Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of low phase noise substrate integrated waveguide oscillator based on complexquality factor (Qsc)

A low phase noise substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) oscillator based on complex quality factor (Qsc) is presented. The oscillator employing a fourth-degree cross-coupled bandpass SIW filter is designed at the oscillation frequency for the feedback loop as a frequency stabilization element. In this paper, the peak frequency of the complex quality factor (Qsc) is adopted for oscillator design instead of designing the oscillator at groupdelay peak frequency conventionally. The measured phase noise performance of the developed oscillator is -141.4 dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset frequency with the figure of merit (FOM) of -198.3dBc/Hz.
Inflation and the Distribution of Relative Prices: The Role of Productivity and Money Supply Shocks

This paper examines the role of aggregate productivity and money supply shocks in determining the relationship between inflation and the distribution of relative commodity prices. I estimate a restricted VAR that includes aggregate variables and individual commodity prices and compute the cross-sectional distribution of the dynamic responses of commodity prices to these aggregate shocks. The findings indicate that both shocks lead to positive correlation between inflation and the dispersion of relative prices and that the response of prices across commodities is not uniform, even in the long run.
Quorum Quenching and Antimicrobial Activity of Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Abstract The popular herbal remedy goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) is traditionally used to treat skin infections. With this study, we show activity of H. canadensis extracts in vitro against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). An extract from H. canadensis leaves demonstrated more potent antimicrobial activity than the alkaloid berberine alone (MICs of 75 µg/mL and 150 µg/mL, respectively). LC-MS detected alkaloids and efflux-pump inhibitory flavonoids in the extract, and the latter may explain the enhanced efficacy of the extract compared to berberine alone. We also show evidence of anti-virulence activity as a second mechanism by which H. canadensis acts against S. aureus. The H. canadensis leaf extract (but not the isolated alkaloids berberine, hydrastine, and canadine) demonstrated quorum quenching activity against several clinically relevant MRSA isolates (USA300 strains). Our data suggest that this occurs by attenuation of signal transduction through the AgrCA two-component system. Consistent with this observation, the extract inhibited toxin production by MRSA and prevented damage by MRSA to keratinocyte cells in vitro. Collectively, our results show that H. canadensis leaf extracts possess a mixture of constituents that act against MRSA via several different mechanisms. These findings lend support for the traditional application of crude H. canadensis extracts in the prevention of infection.
Unique Bid Auction Games

Two auction mechanisms are studied in which players compete with one another for an exogenously determined prize by independently submitting integer bids in some discrete and commonly known strategy space specified by the auctioneer. In the unique lowest (highest) bid auction game, the winner of the prize is the player who submits the lowest (highest) bid provided that this bid is unique, i.e., unmatched by other bids. Assuming a commonly known finite population of players, a non-negative cost of entry, and an option to stay out of the auction if the entry cost is deemed too high, we propose an algorithm for computing symmetric mixed-strategy equilibrium solutions to the two variants of the auction game, illustrate them, and examine their properties.
Health, Chronic Conditions, and Behavioral Risk Disparities among U.S. Immigrant Children and Adolescents

Objective. We examined differentials in the prevalence of 23 parent-reported health, chronic condition, and behavioral indicators among 91,532 children of immigrant and U.S.-born parents. Methods. We used the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health to estimate health differentials among 10 ethnic-nativity groups. Logistic regression yielded adjusted differentials. Results. Immigrant children in each racial/ethnic group had a lower prevalence of depression and behavioral problems than native-born children The prevalence of autism varied from 0.3% among immigrant Asian children to 1.3%–1.4% among native-born non-Hispanic white and Hispanic children Immigrant children had a lower prevalence of asthma, attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; developmental delay; learning disability; speech, hearing, and sleep problems; school absence; and ≥1 chronic condition than native-born children, with health risks increasing markedly in relation to mother's duration of residence in the U.S. Immigrant children had a substantially lower exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, with the odds of exposure being 60%–95% lower among immigrant non-Hispanic black, Asian, and Hispanic children compared with native non-Hispanic white children. Obesity prevalence ranged from 7.7% for native-born Asian children to 24.9%–25.1% for immigrant Hispanic and native-born non-Hispanic black children. Immigrant children had higher physical inactivity levels than native-born children; however, inactivity rates declined with each successive generation of immigrants. Immigrant Hispanic children were at increased risk of obesity and sedentary behaviors. Ethnic-nativity differentials in health and behavioral indicators remained marked after covariate adjustment. Conclusions. Immigrant patterns in child health and health-risk behaviors vary substantially by ethnicity, generational status, and length of time since immigration Public health programs must target at-risk children of both immigrant and U.S.-born parents.
The perseverance of Pacioli’s goods inventory accounting system

This paper details sources of the “undoubtedly strange” (Yamey, 1994a, p.119) system of goods inventory records described in Pacioli’s 1494 bookkeeping treatise and traces the longevity and widespread use of this early perpetual inventory recording (EPIR) system in English language texts. By doing so and contrasting this system with the bookkeeping treatment of modern texts, it is shown that the EPIR system persisted as the dominant form of goods inventory accounting for between 400 and 500 years and that the reasons for its demise are worthy of further consideration and research.
Schmallenberg Virus Infection among Red Deer, France, 2010–2012

Schmallenberg virus infection is emerging in European domestic and wild ruminants. We investigated the serologic status of 9 red deer populations to describe virus spread from September 2010 through March 2012 among wildlife in France. Deer in 7 populations exhibited seropositivity, with an average seroprevalence of 20%.
Contract Length as Risk Management When Labor is Not Homogeneous

This paper examines the choice of contract length for workers who possess unique skills. Uncertainty, facing both the worker and the firm, creates an incentive to reallocate risk. The uncertainty arises from two sources: variation in the market value of the worker's human capital and fluctuation in the worker's physical production. Long-term contracts are typically modeled as compensating wage differentials, or as a solution to the problem of asymmetric information. This paper develops a model proposing more complex behavior in the reallocation of risk between the contracting parties. The model shows that long-term labor contracts are most likely to be observed when price uncertainty in the labor market exceeds the worker's productive uncertainty.
Low Pay, Labour Market Institutions, Gender and Part-Time Work: Cross-National Comparisons

The distribution of low pay by sector, size of firm, occupation, type of contract and gender varies cross-nationally. This article examines the extent to which systems of collective bargaining and minimum wage regimes explain such differences. It compares Britain, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and the USA using a newly harmonized data set, PACO, and the European household panel study for Spain. The findings indicate that strong collective bargaining and minimum wage regimes reduce the percentage of low-paid workers. However, the benefits of such regulation do not extend to women and especially part-time women employees as much as to men.
Measuring the Congruence Between Market Requirements and Manufacturing: A Methodology and Illustration*

This paper presents a measurement methodology, based on existing research in the manufacturing strategy and general strategy areas, for evaluating the congruence between market needs and manufacturing plant capabilities. The proposed methodology has several important advantages over current approaches. First, the methodology uses available data and statistical techniques to measure market-manufacturing congruence. As a result, it is not dependent on assumptions about “classic” process choices. Second, the proposed methodology can evaluate the strategic fit between market needs and manufacturing in light of one or more performance criteria. Third, the methodology can be used to derive scalar measures of market-manufacturing congruence, allowing users to evaluate congruence for a large number of products, customers, or market segments. The theoretical basis, research objectives and major steps of the methodology are discussed, followed by an illustrative example from a North American manufacturer. Finally, the applicability of the methodology to a wide range of strategic manufacturing decisions is discussed.
Inflation and the Consumer

THE STUDY BY F. Thomas Juster and Paul Wachtel in an earlier issue of Brookings Papers on Economic Activity' provides a most useful confirmation of considerations about consumers' reactions to inflation presented by this writer over many years. Juster and Wachtel make extensive use of data collected by the Survey Research Center's quarterly surveys of changes in consumer attitudes and expectations. The appendix to the article presents two tables on data used, both of which contain adjusted data. The discussion of the paper indicates that the readers have received a misleading impression about survey findings during the last few years. Therefore, some of the original survey data are reproduced in this communication. Table B-2 (page 112) presents the changes in the center's index of consumer sentiment as "filtered" by Juster, who introduced a considerable lag. The unadjusted index, as presented in Table 1 below and as used by the center for the purpose of predicting discretionary expenditures, shows different movements. This is the case regarding the time when the recession of 1970 was first predicted (May and August 1969, and not November 1969 as indicated in Table B-2) as well as for the winter of 1971-72. In Table B-3 (page 113) Juster and Wachtel present an index of expected price change derived from the center's data on consumers' price expectations. They conclude from the table that "the current inflation is largely
Race and College Success: Evidence from Missouri

Conditional on enrollment, African American students are substantially less likely to graduate from four-year public universities than white students. Using administrative micro-data from Missouri, we decompose the graduation gap into racial differences in four factors: (i) how students sort to universities, (ii) how students sort to initial majors, (iii) high-school quality, and (iv) other preentry skills. Preentry skills explain 65 and 86 percent of the gap for women and men respectively. A small role is found for differential sorting into college, driven by African Americans' disproportionate representation in urban schools and schools at the very bottom of the quality distribution.
Influence of Nonideal Voltage Measurement on Parameter Estimation in Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Machines

This paper investigates the influence of nonideal voltage measurements on the parameter estimation of permanent-magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). The influence of nonideal voltage measurements, such as the dc bus voltage drop, zero shift in the amplifier, and voltage source inverter nonlinearities, on the estimation of different machine parameters is investigated by theoretical and experimental analysis. For analysis, a model-reference-adaptive-system-based estimator is first described for the parameter estimation of the q-axis inductance, stator winding resistance, and rotor flux linkage. The estimator is then applied to a prototype surface-mounted PMSM to investigate the influence of nonideal voltage measurement on the estimation of various machine parameter values. It shows that, at low speed, the inverter nonlinearity compensation has significant influence on both the rotor flux linkage and winding resistance estimations while, at high speed, it has significant influence only on the winding resistance estimation and has negligible influence on the rotor flux linkage estimation. In addition, the inverter nonlinearity compensation will not influence the q-axis inductance estimation when it is under id = 0 control. However, the dc bus voltage drop due to the load variation and zero shift in the amplifier will significantly influence the q-axis inductance estimation.
CTCF and BORIS Regulate Rb2/p130 Gene Transcription: A Novel Mechanism and a New Paradigm for Understanding the Biology of Lung Cancer

Although innumerable investigations regarding the biology of lung cancer have been carried out, many aspects thereof remain to be addressed, including the role played by the retinoblastoma-related protein Rb2/p130 during the evolution of this disease. Here we report novel findings on the mechanisms that control Rb2/p130 gene expression in lung fibroblasts and characterize the effects of Rb2/p130 deregulation on the proliferative features of lung cancer cells. We revealed for the first time that in lung fibroblasts the expression of Rb2/p130 gene is directly controlled by the chromatin insulator CCCTC-binding factor, CTCF, which by binding to the Rb2/p130 gene promoter induces, and/or maintains, a specific local chromatin organization that in turn governs the transcriptional activity of Rb2/p130 gene. However, in lung cancer cells the activity of CTCF in controlling Rb2/p130 gene expression is impaired by BORIS, a CTCF-paralogue, which by binding to the Rb2/p130 gene could trigger changes in the chromatin asset established by CTCF, thereby affecting CTCF regulatory activity on Rb2/p130 transcription. These studies not only provide essential basic insights into the molecular mechanisms that control Rb2/p130 gene expression in lung cancer, but also offer a potential paradigm for the actions of other activators and/or corepressors, such as CTCF and BORIS, that could be crucial in explaining how alterations in the mechanism regulating Rb2/p130 gene expression may accelerate the progression of lung tumors, or favor the onset of recurrence after cancer treatment. Mol Cancer Res; 9(2); 225–33. ©2011 AACR.
Obtaining Diversity Gain Coming from IQ Imbalances in OFDM Receivers

In this paper, we analyze the effects of IQ (in-phase/quadrature-phase) imbalances at both transmitter and receiver of OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) system and show that more diversity gain can be achieved even though there are unwanted IQ imbalances. When mixed sub-carriers within an OFDM symbol due to the IQ imbalances undergo frequency selective channels, additional diversity effects are expected during the demodulation process. Simulation results on the symbol error rate (SER) performance with ML (maximum likelihood) and OSIC (ordered successive interference cancellation) receiver show that significant performance gain can be achieved with the diversity gain caused by the IQ imbalances combined with the frequency selective channels.
ASTIN - AFIR - IAALS M´exico Colloquia, October 2012 AFIR/ERM Interest Rate Derivatives under the Standard Market Model

This document deals with three types of interest rate ﬁnancial derivatives traded in OTC international ﬁnancial markets: bond options, caps - ﬂoors interest rates, and swap options. Then, some ﬁnancial characteristics of these instruments are shown, mathematical details are explained to calculate their prices from martingales in the standard market model, and valuation computational examples are illustrated using the DerivaGem software. Therefore, it shows, that having a ﬁnancial, mathematical and computational perspective of these products and their corresponding valuation, provides reliable information for either hedger or issuer
Effect of type 1 piliation on in vitro killing of Escherichia coli by mouse peritoneal macrophages

Escherichia coli K-12 mutants possessing defined lesions affecting type 1 pilus production, receptor binding, or length were examined for their ability to resist killing by mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro. Mutants were mixed pairwise at known ratios in wells containing macrophages, and after incubation, the ratio of the survivors was assayed. The difference in phagocytic killing between type 1 piliated cells and isogenic nonpiliated cells was significant, the piliated cells being approximately threefold more resistant. Pilus length had little effect upon survival, as the long-piliated mutants were no more resistant to killing than the normal-length parents. Interestingly, the receptor-binding function of type 1 pili was most important in effecting resistance, as mutants lacking the ability to bind receptor were killed as effectively as nonpiliated mutants. These data are consistent with the notion that pili actually impede killing by macrophages rather than serve as passive physical barriers to uptake.
A decade of postmenopausal hormone therapy prescribing in the United States: long-term effects of the Women’s Health Initiative

ObjectiveNearly a decade ago, landmark clinical trials revealed an increase in the risks associated with hormone therapy in postmenopausal women, leading to early changes in prescribing patterns. Long-term prescribing patterns in the United States after these trials are unknown. The objective of this study was to describe changes in hormone therapy prescribing including dose, formulation, patient age, and prescriber specialty from 2000 to 2009. MethodsA national pharmacy claims database was used to describe the annual prevalence and incidence rates of hormone therapy prescribing from 2000 to 2009 in women 50 years and older. ResultsThroughout the decade, a number of prescribing trends were observed: a continuous decline in hormone therapy overall, an initial drop in new therapy that stabilized after 2003, a decline in oral formulations and increase in vaginal formulations, a decline in standard- and high-dose and an increase in low-dose oral formulations, and an increase in the proportion of women who received hormone therapy from gynecologists. ConclusionsOverall prescribing of hormone therapy continued to decline during the past decade, suggesting a long-term impact of the Women’s Health Initiative findings. During this same time, treatment regimens shifted to favor vaginal and lower-dose oral formulations.
Inversion bayésienne myope et non-supervisée pour l'imagerie sur-résolue. Application à l'instrument SPIRE de l'observatoire spatial Herschel. (Myopic and unsupervised bayesian inversion for over-resolved imaging. Application to SPIRE instrument of Herschel spatial observatory)

Les travaux concernent le traitement de donnees pour l'imagerie sur-resolue avec une application en astronomie. On s'interesse en particulier aux donnees issues de l'instrument SPIRE de l'observatoire spatial Herschel de l'ESA, dedie aux infrarouges lointains. Les problemes souleves sont principalement : la reponse de l'optique qui attenue les frequences spatiales, le sous-echantillonnage ainsi que la presence d'une derive thermique. L'approche proposee est l'inversion de donnees, c'est a dire la prise en compte du processus d'acquisition en plus d'information a priori, pour estimer le ciel d'interet. La premiere partie des travaux concerne la modelisation du processus d'acquisition des donnees. Le modele est compose d'une optique, de filtres en longueur d'onde, du capteur sensible a la temperature a base de bolometres ainsi que du protocole de pointage. Le modele obtenu, lineaire mais non invariant a cause de l'echantillonnage, est etudie. Des proprietes interessantes, notamment dans une perspective de traitement de donnees, sont degagees en particulier en lien avec la sur-resolution. L'analyse du modele permet egalement de faire ressortir des proprietes utiles pour un algorithmique de calcul. La deuxieme partie des travaux repose sur une demarche d'inference inscrite dans le formalisme bayesien usuel. Toute l'information ne passant pas a travers l'instrument ou etant degradee, le probleme inverse est mal-conditionne. La methode employee, en plus de formaliser une information de regularite spatiale sur le ciel permettant de lever le probleme de conditionnement, propose l'estimation des parametres des lois reglant le compromis entre les differentes sources d'information (hyper-parametres). De plus, l'approche proposee permet l'estimation de parametres instruments ainsi que l'estimation d'une derive thermique lente affectant l'ensemble du capteur conjointement aux autres parametres. L'ensemble de l'information utilisee pour resoudre le probleme est formalise au travers d'une loi a posteriori jointe pour l'ensemble des inconnues. L'estimateur choisi est la moyenne a posteriori calculee par un algorithme MCMC. Une etude experimentale demontre la capacite de la methode a restaurer de hautes frequences spatiales. L'etude montre egalement le potentiel de l'approche pour l'estimation des hyper-parametres et des parametres instruments.
Pediatric sports specific return to play guidelines following concussion.

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND In 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics officially adopted the recommended return to play guidelines proposed by the International Conference on Concussion in Sport. The guidelines include a six-step process that provides structure to guide an athlete who is recovering from a concussion in a gradual return to play (RTP) by allowing participation in increasingly difficult physical activities. Unfortunately, the guidelines fail to take into account the variability that occurs within different sports and the resulting challenges medical professionals face in making sure each athlete is able to withstand the rigors of their specific sport, without return of symptoms. Therefore, the purpose of this clinical commentary is to expand upon the current general consensus guidelines for treatment of concussed pediatric athletes and provide sport specific RTP guidelines. DESCRIPTION OF TOPIC The intention of the sport specific guidelines is to maintain the integrity of the current six-step model, add a moderate activity phase highlighted by resistance training, and to provide contact and limited contact drills specific to the athlete's sport and/or position. The drills and activities in the proposed seven-step programs are designed to simulate sport specific movements; the sports include: football, gymnastics, cheerleading, wrestling, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and ice hockey. These activities will provide sports specific challenges to each athlete while simultaneously accomplishing the objectives of each stage of the RTP progression. The final RTP determination should occur with documented medical clearance from a licensed healthcare provider who has been trained in the evaluation and management of concussions. DISCUSSION/RELATION TO CLINICAL PRACTICE There have been significant strides in the management and care of concussed athletes. However, there continues to be a lot of confusion among, athletes, parents, and coaches regarding the proper management of an athlete with a concussion, particularly in the pediatric population. In an effort to eliminate ambiguity and help further promote adherence to the RTP guidelines, the authors developed several sports-specific RTP guidelines. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 5.