Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calibration of LA-ICP-MS via standard addition using dried picoliter droplets

A novel microanalytical calibration approach for quantitative spatially resolved analysis of thin layered materials with laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is presented. This method relies on standard addition via the generation of dried pL-droplet residues. Therefore, a drop on demand dosing device based on a modified commercial ink cartridge and a dosing interface, both accessible via a self-constructed microcontroller, were developed. This dosing device enables the precise deposition of pL-droplets onto solid samples for the generation of residues with dimensions in the low μm-range. The LA-ICP-MS analysis of such residues allows calibration over at least 6 orders of magnitude corresponding to absolute ablated masses, with limits of detection of a few fg. As this method is based on standard addition it is necessary to determine the ablated sample mass to calculate concentrations. The volume of the ablated sample material per ablation crater is determined via microscopical determination of the sample's thickness and of the ablation crater's diameter. The ablated sample mass is obtained via the ablated sample volume and the density of the sample material. The developed method was successfully used for the accurate determination of a selection of elements in a polymeric thin section and a glass cover slip. The performance of this approach regarding accuracy, uncertainty and repeatability is discussed herein.
A 24 mW, 80 dB SNR, 50 MHz multi-bit continuous time ΣΔ ADC in 28 nm FD-SOI

This paper presents a continuous time sigma delta ADC for 50 MHz bandwidth with 80 dB resolution, which overcomes the shortcomings of known architectures. It incorporates a 5 bit flash ADC as a quantizer with a current steering feedback DAC employing dynamic element matching. The main feedback path and the fast feedback path around the quantizer have shifted delays to compensate for the excess loop delay. The architecture uses 28 nm FD-SOI technology with flipped well transistors having forward body bias. Circuit simulations predict a power consumption of 24 mW at a 1.0 V supply voltage, and state-of-the-art Schreier FOM of 173 dB.
Review of Stochastic POS tagging techniques used in Bengali

this paper, we describe different stochastic methods or techniques used for POS tagging of Bengali language. We have shown a generalized stochastic model for POS tagging in Bengali. We reviewed kinds of corpus and number of tags used for tagging methods. In the study it is found that as many as 45 useful tags existed in the literature. There are four useful corpus found in the study. As Bengali is a morphologically rich language we outlined a feature list that could be used with different training algorithms. We found that a hybrid HMM model used with a morphological analyzer work best in Bengali with an accuracy of 96.3%.
The Metaflow architecture

The Metaflow architecture, a unified approach to maximizing the performance of superscalar microprocessors, is introduced. The Metaflow architecture exploits inherent instruction-level parallelism in conventional sequential programs by hardware means, without relying on optimizing compilers. It is based on a unified structure, the DRIS (deferred-scheduling, register-renaming instruction shelf), that manages out-of-order execution and most of the attendant problems. Coupling the DRIS with a speculative-execution mechanism that avoids conditional branch stalls results in performance limited only be inherent instruction-level parallelism and available execution resources. Although presented in the context of superscalar machines, the technique is equally applicable to a superpipelined implementation. Lightning, the first implementation of the Metaflow architecture, which executes the Sparc RISC instruction set is described. <<ETX>>
Mental Associations Between Law and Competitiveness: a Cross-Cultural Investigation

Abstract Previous research suggests that individuals from countries that adopt an adversarial legal system, such as Canada or United Kingdom, mentally associate “law” more strongly with concepts related to competition than concepts related to cooperation. We examined whether people from a country with a non-adversarial legal system show similar mental associations. Participants from Spain and the UK completed a Single-Category Implicit Association Test. Spanish participants mentally associated the law with competition less strongly than participants from the UK (the average D-score was significantly greater than zero in the predicted direction, t(189) = 8.16, p < . 001; d=1.18). Exploratory analysis also suggested that this difference between the countries was stronger among participants who believed that the method of legal practice in their own country was more adversarial. Moreover, perceiving the legal system as adversarial predicted automatic associations between law and competition for UK but not for Spanish participants. These findings suggest that legal system plays a relevant role in shaping not only individuals’ actions, but their cognitive processes.
Oxygen measurements in platelet fluids – a new non‐invasive method to detect bacterial contaminations in platelets

Background: The residual risk for bacterial contamination in blood components especially in platelets is one to two orders of magnitude higher than for transfusion relevant viral infections. The majority of all bacterial transmitted fatalities occurred at the end of platelet shelf life. Therefore, the maximum shelf life of platelet concentrates (PC) was reduced to 4 days after blood donation in Germany in 2008.
Effect of mental stress on the tone of a medium‐sized muscular artery

Aim We studied the effects of mental stress on the tone of the radial artery, a medium-sized muscular artery. Methods Using an A-mode echo-tracking device coupled to a photoplethysmograph, we took continuous measurements of the radial artery diameter, heart rate and finger arterial pressure in six healthy young volunteers. Results Under mental stress, the heart rate increased from 63 ±4 to 74 ±4 beats/min (means±SEM, P<0.01) and systolic pressure from 123±5 to 140±mmHg (P<0.05). No consistent modification in the arterial diameter was observed at this time. Conclusion The activation of sympathetic nerve activity induced by mental stress does not cause a significant contraction in the radial artery.
Long-Term Outcomes of War-Related Death of Family Members in Kosovar Civilian War Survivors

Exposure to war-related experiences can comprise a broad variety of experiences and the very nature of certain war-related events has generally been neglected. To examine the long-term outcomes of war-related death of family members, the authors investigated the prevalence rates of major depressive episode (MDE), anxiety disorders, and quality of life among civilian war survivors with or without war-related death of first-degree family members 9 years after the war in Kosovo. Compared to participants without war-related death of family members, those who had experienced such loss had significantly higher prevalence rates of MDE, posttraumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, and reported a lower quality of life 9 years after the war. These results indicate that bereaved civilian survivors of war experience significant mental health problems many years after the war.
Data Warehouses in Bioinformatics: Integration of Molecular Biological Data

Abstract This paper surveys the area of biological data integration and data warehousing, which has become a major focus of the data integration research field in the last few decades. The challenges in biological data integration are caused by several factors such as the variety and amount of available data, the heterogeneity of the data in different sources, and the autonomy and different capabilities of the sources. This paper gives insight into a small selection of important biological databases and the problems in biological data integration. We would like to focus on data warehouses that have become a popular approach in bioinformatics and life sciences. We will also introduce major existing integration systems that have been developed such as SRS, DiscoveryLink, BioWarehouse and ONDEX. Finally, this paper presents an in-house data warehouse approach for biological data. Zusammenfassung Dieser Artikel soll einen Überblick über den Bereich der biologischen Datenintegration und Data Warehouses geben, welche in den letzten Jahren immer mehr in den Fokus im Feld der Datenintegration gerückt ist. Die Herausforderungen in der biologischen Datenintegration werden durch unterschiedliche Faktoren verursacht wie z. B. Vielseitigkeit und Menge der verfügbaren Daten, Heterogenität der verschiedenen Datenquellen, sowie Autonomie und Einsatzmöglichkeiten der Datenquellen. Dieser Artikel soll eine Einsicht in eine kleine Auswahl von wichtigen molekularbiologischen Datenquellen geben und in Probleme der biologischen Datenintegration. Fokussieren wollen wir uns dabei auf den Data Warehouse Ansatz, der in den Lebenswissenschaften und in der Bioinformatik weit verbreitet ist. Wir werden die wichtigsten Integrationssysteme wie SRS, DiscoveryLink, BioWarehouse und ONDEX vorstellen. Abschließend präsentieren wir unser eigenes entwickeltes Data Warehouse System für molekularbiologische Daten.
Despite disparities, most LGBT elders are aging well.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults display remarkable resilience as they live their lives and build their communities, despite adversity they may face. In fact, LGBT older adults’ resilience may result from adversity and strengthen their fortitude, enhancing their health and well-being. Understanding health disparities among LGBT older adults is critical to identifying pockets of risk in these communities, but it is also imperative that we remain cognizant that most LGBT older adults enjoy good health and are aging well. Our research findings from Caring and Aging with Pride (CAP), a national study of 2,560 LGBT adults ages 50 to 95, demonstrate that most LGBT older adults are satisfied with their lives and aging successfully with strong personal and social ties, as illustrated in The Aging and Health Report: Disparities and Resilience among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Older Adults, (2011 http://goo.gl/4shpjl). Yet research demonstrates that les-bian, gay and bisexual older adults are a health-disparate population with elevated levels of poor general health, physical limitations and mental distress compared with heterosexuals of similar ages. Transgender older adults have even higher rates of disability, poor physical health and depression. The Institute of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identify the lack of attention to sexual orientation and age as critical gaps in our understanding and ability to reduce health disparities.
A MODEL FOR DIP-COATING OF A TWO LIQUID MIXTURE

We consider a thin film flow where a flat substrate is coated with a mixture of two miscible liquids, of equal viscosity, and develop a model to predict the evolving coating thicknesses. The developed model can, under certain circumstances, be used as an approximation for the dip-coating of a liquid suspension of a viscous volatile liquid and solid solute as occurs in many industrial applications.
Supplementary Material : Switching Convolutional Neural Network for Crowd Counting

Differential training on the CNN regressors R1 through R3 generates a multichotomy that minimizes the predicted count by choosing the best regressor for a given crowd scene patch. However, the trained switch is not ideal and the manifold separating the space of patches is complex to learn (see Section 5.2 of the main paper). To mitigate the effect of switch inaccuracy and inherent complexity of task, we perform coupled training of switch and CNN regressors. We ablate the effect of coupled training by training the switch classifier in a stand-alone fashion. For training the switch in a stand-alone fashion, the labels from differential training are held fixed throughout the switch classifier training. The results of the ablation are reported in Table 1. We see that training the switch classifier in a stand-alone fashion results in a deterioration of Switch-CNN crowd counting performance. While Switch-CNN with the switch trained in a stand-alone manner performs better than MCNN, it performs significantly worse than Switch-CNN with coupled training. This is reflected in the 13 point higher count MAE. Coupled training allows the patch labels to change in order to adapt to the ability of the switch classifier to relay a patch to the optimal regressor Rk correctly. This co-adaption is absent when training switch alone leading to deterioration of crowd counting performance.
Lignin modification by epoxidation

The chemical modification of lignin through hydroxymethylation and epoxidation is a way to develop new application fields and improvement of lignin performances. In this paper the influence of reaction conditions was studied using different samples of unmodified and modified lignins from annual plants (Wheat straw and Sarkanda grass). The progress of reactions was monitored by evaluating the epoxy index. The resulting products were characterized by FTIR-spectra, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry analysis. The products obtained were tested to be used in composite formulation for wood applications.
Seamless Guidance System Combining GPS, BLE Beacon, and NFC Technologies

Users rely increasingly on Location-Based Services (LBS) and automated navigation/guidance systems nowadays. However, while such services are easily implemented in outdoor environments using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, a requirement still exists for accurate localization and guidance schemes in indoor settings. Accordingly, the present study proposes a system based on GPS, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, and Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Through establishing graphic information and the design of algorithm, this study develops a guidance system for indoors and outdoors on smart phones, wishing to give user perfect smart life through this system. The proposed system is implemented on a smart phone and evaluated on a student campus environment. The experimental results confirm the ability of the proposed app to switch automatically from an outdoor mode to an indoor mode and to guide the user to requested target destination via the shortest possible route.
CERAMIC ETHNOARCHAEOLOGY IN HUÁNCITO, MICHOACÁN, MEXICO

Abstract This study deals with pottery production in Huáncito, a Tarascan or Purepecha community in Michoacán, Mexico. The information I have obtained by direct observation during a quarter-century of ethnoarchaeological fieldwork in this town allows me to generate hypotheses to aid in the interpretation of the archaeological record. The main goal of this study is to assist in the interpretation of the material record of ceramic production by means of ethnographic analogy. The observations conducted over a long period of time have given me an invaluable diachronic perspective for understanding many aspects of social change and cultural continuity, including patterns of ceramic manufacture, use, and discard, as well as the use of domestic space and the archaeological visibility of potting activities in the context of the households.
Enhanced E/Z Isomerization of (All-E)-lycopene by Employing Iron(III) Chloride as a Catalyst.

UNLABELLED Catalytic isomerization of (all-E)-lycopene to Z-isomers using iron(III) chloride was investigated and optimized under various conditions of solvents, concentrations of iron(III) chloride, and reaction temperatures. The total contents of Z-isomers converted were higher in the order of CH2 Cl2 (78.4%) > benzene (61.4%) > acetone (51.5%) > ethyl acetate (50.8%) at 20 °C for 3 h using 1.0 × 10(-3) mg/mL iron(III) chloride for 0.1 mg/mL (all-E)-lycopene. However, the decomposition of lycopene was markedly accelerated in CH2 Cl2 : the remaining lycopene after the reaction for 3 h and 12 h was only 79.4% and 47.5%, respectively. As the concentration of catalyst increased in acetone, the Z-isomerization ratio of lycopene increased to more than 80%, followed by rapid degradation of lycopene to undetectable levels using >4.0 × 10(-3) mg/mL iron(III) chloride with the above concentration of (all-E)-lycopene. Finally, greater isomerization (79.9%) was attained at 60 °C in acetone for 3 h in the presence of 1.0 × 10(-3) mg/mL iron(III) chloride, largely without decomposition of lycopene (remaining ratio of total amount of lycopene isomers after the reaction, 96.5%). As iron(III) chloride has found general use as a food additive for iron fortification and acetone is also widely used in the food field, this method can be applied to the food and beverage processing industry. PRACTICAL APPLICATION The dietary intake of lycopene, a natural red pigment found in brightly colored vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes and watermelons, has been reported to lower the risk of some diseases, including cancer. Lycopene molecules occur naturally in a long and “straight” shape, but on the other hand lycopene molecules with “bent” forms are highly absorbed by living cells, and showed good antioxidant activity. This study has demonstrated the efficient production of the “bent” lycopene using ionic iron as an accelerator, which is often contained in nutritional supplements.
Cooperative Game Approach to Power Allocation for Target Tracking in Distributed MIMO Radar Sensor Networks

In this paper, power allocation in distributed multiple-input multiple-output radar is investigated for range-only target tracking such that the determinant of Bayesian Fisher information matrix (B-FIM) is maximized. First, the B-FIM is derived for a signal model that incorporates the propagation path loss, the target reflectivity, the transmitted power, and the target prior density. Then, we model the problem as a cooperative game and exploit the solution concept of the Shapley value to distribute a given power budget among all transmitting radars for target tracking. In numerical examples, it is shown that uniform power allocation is not in general optimal. We illustrate the effects of the radar network geometry configuration, target prior density and number of antenna upon the power allocation results, and further demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed optimal power allocation scheme via Monte Carlo simulations.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and suicide in adults: meta-analysis of drug company data from placebo controlled, randomised controlled trials submitted to the MHRA's safety review

Abstract Objective To investigate whether selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are associated with an increased risk of suicide related outcomes in adults. Design Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials of SSRIs compared with placebo in adults submitted by pharmaceutical companies to the safety review of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Participants Over 40 000 individuals participating in 477 randomised controlled trials. Main outcome measures Suicide, non-fatal self harm, and suicidal thoughts. Results An estimated 16 suicides, 172 episodes of non-fatal self harm, and 177 episodes of suicidal thoughts were reported. We found no evidence that SSRIs increased the risk of suicide, but important protective or hazardous effects cannot be excluded (odds ratio 0.85, 95% credible interval 0.20 to 3.40). We found weak evidence of an increased risk of self harm (1.57, 0.99 to 2.55). Risk estimates for suicidal thoughts were compatible with a modest protective or adverse effect (0.77, 0.37 to 1.55). The relative frequency of reported self harm and suicidal thoughts in the trials compared with suicide indicates non-fatal end points were under-recorded. Conclusion Increased risks of suicide and self harm caused by SSRIs cannot be ruled out, but larger trials with longer follow up are required to assess the balance of risks and benefits fully. Any such risks should be balanced against the effectiveness of SSRIs in treating depression. When prescribing SSRIs, clinicians should warn patients of the possible risk of suicidal behaviour and monitor patients closely in the early stages of treatment.
Networked control method for polynomial systems via state feedback control

This paper is concerned with the stability analysis of networked control problems for polynomial systems. Owing to existing network-induced random delays of the forward and feedback communication links in a direct-drive control system, the input signals have time-varying delays. Based on the Lyapunov functional and by utilizing the Jensen inequality technique, the controller can be computed in terms of sum of squares inequalities (SOS). Simulation result is given to demonstrate the effectiveness and merits of the proposed control method.
Line Authority for Nurse Staffing and Costs for Acute Inpatient Care

There is little empirical evidence evaluating the effects of recent, widespread changes in nurse executive roles and nursing management structures on the costs of patient care. This retrospective cross-sectional study examined the relationship between line authority for nurse staffing and patient care costs (total, nursing, and non-nursing cost) using data from 124 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers. After controlling for patient, facility, and market characteristics, nursing line authority was significantly associated with lower nursing cost per admission. Our results provide some evidence that a reduction in nursing line authority may adversely impact nursing costs.
Costs of care for irritable bowel syndrome patients in a health maintenance organization

OBJECTIVES:The aims of this study were: 1) to determine the total costs of care and costs related to lower GI–related problems for patients who received a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and 2) to compare them to age- and sex-matched population controls and patients treated for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS:Use and cost data were obtained through the computerized information systems of a large staff-model health maintenance organization on three groups of patients diagnosed in 1994 or 1995 with IBS, IBD, or GERD; and an age- and sex-matched control group of patients without any of these listed diagnoses. The IBS patient group was compared to the three comparison groups on components of total and IBS-related costs.RESULTS:Total costs of care for IBS patients were 49% higher than population controls during the year starting with the visit at which IBS patients were identified. In the index year, every component of total costs except inpatient care was significantly higher for IBS patients than for population controls. The costs of care for lower GI problems were significantly higher for patients with IBS than for population controls across a range of services. However, only 33% of the difference in total costs of care between IBS patients and population controls was due to lower GI–related services in the index year. In the subsequent years, lower GI–related services accounted for 18% and 20% of the total cost difference between IBS patients and population controls. The total costs of care as well as the components of costs of care were generally higher for IBD patients than for IBS patients, but were comparable for GERD and IBS patients.CONCLUSIONS:Patients with IBS show sustained increases in health care costs relative to population controls for both lower GI services and care unrelated to lower GI problems. However, the majority of the excess in health care costs resulted from medical care not directly related to lower GI problems.