Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hybrid Hard/Soft Interference Cancellation Based on List Viterbi Decoding

A convolutionally coded multiple-input multiple-output system equipped with CRC error detection is considered. For each convolutional code, the list Viterbi algorithm (LVA) is employed to find a list of promising codewords. CRC code is used not only to select a correct one from this list; but also to control the switching between hard-decision feedback and soft interference cancellation. Further, bit-level soft information is generated with low complexity, albeit approximately, using the same codeword list returned by LVA. Simulations confirm that this hybrid hard/soft interference cancellation scheme achieves enhanced error performance relative to existing hard-decision approaches at a comparable complexity
Diplexer design using pre-synthesized waveguide filters with strongly dispersive inverters

An approximate synthesis technique for strongly dispersive inverters is introduced. The technique allows the prescription of transmission zeros at finite frequencies on either side of the filter passband - symmetrically or asymmetrically - as required for diplexer applications. Several direct-coupled resonator filters with additional attenuation poles and a related diplexer design at 18.5 GHz are presented. The computerized design procedure is based on CIET (coupled-integral-equations technique) and MMT (mode-matching technique) modules. Excellent agreement between measurements and theoretical predictions is achieved.
An optimized layout for multipolar neural recording electrode

In the context of functional electrical stimulation it is of high interest to have an objective measure of the effect of stimulation and to get a sensitive feedback from afferent neural signal. Many studies aim to detect or record this information from inside the nerve but they have to overcome several difficulties. In chronic implants, measure of the nerve activity has to be little invasive making the use of a cuff electrode very suitable. The main issues with this kind of electrode are parasitic noise and poor selectivity of the recorded signal. In this paper, we propose an optimized layout for multipolar recording electrode. The main idea is to find the best value for the inter-pole distance and the most relevant processing in order to both improve selectivity in the nerve and to reject external parasitic signals. In this study, we put emphasis on simulation of action potential as a method to help the electrode specification. The amplitude of the expected signal is evaluated in both spatial and frequency domains, with respect to axons variability. Then, the selectivity of the proposed design is compared to state-of-art electrode layout. The proposed design, with the associated pre-processing shows a real improvement of the electrode selectivity and a very efficient parasitic signal rejection. The drawback is a decrease of the sensitivity that nevertheless remains compatible with integrated micro-circuit amplifiers.
A Modular Analysis of Adaptive (Non-)Convex Optimization: Optimism, Composite Objectives, and Variational Bounds

Recently, much work has been done on extending the scope of online learning and incremental stochastic optimization algorithms. In this paper we contribute to this effort in two ways: First, based on a new regret decomposition and a generalization of Bregman divergences, we provide a self-contained, modular analysis of the two workhorses of online learning: (general) adaptive versions of Mirror Descent (MD) and the Follow-the-Regularized-Leader (FTRL) algorithms. The analysis is done with extra care so as not to introduce assumptions not needed in the proofs and allows to combine, in a straightforward way, different algorithmic ideas (e.g., adaptivity, optimism, implicit updates) and learning settings (e.g., strongly convex or composite objectives). This way we are able to reprove, extend and refine a large body of the literature, while keeping the proofs concise. The second contribution is a byproduct of this careful analysis: We present algorithms with improved variational bounds for smooth, composite objectives, including a new family of optimistic MD algorithms with only one projection step per round. Furthermore, we provide a simple extension of adaptive regret bounds to practically relevant non-convex problem settings with essentially no extra effort.
NCOA 1 Directly Targets M-CSF 1 Expression to Promote Breast Cancer Metastasis

In breast cancer, overexpression of the nuclear coactivator NCOA1 (SRC-1) is associated with disease recurrence and resistance to endocrine therapy. To examine the impact of NCOA1 overexpression on morphogenesis and carcinogenesis in themammary gland (MG), we generatedMMTV-hNCOA1 transgenic [Tg(NCOA1)] mice. In the context of two distinct transgenic models of breast cancer, NCOA1 overexpression did not affect the morphology or tumor-forming capability of MG epithelial cells. However, NCOA1 overexpression increased the number of circulating breast cancer cells and the efficiency of lungmetastasis. Mechanistic investigations showed that NCOA1 and c-Fos were recruited to a functional AP-1 site in the macrophage attractant CSF1 promoter, directly upregulating colony-simulating factor 1 (CSF1) expression to enhance macrophage recruitment and metastasis. Conversely, silencing NCOA1 reduced CSF1 expression and decreased macrophage recruitment and breast cancer cell metastasis. In a cohort of 453 human breast tumors, NCOA1 and CSF1 levels correlated positively with disease recurrence, higher tumor grade, and poor prognosis. Together, our results define an NCOA1/AP-1/CSF1 regulatory axis that promotes breast cancermetastasis, offering a novel therapeutic target for impeding this process. Cancer Res; 74(13); 3477–88. 2014 AACR.
Diversity and Evolution of AbaR Genomic Resistance Islands in Acinetobacter baumannii Strains of European Clone I

ABSTRACT To assess the diversity of AbaR genomic resistance islands in Acinetobacter baumannii European clone I (MLST clonal complex 1), we investigated 26 multidrug-resistant strains of this major clone isolated from hospitals in 21 cities of 10 European countries between 1984 and 2005. Each strain harbored an AbaR structure integrated at the same position in the chromosomal ATPase gene. AbaR3, including four subtypes based on variations in class 1 integron cassettes, and AbaR10 were found in 15 and 2 strains, respectively, whereas a new, unique AbaR variant was discovered in each of the other 9 strains. These new variants, designated AbaR11 to AbaR19 (19.8 kb to 57.5 kb), seem to be truncated derivatives of AbaR3, likely resulting from the deletions of its internal parts mediated by either IS26 elements (AbaR12 to AbaR19) or homologous recombination (AbaR11). AbaR3 was detected in all 10 strains isolated in 1984 to 1991, while AbaR11 to AbaR19 were carried only by strains isolated since 1997. Our results and those from previous publications suggest that AbaR3 is the original form of AbaR in European clone I, which may have provided strains of the lineage with a selective advantage facilitating their spread in European hospitals in the 1980s or before.
Protective roles of mitochondrial manganese‐containing superoxide dismutase against various stresses in Candida albicans

Candida albicans contains copper‐ and zinc‐containing superoxide dismutase but also two manganese‐containing superoxide dismutases (MnSODs), one in the cytosol and the other in the mitochondria. Among these, the SOD2 gene encoding mitochondrial MnSOD was disrupted and overexpressed to investigate its roles in C. albicans. The null mutant lacking mitochondrial MnSOD was more sensitive than wild‐type cells to various stresses, such as redox‐cycling agents, heating, ethanol, high concentration of sodium or potassium and 99.9% O2. Interestingly, the sod2/sod2 mutant was rather more resistant to lithium and diamide than the wild‐type, whereas overexpression of SOD2 increased susceptibility of C. albicans to these compounds. The inverse effect of mitochondrial MnSOD on lithium toxicity was relieved when the sod2/sod2 and SOD2‐overexpressing cells were grown on the synthetic dextrose medium containing sulphur compounds such as methionine, cysteine, glutathione or sulphite, indicating that mitochondrial MnSOD may affect lithium toxicity through sulphur metabolism. Moreover, disruption or overexpression of SOD2 increased or decreased glutathione reductase activity and cyanide‐resistant respiration by alternative oxidase, respectively. Taken together, these findings suggest that mitochondrial MnSOD is important for stress responses, lithium toxicity and cyanide‐resistant respiration of C. albicans. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Architecture, société et paysage Bétammaribé au Togo : Contribution à l'anthropologie de l'habitat

Les maisons forteresses en terre des Betammaribe du Togo sont construites selon une architecture des plus spectaculaires d'Afrique de l'Ouest. Cet habitat, espace d'interaction unique entre le monde des esprits, des vivants et des morts, concentre de l'univers cosmogonique, culturel et social, est un revelateur passionnant des modes de pensee d'un peuple meconnu. Un ouvrage essentiel pour la comprehension des rapports qui se nouent entre nature, culture et architecture et dont l'etude constitue une contribution originale a l'anthropologie de l'habitat. La culture des Betammaribe vient d'etre inscrite sur la liste du Patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO.
Atomic coherence-state phase conjugation in optical coherent transients

Summary form only given. Time-domain four- and six-wave mixing has been demonstrated as an important input scheme for proposed spatial-spectral holographic processing devices. Optimizing the design of these devices requires an understanding of the optical coherent transient phenomena resulting from time-domain wave mixing. In this paper, we show that a particular set of six-wave mixing signals can be directly related to the coherence-state pathways of time-domain four-wave mixing.
Nonresponse weighting adjustment using estimated response probability

To reduce nonresponse bias in sample surveys, a method of nonresponse weighting adjustment is often used which consists of multiplying the sampling weight of the respondent by the inverse of the estimated response probability. The authors examine the asymptotic properties of this estimator. They prove that it is generally more efficient than an estimator which uses the true response probability, provided that the parameters which govern this probability are estimated by maximum likelihood. The authors discuss variance estimation methods that account for the effect of using the estimated response probability; they compare their performances in a small simulation study. They also discuss extensions to the regression estimator.
Strategic Effects of Product Innovation, Service Quality, and Relationship Quality on Brand Equity

This paper examines the effects of product innovation and service quality on brand equity mediated by relationship quality. To date, the patterns in past research show that there is less attention been paid to examine the importance of product innovation and service quality in affecting brand equity. Thus, in order to explore our knowledge in this area, this study was conducted among car users in Northern region of Malaysia. The data were analyzed using SPSS and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings indicated that product innovation and service quality have significant positive effects on relationship quality and brand equity. Moreover, the findings revealed that relationship quality mediates the relationship between product innovation and brand equity. It also shows that relationship quality mediates the relationship between service quality and brand equity. Based on these results, several implications and future research suggestions are discussed in this paper in order to explore our knowledge towards the importance of product innovation and service quality in affecting relationship quality and brand equity.
A comparison of the microcirculation in the rat spinotrapezius and diaphragm muscles.

Of all skeletal muscles examined in the rat, the spinotrapezius (S) and diaphragm (D) have the closest fiber-type composition. However, their oxidative capacities differ by two- to threefold. We have developed an intravital microscopy preparation to study diaphragm microcirculation in vivo. Using this preparation and the standard spinotrapezius model first described by S. D. Gray (1973, Microvasc. Res. 5, 395-400), we tested the hypothesis that pronounced microcirculatory differences would exist between these two muscles as a function of their disparate oxidative capacities. The lineal density of all capillaries in the spinotrapezius was 33.6 +/- 1.5 compared to 65.1 +/- 3.3 capillaries/mm in the diaphragm (P < 0.001). In the diaphragm compared with the spinotrapezius muscle, a significantly (P < 0.05) greater proportion of capillary countercurrent flow (D, 29 +/- 6% vs 8 +/- 6%) existed. Within both muscles, there was a similar proportion of capillaries supporting red blood cell (RBC) flow (S, 89 +/- 7% vs D, 92 +/- 2%). However, the diaphragm supported significantly (P < 0.001) greater intracapillary RBC velocities (D, 302 +/- 11 vs S, 226 +/- 9 micron/s) and fluxes (D, 33.4 +/- 1.1 vs S, 19.2 +/- 2.1 cells/s) compared with the spinotrapezius. Capillary "tube" hematocrit was greater (P = 0.01) in the diaphragm (0.32 +/- 0.02) than in the spinotrapezius (0.22 +/- 0.03) muscle. These data demonstrate that microcirculatory flow characteristics in resting muscle can be regulated independent of muscle fiber-type composition and may be related to muscle oxidative capacity.
Current Research on Linguistic Variation in the Arabic-Speaking World

Given its abundance of dialects, varieties, styles, and registers, Arabic lends itself easily to the study of language variation and change. It is spoken by some 300 million people in an area spanning roughly from northwest Africa to the Persian Gulf. Traditional Arabic dialectology has dealt predominantly with geographical variation. However, in recent years, more nuanced studies of inter- and intra-speaker variation have seen the light of day. In some respects, Arabic sociolinguistics is still lagging behind the field compared to variationist studies in English and other Western languages. On the other hand, the insight presented in studies of Arabic can and should be considered in the course of shaping a crosslinguistic sociolinguistic theory. Variationist studies of Arabic-speaking speech communities began almost two decades after Labov's pioneering studies of American English and have flourished following the turn of the 21st century. These studies have sparked debates between more quantitatively inclined sociolinguists and those who value qualitative analysis. In reality, virtually no sociolinguistic study of Arabic that includes statistical modeling is free of qualitative insights. They are also not flawless and not always cutting edge methodologically or theoretically, but the field is moving in a positive direction, which will likely lead to the recognition of its significance to sociolinguistics at large.
Discovery and characterization of hydroxylysine in recombinant monoclonal antibodies

ABSTRACT Tryptic peptide mapping analysis of a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-expressed, recombinant IgG1 monoclonal antibody revealed a previously unreported +16 Da modification. Through a combination of MSn experiments, and preparation and analysis of known synthetic peptides, the possibility of a sequence variant (Ala to Ser) was ruled out and the presence of hydroxylysine was confirmed. Post-translational hydroxylation of lysine was found in a consensus sequence (XKG) known to be the site of modification in other proteins such as collagen, and was therefore presumed to result from the activity of the CHO homolog of the lysyl hydroxylase complex. Although this consensus sequence was present in several locations in the antibody sequence, only a single site on the heavy-chain Fab was found to be modified.
Matching Cost Fusion in Dense Depth Recovery for Camera-Array via Global Optimization

This paper proposes a novel method of fusing different matching cost for dense depth map recovery in a global optimization framework. Two simple classical cost functions, NCC and SAD, are combined to make a complementary costs fusion, which is robust against noises and weak radiometric difference. We address complicated difficulties as texture-less region and occlusion in a multi-view energy based global optimization, which is efficiently solved via graph cuts algorithm. We evaluate our cost fusion and optimization algorithm on camera-array captured scenes. The experimental results demonstrate that, our cost fusion get better result than single cost function, and our multi-view optimization gains greatly than stereo method, that means our algorithm is appropriate for camera-array against complex difficulties.
Forensic analysis of interdependencies between vignetting and radial lens distortion

Optical aberrations are an inherent part of all images captured with a digital camera and might form another valuable characteristic to build reliable image forensic methods. Within this paper we focus on vignetting and radial lens distortion and investigate interdependencies between both optical aberrations. Using checkerboards and a homogeneously illuminated white wall as ideal test patterns, we investigate the influence of lens settings and camera orientation. More precisely, we use images of the `Dresden Image Database' and a specifically created data set to investigate relations between the appearance of optical aberrations and lens settings, focal length, focus, and aperture. Our experiments use images of natural scenes to point to general difficulties that have to be considered when vignetting and radial lens distortion are analyzed in realistic scenarios.
Results of triple therapy with interferon‐alpha, cytarabine, and homoharringtonine, and the impact of adding imatinib to the treatment sequence in patients with Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myelogenous leukemia in early chronic phase

Before the discovery of imatinib mesylate, a Bcr‐Abl selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor, three agents, interferon‐alpha (IFN‐α), cytarabine (ara‐C), and homoharringtonine (HHT), had demonstrated activity against Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)‐positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) as single agents and in couplet combinations. The goals of the current study were to evaluate the efficacy of the triple combination regimen with IFN‐α, ara‐C, and HHT in newly diagnosed Ph‐positive CML and to assess the impact of the added sequential therapy with imatinib on overall prognosis.
Complexity of Molecules

Several currently used measures of the complexity of molecules, such as, for example, those by Bertz and Randic or those based on the number of spanning trees, are briefly reviewed. We also proposed as complexity measures the sum of vertex-weights and the sum of edge-weights and their variants related to partition of vertex-weights and edge-weights into classes by their numerical values. The vertex-weights considered are the squares of the vertex-degrees, and the edge-weights are products of vertex-degrees making up the edges. Comparison is made between considered complexity measures for selected molecular graphs. All considered indices increase with increasing size and cyclicity and most with increasing branching. However, they differ regarding the influence of symmetry.
Intracellular pH and calcium in frog early distal tubule: effects of transport inhibitors.

1. The K+ channels of the apical membrane of the diluting segment (early distal tubule, EDT) of the frog are involved in the regulation of transepithelial NaCl transport. These channels are sensitive to pHi and intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i). Inhibition of transport by furosemide (frusemide) results in a compensatory increase in K+ channel activity. The aims of the present study were to determine whether pHi or Ca2+i were altered by furosemide, and to identify the means by which such changes were brought about. 2. Experiments were performed using single, microperfused EDT segments. Measurements of pHi and Ca2+i were made using the intracellular fluorescent probes, 2',7'‐bis(carboxyethyl)‐5,6‐carboxyfluorescein (BCECF) and fura‐2, respectively. 3. Furosemide increased pHi and Ca2+i. The intracellular alkalinization was the result of an alkaline shift in the set‐point of the basolateral Na(+)‐H+ exchanger. This response was dependent upon the increase in Ca2+i. 4. The increase in Ca2+i produced by furosemide was due to the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. Depletion of these stores, by 2,5‐di‐t‐butylhydroquinone (TBQ) and caffeine, prevented the furosemide‐induced changes in Ca2+ and pH. 5. Furosemide‐induced activation of Na(+)‐H+ exchange was prevented by the calmodulin antagonist, W‐7. 6. Thus furosemide elicits a rise in Ca2+i which, via calmodulin, results in activation of Na(+)‐H+ exchange. The resulting intracellular alkalinization would be expected to increase channel activity.
Automatic Identification of Physical Activity Intensity and Modality from the Fusion of Accelerometry and Heart Rate Data

Summary Background: Physical activity (PA) is essential to prevent and to treat a variety of chronic diseases. The automated detection and quantification of PA over time empowers lifestyle interventions, facilitating reliable exercise tracking and data-driven counseling. Methods: We propose and compare various combinations of machine learning (ML) schemes for the automatic classification of PA from multi-modal data, simultaneously captured by a biaxial accelerometer and a heart rate (HR) monitor. Intensity levels (low / moderate / vigorous) were recognized, as well as for vigorous exercise, its modality (sustained aerobic / resistance / mixed). In to -tal, 178.63 h of data about PA intensity (65.55 % low / 18.96 % moderate / 15.49 % vigorous) and 17.00 h about modality were collected in two experiments: one in free- living conditions, another in a fitness center under controlled protocols. The structure used for automatic classification comprised: a) definition of 42 time-domain signal features, b) dimensionality reduction, c) data clustering, and d) temporal filtering to exploit time redundancy by means of a Hidden Markov Model (HMM). Four dimensionality reduction techniques and four clustering algorithms were studied. In order to cope with class imbalance in the dataset, a custom performance metric was defined to aggregate recognition accuracy, precision and recall. Results: The best scheme, which comprised a projection through Linear Discriminant Ana -lysis (LDA) and k-means clustering, was evaluated in leave-one-subject-out cross-validation; notably outperforming the standard industry procedures for PA intensity classification: score 84.65 %, versus up to 63.60 %. Errors tended to be brief and to appear around transients. Conclusions: The application of ML techniques for pattern identification and temporal filtering allowed to merge accelerometry and HR data in a solid manner, and achieved markedly better recognition performances than the standard methods for PA intensity estimation.