Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diversity performance of quantized unitary precoders

Knowledge of the propagation channel makes it possible for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) links to achieve higher system capacities by means of beamforming on the stronger channel eigenvectors. Assigning dedicated low bit rate feedback links is an efficient and practical method of providing transmitters with the required channel state information. One of the key problems in limited feedback precoding is the design of finite indexed codebooks known a priori to both the transmitter and receiver.Previous design methods include signal-to-noise ratio maximization through Grassmannian line packing, distortion minimization via vector quantization and antenna selection algorithms. In this paper we propose a new method that utilizes the dominant right singular vector of the MIMO channel to construct quantized unitary precoders. We show that although sub-optimum, this method can produce full diversity order codebooks. Using Monte-Carlo simulations, we compare the performance of the this method with optimum Grassmannian precoders and also antenna selection and subset selection algorithms.
Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Activates CaMMKβ to Initiate Autophagy in PK-15 Cells by Increasing Cytosolic Calcium

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) induces autophagy via the 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in pig kidney PK-15 cells. However, the underlying mechanisms of AMPK activation in autophagy induction remain unknown. With specific inhibitors and RNA interference (RNAi), we show that PCV2 infection upregulated calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase-beta (CaMKKβ) by increasing cytosolic Ca2+ via inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R). Elevation of cytosolic calcium ion (Ca2+) did not seem to involve inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) release from phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) by phosphoinositide phospholipase C-gamma (PLC-γ). CaMKKβ then activated both AMPK and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I (CaMKI). PCV2 employed CaMKI and Trp-Asp (WD) repeat domain phosphoinositide-interacting protein 1 (WIPI1) as another pathway additional to AMPK signaling in autophagy initiation. Our findings could help better understanding of the signaling pathways of autophagy induction as part of PCV2 pathogenesis. Further research is warranted to study if PCV2 interacts directly with IP3R or indirectly with the molecules that antagonize IP3R activity responsible for increased cytosolic Ca2+ both in PK-15 cells and PCV2-targeted primary cells from pigs.
Blooming Together or Wilting Alone? : Network Externalities and Mondragón and La Lega Co-Operative Networks

This paper examines strategies developed by Mondragon Co-operative Corporation in the Basque Region of Spain, and La Lega co-operative network in Italy, to mitigate disadvantages of the typical co-operative organizational structure and market position but without losing its critical advantages and attractive features. A detailed institutional overview of these most prominent examples of successful co-operative clusters is presented.
A generic adaptive simulation algorithm for component-based simulation systems

The state of a model may strongly vary during simulation, and with it also the simulation's computational demands. Adapting the simulation algorithm to these demands at runtime can therefore improve the overall performance. Although this is a general and cross-cutting concern, only few simulation systems offer re-usable support for this kind of runtime adaptation. We present a flexible and generic mechanism for the runtime adaptation of component-based simulation algorithms. It encapsulates simulation algorithms applicable to a given problem and employs reinforcement learning to explore the algorithms' suitability during a simulation run. We evaluate the approach by executing models from two modeling formalisms used in computational biology.
Research report: a software solution for rapid policy assessment with reimbursed SMS and mobile cash

ABSTRACT In this report, we introduce a system for running reimbursed surveys via text messages and mobile cash. The key advantage of this approach is the ability to conduct rapid surveys at an extremely low cost. After reviewing existing literature, we describe an automated system for conducting such surveys and demonstrate its merits in a proof-of-principle application in India. We obtain substantive insights on the effectiveness of a policy trial that are in line with expert assessments. This application suggests that our approach can be applied to a wide range of problems including impact assessment for policy or developmental aid, and monitoring of public sentiment, and possibly monitoring of conflict dynamics.
KineAssist: Design and Development of a Robotic Overground Gait and Balance Therapy Device

Abstract Background and Purpose: Balance and mobility training consists of activities that carry a high risk for falling. The purpose of this article is to describe a novel robotic system for allowing challenging, yet safe, balance and mobility training in persons at high risk for falls. Method: With no initial preconceptions of what device we would build, a user-needs analysis led us to focus on increasing the level of challenge to a patient’s ability to maintain balance during gait training and also on maintaining direct involvement of a physical therapist (rather than attempting robotic replacement). The KineAssist® is a robotic device for gait and balance training that has emerged from a unique design process of a start-up product of a small company and a team of therapists, engineers, mechanical design experts, and rehabilitation scientists. Results: The KineAssist® provides partial body weight support and postural control on the torso; allows many axes of motion of the trunk and pelvis; leaves the patient’s legs accessible to a physical therapist’s manipulation during walking; follows a patient’s walking motions overground in forward, rotation, and sidestepping directions; and catches an individual who loses balance and begins to fall. Discussion and Conclusion: Design and development of the KineAssist® proceeded more rapidly in the context of a small company than would have been possible in most institutional research contexts. A prototype KineAssist® has been constructed and has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classification and institutional review board clearance for initial human studies. The acceptance of KineAssist® will ultimately depend on improved patient outcomes, the use of this new tool by therapists, the ease of use of the system, and the recognition of the unique value it brings to therapeutic recovery.
Bandwidth efficient mobile cloud gaming with layered coding and scalable phong lighting

In mobile cloud gaming, one of the main challenges is to deliver high-quality game images over wireless networks under stringent delay requirement. To reduce the bit-rate of game images, we propose Layered Coding, which leverages the graphic rendering capability of modern mobile devices to reduce transmission bit-rate. Specifically, we render a low-quality local game image, or the base layer, on the power-constrained mobile client. Instead of sending the high quality game image, the cloud server sends enhancement layer information, which the client utilizes to improve the quality of the base layer. Central to the proposed layered coding is the design of base layer (BL) rendering. We discuss BL design and propose a computationally-scalable Phong lighting that can be used in BL rendering. We performed experiments to compare our layered coding with state-of-the-art, which uses H.264/AVC inter-frame coding to compress game images. With game sequences of different model complexity and motion, our results suggest that layered coding requires substantially lower data-rate. We made available game video test sequences to stimulate future research.
Inhibition of cathepsin proteases attenuates migration and sensitizes aggressive N-Myc amplified human neuroblastoma cells to doxorubicin

Neuroblastoma arises from the sympathetic nervous system and accounts for 15% of childhood cancer mortality. Amplification of the oncogene N-Myc is reported to occur in more than 20% of patients. While N-Myc amplification status strongly correlates with higher tumour aggression and resistance to treatment, the role of N-Myc in the aggressive progression of the disease is poorly understood. N-Myc being a transcription factor can modulate the secretion of key proteins that may play a pivotal role in tumorigenesis. Characterising the soluble secreted proteins or secretome will aid in understanding their role in the tumour microenvironment, such as promoting cancer cell invasion and resistance to treatment. The aim of this study is to characterise the secretome of human malignant neuroblastoma SK-N-BE2 (N-Myc amplified, more aggressive) and SH-SY5Y (N-Myc non-amplified, less aggressive) cells. Conditioned media from SK-N-BE2 and SH-SY5Y cell lines were subjected to proteomics analysis. We report a catalogue of 894 proteins identified in the secretome isolated from the two neuroblastoma cell lines, SK-N-BE2 and SH-SY5Y. Functional enrichment analysis using FunRich software identified enhanced secretion of proteins implicated in cysteine peptidase activity in the aggressive N-Myc amplified SK-N-BE2 secretome compared to the less tumorigenic SH-SY5Y cells. Protein-protein interaction-based network analysis highlighted the enrichment of cathepsin and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition sub-networks. For the first time, inhibition of cathepsins by inhibitors sensitized the resistant SK-N-BE2 cells to doxorubicin as well as decreased its migratory potential. The dataset of secretome proteins of N-Myc amplified (more aggressive) and non-amplified (less aggressive) neuroblastoma cells represent the first inventory of neuroblastoma secretome. The study also highlights the prominent role of cathepsins in the N-Myc amplified neuroblastoma pathogenesis. As N-Myc amplification correlates with aggressive neuroblastoma and chemotherapy-based treatment failure, co-treatment with cathepsin inhibitors might be a better avenue for disease management.
Study on the Pass Rate of NIST SP800-22 Statistical Test Suite

NIST SP800-22 is a statistical test suite for determining whether given sequences are random or not for each statistical test. The statistical test suite has been used widely. However, it was not mentioned in the statistical test suite how many the ratio of passing all the 15 kinds of tests should be for the target generator to be regarded as the ideally true random number generator. In this paper, the ratio of passing all the 15 kinds of tests for the ideally true random number sequences is derived by the theoretical analysis. To verify the theoretical deduction, the statistical tests have been performed on several well known random number generators, such as AES, 3DES, SHA1, stream ciphers wined in eStream project, and some perfect pseudo-random number generator recommended by NIST. The result of the numerical simulations is accord with the theoretical analysis.
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This article summarizes the basic facts and ideas concernin g the formation and evolution of cataclysmic variables (CVs). It is shown why th e formation of CVs must involve huge losses of mass and orbital angular momentum, very lik l via a common envelope evolution. A brief discussion of the principles of th e long-term evolution of semidetached binaries follows. Finally a brief sketch of CV evol uti n is given.
Analyzing and ranking the Spanish speaking MySpace community by their contributions in forums

This study analyzes the MySpace forums in Spanish language, which permits to extract otherwise restricted demographic data from the social network and leads to a detailed description of the Spanish speaking community in MySpace. Important differences in age and gender structures are found for users with different countries of origin. The distribution of activity among different threads and users is very heterogeneous and follows heavy tailed distributions. We furthermore propose two variants of the h-index which allow the ranking of users and threads by their importance in the
“Doing Your Life”: Narrative Intervention with Young Mothers as Storytellers

The familiar story about young pregnant and parenting Latinas relies on commonsense logic about the timing of reproductive lives. We explore young mothers' own sense making, captured in local vernacular through participants' digital story depictions, our fieldnotes of digital storytelling workshop talk, and participants' follow-up interview reflections about enduring judgment and doing their lives. In this article, we introduce the Hear Our Stories project and present key digital stories and related ethnographic material that serve as local exemplars of “doing your life. ” Findings reveal ways participants negotiate value making about their reproductive lives. As a narrative intervention, digital storytelling helps to gain a firmer grasp on social worlds and to better understand inequality, while also engaging participants in a process that affords them the opportunity to shift from being a judged teen mom to co-creators of knowledge and change as strategic storytellers.
An instantaneous call admission control using information dissemination for WiMAX mesh networks

Although the IEEE 802.16 standard defines various QoS classes and their associated parameters, it does not define the scheduling, routing, and Call Admission Control (CAC) algorithms to be used in the network. It is left unstandardized for vendor differentiation. Currently, scalable distributed scheduling and routing algorithms are available for IEEE 802.16 mesh networks. But, the existing CAC algorithms are not entirely distributed and hence are not scalable. The algorithms not only create a bottleneck at the first hop nodes, but may also introduce an unbounded delay during the connection setup phase. In this paper, we propose an Instantaneous CAC algorithm which uses per-hop multi path routing for IEEE 802.16 mesh networks. Also, the proposed CAC algorithm eliminates the unbounded connection initiation delay and generates information for distributed routing tables. Finally, using extensive simulations, we compare the proposed protocol with Shortest Widest Efficient Bandwidth (SWEB) and Greedy Choice with Bandwidth Availability aware Defragmentation (GCAD). Simulations show that the proposed protocol eliminates the CAC delay and also improves the system throughput. The proposed protocol, reduces the number of packets (VBR and CBR) exceeding the delay requirements by about 15% and the connection delay by about 40%.
Descriptive Analysis of the Most Viewed Youtube Videos Related to the Opioid Epidemic

DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE MOST VIEWED YOUTUBE VIDEOS RELATED TO THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC Andrea Randolph-Krisova In 2016, over 11 million people misused prescription opioids and the economic costs were estimated to be over $500 billion. In the same year, opioids killed 42,000 people, which was more than any year on record. These data highlight the need to reduce the harm caused to individuals, families, communities, and the nation. One element of a more comprehensive national strategy is increasing awareness among citizens, physicians and policy makers. Given its widespread reach YouTube can be very helpful. There is a large literature on the opiate epidemic, but no published studies describing the sources or content of YouTube videos on the opiate epidemic were identified. This study was, therefore, intended to help fill this gap in current knowledge. YouTube was searched using two key terms, “opiate addiction” and “opioids. ” The results were sorted by number of views, and the URL, title, and number of views were saved for videos with a minimum of 1,500 views. Videos were then screened for the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The remaining sample comprised 309 videos. Collectively, these 309 videos were viewed 44,693,887 times. The results revealed the sources that were most viewed and the nature of content that was and was not likely to be covered. The two main sources of videos were Internet Based and Television news/Entertainment. Compared with videos with health professions as the main speaker, those featuring consumers garnered almost 10 times as many cumulative views (30.35%versus 3.24%). Government organizations uploaded 11 videos (< 4%), collectively garnering 343,983 views (less than 1% of cumulative views). YouTube represents an important opportunity for health promotion and disease prevention regarding the opiate epidemic. However, improved understanding about ways to communicate accurate and useful information in ways that attract viewers is needed. Recommendations for research, policy and practice are presented relevant to how YouTube can help mitigate the harm caused by the opiate epidemic.
The impact of delayed storage on the measured proteome and metabolome of human cerebrospinal fluid.

BACKGROUND Because cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is in close contact with diseased areas in neurological disorders, it is an important source of material in the search for molecular biomarkers. However, sample handling for CSF collected from patients in a clinical setting might not always be adequate for use in proteomics and metabolomics studies. METHODS We left CSF for 0, 30, and 120 min at room temperature immediately after sample collection and centrifugation/removal of cells. At 2 laboratories CSF proteomes were subjected to tryptic digestion and analyzed by use of nano-liquid chromatography (LC) Orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS) and chipLC quadrupole TOF-MS. Metabolome analysis was performed at 3 laboratories by NMR, GC-MS, and LC-MS. Targeted analyses of cystatin C and albumin were performed by LC-tandem MS in the selected reaction monitoring mode. RESULTS We did not find significant changes in the measured proteome and metabolome of CSF stored at room temperature after centrifugation, except for 2 peptides and 1 metabolite, 2,3,4-trihydroxybutanoic (threonic) acid, of 5780 identified peptides and 93 identified metabolites. A sensitive protein stability marker, cystatin C, was not affected. CONCLUSIONS The measured proteome and metabolome of centrifuged human CSF is stable at room temperature for up to 2 hours. We cannot exclude, however, that changes undetectable with our current methodology, such as denaturation or proteolysis, might occur because of sample handling conditions. The stability we observed gives laboratory personnel at the collection site sufficient time to aliquot samples before freezing and storage at -80 °C.
Applicability of Importance Sampling to Coupled Molecular Reactions

Importance Sampling is a variance reduction technique possessing the potential of zero-variance estimators in its optimal case. It has been successfully applied in a variety of settings ranging from Monte Carlo methods for static models to simulations of complex dynamical systems governed by stochastic processes. We demonstrate the applicability of Importance Sampling to the simulation of coupled molecular reactions constituting biological or genetic networks. This fills a gap between great efforts spent on enhanced trajectory generation and the largely neglected issue of reduced variance among trajectories in the context of biological and genetic networks.
A murine model of chronic inflammation-induced intestinal fibrosis down-regulated by antisense NF-kappa B.

BACKGROUND & AIMS To elucidate extracellular matrix (ECM) changes underlying intestinal fibrosis, a frequent complication of inflammatory bowel disease, we developed a murine model of chronic colitis associated with intestinal fibrosis. METHODS Chronic inflammation was established by weekly intrarectal administration of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). In 2 variations of the model an antisense oligonucleotide for nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) p65 was given prophylactically or therapeutically to block chronic inflammation-associated fibrosis. Colonic inflammation and fibrosis were determined by histology. Total collagen level was estimated by hydroxyproline quantification. Colonic expression of collagens (Col1a2, Col3a2), ECM remodeling genes (matrix metalloproteinase [MMP]-1, -3, and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase [TIMP]-1), and inflammation-modulating cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha], interferon gamma [IFN-gamma], transforming growth factor beta 1 [TGF-beta 1], and insulin-like growth factor 1 [IGF-1]) were assessed by semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Control and TNBS-treated colonic mesenchymal cells were characterized by morphology, phenotype, and functional response to TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma. RESULTS Colons of TNBS-treated mice contained acute and chronic inflammatory infiltrates, increased collagen, fibrogenic tissue architecture, and increased expression of TNF-alpha, TGF-beta 1, IGF-1, Col1a2, MMP-1, and TIMP-1. Colonic mesenchymal cells from TNBS-treated mice were also morphologically distinct from those of the control mice, with increased TIMP-1 expression in response to IFN-gamma treatment. Fibrosis persisted for 2-4 weeks after cessation of the TNBS treatment. In mice given NF-kappa B antisense prophylactically, 67% were fibrosis-free, whereas of those treated after establishing chronic inflammation, 43% were free of fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS Extended TNBS treatment of mice yielded chronic intestinal inflammation-associated fibrosis with extensive fibrogenic ECM changes that could be counteracted by specific blockade of NF-kappa B.
Adverse upper gastrointestinal effects of rofecoxib compared with NSAIDs.

CONTEXT Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced gastrointestinal (GI) toxic effects, such as upper GI tract perforations, symptomatic gastroduodenal ulcers, and upper GI tract bleeding (PUBs), are thought to be attributable to cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1) inhibition. Rofecoxib specifically inhibits COX-2 and has demonstrated a low potential for causing upper GI injury. OBJECTIVE To compare the incidence of PUBs in patients with osteoarthritis treated with rofecoxib vs NSAIDs. DESIGN Prespecified analysis of all 8 double-blind, randomized phase 2b/3 rofecoxib osteoarthritis trials conducted from December 1996 through March 1998, including one 6-week dose-ranging study, two 6-week efficacy studies vs ibuprofen and placebo, two 1-year efficacy studies vs diclofenac, two 6-month endoscopy studies vs ibuprofen and placebo, and one 6-week efficacy study vs nabumetone and placebo. SETTING Multinational sites. Participants Osteoarthritis patients (N = 5435; mean age, 63 years [range, 38-94 years]; 72.9% women). INTERVENTIONS Rofecoxib, 12.5, 25, or 50 mg/d (n = 1209, 1603, and 545, respectively, combined) vs ibuprofen, 800 mg 3 times per day (n = 847), diclofenac, 50 mg 3 times per day (n = 590); or nabumetone, 1500 mg/d (n = 127) (combined). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Cumulative incidence of PUBs for rofecoxib vs NSAIDs, based on survival analysis of time to first PUB diagnosis, using PUBs that met pre-specified criteria judged by a blinded, external adjudication committee. RESULTS The incidence of PUBs over 12 months was significantly lower with rofecoxib vs NSAIDs (12-month cumulative incidence, 1.3% vs 1.8%; P = .046; rate per 100 patient-years, 1.33 vs 2.60; relative risk, 0.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-1.00). The cumulative incidence of dyspeptic GI adverse experiences was also lower with rofecoxib vs NSAIDS over 6 months (23.5% vs 25.5%; P = .02), after which the incidence rates converged. CONCLUSION In a combined analysis of 8 trials of patients with osteoarthritis, treatment with rofecoxib was associated with a significantly lower incidence of PUBs than treatment with NSAIDs.