Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel three dimensional tunable frequency selective surface based on graphene micro-ribbons

A novel type of three-dimensional (3D) frequency-selective surface (FSS) based on vertical graphene micro-ribbons is demonstrated to realize dynamic tunability of the frequency selectivity. The proposed structure is based on a two-dimensional array of vertical graphene micro-ribbons which are printed on the dielectric substrates with metallic ground planes placed at the bottom. A transmission line model of the proposed FSS is introduced. Additionally, according to the scaling law, the transmission zero frequency can be predicted rapidly and accurately. Based on the combination of the equivalent circuit model and scaling law, the transmission property of the FSS structure is analyzed. Finally, the effect of geometrical parameters on the performance of the FSS is studied.
Cost effectiveness of lung-volume-reduction surgery for patients with severe emphysema.

BACKGROUND The National Emphysema Treatment Trial, a randomized clinical trial comparing lung-volume-reduction surgery with medical therapy for severe emphysema, included a prospective economic analysis. METHODS After pulmonary rehabilitation, 1218 patients at 17 medical centers were randomly assigned to lung-volume-reduction surgery or continued medical treatment. Costs for the use of medical care, medications, transportation, and time spent receiving treatment were derived from Medicare claims and data from the trial. Cost effectiveness was calculated over the duration of the trial and was estimated for 10 years of follow-up with the use of modeling based on observed trends in survival, cost, and quality of life. RESULTS Interim analyses identified a group of patients with excess mortality and little chance of improved functional status after surgery. When these patients were excluded, the cost-effectiveness ratio for lung-volume-reduction surgery as compared with medical therapy was 190,000 dollars per quality-adjusted life-year gained at 3 years and 53,000 dollars per quality-adjusted life-year gained at 10 years. Subgroup analyses identified patients with predominantly upper-lobe emphysema and low exercise capacity after pulmonary rehabilitation who had lower mortality and better functional status than patients who received medical therapy. The cost-effectiveness ratio in this subgroup was 98,000 dollars per quality-adjusted life-year gained at 3 years and 21,000 dollars at 10 years. Bootstrap analysis revealed substantial uncertainty for the subgroup and 10-year estimates. CONCLUSIONS Given its cost and benefits over three years of follow-up, lung-volume-reduction surgery is costly relative to medical therapy. Although the predictions are subject to substantial uncertainty, the procedure may be cost effective if benefits can be maintained over time.
An Algorithmic approach for abstracting transient states in timed systems

In previous works, the timed logic TCTL was extended with importants modalities, in order to abstract transient states that last for less than k time units. For all modalities of this extension, called TCTL? , the decidability of the model-checking problem has been proved with an appropriate extension of Alur and Dill’s region graph. But this theoretical result does not support a natural implementation due to its state-space explosion problem. This is not surprising since, even for TCTL timed logics, the model checking algorithm that is implemented in tools like UPPAAL or KRONOS is based on a so-called zone algorithm and data structures like DBMs, rather than on explicit sets of regions. In this paper, we propose a symbolic model-checking algorithm which computes the characteristic sets of some TCTL? formulae and checks their truth values. This algorithm generalizes the zone algorithm for TCTL timed logics. We also present a complete correctness proof of this algorithm, and we describe its implementation using the DBM data structure.
Single-Layer Broadband Phase Shifter Using Multimode Resonator and Shunt $\lambda $ /4 Stubs

This paper presents a new method for single-layer broadband phase shifter without needing any coupling structure. The phase shifter consists of a multimode resonator and two shunt <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda $ </tex-math></inline-formula>/4 stubs. Meanwhile, the bandwidth of proposed phase shifters can be achieved more than 100%. For prescribed return loss, phase shift value, and phase error, this paper develops a synthesis approach to determine all parameters of designed phase shifter. In addition, both the return-loss bandwidth and phase-error bandwidths can be considered simultaneously so as to determine the return loss and phase error for a desired bandwidth. The 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180° phase shifter are theoretically designed and presented. To validate the design method, a broadband 90° phase shifter is designed, fabricated, and measured. The synthesized, simulated, and measured results are found in good agreement with each other, and the experimental results show that the phase shifter achieves 90° ± 5°, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\vert S_{11}\vert < -14$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dB, and insertion loss < 0.7 dB over the bandwidth from 1.43 to 4.45 GHz (102.7%).
Future differential vulnerability to natural disasters by level of education

The present paper looks at the implications of anticipated changes in population size and composition for the projected number of deaths from natural disasters Building on empirical evidence from cross-country time series of factors associated with natural disaster fatalities since 1970 in 174 countries, the paper first highlights the major role of education in enabling people to cope with weather extremes in the past. Using the five demographic scenarios implied by the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), which include trajectories for the future of educational expansion, this evidence is translated in the second part of the paper into projections of the number of deaths from climate-related extreme natural events for six major world regions. Assuming constant hazard, we demonstrate the importance of including in assessments of future vulnerability not only the projected population size but the full population heterogeneity by age, sex and level of education.
Primary Care Program in Prison: A Review of the Literature

Nurses take on the role of primary caregiver in the prison setting, as they are usually the first to approach the prisoner, and they govern access to all aspects of the health care system. The aim of this review was to assess the effects of the use of the primary care model in a correctional setting. Major literature databases relevant to the specified areas were searched for studies published from 2004 to 2013. Three studies reported some implications for prisoners, nursing practice, and the correctional facility, as generated by using the primary care model in the prison setting. The primary care model can improve relevant outcomes for health management in the prison setting.
Effects of pyrroloquinoline quinone and vitamin C on diabetes associated cardiac oxidative damages and hyperlipidemia in mice: biochemical and histopathological study

Abbreviations: DM, diabetes mellitus; CVDs, cardiovascular diseases; PQQ, pyrroloquinoline quinone; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; RR–value, relative risk value; LPO, lipid peroxidation; LOOH, lipid hydroperoxide; HDL–C, high density lipoprotein; ROS, reactive oxygen species; MDA, malondialdehyde; STZ, streptozotocin; PBS, phosphate buffered saline; BSA, bovine serum albumin; FR, free–radical; PPAR, peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor
Characterization of the virulence of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) isolates in mice

The virulence of different isolates of MAC was studied in naturally susceptible BALB/c mice. In preliminary experiments, MAC bacteria forming smooth transparent colonies on solid media (SmT variants) were found to be virulent for BALB/c mice, causing progressive infection; smooth opaque (SmOp) were generally avirulent, being slowly eliminated from the infected organs; and rough (Rg) variants were either avirulent or as virulent as SmT variants. We chose to compare the virulence of different isolates of MAC of different origins, studying only the SmT morphotype. Strains of MAC isolated from naturally infected animals were those that most consistently caused progressive infections. AIDS patients‐derived isolates were of intermediate virulence or devoid of virulence in mice. The environmental strains were eliminated from mice or did not proliferate. Strains of MAC isolated from individuals who were not infected by HIV varied in virulence from completely avirulent to highly virulent. There was no close correlation between virulence and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RELP) type, although all highly virulent strains were of the A/I type. There was also no correlation between virulence analysed in vivo and the ability to grow in cultured macrophages.
AN INTERACTIVE IMAGE SEGMENTATION USING MULTIPLE USER INPUT'S

In this paper, we consider the Interactive image segmentation with multiple user inputs. The proposed system is the use of multiple intuitive user inputs to better reflect the user’s intention. The use of multiple types of intuitive inputs provides the user’s intention under different scenario. The proposed method is developed as a combined segmentation and editing tool. It incorporates a simple user interface and a fast and reliable segmentation based on 1D segment matching. The user is required to click just a few "control points" on the desired object border, and let the algorithm complete the rest. The user can then edit the result by adding, removing and moving control points, where each interaction follows by an automatic, real-time segmentation by the algorithm. Interactive image segmentation involves a proposed algorithm, Constrained Random walks algorithm. The Constrained Random Walks algorithm facilitates the use of three types of user inputs. 1. Foreground and Background seed input 2. Soft Constraint input 3. Hard Constraint input. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by experimental results. The proposed algorithm is algorithmically simple, efficient and less time consuming.
in this issue

As a member of Kaiser-Permanente, I am accustomed to communicating with my physician by email, getting test results online, and reviewing my medical record while sitting at my computer. Clearly, the Internet is changing medical care, so it is important that we understand how. This issue of The Milbank Quarterly begins with “Health and Illness in a Connected World: How Might Sharing Experiences on the Internet Affect People’s Health? ” by Sue Ziebland and Sally Wyke. Using the realist review method, which is designed for summarizing evidence about complex policy interventions (Pawson et al. 2005), they describe what is known about how people use and are affected by peer-to-peer Internet communication regarding health-related experiences. Ziebland and Wyke organize the evidence into seven domains, all of which could have a positive or negative effect on health. Some of these domains are well recognized: seeking/obtaining information, feeling supported, developing new relationships, changing behavior, and affecting the use of health services. Two domains are less familiar. One is “learning to tell the story” of what has happened to oneself, and the other is the process of visualization arising from obtaining images pertaining to disease or recovery. Ziebland and Wyke discuss the difference between reading about others’ experiences and writing about one’s own, the potential for both benefit and harm, and the possibility that health care organizations could use peer-to-peer communication to improve the care of patients. In “The Rise and Fall of the Lyme Disease Vaccines: A Cautionary Tale for Risk Interventions in American Medicine and Public Health,” Robert Aronowitz uses information from interviews and primary sources to understand why LYMErix, a vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent Lyme disease, was withdrawn from the market by its manufacturer in 2002. At about the same time, a
Self-stigma and suicidality in patients with neurotic spectrum disorder - a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND Self-stigmatization is a step-by-step process during which the person uncritically accepts the societal negative evaluation and applies it to himself. Relation between self-stigma and suicidality in neurotic disorders is not known. The aim of our study was to find connection between self-stigma and the level of suicidality in neurotic spectrum disorders. METHOD It was a cross-sectional study of 198 inpatients with pharmacoresistant neurotic spectrum disorders hospitalized at the psychotherapeutic ward of the Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Olomouc. Patients were diagnosed using the ICD-10 research diagnostic criteria. The assessments included Internalized Stigma Of Mental Illness (ISMI), Beck Depression Inventory-second edition (BDI-II), objective and subjective Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Morin sleep scale, Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) and Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale, item 10 Suicidal Thoughts (MADRS item 10 suicidality) for the assessment. RESULTS The subjective rate of suicidality and also the objective rate of suicidality were strongly positively correlated with the total score of ISMI. There were also significant correlations with all subscores except for the correlation between the BDI 9 and the sub score Resistance against stigma, which barely missed the level of statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS More attention should be paid to self-stigma in neurotic patients, especially in those with suicidal thoughts and tendencies.
Moving Beyond Intentions and Toward the Theory of Trying: Effects of Work Environment and Gender on Post-Adoption Information Technology Use

Grounded in the theory of trying, this study examines the influence of the work environment and gender on trying to innovate with information technology. The study extends the innovation diffusion literature by offering a theory-driven explanation for examining trying to innovate with IT and a parsimonious measure for this construct. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action, we argue that work environment impediments render intentions inadequate for examining post-adoption IT use. Instead of examining intentions, we introduce the goal-based construct of trying to innovate with IT as an appropriate dependent variable for examining post-adoption IT use. Statistical analysis supports the reliability and validity of a parsimonious measure of trying to innovate with IT. The study focuses on two research questions. First, do perceptions of the work environment such as overload and autonomy influence individuals' trying to innovate with IT? Second, does gender influence the relationship between perceptions of the environment and trying to innovate with IT? The model articulates how perceptions of the environment moderated by gender may influence trying to innovate with IT. Results provide evidence that overload and autonomy are antecedents to trying to innovate with information technology. Further, findings confirm that autonomy interacts with overload to determine trying to innovate with IT and that these relationships vary by gender. Implications for research and practice are offered.
Methods and baseline cardiovascular data from the Early versus Late Intervention Trial with Estradiol testing the menopausal hormone timing hypothesis

ObjectiveThis study aims to present methods and baseline data from the Early versus Late Intervention Trial with Estradiol (ELITE), the only clinical trial designed to specifically test the timing hypothesis of postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT). The timing hypothesis posits that HT effects depend on the temporal initiation of HT relative to time since menopause. MethodsELITE is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a 2 × 2 factorial design. Six hundred forty-three healthy postmenopausal women without cardiovascular disease were randomized to oral estradiol or placebo for up to 6 to 7 years according to time since menopause (<6 or ≥10 y). Carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) and cardiac computed tomography were conducted to determine HT effects on subclinical atherosclerosis across menopause strata. ResultsParticipants in the early and late postmenopausal strata were well-separated by mean age (55.4 vs 65.4 y) and median time since menopause (3.5 vs 14.3 y). Expected risk factors (age, blood pressure, and body mass index) were associated with CIMT at baseline in both strata. In the early postmenopausal group, but not in the late postmenopausal group, we observed significant associations between CIMT and factors that may play a role in the responsiveness of atherosclerosis progression according to timing of HT initiation. These include low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, sex hormone–binding globulin, and serum total estradiol. ConclusionsThe ELITE randomized controlled trial is timely and unique. Baseline data indicate that ELITE is well-positioned to test the HT timing hypothesis in relation to atherosclerosis progression and coronary artery disease.
Brief assessment of adult cancer patients' perceived needs: development and validation of the 34-item Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF34).

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to develop and validate a short version of the Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS) that would reduce respondent burden and could be used in routine cancer care, without compromising the psychometric properties of the original instrument. METHODS Secondary analyses of the data from two studies (n = 888 and 250) were undertaken. All 59 items of the original SCNS were assessed using psychometric analyses and evaluated for clinical utility. The 34 items retained were examined for internal consistency, ceiling and floor effects, known groups validity, convergent validity, sensitivity and readability. RESULTS The 34-item instrument has five factors (psychological, health system and information, physical and daily living, patient care and support, and sexuality needs) identical to the original instrument, explaining 73% of the variance. Internal consistency was high with Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the five factors ranging from 0.86 to 0.96. Correlations of the 34-item short-form SCNS (SCNS-SF34) with three other measures of psychosocial well-being demonstrated convergent validity (r = 0.48-0.56). Kappa coefficients of at least 0.83 for each domain indicated almost perfect agreement between the 34-item and 59-item surveys to identify patients needing help. The 34-item SCNS maintained the psychometric properties of the original instrument and could be readily comprehended by people with seventh to eighth grade education. CONCLUSIONS The SCNS-SF34 is a valid instrument for measuring cancer patients' perceived needs across a range of domains, and could be utilized as part of routine cancer care.
Performance of a direct torque controlled IPM drive system in the low speed region

High power density, high speed operation, high efficiency and wide speed range made the interior permanent magnet (IPM) synchronous motors an interesting choice for ac drive systems. Different control strategies have been proposed to reach a high performance drive system. Direct torque control (DTC) is one of these widely used methods which has fast torque dynamic and a simple structure. Different motor, inverter and controller parameters affect the drive system performance in this scheme. The drive system performance is investigated for four possible inverter switching patterns in terms of the torque ripple, stator current ripple, flux ripple and inverter switching frequency in the low speed region. The results show that the switching pattern in which zero voltage is applied to reduce the torque has better performance compared to the other switching patterns. The analytic solution is provided to quantify the effects of the inverter zero voltage vector on the flux and torque of the machine and how they change when the speed varies.
The Analysis of Ring‐Recovery Data Using Random Effects

Summary. We show how random terms, describing both yearly variation and overdispersion, can easily be incorporated into models for mark‐recovery data, through the use of Bayesian methods. For recovery data on lapwings, we show that the incorporation of the random terms greatly improves the goodness of fit. Omitting the random terms can lead to overestimation of the significance of weather on survival, and overoptimistic prediction intervals in simulations of future population behavior. Random effects models provide a natural way of modeling overdispersion—which is more satisfactory than the standard classical approach of scaling up all standard errors by a uniform inflation factor. We compare models by means of Bayesian p‐values and the deviance information criterion (DIC).
Importance of the bovine papillomavirus P2443 promoter in the regulation of E2 and E5 expression

The full-length bovine papillomavirus E2 gene product (E2TA), which has a direct role in DNA replication and functions as a transcriptional activator, can be expressed from an unspliced mRNA transcribed from the P2443 promoter or from spliced mRNAs transcribed from other upstream promoters. The regulation of E2 expression from these promoters is still in question. In the background of wild-type protein coding sequences, this study identified the P2443 promoter as the major source of E2TA as well as E5 expression in C127 cells.
Information-Centric Networking based Caching and Naming Schemes for Internet of Things: A Survey and Future Research Directions

Information-Centric Networking (ICN) is being realized as a promising approach to accomplish the shortcomings of current IP-address based networking. ICN models are based on naming the content to get rid of address-space scarcity, accessing the content via name-based-routing, caching the content at intermediate nodes to provide reliable, efficient data delivery and self-certifying contents to ensure better security. Obvious benefits of ICN in terms of fast and efficient data delivery and improved reliability raises ICN as highly promising networking model for Internet of Things (IoTs) like environments. IoT aims to connect anyone and/or anything at any time by any path on any place but some IoTs like smart phones may not. From last decade, IoTs attracts both industry and research communities. IoTs is an emerging research field and still in its infancy. IoTs foremost target is to connect efficiently billions of things in a way to reduce human involvement in the operation of machines. While IoT wild-deployment puts many challenges, among others, one challenge is how to address efficiently so many heterogeneous and constraint-oriented devices. Thus, this paper presents the promise of ICN for IoTs by providing state-of-the-art literature in this context. We provide IoTs major components involved during its life-cycle and list required features for IoT network architecture. We present major ICN architectures and their applicability for IoTs. We survey ICN based naming and caching approaches for IoTs with appropriate classification and furthermore present OSs and simulators for ICN-IoT. We also provide important research challenges and issues faced by ICN for IoTs.