Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simulation of Via Interconnects Using Physics-Based Models and Microwave Network Parameters

In this paper, the simulation of via interconnects in multilayered printed circuit boards (PCBs) and packages combining physics-based via models and microwave network theory will be discussed. The description of the via in terms of network parameters, partitioning of the system, and combination of partial results will be addressed. Two alternatives to combine the results are compared, namely multiplication of ABCD matrices and the segmentation method based on S-parameters. The goal of this work is to develop a fast and accurate modeling strategy for via arrays in the multi-gigabit range, extensible to an arbitrary number of elements, and suitable for automation and design optimization. The obtained results show good agreement with respect to 3D electromagnetic field simulations and measurements up to 20 GHz. Hence, this approach is a promising technique for efficient system-level simulation of interconnects.
Noninterference for Mobile Code with Dynamic Security Domains

Language-based information flow analysis is used to statically examine a program for information flows between objects of dierent security domains, and to verify these flows follow a given policy. When the program is distributed as mobile code and executed in dierent environments, the program may access external objects whose domains are not known until runtime. To maintain information flow security, runtime tests are required to determine which flows between accessed objects are actually allowed before operations inducing these flows are performed. We present an imperative language with heaps, domains as values and classes with restricted dependent types. We use a type system to statically prove that the flow tests included in a program are sucient, such that a noninterference property for the data objects is ensured regardless of their domains.
Selective antagonism of native and cloned kainate and NMDA receptors by polyamine-containing toxins.

Antagonism of rat excitatory amino acid receptors by a synthetic analog [philanthotoxin-343 (PhTX-343)] of a polyamine amide, wasp toxin (philanthotoxin-433) and a structurally related spider toxin, argiotoxin-636 (ArgTX-636), was examined in Xenopus oocytes injected with rat brain RNA or RNA transcribed from the excitatory amino acid receptor clones GluR1, GluR2 and NMDAR1. Antagonism of both kainate- and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-elicited responses by PhTX-343 and ArgTX-636 was reversible, noncompetitive and partly voltage-dependent. Dose-inhibition curves were constructed using EC50 concentrations of kainate (100 microM) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (33 microM) in the presence of variable concentrations of ArgTX-636 and PhTX-343. In oocytes injected with rat brain RNA, IC50s for antagonism of kainate-induced currents were similar, i.e., 0.07 microM and 0.12 microM for ArgTX-636 and PhTX-343, respectively, whereas IC50s for antagonism of NMDA-induced currents were dissimilar, i.e., 0.04 microM for ArgTX-636 and 2.5 microM for PhTX-343. In oocytes expressing NMDAR1, IC50s were similar to those for the antagonism of NMDA-induced currents of oocytes injected with rat brain RNA. PhTX-343 and ArgTX-636 were more or less equally potent (IC50s were 2.8 microM and 3.4 microM, respectively) antagonists of the response of GluR1 to 100 microM kainate. However, GluR1 was approximately 50 times less sensitive to the toxins than non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors expressed in oocytes injected with rat brain RNA. Receptors co-expressed from GluR1 + GluR2 were virtually insensitive to PhTX-343 (IC50 = 270 microM) and to ArgTX-343 (IC50 approximately 300 microM).
Depressed Medical Students' Use of Mental Health Services and Barriers to Use

Purpose Depression is an underrecognized yet common and treatable disorder among medical students. Little is known about the rate of mental health service use by depressed medical students. This study sought to determine the level of mental health service use by depressed medical students and their reported barriers to use. Method In the spring of 1994, a one-time survey of 194 first- and second-year medical students was conducted in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Outcome measures were self-reported use of counseling services, barriers to use, suicidal ideation, and depressive symptoms as measured by the 13-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results Twenty-four percent (n = 46) of the medical students were depressed by BDI criteria. Of the depressed students, only 22% (n = 10) were using mental health counseling services. The most frequently cited barriers to using these services were lack of time (48%), lack of confidentiality (37%), stigma associated with using mental health services (30%), cost (28%), fear of documentation on academic record (24%), and fear of unwanted intervention (26%). Conclusion These data demonstrate that depression among medical students may be undertreated. Medical schools can assist depressed students by addressing issues such as the stigma of using mental health services, confidentiality, and documentation. Early treatment of impaired future caregivers may have far-reaching implications for the individual students, their colleagues, and their future patients.
Progression of Flagellar Stages during Artificially Delayed Motility Initiation in Sea Urchin Sperm

Abstract Transition from immotile to motile flagella may involve a series of states, in which some of regulatory mechanisms underlying normal flagellar movement are working with others being still suppressed. To address ourselves to the study of starting transients of flagella, we analyzed flagellar movement of sea urchin sperm whose motility initiation had been retarded in an experimental solution, so that we could capture the instance at which individual spermatozoa began their flagellar beating. Initially straight and immotile flagella began to shiver at low amplitude, then propagated exclusively the principal bend (P bend), and finally started stable flagellar beating. The site of generation of the P bend in the P-bend propagating stage varied in position in the basal region up to 10 μm from the base, indicating that the ability of autonomous bend generation is not exclusively possessed by the very basal region but can be unmasked throughout a wider region when the reverse bend (R bend) is suppressed. The rate of change in the shear angle, the curvature of the R bend and the frequency and regularity of beating substantially increased upon transition from P-bend propagating to full-beating, while the propagation velocity of bends remained unchanged. These findings indicate that artificially delayed motility initiation may accompany sequential modification of the motile system and that mechanisms underlying flagellar motility can be analyzed separately under experimentally retarded conditions.
A dose–response study of total sleep time and the ability to maintain wakefulness

The apparent connection between sleep debt, performance decrements and workplace accidents has generated a need for feasible vigilance tests that focus on the quantification of daytime sleepiness in occupational settings. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) to acute sleep deprivation of various doses. Eight healthy female volunteers, mean age 28.9 years (range 23–36), participated in this laboratory study. After an adaptation night, the subjects were assigned to four counterbalanced, randomly ordered night sleep conditions. These four conditions allowed for a time in bed (TIB) of 0, 2, 4 or 8 h, producing a total sleep time of 0, 113, 218 and 427 min, respectively. The ability to sustain wakefulness was measured after the TIB period at 11.00 and 17.00 hours by the MWT. Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to study the dependence of MWT sleep latencies on the immediately prior TIB period. Both the latency of stage 1 sleep onset and the appearance of slow eye movements reduced significantly with increased sleep loss. The quantitative relationship between the previous total sleep time and the subsequent MWT sleep latencies followed an exponentially decaying function showing a high sensitivity to acute, severe night sleep loss but low sensitivity to less severe sleep restrictions. It is concluded that the MWT seems to be a sensitive method for the estimation of acute sleep deprivation. The test results appear, however, non‐linearly related to the earlier sleep debt.
Evaluation of a Barrier Repair Cream Containing Pseudo-Ceramide for Practical Use by Hairdressers with Hand Skin Disorders Due to Daily Exposure to Chemical Irritants

Hairdressers are exposed to numerous skin-damaging factors, such as wet work, skin irritants, and thermal changes. Skin protection is a very important factor for the prevention of occupational skin disorders. Therefore, we evaluated a hand cream that was specially formulated for highly stressed skin with regard to its capability to reduce dry, rough, and scaly skin. The objective of this study was to conduct a controlled use test of a barrier repair cream containing pseudo-ceramide and demonstrate its efficacy for hairdressers with dry, sensitive hands and/or occupational skin disorders. A total of 30 hairdressers (29 females and 1 male, aged 20 - 67) participated in the study. All subjects suffered from dry hands. Subjects applied the test cream on their hands for 28 days (four weeks). For each subject, the skin surface topography of the hands was measured by the Surface Evaluation of Living Skin (SELS) system at day 14 (week 2) and day 28 (week 4). Dryness, scaling, cracking, redness, and itchiness were evaluated and graded by experts at week 2 and week 4, and then compared to baselines. All 30 subjects completed the study. A comparison of the changes from baseline to endpoint revealed a statistically significant reduction in skin roughness, scaling, and volume measured according to SELS. These data were confirmed by photographic documentation. The results were further supported by the expert evaluation. For the symptoms dryness and scaling, improvement could be observed in almost all regions of the hands. In addition, according to subjective assessments of overall hand skin condition and the hand cream, subjects reported clear improvement over time (p value below 0.001) and good efficacy of the product. In this study, the test hand cream showed excellent skin compatibility. Therefore, the hand cream may be effective for hairdressers with dry, sensitive hands and/or occupational skin disorders.
Comorbid anxiety moderates the relationship between depression history and prefrontal EEG asymmetry.

The internalizing spectrum of psychiatric disorders-depression and anxiety-are common, highly comorbid, and challenging to treat. Individuals with childhood onset depression have a particularly poor prognosis. There is compelling evidence that individuals with depression display reduced resting-state EEG activity at sensors overlying the left prefrontal cortex, even during periods of remission, but it remains unknown whether this asymmetry is evident among individuals with a comorbid anxiety disorder. Here, we demonstrate that women with a history of childhood onset depression and no anxiety disorder (n = 37) show reduced left lateral frontal activity compared to psychiatrically healthy controls (n = 69). In contrast, women with a history of childhood onset depression and pathological levels of anxious apprehension (n = 18)-as indexed by a current generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, or separation anxiety disorder diagnosis-were statistically indistinguishable from healthy controls. Collectively, these observations suggest that anxious apprehension can mask the relationship between prefrontal EEG asymmetry and depression. These findings have implications for understanding (a) prefrontal EEG asymmetry as a neurophysiological marker of depression, (b) the comorbidity of depression and anxiety, and (c) failures to replicate the relationship between prefrontal EEG asymmetry and depression. More broadly, they set the stage for developing refined interventions for internalizing psychopathology.
Influences of the pineal and adrenal glands on the proestrous release of hormones in rats maintained in a reduced photoperiod.

The influence of pinealectomy (Px) and/or adrenalectomy (Adx) on reproductive processes was examined in female rats maintained in a reduced photoperiod (8 h L:16 h D). Estrous cycle length, number of ova ovulated and organ weights (ovaries, uterus or pituitary gland) were not significantly altered by either surgical procedure. Moreover, the critical period for LH release as defined by Nembutal blockade was unaffected by these treatments. In contrast, serum LH levels on proestrus (third proestrus subsequent to surgery) were reduced overall by Px. In Px-Adx rats either the magnitude of the LH surge was subnormal or the onset of the LH rise was delayed. The time periods selected for blood sampling did not allow us to distinquish between these 2 effects. In any case,serum LH values were markedly depressed at 1700 h in Px-Adx animals. At this time serum progesterone concentrations were also reduced in this group of rats. Both Px and/or Adx significantly altered the time course of serum prolactin on proestrus and at 1700 h in Px-Adx animals, serum concentrations were significantly elevated above control levels. Our data demonstrate that both the pineal and adrenal glands influence the release of pituitary hormones in animals maintained in a reduced photoperiod.
Autogenous regulation of histone mRNA decay by histone proteins in a cell-free system

We tested the hypothesis that histone mRNA turnover is accelerated in the presence of free histone proteins. In an in vitro mRNA decay system, histone mRNA was degraded four- to sixfold faster in reaction mixtures containing core histones and a cytoplasmic S130 fraction than in reaction mixtures lacking these components. The decay rate did not change significantly when histones or S130 was added separately, suggesting either that the histones were modified and thereby activated by S130 or that additional factors besides histones were required. RecA, SSB (single-stranded binding), and histone proteins all formed complexes with histone mRNA, but only histones induced accelerated histone mRNA turnover. Therefore, the effect was not the result of random RNA-protein interactions. Moreover, histone proteins did not induce increased degradation of gamma globin mRNA, c-myc mRNA, or total poly(A)- or poly(A)+ polysomal mRNAs. This autoregulatory mechanism is consistent with the observed accumulation of cytoplasmic histone proteins in cells after DNA synthesis stops, and it can account, in part, for the rapid disappearance of histone mRNA at the end of S phase.
Endocannabinoid Hydrolysis Generates Brain Prostaglandins That Promote Neuroinflammation

A new tissue-specific pathway for the synthesis of proinflammatory prostaglandins is described. Phospholipase A2(PLA2) enzymes are considered the primary source of arachidonic acid for cyclooxygenase (COX)–mediated biosynthesis of prostaglandins. Here, we show that a distinct pathway exists in brain, where monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) hydrolyzes the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol to generate a major arachidonate precursor pool for neuroinflammatory prostaglandins. MAGL-disrupted animals show neuroprotection in a parkinsonian mouse model. These animals are spared the hemorrhaging caused by COX inhibitors in the gut, where prostaglandins are instead regulated by cytosolic PLA2. These findings identify MAGL as a distinct metabolic node that couples endocannabinoid to prostaglandin signaling networks in the nervous system and suggest that inhibition of this enzyme may be a new and potentially safer way to suppress the proinflammatory cascades that underlie neurodegenerative disorders.
Evolutionary Design of Polynomial Controller

In the control theory one attempts to find a controller that provides the best possible performance with respect to some given measures of performance. There are many sorts of controllers e.g. a typical PID controller, LQR controller, Fuzzy controller etc. In the paper will be introduced polynomial controller with novel tuning method which is based on the special pole placement encoding scheme and optimization by Genetic Algorithms (GA). The examples will show the performance of the novel designed polynomial controller with comparison to common PID controller. Keywords—Evolutionary design, Genetic algorithms, PID controller, Pole placement, Polynomial controller
Relationship between CNS depressant and enzyme inhibitory properties of substituted quinazolone 1,3,4-oxadiazoles.

Substituted quinazolone 1,3,4-oxadiazoles were synthesized and evaluated for their MAO and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity. These compounds were also screened for their anticonvulsant activity, reserpine reversal response, and analgesic activity. Anticonvulsant activity of these compounds against pentylenetetrazol-induccd seizures was related to some extent to their MAO and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory properties.
Nutrient control of algal growth in estuarine waters: Nutrient limitation and the importance of nitrogen requirements and nitrogen storage among phytoplankton and species of macroalgae.

Nutrient enrichment of shallow coastal waters changes the composition of plant communities so that slow-growing, benthic macrophytes are replaced by fast-growing algae such as phytoplankton and ephemeral macroalgae. This scenario suggests that fast-growing algae suffer more from nutrient limitation than slow-growing algae at low nutrient availability. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the effect of in situ nutrient enrichment on the phytoplankton community, 4 ephemeral macroalgae (Ulva lactuca, Cladophora serica, Chaetomorpha linum and Ceramiurn rubrum) and 1 perennial macroalga (Fucus vesiculosus). Nitrogen was the main limiting nutrient to algal growth and fast-growing algae were N limited for a longer period during summer than slower-growing species. Differences in the temporal extent of N limitation were related to species-specific variations in N requirements for growth and in N storage pools. The N requirements per unit biomass and time were up to 30-fold higher for fast-growing algae compared to slow-growing species due to 10-fold faster growth and 3-fold higher demands for the internal N concentration needed to sustain maximum growth (i.e. critical concentrations). The pools of N reserves only varied 2-fold among algal species and could support maximum growth for 0.5 d in the phytoplankton community and for 12 d in E vesiculosus. Growth of phytoplankton and E vesiculosus could proceed at reduced rates for another 2.6 and 34 d. respectively, based on other internal pools of N. The results suggest that the species-specific differences in growth rate and critical N concentrations account for a substantial part of the variation in the duration of nutrient limitation among different algal types and, therefore, provide further clarification of the reasons why fast-growing algae are stimulated by increased nutrient availability while slowgrowing algae remain unaffected or are hampered due to shading.
Automatic Defect Detection of Steel Products Using Supervised Classifier

- This paper presents an automatic defect identification system for detecting defects of steel products from captured digital radiographic images based on defect classification and segmentation. Image classification will be used for automated visual inspection to classify defect protects from quality one. It will be performed through textures analysis and probabilistic neural network. The textures are extracted using wavelet filters with co-occurrence features. The defect detection process involves the pre-processing, segmentation and morphological filtering to make processing system more flexible with accuracy. Manual inspection used to define the existence of defect becomes an urgent and important task in order to make sure the evaluation is accurate for radiographer to make decision. But, the manual inspection might give in consistent results especially when there are plentiful defects needs to be evaluated due to human factor. Automated defect inspection and evaluation system could assist radiographer to assess the properties of defect accurately. The pre-processing stage is used to improve the image quality by removing the noise if it contaminated in an image or smoothening an image to make better segmentation defect region using Gaussian filtering or top hat transformation. Here the segmentation process will be done based on clustering model and in that fuzzy c means clustering will be approached for effective partitioning a defect region from other parts. After this process, Morphological filtering will be used to smooth the segment the region by removing the back ground noise and false defects. Finally, the defects are extracted with better accuracy. The simulated results will be shown that the used algorithms for this process generate accurate detection of defects rather than previous methods and other clustering models
Perceptual influence on bimanual coordination: an fMRI study

In bimanual coordination subjects typically show a spontaneous preference for movement symmetry. While there is experimental evidence for the principle of muscle homology, recent evidence suggested that bimanual coordination may be mediated as perceptual goals ( Mechsner et al., 2001 ). To explore this controversy we performed a fMRI study in 11 healthy, right‐handed subjects using bimanual index finger abductions and adductions in a congruous condition, i.e. both palms down, and incongruous conditions with either the left or right palm up. Our fMRI data showed a widespread bihemispheric network mediating proprioceptive coordination of the two hands with significant differences mainly for a perceptual dissociation: in the incongruous conditions with the one palm up there was a BOLD signal increase in a bilateral frontoparietal network involving the motor and premotor cortical areas, particularly in the right palm‐up condition. These results accord with the notion that perceptual cues play an important role in the control of bilateral hand movements.
Adaptive Rough Entropy Clustering Algorithms in Image Segmentation

High quality performance of image segmentation methods presents one leading priority in design and implementation of image analysis systems. Incorporating the most important image data information into segmentation process has resulted in development of innovative frameworks such as fuzzy systems, rough systems and recently rough - fuzzy systems. Data analysis based on rough and fuzzy systems is designed to apprehend internal data structure in case of incomplete or uncertain information. Rough entropy framework proposed in [12,13] has been dedicated for application in clustering systems, especially for image segmentation systems. We extend that framework into eight distinct rough entropy measures and related clustering algorithms. The introduced solutions are capable of adaptive incorporation of the most important factors that contribute to the relation between data objects and makes possible better understanding of the image structure. In order to prove the relevance of the proposed rough entropy measures, the evaluation of rough entropy segmentations based on the comparison with human segmentations from Berkeley and Weizmann image databases has been presented. At the same time, rough entropy based measures applied in the domain of image segmentation quality evaluation have been compared with standard image segmentation indices. Additionally, rough entropy measures seem to comprehend properly properties validated by different image segmentation quality indices.