Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scheduling Methods with MIMO Interference Alignment for Mutually Interfering Broadcast Channels

In this paper, we investigate an interference alignment (IA) technique introduced by Cadambe and Jafar in mutually interfering broadcast channels (IFBCs). First, we study the spatial multiplexing gain (SMG) for the 3-cell IFBC where all base stations and mobile users are equipped with multiple antennas. To achieve the derived optimal SMG, we extend the IA algorithm designed for K-user multi-input multi-output (MIMO) interference channels (IFCs) to the IFBC. In this paper, we present the IA scheme in conjunction with user selection which outperforms the time division multiple access (TDMA) technique in the IFBC environment. The optimal scheduling method capitalizes on multiuser diversity to achieve a significant fraction of sum capacity by using an exhaustive search algorithm. Since the computational complexity of the optimal scheduling method is prohibitive, a reduced complexity suboptimal scheduling method is proposed based on a coordinate ascent approach. Simulation results confirm that the reduced complexity scheduling algorithm achieves the sum rate close to the optimal algorithm with much reduced complexity.
Modeling Li-ion batteries for automotive application: A trade-off between accuracy and complexity

This paper presents a fast and effective approach to Li-ion battery performance modeling, particularly suited for automotive applications (i.e. HEV, PHEV, BEV). A second-order electrical equivalent circuit model made up by one voltage source, one series resistor and two series RC blocks (dual-polarization model), is here selected as the best trade-off solution for the task, addressing both acceptable levels of accuracy and complexity. While a lithium-iron-phosphate cylindrical battery cell is chosen for the purpose of the study, the presented procedure has broader validity and is mostly independent of Li-ion chemistry and/or cell format. The battery model is parametrized through a low time-consuming current pulse test, performed during both charging and discharging, at different state of charge levels. The temperature and load-current effects on the battery performance are not considered for simplicity and lightness of the presented model. Validation is carried out by comparing measured and simulated results during the dynamic current pulse test, showing a high level of agreement between the two.
Chest wall tumors: radiologic findings and pathologic correlation: part 1. Benign tumors.

Benign chest wall tumors are uncommon lesions that originate from blood vessels, nerves, bone, cartilage, or fat. Chest radiography is an important technique for evaluation of such tumors, especially those that originate from bone, because it can depict mineralization and thus indicate the diagnosis. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging are helpful in further delineating the location and extent of the tumor and in identifying tumor tissues and types. Although the radiologic manifestations of benign and malignant chest wall tumors frequently overlap, differences in characteristic location and appearance occasionally allow a differential diagnosis to be made with confidence. Such features include the presence of mature fat tissue with little or no septation (lipoma), the presence of phleboliths and characteristic vascular enhancement (cavernous hemangioma), evidence of neural origin combined with a targetlike appearance on MR images (neurofibroma), well-defined continuity of cortical and medullary bone with the site of origin (osteochondroma), or fusiform expansion and ground-glass matrix (fibrous dysplasia). Both aneurysmal bone cysts and giant cell tumors typically manifest as expansile osteolytic lesions and occasionally show fluid-fluid levels suggestive of diagnosis.
SPIN-UP/SPIN-DOWN MODELS FOR TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

In the single-degenerate scenario for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), a white dwarf (WD) must gain a significant amount of matter from a companion star. Because the accreted mass carries angular momentum, the WD is likely to achieve fast spin periods, which can increase the critical mass, Mcrit, needed for explosion. When Mcrit is higher than the maximum mass achieved by the WD, the central regions of the WD must spin down before it can explode. This introduces super-Chandrasekhar single-degenerate explosions, and a delay between the completion of mass gain and the time of the explosion. Matter ejected from the binary during mass transfer therefore has a chance to become diffuse, and the explosion occurs in a medium with a density similar to that of typical regions of the interstellar medium. Also, either by the end of the WD's mass increase or else by the time of explosion, the donor may exhaust its stellar envelope and become a WD. This alters, generally diminishing, explosion signatures related to the donor star. Nevertheless, the spin-up/spin-down model is highly predictive. Prior to explosion, progenitors can be super-MCh WDs in either wide binaries with WD companions or cataclysmic variables. These systems can be discovered and studied through wide-field surveys. Post-explosion, the spin-up/spin-down model predicts a population of fast-moving WDs, low-mass stars, and even brown dwarfs. In addition, the spin-up/spin-down model provides a paradigm which may be able to explain both the similarities and the diversity observed among SNe Ia.
Sequence and domain organization of scruin, an actin-cross-linking protein in the acrosomal process of Limulus sperm

The acrosomal process of Limulus sperm is an 80-microns long finger of membrane supported by a crystalline bundle of actin filaments. The filaments in this bundle are crosslinked by a 102-kD protein, scruin present in a 1:1 molar ratio with actin. Recent image reconstruction of scruin decorated actin filaments at 13-A resolution shows that scruin is organized into two equally sized domains bound to separate actin subunits in the same filament. We have cloned and sequenced the gene for scruin from a Limulus testes cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequence of scruin reflects the domain organization of scruin: it consists of a tandem pair of homologous domains joined by a linker region. The domain organization of scruin is confirmed by limited proteolysis of the purified acrosomal process. Three different proteases cleave the native protein in a 5-kD Protease-sensitive region in the middle of the molecule to generate an NH2-terminal 47-kD and a COOH-terminal 56-kD protease-resistant domains. Although the protein sequence of scruin has no homology to any known actin-binding protein, it has similarities to several proteins, including four open reading frames of unknown function in poxviruses, as well as kelch, a Drosophila protein localized to actin-rich ring canals. All proteins that show homologies to scruin are characterized by the presence of an approximately 50-amino acid residue motif that is repeated between two and seven times. Crystallographic studies reveal this motif represents a four beta-stranded fold that is characteristic of the "superbarrel" structural fold found in the sialidase family of proteins. These results suggest that the two domains of scruin seen in EM reconstructions are superbarrel folds, and they present the possibility that other members of this family may also bind actin.
The Generalized Reparameterization Gradient

The reparameterization gradient has become a widely used method to obtain Monte Carlo gradients to optimize the variational objective. However, this technique does not easily apply to commonly used distributions such as beta or gamma without further approximations, and most practical applications of the reparameterization gradient fit Gaussian distributions. In this paper, we introduce the generalized reparameterization gradient, a method that extends the reparameterization gradient to a wider class of variational distributions. Generalized reparameterizations use invertible transformations of the latent variables which lead to transformed distributions that weakly depend on the variational parameters. This results in new Monte Carlo gradients that combine reparameterization gradients and score function gradients. We demonstrate our approach on variational inference for two complex probabilistic models. The generalized reparameterization is effective: even a single sample from the variational distribution is enough to obtain a low-variance gradient.
Microbiological quality of minimally processed vegetables sold in Porto Alegre, Brazil

Minimally processed vegetables go through various steps during their preparation, with many modifications to their natural structure. However, they must maintain the same quality as the fresh produce. The aim of the present study was to quantify mesophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms and total and faecal coliforms, and to assess the presence of Escherichia coli, parasites, and dirt material in ready-to-eat minimally processed vegetables. Fifty-six samples of minimally processed vegetables were analysed for the presence of mesophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms by the plate-count method. Monthly means ranged from 4.7x10 5 to 1.6x10 8 CFU/g and from 7.9x10 6 to 2.7x10 8 CFU/g, respectively for mesophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms. Coliforms were analysed by the multiple-tube method; total coliforms ranged from <3 to ≥ 2.4x10 4 MPN/g and faecal coliforms from <3 to 1.1x10 4 MPN/g. Escherichia coli was detected in eight samples. Out of 52 samples, eight (15.3%) contained oocysts of Eimeria spp. Dirt matter, such as insect body parts and young mites, was also found. Contamination of faecal origin was observed in these samples, suggesting that either the sanitisation of the product was unsuccessful, or soil or irrigation water could be the source of these microorganisms.
Antagonistic lipopolysaccharides block E. coli lipopolysaccharide function at human TLR4 via interaction with the human MD‐2 lipopolysaccharide binding site

Lipopolysaccharides containing underacylated lipid A structures exhibit reduced abilities to activate the human (h) Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) signalling pathway and function as potent antagonists against lipopolysaccharides bearing canonical lipid A structures. Expression of underacylated lipopolysaccharides has emerged as a novel mechanism utilized by microbial pathogens to modulate host innate immune responses. Notably, antagonistic lipopolysaccharides are prime therapeutic candidates for combating Gram negative bacterial sepsis. Penta‐acylated msbB and tetra‐acylated Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharides functionally antagonize hexa‐acylated Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide‐dependent activation of hTLR4 through the coreceptor, hMD‐2. Here, the molecular mechanism by which these antagonistic lipopolysaccharides act at hMD‐2 is examined. We present evidence that both msbB and P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharides are capable of direct binding to hMD‐2. These antagonistic lipopolysaccharides can utilize at least two distinct mechanisms to block E. coli lipopolysaccharide‐dependent activation of hTLR4. The main mechanism consists of direct competition between the antagonistic lipopolysaccharides and E. coli lipopolysaccharide for the same binding site on hMD‐2, while the secondary mechanism involves the ability of antagonistic lipopolysaccharide–hMD‐2 complexes to inhibit E. coli lipopolysaccharide–hMD‐2 complexes function at hTLR4. It is also shown that both hTLR4 and hMD‐2 contribute to the species‐specific recognition of msbB and P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharides as antagonists at the hTLR4 complex.
Retrospective analysis of the frequency and recognition of adverse drug reactions by means of automatically recorded laboratory signals.

AIMS To estimate the frequency of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) identified through the use of automatic signals generated from laboratory data (ALS) in hospitalised patients. To determine the frequency of spontaneous recognition of these ADRs by the attending physicians and to assess the potential value of ALS for detection of ADRs. METHODS Laboratory results of patients hospitalised in a nine bed medical ward were automatically recorded over a period of 17 months. Values exceeding defined boundaries were used as ALS. Charts of every third patient were analysed retrospectively with regard to adverse drug related reactions and causality was evaluated as well as whether the ADR had been recognised during the period of hospitalisation. RESULTS The charts and ALS of 98 patients were analysed. In 18 cases a drug-related adverse reaction was probable. Awareness to the reaction by the treating physicians was evident in 6 out of these 18 ADRs. Approximately 80% of the ADRs were considered predictable. Three ADRs were regarded as serious. CONCLUSIONS Adverse drug reactions are common and often preventable. Only one third of ADRs which could have been detected through ALS were recognised by the attending physicians. An increased doctor's awareness of the frequency of drug related abnormal laboratory results by means of ALS is likely to increase the recognition rate of ADRs and might help to prevent them.
New Collapse Consequences of NP Having Small Circuits

We show that if a self-reducible set has polynomial-size circuits, then it is low for the probabilistic class ZPP(NP). As a consequence we get a deeper collapse of the polynomial-time hierarchy PH to ZPP(NP) under the assumption that NP has polynomial-size circuits. This improves on the well-known result of Karp, Lipton, and Sipser (1980) stating a collapse of PH to its second level σ 2 P under the same assumption. As a further consequence, we derive new collapse consequences under the assumption that complexity classes like UP, FewP, and C=P have polynomial-size circuits.
The Relation between Frequency of E-Cigarette Use and Frequency and Intensity of Cigarette Smoking among South Korean Adolescents

Introduction: The prevalence of adolescent electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has increased in most countries. This study aims to determine the relation between the frequency of e-cigarette use and the frequency and intensity of cigarette smoking. Additionally, the study evaluates the association between the reasons for e-cigarette use and the frequency of its use. Materials and Methods: Using the 2015 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey, we included 6655 adolescents with an experience of e-cigarette use who were middle and high school students aged 13–18 years. We compared smoking experience, the frequency and intensity of cigarette smoking, and the relation between the reasons for e-cigarette uses and the frequency of e-cigarette use. Results: The prevalence of e-cigarette ever and current (past 30 days) users were 10.1% and 3.9%, respectively. Of the ever users, approximately 60% used e-cigarettes not within 1 month. On the other hand, 8.1% used e-cigarettes daily. The frequent and intensive cigarette smoking was associated with frequent e-cigarette uses. The percentage of frequent e-cigarette users (≥10 days/month) was 3.5% in adolescents who did not smoke within a month, but 28.7% among daily smokers. Additionally, it was 9.1% in smokers who smoked less than 1 cigarette/month, but 55.1% in smokers who smoked ≥20 cigarettes/day. The most common reason for e-cigarette use was curiosity (22.9%), followed by the belief that they are less harmful than conventional cigarettes (18.9%), the desire to quit smoking (13.1%), and the capacity for indoor use (10.7%). Curiosity was the most common reason among less frequent e-cigarette users; however, the desire to quit smoking and the capacity for indoor use were the most common reasons among more frequent users. Conclusions: Results showed a positive relation between frequency or intensity of conventional cigarette smoking and the frequency of e-cigarette use among Korean adolescents, and frequency of e-cigarette use differed according to the reason for the use of e-cigarettes.
Composition of Essential Oils from Seeds of Abies koreana

The essential oils from seeds of nine Abies koreana specimens have been studied using GC-MS-FID and NMR methods, leading to the determination of 96 volatiles, which constituted over 99% of the oils. The hydrodistilled oils of fresh, resinous scent were isolated with yields in the range of 3.8-8.5%. The results showed that the essential oil of Korean fir seeds contained 70-95% monoterpenes and 1-20% oxygenated monoterpenes as the dominant groups. The numerous sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and their oxygenated derivatives constituted only 2-8% of the oil. The major component of the seed essential oil was limonene (4172 g/100g); the laevorotary form of this terpene predominated. A. koreana seeds seem to be a rich source of both essential oil and (-)-limonene, whose average enantiomeric excess was above 95%.
Non‐spatial expertise and hippocampal gray matter volume in humans

Previous work suggests that spatial expertise in licensed London taxi drivers is associated with differences in hippocampal gray matter volume relative to IQ‐matched control subjects. Here we examined whether non‐spatial expertise is associated with similar hippocampal gray matter effects. We compared medical doctors who, like taxi drivers, acquire a vast amount of knowledge over many years, with IQ‐matched control subjects who had no tertiary education. Whole brain analysis of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans using voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) failed to identify any differences in gray matter volume between the groups, including in the hippocampus. Moreover, amount of medical experience that ranged from 0.5 to 22.5 yr did not correlate with gray matter volume in the hippocampus or elsewhere in the brain. We conclude that intensively acquiring a large amount of knowledge over many years is not invariably associated with hippocampal gray matter volume differences. Instead it would seem that hippocampal gray matter volume effects are more likely to be observed when the knowledge acquired concerns a complex and detailed large‐scale spatial layout. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Novel Gene Encoding Xanthan Lyase of Paenibacillus alginolyticus Strain XL-1

ABSTRACT Xanthan-modifying enzymes are powerful tools in studying structure-function relationships of this polysaccharide. One of these modifying enzymes is xanthan lyase, which removes the terminal side chain residue of xanthan. In this paper, the cloning and sequencing of the first xanthan lyase-encoding gene is described, i.e., thexalA gene, encoding pyruvated mannose-specific xanthan lyase of Paenibacillus alginolyticus XL-1. ThexalA gene encoded a 100,823-Da protein, including a 36-amino-acid signal sequence. The 96,887-Da mature enzyme could be expressed functionally in Escherichia coli. Like the native enzyme, the recombinant enzyme showed no activity on depyruvated xanthan. Compared to production by P. alginolyticus, a 30-fold increase in volumetric productivity of soluble xanthan lyase was achieved by heterologous production in E. coli. The recombinant xanthan lyase was used to produce modified xanthan, which showed a dramatic loss of the capacity to form gels with locust bean gum.
Framing and praising Allah on YouTube: Exploring user-created videos about Islam and the motivations for producing them

Islam is a hotly debated topic on YouTube, comprising approximately a half-million videos, tagged with this word. The study presents empirical material regarding three aspects of Islam’s representation: (a) how Islam is framed in user-created videos; (b) how it is visualized; and (c) what are the motivations of the YouTubers who create these videos. The theoretical framework of the study is based on two pillars. The concept of valence framing was employed to identify positive/negative patterns of representation. The motivations to videoblog about Islam were examined from the perspective of the Uses and Gratifications Theory. Data comprised a content analysis of 120 videos and 15 in-depth interviews with content producers. Despite a number of extremely attacking videos about Islam, the overall tone of the coverage appeared to be balanced. However, images and ideas that are inappropriate for broadcasting on mainstream media repeatedly appear on this website.
Joint Time Delay and Frequency Estimation Without Eigen-Decomposition

In this letter, we addressed the problem of estimating the time delay and the frequencies of noisy sinusoidal signals received at two spatially separated sensors. We employ the Propagator Method (PM) in conjunction with the well-known MUSIC/root-MUSIC algorithm; the proposed method would generate estimates of the unknown parameters. Such estimates are based on the observation and/or covariance matrices. Moreover, the PM does not require the eigenvalue decomposition (EVD) or singular value decomposition (SVD) of the cross-spectral matrix (CSM) of received signals; therefore, a significant improvement in computational load is achieved. Computer simulations are also included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Site Distribution at the Edge of the Palaeolithic World: A Nutritional Niche Approach

This paper presents data from the English Channel area of Britain and Northern France on the spatial distribution of Lower to early Middle Palaeolithic pre-MIS5 interglacial sites which are used to test the contention that the pattern of the richest sites is a real archaeological distribution and not of taphonomic origin. These sites show a marked concentration in the middle-lower reaches of river valleys with most being upstream of, but close to, estimated interglacial tidal limits. A plant and animal database derived from Middle-Late Pleistocene sites in the region is used to estimate the potentially edible foods and their distribution in the typically undulating landscape of the region. This is then converted into the potential availability of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) and selected micronutrients. The floodplain is shown to be the optimum location in the nutritional landscape (nutriscape). In addition to both absolute and seasonal macronutrient advantages the floodplains could have provided foods rich in key micronutrients, which are linked to better health, the maintenance of fertility and minimization of infant mortality. Such places may have been seen as ‘good (or healthy) places’ explaining the high number of artefacts accumulated by repeated visitation over long periods of time and possible occupation. The distribution of these sites reflects the richest aquatic and wetland successional habitats along valley floors. Such locations would have provided foods rich in a wide range of nutrients, importantly including those in short supply at these latitudes. When combined with other benefits, the high nutrient diversity made these locations the optimal niche in northwest European mixed temperate woodland environments. It is argued here that the use of these nutritionally advantageous locations as nodal or central points facilitated a healthy variant of the Palaeolithic diet which permitted habitation at the edge of these hominins’ range.