Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Une étude expérimentale et son modèle émergent de raideur du pli de papier

Le pliage de papier a deborde des seules applications de l'origami deployable ces dernieres decades pour entrer dans le champ de l'ingenierie. Cependant, les informations sur le comportement du pli de papier sont encore parcellaires. Cette communication propose une premiere approche pour caracteriser ce comportement, en vue de la simulation mecanique du pliage/depliage au dela de la seule analyse cinematique de l'origami rigide. Le modele developpe ici a partir d'experiences sur le comportement monotone du pli utilise un ressort de torsion macroscopique non-lineaire reparti. Les influences de l'angle de pliage et de la longueur du pli sont extraites automatiquement d'un ensemble de donnees experimentales peu structurees, en faisant apparaitre a la fois un comportement deterministe et une variabilite due au procede de pliage.
Design of a Ku band 7-bit PIN diode phase shifter

A Ku band 7-bit PIN diode phase shifter is presented in this paper. Developed switched-line with loaded-line circuits [1,2] and reflective-type with loaded-line circuits are employed to extend the band width and achieve good phase shifting characteristics. Adopting more composition bits and adding open stubs to each bit as tuning elements help the phase shifter achieve finer phase control and easier tuning. The phase shift accuracy is ±2.5°, the insertion loss of 128 phase states is not greater than 6.5dB over 14–14.5GHz while the VSWRs are less than 1.45, and the amplitude imbalance is lower than 0.8dB.
QE in the euro area: Has the PSPP benefited peripheral bonds?

The asset purchase programme of the euro area, active between 2015 and 2018, constitutes an interesting special case of Quantitative Easing (QE) because the ECB's Public Sector Purchase Programme (PSPP) involved the purchase of peripheral euro area government bonds, which were clearly not riskless. Moreover, these purchases were undertaken by national central banks at their own risk. Intuition suggests, and a simple model confirms, that, ceteris paribus, large purchases by a national central bank of the bonds of their own sovereign should increase the risk for the remaining private bond holders. This might seem incompatible with the observation that risk spreads on peripheral bonds fell when QE in the euro area was announced. However, the initial fall in risk premiums may have been due to expectations of the bond purchases proving effective in lowering risk-free rates. When these expectations were disappointed, risk premiums returned to their initial level. Formal statistical tests confirm that indeed risk premiums on peripheral bonds did not follow a random walk (contrary to what is assumed in event studies). Nor did the announcements of bond buying change the stochastics of these premiums. There is thus no reason to consider the impact effect to have been permanent.
A serological follow‐up of toxocariasis patients after chemotherapy based on the detection of IgG, IgA, and IgE antibodies by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay

A serological follow‐up study was carried out on 27 children (1–12 years old) with visceral and/or ocular toxocariasis, after treatment with thiabendazole. A total of 159 serum samples were collected in a period ranging from 22–116 months. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (IgG, IgA, and IgE ELISA) were standardized, using excretory–secretory antigens obtained from the second‐stage larvae of a Toxocara canis culture. The sensitivity found for the IgG, IgA, and IgE ELISA, as determined in visceral toxocariasis patients, was 100%, 47.8%, and 78.3%, respectively. Approximately 84% of the patients presented single or multiple parasitosis, as diagnosed by stool examination, yet such variables did not appear to affect the anti‐Toxocara immune response. Titers of specific IgE antibody showed a significant decrease during the first year after treatment, followed by a decrease in the IgA titers in the second year, and in the IgG titers from the fourth year onwards. Sera from all patients presented high avidity IgG antibodies, indicating that they were in the chronic phase of the disease. Moreover, 1 year after treatment, the level of leukocytes, eosinophils, and anti‐A isohemagglutinin in patients decreased significantly. The present data suggest that IgE antibodies plus eosinophil counts are helpful parameters for patient follow‐up after chemotherapy. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 20:164–172, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
3D-nanocomposite (The lattice packages of the SIO2 nanospheres) with Ni-Zn-Fe spinel nanoparticles

Interaction of electromagnetic waves with nanoheterostructures obtained by doping of opal matrixes with nickel-zinc and manganese-zinc ferrite has been studied. The opal matrixes contain of SiO2 nanospheres with diameter about 250 nm with ferrite nanoparticles in the nanosphere voids. The measurements are carried out in frequency range from 26 to 38 GHz in magnetic fields up to 30 kOe. Variation in magnetic field of the transmission coefficient module of the H10 mode in rectangular waveguide containing a doped opal matrix is studied. The nanoheterostructure sample is placed into the waveguide. Field dependencies of the transmission and reflection coefficients are analyzed. It has been shown that the magnitude and the field dependences of the coefficients are similar each other.
OLAP in enterprise decision modelling

This paper describes the application of online analytical processing (OLAP) in the field of data mining. We discuss knowledge discovery in enterprise databases as well as data warehouses. We then present an enterprise decision modelling application. This internet application stores requests, mistakes and defects that are notified by customers for software modules. Data are retrieved from Oracle database by using Microsoft Excel. Excel’s interactive visual interface helps to build data cube and get graphics for executive managers. This OLAP application is applicable to any ecommerce or supply-chain applications which accumulate huge data sets in order to have the potential to yield more valuable information.
Deadly Radon in Montana?

In his letter, Puskin (2011) criticizes ecological measurements for radon concentration that were used in my analyses (Hart, 2011a, b) but then cites a study (Turner et al, 2011) to support his view that also used ecological measurements for radon estimates. In the other study that Puskin cites, namely Darby et al, 2005, it is unclear how the radon measurements were obtained. Indeed one peculiar statement is found in this latter citation: “For homes where radon measurements were unobtainable, we estimated the concentration from measurements in the homes of controls” [emphasis added] (Darby, 2005). Case control and ecological studies on radon share a common weakness. Rather than determining actual individual absorptions, both designs provide estimates of population exposures, though case control estimates are purportedly more individualized (e.g., measurements taken from individual homes). On the other hand, direct evidence, in the form of actual individual absorptions, along with corresponding clinical findings, is available for those who are interested. Radium, which decays by alpha emission to radon (U.S. EPA, 2011a), has been found to have a relatively large margin of safety. This margin of safety was found in a study of approximately 500 persons who had skeletal mean doses of < 1000 cumulative rads, yet they had “no signs or symptoms of clinically significant radiogenic effects” (Evans, 1974). Puskin also notes the confounding effect that smoking can have on data analysis. However, my comments (Hart, 2011a, b) were made in regard to “deadly radon” (Schontzler, 2010) rather than “deadly radon when confounded by smoking. ” Indeed, the U.S. EPA states, without qualifying the confounding effect of smoking in the statement, that “overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer” (U.S. EPA, 2011b).
Neuroplasticity, learning and recovery after stroke: A critical evaluation of constraint-induced therapy

Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) has been hailed as a radical new approach to stroke rehabilitation. The guiding theory is that impairment of hand function is exacerbated by learned non-use and that this in turn leads to a loss of cortical representation of the upper limb. It is claimed that these processes can be reversed by two weeks of constraint of the unaffected limb combined with intensive practice in use of the paretic hand, and numerous small-scale studies have suggested that CIMT can lead to large improvements in function more than a year after stroke. However, the theory of learned non-use is open to question and there is uncertainty about the nature of the improvements induced by CIMT. The greatest effect seems to be increased spontaneous use of the hand, either through reduction of learned non-use or by overcoming the sense of effort during movement. There is also evidence of some improvement on dexterity tests but no studies have analysed in detail whether this reflects reduction of basic motor impairment or learning of compensatory movement strategies. The current weight of evidence is in favour of compensatory learning. Cortical changes detected by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or functional imaging may reflect this compensatory motor skill learning rather than restoration of representations lost due to the infarct or non-use of the limb. If future studies confirm this then the clinical implication is that direct teaching of unimanual or bimanual compensatory strategies might be a more productive approach than constraint.
Ca Signaling in B Cells

An increase in intracellular Ca concentration is one of the major initial steps in B-cell activation that occurs within minutes after antigen receptor (BCR) engagement. In recent years, significant advances have been made in characterizing molecular mechanisms of Ca signaling in lymphocytes, although the majority of work was done on T cells. This mini-review discusses several underexplored areas of Ca signaling in B cells: (1) Ca signaling in immune synapse and multifaceted Ca responses within a single cell, (2) source of Ca involved in Ca-dependent protein phosphorylation events and the role of store-operated influx, (3) role of BCR coreceptors in Ca signaling, and (4) Ca signaling and maintenance of B-cell tolerance and clinical significance of Ca signaling alterations.
Zeonex microstructured polymer optical fiber: fabrication friendly fibers for high temperature and humidity insensitive Bragg grating sensing

In the quest of finding the ideal polymer optical fiber (POF) for Bragg grating sensing, we have fabricated and characterized an endlessly single mode microstructured POF (mPOF). This fiber is made from cyclo-olefin homopolymer Zeonex grade 480R which has a very high glass transition temperature of 138 °C and is humidity insensitive. It represents a significant improvement with respect to the also humidity insensitive Topas core fibers, in that Zeonex fibers are easier to manufacture, has better transmittance, higher sensitivity to temperature and better mechanical stability at high temperature. Furthermore, Zeonex has very good compatibility with PMMA in terms of dilatation coefficients for co-drawing applications. The Zeonex mPOF has a core and cladding diameter of 8.8 µm and 150 µm, respectively, with a hole to pitch ratio of 0.4 and a minimum propagation loss of 2.34 ± 0.39 dB/m at 690.78 nm. We have also inscribed and characterized fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) in Zeonex mPOFs in the low loss 850 nm spectral band.
Probabilistic data structures applied to implicit graph representation

In recent years, probabilistic data structures have been extensively employed to handle large volumes of streaming data in a timely fashion. However, their use in algorithms on giant graphs has been poorly explored. We introduce the concept of probabilistic implicit graph representation, which can represent large graphs using much less memory asymptotically by allowing adjacency test to have a constant probability of false positives or false negatives. This is an extension from the concept of implicit graph representation, comprehensively studied by Muller and Spinrad. Based on that, we also introduce two novel representations using probabilistic data structures. The first uses Bloom filters to represent general graphs with the same space complexity as the adjacency matrix (outperforming it however for sparse graphs). The other uses MinHash to represent trees with lower space complexity than any deterministic implicit representation. Furthermore, we prove some theoretical limitations for the latter approach.
Relative kW Response to Residential Time-Varying Pricing in British Columbia

We apply graphical exploration and regression analysis to estimate 1717 participants' relative kW responses in BC Hydro's residential TOU/CPP pilot study. We define a customer's relative kW response as the percentage change in the customer's hourly kW demand due to exposure to time-varying pricing. Compared to the control group of customers facing non-TOU rates, we find that TOU pricing yields a statistically-significant evening peak kW decrease of 4-11%, after controlling for the effects of day of the week, month of the year, weather, customer location, and customer size. CPP produces an additional peak kW reduction of about 9%, which can be further increased to about 33% through remotely-activated load control of space and water heaters. Hence, a scheme of TOU pricing augmented with CPP and load control on system peak days can be a highly effective demand-response strategy for winter-peaking utilities.
Spiritual Care Intervention and Spiritual Well-Being

This study explored the frequency of providing aspects of spiritual care intervention and its association with nurses’ own spiritual well-being in a convenience sample of 355 Jordanian Arab Muslim nurses. The nurses were recruited from different hospitals, representing both public and private health care sectors in northern and central Jordan. A cross-sectional descriptive and correlational design was used. Results indicated that Jordanian Muslim nurses provided religious aspects of spiritual care intervention to their Muslim patients infrequently and that their own spiritual well-being was positively associated with the frequency of provision of spiritual care interventions. The study concluded that Jordanian Muslim nurses most frequently provided spiritual care interventions that were existential, not overtly religious, were commonly used, were more traditional, and did not require direct nurse involvement. Moreover, the findings revealed that spiritual well-being was important to those nurses, which has implications for improving the provision of spiritual care intervention. The study provides information that enables nurses, nursing managers, and nursing educators to evaluate the nurses’ provision of various aspects of spiritual care to their Muslim patients, and to identify aspects of spiritual care intervention where nurses might receive training to become competent in providing this care.
Myostatin Signals through a Transforming Growth Factor β-Like Signaling Pathway To Block Adipogenesis

ABSTRACT Myostatin, a transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family member, is a potent negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. In this study we characterized the myostatin signal transduction pathway and examined its effect on bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-induced adipogenesis. While both BMP7 and BMP2 activated transcription from the BMP-responsive I-BRE-Lux reporter and induced adipogenic differentiation, myostatin inhibited BMP7- but not BMP2-mediated responses. To dissect the molecular mechanism of this antagonism, we characterized the myostatin signal transduction pathway. We showed that myostatin binds the type II Ser/Thr kinase receptor. ActRIIB, and then partners with a type I receptor, either activin receptor-like kinase 4 (ALK4 or ActRIB) or ALK5 (TβRI), to induce phosphorylation of Smad2/Smad3 and activate a TGF-β-like signaling pathway. We demonstrated that myostatin prevents BMP7 but not BMP2 binding to its receptors and that BMP7-induced heteromeric receptor complex formation is blocked by competition for the common type II receptor, ActRIIB. Thus, our results reveal a strikingly specific antagonism of BMP7-mediated processes by myostatin and suggest that myostatin is an important regulator of adipogenesis.
A Fuzzy Logic Based Software Cost Estimation Model

Software cost estimation is a challenging and onerous task. Estimation by analogy is one of the expedient techniques in software effort estimation field. However, the methodology utilized for the estimation of software effort by analogy is not able to handle the categorical data in an explicit and precise manner. Early software estimation models are based on regression analysis or mathematical derivations. Today’s models are b ased on simulation, neural network, genetic algorithm, soft computing, fuzzy logic modelling etc. This paper aims to utilize a fuzzy logic model to improve the accuracy of software effort estimation. In this approach fuzzy logic is used to fuzzify input parameters of COCOMO II model and the result is defuzzified to get the resultant Effort. Triangular fuzzy numbers are used to represent the linguistic terms in COCOMO II model. The results of this model are compared with COCOMO II and Alaa Sheta Model. The proposed model yields better results in terms of MMRE, PRED(n) and VAF.
Characteristic impedance determination using propagation constant measurement

A method by which the characteristic impedance of transmission lines may be easily determined from a measurement of the propagation constant is demonstrated. The method is based on a rigorous analysis using realistic approximations to account for the effects of imperfect conductors. Numerical studies which indicate that high accuracy is possible are discussed. Experiments using a coplanar waveguide which demonstrate a significant improvement in the measurement of S-parameters are described. <<ETX>>
Substance use, health status and service utilisation of older clients attending specialist drug and alcohol services.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS The number of older clients attending drug and alcohol (D&A) services is increasing, although there is insufficient knowledge regarding service needs for this group. The aim of this study was to document the patterns of substance use, health status, cognition, social conditions, and health service utilisation of older clients in D&A treatment. DESIGN AND METHODS A cross-sectional observational study of 99 clients aged ≥50 years (M = 55, SD = 4.5; 77% male) attending specialist D&A services (N = 30 alcohol treatment, N = 69 opioid treatment) in Sydney, Australia. Participants completed a confidential research interview. Findings were compared to aggregated data from younger opioid substitution treatment (OST) clients attending the same services (N = 214). RESULTS Alcohol (46%), benzodiazepines (40%) and cannabis (38%) were the most commonly reported substances used in the past 4 weeks; 23% reported no recent substance use, and 17% reported using three or more drugs. Participants reported high levels of physical and mental health problems, social isolation, low levels of employment, and a third reported difficulties with daily living activities. Forty percent had been injured in a fall in the past 12 months. The mean Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-R score was 82.4 ± 9.6, with 40% performing at a level consistent with severe cognitive impairment. A significantly higher proportion of older participants used alcohol and benzodiazepines than younger clients, and older participants had significantly poorer psychological health, physical health and quality of life. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS D&A services will require strategies to address the complex physical, mental, cognitive and social problems of older clients.
Role of NLRP 3 inflammasomes in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury

Increasing evidence indicates that inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, it is still unclear how I/R stimuli induce inflammatory responses in the liver. NLRP3 is an intracellular pattern recognition receptor and a component of NLRP3 inflammasomes that can induce caspase-1 activation, and regulate the processing of a potent inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Several investigations have recently suggested that inflammatory responses are mediated through NLRP3 inflammasomes in hepatic I/R injury. On the other hand, we recently found that NLRP3 regulates neutrophil functions and contributes to hepatic I/R injury independently of inflammasomes. This review summarizes the basic information on NLRP3 inflammasomes and discusses inflammasome-dependent/independent roles of NLRP3 in the pathophysiology of hepatic I/R injury. Rec.12/21/2014, Acc.1/22/2015, pp61-68
Regulation of Inducible Potassium Transporter KdpFABC by the KdpD/KdpE Two-Component System in Mycobacterium smegmatis

Kdp-ATPase is an inducible high affinity potassium uptake system that is widely distributed in bacteria, and is generally regulated by the KdpD/KdpE two-component system (TCS). In this study, conducted on Mycobacterium smegmatis, the kdpFABC (encoding Kdp-ATPase) expression was found to be affected by low concentration of K+, high concentrations of Na+, and/or NH4+ of the medium. The KdpE was found to be a transcriptional regulator that bound to a specific 22-bp sequence in the promoter region of kdpFABC operon to positively regulate kdpFABC expression. The KdpE binding motif was highly conserved in the promoters of kdpFABC among the mycobacterial species. 5′-RACE data indicated a transcriptional start site (TSS) of the kdpFABC operon within the coding sequence of MSMEG_5391, which comprised a 120-bp long 5′-UTR and an open reading frame of the 87-bp kdpF gene. The kdpE deletion resulted in altered growth rate under normal and low K+ conditions. Furthermore, under K+ limiting conditions, a single transcript (kdpFABCDE) spanning kdpFABC and kdpDE operons was observed. This study provided the first insight into the regulation of kdpFABC operon by the KdpD/KdpE TCS in M. smegmatis.
Carotid Web: Appearance at MR Angiography

In their article entitled “Carotid Webs and Recurrent Ischemic Strokes in the Era of CT Angiography,” Choi et al[1][1] described the prevalence, demographics, clinical presentation, imaging features, histopathology, and stroke risk associated with carotid webs. We read this thorough review with
Prepregnancy body mass index, gestational weight gain, and elevated depressive symptoms in a Hispanic cohort.

OBJECTIVES Our objective was to assess the associations among prepregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI), gestational weight gain (GWG), and elevated depressive symptoms across pregnancy. METHODS We evaluated these associations among 1,090 participants in Proyecto Buena Salud, a prospective cohort study of Hispanic (predominantly Puerto Rican) women in Western Massachusetts. BMI and GWG were self-reported; GWG was classified according to the 2009 Institute of Medicine guidelines. Depressive symptoms were assessed in early, mid-, and late pregnancy using the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). We defined elevated depressive symptoms as EPDS scores ≥13 and ≥15. RESULTS In multivariable, longitudinal modeling, overweight (25.0 to <30 kg/m2) women had an odds ratio of 0.53 (95% CI [0.31, 0.90]) for EPDS scores ≥13 and 0.51 (95% CI [0.28, 0.91]) for EPDS scores ≥15 compared to normal weight women. We did not observe an association between GWG or an interaction between BMI and GWG, in predicting elevated depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide preliminary support for an association of prepregnancy overweight status and lower depressive symptoms across pregnancy in Hispanic women. Future research should focus on potential social and cultural differences in perceptions of weight and weight gain in the perinatal period and how these influence psychological health.