Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Impedance Surface-Based Broadband Absorbers With Interference Theory

A broadband and polarization-insensitive high-impedance surface (HIS) metamaterial absorber (MA) based on octagonal ring-shaped resistive patches is presented. The absorber is investigated theoretically, experimentally, and by simulation. The simulated results indicate that this structure obtains 10.28 GHz wide absorption from 3.65 to 13.93 GHz with absorptivity larger than 90% at the normal incidence. Experimental results are in accordance with those of the simulation results. The electromagnetic (EM) field distributions and the plots of surface power loss density have been illustrated to analyze the absorption mechanism of the structure. Further simulations of the absorptivity of the proposed absorber with different surface resistances and substrate thicknesses indicate that there exist optimal values for the design. The polarization-insensitive feature and the properties under oblique incidence are also investigated. Finally, the interference theory is introduced to analyze and interpret the broadband absorption mechanism at both normal and oblique incidences. The calculated absorption rates of the proposed absorber coincide well with the simulated results. Therefore, the simulated and experimental results verify the validity of the theoretically analytical method for this type of broadband absorber.
Low cost ultrasonic smart glasses for blind

This device includes a pair of glasses and an obstacle detection module fitted in it in the center, a processing unit, an output device i.e. a beeping component, and a power supply. The Obstacle detection module and the output device is connected to the processing unit. The power supply is used to supply power to the central processing unit. The obstacle detection module basically consists of a ultrasonic sensor, processing unit consist of a control module and the output unit consists of a buzzer. The control unit controls the ultrasonic sensors and get the information of the obstacle present in front of the man and processes the information and sends the output through the buzzer accordingly. These Ultrasonic Smart Glasses for Blind people is a portable device, easy to use, light weight, user friendly and cheap in price. These glasses could easily guide the blind people and help them avoid obstacles.
Endovascular treatment of ophthalmic segment aneurysms with Guglielmi detachable coils.

PURPOSE To evaluate the safety and efficacy of endovascular treatment of ophthalmic segment aneurysms with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs), as well as the primary indications for such treatment. METHODS We conducted a prospective study of 26 patients with 28 aneurysms of the ophthalmic segment in whom treatment with GDCs was attempted. Anatomic results were measured by statistical analysis of variance for such factors as age, sex, presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage, anatomic type (ophthalmic or superior hypophyseal), size of aneurysmal sac, and width of aneurysmal neck. Clinical evaluation and control angiography were performed at 6 and 18 months. RESULTS Overall, complete occlusion was obtained in 14 aneurysms (50%) and small residual necks were left in 11 aneurysms (39%). Three treatment attempts failed (11%). Complete occlusion was obtained in 76% of small-necked aneurysms as opposed to 9% of aneurysms with a large neck. The best predictor of anatomic result was the size of the aneurysmal neck. Complete occlusion was obtained in 85% of superior hypophyseal aneurysms of the paraclinoid variant. One permanent complication was related to treatment. CONCLUSION Endovascular treatment with GDCs appears to be a safe and efficient alternative approach for ophthalmic segment aneurysms, especially for paraclinoid variants of superior hypophyseal aneurysms, which tend to have a small neck.
Adaptive-gain observer-based control of a class of time-delay systems subject to output-slope non-linearities

A non-linear adaptive observer is proposed to estimate the unmeasured states of a class of time-delay non-linear systems. Irrespective of the size of the constant delay, it is shown that the observer is globally convergent if the growth rate of the system non-linearities is output dependent. The presented results generalize previous results on observation of Lipschitz time-delay systems. Subsequently, the observerbased control problem of time-delay systems, having triangular structure, is discussed for arbitrary large constant delay.
Neural activation during processing of aversive faces predicts treatment outcome in alcoholism

Neuropsychological studies reported decoding deficits of emotional facial expressions in alcohol‐dependent patients, and imaging studies revealed reduced prefrontal and limbic activation during emotional face processing. However, it remains unclear whether this reduced neural activation is mediated by alcohol‐associated volume reductions and whether it interacts with treatment outcome. We combined analyses of neural activation during an aversive face‐cue‐comparison task and local gray matter volumes (GM) using Biological Parametric Mapping in 33 detoxified alcohol‐dependent patients and 33 matched healthy controls. Alcoholics displayed reduced activation toward aversive faces–neutral shapes in bilateral fusiform gyrus [FG; Brodmann areas (BA) 18/19], right middle frontal gyrus (BA46/47), right inferior parietal gyrus (BA7) and left cerebellum compared with controls, which were explained by GM differences (except for cerebellum). Enhanced functional activation in patients versus controls was found in left rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial frontal gyrus (BA10/11), even after GM reduction control. Increased ACC activation correlated significantly with less (previous) lifetime alcohol intake [Lifetime Drinking History (LDH)], longer abstinence and less subsequent binge drinking in patients. High LDH appear to impair treatment outcome via its neurotoxicity on ACC integrity. Thus, high activation of the rostral ACC elicited by affective faces appears to be a resilience factor predicting better treatment outcome. Although no group differences were found, increased FG activation correlated with patients' higher LDH. Because high LDH correlated with worse task performance for facial stimuli in patients, elevated activation in the fusiform ‘face’ area may reflect inefficient compensatory activation. Therapeutic interventions (e.g. emotion evaluation training) may enable patients to cope with social stress and to decrease relapses after detoxification.
Intimate Partner Violence and Physical Health Consequences

Extensive research indicates that intimate partner violence (IPV) poses a significant risk to the physical health of women. IPV is associated with increased mortality, injury and disability, worse general health, chronic pain, substance abuse, reproductive disorders, and poorer pregnancy outcomes. IPV is also associated with an overuse of health services and unmet need for services, as well as strained relationships with providers. The body of IPV research has several critical gaps. There are almost no longitudinal studies of IPV and health. Most studies are clustered into a few specialties, with almost no research in the areas of allied health, dentistry, or management. A common definition of IPV is still not used. Finally, with some notable exceptions, there has been little success in moving the health care system to routinely screen women for IPV.
Mice with the deleted neurofilament of low‐molecular‐weight (Nefl) gene: 1. Effects on regional brain metabolism

Neuronal intermediate filaments consist of the NFL subunit linked with NFM and NFH, and their alterations have been proposed as a pathogenesic cause in motor neuron diseases. Depletion of the Nefl gene in mice mimicks the reduced NFL mRNA levels seen in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and causes perikaryal accumulation of neurofilament proteins and axonal hypotrophy in motoneurons. NFL –/– mice were evaluated for regional brain metabolism by means of quantitative histochemical estimation of cytochrome oxidase (COx) activity. The NFL null mice displayed enzymatic activity alterations in numerous hindbrain regions, mainly the cerebellum, connected regions of the brainstem (red nucleus, vestibular nuclei, and reticular formation), and cranial nerve nuclei. All of the affected regions presented elevated COx activity, except for the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum and the magnocellular red nucleus, where enzymatic activity was lower. NFL‐disrupted mice displayed functional alterations in brainstem sensorimotor regions affected in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Production and Elicitation of Benzalacetone and the Raspberry Ketone in Cell Suspension Cultures of Rubus idaeus

Production levels of p‐coumaric acid (p‐CA), p‐hydroxyphenylbut‐3‐ene‐2‐one (benzalacetone), and p‐hydroxyphenyl‐2‐butanone (raspberry ketone) were measured in raspberry cell suspension cultures to investigate metabolite dynamics in a short (two‐step) pathway. Intracellular concentrations of benzalacetone and the raspberry ketone fluctuated during the time course of a normal batch culture cycle but showed higher levels during periods of rapid growth. Cells elicited with the signal coupler methyl jasmonate yielded a 2‐ to 3‐fold increase in metabolite concentrations after 24 h. The results suggest that raspberry ketone production is rapidly inducible during periods of high carbohydrate utilization. It is not an end product, however, and undergoes conversion to subsequent metabolites.
Breakdown of Immune Tolerance in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus by Dendritic Cells

Dendritic cells (DC) play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease with multiple tissue manifestations. In this review, we summarize recent studies on the roles of conventional DC and plasmacytoid DC in the development of both murine lupus and human SLE. In the past decade, studies using selective DC depletions have demonstrated critical roles of DC in lupus progression. Comprehensive in vitro and in vivo studies suggest activation of DC by self-antigens in lupus pathogenesis, followed by breakdown of immune tolerance to self. Potential treatment strategies targeting DC have been developed. However, many questions remain regarding the mechanisms by which DC modulate lupus pathogenesis that require further investigations.
Expression of Major Surface Protein 2 Variants with Conserved T-Cell Epitopes in Anaplasma centrale Vaccinates

ABSTRACT Major surface protein 2 (MSP-2), identified as a protection-inducing immunogen against Anaplasma marginale challenge, is an immunodominant outer membrane protein with orthologues in all examined Anaplasma species. Although immunization with live Anaplasma centrale has long been used to induce protection against acute disease upon challenge with virulent A. marginale, its MSP-2 structure and whether MSP-2 variants are generated during persistence of the vaccine strain was unknown. In this study, we showed that the A. centrale vaccine strain persisted for a minimum of 4 years postvaccination and generated sequential MSP-2 variants. Comparison of amino acid sequences encoded by A. centrale msp-2 transcripts from the initial postimmunization period and from sequential time points during persistence of the vaccine strain revealed a central hypervariable domain flanked by conserved amino and carboxy-terminal regions. This structure corresponded to that shown in A. marginale MSP-2, where the central hypervariable region encodes variant B-cell epitopes in the extracellular domain and the flanking transmembrane domains are rich in CD4+-T-cell epitopes. Importantly, at least four CD4+-T-cell epitopes are conserved between the two species, a finding consistent with A. marginale challenge triggering a recall response of CD4+ T cells induced by A. centrale vaccination. The genomic arrangement is conserved between A. centrale and A. marginale with multiple msp-2 pseudogenes and a single operon-linked expression site for the full-length msp-2. This conservation of both genomic structure for generating MSP-2 variants and the CD4+-T-cell epitopes between these two genetically distinct Anaplasma species indicates that they present a similar repertoire of MSP-2 epitopes to the immune system and that this similarity may be responsible for all or part of the A. centrale vaccine efficacy.
Caspase-3-dependent Cleavage of Bcl-2 Promotes Release of Cytochrome c *

Caspases are cysteine proteases that mediate apoptosis by proteolysis of specific substrates. Although many caspase substrates have been identified, for most substrates the physiologic caspase(s) required for cleavage is unknown. The Bcl-2 protein, which inhibits apoptosis, is cleaved at Asp-34 by caspases during apoptosis and by recombinant caspase-3 in vitro. In the present study, we show that endogenous caspase-3 is a physiologic caspase for Bcl-2. Apoptotic extracts from 293 cells cleave Bcl-2 but not Bax, even though Bax is cleaved to an 18-kDa fragment in SK-NSH cells treated with ionizing radiation. In contrast to Bcl-2, cleavage of Bax was only partially blocked by caspase inhibitors. Inhibitor profiles indicate that Bax may be cleaved by more than one type of noncaspase protease. Immunodepletion of caspase-3 from 293 extracts abolished cleavage of Bcl-2 and caspase-7, whereas immunodepletion of caspase-7 had no effect on Bcl-2 cleavage. Furthermore, MCF-7 cells, which lack caspase-3 expression, do not cleave Bcl-2 following staurosporine-induced cell death. However, transient transfection of caspase-3 into MCF-7 cells restores Bcl-2 cleavage after staurosporine treatment. These results demonstrate that in these models of apoptosis, specific cleavage of Bcl-2 requires activation of caspase-3. When the pro-apoptotic caspase cleavage fragment of Bcl-2 is transfected into baby hamster kidney cells, it localizes to mitochondria and causes the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol. Therefore, caspase-3-dependent cleavage of Bcl-2 appears to promote further caspase activation as part of a positive feedback loop for executing the cell.
Validation of the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre Scoring System in a UK Adult Cardiac Surgery Population.

OBJECTIVE The Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) scoring system was conceived in 2007, utilizing 12 physiologic variables taken from the first 24 hours of adult admissions to the general intensive care unit (ICU) to predict in-hospital mortality. The authors aimed to evaluate the ICNARC score in predicting mortality in cardiac surgical patients compared to established cardiac risk models such as logistic EuroSCORE as well as to the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of data collected prospectively. SETTING Single-center study in a cardiac intensive care in a regional cardiothoracic center. PARTICIPANTS Patients undergoing cardiac surgery between January 2010 and June 2012. METHODS A total of 1,646 patients were scored preoperatively using the logistic EuroSCORE and postoperatively using ICNARC and APACHE II. Data for comparison of scoring systems are presented as area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The mean age at surgery was 67 years±10.1. The mortality from all cardiac surgery was 3.2%. The mean logistic EuroSCORE was 7.31±10.13, the mean ICNARC score was 13.42±5.055, while the mean APACHE II score was 6.32±7.731. The c-indices for logistic EuroSCORE, ICNARC, and APACHE II were 0.801, 0.847 and 0.648, respectively. CONCLUSION The authors have, for the first time, validated the ICNARC score as a useful predictor of postoperative mortality in adult cardiac surgical patients. This could have implications for postoperative management, focusing the utilization of resources as well as a method to measure and compare performance in the cardiothoracic ICU.
Sentiment information extraction of comparative sentences based on CRF model

Comparative information mining is an important research topic in the sentiment analysis community. A comparative sentence expresses at least one similarity or difference relation between two objects. For example, the comparative sentence “The space of car A is bigger than that of car B and car C” expresses two comparative relations and . This paper introduces conditional random fields model to extract Chinese comparative information and focuses on the task of element extraction from comparative sentences. We use the conditional random fields model to combine diverse lexical, syntactic and semantic features derived from the texts. Experiments show that the proposed method is competitive and domain-independent, with promising results.
Using Telecommunication Technology to Manage Children with Diabetes: The Computer-Linked Outpatient Clinic (CLOC) Study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effrcacy of using a telecommunication system to assist in the outpatient management of pediatric patients with insulin- dependent diabetes. Metabolic control, patients' psychosocial status, family functioning, perceived quality of life, patterns of parental/child responsibility for daily diabetes maintenance, and nursing time-on-task were evaluated. One hundred six pediatric patients (mean age= 13.3 years) were randomly assigned to an experimental or control outpatient clinic for 1 year. Experimental subjects transmitted self-monitoring blood glucose data by modem to the hospital every 2 weeks. Transmitted data were reviewed by nurse practitioners who telephoned subjects to discuss regimen adjustments. Control subjects received standard care with regimen adjustments made by physicians. There were no significant between-group differences for metabolic control, rates of hospitalization or emergency-room visits, psychological status, general family functioning, quality of life, or parent-child responsibility. A significant decrease was noted in nursing time-on-task for experimental subjects.
Plant- and stimulus-specific variations in remote-controlled sieve-tube occlusion

Phloem injury triggers local sieve-plate occlusion including callose-mediated constriction and protein plugging of sieve pores. In intact plants, reversible sieve-plate occlusion is induced by electric potential waves (EPWs)—accompanied by Ca2+-influx—as result of distant burning. Here, we present additional results which pertain to (a) the variability of EPW-profiles in relation to forisome conformation in intact Vicia faba plants and (b) the differential occlusion reactions to burning and cutting in various plant species. A correlation between stimulus perception and mode of phloem loading is discussed. Addendum to: Furch ACU, Hafke JB, Schulz A, van Bel AJE. Ca2+-mediated remote control of reversible sieve-tube occlusion in Vicia faba. J Exp Bot 2007; 58:2827-38.
Synergistic cytotoxicity through the activation of multiple apoptosis pathways in human glioma cells induced by combined treatment with ionizing radiation and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand.

OBJECT Malignant gliomas remain incurable despite modem multimodality treatments. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), also known as Apo2L, a member of the TNF family, preferentially induces apoptosis in human tumor cells through its cognate death receptors DR4 or DR5, suggesting that it may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for intractable malignant gliomas. Here, the authors show that genotoxic ionizing radiation synergistically enhances TRAIL-induced cell death in human glioma cells expressing DR5. METHODS Combination treatment with soluble human TRAIL plus radiation induced robust cell death, while each of them singly led to only limited cytotoxicity. The combination resulted in cleavage and activation of the apoptotic initiator caspase-8 and the effector caspase-3 as well as cleavage of Bid and another initiator caspase-9, a downstream component of the apoptosome. Accordingly, it augmented the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol, as well as apoptosis-inducing factor. Synergistic cell death was suppressed by TRAIL-neutralizing DR5-Fc, caspase inhibitors, expression of dominant-negative Fas-associated protein with death domain and CrmA, which selectively blocks caspase-8, and overexpression of Bcl-X(L). Finally, combination treatment had no influence on the viability of normal human astrocytes. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that combination treatment with TRAIL and ionizing radiation kills human glioma cells through the activation of DR5-mediated death receptor pathways. This therapy involves direct activation of effector caspases as well as mitochondria-mediated pathways and provides a novel strategy in which TRAIL could be synergistically combined with DNA-damaging radiation.
The effects of institutional quality and market potential on the agglomeration of fast food franchises in Central America

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the interplay of institutional quality and market potential factors on the agglomeration of foreign fast-food franchises in major cities in Central America. Design/methodology/approach The authors approached the research question through a regression analysis of the main fast-food chains operating in the 41 largest cities in Central America. The exploratory analysis in this paper attempted to discover the statistical relationship between institutional quality and market potential factors on the agglomeration of fast-food chains in specific cities. The paper also examined the spatial distribution of fast-food units in selected cities to try to discover specific patterns on the selection of specific locations within each city. Findings The findings of this paper suggest that population size and institutional quality in terms of regulatory efficiency were the two most significant predictors of fast-food chains agglomerations in selected Central American cities. The authors also found a negative interaction between market potential and institutional quality on agglomeration of fast-food restaurants, whereby a relatively weak institutional environment might deter investors, even if initially a market offers moderate potential. Finally, they found specific geographic patterns for the chosen locations of fast-food places that signal to a preference for urban locations with easy access to main thoroughfares, high commercial traffic and more affluence. Research limitations/implications The small sample size was a major constraint. Moreover, population size as a measure of market potential was available for all cities, but other city-level indicators were only available for a small number of cities. The preliminary results aligned with the predictions in this paper, yet the generalizability of the findings of this paper is limited by the sampling and measurement issues noted above. Finally, the paper did not include all fast-food chains in the cities examined, and inclusion of more foreign and domestic chains should be considered in future studies. Practical implications Local governments should consider the factors that impact franchise chains’ decisions to enter a market and the specific locations in which they choose to locate their units. Improving the quality of local institutions could be instrumental in attracting investment. Originality/value Very few studies have focused on Central America as a recipient of investment by fast-food chains. The region is less than attractive in terms of both market potential and risk. Yet fast-food franchises have continued to grow over the past two decades, making the examination of their investment decisions worth studying. The inclusion of institutional quality at the city level is an additional contribution of this paper. This paper furthers our understanding of the factors that drive investment decisions of global franchisors in regions with low to medium market potential and medium to high levels of institutional risk.