Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circulating concentrations of growth-differentiation factor 15 in apparently healthy elderly individuals and patients with chronic heart failure as assessed by a new immunoradiometric sandwich assay.

BACKGROUND Growth-differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) cytokine superfamily. There has been increasing interest in using circulating GDF15 as a biomarker in patients, for example those with cardiovascular disease. METHODS We developed an IRMA that uses a polyclonal, affinity chromatography-purified goat antihuman GDF15 IgG antibody, assessed the preanalytic characteristics of GDF15, and determined circulating GDF15 concentrations in 429 apparently healthy elderly individuals and 153 patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). RESULTS The assay had a detection limit of 20 ng/L, an intraassay imprecision of < or =10.6%, and an interassay imprecision of < or =12.2%. Specificity was demonstrated with size-exclusion chromatography, parallel measurements with polyclonal and monoclonal anti-GDF15 antibody, and lack of cross-reactivity with TGF-beta. The assay was not appreciably influenced by the anticoagulant matrix or unrelated biological substances. GDF15 was stable at room temperature for 48 h and resistant to 4 freeze-thaw cycles. Apparently healthy, elderly individuals presented with a median GDF15 concentration of 762 ng/L (25th-75th percentiles, 600-959 ng/L). GDF15 concentrations were associated with age and with cystatin C and C-reactive protein concentrations. CHF patients had increased GDF15 concentrations that were closely related to disease severity. CONCLUSION The IRMA can detect GDF15 in human serum and plasma with excellent sensitivity and specificity. The reference limits and confounding variables defined for apparently healthy elderly individuals and the favorable preanalytic characteristics of GDF15 are expected to facilitate future studies of GDF15 as a biomarker in various disease settings, including CHF.
Enabling Electronic Commerce In Agribusiness : The Initial Stages Of A Diffusion Process

A case study is discussed which shows the steps a beef producer group is taking towards electronic commerce. The group intends to use electronic communication for group interaction, feedback in the supply chain, and marketing. The case study is interpreted in terms of Rogers’ (1983, 1995) theory of diffusion of innovations. Electronic commerce is seen as an innovation which is perceived as having relative advantage, is compatible with the group’s past experience, and is trialable. It’s adoption, however, is extremely complex, especially for people in rural areas and requires time which can be ill-afforded. The group is, however, progressing well in making use of electronic communication. This progress has been enabled by technical support on an individual basis and by attention to the communication process. The question remains as to whether the process followed can be generalized to other groups.
Link adaptation schemes for finite-buffer aided relaying systems with asymmetric channels

This paper considers a three-node buffer-aided relaying system which consists of a source node (SN), a destination node (DN) and a relay node (RN) with a finite-size buffer. With the help of the buffer, the RN is able to store the decoded message before retransmitting it to the DN. We consider a fixed rate transmission and propose two link adaptation (LA) schemes, namely the probability based LA (PB-LA) scheme and the state based LA (SB-LA) scheme, to minimize the outage probability of the system. The optimal LA criteria are investigated for these two proposed schemes. It is shown that compared with the traditional max-link transmission scheme, the two proposed schemes can achieve better outage performance. Furthermore, the outage probability of the proposed SB-LA scheme can almost approach the lower bound. Numerical results are provided to verify the ideas proposed in this work.
Learning overcomplete dictionaries based on parallel atom-updating

In this paper we propose a fast and efficient algorithm for learning overcomplete dictionaries. The proposed algorithm is indeed an alternative to the well-known K-Singular Value Decomposition (K-SVD) algorithm. The main drawback of K-SVD is its high computational load especially in high-dimensional problems. This is due to the fact that in the dictionary update stage of this algorithm an SVD is performed to update each column of the dictionary. Our proposed algorithm avoids performing SVD and instead uses a special form of alternating minimization. In this way, as our simulations on both synthetic and real data show, our algorithm outperforms K-SVD in both computational load and the quality of the results.
An improved parallel contrast-aware halftoning

Digital image halftoning is a widely used technique. However, achieving high fidelity tone reproduction and structural preservation with low computational time cost remains a challenging problem. This paper presents a highly parallel algorithm to boost real-time application of serial structure-preserving error diffusion. The contrast-aware halftoning approach is one such technique with superior structure preservation, but it offers only a limited opportunity for graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration. Our method integrates contrast-aware halftoning into a new parallelizable error-diffusion halftoning framework. To eliminate visually disturbing artifacts resulting from parallelization, we propose a novel multiple quantization model and space-filling curve to maintain tone consistency, blue-noise property, and structure consistency. Our GPU implementation on a commodity personal computer achieves a real-time performance for a moderately sized image. We demonstrate the high quality and performance of the proposed approach with a variety of examples, and provide comparisons with state-of-the-art methods.
Utility Pattern Approach for Mining High Utility Log Items From Web Log Data

Mining frequent log items is an active area in data mining that aims at searching interesting relationships between items in databases. It can be used to address a wide variety of problems such as discovering association rules, sequential patterns, correlations and much more. Weblog that analyzes a Web site's access log and reports the number of visitors, views, hits, most frequently visited pages, and so forth. Mining frequent log items from web log data can help to optimize the structure of a web site and improve the performance of web servers. Existing methods often generate a huge set of potential high utility log items and their mining performance is degraded consequently. Two novel algorithms as well as a compact data structure for efficiently discovering high utility log items are proposed. High utility log items are maintained in a tree-based data structure called utility pattern tree. Implementing mining process is done through Discarding Local Unpromising Items and Decreasing Local Node Utility strategies. Experimental results predict that these strategies can keep track of previously accessed pages of a user, identify needed links to improve the overall performance of a web page, and improve the actual design of web pages with only two database scans. Index Terms frequent log items, high utility log items, Web Log file, data mining
A design of on-chip terahertz horn antenna with microstrip feed

A novel and well-performed design of terahertz horn antenna with microstrip feed is presented in this paper. The overall design is divided into two separate parts and the horn antenna can better radiate signals into open space with a novel feed of graded shape supporting it. Promising results are obtained with the help of High Frequency Structure Simulator(HFSS). The antenna can work with a wide range of frequency from 718GHz to 788GHz, meanwhile, at its operating frequency, properties of return loss less than −10 dB and power gain more than 5 dB are observed. Because of the small scale of the design, the horn antenna and microstrip feed can be integrated and fabricated easily on chip with the technique of micro-electro-mechanical-system(MEMS).
Approximate String Comparison and its Effect on an Advanced Record Linkage System

Record linkage, sometimes referred to as information retrieval (Frakes and Baeza-Yates, 1992) is needed for the creation, unduplication, and maintenance of name and address lists. This paper describes string comparators and their effect in a production matching system. Because many lists have typographical errors in more than 20 percent of first names and also in last names, effective methods for dealing with typographical error can greatly improve matching efficacy. The enhanced methods of approximate string comparison deals with typographical variations and scanning errors. The values returned by the string comparator are used in a statistical model for adjusting parameters that are automatically estimated by an expectation-maximization algorithm for latent class, log linear models of the type arising in the Fellegi-Sunter model of record linkage (1969). Overall matching efficacy is further improved by linear assignment algorithm that forces 1-1 matching.
The impacts of live streaming and Twitch.tv on the video game industry

This article explores the growing importance of live streaming, specifically on website and platform Twitch.tv, to the games industry. We focus not on live streaming as a form of media production and consumption, but instead explore its newly central role in the contemporary political economy of the whole video games ecosystem. We explore three cases: streaming newly released games and the attendant role of streaming in informing consumer choice; the visibility and added lifespan that streaming is affording to independent and niche games and older games; and the live streaming of the creation of games, shedding light on the games industry and subverting ordinarily expensive or highly competitive game-design courses, training and employment paths. To do so, we draw on empirical data from offline and online fieldwork, including 100 qualitative interviews with professional live-streamers, offline ethnography at live-streaming events, and online ethnography and observation of Twitch streams. The article concludes that live streaming is a major new force in the games industry, creating new links between developers and influencers and shifting our expectations of game play and game design, and is consequently a platform whose major structural effects are only now beginning to be understood.
The C. elegans H3K27 Demethylase UTX-1 Is Essential for Normal Development, Independent of Its Enzymatic Activity

Epigenetic modifications influence gene expression and provide a unique mechanism for fine-tuning cellular differentiation and development in multicellular organisms. Here we report on the biological functions of UTX-1, the Caenorhabditis elegans homologue of mammalian UTX, a histone demethylase specific for H3K27me2/3. We demonstrate that utx-1 is an essential gene that is required for correct embryonic and postembryonic development. Consistent with its homology to UTX, UTX-1 regulates global levels of H3K27me2/3 in C. elegans. Surprisingly, we found that the catalytic activity is not required for the developmental function of this protein. Biochemical analysis identified UTX-1 as a component of a complex that includes SET-16(MLL), and genetic analysis indicates that the defects associated with loss of UTX-1 are likely mediated by compromised SET-16/UTX-1 complex activity. Taken together, these results demonstrate that UTX-1 is required for many aspects of nematode development; but, unexpectedly, this function is independent of its enzymatic activity.
Synthesizing intensional behavior models by graph transformation

This paper describes an approach (SPY) to recovering the specification of a software component from the observation of its run-time behavior. It focuses on components that behave as data abstractions. Components are assumed to be black boxes that do not allow any implementation inspection. The inferred description may help understand what the component does when no formal specification is available. SPY works in two main stages. First, it builds a deterministic finite-state machine that models the partial behavior of instances of the data abstraction. This is then generalized via graph transformation rules. The rules can generate a possibly infinite number of behavior models, which generalize the description of the data abstraction under an assumption of “regularity” with respect to the observed behavior. The rules can be viewed as a likely specification of the data abstraction. We illustrate how SPY works on relevant examples and we compare it with competing methods.
OFDM Waveform Synchronisation for Multistatic Radar and DVB-T2 Illumination

Synchronisation is an important part of radar signal processing and in particular for multistatic radar systems. On the one hand, it is critical to enhance the signal processing to improve the system performance, on the other hand, it supports the multisite distribution as it is done for multistatic systems. In the case of an orthogonal-frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal with specified features like DVB-T2, the synchronisation is enhanced by the structure, wideband and pilot carrier characteristics inherent in the waveform. Various synchronisation aspects of passive radars are particularly important. The effects of noise, actuation position, pre-synchronisation and frequency offsets as well as intersymbol interference were investigated using a combination of measured and simulated data.
Novel Unity-Gain Frequency Tracking Control of Series–Series Resonant Converter to Improve Efficiency and Receiver Positioning Flexibility in Wireless Charging of Portable Electronics

Currently available wireless charging technology for portable electronics demonstrates several shortcomings. For the consumers, the two major shortcomings are limited receiver positioning flexibility and lower efficiency compared to hard-connected charging. For the industry, the major disadvantages are higher cost and complexity in design and control. To overcome these shortcomings and disadvantages, this paper presents a novel control method for unity-gain frequency tracking (UGFT) under coupling coefficient (k) variation in a resonant converter containing a symmetrically implemented series-series (SS) resonant tank. An SS resonant converter employing the UGFT control provides several desirable features: the need for digital communication between the transmitter and the receiver to achieve leakage inductance compensation is eliminated, the design is robust against coupling (k) and load (Q) variations, the SS resonant converter can operate most of the time at the frequency of highest efficiency (unity-gain frequency fO), and the downstream regulator commonly employed in a wireless charging system may be eliminated. Furthermore, in this paper, frequency-domain characteristics of SS resonant tank are explained in detail to illustrate various desirable characteristics. Detailed design criteria for SS resonant tanks are provided to achieve these characteristics. Throughout the analysis, various simulation results are provided to complement the discussion. The proposed UGFT control method is validated through experimental results.
Provably Fast Support Vector Regression Using Random Sampling ∗

Support Vector Machines are a family of data analysis algorithms, based on convex Quadratic Programming. Their use has been demonstrated in classification, regression, and clustering problems. In previous work we have proved that a random sampling technique based on an evolving discrete probability distribution provides a training algorithm for Support Vector Classification with provably low expected running time as a function of the number of points. This paper proves that the same technique can be applied to Support Vector Regression, by applying and reinterpreting an intuitive geometric breakthrough by Bi and Bennett, and obtaining, through the use of such discrete techniques, the first (to our knowledge) support vector regression algorithm with a provably low expected running time as a function of the number of examples. This is expected to be useful for the processing of extremely large
On the radio spectrum of ci cygni: a test of popular models for symbiotic stars

We have determined the spectral energy distribution at wavelengths between 6 cm and 850 μm for the prototypical S(stellar)-type symbiotic star, CI Cygni, during quiescence. Data were obtained simultaneously with the Very Large Array and the SCUBA submillimetre (sub-mm) camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The data have allowed us to determine the free–free turnover frequency of the ionized component, facilitating a model-dependent estimate of the binary separation to compare with the known orbital parameters of CI Cyg and to critically test the known models for radio emission from symbiotic stars. In particular, our data rule out the two most popular models: ionization of the giant wind by Lyman continuum photons from its hot companion, and emission resulting from the interaction of winds from the two binary components.
Application State Refinement for Scheduling Applications on Mobile Devices

In this paper, we address the problem of application scheduling on user mobile devices. Given the fact that a vast number of applications may run both as in the foreground and the background, the scheduling task is a challenging one. We propose to solve this problem in this paper using clustering and iterative refinement. Results on simulated benchmarks show the efficacy of our proposal.
Left-symmetric algebras, or pre-Lie algebras in geometry and physics

In this survey article we discuss the origin, theory and applications of left-symmetric algebras (LSAs in short) in geometry in physics. Recently Connes, Kreimer and Kontsevich have introduced LSAs in mathematical physics (QFT and renormalization theory), where the name pre-Lie algebras is used quite often. Already Cayley wrote about such algebras more than hundred years ago. Indeed, LSAs arise in many different areas of mathematics and physics. We attempt to give a survey of the fields where LSAs play an important role. Furthermore we study the algebraic theory of LSAs such as structure theory, radical theory, cohomology theory and the classification of simple LSAs. We also discuss applications to faithful Lie algebra representations.
Improved structural detail in freeze‐fracture replicas: High‐angle shadowing of gap junctions cooled below −170°C and protected by liquid nitrogen—cooled shrouds

In conventional freeze‐fracture replicas, precise complementarity of membrane faces is seldom achieved. In a model system frequently used to evaluate replica quality, vertebrate gap junctions are usually visualized as patches of 8–10 nm P‐face intramembrane particles separated by 1–2 nm spaces, while E‐face images are represented by 4–6 nm conical pits separated by 5–7 nm wide membrane ridges. However, that disparity in sizes of particles versus pits, as well as the disparity in the widths of the spaces separating particles versus pits, suggests that a significant reduction in complementarity of membrane faces has occurred. In this investigation, a JEOL JFD‐9000 freeze‐etch machine was modified so that fracturing and replication could be performed at temperatures much colder than commonly employed. With the addition of cryopumps to improve overall vacuum and the installation of optically tight LN2‐cooled shrouds surrounding the specimen and the knife, water vapor contamination arising from all sources within the vacuum chamber was reduced substantially, allowing replicas to be made at temperatures down to −185°C. With the specimen at these much colder temperatures, water vapor released by the heat of cleaving was also reduced significantly, providing additional improvement in replica quality. In addition, with higher shadowing angles (< 60°) and with the specimen at a much lower temperature, the grain size of the platinum film was noticeably reduced, thereby improving resolution at the molecular level. Under these improved conditions, replicas of rat liver gap junctions revealed that many of the P‐face IMPs were tubes 6–7 nm in diameter, but that other IMPs had been stretched and distorted by the fracturing process. More important, however, these high resolution replicas revealed that the replicas of the E‐face pits represented three‐dimensional molecular casts of the transmembrane proteins comprising the connexon hexamer. This means that before they were replicated, the E‐face pits faithfully maintained the shape that the IMPs had before fracturing. These more detailed images revealed a new structure in the center of each E‐face pit: a 2–3 nm “peg” that may represent the frozen aqueous matrix of the connexon ion channel that remained after elastic extraction of the surrounding six connexin molecules. Thus, high‐angle shadowing at very low specimen temperature under virtually non‐contaminating conditions has revealed a new level of detail for membrane structure in freeze‐fracture replicas.
KERNEL DENSITY ESTIMATION FOR LINEAR PROCESSES BY WEI

In this paper we provide a detailed characterization of the asymptotic behavior of kernel density estimators for one-sided linear processes. The conjecture that asymptotic normality for the kernel density estimator holds under short-range dependence is proved under minimal assumptions on bandwidths. We also depict the dichotomous and trichotomous phenomena for various choices of bandwidths when the process is long-range dependent.
Index theorems for holomorphic self-maps

Let $M$ be a complex manifold and $S\subset M$ a (possibly singular) subvariety of $M$. Let $f\colon M\to M$ be a holomorphic map such that $f$ restricted to $S$ is the identity. We show that one can associate to $f$ a holomorphic section $X_f$ of a sheaf related to the embedding of $S$ in $M$ and that such a section reads the dynamical behavior of $f$ along $S$. In particular we prove that under generic hypotheses the canonical section $X_f$ induces a holomorphic action in the sense of Bott on the normal bundle of (the regular part of) $S$ in $M$ and this allows to obtain for holomorphic self-maps with non- isolated fixed points index theorems similar to Camacho-Sad, Baum-Bott and variation index theorems for holomorphic foliations. Finally we apply our index theorems to obtain information about topology and dynamics of holomorphic self-maps of surfaces with a compact curve of fixed points.
Access to and use of the Internet among adolescents and young adults with intellectual disabilities in everyday settings

ABSTRACT Background: The aim of this study was to explore and describe access to the Internet and how it is used among adolescents and young adults with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities in their everyday settings. Method: Data were collected through observations of and interviews with 15 participants with intellectual disabilities, aged 13–25 years, on access and use of the Internet in school or work and at home or in their free time. A qualitative content analysis was used. Results: Main findings were categorised into: access to the Internet in different settings, challenges when using the Internet and strategies to handle the digital environment and take part in Internet activities. Conclusions: This study revealed that participants had access to Internet connections and to a high number of Internet-enabled devices. Participants used the Internet through strategies when doing Internet activities, for example using pictures and reducing the number of Internet-enabled devices used in their everyday settings.