Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trapezoidal dual loop antenna for radio frequency identification (RFID) system at low frequency

This paper proposes the trapezoidal dual loop antenna for radio frequency identification (RFID) system at low frequency band (125 kHz and 134.2 kHz). Typically, the conventional antenna for this system is the rectangular loop. The antenna structure is simple at the expense of limited tag orientation and shorter distance communications. The advantage of the proposed antenna is that it can be used for arbitrary orientation with the further distance. It also possesses the simple structure with low cost. The simulation is carried out by using the numerical electromagnetic code (NEC) to determine the suitable parameters. The antenna prototype is fabricated and measured to validate the antenna design and performance in RFID system.
Beyond accuracy: quantifying trial-by-trial behaviour of CNNs and humans by measuring error consistency

A central problem in cognitive science and behavioural neuroscience as well as in machine learning and artificial intelligence research is to ascertain whether two or more decision makers (e.g. brains or algorithms) use the same strategy. Accuracy alone cannot distinguish between strategies: two systems may achieve similar accuracy with very different strategies. The need to differentiate beyond accuracy is particularly pressing if two systems are at or near ceiling performance, like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and humans on visual object recognition. Here we introduce trial-by-trial error consistency, a quantitative analysis for measuring whether two decision making systems systematically make errors on the same inputs. Making consistent errors on a trial-by-trial basis is a necessary condition if we want to ascertain similar processing strategies between decision makers. Our analysis is applicable to compare algorithms with algorithms, humans with humans, and algorithms with humans. When applying error consistency to visual object recognition we obtain three main findings: (1.) Irrespective of architecture, CNNs are remarkably consistent with one another (2.) The consistency between CNNs and human observers, however, is little above what can be expected by chance alone--indicating that humans and CNNs are likely implementing very different strategies (3.) CORnet-S, a recurrent model termed the "current best model of the primate ventral visual stream", fails to capture essential characteristics of human behavioural data and behaves essentially like a ResNet-50 in our analysis--that is, just like a standard feedforward network. Taken together, error consistency analysis suggests that the strategies used by human and machine vision are still very different--but we envision our general-purpose error consistency analysis to serve as a fruitful tool for quantifying future progress.
The benefits of early intervention in obese diabetic patients with FBCx™ — a new dietary fibre

Obesity and diabetes have become epidemic in the US. Dietary fibres have been reported to reduce the absorption of dietary fat, prevent weight gain, and reduce blood lipid levels. In the current double‐blind study, obese patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited for a 3‐month study to examine the health effects of a new dietary fibre, FBCx™.
Assessing the Evidence for the Educational Efficacy of Webinars and Related Internet-Based Instruction

The proliferation of webinars and other similar web-based educational offerings attests to the interest in this instructional modality on the part of educators and learners in the public health workforce. While certain advantages of Internet-based training, including time and costs savings for learners, are evident, it is important to establish the impact of this medium on a variety of health care disciplines. To this end, a search was performed of individual studies and review articles published since 2005 that discuss the use of these methodologies by several disciplines in the domain of public health, with particular attention on randomized controlled trials and meta-analytic studies. Reports over the past decade support the belief that the health care workforce is generally satisfied with Internet-based training and that this type of training yields measurable changes in knowledge and behavior. Overall, the data strongly suggest that these techniques are better than no intervention and essentially equivalent to conventional instructional techniques. However, the specific elements that actually improve the educational value of web-based educational technologies and the evidence base for best practices in the field have yet to be identified.
The Economic Impact of Environmental Regulations on a Maritime Fuel Production Company

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Parliament (EP) in 2005 and 2012 established Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA) in Northern Europe where from 2015 ships must use fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.1% and 3.5% in non-SECAs. is has spurred active discussion that the regulation has created economic disadvantages for maritime stakeholders who must comply with strict regulations that competitors in other parts of the world are not subjected to. The rough a case study, this work investigates the impact of environmental regulations on the business model of the maritime supply company Viru Keemia Grupp (VKG), which is of national importance to the Estonian economy, especially in the eastern region. It explores the strategic entrepreneurial compliance options for VKG based on their return on investments and associated risk. The findings show that VKG is currently struggling to keep aÂoat under the weight of the consequences of changes in maritime consumer demand due to sulphur emission regulations and that the most viable compliance options are expensive and risky.
Percutaneous vertebroplasty: the radiologist's point of view.

INTRODUCTION Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs), usually caused by osteoporosis, is a disabling pathology associated with back pain, low quality of life and high costs. We report a retrospective study of 852 patients who underwent Percutaneous Vertebroplasty (PVP) in our department, for treatment of refractory back pain caused by osteoporotic vertebral fractures. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the safety and the helpfulness of the PVP in vertebral osteoporotic fractures treatment and, particularly on durable pain reduction, mobility improvement and analgesic drugs need. MATERIALS AND METHODS Follow-up analysis was made through a questionnaire filled by the patients before and after PVP (1-6 months), designed to measure pain, ambulation capacity, ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) and analgesic drugs administration. RESULTS A statistically significant difference between visual analogue scale (VAS) values before and after treatment has been observed. No difference between VAS values were observed at 1 and 6 months post-treatment period. The treated vertebrae number did not influence post-treatment VAS values during all the follow-up. Ambulation capacity and the ability to perform ADL have been improved following PVP. Patients also reported significant reduction in administration of medications after PVP. CONCLUSIONS PVP is a safe and useful procedure in painful osteoporotic VCFs treatment, able to reduce pain, improve patients mobility and decrease analgesic drugs need.
Molecular characterization of sympatrically distributed Neotricula aperta-like snails in the Mekong River, Kratie, Cambodia

Abstract Fifty-six samples of Neotricula aperta-like snails were collected from six locations in Cambodia. Their mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) sequences were examined using haplotype network and neighbor-joining (NJ) tree analysis. Twenty-seven haplotypes (H1-H27) were observed and were divided into two different groups/lineages. Of 27, 17 haplotypes (H11-H27) were clustered with the reference samples of the γ-race N. aperta. The remaining 10 haplotypes (H1-H10) were clustered in a separate group/lineage, differing from the reference samples of the α-, β-, and γ-race N. aperta, suggesting a new lineage belonging the genus Neotricula. Our results show that both the γ-race and a new lineage were sympatrically present approximately 60 km upstream of the Mekong River near the Kratie port, Cambodia. Further morphological and molecular studies are required to confirm the taxonomic status of this new, unidentified lineage.
How does intellectual capital affect product innovation performance? Evidence from China and India

Purpose Intellectual capital reflects the sum of existing knowledge a manufacturer is able to leverage and plays a critical role in new product development. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the mechanisms through which intellectual capital enhances product innovation performance and how economic and institutional environments affect the mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach Using a knowledge-based view and institutional theory, this study proposes a model on the relationships among intellectual capital, supplier knowledge integration, supply chain adaptability, and product innovation performance. The hypotheses are empirically tested using multiple group structural equation modelling and data collected from 300 Chinese and 200 Indian manufacturers. Findings The authors find that intellectual capital improves product innovation performance both directly and indirectly through supplier knowledge integration. However, the effects are different in China and India. In particular, the direct effect of intellectual capital on product innovation performance is significantly higher in China than that in India, and intellectual capital improves product innovation performance indirectly through supplier knowledge integration only in India. The authors also find that supplier knowledge integration improves product innovation performance indirectly through supply chain adaptability in both China and India. Originality/value Using a moderated mediation model, this study provides insights into the joint effects of intellectual capital, supplier knowledge integration, and supply chain adaptability on product innovation performance. The findings enhance current understandings of how supply chain management helps a manufacturer develop new products using existing knowledge and the influences of economic and institutional environments on knowledge and supply chain management.
A survey on the relationship between technology and service quality in the banking industry in Kenya

The use of technology has become prevalent in the current banking institutions. Due to the competitive nature of this industry, almost every bank is embracing technology to increase its competitiveness. This study establishes the relationship between technology and service quality in banking industry, and determines the factors that lead to customer preference of different electronic banking channels. The research was carried through across-sectional survey design which questioned respondents on e-banking services. The population of study mainly constituted of customers of banks within the Central Business District (CBD), Nairobi. The respondents of the study were customers of banks using e-banking services (internet banking, mobile banking and ATM). The sample in this jt study consisted of 120 respondents who are users of the e-banking services. The data collected was analyzed by use of frequency, percentage, means and correlation analysis. The rank order of service dimensions indicated that, 66.2 percent of the respondents revealed that, secure services as the most important dimension, followed by convenient location of ATM, efficiency (not need to wait), ability to set up accounts so that the customer can perform transactions immediately, accuracy of records, user friendly, ease of use, complaint satisfaction, accurate transactions and operation in 24 hours. ' The study though successful, had some limitations in response rate due to suspicion by customers of any inquisitive personality especially on technological issues which are believed to have posed a lot of theft cases in the banks. The customers of the banking institutions were also very busy and as such dedicating their time to fill the questionnaires was problematic.
Determinants of Internet Financial Reporting by Egyptian Companies

This research aims at examining the determinants of internet financial reporting by Egyptian companies through measuring the extent of internet financial reporting (IFR) practices in Egypt and the association between IFR and the Egyptian listed companies’ characteristics. The research sample consists of 133 Egyptian companies listed on the Egyptian stock exchange as well as Nile stock exchange. The sample includes only those companies that disclose financial information on the internet. This research considers; company’s size, profitability, liquidity, leverage, company’s age, auditor type and ownership structure as the independent variables that might impact the company’s’ corporate IFR practices. Moreover, a disclosure checklist of 56 voluntary items is adopted to measure the level of IFR. The findings of the multiple regression models revealed that three independent variables were found significantly associated with the level of Internet Financial Reporting including; company’s size, auditor type and the company’s age. However, other company characteristics were found insignificant such as liquidity, leverage, profitability and ownership structure. Keywords: Internet, Financial Reporting, Egypt, Disclosure, Corporate Financial Reporting
Dynamic scheming the duty cycle in the opportunistic routing sensor network

In wireless sensor networks, a lot of applications need the sensed information be transmitted to the sink node within a predefined time threshold. So end‐to‐end delay is an important performance metric in wireless sensor networks. Opportunistic routing protocols have been proposed to reduce the waiting delay. In the duty cycle networks, increasing the duty cycle ratio can also reduce the end‐to‐end delay. However, this method will consume more energy. It is obvious that there exists a trade‐off between delay and energy consumption. So adjusting the duty cycle ratio of each node can investigate this trade‐off. To the best of our knowledge, no existing work takes both of end‐to‐end delay and energy efficiency into consideration in the opportunistic routing networks. In this paper, we want to minimize the whole energy consumption while guaranteeing the expected end‐to‐end delay between the source nodes and the sink node is below the given threshold. To deal with this problem, we propose a dynamic duty cycle scheme which can significantly reduce the energy consumption and guarantee the expected end‐to‐end delay demand in the opportunistic routing network. To be specific, firstly, we formulate a new metric with the wake‐up time slots as the variable to measure the end‐to‐end delay. Secondly, for simplifying the complex problem, we decompose it into a set of single‐hop delay guarantee problems. Feedback controller has been used to solve the problem. We also analyze the influence of the multiple receivers in the same forwarding set. Finally, we conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results reveal that our scheme can guarantee the delay requirement, meanwhile, significantly reduce the energy consumption compared with prior schemes.
Microsporidian Diversity in Soil, Sand, and Compost of the Pacific Northwest

Microsporidia are intracellular parasites considered to be ubiquitous in the environment. Yet the true extent of their diversity in soils, sand, and compost remains unclear. We examined microsporidian diversity found in the common urban environments of soil, sand, and compost. We retrieved 22 novel microsporidian sequences and only four from described species. Their distribution was generally restricted to a single site and sample type. Surprisingly, one novel microsporidian showed a wide distribution, and high prevalence, as it was detected in five different compost samples and in soil samples collected over 200 km apart. These results suggest that the majority of Microsporidia appear to have a narrow distribution. Our phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Microsporidia detected in this study include representatives from four of the five major microsporidian groups. Furthermore, the addition of our new sequences calls into question the cohesiveness of microsporidian clade II. These results highlight the importance of increasing our knowledge of microsporidian diversity to better understand the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of this important group of emerging parasites.
A Compact Multichannel System for Acquisition and Processing of Neural Signals

An increasing popularity of multichannel recordings from freely behaving animals and the need to develop a practical brain-machine interface has fuelled the development of miniature multichannel recording systems. Here we describe our prototype miniature 64-channel acquisition system that could be used for multichannel recordings in freely behaving monkeys or other large animals. The system's features include an high impedance input for neurophysiology electrodes, an integrated battery fed circuitry with a 64 low-noise multiplexed amplifiers array that permits the parallel recording of all channels, a 10-bit resolution ADC, an FPGA digital core for online processing and data transmission, a USB 2.0 link and a custom software for data visualization and whole system control.
Observations from 12 Years of an Annual Market Research Technology Survey

Against the theme of this year's conference, ‘Are we there yet? Where technological innovation is leading research’, this paper provides evidence-based observations on where technology has led research in the recent past, and where it appears to be leading now. meaning ltd has conducted a survey of market research companies around the world each year since 2004, looking at their use of technology. The survey includes a combination of tracking questions on the adoption of technology-based methods to detect long-term trends, as well as topical questions that vary from year to year, some of which are also repeated in subsequent years to measure change. Now, with 12 years of data, it is possible to draw a number of conclusions about the way in which the research industry interacts with the technology that supports it, and to understand some of the transformations that have taken place. It is also possible to look at some of the areas where the rhetoric and actual experience on the ground have not been aligned, and identify some of the challenges that may be unique to the research industry. Developers need to be mindful of such challenges if they are to succeed in providing useful, appropriate technology that will allow the market research industry to continue to develop, adapt and compete for survival. The aims of this paper are to: quantify significant changes that have occurred in the last decade, as well as identify those where anticipated change has been slow to materialise; examine some perennial difficulties that the market research industry appears to have with technology development, adoption and diffusion; highlight some of the current and ongoing changes that emerge from the data; identify areas that those developing or providing software need to pay particular attention to when supporting these changes; and provide specific recommendations to researchers and technology providers.
A 12-week, placebo-controlled study (6002-US-006) of istradefylline in Parkinson disease

Background: The safety and efficacy of istradefylline, a selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, was evaluated in a 12-week, double-blind study in levodopa-treated Parkinson disease (PD) subjects with motor complications. Methods: Levodopa-treated PD subjects (n = 395) received istradefylline 20 mg/day (n = 163), istradefylline 60 mg/day (n = 155), or placebo (n = 77) at 40 sites. The primary efficacy variable was the change in the percentage of time per day spent in the OFF state. Secondary measurements assessed change in ON time, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, and Clinical Global Impression. Safety monitoring included clinical laboratory, electrocardiograms, vital signs, physical/neurologic examinations, and adverse events (AEs). Results: Changes from baseline to endpoint in the percentage OFF time in the active groups compared with placebo were −4.35% (95% CI −8.16 to −0.54; p = 0.026) for istradefylline 20 mg/day and −4.49% (95% CI −8.35 to −0.62; p = 0.024) for 60 mg/day; these changes were significant (analysis of covariance). For total hours, istradefylline demonstrated mean differences from placebo of −0.64 hours (95% CI −1.30 to 0.01) for 20 mg/day and −0.77 hours (95% CI −1.44 to −0.11) for 60 mg/day (p = 0.065; overall treatment effect). Clinical response occurred by the second week and was maintained throughout the study. Istradefylline was well tolerated. The common AEs were dyskinesia, nausea, dizziness, and hallucinations. Conclusions: Istradefylline demonstrated a significant reduction in the percentage of awake time per day spent in the OFF state, which resulted in a clinically meaningful reduction in OFF time, without an increase in ON time with troublesome dyskinesia, and was well tolerated as adjunctive treatment to levodopa in Parkinson disease.
Meta‐analysis of the association of a functional serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism with alcohol dependence

The neurotransmitter serotonin (5‐HT) has been shown to regulate alcohol consumption in both animals and humans. Since activity of the 5‐HT transporter protein (5‐HTT) regulates 5‐HT levels, the gene encoding this protein may contribute to the risk of alcohol dependence (AD). Studies of the association to AD of a functional insertion‐deletion polymorphism in the 5‐HTT‐linked promoter region (5‐HTTLPR) have yielded inconsistent results. We conducted a meta‐analysis of data from 17 published studies (including 3,489 alcoholics and 2,325 controls) investigating the association between 5‐HTTLPR alleles and AD. The frequency of the short (S) allele at 5‐HTTLPR was significantly associated with AD [odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.03–1.33). Moreover, a greater association with the S allele was seen among individuals with AD complicated by either a co‐morbid psychiatric condition or an early‐onset or more severe AD subtype [OR = 1.34 (95% CI = 1.11–1.63)]. Allelic variation at 5‐HTTLPR contributes to risk for AD, with the greatest effect observed among individuals with a co‐occurring clinical feature. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Impact of Index Options on Emerging Market Volatility: The Case of the Malaysian Equity Market

This study investigates the impact of the introduction of index options on emerging market volatility in the context of Malaysia. Company specific daily closing prices for 29 listed companies were examined to determine the conditional volatility shifts before and after the introduction of index options. Multiple window periods are examined to avoid year-end effects.The exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (EGARCH) (1.1) model is used to determine the conditional volatility shift before and after the introduction of index options in Malaysia. The findings of this study suggest that the introduction of index options reduced market volatility in the Malaysia equity market at the 0.01 level of statistical significance. Further, this study contributed to extant literature because it uses company-specific daily equity price data and no such previous study exists on the impact of index options for this important emerging market. The study will be useful for academics, researchers, domestic and foreign investors and policy-makers, among others.