Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Evaluation for Two-Dimensional Electromagnetic Propagation in a Dielectric Medium using Markov Chain Monte Carlo Method (Preprint)

Abstract : The motivation of this work is to quantify the degradation of aging electrical cables. The dielectric material parameter of insulation can be correlated with degradation. In this paper, the forward problem is posed as a microwave nondestructive evaluation (NDE) problem. A 2D finite difference time domain (FDTD) was used to evaluate the forward problem. The inverse problem is solved via a Bayesian approach. The Bayesian formulation describes the solution as a posterior distribution over the model parameters such as complex permittivity. Since there is no analytical solution for the posterior distribution, the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method is employed to numerically solve for it. The Metropolis-Hasting algorithm is used in particular. Results for computational experiments are demonstrated to show feasibility of this approach.
A low cost self contained platform for human motion analysis

In this paper we describe a low cost sensor platform for use in human motion investigations. The platform is based on a readily available low cost microprocessor and features on-board memory, inertial sensors, USB communications and provision for additional sensors. Using a custom designed operating system it is easily customised by someone who has only limited programming experience. In the second part of our paper we present some simple applications for investigating human motion using the on-board sensors. These applications show the user how to collect and download data and then introduces basic data processing techniques to process and analyze the data for key signatures and markers using readily available tools such as Matlab and Mathematica or their freeware equivalents
ANNSURG-D17-01468 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL Incisional Hernia After Midline Versus Transverse Specimen Extraction Incision ndergoing Laparoscopic Colectomy

Objective: To compare the incidence of incisional hernia (IH) between midline and transverse specimen extraction site in patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy. Background: Midline specimen extraction incision is most commonly used in laparoscopic colectomy, but has high IH risk. IH may be lower for transverse incision. Methods: A single-center superiority trial was conducted. Eligible patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy were randomly assigned to midline or transverse specimen extraction. Primary outcome was IH incidence at 1 year. Power calculation required 76 patients per group to detect a reduction in IH from 20% to 5%. Secondary outcomes included perioperative outcomes, pain scores, health-related quality of life (SF-36), and cosmesis (Body Image Questionnaire). Results: A total of 165 patients were randomly assigned to transverse (n1⁄4 79) or midline (n1⁄4 86) specimen extraction site, of which 141 completed 1-year follow-up (68 transverse, 73 midline). Patient, tumor, surgical data, and perioperative morbidity were similar. Pain scores were similar on each postoperative day. On intention-to-treat analysis, there was no difference in the incidence of IH at 1 year (transverse 2% vs midline 8%, P 1⁄4 0.065) or after mean 30.3 month (standard deviation 9.4) follow-up (6% vs 14%, P 1⁄4 0.121). On per-protocol analysis there were more IH after midline incision with longer follow-up (15% vs 2%, P1⁄4 0.013). On intention-to-treat analysis, SF-36 domains body pain and social functioning were improved after transverse incision. Cosmesis was higher after midline incision on perprotocol analysis, but without affecting body image. Conclusions: Per-protocol analysis of this trial demonstrates that a transverse specimen extraction site has a lower incidence of IH compared to midline with longer follow-up but has worse cosmesis.
Arabidopsis shaker pollen inward K + channel SPIK functions in SnRK 1 complex-regulated pollen hydration on the stigma Running head : SPIK functions in pollen hydration on stigma

Pollen hydration is a critical step that determines pollen germination on stigma. KINβγ is a plant-specific subunit of the SNF1-related protein kinase 1 complex (SnRK1 complex). In pollen of the Arabidopsis kinβγ mutant, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were decreased which lead to compromised hydration of the mutant pollen on stigma. In this study, we analyzed gene expression in kinβγ mutant pollen by RNA-seq and found the expression of inward shaker K+ channel SPIK was down-regulated in the kinβγ pollen. Furthermore, we showed that the pollen hydration of the Arabidopsis spik mutant was defective on the wild-type stigma, although the mutant pollen demonstrated normal hydration in vitro. Additionally, the defective hydration of spik mutant pollen could not be rescued by the wild-type pollen on the stigma, indicating that the spik mutation deprived the capability of pollen absorption on the stigma. Our results suggest that the Arabidopsis SnRK1 complex regulates SPIK expression, which functions in determining pollen hydration on the stigma.
Passive Localization of WiFi Client Based on Location Fingerprint

WiFi positioning is the most promising means of indoor positioning in the future. However, most WiFi localization techniques can’t meet the requirements of the criminal investigation. Therefore, there is a need to make a research on the passive location. This paper mainly researched the passive location of WiFi client based on the location fingerprint. Based on the signal attenuation model, fingerprint location algorithm and promiscuous mode, an improved technique of passive positioning is introduced. First, we conducted an in-depth research for the position of the fingerprint algorithm based on RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication). Then, we propose solutions to optimize the location fingerprint to reduce location time and calculation process. Finally, simulation results and field test data show that symbolic positioning is good and physical positioning can reach high position accuracy.
Optimal Decisions for Adoption of Item-Level RFID in a Retail Supply Chain with Inventory Shrinkage under CVaR Criterion

This paper investigates the effect of item-level RFID on inventory shrinkage in the retail supply chain, which consists of a risk-neutral manufacturer and a risk-averse retailer. Under conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) criterion, two different supply chain settings are discussed as follows. In the centralized setting, we develop the models in both RFID case and no RFID case, respectively. Comparisons between the two cases are made. In particular, a sufficient condition is given to judge whether to adopt item-level RFID. In the decentralized setting, we focus on discussing two different contract types including wholesale price contact and revenue sharing contract. Finally, number examples and sensitivity analysis are given to illustrate the proposed models. The results show that, for the centralized system, the sales-available rate, the recovery rate, and the tag cost are mainly the driving factors in evaluating the benefit of an item-level RFID. In particular, when the sales-available rate and the tag cost are quite small and the recovery rate is higher, the supply chain partners’ profits obtained by investment for RFID are improved significantly. For the decentralized system, under revenue sharing contract, Pareto improving outcome and coaffording risk can be achieved if the retailer sets an appropriate parameter for the manufacturer.
A wideband monolithic submillimeter-wave quasi-optical power meter

A novel monolithic power meter has been developed for submillimeter-wave applications (100 GHz to 10 THz). The detector is a 4-mm*4-mm bismuth bolometer integrated on a 1.2- mu m-thick dielectric membrane. This approach results in a wideband high-responsivity detector. The power meter is simple to fabricate, inexpensive, and can be easily calibrated using a low-frequency network. Quasi-optical measurements at 185 GHz show that the bolometer is polarization independent, acts as a Lambertian surface, and could be modeled by a simple transmission line model. The measured low-frequency responsivity for a 70- Omega bolometer, at a bias of 1 V and a video modulation of 300 Hz, is around 1 V/W. The NEP of the detector is around 3 nWHz/sup -1/2/. Potential application areas are antenna coupling efficiency measurements and absolute power measurements at submillimeter wavelengths. <<ETX>>
Capital Structure and the 2001 Recession

The recession of 2001was somewhat different from the recession of the late 2000s in that it was not associated with a financial crisis. As might be expected, the effects of those two recessions on firm capital structure were significantly different. Fosberg (2012b) showed that the recession of the late 2000s caused firms, on average, to increase their MDRs (market debt ratio) by about 5.5%. It is shown here that the 2001 recession caused firms, on average, to decrease their MDRs by approximately . 5% to 1%. The effect is even stronger in 2001 when capital structure is measured by BDR (book debt ratio). Using that measure, debt financing decreased, on average, by about 1.5% to 2%. Interestingly, the MDR change in 2001 was completely reversed by the end of 2002 but the BDR change was not.
Australian mothers’ notions of risk and uncertainty in relation to their pre-teen children

In this article we examine the ways discourses of risk manifested and played out within and across two groups of Australian mothers living in two large urban centres in Australia: the first comprised of mothers who had a pre-teen child diagnosed with an eating disorder (n = 13); the second of mothers who had a pre-teen child without the symptoms or diagnosis of an eating disorder (n = 13). In 2011 and 2012, we conducted in-depth interviews with the mothers in their homes on their ideas about health and their relationships with their children. An analysis of the data collected from these interviews indicated that having a pre-teen child diagnosed with an eating disorder had a decisive impact on how the mothers constituted and responded to risk. For mothers, who had a pre-teen child with an eating disorder, risk was intensified by bio-medical discourses. The particular intensifications of risk limited the ways in which mothers could act and often threatened to undermine their abilities as competent carers. By contrast, the mothers who did not have a pre-teen child with an eating disorder spoke about risk less directly, and with less sense of immediacy. Where these mothers acknowledged risk discourses particularly in regard to health, they were in a stronger position to negotiate them. Our analysis indicates that the ways in which mothers responded to risk is contingent on circumstances and contexts. Mothers’ responses to risk were related to the calculability of the risk and their perceived capacity to manage it.
A SOFTWARE SENSOR FOR IN-SITU MONITORING OF THE 5-DAY BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND

Due to the time-consuming procedure for determining the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), the present study developed two software sensors based on artifi cial intelligence techniques. It is aimed to estimate this indicator instantaneously. For this purpose, feed-forward and radial basis function neural networks (FFANN and RBFANN, respectively) were used. FFANN and RBFANN were employed to estimate the maximum values of BOD5 (BOD5(max)) as a function of average, maximum and minimum dissolved oxygen in the Sefi drood River. Also, Levenberg-Marquardt (LM), resilient backpropagation, and scaled conjugate gradient algorithms were used to optimize the FFANN parameters. The results demonstrated that the performance of the LM algorithm in tuning the FFANN was better than the others, in the verifi cation step. Furthermore, the performance of each model was evaluated according to the mean square error, correlation coeffi cient and developed discrepancy ratio. The results showed that the performance of both FFANN and RBFANN models for the prediction of the BOD5(max) were approximately the same.
PII: S0921-8890(99)00034-2

In this paper, we show cooperative object transportation by two four-legged robots. To realize cooperative transportation with autonomy, we adopt implicit communication based cooperation. Each robot uses only its own sensors to estimate the state of a task. With this method, people can attend to the cooperation system without any changes. We will show an algorithm and two experiments; one is by two legged robots and the other is by one robot and a human. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All right reserved.
Context : Diversity and Its Challenges — The Case of an Israeli Nursing College

Purpose: To learn how students experience clinical placements in a setting of diversity and how they cope with the emotional challenges involved. Design: This study is based on inductive, qualitative research undertaken with Israeli nursing students. Method: In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 students: 10 Arabs (5 men and 5 women), 9 Jews (2 men and 7 women), and 1 Circassian. The interviews were analyzed through coding and categorization. Findings: The students’ experiences are characterized by emotional strains of various sorts—stress, ambivalence, disgust, frustration, and conflict—that arise in three types of relationships: relationships with patients, with the clinical instructors, and with other students who are on their teams. The data show that diversity has an impact on all these relationships. The data further show that the students cope with the emotional strains by using several strategies of emotional work: distancing, self-strengthening, self-motivation work, and minimizing significance. Conclusions and Implications: (a) Nursing students’ experiences during their clinical placements should be understood in terms of emotional challenges, and their emotional work and coping strategies call for appropriate forms of support. (b) The diversity of the clinical placement environment should be considered as an important factor, both in understanding students’ experiences and learning processes and in designing the support that they need. Clinical Relevance: Culturally diverse settings entail distinct challenges that impact students’ emotional reaction to clinical work. Understanding the types of emotional work students do in the process of their clinical experience is critical for educators seeking to promote genuinely caring and effective nursing in culturally diverse settings.
The human Lactobacillus acidophilus strain LA 1 secretes a nonbacteriocin antibacterial substance ( s ) active in vitro and in vivo BERNET-CAMARD

The adhering human Lactobacillus acidophilus strain LA1 inhibits the cell association and cell invasion of enteropathogens in cultured human intestinal Caco-2 cells (M. F. Bernet, D. Brassard, J. R. Neeser, and A. L. Servin, Gut 35:483-489, 1994). Here, we demonstrate that strain LA1 developed its antibacterial activity in conventional or germ-free mouse models orally infected by Salmonella typhimurium. We present evidence that the spent culture supernatant of strain LA1 (LA1-SCS) contained antibacterial components active against S. typhimurium infecting the cultured human intestinal Caco-2 cells. The LA1-SCS antibacterial activity was observed in vitro against a wide range of gram-negative and gram-positive pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, S. typhimurium, Shigella flexneri, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter cloacae. By contrast, no activity was observed against species of the normal gut flora, such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. The LA1-SCS antibacterial activity was insensitive to proteases and independent of lactic acid production. BERNET-CAMARD, Marie-Françoise, et al. The human Lactobacillus acidophilus strain LA1 secretes a nonbacteriocin antibacterial substance(s) active in vitro and in vivo. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 1997, vol. 63, no. 7, p. 2747-2753
The fulfillment of parties' election pledges: a comparative study on the impact of power sharing

Why are some parties more likely than others to keep the promises they made during previous election campaigns? This study provides the first comparative analysis that addresses this question with common definitions of pledges and fulfillment. We study the fulfillment of 18,743 pledges made in 54 election campaigns in 12 countries. We find high levels of pledge fulfillment for most parties that enter the government executive, and substantially lower levels for parties that do not. The findings challenge the common view of parties as promise breakers. The degree to which governing parties share power affects pledge fulfillment, with parties in single-party executives, both with and without legislative majorities, having the highest fulfillment rates. Within coalition governments, the likelihood of pledge fulfillment depends on whether the party receives the chief executive post and whether another governing party made a similar pledge, but not on the ideological range of the coalition.
Superalgebraic structure of Lorentz transformations

We constructed superalgebraic representation of the algebra of second quantization of spinors. It is a fermionic analog of the Bargmann-Fock representation and is based on the use of the density of Grassmann variables in impulse space and their derivatives. We showed that Dirac matrices and Lorentz transformation generators can be expressed in terms of such densities. Lorentz transformations are considered as Bogolyubov transformations of creation and annihilation operators. We constructed superalgebraic form of the Dirac equation and the vacuum state vector. We showed that in the superalgebraic form of the complex Clifford algebra generators corresponding to Dirac gamma matrices are not equivalent. Clifford vector corresponding to diagonal matrix γ0 annihilates the vacuum, and the remaining ones give nonzero values. This means that there is asymmetric direction corresponding to the time axis.
A Compact Dual-Band Circularly Polarized Antenna with Wide HPBWs for CNSS Applications

A compact dual-band circularly polarized antenna with wide half-power beamwidths (HPBWs) for compass navigation satellite system applications is proposed in this paper. The CP radiation is realized by arranging four compact dual-band inverted-F monopoles symmetrically to the center point, where the four monopoles are excited with a 90° phase offset through a compact sequential-phase feeding network. The compactness of the dual-band inverted-F monopole is realized by inserting two chip inductors in the horizontal portion of the monopole. The overall dimension of the antenna is only 0. 211λ0 × 0. 211λ0 × 0. 057λ0, where λ0 is the corresponding free-space wavelength at 1.268 GHz. Experimental results show that the proposed antenna exhibits two overlapped impedance and axial ratio bandwidths of 50 MHz (1.236–1.286 GHz) and 40 MHz (1.532–1.572 GHz). Wide HPBWs of about 120°/125° and 121°/116° (XOZ/YOZ planes) at center frequencies (1.268, 1.561 GHz) of the CNSS-2 B3 and B1 bands are obtained, respectively. With these good performances, the antenna can be a good candidate for CNSS applications.
Observation of Ion-induced Instabilities at NSLS2 Storage Ring

NSLS2 storage ring has been commissioned and is open for user operations. At relatively low beam current (~ 25mA) multi-bunch fills, ion-induced instabilities have been observed. For the present user operations, 150mA of total beam current is filled in ~1000 bunches, fast ion is the dominant instability at the NSLS2 storage ring. Although the ion-induced dipole motions can be suppressed using bunch by bunch (BxB) feedback system and it is expected to decrease in severity as the vacuum conditioning progresses further, a thorough understanding and characterization of this effect is still important, especially in preparation to the future 500mA operations. A number of ion instability related studies, mostly parasitic to other machine activities, have been carried out at various fill patterns and beam currents. Preliminary measurement results are reported in this paper.
A search for pre- and proto-brown dwarfs in the dark cloud Barnard 30 with ALMA

Context. The origin of brown dwarfs is still under debate. While some models predict a star-like formation scenario, others invoke a substellar mass embryo ejection, a stellar disk fragmentation, or the photo-evaporation of an external core due to the presence of massive stars. Aims. The aim of our work is to characterize the youngest and lowest mass population of the dark cloud Barnard 30, a region within the Lambda Orionis star-forming region. In particular, we aim to identify proto-brown dwarfs and study the mechanism of their formation. Methods. We obtained ALMA continuum observations at 880 μ m of 30 sub-mm cores previously identified with APEX/LABOCA at 870 μ m. We have complemented part of the ALMA data with sub-mm APEX/SABOCA observations at 350 μ m, and with multi-wavelength ancillary observations from the optical to the far-infrared (e.g., Spitzer , CAHA/O2000, WISE, INT/WFC). Results. We report the detection of five (out of 30) spatially unresolved sources with ALMA, with estimated masses between 0.9 and 67 M Jup . From these five sources, only two show gas emission. The analysis of multi-wavelength photometry from these two objects, namely B30-LB14 and B30-LB19, is consistent with one Class II- and one Class I low-mass stellar object, respectively. The gas emission is consistent with a rotating disk in the case of B30-LB14, and with an oblate rotating envelope with infall signatures in the case of LB19. The remaining three ALMA detections do not have infrared counterparts and can be classified as either deeply embedded objects or as starless cores if B30 members. In the former case, two of them (LB08 and LB31) show internal luminosity upper limits consistent with Very Low Luminosity objects, while we do not have enough information for LB10. In the starless core scenario, and taking into account the estimated masses from ALMA and the APEX/LABOCA cores, we estimate final masses for the central objects in the substellar domain, so they could be classified as pre-BD core candidates. According to the turbulent fragmentation scenario, the three ALMA pre-BD core candidates should be gravitationally stable based on APEX/LABOCA data. However, this result is not consistent with the presence of compact sources inside the cores, indicative of on-going collapse. As an alternative scenario we propose that these cores could be the result of on-going gravitational contraction. Indeed, we have verified that their estimated masses are consistent with the ones expected within an ALMA beam for a r -2 density profile, which is typical for a collapsing core. Conclusions. ALMA observations have allowed us to detect very low-mass compact sources within three APEX/LABOCA cores. Future observations will help us to unveil their true nature.
Search for B + c decays to the p ¯ pπ + final state

: A search for the decays of the B + c meson to p ¯ pπ + is performed for the first time using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb − 1 collected by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. No signal is found and an upper limit, at 95 A search for the decays of the B + c meson to p ¯ p π + is performed for the ﬁrst time using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 . 0 fb − 1 collected by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. No signal is found and an upper limit, at 95% conﬁdence level, is set, f c f u × B ( B + c → pp π + ) < 3 . 6 × 10 − 8 in the kinematic region m ( pp ) < 2 . 85 GeV / c 2 , p T ( B ) < 20 GeV / c and 2 . 0 < y ( B ) < 4 . 5, where B is the branching fraction and f c ( f u ) is the fragmentation fraction of the b quark into a B c + ( B + ) meson. Funded by SCOAP 3 .