Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Monolithic Ka-Band Filter-Based Voltage-Controlled Oscillator Using 0.15  $\mu$m GaAs pHEMT Technology

This letter presents a fully monolithic Ka-band filter-based voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with the 0.15 μm GaAs pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (pHEMT) as the active device. A three-pole combline bandpass filter is treated as a frequency stabilization element of the feedback oscillator to achieve a low phase-noise performance. The developed VCO has a frequency tuning range of 37.608-38.06 GHz, and in this frequency rage the calibrated output power is from 6.324 dBm to 10.46 dBm. The phase noise measured at 37.608 GHz is -112.31 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset frequency, and its corresponding figure-of-merit (FOM) is -182.7 dBc/Hz.
The Short-Run And Long-Run Relationship In The Indonesia Islamic Stock Returns

This paper aims at empirically examining the short-run and long-run causal relationship between the Indonesian Islamic stock returns and selected macroeconomic variables namely inflation, money supply and exchange rate during the pre- and post- 2008 global financial turmoil period from 2002 until 2007 and from 2008 until 2013 by using monthly data. The methodology used in this study is time series econometric techniques i.e. the unit root test,co-integration test, error correction model (ECM) and variance decompositions(VDCs). The findings showed that there is cointegration between Islamic stock prices and macroeconomic variables. The results suggest that inflation, money supply, and exchange rate significantly affected the Islamic stock returns in Indonesia. These variables should be taken into account by the policy-makers as the important policy instruments in stabilizing Islamic stock markets in the country DOI: 10.15408/aiq.v8i1. 2505
Identification of p2y9/GPR23 as a Novel G Protein-coupled Receptor for Lysophosphatidic Acid, Structurally Distant from the Edg Family*

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid mediator with diverse physiological and pathological actions on many types of cells. LPA has been widely considered to elicit its biological functions through three types of G protein-coupled receptors, Edg-2 (endothelial cell differentiation gene-2)/LPA1/vzg-1 (ventricular zone gene-1), Edg-4/LPA2, and Edg-7/LPA3. We identified an orphan G protein-coupled receptor, p2y9/GPR23, as the fourth LPA receptor (LPA4). Membrane fractions of RH7777 cells transiently expressing p2y9/GPR23 displayed a specific binding for 1-oleoyl-LPA with a Kd value of around 45 nm. Competition binding and reporter gene assays showed that p2y9/GPR23 preferred structural analogs of LPA with a rank order of 1-oleoyl- > 1-stearoyl- > 1-palmitoyl- > 1-myristoyl- > 1-alkyl- > 1-alkenyl-LPA. In Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing p2y9/GPR23, 1-oleoyl-LPA induced an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration and stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity. Quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that mRNA of p2y9/GPR23 was significantly abundant in ovary compared with other tissues. Interestingly, p2y9/GPR23 shares only 20–24% amino acid identities with Edg-2/LPA1, Edg-4/LPA2, and Edg-7/LPA3, and phylogenetic analysis also shows that p2y9/GPR23 is far distant from the Edg family. These facts suggest that p2y9/GPR23 has evolved from different ancestor sequences from the Edg family.
Urinary Excretion of Digoxin-Like Factor (DLF) and ADH during DOCA-Salt and Goldblatt 2 Kidney-1 Clip Hypertension Development

Urinary digoxin-like factor, ADH, sodium and potassium excretion and urine osmolality were studied during the development of two pathogenically different models of hypertension, DOCA-salt (low-renin) and Gold-blatt 2 kidney-1 clip (renin-dependent). Urinary digoxin-like factor was increased in rats that were given saline (NaCl 1%) to drink, uninephrectomized-salt and DOCA-salt rats, with no significant differences between the two groups urinary ADH was elevated in DOCA-salt rats during the study, compared with uninephrectomized-salt rats. Urinary digoxin-like factor and urinary ADH were not significantly modified in Goldblatt 2 kidney-1 clip and sham-operated rats. In addition, positive correlations between digoxin-like factor urinary excretion and urinary ADH and also with sodium urinary excretion were found. These data suggest that: a) digoxin-like factor and ADH could play a role in the pathogenesis of DOCA-salt but not in Goldblatt 2 kidney-1 clip hypertension. b) A common mechanism may stimulate ADH and digoxin-like factor simultaneously. c) Digoxin-like factor plays a role in the control of urinary sodium excretion.
Analysis of Causes and Prevention of Early Readmission to Surgical Intensive Care

The purpose of this study was to analyze causes of early readmission to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU), to determine whether readmission can be predicted or prevented, and to compare outcomes of patients readmitted to the SICU with patients not requiring readmission. All patients admitted to the Cedars-Sinai SICU from January 1, 1996, to December 31, 2001, were included. Clinical data was prospectively collected in an on-line computer system. The charts of all early readmission patients were retrospectively reviewed. SICU and hospital outcomes were abstracted from a computerized data warehouse. During the study period, 10,840 patients were admitted to the SICU including 97 (0.89%) early readmissions. SICU admission APACHE II and SAPS I scores, SICU and hospital length of stay, and mortality were significantly higher in readmitted patients compared to patients not requiring readmission. The majority of early SICU readmissions were due to respiratory and neurologic deterioration. Upon review, 62 per cent of all readmissions met appropriate SICU discharge criteria and were not predictable while only 5 per cent of SICU discharge were felt to have been premature. Patient outcomes are adversely affected by early readmission to the SICU. Careful neurologic assessment, meticulous attention to respiratory care transfer orders, and prompt respiratory therapy on floor care may significantly decrease the need for early readmission to the SICU.
Uncovering the relation between betel quid chewing and cigarette smoking in Taiwan

Objective: To describe the characteristics of betel quid chewers and to investigate the behavioural and mortality relations between betel quid chewing and cigarette smoking. Method: Prevalence and mortality risks of betel quid chewers by smoking status were calculated, based on the National Health Interview Survey in 2001 and a community based cohort, respectively. Cox’s proportional hazards model was used to adjust mortality risks for age, alcohol use, and education. Results: Almost all betel quid chewers were smokers, and most started chewing after smoking. Chewers were predominantly male, mostly in their 30s and 40s, more likely being among the lowest educational or income group, and residing in the eastern regions of Taiwan. On average, betel quid chewers who smoked consumed 18 pieces of betel quid a day, and smoked more cigarettes per day. Far more smokers use betel quid than non-smokers (27.5% v 2.5%), but ex-smokers quit betel quid more than smokers (15.1% v 6.8%). The significantly increased mortality of betel quid users who also smoked, for all causes, all cancer, oral cancer, and cancer of the nasopharynx, lung, and liver, was the result of the combined effects of chewing and smoking. Smokers who chewed betel quid nearly tripled their oral cancer risks from a relative risk of 2.1 to 5.9. Increasing the number of cigarettes smoked among betel quid chewers was associated with a synergistic effect, reflective of the significant interaction between the two. Conclusion: To a large extent, the serious health consequences suffered by betel quid chewers were the result of the combined effects of smoking and chewing. Betel quid chewing should not be considered as an isolated issue, but should be viewed conjointly with cigarette smoking. Reducing cigarette smoking serves as an important first step in reducing betel quid chewing, and incorporating betel quid control into tobacco control may provide a new paradigm to attenuate the explosive increase in betel quid use in Taiwan.
Clinical decision making and the provision of information in PEG feeding: an exploration of patients and their carers' perceptions.

BACKGROUND Government health care policy encourages a culture of patient choice and involvement in decision making, although the complexities and challenges involved in fully engaging patients in clinical decision making can be perceived as barriers to effective communication between the professional and patient. The present study aimed to explore the patients and their carers perceptions of the adequacy of the information provided and their subsequent involvement in the decision making process for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube insertion. METHODS The study used purposive sampling. A cross-sectional qualitative design was utilised using semi-structured interviews, which were tape recorded. Sixteen patients and 27 carers were interviewed. The interviews were then transcribed verbatim and data analysis was undertaken using thematic analysis. RESULTS Only four patients and 11 carers reported having a choice in the decision for PEG placement, with only four patients and 10 carers, respectively, reporting they received sufficient information regarding the PEG. Poor communication, lack of information and inappropriate information, attitudes of health care professionals and exclusion were key themes for patients. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians should develop interdisciplinary and participative practices to agree shared treatment goals and evaluate patient experiences. Consideration should also be given to the use of decision making models; in our opinion, the development of such a model, which supports interdisciplinary and participative approaches to decision making, is urgently required.
Survivable Routing Protocol for green wireless mesh networks based on energy efficiency

This paper proposes a new Energy-efficient Survivable Routing Protocol (ESRP) based on solar energy and wind mixed for power supply in green wireless mesh networks (WMNs). The ESRP combines hop penalty strategy and flooding delaying strategy to improve the performances of traditional routing protocol. This paper uses QualNet to simulate and verify the performances of proposed ESRP. Compared with the traditional routing protocol, the simulation results show that the energy utilization of ESRP is more efficient by 13%. At the same time, ESRP is more load-balanced to postpone the appearance of the first energy depletion node and reduce the number of energy depletion nodes, and thus it effectively improves network survivability.
Expanding metal mixture toxicity models to natural stream and lake invertebrate communities

A modeling approach that was used to predict the toxicity of dissolved single and multiple metals to trout is extended to stream benthic macroinvertebrates, freshwater zooplankton, and Daphnia magna. The approach predicts the accumulation of toxicants (H, Al, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in organisms using 3 equilibrium accumulation models that define interactions between dissolved cations and biological receptors (biotic ligands). These models differ in the structure of the receptors and include a 2‐site biotic ligand model, a bidentate biotic ligand or 2‐pKa model, and a humic acid model. The predicted accumulation of toxicants is weighted using toxicant‐specific coefficients and incorporated into a toxicity function called Tox, which is then related to observed mortality or invertebrate community richness using a logistic equation. All accumulation models provide reasonable fits to metal concentrations in tissue samples of stream invertebrates. Despite the good fits, distinct differences in the magnitude of toxicant accumulation and biotic ligand speciation exist among the models for a given solution composition. However, predicted biological responses are similar among the models because there are interdependencies among model parameters in the accumulation–Tox models. To illustrate potential applications of the approaches, the 3 accumulation–Tox models for natural stream invertebrates are used in Monte Carlo simulations to predict the probability of adverse impacts in catchments of differing geology in central Colorado (USA); to link geology, water chemistry, and biological response; and to demonstrate how this approach can be used to screen for potential risks associated with resource development. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:761–776. © 2015 SETAC
Low Temperature Heteroepitaxial Growth of 3C-SiC on Si Substrates by Rapid Thermal Triode Plasma CVD using Dimethylsilane

The investigation of the dependence of the cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) film characteristics on the reaction pressures, growth temperatures and hydrogen dilution rates was carried out by rapid thermal triode plasma CVD using dimethylsilane as a source gas. The stoichiometric 3C-SiC films with good crystallinity and crystal orientation were successfully grown at 1100-1200degC. The crystallinity and the crystal orientation of SiC films grown at large dilution rate of above 200 and growth pressure of 0.3 ~ 0.7 Torr were better than those grown at small dilution rate and high growth pressure. Under large dilution rate, large amount of hydrogen radicals can be generated. It is speculated that excessive carbon atoms or weak bonds formed in SiC films were effectively extracted by the large amount of hydrogen radicals.
Evolution of Developmental Control Mechanisms Opposing Nodal/Vg1 and BMP signals mediate axial patterning in embryos of the basal chordate amphioxus

abstract Article history:Received for publication 14 March 2010Revised 10 May 2010Accepted 11 May 2010Available online 19 May 2010Keywords:BranchiostomaAmphioxusBMP signalingNodal/Vg1 signalingAxial patterning The basal chordate amphioxus resembles vertebrates in having a dorsal, hollow nerve cord, a notochord andsomites. However, it lacks extensive gene duplications, and its embryos are small and gastrulate by simpleinvagination. Here we demonstrate that Nodal/Vg1 signaling acts from early cleavage through the gastrulastage to specify and maintain dorsal/anterior development while, starting at the early gastrula stage, BMPsignaling promotes ventral/posterior identity. Knockdown and gain-of-function experiments show thatthese pathways act in opposition to one another. Signaling by these pathways is modulated by dorsally and/or anteriorly expressed genes including Chordin, Cerberus, and Blimp1. Overexpression and/or reporterassays in Xenopus demonstrate that the functions of these proteins are conserved between amphioxus andvertebrates. Thus, a fundamental genetic mechanism for axial patterning involving opposing Nodal and BMPsignaling is present in amphioxus and probably also in the common ancestor of amphioxus and vertebratesor even earlier in deuterostome evolution. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A premixed autostereoscopic OptiX-based volume rendering

Present multi-view display techniques are often based on the use of multi-pass algorithms, one per view usually besides an additional step for image compositing. Generally linearly dependent on the number of views, these approaches introduce a bias by incorrectly considering that depth information is located at the pixel level, while the sub-pixel level would be more suitable to improve the intrinsic quality of the resulting images. In this paper, we introduce a new method for rendering multi-stereo views at interactive frame rates which is innovative on two main aspects: first it is based on an OptiX™ ray-tracing engine, second it uses a single premixed rendering pass operating at sub-pixel level. This approach has been tested on a specific volume rendering algorithm, natively supporting 3D displays. After a detailed description of our method, we present performance results for different use cases on an 8-view autostereoscopic 3D display. Quantitative aspects of the latency as well as resulting perceived image quality are measured for the proposed method and compared with a conventional multi-pass GPU approach.
Obsessive‐compulsive symptom dimensions in affected sibling pairs diagnosed with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome

Obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) is an etiologically heterogeneous disorder. Recent factor analyses have consistently identified several symptom dimensions, two of which are associated with increased familial risk for OCD; aggressive, sexual, and religious obsessions and checking compulsions (FACTOR 1) and symmetry and ordering obsessions and compulsions (FACTOR 2). Both of these symptom dimensions are also frequently seen in association with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). The purpose of this study was to determine whether these obsessive‐compulsive (OC) symptom dimensions are correlated within families (between sibs and between parent‐child pairs). Using data collected by the Tourette Syndrome Association International Consortium for Genetics Affected Sibling Pair Study, the authors selected all available GTS sib pairs and their parents for which these OC symptom dimensions (factor scores) could be generated. This group included 128 full sibs and their mothers (54) and fathers (54). Four OC symptom dimension scores were computed for each family member using an algorithm derived from item endorsements from the Yale‐Brown Obsessive‐Compulsive Scale (Y‐BOCS) symptom checklist. In addition to a series of univariate analyses, complex segregation analyses were also completed using these quantitative OC symptom dimension scores. FACTOR 1 and FACTOR 2 scores were significantly correlated in sib pairs concordant for GTS. The mother–child correlations, but not father–child correlations, were also significant for these two factors. Segregation analyses were consistent with dominant major gene effects for both FACTOR 1 and FACTOR 2. We conclude that familial factors contribute significantly to OC symptom dimension phenotypes in GTS families. This familial contribution could be genetic or environmental. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Silicon nanotechnologies of pigmented heterokonts

Many pigmented heterokonts are able to synthesize elements of their cell walls (the frustules) of dense biogenic silica. These include diatom algae, which occupy a significant place in the biosphere. The siliceous frustules of diatoms have species‐specific patterns of surface structures between 10 and a few hundred nanometers. The present review considers possible mechanisms of uptake of silicic acid from the aquatic environment, its transport across the plasmalemma, and intracellular transport and deposition of silica inside the specialized Silica Deposition Vesicle (SDV) where elements of the new frustule are formed. It is proposed that a complex of silicic acid with positively charged proteins silaffins and polypropylamines remains a homogeneous solution during the intracellular transport to SDV, where biogenic silica precipitates. The high density of the deposited biogenic silica may be due to removal of water from the SDV by aquaporins followed by syneresis—a process during which pore water is expelled from the network of the contracting gel. The pattern of aquaporins in the silicalemma, the membrane embracing the SDV, can determine the pattern of species‐specific siliceous nanostructures. BioEssays 30:328–337, 2008. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Semantic position recognition and visual landmark detection with invariant for human effect

This study was conducted to realize semantic position recognition based on visual landmarks (VLs) used for an autonomous mobile robot in an environment living with humans. This paper presents a novel VL feature extraction and description method that is robust for the effect and interference of humans. The proposed method provides a mask image of human regions using histograms of oriented gradients (HOG). The VL features are described with accelerated KAZE (AKAZE) after extracting conspicuous regions obtained using saliency maps (SMs). We created codebooks as visual words using bags of AKAZE features that have different feature numbers. For scene recognition, we used adaptive category mapping networks (ACMNs) that learn adaptively with additional sequential data and visualization of topological data structures as a category map. As a preliminary experiment, we evaluated the accuracies of human detection using EPFL benchmark datasets. The true positive rate and the false positive rate are, respectively, 85.4% and 41.6% for 100 randomly selected images in four scene categories. As an evaluation experiment, we created our original benchmark datasets using a mobile robot. The recognition accuracy evaluated using leave-one-out cross validation (CV) reveals 49.9% for our method, which is 3.2 percentage points higher than the accuracy of the comparison method without HOG detectors.
Estimating the choice behavior of self-employed business proprietors: An application to dairy farmers

The vast majority of business concerns operating in contemporary market oriented economies are owned and controlled by a single individual and perhaps family members. Yet little work has been performed in the area of estimating the choice behavior of self-employed business proprietors, particularly under conditions where production and consumption decisions are interdependent. Lau, Lin, and Yotopolous [16], Barnum and Squire [2], and others have developed models to analyze and estimate the complete choice behavior of farm households in developing nations. These analyses invariably separate production and consumption decisions so that the sole link between the two sides of the model lies in the impact of farm profit on the household budget constraint. This type of separability implicitly assumes the existence of perfect markets for all goods and inputs. ' While this assumption may be a valid approximation for many farm households in developing economies, it is not generally applicable to self-employed proprietors, especially those operating in more advanced economies [8; 19; 21; 26]. To my knowledge, only two prior empirical studies have been performed which attempt to analyze the choice behavior of self-employed business proprietors under conditions where production and consumption decisions are interdependent. Brown and Lapan [4] employ aggregate U.S. time series data to estimate physician labor and output supply responses to changes in output price. Their estimation procedure centers on a single reduced form output supply equation. Parameter estimates are interpreted in the context of the theoretical framework assuming constant returns to scale technology and homothetic preferences. They conclude that while the physician labor supply curve is backward bending, the output supply curve is positively sloped. Lopez [19] formulates a model analyzing the interdependent production and labor supply decisions of households that own and operate a farm. His framework integrates output, input, and labor supply choices, and allows for differences in preferences between on-farm and off-farm work. Imposing constant returns to scale and using cross-section Canadian data aggregated by census division, he jointly estimates output supply, input demand, on-farm, and off-farm labor