Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
UHF RFID Antenna Impedance Characterization: Numerical Simulation of Interconnection Effects on the Antenna Impedance

A major design criterion of wireless communication devices is the matching between the impedance of the analog frontend and the input impedance of the antenna structure. Especially for passive communication systems, the matching is essential to ensure good performance. Numerical design tools are typically utilized in the antenna design process to determine the antenna impedance. Additionally, measurements on prototype designs are carried out to verify the simulation results. Frequently, vector network or impedance analyzers are used to measure the impedance of the antenna design. Regardless of the measurement device in use, a connection between it and the device under test has to be established. In this paper, the interaction between the interconnection structure and the antenna under test is investigated. Special attention is paid to the influence of the interconnection structure on the antenna impedance obtained. The investigations are carried out on a typical test problem by numerical field simulations by means of the finite-element method.
Mitogen-activated Protein Kinases p38 and ERK 1/2 Mediate the Wall Stress-induced Activation of GATA-4 Binding in Adult Heart*

The zinc finger transcription factor GATA-4 has been implicated as a critical regulator of inducible cardiac gene expression and as a potential mediator of the hypertrophic program. However, the precise intracellular mechanisms that regulate the DNA-binding activity of GATA-4 are not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 kinase, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase, and c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase) in the left ventricular wall stress-induced activation of GATA-4 DNA binding in adult heart. Isolated perfused rat hearts were subjected to increased left ventricular wall stress by inflating a balloon in the ventricle. Gel mobility shift assays were used to analyze the transacting factors that interact with the GATA motifs of the B-type natriuretic peptide promoter. The left ventricular wall stress rapidly activated GATA-4 DNA binding and significantly increased the levels of phosphorylated p38 kinase, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase, and c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase. The wall stress-induced increase in the DNA-binding activity of GATA-4 was abolished both in the presence of the p38 inhibitor SB239063 and MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126. In contrast, the inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase by CEP11004 had no effect on the baseline or stretch-induced GATA-4 DNA binding. Moreover, GATA-4 DNA binding was up-regulated by mechanical stretch in the isolated rat atria via p38 and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that both p38 and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase are required for the stretch-induced GATA-4 binding in intact heart.
Consumption asymmetry and the stock market: New evidence through a threshold adjustment model

This paper investigates whether stock market wealth affects real consumption asymmetrically through a threshold adjustment model. The empirical findings for the US show that wealth produces an asymmetric effect on real consumption, with negative 'news' affecting consumption less than positive 'news. ' Thus, policy makers may want to focus more attention on preventing asset 'bubbles' than on responding to negative asset shocks.
Prevalent fatty acids in cashew nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation in different stages of processing

Brazil is one of the three largest producers of fruits in the world, and among those fruit trees, the cashew tree stands out due to the high nutritional and commercial value of its products. During its fruit processing, there are losses in some compounds and few studies address this issue. Over the last decade the conventional system of food production has been substituted for the organic cultivation system, which is a promising alternative source of income given the global demand for healthy food. Therefore, this research aimed to characterize and quantify the prevalent fatty acids found in cashew nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation during various stages of processing. The prevalent fatty acids found were palmitic, linoleic, oleic, and stearic acid. The average of these fatty acids were 6.93 ± 0.55; 16.99 ± 0.61; 67.62 ± 1.00 and 8.42 ± 0.55 g/100 g, respectively. There was no reduction in the palmitic, oleic and stearic fatty acid contents during processing. Very little difference was observed between the nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation, indicating that the method of cultivation used has little or no influence on the content of cashew nut fatty acids.
Provisioning backhaul traffic flows in TDMA/OFDMA infrastructure Wireless Mesh Networks with near-perfect QoS

Scheduling and channel assignment algorithms to provision longer-term backhaul traffic flows in infrastructure TDMA/OFDMA Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) with near-perfect QoS are described. A recursive fair stochastic matrix decomposition algorithm is used to compute transmission schedules for all provisioned backhaul traffic flows between BSs. Each schedule consists of a sequence of permutations which specify active edges, which provide near-minimal delay and jitter and near-perfect QoS guarantees on a per-flow basis. A constrained graph coloring algorithm is used to color the permutations, to remove primary conflicts and minimize secondary conflicts. The colored edges are assigned to time-slots and are used to compute the antenna beamforming vectors and transmission power levels. The beamforming can use either a zero-forcing or an iterative MMSE algorithm. Each wireless link achieves a prescribed transmission rate and SINR such that the total transmission power in the WMN is minimized, subject to the per-flow QoS constraints. Extensive simulations of an essentially-saturated hexagonal TDMA/OFDMA WMN supporting backhaul traffic flows are reported.
Seasonal Variation in Spatial Distributions of Anopheles gambiae in a Sahelian Village: Evidence for Aestivation

ABSTRACT Changes in spatial distribution of mosquitoes over time in a Sahelian village were studied to understand the sources of the mosquitoes during the dry season when no larval sites are found. At that time, the sources of Anopheles gambiae Giles may be local shelters used by aestivating mosquitoes or migrants from distant populations. The mosquito distribution was more aggregated during the dry season, when few houses had densities 7- to 24-fold higher than expected. The high-density houses during the dry season differed from those of the wet season. Most high-density houses during the dry season changed between years, yet their vicinity was rather stable. Scan statistics confirmed the presence of one or two adjacent hotspots in the dry season, usually found on one edge of the village. These hotspots shifted between the early and late dry season. During the wet season, the hotspots were relatively stable near the main larval site. The locations of the hotspots in the wet season and early and late dry season were similar between years. Season-specific, stable, and focal hotspots are inconsistent with the predictions based on the arrival of migrants from distant localities during the dry season, but are consistent with the predictions based on local shelters used by aestivating mosquitoes. Targeting hotspots in Sahelian villages for vector control may not be effective because the degree of aggregation is moderate, the hotspots are not easily predicted, and they are not the sources of the population. However, targeting the dry-season shelters may be highly cost-effective, once they can be identified and predicted.
A binarization strategy for modelling mixed data in multigroup classification

This paper presents a binarization pre-processing strategy for mixed datasets. We propose that the use of binary attributes for representing nominal and integer data is beneficial for classification accuracy. We also describe a procedure to convert integer and nominal data into binary attributes. Expectation- Maximization (EM) clustering algorithms was applied to classify the values of the attributes with a wide range to use a small number of binary attributes. Once the data set is pre-processed, we use the Support Vector Machine (LibSVM) for classification. The proposed method was tested on datasets from the literature. We demonstrate the improved accuracy and efficiency of presented binarization strategy for modelling mixed and complex data in comparison to the classification of the original dataset, nominal dataset and binary dataset.
Care of Substance-Exposed Infants: The Current State of Practice in Canadian Hospitals

Many practices related to care of infants exposed to drugs and alcohol during the prenatal period have been developed on an anecdotal basis. There are few available research studies to validate these interventions. This study describes current practices used in daily care, discharge planning, and community support for drug- and alcohol-exposed infants, their families, and alternate caregivers in one country. A survey of Canadian hospitals with annual birth rates of greater than 500 was conducted with a 51% return rate. Variations were noted in the perception of the importance of the issue of perinatal substance use, nursery care, discharge planning, and community support. Nurses are encouraged to consider these results within the context of their own communities to evaluate and develop standards of practice for substance-exposed infants and their families and caregivers.
Customer service-focused HRM systems and firm performance: evidence from the service industry in Taiwan

Abstract This study adopts a resource-based view, attraction–selection–attrition theory and a focused approach to examine the link between service-focused human resource management (HRM) systems and firm performance. Internally, we examine employee competency as the ‘black box’ between service-focused HRM systems and firm performance. Externally, we examine the effect of the interplay of a service-focused strategy and service-focused HRM systems in predicting firm performance. We collect data from different sources (i.e. executives, human resource members, and line managers). Using a final sample included 2120 respondents from 175 firms in the service industry in Taiwan, the results show that customer service-focused employee competency transmitted 53% of the effect of customer service-focused HRM systems on firm performance. In addition, when a firm implements a less service-focused business strategy, service-focused HRM systems leads to significant improvement in firm performance. Implications for research are discussed.
Muscular effects of orexin A on the mouse duodenum: mechanical and electrophysiological studies

Non‐Technical Summary Nerve‐mediated influences on gastrointestinal motility in response to orexin A, either centrally injected or applied to isolated gut preparations, have been reported. However, the presence of orexin receptors at the gastrointestinal smooth muscle level has been found. On these grounds, in the present study we evaluated whether orexin A also exerts direct muscular effects in the duodenal smooth muscle of the mouse in an attempt to explain the possible mechanism of action involved. The experimental results from mechanical and electrophysiological studies indicate that orexin A causes direct contractile responses in the isolated preparations and evokes changes in the ionic currents of the smooth muscle cells. Thus, orexin A, in addition to its neutrally mediated influences on gastrointestinal motility, exerts direct muscular effects on the mouse duodenum. This latter mechanism, from a physiological point of view, may act in a synergic manner to reinforce the neuronal signals.
Fingerprint liveness detection based on multi-scale LPQ and PCA

Fingerprint authentication system is used to verify users' identification according to the characteristics of their fingerprints. However, this system has some security and privacy problems. For example, some artificial fingerprints can trick the fingerprint authentication system and access information using real users' identification. Therefore, a fingerprint liveness detection algorithm needs to be designed to prevent illegal users from accessing privacy information. In this paper, a new software-based liveness detection approach using multi-scale local phase quantity (LPQ) and principal component analysis (PCA) is proposed. The feature vectors of a fingerprint are constructed through multi-scale LPQ. PCA technology is also introduced to reduce the dimensionality of the feature vectors and gain more effective features. Finally, a training model is gained using support vector machine classifier, and the liveness of a fingerprint is detected on the basis of the training model. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method can detect the liveness of users' fingerprints and achieve high recognition accuracy. This study also confirms that multi-resolution analysis is a useful method for texture feature extraction during fingerprint liveness detection.
Calpain‐mediated pathway dominates cisplatin‐induced apoptosis in human lung adenocarcinoma cells as determined by real‐time single cell analysis

Cisplatin is an efficient anticancer agent. Cisplatin‐based chemotherapy is believed to involve different signal transduction pathways, among which calpain activation has been proposed as an important factor in the induced apoptosis. In our study, based on real‐time single cell analysis, we investigated the molecular involvement of calpain in cisplatin‐induced apoptosis in living human lung adenocarcinoma cells. After cisplatin treatment, calpain was activated, resulting in Bid cleavage at 4–5 hr, followed by Bid translocation and cytochrome c release, leading to cell death. Calpeptin and PD150606, specific inhibitors of calpain, blocked Bid activation completely; however, cytochrome c release was delayed by more than 2 hr, which was associated with the delay of caspase‐3 activation and cell death. Remarkably, calpain‐mediated release of cytochrome c and cell death was significantly compromised in the Bid knockdown cells. Z‐IETD‐fmk and Z‐VDVAD‐fmk were used to block the activation of caspase‐8 and caspase‐2, respectively; however, the progression of apoptosis were not affected, suggesting that caspase‐8 and caspase‐2 were not involved in this experimental model. Taken together, the data demonstrate that calpain mediated cisplatin‐induced apoptosis in human lung adenocarcinoma cells through activating Bid, which then regulated the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. The delays of cytochrome c release, caspase‐3 activation and subsequent cell death by inactivating calpain or silencing Bid exclude other earlier or parallel pathways, strongly suggesting that the calpain‐mediated pathway is the kinetically earliest one, which dominates the cisplatin‐induced apoptosis. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
HUMAN VALUES AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE: A STUDY OF MUNICIPAL COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES

o nome da revista, a edição, o ano e as páginas nas quais o artigo foi publicado originalmente, mas sem sugerir que a RAM endosse a reutilização do artigo. Esse termo de licenciamento deve ser explicitado para os casos de reutilização ou distribuição para terceiros. Não é permitido o uso para fins comerciais. Mackenzie Management Review (Revista de Administração Mackenzie – RAM), 18(2) • SÃO PAULO, SP • MAR./APR. 2017 ISSN 1518-6776 (printed version) • ISSN 1678-6971 (electronic version) • http://dx.doi. org/10.1590/1678-69712016/administracao.v18n2p130-153. Submission: July 18, 2016. Acceptance: December 02, 2016. Evaluation system: (double blind review). UNIVERSIDADE PRESBITERIANA MACKENZIE. Silvio Popadiuk (Editor), Silvia Marcia Russi de Domenico (Associate Editor), p. 130-153.
Write-Combined Logging: An Optimized Logging for Consistency in NVRAM

Nonvolatile memory (e.g., Phase Change Memory) blurs the boundary between memory and storage and it could greatly facilitate the construction of in-memory durable data structures. Data structures can be processed and stored directly in NVRAM. To maintain the consistency of persistent data, logging is a widely adopted mechanism. However, logging introduces write-twice overhead. This paper introduces an optimized write-combined logging to reduce the writes to NVRAM log. By leveraging the fast-read and byte-addressable features of NVRAM, we can perform a read-and-compare operation before writes and thus issue writes in a finer-grained way. We tested our system on the benchmark suit STAMP which contains real-world applications. Experiment results show that our system can reduce the writes to NVRAM by 33%–34%, which can help extend the lifetime of NVRAM and improve performance. Averagely our system can improve performance by 7%–11%.
Does early surgical repair of hip fractures improve patient outcomes?

Orosz GM, Magaziner J, Hannan EL, Morrison RS, Koval K, Gilbert M, et al. Association of timing of surgery for hip fracture and patient outcomes. JAMA 2004;291:1738-43. Background: Over 220 000 hip fractures occur every year in the United States, representing an annual $9 billion cost to the health
Fast inverse transform sampling in one and two dimensions

We develop a computationally efficient and robust algorithm for generating pseudo-random samples from a broad class of smooth probability distributions in one and two dimensions. The algorithm is based on inverse transform sampling with a polynomial approximation scheme using Chebyshev polynomials, Chebyshev grids, and low rank function approximation. Numerical experiments demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms existing approaches.
Community tourism and its role among agropastoralists in Laikipia County, Kenya

The authors present survey findings from agropastoral households living near tourist attraction sites and undertake agropastoral activities, conservation, and community tourism enterprises in Laikipia, Kenya. Laikipia is a major wildlife migration route, popular with private conservancies and ranches, attracting large numbers of tourists. The authors explore the key determinants of participation in community tourism and find that communication and road infrastructure, membership of community groups, and security aspects influence household participation in community tourism. Policies aiming to improve infrastructure and security and to encourage the formation of investment groups would enhance participation in community tourism activities and raise household incomes.
EEG Topography and Tomography (LORETA) in the Classification and Evaluation of the Pharmacodynamics of Psychotropic Drugs

By multi-lead computer-assisted quantitative analyses of human scalp-recorded electroencephalogram (QEEG) in combination with certain statistical procedures (quantitative pharmaco-EEG) and mapping techniques (pharmaco-EEG mapping or topography), it is possible to classify psychotropic substances and objectively evaluate their bioavailability at the target organ, the human brain. Specifically, one may determine at an early stage of drug development whether a drug is effective on the central nervous system (CNS) compared with placebo, what its clinical efficacy will be like, at which dosage it acts, when it acts and the equipotent dosages of different galenic formulations. Pharmaco-EEG maps of neuroleptics, antidepressants, tranquilizers, hypnotics, psychostimulants and nootropics/cognition-enhancing drugs will be described. Methodological problems, as well as the relationships between acute and chronic drug effects, alterations in normal subjects and patients, CNS effects and therapeutic efficacy will be discussed. Imaging of drug effects on the regional brain electrical activity of healthy subjects by means of EEG tomography such as low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) has been used for identifying brain areas predominantly involved in psychopharmacological action. This will be shown for the representative drugs of the four main psychopharmacological classes, such as 3 mg haloperidol for neuroleptics, 20 mg citalopram for antidepressants, 2 mg lorazepam for tranquilizers and 20 mg methylphenidate for psychostimulants. LORETA demonstrates that these psychopharmacological classes affect brain structures differently. By considering these differences between psychotropic drugs and placebo in normal subjects, as well as between mental disorder patients and normal controls, it may be possible to choose the optimum drug for a specific patient according to a key-lock principle, since the drug should normalize the deviant brain function. Thus, pharmaco-EEG topography and tomography are valuable methods in human neuropsychopharmacology, clinical psychiatry and neurology.
Human NT2 neurons express a large variety of neurotransmission phenotypes in vitro

The NT2 cell line, which was derived from a human teratocarcinoma, exhibits properties that are characteristic of a committed neuronal precursor at an early stage of development. NT2 cells can be induced by retinoic acid to differentiate in vitro into postmitotic central nervous system (CNS) neurons (NT2‐N cells). The commitment of NT2‐N cells to a stable neuronal phenotype is irreversible. Because it may be possible to transplant these human neurons to compensate for neuronal loss after traumatic injuries or neurodegenerative diseases of the CNS, knowledge of their phenotype is essential. This study aimed to characterize in detail the neurotransmission phenotype of NT2‐N cells by using immunocytochemical methods. Single peroxidase immunostaining demonstrated that NT2‐N cells expressed the γ‐aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic), catecholaminergic, and cholinergic phenotypes to a large extent and expressed the serotonergic phenotype to a minor extent. NT2‐N cells also expressed different neuropeptides, such as neuropeptide Y, oxytocin, vasopressin, calcitonin gene‐related peptide, and Met‐ and Leu‐enkephalin. Double fluorescence immunostaining further indicated that a large number of NT2‐N cells could express GABA and another neurotransmitter or neuropeptide at the same time. Finally, electron microscopy demonstrated that these NT2 neurons elaborate classical synaptic contacts. The multipotentiality of these neurons, combined with their apparent functionality, suggests that they may represent useful material for a variety of therapeutic approaches aimed at replacing dead neurons after neurodegenerative diseases or lesions of the CNS. J. Comp. Neurol. 422:380–395, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.