Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultra-wideband, dual-mode millimeter-wave micro hemispherical shell antenna

This paper presents a novel ultra-wideband millimeter-wave micro-hemispherical shell antenna. The antenna is comprised of a hemispherical metallic shell with a diameter of 800-1200 microns and a thickness 3-5 microns suspended above a high-resistivity substrate. It can be fabricated using a fabrication technology originally developed for micro-scale hemispherical shell resonators. The antenna can operate in two separate operational modes with the same feeding structure, common and differential mode, demonstrating omnidirectional and directive radiation pattern respectively. An ultra-wide bandwidth of more than 60 GHz at the common mode and more than 80 GHz at the differential mode is achieved in the millimeter-wave regime.
A study of noise and spatial resolution for 2D and 3D filtered backprojection reconstruction

We present an analysis of the benefits of distance-driven backprojection when used as part of a filtered backprojection reconstruction algorithm, and a comparison with pixel-driven backprojection. We simulated phantoms to quantify image noise and spatial resolution, and performed reconstruction using 2D fan-beam FBP and 3D FDK reconstruction. After matching the resolution for pixel-driven and distance-driven for each region, distance-driven driven backprojection resulted in up to 20% noise reduction relative to pixel-driven backprojection at matched spatial resolution, for a 42 cm/spl times/28 cm elliptical water phantom.
Hierarchical Clustering-Task Scheduling Policy in Cluster-Based Wireless Sensor Networks

Organizing sensor nodes into a clustered architecture is an effective method for load balancing and prolonging the network lifetime. However, a serious drawback of the clustering approach is the imposed energy overhead caused by the “global” clustering operations in every round of the global round-based policy (GRBP). To mitigate this problem, this paper proposes a hierarchical clustering-task scheduling policy (HCSP), which triggers node-driven clustering as opposed to GRBP's time-driven clustering. Based on HCSP, each cluster is reconfigured only once at each local super round. Therefore, the cluster reconfiguration frequency varies on-demand and may differ from one cluster to another throughout the network lifetime. However, in order to refresh the entire network structure, global clustering is performed at the end of every global hyper round. Accordingly, HCSP aims to achieve a more flexible, energy-efficient, and scalable clustering-task scheduling than that of GRBP. This policy mitigates the clustering overhead, which is the worst disadvantage of clustering approaches. Energy consumption calculations and extensive simulations show the effectiveness of HCSP in saving energy and in prolonging the network lifetime.
Malaysian youth perception on cyberbullying: the qualitative perspective

Cyberbullying is not an emerging new problem and number of international scholars have placed their interest on the issue. In Malaysia, although the number of cyberbully studies are increasing, however, studies on cyberbullying in particular from the qualitative perspective is still lacking. This has geared the current study to prod youth perception on cyberbullying from the qualitative perspective. Their perceptions on cyberbullying were based on six main aspects, namely their comprehension of it, sources of their knowledge, examples that they know, the reasons for youth involvement in cyberbullying and their suggestions on how to prevent cyberbullies. This study involved a total of four FGDs with 27 participants among youth aged between 20-30 years old. A number of discussions are placed and hopefully this study can further enhance understanding on cyberbullying among youths in Malaysia.
Round-Off Error Propagation in the Solution of the Heat Equation by Finite Differences

The effect of round-off errors on the numerical solution of the heat equation by finite differences can be theoretically determined by computing the mean error at each time step. The floating point error propagation is then theoretically time linear. The experimental simulations agree with this result for the towards zero rounding arithmetic. However the results are not so good for the rounding to the nearest artihmetic. The theoretical formulas provide an approximation of the experimental round-off errors. In these formulas the mean value of the assignment operator is used, and consequently, their reliability depends on the arithmetic used.
Sustainability of a nutrition education programme to prevent night‐blindness in Bangladesh

Cross‐sectional surveys were conducted to assess prevalence of night‐blindness and dietary habits prior to intervention (in 1986), after 3 years of intervention (in 1989) and 3 years after the termination of active intervention (in 1992.), in the northern part of Bangladesh. The prevalence of night‐blindness per thousand children decreased from 1986 to 1989 (during intervention) and rose from 1989 to 1991, but remained significantly lower in 1992 than the 1986 prevalence. Household income declined from 1989 to 1992, and lower consumption of (3‐carotene rich food, protein items and vitamin A capsules was registered in 1992 despite almost the same level of awareness relating to the prevention of night‐blindness in the community during the period 1989–1992. The results indicate that the long‐term impact of a health education programme to prevent night‐blindness is uncertain. Improvement in socioeconomic conditions, in addition to relevant knowledge, is probably a precondition for maintaining a sustainable impact of health education.
Dissociation of innate susceptibility to Salmonella infection and endotoxin responsiveness in C3HeB/FeJ mice and other strains in the C3H lineage

Studies of various mouse strains in the C3H lineage have shown that there is no correlation between innate susceptibility to Salmonella infection and sensitivity to the toxic or mitogenic effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). C3H/HeNCrlBR mice were Salmonella resistant, but sensitive to the toxic and mitogenic effects of LPS, whereas C3HeB/FeJ mice were Salmonella susceptible as the C3H/HeJ mice, yet were mitogenically responsive to LPS and sensitive to its lethal effects. Furthermore, other mouse strains (C3H/HeTex and C3H/HeDub) displayed intermediate susceptibility to Salmonella infection and were responders to the mitogenic and toxic effects of LPS. These results are interpreted to mean that endotoxemia cannot be a major factor in the pathogenesis of Salmonella infection and provide evidence for the involvement of multiple factors in the control of innate resistance to Salmonella infection in mice of the C3H lineage.
Broadened optical frequency sweeping for high spatial resolution OFDR based on recirculating frequency shifter

We demonstrate a novel method for obtaining high spatial resolution optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) utilizing recirculating frequency shifter for broadening the optical frequency sweeping. 10-times broadened optical frequency sweeping is achieved. 1.46-cm spatial resolution is obtained with modulation frequency sweeping span of 712 MHz.
Virus-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity associated with control of viremia in primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Env-, Gag-, Pol-, Nef-, and Tat-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activities were quantitated temporally in five patients with symptomatic primary HIV-1 infection. A dominant CD8(+)-mediated, major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted CTL response to the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein, gp160, was noted in four of the five patients studied. The level of HIV-1-specific CTL activity in the five patients paralleled the efficiency of control of primary viremia. Patients who mounted strong gp160-specific CTL responses showed rapid reduction of acute plasma viremia and antigenemia, while in contrast, primary viremia and antigenemia were poorly controlled in patients in whom virus-specific CTL activity was low or undetectable. These results suggest that HIV-1-specific CTL activity is a major component of the host immune response associated with the control of virus replication following primary HIV-1 infection and have important implications for the design of antiviral vaccines.
Evaluation of causes-of-death: which statistics should we rely on, hospital deaths or vital statistics?

BACKGROUND Age-specific causes of death yield important information for planning health services and medical education. OBJECTIVE To compare the age-specific causes of death between in-hospital deaths and death registration statistics. MATERIAL AND METHOD Information on in-hospital mortality in fiscal 2010 was extracted from the three health insurance schemes. Death registrations (ICD-10 coding) were from the Bureau of Registration Administration, Ministry of Interior Statistics on the age-specific causes of death were analyzed. RESULTS In-hospital deaths numbered 132,512 (47.5% occurring in tertiary care) vs. 411,331 recorded in vital statistics (68% died outside hospitals). Most (74%) infants died in-hospital so causes were clearly documented vs. death registration. A minority (6.2%) of in-hospital deaths and of death registrations (9.7%) were due to unnatural causes. The majority (79.5%) of unnatural deaths died before arriving at hospital. Ill-defined codes for causes of death were found in 6.1% of in-hospital records and 42.2% of death registrations. After censoring ill-defined codes, the ten leading, age-specific causes of death agreed between the two data sets. CONCLUSION Medical personnel should receive training to do proper death certification. Periodic validation of hospital COD certification should also be done. Use of verbal autopsy in the Thai context would help to standardize record-keeping and to reduce ill-defined codes for deaths occurred outside hospital.
N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Antagonist Activity in Traditional Chinese Stroke Medicines

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history in stroke therapy and its therapeutic efficacy has been confirmed by clinical studies. The molecular basis of the neuroprotective effects is unknown. We wondered whether or not the neuroprotective effect of TCMs might be due to their N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) antagonist properties. We used the patch-clamp technique to screen 22 TCM stroke drugs for NMDAR antagonist activity in cultured cortical neurons. The drugs were also screened for their ability to abate NMDA-induced neurotoxicity. Aqueous extracts of Scutellaria baicalensis, Stephania tetrandra, and Salvia miltiorrhiza blocked currents induced by NMDA (200 µM, 10 µM glycine, 0 Mg2+) at a holding potential of –80 mV by 83.45 ± 4.34, 38.65 ± 7.50, and 52.97 ± 1.78%, respectively. The block of the NMDA-evoked currents was voltage-dependent and showed a negative slope conductance reminiscent of Mg2+. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry revealed the presence of 12.5, 2, and 8.7 mM Mg2+ in the extracts of S. baicalensis,S. tetrandra, and S. miltiorrhiza, respectively. None of these extracts blocked NMDA-induced neuronal death. The Uncaria rhynchophylla extract blocked NMDA-evoked currents by 54.98 ± 8.61% even at +60 mV and reduced NMDA-induced neuronal death by 59.13 ± 3.52%. NMDAR antagonist activity may underlie the neuroprotective effects of this TCM. Some TCM drugs may exert therapeutic effects due to their Mg2+ content.
Expectations : some econometric aspects

To express an economic model Including expectations in a manageable form econometricians frequently replace expectationa with a functional form resulting from an hypotheala as to their formation. The most popular expectationa hypothesea are overviewed in Chapter 2. Survey data, if available and suitable, are an alternative to expectations hypothesea to represent expectations. How to ascertain the suitability of a survey aeries, and expectations hypothesis, Is discussed throughout the thesis. Identification of models involving expectations, conditional on the assumed expectations hypothesis, is examined by introducing e third class of economic variable, expectations, which enables the contribution to (or sub tr ac t i onfrom) ldentlflability, of expectations, to be assessed. The naive, adaptive and extrapolative hypotheses in general do not effect the ldentlflability of a model identified when expectations are assumed to be exogenous. The distributed lag and weakly rational models of expects* tions require additional assumptions to enable a model including them to be Identified. These findings are elaborated in Chapter 3. It is demonstrated that whether or not current fully rational expectations models are identified may depend upon the assumptions made regarding the information set utilized in forming the rational expectation. Conditions for ident iflability given Wickens' assumptions are developed and compared with those derived by Wallis, given his assumptions, lhe conditions are found to differ. Efficient conditional estimation of expectations models is discussed. FIML methods are appropriate in all instances; in general non linear, cross equation restrictions are involved when any hypothesis (except of course the naive) is assumed true.
A pivotal role for a conserved bulky residue at the α1-helix of the αI integrin domain in ligand binding

The ligand-binding βI and αI domains of integrin are the best-studied von Willebrand factor A domains undergoing significant conformational changes for affinity regulation. In both βI and αI domains, the α1- and α7-helixes work in concert to shift the metal-ion–dependent adhesion site between the resting and active states. An absolutely conserved Gly in the middle of the α1-helix of βI helps maintain the resting βI conformation, whereas the homologous position in the αI α1-helix contains a conserved Phe. A functional role of this Phe is structurally unpredictable. Using αLβ2 integrin as a model, we found that the residue volume at the Phe position in the α1-helix is critical for αLβ2 activation because trimming the Phe by small amino acid substitutions abolished αLβ2 binding with soluble and immobilized intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1. Similar results were obtained for αMβ2 integrin. Our experimental and molecular dynamics simulation data suggested that the bulky Phe acts as a pawl that stabilizes the downward ratchet-like movement of β6-α7 loop and α7-helix, required for high-affinity ligand binding. This mechanism may apply to other von Willebrand factor A domains undergoing large conformational changes. We further demonstrated that the conformational cross-talk between αL αI and β2 βI could be uncoupled because the β2 extension and headpiece opening could occur independently of the αI activation. Reciprocally, the αI activation does not inevitably lead to the conformational changes of the β2 subunit. Such loose linkage between the αI and βI is attributed to the αI flexibility and could accommodate the αLβ2-mediated rolling adhesion of leukocytes.
Inducible nitric oxide synthase is expressed during experimental acute lung allograft rejection.

BACKGROUND We recently demonstrated that inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production ameliorated acute pulmonary allograft rejection. This study examined whether inducible NO synthase (iNOS) was expressed in the transplanted lung during acute rejection. METHODS With a rat left lung transplant model, tissue from syngeneic (Fischer 344 to Fischer 344) and allogeneic (Brown Norway to Fischer 344) transplants were harvested on postoperative day 4 and analyzed for iNOS mRNA expression (ribonuclease protection assay), iNOS enzyme activity (conversion of L-[3H]-arginine to NO and L-[3H]-citrulline), and serum nitrite/nitrate levels. RESULTS The iNOS mRNA was expressed in allograft lungs but was not detected in isografts or controls. The iNOS protein was present in allograft lungs, as demonstrated by high levels of L-[3H]-citrulline production compared with minimal iNOS enzyme activity in isograft and control lungs (10.1 +/- 2.4 vs 0.6 +/- 0.2 and 0.7 +/- 0.2 pmol L-[3H]-citrulline.mg-1.min-1, respectively; n = 6, p < 0.001). Allografts had significantly elevated systemic serum nitrite/nitrate levels compared with isografts and controls (38 +/- 6 vs 18 +/- 2 and 16 +/- 1 mumol/L, respectively; n = 6; p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS These results, together with our previous demonstration that iNOS inhibition ameliorated lung allograft rejection, suggest that (1) iNOS expression and increased NO production contributed to acute rejection of the transplanted lung, (2) iNOS inhibition may offer an alternative in management of acute lung allograft rejection, and (3) increased NO production, detected by the presence of iNOS mRNA or protein or noninvasively by measuring serum nitrite/nitrate levels, may serve as an early marker of acute allograft rejection.
Body iron stores and early neurologic deterioration in acute cerebral infarction

Background: Iron-dependent free radicals formation has been related to greater damage in cerebral ischemia. The authors analyzed whether increased body iron stores were associated with early neurologic worsening and excitatory amino acid release in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: Ferritin, total iron, and glutamate concentrations in plasma and CSF were measured on admission in 100 consecutive patients with a cerebral infarction of <24 hours’ duration. The authors diagnosed progressing stroke when the Canadian Stroke Scale score decreased one or more points between admission and 48 hours. Cranial CT was performed on admission and repeated on days 4 to 7 of hospitalization. Results: Ferritin concentrations in plasma (median 391, range 119 to 500 versus 148, 21 to 399 ng/mL) and in CSF (17.4, 6.8 to 82, versus 4.8, 0.6 to 14 ng/mL) were significantly higher in the 45 patients with subsequent progressing stroke than in those with nonprogressing stroke (p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between ferritin and glutamate concentrations in plasma (r = 0.81, p < 0.001) and CSF (r = 0.64, p < 0.001). Plasma ferritin concentrations >275 ng/mL in plasma (OR, 33.5; 95% CI, 4.7 to 235) and >11 ng/mL in CSF (OR, 11.4; 95% CI, 3.1 to 41) were independently and significantly related to early neurologic worsening. The effect was reduced by >60% after controlling for glutamate concentrations, but remained significant. Conclusions: High plasma and CSF ferritin concentrations within the first 24 hours from the onset of ischemic stroke are associated with early neurologic deterioration. Increased body iron stores may contribute to stroke progression by enhancing the cytotoxic mechanisms in cerebral ischemia.
[Molecular typing of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated in China with pulsed field gel electrophresis].

OBJECTIVE To type and group the Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains isolated recent years in China to understand the epidemiological features caused by the pathogen. METHODS Pulsed field gel electrophoresis of large restriction fragments of bacterial chromosomal DNA was used. RESULTS The 51 isolates of E. coli O157:H7 collected in recent years in China could be divided into 8 Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) types based on the size and number of restriction fragments and patterns, that were digested by XbaI. Strains isolated from Ningxia province showed only two types- PFGE1 and PFGE2. Strains isolated in Xuzhou of Jiangsu province had 6 PFGE types. Isolates identified between 1986 - 1988 belonged to PFGE7. Strains isolated from patients in 1999 - 2000 were PFGE5 and PFGE3. Strains isolated from stool samples of domestic animal, food and vegetable were PFGE3 - 6, of which the predominant type was PFGE5. All of the 5 strains isolated from patients with diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) belonged to PFGE type 5, which was the dominant type of the isolates from stool samples of domestic animal and samples of food and vegetable contaminated. CONCLUSION Data suggested that the cluster patients with diarrhea and HUS might have been related to the pathogens from domestic animas and contaminated food or vegetables. The distribution of PFGE types also varied in different provinces of China.
AC Losses in MgB2 Wires and Tapes in Frequencies up to 18 kHz

We present a study of the ac losses in MgB2 superconductors under operation mode typical of applications such as SMES and HVDC, utilizing large dc current superimposed with small, switching frequency ac current. The ac losses in two MgB2 superconductors—a wire with 36 filaments in Monel sheath and a tape with titanium sheath—are compared in a wide range of ac amplitudes and frequencies up to 18 kHz, at different temperatures and dc current levels. Strong influence of the sheath material on the ac losses was found. The wire with Monel sheath shows a strong nonlinear contribution of the magnetic material to the losses. The losses reduce as the Monel approaches saturation at high dc current. In contrast, losses in the tape with Titanium sheath are practically independent of the dc level, and are smaller than losses in the Monel wire for the whole range of measured parameters. The results demonstrate the importance of further development of nonmagnetic low-loss MgB2 wires and tapes for applications that involve exposure to ac ripple current in switching frequencies.
Fast Sparse Coding for Range Data Denoising with Sparse Ridges Constraint

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors have been widely deployed on intelligent systems such as unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to perform localization, obstacle detection, and navigation tasks. Thus, research into range data processing with competitive performance in terms of both accuracy and efficiency has attracted increasing attention. Sparse coding has revolutionized signal processing and led to state-of-the-art performance in a variety of applications. However, dictionary learning, which plays the central role in sparse coding techniques, is computationally demanding, resulting in its limited applicability in real-time systems. In this study, we propose sparse coding algorithms with a fixed pre-learned ridge dictionary to realize range data denoising via leveraging the regularity of laser range measurements in man-made environments. Experiments on both synthesized data and real data demonstrate that our method obtains accuracy comparable to that of sophisticated sparse coding methods, but with much higher computational efficiency.
A few good (wo)men? Gender diversity on Australian boards

This article examines the relation between gender diversity and earnings quality for Australian firms from 2005 to 2013. We draw on the work of Kanter, highlighting the importance of the proportion of women on the board when measuring diversity. We show that all-male and skewed boards have lower earnings quality while that of tilted and balanced boards is higher. In addition, a critical mass of women is achieved when some 30% of directors are females. Performance and risk do not influence the relation. We contribute by presenting evidence supporting critical mass theory. Furthermore, our work adds to the recent debate on whether the association between gender diversity and earnings quality is U-shaped, rather than linear. Our results have implications for regulation and practice. We identify the need for a critical mass of women, rather than tokens, to enhance earnings quality.