Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new signal detection scheme combining ZF and K-best algorithms for OFDM/SDM

This paper proposes a new signal detection scheme that combines zero-forcing (ZF) and K-best algorithms for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing with space division multiplexing (OFDM/SDM) systems. Among various signal detection algorithms for SDM signals, maximum likelihood detection (MLD) is one of applicable approaches, which achieves the optimal performance. However, it suffers from exponential computational complexity against the number of transmit antennas and modulation order. Thus, we consider the K-best algorithm for the reduction of the computational complexity. We proposed the modified K-best algorithm, which exploits the ZF algorithm for initial symbol estimation. The initial symbol estimation improves the decoding accuracy of the original K-best algorithm. Therefore, the proposed scheme achieves both the reduction of the MLD algorithm's computational complexity and the improvement of the original K-best algorithm's decoding accuracy. Computer simulation results show that the performance degradation from the MLD algorithm is suppressed to just 1 dB or so in the required E/sub b//N/sub o/ for packet error rate (PER) = 10/sup -2/, when either 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) or 64QAM is applied with three transmit and three receive antennas. In these cases, about 87% and 99% fewer metric computations are required than the MLD algorithm, respectively. It is presented that the proposed algorithm offers significant reduction of the computational complexity compared to the MLD algorithm.
The Asymmetric Effects of Monetary Policy

The paper deals with the asymmetric effects on output of tight and easy monetary policy: the output reduction following a negative monetary policy shock appears bigger than the expansion induced by similar sized positive shock. The paper first reviews historical evidence of asymmetry, focusing on the United States, Japan and Italy. This is followed by a review of the econometric literature on monetary policy asymmetry and consideration of the theoretical reasons that can explain this asymmetry. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2004.
Transfistula Endoscopic Closure of Frontocutaneous Fistula: A Novel Approach

A fistula of the anterior table of the frontal sinus is an uncommon complication of acute frontal sinus abscess. Various methods to close a frontocutaneous fistula have been described. We present the second reported transfistula endoscopically assisted primary closure of a frontocutaneous fistula, which eliminated the need for major surgical intervention. We also review the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of frontocutaneous fistula.
The Effects of Government Regulation on Teenage Smoking

We examine the impact of three sets of government regulations on the demand for cigarettes by teenagers in the United States. These are: (1) the excise tax on cigarettes, (2) the Fairness Doctrine of the Federal Communications Commission, which resulted in the airing of anti-smoking messages on radio and television from July 1, 1967 to January 1, 1971,and (3) the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1970, which banned pro-smoking cigarette advertising on radio and television after January 1, 1971.Teenage price elasticities of demand for cigarettes are substantial and much larger than the corresponding adult price elasticities. The teenage smoking participation elasticity equals -1.2, and the quantity smoked elasticity equals -1.4. It follows that, if future reductions in youth smoking are desired, an increase in the Federal excise tax is a potent policy to accomplish this goal. The contention of the proponents of the advertising ban that the Fairness Doctrine failed in the case of teenagers is incorrect. According to our results, the doctrine had a substantial negative impact on teenage smoking participation rates. Extrapolations suggest that the advertising ban was no better or worse a policy than the Fairness Doctrine.
Study Abroad: A Powerful New Approach for Developing Leadership Capacities

Participation in a leadership-focused study-abroad program is a highly effective way to learn about leadership, based on student responses that cite powerful leadership learning experiences. To operate effectively in the expanding global arena, current and future leaders will need the ability to deal with different cultures and languages almost on a daily basis. Leaders will need to be prepared to lead in fast-changing environments that include a multiplicity of cultures and traditions and a complex labor force. While traditional approaches to leadership education will continue to provide a firm foundation for tomorrow’s leaders, new leadership approaches will be as important, if not more so, in the global world. A leadership-focused study-abroad program offers an excellent teaching technique for preparing participants in the leadership process.
Multiscale Explanations of the Size and Value Premia

In this paper, we present a framework characterizing risk of an asset in terms of the asset’s short-run, intermediate-run, and long-run exposures towards model factor. Using some fundamental results in wavelet theory, we show that standard beta can be represented as a weighted linear combination of short-run, intermediate-run, and long-run betas. The framework developed in this paper is not confined to single factor models, but can be applied to any linear factor model in general. Using the Fama-French’s three factor model as an example, we demonstrate in detail how one can measure an asset’s exposure towards a certain frequency movement of model factors. For the given example of Fama-French model, we find that loadings on the long-run movements of SMB and HML (i.e., long-run betas) account better for the cross section of average (monthly) returns than loadings on the short-run or intermediate-run movements of the factors (i.e., short-run or intermediate-run betas). Consistent with risk-based interpretation of SMB and HML, we find that the long-run components of SMB and HML are better proxies for the ICAPM-based risk factors than are the other frequency components of the factors.
Geospatial spreadsheets with microscale air quality visualization and synchronization for supporting multiple-scenario visual collaboration

A major obstacle of the interdisciplinary communications for decision-making is that each participant prefers the solution from their own area because current collaboration systems cannot effectively mediate among many alternatives. If a visual collaboration system could display multiple alternatives in a single visual presentation, users would be able to compare alternatives with only a few variables, where all other parameters are fixed, at least from a visual perspective. In this study, we developed a visualization tool to support a microscale air quality (MSAQ) management group, the members of which often need to compare the effects of many alternative control methods. The main achievements of this study are: (1) three-dimensional (3D) visualization of the MSAQ using a 3D city model and (2) development of a geospatial spreadsheet (GS) to facilitate visual comparisons, thereby improving decision-making by making it easy to compare differences based on realistic visual display items. A questionnaire-based survey showed that use of the GS could generate a shared perspective and provide a spatiotemporal context for the participants, thereby making it easy to compare, mediate and reach decisions when confronted with many alternatives.
Habitat–performance relationships: finding the right metric at a given spatial scale

The field of habitat ecology has been muddled by imprecise terminology regarding what constitutes habitat, and how importance is measured through use, selection, avoidance and other bio-statistical terminology. Added to the confusion is the idea that habitat is scale-specific. Despite these conceptual difficulties, ecologists have made advances in understanding ‘how habitats are important to animals’, and data from animal-borne global positioning system (GPS) units have the potential to help this clarification. Here, we propose a new conceptual framework to connect habitats with measures of animal performance itself—towards assessing habitat–performance relationship (HPR). Long-term studies will be needed to estimate consequences of habitat selection for animal performance. GPS data from wildlife can provide new approaches for studying useful correlates of performance that we review. Recent examples include merging traditional resource selection studies with information about resources used at different critical life-history events (e.g. nesting, calving, migration), uncovering habitats that facilitate movement or foraging and, ultimately, comparing resources used through different life-history strategies with those resulting in death. By integrating data from GPS receivers with other animal-borne technologies and combining those data with additional life-history information, we believe understanding the drivers of HPRs will inform animal ecology and improve conservation.
Relationships between glycation and oxidation related fluorescences in rat collagen during aging. An in vivo and in vitro study.

BACKGROUND Glycation and oxidation are spontaneous chemical modifications of body proteins. Usually these reactions have been studied separately by assessing their fluorescent final products. Glycation of protein and its related fluorescence increases during aging, whereas the level of the fluorescence related to protein adducts from lipoperoxidation side products is unknown. Moreover, no data on the fluorescence, at different wavelengths, connected to the two reactions in the same sample are available. Nevertheless recent in vitro studies support the possibility of an interaction between the two spontaneous reactions. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN In this study, we evaluated the modification of proteins due to glycation and to lipoperoxidation side products, by measuring their specific fluorescence levels in the collagen of 65 healthy Wistar rats during the aging process. The relationships among the fluorescence at different wavelengths were also reported. The fluorescence pattern of insoluble collagen was characterized by a tridimensional study after the incubation of insoluble collagen with probable precursors of protein glycation (ribose) and oxidation (malondialdehyde and hydroxynonenal); the maximum peaks of fluorescence were recognized and compared. RESULTS An increase of all fluorescence intensities was observed in rat collagen during aging: the glycation-related ones (y370/440 = 28.3 e0.08x, r = 0.808, p < 0.01; y335/385 = 66.7 e0.06x, r = 0.798, p < 0.01) and the hydroxynonenal adduct-related (y356/460 = 44.3 e0.06x, r = 0.810, p < 0.01) were exponential, whereas that derived from MDA-adduct was almost linear (y390/460 = 17.7 + 4.1x, r = 0.661, p < 0.01). A different accumulation rate might explain this result. Significant correlation coefficients were found within the age-adjusted fluorescence intensities of both reactions, suggesting a close relationship between glycation and oxidation, besides a mutual influence due to the broad spectrum area. The in vitro study confirmed a good specificity of collagen fluorescence after incubation with a reducing sugar (ribose 0.5 M for 6 hours) for protein glycation, and after incubation with malondialdehyde (0.1 mM for 3 hours) for lipoperoxidation adducts; surprisingly enough hydroxynonenal (0.5 mM for 3 hours) significantly increased the fluorescence related to pentosidine-like products (335 nm excitation/385 nm emission) suggesting that this compound might be the precursor of products with a fluorescence similar to pentosidine or of pentosidine itself. CONCLUSIONS The in vivo results of this study confirm that nonenzymatic reactions, glycation and oxidation, significantly modify collagen fluorescence during aging and can play a role in tissue damage related to age. The close relationships among fluorescences may be due to a reciprocal interconnection rather than to a parallel increase of both reactions during aging; this hypothesis is supported by the in vitro findings of this study.
Defaultable Levy Libor Rates and Credit Derivatives

We introduce the intensity-based defaultable Levy Libor model, which generalizes the default-free Levy Libor model introduced by Eberlein and Ozkan, and the intensity based defaultable models presented by Bielecki and Rutkowski by embedding it in the defaultable HJM framework introduced by Eberlein and Ozkan. We also derive some additionalresults for defaultable HJM models such as the dynamics of credit spreads. We then go on and model the default-free Libor rates and credit spreads as the primal variable and derive the dynamics of the defaultable Libor rates under the defaultable forward measure. In the last section we derive an explicit formula for options on credit default swaps, using an idea introduced by Raible.
Auditor Conservatism, Asymmetric Monitoring, and Earnings Management*

In this paper, we investigate whether, and how, audit effectiveness differentiation between Big 6 and nonâ€ Big 6 auditors is influenced by a conflict or convergence of reporting incentives faced by corporate managers and external auditors. In so doing, we incorporate into our analysis the possibility that managers selfâ€ select both external auditors and discretionary accruals, using the two stage â€œtreatment effectsâ€ model. Our results show that only when managers have incentives to prefer incomeâ€ increasing accrual choices are Big 6 auditors more effective than nonâ€ Big 6 auditors in deterring/monitoring opportunistic earnings management. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we find Big 6 auditors are less effective than nonâ€ Big 6 auditors when both managers and auditors have incentives to prefer incomeâ€ decreasing accrual choices and thus no conflict of reporting incentives exists between the two parties. The above findings are robust to different proxies for opportunistic earnings management and different proxies for the direction of earnings management incentives.
How many blood pressure measurements are enough? An application of generalizability theory to the study of blood pressure reliability.

Generalizability theory was applied to blood pressure measurements collected under various designs in order to determine the number of readings needed to attain reliable estimates. The designs assessed variation within the same day in the laboratory, home, and work; variation across days in the laboratory; and variation across measuring devices. Two samples of normotensive (n=40 and n=79) subjects participated in the study. Blood pressure was measured using either a mercury sphygmomanometer, a Dinamap Adult/Pediatric monitor, or a Spacelabs Ambulatory monitor. The results showed that only one reading is necessary whenever generalizations are restricted to the same day in the laboratory. At least six readings of systolic blood pressure are needed at home and at work, and 6 to 10 diastolic blood pressure readings may be required from work and home, respectively. To generalize across days, one or two readings from each of two days for systolic blood pressure and from more than three days for diastolic blood pressure may be required. At least one replication with each of two instruments is necessary in order to generalize across instruments in the laboratory.
Results and follow‐up after implantation of four or more sirolimus‐eluting stents in the same patient

The aim of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of ≥4 sirolimus‐eluting stent (SES; Cypher, Cordis, Johnson and Johnson) implantation. The safety of implantation of ≥4 SESs in the same patient and setting has not been established. Furthermore, it has been hypothesized that sirolimus administration with the use of multiple stents may diminish the platelet inhibitory effects of clopidogrel and may trigger drug‐drug interactions. We identified 96 consecutive patients (96 procedures) who underwent implantation of ≥4 SESs in 365 lesions (438 stents) during the same procedure. All patients received aspirin indefinitely and clopidogrel or ticlopidine for at least 1 year postprocedure; 57% and 47% of the patients were on calcium channel blocker and statin therapy, respectively. All stents were successfully deployed and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were used in 50% of the procedures. There were no in‐hospital deaths, Q‐wave myocardial infarction (MI), urgent bypass surgery, or repeat percutaneous coronary intervention; 18 patients (19%) suffered non‐Q‐wave MI (defined as CK‐MB elevation >3 times the upper limit of normal). At 30‐day follow‐up, there was one (1%) subacute thrombosis resulting in target lesion revascularization. At mean follow‐up time of 15.4 ± 6.2 months, the frequency of target lesion revascularization, target vessel revascularization, and major adverse cardiac event rates were 12%, 16%, and 18%, respectively. No other notable clinical events that might have been attributed to the possible drug‐drug interactions or discontinuation of concomitant antithrombotic, statin, or calcium channel blocker therapy were reported. Multiple (≥4) SES implantation appears safe with no increase in major adverse cardiac events. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2005;64:436–439. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
CONTRASTING EFFECTS OF ISOPROTERENOL AND PHOSPHODIESTERASE I11 INHIBITOR ON INTRACELLULAR CALCIUM TRANSIENTS IN CARDIAC MYOCYTES FROM FAILING HEARTS

1. Effects of a newly developed phosphodiesterase (PDE) I11 inhibitor, E‐1020, on intracellular calcium transients were compared with those of isoproterenol (ISO) in isolated single myocytes from failing hearts secondary to pulmonary hypertension induced by monocrotaline injection. Myocytes were isolated by enzyme digestion using a Langendorff apparatus. Changes in intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca2+]i,) were recorded using a fura‐2 fluorescence microscopic technique. Cyclic AMP contents of the hearts were measured by radio‐immunoassay.
Social Preferences and Strategic Uncertainty

This paper reports experimental evidence on a stylized labor market. The experiment is designed as a sequence of three phases. In the rst two phases, P1 and P2; agents face simple games, which we use to estimate subjectssocial and reciprocity concerns, together with their beliefs. In the last phase, P3; four principals, who face four teams of two agents, compete by o¤ering agents a contract from a xed menu. Then, each agent selects one of the available contracts (i.e. he chooses to workfor a principal). Production is determined by the outcome of a simple e¤ort game induced by the chosen contract. We nd that (heterogeneous) social preferences are signi cant determinants of choices in all phases of the experiment. Since the available contracts display a trade-o¤ between fairness and strategic uncertainty, we observe that the latter is a much stronger determinant of choices, for both principals and agents. Finally, we also see that social preferences explain, to a large extent, matching between principals and agents, since agents display a marked propensity to work for principals with similar social preferences.
The HLA-B*5703 allele confers susceptibility to the development of spondylarthropathies in Zambian human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with slow progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the HLA distribution in a population of individuals from Zambia in order to establish a possible relationship between the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and the development of spondylarthropathy (SpA). METHODS A large epidemiologic analysis of rheumatology patients living in Zambia was performed in order to identify those who had SpA. We selected 64 patients with SpA and found that 54 also had HIV type 1 (HIV-1) infection; only 10 were HIV negative. Additionally, we selected 57 HIV-infected individuals without SpA and 43 healthy controls. Among all of the HIV-1-infected patients, 25 SpA-positive and 24 SpA-negative patients were classified as slow progressors to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and 8 SpA-positive and 26 SpA-negative patients were classified as rapid progressors. All patients were typed for HLA-B alleles. RESULTS Of the 64 patients with SpA, HIV infection was observed in 54 (84%). The frequency of B*5703 was increased in patients who were SpA positive and HIV positive compared with patients who were SpA negative and HIV positive (P = 0.0002, odds ratio [OR] 8.28). Among patients who were slow progressors to AIDS, this allele was overrepresented in those with SpA compared with those without SpA (corrected P = 0.001, OR 26.25). CONCLUSION HLA-B*5703 seems to be a protective allele against the progression of HIV infection but could influence the increased incidence of SpA observed in this population.
A Model of Later Nineteenth Century European Economic Development

RESUMEN En este trabajo se desarrolla y estima un modelo para explicar los motivos por los cuales algunos países europeos prosperaron más rápidamente que otros en el período 1860–1910. El modelo cuantifica por dos vías distintas los factores que contribuyeron a las diferencias de ingreso entre España y Gran Bretaña. Los determinantes que se consideran más significativos son los recursos naturales, la política económica y la herencia cultural reflejada en los niveles educativos. ABSTRACT A model is developed and estimated to explain why some European countries were richer than others between 1860 and 1910 and why some increased dieir prosperity faster in the period. The model quantifies by two methods some of the contributors to the income gap between the economies of Spain and Britain in 1880 and 1910. Determinants of European nations' output per head included natural endowments (climate and coal deposits), economic policy (tariff protection and very marginally the gold standard), and cultural heritage as reflected in literacy. Measurement errors, country specific factors and perhaps variables not considered in this analysis account for less than half Spanish-UK income differences at the dates estimated.
119 species used being Aloe ferox Miller ( Cape Aloes ) Aloe perryi

The mucilaginous gel from the parenchymatous cells in the leaf pulp of Aloe uera has been used since early times for a host of curative purposes. This ~1 should be distin~sh~ clearly from the bitter yellow exudate originating from the bundle sheath cells, which is used for its purgative effects. Aloe uem gel has come to play a prominent role as a contemporary folk remedy, and numerous optimistic, and in some cases extravagant, claims have been made for its medicinal properties. Modern clinical use of the gel began in the 193Os, with reports of successful treatment of X-ray and radium bums, which led to further experiments studies using laboratory animals in the following decades. The reports of __-. these experiments and the numerous favourable dase histories did not grve conclusive evidence, since although positive results were usually descrrEe%P, much of the work suffered from poor experimental design and insufficiently large test samples. In addition some conflicting or inconsistent results were obtained. With the recent resurgence of interest in Aloe uera gel, however, new experimental work has indicated the possibility of distinct physiological effects. Chemical analysis has shown the gel to contain various carbohydrate polymers, notably either glucomannans or pectic acid, along with a range of other organic and inorganic components. Although many physiologist properties of the gel have been described, there is no certain correlation between these and the identified gel components.