Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Signal design for trellis-coded unitary space-time modulation

In this paper, we present a new formulation of the problem of signal design for trellis-coded unitary space-time communication systems. Our approach differs from other methods in that we not only combine the constellation design and set partitioning process together, we also use directly the Chernoff bound of the pairwise probability of error as design metric, which is a better figure of merit than the previously used chordal distance, for unitary constellation design. By novelly employing a theorem regarding the Clarke subdifferential of the sum of the k largest singular values of the unitary matrix, we present a numerical optimization procedure for finding good constellations and report the best signal constellations found. Simulation results show that these constellations achieve 1 dB gain against the previously used constellations of unitary space-time signals.
Uml Model Maturity and Component Integration Test-case Generation Table of Contents

Software testing is one method of revealing faults in a system's design or implementation. In the past, software testing has been described as potentially the most expensive aspect of a system's development. A recently completed three year study into the generation of test cases from design models, suggests that the software industry must develop automated techniques of system testing. Other researchers have suggested that the earlier in the process that faults can be found, the less effort is required to correct those faults; and therefore significantly reduce the costs associated with testing. An objective of the proposed study, is to create a test suite specifically for black-box integration testing of component-based software applications, prior to the commencement of coding. The test suite, generated automatically, is to be derived from information extracted from a variety of graphical diagrams that model the functional and structural aspects of a system. The proposed study's concurrent focus is on the testability assessment of system design diagrams. We intend to confirm whether diagrams, included in a model, contain sufficient information for the automatic generation of test cases, and how much specific information is necessary to produce an effective component integration test suite. It is intended that the assessment process will occur early in the system development life-cycle, thereby ensuring that time is not wasted unnecessarily on coding a defective design.
An 8-Month Systems Toxicology Inhalation/Cessation Study in Apoe−/− Mice to Investigate Cardiovascular and Respiratory Exposure Effects of a Candidate Modified Risk Tobacco Product, THS 2.2, Compared With Conventional Cigarettes

Smoking cigarettes is a major risk factor in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs) are being developed to reduce smoking-related health risks. The goal of this study was to investigate hallmarks of COPD and CVD over an 8-month period in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice exposed to conventional cigarette smoke (CS) or to the aerosol of a candidate MRTP, tobacco heating system (THS) 2.2. In addition to chronic exposure, cessation or switching to THS2.2 after 2 months of CS exposure was assessed. Engaging a systems toxicology approach, exposure effects were investigated using physiology and histology combined with transcriptomics, lipidomics, and proteomics. CS induced nasal epithelial hyperplasia and metaplasia, lung inflammation, and emphysematous changes (impaired pulmonary function and alveolar damage). Atherogenic effects of CS exposure included altered lipid profiles and aortic plaque formation. Exposure to THS2.2 aerosol (nicotine concentration matched to CS, 29.9 mg/m3) neither induced lung inflammation or emphysema nor did it consistently change the lipid profile or enhance the plaque area. Cessation or switching to THS2.2 reversed the inflammatory responses and halted progression of initial emphysematous changes and the aortic plaque area. Biological processes, including senescence, inflammation, and proliferation, were significantly impacted by CS but not by THS2.2 aerosol. Both, cessation and switching to THS2.2 reduced these perturbations to almost sham exposure levels. In conclusion, in this mouse model cessation or switching to THS2.2 retarded the progression of CS-induced atherosclerotic and emphysematous changes, while THS2.2 aerosol alone had minimal adverse effects.
An esthetics rule-based ranking system for amateur photos

With the current widespread use of digital cameras, the process of selecting and maintaining personal photos is becoming an onerous task. To our knowledge, there has been little research on photo evaluation based on computational esthetics. Photographers around the world have established some general rules for taking good photos. Building upon artistic theories and human visual perception is difficult since the results tend to be subjective. Although automatically ranking award-wining professional photos may not be a sensible pursuit, such an approach may be reasonable for photos taken by amateurs. In the next section, we introduce rules for such a system.
Activation of RGS9-1GTPase Acceleration by Its Membrane Anchor, R9AP*

The GTPase-accelerating protein (GAP) complex RGS9-1·Gβ5 plays an important role in the kinetics of light responses by accelerating the GTP hydrolysis of Gαt in vertebrate photoreceptors. Much, but not all, of this complex is tethered to disk membranes by the transmembrane protein R9AP. To determine the effect of the R9AP membrane complex on GAP activity, we purified recombinant R9AP and reconstituted it into lipid vesicles along with the photon receptor rhodopsin. Full-length RGS9-1·Gβ5 bound to R9AP-containing vesicles with high affinity (K d < 10 nm), but constructs lacking the DEP (dishevelled/EGL-10/pleckstrin) domain bound with much lower affinity, and binding of those lacking the entire N-terminal domain (i.e. the dishevelled/EGL-10/pleckstrin domain plus intervening domain) was not detectable. Formation of the membrane-bound complex with R9AP increased RGS9-1 GAP activity by a factor of 4. Vesicle titrations revealed that on the time scale of phototransduction, the entire reaction sequence from GTP uptake to GAP-catalyzed hydrolysis is a membrane-delimited process, and exchange of Gαt between membrane surfaces is much slower than hydrolysis. Because in rod cells different pools exist of RGS9-1·Gβ5 that are either associated with R9AP or not, regulation of the association between R9AP and RGS9-1·Gβ5 represents a potential mechanism for the regulation of recovery kinetics.
A Map of Threats to Validity of Systematic Literature Reviews in Software Engineering

Context: The assessment of Threats to Validity (TTVs) is critical to secure the quality of empirical studies in Software Engineering (SE). In the recent decade, Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was becoming an increasingly important empirical research method in SE. One of the mechanisms of insuring the level of scientific value in the findings of an SLR is to rigorously assess its validity. Hence, it is necessary to realize the status quo and issues of TTVs of SLRs in SE. Objective: This study aims to investigate thestate-of-the-practice of TTVs of the SLRs published in SE, and further support SE researchers to improve the assessment and strategies against TTVs in order to increase the quality of SLRs in SE. Method: We conducted a tertiary study by reviewing the SLRs in SE that report the assessment of TTVs. Results: We identified 316 SLRs published from 2004 to the first half of 2015, in which TTVs are discussed. The issues associated to TTVs were also summarized and categorized. Conclusion: The common TTVs related to SLR research, such as internal validity and reliability, were thoroughly discussed in most SLRs. The threats to construct validity and external validity drew less attention. Moreover, there are few strategies and tactics being reported to cope with the various TTVs.
Total, Direct, and Indirect Effects in Structural Equation Models

Decomposing the total effects of one variable on another into direct and indirect effects has long been of interest to researchers who use path analysis. In this paper, I review the decomposition of effects in general structural equation models with latent and observed variables. I present the two approaches to defining total effects. One is based on sums of powers of coefficient matrices. The other defines total effects as reducedform coefficients. I show the conditions under which these two definitions are equivalent. I also compare the different types of specific indirect effects. These are the influences that are transmitted through particular
Communication Media for Distributed Software Design

As virtual software projects are becoming more popular, it is also more common for software design, one of the key activities in software development process, to be conducted in the distributed context. Previous research has shown that communication media had an impact on the development of shared-understanding among team members in virtual teams. However, how communication media influences the development of shared-understanding among team members in software design, an activity where communication among team members are intense and complicated, is not well-understood. Therefore, within the scope of this study, we would like to conduct a case study to examine how virtual software development teams use communication media in their software design activities and how their usage influence their sharedunderstanding of the user requirements and design solutions. The outcome of the study is expected to validate the Media Synchronicity Theory in the distributed software design context as well as informing practitioners of the appropriate communication media usage for conducting distributed software design.
Discovering Aspectual Classes of Russian Verbs in Untagged Large Corpora

This paper presents a case study of discovering and classifying verbs in large web-corpora. Many tasks in natural language processing require corpora containing billions of words, and with such volumes of data co-occurrence extraction becomes one of the performance bottlenecks in the Vector Space Models of computational linguistics. We propose a co-occurrence extraction kernel based on ternary trees as an alternative (or a complimentary stage) to conventional map-reduce based approach, this kernel achieves an order of magnitude improvement in memory footprint and processing speed. Our classifier successfully and efficiently identified verbs in a 1.2-billion words untagged corpus of Russian fiction and distinguished between their two aspectual classes. The model proved efficient even for low-frequency vocabulary, including nonce verbs and neologisms.
Still on the Margins: Migration, English Language Learning, and Mental Health in Immigrant Psychiatric Patients

ABSTRACT This qualitative study explores the reflexive relationships among mental illness, acculturation, and progress toward English proficiency in five adult immigrants being treated at a Canadian psychiatric hospital. The research explores the additional challenges faced by mentally ill individuals when learning a new language and the extent to which English language acquisition may be impeded by factors related to mental illness. Semistructured ethnographic interviews are conducted with the patients. Data analysis is accomplished through grounded theory methods, specifically data-driven and theory-driven coding. The English language acquisition experiences of these five individuals are contrasted with second-language acquisition theory to suggest that the effects of the theoretical language learning advantages possessed by this group may have been diminished by factors related to mental illness. Policy recommendations are made to address this additional set of challenges for immigrants with psychiatric disorders.
CD40Ig-Treated Heart Allograft Recipients Mechanisms and Reinforce Tolerance in Anti-CD28 Antibodies Modify Regulatory

Usal, Joelle Veziers, Ignacio Anegon and Bernard VanhoveXian-Liang Li, Karine Renaudin, Fabienne Haspot, Claire Carole Guillonneau, Celine Seveno, Anne-Sophie Dugast,http://www.jimmunol.org/content/179/12/8164J Immunol€2007; 179:8164-8171; ;Referenceshttp://www.jimmunol.org/content/179/12/8164.full#ref-list-1This article cites 42 articles, 22 of which you can access for free at: Subscriptionshttp://jimmunol.org/subscriptionsInformation about subscribing to The Journal of Immunology is online at: Permissionshttp://www.aai. org/ji/copyright.htmlSubmit copyright permission requests at: Email Alertshttp://jimmunol.org/cgi/alerts/etocReceive free email-alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up at:
Remission and regression of diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy has become the single largest cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide. Until recently, it was thought that once a patient developed overt proteinuria, diabetic nephropathy was irreversible and inevitably progressed to ESRD. However, the reversal of lesions caused by diabetic nephropathy (e.g., glomerular basement membrane thickening and mesangial matrix increase) has been demonstrated in a series of patients who underwent a pancreas transplantation 10 years prior to the reversal. Remission of nephrotic range proteinuria has also been reported in some patients with type 1 diabetes from the Collaborative Study Group during a median follow-up of 3 years of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor administration; no deterioration of renal function was observed in these patients. Remission and regression in nephropathy of type 1 diabetes patients have also been reported when blood pressure was controlled aggressively. Recent clinical trials have demonstrated that angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) preserved renal function and slowed the progression of nephropathy to ESRD in patients with type 2 diabetes. Since many patients with type 2 diabetes manifest with a metabolic syndrome, multifactorial intensive treatment is necessary; such treatment includes behavior modifications, dietary intervention, exercise, and smoking cessation. In this population, pharmacological therapy targeting hyperglycemia, hypertension (including ARB/ACE inhibitor), and hyperlipidemia in cases of type 2 diabetes is also necessary.
Numerical Optimization of the Hydraulic Turbine Runner Blades Applying Neuronal Networks

This paper presents numerical optimization of turbomachinery blade shapes, using artificial neural network. This model takes into account the parameters of operation of the turbine (mass flow, direction of the flor and velocity angular). For the networks, the Levenberg-Marquardt learning algorithm, the hyperbolic tangent sigmoid transfer-function and the linear transfer-function were used. The best fitting training data set was obtained with three neurons in the hidden layer, which made it possible to predict efficiency with accuracy at least as good as that of the theoretical error, over the whole theoretical range. On the validation data set, simulations and theoretical data test were in good agreement (r2>0.99). The developed model can be used for the prediction of the efficiency in short simulation time
Content-Based Isolation: Rethinking Isolation Policy in Modern Client Systems

Modern client platforms, such as iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7, and Windows 8, have progressed from a per-user isolation policy, where users are isolated, but a user’s applications run in the same isolation container, to an application isolation policy, where different applications are isolated from one another. However, this is not enough because mutually distrusting content can interfere with one another inside a single application. For example, an attacker-crafted image may compromise a photo editor application and steal all images processed by the editor. In this paper, we advocate a content-based principal model in which the OS treats content owners as its principals and isolates content of different owners from one another. Our key contribution is to generalize the contentbased principal model from web browsers, namely, the same-origin policy, into an isolation policy that is suitable for all applications. The key challenge we faced is to support flexible isolation granularities while remaining compatible with the web. In this paper, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of our prototype system that tackles the challenge.
The long and winding road: A grounded theory of reminiscence among Filipino residents in nursing homes

ABSTRACT Although reminiscence is a naturally occurring process in late adulthood, not all older adults reminisce effectively. Notably, feelings of guilt, loneliness, bitterness and regret lead to despair and remorse rather than integrity. In spite of this, little is known about the process of reminiscence among Filipino older adults. This grounded study aims to develop a model that describes how a select group of older Filipino patients residing in nursing homes in the Philippines experience reminiscence. Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) grounded theory design was employed in this study. A total of eighteen (18) Filipino older adults in nursing homes were purposively selected to participate in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews. These were then transcribed into field texts and analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. Member checking procedure was employed to ensure that the emerged themes were sensible and consistent with the participants’ lived experiences. Through constant comparative method, the findings of this study presented the development of a three-phase process (Reactivating, Reconstructing and Reframing) that describes the reminiscence experiences of a select group of Filipino nursing home residents. The emergent theoretical model invites nurses as quality care providers to renew and restructure interventions to promote effective reminiscence.
Culturally Adapted Behavioral Activation

The scarcity of accessible culturally competent service providers and a general sense of mistrust in Eurocentric-based mental health settings exacerbate the lack of help seeking and effective therapeutic engagement for Latinos. Thus, clinical interventions that account for diverse values and worldviews may be an important step in the helpful treatment of U.S. Latino populations. Behavioral activation (BA), an evidence-based intervention for the treatment of depression, was recently evaluated through a preliminary clinical trial study in a community clinic primarily serving Spanish-speaking Latinos, and the results were promising. A culturally adapted version of BA was developed for Latinos, which took into consideration the cultural value of familismo (a collectivist worldview and preference for maintaining close connections to family); however, BA has not been previously applied to Latino families. The current case study presents the clinical treatment of a Mexican American family living in the southwest of the United States experiencing numerous stressors resulting in depressive symptoms. Specifically, this family sought therapy having experienced many negative life events, including stressors associated with institutionalized racism, their financial situation, and acculturation process. This led to a disruption of the family hierarchy, anger, unhappiness, fear, and isolation among family members. Outcomes of the intervention include a decrease in depressive symptoms and improved family communication and relationships by their involvement in activities such as attending cultural events in their community, family outings, and the children’s participation in extracurricular activities.
Changes in temperature and precipitation extremes in the IPCC ensemble of global coupled model simulations

Abstract Temperature and precipitation extremes and their potential future changes are evaluated in an ensemble of global coupled climate models participating in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) diagnostic exercise for the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). Climate extremes are expressed in terms of 20-yr return values of annual extremes of near-surface temperature and 24-h precipitation amounts. The simulated changes in extremes are documented for years 2046–65 and 2081–2100 relative to 1981–2000 in experiments with the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) B1, A1B, and A2 emission scenarios. Overall, the climate models simulate present-day warm extremes reasonably well on the global scale, as compared to estimates from reanalyses. The model discrepancies in simulating cold extremes are generally larger than those for warm extremes, especially in sea ice–covered areas. Simulated present-day precipitation extremes are plausible in the extratropics, but uncertainties in extreme prec.
Seasonality and depth distribution of the abundance and activity of ammonia oxidizing microorganisms in marine coastal sediments (North Sea)

Microbial processes such as nitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) are important for nitrogen cycling in marine sediments. Seasonal variations of archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidizers (AOA and AOB) and anammox bacteria, as well as the environmental factors affecting these groups, are not well studied. We have examined the seasonal and depth distribution of the abundance and potential activity of these microbial groups in coastal marine sediments of the southern North Sea. This was achieved by quantifying specific intact polar lipids as well as the abundance and gene expression of their 16S rRNA gene, the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene of AOA and AOB, and the hydrazine synthase (hzsA) gene of anammox bacteria. AOA, AOB, and anammox bacteria were detected and transcriptionally active down to 12 cm sediment depth. In all seasons, the abundance of AOA was higher compared to the AOB abundance suggesting that AOA play a more dominant role in aerobic ammonia oxidation in these sediments. Anammox bacteria were abundant and active even in oxygenated and bioturbated parts of the sediment. The abundance of AOA and AOB was relatively stable with depth and over the seasonal cycle, while anammox bacteria abundance and transcriptional activity were highest in August. North Sea sediments thus seem to provide a common, stable, ecological niche for AOA, AOB, and anammox bacteria.
Anomaly Detecting within Dynamic Chinese Chat Text

The problem in processing Chinese chat text originates from the anomalous characteristics and dynamic nature of such a text genre. That is, it uses ill-edited terms and anomalous writing styles in chat text, and the anomaly is created and discarded very quickly. To handle this problem, one solution is to re-train the recognizer periodically. This costs a lot of man-power in producing the timely chat text corpus. The new approaches are proposed in this paper to detect the anomaly within dynamic Chinese chat text by incorporating standard Chinese corpora and chat corpus. We first model standard language text using standard Chinese corpora and apply these models to detect anomalous chat text. To improve detection quality, we construct anomalous chat language model using one static chat text corpus and incorporate this model into the standard language models. Our approaches calculate confidence and entropy for the input text and apply threshold values to help make the decisions. The experiments prove that performance equivalent to the best ones produced by the approaches in existence can be achieved stably with our approaches.