Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Loss-aware adaptive scalable transmission in wireless high-speed railway networks

Widespread deployment of High-Speed Railway (HSR) in recent years brings strong demand for high-quality onboard Internet services. However, the wireless link between the train and Base Station (BS) suffers from numerous problems, including frequent handover, severe Doppler shift, and great penetration loss, etc. It is still a challenge to provide HSR passengers with high-quality Internet services. In this paper, the Packet Loss Rate (PLR) of HSR networks is measured along Beijing-Shanghai railway line. Measurement results indicate that PLR remains at a high level for a long period and changes frequently in a large interval. To address this problem, we focus on frame loss problem of train-to-BS wireless link and propose a novel Loss-Aware Adaptive Scalable Transmission mechanism (LAAST) to fit for HSR networks. In LAAST, variable number of frame copies are transmitted according to Frame Loss Probability (FLP) to improve the scalability and efficiency of transmission over train-to-BS link. The optimal relationship between frame duplication number and FLP is derived through nonlinear programming model. Simulations demonstrate the effectiveness and fitness of LAAST for HSR networks.
Glial cell adhesive molecule unzipped mediates axon guidance in Drosophila

Axon guidance needs help from the glial cell system during embryogenesis. In the Drosophila embryonic central nervous system (CNS), longitudinal glia (LG) have been implicated in axon guidance but the mechanism remains unclear. We identified the protein encoded by the Drosophila gene unzipped (uzip) as a novel cell adhesion molecule (CAM). Uzip expressed in Drosophila S2 cells triggered cell aggregation through homophilic binding. In the embryonic CNS, Uzip was mainly produced by the LG but was also located at axons, which is consistent with the secretion of Uzip expressed in cultured cells. Although uzip mutants displayed no axonal defect, loss of uzip enhanced the axonal defects in the mutant of N‐cadherin (CadN) and the Wnt gene family member wnt5. Overexpression of uzip could rescue the phenotype in the CadNuzipD43 mutant. Thus, Uzip is a novel CAM from the LG regulating axon guidance. Developmental Dynamics, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 requires intimin to colonize the gnotobiotic pig intestine and to adhere to HEp-2 cells

In a previous study, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 with a deletion and insertion in the eaeA gene encoding intimin was used to establish that intimin is required for the organism to attach to and efface microvilli in the piglet intestine (M. S. Donnenberg, S. Tzipori, M. L. McKee, A. D. O'Brien, J. Alroy, and J. B. Kaper, J. Clin. Invest. 92:1418-1424, 1993). However, in the same investigation, a role for intimin in EHEC adherence to HEp-2 cells could not be definitively demonstrated. To analyze the basis for this discrepancy, we constructed an in-frame deletion of eaeA and compared the adherence capacity of this mutant with that of the wild-type strain in vitro and in vivo. We observed a direct correlation between the requisite for intimin in EHEC O157:H7 colonization of the gnotobiotic piglet intestine and adherence of the bacterium to HEp-2 cells. The in vitro-in vivo correlation lends credence to the use of the HEp-2 cell adherence model for further study of the intimin protein.
A method for nitrite removal in nitrate N and O isotope analyses

We describe a method to remove nitrite from seawater and freshwater samples to determine the nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) isotopic composition of nitrate in aqueous samples (15N/14N and 18O/16O, respectively). This method is simple, inexpensive, and effective in the removal of nitrite without compromising the natural N and O isotopic composition of nitrate. Moreover, the method is nontoxic and compatible with the “denitrifier method” for nitrate N and O isotope analysis. Nitrite is removed from solution by reduction to nitric oxide (NO) gas using ascorbic acid at a pH of ~3.5. The NO produced is continually degassed with an inert gas during the reaction, preventing O2 from reacting with NO to form new nitrate. Nitrate N and O isotope ratios were measured with the denitrifier method. The precision of isotope measurements of nitrate by the denitrifier method after nitrite removal averaged ±0.34‰ for 15N/14N and ±0.39‰ for 18O/16O.
Occurrence of B chromosomes in lizards: a review

Although B chromosomes have been reported in many species of plants and animals, few studies have revealed the presence of these extra chromosomes in lizards. B chromosomes of lizards show different morphologies and sizes, from microchromosomes to macrochromosomes, or elements of intermediate size between smaller and larger A chromosomes, and number variability at intra- and inter-individual levels. In most cases, they are late-replicating and show either heterochromatic or no distinctive patterns after C-banding. The great majority of the publications about supernumerary chromosomes in this group have been based on conventional staining analyses, and there is no study designed to address questions related to their composition and structure or origin and evolution.
Continuous Maturity Diversification of Default-Free Bond Portfolios and a Generalization of Efficient Diversification

This paper presents a method for solving the mean-variance portfolio selection problem that is applicable to the case where the number of securities is nondenumerably infinite. Necessary conditions for the existence of an optimal portfolio density are obtained and an expression for the efficient frontier is derived. The conditions for the existence of an optimal portfolio of continuously maturing bonds when their covariance matrix is singular are used to derive an arbitrage-free bond pricing equation. A method for estimating the covariance matrix and the associated efficient frontier is presented. THE CONSTRUCTION OF an optimal bond portfolio comprising bonds of all possible maturities requires the concept of a portfolio density defined on the continuous maturity of bonds. Obviously, the familiar paradigm of the discrete efficient set, e.g., Merton [5], needs to be extended to handle the continuous maturity problem. However, it turns out that we need, rather than an extension, a generalized approach to portfolio selections. We shall show that the generalized paradigm we are seeking will not only solve the problem of bond diversification with continuous maturities, but also the standard problem of diversification involving any finite set of risky assets. Moreover, the paradigm to be proposed in this paper also will solve the problem where the variance-covariance matrix of returns is singular. Therefore, in Section I, we generalize the traditional discrete paradigm, using the default-free discount bonds as a vehicle to illustrate the new approach. The generalization is equally valid for any finite set of risky assets, for instance, equity issues. In Section II, we expand the generalization for the discrete case to the case where the set of bonds have all possible maturities, i.e., the case of continuous maturity. We shall demonstrate the existence of optimal bond portfolio densities and the associated frontier. The reader will note in that section that the paradigm developed for the continuous case parallels the development of the discrete case in the section that precedes it. In Section III, we consider the case where the structure of the continuous maturity problem is "incomplete" or "degenerate," the analog of the discrete case when the variance-covariance matrix is singular. Given the tendency of bond yields of proximate maturities to move
Accounting for intellectual capital: rethinking its theoretical underpinnings

The accountancy profession’s long association with measurement and reporting has ensured that it has made a substantial contribution to the evolving intellectual capital field. While many of the motivations shaping the accounting for intellectual capital project are of a practical nature, the emergence of intellectual capital and the challenges entailed in taking it into account in some way also raise important theoretical issues. As long as the accountancy profession seeks to progress accounting for intellectual capital within the confines of prevailing accounting theory, the prospects for a successful outcome appear remote. Alternative theoretical precepts need to be explored, an exercise that also has implications for the future development of financial reporting.
Front-End for Antispoofing Countermeasures in Speaker Verification: Scattering Spectral Decomposition

As speaker verification is widely used as a means of verifying personal identity in commercial applications, the study of antispoofing countermeasures has become increasingly important. By choosing appropriate spectral and prosodic feature mapping, spoofing methods based on voice conversion and speech synthesis are both capable of deceiving speaker verification systems that typically rely on these features. Consequently alternative front-ends are required for effective spoofing detection. This paper investigates the use of the recently proposed hierarchical scattering decomposition technique, which can be viewed as a generalization of all constant-Q spectral decompositions, to implement front-ends for stand-alone spoofing detection. The coefficients obtained using this decomposition are converted to a feature vector of Scattering Cepstral Coefficients (SCCs). We evaluate the performance of SCCs on the recent spoofing and Antispoofing (SAS) corpus as well as the ASVspoof 2015 challenge corpus and show that SCCs are superior to all other front-ends that have previously been benchmarked on the ASVspoof corpus.
Effect of Single-Dose Rituximab on Primary Glomerular Diseases

Background: A paradigm shift from such toxic ‘nonspecific’ therapies to selective immunomodulating regimens is necessary for glomerular diseases. Rituximab, which acts by inhibiting CD20-mediated B cell proliferation and differentiation, could be effective in the treatment of nephrotic syndrome as shown in recent reports. Design: To assess the effects of rituximab in patients with primary glomerular diseases, including minimal-change disease, immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy, focal segmental glomerulonephritis, membranous nephropathy and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, we performed a prospective trial of the effects of single-dose rituximab therapy in 24 patients. We prospectively evaluated the serum and urinary biochemical parameters before and after 6 months of therapy. Results: In all of the patients studied, depletion of CD19 and CD20 cells was noted, with significant reduction in the degree of proteinuria from 3.7 ± 3.4 g/day at baseline to 1.3 ± 2.0 g/day at 6 months after the drug administration (p = 0.002). However, no significant changes of the serum creatinine, urinary RBC sediment, serum CD4/8 or serum IL-4 levels were observed at 6 months after the drug administration. In subjects with IgA nephropathy, while depletion of CD19 and CD20 cells was noted, no significant change in the severity of proteinuria was observed at 6 months after the drug administration as compared with the level at the baseline. Conclusion: For the treatment of primary glomerular diseases, the use of a single dose of rituximab is demonstrated with no serious adverse events. Further study of the mechanism of action of rituximab in successfully treated patients could encourage new perspectives in the treatment of primary glomerular diseases.
Aldi and the German Model: Structural Change in German Grocery Retailing and the Success of Grocery Discounters

Most accounts claiming that there is a distinctive ‘German model’ have focused on manufacturing industries. Less attention has been paid to the service sector, in part because of the claim that many services are not exposed to the international economy. This article examines one service industry in Germany, grocery retailing. This industry is of interest because its most successful firms – the ‘hard discounters’ such as Aldi – deviate from the manufacturing model of production along at least two dimensions: labour relations and product policy. Nevertheless, the hard discounters are very successful, both domestically and abroad. The explanation for the success of the hard discounters offered here is based on both an institution central to Germany – the Mittelstand – as well as industry-specific factors. This complexity cannot be neglected when analysing changes in the German economy
Don't Count Your Chickens before They're Hatched: The 2013 Italian Parliamentary and Presidential Elections

The 2013 parliamentary and presidential contests were both outstanding elections, even by Italian standards. In the former case, this was because of very high volatility and the breakthrough of the 5-Star Movement (M5S), which resulted in a hung parliament and a stalemate in the formation of a new government. In the latter, for the first time in Italian history, the incumbent President of the Republic was re-elected for a second seven-year term of office. The result of these two events was Italy's first grand coalition government, led by Enrico Letta and supported by President Napolitano. While the significance of these elections is better assessed in combination with new government's capacity to achieve economic growth and restore confidence in Italian politics, the Italian party system still remains in a state of flux.
Phage display selection of peptides against enzyme I of the phosphoenolpyruvate–sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS)

The bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate–sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) mediates the uptake and phosphorylation of carbohydrates and is involved in signal transduction. In response to the availability of carbohydrates it modulates catabolite repression, intermediate metabolism, gene expression and chemotaxis. It is ubiquitous in bacteria but does not occur in animals and plants. Uniqueness and pleiotropic function make the PTS a target for new antibacterial drugs. Enzyme I is the first component of the divergent protein phosphorylation cascade of the PTS. It transfers phosphoryl groups from phosphoenolpyruvate to the general phosphoryl carrier protein HPr. Six 15‐mer, nine 10‐mer and nine 6‐mer peptides that inhibit enzyme I were selected from phage display libraries. Of these, 16 were synthesized and characterized. The majority of the peptides contain a histidine with an adjacent arginine. Two peptides were found to contain cysteines but no histidine. All peptides are rich in basic residues and lack acidic amino acids. The peptides inhibit the phosphotransferase system in vitro with IC50 of between 10 μM and 2 mM. Some, but not all, of the peptides inhibit cell growth in the agar diffusion test by an as yet undefined mechanism. All peptides are phosphorylated by enzyme I, and some are regenerated by slow autocatalytic hydrolysis of the phospho–peptide bond.
Deciphering leukemic B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorders

Diagnosis of leukemic B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorders (B-CLPD) is a frequent challenge in hematology. In this multicentric study, we prospectively studied 165 new consecutive leukemic patients with B-CLPD selected on the basis of Royal Marsden Hospital scoring system ≤3. The primary aim of the study was to try to decipher the atypical cases and identify homogenous subgroups. Overall, morphological examination contributed to diagnosis in only 20% cases, all of them CD5 negative. Thirty additional cases were CD5 negative suggestive of leukemic marginal zone lymphoma in most cases. The significantly poorer survival of the 26 cyclin D1 positive cases justifies recommending its systematic determination among atypical B-CLPD. CD20 expression segregated clearly two subgroups among CD5 positive cyclin D1 negative B-CLPD. The 17 patients with the CD20 dim profile represent a homogeneous subgroup very close to typical B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) on morphological, phenotypical and cytogenetical criteria. In contrast, the subgroup of 51 patients with a CD20 bright profile is heterogeneous. Their significantly lower p27 expression level suggest the presence of a proliferative component, underlying a more aggressive disease. Further genomic studies are warranted to establish their precise nature. These cases should not be included in the same therapeutic trials as B-CLL.
An Assessment, Monitoring and Outcome Measurement System for Offender Rehabilitation and Reintegration Programmes: A Description of a Model at Work in the Cornmarket Project, Wexford

The development of community-based services for offenders has not always been marked by adherence to best practice based on empirical evidence. Expediency, personal conviction and a sincere desire to do ‘something’ to respond to antisocial behaviour and criminality in our communities are historically more common drivers. This article explores some of the contemporary research and evidence relating to the efficacy of various approaches used in implementing offender rehabilitation programmes. The authors outline a particular model at work in the Cornmarket Project. Mindful of current economic constraints and the increased reporting requirements placed on organisations in receipt of state funds, the article emphasises the importance of having in place an easy-to use, valid and reliable outcome measurement system for programmes dealing with offender reintegration and rehabilitation.
Why is ASEAN Diplomacy Changing?: From 'Non-Interference' to 'Open and Frank Discussions'

A conventional/rationalist explanation holds that the ASEAN countries have begun to have open and frank discussions in order to deal with new challenges, such as economic and environmental issues, in an efficient way. Constructivists explain ASEAN's change by focusing on the global normative shift, which emphasizes human rights and democracy.
The scan-DFT features of AMD's next-generation microprocessor core

There is an ever-increasing demand for higher performance microprocessors within a given power budget. This demand forces design choices - that were once seen only in high-speed custom blocks - to spread throughout the microprocessor core. These unique design structures, combined with the nanometer technology test challenges such as crosstalk, process variations, power-supply noise, and resistive short and open defects, lead to unique test challenges for today's high-performance microprocessor core. In this paper, we present the scan architecture-related design-for-test (DFT) features and corresponding verification strategies of the nextgeneration Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) high-performance microprocessor core.
Bringing SDN to the edge of tactical networks

New services put a lot of pressure on the tactical networks, always requiring more bandwidth, service differentiation and agility. In this paper we propose a framework for managing traffic in future tactical networks. Our solution is based on the Mobile Edge Cloud (MEC) architecture and its close interaction with Software Defined Networking (SDN). The whole facilitated by the spread of Software-Defined Radios (SDR) in tactical radios. We have implemented our architecture in a proof of concept and tested it with 2 tactical scenarios. Our experiments show that centralizing the intelligence in the MEC allows to guarantee the requirements of the tactical applications either by adapting the waveform parameters, or through changing the radio interface or even by reconfiguring the applications. More generally, the best decision can be seen as the optimal reaction to the wireless links variations.
Lin28a Is Dormant, Functional, and Dispensable During Mouse Oocyte-to-Embryo Transition1

ABSTRACT The oocyte-to-embryo transition (OET) denotes transformation of a highly differentiated oocyte into totipotent blastomeres of the early mammalian embryo. OET depends exclusively on maternal RNAs and proteins accumulated during oocyte growth, which implies importance of post-transcriptional control of gene expression. OET includes replacement of abundant maternal microRNAs (miRNAs), enriched also in differentiated cells and exemplified by the Let-7 family, with embryonic miRNAs common in pluripotent stem cells (the miR-290 family in the mouse). Lin28a and its homolog Lin28b encode RNA-binding proteins, which interfere with Let-7 maturation and facilitate reprogramming of induced pluripotent stem cells. Both Lin28a and Lin28b transcripts are abundant in mouse oocytes. To test the role of maternal expression of Lin28a and Lin28b during oocyte-to-zygote reprogramming, we generated mice with oocyte-specific knockdown of both genes by using transgenic RNA interference. Lin28a and Lin28b are dispensable during oocyte growth because their knockdown has no effect on Let-7a levels in fully grown germinal vesicle (GV)-intact oocytes. Furthermore, transgenic females were fertile and produced healthy offspring, and their overall breeding performance was comparable to that of wild-type mice. At the same time, 2-cell embryos derived from transgenic females showed up-regulation of mature Let-7, suggesting that maternally provided LIN28A and LIN28B function during zygotic genome activation. Consistent with this conclusion is increased translation of Lin28a transcripts upon resumption of meiosis. Our data imply dual repression of Let-7 during OET in the mouse model, the selective suppression of Let-7 biogenesis by Lin28 homologs superimposed on previously reported global suppression of miRNA activity.
Validation of a Probabilistic Approach to Outdoor Localization

The validation of a probabilistic fingerprinting approach for outdoor location estimation using received signal strength (RSS) from GSM base stations (BSs) is described. The proposed approach is compared with a traditional probabilistic algorithm for three different area partitioning methods. Two contrasting real environments are used for the comparisons: one is a city environment and the other one is a rural setting. For each test-bed, over 9000 data points are collected over 170,000 and 110,000 square meters respectively. For each environment, principal components analysis (PCA) is globally used to remove the least useful transmitters to avoid unnecessary calculations. Then each environment is partitioned into different clusters based on RSS. PCA is again used within each cluster. The proposed scheme retains accuracy by not losing the substantial RSS correlations in each cluster, but also accommodates the different RSS distributions in each cluster. The experimental results show that the positioning accuracy is significantly improved and our clustering scheme gives good support for location estimation.
The Effect of Financial Liberalization on the Capital Structure and Investment Decisions of Indonesian Manufacturing Establishments

This article analyzes the consequences of financial liberalization, using a large panel of Indonesian manufacturing establishments. It discusses whether financial reforms have had an impact on investment and on the allocation of credit and whether the effects differ depending on the type of firms. The overall conclusion is that shifting from administrative toward market-based allocation of credit has increased borrowing costs, particularly for smaller firms, but, at the same time, had benefited firms by giving them widened access to finance. Copyright 1994 by Oxford University Press.