Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tradeoffs between the excess-code-length exponent and the excess-distortion exponent in lossy source coding

Lossy compression of a discrete memoryless source (DMS) with respect to a single-letter distortion measure is considered. We study the best attainable tradeoff between the exponential rates of the probabilities that the codeword length and that the cumulative distortion exceed respective thresholds for two main cases. The first scenario examined is that where the source is corrupted by a discrete memoryless channel (DMC) prior to reaching the coder. In the second part of this work, we examine the universal setting, where the (noise-free) source is an unknown member P/sub /spl theta// of a given family {P/sub /spl theta//,/spl theta//spl isin//spl Theta/}. Here, inspired by an approach which was proven fruitful previously in the context of composite hypothesis testing, we allow the constraint on the excess-code-length exponent to be /spl theta/-dependent. Corollaries are derived for some special cases of interest, including Marton's (1974) classical source coding exponent and its generalization to the case where the constraint on the rate of the code is relaxed from an almost sure constraint to a constraint on the excess-code-length exponent.
EMG-Based Continuous Control Scheme With Simple Classifier for Electric-Powered Wheelchair

This paper presents an electromyographic (EMG)-based continuous control scheme including simple classifier for an electric-powered wheelchair, ultimately for quadriplegics. The proposed scheme utilizes three EMG signals as inputs for the muscle-computer interface. Since zygomaticus major muscles and transversus menti muscle of human face are able to move independently as well as to adjust contractile forces voluntarily, the surface EMG signals on these muscles are utilized for the electric-powered wheelchair control system. To extract the envelopes of the signal waveforms and to reflect the moving average activities, the root-mean-squares (RMS) operation and normalization are subsequently employed as initial signal processing. Then, an activation vector containing three normalized RMS signals is obtained in real time. The activation vector is applied to the simple classifier for finding out the motion command. Both desired linear acceleration and angular velocity are yielded from the linear combinations of the classification result and the magnitude of activation vector. Finally, desired wheel velocities of the wheelchair control system are obtained by using the integration and differential inverse kinematics. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is verified through several experiments such as avoiding obstacle cones and navigating long distance by the users.
Timing studies on RXTE observations of SAX J2103.5+4545

SAX J2103.5+4545 has been continuously monitored for ∼900 d by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) since its outburst in 2002 July. Using these observations and previous archival RXTE observations of SAX J2103.5+4545, we refined the binary orbital parameters and find the new orbital period as P = (12.665 36 ± 0.000 88) d and the eccentricity as 0.4055 ± 0.0032. With these new orbital parameters, we constructed the pulse frequency and pulse frequency derivative histories of the pulsar and confirmed the correlation between X-ray flux and pulse frequency derivative presented by Baykal, Stark & Swank. We constructed the power spectra for the fluctuations of pulse frequency derivatives and found that the power-law index of the noise spectra is 2.13 ± 0.6. The power-law index is consistent with random walk in pulse frequency derivative and is the steepest among the HMXRBs. X-ray spectra analysis confirmed the inverse correlation trend between power-law index and X-ray flux found by Baykal et al.
Pre-operative fasting - a patient centered approach

Abstract Prolonged pre-operative fasting can be an unpleasant experience and result in serious medical complications. The Royal College of Nursing guidelines state a minimum fasting period of six hours for food and two hours for clear fluids, prior to elective anaesthesia or sedation in healthy patients. We audited the Moorfields South Pre-operative Assessment Unit fasting instruction policy to ensure it is clear and in accordance with national guidelines. A questionnaire assessing the clarity and accuracy of fasting instructions and patient hydration was employed to survey patients undergoing elective anaesthesia or sedation in July 2013 (first cycle) and September 2013 (second cycle). The fasting instruction policy and patient information leaflet were reviewed; they state “nothing to eat or drink from midnight” for morning surgery and “nothing to eat or drink from 7AM” for afternoon surgery. The 10 patients surveyed in the first cycle reported that the instructions they were given were clear. 70% expressed subjective dehydration and 40% showed clinical evidence of dehydration. The patients had not been encouraged to drink clear fluids up till two hours before surgery. Patients fasted for unnecessarily prolonged periods, the longest of which was 17 hours. Our interventions were: delivering a teaching session to update staff of current pre-operative fasting guidelines, producing a patient information leaflet that was correct, reader-friendly and comprehensive and displaying posters as a reminder of the updated fasting instruction policy. The 12 patients surveyed in the second cycle had been encouraged to drink clear fluids up till two hours before surgery. A dramatically reduced 25% expressed subjective dehydration and 25% showed clinical evidence of dehydration. The longest fasting period was reduced to eight hours. We encourage all hospitals to adopt a patient centered approach to pre-operative fasting, dispelling the “nil my mouth for eight hours” policy, to improve patient wellbeing and satisfaction.
Identification of Drought Tolerant Mechanisms in Maize Seedlings Based on Transcriptome Analysis of Recombination Inbred Lines

Zea mays is an important crop that is sensitive to drought stress, but survival rates and growth status remain strong in some drought-tolerant lines under stress conditions. Under drought conditions, many biological processes, such as photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism and energy metabolism, are suppressed, while little is known about how the transcripts of genes respond to drought stress in the genome-wide rang in the seedling stage. In our study, the transcriptome profiles of two maize recombination inbred lines (drought-tolerant RIL70 and drought-sensitive RIL93) were analyzed at different drought stages to elucidate the dynamic mechanisms underlying drought tolerance in maize seedlings during drought conditions. Different numbers of differentially expressed genes presented in the different stages of drought stress in the two RILs, for the numbers of RIL93 vs. RIL70 were: 9 vs. 358, 477 vs. 103, and 5207 vs. 152 respectively in DT1, DT2, and DT5. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis revealed that in the initial drought-stressed stage, the primary differentially expressed genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis and transmembrane transport biological processes were overrepresented in RIL70 compared to RIL93. On the contrary, differentially expressed genes profiles presented at 2 and 5 day-treatments, the primary differentially expressed genes involved in response to stress, protein folding, oxidation-reduction, photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism, were overrepresented in RIL93 compared to RIL70. In addition, the transcription of genes encoding key members of the cell cycle and cell division processes were blocked, but ABA- and programmed cell death-related processes responded positively in RIL93. In contrast, the expression of cell cycle genes, ABA- and programmed cell death-related genes was relatively stable in RIL70. The results we obtained supported the working hypothesis that signaling events associated with turgor homeostasis, as established by cell wall biosynthesis regulation- and aquaporin-related genes, responded early in RIL70, which led to more efficient detoxification signaling (response to stress, protein folding, oxidation-reduction) during drought stress. This energy saving response at the early stages of drought should facilitate more cell activity under stress conditions and result in drought tolerance in RIL70.
CSIT estimation and feedback for FDD multi-user massive MIMO systems

To fully utilize the spatial multiplexing gains or array gains of massive MIMO, the channel state information must be obtained at the transmitter side (CSIT). However, conventional CSIT estimation approaches are not suitable for FDD massive MIMO systems because of the overwhelming training and feedback overhead. In this paper, we consider multi-user massive MIMO systems and deploy the compressive sensing (CS) technique to reduce the training as well as the feedback overhead in the CSIT estimation. We propose a distributed compressive CSIT estimation and feedback scheme to exploit the hidden joint sparsity structure in the user channel matrices and we obtain simple insights into how the joint channel sparsity can be exploited to improve the CSIT recovery performance.
Clinical Interventions in Aging Dovepress Density Abnormalities in Normal-appearing Gray Matter in the Middle-aged Brain with White Matter Hyperintense Lesions: a Dartel-enhanced Voxel-based Morphometry Study

hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms Background and purpose: Little is known about the structural alterations within gray matter (GM) in middle-aged subjects with white matter hyperintense (WMH) lesions. Here, we aimed to examine the anatomical changes within the GM and their relationship to WMH lesion loads in middle-aged subjects. Participants and methods: Twenty-three middle-aged subjects with WMH lesions (WMH group) and 23 demographically matched healthy control subjects participated in the study. A Diffeomorphic Anatomical Registration Through Exponentiated Liealgebra-enhanced voxel-based morphometry was used to measure the GM density, and the correlations between WMH lesion volume and extracted GM values in abnormal regions were identified by voxel-based morphometry analysis. Results: Compared with the healthy control subjects, the WMH group had a significantly decreased GM density in the left middle frontal gyrus, bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, left and right premotor cortex, and left and right middle cingulate cortex and an increased GM density in the bilateral cerebellum anterior lobe, left middle temporal gyrus, right temporoparietal junction, left and right prefrontal cortex (PFC), and left inferior parietal lobule. A relationship was observed between the normalized WMH lesion volume and the decreased GM density, including the left middle frontal gyrus (ρ=-0.629, P=0.002), bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ρ=-0.507, P=0.019), right middle cingulate cortex (ρ=-0.484, P=0.026), and right premotor cortex (ρ=-0.438, P=0.047). The WMH lesion loads also negatively correlated with increased GM density in the right temporoparietal junction (ρ=-0.484, P=0.026), left PFC (ρ=-0.469, P=0.032), and right PFC (ρ=-0.438, P=0.047). Conclusion: We observed that lesion load-associated structural plasticity corresponds to bidirectional changes in regional GM density in the WMH group.
A comparison of electrical and optical clock networks in nanometer technologies

A study of the limitations of global electrical clock distribution networks in nanometer technologies is presented. Contrary to previously reported results, it is shown that skew and jitter grow to unacceptable levels, even with unscaled interconnect. While there are challenges to be solved, it is shown that optical clock networks may offer superior performance at lower power levels. A hybrid network reduces laser power requirements without sacrificing performance
Infection with Ovine Herpesvirus 2 in Norwegian Herds with a History of Previous Outbreaks of Malignant Catarrhal Fever

Infection with Ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) in healthy cattle, swine, sheep, and goats was investigated on 43 selected Norwegian farms; of which, 41 (95%) had experienced outbreaks of malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) in cattle and/or swine during the preceding 5 years. Two of the farms had no history of MCF and were included for control purposes. Blood samples from 384 cattle, 40 sows, 75 sheep, and 4 goats were examined for OvHV-2 by polymerase chain reaction assay (PCR) and for antibodies using a competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ciELISA). All samples were also tested for antibodies reactive to Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 with an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). All but 4 of the sheep and all 4 goats tested positive with 1 or more of the tests. Eighty-nine (25%) of the cattle and 17 (43%) of the swine on the farms with previous MCF outbreaks tested positive with 1 or more of the tests. On 22 of the farms, at least 1 bovine tested positive with ciELISA and/or PCR, whereas 8 other farms had test-positive cattle with IFAT only. The 2 control farms yielded no positive results with any of the tests. Four of the farms had swine that tested positive with PCR, but none with ciELISA, whereas 4 other farms had test-positive swine with IFAT only. The prevalence of infection in cattle and swine seemed not to be influenced either by their age or the degree of contact with the sheep and goats.
Asymptotically fair scheduling on fading channels

The problem of scheduling data for a DS-CDMA downlink, over a fading channel, is considered. We show that high speed downlink data is most efficiently supported by time division of the channel, by letting only one single user in each cell access the channel at a time. For efficient resource utilization, some form of scheduling is required to determine which user should transmit at any given instant of time. Scheduling algorithms of different adaptation rate are suggested and compared. To avoid unfair performance, an algorithm that schedules a user to transmit when its channel is the "relatively best" is analyzed. We show that this algorithm asymptotically provides the same fairness as a round robin scheduler, but the throughput is significantly improved. For a Rayleigh fading channel, we show that the scheduling gain is in fact equal to the gain of a selection diversity scheme.
Errata: High-sensitivity detection of breast tumors in vivo by use of a pH-sensitive near-infrared fluorescence probe

We investigated the potential of the pH-sensitive dye, CypHer5E, conjugated to Herceptin (pH-Her) for the sensitive detection of breast tumors in mice using noninvasive time-domain near-infrared fluorescence imaging and different methods of data analysis. First, the fluorescence properties of pH-Her were analyzed as function of pH and/or dye-to-protein ratio, and binding specificity was confirmed in cell-based assays. Subsequently, the performance of pH-Her in nude mice bearing orthotopic HER2-positive (KPL-4) and HER2-negative (MDA-MB-231) breast carcinoma xenografts was compared to that of an always-on fluorescent conjugate Alexa Fluor 647-Herceptin (Alexa-Her). Subtraction of autofluorescence and lifetime (LT)-gated image analyses were performed for background fluorescence suppression. In mice bearing HER2-positive tumors, autofluorescence subtraction together with the selective fluorescence enhancement of pH-Her solely in the tumor's acidic environment provided high contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs). This led to an improved sensitivity of tumor detection compared to Alexa-Her. In contrast, LT-gated imaging using LTs determined in model systems did not improve tumor-detection sensitivity in vivo for either probe. In conclusion, pH-Her is suitable for sensitive in vivo monitoring of HER2-expressing breast tumors with imaging in the intensity domain and represents a promising tool for detection of weak fluorescent signals deriving from small tumors or metastases.
Human intestinal microbiota: Characterization of a simplified and stable gnotobiotic rat model

The study of host microbe interactions is hampered by the complexity and inter-individual variability of the human gut microbiota. Therefore, a simplified human intestinal microbiota (SIHUMI) consisting of seven bacterial species was introduced into germfree rats. Species selection was based on numerical importance and fermentative abilities in the human gut. Association of the rats with the SIHUMI (Anaerostipes caccae, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bifidobacterium longum, Blautia producta, Clostridium ramosum, Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus plantarum) resulted in increased faecal concentrations of short chain fatty acids compared to germfree animals. Since the faecal butyrate concentration was low (0.9 ± 0.5 µmol/g dry matter) the SIHUMI was complemented with Clostridium butyricum. This extended bacterial community (SIHUMIx) led to an increased faecal butyrate concentration of 1.5 ± 0.7 µmol/g dry matter. Besides forming SCFA, the SIHUMIx was capable of degrading mucins, β-aspartylglycine and bilirubin. These features are characteristic of conventional animals but not observed in germfree animals. Dietary interventions with modifications in fibre and fat content led to changes in the proportion of community members. The relative increase of one member of this community in response to a high-fat diet reflects the situation reported for obese mice and human subjects. The strength of the model communities is their remarkable stability over time and their easy transfer to the offspring.
Standardized evaluation of chemical compositions of LiTaO/sub 3/ single crystals for SAW devices using the LFB ultrasonic material characterization system

The line-focus-beam ultrasonic material characterization (LIFB-UMC) system is applied to compare and evaluate tolerances provided independently for the Curie temperature T/sub C/ and lattice constant /spl alpha/ to evaluate commercial LiTaO/sub 3/ single crystals by measuring the Rayleigh-type leaky surface acoustic wave (LSAW) velocities V/sub LSAW/. The relationships between VLSAW, and T/sub C/ and /spl alpha/ measured by individual manufacturers were obtained experimentally using 42/spl deg/YX-LiTaO/sub 3/ wafers as specimens from three crystal manufacturers. In addition, the relationship between VLSAW and SH-type SAW velocities V/sub SAW/ that are actually used for the SAW device wafers was obtained through calculations, using the chemical composition dependences of the acoustical physical constants for LiTaO/sub 3/ crystals reported previously. The result of a comparison between the T/sub C/ tolerance of /spl plusmn/3/spl deg/C and the /spl alpha/ tolerance of /spl plusmn/0.00002 nm through the common scale of VLSAW or VSAW demonstrated that the /spl alpha/ tolerance is 1.6 times larger than the T/sub C/ tolerance. Furthermore, we performed a standardized comparison of statistical data of T/sub C/ and /spl alpha/ for LiTaO/sub 3/ crystals grown by two manufacturers during 1999 and 2000, using VLSAW. The results clarified the differences of the average chemical compositions and of the chemical composition distributions among the crystal ingots between the two manufacturers. A guideline for the standardized evaluation procedure has been established for the SAW-device wafer specifications by the LFB-UMC system.
The Balance Between Pax5 and Id2 Activities Is the Key to AID Gene Expression

Pax5 activity is enhanced in activated B cells and is essential for class switch recombination (CSR). We show that inhibitor of differentiation (Id)2 suppresses CSR by repressing the gene expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), which has been shown to be indispensable for CSR. Furthermore, a putative regulatory region of AID contains E2A- and Pax5-binding sites, and the latter site is indispensable for AID gene expression. Moreover, the DNA-binding activity of Pax5 is decreased in Id2-overexpressing B cells and enhanced in Id2−/− B cells. The kinetics of Pax5, but not E2A, occupancy to AID locus is the same as AID expression in primary B cells. Finally, enforced expression of Pax5 induces AID transcription in pro–B cell lines. Our results provide evidence that the balance between Pax5 and Id2 activities has a key role in AID gene expression.
Chronic whiplash associated disorders and neck movement measurements: an instantaneous helical axis approach

This paper presents an assessment tool for objective neck movement analysis of subjects suffering from chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). Three-dimensional (3-D) motion data is collected by a commercially available motion analysis system. Head rotation, defined in this paper as the rotation angle around the instantaneous helical axis (IHA), is used for extracting a number of variables (e.g., angular velocity and range, symmetry of motion). Statistically significant differences were found between controls and subjects with chronic WAD in a number of variables.
Anatomic Variations of the Right Portal Vein: Prevalence, Imaging Features, and Implications for Successful Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation

Given the widespread use of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation for the treatment of portal hypertensive complications, a working knowledge of portal venous anatomy is critical for interventional radiologists. The right portal vein – which is most commonly accessed during TIPS – is subject to various anatomic variants that may potentially impact procedure success. This pictorial essay characterizes the anatomic patterns of the right portal vein branching in terms of type and frequency based on case series review. The work also explains the potential procedural implications of the right portal vein anatomic variations as they pertain to TIPS technical success.
Genetic algorithm solution to unit commitment problem

In this paper, Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used to solve the Unit Commitment (UC) Problem. Unit commitment problem was formulated with consideration of up & down time, startup cost (Hot & Cold start), and production cost. Unit commitment schedule as well as economic dispatch is obtained to obtain total cost of generation. Problem specific operators are used in the algorithm to improve the quality of the solution obtained and increase the convergence speed of problem. Performance of the GA is tested on 2 IEEE test systems, one of 5 units, 14 bus and another of 7 units, 56 bus respectively over the scheduling period of 24 hours. Results give an insight in the superiority of GA to other methods for solving UC problem.