Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional linear regression analysis for longitudinal data

We propose nonparametric methods for functional linear regression which are designed for sparse longitudinal data, where both the predictor and response are functions of a covariate such as time. Predictor and response processes have smooth random trajectories, and the data consist of a small number of noisy repeated measurements made at irregular times for a sample of subjects. In longitudinal studies, the number of repeated measurements per subject is often small and may be modeled as a discrete random number and, accordingly, only a finite and asymptotically nonincreasing number of measurements are available for each subject or experimental unit. We propose a functional regression approach for this situation, using functional principal component analysis, where we estimate the functional principal component scores through conditional expectations. This allows the prediction of an unobserved response trajectory from sparse measurements of a predictor trajectory. The resulting technique is flexible and allows for different patterns regarding the timing of the measurements obtained for predictor and response trajectories. Asymptotic properties for a sample of n subjects are investigated under mild conditions, as n → oo, and we obtain consistent estimation for the regression function. Besides convergence results for the components of functional linear regression, such as the regression parameter function, we construct asymptotic pointwise confidence bands for the predicted trajectories. A functional coefficient of determination as a measure of the variance explained by the functional regression model is introduced, extending the standard R 2 to the functional case. The proposed methods are illustrated with a simulation study, longitudinal primary biliary liver cirrhosis data and an analysis of the longitudinal relationship between blood pressure and body mass index.
Interference Alignment and Degrees of Freedom of the  $K$-User Interference Channel

For the fully connected K user wireless interference channel where the channel coefficients are time-varying and are drawn from a continuous distribution, the sum capacity is characterized as C(SNR)=K/2log(SNR)+o(log(SNR)) . Thus, the K user time-varying interference channel almost surely has K/2 degrees of freedom. Achievability is based on the idea of interference alignment. Examples are also provided of fully connected K user interference channels with constant (not time-varying) coefficients where the capacity is exactly achieved by interference alignment at all SNR values.
Molecular epidemiology of Rotavirus A, causing acute gastroenteritis hospitalizations among children in Nha Trang, Vietnam, 2007–2008: Identification of rare G9P[19] and G10P[14] strains

Rotavirus A (RVA) causes acute diarrhea in children as well as animals. As part of a cross‐sectional study of children less than 5 years of age hospitalized for acute diarrhea in Vietnam during a 15‐month period (2007–2008), 322 (43.5%) of 741 fecal specimens contained RVA with 92% either G1P[8] or G3P[8]. This study was undertaken to further characterize strains that remained untypeable to complete the G and P genotypes of the 322 rotavirus‐positive specimens. While 307 (95.3%) strains possessed the common human RVA genotypes: G1P[8] (45.0%), G2P[4] (2.8%), G3P[8] (46.9%), and G9P[8] (0.6%), sequencing of initially untypeable specimens revealed the presence of two unusual strains designated NT0073 and NT0082 possessing G9P[19] and G10P[14], respectively. The genotype constellation of NT0073 (G9‐P[19]‐I5‐R1‐C1‐M1‐A8‐N1‐T7‐E1‐H1) and the phylogenetic trees suggested its origin as a porcine RVA strain causing diarrhea in a 24‐month‐old girl whereas the genotype constellation of NT0082 (G10‐P[14]‐I2‐R2‐C2‐M2‐A3‐N2‐T6‐E2‐H3) and the phylogenetic trees suggested its origin as an RVA strain of artiodactyl origin (such as cattle, sheep and goats) causing diarrhea in a 13‐month‐old boy. This study showed that RVA strains of animal host origin were not necessarily attenuated in humans. A hypothesis may be postulated that P[19] and P[14] VP4 spike proteins helped the virus to replicate in the human intestine but that efficient onward human‐to‐human spread after crossing the host species barrier may require the virus to obtain some additional features as there was no evidence of widespread transmission with the limited sampling performed over the study period. J. Med. Virol. 89:621–631, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of the output harmonic networks of classes F and F−1 power amplifiers in LINC systems

This paper presents the influence of the harmonic networks of class F and inverse F power amplifiers (PAs) in the LINC (LInear amplification using Non-linear Components) transmitter architecture. The analysis and design of these classes with CHIREIX combiner are realised using Agilent ADS software. We use for this work a GaN HEMT transistor from Cree. Performances of the system are evaluated using a 16QAM modulation at 900MHz with 5.63dB Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR). This study shows the advantages and drawbacks of even/odd harmonics in drain curves of these PA classes as well as the tradeoff linearity-efficiency for the LINC architecture.
Methods for dynamic extraction of important portion from the context network based on the contribution degree on the small world structure

Stacking occurs in the composite creation of documents (e.g., such as academic papers, presentation slides, and notes) and when they are refined in research activities. It is important but actually difficult for researchers to satisfactorily accumulate the deliverables for each work and their circumstances so that they can skillfully conduct later work. This problem becomes particularly serious for research beginners. Therefore, there is an urgent need to train research beginners in skills to nail down gaze targets in contexts that continue to increase according to progress as research advances. The final goal of this research was to develop novel methods of training beginners in skills on refining research by extracting the candidates of gaze targets from accumulated contexts and visually presenting them to research beginners. Our project has proposed methods of accumulating the contexts involved with trial and error in the processes of refining research documents and of organizing them into context networks. This paper mainly gives a detailed description of the theoretical methods for dynamically extracting the important sub-network, which is to be carefully examined according to the focus node, from the context network.
Algorithms for address assignment in DSP code generation

This paper presents DSP code optimization techniques, which originate from dedicated memory address generation hardware. We define a generic model of DSP address generation units. Based on this model we present efficient heuristics for computing memory layouts for program variables, which optimize utilization of parallel address generation units. Improvements and generalizations of previous work are described, and the efficacy of the proposed algorithms is demonstrated through experimental evaluation.
On the fundamental limits of massive connectivity

This paper aims to provide an information theoretical analysis of massive device connectivity scenario in which a large number of devices with sporadic traffic communicate in the uplink to a base-station (BS). In each coherence time interval, the BS needs to identify the active devices, to estimate their channels, and to decode the transmitted messages from the devices. This paper first derives an information theoretic upper bound on the overall transmission rate. We then provide a degree-of-freedom (DoF) analysis that illustrates the cost of device identification for massive connectivity. We show that the optimal number of active devices is strictly less than half of the coherence time slots, and the achievable DoF decreases linearly with the number of active devices when it exceeds the number of receive antennas. This paper further presents a two-phase practical framework in which device identification and channel estimation are performed jointly using compressed sensing techniques in the first phase, with data transmission taking place in the second phase. We outline the opportunities in utilizing compressed sensing results to analyze the performance of the overall framework and to optimize the system parameters.
Quilt: a patchwork of multicast regions

Network bottlenecks, firewalls, restrictions on IP Multicast availability and administrative policies have long prevented the use of multicast even where the fit seems obvious. The confusion around multicast poses a problem for large-scale pub/sub-based applications that need blazing speed even across WAN networks. There are a number of multicast protocols, but none is universally available. Thus relatively few applications are able to exploit multicast technology. Here, we present Quilt, a system that automatically weaves a patchwork of multicast regions each running different protocols, creating an efficient and scalable wide-area overlay. By dynamically exploring the environment at and between end-hosts, Quilt clusters nodes into patches, selecting the best multicast protocol from a developer-provided set on a patch-by-patch basis and adapting as needed. Quilt orchestrates inter-patch forwarding to maximize reliability while minimizing duplication. This paper discusses and then evaluates the system. We find that Quilt is an effective, backwards compatible option for supporting multicast wide-area networks.
Evolution of Fuzzy Controllers with Multi–chromosomal Representation of Membership Functions

— In this work we present experiments evolving the membership functions of a fuzzy controller for the inverted pendulum problem. Specifically, the conventional representation of membership functions on a single chromosome is compared to a genotype encoding with multiple chromosomes in an evolutionary algorithm. In this context we present chromosome shuffling, a genetic operator recombining complete chromosomes based on biological evidence. The hypothesis that the multi–chromosomal representation increases the generalization capability of the fuzzy controller, is tested by measuring the controllers' performance on test cases they have not seen during their evolutionary construction.
Characterization and dynamics of pericentromere-associated domains in mice

Despite recent progress in genome topology knowledge, the role of repeats, which make up the majority of mammalian genomes, remains elusive. Satellite repeats are highly abundant sequences that cluster around centromeres, attract pericentromeric heterochromatin, and aggregate into nuclear chromocenters. These nuclear landmark structures are assumed to form a repressive compartment in the nucleus to which genes are recruited for silencing. We have designed a strategy for genome-wide identification of pericentromere-associated domains (PADs) in different mouse cell types. The ∼1000 PADs and non-PADs have similar chromatin states in embryonic stem cells, but during lineage commitment, chromocenters progressively associate with constitutively inactive genomic regions at the nuclear periphery. This suggests that PADs are not actively recruited to chromocenters, but that chromocenters are themselves attracted to inactive chromatin compartments. However, we also found that experimentally induced proximity of an active locus to chromocenters was sufficient to cause gene repression. Collectively, our data suggest that rather than driving nuclear organization, pericentromeric satellite repeats mostly co-segregate with inactive genomic regions into nuclear compartments where they can contribute to stable maintenance of the repressed status of proximal chromosomal regions.
Comparison of Clinical and Parasitological Data from Controlled Human Malaria Infection Trials

Background Exposing healthy human volunteers to Plasmodium falciparum-infected mosquitoes is an accepted tool to evaluate preliminary efficacy of malaria vaccines. To accommodate the demand of the malaria vaccine pipeline, controlled infections are carried out in an increasing number of centers worldwide. We assessed their safety and reproducibility. Methods We reviewed safety and parasitological data from 128 malaria-naïve subjects participating in controlled malaria infection trials conducted at the University of Oxford, UK, and the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, The Netherlands. Results were compared to a report from the US Military Malaria Vaccine Program. Results We show that controlled human malaria infection trials are safe and demonstrate a consistent safety profile with minor differences in the frequencies of arthralgia, fatigue, chills and fever between institutions. But prepatent periods show significant variation. Detailed analysis of Q-PCR data reveals highly synchronous blood stage parasite growth and multiplication rates. Conclusions Procedural differences can lead to some variation in safety profile and parasite kinetics between institutions. Further harmonization and standardization of protocols will be useful for wider adoption of these cost-effective small-scale efficacy trials. Nevertheless, parasite growth rates are highly reproducible, illustrating the robustness of controlled infections as a valid tool for malaria vaccine development.
Somatostatin Negatively Regulates Parasite Burden and Granulomatous Responses in Cysticercosis

Cysticercosis is an infection of tissues with the larval cysts of the cestode, Taenia solium. While live parasites elicit little or no inflammation, dying parasites initiate a granulomatous reaction presenting as painful muscle nodules or seizures when cysts are located in the brain. We previously showed in the T. crassiceps murine model of cysticercosis that substance P (SP), a neuropeptide, was detected in early granulomas and was responsible for promoting granuloma formation, while somatostatin (SOM), another neuropeptide and immunomodulatory hormone, was detected in late granulomas; SOM's contribution to granuloma formation was not examined. In the current studies, we used somatostatin knockout (SOM−/−) mice to examine the hypothesis that SOM downmodulates granulomatous inflammation in cysticercosis, thereby promoting parasite growth. Our results demonstrated that parasite burden was reduced 5.9-fold in SOM−/− mice compared to WT mice (P < 0.05). This reduction in parasite burden in SOM−/− mice was accompanied by a 95% increase in size of their granulomas (P < 0.05), which contained a 1.5-fold increase in levels of IFN-γ and a 26-fold decrease in levels of IL-1β (P < 0.05 for both) compared to granulomas from WT mice. Thus, SOM regulates both parasite burden and granulomatous inflammation perhaps through modulating granuloma production of IFN-γ and IL-1β.
NEURAL NETWORK OPTIMIZATION USING SHUFFLEDFROG ALGORITHM FOR SOFTWARE DEFECT PREDICTION

Software Defect Prediction (SDP) focuses on the detection of system modules such as files, methods, classes, components and so on which could potentially consist of a great amount of errors. SDP models refer to those that attempt to anticipate possible defects through test data. A relation is present among software metrics and the error disposition of the software. To resolve issues of classification, for the past many years, Neural Networks (NN) have been in use. The efficacy of such networks rely on the pattern of hidden layers as well as in the computation of the weights which link various nodes. Structural optimization is performed in order to increase the quality of the network frameworks, in two separate cases: The first is the typically utilized approximation error for the present data, and the second is the capacity of the network to absorb various issues of a general class of issues in a rapid manner along with excellent precision. The notion of Back Propagation (BP) is quite elementary; the result of neural networks is tested against the desired outcome. Genetic algorithms (GA) are a type of search algorithms built, based on the idea of natural evolution. A neural network using Shuffled Frog Algorithm for improving SDP is proposed.
A Highly Effective Dominant Negative αs Construct Containing Mutations That Affect Distinct Functions Inhibits Multiple Gs-coupled Receptor Signaling Pathways*

To investigate the subcellular organization of receptor-G protein signaling pathways, a robust dominant negative αs mutant containing substitutions that alter distinct functions was produced and tested for its effects on Gs-coupled receptor activity in HEK-293 cells. Mutations in the α3β5 loop region, which increase receptor affinity, decrease receptor-mediated activation, and impair activation of adenylyl cyclase, were combined with G226A, which increases affinity for βγ, and A366S, which decreases affinity for GDP. This triple αs mutant can inhibit signaling to Gs from the luteinizing hormone receptor by 97% and from the calcitonin receptor by 100%. In addition, this αs mutant blocks all signaling from the calcitonin receptor to Gq. These results lead to two conclusions about receptor-G protein signaling. First, individual receptors have access to multiple types of G proteins in HEK-293 cell membranes. Second, different G protein α subunits can compete with each other for binding to the same receptor. This dominant negative αs construct will be useful for determining interrelationships among distinct receptor-G protein interactions in a wide variety of cells and tissues.
Hole inductance in braided cable shields

The shielding effectiveness of metal braids of cables is governed by the geometry and the materials of the braid. The shielding effectiveness can be characterised by the transfer impedance of the metal braid. Analytical models for the transfer impedance contain in general two components, one representing diffusion of electromagnetic energy through the metal braid, and a second part representing leakage of magnetic fields through the braid. The second part is a local phenomenon, which again has three parts: hole inductance, braid inductance and skin inductance. The hole inductance is governed by the penetration of magnetic fields through the apertures of the braid. Well-known analytical models overestimate the contribution of the hole inductance by a factor two. This can be easily corrected by multiplying the hole inductance terms by a factor (2/π)3/2.
MAHI: investigation of social scaffolding for reflective thinking in diabetes management

In the recent years, the number of individuals engaged in self-care of chronic diseases has grown exponentially. Advances in computing technologies help individuals with chronic diseases collect unprecedented volumes of health-related data. However, engaging in reflective analysis of the collected data may be challenging for the untrained individuals. We present MAHI, a health monitoring application that assists newly diagnosed individuals with diabetes in acquiring and developing reflective thinking skills through social interaction with diabetes educators. The deployment study with twenty five newly diagnosed individuals with diabetes demonstrated that MAHI significantly contributed to individuals' achievement of their diabetes management goals (changing diet). More importantly, MAHI inspired individuals to adopt Internal Locus of Control, which often leads to persistent engagement in self-care and positive health outcomes.
Air pollution modelling in urban environment based on a priori and reconstructed data

This paper presents preliminary results of the effectiveness analysis of an air quality forecasting system for the city of Novosibirsk with replenishment of the missing information on emission sources by solving an inverse problem with urban monitoring network data. In solving the inverse problem, a priori information about the location and mode of the sources is used. To simulate concentration distributions, the WRF-Chem model is used, and a simplified model of chemical transport is applied to solving the inverse problem. These models are offline coupled in a hybrid forecast system in order to improve the initial information about the spatial distribution of emission intensity and air quality forecast, respectively. The results of numerical experiments and their analysis are presented. The influence of an urban parameterization on the results of the forecast is shown.
Free-space optical channel estimation for physical layer security

We present experimental data on message transmission in a free-space optical (FSO) link at an eye-safe wavelength, using a testbed consisting of one sender and two receiver terminals, where the latter two are a legitimate receiver and an eavesdropper. The testbed allows us to emulate a typical scenario of physical-layer (PHY) security such as satellite-to-ground laser communications. We estimate information-theoretic metrics including secrecy rate, secrecy outage probability, and expected code lengths for given secrecy criteria based on observed channel statistics. We then discuss operation principles of secure message transmission under realistic fading conditions, and provide a guideline on a multi-layer security architecture by combining PHY security and upper-layer (algorithmic) security.
Environmental Kuznets Curve for CO2 emissions: An analysis for developing, Middle East, OECD and OPEC countries

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the relevance of the Environmental Kuznets Curve, which shows that there is an inverted-U shaped relationship between environmental pollution and economic growth. We investigated the relationship between per capita income and the carbon dioxide emissions as indicators of environmental pollution in Developing Countries, OECD, Middle East and OPEC countries for the period of 1970-2016. The contribution of our study is the evaluation and comparison of Developing Countries, OECD, Middle East and OPEC countries together in the context of EKC. We employ the fixed effect and GMM techniques in this study and results obtained from cubic models indicate that the N-shaped relationship for Developing, Middle East countries and OECD countries and inverted N-shaped relationship for OPEC countries exist. Considering these conclusions, we draw some serious policy implications for the policy makers in these countries. Governments should closely follow the industries that generate CO2 emissions as after some point environmental degradation increases again as income increases. In addition adopting clean energies including wind and solar systems and making these technologies widespread across countries might reduce CO2 emissions. Another alternative way to reduce CO2 emissions might be a carbon tax which should be implemented for polluters.