Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cooperative Relaying at Finite SNR—Role of Quantize-Map-and-Forward

This paper contributes to the design and analysis of Quantize-Map-and-Forward (QMF) relaying by optimizing its performance for small relay networks. QMF was proved to achieve the capacity of arbitrary networks within a bounded gap, as well as the optimal diversity-multiplexing tradeoff over slow fading networks. The initial QMF scheme has each relay performing the same operation, agnostic to the network topology and the channel state information (CSI); this facilitates the analysis for arbitrary networks, yet comes at a performance penalty for small networks and medium SNR regimes. This paper demonstrates the benefits we can gain for QMF if we optimize its performance by leveraging topological and channel state information. We show that for the N-relay diamond network, by taking into account topological information, we can exponentially reduce the QMF additive approximation gap from Θ(N) bits/s/Hz to Θ(log N) bits/s/Hz, while for the one-relay and two-relay networks, use of topological information and CSI can help to gain as much as 6 dB. Moreover, we explore what benefits we can realize if we jointly optimize QMF and half-duplex scheduling, as well as if we employ hybrid schemes that combine QMF and Decode-and-Forward (DF) relay operations.
Job-search Methods, Neighbourhood Effects and the Youth Labour Market

Survey data suggest that unemployed teenagers look for work in ways that differ significantly from the ways which proved successful for teenagers who found work. This paper examines what factors affect the way teenagers look for work in order to explain why we observe this behaviour. We find that the single most important characteristic for explaining the job-search method choices of Australian teenagers is whether they receive unemployment benefits. Receiving benefits increases the probability of teenagers using the government employment agency as the main job-search method by almost 20 percentage points, and decreases their probability of using direct methods (such as contacting employers or friends and relatives) or newspapers by around 10 percentage points each. Personal characteristics and family background are also important for understanding the job-search methods chosen by unemployed teenagers. Another interesting finding is that the local environment, especially the state of the local labour market, is important for explaining job-search method choice. Higher local unemployment rates decrease the probability that an unemployed teenager will use direct search methods, and increase the probability that they will use the government employment agency. These results may help to explain the recently documented evidence that unemployment has become increasingly concentrated in low-socioeconomic-status neighbourhoods (Gregory and Hunter 1995).
A wireless and batteryless neural headstage with optical stimulation and electrophysiological recording

This paper presents a miniature Optogenetics headstage for wirelessly stimulating the brain of rodents with an implanted LED while recording electrophysiological data from a two-channel custom readout. The headstage is powered wirelessly using an inductive link, and is built using inexpensive commercial off-the-shelf electronic components, including a RF microcontroller and a printed antenna. This device has the capability to drive one light-stimulating LED and, at the same time, capture and send back neural signals recorded from two microelectrode readout channels. Light stimulation uses flexible patterns that allow for easy tuning of light intensity and stimulation periods. For driving the LED, a low-pass filtered digitally-generated PWM signal is employed for providing a flexible pulse generation method that alleviates the need for D/A converters. The proposed device can be powered wirelessly into an animal chamber using inductive energy transfer, which enables compact, light-weight and cost-effective smart animal research systems. The device dimensions are 15×25×17 mm; it weighs 7.4 grams and has a data transmission range of more than 2 meters. Different types of LEDs with different power consumptions can be used for this system. The power consumption of the system without the LED is 94.52 mW.
Dysfunctional Baroreflex Regulation of Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Patients With Vasovagal Syncope

Background—The interplay of resting muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSA) and the baroreceptor reflex in patients with vasovagal syncope remains elusive. Hence, the aim of the present study was to investigate MSA, baroreceptor sensitivity, heart rate, and blood pressure under resting conditions and during orthostatic stress in patients with a history of vasovagal syncope. Methods and Results—MSA was measured using microneurography at rest and during lower body negative pressure (LBNP) to mimic orthostatic stress in patients with a history of vasovagal syncope (n=10) and in age-matched healthy controls (n=8). Heart rate and blood pressure were simultaneously recorded. Cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity was calculated with the spectral technique (&agr; coefficient). Resting MSA in the patients with syncope was significantly increased as compared with controls (42.4±2.3 versus 26.5±3.6 bursts/min, P =0.001), whereas activation of MSA during orthostatic stress in the patient group was significantly blunted (5.1±1.6 versus 15.2±2.1 bursts/min at LBNP −50 mm Hg, P =0.002). In the patients with syncope, cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity was significantly reduced under supine resting conditions (8.5±0.7 versus 13.0±1.1 ms/mm Hg, P =0.001), as well as under orthostatic stress (7.3±0.7 versus 13.4±1.5 ms/mm Hg, P =0.003). Conclusions—This study shows that in patients with vasovagal syncope, resting MSA is increased and baroreflex regulation during orthostatic stress is blunted, thus leading to impaired MSA adaptation. These results provide new insights into mechanisms of vasovagal syncope and suggest that pharmacological modulation of baroreceptor sensitivity may represent a promising treatment of neuromediated syncope.
CHIMERIC FLORAL ORGANS 1 , Encoding a Monocot-Speci fi c MADS Box Protein , Regulates Floral Organ Identity in Rice 1 [ C ] [ W ]

Rice Research Institute (X.S., Y.Li, Z.L., D.R., L.F., N.W., F.Z., Y.Ling, Z.Y., G.H.), Chongqing Key Laboratory of Application and Safety Control of Genetically Modified Crops (X.S., Y.Li, D.R., L.F., F.Z., Z.Y., G.H.), and Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education (Z.L., Y.Ling, G.H.), Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; and School of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China (Y.Liu)
UNCLASSIFIED TACTICAL DECISION MAKING UNDER STRESS ( TADMUS ) DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM

A prototype decision support system (DSS) was developed to enhance Navy tactical decision making based on naturalistic decision processes. Displays were developed to support critical decision making tasks through recognition-primed and explanation-based reasoning processes and cognitive analysis of the decision making problems faced by Navy tactical officers in a shipboard Combat Information Center. Baseline testing in high intensity, peace keeping, littoral scenarios indicated that experienced decision makers were not well served by current systems, and their performance revealed periodic loss of situation awareness. A study is described with eight, expert Navy tactical decision making teams that used either their current system alone or in conjunction with the prototype DSS. When the teams had the prototype DSS available, we observed significantly fewer communications to clarify the tactical situation, significantly more critical contacts identified early in the scenario, and a significantly greater number of defensive actions taken against imminent threats. These findings suggest that the prototype DSS enhanced the commanders’ awareness of the tactical situation, which in turn contributed to greater confidence, lower workload, and more effective performance.
Constraining the neutrino magnetic dipole moment from white dwarf pulsations

Pulsating white dwarf stars can be used as astrophysical laboratories to constrain the properties of weakly interacting particles. Comparing the cooling rates of these stars with the expected values from theoretical models allows us to search for additional sources of cooling due to the emission of axions, neutralinos, or neutrinos with magnetic dipole moment. In this work, we derive an upper bound to the neutrino magnetic dipole moment (μν) using an estimate of the rate of period change of the pulsating DB white dwarf star PG 1351+489. We employ state-of-the-art evolutionary and pulsational codes which allow us to perform a detailed asteroseismological period fit based on fully DB white dwarf evolutionary sequences. Plasmon neutrino emission is the dominant cooling mechanism for this class of hot pulsating white dwarfs, and so it is the main contributor to the rate of change of period with time () for the DBV class. Thus, the inclusion of an anomalous neutrino emission through a non-vanishing magnetic dipole moment in these sequences notably influences the evolutionary timescales, and also the expected pulsational properties of the DBV stars. By comparing the theoretical value with the rate of change of period with time of PG 1351+489, we assess the possible existence of additional cooling by neutrinos with magnetic dipole moment. Our models suggest the existence of some additional cooling in this pulsating DB white dwarf, consistent with a non-zero magnetic dipole moment with an upper limit of μν ≲ 10-11 μB. This bound is somewhat less restrictive than, but still compatible with, other limits inferred from the white dwarf luminosity function or from the color-magnitude diagram of the Globular cluster M5. Further improvements of the measurement of the rate of period change of the dominant pulsation mode of PG 1351+489 will be necessary to confirm our bound.
An adaptive P2P overlay for MANETs

In recent years, many researchers have focused on the deployment of Peer-To-Peer (or P2P) applications over Mobile-Adhoc NETworks (or MANETs) motivated by the common characteristics shared between the P2P overlay and the MANET underlay such as decentralization, self-organization and dynamic topology. However, conventional P2P overlays which consist on virtual connections between peers are usually constructed without considering the physical underlay. This causes a considerable mismatch between the P2P overlay and the network underlay and leads to unnecessary network traffic and inefficient paths between overlay neighbors. In this paper, we propose an adaptive overlay over MANET. The objective of our proposal is to build an unstructured overlay with the consideration of the MANET underlay topology. Simulation results show that our overlay likely-matches and fits the MANET underlay.
Differential equations and intertwining operators

We show that if every module W for a vertex operator algebra V satisfies the condition that the dimension of W/C_1(W) is less than infinity, where C_1(W) is the subspace of W spanned by elements of the form u_{-1}w for u in V of positive weight and w in W, then matrix elements of products and iterates of intertwining operators satisfy certain systems of differential equations. Moreover, for prescribed singular points, there exist such systems of differential equations such that the prescribed singular points are regular. The finiteness of the fusion rules is an immediate consequence of a result used to establish the existence of such systems. Using these systems of differential equations and some additional reducibility conditions, we prove that products of intertwining operators for V satisfy the convergence and extension property needed in the tensor product theory for V-modules. Consequently, when a vertex operator algebra V satisfies all the conditions mentioned above, we obtain a natural structure of vertex tensor category (consequently braided tensor category) on the category of V-modules and a natural structure of intertwining operator algebra on the direct sum of all (inequivalent) irreducible V-modules.
Accounting choices and the legal environment: The impact of the ex post loss rule

Author(s): Tan, Teck Meng Junior Samuel | Advisor(s): Dechow, Patricia M | Abstract: Using a landmark Supreme Court decision as a natural experiment, I examine the impact of a fundamental requirement in securities litigation, the ex post loss rule, on income-decreasing accounting choices. Dura Pharmaceuticals v. Broudo (2005) established that plaintiffs must show that the alleged misrepresentations caused an actual economic loss. The case resolved a circuit split, allowing me to identify a treatment jurisdiction affected by Dura, and control jurisdictions in which the rule was already the prevailing legal standard. Motivated by legal analyses suggesting that Dura incentivizes firms to delay negative corrections, I hypothesize and find that treatment firms in high-litigation industries became more likely to delay write-downs and income-decreasing accrual error reversals at the firm level after Dura, relative to matched control firms. This dissertation sheds light on the relationship between securities law and accounting practices, and informs policy makers on the accounting impact of a key feature of the legal environment.
Childhood maltreatment predicts adult inflammation in a life-course study

Stress in early life has been associated with insufficient glucocorticoid signaling in adulthood, possibly affecting inflammation processes. Childhood maltreatment has been linked to increased risk of adult disease with potential inflammatory origin. However, the impact of early life stress on adult inflammation is not known in humans. We tested the life-course association between childhood maltreatment and adult inflammation in a birth cohort followed to age 32 years as part of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. Regression models were used to estimate the effect of maltreatment on inflammation, adjusting for co-occurring risk factors and potential mediating variables. Maltreated children showed a significant and graded increase in the risk for clinically relevant C-reactive protein levels 20 years later, in adulthood [risk ratio (RR) = 1.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.26–2.58]. The effect of childhood maltreatment on adult inflammation was independent of the influence of co-occurring early life risks (RR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.08–2.31), stress in adulthood (RR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.12–2.39), and adult health and health behavior (RR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.23–2.51). More than 10% of cases of low-grade inflammation in the population, as indexed by high C-reactive protein, may be attributable to childhood maltreatment. The association between maltreatment and adult inflammation also generalizes to fibrinogen and white blood cell count. Childhood maltreatment is a previously undescribed, independent, and preventable risk factor for inflammation in adulthood. Inflammation may be an important developmental mediator linking adverse experiences in early life to poor adult health.
Experiences of Anabolic Steroid Use

This study was designed to investigate anabolic steroid users’ experiences of, and motivations for, use. Five men and six women users took part in in-depth interviews. Four themes emerged: Steroid Use vs Abuse; Side-effects; Trusted Information Sources; and Social Pressure. Many users believed that steroids used in moderation were safe. Serious side-effects (liver and kidney damage, hypertension) were not significant disincentives. Information from health professionals tended to be mistrusted because it was not based on first-hand experience of use. Social support, especially from within the body building community, was an important motivator. It is concluded that intervention programmes need the support of the body building community in order to be effective.
Spectral Regression for Dimensionality Reduction

Spectral methods have recently emerged as a powerful tool for dimensionality reduction and manifold learning. These methods use information contained in the eigenvectors of a data affinity (i.e., item-item similarity) matrix to reveal low dimensional structure in high dimensional data. The most popular manifold learning algorithms include Locally Linear Embedding, Isomap, and Laplacian Eigenmap. However, these algorithms only provide the embedding results of training samples. There are many extensions of these approaches which try to solve the out-of-sample extension problem by seeking an embedding function in reproducing kernel Hilbert space. However, a disadvantage of all these approaches is that their computations usually involve eigen-decomposition of dense matrices which is expensive in both time and memory. In this paper, we propose a novel dimensionality reduction method, called Spectral Regression (SR). SR casts the problem of learning an embedding function into a regression framework, which avoids eigen-decomposition of dense matrices. Also, with the regression based framework, different kinds of regularizers can be naturally incorporated into our algorithm which makes it more flexible. SR can be performed in supervised, unsupervised and semisupervised situation. It can make efficient use of both labeled and unlabeled points to discover the intrinsic discriminant structure in the data. Experimental results on classification and semi-supervised classification demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our algorithm.
Statistical Machine Translation System for IWSLT 2008

The NTT Statistical Machine Translation System consists of two primary components: a statistical machine translation decoder and a reranker. The decoder generates kbest translation canditates using a hierarchical phrase-based translation based on synchronous context-free grammar. The decoder employs a linear feature combination among several real-valued scores on translation and language models. The reranker reorders the k-best translation candidates using Ranking SVMs with a large number of sparse features. This paper describes the two components and presents the results for the evaluation campaign of IWSLT 2008.
Speed Scaling with an Arbitrary Power Function

This article initiates a theoretical investigation into online scheduling problems with speed scaling where the allowable speeds may be discrete, and the power function may be arbitrary, and develops algorithmic analysis techniques for this setting. We show that a natural algorithm, which uses Shortest Remaining Processing Time for scheduling and sets the power to be one more than the number of unfinished jobs, is 3-competitive for the objective of total flow time plus energy. We also show that another natural algorithm, which uses Highest Density First for scheduling and sets the power to be the fractional weight of the unfinished jobs, is a 2-competitive algorithm for the objective of fractional weighted flow time plus energy.
Examination of the plate twist specimen for thick specially orthotropic laminated composites and sandwich plates by using first-order shear deformation theory

Analytical (closed-form) solutions are developed for the deflections and rotations of thick specially orthotropic plate twist specimens by using first-order shear deformation theory. Results are compared with outcomes from finite element method, previously reported experiments, and a classical laminated plate theory solution. A [(0/90)6]s cross-ply laminate and a sandwich panel with aluminum face sheets and a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam core are used as baseline materials. Overall, good agreement between first-order shear deformation theory and finite element method is obtained for compliance predictions. It is found that the proposed first-order shear deformation theory approach can be used to adequately calculate the deflections of specially orthotropic plates from low to moderately high side length to thickness ratios ( ≤ 20 ) . Examination of the in-plane shear modulus ratio between face sheets and core ( G 12 f / G 12 c ) points out that first-order shear deformation theory slightly underpredicts the compliance with respect to finite element method, specially for G 12 f / G 12 c ratios larger than 100. Both solutions based on plate theories are suitable to estimate the compliance of cross-ply laminates with moderate G 23 / G 12 ratios ( G 23 / G 12 ≤ 5 ). First-order shear deformation theory is able to properly predict the compliance of square and rectangular laminates with aspect ratios lower than 10. Good agreement between published compliance measurements and those predicted by first-order shear deformation theory is found for Maple plywoods, monolithic metals, and specially orthotropic sandwich panels.
In Vivo Assessment of Antiangiogenic Activity of SU6668 in an Experimental Colon Carcinoma Model

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to assess in vivo by dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) the antiangiogenic effect of SU6668, an oral, small molecule inhibitor of the angiogenic receptor tyrosine kinases vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (Flk-1/KDR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor, and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1. Experimental Design: A s.c. tumor model of HT29 human colon carcinoma in athymic mice was used. DCE-MRI with a macromolecular contrast agent was used to measure transendothelial permeability and fractional plasma volume, accepted surrogate markers of tumor angiogenesis. CD31 immunohistochemical staining was used for assessing microvessels density and vessels area. Experiments were performed after 24 h, and 3, 7, and 14 days of treatment. Results: DCE-MRI clearly detected the early effect (after 24 h of treatment) of SU6668 on tumor vasculature as a 51% and 26% decrease in the average vessel permeability measured in the tumor rim and core (respectively). A substantial decrease was also observed in average fractional plasma volume in the rim (59%) and core (35%) of the tumor. Histological results confirmed magnetic resonance imaging findings. After 3, 7, and 14 days of treatment, postcontrast magnetic resonant images presented a thin strip of strongly enhanced tissue at the tumor periphery; histology examination showed that this hyperenhanced ring corresponded to strongly vascularized tissue adjacent but external to the tumor. Histology also revealed a strong decrease in the thickness of peripheral viable tissue, with a greatly reduced vessel count. SU6668 greatly inhibited tumor growth, with 60% inhibition at 14 days of treatment. Conclusions: DCE-MRI detected in vivo the antiangiogenic efficacy of SU6668.
Can you talk or only touch-talk: A VoIP-based phone feature for quick, quiet, and private communication

Advances in mobile communication technologies have allowed people in more places to reach each other more conveniently than ever before. However, many mobile phone communications occur in inappropriate contexts, disturbing others in close proximity, invading personal and corporate privacy, and more broadly breaking social norms. This paper presents a telephony system that allows users to answer calls quietly and privately without speaking. The paper discusses the iterative process of design, implementation and system evaluation. The resulting system is a VoIP-based telephony system that can be immediately deployed from any phone capable of sending DTMF signals. Observations and results from inserting and evaluating this technology in real-world business contexts through two design cycles of the Touch-Talk feature are reported.