Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved RF Devices for Future Adaptive Wireless Systems Using Two-Sided Contacting and AlN Cooling

This paper reviews special RF/microwave silicon device implementations in a process that allows two-sided contacting of the devices: the back-wafer contacted silicon-on-glass (SOG) substrate-transfer technology (STT) developed at DIMES. In this technology, metal transmission lines can be placed on the low-loss glass substrate, while the resistive/capacitive parasitics of the silicon devices can be minimized by a direct two-sided contacting. Focus is placed here on the improved device performance that can be achieved. In particular, high-quality SOG varactors have been developed and an overview is given of a number of innovative highly-linear circuit configurations that have successfully made use of the special device properties. A high flexibility in device design is achieved by two-sided contacting because it eliminates the need for buried layers. This aspect has enabled the implementation of varactors with special Ndx -2 doping profiles and a straightforward integration of complementary bipolar devices. For the latter, the integration of AlN heatspreaders has been essential for achieving effective circuit cooling. Moreover, the use of Schottky collector contacts is highlighted also with respect to the potential benefits for the speed of SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs).
Internet banking in Jordan: The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate the key determinants of the adoption of internet banking in Jordan. The paper also attempts to validate the appropriateness of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) within the context of internet banking.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was developed based on previous work in the areas of technology acceptance and internet banking. The questionnaire was distributed through three banks in Jordan to customers as they enter each bank's main office. Multiple regressions were utilized to evaluate the collected data.Findings – The results of this study indicate that UTAUT provides a good foundation for future technology acceptance research. The three main predictors relevant to this study (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence) were significant and explained a significant amount of the variance in predicting a customer's intention to adopt internet banking. The results also indicate that gend.
Activation of cerebellar hemispheres in spatial memorization of saccadic eye movements: An fMRI study

What mechanisms allow us to direct a precise saccade to a remembered target position in space? The cerebellum has been proposed to be involved not only in motor and oculomotor control, but also in perceptual and cognitive functions. We used functional MRI (Echoplanar imaging at 1.5 T) to investigate the role of the cerebellum in the control of externally triggered and internally generated saccadic eye movements of high and low memory impact, in six healthy volunteers. Memory‐guided saccades to remembered locations of 3 targets (triple‐step saccades) in contrast to either central fixation or to visually guided saccades activated the cerebellar hemispheres predominantly within lobuli VI‐crus I. The same areas were activated when an analogous visuospatial working memory task was contrasted to the triple‐step saccades. Visually guided saccades activated the posterior vermis and the triple‐step saccades, contrasted to the working memory task, activated predominantly the posterior vermis and paravermal regions. Our data confirm the primary involvement of the posterior vermis for visually‐triggered saccadic eye movements and present novel evidence for a role of the cerebellar hemispheres in the mnemonic and visuospatial control of memory‐guided saccades. Hum. Brain Mapp. 22:155–164, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Guidelines for Biological Treatment of Unipolar Depressive Disorders. Part 2: Maintenance Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder-Update 2015

Abstract These guidelines for the treatment of unipolar depressive disorders systematically review available evidence pertaining to the biological treatment of patients with major depression and produce a series of practice recommendations that are clinically and scientifically meaningful based on the available evidence. These guidelines are intended for use by all physicians assessing and treating patients with these conditions. The relevant data have been extracted primarily from various treatment guidelines and panels for depressive disorders, as well as from meta-analyses/reviews on the efficacy of antidepressant medications and other biological treatment interventions identified by a search of the MEDLINE database and Cochrane Library. The identified literature was evaluated with respect to the strength of evidence for its efficacy and was then categorized into five levels of evidence (CE A-F) and five levels of recommendation grades (RG 1–5). This second part of the WFSBP guidelines on depressive disorders covers the management of the maintenance phase treatment, and is primarily concerned with the biological treatment (including pharmacological and hormonal medications, electroconvulsive therapy and other brain stimulation treatments) of adults and also, albeit to a lesser extent, children, adolescents and older adults.
Wine Production from Mixed Fruits (Pineapple and Watermelon) Using High Alcohol Tolerant Yeast Isolated from Palm Wine

Mixed fruit wine (pineapple and watermelon) was produced using Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from palm wine. Primary and secondary fermentation of the fruits lasted for 7 and 28 days respectively, during which aliquot samples analysis of pH, titrable acidity, specific gravity, alcohol content and reducing sugar were carried out using standard procedures. Specific gravity of the wine was observed to reduce drastically as the fermentation progresses. The pH of the fruit must during the period of fermentation ranged from 3.0 to 4.46. During the fermentation period, consistent increase in alcohol content was observed with time. At the end of the 28th day of fermentation, the alcohol content was observed to be 3.2%. The titrable acidity of the wine was observed to show steady trend with time throughout the period of fermentation. This study showed that acceptable wine can be produced from mixed fruits pineapple and watermelon using yeasts especially Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from palm wine.
Frontline care in Irish intellectual disability services

The ongoing development of generic intellectual disability services in Ireland, driven by a policy of inclusion and normalization, has posed significant challenges to the interdisciplinary team, with the creation of new frontline carer roles not linked to any particular profession. It is within this context that attention has been focused on the appropriateness of nursing to frontline caring in intellectual disability service provision. The separation of caring and nursing posts that is now evident within many residential services suggests that decisions have already been made regarding the appropriateness of nursing within particular settings. These decisions have, however, been made in the absence of any real attempt to delineate the contribution of nursing to frontline caring in Ireland. This study is the first of its type in Ireland and seeks to set out the unique interventional contribution of nursing and non-nurse caring within frontline intellectual disability services.
Increase in Bcl‐2 phosphorylation and reduced levels of BH3‐only Bcl‐2 family proteins in kainic acid‐mediated neuronal death in the rat brain

Kainic acid induces excitotoxicity and nerve cell degeneration in vulnerable regions of rat brain, most markedly in hippocampus and amygdala. Part of the cell death following kainic acid is apoptotic as shown by caspase 3 activation and chromatin condensation. Here we have studied the regulation of pro‐ and anti‐apoptotic proteins belonging to the Bcl‐2 family in rat hippocampus and amygdala by kainic acid in relationship to ensuing neuronal death. The pro‐apoptotic protein Bax was up‐regulated in hippocampus 6 h after kainic acid administration. The increase in Bax was followed by the appearance of TdT‐mediated dUTP nick end labelling‐positive cells which were prominent at 24 h. Immunohistochemistry for active Bax revealed a punctated labelling of neurons in the CA3 and hilar regions of hippocampus as well as in amygdala. Double staining for NeuN, a marker for nerve cells, and TdT‐mediated dUTP nick end labelling showed that mainly neurons undergo degeneration after kainic acid treatment. In contrast to Bax, the pro‐apoptotic BH3‐only Bcl‐2 proteins Bim and Harakiri/DP5 were down‐regulated by kainic acid. This was also observed for the anti‐apoptotic proteins Bcl‐x and Bcl‐w. Immunoreactive Bcl‐2 was up‐regulated in hippocampus after kainic acid together with an increase in the phosphorylation of serine‐87 in Bcl‐2, suggesting a post‐transcriptional modification of the protein. This was confirmed using immunoprecipitation of total Bcl‐2 from hippocampus and amygdala which revealed an increase in serine‐87 phospho‐Bcl‐2 after kainic acid. Inhibition of the c‐jun N‐terminal protein kinase pathway reduced both serine‐87 phosphorylation and cell death after kainic acid. This indicates an important role of Bcl‐2 phosphorylation in controlling neuronal death after kainic acid. In contrast to the situation in trophic factor‐deprived neurons, no up‐regulation of Bim or Harakiri/DP5 proteins occurred after kainic acid, suggesting alternative pathways for regulation of cell death in excitotoxicity. The results indicate that not only the relative levels of Bcl‐2 family proteins but also conformation changes and post‐translational modifications contribute to neuronal death following kainic acid.
Measurement of Executive Function: Considerations for Detecting Adult Age Differences

This review considers the validity and suitability of neuropsychological and other tests of executive function for the detection of adult age differences in executive function. Executive function is typically assessed using tests which have been found to be sensitive to frontal lobe dysfunction because theory links executive function with the frontal lobes. However, any age-related decline in executive function is expected to be mild, or sub-clinical, compared to the deficits shown among those with frontal lesions. Therefore, in order to detect the type of mild executive dysfunction expected among older adults we need to employ tests sensitive enough to detect any age-related deficit, yet which are not too stressful or tiring for older adults to perform. This review discusses some commonly used neuropsychological tests of executive function as well as tests devised to assess theoretical aspects of executive function. Indications are given throughout as to which tests appear to be most suitable for detecting age differences in executive function.
Are the Current Treatment Strategies for Facial Nerve Schwannoma Appropriate Also for Complex Cases?

Objectives: To describe the decision-making strategies for complex facial nerve schwannomas (FNSs). Materials and Methods: Charts belonging to 103 consecutive patients with facial nerve tumors managed between 1990 and 2011 were examined retrospectively to identify complex FNSs. To be classified as complex, at least one of the following criteria had to be met: (1) FNS with large intraparotid tumor component and preoperative good facial nerve function (3 cases); (2) multiple-segment FNSs with extension to both the cerebellopontine angle and the middle cranial fossa in patients with preoperative good hearing (5 cases); (3) fast-growing FNS with preoperative good facial nerve function (4 cases), and (4) large FNS compressing the temporal lobe with preoperative normal facial nerve function (1 case). Results: Thirteen patients were classified as complex; 12 patients had total tumor removal with sural nerve grafting and 1 patient had partial tumor removal. Two patients with intratemporal-intraparotid FNS underwent a transmastoid-transparotid approach. One patient with a tumor extending from the geniculate ganglion to the parotid portion of the facial nerve underwent a combined middle fossa transmastoid-transparotid approach. A transcochlear approach with temporal craniotomy was performed in all the patients with multiple-segment FNS as well as in patients with fast-growing tumors extending both in the cerebellopontine angle and middle cranial fossa. A partial tumor removal through the middle fossa approach was performed in 1 patient with a large tumor compressing the temporal lobe. Conclusions: Therapeutic options for patients with FNS include surgical intervention, observation and radiotherapy. Nowadays, surgical resection with facial nerve repair is usually the standard management for patients with poor facial function (House-Brackmann grade III or worse). In patients presenting with normal or near-normal facial nerve function, initial observation with periodic examination and imaging is usually recommended. However, on rare occasions surgeons can be faced with a situation in which the management decision-making process is particularly challenging. In these complex cases treatment should be individualized. We recommend early surgical intervention regardless of the preoperative facial and hearing functions in the following cases: intratemporal FNSs extending with a large tumor component into the parotid, multiple-segment FNSs extending in both the cerebellopontine angle and the middle cranial fossa, fast-growing FNSs, and large FNSs with temporal lobe compression.
Isolation of Lipase Producing Fungi from Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Dump Sites at Nsukka

In this study, twelve fungal lipase producing strains belonging to Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma and Mucor genera were isolated from palm oil mill effluent composts. The Aspergillus spp. were more frequent (42%) and was present in all the samples assayed. Mucor sp. was the least encountered (8.3%). The lipase producing profile showed that Trichoderma (8.07-8.24 u/mL) and Aspergillus (6.25 -7.54 u/mL) spp. were the highest lipase producers while Mucor (5.72 u/mL) was the least.
Faster Linear Iterations for Distributed Averaging

Distributed averaging problems are a subclass of distributed consensus problems, which have received substantial attention from several research communities. Although many of the proposed algorithms are linear iterations, they vary both in structure and state dimension. In this paper, we investigate the performance benefits of adding extra states to distributed averaging iterations. We establish conditions for convergence and discuss possible ways of optimizing the convergence rates. By numerical examples, it is shown that the performance can be significantly increased by adding extra states. Finally, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for convergence of a more general version of distributed averaging iterations.
He‐Ne laser effects on blood microcirculation during wound healing: A method of in vivo study through laser Doppler flowmetry

Low‐intensity laser therapy (LILT) is widely used for wound healing promotion and its mechanism of action may be due to an enhancement of blood supply. The aim of this study was to evaluate blood flow alterations in a wound healing model, using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) associated with a normalized perfusion parameter.
Content Schemata, Linguistic Simplification, and EFL Readers' Comprehension and Recall.

This study investigated the effects of linguistic simplification and content schemata on reading comprehension and recall. The participants, 240 Iranian male students of English as a foreign language (EFL), were divided into 4 homogeneous groups, each consisting of 60 participants (30 with high proficiency and 30 with low proficiency). To elicit data, the study used 2 types of texts: content-familiar and content-unfamiliar. Each type appeared in 4 versions: original, syntactically simplified, lexically simplified, and syntacticallylexically simplified. Each participant group was tested on 1 of the linguistic versions of the content-familiar and content-unfamiliar texts. Data analyses showed a significant effect of the content and EFL proficiency, but not of the linguistic simplification, on reading comprehension and recall. The effect of the linguistic simplification on reading comprehension and recall is interpreted in the light of the interaction of content and linguistic simplification.
PATIENT SATISFACTION AND DISABILITY AFTER BRACHIAL PLEXUS SURGERY

OBJECTIVELittle is known about patient satisfaction and disability after brachial plexus surgery. Would patients undergo the procedure again, if they knew the current result beforehand? How do they rate their result and their disability? METHODSOf 319 plexus patients who had undergone surgery between 1995 and 2005, 199 received a 65-item questionnaire. Measurement instruments included a new plexus-specific outcome questionnaire (Ulm Questionnaire) with categories of satisfaction, functionality, pain, comorbidities, and work; and the disability of the arm, shoulder, and hand questionnaire (DASH; scale, 0–100). RESULTSOf 99 returned questionnaires, 70 were returned in a useful form for evaluation. The results of patients with C5–C6 lesions (21 of 70) are as follows: 90% (19 of 21) would undergo surgery again, 95% (20 of 21) were satisfied with the result, and 86% (18 of 21) subjectively improved. The mean DASH score was 41 (standard deviation [SD], 24). The results of patients with C5–C7 lesions (6 of 70) are as follows: 50% (3 of 6) were satisfied and would undergo surgery again, and 67% (4 of 6) improved. The mean DASH score was 46 (SD, 13). The results of patients with C5–T1 lesions (43 of 70) are as follows: 67% (29 of 43) would undergo surgery again, 81% (35 of 42) were satisfied, and 74% (32 of 43) reported improvement. The mean DASH score was 58 (SD, 26). The overall mean DASH score was 52 (SD, 26). Pain since the injury was prevalent in 86% of patients (60 of 70), back pain in 53%, and depression/anxiety in 21%. Fifty-two percent of those who worked before their injury (27 of 53 patients) remained unemployed or incapacitated for work. Forty-five percent of previous workers (24 of 53) returned to their former occupation. Occupational retraining was successful for 70% of patients (16 of 23). The mean duration until return to work was 9 months overall and 5 months for those who returned to their previous occupation. CONCLUSIONEighty-seven percent of patients were satisfied with the results and 83% would undergo the procedure again. Despite a high satisfaction rate, patients remained considerably disabled, and half of the previous workers did not return to work. Occupational retraining is effective.
Association between traumatic brain injury and risk of posttraumatic stress disorder in active-duty Marines.

IMPORTANCE Whether traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been difficult to determine because of the prevalence of comorbid conditions, overlapping symptoms, and cross-sectional samples. OBJECTIVE To examine the extent to which self-reported predeployment and deployment-related TBI confers increased risk of PTSD when accounting for combat intensity and predeployment mental health symptoms. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS As part of the prospective, longitudinal Marine Resiliency Study (June 2008 to May 2012), structured clinical interviews and self-report assessments were administered approximately 1 month before a 7-month deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan and again 3 to 6 months after deployment. The study was conducted at training areas on a Marine Corps base in southern California or at Veterans Affairs San Diego Medical Center. Participants for the final analytic sample were 1648 active-duty Marine and Navy servicemen who completed predeployment and postdeployment assessments. Reasons for exclusions were nondeployment (n = 34), missing data (n = 181), and rank of noncommissioned and commissioned officers (n = 66). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was the total score on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) 3 months after deployment. RESULTS At the predeployment assessment, 56.8% of the participants reported prior TBI; at postdeployment assessment, 19.8% reported sustaining TBI between predeployment and postdeployment assessments (ie, deployment-related TBI). Approximately 87.2% of deployment-related TBIs were mild; 250 of 287 participants (87.1%) who reported posttraumatic amnesia reported less than 24 hours of posttraumatic amnesia (37 reported ≥ 24 hours), and 111 of 117 of those who lost consciousness (94.9%) reported less than 30 minutes of unconsciousness. Predeployment CAPS score and combat intensity score raised predicted 3-month postdeployment CAPS scores by factors of 1.02 (P < .001; 95% CI, 1.02-1.02) and 1.02 (P < .001; 95% CI, 1.01-1.02) per unit increase, respectively. Deployment-related mild TBI raised predicted CAPS scores by a factor of 1.23 (P < .001; 95% CI, 1.11-1.36), and moderate/severe TBI raised predicted scores by a factor of 1.71 (P < .001; 95% CI, 1.37-2.12). Probability of PTSD was highest for participants with severe predeployment symptoms, high combat intensity, and deployment-related TBI. Traumatic brain injury doubled or nearly doubled the PTSD rates for participants with less severe predeployment PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Even when accounting for predeployment symptoms, prior TBI, and combat intensity, TBI during the most recent deployment is the strongest predictor of postdeployment PTSD symptoms.
Screening for impulse control symptoms in patients with de novo Parkinson disease

Objective: To determine the frequency and correlates of impulse control and related behavior symptoms in patients with de novo, untreated Parkinson disease (PD) and healthy controls (HCs). Methods: The Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative is an international, multisite, case-control clinical study conducted at 21 academic movement disorders centers. Participants were recently diagnosed, untreated PD patients (n = 168) and HCs (n = 143). The outcome measures were presence of current impulse control and related behavior symptoms based on recommended cutoff points for the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease (QUIP)-Short Form. Results: There were 311 participants with complete QUIP data. Frequencies of impulse control and related behavior symptoms for patients with PD vs HCs were as follows: gambling (1.2% vs 0.7%), buying (3.0% vs 2.1%), sexual behavior (4.2% vs 3.5%), eating (7.1% vs 10.5%), punding (4.8% vs 2.1%), hobbyism (5.4% vs 11.9%), walkabout (0.6% vs 0.7%), and any impulse control or related behavior (18.5% vs 20.3%). In multivariable models, a diagnosis of PD was not associated with symptoms of any impulse control or related behavior (p ≥ 0.10 in all cases). Conclusions: PD itself does not seem to confer an increased risk for development of impulse control or related behavior symptoms, which further reinforces the reported association between PD medications and impulse control disorders in PD. Given that approximately 20% of patients with newly diagnosed PD report some impulse control or related behavior symptoms, long-term follow-up is needed to determine whether such patients are at increased risk for impulse control disorder development once PD medications are initiated.