Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analytical Energy Model for the Dynamic Behavior of RF MEMS Switches Under Increased Actuation Voltage

In this paper, the dynamic behavior of electrostatically actuated radio frequency-microelectromechanical system (RF-MEMS) switches is analyzed using energy considerations. An analytical model for bridge-type RF-MEMS switches is proposed and the time evolution of the system total energy is calculated numerically. Switch actuation, release times, and damped release response are derived from energy analysis with focus on the effect of increasing the actuation voltage on the RF-MEMS dynamic behavior. The dynamic and RF characteristics of different RFMEMS ohmic-contact switches have been measured using an experimental set-up based on microwave instrumentation. The measured results show a good agreement with simulations, thus validating the proposed analytical model. It is shown (theoretically and experimentally) that the damped release response increases the effective time to reach the RF/microwave OFF-state switch isolation (up to three natural periods of the mechanical system).
Dietary patterns and subsequent colorectal cancer risk by subsite: A prospective cohort study

In order to investigate the associations between dietary patterns and the risk of colorectal cancer by subsite in Japan, the baseline data from a population‐based cohort study of 20,300 men and 21,812 women were analyzed. We conducted factor analysis and identified 3 major dietary patterns, “healthy,” “traditional” and “Western,” and calculated the factor scores of each pattern for individuals. During 10 years of follow‐up, 370 colorectal cancer cases were identified. We found a positive association between the traditional pattern and colon cancer risk in women [rate ratio for highest quartile (RR) = 2.06; 95% CI = 1.10–3.84; p for trend = 0.11], but not in men. This positive association was slightly stronger for proximal colon cancer (RR = 2.07; 95% CI = 0.84–5.12) than for distal colon cancer (RR = 1.84; 95% CI = 0.75–4.50). After multivariate adjustment, the Western dietary pattern was also positively associated with colon cancer risk in females (RR = 2.21; 95% CI = 1.10–4.45), with the strongest associations being observed for females with distal colon cancer (RR = 3.48; 95% CI = 1.25–9.65). We did not observe any significant association between the healthy dietary pattern and colon cancer risk. For rectal cancer, no significant associations were found for the 3 dietary patterns. In conclusion, we found that the traditional and the Western dietary patterns were positively associated with colon cancer risk in females. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Competitive Supply of Money

FEW AREAS OF ECONOMIC AcTIvrrY can claim as long and unanimous a record of agreement on the appropriateness of governmental intervention as the supply of money.l Very early in our history money was recognized by policy makers to be "special," and individuals fearful of government influence in other areas of economic life readily acknowledged that government had a primary role in controlling monetary arrangements. Free market advocates who now argue for, among other things, unregulated entry and the elimination of all interest rate and portfolio restrictions do not opt for a completely unregulated money industry, but recognize that money has unique characteristics which require that it not be supplied freely as an ordinary good. The monetary role of government is agreed to include, at a minimum, the monopolistic supply of a currency, into which all privately supplied demand deposits should be convertible. In
Intermediate Performance Impacts of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Systems: An Empirical Investigation*

A large-scale random sample is used to empirically examine the relationships between implementation of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) and three organization-level measures that have historically been attributed to AMT, but not fully tested along the AMT spectrum: market-oriented flexibility of the production process, organizational integration of production processes, and administrative intensity of the organization. Results indicate that as an organization moves along the technology scale from stand-alone AMT (e.g., CNC machines) through functionally oriented AMT (FMS and CAM) toward CIM, not only do its production processes become more integrated with each other, but those processes become more integrated with other functional systems of the organization, and the quality and timeliness of production information increase. Furthermore, this relationship becomes stronger as companies increase their level of implementation for the latter two technologies. Conversely, market-oriented flexibility decreases and administrative intensity is not observed to change as companies move along the technology spectrum. Future research should examine how organizational redesign and implementation strategies that accompany AMT implementation can concomitantly enhance organizational integration of the production process and market-oriented flexibility.
Accelerated Equity Offers and Firm Quality

A series of deregulatory reforms have promoted accelerated equity issuance at the expense of adequate time for underwriter and market scrutiny. Today the majority of publicly listed companies can raise equity on a moment’s notice, but many eligible issuers choose to allow additional time for scrutiny. We hypothesize that issuers with less favorable inside information (i.e. lower quality issuers) prefer to avoid the pre-issue scrutiny that could reveal their inside information and are therefore more likely to accelerate their offer. We find supportive evidence using measures of stock valuation and earnings quality as proxies for firm quality. The results suggest that investors are slow to capitalize the information embedded in the speed of issuance.
Molecular mechanisms of maternal cannabis and cigarette use on human neurodevelopment

Prenatal development is highly sensitive to maternal drug use due to the vulnerability for disruption of the fetal brain with its ongoing neurodevelopment, resulting in lifelong consequences that can enhance risk for psychiatric disorders. Cannabis and cigarettes are the most commonly used illicit and licit substances, respectively, among pregnant women. Although the behavioral consequences of prenatal cannabis and cigarette exposure have been well‐documented in epidemiological and clinical studies, only recently have investigations into the molecular mechanisms associated with the developmental impact of early drug exposure been addressed. This article reviews the literature relevant to long‐term gene expression disturbances in the human fetal brain in relation to maternal cannabis and cigarette use. To provide translational insights, we discuss animal models in which protracted molecular consequences of prenatal cannabis and cigarette exposure can be better explored and which enable future evaluation of epigenetic pathways, such as DNA methylation and histone modification, that could potentially maintain abnormal gene regulation and related behavioral disturbances. Altogether, this information may help to address the current gaps of knowledge regarding the impact of early drug exposure that set in motion lifelong molecular disturbances that underlie vulnerability to psychiatric disorders.
Computed tomography in the diagnosis of asbestos‐related thoracic disease

High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) has improved the radiologist's ability to detect and potentially quantify the abnormalities of asbestos exposure. It has proved to be more sensitive than chest radiography for detecting pleural plaques and for discriminating between pleural fibrosis and extrapleural fat. HRCT is also more sensitive than chest radiography or conventional CT for detecting parenchymal abnormalities in asbestos-exposed persons. The HRCT findings that correlate with other parameters of asbestosis include (1) septal and centrilobular thickening, (2) parenchymal fibrous bands, (3) honeycomb patterns, (4) subpleural density persisting in the prone position, and (5) subpleural curvilinear lines that persist in the prone position. CT has an important role in evaluating benign and malignant lung and pleural masses in asbestosis.
Editorial Favoritism in Economics

Are articles by authors with institutional connections or personal ties to the publishing journal's editor(s)/coeditors of lower quality than those authored without such connections? Examination of articles published in six core economics journals in 1990 found that articles authored by those with such connections, especially service on the publishing journal's editorial board, are statistically and numerically of higher quality than articles by those without such connections. In addition, this quality difference does not decrease over time.
The European Union in the Estonian Public Discourse

Abstract Debates about the democratic legitimacy of the European Union (EU) have been prevalent amongst scholars since its beginning. Students have analysed the legitimacy of the EU in terms of various normative criteria. But how is the EU legitimated in individual Member States and more so in an economic and sovereignty crisis when loyalties are particularly tested? The current study sheds light on it, scrutinising the conceptions associated with the EU in a country case of Estonia. Discourse analysis is used as a methodological tool to analyse the political discourse in printed media. The results indicate that the legitimation of the EU is derived from its output-oriented strategies, seeing the EU largely in instrumental terms.
Apoptosis in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototype inflammatory autoimmune disease resulting from autoimmune responses against nuclear autoantigens. During apoptosis many lupus autoantigens congregate inside the cells and are susceptible to modifications. Modified nuclear constituents are considered foreign and dangerous. Therefore, apoptotic cells have to has to be efficiently removed to avoid the accumulation of apoptotic debris and the subsequently development of autoimmune responses. Hence, apoptosis and clearance of apoptotic cells/material are considered key processes in the aetiology of SLE. Clearance deficiencies may account for the development of autoimmunity by inducing a loss of tolerance in lymphoid tissues. Furthermore, phagocytosis of apoptotic cells may lead to a pro-inflammatory response in the presence of autoantibodies. This may sustain inflammatory conditions and the pathology found in overt lupus.
Investigating the International Awareness of Students Meeting Their International Dimension Requirement through Course Offerings in a College of Agriculture.

Many U.S. universities are preparing their students to attain international awareness through various approaches. The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) at Oklahoma State University offers three international dimension undergraduate courses intended to provide students a formal educational opportunity to learn about international issues in agricultural and natural resources contexts. The investigation was a non–experimental, pretest–posttest descriptive and comparative design study. The target population (N = 147) consisted of all undergraduate students enrolled in three international dimension courses during the Fall semester of 2010. The study’s findings revealed that students’ attitudes regarding CASNR’s role in developing their international awareness as well as general awareness of the impact of international issues and globalization on the agriculture sector changed favorably from pre course to post course. These results showed statistically significant differences (p < .05) in students’ attitudes. Comparing students’ attitudes, from pre course to post course, revealed that the international dimension courses studied did impact students’ views related to aspects of enhanced international awareness, including the agriculture sector and their college’s role therein. The attitudes of students who participate in international dimension courses can change positively if U.S. universities internationalize their curricula adequately.
Rapid Method of Determining Factors Limiting Bacterial Growth in Soil

ABSTRACT A technique to determine which nutrients limit bacterial growth in soil was developed. The method was based on measuring the thymidine incorporation rate of bacteria after the addition of C, N, and P in different combinations to soil samples. First, the thymidine incorporation method was tested in two different soils: an agricultural soil and a forest humus soil. Carbon (as glucose) was found to be the limiting substance for bacterial growth in both of these soils. The effect of adding different amounts of nutrients was studied, and tests were performed to determine whether the additions affected the soil pH and subsequent bacterial activity. The incubation time required to detect bacterial growth after adding substrate to the soil was also evaluated. Second, the method was used in experiments in which three different size fractions of straw (1 to 2, 0.25 to 1, and <0.25 mm) were mixed into the agricultural soil in order to induce N limitation for bacterial growth. When the straw fraction was small enough (<0.25 mm), N became the limiting nutrient for bacterial growth after about 3 weeks. After the addition of the larger straw fractions (1 to 2 and 0.25 to 1 mm), the soil bacteria were C limited throughout the incubation period (10 weeks), although an increase in the thymidine incorporation rate after the addition of C and N together compared with adding them separately was seen in the sample containing the size fraction from 0.25 to 1 mm. Third, soils from high-pH, limestone-rich areas were examined. P limitation was observed in one of these soils, while tendencies toward P limitation were seen in some of the other soils.
Restructuring Schools: The Next Generation of Educational Reform

1. Introduction: On Changing the Structure of Public Schools(Richard F. Elmore) Part One: Approaches to Restructuring Schools 2. Applying Conceptions of Teaching to Organizational Reform(Brian Rowan) 3. Fostering Teacher Professionalism in Schools(Gary Sykes) 4. Organizing Schools to Encourage Teacher Inquiry(HAndrik D. Gideonse) 5. Redesigning Teachers' Work(Susan Moore Johnson) 6. Rethinking School Governance(Mary Anne Raywid) Part Two: New Roles and Responsibilities for the District and State 7. Restructuring in Progress: Lessons from Pioneering Districts(Jane L. David) 8. Key Issues Confronting State Policymakers(Michael Cohen) 9. Conclusion: Toward a Transformation of Public Schooling(Richard F. Elmore).
Parental leave take up and return to work of mothers in Luxembourg: An application of the model of nested dichotomies

This paper analyses the use of parental leave after birth of a child for working mothers. Even though employment rates of women in industrialized countries are rising, women continue to assume the primary responsibility for caring for young children after they are born. Therefore it is interesting and important to understand what factors account for womens decision to use or not use parental leave. The behaviour of mothers is conceptualized as a series of three decisions taking place after the compulsory period of maternity leave. The first decision is to retain a relationship with the pre-birth employment or to leave the labour force. Women who do not quit their employment, make a second choice to return to work immediately or to take parental leave for a fixed period of time, which guarantees them the right to return to work. Finally at the end of parental leave, women decide whether to return to work or to quit their job. The empirical analysis is performed on administrative data provided by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In order to account for the sequential nature of the decisions, the model for nested dichotomies Fox, 1997 has been used. The result lend partial evidence to economic reasoning about womens decision making. Salary-related opportunity cost seems to be particularly important in the first and third decision, but not in the second. There are also interesting differences based on the nationality of the women.
Globalizing Education Policy

Rizvi and Lingard's account of the global politics of education is thoughtful, complex and compelling. It is the first really comprehensive discussion and analysis of global trends in education policy, their effects - structural and individual - and resistance to them. In the enormous body of writing on globalisation this book stands out and will become a basic text in education policy courses around the world. - Stephen J Ball, Karl Mannheim Professor of Sociology of Education, Institute of Education, University of London, UK, In what ways have the processes of globalization reshaped the educational policy terrain? , How might we analyse education policies located within this new terrain, which is at once local, national, regional and global? In Globalizing Education Policy, the authors explore the key global drivers of policy change in education, and suggest that these do not operate in the same way in all nation-states. They examine the transformative effects of globalization on the discursive terrain within which educational policies are developed and enacted, arguing that this terrain is increasingly informed by a range of neo-liberal precepts which have fundamentally changed the ways in which we think about educational governance. They also suggest that whilst in some countries these precepts are resisted, to some extent, they have nonetheless become hegemonic, and provide an overview of some critical issues in educational policy to which this hegemonic view of globalization has given rise, including: devolution and decentralization new forms of governance the balance between public and private funding of education access and equity and the education of girls curriculum particularly with respect to the teaching of English language and technology pedagogies and high stakes testing and the global trade in education. These issues are explored within the context of major shifts in global processes and ideological discourses currently being experienced, and negotiated by all countries. The book also provides an approach to education policy analysis in an age of globalization and will be of interest to those studying globalization and education policy across the social sciences.
Natural History of Untreated Nonsurgical Hepatocellular Carcinoma

OBJECTIVE:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is common in Asia, and the majority are not suitable for curative surgical treatment. We studied the natural history of untreated nonsurgical HCC to examine whether the prognosis has changed with improved supportive treatment and to identify factors affecting survival.METHODS:One hundred and six ethnic Chinese patients with HCC not amenable to curative treatment were managed symptomatically as control-arm patients in three randomized studies conducted between January 1996 and April 2001. Seventy-six (71.7%) patients were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Prognostic variables for survival were identified by univariate analysis and were subjected to a multivariate Cox analysis to identify the independent predictors of survival.RESULTS:All but four patients were followed until death. Common causes of death were tumor progression (63.2%) and liver failure (31.1%). The overall median survival was 3 months, and the 1-yr survival was 7.8% only. The median survival of patients of Okuda stages I, II, and III were 5.1 months, 2.7 months, and 1.0 month, respectively (p < 0.05 for comparison between any two stages). Multivariate analysis revealed four independent prognostic variables, namely, serum bilirubin, blood urea, serum alpha-fetoprotein, and Okuda stage.CONCLUSIONS:The prognosis of untreated HCC not suitable for curative treatment in Asia is grave despite improved supportive treatment. The four prognostic variables identified in this study are important in the decision for palliative treatment, and the Okuda staging remains an important prognostic guide.
Resident Attitudes Toward Tourism Impacts

Abstract This study aims to identify the perceived impacts of tourism by residents in a community, Kusadasi, located on the Western Turkish coast. Based on a survey of 238 local residents, tourism impacts were assessed by a 33-item tourism impact scale, which measures both belief and affect toward the impact attributes. According to the mean measures, the most strong and favorable perceptions toward tourism impacts are found to be associated with economic, and social and cultural aspects of tourism, while environmental aspects are found to be the least favorable in terms of the perceived impacts of tourism. The study also identified whether there exist any significant differences between socio-demographic variables and resident's attitudes toward tourism by the analysis of variance.
Swallow Syncope, a Case Report and Review of the Literature

Swallow syncope is a relatively rare syndrome that is treatable when diagnosed. A 66-year-old woman was referred to the department of cardiology because she had been suffering from recurrent syncopal attacks associated with swallowing. An ambulatory electrocardiogram revealed atrial and ventricular asystoles immediately after swallowing soup or tea that were reproducible (max. RR 3.5 s). An electrophysiological study did not detect sinus nodal or atrioventricular nodal dysfunction. The patient had no underlying esophageal disease or cardiac disorder. The patient’s symptoms resolved after permanent pacemaker implantation. This report reviews the diagnosis, mechanism and management of swallow syncope.
Perceptions, connaissances et comportements en matière d'alimentation

Il est aujourd’hui etabli qu’une alimentation saine et la pratique d’une activite physique reguliere contribuent a un vieillissement reussi. Les annees autour de la retraite ont ete identifiees par les pouvoirs publics comme une periode propice a la promotion de ces comportements favorables a la sante. En 2008, l’Institut national de prevention et d’education pour la sante (INPES) a mene le troisieme exercice du Barometre sante nutrition, enquete dont l’objectif est d’analyser et de suivre les perceptions, les connaissances et les comportements en matiere d’alimentation et d’activite physique. Cet article presente les specificites des personnes âgees de 55 a 75 ans relatives a la dimension de l’alimentation. Les resultats revelent des perceptions de l’alimentation plus orientees vers la sante dans cette population que chez les plus jeunes, des connaissances des recommandations moins bonnes pour les fruits et legumes, les produits laitiers et le groupe des « viandes, produits de la peche et œufs » (VPO) mais meilleures pour le poisson et l’activite physique. Les consommations alimentaires s’averent plus favorables a la sante pour les fruits et legumes, le poisson et les feculents. Ces resultats plutot encourageants sont susceptibles de se modifier au-dela de 75 ans, periode qui necessite des recherches complementaires