Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RFI detected by kurtosis and polarimetry: Performance comparison based on airborne campaign data

Leading up to the ESA Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, a series of campaigns have taken place, including airborne L-band radiometer measurements using the EMIRAD-2 radiometer - a fully polarimetric radiometer with Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) detection capabilities by means of the kurtosis method. An RFI detection scheme combining kurtosis and polarimetry has been evaluated, and it has been established that the two methods complement each other well. Following the addition of a digital filter bank to the radiometer system, a new RFI detection scheme has been developed and tested. The RFI removal capabilities of the two detection schemes are similar, however, the new detection scheme results in fewer data samples being discarded due to RFI.
A Hybrid PO/Generalized-Scattering-Matrix Approach for Estimating the Reflector Induced Mismatch

A generalized network formulation using a spherical wave expansion is applied to the analysis of the perturbation induced at the input port of an antenna by nearby scatterers. The antenna is characterized by using the total scattering matrix; the scattering from the obstacles is studied through a physical optics approach, and the interactions are described in terms of radiated spherical waves. The resulting procedure is simple, has a moderate computational cost and can be directly interfaced with measurements. Results show a very good agreement with full-wave simulations.
Is Green IT Threat to Security? : Assessing the Green IT from Information Assurance and Security Perspective

With rapid growth and pervasive usage of internet and information technology, information assurance and security has become the top most challenging issues for many organizations. Security professionals and experts have been striving hard to protect the computers, information and centralized network system. These security risks increase more when information is held outside the internal computing environment. Additionally, IT industries are recently pushed by environment regulation to reduce the CO2 footprint of information technology system, production and processes lines. According to recent statistics IT industry is responsible of generating 3% of carbon footprint (Frangiskatos, Ghassemian and Diane, 2010) through their massive consumption of energy. One of the solutions to reduce the energy consumption by Information Communication Technology (ICT) is introduction of Green IT solutions such as Virtualization, thin client, cloud computing, paper reduction, on-line communication system, travel reduction and computer recycling. These Green IT efforts have many green benefits and leading a change in IT processes and system for the protection of environment. But the efforts to reduce, energy consumption, efficient utilization of resources and electronic waste (e-waste) and change in IT may put the system and information on risk if “Green IT” initiatives and solutions are not reviewed from an Information Assurance perspective. As a result it can impact the continuity of business and its assets. This thesis provides a literature review on Green IT from information assurance and security perspective. The purpose of thesis is to assess how Green IT could be threat to security. Its key areas of focus on information assurance and security threats and risks in Green IT solutions which are being promoted for environmental protection. Thesis also highlights the vulnerabilities in Green IT solutions. Thesis presents security challenges of Green IT, need to focus, towards the goal of secure Green IT. While thesis does not discuss any specific defense mechanism, it provides a path for future research in this domain. I believe that thesis work points towards an interesting and important area in Green IT security.
Patterns of impaired oral health-related quality of life dimensions.

How dental patients are affected by oral conditions can be described with the concept of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This concept intends to make the patient experience measurable. OHRQoL is multidimensional, and Oral Function, Oro-facial Pain, Oro-facial Appearance and Psychosocial Impact were suggested as its four dimensions and consequently four scores are needed for comprehensive OHRQoL assessment. When only the presence of dimensional impact is measured, a pattern of affected OHRQoL dimensions would describe in a simple way how oral conditions influence the individual. By determining which patterns of impact on OHRQoL dimensions exist in prosthodontic patients and general population subjects, we aimed to identify in which combinations oral conditions' functional, painful, aesthetical and psychosocial impact occurs. Data came from the Dimensions of OHRQoL Project with Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)-49 data from 6349 general population subjects and 2999 prosthodontic patients in the Learning Sample (N = 5173) and the Validation Sample (N = 5022). We hypothesised that all 16 patterns of OHRQoL dimensions should occur in these individuals who suffered mainly from tooth loss, its causes and consequences. A dimension was considered impaired when at least one item in the dimension was affected frequently. The 16 possible patterns of impaired OHRQoL dimensions were found in patients and general population subjects in both Learning and Validation Samples. In a four-dimensional OHRQoL model consisting Oral Function, Oro-facial Pain, Oro-facial Appearance and Psychosocial Impact, oral conditions' impact can occur in any combination of the OHRQoL dimensions.
Simultaneous 1H PFG‐NMR and confocal microscopy of monolayer cell cultures: Effects of apoptosis and necrosis on water diffusion and compartmentalization

We induced apoptosis and necrosis in monolayer cultures of Chinese hamster ovary cells using okadaic acid and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), respectively, and examined the effect on water diffusion and compartmentalization using pulsed‐field‐gradient (PFG) 1H‐NMR and simultaneous confocal microscopy. In PFG experiments characterized by a fixed diffusion time (<4.7 ms) and variable b‐values (0–27000 s/mm2), 1H‐NMR data collected with untreated cells exhibited multiexponential behavior. Analysis with a slow‐exchange model revealed two distinct cellular water compartments with different apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs; 0.56, 0.06 × 10−3 mm2/s) and volume fractions (0.96 and 0.04). During the first 12 hr of necrosis or apoptosis, the amount of water in the smallest compartment increased twofold before significant changes in cell density or plasma membrane integrity occurred. Over the same period, water content in the largest compartment decreased by a factor of >2 in apoptotic cells, in accordance with observed cell shrinkage, and changed little in necrotic counterparts, where only slight swelling was evident. These results indicate that PFG 1H‐NMR serves as a sensitive indicator of early cell death in monolayer cultures, and can be used to distinguish apoptosis from necrosis. Measurements of restricted diffusion and water exchange are presented to elucidate the compartment origins and justify the model assumptions. Magn Reson Med 52:495–505, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Static and transient analysis of a 4H-SiC trench Bipolar Mode FET with normally-off characteristics

Steady-state and switching characteristics of a normally-off 4H-SiC Bipolar Mode FET (BMFET) are investigated in a wide range of temperatures by means of an intensive simulation analysis useful for a first time ever realization of this device in SiC. An output drain current density up to 500 A/cm2, an high current gain and an on-resistance as low as 2 mΩ·cm2, are calculated when the gate regions are forward biased. The turn-off delay is in the order of 5 ns and the blocking voltage is higher than 1.2 kV. This study is supported by experimental data on the gate-drain and gate-source p-i-n diodes embedded in the BMFET structure.
An Overview on Algorithms for Sparse Recovery

Sparsity is a very powerful prior for the identification of signals from noisy indirect measurements. The recovery of the signal is usually performed by suitable linearly constrained optimizations with additional sparsity enforcing barriers. Depending on the specific formulation, one can produce a variety of different algorithms. In this Chapter the numerical realizations of such linear and nonlinear programs are reviewed and compared with respect to different noisy scenarios. With the intention of providing a useful guide to users, we provide a sound mathematical introduction with rigorous derivations and proofs of convergence of all algorithms and we illustrate in detail their behavior by extensive numerical experiments.
Visual Representations Strategies in Chairperson’s Statement in Malaysia: An Analysis of Impression Management

Accounting narratives are an increasingly important medium of financial communication. They play a crucial role in the corporate annual report, allowing company management to present annual performance to users in a readily accessible manner. Research suggests that such narratives are widely used and considered important in the investment decisions of private and institutional investors. However, accounting narratives are unaudited and thus may be subject to impression management. The literature has shown that narratives tend to be biased towards positive news, regardless of whether the underlying performance is positive or poor. Therefore, this paper contributes to the body of knowledge concerning incremental information provision and impression management by examining the behaviour of individual chairpersons communicating in different corporate context in Malaysia. Since narrative disclosures are generally unregulated, this raises a number of questions: Is it possible to regulate impression management? Do regulators pay enough attention to the more subtle aspects of financial reporting such as impression management? So many questions remain unanswered that it represents a fertile opportunity for researchers looking for an under-researched field with rich potential.
Internal control over financial reporting

This master’s thesis examines the relation between accrual quality and the disclosure of internal control material weaknesses among the U.S. publicly listed firms. This master’s thesis uses 241 firms that disclose at least one material weaknesses from January 2009 to December 2013. By measuring accrual quality (McNichols, 2002), the results suggest that internal control material weaknesses are generally associated with poor estimation of accruals that map from income to cash flows. Moreover, the results also show that the relation between poor accrual quality and internal control material weaknesses is driven by company-level material weaknesses rather than account-specific material weaknesses. Lastly, the results show that the association between accrual quality and internal control material weaknesses weakens and accrual quality improves if firms remediate their material weaknesses within one to three years after the disclosure of material weaknesses.
Adherence and Characteristics of HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis for a Population in Tel Aviv of Men who have Sex with Men.

BACKGROUND Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for populations at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is still not available in Israel. OBJECTIVES To analyze post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatment adherence rates among adult men in Tel Aviv, Israel, who have sex with men (MSM), and to obtain data on the demographics of PEP users, exposure types, timeline of exposure and PEP administration, incidence of side effects, number of treatments per individual, and satisfaction with selected elements of treatment provision. METHODS The authors conducted an observational cohort study of adult MSM who requested PEP treatment in the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Information from patients receiving treatment between January 2013 and June 2014 was obtained through telephone interviews by means of a 30-item questionnaire. RESULTS Of 336 individuals requesting PEP treatment, 255 (75.9%) were adult MSM, and 100 (39.2%) satisfactorily completed the interview. The average age of the study cohort was 32.4 years (standard deviation of 7.5). Ninety-one (91%) reported completing a full 28-day course of treatment, 84% reported side effects, and 20% underwent multiple courses. Satisfaction was high for interactions with the HIV specialists. Patient experience with PEP treatment in the emergency room setting, and follow-up were inadequate deficient. CONCLUSIONS PEP adherence rates in Tel Aviv were significantly higher than previously reported. PEP should be administered in designated community settings. PrEP as a general treatment policy might suit the MSM population in Tel Aviv.
Helicobacter pylori in the Oral Cavity Reflects Handling of Contaminants but Not Gastric Infection

Helicobacter pylori colonises the gastric mucosa, but can also be found within the oral cavity. The presence of H. pylori was monitored in the oral cavity of 22 patients with duodenal ulcer, before and after antibiotic treatment and of 24 hospital employees who were or were not professionally exposed to H. pylori. Gastric infection was determined by breath test. Bacteria in the oral cavity were detected by nested PCR of samples containing saliva and dental plaque, using primers specific for 16S rRNA and ureC genes. Before treatment, 9 out of 22 infected ulcer patients harbored H. pylori in their oral cavity. Bacteria disappeared from the oral cavity of 3 of 7 cured patients. Twelve of 17 exposed subjects harbored H. pylori in their oral cavity, while no bacteria could be detected in the mouths of the 7 nonexposed subjects. Presence of bacteria in the oral cavity reflects handling of contaminants; it does not correlate with gastric infection and does not seem to promote it.
Distribution of proteins associated with synaptic vesicle endocytosis in the mouse and goldfish retina

Current models of synaptic transmission require retrieval of membrane from the presynaptic terminal following neurotransmitter exocytosis. Dynamin, a GTPase, is thought to be critical for this retrieval process. At ribbon synapses of retinal bipolar neurons, however, compensatory endocytosis does not require GTP hydrolysis, suggesting that endocytosis mechanisms may differ among synapses. To understand better the synaptic vesicle recycling at conventional and ribbon synapses, the distributions of dynamin and two associated proteins, amphiphysin and clathrin, were examined in the retinas of goldfish and mouse by using immunocytochemical methods. Labeling for dynamin, clathrin, and amphiphysin was distributed differentially among conventional and ribbon synapses in retinas of both species. Ribbon synapses of photoreceptors and most bipolar cells labeled only weakly for dynamin relative to conventional synapses. Amphyiphysin labeling was strong at many ribbon synapses, and labeling in rod terminals was stronger than in cone terminals in the mouse retina. Clathrin labeling was heterogeneous among ribbon synapses. Similarly to the case with amphiphysin, mouse rod terminals showed stronger clathrin labeling than cone terminals. Among conventional synapses, there was heterogeneous labeling for all three endocytic proteins. Some labeling for each protein might have been associated with postsynaptic terminals. The differential distribution of labeling for these proteins among identified synapses in the retina suggests considerable heterogeneity in the molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic membrane retrieval, even among synapses with similar active zone ultrastructure. Thus, as with exocytosis, mechanisms of synaptic membrane retrieval may be tuned by the precise complement of proteins expressed within the synaptic terminal. J. Comp. Neurol. 484:440–457, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Orthogonal or Superimposed Pilots? A Rate-Efficient Channel Estimation Strategy for Stationary MIMO Fading Channels

This paper considers channel estimation for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels and revisits two competing concepts of including training data into the transmit signal, namely, orthogonal pilot (OP) that periodically transmits alternating pilot-data symbols, and superimposed pilot (SP) that overlays pilot-data symbols over time. We investigate rates achievable by both schemes when the channel undergoes time-selective bandlimited fading and analyze their behaviors with respect to the MIMO dimension and fading speed. By incorporating the multiple-antenna factors, we demonstrate that the widely known trend in which the OP is superior to the SP in the regimes of high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and slow fading, and vice versa, does not hold in general. As the number of transmit antennas ( $ {n_{\mathrm{ t}}}$ ) increases, the range of operable fading speeds for the OP is significantly narrowed due to limited time resources for channel estimation and insufficient fading samples, which results in the SP being competitive in wider speed and SNR ranges. For a sufficiently small $ {n_{\mathrm{ t}}}$ , we demonstrate that as the fading variation becomes slower, the estimation quality for the SP can be superior to that for the OP. In this case, the SP outperforms the OP in the slow-fading regime due to full utilization of time for data transmission.
Astrocytic function and its alteration in the epileptic brain

Currently available anticonvulsant drugs and complementary therapies are insufficient to control seizures in about a third of epileptic patients. Thus, there is an urgent need for new treatments that prevent the development of epilepsy and control it better in patients already afflicted with the disease. A prerequisite to reach this goal is a deeper understanding of the cellular basis of hyperexcitability and synchronization in the affected tissue. Epilepsy is often accompanied by massive reactive gliosis. Although the significance of this alteration is poorly understood, recent findings suggest that modified astroglial function may have a role in the generation and spread of seizure activity. Here we summarize properties of astrocytes as well as their changes that can be associated with epileptic tissue. The goal is to provide an understanding of the current knowledge of these cells with the long‐term view of providing a foundation for the development of novel hypotheses about the role of glia in epilepsy.
An Agent-based Model of Contagion in Financial Networks

This work develops an agent-based model for the study of how the leverage through the use of repurchase agreements can function as a mechanism for the propagation and amplification of financial shocks in a financial system. Based on the analysis of financial intermediaries in the repo and interbank lending markets during the 2007-08 financial crisis we develop a model that can be used to simulate the dynamics of financial contagion.
Repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST)-dependent epigenetic remodeling is critical to ischemia-induced neuronal death

Dysregulation of the transcriptional repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST)/neuron-restrictive silencer factor is important in a broad range of diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. The role of REST-dependent epigenetic modifications in neurodegeneration is less clear. Here, we show that neuronal insults trigger activation of REST and CoREST in a clinically relevant model of ischemic stroke and that REST binds a subset of “transcriptionally responsive” genes (gria2, grin1, chrnb2, nefh, nfκb2, trpv1, chrm4, and syt6), of which the AMPA receptor subunit GluA2 is a top hit. Genes with enriched REST exhibited decreased mRNA and protein. We further show that REST assembles with CoREST, mSin3A, histone deacetylases 1 and 2, histone methyl-transferase G9a, and methyl CpG binding protein 2 at the promoters of target genes, where it orchestrates epigenetic remodeling and gene silencing. RNAi-mediated depletion of REST or administration of dominant-negative REST delivered directly into the hippocampus in vivo prevents epigenetic modifications, restores gene expression, and rescues hippocampal neurons. These findings document a causal role for REST-dependent epigenetic remodeling in the neurodegeneration associated with ischemic stroke and identify unique therapeutic targets for the amelioration of hippocampal injury and cognitive deficits.
DRED: a random early detection algorithm for TCP/IP networks

It is now widely accepted that a RED [2] controlled queue certainly performs better than a drop‐tail queue. But an inherent weakness of RED is that its equilibrium queue length cannot be maintained at a preset value independent of the number of TCP active connections. In addition, RED's optimal parameter setting is largely correlated with the number of connections, the round‐trip time, the buffer space, etc. In light of these observations, we propose DRED, a novel algorithm which uses the basic ideas of feedback control to randomly discard packets with a load‐dependent probability when a buffer in a router gets congested. Over a wide range of load levels, DRED is able to stabilize a router queue occupancy at a level independent of the number of active TCP connections. The benefits of stabilized queues in a network are high resources utilization, predictable maximum delays, more certain buffer provisioning, and traffic‐load‐independent network performance in terms of traffic intensity and number of connections. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparison of stavudine plus lamivudine versus zidovudine plus lamivudine in combination with indinavir in antiretroviral naive individuals with HIV infection: selection of thymidine analog regimen therapy (START I)

BackgroundNo clinical trial results directly comparing two nucleoside analog pairs in a drug regimen for HIV that includes a protease inhibitor are available. ObjectiveTo compare the safety and efficacy of stavudine (d4T) + lamivudine (3TC) with zidovudine (ZDV) + 3TC, each in combination with indinavir (IDV). DesignRandomized, open-label, multi-center. SettingFifteen HIV clinical research centers. PatientsTwo-hundred and four antiretroviral-naive HIV-1-infected-patients with CD4 cell counts ⩾ 200 × 106/l and HIV-1 RNA ⩾ 10 000 copies/ml (bDNA assay), modified to 5000 copies/ml. Interventiond4T 40 mg twice a day, 3TC 150 mg twice a day plus IDV 800 mg every 8 h compared with ZDV 200 mg every 8 h (modified to 300 mg every 12 h) plus 3TC and IDV. MeasurementsPrimary endpoint: plasma HIV-1 RNA < 500 copies/ml. Additional endpoints: HIV-1 RNA ⩽ 50 copies/ml; change from baseline in HIV-1 RNA and CD4 cell counts; safety and adverse events. ResultsFor HIV-1 RNA, 62% of patients on d4T + 3TC + IDV and 54% of patients on ZDV + 3TC + IDV had < 500 copies/ml HIV RNA at weeks 40 through 48 [90% confidence interval, −0.204 to 0.036;P = 0.213], with 49% and 47% respectively achieving ⩽ 50 copies/ml at 48 weeks (90% CI, −0.134 to 0.096;P = 0.834). Median change in CD4 cell counts at 48 weeks was + 227 × 106/l and + 198 × 106/l for the d4T- and ZDV-containing arms, respectively. The median time-weighted average change from baseline in CD4 cell counts was significantly greater at 48 weeks in the d4T-containing arm (142 × 106/l versus 110 × 106/l;P = 0.033). Serious adverse events were not significantly different between treatment arms, but there were significant differences for frequency of adverse events of all severity with increased nausea and vomiting in the ZDV-containing arm, and increased diarrhea and rash in the d4T-containing arm. ConclusionsThese results support the choice of d4T + 3TC as a nucleoside analog pair in combination with a protease inhibitor in an initial HIV treatment regimen.