Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultra-wideband coplanar microstrip transitions for connectorizing microwave photonic components based on thin polymer and driven by microstrip electrode

We present ultra-wideband coplanar-microstrip transitions studied both experimentally and by numerical simulations. They are very useful for characterizing and connectorizing microwave photonic devices realized from materials in thin film and driving by microstrip line, such as very promising electro-optic modulators based on polymer. Built on BCB polymer, coplanar-microstrip back-to-back transitions present a bandwidth over 70 GHz while the bandwidth of coplanar connector-microstrip back-to-back transitions can covers the range from DC to 30 GHz.
A Framework for Understanding Contexts in Interactive Systems Development

The context of an interactive system is not a single, unified entity. As multiple users interact with a system, engaging in multiple tasks in multiple environments, the nature of the context changes. This research proposes a framework for managing context, the Context-influence Framework. The Context-Influence Framework defines such a system as having multiple contexts, each associated with a particular combination of users and use of the system. These combinations, called “Use Subsystems,” are affected by contextual Influences. Influences provide a means of standardizing and sharing contextual information within a team. For capturing contextual influence, context itself is divided into “Domains,” areas of interest from which elements of context can be described. Once contextual Influences are captured and described, the descriptions of the contexts themselves can be managed and manipulated through the use of three hierarchies: People, Activity and Environment.
A PC12 Variant Lacking Regulated Secretory Organelles

Abstract: A variant of the PC12 pheochromocytoma cell line (termed A35C) has been isolated that lacks regulated secretory organelles and several constituent proteins. Northern and Southern blot analyses suggested a block at the transcriptional level. The proprotein‐converting enzyme carboxypeptidase H was synthesised in the A35C cell line but was secreted by the constitutive pathway. Transient transfection of A35C cells with cDNAs encoding the regulated secretory proteins dopamine β‐hydroxylase and synaptotagmin I resulted in distinct patterns of mistargeting of these proteins. It is surprising that hybrid cells created by fusing normal PC12 cells with A35C cells exhibited the variant phenotype, suggesting that A35C cells express an inhibitory factor that represses neuroendocrine‐specific gene expression.
Quit and Win contests for smoking cessation.

BACKGROUND Quit and Win contests were developed in the 1980s by the Minnesota Heart Health Program, and have been widely used since then as a population-based smoking cessation intervention at local, national and international level. Since 1994 an international contest has been held every two years in as many as 80 countries (2002). OBJECTIVES To determine whether quit and win contests can deliver higher long-term quit rates than baseline community quit rates. To assess the impact of such programmes, we considered both the quit rates achieved by participants, and the population impact, which takes into account the proportion of the target population entering the contest. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group specialized register, with additional searches of MEDLINE (January 1966 to September 2004), EMBASE (180 to 2004/8), CINAHL (1982 to 2004/8) and PsycINFO (1872 to 2004/6). Search terms included competition*, quit and win, quit to win, contest*, prize*. SELECTION CRITERIA We considered randomized controlled trials, allocating individuals or communities to experimental or control conditions. We also considered controlled studies with baseline and post-intervention measures. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data were extracted by one author and checked by the second. We contacted study authors for additional data where necessary. The main outcome measure was abstinence from smoking for at least six months from the start of the intervention. We used the most rigorous definition of abstinence in each trial, and biochemically validated rates where available. We decided against performing a meta-analysis, because of the heterogeneity of the included studies, and the small number of scientifically valid studies. MAIN RESULTS Four studies met our inclusion criteria. Three demonstrated significantly higher quit rates (8% to 20%) for the quit and win group than for the control group at the 12-month assessment. However, the population impact measure, where available, suggests that the effect of contests on community prevalence of smoking is small, with fewer than one in 500 smokers quitting because of the contest. Levels of deception, where they could be quantified, were high. Although surveys suggest that international quit and win contests may be effective, especially in developing countries, the lack of controlled studies precludes any firm conclusions from this review. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Quit and win contests at local and regional level appear to deliver quit rates above baseline community rates, although the population impact of the contests seems to be relatively low. Contests may be subject to levels of deception which could compromise the validity of the intervention. International contests may prove to be an effective mechanism, particularly in developing countries, but a lack of well-designed comparative studies precludes any firm conclusions.
Increased secretion of insulin during oral glucose tolerance test can be a predictor of stent restenosis in nondiabetic patients

Insulin is known to stimulate proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells. As the predominant mechanism of restenosis after stent implantation is neointimal tissue proliferation, one can expect a relationship between hyperinsulinemia and restenosis in these patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether hyperinsulinemia during oral glucose tolerance test is a predictor of the development of restenosis after stent implantation in nondiabetic patients. We prospectively studied 52 nondiabetic patients with effort angina who underwent elective stent implantation for single‐vessel coronary artery disease. In order to increase the statistical power of the study, numerous exclusion criteria were applied. All patients were subjected to a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test a day before the stent implantation and underwent follow‐up angiography 6 months later. Plasma insulin levels in fasting (6.77 ± 1.57 vs. 5.36 ± 1.35 μU/ml; P = 0.005), at 30 min (102.48 ± 10.6 vs. 47.74 ± 12.75 μU/ml; P = 0.001), 1 hr after (120.23 ± 14.1 vs. 63.08 ± 12.62 μ/ml; P = 0.001), 2 hr after (63.58 ± 8.64 vs. 34.88 ± 6.82 μ/ml; P = 0.001), and 3 hr after (25.71 ± 5.65 vs. 23.02 ± 4.61 μ/ml; P = 0.04) loading were significantly higher in patients with stent restenosis than in patients without stent restenosis. Insulin area and insulin area/glucose area were also significantly higher in patients with stent restenosis than in patients without (219.5 ± 23.8 vs. 118.9 ± 21.8, P = 0.001, and 0.62 ± 0.09 vs. 0.33 ± 0.06, P = 0.001, respectively). By multiple logistic regression analysis, insulin area during oral glucose tolerance test was found to be an independent predictor of stent restenosis (OR = 1.12; 95% CI = 1.01–1.25; P = 0.031). In conclusion, nondiabetic patients with hyperinsulinemia during oral glucose tolerance test have a high risk for restenosis after stent implantation, and performing this simple test before intervention may be useful for the prediction of stent restenosis. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2003;58:306–312. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM FIBROBLASTS INCLUDING CELLS FROM XP VARIANTS ARE ABNORMALLY SENSITIVE TO THE MUTAGENIC AND CYTOTOXIC ACTION OF BROAD SPECTRUM SIMULATED SUNLIGHT

Abstract— The cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of broad spectrum simulated sunlight, as delivered by a Westinghouse Sun Lamp FS 20 filtered to eliminate wavelengths below 290 nm, were determined in diploid human skin fibroblasts which differ in their ability to repair pyrimidine dimers, and compared with results obtained with UV 254 nm radiation. The cell strains tested included normal fibroblasts; excision repair‐deficient xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) cells from patients XP12BE (complementation group A). XP7BE (group D). and XP2BI (group G): and an XP variant patient (XP4BE) whose cells excise pyrimidinc dimers at a normal rate, but exhibit abnormal replication of DNA containing unexcised lesions. Cytotoxicity was assayed from loss of colony‐forming ability. The group A cells were most sensitive to the killing effect of the Sun Lamp; the group D and G cells were slightly less sensitive; the XP variant cells showed intermediate sensitivity; and normal cells were most resistant. When the Sun Lamp survival curves for the group A, group D, the XP variant and normal cells were compared with their respective UV 254 nm survival curves, the relationships between the strains were virtually identical (i. e. the curves were related by a constant fluence modification factor). suggesting a common lesion for cell killing. The marker for mutagenesis was resistance to 6‐thioguanine. The group A XP cells proved most sensitive to mutations induced by the simulated sunlight: the variant cells were intermediate; and the normal cells were the most resistant. Again, when the curves for mutations induced in these cell strains by simulated sunlight were compared with their respective 254 nm UV mutation curves, these were related by a constant fluence modification factor. suggesting a common lesion for mutagenesis. These results. taken together with published data indicating that at equicytotoxic levels of UV254 nm radiation and the filtered Sun Lamp. the number of pyrimidine dimers in the DNA of XP12BE cells was equal. support the hypothesis that the dimer is the lesion principally involved in both effects. Our data also support the hypothesis that mutations are involved in the sunlight‐induced skin cancer of XP patients.
Maternal single-dose nevirapine versus placebo as part of an antiretroviral strategy to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission in Botswana

Background:Single-dose nevirapine given to women and infants reduces mother-to-child HIV transmission, but nevirapine resistance develops in a large percentage of women. Objective:To determine whether the maternal nevirapine dose could be eliminated in the setting of zidovudine prophylaxis. Design, setting, and participants:A 2 × 2 factorial, randomized, clinical trial, with a double-blinded peripartum factor designed to assess the equivalence of maternal single-dose nevirapine versus placebo with respect to HIV transmission. A total of 709 HIV-infected pregnant women were randomized from four district hospitals in Botswana, resulting in 694 live first-born infants. HAART was available for women with AIDS. Intervention:All women received a background of zidovudine from 34 weeks' gestation through delivery, and all infants received single-dose nevirapine at birth and zidovudine from birth through 1 month. Women were randomized to receive either single-dose nevirapine or placebo during labor. Main outcome measures:The primary endpoint was infant HIV infection by the 1-month visit. Results:Of the 694 infants in this equivalence study, 15 (4.3%) of 345 in the maternal nevirapine arm were HIV infected by 1 month, versus 13 (3.7%) of 349 in the maternal placebo arm (95% confidence interval for difference, −2.4% to 3.8%), meeting pre-determined equivalence criteria. Nevirapine resistance at 1 month postpartum was detected in 45% of a random sample of women who received nevirapine. Conclusions:In the setting of maternal zidovudine and infant zidovudine plus single-dose nevirapine, infant HIV infection rates were similar whether women received single-dose nevirapine or placebo. This strategy avoids the potential for maternal nevirapine resistance.
Prevention of tap water scald burns.

Scald burns, which account for the vast majority of burn injuries in children, are preventable. Of primary importance in prevention is a safe environment. The authors urge that three design modification measures be adopted. First, all home water heater thermostats should be set no higher than 130 °F. The only need for hotter water is for dishwasher detergents; however, many modern dishwashers have internal heating elements that eliminate the need for hot water heaters to be set above 130 °F. Next, tempering valves can prevent overheated water from coming out of the tap. These valves, which can be installed at a reasonable cost, are recommended if the water heater is set higher than 130 °F. They are particularly useful in apartment buildings. Finally, if the previous options are not immediately feasible, modifying the faucet handles may be helpful. Large round handles or push-and-turn-type handles could prevent young children from turning on the hot water. The hot water handle can also be tightened or even removed. In addition, safety education is an important part of scald burn prevention. The major points to emphasize with parents and other caregivers are (1) to supervise children constantly when they are in the bathroom and kitchen, and (2) to run cold water in the tub first and always to test the temperature.
Student Test Scores: How the Sausage Is Made and Why You Should Care. Evidence Speaks Reports, Vol 1, #25.

Contrary to popular belief, modern cognitive assessments—including the new Common Core tests—produce test scores based on sophisticated statistical models rather than the simple percent of items a student answers correctly. While there are good reasons for this, it means that reported test scores depend on many decisions made by test designers, some of which have important implications for education policy. For example, all else equal, the shorter the length of the test, the greater the fraction of students placed in the top and bottom proficiency categories—an important metric for state accountability. On the other hand, some tests report “shrunken” measures of student ability, which pull particularly highand low-scoring students closer to the average, leading one to understate the proportion of students in top and bottom proficiency categories. Shrunken test scores will also understate important policy metrics such as the black-white achievement gap—if black children score lower on average than white children, then scores of black students will be adjusted up while the opposite is true for white students.
A study of photon emission from n-channel MOSFET's

It is known that an n-channel MOSFET, operating in the saturation region, is accompanied by visible light emission. The spectral distribution of this emitted light is reported in this paper for the first time. It behaves as exp (-α . hv) under various bias conditions (α: constant); the energy state of hot electrons is described as a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. The hot-electron temperature in an n-channel MOSFET is experimentally evaluated from the photon spectrum analysis. As compared with the electric field strength calculated by two-dimensional simulation, the hot-electron temperature is found to be determined as a function of the electric field strength in the drain avalanche region.
C Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Modelling social-aware forwarding in opportunistic networks

Opportunistic networks are one of the most promising evolutions of the traditional Mobile Ad Hoc Networks paradigm. Communications in an opportunistic network rely on the mobility of the users: each message is handed over from node to node, making hop-by-hop decisions to select the node that is better suited for bringing the message closer to its destination. Algorithms exploiting social-awareness are emerging as one of the most efficient categories of forwarding algorithms. However we are currently lacking analytical models able to characterize the performance of social-aware forwarding in opportunistic networks. In this paper we start to fill this gap by proposing an analytical model for the expected number of hops and the expected delay experienced by messages when delivered in an opportunistic social-aware fashion. The model is then used to characterize how the expected delay experienced by messages varies with the different social structures in the network of the users.
A Universal Authentication Scheme with Anonymity for Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

With the increased demand in ubiquitous wireless access, we merge diﬀer-ent but complementary wireless access craftsmanship to compose global wireless heterogeneous network, such as GSM and 3GPP, to provide mobile users the advantage of roaming services without geographical limitation. Hence, it has a great challenge to provide authentication in such a distributed heterogeneous network. Typically, a roaming scenario involves three entities, a mobile user (MS), a visited network (VN), and a home network (HN). In this paper, we proposed a new version with novel architecture, includes a universal authentication scheme with both computation eﬃciency and communication eﬃciency. The security of the proposed scheme is based on the elliptic curve cryptography. Despite elliptic curve cryptography involves more complicated operations; for the practical inspect, the proposed scheme is still suitable for the implementation. In addition, we provide a self-veriﬁed mobile authentication scheme, and then utilize random oracle to prove the proposed scheme is secure.
Modelling, Simulation and Validation of Plastic Zone Size during Deformation of Mild Steel

Abstract—A model to predict the plastic zone size for material under plane stress condition has been developed and verified experimentally. The developed model is a function of crack size, crack angle and material property (dislocation density). Simulation and validation results show that the model developed show good agreement with experimental results. Samples of low carbon steel (0.035%C) with included surface crack angles of 45o, 50o, 60o, 70o and 90o and crack depths of 2mm and 4mm were subjected to low strain rate between 0.48 x 10 s – 2.38 x 10 s. The mechanical properties studied were ductility, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, yield strength, yield strain, stress at fracture and fracture toughness. The experimental study shows that strain rate has no appreciable effect on the size of plastic zone while crack depth and crack angle plays an imperative role in determining the size of the plastic zone of mild steel materials.
Combined modality treatment of aromatherapy, footsoak, and reflexology relieves fatigue in patients with cancer.

BACKGROUND Fatigue is one of the most distressful symptoms experienced by patients with advanced cancer. Aromatherapy, footsoak, and reflexology are popular health care modality treatments in Japan, however, the effectiveness of each treatment for cancer-related fatigue has not been fully established. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS To investigate the effectiveness of combined modality treatment consisting of aromatherapy, footsoak, and reflexology against fatigue, an open study was performed in 20 terminally ill patients with cancer. After a patch test was performed, patients received aromatherapy that was accompanied with footsoak in warm water containing lavender essential oil for 3 minutes, followed by reflexology treatment with jojoba oil containing lavender for 10 min. Fatigue was evaluated using the Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) before, 1 hour after, and 4 hours after treatment. RESULTS Total CFS scores improved significantly after this treatment (from 25.6 +/- 11.0 to 18.1 +/- 10.0, p < 0.001). Among three CFS subscales, physical and cognitive subscale scores were reduced significantly (11.3 +/- 6.1 to 6.7 +/- 6.1, p < 0.001; 4.5 +/- 3.2 to 2.4 +/- 2.4, p < 0.001). No adverse effects were experienced. Because all patients desired to continue this treatment, they received treatment eight times on average. CONCLUSIONS Combined modality treatment consisting of aromatherapy, footsoak, and reflexology appears to be effective for alleviating fatigue in terminally ill cancer patients. To confirm safety and effectiveness of this combined modality treatment, further investigation including randomized treatment assignment is warranted.
Widespread of total knee arthroplasty perioperative blood management techniques based on tranexamic acid: barriers and opportunities.

Current interest of orthopaedic surgeons in tranexamic acid (TXA) is rapidly increasing in the literature, and controversial issues, appropriately highlighted by intelligent and deep comments (1-3), deserve some reflections. Perioperative total knee replacement (TKR) clinical management has significantly improved in the last 10 years due to the widespread, highly effective and safe blood loss control with different protocols that incorporate the use of TXA. It is amazing how the rediscovery by the Orthopaedic community of an old medication (TXA has been in use during more than 50 years by different manufacturers under different commercial names such as Transamin, Cyclokapron, Amcha or Amchafibrin, for various indications related to non-orthopaedic bleeding) has transformed the perioperative management of orthopaedic elective procedures that involved significant postoperative bleeding such as total knee arthroplasty after tourniquet release. But besides the arthroplasty field, major benefits in the use of this medication have also been elicited in other areas of orthopaedics and traumatology that reinforce the interest in the drug and provide valuable experience. It is worth mentioning, among other fields of interest, the survivorship increase of severely traumatized patients with early TXA administration, a key aspect that became recognized by most prestigious opinion leaders and publications, not without controversy (4,5).
How alike are the shapes of two random chains?

Two completely flexible random chains containing N atoms joined by links of length L can be superimposed by rigid‐body motions to match their structures as closely as possible. The statistics of the root‐mean‐square best‐fit distance D are discussed. For long chains, D2 tends of 0.125L2N. Thus, for a protein of 100 residues, where the Cα‐Cα distance is L = 3.8 Å, the expected root‐mean‐square atomic distance is 13.4 Å. This result gives a surprisingly good fit to the observed results for unrelated structures.
Thermoelectric Generation Based on Spin Seebeck Effects

The spin Seebeck effect (SSE) refers to the generation of a spin current as a result of a temperature gradient in magnetic materials including insulators. The SSE is applicable to thermoelectric generation because the thermally generated spin current can be converted into a charge current via spin-orbit interaction in conductive materials adjacent to the magnets. The insulator-based SSE device exhibits unconventional characteristics potentially useful for thermoelectric applications, such as simple structure, device-design flexibility, and convenient scaling capability. In this article, we review recent studies on the SSE from the viewpoint of thermoelectric applications. Firstly, we introduce the thermoelectric generation process and measurement configuration of the SSE, followed by showing fundamental characteristics of the SSE device. Secondly, a theory of the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of the SSE device is presented, which clarifies the difference between the SSE and conventional thermoelectric effects and the efficiency limit of the SSE device. Finally, we show preliminary demonstrations of the SSE in various device structures for future thermoelectric applications and discuss prospects of the SSE-based thermoelectric technologies.