Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 40–110 GHz high-isolation CMOS traveling-wave T/R switch by using parallel inductor

A 40-110 GHz SPDT T/R switch fabricated in 90 nm CMOS is presented. The traveling wave switch is used to obtain low insertion loss and wide operating bandwidth. To enhance the isolation performance, the parallel inductor is adopted. The insertion loss is improved with body-floating. The measurement results show that the insertion loss is lower than 4 dB and isolation is better than 21 dB. A very good isolation value higher than 56 dB at 109 GHz is achieved. The chip core size is 0.11 mm2.
Function of the thioredoxin proteins in Cryptococcus neoformans during stress or virulence and regulation by putative transcriptional modulators

The thioredoxin system, consisting of thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase and NADPH, is known to protect cells against oxidative stress. This disulphide reducing system is present in Cryptococcus neoformans and consists of two small, dithiol thioredoxin proteins and one thioredoxin reductase. In this study, we describe the thioredoxin proteins, Trx1 and Trx2, and present their importance not only to stress resistance, but also to the virulence of C. neoformans. Using real‐time polymerase chain reaction, we show the induction of both thioredoxin genes during oxidative and nitrosative stress. We describe through deletion studies that the trx1Δ mutant has a severe growth defect and is sensitive to multiple stresses, while the trx2Δ mutant is only sensitive to nitric oxide stress. Using gene replacement studies, we demonstrate that the thioredoxin protein products are partially redundant in function, but there is differential gene regulation which is especially important to nitrosative stress resistance. We have also identified two putative transcription factors, Atf1 and Yap4, which appear to differentially regulate the thioredoxin system under different conditions. Atf1 is necessary for oxidative stress induction, and Yap4 is necessary for nitrosative stress induction of the thioredoxin genes in C. neoformans. While these two putative transcription factors each appear to be dispensable for survival in macrophages and virulence in mice, we show the more highly expressed thioredoxin, TRX1, is necessary for survival of C. neoformans in the oxidative environment of macrophages and important for virulence of this fungal pathogen.
Soft Drinks Consumer Segmentation Using Benefit Sought Variables-Case Study Kosovo Market

Soft drinks market is a very large and important market where competition is very fierce. In recent years this market in global terms has not greatly increased. Thus for all the actors of this market without understanding (recognition) of the customer/consumer, they may lose a market share from competitors given the fierce competition. The purpose of this study is the identification of market segments within the city of Prishtina regarding soft drinks consumers based on requiredbenefits /benefits sought. The result of this study supports the effectiveness of soft drinks consumer segmentation using the required benefit variables. Statistical Package for Social Science program ( SPSS version 20 ) was used for data analysis. This study used a descriptive analysis , factor analysis and cluster analysis. Based on differentiating factors in selecting soft drinks (refreshments), social-demographic variables and soft drinks consumer behavior throughout theses segments, the managers can modify their marketing strategies to fulfil the needs of these segments and at the same time maximize the profit. Key words: benefit sought, soft drinks
The Effects of Personal Need for Structure and Occupational Identity in the Role Stress Process

Abstract The authors formed and tested a model of the antecedents, consequences, and possible moderators or mediators of the role ambiguity construct in a new occupational group of nurses (N = 1,240) in Finland. They hypothesized that (a) job characteristics (control and feedback) would be associated with role ambiguity and (b) this association, in turn, would be moderated by personal need for structure. The authors hypothesized that role ambiguity would affect occupational strain partially by the strength of occupational identity. They tested these models by using hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modeling (LISREL 8; K. G. Jöreskog & D. Sörbom, 1993). Both hypotheses were supported.
Spatial Quantile Regression In Analysis Of Healthy Life Years In The European Union Countries

Abstract The paper investigates the impact of the selected factors on the healthy life years of men and women in the EU countries. The multiple quantile spatial autoregression models are used in order to account for substantial differences in the healthy life years and life quality across the EU members. Quantile regression allows studying dependencies between variables in different quantiles of the response distribution. Moreover, this statistical tool is robust against violations of the classical regression assumption about the distribution of the error term. Parameters of the models were estimated using instrumental variable method (Kim, Muller 2004), whereas the confidence intervals and p-values were bootstrapped.
Using location aware business rules for preventing retail banking frauds

Fraud detection procedures for national and international economies have become quite an important task. Ensuring the security of transactions carried out by banks and other financial institutions is one of the major factors affecting the reputation and profitability of such organizations. However, since people who perform fraudulent transactions change their methods constantly in order not to get caught up, it gets more difficult to identify and detect this type of transactions. Detecting this type of transactions makes the support of technology compulsory, considering high volume and intensity of transactions. In this paper, we explore practicality of using location data to aid finding better business rules where they can easily be deployed with a rule-based fraud detection and prevention system for retail banking. In order to study the importance of location data, we first compiled a set of anonymized automated teller machine (ATM) usage data from a mid-size bank in Turkey. Depending on how much mobile the card owners are, we can easily devise business rules to detect the anomalies. Such anomalies can be directed to appropriate business units to be analyzed further or account owners may be required additional authorizations for banking activities (such as internet money transfers and payments). We have shown in this paper that a significant bulk of ATM users does not leave the vicinity of their living place. We also give some brief use cases and hints regarding what types of business rules can be extracted from location data.
Do Remittances Hurt Domestic Prices? New Evidence from Low, Lower-Middle and Middle–Income Groups

We examine the remittances-inflation Nexus using System Generalized Method of Moments and bootstrap panel Granger causality approach. This study selected 58 countries from low, lower-middle and middle-income groups and tested the relationship using newly constructed remittances series. The outcome using the SGMM approach reveals that remittances have a negative and significant impact on inflation in low and lower-middle income countries, while positively influencing it in the middle-income group. Furthermore, remittances used for consumption and saving cause inflationary situation only in low and lower-middle income groups. The bootstrap panel Granger test results show that remittances have a strong impact on the prices of the lower-middle income countries. However, we find causality evidence only in one-fifth of the low and one-fourth of the middle-income countries. In general, the results are more country specific. The outcomes have significant policy implications for the researchers and decision-makers targeting the groups under study.
Bacillus Spore Inactivation Methods Affect Detection Assays

ABSTRACT Detection of biological weapons is a primary concern in force protection, treaty verification, and safeguarding civilian populations against domestic terrorism. One great concern is the detection of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. Assays for detection in the laboratory often employ inactivated preparations of spores or nonpathogenic simulants. This study uses several common biodetection platforms to detect B. anthracis spores that have been inactivated by two methods and compares those data to detection of spores that have not been inactivated. The data demonstrate that inactivation methods can affect the sensitivity of nucleic acid- and antibody-based assays for the detection of B. anthracis spores. These effects should be taken into consideration when comparing laboratory results to data collected and assayed during field deployment.
Fast Three-Dimensional Image Reconstruction of Targets Under the Illumination of Terahertz Gaussian Beams With Enhanced Phase-Shift Migration to Improve Computation Efficiency

In this paper, an enhanced phase-shift migration-based image reconstruction (EPSM-IR) algorithm was investigated to improve the computation efficiency for three-dimensional (3-D) terahertz (THz) holographic imaging. In the proposed algorithm, an appropriate decomposition of the phase-shift operator was performed and a fast algorithm based on FFT was introduced to solve the integral transformation which is the most time-consuming step in the conventional phase-shift migration. The analytical expression of the reconstructed 3-D point-spread function (PSF) was derived based on the EPSM-IR algorithm. The reduction of the computation cost was evaluated quantitatively as compared with the conventional phase-shift migration. Simulation results with fairly good agreement were given to verify the proposed algorithm. Finally, a monostatic prototype imager with a Gaussian beam transceiver was designed for the proof-of-principle experiments in the 0.2-THz band. The 3-D image results of a target with metal strips and a mannequin with concealed threat objects were given to demonstrate the effectiveness and the efficiency of the 3-D EPSM-IR algorithm.
Restaurants and the Bring-Your-Own-Bottle of Wine Paradox: Involvement Influences, Consumption Occasions, and Risk Perception

ABSTRACT The current study focuses on differences between high- and low-involvement consumers in terms of the bring-your-own-bottle of wine phenomenon, influence of consumption occasion(s), and how bring-your-own-bottle is used by consumers as purchase risk-reduction strategy. Results show that level of wine involvement determines the importance of bring-your-own-bottle of wine. The consumption situation in which bring-your-own-bottle of wine might occur is a main factor when buying wine. Bring-your-own-bottle of wine is largely the result of risk-reduction strategies where high-involvement wine consumers are more susceptible to perceived risk in the full-service casual restaurant sector and reduce this risk through bring-your-own-bottle.
Comparison of Utility of Histogram Apparent Diffusion Coefficient and R2* for Differentiation of Low-Grade From High-Grade Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to compare histogram analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and R2* for differentiating low-grade from high-grade clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-six patients with pathologically confirmed clear cell RCC underwent preoperative BOLD and DWI MRI of the kidneys. ADCs based on the entire tumor volume were calculated with b value combinations of 0 and 800 s/mm(2). ROI-based R2* was calculated with eight TE combinations of 6.7-22.8 milliseconds. Histogram analysis of tumor ADCs and R2* values was performed to obtain mean; median; width; and fifth, 10th, 90th, and 95th percentiles and histogram inhomogeneity, kurtosis, and skewness for all lesions. RESULTS Thirty-three low-grade and 13 high-grade clear cell RCCs were found at pathologic examination. The TNM classification and tumor volume of clear cell RCC significantly correlated with histogram ADC and R2* (ρ = -0.317 to 0.506; p < 0.05). High-grade clear cell RCC had significantly lower mean, median, and 10th percentile ADCs but higher inhomogeneity and median R2* than low-grade clear cell RCC (all p < 0.05). Compared with other histogram ADC and R2* indexes, 10th percentile ADC had the highest accuracy (91.3%) in discriminating low- from high-grade clear cell RCC. R2* in discriminating hemorrhage was achieved with a threshold of 68.95 Hz. At this threshold, high-grade clear cell RCC had a significantly higher prevalence of intratumor hemorrhage (high-grade, 76.9%; low-grade, 45.4%; p < 0.05) and larger hemorrhagic area than low-grade clear cell RCC (high-grade, 34.9% ± 31.6%; low-grade, 8.9 ± 16.8%; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION A close relation was found between MRI indexes and pathologic findings. Histogram analysis of ADC and R2* allows differentiation of low- from high-grade clear cell RCC with high accuracy.
Statistics of hematologic malignancies in Korea: incidence, prevalence and survival rates from 1999 to 2008

Background The nationwide statistical analysis of hematologic malignancies in Korea has not been reported yet. Methods The Korea Central Cancer Registry and the Korean Society of Hematology jointly investigated domestic incidence rates and prevalence of hematologic malignancies occurred between 1999 and 2008, and analyzed survival rates of patients who were diagnosed between 1993 and 2008. Data of hematologic malignancies from 1993 to 2008 were obtained from the Korean National Cancer Incidence Data base. The crude incidence rates, age-specific incidence rates, age-standardized incidence rates, annual percentage change of incidence, and prevalence from 1999-2008 were calculated. Survival rates for patients diagnosed in 1993-2008 were estimated. Results In 2008, a total of 8,006 cases of hematologic malignancies were occurred, which comprised 4.5% of all malignancies. In all genders, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloid leukemia, and multiple myeloma were most frequent diseases. In terms of age, ages between 60 and 69 were most prevalent. From 1999 to 2008, the age-standardized incidence rates increased from 10.2 to 13.7, and the annual percentage change was 3.9%. The 5-year survival rate increased from 38.2% during 1993-1995 to 55.2% during 2004-2008. As of January 2009, number of patients with 10-year prevalence was 33,130, and with 5- to 10-year prevalence was 10,515. Conclusion This is the first nationwide statistical report of hematologic malignancies in Korea. It could be used as the basic information to help investigate epidemiologic characteristics, evaluate progress during the past years, and establish future strategies for hematologic malignancies. Periodic statistical analysis of hematologic malignancies in Korea should be continued.
Financial Flexibility and Investment: Evidence from REIT At‐The‐Market (ATM) Equity Offerings

This article examines changes in real estate investment around the establishment of at-the-market (ATM) equity programs by equity REITs. We document a significant increase in the rate of investment following an ATM program announcement and its subsequent use. However, we find ATM access has a differential impact on the investment activity of REITs facing more significant financial constraints. We also provide further evidence that REITs with ATM programs generate positive long-run returns in excess of that of similarly timed SEOs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Automatic Biological Cell Counting Using a Modified Gradient Hough Transform

Abstract We present a computational method for pseudo-circular object detection and quantitative characterization in digital images, using the gradient accumulation matrix as a basic tool. This Gradient Accumulation Transform (GAT) was first introduced in 1992 by Kierkegaard and recently used by Kaytanli & Valentine. In the present article, we modify the approach by using the phase coding studied by Cicconet, and by adding a “local contributor list” (LCL) as well as a “used contributor matrix” (UCM), which allow for accurate peak detection and exploitation. These changes help make the GAT algorithm a robust and precise method to automatically detect pseudo-circular objects in a microscopic image. We then present an application of the method to cell counting in microbiological images.
Effects of Footwear Condition on Maximal Jumping Performance

Abstract Harry, JR, Paquette, MR, Caia, J, Townsend, RJ, Weiss, LW, and Schilling, BK. Effects of footwear condition on maximal jumping performance. J Strength Cond Res 29(6): 1657–1665, 2015—The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of footwear on kinetics and lower extremity electromyographic (EMG) activity during the vertical jump (VJ) and standing long jump. Fifteen men performed the 2 jump types in 3 footwear conditions: barefoot, minimal shoes, and cross-training shoes. Jump displacement and kinetic data were collected, along with EMG activity of the biceps femoris, medial gastrocnemius, peroneus longus, semitendinosus/semimembranosus, soleus (SOL), tibialis anterior, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis. Subjective footwear performance and comfort were also assessed with a custom survey. No differences were found in jump displacement, peak ground reaction forces (GRF), countermovement and propulsive phase durations, vertical impulse, peak countermovement, or average propulsive EMG activity. Significant differences in peak propulsive root mean square EMG were found between barefoot and minimal shoes (p = 0.030) and minimal shoes and shod (p = 0.031) conditions for the SOL during the VJ, and for average countermovement EMG of the semitendinosus/semimembranosus during the VJ between barefoot and shod (p = 0.039). Moderate-to-large effect sizes (>0.59) were found between conditions for horizontal GRF, propulsive phase duration, average EMG amplitude, and duration of EMG activity during the countermovement. Participants reported higher comfort ratings when shod compared with barefoot and minimal shoes for both jumps. Participants also perceived better performance when shod compared with barefoot and minimal shoes for the VJ only. No acute differences in displacement were observed between barefoot, minimal shoes, and cross-trainer shoes during vertical and horizontal jumps. Some differences in muscle activation and timing seem to be present, and thus, training effects between footwear conditions should be examined. Footwear familiarization may prove beneficial, as acute increases in comfort seem unrelated to performance improvements.
Stretchable RFID for Wireless Strain Sensing With Silver Nano Ink

Flexible and stretchable inductor-capacitor (LC) resonator-based chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have been fabricated by the direct stamping with silver nano ink. The tags are optimized based on the sympathetic oscillation of LC circuit at specifically designed resonant frequencies ranged from 1.12 to 1.7 GHz by adjusting dimensions of the inductor and capacitor in a tag. Pressure applied to the layer of silver nano ink during the stamping procedure helps densification of silver nanoparticles inside trenches of the stamp before heat-annealing of them. Transfer stamping process is simulated to demonstrate stress distribution across the layer of silver nanoparticles. Compaction of silver nanoparticles, in turn, positively affects mechanical strength of the final silver electrode and enables RFID strain sensors on polydimethylsiloxane to be stretchable up to 7%. By the stretchable RFID strain sensors, wireless strain sensing is demonstrated with a gauge factor of 0.51. Multiple encoded identifications with combination of double tags and stretching behavior of fabricated tags are also demonstrated. This stretchable RFID sensor is promising for biomedical applications such as real-time monitoring of motion detection.
Non‐Radioactive Quantification of Fibronectin Matrix Assembly

This unit provides a basic protocol for non‐radioactive determination of the rate of incorporation of biotinylated fibronectin into the insoluble matrix organized by cultured cells. The protocol provides quantification of changes in matrix assembly due to different experimental conditions with concomitant determinations of the activation state of various signaling molecules that may be involved in the process of matrix assembly. This unit also provides a support protocol for biotinylation of purified fibronectin.
MULTI-VIEW METRIC LEARNING FOR VISUAL CLASSIFICATION

Most of distance metric learning algorithms usually learn a single distance metric over the single-view data and cannot directly exploit multi-view data. In many visual classification applications, we have access to multi-view feature representations. To exploit more discriminative information for classification, it is desired to learn several distance metrics from multi-view data. To this aim, we propose a collaborative multi-view metric learning (CMML) method for visual classification. The proposed method jointly learns multiple distance metrics under which multiple feature representations are consistent across different views, i.e., the difference of the distance metrics learned in different views is enforced to be as small as possible. Experimental results on two visual classification tasks including face recognition and scene classification show the efficacy of the CMML method.
Molecular and phylogenetic characterization of pyruvate and 2-ketoisovalerate ferredoxin oxidoreductases from Pyrococcus furiosus and pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase from Thermotoga maritima

Previous studies have shown that the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus contains four distinct cytoplasmic 2-ketoacid oxidoreductases (ORs) which differ in their substrate specificities, while the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima contains only one, pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (POR). These enzymes catalyze the synthesis of the acyl (or aryl) coenzyme A derivative in a thiamine PPi-dependent oxidative decarboxylation reaction with reduction of ferredoxin. We report here on the molecular analysis of the POR (por) and 2-ketoisovalerate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (vor) genes from P. furiosus and of the POR gene from T. maritima, all of which comprise four different subunits. The operon organization for P. furiosus POR and VOR was porG-vorDAB-porDAB, wherein the gamma subunit is shared by the two enzymes. The operon organization for T. maritima POR was porGDAB. The three enzymes were 46 to 53% identical at the amino acid level. Their delta subunits each contained two ferredoxin-type [4Fe-4S] cluster binding motifs (CXXCXXCXXXCP), while their beta subunits each contained four conserved cysteines in addition to a thiamine PPi-binding domain. Amino-terminal sequence comparisons show that POR, VOR, indolepyruvate OR, and 2-ketoglutarate OR of P. furiosus all belong to a phylogenetically homologous OR family. Moreover, the single-subunit pyruvate ORs from mesophilic and moderately thermophilic bacteria and from an amitochondriate eucaryote each contain four domains which are phylogenetically homologous to the four subunits of the hyperthermophilic ORs (27% sequence identity). Three of these subunits are also homologous to the dimeric POR from a mesophilic archaeon, Halobacterium halobium (21% identity). A model is proposed to account for the observed phenotypes based on genomic rearrangements of four ancestral OR subunits.