Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Planar antenna for transmitting microwave power to small unmanned aerial vehicles

We present the design and simulation of a leaky wave antenna that has been modified to permit high power handling and produce a conical beam that is suitable for transmitting microwave power to small unmanned aerial vehicles (SUAV). We show a design with a single vertical beam of gain 25 dBi that could support the simultaneous transmission of power to three rotary winged SUAV. It would be powered by a 5 kW UHF (915 MHz) magnetron-based generator. We also show a design producing a conical beam of gain 18 dBi that would allow multiple conventionally winged, electrically propelled to fly in a circular path around the antenna, at altitudes of 10-30 m, whilst dipping a wing into the beam. The wing would contain a rectenna, or an array of rectennas, depending on mission requirements and SUAV design, and receive 15 W per rectenna at 10 m assuming a 30 kW transmitter.
Identification of intrinsic and reflex contributions to human ankle stiffness dynamics

The authors have examined dynamic stiffness at the human ankle using position perturbations which were designed to provide a wide-bandwidth input with low average velocity. A parallel-cascade, nonlinear system identification technique was used to separate overall stiffness into intrinsic and reflex components. Intrinsic stiffness was described by a linear, second-order system similar to that demonstrated previously. Reflex stiffness dynamics were more complex, comprising a delay, a unidirectional rate-sensitive element and then lowpass dynamics. Reflex mechanisms were found to be most important at frequencies of 5-10 Hz. The gain and dynamics of reflex stiffness varied strongly with the parameters of the perturbation, the gain decreasing as the mean velocity of the perturbation increased. Under some conditions, torques generated by reflex mechanisms were of the same magnitude as those from intrinsic mechanisms. It is concluded that reflex stiffness can be large enough to be important functionally, but that its effects will depend strongly upon the particular conditions.
Tunable Microwave and Sub-Terahertz Generation Based on Frequency Quadrupling Using a Single Polarization Modulator

Frequency quadrupling for tunable microwave and sub-terahertz generation using a single polarization modulator (PolM) in a Sagnac loop without using an optical filter or a wideband microwave phase shifter is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In the proposed system, a linearly polarized continuous wave from a tunable laser source (TLS) is split into two orthogonally polarized optical waves by a polarization beam splitter (PBS) and sent to the Sagnac loop traveling along the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. A PolM to which a reference microwave signal is applied is incorporated in the loop. The PolM is a traveling-wave modulator, due to the velocity mismatch only the clockwise light wave is effectively modulated by the reference microwave signal, and the counter-clockwise light wave is not modulated. This is the key point that ensures the cancelation of the optical carrier without the need of an optical filter. Along the clockwise direction, the joint operation of the PolM, a polarization controller (PC), and a polarizer corresponds to a Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) with the bias point controlled to suppress the odd-order sidebands. The optical carrier is then suppressed by the counter-clockwise light wave at the polarizer. As a result, only two ±2nd-order sidebands are generated, which are applied to a photodetector (PD) to generate a microwave signal with a frequency that is four times that of the reference microwave signal. A theoretical analysis is developed, which is validated by an experiment. A frequency-quadrupled electrical signal with a large tunable range from 2.04 to 100 GHz is generated. The performance of the proposed system in terms of stability and phase noise is also evaluated.
Monetary Policy and Bank Portfolio Composition: An Empirical Analysis of Their Impact on G NP

OVER THE LAST DECADE a number of authors have suggested that the impact of a monetary expansion may be significantly influenced by the way that expansion alters bank portfolios (see [21, 22, 3, 2]). Such a view is certainly the basis for the highly disaggregate specification in the models of the economy's financial sector developed by Goldfeld [12] and DeLeeuw-Gramlich [7]. Others have further suggested that an increase in loans is inherently more expansionary than an increase in investments (see [24, p. 601]). This paper clarifies alternative theoretical views of the role of bank portfolios and presents empirical evidence on the significance of bank portfolios in the link between monetary aggregates and income. The question of the role of bank portfolio composition in the transmission process between monetary policy and aggregate economic activity goes to the heart of both the theoretical and methodological disputes between monetarists and Keynesians. The theoretical issue is, of course, the true nature of the transmission mechanism, whereas the methodological argument concerns the choice of an appropriate analytical apparatus for describing the impact of monetary policy: "reduced form" or structural models. An implicit, if not explicit, part of the position taken by monetarists, particularly as developed
Determinants of Foreign Trade Mission Participation

The selection process for firm participation on foreign trade missions during the Clinton administration has received much attention. Although critics said seats were exchanged for political contributions, government officials argued they selected internationally competitive firms capable of leveraging the contacts the mission provided. This article provides empirical evidence consistent with both claims. Firms with high levels off oreign trade competency were almost six times more likely to be chosen for participation than firms with little international experience, whereas firms making large soft money donations were five times more likely to be chosen for participation than firms making no soft money donations.
Murine red blood cells as efficient carriers of three bacterial antigens for the production of specific and neutralizing antibodies

Three bacterial toxoids, CRM 197 (mutagenized diphtheria toxin), tetanus toxoid (formaldehyde‐treated tetanus toxin), and PT‐9K/129G (double mutant of pertussin toxin) were encapsulated within red blood cells (RBCs) of B6D2F1 and Balb/C mice according to a mild procedure based on hypotonic dialysis‐isotonic resealing that yielded undamaged RBCs. The toxoid‐loaded RBCs were injected intravenously in order to immunize animals and their effects were compared to those of identical amounts (30–95 micrograms per mouse subdivided into multiple injections) of the corresponding free toxoids injected intravenously in saline. Sera from treated mice were collected and tested for titers of specific antibodies against each of the three antigens and also for titers of neutralizing antibodies, i.e., affording protection from toxic effects induced by the corresponding native toxins. In all experiments, significant seroconversion was observed with both immunization systems. Titers of both specific and neutralizing antibodies against CRM 197 and tetanus toxoid were several‐fold higher upon immunization with the RBC‐encapsulated toxoids, than with the free toxoids. These differences were not due to qualitatively different recognition patterns of antigenic determinants by the two types of sera. Conversely, intravenous immunization with pertussis toxoid either as RBC‐encapsulated or as free antigen elicited a comparably high production of specific and of neutralizing antibodies. These data demonstrate that properly engineered RBCs behave as natural carriers and possibly adjuvants for antigens of vaccinal interest.
Analysis of Round Off Errors with Reversibility Test as a Dynamical indicator

We compare the divergence of orbits and the reversibility error for discrete time dynamical systems. These two quantities are used to explore the behavior of the global error induced by round off in the computation of orbits. The similarity of results found for any system we have analyzed suggests the use of the reversibility error, whose computation is straightforward since it does not require the knowledge of the exact orbit, as a dynamical indicator. The statistics of fluctuations induced by round off for an ensemble of initial conditions has been compared with the results obtained in the case of random perturbations. Significant differences are observed in the case of regular orbits due to the correlations of round off error, whereas the results obtained for the chaotic case are nearly the same. Both the reversibility error and the orbit divergence computed for the same number of iterations on the whole phase space provide an insight on the local dynamical properties with a detail comparable with other dynamical indicators based on variational methods such as the finite time maximum Lyapunov characteristic exponent, the mean exponential growth factor of nearby orbits and the smaller alignment index. For 2D symplectic maps, the differentiation between regular and chaotic regions is well full-filled. For 4D symplectic maps, the structure of the resonance web as well as the nearby weakly chaotic regions are accurately described.
Real-time prediction and gating of respiratory motion in 3D space using extended Kalman filters and Gaussian process regression network

The prediction as well as the gating of respiratory motion have received much attention over the last two decades for reducing the targeting error of the radiation treatment beam due to respiratory motion. In this article, we present a real-time algorithm for predicting respiratory motion in 3D space and realizing a gating function without pre-specifying a particular phase of the patient’s breathing cycle. The algorithm, named EKF-GPRN+ , first employs an extended Kalman filter (EKF) independently along each coordinate to predict the respiratory motion and then uses a Gaussian process regression network (GPRN) to correct the prediction error of the EKF in 3D space. The GPRN is a nonparametric Bayesian algorithm for modeling input-dependent correlations between the output variables in multi-output regression. Inference in GPRN is intractable and we employ variational inference with mean field approximation to compute an approximate predictive mean and predictive covariance matrix. The approximate predictive mean is used to correct the prediction error of the EKF. The trace of the approximate predictive covariance matrix is utilized to capture the uncertainty in EKF-GPRN+ prediction error and systematically identify breathing points with a higher probability of large prediction error in advance. This identification enables us to pause the treatment beam over such instances. EKF-GPRN+ implements a gating function by using simple calculations based on the trace of the predictive covariance matrix. Extensive numerical experiments are performed based on a large database of 304 respiratory motion traces to evaluate EKF-GPRN+ . The experimental results show that the EKF-GPRN+ algorithm reduces the patient-wise prediction error to 38%, 40% and 40% in root-mean-square, compared to no prediction, at lookahead lengths of 192 ms, 384 ms and 576 ms, respectively. The EKF-GPRN+ algorithm can further reduce the prediction error by employing the gating function, albeit at the cost of reduced duty cycle. The error reduction allows the clinical target volume to planning target volume (CTV-PTV) margin to be reduced, leading to decreased normal-tissue toxicity and possible dose escalation. The CTV-PTV margin is also evaluated to quantify clinical benefits of EKF-GPRN+ prediction.
Formal and Informal Sectors in China and India: An Accounting-Based Approach

This paper discusses the estimation of a social accounting matrix that distinguishes between formal and informal activities for China and India for 2000 and 1998-99 respectively. Wage shares for the formal/informal employment for China and net domestic product shares for the formal/informal sectors for India are being applied as weights to the input-output tables and flow of funds tables provided by official statistics. While some estimation techniques used in this paper remain vulnerable to criticism, the proposed methodology is a first step towards an integrated approach to account for the dualism of many economies in the developing world. The results are important data input for any policy-driven CGE model for developing countries.
Computer Attack and Cyber Terrorism: Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress

This report presents a working definition for the term “cyber terrorism”, plus background information describing how current technology and management processes may leave computers exposed to cyber-attack, and a discussion of possible effects of a cyber-attack. Potential issues for Congress are presented in the second section, including: whether appropriate guidance exists for a DOD information warfare response to a cyber-attack; whether the need to detect possible cyber terrorist activity interferes with individual privacy; whether the roles and responsibilities for protecting against a possible cyber terrorist attack need more clarity for government, industry, and home users; and, whether information sharing on cyber threats and vulnerabilities must be further increased between private industry and the federal government. The final section describes possible policy options for improving protection against threats from possible cyber terrorism.
Evaluating Policies to Increase the Generation of Electricity from Renewable Energy

Focusing on the U.S. and the E.U., this essay seeks to advance four main propositions. First, the incidence of the short-run costs of programs to subsidize the generation of electricity from renewable sources varies with the organization of the electric power industry, and this variation is may be a significant contributor to their political attractiveness in U.S. states. Second, despite the greater popularity of feed-in-tariff schemes worldwide, renewable portfolio standard (RPS) programs may involve less long-run social risk under plausible conditions. Third, in contrast to the E.U.’s approach to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, its renewables program is almost certain not to minimize the cost of achieving its goals. Fourth, the array of state RPS programs in the U.S. are also almost certain to cost more than necessary, even though most employ market mechanisms. To support this last point I provide a fairly detailed description of actual markets for renewable energy credits (RECs) and their shortcomings.
Do Measures of Monetary Policy in a VAR Make Sense

No. In many VARs, monetary policy shocks are identified with the least squares residuals from a regression of the federal funds rate on an assortment of variables. Such regressions appear to be structurally fragile and are at odds with other evidence on the nature of the Fed's reaction function; furthermore, the residuals from these regressions have little correlation with funds rate shocks that are derived from forward-looking financial markets.
Influence of force on muscle and skin sympathetic nerve activity during sustained isometric contractions in humans.

1. Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that efferent sympathetic nerve activity to non‐active skeletal muscle (MSNA) and skin (SSNA) is independent of the level of force during sustained submaximal isometric contractions in humans. 2. In twelve healthy subjects, arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and MSNA (n = 6) or SSNA (n = 6) (peroneal microneurography) were recorded before and during isometric handgrip contractions sustained to exhaustion at 20, 40 and 60% of maximal force. Responses were examined at similar percentages of endurance time at each level of force. 3. Contraction duration decreased progressively with increasing force (495 +/‐ 54, 140 +/‐ 13, 73 +/‐ 8 s, respectively), but peak ratings of perceived effort were similar for the three force levels. 4. The peak increases in systolic pressure were not different among the three levels of force. The increases in diastolic and mean pressure were similar at 40 and 60% of maximal force, but were smaller at the end of 20% of maximal force. The contraction‐induced rise in heart rate was directly related to the level of force. 5. The contraction‐evoked stimulation of both MSNA and SSNA was similar during handgrip at 40 and 60% of maximal force, but was much less during handgrip at 20% of maximal force. The increases in SSNA were associated with increases in both skin blood flow and skin electrical conductance suggesting primarily sudomotor fibre activation. 6. These findings indicate that there is a minimum force necessary to elicit peak levels of MSNA and SSNA during sustained isometric contractions in humans. When normalized to endurance time, however, the regulation of these sympathetic outflows appears to be independent of force above this minimum level. The results also indicate that during this type of muscle activity the relationship between force and heart rate is different to that between force and peripheral sympathetic discharge.
Effect of starvation on nutrition and insulin secretion in pregnant rats and their fetuses.

Pregnancy is thought to create a metabolic condition of accelerated starvation. To clarify this idea, the effect of fasting on pregnant rats (day 21 of gestation) and their fetuses was examined. Although pregnancy significantly increased plasma insulin, plasma ketone body concentrations in fed pregnant rats were higher than those of age-matched fed virgin rats. After 48 hr fasting (i.e., fasting during days 19-21 of gestation), plasma insulin was markedly decreased in virgin rats compared with term pregnant rats, while ketone bodies were significantly higher in pregnant rats than in virgin rats. Body weight was lower in fetuses from fasted mothers than those from fed mothers. Starvation also markedly diminished the insulin response to glucose in isolated, perfused pancreases in both virgin and pregnant rats. The amount of insulin released during glucose stimulation was greater in pregnancy, and the inhibitory effect of 48 hr fasting on insulin release was greater in virgin rats than in pregnant rats. It is possible, therefore, that in term pregnant rats a decrease in insulin release caused by fasting may cause more profound catabolism than in nongravid rats.
[Intracerebral hemorrhage due to rupture of true aneurysms of the lenticulostriate artery in moyamoya disease. Case report].

A 33-year-old male was admitted unconscious. Computerized tomography scan disclosed an intracerebral hematoma with ventricular penetration. Angiography demonstrated the characteristic appearance of moyamoya disease as well as aneurysms in the peripheral portion of the lenticulostriate artery. The patient died of re-rupture of the aneurysms fourteen days after the onset. At autopsy, these aneurysms proved to be true aneurysms. Possible hemodynamic mechanisms of cerebral aneurysms associated with moyamoya disease are discussed.
Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound in the Management of Tubercular Uveitis

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the role and safety of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (EUS-FNAC) in patients of tubercular uveitis. Design: Interventional case series Methods: Thirty patients suspected of tubercular uveitis that underwent EUS-FNAC were enrolled in the study. The patient details recorded were age, gender, systemic history, ocular complaints and clinical manifestations. The details of the investigations - skin test, X-Ray chest, CECT (contrast enhanced computed tomography) of chest and findings on EUS-FNAC were also recorded. Results: Thirty patients with suspected tubercular uveitis showed mediastinal lymphadenopathy on CECT-chest and underwent EUS-FNAC. A total of 27 patients showed tubercular lymphadenitis and three patients showed reactive lymphadenopathy. Ziehl–Neelsen (ZN) staining was positive for acid-fast bacilli in four cases and culture was positive in one case. There were no noted complications of EUS-FNAC. Conclusion: EUS-FNAC is a safe and efficacious procedure for confirming the diagnosis of tubercular uveitis and should be routinely employed wherever available.
How Relatives Adjust After the Death of a Patient With Cancer in Hospice

This study aims to discover (1) how relatives adjust to their new life situations following the death of a patient with cancer in hospice and (2) how those relatives have been supported by healthcare professionals both before and after the patient’s death. The data were collected with a structured questionnaire administered to relatives of patients with cancer who died in a Finnish hospice in 1998 and 1999. The questionnaires were administered by the hospice staff to all family members who met the criteria specified (n = 589). The final sample comprised 258 family members, most of whom were the deceased patients’ spouses. The Mann-Whitney U-test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to analyze the data. Instrument reliability was ascertained by the Cronbach alpha coefficient. The relatives had little difficulty accepting their new life situation and adjusting to their new role. The main factors affecting adjustment were being the patient’s spouse and the age of both patient and relative. Relatives believed that they received a moderate amount of support from healthcare professionals, both before and after the patient’s death. Most of the information they received concerned the patient’s illness and treatment and daily condition. Communication was honest and based upon the relatives’ needs. Emotional support before the patient’s death consisted mainly of accepting the relative and listening to what relatives had to say.
Influence of Peritoneal Dialysate Flow Rate on the Pharmacokinetics of Cefazolin

Objective To determine the impact of dialysate flow rate (DFR) on cefazolin pharmacokinetics (PK) in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Methods A meta-analysis of published reports, identified by MEDLINE search (1966-2002) and other sources, containing information on cefazolin PK data in PD patients was conducted. Data were analyzed based upon low DFR (≤ 5.50 mL/minute) or high DFR (> 5.50 mL/minute). Data available were from North American (NA) (n = 45) and Singaporean (n = 10) patients. Complete data sets were available for 33 patients (CDS patients). Data were analyzed with respect to data origin and data set completeness: all patients (ALL), NA, and CDS. Analysis of log-transformed cefazolin PK data was performed to determine coefficient of determination (r2) between DFR and cefazolin elimination rate constant (kel), clearance total (ClT), and clearance peritoneal (ClPD). Clearance total data were extrapolated to DFR observed in continuous flow PD. Results Published literature provided data on 55 PD patients (12 high DFR, 43 low DFR). Regardless of data origin (ALL, NA, or CDS), a prominent coefficient of determination (p < 0.0001) existed between DFR and all cefazolin PK data except ClPD. The p value for DFR correlation to ClPD was 0.953, 0.011, and 0.036 for ALL, NA, and CDS patients, respectively. Cefazolin ClT and ClPD increased at higher DFRs. Conclusion These findings demonstrate that an increased DFR leads to an increased rate of cefazolin clearance in NA PD patients. The impact of Asian descent on cefazolin ClPD warrants further investigation. Clinicians dosing cefazolin in PD patients using a higher DFR than that used to determine cefazolin PK should use increased doses or prescribe lower/comparable DFRs. Data are not yet available for patients prescribed very high DFRs (e.g., continuous flow PD); extrapolation of our results demonstrates significant influences on clearance and risk for underdosing.