Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of UWB Planar Antenna With Improved Cut-Off at the Out-of-Band Frequencies

This paper describes a method to improve the cutoff capability of an ultra wideband (UWB) planar antenna at the out-of-band frequencies using a meandered slot. In the presented UWB design, aimed for operation between 3.1 and 10.6 GHz, the antenna is formed by a planar monopole and a ground plane both of half circle shape, with a meandered-shape slot made in the monopole. In order to assess the antenna's cutoff capability for the out-of-band frequency range (below 3.1 GHz and above 10.6 GHz), two antennas, without and with a slot, are designed and developed. The simulated and measured results show that the meandered slot improves the cutoff capability of the antenna by decreasing the return loss in the 23 GHz band from 610 to 1 dB, and in the 10.611 GHz from 11 to 5.5 dB. At the same time the antenna's performance in the passband is unaffected both in terms of the return loss and radiation pattern. It is also shown that the antenna is useful for the pulsed UWB applications as the measured impulse response of the antenna indicates a distortionless pulse transmission.
Angiotensin II and cardiovascular chemoreflex responses to acute hypoxia in late gestation fetal sheep

1 In six intact and nine carotid sinus denervated (CSD) fetal sheep (125–128 days gestation) we measured heart rate (FHR), mean systemic arterial blood pressure (MAP), femoral and carotid blood flows (FBF and CBF), and femoral and carotid vascular resistances (FVR and CVR). Three experiments were conducted on successive days: normoxia followed by acute isocapnic hypoxia (Pa,O2 to ca 12 mmHg) with infusion of vehicle (HV experiment), the same protocol but with infusion of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, captopril (HC experiment), and normoxia alone with captopril infusion (NC experiment). Plasma angiotensin II concentration ([AII]) was measured in these fetuses, and in a separate group of fetuses (n= 5) that were infused with the nitric oxide (NO) synthesis inhibitor NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME) or saline vehicle. 2 During normoxia, cardiovascular parameters and plasma [AII] were unaltered by captopril infusion, apart from a fall in MAP (NC experiment only, P < 0.05) and FHR (HC experiment only, P < 0.05) in intact and CSD fetuses, respectively. No differences were observed between intact and CSD groups. 3 At the onset of hypoxia the rapid initial fall in FHR and rise in FVR was attenuated in CSD fetuses. In all fetuses FHR returned towards prehypoxic levels as hypoxia continued. In contrast, during hypoxia with vehicle infusion (HV experiment) plasma [AII] rose to a similar level in intact and CSD fetuses. 4 In both intact and CSD fetuses, the rise in [AII] during hypoxia was blocked by captopril or L‐NAME infusion. In CSD, but not intact, fetuses infused with captopril the rise in MAP was absent, and the fall in FBF and rise in FVR did not reach significance during hypoxia. 5 Thus, during normoxia CSD alone, or combined with ACE inhibition, does not consistently alter basal cardiovascular control in the late gestation fetus. The rise in [AII] during hypoxia is not mediated by carotid reflexes but may involve NO‐dependent mechanisms. In intact fetuses, AII does not appear to be pivotal in cardiovascular control during hypoxia. It is only when carotid reflex mechanisms are removed that a role for AII in the regulation of MAP and peripheral blood flow during hypoxia becomes apparent. These findings lend weight to the idea of multiple mechanisms of fetal cardiovascular control during hypoxia.
The Composition and Function of Pigeon Milk Microbiota Transmitted From Parent Pigeons to Squabs

Mammalian neonates obtain antibodies, nutrients, and microbiota from breast milk that help them resist the complex growth environment. Similar to mammals’ lactation behavior for their offspring, parent pigeons regurgitate pigeon milk (PM) from their crops to feed the squabs. Whether pigeon milk is as valuable as mammalian milk is not clear, especially in terms of microbiota. This study adopted 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate the microbial composition and function in pigeon milk. We found abundant microbiota in pigeon milk. The dominant genera in parent pigeons’ milk were Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Veillonella, and Bifidobacterium. An analysis of squab milk (SM) showed that Lactobacillus also accounted for a considerable proportion, followed by Bifidobacterium. Most of the squab milk microbial genera were also detected in parent pigeons. Microbial functional analysis showed that the squab milk microbes were more involved in the pathways of carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and energy metabolism. These findings indicated that microbiota play an important role in squabs and can be transmitted from parent pigeons to squabs by pigeon milk. The presence of plentiful probiotics in squabs also suggests that adding probiotics in artificial pigeon milk may promote the growth and development of squabs and improve the production performance of pigeons.
16S rRNA‐targeted oligonucleotide probes for direct detection of Propionibacterium freudenreichii in presence of Lactococcus lactis with multicolour fluorescence in situ hybridization

Multicolour fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has been applied to detect Lactococcus lactis and Propionibacterium freudenreichii cells in mixed populations in medium and skimmed milk, using epifluorescent microscopy. The 16S rRNA‐targeted 18‐mer oligonucleotide probes, specific for P. freudenreichii were designed and evaluated. Based on multiple alignments of designed sequences, eight 16S rRNA probes were selected for in vitro studies. The permeabilization protocol was optimized for simultaneous hybridization of propionibacteria and lactococci cells. The probes GLO62 (62‐80), PEU64 (64‐82) and PFX311 (311‐329) were found specific for P. freudenreichii in analysis in vitro. Lactococcus lactis cells were labelled with LactV5 (822‐840), (S‐S‐L.lact‐0821‐a‐A‐18) probe. The following combinations of oligonucleotide probes: LactV5/GLO62, LactV5/PEU64 and LactV5/PFX311, enabled differentiation of Lc. lactis and P. freudenreichii cells in culture media and in skimmed milk.
Satysfakcja z życia polskich pielęgniarek

Wstep. Jednym z komponentow jakości zycia moze byc subiektywne, dobre samopoczucie, ktore sklada sie z 3 elementow: poziomu satysfakcji z zycia, pozytywnych uczuc i braku uczuc negatywnych. Satysfakcja z zycia jest odczuwana w sposob niepowtarzalny przez kazdą jednostke. W literaturze wystepuje wiele doniesien odnoszących sie do poczucia satysfakcji z zycia roznych grup pacjentow bedących podmiotem dzialan pielegniarki, lecz bardzo malo jest raportow dotyczących satysfakcji z zycia osob świadczących opieke pielegniarską. Odnosi sie to szczegolnie do polskich pielegniarek. Cel pracy. Celem badan byla proba określenia poziomu satysfakcji z zycia polskich pielegniarek. Material i metody. W pracy do oceny globalnego poczucia satysfakcji zyciowej wykorzystano Skale Satysfakcji z Życia (SWLS). Natomiast narzedziem badawczym byl kwestionariusz SWLS Dienera. Badania statystyczne przeprowadzono przy uzyciu oprogramowania komputerowego STATISTICA 8.0. Objeto badaniami 891 pielegniarek czynnych zawodowo zamieszkalych w Polsce na terenie wojewodztw: mazowieckiego, kujawsko-pomorskiego i lubelskiego. Wyniki i wnioski. W badanej grupie pielegniarek średnia wartośc satysfakcji z zycia wynosila 19,60. W analizie statystycznej nie wykazano istotnych statystycznie zalezności pomiedzy miejscem zamieszkania badanych (miasto, wieś), plcią, stazem oraz miejscem pracy oraz wyksztalceniem a średnim poziomem satysfakcji z zycia. Zaleznośc taka wystepuje w przypadku stanu cywilnego respondentek oraz wojewodztwa, w ktorym mieszkaly ankietowane. Na podstawie uzyskanych danych mozna stwierdzic, ze poziom satysfakcji z zycia polskich pielegniarek jest zblizony do poziomu satysfakcji z zycia pielegniarek w innych krajach. Rownocześnie mozna zauwazyc, ze poziom satysfakcji z zycia tej grupy zawodowej jest nizszy niz poziom satysfakcji z zycia ogolu populacji Polski.
Estimating acute viral hepatitis infections from nationally reported cases.

OBJECTIVES Because only a fraction of patients with acute viral hepatitis A, B, and C are reported through national surveillance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we estimated the true numbers. METHODS We applied a simple probabilistic model to estimate the fraction of patients with acute hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C who would have been symptomatic, would have sought health care tests, and would have been reported to health officials in 2011. RESULTS For hepatitis A, the frequencies of symptoms (85%), care seeking (88%), and reporting (69%) yielded an estimate of 2730 infections (2.0 infections per reported case). For hepatitis B, the frequencies of symptoms (39%), care seeking (88%), and reporting (45%) indicated 18 730 infections (6.5 infections per reported case). For hepatitis C, the frequency of symptoms among injection drug users (13%) and those infected otherwise (48%), proportion seeking care (88%), and percentage reported (53%) indicated 17 100 infections (12.3 infections per reported case). CONCLUSIONS These adjustment factors will allow state and local health authorities to estimate acute hepatitis infections locally and plan prevention activities accordingly.
Organisational Life Cycle Stages and Management Control Systems in Service Organisations

It is argued that service firms’ control systems need to change throughout the life cycle stages to meet the varying needs of management. The challenge to most service organizations is to address their unique characteristics which had been identified to cause difficulties in controlling quality, measuring performance and controlling costs. Despite this challenge, a review of the literature suggests that the organizational life cycle variable is more researched in organizational studies, compared to Management Control Systems (MCS) studies. To fill in the gap, this study is undertaken to gain understanding of the MCS in mature and growing service firms. A survey methodology was employed. Questionnaires were administered to financial controllers of service organizations operating in Australia. Using t tests and multiple regression analysis, the results indicate that, mass service and mature firms place greater emphasis on more bureaucratic form of MCS as compared to professional service and growing firms.
The yeast protein Arc1p binds to tRNA and functions as a cofactor for the methionyl‐ and glutamyl‐tRNA synthetases.

Arc1p was found in a screen for components that interact genetically with Los1p, a nuclear pore‐associated yeast protein involved in tRNA biogenesis. Arc1p is associated with two proteins which were identified as methionyl‐tRNA and glutamyl‐tRNA synthetase (MetRS and GluRS) by a new mass spectrometry method. ARC1 gene disruption leads to slow growth and reduced MetRS activity, and synthetically lethal arc1‐ mutants are complemented by the genes for MetRS and GluRS. Recombinant Arc1p binds in vitro to purified monomeric yeast MetRS, but not to an N‐terminal truncated form, and strongly increases its apparent affinity for tRNAMet. Furthermore, Arc1p, which is allelic to the quadruplex nucleic acid binding protein G4p1, exhibits specific binding to tRNA as determined by gel retardation and UV‐cross‐linking. Arc1p is, therefore, a yeast protein with dual specificity: it associates with tRNA and aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases. This functional interaction may be required for efficient aminoacylation in vivo.
Robust ground plane region detection using multiple visual cues for obstacle avoidance of a mobile robot

SUMMARY This paper presents a vision-based obstacle avoidance design using a monocular camera onboard a mobile robot. A novel image processing procedure is developed to estimate the distance between the robot and obstacles based-on inverse perspective transformation (IPT) in an image plane. A robust image processing solution is proposed to detect and segment a drivable ground area within the camera view. The proposed method integrates robust feature matching with adaptive color segmentation for plane estimation and tracking to cope with variations in illumination and camera view. After IPT and ground region segmentation, distance measurement results are obtained similar to those of a laser range finder for mobile robot obstacle avoidance and navigation. The merit of this algorithm is that the mobile robot can have the capacity of path finding and obstacle avoidance by using a single monocular camera. Practical experimental results on a wheeled mobile robot show that the proposed imaging system successfully obtains distances of surrounding objects for reactive navigation in an indoor environment.
“You didn't teach me, you showed me”: Variations in Sibling Teaching Strategies in Early and Middle Childhood

This study examined siblings' teaching strategies in 72 dyads (firstborn and second born, M ages = 81.64 and 56.31 months) as a function of dyad age, age gap between siblings, and teacher birth order. One child per dyad was randomly assigned to teach her or his sibling to construct a tractor toy. Interactions were coded for the topic of teachers' speech, specificity of instructions, learner involvement, and how learner errors were corrected. Teachers from chronologically older dyads used more learner-centered strategies, as did those who were second born (age controlled). However, these main effects were qualified by various interactions between age and birth order, generally suggesting that firstborn children's teaching may benefit more from the experience that comes with age. Correlations between strategies also suggested that independent of age, siblings differ in the goals and abilities underlying their teaching behavior. Results support the role that siblings play in development and the value of assessing their teaching interactions.
SELF MICRO EMULSIFYING DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

Oral route has always been preferred route for formulators and has dominated over other routes of administrations. However this preferred route is limited to those drugs molecule that are permeable across the gastric mucosa and are at least sparingly soluble. Approximately 40%of new chemical entities exhibit poor aqueous solubility and present a major challenge to modern drug delivery system, because of their low bioavailability. The oral bioavailability of poorly water soluble drugs may be enhanced when coadministered with meal rich in fat has led to increasing recent interest in the formulation of poorly water soluble drugs in lipids. Also nowadays much attention has been paid to the lipid based formulations. Some examples of marketed lipid based formulations are Sandimmune Neoral (Cyclosporine A), Novartis Pvt. Ltd. and Fortovase (Saquinavir), Roche Laboratories Inc. with much attention focused on self micro-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS). Self micro emulsifying drug delivery systems are isotropic mixtures of oil, surfactant, co-surfactant and drug with a unique ability to form fine oil in water microemulsion upon mild agitation following dilution with aqueous phase. The hypothesis behind dissolution rate enhancement with SMEDDS is the spontaneous formation of the emulsion in the gastrointestinal tract which presents the drug in solubilized form, and the small size of the formed droplet provides a large interfacial surface area for drug absorption. This article gives a complete overview of SMEDDS as a promising approach to effectively tackle the problem of poorly soluble molecules.
The influence of filament size and atmosphere on the microstructure and J/sub c/ of round multifilament Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 1/Cu/sub 2/O/sub x/ wires

Round multifilament Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 1/Cu/sub 2/O/sub x/ wires having 37 and 259 filaments fabricated by the oxide-powder-in-tube method were given a step solidification partial melt heat treatment in air and oxygen atmospheres. Significant improvement in the critical current density (J/sub c/), as high as 1.65/spl times/10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ at 4.2 K zero field, was obtained for samples treated in pure oxygen versus air anneals. Moreover, as the filament size decreased the J/sub c/ increased. We discuss the development of 2212 microstructure and its dependence on filament size and heat treatment atmosphere in round multifilament 2212 wires. <<ETX>>
Prevalence and pattern of sick euthyroid syndrome in acute and chronic non-thyroidal illness--its relationship with severity and outcome of the disorder.

BACKGROUND Non-thyroidal illness is a common cause of alterations in thyroid hormone economy in absence of underlying intrinsic thyroid disorder. OBJECTIVE To study the prevalence and pattern of alterations in thyroid hormone economy in various non-thyroidal illnesses in our region and also to correlate these alterations with the severity and outcome of the non-thyroidal illness. MATERIAL AND METHODS We analyzed circulating T3, T4, TSH in 382 patients with non-thyroidal illness (285 acute and 97 acute on chronic) and correlated the alterations with severity and outcome of the non-thyroidal disorder. The patients had one or more organ failure at the time of enrollment to the study. The hormones were estimated at the onset of sickness, and at 3rd and 24th week. T3, T4 and TSH in 75 age and sex matched euthyroid subjects were taken as controls. RESULTS T3 (mean +/- SEM) was significantly reduced at the onset of illness, in both acute and chronic patient groups (1.61 +/- 0.05 nmol/l) compared to that in the controls (3.17 +/- 0.06 nmol/l). In spite of clinical improvement in most instances, T3 continued to remain low in the 3rd week (1.49 +/- 0.11 nmol/ l) but increased (2.14 +/- 0.09 nmol/l) in 24th week. Low T3 was found in 93 (32.6%) cases with acute illness in 20 (20.6%) cases with chronic illness. A combination of low T3 and T4 was found in 35 (12.3%) of cases with acute and 15 (15.5%) with chronic illness. Although serum TSH showed noticeable fall and rise in some individuals, no significant difference in mean TSH was observed during any period of illness compared to that in the controls. Severity of illness correlated with decrease in T3 (r=0.58) and T4 (r=0.38). A low T3 and T4 with low or undetectable TSH were associated with increased mortality. At the onset of acute illness low T3 was seen in 113 (29.6%, low T3 -low T4 in 50 (13.1%), high T4 in 28 (7.3%) lowT3-lowT4- low TSH in 10 (2.6%) and low T4 alone in 4 (1%) patients. Fifty one 1 (13.4%) of our patients demonstrated alterations in TSH in presence of normal T3 and T4-26 patients had decreased TSH while as 25 had increased TSH. Of 118 patients who followed at 24 weeks, 11 (9.3%) had low T3, 7(5.9%) had low T3- low T4 and 13 (11%) had elevated TSH. CONCLUSION Pattern and prevalence of sick euthyroid syndrome in this part of the world, a recognized iodine deficient region, appears to be similar to that reported elsewhere. Important finding in our study was higher percentage of TSH elevation, which we believe to reflect the underlying iodine deficiency state of our community. Besides a significant number of subjects persisted with alterations in thyroid functions even after 6 months of therapy. Though the severity of thyroid hormone derangement correlated with severity of sickness, the derangement was similar in acute vs. acute on chronic nonthyroidal illnesses.
Numerical method for solution of inverse problem of radar remote sensing of liquid precipitation

The numerical method for solution of inverse task for retrieval of rain intensity is considered for the cases of mono and double frequency radar remote sensing. The numerical simulation is performed for different operating wavelengths of mono and double frequency radars. It is shown that proposed approach gives large retrieval errors of rain intensity in the case of mono frequency sensing. Usage of double frequency radar for remote sensing permits to retrieve rain intensity with error not more than 22%.
Evidence and Implications for Multiplicative Interactions among Loci Predisposing to Human Common Disease

Objective: The aim of this study was to utilize information on monozygotic twin concordance rates and linkage studies results for common diseases to predict the likely mode of interaction between susceptibility loci. Methods: We calculated combinations of allele frequency and genotypic relative risk (GRR) that would generate linkage results typically observed in common human diseases. Given these single locus effects, we calculated the expected monozygotic twin concordance assuming different numbers of loci under different interaction models. Results: We demonstrate that, for disorders like schizophrenia, a purely additive model of interaction among loci is not consistent with the available evidence. Instead there are likely significant multiplicative or stronger interactions. Given these interactions, we show that in a diagnostic test based on a subset of predisposing loci, the marginal increase of predictive value rises with each additional locus that is discovered. Our model was consistent with susceptibility alleles being common or rare. Conclusions: Evidence from monozygotic twin concordance rates and linkage results point to a significant degree of multiplicative interaction among loci.
Promising Approaches for Behavioral Health Services to Children and Adolescents and Their Families in Managed Care Systems 5 : Serving Youth with Serious and Complex Behavioral Health Needs in Managed Care Systems

Since 1995, the Health Care Reform Tracking Project (HCRTP) has been tracking publicly-financed managed care initiatives and their impact on children with mental health and substance abuse (collectively referred to as behavioral health) problems and their families. The HCRTP is co-funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research in the U.S. Department of Education and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Supplemental funding has been provided by the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. to incorporate special analyses related to children involved in the child welfare system. The HCRTP is conducted jointly by the Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health at the University of South Florida, the Human Service Collaborative of Washington, D.C., and the National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health at the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development. The mixed method design of the Tracking Project has involved periodic surveys of all states, in-depth impact analyses involving site visits to a selected sample of states, and the identification and dissemination of promising approaches and features of managed care systems.1
Analysis of NbN Hot Electron Bolometer Receiver Noise Temperatures Above 2 THz With a Quantum Noise Model

This paper summarizes our receiver noise temperature data of NbN HEB mixers obtained at a number of local oscillator frequencies between 1.9 to 4.3 THz in order to verify the role of quantum noise. The experimental data show that the receiver noise temperature increases roughly linearly with frequency. At 4.3 THz, we measured a receiver noise temperature of 1300 K, which is about 6 times (hf/k B) . The noise data at different frequencies are compared to a prediction of a noise model including the contribution of quantum noise and making use of a hot-spot model for mixing. We draw a preliminary conclusion that at 4.3 THz roughly 30% of the receiver noise temperature can be ascribed to the quantum noise. However, more dedicated measurements are required in order to further support the quantum noise model for HEB mixers.