Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical Evaluation of Active inductances Controlled in GaAs MESFET Technology

Two new structures of active inductance which implement MESFET transistors are proposed in this article. The technological parameters of the components "inductances" are those of 0. 8µm MESFET technology. We will expose the advantages of these new structures such as the adjustable character of the value of the active inductance like their limitation and we will compare them to those of the literature. The studies of RF inductances are justified by the keen demand of the applications in telecommunication such as filtering in continuous time, the controlled oscillators and decoupling. This basic element of analogical electronics is thus essential. Integrated passive inductances are limited by their low quality coefficient (1), the reproducibility of their values and the great silicon surface necessary to their synthesis for the RF applications whose frequency is a few gigahertz. It is moreover to note, that this problem of size involves an additional difficulty of characterization of the couplings existing between the various tracks which constitute the inductance. Some techniques were introduced to palliate or to lessen the impact of these defects (2, 3). These improvements are obtained with the detriment of the facility of design and require a high number of used metal layers, and also lead to the inductance modelling. The wire bonding was also explored in order to synthesize a passive inductance (4). However, this option does not present a strong integration and poses also the problem of the reproducibility of the inductance value. It thus remains held for certain applications. For a few years, another approach has known a renewal of attention on behalf of the analogicians originators: the "active inductance". This revival is mainly due to better performances of the transistors which result from the technological improvements of the integrated circuits manufacturing processes. In addition to the adjustable aspect of the active inductance, we can note the possibility of obtaining good quality factors (Q>5), a broader frequency range, as well as the independence between the inductance value and the circuit size. As we will point out, achievements were presented in GaAs technology for the high frequencies; others were presented in silicon bipolar technology for RF applications in the frequency band around the Giga-hertz. We will propose two new GaAs MESFET structures and will compare their characteristics to the other MESFET and bipolar structures of the literature.
ACOUSTIC VIBRATIONS OF SEMICONDUCTOR NANOCRYSTALS IN DOPED GLASSES

Polarization-dependent low-frequency off-resonant Raman scattering has been studied from various commercially available filter glass samples, which contain CdSxSe12x nanoparticles embedded in a glass matrix. In order to distinguish the confined acoustic phonons from the glass background, the spectra have been compared with those obtained from the base material, which does not contain nanoparticles. Polarized and depolarized scattering from confined acoustic phonons was distinctly resolved near the laser line and overtones of the polarized modes were observed. A theoretical treatment, which establishes a relation between the particle size, the frequencies, and the widths of various phonons, taking into account the matrix influence on the vibrational spectrum and on its damping, is presented. The material-dependent generalized form of this model enables one to use it for any given combination of particle and matrix materials. A good agreement between the experimental and the theoretical results is found. The nanoparticle sizes obtained from Raman scattering agree well with those obtained from transmission electron microscope and anomalous small angle x-ray scattering experiments. @S0163-1829~99! 07231-8#
Occupational Risk Factors for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome among Nurses in Medical

Introduction Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a hand disorder which indicates the presence of symptoms such as pain, numbness, and muscle weakness among the patient. CTS is an occupational related disorder which can occur in any profession. However, it can be prevented and managed. The aims of the research were to determine the prevalence of acquiring CTS among nurses who worked in the wards and occupational risk factors involving the upper limbs during nursing tasks performance. The specific aims were to determine the relationship between the prevalence of acquiring CTS and individual factors (age, gender, race, educational level, duration of work and medical history), relationship between the prevalence of acquiring CTS and occupational risk factors in nursing tasks. Nurses profession was chosen as they are performing multitask involving upper limbs especially the wrist joints. Methods Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ) was used to determine the level of severity in CTS. Occupational risk factors were assessed by using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA). This research was a cross sectional mode which was carried out at a government university medical centre from November through December 2010. Results Eighty nurses were involved in the research. The respondents were required to fill in the socio-demographic information sheet. Those having CTS were required to fill in the BCTQ. Assessments were performed by observing of the job activity through RULA. The results showed that the prevalence for nurses acquiring CTS is 7.5%. The RULA assessment also indicated that the risk factor was in the highest level with a score of 7. No relationship was shown between the prevalence of CTS and race, gender, educational level and medical history. Significant relationship was indicated by the prevalence of CTS and occupational risk factors. Conclusions In conclusion, a significant prevalence of CTS related to age of more than 30 years old, Malay races compared to Indian, working experience of more than 10 years and respondents with right hand dominant. Occupational risk factors also indicated among the active nurses. Therefore, it is important for us to modify the work environment, work flow, work methodology and ergonomic factors in order to prevent the nurses from acquiring CTS. Furthermore, education about the condition of CTS should be implemented and reinforced especially among the higher risk nurses.
Canonical NF-κB signaling in fibroblasts and cancer-associated fibroblasts in colitis and colorectal cancer.

The microenvironment of solid tumors (TME) has a significant impact on all stages of tumorigenesis including response to treatment. Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant cells in the TME, and through the secretion of multiple factors, they are known to be key effectors for many of the functions attributed to the TME. IKKβ driven NF-κB activation is a central driver for many inflammation-driven tumors. A pro-inflammatory NF-κB gene signature in CAFs has been suggested to promote tumorigenesis in models of pancreatic, mammary skin cancer. Using an autochthonous model of colitis-associated carcinogenesis (CAC) we provide evidence for a tumor suppressive function of IKKβ /NF-κB in CAFs. Fibroblast restricted deletion of Ikk stimulates intestinal epithelial cell proliferation, suppresses tumor cell death, enhances accumulation of CD4+Foxp3+ Treg cells and promotes angiogenesis ultimately promoting colonic tumor growth. In Ikkβ-deficient fibroblasts transcription of negative regulators of TGFβ signaling including Smad7, Smurf 1 and Smurf2 is impaired causing up-regulation of a TGFβ gene signature and elevated HGF secretion. Overexpression of Smad7 in Ikkβ-deficient fibroblasts prevents HGF secretion and pharmacological inhibition of Met during the CAC model confirms that enhanced tumor promotion is dependent on HGF/Met signaling in mucosa of Ikkβ-mutant animals. Collectively, these results highlight an unexpected tumor suppressive function of IKKβ/NF-κB in CAFs linked to HGF release and raise potential concerns about the use of IKK inhibitors in CRC patients.
Historical overview of the literature on business performance measurement from the beginning to the present

The paper summarizes the concept of business performance and the performance measurement. The concept of business performance has changed a lot over the past decades. The managers have understood that in order to achieve organizational goals, more emphasis should be placed outside the owners, on other market participants, on the stakeholders (eg: customers, clients, employees, suppliers and other partners, local communities, â€¦). The â€™90s are also called â€žThe performance measurement revolutionâ€ , because a lot of new performance measurement methods, systems appeared. The performance measurements have the prominent role: to collect information about where we are going to achieve the goals, if needed for intervention.
THE FERMI BUBBLES: SUPERSONIC ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS JETS WITH ANISOTROPIC COSMIC-RAY DIFFUSION

The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope reveals two large bubbles in the Galaxy, which extend nearly symmetrically ∼50° above and below the Galactic center. Using three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic simulations that self-consistently include the dynamical interaction between cosmic rays (CRs) and thermal gas and anisotropic CR diffusion along the magnetic field lines, we show that the key characteristics of the observed gamma-ray bubbles and the spatially correlated X-ray features in the ROSAT 1.5 keV map can be successfully reproduced by recent jet activity from the central active galactic nucleus. We find that after taking into account the projection of the 3D bubbles onto the sky the physical heights of the bubbles can be much smaller than previously thought, greatly reducing the formation time of the bubbles to about a Myr. This relatively small bubble age is needed to reconcile the simulations with the upper limit of bubble ages estimated from the cooling time of high-energy electrons. No additional physical mechanisms are required to suppress large-scale hydrodynamic instabilities because the evolution time is too short for them to develop. The simulated CR bubbles are edge-brightened, which is consistent with the observed projected flat surface brightness distribution. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the sharp edges of the observed bubbles can be due to anisotropic CR diffusion along magnetic field lines that drape around the bubbles during their supersonic expansion, with suppressed perpendicular diffusion across the bubble surface. Possible causes of the slight bends of the Fermi bubbles to the west are also discussed.
A PSO-based Model for Assessment of Atmospheric Quality

Summary The assessment for atmospheric quality has become the key problem in the study of the quality of atmospheric environment. Supposing the values of parameters of the universal formula for calculating the harm rate of the atmospheric pollution are uniform for different pollutants, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is applied to optimize the parameters of the universal formula. We proposed a model based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, which suited to multipollutants for assessment of atmospheric quality in this paper. Experimental results show the advantages of the proposed model, such as pellucid principle and physical explication, predigested formula and low computation complexity. Therefore the proposed model in this paper could provide an effective approach for environmental renovation planning and has great potential in the field of the atmospheric quality assessment.
Development of a vision system for an intelligent ground vehicle

The development of a vision system for an autonomous ground vehicle designed and constructed for the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) is discussed. The requirements for the vision system of the autonomous vehicle are explored via functional analysis considering the flows (materials, energies and signals) into the vehicle and the changes required of each flow within the vehicle system. Functional analysis leads to a vision system based on a laser range finder (LIDAR) and a camera. Input from the vision system is processed via a ray-casting algorithm whereby the camera data and the LIDAR data are analyzed as a single array of points representing obstacle locations, which for the IGVC, consist of white lines on the horizontal plane and construction markers on the vertical plane. Functional analysis also leads to a multithreaded application where the ray-casting algorithm is a single thread of the vehicle's software, which consists of multiple threads controlling motion, providing feedback, and processing the data from the camera and LIDAR. LIDAR data is collected as distances and angles from the front of the vehicle to obstacles. Camera data is processed using an adaptive threshold algorithm to identify color changes within the collected image; the image is also corrected for camera angle distortion, adjusted to the global coordinate system, and processed using least-squares method to identify white boundary lines. Our IGVC robot, MAX, is utilized as the continuous example for all methods discussed in the paper. All testing and results provided are based on our IGVC robot, MAX, as well.
BIOAVAILABILITY AND HYPOCHOLESTEROLEMIC EFFECT OF PRONIOSOMAL SIMVASTATIN FOR TRANSDERMAL DELIVERY

Objective: Simvastatin (SIM) existing oral formulations suffer from poor bioavailability (less than 5%) as a result of extensive first-pass effect as well as dissolution rate-limited in vivo absorption. In the present study, a proniosomal system was designed for SIM transdermal delivery. Methods: In vitro evaluation of proniosomal SIM was performed in different aspects; drug entrapment, vesicle size, zeta potential, vesicular morphology, in vitro release, skin permeation and stability. The optimized formula was assessed for transdermal permeation in rats and for hypocholesterolemic effect in hypercholesterolemic rats compared to oral SIM dispersion. Results: The proniosomal formula consisted of lecithin: Tween 20 in molar ratio of 1:9 exhibited significantly (P<0.05) lower vesicular size, high SIM entrapment, sustained release pattern as well as significantly higher skin permeation. The topical application of optimized proniosomal SIM showed significantly (P<0.05) higher values of AUC0–8 and Tmax, and significantly (P<0.05) lower values of Cmax compared to SIM oral dispersion. The mean relative bioavailability of proniosomal SIM to oral dispersion was 120.40 ± 11.44%. The investigated proniosomal SIM showed a significantly (P<0.05) higher hypocholesterolemic effect compared to oral SIM dispersion in treatment of hypercholesterolemic rats. Conclusion: The obtained results were very encouraging and offered an alternative approach to enhance the bioavailability and the hypocholesterolemic effect of SIM.
Students' perceptions of peer feedback

Researchers have posited that students have different perceptions of peer feedback depending on their cultural background. However, studies on American students' perceptions of peer feedback in foreign language writing research are scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate American students' perceptions of peer feedback in college foreign language courses. Quantitative results showed that students had overall high perceptions of the experience, with significantly higher perceptions of receiving written comments than either reading their partner's composition or receiving face-to-face feedback from their partner. In addition, qualitative results revealed that students reported receiving from their partners more global aspect comments, focused on organization and idea development, than local aspect comments, focused on grammar and mechanics.
Research based on data mining of an early warning technology for predicting engineering students ’ performance

There is a crisis in engineering students’ performance and the best way to eliminate it or to nip it in the bud is through a pre-control mechanism, or warning. It is considered most important to adopt the appropriate technology and methods of such an early warning. Based on theories and methods, some measures can be taken to deal with this crisis. Therefore, the use of different data mining approaches for improving the prediction of students’ performance is proposed in this article, starting from the test data drawn from quantitative, qualitative data and also the learning materials. The objective is to determine how the selection of attributes, the use of different classification algorithms, and the date and time when data is gathered, affect the accuracy and comprehensibility of the prediction. The results of this study show that the method proposed here, the early warning technology of students’ performance, has had a positive influence on their learning effectiveness.
Mixed Weighted KNN for Imbalanced Datasets

It is well known that imbalanced datasets are a common phenomenon and will reduce the accuracy of classification. For solving the class imbalance problem, this paper proposed the mixed weighted KNN algorithm. According to the imbalance between the classes, this algorithm assigns each sample of datasets an inverse proportion weight, and then it combines with the distance weight, making the weight of the training sample close to the test sample greater. In order to improve the operating efficiency and make it easy to handle massive datasets, we implemented the parallelism of MW-KNN based on the Hadoop framework. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is simple and effective.
Water availability limits tree productivity, carbon stocks, and carbon residence time in mature forests across the western US

Abstract. Water availability constrains the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems and is projected to change in many parts of the world over the coming century. We quantified the response of tree net primary productivity (NPP), live biomass (BIO), and mean carbon residence time (CRT = BIO / NPP) to spatial variation in water availability in the western US. We used forest inventory measurements from 1953 mature stands (> 100 years) in Washington, Oregon, and California (WAORCA) along with satellite and climate data sets covering the western US. We summarized forest structure and function in both domains along a 400 cm yr−1 hydrologic gradient, quantified with a climate moisture index (CMI) based on the difference between precipitation and reference evapotranspiration summed over the water year (October–September) and then averaged annually from 1985 to 2014 (CMI wy ). Median NPP, BIO, and CRT computed at 10 cm yr−1 intervals along the CMI wy gradient increased monotonically with increasing CMI wy across both WAORCA (rs = 0.93–0.96, p
Estimation of leaf area index in the sunflower as a function of thermal time

The aim of this study was to obtain a mathematical model for estimating the leaf area index (LAI) of a sunflower crop as a function of accumulated thermal time. Generating the models and testing their coefficients was carried out using data obtained from experiments carried out for different sowing dates in the crop years of 2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 with two sunflower hybrids, Aguara 03 and Helio 358. Linear leaf dimensions were used for the non-destructive measurement of the leaf area, and thermal time was used to quantify the biological time. With the data for accumulated thermal time (TTa) and LAI known for any one day after emergence, mathematical models were generated for estimating the LAI. The following models were obtained, as they presented the best fit (lowest root- mean-square error, RMSE): gaussian peak, cubic polynomial, sigmoidal and an adjusted compound model, the modified sigmoidal. The modified sigmoidal model had the best fit to the generation data and the highest value for the coefficient of determination (R 2 ). In testing the models, the lowest values for root-mean-square error, and the highest R 2 between
Intuitions About Sample Size: The Empirical Law of Large Numbers

According to Jacob Bernoulli, even the ‘stupidest man’ knows that the larger one’s sample of observations, the more confidence one can have in being close to the truth about the phenomenon observed. Two-and-a-half centuries later, psychologists empirically tested people’s intuitions about sample size. One group of such studies found participants attentive to sample size; another found participants ignoring it. We suggest an explanation for a substantial part of these inconsistent findings. We propose the hypothesis that human intuition conforms to the ‘empirical law of large numbers’ and distinguish between two kinds of tasks — one that can be solved by this intuition (frequency distributions) and one for which it is not suAcient (sampling distributions). A review of the literature reveals that this distinction can explain a substantial part of the apparently inconsistent results. * c 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
GUN VIOLENCE IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND META-ANALYSES

The present study conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses of relevant literature and data relating to gun violence in United States of America and found that the current concern about gun violence arises from a growing understanding of the adverse economic, physical, mental, and behavioral health effects that result from community exposure to high rates of gun violence. Therefore, it is noted that gun violence has become a major socio-economic and public health issues in United States of America due to the fact that it has eroded the quality of life of majority of the citizens. The study therefore established that interventions and strategies to address the problem of gun violence should address the intransigent causes of American gun violence - dying cities, inequality, deteriorating family structure, and the all-pervasive economic and social consequences of a history of slavery and racism that provides a generally acceptable strategy for reducing incidents of gun violence.
Cooperative Localization Methods in Vehicular Networks by Peyman

Cooperative Localization Methods in Vehicular Networks Peyman Hadi Mohammadabadi Master of Applied Science Graduate Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Toronto 2014 We present a new cooperative positioning (CP) method to increase localization accuracy in extended vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). This proposed method uses a novel semi-extended Kalman filter to fuse position data and distance ranging information of nodes in the network. We also introduce a new distance measurement method using time-di↵erence-of-arrival in positive orthogonal codes. Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms other cooperative positioning systems, both for low and high tra c densities. In addition to the proposed cooperative positioning method in this thesis, we propose a modified light version of our positioning method which has less complexity than our first method while it still performs almost as well as our first proposed method. Moreover, we introduce selection methods for scheduling the localization process for heavy tra c scenarios. These scheduling methods reduce the number of nodes that are localized at each time step and help to reduce the complexity and processing cost of the positioning system.