Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beamforming in Non-Regenerative MIMO Broadcast Relay Networks

This paper studies a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) broadcast relay channel (BRC), in which a multiple-antenna base station (BS) communicates with multiple-antenna users through an infrastructure-based multiple-antenna relay station (RS). Applying dirty paper coding (DPC) at the BS and linear processing at the RS, our aim is to find the input covariance matrices and the RS beamforming matrix that maximize the system sum-rate. To solve this non-convex problem, a more tractable dual multiple access relay channel (MARC) is investigated and an alternating-minimization algorithm is proposed. Furthermore, the mapping from the resulting covariance matrices for the MARC to the covariance matrices for the BRC is derived. Unlike other existing single-antenna-user schemes, our solution is applicable to a more general network with any number of antennas at the users. Compared with two such single-antenna-user schemes, simulations show that the proposed scheme outperforms the all-pass relay design and performs similarly to the SVD-relay design. Moreover, the proposed design performs close to the sum-rate upper bound with the performance gap decreasing with increasing number of antennas per user. It is also observed that having more antennas at the RS than at the BS is desirable for better system performance.
BEHAVIORAL PHENOTYPING OF RATS SELECTIVELY BRED FOR DIFFERENTIAL LEVELS OF 50 KHZ ULTRASONIC VOCALIZATIONS

H. Casey Cromwell, Advisor In rats, the rates of 20 kHz and 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) can be used as a selective breeding phenotype and variations in this phenotype can be an indicator of positive affective states and developmental differences. The 50 kHz USV is elicited by positive or rewarding stimuli (e.g., food, sex, drugs of abuse) and therefore can be an indictor of a positive affective state. Conversely, the 20 kHz USV is elicited by aversive stimuli (e.g., foot shock, presence of a predator, social defeat) indicating a negative affective state. In this study, we tested the effect of selectively breeding for 50 kHz USVs on a variety of social / emotional behaviors across the animal’s lifespan. These social / emotional measures consisted of observations of pup retrieval latency and maternal care behaviors, measurement of isolation distress calls and conditioned odor preference as pups (age 1-12 days), play behavior, and social investigation as juveniles (age 21-32 days) into adulthood (90+ days of age). Cross fostering was utilized to determine if the differences in behaviors were primarily a result of maternal care or genetic expression. Results indicate that animals selected for low levels of 50 kHz USVs show the greatest alterations in social behaviors compared to the random “control” line animals. The low line animals showed a slight decrease in maternal/pup bonding, increased isolation distress calls, and failed to show a preference for a maternally associated odor, a marginal decrease in dorsal contacts during rough-and-tumble play behavior, and significantly more investigation in the social investigation paradigm after isolate housing. The social behaviors of the high line animals did not consistently vary from the random line animals with the exception of more investigation
Relationship between Emotional Intelligence, Self-Esteem, Anxiety and Academic Stress of the Gifted Children in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence, self-esteem, anxiety and academic stress of gifted children in Oyo State, Nigeria. Descriptive research design of ex-post-facto was used in the study. One hundred and twenty (120) gifted children were selected from public secondary schools in Oyo State, Nigeria. The respondents were measured with five standardized scales including; (i) Self â€“esteem Scale (ii) Student Academic Stress Scale,(iii) Emotional intelligence Scale, (iv) Giftedness Scale and (v) State and Trait Anxiety Inventory. Three research Questions were raised and answered in the study. The data obtained were analyzed using Pearsonâ€™s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Multiple Regression analysis. The result showed that there was significant relationship among all the independent variables (emotional intelligence, selfesteem and anxiety) and academic stress. There was joint contribution of emotional intelligence, selfesteem and anxiety on academic stress among gifted students in Oyo state. Also there was relative contribution of emotional intelligence, selfesteem and anxiety on academic stress among gifted students in Oyo state. In view of these findings, the study advocated that the students need to be trained on how to improve their selfesteem and emotional intelligence, ameliorate anxiety because these have significant influence on their academic stress in the school system. Recommendations were made on how the gifted learners could be assisted to reduce stress in their environment and academic work.
Properties of the X-ray-brightest Abell-type clusters of galaxies (XBACs) from ROSAT All-Sky Survey data - I. The sample

We present an essentially complete, all-sky, X-ray flux limi ted sample of 242 Abell clusters of galaxies (six of which are double) compiled from ROSAT All-Sky Survey data. Our sample is uncontaminated in the sense that systems featuring prominent X-ray point sources such as AGN or foreground stars have been removed. The sample is limited to high Galactic latitudes (jbj� 20 � ), the nominal redshift range of the ACO catalogue of z � 0:2, and X-ray fluxes above 5:0�10 12 erg cm 2 s 1 in the 0.1 ‐ 2.4 keV band. Due to the X-ray flux limit, our sample consists, at intermediate and high redshifts, ex clusively of very X-ray luminous clusters. Since the latter tend to be also optically rich, th e sample is not affected by the optical selection effects and in particular not by the volume incompleteness known to be present in the Abell and ACO catalogues for richness class 0 and 1 clusters. Our sample is the largest X-ray flux limited sample of galaxy c lusters compiled to date and will allow investigations of unprecedented statistica l quality into the properties and distribution of rich clusters in the local Universe.
Mechanistic Effects of Calcitriol in Cancer Biology

Besides its classical biological effects on calcium and phosphorus homeostasis, calcitriol, the active vitamin D metabolite, has a broad variety of actions including anticancer effects that are mediated either transcriptionally and/or via non-genomic pathways. In the context of cancer, calcitriol regulates the cell cycle, induces apoptosis, promotes cell differentiation and acts as anti-inflammatory factor within the tumor microenvironment. In this review, we address the different mechanisms of action involved in the antineoplastic effects of calcitriol.
Self-reported sense of presence and responses to social stimuli by adolescents with autism spectrum disorder in a collaborative virtual reality environment

ABSTRACT Background Collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) have the potential to support sociocommunicative interactions for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but little is known about the sense of presence participants feel in CVEs or how CVEs can be used to assess skills. Method Ten children with ASD and 10 typically developing (TD) children (aged 12–16 years) judged greeting behaviours of a human avatar and static facial expressions in a virtual gallery. Results There were no differences in presence reported by the two groups. The ASD group was less sensitive to a negative greeting from the human avatar than the TD group, and impaired in recognising static facial expressions. Conclusions Self-reported measures of presence are valuable for informing which kinds of tasks, and technology may provide more authentic contexts in which to identify and support social competence in participants with ASD.
Influence of Agent Type and Task Ambiguity on Conformity in Social Decision Making

Previous research has demonstrated reliable effects of social pressure on conformity and social decision-making in human-human interaction. The current study investigates whether non-human agents are also capable of inducing similar social pressure effects; in particular, we examined whether the degree of physical human-likeness of an agent (i.e., appearance) modulates conformity and whether potential effects of agent type on conformity are modulated further by task ambiguity. To answer these questions, participants performed a line judgment task together with agents of different degrees of humanness (human, robot, computer) in either a high or low ambiguity version of the task. We expected an increase in conformity rates for agents with increasing levels of physical humanness, as well as for increasing levels of task ambiguity. Results showed low-level conformity with all agents, with a significant difference in conformity between the high and low ambiguity version of the task (i.e., stronger compliance for the high versus the low task); the degree of humanness, however, did not have an influence on conformity rates (neither alone or in combination with task type). The results suggest that when performing a task together with others, participants always conform to some degree with the social interaction partner independent of its level of humanness; the level of conformity, however, depends on task ambiguity with stronger compliance across agents for more ambiguous tasks.
Enemies with benefits: the dual role of rivalry in shaping sports fans’ identity

ABSTRACT Research question: Rivalries in team sports are commonly conceptualized as a threat to the fans’ identity. Therefore, past research has mainly focused on the negative consequences. However, theoretical arguments and empirical evidence suggest that rivalry has both negative and positive effects on fans’ self-concept. This research develops and empirically tests a model which captures and integrates these dual effects of rivalry. Research methods: Data were collected via an on-site survey at home games of eight German Bundesliga football teams (N = 571). Structural equation modeling provides strong support for the proposed model. Results and findings: In line with previous research, the results show that rivalry threatens fans’ identity as reflected in lower public collective self-esteem in relation to supporters of the rival team. However, the results also show that there are crucial positive consequences, such as higher perceptions of public collective self-esteem in relation to supporters of non-rival opponents, perceived ingroup distinctiveness and ingroup cohesion. These positive effects are mediated through increases in disidentification with the rival and perceived reciprocity of rivalry. Implications: We contribute to the literature by providing a more balanced view of one of team sports’ key phenomena. Our results indicate that the prevalent conceptualization of rivalry as an identity threat should be amended by the positive consequences. Our research also offers guidance for the promotion of rivalries, where the managerial focus should be on creating a perception that a rivalry is reciprocal.
On the Distribution of Source Code File Sizes

Source code size is an estimator of software effort. Size is also often used to calibrate models and equations to estimate the cost of software. The distribution of source code file sizes has been shown in the literature to be a lognormal distribution. In this paper, we measure the size of a large collection of software (the Debian GNU/Linux distribution version 5.0.2), and we find that the statistical distribution of its source code file sizes follows a double Pareto distribution. This means that large files are to be found more often than predicted by the lognormal distribution, therefore the previously proposed models underestimate the cost of software.
Modelling Neurodegenerative Diseases Using Human Neural Stem Cells to Model Neurological Disease

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington disease (HD) and Parkinson disease (PD), involve degeneration of discrete sets of cells in the central nervous system (CNS), which, in some cases, is associated with specific mutations. Much effort has been made to understand the link between these mutations and the resultant cell death to explain the underlying disease mechanisms. The advent of transgenic technology has allowed the generation of mice with specific mutations that cause these uniquely human diseases. Animal models can be used to establish the sequence of pathological changes that characterizes the disease and to test potential therapies that are aimed at blocking these changes. However, both behavioural and cellular changes observed in these models are often very different from those observed in the human condition. Furthermore, the promising effects of novel therapies in animal models are often not replicated in human clinical trials 1,2. Owing to the lack of data on pathogene-sis, most therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases are aimed at symptomatic relief instead of halting disease progression. Species differences between mice and humans might be one reason for clinical failures — rodent cells are differentially vulnerable to human disease transgenes and toxins compared with human cells. Studying post-mortem brain tissue from affected patients provides more information about the pathogenesis of mutant proteins and toxins in neurological diseases. Ultimately, temporal experiments are vital to establish how expression of the mutation or toxin leads to cellular dysfunc-tion. The various stages of cellular demise can then be explored at the molecular and cellular levels, and new interventions can be explored. To reach this goal, a large amount of human nervous tissue that carries the mutation or is exposed to specific toxins is required. Here, we review remarkable advances in the controlled growth and differentiation of human neural stem cells that are derived from embryos, fetal brain tissue or the adult brain. Stem cells therefore provide a novel, renewable source of non-TRANSFORMED neural tissue for the purposes of learning how specific mutations and environmental toxins might directly affect the molecular and cellular profile of human neurons and GLIA. Transgenic tales. The first approaches to understanding human neurological diseases involved classical neu-roanatomical studies, followed by complex biochemical analyses, and more recently, through investigations into specific genetic alterations found in patients 3–5. KNOCKOUT , KNOCK-IN and HETEROLOGOUS RANDOM INTEGRATION have made it possible to reproduce these mutations in animal models , which are amenable to experimental …
T-705 (Favipiravir) Inhibition of Arenavirus Replication in Cell Culture

ABSTRACT A number of New World arenaviruses (Junín [JUNV], Machupo [MACV], and Guanarito [GTOV] viruses) can cause human disease ranging from mild febrile illness to a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever syndrome. These highly pathogenic viruses and the Old World Lassa fever virus pose a significant threat to public health and national security. The only licensed antiviral agent with activity against these viruses, ribavirin, has had mixed success in treating severe arenaviral disease and is associated with significant toxicities. A novel pyrazine derivative currently in clinical trials for the treatment of influenza virus infections, T-705 (favipiravir), has demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against a number of RNA viruses, including arenaviruses. T-705 has also been shown to be effective against Pichinde arenavirus infection in a hamster model. Here, we demonstrate the robust antiviral activity of T-705 against authentic highly pathogenic arenaviruses in cell culture. We show that T-705 disrupts an early or intermediate stage in viral replication, distinct from absorption or release, and that its antiviral activity in cell culture is reversed by the addition of purine bases and nucleosides, but not with pyrimidines. Specific inhibition of viral replication/transcription by T-705 was demonstrated using a lymphocytic choriomeningitis arenavirus replicon system. Our findings indicate that T-705 acts to inhibit arenavirus replication/transcription and may directly target the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.
Unsupervised Domain Adaptation Using Approximate Label Matching

Domain adaptation addresses the problem created when training data is generated by a so-called source distribution, but test data is generated by a significantly different target distribution. In this work, we present approximate label matching (ALM), a new unsupervised domain adaptation technique that creates and leverages a rough labeling on the test samples, then uses these noisy labels to learn a transformation that aligns the source and target samples. We show that the transformation estimated by ALM has favorable properties compared to transformations estimated by other methods, which do not use any kind of target labeling. Our model is regularized by requiring that a classifier trained to discriminate source from transformed target samples cannot distinguish between the two. We experiment with ALM on simulated and real data, and show that it outperforms techniques commonly used in the field.
A product retrieval system robust to subjective queries

In recent years, electronic markets are increasing rapidly and attracting the attention of customers. In these sites, people search for products using retrieval systems. They, however, often cannot translate their subjective needs into keyword-based queries or adapt to the interfaces. In this paper, we describe a product retrieval system robust to subjective queries. Using a large amount of consumer reviews, the system allows users to input natural language queries and retrieves appropriate products even if the queries are highly subjective. To estimate the correspondence between a query and a review text, the system extracts 3-tuples consisting of a product name/category, its features, and the value from each text using rules based on syntactic patterns. It calculates each product scores based on correspondence rate of 3-tuples and presents ranked relevant products. In experimental results for a accommodation domain, it obtained higher average and total precision for 10 queries compared with a baseline that uses keyword based tf-idf method. Thus, we confirmed the effectiveness for subjective queries.
Petri net-based scheduling of time-constrained dual-arm cluster tools with bounded activity time variation

For time-constrained cluster tool in semiconductor manufacturing, activity time variation can make an originally feasible schedule infeasible. With bounded activity time variation considered, this paper addresses their real-time scheduling issues and conducts their schedulability analysis. With Petri net (PN) model and a real-time control policy, this paper derives closed form schedulability conditions. If schedulable, an algorithm is developed to obtain an off-line periodic schedule. This schedule together with a real-time control policy forms a real-time schedule. It is optimal in terms of cycle time and can be analytically computed with closed form expressions.
Development of Solar Energy in Sabah Malaysia: The Case of Trudgill’s Perception

Solar energy in Malaysia was first introduced as one of the five fuels in electricity generation through the Fifth Fuel Policy in 2001. However, the current real harnessing of available solar sources is still below its actual potential. This study examined the non-technical barriers towards solar energy implementation in Sabah located on the Borneo Island on eastern part of Malaysia. Following the theoretical framework, the proposed non-technical barriers are agreement, knowledge, technological, economic, social and political. The results of the study showed that awareness and economics are among the two significant barriers in solar energy implementation in Sabah. This necessitates more appropriate energy and financial policies to help public acceptance of solar energy sources for electricity generation in the region.
The Long-Run Macroeconomic Impacts of Fuel Subsidies

Analytical and numerical results show how the presence of a subsidy on household and firm purchases of oil products distorts long-run macroeconomic aggregates in an oil-importing developing country. Beyond leading to over-consumption of oil products these subsidies also lead to increased labor supply, a distorted emphasis on producing traded goods, and higher real wages. The subsidy also impacts the relative price of non-traded goods, causing it to fall when the non-traded sector is more oil-intensive than the traded sector and vice-versa.
protein folding A phage display system for studying the sequence determinants of

We have developed a phage display system that provides a means to select variants of the IgG binding domain of peptostreptococcal protein L that fold from large combinatorial libraries. The premise underlying the selection scheme is that binding of protein L to IgG requires that the protein be properly folded. Using a combination of molecular biological and biophysical methods, we show that this assumption is valid. First, the phage selection procedure strongly selects against a point mutation in protein L that disrupts folding but is not in the IgG binding interface. Second, variants recovered from a library in which the first third of protein L was randomized are properly folded. The degree of sequence variation i the selected population is striking: the variants have as many as nine substitutions in the 14 residues that were mutagenized. The approach provides a selection for “foldedness” that is potentially applicable to any small binding protein.
Casticin inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition of liver cancer stem cells of the SMMC-7721 cell line through downregulating Twist

The existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is central to the pathogenesis and therapeutic target of human hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of casticin on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) derived from the SMMC-7721 cell line. Our results demonstrated that CD133+ sphere-forming cells (SFCs) sorted from the SMMC-7721 cell line not only possessed a higher capacity to form tumor spheroids in vitro, but also had a greater potential to form tumors when implanted in Balb/c-nu mice, indicating that CD133+ SFCs possessed similar traits to LCSCs. Casticin increased the expression levels of E-cadherin and decreased those of N-cadherin in LCSCs. Treatment of LCSCs with casticin for 48 h also decreased the levels of the EMT-associated transcription factor, Twist. Overexpression of Twist attenuated the casticin-induced regulation of E-cadherin and N-cadherin protein expression, as well as the EMT capacity of LCSCs. In conclusion, CD133+ SFCs of the SMMC-7721 cell line may represent a subpopulation of LCSCs with the characteristics of EMT. Furthermore, casticin targeted LCSCs through the inhibition of EMT by downregulating Twist.