Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quasi-cyclic asymptotically regular LDPC codes

Families of asymptotically regular LDPC block code ensembles can be formed by terminating (J, K)-regular protograph-based LDPC convolutional codes. By varying the termination length, we obtain a large selection of LDPC block code ensembles with varying code rates, minimum distance that grows linearly with block length, and capacity approaching iterative decoding thresholds, despite the fact that the terminated ensembles are almost regular. In this paper, we investigate the properties of the quasi-cyclic (QC) members of such an ensemble. We show that an upper bound on the minimum Hamming distance of members of the QC sub-ensemble can be improved by careful choice of the component protographs used in the code construction. Further, we show that the upper bound on the minimum distance can be improved by using arrays of circulants in a graph cover of the protograph.
Number and size of neurons and synapses in the motor cortex of cats raised in different environmental complexities

In a previous study we have shown that the richness of the environment affects the number of neurons, the size of their nuclei, the number of round‐asymmetrical synapses per neuron, the numerical density (number per unit volume; Nv) of flat‐symmetrical synaptic contacts, their number per neuron and their size in the visual cortex of cats. Of these, the number of flat‐symmetrical synapses per unit volume is particularly affected (there are nearly twice as many per mm3 in the impoverished cortex). Several studies in the rat have shown that environmentally induced changes in cortical thickness occur in the occipital regions but are much smaller or absent in the frontal regions. In order to determine if the cat motor cortex is also resistant to environmental changes, we have estimated the number and size of neurons and of synapses in individual laminae of motor cortex, area 4γ, in six pairs of cats raised either in a colony (EC: enriched condition) or in isolation (IC: impoverished condition).
A pharmacological and phytochemical overview on Satureja

Abstract Context: Satureja (Lamiaceae) species are used as flavoring compounds in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries because of its sweetness and simple cultivation characteristics. They have traditionally been used as muscle pain relievers, tonic, and carminative agents to treat stomach and intestinal disorders such as cramps, nausea, indigestion, and diarrhea, due to their considerable phytochemical characteristics. Objective: This review evaluates some information published since 1989 on Satureja genus from a systematic perspective in terms of its pharmacological and phytochemical characteristics. Materials and methods: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were searched up to March 2014. “Satureja” was used as a research term without narrowing or limiting research elements. After obtaining all reports from database (a total number is about 637), the papers were carefully analyzed in order to find data related to the topic of this review. Results: In this review, 453 reports were used which were published between 1989 and 2014. The study was compiled into two sections (Pharmacology and Phytochemistry). In the pharmacology section, more than 50 different activities were studied. In the second section, in addition to other compounds and inorganic substances, volatiles, phenolic acids, and flavonoids were discussed. Discussion and conclusion: According to our contemporary information, Satureja species have been evaluated for their wide range of biological activities. However, a small part of these studies have been carried out on the active principles. Therefore, in the future, more studies should be carried out to identify responsible phytochemicals for the various activities.
Risk Assessment Algorithms Based on Recursive Neural Networks

The assessment of highly-risky situations at road intersections have been recently revealed as an important research topic within the context of the automotive industry. In this paper we shall introduce a novel approach to compute risk functions by using a combination of a highly non-linear processing model in conjunction with a powerful information encoding procedure. Specifically, the elements of information either static or dynamic that appear in a road intersection scene are encoded by using directed positional acyclic labeled graphs. The risk assessment problem is then reformulated in terms of an inductive learning task carried out by a recursive neural network. Recursive neural networks are connectionist models capable of solving supervised and non-supervised learning problems represented by directed ordered acyclic graphs. The potential of this novel approach is demonstrated through well predefined scenarios. The major difference of our approach compared to others is expressed by the fact of learning the structure of the risk. Furthermore, the combination of a rich information encoding procedure with a generalized model of dynamical recurrent networks permit us, as we shall demonstrate, a sophisticated processing of information that we believe as being a first step for building future advanced intersection safety systems.
Integrating algorithmic parameters into benchmarking and design space exploration in 3D scene understanding

System designers typically use well-studied benchmarks to evaluate and improve new architectures and compilers. We design tomorrow's systems based on yesterday's applications. In this paper we investigate an emerging application, 3D scene understanding, likely to be significant in the mobile space in the near future. Until now, this application could only run in real-time on desktop GPUs. In this work, we examine how it can be mapped to power constrained embedded systems. Key to our approach is the idea of incremental co-design exploration, where optimization choices that concern the domain layer are incrementally explored together with low-level compiler and architecture choices. The goal of this exploration is to reduce execution time while minimizing power and meeting our quality of result objective. As the design space is too large to exhaustively evaluate, we use active learning based on a random forest predictor to find good designs. We show that our approach can, for the first time, achieve dense 3D mapping and tracking in the real-time range within a 1W power budget on a popular embedded device. This is a 4.8× execution time improvement and a 2.8× power reduction compared to the state-of-the-art.
Urinary Arsenic Metabolites of Subjects Exposed to Elevated Arsenic Present in Coal in Shaanxi Province, China

In contrast to arsenic (As) poisoning caused by naturally occurring inorganic arsenic-contaminated water consumption, coal arsenic poisoning (CAP) induced by elevated arsenic exposure from coal combustion has rarely been reported. In this study, the concentrations and distributions of urinary arsenic metabolites in 57 volunteers (36 subjects with skin lesions and 21 subjects without skin lesions), who had been exposed to elevated levels of arsenic present in coal in Changshapu village in the south of Shaanxi Province (China), were reported. The urinary arsenic species, including inorganic arsenic (iAs) [arsenite (iAsIII) and arsenate (iAsV)], monomethylarsonic acid (MMAV) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAV), were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The relative distributions of arsenic species, the primary methylation index (PMI = MMAV/iAs) and the secondary methylation index (SMI = DMAV/MMAV) were calculated to assess the metabolism of arsenic. Subjects with skin lesions had a higher concentration of urinary arsenic and a lower arsenic methylation capability than subjects without skin lesions. Women had a significantly higher methylation capability of arsenic than men, as defined by a higher percent DMAV and SMI in urine among women, which was the one possible interpretation of women with a higher concentration of urinary arsenic but lower susceptibility to skin lesions. The findings suggested that not only the dose of arsenic exposure but also the arsenic methylation capability have an impact on the individual susceptibility to skin lesions induced by coal arsenic exposure.
Constitutive modelling of passive myocardium: a structurally based framework for material characterization

In this paper, we first of all review the morphology and structure of the myocardium and discuss the main features of the mechanical response of passive myocardium tissue, which is an orthotropic material. Locally within the architecture of the myocardium three mutually orthogonal directions can be identified, forming planes with distinct material responses. We treat the left ventricular myocardium as a non-homogeneous, thick-walled, nonlinearly elastic and incompressible material and develop a general theoretical framework based on invariants associated with the three directions. Within this framework we review existing constitutive models and then develop a structurally based model that accounts for the muscle fibre direction and the myocyte sheet structure. The model is applied to simple shear and biaxial deformations and a specific form fitted to the existing (and somewhat limited) experimental data, emphasizing the orthotropy and the limitations of biaxial tests. The need for additional data is highlighted. A brief discussion of issues of convexity of the model and related matters concludes the paper.
On optimal population size of genetic algorithms

A description is given of the results of experiments to find the optimum population size for genetic algorithms as a function of problem complexity. It seems that for moderate problem complexity the optimal population size for problems coded as bitstrings is approximately the length of the string in bits for sequential machines. This result is also consistent with earlier experimentation. In parallel architectures the optimal population size is larger than in the corresponding sequential cases, but the exact figures seem to be sensitive to implementation details. <<ETX>>
Stability of the nuclear protein turnover during cellular senescence of human fibroblasts

The accumulation of oxidized proteins is one of the highlights of age‐related changes of cellular metabolism and happens at least partially as a result of a decline in the activity of intracellular proteases (e.g., the proteasome). Because the proteasome is located in numerous cellular compartments, we tested whether and to which extent the proteasome and the protein turnover changes in the cytosolic compartment and in the nucleus of proliferating fibroblasts. We demonstrated that the activity of the proteasomal system declines during proliferative senescence of human fibroblasts in the cytosol dramatically, whereas it is stable within the nucleus. it could be demonstrated in both compartments that an accumulation of oxidized proteins occurs. After oxidative stress, a short timed activation of the proteasomal system in the nucleus occurs. This activation was accompanied by an increase in the protein turnover in response to oxidative stress, which was also present in the nucleus of senescent cells. Taking into account that the nuclear/cytosol ratio of the proteasome content declines during proliferative senescence, we postulated that the senescence‐related changes in the cytosolic proteasomal system are more pronounced and that the nuclear proteasomal system is only marginally affected by the senescence process.
A new approach for TU complex characterization

Presents a new TU complex detection and characterization algorithm that consists of two stages; the first is a mathematical modeling of the electrocardiographic segment after QRS complex; the second uses classic threshold comparison techniques, over the signal and its first and second derivatives, to determine the significant points of each wave. Later, both T and U waves are morphologically classified. Amongst the principal innovations of this algorithm is the inclusion of U-wave characterization and a mathematical modeling stage, that avoids many of the problems of classic techniques when there is a low signal-to-noise ratio or when wave morphology is atypical. The results of the algorithm validation with the recently appeared QT database are also shown. For T waves these results are better when compared to other existing algorithms. U-wave results cannot be contrasted with other algorithms as, to the authors' knowledge, none are available. Examples showing the causes of principal discrepancies between the authors' algorithm and the QT database annotations are also given, and some ways of attempting to improve and benefit from the proposed algorithm are suggested.
Functional Specialization of the Axon Initial Segment by Isoform-Specific Sodium Channel Targeting

Voltage-dependent sodium channels cluster at high density at axon initial segments, where propagating action potentials are thought to arise, and at nodes of Ranvier. Here, we show that the sodium channel Nav1.6 is precisely localized at initial segments of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), whereas a different isoform, Nav1.2, is found in the neighboring unmyelinated axon. During development, initial segments first expressed Nav1.2, and Nav1.6 appeared later, approximately in parallel with the onset of repetitive RGC firing. In Shiverer mice, Nav1.6 localization at the initial segment was unaffected, although Nav1.6 expression was severely disrupted in the aberrantly myelinated optic nerve. Targeting or retention of Nav1.6 requires molecular interactions that normally occur only at initial segments and nodes of Ranvier. Expression at nodes but not initial segments exhibits an additional requirement for intact myelination. Because of their high density at the initial segment, Nav1.6 channels may be crucial in determining neuronal firing properties.
Dielectric relaxation and carrier transport in epoxy resin and its microcomposite

Epoxy resin and its microcomposite are widely used as electrical insulation in electrical equipment. Surface flashover and breakdown properties of these materials can be influenced by dielectric relaxation process and charge carrier behavior. The charge transport characteristics and dielectric relaxation process for neat EP and its microcomposites were studied by means of dielectric relaxation spectroscopy. The glass transition temperatures Tg of the two kinds of samples were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry measurement, which were approximately 105 °C and 120 °C, respectively. Both the two kinds of samples were sputtered with gold electrodes on two sides, and electrodes' diameter was 30 mm. The properties of dielectric relaxation was measured by Concept 80 Novocontrol broadband dielectric spectrometer at various temperatures from 100 °C to 180 °C. There is a relaxation peak which labeled α in the range of high frequencies on account of the molecular chain movement or motion of segmental chains when the temperature is above Tg. At the same time, the dc conductivity attributed by the charge carrier transport occurs in the range of low frequencies. Besides, there are different relaxation times for molecular chains with different length scales. Moreover, there is a broad distribution of relaxation time for both neat EP and its microcomposites and the relaxation time distribution at different temperatures was calculated. In addition, it was found that the relation between peak frequency of relaxation process and temperature follow the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) law, and temperature dependences of dc conductivity also obey the VFT equation. The Vogel temperatures of dielectric relaxation process and charge carrier transport were calculated by fitting the results of permittivity and conductivity. The glass transition temperatures for neat EP and its microcomposite were estimated to be 102 °C and 117 °C through Vogel temperatures, which are in consistence with DSC measurement results. It represents that free volume in the two kinds of samples increases with the increase of temperature, thus enhancing molecular chain movement and charge carrier transport process.
A phylogenetically conserved cis-regulatory module in the Msx2 promoter is sufficient for BMP-dependent transcription in murine and Drosophila embryos

To understand the actions of morphogens, it is crucial to determine how they elicit different transcriptional responses in different cell types. Here, we identify a BMP-responsive enhancer of Msx2, an immediate early target of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling. We show that the BMP-responsive region of Msx2 consists of a core element, required generally for BMP-dependent expression, and ancillary elements that mediate signaling in diverse developmental settings. Analysis of the core element identified two classes of functional sites: GCCG sequences related to the consensus binding site of Mad/Smad-related BMP signal transducers; and a single TTAATT sequence, matching the consensus site for Antennapedia superclass homeodomain proteins. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and mutagenesis experiments indicate that the GCCG sites are direct targets of BMP restricted Smads. Intriguingly, however, these sites are not sufficient for BMP responsiveness in mouse embryos; the TTAATT sequence is also required. DNA sequence comparisons reveal this element is highly conserved in Msx2 promoters from mammalian orders but is not detectable in other vertebrates or non-vertebrates. Despite this lack of conservation outside mammals, the Msx2 BMP-responsive element serves as an accurate readout of Dpp signaling in a distantly related bilaterian – Drosophila. Strikingly, in Drosophila embryos, as in mice, both TTAATT and GCCG sequences are required for Dpp responsiveness, showing that a common cis-regulatory apparatus can mediate the transcriptional activation of BMP-regulated genes in widely divergent bilaterians.
Unexpectedly High Incidence of Stroke and Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus Formation After Electrical Isolation of the Left Atrial Appendage for the Treatment of Atrial Tachyarrhythmias

Background—Electric left atrial appendage (LAA) isolation (LAAI) may occur during catheter ablation of atrial tachyarrhythmias. Data regarding the risk of thromboembolic events and stroke after LAAI are sparse. This study evaluated the incidence of LAA thrombus formation and thromboembolic events after LAAI. Methods and Results—Fifty patients had LAAI (age=71 years; female=56%; CHA2DS2-VASc score before ablation =3 [2;3]). LAAI patients were compared with matched patients with comparable baseline characteristics who underwent atrial fibrillation ablation without LAAI (n=50). Ablation strategies in the LAAI group included pulmonary vein isolation in 50 (100%), left atrial isthmus line in 47 (94%), anterior line in 45 (90%), complex atrial fractionated potentials in 24 (48%), and roofline in 14 (28%) patients. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed during follow-up in 47/50 (94%) patients in the LAAI group and in all patients of the control group. Oral anticoagulation (OAC) independent of CHA2DS2-VASc score was strongly recommended in all patients. During a median follow-up of 6.5 (4–12) months, stroke occurred in 2 patients on OAC and transient ischemic attack in one without OAC in the LAAI group. In the remaining 47 patients, LAA thrombus was identified on transesophageal echocardiography in 10 (21%) patients (OAC=9; no OAC=1). In the control group, no LAA thrombus was detected and no stroke occurred (P<0.001). Stable sinus rhythm was maintained in 32 patients (64%) of the LAAI group after a median follow-up of 6.5 months (4–12), including 17/32 patients on antiarrhythmic drugs. Conclusions—After LAAI, an unexpectedly high incidence of LAA thrombus formation and stroke was observed despite OAC therapy.
Low temperature growth, freezing survival, and production of antifreeze protein by the plant growth promoting rhizobacterium Pseudomonas putida GR12-2.

The plant growth promoting rhizobacterium Pseudomonas putida GR12-2 was originally isolated from the rhizosphere of plants growing in the Canadian High Arctic. Here we report that this bacterium was able to grow and promote root elongation of both spring and winter canola at 5 degrees C, a temperature at which only a relatively small number of bacteria are able to proliferate and function. In addition, the bacterium survived exposure to freezing temperatures, i.e., -20 and -50 degrees C. In an effort to determine the mechanistic basis for this behaviour, it was discovered that following growth at 5 degrees C, P. putida GR12-2 synthesized and secreted to the growth medium a protein with antifreeze activity. Analysis of the spent growth medium, following concentration by ultrafiltration, by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of one major protein with a molecular mass of approximately 32-34 kDa and a number of minor proteins. However, at this point it is not known which of these proteins contains the antifreeze activity.
Causes of nonlinearity of the oxygen uptake efficiency slope: a prospective study in patients with chronic heart failure

Background: The oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) is an exercise parameter with strong prognostic value in the heart failure population. Yet, the optimal determination method of OUES remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of the ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT) and occurrence of a plateau in oxygen uptake (VO2) on determination of OUES from submaximal exercise data in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods and Results: Ninety-eight CHF patients (New York Heart Association class II–III) were included. All patients performed a symptom-limited exercise test with gas exchange analysis on a cycle ergometer. VAT was determined by the V-slope method and OUES was derived via least-squares linear regression using 100% (OUES100), 90% (OUES90), and 75% (OUES75) of exercise duration, and, in addition, by using only the first 50% of data points preceding VAT (OUES½VAT), all data preceding VAT (OUESVAT), and only data following VAT (OUESpostVAT). Whereas OUESVAT (1720 ± 430 ml/min/log(l/min)), OUES75 (1811 ± 476 ml/min/log(l/min)), and OUESpostVAT (1742 ± 564 ml/min/log(l/min)) were not significantly different from OUES100 (1767 ± 542 ml/min/log(l/min)), OUES½VAT (1500 ± 314 ml/min/log(l/min)) was significantly lower than all other values (p < 0.01). When a VO2 plateau was present, OUES100 was lower than OUES90 (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The study results indicate that OUES values should be interpreted with caution when CHF patients do not reach the ventilatory anaerobic threshold or when a VO2 plateau is present.