Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resource Allocation Optimization in Multi-User Multi-Cell Massive MIMO Networks Considering Pilot Contamination

In this paper, we study the joint pilot assignment and resource allocation for system energy efficiency (SEE) maximization in the multi-user and multi-cell massive multi-input multi-output network. We explicitly consider the pilot contamination effect during the channel estimation in the SEE maximization problem, which aims to optimize the power allocation, the number of activated antennas, and the pilot assignment. To tackle the SEE maximization problem, we transform it into a subtractive form, which can be solved more efficiently. In particular, we develop an iterative algorithm to solve the transformed problem where optimization of power allocation and number of antennas is performed, and then pilot assignment optimization is conducted sequentially in each iteration. To tackle the first sub-problem, we employ a successive convex approximation (SCA) technique to attain a solvable convex optimization problem. Moreover, we propose a novel iterative low-complexity algorithm based on the Hungarian method to solve the pilot assignment sub-problem. We also describe how the proposed solution approach can be useful to address the sum rate (SR) maximization problem. In addition to the algorithmic developments, we characterize the optimal structure of both SEE and SR maximization problems. The numerical studies are conducted to illustrate the convergence of the proposed algorithms, impacts of different parameters on the SR and SEE, and significant performance gains of the proposed solution compared the conventional design.
Online Stability in Human-Robot Cooperation with Admittance Control

In the design of a compliant admittance controller for physical human-robot interaction, it is necessary to ensure stable and effective cooperation. The stability of the admittance controller is mainly threatened by a stiff environment. Many methods that guarantee stability in arbitrary environments, impose conservative control gains that limit the effectiveness of the cooperation. Inspired by previous work in frequency domain stability observers, a method is proposed in this paper to detect unstable behavior and stabilize the robot with online adaptation of the admittance control gains. The introduced instability index is based on frequency domain analysis, which very quickly detects unstable behavior by monitoring high frequency oscillation in the force signal. To treat the instability, an adaptation scheme of the admittance parameters is proposed, that relaxes conservative gains and improves the cooperation by considering the effect of variable admittance on the operators' effort. We investigate two human-robot co-manipulation tasks; cooperation within a zero stiffness environment and cooperation in contact with a stiff double-wall virtual environment. The proposed methods are validated experimentally with a number of subjects in cooperation with an LWR manipulator.
Malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoproteins as biomarker for atherosclerosis

Abstract Background. Cardiovascular diseases are accompanied by the presence of active oxygen species and organic free radical generation. The aim of this study was to examine the possibility of using malondialdehyde (MDA)-modified low-density lipoprotein (LDL) analyses as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. Design and methods. A cross-sectional epidemiological study of a random sample of the male population of Tallinn aged 20–64 was carried out in 2007–2008. A total of 413 subjects were included in the study. The screening procedure included standard epidemiological methods. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring the kinetics of glutathione oxidation and the level of oxidized of MDA-modified LDL. Results. A strong positive correlation between levels of MDA-modified LDL- and total cholesterol was indicated, as well as LDL-cholesterol in blood of patients with postinfarct cardiosclerosis (r=0.82 and r=0.83, respectively, p<0.05). Hypercholesterolemia and hyperglyceridemia were accompanied by significant increase in oxidized LDL plasma level. Conclusion. MDA-modified LDL estimation has a diagnostic accuracy and may be used as an independent biochemical marker for atherosclerosis.
Assessment of the prognostic value of coronary angiography in patients with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND Management of patients with acute non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) depends on risk evaluation. The recommended approach involves the use of risk stratification tools such as TIMI and GRACE risk scores. However, these clinical scores do not include variables derived from coronary angiography which is currently performed in most patients. AIM To evaluate the prognostic value of adding selected coronary angiographic parameters to the established TIMI and GRACE risk scores. METHODS We studied consecutive patients with NSTEMI who underwent coronary angiography. We evaluated selected vascular variables (vessel score, lesion location, percent stenosis, presence of thrombus, lesion length, vessel size, TIMI flow, lesion type according to the ACA/AHA classification, and extent score) and estimated risk using the TIMI and GRACE scores. We assessed total mortality at 30 days, 180 days, and 3 years. To determine the prognostic value of vascular variables and risk scores, we used a logit model and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Diagnostic utility of the models was measured by the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. To determine usefulness of selected vascular variables as outcome predictors in addition to the GRACE and TIMI scores, we used Net Reclassification Improvement (NRI) and Integrated Discrimination Improvement (IDI) indices. RESULTS The study included 237 patients (mean age 65.5 years, 62% men). The TIMI and GRACE risk scores were good predictors of mortality in the evaluated periods. Among vascular variables, independent prognostic factors included the extent score which predicted mortality at 30 days (odds ratio [OR] 12.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-99, p = 0.016), 180 days (OR 8.8, 95% CI 2.3-33.7, p = 0.002), and 3 years (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.6-8.0, p = 0.003), and distal lesion location which predicted mortality at 180 days (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.0-9.4). Addition of the extent score to the TIMI risk score improved the prognostic value of the latter at all time points, as confirmed by NRI and IDI indices. The GRACE risk score itself had good prognostic value which was not significantly improved by any of the evaluated vascular variables. CONCLUSIONS The extent score added to the TIMI risk score improves the prognostic value of the latter in patients with NSTEMI. Angiographic variables should be more widely used in risk stratification models in patients with acute coronary syndromes.
High quality audio services over a L-band satellite link using COFDM with soft-decision

The choose to perform a C-OFDM modulation directly by satellite makes the design of cost-effective new communication scenarios possible, in periods in which satellite communications call for a higher penetration in everyday services provision, avoiding the high costs of terrestrial-segment infrastructures to make the satellite signal exploitable by mobile users in urban environments. This paper focuses on the analysis of the performances of a C-OFDM-based communication scheme for the provision of a high quality and scalable bit rate radio signal over satellite links and exploitable in urban environments. Due to these preambles, the almost unemployed specifically satellite-oriented Mode-III of the DAB standard is considered, in conjunction with the design of an high-effective receiver based on soft-decision schemes, in cohabitation with almost very spread terrestrial DAB services. The degradations due to propagation and signal distortions introduced by the payload are also taken into account in the analysis of the transmission system
A comparison of augmentation cystoplasty before and after renal transplantation with the control group.

INTRODUCTION We compared two surgical methods of augmentation cystoplasty (AC), before and after renal transplantation, and the outcomes of both methods with transplant patients with normal bladder function. MATERIALS AND METHODS 1520 kidney transplantations were performed at Shahid Labbafinejad Center between March 1988 and February 2002 of which 36 cases was accompanied with AC. In 20 patients (group A) AC was performed before transplantation. This group consisted of 14 males and 6 females with a mean age of 26.1 (13-39) at the time of transplantation. Sixteen patients consisting of 11 males and 5 females (mean age 27.3, 12-44) underwent AC after transplantation. Eventually 40 transplant patients with normal bladder function were assigned in the control group including 18 males and 22 females with a mean age of 31.2 (11-55) (group C). RESULTS Normal graft function was achieved in 16, 13, and 33 patients of groups A, B, and C respectively over the mean follow-up of 70, 59, and 76 months (p<0.7). Mean serum creatinine during the follow-up was 1.48+/-0.4, 1.7+/-1, and 1.4+/-0.55 for groups A, B, and C respectively. 9, 12, and 17 patients (26, 64, and 34 cases) with UTI requiring hospital admission were observed in the 3 groups respectively. The incident of UTI and the resultant hospitalization in group B was more than the one in group C (p<0.03), but it did not differ significantly from group A to group C. CONCLUSION AC is a safe and effective method to improve the lower urinary system function and with the exception of increased risk of UTI following AC after transplantation (group B), there is no considerable difference in the complication rates between AC before and after renal transplantation. As a result, we can perform AC before or after kidney transplantation in patients with dysfunctional lower urinary tract system up to their specific conditions.
Pivotal Involvement of Fcγ Receptor IIA in the Neutralization of Lipopolysaccharide Signaling via a Potent Novel Anti-TLR4 Monoclonal Antibody 15C1*

The mammalian Toll-like receptor (TLR) family has evolved to sense pathogens in the environment and protect the host against infection. TLR4 recognizes lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria and induces a signaling cascade that, when exaggerated, has been associated with severe sepsis. We have generated a TLR4-specific monoclonal antibody, 15C1, which neutralizes LPS-induced TLR4 activation in a dose-dependent manner. 15C1 potently blocks the effects of LPS on a panel of primary cells and cell lines in vitro. The binding of 15C1 was mapped to an epitope in the second portion of the extracellular region of TLR4, which has been shown previously to be functionally important in the recognition of LPS. Furthermore, we demonstrate a novel mechanism of inhibition, as the effects of 15C1 are partially Fc-dependent, involving the regulatory Fcγ receptor IIA (CD32A). In addition to introducing 15C1 as a potent clinical candidate for use in the treatment of LPS-mediated indications, our work demonstrates a newly discovered pathway whose manipulation is pivotal in achieving optimal neutralizing benefit.
Price Dynamics and Consumption Smoothing in Experimental Asset Markets

We report the results of an experiment designed to study the determinants of asset price movement and consumption smoothing behavior across asset markets populated with varying proportion of traders with and without having induced motive to smooth consumption. Although the asset is over-priced compared to the risk-neutral fundamental value in all sessions, the extent of over-pricing and magnitude of price movement is significantly higher when traders with no induced motive to trade are present. We also find that the price of the asset co-moves with the dividend state, with price predictability being higher in the presence of traders with induced motive to smooth consumption. Participants motivated to minimize consumption fluctuations are able to do so with the inclination being more for those having lower initial endowment. With fixed prices, traders are able to smooth consumption not only over periods but also over the dividend states.
Processing of avian retroviral gag polyprotein precursors is blocked by a mutation at the NC-PR cleavage site

The avian sarcoma and leukosis viruses (ASLV) encode a protease (PR) at the C terminus of gag which in vivo catalyzes the processing of both gag and gag-pol precursors. The studies reported here were undertaken to determine whether PR is able to cleave these polyproteins while it is still part of the gag precursor or whether the release of its N terminus to form free PR is necessary for full proteolytic activity. To address this question, we created a mutation that disrupts the PR cleavage site between the NC and PR coding regions of the gag gene. This mutation was introduced into a eukaryotic vector that expresses only the gag precursor and into an otherwise infectious clone of ASLV that carries the neo gene as a selectable marker. These constructs were expressed in monkey COS cells or in quail QT35 cells, respectively. Processing was impaired in both systems. Mutant particles were formed, but they contained no mature processed gag proteins. We observed only the uncleaved gag precursor polypeptide Pr76 in one case or Pr76 and a cleaved product of about 60 kDa in the other. Processing of the mutant gag precursor could be complemented in trans by from a wild-type construct, suggesting that the mutation did not induce gross structural alterations in its precursor. Our results suggest that the PR first must be released from its precursor before it can attack other sites in the gag and gag-pol polyproteins and that cleavage at the NC-PR boundary is a prerequisite for the initiation of the PR-directed processing.
Optogenetics-enabled dynamic modulation of action potential duration in atrial tissue: feasibility of a novel therapeutic approach.

AIMS Diseases that abbreviate the cardiac action potential (AP) by increasing the strength of repolarizing transmembrane currents are highly arrhythmogenic. It has been proposed that optogenetic tools could be used to restore normal AP duration (APD) in the heart under such disease conditions. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of an optogenetic treatment modality for prolonging pathologically shortened APs in a detailed computational model of short QT syndrome (SQTS) in the human atria, and compare it to drug treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS We used a human atrial myocyte model with faster repolarization caused by SQTS; light sensitivity was inscribed via the presence of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2). We conducted simulations in single cells and in a magnetic resonance imaging-based model of the human left atrium (LA). Application of an appropriate optical stimulus to a diseased cell dynamically increased APD, producing an excellent match to control AP (<1.5 mV deviation); treatment of a diseased cell with an AP-prolonging drug (chloroquine) also increased APD, but the match to control AP was worse (>5 mV deviation). Under idealized conditions in the LA (uniform ChR2-expressing cell distribution, no light attenuation), optogenetics-based therapy outperformed chloroquine treatment (APD increased to 87% and 81% of control). However, when non-uniform ChR2-expressing cell distribution and light attenuation were incorporated, optogenetics-based treatment was less effective (APD only increased to 55%). CONCLUSION This study demonstrates proof of concept for optogenetics-based treatment of diseases that alter atrial AP shape. We identified key practical obstacles intrinsic to the optogenetic approach that must be overcome before such treatments can be realized.
Self-reported experiences of racial discrimination and Black-White differences in preterm and low-birthweight deliveries: the CARDIA Study.

OBJECTIVES We examined the effects of self-reported experiences of racial discrimination on Black-White differences in preterm (less than 37 weeks gestation) and low-birthweight (less than 2500 g) deliveries. METHODS Using logistic regression models, we analyzed data on 352 births among women enrolled in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. RESULTS Among Black women, 50% of those with preterm deliveries and 61% of those with low-birthweight infants reported having experienced racial discrimination in at least 3 situations; among White women, the corresponding percentages were 5% and 0%. The unadjusted odds ratio for preterm delivery among Black versus White women was 2.54 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.33, 4.85), but this value decreased to 1.88 (95% CI=0.85, 4.12) after adjustment for experiences of racial discrimination and to 1.11 (95% CI=0.51, 2.41) after additional adjustment for alcohol and tobacco use, depression, education, and income. The corresponding odds ratios for low birthweight were 4.24 (95% CI=1.31, 13.67), 2.11 (95% CI=0.75, 5.93), and 2.43 (95% CI=0.79, 7.42). CONCLUSIONS Self-reported experiences of racial discrimination were associated with preterm and low-birthweight deliveries, and such experiences may contribute to Black-White disparities in perinatal outcomes.
An age-related type IIB to IIX myosin heavy chain switching in rat skeletal muscle.

A novel fast-twitch motor unit type, called the IIX-myosin heavy chain (MHC) motor unit, identified by the glycogen depletion technique together with a series of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for MHCs, has been isolated recently in the rat tibialis anterior muscle. In young animals, this unit has physiological, biochemical and morphometrical properties which separate it from the IIA- and IIB-MHC motor units. In old age, on the other hand, the IIX-MHC units display physiological, biochemical and morphometrical properties resembling the IIB-MHC motor units. Based on these results it was proposed that a transition from IIB to IIX motor units occurs during ageing. In an attempt to clarify this point, the MHC composition was identified by 6% SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting analysis, using specific mAbs antibodies, in the same fast-twitch tibialis anterior muscles in young (3-6 months, n = 9) and old (20-24 months, n = 16) rats from which the single motor units had been identified previously. The IIX-MHC comigrates together with the IIA-MHC band in 6% SDS-PAGE and only two MHC bands are observed in the rat tibialis anterior muscle, i.e. the IIA-IIX- and IIB-MHC bands. A significant increase (P < 0.001) in the average relative amount of the IIA-IIX-MHC was observed in the old (45 +/- 17%) as compared to the young (23 +/- 4%) animals, accompanied by a corresponding decrease in IIB-MHC content. It was demonstrated in immunoblotting analysis that only trace amounts of IIA-MHC were detectable in the IIA-IIX-MHC band in both young and old TA muscles, indicating a substantial increase in the IIX-MHC content in old age. Thus, the present results together with previous observations at the motor unit level strongly support an age-related motor unit transition from type IIB- to IIX-MHC.
Demonstrating idAnimate: a multi-touch system for sketching and rapidly manipulating animations

This demonstration presents idAnimate, a multi-touch application for sketching animations. Thanks to the affordances provided by multitouch interfaces, idAnimate yields a novel, intuitive and easy to use animation technique named transformation-by-example, that allows users to author animations in minimal time. This is achieved by transforming objects through commonly accepted multi-touch gestures (pan, pinch and rotation) while the system records and time-stamps the changes over time. Building complex animations is achieved through incrementally building sequences of transformations. In addition, objects may have multiple visual states that can be changed dynamically over time and combined with the transformations.
An Energy-Aware Multipath Routing Algorithm in Wireless Sensor Networks

One of the major challenges facing the design of a routing protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is to find the most reliable path between the source and sink node. Furthermore, a routing protocol for WSN should be well aware of sensor limitations. In this paper, we present an energy efficient, scalable, and distributed node disjoint multipath routing algorithm. The proposed algorithm, the Energy-aware Multipath Routing Algorithm (EMRA), adjusts traffic flows via a novel load balancing scheme. EMRA has a higher average node energy efficiency, lower control overhead, and a shorter average delay than those of well-known previous works. Moreover, since EMRA takes into consideration network reliability, it is useful for delivering data in unreliable environments.
Randomized Controlled Trial of a Healthy Lifestyle Intervention Among Smokers With Psychotic Disorders.

INTRODUCTION People with severe mental disorders typically experience a range of health problems; consequently, interventions addressing multiple health behaviors may provide an efficient way to tackle this major public health issue. This two-arm randomized controlled trial among people with psychotic disorders examined the efficacy of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) plus either a face-to-face or predominantly telephone delivered intervention for smoking cessation and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction. METHODS Following baseline assessment and completion of a common, individually delivered 90-minute face-to-face intervention, participants (n = 235) were randomized to receive NRT plus: (1) a "Healthy Lifestyles" intervention for smoking cessation and CVD risk behaviors or (2) a predominantly telephone-based intervention (designed to control for NRT provision, session frequency, and other monitoring activities). Research assistants blind to treatment allocation performed assessments at 15 weeks (mid-intervention) and 12 months after baseline. RESULTS There were no significant differences between intervention conditions in CVD risk or smoking outcomes at 15 weeks or 12 months, with improvements in both conditions (eg, 12 months: 6.4% confirmed point prevalence abstinence rate; 17% experiencing a 50% or greater smoking reduction; mean reduction of 8.6 cigarettes per day; mean improvement in functioning of 9.8 points). CONCLUSIONS The health disparity experienced by people with psychotic disorders is high. Face-to-face Healthy Lifestyle interventions appear to be feasible and somewhat effective. However, given the accessibility of telephone delivered interventions, potentially combined with lower cost, further studies are needed to evaluate telephone delivered smoking cessation and lifestyle interventions for people with psychotic disorders.