Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Cell Identification Performance Improvement in Co-Channel Heterogeneous Cellular Networks with Cell Range Expansion

Recently, data traffic has been explosively increasing in cellular mobile communication systems due to the prevalence of smart phones. A co-channel heterogeneous cellular network overlaid with pico-cells (HetNet), in which pico-cell base stations (BSs) with low transmission power are placed at the hot spot area of a macro-cell base station with a high transmission power, has been receiving attention in order to deal with the increasing traffic. In general cellular mobile communication systems, synchronization signal (SS) symbols for the initial serving-cell identification and for the neighboring-cell identification at user equipments (UEs) are periodically transmitted from base stations (BSs). For HetNet, Cell Range Expansion (CRE), in which a bias value is used for the reference signal received power from pico-cell BSs, has been investigated as a promising approach to offload the traffic into the pico-cell from the macro- cell. Unfortunately, there is an issue that the cell identification delay at pico-cell area increases with the CRE bias value, since larger CRE bias value suffers from larger interference from macro-cell base stations (Macro-BSs) at the received SS symbols transmitted from pico-cell base stations (Pico-BSs) in the pico-cell area expanded by CRE. This paper investigates the cell- identification performance improvement possible with transmission power coordination of the SS symbols for HetNet with CRE. Then, it evaluates the cell-identification characteristics of a cell search operation based on the hierarchical SS structure of 3GPP LTE/LTE-Advanced, and also clarifies the effectiveness of the transmission power coordination of the SS symbols in terms of the pico-cell identification for HetNet with CRE.
Characterizing the phenomenon of traffic tide for large-scale mobile cellular data networks

With tremendous growth in demand for broadband data, we undergo severe traffic congestion problems in mobile data networks. Researchers found out that there exists spatio-temporal inhomogeneity in data traffic, which lacks a measurement-driven study. In this work, by carrying out a thorough analysis of data traffic obtained from 380,000 base stations in a large-scale metropolis of Shanghai, we quantitatively characterize the “tide” phenomenon in traffic usage. In different days, its distribution shows an exponential decay, while in different places it follows a power law distribution. These findings would provide important insights on how to deal with traffic congestion problems.
High-bandwidth control of a piezoelectric nanopositioning stage in the presence of plant uncertainties

Inversion-based feedforward techniques have been known to deliver accurate tracking performance in the absence of plant parameter uncertainties. Piezoelectric stack actuated nanopositioning platforms are prone to variations in their system parameters such as resonance frequencies, due to changes in operating conditions like ambient temperature, humidity and loading. They also suffer from nonlinear effects of hysteresis, an inherent property of a piezoelectric actuator; charge actuation is applied to reduce the effects of hysteresis. In this work, we propose and test a technique that integrates a suitable feedback controller to reduce the effects of parameter uncertainties with the inversion-based feedforward technique. It is shown experimentally that the combination of damping, feedforward and charge actuation increases the tracking bandwidth of the platform from 310 to 1320 Hz.
Barriers to Full Colon Evaluation for a Positive Fecal Occult Blood Test

Background: Failure to appropriately evaluate a positive cancer screening test may negate the value of doing that test. The primary aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with undergoing a full colon evaluation for a positive fecal occult blood test (FOBT) in a single Veterans Affairs center. Methods: Medical records of consecutive patients ages ≥50 years, who had a positive screening FOBT from March 2000 to February 2001, were abstracted. Patient demographics, dates of ordering and doing follow-up test(s), and adherence with scheduled procedures were collected. The primary outcome, full colon evaluation, was defined as having a colonoscopy or double-contrast barium enema plus flexible sigmoidoscopy completed within 12 months. Results: The sample (N = 538) was 98% men (58% Caucasian, 29% African-American, and 13% unknown race). Approximately 77% of the patients were referred to gastroenterology. Ultimately, only 44% underwent full colon evaluation within 12 months. Approximately 20% of the patients failed to attend a scheduled procedure. Referral to gastroenterology and adherence to follow-up appointments were associated with full colon evaluation. There was no association between African-American versus Caucasian race and full colon evaluation. Conclusions: Less than half of the patients with a positive FOBT had a full colon evaluation within 12 months. Multiple failures were identified, including lack of referral for further testing and patient nonadherence. Although the overall performance in evaluating a positive colorectal cancer screening test was poor, no racial disparity was observed. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(6):1232–5)
Blood pressure normalization by fixed perindopril/indapamide combination in hypertensive patients with or without associate metabolic syndrome: results of the OPTIMAX 2 study

The aim of the observational pharmaco-epidemiological study Optimax II was to seek whether the pre-existence of a metabolic syndrome (MS) defined by the NCEP-ATP III criteria impacts blood pressure (BP) control in hypertensive patients receiving a fixed perindopril/indapamide combination therapy. The primary objective of the study was to compare in patients with and without MS the rate of BP control defined as a systolic BP ≤140 mmHg and a diastolic BP ≤90 mmHg. Patients were prospectively included and the follow-up lasted 6 months. The study population consisted of 24,069 hypertensive patients (56% men; mean age 62 ± 11 years; 18% diabetics; mean BP at inclusion 162 ± 13/93 ± 9 mmHg). MS was found in 30.4% of the patients (n = 7322): 35.2% women and 20.1% men. Three therapeutic subgroups were constituted: Group A, previously untreated, received the combination therapy as initial treatment; Group B, previously treated but with unsatisfactory results and/or treatment intolerance, had its previous treatment switched to perindopril/indapamide; and Group C, previously treated, with good treatment tolerance but uncontrolled BP, received the study treatment in adjunction to the previous one. The normalization rate was 70.3% in group A, 68.4% in Group B, and 64.1% in Group C (p < 0.0001). The pre-existence of MS did not show any significant influence on these rates since BP lowering was −22.7 ± 13.7 (SBP) and −12.0 ± 10.0 mmHg (DBP) in patients without MS and −22.6 ± 13.3 (SBP) and −12.1 ± 9.7 (DBP) in those with MS. The results of this study show a significant effect of perindopril/indapamide treatment on systolic BP lowering, whatever the treatment status: initiation, switch, or adjunctive therapy, and independently from the presence or not of MS. This effect may be related to the specific vascular effect of the perindopril/indapamide combination, which has recently demonstrated in the ADVANCE trial its ability to reduce mortality, and cardiovascular and renal complications in diabetic patients.
Rethinking Audiences for Cultural Industries: Implications for Canadian Research

Abstract: Within the broad theme of cultural development in an open economy, two models--market and public--are introduced to distinguish research approaches focused on economic or cultural aspects of audiences. Drawing on a review of Canadian and international research, this article identifies six fundamental questions raised over the past decade by institutional, commercial, and scholarly researchers. These questions concern the limitations of measurement techniques, current understanding of audience activity, fragmentation of the mass audience, search for a public calculus, new ethnographic approaches that emphasize the active nature of audiences, and posited linkage between media and cultural or national identity. The article concludes by briefly drawing out the implications for Canadian research of this worldwide rethinking of audiences for cultural industries. Further research is clearly indicated, and a combined market and public model approach is suggested. Resume: Cet article introduit deux modeles--prive et public--au sein du vaste theme de developpement culturel dans une economie ouverte, pour distinguer entre recherches economiques sur l'auditoire et recherches culturelles. Se fondant sur une selection de recherches canadiennes et internationales, cet article identifie six questions de base soulevees au cours de la derniere decennie par des chercheurs institutionnels, commerciaux et universitaires. Ces questions portent sur les limitations de techniques de sondage, la perception actuelle du comportement du public, la fragmentation du public, la quete d'une maniere efficace de mesurer l'auditoire, les nouvelles approches ethnographiques qui postulent un recepteur actif, et le rapport suppose entre medias et identite culturelle ou nationale. L'article conclut en delimitant brievement les implications pour la recherche canadienne de cette reconsideration mondiale du public des industries culturelles. Des recherches additionnelles sont clairement a mener, et pour ce faire, l'article propose un modele qui combine le public et le prive.
Greek children's alternative conceptions on weather and climate

A survey of Greek school children's alternative conceptions about weather and climate is described. The results indicate misconceptions, including confusion between the meaning of the terms weather and climate, inflated estimates of temperature, and a belief that yearly weather data define climate. Most display no knowledge of the 'abstract' concepts of air pressure and humidity. Suggestions for helping to overcome these misunderstandings are given.
Fission yeast Cyk3p is a transglutaminase-like protein that participates in cytokinesis and cell morphogenesis

We have identified a fission yeast morphogenesis factor (Cyk3p) that functions with myosin II and chitin synthase during cytokinesis. Cyk3p possesses a novel transglutaminase domain that lacks an active site yet is essential for function. Our work demonstrates the physiological importance of such domains, which are found throughout eukaryotes.
Who Is Vulnerable to Dengue Fever? A Community Survey of the 2014 Outbreak in Guangzhou, China

Unprecedented dengue fever (DF) outbreaks impel China to develop useful disease control strategies. Integrated vector management (IVM) focuses on identifying vulnerable populations and interrupting human–vector contact; however, vulnerable populations have not been clearly identified in China. We conducted a case-control study during the initial stage of the 2014 DF outbreak in Guangzhou, China to assess risk factors for DF infection. Cases were randomly sampled from the National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting Information System (NNIDRIS). Controls were healthy individuals recruited from 17 DF infected communities through cluster sampling. A structured questionnaire on demographics, knowledge, practices, and living environment was administered to participants (165 cases; 492 controls). Logistic regression models identified characteristics of vulnerable populations. Awareness of dengue (OR = 0.08, 95% CI = 0.04–0.17), removing trash and stagnant water from around the residence (OR = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.00–0.17), and using mosquito repellent oils (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.16–0.81) were protective factors. Living in an old flat or shed (OR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.18–4.79) was a risk factor. Coils and bed nets were not protective due to incorrect knowledge of use. Using mosquito repellent oils and other protective measures can reduce vulnerability to DF infection.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma associated T-cells exhibit a transcription factor profile consistent with distinct lymphoid compartments

Background: Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) is characterised by an ineffective immune response that is predominantly mediated by CD4+ T-cells. Aims: To analyse the expression of the key regulatory T-cell transcription factors (TFs) in the T-cells of HL involved tissues in order to assess the nature of the TH immune response in HL. Methods and results: By immunohistochemistry, GATA3 was strongly and T-bet exclusively expressed in a subset of interfollicular lymphocytes in the reactive lymphoid tissues. In classical HL (CHL), which is generally located in the interfollicular zones, a predominance of T-bet+ T-cells and lesser amounts of GATA3+ and c-Maf+ T-cells was found, concordant with the pattern of the normal interfollicular compartment. In reactive lymphoid tissues, c-Maf was observed mostly in T-lymphocytes within the germinal centres (GCs). Nodular lymphocyte predominance type of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NLPHL) and progressively transformed germinal centres cases, showed a majority of c-Maf+ T-cells, consistent with the pattern in normal GCs. NLPHL cases uniformly showed c-Maf+/CD57+ T-cell rosettes around the neoplastic cells; these rosettes were absent in “paragranuloma-type” T-cell/histiocyte rich B-cell lymphoma. Conclusions: T-cell TF expression profiles of the reactive T-cells in both subtypes of HL are in accordance with the expression profile observed in the distinct lymphoid compartments.
The Validity of Global Press Ratings

This study examines year-by-year correlations between Freedom House and Reporters Sans Frontières' (RSF) press freedom scores for countries over a 13-year period (2002–2014). The goal of the study is to test the hypothesis that, further into the age of digital disclosure, as press abuses and harassment of journalists are more widely reported, press freedom ranking systems are gradually becoming more precise and, therefore, correlations between the two indices will strengthen over time. To further assess concurrent validity of the indices, correlations between both indices and scores on the United Nations Human Development Index are also provided. The study also examines changes in the indices' rankings of countries over time within six world regions: the Middle East and North Africa, the Americas, Western Europe, Eastern Europe/Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. In so doing, this study adds a degree of understanding to the validity of two press freedom indices that are routinely cited in journalistic reportage and trade journals, as well as many scholarly publications. Results suggest that the two organizations' scoring of press freedom has become significantly more correlated in the years 2002–2014, and the primary cause of the increased agreement is that RSF's ratings became substantially more aligned with Freedom House's scores during this period. Both indices' ratings are significantly correlated with countries' United Nations Human Development Index scores.
Citation bias and selective focus on positive findings in the literature on the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), life stress and depression

Background Caspi et al.'s 2003 report that 5-HTTLPR genotype moderates the influence of life stress on depression has been highly influential but remains contentious. We examined whether the evidence base for the 5-HTTLPR–stress interaction has been distorted by citation bias and a selective focus on positive findings. Method A total of 73 primary studies were coded for study outcomes and focus on positive findings in the abstract. Citation rates were compared between studies with positive and negative results, both within this network of primary studies and in Web of Science. In addition, the impact of focus on citation rates was examined. Results In all, 24 (33%) studies were coded as positive, but these received 48% of within-network and 68% of Web of Science citations. The 38 (52%) negative studies received 42 and 23% of citations, respectively, while the 11 (15%) unclear studies received 10 and 9%. Of the negative studies, the 16 studies without a positive focus (42%) received 47% of within-network citations and 32% of Web of Science citations, while the 13 (34%) studies with a positive focus received 39 and 51%, respectively, and the nine (24%) studies with a partially positive focus received 14 and 17%. Conclusions Negative studies received fewer citations than positive studies. Furthermore, over half of the negative studies had a (partially) positive focus, and Web of Science citation rates were higher for these studies. Thus, discussion of the 5-HTTLPR–stress interaction is more positive than warranted. This study exemplifies how evidence-base-distorting mechanisms undermine the authenticity of research findings.
Emotional stimuli facilitate time perception in children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of different emotional stimuli (neutral, positive, and negative) on time perception in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and normal children in dual-task form. Five hundred and ninety-nine students from primary schools were randomly selected. The Conner's Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS) questionnaire was completed by teachers. A total of 100 children with a score above the cut-off point for the CTRS were further assessed using the Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4). A total of 34 children with ADHD and 31 controls completed an emotional time discrimination task in two blocks of 1000 and 2000 ms duration. Children were asked to compare three image groups: neutral with neutral, neutral with positive, and neutral with negative images. Children with ADHD had significantly better performance in the emotional time discrimination task across all conditions when compared with controls: On average, discrimination thresholds were approximately 35 ms shorter for the children with ADHD. Our results indicate that children with ADHD have higher sensitivity to time relative to controls in a situation in which they must distribute resources between temporal and emotional processing. On the basis of the interference effect and the working memory capacity hypothesis, this dividing of attention causes a decrease of time accuracy in normal children.
Heritability of Serum Iron, Ferritin and Transferrin Saturation in a Genetically Isolated Population, the Erasmus Rucphen Family (ERF) Study

Background: Iron has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various disorders. Mutations in the HFE gene are associated with an increase in serum iron parameters. The aim of this study was to estimate the heritability in serum iron parameters explained by HFE. Methods: Ninety families (980 subjects) were included in the present analysis. Heritability estimation was conducted using the variance component method. The likelihood ratio test was used to compare models. Phenotypic and genetic correlations between serum iron parameters were calculated. Results: The heritability (h2 ± SE) estimates were 0.23 ± 0.07 (p < 0.0001) for iron, 0.29 ± 0.09 (p < 0.0001) for ferritin and 0.28 ± 0.07 (p < 0.0001) for transferrin saturation while adjusting for age, age2 and sex. The HFE genotypes explained between 2 to 6% of the sex and age-adjusted variance in serum iron, ferritin and transferrin saturation. There was a high genetic correlation between serum iron parameters, suggesting pleiotropy between these traits. Conclusion: A substantial proportion of the variance of iron, ferritin and transferrin saturation can be explained by additive genetic effects, independent of sex and age. The HFE genotypes explained a considerable proportion of serum iron parameters and may be an important factor in the complex iron network.
Consumption, Income, and Interest Rates: Reinterpreting the Time Series Evidence

This paper proposes that the time-series data on consumption, income, and interest rates are best viewed as generated not by a single representative consumer but by two groups of consumers. Half the consumers are forward-looking and consume their permanent income, but are extremely reluctant to substitute consumption intertemporally. Half the consumers follow the "rule of thumb" of consuming their current income. The paper documents three empirical regularities that, it argues, are best explained by this model. First, expected changes in income are associated with expected changes in consumption. Second, expected real interest rates are not associated with expected changes in consumption. Third, periods in which consumption is high relative to income are typically followed by high growth in income. The paper concludes by briefly discussing the implications of these findings for economic policy and economic research.
Pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin and effect of repeated dosage on salivary and fecal microflora

The pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin was studied in 12 volunteers during a 5-day course of 500 mg of ciprofloxacin given orally twice a day. The effects on the microflora of saliva and feces were also examined. Serum and urine samples were assayed for ciprofloxacin microbiologically, and the salivary and fecal microflora were examined quantitatively after processing onto a series of selective media. Fecal samples were also investigated for the presence of Clostridium difficile and its cytotoxin. The MICs for new colonizing bacteria were examined in the salivary and fecal samples. There was no accumulation during the course of 5 days with peak serum concentrations identical (2.8 and 2.3 mg/liter) after the first and final doses, and the areas under the serum curves were similar (9.6 mg/liter). The serum half-life was 2.5 h on both days. The changes in the salivary flora were minor and affected only the neisseriae. In the fecal flora, the numbers of enterobacteria and enterococci decreased markedly, whereas the changes in anaerobic flora (anaerobic cocci, fusobacteria, and bacteroids) were not so pronounced. However, 14 days after the drug was discontinued, the salivary and fecal flora were normalized in all respects. No new colonization of ciprofloxacin-resistant bacteria for which MICs were above 1.0 mg/liter was observed. C. difficile or its cytotoxin was not detected.
Life Participation Approach to Aphasia: A Statement of Values for the Future

Internal influences include a growing interest in treatments that produce meaningful real life outcomes leading to enhanced quality of life. Externally, we are influenced by disability rights activists encouraging adjustments in philosophy and treatment and by consumers frustrated by unmet needs and unfulfilled goals. Most recently, a strong external influence is emanating from the curtailment of funding for our work that has caused a significant reduction in available services to people affected by aphasia.
Challenging the Myths of Fair Employment Practices

Preface Law and Regulations Test Objectives and Job Analysis Non-Cognitive Selection Procedures Cognitive Tests Multiple-Choice Tests Job Relatedness Content Validity Content Validation Form II Criterion-Related Validity Generalization Construct Validity and Validity Generalization Intentional Discrimination Adverse Impact Reducing Adverse Impact Statistics Ethical and Legal Considerations Licensing and Certifying Examinations Americans with Disabilities Act and Age Discrimination in Employment Act Implications Appendix 1: Role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Appendix 2: Content Validation Form II Appendix 3: The Rights and Responsibilities of Test-Takers Bibliography Index