Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Downlink MMSE Transceiver Optimization with Layer-MSE Requirements

This paper develops new algorithms for linear transceiver design for multiuser MIMO systems. Based on MSE duality, we derive new algorithms for the problem of min-max relative layer-MSE (the ratio of the layer-MSE to the given requirement) and the problem of layer-MSB constrained power minimization. The proposed algorithms differ from the previous work in the way that the layer-MSE is handled directly, therefore different requirements for different data streams (layers) are possible for the min-max problem. Furthermore, the algorithms have very low complexity and are proved to be convergent. The proposed schemes do not impose any restrictions on the number of antennas.
Concept of Microwave Electronic Steered Array using Analogue FIR-Filter

A concept for wideband electronic steered array using analogue FIR-filters has been formulated. This paper focuses on microwave applications, e.g. wideband antenna radiation pattern, where we explain the design of a desired radiation pattern for bandwidth 2:1. Therefore we consider a linear narrowband radiation pattern and expand it to a wideband array synthesis. The requirements for higher bandwidth, e.g. 3:1 in ultra wideband (UWB) communication systems, w.r. t. different design parameters are obtained. Finally, we propose the requirements for practical realization at microwave signal level.
Table S8: Characteristics of Instruments Included for Categorisation of Content but Excluded from Review of Measurement Properties (stage Four)

Instrument (name, index, references for main reports) Main purpose (measurement aim and context of use) Description of content (dimensions, sub‐dimensions; conceptual/theoretical basis) Items & response scale Study design(s) Reason for exclusion and comments [main domain measured) Primary care settings Survey of improvement practices Descriptive: to characterise the practices used by QI teams in hospitals or hospital affiliated clinics. (USA) Items related to team process: time spent on improvement, patterns of problem solving, methods used for problem analysis and planning, methods used to make team meetings effective. 37 items; scales varied. Observational, descriptive Content is relevant, but would require modification to address varied format of items and response scales that makes the instrument unsuited to psychometric analysis.
Evolutionary granular approach for recognizing faces altered due to plastic surgery

Recognizing faces with altered appearances is a challenging task and is only now beginning to be addressed by researchers. The paper presents an evolutionary granular approach for matching face images that have been altered by plastic surgery procedures. The algorithm extracts discriminating information from non-disjoint face granules obtained at different levels of granularity. At the first level of granularity, both pre and post-surgery face images are processed by Gaussian and Laplacian operators to obtain face granules at varying resolutions. The second level of granularity divides face image into horizontal and vertical face granules of varying size and information content. At the third level of granularity, face image is tessellated into non-overlapping local facial regions. An evolutionary approach is proposed using genetic algorithm to simultaneously optimize the selection of feature extractor for each face granule along with finding optimal weights corresponding to each face granule for matching. Experiments on pre and post-plastic surgery face images show that the proposed algorithm provides at least 15% better identification performance as compared to other face recognition algorithms.
HEARING LOSS IN WORKERS EXPOSURED TO TOLUENE AND NOISE

In this study we investigated the risk of hearing loss among workers exposed to both toluene and noise. We recruited 58 workers at an adhesive materials manufacturing plant who were exposured to both toluene and noise [78.6-87.1 A-weighted decibels; dB(A)], 58 workers exposed to noise only [83.5-90.1 dB(A)], and 58 administrative clerks [67.9-72.6 dB(A)] at the same company. We interviewed participants to obtain sociodemographic and employment information and performed physical examinations, including pure-tone audiometry tests between 0.5 and 6 kHz. A contracted laboratory certified by the Council of Labor in Taiwan conducted on-site toluene and noise exposure measurements. The prevalence of hearing loss of >or=25 dB in the toluene plus noise group (86.2%) was much greater than that in the noise-only group (44.8%) and the administrative clerks (5.0%) (p<0.001). The prevalence rates were 67.2, 32.8, and 8.3% (p<0.001), respectively, when 0.5 kHz was excluded from the estimation. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the toluene plus noise group had an estimated risk for hearing loss>or=25 dB, 10.9 times higher than that of the noise-only group. The risk ratio dropped to 5.8 when 0.5 kHz was excluded from the risk estimation. Hearing impairment was greater for the pure-tone frequency of 1 kHz than for that of 2 kHz. However, the mean hearing threshold was the poorest for 6 kHz, and the least effect was observed for 2 kHz. Our results suggest that toluene exacerbates hearing loss in a noisy environment, with the main impact on the lower frequencies.
Perspectives for Forensic Intelligence in Anti-Doping and the emergence of smokeless tobacco consumption in sport

Droits d’auteur L'Université de Lausanne attire expressément l'attention des utilisateurs sur le fait que tous les documents publiés dans l'Archive SERVAL sont protégés par le droit d'auteur, conformément à la loi fédérale sur le droit d'auteur et les droits voisins (LDA). A ce titre, il est indispensable d'obtenir le consentement préalable de l'auteur et/ou de l’éditeur avant toute utilisation d'une oeuvre ou d'une partie d'une oeuvre ne relevant pas d'une utilisation à des fins personnelles au sens de la LDA (art. 19, al. 1 lettre a). A défaut, tout contrevenant s'expose aux sanctions prévues par cette loi. Nous déclinons toute responsabilité en la matière.
Serum MicroRNA-21 as Marker for Necroinflammation in Hepatitis C Patients with and without Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is up-regulated in tumor tissue of patients with malignant diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Elevated concentrations of miR-21 have also been found in sera or plasma from patients with malignancies, rendering it an interesting candidate as serum/plasma marker for malignancies. Here we correlated serum miR-21 levels with clinical parameters in patients with different stages of chronic hepatitis C virus infection (CHC) and CHC-associated HCC. Methodology/Principal Findings 62 CHC patients, 29 patients with CHC and HCC and 19 healthy controls were prospectively enrolled. RNA was extracted from the sera and miR-21 as well as miR-16 levels were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR; miR-21 levels (normalized by miR-16) were correlated with standard liver parameters, histological grading and staging of CHC. The data show that serum levels of miR-21 were elevated in patients with CHC compared to healthy controls (P<0.001); there was no difference between serum miR-21 in patients with CHC and CHC-associated HCC. Serum miR-21 levels correlated with histological activity index (HAI) in the liver (r = −0.494, P = 0.00002), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (r = −0.309, P = 0.007), aspartate aminotransferase (r = −0.495, P = 0.000007), bilirubin (r = −0.362, P = 0.002), international normalized ratio (r = −0.338, P = 0.034) and γ-glutamyltransferase (r = −0.244, P = 0.034). Multivariate analysis revealed that ALT and miR-21 serum levels were independently associated with HAI. At a cut-off dCT of 1.96, miR-21 discriminated between minimal and mild-severe necroinflammation (AUC = 0.758) with a sensitivity of 53.3% and a specificity of 95.2%. Conclusions/Significance The serum miR-21 level is a marker for necroinflammatory activity, but does not differ between patients with HCV and HCV-induced HCC.
CREATING A MULTIAGENT SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE USED FOR DECISION SUPPORT IN ADAPTIVE E-LEARNING

The objective of this paper is to design multi-agent system for decision support used in the e-learning architecture, which could be used at the Belgrade Metropolitan University. This multi-agent system can be used in solving problems that are proving too complex for the traditional monolithic systems. The main emphasis should be on creating agents that will be used for creating classes, using information collected from students. This information would be used to further improve learning objects that are required in order to create lectures. This approach would further facilitate the work of the teaching staff creating these lectures. Main emphasis will be thrown to create agents which can create classes using information which can be collected from students and that information can help to create learning objects which can be used for lectures in order to facilitate the work of the teaching staff when creating them.
An updated overview of HPV-associated head and neck carcinomas

Human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated head and neck carcinoma is quite heterogeneous and most of the tumors arise in the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx. HPV was just recently recognized as an emerging risk factor for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). HPV(+) tumors represent 5-20% of all head and neck squamous-cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) and 40-90% of those arising from the oropharynx, with widely variable rates depending on the geographic area, population, relative prevalence of environment-related SCC and detection assay. Different carcinogenic mechanisms are most likely implicated in cervical and oropharyngeal carcinogenesis. The most certain carcinogenic genotype for the head and neck region and the most common high-risk HPV genotype, HPV-16, is frequently detected in OSCC. A combination of p16INK4A expression and molecular detection of HPV DNA is the gold standard for the viral identification in tissue and exfoliated cell samples. Differences in the biology of HPV(+) and HPV(-) OSCC may have implications for the management of patients. New immunotherapy drugs based on the release of the co-inhibitory receptors, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed-death 1 (PD-1) have currently emerged. The goal of therapeutic cancer vaccination is inculcation of a persistent, tumor antigen-specific T cell response which kills tumor cells. The efficacy of the current HPV vaccines, Cervarix and Gardasil, in preventing HPV-related HNSCC is at present unknown. Treatment de-escalation is recommended as the current management of HPV-induced HNSCCs.
Correlation Between Drilling Parameters and Lithology - The Hidden Geological Information of Drilling Data

Drilling process is fundamentally controlled and influenced by the properties of the penetrated formation. The focus of various studies is directed mainly on the optimal design of drill bit and drilling operations related to the (expected) geological situation of a safe drilling process. Out of interest the question "Is it possible to extract any lithologic information from drilling data? " also arises. The drilling process at the bit represents a complicated rock mechanical process. The drill bit acts as a rotating cutter, controlled mainly by weight on bit (WOB), bit size, number of revolutions per time (RPM), which controls speed of the cutting process. We define a "cutting force Fc" as a combination of these parameters and investigate the relationship between Fc and rate of penetration (ROP). For the correlation with lithology of penetrated formations, two methods are applied on test wells: – crossplots Fc versus ROP with discrimination for dominant lithology. – histograms of the ratio of two variables for dominant lithology. Drilling data from two basins are analyzed (in both cases wells are nearly vertical): – Vienna Basin: Dominant lithologies are sandstones (varying degree of cementation), shale/marls, limestones, and dolomites. – Williston Basin: Dominant lithologies in the analysed section are sandstone shale, dolomitic limestone, and limestone with anhydrite. Data points from the rocks with similar lithology in the crossplot are situated in a cloud - different rocks show different cloud position. Particularly between clastic (sand, silt, shale) and carbonate (limestone, dolomite) rocks, a clear separation is visible. The implementation of lines for a constant ratio Fc/ROP in the crossplot separate the different lithologies. Therefore, the statistical distribution of this ratio S = Fc/ROP for the dominant lithologies was analyzed by histograms. For the two test wells, histograms separate the different lithologies and confirm the information content. The drilling process is controlled by rock type; the analyse of drill-process data can be used for a lithological discrimination and especially for detecting changing lithology (boundaries) during drilling process. For two test wells, the discrimination could be demonstrated by the crossplot and histogram technique. The exact position of discriminator magnitudes (center of data clouds in the crossplots, peaks in the histograms) is specific for the considered field and may be controlled by more drilling parameters.
Technology Environment ? How do computers affect kids

Our computer-driven society demands that our children develop the ability to operate a technological environment, young children and adolescents are becoming extremely computer literate and almost anything seems to be easily accessible on the Internet. Video games, chat rooms and websites are popular these days, as computers gain more and more popularity. Over recent years, computer games have attracted much attention in the form of criticisms, studies, opinions, and surveys, etc. There have been questions raised on whether computer games and the excessive use of the computers, have had negative effects on children, or whether society has overreacted. And parents face increasing questions about how and when their child should be using the Internet or Playstations. Some psychological [1] reported that, children who use the computer very often, reported spending less time talking with their families, experiencing more daily stress, and feeling more lonely and depressed [2]. This may sometimes come at the expense of other healthy activities such as homework or normal social interchanged. Besides some studies were conducted in the United States [3], showed that children will be more aggressive, stressed, and lonely and will have other problems like computer and Internet addiction [4]. Even with all of the possible problems with children venturing into inappropriate websites and chat rooms on the Internet, there are also positive benefits of computers and video games. They can help a child learn how to read, say their ABCs, even spell their names [5]. They can also be used as a teaching tool for young children who are learning numbers and letters, [6]. "The problem is when they are used in excess. " In Jordan, a study was conducted by the National Information Center in 2001, the number of Internet Service Provider was 11, with 5000 Internet subscribers, and around 25000 users, Number of PC’s were 230000, number of websites were 1646, number of E-mail accounts were 200,000. Percentage of households who own computers is about 9.8%, and 2.6% of the households are connected to Internet. There is an increase of about 5% for 2002 [9]. It is important for parents to make sure the programs their child play with are age appropriate.
Integrating Probability with Time and Shared-Variable Concurrency

Complex software systems typically involve features like time, concurrency and probability, where probabilistic computations play an increasing role. It is challenging to formalize languages comprising all these features. In this paper, we integrate probability, time and concurrency in one single model, where the concurrency feature is modelled using shared-variable based communication. The probability feature is represented by a probabilistic nondeterministic choice, probabilistic guarded choice and a probabilistic version of parallel composition. We formalize an operational semantics for such an integration. Based on this model we define a bisimulation relation, from which an observational equivalence between probabilistic programs is investigated and a collection of algebraic laws are explored. We also implement a prototype of the operational semantics to animate the execution of probabilistic programs
Feasibility of 2-D ultrasound shear wave elastography of fetal lungs in case of threatened preterm labour: a study protocol

Introduction 2-D ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) could be considered as a new noninvasive tool for monitoring fetal lung development based on evaluation of mechanical properties during pregnancy. Interesting results are available concerning the use of SWE on developing organs, especially on premature infants and animal models. The main objective in this study is to evaluate the feasibility of 2-D SWE in human fetal lungs between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation (WG). The secondary objective is to modellise fetal lung-to-liver elastography ratio (LLE ratio) and to assess variations between normal lung and lung surfactant-enriched after a corticosteroids course indicated for a threatened preterm labour (TPL). Methods/design A prospective case-control study will be performed between 24 and 34 WG. Fetal lungs and liver will be explored by SWE into two groups: fetuses of women with an uncomplicated pregnancy (control group) and fetuses of women with a TPL requiring administration of corticosteroids (cases group). LLE ratio will be defined as the value of the lung elasticity divided by the value of the liver elasticity. Primary judgement criterion is the value of elasticity modulus expressed in kilopascal. Lungs and liver will be explored through three measurements to define the most reproducible regions with the lowest intra- and inter-observer variability. Feasibility will be evaluated by assessing the number of examinations performed and the number of examinations with interpretable results. Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility will be evaluated by means of the intra-class correlation coefficient. Ethics and dissemination Approval of the study protocol was obtained from the human ethical research committee (Comité de Protection des Personnes EST II, process number 15/494) and the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (process number 2015-A01575-44). All participants will sign a statement of informed consent. Trial registration number NCT02870608; Recruiting.
A Distributed Solution for Privacy Preserving Outlier Detection

In this paper, we study some parties - each has a private data set - want to conduct the outlier detection on their joint data set, but none of them want to disclose its private data to the other parties. We propose a linear transformation technique to design protocols of secure multivariate outlier detection in both horizontally and vertically distributed data models. While different from the most of previous techniques in a privacy preserving fashion for distance-based outliers detection, our focus is the technique in statistics for detecting outliers.
Methylation patterns define two types of hyperplastic polyp associated with colorectal cancer

Aim: Hyperplastic polyps (HP) of the colorectum have traditionally been regarded as non-neoplastic lesions. Recent data implicate HP in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancers (CRC) characterised by extensive DNA methylation and microsatellite instability. The aim of this study was to identify morphological and molecular features that may characterise subtypes of HP with potential for neoplastic progression. Materials and methods: HP (22) clustering around distal CRC (group I) were compared with HP (58) in subjects with hyperplastic polyposis (group II). DNA methylation was tested in methylated in tumour (MINT) loci (1, 2, 12, 31) and genes HPP1, MGMT, p14ARF, p16INK4a, and hMLH1. Results: Group II HP showed significantly more methylation than group I HP at all loci except MINT1 and MGMT. Group I showed the lowest frequency of DNA methylation but the highest frequency of K-ras mutation. Group II HP (termed HP variant) had the morphological features of the recently described “sessile serrated adenomas”. Methylation of hMLH1 was found most frequently in group II polyps that included foci of dysplasia (7/10) and in no group I lesions. Conclusion: The findings support the existence of morphological and molecular heterogeneity among HP and highlight a subset that is likely to have significant malignant potential.
Deranged Platelet Calcium Homeostasis in Poorly Controlled IDDM Patients

Objective— Platelet hyperfunction frequently occurs in IDDM. As in many other cellular systems, cytosolic free Ca plays a key role in platelet activation. Research Design and Methods— We measured cytosolic free Ca concentration ([Ca2+]i) by means of the fluorescent probe fura-2 in 60 IDDM patients (mean age 30.8 yr, range 18–50 yr) and in 31 age-matched healthy control subjects. Platelets were studied in both resting conditions and after stimulation with thrombin at 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 U/ml. Results— No differences were noted between control subjects and diabetic patients, as a whole. Patients with a poor metabolic control (HbA1c >8%) had significantly (P <0.01 and P <0.03) higher [Ca2+]i in resting platelets. The presence or absence of retinopathy did not modify resting platelet [Ca2+]i. After stimulation with thrombin, a significantly (P < 0.009) higher rise of platelet [Ca2+]i was observed only in those patients who were both free from complications and had good metabolic control. A highly significant (P < 0.001) correlation was found between resting [Ca2+]i and both blood cholesterol and HbA1c in the diabetic patients. Platelets from 10 young healthy subjects also were studied after in vitro incubation with various glucose concentrations (from 1.68 to 56 mM): resting and thrombin-stimulated platelet [Ca2+]i and thrombin-induced aggregation were not modified. Conclusions— These data confirm that platelet hyperfunction is present in IDDM patients who have unsatisfactory metabolic control, and give evidence that such an activation involves Ca homeostasis. Acute variations of blood glucose concentration are probably not influent, in this respect.