Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A die-based defect-limited yield methodology for line control

Defect monitoring and control in the semiconductor fab has been well documented over the years. The methodologies typically described in the literature involve controls through full-wafer defect counts, or defect densities, with attempts to correlate defects to electrical fail modes in order to predict the yield impact. These wafer-based methodologies are not adequate for determining the impact of defects on yield. Most notably, severe complications arise when applying wafer-based methods on wafers with mixed distributions (mix of random and clustered defects). This paper describes the proper statistical treatment of defect data to estimate yield impact for mixed-distribution wafer maps. This die-based, defect-limited yield (DLY) methodology properly addresses random and clustered defects, and applies a die-based multi-stage sampling method to select defects for review. The estimated yield impact of defects on the die can then be determined. Additionally, a die normalization technique is described that permits application of this die-based methodology on multiple products with different die sizes.
EU experimentalist governance in times of crisis

Abstract This paper analyses the evolution of EU governance since the financial and eurozone crisis from an experimentalist perspective. It argues that EU governance in many key policy domains continues to take the form of an experimentalist decision-making architecture, based on a recursive process of framework goal-setting and revision through comparative review of implementation experience in diverse local contexts, which is well adapted to the Union’s turbulent and polyarchic environment. The first part of the paper presents a synoptic theoretical account of the characteristics of experimentalist governance, and summarises the empirical evidence on its incidence and operation within the EU before the crisis. The second part of the paper examines two ‘hard cases’ from an experimentalist perspective, namely financial regulation and the European Semester of socio-economic policy coordination. The paper concludes that both cases illustrate the limits of centralised hierarchical governance under the diverse and polyarchic conditions of the EU, together with the continuing attraction of experimentalist approaches for tackling complex, uncertain problems like financial regulation and reform of national employment and welfare systems.
Teaching Multimodality in Greek Elementary School Language Arts

The digital era requires new approaches to the development of literacy through multimodal media of communication. It also requires a rethinking of the ways that research data can be used in the teaching practice, so as to support the students’ efforts to enhance multimodal communication skills. From very early on, children develop a variety of cultural experiences, by dealing with texts combining words, symbols, images, movement, graphs and sound, as well as with new types of printing and digital technology (e.g. newspapers, advertisements, magazines, movies, television and radio shows, the web, etc.). The school subject of Language Arts cannot ignore these developments, if it is to meet the actual communication needs of contemporary people. In order to meet these needs, schools should implement systematically designed practices, featuring a variety of modes and media of communication for the elaboration of multimodal texts. The present aims to investigate the degree to which Greek Language Arts textbooks attempt to develop the students’ multimodal communication skills through the elaboration of multimodal texts. More specifically, this research attempts to investigate whether the choice of texts and the activities of text comprehension-analysis and written discourse production fall under the concept of multimodality in multiliteracies. The findings indicate a great effort towards in-class elaboration of multimodal texts, in terms of both rates and different types of multimodal discourse, through varied medium site of display. However, this bears no homology with the study and use of varied modes and media, so as to provide students with sufficient means to develop multimodal experiences in Language Arts .
Pip2p: a transcriptional regulator of peroxisome proliferation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, peroxisomes are the exclusive site for the degradation of fatty acids. Upon growth with the fatty acid oleic acid as sole carbon source, not only are the enzymes of beta‐oxidation and catalase A induced, but also the peroxisomal compartment as a whole increases in volume and the number of organelles per cell rises. We previously identified a cis‐acting DNA sequence [oleate response element (ORE)] involved in induction of genes encoding peroxisomal proteins. The aim of our investigation was to test whether a single mechanism acting via the ORE coordinates the events necessary for the proliferation of an entire organelle. Here we report the cloning and characterization of the oleate‐specific transcriptional activator protein Pip2p (pip: peroxisome induction pathway). Pip2p contains a typical Zn(2)‐Cys(6) cluster domain and binds to OREs. A pip2 deletion strain is impaired in growth on oleate as sole carbon source and the induction of beta‐oxidation enzymes is abolished. Moreover, only a few, small peroxisomes per cell can be detected. These results indicate that fatty acids activate Pip2p, which in turn activates the transcription of genes encoding beta‐oxidation components and acts as the crucial activator of peroxisomes.
Hetero-emitter GaP/Si solar cells with high Si bulk lifetime

III-V/silicon solar cells which have an active silicon bottom solar cell are promising for multi-junction solar cell applications. In such solar cell structures, a high minority carrier lifetime in the bulk silicon substrate is necessary. Annealing silicon wafers at high temperature (> 500oC) in the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) high-vacuum chamber revealed significant lifetime degradation. In this work, we developed a practical method to maintain high Si bulk lifetime. SiNx layer deposited on Si back side helps maintain millisecond level minority carrier lifetime. By this procedure high minority carrier lifetime in the Si substrate is preserved while high quality thin GaP layer is achieved. We demonstrate GaP as a hetero-emitter layer with high Si bulk lifetime in GaP/Si structure solar cell with 524mV open circuit voltage.
Recapture after exocytosis causes differential retention of protein in granules of bovine chromaffin cells

After exocytosis, chromaffin granules release essentially all their catecholamines in small fractions of a second, but it is unknown how fast they release stored peptides and proteins. Here we compare the exocytic release of fluorescently labelled neuropeptide Y (NPY) and tissue plasminogen activator from single granules. Exocytosis was tracked by measuring the membrane capacitance, and single granules in live cells were imaged by evanescent field microscopy. Neuropeptide Y left most granules in small fractions of a second, while tissue plasminogen activator remained in open granules for minutes. Taking advantage of the dependence on pH of the fluorescence of green fluorescent protein, we used rhythmic external acidification to determine whether and when granules re‐sealed. One‐third of them re‐sealed within 100 s and retained significant levels of tissue plasminogen activator. Re‐sealing accounts for only a fraction of the endocytosis monitored in capacitance measurements. When external [Ca2+] was raised, even neuropeptide Y remained in open granules until they re‐sealed. It is concluded that a significant fraction of chromaffin granules re‐seal after exocytosis, and retain those proteins that leave granules slowly. We suggest that granules vary the stoichiometry of release by varying both granule re‐sealing and the association of proteins with the granule matrix.
Zinc depletion efficiently inhibits pancreatic cancer cell growth by increasing the ratio of antiproliferative/proliferative genes

We investigated the ability of the zinc chelator N,N,N′,N′‐tetrakis(2‐pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN) to reduce pancreatic cancer cell viability. TPEN was much more efficient to inhibit pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell growth than a panel of anti‐cancer drugs, including 5‐fluorouracil, irinotecan, cisplatin, edelfosine, trichostatin A, mitomycin C, and gemcitabine, the gold standard chemotherapeutic agent for pancreatic cancer. Moreover, TPEN showed a dose‐ and time‐dependent anti‐proliferative effect significantly higher on pancreatic cancer cells than on normal primary fibroblasts. This effect may be explained by a significantly higher zinc depletion by TPEN in pancreatic cancer cells as compared to fibroblasts. Cell viability reduction by TPEN was associated to both G1‐phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and to the increased ratio of the expression level of cyclin‐Cdk inhibitor versus cyclin genes and apoptotic versus anti‐apoptotic genes. Finally, we show that apoptotic cell death induced by TPEN involved mitochondrial injury and caspase 3 and caspase 8 activation. In this study, we suggest that zinc depletion may be an efficient strategy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer because of its reduced antiproliferative effect on normal cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 202–212, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Adaptive Exponential Synchronization of Multislave Time-Delayed Recurrent Neural Networks With Lévy Noise and Regime Switching

This paper discusses the problem of adaptive exponential synchronization in mean square for a new neural network model with the following features: 1) the noise is characterized by the Lévy process and the parameters of the model change in line with the Markovian process; 2) the master system is also disturbed by the same Lévy noise; and 3) there are multiple slave systems, and the state matrix of each slave system is an affine function of the state matrices of all slave systems. Based on the Lyapunov functional theory, the generalized Itô’s formula, $M$ -matrix method, and the adaptive control technique, some criteria are established to ensure the adaptive exponential synchronization in the mean square of the master system and each slave system. Moreover, the update law of the control gain and the dynamic variation of the parameters of the slave systems are provided. Finally, the effectiveness of the synchronization criteria proposed in this paper is verified by a practical example.
Group I disynaptic excitation of cat hindlimb flexor and bifunctional motoneurones during fictive locomotion

1 The incidence of short latency excitation of motoneurones innervating flexor and bifunctional muscles evoked by group I intensity (≤ 2 × threshold) electrical stimulation of hindlimb muscle nerves was investigated during fictive locomotion in decerebrate cats. Intracellular recordings were made from hindlimb motoneurones in which action potentials were blocked by intracellular diffusion of a lidocaine (lignocaine) derivative (QX‐314) and fictive locomotion was evoked by electrical stimulation of the midbrain. 2 Few motoneurones (16%) received group I‐evoked oligosynaptic excitation in the absence of fictive locomotion. During fictive locomotion 39/44 (89%) motoneurones innervating ankle, knee or hip flexor muscles and 18/28 (64%) motoneurones innervating bifunctional muscles received group I‐evoked oligosynaptic EPSPs. In flexor motoneurones, locomotor‐dependent excitation was present in both step cycle phases but largest during flexion. In bifunctional motoneurones, EPSPs were often largest at the transition between flexion and extension phases. 3 Activation of homonymous afferents most consistently evoked the largest locomotor‐dependent excitation (amplitude up to 4.6 mV), but in some cases stimulation of heteronymous flexor or bifunctional muscle nerves evoked large EPSPs. EPSP amplitude became maximal as stimulation intensity was increased to about twice threshold. This suggests that tendon organ afferents can evoke group I EPSPs during locomotion. The EPSPs resulting from brief, small stretches of extensor digitorum longus tendons indicate that group Ia muscle spindle afferents can also evoke the group I excitation of flexors. Stimulation of extensor group I afferents did not result in excitation of flexor motoneurones. 4 The mean latency of locomotor‐dependent group I excitation in flexor and bifunctional motoneurones was 1.64 ± 0.16 ms, indicating a path consisting of a single interneurone interposed between group I afferents and motoneurones innervating flexor and bifunctional muscles. This disynaptic excitation is analogous to that recorded in extensor motoneurones and evoked from extensor group I afferents during locomotion. Differences in the phase dependence and sources of group I excitation to flexor and extensor motoneurones during locomotion suggest the existence of separate groups of excitatory interneurones exciting flexor and extensor motoneurones. 5 The wide distribution of group I disynaptic excitation in motoneurones innervating extensor, flexor and bifunctional muscles acting on hip, knee and ankle joints suggests that these pathways can play an important role in the reinforcement of ongoing locomotor activity throughout the limb.
Functional Topography of Human Auditory Cortex

Functional and anatomical studies have clearly demonstrated that auditory cortex is populated by multiple subfields. However, functional characterization of those fields has been largely the domain of animal electrophysiology, limiting the extent to which human and animal research can inform each other. In this study, we used high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging to characterize human auditory cortical subfields using a variety of low-level acoustic features in the spectral and temporal domains. Specifically, we show that topographic gradients of frequency preference, or tonotopy, extend along two axes in human auditory cortex, thus reconciling historical accounts of a tonotopic axis oriented medial to lateral along Heschl's gyrus and more recent findings emphasizing tonotopic organization along the anterior–posterior axis. Contradictory findings regarding topographic organization according to temporal modulation rate in acoustic stimuli, or “periodotopy,” are also addressed. Although isolated subregions show a preference for high rates of amplitude-modulated white noise (AMWN) in our data, large-scale “periodotopic” organization was not found. Organization by AM rate was correlated with dominant pitch percepts in AMWN in many regions. In short, our data expose early auditory cortex chiefly as a frequency analyzer, and spectral frequency, as imposed by the sensory receptor surface in the cochlea, seems to be the dominant feature governing large-scale topographic organization across human auditory cortex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In this study, we examine the nature of topographic organization in human auditory cortex with fMRI. Topographic organization by spectral frequency (tonotopy) extended in two directions: medial to lateral, consistent with early neuroimaging studies, and anterior to posterior, consistent with more recent reports. Large-scale organization by rates of temporal modulation (periodotopy) was correlated with confounding spectral content of amplitude-modulated white-noise stimuli. Together, our results suggest that the organization of human auditory cortex is driven primarily by its response to spectral acoustic features, and large-scale periodotopy spanning across multiple regions is not supported. This fundamental information regarding the functional organization of early auditory cortex will inform our growing understanding of speech perception and the processing of other complex sounds.
In vitro high resolution 1h‐spectroscopy of the human prostate: Benign prostatic hyperplasia, normal peripheral zone and adenocarcinoma

1H‐spectra at 360 MHz from perchloric extracts of 35 human prostate specimens were obtained. First, we sought to define what peaks can be assigned in vitro, and thus, potentially seen in vivo. Second, we sought to try to discriminate between adenocarcinoma, normal peripheral zone and benign prostatic hyperplasia using spectral fingerprints. Thirteen samples of adenocarcinoma, 11 samples of benign prostatic hyperplasia, and 11 samples of normal contralateral peripheral zone were analyzed by obtaining a ratio from the maximum area of each major peak and the area of an added standard (3‐trimethyl‐silyl‐propionic acid). There was a significantly larger benign prostate hyperplasia citrate standardized peak area when compared to the adenocarcinoma citrate standardized peak area for each patient (P < 0.05). However, the citrate standardized peak areas from the normal peripheral zones were not significantly different from those found in the adenocarcino‐mas. Four out of 13 cases of stromal hyperplasia had similarly low levels of citrate as their respective gland's adenocarcinoma. We also found a sharp peak at 2.05 ppm that was seen in 4 out of 13 adenocarcinoma samples and in only 1 out of 13 of the benign prostate hypertrophy samples which has tentatively been assigned to N‐acetyl neuraminic acid. Further studies are required to assess whether low citrate levels alone can serve to exclusively diagnose adenocarcinoma of the prostate.
Prevalence and clinical relevance of local allergic rhinitis

Evidence demonstrates the existence of local allergic rhinitis (LAR) in nonatopic patients, although its prevalence in the rhinitis population remains unknown. The aim, therefore, of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and severity of LAR in a Spanish rhinitis population, compared with patients having classical allergic rhinitis (AR) with systemic atopy or nonallergic rhinitis (NAR).
Cathepsin S Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Muscular Dystrophy in Mice*

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding dystrophin. Loss of dystrophin protein compromises the stability of the sarcolemma membrane surrounding each muscle cell fiber, leading to membrane ruptures and leakiness that induces myofiber necrosis, a subsequent inflammatory response, and progressive tissue fibrosis with loss of functional capacity. Cathepsin S (Ctss) is a cysteine protease that is actively secreted in areas of tissue injury and ongoing inflammation, where it participates in extracellular matrix remodeling and healing. Here we show significant induction of Ctss expression and proteolytic activity following acute muscle injury or in muscle from mdx mice, a model of DMD. To examine the functional ramifications associated with greater Ctss expression, the Ctss gene was deleted in the mdx genetic background, resulting in protection from muscular dystrophy pathogenesis that included reduced myofiber turnover and histopathology, reduced fibrosis, and improved running capacity. Mechanistically, deletion of the Ctss gene in the mdx background significantly increased myofiber sarcolemmal membrane stability with greater expression and membrane localization of utrophin, integrins, and β-dystroglycan, which anchor the membrane to the basal lamina and underlying cytoskeletal proteins. Consistent with these results, skeletal muscle-specific transgenic mice overexpressing Ctss showed increased myofiber necrosis, muscle histopathology, and a functional deficit reminiscent of muscular dystrophy. Hence, Ctss induction during muscular dystrophy is a pathologic event that partially underlies disease pathogenesis, and its inhibition might serve as a new therapeutic strategy in DMD.
Suppression of hepatitis C virus replication by cyclosporin a is mediated by blockade of cyclophilins.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Cyclosporin A specifically suppresses hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication in vitro at clinically achievable concentrations. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of action of cyclosporin A against HCV replication. METHODS The in vitro effects of cyclosporin A on HCV replication were analyzed using an HCV replicon system that expresses chimeric luciferase reporter protein. RESULTS The significant effects of cyclosporin A on expression of an HCV replicon and the absence of such effects of FK506, which shares mechanisms of action with cyclosporin A, suggested the involvement of intracellular ligands of cyclosporin A, the cyclophilins. Transient and stable knockdown of the expression of cytoplasmic cyclophilins A, B, and C by short hairpin RNA-expressing vectors suppressed HCV replication significantly. A cyclosporin analogue, cyclosporin D, which lacks immunosuppressive activity but exhibits cyclophilin binding, induced a similar suppression of HCV replication. Furthermore, cyclosporin A treatment of Huh7 cells induced an unfolded protein response exemplified by expression of cellular BiP/GRP78. Treatment of cells with thapsigargin and mercaptoethanol, which induce the unfolded protein responses, suppressed HCV replication, suggesting that the cyclosporin-induced unfolded protein responses might contribute to the suppression of HCV protein processing and replication. CONCLUSIONS The anti-HCV activity of cyclosporin A is mediated through a specific blockade of cyclophilins, and these molecules may constitute novel targets for anti-HCV therapeutics.
PARP inhibitors accelerate N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced cataractogenesis in Sprague-Dawley rats.

BACKGROUND There have been no previous studies of the effects of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors on N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced cataractogenesis in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS A single intraperitoneal injection of 70 mg/kg MNU was administered to 15-day-old male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. In Experiment 1, rats were then subcutaneously injected with 1000 mg/kg nicotinamide either once or 3 times at 1-week intervals. In Experiment 2, rats were subcutaneously injected once with 50 mg/kg 3-aminobenzamide. For comparison, the following age-matched controls were included: MNU-untreated nicotinamide-injected rats, MNU-untreated 3-aminobenzamide-injected rats, and MNU-untreated PARP-inhibitor-untreated rats. Rats were examined for lens opacity. At 28 days after MNU injection, 10 to 20 rats per group were sacrificed In Experiment 1, at 3 days after MNU injection, 10 rats per group were sacrificed for apoptosis and cell proliferation detection. RESULTS MNU caused lens epithelial cell apoptosis in the germinative zone, as indicated by TUNEL staining. However, regardless of MNU treatment lens epithelial cell proliferation was consistently seen in the germinative zone and sporadically seen in the central zone. At 28 days after MNU, mature cataracts were observed Nicotinamide significantly accelerated lens opacity and cataractogenesis, as indicated by a cataract index 3-Aminobenzamide significantly accelerated the development of lens opacity and tended to accelerate cataractogenesis. CONCLUSION The PARP inhibitors nicotinamide and 3-aminobenzamide accelerated MNU-induced cataractogenesis.