Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Applications of the hybrid FDTD and ADI-FDTD method to planar circuit structures

In this paper, we focus only on coplanar waveguide without ground plane at the bottom side as our simulation example. The hybrid ADI-FDTD and FDTD is numerically validated, which is efficient to compute planar structures. It shows that the hybrid method can be about 3 times faster in simulation time at almost the same memory requirement and accuracy level
Cost and fuel consumption in the Spanish electricity market: inefficiencies and risks with the present rules vs. an alternative bidding and clearing design

Besides allowing competition and security of supply, from the operational point of view an ideal electricity market should lead to a least cost generation program. That is, respecting all security and environmental criteria, there should be no lower cost way to cover the hourly demand. The Spanish bidding design for the spot market, responsible for the final generation program, is found inadequate to reach such goal, and to imply higher fuel consumption, cost and emissions, plus also certain risks for generation companies. Some inadequacies are identified, and an alternative bidding design is proposed, estimated to better achieve the mentioned objective. Using real and estimated data from the Spanish electric system, alternative generation programs were calculated for four representative weeks, and compared to the ones actually scheduled by the market, showing that savings of about 5.2% in cost of thermal generation and 3.9% in emissions are possible in the Spanish electric system.
Inference methods for saturated models in longitudinal clinical trials with incomplete binary data

In the longitudinal studies with binary response, it is often of interest to estimate the percentage of positive responses at each time point and the percentage of having at least one positive response by each time point. When missing data exist, the conventional method based on observed percentages could result in erroneous estimates. This study demonstrates two methods of using expectation‐maximization (EM) and data augmentation (DA) algorithms in the estimation of the marginal and cumulative probabilities for incomplete longitudinal binary response data. Both methods provide unbiased estimates when the missingness mechanism is missing at random (MAR) assumption. Sensitivity analyses have been performed for cases when the MAR assumption is in question. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Algorithms for faster overlay creation under high growth rate in query network based overlaid multicasting

Live Streaming Multicast Systems supporting applications like Live Lecture Delivery, face a problem called flash crowd. In this problem, a very large number of subscribers join the session in a very short duration. The result of flash crowd is that most of the subscribers do not get the desired feed in first attempt and thus waiting time increases excessively. We consider this problem in query network based overlaid multicasting [1] systems, where the information about available feeders is stored distributively using Distributed Hash Tables (DHTs). At normal growth rate, maintaining a list of only a few available feeders is sufficient; however, during flash crowd, a list of large number of feed forwarders needs to be maintained. Two different algorithms are proposed in this paper; one to alleviate the load of root nodes and the other to guarantee with high probability the provisioning of feed to any new arriving node even at very high growth rate. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of these algorithms in sustaining high growth rate in the network.
Effect of older age at initiation of antiretroviral therapy on patient retention in an urban ART program in Uganda

correspondence: etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu Mental Health Department, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg school of Public Health, 624 N Broadway, Hampton House, Baltimore, MD 21205, UsA Tel +1 443 839 4012 Fax +1 410 955 9088 email enakimul@jhsph.edu Purpose: Patient retention in antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated at 60%. There is limited information on the effect of older age (.50 years) at ART initiation on patient retention in ART programs in Uganda. This study aimed to investigate demographic and clinical differences between older and younger human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals prior to ART initiation and then to assess the effect of older age at ART initiation on patient retention in an ART program. Methods: A retrospective chart review of all medical charts belonging to 773 HIV-positive individuals who initiated ART from January 2005 through July 2009 was conducted. Factors associated with older HIV-positive individuals were determined using simple and multivariate logistic regression. Survival analysis techniques were used to compare median survival times in the ART program between older and younger HIV-positive individuals. Cox regression models were used to assess the impact of older age on patient retention while adjusting for variables associated with both older age and patient retention. Results: Older HIV-positive individuals were significantly more likely to have a clinical diagnosis of HIV-related dementia (odds ratio [OR] = 7.65; P = 0.037), severe mental illness (OR = 1.28; P = 0.39), peripheral neuropathy, (OR = 3.76; P = 0.024), and HIV wasting syndrome (OR = 1.92; P = 0.023). Median survival time for older HIV-positive individuals was eight months longer than that of their younger counterparts (log-rank χ2 = 3.3, P = 0.45) Independent predictors of loss to follow-up were a clinical diagnosis of HIV-related dementia (hazards ratio [HR] = 4.63; P = 0.000), severe mental illness (HR = 1.44; P = 0.005), and HIV wasting syndrome (OR = 1.35; P = 0.008). Conclusion: There was no difference in patient retention rates between younger and older HIV-positive individuals. However, a clinical diagnosis of HIV dementia, severe mental disorder, HIV wasting syndrome, and CD4 counts less than 200 were independent predictors of low patient retention rates in this ART program.
Low-frequency respiratory mechanical impedance in the rat.

A modified forced oscillatory technique was used to determine the respiratory mechanical impedances in anesthetized, paralyzed rats between 0.25 and 10 Hz. From the total respiratory (Zrs) and pulmonary impedance (ZL), measured with pseudorandom oscillations applied at the airway opening before and after thoracotomy, respectively, the chest wall impedance (ZW) was calculated as ZW = Zrs - ZL. The pulmonary (RL) and chest wall resistances were both markedly frequency dependent: between 0.25 and 2 Hz they contributed equally to the total resistance falling from 81.4 +/- 18.3 (SD) at 0.25 Hz to 27.1 +/- 1.7 kPa.l-1 X s at 2 Hz. The pulmonary compliance (CL) decreased mildly, from 2.78 +/- 0.44 at 0.25 Hz to 2.36 +/- 0.39 ml/kPa at 2 Hz, and then increased at higher frequencies, whereas the chest wall compliance declined monotonously from 4.19 +/- 0.88 at 0.25 Hz to 1.93 +/- 0.14 ml/kPa at 10 Hz. Although the frequency dependence of ZW can be interpreted on the basis of parallel inhomogeneities alone, the sharp fall in RL together with the relatively constant CL suggests that at low frequencies significant losses are imposed by the non-Newtonian resistive properties of the lung tissue.
Identification of a gene encoding the pyruvate decarboxylase gene regulator CaPdc2p from Candida albicans

In a screen for Candida albicans genes encoding transactivating proteins, a pyruvate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.1.) regulator gene was isolated. An open reading frame (ORF) of 2511 bp was identified encoding a predicted protein of 836 amino acids with a molecular weight of 94·4 kDa. The protein showed glutamine‐ and proline‐rich stretches typical for transcriptional activators. The amino acid sequence comparisons between CaPdc2p of C. albicans and both Pdc2p of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Rag3p of Kluyveromyces lactis, revealed similarities of 40% and 39%, respectively. The CaPDC2 gene was localized on chromosome 1. Southern blot analysis indicated that CaPDC2 might be a single copy gene. The growth defect of a S. cerevisiae pdc2Δ mutant on glucose was compensated by transformation of the C. albicans CaPDC2 gene. The EMBL Accession No. for the sequence reported in this paper is Y17007. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Creativity under the gun: How threat features and personal characteristics motivate creative responding

The goal of the present dissertation is to examine how threats influence creativity. Notwithstanding the value of creative solutions in response to threats, the effects of threats on creativity remain poorly understood. Past work has shown that threats can both increase and decrease creativity, without providing convincing reasons why. In this dissertation, it is proposed that creativity is about being motivated to realize goals that matter. Integrating the motivated focus account of creativity and theories on human threat management systems, the current work predicted that 1) people facing threats can be creative in threat-relevant domain through threat-induced motivated focus; and that 2) creativity under threats is highly specific and responsive to the particular features of threats (e.g., the direction of threats), situation resources (e.g., available time to react), and dispositional variables (e.g., dispositional threat sensitivity). In four empirical chapters, this general principle was tested using both intrapersonal (e.g., health threats) and interpersonal threats (e.g., violent assaults) with regards to the full cycle of creative problem solving, from the inclusive processing of information, through the generation of defense tactics, to the evaluation and selection of threat responses for implementation. Results show that threats do not have a generalized impact on creativity. Rather, they selectively enhance creativity that is relevant and functional in managing the specific threat at hand. Moreover, it is the motivated focus on coping with the specific threat that drives the enhancing effect of threats on threat-relevant creativity.
The Rheb–mTOR Pathway Is Upregulated in Reactive Astrocytes of the Injured Spinal Cord

Astrocytes in the CNS respond to tissue damage by becoming reactive. They migrate, undergo hypertrophy, and form a glial scar that inhibits axon regeneration. Therefore, limiting astrocytic responses represents a potential therapeutic strategy to improve functional recovery. It was recently shown that the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor is upregulated in astrocytes after injury and promotes their transformation into reactive astrocytes. Furthermore, EGF receptor inhibitors were shown to enhance axon regeneration in the injured optic nerve and promote recovery after spinal cord injury. However, the signaling pathways involved were not elucidated. Here we show that in cultures of adult spinal cord astrocytes EGF activates the mTOR pathway, a key regulator of astrocyte physiology. This occurs through Akt-mediated phosphorylation of the GTPase-activating protein Tuberin, which inhibits Tuberin's ability to inactivate the small GTPase Rheb. Indeed, we found that Rheb is required for EGF-dependent mTOR activation in spinal cord astrocytes, whereas the Ras–MAP kinase pathway does not appear to be involved. Moreover, astrocyte growth and EGF-dependent chemoattraction were inhibited by the mTOR-selective drug rapamycin. We also detected elevated levels of activated EGF receptor and mTOR signaling in reactive astrocytes in vivo in an ischemic model of spinal cord injury. Furthermore, increased Rheb expression likely contributes to mTOR activation in the injured spinal cord. Interestingly, injured rats treated with rapamycin showed reduced signs of reactive gliosis, suggesting that rapamycin could be used to harness astrocytic responses in the damaged nervous system to promote an environment more permissive to axon regeneration.
Novel mutations of the lipoprotein lipase gene associated with hypertriglyceridemia in members of type 2 diabetic pedigrees s⃞ Published, JLR Papers in Press, May 2, 2007.

Increased plasma triglyceride and free fatty acid levels are frequently associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). To test the hypothesis that LPL gene mutations contribute to the hypertriglyceridemia observed in members of T2DM pedigrees, we screened the LPL gene in 53 hypertriglyceridemic members of 26 families. Four known and three novel mutations were identified. All three novel mutations, Lys312insC, Thr361insA, and double mutation Lys312insC + Asn291Ser, are clinically associated with hypertriglyceridemia. In vitro mutagenesis and expression studies confirm that these variants are associated with a significant reduction in LPL activity. The modeled structures displaying the Lys312insC and Thr361insA mutations showed loss of the activity-related C-terminal domain in the LPL protein. Another novel double mutation, Lys312insC + Asn291Ser, resulted in the loss of the catalytic ability of LPL attributable to the complete loss of the C-terminal domain and alteration in the heparin association site. Thus, these novel mutations of the LPL gene contribute to the hypertriglyceridemia observed in members of type 2 diabetic pedigrees.
In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation Of The Antidiabetic Effect Of Different Extracts Of Nepeta Cataria In Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats

Both in vitro and in vivo studies were performed in the present research to investigate the pharmacological effects of successive Nepeta cataria extracts on some biochemical parameters in Streptozotocin diabetic rats compared to the currently used drug, Glicalized. These involved some biochemical parameters such as glucose, insulin, carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes; a -amylase, a- glucosidase, â- galactosidase, liver steoteosis; total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, total lipid, liver function enzymes; alanin aminotransferase(ALT), aspatrate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphates (ALP) and total protein, oxidative stress markers; NO and DPPH. In addition histopathological investigations were performed. The results obtained revealed that in vitro analysis, different successive extracts of Nepeta cataria exhibited inhibitory effect on oxidative stress indices ( NO and DPPH) and carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes (a-amylase, a-glucosidase and â- galactosidase) in linear relationships to some extent with concentration of inhibitors (dose dependant). Total ethanol (70%), petroleum ether and chloroform extracts showed respectively the most potent reducing power, while ethyl acetate and ethanol soxhlet appeared moderate or low reducing activity. In addition the in vivo anti-glycemic, antioxidant, antilipidemic effects of chloroform, petroleum ether as well as crude ethanol extracts in comparison with gliclazide as reference antidiabetic drug showed, these extracts have significant beneficial glycemic control, scavenging free radicals, normalized liver function, inhibited lipid synthesis associated with diabetic complication, as well as they have principle role in treatment and normalized liver and pancreas architecture. Hence, it could be concluded that Nepeta cataria extracts may be applied clinically for reducing complications against diabetes mellitus together with the ideal anti- diabetic drug glicalized. (Journal of American Science. 2010;6(10):364-386). (ISSN: 1545-1003).
Anti-platelet and Anti-Arthritic Activity of Orthocetamol (2-Acetamıdophenol): An Ortho (O) Positional Isomer of Paracetamol

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ENDOSCOPY‐ASSISTED APPROACHES FOR ANTERIOR COLUMN RECONSTRUCTION AFTER PEDICLE SCREW FIXATION OF ACUTE TRAUMATIC THORACIC AND LUMBAR FRACTURES

OBJECTIVE Surgical treatment of thoracic and lumbar vertebral body fractures combines instrumentation to stabilize the fracture and an anterior reconstruction to promote fusion of the fractured spine. The aim of the present study was to show that minimally invasive thoracoscopic or endoscopy-assisted approaches to the thoracic and lumbar spine are feasible for anterior column reconstruction. METHODS This prospective, single-center study included 83 consecutive patients harboring 100 acute thoracic and lumbar vertebral fractures. Patients' neurological status; preoperative, postoperative, and follow-up radiographic data; and surgical data were obtained. RESULTS Fractures ranged from T5 to L5. All fractures underwent posterior pedicle screw fixation followed by a thoracoscopic or endoscopy-assisted anterior approach for anterior column reconstruction to promote fusion. Ventral graft position was correct in 45 patients and acceptable in 37 patients; one patient required a surgical repositioning. Initial correction of kyphosis was 9 degrees; during follow-up (23 ± 11 mo), the mean loss of correction was 6 degrees. In 84 minimally invasive approaches, five conversions to an open approach were necessary. Complications included one case of L1 nerve root injury, two cases of transient neurological worsening, one case of posterior wound infection, and one case of pleural empyema. CONCLUSION The minimally invasive endoscopic approach for anterior column reconstruction is a feasible strategy in the treatment of unstable thoracic and lumbar fractures. Fracture type and the material of the anterior graft can affect long-term maintenance of correction.
EFFECTIVENESS OF SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE FOR CRIME HOT-SPOTS PREDICTION

Crime hot-spot location prediction is important for public safety. The output from the prediction can provide useful information to improve the activities aimed at detecting and preventing safety and security problems. Location prediction is a special case of spatial data mining classification. For instance, in the public safety domain, it may be interesting to predict location(s) of crime hot spots. In this study, we present a support vector machine (SVM)-based approach to predict the location as an alternative to existing modeling approaches. Support vector machine forms the new generation of machine-learning techniques used to find optimal separability between classes within datasets. We compare the performance of two types of SVMs techniques: two-class SVMs and one-class SVMs. We also compared SVM with a neural network-based approach and spatial auto-regression-based approach. Experiments on two different spatial datasets demonstrate that the former approach performs slightly better and the latter one gives reasonable results. Furthermore, in this study, we provide a general framework to customize the spatial data classification task for other spatial domains that have datasets similar to the analyzed crime datasets.
An overview of downlink radio resource management for UTRAN long-term evolution

Radio resource management algorithms ranging from bearer admission control to semi-persistent and dynamic packet scheduling, fast link adaptation, and transmission control of multi-antenna transmission modes are addressed in this article for UTRAN long-term evolution. First, a high-level system overview of LTE is given, with special emphasis on the important components related to RRM. The quality of service parameter framework is outlined, as one of the main objectives for the families of RRM algorithms is to maximize system capacity while serving all users according to their minimum QoS constraints. It is demonstrated how the collocation of the RRM algorithms at the base station with easy access to air interface measurements offers opportunities for efficient cross-functional optimization between layers 1, 2, and 3. Examples of performance results for different traffic mixes and antenna transmission schemes are also presented, and the article is concluded with recommendations on how to operate the various RRM options under different load and traffic conditions.
Reconstruction of Function Block Logic Using Metaheuristic Algorithm

An approach for automatic reconstruction of automation logic from execution scenarios using a metaheuristic algorithm is proposed. IEC 61499 basic function blocks are chosen as implementation language and reconstruction of Execution Control Charts for basic function blocks is addressed. The synthesis method is based on a metaheuristic algorithm that combines ideas from ant colony optimization and evolutionary computation. Execution scenarios can be recorded from testing legacy software solutions. At this stage results are only limited to generation of basic function blocks having only Boolean input/output variables.
Programmation par objets structurée en contextes

La programmation par objets a fait ses preuves pour faciliter la conception de sys- temes complexes, en quantite mais surtout en diversite d'objets manipules. Cette complexite est demultipliee quand le systeme doit supporter une multitude de fonctions determinant autant de contextes applicatifs et de points de vue sur les objets. On rencontre de tels besoins notamment dans les environnements de CAO. La question est alors celle de l'orthogonalite entre objets et fonctions. Apres une etude de l'existant, nous presentons l'approche adoptee en CROME de programmation structuree a la fois en objets et en contextes. Nous presentons les techniques de programmation qui s'en deduisent : description contextualisee d'objets et collaborations, he- ritage modulaire, execution et articulation des contextes. Ces principes sont generaux et nous montrons leur application dans un monde type tel que Java au moyen d'AspectJ.