Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visible light communication: A smart way towards wireless communication

The idea of visible light communication (VLC) is presented in this paper. In VLC, from the electromagnetic (EM) frequency spectrum the visible light portion is used for information interchange which is analogous to conventional forms of wireless communication such as Bluetooth and Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi), in which data or information is transmitted over the wireless medium using radio frequency (RF) signals. By modulating the intensity of light sources like LED is used as a transmitter and a photosensitive detector like Photodiodes (PD) is used for demodulation of the light signals to convert back into electrical form as a receiver. The intensity of light sources is modulated in such a way that which is unnoticeable to the human eyes. There is a crucial need of VLC technology, to overcome the problem faced by the conventional wireless communication system. In this paper wide overview of need of VLC, applications of VLC, design challenges for VLC and recent development in VLC are provided.
Projection effects in X-ray cores of cooling flow galaxy clusters

ABSTRA C T Recent analyses of Newton-XMM and Chandra data of the cores of X-ray bright clusters of galaxies show that modelling with a multi-phase gas in which several temperatures and densities are in equilibrium might not be appropriate. Instead, a single-phase model seems able to reproduce properly the spectra collected in annuli from the central region. The measured single-phase temperature profiles indicate a steep positive gradient in the central 100 ‐ 200 kpc and the gas density shows a flat profile in the central few 10s of kpc. Given this observational evidence, we estimate the contribution to the projected-on-the-sky rings from the cluster emissivity as function of the shell volume fraction sampled. We show that the observed projected X-ray emission mimics the multi-phase status of the plasma even though the input distribution is single-phase. This geometrical projection affects (i) analyses of data where insufficient spatial resolution is accessible, (ii) the central bin when its dimension is comparable to the extension of any flatness in the central gas density profile.
Oxygenation impairment in patients with acute aortic dissection is associated with disorders of coagulation and fibrinolysis: a prospective observational study.

Background Stanford type-A acute aortic dissection (AAD) is typically accompanied by oxygenation impairment before surgery. In addition, inflammation, coagulation and fibrinolysis also impair blood oxygenation. However, our understanding of the concentration of these factors in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) has not been reported. The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of preoperative acute lung injury (ALI) on postoperative oxygenation impairment and to explore the effect of coagulation and fibrinolysis in blood and BALF. Methods This investigation utilized a prospective observational study design, which was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov (identifier NCT01894334). The study included 53 patients undergoing surgery for Stanford type-A AAD at an academic hospital in China between October 2013 and July 2014. Preoperative ALI was identified according to the oxygenation index calculated by the PaO2/FiO2 ratio. The subjects were divided into the ALI group (oxygenation index ≤300 mmHg) or the control group (oxygenation index >300 mmHg). The primary outcome was patient oxygenation index, while secondary outcomes were concentrations of tissue factor (TF), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in serum and BALF. Results The incidence of preoperative ALI for Stanford type-A AAD patients was 41.5%. Stanford type-A AAD patients with preoperative ALI had a lower postoperative oxygenation index (104.6±31.7 vs. 248.7±48.0 mmHg, P<0.001), higher concentrations of TF in serum and BALF (F=133.67, P<0.001; F=68.14, P<0.001), higher concentrations of TFPI in serum and BALF (F=31.98, P<0.001; F=45.58, P<0.001), and higher concentrations of PAI-1 in serum and BALF (F=213.88, P<0.001; F=107.95, P<0.001) when compared with those without preoperative ALI. Type-A AAD patients also showed a greater loss of blood (1,524±458 vs. 1,175±327 mL, P=0.040), longer mechanical ventilation time in the ICU (27.24±8.37 vs. 17.33±7.36 h, P<0.001), longer total stay in the ICU (42.27±10.85 vs. 33.45±9.05 h, P=0.002), and longer total hospital stay (17.77±5.00 vs. 13.48±3.97 days, P=0.001). Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that preoperative PAI-1 in BALF, and TF in both serum and BALF were significantly associated with preoperative oxygenation impairment in patients with Stanford type-A AAD. Conclusions Preoperative ALI caused more serious postoperative oxygenation impairment for Stanford type-A AAD, and coagulation and fibrinolysis appear to play critical roles in this process. Preoperative PAI-1 in BALF and TF in both serum and BALF were significant factors related to the occurrence of preoperative oxygenation impairment for Stanford type-A AAD.
Identification and characterization of genes.

Method for identifying a gene whose activation or inactivation prevents a dependency of a cell by an inducible oncogene for tumorigenicity, the method comprising: (a) providing tumor cells ex vivo, with said tumor cells mouse tumor cells, said cells comprising said oncogene attached operatively linked to a inducible promoter selected from the group consisting of a promoter system based on tetracycline promoter, a promoter system based on the metallothionein promoter and a promoter system based on the estrogen receptor, giving said oncogene tumorigenicity when expression is activated ; (B) causing said oncogene inactivation, causing said cells are to a mutation away from tumorigenicity; (C) introducing into the cells a retroviral vector that integrates into the genomes of said cells; (D) introducing said cells into an injection site on an immunocompromised mouse, and monitoring tumor formation at the site of injection in mice; and (e) identifying as said gene whose activation or inactivation avoids reliance on a cell by oncogene for tumorigenicity said, a gene having an increased or decreased expression in said tumor as a result of the introduction of the retroviral vector.
Scalable Services for Digital Preservation

Due to rapid changes in information technology, digital data, documents, and records are doomed to become uninterpretable bit-streams within short time periods. Digital Preservation deals with the longterm storage, access, and maintenance of digital data objects. In order to prevent a loss of information, digital libraries and archives are increasingly faced with the need to electronically preserve vast amounts of data while having limited computational resources in-house. However, due to the potentially immense data sets and computationally intensive tasks involved, preservation systems have become a recognized challenge for e-science and e-infrastructures. In this paper, we argue that grid and cloud technology can provide the crucial technology for building scalable preservation systems. We introduce a strategy for utilizing cloud infrastructures that are based on platform virtualization as a scaling environment for the execution of preservation workflows. We present recent developments on a Job Submission Service that is based on standard grid mechanisms and capable of providing large clusters of virtual machines. Finally, we present experimental results that have been conducted on the Amazon EC2 and S3 utility cloud infrastructure.
Ecological Effects of Hydrological Process on Time of Concentration

Ecological theory emphasizes headwater streams and wetlands as hotspots for metabolism of terrestrially derived organic matter and biogeochemical transformations. Time of concentration Tc is defined as the wave travel time from the most hydraulically remote point to the point of study. Tc is an important element in hydrological studies, especially in drainage system designs and the estimations of flood arrival time. The common approach in the estimation of Tc is based on Kinematic Wave (KW) approximation for both overland flow and river routing. This approximation, however, may not be appropriate on a flood plain with inundations. The main objective of this study is to propose the estimation of Tc with Diffusive Wave (DW) approximation considering the effect of flood inundation. The proposed method is demonstrated in the Kelantan River basin, Malaysia, focusing on a severe flood event in December 2014. This study compares the estimated Tc with other estimations based a Rainfall-Runoff-Inundation simulation and with a simple correlation method between rainfall amount in different durations and peak river discharges. In consequence, the proposed method with DW approximation with flood inundation showed closer estimations of Tc by the other two methods.
Identification of image structure by the mean shift procedure for hierarchical MRF-based image segmentation

Tree-structured Markov random fields have been recently proposed in order to model complex images and to allow for their fast and accurate segmentation. By modeling the image as a tree of regions and subregions, the original K-ary segmentation problem can be recast as a sequence of reduced-dimensionality steps, thus reducing computational complexity and allowing for higher spatial adaptivity. Up to now, only binary tree structures have been considered, which simplifies matters but also introduces an unnecessary constraint. Here we use a more flexible structure, where each node of the tree is allowed to have a different number of children, and also propose a simple technique to estimate such a structure based on the mean shift procedure. Experiments on synthetic images prove the structure estimation procedure to be quite effective, and the ensuing segmentation to be more accurate than in the binary case.
mixedsde: A Package to Fit Mixed Stochastic Differential Equations

Stochastic differential equations (SDEs) are useful to model continuous stochastic processes. When (independent) repeated temporal data are available, variability between the trajectories can be modeled by introducing random effects in the drift of the SDEs. These models are useful to analyse neuronal data, crack length data, pharmacokinetics, financial data, to cite some applications among other. The R package focuses on the estimation of SDEs with linear random effects in the drift. The goal is to estimate the common density of the random effects from repeated discrete observations of the SDE. The package mixedsde proposes three estimation methods: a Bayesian parametric, a frequentist parametric and a frequentist nonparametric method. The three procedures are described as well as the main functions of the package. Illustrations are presented on simulated and real data.
The I (cid:1) B –NF-(cid:1) B Signaling Module: Temporal Control and Selective Gene Activation

Nuclear localization of the transcriptional activator NF-(cid:1) B (nuclear factor (cid:1) B) is controlled in mammalian cells by three isoforms of NF-(cid:1) B inhibitor protein: I (cid:1) B (cid:2) , - (cid:3) , and - ε . Based on simplifying reductions of the I (cid:1) B–NF-(cid:1) B signaling module in knockout cell lines, we present a computational model that describes the temporal control of NF-(cid:1) B activation by the coordinated degradation and synthesis of I (cid:1) B proteins. The model demonstrates that I (cid:1) B (cid:2) is responsible for strong negative feedback that allows for a fast turn-off of the NF-(cid:1) B response, whereas I (cid:1) B (cid:3) and - ε function to reduce the system’s oscillatory potential and stabilize NF-(cid:1) B responses during longer stimulations. Bimodal signal-processing characteristics with respect to stimulus duration are revealed by the model and are shown to generate speciﬁcity in gene expression. The transcription factor NF-(cid:1) B regulates numerous genes that play important roles in inter-and intracellular signaling, cellular stress responses, cell growth, survival, and apoptosis ( 1 – 3 ). As such, the specificity and temporal control of gene expression are of crucial physiological interest. Furthermore, the realization of the potential of NF-(cid:1) B as a drug target for chronic inflammatory diseases or within
Outcomes after ascending aorta and proximal aortic arch repair using deep hypothermic circulatory arrest with retrograde cerebral perfusion: analysis of 207 patients.

OBJECTIVES Correction of ascending aorta and proximal aortic arch pathology with numerous surgical techniques having been proposed over the years remains a surgical challenge. This study was undertaken to identify risk factors influencing outcome after aortic arch operations, requiring deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). METHODS Between 1993 and 2010, 207 consecutive patients were operated for ascending aorta and proximal arch correction with the use of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest with retrograde cerebral perfusion. All patients were followed up with regular out-patient clinics, transthoracic echocardiography and, when required, chest computed tomography. RESULTS There were 102 (49.3%) emergencies (acute type A dissection) and 105 (50.7%) elective cases. Mean age: 63.5 ± 12 years. Mean circulatory arrest time was 25.4 ± 13 min. Unadjusted analysis of factors associated with 30-day mortality revealed emergency status, preoperative hemodynamic instability, acute dissection, reoperation, increased circulatory arrest time, postoperative bleeding, postoperative creatinine levels and presence of neurological dysfunction. Multi-adjusted analysis revealed duration of circulatory arrest as the only and main factor related to death. Thirty-day mortality was 2.4% for the elective and 7.2% for emergencies cases. Survival during long-term follow-up was 93, 82 and 53% at 1, 5 and 10 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Ascending aorta and proximal aortic arch replacement with brief duration of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest combined with retrograde cerebral perfusion is a safe method with acceptable short- and long-tem results.
Nephrotoxic effects in high-risk patients undergoing angiography.

BACKGROUND The use of iodinated contrast medium can result in nephropathy. Whether iso-osmolar contrast medium is less nephrotoxic than low-osmolar contrast medium in high-risk patients is uncertain. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, prospective, multicenter study comparing the nephrotoxic effects of an iso-osmolar, dimeric, nonionic contrast medium, iodixanol, with those of a low-osmolar, nonionic, monomeric contrast medium, iohexol. The study involved 129 patients with diabetes with serum creatinine concentrations of 1.5 to 3.5 mg per deciliter who underwent coronary or aortofemoral angiography. The primary end point was the peak increase from base line in the creatinine concentration during the three days after angiography. Other end points were an increase in the creatinine concentration of 0.5 mg per deciliter or more, an increase of 1.0 mg per deciliter or more, and a change in the creatinine concentration from day 0 to day 7. RESULTS The creatinine concentration increased significantly less in patients who received iodixanol. From day 0 to day 3, the mean peak increase in creatinine was 0.13 mg per deciliter in the iodixanol group and 0.55 mg per deciliter in the iohexol group (P=0.001; the increase with iodixanol minus the increase with iohexol, -0.42 mg per deciliter [95 percent confidence interval, -0.73 to -0.22]). Two of the 64 patients in the iodixanol group (3 percent) had an increase in the creatinine concentration of 0.5 mg per deciliter or more, as compared with 17 of the 65 patients in the iohexol group (26 percent) (P=0.002; odds ratio for such an increase in the iodixanol group, 0.09 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.02 to 0.41]). No patient receiving iodixanol had an increase of 1.0 mg per deciliter or more, but 10 patients in the iohexol group (15 percent) did. The mean change in the creatinine concentration from day 0 to day 7 was 0.07 mg per deciliter in the iodixanol group and 0.24 mg per deciliter in the iohexol group (P=0.003; value in the iodixanol group minus the value in the iohexol group, -0.17 mg per deciliter [95 percent confidence interval, -0.34 to -0.07]). CONCLUSIONS Nephropathy induced by contrast medium may be less likely to develop in high-risk patients when iodixanol is used rather than a low-osmolar, nonionic contrast medium.
Arbitrary-Oriented Vehicle Detection in Aerial Imagery with Single Convolutional Neural Networks

Vehicle detection with orientation estimation in aerial images has received widespread interest as it is important for intelligent traffic management. This is a challenging task, not only because of the complex background and relatively small size of the target, but also the various orientations of vehicles in aerial images captured from the top view. The existing methods for oriented vehicle detection need several post-processing steps to generate final detection results with orientation, which are not efficient enough. Moreover, they can only get discrete orientation information for each target. In this paper, we present an end-to-end single convolutional neural network to generate arbitrarily-oriented detection results directly. Our approach, named Oriented_SSD (Single Shot MultiBox Detector, SSD), uses a set of default boxes with various scales on each feature map location to produce detection bounding boxes. Meanwhile, offsets are predicted for each default box to better match the object shape, which contain the angle parameter for oriented bounding boxes’ generation. Evaluation results on the public DLR Vehicle Aerial dataset and Vehicle Detection in Aerial Imagery (VEDAI) dataset demonstrate that our method can detect both the location and orientation of the vehicle with high accuracy and fast speed. For test images in the DLR Vehicle Aerial dataset with a size of 5616 × 3744 , our method achieves 76.1% average precision (AP) and 78.7% correct direction classification at 5.17 s on an NVIDIA GTX-1060.
How Does China's Tight Monetary Policy Affect the Inflation: A Structural Dynamic Factor Model Approach

For the first time, this paper investigates the impact of China's tight monetary policy on inflation based on 82 monthly macroeconomic and policy indicators from 2000:1 to 2011:3, using a structural dynamic factor model approach. China's macroeconomic and policy indicators include interest rate, money supply, investment, consumption, industry output, foreign trade, prices and stock markets. Main findings are as follows: (1) Tight monetary policies will help China to tame inflation, and the price puzzle is solved by considering a large amount of macroeconomic variables, (2) The increase in interbank offered rate and deposit reserve ratio is more effective to reduce the prices level, (3) Relatively to consumption and industrial output, the influence of tight monetary policy shock on prices lasts longer.
Borrelia and Chlamydia Can Form Mixed Biofilms in Infected Human Skin Tissues

Our research group has recently shown that Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease bacterium, is capable of forming biofilms in Borrelia-infected human skin lesions called Borrelia lymphocytoma (BL). Biofilm structures often contain multiple organisms in a symbiotic relationship, with the goal of providing shelter from environmental stressors such as antimicrobial agents. Because multiple co-infections are common in Lyme disease, the main questions of this study were whether BL tissues contained other pathogenic species and/or whether there is any co-existence with Borrelia biofilms. Recent reports suggested Chlamydia-like organisms in ticks and Borrelia-infected human skin tissues; therefore, Chlamydia-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were performed in Borrelia-positive BL tissues. Analyses of the sequence of the positive PCR bands revealed that Chlamydia spp. DNAs are indeed present in these tissues, and their sequences have the best identity match to Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis. Fluorescent immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization methods demonstrated the presence of Chlamydia antigen and DNA in 84% of Borrelia biofilms. Confocal microscopy revealed that Chlamydia locates in the center of Borrelia biofilms, and together, they form a well-organized mixed pathogenic structure. In summary, our study is the first to show Borrelia-Chlamydia mixed biofilms in infected human skin tissues, which raises the questions of whether these human pathogens have developed a symbiotic relationship for their mutual survival.
Hippocampal Network Dynamics Constrain the Time Lag between Pyramidal Cells across Modified Environments

The hippocampus provides a spatial map of the environment. Changes in the environment alter the firing patterns of hippocampal neurons, but are presumably constrained by elements of the network dynamics. We compared the neural activity in CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus in rats running for water reward on a linear track, before and after the track length was shortened. A fraction of cells lost their place fields and new sets of cells with fields emerged, indicating distinct representation of the two tracks. Cells active in both environments shifted their place fields in a location-dependent manner, most notably at the beginning and the end of the track. Furthermore, peak firing rates and place-field sizes decreased, whereas place-field overlap and coactivity increased. Power in the theta-frequency band of the local field potentials also decreased in both CA1 and CA3, along with the coherence between the two structures. In contrast, the theta-scale (0–150 ms) time lags between cell pairs, representing distances on the tracks, were conserved, and the activity of the inhibitory neuron population was maintained across environments. We interpret these observations as reflecting the freedoms and constraints of the hippocampal network dynamics. The freedoms permit the necessary flexibility for the network to distinctly represent unique patterns, whereas the dynamics constrain the speed at which activity propagates between the cell assemblies representing the patterns.
Epoch Extraction from Speech Signals Using Temporal and Spectral Cues by Exploiting Harmonic Structure of Impulse-like Excitations

For voiced speech, significant excitation of the vocal tract system is due to sequence of impulse-like events in the vocal fold vibration. Significant excitations take place around the instants of glottal closure (GCIs), which are often referred as epochs. In literature, most of the epoch extraction algorithms rely on estimation of the excitation source, by attempting to remove the vocal tract system characteristics. Performance of these algorithms depends on the effectiveness of excitation source estimation methods. Algorithms such as zero frequency filtering (ZFF) and speech event detection using the residual excitation and a mean-based signal (SEDREAMS) detect epochs from the smoothened speech signal by exploiting temporal cues. But these algorithms rely on the value of pitch period. The objective of this paper is to develop an algorithm which does not require any apriori information of pitch period, and can be implemented in real-time applications. This algorithm exploits the harmonic property of sequence of impulse-like excitations to obtain the local pitch period, and temporal cues in the filtered signal to obtain epoch locations.