Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi-relay MIMO Systems With OSTBC Over Nakagami-$m$  Fading Channels

We investigate the performance of a dual-hop amplifyand-forward (AF) multi-relay system over independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Nakagami- m fading channels, where all nodes in the system are equipped with multiple antennas, and space-time block codes are used in both transmissions. By assuming that the number of source-relay spatial subchannels is equal to the number of relay-destination subchannels, new analytical expressions for the most important figures of merit, namely, outage probability, symbol error probability (SEP), and average channel capacity, are derived for arbitrary signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and for arbitrary values of the m parameter. We also present simplified expressions in the high-SNR regime that enable us to quantify the system performance in terms of diversity order and coding gain. Two different scenarios have been considered. First, each relay and destination combine the received signal, and then, the harmonic mean of the source-relay and relay-destination channels is computed. After that, the relay with the best harmonic mean is selected. In the second scenario, each relay and destination combine the received signal, and then, the relay with the best source-relay SNR is selected. After that, the harmonic mean of the source-to-selected-relay channel and selected-relay-to-destination channel is computed. For both considered scenarios, some special cases of interest (e.g., Nakagami-0.5 and Rayleigh) are examined. Our results explicitly demonstrate that the first scheme has higher diversity order than the second scheme, whereas the coding gain of the second scheme is always greater for the multi-relay case.
Hamster Model of Leptospirosis

This unit describes the techniques involved in the hamster model of leptospirosis. Hamsters are exquisitely susceptible to infection with pathogenic Leptospira species. The LD50 of virulent Leptospiral strains by intraperitoneal inoculation of 3‐ to 4‐week‐old hamsters is as low as a single organism. The pathogenesis of severe leptospirosis in the hamster is a model of accidental infections observed in nature in many mammals, including humans. Animal husbandry issues and the reproducibility of the hamster model make it the animal model of choice for Leptospiral vaccine and antibiotic treatment studies.
Chlamydia in Gynecologic Practice

The focus on Chlamydia trachomatis in gynecologic practice 20 years ago was in treating its potential consequences: pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Although these conditions are still important, the current focus of C. trachomatis management for the obstetrician and gynecologist is early detection and treatment. The majority of women with C. trachomatis are asymptomatic, therefore, screening programs are being devised so that C. trachomatis can be treated prior to the occurence of any adverse consequences. Novel tests have allowed the use of urine samples and self-collected vulvovaginal swabs in the detection of C. trachomatis. This article will review the consequences of C. trachomatis infection in women, methods of identification of the organism, the prevalence in various populations, and treatment and screening strategies.
Kir4.1 Potassium Channel Subunit Is Crucial for Oligodendrocyte Development and In Vivo Myelination

To understand the cellular and in vivo functions of specific K+ channels in glia, we have studied mice with a null mutation in the weakly inwardly rectifying K+ channel subunit Kir4.1. Kir4.1−/− mice display marked motor impairment, and the cellular basis is hypomyelination in the spinal cord, accompanied by severe spongiform vacuolation, axonal swellings, and degeneration. Immunostaining in the spinal cord of wild-type mice up to postnatal day 18 reveals that Kir4.1 is expressed in myelin-synthesizing oligodendrocytes, but probably not in neurons or glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive (GFAP-positive) astrocytes. Cultured oligodendrocytes from developing spinal cord of Kir4.1−/− mice lack most of the wild-type K+ conductance, have depolarized membrane potentials, and display immature morphology. By contrast, cultured neurons from spinal cord of Kir4.1−/− mice have normal physiological characteristics. We conclude that Kir4.1 forms the major K+ conductance of oligodendrocytes and is therefore crucial for myelination. The Kir4.1 knock-out mouse is one of the few CNS dysmyelinating or demyelinating phenotypes that does not involve a gene directly involved in the structure, synthesis, degradation, or immune response to myelin. Therefore, this mouse shows how an ion channel mutation could contribute to the polygenic demyelinating diseases.
Association between workplace and housing conditions and use of pesticide safety practices and personal protective equipment among North Carolina farmworkers in 2010.

BACKGROUND There are inconsistencies about the effects of farmworker housing and workplace conditions and use of self-protective behavior practices and personal protective equipment (PPE). OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between workplace and housing conditions and farmworker use of pesticide safety practices and PPE. METHODS This study was conducted in 4 counties in North Carolina, USA, from July to October, 2010, during the agricultural growing season. Farmworkers working in agriculture aged 18 to 62 (n = 187) were administered a structured questionnaire to collect self-reported measures on housing and workplace conditions. Use of pesticide safety and PPE were examined by asking questions about wearing gloves, wearing socks, and wearing a hat. Chi-square and multiple logistic regression analyses were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS Farmworkers reporting availability of enough hot and cold water for bathing and doing laundry were 13.6 times more likely to use pesticide safety practices (adjusted OR: 13.6, 95% CI: 1.4-135.4), whereas, those who reported that soap for handwashing was always or usually available while doing agricultural work were 7.8 times more likely to use pesticide safety practices (adjusted OR: 7.8, 95% CI: 3.3-18.5). Farmworkers that reported access to water to wash their hands with while performing agricultural work were more likely to use PPE (adjusted OR: 3.4, 95% CI: 1.3-9.2). CONCLUSION Some migrant farmworker labor camps are not supplying acceptable housing conditions such as 1 handwashing sink per 6 people (n = 10, 5.4%). Use of pesticide safety practices and PPE is greater when farmers provide decontamination supplies. Improvement of housing and workplace conditions are crucial to increase use of pesticide safety practices and PPE.
Spatiotemporal Organization of AT- and GC-rich DNA and Their Association With Transition Proteins TP1 and TP2 in Rat Condensing Spermatids

Transition protein 1 (TP1) and TP2 replace histones during midspermiogenesis (stages 12–15) and are finally replaced by protamines. TPs play a predominant role in DNA condensation and chromatin remodeling during mammalian spermiogenesis. TP2 is a zinc metalloprotein with two novel zinc finger modules that condenses DNA in vitro in a GC-preference manner. TP2 also localizes to the nucleolus in transfected HeLa and Cos-7 cells, suggesting a GC-rich preference, even in vivo. We have now studied the localization pattern of TP2 in the rat spermatid nucleus. Colocalization studies using GC-selective DNA-binding dyes chromomycin A3 and 7-amino actinomycin D and an AT-selective dye, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, indicate that TP2 is preferentially localized to GC-rich sequences. Interestingly, as spermatids mature, TP2 and GC-rich DNA moves toward the nuclear periphery, and in the late stages of spermatid maturation, TP2 is predominantly localized at the nuclear periphery. Another interesting observation is the mutually exclusive localization of GC- and AT-rich DNA in the elongating and elongated spermatids. A combined immunofluorescence experiment with anti-TP2 and anti-TP1 antibodies revealed several foci of overlapping localization, indicating that TP1 and TP2 may have concerted functional roles during chromatin remodeling in mammalian spermiogenesis.
Robust H ∞ filtering for networked systems with multiple state delays

In this paper, a new robust H ∞ filter design problem is studied for a class of networked systems with multiple state-delays. Two kinds of incomplete measurements, namely, measurements with random delays and measurements with stochastic missing phenomenon, are simultaneously considered. Such incomplete measurements are induced by the limited bandwidth of communication networks, and are modelled as a linear function of a certain set of indicator functions that depend on the same stochastic variable. Attention is focused on the analysis and design problems of a full-order robust H ∞ filter such that, for all admissible parameter uncertainties and all possible incomplete measurements, the filtering error dynamics is exponentially mean-square stable and a prescribed H ∞ attenuation level is guaranteed. Some recently reported methodologies, such as delay-dependent and parameter-dependent stability analysis approaches, are employed to obtain less conservative results. Sufficient conditions, which are dependent on the occurrence probability of both the random sensor delay and missing measurement, are established for the existence of the desired filters in terms of certain linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). When these LMIs are feasible, the explicit expression of the desired filter can also be characterized. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed design method.
TMEM16A(a)/anoctamin-1 Shares a Homodimeric Architecture with CLC Chloride Channels*

TMEM16A/anoctamin-1 has been identified as a protein with the classic properties of a Ca2+-activated chloride channel. Here, we used blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE) and chemical cross-linking to assess the quaternary structure of the mouse TMEM16A(a) and TMEM16A(ac) splice variants as well as a genetically concatenated TMEM16A(a) homodimer. The constructs carried hexahistidyl (His) tags to allow for their purification using a nondenaturing metal affinity resin. Neither His-tagging nor head-to-tail concatenation of two copies of TMEM16A(a) noticeably affected Ca2+-induced measured macroscopic Cl− currents compared with the wild-type TMEM16A(a) channel. The digitonin-solubilized, nondenatured TMEM16A(a) protein migrated in the BN-PAGE gel as a homodimer, as judged by comparison with the concatenated TMEM16A(a) homodimer and channel proteins of known oligomeric structures (e.g. the voltage-gated Cl− channel CLC-1). Cross-linking with glutaraldehyde corroborated the homodimeric structure of TMEM16A(a). The TMEM16A(a) homodimer detected in Xenopus laevis oocytes and HEK 293 cells dissociated into monomers following denaturation with SDS, and reducing versus nonreducing SDS-PAGE provided no evidence for the presence of intersubunit disulfide bonds. Together, our data demonstrate that the Ca2+-activated chloride channel member TMEM16A shares an obligate homodimeric architecture with the hCLC-1 channel.
Serum lincRNA‐p21 as a potential biomarker of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients

Serum long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as promising biomarkers for various human diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using serum long intergenic non‐coding RNA‐p21 (lincRNA‐p21) as a biomarker for chronic hepatitis B patients. Serum lincRNA‐p21 levels were quantified using real‐time PCR in 417 CHB patients and 363 healthy controls. The promoter methylation level of lincRNA‐p21 was detected using bisulphite‐sequencing analysis in primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Sera from hepatitis B‐infected patients contained lower levels of lincRNA‐p21 than sera from healthy controls. Serum lincRNA‐p21 levels negatively correlated with stages of liver fibrosis in infected patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses suggested that serum lincRNA‐p21 had a significant diagnostic value for liver fibrosis in these patients. It yielded an area under the curve of ROC of 0.854 with 100% sensitivity and 70% specificity in discriminating liver fibrosis from healthy controls. There was additionally a negative correlation between serum lincRNA‐p21 level and the markers of liver fibrosis including α‐SMA and Col1A1. However, there was no correlation of serum lincRNA‐p21 level with the markers of viral replication, liver inflammatory activity, and liver function. Notably, during primary HSCs culture, loss of lincRNA‐p21 expression was associated with promoter methylation. Serum lincRNA‐p21 could serve as a potential biomarker of liver fibrosis in CHB patients. Down‐regulation of lincRNA‐p21 in liver fibrosis may be associated with promoter methylation.
Vowels as phoneme detection targets

Phoneme detection experiments, in which listeners' response time to detect a phoneme target is measured, have typically used consonant targets. This paper reports two experiments in which subjects responded to vowels as phoneme detection targets. In the first experiment, targets occurred in real words, in the second in nonsense words. Response times were long by comparison with consonant targets, and error rates were high. Targets in initial syllables were responded to much more slowly than targets in second syllables. Full vowels were responded to faster and more accurately than reduced vowels in real words, but not in nonwords. Vowel duration correlated negatively with response time. We conclude that the process of phoneme detection in English is more difficult for vowels than for consonants, and vowels in words are relatively likely to be responded to on the basis of a lexical representation. We speculate that vowel detection may be less difficult in languages with sparser vowel distributions than English.
Chromatography process development in the quality by design paradigm I: Establishing a high‐throughput process development platform as a tool for estimating “characterization space” for an ion exchange chromatography step

This article describes the development of a high‐throughput process development (HTPD) platform for developing chromatography steps. An assessment of the platform as a tool for establishing the “characterization space” for an ion exchange chromatography step has been performed by using design of experiments. Case studies involving use of a biotech therapeutic, granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor have been used to demonstrate the performance of the platform. We discuss the various challenges that arise when working at such small volumes along with the solutions that we propose to alleviate these challenges to make the HTPD data suitable for empirical modeling. Further, we have also validated the scalability of this platform by comparing the results from the HTPD platform (2 and 6 μL resin volumes) against those obtained at the traditional laboratory scale (resin volume, 0.5 mL). We find that after integration of the proposed correction factors, the HTPD platform is capable of performing the process optimization studies at 170‐fold higher productivity. The platform is capable of providing semi‐quantitative assessment of the effects of the various input parameters under consideration. We think that platform such as the one presented is an excellent tool for examining the “characterization space” and reducing the extensive experimentation at the traditional lab scale that is otherwise required for establishing the “design space. ” Thus, this platform will specifically aid in successful implementation of quality by design in biotech process development. This is especially significant in view of the constraints with respect to time and resources that the biopharma industry faces today. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 29: 403–414, 2013
HLA-DQ3 is a probable risk factor for CMV infection in high-risk kidney transplant patients.

BACKGROUND Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in transplant patients with special risk factors remains a major hazard. CMV-seronegative recipients with seropositive donors have the highest risk of developing acute CMV disease. We suggest that the HLA-type may influence the occurrence and the severity of primary CMV infection of these recipients and the measurement of the special HLA-types may be useful in the prediction of acute infection. METHODS Since 1999 1213 cadaver kidney transplantations have been performed in our clinic. 163 of 1213 recipients were CMV-seronegative (13%) and 129 of them received the kidney from seropositive donors. All 129 patients received CMV infection prophylaxis. Of 129 CMV-seronegative patients 49 developed acute CMV infection (38%) during the first posttransplant year. CMV infection was diagnosed by CMV antigenemia test and serologic measurements (ELISA). The particular HLA-genotypes of the recipients were studied before the transplantation. The occurrence and the severity of CMV infection was investigated in association with HLA-types. RESULTS We found different acute CMV infection distribution in the careers and non-careers of investigated HLA-types: HLA-A2, HLA-B12, HLA-Cw7, HLA-DR6 and HLA-DR11, but the differences were not significant in these HLA-types (P = 0.26, P = 0.37, P = 0.83, P = 0.07 and P = 0.37). While investigating HLA-DQ3, we found that of 68 DQ3-positive patients 32 (47%), of 61 DQ3-negative patients 17 (28%) had acute CMV infection and this difference was found to be significant. This result was confirmed by univariate and multivariate Cox Regression (P = 0.001) and the appropriate significance level was considered by Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSIONS HLA-DQ3 was found to be an independent predictor of CMV infection. Our data suggest that patients positive for HLA-DQ3 are more susceptible to CMV infection than a comparable group of patients negative for HLA-DQ3. This result was not due to rejection and/or treatment for rejection and was not influenced by induction therapy. Although we found more symptomatic infections among DQ3+ patients the difference was not significant (P = 0.19). Comparing the gender proportion among all 1213 kidney recipients and among CMV-seronegative recipients we found that the proportion of males is significantly higher among CMV-seronegative recipients (P < 0.001).
Management of Prematurity-Associated Wheeze and Its Association with Atopy

Introduction Although preterm birth is associated with respiratory morbidity in childhood, the role of family history of atopy and whether appropriate treatment has been instituted is unclear. Thus we assessed (i) the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, particularly wheezing, in childhood; (ii) evaluated the role of family history of atopy and mode of delivery, and (iii) documented the drug usage, all in preterm-born children compared to term-born control children. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional population-based questionnaire study of 1–10 year-old preterm-born children (n = 13,361) and matched term-born controls (13,361). Data (n = 7,149) was analysed by gestational groups (24–32 weeks, 33–34 weeks, 35–36 weeks and 37–43 weeks) and by age, <5 years old or ≥ 5 years. Main Results Preterm born children aged <5 years (n = 2,111, term n = 1,402) had higher rates of wheeze-ever [odds ratio: 2.7 (95% confidence intervals 2.2, 3.3); 1.8 (1.5, 2.2); 1.5 (1.3, 1.8) respectively for the 24–32 weeks, 33–34 weeks, 35–36 weeks groups compared to term]. Similarly for the ≥5 year age group (n = 2,083, term n = 1,456) wheezing increased with increasing prematurity [odds ratios 3.3 (2.7, 4.1), 1.8 (1.5, 2.3) and 1.6 (1.3, 1.9) for the three preterm groups compared to term]. At both age groups, inhaler usage was greater in the lowest preterm group but prematurity-associated wheeze was independent of a family history of atopy. Conclusions Increasing prematurity was associated with increased respiratory symptoms, which were independent of a family history of atopy. Use of bronchodilators was also increased in the preterm groups but its efficacy needs careful evaluation.
Bounded-Variable Least-Squares: an Algorithm and Applications

The Fortran subroutine BVLS (bounded variable least-squares) solves linear least-squares problems with upper and lower bounds on the variables, using an active set strategy. The unconstrained least-squares problems for each candidate set of free variables are solved using the QR decomposition. BVLS has a “warm-start” feature permitting some of the variables to be initialized at their upper or lower bounds, which speeds the solution of a sequence of related problems. Such sequences of problems arise, for example, when BVLS is used to find bounds on linear functionals of a model constrained to satisfy, in an approximate lp-norm sense, a set of linear equality constraints in addition to upper and lower bounds. We show how to use BVLS to solve that problem when p = 1, 2, or ∞, and to solve minimum l1 and l∞ fitting problems. FORTRAN 77 code implementing BVLS is available from the statlib gopher at Carnegie Mellon University.
2D non-LTE radiative modelling of He I spectral lines formed in solar prominences

Context. The interpretation of high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of solar prominences completed primarily at visible and near-infrared wavelengths, requires radiative modelling that takes into account both multi-dimensional geometry and complex atomic models. Aims. We enhance the interpretation of observations of He i multiplets, by considering 2D non-LTE unpolarized radiation transfer, and taking into account of the atomic fine-structure of helium. Methods. We apply our 2D non-LTE radiative transfer code, which is based on the multi-grid Gauss-Seidel/SOR iterative schemes. Results. It allows us to compute realistic emergent intensity profiles for the He i λ10 830 A and D3 multiplets, which can be directly compared to the simultaneous and high-resolution observations completed at THeMIS. A preliminary 2D multi-thread modelling is also discussed.
Representations of faces and body parts in macaque temporal cortex: a functional MRI study.

Human neuroimaging studies suggest that areas in temporal cortex respond preferentially to certain biologically relevant stimulus categories such as faces and bodies. Single-cell studies in monkeys have reported cells in inferior temporal cortex that respond selectively to faces, hands, and bodies but provide little evidence of large clusters of category-specific cells that would form "areas. " We probed the category selectivity of macaque temporal cortex for representations of monkey faces and monkey body parts relative to man-made objects using functional MRI in animals trained to fixate. Two face-selective areas were activated bilaterally in the posterior and anterior superior temporal sulcus exhibiting different degrees of category selectivity. The posterior face area was more extensively activated in the right hemisphere than in the left hemisphere. Immediately adjacent to the face areas, regions were activated bilaterally responding preferentially to body parts. Our findings suggest a category-selective organization for faces and body parts in macaque temporal cortex.