Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Input impedance characteristics of microstrip antennas on hemispherical multilayer structures

The recently developed method for the analysis of microstrip antennas on hemispherical structures has been applied to derive the input impedance characteristics of quasi-rectangular microstrip antennas. By using corresponding full-wave equivalent circuits, the dyadic Green's functions of this structure and the system equation for the tangential field components at the interfaces can be analytically derived in a simple way. The Galerkin method-of-moments approach is used to solve the unknown current distribution on the patch, where the system equation involving the impedance matrix and the excitation vector can be set up and solved in the spectral domain. The computation data is verified with commercial software codes. Some advantages over commercial codes are also given
Generic Descriptions for Movie Document: An Experimental Study

The description of movie documents has become a necessary condition to explore the content. For this purpose, the extraction of generic descriptions represents a pertinent solution for an interrogation process. In this context, two types of descriptions are used, an external and a content description. In this regard, the title, the genre and the keyword descriptions represent the description that can be identified from the content. Consequently, we propose in this paper a framework not only to extract these descriptions, but also to define a relationship between the movies through these descriptions. In fact, to extract the external description, we use the Dublin Core metadata standard while to extract the content description, we propose a method to identify the genre and the keyword. The objective behind this method is to extract the semantic knowledge from the content. Indeed, two types of techniques are introduced, namely, statistical and semantic. This principle is based on the use of the combination between textual modality through the synopsis, the script of the film and the visual modality through the use of the superposed text on the image. The experimental results confirmed a promising performance with two databases, namely, "MovieLens dataset" and "MEG database" through the following validation techniques: pertinence, recall, precision and F-measure.
Multiscale Heterogeneity of Bone Microporosities and Tissue Scaffolds

Our aim was to use stereology to quantify the volume fraction of osteocyte lacunes, volume fraction of large blood vessels, numerical density of osteocyte lacunes, volume of osteocyte lacunae and bone surface in series of micro-CT images representing samples of spongy and compact bone of human tibia. The spongy bone had a smaller volume fraction of osteocyte lacunes, a greater numerical density of bone lacunes, a smaller volume of the lacunes within the same bone volume and a greater bone surface density when compared to the compact bone. Stereology provided us with data on hierarchical organization of bone structural heterogeneity with reasonable time costs.
The antecedents of schizophrenia: a review of birth cohort studies.

BACKGROUND Birth cohort (BC) studies demonstrate that individuals who develop schizophrenia differ from the general population on a range of developmental indices. The aims of this article were to summarize key findings from BC studies in order to identify areas of convergence and to outline areas requiring further research. METHOD We define BC studies as studies based on general population BCs where data are collected prospectively from birth or childhood and which identify schizophrenia or related disorders as an outcome. To identify such studies, we searched various electronic databases using the search parameters (schizo* OR psych*) AND (birth cohort). We also checked the references of relevant articles and previous reviews. RESULTS We identified 11 BCs from 7 countries that have examined schizophrenia as an outcome in adulthood. There is relatively consistent evidence that, as a group, children who later develop schizophrenia have behavioral disturbances and psychopathology, intellectual and language deficits, and early motor delays. Evidence with respect to alterations in language, educational performance, and physical growth has also been identified in some studies. BC studies have also contributed evidence about a wide range of putative risk factors for schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS BC studies have provided important, convergent insights into how the developmental trajectory of individuals who develop schizophrenia differs from their peers. The combination of new paradigms and larger cohorts, with the tools of modern epidemiology and biomedical science, is advancing our understanding of the developmental pathways to schizophrenia.
Multiple Simultaneous Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhages: A Rare Entity

Background: In hospital databases, multiple simultaneous spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH-m) account for 0.7-5.6% of all ICHs. Their long-term outcome has never been systematically and prospectively investigated. We aimed at identifying the long-term outcome of patients with ICH-m. Methods: We prospectively recruited consecutive adults with ICH-m and followed them up for at least 4.5 years. We classified patients into the following 3 groups: (i) definite or probable cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), (ii) deep perforating vasculopathy (DPV) and (iii) unknown causes. Results: Of 562 consecutive patients with ICH, 32 had ICH-m (5.7%): 8 (25%) with probable CAA, 5 (16%) with DPV and 19 (59%) with ICH-m of undetermined cause. At the last visit (cumulative follow-up of 39.5 person-year), 27 patients (84%) had died, and 3 of the 5 survivors were independent. Late-onset seizures, recurrent ICH-m (symptomatic or not) and new brain microbleeds were mainly found in patients with probable CAA. Conclusions: ICH-m is a rare but extremely severe expression of ICH. Survivors with CAA are more likely to develop late seizures and new hemorrhagic lesions. Because of low survival rates, large multicenter cohort studies are needed for a better understanding of this rare condition.
Combined Negative- and Positive-Pressure Ventilation for the Treatment of ARDS

Objective. Tracheal intubation and positive-pressure ventilation as the current standard of care for the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) seem to have reached their limit in terms of a further relevant reduction of the still very high mortality. Case Presentation. A 75-year-old male patient developed ARDS after abscess drainage with deteriorating oxygenation, despite positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) values above 15 cm H2O. We applied external negative-pressure ventilation with a chamber respirator using −33 cm H2O at inspiration and −15 cm H2O at expiration, combined with conventional pressure support using a PEEP of about 8 cm H2O and a pressure support of 4–12 cm H2O. Alveolar infiltrates disappeared rapidly and PaO2/FiO2 values surpassed 300 mmHg after the first application and 500 mmHg after the second. Negative-pressure ventilation was used for 6–18 hours/day over five days. Now, 13 years later, the patient is still alive and has a good quality of life. Conclusion. Using this or similar concepts, not only in intubated patients but also as a noninvasive approach in patients with ARDS, offers new options that may genuinely differ from the present therapeutic approaches and may, therefore, have the potential to decrease the present high mortality from ARDS.
Combination of trastuzumab and tanespimycin (17-AAG, KOS-953) is safe and active in trastuzumab-refractory HER-2 overexpressing breast cancer: a phase I dose-escalation study.

PURPOSE This phase I study examined whether a heat shock protein (Hsp) 90 inhibitor tanespimycin (17-AAG; KOS-953) could be administered safely in combination with trastuzumab at a dose that inhibits Hsp90 function in vivo in lymphocytes. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with an advanced solid tumor progressing during standard therapy were eligible. Patients were treated with weekly trastuzumab followed by intravenous tanespimycin, assessed in escalating dose levels. RESULTS Twenty-five patients were enrolled onto four tanespimycin dose levels: 225 (n = 4), 300 (n = 3), 375 (n = 8), and 450 mg/m2 (n = 10). Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was observed at the third and fourth cohort (1 patient each): more than 2-week delay for grade 4 fatigue/grade 2 nausea and anorexia (375 mg/m2); more than 2-week delay for thrombocytopenia (450 mg/m2). Drug-related grade 3 toxicity included emesis, increased ALT, hypersensitivity reactions (two patients each), and drug-induced thrombocytopenia (n = 1). Common mild to moderate toxicities included fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, emesis, headache, rash/pruritus, increased AST/ALT, and anorexia. Pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated no difference in tanespimycin kinetics with or without trastuzumab. Pharmacodynamic testing showed reactive induction of Hsp70 (a marker of Hsp90 inhibition) in lymphocytes at all dose levels. Antitumor activity was noted (partial response, n = 1; minor response, n = 4; stable disease > or = 4 months, n = 4). Tumor regressions were seen only in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-positive metastatic breast cancer. CONCLUSION Tanespimycin plus trastuzumab is well tolerated and has antitumor activity in patients with HER-2+ breast cancer whose tumors have progressed during treatment with trastuzumab. These data suggest that Hsp90 function can be inhibited in vivo to a degree sufficient to cause inhibition of tumor growth.
Slot Reuse in MAC Protocols for MAN's

Most of the medium-access control (MAC) sublayer protocols recently proposed for application in very high-speed local and metropolitan area networks (LANs and MANs) are based on a slotted transmission scheme. Slotting guarantees very good throughput efficiencies, but further gains are possible if slots can be freed after reaching their destination, thus being available for repeated use as they propagate in the network. The authors describe a simulation-based quantitative analysis of the performance gains obtained by introducing slot reuse in distributed-queue dual-bus (DQDB) and cyclic reservation multiaccess (CRMA) MANs. CRMA-II, the latest evolution of CRMA, naturally incorporates slot reuse in the MAC protocol operations and is considered in the study for comparison purposes. In the case of the standard DQDB protocol, some existing proposals are considered. In the case of CRMA, both a previous IBM proposal and a novel approach, leading to very good performances, are studied. >
Hand gesture control of virtual object in augmented reality

Augmented Reality (AR) is an emerging field, which is evolving exponentially. Its concept is to coalesce the virtual world into the real world. The augmented reality intent to enhance our perception of the real world by integrating virtual objects. The existing Augmented Reality Hand gesture control systems detect hand gesture and embed the virtual object in augmented reality using markers and motion sensing devices like Kinect. In this paper, a new Hand Gesture Control in Augmented Reality System (HGCARS) is introduced in which the gesture recognition is performed using a secondary camera and the reality is captured using an IP camera. The virtual object is inserted into the video feed obtained from an IP camera. The virtual object is controlled by using the position and depth of user's hand, measured using a simple webcam, thus reducing the cost of implementation.
A 128 Gb 3b/cell V-NAND Flash Memory With 1 Gb/s I/O Rate

Most memory-chip manufacturers keep trying to supply cost-effective storage devices with high-performance characteristics such as shorter tPROG, lower power consumption and higher endurance. For many years, every effort has been made to shrink die size to lower cost and to improve performance. However, the previously used node-shrinking methodology is facing challenges due to increased cell-to-cell interference and patterning difficulties caused by decreasing dimension. To overcome these limitations, 3D-stacking technology has been developed. As a result of long and focused research in 3D stacking technology, we succeed in developing 128 Gb 3b/cell Vertical NAND with 32 stack WL layers for the first time, which is the smallest 128 Gb NAND Flash. The die size is 68.9 mm 2, program time is 700 us and I/O rate is 1 Gb/s.
Paints, Varnishes, and Related Products

The complex and diversified requirements of modern industry have to a large extent removed the manufacture of paints and varnishes from the category of an art to that of a science. In most plants, the manufacturing processes are now carried out under careful laboratory control and are freely modified or revised, whenever revision is indicated, in accordance with known scientific principles. As a result, the industry has been able to offer a succession of constantly improved products through periods of fluctuation in the availability of many important raw materials, pressures for solvent replacement to meet emerging air quality standards, and extensive pigment reformulation to replace mercury and lead to conform to new federal regulations on toxicity. A most important development in the modern paint and varnish industry has been the introduction of synthetic resins as replacements for natural resins in the manufacture of varnishes and enamels. By using synthetic resins it has been possible to produce a variety of coatings that, in many cases, have important points of superiority over any of those compounded from natural resins. The synthetic vehicles are particularly distinguished by their hardness and durability and their high degree of resistance to the action of water, alkalies, and other chemical agents. Keywords: paint-coating industry; drying oil; synthetic resin; paints; varnishes; oleoresinous varnishes; alkyd resins
Pancreatic Trauma: Demographics, Diagnosis, and Management

Pancreatic injuries are rare, with penetrating mechanisms being causative in majority of cases. They can create major diagnostic and therapeutic challenges and require multiple diagnostic modalities, including multislice high-definition computed tomography, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, ultrasonography, and at times, surgery and direct visualization of the pancreas. Pancreatic trauma is frequently associated with duodenal and other severe vascular and visceral injuries. Mortality is high and usually related to the concomitant vascular injury. Surgical management of pancreatic and pancreatic-duodenal trauma is challenging, and multiple surgical approaches and techniques have been described, up to and including pancreatic damage control and later resection and reconstruction. Wide surgical drainage is a key to any surgical trauma technique and access for enteral nutrition, or occasionally parenteral nutrition, are important adjuncts. Morbidity associated with pancreatic trauma is high and can be quite severe. Treatment of pancreatic trauma-related complications often requires a combination of interventional, endoscopic, and surgical approaches.
Concept Analysis for Class Cohesion

A concept lattice based approach for analysis of class cohesion is presented. The approach facilitates rapid identification of less cohesive classes. It also helps identify less cohesive methods, attributes and classes in one go. Further, the approach guides refactorings such as extract class, move method, localize attributes and remove unused attributes.The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated through examples.
Coastal upwelling linked to toxic Pseudo-nitzschia australis blooms in Los Angeles coastal waters, 2005–2007

Harmful algal blooms dominated by the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia spp. have become a perennial but variable event within surface waters near the greater Los Angeles area. Toxic blooms during spring seasons from 2005 to 2007 varied strongly in their overall toxicity and duration. Differences in bloom dynamics were linked to differences in storm-induced river discharge following episodic rain events and coastal upwelling, both major coastal processes that led to the injection of nutrients into coastal surface waters. Heavy river runoff during early 2005, a record-rainfall year, favored a phytoplankton community mainly comprised of algal taxa other than Pseudo-nitzschia. The spring bloom during 2005 was associated with low domoic acid surface concentrations and minor contributions of (mainly) P. delicatissima to the diatom assemblage. In contrast, highly toxic P. australis-dominated blooms during spring seasons of 2006 and 2007 were linked to strong upwelling events. River discharge quotas in 2006 and 2007, in contrast to 2005, fell well below annual averages for the region. Surface toxin levels were linked to colder, more saline (i.e. upwelled) water over the 3-year study, but no such consistent relationship between domoic acid levels and other physiochemical parameters, such as macronutrient concentrations or nutrient ratios, was observed.
Comparison of the effects of HGF, BDNF, CT-1, CNTF, and the branchial arches on the growth of embryonic cranial motor neurons.

In the developing embryo, axon growth and guidance depend on cues that include diffusible molecules. We have shown previously that the branchial arches and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are growth-promoting and chemoattractant for young embryonic cranial motor axons. HGF is produced in the branchial arches of the embryo, but a number of lines of evidence suggest that HGF is unlikely to be the only factor involved in the growth and guidance of these axons. Here we investigate whether other neurotrophic factors could be involved in the growth of young cranial motor neurons in explant cultures. We find that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) all promote the outgrowth of embryonic cranial motor neurons, while glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) fail to affect outgrowth. We next examined whether HGF and the branchial arches had similar effects on motor neuron subpopulations at different axial levels. Our results show that HGF acts as a generalized rather than a specific neurotrophic factor and guidance cue for cranial motor neurons. Although the branchial arches also had general growth-promoting effects on all motor neuron subpopulations, they chemoattracted different axial levels differentially, with motor neurons from the caudal hindbrain showing the most striking response.
Biological Transmission of Arboviruses: Reexamination of and New Insights into Components, Mechanisms, and Unique Traits as Well as Their Evolutionary Trends

SUMMARY Among animal viruses, arboviruses are unique in that they depend on arthropod vectors for transmission. Field research and laboratory investigations related to the three components of this unique mode of transmission, virus, vector, and vertebrate host, have produced an enormous amount of valuable information that may be found in numerous publications. However, despite many reviews on specific viruses, diseases, or interests, a systematic approach to organizing the available information on all facets of biological transmission and then to interpret it in the context of the evolutionary process has not been attempted before. Such an attempt in this review clearly demonstrates tremendous progress made worldwide to characterize the viruses, to comprehend disease transmission and pathogenesis, and to understand the biology of vectors and their role in transmission. The rapid progress in molecular biologic techniques also helped resolve many virologic puzzles and yielded highly valuable data hitherto unavailable, such as characterization of virus receptors, the genetic basis of vertebrate resistance to viral infection, and phylogenetic evidence of the history of host range shifts in arboviruses. However, glaring gaps in knowledge of many critical subjects, such as the mechanism of viral persistence and the existence of vertebrate reservoirs, are still evident. Furthermore, with the accumulated data, new questions were raised, such as evolutionary directions of virus virulence and of host range. Although many fundamental questions on the evolution of this unique mode of transmission remained unresolved in the absence of a fossil record, available observations for arboviruses and the information derived from studies in other fields of the biological sciences suggested convergent evolution as a plausible process. Overall, discussion of the diverse range of theories proposed and observations made by many investigators was found to be highly valuable for sorting out the possible mechanism(s) of the emergence of arboviral diseases.
Relative efficiency of higher education in Croatia and Slovenia: an international comparison

The article measures the relative efficiency of government spending on higher education in selected new EU member states (with special focus on Croatia and Slovenia) in comparison to selected OECD countries. The article applies a non-parametric approach, i.e. data envelopment analysis (DEA), to assess the relative technical efficiency of higher education across selected countries. When estimating the efficiency frontier we focus on measures of quantities outputs/outcomes. The results show that the relatively high public expenditure per student in Croatia should have resulted in a better performance regarding the outputs/outcomes, i.e. a higher rate of higher education school enrolment, a greater rate of labor force with a higher education and a lower rate of the unemployed who have tertiary education. On the other hand, regardless of the input-output/outcome mix, the higher education system in Slovenia is shown to have a much higher level of efficiency compared to both Croatia and many other comparable new EU member states and OECD countries.
Diffusion thermopower in graphene nanoribbons: effect of subbands

The diffusion contribution to thermopower, Sd, is studied for pure semiconducting graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). The electrons are assumed to be scattered by acoustic phonons and optical phonons via deformation potential couplings and edge roughness. Numerical calculations of Sd, as a function of linear carrier density are presented. The relative importance of the carrier scattering mechanisms operative and the effect of subbands on the behaviour of Sd in GNRs are studied.
A Complete Obstruction to the Existence of Nonvanishing Vector Fields on Almost-Complex, Closed, Cyclic Orbifolds

We determine several necessary and sufficient conditions for a closed almost-complex orbifold $Q$ with cyclic local groups to admit a nonvanishing vector field. These conditions are stated separately in terms of the orbifold Euler-Satake characteristics of $Q$ and its sectors, the Euler characteristics of the underlying topological spaces of $Q$ and its sectors, and in terms of the orbifold Euler class $e_{orb}(Q)$ in Chen-Ruan orbifold cohomology $H_{orb}^\ast (Q; \R)$.