Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiple radar targets detection by exploiting induced amplitude modulation

This work deals with the problem of detecting and estimating multiple radar targets present in the same range-azimuth resolution cell of a surveillance radar system with a mechanically rotating antenna. In the first part of the work, we tackled the problem of estimating target complex amplitudes, Doppler frequencies, and directions of arrival, and a consistent estimator based on the asymptotic maximum likelihood (AML) method was derived. In this second part, we tackle the "detection problem," which consists of determining the number of targets. First, the target parameters are estimated, assuming a maximum number of possible targets. Subsequently, these estimates are used in a successive hypotheses test procedure. The statistic of the test at each step of the procedure is derived by using an asymptotic expression of the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) statistic. Performance of the proposed algorithm is investigated through both asymptotical analysis (as concerning the probability of false alarm) and Monte Carlo simulation.
Targeted Disruption of Aldh1a1 (Raldh1) Provides Evidence for a Complex Mechanism of Retinoic Acid Synthesis in the Developing Retina

ABSTRACT Genetic studies have shown that retinoic acid (RA) signaling is required for mouse retina development, controlled in part by an RA-generating aldehyde dehydrogenase encoded by Aldh1a2 (Raldh2) expressed transiently in the optic vesicles. We examined the function of a related gene, Aldh1a1 (Raldh1), expressed throughout development in the dorsal retina. Raldh1−/− mice are viable and exhibit apparently normal retinal morphology despite a complete absence of Raldh1 protein in the dorsal neural retina. RA signaling in the optic cup, detected by using a RARE-lacZ transgene, is not significantly altered in Raldh1−/− embryos at embryonic day 10.5, possibly due to normal expression of Aldh1a3 (Raldh3) in dorsal retinal pigment epithelium and ventral neural retina. However, at E16.5 when Raldh3 is expressed ventrally but not dorsally, Raldh1−/− embryos lack RARE-lacZ expression in the dorsal retina and its retinocollicular axonal projections, whereas normal RARE-lacZ expression is detected in the ventral retina and its axonal projections. Retrograde labeling of adult Raldh1−/− retinal ganglion cells indicated that dorsal retinal axons project to the superior colliculus, and electroretinography revealed no defect of adult visual function, suggesting that dorsal RA signaling is unnecessary for retinal ganglion cell axonal outgrowth. We observed that RA synthesis in liver of Raldh1−/− mice was greatly reduced, thus showing that Raldh1 indeed participates in RA synthesis in vivo. Our findings suggest that RA signaling may be necessary only during early stages of retina development and that if RA synthesis is needed in dorsal retina, it is catalyzed by multiple enzymes, including Raldh1.
Aerobic Exercise Training Reduces Cannabis Craving and Use in Non-Treatment Seeking Cannabis-Dependent Adults

Background Cannabis dependence is a significant public health problem. Because there are no approved medications for this condition, treatment must rely on behavioral approaches empirically complemented by such lifestyle change as exercise. Aims To examine the effects of moderate aerobic exercise on cannabis craving and use in cannabis dependent adults under normal living conditions. Design Participants attended 10 supervised 30-min treadmill exercise sessions standardized using heart rate (HR) monitoring (60–70% HR reserve) over 2 weeks. Exercise sessions were conducted by exercise physiologists under medical oversight. Participants Sedentary or minimally active non-treatment seeking cannabis-dependent adults (n = 12, age 25±3 years, 8 females) met criteria for primary cannabis dependence using the Substance Abuse module of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). Measurements Self-reported drug use was assessed for 1-week before, during, and 2-weeks after the study. Participants viewed visual cannabis cues before and after exercise in conjunction with assessment of subjective cannabis craving using the Marijuana Craving Questionnaire (MCQ-SF). Findings Daily cannabis use within the run-in period was 5.9 joints per day (SD = 3.1, range 1.8–10.9). Average cannabis use levels within the exercise (2.8 joints, SD = 1.6, range 0.9–5.4) and follow-up (4.1 joints, SD = 2.5, range 1.1–9.5) periods were lower than during the run-in period (both P<.005). Average MCQ factor scores for the pre- and post-exercise craving assessments were reduced for compulsivity (P = .006), emotionality (P = .002), expectancy (P = .002), and purposefulness (P = .002). Conclusions The findings of this pilot study warrant larger, adequately powered controlled trials to test the efficacy of prescribed moderate aerobic exercise as a component of cannabis dependence treatment. The neurobiological mechanisms that account for these beneficial effects on cannabis use may lead to understanding of the physical and emotional underpinnings of cannabis dependence and recovery from this disorder. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00838448]
A conflict-solving perspective on collaborative knowledge classification - Application of a non compensatory multicriteria model

In this paper we propose a non compensatory aggregation model based on two reference points: the aspiration point and the reservation point in order to automate the resolution of conflicts between decision makers for identifying knowledge that need to be capitalized. We follow a multi-agent system based on a mediator agent. This new approach allows to elicit preferences of decision makers which can be different while exploiting their multiple points of view to identify organizational knowledge to be acquired, preserved and transferred.
Development of an efficient particle approach for micro-scale gas flow simulations

The micro-scale gas flows are usually low-speed flows and exhibit rarefied gas effects. It is challenging to simulate these flows because traditional CFD method is unable to capture the rarefied gas effects and the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is very inefficient for low-speed flows. In this study we combine two techniques to improve the efficiency of the DSMC method. The information preservation technique is used to reduce the statistical noise and the cell-size relaxed technique is employed to increase the effective cell size. The new cell-size relaxed IP method is found capable of simulating micro-scale gas flows as shown by the 2D lid-driven cavity flows.
M a C H I N E L E a R N I N G F O R the Role of Machine Learning in Security 2 2 Learning Based Approaches 2 2.1

The rise of sophisticated cyber-crimes has made the area of computer security quite interesting. In the past years, security specialists have tried to prevent computer systems from being compromised by attackers. As an illustration , machine learning has been used to identify malicious behavior particularly in the intrusion detection systems. Though machine learning techniques give a better understanding of various data collected from different complex systems, the majority of such algorithms face challenges in adversarial environments. Addressing this issue, has fueled a strong interest in the study of learning in adversarial environments has been increased. This paper firstly focuses on the role of learning in computer security applications in order to identify the security problems cane be solved with the help of learning methods. Secondly, we distinguish the explain the concept of secure learning to clarify the limitations of learning algorithms under different attacks.
Recategorization of Video Game Genres

While the categories that are typically used to discriminate games have been useful in the past, more recently game mechanics have become utilized by a wider range of games, leading to earlier definitions becoming a less valuable categorization tool. This paper attempts to provide various ways games could be classified by focusing on the types of emotions they evoke, the skills they require or their relations with personality or cognitive variables. A description of those categories and the challenge in using them to define games is outlined as well as five alternate methods that may help make distinctions between games clearer.
Ghrelin attenuates sepsis-induced acute lung injury and mortality in rats.

RATIONALE Our study has shown that plasma levels of ghrelin, a stomach-derived peptide, are significantly reduced in sepsis, and that ghrelin administration improves organ blood flow via a nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB-dependent pathway. However, it remains unknown whether ghrelin has any protective effects on severe sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and, if so, whether inhibition of NF-kappaB plays any role in it. OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that ghrelin reduces severe sepsis-induced ALI and mortality through inhibition of NF-kappaB. METHODS Sepsis was induced in rats by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Five hours after CLP, a bolus intravenous injection of 2 nmol of ghrelin was followed by continuous infusion of 12 nmol of ghrelin via a minipump for 15 hours. Samples were harvested 20 hours post-CLP (i.e., severe sepsis). Pulmonary levels of ghrelin and proinflammatory cytokines were measured by ELISA. NF-kappaB p65 and IkappaBalpha expression and NF-kappaB activity were measured by Western blot analysis and ELISA, respectively. Pulmonary blood flow was measured with radioactive microspheres. In additional animals, the necrotic cecum was excised 20 hours post-CLP and 10-day survival was recorded. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Pulmonary levels of ghrelin decreased significantly 20 hours post-CLP. Ghrelin administration restored pulmonary levels of ghrelin, reduced lung injury, increased pulmonary blood flow, down-regulated proinflammatory cytokines, inhibited NF-kappaB activation, and improved survival in sepsis. Administration of a specific ghrelin receptor antagonist worsened the survival rate after CLP and cecal excision. CONCLUSIONS Ghrelin can be developed as a novel treatment for severe sepsis-induced ALI. The protective effect of ghrelin is mediated through inhibition of NF-kappaB.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Compensation and Working Conditions Matching Matters in 401 ( k ) Plan Participation

This study offers new evidence on the effects of the matching contributions made by employers to 401(k) plan accounts on plan participation rates, exploiting microdata from the National Compensation Survey, a large, nationally representative, establishment dataset. It addresses the potential endogeneity of the matching contributions by employing coworker and labor market characteristics as instruments. The results indicate that employer matches have substantial effects. They also indicate that higher match rates tend to be correlated with workers having lower propensities to save; correcting for this endogeneity produces estimates that are bigger than those seen through direct crosssectional comparisons. Acknowledgments: I would like to thank John Bishow, Brandy Dickerson, Mike Lettau, and Erin McNulty for help in understanding and assembling the data; and Al Blostin, Julia Coronado, Maury Gittleman, Mark Loewenstein, Brooks Pierce, and Bill Wiatrowski, and seminar participants at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro and the 2005 AEA-ASSA meetings for helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper.
XYX: A Power & Performance Efficient Fault-Tolerant Routing Algorithm for Network on Chip

Reliability is one of the main concerns in the design of network on chips due to the use of deep-sub micron technologies in fabrication of such products. This paper proposes a fault-tolerant routing algorithm called XYX which is based on sending redundant packets through the paths with lower traffic loads. The XYX routing algorithm makes a redundant copy of each packet at the source node and exploits two different routing algorithms to route the original and the redundant packets. Since two copies of each packet reach the destination node, the erroneous packet is detected and replaced with the correct one. Due to the use of paths with lower traffic rates for sending redundant packets and minimizing the number of sent redundant packets, the XYX routing algorithm provides lower performance and power overheads as compared to flood-based routing algorithms. Experimental results show that the XYX routing algorithm imposes negligible performance and power consumption overheads while providing almost the same reliability in comparison with flood-based routing algorithms.
Estimating Fast Neural Input Using Anatomical and Functional Connectivity

In the last 20 years there has been an increased interest in estimating signals that are sent between neurons and brain areas. During this time many new methods have appeared for measuring those signals. Here we review a wide range of methods for which connected neurons can be identified anatomically, by tracing axons that run between the cells, or functionally, by detecting if the activity of two neurons are correlated with a short lag. The signals that are sent between the neurons are represented by the activity in the neurons that are connected to the target population or by the activity at the corresponding synapses. The different methods not only differ in the accuracy of the signal measurement but they also differ in the type of signal being measured. For example, unselective recording of all neurons in the source population encompasses more indirect pathways to the target population than if one selectively record from the neurons that project to the target population. Infact, this degree of selectivity is similar to that of optogenetic perturbations; one can perturb selectively or unselectively. Thus it becomes possible to match a given signal measurement method with a signal perturbation method, something that allows for an exact input control to any neuronal population.
Perception of consultation length in cardiology and its ethical implications.

OBJECTIVES This study considered whether the time employers allotted to medical consultations in many working environments in Argentina might be inadequate to carry out an interview. The objective was to conduct a survey to gather information on the length of cardiologic medical consultations in Argentina. METHODS During 2007, a survey was carried out that included 816 cardiologists. RESULTS Seventy-six percent of participants said they needed 20 to 30 minutes, and 14% considered that 15 minutes was sufficient, for an adequate consultation. On the other hand, 64% reported that their employer required that consultations be done in 10 to 15 minutes, and 86% cited limits of less than 20 minutes (P < 0.0001). This time was inadequate for 60% of physicians. With regard to ethics, 89% answered affirmatively that requiring that patients be attended in such a short time could be considered an ethical flaw of the employer; 75% acknowledged their own ethical flaw when agreeing to conduct the consultation in an inadequate amount of time. When opinions were grouped, 22% considered that an adequate consultation length was fundamental for a correct patient-physician relationship, 27% reported that this time depended on "pressures" of the system, 19% indicated that inadequate consultation length affected the quality of attention patients received, 17% thought that low fees forced employers to reduce this time with a resulting detriment in quality of care, and 15% said that consultation length was variable and depended on the patient. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that 60% of physicians perceived as insufficient the time their employers allotted for conducting an adequate consultation. Most believed that allotting such a short time for examining patients could be considered an ethical flaw.
Using RSSI parameter in tracking methods — Practical test

This article deals with the practical verification of the RSSI parameter as a suitable candidate for the radio signal source position tracking in a defined 2D area that uses radiolocation methods. The position information can be used as a control input for controlling the audio signal processing algorithms. For this purpose a tracking system was developed. The article also presents simulations of ideal state for a set of selected positions that are defined by coordinates [X, Y] and the practical positions measuring using designed tracking system. Several measurements were made in different areas with different surface in order to find reliability of calculation methods, also for finding changes in the behavior of computational methods in response to the changes of area.
Pharmacological properties of isolated horizontal and bipolar cells from the skate retina

Retinal neurons were enzymatically and mechanically dissociated from adult skate retinas and maintained in cell culture for up to 14 days. Intracellular recordings were made from isolated horizontal and bipolar cells while neurotransmitters were applied via pressure ejection. L- Glutamate, quisqualate, kainate, and gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA), when applied to horizontal cells, produced large (60 to 70 mV), long- lasting depolarizations. These responses appear to consist of at least two components: a graded depolarization and a Ca++-dependent regenerative component. As regards bipolar cells, L-glutamate and its analogues depolarized about 30% of the cells tested, while GABA hyperpolarized most of these neurons. Both agents acted on bipolar cells by increasing conductance. Repeated applications of L-glutamate, quisqualate, kainate, and GABA to horizontal cells produced no desensitization, but in these circumstances the glutamate analogues, kainate and quisqualate, induced certain morphological changes, most notably a retraction of cell processes and the appearance of blebs on the cell surface.
A Role for p27/Kip1 in the Control of Cerebellar Granule Cell Precursor Proliferation

During development, control of proliferation of neuronal precursor cells plays a crucial role in determining the number of neurons. Proliferation is driven by mitogens, but how it is terminated remains a mystery. In this study, we examined the role of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors in the control of proliferation of cerebellar granule cell precursors (GCPs). Among the inhibitors we examined, only p27/Kip1 (p27) was expressed at significant levels in cells of the granule cell lineage in the developing and adult cerebellum. In developing cerebella, p27 was expressed in the external germinal layer (the deeper regions), the molecular layer, and the granule layer. In adult cerebella, p27 was expressed in the cells of the granule layer. We isolated and purified GCPs from cerebella of developing mice and examined their bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) uptake and p27 expression at various times. We found that there was an inverse correlation between BrdU uptake and p27 expression. Even in the presence of saturating amounts of Sonic hedgehog, a potent mitogen, the cells eventually stopped dividing and differentiated, expressing p27 strongly. We also examined mice in which one or both copies of the p27 gene have been inactivated by targeted gene disruption and found that their cerebella were larger than those of wild-type mice. In cell cultures, GCPs prepared from p27-deficient mice showed enhanced proliferation compared with GCPs from wild-type mice. Taken together, these results suggest that there is an intracellular mechanism that stops GCP division and causes GCPs to differentiate and that p27 is part of this mechanism.
Recombination as a point process along sequences.

Histories of sequences in the coalescent model with recombination can be simulated using an algorithm that takes as input a sample of extant sequences. The algorithm traces the history of the sequences going back in time, encountering recombinations and coalescence (duplications) until the ancestral material is located on one sequence for homologous positions in the present sequences. Here an alternative algorithm is formulated not as going back in time and operating on sequences, but by moving spatially along the sequences, updating the history of the sequences as recombination points are encountered. This algorithm focuses on spatial aspects of the coalescent with recombination rather than on temporal aspects as is the case of familiar algorithms. Mathematical results related to spatial aspects of the coalescent with recombination are derived.
The mathematical challenges and modelling of hydroelasticity

Hydroelasticity brings together hydrodynamics and elastic theories. It is concerned with deformations of elastic bodies responding to hydrodynamic excitations, which themselves depend on elastic deformation. This Theme Issue is intended to identify and to outline mathematical problems of modern hydroelasticity and to review recent developments in this area, including physically and mathematically elaborated models and the techniques used in their analysis.
RNA-Mediated Neuromuscular Disorders

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is caused by a CTG expansion mutation located in the 3′ untranslated portion of the dystrophica myotonin protein kinase gene. The identification and characterization of RNA-binding proteins that interact with expanded CUG repeats and the discovery that a similar transcribed but untranslated CCTG expansion in an intron causes myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) have uncovered a new type of mechanism in which microsatellite expansion mutations cause disease through an RNA gain-of-function mechanism. This review discusses RNA pathogenesis in DM1 and DM2 and evidence that similar mechanisms may play a role in a growing number of dominant noncoding expansion disorders, including fragile X tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), spinocerebellar ataxia type 8 (SCA8), SCA10, SCA12, and Huntington’s disease-like 2 (HDL2). 259 A nn u. R ev . N eu ro sc i. 20 06 . 2 9: 25 927 7. D ow nl oa de d fr om a rj ou rn al s. an nu al re vi ew s. or g by N ov ar tis A G o n 03 /2 0/ 07 . F or p er so na l u se o nl y. ANRV278-NE29-09 ARI 9 May 2006 15:33
A Grid Solver for Reaction-Convection-Diffusion Operators 1

In this paper, we present and analyze the performance of a fast parallel distributed computing time integration procedure for systems of Reaction-Convection-Diffusion equations. Typical applications include large scale computing of air quality models or population models in biology for which the main solver corresponds to a ReactionConvection-Diffusion operator. One starts from a stabilized explicit time stepping scheme analyzed by Dupros et al (Int. Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, 2006). The numerical efficiency and the parallel scalability of this algorithm have been demonstrated on homogeneous parallel architectures. We introduce here an additional domain decomposition component to the algorithm to extend the scalability of the method to multi-cluster architectures. The targeted computer architecture is a high latency/low bandwidth network of few parallel systems. This paper provides one of the rare examples of a Partial Differential Equation application that is both numerically efficient and scalable on a wide area network of O(10) parallel systems.