Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compact SMD packaged tunable filter based on substrate integrated coaxial resonators

A surface mountable tunable SIW filter based on coupled coaxial resonators is presented in this paper. A CPW vertical transition is designed in order to provide input/output access to the device. Biasing components are also integrated in the same substrate and accessed through castellated via holes. The proposed filter presents a very compact size and constant fractional bandwidth. Measured results including the effect of the vertical transition show low insertion losses while keeping a constant fractional bandwidth along the tuning range.
Adapting Chi Sigma Iota Principles and Practices of Leadership Excellence to a School Counseling Leadership Context

ABSTRACT This article adapts the Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) Principles and Practices of Leadership Excellence (PPLE) to a school counseling context to enhance leadership excellence. This further bridges the gap between counseling leadership broadly and school counseling leadership. The authors explore the implementation of a Comprehensive Developmental School Counseling Program (CDSCP) through the use of the CSI PPLE to further develop research, training, and practice.
Impacts of land cover transitions on surface temperature in China based on satellite observations

China has experienced intense land use and land cover changes during the past several decades, which have exerted significant influences on climate change. Previous studies exploring related climatic effects have focused mainly on one or two specific land use changes, or have considered all land use and land cover change types together without distinguishing their individual impacts, and few have examined the physical processes of the mechanism through which land use changes affect surface temperature. However, in this study, we considered satellite-derived data of multiple land cover changes and transitions in China. The objective was to obtain observational evidence of the climatic effects of land cover transitions in China by exploring how they affect surface temperature and to what degree they influence it through the modification of biophysical processes, with an emphasis on changes in surface albedo and evapotranspiration (ET). To achieve this goal, we quantified the changes in albedo, ET, and surface temperature in the transition areas, examined their correlations with temperature change, and calculated the contributions of different land use transitions to surface temperature change via changes in albedo and ET. Results suggested that land cover transitions from cropland to urban land increased land surface temperature (LST) during both daytime and nighttime by 0.18 and 0.01 K, respectively. Conversely, the transition of forest to cropland tended to decrease surface temperature by 0.53 K during the day and by 0.07 K at night, mainly through changes in surface albedo. Decreases in both daytime and nighttime LST were observed over regions of grassland to forest transition, corresponding to average values of 0.44 and 0.20 K, respectively, predominantly controlled by changes in ET. These results highlight the necessity to consider the individual climatic effects of different land cover transitions or conversions in climate research studies. This short-term analysis of land cover transitions in China means our estimates should represent local temperature effects. Changes in ET and albedo explained <60% of the variation in LST change caused by land cover transitions; thus, additional factors that affect surface climate need consideration in future studies.
A Low-Voltage 35-GHz Silicon Photonic Modulator-Enabled 112-Gb/s Transmission System

We present a silicon photonic traveling-wave Mach-Zehnder modulator operating near 1550 nm with a 3-dB bandwidth of 35 GHz. A detailed analysis of travelingwave electrode impedance, microwave loss, and phase velocity is presented. Small-and large-signal characterization of the device validates the design methodology. We further investigate the performance of the device in a short-reach transmission system. We report a successful 112-Gb/s transmission of four-level pulse amplitude modulation over 5 km of SMF using 2.2 Vp_p drive voltage. Digital signal processing is applied at the transmitter and receiver. 56-GBaud PAM-4 and 64-Gb/s PAM-2 transmission is demonstrated below a pre-FEC hard decision threshold of 4.4 x 10-3.
Classification of the mechanomyogram: Its potential as a multifunction access pathway

Although the mechanomyogram (MMG) has been demonstrated as a viable representation of muscle activity, its potential as a multifunction (>2) control signal has not yet been investigated. This study investigates the discriminability of multiple hand motions using multichannel forearm MMG. With nine able-bodied participants, MMG signals from six sites could be differentiated among eight classes of forearm muscle activity with a mean accuracy of 93±9% using 15 features selected by a genetic algorithm and classified by a linear discriminant analysis classifier. These results suggest that, with additional research, MMG may indeed become a usable control signal for multifunction access devices.
Modeling and analysis of ultrasound backscattering by spherical aggregates and rouleaux of red blood cells

The present study concerns the modeling and analysis of ultrasound backscattering by red blood cell (RBC) aggregates, which under pathological conditions play a significant role in the rheology of blood within human vessels. A theoretical model based on the convolution between a tissue matrix and a point spread function, representing, respectively, the RBC aggregates and the characteristics of the ultrasound system, was used to examine the influence of the scatterer shape and size on the backscattered power. Both scatterers in the form of clumps of RBC aggregates and rouleaux were modeled. For all simulations, the hematocrit was kept constant at 10%, the ultrasound frequency was 10 MHz, the insonification angle was varied from 0 to 90/spl deg/, and the scatterer size (diameter for clumps and length for rouleaux) ranged from 4 /spl mu/m to 120 /spl mu/m. Under Rayleigh scattering by assuming a Poisson distribution of scatterers in space, the ultrasound backscattered power increased linearly with the particle volume. For non-Rayleigh scatterers, the intensity of the echoes diminished as the scatterer volume increased, with the exception of rouleaux at an angle of 90/spl deg/. As expected, the backscattered power was angularly dependent for anisotropic particles (rouleaux). The ultrasound backscattered power did not always increase with the size of the aggregates, especially when they were no longer Rayleigh scatterers. In the case of rouleaux, the anisotropy of the backscattered power is emphasized in the non-Rayleigh region.
Glucose Transporter Levels in Tissues of Spontaneously Diabetic Zucker fa/fa Rat (ZDF/drt) and Viable Yellow Mouse (Avy/a)

We used antibodies to the fat/muscle glucose transporter (GLUT4) and the liver glucose transporter (GLUT2) to measure levels of these proteins in various tissues of two rodent models of non-insulin-dependent (type II) diabetes mellitus: the obese spontaneously diabetic male Zucker fa/fa rat (ZDF/drt) and the male viable yellow Avy/a obese diabetic mouse. The ZDF/drt strain generally develops overt diabetes associated with decreased plasma insulin levels. Depending on the age of the animals, the ZDF/drt rats can be arbitrarily segregated into age-matched obese, mildly diabetic (blood glucose < 11 mM) and obese, and severely diabetic (blood glucose > 20 mM) groups. Avy/a mice are comparably hyperglycemic but unlike the ZDF/drt rats are severely hyperinsulinemic. In both groups of diabetic animals, GLUT4 in adipose tissue, heart, and skeletal muscle was reduced 25–55%, and GLUT2 in liver was increased 30–40%, relative to lean, age-matched controls. However, when the mildly diabetic ZDF/drt rats were compared to the lean controls, the only significant difference was a 25% reduction of GLUT4 in heart. Within all of the ZDF/drt rats (excluding the lean controls), GLUT2 in liver and GLUT4 in adipose tissue, heart, and skeletal muscle correlated significantly with glycemia. These data suggest that, in these two models of type II diabetes, glucose transporter levels in muscle, adipose tissue, and liver are regulated in a tissue-selective manner in response to changes in insulin and glucose. Furthermore, at least in the ZDF/drt rat, alterations in GLUT2 and/or GLUT4 protein levels appear not to be associated with obesity per se but appear to be secondary to the severely diabetic state. In both rodent models, similar alterations in GLUT2 and/or GLUT4 levels were observed under comparable glycemia, but quite distinct insulin levels, consistent with the possibility that glucose itself may be an important contributing regulator of glucose transporter expression.
Effect of microwave postpolymerization treatment and of storage time in water on the cytotoxicity of denture base and reline acrylic resins.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effect of microwave postpolymerization heat treatment and water storage time on the cytotoxicity of denture base and reline acrylic resins. METHOD AND MATERIALS Sample disks of 6 acrylic resins were fabricated under aseptic conditions (Kooliner, GC; Tokuyama Rebase II, Tokuyama Dental; New Truliner, Bosworth; Acron MC, GC; Lucitone 550, Dentsply; QC 20, Dentsply). The denture base acrylic resin samples were stored in water for 24 and 48 hours at 37 degrees C. The fabricated samples were further subdivided into 2 groups: (1) samples without heat treatment and (2) samples treated in a microwave. The 3H-thymidine incorporation test was used to determine the cytotoxicity of the materials. The data were statistically analyzed using the incomplete 3-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD tests (P < .05). RESULTS Microwave postpolymerization heat treatment improved the biocompatibility of Tokuyama Rebase II. Tokuyama Rebase II without heat treatment and Acron MC in both experimental groups were graded as slightly cytotoxic in the group without water storage. The other resins were graded as noncytotoxic. After 24 hours of immersion in water, all materials were graded as noncytotoxic. After water storage for 48 hours, Acron MC without heat treatment and QC 20 in both experimental groups were graded as slightly cytotoxic. Lucitone 550 was graded as noncytotoxic in all experimental groups. CONCLUSION Microwave irradiation may be considered an alternative to reduce the cytotoxicity of Tokuyama Rebase II. Dental practitioners should choose Lucitone 550 processed with terminal boiling stage.
Formate accumulation due to DNA release in aerobic cultivations of Escherichia coli.

Three different aerobic fed-batch processes of Escherichia coli were studied, two for the production of a recombinant protein and one process with a wild-type E. coli strain. In all three processes, an accumulation of formate could be observed in the latter part of the process. Analysis of the concentration of DNA in the medium revealed that the release of DNA coincided with the accumulation of formate. It was found that increasing concentrations of DNA correlated in almost linearly increasing concentrations of formate. Formate accumulation is caused by mixed acid fermentation, although no oxygen limitation was measured with the DO electrode. It is proposed that extracellular DNA restrained mass transfer between the bulk medium and the cell. To investigate if the DNA accumulation caused formate production, DNA was removed by continuous feeding of a DNA binding polymer to the medium. The addition of the polymer decreased the content of free DNA in the broth and the formate was reassimilated. Furthermore, additional DNA early in the process resulted in early formate accumulation.
Anthropometry and body composition do not predict bioavailable androgen or progesterone concentration in adolescent girls

Our objective was to test the hypothesis that anthropometry and body composition were independently associated with sex‐steroid concentration in adolescent girls. Premenarcheal (age, mean ± SD = 10.9 ± 0.6, N = 51), perimenarcheal (age = 13.7 ± 0.6, N = 74), and postmenarcheal (age = 16.7 ± 0.6, N = 44) cohorts provided saliva at morning recess during the schoolday over 6 weeks. Estradiol, testosterone, progesterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were quantified. Age, developmental cohort, self‐reported Tanner stage of breast development and pubic‐hair distribution, gynecological age, height, weight, waist/hip ratio, and percent body fat (by impedance) were assessed. Repeated measures were reduced to a mean. Data were hierarchically standardized for sexual maturation status, and then used to predict anthropometry/percent body fat. After intensive repeated sampling, individuals still varied widely in testosterone, progesterone, and DHEA concentrations within a developmental cohort (35.0 ≤ coefficient of variation ≤ 66.5%). Individual hormone concentration was repeatable across 2 years (0.51 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.73). In spite of the variability within a cohort, there was no evidence for an association between the standardized hormone and body mass index, percent body fat, or waist/hip ratio, whether or not measures were age‐adjusted (21 univariate tests; 0.19 ≤ P ≤ 0.96). Stratification by developmental cohort also did not reveal associations. Low estradiol assay precision precluded analyses. In conclusion, despite considerable population variation in hormone concentration after repeated sampling, no evidence supported an association between anthropometry or pecent body fat and testosterone, progesterone, or DHEA in adolescent girls. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 18:639–653, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Empirical Analysis of Contemporary Android Mobile Vulnerability Market

The increasing popularity and rapid growth of the mobile ecosystem have been changing people's daily life. The vulnerabilities of mobiles resulting from the inherent vulnerable characteristic of software products, however, can be exploited, causing substantial economic loss or privacy leakage. This paper introduces an information metadata model, comprising a life cycle model and a heterogeneous network model, to investigate the evolving patterns of vulnerabilities in the current Android Mobile Vulnerability Market (AMVM). The test bed collects data from a variety of vulnerability datasets, comprising 19,711 vulnerable records. An empirical study is conducted to trace the evolution process of vulnerabilities in the AMVM. The network analysis method has opened a new way of studying mobile vulnerability market, in order to improve the security situation in the Android ecosystem.
IT Countries: A Breed Apart? The Case of Exchange Rate Pass-Through

This paper estimates the effects of two monetary policy strategies in the exchange rate pass-through (ERPT). To this end, we employ propensity score matching and consider the adoption of a target by a country as a treatment to find suitable counterfactuals to the actual targeters. By controlling for self-selection bias and endogeneity of the monetary policy regime, we show that inflation target has helped in reducing the ERPT, with older regimes more successful than younger ones. However, a de facto flexible exchange rate regime has not noticeable advantages to reduce the extent to which exchange rate fluctuations contribute to inflation instability.
Left atrium systolic and diastolic function assessment in hypertensive patients with preserved ejection fraction.

UNLABELLED Left atrium remodeling is a physiological response to pressure overload in hypertensive patients. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between left atrium remodeling and left ventricle diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive patients with preserved systolic function. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a prospective study on 96 hypertensive patients (48.75 ± 5.01 years, 50 men) and 96 healthy control subjects (48.17 ± 8.52 years, 56 men), whose data were all evaluated by echocardiography measuring left atrium volumes during the reservoir,conduit and pump phases. Standard indices reflecting left ventricular filling were also assessed. RESULTS Medium left atrium volume indexed for body surface was significantly higher in hypertensive patients – 30.87 (6.38) mL/m² vs.21. 72 (2.52) mL/m². Indexed left atrium volume was strongly associated with left ventricle diastolic function (p <0.0001). When compared to normal subjects, patients with mild diastolic dysfunction had lower corrected passive emptying volumes ( p < 0.0001) and higher corrected active emptying volumes (p = 0.001), thus leading to similar corrected total emptying volumes ( p < 0.001). However, patients with moderate diastolic dysfunction had smaller active emptying volumes, but higher passive and total emptying volumes when compared to normal controls and patients with mild diastolic dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS Left atrium indexed volumes evaluation during the reservoir,conduit and pump phases proved to be essential for early diastolic dysfunction assessment in hypertensive patients.
Localization of corticotropin‐releasing factor, urotensin I, and CRF‐binding protein gene expression in the brain of the zebrafish, Danio rerio

Our current understanding of the corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) system distribution in the teleost brain is restricted by limited immunohistochemical studies and a lack of complete transcriptional distribution maps. The present study used in situ hybridization to localize and compare CRF, urotensin I (UI), and CRF‐binding protein (CRF‐BP) expression in the brain of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). All three peptides were localized in the preoptic area, periventricular hypothalamic and tectal regions, and dorsal part of the trigeminal motor nucleus. CRF and UI were both expressed in several nuclei of the dorsal telencephalon, whereas CRF and CRF‐BP were both expressed in the ventral nucleus of the ventral telencephalon. Sole expression of CRF and CRF‐BP was apparent in the olfactory bulbs and superior raphe nucleus, respectively, whereas only UI was observed in the corpus mamillare, nucleus of the medial longitudinal fascicle, dorsal tegmental nucleus, nucleus lateralis valvulae, and nucleus interpeduncularis. A major finding of this study was the general regional overlapping of CRF‐BP with its ligands and a tendency to be expressed in tandem with CRF rather than UI. Overall, the mRNA expression patterns outlined in this study support the stress‐related neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral functions generally ascribed to the vertebrate CRF system and suggest some unique functional roles for CRF and UI in the teleost brain. J. Comp. Neurol. 502:783–793, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Symptom control, communication with health professionals, and hospital care of stroke patients in the last year of life as reported by surviving family, friends, and officials.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The needs of and appropriate service provision for patients dying from stroke have received little attention. The quality of care in the last year of life received by a population-based sample of stroke patients is described here, focusing on symptom control, communication with health professionals, and hospital care. METHODS Secondary analysis was made of data from the Regional Study of Care for the Dying, a retrospective interview survey in 20 nationally representative English health districts. Subjects were 237 persons who died from stroke in 1990. Of informants, 20% were spouses, 48% relatives, 11% friends or neighbors, and 20% officials. RESULTS More than half the patients were reported to have experienced pain (65%), mental confusion (51%), low mood (57%), and urinary incontinence (56%) in the last year of life. Pain control was inadequate: 51% of those treated for pain by hospital doctors and 45% of those treated by general practitioners were reported to have received treatment that relieved pain partially if at all. One third of respondents thought that hospital doctors had been too rushed (37%), and 25% thought that the patient had had insufficient choice about treatment. Two fifths had been unable to get all the information they had wanted about the patient's condition. CONCLUSIONS Improvements in symptom control and psychosocial support for patients who die from stroke are needed, as is better communication between health professionals and patients and their families. Education of doctors and nurses working with stroke patients in the principles of palliative care may help ensure that all dying stroke patients receive high-quality care.
Modeling and simulation of boost converter for solar-PV energy system to enhance its output

The concerns for environment due the ever increasing use of fossil fuels and rapid depletion of this resource have led to the development of alternative source of energy such as solar energy. This paper proposes that how to increase the efficiency of a solar PV energy system by the advancement in conventional DC to DC Boost converter. This paper also proposes the study of open loop systems with elevated step-up conversion and step amplify in input voltage. An improved DC to DC boost converter is modeled and simulated using MATLAB. This improved boost converter provides the constant output voltage irrespective of the variable output voltage. The simulation results of this system are presented and compared. The result of the improved boost converter is also compared with the conventional boost converter. This result verifies that with the minimum number of components the proposed improved boost converter system has the advantages of high efficiency.
Comparison of OG1RF and an Isogenic fsrB Deletion Mutant by Transcriptional Analysis: the Fsr System of Enterococcus faecalis Is More than the Activator of Gelatinase and Serine Protease

ABSTRACT The FsrABC system of Enterococcus faecalis controls the expression of gelatinase and a serine protease via a quorum-sensing mechanism, and recent studies suggest that the Fsr system may also regulate other genes important for virulence. To investigate the possibility that Fsr influences the expression of additional genes, we used transcriptional profiling, with microarrays based on the E. faecalis strain V583 sequence, to compare the E. faecalis strain OG1RF with its isogenic mutant, TX5266, an fsrB deletion mutant. We found that the presence of an intact fsrB influences expression of numerous genes throughout the growth phases tested, namely, late log to early stationary phase. In addition, the Fsr regulon is independent of the activity of the proteases, GelE and SprE, whose expression was confirmed to be activated at all three time points tested. While expression of some genes (i.e., ef1097 and ef0750 to -757, encoding hypothetical proteins) was activated in late log phase in OG1RF versus the fsrB deletion mutant, expression of ef1617 to -1634 (eut-pdu orthologues) was highly repressed by the presence of an intact Fsr at entry into stationary phase. This is the first time that Fsr has been characterized as a negative regulator. The newly recognized Fsr-regulated targets include other factors, besides gelatinase, described as important for biofilms (BopD), and genes predicted to encode the surface proteins EF0750 to -0757 and EF1097, along with proteins implicated in several metabolic pathways, indicating that the FsrABC system may be an important regulator in strain OG1RF, with both positive and negative effects.