Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unified analysis of switched diversity systems in independent and correlated fading channels

The moment generating function (MGF) of the signal power at the output of dual-branch switch-and-stay selection diversity (SSD) combiners is derived. The first-order derivative of the MGF with respect to the switching threshold is also derived. These expressions are obtained for the general case of correlated fading and nonidentical diversity branches, and hold for any common fading distributions (e.g., Rayleigh, Nakagami-m, Rician, Nakagami-q). The MGF yields the performance (bit or symbol error probability) of a broad class of coherent, differentially coherent and noncoherent digital modulation formats with SSD reception. The optimum switching threshold (in a minimum error rate sense) is obtained by solving a nonlinear equation which is formed by using the first-order derivative of the MGF. This nonlinear equation can be simplified for several special cases. For independent and identically distributed diversity branches, the optimal switching threshold in closed form is derived for three generic forms of the conditional error probability. For correlated Rayleigh or Nakagami-m fading with identical branches, the optimal switching threshold in closed form is derived for the noncoherent binary modulation formats. We show previously published results as special cases of our unified expression. Selected numerical examples are presented and discussed.
Bayesian Coalescent Analysis of the Intra-Host Evolution of Hepatitis C Virus: Memory Genomes and Clinical Implications

Genetic variability plays a key role in the biology and medical treatment of RNA viruses. As an RNA virus, Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicate as complex distributions of closely related genomes termed viral quasispecies. The behavior of the evolving HCV quasispecies population is influenced by the ensemble of mutants that compose the viral population. One such influence is the presence of minority subpopulations, termed memory genomes, in the mutant spectra. Biologically relevant mutants have been previously observed to be present as memory genomes in RNA viral populations. For that reason, an in-depth analysis of HCV quasispecies populations is crucial for our understanding viral evolution, drug resistance and therapy outcome. Recently developed next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms make it possible to investigate viral quasispecies at much greater detail. In order to gain insight into these matters, we have performed a Bayesian coalescent analysis of hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) sequences of a HCV quasispecies population circulating in a chronic patient, recently obtained by ultra-deep sequencing. The results of these studies revealed a mean rate of evolution of HCV HVR1 of the intra-host quasispecies population of 4.80 × 10-2 amino acid substitutions/site/year. A sharp and rapid diversification of the HCV quasispecies isolated from the patient in three different sub-populations was observed. The most abundant sequence in the quasispecies population was not found to be the center of a tight and complex network around this sequence, suggesting that the quasispecies population as a whole efficiently explore a wide sequence space. Co-evolution of relevant amino acid sites had been identified in the HVR1. This speaks of the possible roll of these residues in HVR1 to allow the virus to shift between combinations of residues to escape the immune system while retaining its structure and functions. The results of these studies highlight the importance of minority genomes in HCV population history and evolution, the mutant clouds as reservoirs of phenotypic and genetic variants for virus adaptability, as well as the roll of the mutant spectra to overcome selective constraints.
Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation Dynamics during Early Human Development

DNA methylation is globally reprogrammed during mammalian preimplantation development, which is critical for normal development. Recent reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) studies suggest that the methylome dynamics are essentially conserved between human and mouse early embryos. RRBS is known to cover 5–10% of all genomic CpGs, favoring those contained within CpG-rich regions. To obtain an unbiased and more complete representation of the methylome during early human development, we performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing of human gametes and blastocysts that covered>70% of all genomic CpGs. We found that the maternal genome was demethylated to a much lesser extent in human blastocysts than in mouse blastocysts, which could contribute to an increased number of imprinted differentially methylated regions in the human genome. Global demethylation of the paternal genome was confirmed, but SINE-VNTR-Alu elements and some other tandem repeat-containing regions were found to be specifically protected from this global demethylation. Furthermore, centromeric satellite repeats were hypermethylated in human oocytes but not in mouse oocytes, which might be explained by differential expression of de novo DNA methyltransferases. These data highlight both conserved and species-specific regulation of DNA methylation during early mammalian development. Our work provides further information critical for understanding the epigenetic processes underlying differentiation and pluripotency during early human development.
Aircraft preliminarydesign: Genetic algorithm based optimization method

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization is recognized as the most promising approach to aircraft design. Aircraft preliminary design is a crucial phase for the development of an air vehicle design. The definition of “the best aircraft design” is quite a difficult task since a large number of design variables have to be combined together in order to maximize the objective function under several constraints. The definition of the objective function itself is demanding, as it is a trade-off among several performances that shall be maximized. This paper shows the design and development of a Genetic Algorithm based optimization method applied to the preliminary design of an aircraft: the presented case study considers Breguet equation for range optimization. The traditional approach to aircraft preliminary design reduces the number of design variables based on statistical data obtained by previous design knowledge. Within the current scenario, the use of evolutionary algorithms is more significant than in the past, as opposed to direct search methods such as grid searching, random searches, nonlinear simplex and gradient methods.
Wavelets and Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe Non-Gaussianity

We study the statistical properties of the first-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data on different scales using the spherical Mexican hat wavelet transform. Consistent with the 2004 results of Vielva et al., we find a deviation from Gaussianity in the form of kurtosis of wavelet coefficients on 3°-4° scales in the southern Galactic hemisphere. This paper extends the work of Vielva et al. as follows: We find that the non-Gaussian signal shows up more strongly in the form of a larger than expected number of cold pixels and also in the form of scale-scale correlations among wavelet coefficients. We establish the robustness of the non-Gaussian signal under more wide-ranging assumptions regarding the Galactic mask applied to the data and the noise statistics. This signal is unlikely to be due to the usual quadratic term parameterized by the nonlinearity parameter fNL. We use the skewness of the spherical Mexican hat wavelet coefficients to constrain fNL with the first-year WMAP data. Our results constrain fNL to be 50 ± 80 at 68% confidence and less than 280 at 99% confidence.
Individual Cognitive Effort and Cognitive Transition During Organization Development

How do personal mind-sets change during an organization development intervention and how are these transitions associated with the intervention characteristics? In a qualitative theory-driven case study based in South Africa, the transitions of six individuals during an appreciative inquiry were scrutinized longitudinally for first-order and second-order changes. Five individuals showed first-order changes and two showed second-order changes. The engaging and emergent characteristic of the intervention explained the majority of these cognitive transitions. A third type of change in mind-set emerged in four of the cases: the development of an appreciative stance, which we classify as a form of cognitive effort rather than a cognitive transition. We conclude that interventions focusing on positivity may lead to participants developing an appreciative stance, but successful organization development might not occur without sufficient engagement in an emergent process. We provide some guidelines for practitioners for conducting an engaging emergent change process.
Tubo-Ovarian Abscess (with/without Pseudotumor Area) Mimicking Ovarian Malignancy: Role of Diffusion-Weighted MR Imaging with Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Values

Objective To assess the added value of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values compared to MRI, for characterizing the tubo-ovarian abscesses (TOA) mimicking ovarian malignancy. Materials and Methods Patients with TOA (or ovarian abscess alone; n = 34) or ovarian malignancy (n = 35) who underwent DWI and MRI were retrospectively reviewed. The signal intensity of cystic and solid component of TOAs and ovarian malignant tumors on DWI and the corresponding ADC values were evaluated, as well as clinical characteristics, morphological features, MRI findings were comparatively analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis based on logistic regression was applied to identify different imaging characteristics between the two patient groups and assess the predictive value of combination diagnosis with area under the curve (AUC) analysis. Results The mean ADC value of the cystic component in TOA was significantly lower than in malignant tumors (1.04 ± 0 .41 × 10−3 mm2/s vs. 2.42 ± 0.38 × 10−3 mm2/s; p < 0.001). The mean ADC value of the enhanced solid component in 26 TOAs was 1.43 ± 0.16×10−3mm2/s, and 46.2% (12 TOAs; pseudotumor areas) showed significantly higher signal intensity on DW-MRI than in ovarian malignancy (mean ADC value 1.44 ± 0.20×10−3 mm2/s vs.1.18 ± 0.36 × 10−3 mm2/s; p = 0.043). The combination diagnosis of ADC value and dilated tubal structure achieved the best AUC of 0.996. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of MRI vs. DWI with ADC values for predicting TOA were 47.1%, 91.4%, 84.2%, 64%, and 69.6% vs. 100%, 97.1%, 97.1%, 100%, and 98.6%, respectively. Conclusions DW-MRI is superior to MRI in the assessment of TOA mimicking ovarian malignancy, and the ADC values aid in discriminating the pseudotumor area of TOA from the solid portion of ovarian malignancy.
A novel population-based multi-objective CMA-ES and the impact of different constraint handling techniques

The Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolutionary Strategy (CMA-ES) is a well-known, state-of-the-art optimization algorithm for single-objective real-valued problems, especially in black-box settings. Although several extensions of CMA-ES to multi-objective (MO) optimization exist, no extension incorporates a key component of the most robust and general CMA-ES variant: the association of a population with each Gaussian distribution that drives optimization. To achieve this, we use a recently introduced framework for extending population-based algorithms from single- to multi-objective optimization. We compare, using six well-known benchmark problems, the performance of the newly constructed MO-CMA-ES with existing variants and with the estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) known as iMAMaLGaM, that is also an instance of the framework, extending the single-objective EDA iAMaLGaM to MO. Results underline the advantages of being able to use populations. Because many real-world problems have constraints, we also study the use of four constraint-handling techniques. We find that CMA-ES is typically less robust to these techniques than iAMaLGaM. Moreover, whereas we could verify that a penalty method that was previously used in literature leads to fast convergence, we also find that it has a high risk of finding only nearly, but not entirely, feasible solutions. We therefore propose that other constraint-handling techniques should be preferred in general.
A timing-accurate modeling and simulation environment for networked embedded systems

The design of state-of-the-art, complex embedded system requires the capability of modeling and simulating the complex networked environment in which such systems operate. This implies the availability of both a networking modeling environment and traditional system-level modeling and simulation methodology based on a timing accurate integration of a system-level modeling language (SystemC) and a network simulation environment (NS-2). The efficiency of the proposed design environment has been demonstrated on a description of an 802.11 MAC layer.
Investigating the level of teachers’ Knowledge in Technology, Pedagogy, and Content (TPACK) in Saudi Arabia

This self-assessment study aims to investigate Saudi teachers’ knowledge about the three essential components of TPACK, technology, content, and pedagogy. A quantitative research design was employed. The sample included 111 males and 132 females; out of which, 116 were primary grade teachers, 55 were middle grade teachers, and 72 were secondary grade teachers. Around 32% of the teachers had teaching experience of between 10 and 20 years, and about 27% had teaching experience of between 5 and 10 years. A majority of the teachers reported that they had an average confidence level of knowledge relative to the TPACK framework. Certain differences existed amongst them on the basis of their gender, teaching subjects, and teaching experience. Statistically, a significant difference was shown between technological content knowledge and teaching experience. A recommendation resulting from the study was that the teachers ought to change their teaching style from traditional to effective learning approaches with the use of technology. Beyond this, the Ministry of Education ought to focus on providing both girls’ and boys’ schools with educational technologies, and teachers with effective technological training. Keywords: content; knowledge; pedagogy; Saudi Arabia; social media; teachers; teaching strategies; technological training; technology; TPACK framework
Algorithms to tile the infinite grid with finite clusters

We say that a subset T of Z/sup 2/, the two dimensional infinite grid, tiles Z/sup 2/ if we can cover Z/sup 2/ with non-overlapping translates of T. No algorithm is known to decide whether a finite T/spl sube/Z/sup 2/ tiles Z/sup 2/. Here we present two algorithms, one for the case when |T| is prime, and another for the case when |T|=4. Both algorithms generalize to the case, where we replace Z/sup 2/ with all arbitrary finitely generated Abelian group. As a by-product of our results we partially settle the Periodic Tiling Conjecture raised by J. Lagarias and Y. Wang (1997), and we also get the following generalization of a theorem of L.Redei (1965): Let G be a (finite or infinite) Abelian group G with a generator set T of prime cardinality such, that 0/spl isin/T, and there is a set T'/spl sube/G with the property that for every g/spl isin/G there are unique t/spl isin/T, t'/spl isin/T' such that g=t+t'. Then T' can be replaced with a subgroup of G, that also has the above property.
Structure of the Linearized Gravitational Vlasov-Poisson System Close to a Polytropic Ground State

We deal in this paper with a generalized gravitational Vlasov–Poisson system that covers the three- and four-dimensional cases as well as the three-dimensional ultrarelativistic case. This system admits polytropic stationary solutions which are orbitally stable. We study in this paper the linear system obtained after a linearization close to these ground states and prove that the linearized flow displays at most algebraic instabilities. The heart of the proof is the derivation of a positivity property for the linearized Hamiltonian that implies a “quantitative” proof of the orbital stability statement. Our strategy follows the analysis by Weinstein [SIAM J. Math. Anal. , 16 (1985), pp. 472–491], who obtained similar results for the nonlinear Schrodinger equation that turned out to be fundamental preliminary properties for the further description of the fine qualitative properties of the Hamiltonian system.
Shape shifters: Racialized and gendered crossings in Piccadilly (1929) and Shanghai Express (1932)

The Chinese American actress Anna May Wong (1905–1961) is today considered an ambivalent icon who, on the one hand, was the first Asian American film star to gain international recognition, and on the other hand, became a symbol of the hypersexualized Asian woman in film. In this article, I will analyse the crossing of racial and sexual boundaries in two of her films, Piccadilly (1929) and Shanghai Express (1932). The comparison of Piccadilly with Shanghai Express reveals the journey not only of transatlantic agents, like Anna May Wong, but also the simultaneous trajectory of sets of interrelated motifs, narratives, and aesthetic tropes. As discourses of gender and race converge into the figure of the transnational Asian American actress, Anna May Wong offers a key and privileged site to unpack and discuss them. The relationship between sexuality and race in these films has often been reduced to processes of exoticization. However, I will show that this relationship ought instead to be understood as interrelated through practices of appropriation, subversion, and cross-dressing. By applying the term ‘exotic’ to the analysis of Anna May Wong’s performances, I aim to foreground the entangled processes of sexualization and exoticization in order to reveal that the delineation of the ‘other’ is more ambivalent than clear. The films are particularly interesting in the context of ‘sexoticization’ because they do not construct a gendered and racialized ‘other’ that is clearly distinct to a western ‘us’. Modes of appropriation and masquerade complicate the representation of the ‘sexotic’, non-European ‘other’.
The Green-Game: Striking a balance between QoS and energy saving

The energy consumed by communication networks can be reduced in several ways. A promising technique consists in concentrating the workload of an infrastructure on a reduced set of devices, while switching off the others. This technique, called "resource consolidation", is particularly appealing when routing data traffic over a lightly loaded network. However, deciding on the set of routers that can be safely switched off requires an accurate evaluation of their criticality in the network. In this work, we define a measure of criticality that does not only take into account the network topology, but also the traffic matrix. Employing a game theoretic approach, we model the scenario as a coalitional game, and show the effectiveness of the Shapley value as a criticality index. Shapley value ranking is used to drive the resource consolidation procedure, and is compared with other classical indexes on a real network scenario. Numerical results confirm that the proposed index provides a robust and relevant criticality measure, yielding a good tradeoff between energy efficiency and network robustness.
A Pilot Study Examining Religious Organization Affiliation, Sexual Health Information Sources, and Sexual Behaviors Among College Students

Abstract We conducted an online survey to examine religiosity, sexual health knowledge, and behavior and sexual health information sources among undergraduate students affiliated with student religious organizations (n = 45) and unaffiliated students (n = 82). Analyses included Fisher’s exact tests, t-tests, and exact regression models. Students reporting religious affiliation considered religious sources to be believable (p = .004 for sexual health; p < .0001 for romantic relationships) and identified these sources as their primary information sources for romantic relationships (p = .0042). Although religiously affiliated students reported fewer sexual partners in the past year (p = .020), their reported condom use was not significantly different from that of unaffiliated students. Future research should explore the focus and content of romantic relationship information provided by student religious organizations. Health practitioners and educators should consider strategies for collaborating with religious organizations to meet the information needs of these students.
PENGARUH KECERDASAN EMOSIONAL DAN STRES KERJA TERHADAP KEPUASAN KERJA DAN DAMPAKNYA TERHADAP KOMITMEN ORGANISASI FRONTLINER BAKTI PT BANK CENTRAL ASIA Tbk KCU JAMBI

The research aims to analyze the influence of emotional intelligence, job stress and job satisfaction on organizational commitment, both directly and indirectly. This research is done on Bakti Frontliner who work as teller and customer services of PT Bank Central Asia Tbk Jambi Branch, amounted at 60 people spread in nine sub branch. Technique used in sampling is census, where all of the population is used as sample. Analysis unit used is path analysis. The research result that emotional intelligence and job satisfaction influence positively and significantly on organizational commitment, while job stress influence negatively and significantly on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Other than that emotional intelligence and job stress influence directly on organizational commitment through job satisfaction. Keywords: emotional intelligence, job stress, job satisfaction, organizational commitment
Postcollection synthesis of ethyl glucuronide by bacteria in urine may cause false identification of alcohol consumption.

BACKGROUND Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a minor ethanol metabolite used as a specific marker to document recent alcohol consumption; confirm abstinence in treatment programs, workplaces, and schools; and provide legal proof of drinking. This study examined if bacterial pathogens in urine may enable postsampling synthesis of EtG and ethyl sulfate (EtS) from ethanol, leading to clinical false-positive results. METHODS Urine specimens with confirmed growth of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, or Enterobacter cloacae were stored at room temperature in the presence of ethanol. Ethanol was either added to the samples or generated by inoculation with the fermenting yeast species Candida albicans and glucose as substrate. EtG and EtS were measured by LC-MS. RESULTS High concentrations of EtG (24-h range 0.5-17.6 mg/L) were produced during storage in 35% of E. coli-infected urines containing ethanol. In some specimens that were initially EtG positive because of recent alcohol consumption, EtG was also sensitive to degradation by bacterial hydrolysis. In contrast, EtS was completely stable under these conditions. CONCLUSIONS The presence of EtG in urine is not a unique indicator of recent drinking, but might originate from postcollection synthesis if specimens are infected with E. coli and contain ethanol. Given the associated risks for false identification of alcohol consumption and false-negative EtG results due to bacterial degradation, we recommend that measurement of EtG be combined with EtS, or in the future possibly replaced by EtS.