Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Limited Feedback Design of MIMO Systems with Zero-forcing DFE Using Grassmann Codebooks

We consider the design of multiple-input multiple-output communication systems with zero-forcing decision feedback equalization (DFE) in which perfect channel state information (CSI) is available only at the receiver. Based on its channel knowledge, the receiver will select a suitable precoder from a codebook and will feed back the index of this precoder to the transmitter using a limited number of feedback bits. We begin by developing a unified framework for the joint design of the precoder and DFE receiver that embraces a wide range of design criteria. We then characterize the statistical distribution of the optimal precoder in a standard Rayleigh fading environment. Using this distribution, we show that codebooks constructed from Grassmann packings will minimize an upper bound on an average distortion measure. Our simulation study shows that using only a limited number of of feedback bits, the proposed scheme can achieve that same rate of decay of bit error rate with signal to noise ration (SNR) as that achieved with perfect CSI at the transmitter.
Effect of Gender on Blood Flow Velocities and Blood Pressure: Role of Body Weight and Height

Aging and gender alter arterial hemodynamic function. Gender-related differences in body size may affect the arterial hemodynamics such as systolic blood pressure, wave reflection and pressure wave propagation. To assess the possibility that the differences of carotid blood velocities and brachial blood pressure in women are related to body size, we investigated the arterial hemodynamics in 50 healthy young adults (30 men, 20 women) between the age ranges of 20 to 29 years old. Blood velocities are characterized to 5 components of velocity waveforms as peak systolic (SI), second systolic (S2), incisure between systole and diastole (I), peak diastolic (D) and end-diastolic velocity wave (d). As the most pronounced systolic blood pressure is lower in young women than men (P<0.05). Women have higher diastolic velocity components and second systolic velocity, but have lower systolic velocity compared to men. From that, women have a significant greater wave reflection, smaller vascular resistive and lower vascular elastic recoil than in men. Greater body weight is associated with higher blood pressures (P< 0.05) and lower blood velocities (P< 0.05). Shorter body height affects not only the increased velocity wave reflection index (r= -0.519, P< 0.0001), but also the decrease of peripheral vascular resistive index (RI) and arterial vascular elastic recoil index (r= 0.463, P< 0.0001; r= 0.481, P< 0.0001, respectively). In conclusion, body size influences blood pressure and velocity regulations in the young population.
Media (mis)communication on the science of climate change

Climate change has been widely reported as a scientific and environmental issue. In six months' news coverage of climate change in New Zealand, reporting of basic scientific facts was overwhelmingly accurate. News sources rated over 80% of stories no worse than slightly inaccurate. However, one story in six contained significant misreporting. Some stories overstated the advance of climate change or confused ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect. Scientific sources rated coverage overall worse than their own individual judgments showed it to be. Examination of ways in which stories came about leads to recommendations on how scientists and journalists can work together to better inform the public about climate change.
Stein’s density approach and information inequalities

We provide a new perspective on Stein's so-called density approach by introducing a new operator and characterizing class which are valid for a much wider family of probability distributions on the real line. We prove an elementary factorization property of this operator and propose a new Stein identity which we use to derive information inequalities in terms of what we call the "generalized Fisher information distance". We provide explicit bounds on the constants appearing in these inequalities for several important cases. We conclude with a comparison between our results and known results in the Gaussian case, hereby improving on several known inequalities from the literature.
Fast and Optimal Redundant Via Insertion

Redundant via insertion is highly effective in improving chip yield and reliability. In this paper, we study the problem of double-cut via insertion (DVI) in a post-routing stage, where a single via can have, at most, one redundant via inserted next to it and the goal is to insert as many redundant vias as possible. The DVI problem can be naturally formulated as a zero-one integer linear program (0-1 ILP). Our main contributions are acceleration methods for reducing the problem size and the number of constraints. Moreover, we extend the 0-1 ILP formulation to handle via density constraints. Experimental results show that our 0-1 ILP is very efficient in computing an optimal DVI solution, with up to 73.98 times speedup over existing heuristic algorithms.
Identification of a novel 0.7-kb polyadenylated transcript in the LAT promoter region of HSV-1 that is strain specific and may contribute to virulence.

Herpes Simplex virus expresses latency-associated transcripts (LATs) the function of which remains obscure despite increasing knowledge of their structure and expression. Upstream of the LAT coding region is a region of the genome that is poorly characterized although it lies in an area that is responsible for modulation of reactivation efficiency in two different animal models. Transcript mapping with strains 17, McKrae, KOS, and F has revealed strain differences in this region of the viral genome. Strain 17 and McKrae expressed a novel polyadenylated 0.7-kb transcript that is absent from KOS and F. This transcript is expressed in the LAT direction and has the kinetics of a true late gene during the lytic cycle of infection. A deletion mutant, 17DeltaBsa, which does not express the 0.7-kb RNA, is less virulent than the parental strain 17. A rescuant with F sequence (17DeltaBsa/RF) shows virulence similar to F, whereas a rescuant with strain 17 sequence (17DeltaBsa/R17) is similar to strain 17. Virulence is altered by deletion or substitution in the region encoding the 0.7-kb transcript (BsaI-BsaI); however, reactivation in the mouse explant cocultivation assay or the adrenergically induced rabbit reactivation model remained unchanged. The importance of this region for virulence is discussed.
Nationalism, Ethnicity and Religion: Fundamental Conflicts and the Politics of Identity in Tanzania

This article explores the competing relations between ethnic, religious and racial identities in contemporary Tanzania at a time of rapid socioeconomic change and in the face of the declining authority and legitimacy of the state. During nearly four decades of one-party rule the state has pursued policies - educational, linguistic, developmental, etc. - aimed at constructing a secular national identity capable of uniting diverse social groups under the banner of African socialism. However, economic retrenchment in the 1980s and political liberalisation in the 1990s has contributed directly to a series of upheavals leading many Tanzanians to redefine the structures of common difference and to a fracturing of national identity. This article seeks to understand the reasons for the upsurge of conflict and cultural fragmentation in the 1990s. This article is concerned to understand the processes which underlie social and cultural fragmentation and conflict in Tanzania. In particular, I seek to understand what appears to be an inherent contradiction between local conceptions regarding the civic-territorial model of secular national identity which the ruling party attempted to construct and impose on its citizens, and more 'fundamental' notions of social identity based on ideas of ethnicity and religion which pre-date the formation of the modem state. I begin by reviewing the efforts of the former one-party state to construct a shared sense of citizenship and national identity. The collapse of these effort's in the 1980s is, I argue, important for understanding curr'ent antipathies and escalating religious, ethnic and racial strife. I then examine events surrounding a 1993 'Muslim riot' in terms of three major factors which underlie rapidly changing relations between Muslims and Christians. These factors are (i) differential access to formal, secular education and to employment; (ii) Christian and Muslim appreciation of education; and (iii) their varying degrees of involvement in and commitment to secular government programmes. However, underlying popular discourse about religious 'fundamentalism'
Working With Men Who Have Sexually Abused Children

Attention to those who offend and their abusive conduct has gained prominence in the literature, both with regard to the development of theory and in relation to treatment approaches. The response has, until recently, relied heavily on the deductive application of psychological theory, especially from the cognitive-behavioural area. New approaches, however, are emerging.
Living alone, lack of a confidant and psychological well‐being of elderly women in Singapore: the mediating role of loneliness

Background: The “feminization of aging” and nuclearization of families calls for research to examine the mental health and well‐being of elderly women living alone. This study examined a proposed heuristic model whereby the relationship between living alone and lack of a confidant and psychological well‐being is mediated by feeling of loneliness.
Long‐term treatment with fluoxetine induces desensitization of 5‐HT4 receptor‐dependent signalling and functionality in rat brain

The mode of action of antidepressant drugs may be related to mechanisms of monoamines receptor adaptation, including serotonin 5‐HT4 receptor subtypes. Here we investigated the effects of repeated treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine for 21 days (5 and 10 mg/kg, p.o., once daily) on the sensitivity of 5‐HT4 receptors by using receptor autoradiography, adenylate cyclase assays and extracellular recording techniques in rat brain. Fluoxetine treatment decreased the density of 5‐HT4 receptor binding in the CA1 field of hippocampus as well as in several areas of the striatum over the doses of 5–10 mg/kg. In a similar way, we found a significant lower response to zacopride‐stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the fluoxetine 10 mg/kg/day treated group. Furthermore, post‐synaptic 5‐HT4 receptor activity in hippocampus‐measured as the excitatory action of zacopride in the pyramidal cells of CA1 evoked by Schaffer collateral stimulation was attenuated in rats treated with both doses of fluoxetine. Taken together, these results support the concept that a net decrease in the signalization pathway of 5‐HT4 receptors occurs after chronic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment: this effect may underlie the therapeutic efficacy of these drugs.
The Neo-Liberal Turn in Understanding Teachers' and School Leaders' Work Practices in Curriculum Innovation and Change: A Critical Discourse Analysis of a Newly Proposed Reform Policy in Lower Secondary Education in the Republic of Ireland

The study in this article involved a critical discourse analysis of five policy documents in relation to a curriculum reform proposed for lower secondary education in the Republic of Ireland. It examined the (re)positioning of governance in relation to curriculum and teacher education. Findings indicate a predominant clinical discourse closely aligned to a global imaginary and largely directed toward individual learners within a stratification of schools as ‘adventurous’, ‘exploratory’ and ‘cautious’ schools. The study raises important questions about the future of teachers' and school leaders' work practices and autonomy within a discourse of evidence-based teaching, teacher training and surveillance.
Complications in young adults with early-onset type 2 diabetes: losing the relative protection of youth.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes from age 18 to 44 years more aggressively develop clinical complications after diagnosis than adults diagnosed at >or=45 years of age. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We compared outcomes among 7844 adults in a health maintenance organization who were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 1996 and 1998. We abstracted clinical data from electronic medical, laboratory, and pharmacy records. To adjust for length of follow-up and sex, we used proportional hazards models to compare incident complication rates through 2001 between onset groups (mean follow-up 3.9 years). To adjust for the increasing prevalence of macrovascular disease with advancing age, onset groups were matched by age and sex to control subjects without diabetes for macrovascular outcomes. RESULTS Adults with early-onset type 2 diabetes were 80% more likely to begin insulin therapy than those with usual-onset type 2 diabetes (hazards ratio [HR] 1.8, 95% CI 1.5-2.0), despite a similar average time to requiring insulin ( approximately 2.2 years). Although the combined risk of microvascular complications did not differ overall, microalbuminuria was more likely in early-onset type 2 diabetes than usual-onset type 2 diabetes (HR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.4). The hazard of any macrovascular complication in early-onset type 2 diabetic patients compared with control subjects was twice as high in usual-onset type 2 diabetic patients compared with control subjects (HR 7.9 vs. 3.8, respectively). Myocardial infarction (MI) was the most common macrovascular complication, and the hazard of developing an MI in early-onset type 2 diabetic patients was 14-fold higher than in control subjects (HR 14.0, 95% CI 6.2-31.4). In contrast, adults with usual-onset type 2 diabetes had less than four times the risk of developing an MI compared with control subjects (HR 3.7, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Early-onset type 2 diabetes appears to be a more aggressive disease from a cardiovascular standpoint. Although the absolute rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is higher in older adults, young adults with early-onset type 2 diabetes have a much higher risk of CVD relative to age-matched control subjects.
Pathologic Complete Response to Trastuzumab-Based Neoadjuvant Therapy Is Related to the Level of HER-2 Amplification

Purpose: Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are used to determine human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) status and patient eligibility for trastuzumab therapy. Using FISH and IHC, we analyzed the relationship between pathologic complete response to trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy and level of HER-2 amplification in locally advanced breast cancer. Experimental Design: Breast biopsies from 93 HER-2–positive patients treated with trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy were centrally collected and analyzed retrospectively for HER-2 amplification using FISH and HER-2 overexpression using IHC. Tumors were classified by FISH as no, low, or high amplification. Biopsies were reassessed centrally by IHC and graded 0, 1+, 2+, or 3+. Results: HER-2 status of tumor samples as assessed by FISH and IHC correlated: 16 no amplification (11 IHC 1+ and 5 IHC 2+), 27 low amplification (26 IHC 3+ and 1 IHC 2+), and 50 high amplification (all IHC 3+). Trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant therapy achieved pathologic complete response in 35 of 93 (37.6%) tumors. Pathologic complete response rate in low- and high-amplification tumors was significantly higher than in no-amplification tumors (44% versus 6%; P < 0.004). Pathologic complete response rate in high-amplification tumors was significantly higher compared with low-amplification tumors (56% versus 22%; P < 0.005). In the subgroup of low- plus high-amplification tumors, no correlation was found between pathologic complete response rate and IHC score, treatment regimen, T or N stage, tumor grade, or hormonal receptors. Conclusions: This is the first study to show positive correlation between level of HER-2 amplification assessed by FISH and rate of pathologic complete response to trastuzumab-based neoadjuvant treatment.
Physcomitrella Cyclin-Dependent Kinase A Links Cell Cycle Reactivation to Other Cellular Changes during Reprogramming of Leaf Cells[C][W][OA]

This study analyzes the molecular mechanisms underlying reprogramming of gametophore leaf cells to stem cells in the moss Physcomitrella patens. Cyclin-dependent kinase A is found to link cell cycle reactivation with the generation of stem cell characters. During regeneration, differentiated plant cells can be reprogrammed to produce stem cells, a process that requires coordination of cell cycle reactivation with acquisition of other cellular characteristics. However, the factors that coordinate the two functions during reprogramming have not been determined. Here, we report a link between cell cycle reactivation and the acquisition of new cell-type characteristics through the activity of cyclin-dependent kinase A (CDKA) during reprogramming in the moss Physcomitrella patens. Excised gametophore leaf cells of P. patens are readily reprogrammed, initiate tip growth, and form chloronema apical cells with stem cell characteristics at their first cell division. We found that leaf cells facing the cut undergo CDK activation along with induction of a D-type cyclin, tip growth, and transcriptional activation of protonema-specific genes. A DNA synthesis inhibitor, aphidicolin, inhibited cell cycle progression but prevented neither tip growth nor protonemal gene expression, indicating that cell cycle progression is not required for acquisition of protonema cell-type characteristics. By contrast, treatment with a CDK inhibitor or induction of dominant-negative CDKA;1 protein inhibited not only cell cycle progression but also tip growth and protonemal gene expression. These findings indicate that cell cycle progression is coordinated with other cellular changes by the concomitant regulation through CDKA;1.
Confidentialising Survival Analysis Output in a Remote Data Access System

A remote analysis system addresses the challenge of enabling the use of confidential or private data while maintaining standards of confidentiality and privacy. Traditional approaches typically involve reducing the risk of disclosure by modifying or confidentialising data before releasing it to users. In contrast, a remote analysis system enables users to submit statistical queries and receive output without direct access to the data. A remote analysis system may involve confidentialisation of the underlying data itself or the system outputs, or both. In this paper we discuss the implementation of a remote analysis system enabling survival analysis. In this system the underlying data are not confidentialised, although for some analyses a random sample of the data is used, and the system outputs are modified to protect confidentiality and privacy. We describe confidentiality objectives for the system outputs, and describe measures for achieving them. To illustrate the effect of the methods, we provide a comprehensive example comparing confidentialised output with traditional output for a range of common survival analyses. We believe that the confidentialised output of the remote analysis system for survival analysis as described in this paper is still useful for survival analysis in some situations, provided the user understands the confidentialisation process and its potential impact. If the remote analysis system user requires more detailed information such as outlier values, event times and/or and standard errors, then they would need to apply for access to the underlying data.
Psychological factors related to public perceptions of crime

A review of the literature indicated that psychological variables have been largely ignored in analyses of the factors related to varying levels of concern about crime problems, estimates of the likelihood of victimization, and feelings of being threatened. Evidence from other research areas suggested a number of psychological constructs which might be expected to be related on an individual level with indicators of crime perceptions. Those constructs included psychological well being, psychological distress, anomia, life satisfaction, locus of control, and various aspects of social relating, including availability of social support and loneliness. Three studies were done to investigate the nature of the relationships between these constructs and various crime perception indices. Each study involved secondary analyses of archival survey data. Data were available from the 1981 ~dmonton/~inni~eg Area Study, the 1981 Survey of Crime as a Stressful Life Event, and from the 1982 Delta Crime Perception
Application of altitude/hypoxic training by elite athletes

At the Olympic level, differences in performance are typically less than 0.5%. This helps explain why many contemporary elite endurance athletes in summer and winter sport incorporate some form of altitude/hypoxic training within their year-round training plan, believing that it will provide the "competitive edge" to succeed at the Olympic level. The purpose of this paper is to describe the practical application of altitude/hypoxic training as utilized by elite athletes. Within the general framework of the paper, both anecdotal and scientific evidence will be presented relative to the efficacy of several contemporary altitude/hypoxic training models and devices currently used by Olympic-level athletes for the purpose of legally enhancing performance. These include the three primary altitude/hypoxic training models: 1) live high + train high (LH + TH), 2) live high + train low (LH + TL), and 3) live low + train high (LL + TH). The LH + TL model will be examined in detail and will include its various modifications: natural/terrestrial altitude, simulated altitude via nitrogen dilution or oxygen filtration, and normobaric normoxia via supplemental oxygen. A somewhat opposite approach to LH + TL is the altitude/hypoxic training strategy of LL + TH, and data regarding its efficacy will be presented. Recently, several of these altitude/hypoxic training strategies and devices underwent critical review by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for the purpose of potentially banning them as illegal performance-enhancing substances/methods. This paper will conclude with an update on the most recent statement from WADA regarding the use of simulated altitude devices.
A Behaviour-Based Integration of Fully Autonomous, Semi-Autonomous, and Tele-Operated Control Modes for an Off-Road Robot

Abstract This paper describes a concept for a behaviour-based integration of tele-operator commands into the control system of a mobile robot. The control system presented features different control modes which allow for pure teleoperation, assisted teleoperation, and fully autonomous navigation. It is explained how the tele-operator can influence the robot's motion at any time and how he can simply and continuously change the degree of his influence.