Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The experimental demonstration of the BTI-induced breakdown path in 28nm high-k metal gate technology CMOS devices

For the first time, the breakdown path induced by BTI stress can be traced from the RTN measurement. It was demonstrated on advanced high-k metal gate CMOS devices. RTN traps in the dielectric layers can be labeled as a pointer to trace the breakdown path. It was found that breakdown path tends to grow from the interface of HK/IL or IL/Si which is the most defective region. Two types of breakdown paths are revealed. The soft-breakdown path is in a shape like spindle, while the hard breakdown is like a snake-walking path. These two breakdown paths are reflected in a two slopes TDDB lifetime plot. These new findings on the breakdown-path formation will be helpful to the understanding of the reliability in HK CMOS devices.
Reliability Testing and Validation of the Drug Attitude Scale

This study was designed to provide reliability testing and validity information of the Drug Attitude Scale (DAS). One hundred twenty-eight subjects were drawn from a residential substance abuse treatment program within a community mental health center. Seventy-five percent of the subjects were males and 25% were females. Age ranged from 18 to 58 years. For the entire sample, coefficient alpha was found to be 0.87. Reliability estimates for the two subscales were also found to be quite similar. Clinical construct validity utilizing factor analysis strongly support the two-dimensional nature of the DAS and the accuracy of the instrument's scoring key. Initial testing of the DAS suggests that the scale represent a useful addition to the area of substance user assessment and rehabilitation.
Induction of lymphoma in BALB/c mice by Rowson‐Parr virus (RPV)

The long‐term pathological effects of Rowson‐Parr virus (RPV), injected intravenously into 84 young adult BALB/c mice, are described. In the main experiment, 70 test mice and 30 uninjected control mice were examined serially between 4 and 48 weeks. A second group of 14 injected animals were allowed to live out their life‐span. Four stages in the host response have been defined. Splenic hyperplasia predominates in Stages I and II: there is initially a short‐lived phase of moderate splenic enlargement and reactive hyperplasia (Stage I) which partly resolves, to be followed by a persistent period of slight splenomegaly and low‐grade (non‐specific) reactive hyperplasia (Stage II). Neoplastic changes (Stages III and IV) developed in almost 45% of test mice in the serial study. In most instances, the neoplastic process appears to arise in reticulum cells in the Malpighian follicles of the spleen and is initially confined to these structures (Stage III). Later (Stage IV) there is progressive replacement of the splenic pulp and increasing involvement of lymph nodes, liver and thymus; some animals develop a terminal leukaemia. A similar reticulum‐cell neoplasm was found in many of the RPV‐infected mice which were allowed to live out their life‐span; none of these animals survived for more than a year after infection. Four RPV‐infected mice developed lymphomas and leukaemias of other histological types. No reticulum‐cell neoplasms were found in the uninjected control animals.
Secure Data Transmission Using MS- Extended 8-bit ASCII Character Set

Cryptography plays a crucial role in providing security to the sensitive data and information such as medical data. One method to handle sensitive data when it needs to be transmitted from source to the destination is to encrypt the same. Traditionally, Hill Cipher is used to encrypt the data. which uses only 26 characters in English alphabet. So, it is vulnerable to any known plain text attack. Hill Cipher is modified by making use of a set of the 7 bit ASCII characters denoted by codes 0 to 127 in [1]. In the current approach a set of 256 ASCII characters called 8-bit extended ASCII set denoted by codes 0 to 255 are used by implementing interweaving and iteration. At each step of the iteration, interweaving is performed because of which the text undergoes many transformations before it becomes cipher text. In order to diagnose different diseases, the hospital has to share the patient information to the researchers. During such a transmission the data may be modified or hacked by the third party. As medical data is highly sensitive information it has to be encrypted to be secure. Medical records help patients to acquire appropriate and right treatment. If the medical records are modified the patients may receive false treatment and leads to wrong consequences. Since there is also a chance of leakage of medical records from a trusted agent also, so to prevent this, a concept called "adding fake objects" [8] is used which appear as realistic objects and thus helps in identifying the third party who leaked the data. If data is found in other sources like website by using the "agent guilty model" we may find the guilty agent who is responsible for leaking the sensitive data. In this work, we implement these concepts to provide security to medical records.
Face-to-face information combined with a booklet versus a booklet alone for treatment of mild low-back pain: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of face-to-face information for the treatment of mild low-back pain (LBP) in an occupational health (OH) setting. METHODS We conducted a 48-month randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two 1:1 allocated parallel groups of forestry company employees. Eligibility criteria included permanent employment, age <57 years, and mild LBP [visual analogue scale (VAS) 10-34 mm] in a survey. The intervention group received the Back Book, an information booklet on how to manage LBP, with an additional face-to-face review of the booklet by an OH nurse. The control group received the booklet only. Primary outcomes were physical impairment (Roland-Morris 18-item (RM-18) Disability Questionnaire), LBP (VAS 100 mm), health-related quality of life [15-dimensional quality of life (15-D)] during two years and sickness absence (SA) up to four years. Participants were assigned using block randomization with a computer-generated scheme. RESULTS The RCT comprised 181 participants (72% male, mean age 44 years). There were no differences between the treatment arms in any of the primary outcomes at any time point. At 24 months, the mean group differences (intervention versus control) were: RM-18: 0 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) -1-1], VAS: 3 mm (95% CI -3-8), and 15-D 0.00 (95% CI -0.02-0.02). The difference in cumulative sickness absence days at 48 months were -3 (95% CI -28-21) for total and 1 (95% CI -3-5) for LBP specific sick leaves. Exploratory analysis revealed no differences at subgroup-levels either. CONCLUSIONS Face-to-face patient information by an OH nurse in addition to a booklet was not more effective than the booklet alone in treating employees with mild LBP in an OH setting.
Homelessness and Social Exclusion in Croatia

Homelessness is a relatively new phenomenon in most Croatian cities and has been largely ignored by policy makers and social scientists. This paper is based on the research outcomes of a qualitative research project that aims to contribute new data on a previously unresearched social group in Croatia and respond to the urgent need for a fuller understanding of the perceptions and experiences of homeless people in Croatia. The project’s holistic approach takes a broad ecological and gendered perspective, viewing an individual’s homelessness within larger processes in society. This paper has a social exclusion focus with the intention of identifying the disadvantages that homeless people in Croatia face. Following a brief description of their demographic characteristics, the implications of their material poverty will be discussed. The paths and consequences of (repeated) periods of homelessness and how it reflects on the individual’s social well-being will then be examined. The findings show that homeless people in Croatia are disadvantaged in multifaceted ways that inevitably hinder their routes out of social exclusion.
Comparison of Toxicity between Saxitoxin and Decarbamoyl Saxitoxin in the Mouse Bioassay for Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins

ABSTRACT The mouse bioassay (MBA) for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins has been used in the AOAC Official Method and the official Japanese method. In the AOAC Official Method, the saxitoxin (STX) standard provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is used, but no standard is used in the official Japanese method. The objective of this study was to compare the toxicity of decarbamoyl STX (dcSTX), one of the derivatives of STX and a candidate standard for the MBA for PSP toxins in Japan, to that of FDA STX in the MBA platform. In this study, the toxicity of dcSTX was 918.0 ± 44.9 mouse units/µmol, and the relative toxicity ratio of dcSTX to FDA STX based on moles was 0.478.
Purpose and Non-Purpose Resource Use Models in Two-Level Control Systems

In the paper a two-level control system consisting of one element in top level and one element in bottom level is considered. Both levels have purpose use and non-purpose use interests. The model of resource allocation between purpose and non-purpose use interests for different classes of payoff functions is investigated. The model is built as a two-person game where the Stackelberg equilibrium is found. Analytical and numerical results are presented.
Meta-analysis of depression among marriage-based migrant women in South Korea

Using meta-analysis, this study examines the effect sizes of the variables related to depression and the moderating effects of depression among marriage-based migrant women in South Korea to determine the implications for human service fields. This study identified 25 peer-reviewed articles from 2000 to 2014 published in either Korean or in English. Results showed that (i) Korean language proficiency and economic hardship had significant effect sizes relative to depression; (ii) the psychosocial characteristics (i.e., acculturative stress, social support, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction, and self-esteem) of this population had medium effect sizes relative to depression; and (iii) use of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, residence in agricultural areas, average age, and average length of stay in Korea had significant moderating effects. Based on these results, the authors discuss social work practices and policies for this population, suggesting the priorization of marriage-based migrant women in agricultural areas who have lived in Korea for short lengths of time.
Improving Tourism Information Search and Retrieval

The research described in this paper tries to bridge the existing gap between the tourism domain and user queries support in travel planning. The search engine proposed is based on a semantic model which allows defining a query language that is flexible and robust to changes in the tourism data model. This is critical as new tourism products, services and experiences are constantly emerging and the information needed to describe them varies considerably from one item to another. The search engine supports specifying customizable constraints and two aspects generally not considered in current travel planning online sites: nested sorting of the results and possibility to customize the amount and type of information to be retrieved about a tourism resource.
Production, biophysical characterization and initial crystallization studies of the N- and C-terminal domains of DsbD, an essential enzyme in Neisseria meningitidis.

The membrane protein DsbD is a reductase that acts as an electron hub, translocating reducing equivalents from cytoplasmic thioredoxin to a number of periplasmic substrates involved in oxidative protein folding, cytochrome c maturation and oxidative stress defence. DsbD is a multi-domain protein consisting of a transmembrane domain (t-DsbD) flanked by two periplasmic domains (n-DsbD and c-DsbD). Previous studies have shown that DsbD is required for the survival of the obligate human pathogen Neisseria meningitidis. To help understand the structural and functional aspects of N. meningitidis DsbD, the two periplasmic domains which are required for electron transfer are being studied. Here, the expression, purification and biophysical properties of n-NmDsbD and c-NmDsbD are described. The crystallization and crystallographic analysis of n-NmDsbD and c-NmDsbD are also described in both redox states, which differ only in the presence or absence of a disulfide bond but which crystallized in completely different conditions. Crystals of n-NmDsbDOx, n-NmDsbDRed, c-NmDsbDOx and c-NmDsbDRed diffracted to 2.3, 1.6, 2.3 and 1.7 Å resolution and belonged to space groups P213, P321, P41 and P1211, respectively.
CLOCK genetic variation and metabolic syndrome risk: modulation by monounsaturated fatty acids.

BACKGROUND Disruption of the circadian system may be causal for manifestations of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). OBJECTIVE The objective was to study the associations of 5 CLOCK polymorphisms with MetS features by analyzing fatty acid (FA) composition from dietary and red blood cell (RBC) membrane sources. DESIGN Participants (n = 1100) in the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) study were included. Dietary intake was estimated with a validated questionnaire. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements and genotypes were determined. Postprandial lipids and the FA composition of RBC membranes were analyzed. RESULTS CLOCK single nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly associated with obesity and individual components of MetS. For single nucleotide polymorphism rs4580704, minor allele carriers had a 46% lower risk of hypertension than did noncarriers. The monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content of RBC membranes, particularly oleic acid, changed according to CLOCK genetic variants (P < 0.05). We identified significant gene-diet interactions associated with MetS at the CLOCK locus. By dichotomizing MUFA intake, we found different effects across rs4580704 genotypes for glucose (P = 0.020) and insulin resistance (P = 0.026). The protective effect of the minor allele on insulin sensitivity was only present when MUFA intake was >13.2% of energy. We also found different effects across CLOCK 3111T-->C genotypes for saturated fatty acid intake (% of energy) (P = 0.017). The deleterious effect of gene variants on waist circumference was only found with high saturated fatty acid intakes (>11.8%). CONCLUSIONS CLOCK polymorphisms interact with FAs to modulate MetS traits. The dietary source and membrane content of MUFAs are implicated in the relations between alterations in the circadian system and MetS.
Tundra plant above-ground biomass and shrub dominance mapped across the North Slope of Alaska

Arctic tundra is becoming greener and shrubbier due to recent warming. This is impacting climate feedbacks and wildlife, yet the spatial distribution of plant biomass in tundra ecosystems is uncertain. In this study, we mapped plant and shrub above-ground biomass (AGB; kg m−2) and shrub dominance (%; shrub AGB/plant AGB) across the North Slope of Alaska by linking biomass harvests at 28 field sites with 30 m resolution Landsat satellite imagery. We first developed regression models (p < 0.01) to predict plant AGB (r2 = 0.79) and shrub AGB (r2 = 0.82) based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from imagery acquired by Landsat 5 and 7. We then predicted regional plant and shrub AGB by combining these regression models with a regional Landsat NDVI mosaic built from 1721 summer scenes acquired between 2007 and 2016. Our approach employed a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis that propagated sampling and sensor calibration errors. We estimated that plant AGB averaged 0.74 (0.60, 0.88) kg m−2 (95% CI) and totaled 112 (91, 135) Tg across the region, with shrub AGB accounting for ~43% of regional plant AGB. The new maps capture landscape variation in plant AGB visible in high resolution satellite and aerial imagery, notably shrubby riparian corridors. Modeled shrub AGB was strongly correlated with field measurements of shrub canopy height at 25 sites (rs = 0.88) and with a regional map of shrub cover (rs = 0.76). Modeled plant AGB and shrub dominance were higher in shrub tundra than graminoid tundra and increased between areas with the coldest and warmest summer air temperatures, underscoring the fact that future warming has the potential to greatly increase plant AGB and shrub dominance in this region. These new biomass maps provide a unique source of ecological information for a region undergoing rapid environmental change.
Exercise acts as a drug; the pharmacological benefits of exercise

The beneficial effects of regular exercise for the promotion of health and cure of diseases have been clearly shown. In this review, we would like to postulate the idea that exercise can be considered as a drug. Exercise causes a myriad of beneficial effects for health, including the promotion of health and lifespan, and these are reviewed in the first section of this paper. Then we deal with the dosing of exercise. As with many drugs, dosing is extremely important to get the beneficial effects of exercise. To this end, the organism adapts to exercise. We review the molecular signalling pathways involved in these adaptations because understanding them is of great importance to be able to prescribe exercise in an appropriate manner. Special attention must be paid to the psychological effects of exercise. These are so powerful that we would like to propose that exercise may be considered as a psychoactive drug. In moderate doses, it causes very pronounced relaxing effects on the majority of the population, but some persons may even become addicted to exercise. Finally, there may be some contraindications to exercise that arise when people are severely ill, and these are described in the final section of the review. Our general conclusion is that exercise is so effective that it should be considered as a drug, but that more attention should be paid to the dosing and to individual variations between patients.
A MC motif in silkworm Argonaute 1 is indispensible for translation repression

Small RNA‐mediated gene silencing is a fundamental gene regulatory mechanism, which is conserved in many organisms. Argonaute (Ago) family proteins in the RNA‐induced silencing complex (RISC) play crucial roles in RNA interference (RNAi) pathways. In the silkworm Bombyx mori, four Ago proteins have been identified, named as Ago1, Ago2, Ago3 and Siwi. Ago2 participates in double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA)‐induced RNAi, whereas Ago3 and Siwi are involved in the Piwi‐interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway. However, there is no experimental evidence concerning silkworm Ago1 (BmAgo1) in the RNAi mechanism. In the present study, we analysed the function of BmAgo1 in the microRNA (miRNA)‐mediated RNAi pathway using tethering and miRNA sensor reporter assays. These results clearly demonstrate that BmAgo1 plays an indispensable role in translation repression in silkworm. Moreover, coimmunoprecipitation data indicated that BmAgo1 interacts with BmDcp2, an orthologue of mRNA‐decapping enzyme 2 (Dcp2) protein in the Drosophila processing‐bodies (P‐bodies). Substitutions of two conserved phenylalanines (F522 and F557) by valines in the MC motif strongly impaired the function of BmAgo1 in translation repression and its localization in P‐bodies, suggesting that these two amino acid residues in the MC motif of BmAgo1 are prerequisites for mRNA translation repression in B. mori.
Plasmodium vivax clinical malaria is commonly observed in Duffy-negative Malagasy people

Malaria therapy, experimental, and epidemiological studies have shown that erythrocyte Duffy blood group-negative people, largely of African ancestry, are resistant to erythrocyte Plasmodium vivax infection. These findings established a paradigm that the Duffy antigen is required for P. vivax erythrocyte invasion. P. vivax is endemic in Madagascar, where admixture of Duffy-negative and Duffy-positive populations of diverse ethnic backgrounds has occurred over 2 millennia. There, we investigated susceptibility to P. vivax blood-stage infection and disease in association with Duffy blood group polymorphism. Duffy blood group genotyping identified 72% Duffy-negative individuals (FY*BES/*BES) in community surveys conducted at eight sentinel sites. Flow cytometry and adsorption–elution results confirmed the absence of Duffy antigen expression on Duffy-negative erythrocytes. P. vivax PCR positivity was observed in 8.8% (42/476) of asymptomatic Duffy-negative people. Clinical vivax malaria was identified in Duffy-negative subjects with nine P. vivax monoinfections and eight mixed Plasmodium species infections that included P. vivax (4.9 and 4.4% of 183 participants, respectively). Microscopy examination of blood smears confirmed blood-stage development of P. vivax, including gametocytes. Genotyping of polymorphic surface and microsatellite markers suggested that multiple P. vivax strains were infecting Duffy-negative people. In Madagascar, P. vivax has broken through its dependence on the Duffy antigen for establishing human blood-stage infection and disease. Further studies are necessary to identify the parasite and host molecules that enable this Duffy-independent P. vivax invasion of human erythrocytes.
Mental health, pain symptoms and systemic comorbidities in women with endometriosis: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Introduction: Endometriosis is a gynecological disease with a severe impact on quality of life. The aim of this study is to assess mental health status in a group of women with endometriosis, investigating their clinical history, pain symptoms and systemic comorbidities. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was performed on a group of Italian Caucasian women with endometriosis (n = 134). All patients filled the ‘Patient Health Questionnaire’ (PHQ), a self-administered screening tool for mental health disorders. The characteristics of endometriosis, pain symptoms and their severity, the presence and types of comorbid systemic disorders were added into the same survey. Results: According to PHQ algorithms, 59% of patients were affected by at least one psychiatric disorder, with a significant correlation with pain symptoms (p = 0.0026). Patients with severe pain showed a higher incidence of multiple psychiatric disorders (p = 0.026) and somatoform disorder than those with mild pain (p = 0.0009). There was no correlation between the presence of psychiatric disorders and age, BMI, parity, infertility, need for surgery, number of intervention, localization of endometriotic lesions and systemic comorbidities. Discussion: Women with endometriosis showed a high frequency of PHQ results positive for psychiatric disorders, with a significant association with pain severity.
Interleukin-10 downregulates Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced Th1 responses and CTLA-4 expression

To characterize the mechanism by which interleukin 10 (IL-10) inhibits Th1 responses to intracellular pathogens, we evaluated the interaction between IL-10 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from persons across the spectrum of tuberculous infection. M. tuberculosis-induced IFN-gamma production was highest in healthy tuberculin reactors, intermediate in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative tuberculosis patients, and lowest in HIV-infected tuberculosis patients. Neutralizing antibodies to IL-10 increased IFN-gamma production in HIV-infected and HIV-negative tuberculosis patients by enhancing monocyte IL-12 production. Expression of the T-cell-costimulatory molecule CTLA-4 was depressed in M. tuberculosis-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from tuberculosis patients, and anti-IL-10 and Il-12 upregulated expression of CTLA-4. These findings provide evidence that intracellular pathogens can inhibit Th1 responses and downregulate expression of specific costimulatory molecules.