Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Link capacity and signal power of CDMA systems according to spreading code and bandwidth allocations in multipath fading environments

Reverse link performance analyses of singlecode (SC) and multi-code (MC) CDMA systems in multipath fading environments are presented. The degree of orthogonality loss among multiple spreading code channels is characterized by introducing the orthogonality factor. This factor depends on the multipath delay power profiles of the propagation channel and the number of paths resolved at a Rake receiver. The link capacity and the signal power of both CDMA systems are then analyzed according to varying system parameters, including spreading bandwidth, traffic load, the orthogonality factor, and the number of spreading codes assigned to a user. Analytical results show that the SC-CDMA system provides a larger link capacity and MC users require more power than SC users. The dominant parameters affecting the performance difference are the spreading bandwidth and multipath delay power profiles. key words: link capacity, signal power, CDMA, orthogonality
A novel cis-acting centromeric DNA element affects S. pombe centromeric chromatin structure at a distance

The chromatin structure of the central core region of Schizosaccharomyces pombe centromeric DNA is unusual. This distinctive chromatin structure is associated only with central core sequences in a functional context and is modulated by a novel cis-acting DNA element (centromere enhancer) within the functionally critical K centromeric repeat, which is found in multiple copies in all three S. pombe centromeres. The centromere enhancer alters central core chromatin structure from a distance and in an orientation-independent manner without altering the nucleosomal packaging of sequences between the enhancer and the central core. These findings suggest a functionally relevant structural interaction between the enhancer and the centromeric central core brought about by DNA looping.
16S rRNA and Omp31 Gene Based Molecular Characterization of Field Strains of B. melitensis from Aborted Foetus of Goats in India

Brucellosis is a reemerging infectious zoonotic disease of worldwide importance. In human, it is mainly caused by Brucella melitensis, a natural pathogen for goats. In India, a large number of goats are reared in semi-intensive to intensive system within the close vicinity of human being. At present, there is no vaccination and control strategy for caprine brucellosis in the country. Thus, to formulate an effective control strategy, the status of etiological agent is essential. To cope up with these, the present study was conducted to isolate and identify the prevalent Brucella species in caprine brucellosis in India. The 30 samples (fetal membrane, fetal stomach content and vaginal swabs) collected throughout India from the aborted fetus of goats revealed the isolation of 05 isolates all belonging to Brucella melitensis biovars 3. All the isolates produced amplification products of 1412 and 720 bp in polymerase chain reaction with genus and species specific 16S rRNA and omp31 gene based primers, respectively. Moreover, the amplification of omp31 gene in all the isolates confirmed the presence of immuno dominant outer membrane protein (31 kDa omp) in all the field isolates of B. melitensis in aborted foetus of goats in India. These findings can support the development of omp31 based specific serodiagnostic test as well as vaccine for the control of caprine brucellosis in India.
Is Corporate R&D Investment in High-Tech Sectors More Effective?

This paper discusses the link between RD this general result is largely consistent with previous literature in terms of the sign, the significance and the magnitude of the estimated coefficients. More interestingly, both at sectoral and firm levels the RD technological change embodied in gross investment is of comparable importance on aggregate and is the main determinant of productivity increase in the low-tech sectors. Hence, an economic policy aiming to increase productivity in the low-tech sectors should support overall capital formation. JEL-classification: O33
Clustering the lexicon in the brain: a meta-analysis of the neurofunctional evidence on noun and verb processing

Although it is widely accepted that nouns and verbs are functionally independent linguistic entities, it is less clear whether their processing recruits different brain areas. This issue is particularly relevant for those theories of lexical semantics (and, more in general, of cognition) that suggest the embodiment of abstract concepts, i.e., based strongly on perceptual and motoric representations. This paper presents a formal meta-analysis of the neuroimaging evidence on noun and verb processing in order to address this dichotomy more effectively at the anatomical level. We used a hierarchical clustering algorithm that grouped fMRI/PET activation peaks solely on the basis of spatial proximity. Cluster specificity for grammatical class was then tested on the basis of the noun-verb distribution of the activation peaks included in each cluster. Thirty-two clusters were identified: three were associated with nouns across different tasks (in the right inferior temporal gyrus, the left angular gyrus, and the left inferior parietal gyrus); one with verbs across different tasks (in the posterior part of the right middle temporal gyrus); and three showed verb specificity in some tasks and noun specificity in others (in the left and right inferior frontal gyrus and the left insula). These results do not support the popular tenets that verb processing is predominantly based in the left frontal cortex and noun processing relies specifically on temporal regions; nor do they support the idea that verb lexical-semantic representations are heavily based on embodied motoric information. Our findings suggest instead that the cerebral circuits deputed to noun and verb processing lie in close spatial proximity in a wide network including frontal, parietal, and temporal regions. The data also indicate a predominant—but not exclusive—left lateralization of the network.
Assessing MODIS GPP in Non-Forested Biomes in Water Limited Areas Using EC Tower Data

Although shrublands, savannas and grasslands account for 37% of the world’s terrestrial area, not many studies have analysed the role of these ecosystems in the global carbon cycle at a regional scale. The MODIS Gross Primary Production (GPP) product is used here to help bridge this gap. In this study, the agreement between the MODIS GPP product (GPPm) and the GPP Eddy Covariance tower data (GPPec) was tested for six different sites in temperate and dry climatic regions (three grasslands, two shrublands and one evergreen forest). Results of this study show that for the non-forest sites in water-limited areas, GPPm is well correlated with GPPec at annual scales (r2 = 0.77, n = 12; SEE = 149.26 g C∙m−2∙year−1), although it tends to overestimate GPP and it is less accurate in the sites with permanent water restrictions. The use of biome-specific models based on precipitation measurements at a finer spatial resolution than the Data Assimilation Office (DAO) values can increase the accuracy of these estimations. The seasonal dynamics and the beginning and end of the growing season were well captured by GPPm for the sites where (i) the productivity was low throughout the year or (ii) the changes in the flux trend were abrupt, usually due to the restrictions in water availability. The agreement between GPPec and GPPm in non-forested sites was lower on a weekly basis than at an annual scale (0.44 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.49), but these results were improved by including meteorological data at a finer spatial scale, and soil water content and temperature measurements in the model developed to predict GPPec (0.52 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.65).
The Amiloride-Sensitive Epithelial Na+ Channel PPK28 Is Essential for Drosophila Gustatory Water Reception

Water sensation is a specific taste modality in the fruit fly. Water-induced hypoosmolarity activates specific gustatory receptor neurons; however, the molecular identity of the putative osmolarity sensor in these neurons remains unknown. We found that amiloride and its analogs specifically antagonized the response of water gustatory receptor neurons and the behavior of flies toward water stimulation. Deletion of the gene that encodes the amiloride-sensitive PPK28 channel, a DEG/eNaC (degenerin/epithelial sodium channel) family member, abolished the water-induced activity of water gustatory receptor neurons and greatly diminished the behavioral response of flies to water. Ectopic expression of the PPK28 channel in the bitter cells within the intermediate-type sensilla renders these sensilla responsive to water stimuli. Thus, the amiloride-sensitive PPK28 channel may serve as the osmolarity sensor for gustatory water reception in the fruit fly.
Cell Anchorage Permits Efficient Signal Transduction Between Ras and Its Downstream Kinases*

Cell anchorage strongly affects the signal transduction cascade initiated by peptide mitogens. For both epidermal growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor, activation of the consensus mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade is impaired when cells are held in suspension as compared with cells anchored to a fibronectin substratum. Upstream events in the signaling cascade, including tyrosine phosphorylation of the mitogen receptor and GTP loading of Ras, are similar in anchored and suspended cells. However, propagation of the signal to Raf and subsequently to the downstream kinases MEK and mitogen-activated protein kinase is markedly attenuated in suspended cells. Thus, there seems to be a distinct anchorage-dependent step between Ras and Raf in the signaling cascade initiated by peptide mitogens. These observations may have important implications for understanding the anchorage dependence of cell growth.
Trinity College Digital Repository Trinity College Digital Repository Active Prospective Control Is Required for Effective Sensorimotor Active Prospective Control Is Required for Effective Sensorimotor Learning Learning

Passive modeling of movements is often used in movement therapy to overcome disabilities caused by stroke or other disorders (e.g. Developmental Coordination Disorder or Cerebral Palsy). Either a therapist or, recently, a specially designed robot moves or guides the limb passively through the movement to be trained. In contrast, action theory has long suggested that effective skill acquisition requires movements to be actively generated. Is this true? In view of the former, we explicitly tested the latter. Previously, a method was developed that allows children with Developmental Coordination Disorder to produce effective movements actively, so as to improve manual performance to match that of typically developing children. In the current study, we tested practice using such active movements as compared to practice using passive movement. The passive movement employed, namely haptic tracking, provided a strong test of the comparison, one that showed that the mere inaction of the muscles is not the problem. Instead, lack of prospective control was. The result was no effective learning with passive movement while active practice with prospective control yielded significant improvements in performance.
Antimicrobial Resistance in Enterococcus sp Isolated from Soft Cheese in Southern Brazil

The aim of this research was to study the incidence of antibiotic resistance in 56 Enterococcus strains isolated from dairy products. The identification of enterococci was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers to E. faecalis, E. faecium, E. gallinarum and E. casseliflavus, and antibiotic resistance was tested by the disk diffusion method. The most prevalent species was E. faecium with a rate of 58.33%, followed by 27.77% E. faecalis, 11.11% E. casseliflavus and 2.7% E. gallinarum. Distribution of resistance was found in different species. All isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol, ampicillin, imipenem and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. In addition, isolates resistant to tetracyclin, nalidixic acid, amikacin, erythromycin, vancomycin and cephalothin were detected. A total of 66.6% of E. faecium and 58.3% of E. faecalis strain were resistant to multiple drugs. The van(A) gene was detected in 100% of vancomycin resistant enterococci. Considering the results of our study, dairy enterococci can be considered a potential source for dissemination of antibiotic resistances.
Dynamical properties of a tagged particle in the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process with the step-type initial condition

Dynamical properties of a tagged particle in the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process with the step-type initial condition Abstract The one-dimensional totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) is considered. We study the time evolution property of a tagged particle in TASEP with the step-type initial condition. Calculated is the multi-time joint distribution function of its position. Using the relation of the dynamics of TASEP to the Schur process, we show that the function is represented as the Fredholm determinant. We also study the scaling limit. The universality of the largest eigenvalue in the random matrix theory is realized in the limit. When the hopping rates of all particles are the same, it is found that the joint distribution function converges to that of the Airy process after the time at which the particle begins to move. On the other hand, when there are several particles with small hopping rate in front of a tagged particle, the limiting process changes at a certain time from the Airy process to the process of the largest eigenvalue in the Hermitian multi-matrix model with external sources.
Properties , and Drug Resistance Clonogenic Multiple Myeloma Progenitors , Stem Cell

Many agents are active in multiple myeloma, but the majority of patients relapse. This clinical pattern suggests most cancer cells are eliminated, but cells with the clonogenic potential to mediate tumor regrowth are relatively chemoresistant. Our previous data suggested that CD138 multiple myeloma plasma cells cannot undergo long-term proliferation but rather arise from clonogenic CD138 B cells. We compared the relative sensitivity of these distinct cell types to clinical antimyeloma agents and found that dexamethasone, lenadilomide, bortezomib, and 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide inhibited CD138 multiple myeloma plasma cells but had little effect on CD138 precursors in vitro . We further characterized clonogenic multiple myeloma cells and stained cell lines using the Hoechst side population and Aldefluor assays. Each assay identified CD138 cells suggesting that they possess high drug efflux capacity and intracellular drug detoxification activity. We also found that multiple myeloma cells expressing the memory B-cell markers CD20 and CD27 could give rise to clonogenic multiple myeloma growth in vitro and engraft immunodeficient nonobese diabetes/ severe combined immunodeficient mice during both primary and secondary transplantation. Furthermore, both the side population and Aldefluor assays were capable of identifying circulating clonotypic memory B-cell populations within the peripheral blood of multiple myeloma patients. Our results suggest that circulating clonotypic B-cell populations represent multiple myeloma stem cells, and the relative drug resistance of these cells ismediated by processes that protect normal stem cells from toxic injury. [Cancer Res 2008;68(1):190–7]
Women's Empowerment and Demographic Processes: Moving Beyond Cairo

There is general consensus among the international population community that the commitment achieved at the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994) to womens empowerment, along with the related goals of improving womens reproductive health and securing their reproductive rights, represented a paradigm shift in the discourse about population and development, even though there are differences in view whether this is a positive change or not. But while the rhetoric about womens empowerment is pervasive, the concept remains ill-defined, and its relationship to demographic processes has not been well articulated, either theoretically or empirically. This book brings together leading researchers and policy advocates to explore whether the concept of womens empowerment is indeed useful for an understanding of key demographic processes. Its contributors identify new directions for demographic research from the analysis of available data that measure womens empowerment, and point to the implications for population-related policies. Demographic research has focused relatively little to date on gender, let alone the question of power. Yet critiques of available data argue that traditional womens-status indicators, such as education and employment, are often not sensitive enough to capture the nuances of gender power relations and the ways in which they govern womens and mens reproductive behaviour. This book moves forward to the complex task of conceptualizing, measuring, and analysing womens empowerment. In laying this groundwork, it provides critically important insights into the causes and consequences of population change, including migration. The book combines conceptual and empirical research with policy directions and considers the relevance of economic, social, and cultural contexts for the health and well-being of women, adolescents, and children. The countries under study are of both the North and the South. This book represents state-of-the-art knowledge on the two-way linkages between womens empowerment and demographic processes.
BGP Anomaly Detection Using Wavelet Analysis

Being the de facto standard inter-domain routing protocol, BGP’s performance characteristics have a widespread, sometime global, impact to the Internet. Anomalous BGP behavior could result in delayed path convergence, and in the worst case, network connectivity disruption. An in-depth understanding on BGP’s anomalies will not only help administrators to manage the network better, but also help researchers to design a better protocol. Earlier studies offer enlightening insights into BGP anomalies. The anomaly could be induced by problems at lower layers. Besides faulty hardware and software bugs [1], propagation of certain worms [2], [3], [4] lead to route instabilities (route flaps) and pathological updates. These are known to delay BGP convergence and local dynamics do propagate globally. In addition, problems of BGP itself or configuration may also cause BGP to behave anomalously. BGP misconfiguration [5] is pervasive and substantially increases the update load on routers. Some misconfiguration events indeed caused major Internet connectivity disruption. Improper implementation of the Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) [6] for cold potato routing and route reflection and confederation in I-BGP [7] could result in persistent route oscillations [8], even in the absence of topology change. The first step toward understanding BGP anomalies is to detect them when happening. This is however not an easy task at all. Given the humongous volume of BGP data, it is simply impractical for network administrators to manually pinpoint all the BGP anomalies and trace their root causes. [9], [10] proposed a visualization-based tool to detect Origin AS Change (OASC) events. Zhang et. al [11] applied both signatures (a pre-defined pattern of events) and statistic methods for anomaly detection. These works need extensive processing on collected routing data, and are therefore more appropriate for off-line post-processing.
Demonstrating mood repair with a situation‐based measure of self‐compassion and self‐criticism

Objectives The clinical significance of self‐criticism and self‐compassion has prompted the development of questionnaires assessing these constructs. However, there is a lack of measures assessing their interaction within specific contexts and potential involvement in mood repair processes. Design To rectify this, we developed the Self‐Compassion and Self‐Criticism Scales (SCCS), based on responses to specific scenarios, and examined its psychometric properties in an online survey and an experimental situation. Method In study 1, standard psychometric procedures were used to investigate the reliability and validity of the SCCS. In study 2, an experimental challenge involving a difficult language task was used to test its sensitivity to change. Results In study 1, exploratory factor analysis (n = 413) showed a clear two‐factor structure of the SCCS denoting two orthogonal scales, with high internal validity (α ≥ .87). Correlations between the SCCS and existing measures also demonstrated appropriate convergent validity. Study 2 (n = 90) provided preliminary evidence that the SCCS can detect changes in self‐appraisals. Participants receiving no performance feedback from the challenge task showed reduced state self‐criticism and increased state self‐compassion, demonstrating mood repair. Conclusions The SCCS has promise as a situational measure of self‐compassion and self‐criticism. Practitioner points In the context of specific problem situations, clients' levels of self‐criticism and self‐compassion may well be orthogonal and can be assessed with the SCCS. In setting treatment goals and assessing treatment outcome, it may be helpful to target both self‐compassion and self‐criticism separately.
Sex Education Inclusivity and Sexual Minority Health: The Perceived Inclusivity of Sex Education Scale

Abstract Minority stress research has demonstrated negative health outcomes in sexual minority populations. However, the influence of sex education on these outcomes remains unclear. In the current study, the Perceived Inclusivity of Sex Education Scale (PISES) was developed and administered to sexual minorities (N = 263) to assess the associations between sex education climate and health outcomes. Greater perceived inclusivity was associated with lower anxiety, depression, and suicidality, but was not associated with sexual risk-taking and substance use. We hypothesized that a number of resilience factors would moderate these relationships, but no interactions were found. These findings may help guide further research on sex education among sexual minorities.
DCF-Valuations of Companies in Crisis: Distress-Related Leverage, Identification of Risk Positions, Discounting Techniques, and “Beta Flips”

Abstract From the viewpoint of a well-diversified investor, an equity investment in an operationally distressed company resembles an equity investment in a financially levered company. However, the risk characteristics of the “virtual debt” in a distressed company are not necessarily identical to those of typical financial debt, which makes investments into distressed companies unique. In this paper, we show that risk-adjusted discount rates of distressed companies can differ quite significantly from those of healthy companies. We further illustrate how to determine such discount rates and how to account for these findings in practical discounted cash flow valuation cases.
The Demand for Major League Baseball: A Test of the Uncertainty of Outcome Hypothesis

The relationship between attendance at major league baseball games and the uncertainty of the outcome of each game is examined. We use an a priori measure of uncertainty in estimating the attendance equation. The variable is developed from the betting lines for individual games and measures the probability of a home team victory during the 1988 major league baseball season. The results indicate that uncertainty of outcome is a significant determinant of attendance for major league baseball. In addition, the results are used to determine the probability of a home team victory at which attendance will be maximized.