Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection Characteristics of the Random and Deterministic Signals in Antenna Arrays

In this paper, approach to incoherent signal detection in multi-element antenna array are researched and modeled. Two types of useful signals with unknown wavefront were considered: first one, deterministic (Barker code), and second one, random (Gaussian distribution). The derivation of the sufficient statistics took into account the linearity of the antenna array. The performance characteristics and detecting curves are modeled and compared for different useful signals parameters and for different number of elements of the antenna array. Results of researches in case of some additional conditions can be applied to a digital communications systems. Keywords—Antenna array, detection curves, performance characteristics, quadrature processing, signal detection.
Set constraints are the monadic class

The authors investigate the relationship between set constraints and the monadic class of first-order formulas and show that set constraints are essentially equivalent to the monadic class. From this equivalence, they infer that the satisfiability problem for set constraints is complete for NEXPTIME. More precisely, it is proved that this problem has a lower bound of NTIME(c/sup n/log n/), for some c>0. The relationship between set constraints and the monadic class also gives decidability and complexity results for certain practically useful extensions of set constraints, in particular "negative" projections and subterm equality tests. <<ETX>>
Fine-scale variation in meiotic recombination in Mimulus inferred from population shotgun sequencing

Significance This work characterizes variation in recombination across the genome of a flowering plant in detail using unique population genomic and computational approaches. The resulting recombination map approaches nucleotide-level resolution and advances our understanding of basic properties of recombination, notably the findings of enhanced recombination near starts of genes, varying degrees of intensities of “hotspots,” higher activity in exons than introns, and that a large fraction of the genome appears devoid of any recombination activity. Meiotic recombination rates can vary widely across genomes, with hotspots of intense activity interspersed among cold regions. In yeast, hotspots tend to occur in promoter regions of genes, whereas in humans and mice, hotspots are largely defined by binding sites of the positive-regulatory domain zinc finger protein 9. To investigate the detailed recombination pattern in a flowering plant, we use shotgun resequencing of a wild population of the monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus to precisely locate over 400,000 boundaries of historic crossovers or gene conversion tracts. Their distribution defines some 13,000 hotspots of varying strengths, interspersed with cold regions of undetectably low recombination. Average recombination rates peak near starts of genes and fall off sharply, exhibiting polarity. Within genes, recombination tracts are more likely to terminate in exons than in introns. The general pattern is similar to that observed in yeast, as well as in positive-regulatory domain zinc finger protein 9–knockout mice, suggesting that recombination initiation described here in Mimulus may reflect ancient and conserved eukaryotic mechanisms.
Endothelial progenitor cells: identity defined?

• Introduction • The proof‐of‐concept in vivo: the cell, the read‐out and the animal model ‐ The CEPC: Still a putative cell ‐ Do CEPCs play an essential role in vascular (patho)physiology? ‐ The in vivo read‐out and animal model • EPCs defined in vitro: the achilles heel in EPC biology ‐ EOCs and EC‐like cells ‐ What are potential caveats with in vitro defined cells? ‐ The search for the EOC precursor: lessons from embryonic development ‐ Do EOCs derive from an immature CEPC? ‐ Do EOCs derive from high proliferative vessel wall ECs? ‐ CEPCs and CECs: Different cells having the same identity? • Summary
Dynamic Fluctuations of Protein-Carbohydrate Interactions Promote Protein Aggregation

Protein-carbohydrate interactions are important for glycoprotein structure and function. Antibodies of the IgG class, with increasing significance as therapeutics, are glycosylated at a conserved site in the constant Fc region. We hypothesized that disruption of protein-carbohydrate interactions in the glycosylated domain of antibodies leads to the exposure of aggregation-prone motifs. Aggregation is one of the main problems in protein-based therapeutics because of immunogenicity concerns and decreased efficacy. To explore the significance of intramolecular interactions between aromatic amino acids and carbohydrates in the IgG glycosylated domain, we utilized computer simulations, fluorescence analysis, and site-directed mutagenesis. We find that the surface exposure of one aromatic amino acid increases due to dynamic fluctuations. Moreover, protein-carbohydrate interactions decrease upon stress, while protein-protein and carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions increase. Substitution of the carbohydrate-interacting aromatic amino acids with non-aromatic residues leads to a significantly lower stability than wild type, and to compromised binding to Fc receptors. Our results support a mechanism for antibody aggregation via decreased protein-carbohydrate interactions, leading to the exposure of aggregation-prone regions, and to aggregation.
Cost-Effectiveness of Perirectal Surveillance Cultures for Controlling Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus

To the Editor: In the August 2002 issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the article by Muto et al. and the accompanying editorial by Mayhall, which claim that perirectal surveillance cultures for vancomycinresistant enterococci (VRE) are cost-effective in controlling these pathogens, are misleading and merit further scrutiny. First, it is important to point out that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines do not recommend ongoing, routine surveillance cultures for VRE. Moreover, the CDC's current web site states that "the decision about who and when to screen for VRE is a facility-specific decision. " A dogmatic approach to surveillance cultures with isolation of newly identified colonized patients is undermined by two important facts: (1) the low sensitivity of the perirectal swab for VRE (58% in a recent, well-done study) results in many colonized patients remaining unrecognized, and (2) the periodicity of screening methodology (ie, weekly) dictates that newly colonized patients will remain unisolated until the next culture is obtained and the results are reported. The most egregious error in the study of Muto et al. is the assumption that 29 VRE bacteremias would have occurred at the University of Virginia Hospital based on the finding of that number of bacteremias at the University of Maryland during the same time period. No two hospitals are alike; consider the myriad differences in antibiotic use, intensity and variety of services offered, populations served, rates of VRE colonization at referring facilities, effectiveness of environmental cleaning processes, and nurse-to-patient ratio. Importantly, the baseline rate of VRE colonization at Maryland was more than 50 times greater than that at Virginia. Thus, even if infection control procedures were identical at both hospitals, one would still expect more bacteremias to occur at Maryland. To claim that the difference in bacteremias observed is attributable only to the differences in infection control practices between the two hospitals is analogous to claiming that the difference in the rate of malaria cases in the United States (where the disease is not endemic) when compared with the rate in Kenya (where the disease is endemic) is somehow due only to current mosquito control practices in the United States.
Attack Model and Performance Evaluation of Text Digital Watermarking

In this paper an attack model of text watermarking is proposed based on communication model, and three different assumptions are made to attackers’ actual ability. According to the related research result of digital watermarking theory, the important watermarking properties which influence watermarking robustness and security are analyzed, and then text watermarking robustness and security are evaluated. This work will further propel the development of text watermarking , promote the improvement of text watermarking algorithm s and provide some guidance and help to design secure text watermarking schemes.
Flipped Classroom Strategies Using Online Videos

The basic principles of a flipped classroom teaching method are to deliver instruction online and to move active learning into the classroom. There are many strategies for delivering the instruction online, such as, preparing online lectures by the course instructors, wrapping the course around a MOOC, and collecting online videos from various sources. There are also many strategies for including active learning in the classroom. In this paper we describe our strategies for a flipped classroom using online videos: selecting videos from various sources, integrating the critique and selection of videos as part of the learning experience, and organizing in class learning around scaffolding skills development and identifying misconceptions. The course content includes design and layout for web pages as well as applications development for interactivity. This paper contributes a set of strategies to consider for online instruction and active learning of skills and concepts for programming courses. Through course evaluations and student surveys we present the distribution of students’ positive and negative responses to our strategies.
The Impact of Listing Location on Visits, Bids, and Final Prices in Online Auctions: A Field Experiment

Compared with traditional offline markets, online auctions constrain all sellers to compete within a similar environment in terms of interface, functionality, and market rules. One means for sellers to differentiate themselves is through a set of listing options. One such characteristic that has received little research interest, despite its economic importance, is location options. This paper describes the findings of a field experiment that investigates whether and to what extent locations have impacts on market outcomes. We auctioned 120 products in matched pairs at a public auction site, both as featured (i.e., items listed in the first page of search results) and as default (i.e., items listed after featured) listings using both low-priced and higher-priced products. Consistent with the effort minimization approach to decision making and the primacy effect, the products sold under featured listings received more visits, more bids, and sold for higher prices than the products sold under default listings. There was no evidence of the impact of a "product price level-location" interaction for the final price: buyers of both low-priced and higher-priced products were equally affected by featured listings. Our follow-up survey suggests that buyers did not have the ability to perform an exhaustive search to find the lowest price. The results imply that sellers can enjoy price premiums through featured listings and that development of better shopbots by third-party vendors is greatly needed for buyers.
Is the current pertussis incidence only the results of testing? A spatial and space-time analysis of pertussis surveillance data using cluster detection methods and geographically weighted regression modelling

Background Despite high vaccination coverage, pertussis incidence in the Netherlands is amongst the highest in Europe with a shifting tendency towards adults and elderly. Early detection of outbreaks and preventive actions are necessary to prevent severe complications in infants. Efficient pertussis control requires additional background knowledge about the determinants of testing and possible determinants of the current pertussis incidence. Therefore, the aim of our study is to examine the possibility of locating possible pertussis outbreaks using space-time cluster detection and to examine the determinants of pertussis testing and incidence using geographically weighted regression models. Methods We analysed laboratory registry data including all geocoded pertussis tests in the southern area of the Netherlands between 2007 and 2013. Socio-demographic and infrastructure-related population data were matched to the geo-coded laboratory data. The spatial scan statistic was applied to detect spatial and space-time clusters of testing, incidence and test-positivity. Geographically weighted Poisson regression (GWPR) models were then constructed to model the associations between the age-specific rates of testing and incidence and possible population-based determinants. Results Space-time clusters for pertussis incidence overlapped with space-time clusters for testing, reflecting a strong relationship between testing and incidence, irrespective of the examined age group. Testing for pertussis itself was overall associated with lower socio-economic status, multi-person-households, proximity to primary school and availability of healthcare. The current incidence in contradiction is mainly determined by testing and is not associated with a lower socioeconomic status. Discussion Testing for pertussis follows to an extent the general healthcare seeking behaviour for common respiratory infections, whereas the current pertussis incidence is largely the result of testing. More testing would thus not necessarily improve pertussis control. Detecting outbreaks using space-time cluster detection is feasible but needs to adjust for the strong impact of testing on the detection of pertussis cases.
Clustering and Partition Based Divide and Conquer for SAT Solving

A clustering and partition based Boolean satisfiability solving method is proposed. By partitioning a CNF formula into several clause groups, satisfiability solving problem can be divided into small ones, so the complexity of the problem can be reduced. On the other hand, the satisfiability of different clause groups can be solved in parallel, the decision procedure can be speeded up further. For the formula that cannot generate clause group partition directly, a clustering algorithm is given to clustering clauses into clusters. Then clause group partition can be generated by eliminating common variables among clusters. Further, a method based on minimum cut of undirected graph is given to make partition practical. Preliminary experiments shows that the common variables set among clusters is small for many SAT problems, and our approach can significantly increase the performance of SAT solving.
Association of Postural Instability With Asymptomatic Cerebrovascular Damage and Cognitive Decline: The Japan Shimanami Health Promoting Program Study

Background and Purpose— Asymptomatic cerebral small-vessel disease (cSVD) in elderly individuals are potent risk factors for stroke. In addition to common clinical risk factors, postural instability has been postulated to be associated with cSVD in older frail patients. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study to understand the possible link between postural instability and asymptomatic cSVD further, namely periventricular hyperintensity, lacunar infarction, and microbleeds, as well as cognitive function, in a middle-aged to elderly general population (n=1387). Methods— Postural instability was assessed based on one-leg standing time (OLST) and posturography findings. cSVD was evaluated by brain magnetic resonance imaging. Mild cognitive impairment was assessed using a computer-based questionnaire, and carotid intima-media thickness as an index of atherosclerosis was measured via ultrasonography. Results— Frequency of short OLST, in particular <20 s, increased linearly with severity of cSVD (lacunar infarction lesion: none, 9.7%; 1, 16.0%; >2, 34.5%; microbleeds lesion: none, 10.1%; 1, 15.3%; >2, 30.0%; periventricular hyperintensity grade: 0, 5.7%; 1, 11.5%; >2, 23.7%). The association of short OLST with lacunar infarction and microbleeds but not periventricular hyperintensity remained significant even after adjustment for possible covariates (lacunar infarction, P=0.009; microbleeds, P=0.003; periventricular hyperintensity, P=0.601). In contrast, no significant association was found between posturographic parameters and cSVD, whereas these parameters were linearly associated with OLST. Short OLST was also significantly associated with reduced cognitive function independent of covariates, including cSVD (P=0.002). Conclusions— Postural instability was found to be associated with early pathological changes in the brain and functional decline, even in apparently healthy subjects.
Vaccines for Gonorrhea: Can We Rise to the Challenge?

Immune responses to the gonococcus after natural infection ordinarily result in little immunity to reinfection, due to antigenic variation of the gonococcus, and redirection or suppression of immune responses. Brinton and colleagues demonstrated that parenteral immunization of male human volunteers with a purified pilus vaccine gave partial protection against infection by the homologous strain. However, the vaccine failed in a clinical trial. Recent vaccine development efforts have focused on the female mouse model of genital gonococcal infection. Here we discuss the state of the field, including our unpublished data regarding efficacy in the mouse model of either viral replicon particle (VRP) vaccines, or outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccines. The OMV vaccines failed, despite excellent serum and mucosal antibody responses. Protection after a regimen consisting of a PorB-VRP prime plus recombinant PorB boost was correlated with apparent Th1, but not with antibody, responses. Protection probably was due to powerful adjuvant effects of the VRP vector. New tools including novel transgenic mice expressing human genes required for gonococcal infection should enable future research. Surrogates for immunity are needed. Increasing antimicrobial resistance trends among gonococci makes development of a vaccine more urgent.
Systematic review finds that study data not published in full text articles have unclear impact on meta-analyses results in medical research

Background A meta-analysis as part of a systematic review aims to provide a thorough, comprehensive and unbiased statistical summary of data from the literature. However, relevant study results could be missing from a meta-analysis because of selective publication and inadequate dissemination. If missing outcome data differ systematically from published ones, a meta-analysis will be biased with an inaccurate assessment of the intervention effect. As part of the EU-funded OPEN project (www.open-project.eu) we conducted a systematic review that assessed whether the inclusion of data that were not published at all and/or published only in the grey literature influences pooled effect estimates in meta-analyses and leads to different interpretation. Methods and findings Systematic review of published literature (methodological research projects). Four bibliographic databases were searched up to February 2016 without restriction of publication year or language. Methodological research projects were considered eligible for inclusion if they reviewed a cohort of meta-analyses which (i) compared pooled effect estimates of meta-analyses of health care interventions according to publication status of data or (ii) examined whether the inclusion of unpublished or grey literature data impacts the result of a meta-analysis. Seven methodological research projects including 187 meta-analyses comparing pooled treatment effect estimates according to different publication status were identified. Two research projects showed that published data showed larger pooled treatment effects in favour of the intervention than unpublished or grey literature data (Ratio of ORs 1.15, 95% CI 1.04–1.28 and 1.34, 95% CI 1.09–1.66). In the remaining research projects pooled effect estimates and/or overall findings were not significantly changed by the inclusion of unpublished and/or grey literature data. The precision of the pooled estimate was increased with narrower 95% confidence interval. Conclusions Although we may anticipate that systematic reviews and meta-analyses not including unpublished or grey literature study results are likely to overestimate the treatment effects, current empirical research shows that this is only the case in a minority of reviews. Therefore, currently, a meta-analyst should particularly consider time, effort and costs when adding such data to their analysis. Future research is needed to identify which reviews may benefit most from including unpublished or grey data.
Complexity Measures of Supervised Classification Problems

We studied a number of measures that characterize the difficulty of a classification problem, focusing on the geometrical complexity of the class boundary. We compared a set of real-world problems to random labelings of points and found that real problems contain structures in this measurement space that are significantly different from the random sets. Distributions of problems in this space show that there exist at least two independent factors affecting a problem's difficulty. We suggest using this space to describe a classifier's domain of competence. This can guide static and dynamic selection of classifiers for specific problems as well as subproblems formed by confinement, projection, and transformations of the feature vectors.
Tuberculosis in poorly controlled type 2 diabetes: altered cytokine expression in peripheral white blood cells.

BACKGROUND Although the biological basis for the increased susceptibility of diabetic patients to tuberculosis remains unclear, the world is undergoing a type 2 diabetes pandemic. We hypothesize that chronic hyperglycemia leads to immunocompromise that facilitates progression to active tuberculosis. To assess this possibility, we determined whether patients with tuberculosis and diabetes (particularly those with chronic hyperglycemia), compared with patients with tuberculosis who did not have diabetes, presented altered cytokine responses to a mycobacterial antigen. METHODS Samples of whole blood from patients with tuberculosis and diabetes and from patients with tuberculosis who did not have diabetes was stimulated in vitro with purified protein derivative from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We then determined whether there was an association between the levels of innate and adaptive cytokines secreted in response to the antigen and diabetes status, or diabetes with chronic hyperglycemia (measured by glycosylated hemoglobin level), after controlling for possible confounders. RESULTS Innate and type 1 cytokine responses were significantly higher in patients with tuberculosis who had diabetes than in nondiabetic control subjects. The effect was consistently and significantly more marked in diabetic patients with chronic hyperglycemia. CONCLUSIONS These data provide preliminary evidence that type 2 diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes involving chronic hyperglycemia, is associated with an altered immune response to M. tuberculosis. More-detailed knowledge of the underlying mechanisms should focus on the effect of chronic hyperglycemia on the immune response to help in understanding the enhanced susceptibility of diabetic patients to tuberculosis.
A linear-assisted DC/DC converter based on current-mode control

This article shows the proposal of a current-mode one-cycle control for linear-assisted DC/DC converters. Linear-assisted DC/DC converters are structures that allow to take advantages of the two classic alternatives in the design of power supply systems: voltage linear regulators (classic NPN topology or LDO-low dropout-) and switching DC/DC converters. The current-mode one-cycle control technique is proposed in order to obtain the duty cycle of the linear-assisted converter switch. The proposed structure can provide an output with suitable load and line regulations. Thus, the paper shows the design and simulation results of the proposed current-mode one-cycle linear-assisted converter.