Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Passive UHF RFID Packaging With Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) Material for Metallic Objects Tracking

Passive ultrahigh frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) is a promising technology for products tracking in logistics or routing packages in supply chain. However, passive UHF RFID tag's performance degrades a lot when it is placed near metal plane or water surface. Many designs like microstrip antenna and ferrite material antenna have been used to solve this metal–water problem. But their usage is limited by narrow bandwidth and low antenna gain. The electromagnetic band gap (EBG) material which exhibits a unique forbidden band gap at certain frequency offers a potential solution to solve this metal–water problem. In this paper, we disclosed a new method using EBG material to insulate the UHF RFID tag from backside objects, so that the tag could still work on metallic surface. The design of EBG material for UHF RFID which operates at 915 MHz under federal communications commission regulation was discussed in this paper. The simulation results showed that the EBG RFID tag can be read on metal. The measurement results indicated that the read range of RFID tag with EBG substrate is up to 9 m on metal surface.
Regulation of Starch Synthesis in the Bundle Sheath and Mesophyll of Zea mays L. : Intercellular Compartmentalization of Enzymes of Starch Metabolism and the Properties of the ADPglucose Pyrophosphorylases.

The intercellular localization of enzymes involved in starch metabolism and the kinetic properties of ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase were studied in mesophyll protoplasts and bundle sheath strands separated by cellulase digestion of Zea mays L. leaves. Activities of starch synthase, branching enzyme, and ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase were higher in the bundle sheath, whereas the degradative enzymes, starch phosphorylase, and amylase were more evenly distributed and slightly higher in the mesophyll. ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase partially purified from the mesophyll and bundle sheath showed similar apparent affinities for Mg(2+), ATP, and glucose-1-phosphate. The pH optimum of the bundle sheath enzyme (7.0-7.8) was lower than that of the mesophyll enzyme (7.8-8.2). The bundle sheath enzyme showed greater activation by 3-phosphoglycerate than did the mesophyll enzyme, and also showed somewhat higher apparent affinity for 3-phosphoglycerate and lower apparent affinity for the inhibitor, orthophosphate. The observed activities of starch metabolism pathway enzymes and the allosteric properties of the ADPglucose pyrophosphorylases appear to favor the synthesis of starch in the bundle sheath while restricting it in the mesophyll.
Relationships between sex, early valve surgery and mortality in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis analysed in a population-based cohort study

Objective Whether sex-related differences in the prognosis of infective endocarditis (IE) are due to differences in disease severity or comorbid patterns, physiological specificities or a treatment indication bias is unclear. We conducted an analysis of the pooled database of two population-based cohorts of IE to reassess the relationships between sex, early valve surgery (EVS) and outcome in patients with IE. Methods Demographic and baseline characteristics, complications and outcome were compared in men and women with Duke-definite left-sided IE. A propensity model for EVS was constructed using multivariate logistic regression. Factors associated with 1-year mortality were identified using multivariate Cox models adjusted for EVS factors. Results The study population included 466 (75%) men and 154 (25%) women. Compared with men, women were older (p=0.005), were more often on haemodialysis (p=0.04), more often had a mitral valve IE (50.0% vs 35.8%, p=0.02), less often developed a septic shock (p=0.05), less often underwent EVS (p=0.001) yet had comparable inhospital mortality rates (20.1% vs 20.0%, p=0.96) and similar 1-year survival probability (logrank p=0.68). Female sex was neither associated with EVS (OR 0.76 (95% CI 0.49 to 1.16)) nor mortality (HR 1.17 (95% CI 0.80 to 1.69)). However EVS was associated with an increased risk of death in women in the early postoperative period (HR 8.72 (95% CI 3.42 to 22.24), p=<0.0001). Conclusions Women underwent EVS less often than men. However female sex was independently associated with neither EVS nor 1-year mortality. The reasons for a higher risk of early postoperative mortality in women must still be elucidated.
Male gender is a risk factor for major infections after surgery.

BACKGROUND Accumulating clinical and epidemiological evidence suggests significant gender differences in the incidence of and outcome following major infection. In a rodent model of hemorrhagic shock, investigators have shown that males manifest depressed cell-mediated immunity that is reversed by castration or pharmacologic testosterone receptor blockade. Female rats, in contrast, show enhanced immune function that is reduced to male levels by testosterone administration. This sexual dimorphism is believed responsible for the improved outcome in female mice following septic challenge. HYPOTHESIS Male gender is a risk factor for major infections following severe injury. DESIGN Five-year prospective cohort study ending October 1998. SETTING Urban level I regional trauma center. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 545 trauma patients older than 15 years with an Injury Severity Score greater than 15 and survival more than 48 hours were prospectively identified and studied. Collected data included age, injury mechanism, and Injury Severity Score. Major infections, defined as pneumonia, abdominal and pelvic abscess, wound infection requiring operative debridement, and meningitis, were tabulated. The occurrence of major infections in males and females was compared using multiple logistic regression analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Postinjury major infectious complications. RESULTS Of the 545 patients, 135 (24.8%) were female and 410 (75.2%) were male. Major infections occurred in 219 (40.2%) patients. Logistic regression confirmed that male gender is an independent risk factor for major infections (P=.04) after controlling for age and Injury Severity Score. Males had a 58% greater risk of developing a major infection (odds ratio, 1.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-2.48). CONCLUSIONS Male gender is associated with a dramatically increased risk of major infections following trauma. This effect is most significant following injuries of moderate severity (Injury Severity Score 16-25) and persists in all age groups.
Systematic overview of neuroanatomical differences in ADHD: Definitive evidence

ABSTRACT Objectives: This article seeks to identify neuroanatomical differences in ADHD through an overview of systematic reviews that report encephalic differences compared to a control group in volume, area, activation likelihood or chemical composition. Methods: We conducted a systematic search using Cochrane guidelines and PRISMA criteria in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. Results: Results revealed broad encephalic involvement that includes a functional frontal and cingulate hypoactivation and structural differences in corpus callosum, cerebellum and basal nuclei. Conclusions: ADHD symptoms might be due to a multi-network unbalanced functioning hypothesis.
Cadence patterns and peak cadence in US children and adolescents: NHANES, 2005-2006.

UNLABELLED Cadence (steps per minute) is one of the temporal-spatial parameters of walking gait, is related to intensity, and can be used to identify patterns of ambulatory behavior in free living by tracking time spent at incrementally higher cadences. In addition, peak cadence, a simple indicator of best natural ambulatory effort, can be captured. Such indicators have been used to study adult ambulatory behavior in a representative sample, but similar analyses for children and adolescents are limited to a single small and select sample. PURPOSE The study's purpose was to describe in children and adolescents 1) free-living cadence patterns (i.e., time spent at incrementally higher cadence bands) and 2) peak cadence indicators (i.e., peak 60 min, peak 30 min, and peak 1 min) by sex, age, and body mass index. METHODS Cadence patterns and peak cadence were derived from 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey accelerometer data representing 2610 children and adolescents (1281 boys and 1329 girls, age 6-19 yr). Data were described by sex, age group (6-11, 12-15, and 16-19 yr), and body mass index-defined weight status (normal, overweight, obese). RESULTS On average, US children and adolescents spent =/~4 h · d(-1) at zero cadence during wearing time, =/~8.9 h · d(-1) between 1 and 59 steps per minute, =/~22 min · d(-1) at cadences of 60-79 steps per minute, =/~13 min at 80-99 steps per minute, =/~9 min at 100-119 steps per minute, and =/~3 min at cadences ≥ 120 steps per minute. Peak 60-min, 30-min, and 1-min cadences were 72, 85, and 118 steps per minute, respectively. CONCLUSIONS US children and adolescents seem to spend relatively few minutes in daily life engaged in activities that elicit step accumulation patterns indicative of normal walking speeds, let alone those associated with higher intensity activities.
Clinical application of a custom AmpliSeq library and ion torrent PGM sequencing to comprehensive mutation screening for deafness genes.

BACKGROUND Congenital hearing loss is one of the most common sensory disorders, with 50-70% of cases attributable to genetic causes. Although recent advances in the identification of deafness genes have resulted in more accurate molecular diagnosis, leading to the better determination of suitable clinical interventions, difficulties remain with regard to clinical applications due to the extreme genetic heterogeneity of deafness. AIM Toward more effective genetic testing, we adopted Massively Parallel DNA Sequencing (MPS) of target genes using an Ion PGM™ system and an Ion AmpliSeq™ panel to diagnose common mutations responsible for deafness and discover rare causative gene mutations. Before its clinical application, we investigated the accuracy of MPS-based genetic testing. RESULTS We compared the results of Invader assay-based genetic screening, the accuracy of which has already been verified in previous studies, with those of MPS-based genetic testing for a large population of Japanese deafness patients and revealed that over 99.98% of the results were the same for each genetic testing system. CONCLUSION The Ion Personal Genome Machine system had sufficient uniformity and accuracy for application to the clinical diagnosis of common causative mutations and efficiently identified rare causative mutations and/or mutation candidates.
Unplanned prolonged postanaesthesia care unit length of stay and factors affecting it.

OBJECTIVE To identify the factors that prolong the length of stay inthe post anaesthesia care unit (PACU). METHODS This audit was conducted in the PACU of a university hospital. A special form was designed and filled for those patients who stayed unplanned in the PACU for more than two hours. All patients who were admitted to the PACU after surgery were included. Patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery, those directly shifted to ICU and cases done under local anaesthesia were excluded. Data was collected for 20 months by a designated recovery nurse for all included patients including those admitted outside the scheduled surgery hours. RESULTS The total number of patients who were admitted to the PACU during the audit period were 13644, out of these 1114 (8.1%) stayed in the PACU for more than 2 hours. The percentage of overstay patients on monthly basis ranged from 6.4% to 10%. The commonest reason was the need for postoperative monitoring 578 (51.8%), unavailability of beds in the special care areas 264 (23.7%), pain management 68 (6.1%) and 61 (5.4 %) for postoperative ventilation. CONCLUSION Our results show that majority of patients stayed in the PACU for more than two hours either because they needed postoperative monitoring or because of unavailability of bed in the special care areas.
Associations of dietary dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables and fruits with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: modification by smoking

Smoking has been positively and fruit and vegetable intake has been negatively associated with cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women worldwide. However, a lower consumption of fruits and reduced serum carotenoids have been observed among smokers. It is not known whether the smoking effect on the risk of cervical neoplasia is modified by a low intake of fruits and vegetables. The present study examined the combined effects of tobacco smoking and diet using a validated FFQ and serum carotenoid and tocopherol levels on cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3) risk in a hospital-based case–control study conducted in São Paulo, Brazil, between 2003 and 2005. The sample comprised 231 incident, histologically confirmed cases of CIN3 and 453 controls. A low intake ( ≤ 39 g) of dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables and fruits without tobacco smoking had a lesser effect on CIN3 (OR 1·14; 95 % CI 0·49, 2·65) than among smokers with higher intake ( ≥ 40 g; OR 1·83; 95 % CI 0·73, 4·62) after adjusting for confounders. The OR for the joint exposure of tobacco smoking and low intake of vegetables and fruits was greater (3·86; 95 % CI 1·74, 8·57; P for trend < 0·001) compared with non-smokers with higher intake after adjusting for confounding variables and human papillomavirus status. Similar results were observed for total fruit, serum total carotene (including β-, α- and γ-carotene) and tocopherols. These findings suggest that the effect of nutritional factors on CIN3 is modified by smoking.
Detection of Ophiocordyceps sinensis and Its Common Adulterates Using Species-Specific Primers

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a fungus that infects Hepialidae caterpillars, mummifying the larvae and producing characteristic fruiting bodies (stromata) that are processed into one of the most valued traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). The product commands a very high price due to a high demand but a very limited supply. Adulteration with other fungi is a common problem and there is a need to test preparation for the presence of the correct fungus. In the current study, a PCR-based approach for the identification of O. sinensis based on a segment of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was developed. The segments is 146-bp in size and is likely to be amplified even in materials where processing led to DNA fragmentation. Primer development was based on the alignment of sequence data generated from a total of 89 samples of O. sinensis and potential adulterants as well as sequences date from 41 Ophiocordyceps species and 26 Cordyceps species available in GenBank. Tests with primer pair, DCF4/DCR4, demonstrated generation of an amplicon from DNA extracted from O. sinensis stromata, but not from extracts derived from adulterants. Species-specific primer pairs were also developed and tested for detection of the common adulterants, Cordyceps gunnii, Cordyceps cicadae, Cordyceps militaris, Cordyceps liangshanensis and Ophiocordyceps nutans. The collection of primers developed in the present study will be useful for the authentication of preparation claiming to only contain O. sinensis and for the detection of fungi used as adulterants in these preparations.
Comparison of leafy kale populations from Italy, Portugal, and Turkey for their bioactive compound content: phenolics, glucosinolates, carotenoids, and chlorophylls.

BACKGROUND Kales are primitive leafy Brassica oleracea L. forms, widespread in local farming systems of several European countries and employed in the preparation of traditional recipes. Kales are also potential sources of healthy bioactive phytochemical components. The present study compared the bioactive compound content of kale populations from Italy, Portugal, and Turkey, either from local sources or grown in an experimental field. RESULTS Total phenolics, glucosinolates (GLS), carotenoids, and chlorophylls were in the ranges 8310-38 110, 755-8580, 135-2354, and 1740-16,924 mg kg(-1) dry matter, respectively. On average, locally harvested samples showed a total GLS content about twice as high as populations from the experiment. Conversely, pigments were significantly more abundant in experimental than in local kales, owing to the higher soil fertility. Portuguese samples showed higher phenolic and GLS amounts than Italian and Turkish kales, whereas some of the Italian samples were the richest in carotenoids. CONCLUSION This paper represented the first cross-country comparison of local kale accessions with respect to bioactive compound amounts. Both geographic origin and growing environment appeared to be remarkable and discriminating factors in determining bioactive levels in leafy kales, with possible effects on their health-promoting and sensorial attributes.
Application of Predictive Current Control Based Multi-Pulse Flexible-Topology Thyristor Rectifier in Off-Board Battery Charger for Electric Vehicle

As off-board battery charger for electric vehicles (EVs) has little limitations of weight, volume and power capacity, this paper introduces a new architecture for off-board battery charger. It is based on multi-pulse flexible-topology thyristor rectifier, which operates in series or parallel mode via flexible-topology switching, according to battery voltage. By flexible-topology operation, the proposed mPFTTR-based battery charger is adapted to charge battery pack with different voltages and power. Fast current response is achieved by the predictive current control strategy which enables fast charging. Simulation and experimental results are presented to demonstrate the validity of the mPFTTR-based off-board unidirectional battery charger.
PLASMA ADRENALINE, NORADRENALINE AND DOPAMINE IN PREGNANCY HYPERTENSION

The resting plasma adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine were measured in nine hypertensive women and seven normotensive women in the third trimester of pregnancy on two successive days. The mean plasma adrenaline concentrations on the two days in the hypertensive women (442 and 298 pg/ml) were significantly higher than in the normotensive women (43·9 and 61·6 pg/ml). The mean plasma noradrenaline concentrations in the hypertensive women (232 and 274 pg/ml) were higher than in the normotensive women (48 and 110 pg/ml) and the difference was significant on Day 1 but not Day 2. The mean plasma dopamine concentrations in the hypertensive women (98·6 and 62·1 pg/ml) were higher than in the normotensive women (23·2 and 26·0 pg/ml) and the difference was significant on Day 1 but not Day 2. The plasma adrenaline/noradrenaline ratios were significantly increased in the hypertensive compared with the normotensive women on both days. It is suggested that sympathetic nervous system activity may be increased in some women with hypertension in pregnancy.
Combinations of starch and digestible fiber in supplements for steers consuming a low-quality bromegrass hay diet.

Five steers (690 kg) with ruminal and duodenal cannulas were fed 100% bromegrass hay or 60% bromegrass hay:40% concentrate at 90% of their ad libitum DMI. The concentrate consisted of ground corn (GC) and(or) soybean hulls (SBH): 1) 100% SBH; 2) 66% SBH/33% GC; 3) 33% SBH/66% GC; or 4) 100% GC. Increasing level of corn inclusion decreased (linear, P < .01) DM and OM digestion (corrected for microbial DM and OM flow) in the rumen. Neutral detergent fiber digestion decreased in the rumen (quadratic, P = .05) and total tract (linear, P = .06) with increasing level of corn. Ruminal NDF digestion (quadratic, P = .05) and duodenal microbial N flow (quadratic, P < .01) were greatest for 66% SBH/33% GC, whereas total N flow to the duodenum was similar (P > .10) among treatments. Microbial efficiency increased (quadratic, P = .10) as the level of corn inclusion increased. Molar percentage of ruminal acetate decreased (linear, P < .01) with increasing level of corn, whereas molar percentage of butyrate increased (linear, P < .10). Carboxymethylcellulase activity was greatest (quadratic, P = .08) for 66% SBH/33% GC and paralleled NDF digestion in the rumen. Increasing level of corn decreased (linear, P < .07) in situ DM digestibility of SBH after 4, 8, and 12 h of incubation.
Insights into the mechanisms underlying colonic motor patterns

In recent years there have been significant technical and methodological advances in our ability to record the movements of the gastrointestinal tract. This has led to significant changes in our understanding of the different types of motor patterns that exist in the gastrointestinal tract (particularly the large intestine) and in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying their generation. Compared with other tubular smooth muscle organs, a rich variety of motor patterns occurs in the large intestine. This reflects a relatively autonomous nervous system in the gut wall, which has its own unique population of sensory neurons. Although the enteric nervous system can function independently of central neural inputs, under physiological conditions bowel motility is influenced by the CNS: if spinal pathways are disrupted, deficits in motility occur. The combination of high resolution manometry and video imaging has improved our knowledge of the range of motor patterns and provided some insight into the neural and mechanical factors underlying propulsion of contents. The neural circuits responsible for the generation of peristalsis and colonic migrating motor complexes have now been identified to lie within the myenteric plexus and do not require inputs from the mucosa or submucosal ganglia for their generation, but can be modified by their activity. This review will discuss the recent advances in our understanding of the different patterns of propagating motor activity in the large intestine of mammals and how latest technologies have led to major changes in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying their generation.
Roles and Coping Strategies of Sons Caring for a Parent With Dementia.

OBJECTIVE Little is known about sons' roles in caring for a parent with dementia. To ensure that interventions and practices appropriately match sons' needs, we investigated their experiences. METHOD A qualitative descriptive approach was used; 20 sons of a parent with dementia participated in semistructured interviews. RESULTS Participants reported varied paths to becoming a caregiver, primarily undertaking a care management role and managing by using their own occupational experiences and receiving support from other family members, peers, and private and public community services. They experienced negative consequences such as participation restriction and stress and positive consequences such as feelings of satisfaction. Strategies used to cope included boundary setting and practicing self-care. CONCLUSION This study highlights the need to consider sons' role as care managers for their parent with dementia in community-based settings, as well as their need for education and intervention. Occupational therapy practitioners can use this information to inform their practices and support clients and their families.