Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent Advances in Fabrication Methods for Flexible Antennas in Wearable Devices: State of the Art

Antennas are a vital component of the wireless body sensor networks devices. A wearable antenna in this system can be used as a communication component or energy harvester. This paper presents a detailed review to recent advances fabrication methods for flexible antennas. Such antennas, for any applications in wireless body sensor networks, have specific considerations such as flexibility, conformability, robustness, and ease of integration, as opposed to conventional antennas. In recent years, intriguing approaches have demonstrated antennas embroidered on fabrics, encapsulated in polymer composites, printed using inkjets on flexible laminates and a 3-D printer and, more interestingly, by injecting liquid metal in microchannels. This article presents an operational perspective of such advanced approaches and beyond, while analyzing the strengths and limitations of each in the microwave as well as millimeter-wave regions. Navigating through recent developments in each area, mechanical and electrical constitutive parameters are reviewed, and finally, some open challenges are presented as well for future research directions.
Ultracompact Multielectrode Array for Neurological Monitoring

Patients with paralysis, spinal cord injury, or amputated limbs could benefit from using brain–machine interface technology for communication and neurorehabilitation. In this study, a 32-channel three-dimensional (3D) multielectrode probe array was developed for the neural interface system of a brain–machine interface to monitor neural activity. A novel microassembly technique involving lead transfer was used to prevent misalignment in the bonding plane during the orthogonal assembly of the 3D multielectrode probe array. Standard microassembly and biopackaging processes were utilized to implement the proposed lead transfer technique. The maximum profile of the integrated 3D neural device was set to 0.50 mm above the pia mater to reduce trauma to brain cells. Benchtop tests characterized the electrical impedance of the neural device. A characterization test revealed that the impedance of the 3D multielectrode probe array was on average approximately 0.55 MΩ at a frequency of 1 KHz. Moreover, in vitro cytotoxicity tests verified the biocompatibility of the device. Subsequently, 3D multielectrode probe arrays were implanted in rats and exhibited the capability to record local field potentials and spike signals.
Late‐life time‐restricted feeding and exercise differentially alter healthspan in obesity

Aging and obesity increase multimorbidity and disability risk, and determining interventions for reversing healthspan decline is a critical public health priority. Exercise and time‐restricted feeding (TRF) benefit multiple health parameters when initiated in early life, but their efficacy and safety when initiated at older ages are uncertain. Here, we tested the effects of exercise versus TRF in diet‐induced obese, aged mice from 20 to 24 months of age. We characterized healthspan across key domains: body composition, physical, metabolic, and cardiovascular function, activity of daily living (ADL) behavior, and pathology. We demonstrate that both exercise and TRF improved aspects of body composition. Exercise uniquely benefited physical function, and TRF uniquely benefited metabolism, ADL behavior, and circulating indicators of liver pathology. No adverse outcomes were observed in exercised mice, but in contrast, lean mass and cardiovascular maladaptations were observed following TRF. Through a composite index of benefits and risks, we conclude the net healthspan benefits afforded by exercise are more favorable than those of TRF. Extrapolating to obese older adults, exercise is a safe and effective option for healthspan improvement, but additional comprehensive studies are warranted before recommending TRF.
Prevalence of chronic venous pathology in healthcare workers and the role of upright standing.

BACKGROUND Chronic venous disease (CVD) affects around 25% of adult population in developed countries and it often represent a health problem for different kind of workers, in particular for who spend much of the working time in upright standing. METHODS The study was carried out on a population of 173 nonmedical workers of a midsize hospital in Italy (91 nurse, 31 support staff workers and 51 employees). The study protocol was taken from a previous study of our group and included a clinical examination and a questionnaire. RESULTS From the analysis of data it emerged a particular importance of upright standing as major risk factor for CVD. The prevalence of venous pathology seems to be greater among nurses and auxiliaries than the administrative staff and, as expected, it was significantly higher among female workers than in males. CONCLUSIONS The results obtained show that the clinical-diagnostic protocol described can be used by doctors for screening venous pathology at workplaces.
Multiple Functional Units in the Preattentive Segmentation of Speech in Japanese: Evidence from Word Illusions

We explored the functional units of speech segmentation in Japanese using dichotic presentation and a detection task requiring no intentional sublexical analysis. Indeed, illusory perception of a target word might result from preattentive migration of phonemes, morae, or syllables from one ear to the other. In Experiment 1, Japanese listeners detected targets presented in hiragana and/or kanji. Phoneme migrations did occur, suggesting that orthography-independent sublexical constituents play some role in segmentation. However, syllable and especially mora migrations were more numerous. This pattern of results was not observed in French speakers (Experiment 2), suggesting that it reflects native segmentation in Japanese. To control for the intervention of kanji representations (many words are written in kanji, and one kanji often corresponds to one syllable), in Experiment 3, Japanese listeners were presented with target loanwords that can be written only in katakana. Again, phoneme migrations occurred, while the first mora and syllable led to similar rates of illusory percepts. No migration occurred for the second, “special” mora (/J/ or /N/), probably because this constitutes the latter part of a heavy syllable. Overall, these findings suggest that multiple units, such as morae, syllables, and even phonemes, function independently of orthographic knowledge in Japanese preattentive speech segmentation.
Visualizing collaborations and technology landscapes with interactive sociograms

Patents and publications provide information on the relationships between players in different technologies, and can give a picture on the maturity and development of the technologies. This information can be visualized in sociograms where organisations are represented by nodes and edges signify collaborations between them. Such sociograms are useful for analysing players and collaborations within technology fields, and how these evolve over time. The patent and publication documents needed to create these sociograms can be acquired from various sources; however, the dataset needed can be huge, thus making it difficult and time-consuming to collect and present the data in an intuitive manner. This paper discusses how a set of software tools can be used to gather and visualize this data, to gain understanding of different technology landscapes, and provide a means to perform a deeper analysis of the organisations involved and the technologies themselves. Furthermore, a novel way to access these sociograms is proposed, by navigating through higher-level sociograms of interconnected technologies, where connections between those technologies signify co-occurrences of them in papers and/or patents. This is an improvement to traditional navigating through menus or lists, which tend to become confusing and overwhelming, when the amount of information is vast and hard to categorize unequivocally.
Prediction of Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetes: An Analysis of the ACCORD Trial Applying Machine Learning Techniques

Applying data mining and machine learning (ML) techniques to clinical data might identify predictive biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy (DN), a common complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A retrospective analysis of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial was intended to identify such factors using ML. The longitudinal data were stratified by time after patient enrollment to differentiate early and late predictors. Our results showed that Random Forest and Simple Logistic Regression methods exhibited the best performance among the evaluated algorithms. Baseline values for glomerular filtration rate (GFR), urinary creatinine, urinary albumin, potassium, cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein, and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio were identified as DN predictors. Early predictors were the baseline values of GFR, systolic blood pressure, as well as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and potassium at month 4. Changes per year in GFR, FPG, and triglycerides were recognized as predictors of late development. In conclusion, ML‐based methods successfully identified predictive factors for DN among patients with T2DM.
Effects of Distracting Ads and Cognitive Control on the Processing of Online News Stories with Stereotype-Related Information

An experiment (N=123) examined how individuals cognitively process online news stories depicting African-American characters with stereotype-consistent and -inconsistent attributes and whether distracting online ads interfere with story processing. Two cognitive control functions, updating and inhibition, were predicted to moderate the effects of distracting ads. Recall of characters' attributes and overall characters' description were included in the study as dependent measures. Findings indicated that distracting online ads hinder recall of information about and descriptions of story characters. Inhibition and updating affect dependent measures and moderate the effects of distracting online ads on characters' descriptions.
Two free air convection and radiation thermal models for planar magnetic components

Thermal is considered as a principal constraint in size reduction of passive components in power electronics. In fact, the maximum temperature rise of component must be kept under a limit that heat dissipation cannot destroy the device materials. Therefore thermal modelling has to be taken in design optimisation of the components. We propose, in this paper, two analytical thermal models of free convection and radiation that can be applied to planar magnetic components. The models are verified by experimental tests, advantages and weakness of each model are analyzed to find out an appropriate one using in optimization tools.
Active Commuting to University and its Association with Sociodemographic Factors and Physical Activity Levels in Chilean Students

Background and Objectives: Active commuting to and from university (ACU) could be a strategy to increase physical activity levels (PA) and promote health in young university students. We aimed to a) examine the patterns of commuting to university in Chilean students; b) the association between the mode of commuting to and from university and socio-demographic factors and PA-levels. Materials and Methods: A total of 496 university students (21.6 ± 2.4 years old) from two universities from Valparaíso (central coast of Chile) participated in this study. Personal data, home address, socio-economic status, PA, and the usual mode of commuting to and from the university were self-reported by a questionnaire. The commute distances were objectively measured using Google-Maps-software. Associations were examined using binary logistic regressions. Results: The main mode of commuting was by bus (to university: 55.2% vs. from university: 59.3%; p < 0.001). The least used mode was cycling (1.4% to and from university). Students living >5-km from university were less active commuters than those living in closer distances: (2–5 km, odds ratio (OR): 4.424, 95% and 95% confidence intervals (CI): 2.443–8.011, p < 0.001; 2 km, OR: 143.052, 95% CI: 55.154–371.030, p < 0.001). Students with low PA-levels were less active commuters than those with medium (OR: 1.446; 95% CI: 0.864–2.421; p = 0.160) or higher levels (OR: 1.880; 95% CI: 1.880–1.094; p = 0.022). Students who lived between 2 and 5 km, presented a significant association to be active commuters when they showed medium PA-levels (OR: 5.244, 95% CI: 1.358–20.246; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Chilean university students from Valparaíso are mainly passive commuters using public transport as the main mode of commuting to and from university; longer distances from home to the university are associated with low PA levels. ACU in distances between 2–5 km (mainly walking) could contribute to having medium PA-levels in Chilean university students. Thus, promoting the ACU walking to and from the university in such distances could be an effective strategy to increase the overall PA levels in Chilean university students.
Comparison of Human Growth Hormone Binding to Rat Liver Plasma and Golgi Membranes

The binding characteristics of hGH to Golgi and liver plasma membranes isolated from normal adult female rats have been compared to assess the biological differences between the Golgi and plasma membrane receptor. The effect of cations and the time course of binding were qualitatively similar for both Golgi and plasma membranes. The Golgi membranes from normal rats exhibited maximum binding at pH 6-7 compared to 5-6 for other membrane fractions. The highest apparent affinities (approx. 1 x 10(9) M-1) for hGH were observed in the light Golgi membranes from normal rats and the light and intermediate Golgi membranes from ethanol treated rats. The lowest apparent affinities (0.026 -0.1 x 10(9)M-1 if determined by competitive binding curves or 0.07 - 0.32 x 10(9)M-1 by Scatchard plots) for hGH were observed in plasma membranes isolated by either Neville's or Ray's method or a combination of both methods. The hGH receptors were determined to be lactogenic by competitive binding curves. The affinities of Golgi membranes were not affected by alterations in isolation procedures. Ethanol treatment of the rats prior to sacrifice and membrane isolation resulted in linear Scatchard plots for hGH binding to Golgi membranes compared to curved Scatchard plots for the Golgi membranes of normal rats. The marker enzyme activities of glucose-6-phosphatase and adenylate cyclase were lower in Golgi from ethanol treated rats while the galactosyl transferase activity increased in lighter golgi fractions from ethanol treated rats.
HARMONIZE-DECOMPOSE AUDIO SIGNALS WITH GLOBAL AMPLITUDE AND FREQUENCY MODULATIONS

A key building block in music transcription and indexing ope rations is the decomposition of music signals into notes. We mo del a note signal as a periodic signal with slow (frequency-sele ctiv ) amplitude modulation and global frequency-warping. Globa frequency-warping allows for an inharmonic frequency modulat ion, while the global amplitude modulation allows the various ha rmonics of the periodic signal to decay at different speeds. The g lobal frequency-warping is achieved by a Laguerre transform (tha t has shown to fit stiffed strings inharmonic behavior). Assuming additive noise, the estimation of the model parameters and the optimization is performed in a Harmonize-Extract fashion. Si mulations illustrate that the extraction technique oversteps t he limitation of the global AM-FM representation and analysis techni ques and allows the processing of inharmonic string instruments (e.g. piano).
Symposium on the Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis

Symposium on the Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis N. Miller, R. R. Sears, S. Rosenzweig, G, Bateson, D. M. Levy, G. W. Hartmann & A. H. Maslow (1941) First published in Psychological Review, 48, 337-366. I. "The Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis" by Neal E. Miller II. "Non-Aggressive reactions to frustration" by Robert R. Sears III. "Need-Persistive and Ego-Defensive Reactions to Frustration as Demonstrated by an Experiment Repression" by Saul Rosenzweig IV. "The Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis and Culture" by Gregory Bateson V. "The Hostile Act" by David M. Levy VI. "Frustration Phenomena in the Social and Political Sphere" by George W. Hartmann VII. "Deprivation, Threat and Frustration" by A. H. Maslow
STAT3 serine phosphorylation by ERK-dependent and -independent pathways negatively modulates its tyrosine phosphorylation

Recent studies have indicated that serine phosphorylation regulates the activities of STAT1 and STAT3. However, the kinase(s) responsible and the role of serine phosphorylation in STAT function remain unresolved. In the present studies, we examined the growth factor-dependent serine phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT3. We provide in vitro and in vivo evidence that the ERK family of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, but not JNK or p38, specifically phosphorylate STAT3 at serine 727 in response to growth factors. Evidence for additional mitogen-regulated serine phosphorylation is also provided. STAT1 is a relatively poor substrate for all MAP kinases tested both in vitro and in vivo. STAT3 serine phosphorylation, not its tyrosine phosphorylation, results in retarded mobility of the STAT3 protein on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Importantly, serine 727 phosphorylation negatively modulates STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation, which is required for dimer formation, nuclear translocation, and the DNA binding activity of this transcriptional regulator. Interestingly, the cytokine interleukin-6 also stimulates STAT3 serine phosphorylation, but in contrast to growth factors, this occurs by an ERK-independent process.
Factors affecting the energy delivered to simulated class I and class v preparations.

PURPOSE To determine the effect of operator, curing light and preparation location, as well as any correlations among these variables, on the amount of light energy delivered to simulated cavity preparations. MATERIALS AND METHODS Each of 10 dentists and 10 fourth-year dental students light-cured a Class I preparation in tooth 26 and a Class V preparation in tooth 37 in a dental mannequin head. The operators exposed each preparation for 10 seconds with each of 3 LED-based curing lights (Bluephase G2 on high power, Demi and VALO on standard power). Each operator also used the VALO unit in the plasma mode for 2 sequential 3-second curing cycles. For each combination of operator, curing light and preparation, the irradiance (mW/cm(2)) received at the base of the preparation was measured with a laboratory-grade spectroradiometer, and software was used to calculate the energy density delivered in real time. The statistical analysis included 3-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Fisher protected least significant difference (PLSD) test for post hoc pairwise comparisons. RESULTS There was a large qualitative and quantitative variation in the irradiance delivered to the preparations by each operator. Three-way ANOVA showed no statistically significant differences between dentists and dental students in terms of the amount of energy delivered (p = 0.90). However, there were statistically significant differences in energy delivered by the various curing lights (p < 0.001) and between the 2 preparation locations (p < 0.001). According to the Fisher PLSD test for post hoc pairwise comparison of means, the VALO unit used in the plasma mode for two 3-second curing cycles delivered the most energy (16.4 +/- 3.1 J/cm(2)) to the Class I preparation, and the same light used for 10 seconds in the standard mode delivered the least amount of energy (9.9 +/- 2.4 J/cm(2)) (p < 0.001). For the Class V preparation, the VALO unit used in the plasma mode for two 3-second curing cycles delivered the most energy (12.5 +/- 4.0 J/cm(2)), and the Demi unit, used for 10 seconds, delivered the least energy (7.4 +/- 2.5 J/cm(2)). CONCLUSIONS The energy delivered by a curing light to a preparation in a simulated clinical environment was affected by the operator's light-delivery technique, the choice of curing light and the location of the preparation.
A Parallel Algorithm for Multiview Image Denoising

In this paper, we propose to improve the denoising performance by exploiting the redundancy provided by the multiple views. Here, we review the rich literature on image denoising methods. Zhang et. al. in [1] conjecture that single view image denoising algorithms have reached the limit of their performance. [1] also formulates the problem of multiple view denoising and give an algorithm to achieve the same. Their results prove the improved performance attained because of the information in the additional views. In this paper, we propose a novel approach towards this problem of denoising images using multiple views. We use an adaptation of the NL-means denoising algorithm on images focused at different depths or as we call them, focal images. These focal images are constructed using the multiple views. We introduce the notion of super pixels that constitute the focal images. The NL-means denoising algorithm denoises these super-images. Depth values are simultaneously estimated. Each view is reconstructed using these denoised super-images and the depth map. This intuitively parallel algorithm is implemented on GPU. We present the details of our implementation. The results of our experiment not only validate our hypothesis of improved performance due to multiple views, but also show that our GPU implementation is faster than other algorithms which have comparable performance. We compare the performance of our algorithm with the state-of-the-art single view image denoising and multiple view denoising algorithms. Keywordsmulti-view denoising, non-local means, noisy images, patch-based denoising
Long working hours and health status among employees in Europe: between-country differences.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to (i) identify family responsibilities associated with moderately long working hours (41-60 hours a week); (ii) examine the relationship between moderately long working hours and three health outcomes; and (iii) analyze whether patterns differ by welfare state regimes. METHODS The sample was composed of all employees aged 16-64 years working 30-60 hours a week interviewed in the 2005 European Working Conditions Survey (9288 men and 6295 women). We fitted multiple logistic regression models separated by sex and welfare state regime typologies. RESULTS Married males were more likely to work long hours in countries with male breadwinner models whereas family responsibilities were related to long working hours among both sexes in countries with dual breadwinner models. The association between long working hours and health was (i) stronger among men in countries with male breadwinner models, primarily in Anglo-Saxon countries [adjusted odds ratio (OR adj) associated with working 51-60 hours of 6.43, 6.04 and 9.60 for work-related poor health status, stress and psychological distress, respectively); (ii) similar among both sexes in Nordic countries; and (iii) stronger among women in Eastern European countries. CONCLUSIONS In the European Union of 25 members (EU-25), working moderately long hours is associated with poor health outcomes with different patterns depending on welfare state regimes. The findings from this study suggest that the family responsibilities and breadwinner models can help explain the relationship between long working hours and health status.