Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Nonlinear Equalizer Using a Mixture of Gaussian-Based Online Density Estimator

This paper introduces a new adaptive nonlinear equalizer relying on a radial basis function (RBF) model, which is designed based on the minimum bit error rate (MBER) criterion, in the system setting of the intersymbol interference channel plus cochannel interference (CCI). Our proposed algorithm is referred to as the online mixture of Gaussian-estimator-aided MBER (OMG-MBER) equalizer. Specifically, a mixture of Gaussian-based probability density function (pdf) estimator is used to model the pdf of the decision variable, for which a novel online pdf update algorithm is derived to track the incoming data. With the aid of this novel online mixture of Gaussian-based sample-by-sample updated pdf estimator, our adaptive nonlinear equalizer is capable of updating its equalizer's parameters sample by sample to aim directly at minimizing the RBF nonlinear equalizer's achievable bit error rate (BER). The proposed OMG-MBER equalizer significantly outperforms the existing online nonlinear MBER equalizer, known as the least bit error rate equalizer, in terms of both the convergence speed and the achievable BER, as is confirmed in our simulation study.
What influence will future solar activity changes over the 21st century have on projected global near‐surface temperature changes?

[1] During the 20th century, solar activity increased in magnitude to a so-called grand maximum. It is probable that this high level of solar activity is at or near its end. It is of great interest whether any future reduction in solar activity could have a significant impact on climate that could partially offset the projected anthropogenic warming. Observations and reconstructions of solar activity over the last 9000 years are used as a constraint on possible future variations to produce probability distributions of total solar irradiance over the next 100 years. Using this information, with a simple climate model, we present results of the potential implications for future projections of climate on decadal to multidecadal timescales. Using one of the most recent reconstructions of historic total solar irradiance, the likely reduction in the warming by 2100 is found to be between 0.06 and 0.1 K, a very small fraction of the projected anthropogenic warming. However, if past total solar irradiance variations are larger and climate models substantially underestimate the response to solar variations, then there is a potential for a reduction in solar activity to mitigate a small proportion of the future warming, a scenario we cannot totally rule out. While the Sun is not expected to provide substantial delays in the time to reach critical temperature thresholds, any small delays it might provide are likely to be greater for lower anthropogenic emissions scenarios than for higher-emissions scenarios.
Policy gradient approaches for multi-objective sequential decision making

This paper investigates the use of policy gradient techniques to approximate the Pareto frontier in Multi-Objective Markov Decision Processes (MOMDPs). Despite the popularity of policy gradient algorithms and the fact that gradient ascent algorithms have been already proposed to numerically solve multi-objective optimization problems, especially in combination with multi-objective evolutionary algorithms, so far little attention has been paid to the use of gradient information to face multi-objective sequential decision problems. Two different Multi-Objective Reinforcement-Learning (MORL) approaches, called radial and Pareto following, that, starting from an initial policy, perform gradient-based policy-search procedures aimed at finding a set of non-dominated policies are here presented. Both algorithms are empirically evaluated and compared to state-of-the-art MORL algorithms on three MORL benchmark problems.
Exposure to the Chinese Famine in Early Life and the Risk of Hyperglycemia and Type 2 Diabetes in Adulthood

OBJECTIVE Early developmental adaptations in response to undernutrition may play an essential role in susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, particularly for those experiencing a “mismatched rich nutritional environment” in later life. We examined the associations of exposure to the Chinese famine (1959–1961) during fetal life and childhood with the risk of hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes in adulthood. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We used the data for 7,874 rural adults born between 1954 and 1964 in selected communities from the cross-sectional 2002 China National Nutrition and Health Survey. Hyperglycemia was defined as fasting plasma glucose ≥6.1 mmol/l and/or 2-h plasma glucose ≥7.8 mmol/l and/or a previous clinical diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. RESULTS Prevalences of hyperglycemia among adults in nonexposed, fetal exposed, early-childhood, mid-childhood, and late-childhood exposed cohorts were 2.4%, 5.7%, 3.9%, 3.4%, and 5.9%, respectively. In severely affected famine areas, fetal-exposed subjects had an increased risk of hyperglycemia compared with nonexposed subjects (odds ratio = 3.92; 95% CI: 1.64–9.39; P = 0.002); this difference was not observed in less severely affected famine areas (odds ratio = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.25–1.31; P = 0.185). The odds ratios were significantly different between groups from the severe and less severe famine areas (P for interaction = 0.001). In severely affected famine areas, fetal-exposed subjects who followed an affluent/Western dietary pattern (odds ratios = 7.63; 95% CI: 2.41–24.1; P = 0.0005) or who had a higher economic status in later life experienced a substantially elevated risk of hyperglycemia (odds ratios = 6.20; 95% CI: 2.08–18.5; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Fetal exposure to the severe Chinese famine increases the risk of hyperglycemia in adulthood. This association appears to be exacerbated by a nutritionally rich environment in later life.
Applying contextual memory cues for retrieval from personal information archives

Advances in digital technologies for information capture combined with massive increases in the capacity of digital storage media mean that it is now possible to capture and store one’s entire life experiences in a Human Digital Memory (HDM). Information can be captured from a myriad of personal information devices including desktop computers, PDAs, digital cameras, video and audio recorders, and various sensors, including GPS, Bluetooth, and biometric devices. These diverse collections of personal information are potentially very valuable, but will only be so if significant information can be reliably retrieved from them. HDMs differ from traditional document collections for which existing search technologies have been developed since users may have poor recollection of contents or even the existence of stored items. Additionally HDM data is highly heterogeneous and unstructured, making it difficult to form search queries. We believe that a Personal Information Management (PIM) system which exploits the context of information capture, and potentially of earlier refinding, can be valuable in effective retrieval from an HDM. We report an investigation into how individuals perform searches of their personal information, and use the outcome of this study to develop an information retrieval (IR) framework for HDM search incorporating the context of document capture. We then describe the creation of a pilot HDM test collection, and initial experiments in retrieval from this collection. Results from these experiments indicate that use of context data can be significantly beneficial to increasing the efficient retrieval of partially recalled items from an HDM.
Endothelial progenitor cells: Implications for cardiovascular disease

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) reside in the bone marrow and are mobilized into the circulation by specific stimuli such as certain drugs, ischemia, and exercise training. Once in the circulation EPCs are thought to participate in the maintenance of the endothelial cell layer. Recently it was clearly demonstrated that the amount and function of EPCs is significantly impaired in different cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the level of circulating EPCs predicts the occurrence of cardiovascular events and death from cardiovascular causes and may help to identify patients at increased cardiovascular risk. After demonstrating the beneficial effect of applied EPCs in several animal experiments, these cells were also used to treat humans with different cardiovascular diseases. This review will focus on the characterization and liberation of EPCs from the bone marrow, as well as on the most important clinical cardiovascular diseases for which EPCs were used therapeutically. © 2008 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Working Paper NO . 04-16 / R URBAN DENSITY AND THE RATE OF INVENTION

and two anonymous referees. We alone are responsible for any remaining errors. The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia or the Federal Reserve System Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Economists, beginning with Alfred Marshall, have studied the significance of cities in the production and exploitation of information externalities that, today, we call knowledge spillovers. This paper presents robust evidence of those effects. We show that patent intensity— the per capita invention rate—is positively related to the density of employment in the highly urbanized portion of MAs. All else equal, a city with twice the employment density (jobs per square mile) of another city will exhibit a patent intensity (patents per capita) that is 20 percent higher. Patent intensity is maximized at an employment density of about 2,200 jobs per square mile. A city with a more competitive market structure or one that is not too large (a population less than 1 million) will also have a higher patent intensity. These findings confirm the widely held view that the nation's densest locations play an important role in creating the flow of ideas that generate innovation and growth.
Suppression of cellular immunity in men with a past history of posttraumatic stress disorder.

OBJECTIVE High rates of medical morbidity have been reported in subjects with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The authors examined immune function in subjects in remission from past PTSD. METHOD The initial study group was composed of 1,550 Japanese male workers. Japanese versions of the Events Check List, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-IV were used to identify subjects who had a past history of PTSD. Twelve of the workers were identified as having such a history. These men were matched in age and smoking habits, which affect immunity, to 48 comparison subjects who had similar stressful life experiences but no current or past history of PTSD. Natural killer (NK) cell activity, lymphocyte subset counts, and production of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) were measured in the 60 men by means of phytohemagglutinin stimulation. RESULTS The number of lymphocytes, number of T cells, NK cell activity, and total amounts of IFN-gamma and IL-4 were significantly lower in the 12 men with a past history of PTSD. CONCLUSIONS PTSD leaves a long-lasting immunosuppression and has long-term implications for health.
Ecophysiological response of Adélie penguins facing an experimental increase in breeding constraints

SUMMARY Foraging strategies play a key role in breeding effort. Little is known, however, about their connection with hormonal and nutritional states, especially when breeding constraints vary. Here, we experimentally increased foraging costs and thus breeding constraints by handicapping Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) with dummy devices representing 3–4% of the penguins' cross-sectional area. We examined food-related stress (via plasma corticosterone concentration) and nutritional state (via metabolite levels). Concurrently, we investigated the use of ecological niches via the isotopic signature of red blood cells indicating the trophic position (δ15N) and the spatial distribution (δ13C) of penguins. Handicapped birds performed ∼70% longer foraging trips and lost ∼60% more body mass than controls and their partners. However, corticosterone levels and the nutritional state were unchanged. The isotopic signature revealed that males and females differed in their foraging behaviour: upper trophic levels contributed more in the males' diet, who foraged in more pelagic areas. Handicapped and partner birds adopted the same strategy at sea: a shift towards higher δ13C values suggested that they foraged in more coastal areas than controls. This change in foraging decisions may optimize feeding time by decreasing travelling time. This may partly compensate for the presumed lower foraging efficiency of handicapped birds and for the energetic debt of their partners who had to fast ∼70% longer on the nest. We propose that this flexible use of ecological niches may allow birds facing increased breeding constraints to avoid chronic stress and to minimize the impact on their body condition.
Asymmetric Dispersal and Colonization Success of Amazonian Plant-Ants Queens

Background The dispersal ability of queens is central to understanding ant life-history evolution, and plays a fundamental role in ant population and community dynamics, the maintenance of genetic diversity, and the spread of invasive ants. In tropical ecosystems, species from over 40 genera of ants establish colonies in the stems, hollow thorns, or leaf pouches of specialized plants. However, little is known about the relative dispersal ability of queens competing for access to the same host plants. Methodology/Principal Findings We used empirical data and inverse modeling—a technique developed by plant ecologists to model seed dispersal—to quantify and compare the dispersal kernels of queens from three Amazonian ant species that compete for access to host-plants. We found that the modal colonization distance of queens varied 8-fold, with the generalist ant species (Crematogaster laevis) having a greater modal distance than two specialists (Pheidole minutula, Azteca sp.) that use the same host-plants. However, our results also suggest that queens of Azteca sp. have maximal distances that are four-sixteen times greater than those of its competitors. Conclusions/Significance We found large differences between ant species in both the modal and maximal distance ant queens disperse to find vacant seedlings used to found new colonies. These differences could result from interspecific differences in queen body size, and hence wing musculature, or because queens differ in their ability to identify potential host plants while in flight. Our results provide support for one of the necessary conditions underlying several of the hypothesized mechanisms promoting coexistence in tropical plant-ants. They also suggest that for some ant species limited dispersal capability could pose a significant barrier to the rescue of populations in isolated forest fragments. Finally, we demonstrate that inverse models parameterized with field data are an excellent means of quantifying the dispersal of ant queens.
Quantum Entanglement and Communication Complexity

We consider a variation of the communication complexity scenario, where the parties are supplied with an extra resource: particles in an entangled quantum state. We note that "quantum nonlocality" can be naturally expressed in the language of communication complexity. These are communication complexity problems where the "output" is embodied in the correlations between the outputs of the individual parties. Without entanglement, the parties must communicate to produce the required correlations; whereas, with entanglement, no communication is necessary to produce the correlations. In this sense, nonlocality proofs can also be viewed as communication complexity problems where the presence of quantum entanglement reduces the amount of necessary communication. We show how to transform examples of nonlocality into more traditional communication complexity problems, where the output is explicitly determined by each individual party. The resulting problems require communication with or without entanglement, but the required communication is less when entanglement is available. All these results are a noteworthy contrast to the well-known fact that entanglement cannot be used to actually simulate or compress classical communication between remote parties.
Preliminary Evidence for the Impact of Combat Experiences on Gray Matter Volume of the Posterior Insula

Background: Combat-exposed veteran populations are at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and insula have been implicated in both autonomic arousal to emotional stressors and homeostatic processes, which may contribute to cardiovascular dysfunction in combat veteran populations. The aim of the present study was to explore the intersecting relationships of combat experiences, rostral ACC and posterior insula volume, and cardiovascular health in a sample of combat veterans. Method: Twenty-four male combat veterans completed clinical assessment of combat experiences and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Subjects completed a magnetic resonance imaging scan and autosegmentation using FreeSurfer was used to estimate regional gray matter volume (controlling for total gray matter volume) of the rostral ACC and posterior insula. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was conducted to assess cardiovascular health. Theil-sen robust regressions and Welch's analysis of variance were used to examine relationships of combat experiences and PTSD symptomology with (1) FMD and (2) regional gray matter volume. Results: Increased combat experiences, deployment duration, and multiple deployments were related to smaller posterior insula volume. Combat experiences were marginally associated with poorer cardiovascular health. However, cardiovascular health was not related to rostral ACC or posterior insula volume. Conclusion: The present study provides initial evidence for the relationships of combat experiences, deployment duration, and multiple deployments with smaller posterior insula volume. Results may suggest that veterans with increased combat experiences may exhibit more dysfunction regulating the autonomic nervous system, a key function of the posterior insula. However, the relationship between combat and cardiovascular health was not mediated by regional brain volume. Future research is warranted to further clarify the cardiovascular or functional impact of smaller posterior insula volume in combat veterans.
Simultaneous Cranioplasty and Subdural-Peritoneal Shunting for Contralateral Symptomatic Subdural Hygroma following Decompressive Craniectomy

Background. Contralateral subdural hygroma caused by decompressive craniectomy tends to combine with external cerebral herniation, causing neurological deficits. Material and Methods. Nine patients who underwent one-stage, simultaneous cranioplasty and contralateral subdural-peritoneal shunting were included in this study. Clinical outcome was assessed by Glasgow Outcome Scale as well as Glasgow Coma Scale, muscle power scoring system, and complications. Results. Postoperative computed tomography scans demonstrated completely resolved subdural hygroma and reversed midline shifts, indicating excellent outcome. Among these 9 patients, 4 patients (44%) had improved GOS following the proposed surgery. Four out of 4 patients with lethargy became alert and orientated following surgical intervention. Muscle strength improved significantly 5 months after surgery in 7 out of 7 patients with weakness. Two out of 9 patients presented with drowsiness due to hydrocephalus at an average time of 65 days after surgery. Double gradient shunting is useful to eliminate the respective hydrocephalus and contralateral subdural hygroma. Conclusion. The described surgical technique is effective in treating symptomatic contralateral subdural hygroma following decompressive craniectomy and is associated with an excellent structural and functional outcome. However, subdural-peritoneal shunting plus cranioplasty thoroughly resolves the subdural hygroma collection, which might deteriorate the cerebrospinal fluid circulation, leading to hydrocephalus.
Major Regulatory Genes in Maize Contribute to Standing Variation in Teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis)

In plants, many major regulatory genes that control plant growth and development have been identified and characterized. Despite a detailed knowledge of the function of these genes little is known about how they contribute to the natural variation for complex traits. To determine whether major regulatory genes of maize contribute to standing variation in Balsas teosinte we conducted association mapping in 584 Balsas teosinte individuals. We tested 48 markers from nine candidate regulatory genes against 13 traits for plant and inflorescence architecture. We identified significant associations using a mixed linear model that controls for multiple levels of relatedness. Ten associations involving five candidate genes were significant after correction for multiple testing, and two survive the conservative Bonferroni correction. zfl2, the maize homolog of FLORICAULA of Antirrhinum, was associated with plant height. zap1, the maize homolog of APETALA1 of Arabidopsis, was associated with inflorescence branching. Five SNPs in the maize domestication gene, teosinte branched1, were significantly associated with either plant or inflorescence architecture. Our data suggest that major regulatory genes in maize do play a role in the natural variation for complex traits in teosinte and that some of the minor variants we identified may have been targets of selection during domestication.
Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on Nitrogen-Doped Titania Electrodes

Dye-sensitized solar cell(DSC) is a new type of photovoltaic device. This paper mainly describes the research results of the development of a novel nitrogen-doped photoanode for DSC in our group. Highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) of 7.6-10.1% were fabricated using nitrogen-doped titania electrodes. The photoelectrochemical properties of the nitrogen-doped titania powder, film, and solar cell were systemically investigated. We confirmed the substitution of oxygen sites and oxygen deficiency with nitrogen atoms in the titania structure by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The UV-Vis spectra of the nitrogen-doped powder and film showed visible light absorption in the wavelength range between 400 nm and 535 nm. The results of the stability test indicated that the DSCs fabricated by the nitrogen-doped titania exhibited great stability.