Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PENGARUH KARAKTERISTIK PEMERINTAH DAERAH DAN TEMUAN AUDIT BPK TERHADAP KINERJA PEMERINTAH DAERAH PROVINSI DI INDONESIA

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memberikan bukti empiris tentang pengaruh karakteristik pemerintah daerah (ukuran daerah, tingkat kekayaan daerah, tingkat ketergantungan pada pemerintah pusat dan belanja daerah) dan temuan audit BPK terhadap kinerja pemerintah daerah provinsi di Indonesia. Kinerja pemerintah daerah diukur dengan skor evaluasi kinerja penyelenggaraan pemerintah daerah (EKPPD) yang sumber informasi utamanya berasal dari laporan penyelenggaran pemerintah daerah (LPPD). Sampel penelitian adalalah 99 provinsi untuk tahun 2011-2013. Pengujian hipotesis dilakukan dengan menggunakan regresi data panel dengan bantuan Eviews versi 8. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ukuran daerah dan tingkat kekayaan daerah berpengaruh positif signifikan terhadap kinerja pemda provinsi di Indonesia. Sementara tingkat ketergantungan pada pemerintah pusat, belanja daerah dan temuan audit BPK tidak berpengaruh signifikan terhadap kinerja pemda provinsi di Indonesia. Kata kunci: karakteristik pemerintah daerah, kinerja pemerintah daerah, laporan kinerja pemerintah daerah, Evaluasi Kinerja Penyelenggaraan Pemerintahan Daerah (EKPPD), Laporan Penyelenggaraan Pemerintah Daerah (LPPD), temuan audit BPK ABSTRACT This study aims to provide empirical evidence on effect of the characteristics of local government (size, level of wealth, dependence level and government expenditures) and BPK audit findings to the performance of local goverment in Indonesia. Local government performance is measured by scores on the evaluation of local government performance (EKPPD) derived from local government organizers report (LPPD). The research sample are 99 local government for 2011-2013. Examination of hypothesis conducted by using pooled data regression in Eviews version 8 software. Results of thi study indicated that size and level of wealth significant positive effect on the performance of local government in Indonesia. While dependence level, government expenditures and BPK audit findings had not significant effect to the performance of local government in Indonesia. Keywords: characteristic of local government, local government performance, local government performance reporting, evaluasi kinerja penyelenggaraan pemerintahan daerah (EKPPD), laporan penyelenggaraan pemerintah daerah (LPPD),BPK audit findings.
Optimized medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty outcome: learning from 20 years of propensity score matched registry data

Background and purpose Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has increased in use. We investigated changes to UKA revision risk over the last 20 years compared with total knee arthroplasty (TKA), examined external and patient factors for correlation to UKA revision risk, and described the survival probability for current UKA and TKA practice. Patients and methods All knee arthroplasties reported to the Danish Knee Arthroplasty Register from 1997 to 2017 were linked to the National Patient Register and the Civil Registration System for comorbidity, emigration, and mortality information. All primary UKA and TKA patients with primary osteoarthritis were included and propensity score matched 4 TKAs to 1 UKA. Revision and mortality were analyzed using competing risk cox regression with a shared gamma frailty component. Results The matched cohort included 48,195 primary knee arthroplasties (9,639 UKAs). From 1997–2001 to 2012–2017 the 3-year hazard ratio decreased from 5.5 (95% CI 2.7–11) to 1.5 (CI 1.2–1.8) due to increased UKA survival. Cementless fixation, a high percentage usage of UKA, and increased surgical volume decreased UKA revision risk, and increased in occurrence parallel to the decreasing revision risks. Current UKA practice using cementless fixation at a high usage unit has a 3-year implant survival of 96% (CI 97–95), 1.1% lower than current TKA practice. Interpretation UKA revision risk has decreased over the last 20 years, nearing that of TKA surgery. High usage rates, surgical volume, and the use of cementless fixation have increased during the study and were associated with decreased UKA revision risks.
Factors Associated With a Prolonged Diagnosis-to-Treatment Interval in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective Evaluate factors associated with treatment delays and their effect on survival in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting National Cancer Database. Methods Patients receiving primary radiation or surgery for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were included from 2004 to 2017. The primary outcomes were the diagnosis-to-treatment interval (DTI) and 5-year survival. Variables of prolonged DTI (>30 days) were assessed via logistic regression models. Survival was then assessed through Cox proportional hazards models. Candidate variables for both outcomes included age, sex, race, ethnicity, distance to treatment facility, insurance coverage, treatment facility type, TNM T stage, nodal status, and DTI (in models estimating survival). Results An overall 136,203 patients with laryngeal cancer were identified, from which 51,747 remained after exclusions were applied: 18,499 received primary surgery and 33,248 received primary radiation. Being a member of a racial or ethnic minority, advanced age, female sex, ≥30 miles from treatment facility, lack of insurance, treatment at an academic cancer center, and primary radiation were associated with a prolonged DTI. However, in spite of a faster DTI, treatment at a community cancer center was independently associated with higher mortality (hazard ratio, 1.2; P < .0001). Conclusions Despite being associated with prolonged DTI, receiving treatment at a high-volume academic facility was associated with significantly improved survival. Our results indicate that improved referral pathways or outreach may help improve survival in laryngeal cancer, especially in high-risk populations.
Hybrid wave based - transfer matrix modeling of sound insulation problems

Abstract In this paper, a hybrid wave based transfer matrix model is presented which allows for the determination of the sound insulation of multilayered structures placed between two rooms. The multilayered structure may consist of a number of panels separated by air cavities. The panels itself may consist of an arbitrary number of elastic and/or poro-elastic layers. The modal behaviour of the rooms and air cavities is taken into account by a wave based approach. The response of each panel is described as a sum of modal contributions. For each modal wave number, the TMM is used to compute the mechanical impedance matrix. The model is validated with transmission loss experiments of a sandwich panel, a double glazing and several double gypsum plasterboard walls. The hybrid model is especially useful to investigate the influence of geometrical parameters like room dimensions and structural dimensions on the TL of multilayered structures in a broad frequency range.
Relationship between growth hormone deficiency and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with pituitary stalk interruption syndrome

Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS), characterized by thinning or disappearance of the pituitary stalk, hypoplasia of the anterior pituitary, and an ectopic posterior pituitary, can lead to congenital combined pituitary hormone deficiency. There is a high prevalence of various metabolic disorders, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), in this population.
Low voltage driven RF MEMS capacitive switch using reinforcement for reduced buckling

Variation in actuation voltage for RF MEMS switches is observed as a result of stress-generated buckling of MEMS structures. Large voltage driven RF-MEMS switches are a major concern in space bound communication applications. In this paper, we propose a low voltage driven RF MEMS capacitive switch with the introduction of perforations and reinforcement. The performance of the fabricated switch is compared with conventional capacitive RF MEMS switches. The pull-in voltage of the switch is reduced from 70 V to 16.2 V and the magnitude of deformation is reduced from 8 µm to 1 µm. The design of the reinforcement frame enhances the structural stiffness by 46 % without affecting the high frequency response of the switch. The measured isolation and insertion loss of the reinforced switch is more than 20 dB and 0.4 dB over the X band range.
High Frequency Modelling of a Car Audio System

Geometrical Acoustics is a widely used room acoustic modelling tool. It is based on the assumption that sound energy travels along the rays, that can be treated as in optics. GA neglects the wave phenomena and is applicable only at high frequencies relative to size of the models. Since GA is commonly used for the large rooms simulations (e.g. concert halls, churches, auditoria) the method can be safely applied in the entire audible frequency range. The use of this methodology in cars is still scarce and opened to research. Due to their size it is restricted to higher frequency range. The scope of the thesis was to study the feasibility of using the GA method for high frequency simulations of the car loudspeakers. The units of interest were midrange and tweeter of the Bowers&Wilkins Premium Sound System, the top level audio system offered by Volvo XC90. The opportunity to supplement the FE based predictions of the low frequency loudspeakers with reliable GA simulations for the high frequency loudspeakers would speed up the designing process and move it to the earlier stage of the car development projects. The investigation was conducted at three trim levels with increasing complexity: Bodyin-Blue, trimmed body without seats and trimmed body with seats. The GA models of the car compartment for all three stages were created, based on the CAD data provided by Volvo. Those were read into CATT-Acoustic, the GA based software that was chosen mainly due to the advanced support available on-site from the developer. The investigation on the input data was carried out. It included the in-situ measurements of the car material parameters using the Microflown PU probe and the measurements of the directivity of the loudspeakers in anechoic conditions. The FRF measurements were carried out in XC90 cars for all three trim levels to provide verification data. In subsequent simulations several different algorithms and settings available in the GA software were tested. The results were compared with the measured data and assessed based on the collected responses. The aim of the work in a long run would be to create the sound files that can be subjectively assessed by the Audio Team engineers.
Novel zero-voltage and zero-current-switching (ZVZCS) three level DC/DC converter using a simple auxiliary circuit

This paper proposes a zero voltage and zero current switching (ZVZCS) three-level (TL) DC/DC converter, which overcomes the drawbacks presented by the zero voltage switching (ZVS) three-level converter, such as high circulating energy, severe parasitic ring on the rectifier diodes, and limited ZVS load range for the lagging switches. A simple auxiliary circuit which consists of one small capacitor and two small diodes is added in the secondary to provides ZVZCS conditions to primary switches as well as to clamp secondary rectifier voltage. The additional clamp circuit for the secondary rectifier is not necessary. The auxiliary circuit includes neither lossy components nor additional active switches which makes the proposed converter efficient and cost effective. The principle of operation, features and design considerations are illustrated and verified by experimental circuit.
Saving Time in Blood Culture Diagnostics: a Prospective Evaluation of the Qvella FAST-PBC Prep Application on the Fast System

Time to results for identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) from blood cultures is an important factor impacting outcome in sepsis. In this study we evaluated a novel device, the FAST™ system from Qvella that concentrates microbial biomass from positive blood culture flasks with the FAST-PBC Prep™ cartridge thereby producing a liquid colony™ (LC), which can be used immediately in standard laboratory downstream applications. ABSTRACT Time to results for identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) from blood cultures is an important factor impacting outcome in sepsis. In this study we evaluated a novel device, the FAST™ system from Qvella that concentrates microbial biomass from positive blood culture flasks with the FAST-PBC Prep™ cartridge thereby producing a liquid colony™ (LC), which can be used immediately in standard laboratory downstream applications. We tested 250 positive blood culture bottles collected from January 2021 to May 2021. Results were obtained either with LC or from bacterial overnight cultures using Bruker’s MALDI Biotyper™ and bioMérieux’s Vitek 2. We compared ID and AST results obtained by both methods and evaluated turnaround times. Two-hundred and fourteen blood cultures could be included in the analysis. In 94% of the cases (n = 201) identification was obtained directly from the LC with concordant results compared to the standard workflow. No discordant results were observed. AST results could be analyzed for 175 samples. Using categorical analysis, concordant agreement was 97.4% of 1,676 AST results for Gram positive bacteria. Agreement for Gram negative bacteria was 98.5% of 980 AST results. Times-to-result were 36.9 h versus 12.8 h for ID and 52.9 h versus 26.8 h for AST in routine workflow vs FASTTM system, respectively. The FASTTM system gives reliable results for ID and AST directly from positive blood cultures and allows for significant time savings in blood culture diagnostics.
The Stockholm life-course project: investigating offending and non-lethal severe violent victimization

ABSTRACT Much is known about the patterning of offending throughout life, but less about the patterning of victimization. In this study, we used data from the Stockholm Life-Course Project (SLCP), a longitudinal study that includes measures of childhood problem behaviour. We analysed offending (criminal conviction and police suspicion), inpatient hospitalization and outpatient care for violent victimization. We replicated the well-established age-crime curve amongst SLCP study members. We found that hospitalization for severe violent victimization was most likely to occur between 20 and 40 years of age. We additionally considered how childhood problem behaviour impacted overall risk and life-course patterning of offending and victimization. Childhood problem behaviour was associated with a greater risk of criminal conviction. But childhood problem behaviour showed inconsistent associations with risk for police suspicion. Childhood problem behaviour was generally associated with greater involvement in crime up to middle adulthood. Childhood problem behaviour was generally associated with a greater risk of victimization. However, we were limited in our ability to estimate the effect of childhood problem behaviour on life-course patterning of victimization due to the rarity of victimization. These results imply a need for larger studies on violent victimization and greater nuance in our understanding of childhood risks and their life-long outcomes.
Population estimation of a cryptic moss frog using acoustic spatially explicit capture recapture

Cryptic amphibians pose a problem for conservation managers as they are difficult to find to assess initial populations, and monitor changes during potentially threatening processes. The rough moss frog, Arthroleptella rugosa, is small and occurs in seepages on a single unprotected mountain in South Africa’s fire prone, biodiverse fynbos biome. The area is heavily impacted by invasive plants, which dry seepages and increase the frequency and intensity of fires, leading to the assessment of this species as Critically Endangered. We aimed to test the efficacy of acoustic spatially explicit capture recapture (aSCR) to estimate the entire population of calling adult A. rugosa, and assess the impacts by invasive plants. Using aSCR, our estimates suggest that the population of A. rugosa is more than five times that previously estimated using aural calling surveys on the mountain, at ∼2000 individuals. This despite an intense fire over the entire area three years earlier that reduced the calling population to a few tens of individuals. Our vegetation surveys suggest that the ongoing removal of invasive plants from the mountain is successful in areas occupied by A. rugosa, but that adjacent areas invaded by pines and hakea have a negative impact on calling density. The private public conservancy partnership on Klein Swartberg Mountain, is conserving this frog but will require ongoing management and monitoring to ensure conservation in the future.
Vimentin Intermediate Filaments Can Enhance or Abate Active Cellular Forces in a Microenvironmental Stiffness-Dependent Manner

The mechanical properties of cells are largely determined by the cytoskeleton, which is a complex network of interconnected biopolymers consisting of actin filaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. While disruption of the actin filament and microtubule networks is known to decrease and increase cell-generated forces, respectively, the effect of intermediate filaments on cellular forces is not well understood. Using a combination of theoretical modeling and experiments, we show that disruption of vimentin intermediate filaments can either increase or decrease cell-generated forces, depending on microenvironment stiffness, reconciling seemingly opposite results in the literature. On the one hand, vimentin is involved in the transmission of actomyosin-based tensile forces to the matrix and therefore enhances traction forces. On the other hand, vimentin reinforces microtubules and their stability under compression, thus promoting the role of microtubules in suppressing cellular traction forces. We show that the competition between these two opposing effects of vimentin is regulated by the microenvironment stiffness. For low matrix stiffness, the force-transmitting role of vimentin dominates over their microtubule-reinforcing role and therefore vimentin increases traction forces. At high matrix stiffness, vimentin decreases traction forces as the microtubule-reinforcing role of vimentin becomes more important with increasing matrix stiffness. Our theory reconciles seemingly disparate experimental observations on the role of vimentin in active cellular forces and provides a unified description of stiffness-dependent chemo-mechanical regulation of cell contractility by vimentin. Significance Vimentin is a marker of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition which takes place during important biological processes including embryogenesis, metastasis, tumorigenesis, fibrosis, and wound healing. While the roles of the actin and microtubule networks in the transmission of cellular forces to the extracellular matrix are known, it is not clear how vimentin intermediate filaments impact cellular forces. Here, we show that vimentin impacts cellular forces in a matrix stiffness-dependent manner. Disruption of vimentin in cells on soft matrices reduces cellular forces, while it increases cellular forces in cells on stiff matrices. Given that cellular forces are central to both physiological and pathological processes, our study has broad implications for understanding the effect of vimentin on cellular forces in different microenvironments.
A brain-inspired object-based attention network for multiobject recognition and visual reasoning

The visual system uses sequences of selective glimpses to objects to support behavioral goals, but how is this attention control learned? Here we present an encoder-decoder model inspired by the interacting bottom-up and top-down visual pathways making up the recognition-attention system in the brain. At every iteration, a new glimpse is taken from the image and is processed through the ‘what’ encoder, a hierarchy of feedforward, recurrent, and capsule layers, to obtain an object-centric (object-file) representation. This representation feeds to the ‘where’ decoder, where the evolving recurrent representation provides top-down attentional modulation to plan subsequent glimpses and impact routing in the encoder. We demonstrate how the attention mechanism significantly improves the accuracy of classifying highly overlapping digits. In a visual reasoning task requiring comparison of two objects, our model achieves near-perfect accuracy and significantly outperforms larger models in generalizing to unseen stimuli. Our work demonstrates the benefits of object-based attention mechanisms taking sequential glimpses of objects.
Engineering functional membrane-membrane interface by InterSpy

Engineering synthetic interfaces between membranes has potential applications in designing non-native cellular communication pathways and creating synthetic tissues. Here, InterSpy is introduced as a synthetic biology tool consisting of a heterodimeric protein engineered to form and maintain membrane-membrane interfaces between apposing synthetic as well as cell membranes through SpyTag/SpyCatcher interaction. Inclusion of split fluorescent protein fragments in the designed InterSpy toolkit allows tracking the formation of membrane-membrane interface and reconstitution of functional fluorescent protein in the space between apposing membranes. We first demonstrate InterSpy by testing split protein designs using a mammalian cell-free expression system. By utilizing co-translational helix insertion, cell-free synthesized InterSpy fragments are incorporated into the membrane of liposomes and supported lipid bilayers with a desired topology. Functional reconstitution of split fluorescent protein between the membranes is strictly dependent on SpyTag/SpyCatcher. Finally, since InterSpy is fully genetically encoded, the engineered system is adapted to cells and showcased. InterSpy demonstrates the power of cell-free expression systems in functional reconstitution of synthetic membrane interfaces via proximity-inducing proteins. This technology may also prove useful for synthetic biology where cell-cell contacts and communication are recreated in a controlled manner using minimal components.
The left posterior angular gyrus is engaged by autobiographical recall not object-semantics, or event-semantics: Evidence from contrastive propositional speech production

The angular gyrus (AG) has been implicated in a myriad of cognitive functions. Using the previously under-studied naturalistic task of propositional speech production, we investigated the engagement of the left posterior AG (pAG) by three forms of memory: 1) episodic/autobiographical memory, 2) object semantic-memory, and 3) event-semantic knowledge. We conducted an ALE meta-analysis, followed by an fMRI study. The meta-analysis showed that pAG is only engaged as part of the propositional speech network when the task carries an autobiographical component. This finding was supported by the fMRI results, which also showed that: 1) pAG was positively engaged during autobiographical memory retrieval; 2) pAG was strongly deactivated for definitions of object semantics and non-propositional speech; 3) pAG activation increased with the degree to which the event descriptions relied on autobiographical information; 4) critically, the pAG showed a different pattern to known semantic representation regions (e.g., ventral anterior temporal lobe (vATL)) thereby providing clear evidence that the pAG is not acting as a semantic hub. Instead, the pAG activation profile directly mirrored that found in the wider autobiographical retrieval network. We propose that information stored elsewhere in the episodic system is temporally buffered online in the pAG during autobiographical retrieval/memory construction.