Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Miniature Frequency Selective Surfaces Based on Fractal Antenna–Filter–Antenna Arrays

A novel type of miniature bandpass frequency selective surface (FSS) based on fractal antenna-filter-antenna (AFA) array is proposed. The AFA-based FSSs exhibit superior frequency selectivity and have lower profile than conventional FSSs. However, they commonly occupy considerably large unit sizes. Fractal geometries are utilized in this letter to reduce the unit cell of AFA-based FSSs. The iteration order and iteration factors of the utilized fractals including Minkowski island-shaped transmit/receive patches and fractal cross-shaped coupling aperture are analyzed. A prototype of the proposed FSS operated at C-band is fabricated and tested using waveguide measurement setup, and good agreement is obtained between measured and simulated results.
Selection of points for on-line signature comparison

Authentication based on handwritten signature is the most accepted authentication system based on biometry because it is easy to use and because the use of signature is part of our habits. In the field of authentication by on-line signature, we present a method to reduce the amount of data to be stored for pattern comparison and that needs few processing. Many systems described in literature keep the whole signature's points even if it is not recommended, even advised against it, in order to avoid forgers to obtain a signature's pattern. The proposed method for data reduction was evaluated with respect to a method of curve comparison very often used for authentication by on-line handwritten signature: dynamic time warping (DTW). After we have presented several reduction methods of signature data, we show the results obtained with each one. In order to evaluate their efficiency, the results were compared to those obtained with the whole coarse data points of the signature.
Interim positron emission tomography scan in Hodgkin lymphoma: definitions, interpretation rules, and clinical validation

[18F]-Fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) scan performed early during the therapy for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) has a high prognostic value and correlates with survival. Several ongoing trials are under way to investigate the value of treatment adaptation based on early 18F-FDG PET results both in early and advanced-stage HL. In the former, in order to reduce the number of patients in whom involved-field radiotherapy is required for optimal treatment, and in the latter to identify the small subset (about 20%) of patients with a dismal prognosis who should be treated very aggressively while sparing the toxic effects of the therapy in most of them. However some issues still remain unsettled, including the standardization of interpretation rules for the interim-positron emission tomography (PET) scan, the optimal time to perform this examination during therapy, and the impact of a risk-adapted therapeutic strategy on the overall outcome of therapy in HL. International efforts are now underway to reach a consensus among experts on a set of simple, reproducible rules for PET interpretation, and attempts are being made to launch retrospective clinical studies so as to validate these rules.
Navigating the Data Lake : Unsupervised Structure Extraction for Text-formatted Data

Many organizations routinely accumulate automatically-generated semi-structured log file datasets; these datasets remain unused and occupy wasted space—this phenomenon has been termed as the “data lake” problem. One approach to put these datasets to use is to convert them into a structured relational format, following which they can be analyzed in conjunction with other datasets. To address this, we present CATAMARAN, an automatic structure extraction tool that requires no human supervision. CATAMARAN automatically identifies field and record endpoints, separates the structured parts from the unstructured noise or formatting, and can tease apart multiple structures from within a dataset, in order to efficiently extract structured relational datasets from semi-structured log files, at scale with high accuracy. Compared to unsupervised adaptations of supervised structure extraction tools developed in prior work, CATAMARAN makes fewer assumptions and achieves much higher accuracy. In particular, CATAMARAN can successfully extract structured information from all datasets used in prior work in supervised structure extraction, and can achieve 95% extraction accuracy on automatically collected log files from GitHub.
Selected metals in sediments, water, and biota in the Illinois River.

metals affect aquatic organisms to various degrees. Fishes seem to be the most studied group, and the literature is replete with the results of studies that have been made on numerous species.1 Many metals are harmful to aquatic organisms depending on the concentration, pH, tem perature, hardness, or other properties of the water.23 Hiltibran reported that cad mium and zinc severely limited oxygen metabolism of bluegill liver mitochondria.4 The biota of major streams, lakes, and rivers have changed drastically since man began using them to carry away domestic and industrial wastes. Undoubtedly, one of the major factors responsible for re ducing biotic diversity in such systems has been the depletion of oxygen because of heavy organic enrichment. On the other hand, the role played by metals entering streams, lakes, and rivers in reducing biotic diversity is largely unknown, al though there is some suspicion that this role is much greater than it was originally thought to be. Many industrial wastes contain metals or salts of metals. These have been accu mulating in the sediments of streams, lakes, and rivers for years. These metals may act either synergistically or antagonisti cally on the aquatic biota and in some cases may cause a decrease in biotic diversity. The Illinois River has been receiving domestic and industrial wastes from Chicago and other cities located along its shores for years, and the drastic decline in biotic diversity has been well documented.5 In the present study an atomic absorp tion spectrophotometer* was utilized to
Performance Analysis of a Channel Estimator using Linear Interpolation for OFDM Systems

In this work, the performance of a pilot symbol assisted channel estimator using linear interpolation for practical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems is examined. A novel analysis of the mean square error (MSE) is given for an OFDM system in which data subcarriers are also positioned before the first and after the last pilot subcarrier and their number is different at the two edges. The performance of the estimator, in both MSE and bit error rate (BER) terms, is characterized by the number and distance of the inserted pilots and the Doppler spread. Simulations show the influence of these factors on MSE and BER performance.
Parking Policy Acceptability in Wellington CBD

The car has become the dominant mode of transportation in many cities, giving drivers the sense of freedom and convenience to travel at any time between specific locations. However, this increase in car use has created numerous negative outcomes for society including pollution and congestion. Changing individual travel behaviour away from car use is a challenge that many cities now face in an effort to combat car induced issues. Transport pricing policies are often viewed as an effective method in decreasing levels of car use. However, these policies are often not implemented due to a lack of public support. This research uses a quantitative approach to explore potential factors that may be influencing parking policy acceptability among levels of residents in the Greater Wellington Region. Using an online survey, findings indicate that parking policy acceptability levels to the public are influenced by policy differences in fee level and revenue allocation, as well as individuals' level of personal environmental understanding and concern. The Greed-Efficiency-Fairness (GEF) hypothesis is presented as a theory to explain the changes seen in acceptability levels between different policies and personal characteristics of individuals. It is concluded that, for the study sample, parking policy acceptability levels would most increase when revenue was allocated to improving the quality of active transportation and public transportation. Acceptability levels would further be enhanced by highlighting the beneficial outcomes that the policy would have at both an individual and societal level.
A global water scarcity assessment under Shared Socio-economic Pathways – Part 2: Water availability and scarcity

Abstract. A global water scarcity assessment for the 21st century was conducted under the latest socio-economic scenario for global change studies, namely Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs). SSPs depict five global situations with substantially different socio-economic conditions. In the accompanying paper, a water use scenario compatible with the SSPs was developed. This scenario considers not only quantitative socio-economic factors such as population and electricity production but also qualitative ones such as the degree of technological change and overall environmental consciousness. In this paper, water availability and water scarcity were assessed using a global hydrological model called H08. H08 simulates both the natural water cycle and major human activities such as water abstraction and reservoir operation. It simulates water availability and use at daily time intervals at a spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5°. A series of global hydrological simulations were conducted under the SSPs, taking into account different climate policy options and the results of climate models. Water scarcity was assessed using an index termed the Cumulative Abstraction to Demand ratio, which is expressed as the accumulation of daily water abstraction from a river divided by the daily consumption-based potential water demand. This index can be used to express whether renewable water resources are available from rivers when required. The results suggested that by 2071–2100 the population living under severely water-stressed conditions for SSP1-5 will reach 2588–2793 × 106 (39–42% of total population), 3966–4298 × 106 (46–50%), 5334–5643 × 106 (52–55%), 3427–3786 × 106 (40–45%), 3164–3379 × 106 (46–49%) respectively, if climate policies are not adopted. Even in SSP1 (the scenario with least change in water use and climate) global water scarcity increases considerably, as compared to the present-day. This is mainly due to the growth in population and economic activity in developing countries, and partly due to hydrological changes induced by global warming.
NNAL exposure by race and menthol cigarette use among U.S. smokers.

INTRODUCTION Researchers have recently suggested that nicotine and carcinogen exposure as measured by biomarkers such as cotinine and NNAL (4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol) does not vary with cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) among Black smokers. Researchers have also suggested that nicotine exposure does not differ between menthol and nonmenthol smokers. In this study, we examine NNAL exposure for U.S. smokers by race, CPD, and menthol cigarette use. METHODS We analyzed urinary NNAL concentrations for more than 1500 everyday smokers participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007-2010. For purposes of comparison, we also analyzed serum cotinine concentrations for these smokers. We used linear regression analysis to estimate mean biomarker concentrations by CPD and race/ethnicity group and to examine the association between biomarker concentrations and menthol cigarette use by race/ethnicity group, controlling for other demographic and smoking characteristics. RESULTS Biomarker concentrations increased with CPD for White, Black, and Hispanic smokers although NNAL concentrations leveled off for Black smokers at lower CPD levels compared with other smokers. Mean NNAL concentrations were lower among menthol smokers compared with nonmenthol smokers among smokers overall (β = -0.165, p = .032) and White smokers (β = -0.207, p = .048). CONCLUSIONS We find evidence in national health survey data that nicotine and carcinogen exposure generally increases with CPD across race/ethnicity groups although the pattern of NNAL exposure differs by race/ethnicity group at high CPD levels. We also find evidence of differences in NNAL exposure for menthol smokers compared with nonmenthol smokers among smokers overall and White smokers.
Reproducibility of Electronic von Frey and von Frey Monofilaments Testing

Objectives:Von Frey monofilaments (VFM) and Electronic von Frey are used as quantitative sensory testing to explore mechanical hyperalgesia. The aim of the study was to determine VFM and Electronic von Frey reproducibility and the time required for testing undamaged areas in volunteers and surgical in-hospital patients. Methods:Prospective study in 2 groups of individuals without neurological disorders and not receiving treatments that alter sensorial response. Group 1 was formed by 30 healthy volunteers and group 2 by 28 patients after knee arthroplasty who received unilateral femoral block as postoperative analgesia. Testing was performed by 2 trained investigators in the forearm and abdominal wall and repeated 24 hours later. Pain threshold was determined as the VMF or the pressure rate applied with the Electronic von Frey referred to as unpleasant. The time used in each test was measured. Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility were analyzed by means of Kappa and Lin coefficients. Results:Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility for VFM was only fair or moderate in both groups (Kappa<0.6). Intraobserver reproducibility for Electronic von Frey was good in Group 1 (Lin 0.61 to 0.8) and almost perfect in Group 2 (Lin>0.8). No differences were found between the 2 tested areas. Time used was 6.03 and 3.16 minutes for VFM and Electronic von Frey, respectively. Discussion:Exploration of mechanical allodynia in postoperative patients requires rapid and reliable quantitative sensory testing. Electronic von Frey was more reliable and rapid than VFM in exploring mechanical pain thresholds in undamaged areas in volunteers and patients. Further studies are required to confirm whether these results can be extrapolated to areas affected by surgery.
Application of standard and molecular methods for the diagnosis of newcastle disease

Four pooled samples of whole poultry carcasses with their internal organs were used to determine the presence of Newcastle disease (ND) virus. Samples were collected from one epizootiological area in the Republic of Serbia during January 2007. Newcastle disease virus strains were isolated from four samples. The identification of isolated strains was done by using the hemagglutination and hemagglutination-inhibition tests. The nucleic acid of the ND virus was identi- fied in all the four samples It was confirmed that all the isolated strains were velogenic strains. Analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the gene encoding the F cleavage site of the fusion F protein showed the presence of motifs 112 RRQKRFIG 119 , characteristic for the velogenic strains of the ND virus. Phylogenetic analysis of the F gene sequences revealed that all iso- lated strains of the virus belong to class II and genotype VIId.
Trichomes as dangerous lollipops: Do lizards also use caterpillar body and frass odor to optimize their foraging?

When attacked by herbivores, plants produce toxic secondary metabolites that function as direct defenses, as well as indirect defenses that attract and reward predators of the offending herbivores. These indirect defenses include both nutritive rewards such as extra floral nectar, as well as informational rewards, such as the production and release of volatile compounds that betray the location of feeding herbivores to predators. Herbivory of Nicotiana attenuata by the tobacco hornworm (Manduca larvae) alters the volatile profiles of both the plant and larval headspace. Herbivory-elicited specific changes in the volatile profiles are detected by arthropod predators of Manduca larvae. The known predators that perceive volatile cues induced by Manduca herbivory of N. attenuata are insects that target Manduca at early developmental stages, when the larvae are still small; large, late-instar larvae may have outgrown these predation risks. However, here we offer evidence that branched chain aliphatic acids derived from the digestion of plant O-acyl sugars from trichomes may betray Manduca larvae to lizard predators during late developmental stages as well.
The impact of product attributes and promotion on credit card subscription decisions: an empirical study

The paper aimed to examine the impact of product attributes and promotion efforts on the choice of credit cards in intense competition. It is important to stress that this paper focuses on the techniques and methodology used in drawing discussion and conclusions. The empirical study involved a survey. Of the 350 questionnaires sent out, 251 were returned. A series of statistical analyses were conducted on the dataset, i.e., reliability test, factor analysis and logistic regression. There was internal consistency among variables measuring the predefine concepts from the literature. Factor analyses extracted four dimensions, i.e., importance of product features, culture, impact of advertisement and branding and sales promotions. The findings revealed that culture and branding and sales promotion have significant association with credit card subscription decisions. Future research could include other marketing mix elements as constructs in the model, i.e., price, place, process, people and physical evidence.
Improved genetic algorithm for the protein folding problem by use of a Cartesian combination operator

We have devised a Cartesian combination operator and coding scheme for improving the performance of genetic algorithms applied to the protein folding problem. The genetic coding consists of the Cα Cartesian coordinates of the protein chain. The recombination of the genes of the parents is accomplished by: (1) a rigid superposition of one parent chain on the other, to make the relation of Cartesian coordinates meaningful, then, (2) the chains of the children are formed through a linear combination of the coordinates of their parents. The children produced with this Cartesian combination operator scheme have similar topology and retain the long‐range contacts of their parents. The new scheme is significantly more efficient than the standard genetic algorithm methods for locating low‐energy conformations of proteins. The considerable superiority of genetic algorithms over Monte Carlo optimization methods is also demonstrated. We have also devised a new dynamic programming lattice fitting procedure for use with the Cartesian combination operator method. The procedure finds excellent fits of real‐space chains to the lattice while satisfying bond‐length, bond‐angle, and overlap constraints.
Delegated Management in Dynamic Oligopolies

This paper studies the strategic value of delegation in dynamic interactions, where principals provide managers with intertemporal incentives in order to obtain a competitive advantage. While direct management offers intertemporal commitment opportunities, the separation of ownership from production decisions allows precommitment within the current period. The solution concept of Markov-perfect equilibrium helps avoid the imposition of exogenous restrictions on the composition and the functional form of compensation contracts. The linear-quadratic game yields a tractable MPE that illustrates the properties of dynamic delegation: i) with low adjustment costs and discount factors delegating principals are able to attain output levels close to those of a Stackelberg leader; ii) managerial utility parameters affect equilibrium wages, but have no impact on production choices.
Can Haemodialysis-Induced Hypotension Be Predicted?

Background: During haemodialysis (HD) ultrafiltration may affect the central blood volume to an extent that blood pressure decreases. Thoracic electrical impedance (TI) is applied to monitor the central blood volume and we evaluated if it can be used to predict HD-induced hypotension. Methods: In 12 hypotensive prone (H) and 13 non-hypotensive prone (N) patients, blood pressure and heart rate were recorded during one dialysis session every 30 min, while TI, thoracic intracellular water (ThICW) and total body impedance (TBI) were followed every 10 min. Hypotension was defined as a decrease in systolic blood pressure (SAP) ≧30 mm Hg or a SAP < 90 mm Hg. Results: All 12 H patients developed hypotension after 190 ± 10 min (mean ± SE) as SAP decreased 35 ± 5 mm Hg, while the 13 N patients maintained blood pressure. TBI increased in all patients and the increase was similar (60 ± 5 and 56 ± 6 Ω in H and N patients, respectively). In N patients TI did not change significantly for the first 2 h of HD, while it became elevated by 2.8 ± 0.6 Ω (1.5 kHz) and 2.3 ± 0.7 Ω (100 kHz) by the end of the dialysis. In H patients, the increase in TI took place at the onset of HD to reach higher values (by 7.0 ± 0.5 Ω at 1.5 kHz and 5.9 ± 0.5 Ω at 100 kHz). ThICW was changed only in H patients (decreased by 7.9 ± 2.1 Siemens (S) 10–4, p < 0.05), while HR increased (9 ± 2 beats/min) in 8 of 12 H patients, while it decreased in 1 patient (by 9 beats/min). Conclusions: The results suggest that in HD patients hypotension is elicited by a reduction in the central blood volume that affects heart rate and the distribution of red cells within the body. To prevent HD-induced hypotention, the ultrafiltration rate could be reduced when an increase in thoracic impedance approaches 5 Ω, or when an index of intracellular water decreases by 6 10–4.
Service as business logic: implications for value creation and marketing

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to analyze the scope, content and nature of value co‐creation in a service logic‐based view of value creation, addressing the customer's perspective in a supplier‐customer relationship. The nature of the activities and the roles of the supplier and the customer in value creation and co‐creation are analyzed. Furthermore, the purpose is to discuss what implications for marketing can be derived from this analysis.Design/methodology/approach – The article analyzes the marketing implications that follow from the pivotal role of interactions in service provision. The article, thus, builds on a long history in service marketing research pointing at the impact on the content and scope of marketing of customer‐supplier interactions.Findings – In this article, it is concluded that creating customer value is a multilaned process consisting of two conceptually distinct subprocesses. These are the supplier's process of providing resources for customer's use and the customer's .