Modified Spatial Channel Model for MIMO Wireless Systems

?The third generation partnership Project's (3GPP) spatial channel model (SCM) is a stochastic channel model for MIMO systems. Due to fixed subpath power levels and angular directions, the SCM model does not show the degree of variation which is encountered in real channels. In this paper, we propose a modified SCM model which has random subpath powers and directions and still produces Laplace shape angular power spectrum. Simulation results on outage MIMO capacity with basic and modified SCM models show that the modified SCM model gives constantly smaller capacity values. Accordingly, it seems that the basic SCM gives too small correlation between MIMO antennas. Moreover, the variance in capacity values is larger using the proposed SCM model. Simulation results were supported by the outage capacity results from a measurement campaign conducted in the city centre of Oulu, Finland

Sentinel node tumor burden in prediction of prognosis in melanoma patients

Recent data have demonstrated no survival benefit to immediate completion lymph node dissection (CLND) for positive sentinel node (SN) disease in melanoma. It is important to identify parameters in positive SNs, which predict prognosis in melanoma patients. These might provide prognostic value in staging systems and risk models by guiding high-risk patients' adjuvant therapy in clinical practice. In this retrospective study of university hospital melanoma database we analyzed tumor burden and prognosis in patients with positive SNs. Patients were stratified by the diameter of tumor deposit, distribution of metastatic focus in SN, ulceration and number of metastatic SNs. These were incorporated in Cox proportional hazard regression models. Predictive ability was assessed using Akaike information criterion and Harrell's concordance index. A total of 110 patients had positive SN and 104 underwent CLND. Twenty-two (21%) patients had non-SN metastatic disease on CLND. The 5-year melanoma specific survival for CLND-negative patients was 5.00 years (IQR 3.23-5.00, range 0.72-5.00) compared to 3.69 (IQR 2.28-4.72, range 1.01-5.00) years in CLND-positive patients (HR 2.82 (95% CI 1.17-6.76, p = 0.020).The models incorporating distribution of metastatic focus and the largest tumor deposit in SN had highest predictive ability. According to Cox proportional hazard regression models, information criterions and c-index, the diameter of tumor deposit > 4 mm with multifocal location in SN despite of number of metastatic SN were the most important parameters. According to the diameter of tumor deposit and distribution of metastatic focus in SN, adequate stratification of positive SN patients was possible and risk classes for patients were identified.Peer reviewe

Attritional Phenomena in the Nivkh Language on Sakhalin

Nivkh is a seriously endangered language spoken on Sakhalin Island and in the Amur region of the Russian Far East. Due to a variety of historical reasons, even the most fluent Nivkh speakers nowadays prefer to communicate in Russian. The current linguistic situation is inevitably leading to a decrease of Nivkh language proficiency and to the reduction and simplification of the language. This paper examines attritional phenomena in the realms of consonant alternations, kinship terminology, and numeral classifiers. The authors’ fieldwork on Sakhalin in 2014 revealed that these elaborate and authentic systems have undergone substantial changes in the speech of modern Nivkh speakers.Нивхский язык, на котором говорят на острове Сахалин и в Амурской области на Дальнем Востоке России, находится под угрозой исчезновения. В силу различных исторических причин в настоящее время даже наиболее компетентные носители нивхского языка предпочитают говорить по-русски. Современная языковая ситуация неизбежно ведет к снижению компетенции в нивхском языке, а также к редукции и упрощению языка. В статье рассматриваются аттриционные явления в области чередований согласных, терминологии родства и числовых классификаторов. В речи современных носителей языка эти сложные аутентичные системы подверглись существенным изменениям, которые стали очевидны во время полевой работы авторов на Сахалине в 2014 г

Premalignant lesions, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

The incidence of keratinocyte carcinomas is increasing worldwide and currently there is no standardised strategy for the follow-up of patients with multiple tumours. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of premalignant lesions, i.e., actinic keratosis and Bowen's disease, as well as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and cutaneous melanoma (CM) among patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Pathology database search was performed to identify all cSCC patients diagnosed in the Pirkanmaa region of Finland in 2006-2015. Details of the patients and tumours were obtained through medical record review. The cohort consisted of 774 patients with 1131 cSCC tumours. Overall 559 patients (72%) had premalignant lesions. A total of 316 patients (41%) had BCC and 52% of these (n = 164) had more than one BCC tumour. 50 patients (6%) had CM. Overall 180 cSCC patients (23%) had no premalignant changes, BCC or CM. The median age of these patients was 6 years less than that of the patients with premalignant lesions (p <0.001) or BCC (p <0.001). The invasion depth of the tumours was deeper in the patients with only cSCC (median 3 mm, interquartile range 2-6) than in those with premalignant lesions or BCC (median 2 mm, interquartile range 1-3),p <0.001. CSCC patients have a high risk of developing multiple skin cancers and need long-term follow-up.Peer reviewe

Characteristics and Trends of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a Patient Cohort in Finland 2006-2015

The incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is increasing worldwide. In most epidemiological studies, only the first case of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is registered, underestimating the burden of the disease. To determine the frequency and detailed characteristics of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in a Finnish patient cohort, we performed a retrospective 10-year study taking into account multiple tumours in one patient. On the pathology database search and medical record review we identified 774 patients with a total of 1,131 cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas. The crude incidence increased from 18.6/100,000 persons in 2006 to 28.1 in 2015. The location of tumours differed between men and women: the greatest difference concerned cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the ear, with 93% of cases occurring in men. One fourth (24%) of patients had more than one tumour. A small shift from poorly to well-differentiated tumours was seen. In conclusion, the incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma increased, with many patients presenting with multiple tumours.Peer reviewe

Recurrent and Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas in a Cohort of 774 Patients in Finland

Dermato-Venereologica Recognising patients with high risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas is essential in planning effective monitoring. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of local recurrences and metastases of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in a previously defined patient cohort in Finland. Pathology database search was performed to identify cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma patients and their medical records were reviewed. The cohort consisted of 774 patients with 1,131 cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma tumours. Overall, 4.2% (48/1,131) of the tumours were metastatic and 2.2% (25/1,131) had a local recurrence. Three of the metastatic tumours and 8 of the recurrent tumours had an invasion depth ofPeer reviewe

IST-2000-30148 I-METRA: D4 Performance evaluation

This document considers the performance of multiantenna transmit/receive techniques in high-speed downlink and uplink packet access. The evaluation is done using both link and system level simulations by taking into account link adaptation and packet retransmissions. The document is based on the initial studies carried out in deliverables D3.1 and D3.2.Preprin

A test of the effort equalization hypothesis in children with cerebral palsy who have an asymmetric gait

Healthy people can walk nearly effortlessly thanks to their instinctively adaptive gait patterns that tend to minimize metabolic energy consumption. However, the economy of gait is severely impaired in many neurological disorders such as stroke or cerebral palsy (CP). Moreover, self-selected asymmetry of impaired gait does not seem to unequivocally coincide with the minimal energy cost, suggesting the presence of other adaptive origins. Here, we used hemiparetic CP gait as a model to test the hypothesis that pathological asymmetric gait patterns are chosen to equalize the relative muscle efforts between the affected and unaffected limbs. We determined the relative muscle efforts for the ankle and knee extensors by relating extensor joint moments during gait to maximum moments obtained from all-out hopping reference test. During asymmetric CP gait, the unaffected limb generated greater ankle (1.36 +/- 0.15 vs 1.17 +/- 0.16 Nm/kg, p = 0.002) and knee (0.74 +/- 0.33 vs 0.44 +/- 0.19 Nm/kg, p = 0.007) extensor moments compared with the affected limb. Similarly, the maximum moment generation capacity was greater in the unaffected limb versus the affected limb (ankle extensors: 1.81 +/- 0.39 Nm/kg vs 1.51 +/- 0.34 Nm/kg, p = 0.033; knee extensors: 1.83 +/- 0.37 Nm/kg vs 1.34 +/- 0.38 Nm/kg, p = 0.021) in our force reference test. As a consequence, no differences were found in the relative efforts between unaffected and affected limb ankle extensors (77 +/- 12% vs 80 +/- 16%, p = 0.69) and knee extensors (41 +/- 17% vs 38 +/- 23%, p = 0.54). In conclusion, asymmetric CP gait resulted in similar relative muscle efforts between affected and unaffected limbs. The tendency for effort equalization may thus be an important driver of self-selected gait asymmetry patterns, and consequently advantageous for preventing fatigue of the weaker affected side musculature.Peer reviewe