Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VLSI Circuit Test Vector Compression Technique

A new test vector compression method for VLSI circuit testing is presented in this paper. The technique is essentially software-based, where a program is loaded into the on-chip processor memory along with the compressed test data sets. To reduce the on-chip storage area and testing time, the large volume of test data is first compressed before downloading into the on-chip processor. The proposed method utilizes a set of adaptive coding techniques for achieving lossless compression. The compression program need not be loaded into the embedded processor, as only the decompression of the test data is is necessary for application by the automatic test equipment (ATE). The technique requires minimal hardware overhead, while the on-chip processor core can be reused for normal operation after testing. The feasibility of the developed approach has been demonstrated through extensive simulation experiments on ISCAS 85 and ISCAS 89 benchmark circuits.
Modulation of stability of the Escherichia coli heat shock regulatory factor sigma

The heat shock response of Escherichia coli is under the positive control of the sigma 32 protein (the product of the rpoH gene). We found that overproduction of the sigma 32 protein led to concomitant overproduction of the heat shock proteins, suggesting that the intracellular sigma 32 levels limit heat shock gene expression. In support of this idea, the intracellular half-life of the sigma 32 protein synthesized from a multicopy plasmid was found to be extremely short, e.g., less than 1 min at 37 and 42 degrees C. The half-life increased progressively with a decrease in temperature, reaching 15 min at 22 degrees C. Finally, conditions known previously to increase the rate of synthesis of the heat shock proteins, i.e., a mutation in the dnaK gene or expression of phage lambda early proteins, were shown to simultaneously result in a three- to fivefold increase in the half-life of sigma 32.
Beyond Common Sense: Child Welfare, Child Well-Being, and the Evidence for Policy Reform

Helping vulnerable children develop their full potential is an attractive idea with broad common-sense appeal. However, child well-being is a broad concept, and the legislative mandate for addressing well-being in the context of the current child welfare system is not particularly clear. This volume asserts that finding a place for well-being on the list of outcomes established to manage the child welfare system is not as easy as it first appears. The overall thrust of this argument is that policy should be evidence-based, and the available evidence is a primary focus of this book.
FETAL BREATHING MOVEMENTS AND FETAL DISTRESS

Twenty‐seven pregnancies were monitored by antenatal cardiotocographs, daily fetal movement counts and an assessment of fetal breathing activity by real time scanning, and the results of these tests were related to the development of fetal distress during the first stage of labour. The proportion of time during which fetal breathing movements were present, determined over only a short period of time, was found to be a useful predictor of fetal behaviour during labour.
Dietary supplemented 2-mercaptoethanol prevents spontaneous and delays virally-induced murine mammary tumorigenesis

There seems to be little doubt that organosulfur compounds have enormous benefits for biological processes, especially those of diseases like cancer. The preliminary results herein define a cancer model in which benefits/mechanisms of multitudes of xenobiotic and nature’s organosulfurs could easily be compared. Mice from three strains with a high incidence for naturally occurring tumors were treated daily with 2-mercaptoethanol (2-Me) starting at weaning. The 100% tumor incidence of undefined etiology in untreated BXSB-Yaa+ males was completely prevented by 2-Me. In contrast, 2-Me treatment of female and male C3H.OL and C3H.OH congenic strains, did not change the 100% tumor incidence due to milk-borne retrovirus, MMTV(S), but did: (1) delay the appearance of tumors by 42%; (2) increase longevity 56%; and (3) increase longevity, post-tumor detection, 95%. The addition of these results to the increasingly impressive anti-cancer benefits of simple xenobiotic organosulfurs raise the question: Can they be adapted for use as a preventive modality for human cancer?
The ureteric bud epithelium: Morphogenesis and roles in metanephric kidney patterning

The mammalian metanephric kidney is composed of two epithelial components, the collecting duct system and the nephron epithelium, that differentiate from two different tissues —the ureteric bud epithelium and the nephron progenitors, respectively—of intermediate mesoderm origin. The collecting duct system is generated through reiterative ureteric bud branching morphogenesis, whereas the nephron epithelium is formed in a process termed nephrogenesis, which is initiated with the mesenchymal–epithelial transition of the nephron progenitors. Ureteric bud branching morphogenesis is regulated by nephron progenitors, and in return, the ureteric bud epithelium regulates nephrogenesis. The metanephric kidney is physiologically divided along the corticomedullary axis into subcompartments that are enriched with specific segments of these two epithelial structures. Here, we provide an overview of the major molecular and cellular processes underlying the morphogenesis and patterning of the ureteric bud epithelium and its roles in the cortico‐medullary patterning of the metanephric kidney. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 82: 151–166, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Electrical coupling, without dye coupling, between mammalian astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in cell culture

Evidence of electrical and dye coupling between oligodendrocytes and astrocytes was sought in cultures of mouse spinal cord. Cell identity was verified using cell specific antigenic markers. In most experiments current was injected into oligodendrocytes while recording voltage in nearby astrocytes. Nine of 17 oligodendrocyteastrocyte cell pairs showed weak electrical coupling; the average estimated coupling ratio was 0.03 ± 0.06 (cf. 0.11 for oligodendrocyte‐oligodendrocyte and 0.44 for astrocyteastrocyte pairs; Kettenmann and Ransom: Glia, 1: 64–73, 1988). Application of 0.5 mM BaCl2 or 44.6 mM CsCl depolarized astrocytes and oligodendrocytes and was estimated to increase the coupling ratio between these cells 3–5‐fold; these effects were rapid in onset and completely reversible. In 5 of 7 cases, oligodendrocyte‐astrocyte pairs that appeared uncoupled in normal solution exhibited coupling during Ba++ or Cs+ exposure. The actions of these cations are believed to be mediated by blockade of glial K+ channels. Depolarization, per se, as induced by increasing [K+]o, did not increase coupling ratio. The fluorescent dye lucifer yellow (LY) was injected into 10 oligodendrocytes, 8 of which were electrically coupled to nearby astrocytes, and never passed into astrocytes in detectable quantities. Likewise, astrocytes injected with LY stained other astrocytes, but never oligodendrocytes. These findings document the presence of weak electrical coupling between astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, in the absence of dye coupling. Weak coupling of this sort could subserve metabolic interactions between these cells mediated by the passage of small but important molecules such as cyclic AMP, but would not allow strong electrical interactions. If such coupling among glial cells is widespread, it would constitute a “metabolic syncytium” that could serve to coordinate glial behavior.
Perceptions Regarding the Use of Common Planning Time at Three High-Achieving Elementary Schools

Perceptions Regarding the Use of Common Planning Time at Three High-Achieving Elementary Schools by Christopher R. Tickell MA, California State University of San Bernardino (2001) BA, University of Tampa (1987) Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning
Performance of Multiple Risk Assessment Tools to Predict Mortality for Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Therapy: An External Validation Study Based on Chinese Single-center Data

Background:There has been no external validation of survival prediction models for severe adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy in China. The aim of study was to compare the performance of multiple models recently developed for patients with ARDS undergoing ECMO based on Chinese single-center data. Methods:A retrospective case study was performed, including twenty-three severe ARDS patients who received ECMO from January 2009 to July 2015. The PRESERVE (Predicting death for severe ARDS on VV-ECMO), ECMOnet, Respiratory Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Survival Prediction (RESP) score, a center-specific model developed for inter-hospital transfers receiving ECMO, and the classical risk-prediction scores of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) were calculated. In-hospital and six-month mortality were regarded as the endpoints and model performance was evaluated by comparing the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results:The RESP and APACHE II scores showed excellent discriminate performance in predicting survival with AUC of 0.835 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.659–1.010, P = 0.007) and 0.762 (95% CI, 0.558–0.965, P = 0.035), respectively. The optimal cutoff values were risk class 3.5 for RESP and 35.5 for APACHE II score, and both showed 70.0% sensitivity and 84.6% specificity. The excellent performance of these models was also evident for the pneumonia etiological subgroup, for which the SOFA score was also shown to be predictive, with an AUC of 0.790 (95% CI, 0.571–1.009, P = 0.038). However, the ECMOnet and the score developed for externally retrieved ECMO patients failed to demonstrate significant discriminate power for the overall cohort. The PRESERVE model was unable to be evaluated fully since only one patient died six months postdischarge. Conclusions:The RESP, APCHAE II, and SOFA scorings systems show good predictive value for intra-hospital survival of ARDS patients treated with ECMO in our single-center evaluation. Future validation should include a larger study with either more patients’ data at single-center or by integration of domestic multi-center data. Development of a scoring system with national characteristics might be warranted.
High VO2MAX with no history of training is due to high blood volume: an alternative explanation.

In a paper published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise in 2002, Martino and colleagues1 conclude that some untrained subjects achieve high Vo2max values because their naturally high blood volumes optimise cardiac filling pressures, spontaneously producing higher maximum cardiac outputs, even without physical training. It appeared to me that their data failed not only to prove the authors’ hypothesis but they could also not exclude an alternative interpretation along the lines of our opposing hypothesis.2 However, the editor of the journal considered that my letter was too delayed (more than 12 months) after the publication of the original article and hence could not be considered for publication. This came as something of a surprise as I was unaware that there is now a “statute of limitations” within which published scientific work can be critiqued, where after it becomes the irrefutable truth, immunised against further scrutiny. As it is possible that the …
Quality Of Services Key Factor for the Image Creation of Tourist Destination

The image of the tourist destination is a topic approached by many researchers. They emphasised the fact that image creation is determined by factors, both cognitive and emotional. In the present article, we insisted on the quality of services, considering that this factor plays an essential role in the image creation of tourist destination. We performed the frequency-based statistical modelling of the key factors for the image creation of Vatra Dornei tourist destination, and we proposed a model emphasising the relationship between the quality of services, and the image of the tourist destination.
Activity of taxol in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus.

BACKGROUND Carcinomas of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction are uncommon and account for approximately 1% of all malignancies in the United States. Advanced squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma of these sites remains incurable. The median survival of patients is between 4 and 8 months, and their prognosis has not changed in the past several decades. Undoubtedly, there is an urgent need to develop new effective drugs for patients with carcinoma of the esophagus or the gastroesophageal junction. PURPOSE Our purpose was to evaluate the response rate, duration of response, and toxic effects in previously untreated patients with unresectable local-regional or metastatic carcinoma of the esophagus who were enrolled in a phase II study of paclitaxel (Taxol). METHODS Fifty-two patients with either metastatic or local-regional unresectable carcinoma of the esophagus were eligible for this study. All patients were premedicated with dexamethasone, cimetidine, and diphenhydramine hydrochloride to prevent allergic reaction. The starting dose of paclitaxel was 250 mg/m2 repeated every 21 days. Patients received 5 micrograms/kg granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) subcutaneously daily 24 hours after the completion of paclitaxel to reduce the duration and severity of granulocytopenia. RESULTS Of the 52 patients who were initially enrolled, 50 (44 men and six women) were evaluated for toxic effects and response. Thirty-two had adenocarcinoma, and 18 had squamous cell carcinoma. The median age was 58 years (range, 36-77 years). The median Zubrod performance status was 1 (range, 0-1). The median number of courses was four, and the total number of courses administered was 227. The median dose of paclitaxel was 250 mg/m2 (range, 150-280 mg/m2). Paclitaxel dosage was reduced in 52 (23%) of 227 courses and increased in 15 (7%) of 227 courses. Sixteen (32%) patients achieved either a complete or partial response, and 11 (22%) achieved a minor response. Among 32 patients with adenocarcinoma, 11 (34%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 18%-50%) had either a complete or partial response and six had a minor response. Five (28%; 95% CI = 7%-49%) of 18 patients with squamous cell carcinoma had a partial response, and five (28%) had a minor response. The median duration of partial response was 17 weeks (range, 7 to > or = 58 weeks). At a median follow-up of 9 months, 32 patients remain alive, with an actuarial median survival duration of 13.2 months (range, 2 to > or = 17.5 months). Paclitaxel followed by G-CSF was very well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that paclitaxel is an active agent against adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.
Symbolic time series analysis based health condition forecasting in complex electronic systems

A major issue in system health forecasting emanates from the necessity of transforming instantaneous (fast time scale) health condition and/or performance related observations into slow time-scale estimates. Slow time-scale transformation refers to aggregation of information from observations within a time interval, and assigning a representative state or symbol to the whole interval. The sequence of such symbols can be used to track and forecast system performance/health condition in a reliable way. Symbolic time series analysis (STSA) that employs an entropy maximization approach towards observation partitioning and symbol assignment has been proven quite useful for this purpose. This paper presents an STSA based approach for forecasting performance/health conditions of complex electronic systems using outlier removal and information fusion based pre-processing, and non-linear dynamic Markov model-based post-processing schemes. The dynamic Markov model computes the probability of observing a word that is present in symbolic time series. The probability of transition from one state to another is estimated by traversing through the symbolic series transition probabilities. Thereby, a discrete state transition model is obtained that can serve as the estimator of a system's behavior (in terms of health or performance) over time. An advantage of Markov model is that it extends naturally to forecast the performance/health states and estimates the Remaining Useful Life (RUL). Under this work, a STSA-based forecasting scheme was developed and validated on a set of automotive GPS1,2.
A partially linear tree‐based regression model for assessing complex joint gene–gene and gene–environment effects

The success of genetic dissection of complex diseases may greatly benefit from judicious exploration of joint gene effects, which, in turn, critically depends on the power of statistical tools. Standard regression models are convenient for assessing main effects and low‐order gene–gene interactions but not for exploring complex higher‐order interactions. Tree‐based methodology is an attractive alternative for disentangling possible interactions, but it has difficulty in modeling additive main effects. This work proposes a new class of semiparametric regression models, termed partially linear tree‐based regression (PLTR) models, which exhibit the advantages of both generalized linear regression and tree models. A PLTR model quantifies joint effects of genes and other risk factors by a combination of linear main effects and a non‐parametric tree ‐structure. We propose an iterative algorithm to fit the PLTR model, and a unified resampling approach for identifying and testing the significance of the optimal “pruned” tree nested within the tree resultant from the fitting algorithm. Simulation studies showed that the resampling procedure maintained the correct type I error rate. We applied the PLTR model to assess the association between biliary stone risk and 53 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the inflammation pathway in a population‐based case‐control study. The analysis yielded an interesting parsimonious summary of the joint effect of all SNPs. The proposed model is also useful for exploring gene–environment interactions and has broad implications for applying the tree methodology to genetic epidemiology research. Genet. Epidemiol. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of surfactants on rhizodegradation of oil in a contaminated soil

The effects of nonionic surfactants on degradation of engine oil in metal contaminated soil using Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) were investigated. Triton X-100 and Tween 80 were individually applied to test pots in which the soil had been earlier spiked with 500 mg kg−1 of used engine oil, 500 mgkg−1 of PbCl2 and 50 mgkg−1 of CdCl2. For he application of Tween 80 to the soil, the fractions of rhizodegraded oil and the fractions of removed metals from the soil were well correlated. On the other hand, such a correlation did not exist between the fractions of rhizodegraded oil and the fractions of removed metals for the application of Triton X-100 to the soil. It was observed that Triton X-100 caused a significant decrease in basal soil respiration (BSR) which can be attributed to a reduction in microbial activity. This, in turn, resulted in a reduction of the rhizodegraded oil fraction. Tween 80 proved to be effective in the rhizodegradation of oil under aerobic conditions. Further, this surfactant seems to have the positive effect on the soil microbial population when viewed in terms of BSR.
Structure, function, and regulation of the kilB locus of promiscuous plasmid RK2

The kil-kor regulon of the self-transmissible, broad-host-range plasmid RK2 is a unique network with eight coregulated operons. Among the genes encoded by the kil-kor regulon are trfA, which encodes the replication initiator, and several kil loci (kilA, kilB, kilC, and kilE), each of which is lethal to the host cell in the absence of appropriate negative regulatory elements encoded by the korA, korB, korC, and korE determinants. We have proposed that the functions of the kil loci are related to RK2 maintenance or host range. Here, we report the nucleotide sequence of a 2.44-kb region that includes the lethal kilB determinant. We identified the first three genes of the kilB operon (designated klbA, klbB, and klbC), and we determined by deletion analysis that the host-lethal phenotype requires klbB. The predicted amino acid sequence of the 34,995-Da klbA product reveals a potential ATP-binding fold. The klbB product is predicted to be a membrane protein with a molecular mass of 15,012 Da with homology to the RK2 KlaC membrane protein encoded by the kilA operon. The amino acid sequence of the 12,085-Da klbC product contains a perfect match to the leucine zipper motif common to eukaryotic regulatory proteins. Primer extension analysis revealed unambiguously that transcription of the kilB operon begins 46 nucleotides upstream of klbA. No transcription was initiated from the sequence previously presumed by other investigators to be the kilB promoter. The abundance of kilB transcripts is reduced in the presence of KorB, consistent with the prediction that KorB acts at the level of transcription. A degenerate KorB-binding site that contains a perfect half-palindrome overlaps the kilB promoter, but this site is insufficient for regulation by KorB. The region containing a KorB-binding site located 183 bp upstream of the transcriptional start is required for regulation by KorB, indicating that KorB acts at a distance to regulate transcription of kilB. Our studies with the mutant plasmid pRP101, a transfer-defective derivative of the RK2-like plasmid RP4, demonstrated that the kilB operon includes the conjugal transfer and surface exclusion genes of the Tra2 region. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the transposon Tn7 insertion in pRP101 is located in the klbC gene, and complementation analysis showed that this mutation has a strong polar effect on the expression of genes for conjugal transfer and surface exclusion located several kilobases downstream. A klbA mutant was constructed and found to be both transfer defective and complementable, thus, demonstrating a requirement was constructed and found to be both transfer defective and complementable, thus demonstrating a requirement for klbA product in plasmid transmissibility. These results have demonstrated a role for the kilB operon in conjugal transfer. The kil-kor regulon of RK2 is the only known example of plasmid-mediated coregulation of replication and transfer.
Competitiveness of Rice Industry in Hunan Province—A Diamond Model

Hunan Province is the main rice producing area in China, in which the rice industry is the pillar agricultural industry. And the promotion of rice industry competitiveness in Hunan Province is the key way to promote the development of rice industry in China, which is beneficial to increase farmers' income and promote social harmony and stability. On the basis of understanding the present situation of rice industry development in Hunan Province, this paper chooses the index of commodity export market share and relative export performance to calculate the rice industry competitiveness in Hunan Province, and combines the Porter Diamond model to analyze the main factors affecting the rice industry competitiveness in Hunan Province, Finally, several policy suggestions are recommended to enhance the competitiveness of rice industry in Hunan Province.