Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the Microstrip and the Electrooptic Light Modulator

Green's function for examples with an isotropic media is obtained using the image-coefficient method. The method is based on the boundary conditions and the reciprocity relation. Using this Green's function and solving directly the charge distribution on the strip, the line capacitances per unit length of a microstrip and of an electrooptic light modulator are obtained. High accuracy of this method is demonstrated by comparing the present results with the results obtained using the conformal mapping and with other data appeared in the literature. The charge distributions are also illustrated. Of particular interest is the effective filling fraction of the dielectric material, which depends mainly on the shape ratio and only slightly on the relative dielectric constant. The effective filling fractions are tabulated for the microstrip with a homogeneous dielectric substrate.
Catalase protects against nonenzymatic decarboxylations during photorespiration in Arabidopsis thaliana

Photorespiration recovers carbon that would be otherwise lost following the oxygenation reaction of rubisco and production of glycolate. Photorespiration is essential in plants and recycles glycolate into usable metabolic products through reactions spanning the chloroplast, mitochondrion, and peroxisome. Catalase in peroxisomes plays an important role in this process by disproportionating H2O2 resulting from glycolate oxidation into O2 and water. We hypothesize that catalase in the peroxisome also protects against non-enzymatic decarboxylations between hydrogen peroxide and photorespiratory intermediates (glyoxylate and/or hydroxypyruvate). We test this hypothesis by detailed gas exchange and biochemical analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana mutants lacking peroxisomal catalase. Our results strongly support this hypothesis, with catalase mutants showing gas exchange evidence for an increased stoichiometry of CO2 release from photorespiration, specifically an increase in the CO2 compensation point, a photorespiratory-dependent decrease in the quantum efficiency of CO2 assimilation, increase in the 12CO2 released in a 13CO2 background and an increase in the post-illumination CO2 burst. Further metabolic evidence suggests this excess CO2 release occurred via the non-enzymatic decarboxylation of hydroxypyruvate. Specifically, the catalase mutant showed an accumulation of photorespiratory intermediates during a transient increase in rubisco oxygenation consistent with this hypothesis. Additionally, end products of alternative hypotheses explaining this excess release were similar between wild type and catalase mutants. Furthermore, the calculated rate of hydroxypyruvate decarboxylation in catalase mutant is much higher than that of glyoxylate decarboxylation. This work provides evidence that these non-enzymatic decarboxylation reactions, predominately hydroxypyruvate decarboxylation, can occur in vivo when photorespiratory metabolism is genetically disrupted. One Sentence Summary Catalase guards against additional carbon loss from photorespiration arising from non-enzymatic decarboxylations of photorespiratory intermediates.
Heavy metal contamination of street dust of Canton Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – Health risk assessment

Abstract The objective of the study was to assess the health risk related to the presence of heavy metals in street dust samples collected from Canton Sarajevo (CS). Street dust samples (42) were grouped in three categories: high density traffic roads, medical centers/parking and parks. The mean concentrations for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) were 1.71, 30.99, 74.85, 674.4, 221.9, 33.16, 41.46, 22.97 and 53.92 μg/g, respectively. According to correlation matrix analysis very strong positive correlation was found between Zn and Fe. The Hazard index (HI) values for non-carcinogenic substances for adults and children were 2.46E-1 and 1.31E + 00, respectively. There is a possibility of occurring of non-carcinogenic effects of street dust on children, as opposed to adults. Exposure pathway that most impact the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk, for both, children and adults, is the ingestion followed by the dermal and inhalation route. The carcinogenic risk caused by Cd, Cr and Pb in the street dust could be considered negligible.
Alcohol Use Intensity Decreases in Response to Successful Smoking Cessation Therapy

Smokers frequently drink heavily. However, the effectiveness of smoking cessation therapy for those with comorbid alcohol abuse is unclear, and the content of smoking cessation programs often does not address comorbid alcohol consumption. In order to achieve a better understanding of the relationship between changes in rate of smoking to the change in intensity of alcohol consumption, and the necessity for alcohol-specific programming for dual users, we quantified cigarette and alcohol consumption in 39 subjects undergoing a 3-month contingency management smoking cessation program using recently developed DNA methylation tools. Intake alcohol consumption, as quantified by the Alcohol T Score (ATS), was highly correlated with cg05575921 smoking intensity (adjusted R2 = 0.49) with 19 of the 39 subjects having ATS scores indicative of Heavy Alcohol Consumption. After 90 days of smoking cessation therapy, ATS values decreased with the change in ATS score being highly correlated with change in cg05575921 smoking intensity (adjusted R2 = 0.60), regardless of whether or not the subject managed to completely quit smoking. We conclude that alcohol consumption significantly decreases in response to successful smoking cessation. Further studies to determine whether targeted therapy focused on comorbid alcohol use increases the success of smoking cessation in those with dual use should be explored.
Sensory Profiles of Chocolate Drinks Made from Commercial Fermented Cocoa Powder and Unfermented Cocoa Beans

Polyphenols are the major bioactive compounds of cocoa beans. The addition of unfermented cocoa beans powder is used to enhance the functional properties of the chocolate drink. This study aimed to analyze the sensory profile of chocolate drinks made from a mixture of commercial cocoa powder and non-fermented cocoa beans by the projective mapping method. Seventy-five naive panelists tested four types of chocolate drink formulations and one benchmark (BM). The beverage formulations based on commercial cocoa powder consist of Formulations 1 (F1), F2, F3, F4 namely with the addition of 0, 10%, 20%, and 30% unfermented cocoa powder, respectively. The result showed that samples F1, F2, F3, and F4 had the dominant attributes of chocolate aroma, bitter taste, and bitter aftertaste. Whereas, BM has a dominant sensory profile of chocolate aroma, sweet taste, and sweet aftertaste. The highest value elevation (95o) is the benchmark (commercial chocolate powder drink). The next height value is in sample F1 which is located at an altitude of 20o-30o. Samples F2, F3, and F4 are the samples that have the lowest elevation (20o). Thus, the addition of cocoa powder from unfermented cocoa beans has not been accepted by consumers due to its bitter taste and bitter aftertaste.
Experimental study on damping characteristics of the tuned liquid column damper with magnetic fluid

A magnetic fluid is a smart, colloidal, and strongly magnetizable fluid, and is composed of a base liquid, ferromagnetic particles, and a chemically adsorbed surfactant. A tuned liquid column damper (TLCD) —devised for vibration mitigation of high structures— is a passive damper categorized as a dynamic absorber. Using a magnetic fluid as the working fluid of a TLCD can improve and change the TLCD into a novel semiactive damper. The natural frequency of a TLCD with a magnetic fluid can be changed via a magnetic field. This novel damper can be used as an effective vibration suppression mechanism for building structures. In this study, we investigate the effect of the magnetic field on the natural frequency of a TLCD with a magnetic fluid. In addition, using the experimental results, we demonstrate the relationship between the setting positions of an electromagnet, the strength of the magnetic field, and the changes in the natural frequency.
Modelling the relationship between product quality and process characteristics in process industry: an application

Process industries have a relatively sophisticated and high capital density structure in manufacturing industries. Process industries are one of the leading industries having competitive advantage due to specialisation, huge amount of standard production and scale economies. In this paper, the goal programming (GP) technique is applied for quality improvement in beer manufacturing as an example of process industry. The main purpose of the constructed model is to determine the new and current standards of the manufacturing process variables, which affect the characteristics of product quality. The model is, basically, formed in three phases. The first is concerned with multiple-regression equations. In this phase, product characteristics are defined as dependent variables while the manufacturing process variables are defined as independent variables. In the second phase, the GP technique is applied to these equations and to other objective functions. In the last phase, the solution values obtained are used to redefine tolerances of variables called process control variables.
Characterization of thin film microstrip lines on polyimide

This paper presents an in depth characterization of thin film microstrip (TFMS) lines fabricated on Dupont PI-2611 polyimide. Measured attenuation and effective dielectric constant is presented for TFMS lines with thicknesses from 2.45-7.4 /spl mu/m and line widths from 5-34.4 /spl mu/m over the frequency range of 1-110 GHz. The attenuation is separated into conductor and dielectric losses to determine the loss tangent of Dupont PI-2611 polyimide over the microwave frequency range. In addition, the measured characteristics are compared to closed form equations for /spl alpha/ and /spl epsiv//sub eff/ from the literature. Based on the comparisons, recommendations for the best closed form design equations for TFMS are made.
Acute high intensity interval exercise is similarly effective as moderate intensity continuous exercise on plasma glucose control in type 2 diabetic men aged 30 to 50 years: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to compare the acute effects of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) versus moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) on postprandial plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in men aged 30-50 years with type 2 diabetes (T2D), hoping to provide empirical evidence for the effects of different exercise types on glucose management in T2D patients. METHODS 14 men with type 2 diabetes (T2D) underwent a randomized three crossover intervention: HIIE with cycling; energy expenditure matched MICE with cycling; and a sedentary control (CON)) in postprandial state. Plasma glucose and insulin levels were measured at pre-exercise, post-exercise, 1 h post-exercise, pre-lunch and 1 h post-lunch, respectively. Responses of areas under the curve (AUC) during 4 h from pre-exercise to 1 h post-lunch were also calculated. RESULTS Both HIIE and MICE decreased plasma glucose and insulin levels during 4 h experimental period compared to CON, with significant intervention × time interaction effects for glucose (P = 0.001) and insulin (P = 0.006) values evolution. Area under curve (AUCs) for glucose and insulin were reduced in HIIE and MICE compared to CON (P < 0.05), whereas no differences were found between HIIE and MICE. CONCLUSIONS Acute HIIE and the matched MICE improve plasma glucose control in the same magnitude in type 2 diabetic men aged 30-50 years.
Polarization-independent integrated optical, acoustically tunable double-stage wavelength filter in LiNbO/sub 3/

We report a polarization-independent integrated acousto-optical double-stage wavelength filter in X-cut, Y-propagating LiNbO/sub 3/. The device consists of a combination of four acousto-optical mode converters, a TE- and a TM-pass polarizer, and two polarization splitters; their specific design and properties are discussed. The filter has a bandwidth of 1.4 nm and a tuning range of 76 nm around /spl lambda/1.55 /spl mu/m. Maximum filter transmission is achieved with a RF drive power of only 80 mW; it excites via a single unidirectional transducer a guided surface acoustic wave driving the four polarization converters of both stages. Fiber-to-fiber insertion loss is 4.6 dB for TM- and 4.8 dB for TE-polarized waves. Multiwavelength filtering has been demonstrated. >
Device Fingerprinting with Magnetic Induction Signals Radiated by CPU Modules

With the widespread use of smart devices, device authentication has received much attention. One popular method for device authentication is to utilize internally measured device fingerprints, such as device ID, software or hardware-based characteristics. In this article, we propose DeMiCPU, a stimulation-response-based device fingerprinting technique that relies on externally measured information, i.e., magnetic induction (MI) signals emitted from the CPU module that consists of the CPU chip and its affiliated power-supply circuits. The key insight of DeMiCPU is that hardware discrepancies essentially exist among CPU modules and thus the corresponding MI signals make promising device fingerprints, which are difficult to be modified or mimicked. We design a stimulation and a discrepancy extraction scheme and evaluate them with 90 mobile devices, including 70 laptops (among which 30 are of totally identical CPU and operating system) and 20 smartphones. The results show that DeMiCPU can achieve 99.7% precision and recall on average, and 99.8% precision and recall for the 30 identical devices, with a fingerprinting time of 0.6~s. The performance can be further improved to 99.9% with multi-round fingerprinting. In addition, we implement a prototype of DeMiCPU docker, which can effectively reduce the requirement of test points and enlarge the fingerprinting area.
IgG4-Related Sclerosing Cholangitis: Rarely Diagnosed, but not a Rare Disease

IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis, a biliary manifestation of an IgG4-related disease, belongs to the spectrum of sclerosing cholangiopathies which result in biliary stenosis. It presents with signs of cholestasis and during differential diagnosis it should be distinguished from cholangiocarcinoma or from other forms of sclerosing cholangitis (primary and secondary sclerosing cholangitis). Despite increasing information and recently established diagnostic criteria, IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis remains underdiagnosed in routine clinical practice. The diagnosis is based on a combination of the clinical picture, laboratory parameters, histological findings, and a cholangiogram. Increased serum IgG4 levels are nonspecific but are indeed a part of the diagnostic criteria proposed by the Japan Biliary Association and the HISORt criteria for IgG4-SC. High serum IgG4 retains clinical utility depending on the magnitude of elevation. Approximately 90% of patients have concomitant autoimmune pancreatitis, while 10% present with isolated biliary involvement only. About 26% of patients have other organ involvement, such as IgG4-related dacryoadenitis/sialadenitis, IgG4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis, or IgG4-related renal lesions. A full-blown histological finding characterized by IgG4-enriched lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates, obliterative phlebitis, and storiform fibrosis is difficult to capture in practice because of its subepithelial localization. However, the histological yield is increased by immunohistochemistry, with evidence of IgG4-positive plasma cells. Based on a cholangiogram, IgG-4 related sclerosing cholangitis is classified into four subtypes according to the localization of stenoses. The first-line treatment is corticosteroids. The aim of the initial treatment is to induce clinical and laboratory remission and cholangiogram normalization. Even though 30% of patients have a recurrent course, in the literature data, there is no consensus on chronic immunosuppressive maintenance therapy. The disease has a good prognosis when diagnosed early.
Manner of the control of the new configuration of quasi-resonant DDC link inverter

A new configuration of a quasi-resonant DC link inverter is presented in this paper. This system is characterized by the simple configuration of the resonant circuit stimulated for oscillation only at the moments of the transistors' switching. As an introduction, a description of the process of transistor commutation and the manner of control of the system are presented. <<ETX>>
Optimization and High Gain of a Microstrip Patch Antenna Excited by Coaxial Probe for RFID Reader Applications at 2.4 GHz

In this paper, we present the design and optimization a rectangular patch antenna excited by coaxial probe for RFID applications and which operates at the central frequency of 2.4 GHz. The design of the proposed antenna was simulated using the software Ansoft HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulation). This design gives us a return loss reached at -34.42 dB, a high gain of the order of 7.70 dB and a standing wave ratio (VSWR) equal to 1.03.
Decoupled Control of Doubly Fed Induction Machine Fed by SVM Matrix Converter

In this paper a decoupled control of a doubly-fed induction machine (DFIM) feed by a matrix converter is presented. It provides a robust regulation of the stator side active and reactive powers by the direct and quadratic components of the stator current vector, presented in a line-voltage-oriented reference frame. In this case, the stator windings are directly connected to the line grid, while the rotor windings are supplied by this later through a matrix converter controlled by a space vector modulation technique. The proposed solution is suitable for both energy generation and electrical drive applications with restricted speed variation range.
IoT Malware Detection Using Function-Call-Graph Embedding

In the era of rapid network development, IoT devices are being deployed more and more widely, and various kinds of malware programs are gradually appearing at the deployment level. As a widely adopted static analysis approach, structure based analysis such as graph embedding can capture the semantic features of malware binaries and has received much research attention. In this paper, to further improve the robustness of the graph embedding approaches to IoT malware detection, we propose a novel method that incorporates both local and global characterizing features extracted from Function-Call Graphs (FCG) to perform the detection. The caller-callee relationship represents the local semantic features, and the global statistic feature represents the graph’s structural characteristics. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on a largescale dataset consisting of 112K malware and 89k benignware samples collected from seven CPU architectures. It shows a 99% accuracy on IoT malware detection, outperforming existing graph embedding solutions. Moreover, when CPU architecture is taken into consideration, the proposed method combined with support vector machine and multilayer perception classifier can yield even higher performance.
Tipping Growth Inhibition into Apoptosis by Combining Treatment with MDM2 and WIP1 Inhibitors in p53WT Uterine Leiomyosarcoma

Simple Summary Uterine Leiomyosarcoma (uLMS) is a rare (0.8 per 100,000 women), aggressive cancer that predominantly affects post-menopausal women. Prognosis for these women is poor, with relapse following primary treatment occurring in up to 70% of cases. For women with recurrent or advanced uLMS, there is no optimal therapeutic strategy, and research to develop novel, targeted therapies is needed. This study investigates novel combinations in uLMS preclinical models. We present encouraging results using MDM2 inhibitor-based combination treatments, including the WIP1 phosphatase inhibitor GSK2830371. These data suggest that women with uLMS could respond to such combination treatments; therefore, these should be investigated in clinical trials. As these agents do not bind to and interfere with DNA, they offer a non-genotoxic alternative to the cytotoxic chemotherapy currently used in the recurrent setting. Abstract As there is no optimal therapeutic strategy defined for women with advanced or recurrent uLMS, there is an urgent need for the discovery of novel, targeted approaches. One such area of interest is the pharmacological inhibition of the MDM2-p53 interaction with small-molecular-weight MDM2 inhibitors. Growth inhibition and cytotoxic assays were used to evaluate uLMS cell line responses to MDM2 inhibitors as single agents and in combination, qRT-PCR to assess transcriptional changes and Caspase-Glo 3/7 assay to detect apoptosis. RG7388 and HDM201 are potent, selective antagonists of the MDM2-p53 interaction that can effectively stabilise and activate p53 in a dose-dependent manner. GSK2830371, a potent and selective WIP1 phosphatase inhibitor, was shown to significantly potentiate the growth inhibitory effects of RG7388 and HDM201, and significantly increase the mRNA expression of p53 transcriptional target genes in a p53WT cell line at a concentration that has no growth inhibitory effects as a single agent. RG7388, HDM201 and GSK2830371 failed to induce apoptosis as single agents; however, a combination treatment tipped cells into apoptosis from senescence. These data present the possibility of MDM2 and WIP1 inhibitor combinations as a potential treatment option for p53WT uLMS patients that warrants further investigation.
Total Quality Management in Higher Education with Balance Scorecard Technique

As issues of Total Quality Management, performance measurement and issues of accountability become increasingly consequential in higher education, an understanding of the concerns motivating these changes within the public sector and the new measurement frameworks which are emerging can be extremely useful. The Balanced Scorecard should translate an organization’s mission and strategy into tangible objectives and measures. The measures represent a balance between external measures for stakeholders and customers, and internal measures of critical business processes, innovation, and learning and growth. The measures are balance between outcome measures—the results of past efforts—and the measures that drive future performance. As a part of its “Evaluation in Higher Education with Balance Scorecard”, a pilot application self-assessment program, is working with academic and administrative units within the Dept. of Informatics to define an appropriate array of excellence indicators that broadly reflect the institution and unit mission and other critical success factors. While very much a work-in-progress, the general framework that follows is emerging, and may well be of use to other institutions. The "balanced scorecard" approach offers an institution the opportunity to formulate a cascade of measures to translate the mission of knowledge creation, sharing and utilization into a comprehensive, coherent, communicable and mobilizing framework—for external stakeholders, and for one another. As pressures for performance measurement and accountability mount, the need to rethink and reframe our excellence measurement frameworks has never been more pressing.