Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A compact and low-profile metamaterial ring antenna with vertical polarization

A compact (/spl lambda//sub 0//11 footprint) and low-profile (/spl lambda//sub 0//28 height) metamaterial ring antenna is proposed using two metamaterial unit cells. Each constituent unit cell consists of negative-refractive-index (NRI) microstrip transmission lines (TL) designed to incur a zero insertion phase at the antenna design frequency. This allows the inductive posts to ground, which act as the main radiating elements, to be fed in phase. Hence, the antenna operates as two closely spaced monopoles that are fed in phase through a compact feed network. An embedded matching network ensures good VSWR performance. The theoretical performance of the antenna is verified by full-wave simulations and experimental data obtained from a fabricated prototype at 1.77 GHz. The antenna offers a 120 MHz -10 dB bandwidth and a measured efficiency exceeding 50%.
Association of Interleukin-2-330T/G and Interleukin-10-1082A/G Genetic Polymorphisms with B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in a Cohort of Egyptians

Objective: Polymorphisms in the interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-10 genes are known to be associated with susceptibility to different immune-dysregulated disorders and cancers such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). To explore the possible association between IL-2-330T/G and IL-10-1082A/G single-nucleotide polymorphisms and the susceptibility to B-cell NHL (B-NHL) in Egyptians, we conducted a case-control study. Materials and Methods: Genotyping of the studied genetic variations was done for 100 B-NHL patients as well as 100 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Results: The IL-2 variant allele occurred at a significantly higher rate in patients than controls and was associated with susceptibility to B-NHL [odds ratio (OR): 1.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-2.85]. It was also associated with advanced performance status score. IL-2 polymorphism conferred an almost threefold increased risk of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (OR: 2.64, 95% CI: 1.35-5.15) and a fourfold increased risk of indolent subtypes (OR: 4.34, 95% CI: 1.20-15.7). The distribution of IL-10-1082A/G genotypes in our patients was close to that of the controls. Co-inheritance of the variant genotypes of IL-2 and the common genotype of IL-10 conferred an almost sixfold increased risk (OR: 5.75, 95% CI: 1.39-23.72), while co-inheritance of the variant genotypes of IL-2 and IL-10 conferred fivefold increased risk of B-NHL (OR: 5.43, 95% CI: 1.44-20.45). The variant genotypes of IL-2-330T/G and IL-10-1082A/G had no effect on the disease-free survival of B-NHL patients. Conclusion: The present study highlights the possible involvement of the IL-2-330T/G genetic polymorphism in the susceptibility to B-NHL in Egypt, especially indolent subtypes. Moreover, IL-10-1082A/G is not a molecular susceptibility marker for B-NHL in Egyptians.
Chinese text mining based on subspace clustering

Several features existed in Chinese texts result in technologic bottleneck in Chinese text mining, at present the results of Chinese text clustering obtained by traditional methods are not very satisfactory. In this paper, we propose the text clustering method by the English texts clustering method called as Text Clustering via Particle Swarm Optimizer (TCPSO) to solve the Chinese text clustering problem. We preprocess the Chinese texts, and apply TCPSO to Chinese texts mining. The simulation results on text dataset selected from Chinese Nature Language Processing (CNLP) show that this approach effectively improves the quality of clustering and gets better results compared with k-means algorithm.
Affective attitude toward the personal future: impact on motivation in high school boys

To study the motivational significance of the affective attitude toward the personal future, we translated this concept in terms of the expectancy-value models in motivational psychology. We used it as a substitute for the algebraic sum of the valence of all more or less important or personally relevant motivational goals in the future. The hypotheses therefore predict an interaction effect of this time concept and the perceived instrumental value of performing well in high school for success in future life on the motivation to study and on exam scores. The results confirm the hypotheses. A positive attitude toward the future combined with a high perceived instrumentality gives the highest motivation to study and the best academic performances. When the attitude is high and the perceived instrumental value is low, motivation to study and school results are very low. The educational practice of motivating students by explaining the future importance of their present school work and school results will have the best effects when students have a positive affective attitude toward their personal future.
On the necessity of adaptive eye movement classification in conditionally automated driving scenarios

Algorithms for eye movement classification are separated into threshold-based and probabilistic methods. While the parameters of static threshold-based algorithms usually need to be chosen for the particular task (task-individual), the probabilistic methods were introduced to meet the challenge of adjusting automatically to multiple individuals with different viewing behaviors (inter-individual). In the context of conditionally automated driving, especially while the driver is performing various secondary tasks, these two requirements of task- and inter-individuality fuse to an even greater challenge. This paper shows how the combination of task- and inter-individual differences influences the viewing behavior of a driver during conditionally automated drives and that state-of-the-art algorithms are not able to sufficiently adapt to these variances. To approach this challenge, an extended version of a Bayesian online learning algorithm is introduced, which is not only able to adapt its parameters to upcoming variances in the viewing behavior, but also has real-time capability and lower computational overhead. The proposed approach is applied to a large-scale driving simulator study with 74 subjects performing secondary tasks while driving in an automated setting. The results show that the eye movement behavior of drivers performing different secondary tasks varies significantly while remaining approximately consistent for idle drivers. Furthermore, the data shows that only a few of the parameters used for describing the eye movement behavior are responsible for these significant variations indicating that it is not necessary to learn all parameters in an online-fashion.
Stochastic Primal-Dual Method on Riemannian Manifolds of Bounded Sectional Curvature

We study a stochastic primal-dual method for optimizing functions on elliptic (sub)manifolds– Riemannian (sub)manifolds with a positive bounded sectional curvature. In particular, we establish a convergence rate for geodesically convex functions that is related to the lower bound on the sectional curvature. The convergence analysis we present is based on Toponogov’s comparison theorem, where geodesic triangles on the elliptic manifolds and a sphere are compared. We numerically demonstrate the performance of the proposed stochastic primaldual algorithm on the sphere for non-negative principle component analysis (PCA), and on the Lie group SO(3) for the anchored localization from partial noisy measurements of relative rotations. In both applications, the proposed algorithm scales gracefully to high dimensions.
Cost comparison of tinzaparin versus enoxaparin as deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis in spinal cord injury: preliminary data

Thromboembolic events are major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with spinal cord injuries. Low molecular weight heparins are recommended as prophylaxis against such events. The purpose of the current study was to perform a cost analysis of tinzaparin versus enoxaparin using published efficacy and safety data as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism prophylaxis in this population. All published English language articles evaluating either tinzaparin or enoxaparin as pharmacoprophylaxis in spinal cord-injured patients were identified. Data from these studies were subjected to cost-effectiveness analyses followed by sensitivity analyses to determine which agent is the most cost-effective in these patients. Results demonstrated that tinzaparin 3500 U daily and enoxaparin 30 mg every 12 h are both cost-effective agents for thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients with spinal cord injuries.
[Methodologic comparison of the analysis of urinary calculi. Roentgen diffractometry, polarization microscopy and microscopic-microchemical component analysis].

Not only instrumental, apparative or operative stone extraction is necessary for patients with urolithiasis (particularly those with recurrent urolithiasis); preventive treatment is also called for, and for this exact analysis of the composition of the stones is essential. The procedures currently accepted as standard for stone analysis are: X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, polarisation microscopy and the complicated chemico-quantitative analyses performed in some institutes. Recently a new, so-called microscopic-microchemical, analysis of stone components has been presented (the Harzalith). To test the value of this procedure as compared to e.g. X-ray diffraction or polarization microscopy, a comparative study was carried out in our department. Thirty different urolith compositions (calculi with one and with more components) were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively by three methods. No qualitative difference was found between X-ray diffraction and polarization microscopy; however, there was a difference from the Harzalith method, and with increasing number of components there was hardly any correspondence with the other methods. Only 10% of the calculi with three or four components could be analysed correctly. Often, too many components were determined by the new method. The test material was analysed by three laboratory assistants working independently of each other.
Map-based driving profile simulation for energy consumption estimation of electric vehicles

Estimating the energy consumption of electric vehicles accurately along a given route is an important prerequisite for increasing their acceptance. In this paper, an algorithmic framework for interpolating a track described by a set of waypoints using sub-splines is presented. Furthermore, the velocity and acceleration a driver would choose is simulated along the course. The results are evaluated by comparing them to real consumption measurements of an electric vehicle during a test drive.
Characterization of chimeric full-length molecular clones of Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (ADV): identification of a determinant governing replication of ADV in cell culture

The ADV-G strain of Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (ADV) is nonpathogenic for mink but replicates permissively in cell culture, whereas the ADV-Utah 1 strain is highly pathogenic for mink but replicates poorly in cell culture. In order to relate these phenotypic differences to primary genomic features, we constructed a series of chimeric plasmids between a full-length replication-competent molecular clone of ADV-G and subgenomic clones of ADV-Utah 1 representing map units (MU) 15 to 88. After transfection of the plasmids into cell culture and serial passage of cell lysates, we determined that substitution of several segments of the ADV-Utah 1 genome (MU 15 to 54 and 65 to 73) within an infectious ADV-G plasmid did not impair the ability of these constructs to yield infectious virus in vitro. Like ADV-G, the viruses derived from these replication-competent clones caused neither detectable viremia 10 days after inoculation nor any evidence of Aleutian disease in adult mink. On the other hand, other chimeric plasmids were incapable of yielding infectious virus and were therefore replication defective in vitro. The MU 54 to 65 EcoRI-EcoRV fragment of ADV-Utah 1 was the minimal segment capable of rendering ADV-G replication defective. Substitution of the ADV-G EcoRI-EcoRV fragment into a replication-defective clone restored replication competence, indicating that this 0.53-kb portion of the genome, wholly located within shared coding sequences for the capsid proteins VP1 and VP2, contained a determinant that governs replication in cell culture. When cultures of cells were studied 5 days after transfection with replication-defective clones, rescue of dimeric replicative form DNA and single-stranded progeny DNA could not be demonstrated. This defect could not be complemented by cotransfection with a replication-competent construction.
What 'Extras' Do We Get with Extracurriculars: Technical Research Considerations

Investments in out-of-school-time programs have increased dramatically in recent years. In this paper we ask whether participation in out-of-school extracurricular activities improves academic achievement or behavior for elementary school children. Initial analyses were conducted using relatively standard techniques to control for the fact that students who participate in out-of-school-time extracurricular activities differ in important ways from nonparticipants. These analyses found statistically significant and positive effects of participation in arts, music, drama, and language classes. However, the initial positive effects disappeared when more appropriate analytical models were used.
Genomic Structure and Transcriptional Regulation of the Early B Cell Gene chB11

The avian B cell differentiation Ag chB1 is a membrane glycoprotein relative of the mammalian B cell differentiation Ag CD72. Unlike CD72, this C-type lectin is expressed in relatively high levels on immature B cells in the bursa of Fabricius and is down-regulated on mature B cells in the periphery. An immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif in the chB1 cytoplasmic tail suggests a potential regulatory role in intrabursal B cell development. To gain further insight into the selective expression and function of chB1, we determined the genomic organization of chB1 and examined the mechanism of its transcriptional regulation. The 8-exon chB1 gene proved to have very similar organization to that of mouse CD72, further supporting the idea that chB1 is a CD72 relative. As for mouse CD72, the chB1 promoter region lacks a TATA box but contains a conserved initiator element. The 131-bp region (−161 to −30) proximal to the transcriptional start site, which contains a potential early B cell factor binding site, is essential for the B lineage stage-specific transcription of chB1, whereas PU.1 and B cell-specific activator protein/Pax5 have been shown to play important roles in CD72 promoter activity and cell-type specificity. This analysis suggests that differences in transcriptional regulation of these phylogenetically related genes may determine the differences in expression pattern and, therefore, the function of avian chB1 and mammalian CD72 during B cell development.
A Parallel Algorithm for Game Tree Search Using GPGPU

Game tree search is a classical problem in the field of game theory and artificial intelligence. Fast game tree search algorithm is critical for computer games asking for real-time responses. In this paper, we focus on how to leverage massive parallelism capabilities of GPU to accelerate the speed of game tree search algorithms and propose a concise and general parallel game tree search algorithm on GPU. The performance model of our algorithm is presented and analyzed theoretically. We implement the algorithm for two real computer games called Connect6 and Chess. We also use these two games to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of our algorithm. Experiments support our theoretical results and show good performance of our approach. Compared to classical CPU-based game tree search algorithms, our algorithm can achieve speedups of 89.95x for Connect6 and 11.43x for Chess, in case of no pruning. When pruning is considered, which means the practical performance of our algorithm, the speedup can reach about 10.58x for Connect6 and 7.26x for Chess. The insight of our work is that using GPU is a feasible way to improve the performance of game tree search algorithms.
A Theory of Tourism

[F] We were leaving La Guardia Airport New York, three hours late because of snow storms. Our plane, as usual on this route, was a Super Constellation. Since it was night, I immediately prepared to go to sleep. We spent another forty minutes waiting on the runway with snow in front of the searchlights, powdery snow whirling over the runway. the engines were roaring, being revved up one after the other. At last we started.
[Synthesis of a nano-antibacterial inorganic filler containing a quaternary ammonium salt with long chain alkyl and its effect on dental resin composites].

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to synthesize a novel nano-antibacterial inorganic filler that contains a quaternary ammonium salt with long chain alkyl and to report the antibacterial property of dental resin composites. METHODS A novel nano-antibacterial inorganic filler that contains a quaternary ammonium salt with long chain alkyl was synthesized based on previous research. The antibacterial property of the filler was measured. The surface of the novel nano-antibacterial inorganic filler was modified by a coupling agent to achieve a good interfacial bonding between the filler and the resin matrix. Infrared spectrum analysis was carried out. The modified novel nano-antibacterial inorganic fillers were then incorporated into the dental resin matrix. The dispersion of the fillers was observed and compared with those incorporated into Tetric N-Ceram, a commercial resin composite, under a scanning electron microscope. Streptococcus mutans was used in testing the antibacterial property of the dental resin composites. RESULTS A quaternary ammonium salt with a long chain alkyl was successfully grafted onto the surface of nano-silica particles. The novel nano-antibacterial inorganic filler that contains quaternary ammonium salt with a long chain alkyl showed stronger antibacterial efficacy than the antibacterial inorganic filler that contains quaternary ammonium salt with a short chain alkyl. The modified novel antibacterial inorganic fillers displayed a homogeneous dispersion in the resin composite bulk and combined closely with the resin matrix, similar to the Tetric N-Ceram. The resin composites that contain novel antibacterial inorganic fillers showed stronger antibacterial effect on Streptococcus mutans compared with the control group. CONCLUSION The novel nano-antibacterial inorganic filler that contains a quaternary ammonium salt with long chain alkyl showed a strong antibacterial property. It also exhibited good compatibility with the dental resin matrix after undergoing coupling treatment.
Decoding repetitive finger movements with brain activity acquired via non-invasive electroencephalography

We investigated how well repetitive finger tapping movements can be decoded from scalp electroencephalography (EEG) signals. A linear decoder with memory was used to infer continuous index finger angular velocities from the low-pass filtered fluctuations of the amplitude of a plurality of EEG signals distributed across the scalp. To evaluate the accuracy of the decoder, the Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) between the observed and predicted trajectories was calculated in a 10-fold cross-validation scheme. We also assessed attempts to decode finger kinematics from EEG data that was cleaned with independent component analysis (ICA), EEG data from peripheral sensors, and EEG data from rest periods. A genetic algorithm (GA) was used to select combinations of EEG channels that maximized decoding accuracies. Our results (lower quartile r = 0.18, median r = 0.36, upper quartile r = 0.50) show that delta-band EEG signals contain useful information that can be used to infer finger kinematics. Further, the highest decoding accuracies were characterized by highly correlated delta band EEG activity mostly localized to the contralateral central areas of the scalp. Spectral analysis of EEG also showed bilateral alpha band (8–13 Hz) event related desynchronizations (ERDs) and contralateral beta band (20–30 Hz) event related synchronizations (ERSs) localized over central scalp areas. Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of decoding finger kinematics from scalp EEG signals.
Nocturnal Hypoxemia Due to Obstructive Sleep Apnea Is an Independent Predictor of Poor Prognosis After Myocardial Infarction

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases including myocardial infarction (MI). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of OSA on prognosis after MI, and to determine which specific measures of OSA severity best predicted outcomes. Methods and Results We performed a prospective study, in which 112 patients without a prior diagnosis of sleep apnea underwent comprehensive polysomnography within a median of 7 days after MI. Patients were followed up at 6‐monthly intervals (±2 weeks) for a total of 48 months. Patients classified with central apnea (n=6) or those using continuous positive airway pressure (n=8) after polysomnography were excluded from analyses. The primary end point was major adverse cardiac events, including death from any cause, recurrent MI, unstable angina, heart failure, stroke, and significant arrhythmic events. Forty of 98 patients (41%) had OSA (apnea‐hypopnea index ≥15 events/h). OSA patients had higher major adverse cardiac event rates when compared to those without OSA (47.5% versus 24.1%; χ2=5.41, P=0.020). In a multivariate model that adjusted for clinically relevant variables including age, left ventricular ejection fraction, diabetes mellitus, oxygen desaturation index, and arousal index, significant hypoxemia, as defined by nocturnal nadir oxygen saturation ≤85%, was an independent risk factor for major adverse cardiac events (hazard ratio=6.05, P=0.004) in follow‐up 15 months after baseline. Conclusions Nocturnal hypoxemia in OSA is an important predictor of poor prognosis for patients after MI. These findings suggest that routine use of low‐cost nocturnal oximetry may be an economical and practical approach to stratify risk in post‐MI patients.
Superresolution Localization of Single Functional Ip 3 R Channels Utilizing Ca 2þ Flux as a Readout

The subcellular localization of membrane Ca 2þ channels is crucial for their functioning, but is difficult to study because channels may be distributed more closely than the resolution of conventional microscopy is able to detect. We describe a technique, stochastic channel Ca 2þ nanoscale resolution (SCCaNR), employing Ca 2þ-sensitive fluorescent dyes to localize stochastic openings and closings of single Ca 2þ-permeable channels within <50 nm, and apply it to examine the clustered arrangement of inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP 3 R) channels underlying local Ca 2þ puffs. Fluorescence signals (blips) arising from single functional IP 3 Rs are almost immotile (diffusion coefficient <0.003 mm 2 s À1), as are puff sites over prolonged periods, suggesting that the architecture of this signaling system is stable and not subject to rapid, dynamic rearrangement. However, rapid stepwise changes in centroid position of fluorescence are evident within the durations of individual puffs. These apparent movements likely result from asynchronous gating of IP 3 Rs distributed within clusters that have an overall diameter of ~400 nm, indicating that the nanoscale architecture of IP 3 R clusters is important in shaping local Ca 2þ signals. We anticipate that SCCaNR will complement superresolution techniques such as PALM and STORM for studies of Ca 2þ channels as it obviates the need for photoswitchable labels and provides functional as well as spatial information.