Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Battery Recharge Time of a Stochastic Linear and Nonlinear Energy Harvesting Systems

Systems with the energy harvesting capability from stochastic sources have been widely studied in the literature. However, the determination of the recharge time of such systems has not received as much attention as it deserves. Here, we examine the recharge time of a battery/supercapacitor when the energy arrival is a discrete stochastic process. We consider the cases when the energy storage system is modeled as a linear and a nonlinear systems. The energy arrival is assumed to be a Poisson process, or more generally, a renewal process; while the energy packet size may assume any distribution with finite mean and variance. We obtain formulas for the distribution and the expected value of the recharge time. Monte Carlo simulations verify the obtained formulas.
Monocyte‐conditioned media possess a novel factor which increases motility of cancer cells

A number of cytokines have been reported to increase the cell motility (scatter) of cohesive cell colonies. We report here a novel scattering factor produced by human monocytes. Media from both stimulated and non‐stimulated human monocytes or the monocytic cell line, U937, increased the cell motility of 2 human colon‐cancer cell lines, HT115 and HT29, but not the canine epithelial cell line MDCK. Motility was assayed by cell dissociation from carrier beads and colony scattering. HT115 cells were strongly scattered by the conditioned media but not by interleukins IL‐1,2,4,6,8,10, TNFα, TGFβ, EGF, GM‐CSF, IGF‐1, PDGF, interferon‐γ. This factor is distinct from hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF), since the activity was not blocked by anti‐HGF/SF antibody. The activity was reduced by treatment with acid, heat, trypsin and dithiothreitol; this, together with gel filtration, suggests that the factor is a protein (MW 40 to 60 kDa). This new factor, which is secreted from monocytes and the monocytic cell line, U937, has the ability to increase the motility of cancer cells and may be important in controlling the behaviour of tumours in vivo.
Robust Waveform and Filter Bank Design of Polarimetric Radar

We focus on the robust joint design of the transmit waveform and filtering structure for polarimetric radar. Considering the worst case signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) at the output as the figure of merit to optimize under both a similarity and an energy constraint on the transmit signal, we develop an iterative optimization procedure. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through experimental results, underlining the performance improvement given by a full-polarimetric design.
Attractiveness of working in home care: An online focus group study among nurses

Many western countries are experiencing a substantial shortage of home-care nurses due to the increasing numbers of care-dependent people living at home. In-depth knowledge is needed about what home-care nurses find attractive about their work in order to make recommendations for the recruitment and retention of home-care nursing staff. The aims of this explorative, qualitative study were to gain in-depth knowledge about which aspects home-care nurses find attractive about their work and to explore whether these aspects vary for home-care nurses with different levels of education. Discussions were conducted with six online focus groups in 2016 with a total of 38 Dutch home-care nurses. The transcripts were analysed using the principles of thematic analysis. The findings showed that home-care nurses find it attractive that they are a "linchpin", in the sense of being the leading professional and with the patient as the centre of care. Home-care nurses also find having autonomy attractive: autonomy over decision-making about care, freedom in work scheduling and working in a self-directed team. Variety in patient situations and activities also makes their work attractive. Home-care nurses with a bachelor's degree did not differ much in what they found attractive aspects from those with an associate degree (a nursing qualification after completing senior secondary vocational education). It is concluded that autonomy, variety and being a "linchpin" are the attractive aspects of working in home care. To help recruit and retain home-care nursing staff, these attractive aspects should be emphasised in nursing education and practice, in recruitment programmes and in publicity material.
Should CT play a greater role in preventing the resection of granulomas in the era of PET?

OBJECTIVE PET cannot distinguish between bronchogenic carcinoma and granuloma, but positive scans may prompt surgery. We systematically evaluated the CT appearance of resected carcinomas and granulomas to identify features that could be used to reduce granuloma resections. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively identified 93 consecutive patients between January 2005 and November 2008 who had resection of a pulmonary nodule pathologically diagnosed as bronchogenic carcinoma or granuloma and preoperative imaging with CT and PET. Each nodule was evaluated on CT for size, doubling time, location, borders, shape, internal characteristics, calcification, clustering, air bronchograms, and cavitation. A diagnostic impression was rendered. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed. Pre-PET data regarding the proportion of resected granulomas and carcinomas between January 1995 and December 1996 were reviewed. RESULTS Sixty-eight percent (65/96) of nodules were carcinomas and 32% (31/96) were granulomas. The CT impression was benign in 65% (20/31) of granulomas and 5% (3/65) of carcinomas (p < 0.0001; negative predictive value [NPV], 87% [20/23]). Specific CT features significantly associated with granuloma were clustering, cavitation, irregular shape, lack of pleural tags, and solid attenuation. The combination of nonspiculated borders, irregular shape, and solid attenuation had an NPV of 86% (12/14). Granulomas represented 18% (9/50) of resected nodules in 1995 and 1996 (p = 0.066). CONCLUSION CT findings reduce but cannot eliminate the possibility that a nodule is malignant. Outcomes-based clinical trials are needed to determine whether CT features of benignity can guide less-invasive initial management and reverse a concerning trend in granuloma resection.
Angiotensin type 1 receptor A1166C polymorphism and systemic lupus erythematosus: correlation with cellular immunity and oxidative stress markers

Angiotensin II, one of the rennin–angiotensin system components, is important in the cardiovascular hemodynamic and plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. The angiotensin II, through interaction with angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AGTR1), promotes proliferation, inflammation and fibrosis. The single nucleotide polymorphism of the AGTR1 (dbSNP: rs5186) gene can be associated with development and progression of SLE disease. The aims of this study were to compare the frequency of AGTR1 rs5186 in SLE patients with healthy individuals and to evaluate possible association between AGTR1 A1166C gene polymorphism and serum level of lipids, neopterin and malondialdehyde in SLE patients from a population of West Iran. One hundred SLE patients and 98 healthy subjects were studied. The AGTR1 A1166C polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism method and the serum lipid profile was obtained by enzymatic method. Neopterin and malondialdehyde were detected using high-performance liquid chromatography. We did not detect significant association between AGTR1 A1166C polymorphism and the risk of SLE. The levels of triglyceride (225 ± 118 mg/dl), neopterin (30 ± 24 nmol/l) and malondialdehyde (25 ± 9.6 nmol/l) in SLE patients were significantly higher than those in control subjects (139 ± 56 mg/dl, p = 0.03, 6.4 ± 2, p = 0.03, 9.4 ± 2.5 nmol/l, p = 0.01, respectively). Individuals with AGTR1 AC + CC genotype had higher levels of total cholesterol and malondialdehyde compared with those with AGTR1 AA genotype. SLE patients with either AGTR1 AA or AGTR1AC + CC genotype had significantly higher malondialdehyde or neopterin levels compared with the corresponding control subjects. In conclusion, although the present study did not find any association between AGTR1 A1166C polymorphism and the risk of SLE, the presence of this polymorphism was associated with higher levels of malondialdehyde and higher concentration of neopterin in patients.
Overview of Signal Integrity and EMC Design Technologies on PCB: Fundamentals and Latest Progress

This paper reviews the fundamentals and latest progress of modeling, analysis, and design technologies for signal integrity and electromagnetic compatibility on PCB and package in the past decades. Most results in this field are based on the very rich and highly educational literature produced by Prof. C. Paul in his long scientific career. The inclusion of parameters variability effects is also considered, and it is demonstrated how statistical simulations can become affordable by means of recently-introduced stochastic methods. Finally, the necessity of practical training of designers is mentioned, and an experience relying on realistic PCB demonstrators is illustrated.
Heterogeneous high performance computing modules for next generation onboard processing

This paper describes the key modules for implementing a modern heterogeneous multiprocessor system for use on-board spacecraft. The objective multiprocessor system supports general purpose processor (GPP), digital signal processor (DSP), and reconfigurable computing cluster processing (RCC) modules communicating via the SpaceVPX (VITA 78) backplane standard. RapidIO data plane, SpaceWire control plane, and I2C utility plane are supported by each module type. This paper discusses the designs and the decisions that went into creating these modules as well as details on the capabilities and technical performance measures for the modules. Discussions of testing these new high performance modules is included. A sample SpaceVPX system containing power converter(s), a Space Utility Management module, each processing module type, optional switch modules plus potential daughter cards is described. Example configurations illustrate the combined performance and bandwidth improvements possible for future spacecraft missions.1
Cold-Regulated Cereal Chloroplast Late Embryogenesis Abundant-Like Proteins. Molecular Characterization and Functional Analyses

Cold acclimation and freezing tolerance are the result of complex interaction between low temperature, light, and photosystem II (PSII) excitation pressure. Previous results have shown that expression of the Wcs19 gene is correlated with PSII excitation pressure measured in vivo as the relative reduction state of PSII. Using cDNA library screening and data mining, we have identified three different groups of proteins, late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) 3-L1, LEA3-L2, and LEA3-L3, sharing identities with WCS19. These groups represent a new class of proteins in cereals related to group 3 LEA proteins. They share important characteristics such as a sorting signal that is predicted to target them to either the chloroplast or mitochondria and a C-terminal sequence that may be involved in oligomerization. The results of subcellular fractionation, immunolocalization by electron microscopy and the analyses of target sequences within the Wcs19 gene are consistent with the localization of WCS19 within the chloroplast stroma of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rye (Secale cereale). Western analysis showed that the accumulation of chloroplastic LEA3-L2 proteins is correlated with the capacity of different wheat and rye cultivars to develop freezing tolerance. Arabidopsis was transformed with the Wcs19 gene and the transgenic plants showed a significant increase in their freezing tolerance. This increase was only evident in cold-acclimated plants. The putative function of this protein in the enhancement of freezing tolerance is discussed.
Role of general practitioners in care of long term mentally ill patients.

OBJECTIVE--To assess general practitioners' involvement with long term mentally ill patients and attitudes towards their care. DESIGN--Postal questionnaire survey. SETTING--General practices in South West Thames region. SUBJECTS--507 general practitioners, 369 (73%) of whom returned the questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--The number of adult long term mentally ill patients whom general practitioners estimate they have on their lists and general practitioners' willingness to take responsibility for them. RESULTS--110 respondents had noticed an effect of the discharge of adult long term mentally ill patients on their practices. Most (225) respondents estimated that they had 10 or fewer such patients each on their lists. Having higher numbers was significantly associated with practising in Greater London or within three miles of a large mental hospital and having contact with a psychiatrist visiting the practice. 333 general practitioners would agree to share the care of long term mentally ill patients with the psychiatrist by taking responsibility for the patients' physical problems. Only 59 would agree to act as a key worker, 308 preferring the community psychiatric nurse to do it. Only nine had specific practice policies for looking after long term mentally ill patients and 287 agreed that such patients often come to their general practitioner's attention only when there is a crisis. CONCLUSIONS--The uneven distribution of long term mentally ill patients suggests that community pyschiatric resources might be better targeted at those practices with higher numbers of such patients. Most general practitioners seem to be receptive to a shared care plan when the consultant takes responsibility for monitoring psychiatric health with the community nurse as key worker. The lack of practice policies for reviewing the care of long term mentally ill patients must limit general practitioners' ability to prevent crises developing in their care.
Assessing Private and Public Need for Uniqueness: Validation of French Versions of the Need for Uniqueness (NfU) and Self-Attributed Need for Uniqueness (SANU) Scales

ABSTRACT Need for uniqueness represents the need for people to feel different and distinguish themselves from others. Two major scales exist that measure this need: the Need for Uniqueness scale (NfU; Snyder & Fromkin, 1977) and the Self-Attributed Need for Uniqueness scale (SANU; Lynn & Harris, 1997b). We propose here a French version of both scales. Through a dual approach of exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses, we investigated the scales' structure in student samples from two French-speaking countries (France and Switzerland, N = 1,348) as well as measures of internal and external validity. Both scales presented good psychometric properties in French. Additionally, we investigated differences between the scales, as literature suggests that the NfU relies mostly on public and risky displays of uniqueness, whereas the SANU focuses on private and more socially acceptable means to acquire a feeling of uniqueness. Differences arose in the links with several personality characteristics (emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, sensation seeking, and self-consciousness), suggesting that the NfU corresponds rather to a need to demonstrate uniqueness through public displays and the SANU to a need to feel unique through more private means. We discuss implications for research and provide advice on choosing by the scale most appropriate to the researcher's aims.
Anticipation Effect after Implicit Distributional Learning

Distributional learning research has established that humans can track the frequencies of sequentially presented stimuli in order to infer the probabilities of upcoming events (e.g., Hasher & Zacks, 1984). Here, we set out to explore anticipation of a stimulus after implicit distributional learning. We hypothesize that as people learn the category frequency information implicitly, response times will scale according to the relative frequency of the stimulus category. Twelve adult participants viewed photographs of faces, tools, and buildings while performing a simple classification task. We found that response times significantly decreased with greater frequencies in the distribution of stimulus categories. This result suggested that distributional information about the internal representations of the stimuli could be learned and indicated the possibility that participants anticipated the stimuli proportional to the probability of the category appearing and thereby reduced response times for the more frequent categories.
Inhibition of carbachol‐evoked oscillatory currents by the NO donor sodium nitroprusside in guinea‐pig ileal myocytes

The effect of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on carbachol (CCh)‐evoked inward cationic current (Icat) oscillations in guinea‐pig ileal longitudinal myocytes was investigated using the whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique and permeabilized longitudinal muscle strips. SNP (10 μm) completely inhibited Icat oscillations evoked by 1 μm CCh. 1H‐(1,2,4) Oxadiazole [4,3‐a] quinoxaline‐1‐one (ODQ; 1 μm) almost completely prevented the inhibitory effect of SNP on Icat oscillations. 8‐Bromo‐guanosine 3′,5′‐cyclic monophosphate (8‐Br‐cGMP; 30 μm) in the pipette solution completely abolished Icat oscillations. However, a pipette solution containing Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMP (30 μm) almost completely abolished the inhibitory effect of SNP on Icat oscillations. When the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) was held at a resting level using BAPTA (10 mm) and Ca2+ (4.6 μm) in the pipette solution, CCh (1 μm) evoked only the sustained component of Icat without any oscillations and SNP did not affect the current. A high concentration of inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3; 30 μm) in the patch pipette solutions significantly reduced the inhibitory effect of SNP (10 μm) on Icat oscillations. SNP significantly inhibited the Ca2+ release evoked by either CCh or IP3 but not by caffeine in permeabilized preparations of longitudinal muscle strips. These results suggest that the inhibitory effects of SNP on Icat oscillations are mediated, in part, by functional modulation of the IP3 receptor, and not by the inhibition of cationic channels themselves or by muscarinic receptors in the plasma membrane. This inhibition seems to be mediated by an increased cGMP concentration in a protein kinase G‐dependent manner.
The stimulation of inflammasome activation and modulation of proinflammatory cytokine production by house dust mite major allergen in patients with SLE

The most prevalent and well-investigated indoor perpetual allergen source is House Dust Mites (HDM). HDM major allergen, Der p 2, can induce proinflammatory cytokine production which is conducted by NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Furthermore, Der p 2 could upregulate expression of autoantigen TRIM-21 and autoantibody anti-PGK-1 production in B cells and PBMCs derived from SLE patients. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, remitting and relapsing multisystem autoimmune disease. Many different autoantibodies which respond to autoantigens are found in patients with SLE. Many SLE patients also have allergies, and immunological events triggering the onset and progression of the clinical manifestations of SLE by allergens have been reported. Newly discovered cell penetration peptides derived from human eosinophil cationic proteins (CPPecp) could downregulate HDM allergen-induced pro- inflammatory cytokine production by increasing IFN-α expression. According to these findings, environmental allergen might play a role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease, and the modulation of inflammasome activation caused by allergen might be of importance in the prevention of the development of autoimmune disease. Journal of Nature and Science, 1(7):e12 6 , 2015.
Dienstleistungsmodularisierung zur kundenindividuellen Konfiguration

Die Dienstleistungswirtschaft ist zunehmend geprägt von dem Wunsch kundenindividuelle Lösungen bei gleichzeitiger Standardisierung der angebotenen Leistung zu ermöglichen. Ein hierfür geeigneter Ansatz ist die Modularisierung von Dienstleistungen. Abgeschlossene Dienstleistungskomponenten, welche für sich hochstandardisiert sein können, werden von Kunden zu einem individuellen Gesamtangebot zusammengesetzt. Um dies zu ermöglichen, bedarf es der Spezifikation von Dienstleistungskomponenten, der Definition ihrer Zusammenstellung sowie der Festlegung konfigurationsspezifischer Restriktionen und Regeln. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird ein Metamodell vorgestellt, welches die Definition von Dienstleistungskomponenten, deren hierarchischen Abhängigkeiten und weiterer Konfigurationsregeln ermöglicht. Darauf aufbauend lassen sich kundenseitig individuelle Konfigurationen vornehmen.
About the Authors

Art Graesser is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Institute of Intelligent Systems at the University of Memphis as well as an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. His primary research interests are in cognitive science, discourse processing, and the learning sciences. More specific interests include knowledge representation, question asking and answering, tutoring, text comprehension, conversation, emotions, artificial intelligence, and computational linguistics. He served as editor of the journals Discourse Processes (1996–2005) and Journal of Educational Psychology (2009–2014). His service in professional societies includes having been president of the Empirical Studies of Literature, Art, and Media (1989–1992), the Society for Text and Discourse (2007–2010), the International Society for Artificial Intelligence in Education (2007–2009), and the Federation of Associations in the Behavioral and Brain Sciences Foundation (2012–2013). He and his colleagues have developed and tested software in learning, language, and discourse technologies, including those that hold a conversation in natural language and interact with multimedia (such as AutoTutor) and those that analyze text on multiple levels of language and discourse (Coh-Metrix and QUAID). He has served on four Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) expert panels on problem solving, including acting as chair of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 Collaborative Problem Solving.
An Overview of the South American Fossil Squamates

The evolution of squamates in South America is the result of the complex geological and paleoclimatic history of this part of the world. The incomplete and episodic fossil record allows us to know only a small part of this evolution. Most Mesozoic squamate remains come from the Patagonian region, but remarkable specimens have also been recovered from Brazil. Both major squamate clades (Iguania and Scleroglossa) are present in the South American Mesozoic. Remains of Mesozoic snakes are common and diverse in Cretaceous deposits, including some of the most primitive terrestrial forms. Paleogene and Neogene squamate remains have been recognized from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Paleogene lizard record appears to be scarce in comparison to that of the Mesozoic, whereas snakes show an important Paleogene diversity. At least two extant boid snakes appeared during this epoch (Boa and Corallus). The South American Miocene included some extant genera of Iguania, Teiidae, and Boidae but extinct genera were also present. “Colubrids” appeared at the early Miocene, whereas the first viperid is known from the late Miocene. Most of the Paleogene and early Neogene squamate families and genera have been recognized outside their current range of distribution following favorable climatic conditions for ectothermic vertebrates. During the latest Miocene and Pliocene few extant squamate taxa are found to occur outside their present distribution. The earliest amphisbaenian of South America is known from the Pliocene. Most Pleistocene and Holocene squamate remains are assigned to living genera, and some extant species were recognized. Anat Rec, 297:349–368, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.