Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Suboptimal frequencial equalisation of a mono or multicarrier system

We present a low complexity iterative method for estimation of symbols in mono or multicarrier systems where cyclic prefixes are combined to data symbols. We take advantage of the special structure of unknown convolutive channels of such systems and of the fact that the symbols belong to a finite alphabet. Even in a noisy environment, it gives good results for detection and estimation.
"White-opaque transition": a second high-frequency switching system in Candida albicans

A second high-frequency switching system was identified in selected pathogenic strains in the dimorphic yeast Candida albicans. In the characterized strain WO-1, cells switched heritably, reversibly, and at a high frequency (approximately 10(-2] between two phenotypes readily distinguishable by the size, shape, and color of colonies formed on agar at 25 degrees C. In this system, referred to as the "white-opaque transition," cells formed either "white" hemispherical colonies, which were similar to the ones formed by standard laboratory strains of C. albicans, or "opaque" colonies, which were larger, flatter, and grey. At least three other heritable colony phenotypes were generated by WO-1 and included one irregular-wrinkle and two fuzzy colony phenotypes. The basis of the white-opaque transition appears to be a fundamental difference in cellular morphology. White cells were similar in shape, size, and budding pattern to cells of common laboratory strains. In dramatic contrast, opaque cells were bean shaped and exhibited three times the volume and twice the mass of white cells, even though these alternative phenotypes contained the same amount of DNA and a single nucleus in the log phase. In addition to differences in morphology, white and opaque cells differed in their generation time, in their sensitivity to low and high temperatures, and in their capacity to form hypae. The possible molecular mechanisms involved in high-frequency switching in the white-opaque transition are considered.
A STRATEGY TO INCREASE COOPERATION IN THE VOLUNTEER'S DILEMMA: REDUCING VIGILANCE IMPROVES ALARM CALLS

One of the most common examples of cooperation in animal societies is giving the alarm in the presence of a predator. A reduction in individual vigilance against predators when group size increases (the “group size effect”) is one of the most frequently reported relationships in the study of animal behavior, and is thought to be due to relaxed selection, either because more individuals can detect the predator more easily (the “many eyes” effect) or because the risk of predator attack is diluted on more individuals (the “selfish herd” effect). I show that these hypotheses are not theoretically grounded: because everybody relies on someone else to raise the alarm, the probability that at least one raises the alarm declines with group size; therefore increasing group size does not lead to relaxed selection. Game theory shows, instead, that increasing the risk that the predator is not reported (by reducing vigilance) induces everybody to give the alarm more often. The group size effect, therefore, can be due to strategic behavior to improve the production of a public good. This shows how a selfish behavior can lead to a benefit for the group, and suggests a way to solve social dilemmas in the absence of relatedness and repeated interactions.
A study in direct policy search

Reinforcement learning in partially observable environments is an important and challenging problem. Since many value function-based methods have been shown to perform poorly, we study direct policy search methods instead. The aim of this work is to advance the state-of-the-art in direct policy search and black box optimization. Its contributions include four new algorithms: (1) a novel algorithm which backpropagates recurrent policy gradients through time, as such learning both memory and a policy at the same time; (2) an instantiation of the well-known EM algorithm adapted to learning policies in partially observable environments; (3) Fitness Expectation-Maximization, a black box search method derived from EM; (4) Natural Evolution Strategies, an alternative to conventional evolutionary methods that uses a natural gradient to perform stochastic search. Experimental results with these four methods demonstrate competitive performance on a variety of test problems and benchmarks.
10. Meta‐analysis: Part 2: assessing the quality of published meta‐analyses

I n Part 1 of this review we concluded that metaanalysis has supplemented , and may eventually replace, the traditional narrative review as the prin. cipal source of information for those wishing to obtain an overview of new developments regarding the aetiology or management of the diseases encompassed by their clinical practice. ' We reviewed the aims of meta-analysis and evidence that it is a val id and reliable technique. However, this conclusion is itself only valid if steps have been taken by authors to minimise a range of biases which can affect meta-analyses. In Part 2 of this review we provide guidelines for assessing the quality of published meta-analyses. As in Part 1 we have illustrated important points with examples from the literature. In compiling Part 2 we have drawn on the work of Light and Pillemer, Sacks et al. and Oxman and Guyatt. ··· All have provided excellent reviews of meta-analysis which should be consulted by those interested in expanding their knowledge of this important topic. Meta-analysis is a discipline which provides methods for finding , appraising and combining data from a range of studies. Bias can intrude at each of these stages. Bias can also intrude during a traditional narrative review, but
Methods to characterize selective sweeps using time serial samples: an ancient DNA perspective

With hundreds of ancient genomes becoming available this year, ancient DNA research has now entered the genomics era. Utilizing the temporal aspect of these new data, we can now address fundamental evolutionary questions such as the characterization of selection processes shaping the genomes. The temporal dimension in the data has spurred the development in the last 10 years of new methods allowing the detection of loci evolving non‐neutrally but also the inference of selection coefficients across genomes capitalizing on these time serial data. To guide empirically oriented researchers towards the statistical approach most appropriate for their data, this article reviews several of those methods, discussing their underlying assumptions and the parameter ranges for which they have been developed. While I discuss some methods developed for experimental evolution, the main focus is ancient DNA.
Isolation of a Phomoxanthone A Derivative, a New Metabolite of Tetrahydroxanthone, from a Phomopsis sp. Isolated from the Mangrove, Rhizhopora mucronata

From the rice culture of Phomopsis sp. IM 41–1, isolated from the mangrove plant, Rhizhopora mucronata, two dimeric tetrahydroxanthones, phomoxanthone A (1) and 12-O-deacetyl-phomoxanthone A (2) were obtained. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic and spectrometric methods. Both compounds exhibited antimicrobial activities.
Involvement of the CDK 2E 2 F 1 pathway in cisplatin cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo

Yu F, Megyesi J, Safirstein RL, Price PM. Involvement of the CDK2-E2F1 pathway in cisplatin cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 293: F52–F59, 2007. First published April 25, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00119. 2007. —E2F1 is a key regulator that links cell cycle progression and cell death. E2F1 activity is controlled by Cdk2-cyclin complexes via several mechanisms, such as phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein (pRb) to release E2F1, direct phosphorylation, and stable physical interaction. We have demonstrated that cisplatin cytotoxicity depends on Cdk2 activity, and Cdk2 inhibition protects kidney cells from cisplatin-induced cell death in vitro and in vivo. Now we show that E2F1 is an important downstream effector of Cdk2 that accumulates in mouse kidneys and in cultured mouse proximal tubular cells (TKPTS) after cisplatin exposure by a Cdk2-dependent mechanism. Direct inhibition of E2F1 by transduction with adenoviruses expressing an E2F1-binding protein (TopBP1) protected TKPTS cells from cisplatin-induced apoptosis, whereas overexpression of E2F1 caused cell death. Moreover, E2F1 knockout mice were markedly protected against cisplatin nephrotoxicity by both functional and histological criteria. Collectively, cisplatin-induced cell death is dependent on Cdk2 activity, which is at least partly through the Cdk2-E2F1 pathway both in vitro and in vivo.
A bacterial group II intron encoding reverse transcriptase, maturase, and DNA endonuclease activities: biochemical demonstration of maturase activity and insertion of new genetic information within the intron.

The Lactococcus lactis group II intron Ll.ltrB is similar to mobile yeast mtDNA group II introns, which encode reverse transcriptase, RNA maturase, and DNA endonuclease activities for site-specific DNA insertion. Here, we show that the Lactococcal intron can be expressed and spliced efficiently in Escherichia coli. The intron-encoded protein LtrA has reverse transcriptase and RNA maturase activities, with the latter activity shown both in vivo and in vitro, a first for any group II intron-encoded protein. As for the yeast mtDNA introns, the DNA endonuclease activity of the Lactococcal intron is associated with RNP particles containing both the intron-encoded protein and the excised intron RNA. Also, the intron RNA cleaves the sense-strand of the recipient DNA by a reverse splicing reaction, whereas the intron-encoded protein cleaves the antisense strand. The Lactococcal intron endonuclease can be obtained in large quantities by coexpression of the LtrA protein with the intron RNA in E. coli or reconstituted in vitro by incubating the expressed LtrA protein with in vitro-synthesized intron RNA. Furthermore, the specificity of the endonuclease and reverse splicing reactions can be changed predictably by modifying the RNA component. Expression in E. coli facilitates the use of group II introns for the targeting of specific foreign sequences to a desired site in DNA.
Improved Technique for Verification of Call-return Flow Integrity for Compiler-based Defense against Return-oriented Programming Attacks

Return-oriented programming (ROP) attacks have been increasing in number recently. ROP is an exploitation technique that can bypass non-executable page protection methods by using existing codes within benign programs or modules. There has been much research on defense methods against ROP attacks, but most of them have high performance overhead (dynamic instrumentation approach) or high time complexity (compiler-based approach) in terms of the detection of gadgets. The ROP defense technique recently proposed by Lee et al. has overcome the limitations of the compiler-based approach, and has further proved its efficiency. Their defense technique performs calculations with a single global variable immediately before the execution of each ret instruction (-1) and at the resetting position (+1). Moreover, their defense technique achieved O(1) in detection time complexity by detecting gadgets within only two executions. In their experiment, the performance overhead was 1.62% and the file size overhead was 4.60%. To verify the control-flow integrity (CFI), their defense scheme was performed to simplify codes by computing a special variable, check_value. However, the code is inefficient because it performs the same computation on all call and ret instructions. In this paper, we propose an ROP defense method to verify the CFI through concentrated functions. We improved Lee et al.’s method by allowing a specific function to separately execute the calculation of the check_value. Our experiment could reduce the file size overhead by approximately 40% while maintaining the efficiency, detection time complexity, and performance presented in Lee et al.'s defense technique.
Mechanisms, determinants and processes of change in the modification of drinking behavior.

BACKGROUND This article explores the conceptual foundations of the search for mechanisms of change in psychotherapy and behavior change approaches. METHOD We examine historical and recent attempts to identify mechanisms and discuss results of research studies that examine the modification of drinking and other behaviors. Finally, we describe potential mechanisms of change and offer direction for the future of research. RESULTS A series of key questions is addressed. The first critical question is, Where are the appropriate places to look for mechanisms of change in the modification of drinking behavior: person, provider, intervention, or environment? The second questions what we know about change mechanisms from recent research. The third addresses the appropriate methods and designs to isolate and understand these mechanisms. The final question is, How should we proceed to advance our understanding of the critical mechanisms that drive the process of the modifying drinking and recovery from alcoholism? CONCLUSIONS We propose a dynamic, life course and an interactive, multidimensional perspective that focuses on personal mechanisms of change and how they interact with interventions, providers, policies, and other life context factors that facilitate or act as barriers to engaging these mechanisms of change.
A Millimeter-Wave Inflatable Frequency-Agile Elastomeric Antenna

This letter reports a millimeter-wave frequency-agile microstrip antenna printed on an ultrasoft elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. The microstrip patch antenna is supported by a PDMS membrane suspended over an air cavity. The distance H between the patch and the ground plane, and thus the resonant frequency of the antenna, are tuned using pneumatic actuation, taking advantage of the extreme softness of the PDMS membrane. A continuous frequency shift varying from 55.35 to 51 GHz (≈8%) has been obtained for a tuning range of H between 200 and 575 μm. In all configurations, the antenna remains matched and its radiation characteristics are very satisfactory.
Comparison of gene expression profiles between Opisthorchis viverrini and non‐Opisthorchis viverrini associated human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary cancer in the liver, and its incidence is highest in the northeastern part of Thailand. ICCs in this region are known to be associated with infection with liver flukes, particularly Opisthorchis viverrini (OV), as well as nitrosamines from food. To clarify molecular mechanisms of ICC associated with or without liver flukes, we analyzed gene expression profiles of OV‐associated ICCs from 20 Thai patients and compared their profiles with those of 20 Japanese ICCs that were not associated with OV, by means of laser microbeam microdissection and a cDNA microarray containing 27,648 genes. We identified 77 commonly upregulated genes and 325 commonly downregulated genes in the two ICC groups. Unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis separated the 40 ICCs into two major branches almost completely according to the fluke status. The putative signature of OV‐associated ICC exhibited elevated expression of genes involved in xenobiotic metabolism (UGT2B11, UGT1A10, CHST4, SULT1C1), whereas that of non–OV‐associated ICC represented enhanced expression of genes related to growth factor signaling (TGFBI, PGF, IGFBP1, IGFBP3). Additional random permutation tests identified a total of 49 genes whose expression levels were significantly different between the two groups. We also identified genes associated with macroscopic type of ICCs. In conclusion, these data may not only contribute to clarification of common and OV‐specific mechanisms underlying ICC, but also may serve as a starting point for the identification of novel diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets for the disease. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;44:1025–1038.)
A Comparison of the Cost-Effectiveness of Hospital-Based Home Care With That of a Conventional Outpatient Follow-up for Patients With Mental Illness

&NA; The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of a hospital-based home-care model with those of a conventional outpatient follow-up for mentally ill patients in Taiwan by means of cost-effectiveness analysis. The study design was a two group post hoc design. We interviewed 40 mentally ill patients who were followed up in the psychiatric outpatient department. Another 40 mentally ill patients who participated in a hospital based home care program were also interviewed. The outcome measures we used for interviews were disease maintenance behavior, psychotic symptoms, social function, service satisfaction, and cost. The cost for each patient was the sum of costs for all direct mental health services. The cost-effectiveness ratio showed that the costs of the hospital-based home care model (4.3) were lower than those of conventional outpatient follow-up (13.5) and that over a one-year period, the hospital-based home care model was associated with improvements in mental conditions, social functional outcomes, and service satisfaction. The improved outcomes and the lower costs in the hospital-based home care program support the view that it is the most cost-effective of the two. Policy makers may consider this analysis as they allocate resources and develop policy for the care of mentally ill patients.
Endovascular Doppler guide wire in renal arteries. Correlation with angiography in 20 patients.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES To evaluate the feasibility of endovascular Doppler recording in renal arteries and to compare the reliability of Doppler parameters for detection of renal artery stenosis. METHODS The authors examined 36 renal arteries in 20 patients with a 0.018" endovascular flow wire. Peak systolic velocity and the renal artery-to-aortic peak were measured in the main renal artery. From intrarenal waveforms, acceleration, acceleration time, and the renal resistive index were obtained. Spectral analysis with consensus scoring of early systolic peak was also performed. RESULTS Twelve significantly stenosed renal arteries and 26 normal renal arteries were examined with the Doppler guide wire, without complications. Peak systolic velocity was the only parameter significantly different in renal artery stenosis (P = 0.037). Peak systolic velocity also differed significantly between hypertensive and normotensive patients. Tardus parvus was specific for severe renal artery stenosis. CONCLUSIONS Endovascular Doppler is a safe and accurate method for the determination of velocity measurements and may be useful during percutaneous renal artery revascularization.
Monitoring the Neuromuscular Blockade: Recent Developments and Recommendation for its Routine Implementations

Although neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) provide optimal surgical conditions and a reduced incidence of laryngopharyngeal lesions during tracheal intubation, there are evidence of delayed paralysis and higher morbidity and mortality after their use. To date many anesthesiologists do not routinely use objective method to monitor neuromuscular function due to the fact that there are no ideal monitoring devices yet. New devices and techniques, like kinemyography, phonomyography and the cuff method, are intro duced in this field in addition to those which are being routinely used. New research point out the great importance of neuromuscular monitoring in everyday practice since it provides enhanced security for the patient. Nowadays objective monitors of neuromuscular function are relatively inexpensive, reliable and easy to use and they should be available whenever neuromuscular blocking drugs are administered.
Clinical course and outcome of schizoaffective disorders

ABSTRACT– Four samples of patients (fulfilling at the index episode, respectively, Research Diagnostic Criteria for schizoaffective disorder manic type, schizoaffective disorder depressed type, manic disorder and major depressive disorder) were followed up for 3 years. At the end of the follow‐up period, no significant difference with respect to the mean scores on the Disability Assessment Schedule (DAS) and on the Strauss‐Carpenter Outcome Scale was observed between schizomanics and manics (although the global outcome was slightly poorer in the former group). In contrast, significant differences between schizodepressives and depressives were found both on some DAS subscales (the schizodepressives were more socially withdrawn, had less social contacts and poorer work performance) and on the Strauss‐Carpenter Outcome Scale (the mean total score and the mean scores on the items “social contacts” and “employment” were significantly lower in schizodepressives). The most frequent pattern of course in patients diagnosed cross‐sectionally as schizomanic was a bipolar one. Some patients had only recurrent schizomanic episodes and others more an alternance of schizomanic and schizophrenic episodes. In patients diagnosed cross‐sectionally as schizodepressives, the most frequent pattern of course was that characterized by recurrent schizodepressive episodes. In some patients an alternance of schizodepressive and depressive or schizodepressive and schizophrenic episodes was observed. These data confirm that patients diagnosed cross‐sectionally as schizoaffective represent a very heterogeneous group when they are studied longitudinally, and support the usefulness of a “multiaxial” approach to the classification of schizoaffective disorders, taking into account both cross‐sectional symptomatology and clinical course.
The Molecular Pathology of Hereditary Cystatin C Amyloid Angiopathy Causing Brain Hemorrhage

Knowledge about molecular pathology of hereditary cystatin C amyloid angiopathy (HCCAA), also called hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Icelandic type, has increased greatly in the last decade. The disorder has an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance and causes fatal brain hemorrhage in normotensive young adults. It is due to a mutation in the gene encoding the cysteine proteinase inhibitor, cystatin C. A single nucleotide is substituted, A for T, in the codon 68, resulting in glutamine replacing leucine in the protein sequence. This variant protein has an increased tendency to aggregate and forms heavy depositions of amyloid in the walls of the small arteries and arterioles of the brain. The amyloid deposition leads to arterial damage with single or multiple strokes. In the following review the clinical features, family studies, pathology, biochemistry and molecular genetics of HCCAA are addressed.
From Autonomic Computing to Autonomic Networking: An Architectural Perspective

This paper aims to provide a roadmap on how to extend our understanding of the biological analogy applied to a single computing platform (Autonomic Computing) towards a larger scale of a network supporting distributed application sets. We will draw from our experience in autonomic networking and autonomic management, and discuss how the ACF Architecture Expert’s Group plans to provide architectural specifications and guidelines that allow for the modeling, design, implementation and deployment of an autonomic network.