Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microwave imaging: Comparison of direct scattering problem solvers

Breast cancer detection has become one of the most emergent tasks these days. A microwave imaging for the breast cancer detection shows several advantages compared to the conventional X-ray mammography. If the test is carried out using the microwave imaging system a person is not exposed to a high dose of the radiation; the X-ray method is less sensitive to radio-graphically dense tissues, etc. A scattering solver is the most important part of the microwave imaging system. The scattering from an unknown object that exhibits a contrast in electric permittivity and conductivity has to be analyzed. There are several approaches for a numerical solution of the problem, e.g. Integral Equations (IE), Finite Differences (FD), Finite Elements (FE) and other methods.In the paper, the formulation of the scattering problem using IE, FD and FE methods is given. These methods are compared from the viewpoint of their suitability to model a scattering problem. Accuracy, computational time, and memory demands are the criteria for the method comparison.
Preventive and Deterrent Controls for Software Piracy

In an attempt to protect their intellectual property and compete effectively in an increasingly dynamic marketplace, software publishers have employed a number of preventive and deterrent controls to counter software piracy. Conventional wisdom suggests that reducing piracy will force consumers to acquire software legitimately, thus increasing firm profits. We develop an analytical model to test the implications of antipiracy measures on publisher profits. Our results suggest that preventive controls decrease profits and deterrent controls can potentially increase profits. Empirical results are also presented that support the proposition on the impact of deterrent controls on the extent of software piracy derived from the analytical model.
Indonesian students’ participation in an interprofessional learning workshop

Abstract Interprofessional learning activities, such as workshops allow students to learn from, with and about each other. This study assessed the impact on Indonesian health students’ attitudes towards interprofessional education (IPE) from participating in a workshop on medication safety. The students attended a two-day IPE workshop on medication safety. Thirty-five (48.6%) students completed pre-/post-workshop surveys using a modified Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) survey. The post-workshop survey also had a series of open-ended questions. Students’ responses to each RIPLS statement pre-/post-workshop were compared, whilst their responses to open-ended questions in post-workshop survey were thematically analysed. Students reported positive attitudinal changes on statements of shared learning and teamwork sub-scale (Wilcoxon p value <0.05). Analysis of the open-ended questions indicated that students perceived the workshop as having improved their understanding on the importance of teamwork and communication skills. This study found that learning with other health students through an IPE workshop improved medical, nursing and pharmacy students’ attitudes towards the importance of shared learning, teamwork and communication in healthcare service.
Minimum thermal conductivity considerations in aerogel thin films

We demonstrate the use time domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) to measure the thermal conductivity of the solid silica network of aerogel thin-films. TDTR presents a unique experimental capability for measuring the thermal conductivity of porous media due to the nanosecond time domain aspect of the measurement. In short, TDTR is capable of explicitly measuring the change in temperature with time of the solid portion of porous media independently from the pores or effective media. This makes TDTR ideal for determining the thermal transport through the solid network of the aerogel film. We measure the thermal conductivity of the solid silica networks of an aerogel film that is 10% solid, and the thermal conductivity of the same type of film that has been calcined to remove the terminating methyl groups. We find that for similar densities, the thermal conductivity through the silica in the aerogel thin films is similar to that of bulk aerogels. We theoretically describe the thermal transport in the aerogel film.
Crystal structure of a novel prolidase from Deinococcus radiodurans identifies new subfamily of bacterial prolidases

Xaa‐Pro peptidases (XPP) are dinuclear peptidases of MEROPS M24B family that hydrolyze Xaa‐Pro iminopeptide bond with a trans‐proline at the second position of the peptide substrate. XPPs specific towards dipeptides are called prolidases while those that prefer longer oligopeptides are called aminopeptidases P. Though XPPs are strictly conserved in bacterial and archaeal species, the structural and sequence features that distinguish between prolidases and aminopeptidases P are not always clear. Here, we report 1.4 Å resolution crystal structure of a novel XPP from Deinococcus radiodurans (XPPdr). XPPdr forms a novel dimeric structure via unique dimer stabilization loops of N‐terminal domains such that their C‐terminal domains are placed far apart from each other. This novel dimerization is also the consequence of a different orientation of N‐terminal domain in XPPdr monomer than those in other known prolidases. The enzymatic assays show that it is a prolidase with broad substrate specificity. Our structural, mutational, and molecular dynamics simulation analyses show that the conserved Arg46 of N‐terminal domain is important for the dipeptide selectivity. Our BLAST search found XPPdr orthologs with conserved sequence motifs which correspond to unique structural features of XPPdr, thus identify a new subfamily of bacterial prolidases.
Pictures Worth a Thousand Words: Noncommercial Tobacco Content in the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Press

Smoking prevalence in the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community is higher than in the mainstream population. The reason is undetermined; however, normalization of tobacco use in the media has been shown to affect smoking rates. To explore whether this might be a factor in the LGB community, we examined noncommercial imagery and text relating to tobacco and smoking in LGB magazines and newspapers. Tobacco-related images were frequent and overwhelmingly positive or neutral about tobacco use. Images frequently associated smoking with celebrities. Text items unrelated to tobacco were often illustrated with smoking imagery. Text items about tobacco were likely to be critical of tobacco use; however, there were three times as many images as text items. The number of image items was not accounted for by the number of text items: nearly three quarters of all tobacco-related images (73.8%) were unassociated with relevant text. Tobacco imagery is pervasive in LGB publications. The predominant message about tobacco use in the LGB press is positive or neutral; tobacco is often glamorized. Noncommercial print images of smoking may normalize it, as movie product placement does. Media advocacy approaches could counter normalization of smoking in LGB-specific media.
IR stereo RealSense: Decreasing minimum range of navigational assistance for visually impaired individuals

Introduction of RGB-D sensors is a revolutionary force that offers a portable, versatile and cost-effective solution of navigational assistance for the visually impaired. RGB-D sensors on the market such as Microsoft Kinect, Asus Xtion and Intel RealSense are mature products, but all have a minimum detecting distance of about 800mm. This results in the loss of depth information and the omission of short-range obstacles, posing a significant risk on navigation. This paper puts forward a simple and effective approach to reduce the minimum range that enhances the reliability and safety of navigational assistance. Over-dense regions of IR speckles in two IR images are exploited as a stereo pair to generate short-range depth, as well as fusion of original depth image and RGB image to eliminate misjudgment. Besides, a seeded growing algorithm of obstacle detection with extended depth information is presented. Finally, the minimum range of Intel RealSense R200 is decreased by approximately 75%, from 650mm to 165mm. Experiment results show capacity of detecting obstacles from 165mm to more than 5000mm and improved performance of navigational assistance with expansion of detection range. The presented approach proves to be of qualified accuracy and speed for guiding the visually impaired.
Pre‐ and postnatal development of the primary visual cortex of the common marmoset. I. A changing space for synaptogenesis

The primary visual cortex of Callithrix jacchus occupies a large portion of the occipital neocortex and can be safely delineated from fetal stages onwards. In 20 animals ranging in age from fetal to adult age the morphological development of area 17 was evaluated and compared with the growth of whole brain, skull, and head size. Cortical thickness, surface area, and volume of the area were determined in addition to predominant growth directions. The volume of area 17 approximately doubles between birth (241 mm3) and three months of age (506 mm3). This maximum value marks an overshoot in growth (volume: 180%, surface area: 150%, thickness: 122%), which is followed by a considerable reduction before adult values (100%) are reached. Although these values seem to indicate that the overall reduction in size is fairly isometric, growth and regression are locally anisometric. For example, layers II–IVc contribute disproportionately to the overshoot; thickening is less pronounced than tangential growth and follows a slightly different time course. These data suggest that the developing visual cortex represents a highly dynamic distribution space for the developing synaptic junctions which should be taken into account in studies on synaptogenesis. By comparison it is suggested that this growth dynamic is not restricted to area 17 but also occurs in some other parts of the cerebral cortex. In contrast, most subcortical brain regions apparently do not undergo overshoot growth. Structural changes of the skull compensate the overshoot in cortex growth, so that head size increases steadily. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Binocular facilitation of discomfort with high luminances.

It is well known that in normal humans exposure to intense illumination is often accompanied by discomfort and pain. From a neurophysiological point of view, little is known about what makes light uncomfortable or too bright. The afferent nerves proposed as contributing to the response include the special sensory (the optic nerve), the general somatic (the trigeminal nerve), and the general visceral (the vidian nerve). A number of mechanisms have been suggested by which these nerves might cause pain. 1-5 In clinical terminology, the uncomfortable response produced by light striking either a normal or pathologic retina when the anterior segment is normal has been called false photophobia, since mechanical irritation of the retina or stimulation of the optic nerve in humans does not produce pain. 1,6 True photophobia is said to occur when there is some irritation of the cornea or other anterior segment structures which potentiates the aversive response
Dose Separation Does Not Overcome the Pharmacokinetic Interaction between Fosamprenavir and Lopinavir/Ritonavir

ABSTRACT Previous investigations have shown a significant negative two-way drug interaction between fosamprenavir (FPV) and lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/RTV) in both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and seronegative volunteers. This randomized, nonblinded, three-way crossover study of HIV-seronegative adult volunteers investigated dose separation and increased doses of RTV as a means to overcome the interaction between FPV and LPV/RTV. Eleven HIV-seronegative volunteers were given FPV plus LPV/RTV at 700 mg plus 400/100 mg every 12 hours (q12h) simultaneously for 10 days and then randomized to receive each of three 7-day treatments in one of six possible sequences, as follows: FPV plus LPV/RTV at 700 mg plus 400 mg/100 mg q12h simultaneously, FPV/RTV at 700 mg/100 mg q12h plus LPV/RTV at 400 mg/100 mg q12h, with doses separated by 4 h, and FPV/RTV at 1,400 mg/200 mg in the morning plus LPV/RTV at 800 mg/200 mg in the evening. Pharmacokinetic sampling was performed on day 8 of each treatment, and samples were analyzed for FPV, amprenavir (APV), LPV, and RTV concentrations by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Geometric mean ratios (GMR [with 95% confidence intervals]) for the 4- and 12-h dose separation strategies compared to simultaneous administration were calculated for the areas under the concentration-time curves from 0 to 24 h. Compared to simultaneous administration, RTV exposures increased with both 4-h and 12-h dose separation strategies (GMR, 5.30 [3.66 to 7.67] and 4.45 [3.09 to 6.41], respectively). LPV exposures also significantly increased with both 4-h and 12-h dose separation strategies (GMR, 1.76 [1.34 to 2.32] and 1.43 [1.02 to 2.01], respectively). However, both the 4- and 12-h strategies resulted in greater reductions in APV exposure (0.67 [0.54 to 0.83] and 0.77 [0.59 to 0.99], respectively) compared to simultaneous administration. Additional investigations are warranted to determine the optimal dosing of FPV with LPV/RTV.
Entanglement on mixed stabilizer states: normal forms and reduction procedures

The stabilizer formalism allows the efficient description of a sizeable class of pure as well as mixed quantum states of n-qubit systems. That same formalism has important applications in the field of quantum error correcting codes, where mixed stabilizer states correspond to projectors on subspaces associated with stabilizer codes. In this paper, we derive efficient reduction procedures to obtain various useful normal forms for stabilizer states. We explicitly prove that these procedures will always converge to the correct result and that these procedures are efficient in that they only require a polynomial number of operations on the generators of the stabilizers. On one hand, we obtain two single-party normal forms. The first, the row-reduced echelon form, is obtained using only permutations and multiplications of generators. This form is useful to calculate partial traces of stabilizer states. The second is the fully reduced form, where the reduction procedure invokes single-qubit operations and CNOT operations as well. This normal form allows for the efficient calculation of the overlap between two stabilizer states, as well as of the Uhlmann fidelity between them, and their Bures distance. On the other hand, we also find a reduction procedure of bipartite stabilizer states, where the operations involved are restricted to be local ones. The two-party normal form thus obtained lays bare a very simple bipartite entanglement structure of stabilizer states. To wit, we prove that every bipartite mixed stabilizer state is locally equivalent to a direct product of a number of maximally entangled states and, potentially, a separable state. As a consequence, using this normal form we can efficiently calculate every reasonable bipartite entanglement measure of mixed stabilizer states.
Activation of Protease-Activated Receptor (PAR)-1, PAR-2, and PAR-4 Stimulates IL-6, IL-8, and Prostaglandin E2 Release from Human Respiratory Epithelial Cells1

Epithelia from many tissues express protease-activated receptors (PARs) that play a major role in several different physiological processes. In this study, we examined their capacity to modulate IL-6, IL-8, and PGE2 production in both the A459 and BEAS-2B cell lines and primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs). All three cell types expressed PAR-1, PAR-2, PAR-3, and PAR-4, as judged by RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry. Agonist peptides corresponding to the nascent N termini of PAR-1, PAR-2, and PAR-4 induced the release of cytokines from A549, BEAS-2B, and HBECs with a rank order of potency of PAR-2 > PAR-4 > PAR-1 at 400 μM. PAR-1, PAR-2, and PAR-4 also caused the release of PGE2 from A549 and HBECs. The PAR-3 agonist peptide was inactive in all systems tested. PAR-1, PAR-2, or PAR-4, in combination, caused additive IL-6 release, but only the PAR-1 and PAR-2 combination resulted in an additive IL-8 response. PAR peptide-induced responses were accompanied by changes in intracellular calcium ion concentrations. However, Ca2+ ion shutoff was ∼2-fold slower with PAR-4 than with PAR-1 or PAR-2, suggesting differential G protein coupling. Combined, these data suggest an important role for PAR in the modulation of inflammation in the lung.
Characterization of a Population of Monozygotic Twins with Asthma

Background. Asthma is a complex inflammatory lung disease that results from allergic and nonallergic environmental exposures in genetically susceptible individuals. The interrelationship and impact of environmental and genetic determinants on the development of asthma is still unclear. Monozygotic twins (MZT) have been considered a potentially useful population to investigate the role of genetic and environmental factors on asthma because of their identical genetic background, similar childhood environmental exposures, and expected high concordance rate for asthma. Methods. A detailed questionnaire designed to obtain demographic information, medical history/severity of asthma, and environmental exposures was distributed to 43 pairs of MZT pairs where one or both probands had a history of asthma. All twin pairs were clinically evaluated for atopy by skin testing. Asthma was assessed by questionnaire, baseline spirometry, disease severity, airway reactivity, and medication scores. Results. Based on a history of physician-diagnosed asthma, disease severity, airway reactivity, and medication scores, 22 MZT pairs were identified as concordant (C) for asthma while 21 MZT pairs were discordant (D) for asthma. Those MZT-C for asthma were on average older and more often female. Adjusted odds ratios for age and gender revealed that MZT-C for asthma had a 2.3 greater likelihood of childhood tobacco exposure and a 1.8 greater likelihood of early exposure to a pet compared to MZT-D pairs. In addition, MZT-C for asthma had a 2.4 greater likelihood of being full term vs. premature at birth. None of these odds ratios were statistically significant due to a small sample size. However, a trend for a greater likelihood of earlier environmental exposures was observed for MZT-C asthma pairs. Among MZT-D probands, a history of asthma in one proband was supported by a lower FEV1 and higher airway reactivity, disease severity, asthma symptom, and medication scores compared to the nonasthma proband. There was significant intrapair heterogeneity among MZT-C and MZT-D probands in their positive skin test responses to specific aeroallergens. Conclusion. Cross-sectional evaluation of larger MZT populations where one or both proband has asthma with a long-term prospective follow-up may be a feasible way for identifying the impact of environmental determinants as independent risk factors for the development of asthma.
Sparse Sampling for Real-time Ray Tracing

Ray tracing is an interesting rendering technique, but remains too slow for real-time applications. There are various algorithmic methods to speed up ray tracing through uneven screen-space sampling, e.g., foveated rendering where sampling is directed by eye tracking. Uneven sampling methods tend to require at least one sample per pixel, limiting their use in real-time rendering. We review recent work on image reconstruction from arbitrarily distributed samples, and argue that these will play major role in the future of real-time ray tracing, allowing a larger fraction of samples to be focused on regions of interest. Potential implementation approaches and challenges are discussed.
A molecular approach to estimating the human deleterious mutation rate

We propose a method of measuring the human genomic deleterious mutation rate based on comparison of the rate of evolution per nucleotide per generation of neutral sequences, μN, with the overall rate of evolution of unique sequence DNA, μo. Data on μN, which are based on pseudogenes, permit an estimate of the total zygotic (twice the genomic) mutation rate, UT = 2μNn = 2(2 × 10−8)(3 × 109) ≈ 102, where n is the number of nucleotides per genome. Data on μO can be obtained by comparison of representative samples of relatively short homologous sequences from the genomes of Homo and a related species. The fraction of the genome that is controlled by negative selection is fs = (μN ‐μo)/μN and the deleterious zygotic mutation rate, the expected number of new deleterious alleles carried by a zygote, is Us = UTfs. If fs > 0.01, US > 1, which would have important implications for human genetics and evolutionary biology. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Experimental Investigation of Wideband MIMO Channel Characteristics Based on Outdoor Non-LOS Measurements at 1.8 GHz

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the wideband MIMO channel characteristics in an outdoor nonline-of-sight environment. Our wideband MIMO testbed is a true array system with four transmitting antennas and eight receiving antennas, which operates at a carrier frequency of 1.8 GHz with a bandwidth of 2.5 MHz. The measurements are conducted at the J. J. Pickle Research Campus at the University of Texas at Austin. From the measured data, the matrix channel complex impulse responses and multipath delay profiles are extracted. Statistical descriptions of the elements in the channel matrices and the frequency correlation functions are also presented. Based on the measured data, the channel capacities are computed and the Kronecker model results are evaluated for arrays of different sizes. It shows that the Kronecker model underestimates the channel capacities due to higher correlation matrices for arrays of larger sizes in outdoor environments
Running head: ANALYZING ARGUMENTATIVE KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION A Framework to Analyze Argumentative Knowledge Construction in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is often based on written argumentative discourse of learners, who discuss their perspectives on a problem with the goal to acquire knowledge. Lately, CSCL research focuses on the facilitation of specific processes of argumentative knowledge construction, e.g., with computer-supported collaboration scripts. In order to refine process-oriented instructional support, such as scripts, we need to measure the influence of scripts on specific processes of argumentative knowledge construction. In this article, we propose a multi-dimensional approach to analyze argumentative knowledge construction in CSCL from sampling and segmentation of the discourse corpora to the analysis of four process dimensions (participation, epistemic, argumentative, social mode).