Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new pilot design for NC‐OFDM systems under power constraints

The pilot design is one of the key issues that has to be solved in order to improve the performance of non‐continuous orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (NC‐OFDM) systems in cognitive radio context. Equally‐spaced and equally‐powered pilot tones that are the optimal pilot design for conventional OFDM systems cannot be applicable to NC‐OFDM systems with the non‐continuous(NC) spectrum. In NC‐OFDM systems, the secondary users(SUs) communicate to each other by spectrum mapping the primary users(PUs)’ band to protect the PUs from interference. So the SUs’ available subcarriers’ positions and power allocation will be changed with PUs’ active state and interference constraints. The NC available spectrum and power distribution bring new challenges on system design, which make the pattern of pilots in the frequency domain vulnerable. Several recent researches have studied the optimal or suboptimal pilot designs under equally‐powered assumption. In this paper, we only focus on the comb‐type pilot design under uneven power distribution hypothesis for the NC‐OFDM transmission. Firstly, based on maximising each available subcarrier’ power under PUs’ interference temperature constraints, the pilot power constraints have been discussed, then the formula between pilot positions and pilot powers have been derived by minimising the channel estimation mean square error; moreover, a suboptimal pilot design under the pilot power constraints is also presented. The proposed pilot design cannot only obtain better channel estimation performance compared with previous pilot designs, but also consider the PUs’ communication reliability. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effets neuro-immuno-endocriniens de la contrainte motrice aigue͏̈ et chronique chez le rat

Le modele experimental de la contrainte antiorthostatique (cao) mis au point chez le rat pour l'etude des mecanismes d'adaptations physiologiques et de perturbations pathologiques dans des environnements extremes evoquant les vols spatiaux a ete utilise pour etudier, les effets compares de la cao et de la contrainte orthostatique (co) (1) sur le niveau et la rythmicite circadienne de plusieurs fonctions interactives: les taux plasmatiques de l'acth et de la corticosterone (cort), marqueurs de stress, et de l'interleukine-1b (il-1b), indice d'immuno-activation, l'activite generale (ag) et la temperature corporelle (tc), enregistrees par telemetrie, et (2) sur la reactivite des systemes acth-cort, il-1b et tc a une agression endotoxinemique aigue (lipopolysaccharide, lps). Au stade aigu, les deux transitions experimentales qui suivent (i) l'instauration de la co chez des temoins (t), et (ii) la bascule (tilt) de co en cao, causent pendant 48h (t a co) et 4h (co a cao) une forte stimulation de l'acth et de la cort evoquant un stress aigu. Au stade chronique les deux types de contraintes induisent un syndrome de dysfonctionnement chronique similaire, caracterise par (1) une forte stimulation des niveaux sanguins de base de l'acth, de la cort et de l'il-1b, sans modification des niveaux de l'ag et de la tc ; (2) une alteration des rythmes circadiens de l'acth, de la cort, de l'ag et de la tc ; (3) a moyen terme (14j), une attenuation progressive du dereglement des rythmes ; (4) une disjonction frequente entre les evolutions temporelles de l'acth et de la cort ; et (5) une profonde alteration de la reactivite au lps, variable selon l'heure (soir vs matin), de l'acth, de la cort, de l'il-1b et des phases, hypo- puis hyperthermique, de la tc. Cependant l'ampleur respective des perturbations induites par la cao et la co varie selon les variables fonctionnelles, et en fonction du nycthemere
18.405J S16 Lecture 22: Derandomization Implies Circuit Lower Bounds

Q: Why are we using circuit lower bounds here, as opposed to a claim such as E ̸⊆ P for example? A: The proof of the Nisan-Wigderson pseudorandom generator relies on nonuniformity, by showing that distinguishing a pseudorandom generator implies a circuit for solving a hard problem – this reduction involves hardwiring advice into a circuit in order to solve the hard problem. A contradiction requires that the hard problem has circuit lower bounds.
Opinions of people: factoring in privacy and trust

The growth of online social networks has seen the utilisation of these network graphs for the purpose of providing recommendations. Automated recommendations, however, do not take into account inter-personal trust levels that exist in a social network. In this article, we propose a privacy-preserving trusted social feedback (TSF) scheme where users can obtain feedback on questions from their friends whom they trust. We show that the concept can be extended to the domain of crowdsourcing -- the trusted crowdsourcing (TCS) scheme. In crowdsourcing, instead of asking friends, one can solicit opinions from experts in the crowd through a privacy preserving trusted feedback mechanism. Our proposal supports categorical answers as well as single-valued numerical answers. We evaluate our proposals in a number of ways: based on a prototype implementation built atop the Google App Engine, we illustrate the performance of the trusted social feedback. In addition, we present a user study to measure the impact that our trusted social feedback proposal has on users' perception of privacy and on foreground trust. We also present another user study to capture a model for user acceptance testing of the trusted crowdsourcing.
Gaussian Diamond Network with Adversarial Jammer Soheil Mohajer

In this paper we consider communication from a source to a destination over a wireless network with the help of a set of authenticated relays. We focus on a special “diamond” network, where there is no direct link between the source and the destination; however the relay nodes help to establish such a communication. There is a single adversarial node which injects signals to disrupt this communication. Like the source, it can only influence the destination through the relays. We develop an approximate characterization of the reliable transmission rate in the presence of such an adversary. This is done by developing an outer bound, and demonstrating an achievable strategy that is within a constant number of bits of the outer bound, regardless of the channel values. A deterministic version of the same problem is solved exactly, yielding insights which are used in the approximate characterization.
Repeated Restraint and Sampling Results in Reduced Corticosterone Levels in Developing and Adult Captive American Kestrels (Falco sparverius)

Oliver P. Love* Laird J. Shutt Joel S. Silfies David M. Bird Avian Science and Conservation Centre, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Drive, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada; Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3, Canada; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
Early cities in comparative perspective, 4000 BCE-1200 CE

1. Introduction: a history of the study of early cities Norman Yoffee and Nicola Terrenato Part I. Early Cities as Arenas of Performance: 2. Ancient Egyptian cities: monumentality and performance John Baines 3. The dedicated city: meaning and morphology in classic Maya urbanism Stephen Houston and Thomas G. Garrison 4. Southeast Asian urbanism: from early city to classical state Miriam Stark 5. Cities as performance arenas John Baines, Miriam Stark, Thomas G. Garrison and Stephen Houston Part II. Early Cities and Information Technologies: 6. Urbanization and techniques of communication: the case of the rise of the southern Mesopotamian city of Uruk during the fourth millennium BCE Hans Nissen 7. Writing and the city in early China Wang Haicheng 8. Reading early Maya cities: interpreting the role of writing in urbanization Danny Law 9. Inka administration in Tawantinsuyu by means of the knotted-cords Gary Urton 10. Writing and record-keeping in early cities Danny Law, Wang Haicheng, Hans Nissen and Gary Urton Part III. Early Urban Landscapes: 11. Tiwanaku urban origins: distributed centers and animate landscapes John W. Janusek 12. Mesopotamian cities and urban process, 3500-1600 BCE Geoff Emberling 13. Teotihuacan: an early urban center in its regional context Sarah C. Clayton 14. Urban landscapes: transforming spaces and reshaping communities Geoff Emberling, Sarah C. Clayton and John W. Janusek Part IV. Early Cities and the Distribution of Power: 15. Ancient South Asian cities in their regions Carla M. Sinopoli 16. Greek cities in the first millennium BCE Ian Morris and Alex R. Knodell 17. Different cities: Jenne-jeno and African urbanism Roderick J. McIntosh 18. The distribution of power: hierarchy and its discontents Carla M. Sinopoli, Roderick J. McIntosh, Ian Morris and Alex R. Knodell Part V. Early Cities as Creations: 19. Baghdad, an imperial foundation (762-836 CE) Francoise Micheau 20. Jerusalem: capital city created in stone and in imagination Ann E. Killebrew 21. City of earth and wood: New Cahokia and its material-historical implications Timothy Pauketat, Susan M. Alt and Jeffery D. Kruchten 22. Imagined cities Timothy R. Pauketat, Ann E. Killebrew and Francoise Micheau Part VI. Early Imperial Cities: 23. Neo-Assyrian capital cities: from imperial headquarters to cosmopolitan cities Adelheid Otto 24. Mexico-Tenochtitlan: origin and transformations of the last Mesoamerican imperial city Gerardo Gutierrez 25. The archetypal imperial city: the rise of Rome and the burdens of empire Nicola Terrenato 26. Imperial cities Nicola Terrenato, Gerardo Gutierrez and Adelheid Otto 27. Conclusion: the meanings of early cities Norman Yoffee.
Surfboard: Audio Feature Extraction for Modern Machine Learning

We introduce Surfboard, an open-source Python library for extracting audio features with application to the medical domain. Surfboard is written with the aim of addressing pain points of existing libraries and facilitating joint use with modern machine learning frameworks. The package can be accessed both programmatically in Python and via its command line interface, allowing it to be easily integrated within machine learning workflows. It builds on state-of-the-art audio analysis packages and offers multiprocessing support for processing large workloads. We review similar frameworks and describe Surfboard's architecture, including the clinical motivation for its features. Using the mPower dataset, we illustrate Surfboard's application to a Parkinson's disease classification task, highlighting common pitfalls in existing research. The source code is opened up to the research community to facilitate future audio research in the clinical domain.
Extended Use of Intravenous Bisphosphonate Therapy for the Prevention of Skeletal Complications in Patients with Cancer

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the incidence of skeletal complications in patients with multiple myeloma, and metastatic breast, prostate, or lung cancers, when therapy with intravenous bisphosphonates is continued for longer than 21 months. Methods: The primary outcome was the diagnosis of at least one skeletal-related event (SRE) after 21 months of therapy. The secondary outcome was the incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaws (ONJ). Results: The primary outcome was 30%. The secondary outcome was 3%, while six patients (5%) were referred to a dentist for suspected ONJ. Conclusion: There appears to be a continued benefit when intravenous bisphosphonates are given for longer than 21 months.
Robust affine projection subband adaptive filters under maximum correntropy criteria in impulsive noise

A novel improved subband adaptive filter under maximum correntropy criteria (MCC-APSAF), which combines the benefit of affine projection algorithm and subband adaptive filter algorithm, and can achieve better performance under impulsive noise. Since the conventional cost function is not robust against the impulsive interference, the MCC-APSAF algorithm proposed by this paper is obtained by maximizing cost function which is introduced in correntropy. Whenever the output of filter is corrupted by the impulsive noise, the proposed MCC-APSAF algorithm could get rid of the impact of impulsive on the coefficient vector update. Besides, the proposed MCC-APSAF algorithm exhibits better performance in term of convergence rate than the sign SAF (SSAF) and affine projection sign (APSSAF) algorithm under the impulsive interference. Simulations have carried out to demonstrate the performance of MCC-APSAF algorithm.
Siblings and family environments of persons with autism spectrum disorder: a review of the literature.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this literature review is to summarize studies on siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in four major areas, to identify gaps in the literature, and to propose future directions for research of siblings of persons with ASD. DESIGN AND METHODS A systematic review of research published within the past 10 years in peer review journals includes investigations on siblings' and parental characteristics, as well as sibling behaviors, relationships, and adaptation. Twelve studies are synthesized to include purpose, findings, and discussion relating it to previous work. RESULTS Siblings are influenced by the context of their families that are impacted by biological, psychological, sociological, and ecological factors. Research studies are primarily exploratory and no intervention studies are identified. CONCLUSION The literature review of parental and sibling characteristics, relationships, and adaptation support intervention measures for siblings and family members of persons with autism. Assessment of siblings is necessary to identify those who may be at risk for future adjustment problems and maladaptive behaviors.
Lupus-Like Syndrome Associated with Statin Therapy

Statins are among the most widely prescribed drugs. An increasing number of lupus-like syndrome has recently been reported with these lipid-lowering agents. We describe a new case associated with simvastatin therapy. The presence of anti-dsDNA antibodies in the serum is for the first time reported confirming that statins may also induce a systemic autoimmune reaction. Statin-induced lupus-like syndrome is characterized by the long delay between the beginning of therapy and the skin eruption. Antinuclear antibodies may persist for many months after drug discontinuation. The causal relationship may be therefore difficult to establish, and probably many cases are unrecognized. Early diagnosis may avoid unnecessary immunosuppressive therapy.
Effect of an intensive glucose management protocol on the mortality of critically ill adult patients.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of an intensive glucose management protocol in a heterogeneous population of critically ill adult patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS This study consisted of 800 consecutive patients admitted after institution of the protocol (treatment group, between February 1, 2003, and January 10, 2004) and 800 patients admitted immediately preceding institution of the protocol (baseline group, between February 23, 2002, and January 31, 2003). The setting was a 14-bed medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in a university-affiliated community teaching hospital. The protocol involved intensive monitoring and treatment to maintain plasma glucose values lower than 140 mg/dL. Continuous intravenous insulin was used if glucose values exceeded 200 mg/dL on 2 successive occasions. RESULTS The 2 groups of patients were well matched, with similar age, sex, race, prevalence of diabetes mellitus, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores, and distribution of diagnoses. After institution of the protocol, the mean glucose value decreased from 152.3 to 130.7 mg/dL (P<.001), marked by a 56.3% reduction in the percentage of glucose values of 200 mg/dL or higher, without a significant change in hypoglycemia. The development of new renal insufficiency decreased 75% (P=-.03), and the number of patients undergoing transfusion of packed red blood cells decreased 18.7% (P=.04). Hospital mortality decreased 29.3% (P=.002), and length of stay in the ICU decreased 10.8% (P=.01). CONCLUSION The protocol resulted in significantly improved glycemic control and was associated with decreased mortality, organ dysfunction, and length of stay in the ICU in a heterogeneous population of critically ill adult patients. These results support the adoption of this low-cost intervention as a standard of care for critically ill patients.
A BATTLE AGAINST AIDS: NEW PYRAZOLE KEY TO AN OLDER LOCK-REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE Original Article

Objective: The reason for the failure of most of the anti-HIV drugs are their poor pharmacokinetics, the poor risk to benefit ratio and the drug resistance. With the objective of developing newer pyrazole scaffolds for effective treatment of HIV, binding mode analysis of designing ligands with the HIV-1RT protein and prediction of key ADME and toxicity parameters of the compounds was in an area of interest. Methods: In this study, molecular docking studies and ADME-T studies were carried out in designing of some novel pyrazole analogs. The protein (PDB ID: 1RT2) was prepared using the Protein Preparation Wizard (Schrodinger Glide 5.0). ADME parameters calculated by QikProp 3.0v and toxicity of designed analogs checked by using two different online software’s namely Lazar and protox. Results: Most of the designed pyrazole analogs have good oral absorption as well as good binding affinity towards HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. Conclusion: Finally total 5 analogs (SGS-2, 3, 12, 13 and 14) from the 14 designed leads were found to be best on the basis of molecular docking and ADME-T studies.
Circumstances and Macropathologic Findings in 1590 Consecutive Cases of Bodies Found in Water

The diagnosis of drowning relies primarily on critical examination of the subject’s individual characteristics, circumstances, and postmortem macropathologic changes. In this retrospective study, based on 1590 consecutive cases of bodies found in water and undergoing autopsy at the Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, from 1976 to 1998, the frequency of circumstantial data and macropathologic changes crucial for the diagnosis of drowning were determined. The fatal events were eyewitnessed in 403 cases (25.3%), and suicide notes were found in 83 cases (5.2%). External foam, frothy fluid in airways, and overlap of the anterior margins of lungs were found in 275 (17.3%), 739 (46.5%), and 669 (42.1%) of the cases, respectively, but no one of these changes, tested against dry-land controls, were specific for drowning. The association of external foam and overlap of the lung margins was exclusive of drowning but was observed in only 176 cases (11.1%). After cross-analysis, 964 (60.6%) of the cases had no circumstantial data or macromorphologic pathologic findings that allowed a definite diagnosis of drowning. The diagnostic problems in putative drowning cases, based on this study sample, have not been overrated. Studies to investigate and improve the reliability of complementary methods for the diagnosis of drowning are warranted.
Nanoemulsion of eucalyptus oil and its larvicidal activity against Culex quinquefasciatus

Abstract Filariasis is a mosquito-borne disease that causes lymphedema and the main vector is Culex quinquefasciatus. A simple measure was taken to eradicate the vector using nanoemulsion. Eucalyptus oil nanoemulsion was formulated in various ratios comprising of eucalyptus oil, tween 80 and water by ultrasonication. The stability of nanoemulsion was observed over a period of time and 1:2 ratios of eucalyptus oil (6%) and surfactant (12%) was found to be stable. The formulated eucalyptus oil nanoemulsion was characterized by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The nanoemulsion droplets were found to have a Z-average diameter of 9.4 nm and were spherical in shape. The larvicidal activity of eucalyptus oil nanoemulsion and bulk emulsion was tested and compared. Our nanoemulsion showed higher activity when compared to bulk emulsion. The histopathology of larvae-treated and untreated nanoemulsion was analyzed. Furthermore, biochemical assays were carried out to examine the effect of nanoemulsion on biochemical characteristics of larvae. The treated larval homogenate showed decrease in total protein content and a significant reduction in the levels of acetylcholinesterase. The levels of acid and alkaline phosphatase also showed reduction as compared to control larval homogenate.
Dysplasia in Chronic Ulcerative Colitis: A Molecular Approach to Its Differential Diagnosis

Ulcerative colitis-related epithelial dysplasia represents a premalignant lesion, which may lead to the development of ulcerative colitis-related adenocarcinoma. The proper management of this condition requires proctocolectomy before the acquisition of the invasive phenotype. Patients with chronic ulcerative colitis, however, like the general population, may develop sporadic colorectal adenomas not related to the presence of the inflammatory bowel disease. These adenomas are also characterized by epithelial dysplasia, but their detection carries very different clinical implications. It is therefore essential to distinguish between chronic ulcerative colitis-related dysplasia and sporadic colorectal adenomas. The gross and histologic features do not provide a definite distinction between these two different types of dysplasia of the colonic epithelium. Recent developments in the molecular genetics may provide the necessary means.
Physiological Characterization of the ARO10-Dependent, Broad-Substrate-Specificity 2-Oxo Acid Decarboxylase Activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT Aerobic, glucose-limited chemostat cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK113-7D were grown with different nitrogen sources. Cultures grown with phenylalanine, leucine, or methionine as a nitrogen source contained high levels of the corresponding fusel alcohols and organic acids, indicating activity of the Ehrlich pathway. Also, fusel alcohols derived from the other two amino acids were detected in the supernatant, suggesting the involvement of a common enzyme activity. Transcript level analysis revealed that among the five thiamine-pyrophospate-dependent decarboxylases (PDC1, PDC5, PDC6, ARO10, and THI3), only ARO10 was transcriptionally up-regulated when phenylalanine, leucine, or methionine was used as a nitrogen source compared to growth on ammonia, proline, and asparagine. Moreover, 2-oxo acid decarboxylase activity measured in cell extract from CEN.PK113-7D grown with phenylalanine, methionine, or leucine displayed similar broad-substrate 2-oxo acid decarboxylase activity. Constitutive expression of ARO10 in ethanol-limited chemostat cultures in a strain lacking the five thiamine-pyrophosphate-dependent decarboxylases, grown with ammonia as a nitrogen source, led to a measurable decarboxylase activity with phenylalanine-, leucine-, and methionine-derived 2-oxo acids. Moreover, even with ammonia as the nitrogen source, these cultures produced significant amounts of the corresponding fusel alcohols. Nonetheless, the constitutive expression of ARO10 in an isogenic wild-type strain grown in a glucose-limited chemostat with ammonia did not lead to any 2-oxo acid decarboxylase activity. Furthermore, even when ARO10 was constitutively expressed, growth with phenylalanine as the nitrogen source led to increased decarboxylase activities in cell extracts. The results reported here indicate the involvement of posttranscriptional regulation and/or a second protein in the ARO10-dependent, broad-substrate-specificity decarboxylase activity.