Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Impact of Channel Estimation Errors on MAC Protocols for MIMO Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, we evaluate the performance of a Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for MIMO ad hoc networks under imperfect channel estimation. To this end, we also present an analysis of channel estimation errors using correlator-based and Minimum Mean-Square Error (MMSE) channel estimators. Unlike similar works, we specifically focus on a scenario where the presence of several simultaneous, symbol-asynchronous signals makes the problem more complicated than in traditional channel estimation. In particular, we show that there is direct dependence of the channel estimation error on the instantaneous channel matrix. The model we propose in this paper makes it possible to quickly evaluate the performance of channel estimation schemes as a function of the system parameters. In this light, we include the effect of channel estimation errors in an ad hoc networking protocol simulator and thoroughly evaluate their impact. Our results show that there exists a significant interplay between the performance of MAC protocols for MIMO networks and the accuracy of channel estimation. Moreover, we show that interesting tradeoffs arise between MAC- and physical level-related parameters.
Influences intergénérationnelles sur la perception de prestations d'assurance-chômage au Canada et en Suède

Cet article vise a determiner dans quelle mesure le recours a l'assurance-chomage (a.-c.) d'un jeune adulte est conditionne par le recours anterieur a ce programme et par le recours d'un parent a l'a. -c. La capacite de determiner jusqu'a quel point la correlation intergenerationnelle du recours a l'a. -c. est ou causale pose un defi methodologique de taille. Nous examinons a la fois la premiere demande de prestations d'a. -c. et la sequence complete de demandes sur une longue periode a l'aide de deux methodes permettant de neutraliser l'heterogeneite non observee. L'analyse est axee sur des donnees longitudinales se rapportant a une cohorte de jeunes hommes canadiens et suedois. Les resultats indiquent que le recours d'un parent a l'a. -c. reduit la periode precedant la premiere demande de prestations au Canada mais non en Suede. Le recours subsequent au programme canadien est influence par les antecedents parentaux au chapitre de l'a. -c. En Suede, l'effet d'apprentissage des individus par leur utilisation anterieure de l'a. -c. , et non les antecedents familiaux, constitue le principal facteur determinant des recours repetes au programme.
A genetic screen identifies mutations in the yeast WAR1 gene, linking transcription factor phosphorylation to weak‐acid stress adaptation

Exposure of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to weak organic acids such as the food preservatives sorbate, benzoate and propionate leads to the pronounced induction of the plasma membrane ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporter, Pdr12p. This protein mediates efflux of weak acid anions, which is essential for stress adaptation. Recently, we identified War1p as the dedicated transcriptional regulator required for PDR12 stress induction. Here, we report the results from a genetic screen that led to the isolation of two war1 alleles encoding mutant variants, War1‐28p and War1‐42p, which are unable to support cell growth in the presence of sorbate. DNA sequencing revealed that War1‐28 encodes a truncated form of the transcriptional regulator, and War1‐42 carries three clustered mutations near the C‐terminal activation domain. Although War1‐42 is expressed and properly localized in the nucleus, the War1‐42p variant fails to bind the weak‐acid‐response elements in the PDR12 promoter, as shown by in vivo footprinting. Importantly, in contrast with wild‐type War1p, War1‐42p is also no longer phosphorylated upon weak‐acid challenge, demonstrating that phosphorylation of War1p, its activation and DNA binding are tightly linked processes that are essential for adaptation to weak‐acid stress.
Emergent Co-ordination of Flow Control Actions through Functional Co-operation of Social Agents

This paper presents a distributed model for coordinating control actions in flow domains. The model draws from the metaphor of collectives of self-motivated social agents that end up cooperating functionally due to the effects of local motivations and global norms. In such a collective, the coordination of control actions gradually emerges among the agents. The authors illustrate the approach by a case study of traffic signal control.
Interleukin-6 and soluble interleukin-2 receptor alpha-markers of inflammation in patients with psoriatic arthritis?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate a possible systemic effect of joint inflammation in contrast to skin disease only, by measuring IL-6 and IL-2sRalpha. METHODS Two hundred and nineteen patients (111 male / 108 female, age 50.4+/-14.5 yrs (mean+/-SD)) with psoriasis were clinically and laboratory examined. 134 patients had inflammatory joint manifestations defined as peripheral arthritis and/or axial disease, of whom 37 had measurable inflammation, defined as ESR >25 mm/h and/or CRP >15 mg/L. RESULTS Interleukin-6 was significantly higher in patients with joint disease and measurable inflammation ((median, Q1-Q3) 4.07, 0.92-14.60), and in patients without measured inflammation (1.22, 0.70-3.46), compared to patients with skin disease only (0.70, 0.70-1.73, p<0.001 and p=0.002 respectively). The difference between the two groups of patients with inflammatory joint manifestations was significant (p=0.001). The levels of IL-6 correlated with the actual number of joints affected with arthritis (p<0.001; rs=0.248), ESR (p<0.001; rs=0.459), CRP (p<0.001; rs=0.314) and IL-2sRalpha (p=0.002; rs=0.210). The levels of IL-2sRalpha. did not differ between the 3 groups. CONCLUSION In this study, IL-6 was significantly higher in patients with psoriasis and inflammatory joint disease with or without routine measurable inflammatory activity compared with patients having psoriasis of the skin. We found that patients with psoriasis and joint inflammation may have systemic effects that could be captured by serum measurements of IL-6. Soluble IL-2Ralpha was not a marker of inflammation in this study.
Cellular Immunity Before and After Leptin Replacement Therapy

BACKGROUND The few identified leptin-deficient children have immune deficiency. AIMS To evaluate whether a newly-identified leptin-deficient boy has immune defects; to assess the immune changes during leptin replacement. METHODS A 5 year-old boy with congenital leptin deficiency was evaluated before, 2 weeks and 6 weeks after the initiation of recombinant methionyl human leptin. Thymic volume was measured by computed tomography. Humoral immunity was assessed by measuring levels of several immunoglobulins. Cellular immunity was evaluated by the analysis of lymphocyte proliferation in response to mitogens. Lymphocyte subsets were quantified by flow cytometry. RESULTS At baseline, thymic volume was increased. The lymphocyte subsets count and humoral/cellular immunities were normal. After treatment, proliferative response to mitogens increased by 1.5- to 3-fold, and lymphocyte count decreased by 17%. CONCLUSIONS Immune defects are not an obligatory feature of congenital leptin deficiency. Even in the absence of significant immune defects, leptin replacement therapy enhanced T-cell responsiveness.
Human liver transplantation as a model to study hepatitis C virus pathogenesis

Hepatitis C is a leading etiology of liver cancer and a leading reason for liver transplantation. Although new therapies have improved the rates of sustained response, a large proportion of patients (∼50%) fail to respond to antiviral treatment, thus remaining at risk for disease progression. Although chimpanzees have been used to study hepatitis C virus biology and treatments, their cost is quite high, and their use is strictly regulated; indeed, the National Institutes of Health no longer supports the breeding of chimpanzees for study. The development of hepatitis C virus therapies has been hindered by the relative paucity of small animal models for studying hepatitis C virus pathogenesis. This review presents the strengths of human liver transplantation and highlights the advances derived from this model, including insights into viral kinetics and quasispecies, viral receptor binding and entry, and innate and adaptive immunity. Moreover, consideration is given to current and emerging antiviral therapeutic approaches based on translational research results. Liver Transpl 15:1395–1411, 2009. © 2009 AASLD.
Multiple-cell-upset hardened 6T SRAM using NMOS-centered layout

This paper presents a proposed NMOS-centered 6T SRAM cell layout that reduces a neutron-induced multiple-cell-upset (MCU) SER on a same wordline. We implemented an 1-Mb SRAM macro in a 65-nm CMOS process and irradiated neutrons as a neutron-accelerated test to evaluate the MCU SER. The proposed 6T SRAM macro improves the horizontal MCU SER by 67-98% compared with a general macro that has PMOS-centered 6T SRAM cells.
The Effect of an 8-Week Tai Chi Exercise Program on Physical Functional Performance in Middle-Aged Women

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an 8-week Tai Chi Chih exercise program on physical functional performance (PFP) among women aged 45 to 65 years. A quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent comparison group was used. Forty-one healthy inactive women were assigned to either an intervention group (n = 19) or a comparison group (n = 19). A 60-min Tai Chi Chih exercise class was conducted twice a week for 8 weeks. PFP was measured at baseline and postintervention using the Continuous Scale Physical Functional Performance–10 (CS-PFP 10). Between-group differences were analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). After participating in the 8-week program, intervention group participants showed greater improvement in the CS-PFP measures (p < .05, η2 > .06). However, the comparison group had little changes. The findings from this study suggest that participation in an 8-week Tai Chi Chih exercise program can improve PFP in healthy, community-dwelling middle-aged women.
Automatic Collector for Dynamic Cloud Performance Information

When deploying an application in the cloud, a developer often wants to know which of the wide variety of cloud resources is best to use. Most cloud providers only provide static information about different cloud resources which is often not enough because static information does not take into account the hardware and software that is being used or the policy that has been applied by the cloud provider. Therefore, dynamic benchmarking of cloud resources is needed to find out how a certain workload is going to behave on a certain instance. However, benchmarking various cloud resources is a time consuming process. Thus, using a tool which automatically benchmarks various cloud resources will be of great use. % To maximize the effectiveness of such a tool, it will be helpful to maintain an up to date cloud information catalogue, so that users can share and compare their benchmark results to the results of other users. In this paper, we present the Cloud Performance Collector, a modular cloud benchmarking tool aimed to automatically benchmark a wide variety of applications. To demonstrate the benefit of the tool, we did three experiments with three synthetic benchmark applications and one real-world application using the ExoGENI testbed.
Thermo-Compression Bonding and Mass Reflow Assembly Processes of 3D Logic Die Stacks

3D multi-layer chip stacking is a significant assembly challenge with dependencies on die size and thickness, interconnect pitch, bump diameter, number of dies involved, and die warpage. The assembly processes used to overcome the technical difficulties associated with the stacking of medium and large logic dies with fine pitch copper pillar bumps is discussed, including mass reflow and thermo-compression bonding on 3 and 4 layers chip stacks.
Trimethoprim and sulfonamide resistance

Trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfonamides (SULs) are synthetic antibacterial agents. The first SUL compounds were used in 1932, whereas TMP is a relatively new compound first used in 1962 in England (69). Since 1968, TMP has been used in combination with SULs because the combination of TMPSULs was supposed to be synergistic in vitro (18). However, clinical experience suggests that TMP-SUL combinations have no clear synergism in vivo (2, 16, 112). In the 1970s, TMP alone came into use, first for the prophylaxis of urinary tract infections and later for the treatment of acute urinary tract infections as well (81). TMP and SULs share both a wide antibacterial spectrum including common urinary tract pathogens (Escherichia coli and other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae), respiratory tract pathogens (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and in combination, Moraxella catarrhalis), skin pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus), as well as certain enteric pathogens (E. coli and Shigella spp.). Because of the wide range of clinical indications, TMP-SUL combinations have been used extensively everywhere in the world. In addition, both compounds are relatively inexpensive, a fact that allows for the use of these drugs outside of developed countries. Today, the most important fear is the development of bacterial resistance to TMP and SULs. To counter bacterial resistance it is essential to understand the molecular background of resistance mechanisms. Analysis of TMP and SUL resistance determinants in clinical bacteria has already revealed new recombination mechanisms that have an impact on spread of the resistance in general. As synthetic antimicrobial agents, TMP and SULs are also examples of agents that bacteria have not met previously, and to which they can develop resistance; this excludes resistance mechanisms related to antibiotic-producing organisms. In this minireview, we describe the current knowledge of TMP and SUL resistance in major bacterial pathogens and review the TMP and SUL resistance mechanisms.
Inventory Control for a Joint Replenishment Problem with Stochastic Demand

— Most papers model Joint Replenishment Problem (JRP) as a ( (cid:1863)(cid:1846), (cid:1845) ) where (cid:1863)(cid:1846) is a multiple value for a common review period (cid:1846), and (cid:1845) is a predefined order up to level. In general the ( (cid:1846), (cid:1845) ) policy is characterized by a long out of control period which requires a large amount of safety stock compared to the (cid:4666)(cid:1844),(cid:1843)(cid:4667) policy. In this paper a probabilistic model is built where an item, call it item (cid:4666)(cid:1861)(cid:4667) , with the shortest order time between interval (cid:4666)(cid:1846)(cid:4667) is modeled under ( (cid:1844), (cid:1843) ) policy and its inventory is continuously reviewed, while the rest of items (j) are periodically reviewed at a definite time corresponding to item (cid:4666)(cid:1861)(cid:4667) . An order up to level policy for items (j) is applied in synchronization with item (cid:4666)(cid:1861)(cid:4667) . For the sake of inventory out of control period reduction for items (cid:4666)(cid:1862)(cid:4667) , an inventory review is done on the inventory position for items (cid:4666)(cid:1862)(cid:4667) one period before replenishment, at (cid:4666)(cid:1863) (cid:3037) (cid:3398) 1(cid:4667) period. A lower control value (cid:4666)(cid:1871) (cid:3037) (cid:4667) is determined using an iterative method, if the inventory position is above this value then an order is done at the (cid:1863) (cid:3037) period, otherwise it is made at (cid:4666)(cid:1863) (cid:3037) (cid:3398) 1(cid:4667) period. Another iterative method is used to find the optimum order up to level (cid:1845) (cid:3037) for this policy.
Brain Monitoring with Electroencephalography and the Electroencephalogram-Derived Bispectral Index During Cardiac Surgery

Cardiac surgery presents particular challenges for the anesthesiologist. In addition to standard and advanced monitors typically used during cardiac surgery, anesthesiologists may consider monitoring the brain with raw or processed electroencephalography (EEG). There is strong evidence that a protocol incorporating the processed EEG bispectral index (BIS) decreases the incidence intraoperative awareness in comparison with standard practice. However, there is conflicting evidence that incorporating the BIS into cardiac anesthesia practice improves “fast-tracking,” decreases anesthetic drug use, or detects cerebral ischemia. Recent research, including many cardiac surgical patients, shows that a protocol based on BIS monitoring is not superior to a protocol based on end-tidal anesthetic concentration monitoring in preventing awareness. There has been a resurgence of interest in the anesthesia literature in limited montage EEG monitoring, including nonproprietary processed indices. This has been accompanied by research showing that with structured training, anesthesiologists can glean useful information from the raw EEG trace. In this review, we discuss both the hypothesized benefits and limitations of BIS and frontal channel EEG monitoring in the cardiac surgical population.
Numerical Methods for the Fractional Laplacian: A Finite Difference-Quadrature Approach

The fractional Laplacian $(-\Delta)^{\alpha/2}$ is a nonlocal operator which depends on the parameter $\alpha$ and recovers the usual Laplacian as $\alpha \to 2$. A numerical method for the fractional Laplacian is proposed, based on the singular integral representation for the operator. The method combines finite differences with numerical quadrature to obtain a discrete convolution operator with positive weights. The accuracy of the method is shown to be $O(h^{3-\alpha})$. Convergence of the method is proven. The treatment of far field boundary conditions using an asymptotic approximation to the integral is used to obtain an accurate method. Numerical experiments on known exact solutions validate the predicted convergence rates. Computational examples include exponentially and algebraically decaying solutions with varying regularity. The generalization to nonlinear equations involving the operator is discussed: the obstacle problem for the fractional Laplacian is computed.
Antigenic relationships between the enteroinvasive Escherichia coli O antigens O28ac, O112ac, O124, O136, O143, O144, O152, and O164 and Shigella O antigens

Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli strains have been found in the following O serogroups: O28ac, O112ac, O124, O136, O143, O144, O152, and O164. The biochemical reactions of these enteroinvasive E. coli strains are often similar to those of Shigella strains, and identification may be difficult. The problem of differentiation and identification is further complicated by the sharing of antigenic components. The antigenic relationships between these O antigens and those of all the established and provisional Shigella serovars were examined. O antigen identity was demonstrated between E. coli O124 and Shigella dysenteriae 3 and between E. coli O152 and provisional Shigella serovar 3341:55. Reciprocal relationships were found between E. coli O112ac and S. dysenteriae 2, S. boydii 1, S. boydii 15, between E. coli O136 and S. dysenteriae 3, and between E. coli O164 and S. dysenteriae 3. A one-way relationship was demonstrated between E. coli O136 and S. boydii 1. The remaining enteroinvasive E. coli O serogroups showed no significant antigenic relationships with any Shigella serovar.
Community Detection Approaches in Real World Networks: A Survey and Classification

Online social networks have been continuously evolving and one of their prominent features is the evolution of communities which can be characterized as a group of people who share a common relationship among themselves. Earlier studies on social network analysis focused on static network structures rather than dynamic processes, however, with the passage of time, the networks have also evolved and the researchers have started to focus on the aspect of studying dynamic behavior of networks. This paper aims to present an overview of community detection approaches graduating from static community detection methods towards the methods to identify dynamic communities in networks. The authors also present a classification of the existing dynamic community detection algorithms along the dimension of studying the evolution as either a two-step approach comprising of community detection via static methods and then applying temporal dynamics or a unified approach which comprises of dynamic detection of communities along with their evolutionary characteristics.
Signaling pathway adaptations and novel protein kinase A substrates related to behavioral sensitization to cocaine

Behavioral sensitization is an animal model for aspects of cocaine addiction. Cocaine‐sensitized rats exhibit increased AMPA receptor (AMPAR) surface expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) which may in turn enhance drug seeking. To identify signaling pathways contributing to AMPAR up‐regulation, we measured AMPAR surface expression and signaling pathway activation in the NAc of cocaine‐sensitized rats, cocaine‐exposed rats that failed to sensitize and saline controls on withdrawal days (WD) 1, 7, and 21. We focused on calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase (ERK), and protein kinase A (PKA). In sensitized rats, AMPAR surface expression was elevated on WD7 and WD21 but not WD1. ERK2 activation followed a parallel time‐course, suggesting a role in AMPAR up‐regulation. Both sensitized and non‐sensitized rats exhibited CaMKII activation on WD7, suggesting that CaMKII activation is not sufficient for AMPAR up‐regulation. PKA phosphorylation, measured using an antibody recognizing phosphorylated PKA substrates, increased gradually over withdrawal in sensitized rats, from below control levels on WD1 to significantly greater than controls on WD21. Using proteomics, novel sensitization‐related PKA substrates were identified, including two structural proteins (CRMP‐2 and α‐tubulin) that we speculate may link PKA signaling to previously reported dendritic remodeling in NAc neurons of cocaine‐sensitized rats.
Genetic map of the tyrT region of Escherichia coli from 27.1 to 27.7 minutes based exclusively on sequence data

The tyrT operon is located at 27 min on the genetic map of the Escherichia coli chromosome (1). The tyrT operon encodes the tRNATYr isoacceptor and is characterized by its unusual structural arrangement consisting of repeated sequence elements. The terminal repeats code for an additional RNA product (4). A genetic map of the tyrT region was generated to characterize tyrT deletion mutants and to perform genetic complementation studies. A map of that region has already been described by Leonardo and Clark (12). The map presented here (Fig. 1 and Table 1) is based exclusively on sequence information. It extends the previous map, corrects the orientations of genes tyrT and hns, describes the reading frame encoding galU, determines the location of tdk, and closes the gap between tyrT and hns. were completely identical with those previously described (12) but again are shown here to form a contiguous map (Fig. 1 and Table 1). The sequencing and characterization of the genes adjacent to the tyrT promoter region have been described recently (5). The tyrT 5' region contained the following genes (5): (i) tgs, which codes for a 32-kDa protein with significant homology to glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylases; (ii) ORF34, showing no significant homology to known proteins; and (iii) ORF37, a member of the regulator response protein family. Two further peptides with molecular masses of 34 and 16 kDa were expressed when a plasmid with a 6-kb EcoRI fragment of the tyrT 5' region was used in a coupled in vitro transcriptiontranslation assay (5). To determine the sequences of the genes coding for the 34-