Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance of Satellite Communications On The Move Systems in the Presence of Antenna Pointing Errors

On the move satellite communications is a major new capability that is being sought by the Army to support new operational concepts. Because of their size and weight, small aperture terminals are very attractive in such communications on the move applications. These terminals have wide beamwidths and may increase interference to adjacent satellite systems. Also, motion induced antenna pointing errors are unavoidable in communications on the move systems and these will increase the interference level to adjacent satellites. In order to limit interference to adjacent satellite systems, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have established strict recommendations and rules on the off-axis emissions and antenna gain patterns. These recommendations and rules do not account for the motion induced antenna pointing errors and, in the presence of such errors, the transmit power spectral density from these terminals will be so small that only very low data rates can be realized. In order to facilitate communications on the move systems, a modification to the relevant existing ITU recommendations was proposed. In this paper we will examine the bit-error-rate (BER) performance of communications on the move systems subject to those suggested modifications. Analysis carried out in this paper shows that the motion induced antenna errors can have a significant impact on the BER performance
Exploiting temporal features and pressure data for automatic leakage detection in smart water grids

In this paper, the unsupervised approach recently proposed by the authors for automatic leakage detection in smart water grids is extended. First of all, the EPANET tool is adopted in order to simulate more realistic leakages. Also, with respect to the original work, an additional time resolution, of 30 minutes, is included, based on the water dataset of the Almanac of Minutely Power Dataset (AMPds). New experiments are performed, as well, to evaluate the results of the application of both temporal features and pressure data. The pressure data is obtained by means of the EPANEt tool, whereas the leakages are induced at run-time for a more realistic behaviour. Two alternative sets of temporal features are evaluated by combining them with the features extracted from both flow and pressure data. Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs), Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), and One-Class Support Vector Machine (OC-SVM) are used to characterize the normal data behaviour, under a comparative perspective. A feature selection strategy is adopted in computer simulations and the resulting performance indices are evaluated in terms of Area Under Curve (AUC). The obtained results show that the introduction of the temporal information produces a slight performance improvement for both flow and pressure data, but, most importantly, the combination of flow and pressure features allows a significant improvement of leakage detection for both GMM and HMM at every resolution, up to 88% of AUC.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF DIVERSIFICATION WITH SPECIES TRAITS

Abstract Testing whether some species traits have a significant effect on diversification rates is central in the assessment of macroevolutionary theories. However, we still lack a powerful method to tackle this objective. I present a new method for the statistical analysis of diversification with species traits. The required data are observations of the traits on recent species, the phylogenetic tree of these species, and reconstructions of ancestral values of the traits. Several traits, either continuous or discrete, and in some cases their interactions, can be analyzed simultaneously. The parameters are estimated by the method of maximum likelihood. The statistical significance of the effects in a model can be tested with likelihood ratio tests. A simulation study showed that past random extinction events do not affect the Type I error rate of the tests, whereas statistical power is decreased, though some power is still kept if the effect of the simulated trait on speciation is strong. The use of the method is illustrated by the analysis of published data on primates. The analysis of these data showed that the apparent overall positive relationship between body mass and species diversity is actually an artifact due to a clade-specific effect. Within each clade the effect of body mass on speciation rate was in fact negative. The present method allows to take both effects (clade and body mass) into account simultaneously.
Immunoproteomics of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cell membrane fractions

BACKGROUND The surface of infected red blood cells (iRBCs) has been widely investigated because of the molecular complexity and pathogenesis mechanisms involved. Asymptomatic individuals are important in the field because they can perpetuate transmission as natural reservoirs and present a challenge for diagnosing malaria because of their low levels of circulating parasites. Recent studies of iRBC antibody recognition have shown that responses are quantitatively similar in symptomatic and asymptomatic infections, but no studies have characterised the plasmodial proteins targeted by this response. OBJECTIVES Our main objective was to identify Plasmodium falciparum proteins associated with iRBC ghosts recognised by antibodies in the sera of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in the Brazilian Amazon. METHODS We collected symptomatic and asymptomatic sera from patients residing in the Brazilian Amazon and P. falciparum iRBC ghosts to identify the proteins involved in natural antibody recognition by 2D-electrophoresis, western blotting, and high- resolution mass spectrometry. FINDINGS 2D gel-based immunoproteome analysis using symptomatic and asymptomatic sera identified 11 proteins with at least one unique peptide, such as chaperones HSP70-1 and HSP70-x, which likely are components of the secretion machinery/PTEX translocon. PfEMP1 is involved in antigenic variation in symptomatic infections and we found putative membrane proteins whose functions are unknown. MAIN FINDINGS Our results suggest a potential role of old and new proteins, such as antigenic variation proteins, iRBC remodelling, and membrane proteins, with no assigned functions related to the immune response against P. falciparum, providing insights into the pathogenesis, erythrocyte remodelling, and secretion machinery important for alternative diagnosis and/or malaria therapy.
A Pragmatic Analysis of Selected Sign-board Adverts in Nigeria

The study is an analysis of selected commercial adverts on products consumed or used in Nigeria. This study analyzed six samples using the pragmasociolinguistic concept; a concept which examined the pragmatic, social and linguistic contexts which generated advertisers’ choice of linguistic elements. The study observed that; illocutionary forces (speech acts) are intentionally directed towards the advertisers’ communicative intentions; in commercial adverts, language is mainly a persuasive instrument; in their choices of words, advertisers rely on the mutual knowledge they have with their audience. Presuppositions are potent in commercial sign-board adverts.
An embedded geometrical language in Haskell : construction, visualisation, proof

Geometric constructions based on compass and straight-edge have been thoroughly studied and explored. In this paper, we present a language embedded in Haskell, to describe, manipulate and analyse such constructions. The use of embedded languages has been explored in various specialised domains, and have been shown to be an excellent frontend to describe such specialised programs, enabling, for instance, the description of families of constructions as functions in the host language, which produce different specialised programs based on input parameters. In particular, we are interested, not only in providing a framework within which one may describe a construction and families of similar constructions in an algorithmic fashion, but also in providing facilities to both test and verify certain properties of constructions, such as equivalence of constructions, or equality of angles and distances in a construction.
Autodiálogos y rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios

Title: Self-talk and academic performance in undergraduate students. Abstract: The self-talk of a group of undergraduate students, both in gen- eral day-to-day and academic situations, was compiled and the effect on students' academic performances was analysed. The results show that: (1) there is a correlation between the valence of general self-talk and academic self-talk; (2) participants exhibit more positive than negative self-talk, alt- hough they report more negative self-talk when faced with a more difficult compared to an easier academic subject, while positive academic self-talk was higher in the easy than in the more difficult academic subjects; (3) the negative valence of self-talk (general and academic), is correlated with the negative results predicted by the students six weeks before doing the exam- ination and (4) for the difficult academic subject, but nor for easier subject, students who suspend report using less positive academic self-talk and more negative academic self-talk than those who passes. These results to encourage for wondering about the utility of training in the use of appro- priate self-talk for coping academic situations perceived as difficult and im- prove students performance in such situations.
A selective meta-analysis on the relative incidence of discrete affective states during learning with technology

The last decade has witnessed considerable interest in the investigation of the affective dimensions of learning and in the development of advanced learning technologies that automatically detect and respond to student affect. Identifying the affective states that students experience in technology-enhanced learning contexts is a fundamental question in this area. This article provides an initial attempt to answer this question with a selective meta-analysis of 24 studies that utilized a mixture of methodologies (online self-reports, online observations, emote-aloud protocols, cued recall) and affect judges (students themselves, untrained peers, trained judges) for fine-grained monitoring of 14 discrete affective states of 1,740 middle school, high school, college, and adult students in 5 countries. Affective states occurred over the course of interactions with a range of learning technologies, including intelligent tutoring systems, serious games, simulation environments, and simple computer interfaces. Standardized effect sizes of relative frequency, computed by comparing the proportional occurrence of each affective state to the other states in each study, were modeled with random-effects models. Engagement/flow was consistently found to be relatively frequent (d+ = 2.5), and contempt, anger, disgust, sadness, anxiety, delight, fear, and surprise were consistently infrequent, with d+ ranging from −6.5 to −0.78. Effects for boredom (d+ = 0.19), confusion (d+ = 0.12), curiosity (d+ = −0.10), happiness (d+ = −0.13), and frustration (d+ = −2.5) varied substantially across studies. Mixed-effects models indicated that the source of the affect judgments (self vs. observers) and the authenticity of the learning contexts (classroom vs. laboratory) accounted for greater heterogeneity than the use of advanced learning technologies and training time. Theoretical and applied implications of the findings are discussed.
Acknowledging and Redressing Historical Injustices

In this chapter, we present research and theory focusing on how individuals and governments respond to historical injustices. We propose that people and groups remember negative historical events more benignly, if they remember them at all, to maintain positive views of important groups and social systems. We focus on studies demonstrating that people’s evaluations of reparations for past harms depend on situational variables, such as whether the harm happened in their own or another country. We also connect people’s responses to reparations to the dual motivations to protect important groups and social systems. We examine the responses of members of a victimized minority and nonvictimized majority to a government apology for a historical injustice. Finally, we analyze the content of government offers of reparations to assess how these offers might enhance the social identities of both the victimized minority and nonvictimized majority, as well as affi rm the current system of government and laws.
Algorithm for AEEG data selection leading to wireless and long term epilepsy monitoring

High quality, wireless ambulatory EEG (AEEG) systems that can operate over extended periods of time are not currently feasible due to the high power consumption of wireless transmitters. Previous work has thus proposed data reduction by only transmitting sections of data that contain candidate epileptic activity. This paper investigates algorithms by which this data selection can be carried out. It is essential that the algorithm is low power and that all possible features are identified, even at the expense of more false detections. Given this, a brief review of spike detection algorithms is carried out with a view to using these algorithms to drive the data reduction process. A CWT based algorithm is deemed most suitable for use and an algorithm is described in detail and its performance tested. It is found that over 90 % of expert marked spikes are identified whilst giving a 40 % reduction in the amount of data to be transmitted and analysed. The performance varies with the recording duration in response to each detection and this effect is also investigated. The proposed algorithm will form the basis of new a AEEG system that allows wireless and longer term epilepsy monitoring.
Investigation of Pulse Transit Times utilizing multisite reflectance photoplethysmography under conditions of artificially induced peripheral vasoconstriction

Pulse Transit Time (PTT) is the time it takes for an arterial pulsation to travel from the heart to a peripheral site. In recent times, PTT has been advocated as a marker for assessing increased vascular resistance. However, the reliability of PTT as a marker for cardiovascular risks and its inverse relation to beat-to-beat blood pressure is still being investigated. In order to validate the technique as a reliable marker of vascular resistance, PTT measurements were made using photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals obtained from multiple measurement sites in 12 healthy volunteers undergoing right hand immersion in ice water for 30 secs. PTT measurements were made from the ear canal (EC), the left (LIF) and right index fingers (RIF) using custom made photoplethysmographic probes. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system during the ice water immersion caused an increase in vascular resistance, which is associated with an increase in mean arterial pressure and a decrease in PTT in all measurement sites. However, the change in PTT was much larger in the RIF when compared to the LIF and the EC. This demonstrates the cerebral flow autoregulation and the profound peripheral vasoconstriction seen in the right hand. After the ice immersion period, the mean PTT measured from the EC returned to baseline, whereas the LIF PTT exceeded baseline values. This is due to the local vasodilation resulted from the activation of a thermoregulation mechanism.
Transcriptional profiling reveals multifunctional roles for transferrin in the honeybee, Apis mellifera

Abstract Transferrins belong to a family of iron-binding proteins that have been implicated in innate immunity and in vitellogenesis in insects. Here we have sequenced and characterized a full-length cDNA encoding a putative iron-binding transferrin (AmTRF) in the honeybee. AmTRF shows high level of sequence identity with transferrins in both vertebrates and insects (26–46%) suggesting that the primary function of the predicted 712 amino acid protein is binding and transporting of iron. AmTRF is expressed ubiquitously, but particularly high levels of its mRNA are found in the central brain and in the compound eye. Using northern blotting and a microarray based approach we have examined the levels of AmTRF mRNA by expression profiling under a wide range of conditions including developmental stages, septic injury and juvenile hormone treatment. Increased expression of AmTRF is seen during early pupal stages, in the brain of mature foragers and in the abdomen of virgin queens, whereas treatment with juvenile hormone leads to a decrease of AmTRF levels in the abdomen. We show that a transcriptional response of transferrin to septic injury with E. coli is relatively moderate as compared to a dramatic up-regulation of an antibacterial polypeptide, Hymenoptaecin, under similar conditions. We conclude that major fluctuations of AmTRF mRNA in time and space are consistent with context-dependent functional significance and suggest broader multifunctional roles for transferrin in insects. AmTRF Apis mellifera transferrin EST expressed sequence tag Cy-dUTP amino-propargyl-2′-deoxyuridine triphosphate coupled to cyanine fluorescent dye (Cy3 or Cy5). JH juvenile hormone
Quantitative trait loci mapping for cholesterol gallstones in AKR/J and C57L/J strains of mice.

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was used to locate genes that determine the difference in cholesterol gallstone disease between the gallstone-susceptible strain C57L/J and the gallstone-resistant strain AKR/J. Gallstone weight was determined in 231 male (AKR x C57L) F(1) x AKR backcross mice fed a lithogenic diet containing 1% cholesterol, 0.5% cholic acid, and 15% butterfat for 8 wk. Mice having no stones and mice having the largest stones were genotyped at approximately 20-cM intervals to find the loci determining cholesterol gallstone formation. The major locus, Lith1, mapped near D2Mit56 and was confirmed by constructing a congenic strain, AK. L-Lith1(s). Another locus, Lith2, mapped near D19Mit58 and was also confirmed by constructing a congenic strain AK.L-Lith2(s). Other suggestive, but not statistically significant, loci mapped to chromosomes 6, 7, 8, 10, and X. The identification of these Lith genes will elucidate the pathophysiology of cholesterol gallstone formation.
Analytical decoupling control of a generic hypersonic vehicle based on internal model control

This paper presents an analytical decoupling approach to designing a velocity and altitude tracking autopilot for a generic hypersonic vehicle (GHV). Different from other decoupling control methods which need to design a decoupler and a controller, the adopted design method only needs to design one controller to satisfy both set-point tracking and decoupling requirements simultaneously. Besides, the proposed design method has two evident advantages: Firstly, the designed controller is derived systematically by minimizing the defined performance index. The design procedure is simple and the derived controller is given in analytical form. Secondly, the performances of set-point tracking and robustness can be easily tuned by adjusting the performance degrees in the derived controller. It is very convenient for engineers to redesign the controller when the performance specifications are changed. Numerical simulation of GHV proves the effectiveness of the design method.
Effect of peer victimisation on adult onset of depression

A previous data set was reanalysed to investigate the relationships of peer victimisation and other early life events with adult onset of depression. A total of 220 community residents were interviewed to establish lifetime DSM-III-R diagnosis of Major Depressive Episode (MDE) and the incidence of various childhood life events, including peer victimisation and child abuse. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) were also employed. Participants with a lifetime history of DSM-III-R MDE reported a greater number of experiences of being bullied and of suffering fracture or injury than those without it. However, the association of peer victimisation with adult onset of MDE lost statistical significance if confounding with paternal abuse was taken into account. Neuroticism score on the EPQ indicated that this personality trait did not serve as a mediator of the association between peer victimisation and adult onset of MDE.
Design and Evolution of New Catalytic Activity with an Existing Protein Scaffold

The design of enzymes with new functions and properties has long been a goal in protein engineering. Here, we report a strategy to change the catalytic activity of an existing protein scaffold. This was achieved by simultaneous incorporation and adjustment of functional elements through insertion, deletion, and substitution of several active site loops, followed by point mutations to fine-tune the activity. Using this approach, we were able to introduce β-lactamase activity into the αβ/βα metallohydrolase scaffold of glyoxalase II. The resulting enzyme, evMBL8 (evolved metallo β-lactamase 8), completely lost its original activity and, instead, catalyzed the hydrolysis of cefotaxime with a (kcat /Km)app of 1.8 × 102 (mole/liter)–1 second–1, thus increasing resistance to Escherichia coli growth on cefotaxime by a factor of about 100.
Understanding Regulation of Metabolism through Feasibility Analysis

Understanding cellular regulation of metabolism is a major challenge in systems biology. Thus far, the main assumption was that enzyme levels are key regulators in metabolic networks. However, regulation analysis recently showed that metabolism is rarely controlled via enzyme levels only, but through non-obvious combinations of hierarchical (gene and enzyme levels) and metabolic regulation (mass action and allosteric interaction). Quantitative analyses relating changes in metabolic fluxes to changes in transcript or protein levels have revealed a remarkable lack of understanding of the regulation of these networks. We study metabolic regulation via feasibility analysis (FA). Inspired by the constraint-based approach of Flux Balance Analysis, FA incorporates a model describing kinetic interactions between molecules. We enlarge the portfolio of objectives for the cell by defining three main physiologically relevant objectives for the cell: function, robustness and temporal responsiveness. We postulate that the cell assumes one or a combination of these objectives and search for enzyme levels necessary to achieve this. We call the subspace of feasible enzyme levels the feasible enzyme space. Once this space is constructed, we can study how different objectives may (if possible) be combined, or evaluate the conditions at which the cells are faced with a trade-off among those. We apply FA to the experimental scenario of long-term carbon limited chemostat cultivation of yeast cells, studying how metabolism evolves optimally. Cells employ a mixed strategy composed of increasing enzyme levels for glucose uptake and hexokinase and decreasing levels of the remaining enzymes. This trade-off renders the cells specialized in this low-carbon flux state to compete for the available glucose and get rid of over-overcapacity. Overall, we show that FA is a powerful tool for systems biologists to study regulation of metabolism, interpret experimental data and evaluate hypotheses.