Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of a Fractal- based Slot Printed Antenna for Dual-band Wireless Applications

Different fractal geometries are successfully applied to design compact size printed and microstrip antenna structures for multiband and dual-band wireless communication applications. In this paper, a printed antenna with fractal based slot structure is presented as a candidate for use in dual-band wireless applications. The slot structure of the proposed antenna is with circle based fractal geometry. The slot structure has been etched in the ground plane of an FR4 substrate with relative dielectric constant of 4.4 and 1.6 mm thickness. On the reverse side a microstrip line has to be printed as a 50 Ω feed. Simulation results of the modeled antenna show that it offers a dual -band resonant behavior with a considerable resonant frequency ratio; covering a wide variety of wireless applications. Mod elling and performance evaluation of the resulting antenna are carried out using the commercially available EM simulator HFSS, from Ansoft Corporation. A parametric study reveals that the proposed antenna offers fractional bandwidths of about 13% to 27% of the lower resonating band and 7% to 28% for the upper resonant band. The corresponding gain throughout these bands varies from 2.53 to 3.58 dB and from 4.08 to 5.76 dB respectively. This makes the antenna suitable for a wide variety of wireless applicatio ns. A fabricated prototype of the proposed antenna shows a return loss response which is in reasonable agreement with that theoretically predicted within the same swept frequency range. Furthermore, the proposed antenna exhibits good radiation characterist ics at the resonant bands.
The fate of minute blood vessels in omentum transplanted as autografts to the rabbit's ear

In microscopic studies of autografts with the transparent chamber technique it was seen (Williams, '50) that vessels began to invade grafts within 24 hours and that by 4 days, the vasculature was well established. There is no doubt that vessels from the host region invade grafts but the extent to which the original capillaries and other vessels of grafts contribute, if at all, to the vascularization cannot be determined in most tissues because the original vessels cannot be identified when grafts are placed. The impression in this laboratory heretofore has been that portions of the original vasculature played no important part in forming the new plexus. The reason for this impression was that if the original plexus survived and eventually made connection with the host vessels, there should come a time when the number of circulating vessels suddenly increased. But no such increase was observed
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale: Evidence of the Dimensionality of Expressed Emotion

Using a convenience sample of 152 married couples, the present study tested models that alternately considered family members' perceptions of Expressed Emotion to be a one-, two-, three-, or four-factor construct as measured by the Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale. Results of confirmatory factor analysis procedures indicated that perceptions of Expressed Emotion were best represented by a four-factor model that consisted of involvement, criticism, upset feelings, and approval. The methodological implications of these findings are discussed.
Generalized Fixed-Priority Scheduling with Limited Preemptions

Fixed-priority scheduling with deferred preemption(FPDS) and fixed-priority scheduling with preemption thresholds(FPTS) have been proposed in the literature as viable alternatives to fixed-priority preemptive scheduling (FPPS), that reduce memory requirements, reduce the cost of arbitrary preemptions, and may improve the feasibility of a task set even when preemption overheads are neglected. This paper aims at advancing the relative strength of limited preemptive schedulers by combining FPDS and FPTS. In particular, we present a refinement of FPDS with preemption thresholds for both jobs and sub-jobs, termed FPGS. We provide an exact schedulability analysis for FPGS, and show how to maximize the feasibility of a set of sporadic tasks under FPGS for given priorities, computation times, periods, and deadlines of tasks. We evaluate the effectiveness of FPGS by comparing the feasibility of task sets under FPGS with other fixed-priority scheduling algorithms by means of a simulation. Our experiments show that FPGS allows an increase of the number of task sets that are schedulable under fixed-priority scheduling.
A review of shift-share analysis and its application in tourism.

Shift-share analysis has been widely applied to the regional economic research and empirical studies have effectively confirmed it a useful tool to depict the regional change. Although, many kinds of extended shift-share models have been advanced and put into practice in economic studies, few have hitherto been introduced and applied to the tourism research, especially in China. So the purpose of this paper is to systematically introduce and review the shift-share approach and its extended models, which will contribute to the further research and application of the shift-share models to tourism industry.
The development of an instrument to assess the enacted environment for corporate entrepreneurship in South Africa

The corporate entrepreneurship (CE) literature suggests that companies operating in turbulent, hostile and dynamic environments, will exhibit higher levels of entrepreneurial behaviour than their counterparts in more stable environments. Even though the South African business environment has been characterised by turbulence over the past few decades, limited research has been done to empirically test this assertion because of the absence of contextually-validated measurement instruments. This study is an exploratory study reporting on the initial phases to develop a validated instrument to measure managers' perceptions of the enacted environmental antecedents for CE in the South African context. Managers enact their environment, meaning that their entrepreneurial actions are based on perceptions of the business environment shaped by their own interests, and not an objective reality. Based on the empirical results and the assessment of reliability and validity, it is suggested that the 21-item scale offers an initial basis for further refinement of the measurement instrument. The proposed instrument should be useful to researchers and e-business managers to assess managerial perceptions of the enacted corporate entrepreneurship environment.
Ownership Structure and Corporate Governance: Has an Increase in Institutional Investors f Ownership Improved Business Performance?

A dramatic increase in shareholder ownership by domestic and foreign institutional investors, along with the decline of the main bank system, is one of the greatest changes in the governance structure of Japanese companies in recent years. This paper aims to identify the effects of the rapid change in the shareholder ownership structure on corporate governance in Japan.Based on a comprehesive database concerning major shareholders in fiscal 1990- 2008 that specifies the attributes of shareholders to the maximum possible extent, this paper indicated the following points.First, by examining the selecting stocks among institutional investors, we found that both domestic and foreign institutional investors not only make the selection based on companies f size and stock liquidity but also prefer high-quality stocks in terms of profitability, stability and financial soundness. In contrast, banks and insurance companies continue to invest in low-quality companies. Furthermore, compared with domestic institutional investors, foreign ones have a strong tendency to attach importance to formal governance features (size of the board of directors and presence or absence of outside directors). Foreign institutional investors also consistently have a strong home bias. Second, by testing the relationship between ownership and performance, we found that, whereas shareholder ownership by banks and insurance companies has negative effects on enterprise value and corporate earnings, share ownership by domestic and foreign institutional investors has positive effects. This finding indicates that even if a rise in domestic and foreign institutional investors f ownership ratio is based on an institutional investor bias or a home bias, or if the impact on the stock price is due to a demand shock, an increase in share ownership by domestic and foreign institutional investors will enable them to exercise the monitoring effect through actions such as indicating the possibility of an exit (possibility of selling off their holdings of shares) and voicing of complaints.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) promotes immunogenic apoptosis in human multiple myeloma cells, induces autophagy and inhibits STAT3 in both tumor and dendritic cells

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in fish oil, is a multi-target agent and exerts anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities alone or in combination with chemotherapies. Combinatorial anticancer therapies, which induce immunogenic apoptosis, autophagy and STAT3 inhibition have been proposed for long-term therapeutic success. Here, we found that DHA promoted immunogenic apoptosis in multiple myeloma (MM) cells, with no toxicity on PBMCs and DCs. Immunogenic apoptosis was shown by the emission of specific DAMPs (CRT, HSP90, HMGB1) by apoptotic MM cells and the activation of their pro-apoptotic autophagy. Moreover, immunogenic apoptosis was directly shown by the activation of DCs by DHA-induced apoptotic MM cells. Furthermore, we provided the first evidence that DHA activated autophagy in PBMCs and DCs, thus potentially acting as immune stimulator and enhancing processing and presentation of tumor antigens by DCs. Finally, we found that DHA inhibited STAT3 in MM cells. STAT3 pathway, essential for MM survival, contributed to cancer cell apoptosis by DHA. We also found that DHA inhibited STAT3 in blood immune cells and counteracted STAT3 activation by tumor cell-released factors in PBMCs and DCs, suggesting the potential enhancement of the anti-tumor function of multiple immune cells and, in particular, that of DCs.
NPI-2358 is a tubulin-depolymerizing agent: in-vitro evidence for activity as a tumor vascular-disrupting agent

The diketopiperazine NPI-2358 is a synthetic analog of NPI-2350, a natural product isolated from Aspergillus sp. , which depolymerizes microtubules in A549 human lung carcinoma cells. Although structurally different from the colchicine-binding site agents reported to date, NPI-2358 binds to the colchicine-binding site of tubulin. NPI-2358 has potent in-vitro anti-tumor activity against various human tumor cell lines and maintains activity against tumor cell lines with various multidrug-resistant (MDR) profiles. In addition, when evaluated in proliferating human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), concentrations as low as 10 nmol/l NPI-2358 induced tubulin depolymerization within 30 min. Furthermore, NPI-2358 dose dependently increases HUVEC monolayer permeability – an in-vitro model of tumor vascular collapse. NPI-2358 was compared with three tubulin-depolymerizing agents with vascular-disrupting activity: colchicine, vincristine and combretastatin A-4 (CA4). Results showed that the activity of NPI-2358 in HUVECs was more potent than either colchicine or vincristine; the profile of CA4 approached that of NPI-2358. Altogether, our data show that NPI-2358 is a potent anti-tumor agent which is active in MDR tumor cell lines, and is able to rapidly induce tubulin depolymerization and monolayer permeability in HUVECs. These data warrant further evaluation of NPI-2358 as a vascular-disrupting agent in vivo. Currently, NPI-2358 is in preclinical development for the treatment of cancer.
The Effects of Advertised and Observed Quality on Expectations about New Product Quality

The authors describe a model of the effects of advertised and observed quality on consumer expectations about new product quality. They test the model using data from two computer-controlled shopping experiments. In both studies, quadratic and gamma specifications for the effect of advertising claim discrepancy on expectation change fit better than a linear model. Furthermore, the adaptive expectations framework describes the updating of consumer expectations when the consumer observes the quality of the new product. In this setting, the observed quality is more influential than the advertised quality in changing expectations, and “good news” is discounted, whereas “bad news” is more readily accepted.
A longitudinal study of recipients' views and experiences of intra-family egg donation.

BACKGROUND For the past 10 years, we have been carrying out a longitudinal investigation of egg donation families in the UK; a subsample of recipients in these families had a child by egg donation from a sister or sister-in-law. In response to the current debate over the practice of intra-family donation, together with the general lack of available data on the consequences of donation between family members, we examined recipients' experiences of donation between sisters and sisters-in-law. METHODS We analysed data from a subsample of recipient mothers who were taking part in a larger investigation of gamete donation families. Mothers were visited at home and interviewed when their child was aged 1, 3, 7 and 10 years. Data from nine recipient mothers whose egg donor was either their sister or sister-in-law were examined to assess the nature of mothers', fathers' and the child's relationship with the donor, and whether mothers had disclosed the nature of their child's conception to others, including the child. RESULTS The majority of recipient mothers reported positive relationships between the donor and members of their family (themselves, their partner and their children). Most mothers were happy with the donor's level of involvement with the child and reported that they and the donor maintained their social roles within the family, i.e. as mother and aunt, respectively. By age 10, two children had been told that they had been conceived using egg donation, both of whom had been told the identity of the donor. CONCLUSIONS Although the sample was small, this study provides the first longitudinal data on the experiences of families created using donated gametes from a family member. Intra-family donation between sisters or sisters-in-law can be a positive experience for recipients during the first 10 years following the child's birth. Studies that are specifically designed to look at donation between family members are needed to better evaluate the practice.
Examining strategies to improve accelerometer compliance for individuals living with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the feasibility and effect of 2 investigator-based and 2 participant-based strategies on accelerometer wear time in individuals living with schizophrenia in order to improve accelerometry compliance. METHOD Four adults with schizophrenia were asked to wear an accelerometer for 1 week during the baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases of a study that evaluated exercise counseling. To encourage participants to wear their accelerometers, investigators modeled proper accelerometer use, provided verbal and written instructions, and placed reminder phone calls. Participants were also given wear time logs and reminder magnets. RESULTS All participants wore their accelerometers for the required amount of time during the study. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Researchers should use multiple techniques to help ensure compliance. Research is needed to identify the most effective combination of strategies for this population.
Applying Independent Component Analysis to Clinical fMRI at 7 T

Increased BOLD sensitivity at 7 T offers the possibility to increase the reliability of fMRI, but ultra-high field is also associated with an increase in artifacts related to head motion, Nyquist ghosting, and parallel imaging reconstruction errors. In this study, the ability of independent component analysis (ICA) to separate activation from these artifacts was assessed in a 7 T study of neurological patients performing chin and hand motor tasks. ICA was able to isolate primary motor activation with negligible contamination by motion effects. The results of General Linear Model (GLM) analysis of these data were, in contrast, heavily contaminated by motion. Secondary motor areas, basal ganglia, and thalamus involvement were apparent in ICA results, but there was low capability to isolate activation in the same brain regions in the GLM analysis, indicating that ICA was more sensitive as well as more specific. A method was developed to simplify the assessment of the large number of independent components. Task-related activation components could be automatically identified via these intuitive and effective features. These findings demonstrate that ICA is a practical and sensitive analysis approach in high field fMRI studies, particularly where motion is evoked. Promising applications of ICA in clinical fMRI include presurgical planning and the study of pathologies affecting subcortical brain areas.
Bioremediation of creosote‐contaminated soil in South Africa by landfarming

Aims: To determine the combined effects of biostimulation and bioaugmentation in the landfarming of a mispah form (lithosol; food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)) soil contaminated with >310 000 mg kg−1 creosote with a view to developing a bioremediation technology for soils heavily contaminated with creosote.
Prevention of Ventilator-Associated and Early Postoperative Pneumonia Through Tapered Endotracheal Tube Cuffs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective: Microaspiration of subglottic secretions is considered a major pathogenic mechanism of hospital-acquired pneumonia, either early postoperative or ventilator-associated pneumonia. Tapered endotracheal tube cuffs have been proposed to provide a better seal of the extraluminal airway, thereby preventing microaspiration and possibly hospital-acquired pneumonia. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the value of endotracheal tubes with tapered cuffs in the prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia. Data Sources: A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL/CCTR, ClinicalTrials.gov, and ICTRP was conducted up to March 2017. Study Selection: Eligible trials were randomized controlled clinical trials comparing the impact of tapered cuffs versus standard cuffs on hospital-acquired pneumonia. Data Extraction: Random-effects meta-analysis calculated odds ratio and 95% CI for hospital-acquired pneumonia occurrence rate between groups. Secondary outcome measures included mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of hospital and ICU stay, and cuff underinflation. Data Synthesis: Six randomized controlled clinical trials with 1,324 patients from intensive care and postoperative wards were included. Only two studies concomitantly applied subglottic secretion drainage, and no trial performed continuous cuff pressure monitoring. No significant difference in hospital-acquired pneumonia incidence per patient was found when tapered cuffs were compared with standard cuffs (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, [0.73–1.28]; p = 0.81). There were likewise no differences in secondary outcomes. Conclusions: Application of tapered endotracheal tube cuffs did not reduce hospital-acquired pneumonia incidence among ICU and postoperative patients. Further research should examine the impact of concomitant use of tapered cuffs with continuous cuff pressure monitoring and subglottic secretion drainage.
Conservation of preparatory neural events regardless of how movement is initiated

Voluntary movement is believed to be preceded by a preparatory stage. Evidence arises from experiments where a delay separates instruction and execution cues. While this sequence emulates some real-world situations (e.g., swatting a fly upon landing) movements are commonly made at a moment of one’s choosing (reaching for a coffee cup) or are made reactively (intercepting a falling cup). To ascertain whether neural events are conserved across such contexts, we examined motor cortex population-level responses in monkeys when reaches were initiated either after an imposed delay, at a self-chosen time, or reactively with very low latency. We found that the same preparatory and movement-related events were conserved. However, preparation was temporally flexible and could be remarkably brief. Our findings support the existing hypothesis that preparation is an obligatory stage that achieves a consistent state prior to movement. Yet our results reveal that preparation can unfold more rapidly than previously supposed.
A cohort effect in cervical screening coverage?

Introduction Objectives The objective of this study is to analyse cervical screening coverage data over time. Methods Routinely collected cervical screening statistics, in England, on the proportion of women who have undergone cervical screening with cytology during the preceding five years. The participants included all women residents eligible for cervical screening. Results Overall coverage remained at about 82% or over between 1995 and 2000. Since 2000, however, coverage has drifted slowly down to just over 80% in 2005. Coverage has long been observed to be related to age. In 2005, the coverage rate was 71% in women aged 25-29, 83% in those aged 35-54 and 75% in those aged 55-64. Comparing coverage by age in the three years, 1995-2000 and 2005 - shows broad conformity with this pattern in each of the three years, but overlaid is the fact that at ages below 50, the rate has been falling while at ages above 55, the rate has been rising. The fall in screening coverage appears to be largely a cohort effect, with women born in the 1960s and later being increasingly less likely to participate. Conclusions No specific reason for this effect is evident. Action could be targeted at women aged 25-34 to address falling coverage.
Small Enterprise Financial Management : Theory and Practice

Provides an academically sound basis for the study of the theoretical foundations, principles, practices and institutions of small enterprise financial management, an area that is often overlooked in traditional financial management texts. The book is intended for students with a basic knowledge of general financial management enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in accounting, finance, economics, management and related fields. It offers students enrolled in university programs in these fields, who may eventually work with or for small enterprises in a professional capacity, the opportunity to study the unique characteristics and needs of small enterprise. 1941 Views 0 Downloads Privacy Policy Emergency Contact Library Contacts Copyright © University of Western Sydney ABN 53 014 069 881 CRICOS Provider No: 00917K
ANALYZING DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SECURITY INVESTORS: AN APPLICATION TO TURKEY

Behavioral finance theories, which assert that individual investors do not behave rationally in their decision-making process, have been gaining importance in last twenty years. In this study, the data of Income and Living Conditions Survey of Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) which were conducting to individual investors in Turkey were used. We analyzed the data employing the logistic regression methodology for the period of 2009 – 2012. The result indicated that individuals’ risk tolerances and investment decisions were affected by demographic characteristics like age group, education level, marital status, as well as socio-economic characteristics like default risk, income risk and income level.