Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel planar interconnection structure with substrate integrated waveguide

In this paper, a novel planar interconnection method with substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) is presented. This method can be used as planar microwave structure interconnection in millimeter wave band. It also provides a quick assembly and disassembly of interconnection with different modules without any soldering or wire bonding operations. A W-band SIW interconnection structure is simulated and experimented. The simulated and measured results show the SIW interconnection structure has a high constituency with the complete board on transmission and reflection properties.
Process Improvement Initiative for the Perioperative Management of Patients With a Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Device

BACKGROUND: Economic, personnel, and procedural challenges often complicate and interfere with efficient and safe perioperative care of patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). In the context of a process improvement initiative, we created and implemented a comprehensive anesthesiologist-run perioperative CIED service to respond to all routine requests for perioperative CIED consultations at a large academic medical center. This study was designed to determine whether this new care model was associated with improved operating room efficiency, reduced institutional cost, and adequate patient safety. METHODS: We included patients with a CIED and a concurrent cohort of patients with the same eligibility criteria but without a CIED who underwent first-case-of-the-day surgery during the periods between February 1, 2008, and August 17, 2010 (preintervention) and between March 4, 2012, and August 1, 2014 (postintervention). The primary end point was delay in first-case-of-the day start time. We used multiple linear regression to compare delays in start times during the preintervention and postintervention periods and to adjust for potential confounders. A patient safety database was queried for CIED-related complications. Cost analysis was based on labor minutes saved and was calculated using nationally published administrative estimates. RESULTS: A total of 18,148 first-case surgical procedures were performed in 15,100 patients (preintervention period—7293 patients and postintervention period—7807 patients). Of those, 151 (2.1%) patients had a CIED in the preintervention period, and 146 (1.9%) had a CIED in the postintervention period. After adjustment for imbalances in baseline characteristics (age, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, and surgical specialty), the difference in mean first-case start delay between the postintervention and preintervention periods in the cohort of patients with a CIED was −16.7 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI], −26.1 to −7.2). The difference in mean delay between the postintervention and preintervention periods in the cohort without a CIED was −4.7 minutes (95% CI, −5.4 to −3.9). There were 3 CIED-related adverse events during the preintervention period and none during the postintervention period. Based on reduction in first-case start delay, the intervention was associated with cost savings (estimated institutional savings $14,102 annually, or $94.06 per CIED patient), with a return on investment ratio of 2.18 over the course of the postintervention period. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our experience, specially trained anesthesiologists can provide efficient and safe perioperative care for patients with CIEDs. Other centers may consider implementing a similar strategy as our specialty adopts the perioperative surgical home model.
Molecular cloning and characterization of an Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora pectin lyase gene that responds to DNA-damaging agents

recA-mediated production of pectin lyase (PNL) and the bacteriocin carotovoricin occurs in Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora 71 when this organism is subjected to agents that damage or inhibit the synthesis of DNA. The structural gene pnlA was isolated from a strain 71 cosmid gene library following mobilization of the cosmids into a moderate PNL producer, strain 193. The cosmid complemented pnl::Tn5 but not ctv::Tn5 mutations. A constitutive level of PNL activity was detected in RecA+ and RecA- Escherichia coli strains carrying the pnlA+ gene on the high-copy-number plasmid pBluescript SK-. Mappings of Mu dI1734 (Km lac'ZYA) insertions in pnlA and unidirectional deletion analyses allowed localization of the gene to approximately 1.4 kilobases of DNA. A typical pnlA-lacZ transcriptional fusion was inducible in a RecA+ but not a RecA- derivative of strain 71. In contrast, the pnlA-lacZ fusion was not inducible in a RecA+ E. coli strain. DNA sequences homologous to pnlA were detected in E. carotovora subsp. carotovora and E. carotovora subsp. atroseptica strains and in one of four Erwinia rhapontici strains but not in Erwinia chrysanthemi.
LDPC Codes for Discrete Integration

Discrete integration over exponentially large combinatorial sets is a key task for approximate probabilistic inference. Ermon et al. recently developed an approximation algorithm for discrete integration with provable guarantees using hashing techniques. These works reduce discrete integration to solving a polynomial number of MAP inference queries for models that include random linear parity check constraints. Empirical evidence suggests these inference queries can be solved much more efficiently when the linear parity constraints involve only a few variables. The challenge is how to obtain the required hashing properties with codes that are as sparse as possible. In this work, we establish a connection between Average Universal (AU) hashing and low-density parity-check codes; we show how the desired statistical properties of Average Universal (AU) hash families translate to properties of the average distance distribution of the code ensemble. Using this connection, we show that random independent LDPC codes with logarithmic degrees suffice to yield AU hash families with the required properties.
Prefiltering Techniques on Consistent Peak Selection for Talker Position Estimation in Reverberant Rooms

Hands-free communication systems need to isolate a single talker contribution in a distant talking situation and in the presence of environmental noises or other acoustic events. Sound source localization is an essential part of this process. However, localization methods that are actually based on time delay estimation (TDE) yield worse performances as reverberation time increases. As the majority of the technologies adopting hands-free systems are applied into bounded environment, a strategy to limit the effect of reverberation is due. The Optimal Line Selection algorithm demonstrated to perform well in case of localization in different reverberant conditions. In this paper the behavior of this estimator will be examined in case of cepstral prefiltering.
The Vulnerable Amazon: The Impact of Climate Change on the Untapped Potential of Hydropower Systems

Climate change can have an impact on natural and human systems. This is usually the case with renewable-energy-based energy systems, given their close dependence on climate conditions. For instance, long-term changes in temperature, precipitation, and wind shear, among other factors, can affect the operation of existing energy systems and even compromise the viability of new entrepreneurships. Therefore, global climate change can add a significant amount of uncertainty to the already uncertain operation of renewable energy systems. This article gives an overview of the issues related to climate change impacts on hydropower production with a focus on Amazonian regions.
The SAGE Handbook of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination

PART ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination - John F Dovidio et al Theoretical and Empirical Overview Historical Overview - John Duckitt Measuring Prejudice, Stereotypes and Discrimination - Joshua Correll et al PART TWO: BASIC PROCESSES AND CAUSES OF PREJUDICE, STEREOTYPING AND DISCRIMINATION Social Cognitive Neural Processes - Susanne Quadflieg, Malia F Mason and C Neil Macrae Evolutionary Processes - Mark Schaller, Lucian Gideon Conway III and K Michelle Peavy Developmental Perspectives - Melanie Killen, Cameron B Richardson and Megan Clark Kelly Cognitive Processes - Susan T Fiske and Ann Marie Russell Affective Processes - Eliot R Smith and Diane M Mackie Motivational Processes - Vincent Y Yzerbyt Individual Differences - Leanne S Son Hing and Mark P Zanna Social Identity and Self-Categorization - Dominic Abrams and Michael Hogg Ethnocentrism and Group Realities - Jacques-Philippe Leyens and Stephanie Demoulin Social Structure - Amanda B Diekman, Alice H Eagly and Amanda M Johnston Intergroup Competition - Victoria M Esses, Lynne M Jackson and Caroline Bennett-AbuAyyash Mass Media - Diana C Mutz and Seth K Goldman PART THREE: EXPRESSION OF PREJUDICE, STEREOTYPING AND DISCRIMINATION Attitudes and Intergroup Relations - Gregory R Maio et al Intergroup Dyadic Interactions - Jennifer A Richeson and J Nicole Shelton Hate Crime - Rafaela M Dancygier and Donald P Green Racism - John F Dovidio, Samuel L Gaertner and Kerry Kawakami Sexism - Peter Glick and Laurie A Rudman Heterosexism - Michelle R Hebl, Charlie L Law and Eden King Anti-Immigration Bias - Ulrich Wagner, Oliver Christ and Wilhelm Heitmeyer PART FOUR: SOCIAL IMPACT OF PREJUDICE, STEREOTYPING AND DISCRIMINATION Stereotype Threat - Diane M Quinn, Rachel W Kallen and Steven J Spencer Internalized Devaluation and Situational Threat - Jennifer Crocker and Julie A Garcia Coping with Bias - Brenda Major and Sarah S M Townsend Institutional Bias - P J Henry Bias in Organizations - Alexis N Smith, Arthur P Brief and Adrienne Collela Public Policy - Kristina R Schmukler et al Health and Health-Care Disparities - Louis A Penner et al PART FIVE: COMBATING PREJUDICE, STEREOTYPING AND DISCRIMINATION Self-Regulation and Bias - Margo J Monteith, Steven A Arthur and Sara McQueary Flynn Prejudice and Perceiving Multiple Identities - Richard J Crisp Social Categorization - Samuel L Gaertner, John F Dovidio and Melissa A Houlette Intergroup Contact - Nicole Tausch and Miles Hewstone Individual Mobility - Naomi Ellemers and Colette van Laar Collective Action and Social Change - Stephen C Wright PART SIX: COMMENTARY: FUTURE RESEARCH ON PREJUDICE, STEREOTYPING AND DISCRIMINATION Looking to the Future - Thomas F Pettigrew
Conditional control of gene function by an invertible gene trap in zebrafish

Conditional mutations are essential for determining the stage- and tissue-specific functions of genes. Here we achieve conditional mutagenesis in zebrafish using FT1, a gene-trap cassette that can be stably inverted by both Cre and Flp recombinases. We demonstrate that intronic insertions in the gene-trapping orientation severely disrupt the expression of the host gene, whereas intronic insertions in the neutral orientation do not significantly affect host gene expression. Cre- and Flp-mediated recombination switches the orientation of the gene-trap cassette, permitting conditional rescue in one orientation and conditional knockout in the other. To illustrate the utility of this system we analyzed the functional consequence of intronic FT1 insertion in supv3l1, a gene encoding a mitochondrial RNA helicase. Global supv311 mutants have impaired mitochondrial function, embryonic lethality, and agenesis of the liver. Conditional rescue of supv311 expression in hepatocytes specifically corrected the liver defects. To test whether the liver function of supv311 is required for viability we used Flp-mediated recombination in the germline to generate a neutral allele at the locus. Subsequently, tissue-specific expression of Cre conditionally inactivated the targeted locus. Hepatocyte-specific inactivation of supv311 caused liver degeneration, growth retardation, and juvenile lethality, a phenotype that was less severe than the global disruption of supv311. Thus, supv311 is required in multiple tissues for organismal viability. Our mutagenesis approach is very efficient and could be used to generate conditional alleles throughout the zebrafish genome. Furthermore, because FT1 is based on the promiscuous Tol2 transposon, it should be applicable to many organisms.
Modelling mesoporous alumina microstructure with 3D random models of platelets

This work focuses on a mesoporous material made up of nanometric alumina ‘platelets’ of unknown shape. We develope a 3D random microstructure to model the porous material, based on 2D transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, without prior knowledge on the spatial distribution of alumina inside the material. The TEM images, acquired on samples with thickness 300 nm, a scale much larger than the platelets's size, are too blurry and noisy to allow one to distinguish platelets or platelets aggregates individually. In a first step, the TEM images correlation function and integral range are estimated. The presence of long‐range fluctuations, due to the TEM inhomogeneous detection, is detected and corrected by filtering. The corrected correlation function is used as a morphological descriptor for the model. After testing a Boolean model of platelets, a two‐scale model of microstructure is introduced to replicate the statistical dispersion of platelets observed on TEM images. Accordingly, a set of two‐scale Boolean models with varying physically admissible platelets shapes is proposed. Upon optimization, the model takes into account the dispersion of platelets in the microstructure as observed on TEM images. Comparing it to X‐ray diffraction and nitrogen porosimetry data, the model is found to be in good agreement with the material in terms of specific surface area.
Hiding personal information reveals the worst

Significance Disclosure is a critical element of social life, especially given Internet media that afford many opportunities (and demands from friends, partners, and even employers) to share personal information—making withholding anomalous, conspicuous, and therefore suspect. Seven experiments explore people’s decisions to withhold or disclose personal information—and the wisdom of such decisions. Declining a request to disclose often makes a worse impression even than divulging unsavory personal information. Moreover, those who withhold fail to intuit this negative consequence: people withhold even when they would make a better impression by “coming clean. ” In short, people should be aware not just of the risk of revealing, but the risk of hiding. Seven experiments explore people’s decisions to share or withhold personal information, and the wisdom of such decisions. When people choose not to reveal information—to be “hiders”—they are judged negatively by others (experiment 1). These negative judgments emerge when hiding is volitional (experiments 2A and 2B) and are driven by decreases in trustworthiness engendered by decisions to hide (experiments 3A and 3B). Moreover, hiders do not intuit these negative consequences: given the choice to withhold or reveal unsavory information, people often choose to withhold, but observers rate those who reveal even questionable behavior more positively (experiments 4A and 4B). The negative impact of hiding holds whether opting not to disclose unflattering (drug use, poor grades, and sexually transmitted diseases) or flattering (blood donations) information, and across decisions ranging from whom to date to whom to hire. When faced with decisions about disclosure, decision-makers should be aware not just of the risk of revealing, but of what hiding reveals.
Rote Liste gefährdeter Biotoptypen

Rote Listen gefahrdeter Arten haben sich als eine wesentliche Argumentation im Artenschutz und auch im Naturschutz allgemein bewahrt. Neben ihrer eher naturschutzpolitisch-strategischen Funktion dienen diese Listen in vielen Fallen auch der konkreten Bewertung von Raumeinheiten bei allen naturschutzrelevanten Planungen. Auch eine Rote Liste der gefahrdeten Biotoptypen stellt zunachst eine fachgutachtliche Beurteilung der Gefahrdungssituation von Lebensstatten dar. Sie dient dabei sowohl als politisch-strategisches Instrument des Naturschutzes als auch als eine fachliche Handreichung fur die Umsetzung der Ziele des Biotopschutzes allgemein und fur die konkrete Naturschutzpraxis. Mit der Roten Liste der gefahrdeten Biotoptypen Deutschlands werden beispielsweise die folgenden Ziele verfolgt: (1) Allgemeine Information der Offentlichkeit, von Verbanden, Behorden, Planungsburos, aber auch der politisch Verantwortlichen (2) Bereitstellung eines flachendeckend einzusetzenden Bezugssystems fur raum- und umweltrelevante Planungen (3) Unterstutzung von Vorhaben des Flachenschutzes: Die Gefahrdung ist eine gute Argumentation fur die Schutzwurdigkeit sowohl im Hinblick auf Schutzgebietsausweisungen als auch im Rahmen von Abwagungen im Zuge der Eingriffs-Ausgleichs-Regelung. (4) Unmittelbare Handlungsaufforderung: Die Gefahrdungsabstufung kann als ein wesentliches Argument fur die Prioritatensetzung aus der Sicht des Biotopschutzes interpretiert werden. (5) Unterstutzung fur die Optimierung und Umsetzung gesetzlicher Biotopschutzregelungen (beispielsweise bei der Erganzung des § 30 im Zuge der Novellierung des BNatSchG) (6) Forderung einer starker ganzheitlichen Herangehensweise uber den Schutz von Lebensraumen und Okosystemen im Gegensatz zu rein vegetationskundlich oder an Einzelarten orientierten Konzepten. Dabei ist allerdings zu bedenken, dass Biotoptypen eine Kategorisierung der naturlichen Umwelt darstellen, die im hohen Mase abstrahiert ist. Keywords: Ausgleichbarkeit; Biotopelement; Biotopkomplex; Biotoptypen; Bundesnaturschutzgesetz; FFH-Richtlinie; Flachenverlust; Gefahrdung; Gefahrdungsbeurteilung; Gefahrdungskategorien; Gefahrdungskriterien; Hudewaldkomplex; Kustenbiotope; Meeresbiotope; Regenerierbarkeit; Rote Liste; sample article
Sulfur Transfer through an Arbuscular Mycorrhiza1

Despite the importance of sulfur (S) for plant nutrition, the role of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis in S uptake has received little attention. To address this issue, 35S-labeling experiments were performed on mycorrhizas of transformed carrot (Daucus carota) roots and Glomus intraradices grown monoxenically on bicompartmental petri dishes. The uptake and transfer of 35SO42− by the fungus and resulting 35S partitioning into different metabolic pools in the host roots was analyzed when altering the sulfate concentration available to roots and supplying the fungal compartment with cysteine (Cys), methionine (Met), or glutathione. Additionally, the uptake, transfer, and partitioning of 35S from the reduced S sources [35S]Cys and [35S]Met was determined. Sulfate was taken up by the fungus and transferred to mycorrhizal roots, increasing root S contents by 25% in a moderate (not growth-limiting) concentration of sulfate. High sulfate levels in the mycorrhizal root compartment halved the uptake of 35SO42− from the fungal compartment. The addition of 1 mm Met, Cys, or glutathione to the fungal compartment reduced the transfer of sulfate by 26%, 45%, and 80%, respectively, over 1 month. Similar quantities of 35S were transferred to mycorrhizal roots whether 35SO42−, [35S]Cys, or [35S]Met was supplied in the fungal compartment. Fungal transcripts for putative S assimilatory genes were identified, indicating the presence of the trans-sulfuration pathway. The suppression of fungal sulfate transfer in the presence of Cys coincided with a reduction in putative sulfate permease and not sulfate adenylyltransferase transcripts, suggesting a role for fungal transcriptional regulation in S transfer to the host. A testable model is proposed describing root S acquisition through the AM symbiosis.
Role and Treatment of Insulin Resistance in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Review

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dialysis have higher mortality than those without, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death. As CVD is caused by several mechanisms, insulin resistance plays an important role in CVD. This review summarizes the importance and mechanism of insulin resistance in CKD and discusses the current evidence regarding insulin resistance in patients with CKD and dialysis. Insulin resistance has been reported to influence endothelial dysfunction, plaque formation, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. A recent study also reported an association between insulin resistance and cognitive dysfunction, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, and malignancy. Insulin resistance increases as renal function decrease in patients with CKD and dialysis. Several mechanisms increase insulin resistance in patients with CKD, such as chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, obesity, and mineral bone disorder. There is the possibility that insulin resistance is the potential future target of treatment in patients with CKD.
Writing and Reading Training Effects on Font Type and Size Preferences by Students with Low Vision

The effect of writing and reading training on preferred font type and size in low-vision students was evaluated in 35 children. An ophthalmologist confirmed low vision according to ICD-10–CM. Children identified the font type and size they could best read. The writing subtest of the Jebsen–Taylor Hand Function Test, read in 1 min., and legibility as measured by the number of readable written letters were used in evaluating the children. A writing and reading treatment program was conducted, beginning with the child's preferred font type and size, for 3 months, 2 days per week, for 45 min. per day at the child's school. Before treatment, the most preferred font type was Verdana; after treatment, the preferred font type and size changed. Students had gained reading and writing speed after training, but their writing legibility was not significantly better. Training might affect the preferred font type and size of students with low vision. Surprisingly, serif and sans-serif fonts were preferred about equally after treatment.
The Behavior of the Doublet of Oxytricha bifaria (Ciliata, Hypotrichida): A Contribution to the Understanding of This Enigmatic Form

Abstract The tracks of normal organisms of Oxytricha bifaria and of stage IA, IB, II, III, IV and V doublets were studied to test the hypothesis that the doublet might function as a dispersal form. Stage IA, the only stage to swim, swims straight with only rare interruptions; its rate of mobility (Rmo = 443 μ/s) is roughly twice that of singlets (Rmo = 218 μ/s). Stage IA doublets swim in three-dimensional movement which enables them to be carried away by water currents. The other stages seem to represent passage back towards the normal singlet form. The ethological evidence reported here together with other results already published supports the working hypothesis that the doublet of O. bifaria is a dispersal form suggests that the doublet might well represent a special fourth differentiation state of this species in addition to pairs, giants, and cysts.
Parametric Characterization of Self-Heating in Depletion-Type Si Micro-Ring Modulators

The influence of self-heating on the static transmission characteristics of depletion-type Si micro-ring modulators (MRMs) is investigated. Self-heating, caused by free-carrier absorption of the input light inside the doped ring waveguide, increases the effective refractive index of the ring waveguide and results in the red-shifted resonance wavelength. This phenomenon is modeled based on the coupled-mode equation with a newly-introduced self-heating coefficient R. The accuracy of our model is confirmed by measurement. In addition, dependence of R on device size and doping concentration is experimentally investigated and the resulting dependence is explained.