Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An overview of integrated THz electronics for communication applications

This review paper presents an overview of recent advances in integrated THz electronics that can be applied to wireless communication applications. Various approaches for implementing THz systems are compared and the relative advantages of solid-state semiconductor-based approach as a candidate for integrated THz transceivers are discussed. A comparison between available semiconductor technologies is also presented. Possible options for transceiver architecture are described and a review on recently reported results of integrated THz transceivers is provided with focus on the key performance and the architecture employed.
Connectivity for conservation: a framework to classify network measures.

Graph theory, network theory, and circuit theory are increasingly being used to quantify multiple aspects of habitat connectivity and protected areas. There has been an explosive proliferation of network (connectivity) measures, resulting in over 60 measures for ecologists to now choose from. Conceptual clarification on the ecological meaning of these network measures and their interrelationships is overdue. We present a framework that categorizes network measures based on the connectivity property that they quantify (i.e., route-specific flux, route redundancy, route vulnerability, and connected habitat area) and the structural level of the habitat network to which they apply. The framework reveals a lack of network measures in the categories of "route-specific flux among neighboring habitat patches" and "route redundancy at the level of network components. " We propose that network motif and path redundancy measures can be developed to fill the gaps in these categories. The value of this framework lies in its ability to inform the selection and application of network measures. Ultimately, it will allow a better comparison among graph, network, and circuit analyses, which will improve the design and management of connected landscapes.
Carbonic anhydrase in Acetobacterium woodii and other acetogenic bacteria

Acetobacterium woodii, Acetohalobium arabaticum, Clostridium formicoaceticum, and Sporomusa silvacetica were found to contain carbonic anhydrase (CA). Minimal to no CA activity was detected in Moorella thermoautotrophica, Moorella thermoacetica subsp. "pratumsolum," Sporomusa termitida, and Thermoanaerobacter kivui. Of the acetogens tested, A. woodii had the highest CA specific activity, approximately 14 U mg of protein(-1), in extracts of either glucose- or H2-CO2-cultivated cells. CA of A. woodii was cytoplasmic and was purified approximately 300-fold to a specific activity of 5,236 U mg of protein(-1). Intracellular acetate concentrations inhibited CA activity of A. woodii by 50 to 85%, indicating that intracellular acetate may affect in situ CA activity.
Hygienic Macro System for JavaScript and Its Light-weight Implementation Framework

In spite of its soundness, ease of use, and descriptive power, few hygienic macro systems have been incorporated to non-LISP programming languages. The difficulty lies in the self-describing nature of the macro system. Proposed is the design and a systematic implementation framework of hygienic macro systems for general programming languages. In addition to the standard syntax-rules macro features, our macro system incorporates handling of punctuations and keywords, introduces invisible blocks of code called phantom groups, and proposes the notion of suffix pattern to address problems due to recursive macro definitions. These features have been introduced to deal with richer syntax of general programming languages. The proposed implementation framework incorporates staged parser architecture, a parser generation technique using parsing expression grammars, and mutual conversion technique between the macro-enabled host language and Scheme that allows our macro system to delegate actual macro expansion task to a Scheme interpreter, instead of building hygienic macro expander from scratch. ExJS, our prototype implementation of a hygienic macro system for JavaScript, is implemented in less than 2,000 lines of JavaScript and Scheme, and exhibits its flexible syntactic extensibility.
Tumor Cell Repopulation between Cycles of Chemotherapy is Inhibited by Regulatory T-Cell Depletion in a Murine Mesothelioma Model

Introduction: Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a highly aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. We have previously demonstrated that regulatory T cells (Treg) depletion can impact tumor microenvironment when combined with chemotherapy. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of Treg depletion on tumor cell repopulation during cycles of chemotherapy in a murine mesothelioma model. Methods: Tumor-bearing mice were treated with chemotherapy once weekly to mimic clinical settings and with PC61 to cause Treg depletion after each cycle of chemotherapy. Tumor cell repopulation was evaluated by BrdU labeling index with immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, and Ki67 gene expression was determined by real-time reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction. The proportion of CD4+ CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells in the tumor, spleen, draining lymph node, and peripheral blood from tumor-bearing mice was determined by using flow cytometry, and gene expression of activated T-cell-related cytokines was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction. Results: Tumor growth delay was achieved by cisplatin followed by PC61 or cyclophosphamide. The BrdU labeling index indicated that tumor cell repopulation between cycles of cisplatin was significantly inhibited by PC61. The CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs in tumor and lymphoid organs were almost completely depleted, whereas the CD4+ or CD8+ T cells did not change. PC61 after chemotherapy resulted in an increase of gene expression of interferon-&ggr;, granzyme B, perforin, and IP-10, thus leading to tumor cell lysis in cytotoxic lymphocyte assay. Nevertheless, cell killing induced by cyclophosphamide combined with cisplatin was due to cytotoxicity rather than specific immune response. Conclusion: Treg depletion between cycles of chemotherapy could improve the outcome of mesothelioma. Nevertheless, this effect seems limited, and more effective approaches need to be developed.
Neuromorphic and Early Warning behavior-based authentication in common theft scenarios

With increased rates of smartphone theft over the past decade, mobile authentication systems that operate on a continual basis are a necessity to meet increasing demands for user privacy, device usage, and authentication accuracy. Rather than forcing end users to continually self-authenticate via password pins or through other means on a time-interval basis [2–7], a system that continuously authenticates users provides a more frictionless relationship between a user's device and its physical security. Such a system, if effectively operating on a low-powered, unobtrusive, and secure basis, would make it viable for most consumer mobile devices. In this paper, we build upon our work in [1] to provide a novel authentication scheme that meets these requirements for a commonly adopted system. Our system, iSentinel, hopes to provide an unobtrusive, low-powered solution for detecting and responding to common theft scenarios by continuously authenticating mobile devices in use cases such as walking, texting, and driving.
Genericity, extensibility and type : safety in the VISITOR pattern

A software component is, in a general sense, a piece of software that can be safely reused and flexibly adapted by some other piece of software. The safety can be ensured by a type system that guarantees the right usage of the component; the flexibility stems from the fact that components are parametrizable over different aspects affecting their behaviours. Component-oriented programming (COP), a programming style where software would be built out of several independent components, has for a long time eluded the software industry. Several reasons have been raised over time, but one that is consistently pointed out is the inadequacy of existing programming languages for the development of software components. Generic Programming (GP) usually manifests itself as a kind of parametrization. By abstracting from the differences of what would otherwise be separate but otherwise similar specific programs, one can develop a single unified generic program. Instantiating the parameter in various ways retrieves the various specific programs (and ideally some new ones too). Instances of GP include the generics (parametrization by types) mechanism as found in recent versions Java and C# and Datatype-Generic Programming (DGP) (parametrization by shape). Both mechanisms allow novel ways to parametrize programs that can largely increase the flexibility of programs. Software components and GP, and in particular DGP, are clearly related: GP and DGP provide novel ways to parametrize software, while software components benefit from parametrization in order to be flexible. However, DGP and COP have mostly been studied in isolation, with the former being a research topic among some functional programming communities and the latter being mostly studied within the object-oriented communities. In this thesis we will argue for the importance of the parametrization mechanisms provided by GP, and in particular DGP, in COP. We will defend that many design patterns can be captured as software components when using such kinds of parametrization. As evidence for this we will, using DGP techniques, develop a component library for the V pattern that is generic (i.e. can be used on several concrete visitors); extensible (i.e. concrete visitors may be extended); and
Small Frequency Ratio Multi-Band Dielectric Resonator Antenna Utilizing Vertical Metallic Strip Pairs Feeding Structure

In this study a quintuple band rectangular dielectric resonator antenna (RDRA) with a small frequency ratio and small size of 30 mm <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times30$ </tex-math></inline-formula> mm <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times9.813$ </tex-math></inline-formula> mm is introduced. The proposed RDRA covers the frequency bands of WLAN (2.4/5.2 GHz), WiMAX (3.5 GHz) and 5G (4.1/4.8 GHz) exploiting <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$TE^{y}_{10} $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$TE^{x}_{211} $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$TE^{y}_{1\delta 1} $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$TE^{y}_{111} $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$TE^{y}_{2\delta 1} $ </tex-math></inline-formula> modes, respectively. A rectangular slot aperture is optimized to serve as a resonator with resonance mode <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$TE^{y}_{10} $ </tex-math></inline-formula> as well as to couple the electric field from microstrip line to the DRA to excite <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$TE^{x}_{211} $ </tex-math></inline-formula> mode. Furthermore, a new feeding approach employing three vertical metallic strip pairs (VMSPs) is proposed to excite further <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$TE^{y}_{1\delta 1} $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$TE^{y}_{111} $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$TE^{y}_{2\delta 1} $ </tex-math></inline-formula> modes in the RDRA. The VMSPs are configured on both sides of the dielectric resonator (DR) along the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$y$ </tex-math></inline-formula> – direction to act as vertical electric current sources. The lengths, width, and positions of the VMSPs are carefully determined in order to attain the desired modes. The four RDRA modes have broadside patterns while the slot resonator mode has a pattern like a dipole. Good agreement between both measured and simulated results of the reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, and the gain is achieved.
Sorption kinetics of hydrophobic organic compounds to natural sediments and soils.

Sorption kinetics of hydrophobic organic chemicals to and from suspended sediment and soil particles is described by a radial diffusive penetration model modified by a retardation factor reflecting microscale partitioning of the sorbate between intraaggregate pore fluids and the solids making up the aggregate grains. In light of this and other sorption kinetics models, a closed-loop-stripping apparatus with a photoionization detector operating in-line was used to examine the effects of sorbate hydrophobicity, sorbent particle size, and system temperature on solid-solution exchange over times of seconds to days. The authors results indicate that a single effective diffusivity parameter, which is predictable from compound solution diffusivity, octanol-water partition coefficient, and sorbent organic content, density, and porosity, can be used to quantify the sorption kinetics.
Benzimidazolones enhance the function of epithelial Na+ transport

Pharmacological enhancement of vectorial Na+ transport may be useful to increase alveolar fluid clearance. Herein, we investigated the influence of the benzimidazolones 1‐ethyl‐1,3‐dihydro‐2‐benzimidazolone (1‐EBIO), 5,6‐dichloro‐1‐EBIO (DC‐EBIO) and chlorzoxazone on vectorial epithelial Na+ transport.
ON/OFF: Risks and Rewards of the Anytime-Anywhere Internet

Are you constantly online? Or are you offline sometimes? Are you offline if you are not interacting with your connected devices? Or if no data about you is being collected? Do you check Instagram and Twitter during dinner? Do you turn off your smartphone at night? Do you check work emails on vacation? Do you feel you have to disconnect regularly – to relax, to concentrate, or to protect your privacy? Or do you feel more relaxed when constantly connected because your loved ones, a work emergency, or the news are always at your fingertips? Why are some people – even within networked societies – still completely offline given the tremendous opportunities of the Internet? And what does it even mean to be online or offline in the age of hyper-connectivity? In ON/OFF, Sarah Genner assesses the risks and rewards of the anytime-anywhere Internet, focusing on digital divides, social relationships, physical and mental health, and data privacy. She discusses implications for a variety of decision-makers in the world of work, in education, in families, and in politics. The author deconstructs the online/offline dichotomy and suggests the ON/OFF scale as a new theoretical framework for researchers and practitioners. The author Sarah Genner won the Mercator Award 2016.
Third Sector Institutions associated to education areas in Brazil and their impact in curricular references for modernizing industrial engineering courses: A case study

The adoption of new technologies associated with the growing digitalization of production processes is calling for a renewal of the competences and skills of professionals, along with changes in the learning paradigms in education systems and institutions worldwide. This study addresses the process of transformation in the structure of curriculum for the programs of Industrial Engineering in Brazil. It analyses the role and activities carried out by a third sector institution that acts as an interlocutor and mediator between governmental institutions involved with the organization, evaluation accreditation of higher education in Brazil (Ministry of Education) as well as with research and private organizations. The study offers an overview of the interaction between these various actors in the development of new academic programs, as well as in the specification of a framework and specific standards for the profession of Industrial Engineering. The joint work of the diverse entities has led to the identification of key standards and knowledge areas to frame Industrial Engineering studies, as well as a knowledge matrix to support the recognition of the qualification in such professional domain.
Effectiveness of Functional Wheat-Fermented Milk Beverage against Tannic Acid Induced Anemia .

Aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of functional cereal-fermented milk beverage against anemia in rats. The experiment was carried out by dividing rats into three groups. Negative control (normal) was fed on standard diet, positive control group was fed on standard diet + tannic acid (15 gm / kg diet) and the third group was fed on standard diet + tannic acid (15 gm /kg diet) + 20% of tested functional beverage. Our results revealed that the probiotic containing beverage ameliorated blood hemoglobin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant capacity. Histopathological examination of the anemic rats showed disturbed splenic pulps with congested blood vessels and lymphocytic infiltration around the central vein. These changes were markedly restored by the tested functional beverage. It was concluded that foods containing folic acid and riboflavin producing encapsulated probiotic bacteria enhanced iron absorption and utilization. Hence it protects against iron deficiency anemia.
Learning Infinite-Layer Networks: Without the Kernel Trick

Infinite--Layer Networks (ILN) have recently been proposed as an architecture that mimics neural networks while enjoying some of the advantages of kernel methods. ILN are networks that integrate over infinitely many nodes within a single hidden layer. It has been demonstrated by several authors that the problem of learning ILN can be reduced to the kernel trick, implying that whenever a certain integral can be computed analytically they are efficiently learnable. In this work we give an online algorithm for ILN, which avoids the kernel trick assumption. More generally and of independent interest, we show that kernel methods in general can be exploited even when the kernel cannot be efficiently computed but can only be estimated via sampling. We provide a regret analysis for our algorithm, showing that it matches the sample complexity of methods which have access to kernel values. Thus, our method is the first to demonstrate that the kernel trick is not necessary as such, and random features suffice to obtain comparable performance.
Spanish and Chinese Document Retrieval in TREC-5

Presentation des differentes equipes (Universites de Cornell, du Massachusetts, de Califorbie, de Dublin, de george Mason, du Nouveau Mexique, centre de recherche de Rank Xerox, Claritech, institut de technologie de l'information,institut federal de technologie suisse, institut de Melbourne) et de leur methode de recherche de document en espagnol et chinois
Differential expression of PKC beta II in the rat organ of Corti

To investigate a possible involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) in cochlear efferent neurotransmission, we studied the expression of the calcium‐dependent PKC beta II isoform in the rat organ of Corti at different postnatal ages using immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. We found evidence of PKC beta II as early as postnatal day (PND) 5 in efferent axons running in the inner spiral bundle and in Hensen cells. At PND 8, we also found PKC beta II in efferents targeting outer hair cells (OHCs), and a slight detection at the synaptic pole in the first row of the basal and middle cochlear turns. At PND 12, PKC beta II expression declined in the efferent fibres contacting OHCs, whereas expression was concentrated at the postsynaptic membrane, from the basal and middle turns. The adult‐like pattern of PKC beta II distribution was observed at PND 20. Throughout the cochlea, we found PKC beta II expression in the Hensen cells, non‐sensory cells involved in potassium re‐cycling, and lateral efferent terminals of the inner spiral bundle. In addition, we observed expression in OHCs at the postsynaptic membrane facing the endings of the medial efferent system, with the exception of some OHCs located in the most apical region of the cochlea. These data therefore suggest an involvement of PKC beta II in both cochlear efferent neurotransmission and ion homeostasis. Among other functions, PKC beta II could play a role in the efferent control of OHC activity.
Natural History and Management of Hepatitis C Infection After Liver Transplantation

With almost universal virological recurrence and a projected several-fold increase in HCV-related end-stage liver disease within the next decade, a clear understanding of the natural history of posttransplant HCV infection and optimization of the management of recurrent HCV infection are imperative. This article describes the natural history, risk factors, and current strategies for the amelioration of posttransplant HCV infection.
Double-bromo and extraterminal (BET) domain proteins regulate dendrite morphology and mechanosensory function

A complex array of genetic factors regulates neuronal dendrite morphology. By studying the Drosophila dendritic arborization (da) neurons, Bagley et al. discovered a role of the double-bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) family proteins in regulating dendrite morphology and a possible separation of developmental pathways specifying neural cell morphology and ion channel specification.
Identification, mycotoxin risk and pathogenicity of Fusarium species associated with fig endosepsis in Apulia, Italy

In a survey carried out on 87 rotted fig fruits samples collected in the Apulia region of Italy, the authors isolated 126 Fusarium strains identified as F. ramigenum (69 strains), F. solani (49), F. proliferatum (five) and three not identified. Investigation on the fertility of the strains belonging to F. proliferatum and F. ramigenum revealed that only strains of F. proliferatum were fertile. The identity of F. ramigenum strains was confirmed by sequencing a portion of the translation elongation factor-1α gene. When Fusarium species were analysed for their toxigenicity, 37/69 strains of F. ramigenum produced fusaric acid (FA) up to 525 mg kg−1; 30 strains produced beauvericin (BEA) up to 190 mg kg−1; 60 strains produced fumonisin B1 (FB1) and fumonisin B2 (FB2) up to 1575 mg kg−1 of total FBs; and two strains produced fusaproliferin (FUP) up to 345 mg kg−1; all five strains of F. proliferatum produced FA at low levels; two strains produced BEA up to 205 mg kg−1; one strain produced FB1 and FB2, 1100 and 470 mg kg−1, respectively; and one strain produced FUP, 820 mg kg−1; F. solani (30 strains) produced FA, 13 strains up to 215 mg kg−1. Few fungal extracts showed high toxicity toward brine shrimp larvae and in some cases in relation to BEA and FA content. A pathogenic assay on fig fruits showed that all three species were pathogenic, with higher virulence of F. ramigenum. These data report for the first time the production of BEA and FB1/FB2 by F. ramigenum and show that it is a main agent of fig endosepsis in Apulia and can contribute to fumonisin contamination of fresh and dried figs.
Experimental validation of a proposal for a 3.5 kVA three-phase magnetic-less solid-state autotransformer (SSAT) based on the switched-capacitor principle

This paper presents experimental results for a three-phase direct ac-ac converter based on switched capacitor principle in delta and wye configuration. This converter employs only capacitors and switches in the power stage, it has a fixed gain, it operates in open loop with constant duty cycle and constant switching frequency and the topology is bidirectional. One advantage of the proposed converter is a power stage with no magnetic elements, which makes the converter appropriated to build solid state autotransformers. A complete analysis of output voltages (phase-shift and amplitude) that are obtained regarding the delta and wye connections of converter is approached and it is corroborated with experimental results for resistive, inductive and nonlinear loads. A 220 V/110 V/3.5 kVA/100 kHz (in switching frequency) prototype was built and tested. For delta and wye connections of the modules, an efficiency of 90.4% and 95.05% was obtained in the rated load, respectively.