Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Frequency Synchronization Method for Multiple Access in Direct Spectrum Division Transmission

This paper introduces a frequency synchronization method applicable to multiple access in direct spectrum division transmission (DSDT). In the transmitter (Tx) side, DSDT divides the single carrier modulated signal into multiple sub-spectra and assigns them to unused frequency resources. In the receiver (Rx) side, the divided sub-spectra are recombined and the single carrier modulated signal is regenerated. To realize multiple access in DSDT, we propose a frequency synchronization method that changes the filter coefficients of the combining filter sequentially based on the estimated frequency compensation value, and establishes frequency synchronization after the spectrum combination filter bank. Experiments show that it holds the C/N degradation to less than 0.7dB, regardless of the spectrum division number.
Theory of nonlinear phononics for coherent light control of solids

We present a microscopic theory for ultrafast control of solids with high-intensity terahertz frequency optical pulses. When resonant with selected infrared-active vibrations, these pulses transiently modify the crystal structure and lead to new collective electronic properties. The theory predicts the dynamical path taken by the crystal lattice using first-principles calculations of the energy surface and classical equations of motion, as well as symmetry considerations. Two classes of dynamics are identified. In the perturbative regime, displacements along the normal mode coordinate of symmetry-preserving Raman active modes can be achieved by cubic anharmonicities. This explains the light-induced insulator-to-metal transition reported experimentally in manganites. We predict a regime in which ultrafast instabilities that break crystal symmetry can be induced. This nonperturbative effect involves a quartic anharmonic coupling and occurs above a critical threshold, below which the nonlinear dynamics of the driven mode displays softening and dynamical stabilization.
Testing for laryngopharyngeal reflux in exhaled breath condensate: a pilot study

Sir, Laryngopharyngeal reflux describes the retrograde flow of gastric contents into the upper-aerodigestive tract. It is considered a distinct entity, differing from gastroesophageal reflux in its symptoms, pathophysiology and clinical sequelae. Laryngopharyngeal reflux has been implicated in reflux-laryngitis, obstructive sleep apnoea, laryngeal cancer, laryngomalacia, laryngospasm, subglottic stenosis and otitis media. However, the exact role of laryngopharyngeal reflux in disease pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Patients with reflux-attributed laryngeal symptoms and endoscopic signs fail to respond to acid-suppression therapy as well as gastroesophageal reflux patients. Such symptoms/signs are also quite nonspecific, creating potential for over-diagnosis and inappropriate use of acidsuppression therapy. Furthermore, multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring studies (MII-pH) have demonstrated a positive symptom/reflux association despite a nonacidic refluxate in conjunction with persistent PPI therapy. Gastric refluxate contains pepsin, a proteolytic enzyme produced only in the stomach, injurious to laryngeal/ pharyngeal mucosa. While acid is susceptible to dilution by salivary and oesophageal secretions in the hypopharynx, pepsin retains cytotoxic activity at pH levels of 6.5 and is only irreversibly inactivated at pH 8. MII offers an advantage over pHmonitoring by detecting nonacidic reflux, but is not universally available. Pepsin detection directly from saliva/ sputum suggests that extra-oesophageal reflux has occurred. Our department aimed to evaluate whether pepsin could be detected in exhaled breath condensate samples from outpatients with symptoms indicative of laryngopharyngeal reflux. Subjects were recruited by the senior author (DJW) and instructed to breathe into oxygen-tubing coiled within a plastic box containing ice (Fig. 1). A universal specimen pot was attached distally for exhaled breath condensate collection. The time taken for samples to be obtained ranged from 8 to 20 min. Citric acid was added as a preservative, and samples were immediately sent for Peptest analysis. Of the six patients recruited, two tested positive for pepsin. The reflux symptom index for each patient did not correlate with their pepsin test result (patient A: female, reflux symptom index 29, pepsin positive; patient B: male, reflux symptom index 17, pepsin positive; patients C, D, E, F: all male, reflux symptom index 30, 29, 22, 14, respectively, pepsin all negative). Current methods for the diagnosis of extra-oesophageal reflux lack the sensitivity to detect infrequent, weakly acidic proximal refluxate implicated in upper respiratory tract pathology. Exhaled breath condensate pepsin assay offers an inexpensive, non-invasive technique for detecting laryngopharyngeal reflux. Studies with greater subject numbers/ control groups are required and should consider the timing of testing in relation to symptoms to reliably elucidate the specificity/sensitivity of exhaled breath condensate as a diagnostic tool.
An Application of the Logitboost Ensemble Algorithm in Loan Appraisals

Mitigation of credit risk is a key aspect of portfolio management in any financial institution. This is primarily due to difficulties in uncovering uncertainties in information provided by credit applicants and also due to lack of reliable automated techniques that would improve the efficiency of manual underwriting procedures. In this paper, we report on the results of a MSc. Thesis 1 in the application of an ensemble learning algorithm in development of a computer program that can greatly enhance the underwriting process. The implementation was based on the java netbeans development platform to create an interface that was used to train a model and its subsequent use in predicting credit decisions. The results obtained proved that such a mechanism can be applied to augment manual credit appraising processes, especially where large volumes of applications are to be processed within limited timeframes.
Variations of hepatitis C virus NS5B sequence (nucleotides 8261–8566) do not correlate with response to interferon‐α therapy

Summary. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an RNA virus with the NS5B gene encoding an RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase. Interferon‐α (IFN‐α) is effective against HCV and its effect is believed to be related to its antiviral activity. To determine whether sequence variations of the HCV NS5B region correlate with response to IFN therapy, pretreatment serum samples from 40 patients with chronic HCV infection who were subsequently treated with IFN (≥3 MU thrice weekly for 24 weeks) and had well‐characterized biochemical responses were studied. Reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) was performed to generate an approximately 365‐bp fragment from which nucleotide sequence and genotypes were determined. By comparing the nucleotide sequences and the encoded amino acid sequences of samples from each group, no response group‐specific nucleotide or encoded amino acid substitution was identified. Most of the substitutions identified were synonymous (usually by changes at the third position of the codon). These data suggest that these substitutions were selective rather than spontaneous events. Of the few non‐synonymous substitutions identified, none was correlated with subsequent response to IFN, either within or across genotypes.
Sports-Specialized Intensive Training and the Risk of Injury in Young Athletes

Background: Data are lacking regarding the independent risk of injury related to intense single-sport training or growth rate in young athletes. Purpose: To determine whether sports specialization, weekly training volumes, and growth rates are associated with increased risk for injury and serious overuse injury in young athletes. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Injured athletes aged 7 to 18 years were recruited from 2 hospital-based sports medicine clinics and compared with healthy controls from affiliated primary care clinics undergoing sports physicals (2010-2013). Participants completed surveys reporting hours per week spent in organized sports, physical education class, and free play, as well as degree of sports specialization and Tanner stage. Heights and weights were measured. Injury details were obtained from athlete surveys and electronic medical records. Results: Of 1214 athletes enrolled, 1190 (50.7% male) had data satisfactory for analysis. There were 822 injured participants (49.5% male; unique injuries, n = 846) and 368 uninjured participants (55% male). Injured athletes were older than uninjured athletes (14.1 ± 2.1 vs 12.9 ± 2.6 years; P < .001) and reported more total hours of physical activity (19.6 ± 9.2 vs 17.6 ± 8.9 h/wk; P < .001) and organized sports activity (11.2 ± 2.6 vs 9.1 ± 6.3 h/wk; P < .01). After accounting for age and hours in sports activity spent per week, sports-specialized training was an independent risk for injury (odds ratio [OR], 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07-1.52; P < .01) and serious overuse injury (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.08-1.72; P < .01). Young athletes participating in more hours of sports per week than number of age in years (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.40-3.05; P < .001) or whose ratio of organized sports to free play time was >2:1 hours/week had increased odds of having a serious overuse injury (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.26-2.76; P < .01). Growth rates were similar between injured and uninjured athletes (4.8 cm/y for both groups; P = .96). Conclusion: Injured young athletes were older and spent more hours per week in organized sports. There is an independent risk of injury and serious overuse injury in young athletes who specialize in a single sport. Growth rate was not related to injury risk. The study data provide guidance for clinicians counseling young athletes and their parents regarding injury risks associated with sports specialization.
Rapeseed Cakes as an Important Feed Raw Material for Laying Hens

Abstract The aim of our paper was to present the results of in vivo experiment. We carried out an experiment with a final type of hens Shaver Starcross 288 which fed a feed mixture with a share of the rapeseed cakes. The effectiveness of the feed mixture was followed mainly in relation to production indicators. The laying hens were placed individually in enriched battery cages. The trial was conducted in the first period of the laying cycle, laying hens’ age from 22 to 42 weeks. The experimental results confirmed that the rapeseed cakes are suitable feed raw material for laying hens. A proportion of 5% rapeseed cakes in the feed mixture are optimal with respect to maintaining body weight of laying hens and suitable to productive indexes, like are laying intensity and weight of table eggs.
Analysis of optimized micro-rotating-structure for MEMS

The paper presents an optimized micro-rotating structure for local measurement of residual strain in a thin film. The structure is composed of two actuating beams and an indicating beam. An analytical model is derived to relate the measured displacement to the residual strain of the thin film. Finite-element modeling is also used to confirm the model.
Cell Cycle Synchronization at the G2/M Phase Border by Reversible Inhibition of CDK1

Chemical agents for cell cycle synchronization have greatly facilitated the study of biochemical events driving cell cycle progression. G1, S and M phase inhibitors have been developed and used widely in cell cycle research. However, currently there are no effective G2 phase inhibitors and synchronization of cultured cells in G2 phase has been challenging. Recently, a selective CDK1 inhibitor, RO-3306, has been identified that reversibly arrests proliferating human cells at the G2/M phase border and provides a novel means for cell cycle synchronization. A single-step protocol using RO-3306 permits the synchronization of >95% of cycling cancer cells in G2 phase. RO-3306 arrested cells enter mitosis rapidly after release from the G2 block thus allowing for isolation of mitotic cells without microtubule poisons. RO-3306 represents a new molecular tool for studying CDK1 function in human cells.
Recent Progresses in Mid Infrared Nanocrystal Optoelectronics

Over the past few years, colloidal nanoparticles have started to be investigated for their optical properties in the mid-infrared, past 3 μm. Research on detector application has led to background limited detection and fast video imaging at 5 μm. With further development, one could imagine that these new materials could vastly reduce the costs of infrared technology and this would lead to a trove of new applications for infrared imaging into our daily lives. This paper reviews the progress regarding the optical, transport, and photodetection properties of thin film based on these materials, and the three different ways by which infrared resonances have been realized with colloidal nanoparticles: interband absorption with small gap semiconductor quantum dots, intraband absorption in lightly doped quantum dots, and plasmonic resonances in heavily doped nanocrystals.
GENETIC CONTROL OF VERY EARLY MAMMALIAN DEVELOPMENT

The overall picture of mammalian preimplantation development is one of complex but integrated molecular activity. As development progresses from the 1 cell stage, blastomeres acquire properties that differ from those of cells of previous stages and eventually differ from one another even at the same stage. The evidence concerning the role of the embryonic genome during this process can be summarized under two headings:
Ecology, life history and resource allocation in the ant, Leptothorax nylanderi

We aimed at identifying the causal basis of previously shown interrelations between demographic and genetic colony structure, ecological factors and split sex ratios in the ant, Leptothorax nylanderi. Colony‐level variation in sex allocation was only partly explained by annual fluctuations during eight study years and by resource availability as indicated by sexual production of colonies. Allocation ratios were highly male‐biased in dense populations with ephemeral nest sites and high frequencies of colonies containing several unrelated matrilines. Field observations and experimental manipulations showed that nest site limitation leads to such heterogeneous colonies. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that genetic heterogeneity directly causes male‐biased investment, although relatedness asymmetry is not influenced by invasion of unrelated queens. The influence of genetic composition on allocation strategies might either be explained by negative feedback mechanisms connected with habitat saturation or by a lower efficiency of heterogeneous colonies. Our results thus demonstrate which factors other than variation in relatedness asymmetry can explain split sex ratios in ants. An empirical test of a model on reproductive allocation revealed on‐going queen–worker conflict over colony growth and sexual reproduction. Workers controlled reproductive allocation, but queen–worker conflict ceased in large colonies with a high survival rate.
COMPARISON OF NORMAL HUMAN SKIN GENE EXPRESSION USING CDNA MICROARRAYS

Perturbations in normal wound healing may be traced to perturbations in gene expression in uninjured skin. In order to decipher normal and abnormal genetic responses to cutaneous injury, baseline gene expression in uninjured skin must first be defined. There is little data on gene expression profiles of normal human skin, i.e., which genes tend to be variable in expression and which tend to remain comparable. Therefore this study was designed to determine the degree of variability in human skin mRNA expression. Samples of normal skin were obtained from 9 healthy females undergoing breast reduction surgery. RNA was extracted, reverse transcribed into radiolabeled cDNA and hybridized onto cDNA microarrays of ∼4400 genes. Gene expression intensities from the 9 samples were normalized and compared as a ratio of highest/lowest expression intensity. Deviation greater than 2 standard deviations from the mean of each gene was used as a cut‐off. Seventy‐one genes (1.7%) were substantially variable in their expression. These included genes coding for transport proteins, gene transcription, cell signaling proteins, and cell surface proteins. We found minimal variability in the matrix genes, growth factor genes and other groups of genes that are the most often studied in wound healing research. A small but definite variability in gene expression across 9 samples of clinically comparable specimens of normal skin was detected. This is in keeping with clinical observations of the variability in normal skin across individuals. These data provide high‐throughput comparison of normal skin gene expression and suggest new molecules that may be studied in skin biology and perhaps, wound repair.
Non-medical use of prescription opioids is associated with heroin initiation among US veterans: a prospective cohort study.

AIMS To estimate the influence of non-medical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) on heroin initiation among US veterans receiving medical care. DESIGN Using a multivariable Cox regression model, we analyzed data from a prospective, multi-site, observational study of HIV-infected and an age/race/site-matched control group of HIV-uninfected veterans in care in the United States. Approximately annual behavioral assessments were conducted and contained self-reported measures of NMUPO and heroin use. SETTING Veterans Health Administration (VHA) infectious disease and primary care clinics in Atlanta, Baltimore, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. PARTICIPANTS A total of 3396 HIV-infected and uninfected patients enrolled into the Veterans Aging Cohort Study who reported no life-time NMUPO or heroin use, had no opioid use disorder diagnoses at baseline and who were followed between 2002 and 2012. MEASUREMENTS The primary outcome measure was self-reported incident heroin use and the primary exposure of interest was new-onset NMUPO. Our final model was adjusted for socio-demographics, pain interference, prior diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression and self-reported other substance use. FINDINGS Using a multivariable Cox regression model, we found that non-medical use of prescription opioids NMUPO was associated positively and independently with heroin initiation [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) = 5.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.01, 7.35]. CONCLUSIONS New-onset non-medical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) is a strong risk factor for heroin initiation among HIV-infected and uninfected veterans in the United States who reported no previous history of NMUPO or illicit opioid use.
Influence on early osseointegration of dental implants installed with two different drilling protocols: a histomorphometric study in rabbit.

OBJECTIVE to evaluate early osseointegration of dental implants installed with two different drilling protocols. MATERIAL AND METHODS thirty-six cylindrical shape Mozo Grau implants, with a diameter of 3.75 and 11 mm long, were placed into the distal condyle (submerged) of each femur of 18 New Zealand rabbits. In the control group, a 3.3 mm diameter drill was used as the last one prior implant installation (standard protocol). In the test group, the same procedure was carried out but an additional 3.5 mm drill was used as the final one (oversized protocol) Thus, we could obtain different primary stability at day 0 between groups. Sacrifice of the animals was after 2, 4 and 8 weeks. Histomorphometric analysis (bone-to-implant contact ratio [BIC%]) and implant stability quotient (ISQ) values (Ostell ) were registered at each sacrifice time. RESULTS the ISQ values were statistically significant different between groups at day 0 (control: 69.65; test: 64.81); and after 2 weeks (control: 77.93; test: 74). However, after 4 and 8 weeks the results were similar. BIC% showed a similar tendency, with 58.69% for the control group and 40.94% for the test group after 2 weeks, this difference being statistically significant. At 4- and 8-week interval, BIC% was similar. CONCLUSION at 2-week interval (early healing), osseointegration had been influenced by different primary stability at implant installation, being slower in the oversized protocol (lower primary stability), which could be especially risky in challenging clinical situations, such as soft bone (class 3 and 4) and early/immediate loading. However, from 4 week on, these differences disappeared. Nevertheless, we have to consider that a direct transfer of the results of this animal study (time bone repair mechanisms) into clinic has to be done with caution.
Age, neuropathology, and dementia.

BACKGROUND Research in Alzheimer's disease is focused mainly on younger old persons, whereas studies involving very old persons report attenuated relationships between the pathological features of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. METHODS We assessed 456 brains donated to the population-based Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study from persons 69 to 103 years of age at death. We used a standard neuropathological protocol that included measures of the pathological features of Alzheimer's disease, cerebral atrophy, and cerebrovascular disease. Neuropathological variables were dichotomized to represent no burden or a mild burden of pathological lesions as compared with a moderate or severe burden. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of age on the relationship between neuropathological features and dementia. RESULTS The difference in the prevalence of moderate and severe Alzheimer's-type pathological changes between persons with and those without dementia decreased with increasing age. The association between neocortical neuritic plaques and dementia was strong at 75 years of age (odds ratio, 8.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.81 to 19.60) and reduced at 95 years of age (odds ratio, 2.48; 95% CI, 0.92 to 4.14), and similar attenuations with advancing age were observed in the association between other pathological changes related to Alzheimer's disease and dementia in all brain areas. In contrast, neocortical cerebral atrophy maintained a relationship with age in persons with dementia at both 75 years of age (odds ratio, 5.11; 95% CI, 1.94 to 13.46) and 95 years of age (odds ratio, 6.10; 95% CI, 2.80 to 13.28) and thus distinguished the cohort with dementia from the cohort without dementia. CONCLUSIONS The association between the pathological features of Alzheimer's disease and dementia is stronger in younger old persons than in older old persons. Age must be taken into account when assessing the likely effect of interventions against dementia on the population.
On the qubit limit of cavity nonlinear optics

Many proposals for solid-state photonic implementations of quantum information processing utilize high-quality optical resonators to achieve strong coupling between guided fields and heterogeneously incorporated qubits. Given the practical difficulty of accurately placing quantum dots, vacancy centers, or other such atom-like emitters throughout a complex nanophotonic circuit, it would be natural to consider whether high-quality resonators could be used in conjunction with bulk optical nonlinearities to create optically-coupled qubit degrees of freedom via lithographic patterning of a homogeneous medium. A recent limit theorem for quantum stochastic differential equations can be used to prove rigorously that this should be possible, in principle, using resonators incorporating a strongly Kerr-nonlinear, χ-nonlinear, or two-photon absorbing material with very low loss at the fundamental optical wavelength.