Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultra wideband signal propagation in desktop environments

Although ultra wideband (UWB) propagation in indoor environments has been intensively studied, there have, as far we know, been no published studies of UWB propagation in desktop environments, where wireless personal area networks are expected to be most commonly employed. Short-range propagation measurements were carried out using UWB and continuous wave (CW) signals on a rectangular metal plate simulating typical desks with and without a low vertical metal partition panels. The frequency of the UWB signal spanned from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz and that of the CW signal was 6.85 GHz. A vector network analyzer and two omnidirectional UWB antennas were used to obtain frequency-domain response of the propagation paths. With the partition panel, the CW reception level showed approximately a 36-dB spatial variation, induced by the interference between the direct and the reflected waves, but the UWB reception level had no particular plunges. We also measured the additional losses when the propagation paths were blocked with a human arm and when the antenna was covered with a human palm. These losses were found to be 10 to 12 dB caused by an arm; and 6 to 7 dB caused by a palm.
Estimate of population coverage with the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to screen for prostate cancer in a metropolitan area of northern Italy

The use of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test in the period 1999–2000 in a population of 311 822 men, aged 40 years or more, resident in Milan, Italy, was examined. Data were drawn from the outpatient database of the local health information system. A total of 139 350 PSA tests were used in 83 943 subjects. Overall, 26.9% of the male population aged 40 or older, with no history of prostate cancer, received a PSA test in the 2 year study period. For subjects older than 50 the rate rose to 34%. Results show a high coverage of the male population in northern Italy with screening using the PSA test for prostate cancer.
Shifts in Online Consumer Behavior: A Preliminary Investigation of the Net Generation

The main purpose of this study is to examine the factors affecting the online shopping behavior of Net-generation comparing with pre Net-generation. To do so, the research develops a research model including nine independent variables that are hypothesized to predict the intention of purchase using the online shopping context and Net-geners' characteristics. The partial least squares method of structural equation modeling was used to analyze 293 Net-geners and 246 preNet-geners. The results of the study show that the six online purchase determinants (product variety, feedback, responsiveness, personalization, acceptance of complaints, and enjoyment) are more important for Net-geners than for preNet-geners. This study contributes to the understanding of online purchasing behavior of the Net generation (Net-geners) and will help to envision new strategies for marketing to Net-geners. Previous research has focused on shifts in technology and overlooks the shift of consumer demographics as the Net-geners are the first to grow up surrounded by digital media and the Internet.
Impact of an Infection Control Program on the Prevalence of Nosocomial Infections at a Tertiary Care Center in Switzerland

Objective. To study the impact of a multimodal infection control program on the rate of nosocomial infections at a 550-bed tertiary care center. Methods. Before and after the implementation of an infection control program, the rate of nosocomial infection was recorded in time-interval prevalence studies. Hand hygiene compliance was studied before and after the intervention. As a surrogate marker of compliance, the amount of alcohol-based hand rub consumed before the intervention was compared with the amount consumed after the intervention. The intervention included additional staff for infection control, repeated instructions for hand hygiene, new guidelines for preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, and isolation of patients infected or colonized with multidrug-resistant bacteria. Results. The rate of nosocomial infection decreased from approximately 11.7% to 6.8% in 2 years. The rate of hand hygiene compliance increased by 20.0%; it was 59.0% before the intervention and increased to 79.0% afterward. These results correlate with data on the consumption of alcohol-based hand rub, but not with data on the use of antibiotics. Conclusion. Within 2 years, a multimodal infection control program intervention such as this one may reduce the rate of nosocomial infection at a tertiary care center by more than one-third and improve both the quality of care and patient outcomes. It may also generate considerable savings. Therefore, such programs should be promoted not only by hospital epidemiologists but also by hospital administrators.
Requirement for Runx Proteins in IgA Class Switching Acting Downstream of TGF-β1 and Retinoic Acid Signaling

IgA is a specific isotype required for mucosal immunity and is the most abundant Ab produced in vivo. Recently, several inductive signals for IgA class switch recombination have been identified; however, the molecular details of the action of these signals and the specific factors acting in B cells remain elusive. In this study, we show that combination of retinoic acid (RA) and TGF-β1 with other factors induced a much higher frequency of IgA-switched cells than reported previously. In addition, IgA production is severely impaired in Runx2-Runx3 double-deficient mice. In Runx2-Runx3–deficient B cells, both RA- and TGF-β1–dependent inductions of α germline transcription are completely blocked. These data suggest that Runx proteins play an essential role in IgA class switching acting downstream of RA and TGF-β1 signaling.
Rotating-Sliding-Line-Based Sliding-Mode Control for Single-Phase UPS Inverters

A new method to the sliding-mode control of single-phase uninterruptible-power-supply inverters is introduced. The main idea behind this new method is to utilize a time-varying slope in the sliding surface function. It is shown that the sliding line with the time-varying slope can be rotated in the phase plane in such a direction that the tracking time of the output voltage is improved during load variations. The adjustment of the time-varying slope is achieved dynamically by employing a simple function which involves the error variables of the system. This function is obtained from the input/output relationship of the single-input fuzzy logic controller operating on the error variables. When a newly computed slope value is applied to the system, the position of the representative point is changed so as to achieve the desired response. The performance of the proposed control method has been tested through computer simulations and experiments using a triac-controlled resistive load and a diode bridge rectifier load. The results of the proposed method are compared with a classical sliding mode controller and a standard controller. It has been shown that the proposed method is capable of shortening the tracking and sliding times, resulting in a smaller total harmonic distortion in the output voltage.
PENERAPAN GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, WHISTLEBLOWING SYSTEM DAN RISIKO SANKSI PAJAK TERHADAP KEPATUHAN WAJIB PAJAK DI KABUPATEN SLEMAN

Tax compliance still needs to be improved by encouraging the implementation of transparent taxation, namely the transparency of tax management in all areas, both administrative and management of the use of funds derived from tax revenue. The real effort that must be done to implement the transparency is through the bureaucracy reform movement in the service system and tax administration that is through the implementation and implementation of Good Governance. Good governance is a well-executed organizational governance, by carrying out the principles of openness, justice and accountability in order to achieve the goals of the organization. The problems that will be studied by the researcher is a social and dynamic problem. Therefore, the researcher chooses to use quantitative research method to determine how to find, collect, process and analyze the data of the research result, so that this research is expected to give input for the need of strengthening of harmony between Good Corporate Governance and Whistleblowing System and the need to create system or policies and operational procedures of taxation sanction risk required for tax compliance implementation. The results showed that there is influence between the implementation of Good Corporate Governance to tax compliance, there is influence between Whistleblowing System on tax compliance, there is influence between Taxation Sanction on tax compliance. Key Word : Good Corporate Governance, Whistleblowing System, Taxation Sanctions and Tax Compliance.
Excitation forcee et controle actif pour la mesure des forces fluide-elastiques

L'action d'un fluide en ecoulement sur un faisceau de tubes est communement decomposee en une excitation aleatoire turbulente et une excitation fluide-elastique. Les forces fluide-elastiques, qui sont couplees au mouvement des tubes, peuvent etre determinees experimentalement a partir d'une analyse de la reponse vibratoire de la structure excitee par les forces turbulentes. Pour de faibles vitesses d'ecoulement, l'excitation turbulente peut etre insuffisante pour faire vibrer significativement le tube et pour autoriser une analyse vibratoire correcte. A l'inverse, la structure peut devenir instable pour de fortes vitesses d'ecoulement : les forces fluide-elastiques font chuter l'amortissement du systeme fluide-structure vers zero. Deux methodes experimentales sont proposees ici afin d'etendre la plage de vitesses d'ecoulement exploree. Une force d'excitation additionnelle permet d'augmenter le niveau vibratoire d'un tube pour ameliorer le rapport signal sur bruit a basses vitesses. Lorsque le tube est soumis au phenomene d'instabilite fluide-elastique, un apport artificiel d'amortissement par controle actif permet de le stabiliser. Les methodes sont mises en uvre sur un tube flexible insere dans un faisceau de tubes rigides en ecoulements transverses en eau et en eau-air. Deux technologies d'actionneurs sont utilisees : un excitateur electromagnetique et des actionneurs piezo-electriques. La methode par excitation additionnelle permet de montrer que les forces fluide-elastiques restent negligeables a faibles vitesses en ecoulement monophasique. La methode par controle actif permet de realiser des essais au-dela de l'instabilite fluide-elastique. En diphasique, un phenomene de stabilisation de la structure est alors observe pour les faibles taux de vide. Les nouveaux resultats sont analyses par rapport aux resultats de la litterature en termes de couplage fluide-elastique et d'excitation turbulente.
A review of the empirical literature combining economic and environmental performance data at the micro-level

This article reviews the empirical literature combining economic and environmental performance data at the micro-level, i.e. firm- or facility-level. The literature has generally found a positive and statistically significant correlation between economic performance, as measured by stock market returns, and environmental performance, as measured by emissions of pollutants or adoption of international environmental standards. The main reason for this finding seems to be that firms that reduce their material and energy costs experience both better economic performance and lower emissions. There is also evidence that greener firms are able to attract more productive employees and face smaller costs of capital, and that the introduction of green products enhances firms’ profitability. Only a small and recent literature analyses the joint causal impact of environmental regulations on environmental and economic performance. Interestingly, this literature shows that environmental regulations tend to improve environmental performance while not weakening economic performance. However, the evidence so far is limited to a handful of environmental regulations that are not extremely stringent, so the result cannot be easily generalized. More research is needed to assess the joint effects of environmental regulations on environmental and economic performance, to explore the heterogeneity of these effects across sectors, countries and types of policies, and to understand which policy designs allow improving environmental quality while not altering the economic performance of regulated businesses.
Young millennials, environmental orientation, food company sustainability, and green word-of-mouth recommendations

ABSTRACT Threats loom for the global food supply. Food companies are taking action, yet consumer awareness lags. A sustainability materiality (SM) index was created that asked young millennials if issues related to a food company’s environmental footprint, ethical governance, community engagement, and nutrition-related actions influenced their product purchasing decisions. In comparison to their peers, those who held new ecological paradigm-related values were more likely to report that the SM index issues influenced their purchasing decisions. They offered more green word-of-mouth (WOM) recommendations to their friends. Regardless of their environmental orientation, those who purchase products consistent with the SM index are more likely to provide green WOM recommendations. Purchasing products consistent with SM index issues mediated the relationship between proenvironmental orientation and green WOM recommendations. Perceived personal ability was unrelated to green WOM recommendations. Educating and enlisting young consumers to offer green WOM recommendations will increasingly become a strategic business concern.
Trends and operators of instrumental vaginal deliveries in Jos, Nigeria: A 7‑year study (1997–2003)

Context: Instrumental vaginal delivery is one of the lifesaving functions of emergency obstetric care to reduce perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Objective: To determine the instrumental vaginal delivery rate, the trends, and the status of their operators in Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria (JUTH) over a 7‑year period (1997–2003). Study Design: A 7‑year cross‑sectional study of obstetric service data from 1 st January 1997 to 31 st December 2003. Patients and Methods: A register was kept for all cases of instrumental deliveries at JUTH from 1 st January 1997 to 31 st December 2003. This register with the patient case notes and neonatal ward records was used to conduct this study. Results: During the study period, there were a total of 17,888 deliveries and 349 instrumental vaginal deliveries, giving a rate of 1.95%. Out of these, 238 (68.2%) were vacuum extraction and 111 (31.8%) were forceps delivery. There was a 67% decline in the use of these instruments from 84 (3.18%) in 1997 to 34 (1.05%) in 2003. Majority 313 (90%) of the procedures were performed by residents (Registrars 49%, Senior Registrars 41%). Consultants performed 10%, and all were in the first four years of the study. Forceps delivery rate 0.62% and vacuum delivery rate was 1.33%. There was a strong negative correlation with the performance of IVD in JUTH. At the current trend, no forceps delivery ( R = −0.93008) will be performed in JUTH in 2005 while only 4 vacuum deliveries ( R = −0.80015) will be conducted in in the same period. Discussion: There is a low instrumental vaginal delivery rate in JUTH with a strong negative correlation in the performance of these procedures. Most procedures are performed by residents, and vacuum is the preferred procedure. Conclusions: Instrumental vaginal delivery in JUTH is a dying art. Training and re‑training of resident doctors on this lifesaving function is recommended. Keywords: Instrumental vaginal delivery; Jos; Nigeria
Residue-based interpretation of toxicity and bioconcentration QSARs from aquatic bioassays: polar narcotic organics.

Bioconcentration and toxicity estimation for a group of substituted phenols often categorized as "polar narcotics" can be confounded by pH-dependent ionization. Two methods of correction for ionization were applied to toxicity data obtained by U.S. EPA-Duluth for fathead minnows exposed to 30 different phenols in 37 bioassays. Toxicity QSARs with corrected data were substantially different from those obtained with raw toxicity data. When ionization-corrected toxicity data were used in the critical body residue (CBR) estimation process previously successful with neutral narcotic organics, several categories of CBR, apparently related to different modes of toxic action, resulted. Published data on lethal CBR for substituted phenols were in general agreement, although such information is limited. Elimination half-life rate constants, estimated from nonlinear curve fitting to time-toxicity information, were relatively constant for the Duluth bioassay data, averaging 0.3 days. Half-life information for small aquatic organisms, both from toxicity- and bioconcentration-based tests in the literature, was in a similar range. Much of the relatively high variability encountered experimental data for substituted phenols may in large part be due to differences in metabolic degradation between chemicals and species.
Omni-channel service failures and recoveries: refined typologies using Facebook complaints

Purpose This paper aims to present two updated typologies of service failures and recoveries in the omni-channel context. These typologies are based on customer complaints and recoveries collected from the corporate Facebook pages of four omni-channel department stores, two operating in Australia and two in the UK. Design/methodology/approach A document review is used of 400 customer complaints and recoveries. Content analysis is used to condense the Facebook data into categories of failures and recoveries. Findings Customer complaints on Facebook were triggered by a multitude of varying failures in the omni-channel context, given that it is the service brand that customers are experiencing, not just retail channels. The most prevalent failures were “bricks and mortar” shopping, delivery, marketing activities including communications and pricing, quality of goods and customer service. For service recoveries on Facebook, the four-dimensional justice framework appears valid. Research limitations/implications Study limitations include potentially missing details about the nature of the service failures and recoveries, including customer satisfaction with service recovery. Practical implications The typologies offer guidance to omni-channel retailers by showing the range of online and offline situations, including those unrelated to actual transactions that trigger customer complaints on Facebook and the tactics of recovering. Originality/value The authors contribute to the service domain by updating failure and recovery typologies to reflect the emerging omni-channel context, jointly exploring failures and recoveries on Facebook and applying a four-dimensional justice framework for recoveries on Facebook.
The Strategic Responses from Sophisticated Investors to Inaccurate Forecast of Financial Analysts

We examine whether there are more information based trading activities that are generated around the time of earnings announcements. We distinguish between the influence of information based traders, especially short sellers, and market information quality through the reaction of participants to new information derived from corporate earnings announcements. We find that informed traders do take advantage of overpriced stocks, and do short stocks before the confirmation of past expectations of future cash flows from corporates. We apply Standardized Unexpected Earnings (SUE) in the method and our result indicates that informed traders are more likely to take advantage of overpriced stocks, using a tool (shorting) that is not traditionally used by unsophisticated investors. We also demonstrate an unique finding that informed traders follow stock analysts not for investing advice, but to take advantage of those unsophisticated investors that buy in to the rhetoric expressed by financial analysts.
The island rule and a research agenda for studying ecogeographical patterns

We are currently experiencing a resurgence of interest in ecogeographical rules, which describe general trends in morphology and related traits along geographical gradients. In order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the generality and underlying causal mechanisms for these patterns, we recommend a new, more integrated research agenda. In particular, we recommend studies that simultaneously consider different clines in morphology, geographical ranges and diversity as intricately related phenomena; all being ecological, evolutionary and biogeographical responses of organisms to selection regimes that vary non‐randomly over space and time, and among species with different ecological and evolutionary histories.
A Randomised Trial of Telemedicine-Based Treatment Versus Conventional Hospitalisation in Patients with Severe Copd and Exacerbation – Effect on Self-Reported Outcome

We investigated self-reported outcome in patients with COPD and exacerbation. Consecutive patients were randomised to an intervention group with home telemedicine and a control group who had conventional hospital admission. We assessed Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) using the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire, daily activity using Instrumental Activity of Daily Living, anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and self-assessed cognitive decline using Subjective Cognitive Functioning. Data were collected at 3 days, 6 weeks and 3 months after discharge. There were 22 patients in each group. Their baseline characteristics were similar: a mean age of 70 years, FEV1 42% predicted and oxygen saturation 95%. After 6 weeks, FEV1 had improved in both groups, to 1.2 L in the intervention group and 1.0 L in the control group. Oxygen saturation had improved in the intervention group from 94% to 96%. Regarding HRQoL, there was a non-significant (P= 0.05) improvement in the symptom score in favour of the control group, but the improvement was not maintained after three months. However, there were no significant differences in self-reported outcomes in COPD patients with exacerbation treated at home via telemedicine versus conventionally in hospital.
22q11.2 deletion syndrome as a risk factor for aortic root dilation in tetralogy of Fallot

Abstract Background: Aortic root dilation has been observed in some patients with tetralogy of Fallot. This study examines whether 22q11.2 deletion is a risk factor for aortic root dilation in tetralogy of Fallot. Methods: Patients with tetralogy of Fallot, in the age group of 6–18 years, with defined deletion status and echocardiograms (2003–2009) were identified from research databases. The diameter at the aortic annulus, sinus, and sinotubular junction was measured and analysed as Z-scores. Variables were examined in univariate and multivariate regression analysis. Results: Of 171 patients, 66% were male, 16% had 22q11.2 deletion, 40% had an aortic arch anomaly, and 11% had both a 22q11.2 deletion and aortic arch anomaly. Echocardiograms were performed at a mean age of 12 + 3 years. More patients with 22q11.2 deletion had Z-scores >3 at the sinus diameter (45% versus 35%, p = 0.02). In the multivariate analysis, the combination of 22q11.2 deletion and aortic arch anomalies was associated with both aortic annular dilation (p = 0.006) and aortic sinus dilation (p = 0.05). In the subset with pulmonary valve atresia, similar findings were observed at the aortic annulus (Z-score of 4.6 versus 2.2, p = 0.05) and the sinuses (Z-score of 4.4 versus 2.7, p = 0.06). Male sex (p < 0.03) and pulmonary atresia (p < 0.006) were additional risk factors for dilation at the annulus and sinuses. Conclusions: Children with tetralogy of Fallot with 22q11.2 deletion and aortic arch anomalies have increased aortic annular and aortic sinus dilation. Further longitudinal study is needed to assess whether both features are associated with progressive aortic root dilation.