Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Melatonin for the treatment of sleep disturbances in major depressive disorder.

OBJECTIVE The authors' goal was to examine the hypnotic effects of slow-release melatonin during the initial 4 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine in 19 patients with major depressive disorder. METHOD Twenty-four outpatients with major depressive disorder were included in the study; 19 completed the study. Ten patients were treated with fluoxetine plus slow-release melatonin and nine were given fluoxetine plus placebo in a double-blind protocol for 4 weeks. Response was assessed by using rating scales for depression and sleep. RESULTS The 10 patients given slow-release melatonin reported significantly better scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index than the nine patients given placebo. No significant differences in the rate of improvement in depressive symptoms were noted between the two groups. No particular side effects were noted from the combination of fluoxetine and slow-release melatonin. CONCLUSIONS Slow-release melatonin was effective in improving the sleep of patients with major depressive disorder. Slow-release melatonin had no effect on the rate of improvement in symptoms of major depressive disorder. The authors conclude that the role of slow-release melatonin for sleep disturbances in major depressive disorder should be investigated further.
A new approach for wind and solar type DG placement in power distribution networks to enhance systems stability

This paper proposes a distributed generator (DG) placement methodology based on newly defined term reactive power loadability. The effectiveness of the proposed planning is carried out over a distribution test system representative of the Kumamoto area in Japan. Firstly, this paper provides simulation results showing the sensitivity of the location of renewable energy based DG on voltage profile and stability of the system. Then, a suitable location is identified for two principal types DG, i. e. , wind and solar, separately to enhance the stability margin of the system. The analysis shows that the proposed approach can reduce the power loss of the system, which in turn, reduces the size of compensating devices.
Evaluation of Cold Chain Practices in Urban Health Centers of a Metro City in India

Background: National Family Health Survey report (NFHS)-3 reports revealed that immunization coverage in India among children between 12-23 months was low at 43.5%. In lieu of strengthening Routine Immu-nization (RI), Government of Karnataka undertook state-wide training of Medical officers and Health workers on RI with concurrent efforts of strengthening cold chain system in health centers. With this background, this study was undertaken to assess the cold chain practices in urban health centers of Bangalore city. Methodology: This Cross-sectional study was conducted during Octo-ber-December 2008 in three-zones of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) covering 35 units. Physical verification of the available cold chain equipments was done using predesigned pretested checklist and face to face interview of cold chain handlers was employed. Results: Of 35 centers, 33(94%) and 32(91%) of them had atleast one functional Ice-lined refrigerator(ILR) and one deep freezer(DF) respectively. Good storage code practice was practiced in 12 out of 33 ILRs. Functional thermometer was available in 31(91%) ILRs of which 23(74%) had temperature in the recommend range. With respect to knowledge of cold chain handlers on RI, 86% were trained on RI and their overall knowledge regarding cold chain practices was satisfactory except for knowledge on temperature in DF and on conditioning of ice-packs. Conclusion: Availability of cold chain equipments has improved and Cold storage practice was good/fair in most of the centers. Knowledge of cold chain handlers was low with respect to select cold chain practices.
A proposed model: a social reporting framework for the credit union sector

Measures of financial security are generally accepted as being represented by the annual financial statements of an organisation, however the environmental and social impacts are still to find a meaningful and consistent reporting medium. To date there is no recognised conceptual framework for reporting despite a growing number of firms, both nationally and internationally, publishing reports detailing their social and environmental impacts. This paper draws on prior research which has documented the requirements for social accounting information by members and management associated with an organisation in the credit union sector to propose a reporting model for this industry group. The paper begins with a discussion of the literature pertaining to the reporting of social and environmental data by organisations before discussing the findings of a study exploring the reporting requirements of stakeholders in the Australian credit union sector. The proposed model based on these findings is then presented and discussed.
Error Analysis of Named Entity Recognition in BCCWJ

Named Entity Recognition is a process by which named entities (NEs) such as the names of persons, locations, and artifacts are extracted. Most named entity recognition techniques have been studied on news articles, however, their performances on different domain texts such as blogs, books and magazines are still not evaluated well. This paper reports an error analysis of KNP on six domains for revealing causes of errors for further improvement of NE recognition.
Laser ion acceleration for hadron therapy

The paper examines the prospects of using laser plasma as a source of high-energy ions for the purpose of hadron beam therapy — an approach which is based on both theory and experimental results (ions are routinely observed to be accelerated in the interaction of high-power laser radiation with matter). Compared to therapy accelerators like synchrotrons and cyclotrons, laser technology is advantageous in that it is more compact and is simpler in delivering ions from the accelerator to the treatment room. Special target designs allow radiation therapy requirements for ion beam quality to be satisfied.
Compact Pattern-Reconfigurable Monopole Antenna Using Parasitic Strips

A monopole antenna array with pairs of switchable parasitic strips is proposed to realize eight beams for azimuth omnidirectional coverage. The proposed antenna consists of one active monopole and four pairs of parasitic elements. Each pair of parasitic elements is formed by two switchable parasitic strips. By switching p-i-n diodes, a pair of parasitic strips can be used as a director or a reflector. By introducing a shorter parasitic strip between the monopole and the longer strip, the radiation impedance of the monopole is increased when the monopole and the reflector/director are closely positioned. As a result, the diameter of the whole antenna array is only 0. 1λ0, where λ0 is the operating wavelength in free space. For demonstration, the antenna is designed to realize eight beams in the azimuth plane with a 45°-angle interval at 1.575 GHz for global positioning service with the peak gain of all the beams larger than 7 dBi at the elevation angle of 60°.
An Insensitive Acetylcholinesterase Confers Resistance to Methomyl in the Beet Armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract Two forms of acetylcholinesterase were identified in field populations of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), collected from cotton in San Joaquin Valley, CA. Strains (BESS and BKRR) homogeneous for each variant were isolated and their relative susceptibilities to methomyl, chlorpyrifos, and chlorpyrifos-oxon assessed by topical application bioassay. In comparisons with a laboratory susceptible strain (DOW), BKRR and BESS expressed 68-fold and sevenfold resistance, respectively, to the carbamate methomyl. Neither strain was cross-resistant to chlorpyrifos or its oxygen analog (chlorpyrifos-oxon). In biochemical studies, the BKRR AChE enzyme was ≈30-fold and sixfold more insensitive to methomyl and chlorpyrifos-oxon, respectively, compared with the DOW enzyme. The correlation between the toxicological and biochemical studies provides strong evidence that target-site insensitivity is an important mechanism of resistance to methomyl. The lack of significant cross-resistance to chlorpyrifos suggests that the insensitive AChE in these field populations was selected by methomyl alone and not by the organophosphate.
Multi-level control of zero-moment point-based humanoid biped robots: a review

SUMMARY Researchers dream of developing autonomous humanoid robots which behave/walk like a human being. Biped robots, although complex, have the greatest potential for use in human-centred environments such as the home or office. Studying biped robots is also important for understanding human locomotion and improving control strategies for prosthetic and orthotic limbs. Control systems of humans walking in cluttered environments are complex, however, and may involve multiple local controllers and commands from the cerebellum. Although biped robots have been of interest over the last four decades, no unified stability/balance criterion adopted for stabilization of miscellaneous walking/running modes of biped robots has so far been available. The literature is scattered and it is difficult to construct a unified background for the balance strategies of biped motion. The zero-moment point (ZMP) criterion, however, is a conservative indicator of stabilized motion for a class of biped robots. Therefore, we offer a systematic presentation of multi-level balance controllers for stabilization and balance recovery of ZMP-based humanoid robots.
Notice of RetractionEcological Toxicity of Dibutyl Phthalate on Arabidopsis

In order to explore the eco-toxicity induced by dibutyl phthalate (DBP), the leaves of Arabidopsis were exposed to different concentrations of DBP (the terminal concentrations were 0, 0.5, 2.5, 5, 10 mg-L-1) to investigate the effects of DBP on malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Results showed that MDA of arabidopsis significantly increased with the increase of concentrations of DBP, when arabidopsis exposed to DBP in a week. The SOD activity of stem and leaf of the seedling of Arabidopsis reduce with the increase of concentrations of DBP. These results suggested that DBP could induce the acute oxidative damage and genotoxic effects on the seedling of arabidopsis.
A Model To Increase The Research Productivity Of University Academics Using Ict Adoption And Ict Training

Research productivity is one of the core functions of a university and it plays a crucial role for a nation to develop and find its standing in our global world. This study examined the effect of ICT adoption and training on the research productivity of university academics. The study was conducted at four public universities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, whilst the part of the study on ICT training was conducted at one of the four universities. This study was conducted both in the form of a survey of 103 university academics and in the form of experimental sessions, where the use of ICT (EndNote, NVivo, AMOS, SPSS, and Turnitin) with training was used for research, the use of ICT without training was used for research and, finally, a session where a manual system (without using research software/tools and training) was used for research. The final results of the research revealed that the use of ICT tools (EndNote, NVivo, AMOS, SPSS, and Turnitin) with training increases research productivity as compared to using ICT tools without training, and/ or using a manual system (without using research software/ tools and training). A statistically proven model is recommended with a view to increase research productivity of academics.
SmartPlants and SmartFarms for Global Food, Feed, and Fiber Security

Ozzie Abaye, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences Maria Balota, Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science, Tidewater AREC Aureliano Bombarely Gomez, Horticulture Susan Clark, Horticulture Greg Evanylo, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences Thomas Fox, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation Elizabeth Grabau, Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science David Haak, Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science Jason Holliday, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation Carrie Kroehler, Center for Communicating Science Scott Lowman, Institute for Advanced Learning and Research John McDowell, Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science* Patty Raun, School of Performing Arts, Center for Communicating Science M.A. Saghai Maroof, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences David Schmale, Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science Dorothea Tholl, Biological Sciences Wade Thomason, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences Pratap Tokekar, Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Science Richard Veilleux, Horticulture* Boris Vinatzer, Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science James Westwood, Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science Randolph Wynne, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation Bingyu Zhao, Horticulture
Spherical Vector Wave Expansion of Gaussian Electromagnetic Fields for Antenna-Channel Interaction Analysis

In this paper, we introduce an approach to analyze the interaction between antennas and the propagation channel. We study both the antennas and the propagation channel by means of the spherical vector wave mode expansion of the electromagnetic field. Then we use the expansion coefficients to study some properties of general antennas in those fields by means of the antenna scattering matrix. The focus is on the spatio-polar characterization of antennas, channels and their interactions. We provide closed form expressions for the covariance of the field multimodes as function of the power angle spectrum (PAS) and the channel cross-polarization ratio (XPR). A new interpretation of the mean effective gains (MEG) of antennas is also provided. The maximum MEG is obtained by conjugate mode matching between the antennas and the channel; we also prove the (intuitive) results that the optimum decorrelation of the antenna signals is obtained by the excitation of orthogonal spherical vector modes.
Effect of VEGF and anti-VEGF Compounds on Retinal Pigment Epithelium Permeability: An in Vitro Study

Purpose To evaluate the effect of 2 vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) isoforms (121 and 165) and 2 anti-VEGF compounds (ranibizumab and pegaptanib sodium) on the permeability of human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells in vitro. Methods The RPE permeability was assessed on ARPE19 cells grown onto inserts of polytetrafluoroethylene previously treated with ammonia gas plasma. Paracellular permeability to ions was measured by mean of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Permeability to non-ionic molecules was gathered by the amount of fluorescein dextran (FD) passing across the monolayer within 2 hours. Results Only VEGF165 applied at the apical side of the monolayer induced a statistically significant decrease of TEER (p<0.001). No changes in TEER were observed when pegaptanib sodium or ranibizumab were apically administered together with VEGF165. Both VEGF isoforms significantly increased permeability to 4 kDa dextran (p<0.01). Apical administration of ranibizumab or pegaptanib sodium as well as coadministration of pegaptanib sodium with VEGF121 or VEGF165 induced a statistically significant increase of permeability to 4 kDa FD. Conclusions Both VEGF isoforms and anti-VEGF compounds exert an effect on human RPE permeability in vitro.
Modeling and synchronous control for target motion simulators driven by dual linear motors

This paper addresses the dynamic modeling and synchronous control for the RF Target Motion Simulators(RF TMS). The investigated TMS is used to simulate the target moving a wide range along x and y directions. The y-axis that moving along x directions is driven by two parallel linear motors which are arranged at both ends of y-axis. A mathematical model about the TMS is built using the Lagrangian equation. From the analysis of the model, it is the target motion along y directions that causes the two linear motors to be out of sync. To reduce the synchronization errors of dual linear motors, the effect of target movement on the dual linear motors is seen as disturbance and a sliding mode control(SMC) strategy with two-input-two-output is designed for the dual linear motors. Furthermore, the cross-coupled control(CCC) with PD controller is also studied as a comparison. A simulation process is implemented to verify the effect of proposed control method.
Stabilization Via Generalized Homogeneous Approximations

We introduce a notion of generalized homogeneous approximation at the origin and at infinity which extends the classical notions and captures a large class of nonlinear systems, including (lower and upper) triangular systems. Exploiting this extension and although this extension does not preserve the basic properties of the classical notion, we give basic results concerning stabilization and robustness of nonlinear systems, by designing a homogeneous (in the generalized sense) feedback controller which globally asymptotically stabilizes a chain of power integrators and makes it the dominant part at infinity and at the origin (in the generalized sense) of the dynamics. Stability against nonlinear perturbation follows from domination arguments.
An explanation of the peculiar behavior of TSDC peaks at Tg: a simple model of entropy relaxation

Thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) signals measured in polymers at the glass transition Tg often exhibit intricate shapes that much depend on the thermal history and on the non-stationary condition used during experiments. This peculiar behavior is frequently explained in terms of a physical singularity of the molecular motions. We show that this singularity, i.e. unexpected values for activation energy and pre-exponential factor, obtained around Tg, result from the misuse of the Arrhenius law for treating the experimental data obtained in non-stationary experimental conditions. A simple model using time dependent configurational entropy for the material evolution and using a single Debye relaxation for the dielectric relaxation process is therefore proposed to explain the experimental behavior. The influence of the heating rate and of a non-Debye relaxation on the TSDC signal is also studied and clearly shows that the peculiar behavior of TSDC peaks can originate from the conjugated effects of entropy relaxation and non-Debye response
Is There a ‘Dark Side’ to Monitoring? Board and Shareholder Monitoring Effects on M&A Performance Extremeness

Research summary: We investigate the effects of monitoring by boards of directors and institutional shareholders on merger and acquisition (M&A) performance extremeness using a sample of M&A deals from 1997 to 2006. Both governance research and legal reforms generally have espoused a “raise all boats” view of monitoring. We instead investigate whether monitoring may serve as a double-edged sword that limits CEO discretion to undertake both value-destroying M&A deals and value-creating ones. Our findings indicate that the relationship between monitoring and M&A performance is more complex than previously believed. Rather than “raising all boats” in a shift towards better M&A outcomes, monitoring instead is associated with lower M&A losses, but also with lower M&A gains. Managerial summary: Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are a quintessential corporate activity. There were $3.8 trillion worth of M&A deals in 2015, despite scholars and practitioners reporting that M&As often perform poorly. We question the widespread belief that more vigilant monitoring by boards of directors and large shareholders will raise M&A performance, overall. Put differently, does monitoring constrain CEOs' discretion to pursue bad deals, while simultaneously encouraging them to pursue good ones? We find that monitoring limits both large M&A losses and large M&A gains. Contrary to widely held beliefs, our results indicate that constraining executives' ability to pursue value-destroying M&A deals does not simultaneously encourage or enable CEOs to pursue value-creating deals. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cluster Analysis for Segmentation

This note is designed for use in an MBA marketing research course. It provides an overview of segmentation using K-means clustering. A simple algorithm for K-means clustering and the process of profiling clusters are provided. The note discusses the need for segmentation in marketing and emphasizes the role of managerial judgment in choosing a segmentation policy. Examples from the insurance industry are used in the note. Excerpt UVA-M-0748 Rev. Mar. 28, 2018 Cluster Analysis for Segmentation Introduction We all understand that consumers are not all alike. This provides a challenge for the development and marketing of profitable products and services. Not every offering will be right for every customer, nor will every customer be equally responsive to your marketing efforts. Segmentation is a way of organizing customers into groups with similar traits, product preferences, or expectations. Once segments are identified, marketing messages and in many cases even products can be customized for each segment. The better the segment(s) chosen for targeting by a particular organization, the more successful the organization is assumed to be in the marketplace. Since its introduction in the late 1950s, market segmentation has become a central concept of marketing practice. Segments are constructed on the basis of customers' (1) demographic characteristics, (2)psychographics, (3) desired benefits from products/services, and (4) past-purchase and product-use behaviors. These days, most firms possess rich information about customers' actual purchase behavior, geodemographic, and psychographic characteristics. In cases where firms do not have access to detailed information about each customer, information from surveys of a representative sample of the customers can be used as the basis for segmentation.
Herpes Simplex Virus: Genome Size and Redundancy Studied by Renaturation Kinetics

Herpes simplex virus subtype 1 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was sheared in a French press to uniform fragments, denatured by heating, then allowed to reassociate. The renaturation reaction followed second-order kinetics with a single rate constant indicating that at least 95% of the genome was unique and that repetitive sequences, if present, were not detectable by this technique. The kinetic complexity of the herpes simplex genome was determined by DNA renaturation kinetics to be (95 ± 1) × 106 daltons. Since this value is in excellent agreement with the molecular weight of viral DNA [(99 ± 5) × 106 daltons] obtained from velocity sedimentation studies, it is concluded that virions contain only one species of double-stranded DNA molecules 95 × 106 to 99 × 106 daltons in molecular weight.
The Analysis of Human Sweat Proteins by Isoelectric Focusing. I. Sweat Collection Utilizing the Macroduct System Demonstrates the Presence of Previously Unrecognized Sex-Related Proteins

ABSTRACT: The presence of high concentrations of sodium in the sweat of patients with cystic fibrosis is widely accepted by all investigators as one of the most important manifestations of the genetic defect. However, the simple means of sweat collection utilized for diagnostic purposes has been extended to the biochemical and physical analysis of the macromolecular components of human sweat. The most popular technique for the attainment of sweat has been collection of sweat droplets from the skin surface following heat stimulation. In this report, it is demonstrated that a far superior means of sweat collection exists based on a new collection device called the MACRODUCT. Utilizing this device, in conjunction with thin-layer isoelectric focusing, demonstrated that human sweat contains sexspecific proteins expressed in adult males and absent or greatly decreased from females and prepubertal males. Additionaly, results are presented which suggest that the presence of epidermal keratins are an excellent marker for sweat contaminated with nonsweat gland-derived macromolecules.