Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
210Po AND 210Pb ACTIVITY IN CHINESE CIGARETTES

The radon decay products lead-210 (210Pb) and polonium-210 (210Po) are known components of tobacco. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of cigarettes, yet no comprehensive published reports of the 210Pb and 210Po activity concentrations in Chinese cigarettes are available. Twelve brands of cigarettes that were commonly smoked within a group of 184 Chinese smokers were selected for 210Pb and 210Po activity analysis. For each brand, the tobacco from two cigarettes was isolated, dried, weighed, spiked with a 209Po tracer for yield, and digested with concentrated HNO3, followed by HCl. The polonium in each digested solution was spontaneously deposited onto a nickel disc. The polonium activity was then counted using alpha spectroscopy. The mean (range) 210Po activity for all brands was 23 (18–29) mBq cig−1. The state of radioactive equilibrium between 210Po and 210Pb in each cigarette was verified in three brands of cigarettes. Cigarettes from two brands were smoked on a machine in order to estimate the fraction of 210Pb and 210Po inhaled. An average of 8% of the 210Pb and 13% of the 210Po in the tobacco of the cigarettes was transferred to the mainstream smoke. It is thus estimated that a person smoking 20 of these cigarettes per day in China would inhale a mean (range) of 37 (29–46) mBq d−1 of 210Pb and 60 (47–75) mBq d−1 of 210Po. Cigarette smoking in China may therefore be a large source of a person’s daily intake of 210Pb and 210Po.
A Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for near-optimum detection of MIMO-GFDM signals

Within the framework of Monte Carlo simulation, this paper derives a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm for efficient detection in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems using the non-orthogonal multi-carrier waveform termed generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM). The proposed MCMC algorithm performs the detection task in frequency domain. Its adopted proposal distribution and Gibbs sampler are tailored under the consideration of complexity and latency for tackling the three-dimensional interference involved in the received signal, i.e., inter-carrier, inter-symbol and inter-antenna interference. By means of simulation, its decoding performance is compared with that achieved by employing the sphere decoding algorithm in a conventional orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based MIMO system. For multi-path fading channels with strong frequency selectivity, the MCMC algorithm proposed for the MIMO-GFDM system can deliver superior performance.
Miniaturization of Microstrip Antennas by the Novel Application of the Giuseppe Peano Fractal Geometries

We investigate the possibilities and properties of the application of Giuseppe Peano fractal geometry for the miniaturization of microstrip patch antennas and compare its performance with those of the usual fractals, such as Koch, Tee-Type and Sierpinski. The length of the Giuseppe Peano fractal patch perimeter increases, while its surface area remains constant without any more space occupation. Consequently the antenna miniaturization, maintenance of its gain and increase of its relative frequency bandwidth are achieved. The proposed antenna has circular polarization at one of its resonance frequencies, which is realized by producing a perturbation on its initial structure. Further miniaturization of antenna may be obtained by cutting slots on its structure and its broadbanding may be achieved by placing an air gap under its metallic patch and more effective miniaturization is obtained by placing a Giuseppe Peano fractal strip along the microstrip patch antenna.
Asymmetric dose-volume optimization with smoothness control for rotating-shield brachytherapy.

PURPOSE It is important to reduce fluence map complexity in rotating-shield brachytherapy (RSBT) inverse planning to improve delivery efficiency while maintaining plan quality. This study proposes an efficient and effective RSBT dose optimization method which enables to produce smooth fluence maps. METHODS Five cervical cancer patients each with a high-risk clinical-target-volume (HR-CTV) larger than 40 cm(3) were considered as the test cases. The RSBT source was a partially shielded electronic brachytherapy source (Xoft Axxent™). The anchor RSBT plans generated by the asymmetric dose-volume optimization with smoothness control (ADOS) method were compared against those produced by the dose-surface optimization (DSO) method and inverse-planning with simulated annealing (IPSA). Either L1-norm or L2-norm was used to measure the smoothness of a fluence map in the proposed ADOS method as one weighted term of the objective function. Uniform dwell-time scaling was applied to all plans such that HR-CTV D90 was maximized without violating the D2cc tolerances of the rectum, bladder, and sigmoid colon. The quality of the anchor plans was measured with HR-CTV D90 of the anchor plans. Single-shielded RSBT [(S-RSBT), RSBT with single, fix sized delivery window] and dynamic-sheilded RSBT [(D-RSBT), RSBT with dynamically varying sized delivery window] delivery plans generated based on the anchor plans were also measured, with delivery time constraints of 10, 20, and 30 min/fraction (fx). RESULTS The average HR-CTV D90 values of the anchor plans achieved by the ADOS, DSO, and IPSA methods were 111.5, 94.2, and 107.4 Gy, respectively, where the weighting parameter β used in ADOS with L2-norm was set to be 100. By using S-RSBT sequencing and 20 min/fx delivery time, the corresponding D90 values were 88.8, 81.9, and 83.4 Gy; while using D-RSBT sequencing with 20 min/fx delivery time, the corresponding D90 values were 91.4, 88.3, and 78.9 Gy, respectively. The average optimization times for ADOS, DSO, and IPSA were, respectively, 77, 4, and 1800 s. By using L1-norm instead of L2-norm in the ADOS method, the optimization time was increased by 20 s, while the D90 was reduced by 6.8 Gy on average. ADOS-L1 was found to be more sensitive to the weighting parameter than ADOS-L2. If β was increased to 10 000, the D90 drop with ADOS-L1 was 38 Gy, while the drop with ADOS-L2 is 13 Gy. CONCLUSIONS The ADOS method had a reasonable optimization time cost, while achieving comparable RSBT dose plans as the IPSA method, which is of much higher time complexity. Compared to the DSO and IPSA methods, ADOS is able to generate anchor plans which are more suitable for RSBT delivery while preserving the high quality of the original plans. Compared to ADOS-L1, ADOS-L2 is able to achieve better quality of anchor plans more efficiently.
Manipulation of remote 3D Avatar through facial feature detection and real time tracking

This paper presents a system that computes the head posture using video data captured by a webcam. With a user supplied bounding box of the facial area, the program generates color and gradient maps of the face. These maps are used in combination with other image processing techniques to detect the eyes, nose tip and lips of the user. Using novel methods of eye and lip region tracking, the eye corners and lip centroid points can be continuously tracked in real time. The coordinates of these points serve as inputs for computing the 3D posture of the face. The pose parameters are next Kalman filtered and transmitted over the Internet where it will animate an avatar head to mimic the remote user. The program has been tested on a variety of subjects and is robust in facial feature detection as well as in real-time tracking. The resulting avatar movement closely mimics the movement of its real life counterpart. A framerate of 9fps can be achieved on a Pentium III 600.
Characterization of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis insertion sequence, IS6110, and its application in diagnosis

An insertion sequence-like element, IS6110, was isolated from a Mycobacterium tuberculosis cosmid library as a repetitive sequence. IS6110 shows similarities with elements of the IS3 family. This insertion sequence was found to be specific to mycobacteria belonging to the M. tuberculosis complex. For detection and identification of M. tuberculosis bacilli in uncultured specimens, oligonucleotides derived from the IS6110 sequence were used as primers and probes in polymerase chain reaction studies. The results obtained were consistent with results of classical identification procedures, bacteriological data, and clinical criteria.
Characterization of the Tn916 Conjugative Transposon in a Food-Borne Strain of Lactobacillus paracasei

ABSTRACT Food-borne antibiotic-resistant lactic acid bacteria have received growing attention in the past few years. We have recently identified tetracycline-resistant Lactobacillus paracasei in samples of milk and natural whey starter cultures employed in the manufacturing process of a typical Italian fermented dairy product, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. In the present study, we have characterized at the molecular level the genetic context of tetracycline resistance determinants in these natural strains, which we have identified as tet(M). This gene was present in 21 independent isolates, whose fingerprinting profiles were distributed into eight different repetitive extragenic palindromic groups by cluster analysis. We provide evidence that the gene is associated with the broad-host, conjugative transposon Tn916, which had never before been described to occur in L. paracasei. PCR analysis of four independent isolates by use of specifically designed primer pairs detected the presence of a circular intermediate form of the transposon, carrying a coupling sequence (GGCAAA) located between the two termini of Tn916. This novel coupling sequence conferred low conjugation frequency in mating experiments with the recipient strain JH2-2 of Enterococcus faecalis.
A comparative study of teledermatoscopy and face-to-face examination of pigmented skin lesions

We examined the agreement between diagnoses of pigmented skin lesions based on an in-person (face-to-face) dermatological examination and diagnoses based on the study of medical records and images transferred through the web (teledermatoscopy). Two experienced dermatologists examined and diagnosed 64 pigmented skin lesions, which had been surgically excised and undergone histopathology examination. Two years later, the same cases were studied and diagnosed once again by the same dermatologists via the web. There was 72% agreement between the in-person diagnoses and the biopsy results (the gold standard), and 66% agreement between the telediagnoses and the biopsy results. Telemedicine had high sensitivity (87%) and specificity (73%), although there were 4 false-negative diagnoses. A web-based dermatoscopic diagnostic service appears to be feasible and would meet the needs for access to specialized services in rural areas. However, further work is required to decrease the number of false negative cases.
Morbidity and severity of illness during interhospital transfer: impact of a specialised paediatric retrieval team

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the morbidity and severity of illness during interhospital transfer of critically ill children by a specialised paediatric retrieval team. Design: Prospective, descriptive study. Setting: Hospitals without paediatric intensive care facilities in and around the London area, and a paediatric intensive care unit at a tertiary centre. Subjects: 51 critically ill children transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit. Main outcome measures: Adverse events related to equipment and physiological deterioration during transfer. Paediatric risk of mortality score before and after retrieval. Therapeutic intervention score before and after arrival of retrieval team. Results: Two (4%) patients had preventable physiological deterioration during transport. There were no adverse events related to equipment. Severity of illness decreased during stabilisation and transport by the retrieval team, suggested by the difference between risk of mortality scores before and after retrieval (P<0.001). The median (range) difference between the two scores was 3.0 (−6 to 17). Interventions during stabilisation by the retrieval team increased, demonstrated by the difference between intervention scores before and after retrieval, median (range) difference between the two scores being 6 (−8 to 38) (P<0.001). Conclusions: Our study indicates that a specialised paediatric retrieval team can rapidly deliver intensive care to critically ill children awaiting transfer. Such children can be transferred to a paediatric intensive care unit with minimal morbidity and mortality related to transport. There was no deterioration in the clinical condition of most patients during transfer.
Decoupling the Supply Chain with a Dynamic Discrete Choice Inventory Model

Most supply chain works suppose retailers can credibly communicate costs with suppliers. But honest cost disclosure can be untenable because operational costs are opaque and stores have incentives to inflate marginal costs to shift the inventory burden upstream: e.g., stores can reduce their stockout rates by exaggerating the goodwill lost to unsatisfied demand. Accordingly, suppliers may not receive truthful cost estimates, preventing them from identifying globally optimal inventory policies. We develop an empirical means to resolve this supply chain cheap talk problem -- to compel the supplier and retailer to coordinate optimally, even when the latter is self-serving and dishonest. Rather than ask a retailer for its private costs, we estimate them directly with a dynamic discrete choice inventory model. We illustrate our approach with a 5,320-SKU, 1,371-day sample from a Chinese supermarket. We estimate that the distribution center stocking out of the median product costs as much to a store as . 03 shipments, . 51 lost sales, or 37 days of storage.
Phaselocked Solutions Of The Finite Size Kuramoto Coupled Oscillator Model

We investigate properties of phaselocked solutions of the finite size Kuramoto coupled oscillator model. There are minimal assumptions on the frequencies $\omega_{1},\ldots,\omega_{N}$ in the model. The coupling constant is denoted by $\alpha,$ and a key parameter $\gamma$ is introduced which is proportional to ${\frac {1}{\alpha}}. $ Theorem 1.1(III) gives new predictions for the location of $\gamma^{*},$ the “phaselocking threshold. ” When $N$ is large these predictions show that the size of the $\gamma$ interval $[\gamma_{*},\gamma^{*})$ where two phaselocked solutions coexist (one stable and the other unstable) is uniformly bounded away from zero. To demonstrate the utility of this result we give an application which is motivated by recent reports of an increasing number of cyber-attacks on electric power grids. In this application, which is related to a large scale electric grid model, we identify a three-step mechanism which shows how a subtle change in frequencies $\omega_{1},\ldots,\omega_{N}$ cause.
Simulation based decision support system for optimization: A case of Thai logistics service provider

– The purpose of this paper is to understand and explain how firms use simulation-based decision support systems (DSSs) to optimize container space utilization. , – Using a case study of a logistics company, this research analyzed the application of optimization software through simulation to make efficient loading decisions. The current study attempted to find a method for optimizing and making a loading plan to achieve higher container space utilization using a simulation method. , – A simulation-based DSS and application of an optimization method contributes to the reduction of container shipment volume, and saves logistic costs and its delivery time. This research offers a method for optimizing a loading decision to optimize container space utilization. , – The present study is based on a single case study of only one specific type of product, i.e., motorcycle spares parts within a specific industry. , – Apart from adding value to the shipment process and improving the efficiency of loading plans, with the use of optimization software, the collaboration between buyers and suppliers can be encouraged to reduce response time and bringing transparency in the pricing process of the shipment. , – This research addresses a key concern in the transportation industry: how to reduce the logistics costs and the delivery time. This study demonstrates how a simulation-based tool can be used to reduce freight cost, cycle time, instill waste minimization and improve overall value addition.
Design of a 1.8V 8-bit 1GSPS cascaded-folding CMOS A/D converter based on a folder averaging technique

In this paper, a CMOS analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with an 8-bit 1GSPS at 1.8V is designed. The architecture of the proposed ADC is based on a folding ADC with a cascaded-folding and an interpolation structure. A self-linearized preamplifier with source degeneration technique and a folder averaging technique for the high-performance are introduced. Further, a novel auto-switching encoder is also proposed. The chip has been fabricated with 0. 18μm 1-poly 5-metal CMOS technology. The active chip area is 0.72mm2 and it consumes about 200mW at 1.8V power supply.
Confidence measures for speaker segmentation and their relation to speaker verification

This paper addresses the problem of speaker veriﬁcation in two speaker conversations, proposing a set of conﬁdence measures to assess the quality of a given speaker segmentation. In addition we study how these measures can be used to estimate the performance of a state of the art speaker veriﬁcation sys-tem. Our approach for speaker segmentation is based on the eigenvoice paradigm. We present a novel PCA based initialization in the speaker factor space along with a modiﬁcation of the speaker turn duration distribution that improves the performance of previously reported Joint Factor Analysis based speaker segmentation systems. Three conﬁdence measures are analyzed on the output of the proposed segmentation system for the summed-channel telephone data of the NIST Speaker Recognition Evaluation 2008, showing that they constitute a good measure to estimate not only the segmentation accuracy but the performance of a speaker veriﬁcation system when it faces two speaker conversations.
A Novel Broadband Circularly Polarized Monopole Antenna Based on C-Shaped Radiator

The design and implementation of a compact monopole antenna with broadband circular polarization is presented in this letter. The proposed antenna consists of a simple C-shaped patch and a modified ground plane with the overall size of 0.33 λ × 0.37 λ. By properly embedding a slit in the C-shaped patch and improving the ground plane with two triangular stubs, the measured broadband 3-dB axial-ratio bandwidth of 104.7% (2.05–6.55 GHz) is obtained, while the measured impedance bandwidth of 106.3% (2.25–7.35 GHz), defined by –10-dB return loss, is achieved. The performance for different parameters is analyzed. The proposed antenna is a good candidate for the application of various wireless communication systems.
Donating umbilical cord blood to a public bank or storing it in a private bank: knowledge and preference of blood donors and of pregnant women.

BACKGROUND Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a source of stem cells for allogeneic haematopoietic transplantation in paediatric and adult patients with haematological malignancies and other indications. Voluntary donation is the basis for the success of unrelated UCB transplantation programmes. In the last few years a growing number of private banks offer their services to expectant parents, to store UCB for future use. The debate concerning UCB donation and private preservation has been ongoing for several years. The aims of this single centre study were to explore knowledge about UCB stem cells and attitudes towards voluntary UCB donation or private UCB preservation among both blood donors and pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was conducted at the "Sapienza" University of Rome. Two types of anonymous questionnaires were prepared: one type was administered to 1,000 blood donors while the other type was distributed to 300 pregnant women. RESULTS Most blood donors as well as the majority of pregnant women had some general knowledge about UCB (89% and 93%, respectively) and were aware of the possibility of donating it (82% and 95%). However, the level of knowledge regarding current therapeutic use resulted generally low, only 91 (10%) among informed blood donors and 69 (31%) among informed pregnant women gave a correct answer. The survey revealed a preference for voluntary donation both among blood donors (76%) and among pregnant woman (55%). Indeed, a minority of blood donors (6.5%) and of pregnant women (9%) would opt to store UCB for private use. DISCUSSION The study raises the following considerations: (i) the large support for UCB donation expressed by blood donors and by pregnant women suggests that UCB preservation does not represent an obstacle to the expansion of UCB donation and to development of unrelated transplantation programmes; (ii) information about UCB donation and preservation should be carefully given by professionals and institutions.
Evaluation of a material parameter extraction algorithm using MRI-based displacement measurements

The performance of an inversion algorithm is investigated when applied to measured displacement data for a determination of the material parameters /sup /spl lambda/+2/spl mu////sub /spl rho// (longitudinal wave velocity squared) and /sup /spl mu////sub /spl rho// (shear wave velocity squared) throughout an inhomogeneous test phantom. The vector displacement components throughout a test phantom subject to monochromatic shear excitation measured in time using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were temporally Fourier transformed to extract the component of monochromatic excitation, and the data was delivered to the inversion algorithm. A series of inversions is presented demonstrating the effects of subsequent wavenumber filtering, polarization selection, and variation in the size of the incremental volume elements. The resulting performance is assessed, and recommendations for future efforts are discussed.
Activity of neurons in area 6 of the cat during fixation and eye movements

We studied the visuomotor properties of 645 neurons in area 6 of five cats trained in oculomotor tasks. The area we recorded from corresponds well with territories believed to contain the feline homologue of the frontal eye fields observed in primates. Despite an expectation that cells with pre-saccadic activity would be common, only a small fraction (∼5%) of the cells displayed activity that could be linked to subsequent saccadic eye movements. These pre-motor cells appeared to be distributed over a broad region of cortex mixed in with other cell types. As in primates, saccade-related activity tended to occur only during “purposeful” saccades. At least 30% (208/645) of the neurons were visual, with many of these cells possessing huge receptive fields that appeared to include the entire contralateral visual field. Visual responsiveness was generally attenuated by fixation during the oculomotor tasks. Although attentional mechanisms may play a role in this attenuation, this cortical area also exhibits powerful lateral interactions in which spatially displaced visual stimuli suppress each other. Most cells, visually responsive or not, were affected by fixation. Nearly equal proportions of cells showed increases or decreases in activity during fixation. For many of the cells affected by fixation, the source of this modulation appears to reflect cognitive, rather than sensory or motor processes. This included cells that showed anticipatory activity, and cells that responded to the reward only when it was presented in the context of the task. Based on the paucity of pre-saccadic neurons, it would be difficult to conclude that this region of cortex in the cat is homologous to the frontal eye fields of the monkey. However, when considered in the context of differences in the oculomotor habits of these two animals, we believe the homology fits. In addition to pre-motor neurons, the properties of several other cell types found in this area could contribute to the control of gaze.