Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linearized microring-loaded Mach-Zehnder modulator with RF gain

A linearized modulator based on the Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) loaded with a second-order allpass microring resonator is proposed and analyzed. The device is shown to exhibit much smaller intermodulation distortion than standard Mach-Zehnder modulators, thus greatly enhancing the device dynamic range. Gain effect associated with the microring resonance results in a modulator transfer function with high slope efficiency and large RF gain. Moreover, combined with the use of a highly electrooptic polymer, the high slope efficiency allows for the possibility of realizing modulators with subvolt drive voltage. The detrimental effect of loss in the microring resonators on device performance is also investigated and a design approach to mitigate its effect is presented. The proposed modulator can be linearized to any arbitrary nth order by loading the MZI with a higher order allpass microring resonator.
Knowledge management applied to Supervision and Control System of Demand Electric for Domestic Use

This paper presents the design and development of an energy system for residences, destined for the consumer to do knowledge management through supervision and control electrical household and contribute to the rational use of energy, using protocols of OSI model (Open System Interconnection)[1] such as: Power Line Communication (PLC) [2], Ethernet, TCP-UDP/IP (Transport Control Protocol -- User Datagram Protocol/Internet protocol) and high level protocol HTTP (Hipertext Protocol) [3]. The system, from the hardware's perspective, is based on the use of ARM Cortex M4 of Freescale® microcontroller referenced as MK10 [4] and a system for voltage, current, power factor and energy measurement through Analog Device's® [5] ADE7763® device. A web application will be installed on the microcontroller so it can be used from any tablet or smartphone through Wi-Fi protocol, which allows to develop measurement and storage tasks on a data base, in the same way as turning on and off devices to be controlled, allowing the consumer to do knowledge management and perform energy saving in the residence.
MTC Flow: a tool to design, develop and deploy model transformation chains

This paper presents a tool called MTC Flow, which allows model-driven developers to design, develop, test and deploy Model Transformation Chains (MTCs). The tool offers a graphical DSL for defining MTC workflow models independently of the technologies that support the transformations. Using basic concepts such as metamodels, models and transformations (M2M, M2T and T2M) the user defines, executes and tests his MTC easily in the same development environment. MTC Flow has an abstraction layer to implement technology support. It facilitates the interoperability of model transformation and validation using the existing technologies without changes. Additionally, once the MTC is finished, MTC Flow offers an option to deploy it in any environment that support JAVA technology. The tool supports modularity and alternative execution paths of the MTCs. It was built on top of the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) and the Graphical Modeling Framework (GMF). The tool offers a development environment using the extending capabilities of the Eclipse platform. We illustrate how MTC Flow supports MTCs development process using an example.
Yeast prion protein derivative defective in aggregate shearing and production of new ‘seeds’

According to the nucleated polymerization model, in vivo prion proliferation occurs via dissociation (shearing) of the huge prion polymers into smaller oligomeric ‘seeds’, initiating new rounds of prion replication. Here, we identify the deletion derivative of yeast prion protein Sup35 (Sup35‐Δ22/69) that is specifically defective in aggregate shearing and ‘seed’ production. This derivative, [PSI+], previously thought to be unable to turn into a prion state, in fact retains the ability to form a prion ([PSI+]Δ22/69) that can be maintained in selective conditions and transmitted by cytoplasmic infection (cytoduction), but which is mitotically unstable in non‐selective conditions. Moreover, the full‐size Sup35 prion ‘seeded’ by [PSI+]Δ22/69 retains its mitotic stability defect. The [PSI+]Δ22/69 cells contain more Sup35 protein in the insoluble fraction and form larger Sup35 aggregates compared with the conventional [PSI+] cells. Moderate excess of Hsp104 disaggregase increases transmission of the [PSI+]Δ22/69 prion, while excess Hsp70‐Ssa chaperone antagonizes it, opposite to their effects on conventional [PSI+]. Our results shed light on the mechanisms determining the differences between transmissible prions and non‐transmissible protein aggregates.
Environmental rather than spatial factors structure bacterioplankton communities in shallow lakes along a > 6000 km latitudinal gradient in South America.

Metacommunity studies on lake bacterioplankton indicate the importance of environmental factors in structuring communities. Yet most of these studies cover relatively small spatial scales. We assessed the relative importance of environmental and spatial factors in shaping bacterioplankton communities across a > 6000 km latitudinal range, studying 48 shallow lowland lakes in the tropical, tropicali (isothermal subzone of the tropics) and tundra climate regions of South America using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Bacterioplankton community composition (BCC) differed significantly across regions. Although a large fraction of the variation in BCC remained unexplained, the results supported a consistent significant contribution of local environmental variables and to a lesser extent spatial variables, irrespective of spatial scale. Upon correction for space, mainly biotic environmental factors significantly explained the variation in BCC. The abundance of pelagic cladocerans remained particularly significant, suggesting grazer effects on bacterioplankton communities in the studied lakes. These results confirm that bacterioplankton communities are predominantly structured by environmental factors, even over a large-scale latitudinal gradient (6026 km), and stress the importance of including biotic variables in studies that aim to understand patterns in BCC.
The use of nurses' and carers' observations in the identification of poststroke depression.

AIM This paper is a report of a study to determine the accuracy and utility of an observational screening tool (Signs of Depression Scale), when rated by nurses and carers for detecting depression in patients who have recently had a stroke. BACKGROUND Depression following a stroke is common and adversely affects recovery and rehabilitation. Identifying depression when patients have communication and cognitive difficulties is especially problematic. Screening tools which rely solely on observation may be beneficial in this group. METHOD A cross-sectional study of people admitted with an acute stroke compared a clinical diagnosis of depression by a psychiatrist (the gold standard) with the Signs of Depression Scale completed by nurses and carers. The agreement between nurses' and carers' ratings was also explored. Data were collected over 10 months (December 2004-October 2005). FINDINGS Seventy-one patients were included in the study, median age 70 [inter-quartile ranges (IQR) 59-76], including 40 (56.3%) males. The psychiatrist classified 25/71 (35.2%) patients as depressed. Using the recommended cut-point of 2 or more on the Signs of Depression Scale, the nurse and carer respectively rated 27/71 (38.0%) and 18/30 (60.0%) patients as potentially depressed. The proportion of patients correctly identified as depressed by the test (sensitivity) when rated by nurses was 64%, and the proportion of patients not depressed who were correctly identified by the test (specificity) was 61%, whereas carers achieved sensitivity 90% and specificity 35%. The optimal cut-point for carers was higher at 4 or more. Inter-rater agreement on the Signs of Depression Scale between nurses and carers was fair (ICC = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.09-0.68). CONCLUSION The Signs of Depression Scale is easily completed by clinical staff, although we found the sensitivity when completed by nurses to be low. Information from carers shows potential to improve screening and it is important for nurses to value the knowledge and skills of carers in detecting depression following a stroke. Further refinement of the Signs of Depression Scale, with accompanying research, is required.
Characterization of Flexible Arrayed pH Sensor Based on Nickel Oxide Films

In this paper, nickel oxide (NiO) was used as a sensing film of flexible arrayed NiO pH sensor, and its average sensitivity could be improved by introducing oxygen gas in sputtering deposition process for NiO sensing film. It had the advantage, such as portability, disposability, low cost, high flexibility, miniaturization, long-term stability for basic solution, and high sensitivity (63 mV/pH) exhibited in the pH range from pH 1 to pH 13. Moreover, the characteristics of optimal NiO sensing film were investigated by using field emission scanning electron microscope. The non-ideal effects of flexible arrayed NiO pH sensor were investigated, such as drift and hysteresis effects. The drift rates for pH 1, pH 7, and pH 13 were −4 mV/hr, 3 mV/hr, and 1 mV/hr, respectively. Moreover, the hysteresis voltages were within 4 mV.
DEPERSONALIZATION IN ACCIDENT VICTIMS AND PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS

A transient depersonalization syndrome was identified in nearly one third of persons exposed to life-threatening danger (accident victims) and close to 40 per cent of a group of hospitalized psychiatric patients. Although the syndrome was similar in these populations, mental clouding developed more commonly among patients and alertness was more prominent among accident victims. Anxiety was significantly associated with the development of depersonalization among psychiatric patients and was almost certainly a factor in its appearance among accident victims. The findings suggest that this syndrome is a specific response to extreme danger or its associated anxiety.
Genome-wide identification of bacterial plant colonization genes

Diverse soil-resident bacteria can contribute to plant growth and health, but the molecular mechanisms enabling them to effectively colonize their plant hosts remain poorly understood. We used randomly barcoded transposon mutagenesis sequencing (RB-TnSeq) in Pseudomonas simiae, a model root-colonizing bacterium, to establish a genome-wide map of bacterial genes required for colonization of the Arabidopsis thaliana root system. We identified 115 genes (2% of all P. simiae genes) with functions that are required for maximal competitive colonization of the root system. Among the genes we identified were some with obvious colonization-related roles in motility and carbon metabolism, as well as 44 other genes that had no or vague functional predictions. Independent validation assays of individual genes confirmed colonization functions for 20 of 22 (91%) cases tested. To further characterize genes identified by our screen, we compared the functional contributions of P. simiae genes to growth in 90 distinct in vitro conditions by RB-TnSeq, highlighting specific metabolic functions associated with root colonization genes. Our analysis of bacterial genes by sequence-driven saturation mutagenesis revealed a genome-wide map of the genetic determinants of plant root colonization and offers a starting point for targeted improvement of the colonization capabilities of plant-beneficial microbes.
“The lottery of my life”: Migration trajectories and the production of precarity among Bangladeshi migrant workers in Singapore's construction industry

Within the scholarship on precarity, low-waged contract-based migrants are recognized as centrally implicated in precarious employment conditions at the bottom of neoliberal capitalist labor markets. Precarity as a socially corrosive condition stems from both the multiple insecurities of the workplace as disposable labor, and a sense of deportability as migrant subjects with marginal socio-legal status in the host society. Our study of Bangladeshi construction workers in Singapore contributes to refining understandings of precarity by approaching labor migration as a cumulative, intensively mediated process, whereby risks and vulnerabilities are compounded across different sites in migrants’ trajectories, even as they enact themselves as mobile, aspiring subjects. As a condition-in-the-making, precarity is experienced and compounded, through a continuum beginning in pre-migration indebtedness, multiplying through entanglements with the migration industry, and manifesting in workplace vulnerabilities at destination. It is most finely balanced when predictability and planning yield to arbitrary hope.
Depressive Symptoms in Nonresident African American Fathers and Involvement With Their Sons

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine whether paternal depressive symptoms were associated with less father involvement among African American fathers not living with their children (ie, nonresident fathers). METHODS: We analyzed survey data for 345 fathers enrolled in a program for nonresident African American fathers and their preteen sons. Father involvement included measures of contact, closeness, monitoring, communication, and conflict. We used bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analysis to examine associations between father involvement and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Thirty-six percent of fathers reported moderate depressive symptoms, and 11% reported severe depressive symptoms. In bivariate analyses, depressive symptoms were associated with less contact, less closeness, low monitoring, and increased conflict. In multivariate analyses controlling for basic demographic features, fathers with moderate depressive symptoms were more likely to have less contact (adjusted odds ratio: 1.7 [95% confidence interval: 1.1–2.8]), less closeness (adjusted odds ratio: 2.1 [95% confidence interval: 1.3–3.5]), low monitoring (adjusted odds ratio: 2.7 [95% confidence interval: 1.4–5.2]), and high conflict (adjusted odds ratio: 2.1 [95% confidence interval: 1.2–3.6]). Fathers with severe depressive symptoms also were more likely to have less contact (adjusted odds ratio: 3.1 [95% confidence interval: 1.4–7.2]), less closeness (adjusted odds ratio: 2.6 [95% confidence interval: 1.2–5.7]), low monitoring (adjusted odds ratio: 2.8 [95% confidence interval: 1.1–7.1]), and high conflict (adjusted odds ratio: 2.6 [95% confidence interval: 1.1–5.9]). CONCLUSION: Paternal depressive symptoms may be an important, but modifiable, barrier for nonresident African American fathers willing to be more involved with their children.
When Push Comes to Love: Partnership and Social Justice

Despite major accomplishments of the modern era, the protection of women, children, and the environment remain vulnerable. In response, there has been increasing growth of social justice protests that use social media to express the need for social change. This article provides a discussion of the rise of several social movements and their attempts to address issues of injustice, particularly focusing on sexual violence and environmental destruction. The increased use of social media prompted a global response, within the context of popular culture, which was then followed by mainstream news coverage of the protests. This technological shift in news sharing promoted increased awareness about issues of sexual violence and environmental destruction. The lasting impact, however, is unknown. Yet there may be links between current social justice movements and Riane Eisler’s Cultural Transformation Theory that could foster social change. This article formulates a more direct connection between social movements and Eisler’s Cultural Transformation Theory in a manner that intentionally urges progressive social justice groups to understand and move toward partnership in general, and specifically toward a cultural transformation that protects the environment and eliminates violence against women and children.
Validity, reliability and acceptability of the Imperial Nutritional Screening System (INSYST): a tool that does not require the body mass index.

BACKGROUND Nutritional screening tools are central to identifying malnourished patients, but their efficacy is often reduced as a result of difficulties in obtaining height for body mass index (BMI) calculations. The present study aimed to evaluate the validity, reliability and acceptability of the Imperial Nutritional Screening System (INSYST); a tool that does not require the BMI. METHODS Patients were screened by the researcher within 72 h of admission using INSYST I & II, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), including taking height and weight. Routine INSYST data, completed by nursing staff, were subsequently collected. At risk and malnourished patients were combined for statistical analysis. Inter-tool and inter-rater agreement (kappa, kappa) was evaluated. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Nurses were timed using INSYST. Acceptability, including ease and speed of use, was evaluated. RESULTS Kappa (agreement) scores (all P < 0.001) were substantial for INSYST I versus MUST and MNA (kappa = 0.73 and kappa = 0.76, respectively) and moderate for INSYST II (both kappa = 0.53). The sensitivity of INSYST I and II was high (95-100%), whereas specificity was lower (65-83%). The agreement between dietitian and nurse for INSYST I was substantial kappa = 0.77 and that for INSYST II was fair kappa = 0.39 (both P <or= 0.001). There was little disagreement for INSYST I, although nurses tended to underestimate malnutrition risk when using INSYST II. INSYST I took a median of 60 s to complete, INSYST II took 102 s and weighing took 100 s, giving a total time of approximately 5 min. Likert scales showed that the majority of nurses scored INSYST as being fast and easy to use. CONCLUSIONS INSYST has shown promising levels of concurrent validity (versus MUST and MNA), inter-rater reliability and acceptability, suggesting that BMI (and therefore height) is unnecessary for identifying malnourished patients.
Superiority of a High Loading Dose of Cholecalciferol to Correct Hypovitaminosis D in Patients with Inflammatory/Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases

Objective. To compare 3 different cholecalciferol supplementation regimens in patients with rheumatic diseases. Methods. One hundred fifty-four patients who completed a 6-month course of cholecalciferol supplementation, of whom 111 had an autoimmune/inflammatory rheumatic disease (ARD) and 43 osteoarthritis (NARD), were retrospectively identified from a database of 872 consecutive adult patients who attended a tertiary level immuno-rheumatology clinic from 2007 to 2010. Patients with renal failure or primary hyperparathyroidism were excluded. Plasma 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations were evaluated at baseline and after completion of treatment with (i) a single oral dose of cholecalciferol 300,000 IU, followed by oral cholecalciferol 800–1000 IU daily for 6 months [high-dose loading treatment (HLT) group; n = 40]; (ii) a single oral dose of cholecalciferol 100,000 IU, followed by daily oral cholecalciferol as above [low-dose loading treatment (LLT) group; n = 30]; or (iii) daily oral cholecalciferol as above but without the loading dose [standard therapy (ST); n = 84]. Results. The rates of serum 25(OH)D and PTH normalization (defined as values > 75 nmol/l and < 72.9 pg/ml, respectively) were as follows: HLT, 52.5% (95% CI 37.5–68.5) and 69.2% (95% CI 54.7–83.3); LLT, 36.7% (95% CI 19.7–54.3) and 53.8% (95% CI 36.2–71.8); ST, 31.0% (95% CI 21.1–40.9) and 35.0% (95% CI 14.1–55.9). All regimes increased 25(OH)D (p < 0.001) but only HLT reduced PTH (p < 0.01) in comparison to baseline. The ARD group had a similar 25(OH)D increase but a smaller PTH reduction than the NARD (p < 0.05). Conclusion. An HLT cholecalciferol regimen is needed to correct hypovitaminosis D of patients with rheumatic diseases, with superior 25(OH)D normalization and PTH suppression rates at 6 months.
The subway as fourth place: anomie, flânerie and the “crush of persons”

Abstract Sociologically speaking, what kind of place is the subway? If urbanism is defined as the experience of being surrounded by strangers, then the subway is a quintessentially urban space. But social scientists remain polarized in their views of this space, alternately describing the subway as an antisocial environment, a liminal “non-place”, or a space of multicultural contact. In this paper, we describe the social life of the subway, analyzing an original data-set compiled through detailed observations of the behavior of more than 4,000 passengers on the New York City subway system. We use logistic regression to model the factors that influence how passengers direct their gaze and configure their bodies while riding mass transit, and interpret our results with the help of “subway diaries” kept by 18 research subjects over the course of a week. Our findings help to reconcile conflicting images of social interaction in crowded transportation spaces: the subway is a “fourth place”: a utilitarian space in which context-specific norms serve to flatten social distinctions, allowing a passive form of social contact constrained by the presence and prevalence of other passengers in the subway car.
Retinal degeneration in the nervous mutant mouse. I. Light microscopic cytopathology and changes in the interphotoreceptor matrix

Nervous is an autosomal recessive mutation in mice (gene symbol, nr) that produces a progressive cerebellar and retinal degeneration. We have examined various cytopathological features of the photoreceptor degeneration by light microscopy. An increase in the number of pyknotic photoreceptor nuclei in the outer nuclear layer (ONL) is first seen at postnatal day (P) 11. Between P13 and P19 there is a rapid loss of photoreceptors, with the ONL about 60% the thickness of littermate controls at P19. Between P19 and 2.5 months of age, photoreceptor cell loss is minimal, and there is a relatively slow loss of these cells between 3 and 7.5 months of age. At 7.5 months, the ONL consists of single row of nuclei, most of which are lost over the ensuing months, although a few photoreceptor nuclei persist at 17 months of age and older. Both rods and cones are lost at comparable rates for the first 2 months of life, but rods are somewhat preferentially lost at later ages. A very slight central‐to‐peripheral gradient of photoreceptor degeneration exists in the nr/nr retina, but no superior‐inferior hemispheric differences are evident. The rate, spatiotemporal gradient, and hemispheric similarity in photoreceptor degeneration are the same in albino nr/nr mice reared either in cyclic light or in the dark, and in pigmented nr/nr mice. Autoradiographic analysis of rod outer segment renewal shows that outer segment membranes are synthesized in nervous homozygotes. Rhythmic outer segment disc shedding and phagocytosis by the retinal pigment epithelium occur at approximately normal rates in nr/nr mice.