Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The collision channel without feedback

A model is proposed for the situation where M users share a common communication resource but, because of unknown time offsets among their clocks, cannot transmit their data packets in a time-sharing mode and, because of the lack of a feedback link, can never determine these time offsets and also can never be sure of the outcomes of their individual packet transmissions. Each user is required to make his packet transmissions at times determined by a protocol signal that is independent of the data to be sent. The capacity and zero-error capacity regions of this channel are determined for both the unsynchronized and slot-synchronized cases; these four regions are shown to coincide. It is further shown that a dense set of rate points on the outer boundary of this region can be achieved in the slot-synchronized case. Specific constructions of protocol sequences for achieving these points are given, and the technique of "decimation decoding" is introduced for identifying the sender of each successfully transmitted packet. Maximum-erasure burst-correcting codes over an alphabet of arbitrary size are constructed and shown to suffice for reconstructing the packets lost in "collisions" when these protocol sequences are used.
Neural Affective Mechanisms Predict Market-Level Microlending

Humans sometimes share with others whom they may never meet or know, in violation of the dictates of pure self-interest. Research has not established which neuropsychological mechanisms support lending decisions, nor whether their influence extends to markets involving significant financial incentives. In two studies, we found that neural affective mechanisms influence the success of requests for microloans. In a large Internet database of microloan requests (N = 13,500), we found that positive affective features of photographs promoted the success of those requests. We then established that neural activity (i.e., in the nucleus accumbens) and self-reported positive arousal in a neuroimaging sample (N = 28) predicted the success of loan requests on the Internet, above and beyond the effects of the neuroimaging sample’s own choices (i.e., to lend or not). These findings suggest that elicitation of positive arousal can promote the success of loan requests, both in the laboratory and on the Internet. They also highlight affective neuroscience’s potential to probe neuropsychological mechanisms that drive microlending, enhance the effectiveness of loan requests, and forecast market-level behavior.
Firm-Specific Capital, Nominal Rigidities and the Business Cycle

Macroeconomic and microeconomic data paint conflicting pictures of price behavior. Macroeconomic data suggest that inflation is inertial. Microeconomic data indicate that firms change prices frequently. We formulate and estimate a model which resolves this apparent micro - macro conflict. Our model is consistent with post-war U.S. evidence on inflation inertia even though firms re-optimize prices on average once every 1.5 quarters. The key feature of our model is that capital is firm-specific and predetermined within a period.
Self-disclosure in social networking sites: The role of perceived cost, perceived benefits and social influence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relative impacts of perceived cost, perceived benefits, and social influence on self-disclosure behaviors in social networking sites under an integrated theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach – Building upon social exchange theory and privacy calculus theory, an integrated model was developed. The model was tested empirically using a sample of 405 social networking site’s users. Users were required to complete a survey regarding self-disclosure behaviors in Facebook. Findings – The results indicate that social influence is the factor which exhibits the strongest effect on self-disclosure in social networking sites, followed by perceived benefits. Surprisingly, perceived privacy risk does not have any significant impact on self-disclosure. Research limitations/implications – The results inform researchers about the importance to incorporate social influence factors and cultural factors into future online self-disclosure study. Practical impl.
Treatment-assessment of Zygoma-tripod, -quadripod, -arch and Orbital floor Fractures in the Elderly Patient: Results of a Longitudinal Clinical Study of 20 years (1995-2015) with 1318 Patients in a General Traumatology-department and Evidence-based Treatm

Introduction Although the incidence of zygoma- and related orbital-floor fractures decreased over the years towards the turn of the millennium for road-vehicle-accident related causes in the overall population of countries with mandatory passive and active safety-devices in cars and mandatory helmet-duty when motorcycling [1 Covington DS, Wainwright DJ, Teichgraeber JF, Parks DH (1994) Changing patterns in the epidemiology and treatment of zygoma fractures: 10-year review. J Trauma 37: 243-248. ], still zygoma-tripod and/or arch-fractures and related orbital-floor-fractures represent the most common trauma of facial bones representing a quarter of all cases, followed by generic orbital-floor-fractures [2 Scherer M, Sullivan WG, Smith Jr DJ, Phillips LG, Robson MC (1989) An analysis of 1,423 facial fractures in 788 patients at an urban trauma center. J Trauma 29: 388-390. ]
Risk Factors for Mediastinitis Following Median Sternotomy in Children

Background: Mediastinitis is a devastating complication of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery. However, risk factors for the development of mediastinitis are poorly characterized. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for mediastinitis in a cohort of children undergoing cardiothoracic surgery at a tertiary care children's hospital. Methods: This case-control study included patients who underwent median sternotomy between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2003. Univariate analyses, logistic regression, and multinomial regression were performed to determine the association between potential risk factors and the development of mediastinitis. Results: Forty-three patients with mediastinitis and 184 patients without mediastinitis were included. One hundred and twelve (49%) patients were female. The median patient age was 128 days (interquartile range: 7 days–2.0 years). A known or possible genetic syndrome was present in 53 (24%) patients. The following factors were associated with the development of mediastinitis: presence of a known or possible genetic syndrome (adjusted odds ratio, OR: 4.5; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.8–11.4); American Society of Anesthesiologists score >3 (adjusted OR: 3.4; 95% CI: 1.1–10.3); and presence of intracardiac pacing wires for >3 days (adjusted OR: 15.8; 95% CI: 2.0–127.2). Conclusions: The presence of a known or possible genetic syndrome, American Society of Anesthesiologists score >3, and the presence of intracardiac pacing wires for >3 days were each associated with the development of mediastinitis in children after median sternotomy.
Cross-language bootstrapping for unsupervised acoustic model training: rapid development of a Polish speech recognition system

This paper describes the rapid development of a Polish language speech recognition system. The system development was performed without access to any transcribed acoustic training data. This was achieved through the combined use of cross-language bootstrapping and confidence based unsupervised acoustic model training. A Spanish acoustic model was ported to Polish, through the use of a manually constructed phoneme mapping. This initial model was refined through iterative recognition and retraining of the untranscribed audio data. The system was trained and evaluated on recordings from the European Parliament, and included several state-of-the-art speech recognition techniques in addition to the use of unsupervised model training. Confidence based speaker adaptive training using features space transform adaptation, as well as vocal tract length normalization and maximum likelihood linear regression, was used to refine the acoustic model. Through the combination of the different techniques, good performance was achieved on the domain of parliamentary speeches. Index Terms: speech recognition, unsupervised training, crosslanguage bootstrapping
The X-ray Structures of Six Octameric RNA Duplexes in the Presence of Different Di- and Trivalent Cations

Due to the polyanionic nature of RNA, the principles of charge neutralization and electrostatic condensation require that cations help to overcome the repulsive forces in order for RNA to adopt a three-dimensional structure. A precise structural knowledge of RNA-metal ion interactions is crucial to understand the mechanism of metal ions in the catalytic or regulatory activity of RNA. We solved the crystal structure of an octameric RNA duplex in the presence of the di- and trivalent metal ions Ca2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Sr2+, and Tb3+. The detailed investigation reveals a unique innersphere interaction to uracil and extends the knowledge of the influence of metal ions for conformational changes in RNA structure. Furthermore, we could demonstrate that an accurate localization of the metal ions in the X-ray structures require the consideration of several crystallographic and geometrical parameters as well as the anomalous difference map.
Different allergenicity of pollen extracts of three Mediterranean cypress species accounted for cytological observations.

BACKGROUND Cypresses play an important role in the urban landscape of the Mediterranean region, releasing a huge amount of allergenic airborne pollen which causes a specific pollinosis in exposed people. OBJECTIVE The aim of this work is to evaluate, in vivo and in vitro, the potential allergenicity of Cupressus macrocarpa pollen, and to compare it with the allergenicity observed for C. arizonica and C. sempervirens. METHODS Pollen extracts of the three species were prepared, to determine their protein profile through SDS PAGE analysis and to evaluate their allergenic potential through EAST inhibition assays and SPT. Pollen grain composition was evaluated using a cytochemical approach with optical microscopy. RESULTS SDS PAGE, EAST inhibition and SPT indicated the higher allergenic potential of C. arizonica compared to C. sempervirens and C. macrocarpa. No significant differences in allergenic potential were found between the latter two species. Cytochemical observations reveal higher β-glucans and protein content in the intine of C. arizonica during hydration. CONCLUSION The higher protein content found in C. arizonica pollen grains extract may be due to higher enzyme activity leading to the movement of β-glucans and pectins from the intine to the partially developed pollen cell wall during hydration. This could explain the higher potential allergenicity of C.arizonica in respect to C. macrocarpa and C. sempervirens.
Differential Molecular and Anatomical Basis for B Cell Migration into the Peritoneal Cavity and Omental Milky Spots1

The constitutive migration of B cells from the circulation into the peritoneal cavity and back is essential for peritoneal B cell homeostasis and function. However, the molecular machinery and the anatomical basis for these migratory processes have hardly been investigated. In this study, we analyze the role of integrins as well as the role of the omentum for B2 cell migration into and out of the peritoneal cavity of mice. We demonstrate that α4β7 integrin-mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 interaction enables B2 cell migration from the circulation into omental milky spots but not into the peritoneum. In contrast, α4β1 integrin mediates direct entry of B2 cells into the peritoneal cavity as well as their retention at that site, limiting B2 cell egress via the draining parathymic lymph nodes. Surgical removal of the omentum results in a 40% reduced immigration of B2 cells from the circulation into the peritoneum but does not impair B cell exit from this compartment. In conclusion, these data reveal the existence of alternative routes for B2 cell entry into the peritoneal cavity and identify integrins as key factors for peritoneal B2 cell homeostasis, mediating B2 cell migration into and out of the peritoneal cavity as well as their retention at this site.
Cluster Angular Spreads in a MIMO Indoor Propagation Environment

An important parameter of MIMO channel models is the cluster root-mean-square (rms) directional spread. In this paper we determine this parameter in the azimuth-of-arrival/azimuth-of-departure (AoA/AoD) domain based on comprehensive indoor MIMO measurements at 5.2 GHz in a cluttered office environment. This is done in a four-step procedure: (i) the SAGE algorithm is used to extract propagation paths, (ii) clusters of estimated paths in the double-azimuth domain are defined, (iii) the estimated propagation paths are allocated to the clusters, (iv) the cluster directional spreads are estimated based solely on propagation paths within the clusters. We found that the spreads are different when seen from transmitter or receiver due to different propagation conditions resulting in AoD rms cluster spreads lying in the range from 2 to 9 degrees and AoA rms cluster spreads in the range from 2 to 7 degrees
Essential Interest-Bearing Money

In this paper, I provide a rationale for why money should earn interest; or, what amounts to the same thing, why risk-free claims to non-interest-bearing money should trade at discount. I argue that interest-bearing money is essential when individual money balances are private information. The analysis also suggests one reason for why it is sufficient (as well as necessary) for interest to be paid only on large money balances; or equivalently, why bonds need only be issued in large denominations.
Assessment of occupational and public exposure to trichloramine in Swiss indoor swimming pools: a proposal for an occupational exposure limit.

OBJECTIVES The presence of trichloramine in the air in different indoor swimming pools has been studied in several countries. In almost all studies, the results show a possible health impact due to trichloramine among pool attendants. The main objectives of our study were to evaluate, for the first time in Switzerland, occupational and public trichloramine exposure in a representative panel of indoor pools and to propose an occupational exposure limit for trichloramine. METHODS Measurements were done in 30 indoor swimming pools located in three regions of Switzerland: Jura, Neuchâtel, and Fribourg. All investigations were performed during the 2007-2008 winter season in order to assure closed windows and standard ventilation conditions. Trichloramine air samplings were performed at 130 cm above the floor around the pool. Analyses of free chlorine and bounded chlorine were performed on-site, and water samples were immediately sent to the laboratory for analysis of trihalomethanes, urea, and dissolved organic carbon. A health questionnaire was distributed to all the participants. RESULTS Our results indicate that in all the studied facilities except one, the trichloramine concentrations were below the French reference value of 0.5 mg m(-3), and only three were equal to or slightly over 0.3 mg m(-3). Overall, our results point out a very low and consistent range of trichloramine concentrations (mean concentration of trichloramine: 0.114 ± 0.043 mg m(-3)). A total of 184 questionnaires were filled out by pool workers. Of the study population, 66% were men (n = 117), 21% were smokers (9 women and 29 men), and only 7% (n = 13) were ex-smokers. The control group was composed of 71 persons (38 men and 33 women); 22% (n = 15) were smokers and 24% (n = 16) ex-smokers. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate an increasing risk of irritative symptoms up to a level of 0.2-0.3 mg m(-3) of trichloramine. The health data in our study, as well as the review of the literature, strongly suggest fixing the trichloramine occupational exposure limit at 0.3 mg m(-3). Severe technical standards (on flocculation, filters, water flow, and ventilation systems) and regulations on water quality (free and combined chlorine, urea, and amount of fresh water) contribute to reducing trichloramine formation and, consequently, occupational and public trichloramine exposure. In addition, to ensure good public hygiene (showering before swimming), correct and regular public awareness campaigns should be undertaken.
Genome Wide Association Study Identifies 20 Novel Promising Genes Associated with Milk Fatty Acid Traits in Chinese Holstein

Detecting genes associated with milk fat composition could provide valuable insights into the complex genetic networks of genes underling variation in fatty acids synthesis and point towards opportunities for changing milk fat composition via selective breeding. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for 22 milk fatty acids in 784 Chinese Holstein cows with the PLINK software. Genotypes were obtained with the Illumina BovineSNP50 Bead chip and a total of 40,604 informative, high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used. Totally, 83 genome-wide significant SNPs and 314 suggestive significant SNPs associated with 18 milk fatty acid traits were detected. Chromosome regions that affect milk fatty acid traits were mainly observed on BTA1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 26 and 27. Of these, 146 SNPs were associated with more than one milk fatty acid trait; most of studied fatty acid traits were significant associated with multiple SNPs, especially C18:0 (105 SNPs), C18 index (93 SNPs), and C14 index (84 SNPs); Several SNPs are close to or within the DGAT1, SCD1 and FASN genes which are well-known to affect milk composition traits of dairy cattle. Combined with the previously reported QTL regions and the biological functions of the genes, 20 novel promising candidates for C10:0, C12:0, C14:0, C14:1, C14 index, C18:0, C18:1n9c, C18 index, SFA, UFA and SFA/UFA were found, which composed of HTR1B, CPM, PRKG1, MINPP1, LIPJ, LIPK, EHHADH, MOGAT1, ECHS1, STAT1, SORBS1, NFKB2, AGPAT3, CHUK, OSBPL8, PRLR, IGF1R, ACSL3, GHR and OXCT1. Our findings provide a groundwork for unraveling the key genes and causal mutations affecting milk fatty acid traits in dairy cattle.
Treatment of central venous catheter‐associated deep venous thrombosis in cancer patients with rivaroxaban

patients treated with conventional ABO identical, leukoreduced, irradiated transfusions. Long-term mortality in recipients of washed transfusions (20–40%) was half to two-thirds of that in the comparable historical comparison group and the current literature (60%) (Supporting Information Table 5). A limitation of these data, in addition to the lack of randomization, is that we did not collect detailed information on treatment regimens (e.g., choice and dose of anthracycline in AML). The striking differences we observed in long-term survival are unlikely solely due to progress in treatment regimens or supportive care. Identical differences were observed when we restricted the comparison to the years 2003–2005 and 2006–2008. For lower risk patients (favorable or intermediate cytogenetics; <46 years of age or younger) in New York State treated between 2006 and 2011 long-term mortality rate was 2.5-fold higher (50% versus 20%) in conventionally treated patients compared with recipients of washed transfusions. This approach has the potential to substantially improve outcomes for many patients with AML. This may be limited, at present, to younger patients with favorable or intermediate cytogenetics. Larger randomized trials will be required to determine whether our promising results are generalizable and reproducible, and whether they might be applicable to older patients (who often receive less intensive therapy), and to patients with other hematologic malignancies or solid tumors.
Drosophila social clustering is disrupted by anesthetics and in narrow abdomen ion channel mutants

Members of many species tend to congregate, a behavioral strategy known as local enhancement. Selective advantages of local enhancement range from efficient use of resources to defense from predators. While previous studies have examined many types of social behavior in fruit flies, few have specifically investigated local enhancement. Resource‐independent local enhancement (RILE) has recently been described in the fruit fly using a measure called social space index (SSI), although the neural mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we analyze RILE of Drosophila under conditions that allow us to elucidate its neural mechanisms. We have investigated the effects of general volatile anesthetics, compounds that compromise higher order functioning of the type typically required for responding to social cues. We exposed Canton‐S flies to non‐immobilizing concentrations of halothane and found that flies had a significantly decreased SSI compared with flies tested in air. Narrow abdomen (na) mutants, which display altered responses to anesthetics in numerous behavioral assays, also have a significantly reduced SSI, an effect that was fully reversed by restoring expression of na by driving a UAS‐NA rescue construct with NA‐GAL4. We found that na expression in cholinergic neurons fully rescued the behavioral defect, whereas expression of na in glutamatergic neurons did so only partially. Our results also suggest a role for na expression in the mushroom bodies (MBs), as suppressing na expression in the MBs of NA‐GAL4 rescue flies diminishes SSI. Our data indicate that RILE, a simple behavioral strategy, requires complex neural processing.
Spatial transmit diversity techniques for broadband OFDM systems

In this paper, we investigate different spatial transmit diversity concepts for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. The idea is to artificially increase the frequency and time selectivity of the resulting channel transfer function at the receiver antenna by specific time-variant phase rotations of the signal at the transmit antennas. The achievable performance gains with the proposed transmit diversity concepts are presented for convolutionally coded OFDM systems in typical indoor and outdoor environments. The new concepts can be implemented in already standardized and existing OFDM systems like DAB and DVB-T or HIPERLAN/2, IEEE 802.11 and MMAC, without changing the standards and the receivers. Moreover, we show further performance improvements by combining the spatial transmit diversity concepts for OFDM with code division multiplexing (CDM).