Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Low-Density MIMO Codes

Multiple antenna systems are promising approaches to increase the data rate of wireless communication systems. There, modulated symbols are multiplexed on multiple transmission antennas. Typically an outer error correcting code is used additionally to ensure a desired quality of service for a given data rate. An appropriate communications performance can be achieved by iterative decoding, where probabilistic information are exchanged between outer decoder and the MIMO demodulator. However, in this case the MIMO demodulator has to calculate probabilistic soft-output values for each bit which can be very complex. In this paper we present a new class of linear block codes named Low-Density MIMO Codes which reduces the complexity of the MIMO soft-demodulator and the outer channel decoder inherently by code design without decreasing the data rate of the overall system. These LDMC codes can have a better communications performance then state of the art solutions with a order of magnitude smaller decoding complexity.
Student/teacher relationships and school success : perceptions of students from grades nine to twelve

Teachers play an important role in determining students' perception of personal success. Eighty students between the ages of fourteen and eighteen in a rural setting in southern Alberta were surveyed and interviewed. Students reported their perceptions of their own personal success and the influence of a positive relationship with a teacher. Respondents also provided examples of negative relationships. The importance of building caring relationships with students is demonstrated in this research report. Included in the discussions are qualities or actions of teachers and the significance of their role in developing positive influences, which have an impact on student success both inside and outside of school.
A Simple Nonparametric Estimator for the Distribution of Random Coefficients

We propose an estimator for discrete choice models, such as the logit, with a nonparametric distribution of random coefficients. The estimator is linear regression subject to linear inequality constraints and is robust, simple to program and quick to compute compared to alternative estimators for mixture models. We discuss three methods for proving identi? fication of the distribution of heterogeneity for any given economic model. We prove the identi? fication of the logit mixtures model, which, surprisingly given the wide use of this model over the last 30 years, is a new result. We also derive our estimator? s non-standard asymptotic distribution and demonstrate its excellent small sample properties in a Monte Carlo. The estimator we propose can be extended to allow for endogenous prices. The estimator can also be used to reduce the computational burden of nested ? fixed point methods for complex models like dynamic programming discrete choice.
Daily Function as Predictor of Dementia in Cognitive Impairment, No Dementia (CIND) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): An 8-Year Follow-Up in the ILSA Study.

BACKGROUND Preclinical cognitive changes may predict an increased risk of dementia, allowing selection of subgroups as possible targets for preventive or therapeutic interventions. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the predictive effect of daily functioning and motor performance (MP) on the progression to dementia in normal cognition, cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND), and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging is a large population-based survey on age-related diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. After the baseline assessment, to detect prevalent cases of cognitive impairment and dementia, participants were re-examined at 4-year and 8-year follow-ups. Functional independence was evaluated using the Index of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Scale. A six-test battery was used to assess MP. RESULTS Overall, 2,386 individuals were included, for a total of 16,545 person-years. Eight-year incidence of dementia (per 1,000 person-years) was 12.69 in total sample, 9.86 in subjects with normal cognition at baseline, 22.99 in CIND, and 21.43 in MCI. Progression to dementia was significantly higher with increasing baseline ADL and IADL impairment, and with a worse MP. In Cox regression analyses controlled for demographics and major age-related conditions, increased IADL impairment was the stronger predictor of progression to dementia (p < 0.001), with HR ranging from 2.16 (95% CI, 0.82-5.70) to 9.57 (95% CI, 3.40-26.91) in subjects with MCI at baseline. CONCLUSIONS Inclusion of IADL in the MCI construct significantly improves the prediction of dementia. Individuation of different transition rates is required to plan cost-effective interventions.
12 Model-based Segmentation

This chapter starts with a brief introduction into model-based segmentation, explaining the basic concepts and different approaches. Subsequently, two segmentation approaches are presented in more detail: First, the method of deformable simplex meshes is described, explaining the special properties of the simplex mesh and the formulation of the internal forces. Common choices for image forces are presented, and how to evolve the mesh to adapt to certain structures. Second, the method of point-based statistical shape models is described. The model construction process is explained and the point correspondence problem is treated in detail. Several approaches of how gray level appearance can be modeled are presented, and search algorithms that use this knowledge to segment the modeled structures in new images are described.
The citation behaviour of Civil Engineering students

The New Review project investigated how to improve students' information searching skills and the resulting reference lists through a new approach to teaching the literature review. This paper reports on one element of this study, which analysed reference lists from 47 final-year projects written by Civil & Building Engineering undergraduate students (BEng and MSc). It finds a strong positive correlation between the literature review mark and overall mark for each project, as well as a slightly weaker correlation between the number of references cited and the mark received. An analysis of the number, age, and type of references cited is performed in addition to an investigation into the quality of the bibliographic citations themselves. Finally, this paper makes recommendations as to how Information Literacy (IL) teaching relating to the literature review may be improved.
Two-Dimensional Radiative Transfer in Protostellar Envelopes. III. Effects of Stellar Temperature

We model how the mid-IR colors of young stellar objects (YSOs) vary with stellar temperature. The spectral energy distribution (SED) of each object has contributions from the thermal emission of circumstellar dust, from direct stellar photospheric emission, and from scattered stellar emission. We first isolate the effects of stellar contributions (direct + scattered) to the SED using homologous "Class I" models: the distribution of circumstellar matter is chosen to scale with stellar temperature T* such that the shape of the thermal contribution to the SED remains constant. The relative contribution of stellar direct and scattered light varies with T*, changing the 1-10 μm (MIR) colors. Stellar light contributes more to the mid-IR emission of YSOs with lower temperature stars (T* ~ 4000 K) because the emission peak wavelength of the star is closer to that of the thermal radiation. In YSOs with hotter central stars, since the peak of the stellar and thermal spectra are more separated in wavelength, the 1-10 μm spectrum is closer to a pure thermal spectrum and the objects are redder. Next we consider realistic Class 0, I, and II source models and find that the other dominant effect of varying stellar temperature on YSO SEDs is that of the inner disk wall: in high-T* models, the dust destruction radius is much farther out, with a consequently larger inner disk wall that contributes relatively more to the 2-10 μm flux. This effect partially offsets that of the stellar contribution, leading to varying behaviors of the 2-10 μm flux: In Class 0 sources, the trend is for higher T* models to have redder colors. In Class I sources, the trend applies with some exceptions. In Class II sources, 2-10 μm colors become redder, going from T* = 4000 to 8000 K because of decreasing stellar contribution at T* = 8000 K, and then become blue again from 8000 to 31,500 K because of an increasing inner disk wall contribution. Near edge-on inclinations, the color behavior is completely different. Our modeled mid-IR protostellar colors have implications for interpretations of Spitzer IRAC observations of star formation regions. It is commonly assumed that the slope of the SED at 1-10 μm is directly related to evolutionary state. We show that inclination effects, aperture size, scattered light, and stellar temperature cause a broad spread in the colors of a source at a single evolutionary state. Color-magnitude diagrams can help sort out these effects by separating sources with different T* on the basis of their different brightness (for sources at the same distance).
User Contribution in Online Communities - the Influence of Advertising on the Effectiveness of Social Normative feedback

Online communities are common means to maintain and extend private social networks. In addition, they also offer new ways for enterprises to connect and collaborate with customers, employees, and business partners. However, key challenge for online communities is engaging community members thereby keeping the community successful and alive. This is especially true for communities, which leverage advertising as a source of revenue. A potential means to compensate negative participation effects and foster contribution is social normative feedback being known as one of the most powerful levers of behavioral change. However, we want to challenge the power of this instrument in the context of communities building upon advertising and propose a respective field experiment with 600 participants. Our findings will be important for the design of online communities considering or relying on advertising as a source of revenue.
Synapse Associated Protein 102 (SAP102) Binds the C-Terminal Part of the Scaffolding Protein Neurobeachin

Neurobeachin (Nbea) is a multidomain scaffold protein abundant in the brain, where it is highly expressed during development. Nbea-null mice have severe defects in neuromuscular synaptic transmission resulting in lethal paralysis of the newborns. Recently, it became clear that Nbea is important also for the functioning of central synapses, where it is suggested to play a role in trafficking membrane proteins to both, the pre- and post-synaptic sites. So far, only few binding partners of Nbea have been found and the precise mechanism of their trafficking remains unclear. Here, we used mass spectrometry to identify SAP102, a MAGUK protein implicated in trafficking of the ionotropic glutamate AMPA- and NMDA-type receptors during synaptogenesis, as a novel Nbea interacting protein in mouse brain. Experiments in heterologous cells confirmed this interaction and revealed that SAP102 binds to the C-terminal part of Nbea that contains the DUF, PH, BEACH and WD40 domains. Furthermore, we discovered that introducing a mutation in Nbea’s PH domain, which disrupts its interaction with the BEACH domain, abolishes this binding, thereby creating an excellent starting point to further investigate Nbea-SAP102 function in the central nervous system.
Behavioral Analysis and Visualization of Fast-Flux DNS

Today, a growing, sophisticated technique called Fast-Flux Service Networks (FFSN) poses a major problem to Internet security. They are increasingly used in many illegal practices including money mule recruitment sites, distribution of malware downloads, illegal adult content, and other forms of Internet fraud. Essentially, FFSN were first used as a Domain Name Server (DNS) switching mechanism that combine distributed command and control, web-based load balancing, and proxy redirection. However, cyber criminals are applying various techniques to subvert detection, retain uptime of their information infrastructure and maximize their financial gain. Hence, this paper proposed to analyze and visualize the behavior of FFSN in order to facilitate FFSN detection. In this study, we collect, classify and monitor over500 domains and by scrutinizing and visualizing the trained data, we discover the new types of fluxing designated as NSName-Flux(NF). The analysis results of NF exposed that FFSN have become extensively sophisticated and dynamic. This exemplifies that visualization is an alternative and effective data exploration method for understanding the complex behaviors of FFSN.
Binding of the HTLV‐I Tax1 transactivator to the inducible 21 bp enhancer is mediated by the cellular factor HEB1.

Transcription driven by the HTLV‐I promoter is strongly activated by the viral transactivator protein Tax1. This effect is mediated via a 21 bp sequence which is imperfectly repeated three times in the viral promoter. We showed previously that a single 21 bp copy exhibits a strong Tax1‐inducible enhancer activity and is able to bind different cellular proteins, namely ATF, HEB1 and HEB2. We have further investigated the molecular mechanism involved in the Tax1 induction of the 21 bp motif's enhancer activity by analysing Tax1 interaction with this DNA sequence. For this purpose a HeLa cell line constitutively expressing a functional Tax1 protein was established and nuclear extracts of these cells were used to perform a DNA affinity precipitation assay. This experimental approach allowed us to show that Tax1 specifically binds to the 21 bp motif. The same sequence elements of the 21 bp motif are required both for Tax1 binding and for Tax1‐induced enhancer activity. Chromatographic fractionation of the HeLa tax nuclear extract showed that the binding is indirect and is mediated by the cellular factor HEB 1.
On The Best Approximate Solutions of The Matrix Equation AXB = C

Suppose that the matrix equation AXB = C with unknown matrix X is given, where A, B, and C are known matrices of suitable sizes. The matrix nearness problem is considered over the general and least squares solutions of the matrix equation AXB = C when the equation is consistent and inconsistent, respectively. The implicit form of the best approximate solutions of the problems over the set of symmetric and the set of skew-symmetric matrices are established as well. Moreover, some numerical examples are given for the problems considered.
Mobile Robot Localization and Navigation in Artificial Intelligence: Survey

The potential applications for mobile robots are enormous. The mobile robots must quickly and robustly perform useful tasks in a previously unknown, dynamic and challenging environment. Mobile robot navigation plays a key role in all mobile robot activities and tasks such as path planning. Mobile robots are machines which navigate around their environment getting sensory information about that environment and performing actions dependent on this sensory information. Localization is basic to navigation. Various techniques have been described for estimating the orientation and positioning of a mobile robot. Navigation may be defined as the process of guiding the movement of intelligent vehicle systems from one location to another location with the support of various types of sensors to the different environments such as indoor, outdoor and other complex environments by using various navigation methods. This paper reviews the following mobile robot systems which are used in navigation for localization (1) Odometry (2) Magnetic compass (3) Active beacons (4) Global positioning system (5) Landmark navigation (6) Pattern matching.
Dynamic Vt SRAM: a leakage tolerant cache memory for low voltage microprocessors

This paper presents a Dynamic Vt SRAM (DTSRAM) architecture to reduce the subthreshold leakage in cache memories. The Vt of each cache line is controlled separately by means of body biasing. In order to minimize the energy and delay overhead, a cache line is switched to high Vt only when it is not likely to be accessed anymore. Simulation results from SimpleScalar framework show that even after considering the energy overhead, the DTSRAM can save 72% of the cache leakage with a performance loss less than 1%. Layout of the DTSRAM shows that the area penalty is minimal.
Accessibility, usability, and usefulness of a Web-based clinical decision support tool to enhance provider–patient communication around Self-management TO Prevent (STOP) Stroke

This article reports redesign strategies identified to create a Web-based user-interface for the Self-management TO Prevent (STOP) Stroke Tool. Members of a Stroke Quality Improvement Network (N = 12) viewed a visualization video of a proposed prototype and provided feedback on implementation barriers/facilitators. Stroke-care providers (N = 10) tested the Web-based prototype in think-aloud sessions of simulated clinic visits. Participants’ dialogues were coded into themes. Access to comprehensive information and the automated features/systematized processes were the primary accessibility and usability facilitator themes. The need for training, time to complete the tool, and computer-centric care were identified as possible usability barriers. Patient accountability, reminders for best practice, goal-focused care, and communication/counseling themes indicate that the STOP Stroke Tool supports the paradigm of patient-centered care. The STOP Stroke Tool was found to prompt clinicians on secondary stroke-prevention clinical-practice guidelines, facilitate comprehensive documentation of evidence-based care, and support clinicians in providing patient-centered care through the shared decision-making process that occurred while using the action-planning/goal-setting feature of the tool.
A gene regulation network controlled by Celf1 protein–rbpj mRNA interaction in Xenopus somite segmentation

Summary Somite segmentation is impaired in Xenopus celf1 morphant embryos. The Celf1 RNA-binding protein targets bound mRNAs for rapid degradation, and antisense approaches demonstrated that segmentation defects in celf1 morphants were due to a derepression of rbpj mRNA. Rbpj protein is a key player of Notch signalling. Because segmentation involves complex cross-talk between several signalling pathways, we analysed how rbpj derepression impacted these pathways. We found that rbpj derepression stimulated the Notch pathway. Notch positively controlled the expression of cyp26a, which encodes a retinoic acid (RA)-degrading enzyme. Thus, rbpj derepression led to cyp26a overexpression and RA attenuation. It also repressed fgf8, consistent with an inhibition of FGF signalling. Pharmacological inhibition of the FGF pathway repressed cyp26a, but rbpj derepression was sufficient to restore cyp26a expression. Hence, while it was known that the FGF pathway antagonized RA signalling through expression of cyp26a, our results suggest that Rbpj mediates this antagonism. Furthermore, they show that the post-transcriptional repression exerted by Celf1 on rbpj mRNA is required to keep cyp26a expression under the control of FGF signalling. We conclude that rbpj repression by Celf1 is important to couple the FGF and RA pathways in Xenopus segmentation.
De novo sequencing and analysis of the transcriptome during the browning of fresh-cut Luffa cylindrica 'Fusi-3' fruits

Fresh-cut luffa (Luffa cylindrica) fruits commonly undergo browning. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating this process. We used the RNA-seq technique to analyze the transcriptomic changes occurring during the browning of fresh-cut fruits from luffa cultivar ‘Fusi-3’. Over 90 million high-quality reads were assembled into 58,073 Unigenes, and 60.86% of these were annotated based on sequences in four public databases. We detected 35,282 Unigenes with significant hits to sequences in the NCBInr database, and 24,427 Unigenes encoded proteins with sequences that were similar to those of known proteins in the Swiss-Prot database. Additionally, 20,546 and 13,021 Unigenes were similar to existing sequences in the Eukaryotic Orthologous Groups of proteins and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases, respectively. Furthermore, 27,301 Unigenes were differentially expressed during the browning of fresh-cut luffa fruits (i.e., after 1–6 h). Moreover, 11 genes from five gene families (i.e., PPO, PAL, POD, CAT, and SOD) identified as potentially associated with enzymatic browning as well as four WRKY transcription factors were observed to be differentially regulated in fresh-cut luffa fruits. With the assistance of rapid amplification of cDNA ends technology, we obtained the full-length sequences of the 15 Unigenes. We also confirmed these Unigenes were expressed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. This study provides a comprehensive transcriptome sequence resource, and may facilitate further studies aimed at identifying genes affecting luffa fruit browning for the exploitation of the underlying mechanism.
Recidivism Among High-Risk Drug Felons

Abstract Recent interest in increasing access to substance abuse treatment for drug-involved offenders has been spurred by concerns over expanding prison and jail populations, high recidivism rates for drug-involved offenders, and the close link between illegal drug use and criminal activity. Chronic untreated drug and alcohol abuse is likely to result in high rates of repeated contacts with the criminal justice system and a greater likelihood of reincarceration. Unless these offenders naturally desist from drug use, or are successfully engaged in treatment, recidivism is likely to remain high and the courts and correctional systems are likely to continue to be overwhelmed by large numbers of drug-involved offenders. This article uses multiple recidivism measures to assess the long-term effects of diversion to a highly coercive, long-term residential therapeutic community treatment for repeat felony drug offenders charged with drug sales and facing mandatory incarceration in state prison. If the offenders completed the 18-24 month program, all charges were dismissed; dropouts were returned to court for prosecution and sentenced to state prison. Compared with a closely matched sample of offenders sentenced to prison, Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison (DTAP) program participation generally reduced the prevalence and annual rate (adjusting for time in the community) of recidivism, and delayed time to first rearrest. In multivariate models of rearrest prevalence and adjusted annual rearrest rate, DTAP program participation was related to lower recidivism at significance levels between . 05 and . 10, after controlling for criminal history and other covariates. These findings suggest that diverting high-risk, prison-bound felony drug sellers to long-term treatment can yield significant, long-term reductions in recidivism.