Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Noncoherent MIMO Communication: Grassmannian Constellations and Efficient Detection

This paper considers the design of both a transmitter and a receiver for noncoherent communication over a frequency-flat, richly scattered multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel. The design is guided by the fact that at high signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), the ergodic capacity of the channel can be achieved by input signals that are isotropically distributed on the (compact) Grassmann manifold. The first part of the paper considers the design of Grassmannian constellations that MIMIC the isotropic distribution. A subspace perturbation analysis is used to determine an appropriate metric for the distance between Grassmannian constellation points, and using this metric, greedy, direct and rotation-based techniques for designing constellations are proposed. These techniques offer different tradeoffs between the minimum distance of the constellation and the design complexity. In addition, the rotation-based technique results in constellations that have lower storage requirements and admit a natural ldquoquasi-set-partitioningrdquo binary labeling.
Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Isolates of Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale from Chickens and Pigeons in Taiwan

Abstract Forty Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) strains were isolated from 28 chickens and 12 pigeons for the first time in Taiwan. All isolates reacted positively in the p-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (PNPG) and oxidase tests, showing an API 20NE identification system biocode 0-0-2-0-0-0-4. All the pigeon isolates and 85.7% (24 of 28) of the chicken isolates belonged to serotype A. Compared to the ORT ATCC 51464 strain, 14.3% (4 of 28) of chicken isolates and 58.3% (7 of 12) of pigeon isolates showed smaller colonies after 72 hr incubation. Most of the chicken isolates (22 of 28), but none of the pigeon isolates, could agglutinate chicken and pigeon red blood cells. There appears to be a correlation that ORT isolates with a larger colony size tend to be more able to agglutinate red blood cells than the ORT isolates with a smaller colony size. A majority of isolates was sensitive to amoxicillin, ampicillin, ceftiofur, penicillin, and oxytetracycline. The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences of 23 Taiwanese ORT isolates showed high identity (98%–100%) to sequences in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences showed that pigeon isolates formed a distinctive cluster, while chicken isolates and all other 16S rRNA sequences obtained from GenBank belonged to another two clusters. The results indicate that pigeon ORT isolates are different from most chicken isolates in regard to a number of phenotypic and molecular traits.
Phase I clinical and pharmacological study of O6-benzylguanine followed by carmustine in patients with advanced cancer.

O6-benzylguanine (BG) is a potent inactivator of the DNA repair protein O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) that enhances sensitivity to nitrosoureas in tumor cell lines and tumor-bearing animals. The major objectives of this study were to define the optimal modulatory dose and associated toxicities of benzylguanine administered alone and in combination with carmustine; to define the maximally tolerated dose and associated toxicities of carmustine administered with benzylguanine and to describe the pharmacokinetics of BG in humans and its effects on AGT depletion and recovery in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Patients with histologically confirmed advanced solid tumors or lymphoma that had failed to respond to standard therapy or for which no standard therapy was available were eligible to participate in this study. Patients initially received BG as a 1-h i.v. infusion without carmustine. After a 14-day washout (ie., without therapy) period, patients received BG as a 1-h i.v. infusion followed, 1 h later, by a 15-min i.v. infusion of carmustine. Cycles of chemotherapy were repeated every 6 weeks. Cohorts of patients received BG doses ranging from 10 to 120 mg/m2 and carmustine doses ranging from 13 to 50 mg/m2. Plasma and urine samples were collected and analyzed for BG, and O6-benzyl-8-oxoguanine concentrations and AGT activity was determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. There was no toxicity attributable to BG alone at any dose tested. Bone marrow suppression was the primary and dose-limiting toxicity of BG combined with carmustine and was cumulative in some patients. The neutrophil nadir occurred at a median of day 27, with complete recovery in most patients by day 43. Nonhematological toxicity included fatigue, anorexia, increased bilirubin, and transaminase elevation. Recommended doses for Phase II testing are 120 mg/m2 BG given with carmustine at 40 mg/m2. BG rapidly disappeared from plasma and was converted to a major metabolite, O6-benzyl-8-oxoguanine, which has a 2.4-fold higher maximal concentration and 20-fold higher area under the concentration versus time curve than BG. AGT activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was rapidly and completely suppressed at all of the BG doses. The rate of AGT regeneration was more rapid for patients treated with the lowest dose of BG but was similar for BG doses ranging from 20-120 mg/m2. In conclusion, coadministration of BG and carmustine is feasible in cancer patients, but the maximal dose of carmustine that can be safely administered with BG is approximately one-third of the standard clinical dose. Bone marrow suppression, which may be cumulative, is the dose-limiting toxicity of the combination. Prolonged AGT suppression is likely attributable primarily to the effect of O6-benzyl-8-oxoguanine.
1,25‐Dihydroxyvitamin D3, an inducer of glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has significant therapeutic potentials, in particular for neurodegenerative disorders. To determine factors that would enhance GDNF expression, we analysed the effect of 1,25-(OH)2 D3 in C6 glioma cells. Treatment of C6 cells with 10−7 M, 1,25-(OH)2 D3 for 48 h elicited an 18.5-fold increase in the level of GDNF mRNA. In addition, our results indicate that 1,25-(OH)2 D3 is effective at concentrations as low as 10−10 M and that retinoic acid has additive effects. These data indicate that 1,25-(OH)2 D3 is a potent inducer of GDNF expression and suggest that 1,25-(OH)2 D3 may contribute to the regulation of GDNF in vivo.
Nosocomial pneumonia risk and stress ulcer prophylaxis: a comparison of pantoprazole vs ranitidine in cardiothoracic surgery patients.

BACKGROUND Stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) using ranitidine, a histamine H2 receptor antagonist, has been associated with an increased risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia. The proton pump inhibitor (PPI) pantoprazole is also commonly used for SUP. PPI use has been linked to an increased risk of community-acquired pneumonia. The objective of this study was to determine whether SUP with pantoprazole increases pneumonia risk compared with ranitidine in critically ill patients. METHODS The cardiothoracic surgery database at our institution was used to identify retrospectively all patients who had received SUP with pantoprazole or ranitidine, without crossover between agents. From January 1, 2004, to March 31, 2007, 887 patients were identified, with 53 patients excluded (pantoprazole, 30 patients; ranitidine, 23 patients). Our analysis compared the incidence of nosocomial pneumonia in 377 patients who received pantoprazole with 457 patients who received ranitidine. RESULTS Nosocomial pneumonia developed in 35 of the 377 patients (9.3%) who received pantoprazole, compared with 7 of the 457 patients (1.5%) who received ranitidine (odds ratio [OR], 6.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.9 to 14.9). Twenty-three covariates were used to estimate the probability of receiving pantoprazole as measured by propensity score (C-index, 0.77). Using this score, pantoprazole and ranitidine patients were stratified according to their probability of receiving pantoprazole. After propensity adjusted, multivariable logistic regression, pantoprazole treatment was found to be an independent risk factor for nosocomial pneumonia (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1 to 6.7; p = 0.034). CONCLUSION The use of pantoprazole for SUP was associated with a higher risk of nosocomial pneumonia compared with ranitidine. This relationship warrants further study in a randomized controlled trial.
A linear plasmid truncation induces unidirectional flagellar phase change in H:z66 positive Salmonella Typhi

The process by which bacteria regulate flagellar expression is known as phase variation and in Salmonella enterica this process permits the expression of one of two flagellin genes, fliC or fljB, at any one time. Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) is normally not capable of phase variation of flagellar antigen expression as isolates only harbour the fliC gene (H:d) and lacks an equivalent fljB locus. However, some S. Typhi isolates, exclusively from Indonesia, harbour an fljB equivalent encoded on linear plasmid, pBSSB1 that drives the expression of a novel flagellin named H:z66. H:z66+S. Typhi isolates were stimulated to change flagellar phase and genetically analysed for the mechanism of variation. The phase change was demonstrated to be unidirectional, reverting to expression from the resident chromosomal fliC gene. DNA sequencing demonstrated that pBSSB1 linear DNA was still detectable but that these derivatives had undergone deletion and were lacking fljAz66 (encoding a flagellar repressor) and fljBz66. The deletion end‐point was found to involve one of the plasmid termini and a palindromic repeat sequence within fljBz66, distinct to that found at the terminus of pBSSB1. These data demonstrate that, like some Streptomyces linear elements, at least one of the terminal inverted repeats of pBSSB1 is non‐essential, but that a palindromic repeat sequence may be necessary for replication.
STAIRoute: Global routing using monotone staircase channels

This work proposes a new algorithm for global routing using monotone staircase channels obtained from VLSI floorplan topology. Unlike the existing global routers that follow block placement stage, it immediately follows the floorplanning stage of VLSI design. The monotone staircase channels are identified using the results of recent O(nk log n) top-down hierarchical monotone staircase bipartition. The worst case time complexity of the proposed global routing algorithm is O(n2kt), where n, k and t denote the number of blocks, nets and the number of terminals in a given net respectively for a given floorplan. Experimental results on the MCNC/GSRC floorplanning benchmark circuits show that our method obtained 100% routability for each of the nets, without any over-congestion through the monotone staircase channels. The wire length for each of the t-terminal (t ≥ 2) nets is comparable to the steiner length of that net in almost all cases.
Peripheral blood CD4+ T lymphocytes from multiple sclerosis patients are characterized by higher PSGL‐1 expression and transmigration capacity across a human blood‐brain barrier‐derived endothelial cell line

Mechanisms of T lymphocyte trafficking in the brain remain unclear in MS. We hypothesized that MS is associated with increased CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte trafficking across the BBB. To test this hypothesis, we calculated the frequency of PSGL‐1+/CD4+ and PSGL‐1+CD8+ or LFA‐1+/CD4+/CD8+ T cells in the PBMC of 27 patients with a RR‐MS (21 untreated and six IFN‐β‐treated) and 18 HI. Next, we measured their ex vivo TR across resting and TNF‐α‐activated human BBB‐derived hCMEC/D3 endothelial layers under static conditions. The frequency of PSGL‐1+CD4+ T lymphocytes was significantly higher in treated or untreated MS patients than HI. Furthermore, resting hCMEC/D3 TR of CD4+ lymphocytes (purified or in PBMC) from treated or untreated MS patients were significantly higher than those of HI and associated with significant enrichments of CD4+PSGL+ or CD4+PSGL‐1+CD45RO+ T cells in their transmigrating fractions. The TR of CD4+ and CD8+ from MS patients across TNF‐α‐activated hCMEC/D3 were also significantly higher than that observed in HI. Resting hCMEC/D3 transmigration was blocked significantly by anti‐PSGL‐1/anti‐LFA‐1 in all groups, and anti‐VLA‐4 inhibited transmigration of MS T cells specifically. Purified PSGL‐1‐negative CD4+ lymphocytes transmigrated resting hCMEC/D3 with <10% of transmigrating cells re‐expressing PSGL‐1, suggesting PSGL‐1‐independent transmigration mechanisms. The frequency of PSGL‐1 was unchanged in CD8+ cells from MS patients, whereas CD8+LFA‐1high were reduced significantly in IFN‐β‐treated patients specifically. Collectively, MS is associated with an expanding pool of PSGL‐1+CD4+ T lymphocytes able to transmigrate the BBB endothelium in vitro and possibly contributing to brain pathology.
OLD TURF, NEW NEIGHBORS

Online news readers’ comments have been the subject of intense debates in newsrooms across the United States. Caught unexpectedly as hosts of this new public space, journalists are trapped in a conundrum between upholding traditional ideals of providing a space for dialogue for their public but yet at the same time not wanting to create a space for hate in online news readers’ comments sections. This research examines perspectives of 30 journalists in the United States through in-depth interviews regarding this new online public space. The survey results illuminate the experiences journalists are undergoing in their new roles, how they balance their responsibilities and the vision they hold of the future for this new space as they learn to navigate unguided through this new electronic landscape.
Regulation of intracellular free magnesium concentration in the taenia of guinea‐pig caecum.

1. In the taenia isolated from the guinea‐pig caecum, changes in free intracellular magnesium concentration ([Mg2+]i) were measured based on the separation of the chemical shift of the alpha‐ and beta‐peaks of ATP obtained with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). 2. When external Mg2+ was increased from 1.2 to 12 and 40 mM, [Mg2+]i increased from 0.34 +/‐ 0.05 to 0.39 +/‐ 0.07 and 0.61 +/‐ 0.18 mM (n = 3), respectively, in 125‐150 min. In the absence of Ca2+, the increase was greater, i.e. [Mg2+]i reached 0.92 +/‐ 0.05 (n = 3) and 3.37 mM (n = 1), respectively. 3. In Ca(2+)‐ and Mg(2+)‐free solution, [Mg2+]i decreased to about 10 microM in 100 min. This decrease was not affected by substitution of Na+ with K+, but the recovery of [Mg2+]i on Mg2+ readmission was slower in the absence of Na+. This recovery was prevented by Ca2+ (2.4 mM), but Na+ readmission produced full recovery of [Mg2+]i in the presence of Ca2+. 4. When Na+ was substituted with K+ in the absence of Ca2+, [Mg2+]i increased from 0.38 +/‐ 0.01 mM to 0.56 +/‐ 0.04 mM (n = 4) in 100 min. Substitution of Na+ with N‐methyl‐D‐glucamine produced a much greater increase (to 2.1 mM in 100 min). Removal of the external K+ in the absence of Ca2+ also increased [Mg2+]i to 0.66 +/‐ 0.11 mM (n = 4) in 150 min, but no clear change was observed in the presence of Ca2+. Full recovery of [Mg2+]i could be produced in normal solution even when the intracellular phosphocreatine and ATP concentrations were 70‐80% of the control. 5. It is concluded that in the smooth muscle of the guinea‐pig taenia caeci an Na(+)‐Mg2+ exchange process and possibly also an ATP‐driven Mg2+ pump are playing important roles in maintaining free [Mg2+]i at about 0.3 mM under the physiological condition. In addition to this, Ca2+ inhibits both Mg2+ efflux and influx, probably by reducing the membrane permeability to Mg2+ and by competing with Mg2+ in the Na(+)‐Mg2+ exchange of the plasma membrane.
IONIZED SERUM CALCIUM, NOT SERUM TOTAL MAGNESIUM, PREDICTS OUTCOME IN NEONATAL HYPOXIC-ISCHEMIC ENCEPHALOPATHY

24, and 36 months of life. RESULTS: Cholesterol levels were within the reference range in every given period, independent of age. Infants with low birth weight ( (cid:3) 1000 g) had signiﬁcantly increased cholesterol levels compared with those with higher birth weight ( (cid:2) 1000 g) ( P (cid:4) . 013). All groups had signiﬁcantly higher serum triglyceride levels ( P (cid:4) . 001) during the ﬁrst year of life in comparison to all other periods. In addition, infants with low birth weight had signiﬁcantly higher serum triglyceride levels ( P (cid:4) . 015) during the second year of life than infants with higher birth weight. CONCLUSIONS: Premature infants with low birth weight have increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels during the early years of life, which is a ﬁnding that might be related to a high incidence of atherogenesis in later life and requires additional investigation.
L'Union européenne élargie et ses voisins méditerranéens : les perspectives d'intégration

The concept of a quite homogeneous Europe has been changing with the enlargement and the Euromed partnership. An assessment of the international integration of Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs) shows that these countries experience weak convergence relative to new EU members. Krugman and Finger-Kreinin indices underline the fact that, with the exception of Turkey, MPCs have complementary trade structures relative to the EU and remain much specialised in labour and resource-intensive industries. Inefficient structural reforms, the lack of South-South integration and inherent shortcomings of the agreement limit the attractiveness of these countries to foreign investors, though they could contribute to their catching-up and the upgrading of their trade specialisation.
Banking, Geographic Restrictions and Consumer Bankruptcy: A Closer Examination

This paper analyzes the effect on consumer bankruptcy filings as a result of removing geographic restrictions on intrastate banking. The empirical strategy is to examine this issue more closely by considering three distinct methodologies applied to U.S. county-level data. The analysis based on (i) panel data for all counties, and (ii) panel data of contiguous counties along state borders reveals an insignificant effect. When we use a quasi-natural experiment based on 186 (treatment) events and 4,870 non-event (i.e., placebo) pairs of contiguous counties, we find that bankruptcy filings increase (decrease) in only five (one) of seventeen states with treatment counties.
Orbitotemporal Neurofibromatosis: Classification and Treatment

&NA; In localized orbitotemporal neurofibromatosis, the treatment depends very much on the type and severity of the orbital involvement and on the functional state of the eye. The condition can be conveniently divided into three groups, each requiring different treatment: (1) orbital soft-tissue involvement with a seeing eye, (2) orbital soft-tissue and significant bony involvement with a seeing eye, and (3) orbital soft-tissue and significant bony involvement with a blind or absent eye, A total of 24 patients with a maximum of 12 years recurrence-free follow-up are presented.
Combined pitch and roll and cybersickness in a virtual environment.

BACKGROUND Stationary subjects who perceive visually induced illusions of self-motion, or vection, in virtual reality (VR) often experience cybersickness, the symptoms of which are similar to those experienced during motion sickness. An experiment was conducted to test the effects of single and dual-axis rotation of a virtual environment on cybersickness. It was predicted that VR displays which induced illusory dual-axis (as opposed to single-axis) self-rotations in stationary subjects would generate more sensory conflict and subsequently more cybersickness. METHODS There were 19 individuals (5 men, 14 women, mean age = 19.8 yr) who viewed the interior of a virtual cube that steadily rotated (at 60 degrees x s(-1)) about either the pitch axis or both the pitch and roll axes simultaneously. Subjects completed the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) before a trial and after 5 min of stimulus viewing. RESULTS Post-treatment total SSQ scores and subscores for nausea, oculomotor, and disorientation were significantly higher in the dual-axis condition. CONCLUSIONS These results support the hypothesis that a vection-inducing VR stimulus that rotates about two axes generates more cybersickness compared to aVR stimulus that rotates about only one. In the single-axis condition, sensory conflict and pseudo-Coriolis effects may have led to symptoms. However, in the dual-axis condition, not only was perceived self-motion more complex (two axes compared to one), the inducing stimulus was consistent with twice as much self-motion. Hence, the increased likelihood/magnitude of sensory conflict and pseudo-Coriolis effects may have subsequently resulted in a higher degree of cybersickness in the dual-axis condition.
Trifling matters: differential regulation of feedforward and feedback interneurons of the dentate gyrus by release of endogenous norepinephrine

Norepinephrine is known to play an important role in hippocampal function. Norepinephrine is required for long-term potentiation in dentate gyrus, and norepinephrine blockade or depletion can interfere with acquisition and retrieval in hippocampal dependent tasks. While gross measures of hippocampal function such as evoked potentials demonstrate plastic changes under the influence of norepinephrine, single unit studies to date report suppression of principle cell firing and increased firing rates for inhibitory interneurons. Such changes should reflect an increase in inhibition and would predict a decrease in plasticity. -- In this thesis I examine the effect of "natural" synaptic release of norepinephrine on spontaneous firing rates of cells in dentate gyrus, with concomitant electroencephalographic recording. Physiologically identified interneurons are classified as either feedforward or feedback depending on whether they were activated prior to, or after, the perforant path evoked population spike. Principle cells are identified by their characteristic firing properties and a firing latency within the window of the performant path evoked population spike. -- In this study feedforward interneurons virtually cease firing in response to synaptic release of norepinephrine, producing a period of disinhibition which lasts several minutes. Simultaneously, cells identified as principle cells increase their firing rates. Feedback interneurons demonstrated a mixed profile with some cells increasing their firing rates and others decreasing their firing rates. -- Fast Fourier analysis of the electroencephalographic recordings revealed a increase in relative power in the theta band as reported previously, together with a decrease in overall power and a decrease in relative power of the gamma band. These data are compared to previous studies of noradrenergic effects on single unit, evoked potential, and electroencephalography measures in the literature. The results are also compared to existing models of plasticity such as long-term potentiation and gamma power regulated acquisition and recall of hippocampal representations. Finally a new framework is proposed as to how norepinephrine may play a role in plasticity by allowing new information to be bound to mature hippocampal representations.
SU1498, an Inhibitor of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2, Causes Accumulation of Phosphorylated ERK Kinases and Inhibits Their Activity in Vivo and in Vitro*

SU1498, an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, has been used successfully to study the physiological manifestations of receptor functions. Here we report that in addition to its anti-receptor activity, SU1498 stimulates accumulation of phosphorylated ERKs in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and in human aortic endothelial cells in a manner that is dependent on the functioning of the upstream components of the MAPK pathway, B-Raf, and MEK kinases. The enhanced accumulation of phospho-ERKs is observed only in cells that have been stimulated with sphingosine 1-phosphate or protein growth factors; SU1498 by itself is ineffective. We show that the inhibitor acts by blocking the kinase activity of phospho-ERK both in a direct assay and in immunoprecipitates from cells treated with the compound. The data reveal a novel and unique way in which MAPK signaling pathway may be blocked in human endothelial cells.