of PGP 9.5-, CGRP-, and SP-immunoreactive (IR) nerve fibers was similar to that observed for control joints in the capsule, synovium, and capsule/disc junction. There were statistically detectable decreases in the percent surface area of IR nerve fibers in the capsule for both PGP 9.5 and CGRP in arthrotic joints compared with control joints. The lateral and anterior regions of the capsule had greater density of PGP 9.5- and CGRP-IR nerve fibers than other parts of the capsule in both control and arthrotic joints, and the medial capsule was poorly innervated in all joints. Immunostaining for substance P was always weaker. CONCLUSION This study suggests that while inflammatory arthritis has a marked influence on the density of sensory and autonomic nerve fibers in synovium in a variety of joints in different species, experimentally induced non-inflammatory osteoarthrosis in the sheep TMJ also leads to a depletion of the density of nerve fibers in the capsule, especially in the lateral part of the joint. Further work is required to determine whether other parts of the joint, such as synovium and marrow, respond differently to experimentally induced osteoarthrosis.
Competency to waive Miranda rights: clinical and legal issues.

There is a substantial body of case law addressing "compe tency to confess. " In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court in Miranda v. Arizona1 announced a new approach to the admissibility of con fessions, rejecting a case-by-case determination of whether a confession was voluntarily given. The Court ruled that any state ment stemming from the custodial interrogation of a suspect would be presumed involuntary and, thus, inadmissible unless the police first provided the suspect with four warnings? ( 1 ) that the suspect has the right to remain silent; (2) that any statements he/she makes can be used as evidence against him/her; (3) that he/she has the right to the presence of an attorney during ques tioning; and (4) that an attorney will be appointed if he/she can not afford one. The Court also ruled that the defendant may waive these Miranda rights, provided the waiver is made volun tarily, knowingly, and intelligently.2
Involvement of arginine vasopressin and V1b receptor in alcohol drinking in Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats.

BACKGROUND Recent animal studies have shown that the level of stress-responsive arginine vasopressin (AVP) gene expression in the amygdala is increased during early withdrawal from long-term heroin or cocaine administration. The selective AVP V1b receptor antagonist SSR149415 (capable of exerting antidepressant-like and anxiolytic effects in animal models) also blocked stress-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of alcohol and to determine whether (i) there are genetically determined differences in basal AVP mRNA levels in the medial/central amygdala (Me/CeA) and medial hypothalamus (MH) between selectively bred Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) and alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) rats; (ii) the AVP mRNA levels are altered by long-term alcohol drinking in sP rats; and (iii) the V1b receptor antagonist SSR149415 alters alcohol drinking in sP rats. METHODS In Experiment 1, AVP mRNA levels were measured in the Me/CeA and MH of alcohol-naïve sP and sNP rats, and sP rats exposed to the standard, homecage 2-bottle "alcohol versus water" choice regimen 24 h/d for 17 days. In Experiment 2, SSR149415 (0, 3, 10, or 30 mg/kg; intraperitoneal) was acutely administered 30 minutes before lights off to alcohol-experienced sP rats. Alcohol, water, and food intake were monitored 6 and 24 hours later. RESULTS We found higher basal AVP mRNA levels in both Me/CeA and MH of alcohol-naïve sP than sNP rats; alcohol consumption decreased AVP mRNA levels in both brain regions of sP rats, suggesting genetically determined differences between the 2 rat lines and in the effects of alcohol drinking in sP rats. Acute treatment with SSR149415 significantly reduced alcohol intake of sP rats. CONCLUSION The stress-responsive AVP/V1b receptor system is 1 component of the neural circuitry underlying high alcohol drinking in sP rats.
Improvement of naturalness of learners' spoken Japanese by practicing with the Web-based prosodic reading tutor, Suzuki-kun

It is known that learning prosodic control for speaking Japanese is effective to reduce syntactic and lexical ambiguity of learners’ spoken Japanese and to improve its naturalness and comprehen-sibility [1]. In conventional curriculum, however, prosody training has not been provided satisfactorily for learners partly because teaching materials for prosody training are limited. In our previous studies [2, 3, 4, 5], we built a web-based system that, for any given text, can illustrate the prosodic control required to read that text in Tokyo Japanese and also provide a high-quality synthetic voice for that text based on the visualized prosody. Although this system is currently used by many learners, assessment of the system was done only in terms of users’ satisfaction [3]. In this study, the effectiveness is examined quantitatively by using eighty Chinese learners of Japanese. We compare the improvements of naturalness realized by practicing 1) with synthetic voices, 2) with visualized prosody, and 3) with both of them. Experimental results show that simultaneous use of auditory and visual instructions is the most effective but that visualized prosody can help learners more than auditory prosody.
Pesticide patch test series for the assessment of allergic contact dermatitis among banana plantation workers in panama.

BACKGROUND Irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) are frequent among agricultural workers and require targeted interventions. Patch testing is necessary for differential diagnosis, but patch testing with pesticides is uncommon. OBJECTIVE This study explores the frequency of ACD and sensitization to pesticides among highly exposed banana plantation workers. METHODS Frequently and recently used pesticides on banana plantations in Divala, Panama, were documented. A pesticide patch test tray specific for this population was prepared. A structured interview was administered to 366 participants, followed by a complete skin examination. The pesticide patch test series, as well as a standard patch test series, was applied to 37 workers with dermatoses likely to be pesticide related and to 23 control workers without dermatoses. RESULTS The pesticide patch tests identified 15 cases (41%) of ACD (20 positive reactions) among the 37 workers diagnosed with pesticide dermatosis. Three controls had allergic reactions to pesticides (4 positive reactions). The pesticides were carbaryl (5 cases), benomyl (4 cases), ethoprophos (3), chlorothalonil (2), imazalil (2), glyphosate (2), thiabendazole (2), chlorpyrifos (1), oxyfluorfen (1), propiconazole (1), and tridemorph (1). Ethoprophos and tridemorph had not been previously identified as sensitizers. Thus, the prevalence of ACD was 0.03 (15 of 366). On the basis of observed prevalences of positive patch-test reactions among the subgroups with and without dermatoses, we estimated that > or = 16% of the entire population may be sensitized to pesticides. CONCLUSION Sensitization to pesticides among banana plantation workers is a frequent occupational health problem. Pesticide patch test trays should be used in assessing skin diseases in highly exposed workers.
Mutation in HBV RNA‐dependent DNA polymerase confers resistance to lamivudine in vivo

The (‐) enantiomer of 3′‐thiacytidine (lamivudine) has been found to be a potent inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication. Mutation of methionine to valine or isoleucine at the YMDD (tyrosine, methionine, aspartate, aspartate) motif of the HIV reverse transcriptase has been shown to be responsible for lamivudine resistance in HIV. The hepadnaviruses also have the YMDD motif in their DNA polymerase. Therefore, it is possible that hepadnaviruses could develop lamivudine resistance by a similar mutation at this motif. We analyzed the HBV from a liver transplantation patient who developed recurrent HBV viremia during lamivudine treatment. The polymerase gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the region coding for the YMDD motif was sequenced. The pretreatment HBV sequence coded for YMDD, while the lamivudine‐resistant mutant HBV coded for YIDD (tyrosine, isoleucine, aspartate, aspartate). With the documented changes in the YMDD motif of lamivudine‐resistant HIV, it is likely that the methionine‐to‐ isoleucine mutation in the YMDD motif of the HBV polymerase contributes significantly to the lamivudine‐resistance of HBV isolated from this patient.
Study of the Clinical Utility of Radioreceptor Assay in Outpatients with Schizophrenia Receiving High Doses of Neuroleptics *

A radioreceptor assay (RRA) was used to determine the neuroleptic plasma levels of 32 outpatients with schizophrenia receiving a high dose of neuroleptics (the equivalent of 18 mg or more of oral haloperidol per day) and undergoing a 50% partial and progressive reduction (ten percent each month for five months) in their medication. Plasma levels of neuroleptics were measured three times: before (T1) and immediately after the 50% reduction (T2) and five months later (T3). A linear correlation was observed between neuroleptic plasma levels obtained by RRA and the neuroleptic doses prescribed at T1 and T3. Furthermore, neuroleptic plasma levels were significantly lower at T3 than at T1. Concurrent evaluations of psychopathology were done using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and the results indicated that no correlation exists between neuroleptic plasma levels and the total rating scale scores at T1 but a significant correlation was observed at T3.
Hepatitis C Virus Induced Sjogren Syndrome - Clinical and Imaging Features

Currently incurable, Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is the most commonly inherited neurological disorder, which affects a small percentage of the population. The most common cause of CMT is the duplication of a region on the short arm of chromosome 17, which includes the gene PMP22. We report a thirty-seven-year-old man with CMT disease having sleep, memory and attention disorders characterized by brief retrograde amnesia at early age. The patient has no genetic disease in the family, but was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, which emphasizes the sensory loss and prolonged infections. Diabetes mellitus emphasizes the sensory symptomatology and predisposes to the development of infections with delayed healing.
The effect of cavitation on glacier sliding

Basal sliding is one of the most important components in the dynamics of fast–flowing glaciers, but remains poorly understood on a theoretical level. In this paper, the problem of glacier sliding with cavitation over hard beds is addressed in detail. First, a bound on drag generated by the bed is derived for arbitrary bed geometries. This bound shows that the commonly used sliding law, τb = CumbNn, cannot apply to beds with bounded slopes. In order to resolve the issue of a realistic sliding law, we consider the classical Nye–Kamb sliding problem, extended to cover the case of cavitation but neglecting regelation. Based on an analogy with contact problems in elasticity, we develop a method which allows solutions to be constructed for any finite number of cavities per bed period. The method is then used to find sliding laws for irregular hard beds, and to test previously developed theories for calculating the drag generated by beds on which obstacles of many different sizes are present. It is found that the maximum drag attained is controlled by those bed obstacles which have the steepest slopes.
The Situation with Respect to the Spacing of Repetitions and Memory

The revival of interest in the effectiveness of spaced practice, as compared with massed practice, in learning is attributed to the abandonment of the constraints of serial and pairedassociate list learning and the discovery of stable benefits from spaced practice in continuous paired-associate learning, short-term memory for individual items, and single-trial free-recall learning. Comments are made about the preceding symposium papers by Underwood, Waugh, and Greeno,,and some data on the differential effects of spacing of repetitions in freerecall learning are introduced in an effort to assess the current state of fact and theory.