Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beamforming antennas for 60 GHz positioning systems

In this paper we analyze the benefit of using phased arrays as the receiving antennas of indoor location systems. A 60 GHz code division multiple access carrier-based ultra-wide band positioning system for the simultaneous location of diverse markers is considered. The positioning error in an indoor environment is assessed when omnidirectional antennas are used at the receiving sensors and when they are substituted by beamforming antennas. Results show that beamforming systems can effectively mitigate the multipath effects and achieve positioning accuracies close to those achievable in free space scenarios. The performance of omnidirectional systems is severely degraded by multipath and multiple access interference.
Association of Microvascular Dysfunction With Late-Life Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance The etiologic factors of late-life depression are still poorly understood. Recent evidence suggests that microvascular dysfunction is associated with depression, which may have implications for prevention and treatment. However, this association has not been systematically reviewed. Objective To examine the associations of peripheral and cerebral microvascular dysfunction with late-life depression. Data Sources A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE for and longitudinal studies published since inception to October 16, 2016, that assessed the associations between microvascular dysfunction and depression. Study Selection Three independent researchers performed the study selection based on consensus. Inclusion criteria were a study population 40 years of age or older, a validated method of detecting depression, and validated measures of microvascular function. Data Extraction and Synthesis This systematic review and meta-analysis has been registered at PROSPERO (CRD42016049158) and is reported in accordance with the PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines. Data extraction was performed by an independent researcher. Main Outcomes and Measures The following 5 estimates of microvascular dysfunction were considered in participants with or without depression: plasma markers of endothelial function, albuminuria, measurements of skin and muscle microcirculation, retinal arteriolar and venular diameter, and markers for cerebral small vessel disease. Data are reported as pooled odds ratios (ORs) by use of the generic inverse variance method with the use of random-effects models. Results A total of 712 studies were identified; 48 were included in the meta-analysis, of which 8 described longitudinal data. Data from 43 600 participants, 9203 individuals with depression, and 72 441 person-years (mean follow-up, 3.7 years) were available. Higher levels of plasma endothelial biomarkers (soluble intercellular adhesion molecule–1: OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.28-1.96), white matter hyperintensities (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.19-1.39), cerebral microbleeds (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.03-1.34), and cerebral (micro)infarctions (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.21-1.39) were associated with depression. Among the studies available, no significant associations of albuminuria and retinal vessel diameters with depression were reported. Longitudinal data showed a significant association of white matter hyperintensities with incident depression (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.09-1.30). Conclusions and Relevance This meta-analysis shows that both the peripheral and cerebral forms of microvascular dysfunction are associated with higher odds of (incident) late-life depression. This finding may have clinical implications because microvascular dysfunction might provide a potential target for the prevention and treatment of depression.
Phase I dose-escalation trial of checkpoint kinase 1 inhibitor MK-8776 as monotherapy and in combination with gemcitabine in patients with advanced solid tumors.

PURPOSE We determined the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and recommended phase II dose of MK-8776 (SCH 900776), a potent, selective checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) inhibitor, as monotherapy and in combination with gemcitabine in a first-in-human phase I clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumor malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty-three patients were treated by intravenous infusion with MK-8776 at seven dose levels ranging from 10 to 150 mg/m(2) as monotherapy and then in combination with gemcitabine 800 mg/m(2) (part A, n = 26) or gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) (part B, n = 17). Forty percent of patients had three or more prior treatment regimens, and one third of patients had previously received gemcitabine. RESULTS As monotherapy, MK-8776 was well tolerated, with QTc prolongation (19%), nausea (16%), fatigue (14%), and constipation (14%) as the most frequent adverse effects. Combination therapy demonstrated a higher frequency of adverse effects, predominantly fatigue (63%), nausea (44%), decreased appetite (37%), thrombocytopenia (32%), and neutropenia (24%), as well as dose-related, transient QTc prolongation (17%). The median number of doses of MK-8776 administered was five doses, with relative dose-intensity of 0.96. Bioactivity was assessed by γ-H2AX ex vivo assay. Of 30 patients evaluable for response, two showed partial response, and 13 exhibited stable disease. CONCLUSION MK-8776 was well tolerated as monotherapy and in combination with gemcitabine. Early evidence of clinical efficacy was observed. The recommended phase II dose is MK-8776 200 mg plus gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle.
A 5.2 GHz variable gain LNA MMIC for adaptive antenna combining

A variable gain LNA was designed for HIPERLAN I. A noise figure of only 1.7 dB is measured at a gain of 14.5 dB and a power consumption of 9 mW (V/sub DC/=3 V, I/sub DC/=3 mA). Over an amplitude control range of 20 dB, the third order intercept point at the input is higher than -10 dBm, the spurious free dynamic range is higher than 55 dB and noise performance does not effectively degrade. Noise and intermodulation performance of different amplitude control methods as well as the required resolutions for D/A converters are investigated.
An Interactive Traffic Information System

With real time traffic information, drivers on our highways can adapt and take action when encountering congestion. They can reschedule appointments or choose an alternate route. Existing systems that provide real time traffic information rely on infrastructure and human resources. These techniques are inaccurate, slow and require expensive infrastructure that provide limited coverage. We propose a new and unique form of traffic data collection that provides accurate real time data without relying on any existing techniques. A vehicle containing a global positioning system receiver reports the speed and direction of the traffic for a specific location and time along the highway it is traveling. A central server gathers and processes this data from all such vehicles through an internet connection and reports this information in real time. Through this server, vehicles traveling all highways globally can share traffic information with each other in real time.
SPONTANEOUS, HEREDITARY MYOCARDIAL DEGENERATION AND CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE IN A STRAIN OF SYRIAN HAMSTERS *

Studies on the pathogenesis, therapy, and prevention of congestive heart failure are greatly hindered by the lack of easily reproducible disease models. There is presently no standardized and generally accepted method for the induction of heart failure in laboratory animals, although a number of techniques have been devised.1-lO Pertinent literature indicates that the type of failure which develops during persistently increased stress produced by overload, when the mechanical demand is enhanced in proportion to the active mass of the heart (e.g. failure caused by aortic stenosis or by aortic valve insufficiency), has been the most intensively investigated because its primary causes are the least complicated and because it can readily be imitated by experimental procedures. Although theoretically an analogous situation prevails when, conversely, the active contractile mass of the heart is diminished (e.g. by an infarct or other degenerative myocardial lesion), this type of failure is difficult to induce experimentally. Studies on dogs, rats, and other laboratory animals suggest that, if the survival time following extreme destruction of the myocardium (by coronary artery ligature or electrocautery) is sufficient, the remaining contractile ventricular mass is able to compensate for the nonfunctioning portion of the heart over a long peri0d. *~-14 In fact, some investigators believe that as little as 15-20% of the total ventricular mass is sufficient to maintain adequate systemic circulation.15 Nevertheless, it should be noted that a single injury to the heart muscle was produced in all the afore-mentioned studies, whereas spontaneous pathological processes in man often cause intermittent and graded injuries to the myocardium. The existence in an inbred strain of Syrian hamsters of a genetically transmitted (or conditioned), degenerative cardiomyopathy that terminates in congestive heart failure offers unique opportunities to study the sequence of events leading to cardiac insufficiency and to analyze the importance of extracardiac factors in the mechanism of generalized venous congestion. This hereditary disease, which has a 100% incidence in the pedigreed BIO 14.6 strain of hamsters, is apparently a primary myopathy. The degenerative lesions that occur in all striated muscles are definitely noninflammator.y in nature.16-lQ The gross and histopathological abnormalities seen in the middle-aged or older myopathic hamsters, except those of the cardiac and skeletal muscles, are consistent with long-standing passive venous congestion, and this progressive cardiovascular insufficiency may be regarded as the ultimate cause of death.20 Although our earlier studies, briefly summarized above, largely characterized the morphogenesis and, at least in some respects, the enzyme histogenesis of the cardiacand skeletal-muscle lesions of the myopathic animals, several important questions remained unanswered. We were especially interested in estab-
On the Structure of Quaternion Rings over Z p

In this paper we investigate the structure of quaternion rings over the finite field Zp. This work is based on M. Aristidou and A. Demetre’s paper, “A Note on Quaternion Rings over Zp”, who have point out a false theorem of Kandasamy published in “On Finite Quaternion Rings and Skew Fields”. We obtain more detailed descriptions of the structure of Zp[i, j, k], in particular we find the number of zero-divisors of a quaternion ring over Zp and provide a detailed structural description of the zero-divisor graph of a quaternion ring over Zp.
Renal‐coloboma syndrome: a multi‐system developmental disorder caused by PAX2 mutations

Optic nerve coloboma combined with renal disease, also called renal‐coloboma syndrome (#120330 in McKusick's Mendelian Inheritance in Man Online, OMIM), a relatively recently characterized syndrome, results from autosomal dominant mutations in the PAX2 gene. Although renal‐coloboma syndrome involves both ocular and renal anomalies, some patients are affected with vesico‐ureteral reflux (VUR), high frequency hearing loss, central nervous system (CNS) anomalies, and/or genital anomalies, consistent with the expression of PAX2 in these tissues during development. We review here the clinical features of patients with renal‐coloboma syndrome and PAX2 mutation. We also review the PAX2 mutations that have been reported to date, and discuss the possible effect of PAX2 mutations on normal development.
A New Fast and Robust Collision Detection and Force Computation Algorithm Applied to the Physics Engine Bullet: Method, Integration, and Evaluation

We present a collision detection and force computation algorithm based on the Voxelmap-Pointshell Algorithm which was integrated and evaluated in the physics engine Bullet. Our algorithm uses signed distance fields and point-sphere trees and it is able to compute collision forces between arbitrary complex shapes at simulation frequencies smaller than 1 msec. Utilizing phere hierarchies, we are able to rapidly detect likely colliding areas, while the point trees can be used for processing colliding egions in a level-of-detail manner. The integration into the physics engine Bullet was performed inheriting interface classes provided in that framework. We compared our algorithm with Bullet’s native GJK, GJK with convex decomposition, and GImpact, varying the resolution and the scenarios. Our experiments show that our integrated algorithm performs with similar computation times as the standard collision detection algorithms in Bullet if low resolutions are chosen. With high resolutions, our algorithm outperforms Bullet’s native implementations and objects behave realistically.
Hyperexcitability of the CA1 Hippocampal Region during Epileptogenesis

Summary: Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) is often preceded by a latent (seizure‐free) period during which complex network reorganizations occur. In experimental epilepsy, network hyperexcitability is already present during the latent period, suggesting a modification of information processing. The purpose of this study was to assess the input/output relationship in the hippocampal CA1 region during epileptogenesis. Field recordings in strata pyramidale and radiatum were used to measure the output of CA1 pyramidal cells as a function of the synaptic inputs they receive following the stimulation of Shaffer collaterals in slices obtained from sham and pilocarpine‐treated animals during the latent and chronic periods. We show that there is a transient increase of the input and output field responses during the latent period as compared to sham and epileptic animals. The coupling between excitatory inputs and cell firing was also increased during the latent period. This increase persisted in epileptic animals, although to a lesser extent. We also confirm that paired‐pulse facilitation occurs before the chronic phase. The present data further support the view that hyperexcitability is present at an early stage of epileptogenesis. Network output is more facilitated during the latent than during the chronic period. Hyperexcitability may participate to epileptogenesis, but it is not sufficient in itself to produce seizures.
Downside Risk at the Zero Lower Bound ∗

The zero lower bound endogenously generates downside risk for the economy. Higher uncertainty about the future amplifies this risk and induces significant precautionary saving by households. This decline in aggregate demand leads to sizable contractions in output and inflation at the zero lower bound. Optimal monetary policy implies further lowering real interest rates to help offset the precautionary behavior by households. However, the central bank must maintain a zero policy rate for an extended period of time and accept higher inflation risk in the future. Access to statecontingent government spending allows the monetary authority to more effectively stabilize the future price level. JEL Classification: E32, E52
Constitution de ressources linguistiques multilingues à partir de corpus de textes parallèles et comparables. (Using parallel and comparable corpora for multilingual linguistic resources extraction)

Les lexiques bilingues sont des ressources particulierement utiles pour la Traduction Automatique et la Recherche d’Information Translingue. Leur construction manuelle necessite une expertise forte dans les deux langues concernees et est un processus couteux. Plusieurs methodes automatiques ont ete proposees comme une alternative, mais elles qui ne sont disponibles que dans un nombre limite de langues et leurs performances sont encore loin derriere la qualite des traductions manuelles.Notre travail porte sur l'extraction de ces lexiques bilingues a partir de corpus de textes paralleles et comparables, c'est a dire la reconnaissance et l'alignement d'un vocabulaire commun multilingue present dans ces corpus.
Optimal Values of Flow Velocity on Transcranial Doppler in Grading Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis in Comparison With Magnetic Resonance Angiography

Background and purpose. To investigate the optimal values of flow velocity on transcranial Doppler (TCD) in grading the severity of middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis in comparison with magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Methods. Both TCD and MRA examinations were performed on 148 asymptomatic patients. The peak flow velocities of each MCA were recorded. Severity of MCA stenosis on MRA was classified as normal‐mild (< 50% lumen diameter reduction), moderate (50%‐75%), and severe‐void (> 75% and void of flow signal). Results. Among 296 MCAs evaluated, normal‐mild stenosis was found in 75 (25%), moderate stenosis in 112 (38%), and severe stenosis in 109 (37%). The mean of systolic velocity (Vs) of MCA differed significantly among these three groups: mean Vs = 121.83 ± 22.52 cm/s in the normal‐mild group; 155.96 ± 21.62 cm/s for the moderate group; and 199.39 ± 43.86 cm/s for the severe group (P < .001). The optimal cutoff velocity for detection of MCA (> 50%) stenosis was found at Vs > 140 cm/s on TCD (area under the ROC curve is 0.87, P < 0.001). The best cutoff points for grading severity of on TCD were 140 cm/s and 180 cm/s. Conclusion. TCD enables grading of the severity of MCA stenosis according to the flow velocity. This method provides a noninvasive and reliable method for grading MCA stenosis and allows longitudinal monitoring of the relationship between clinical outcome and hemodynamic change.
Hypovitaminosis D in dogs with inflammatory bowel disease and hypoalbuminaemia.

OBJECTIVES To compare serum vitamin D metabolites and plasma parathyroid hormone concentrations in dogs with inflammatory bowel disease and normal albumin concentration, dogs with inflammatory bowel disease and hypoalbuminaemia, healthy dogs and hospitalised ill dogs with non-gastrointestinal illness. METHODS Serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D concentrations were measured in 36 healthy dogs, 49 hospitalised ill dogs with non-gastrointestinal illnesses, 21 dogs with inflammatory bowel disease and normoalbuminaemia and 12 dogs with inflammatory bowel disease and hypoalbuminaemia. Plasma parathyroid hormone and ionised calcium concentrations were measured in a subset of these dogs. RESULTS Concentrations of serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D were lower in hypoalbuminaemic dogs with inflammatory bowel disease than in the healthy dogs (P<0·001), hospitalised ill dogs (P<0·001) and normoalbuminaemic dogs with inflammatory bowel disease (P<0·001). Dogs with inflammatory bowel disease and hypoalbuminaemia had a higher plasma concentration of parathyroid hormone (P<0·01) and lower plasma concentration of ionised calcium (P<0·001) than hospitalised ill dogs. Dogs with inflammatory bowel disease had a positive correlation between serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and serum albumin (P<0·0001), serum calcium (P<0·0001) and plasma ionised calcium (P<0·0005) concentrations. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Dogs with inflammatory bowel disease and hypoalbuminaemia frequently have ionised hypocalcaemia, high parathyroid hormone and low serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentrations. Further studies are indicated to establish the pathogenesis of this disease complication as well as therapeutic strategies to reverse this state.
Does NP not equal P

Stephen Cook posited SAT is NP-Complete in 1971. If SAT is NP-Complete then, as is generally accepted, any polynomial solution of it must also present a polynomial solution of all NP decision problems. It is here argued, however, that NP is not of necessity equivalent to P where it is shown that SAT is contained in P. This due to a paradox, of nature addressed by both Godel and Russell, in regards to the P-NP system in total.
Faecal contamination of watercourses from farm waste disposal for three sites in the UK with contrasting soil types

Abstract. Despite considerable investment, some UK bathing waters fail to comply with mandatory standards as defined by the EU Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC). Continued non‐compliance has been associated with diffuse sources of faecal indicator organism (FIO) contamination, in particular those deriving from agricultural land. This paper examines concentrations of FIOs in surface, subsurface and instream water samples at field sites considered to pose a high potential risk of FIO contamination. Quality of samples was compared with FIO standards for bathing water compliance in the UK. FIO concentrations exceeding mandatory and guideline standards were recorded frequently at all sites. In freely draining soils, FIO mobilization by rainfall was predominantly via subsurface flow, with occasional surface water flow linked to intensive rainfall events. In slowly permeable soils, surface mobilization of FIOs predominated, with the occurrence of limited subsurface samples linked to seasonal desiccation cracking within the soil, and to intense rainfall events. Watercourse FIO concentrations were significantly increased as the stream passed‐by fields with freely draining soils. The data imply a generally higher risk of FIO transfer from freely draining soils and occasional increased risk from less permeable soils due to temporal changes in soil structure and rainfall intensity.
Calcium dependence of serotonin‐evoked conductance in C6 glioma cells

Whole‐cell membrane currents and imaging of intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca2+]i) were used to investigate the role of calcium in a response to serotonin of C6 glioma cells. Activation of a high‐affinity serotoinin receptor induced a transient rise in calcium concentration in these cells and activated a predominantly potassium conductance, with a small chloride component. Perfusion of the cytoplasm with an internal solution containing high calcium concentration induced similar but prolonged increase of membrane conductance. The responsiveness of C6 cells to serotonin was negatively correlated with the concentration of the unbound calcium chelator BAPTA when BAPTA‐buffered calcium‐containing intracellular solutions were used. Responses to serotonin persisted in the absence of external calcium, decreased gradually, and then recovered partially after replenishment of extracellular calcium. These findings substantiate the direct role of intracellular calcium in mediating the serotonin response, and indicate that serotonin‐induced release of calcium from intracellular stores is sufficient for the activation of conductance in the C6 glioma cell line. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Preliminary Study of Information Technologies Usage in Nonprofit Organizations Full Paper

In this paper, we present the results of a preliminary survey study to examine the ways in which regional nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the U.S. adopted and utilized information technologies. The majority of the survey respondents (72.5%) consists of small to medium sized NPOs. The survey findings reveal that most responding organizations don’t have a technology plan even though they consider information technology as an important driving force to achieve organizational missions. A pragmatic approach that adopts mature, proven technologies is the most common approach followed by the respondents. Our findings also provide some empirical insights on how NPOs perform different technological tasks, manage data, and exploit web capabilities.