Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A two-element patch antenna exploiting path inequality for bandwidth augmentation

A patch antenna with two rectangular elements is presented. The feeding mechanism introduces a phase shift between the elements excitation, as well as between the feeding points of each element. The Return Loss versus Frequency envelope which is then formed extends greatly as each feeding point contributes to the creation of a separate resonance. In this way, wideband operation at the 2.4 GHz WiFi band is achieved. Specifically, this new configuration exhibits a bandwidth of 84.69 MHz which is a fair improvement concerning the size - bandwidth tradeoff. The results are verified in terms of Return Loss, VSWR, Input Impedance, Antenna and Radiation Efficiency, all demonstrating compensatory behaviour.
Age-related Defects in Ocular and Nasal Mucosal Immune System and the Immunopathology of Dry Eye Disease

Abstract Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent public health concern that affects up to 30% of adults and is particularly chronic and severe in the elderly. Two interconnected mechanisms cause DED: (1) an age-related dysfunction of lacrimal and meibomian glands, which leads to decreased tear production and/or an increase in tear evaporation; and (2) an age-related uncontrolled inflammation of the surface of the eye triggered by yet-to-be-determined internal immunopathological mechanisms, independent of tear deficiency and evaporation. In this review we summarize current knowledge on animal models that mimic both the severity and chronicity of inflammatory DED and that have been reliably used to provide insights into the immunopathological mechanisms of DED, and we provide an overview of the opportunities and limitations of the rabbit model in investigating the role of both ocular and nasal mucosal immune systems in the immunopathology of inflammatory DED and in testing novel immunotherapies aimed at delaying or reversing the uncontrolled age-related inflammatory DED.
Physicochemical and Mineralogical Characterization of Test Materials used in 28-Day and 90-Day Intratracheal Instillation Toxicology Studies in Rats

Two recent intratracheal instillation toxicology studies in rats clearly show that a naturally occurring quartz, with occluded crystal surfaces (quartz isolate), produced significantly less inflammatory response than a crushed reference quartz (DQ12). Respirable-size quartz isolate was isolated from bentonite parent rock, without crushing or the use of chemicals, to ensure that the surface properties of the quartz particles were unaltered. The isolation technique utilized gentle mechanical dispersion followed by sedimentation in an aqueous medium. Extensive mineralogical and chemical characterizations were undertaken to define the physicochemical properties of the test materials. The characterizations showed significant, measurable physicochemical differences between the two quartz types. These differences may help to explain the difference in toxicological response associated with these materials. The evaluation methods and resulting data that characterized the chemical and physical properties of the instillation test materials are discussed. The data presented show that such characterizations are essential if meaningful correlations are to be made between test materials and their toxicological profiles.
Predictors of maternal responsiveness.

PURPOSE To explore maternal responsiveness in the first 2 to 4 months after delivery and to evaluate potential predictors of maternal responsiveness, including infant feeding, maternal characteristics, and demographic factors such as age, socioeconomic status, and educational level. DESIGN AND METHODS A cross-sectional survey design was used to assess the variables of maternal responsiveness, feeding patterns, and maternal characteristics in a convenience sample of 177 mothers in the first 2 to 4 months after delivery. The 60-item self-report instrument included scales to measure maternal responsiveness, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life as well as infant feeding questions and sociodemographic items. An online data-collection strategy was used, resulting in participants from 41 U.S. states. FINDINGS Multiple regression analysis showed that satisfaction with life, self-esteem, and number of children, but not breastfeeding, explained a significant portion of the variance in self-reported maternal responsiveness scores. In this analysis, sociodemographic variables such as age, education, income, and work status showed little or no relationship to maternal responsiveness scores. CONCLUSIONS This study provides additional information about patterns of maternal behavior in the transition to motherhood and some of the variables that influence that transition. Satisfaction with life was a new predictor of maternal responsiveness. However, with only 15% of the variance explained by the predictors in this study, a large portion of the variance in maternal responsiveness remains unexplained. Further research in this area is needed.
Zinc With Oral Rehydration Therapy Reduces Stool Output and Duration of Diarrhea in Hospitalized Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives The authors evaluated the effect of zinc treatment as an adjunct to oral rehydration therapy on stool output and diarrheal duration in children with acute noncholera diarrhea with dehydration. Methods This double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted at two urban hospitals in New Delhi. A total of 287 dehydrated male patients, ages 3 to 36 months, with diarrhea for ≤ 72 hours were enrolled. They were assigned to zinc or placebo by a randomization scheme stratified by age (≤ or >12 months) and weight for height (65%–80% or >80% National Centre for Health Statistics median). Participants in the zinc group received 15 mg (≤12 months) or 30 mg (>12 months) elemental zinc daily in three divided doses for 14 days. The main outcome measures were stool output and diarrheal duration. Results Zinc treatment reduced total stool output (ratio of geometric means, 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.48, 0.99) and stool output per day of diarrhea (ratio of geometric means, 0.76; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.98). The risk of continued diarrhea was lower (relative hazards, 0.76; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.97) and the proportion of diarrheal episodes lasting ≥ 5 days (odds ratio, 0.49; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.97) or ≥ 7 days was less (odds ratio, 0.09; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.73) in the zinc group. Conclusions This study demonstrates a beneficial effect of zinc administered during acute diarrhea on stool output, diarrheal duration, and proportion of episodes lasting more than 7 days. The effects are large enough to merit routine use of zinc during acute diarrhea in developing countries.
Co-delivery of doxorubicin and siRNA with reduction and pH dually sensitive nanocarrier for synergistic cancer therapy.

Drug resistance is the greatest challenge in clinical cancer chemotherapy. Co-delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs and siRNA to tumor cells is a vital means to silence drug resistant genes during the course of cancer chemotherapy for an improved chemotherapeutic effect. This study aims at effective co-delivery of siRNA and anticancer drugs to tumor cells. A ternary block copolymer PEG-PAsp(AED)-PDPA consisting of pH-sensitive poly(2-(diisopropyl amino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDPA), reduction-sensitive poly(N-(2,2'-dithiobis(ethylamine)) aspartamide) PAsp(AED), and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is synthesized and assembled into a core-shell structural micelle which encapsulated doxorubicin (DOX) in its pH-sensitive core and the siRNA-targeting anti-apoptosis BCL-2 gene (BCL-2 siRNA) in a reduction-sensitive interlayer. At the optimized size and zeta potential, the nanocarriers loaded with DOX and BCL-2 siRNA may effectively accumulate in the tumor site via blood circulation. Moreover, the dual stimuli-responsive design of micellar carriers allows microenviroment-specific rapid release of both DOX and BCL-2 siRNA inside acidic lysosomes with enriched reducing agent, glutathione (GSH, up to 10 mM). Consequently, the expression of anti-apoptotic BCL-2 protein induced by DOX treatment is significantly down-regulated, which results in synergistically enhanced apoptosis of human ovarian cancer SKOV-3 cells and thus dramatically inhibited tumor growth.
Günümüz Öğretmen Sendikacılığının Değerlendirilmesi

Sendikalar mensuplarinin haklarini yasal sinirlar cercevesinde savunan, uzun tarihsel gecmise sahip olan yapilardir. Emek piyasasinin tum bilesenleri yasalarin verdigi olcude sendika kurabilmekte, kamu sektorunde calisanlarda bu haktan yararlanabilmektedir. Bu baglamda kamu sektorunde en genis sendikal orgutlenme egitim-bilim is kolundadir ve egitim alaninda orgutlenme Osmanli devletine kadar giden bir tarihsel gecmise sahiptir. Gunumuzde egitim alaninda orgutlu 23 egitim sendikasi bulunmaktadir. Bu is kolunda 909,168 kisi calismaktadir. 524,484 kisi ise bu sendikalara uyedir. Niceliksel olarak bu buyukluk, goreli olarak sendikalari guclu kilmaktadir. Egitim sendikalari Bakanlik Merkez Teskilatinda, il ve ilce Milli Egitim Mudurluklerinde ve okullarda orgutlenmektedirler. Boylelikle sendikalar egitim alaninda faaliyet gosteren sivil toplum kuruluslari arasinda, yatay olarak yapilanmis en guclu orgutsel bir aga sahip konumdadir. Bu calismada ogretmen sendikaciliginin ozellikleri, tarihi gelisimi baglaminda guncel istatistikler ve sorun alanlari analiz edilerek degerlendirilecektir. Anahtar Kelime; Egitim, Sendika, Egitim Sendikaciligi
Erfolgreiche medikamentöse Therapie einer Aspergillen-Endokarditis

A 74-year-old man who had a weight loss of 7 kg in three months, with fever up to 38 degrees C and anaemia (Hb 9.4 g/dl) began to have pain and blue discoloration of fingers II-V of the right hand. Echocardiography demonstrated vegetation on the aortic valve cusps and blood culture grew Aspergillus fumigatus, indicating Aspergillus endocarditis. There were no predisposing factors. Valve replacement was contraindicated because of the age of the patient, the presence of peripheral arterial disease, and previous myocardial infarction. Treatment was started with amphotericin B i.v. (dosage increasing to 50 mg daily) and 1.5 g daily of flucytosine by mouth, to a total of 1.1 g amphotericin B and 41.5 g flucytosine in five weeks. During this time there was a gradual decrease in symptoms and the valve vegetations. Nine months later there has been no recurrence.
Measuring What Employers Really Do About Entry Wages Over the Business Cycle

In models recently published by several influential macroeconomic theorists, rigidity in the real wages that firms pay newly hired workers plays a crucial role in generating realistically large cyclical fluctuations in unemployment. There is remarkably little evidence, however, on whether employers' hiring wages really are invariant to business cycle conditions. We review the small empirical literature and show that the methods used thus far are poorly suited for identifying employers' wage practices. We propose a simpler and more relevant approach - use matched employer/employee longitudinal data to identify entry jobs and then directly track the cyclical variation in the real wages paid to workers newly hired into those jobs. We illustrate the methodology by applying it to data from an annual census of employers in Portugal over the period 1982-2007. We find that real entry wages in Portugal over this period tend to be about 1.8 percent higher when the unemployment rate is one percentage point lower. Like most recent evidence on other aspects of wage cyclicality, our results suggest that the cyclical elasticity of wages is similar to that of employment
Anesthesia for the 21st Century

Anesthesiology is on the verge of a major evolution that will involve newer, more specific, and better anesthetic agents and newer, safer, and simpler techniques to deliver these agents. Why we need new drugs is the first question. We need them because the drugs we have today can cause damage and even death if given incorrectly. We need better and safer anesthetics. Our patients should be demanding such agents. So what will anesthetics of the future be like? One possibility is a collection of what we call “magic bullets” (1, 2). These agents are very specific for certain receptors and/or neurotransmitters in the body (3–6). They may, in fact, use the body's own proteins and peptides (7, 8). We are entering into an era within which doctors can create or mimic the proteins and peptides that our bodies make. At least some of these agents will be endogenous substances that have high safety margins. It is possible that we may be administering agents that are chemicals using physical forces (energies) that stimulate the body's own neurotransmitters nonchemically and/or receptors noninvasively.
Inferior alveolar nerve transposition in conjunction with implant placement.

PURPOSE The aim of this prospective study was to determine the incidence of neurosensory disturbance and the cumulative survival and success rates of ITI solid-screw implants placed in conjunction with an inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) transposition technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS 46 ITI implants were placed in 15 patients following transposition of the IAN. In 4 patients nerve transpositioning was performed bilaterally, so a total of 19 IAN mobilization surgeries were performed. Neurosensory dysfunction was objectively evaluated by using light touch (LT), pain (PT), and 2-point discrimination (2-DT) tests. In addition, patients were asked to answer a short questionnaire to investigate individual feelings of discomfort and advantages related to this surgical technique. The mean follow-up period was 49.1 months (range, 12 to 78 months). RESULTS The cumulative implant survival and success rates were 95.7% and 90.5%, respectively. Only 2 implants were lost. Neurosensory disturbance (ie, disturbance registered by the LT, PT, and 2-DT tests) was experienced in 4 of 19 cases. However, at the time of data analysis (12 to 78 months after surgery), all patients indicated that they would go through the surgery again. DISCUSSION The IAN transposition technique, when used in the severely atrophied posterior mandible, allowed placement of implants with adequate length and good initial stabilization. All patients felt that they had received significant benefits from their new prostheses. CONCLUSION Based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that lateral nerve transposition can be used as a surgical procedure to enable ITI implant placement in the severely resorbed posterior mandible.
On accurate modeling and efficient simulation of CMOS opens

This paper presents a new modeling and simulation technique for CMOS opens. The significance of the method is that both the hazard and charge-sharing effects of all possible opens are modeled in terms of a set of detecting conditions. They are efficiently represented at logic level. Then during fault simulations only these detecting conditions are evaluated to decide if the opens are detected. In this way, all efficient simulation techniques developed at logic level can be applied. The paper shows how the detecting conditions are derived for arbitrary opens. Results of a parallel pattern simulator show a good trade-off of accuracy versus efficiency. <<ETX>>
Adipokine Contribution to the Pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis

Recent studies have shown that overweight and obesity play an important role in the development of osteoarthritis (OA). However, joint overload is not the only risk factor in this disease. For instance, the presence of OA in non-weight-bearing joints such as the hand suggests that metabolic factors may also contribute to its pathogenesis. Recently, white adipose tissue (WAT) has been recognized not only as an energy reservoir but also as an important secretory organ of adipokines. In this regard, adipokines have been closely associated with obesity and also play an important role in bone and cartilage homeostasis. Furthermore, drugs such as rosuvastatin or rosiglitazone have demonstrated chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects in cartilage explants from patients with OA. Thus, it seems that adipokines are important factors linking obesity, adiposity, and inflammation in OA. In this review, we are focused on establishing the physiological mechanisms of adipokines on cartilage homeostasis and evaluating their role in the pathophysiology of OA based on evidence derived from experimental research as well as from clinical-epidemiological studies.
Cellular changes induced by chronic nitric oxide inhibition in intact rat basilar arteries revealed by confocal microscopy

Background Cellular aspects of remodelling have not been investigated fully in intact vessels due to lack of appropriate methodology. Objective To determine the cellular alterations induced by chronic inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production in intact rat basilar arteries by combined use of perfusion myography and a laser scanning confocal microscope. Methods Wistar–Kyoto rats were treated with 10 mg/kg per day NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) for 3 weeks. Basilar arteries from treated and age-matched Wistar–Kyoto rat controls were mounted on a perfusion myograph, stained with the nuclear dye Hoechst 33 342 and fixed under pressure. The segments were mounted on a slide and visualized using the 364 nm line of a laser scanning confocal microscope. MetaMorph software was used to obtain optical sections from the vessel and for morphology determinations. Results L-NAME treatment induced hypertension (systolic blood pressure control 129.2 ± 2.7 mmHg and SBP L-NAME treatment 176.3 ± 5.2 mmHg, P < 0.001). Compared with control rat arteries, arteries from treated rats had a reduced lumen diameter, similar wall thickness and an increased wall: lumen ratio. L-NAME treatment induced specific changes in adventitia, media and intima, namely an increase in number of adventitial cells and in adventitia thickness, a reduction in number of smooth muscle cells with no change in media thickness and reductions in number of endothelial cells, size of nuclei and luminal surface area. Conclusions Hypertension induced by chronic inhibition of NO production is associated with eutrophic remodelling of rat basilar artery. However, within this overall maintenance of constant volume, there are marked cellular changes in adventitia, media and intima. The separate contributions of inhibition of NO production and hypertension to the remodelling process need to be elucidated.
Summer Peaks in the Incidences of Gram-Negative Bacterial Infection Among Hospitalized Patients

Objective. Recognition of seasonal trends in hospital infections may improve diagnosis, use of empirical therapy, and infection prevention interventions. There are very few data available regarding the seasonal variability of these infections. We quantified the seasonal variation in the incidences of hospital infection caused by common bacterial pathogens and estimated the association between temperature changes and infection rates. Methods. A cohort of all adult patients admitted to the University of Maryland Medical Center during the period from 1998 through 2005 was analyzed. Time-series analyses were used to estimate the association of the number of infections per month caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and enterococci with season and temperature, while controlling for long-term trends. Results. There were 218,594 admissions to the index hospital, and analysis of 26,624 unique clinical cultures that grew the organisms of interest identified increases in the mean monthly rates of infection caused by P. aeruginosa (28% of isolates recovered; P < .01), E. cloacae (46%; P < .01), E. coli (12%; P < .01), and A. baumannii (21%; P = .06). For each 10°F increase, we observed a 17% increase in the monthly rates of infection caused by P. aeruginosa (P = .01) and A. baumanii (P = .05). Conclusion. Significantly higher rates of gram-negative infection were observed during the summer months, compared with other seasons. For some pathogens, higher temperatures were associated with higher infection rates, independent of seasonality. These findings have important implications for infection prevention, such as enhanced surveillance during the warmer months, and for choice of empirical antimicrobial therapy among hospitalized adults. Future, quasi-experimental investigations of gram-negative infection prevention initiatives should control for seasonal variation.
Net‐targeted mutant mice develop a vascular phenotype and up‐regulate egr‐1

The ternary complex factors (TCFs) Net, Elk‐1 and Sap‐1 regulate immediate early genes through serum response elements (SREs) in vitro, but, surprisingly, their in vivo roles are unknown. Net is a repressor that is expressed in sites of vasculogenesis during mouse development. We have made gene‐targeted mice that express a hypomorphic mutant of Net, Netδ, which lacks the Ets DNA‐binding domain. Strikingly, homozygous mutant mice develop a vascular defect and up‐regulate an immediate early gene implicated in vascular disease, egr‐1. They die after birth due to respiratory failure, resulting from the accumulation of chyle in the thoracic cage (chylothorax). The mice have dilated lymphatic vessels (lymphangiectasis) as early as E16.5. Interestingly, they express more egr‐1 in heart and pulmonary arteries at E18.5. Net negatively regulates the egr‐1 promoter and binds specifically to SRE‐5. Egr‐1 has been associated with pathologies involving vascular stenosis (e.g. atherosclerosis), and here egr‐1 dysfunction could possibly be associated with obstructions that ultimately affect the lymphatics. These results show that Net is involved in vascular biology and egr‐1 regulation in vivo.
Evaluating different modeling languages based on a user study

A multitude of modeling languages for simulation exists, which differ in their formal expressiveness, but also in their usability. However, to improve the practical use of a modeling language its relation to the cognitive processes of the user are often of equal interest, i.e., the learnability of a modeling language or its closeness of mapping to the modeled system. To provide empirical evidence that differences in the usability of modeling languages exist, a careful design, execution and evaluation of user studies are required. Moreover, specific criteria and instruments are needed to measure the usability. The main focus of such a user study is the identification of advantages and disadvantages of a modeling language in practical use. Here, we document first steps towards this goal, including a set of criteria, a prototypical tool that supports executing these kind of studies, a user study as a test trial, and lessons learned.
Locomotor Behavior and Skeletal Morphology of the Odd-Nosed Monkeys

The odd-nosed monkeys are different from other Old World monkeys in having suspensory and vertical climbing behaviors as a significant portion of their locomotor and positional behaviors. This study examined the relationship between their unique locomotor behaviors and skeletal morphology. The results indicated that odd-nosed monkeys differed from other Old World monkeys in aspects of their forelimb morphology and intermembral index, approaching the conditions seen in apes and overlapping with those of atelines. Rhinopithecus was also shown to be different from other odd-nosed monkeys in its skeletal morphology.