Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Performance of Spatial Modulation MIMO for Full-Duplex Relay Networks

In this paper, we investigate, for the first time, the performance of a full-duplex (FD) relaying protocol, where a single-RF spatial modulation (SM) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system is employed at the relay node. We refer to this protocol as SM-aided FD relaying (SM-FDR). At the destination, a demodulator that takes advantage of the direct connectivity between the source and destination is developed in order to maximize its performance. Based on this demodulator, we introduce a mathematical framework for computing the average error-probability of SM-FDR in the presence of residual self-interference (SI). Furthermore, we derive mathematical expressions for computing the achievable rate of SM-FDR. With the aid of these achievable rate expressions, we provide an estimate on the quality of SI cancellation required for the suitability of FD transmission. In addition, we develop and evaluate three relay selection policies specifically designed for the SM-FDR protocol. The mathematical analysis is substantiated with the aid of extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, we also assess the performance of SM-FDR against traditional FD relaying protocols.
Detection of shiga-like toxigenic Escherichia coli from raw milk cheeses produced in Kerman-Iran

The Shiga-like toxin-producing escherichia coli (STEC) is the most important group of food-borne pathogens that emerged recently. These bacteria can cause severe health problems in humans like diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uraemic syndrome which have become a serious health problem in various countries. Cattle are thought to be a reservoir for e. coli STEC, and many foodborne diseases have been associated with the consumption of minced beef, beefburgers and raw milk. Although some data suggest that STEC are not prevalent within dairy products, the aim of this work was to assess the prevalence of e. coli O157 and non-O157 STEC in raw milk cheeses produced in the Southern part of Iran (Kerman province). For this purpose, 125 samples of soft and semi-soft cheeses made with raw cow milk were analysed with multiplex-PCR method for the presence of STEC. The use of consensus primers detected stx genes in 6.4% of the samples, but STEC strains could be isolated in only five of them (4%). Just one sample was found to be contaminated with e. coli O157. Our results suggest that in our area study raw milk cheeses could be considered a risk for food born STEC contamination.
Incentivizing Energy Trading for Interconnected Microgrids

In this paper, we study the interactions among interconnected autonomous microgrids, and develop a joint energy trading and scheduling strategy. Each interconnected microgrid not only schedules its local power supply and demand, but also trades energy with other microgrids in a distribution network. Specifically, microgrids with excessive renewable generations can trade with other microgrids in deficit of power supplies for mutual benefits. Since interconnected microgrids operate autonomously, they aim to optimize their own performance and expect to gain benefits through energy trading. We design an incentive mechanism using Nash bargaining theory to encourage proactive energy trading and fair benefit sharing. We solve the bargaining problem by decomposing it into two sequential problems on social cost minimization and trading benefit sharing, respectively. For practical implementation, we propose a decentralized solution method with minimum information exchange overhead. Numerical studies based on realistic data demonstrate that the total cost of the interconnected-microgrids operation can be reduced by up to 13.2% through energy trading, and an individual participating microgrid can achieve up to 29.4% reduction in its cost through energy trading.
Small invasive ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas associated with lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis

An asymptomatic 59‐year‐old man underwent pancreatoduodenectomy for a pancreatic mass that was discovered during a health check‐up. Histopathology indicated typical features of lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis (LPSP) or autoimmune pancreatitis along with the presence of abundant IgG4‐positive plasma cells throughout the mass. A small invasive ductal adenocarcinoma was observed in the center of the area affected by LPSP. The present case suggests that LPSP may be closely related to carcinogenesis of the pancreas.
Compressed-Air Power Tools in Orthopaedic Surgery: Exhaust Air Is a Potential Source of Contamination

Objectives To determine if the exhaust from surgical compressed-air power tools contains bacteria and if the exhaust leads to contamination of sterile surfaces. Design Bacteriologic study of orthopaedic power tools. Setting Level I trauma center operative theater. Patients/Participants None. Intervention Part I. Exhaust from two sterile compact air drills was sampled directly at the exhaust port. Part II. Exhaust from the drills was directed at sterile agar plates from varying distances. The agar plates represented sterile surfaces within the operative field. Part III. Control cultures. A battery-powered drill was operated over open agar plates in similar fashion as the compressed-air drills. Agar plates left open in the operative theater served as controls to rule out atmospheric contamination. Random cultures were taken from agar plates, gloves, drills, and hoses. Main Outcome Measurement Incidence of positive cultures. Results In Part I, all filters from both compressed-air drill exhausts were culture negative (p = 0.008). In Part II, the incidence of positive cultures for air drills number one and number two was 73% and 82%, respectively. The most commonly encountered organisms were Staphylococcus epidermidis, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Staphylococcus cohnii, Diphtheroid bacillus, and Micrococcus species. All control cultures from agar plates, battery-powered drill, gloves, and hoses were negative (p < 0.01). Conclusions Exhaust from compressed-air power tools in orthopaedic surgery may contribute to the dissemination of bacteria onto the surgical field. We do not recommend the use of compressed-air power tools that do not have a contained exhaust.
A Transposable Element Insertion Confers Xenobiotic Resistance in Drosophila

The increase in availability of whole genome sequences makes it possible to search for evidence of adaptation at an unprecedented scale. Despite recent progress, our understanding of the adaptive process is still very limited due to the difficulties in linking adaptive mutations to their phenotypic effects. In this study, we integrated different levels of biological information to pinpoint the ecologically relevant fitness effects and the underlying molecular and biochemical mechanisms of a putatively adaptive TE insertion in Drosophila melanogaster: the pogo transposon FBti0019627. We showed that other than being incorporated into Kmn1 transcript, FBti0019627 insertion also affects the polyadenylation signal choice of CG11699 gene. Consequently, only the short 3′UTR transcript of CG11699 gene is produced and the expression level of this gene is higher in flies with the insertion. Our results indicated that increased CG11699 expression leads to xenobiotic stress resistance through increased ALDH-III activity: flies with FBti0019627 insertion showed increased survival rate in response to benzaldehyde, a natural xenobiotic, and to carbofuran, a synthetic insecticide. Although differences in survival rate between flies with and without the insertion were not always significant, when they were, they were consistent with FBti0019627 mediating resistance to xenobiotics. Taken together, our results provide a plausible explanation for the increase in frequency of FBti0019627 in natural populations of D. melanogaster and add to the limited number of examples in which a natural genetic mutation has been linked to its ecologically relevant phenotype. Furthermore, the widespread distribution of TEs across the tree of life and conservation of stress response pathways across organisms make our results relevant not only for Drosophila, but for other organisms as well.
Enzyme-amplified immunoassays: a new ultrasensitive assay of thyrotropin evaluated.

An enzyme-amplified immunoassay for thyrotropin has been evaluated. The lower limit of detection of the assay (mean + 3 SD of the zero standard) was 0.037 milli-int.unit/L and the precision was good, giving a working range of 0.13-24.0 milli-int.units/L. The accuracy of the assay was good, as judged from analytical-recovery experiments, analysis of external quality-assessment samples and comparison with in-house assays. No significant interferences or cross reactivities were identified. Assay of a 25-microL serum sample on the microtiter plate takes 3 h. Values for healthy subjects ranged from 0.4 to 4.0 milli-int.units/L. For 32 thyrotoxic patients thyrotropin concentrations were clearly suppressed and completely distinct from normal values. Patients taking triiodothyronine also showed lower concentrations. The enzyme-amplified immunoassay may thus be a suitable "front line" test for assessing thyroid function.
Population Fluctuations and Synchrony of Grassland Butterflies in Relation to Species Traits

Population fluctuations and synchrony influence population persistence; species with larger fluctuations and more synchronised population fluctuations face higher extinction risks. Here, we analyse the effect of diet specialisation, mobility, length of the flight period, and distance to the northern edge of the species’ distribution in relation to between-year population fluctuations and synchrony of butterfly species. All butterfly species associated with grasslands were surveyed over five successive years at 19 grassland sites in a forest-dominated landscape (50 km2) in southern Sweden. At both the local and regional level, we found larger population fluctuations in species with longer flight periods. Population fluctuations were more synchronous among localities in diet specialists. Species with a long flight period might move more to track nectar resources compared to species with shorter flight period, and if nectar sources vary widely between years and localities it may explain that population fluctuations increase with increasing flight length. Diet generalists can use different resources (in this case host plants) at different localities and this can explain the lower synchrony in population fluctuations among generalist species. Higher degree of synchrony is one possible explanation for the higher extinction risks that have been observed for more specialised species. Therefore, diet specialists are more often threatened and require more conservation efforts than generalists.
Anti-ulcer and gastric anti-secretory activities of seed extract of Buchholzia coriacea in Wistar Albino rats

Ethanol extract of Buchholzia coriacea seed was evaluated for anti-ulcer as well as anti-secretory activity in rats because of its use in Nigerian folk medicine as an anti-ulcer agent. Standard pharmacological methods were used to carry out phytochemical analysis of the plant. Quantitative phytochemical analysis of the ethanol extract of B. coriacea revealed the presence of alkaloids (101.88 ± 0.11 mg/100 g), flavonoids (46.88 ± 2.21 mg/100 g), tannins (0.16 ± 0.02 mg/100 g), oxalate (0.15 ± 0.01 mg/100 g) and terpenes (23.0 ± 0.30 µg/100 g). The extract at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, significantly (P<0.05) and dose-dependently suppressed the ulcerogenic effect induced by indomethacin in rat gastric mucosa relative to the controls. Similarly, the extract significantly (P<0.05) decreased histamine-mediated gastric acid secretion and also blocked histamine-induced contractile responses in isolated guinea-pig ileum in a similar fashion as the standard anti-histamine drug, chlorpheniramine. The extract had comparable ulcer protective potency with cimetidine, which is a standard drug used in the management of ulcer. The mechanism of the extract’s efficacy to protect the animals against indomethacin-induced ulcer may be diverse in nature (due to the presence of a number of bioactive constituents) but suppression of mediator effect of histamine is likely to play a predominant role in the observed activity. Keywords: Buchholzia coriacea , anti-ulcer, cimetidine, anti-secretory and indomethacin African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol 13(27) 2755-2761
Discovering pathways by orienting edges in protein interaction networks

Modern experimental technology enables the identification of the sensory proteins that interact with the cells’ environment or various pathogens. Expression and knockdown studies can determine the downstream effects of these interactions. However, when attempting to reconstruct the signaling networks and pathways between these sources and targets, one faces a substantial challenge. Although pathways are directed, high-throughput protein interaction data are undirected. In order to utilize the available data, we need methods that can orient protein interaction edges and discover high-confidence pathways that explain the observed experimental outcomes. We formalize the orientation problem in weighted protein interaction graphs as an optimization problem and present three approximation algorithms based on either weighted Boolean satisfiability solvers or probabilistic assignments. We use these algorithms to identify pathways in yeast. Our approach recovers twice as many known signaling cascades as a recent unoriented signaling pathway prediction technique and over 13 times as many as an existing network orientation algorithm. The discovered paths match several known signaling pathways and suggest new mechanisms that are not currently present in signaling databases. For some pathways, including the pheromone signaling pathway and the high-osmolarity glycerol pathway, our method suggests interesting and novel components that extend current annotations.
Off-Pump Coronary Surgery: Surgical Strategy for the High-Risk Patient

Objective In a retrospective study, we compared two groups of consecutive patients operated by the same team during the year 2000 for coronary artery disease with the use of extracorporeal circulation (group 1, n = 230) or on the beating heart using the Octopus II plus stabiliser (group 2. n = 228). High-risk patients were identified by a EuroSCORE plus 6. EuroSCORE definitions and predicted risk models were utilized to compare the variables of the groups. Methods There were no significant differences between the preoperative variables of the groups in age, gender, left ventricular function, diabetes and peripheral vascular and renal disease as is indicated by the Euroscore (resp. 4.7/5.1 p = 0.107). Calcification of the ascending aorta and chronic obstructive lung disease were statistically significant more prevalent in the beating heart group. No differences in preoperative variables in the high-risk patients group (Euroscore 8.5/8.1 p = 0.356) except for calcification of the ascending aorta. Results All patients underwent a full revascularisation through a midline sternotomy. Significant more distal anastomoses were performed in group 1 (3.7 per patient (1–6)) with regard to group 2 (2.9 per patient (1–6)). Anesthesia, postoperative treatment and follow up were equal for both groups. A significant lower incidence of atrial fibrillation (p = 0.010), shorter ICU stay (p = 0.031) and renal insufficiency (p=0.033) was reported in group 2. In the low risk group, we could not diagnose any difference between the two groups, except for atrial fibrillation. The benefits of the beating heart surgery however were more pronounced in the high-risk patient as is indicated by a significant reduction of the ICU stay by 1 day (3.5d/2.5d (p = 0.028)), better preservation of the renal function (p = 0.017) and a significant reduction of the length of hospital stay by more than two days (p= 0.040). A lower incidence of atrial fibrillation, however not significant. Conclusion In our experience, beating heart surgery is a safe alternative for conventional coronary heart surgery. High-risk patients do benefit most from this technique. It became our first choice in the elderly patient and patients presenting with higher co-morbidities.
Mindset Theo of Action Phases

Mindset theory of action phases is based on the distinction between motivation and volition as proposed by the Rubicon model which claims that prior to crossing the Rubicon (i.e., making a goal decision) motivational principles apply whereas thereafter volitional principles set in. The latter are concerned with goal implementation, whereas the former relate to the choosing of goals. Mindset theory of action phases proposes that different cognitive procedures are activated when people tackle the task of choosing goals versus implementing them. The respective task demands determine the features that characterize the delib-erative versus implemental mindset. These pertain to wh at type of information is preferably processed and how it is analyzed. Mindset research has produced findings that not only support the motivation versus volition distinction but also enlighten various debates and theories in sodal psychology (e.g., optimism versus realism debate, dual process theories, goal theory). Mindset theory of action phases has also spurred research on effective planning by pointing to implementation intentions (i.e., if-then plans). This research has had much applied impact. When it was linked up to research on strategies of motivationally smart goal setting (i.e., mental contrasting), it initiated the development of a time-and cost-effective behavior change intervention.
Highly Potent Activation of Nrf2 by Topical Tricyclic Bis(Cyano Enone): Implications for Protection against UV Radiation during Thiopurine Therapy

Chronic treatment with azathioprine, a highly effective anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agent, profoundly increases the risk for development of unusually aggressive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Its ultimate metabolite, 6-thioguanine (6-TG) nucleotide, is incorporated in DNA of skin cells, and upon exposure to UVA radiation, causes oxidative stress, followed by damage of DNA and associated proteins. The acetylenic tricyclic bis(cyano enone) TBE-31 is a strong inhibitor of inflammation and a potent inducer of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway, which orchestrates the expression of a large network of cytoprotective genes. We now report that long-term (five days per week for four weeks) topical daily applications of small (200 nmol) quantities of TBE-31 cause a robust systemic induction of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway and decreases the 6-TG incorporation in DNA of skin, blood, and liver of azathioprine-treated mice, indicating extraordinary bioavailability and efficacy. In addition, TBE-31, at nanomolar concentrations, protects cells with 6-TG in their genomic DNA against oxidative stress caused by UVA radiation through induction of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway. At the same 6-TG DNA levels, Keap1-knockout cells, in which the pathway is constitutively upregulated, are highly resistant to UVA radiation–induced oxidative stress. The protective effects of both the Keap1-knockout genotype and TBE-31 are completely lost in the absence of transcription factor Nrf2. Our findings suggest that compounds of this kind are excellent candidates for mechanism-based chemoprotective agents against conditions in which oxidative stress and inflammation underlie disease pathogenesis. Moreover, their potential skin patch incorporation for transdermal delivery is an exciting possibility. Cancer Prev Res; 5(7); 973–81. ©2012 AACR.
Chemical vapor deposition of nanocrystalline graphene directly on arbitrary high-temperature insulating substrates

Large area uniform nanocrystalline graphene is grown by chemical vapor deposition on arbitrary insulating substrates that can survive ~1000 °C. The as-synthesized graphene is nanocrystalline with a domain size in the order of ~10 nm. The material possesses a transparency and conductivity similar to standard graphene fabricated by exfoliation or catalysis. A noncatalytic mechanism is proposed to explain the experimental phenomena. The developed technique is scalable and reproducible, compatible with the existing semiconductor technology, and thus can be very useful in nanoelectronic applications such as transparent electronics, nanoelectromechanical systems, as well as molecular electronics.
Understanding Code Smells in Android Applications

Code smells are associated with poor coding practices that cause long-term maintainability problems and mask bugs. Despite mobile being a fast growing software sector, code smells in mobile applications have been understudied. We do not know how code smells in mobile applications compare to those in desktop applications, and how code smells are affecting the design of mobile applications. Without such knowledge, application developers, tool builders, and researchers cannot improve the practice and state of the art of mobile development.We first reviewed the literature on code smells in Android applications and found that there is a significant gap between the most studied code smells in literature and most frequently occurring code smells in real world applications. Inspired by this finding, we conducted a large scale empirical study to compare the type, density, and distribution of code smells in mobile vs. desktop applications. We analyze an open-source corpus of 500 Android applications (total of 6.7M LOC) and 750 desktop Java applications (total of 16M LOC), and compare 14,553 instances of code smells in Android applications to 117,557 instances of code smells in desktop applications. We find that, despite mobile applications having different structure and workflow than desktop applications, the variety and density of code smells is similar. However, the distribution of code smells is different – some code smells occur more frequently in mobile applications. We also found that different categories of Android applications have different code smell distributions. We highlight several implications of our study for application developers, tool builders, and researchers.
Influence of shear stress on phenotype and MMP production of smooth muscle cells in a co-culture model

BACKGROUND: High shear stress (SS) could affect vascular remodeling during initiation of cerebral aneurysms. However, the response of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to high SS, which is related to blood vessel remodeling, are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We explored the effect of high SS on SMCs in an EC-SMC coculture model to investigate blood vessel remodeling during aneurysm formation. METHODS: SMCs were three-dimensionally cultured in a collagen gel, with ECs cultured on a membrane filter above the SMCs. Then, the co-culture model was exposed to different SS of 0.2, 2, 6, and 10 Pa for 72 h. RESULTS: A physiological SS of 2 Pa maintained the expression of contractile proteins in SMCs, whereas lower or higher SS decreased the expression, suggesting a phenotypic change to a synthetic state. Furthermore, we found that a high SS of 10 Pa increased production of both matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -2 and -9 from SMCs, which could induce destructive blood vessel remolding. CONCLUSIONS: High SS could change the SMC phenotype to a synthetic state and induce higher MMP production by SMCs in the co-culture model. These results may help to further elucidate blood vessel remodeling mechanisms under high SS conditions.