Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metal-Loaded Seawater Antenna With High Radiation Efficiency and Wideband Characteristics

In this letter, a high-radiation-efficiency and wideband seawater antenna is proposed. A square metal patch feeding mechanism is adopted, which improves the radiation efficiency from 45%–60% to 65%–70% and maintains wideband characteristics with a <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $-$</tex-math></inline-formula>10-dB impedance bandwidth of 67.6% (448–905 MHz) of the seawater antenna. Moreover, four cylindrical metal rods surrounding the feeding probe are inserted into the seawater, which further improves the radiation efficiency from 65%–70% to 82%–90% over the whole frequency range of interest. Furthermore, measured results of the fabricated seawater antennas with and without metal-loading techniques are compared, which show a good agreement with the simulated results and validate the proposed antenna design.
Scleractinian corals with photoprotective host pigments are hypersensitive to thermal bleaching

Recent episodes of mass coral bleaching, the loss of symbiotic dinoflagellates or photosynthetic pigment from hermatypic corals, have been triggered by elevated sea temperatures. Photosynthetic irradiance is an important secondary factor. Host based pigments (pocilloporins or Green Fluorescent Protein homologues) have been proposed to reduce the impact of elevated temperature by shading the dinoflagellate symbionts of corals, thereby reducing light stress. This study investigates this phenomenon in the reef-building coral Acropora aspera from Heron Island Research Station (Great Barrier Reef, Australia), which occurs as 3 distinct colour morphs. Experimental data showed that the host pigments are photoprotective at normal temperatures or <32°C; however, the loss of symbionts and reduction in the quantum yield of photosynthesis (dark adapted Fv/Fm) observed after exposure to elevated temperature was most severe in the heavily pigmented blue morph, eventually resulting in death of most experimental colonies. The results suggest that the protection offered by pocilloporins and other GFP-homologues is reduced by thermal stress, potentially leaving the shade-acclimated symbionts of heavily pigmented corals exposed to high light levels. Mature host pigments are thermally stable, but they are potentially vulnerable to heat during mRNA and protein synthesis and/or maturation. It is clear, however, that the broad assumption that host pigmented corals are less vulnerable to thermal stress is incorrect.
The influence of ovulation induction and assisted conception on maternal and perinatal outcomes of twin pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE To compare obstetrical and neonatal outcomes of twin pregnancies conceived via assisted reproductive technology (ART) with those of naturally conceived ones and to investigate the influence of the ART procedure type on these parameters. PATIENTS AND METHODS This observational study included 450 ART and 647 spontaneous twin pregnancies delivered over 15 years at a single university-based hospital of Rome, Italy. Logistic and linear regression models adjusted for confounding factors were used to evaluate the effect of ART and the type of assisted conception (IVF/ICSI, ovulation induction ± intrauterine insemination, egg/embryo donation) on maternal and perinatal outcomes. RESULTS The mean gestational age was significantly lower in pregnancies conceived via ART. The occurrence rates of gestational diabetes, antenatal admission, prophylactic administration of corticosteroid, very preterm delivery and neonatal intensive care unit admission were higher in the ART group. Twin pregnancies achieved via egg/embryo donation had a lower risk of maternal thrombocytopenia and cervical incompetence and were at greater risk of receiving corticosteroid prophylaxis and patent ductus arteriosus than pregnancies obtained by IVF/ICSI. Conception by ovulation induction was associated with reduced risk of hyperemesis gravidarum and longer neonatal hospitalization compared to pregnancies obtained by IVF/ICSI. CONCLUSIONS Assisted conception was associated with adverse obstetrical outcomes and lower gestational age, but after adjustment for gestational age neonatal immediate outcomes were similar to those observed in the spontaneous group. There were no many important differences in the outcomes of twin pregnancies obtained by a different type of conception.
The effect of a remifentanil bolus on the bispectral index of the EEG (BIS) in anaesthetized patients independently from intubation and surgical stimuli

Background and objective: Remifentanil boluses are used in different clinical situations and the effects on bispectral index monitoring are unclear. We analysed the effect of a remifentanil bolus on the bispectral index of the electroencephalogram (bispectral index) under total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol and remifentanil. Methods: ASA I–III patients were included in this study. All patients received a 2 μg k g−1 remifentanil bolus in a period free from stimuli. Bispectral index and haemodynamic data were collected from an A‐2000XP bispectral index monitor (every second) and an AS/3 Datex monitor (every 5 s). Bispectral index data were analysed using the area under the curve. Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were averaged at each 30‐s period and analysed using analysis of variance. Results: A total of 240 bispectral index values were obtained per patient. The area under the curve between 90 and 120 s after the bolus was significantly lower than the basal area under the curve (average of all areas before the bolus, P < 0.05). Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were significantly reduced from 96.4 ± 19.9 mmHg at the time of the bolus to 74.2 ± 16.6 mmHg 120 s after, and from 70 ± 16.4 bpm at the time of the bolus to 61 ± 13.6 bpm after (P < 0.001), respectively. Conclusions: There was a significant reduction in the areas under the curve between 90–120 s following the bolus. Heart rate and blood pressure also showed significant reductions. Thus, remifentanil bolus given under total intravenous anaesthesia with propofol and remifentanil decreases bispectral index, an effect independent of intubation and surgical stimuli.
A Model for Accountable Ordinal Sorting

We address the problem of multicriteria ordinal sorting through the lens of accountability, i.e. the ability of a human decision-maker to own a recommendation made by the system. We put forward a number of model features that would favor the capability to support the recommendation with a convincing explanation. To account for that, we design a recommender system implementing and formalizing such features. This system outputs explanations under the form of specific argument schemes tailored to represent the specific rules of the model. At the end, we discuss possible and promising argumentative perspectives.
Surgical treatment of intraventricular ependymomas and subependymomas.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The aim of the study was to present our experience in the surgical treatment of intraventricular ependymomas and subependymomas with special consideration to the evaluation of the surgical outcome and risk of tumour recurrence. MATERIAL AND METHODS We report a series of 36 consecutive patients treated surgically for intraventricular ependymoma or subependymoma in the years 1992-2008. There were 26 lateral ventricle and 10 fourth ventricle tumours. Complete resection was achieved in 19 patients while the remaining 17 patients underwent either subtotal or partial resection. Histopathological evaluation revealed ependymoma, subependymoma and anaplastic ependymoma in 20, 11 and 5 cases, respectively. RESULTS Eight patients died after surgery due to postoperative brain injury. Five patients were severely disabled postoperatively: one patient developed hemiparesis, three patients presented adynamic syndrome, and one patient developed severe cerebellar ataxia subsequent to vermis injury. All patients with posterior fossa tumours presented with lower cranial nerve deficit. Seventeen patients received radiotherapy postoperatively. There were five recurrent tumours during follow-up; three patients underwent subsequent reoperation. Importantly, five patients with supratentorial tumours and a history of incomplete resection with postoperative radiotherapy had no tumour recurrence in over 10 years' follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Intraventricular ependymomas and subependymomas still remain a surgical challenge due to a relatively high incidence of incomplete tumour resections and/or permanent neurological complications associated with their removal. Still, even incomplete tumour removal with subsequent radiotherapy facilitates long-term progression-free survival in some cases.
Antiretroviral therapy with tenofovir is associated with mild renal dysfunction

A cross-sectional study was conducted to compare patients treated with tenofovir with patients never treated with tenofovir. Patients on tenofovir showed a lower mean glomerular filtration rate estimated by creatinine clearance or cystatin C clearance compared with control patients. In total, 24 patients on tenofovir versus five control patients had proteinuria greater than 130 mg/day. In the majority of patients on tenofovir proteinuria was of tubular origin.
Analysis of farm management extension services performed by extension agents of Agricultural Development Projects in Southwest Nigeria

The study analyzed farm management extension services (FMESs) performed by the extension agents of Agricultural Development Projects in South West Nigeria. Study representatives were sampled randomly from Oyo ADP, Osun ADP and Ekiti ADP, making a 50% representation of the South-West. A proportionate sample of 80% of the total of the extension agents in each of the 3 case studies was randomly selected; making a total sample of 164 respondents for the study. Data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages and mean. Findings revealed that majority (76.8%) of the respondents were males, had higher certificates than ND (92.7%) and supervised more than 199 farmers (61.6%). However, more than half of the respondents were still new in the extension work with working experience of between 1-10 years (55.5%). The results further showed that only few of the change agents performed farm management tasks related to finance and marketing. The major constraints facing the extension agents in performing FMESs in the study area were lack of incentives, farmers’ illiteracy and inadequate training ranking 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively. This study recommends that extension agents should be trained more in the core aspects of FMESs which include linkage to finance and marketing. Also, extension professionals should be well motivated with incentives to ensure that FMESs are adequately rendered to their clients for increased productivity.
RELEVANCE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL FOR COMMUNITY EMPOWORMENT AND CONSERVATION EDUCATION IN ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Ecotourism success would depend on the community readiness to welcome and participate in tourism in terms of their attitudes towards tourism development, commitment, and capacity. These are related with expanding access to natural resources which are determined by the availability of local networks, collective actions, mutual trust, and social norms, which constitute social capital. Therefore, ecotourism as a tool of rural economic diversification requires social capital for its development. This study attempts to identify the relevance of social capital in empowering rural communities of West Java and enhancing conservation education for ecotourism development. The research was conducted in the Districts of Bogor, Sukabumi and Cianjur of West Java, Indonesia. The study employed a mixed method with predominantly qualitative approach to obtain data. Findings indicated that communities with higher social capital have higher potentials to induce ecotourism development through empowering community and minimize risks of environmental degradation through conservation education.
Impact of Monetary Policy on Bank' Balance Sheet in Pakistan

This study empirically investigates the centric view of monetary policy. The study is carried out for Pakistan using annual data covering the period from 2006 to 2012. Fixed effects estimator is applied to investigate the impact of monetary policy measures on banks’ loan supply. We find significant evidence on the existence of the negative relationship between monetary measures and bank loan supply. We also provide empirical evidence that monetary tightening puts more burdens on small banks as compared to large banks. Yet, we observe that during monetary tightening, aggregate lending by all the banks decreases, which consequently decreases the level of investment that affects the growth and output level of the economy. Evidence on monetary transmission is useful for developing the link between the financial and real sector of the economy. This study helps the policy makers to find different channels through which they can increase the effectiveness of monetary policy.
Improved Statistical Analysis of Low Abundance Phenomena in Bimodal Bacterial Populations

Accurate detection of subpopulation size determinations in bimodal populations remains problematic yet it represents a powerful way by which cellular heterogeneity under different environmental conditions can be compared. So far, most studies have relied on qualitative descriptions of population distribution patterns, on population-independent descriptors, or on arbitrary placement of thresholds distinguishing biological ON from OFF states. We found that all these methods fall short of accurately describing small population sizes in bimodal populations. Here we propose a simple, statistics-based method for the analysis of small subpopulation sizes for use in the free software environment R and test this method on real as well as simulated data. Four so-called population splitting methods were designed with different algorithms that can estimate subpopulation sizes from bimodal populations. All four methods proved more precise than previously used methods when analyzing subpopulation sizes of transfer competent cells arising in populations of the bacterium Pseudomonas knackmussii B13. The methods’ resolving powers were further explored by bootstrapping and simulations. Two of the methods were not severely limited by the proportions of subpopulations they could estimate correctly, but the two others only allowed accurate subpopulation quantification when this amounted to less than 25% of the total population. In contrast, only one method was still sufficiently accurate with subpopulations smaller than 1% of the total population. This study proposes a number of rational approximations to quantifying small subpopulations and offers an easy-to-use protocol for their implementation in the open source statistical software environment R.
Mediterranean dietary pattern in a randomized trial: prolonged survival and possible reduced cancer rate.

BACKGROUND The Mediterranean dietary pattern is thought to reduce the risk of cancer in addition to being cardioprotective. However, no trial has been conducted so far to prove this belief. METHODS We compared overall survival and newly diagnosed cancer rate among 605 patients with coronary heart disease randomized in the Lyon Diet Heart Study and following either a cardioprotective Mediterranean-type diet or a control diet close to the step 1 American Heart Association prudent diet. RESULTS During a follow-up of 4 years, there were a total of 38 deaths (24 in controls vs 14 in the experimental group), including 25 cardiac deaths (19 vs 6) and 7 cancer deaths (4 vs 3), and 24 cancers (17 vs 7). Exclusion of early cancer diagnoses (within the first 24 months after entry into the trial) left a total of 14 cancers (12 vs 2). After adjustment for age, sex, smoking, leukocyte count, cholesterol level, and aspirin use, the reduction of risk in experimental subjects compared with control subjects was 56% (P=.03) for total deaths, 61% (P=.05) for cancers, and 56% (P=.01) for the combination of deaths and cancers. The intakes of fruits, vegetables, and cereals were significantly higher in experimental subjects, providing larger amounts of fiber and vitamin C (P<.05). The intakes of cholesterol and saturated and polyunsaturated fats were lower and those of oleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids were higher (P<.001) in experimental subjects. Plasma levels of vitamins C and E (P<.05) and omega-3 fatty acids (P<.001), measured 2 months after randomization, were higher and those of omega-6 fatty acids were lower (P<.001) in experimental subjects. CONCLUSIONS This randomized trial suggests that patients following a cardioprotective Mediterranean diet have a prolonged survival and may also be protected against cancer. Further studies are warranted to confirm the data and to explore the role of the different lipids and fatty acids in this protection.
The Effect of Public Policies and Prices on Youth Smoking

This article empirically tests the effects of various tobacco control measures on youth cigarette demand using a 1996 nationally representative survey among U.S. high school students. Our measures of public policies allow more precise estimates of their impact compared to previous studies. The two-part model corrects for heteroscedasticity and features a novel approach to evaluating youth access laws based on actual compliance rates. This resolves the difficulty of measuring their active enforcement, the lack of which is frequently blamed for insignificant findings with respect to their effectiveness. We found youth access laws to have a negative effect on smoking probability. Relatively strong clean indoor air laws may also reduce the probability of smoking. The presence of all tobacco control policies combined and higher cigarette prices lower both smoking participation and smoking intensity. The teen-specific cigarette price has a larger impact on cigarette demand than commonly tested state average price.
Computerized static posturography and laterality in children. Influence of age.

PURPOSE The present study aims to explore relationships between footedness and posturographic assessment in children aged from 4 to 10. A real-time computerised device was used on a force plate for movement analysis. It requires a static posturography to assess postural control of children with the same handedness and footedness. METHODS Thirty eight right-handed and right-footed children organized in three age groups of 4 to 6 years old, 6 to 8 years old and 8 to 10 years old participated in the study. Two statical tests, the Unilateral Stance (US) and the Weight Bearing Squat (WBS) were performed, jointly with a dynamic balance examination (Limits of Stability (LOS)). All these tests were executed to explore the body capability of the right/left side. RESULTS The study demonstrated significant differences involving the right/left side among the three age groups. Better performance on the youngest children's right part and on the oldest children's left part was observed. Differences between the left and right sides of the body were noticeably revealed by posturographic assessments in right-handed and right-footed children. CONCLUSIONS Age seemed to be a determinant for these outcomes. Maturation of the vestibular at the ages of 6 or 7 years might explain the observed differences between the youngest children and olderchildren.
Compliance With Best Practice Guidelines for Neurodevelopmental Supportive Care in South Africa

Neurodevelopmental supportive care provides preterm infants with evidence-based care to ensure the best possible neurological outcomes. The study aimed to determine the compliance of current nursing care practices with best practice guidelines by means of a situational analysis. The situational analysis was done in 2 cycles in the neonatal intensive care units (n = 25) of a private healthcare provider in South Africa. Structured observations were done in cycle 1 using the Implementation of Neurodevelopmental Supportive Care checklist. Cycle 2 comprised focus group discussions to verify findings from cycle 1. Seventeen conclusion statements were formulated, which were thematically combined to be presented as 9 categories: neonatal intensive care unit design, individualized care, family-centered care, infant positioning, handling techniques, environmental manipulation, pain management, knowledge of infant behavior, and feeding. The conclusion statements identified improvement opportunities in current practice and offer suggestions, which can be used to guide an implementation strategy for best practice guidelines of neurodevelopmental supportive care in the neonatal intensive care units of the private healthcare group in future. Addressing improvement opportunities in all the categories will ensure that all aspects of the guideline requirements are met, resulting in a comprehensive strategy improving practice and patient outcomes.
Social rights and spatial access to local social services: The role of structural conditions in access to local social services in Estonia

Provision of local social services is an important measure to alleviate poverty, support vulnerable groups and promote citizens' independence. Access to these services is therefore a crucial aspect. However, access to local social services can come across many obstacles. This study aims at analysing access to local social services and the impact of structural conditions thereto. Estonia is used as an example. It is one of the smallest Eastern European countries, but divided into a large number of municipalities often with very low population density. We will analyse the impact of local conditions, using indicators like remoteness, resources and spending, on the extent of and the additional demand for a broad array of local social services. We include all of the local social services in Estonia that the municipalities are expected to finance and administer locally. Empirical data on the extent of and the additional demand for social services comes from a survey conducted among local social workers, whereas data on structural conditions derives from Statistics Estonia and the Ministry of Finance. Analytically, this article is embedded in the discussion about social rights.
Competitor orientation in successful SMEs: an exploration of the impact on innovation

Abstract The impact of market orientation on organisational performance has been the subject of many studies illustrating variance with firm size. Although small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are inherently customer-oriented, research has identified that they have significantly lower levels of competitor orientation than large firms and that competitor orientation is significantly related to organisational performance. In addition, studies have illustrated that SME success is linked to innovative problem solving, new product development and resource optimisation. SMEs are inherently innovative in how they adopt creative approaches to overcome constraints associated with their size. Given that SMEs often neglect to focus on competitors, this study explores the relationship between competitor orientation and organisational performance through an innovation lens. This study uses a qualitative research approach to investigate seven successful SMEs as case studies. The findings indicate that SMEs seeking optimal organisational performance should pay close attention to direct and indirect competitors in order to identify opportunities and build sustainable competitive businesses.