Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Iop Publishing Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering Vibration and Shock Reliability of Mems: Modeling and Experimental Validation

A methodology to predict shock and vibration levels that could lead to the failure of MEMS devices is reported as a function of vibration frequency and shock pulse duration. A combined experimental–analytical approach is developed, maintaining the simplicity and insightfulness of analytical methods without compromising on the accuracy characteristic of experimental methods. The minimum frequency-dependent acceleration that will lead to surfaces coming into contact, for vibration or shock inputs, is determined based on measured mode shapes, damping, resonant frequencies, and an analysis of failure modes, thus defining a safe operating region, without requiring shock or vibration testing. This critical acceleration for failure is a strong function of the drive voltage, and the safe operating region is predicted for transport (unbiased) and operation (biased condition). The model was experimentally validated for over-damped and under-damped modes of a comb-drive-driven silicon-on-insulator-based tunable grating. In-plane and out-of-plane vibration (up to 65 g) and shock (up to 6000 g) tests were performed for biased and unbiased conditions, and very good agreement was found between predicted and observed critical accelerations.
Combining Discrete and Continuous Features for Deterministic Transition-based Dependency Parsing

We investigate a combination of a traditional linear sparse feature model and a multi-layer neural network model for deterministic transition-based dependency parsing, by integrating the sparse features into the neural model. Correlations are drawn between the hybrid model and previous work on integrating word embedding features into a discrete linear model. By analyzing the results of various parsers on web-domain parsing, we show that the integrated model is a better way to combine traditional and embedding features compared with previous methods.
Simulating the impact of medical savings accounts on small business.

OBJECTIVE To simulate whether allowing small businesses to offer employer-funded medical savings accounts (MSAs) would change the amount or type of insurance coverage. STUDY SETTING Economic policy evaluation using a national probability sample of nonelderly non-institutionalized Americans from the 1993 Current Population Survey (CPS). STUDY DESIGN We used a behavioral simulation model to predict the effect of MSAs on the insurance choices of employees of small businesses (and their families). The model predicts spending by each family in a FFS plan, an HMO plan, an MSA, and no insurance. These predictions allow us to compute community-rated premiums for each plan, but with firm-specific load fees. Within each firm, employees then evaluate each option, and the firm decides whether to offer insurance-and what type-based on these evaluations. If firms offer insurance, we consider two scenarios: (1) all workers elect coverage; and (2) workers can decline the coverage in return for a wage increase. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In the long run, under simulated conditions, tax-advantaged MSAs could attract 56 percent of all employees offered a plan by small businesses. However, the fraction of small-business employees offered insurance increases only from 41 percent to 43 percent when MSAs become an option. Many employees now signing up for a FFS plan would switch to MSAs if they were universally available. CONCLUSIONS Our simulations suggest that MSAs will provide a limited impetus to businesses that do not currently cover insurance. However, MSAs could be desirable to workers in firms that already offer HMOs or standard FFS plans. As a result, expanding MSA availability could make it a major form of insurance for covered workers in small businesses. Overall welfare would increase slightly.
Bioengineering a Vaginal Replacement Using a Small Biopsy of Autologous Tissue

Many congenital and acquired diseases result in the absence of a normal vagina. Patients with these conditions often require reconstructive surgery to achieve satisfactory cosmesis and physiological function, and a variety of materials have been used as tissue sources. Currently employed graft materials such as collagen scaffolds and small intestine are not ideal in that they fail to mimic the physiology of normal vaginal tissue. Engineering of true vaginal tissue from a small biopsy of autologous vagina should produce a superior graft material for vaginal reconstruction. This review describes our current experience with the engineering of such tissue and its use for vaginal reconstruction in animal models. Our successful construction and implantation of neovaginas through tissue engineering techniques demonstrates the feasibility of similar endeavors in human patients. Additionally, the use of pluripotent stem cells instead of autologous tissue could provide an "off-the-shelf" tissue source for vaginal reconstruction.
Characterizing Spoken Discourse in Individuals with Parkinson Disease Without Dementia

(ii! Epigraph(.(iv! Dedication(.(v! Acknowledgements(.(vi! List(of(Tables(.(x! List(of(Figures(.(xi! List(of(Appendices(.(xii! List(of(Abbreviations(.(xiii! Chapter(1:(Thesis(Overview(.(1! 1.1(Study(Objective(.(2! 1.2(Organization(of(Thesis(Chapters(.(2! Chapter(2:(Background(.(4! 2.1! Parkinson(Disease:(An(Overview(.(4! 2.2! Cognition,(Language,(and(Motor(Speech(Impairments(.(9! 2.3! Studies(of(Spoken(Monologic(Discourse(in(PD(.(16! 2.4! Background(Summary(.(47! 2.5! Rationale(for(the(Current(Study(and(Statement(of(the(Problem(.(48! 2.6! Research(Questions((RQ),(Hypotheses,(and(Objectives(.(48! Chapter(3:(Method(.(50! 3.1! Ethics(Approval,(Participant(Recruitment(and(Enrolment(.(50! 3.2! Description(of(Participants(.(54! 3.3! Audio(Recording(Protocol(.(57! 3.4! Data(Collection(Environment(.(58! 3.5! General(Method(.(59! 3.6! Hearing(Screening(.(62! 3.7! Vision(Screening(.(62! 3.8! Collection(Demographic(Information(.(63! 3.9! Collection(of(Disease(Related(Measures(.(63! 3.10! Measures(of(Cognition(and(Language(.(64! 3.11! Measures(of(Speech(Intelligibility(and(Rate(.(68! 3.12! Elicitation(of(Discourse(Samples(.(71! 3.13! Transcription,(Coding(and(Segmenting(of(Discourse(Samples(.(76! 3.14! Discourse(Analyses(.(79! 3.15! Statistical(Analyses(.(84! Chapter(4:(Results(.(92! 4.1! Cognition,(Language(and(Speech(Intelligibility(Measures((RQ(1)(.(92! 4.2! Discourse(Measures(in(Relation(to(Group(x(Task(and(Task(Effects((RQ(2)(.(95! 4.3! Discourse(Measures(in(Relation(to(Group((RQ(3)(.(104! 4.3! Discourse(Discriminant(Function((RQ(4)(. (109!
Theoretical framework and variables affecting the efficacy of mindfulness-based intervention on rumination

A large body over the last 20 years has demonstrated that rumination is an important determinant of depression. Research has also shown that mindfulness practice can reduce rumination and depression. However, over this period the concept of rumination has evolved. Initially rumination was understood to be a single static construct that a person would engage in when they experience depressive mood. The Differential Activation Hypothesis introduced the idea that rumination involved an interaction between depressive mood and negative cognition. Later, this model was expanded with negative cognition seen to be the product of the memories of negative events and influenced by dysfunctional attitude. Rumination started to be viewed as an interactive cycle between depressive mood, memories of negative event and dysfunctional attitude. A separate but relevant literature has demonstrated the relationship between emotion and attention. However, to date no study has investigated the role of innate attention control capacity on the ruminative process. Similarly, despite attention control being viewed as a component of mindfulness, little research has investigated the relationship between attention control capacity and mindfulness. Thus, this study investigates how attention control capacity influences rumination and mindfulness. 392 adults recruited from two public universities and the general community were given a series of online survey questionnaires involving their depression and rumination levels, dysfunctional attitude, attention control, and different facets of trait mindfulness. Results found that attention control and dysfunctional attitude sequentially mediated the relationship between depressive mood and rumination. The mindfulness facets of Nonjudging and Nonreactivity also mediated the relationship between depressive mood and attention control. These results indicate that our theoretical understanding of the rumination process should include attention control for a more holistic conception. Further the results suggest that the enhancement of a Nonjudgemental attitude and Nonreactivity through mindfulness practice has the potential to interfere with the rumination process by enhancing a person’s attention control capacity and decreasing the attention allocation effects of emotional arousal.
Neoadjuvant docetaxel combined with cisplatin and followed by radical surgery for the treatment of locally advanced (stage IB2 – IIB) cervical cancer: preliminary results of a single-institution experience

Objectives: We aimed to determine the efficacy and toxicity of treating locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) with a neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) regimen combining docetaxel and cisplatin followed by radical surgery. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of patients with stage IB2 – IIB (tumor diameter ≥ 4 cm) disease admitted between January 2007 and July 2009 who, before radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection, received two to three courses of an NAC regimen comprising docetaxel (75 mg/m2) and cisplatin (70 – 75 mg/m2). Results: Fifty-two patients with LACC received 109 cycles of NAC. The objective response rate was 86.5% (26.9% CR and 17.3% pathological CR). Stage IB2 disease had a more favorable response to NAC (95.7%, p = 0.019). Deep stromal invasion and lymph-vascular space metastasis rates were significantly lower in NAC responders (p = 0.033) than in nonresponders (p = 0.012). Most side effects of NAC were mild or moderate. Log-rank test showed the 2-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates were 100 and 90.3% for NAC responders, compared with only 57.1% (p = 0.000) and 68.6% for nonresponders (p = 0.012), respectively. Conclusion: Neoadjuvant docetaxel combined with cisplatin yielded a high response rate with well tolerable toxicity for LACC and could decrease pathological risk factors in NAC responders.
A Stitch in Time: Supporting Android Developers in WritingSecure Code

Despite security advice in the official documentation and an extensive body of security research about vulnerabilities and exploits, many developers still fail to write secure Android applications. Frequently, Android developers fail to adhere to security best practices, leaving applications vulnerable to a multitude of attacks. We point out the advantage of a low-time-cost tool both to teach better secure coding and to improve app security. Using the FixDroid IDE plug-in, we show that professional and hobby app developers can work with and learn from an in-environment tool without it impacting their normal work; and by performing studies with both students and professional developers, we identify key UI requirements and demonstrate that code delivered with such a tool by developers previously inexperienced in security contains significantly less security problems. Perfecting and adding such tools to the Android development environment is an essential step in getting both security and privacy for the next generation of apps.
Part III: Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering of Amino Acids and Their Homodipeptide Monolayers Deposited onto Colloidal Gold Surface

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra were measured for monolayers of various amino acids: L-methionine (Met), L-cysteine (Cys), L-glycine (Gly), L-leucine (Leu), L-phenylalanine (Phe), and L-proline (Pro) and their homodipeptides (Met-Met, Cys-Cys, Gly-Gly, Leu-Leu, Phe-Phe, and Pro-Pro) deposited onto a colloidal gold surface. Orientation of amino acids and their homodipeptides, as well as specific-competitive interactions of their functional groups with the gold surface, were predicted by detailed spectral analysis of the obtained SERS spectra. The analysis performed allowed us to propose a particular surface geometry for each amino acid and homodipeptide on the gold surface. In addition, we compared the structures of these molecules adsorbed on colloidal gold and silver surfaces.
Following the Footsteps of Chlamydial Gene Regulation

Regulation of gene expression ensures an organism responds to stimuli and undergoes proper development. Although the regulatory networks in bacteria have been investigated in model microorganisms, nearly nothing is known about the evolution and plasticity of these networks in obligate, intracellular bacteria. The phylum Chlamydiae contains a vast array of host-associated microbes, including several human pathogens. The Chlamydiae are unique among obligate, intracellular bacteria as they undergo a complex biphasic developmental cycle in which large swaths of genes are temporally regulated. Coupled with the low number of transcription factors, these organisms offer a model to study the evolution of regulatory networks in intracellular organisms. We provide the first comprehensive analysis exploring the diversity and evolution of regulatory networks across the phylum. We utilized a comparative genomics approach to construct predicted coregulatory networks, which unveiled genus- and family-specific regulatory motifs and architectures, most notably those of virulence-associated genes. Surprisingly, our analysis suggests that few regulatory components are conserved across the phylum, and those that are conserved are involved in the exploitation of the intracellular niche. Our study thus lends insight into a component of chlamydial evolution that has otherwise remained largely unexplored.
Mental health patients pose high suicide risk in first two weeks after discharge, inquiry finds

Mental health patients are at the highest risk of suicide in the first three months after their discharge from hospital, especially in the first two weeks, latest figures have shown.1 The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness found that, from 2002 to 2012, 3225 suicides by mental health patients occurred in the United Kingdom within three months of discharge, equal to 18% of all patient suicides. The inquiry, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, found that the highest …
ShiA Abrogates the Innate T-Cell Response to Shigella flexneri Infection

ABSTRACT Shigella spp. are the causative agent of bacillary dysentery. Infection results in acute colonic injury due to the host inflammatory response. The mediators of the damage, infiltrating polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), also resolve the infection. Shigella flexneri's virulence effectors are encoded on its large virulence plasmid and on pathogenicity islands in the chromosome. The SHI-2 pathogenicity island encodes the virulence factor ShiA, which down-regulates Shigella-induced inflammation. In the rabbit ileal loop model, infection with a shiA null strain (ΔshiA) induces a more severe inflammation than wild-type infection. Conversely, a Shigella strain that overexpresses ShiA (ShiA+) is less inflammatory than the wild-type strain. To determine the host responses modulated by ShiA, we performed infection studies using the mouse lung model, which recapitulates the phenotypes observed in the rabbit ileal loop model. Significantly, ShiA+ strain-infected mice cleared the bacteria and survived infection, while wild-type- and ΔshiA strain-infected mice could not clear the bacteria and ultimately died. Surprisingly, microarray analysis of infected lungs revealed the regulation of genes involved in innate T-cell responses to infection. Immunohistochemistry showed that wild-type- and ΔshiA strain-infected animals have greater numbers of PMN and T cells in their lungs over the course of infection than ShiA+ strain-infected animals. These results suggest that the T-cell innate response is suppressed by ShiA in Shigella infections.
Statistical Parametric Speech Synthesis Using Bottleneck Representation From Sequence Auto-encoder

In this paper, we describe a statistical parametric speech synthesis approach with unit-level acoustic representation. In conventional deep neural network based speech synthesis, the input text features are repeated for the entire duration of phoneme for mapping text and speech parameters. This mapping is learnt at the frame-level which is the de-facto acoustic representation. However much of this computational requirement can be drastically reduced if every unit can be represented with a fixed-dimensional representation. Using recurrent neural network based auto-encoder, we show that it is indeed possible to map units of varying duration to a single vector. We then use this acoustic representation at unit-level to synthesize speech using deep neural network based statistical parametric speech synthesis technique. Results show that the proposed approach is able to synthesize at the same quality as the conventional frame based approach at a highly reduced computational cost.
Is Leisure Time Availability Associated with More or Less Severe Daily Stressors? An Examination Using Eight-Day Diary Data

The stress suppressing model proposes that sufficient resources reduce stress. The stress exposure model suggests that certain factors expose individuals to more stress. The current study tested these two models by assessing the within-person lagging effect of leisure time on perceived severity of daily stressors. Analyzing eight-day diary data (N=2,022), we found that having more leisure time than usual on a day reduced perceived severity of daily stressors the next day and that the decrease in severity became larger with further increase in leisure time. Additionally, the effect is much stronger among busy individuals who usually had little leisure time. The findings demonstrated an accelerated suppressing effect that differed between-person, and the lagging effect affords stronger implication for causality than correlational analysis.
Discrimination and Nepotism: The Efficiency of the Anonymity Rule

We develop an experimental test to distinguish between discrimination against and nepotism. The experiment compares the behavior toward individuals of different groups with the behavior toward anonymous individuals (those having no clear group affiliation). Not only is the distinction between the different types of discrimination important for the study of social segmentation, but it has interesting policy implications regarding the effectiveness and the efficiency of antidiscriminatory legislation. We study two segmented societies: Belgian (Flemish versus Walloons) and Israeli (religious versus secular). In Belgium, we find evidence of discrimination. Both the Walloons and the Flemish treat people of their own group in the same way as anonymous individuals while discriminating against individuals of the other group. In contrast, the behavior of ultraorthodox religious Jews in Israel can be categorized as nepotism: they favor members of their own group while treating anonymous individuals in the same way as secular individuals.
Impact of Cognition and Cooperation on MAC Layer Performance Metrics, Part I: Maximum Stable Throughput

In this paper, we consider a broadband secondary transmitter-receiver pair which interferes with N narrowband primary users and study the effect of cognition and cooperation on the maximum stable throughput. In our study we focus on four transmission protocols as well as two channel types, i.e., flat fading and frequency selective fading. In the cooperative protocols, the broadband transmitter relays the packets of the primary users which have not correctly decoded at the primary receiver. The analysis includes random packet arrivals at the transmitters which may impact on the maximum stable throughput. Moreover, sensing errors at the secondary user are considered. In this paper, we derive the exact stability region for non-cooperative protocols and inner bounds for cooperative ones. The results reveal that depending on the channel states, the cooperative protocols may provide significant performance gains over non-cooperative protocols. Numerical results indicate that in the frequency selective channel, independent and simultaneous parallel transmissions in the available subbands are preferred, while in the flat fading channel, a non-parallel transmission in the total available bandwidth is recommended. In part II of our paper, we investigate the impact of cognition and cooperation on the delay performance of the protocols introduced in this paper.
Skirting the Issues

Given the increasing number of women executives in the top management teams of initial public offering (IPO) firms, the lack of female-led IPO firms is a curious fact, especially since women-owned private businesses represent almost half of the new businesses formed in the United States, with patterns of founding similar to those of male-owned businesses. This lack of female-led IPOs suggests a potentially larger problem—a gender-based capital gap for new ventures. Given the empirical evidence suggesting a positive association between the presence of female executives and firm performance, the authors test whether investor perceptions are aligned with these empirical patterns. Using a sample of MBA students, the authors construct a simulated IPO, manipulating the gender demographics of the top management team. Their results suggest that female CEOs may be disproportionately disadvantaged in their ability to attract growth capital, when all other factors are controlled. Despite identical personal qualifications and firm financials, female founders/CEOs were perceived as less capable than their male counterparts, and IPOs led by female founders/CEOs were considered less attractive investments.
The zebrafish nodal-related gene southpaw is required for visceral and diencephalic left-right asymmetry

We have identified and characterized a new zebrafish gene, southpaw, that is required for visceral and diencephalic left-right asymmetry. southpaw encodes a new member of the nodal-related class of proteins, a subfamily within the transforming growth factorβsuperfamily of secreted factors. southpaw is expressed bilaterally in paraxial mesoderm precursors and then within the left lateral plate mesoderm. At late somite stages, left-sided southpaw expression transiently overlaps the left-sided expression domains of other genes that mark the developing heart, such as lefty2. We have injected morpholinos to block the translation of the southpaw mRNA or to block splicing of the southpaw pre-mRNA. These morpholinos cause a severe disruption of early (cardiac jogging) and late (cardiac looping) aspects of cardiac left-right asymmetry. As the left-right asymmetry of the pancreas is also affected, southpaw appears to regulate left-right asymmetry throughout a large part of the embryo. Consistent with the morphological changes, the left-sided expression domains of downstream genes (cyclops, pitx2, lefty1 and lefty2) are severely downregulated or abolished within the lateral plate mesoderm of Southpaw-deficient embryos. Surprisingly, despite the absence of southpaw expression in the brain, we find that early diencephalic left-right asymmetry also requires Southpaw activity. These observations lead to a model of how visceral organ and brain left-right asymmetry are coordinated during embryogenesis.