Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
System evaluation of optimal downlink beamforming with congestion control in wireless communication

We investigate the use of congestion control and joint optimal downlink beamforming, power control, and access point allocation, in a multi-cell wireless communication system. The access points of the system employ smart antennas and single antennas are used at the terminals. The possibility to send messages to multiple terminals at the same frequency in the same time slot is exploited. We show how previously proposed algorithms for optimal downlink beamforming easily can be extended to determine also the optimal access point for each mobile terminal. In order to assign resources, optimal beamforming requires a feasible set of mobiles, i.e. that all admitted users can be offered the required signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio. Therefore, an algorithm for deciding which mobile terminals to admit or reject from a congested system is proposed and evaluated. Using the proposed congestion algorithm, joint optimal downlink beamforming is evaluated and the throughput increase as compared to decentralized beamforming algorithms and other congestion control strategies is assessed from a system point of view. The results show that the proposed strategy can almost double the throughput compared to decentralized beamforming algorithms and give a fivefold increase in throughput compared to conventional beamforming without any interference suppression.
Regulation of Fn14 Receptor and NF-κB Underlies Inflammation in Meniere’s Disease

Meniere’s disease (MD) is a rare disorder characterized by episodic vertigo, sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness. It is associated with a fluid imbalance between the secretion of endolymph in the cochlear duct and its reabsorption into the subarachnoid space, leading to an accumulation of endolymph in the inner ear. Epidemiological evidence, including familial aggregation, indicates a genetic contribution and a consistent association with autoimmune diseases (AD). We conducted a case–control study in two phases using an immune genotyping array in a total of 420 patients with bilateral MD and 1,630 controls. We have identified the first locus, at 6p21.33, suggesting an association with bilateral MD [meta-analysis leading signal rs4947296, OR = 2.089 (1.661–2.627); p = 1.39 × 10−09]. Gene expression profiles of homozygous genotype-selected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) demonstrated that this region is a trans-expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) in PBMCs. Signaling analysis predicted several tumor necrosis factor-related pathways, the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway being the top candidate (p = 2.42 × 10−11). This pathway is involved in the modulation of inflammation in several human AD, including multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or rheumatoid arthritis. In vitro studies with genotype-selected lymphoblastoid cells from patients with MD suggest that this trans-eQTL may regulate cellular proliferation in lymphoid cells through the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway by increasing the translation of NF-κB. Taken together; these findings suggest that the carriers of the risk genotype may develop an NF-κB-mediated inflammatory response in MD.
Cognitive processes and conflict in close relationships: an attribution-efficacy model.

A recently proposed model of cognitive processes underlying conflict in close relationships (Doherty, 1978, 1981a, 1981b) is revised and tested in two studies. Central to the original model are the causal attributions made for conflict and the perceived efficacy or ability to resolve conflict. The model is revised to incorporate judgments of responsibility and to provide a closer link to self-efficacy theory. The first study examines attributions and efficacy expectations in mother-child relationships. As anticipated, only weak evidence was obtained for predictions retained from the original model, high-lighting the relationship-specific nature of cognitive processes for conflict in families. A second study examines husband-wife relationships and provides evidence for the usefulness of an attribution-efficacy model for marital conflict. The attributional component of the model received greater support than that pertaining to efficacy expectations. In both studies, support was obtained for the proposal that the relation between conflict dimensions (e.g., blame) and causal dimensions is mediated by judgments of responsibility. The significance of the revisions to Doherty's model for understanding conflict in close relationships is discussed, and several avenues for further research are outlined.
The Role of a Single Angiogenesis Inhibitor in the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Background Currently, the standard treatment for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is maximal safe surgical resection followed by radiation therapy with concurrent and adjuvant temozolomide. However, disease recurs in almost all patients, and the optimal salvage treatment for recurrent GBM remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published clinical trials to assess the efficacy and toxicities of angiogenesis inhibitors alone as salvage treatment in these patients. Methods Trials published between 1994 and 2015 were identified by an electronic search of public databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library). Demographic data, treatment regimens, objective response rate (ORR), median progression-free survival (PFS), median overall survival (OS), 6-months PFS rate, 1-year OS and grade 3/4 toxicities were extracted. We also compared the main outcomes of interest between bevacizumab and other angiogenesis inhibitors. All analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta Analysis software (Version 2.0). Results A total of 842 patients were included for analysis: 343 patients were treated with bevacizumab, 386 with other angiogenesis inhibitors and 81 with thalidomide. The pooled ORR, 6-months PFS, and 1-year OS for recurrent GBM patients receiving angiogenesis inhibitors was 20.1%, 19.5% and 29.3%, respectively. The use of single agent bevacizumab in recurrent GBM significantly improved ORR and 6-months PFS when compared to other angiogenesis inhibitors [relative risk (RR) 2.93, 95% CI 1.38–6.21; p = 0.025; and RR 2.36 95% CI 1.46–3.82; p<0.001, respectively], while no significant difference in 1-year OS was found between the two groups (p = 0.07). when compared to thalidomide, bevacizumab treatment in recurrent GBM significantly improved ORR (RR 6.8, 95%CI: 2.64–17.6, p<0.001), but not for 6-months PFS (p = 0.07) and 1-year OS (p = 0.31). As for grade 3/4 toxicities, the common toxicity was hypertension with pooled incidence of 12.1%, while high-grade thromboembolic events (2.2%), hemorrhage (5.1%) and GI perforation (2.8%) associated with angiogenesis inhibitors were relatively low. Conclusions In comparison with other angiogenesis inhibitors and thalidomide, the use of single agent bevacizumab as salvage treatment for recurrent GBM patients improve ORR and 6-months PFS, but not for 1-year OS.
Density hysteresis of heavy water confined in a nanoporous silica matrix

A neutron scattering technique was developed to measure the density of heavy water confined in a nanoporous silica matrix in a temperature-pressure range, from 300 to 130 K and from 1 to 2,900 bars, where bulk water will crystalize. We observed a prominent hysteresis phenomenon in the measured density profiles between warming and cooling scans above 1,000 bars. We interpret this hysteresis phenomenon as support (although not a proof) of the hypothetical existence of a first-order liquid–liquid phase transition of water that would exist in the macroscopic system if crystallization could be avoided in the relevant phase region. Moreover, the density data we obtained for the confined heavy water under these conditions are valuable to large communities in biology and earth and planetary sciences interested in phenomena in which nanometer-sized water layers are involved.
Regional Heterogeneity of Cerebral Microvessels and Brain Susceptibility to Oxidative Stress

The hippocampus is one of the earliest and most affected regions in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), followed by the cortex while the cerebellum is largely spared. Importantly, endothelial dysfunction is a common feature of cerebral blood vessels in AD. In this study, we sought to determine if regional heterogeneity of cerebral microvessels might help explain the susceptibility of the hippocampus and cortex as compared to the cerebellum. We isolated microvessels from wild type mice from the cerebellum, cortex, and hippocampus to characterize their vascular phenotype. Superoxide anion was significantly higher in microvessels isolated from the cortex and hippocampus as compared to the cerebellum. Importantly, protein levels of NADPH oxidase (NOX)-2 and NOX-4 were significantly higher in the cortical and hippocampal microvessels as compared to microvessels from the cerebellum. In addition, expression of manganese superoxide dismutase protein was significantly lower in microvessels from the cortex and hippocampus as compared to cerebellum while other antioxidant enzymes were unchanged. There was no difference in eNOS protein expression between the microvessels of the three brain regions; however, bioavailability of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), an essential cofactor for eNOS activity, was significantly reduced in microvessels from the hippocampus and cortex as compared to the cerebellum. Higher levels of superoxide and reduced tetrahydrobiopterin bioavailability may help explain the vulnerability of the hippocampus and cortical microvessels to oxidative stress and development of endothelial dysfunction.
Global asymptotic stabilisation of non-linear systems

In this article, the problem of global asymptotic stabilisation of non-linear systems is considered. First of all, the global asymptotic stability of a class of non-linear systems is considered. It is proved that the class of non-linear systems is globally asymptotically stable under certain appropriate conditions. Secondly, based on the result obtained, the global asymptotic stabilisation of a class of non-linear systems is investigated, and the feedback control laws, which globally stabilise the class of systems, are designed. Thirdly, by the coordinate change and the results obtained, the global stabilisation of the affine non-linear systems are studied, and then some sufficient conditions of stabilisation are presented. Finally, the global asymptotic stabilisation of partially linear cascade non-linear system is considered. The sufficient conditions of global stabilisation are obtained, and the corresponding feedback control laws, which stabilise the non-linear systems, are designed. In addition, some examples are given to show the effectiveness of the new results.
Improvement of the 2D SLAM system using Kinect sensor for indoor mapping

Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is an important system for making fully autonomous robot navigation system. A robot must have a good understanding of the environment for navigation. Mobile robot using fixed laser range finder can only detect obstacle on a particular plane level. This may lead to missing of important obstacles that are both above or below the laser scan level. This will cause the map generated to be inaccurate and collision may happen during autonomous navigation. The Microsoft Kinect sensor can replace a laser range finder in a mobile robot as a low cost alternative while providing 3D data. Using depth image data from Kinect, the obstacles between ground surface and 500mm high are projected to horizontal surface, and converted to laser scan data. This will include the entire obstacles that the robot might collide into. Simulations and experiments have been conducted to test out the method in SLAM process in an indoor environment. Both simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method is capable of getting more detailed map compared to the normal 2D map.
Low Resolution QR-Code Recognition by Applying Super-Resolution Using the Property of QR-Codes

This paper proposes a method for low resolution QR-code recognition. A QR-code is a two-dimensional binary symbol that can embed various information such as characters and numbers. To recognize a QR-code correctly and stably, the resolution of an input image should be high. In practice, however, recognition of a QR-code is usually difficult due to low resolution when it is captured from a distance. In this paper, we propose a method to improve the performance of low resolution QR-code recognition by using the super-resolution technique that generates a high resolution image from multiple low-resolution images. Although a QR-code is a binary pattern, it is observed as a grayscale image due to the degradation through the capturing process. Especially the pixels around the borders between white and black regions become ambiguous. To overcome this problem, the proposed method introduces a binary pattern constraint to generate super-resolved images appropriate for recognition. Experimental results showed that a recognition rate of 98% can be achieved by the proposed method, which is a 15.7% improvement in comparison with a method using a conventional super-resolution method.
Optical mode calculation and review of graphene on rib waveguide

An Optical Modulator is a device that is used to modulate the fundamental characteristics of a light beam, propagating in free space or a waveguide. Conventional silicon and III-V group modulators had high insertion loss, large footprint, and a limited modulation depth. Graphene with its unique and extraordinary properties such as zero bandgap (conduction and valence band meets at Dirac point), provides a much higher modulation depth and a high optical absorption of approximately 2.3%, have brought a revolution in optical modulators. In this paper, we have created a Matlab algorithm for obtaining effective eigen values and field profiles of various components of Electromagnetic waves, in a rib waveguide, by the vectorial approach. We have applied a finite difference method for solving helmholtz equation. For numerical analysis, finite difference approximation has been taken into account. Furthermore, a review on graphene-based rib waveguide has been discussed.
Memory Efficient Stereoscopy from Light Fields

We address the problem of stereoscopic content generation from light fields using multi-perspective imaging. Our proposed method takes as input a light field and a target disparity map, and synthesizes a stereoscopic image pair by selecting light rays that fulfill the given target disparity constraints. We formulate this as a variational convex optimization problem. Compared to previous work, our method makes use of multi-view input to composite the new view with occlusions and disocclusions properly handled, does not require any correspondence information such as scene depth, is free from undesirable artifacts such as grid bias or image distortion, and is more efficiently solvable. In particular, our method is about ten times more memory efficient than the previous art, and is capable of processing higher resolution input. This is essential to make the proposed method practically applicable to realistic scenarios where HD content is standard. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method experimentally.
Parallel alignment of a large number of range images

We describe a method for parallel alignment of multiple range images. It is difficult to align a large number of range images simultaneously. Therefore, we developed the parallel method to improve the time and memory performances of the alignment process. Although a general simultaneous alignment algorithm searches correspondences for all pairs of all range images by rejecting redundant dependencies, our method makes it possible to accelerate computation time and reduce the amount of memory used. Since the computation between two range images can be preformed independently, each correspondence pair of range images is assigned to each node. Because the computation time is proportional to the number of vertices assigned to each node, by assigning the pairs so that the number of vertices computed is equal on each node, the load on each node is effectively distributed. The heuristic algorithms for graph partitioning are applied to this problem in order to reduce the amount of memory used on each node. The method was tested on a 16-processor PC cluster, where it demonstrated the high extendibility and the performance improvement in time and memory.
On Feature Extraction via Kernels

Using the kernel trick idea and the kernels-as-features idea, we can construct two kinds of nonlinear feature spaces, where linear feature extraction algorithms can be employed to extract nonlinear features. In this correspondence, we study the relationship between the two kernel ideas applied to certain feature extraction algorithms such as linear discriminant analysis, principal component analysis, and canonical correlation analysis. We provide a rigorous theoretical analysis and show that they are equivalent up to different scalings on each feature. These results provide a better understanding of the kernel method.
On the fairness of large CSMA networks

We characterize the fairness of decentralized medium access control protocols based on CSMA/CA, in large multi-hop wireless networks. In particular, we show that the widely observed unfairness of these protocols in small network topologies does not always persist in large topologies. In regular networks, this unfairness is essentially due to the unfair advantage of nodes at the border of the network, which have a restricted neighborhood and thus a higher probability to access the communication channel. In large 1D lattice networks these border effects do not propagate inside the network, and nodes sufficiently far away from the border have equal access to the channel; as a result the protocol is long-term fair. In 2D lattice networks, we observe a phase transition. If the access intensity of the protocol is small, the border effects remain local and the protocol behaves similarly as in one-dimensional networks. However, if the access intensity of the protocol is large enough, the border effects persist independently of the size of the network and the protocol is strongly unfair. In irregular networks, the topology is inherently unfair. This unfairness increases with the access intensity of the protocol, but in a much smoother way than in regular two-dimensional networks. Finally, in situations where the protocol is long-term fair, we provide a characterization of its short-term fairness.
On the challenge of adopting standard EHR systems in developing countries

Electronic health record (EHR) systems are a popular mechanism for accessing health records in the developed world and have contributed towards improved and cost-effective health care management. However, the development of appropriate and scalable EHR systems in developing countries has been difficult to achieve because of certain limitations inherent in the technological infrastructure. In this paper, we present a comparative study of 19 EHR systems in terms of the security and usability of these systems within the context of the developing world. Our aim was to investigate whether online health services designed for developed countries can be adopted for EHR systems in developing countries. The investigation was based on a number of dimensions such as development environment, system platform, type and access control standards found in the National Institute for Standard and Technology (NIST) and Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT). Our research indicates that all the systems evaluated require online access control decisions. Solely relying on an online access control system is limiting, particularly in developing countries where access to the server can be disrupted by a number of disastrous events.
The Economies of Balkan and Eastern Europe Countries in the changed world, EBEEC 2014, Nis, Serbia Econometric Estimation of the Relationship between Unemployment Rate and Economic Growth of FYR of M acedonia

This study aims to estimate empirically the relationship between economic growth and unemployment rate in FYR of Macedonia applying the Okun’s Law. For analyzing the Okun’s coefficient are used four types of models such that, the difference model, the dynamic model, ECM, and VAR estimation approach, in order to consider both, the short term and the long term possible relationship. The analysis consists on quarterly data covering the period 2000-2012. The empirical results from all models do not i ndicate robust evidence and do not confirm an inverse linkage between unemployment rate and economic growth, as the Okun’s Law suggests. Based on the VAR methodology and Engel-Granger cointegration test, it doesn’t exi st a causal relationship between these two variables and a change in the growth rate of real GDP doesn’t cause a change in the rate of unemployment and vice-versa. The main reasons that go far to explain the regression outputs are: first, the large informal employment that accounts at ab out one fourth of total employment and second the structural unemployment. The study also highlights that the country's e conomic policies have not been suitable for fostering development and reducing unemployment, as the primary source of e mployment is the public sector rather than the private sector.
An overview of acute stroke therapy: past, present, and future.

The effort to develop effective therapies for acute ischemic stroke achieved several important successes during the past decade, but also many disappointing failures. The 2 primary successes were related to thrombolysis. The first was the NINDS rt-PA (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Recombinant Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator) trial reported in 1995. This study demonstrated that initiation of intravenous (IV) rt-PA within 3 hours after the onset of acute ischemic stroke significantly improved outcome at 3 months. 1 This study led to the approval of rt-PA initiated within 3 hours of stroke onset as the only currently available acute stroke therapy. The second major success was the demonstration that intra-arterial prourokinase initiated within 6 hours of stroke onset in patients with angiographically documented proximal middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion also improved outcome at 3 months. 2 A third marginally positive acute stroke trial used ancrod, a defibrinogenating agent derived from Malaysian pit vipers. 3 Ancrod initiated within 3 hours after stroke onset also improved 3-month outcome but to a lesser degree than either rt-PA initiated within 3 hours or prourokinase initiated within 6 hours. These successful acute stroke therapy trials were outweighed by a large number of neuroprotective trial failures. Currently, not one of many purported neuroprotective therapies assessed in pivotal clinical trials has demonstrated unequivocal, statistically significant improvement in clinical outcome. 4 The neuroprotective trials all included patients who presented with a stroke 3 hours after onset, and the therapies used for each patient failed for myriad reasons that will be explored in detail. In this overview of the current status and future direction of acute stroke therapy, we will discuss in detail the current situation of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke, reviewing the results of published clinical trials, postmarketing experience with rt-PA given within the 3-hour window, and future directions of how to potentially expand this window for IV thrombolytic therapy. The status of various neuroprotective therapies for acute ischemic stroke will be reviewed and potential new neuroprotective strategies previewed. Last, we attempt to envision likely approaches toward multiple therapeutic interventions, a treatment strategy likely to lead to maximal improvement in the greatest number of stroke patients.