Fluid and crystallized intelligence and broad perceptual factors among 11 to 12 year olds.

Gave a battery of 36 visual and auditory tests to 113 primary school children. Second-order analysis of the data yielded 2 well-defined factors representing Fluid (Gf) and Crystallized (Gc) Intelligence and 2 perceptual factors corresponding to General Visualization (Gv) and General Auditory Function (Ga). Perceptual factors were not clearly separated from broad intellective factors at this age level. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spike detection using the continuous wavelet transform

This paper combines wavelet transforms with basic detection theory to develop a new unsupervised method for robustly detecting and localizing spikes in noisy neural recordings. The method does not require the construction of templates, or the supervised setting of thresholds. We present extensive Monte Carlo simulations, based on actual extracellular recordings, to show that this technique surpasses other commonly used methods in a wide variety of recording conditions. We further demonstrate that falsely detected spikes corresponding to our method resemble actual spikes more than the false positives of other techniques such as amplitude thresholding. Moreover, the simplicity of the method allows for nearly real-time execution.     

Human abilities revealed through auditory tests.

Used established findings from studies of visual, musical, and speech perception abilities to guide the construction of auditory ability tests. 44 measures based on these tests were obtained from a sample of 241 adult males (mean age 25.64 yrs). Correlation and factorial analyses were used to indicate structural interrelationships and relationships with education, musical experience, general intelligence, and age. The results indicate separate capacities for Auditory Verbal Comprehension, Auditory Immediate Memory, Temporal Tracking, Auditory Cognition of Relationships, Discrimination Among Sound Patterns, Speech Perception Under Distraction/Distortion, and Maintaining and Judging Rhythm. (61 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

CD73 Overexpression in Podocytes: A Novel Marker of Podocyte Injury in Human Kidney Disease

The CD73 pathway is an important anti-inflammatory mechanism in various disease settings. Observations in mouse models suggested that CD73 might have a protective role in kidney damage; however, no direct evidence of its role in human kidney disease has been described to date. Here, we hypothesized that podocyte injury in human kidney diseases alters CD73 expression that may facilitate the diagnosis of podocytopathies. We assessed the expression of CD73 and one of its functionally important targets, the C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2), in podocytes from kidney biopsies of 39 patients with podocytopathy (including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), minimal change disease (MCD), membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) and amyloidosis) and a control group. Podocyte CD73 expression in each of the disease groups was significantly increased in comparison to controls (p < 0.001–p < 0.0001). Moreover, there was a marked negative correlation between CD73 and CCR2 expression, as confirmed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence (Pearson r = −0.5068, p = 0.0031; Pearson r = −0.4705, p = 0.0313, respectively), thus suggesting a protective role of CD73 in kidney injury. Finally, we identify CD73 as a novel potential diagnostic marker of human podocytopathies, particularly of MCD that has been notorious for the lack of pathological features recognizable by light microscopy and immunohistochemistry.     

Frequency and Timing Offset Estimation Using Single Reference Symbol

In this paper we will investigate the performance of an estimator employing single OFDM reference symbol for timing and frequency offset estimation. We will show how both coarse and fine frequency offset estimation can be performed with this single OFDM reference symbol. The performance of this estimator will be compared with the ML estimator employing OFDM reference symbols of different length for coarse and fine frequency offset estimation. It will be shown that, unlike ML estimator, the estimation range of the analyzed estimator is not constrained.     

A Novel Three-State ARQ Scheme for Variable Error-Tate Channels

This paper presents a new type of automatic-repeat-request (ARQ) scheme, Three-State ARQ (TS-ARQ), for error control in data transmission over a noisy channel. The new scheme is based on the Go-Back-N (GBN) protocol and uses three different methods of GBN protocols: basic GBN, n-copy GBN and continuous-GBN. The new ARQ model is applicable for channels having the variable noise level going from low through medium until very high levels. As it is known, such wireless channels are to be found in terrestrial and space (satellite) communications. This model is to be used for the estimation of the noise state in the channel and one of the methods is used, depending of the noise level. When the noise level is low GBN-ARQ is used, in the case of the medium noise level the n-copy GBN is used, and if the noise level is high continuous-GBN will be applied. This paper presents the method of determining the parameters and transfer moments from one state to another. An original mathematical model is given, together with evaluation results. These results are compared with the known methods and the conclusion that the described method provides some better performances is drowned. The implementation of this new procedure is simple as described in the flow chart given in the paper.     

The WINLAB Network Centric Cognitive Radio Hardware Platform—WiNC2R

This paper presents the design goals and architecture of WiNC2R—the WINLAB Network Centric Cognitive radio hardware platform. The platform has been designed for flexible processing at both the radio physical layer and MAC/network layers with sustained bit-rates of ~10 Mbps and higher. The hardware prototype supports multi band operation with fast spectrum scanning, the ability to dynamically switch between a number of OFDM and DSSS modems and multiple MAC protocols. The radio modems, MAC, and network-layer protocols are implemented in a flexible manner using general-purpose processing engines and a set of dynamically configurable hardware accelerators. An FPGA based platform implementation currently in progress is described in terms of key hardware components including the software-defined modem, the flexible MAC engine and network-level processor. Preliminary prototyping results are reported, and a roadmap for further evolution of the WiNC2R board is provided.     

Comparison of a laboratorial scale synthesized and a commercial yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystals ceramics submitted to microwave sintering

Conventional sintering techniques of yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (Y-TZP) ceramics have presented limitations regarding the sintering time and temperature, increasing the cost of the final dental and biomedical products. Herein, microwave sintering comes to be an interesting alternative by providing fast heating, high densification, and grain-size control. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of microwave sintering of Y-TZP dental ceramics prepared from a pre-sintered commercial block and produced from powders synthesized in a laboratorial scale by the precipitation route. The synthetized and commercial discs were submitted to microwave sintering at 1450°C and 1350°C for 15, 30, and 60 minutes. Densification, fracture toughness, grain size, and crystalline phase quantification of the sintered groups were evaluated. Both synthetized and commercial groups sintered at 1450°C for 15 and 30 minutes showed the higher densification results (98% TD). XRD quantitative phase analysis indicates that samples present 89% tetragonal and 11% cubic phases, except for the group prepared from coprecipitated powders sintered at 1450°C for 30 minutes, that presented 79% and 21% of tetragonal and cubic phases. The microwave sintering at 1450°C allows hardness and fracture toughness values comparable to conventional sintering.