Coordination and Antenna Domain Formation in Cloud-RAN systems

We study here the problem of Antenna Domain Formation (ADF) in cloud RAN systems, whereby multiple remote radio-heads (RRHs) are each to be assigned to a set of antenna domains (ADs), such that the total interference between the ADs is minimized. We formulate the corresponding optimization problem, by introducing the concept of \emph{interference coupling coefficients} among pairs of radio-heads. We then propose a low-overhead algorithm that allows the problem to be solved in a distributed fashion, among the aggregation nodes (ANs), and establish basic convergence results. Moreover, we also propose a simple relaxation to the problem, thus enabling us to characterize its maximum performance. We follow a layered coordination structure: after the ADs are formed, radio-heads are clustered to perform coordinated beamforming using the well known Weighted-MMSE algorithm. Finally, our simulations show that using the proposed ADF mechanism would significantly increase the sum-rate of the system (with respect to random assignment of radio-heads).Comment: 7 pages, IEEE International Conference on Communications 2016 (ICC 2016

Comparative Analysis of Avian and Swine Influenza Viruses Infections of Well Differentiated Lung Epithelial Cells of Turkey

Influenza viruses initiate infection by binding of the viral hemagglutinin to the cellular sialic acid residues. The precision-cut lung slice, as a valuable cultural tool of differentiated respiratory epithelial cells, is characterized by its ability to be viable for at least six days in-vitro, mimic in-vivo original cells and simply monitored by an inverted microscope. The aims of the study were to analyse the distribution of different sialic acid types in bronchus and parabronchial tissues of Turkey Precision Lung Slices (TPCLS), investigate the infection susceptibility of TPCLS by avian influenza (H9N2 and H7N7) and swine influenza (H3N2) viruses and evaluate the infection expression of TPCLS by different influenza viruses in correlation to the cellular sialic acids distribution after infection. The lectin stains and monoclonal antibodies prepared against nucleoprotein of influenza virus were used for analysing sialic acids distributions and viral antigen detection of TPCLS by immunoflourescent technique. The viral infective particles released from infected TPCLS by different avian and swine influenza viruses were titrated at different time intervals after infection. Both α2,3-linked and α2,6-linked sialic acids were expressed in the bronchus of TPCLS, while only α2,6-linked sialic acid was expressed in the parabronchial tissues. The indirect immunoflourescent technique showed variation of infection susceptibility of TPCLS parts by avian and swine influenza viruses. Infection was expressed in the bronchial epithelium by H9N2, H7N7 and H3N2, while in the parabronchial tissue by H9N2 and H3N2. Titration of the released infective viruses in the supernatant of infected TPCLS revealed that H9N2 could replicate faster than the other influenza viruses. TPCLS is a promising in-vitro model for viral infection study of turkey

Investigating the Predominant Levels of Learning Objectives in General English Books

This study investigated nine General English books (five produced by non-native Iranian speakers and four produced by native speakers) in terms of learning objectives in Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (2001). The aim was to find out which levels of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy are dominant in the books. So, the contents of the books were codified based on a coding scheme designed by Razmjoo and Kazempurfard (2012). The inter-coder and intra-coder reliability of the coding were estimated through SPSS software resulting in 96.5 and 97.3 respectively, which are very high. The data were analyzed and the frequencies and percentages of occurrence of different learning objectives were calculated. The results of the study revealed that in books produced by non-native speakers, A1 (Remembering Factual Knowledge) is the dominant learning objective level used, and in books produced by native speakers, both A1 (Remembering Factual Knowledge) and B1 (Understanding Factual Knowledge) are the dominant levels. Furthermore, lower order thinking skills (the three low levels in Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy) are the most prevalent learning levels in books produced by both non-native Iranian speakers and native speakers. However, the percentages of occurrence of higher order thinking skills in books produced by native speakers are higher than those in books produced by non-native Iranian speakers

Identifying the determinants of tax following intention with emphasis on the theory of planned behavior

This research aims to identify the determinants of tax compliance intention, focusing on the theory of planned behavior. This research is practical in its objective and causal in its method. The data collection method was a questionnaire survey with confirmed validity and reliability. The statistical population of this research includes all managers and owners of small and medium enterprises in Iraq, and because the company is unlimited, a sample of 384 companies was studied. The research results show that attitude, perceived behavioral control, and patriotism towards tax compliance are significantly positively related to the intention to facilitate the payment of sales tax among small and medium enterprises

Global, regional, and national burden of respiratory tract cancers and associated risk factors from 1990 to 2019 a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Prevention, control, and treatment of respiratory tract cancers are important steps towards achieving target 3.4 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-a one-third reduction in premature mortality due to non-communicable diseases by 2030. We aimed to provide global, regional, and national estimates of the burden of tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer and larynx cancer and their attributable risks from 1990 to 2019. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 methodology, we evaluated the incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) of respiratory tract cancers (ie, tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer and larynx cancer). Deaths from tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer and larynx cancer attributable to each risk factor were estimated on the basis of risk exposure, relative risks, and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level input from 204 countries and territories, stratified by sex and Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Trends were estimated from 1990 to 2019, with an emphasis on the 2010-19 period. Findings Globally, there were 2.26 million (95% uncertainty interval 2.07 to 2.45) new cases of tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer, and 2.04 million (1.88 to 2.19) deaths and 45.9 million (42.3 to 49.3) DALYs due to tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer in 2019. There were 209 000 (194 000 to 225 000) new cases of larynx cancer, and 123 000 (115 000 to 133 000) deaths and 3.26 million (3.03 to 3.51) DALYs due to larynx cancer globally in 2019. From 2010 to 2019, the number of new tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer cases increased by 23.3% (12.9 to 33.6) globally and the number of larynx cancer cases increased by 24.7% (16.0 to 34.1) globally. Global age-standardised incidence rates of tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer decreased by 7.4% (-16.8 to 1.6) and age-standardised incidence rates of larynx cancer decreased by 3.0% (-10.5 to 5.0) in males over the past decade; however, during the same period, age-standardised incidence rates in females increased by 0.9% (-8.2 to 10.2) for tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer and decreased by 0.5% (-8.4 to 8.1) for larynx cancer. Furthermore, although age-standardised incidence and death rates declined in both sexes combined from 2010 to 2019 at the global level for tracheal, bronchus, lung and larynx cancers, some locations had rising rates, particularly those on the lower end of the SDI range. Smoking contributed to an estimated 64.2% (61.9-66.4) of all deaths from tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer and 63.4% (56.3-69.3) of all deaths from larynx cancer in 2019. For males and for both sexes combined, smoking was the leading specific risk factor for age-standardised deaths from tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer per 100 000 in all SDI quintiles and GBD regions in 2019. However, among females, household air pollution from solid fuels was the leading specific risk factor in the low SDI quintile and in three GBD regions (central, eastern, and western sub-Saharan Africa) in 2019. Interpretation The numbers of incident cases and deaths from tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer and larynx cancer increased globally during the past decade. Even more concerning, age-standardised incidence and death rates due to tracheal, bronchus, lung cancer and larynx cancer increased in some populations-namely, in the lower SDI quintiles and among females. Preventive measures such as smoking control interventions, air quality management programmes focused on major air pollution sources, and widespread access to clean energy should be prioritised in these settings. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd

Few-shot Class-incremental Learning for 3D Point Cloud Objects

Few-shot class-incremental learning (FSCIL) aims to incrementally fine-tune a model (trained on base classes) for a novel set of classes using a few examples without forgetting the previous training. Recent efforts address this problem primarily on 2D images. However, due to the advancement of camera technology, 3D point cloud data has become more available than ever, which warrants considering FSCIL on 3D data. This paper addresses FSCIL in the 3D domain. In addition to well-known issues of catastrophic forgetting of past knowledge and overfitting of few-shot data, 3D FSCIL can bring newer challenges. For example, base classes may contain many synthetic instances in a realistic scenario. In contrast, only a few real-scanned samples (from RGBD sensors) of novel classes are available in incremental steps. Due to the data variation from synthetic to real, FSCIL endures additional challenges, degrading performance in later incremental steps. We attempt to solve this problem using Microshapes (orthogonal basis vectors) by describing any 3D objects using a pre-defined set of rules. It supports incremental training with few-shot examples minimizing synthetic to real data variation. We propose new test protocols for 3D FSCIL using popular synthetic datasets (ModelNet and ShapeNet) and 3D real-scanned datasets (ScanObjectNN and CO3D). By comparing state-of-the-art methods, we establish the effectiveness of our approach in the 3D domain

Assessing the capability of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in tandem with chemometric analysis for predicting poultry meat spoilage

Background Use of traditional methods for determining meat spoilage is quite laborious and time consuming. Therefore, alternative approaches are needed that can predict the spoilage of meat in a rapid, non-invasive and more elaborative way. In this regard, the spectroscopic techniques have shown their potential for predicting the microbial spoilage of meat-based products. Consequently, the present work was aimed to demonstrate the competence of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to detect spoilage in chicken fillets stored under aerobic refrigerated conditions. Methods This study was conducted under controlled randomized design (CRD). Chicken samples were stored for 8 days at 4 + 0.5 °C and FTIR spectra were collected at regular intervals (after every 2 days) directly from the sample surface using attenuated total reflectance during the study period. Additionally, total plate count (TPC), Entetobacteriaceae count, pH, CTn (Color transmittance number) color analysis, TVBN (total volatile basic nitrogen) contents, and shear force values were also measured through traditional approaches. FTIR spectral data were interpreted through principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square (PLS) regression and compared with results of traditional methods for precise estimation of spoilage. Results Results of TPC (3.04–8.20 CFU/cm2), Entetobacteriaceae counts (2.39–6.33 CFU/cm2), pH (4.65–7.05), color (57.00–142.00 CTn), TVBN values (6.72–33.60 mg/100 g) and shear force values (8.99–39.23) were measured through traditional methods and compared with FTIR spectral data. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied on data obtained through microbial and quality analyses and results revealed significant changes (P < 0.05) in the values of microbial load and quality parameters of chicken fillets during the storage. FTIR spectra were collected and PCA was applied to illuminate the wavenumbers potentially correlated to the spoilage of meat. PLS regression analysis permitted the estimates of microbial spoilage and quality parameters from the spectra with a fit of R2 = 0.66 for TPC, R2 = 0.52 for Entetobacteriaceae numbers and R2 = 0.56 for TVBN analysis of stored broiler meat. Discussion PLS regression was applied for quantitative interpretation of spectra, which allowed estimates of microbial loads on chicken surfaces during the storage period. The results suggest that FTIR spectra retain information regarding the spoilage of poultry meat. Conclusion The present work concluded that FTIR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis can be successfully used for quantitative determination of poultry meat spoilage

Effects of gold nanoparticles synthesized using water extract of brown seaweed; Sargassum glaucescens

Based on data published in April 2011 by WHO about Deaths in worldwide, cancer is the third leading cause of death (after heart disease and stroke) in most of developed countries and the second leading cause of death (after heart disease) in Malaysia . Therefore, one of the challenges for Malaysia and the whole world is carrying out research on cancer in order to find its causes and method for therapy and prevention of this disease. Metal nanoparticle synthesis using seaweed extract shows rapid and non-toxic process which resulted to nano sizes having the greatest potential for biomedical applications. The current study was aimed to investigate the anticancer properties of gold nanoparticles synthesized using water extract of brown seaweed; Sargassum glaucescens(Au/S.G-NPs). The effect of 3.65±1.69 nm Au/S.G-NPs were studied on HeLa (cervical cancer) and 3T3 (mouse fibroblast) using tetrazolium dye MTT assay. Later on, in vitro apoptosis effect was evaluated using fluorescent microscopy, flow cytometry, and protease caspase activities. After 72 h treatment , MTT assay revealed highest and significant cytotoxic effect of Au/S.G-NPs dose and time-dependently against cervical cancer cells with IC50 of 4.75 ± 1.23 μg/mL. On the other hand, Au/S.G-NPs showed no cytotoxic effect toward mouse fibroblast cells. Moreover, Au/S.G-NPs significantly (P < 0.05) arrests HeLa cells at G2/M phase and significantly (P < 0.05) activated caspases-3 and -9. The results revealed that Au/S.G-NPs can be further developed as chemotherapeutic compound for the treatment of cancers especially cervical cancer