Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of multiple dual-band FSS reflector plate applied to reflector antenna

A multiple dual-band frequency selective surface (FSS) with band-pass and band-stop response at each band of operation is presented. The geometry comprises two different finite planar array metallic patches on a single dielectric layer, which can act as a dichroic reflector and overcome the drawbacks of narrowband and polarization stability. Both theoretical and experimental investigations are carried out. Excellent agreement between simulation and measured results shows the validity of the theoretical analysis.
An Assessment of the Effect of Teachers’ In-Service Training on the Effective Implementation of Life Skills Education in Secondary Schools in Kenya

The Ministry of Education in Kenya introduced the teaching of life skills education in all schools in 2008 so as to equip students with the adaptive abilities necessary for effectively dealing with the challenges of everyday life. However, issues meant to be addressed through life skills education; such as drug and substance abuse, pregnancy, suicidal attempts, truancy and strikes are still on the rise among secondary school learners. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of teachers’ in-service training on the effective implementation of life skills education in public secondary schools in Naivasha sub-county, Kenya. The research was guided by the following research objectives: to establish how often teachers attended in-service training on the implementation of life skills education in public secondary schools and to assess the effect of teachers’ in –service training in the implementation of life skills education in public secondary schools in Naivasha Sub-county, Kenya. The study was based on the social cognitive theory by Albert Bandura. The study adopted a concurrent triangulation research design and targeted 180 teachers and 29 principals from public secondary schools in Naivasha Sub-County, Kenya. The sample size of 123 teachers was determined using simple random while that of 16 principals was done using purposive sampling. The data was collected by use of questionnaires and interview schedules. The quantitative data collected was presented using statistical frequency tables, whereas the qualitative data was organized into themes and then presented in narrative form. The findings of the study showed that the majority of teachers had not undergone in-service training on life skills education and that the teachers’ felt that the few in-service trainings attended were inadequate to aid in the implementation of life skills education. The study recommends that The MOE should organize in-service training for teachers on life skills education to make them more effective in teaching the same. This is because the study findings reported that most teachers had never attended in-service trainings on life skills education. The Teacher Training Institutions should also enhance more life skills training to the teacher trainees in their institutions. This would make them more effective once they go into the field.
Teachers’ Beliefs About Task-Based Language Teaching in Japan

As task-based language teaching (TBLT) has grown in popularity in many Asian EFL countries, it has sometimes been the target of criticism from locally situated researchers and teachers, who question its appropriateness for such contexts (Burrows, 2008), often in contrast to more traditional methods, such as the “presentation, practice, production” (PPP) approach (Sato 2009). Partially in response to this criticism, the Task Based Language Learning Special Interest Group (TBLSIG) of the Japanese Association for Language Teachers was formed in 2010 in order to contribute to research into the implementation of TBLT in Japanese and Asian EFL classrooms. As the majority of TBLSIG members are teachers, presently interested in using TBLT in classrooms, they provide an ideal source of insight into how the approach can be implemented effectively in Japan, and by extension, in other similar EFL countries in Asia. This study investigated these teachers’ beliefs about TBLT in Japanese classrooms through an online survey. The aim of the study was to add to existing research on teacher beliefs by not only investigating teachers’ understanding of the principles of TBLT, but also by enquiring into what special considerations practicing teachers have made when implementing TBLT in Japanese classrooms.
Elevated organochlorines in the brain–hypothalamic–pituitary complex of intersexual shovelnose sturgeon

Organochlorine compounds (OCs), including polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides, were used on lands adjacent to the Middle Mississippi River (MMR; USA) from 1930 through 1988, and they continue to occur in MMR fish. These compounds are estrogenic and/or antiandrogenic, and they alter hormone production and reception within the brain and gonads of male fish, resulting in intersexuality and/or suppressed gonadal development. To assess how OCs affect reproduction of MMR fish, we quantified OC accumulation, intersexuality, and gonadal development in male shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) throughout the MMR during the spring of 2003. Gonads were observed for intersexual characteristics, weighed to calculate the gonadosomatic index (GSI), and examined histologically. Tissue accumulation of OCs was quantified in gonads, brain–hypothalamic–pituitary (BHP) complex, and fillets. Four of 48 mature males were identified macroscopically as intersexuals, and a fifth was found through histology (a 10.4% incidence). Intersexuals accumulated higher concentrations of OCs in the BHP complex compared with those of mature males. In addition, GSI and OC accumulation within the BHP complex, gonads, and fillets of mature males were negatively related. Exposure to OCs before or during sexual differentiation likely induces intersexuality in MMR shovelnose sturgeon, and exposure throughout gonadal maturation inhibits gonadal development.
A scale for restaurant customers’ healthy menu choices: individual and environmental factors

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the dimensions of restaurant customers’ engagement or disengagement with healthy eating in terms of individual and environmental factors to develop a scale. The results identified the underlying constructs of customers’ individual motives for and perceived barriers to healthy eating, as well as environmental elements of restaurants that encourage or discourage healthy eating. Design/methodology/approach To develop an appropriate set of measures to assess factors influencing customers’ healthy eating behaviors at restaurants, the current study undertook the five steps of scale development suggested by Churchill (1979): specifying the domain of constructs, generating a pool of initial measurement items, assessing content adequacy, administering questionnaires (an online survey method) and purifying and finalizing the measurement (via exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using 410 samples and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using 423 samples). Findings The results revealed ten individual factors (health, body image, weight control, feeling better, unappealing food, cost perception, lack of knowledge, state of mind (stress), lack of self-control and negative influences) and five environmental factors (healthy indications, social impact, availability of healthy menu, price policy and unhealthy indications) influencing customers’ healthy eating behaviors at restaurants. Originality/value This study developed an appropriate set of measures to assess individual and environmental factors influencing restaurant customers’ healthy eating behaviors, along with identifying underlying sub-constructs. The reliability and validity of the scale and the factor structure are presented and potential applications and theoretical contributions of the scale are provided as well.
Stretchable transducers for kinesthetic interactions in virtual reality

Commercial virtual reality devices such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive enable experience designers to emulate a number of human sensory inputs with computer simulations. Commercial experiences have demonstrated plausibly realistic audiovisual sensory input, but somatosensory feedback has been more limited in scope. Most successful attempts in providing feedback to the human Kinesthetic system were considered power-demanding, expensive and potentially harmful to users, therefore somatosensory input has largely been addressed by vibration-based devices, like Linear Resonant Actuators and Eccentric Rotating Mass actuators, aimed at stimulating receptors near the surface of the skin. This method is widely accepted as a proxy in lieu of resisting to muscle tension, but it is not considered a path to realistic input.
Fair Algorithms for Infinite and Contextual Bandits

We study fairness in linear bandit problems. Starting from the notion of meritocratic fairness introduced in Joseph et al. [2016], we carry out a more refined analysis of a more general problem, achieving better performance guarantees with fewer modelling assumptions on the number and structure of available choices as well as the number selected. We also analyze the previously-unstudied question of fairness in infinite linear bandit problems, obtaining instance-dependent regret upper bounds as well as lower bounds demonstrating that this instance-dependence is necessary. The result is a framework for meritocratic fairness in an online linear setting that is substantially more powerful, general, and realistic than the current state of the art.
Stenting and medical therapy for atherosclerotic renal-artery stenosis.

BACKGROUND Atherosclerotic renal-artery stenosis is a common problem in the elderly. Despite two randomized trials that did not show a benefit of renal-artery stenting with respect to kidney function, the usefulness of stenting for the prevention of major adverse renal and cardiovascular events is uncertain. METHODS We randomly assigned 947 participants who had atherosclerotic renal-artery stenosis and either systolic hypertension while taking two or more antihypertensive drugs or chronic kidney disease to medical therapy plus renal-artery stenting or medical therapy alone. Participants were followed for the occurrence of adverse cardiovascular and renal events (a composite end point of death from cardiovascular or renal causes, myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for congestive heart failure, progressive renal insufficiency, or the need for renal-replacement therapy). RESULTS Over a median follow-up period of 43 months (interquartile range, 31 to 55), the rate of the primary composite end point did not differ significantly between participants who underwent stenting in addition to receiving medical therapy and those who received medical therapy alone (35.1% and 35.8%, respectively; hazard ratio with stenting, 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76 to 1.17; P=0.58). There were also no significant differences between the treatment groups in the rates of the individual components of the primary end point or in all-cause mortality. During follow-up, there was a consistent modest difference in systolic blood pressure favoring the stent group (-2.3 mm Hg; 95% CI, -4.4 to -0.2; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS Renal-artery stenting did not confer a significant benefit with respect to the prevention of clinical events when added to comprehensive, multifactorial medical therapy in people with atherosclerotic renal-artery stenosis and hypertension or chronic kidney disease. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00081731.).
The assessment of patients with long-term psychotic disorders: application of the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the use of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II), a patient questionnaire measuring disability, in patients treated for long-term psychotic disorders. METHOD The study was conducted at St. Vincent's Mental Health Service, Melbourne, Australia. Twenty patients with long-term psychotic disorders under the care of either the residential Community Care Unit or the outpatient Mobile Support and Treatment Service were selected. For all 20 patients a clinician assessment of disability and functional status was recorded using the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps-2 (ICIDH-2), Life Skills Profile (LSP) and Health of the Nation Outcome Scale (HoNOS). The WHODAS II survey was then administered to each patient. The WHODAS II was re-administered by a second rater within 5 days of the initial assessment for the purpose of test-retest reliability analysis. Each patient also completed the WHO Quality of Life instrument (brief version) (WHQOL-BREF), a self-report questionnaire on quality of life. RESULTS The WHODAS II was experienced as relatively complex and at times difficult to administer with full co-operation in this clinical context. Overall, test-retest reliability was fair. The information it yielded gave valuable insights into patients' experiences. Most of the participants reported fewer impairments in mental functions and fewer activity limitations than reported by clinicians. However, patients reported significant restrictions in participation in social activities and limitations due to environmental barriers. The WHOQOL-BREF highlighted difficulties experienced by patients in their participation in society, through exploring difficulties and satisfaction with various aspects of life experience and this instrument was well accepted. CONCLUSIONS The self-reported experience of patients is needed alongside clinician-rated measures to assess outcomes in people with long-term psychotic disorders. The WHODAS II records and measures patients' own experiences of disability. It may be used together with the WHOQOL-BREF, a distinct and complementary self-report assessment of quality of life.
Genetic factors controlling wool shedding in a composite Easycare sheep flock.

Historically, sheep have been selectively bred for desirable traits including wool characteristics. However, recent moves towards extensive farming and reduced farm labour have seen a renewed interest in Easycare breeds. The aim of this study was to quantify the underlying genetic architecture of wool shedding in an Easycare flock. Wool shedding scores were collected from 565 pedigreed commercial Easycare sheep from 2002 to 2010. The wool scoring system was based on a 10-point (0-9) scale, with score 0 for animals retaining full fleece and 9 for those completely shedding. DNA was sampled from 200 animals of which 48 with extreme phenotypes were genotyped using a 50-k SNP chip. Three genetic analyses were performed: heritability analysis, complex segregation analysis to test for a major gene hypothesis and a genome-wide association study to map regions in the genome affecting the trait. Phenotypes were treated as a continuous or binary variable and categories. High estimates of heritability (0.80 when treated as a continuous, 0.65-0.75 as binary and 0.75 as categories) for shedding were obtained from linear mixed model analyses. Complex segregation analysis gave similar estimates (0.80 ± 0.06) to those above with additional evidence for a major gene with dominance effects. Mixed model association analyses identified four significant (P < 0.05) SNPs. Further analyses of these four SNPs in all 200 animals revealed that one of the SNPs displayed dominance effects similar to those obtained from the complex segregation analyses. In summary, we found strong genetic control for wool shedding, demonstrated the possibility of a single putative dominant gene controlling this trait and identified four SNPs that may be in partial linkage disequilibrium with gene(s) controlling shedding.
A molecular biogeographic analysis of the relationship between North American melanoploid grasshoppers and their Eurasian and South American relatives.

The Melanoplinae constitute one of the two largest subfamilies of Acrididae. Distributed mainly throughout the New World and parts of Eurasia, this group of grasshoppers includes over 100 genera and 800 species. Over the past five decades there has been considerable speculation on the origins of North and South American taxa. The most favored hypothesis proposes an ancient division of Laurasian taxa accompanying the separation of North America and Eurasia, with subsequent radiations within those continents, followed by a recent incursion of Nearctic melanoplines into the southern hemisphere with the establishment of the Isthmus of Panama. This research tests that scenario by phylogenetic analysis using as characters portions of five mitochondrial gene sequences, totaling 2285 bp. Three tree-building methods, maximum-parsimony, neighbor-joining, and maximum-likelihood, strongly support the different view that melanopline grasshoppers originated somewhere in the Americas and spread to the Old World. The feasibility of these findings is discussed within a geological context.
PEMIKIRAN EKONOMI ABU UBAID AL-BAGHDADI (Studi Kitab Al-Amwal)

Economic thought of Abu Ubaid reflects the significance of maintaining the society’s rights and obligations, making justice a central principle in running the government and building a sense of unity and shared responsibility. Abu Ubaid also explicitly states that the government is obliged to provide an adequate standard of living for every individual in a Muslim society. He said that state revenue (fai ', khumus, alms and zakat) have to be managed by the state and allocated to the community. In term of monetary, he states that the money have to have intrinsict value, standard exchange rate and medium of exchange. He is of the opinion that only dinars and dirhams that deserve to be used as a medium of exchange because it has a stable value so the inflation flows which adversely affect the economy of the country can be avoided.
Frequency fitting algorithm of control signals based on Hermite curves

The paper presents the process and methodology of nomination control signals based on the measurement signals. The process was made to allow for the determination of the replacement of the control signal in order to adjust its frequency to the frequency of operation of the control system. The purpose of the algorithm is to adjust the frequency of the measured signal to the frequency control circuit when the frequency of the signals from the measurements is too low. The algorithm is based on Hermite curves taking into account measurement signal and their first derivative. The paper also presents the verification of the algorithm. It has been tested to angular displacement measuring signals and their velocity in the human lower limb joints in the sagittal plane.
Descriptive epidemiology of collegiate women's softball injuries: National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System, 1988-1989 through 2003-2004.

OBJECTIVE To review 16 years of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) injury surveillance data for women's softball and to identify potential areas for injury prevention initiatives. BACKGROUND The NCAA Injury Surveillance System has tracked injuries in all divisions of NCAA softball from the 1988-1989 to the 2003-2004 seasons. This report describes what was found and why the findings are important for the safety, enhancement, and continued growth of the sport. MAIN RESULTS Across all divisions, preseason practice injury rates were more than double the regular-season practice injury rates (3.65 versus 1.68 injuries per 1000 athlete-exposures, rate ratio = 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.0, 2.4, P < .01). The rate of injury in a game was 1.6 times that in a practice (4.30 versus 2.67 injuries per 1000 athlete-exposures, rate ratio = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.5, 1.7). A total of 51.2% of game injuries resulted from "other-contact" mechanisms, whereas 55% of practice injuries resulted from noncontact mechanisms. In games, ankle ligament sprains and knee internal derangements accounted for 19% of injuries. Twenty-three percent of all game injuries were due to sliding, most of which were ankle sprains. In practices, ankle ligament sprains, quadriceps and hamstring strains, shoulder strains and tendinitis, knee internal derangements, and lower back strains (combined) accounted for 38% of injuries. RECOMMENDATIONS Ankle ligament sprains, knee internal derangements, sliding injuries, and overuse shoulder and low back injuries were among the most common conditions in NCAA women's softball. Preventive efforts should focus on sliding technique regardless of skill level, potential equipment changes, neuromuscular training programs, position-specific throwing programs, and mechanisms of low back injury. Further research is needed on the development and effects of these preventive efforts, as well as in the area of windmill-pitching biomechanics.
Nash equilibrium flow in a routing game with random queues

In this paper, we present a new dynamic flow routing model on networks of parallel paths with capacities on edges and a regime of random queues at vertices. According to the introduced rules of waiting at vertices, we estimate the routing cost functions expressed by a mathematical expectation of a routing duration. For the corresponding routing game with nonatomic agents we prove the existence of Nash equilibrium flows and provide a method for their computation. On a basis of the investigated properties of cost functions and Nash equilibrium flows, we show that the routing costs can be changed in such a way that one of the resulting equilibrium flows minimizes with some accuracy the time a network is used by agents.
Temperature Fiber Sensors Based on Mach–Zehnder Interferometer With Sturdy Structure

This paper presents a highly sensitive and in-line temperature fiber sensor based on Mach-Zehnder interferometer with material overlay. The sensor is constructed using a section of single-mode fiber sandwiched between a no-core fiber and a waist-enlarged taper and immersed in a material with high thermo-optic coefficient. The experimental results indicated that a high temperature sensitivity of 0.825 nm/°C was accomplished for surrounding material with the refractive index of ~1.45. The proposed sensor has numerous merits of in-line applications, high sensitivity, easy fabrication, simple structure, compact size, and furthermore, the structure is sturdy due to its high mechanical strength.
Post-crisis business investment in the euro area and the role of monetary policy

ABSTRACT Business investment in the euro area strongly declined during the Global Financial Crisis and the Sovereign Debt Crisis. It has not yet rebounded to its pre-crisis trend despite the very expansionary monetary policy measures of the ECB. We analyse the sluggish recovery in business investment in the euro area and the role of monetary policy in three steps. We investigate the main factors that have impeded business investment since the Global Financial Crisis. We empirically analyse how business investment has developed compared to typical patterns during other financial crises. Based on these results, we then discuss how effective monetary policy has been in stimulating business investment since the Global Financial Crisis. We conclude that business investment in the euro area has developed broadly in line with typical post-crisis patterns. Monetary policy significantly contributed to stabilize business investment at the beginning of the crises. In the aftermath of the crises, however, there seems to be little scope for monetary policy to further stimulate investment.