Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the Impact of WiMAX-OFDM Interference on Multiband OFDM

This paper presents an analysis of the performance of the multiband orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MB-OFDM) system for ultra wideband (UWB) communication in the presence of interference from an IEEE 802.16 WiMAX-OFDM system operating in the 3.5 GHz band. Recent work (Hu & Beaulieu, IEEE Trans. Commun., Oct. 2006) has demonstrated accurate Gaussian approximations for narrowband OFDM interference to time-hopping and direct-sequence UWB victim receivers, but little analysis has been done for MB-OFDM. Because of the significant differences in signal model and receiver design, it is also not clear that such Gaussian approximations hold for MB-OFDM victim receivers. Motivated by this question, we present an exact analysis of the uncoded bit error rate (BER) of the MB-OFDM system, based on Laplace transform techniques. We also present a simple but accurate Gaussian approximation for the WiMAX-OFDM interference, and confirm both the exact and approximate analysis via simulations. We find that, depending on the signal-to-interference ratio, interference from WiMAX-OFDM systems may have a substantial impact on the performance of MB-OFDM. However, the approximately Gaussian nature of the interference signal gives hope for the development of simple interference detection and mitigation techniques.
Good Practices in the Assessment of Victimization: The Spanish Adaptation of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire

Objective: To provide the first validity evidence for the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) under the causal indicators approach, using lifetime experiences of victimization in a community sample of adolescents, and to explore the associations between polyvictimization and psychopathological symptoms. Method: The final sample comprised 804 adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 14.52, SD = 1.76) and recruited from 7 secondary schools in northeastern Spain. Victimization experiences and psychopathological symptoms were assessed through the JVQ (Finkelhor, Hamby, Ormrod, & Turner, 2005) and the Youth Self-Report (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). Results: There were low correlations between JVQ items, indicating that victimization events tend to be independent. The causal indicators model for causing psychological distress fitted the data, explaining up to 38% and 40% of the variance in internalizing and externalizing symptoms, respectively. Conclusions: An inappropriate approach to validation can have important consequences for applied research into victimization. Using a causal indicators approach it can be concluded that the JVQ is a valid assessment instrument that can obtain relevant information regarding victimization directly from children and adolescents. This information can be used to help tailor clinical interventions to the needs of child and adolescent victims.
The Anaphoric Parallel between Modality and Tense1

In modal subordination, a modal sentence is interpreted relative to a hypothetical scenario introduced in an earlier sentence. In this paper, I argue that this phenomenon reflects the fact that the interpretation of modals is an ANAPHORIC process, precisely analogous to the anaphoric interpretation of tense. Modal morphemes introduce alternative scenarios as entities into the discourse model; their interpretation depends on evoking scenarios for described, reference and speech points, and relating them to one another. Although this account formalizes anaphoric connections using dynamic semantics, it invokes a novel and direct encoding of scenarios as ordinary, static objects (competing analyses take modal referents to be inherently dynamic objects, unlike the referents of pronouns and tenses). The result is a simpler proposal with better empirical coverage.
English syntactic reordering for English-Thai phrase-based statistical machine translation

In language pairs which have different wordorders, accuracy of translations in phrase-based statistical machine translation (SMT) systems will decrease. Syntactic reordering approaches can improve phrase-based SMT systems by reordering words in sentences to make word-orders of source language sentences similar to word-orders of target language sentences. This paper proposes reordering rules for an English-Thai phrase-based SMT system. Our reordering approach is the first that is tested in an English-Thai phrase-based SMT system. The reordering rules transform both training and test English sentences in a preprocessing step. After the preprocessing step, word-orders of English sentences are more similar to word-orders of Thai sentences. The reorder approach improves accuracy of EnglishThai translation in the Moses phrase-based SMT system. In the system, the BLEU score increases clearly from 40.05% to 57.45%.
Performance analysis of pilot symbol aided QAM for Rayleigh fading channels

We derive upper bounds on the symbol error probability for a communication system that sends quadrature amplitude modulated data over a frequency-flat Rayleigh fading channel. We first derive simple error bounds in terms of a key parameter, namely, the channel estimation error variance. We move on to derive expressions for the this parameter for a pilot symbol assisted channel estimation scheme. The estimation error variance, and thus the symbol error probability, are expressed succinctly in terms of the statistics of the channel fading process, the frequency of insertion of pilot symbols, and the average signal-to-noise ratio.
Critical role of ASK1 in the 6‐hydroxydopamine‐induced apoptosis in human neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cells

6‐Hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA)‐induced apoptosis in dopaminergic neuronal cells is a common cell model of Parkinson's disease (PD). The role of apoptosis signal‐regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) in this model has not been well studied. We observed significant activation of ASK1, p38 and JNK, as well as apoptosis in human dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cells exposed to 6‐OHDA. Over‐expressing kinase‐dead mutant ASK1(K709M) or knock‐down of endogenous ASK1 by its small interfering RNA (siRNA) greatly suppressed activation of these kinases and apoptosis in the cells. It was found that the activation of p38 and JNK was suppressed to almost the same extent as that of ASK1 in the ASK1‐knock‐down cells, suggesting that activated ASK1 is almost totally responsible for activation of p38/JNK. It was also observed that the 6‐OHDA‐induced cell apoptosis could be effectively prevented by over‐expressing the dominant‐negative mutant of p38 or p38 inhibitor SB203580, demonstrating that activation of p38/JNK signalling is required for initiating the programmed cell death. Furthermore, suppression of the 6‐OHDA‐generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) by pre‐incubation of cells with N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine effectively inhibited the 6‐OHDA‐induced activation of ASK1, p38 and JNK, and protected the cells from apoptosis. This study clearly shows the route from ROS generation by 6‐OHDA to initiation of p38/JNK signalling via activation of ASK1 in the studied PD model.
The basal ganglia in Parkinson's disease: Current concepts and unexplained observations

The pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease is reviewed in light of recent advances in the understanding of the functional organization of the basal ganglia (BG). Current emphasis is placed on the parallel interactions between corticostriatal and corticosubthalamic afferents on the one hand, and internal feedback circuits modulating BG output through the globus pallidus pars interna and substantia nigra pars reticulata on the other. In the normal BG network, the globus pallidus pars externa emerges as a main regulatory station of output activity. In the parkinsonian state, dopamine depletion shifts the BG toward inhibiting cortically generated movements by increasing the gain in the globus pallidus pars externa‐subthalamic nucleus‐globus pallidus pars interna network and reducing activity in “direct” cortico‐putaminal‐globus pallidus pars interna projections. Standard pharmacological treatments do not mimic the normal physiology of the dopaminergic system and, therefore, fail to restore a functional balance between corticostriatal afferents in the so‐called direct and indirect pathways, leading to the development of motor complications. This review emphasizes the concept that the BG can no longer be understood as a “go‐through” station in the control of movement, behavior, and emotions. The growing understanding of the complexity of the normal BG and the changes induced by DA depletion should guide the development of more efficacious therapies for Parkinson's disease. Ann Neurol 2008;64 (suppl):S30–S46
Stress sensitivity of fault seismicity: A comparison between limited‐offset oblique and major strike‐slip faults

We present a new three-dimensional inventory of the southern San Francisco Bay area faults and use it to calculate stress applied principally by the 1989 M = 7. 1 Loma Prieta earthquake and to compare fault seismicity rates before and after 1989. The major high-angle right-lateral faults exhibit a different response to the stress change than do minor oblique (right-lateral/thrust) faults. Seismicity on oblique-slip faults in the southern Santa Clara Valley thrust belt increased where the faults were unclamped. The strong dependence of seismicity change on normal stress change implies a high coefficient of static friction. In contrast, we observe that faults with significant offset (>50-100 km) behave differently; microseismicity on the Hayward fault diminished where right-lateral shear stress was reduced and where it was unclamped by the Loma Prieta earthquake. We observe a similar response on the San Andreas fault zone in southern California after the Landers earthquake sequence. Additionally, the offshore San Gregorio fault shows a seismicity rate increase where right-lateral/oblique shear stress was increased by the Loma Prieta earthquake despite also being clamped by it. These responses are consistent with either a low coefficient of static friction or high pore fluid pressures within the fault zones. We can explain the different behavior of the two styles of faults if those with large cumulative offset become impermeable through gouge buildup; coseismically pressurized pore fluids could be trapped and negate imposed normal stress changes, whereas in more limited offset faults, fluids could rapidly escape. The difference in behavior between minor and major faults may explain why frictional failure criteria that apply intermediate coefficients of static friction can be effective in describing the broad distributions of aftershocks that follow large earthquakes, since many of these events occur both inside and outside major fault zones.
Microbial Community Diversities and Taxa Abundances in Soils along a Seven-Year Gradient of Potato Monoculture Using High Throughput Pyrosequencing Approach

Background Previous studies have focused on linking soil community structure, diversity, or specific taxa to disturbances. Relatively little attention has been directed to crop monoculture soils, particularly potato monoculture. Information about microbial community changes over time between monoculture and non-monoculture treatments is lacking. Furthermore, few studies have examined microbial communities in potato monoculture soils using a high throughput pyrosequencing approach. Methodology/Principal Findings Soils along a seven-year gradient of potato monoculture were collected and microbial communities were characterized using high throughput pyrosequencing approach. Principal findings are as follows. First, diversity (H Shannon) and richness (S Chao1) indices of bacterial community, but not of fungal community, were linearly decreased over time and corresponded to a decline of soil sustainability represented by yield decline and disease incidence increase. Second, Fusarium, the only soilborne pathogen-associated fungal genus substantially detected, was linearly increased over time in abundance and was closely associated with yield decline. Third, Fusarium abundance was negatively correlated with soil organic matter (OM) and total nitrogen (TN) but positively with electrical conductivity (EC). Fourth, Fusarium was correlated in abundances with 6 bacterial taxa over time. Conclusions Soil bacterial and fungal communities exhibited differential responses to the potato monoculture. The overall soil bacterial communities were shaped by potato monoculture. Fusarium was the only soilborne pathogen-associated genus associated with disease incidence increase and yield decline. The changes of soil OM, TN and EC were responsible for Fusarium enrichment, in addition to selections by the monoculture crop. Acidobacteria and Nitrospirae were linearly decreased over time in abundance, corresponding to the decrease of OM, suggesting their similar ecophysiologial trait. Correlations between abundance of Fusarium with several other bacterial taxa suggested their similar behaviors in responses to potato monoculture and/or soil variables, providing insights into the ecological behaviors of these taxa in the environment.
Anxiety disorders in children and adults: A cognitive, neurophysiological, and genetic characterization.

Anxiety disorders are the most common category of mental disorders worldwide, placing a substantial burden on patients, their families, and society. The World Mental Health Survey Consortium reported 12-month prevalences of anxiety disorders that ranged from 2.4% in Shanghai, China, to 18.2% in the United States (Demyttenaere et al., 2004). The European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders has also investigated anxiety disorders’ prevalence, risk factors, and burden and service use by mental patients in a sample of 213 million young and elderly adults from six European countries (i.e., Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain). The data indicated that 12-month and lifetime prevalences of any anxiety disorder are 14.5% and 8.4% in the European population, respectively (Alonso & Lepine, 2007; see also Kessler, Chiu, Demler, Merikangas, & Walters, 2005). Several factors contribute to the individual and social burden of anxiety disorders (Kessler, 2007). First, anxiety disorders are highly persistent; approximately 60%–70% of survey respondents with a lifetime anxiety disorder reported that their anxiety had been active within 6–12 months before the interview. Second, anxiety disorders are highly comorbid with other anxiety disorders and mood disorders. In addition, the lifetime prevalence of comorbid anxiety and depression has apparently increased in recent cohorts. Third, anxiety disorders are associated with substantial impairments in both productivity (e.g., work absenteeism, unemployment) and social roles (e.g., social isolation, marital disruption). Last but not least, anxiety disorders have an early age of onset (i.e., medians around 15 years) and they are associated with pervasive delays in seeking professional treatment. The number of diagnostic categories for anxiety disorders has increased across the editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 13
Quantification of Bacterial Groups within Human Fecal Flora by Oligonucleotide Probe Hybridization

ABSTRACT To investigate the population structure of the predominant phylogenetic groups within the human adult fecal microbiota, a new oligonucleotide probe designated S-G-Clept-1240-a-A-18 was designed, validated, and used with a set of five 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes. Application of the six probes to fecal samples from 27 human adults showed additivity of 70% of the total 16S rRNA detected by the bacterial domain probe. The Bacteroidesgroup-specific probe accounted for 37% ± 16% of the total rRNA, while the enteric group probe accounted for less than 1%. Clostridium leptum subgroup and Clostridium coccoides group-specific probes accounted for 16% ± 7% and 14% ± 6%, respectively, while Bifidobacterium andLactobacillus groups made up less than 2%.
Evolutionary Simulation Models: On Their Character, and Application to Problems Concerning the Evolution of Natural Signalling Systems

Evolutionary simulation modelling is presented as a method ology involving the application of modelling techniques developed within the artificial scien s to evolutionary problems. Although modelling work employing this methodology has a long and int eresting history, it has remained, until recently, a relatively underdeveloped practice, lac king a unifying theoretical framework. Within this thesis, evolutionary simulation modelling wil l be defined as the use of simulations, constructed under constraints imposed by evolutionary the ories, to explore the adequacy of these theories, through the modelling of an adaptive system’s ong oing evolution. Evolutionary simulation models may be considered to lie wit hin he field of artificial life, since its concerns include theories of life, evolution, dynamica l systems, and the relationshipbetween artificial and natural adaptive systems. Simultaneously, evo lutionary simulation modelling should be regarded as distinct from, yet complementing, existing evo luti nary modelling techniques within the biological sciences. The ambit of evolutionary simulation modelling includes th ose systems towards which one is able to take thevolutionary perspective , i.e., systems comprising agents which change over time through the action of some adaptive process. This perspecti ve is broad, allowing evolutionary simulation models to address linguisticmodels of glossoge neticchange, anthropologicalmodels of cultural development, and models of economic learning, as w ell as models of biological evolution. Once this methodology has been defined, it is applied to a grou p of problems current within theoretical biology, concerning the evolution of natural s ignalling systems. The ubiquity of natural communication is a well attested phe nomenon. However, recently the utility of such communication within a world populated by ne o-Darwinian selfish individuals has been questioned. Theoretical models proposed to account fo r the existence of signalling within the animal kingdom are reviewed, and evolutionary simulation m odels are constructed in an attempt to assess these theories. Specifically, models of the evolut ion of complex symmetry, and models of the evolution of honesty, are addressed. Submitted for the degree of DPhil University of Sussex
Impairement of HT29 Cancer Cells Cohesion by the Soluble Form of Neurotensin Receptor-3

The neurotensin (NT) receptor-3 (NTSR3), also called sortilin is a multifunctional protein localized at the intracellular and plasma membrane level. The extracellular domain of NTSR3 (sNTSR3) is released by shedding from several cell lines including colonic cancer cells. This soluble protein acts as an active ligand through its ability to bind, to be internalized in the human adenocarcinoma epithelial HT29 cells and to stimulate the PI3 kinase pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate cellular responses induced by sNTSR3 in HT29 cells. The cellular functions of sNTSR3 were monitored by immunofluocytochemistry, electron microscopy and quantitative PCR in order to characterize the cell shape and the expression of adhesion proteins. We evidenced that sNTSR3 significantly regulates the cellular morphology as well as the cell-cell and the cell-matrix adherens properties by decreasing the expession of several integrins and by modifying the structure of desmosomes. Altogether, these properties lead to an increase of cell detachment upon sNTSR3 treatment on HT29, HCT116 and SW620 cancer cells. Our results indicate that sNTSR3 may induce the first phase of a process which weaken HT29 epithelial properties including desmosome architecture, cell spreading, and initiation of cell separation, all events which could be responsible for cancer metastasis.
Global mobilities and the possibilities of a cosmopolitan curriculum

ABSTRACT This paper is aimed at exploring the possibilities that the notion of everyday cosmopolitanism can open up for pedagogic practices and, at the same time, the opportunities that pedagogy can provide for the construction of a cosmopolitan global ethics. Our argument is that students (and teachers) are involved in everyday experiences of cosmopolitan encounters and that these can and should be used as a starting point for the development of a cosmopolitan curriculum aimed at steering the cosmopolitan outlook of students towards morally open but productive directions.
Land reform and the development of commercial agriculture in Vietnam: policy and issues

Over the last decade, following the doi moi reforms, the Vietnamese government has formally recognised the household as the basic unit of production and allocated land use rights to households. Under the 1993 Land Law these rights can be transferred, exchanged, leased, inherited, and mortgaged. A ‘land market’ is emerging in Vietnam but is still constrained for various reasons. Additionally, lack of flexibility of land use is an issue. As Vietnam moves into the world market and reduces trade barriers in line with ASEAN requirements, farmers are becoming increasingly vulnerable to falling incomes because of lower prices for their produce. This paper gives an overview of land reform policies, issues related to these, and discusses challenges facing Vietnamese agriculture as it strives to move its household farms from subsistence to a more commercial base.
Tree trunk detection system using LiDAR for a semi-autonomous tree felling robot

To successfully fell a tree, semi-autonomous robotic devices must be capable of identifying the position, size and orientation of trees in the environment of a plantation forest. An approach is proposed to identify the aforementioned tree properties using data gathered from a Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) scanner. Trees are detected from the gathered point cloud by searching for horizontally directed normal vectors, then formed into clusters on which cylinder fitting is performed. This approach was verified using three different forest scenes to test its effectiveness.
A Special Extract of Bacopa monnieri (CDRI-08) Restores Learning and Memory by Upregulating Expression of the NMDA Receptor Subunit GluN2B in the Brain of Scopolamine-Induced Amnesic Mice

In the present communication, we have investigated effects of the CDRI-08, a well characterized extract of Bacopa monnieri, on expression of the GluN2B subunit of NMDAR in various brain regions of the scopolamine-induced amnesic mice. Our behavioral data reveal that scopolamine-treated amnesic mice exhibit significant decline in the spatial memory compared to the normal control mice. Our RT-PCR and immunoblotting data revealed that the scopolamine treatment resulted in a significant downregulation of the NMDAR GluN2B subunit expression in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Our enzyme assay data revealed that scopolamine caused a significant increase in the acetylcholinesterase activity in both the brain regions. Further, oral administration of the CDRI-08 to scopolamine-treated amnesic mice restored the spatial memory which was found to be associated with significant upregulation of the GluN2B subunit expression and decline in the acetylcholinesterase activity in prefrontal cortex as well as hippocampus towards their levels in the normal control mice. Our study provides the evidence for the mechanism underlying role of the Bacopa monnieri extract (CDRI-08) in restoring spatial memory in amnesic mice, which may have therapeutic implications.
Constraining the D3-brane effective action

We consider higher derivative corrections of the type D2k2 in the effective action of the D3-brane with trivial normal bundle. Based on the perturbative disc and annulus amplitudes, and constraints of supersymmetry and duality, we argue that these interactions are protected, at least for small values of k. Their coefficient functions receive only a finite number of perturbative contributions, and non-perturbative contributions from D-instantons. We propose expressions for these modular forms for low values of k.