Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barrier Height Variation in Ni-Based AlGaN/GaN Schottky Diodes

In this paper, we have investigated Ni-based AlGaN/GaN Schottky diodes comprising capping layers with silicon-technology-compatible metals such as TiN, TiW, TiWN, and combinations thereof. The observed change in Schottky barrier height of a Ni and Ni/TiW/TiWN/TiW contact can be explained by stress effects induced by the TiW/TiWN/TiW capping layer, rather than by chemical reactions at the metal–semiconductor interface. Secondary-ion mass spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques, for samples with and without a TiW/TiWN/TiW cap, have been used to show that no chemical reactions take place. In addition, electrical characterization of dedicated samples revealed that the barrier height of Ni/TiW/TiWN/TiW contacts increases after stepwise selective removal of the TiW/TiWN/TiW cap, thus demonstrating the impact of strain.
Evaluation of the mouse model for study of encephalopathy in pertussis vaccine recipients

Steinman et al. (.) described a reaction in mice receiving bovine serum albumin (BSA) and killed Bordetella pertussis organisms which appeared to involve the central nervous system. The response was interpreted as representing an encephalopathy and was proposed as a model for vaccine-associated events in DTP recipients. It is not appropriate at present, however, for this phenomenon to be considered a «model for pertussis vaccine encephalopathy» or for this protocol to be used to test the «encephalopathic potential» of pertussis vaccines
Maintaining knowledge management systems: A strategic imperative

Most organizations have reported dismal returns on their investments in knowledge portals—Intranet Web sites aimed at enabling the storage and exchange of explicit knowledge artifacts. In our research, we were surprised to find that knowledge workers have for the most part abandoned the use of knowledge portals. Moreover, in cases where they do turn to knowledge portals they use it as a last resort. In this brief communication, we call attention both to research and practice to help transform current knowledge portals to ones that are more sensitive to the issues faced by practitioners. To this end, we will elaborate on the need to pay attention to maintenance of knowledge management portals.
Verification of Diagnosis in Tuberculosis: A Case Report and Discussion

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (M. tuberculosis), is a pulmonary infection that is spread by airborne droplet transmission. The development and spread of drug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosisgreatly jeopardize TB control efforts. We report the case of a previously healthy 43-year-old male, visiting from China, who presented to the emergency department complaining of hemoptysis of 10 days' duration. Cultures were positive for acid fast bacteria and negative for fungi. M. tuberculosis infection was confirmed by a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) probe. The patient was initially started on first-line therapy of isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, with pyridoxine. His country of origin, China, increased suspicion for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Two weeks later, susceptibility testing of the M. tuberculosis isolate showed resistance to isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol. Therapy was subsequently changed to amikacin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, and rifampin. The isolate was subsequently sent to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for evaluation. Repeat testing showed that the isolate was susceptible to rifampin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol. The patient was then restarted on his initial anti-TB regimen and was able to return to China. The main goals for the treatment of TB are to treat the individual patient and to minimize transmission. Clues that point to the possibility of multiple drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) include contact with a patient with MDR-TB, origin from an endemic region, or failure of therapy with documented supervision. Collaboration with experts was imperative in ensuring appropriate patient care.
Postphagocytic detection of glycopeptidolipids associated with the superficial L1 layer of Mycobacterium intracellulare

The superficial L1 layer of Mycobacterium intracellulare serovar 20 was detected by immunocytochemical procedures based on C-mycoside glycopeptidolipid (GPL) antigens. Specific immune serum was produced by injecting a GPL-methylated bovine serum albumin complex into rabbits with Freund incomplete adjuvant. The resulting antibodies were used to label serovar 20 with goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG) conjugated with either fluorescein or ferritin. The labeled GPL antigens were then detected by fluorescent and electron microscopy. With these procedures, it was possible to observe the superficial distribution of the GPL antigens on serovar 20 and to confirm their intraphagosomal location within the macrophages after phagocytosis. These immunocytochemical procedures now make it possible to monitor these mycobacterial antigens during phagocytosis and may be helpful in determining their role in pathogenesis.
The structural equation modeling analysis on the determinants of the corporate governance risk

This paper is to scientifically analyze the corporate governance risk factors based on the research results by some scholars both at home and abroad, and design the scales of questionnaires for corporate governance risk and relative influencing factors, targeting at the senior managers and corporate governance experts in listed corporate, carry out questionnaires and scales data analysis by SPSS and Lisrel software. Build up structural equation modeling for relationships of corporate governance risk and corporate governance culture, ownership structure, and inside governance. A significant correlation is observed between these four influencing factors for corporate governance risk. It is found by modeling and testing that the related degrees of influence on the governance risk are listed as the following sequence: corporate governance culture, ownership structure, and external/internal governance.
Inhibition by Calcium of Mammalian Adenylyl Cyclases*

Ca2+ regulates mammalian adenylyl cyclases in a type-specific manner. Stimulatory regulation is moderately well understood. By contrast, even the concentration range over which Ca2+ inhibits adenylyl cyclases AC5 and AC6 is not unambiguously defined; even less so is the mechanism of inhibition. In the present study, we compared the regulation of Ca2+-stimulable and Ca2+-inhibitable adenylyl cyclases expressed in Sf9 cells with tissues that predominantly express these activities in the mouse brain. Soluble forms of AC5 containing either intact or truncated major cytosolic domains were also examined. All adenylyl cyclases, except AC2 and the soluble forms of AC5, displayed biphasic Ca2+ responses, suggesting the presence of two Ca2+ sites of high (∼0.2 μm) and low affinity (∼0.1 mm). With a high affinity, Ca2+ (i) stimulated AC1 and cerebellar adenylyl cyclases, (ii) inhibited AC6 and striatal adenylyl cyclase, and (iii) was without effect on AC2. With a low affinity, Ca2+inhibited all adenylyl cyclases, including AC1, AC2, AC6, and both soluble forms of AC5. The mechanism of both high and low affinity inhibition was revealed to be competition for a stimulatory Mg2+ site(s). A remarkable selectivity for Ca2+was displayed by the high affinity site, with a K i value of ∼0.2 μm, in the face of a 5000-fold excess of Mg2+. The present results show that high and low affinity inhibition by Ca2+ can be clearly distinguished and that the inhibition occurs type-specifically in discrete adenylyl cyclases. Distinction between these sites is essential, or quite spurious inferences may be drawn on the nature or location of high affinity binding sites in the Ca2+-inhibitable adenylyl cyclases.
Charakteristik wirtschaftskrimineller Delikte

Dass es sich bei Wirtschaftskriminalitat um ein bedeutendes Begleitphanomen wirtschaftlicher Aktivitat handelt, vvird nicht zuletzt durch eine nicht abreissende Folge von Skandalen und prominenten Einzelfallen eindrucksvoll belegt. Umso uberraschender ist es, dass wenig uber die Relevanz und Charakteristik einzelner Deliktstypen bekannt ist. Diesem Defizit begegnet die hier vorgestellte Untersuchung, eine gross angelegte Befragung interner Revisoren in Deutschland, Osterreich und der Schweiz. Die Ergebnisse erlauben eine detaillierte Analyse von Handlungsmustern, situativen Kontexten und Taterprofilen zu den funf wesentlichen Deliktstypen Korruption, Untreue/Betrug, Diebstahl, Wettbewerbsdelikte und Geldwasche.
A Cross Cultural Study of Mental Health among Internet Addicted and Non-Internet Addicted: Iranian and Indian Students.

INTRODUCTION In the background of increasing use of internet in Asian countries, the study of psychological health in internet addicted users seems to be vital and necessary. Therefore the present study aimed to determine mental health among internet addicted and non-internet addicted Iranian and Indian students. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 students in various colleges from Pune and Mumbai cities of Maharashtra. Internet Addiction Test and Symptom Check List (SCL) 90-R were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16. RESULTS Internet addicted students were higher on Somatization, Obsessive-compulsive, Interpersonal sensitivity, Depression, Anxiety, Hostility, Phobic anxiety, Paranoid ideation, Psychoticism than Non-internet addicted students (P<0.05). Indian students had higher score on mental health domains compared to Iranian students (P<0.05). Female students had higher scores on Somatization, Obsessive-compulsive, Anxiety, Hostility, Phobic anxiety and Psychoticism than male students (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Psychiatrists and psychologists who are active in the field of mental hygiene must be aware of mental problems associated with Internet addiction such as depression, anxiety, obsession, hypochondria, paranoia, interpersonal sensitivity, and job and educational dissatisfaction among Internet addicts.
Fluid helium at conditions of giant planetary interiors

As the second most-abundant chemical element in the universe, helium makes up a large fraction of giant gaseous planets, including Jupiter, Saturn, and most extrasolar planets discovered to date. Using first-principles molecular dynamics simulations, we find that fluid helium undergoes temperature-induced metallization at high pressures. The electronic energy gap (band gap) closes at 20,000 K at a density half that of zero-temperature metallization, resulting in electrical conductivities greater than the minimum metallic value. Gap closure is achieved by a broadening of the valence band via increased s–p hydridization with increasing temperature, and this influences the equation of state: The Grüneisen parameter, which determines the adiabatic temperature–depth gradient inside a planet, changes only modestly, decreasing with compression up to the high-temperature metallization and then increasing upon further compression. The change in electronic structure of He at elevated pressures and temperatures has important implications for the miscibility of helium in hydrogen and for understanding the thermal histories of giant planets.
Network Parameters in Practice: A Case Study Using the Target Set Selection Problem

It is well known that many real-world networks (`complex' networks), such as social, biological, and communication networks, have distinctive topological features. However, in general, it is an open question whether or not these features can provide any algorithmic benefits. In this paper we introduce ideas from the area of parameterized complexity to try and provide a partial answer to this question. We investigate the values of some of the parameters commonly employed by the parameterized complexity community in a range of real social, biological, and communication networks. In all cases, the parameter values are much too high to be of practical use. We then investigate dynamic strategies for exploiting the distinctive topological features of real-world networks to improve the prospects for efficient computation of acceptable problem solutions, using both fixed-parameter and greedy approaches. Our strategies involve simple targeted operations, vertex deletion and edge addition, that could easily be applied in the case of social networks, for example. As a case study, we consider the Target Set Selection problem, a general and ubiquitous problem that models many problems concerning the spread of information in networks.
Field strength prediction for environment aware MIMO channel models

For planning, analysis, and optimization of modern, self organizing radio networks field strength prediction plays an essential role. A huge number of predictions is needed for planning purposes while high quality and level of detail are important as well. In this paper, we present a flexible ray optical approach for radio wave propagation to meet those demands. This approach allows easy exchange of the path loss model and produces multi path information enabling for environment aware MIMO channel models.
Spontaneous locomotor recovery in spinal cord injured rats is accompanied by anatomical plasticity of reticulospinal fibers

Although injured axons in mammalian spinal cords do not regenerate, some recovery of locomotor function following incomplete injury can be observed in patients and animal models. Following a lateral hemisection injury of the thoracic spinal cord, rats spontaneously recover weight‐bearing stepping in the hind limb ipsilateral to the injury. The mechanisms behind this recovery are not completely understood. Plasticity in the reticulospinal tract (RtST), the tract responsible for the initiation of walking, has not been studied. In this study, rats received lateral thoracic hemisection of the spinal cord, and RtST projections were compared in two groups of rats, one early in recovery (7 days) and the other at a time point when weight‐bearing stepping was fully regained (42 days). We found that this recovery occurs in parallel with increased numbers of collaterals of spared RtST fibers entering the intermediate lamina below the injury at L2. Sprouting of injured RtST fibers above the lesion was not found. In conclusion, our study suggests that sprouting of spared RtST fibers might be involved in the recovery of locomotion following incomplete spinal cord injury.
Nature-based tourism's impact on environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior: a review and analysis of the literature and potential future research

Although nature-based tourism is often promoted as benefiting local destinations through income generation, employment, and direct conservation support, it is also believed to influence tourists’ environmentally friendly attitudes, knowledge, and ultimately their behavior. Yet, few studies have empirically documented these outcomes, and those that do are inconsistent in the variables measured and the time frame analyzed. This paper examines the empirical research on nature-based tourism's ability to foster long-term stewardship behavior among travelers by conducting a systematic review of peer-reviewed tourism research published between 1995 and 2013. This search, focused on literature addressing changes in tourists’ environmentally related knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and actual behaviors, yielded just 30 empirical studies. Outcomes related to new environmental knowledge were commonly reported in these studies, but findings related to environmental attitudes and behaviors were inconsistent. Few studies measured environmental behavior directly, and fewer still include longitudinal assessments of persistent changes in attitudes or behaviors. We suggest potential future areas for research as well as programmatic strategies that may facilitate favorable outcomes from nature-based tourism, particularly those related to tourists’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Key areas include understanding visitors’ prior experiences and background, designing and delivering more effective interpretive messages, and using social media.
Alphavirus Nucleocapsid Protein Contains a Putative Coiled Coil α-Helix Important for Core Assembly

ABSTRACT The alphavirus nucleocapsid core is formed through the energetic contributions of multiple noncovalent interactions mediated by the capsid protein. This protein consists of a poorly conserved N-terminal region of unknown function and a C-terminal conserved autoprotease domain with a major role in virion formation. In this study, an 18-amino-acid conserved region, predicted to fold into an α-helix (helix I) and embedded in a low-complexity sequence enriched with basic and Pro residues, has been identified in the N-terminal region of the alphavirus capsid proteins. In Sindbis virus, helix I spans residues 38 to 55 and contains three conserved leucine residues, L38, L45, and L52, conforming to the heptad amino acid organization evident in leucine zipper proteins. Helix I consists of an N-terminally truncated heptad and two complete heptad repeats with β-branched residues and conserved leucine residues occupying the a andd positions of the helix, respectively. Complete or partial deletion of helix I, or single-site substitutions at the conserved leucine residues (L45 and L52), caused a significant decrease in virus replication. The mutant viruses were more sensitive to elevated temperature than wild-type virus. These mutant viruses also failed to accumulate cores in the cytoplasm of infected cells, although they did not have defects in protein translation or processing. Analysis of these mutants using an in vitro assembly system indicated that the majority were defective in core particle assembly. Furthermore, mutant proteins showed a trans-dominant negative phenotype in in vitro assembly reactions involving mutant and wild-type proteins. We propose that helix I plays a central role in the assembly of nucleocapsid cores through coiled coil interactions. These interactions may stabilize subviral intermediates formed through the interactions of the C-terminal domain of the capsid protein and the genomic RNA and contribute to the stability of the virion.
Balanced Neighborhood Classifiers for Imbalanced Data Sets

A Balanced Neighborhood Classifier (BNEC) is proposed for class imbalanced data. This method is not only well positioned to capture the class distribution information, but also has the good merits of highfitting-performance and simplicity. Experiments on both synthetic and real data sets show its effectiveness. key words: machine learning, class imbalance, class distribution, classification
Sensor-assisted image deblurring of consumer photos on smartphones

Hand-held mobile phone photography usually suffers from motion blur. Without information about the camera motion, it is difficult for traditional methods to remove such blur. We study sensor-assisted single image deblurring on modern smartphones. Information about the camera motion is obtained from the smartphones' built-in sensors such as ac-celerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. Addressing the characteristics of mobile photo capture, we propose a camera model to estimate the point spread function (PSF) based on the 3D camera orientation computed from the fused sensor data. A convenient framework is developed for automatically calibrating the camera and sensors using a series of consecutively captured photos, without requiring any extra device. In addition, to accommodate users' sensitivity in artifacts over human faces, a face-adaptive deblurring framework is proposed. Features measuring image quality are computed over the automatically detected face regions, based on which the appropriate deblurring algorithm is selected. We evaluate our approach over 500 consumer photos featuring various levels of blur and illumination, where our algorithm shows clear advantages compared with state-of-the-art traditional blind and non-blind deconvolution methods in both de-blurring quality and speed.
CENTRAL CONTROL OF SYMPATHETIC CARDIAC AUGMENTATION IN LOWER BRAIN STEM OF THE CAT.

Fifty-three vagotomized cats under chloralose were studied for cardiac augmentation, cardioacceleration, and vasomotor reaction on direct stimulation of the medulla oblongata and via reflex activations. Cardiac augmentation as well as other cardiovascular responses could be induced on stimulation of the dorsal medulla or the central cut end of the sciatic nerves, or on occlusion of the carotid arteries. The augmentation and other responses remained essentially unchanged regardless of the presence or absence of the rostral neural structures, including the hypothalamus. The results confirm and support the concept that a central control mechanism for vasomotor reaction and cardioacceleration as well as augmentation resides in the dorsal region of the lower brain stem.
High incidence of amiodarone-induced photosensitivity in North-west England.

Amiodarone is a potent cardiac antiarrhythmic agent which has been used in Europe for more than a decade but which has only recently become available in Britain. Facial pigmentation and photosensitivity are well recognised side effects,'-4 but their incidence is disputed. We report the incidence of photosensitivity in a large group of patients receiving amiodarone at a regional cardiothoracic centre.
The effects of body mass index on lung volumes.

BACKGROUND Obesity is a major health issue in North America, and the trend is for obesity to be a more important medical issue in the future. Since obesity can cause respiratory symptoms, many obese people are referred for pulmonary function tests (PFTs). It is well known that obesity causes decreases in lung volumes, but there has never been a large study showing the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and the various lung volumes. DESIGN We collected PFT results from 373 patients sent for lung function testing who had normal values for airway function but a wide range of BMIs. SETTING The PFTs were done in two accredited outpatient laboratories. RESULTS There were significant linear relationships between BMI and vital capacity and total lung capacity, but the group mean values remained within the normal ranges even for morbidly obese patients. However, functional residual capacity (FRC) and expiratory reserve volume (ERV) decreased exponentially with increasing BMI, such that morbid obesity resulted in patients breathing near their residual volume. An important finding was that the greatest rates of change in FRC and ERV occurred in the overweight condition and in mild obesity. At a BMI of 30 kg/m2, FRC and ERV were only 75% and 47%, respectively, of the values for a lean person with a BMI of 20 kg/m2. CONCLUSIONS We showed that BMI has significant effects on all of the lung volumes, and the greatest effects were on FRC and ERV, which occurred at BMI values < 30 kg/m2. Our results will assist clinicians when interpreting PFT results in patients with normal airway function.
Textural Feature Analysis for Ultrasound Breast Tumor Images

Texture is one of the important characteristics used in identifying objects or regions of interest in an image. This paper describes some textural features based on integrated spatial gray level co-occurrence matrix, and illustrates the effectiveness of four textural features in categorizing ultrasound breast tumor images by means of Fuzzy C-means and K-medoid clustering algorithms respectively. The experimental identification accuracy is 72.6415 percent. These results indicate that textural features probably have a general applicability for classification of breast tumors.
Rapid nongenomic aldosterone effects in the human forearm?

To the Editor: Deducing the physiological role of aldosterone from studies using systemic infusions of hormone is difficult because of the interdependent nature of many of the often counter-regulatory organ responses that are evoked. It is because of such general limitations that venous occlusion plethysmography (VOP), combined with intra-arterial drug infusion, has been used extensively to study (regional) human vascular physiology in vivo. Using this technique, Schmidt et al1 report rapid nongenomic effects of aldosterone …