Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An enhanced 180nm millimeter-wave SiGe BiCMOS technology with fT/fMAX of 260/350GHz for reduced power consumption automotive radar IC's

Several performance improvements on a 180nm SiGe:C BiCMOS technology targeted for improved millimeter-wave performance are described. SiGe HBT performance metrics, including fT, fMAX, and CML gate delay are improved 20-30%. fT/fMAX of 260/350GHz are achieved with a minimum gate delay of 3.2ps, without impacting the thermal budget of the technology. BEOL and ground plane optimization reduced transmission line loss to <;1dB/mm at ~80GHz.
Influencing the conductance in biphenyl‐like molecular junctions with THz radiation

We investigate the torsional vibrations in biphenyl‐like molecular junctions and transport properties in the presence of an external THz field. Ab initio calculations including external electric fields show that the torsional angle φ of a thiolated biphenyl junction exhibits virtually no response. However, if functional groups are added to the molecule, creating a dipole moment in each of the rings, an external field becomes more effective for changing φ . A model based on the cos2φ dependence of the current for low bias voltages has been proposed for the biphenyl‐like molecular junctions in presence of an external THz field including 2,2 ′ ‐bipyridine, 3,3 ′ ‐bipyridine, and 2,2 ′ ,4,4 ′ ‐tetramethyl‐3,3 ′ ‐bipyridine. The current through these molecules is shown to change if the THz frequency gets in resonance to the torsional vibration mode.
Sensitivity of McCoy-Plovdiv cells to G-418 antibiotic

McCoy-Plovdiv cells represent a serum-free in vitro system, which is suitable not only for diagnostic purposes but also for studies on the biological activity of different substances. In addition, it can be used for developing an expression system for production and purification of various proteins. Isolation of successfully transfected cells is an important step in this process and different selection systems can be employed for this purpose. In order to assess the potential of the antibiotic G-418 as a selective agent for transfection procedures of McCoy-Plovdiv cells, we determined its cytotoxic effect on untransfected cells. Two commercially available versions of the antibiotic were tested: products of Sigma-Aldrich and Duchefa Biochemie. Cells were treated with a wide range of G-418 concentrations and cell vitality was measured with the WST-1 reagent after 48 and 96 hours of treatment. Our results showed that concentrations in the range 0.5-0.6 mg/ml of G-418 from Sigma-Aldrich efficiently kill untransfected McCoy-Plovdiv cells whereas G-418 from Duchefa Biochemie should be applied at higher concentrations: 0.9-1 mg/ml. Furthermore, medium replacement during treatment led to higher effective antibiotic concentrations and thus to increased cell death rate, exclusively in cultures treated with high G-418 concentrations.
Applying Importance-Performance Analysis to Identify Competitive Travel Attributes: An Application to Regional Destination Image in Thailand

Destination image is widely used in marketing and branding tourist destinations as image plays an essential role in tourists’ destination choices. Travel attributes are considered the key factors in positioning successful destination images. However, not all attributes bring value to destinations. As such, this study seeks to explore the main competitive travel attributes that affect Thailand’s regional image. A questionnaire was used to examine the importance of travel attributes for domestic tourists and to determine how domestic tourists rate travel attributes’ performance. An importance-performance analysis was applied to evaluate and identify the major strengths and weaknesses of a region’s key attributes for success. The findings suggest that the region must enhance service quality, create more activities and improve sanitation.
Effects of sports activity in athletes with bicuspid aortic valve and mild aortic regurgitation

Objective In this study, the impact of regular training on left ventricle morphology in a group of athletes with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) was evaluated. Design Longitudinal cohort study. A group of competitive athletes with BAV was followed up with a yearly standard echocardiographic examination for 5 years. Setting Sport Medicine Centre, University of Florence, Pre-Participation Protocol Study Participants A group of 88 consecutive athletes diagnosed with BAV was identified in the period January to December 1999, and 30 of these completed a 5-year follow-up. They were compared with a group of 56 athletes with a normal tricuspid valve (TAV). Results BAV athletes showed significant progressive increase in left ventricular dimensions and aortic diameters at four levels. The values were within the range of the general and non-athletic BAV populations. In TAV athletes, the aortic and left ventricle dimensions did not increase significantly and remained within physiological range. Conclusions Left ventricular dimensions in competitive BAV athletes remain within the normal range. There is, however, a significant progressive increase in the BAV group compared with the TAV group. These results are in agreement with data obtained in previous studies on the non-athletic BAV population. Sports activity does not have an additional effect on cardiac morphology in athletes with asymptomatic BAV associated with mild regurgitation, for at least 5 years.
Estimation de paramètres et planification d’expériences adaptée aux problèmes de cinétique - Application à la dépollution des fumées en sortie des moteurs

Les modeles physico-chimiques destines a representer la realite experimentale peuvent se reveler inadequats. C'est le cas du piege a oxyde d'azote, utilise comme support applicatif de notre these, qui est un systeme catalytique traitant les emissions polluantes du moteur Diesel. Les sorties sont des courbes de concentrations des polluants, qui sont des donnees fonctionnelles, dependant de concentrations initiales scalaires.L'objectif initial de cette these est de proposer des plans d'experiences ayant un sens pour l'utilisateur. Cependant les plans d'experience s'appuyant sur des modeles, l'essentiel du travail a conduit a proposer une representation statistique tenant compte des connaissances des experts, et qui permette de construire ce plan.Trois axes de recherches ont ete explores. Nous avons d'abord considere une modelisation non fonctionnelle avec le recours a la theorie du krigeage. Puis, nous avons pris en compte la dimension fonctionnelle des reponses, avec l'application et l'extension des modeles a coefficients variables. Enfin en repartant du modele initial, nous avons fait dependre les parametres cinetiques des entrees (scalaires) a l'aide d'une representation non parametrique.Afin de comparer les methodes, il a ete necessaire de mener une campagne experimentale, et nous proposons une demarche de plan exploratoire, basee sur l’entropie maximale.
Radiological examinations of the anatomy of the inferior turbinate using digital volume tomography (DVT).

BACKGROUND Since the last 120 years there were only few descriptions of the anatomical sizes of the inferior turbinate in the literature. On this background the current study should evaluate the radiological dimensions of the inferior turbinate and the septum using DVT. METHODS The latest generation of the Accu-I-tomo was used. The data of 100 adult patients have been evaluated. RESULTS The bony length was found to be 38.9 mm, the mucosal length 51.0 mm. The findings of the total mucosal thickness at different measuring points were between 8.1 mm and 10.9 mm, those of the bony thickness were between 0.9 mm and 2.3 mm and those of the bony height were between 3.9 mm and 20.8 mm. CONCLUSION The results of this radiological study are able to point out the importance of preoperative anatomical evaluation of radiological images. The preoperative focus on the individual anatomy is very important because of the choice of an adequate surgical treatment. Today new radiological techniques can help to find out whether the reason for hypertrophied turbinates is caused by bone, mucosa or both. This knowledge enables a concerted treatment concept.
Phylogenetic analysis of avian paramyxoviruses 1 isolated in Taiwan from 2010 to 2018 and evidence for their intercontinental dispersal by migratory birds

Avian paramyxovirus 1 (APMV-1), synonymous with Newcastle disease virus (NDV), is a worldwide viral agent that infects various avian species and responsible for outbreaks of Newcastle disease. In this study, 40 APMV-1 isolates collected from poultry, migratory birds, and resident birds during 2010–2018 in Taiwan were characterized genetically. Our phylogenetic analysis of complete fusion protein gene of the APMV-1 isolates revealed that 39 of the 40 Taiwanese isolates were closely related to APMV-1 of class I genotype 1 or class II genotypes I, VI or VII, and one isolate belonged to a group that can be classified as a novel genotype 2 within class I. The fusion protein gene sequences of a branch (former 1d) nested within class I sub-genotype 1.2 were closely related to those isolated from wild birds in North America. Viruses placed in class II sub-genotype VI.2.1.1.2.1 and sub-genotype VI.2.1.1.2.2 were the dominant pigeon paramyxovirus 1 (PPMV-1) circulating in the last decade in Taiwan. All the Newcastle disease outbreak-associated isolates belonged to class II sub-genotype VII.1.1, which was mainly responsible for the present epizootic of Newcastle disease in Taiwan. We conclude that at least five sub/genotypes of APMV-1 circulate in multiple avian host species in Taiwan. One genetically divergent group of APMV-1 should be considered as a novel genotype within class I. Migratory birds may play an important role in intercontinental spread of lentogenic APMV-1 between Eurasia and North America.
Role of ATP‐binding cassette transporters in brain lipid transport and neurological disease

The brain is lipid‐rich compared to other organs and although previous studies have highlighted the importance of ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters in the regulation of lipid transport across membranes in peripheral tissues, very little is known regarding ABC transporter function in the CNS. In this study, we bring together recent literature focusing on potential roles for ABC transporters in brain lipid transport and, where appropriate, identify possible links between ABC transporters, lipid transport and neurological disease. Of the 48 transcriptionally active ABC transporters in the human genome, we have focused on 13 transporters (ABCA1, ABCA2, ABCA3, ABCA4, ABCA7 and ABCA8; ABCB1 and ABCB4; ABCD1 and ABCD2; ABCG1, ABCG2, and ABCG4) for which there is evidence suggesting they may contribute in some way to brain lipid transport or homeostasis. The transporters are discussed in terms of their location within brain regions and brain cell types and, where possible, in terms of their known functions and established or proposed association with human neurological diseases. Specific examples of novel treatment strategies for diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and X‐linked adrenoleukodystrophy that are based on modulation of ABC transporter function are discussed and we also examine possible functions for specific ABC transporters in human brain development.
How Policy Affects Workplace Health: A Comparison Of Workplace Health Policies Between Kentucky & Colorado

II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . IV LIST OF FIGURES . VX LIST OF TABLES.XI CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 CHAPTER 2: COLORADO . 9 CHAPTER 3: KENTUCKY . 31 CHAPTER 4: COLORADO VS. KENTUCKY . 47 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION.55 REFERENCES . 73 APPENDIX: UNEMPLOYMENT RATE & HEALTH. 63
Human NK cells: from HLA class I‐specific killer Ig‐like receptors to the therapy of acute leukemias

Summary: Over the past 20 years, major progress has been made in our understanding of natural killer (NK) cells. It has become clear that NK cells are regulated by a number of receptors with opposite functions that finely tune potent effector functions such as cytolytic activity and release of cytokines that play a major role in inflammation and immunoregulation. This review traces the major advances in human NK cell biology from the original discovery of human leukocyte antigen class I‐specific inhibitory receptors to recent groundbreaking clinical applications. These, in turn, led to major achievements and further expectations in the cure of high risk of otherwise fatal leukemias. It has become evident that there is a role of donor‐derived ‘alloreactive’ NK cells in eradicating acute myeloid (and now also lymphoid) leukemias in the T‐cell‐depleted haploidentical hemopoietic stem cell transplantation setting. The key role played also in preventing graft rejection and graft versus host disease renders alloreactive NK cells an ideal tool for successful haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
A rough multicriteria approach for evaluation of the supplier criteria in automotive industry

Ensuring costs reduction and increasing competitiveness and satisfaction of end users are the goals of each participant in the supply chain. Taking into account these goals, the paper proposes methodology for defining the most important criteria for suppliers’ evaluation. From a set of twenty established criteria, i.e. four sets of criteria: finances, logistics, quality and communication and business including its sub-criteria, we have allocated the most important ones for supplier selection. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) based on rough numbers is presented to determine the weight of each evaluation criterion. For the criteria evaluation we have used knowledge from the expert in this field. The efficacy of the proposed evaluation methodology is demonstrated through its application to the company producing metal washers for the automotive industry. Next a sensitivity analysis is carried out in order to show the stability of the model. For checking stability the AHP method in conventional form is used in combination with fuzzy logic.
Quantifying the Advertising-Creativity Assessments of Consumers Versus Advertising Professionals

ABSTRACT Research has shown the importance of advertising professionals' creativity assessments in achieving desired consumer responses. Consumers also assess the level of creativity in the advertisements they encounter, however, and their subjective creativity assessments may correlate positively with their reaction to the advertisement. Should advertisers and agencies focus on the creative judgments of the agency's professionals or of the client's customers? Recognizing and addressing both perspectives might increase the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
Metabolite profiling of Andrographis paniculata leaves and stem extract using UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS

Abstract Andrographis paniculata is known as the king of bitter and it has been widely used as a medicinal plant. The properties of A. paniculata are generally determined by the metabolite composition, which may be influenced by several factors, one of which is the part of the plant extracted. The objectives of this research are to identify putatively the metabolite composition of the stem and the leaves extracts using LC-MS/MS and classify them using PCA. The stem and the leaves samples were separated and extracted using sonication with 70% ethanol. A total of 31 metabolite compounds has been putatively identified. All compounds were identified in the stem and the leaves extracts, which only differed in their intensity. These metabolite compounds were divided into diterpene lactones, flavonoids, and phenolic acid groups. By using the peak intensities of the 18 compounds identified, the leaves and stem extracts were grouped using PCA.
Making Management Decisions on the Day of Surgery Based on Operating Room Efficiency and Patient Waiting Times

The authors review the scientific literature on operating room management operational decision making on the day of surgery. (1) Some decisions should rely on the expected (mean) duration of the scheduled case. Other decisions should use upper prediction bounds, lower prediction bounds, and other measures reflecting the uncertainty of case duration estimates. One single number cannot be used for good decision making, because durations are uncertain. (2) Operational decisions can be made on the day of surgery based on four ordered priorities. (3) Decisions to reduce overutilized operating room time rely on mean durations. Limited additional data are needed to make these decisions well, specifically, whether a patient is in each operating room and which cases are about to finish. (4) Decisions involving reducing patient (and surgeon) waiting times rely on quantifying uncertainties in case durations, which are affected highly by small sample sizes. Future studies should focus on using real-time display of data to reduce patient waiting.
Living donor kidney transplantation: how far should we go?

INTRODUCTION The aim of this review was to describe the work that the Başkent University Faculty of Medicine has done to increase kidney donors' number in Turkey and also to discuss the major effects that donor-organ shortage is currently having worldwide. MATERIALS AND METHODS From 1975 through 2003, our transplantation team at Hacettepe University Hospital and later at the Başkent University Transplantation Center (BUTC) performed 1451 kidney transplantations. Cadaver donation rates prior to and after the establishment of the National Coordination Center (NCC) were calculated and compared. Also, patient and graft survival rates for various groupings of transplantation types were compared. All statistical analysis was done using the log-rank test. RESULTS Of all the renal transplantations completed in Turkey from 1975 to January 2004, 20% were performed by our team in our center. For the years 1990 through 2003, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival rates in the first-degree-living-related kidney transplantation group were 96%, 93%, and 91%, respectively, and the corresponding graft survival rates were 93%, 84%, and 81%. In the second-degree living-related group, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival rates were 94%, 90%, and 87%, respectively, and the corresponding graft survival rates were 93%, 86%, and 84%. For living-unrelated transplantations, the 1-, 3- and 5-year patient survival rates were 93%, 90%, and 83%, respectively, and the corresponding graft survival rates were 83%, 78%, and 76%. In the cadaver-kidney transplantation group, the 1-, 3- and 5-year patient survival rates were 85%, 78%, and 70%, respectively, and the corresponding graft survival rates were 82%, 64%, and 53%. During this same period, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year graft survival rates for our cadaver donors and living donors older than 55 years of age were 80%, 52%, 46% and 88%, 69%, 61%, respectively. CONCLUSION Vigorous efforts by our group at Başkent University and by other transplant surgeons across the nation have increased the numbers of transplantations performed each year. As well, since the NCC was established in 2001, the number of cadaver-kidney transplantations has more than doubled. The initial results with this new nationwide organ-sharing system are promising, and there is every indication that this approach will continue to raise the number of transplant operations performed across Turkey each year. We suggest that Turkish citizens should consider changing our national policies on organ donation. Opt-out policies can increase the pool of cadaver-organ transplants. In addition, to increasing cadaver donation, we feel that living-related donation restricted to first- and second-degree relatives and acceptable non-blood-related donors (such as spouses) is the best path to expanding kidney transplantation worldwide.
Left-right asymmetry of striatal dopamine D2 receptors.

Brain functions may be lateralized to the right or the left hemisphere. However, the biochemical characteristics accompanying these functions are largely unknown. To test possible lateralization of striatal dopamine D2 receptors, we examined 18 volunteers using 123I-iodobenzamide and single photon emission tomography. The striatum-to-cerebellum D2 binding ratio was 1.93 +/- 0.22 (mean +/- S.D.) on the right side and 1.85 +/- 0.19 on the left side. In 14 subjects, D2 binding was higher in the right compared to the left striatum (P < 0.05). These results are supported by a meta-analysis performed on 15 studies reported in the literature. We conclude that side differences of striatal dopamine D2 receptors exist. We propose that motor activity could be responsible for our findings.
Efficient Closed-Loop Schemes for MIMO WLAN

The existing wireless local area network (WLAN) systems defined by the IEEE 802.11a standard are single-input single-output (SISO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) based systems and can support data rates up to 54 Mbps. We consider deploying two transmit and two receive antennas in a WLAN system and double the maximum data rate to 108 Mbps. Applying our recent multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transceiver designs, including the geometric mean decomposition (GMD) and the uniform channel decomposition (UCD) schemes, we propose a simple and efficient closed-loop MIMO-OFDM design for much improved performance compared to its open-loop counterpart. The extra cost is to feed back unitary precoders, which can be made very moderate with careful precoder quantization.
Parthenolide, a sesquiterpene lactone from the medical herb feverfew, shows anticancer activity against human melanoma cells in vitro

Metastatic melanoma is a highly life-threatening disease. The lack of response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy highlights the critical need for novel treatments. Parthenolide, an active component of feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), inhibits proliferation and kills various cancer cells mainly by inducing apoptosis. The aim of the study was to examine anticancer effects of parthenolide in melanoma cells in vitro. The cytotoxicity of parthenolide was tested in melanoma cell lines and melanocytes, as well as melanoma cells directly derived from a surgical excision. Adherent cell proliferation was measured by tetrazolium derivative reduction assay. Loss of the plasma membrane integrity, hypodiploid events, reactive oxygen species generation, mitochondrial membrane potential dissipation, and caspase-3 activity were assessed by flow cytometric analysis. Microscopy was used to observe morphological changes and cell detachment. Parthenolide reduced the number of viable adherent cells in melanoma cultures. Half maximal inhibitory concentration values around 4 μmol/l were determined. Cell death accompanied by mitochondrial membrane depolarization and caspase-3 activation was observed as the result of parthenolide application. Interestingly, the melanoma cells from vertical growth phase and melanocytes were less susceptible to parthenolide-induced cell death than metastatic cells when drug concentration was at least 6 μmol/l. Reactive oxygen species level was not significantly increased in melanoma cells. However, preincubation of parthenolide with the thiol nucleophile N-acetyl-cysteine protected melanoma cells from parthenolide-induced cell death suggesting the reaction with intracellular thiols as the mechanism responsible for parthenolide activity. In conclusion, the observed anticancer activity makes parthenolide an attractive drug candidate for further testing in melanoma therapy.
The contribution of information technology governance to delivering business value from IT investments

i DECLARATION . ii PREFACE . ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iv TABLE OF CONTENTS . v LIST OF TABLES . x LIST OF FIGURES . xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . xii