Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An 8–18 GHz 90° Switched T-Type Phase Shifter

This paper proposes a novel 8–18 GHz 90° switched T-type phase shifter (TPS). In contrast to the conventional TPS, the proposed TPS adds a compensation capacitance to greatly enhance the phase shifting capacity. Moreover, the designed structure also integrates a filtering compensation network, which can effectively achieve a flat relative phase shift in a wide band. The proposed 90° TPS is fabricated using 0.15 μm GaAs pHEMT technology. The TPS achieves homogeneous phase shift at 8–18 GHz, with the measured phase error of less than ±1.5°. The insertion loss of the proposed phase shifter is 1.3–2.6 dB, and the chip size is merely 0.53 × 0.86 mm2. Thanks to these excellent performance characteristics, the designed phase shifter is well-suited for ultra-wideband wireless communication and radar systems.
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on prostate cancer screening and diagnosis in Korea

The COVID-19 pandemic group had a higher detection rate of PCa, and increased rates of Gleason scores (GS) 7 and 9–10, while the rate of GS 6 decreased compared to the pre-COVID-19 group ( p <0.05). The rate of clinically significant PCa (csPCa) was also higher during the pandemic ( p <0.05). In both magnetic resonance imaging-guided and standard biopsies, the GS 6 rate decreased, and the csPCa rate increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (each, p <0.05). Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the detection rate of prostate biopsies and the rate of csPCa increased significantly. Thus, PCa was diagnosed at a more advanced state in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic.
STUDY TO ASSESS SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY OF 3 TESLA MR IN PREDICTION OF BOWEL WALL INVASION AND METASTATIC ADENOPATHY

Background: Primary rectal cancer is a common malignancy that has a variable prognosis, with local recurrence after surgical resection often leading to incurable disease. Phased-array MR imaging best fulfills the requirements for preoperative staging of rectal cancer. Present study was to assess the accuracy of 3-T high-field MRI in prediction of bowel wall invasion and metastatic adenopathy in patients of rectal cancer. Material and Methods: Present study was prospective, observational study, conducted in patients referred to department of radiology (MRI), with a diagnosis of rectal carcinoma, based on manual palpation and proctoscopic results and confirmed by means of endoluminal biopsy. Results: In presents study, 30 patients were studied, average age being 53.07 ± 14.36 years & 76.7% cases were males. In present study, 86.7% cases had Circumferential or Annular followed by 13.3% had Polypoidal tumor. 13.3% cases had sphincter involvement; 14.3% cases had CRM involvement & 90.0% cases were on CRT. In present study, 96.7% of pre CRT cases had tumor stage T3 which was more as compared to 81.5% of post CRT cases but the difference was not significant. Parameters for comparison between MRI & histopathology for CRM involvement were Sensitivity: 33.33%, Specificity: 100%, PPV: 100% & NPV: 66.67%. On comparison between MRI & histopathology for bowel wall invasion pre-CRT parameters were Sensitivity: 100%, Specificity: 100%, PPV: 100% & NPV: 100% In post CRT patients MRI tends to overstage the lesions as compared to the histopathological results. Parameters were Sensitivity: 100%, Specificity: 33.33%, PPV: 54.55% & NPV: 100%. Parameters were Sensitivity: 75%, Specificity: 86.36%, PPV 66.67% & NPV 90.48%. Parameters on comparing nodal staging on MRI and histopathology were Sensitivity: 88.89%, Specificity: 95.45%, PPV: 88.89% & NPV: 95.45%. Conclusion: MR imaging is in the forefront as a problem-solving technique for treatment planning in patients with rectal carcinoma.
"Learning to rank for information retrieval from user interactions" by K. Hofmann, S. Whiteson, A. Schuth, and M. de Rijke with Martin Vesely as coordinator

In this article we give an overview of our recent work on online learning to rank for information retrieval (IR). This work addresses IR from a reinforcement learning (RL) point of view, with the aim to enable systems that can learn directly from interactions with their users. Learning directly from user interactions is difficult for several reasons. First, user interactions are hard to interpret as feedback for learning because it is usually biased and noisy. Second, the system can only observe feedback on actions (e.g., rankers, documents) actually shown to users, which results in an exploration-exploitation challenge. Third, the amount of feedback and therefore the quality of learning is limited by the number of user interactions, so it is important to use the observed data as effectively as possible. Here, we discuss our work on interpreting user feedback using probabilistic interleaved comparisons, and on learning to rank from noisy, relative feedback.
Substantive bias and variation in the acquisition of vowel harmony

This study investigates substantive bias, a phenomenon wherein learners exhibit a preference for phonetically motivated patterns in language acquisition. The study presents evidence that variable input, rather than categorical input, can activate substantive bias. Native speakers of Hong Kong Cantonese were randomly assigned to categorical or variable training conditions for vowel backness harmony or disharmony, or to a no-training control condition. Results indicate that participants in the categorical and control conditions did not exhibit a bias towards either pattern. However, participants in the variable conditions displayed a bias towards vowel harmony, suggesting that input variability can strengthen the effect of substantive bias. These findings contribute to our comprehension of the role of input variability in phonological learning and the mechanisms involved in the acquisition of phonetically motivated and unmotivated phonological patterns.
Study of Polylactic Acid – Achira Starch Blends Compatibilized by Polyvinyl Alcohol

: Polylactic acid (PLA) – achira starch blends were prepared using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and glycerol as compatibilizer and plasticizer, respectively. Blends were characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and mechanical behavior. Fracture surfaces obtained from tensile test were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, biodegradability of blends was determined in natural soil, vermicomposting method, aerobic and anaerobic conditions. According to results, PVA increased tensile strength, elongation at break and decreased Young´s modulus. SEM images showed rugged surfaces with starch granules in the samples. Moreover, DSC results showed a single Tg value close to Tg of neat components whereas, FTIR spectra suggested the presence of hydrogen bonds between PLA and starch. Finally, vermicomposting results revealed a high degradation level of PLA – achira starch blends.
Joint User Association and Resource Optimization for Multi-Cell NOMA Networks

In multi-cell networks, resource management becomes exceedingly complex as network density rises. Therefore, it is necessary to devise effective and low-complexity algorithms for resource management in multi-cell networks. This paper investigated the joint optimization problem of user association and resource optimization to improve the sum rate in multi-cell non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) networks. The problem is decomposed into three sub-problems. To address the coupling problem between user association and channel allocation, an iterative based method is employed. Firstly, the user association problem is addressed by proposed sum rate maximization matching (SRMM) algorithm. Then, the channel allocation problem is resolved by developed hypergraph coloring (HC) algorithm. After achieving convergence by iteratively solving the coupling problems, the power allocation problem is converted into an easily solved convex problem. Numerical results clarify that the proposed algorithm presents superior performance compared to both orthogonal multiple access (OMA) algorithm and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio maximization user association (SINRM-VA) algorithm.
On classiﬁcation of 7 − dimensional odd-nilpotent Leibniz algebras

In this paper we extend the method of canonical form for congruence of bilinear forms to give the classiﬁcation of some subclasses of 7 − dimensional nilpotent Leibniz algebras. Odd-nilpotent Leibniz algebras are deﬁned as that its even dimensional ideals in lower central series are all zero and the classiﬁcation of 7 − dimensional complex odd-nilpotent Leibniz algebras with one dimensional Leib ideal is obtained by applying the aforementioned method
Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation for mapping the motor cortex in patients with rolandic brain tumors.

OBJECT Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) is a novel technology in the field of neurosurgery for noninvasive delineation of cortical functional topography. This study addresses the spatial accuracy and clinical usefulness of nTMS in brain tumor surgery in or near the motor cortex based on a systematic review of observational studies. METHODS A systematic search retrieved 11 reports published up to October 2012 in which adult patients were examined with nTMS prior to surgery. Quality criteria consisted of documentation of the influence of nTMS brain mapping on clinical decision making in a standardized prospective manner and/or performance of intraoperative direct electrical stimulation (DES) and comparison with nTMS results. Cross-observational assessment of nTMS accuracy was established by calculating a weighted mean distance between nTMS and DES. RESULTS All studies reviewed in this article concluded that nTMS correlated well with the "gold standard" of DES. The mean distance between motor cortex identified on nTMS and DES by using the mean distance in 81 patients described in 6 quantitatively evaluated studies was 6.18 mm. The nTMS results changed the surgical strategy based on anatomical imaging alone in 25.3% of all patients, based on the data obtained in 87 patients in 2 studies. CONCLUSIONS The nTMS technique spatially correlates well with the gold standard of DES. Its functional information benefits surgical decision making and changes the treatment strategy in one-fourth of cases.
PROFILE OF ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT VICTIMS ADMITTED TO TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN TRICHY

Background: Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) has emerged as an important public health issue which needs to be tackled by a multidisciplinary approach. Awareness creation, strict implementation of traffic rules &scientific engineering measures are the need of the hour to prevent this public health catastrophe. This article is intended to create awareness among health professionals about various modalities available to prevent road traffic accidents. To study the prevalence, type and outcome of Road Traffic Accident victims admitted in Trichy's tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on Road traffic victims admitted to the Chennai Medical College Hospital and research centre for two months from January 2016 to March 2016. The study tool was a predesigned semi-structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis: SPSS v.15. 0. Result: Among the 140 RTA victims included in the study, a majority (70%) belonged to the age group 21 to 60, which constitutes the working population of the society, among whom 87% of the victims were Males. More than half (60%) had sustained Simple injury; the most common vehicles involved were two-wheelers. Conclusion: Strict enforcement of traffic rules will go a long way in preventing fatal and non-fatal injuries due to road traffic accidents.
Soft Fixtures: Towards Practical Caging-Based Manipulation of Rigid and Deformable Objects

—We present a sampling-based approach and initial experiments to reasoning about the manipulation of both rigid and a simplified class of deformable objects, modeled as articulated rigid bodies with gravitational and elastic potential energy in 3D. We extend earlier work generalizing the notion of caging to include energy function constraints to allow for a quasi-static analysis and the inclusion of elastic potential energy of deformable objects. While past works on caging have predominantly focused on provably correct algorithms applicable to restricted simple classes of rigid objects such as polygons in 2D or simple meshes in 3D, our approach only provides upper bounds to escape energies, but in return allows for the analysis of such soft fixtures in much higher-dimensional configuration spaces. In this workshop contribution, we present initial demonstrations of simulation scenarios indicating that our approach can be applied to the analysis of escape energy for quasi-static manipulation scenarios involving rigid and articulated objects. Simulation results indicate that a variation of a BIT*-based motion planner outperforms an incremental search-based RRT planner as a baseline for this application in particular.
Reinterpreting Relativity: Using the Equivalence Principle to Explain Away Cosmological Anomalies

: According to the standard interpretation of Einstein’s field equations, gravity consists of mass-energy curving spacetime, and an additional physical force or entity —denoted by Λ (the ‘cosmological constant’)—is responsible for the Universe’s metric -expansion. Although General Relativity’s direct predictions have been systematically confirmed, the dominant cosmological model thought to follow from it —the ΛCDM (Lambda cold dark matter) model of the Universe’s hi story and composition — faces considerable challenges, including various observational anomalies and experimental failures to detect dark matter, dark energy, or inflation-field candidates. This paper shows that Einstein’s Equivalence Principle entails two p ossible physical interpretations of General Relativity’s field equations. Although the field equations facially appear to support the standard interpretation — that gravity consists of mass-energy curving spacetime — the field equations can be equivalently understood as holding that gravitational effects instead result from mass-energy accelerating the metric-expansion of a second-order spacetime fabric superimposed upon an absolute, first-order Euclidean space, resulting in the observational appearance of spacetime curvature. This alternative interpretation of relativity is shown to be empirically equivalent to the standard interpretation of relativity, albeit with a changing value for Λ (which is similar to how Λ is understood in the conception of Λ as ‘quintessence’, but in this case takes Λ to be gravity). The reconceptualization is then shown to potentially resolve every major observational anomaly for the ΛCDM model, including recent observations conflicting with ΛCDM predictions, as well as failures to dir ectly detect dark matter, dark energy, and inflation field/particle candidates.
Use of exercise testing in the evaluation of interventional efficacy: an official ERS statement

This document reviews 1) the measurement properties of commonly used exercise tests in patients with chronic respiratory diseases and 2) published studies on their utilty and/or evaluation obtained from MEDLINE and Cochrane Library searches between 1990 and March 2015. Exercise tests are reliable and consistently responsive to rehabilitative and pharmacological interventions. Thresholds for clinically important changes in performance are available for several tests. In pulmonary arterial hypertension, the 6-min walk test (6MWT), peak oxygen uptake and ventilation/carbon dioxide output indices appear to be the variables most responsive to vasodilators. While bronchodilators do not always show clinically relevant effects in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high-intensity constant work-rate (endurance) tests (CWRET) are considerably more responsive than incremental exercise tests and 6MWTs. High-intensity CWRETs need to be standardised to reduce interindividual variability. Additional physiological information and responsiveness can be obtained from isotime measurements, particularly of inspiratory capacity and dyspnoea. Less evidence is available for the endurance shuttle walk test. Although the incremental shuttle walk test and 6MWT are reliable and less expensive than cardiopulmonary exercise testing, two repetitions are needed at baseline. All exercise tests are safe when recommended precautions are followed, with evidence suggesting that no test is safer than others. A review of exercise testing to evaluate interventions aimed to improve exercise tolerance in respiratory patients http://ow.ly/U37mQ
Direct extraction technique for a small‐signal MOSFET equivalent circuit with substrate parameters

A simple and efficient method to extract model parameters of a small‐signal MOSFET equivalent circuit, including substrate resistance and capacitance, is proposed. Unlike previous methods, substrate parameters, resistances, and inductances are directly determined without any curve‐fitting optimization. Good agreement between the measured and modeled S parameters is observed up to 40 GHz, thus verifying the accuracy of the model and its extraction method. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 39: 344–347, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.11210
The Phosphoproteomic Response of Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Seedlings to Selenium Stress

Excessive selenium has gradually become a potential environmentally hazardous element for all organisms. Limited knowledge is available regarding the toxic mechanism of selenium in pepper, so the quantitative proteomics of phosphorylation was studied by Tandem Mass Tag approaches. A total of 4434 phosphorylation sites were identified on 2058 proteins, of which 3749 sites of 1919 proteins contained quantitative information. In the Se/mock (seedlings without Se treatment) comparison group, the number of upregulated phosphoproteins (658) was significantly higher than that of the downregulated ones (61). Systematic bioinformatics analysis, including protein annotation, functional classification, subcellular localization, and cluster analysis was performed. A total of 33 over-represented motifs were found in serine phosphorylation, and the most frequent motif was ‘sP’ (308 occurrences). According to KEGG enrichment analysis, the upregulated phosphorylated proteins (DPPs) were most strongly associated with the ’phenylpropanoid biosynthesis’ and ’nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism’ pathways, while those that were downregulated were associated with the ’ABC transporters’ and ‘plant hormone signal transduction’ pathways. Our data can provide new insights for evaluating the response mechanism of plants to selenium pollution and improving their resistance to selenium.
BusStopCV: A Real-time AI Assistant for Labeling Bus Stop Accessibility Features in Streetscape Imagery

Public transportation provides vital connectivity to people with disabilities, facilitating access to work, education, and health services. While modern navigation applications provide a suite of information about transit options—including real-time updates about bus or train arrivals—they lack data about the accessibility of the transit stops themselves. Bus stop features such as seatings, shelters, and landing areas are critical, but few cities provide this information. In this demo paper, we introduce BusStopCV, a Human+AI web prototype for scalably collecting data on bus stop features using real-time computer vision and human labeling. We describe BusStopCV’s design, custom training with the YOLOv8 model, and an evaluation of 100 randomly selected bus stops in Seattle, WA. Our findings demonstrate the potential of BusStopCV and highlight opportunities for future work.
INSIGHT IN THE PATIENTS OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER, A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurring, intrusive, anxiety-provoking thoughts or images (obsessions) associated with repetitive, physical or mental rituals (compulsions) aimed at relieving the anxiety. It is a chronic disorder with marked morbidity in all age groups. Insight refers to the awareness of one’s emotional and psychological problems. In OCD, Insight refers to the recognition of senselessness of the symptoms. It can vary from full awareness of the senselessness or absurdity of the thoughts to a total lack of awareness. There have been a few studies that have found good Insight to be associated with better prognosis of Illness. However, the data regarding the same is scarce, with only a few studies reported from our region. Hence, this study is being conducted with the Aim of Evaluating Insight in patients of OCD and to try and fulfill this lacuna of information. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted over a period of 1 year (Jan21-Jan22). It was a cross sectional observational study. Patients attending Psychiatry OPD at UIMS and IPD patients were taken into consideration for the study and those fulfilling the Inclusion criteria were eventually taken up for study. Result: Majority of the subjects were females, age 21-30 and employed. Most of the subjects had good Insight. It was best in those having obsessions of dirt
Identification of functional elements and regulatory circuits by Drosophila modENCODE

data full-length proteincoding 21 (ii) transcripts, 132 candidate structural RNAs and 1608 nonstructural transcripts; (iii) additional Argonaute (Ago)–associated small RNA genes and pathways, including new microRNAs (miRNAs) encoded within protein-coding exons and endogenous small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) from 3" untranslated regions; (iv) chromatin “states” defined by combinatorial patterns of 18 chromatin marks that are associated with distinct functions and properties; (v) regions of high TF occupancy and replication activity with likely epigenetic regulation; (vi)mixed TF and miRNA regulatory networks with hierarchical structure and enriched feed-forward loops; (vii) coexpression- and co-regulation–based functional annotations for nearly 3000 genes; (viii) stage- and tissue-specific regulators; and (ix) predictive models of gene expression levels and regulator function. shows secondary-structure conservation in eight Drosophila species. (C) Example of a new derived from a protein-coding exon of CG6700, with 21- to 23-nt RNAs indicative of Drosha/Dicer-1 processing and also recovered in AGO1-immunoprecipitate libraries from S2 cells and adult heads indicative of Argonaute loading. Evolutionary evidence suggests proteincoding constraint, no conservation for themature arm, and conservation of the potentially mediating 3% of recovered in AGO1-immunoprecipitate evidence suggests potentially
Simultaneous Shape Tracking of Multiple Deformable Linear Objects with Global-Local Topology Preservation

This work presents an algorithm for tracking the shape of multiple entangling Deformable Linear Objects (DLOs) from a sequence of RGB-D images. This algorithm runs in real-time and improves on previous single-DLO tracking approaches by enabling tracking of multiple objects. This is achieved using Global-Local Topology Preservation (GLTP). This work uses the geodesic distance in GLTP to define the distance between separate objects and the distance between different parts of the same object. Tracking multiple entangling DLOs is demonstrated experimentally. The source code is publicly released.