Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early stopping turbo iteration at low SNR for CE-based stopping criteria

The Cross-Entropy-based (CE-based) stopping criteria advantage is able to terminate early in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) while maintain the bit error rate (BER) performance. Unfortunately, the criteria fails to cope with low SNR region and make the decoder iterates until maximum or infinite iteration. This paper proposed an early termination technique at low SNR for the CE-based stopping criteria using the decoding threshold derived by the measurement of reliability (MOR) at low SNR. In the simulation results and analysis, we compare the average iteration number (AIN) and the bit-error rate (BER) performance between the proposed combination methods with the existing CE-based stopping criteria. From the results, the combination method capable to reduce the AIN at low SNR with minimum one AIN while maintaining the AIN at high SNR as the traditional method. This significant reduction could reduce delay and complexity of existing CE-based stopping criteria while maintaining the BER performances.
Kinetic-dynamic modeling of lymphocytopenia induced by the combined action of dexamethasone and hydrocortisone in humans, after inhalation and intravenous administration of dexamethasone.

Ten healthy male volunteers received 5 mg of dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DEX) i.v. and, on an other occasion, by way of nebulization. Plasma DEX and hydrocortisone (HC) concentrations as well as blood lymphocyte count (BLC) were monitored over 12 hr and at 24 to 28 hr after DEX administration. Bioavailability of DEX after inhalation was about 27% of DEX i.v. DEX-induced depletion of plasma HC could be predicted with a pharmacokinetic model. The reonset rate of HC-production was dependent of DEX dose. BLCs declined after DEX administration, reaching a minimum between 4- and 8-hr postdosing. The DEX- and HC-induced depression of BLC could be described by an integrated pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic competitive-interaction model that assumes that both agonists act on the same receptor. With this model the potency and efficacy of DEX and HC with respect to lymphocytopenia could be estimated simultaneously. The potency of DEX was 10 times greater than the potency of HC. The estimated efficacy suggests that HC is only a partial agonist; the maximal lymphocytopenic effect (Emax) of HC was estimated at 80% (27-99%) of the efficacy of DEX. Our results indicate that DEX should be preferred instead of HC in conditions in which the lymphocytopenic effect is the primary systemic corticosteroid treatment goal.
Hippocampal Sclerosis and Ubiquitin-Positive Inclusions in Dementia Lacking Distinctive Histopathology

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of ubiquitin-positive inclusions (UPI) in dementia lacking distinctive histology (DLDH), and their relationship to other pathologic features, such as hippocampal sclerosis (HpScl), as well as genetic factors. Routine and immunohistochemical studies were carried out in a consecutive series of 29 cases of DLDH. 83% of the cases had UPI, while HpScl was demonstrated in 76%. There was no significant correlation among pathologic features or between pathologic features and genetic factors. The high prevalence of UPI demonstrated in this study implies that DLDH is similar to motor neuron disease inclusion dementia. The high prevalence of HpScl may be the cause of some of the clinical features observed in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
Distal Soft Tissue Procedure and Proximal Metatarsal Osteotomy in Hallux Valgus

The results of a distal soft tissue procedure and a proximal metatarsal osteotomy in patients with symptomatic hallux valgus deformity were reviewed. The series consisted of 33 patients (47 feet; mean age of patients, 44 years). The average followup period was 48 months. At followup, 41 feet (29 patients, 85%) were free from pain at the first metatarsophalangeal joint. In six feet (four patients), the pain was improved but persisted. The mean hallux valgus angle was 38° before surgery and 13.8° after surgery. The mean intermetatarsal angle was 17.7° before surgery and 7° after surgery. The postoperative hallux valgus angle and intermetatarsal angle in patients who had pain at the first metatarsophalangeal joint after surgery were greater than those in patients without pain after surgery. This procedure corrects the hallux valgus deformity and relieves the symptoms, but careful attention should be paid to the surgical technique to obtain consistent and satisfactory results.
Functional asymmetry of cortical motor control in left‐handed subjects

WE used positron emission tomography (PET) to investigate which cortical motor areas are active in relation to unilateral dominant or non-dominant finger movements in left-handed subjects. The right premotor area was activated by both contralateral and ipsilateral finger movements, in contrast to the primary motor, the left premotor and supplementary motor areas in which activation was only by contralateral movements. Bilateral finger movements activated all of these areas. We conclude that there exists cortical asymmetry for motor control in left-handers which is different from that apparent in right-handers.
Redundancy method to assess electromigration lifetime in power Grid design

The tendency of semiconductor market to increase component density in small chip leads to reliability issues such as Electromigration (EM). This phenomenon becomes critical in deep submicron design technology. In this paper we assess chip power grid lifetimes by taking into account redundant paths contribution in case of EM degradation. The application of this method for wire lifetime validation of a 32nm microprocessor has reduced significantly wires susceptible to EM given by simulation tools.
R2D2 Organizes Small Regulatory RNA Pathways in Drosophila

ABSTRACT Drosophila microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are generally produced by different Dicer enzymes (Dcr-1 and Dcr-2) and sorted to functionally distinct Argonaute effectors (AGO1 and AGO2). However, there is cross talk between these pathways, as highlighted by the recognition that Drosophila miRNA* strands (the partner strands of mature miRNAs) are generated by Dcr-1 but are preferentially sorted to AGO2. Here, we show that a component of the siRNA loading complex, R2D2, is essential both to load endogenously encoded siRNAs (endo-siRNAs) into AGO2 and to prevent endo-siRNAs from binding to AGO1. Northern blot analysis and deep sequencing showed that in the r2d2 mutant, all classes of endo-siRNAs were unable to load AGO2 and instead accumulated in the AGO1 complex. Such redirection was specific to endo-siRNAs and was not observed with miRNA* strands. We observed functional consequences of altered sorting in RNA interference (RNAi) mutants, since endo-siRNAs generated from cis-natural antisense transcripts (cis-NAT-siRNA) exhibited evidence for biased maturation as single strands in AGO1 according to thermodynamic asymmetry and a hairpin-derived endo-siRNA formed cleavage-competent complexes with AGO1 upon mutation of r2d2. Finally, we demonstrated a direct role for the R2D2/Dcr-2 heterodimer in sensing central mismatch positions that direct miRNA* strands to AGO2. Together, these data reveal new roles of R2D2 in organizing small RNA networks in Drosophila.
Effects of cobalt nanoparticles on artemisinin production and gene expression in Artemisia annua

The low artemisinin content in Artemisia has caused this compound to be expensive among medicines. Several attempts have been made to increase its production by altering the expression of different genes. However, no approach has been cost-effective. In this study, the expression levels of SQS and DBR2 genes were quantified by qRT-PCR, and artemisinin content was measured by HPLC in Artemisia annua cell suspension culture under nano cobalt particles elicitation. For this purpose, nano cobalt particles were used in 0.25, 2.5, and 5 mg L-1 concentrations and samples were collected after 8, 24, 48, and 72 h. The highest artemisinin content was observed 24 h after 5 mg L-1 nano cobalt treatment. In this case, artemisinin production was 2.25-fold (113.35 mg g-1 dw) higher than that of the control. Simultaneously, the expression levels of SQS and DBR2 genes decreased. It appears that the decrease in the expression of SQS and DBR2 genes caused the artemisinin content to increase by high concentrations of the nano cobalt particles.
A Retrospective Study on the Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis C Infection in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kolkata, India

Hepatitis C is a parenterally transmitted hepatotropic virus which is more commonly associated with chronic active hepatitis whereas acute phase of the disease mostly remain unnoticed due to paucity of symptoms. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) impacts the global health system to a large extent being responsible for significant morbidity & mortality as HCV can lead to chronic liver disease causing cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and end-stage liver disease among 5-20 per cent of infected persons (Touzet et al., 2000). HCVassociated liver disease progression tends to be accelerated among individuals who are older, drink alcohol and are co-infected with ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 4 Number 3 (2015) pp. 115-123 http://www.ijcmas. com
National Cancer Data Base report on osteosarcoma of the head and neck

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone malignancy overall but is encountered infrequently in the head and neck. Limited data are available on the significance of prognostics factors and results of therapy for patients with head and neck osteosarcoma (HNOS). It is known that surgical therapy is critical to successful outcome. The impact of adjuvant chemotherapy has not been defined well.
Telephone Speech Comprehension with Use of the Nucleus Cochlear Implant

The reported telephone usage by cochlear implant recipients has become a major issue of controversy. Although patients and clinicians report good communication skills via the telephone, no standardized tests have been used and no quantifiable results have been reported. In an effort to determine the extent to which our better-performing patients can use the telephone, we established a clinical protocol to assess their ability to recognize speech, taking into consideration the problems inherent in telephone testing. Eight cochlear implant recipients were administered the NU-6 Monosyllabic Word Test and the City University of New York Topic Related Sentences under the following listening conditions: soundfield in a soundproof suite and via telephone within the hospital, locally, and long-distance. Twenty-three percent of the patients implanted at New York University Medical Center demonstrated a significant degree of telephone communication ability.
Purification and characterization of a T cell specific serine proteinase (TSP‐1) from cloned cytolytic T lymphocytes.

We describe the purification of a T cell specific serine proteinase derived from a cloned murine cytolytic T lymphocyte line. Analysis of the enzyme by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a mol. wt of approximately 60 kd under non‐reducing conditions and of approximately 30 kd under reducing conditions. The proteinase cleaves the model peptide substrate H‐D‐Pro‐Phe‐Arg‐NA, at the 4 nitroanilide (NA) group with high efficiency. Much lower or no activity of the enzyme is found against synthetic peptide substrates carrying other amino acid (AA) sequences at position P2, P3 adjacent to L‐arginine or against substrates in which AA other than L‐arginine are bound to the NA group. Optimal pH for the cleavage of H‐D‐Pro‐Phe‐Arg‐NA is in the range of 8.0‐8.5. The enzyme is strongly inhibited by inhibitors of serine proteinases, diisopropylfluorophosphate, phenylmethane‐sulfonyl fluoride, m‐aminobenzamidine, aprotinin, and leupeptin but not by inhibitors of either thiol‐, metallo‐ or carboxyl‐proteinases. We propose the designation TSP‐1 (T‐cell derived serine proteinase 1) for this enzyme. TSP‐1 has the capacity to stimulate B lymphocytes for proliferation in the absence of antigen.
Relational data completeness in the presence of maybe-tuples

Some data models use so-called maybe-tuples to express the uncertainty, whether or not a tuple belongs to a relation. In order to score this relation's quality in a meaningful way the corresponding vagueness needs to be taken into account. Current metrics of quality dimensions are not designed to deal with this uncertainty and therefore need to be adapted. One major quality dimension is data completeness. In general, there are two basic ways to distinguish maybe-tuples from definite-tuples. First, an attribute serving as a maybe indicator (values YES or NO) can be used. Second, confidence values can be specified. In this paper, the notion of data completeness is redefined w.r. t. both concepts. Thus, a more precise estimation of quality in databases with maybe-tuples (e.g. probabilistic databases or fuzzy databases) is enabled.
Características generales del español hablado por inmigrantes rumanos en Castellón de la Plana

Patrick Roesler estudió Filología Hispánica, Portuguesa y Latina en la Universidad Humboldt de Berlín, Alemania. Desde octubre del 2007 hasta enero del 2011 hizo un doctorado en la Universidad de Freiburg im Breisgau, Alemania, en el ámbito de la sociolingüística hispánica, a saber, sobre las lenguas española y rumana que actualmente se encuentran en contacto a causa de la inmigración de miles de rumanos a la Península Ibérica que se pudo observar especialmente en los últimos diez años. Sus intereses de investigador están dirigidos, entre otras, a la sociolingüística, la problemática de las lenguas en contacto, la lingüística comparada y la evolución de las lenguas románicas del latín.
Balanced truncation for linear switched systems with time-varying delay: Continuous-time case

This paper investigates the problem of model reduction based on balanced truncation method for continuous-time linear switched systems with time-varying delay. For a given stable system, our attention is focused on the construction of reduced-order model, which not only approximates the original system well but also is translated into a linear lower-dimensional system. Specifically in the paper, we use the generalized dissipation inequalities that is in conjunction with a suitably defined storage function in [7] to obtain the reduced order models. Finally, an illustrative example is provided to state the feasibility of the obtained results.
An Efficient Identity-Based Deniable Authenticated Encryption Scheme

Deniable authentication protocol allows a sender to deny his/her involvement after the protocol run and a receiver can identify the true source of a given message. Meanwhile, the receiver has no ability to convince any third party of the fact that the message was sent by the specific sender. However, most of the proposed protocols didn’t achieve confidentiality of the transmitted message. But, in some special application scenarios such as e-mail system, electronic voting and Internet negotiations, not only the property of deniable authentication but also message confidentiality are needed. To settle this problem, in this paper, we present a non-interactive identity-based deniable authenticated encryption (IBDAE) scheme using pairings. We give the security model and formal proof of the presented IBDAE scheme in the random oracle model under bilinear Diffie-Hellman (BDH) assumption.
Attempt to fulfil Koch's postulates for pyloric Campylobacter

A volunteer with histologically normal gastric mucosa received pyloric Campylobacter by mouth. A mild illness developed, which lasted 14 days. Histologically proven gastritis was present on the tenth day after the ingestion of bacteria, but this had largely resolved by the fourteenth day. The syndrome of acute pyloric Campylobacter gastritis is described. It is proposed that this disorder may progress to a chronic infection which predisposes to peptic ulceration.
A scalable bit-stream packetization and adaptive rate control framework for object-based video multicast

Layered and agent-based transmission schemes have been recommended as the solutions to the inherent heterogeneity problem of video multicast over the Internet. Such schemes either require the integration of a scalable codec and a layered transport protocol, or involve computationally intensive transcoding at the application level. In addition, how to support user interactions for object-based video applications (e.g. MPEG-4) has seldom been considered. To address these problems, we present a novel framework specifically designed for object-based video multicast. First, we propose a novel bit-stream re-organization and packetization scheme by taking: advantage of the error resilience and concealment features in the MPEG-4 object-based codec. Second, we introduce the concept of a Video Transmission Agent (VTA) that eliminates the need for application level transcoding and works well with network-level rate control algorithm. We demonstrate that the combination of such approaches not only enables adaptive rate control more efficiently but also significantly reduces system complexity.
Study of Hemoglobinopathies in Patients of Anemia using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) in Western India

Introduction: In India, major cause of anaemia is nutritional deficiencies which can be treated by medications. Hemoglobinopathies are the most common inherited red cell disorders worldwide. Most clinically significant hemoglobinopathies are inherited defects of the beta (β) globin chain of adult haemoglobin. Identification of these disorders is immensely important epidemiologically and for improved management protocols. Our aim is to detect the haemoglobin disorders in patients with anaemia and to assess the suitability of using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) routinely for screening patients with anaemia. Methods: A total of 500 cases of patient’s with anaemia having haemoglobin up to 11 gm% were studied for routine haematological investigations and by HPLC for diagnosing any abnormal haemoglobin disorder by BIO RAD ‘VARIANT’ analyser. Results: Out of 500 cases of anaemia studied, 43 cases showed abnormal haemoglobin fractions on HPLC. Of these, 26 cases of the beta Thalassemia trait was the predominant abnormality (5.2%). There were 6 cases of sickle cell trait patients (1.2%), 4cases of high Hb F patients (0.8%) and 2 cases of Hb D Punjab heterozygous patients (0.4%). Other hemoglobinopathies were also identified in smaller proportions. Conclusion: HPLC is very simple, accurate and superior technique in early detection of various haemoglobin disorders, which helps in early management of patients.
Retinoic acid signaling in development: Tissue‐specific functions and evolutionary origins

Retinoic acid (RA) is a vitamin A‐derived morphogen important for axial patterning and organ formation in developing vertebrates and invertebrate chordates (tunicates and cephalochordates). Recent analyses of genomic data have revealed that the molecular components of the RA signaling cascade are also present in other invertebrate groups, such as hemichordates and sea urchins. In this review, we reassess the evolutionary origins of the RA signaling pathway by examining the presence of key factors of this signaling cascade in different metazoan genomes and by comparing tissue‐specific roles for RA during development of different animals. This discussion of genomic and developmental data suggests that RA signaling might have originated earlier in metazoan evolution than previously thought. On the basis of this hypothesis, we conclude by proposing a scenario for the evolution of RA functions during development, which highlights functional gains and lineage‐specific losses during metazoan diversification. genesis 46:640–656, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Side-Coupled Microstrip Open-Loop Resonator for Harmonic-Suppressed Bandpass Filters

A side-coupled microstrip open-loop resonator is presented for design of harmonic-suppressed bandpass filters with compact size. In geometry, the open-ended microstrip feed line is put in close proximity to the loop resonator at the opposite side of an opened-gap. In design, its length is properly lengthened to establish the orthogonal even- and odd-symmetrical current distributions along the two coupled strip conductors. It thus results in cancellation the 1st parasitic resonance. The two-stage open-loop filter is first constructed and its performance is studied under varied feed line lengths. Furthermore, a four-stage filter block is optimally designed at 2.52 GHz and its circuit sample is fabricated with the overall length less than 60% of one guided wavelength. The measured insertion loss at the 1st harmonic is higher than 30 dB, the stopband covers the range from 2.8 GHz to 7.0 GHz, and the dominant pass band width is about 9.0%.
Experimental Yersinia enterocolitica infection in rodents: A model for human yersiniosis

Yersinia enterocolitica infection in humans causes a broad spectrum of diseases ranging from acute bowel disease to extraintestinal manifestations such as reactive arthritis, erythema nodosum and uveitis. During the last decade a fascinating part of the molecular biology of the pathogenicity of human pathogenic Yersinia species has been unraveled. Pathogenicity factors such as protein tyrosine phosphatase, protein kinase, thrombin‐ and collagen‐binding factors have been identified and characterized on the molecular level. In contrast to many animal models for human enteropathogenic microorganisms, experimental Y. enterocolitica infection in rodents resembles yersiniosis in humans and thus offers extraordinary opportunities to study the sequential steps of the infectious process. Rabbits are suitable animals in which to study Yersinia‐induced enteritis (enterotoxin‐mediated) and the humoral immune response after oral infection. The role of Peyer's patches (PP) in the entry of enteropathogenic Yersinia species has been elucidated in mice and rabbits. M cells are probably the primary target cells of invading Yersiniae. Surprisingly, after penetration of the mucosal epithelial cell layer Yersinia bacilli were visualized to be exclusively extracellular in PP tissue. Obviously neutrophils within PP were unable to phagocytize the invading microorganisms. Presently, it is not clear how the microorganisms disseminate from PP into lymph nodes, spleen, liver and lung of mice where they form abscesses and granuloma‐like lesions. Immunohistologically the involvement of macrophages and T cells could be demonstrated in Yersinia‐induced lesions of mice. Direct evidence for the role of T cells and cytokine‐activated macrophages in the host defense reaction against a primary Yersinia infection in mice could be obtained from experiments including adoptive transfer of Yersinia‐specific T cells and in vivo neutralization of TNF‐alpha and IFN‐gamma. The experimental rat model turned out to be a suitable model for studying Yersinia‐induced aseptic arthritis. Lewis‐and SHR rats proved to be arthritis‐susceptible. Arthritogenicity of Yersinia for rats appeared to be restricted to Y. enterocolitica of serotype 08 and correlated with the virulence potential of this serotype. Surprisingly, expression of YadA, the collagen‐binding factor, was not necessary for arthritis induction. A close association between both susceptibility to arthritis induction and Yersinia infection could be demonstrated in various rat strains. Depletion of alpha/beta T‐cell receptor (αβ‐TCR)‐positive T cells by treatment with αβ‐TCR‐specific antibody revealed that T cells were required for clearance of the pathogen. However, in contrast to e.g. adjuvant arthritis, Yersinia‐induced arthritis in Lewis rats was not affected by T‐cell depletion. Thus, we expect significant differences between the pathomechanisms of Yersinia‐triggered arthritis and antigen‐induced arthritis in Lewis rats.