Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Erbium Fiber Fabricated by the “Core-Suction” Technique

An erbium doped fiber preform having a lead germanate erbium glass core with silica cladding was fabricated by a newly developed technique named ¿core-suction¿. This preform was then drawn into fiber and fiber cross-section, loss spectrum and refractive index profile measured. A 30 cm piece of the manufactured fiber was spliced to a standard silica fiber using a commercial available splicer. This spliced fiber was then used to setup an erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and gain spectrum of the amplifier measured. Distributed gain of the manufactured erbium fiber was measured using an optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) based optical backscatter reflectometer (OBR). It is demonstrated that the ¿core-suction¿ technique can be used to make a high-gain amplifier that is compatible with conventional silica fibers.
Proteomic Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid from Obese Women with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: A New Approach for Identifying New Candidates in the Pathogenesis of Obesity

Body weight control is tightly regulated in the hypothalamus. The inaccessibility of human brain tissue can be partially solved by using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a tool for assessing the central nervous system’s production of orexigen and anorexigen factors. Using proteomic analysis, the present study investigated the differentially displayed proteins in human CSF from obese and non‐obese subjects. We designed a case–control study conducted in a reference hospital where eight obese (cases) and eight non‐obese (controls) women with idiopathic intracranial hypertension were included. Intracranial hypertension was normalised through the placement of a ventriculo‐ or lumboperitoneal shunt in the 12 months before their inclusion in the study. Isotope‐coded protein label (for proteins > 10 kDa) and label‐free liquid chromatography (for proteins < 10 kDa) associated with mass spectrometry analysis were used. Eighteen differentially expressed proteins were identified. Many of them fall into three main groups: inflammation (osteopontin, fibrinogen γ and β chain, α1 acid glycoprotein 2 and haptoglobin), neuroendocrine mediators (neurosecretory protein VGF, neuroendocrine protein 7B2, chromogranin‐A and chromogranin B), and brain plasticity (testican‐1, isoform 10 of fibronectin, galectin‐3 binding protein and metalloproteinase inhibitor type 2). The differential production of osteopontin, neurosecretory protein VGF, chromogranin‐A and fibrinogen γ chain was further confirmed by either enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay or western blotting. In conclusion, we have identified potential candidates that could be involved in the pathogenesis of obesity. Further studies aiming to investigating the precise role of these proteins in the pathogenesis of obesity and their potential therapeutic implications are needed.
Analysis of correlation between vehicle density and network congestion in VANETs

The Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs), as an important part of intelligent transportation systems (ITS), has been becoming a promising research area. Due to the high mobility of vehicles and intermittent connected topology resulting in the dramatically changing network topology, it is difficult to design a protocol including congestion control mechanism, which is helpful for a well network performance in VANETs. Therefore, it is necessary to have a further study on vehicle density and network congestion. In this paper, we make a detailed analysis about the correlation between vehicle density and network congestion. By analyzing the vehicle density and network performance around the intersections, the results show that there presents a worse network congestion and a lower throughput along with the high vehicle density, which promotes us to design an efficient routing protocol to solve these problems.
Simple floating inductance simulators using OTAs

This paper presents a simple technique to realize floating inductance simulators using commercial and low-cost devices. Both negative and positive floating inductances can be obtained in the same scheme without stability problem. The realization method based on the use of operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) and one grounded capacitor provides the advantage of an electronic tuning capability. The resulting inductance can be electronically adjusted by changing external bias currents of OTAs. Experimental results demonstrating the circuit performances based on the use of commercially available OTAs are included.
Cytologic features of villous adenoma of the ampullary region

Villous adenoma of the ampulla of Vater is a rare but distinct pathologic entity. We studied seven brush cytology specimens from four patients with this unusual lesion all of whom had surgical pathologic confirmation and clinical follow‐up. The distinguishing cytologic appearance includes the presence of slender, elongate columnar cells arranged singly or in small sheets and clusters. Long, thin, basally oriented nuclei occupy about one third of the cell and have fine, granular chromatin with one or more nucleoli. Although brushings of villous adenoma of the ampullary region may reveal a relatively benign but distinctive morphologic pattern, the aggressive nature of these lesions has been well documented, including those in our patients. Diagn Cytopathol 1996;14:145–149. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Obtención conjunta de las informaciones tridimensional y cromática. Primera aproximación a la caracterización óptica de superficies

espanolEl presente trabajo aporta una metodologia para la obtencion conjunta, secuencial, de las informaciones tridimensional y cromatica. El estudio se fundamenta sobre la triangulacion activa por proyeccion de luz estructurada, ambito en el que propugnamos la consideracion de las distorsiones geometricas. Respecto a la informacion cromatica, proponemos un marco formal encaminado a relacionar los niveles proporcionados por los captadores de imagenes con la realidad fisica. Proponemos finalmente un procedimiento que supone una primera aproximacion a la caracterizacion del comportamiento cromatico intrinseco de las superficies, independiente de la geometria y de las condiciones de iluminacion y observacion. EnglishThis paper proposes a sequential methodology for measuring both tridimensional and color data. Our work is based on structured-light projection, taking into account geometric camera distorsions. With respect to color information, we propose a formal aproach to relate output camera levels to physical reality. Finally, we propose an initial attempt to intrinsic color-surface measurement, independient from shape, and from ilumination and observation conditions.
State health care expenditures under competition and regulation, 1980 through 1991.

OBJECTIVES This paper examines health expenditure growth under two alternative policy approaches: competition-based managed care and state government rate regulation. METHODS Data are presented on cumulative growth in real per capita health expenditures between 1980 and 1991 so as to compare California, a state with a pro-competitive policy, with the US average and with four states with established regulation programs. RESULTS Real per capita expenditures for hospital services in the United States grew 54% between 1980 and 1991, while in California the growth was half the national rate, or 27%. Real per capita expenditures for physician services and drug expenditures in the United States grew by 82% and 65%, respectively, while in California these expenditures increased only 58% and 41%, respectively. California's growth rate was below that of all four regulatory states for all measures of health care cost inflation. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of these findings, a properly structured competitive approach could play a significant role in controlling health expenditures in the United States.
Location does not have to be destiny: student evaluation and integrity controls in a management accounting class

As accounting education transitions to more distance-learning formats, the integrity of student evaluation continues to serve as an obstacle to adoption. Greater technological possibilities will be opposed if faculty members believe that testing is compromised. This article investigates whether students taking exams remotely (and under no surveillance) performed better than students taking exams under conventional exam security. The results suggest an equivalent degree of achievement. The lack of human-based integrity controls over students taking exams did not produce a situation where grades were no longer accurate manifestations of student abilities. Although the results may be the results of the specific testing environment that was in use, they are encouraging for the proliferation of distance education in the accounting discipline. Integrity controls can be designed into the programs that administer the assessment.
Proton MR spectroscopy in quantitative in vivo determination of fat content in human liver steatosis

To demonstrate that the lipid volume fraction In liver steatosis can be accurately estimated with in vivo hydrogen‐1 magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy, the authors developed a calibration procedure based on in vitro MR spectroscopy of lipid extracts from steatotlc liver specimens. The lipid volume fractions determined with the calibration procedure were compared with the results of histomorphometry and with calibrated computed tomographic (CT) data. The volume fraction of fat determined with MR spectroscopy was in good agreement with the CT results, whereas histomorphometry underestimated the amount of hepatic fat. The results indicate that determination of the fat volume fraction in steatotic liver can be achieved noninvasively with MR spectroscopy.
RS(23,17) decoder for UWB

This paper presents the Reed-Solomon (RS) decoder for multiband OFDM(MB-OFDM) ultra-wideband(UWB). In UWB system, RS (23,17) code is adopted. To achieve high throughput and small area, two iterative Modified Euclidean (ME) blocks are proposed to work by turns in this paper. The architectures of syndrome block, ME block, Chien search block, Forney block are presented later in detail. At last, this architecture was implemented with 0.18 mum standard CMOS technology and can achieve 2 Gbps throughput with the clock frequency of 250 MHz.
A semiotic analysis on cultural meanings of eating horsemeat

Purpose Drawing on food consumption research and human-animal studies, this paper aims to explore how the meanings related to a living horse may be transferred to those of horsemeat. This is accomplished by constructing a nuanced understanding of how different semantic meaning categories of accepting/avoiding consuming horsemeat relate to each other. Design/methodology/approach The current data are collected from various sources of media discussions, including online news, online discussion forums, blog postings and printed articles, generated in Finland after the year 2013. The data are analysed applying Greimas’ (1987) semiotic square to open up the semantic meaning categories appearing in the media discussions. Findings The semiotic square shows that the meanings of horsemeat arise between the binary oppositions of human-like and animal-like. In this structure, the category of human-like makes eating horsemeat impossible, whereas the category of animal-like makes horsemeat good to eat. The main categories are completed and contrasted by the categories of not human-like and not animal-like. They represent horsemeat as an acceptable food, but only after certain justifications. Research limitations/implications The data are based on Finnish media texts, and therefore, the identified categories are interpreted in this specific cultural context. Originality/value The current semiotic analysis adds to the existing food consumption research by shedding light on the cultural barriers that make something edible or inedible. By so doing, the findings present a more nuanced and dynamic understanding of the horse as a special kind of meat animal and the justifications for eating horsemeat. Consequently, the findings offer new insights concerning changing food consumption behaviours into a more sustainable direction, pointing out the hidden meanings that influence this process.
Compressive blind mixing matrix recovery algorithm based on gradient ascent

Compressed Sensing (CS) shows that, when signal is sparse or compressible with respect to some basis, only a small number of compressive measurements of original signal can be sufficient for exact (or approximate) recovery. While in some cases, only the mixtures of original sources are available for observation without knowing the priori information of both the source signals and the mixing process. To recover the original sources, estimating the mixing process is a key step. In this paper, we estimate the mixing matrix in the compressive measurement domain based on gradient ascent. The innovation lies in that, we recover the mixing matrix directly from the observed compressive measurements of mixture signals, without recovering the mixture signals at first. Numerical experiments show that the mixing matrix can be well estimated via the proposed method.
Lean leaders inspiring employee engagement in a healthcare setting

Leaders are assumed to play a key role in sustainability of lean work practices. This study focuses on the leaders' impact on employee engagement during the implementation of lean practices. The first part of this exploratory longitudinal study within a Dutch primary healthcare facility is reported. The employees of one team completed a survey and noted, during eight weeks, their sources of engagement in a diary. Additional site visits and interviews were held. Preliminary findings indicate that leaders may strengthen engagement by reducing non-medical workload via lean work practices. The resulting three propositions may guide future research in this field.
Big data analytics in financial reporting and accounting

Purpose- This paper aims to discuss the impact of big data analytics on financial reporting and accounting within the institutional framework. Methodology- The paper’s design is a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with accounting professionals in different industries to determine and analyze potential uses and impacts of big data analytics in financial reporting and accounting. Findings- The nature of accounting and financial reporting do not alter but traditional methods of recording, collecting and analyzing accounting information change. The revenue recognition in many industries including airways and telecommunication companies needs to process a large volume of data because of the complex billing systems. Furthermore, the big data and analytics present a pressing issue and in the same time a real opportunity for accountants working in forensic and valuation areas. Conclusion- We concluded that the companies are tracking the policies and procedures of BDA adopted by other firms in trying to assure the legitimacy of their firm and to maintain and enhance their competitive advantages. In addition, financial reporting and accounting professionals try to adapt to the challenges regarding using and mastering new technologies and applications, they need to improve their capabilities and skills in the areas of big data analytics.
An all textile H-plane SIW horn antenna with metameterial absorber for millimeter-wave WBAN applications

An all textile H-plane SIW horn antenna for millimeter-wave WBAN applications is proposed. A coaxially fed SIW H-plane horn is designed for radiation toward the human body surface. In order to mitigate the degenerations caused by the interactions between the antenna and human body, a metamaterial absorber is attached in front of the aperture of horn. All components mentioned above are made of textile materials. The simulated 10-dB return loss bandwidth is 2980 MHz (26.44 GHz–29.42 GHz) which covers a potential candidate frequency band of 5G communication. The simulated results show that the proposed antenna has a directional radiation pattern toward body surface with a gain of 3.94 dBi and has the maximum gain of 9.19 dBi at 9 = 35° on the 28 GHz skin-equivalent phantom.
Participation of mouse DNA polymerase ι in strand-biased mutagenic bypass of UV photoproducts and suppression of skin cancer

DNA polymerase ι (pol ι) is a conserved Y family enzyme that is implicated in translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) but whose cellular functions remain uncertain. To test the hypothesis that pol ι performs TLS in cells, we compared UV-induced mutagenesis in primary fibroblasts derived from wild-type mice to mice lacking functional pol η, pol ι, or both. A deficiency in mouse DNA polymerase η (pol η) enhanced UV-induced Hprt mutant frequencies. This enhanced UV-induced mutagenesis and UV-induced mutagenesis in wild-type cells were strongly diminished in cells deficient in pol ι, indicating that pol ι participates in the bypass of UV photoproducts in cells. Moreover, a clear strand bias among UV-induced base substitutions was observed in wild-type cells that was diminished in pol η- and pol ι-deficient mouse cells and abolished in cells deficient in both enzymes. These data suggest that these enzymes bypass UV photoproducts in an asymmetric manner. To determine whether pol ι status affects cancer susceptibility, we compared the UV-induced skin cancer susceptibility of wild-type mice to mice lacking functional pol η, pol ι, or both. Although pol ι deficiency alone had no effect, UV-induced skin tumors in pol η-deficient mice developed 4 weeks earlier in mice concomitantly deficient in pol ι. Collectively, these data reveal functions for pol ι in bypassing UV photoproducts and in delaying the onset of UV-induced skin cancer.
Comparison of selection responses on body weight under divergent larval density conditions in Drosophila pseudoobscura.

Description of bose populatiom The basic genetic material used in this study was a randommating cage population of Drosophila pseudoobscura formed by intermating flies from two parental populations, Mono and Mather. The history of the Mono and Mather cage populations was given by KOJIMA and KELLEHER (1963). The sensitivity of adult body weight to the level of larval density in the culture bottles is indicated by the following: for egg densities of 50, 100, 200 and 4Nl eggs per bottle, the average body weights were 1.53, 1.25, 1.20 and 1.00 mg, respectively. Eclosion percentage was found to vary inversely with larval density. The percentages of adult flies emerging from the two densities considered in this study (50 and 200 eggs per bottle) were approximately 90 and 65, respectively. Culture methods: All experimental flies were kept at a controlled temperature of 19°C and high relative humidity. The flies were reared on a cream of wheat medium poured to a depth of approximately one inch in half-pint milk bottles. A drop of dried baker’s yeast water suspension was added just prior to placing the eggs in the bottle. The bottles were plugged with standard milk bottle caps. Egg collection and weighing procedure: After the desired matings were made, the impregnated females were placed in egg-laying bottles (empty half-pint milk bottles). The females laid their eggs on an agar-molasses-charcoal medium that had been spread on the underside of the caps used to plug the egg-laying bottles. The desired number of eggs (50 or 200) was counted under a dissecting microscope and transferred to the culture bottles.
Executive Function Variation in Children With Conduct Problems: Influences of Coexisting Reading Difficulties

It is unknown whether children with conduct problems (CP) and poor reading (PR) skills exhibit more profound executive function impairments than children with CP only and whether such impairments are explained by coexisting PR. Executive functions were compared in four groups of 7- to 8-year-old children: 26 CP only, 35 PR only, 27 CP-PR, and 31 comparison (COM) children with neither CP nor PR. The Conners’ Teacher Rating Scale–28 and a sentence completion reading test were used to assess CP and PR skills. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition Backward Digit Span, the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test, and the Tower of London were used to assess three aspects of executive function: verbal working memory, response inhibition, and planning, respectively. The CP-PR group had lower verbal working memory than the CP-only and COM groups, but the difference was not significant after intellectual ability, inattention, and hyperactivity were controlled. The CP-PR group made more errors in the planning task (rule violations) than the COM and CP-only groups, but the difference was not significant after intellectual ability was controlled. No significant group differences were found in response inhibition. A specific PR group effect was found for verbal working memory. Children with CP-PR have more prominent executive function impairments that cannot be attributed to coexisting PR.
Dynamic Loyal Customer Behavior for Community Formation: A Network Science Perspective

Online health information platforms (e.g., WebMD, healthtap) have become popular as they make health information accessible to large crowds. These platforms provide users with a set of communication services that trigger formation of ties as there are thousands of registered users, visitors or physicians, with a multitude of inherently complex interactions between them, which we model as an Interaction Network. Managers may utilize network understanding to reveal the true potential of their platforms as this understanding provides many valuable insights including identification of customer loyalty and their importance to network and community formation on the platform. The goal of this study is to identify and examine the structural and dynamic aspects of customer loyalty, which are considered as hubs in the largest component of the network. Two important pieces of information add to our understanding of hub behavior: the role (member/physician) and gender. We observe that the only growth pattern common to members as they evolve into a loyal customer can be best described as a step-function or a “staircase” function. We also find that one of the most prominent features of loyal customers examined on this health information platform appears to be dissassortativity. That is, loyal customers tend to form ties to member of different roles or gender. The findings further show that role disassorativity leads to communities of few loyal customers and other hand gender disassortativity leads to communities of many loyal customers. We articulate managerial implications of network understanding with respect to customer loyalty and service attractiveness as well.
Corporate Governance and Financial Performance With a Perspective on Board Size and Frequency of Board Meetings:Empirical Evidence from India

In today’s corporate world, every stakeholder’s group requires good corporate governance. Corporate Governance reforms were initiated after the rise of frauds and scams in the corporate sector. Corporate Governance mechanism protects the interests of stakeholders. Corporate governance has an important implication for the growth of an economy. Good corporate governance practices help to reduce the risk of investors, attract investment for capital and improve the performance of companies. In the present scenario of rising business scams all over the world, the present study addresses a central research question: how does corporate governance contribute to firm’s financial performance? Relationship of board size and the frequency of board’s meetings with firm’s financial performance, in terms of ROA, ROE, and EPS, PE Ratios has been examined in this research paper. The study is based on secondary data collected from PROWESS database. Regression analysis has been carried out to find out the impact of corporate governance variables on the firm’s financial performance measures.