Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frequency-Reconfigurable Monopole Antennas

A novel coplanar-waveguide (CPW) bandpass filter using short-circuit slotlines and varactor diodes is introduced. This bandpass filter, when integrated with a CPW wideband antenna, produces frequency agility with a wideband mode and a continuous narrowband mode. The design of another CPW filter based on a square-ring resonator with switches is also shown and applied to a wideband antenna, making it reconfigurable. Both filters are based on controlling two stop bands far enough apart so that there is a passband between them. When the stop band frequencies are altered using switches or varactors, the passband is altered. Complete working and design principles along with simulated S-parameter results of the filters are presented. The simulated and measured reflection coefficients of the antennas incorporating the filters are also shown. Good monopole-like radiation characteristics are observed for both antennas. The filters are small in size and can be incorporated in any CPW antenna design to make it reconfigurable. The benefits of the novel varactor filter antenna over the switch filter antenna are also described.
Optimizing intra-task voltage scheduling using data flow analysis

Intra-task voltage scheduling (IntraDVS), which adjusts the supply voltage within an individual task boundary, is an effective technique for developing low-power applications. In IntraDVS, slack times are estimated by analyzing program's control flow information. In this paper, we propose an optimization technique for IntraDVS using data flow information. The proposed algorithm improves the energy efficiency by moving the voltage scaling points to earlier instructions based on the analysis results of program's data flow. The experimental results using an MPEG-4 encoder program show that the proposed algorithm reduces the energy consumption by 40-45% over the original IntraDVS algorithm.
Commandants ’ Managerial Capacity and Workers Productivity in Nigeria Police Force Schools

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the commandant’s managerial capacity as if relates to workers productivity with a view to determining whether their calling to the education terrain has been justified and to correct certain areas in need of improvement in the Nigeria Police Education set up. In doing this, the study took in to cognizance the managerial process that could lead to high teacher productivity in relation to high academic performance of students The study found out that significant relationship exists between commandant Managerial capacity and teacher productivity with a Pearson correlation value of 0.284 and value of 0.001 level of significance. Other factors like experience and qualifications were found to be necessary pre-requisites for the appointment of heads of schools with chi-square value of 9.712 and p-level of 0.021 significance. Female teachers productivity was found to be lower than that of their male counterparts. In view of the findings, the study made some useful suggestions and recommendations. Background of the Study Organizations need managers, just as a car needs a driver, whether formal or informal, organization deprived of managers would quickly cease to function effectively. It is against this backdrop that the school system in the Nigeria police shall be viewed. The development of human beings demands a lot of capability and capacity by the
Demonstration and characterization of Ia-positive dendritic cells in the interstitial connective tissues of rat heart and other tissues, but not brain

In this study, we have used a mouse monoclonal antibody to rat Ia (RT1- B or class II) antigens to demonstrate, by immunofluorescence on frozen sections, intensely Ia-positive dendritic cells in the interstitial connective tissues of every tissue we have examined (heart, liver, thyroid, pancreas, skin, kidney, ureter, and bladder) with the striking exception of brain. The characteristics of the interstitial dendritic cell found in heart were studied in detail, and this cell was shown to be negative for acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase, and ATPase activity, and certainly some and probably all of the cells were negative for nonspecific esterase activity. Experiments with colloidal carbon suggested that the cell was either poorly or not at all phagocytic. The cells were negative for surface immunoglobulin and the W3/13 antigen, but positive for the leukocyte common antigen and the SD (Class I) antigens of the major histocompatibility complex. The cell was shown to be of bone marrow origin, and either the cell itself, or more probably its precursor, was shown to be sensitive to irradiation and to cyclophosphamide. All strains tested--including the nude rat-- had large numbers of interstitial dendritic cells. The widespread distribution, except in brain, of this cell, which resembles in every respect the dendritic cell described by Steinman et al. (4) in the spleen and lymph nodes of the mouse, is of interest, and the implications in this finding are discussed.
“Individual plan” in a user-oriented and empowering perspective: A qualitative study of “individual plans” in Norwegian mental health services

The aim of this study is to describe what was emphasized as important in their Individual Plan-process by ten patients who were satisfied with their Individual Plan (IP), and also to explore how the process of development and use of the IP possibly can promote strengthened user participation. IP is both a process and a written master plan built on the user's own goals, needs and resources. It assumes an appointed service provider is coordinating the services involved and is intended to ensure increased user involvement and better coordination when extended services are needed. The study is based on two semi-structured interviews of patients, two years apart, and one interview of their coordinators. The analyses were based on Systematic Text Condensation. The findings comprise what the interviewees considered important in the process of development and use of an IP; how the goals were formulated and reached, to take active part in the IP process, to build up enough competence and knowledge to cope with daily life, as well as experiencing good relations with respect and mutuality, especially with the coordinator. These topics are not considered to be specific to IP but can be understood as more general aspects of adequate treatment and care. In any case, a well-functioning IP process seems to be able to improve user participation and empowerment.
No-reference bit stream model for video quality assessment of h.264/AVC video based on packet loss visibility

In this paper, a no reference bit stream model for quality assessment of SD and HD H.264/AVC video sequences based on packet loss visibility is proposed. The method considers the impact of network impairments on human perception and uses the visibility of packet losses to predict objective scores. Also, a new subjective experiment has been designed to provide insight into the perceptual effect of degradations caused by transmission errors. The proposed algorithm extracts a set of features from the received bit stream. Then, the visibility of each packet loss event is determined by classifying the extracted features using a Support Vector Machines classifier. Finally, analytical expressions are developed to account for visual degradation due to compression and channel induced distortion based on the outcome of the visibility classifier. The evaluation demonstrates the validity of the proposed method.
Recognizing Text in the Wild

Numerous applications are possible for system that is able to detect and recognize text in natural scene images. Extracting text from scene images is harder than document images because of varying fonts and backgrounds. The system in this thesis is based on work described by Wang, Wu, Coates and Ng in a paper and by Wu in a thesis. A convolutional neural network was used by Wang et al. for both detection and recognition of characters in an image. Compared to Wang et al. a number of changes were made. The networks for detection and recognition do not use unsupervised learning of features. Also, batch normalization was added to both networks. An augmented dataset was made for training the character recognition classifier. To simplify the system, language model and lexicon were omitted. As experiment the CNNs were replaced with residual networks. Using a residual network for character recognition, a higher test accuracy was achieved than the ones mentioned by Wu.
Globalization and Workers in Developing Countries

Stories on the positive and negative effects of globalization on workers in developing countries abound. But a comprehensive picture is missing and many of the stories are ideologically charged. This paper reviews the academic literature on the subject, including several studies currently under way, and derives the implications for public policy. First, it deals with the effects of openness to trade, foreign direct investment, and financial crises on average wages. Second, it discusses the impact of exposure to world markets on the dispersion of wages by occupation, skill, and gender. Third, it describes the pattern of job destruction and job creation associated with globalization. Because these two processes are not synchronized, the fourth issue addressed is the impact on unemployment rates. Fifth, the paper reviews the labor market policies that can be used to offset the adverse effects of globalization on employment and labor earnings. Finally, it discusses how the international community could encourage developing countries to adopt sound labor market policies in the context of globalization.
Residential fire related deaths and injuries among children: fireplay, smoke alarms, and prevention

Background: The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiology of residential fire related deaths and injuries among children, and identify risk factors for these injuries through a linked dataset for the city of Dallas, Texas. Methods: Data for all residential fires were linked with fire related injury data, using fire department records, ambulance transports, hospital admissions, and medical examiner records, for children 0–19 years of age. Causes of fires, including fireplay (children playing with fire or combustibles), arson and other causes, were determined by fire department investigation. Results: From 1991–98, 76 children were injured in residential fires (39 deaths, 37 non-fatal). The highest rates occurred in the youngest children (<5 years) and in census tracts with lowest income. Fireplay accounted for 42% (32/76) of all injuries, 62% (15/24) of deaths in children 0–4 years, and 94% (13/14) of deaths from apartment and mobile home fires. Most of the fireplay related injuries (27/32, 84%) were from children playing with matches or lighters. Most started in a bedroom. Smoke alarms showed no protective efficacy in preventing deaths or injuries in fires started by fireplay or arson, but there was significant protective efficacy for a functional smoke alarm in fires started from all other causes (p<0.01). Conclusions: Residential fire related injuries among children in Dallas occurred predominantly in the youngest ages (<5 years) and in poor neighborhoods. Most of the deaths, especially those in apartments and mobile homes, resulted from fireplay. Smoke alarms appeared to offer no protection against death or injury in fireplay associated fires, possibly from the nature of the child's behavior in these fires, or from the placement of the smoke alarm. Prevention of childhood residential fire related deaths may require interventions to prevent fireplay in order to be successful.
Evidence that HIV‐1 Rev directly promotes the nuclear export of unspliced RNA.

The Rev trans‐activator of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) is a protein that regulates the simultaneous appearance in the cytoplasm of both spliced and unspliced forms of viral mRNAs from the same viral transcripts by way of recognition of a target sequence termed the Rev‐responsive element (RRE). Whether Rev acts directly on RNA export or by inhibition of splicing, or both, is still a matter of debate. We have addressed this issue in Xenopus laevis oocytes by microinjecting RNA molecules containing RRE along with purified recombinant Rev protein into the oocyte nuclei. Adenovirus pre‐mRNA containing an RRE in the intron was spliced equally well in the absence and presence of Rev protein. Only in the presence of Rev was non‐spliced pre‐mRNA exported from the nucleus; more surprisingly, the excised intron lariat (containing RRE) was also exported. Furthermore, an RRE‐containing mRNA molecule that lacked intron sequences was also efficiently exported from the nucleus in a Rev‐dependent manner. Therefore our results demonstrate that Rev can act directly at the level of nuclear export, independent of any inhibitory effect that it may exert on the splicing of pre‐mRNA. Finally, our finding that the Rev mutant M10, shown previously to be inactive in human lymphoid cells, was also unable to export RRE‐containing RNA molecules from oocyte nuclei suggests that one or more cellular factors, evolutionarily conserved between humans and Xenopus, interact with Rev in both cell systems to promote nuclear RNA export.
Combat Stressors Predicting Perceived Stress Among Previously Deployed Soldiers

While combat exposures are considered principle stressors in developing mental health problems, research suggests social support can reduce this risk. Using data from 1,592 previously deployed soldiers, we found five classes of soldiers based on their patterns of responses to items measuring perceived stress. In subsequent analyses, we found increased combat exposure predicted membership in classes with greater combat-related stress, while greater unit cohesion predicted membership in classes with lower perceived stress. Also, greater willingness to report misconduct predicted greater unit cohesion. Results suggest that unit cohesion plays a vital role in the reduction of perceived stress among soldiers.
Levels and patterns of internal migration in Europe: A cohort perspective

Europe displays important variations in the level of internal migration, with a clear spatial gradient of high mobility in northern and western Europe but lower mobility in the south and east. However, cross-national variation in levels of internal migration remains poorly understood, because it is analysed almost exclusively using cross-sectional data and period measures. This paper seeks to advance understanding of cross-national variation in migration levels in 14 European countries by drawing on a recently proposed suite of migration cohort measures, coupled with internationally comparable retrospective residential histories. It shows that differences in migration levels are mainly attributable to variation in the extent of repeat movement, which is underpinned by the differences in mean ages at first and last move that together delineate the average length of migration careers. Cohort analysis provides a robust foundation for exploring the demographic mechanisms underpinning variation in migration levels across countries and over time.
PNS-FCR: Flexible Charge Recycling Dynamic Circuit Technique for Low-Power Microprocessors

Due to the superior speed and area characteristics, dynamic circuits are widely applied in data paths and other time critical components in modern microprocessors. The high switching activity of dynamic circuits, however, consumes significant power. In this paper, a p-type/n-type dynamic circuit selection (PNS) algorithm and a flexible charge recycling (FCR) design methodology are proposed to achieve high power efficiency in data paths. The effects of technology scaling, data path width, design complexity, clock skew, and environmental conditions are discussed. Simulation results show that the power consumption of an arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) with the proposed PNS-FCR can be reduced by up to 60% as compared with a conventional ALU. An 8-bit ALU test circuit has also been manufactured based on a 0.35-μm Global Foundries technology, demonstrating the power and area efficiency of the proposed methodology.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Patient-Oriented Hand Rehabilitation Programme

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a patient-oriented, hand rehabilitation programme compared to a standard programme regarding functional outcomes, return to work, patient satisfaction and costs. Patients were recruited in two consecutive cohorts. One cohort received the standard treatment programme (n = 75) and the other a programme based on principles of patient orientation (n = 75). Data were collected at the beginning and end of rehabilitation and 6 months after discharge. Clinical variables included range of motion, grip and pinch strength. Self-reported measures included pain, upper extremity functioning, health status, satisfaction and job situation. Analysis of variance for repeated measurements was used to calculate the main effects. The patient-oriented group showed more favourable results with respect to DASH scores (P <.05), pain (P <.001) and patient satisfaction (P <.0001). More patients returned to their former jobs and time off sick was reduced. We concluded that the patient-oriented approach was more effective and cost-saving.
KATP channels modulate intrinsic firing activity of immature entorhinal cortex layer III neurons

Medial temporal lobe structures are essential for memory formation which is associated with coherent network oscillations. During ontogenesis, these highly organized patterns develop from distinct, less synchronized forms of network activity. This maturation process goes along with marked changes in intrinsic firing patterns of individual neurons. One critical factor determining neuronal excitability is activity of ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) which coupled electrical activity to metabolic state. Here, we examined the role of KATP channels for intrinsic firing patterns and emerging network activity in the immature medial entorhinal cortex (mEC) of rats. Western blot analysis of Kir6.2 (a subunit of the KATP channel) confirmed expression of this protein in the immature entorhinal cortex. Neuronal activity was monitored by field potential (fp) and whole-cell recordings from layer III (LIII) of the mEC in horizontal brain slices obtained at postnatal day (P) 6–13. Spontaneous fp-bursts were suppressed by the KATP channel opener diazoxide and prolonged after blockade of KATP channels by glibenclamide. Immature mEC LIII principal neurons displayed two dominant intrinsic firing patterns, prolonged bursts or regular firing activity, respectively. Burst discharges were suppressed by the KATP channel openers diazoxide and NN414, and enhanced by the KATP channel blockers tolbutamide and glibenclamide. Activity of regularly firing neurons was modulated in a frequency-dependent manner: the diazoxide-mediated reduction of firing correlated negatively with basal frequency, while the tolbutamide-mediated increase of firing showed a positive correlation. These data are in line with an activity-dependent regulation of KATP channel activity. Together, KATP channels exert powerful modulation of intrinsic firing patterns and network activity in the immature mEC.
Gestational trophoblastic disease: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

M. J. Seckl1, N. J. Sebire2, R. A. Fisher1, F. Golfier3, L. Massuger4 & C. Sessa5, on behalf of the ESMO Guidelines Working Group* Department of Cancer Medicine; Department of Histopathology, Charing Cross Gestational Trophoblastic Disease Centre, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK; Centre de Référence des Maladie Trophoblastiques, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ospedale San Giovanni, Bellinzona, Switzerland;
Multivariate Time Series Classification with Temporal Abstractions

The increase in the number of complex temporal datasets collected today has prompted the development of methods that extend classical machine learning and data mining methods to time-series data. This work focuses on methods for multivariate time-series classification. Time series classification is a challenging problem mostly because the number of temporal features that describe the data and are potentially useful for classification is enormous. We study and develop a temporal abstraction framework for generating multivariate time series features suitable for classification tasks. We propose the STF-Mine algorithm that automatically mines discriminative temporal abstraction patterns from the time series data and uses them to learn a classification model. Our experimental evaluations, carried out on both synthetic and real world medical data, demonstrate the benefit of our approach in learning accurate classifiers for time-series datasets.
Optimal Sticky Prices under Rational Inattention

Abstract This paper presents a model in which price setting firms decide what to pay attention to, subject to a constraint on information flow. When idiosyncratic conditions are more variable or more important than aggregate conditions, firms pay more attention to idiosyncratic conditions than to aggregate conditions. When we calibrate the model to match the large average absolute size of price changes observed in micro data, prices react fast and by large amounts to idiosyncratic shocks, but only slowly and by small amounts to nominal shocks. Nominal shocks have strong and persistent real effects. An optimizing trader will process those prices of most importance to his decision problem most frequently and carefully, those of less importance less so, and most prices not at all. Of the many sources of risk of importance to him, the business cycle and aggregate behavior generally is, for most agents, of no special importance, and there is no reason for traders to specialize their own information systems for diagnosing general movements correctly. – Robert E. Lucas (1977, 21) JEL Classification: D21, D83, E31, E52
Successful Strategic Management in Small Private Colleges.

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function," observed F. Scott Fitzgerald [13]. His observation has found its way into two recent books on strategic management-one for the business sector and the other for higher education, both highly readable, sensible, and well grounded in theory and practice [29, 48]. Both books reinforce the distinctions between two implicit trains of thought in the strategic management literature that preceded them. The two ideas are fundamentally different from one another, and they are seldom juxtaposed either in theory or in practice. But, echoing Fitzgerald, the successful practice of strategic management may require the ability to function simultaneously in the context of both ideas.
Different Tests, Different Answers

Recently, educational researchers and practitioners have turned to value-added models to evaluate teacher performance. Although value-added estimates depend on the assessment used to measure student achievement, the importance of outcome selection has received scant attention in the literature. Using data from a large, urban school district, I examine whether value-added estimates from three separate reading achievement tests provide similar answers about teacher performance. I find moderate-sized rank correlations, ranging from 0.15 to 0.58, between the estimates derived from different tests. Although the tests vary to some degree in content, scaling, and sample of students, these factors do not explain the differences in teacher effects. Instead, test timing and measurement error contribute substantially to the instability of value-added estimates across tests.