Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and Fabrication of an End-Launched Rectangular Waveguide Adapter Fed by a Coaxial Loop

An end-launched adapter combining a coaxial loop within a rectangular waveguide has been analyzed and designed. The accurate electromagnetic modeling of input impedance for the adapter design has been developed using a modal analysis method. Also, design parameters to improve the end-launched adapter have been investigated. Numerical and experimental results of the proposed model have been compared with the results of previous works, and verified by an electromagnetic simulator of High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS). The input voltage standing wave ratios (VSWRs) are smaller than 2 over the wide frequency band from 7.5 GHz to 10.5 GHz.
Occupational Hazards Associated with Exposure to Anesthetic Gases on Reproductive Health in Operating Theatre Staff in Three Hospitals in Khartoum State, Sudan

Objective: To assess the occupational hazard of unscavenged waste anesthetic gases on reproductive health (infertility, abortions, preterm delivery and congenital anomalies) in personnel working in operating rooms. Methods: The study was conducted by a questionnaire-based survey of 99 operating room personnel and 118 non exposed personnel from the general wards in Omdurman Military Hospital, Omdurman Teaching Hospital and Bahri Teaching Hospital. Controls selected by matching age, gender and job grade, 68 were eligible for analysis, 38 males & 30 females. Single personnel and those working less than five years were excluded from the study . Results: Incidence of infertility in operating room personnel was 7.35% compared to 1.47% in non-exposed health workers (relative risk RR 4.93, 95% confidence interval: 0.6-41.7). There was a higher incidence of abortion in OR personnel in the first ten years of work (43.3%) with (RR=3, (95% CI 0.8-11.93) while 14.29% in non-exposed health workers. Longer durations of exposure were associated with having fewer children (0.05). Incidence of preterm delivery was similar in both groups (10% Vs 13.3%), but higher by about two-fold the general population (5%). Incidence of congenital anomalies in offspring was similar in both groups (1.47%). Conclusion: There is a reproductive health risk of exposure to anesthetic gases. Adequate hazard control can be achieved by well-designed anesthetic equipment and high standards in scavenging and general ventilation and continuous training for good work practices. All staff working with anesthetic agents and contemplating pregnancies should limit exposure to toxic substances to the lowest level achievable.
Methodische Probleme bei der Analyse von Wertvorstellungen und Wirtschaftswachstum

Zusammenfassung Inglehart (1997) überprüft in multivariaten Regressionsanalysen den Einfluss von Leistungsbedürfnis und Postmaterialismus 1990 auf das Wirtschaftswachstum in der Periode 1960-1989 und vergleicht die Effekte mit denen ökonomischer Einflussfaktoren. Er stellt einen signifikanten positiven Effekt des Leistungsbedürfnisses fest. Ingleharts Ergebnis ist jedoch fragwürdig, da er die Ursachen (Leistungsbedürfnis und Postmaterialismus) nach der Wirkung (Wirtschaftswachstum) misst. In dieser Replikationsstudie wird eine spätere Beobachtungsperiode für die abhängige Variable zusammen mit den ursprünglichen Werte-Variablen verwendet. Ein einflussreicher und mit Messproblemen behafteter Fall wird mal berücksichtigt und mal eliminiert. In dieser Studie kann kein robuster Effekt von Leistungsbedürfnis oder Postmaterialismus auf das Wirtschaftswachstum festgestellt werden.
Second-Person Pronoun Resolution Second-person pronoun resolution in multi-party spoken English dialogue ∗

This paper discusses the problem of second-person pronoun resolution in dialogue: determining who (if anyone) the word ‘you’ refers to. We motivate the task, and break it down into three distinct subtasks – distinguishing generic from deictic uses, distinguishing singular from plural uses, and determining individual reference. We then describe a dataset and series of supervised classification experiments, and show that various linguistic and non-linguistic features can be used to achieve overall accuracies of up to 78%.
Discourse markers in spoken English: a corpus study of native speakers and Chinese non-native speakers

This thesis explores the use of discourse markers (DMs) in the speech of Chinese non-native speakers (NNSs) of English and native speakers (NSs), using corpus methodologies, the 'Linear Unit Grammar' analysis (Sinclair and Mauranen 2006) and text-based analyses. It reports that the DMs for analysis, 'like', 'oh', 'well', 'you know', 'I mean', 'you see', 'I think' and 'now', occur more frequently in the dialogic genres than in the monologic genres extracted from the three corpora, SECCL, MICASE and ICE-GB. The co-occurrence of DMs is taken as evidence to determine the categories for discussion with the suggested functions being secondary interpretations. Surprisingly, there are similarities in the use of DMs between Chinese NNSs and NSs. For the differences, some require NSs to become more tolerant and inclusive of the versions of English and some require pedagogical interventions for the Chinese NNSs. This thesis demonstrates that the use of DMs correlates with the genre, context, type of activity and identity of the speaker. All such factors affect the speakers' choice of a DM to use when giving priority to discourse organisation, fluency, the engagement of the listeners, the construction of the speaker‟s persona and the creation of solidarity.
Localization of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 tax to subnuclear compartments that overlap with interchromatin speckles

Tax, the virally encoded activator of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 long terminal repeats, regulates the expression of many cellular genes. This protein has been implicated in transformation events leading to the development of adult T-cell leukemia. Because subcellular localization contributes importantly to protein function, we determined the compartment(s) within the cell in which Tax is found. Using confocal microscopy, we found that Tax localizes to subnuclear domains which overlap with structures previously identified as interchromatin granules or spliceosomal speckles. These Tax speckled structures are coincident with a subset of nuclear transcriptional hot spots. Disruption of the Tax speckled structures by heat shock revealed the existence of different populations of Tax. One population of Tax is tightly associated with nuclear speckles. A second population exists outside of the speckles and is transcriptionally active for some promoters.
COMBINED FEATURE EXTRACTION FOR FAÇADE RECONSTRUCTION

Within the paper, the combined application of terrestrial image and LIDAR data for facade reconstruction is discussed. Existing 3D building models as they are available from airborne data collection are additionally integrated into the process. These given models provide a priori information, which efficiently supports both the georeferencing of the terrestrial data and the subsequent geometric refinement. Approximate orientation parameters for the terrestrial LIDAR measurements are provided by suitable low-cost components. Exact georeferencing is then realised by an automatic alignment to the building models, which are given in the required reference coordinate system. The automatic relative orientation of the terrestrial images is implemented by tie point matching. A modified version of this matching process is then used to align these images to the terrestrial LIDAR data, which were already georeferenced in the preceding step. After this fully automatic orientation process, the given 3D model is refined by the extraction of window structures from the LIDAR point clouds and facade images.
A two-step, user-centered approach to personalized tourist recommendations

Geo-localized, mobile applications can simplify a tourist visit, making the relevant Point of Interests more easily and promptly discernible to users. At the same time, such solutions must avoid creating unfitting or rigid user profiles that impoverish the users' options instead of refining them. Currently, user profiles in recommender systems rely on dimensions whose relevance to the user is more often presumed than empirically defined. To avoid this drawback, we build our recommendation system in a two-step process, where profile parameters are evaluated preliminarily and separately from the recommendations themselves. We describe this two-step evaluation process including an initial survey (N = 206), and a subsequent controlled study (N = 24). We conclude by emphasizing the benefit and generalizability of the approach
Delay Compensation for Real Time Disturbance Estimation at Extremely Large Telescopes

In ground-based astronomy, aberrations due to structural vibrations, such as piston, limit the achievable resolution and cannot be corrected using adaptive optics (AO) for large telescopes. We present a model-free strategy to estimate and compensate piston aberrations due to the vibrations of optical components using accelerometer disturbance feed forward, eventually allowing the use of fainter guide stars both for the fringe detector and in the AO loop. Because the correction performance is very sensitive to signal delays, we present a strategy to add a delay compensation to the developed disturbance estimator, which can, in principle, be applied to many other applications outside of astronomy that lack observer performance due to a measurement delay or need a prediction to compensate for input delays. The ability to estimate vibration disturbances in the critical frequency range of 8–60 Hz is demonstrated with on sky data from the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) Interferometer, an interferometer at the LBT. The experimental results are promising, indicating the ability to suppress differential piston induced by telescope vibrations by a factor of about 3 (rms), which is significantly better than any currently commissioned system.
Non-parametric comparison of relative versus cause-specific survival in Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) programme breast cancer patients

Cancer-related mortality can be measured by two dissimilar methods: NAcause-specific survival (based on mortality attributed to a specific cause), and relative survival (based on mortality relative to a matched cohort). We used both methods to determine actuarial survival in a population of 119 502 breast cancer patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) programme data set, with 20 years of follow-up. The population was divided into four strata by patient age and tumour stage. In all strata, there was only minimal deviation between the two survival methods. Of particular interest was the cause-specific treatment of patients recorded as dead of unknown cause, i.e. those deaths that could not be attributed with certainty to either ‘breast cancer’ or to ‘other causes’. Findings suggest that the most reliable results may be obtained by apportioning these deaths between ‘dead of cause’ and ‘withdrawn at the time of death’. This apportionment is based on the relative number of deaths attributed to ‘breast cancer’ versus ‘other causes’.
A Methodological Note on Overestimates of Reaching Distance: Distinguishing Between Perceptual and Analytical Judgments

Previous research has shown that perceivers tend to overestimate whether an object is within reach. This exploratory study examined the hypothesis that this overestimate is a result of transforming what is typically a perception-action process into an analytical, reflective judgment. It was hypothesized that reaching estimates would be more accurate as analytical processes became less implicated in the judgment. The results indicate that when the judgment of reach was the focal task for perceivers, they overestimated their reach; but when the judgments were made a subsidiary part of aprimary task, with perceivers judging how reachable an object was in order to carry out some other task, their estimates of perceived reach were very accurate. These results support the hypothesis and suggest that perception-action prgcesses should be conceptualized as a complex mode of functioning that can operate independently of analytical processes.
The effect of changes in sodium chloride concentration on the smooth muscle of the guinea‐pig's taenia coli

Studies of variation in the ionic environment of nerve and skeletal muscle have contributed much to our knowledge of the ionic basis of their activity (Hodgkin, 1951). Few such studies have been made on smooth muscle and, in particular, there is little information regarding changes in NaCl concentration. Vogt (1943) found that hypertonic NaCl solution caused a tonic contraction in the circular muscle of the rabbit jejunum, but concluded that this was mainly of nervous origin. Prosser, Smith & Melton (1955) found that replacement of half the NaCl in normal solution with choline chloride prolonged the negative phase of the complex action potential recorded in the rat ureter. This paper discusses the effects of changes in NaCl concentration on the guinea-pig taenia coli, which was found to be able to maintain its spontaneous activity when the Na ion concentration was reduced to 1/9 of normal. Unlike nerve or skeletal muscle the spike potentials were unaffected by the Na ion concentration over a wide range, though they were not maintained if all the Na ions were removed.
Corruption as an International Policy Problem : Overview and Recommendations KIMBERLY

In just a few months in early 1997, Mexico fired its top drug-enforcement official for accepting bribes and ultimately closed the agency because it was so ridden with corruption; Ukraines president once again declared war on corruption; Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng lamented that his country was losing ground in its war on corruption; President Kim Young Sam deplored endemic corruption in South Korea; Russian Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov pledged to crack down on corruption and the gray economy; Pakistans voters, disillusioned by perceptions of widespread corruption, stayed away from the polls in droves; and public schools in Washington were alleged to be rife with cronyism and nepotism. Corruption scandals in recent years have also contributed to the downfall of governments in Ecuador, Brazil, Italy, and India. Long-entrenched ruling parties have been weakened, including Japans Liberal Democratic Party and Mexicos Institutional Revolutionary Party. In the United States, two decades after the Watergate scandals prompted new rules regarding political contributions and the passage of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), campaign finance reform has reemerged as a major political issue. The number, variety, and importance of countries experiencing corruption scandals highlight both the complexity of this phenomenon and its prominence as a global issue. When it is pervasive and uncontrolled, corruption thwarts economic development and undermines political legitimacy. Less pervasive variants result in wasted resources, increased inequity in resource distribution, less political competition, and greater distrust of government. Creating and exploiting opportunities for bribery
Strategies to Better Engage, Educate, and Empower Patient Compliance and Safe Lens Wear: Compliance: What We Know, What We Do Not Know, and What We Need to Know

Purpose. To assess the extent of noncompliant behavior of contact lens wearers and to develop strategies of engaging and educating patients to increase compliance with safe contact lens practices. Methods. The literature regarding noncompliance with medical regimens, contact lens wear, and cleaning was reviewed. One hundred eleven contact lens wearers from a college campus, a dental clinic, and ophthalmology clinics were surveyed in a pilot study regarding their contact lens knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Statistical analysis of the results was performed with SPSS software. Results. A review of the literature found overall rates of noncompliance with medical regimens varies from 24.8% to 44%, and the rates reported for contact lens wearers varies from 50% to 99%. Noncompliant behavior affecting the safety of contact lenses is more common than behavior affecting lens comfort. This study found that many lens wearers thought they were compliant, but actually reported a wide variety of noncompliant behaviors. Conclusions. Although there have been remarkable advances in contact lens science, noncompliance with lens-wearing schedules, replacement schedules, and lens care regimens remains a significant problem of contact lens complications and lens failure. Noncompliant behavior is a complex phenomenon that involves knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, and available resources. Data regarding strategies for increasing compliance are scant. Noncompliance must be considered in the development of future lens care products and must be addressed by eye care professionals when patients are fitted with contact lenses and at each follow-up appointment.
MHD simulation of the magnetotail during the December 10, 1996, substorm

This paper presents results of a global MHD simulation of a substorm that occurred on December 10, 1996. We concentrate on the relationship between the simulation results and the magnetotail observations during the growth and expansion phases of the substorm. In general, we find excellent agreement between the single point observations made by various spacecraft in both the geosynchronous and mid-tail regions: the simulation accurately represented the energy loading (lobe field increase), small-scale activations (partial dipolarizations), and a global substorm onset (large dipolarizations and fast flows). The global view presented by the simulation shows complex series of discrete flow channels during the expansion phase prior to the onset of global reconnection. It is these flows channels that disrupt the thin current sheets present during the expansion phase of the substorm.
Health Behaviors, Hardiness, and Burnout in Mental Health Workers

Health Behaviors, Hardiness, and Burnout in Mental Health Workers by Jeremiah Brian Schimp MA, Bethel University, 2004 BA, Cornerstone University, 2002 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Walden University January 2015 Abstract Burnout has emerged as a significant and costly issue in the modern workforce. Researchers have not fully explored the role of individual health behaviors and personality in burnout among mental health workers. The knowledge gap addressed in this study was the connection between health behaviors, what mental health workers do to take care of themselves, and hardiness, the characteristic way they perceive and interpret environmental challenges. The purpose of thisBurnout has emerged as a significant and costly issue in the modern workforce. Researchers have not fully explored the role of individual health behaviors and personality in burnout among mental health workers. The knowledge gap addressed in this study was the connection between health behaviors, what mental health workers do to take care of themselves, and hardiness, the characteristic way they perceive and interpret environmental challenges. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of health behaviors and hardiness among mental health workers on the 3 dimensions of burnout as measured by the MBI-HSS: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. The conservation of resources model and the theory of hardiness provided the framework for selecting variables and interpreting the results. An online survey research design was used with a sample of mental health workers from two nonprofit mental health organizations. A total of 223 participants were recruited through invitations sent to their work e-mail addresses. Statistical analysis included 5 stepwise regression analyses run for each of the 3 burnout dimensions. The results indicated that hardiness was the strongest predictor and was retained in the final model for all the burnout measures. Anger/Stress, a health-compromising behavior, was significantly predictive of Emotional Exhaustion in the final model, and age was included in the final model for Depersonalization. These results suggest that mental health workers are better able to maintain their emotional energy and compassion for clients through the cultivation of hardiness and management of stress; the implications will inform the development of training materials focused on stress management and adapting to change. Health Behaviors, Hardiness, and Burnout in Mental Health Workers by Jeremiah Brian Schimp MA, Bethel University, 2004 BA, Cornerstone University, 2002 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Contraception in women over 40 years of age

Despite declining fertility, women over 40 years of age require effective contraception if they wish to avoid pregnancy. According to the 2011 Canadian census, 15% of the female population was aged 40–49 years. [1][1] Most women in this age group who have partners or are married have vaginal
A qualitative analysis of parental experiences in family-based treatment for anorexia nervosa

Family-based treatment for anorexia nervosa is a relatively recent form of therapy that is commonly used with families of child and adolescent patients. While current efficacy research of this treatment is promising, little research has been conducted on families’ experiences of this treatment. This qualitative study investigates the experiences of parents who have participated in family-based treatment for a child or adolescent (ages 10-21) diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Analytic induction (AI) methodology was used in this qualitative study to examine the various factors contributing the effectiveness of family-based treatment for families. Purposeful sampling was employed to obtain a wide variety of participants. In depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 parents via telephone or web-based chat. These interviews were coded and analyzed to generate themes, which were combined to form a theory regarding which factors influence families’ treatment outcomes when using FBT-AN. Sufficient and necessary conditions of successful and unsuccessful treatment outcomes were identified. Two sufficient conditions of treatment success were identified—namely, that parents were provided with practical suggestions by their treatment teams and that parents were able to implement their treatment teams’ advice at home. Eighteen themes were identified as being necessary, but not sufficient, conditions to treatment success. These themes related to aspects of treatment sessions and treatment providers’ relationships with parents; parental, familial, and other supportive relationships; and the processes of re-feeding, exposure to food, and parental monitoring and oversight. Two necessary conditions of unsuccessful treatment outcome were identified. The first condition was that the time period during which the child or adolescent restored weight was prolonged, or greater than six months. The second necessary condition was that the child demonstrated inconsistent progress during FBT. Additional themes present across treatment outcomes were also explored. This study aims to highlight the diverse experiences of parents who have participated in family-based treatment for anorexia nervosa and to serve as a