Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FM radio based bistatic radar

An experimental bistatic radar system is described that detects and tracks targets to ranges in excess of 150 km from the receiver, using echoes from a non-cooperative FM radio transmitter. The system concept and limitations on performance are described, followed by details of the processing used to implement the system. An adaptive filter algorithm is described that is used to efficiently remove interference and strong clutter signals from the receiver channels. A computationally efficient algorithm for target detection using Doppler-sensitive cross-correlation techniques is described. A simple constant false alarm rate algorithm for target detection is described, together with a description of a Kalman filter based target association algorithm. Representative results from the system are provided and compared to truth data derived from air traffic control data.
Interpretive Research Aiming at Theory Building: Adopting and Adapting the Case Study Design

Although the advantages of case study design are widely recognised, its original positivist underlying assumptions may mislead interpretive researchers aiming at theory building. The paper discusses the limitations of the case study design for theory building and explains how grounded theory systemic process adds to the case study design. The author reflects upon his experience in conducting research on the articulation of both traditional social networks and new virtual networks in six rural communities in Peru, using both case study design and grounded theory in a combined fashion in order to discover an emergent theory. Key Words: Case Study, Interpretive Approach, Theory Building, and Grounded Theory
Individual and Combined Expression of DNA Damage Response Molecules PARP1, γH2AX, BRCA1, and BRCA2 Predict Shorter Survival of Soft Tissue Sarcoma Patients

DNA damage response (DDR) molecules are protective against genotoxic stresses. DDR molecules are also involved in the survival of cancer cells in patients undergoing anti-cancer therapies. Therefore, DDR molecules are potential markers of cancer progression in addition to being potential therapeutic targets. In this study, we evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of PARP1, γH2AX, BRCA1, and BRCA2 and their prognostic significance in 112 cases of soft tissue sarcoma (STS). The expression of PARP1, γH2AX, BRCA1, and BRCA2 were significantly associated with each other and were associated with higher tumor stage and presence of distant metastasis. The expression of PARP1, γH2AX, and BRCA2 were significantly associated with shorter disease-specific survival (DSS) and event-free survival (EFS) by univariate analysis. BRCA1 expression was associated with shorter DSS. Multivariate analysis revealed the expression of PARP1 and γH2AX to be independent indicators of poor prognosis of DSS and EFS. BRCA2 expression was an independent indicator of poor prognosis of DSS. In addition, the combined expressional patterns of PARP1, γH2AX, BRCA1, and BRCA2 (CSddrm) were independent prognostic predictors of DSS (P < 0.001) and EFS (P = 0.016). The ten-year DSS rate of the CSddrm-low, CSddrm-intermediate, and CSddrm-high subgroups were 81%, 26%, and 0%, respectively. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the individual and combined expression patterns of the DDR molecules PARP1, γH2AX, BRCA1, and BRCA2 could be predictive of the prognosis of STS patients and suggests that controlling the activity of these DDR molecules could be employed in new therapeutic stratagems for the treatment of STS.
Trust disposition, trust antecedents, trust, and behavioral intention

Trust is important for fostering successful relationships, reducing uncertainty and risk, and increasing willingness to purchase. This study tests the replications in the mobile banking (m-banking) industry and the influence of trust on purchase intention via investigating the relationships between disposition to trust, and trust antecedents to trust in forming trust in m-banking services, which in turn leads to behavioral intention to adopt those services. In spite of numerous studies being focused on the critical role of trust in recent decades, the topic of multidimensional trust antecedents in m-banking, as well as the effects of disposition to trust on m-banking adoption intention has been relatively neglected. Based on the data collected in Taiwan, the results reveal significant positive relationships between disposition to trust, trust antecedents, and trust. Meanwhile, the relationship between trust and behavioral intention are positively significant. Contributions and managerial implications are discussed.
Multiple NUCLEAR FACTOR Y Transcription Factors Respond to Abiotic Stress in Brassica napus L

Members of the plant NUCLEAR FACTOR Y (NF-Y) family are composed of the NF-YA, NF-YB, and NF-YC subunits. In Brassica napus (canola), each of these subunits forms a multimember subfamily. Plant NF-Ys were reported to be involved in several abiotic stresses. In this study, we demonstrated that multiple members of thirty three BnNF-Ys responded rapidly to salinity, drought, or ABA treatments. Transcripts of five BnNF-YAs, seven BnNF-YBs, and two BnNF-YCs were up-regulated by salinity stress, whereas the expression of thirteen BnNF-YAs, ten BnNF-YBs, and four BnNF-YCs were induced by drought stress. Under NaCl treatments, the expression of one BnNF-YA10 and four NF-YBs (BnNF-YB3, BnNF-YB7, BnNF-YB10, and BnNF-YB14) were greatly increased. Under PEG treatments, the expression levels of four NF-YAs (BnNF-YA9, BnNF-YA10, BnNF-YA11, and BnNF-YA12) and five NF-YBs (BnNF-YB1, BnNF-YB8, BnNF-YB10, BnNF-YB13, and BnNF-YB14) were greatly induced. The expression profiles of 20 of the 27 salinity- or drought-induced BnNF-Ys were also affected by ABA treatment. The expression levels of six NF-YAs (BnNF-YA1, BnNF-YA7, BnNF-YA8, BnNF-YA9, BnNF-YA10, and BnNF-YA12) and seven BnNF-YB members (BnNF-YB2, BnNF-YB3, BnNF-YB7, BnNF-YB10, BnNF-YB11, BnNF-YB13, and BnNF-YB14) and two NF-YC members (BnNF-YC2 and BnNF-YC3) were greatly up-regulated by ABA treatments. Only a few BnNF-Ys were inhibited by the above three treatments. Several NF-Y subfamily members exhibited collinear expression patterns. The promoters of all stress-responsive BnNF-Ys harbored at least two types of stress-related cis-elements, such as ABRE, DRE, MYB, or MYC. The cis-element organization of BnNF-Ys was similar to that of Arabidopsis thaliana, and the promoter regions exhibited higher levels of nucleotide sequence identity with Brassica rapa than with Brassica oleracea. This work represents an entry point for investigating the roles of canola NF-Y proteins during abiotic stress responses and provides insight into the genetic evolution of Brassica NF-Ys.
Epigenetic estimation of age in humpback whales

Age is a fundamental aspect of animal ecology, but is difficult to determine in many species. Humpback whales exemplify this as they have a lifespan comparable to humans, mature sexually as early as 4 years and have no reliable visual age indicators after their first year. Current methods for estimating humpback age cannot be applied to all individuals and populations. Assays for human age have recently been developed based on age‐induced changes in DNA methylation of specific genes. We used information on age‐associated DNA methylation in human and mouse genes to identify homologous gene regions in humpbacks. Humpback skin samples were obtained from individuals with a known year of birth and employed to calibrate relationships between cytosine methylation and age. Seven of 37 cytosines assayed for methylation level in humpback skin had significant age‐related profiles. The three most age‐informative cytosine markers were selected for a humpback epigenetic age assay. The assay has an R2 of 0.787 (P = 3.04e−16) and predicts age from skin samples with a standard deviation of 2.991 years. The epigenetic method correctly determined which of parent–offspring pairs is the parent in more than 93% of cases. To demonstrate the potential of this technique, we constructed the first modern age profile of humpback whales off eastern Australia and compared the results to population structure 5 decades earlier. This is the first epigenetic age estimation method for a wild animal species and the approach we took for developing it can be applied to many other nonmodel organisms.
Assessing Arboreal Adaptations of Bird Antecedents: Testing the Ecological Setting of the Origin of the Avian Flight Stroke

The origin of avian flight is a classic macroevolutionary transition with research spanning over a century. Two competing models explaining this locomotory transition have been discussed for decades: ground up versus trees down. Although it is impossible to directly test either of these theories, it is possible to test one of the requirements for the trees-down model, that of an arboreal paravian. We test for arboreality in non-avian theropods and early birds with comparisons to extant avian, mammalian, and reptilian scansors and climbers using a comprehensive set of morphological characters. Non-avian theropods, including the small, feathered deinonychosaurs, and Archaeopteryx, consistently and significantly cluster with fully terrestrial extant mammals and ground-based birds, such as ratites. Basal birds, more advanced than Archaeopteryx, cluster with extant perching ground-foraging birds. Evolutionary trends immediately prior to the origin of birds indicate skeletal adaptations opposite that expected for arboreal climbers. Results reject an arboreal capacity for the avian stem lineage, thus lending no support for the trees-down model. Support for a fully terrestrial ecology and origin of the avian flight stroke has broad implications for the origin of powered flight for this clade. A terrestrial origin for the avian flight stroke challenges the need for an intermediate gliding phase, presents the best resolved series of the evolution of vertebrate powered flight, and may differ fundamentally from the origin of bat and pterosaur flight, whose antecedents have been postulated to have been arboreal and gliding.
Modelling and measuring multivariate operational risk with Lévy copulas

Simultaneous modelling of operational risks occurring in different event type/business line cells poses a serious challenge for operational risk quantification. Here we invoke the new concept of Levy copulas to model the dependence structure of operational loss events. We explain the consequences of this dependence concept for frequencies and severities of operational risk in detail. For important examples of the Levy copula and heavy-tailed GPD tail severities we derive first order approximations for multivariate operational VAR.
Multiwavelength observations of a giant flare on CN Leonis - I. The chromosphere as seen in the optical spectra

Aims. Flares on dM stars contain plasmas at very different temperatures and thus affect a wide wavelength range in the electromagnetic spectrum. While the coronal properties of flares are studied best in X-rays, the chromosphere of the star is observed best in the optical and ultraviolet ranges. Therefore, multiwavelength observations are essential to study flare properties throughout the atmosphere of as tar. Methods. We analysed simultaneous observations with UVES/VLT and XMM-Newton of the active M5.5 dwarf CN Leo (Gl 406) exhibiting a major flare. The optical data cover the wavelength range from 3000 to 10 000 A. Results. From our optical data, we find an enormous wealth of chromospheric emission lines occurring throughout the spectrum. We identify a total of 1143 emission lines, out of which 154 are located in the red arm, increasing the number of observed emission lines in this red wavelength range by about a factor of 10. Here we present an emission line list and a spectral atlas. We also find line asymmetries for H i ,H ei ,a nd Caii lines. For the last, this is the first observation of asymmetries due to a stellar flare. During the flare onset, there is additional flux found in the blue wing, while in the decay phase, additional flux is found in the red wing. We interpret both features as caused by mass motions. In addition to the lines, the flare manifests itself in the enhancement of the continuum throughout the whole spectrum, inverting the normal slope for the net flare spectrum.
Improving Rohn approximation for the real parts of interval matrix eigenvalues

The paper proposes a new approximation method for the upper and lower bounds of the real parts of interval matrix eigenvalues. As a theoretical support, we exploit the properties of the matrix measures corresponding to monotonic (or, equivalently, absolute) vector norms. The numerical approach focuses on the use of the results derived for the matrix measure defined by the Euclidean norm (or 2-norm). The computational procedure is formulated as a minimization problem of a linear objective function constrained by bilinear matrix inequalities. We prove (by mathematical arguments and, separately, by examples) that our estimations are better or, at least, as accurate as those provided by the method due to Rohn (see reference [6]).
Differences between Risk Premiums in Union and Nonunion Wages and the Case for Occupational Safety Regulation

There is an interesting unexplored sideline to the empirical literature on compensating wage differentials (CDs) for hazardous work. Every study of differences between union and nonunion compensation for exposure to deadly hazards has found that union members receive much larger CDs than nonunion workers. ' Further, in many of these studies negative CDs are found and some are statistically significantly negative. Some have interpreted these results as indicating the possible existence of substantial market failure. Despite this, there has been almost no discussion of the implications of such a conclusion for occupational safety and health policy. In contrast, several authors, ignoring the union-nonunion differences, have suggested that the empirical evidence on risk premiums supports the argument that markets efficiently allocate occupational risk without government intervention. (See, for example, Robert Smith, 1982, pp. 327, 336.) The analysis presented below shows that a market failure argument is not needed to explain the finding that union workers receive larger CDs than nonunion workers. Efficient contracts may provide workers with either larger or smaller CDs than a competitive market would. But, negative CDs cannot be reconciled with efficient markets given any reasonable assumptions about workers' preferences. The analysis also considers several potential statistical explanations for these findings. Results are mixed and the conclusion considers the policy implications.
Classification of Security Properties - Part II: Network Security.

Many security properties of cryptographic protocols can be all formalized as specific instances of a general scheme, called Generalized Non Deducibility on Composition (GNDC). This scheme derives from the NDC property we proposed a few years ago for studying information flow in computer systems. The theory is formulated for CryptoSPA, a process algebra we introduced for the specification of cryptographic protocols. One of the advantages of our unifying GNDC-based theory is that that formal comparison among security properties become easier, being them all instances of a unique general property. Moreover, the full generality of the approach has helped us in finding a few undocumented attacks on cryptographic protocols. This paper is based on the results of [20,22-25] and covers the second part of the course Classification of Security Properties given by Roberto Gorrieri and Riccardo Focardi at the FOSAD'00 and FOSAD'01 schools.
Usefulness of C-reactive protein to high-molecular-weight adiponectin ratio to predict insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in Japanese men.

AIM We questioned whether the ratio of C-reactive protein to high-molecular-weight adiponectin (C/A ratio), compared to each value alone, is more useful to predict insulin resistance and/or metabolic syndrome. METHODS We measured serum CRP and HMW adiponectin levels in 841 Japanese men who had participated in an annual health checkup. Correlations of the C/A ratio with metabolic parameters were assessed, and its predictive values for insulin resistance and MetS were compared with CRP or HMW adiponectin alone. RESULTS The C/A ratio was higher in subjects with MetS (n = 114) than in those without MetS (0.46 ± 0.67 vs. 0.23 ± 0.39, p<0.0001). The C/A ratio was correlated with a larger number of metabolic parameters than CRP, but the correlation was comparable to HMW adiponectin. Likewise, the area under the curve of the C/A ratio in receiver operator characteristic analysis for MetS was greater than that of CRP, but comparable to that of HMW adiponectin. However, the AUC of the C/A ratio in ROC analysis for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR >2.5) was greater than that of CRP or HMW adiponectin alone. CONCLUSION While the C/A ratio provided little advantage to predict MetS, it might be more useful to predict insulin resistance than CRP or HMW adiponectin alone.
Investigating cell death mechanisms in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using transcriptomics

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease characterized by degeneration and loss of upper and lower motor neurons from the motor cortex, brainstem and spinal cord although evidence is suggesting that there is further involvement of other cell types in the surrounding tissue. Transcriptomic analysis by gene expression profiling using microarray technology has enabled the determination of patterns of cell death in the degenerating tissues. This work has examined gene expression at the level of the tissue and individual cell types in both sporadic and familial forms of the disease. In addition, further studies have examined the differential vulnerability of neuronal cells in different regions of the central nervous system. Model systems have also provided further information to help unravel the mechanisms that lead to death of the motor neurons in disease and also provided novel insights. In this review we shall describe the methods that have been used in these investigations and describe how they have contributed to our knowledge of the cell death mechanisms in ALS.
Review of the Mechanisms of Visibility Reduction by Rain and Wet Road

Rain drastically modifies the visual environment of road users, particularly at night. It changes visibility through its effects on headlights, windshield, pavement and markings. Rain lessens the performance of headlamps and other light sources by filtering part of their luminous power, thus reducing the illuminance on the roadway ahead of the vehicle. Rain affects the capacity of the driver to see through the windshield. Rain also affects visibility by changing the amount of headlight retro-reflected by the road surface toward the driver. The film of water on the pavement makes delineation and pedestrian crossing markings almost invisible by cancelling the retroreflective properties of the beads in the painting materials. The same physical phenomenon makes the pavement appear darker than in dry conditions. This is a brief list of commonplace facts on the visual effects of rain [10]. In the following, we seek to explicit the physical and psychophysical ground of these facts, based on scientific references when available. The outline of the paper is as follows: in the first section, we study the visual effects of the falling rain; in the second section, we tackle the visual effects of sprayed water; in the third section, we list the properties of wet materials, specially pavement markings; finally, we propose synthetic diagrams describing the effects of rain on roadway visibility.
Alternate Transmission Relaying Schemes for MIMO Wireless Networks

Enormous gains of using multiple antennas at both the transmitter and the receiver known as multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) in wireless communication system have been predicted. Especially, significant improvements in spectral efficiency are given through spatial multiplexing which transmits independent data streams over multiple transmit antennas simultaneously. Recently, many researches demonstrate that similar performance gains are obtained in wireless relay networks with multiple antennas at each terminal. In this paper, we propose a relaying protocol named as alternate transmission relaying protocol which enhances the capacity of the given environment and describe the capacity of MIMO wireless relay networks for the proposed relaying protocol. We consider a system model which has K relay terminals between a designated source terminal and a designated destination terminal. The proposed protocol assumes that no interference exists among the relay terminals. The K relay terminals receive or transmit a signal alternately without an interference. Several singular value decomposition (SVD) based relaying schemes are proposed for the proposed relaying protocol to perform a coherent combining at the destination terminal. In addition, a weight matrix for each relay terminal is designed to increase the capacity of the relaying schemes. We show the theoretical derivations and the simulation results of the proposed schemes in the following sections. Those demonstrate an effectiveness of the proposed schemes.
On Alleviation of New User Problem in Collaborative Filtering using SNA Theory

Collaborative filtering is the most used personalized recommendation technology. However, the traditional collaborative filtering faces the cold start problem and data sparsity, which deteriorates user experience and reduces the prediction accuracy. This paper presents a novel solution of new user problem with social network analysis (SNA) theory. First, the user relationship network is built based on the user-item rating matrix. Then all users will be divided into many different cliques according to SNA. The demographic user information of new user is used to find similar users in user attributes. Further, the candidate neighbors of new user can be obtained from cliques. Then, the preferential attachment characteristic of the free-scale network is introduced to eliminating the unsuitable neighbors. Finally, items are recommended with user-based nearest neighbor recommendation algorithm. The experiments show that the proposed approach alleviates the new user problem and improves the prediction accuracy effectively compared with other algorithms.
Adoption of the Balanced Scorecard: A Contingency Variables Analysis

Our study investigates the adoption of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a strategic planning system. We empirically examine the firm-level factors—business-level strategy, firm size, environmental uncertainty, investment in intangible assets, and prior performance— that are posited to differentiate BSC adopters from nonadopters. Drawing on a sample of Canadian firms and utilizing both survey and archival data, we find that BSC adopters (a) are more likely to follow a Prospector or Analyzer business strategy, (b) are significantly larger, (c) exhibit significantly higher environmental uncertainty than nonadopters, and (d) have weaker prior performance. Copyright © 2011 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Resume Cette etude enquete sur l'adoption d'un systeme de planification strategique : le tableau de bord equilibre (BSC). Elle examine empiriquement les facteurs qui, au niveau de l'entreprise, differencieraient celles qui adoptent le BSC de celles qui ne l'adoptent pas. Ces facteurs sont : la strategie au niveau de l'entreprise, la taille de l'entreprise, l'incertitude environnementale, l'investissement dans les actifs incorporels et la performance anterieure. En s'appuyant sur un echantillon de firmes canadiennes et en utilisant aussi bien les enquetes que les donnees d'archives, l'etude revele que les entreprises qui adoptent le BSC (a) sont plus enclines a adopter une strategie d'affaires Prospectrice ou Analyste (b) sont beaucoup plus grandes en taille (c) presentent une incertitude environnementale nettement plus elevee et (d) ont une performance anterieure plus faible. Copyright © 2011 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.