Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Eigenstructure Method for Estimating DOA and Sensor Gain-Phase Errors

In this paper, we consider the problem of direction of arrival (DOA) estimation in the presence of sensor gain-phase errors. Under some mild assumptions, we propose a new DOA estimation method based on the eigendecomposition of a covariance matrix which is constructed by the dot product of the array output vector and its conjugate. By combining the new DOA estimation with the conventional gain-phase error estimation, a method is proposed to simultaneously estimate the DOA and gain-phase errors without joint iteration. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed method performs independently of phase errors and thus behaves well regardless of phase errors. However, the resolution capability of the proposed method is lower than that of the method in [A. J. Weiss and B. Friedlander, “Eigenstructure methods for direction finding with sensor gain and phase uncertainties,” Circuits Systems Signal Process. , vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 271-300, 1990], named as the WF method. In order to improve the resolution capability and maintain phase error independence, a combined strategy is developed using the proposed and WF methods. The advantage of the proposed methods is that they are independent of phase errors, leading to the cancellation of phase error calibration during the operation life of an array. Moreover, the proposed methods avoid the problem of suboptimal convergence which occurs in the WF method. The drawbacks of the proposed methods are their high computational complexity and their requirement for the condition that at least two signals are spatially far from each other, and they are not applicable to a linear array. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Terrestrial reproduction as an adaptation to steep terrain in African toads

How evolutionary novelties evolve is a major question in evolutionary biology. It is widely accepted that changes in environmental conditions shift the position of selective optima, and advancements in phylogenetic comparative approaches allow the rigorous testing of such correlated transitions. A longstanding question in vertebrate biology has been the evolution of terrestrial life histories in amphibians and here, by investigating African bufonids, we test whether terrestrial modes of reproduction have evolved as adaptations to particular abiotic habitat parameters. We reconstruct and date the most complete species-level molecular phylogeny and estimate ancestral states for reproductive modes. By correlating continuous habitat measurements from remote sensing data and locality records with life-history transitions, we discover that terrestrial modes of reproduction, including viviparity evolved multiple times in this group, most often directly from fully aquatic modes. Terrestrial modes of reproduction are strongly correlated with steep terrain and low availability of accumulated water sources. Evolutionary transitions to terrestrial modes of reproduction occurred synchronously with or after transitions in habitat, and we, therefore, interpret terrestrial breeding as an adaptation to these abiotic conditions, rather than an exaptation that facilitated the colonization of montane habitats.
Hippocampal Brain Volume Is Associated with Faster Facial Emotion Identification in Older Adults: Preliminary Results

Quick correct identification of facial emotions is highly relevant for successful social interactions. Research suggests that older, compared to young, adults experience increased difficulty with face and emotion processing skills. While functional neuroimaging studies suggest age differences in neural processing of faces and emotions, evidence about age-associated structural brain changes and their involvement in face and emotion processing is scarce. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), this study investigated the extent to which volumes of frontal and temporal brain structures were related to reaction time in accurate identification of facial emotions in 30 young and 30 older adults. Volumetric segmentation was performed using FreeSurfer and gray matter volumes from frontal and temporal regions were extracted. Analysis of covariances (ANCOVAs) models with response time (RT) as the dependent variable and age group and regional volume, and their interaction, as independent variables were conducted, controlling for total intracranial volume (ICV). Results indicated that, in older adults, larger hippocampal volumes were associated with faster correct facial emotion identification. These preliminary observations suggest that greater volume in brain regions associated with face and emotion processing contributes to improved facial emotion identification performance in aging.
Can Intensive Exercise Harm the Heart?: You Can Get Too Much of a Good Thing

The health effects of exercise are undeniable, both on cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality.1 But just as tennis players can overuse their tendons and runners can develop stress fractures, it may also be that endurance athletes may develop sports-related cardiac injuries. Despite exercise being our oldest and most efficacious therapy, there is an incomplete understanding of the entire dose–response relationship. Faced with the modern inactivity pandemic there has been an appropriate focus on the harm associated with too little exercise. However, at the other extreme, intense exercise training can result in profound cardiac remodeling, termed the “athlete’s heart,” and the prognostic significance of the resulting structural, functional, and electric changes remains uncertain. Response by Levine p 1002 Popular speculation and rumor regarding the risks of exercise have persisted since the collapse of Pheidippides, an event which has itself been altered and fabricated through centuries of social media,2 and the topic cannot simply be dismissed on account of a lack of evidence. Indeed, there are no randomized, controlled trials assessing the health effects of intense prolonged exercise but this works both ways—there is no definitive evidence of harm, nor definitive evidence of safety. Thus, using cohort studies, surrogate end points and preclinical data we seek to illuminate wider debate by highlighting the substantial evidence suggesting that intense exercise, particularly intense endurance exercise, can be associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and an excess of arrhythmias. We will definitely not argue that any potential harm from more extreme exercise negates the overwhelming benefits of moderate and regular exercise. An important issue in this debate is the definition of “intensive” exercise. In the following discussions we will frequently align the increased potential for arrhythmias with greater exercise-induced cardiac remodeling and would therefore choose to define “intensive exercise” as the dose of exercise that …
Vacuum Infusion Process for Composite Vessel Construction

This study covers the construction process of boats from reinforced fibres with composites resin by using vacuum infusion and hand lay-up method. Based on the findings, vacuum infusion process gives the impression to produce higher results of composite flexural properties compared to the composites manufactured by hand lay-up method. Further, the vacuum infusion method used in this study offers the clear benefits of vacuum infusion method over hand lay-up process, which provides better comparison ratio between fibres to resin which resulting in stronger and lighter laminates. The existing composite materials can provide higher strength, low-cost alternative which is also environmentally friendly, when manufactured using vacuum infusion process.
Automatic Stage Scoring of Single-Channel Sleep EEG by Using Multiscale Entropy and Autoregressive Models

In this paper, we propose an automatic sleep-scoring method combining multiscale entropy (MSE) and autoregressive (AR) models for single-channel EEG and to assess the performance of the method comparatively with manual scoring based on full polysomnograms. This is the first time that MSE has ever been applied to sleep scoring. All-night polysomnograms from 20 healthy individuals were scored using the Rechtschaffen and Kales rules. The developed method analyzed the EEG signals of C3-A2 for sleep staging. The results of automatic and manual scorings were compared on an epoch-by-epoch basis. A total of 8480 30-s sleep EEG epochs were measured and used for performance evaluation. The epoch-by-epoch comparison was made by classifying the EEG epochs into five states (Wake/REM/S1/S2/SWS) by the proposed method and manual scoring. The overall sensitivity and kappa coefficient of MSE alone are 76.9% and 0.65, respectively. Moreover, the overall sensitivity and kappa coefficient of our proposed method of integrating MSE, AR models, and a smoothing process can reach the sensitivity level of 88.1% and 0.81, respectively. Our results show that MSE is a useful and representative feature for sleep staging. It has high accuracy and good home-care applicability because a single EEG channel is used for sleep staging.
Discrimination and mental health-related service use in a national study of Asian Americans.

OBJECTIVES We examined the association between perceived discrimination and use of mental health services among a national sample of Asian Americans. METHODS Our data came from the National Latino and Asian American Study, the first national survey of Asian Americans. Our sample included 600 Chinese, 508 Filipinos, 520 Vietnamese, and 467 other Asians (n=2095). We used logistic regression to examine the association between discrimination and formal and informal service use and the interactive effect of discrimination and English language proficiency. RESULTS Perceived discrimination was associated with more use of informal services, but not with less use of formal services. Additionally, higher levels of perceived discrimination combined with lower English proficiency were associated with more use of informal services. CONCLUSIONS The effect of perceived discrimination and language proficiency on service use indicates a need for more bilingual services and more collaborations between formal service systems and community resources.
Magnetic activity on AB Doradus : temporal evolution of star-spots and differential rotation from 1988 to 1994

Surface brightness maps for the young K0 dwarf AB Doradus are reconstructed from archival data sets for epochs spanning from 1988 to 1994. By using the signal-to-noise ratio enhancement technique of least-squares deconvolution, our results show a greatly increased resolution of spot features than obtained in previously published surface brightness reconstructions. These images show that for the exception of epoch 1988.96, the star-spot distributions are dominated by a long-lived polar cap, and short-lived low to high-latitude features. The fragmented polar cap at epoch 1988.96 could indicate a change in the nature of the dynamo in the star. For the first time we measure differential rotation for epochs with sufficient phase coverage (1992.05, 1993.89, 1994.87). These measurements show variations on a time-scale of at least 1 year, with the strongest surface differential rotation ever measured for AB Dor occurring in 1994.86. In conjunction with previous investigations, our results represent the first long-term analysis of the temporal evolution of differential rotation on active stars.
A study on the effects of environmental factors on fungal α-amylase synthesis utilizing cereal- processing mill residues.

Different environmental parameters were monitored and subsequently optimized for the production of fungal α-amylase using various cereals processing mill residues viz. wheat, rice and maize barns. The fungal strains were isolated from the natural sources which were screened and selected based on their starch degrading properties. The selected strain of Aspergillus sp. SM 07 was cultivated adopting solid state fermentation (SSF) and wheat bran was found to be the superior carbon source for maximum amylase production. The effects of environmental factors including initial moisture content (IMC), incubation temperature, initial pH, inoculum level and solid to flask volume ratio were studied following one parameter at a time approach during cultivation of Aspergillus sp. SM 07 on wheat bran. The maximum enzyme activity per gram of dry substrate (342±20 IU/gds) was attained when the SSF was conducted with 20g of solid substrate in 500 ml Erlenmeyer flask at 30 0 C for 96h and the IMC, pH and inoculum level were 60%, pH-5 and 4ml respectively.
Analytical Method to Estimate the Complex Permittivity of Oil Samples

In this paper, an analytical method to estimate the complex dielectric constant of liquids is presented. The method is based on the measurement of the transmission coefficient in an embedded microstrip line loaded with a complementary split ring resonator (CSRR), which is etched in the ground plane. From this response, the dielectric constant and loss tangent of the liquid under test (LUT) can be extracted, provided that the CSRR is surrounded by such LUT, and the liquid level extends beyond the region where the electromagnetic fields generated by the CSRR are present. For that purpose, a liquid container acting as a pool is added to the structure. The main advantage of this method, which is validated from the measurement of the complex dielectric constant of olive and castor oil, is that reference samples for calibration are not required.
Neuroendocrine Control of FSH Secretion: IV. Hypothalamic Control of Pituitary FSH-Regulatory Proteins and Their Relationship to Changes in FSH Synthesis and Secretion1

ABSTRACT The current dogma is that the differential regulation of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) synthesis and secretion is modulated by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse frequency and by changes in inhibins, activins, and follistatins both at the pituitary and at the peripheral level. To date no studies have looked at the overlapping function of these regulators in a combined setting. We tested the hypothesis that changes in GnRH pulse frequency alter the relative abundance of these regulators at the pituitary and peripheral levels in a manner consistent with changes in pituitary and circulating concentrations of FSH; that is, an increase in FSH will be accompanied by increased stimulatory input (activin) and/or reduced follistatin and inhibin. Ovariectomized ewes were subjected to a combination hypothalamic pituitary disconnection (HPD)-hypophyseal portal blood collection procedure. Hypophyseal portal and jugular blood samples were collected for a 6-h period from non-HPD ewes, HPD ewes, or HPD ewes administered GnRH hourly or every 3 h for 4 days. In the absence of endogenous hypothalamic and ovarian hormones that regulate gonadotropin secretion, 3-hourly pulses of GnRH increased pituitary content of FSH more than hourly GnRH, although these differences were not evident in the peripheral circulation. The results failed to support the hypothesis in that the preferential increase of pituitary content of FSH by the lower GnRH pulse frequency could be explained by changes in the pituitary content of inhibin A, follistatin, or activin B. Perhaps the effects of GnRH pulse frequency on FSH is due to changes in the balance of free versus bound amounts of these FSH regulatory proteins or to the involvement of other regulators not monitored in this study.
Novel inhibitor candidates of TRPV2 prevent damage of dystrophic myocytes and ameliorate against dilated cardiomyopathy in a hamster model

Transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 2 (TRPV2) is a principal candidate for abnormal Ca2+-entry pathways, which is a potential target for therapy of muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathy. Here, an in silico drug screening and the following cell-based screening to measure the TRPV2 activation were carried out in HEK293 cells expressing TRPV2 using lead compounds (tranilast or SKF96365) and off-patent drug stocks. We identified 4 chemical compounds containing amino-benzoyl groups and 1 compound (lumin) containing an ethylquinolinium group as candidate TRPV2 inhibitors. Three of these compounds inhibited Ca2+ entry through both mouse and human TRPV2, with IC50 of less than 10 μM, but had no apparent effect on other members of TRP family such as TRPV1 and TRPC1. Particularly, lumin inhibited agonist-induced TRPV2 channel activity at a low dose. These compounds inhibited abnormally increased Ca2+ influx and prevented stretch-induced skeletal muscle damage in cultured myocytes from dystrophic hamsters (J2N-k). Further, they ameliorated cardiac dysfunction, and prevented disease progression in vivo in the same J2N-k hamsters developing dilated cardiomyopathy as well as muscular dystrophy. The identified compounds described here are available as experimental tools and represent potential treatments for patients with cardiomyopathy and muscular dystrophy.
Association of left atrial structure and function and incident cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes mellitus: results from multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA)

Aims Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Morphological changes in the left atrium (LA) may appear before symptoms. We aimed to investigate the association between cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) measured LA structure and function and incident CVD in asymptomatic individuals with DM. Methods and results Tissue tracking CMR was used to measure LA size and phasic function (emptying fractions and strain) on all 536 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants with DM and available CMR at baseline in 2000-2002. At the time of enrolment, all participants were free of clinically recognized CVD, which was defined as MI, resuscitated cardiac arrest, angina, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Cox regression was used to assess the association of LA parameters with incident CVD adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, LV mass, NT Pro-BNP and maximum LA volume. Kaplan-Meier curves, adjusted for traditional risk factors, were generated for each LA measurement for the 25% of participants with the most abnormal values versus the remaining 75%. After a mean follow up of 11.4 ± 3.4 years, 141 individuals developed CVD. Individuals with incident CVD (mean age 66 years, 66% male vs. mean age 64 years, 50% male) had larger maximum and minimum LA volume index (LAVI) (32.1 vs. 26.8 mm3/m2; 19.4 vs. 14.2 mm3/m2 respectively, P < 0.001 for both), and lower total, passive, and active EF than those without CVD (P < 0.01 for all). In the fully adjusted model, there was a significant association of minimum LAVI, LA total EF, LA passive EF and LA active EF with incident CVD (HR 1.12 per mm3/m2, P < 0.001; HR 0.95 per %, P < 0.001; HR 0.97 per %, P = 0.021; HR 0.98 per %, P < 0.027, respectively). Conclusions CMR measured LA minimum volume and LA function as measured by emptying fraction are predictive of CVD in a diabetic multi-ethnic population free of any clinically recognized CVD at baseline.
Longitudinal changes in the accuracy of reported energy intake in girls 10-15 y of age.

BACKGROUND Dietary records are often used to estimate individual energy needs and population energy requirements. However, significant underreporting of total energy intake (EI) has been found when EI is compared with total energy expenditure (EE) measured by doubly labeled water. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine whether the accuracy of reported EI decreases from middle childhood to adolescence. DESIGN In this longitudinal study of 26 healthy girls, EI and EE were measured at ages 10, 12, and 15 y. Accuracy of reported EI (EI/EE x 100%) was calculated at each age. At study entry, girls had a mean (+/- SD) body mass index (in kg/m(2)) of 16.8 +/- 1.9 and percentage body fat of 24.0 +/- 4.6%. Measurements of EI were a 7-d dietary record and those of EE were by doubly labeled water. RESULTS As they got older, girls tended to report EI less accurately: the average accuracy was 88 +/- 13% at age 10 y, 77 +/- 21% at age 12 y, and 68 +/- 17% at age 15 y. The declines in reporting accuracy from age 10 y to age 12 y and from age 10 y to age 15 y were statistically significant (P = 0.03 and P = 0.001, respectively). Reporting accuracy also declined from age 12 to age 15 y but not significantly. When percentage body fat was added to the model, results were essentially unchanged. CONCLUSION Because of the decline in EI reporting accuracy with age, the use of EI data obtained from dietary records in adolescent girls will result in substantial underestimation of energy needs.
Dietary lipid requirements of adult lobsters, Homarus americanus (M.E.).

The effects of several dietary lipids on adult American lobster (Homarus americanus) were assessed over a 10 month feeding period. Cod liver oil (CLO) resulted in greater precent weight gains, feed conversion, percent edible meat and higher serum protein and hemocyte counts than either corn oil (CO) or hydrogenated coconut oil (HCO). These differences were probably due to an essential fatty acid (EFA) requirement by the lobster for linolenic series omega3 or other fatty acids present in CLO. The linoleic or omega6 fatty acids of CO appeared to have some sparing effect on several of the EFA deficiency symptoms. It was found that 5% CLO was optimal for mean percent weight gain, molt incidence, feed conversion and hemocyte counts of lobsters. Further increases in dietary CLO to 10% and 15% resulted in no significant improvement of any of the condition indices used. There was a decrease in serum protein and calcium when lobsters were fed a non-saponifiable sterol deficient diet. The addition of 1% cholesterol to the diet raised the serum protein, but resulted in even a greater decrease in the serum calcium level.
Biology of the coconut bug, Pseudotheraptus wayi , on French beans

Abstract The coconut bug, Pseudotheraptus wayi Brown (Heteroptera: Coreidae), is a major pest of a wide range of economically important crops in Eastern and Southern Africa. The suitability of French beans, Phaseolus vulgaris L. (Fabales: Fabaceae) as an alternative food for mass rearing of P. wayi was determined by elucidating its development, survival, and reproduction on French bean pods in the laboratory. Development and survival of immatures on French beans was comparable to what is reported with two hosts previously used for rearing this species, namely coconut and cashew. Adults survived thrice longer and laid almost twice more eggs on the French beans than was reported for the two hosts above. These findings suggest that French beans are more suitable for mass rearing of this species than coconut and cashew, which have been used previously but can be scarce and too costly.
Total sulfur amino acid requirement in young men as determined by indicator amino acid oxidation with L-[1-13C]phenylalanine.

BACKGROUND Determining the sulfur amino acid (SAA) requirements of humans has remained elusive because of the complex nature of SAA metabolism. Current recommendations are based on nitrogen balance studies. OBJECTIVE The goal of the present study was to determine the methionine requirement of men fed a diet devoid of cysteine (total SAA requirement). DESIGN Six men were randomly assigned to receive 6 graded intakes of methionine: 0, 6.5, 13.0, 19.5, 26.0, and 32.0 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1). The total SAA requirement was determined by measuring the oxidation of L-[1-13C]phenylalanine to 13CO2 (F(13)CO2)). The mean total SAA requirement was estimated with use of a linear regression crossover analysis, which identified a breakpoint of the F(13)CO2 response to methionine intake. RESULTS On the basis of the mean measures of F(13)CO2, the mean requirement and population-safe intake (upper limit of the 95% CI) of total SAAs were found to be 12.6 and 21 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1), respectively. CONCLUSION Although the mean SAA requirement is consistent with current guidelines for the total SAA intake, the population-safe intake is substantially higher than the currently recommended total SAA intake.