Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust localization of multiple sound sources based on BSS algorithms

This paper proposes a source localization method based on blind source separation, which can be applied to locate multiple simultaneous acoustic sources in a reverberant environment. The proposed system uses the signals acquired by a set of microphone arrays, applies a blind source localization algorithm to obtain the direction-of-arrival (DOA) of each source-array pair, and combines the results to estimate each source position. An analysis of the influence of the distance among the sources and arrays on the accuracy of the DOAs and sources positions estimates is presented, which is critical to evaluate the robustness of the localization system in a specific scenario.
The Effect of Self-Heating on the Performance of a Tunable Filter With Embedded Windings in a Ferrite LTCC Package

Traditionally, ferrite-based tunable filters are biased by large and bulky electromagnets, which require high currents to overcome the dissipated fields at the air interface between the electromagnet and the ferrite substrate. This problem has been solved by implementing the windings inside the package using ferrite low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC). However, these embedded windings, which are densely packed, generate heat that affects the characteristics of the ferrite material. In this paper, we investigated the heat effects due to embedded windings in ferrite LTCC filters. We also incorporated the heating effects into an electromagnetic simulation model and achieved a good agreement between the simulations and the measurements. We found that increasing the temperature of the filter module from 0 °C to 190 °C by external heating causes the center frequency of the filter to shift by about 1 GHz. Alternatively, when a dc current is passed through the bias windings, heat is generated in the windings to a temperature of 250 °C measured at 260 mA of current. This heat causes the tunability of the filter to increase by more than 2%.
Data mining and it's application in EDM domain

Educational Data Mining is an emerging domain in the field of data mining and has been found of utmost importance because of its significance in predicting student dropout or the student at risk of failing a subject by using several powerful data mining techniques. This is a paper presenting a compilation of several research work conducted in this field previously. It gives a brief about the science of data mining, EDM, different tools used in for conducting data mining process etc. The goals of EDM have also been explained along with the several stages the data-set pass before it's fed to the classifier for generating results. A brief about various algorithms employed in the field of EDM is provided and their basic features are also mentioned.
Leptin effect on nitric oxide and GnRH-induced FSH secretion from ovine pituitary cells in vitro.

The secretion of gonadotrophins from anterior pituitary cells can be modulated by leptin and signals originating from the immune system, among others, by nitric oxide (NO). There are some studies that have demonstrated a role for leptin and NO in the regulation of FSH in rodents, however, no similar data are available in regards to ewes. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to analyse the leptin effect on GnRH-induced FSH secretion from the ovine anterior pituitary cells in vitro. Additionally, the influence of leptin on NO release and its role in the GnRH and leptin-modulated secretion of FSH from pituitary gland of ewes was investigated. The obtained results show that the influence of leptin on FSH secretion is biphasic. Leptin in concentration 10(-8) and 10(-7) M/l significantly enhances, whereas 10(-6) and 10(-5) M/l of leptin suppresses FSH secretion from the pituitary cells in comparison to the control. The secretion of FSH and NO release under the influence of leptin are in very high positive correlation (r=0.77). The inhibition of NO synthesis with L-NAME. , instead, disables leptin from the stimulation of FSH secretion.
Structural and serological characterisation of the O-antigenic polysaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide from Acinetobacter strain 96 (DNA group 11)

A polysaccharide containing D-Manp, L-Fucp (6-deoxygalactopyranose, fucose) and D-Glc pNAc was isolated by mild acid hydrolysis, followed by gel-permeation chromatography, from the lipopolysaccharide derived from Acinetobacter strain 96 (DNA group 11). The structure of the O-antigen was determined by compositional analysis and NMR spectroscopy of the polysaccharide as: A monoclonal antibody obtained after immunization of mice with heat-killed bacteria of Acinetobacter strain 96 was shown to bind to the O-antigen and did not cross-react with any Acinetobacter O-antigen of known structure.
Virtual-Pod-Assisted Routing and Resource Assignment in Elastic All-Optical Switched Intra-Datacenter Networks

Service requests of intra-datacenter networks (intraDCNs) are different from traffic demands of traditional transport networks in the following features: 1) The latter is typically generated between dedicated node pairs that only require sufficient transmission bandwidth, i.e., frequency spectrum. IntraDCN service requests, in contrast, require IT resources, such as computational, memory and storage resources, in addition to the transmission bandwidth. 2) For a given intra-DCN service request, any intra-DCN node that can provide the required IT resources can serve as a destination node. Thus, this type of network poses an important research problem of routing and spectrum/IT resource assignment (RSIA). To support these features, we first develop an integer linear programming (ILP) model to address the static RSIA problem, and then propose efficient heuristic algorithms to address the dynamic RSIA issues, subject to the intra-DCNs’ limited network resources. The results of the proposed ILP model and heuristic algorithms are compared with the traditional network models and algorithms. It is found that the proposed ILP model and dynamic algorithms perform much better than the traditional approaches in terms of using intra-DCN network resources and reducing the service-request blocking probabilities.
Extrinsic Innervation of the Canine Superior Vena Cava, Pulmonary, Portal and Renal Veins

The responses of the superior vena cava, portal, pulmonary, and renal veins to electrical stimulation of sympathetic nerves were investigated in dog. The vascular response was measured by the method with an intravascular cuff. The contractile responses to neural stimuli were mediated mainly by adrenergic mechanism in the four veins and that of the portal vein was, in addition, medi ated in part by cholinergic one. The latter mechanism was also found in some cases of the pulmonary vein. As for the superior vena cava and the left renal vein the right-side dominancy in innervation was observed. These observations suggest a possible correlation between the embryogenesis of vein and its inner vation.
SME and large organisation perceptions of knowledge management: comparisons and contrasts

Compares the perceptions of both large organisations and small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) at a meta level in regard to knowledge management (KM) to improve overall understanding and synthesis of the philosophy and to develop sector‐specific learning in the SME sector. First, identifies and describes the key dimensions of KM using a socially constructed KM model. Second, uses a survey of large (> 250 employees) and SME (< 250 employees) organisations to investigate the perceptions of the KM dimensions. Third, reviews a series of qualitative social constructionist workshops, involving both large and SME organisations which were run to gain a deeper insight into the sectoral comparisons. The results indicate that KM is understanding and implementation is developing in the large organisation sector and knowledge is recognised as having both scientific and social elements. However, the SME sector was less advanced with a mechanistic approach to knowledge and a lack of investment in KM approaches and systems.
6-day amoxicillin versus 10-day penicillin V for group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal acute tonsillitis in adults: a French multicentre, open-label, randomized study. The French Study Group Clamorange.

We compared the efficacy and safety of amoxicillin 1 g b.i. d. for 6 days and penicillin V 1 MU t.i. d. for 10 days in the treatment of group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) tonsillitis in adults. 342 patients with acute tonsillitis and a positive test for streptococcal antigen were included in a multicentre, randomized, open-label study; 338 patients were evaluable in an intention-to-treat analysis, and 234 with a positive throat swab culture in a per-protocol analysis. In the per-protocol analysis, the GABHS eradication rate at the end of treatment was comparable in the two groups: 92% (115/125) on amoxicillin and 92.7% (101/109) on penicillin (p = 0.95), as were the clinical success rates of 96% and 95.4%, respectively (p = 0.92). At the follow-up visit (day 28-32), 90.8% of patients treated with amoxicillin and 92.6% of those treated with penicillin V were free of GABHS (p = 0.85). Sore throat disappeared significantly faster on day 2 (p = 0.039) in the amoxicillin group. The intention-to-treat analysis gave similar clinical results. Tolerability was good in both groups. The efficacy and safety of amoxicillin 1 g b.i. d. for 6 days were not statistically different from those of penicillin V 1 MU t.i. d. for 10 days in the treatment of streptococcal tonsillitis in adults.
Changing deliberative and affective responses to health risk: a meta-analysis

Perceptions of risk for health outcomes are integral to many theories of health behaviour, and are often targeted in interventions. Evidence suggests that affective responses to risk, including worry, are empirically distinguishable from commonly used perceived risk measures such as perceived susceptibility. The aims of this meta-analysis were to (1) examine if perceived susceptibility and worry can be independently influenced, and what manipulation types are most effective at changing each construct and (2) examine the efficacy of interventions to change worry and perceived susceptibility. Thirty-eight studies using 43 separate samples provided 78 independent comparisons that were meta-analysed using the inverse variance method with random-effects modelling. The overall effect size (d) was 0.50, 95% CI [0.362, 0.632] for perceived susceptibility; and 0.25, 95% CI [0.148, 0.349] for worry. Effect sizes for perceived susceptibility were significantly related to those for worry, B=0.495, p < 0.001. Moderators of these effects are discussed. The present meta-analysis provides further evidence that perceived susceptibility and worry are distinguishable but related constructs, and that it is possible to perturb one and not the other.
The Journey from Safe Yield to Sustainability

Safe‐yield concepts historically focused attention on the economic and legal aspects of ground water development. Sustainability concerns have brought environmental aspects more to the forefront and have resulted in a more integrated outlook. Water resources sustainability is not a purely scientific concept, but rather a perspective that can frame scientific analysis. The evolving concept of sustainability presents a challenge to hydrologists to translate complex, and sometimes vague, socioeconomic and political questions into technical questions that can be quantified systematically. Hydrologists can contribute to sustainable water resources management by presenting the longer‐term implications of ground water development as an integral part of their analyses.
FDG uptake, tumour characteristics and response to therapy: A review

The use of FDG-PET imaging in tumour detection is now well established. Many studies have suggested that changes in the uptake of FDG predict tumour response to therapy and that further clinical information regarding tumour grade and proliferative status may also be derived from FDG-uptake scans. More studies are required to verify the role of FDG-PET in patient management. Upregulation of hexokinase and glucose transporters, especially Glut-1, and downregulation of glucose-6-phosphatase are frequently associated with transformation. The extent of these changes has been related to both differentiation and proliferation largely corresponding with FDG-uptake studies.
Photodynamic therapy in dermatology – an update

Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a well‐established treatment modality which has mainly shown to be effective for dermatooncologic conditions like actinic keratoses (AK), Bowen's disease, in situ squamous cell carcinoma and superficial basal cell carcinoma (BCC). However, a therapeutical benefit of PDT is also evident for inflammatory dermatoses like localized scleroderma, acne vulgaris and granuloma annulare. Recent work has been focused on the development and evaluation of topical photosensitizers like the heme precursor 5‐aminolevulinic acid (5‐ALA) or its methyl ester (methyl aminolevulinate) inducing photosensitizing porphyrins. These drugs do not induce strong generalized cutaneous photosensitization like the systemically applied porphyrins or their derivatives. For dermatological purposes, incoherent lamps or light‐emitting diode arrays can be used for light activation. Depending on the applied light dose and the concentration of the photosensitizer either cytotoxic effects resulting in tumor destruction or immunomodulatory effects improving the inflammatory conditions occur. Treating superficial oncologic lesions (tumor thickness <2–3 mm) cure rates achieved by PDT are equal to the cure rates of the respective standard therapeutic procedure. The benefits of PDT are the low level of invasiveness and the excellent cosmetic results after treatment.
Rapport technique : 2015 / 01 / S . GIL Colour and emotion : children also associate red with negative valence

The association of colour with emotion constitutes a growing field of research, as it can affect how humans process their environment. Although there has been increasing interest in the association of red with negative valence in adults, little is known about how it develops. We therefore tested the red–negative association in children for the first time. Children aged 5–10 years performed a face categorization task in the form of a card-sorting task. They had to judge whether ambiguous faces shown against three different colour backgrounds (red, grey, green) seemed to ‘feel good’ or ‘feel bad’. Results of logistic mixed models showed that – as previously demonstrated in adults – children across the age range provided significantly more ‘feel bad’ responses when the faces were given a red background. This finding is discussed in relation to colour–emotion association theories.
Detection of two mRNAs encoding different forms of human cyclin E : evidence for alternative splicing In the course of analysing the expression of the cyclin

Cyclin E is a regulatory subunit of the cdc2-related protein kinase cdk2, which is activated shortly before S-phase entry, thus defining it as a G1 cyclin. We report here the existence of a 43 kDa splice variant of human cyclin E, termed cyclin Es, which lacks 49 amino acids within the cyclin box compared to the known 48 kDa cyclin E. Cyclin Es is expressed at approximately 1/10 of the level of fulllength cyclin E in several cell lines analysed. The two cyclin E forms differ functionally in that cyclin E, but not cyclin Es, is able to complex with cdk2, to activate the histone H1, pRb and p107 in vitro kinase activity of cdk2 and to rescue a triple CLN mutation in S. cerevisiae. Cyclin Es is the first splice variant of a cell cycle regulatory protein to be described. Our findings also indicate that the cyclin box in cyclin E mediates the interaction with cdk2.
The Formation of Shared Services Partnerships in Local Government to Manage Resource Dependencies

It is suggested that a motivation for the formation of shared services partnerships (SSPs) in local government is to manage dependencies on other levels of government. A framework that links the composition of a shared services partnership, its effectiveness and dependency management is proposed. A case study of an SSP between four local councils in Australia is examined through the lens of that framework. The results suggest that while the specified objective of the SSP was to improve efficiency the impetus for its implementation was indeed to manage a dependency. Interestingly that dependency appears to have been managed despite the SSP failing to deliver significant efficiency gains. The case also highlights that the components of the framework are more complex and multifaceted than thought. In particular it appears while an SSP may be an effective vehicle to manage a dependency it also creates new dependencies – between the SSP participants themselves.
Reconstruction of bone defects after osteomyelitis with nonvascularized fibular graft: a retrospective study in twenty-six children.

BACKGROUND Persistent infection, soft-tissue fibrosis, and damage to periosteum compound the treatment of children with a bone defect following osteomyelitis. We report on a series of twenty-six patients treated with nonvascularized fibular graft and intramedullary fixation. METHODS The series included eleven boys and fifteen girls (mean age, 6.8 years; range, three to twelve years) with gap nonunion after osteomyelitis. Initial treatment involved thorough debridement and sequestrectomy. When the infection was quiescent as indicated by inflammatory parameters, nonvascular fibular grafting with intramedullary Kirschner wire fixation (with or without additional external fixation) was performed. The time to union was noted, and a subgroup analysis was performed to correlate the size of the bone defect with the time to union. RESULTS The mean duration of follow-up was 3.02 ± 0.74 years (range, 1.3 to 4.2 years), and the mean time to union was 38.76 ± 12.02 weeks (range, fifteen to sixty weeks). There was a weak positive correlation between the time to union and the preoperative bone defect size (Pearson correlation coefficient, 0.699). The mean time to union was 31.7 ± 11.5 weeks for a defect of <4 cm, 36.6 ± 9 weeks for a defect of 4 to 6 cm, and 51 ± 6.7 weeks for a defect of >6 cm. Delayed union was seen at one end of the fibular graft in four (15%) of the patients and was treated with plate fixation. One patient had recurrence of infection. Limb-length discrepancy (range, 2 to 5 cm) was seen in all patients in whom the lower limb was involved and was treated with a shoe lift. CONCLUSIONS This series illustrates the potential benefits of staged sequestrectomy and nonvascular fibular grafting for the treatment of gap nonunion following osteomyelitis in children. The procedure is simple, does not require specialized training or equipment, and has a low complication rate.
Lower total fasting plasma adiponectin concentrations are associated with higher metabolic rates.

CONTEXT The possible role of adiponectin, a protein uniquely produced by the adipose tissue and significantly reduced in obesity and other insulin-resistant states, in the regulation of energy expenditure (EE) is still poorly understood. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between total fasting plasma adiponectin concentrations and the various components of EE measured in a metabolic chamber in Pima Indians and to test whether body fat distribution may have a role in this association. DESIGN This was a cross-sectional study. SETTING The study was an inpatient clinical research unit. PARTICIPANTS Sixty nondiabetic Pima Indians (45 males and 15 females), aged 18-45 yr, spanning a wide range of adiposity (body mass index 19.6-46.2 kg/m(2)) participated in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Total fasting plasma adiponectin concentrations, EE (24-h respiratory chamber), insulin sensitivity (euglycemic-hyperisulinemic clamp), body composition (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), and body fat distribution (waist to thigh ratio) were the main outcome measures. RESULTS Total fasting plasma adiponectin concentrations are negatively associated with sleep EE adjusted for sex, age, fat-free mass, and fat mass. This correlation is still significant, although attenuated, after inclusion of insulin-stimulated glucose disposal among the regressors and further attenuated when adjusted also for waist to thigh ratio. CONCLUSIONS The decrease in total fasting plasma adiponectin concentrations that accompanies fat accumulation may be a mechanism to prevent further weight gain by decreasing insulin sensitivity and increasing energy expenditure.
System-on-flexible-substrates: electronics for future smart-intelligent world

In this paper, we present architecture, circuit implementation and integration issues of embedded smart systems on flexible substrates for future ubiquitous intelligent world. The work is exampled by several concepts of innovative, self-powered, long-range interconnected radio-frequency identification and sensor networks in warehouse and intelligent goods distribution systems. Two types of RFID concepts are designed for this network. The first one is a self-powered, ultra-low power UWB RFID. A power scavenging system is designed which can draw energy from the 802.11 access point and its surrounding electromagnetic waves. In the second demonstration, we developed a chipless passive RFID based on time-domain reflection principle. As this RFID is chipless and needs only interconnections and antenna, it is potentially fully printable on flexible substrate such as a paper board. Finally, some implementation and experimental results are presented
Modifiable lifestyle risk factors and metabolic syndrome: opportunities for a web-based preventive program.

BACKGROUND Lifestyle is recognized as a key factor as the cause and management of the metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to identify individuals at increased cardiovascular diseases risk and determine main features of lifestyle of participants with metabolic syndrome via internet. METHODS The study was conducted from Jun 22 to August 22, 2012 in Tehran, Iran. Recruitment was carried out through the study website. Participants with metabolic syndrome who were interested and met the study criteria were invited for free clinic visits and clinical assessments. Baseline measurements were metabolic syndrome risk factors. Physical activity and dietary intake were measured by international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ- short form) and the frequency food questionnaire (FFQ) respectively. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to Adult Treatment Panel III diagnostic criteria. RESULTS Mean (SD) age for men and women were 41.9 (10.4) and 48.1 (7.8) yr respectively. Men were well educated and more likely to participate in the study than women. Men with metabolic syndrome had larger waist circumference (105.5) and lower BMI (29.1) than women with metabolic syndrome (P<0.001). Approximately 73% of the sample was inactive and 3% of participants had health enhancing physical activity. There were significant differences in the intakes of total fat and cholesterol between men and women (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Because of the high prevalence of metabolic syndrome, national lifestyle modification policies must be developed for population. Web-based healthy lifestyle programs may contribute to the reduction of the metabolic syndrome components.