Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fabrication of Tizanidine Loaded Patches Using Flaxseed Oil and Coriander Oil as a Penetration Enhancer for Transdermal Delivery

Transdermal drug delivery is important to maintain plasma drug concentrations for therapeutic efficacy. The current study reports the design, formulation, and evaluation of tizanidine transdermal patches formulated using chitosan and thiolated chitosan, ethyl cellulose (EC), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and Eudragit RL100 in different ratios. The tizanidine patches were formulated using flaxseed oil and coriander oil in the concentrations of 1% v/w, 2% v/w, 3% v/w, 4% v/w, 5% v/w, and 10% v/w. The patches were subjected to characterization of physicochemical property (thickness, weight uniformity, drug content, efficiency, percentage moisture uptake/loss), in vitro drug release and drug permeation, skin irritation, in vivo application, pharmacokinetics analysis, and stability studies. The results indicate that the interaction of thiolated chitosan with the negative charges of the skin opens the tight junctions of the skin, whereas flaxseed and coriander oils change the conformational domain of the skin. The novelty of this study is in the use of flaxseed and coriander oils as skin permeation enhancers for the formulation of tizanidine transdermal patches. The formulations follow non-Fickian drug release kinetics. The FTZNE23, FTZNE36 and FTZNE54, with 5% v/w flaxseed oil loaded formulations, exhibited higher flux through rabbit skin compared with FTZNE30, FTZNE35, FTZNE42, and FTZNE47, formulations loaded with 10% v/w coriander oil. The study concludes that flaxseed oil is a better choice for formulating tizanidine patches, offering optimal plasma concentration and therapeutic efficacy, and recommends the use of flaxseed and coriander oil based patches as a novel transdermal delivery system for tizanidine and related classes of drugs.
Silica waveguide (SiWG)-based dynamic gain equalizing filter (DGEF)

Equalization of power divergence over the wavelength spectrum is very important in optical WDM networks for optimizing the link performance and maximizing the transmission distance of the link, thereby reducing the cost/bit/km of transmission. In addition to extending the reach of long-haul networks, the ability to from a remote terminal to dynamically equalize the power level changes due to long-term aging of fibers and components, reduces system maintenance costs of today's point-to-point links. As the network evolves to include optical cross-connects and re-configurable optical add-drop nodes for agile and dynamic provisioning, the dynamic gain equalization function allows the ability to compensate the gain variation of the optical amplifiers resulting from varying input power levels. In this presentation we will talk about the DGEF based on silica-on-silicon technology. The device is based on cascading an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) based de-multiplexer which separates the wavelengths into different bands, an array of Mach-Zhender interferometer (MZI) based attenuators, and an AWG-based multiplexer which recombines all the wavelength bands in to one fiber, all of which are monolithically integrated on one die. The dynamic tuning of the attenuation is achieved by varying the phase of one of the arms of the MZI using the thermo-optic effect. We will present the theory of the DGEF, talk about the control algorithm that is used to obtain the control parameters, and discuss the limitations of the device.
Fully integrated 94-GHz subharmonic injection-locked PLL circuit

A new integrated W-band frequency source MMIC is presented which consists of a 94 GHz voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with large tuning range and a phase comparator, forming a subharmonic injection-locked phase-locked loop (ILPLL). The ILPLL combines conventional injection-locking with an additional phase control loop to improve the locking range of the oscillator significantly. The 4th subharmonic frequency is used as the reference signal. The locking range was increased from 80 MHz without ILPLL to 4.5 GHz with ILPLL by closing the loop with an external DC amplifier. A phase noise of -83 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset was achieved. Pseudomorphic GaAs HEMT's and a coplanar circuit topology were used to allow integration into complex single-chip subsystems and flip-chip packaging.
Interobserver Variability of Ultrasound Features Based on American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System Lexicon in American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System System

Abstract The aim of this study is to evaluate the variability of selecting the ultrasound features used in American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR-TIRADS) and in assigning the ACR-TIRADS level in a single center among radiologists and radiology residents. The study cohort consisted of 108 thyroid nodules in 102 patients who had definite cytology results after thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy (Bethesda category II, VI) or surgery. Seven observers including 3 radiologists and 4 radiology residents evaluated the nodules according to 5 ultrasound feature categories. The evaluation process was performed after a joint meeting session, in which the “white papers” of the ACR-TIRADS committee were discussed regarding the thyroid ultrasound reporting lexicon, and final TIRADS system. Variability of ultrasound features and assigning ACR-TIRADS level was measured using Fleiss kappa statistics. Agreement for ultrasound features was “substantial” to “almost perfect” among all observers, with composition (κ = 0.86), macrocalcification (κ = 0.89) and peripheral calcification (κ = 0.92) at the highest level of agreement. The level of agreement for large comet tail artifacts and punctate echogenic foci was “moderate” in residents, whereas in radiologists, that level was “substantial. ” The agreement for assigning ACR-TIRADS level was moderate in resident as well as in radiologist subgroup. Agreement of thyroid ultrasound features was “substantial to almost perfect” among all observers. Although the level of agreement among resident group decreased to “moderate” level, ACR-TIRADS is a useful system in thyroid nodule management.
Towards photovoltaic powered artificial retina

The aim of this article is to provide an overview of current and future concepts in the field of retinal prostheses, and is focused on the power supply based on solar energy conversion; we introduce the possibility of using PV minimodules as power supply for a new concept of retinal prostheses: Photovoltaic Powered Artificial Retina (PVAR). Main characteristics of these PV modules are presented showing its potential for this application.
Area specific effects selection of small area estimation for construction of regional consumer price indices in Indonesia

Small area estimation (SAE) techniques are now widely employed to produce parameter estimates for smaller domains where sample sizes cannot be used to deliver direct estimation, such as regional consumer price indices (CPIs). Area-specific effects have important roles in attaining reliable parameter estimates in SAE. Thus their exclusion and inclusion in the model should be carefully examined to get accurate prediction. In practice, it is common to analyze large scale data in which the normality assumption of SAE models maybe violated due to sparsity of the area-specific effects. In this research, we consider the number of regional baskets of goods and services varies across districts. Hence, the calculation of regional CPIs needs different regional baskets of goods and services. To calculate such indices the normL1 penalty for area-specific effects selection is proposed. The response variables are the CPIs of January 2018 whereas the auxiliary variables are infrastructures and resources which are available in the village potential census in 2018 (PODES 2018). The proposed model fits to predict Regional CPIs by groups of expenditures 2 PUSPONEGORO, KURNIA, NOTODIPUTRO, SOLEH, ASTUTI in the sampled districts based on the empirical relative RMSE and area-specific effect selection performance. Finally, based on the regional CPIs prediction values of all over districts/cities in Indonesia the general CPI of Indonesia during January 2018 can be calculated.
System-level power estimation using SystemC and aspect-oriented programming

Rapid system modelling and early evaluation of design characterisation are central to design space exploration. SystemC is used widely for system-level modelling, but it lacks the semantics to capture power consumption. The article presents a novel high-level power estimation methodology based on SystemC and aspect-oriented programming (AOP). Using a composite pattern, our methodology is applicable to the power estimation of a complex system. The proposed strategies support macro-models with multiple features. The experimental results are illustrated with case studies.
VECTOR NETWORK ANALYSIS UNCERTAINTY EVALUATION FOR ONE-PORT MEASUREMENTS

Vector Network Analyzers (VNA) are frequently used in calibration laboratories or in production lines, for instance. Their versatility and expressive means of presenting the measurement results make them an ideal partner for numerous applications. But when it comes to qualify a measurement result the related measurement uncertainties are of great importance, if not mandatory. Finally traceability of the measurement needs to be achieved. However, determining the related measurement uncertainties can get out of hands quickly: the math behind the vector error correction is quite demanding and the number of input quantities high, sometimes overwhelming. Understanding the significant influences helps avoiding errors, to improve the measurement procedures and to keep the math "downt oearth".
Metabolic interactions of benzodiazepines with oxycodone ex vivo and toxicity depending on usage patterns in an animal model

Opioids and benzodiazepines are frequently combined in medical as well as in non‐medical contexts. At high doses, such combinations often result in serious health complications attributed to pharmacodynamics interactions. Here, we investigate the contribution of the metabolic interactions between oxycodone, diazepam and diclazepam (a designer benzodiazepine) in abuse/overdose conditions through ex vivo, in vivo and in silico approaches.
High Performance Current Controller for Sparse Matrix Converter Based on Model Predictive Control

A novel predictive current control strategy for a sparse matrix converter is presented. The sparse matrix converter is functionally-equivalent to the direct matrix converter but has a reduced number of switches. The predictive current control uses a model of the system to predict the future value of the load current and generates the reference voltage vector that minimizes a given cost function so that space vector modulation is achieved. The results show that the proposed controller for sparse matrix converters controls the load current very effectively and performs very well through simulation and experimental results.
Journalistic Relations and Values in the Networked Era: A Case Study of The Guardian

ABSTRACT In this article, I enquire into the ways that journalists negotiate their relationships, now that social media dominate the practices of journalistic newsrooms. Drawing on a Discourse Theory framework, I view journalism as a symbolic practice that is constituted through the discourse of journalists. I draw additionally on pragmatic sociology in order to approach journalists as reflexive practitioners who ground their agreements with others on a plurality of moral values. Studying the case of British news organisation The Guardian and analysing a series of newsroom interviews, I show how journalists develop a series of qualifications in order to negotiate their relationships. My findings demonstrate that journalists have indeed expanded the range of their interlocutors. This shift is associated with the inculcation of journalists with the networking logic of social media. Journalists, however, criticise social media as hostile platforms that confine people within their social circles, as carriers of unreliable journalism, and as profit-driven publishers. I claim that this contradiction allows the journalists to connect with others as representatives of an institution, which, unlike social media, upholds its civic commitments. Nonetheless, by attaching themselves to the market-friendly logic of social networking journalists are exposed to market heteronomy.
Voltage angle lock loop control of the boost type PWM converter for HVDC application

The advent of high-power, high-frequency, solid-state switches with fast gate turn-off capabilities suggests that pulse-width-modulated (PWM) techniques can soon be introduced into HVDC (high-voltage direct-current) applications. A boost-type PWM converter with voltage angle lock control that is tailored to the utility environment is described. Experimental test results for 1 kVA models show that the advantages are substantial. >
Ten years of ramp-metering in the Netherlands

Ramp metering is the management of traffic on an on-ramp, dependent of the traffic conditions on the motorway and the on-ramp. The main purpose is the improvement of traffic conditions on the motorway, taking into account the conditions on the on-ramp and surface roads. In 1989 the first ramp-metering system in the Netherlands became operational on the S101 on-ramp to the AlO-West near the Coentunnel. The system was a great success and was followed by a second pilot on the Delft-Zuid on-ramp to the A13 in the direction of Rotterdam. This also turned out to be a success. Based on this results more on-ramps were equipped to a total number of 20 by the end of 1998. On eight of these locations an assessment study was done. In the paper these assessment studies and the effects of ramp metering on capacity, flow, speed, and travel time, are discussed. It describes the different algorithms used and their impact. It concludes with some remarks about the assessments and draws some conclusions from them.
Improving recording and reporting of dementia and frailty via electronic patient record by ambulance staff in a single service (IDEAS)

Background: Dementia is common in older adults assessed by ambulance services. However, inconsistent reporting via the patient record may result in this diagnosis being overlooked by healthcare staff further down the care pathway. This can have a deleterious effect on subsequent patient care, increasing morbidity and mortality. We sought to understand how and where ambulance staff would like to record this finding on the electronic patient record (ePR). Methods: We designed and implemented a survey of ambulance staff in a single service to understand how they identify patients with dementia, how they record dementia on the ePR and how the ePR could be improved to better capture dementia. Scoping questions on frailty were included. The survey was tested using cognitive interviewing. Analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics for closed questions and thematic analysis for open questions as appropriate. Results: 131 surveys were completed; 60% of participants were paramedics and 40% were other grades of front line staff. Participants reported consulting electronic/paper sources, and individuals such as carers involved in the patients’ care, to establish whether dementia had been diagnosed. Frailty assessments were prompted by social context, reduced mobility, a fall or diagnosis of dementia. Staff reported documenting dementia in 20 different areas on the ePR and 46% of participants stated a preference for a designated area to record the information. However, 15% indicated it was not necessary to record dementia or that no ePR changes were required. Conclusions: We have highlighted the variation in ambulance staff practice in recording of dementia. Alterations to the ePR are required to ensure that dementia is recorded consistently and is easily retrievable. Clearer guidance on when to assess frailty may also enhance information provision to care staff in other sectors, resulting in more appropriate clinical and social care.
Relationship between insight level and clinical and familial features in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between insight level and clinical and familial psychiatric features of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). METHODS Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale-Symptom Checklist, 11th item of the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised Form, Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children Present and Lifetime Version 1.0, and Structured Diagnostic Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV Axis I Disorders were applied to 92 pediatric OCD patients. RESULTS In this study, the prevalence of OCD in the first children of the family was high (41.3%), and low insight was significantly related with concomitant intellectual disability (p=0.003). The level of insight was high in patients with comorbid OCD spectrum disorders (p<0.001). Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was the most common psychiatric diagnosis accompanying OCD (19.5%). Among the obsession–compulsion subscales, the symmetry/hoarding was higher in males (p=0.046). OCD patients with a family history of major depressive disorder (MDD) had high ADHD comorbidity rates (p=0.038). In OCD patients, whose family had psychiatric disorders besides MDD and anxiety disorders, the diagnosis rate of intellectual disability was higher than other diagnoses (p<0.001). CONCLUSION The sociodemographic, clinical, and familial features of pediatric OCD patients cannot be adequately clarified if the patient has limited insight. Therefore, the insight of children with OCD should be considered a range or continuity.
Self-triggered model predictive control of discrete-time Markov jump linear systems

This paper proposes a self-triggered model predictive control algorithm for a class of discrete-time Markov jump linear systems with parametric uncertainties. A dual-mode design framework is employed to guarantee the optimality, feasibility and robust stability. The online control law is obtained by minimising the worst case of a novel cost function, which contains a self-triggered mechanism. Finally, a numerical example verifies the effectiveness and resource-saving capacity of the developed approach.
DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS: MANAGING AND ENABLING VIRTUAL TEAMS

Virtual teams have a number of potential benefits, including cost savings, increased speed of decision making, and effective knowledge management. However, the benefits of virtual teams are often not realized. Costs can escalate, decision-making can slow down, and knowledge can be lost. Reasons for the ineffectiveness of virtual teams are unclear, because research has yielded mixed results on the question. A complex combination of factors appears to be involved, although which combination and the relative extent of individual factors is uncertain. The purpose of the present research is to provide a framework of the key factors that result in virtual team success. In particular, this research is focused on understanding how virtual teams can quickly resolve conflicts, increase their speed of decision making, and minimize travel requirements to increase team diversity, quality, and specialized expertise. Our main proposition is that when technology, task, knowledge-sharing practices, and team composition have been specifically designed to support each other, the VT will succeed. We propose to test this proposition by examining a number of virtual teams in a variety of industries, providing significant contributions to both the theory and practice of virtual teams.
A novel, robust DSP-based indirect rotor position estimation for permanent magnet AC motors without rotor saliency

This paper proposes and implements a novel rotor position sensorless technique for PM AC motor drives, which allows acceleration from standstill and can operate under various practical operating conditions including transient speed changes. The technique developed here relies on the measurement of the phase voltages and currents of the motor. It uses the incremental values of flux linkage, and the back-EMF functions to estimate incremental rotor position. Using a phase-locked loop (PLL) algorithm, an internal closed-loop correction algorithm can correct rotor position estimation drift, which may be due to the motor parameter variations or measurement inaccuracies. The method is implemented in closed-loop using a digital signal processor (DSP), and details of the implementation are provided in the paper. To demonstrate accuracy, robustness and reliability of the position estimation scheme, the paper presents a number of real-time experimental results, including dynamic operating conditions.
A PC-based coherent sonar for experimental underwater acoustics

An important tool for experimental underwater acoustics research is a versatile sonar system for transmitting, receiving, anti recording acoustic waveforms. In this paper the design, implementation and performance of a variable-frequency (25 kHz to 500 kHz) coherent sonar are presented. The significance of the design lies in its simplicity and versatility. These attributes are a result of a sampling technique that provides quadrature samples of the complex envelope of a bandpass signal without analog demodulation using a single A/D converter. Implementation of the design is accomplished using an ISA bus personal computer (PC), a commercially available digital signal processing (DSP) board, and a small amount of custom electronics. Performance of the sonar, in terms of magnitude and phase errors, is determined from wideband noise characterization, a linear-system model, and transmit/receive measurements.
Roll-over Protective Structure Use and the Cost of Retrofitting Tractors in the United States, 1993

Agricultural tractors are the leading cause of occupational death in the agricultural production industry in the United States, with tractor overturns being the single most common event causing these deaths. Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS) are the most effective intervention available at this time to prevent these deaths, but ROPS are not used universally by U.S. farmers. An analysis of tractor information from 12,913 randomly sampled farms indicated that, in 1993, over 4.8 million tractors were in use on U.S. farms, of which 2.98 million lacked ROPS. Farm tractors over 20 years of age were much less likely to have ROPS. The material cost of retrofitting ROPS on the tractors examined in the study was estimated at $937 per tractor, with a cost of $825,000 per life saved. An additional 1.68 million tractors needing ROPS were not covered in this cost analysis. Suggestions on possible programs to increase ROPS use on farm tractors are discussed.
Formal methodologies for modelling IT projects Critical Success Factors

IT projects are different than other engineering projects as they are characterised by high complexity and high chances of project failure. Therefore, it is important to identify those Critical Success Factors (CSFs), which increase the chances for project success. This paper reviews two emerging methodologies for identifying, classifying and evaluating CSFs in IT projects: Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM). Both methodologies are compared; their advantages, disadvantages and limitations are analysed with the objective to provide decision-makers concerned with the success of an IT project with an understanding which will help them to identify the most suitable methodology in view of the project specifics and circumstances.