Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-order statistical methods for blind channel identification and source detection with applications to wireless communications. (Méthodes statistiques d'ordre élevé pour l'identification aveugle de canaux et la détection de sources avec des applications aux systèmes de communicaton sans fil)

Modern telecommunication systems offer services demanding very high transmission rates. Channel identification appears as a major concern in this context. Looking forward better trade-offs between the quality of information recovery and suitable bit-rates, the use of blind techniques is of great interest. Making use of the special properties of the 4th-order output cumulants, this thesis introduces new statistical signal processing tools with applications in radio-mobile communication systems. Exploiting the highly symmetrical structure of the output cumulants, we address the blind channel identification problem by introducing a multilinear model for the 4th-order output cumulant tensor, based on the Parallel Factor (Parafac) analysis. The components of the new tensor model have a Hankel structure, in the SISO case. For (memoryless) MIMO channels, redundant tensor factors are exploited in the estimation of the channel coefficients. In this context, we develop blind identification algorithms based on a single-step least squares (SSLS) minimization problem. The proposed methods fully exploit the multilinear structure of the cumulant tensor as well as its symmetries and redundancies, thus enabling us to avoid any kind of pre-processing. Indeed, the SS-LS approach induces a solution based on a sole optimisation procedure, without intermediate stages, contrary to the vast majority of methods found in the literature. Using only the 4th-order cumulants, and exploiting the Virtual Array concept, we treat the source localization problem in multiuser sensor array processing. Exploiting a particular arrangement of the cumulant tensor, an original contribution consists in providing additional virtual sensors by improving the array resolution by means of an enhanced array structure that commonly arises when using 6th-order statistics. We also consider the problem of estimating the physical parameters of a multipath MIMO communication channel. Using a fully blind approach, we first treat the multipath channel as a convolutive MIMO model and propose a new technique to estimate its coefficients. This non-parametric technique generalizes the methods formerly proposed for the SISO and (memoryless) MIMO cases. Using a tensor formalism to represent the multipath MIMO channel, we estimate the physical multipath parameters by means of a combined ALS-MUSIC technique based on subspace algorithms. Finally, we turn our attention to the problem of determining the order of FIR channels in the context of MISO systems. We introduce a complete combined procedure for the detection and estimation of frequency-selective MISO communication channels. The new algorithm successively detects the signal sources, determines the order of their individual transmission channels and estimates the associated channel coefficients using a deflationary approach.
Molecular analysis of t(X;11)(q24;q23) in an infant with AML‐M4

t(X;11)(q24;q23) is a recurring chromosomal translocation in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. The rearrangement results in fusion of MLL at 11q23 with SEPT6 at Xq24. Here, we report the identification of an MLL‐SEPT6 fusion transcript in an infant with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)‐M4. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction confirmed the presence of an MLL‐SEPT6 fusion transcript composed of exon 8 of MLL and exon 2 of SEPT6, but the absence of the reciprocal SEPT6‐MLL fusion transcript. Sequence analysis of the genomic break junctions in MLL and SEPT6 suggested that the rearrangement in this case was the result of an insertion of the inverted Xq24 segment, which contained the 3′ region of SEPT6 intron 1 and up to 950 kb centromeric to SEPT6, into MLL intron 8. This is a novel type of chromosomal rearrangement leading to the MLL‐SEPT6 fusion. The presence of deletions, duplications, and non‐template DNA sequence at the break junctions suggested that the DNA damage‐repair machinery is likely to be involved in the translocation events. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Data Preparation for Longitudinal Data Mining: a case study on human ageing

An adequate preparation of a database is essential to the extraction of useful knowledge contained in it. On longitudinal studies, that follow a fixed set of records through a time period, the data preparation process should adapt to the features added to the database by the temporal aspect of data. This article presents the data preparation process of a real longitudinal database, from a human ageing study. The process addresses the conceptual feature selection of the attributes in the database, and its preprocessing, including noisy data elimination, variable merging, discretization, outlier detection, and missing data analysis. The guidelines to the procedures were generalized, allowing their replication on other longitudinal databases, for similar studies.
Oxygen radical‐induced natural killer cell dysfunction: role of myeloperoxidase and regulation by serotonin

Natural killer (NK) cells are functionally suppressed and induced to apoptosis by reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by mononuclear phagocytes (MPs). These inhibitory events are reversed by the biogenic amine serotonin. MPs generate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which is processed further by myeloperoxidase (MPO) to even more toxic compounds. Earlier studies suggest that serotonin scavenges MP‐derived oxygen radicals generated by the MPO‐H2O2 system. These findings led us to explore the capability of MPO‐deficient MPs to induce NK cell dysfunction. We show that MPs recovered from subjects with MPO deficiency trigger inhibition of NK cells. In addition, MPs recovered from healthy subjects conveyed suppression of NK cells in the presence of the MPO inhibitor ceruloplasmin. We conclude that ROS‐dependent inhibition of NK cell function is unrestricted by the availability of MPO‐derived oxygen radicals and that the protecting properties of serotonin may operate in the absence of functional MPO. Our data suggest a complex mechanism of MP‐induced NK cell inhibition, which comprises the generation of interchangeable oxygen radicals.
Implementation and Analysis of a New Selection Strategy for Adaptive Routing in Networks-on-Chip

Efficient and deadlock-free routing is critical to the performance of networks-on-chip. The effectiveness of any adaptive routing algorithm strongly depends on the underlying selection strategy. A selection function is used to select the output channel where the packet will be forwarded on. In this paper we present a novel selection strategy that can be coupled with any adaptive routing algorithm. The proposed selection strategy is based on the concept of Neighbors-on-Path the aims of which is to exploit the situations of indecision occurring when the routing function returns several admissible output channels. The overall objective is to choose the channel that will allow the packet to be routed to its destination along a path that is as free as possible of congested nodes. Performance evaluation is carried out by using a flit-accurate simulator under traffic scenarios generated by both synthetic and real applications. Results obtained show how the proposed selection strategy applied to the Odd-Even routing algorithm yields an improvement in both average delay and saturation point up to 20% and 30% on average respectively, with a minimal overhead in terms of area occupation. In addition, a positive effect on total energy consumption is also observed under near-congestion packet injection rates.
Clinical transplantation of ex vivo expanded autologous limbal epithelial cells using a culture medium with human serum as single supplement: a retrospective case series

Purpose: Presently, our clinic is the only centre in Scandinavia that offers patients with corneal surface pathology including limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) transplantation of ex vivo expanded limbal epithelial cells (LECs). We here present clinical data of the first nine patients with LSCD who were transplanted with autologous LECs expanded in medium completely free of any animal‐derived products and non‐human/recombinant growth factors (including Cholera Toxin), and with autologous human serum as the only growth supplement.
SPECTROSCOPIC CONFIRMATION OF THE RICH z = 1.80 GALAXY CLUSTER JKCS 041 USING THE WFC3 GRISM: ENVIRONMENTAL TRENDS IN THE AGES AND STRUCTURE OF QUIESCENT GALAXIES

We present Hubble Space Telescope imaging and grism spectroscopy in the field of the distant galaxy cluster JKCS 041 using the Wide Field Camera 3. We confirm that JKCS 041 is a rich cluster and derive a redshift z = 1.80 via the spectroscopic identification of 19 member galaxies, of which 15 are quiescent. These are centered upon diffuse X-ray emission seen by the Chandra observatory. As JKCS 041 is the most distant known cluster with such a large, spectroscopically confirmed quiescent population, it provides a unique opportunity to study the effect of the environment on galaxy properties at early epochs. We construct high-quality composite spectra of the quiescent cluster members that reveal prominent Balmer and metallic absorption lines. Using these, we measure the mean stellar ages in two bins of stellar mass. The quiescent cluster members' ages agree remarkably closely with that inferred by Whitaker et al. for similarly selected samples in the field, supporting the idea that the cluster environment is more efficient at truncating star formation while not having a strong effect on the mean epoch of quenching. We find some evidence (90% confidence) for a lower fraction of disk-like quiescent systems in JKCS 041 compared to a sample of coeval field galaxies drawn from the CANDELS survey. Taking this into account, we do not detect a significant difference between the mass–radius relations of the quiescent JKCS 041 members and our z ∼ 1.8 field sample. Finally, we demonstrate how differences in the morphological mixture of quenched systems can complicate measures of the environmental dependence of size growth.
Is it better to give or to receive? Social support and the well-being of older adults.

UNLABELLED OBJECTIVES. This study examines the separate effects of several dimensions of giving and receiving social support on the well-being of older adults, with hypotheses guided by identity theory. METHODS Data derive from the Social Networks in Adult Life survey, a national probability sample of older adults (N = 689). Ordinary least squares regression was used to examine the impact of total support, size of support network, number of types of support, and types of alter support relationships-both given and received-on well-being. RESULTS Providing support to others is beneficial to older adults' well-being, as illustrated in the relatively strong, positive associations of total support given, the number of types of support given, and support given to friends and children on well-being. Receiving support was less important to well-being except when received from a spouse or sibling. CONCLUSION Evidence from this analysis provides support for hypotheses predicted by identity theory, highlights the importance of examining giving and receiving support net of the other, and suggests that it is often better for the well-being of older adults to give than to receive.
Y-Chromosomal Diversity Suggests that Baltic Males Share Common Finno-Ugric-Speaking Forefathers

Objective: To elucidate the genetic relationships between Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian men by studying Y-chromosomal variation in these people. Methods: The allelic status of five deep-rooted marker loci (YAP, Tat, M9, 92R7 and SRY-1532) was determined for 346 Baltic males. On the basis of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotypes, Y chromosomes were divided into six haplogroups, and the Baltic haplogroup distribution compared with that in 7 European reference populations. Haplogroup frequencies, diversities and genetic distances (FST values) were calculated. The relationships between populations were further illustrated using Mantel test, neighbor-joining tree and principal-component map. Results: We found the Indo-European-speaking Latvians and Lithuanians to be genetically very similar to the Finno-Ugric-speaking Estonians. When compared to the reference populations, Baltic males were most closely related to the Finno-Ugric-speaking Mari, followed by their Finnish and Slavonic neighbors. Conclusions: The genetic similarity existing between Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian men suggests that they originate from the same male founder population. Since the Baltic Y-chromosomal haplogroup distribution more closely resembles that of Finno-Ugric than Indo-European-speaking populations, we propose a hypothesis that Baltic males share a common Finno-Ugric ancestry.
The critical role of climate and saprolite weathering in landscape evolution

Landscapes evolve in response to external forces, such as tectonics and climate, that influence surface processes of erosion and weathering. Internal feedbacks between erosion and weathering also play an integral role in regulating the landscapes response. Our understanding of these internal and external feedbacks is limited to a handful of field‐based studies, only a few of which have explicitly examined saprolite weathering. Here, we report rates of erosion and weathering in saprolite and soil to quantify how climate influences denudation, by focusing on an elevation transect in the western Sierra Nevada Mountains, California. We use an adapted mass balance approach and couple soil‐production rates from the cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) 10Be with zirconium concentrations in rock, saprolite and soil. Our approach includes deep saprolite weathering and suggests that previous studies may have underestimated denudation rates across similar landscapes. Along the studied climate gradient, chemical weathering rates peak at middle elevations (1200–2000 m), averaging 112·3 ± 9·7 t km–2 y–1 compared to high and low elevation sites (46·8 ± 5·2 t km−2 y−1). Measured weathering rates follow similar patterns with climate as those of predicted silica fluxes, modeled using an Arrhenius temperature relationship and a linear relationship between flux and precipitation. Furthermore, chemical weathering and erosion are tightly correlated across our sites, and physical erosion rates increase with both saprolite weathering rates and intensity. Unexpectedly, saprolite and soil weathering intensities are inversely related, such that more weathered saprolites are overlain by weakly weathered soils. These data quantify exciting links between climate, weathering and erosion, and together suggest that climate controls chemical weathering via temperature and moisture control on chemical reaction rates. Our results also suggest that saprolite weathering reduces bedrock coherence, leading to faster rates of soil transport that, in turn, decrease material residence times in the soil column and limit soil weathering. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Design Optimization of PID Controller in Automatic Voltage Regulator System Using Taguchi Combined Genetic Algorithm Method

The optimum design of the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller plays an important role in achieving a satisfactory response in the automatic voltage regulator (AVR) system. This paper presents a novel optimal design of the PID controller in the AVR system by using the Taguchi combined genetic algorithm (TCGA) method. A multiobjective design optimization is introduced to minimize the maximum percentage overshoot, the rise time, the settling time, and the steady-state error of the terminal voltage of the synchronous generator. The proportional gain, the integral gain, the derivative gain, and the saturation limit define the search space for the optimization problem. The approximate optimum values of the design variables are determined by the Taguchi method using analysis of means. Analysis of variance is used to select the two most influential design variables. A multiobjective GA is used to obtain the accurate optimum values of these two variables. MATLAB toolboxes are used for this paper. The effectiveness of the proposed method is then compared with that of the earlier GA method and the particle swarm optimization method. With this proposed TCGA method, the step response of the AVR system can be improved.
Studies on expression and function of the TMEM16A calcium-activated chloride channel

Calcium-activated chloride channels (CaCC) with similar hallmark features are present in many cell types and mediate important physiological functions including epithelial secretion, sensory signal transduction, and smooth muscle contraction. Having identified TMEM16A of the transmembrane proteins with unknown function (TMEM) 16 family as a CaCC subunit, we have developed antibodies specific for mouse TMEM16A, as evidenced by the absence of immunoreactivity in TMEM16A knockout mice. Here, we show that TMEM16A is located in the apical membranes of epithelial cells in exocrine glands and trachea. In addition, TMEM16A is expressed in airway smooth muscle cells and the smooth muscle cells of reproductive tracts, the oviduct and ductus epididymis. In the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, TMEM16A is absent from smooth muscle cells, but present in the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), the pacemaker cells that control smooth muscle contraction. The physiological importance of TMEM16A is underscored by the diminished rhythmic contraction of gastric smooth muscle from TMEM16A knockout mice. The TMEM16A expression pattern established in this study thus provides a roadmap for the analyses of physiological functions of calcium-activated chloride channels that contain TMEM16A subunits.
Papel del receptor AT1 de la angiotensina II en la remodelación ósea que ocurre durante la periodontitis experimental en la rata

La periodontitis es una patologia inflamatoria, de origen infeccioso, cuyo factor etiologico primario es la formacionde la biopelicula bacteriana, que conduce a la destruccion de las estructuras de soporte de los dientes. La periodontitis puede ser inducida en las ratas por inyeccion de toxinas bacterianas como los lipopolisacaridos (LPS), que inducen la infiltracion de leucocitos polimorfonucleares en los tejidos periodontales inflamados, la estimulacion de los osteoclastos y la destruccion del colageno. Se ha reportado que la angiotensina II (ANG II) puede actuar como un factor proinflamatorio aunque se desconoce su papel y el de su receptor AT1 en la periodontitis. Por ello, se evaluo el papel de la ANG II/AT1 en un modelo animal de periodontitis inducida por LPS en la rata, mediante el uso de un bloqueante de los receptores AT1, el valsartan (VAL). Se emplearon ratas machos Sprague Dawley, las cuales se sacrificaron por decapitacion y se tomaron muestras de sangre periferica para determinar el numero de leucocitos y su recuento diferencial. Los maxilares inferiores fueron disecados, fijados, desmineralizados y deshidratados para la evaluacion de la perdida osea. Se determino la movilidad dentaria. Se evaluo la presencia de fibras colagenas mediante tincion Tricromico de Masson, los depositos de calcio mediante la tincion de Von-Kossa, y se realizo el recuento de osteoclastos en tejido. Los datos demuestran que los animales no mostraron signos aparentes de enfermedad sistemica a los 7 dias. El tratamiento con LPS indujo una pronunciada leucocitosis, perdida osea considerable por la disminucion de los depositos de calcio y de fibras de colageno y aumento del recuento de osteoclastos.Todos estos efectos del LPS fueron prevenidos por el tratamiento cronico con valsartan. Los resultados confirmanque la inyeccion de LPS en la encia de la rata produce una respuesta inflamatoria que progresa rapidamente a periodontitis,y sugieren que la respuesta del huesped en la periodontitis puede ser prevenida mediante el bloqueo delreceptor AT1. Esto abre oportunidades terapeuticas en la investigacion clinica y el tratamiento de enfermedades inflamatorias como es el caso de la periodontitis.
A surface antigen influenza vaccine: 2. Pyrogenicity and antigenicity

Summary Conventional influenza vaccine containing whole virus particles purified on a zonal centrifuge is pyrogenic and can cause systemic and local adverse side effects. An improved vaccine was therefore prepared which contained only the surface antigens of the virus adsorbed to aluminium hydroxide. The antigenicity of this vaccine was compared with conventional vaccine in chickens. Both vaccines induced similar titres of serum haemagglutination-inhibition and neuraminidase inhibition antibody. The dose response curves, however, were different. The surface antigens at vaccine strength without aluminium hydroxide were of negligible pyrogenicity in rabbits.
Discrimination of release time constants in hearing-aid compressors

We examined the ability of twenty-five hearing-impaired and eight normal-hearing listeners to discriminate between release time constants used for compression in hearing aids. The compressor was a standard three-channel system. The stimuli were normal and ‘vocoded’ sentences from a male and female database. In agreement with other studies looking at different outcomes, performance varied greatly across individuals. This variation was greater in hearing-impaired listeners, for whom the discriminability of a release time of 5 ms from one of 5000 ms (with the attack time fixed at 5 ms) ranged from chance to perfect. This variability was not significantly related to hearing impairment nor to individuals’ compression ratios.
A NEW METHOD FOR MEASURING METALLICITIES OF YOUNG SUPER STAR CLUSTERS

We demonstrate how the metallicities of young super star clusters (SSC) can be measured using novel spectroscopic techniques in the J-band. The near-infrared flux of SSCs older than ∼6 Myr is dominated by tens to hundreds of red supergiant stars. Our technique is designed to harness the integrated light of that population and produces accurate metallicities for new observations in galaxies above (M83) and below (NGC 6946) solar metallicity. In M83 we find [Z] = +0.28 ± 0.14 dex using a moderate resolution (R ∼ 3500) J-band spectrum and in NGC 6496 we report [Z] = –0.32 ± 0.20 dex from a low resolution spectrum of R ∼ 1800. Recently commissioned low resolution multiplexed spectrographs on the Very Large Telescope (KMOS) and Keck (MOSFIRE) will allow accurate measurements of SSC metallicities across the disks of star-forming galaxies up to distances of 70 Mpc with single night observation campaigns using the method presented in this paper.
EMI improvements using the switching frequency modulation in a resonant inverter for domestic induction heating appliances

In this paper the spread-spectrum technique is applied to a resonant half-bridge inverter for domestic induction heating in order to improve the electromagnetic interference (EMI). This technique has been successfully applied in switching mode power supplies (SMPS). Two different switching frequency modulation strategies are tested and the influence of different modulation parameters is analysed. Both simulation and experimental test bench including inverter and measuring instrumentation are presented. The simulated instruments and detectors are based on homodyne receiver. Finally experimental measures are compared with simulation results.