Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uplink Channel Capacity of Space-Division-Multiple-Access Schemes

The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and signal bandwidth have been viewed as the dominant factors determining the channel capacity. In wireless communications, the channel capacity can be increased for a given SNR and a given spectral region, by exploiting the spatial diversity provided by the use of multiple antennas and transceivers at a base station. We calculate the channel capacity enhancement of a so-called space-division-multiple-access (SDMA) system and investigate its dependence with respect to different decoding schemes, terminal positions, and receiver numbers. Inner and outer capacity boundaries for joint decoding and independent decoding are presented, along with physical explanations as to how these boundaries can be achieved. We show that exploitation of the spatial diversity not only increases the overall achievable rates of both joint and independent decoding, but also closes the gap between their corresponding capacity regions, thus bringing the performance of the low-cost independent decoding scheme close to that of the optimal joint decoding. Practical issues of optimum projection and power control are also addressed.
Molecular dynamics simulations of GaAs-crystal surface modifications during nanoindentation with AFM tip.

The nanoindentation model of atomically flat surface of GaAs with the AFM tip was developed on the base of Molecular Dynamics. It was found that as a temperature rises above 100 K the nanoindention results in increase of number of atoms with higher number of neighbours, i.e. point defect appears in the topmost atomic layers of GaAs. The observed results can be explained with the kinetic concept of the mechanism of fracture of solid state where the generation of native point defects caused by the fluctuation of thermal energy and the external stress results in enhancement of the defect generation rate.
Effect of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor on hearing

Abstract Objective: Following a report of sudden hearing loss in a patient taking phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, and a Food and Drug Administration announcement concerning this class of drugs, a study was planned to investigate if ototoxicity occurs in patients using phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor for erectile dysfunction. Methods: Eighteen patients with erectile dysfunction who had been using phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor were included in the study. Audiometric tests were performed on all patients, between the frequencies 250 and 16 000 Hz, before and 1, 5 and 72 hours after drug ingestion. Results: Four patients showed a unilateral threshold decrease compatible with ototoxicity criteria; this change was reversible. A statistically significant difference in pre- versus post-drug hearing thresholds was observed in the right ear at 10 000 Hz (p = 0.008). There were no statistically significant hearing threshold differences at any other frequencies (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Although temporary ototoxicity was noted in four patients, we could not find any permanent, deleterious effect of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor on hearing thresholds.
Subwavelength gratings for sensing and polarization management

J.G. Wangüemert-Pérez, P. Cheben, A. Ortega-Moñux, D. Pérez-Galacho, C. AlonsoRamos, R. Halir, I. Molina-Fernández, D. -X. Xu, J.H. Schmid. 1 Universidad de Málaga, ETSI Telecomunicación, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain, 2 National Research Council Canada, 1200 Montreal Rd, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6, Canada Institut d'Electronique Fondamentale, Univ. Paris-Sud, CNRS UMR 8622, Bât. 220,91405 Orsay Cedex, France Sub-wavelength grating (SWGs) structures are becoming important building blocks in planar waveguide photonic devices [1]. SWG structures have been successfully applied in the design of a range of devices with remarkable performance by using refractive index engineering and dispersion engineering techniques [2]. In this work we explore two new promising applications of these structures, namely in evanescent field waveguide sensing and polarization management. For the evanescent waveguide sensing devices, we show that subwavelength patterning of silicon wires can be used to control the delocalization of the waveguide mode and therefore enhance both bulk and surface sensitivities (Fig. 1). We will also discuss the implementation of subwavelength structures in efficient polarization splitter and rotator (PSR) devices [3]. PSR devices based on asymmetrical directional couplers typically exhibit stringent fabrication tolerances. We show that by implementing SWG structures in PSR design both the effective mode index and its derivatives with respect to critical dimensions can be controlled, which significantly improves tolerance to fabrication errors (Fig. 2).
Use of Hachinski Ischemic Score in the memory clinic: Thai experience.

BACKGROUND The validity ofHachinski Ischemic Score (HIS) in differentiating between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Vascular dementia (VaD) has been questioned and compared with the gold standard autopsy. OBJECTIVE To confirm that the HIS can be used to differentiate related VaD from AD in a Thai population. MATERIAL AND METHOD A prospective study of 398 patients who were attending the Memory Clinic, at Siriraj Hospital between January 2001 and October 2003. RESULTS The 214 patients, with a mean age of 71.15 + 10.20 years, were classified as AD, VaD or mixed dementia (AD with cerebrovascular disease) in proportion of 60.2%, 30.4%, and 9.3% respectively. The authors propose HIS at 5 as a cut off point to differentiate patients with AD and those with VaD or AD with cerebrovascular disease with sensitivity of 85.3% and specificity of 72.9%. CONCLUSION The HIS can be applied to differentiate dementia related vascular etiology from AD in a Thai population.
An Efficient Hierarchical Clustering Method for Large Datasets with Map-Reduce

Large datasets become common in applications like Internet services, genomic sequence analysis and astronomical telescope. The demanding requirements of memory and computation power force data mining algorithms to be parallelized in order to efficiently deal with the large datasets. This paper introduces our experience of grouping internet users by mining a huge volume of web access log of up to 100 gigabytes. The application is realized using hierarchical clustering algorithms with Map-Reduce, a parallel processing framework over clusters. However, the immediate implementation of the algorithms suffers from efficiency problem for both inadequate memory and higher execution time. This paper present an efficient hierarchical clustering method of mining large datasets with Map-Reduce. The method includes two optimization techniques: “Batch Updating” to reduce the computational time and communication costs among cluster nodes, and “Co-occurrence based feature selection” to decrease the dimension of feature vectors and eliminate noise features. The empirical study shows the first technique can significantly reduce the IO and distributed communication overhead, reducing the total execution time to nearly 1/15. Experimentally, the second technique efficiently simplifies the features while obtains improved accuracy of hierarchical clustering.
Facial Changes Caused by Smoking: A Comparison between Smoking and Nonsmoking Identical Twins

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the specific components of facial aging secondary to smoking, by comparing standardized photographs of identical twins with different smoking histories. Methods: During the Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, from 2007 to 2010, 79 pairs of twins were identified, in which only one twin smokes or where one twin smoked at least 5 years longer than his or her counterpart. Questionnaires were obtained and standardized photographs were taken by professional photographers. A panel of three blinded judges analyzed the twins’ facial features and graded wrinkles using the validated Lemperle Assessment Scale, and ranked age-related facial features on a four-point scale. Results: Smoking twins compared with their nonsmoking counterparts had worse scores for upper eyelid skin redundancy, lower lid bags, malar bags, nasolabial folds, upper lip wrinkles, lower lip vermillion wrinkles, and jowls. Lower lid hyperpigmentation in the smoking group fell just short of statistical significance. Transverse forehead wrinkles, glabellar wrinkles, crow’s feet, and lower lip lines accentuated by puckering did not have a statistically significant differences in scores. Among twins with greater than 5 years’ difference in smoking duration, twins who had smoked longer had worse scores for lower lid bags, malar bags, and lower lip vermillion wrinkles. Conclusions: This study details the specifics of facial aging brought on by smoking, which primarily affects the middle and lower thirds of the face. It also demonstrates that a 5-year difference in smoking history can cause noticeable differences in facial aging in twins. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, II.
Synthesis of Hydroxyapatite-Nanorods with the Effect of Non-Ionic Surfactant as a Drug Carrier for the Treatment of Bone Infections

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) was synthesized using wet chemical method through surfactant assisted route. Microstructural features such as size and morphology of the resulting HAP were studied using Field Emission Scanning Electron Spectroscopic (FESEM) analysis. The physical properties of HAP were investigated by using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR). The HAP with better microstructural features was used for loading an antibiotic, Ciprofloxacin (CPF). The CPF, loaded HAP (HAC), exhibits a bacterial growth hindrance against a staphylococcus aureus (S aureus) and Escherichia coli (E coli) compared to a pure HAP. Drug loaded HAC was subjected to an antibacterial susceptibility test and antibacterial efficacy test. The results were corroborated to understand the change in the microstructure towards the usefulness of drug carrier properties and subsequently avoiding bacterial infections on the implant. Keywords-; Hydroxyapatite;Brij-35; ciproflaxin; Nanorods
Surface characteristics and bioactivity of minocycline-treated Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Chemical agents such as minocycline (MC) and citric acid (CA) were suggested in the treatment of contaminated implant surface. In this study, MC-HCl treatment was performed to enhance surface characteristics of titanium alloy surface. The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristics and the biocompatibility of Ti-6Al-4V surface treated by MC. Alpha-beta titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) samples were prepared and they were divided into 6 groups according to chemical concentration and treatment time. These groups include 1) group I, non-treated smooth titanium alloy; 2) group II, MC 1.5 mg/mL for 1 hour; 3) group III, MC 1.5 mg/mL for 24 hours; 4) group IV, MC 15 mg/mL for 10 minutes; 5) group V, MC 100 mg/mL for 5 minutes; 6) group VI, pH1 CA for 3 minutes. The analysis of the surface characteristics of MC-treated titanium alloy was executed using scanning electron microscopy, roughness test, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Cell adhesion and MTT assay was done using MC3T3 cell. Titanium surfaces treated with MC indicated a more smoothened surface microstructure. For group II and III, the new peaks of rutile TiO2 were found. Group II and V have more basic group of Ti-OH form in XPS. In MTT assay, all MC-treated groups showed significantly higher cell viability compared to control. The surface roughness, crystal structure, surface hydrophilicity, cell viability of smooth titanium surface was improved by MC treatment. Compared with the control experiment and CA-treated group, smooth titanium surface treated with MC showed improved surface characteristics and cell biocompatibility.
Introduction to probability

In this chapter, the concept of probability is introduced. The rolling of a die is an example of a random process: the face that comes up is subject to chance. In probability, the goal is to quantify such a random process. That is, we want to assign a number to it. This chapter introduces some basic terms used in the study of probability; by the end of the chapter, the reader will be able to define the following terms: sample space, outcome, discrete outcome, event, probability, probability distribution, trial, empirical distribution, and Law of Large Numbers. Using an example, the chapter focuses on a single characteristic and introduces basic vocabulary associated with probability.
Improving subviral particle tracks in fluoroscopic image sequences by global motion compensation

Abstract Automatic detection and tracking of subviral particles in image sequences is an indispensable supportive method for modern medicine research programs. This paper describes the development of a highly adaptable camera-to-world system motion invariant tracking algorithm. A translation compensation is obtained by cross correlations. Particles are detected by an implemented existing algorithm. The detected particles are linked by solving a Linear Assignment Problem. For highly stable results the tracks are improved by Kalman filtering. The algorithm is tested on simulated sequences. The results show a great ability for stable tracking.
Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Novel Roles of the Ras and Cyclic AMP Signaling Pathways in Environmental Stress Response and Antifungal Drug Sensitivity in Cryptococcus neoformans

ABSTRACT The cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway plays a central role in the growth, differentiation, and virulence of pathogenic fungi, including Cryptococcus neoformans. Three upstream signaling regulators of adenylyl cyclase (Cac1), Ras, Aca1, and Gpa1, have been demonstrated to control the cAMP pathway in C. neoformans, but their functional relationship remains elusive. We performed a genome-wide transcriptome analysis with a DNA microarray using the ras1Δ, gpa1Δ, cac1Δ, aca1Δ, and pka1Δ pka2Δ mutants. The aca1Δ, gpa1Δ, cac1Δ, and pka1Δ pka2Δ mutants displayed similar transcriptome patterns, whereas the ras1Δ mutant exhibited transcriptome patterns distinct from those of the wild type and the cAMP mutants. Interestingly, a number of environmental stress response genes are modulated differentially in the ras1Δ and cAMP mutants. In fact, the Ras signaling pathway was found to be involved in osmotic and genotoxic stress responses and the maintenance of cell wall integrity via the Cdc24-dependent signaling pathway. Notably, the Ras and cAMP mutants exhibited hypersensitivity to a polyene drug, amphotericin B, without showing effects on ergosterol biosynthesis, which suggested a novel method of antifungal combination therapy. Among the cAMP-dependent gene products that we characterized, two small heat shock proteins, Hsp12 and Hsp122, were found to be involved in the polyene antifungal drug susceptibility of C. neoformans.
Echolocation by the harbour porpoise: life in coastal waters

The harbor porpoise is one of the smallest and most widely spread of all toothed whales. They are found abundantly in coastal waters all around the northern hemisphere. They are among the 11 species known to use high frequency sonar of relative narrow bandwidth. Their narrow biosonar beam helps isolate echoes from prey among those from unwanted items and noise. Obtaining echoes from small objects like net mesh, net floats, and small prey is facilitated by the very high peak frequency around 130 kHz with a wavelength of about 12 mm. We argue that such echolocation signals and narrow band auditory filters give the harbor porpoise a selective advantage in a coastal environment. Predation by killer whales and a minimum noise region in the ocean around 130 kHz may have provided selection pressures for using narrow bandwidth high frequency biosonar signals.
The Limits of Vacuum Infusion Technology during the Production of Filled Polymer Composite Systems

The vacuum infusion process (VIP) is suitable for production of bigger prototypes and low-series production, but their utilization is increasing because their low investment cost, comparability with high-tech technology (pre-preg), possibility to produce sandwich structures in one step and many various advantages.We verify the possibility of VIP to produce various prototypes with increasing degree of flame retarders, specifically aluminium hydroxide (ATH), which fulfil regiments to mechanical and Fire-Smoke-Toxicity (FST) properties according EN 45 545. Mechanical properties we confirmed by testing of bending properties according EN ISO 178 and tensile properties according EN ISO 527-4. FST properties were confirm by flammability test with hot wire according EN ISO 60695-2-11.
Two different sides of ‘chemobrain’: determinants and nondeterminants of self‐perceived cognitive dysfunction in a prospective, randomized, multicenter study

Objective: Complaints of cognitive dysfunction are frequent among cancer patients. Many studies have identified neuropsychological compromise associated with cancer and cancer therapy; however, the neuropsychological compromise was not related to self‐reported cognitive dysfunction. In this prospective study, the authors examined if confounding factors masked an underlying association of self‐perceived cognitive function with actual cognitive performance. Determinants of self‐perceived cognitive dysfunction were investigated.
Time‐varying coupling of EEG oscillations predicts excitability fluctuations in the primary motor cortex as reflected by motor evoked potentials amplitude: An EEG‐TMS study

Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by a train of consecutive, individual transcranial magnetic stimuli demonstrate fluctuations in amplitude with respect to time when recorded from a relaxed muscle. The influence of time‐varying, instantaneous modifications of the electroencephalography (EEG) properties immediately preceding the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has rarely been explored. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the pre‐TMS motor cortex and related areas EEG profile on time variants of the MEPs amplitude.
VHS to VRML: 3D graphical models from video sequences

We describe a method to completely automatically recover 3D scene structure together with a camera for each frame from a sequence of images acquired by an unknown camera undergoing unknown movement. Previous approaches have used calibration objects or landmarks to recover this information, and are therefore often limited to a particular scale. The approach of this paper is far more general, since the "landmarks" are derived directly from the imaged scene texture. The method can be applied to a large class of scenes and motions, and is demonstrated for sequences of interior and exterior scenes using both controlled-motion and hand-held cameras. We demonstrate two applications of this technology. The first is the construction of 3D graphical models of the scene; the second is the insertion of virtual objects into the original image sequence. Other applications include image compression and frame interpolation.
A Polar Stroke Descriptor for classification of historical documents

This paper presents a method for extracting a local scale- and rotation-invariant descriptor called Polar Stroke Descriptor (PSD) from the strokes in handwritten documents. Our descriptor captures the stroke-length distribution on a reference point and results in a robust feature vector. Furthermore, we develop a compact stroke representation termed as strokelets inspired by the classical Bag of Words model. We apply the proposed representation to historical document dating and the experimental results show that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance on the MPS database.
The Preparation of Controlled Release Fertilizer Based on Gelatin Hydrogel Including Ammonium Nitrate and Investigation of its Influence on Vegetable Growth

A controlled release fertilizer (CRF) systems based on gelatin hydrogel was prepared to improve fertilizer use efficiency and minimize its negative impact on environment. Gelatin hydrogel was synthesized by using glutaraldehyde (GA) as crosslinker and its swelling/degradation behaviors were investigated. Ammonium nitrate (AN) was loaded into the gelatin hydrogel and its releasing was followed. Release of AN from gelatin beads versus time was followed, and it is found that the release gently increased at first and then complied between 40-50 h. The releasing date shows that the prepared AN/gelatin hydrogel system could be named as a CRF. The efficiency of gelatin hydrogel beads including AN were examined on the vegetable growing using cucumber seeds. Plant growth and stem elongations measurements presents the formed hydrogel beads could be successfully used as a CRF system. It can be concluded that the CRF system produced in this study is much promising in utilizing a natural resource like gelatin in the production of matrix material, which could significantly reduce the production costs and offer a quite environ­mental friendly alternative technique.
An Intelligent Authoring Environment for Abstract Semantic Representations of Cultural Object Descriptions

In this paper we describe an authoring environment for the creation of cultural-domain ontologies and the associated linguistic and profile annotations, for dynamically generating adaptable natural-language descriptions of the cultural objects in the ontology. Adaptation is achieved at the expense of considerable authoring effort, since it relies on providing numerical parameters for each ontological entity. To assist the authoring process, we provide an intelligent authoring back-end that completes manually authored models by inferring missing values. This intelligent authoring support facility, combined with immediate previews, can considerably reduce the effort required to create a fully functional model as the author can iterate through cycles of providing information, previewing the generated text, and only elaborating the model where the text is unsatisfactory.
Counting with the Crowd

In this paper, we address the problem of selectivity estimation in a crowdsourced database. Specifically, we develop several techniques for using workers on a crowdsourcing platform like Amazon's Mechanical Turk to estimate the fraction of items in a dataset (e.g., a collection of photos) that satisfy some property or predicate (e.g., photos of trees). We do this without explicitly iterating through every item in the dataset. This is important in crowd-sourced query optimization to support predicate ordering and in query evaluation, when performing a GROUP BY operation with a COUNT or AVG aggregate. We compare sampling item labels, a traditional approach, to showing workers a collection of items and asking them to estimate how many satisfy some predicate. Additionally, we develop techniques to eliminate spammers and colluding attackers trying to skew selectivity estimates when using this count estimation approach. We find that for images, counting can be much more effective than sampled labeling, reducing the amount of work necessary to arrive at an estimate that is within 1% of the true fraction by up to an order of magnitude, with lower worker latency. We also find that sampled labeling outperforms count estimation on a text processing task, presumably because people are better at quickly processing large batches of images than they are at reading strings of text. Our spammer detection technique, which is applicable to both the label- and count-based approaches, can improve accuracy by up to two orders of magnitude.