Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of Factored "X" Shaped Metamaterial Structure for Enhancement of Patch Antenna Gain

This paper introduces some of the basic concepts of Patch Antenna. The main focus will be on explaining the general properties of Rectangular Micro strip Patch Antenna by using the Metamaterial Structure. It will cover topics including: principles of operation, Impedance Matching, Return Loss, VSWR and Smith Chart. The Return Loss of simple Rectangular Micro strip Patch Antenna alone and with Metamaterial Structure are compared. It has been seen that Return Loss improved around 10dB. Which ultimately improves the directivity of Rectangular Micro strip Patch Antenna.
Rotavirus Gastroenteritis in a Neonatal Unit of a Greek Tertiary Hospital: Clinical Characteristics and Genotypes

Introduction Rotavirus (RV) infection in neonatal age can be mild or even asymptomatic. Several studies have reported that RV is responsible for 31%-87% of pediatric nosocomial diarrhea and causes gastroenteritis outbreaks in pediatric and neonatal units. Objectives Study clinical characteristics, genotypes and risk factors of RV infection in neonatal age. Methods A prospective study was conducted from April 2009 till April 2013 in the neonatal special care unit of the largest tertiary pediatric hospital of Greece. Fecal samples and epidemiological data were collected from each neonate with gastrointestinal symptoms. RV antigen was detected with a rapid immunochromatography test. RV positive samples were further genotyped with RT PCR and sequencing using specific VP7 and VP4 primers. Results Positive for RV were 126/415 samples (30.4%). Mean age of onset was 18 days. Seventy four cases (58%) were hospital acquired. Seasonality of RV infection did not differ significantly throughout the year with the exception of 4 outbreaks. Genotypes found during the study period were G4P[8] (58.7%), G1P[8] (14.7%), G12P[8] (9.3%), G3P[8] (9.3%), G12P[6] (5.3%), G9P[8] (1.3%) and G2P[4] (1.3%). RV cases presented with: diarrhea (81%), vomiting (26.2%), fever (34.9%), dehydration (28.6%), feeding intolerance (39.7%), weight loss (54%), whilst 19% of cases were asymptomatic. Comparing community with hospital acquired cases differences in clinical manifestations were found. Conclusions Significant incidence of nosocomially transmitted RV infection in neonatal age including asymptomatic illness exists. Genotypes causing nosocomial outbreaks are not different from community strains. Circulating vaccines can be effective in prevention of nosocomial RV infection through herd immunity.
Causality and Regime Inference in a Markov Switching VAR

This paper analyses three Granger noncausality hypotheses within a conditionally Gaussian MS-VAR model. Noncausality in mean is based on Granger´s original concept for linear predictors by defining noncausality from the 1-step ahead forecast error variance for the conditional expectation. Noncausality in mean-variance concerns the conditional forecast error variance, while noncausality in distribution refers to the conditional distribution of the forecast errors. Necessary and sufficient parametric conditions for noncausality are presented for all hypotheses. As an illustration, the hypotheses are tested using monthly postwar U.S. data on money and income. We find that money is not Granger causal in mean for income, but Granger causal in mean-variance, i.e there is unique information in money for predicting the next period regime and the regime affects the uncertainty about the income forecast.
The critical factors affecting E-Government adoption: A Conceptual Framework in Vietnam

lectronic government (e-government) has established as an effective mechanism for increasing government productivity and efficiency and a key enabler of citizencentric services. However, e-government implementation is surrounded by technological, governing and social issues, which have to be considered and treated carefully in order to facilitate this change. This research attempts to explore and investigate the key challenges that influence e-government implementation and the factors influencing citizen adoption in Vietnam. It develops a conceptual framework on the basis of existing experiences drawn from administrative reforms. Survey data from public employee will be used to test the proposed hypothesis and the model. Therefore, this research has identified factors that determine if the citizen will adopt E-government services and thereby aiding governments in accessing what is required to increase adoption. We will also highlight several research, practitioner and policy implications. Keyword: E-government, Vietnam, research model
A vision-based measurement algorithm for micro/nano manipulation

This paper presents a vision-based measurement methodology which utilises a micrometre calibration slide and confocal microscope. The technique is suitable for measurement of both angular and linear displacements. The algorithm presented in this paper overcomes the shortcomings of limited CCD pixel count and image size, out of focus areas at the boundaries of the image, and vertical motion of the slide out of the focal plane. Many parameters can be changed within the setup, allowing the resolution and range of measurement to be modified for a given application. Experimental verification has been performed in an angular measurement configuration, demonstrating noise-limited linear and angular resolutions of 0.04 μm and 0.29 μrad, respectively.
An exploratory study of the cost-effectiveness of orthodontic care in seven European countries

This study investigated the orthodontic treatment of 429 consecutive patients [172 male (40.1 per cent) and 257 female (59.9 per cent)] carried out by 10 orthodontic specialist practitioners in seven European countries [two in the Czech Republic (A and B), two in Germany (A and B), Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, and Netherlands, and two in Slovenia (A and B)]. The median age of the patients at the start of treatment was 13.0 years (minimum 7.3 years maximum 50.3 years). The patients had a range of malocclusions and the majority (97 per cent) were treated with upper and lower fixed appliances. Real exchange rates were calculated using purchasing power parity (PPP) indicators to allow cross-border comparisons of costs. The Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need (ICON) was used to measure the effectiveness of treatment and cost per ICON point reduction to compare cost-effectiveness of orthodontic treatment between practitioners in different European countries. The median cost per ICON point reduction for all the cases treated was €57.69. The median cost per ICON point reduction varied greatly between practitioners from €21.70 (Lithuania) to €116.62 (Slovenia A). Analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc tests showed the differences in cost-effectiveness between the practitioners to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). The cost per ICON point reduction is a simple and effective method of comparing cost-effectiveness between orthodontic practitioners in different countries.
Alexithymia and Apathy in Parkinson’s Disease: Neurocognitive Correlates

Non-motor symptoms such as neuropsychiatric and cognitive dysfunction have been found to be common in Parkinson’s disease (PD) but the relation between such symptoms is poorly understood. We focused on alexithymia, an impairment of affective and cognitive emotional processing, as there is evidence for its interaction with cognition in other disorders. Twenty-two non-demented PD patients and 22 matched normal control adults (NC) were administered rating scales assessing neuropsychiatric status, including alexithymia, apathy, and depression, and a series of neuropsychological tests. As expected, PD patients showed more alexithymia than NC, and there was a significant association between alexithymia and disease stage. Alexithymia was associated with performance on non-verbally mediated measures of executive and visuospatial function, but not on verbally mediated tasks. By contrast, there was no correlation between cognition and ratings of either depression or apathy. Our findings demonstrate a distinct association of alexithymia with non-verbal cognition in PD, implicating right hemisphere processes, and differentiate between alexithymia and other neuropsychiatric symptoms in regard to PD cognition.
Target accessibility contributes to asymmetric priming in translation and cross-language semantic priming in unbalanced bilinguals

The current study examined within- and cross-language connectivity in four priming conditions: repetition, translation, within-language semantic and cross-language semantic priming. Unbalanced Hebrew–English bilinguals (N = 89) completed a lexical decision task in one of the four conditions in both languages. Priming effects were significantly larger from L1 to L2 for translation priming and marginally so for cross-language semantic priming. Priming effects were comparable for L1 and L2 in repetition and within-language semantic priming. These results support the notion that L1 words are more effective primes but also that L2 targets benefit more from priming. This pattern of results suggests that the lower frequency of use of L2 lexical items in unbalanced bilinguals contributes to asymmetrical cross-language priming via lower resting-level activation of targets and not only via less efficient lexical activation of primes, as highlighted by the BIA+ model.
Expression of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors M3 and M5 in osteoporosis

Background Cholinergic signaling via muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) is known to influence various physiological functions. In bone, M3 mAChR and M5 mAChR were identified on the membrane of osteoblast-like cells. M3 mAChR seems to be particularly relevant for bone physiology, as signaling via this receptor was reported to increase bone formation and decrease bone resorption. Thus, in the present study we investigated the relative mRNA expression of M3 and M5 mAChR in bones of a rat osteoporosis model. Material/Methods Osteoporosis was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by bilateral ovariectomy and additional feeding of a diet deficient in calcium, vitamins C, D2, D3, and phosphorus, and free of soy and phytoestrogen. After a period of 3, 12, and 14 months, relative mRNA expression of M3 mAChR and M5 mAChR was analyzed in the 11th thoracic vertebra by real-time RT-PCR. Results Relative mRNA expression of M3 mAChR was significantly reduced in bones of osteoporotic rats compared to sham operated animals that served as controls. Further, M3 mAChR mRNA expression was significantly down-regulated when comparing 14-month osteoporotic rats to 3-month osteoporotic rats. Relative M5 mAChR mRNA was expressed to a lesser extent than M3 mAChR and did not show significant differences in mRNA expression level between the experimental groups. Conclusions M3 mAChR mRNA expression was reduced upon induction of osteoporosis and progression of disease was associated with further decrease of this receptor, indicating that M3 mAChR is involved in the development and regulation of osteoporosis.
Affect Account 3 Affect Account of isposition Effect and Consequences for Stock Prices

We review previous research demonstrating the disposition effect in stock markets, its explanations, and unresolved issues. Our main contribution is an affect account of the disposition effect followed by an individual-level analysis of the consequences for stock prices. We claim that the main drivers of the disposition effect are non-professional investors buying in upmarkets or buying popular stocks. The non-professional investors set a short-term aspiration level that is subsequently adjusted depending on anticipatory feelings of hope or fear induced by price movements. They selling when anticipated elation is strong enough to be preferred to anticipatory hope. A downward price trend triggers anticipatory feelings of fear of losing. A potential future loss may still not lead to selling a loser. Deferring selling is also augmented by that non-professional investors shield themselves from negative information. Selling is made when anticipated disappointment of realizing the loss is strong enough to be preferred to anticipatory fear. Price trends are either intensified or attenuated by the balance between sellers prone to the disposition effect and buyers.
The People’s Plan? Participation and Post-Politics in Flint’s Master Planning Process

Drawing upon an analysis of Flint’s 2012–2013 master planning process, this article explores a puzzling set of questions: Why would a city under emergency management with an abrogated democratic process explicitly encourage extensive citizen participation in one of its most important and strategic documents? How does the urge to involve the community in decision-making reflect new priorities of urban governance? The paper suggests that such a paradox can be conceived as a coherent strategy for addressing conflicting priorities. On the one hand, the exigencies of official claims to democratic engagement operate during a period in which public discourse on inequality has grown in prominence. On the other, harsh fiscal constraint compels local officials and stakeholders to create the conditions for new market-led investment as the singular remedy to urban decline. The result is a transformation of the normative boundaries of the public, lauded as democratic, yet narrowly defined as those participating in highly choreographed and non-binding civic rituals. Local stakeholders, outside consultants, and city administrators generated consensus on a set of urban planning best practices deemed conducive to novel forms of growth, suggesting a transferal of authority from elected office holders to non-elected experts. This process then established the conditions under which community participation was pursued. The intertwining of technical expertise and elite decision-making, however, predetermined community input by naturalizing technocratic logics in planning policy, while signaling the post-political bent of some participatory processes in U.S. cities.
The Effect of Blended Learning to the Students' Achievement in Grammar Class

ABSTRACT Blended learning is believed to improve students’ understanding in learning second language. The employment of offline and online activities is expected to give better outcome than the traditional face-to-face activities. This article presents how blended learning was applied in an English grammar class and whether it significantly improved students’ achievement after the treatment. The participants involved in this research were 26 students of the the second semester students of the English Letters Department, Sanata Dharma University. A pre-experimental research was conducted by comparing the means of the participants’ scores in both pre-test and post-test. The analysis figured out that there was a significant improvement, proven by the paired t-test analysis. The p -value 0.00 was less than alpha 0.05. This research concluded that blended learning was effective to assist the students to learn English grammar. To strengthen the findings, this research also involved pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire to understand students’ responses on the use of blended learning. In the end of the semester, most students found that online activities help them comprehend and practice the materials. Students’ reflective journals also revealed that blended learning was able to improve their understanding and interest in learning English grammar. ABSTRAK Blended learning dipercaya mampu meningkatkan pemahaman siswa dalam memahami bahasa asing. Penggunaan aktifitas offline dan online diharapkan mampu memberi luaran yang lebih baik dibandingkan aktifitas tatap muka secara tradisional. Artikel ini menyajikan bagaimana blended learning diterapkan dalam kelas English grammar dan mengungkapkan apakah blended learning memberikan perbedaan berarti dalam pencapaian mahasiswa sebelum dan setelah perlakuan. Partisipan yang dilibatkan dalam penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa semester dua dari Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma. 26 partisipan dilibatkan dalam penelitian ini. Penelitian pra-eksperimen diterapkan dengan membandingkan rata-rata nilai dari peserta dalam pre-tes dan pos-tes. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan signifikan rata-rata dari kedua tes, yang ditunjukkan dengan analisis pasangan t-tes. Nilai p menunjukkan 0.00 dan lebih kecil dari alpha 0.05. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa blended learning efektif untuk mendampingi mahasiswa belajar English grammar. Untuk memperkuat penemuan tersebut, penelitian ini juga melibatkan pre-kuesioner dan pos-kuesioner. Pada akhir semester, sebagian besar mahasiswa menemukan bahwa aktifitas online membantu mereka memahami dan melatih materi yang mereka pelajari. Jurnal reflektif mahasiswa juga menunjukkan bahwa blended learning mampu meningkatkan kemampuan mereka belajar English Grammar . How to Cite : Isti’anah, A. (2017). The Effect of Blended Learning to the Students’ Achievement in Grammar Class. IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 4 (1), 16-30 doi:10.15408/ijee.v4i1.5697. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.15408/ijee. v4i1.5697
Niches, rather than neutrality, structure a grassland pioneer guild

Pioneer species are fast-growing, short-lived gap exploiters. They are prime candidates for neutral dynamics because they contain ecologically similar species whose low adult density is likely to cause widespread recruitment limitation, which slows competitive dynamics. However, many pioneer guilds appear to be differentiated according to seed size. In this paper, we compare predictions from a neutral model of community structure with three niche-based models in which trade-offs involving seed size form the basis of niche differentiation. We test these predictions using sowing experiments with a guild of seven pioneer species from chalk grassland. We find strong evidence for niche structure based on seed size: specifically large-seeded species produce fewer seeds but have a greater chance of establishing on a per-seed basis. Their advantage in establishment arises because there are more microsites suitable for their germination and early establishment and not directly through competition with other seedlings. In fact, seedling densities of all species were equally suppressed by the addition of competitors' seeds. By the adult stage, despite using very high sowing densities, there were no detectable effects of interspecific competition on any species. The lack of interspecific effects indicates that niche differentiation, rather than neutrality, prevails.
Performance of Multicast Algorithms over Coded Packet Wireless Networks

Multicast can be described as the process of routing information from a source node s to a set of receivers r1, r2⋯⋯rn. In this paper, we present the performance of multicast algorithms in wireless networks. A network coding (NC) algorithm, which is the proposed optimised model, and efficient for multicast networks is considered. This model is implemented for wireless networks and the simulation results are compared with the Multicast Incremental Power (MIP) algorithm. MIP algorithm is one of the existing approaches for finding minimum cost on multicast wireless networks. Simulation results show that optimisation using network coding method lead to substantial improvement in the cost associated with multicast wireless network. This is because network resources are shared in an innovative manner that is more efficient than traditional method of processing data transmissions, which are generally sub-optimal.
Self-optimization of antenna configuration in LTE-Advance networks for energy saving

In hotspot areas, heavy traffic requires a large capacity of network systems. However, it leads to a waste of energy during idle periods. In this paper, we at first analyzed the traffic distribution of hotspots in a business center. We then discussed a novel scheme which applies self-optimization and self-configuration mechanisms to realize hibernation and wakeup of eNBs in 3GPP LTE-Advance networks in order to save energy. In this scheme, self-optimizing antenna configuration was used to adjust sectors coverage and both an active-optimizing mechanism and a special UE mode were proposed to implement the hibernation and wakeup process. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme was thereafter validated and the results indicate that the scheme can save energy in hotspot areas by 13.5%.
Interferon-γ and interleukin-17 production from PPD-stimulated PBMCss of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to evaluate Interferon (IFN)-γ and Interleukin(IL)-17 profiles in patients with different clinical presentations of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and to compare them with those of tuberculin-negative and tuberculin-reactive healthy controls METHODS Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCss), isolated from patients (n=52) and controls (n=30), were stimulated ex vivo with purified protein derivative (PPD) and IFN-γ and IL-17 levels in the supernatant were measured. RESULTS At baseline, PBMCss from patients with TB released a significantly lower amount of IL-17 (p=0.043) than PBMCss from healthy controls, whereas IFN-γ levels were similar in the two groups. After PPD stimulation, a significant rise in IL-17 levels was found only among healthy controls (p=0.02). This rise in IL-17 levels was similar between tuberculin-reactive and tuberculin-negative subjects. After PPD stimulation, patients with infiltrative TB secreted higher levels of IL-17 and IFN-γ than those affected with chronic, miliary and cavitary TB (p < 0.01). IFN-γ production from patients with infiltrative TB was even higher than for healthy controls (p < 0.01). PBMCss from tuberculin-reactive patients released higher levels of IFN-γ than tuberculin-negative subjects after PPD stimulation (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Ex vivo PPD stimulation of PBMCs from patients with pulmonary TB does not significantly stimulate IL-17 release; however, higher IL-17 and IFN-γ levels are found in patients with infiltrative disease, in comparison with those affected with miliary, cavitary and chronic TB.
Comparing Trabeculectomy Outcomes between First and Second Operated Eyes: A Multicenter Study

Objective To compare surgical outcomes between the first and second operated eyes in patients who underwent trabeculectomy in both eyes. Methods This retrospective clinical cohort study at five clinical centers in Japan included 84 patients with open-angle glaucoma who underwent primary trabeculectomy in both eyes. The primary outcome was surgical success or failure, with failure being defined according to three criteria: <20% reduction of the preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), or Criterion A, IOP >21 mmHg; Criterion B, IOP >18 mmHg; or Criterion C, IOP >15 mmHg. Cases of reoperation, a loss of light perception vision, or hypotony were also considered as “failures”. Results There were no significant differences in success rate for any of the three criteria between the first and second operated eyes. For patients whose first trabeculectomy was successful, when the second trabeculectomy was performed ≥2 months after the first, the survival curves for all three criteria for the second trabeculectomy were significantly worse than those for patients waiting a shorter interval between trabeculectomies (Criterion A, 52.0% vs 83.6%, P = 0.0031; Criterion B, 51.5% vs 80.4%, P = 0.026; Criterion C, 51.1% vs 80.4%, P = 0.048). In multivariable analyses, a longer interval between trabeculectomies was a significant prognostic factor for surgical failure (Criterion A, P = 0.0055; Criterion B, P = 0.0023; Criterion C, P = 0.027). However, no dependency on the interval between trabeculectomies was found among patients whose first trabeculectomy failed. Conclusions If the first trabeculectomy is successful, a long interval before the second trabeculectomy increases the risk of surgical failure in the second eye. This result has clinical implications for developing surgical strategies for patients with bilateral glaucoma.