Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatially Sparse Beamforming Training for Millimeter Wave MIMO Systems

To realize high beamforming gain and thus sufficient link budget, millimeter wave (MMW) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems employ large antenna arrays at both the transmitter and receiver. However, due to the power and cost limitation, only a limited number of radio frequency (RF) chains are available for MMW antenna arrays. In other words, the number of RF chains is far smaller than that of antenna elements. This MMW MIMO setup poses a formidable challenge for channel estimation, which is conventionally required to realize the optimal singular value decomposition (SVD) beamforming. To circumvent the formidable channel estimation, this paper proposes two iterative antenna training schemes for the SVD beamforming in MMW MIMO systems. Relying on the channel reciprocity in time division duplex, the proposed schemes employ power iteration and Lanczos iteration, respectively, to gradually approach the SVD beamforming. During iterations, we only need to estimate several channel-related vectors instead of the MIMO channel matrix. Thanks to the spatial sparsity in MMW channels, the training overheads required by the proposed schemes are moderate. Simulations demonstrate that the proposed schemes outperform the counterpart in terms of performance and training overhead, and can achieve the performance very close to that of the perfect SVD beamforming.
Response to long‐term lamivudine treatment (up to 5 years) in patients with severe chronic hepatitis B, role of genotype and drug resistance

Summary. Lamivudine is effective in suppressing viral replication, normalizing alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and improving histological appearance in HBe positive and negative hepatitis. It is unclear whether hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype influences the response to lamivudine. We report the long‐term response of patients with chronic hepatitis B with and without cirrhosis at baseline treated with lamivudine according to HBV genotype. Retrospective review of charts of all patients treated with lamivudine monotherapy between 1993 and 2002. Response to therapy defined as ALT in the normal range, undetectable HBV DNA, and in the HBeAg positive group loss of HBeAg and/or the development of anti‐HBe. HBV DNA measured by the Digene Hybrid capture assay (sensitivity 1.4 × 106 copies/mL). YMDD mutation at rtL180M and rtM204V/I measured by restriction digest of amplified products. Genotyping performed by sequencing and phylogenetic tree analysis of the preS region of the virus genome. Seventy‐one patients treated with lamivudine for 6 months or more, 53 (75%) were male, average age 47 years, 38 (54%) were HBeAg+ and 33 (46%) HBeAg−. Mean baseline HBV DNA viral titre was 1280.2 copies/mL and 518 copies/mL respectively. Cirrhosis was present in 30 (42%). Sera were examined for YMDD mutations at last patient visit in 61 (86%), and were detected in 45 (74%), there being no association with a particular genotype. Data from up to 5 years on lamivudine indicated no difference in biochemical or virological response between genotypes. Cirrhosis was more prevalent with specific genotypes. We found no influence of HBV genotype on the development of resistance to lamivudine, however liver disease severity was influenced by genotype.
STUDIES ON XYLANASE AND LACCASE ENZYMATIC PREBLEACHING TO REDUCE CHLORINE-BASED CHEMICALS DURING CEH AND ECF BLEACHING

The biobleaching efficiency of xylanase and laccase enzymes was studied on kraft pulps from wood and nonwood based raw materials employed in the Indian paper industry. Treatment of these pulps with xylanase enzyme could result in improved properties, showing 2.0% ISO gain in pulp brightness and/or reducing the demand of chlorine-based bleach chemicals by up to 15% with simultaneous reduction of 20 to 25% in AOX generation in bleach effluents. Further, mill-scale trial results revealed that enzymatic prebleaching can be successfully employed with xylanases to reach the same bleach boosting efficacy. Laccase bleaching was also studied on hardwood pulp at a pH around 8.0, where most of the pulp mills in India are operating, in contrast to earlier studies on laccase enzyme bleaching, which were conducted at acidic pHs, i.e. 4.0 to 5.0. In case of laccase bleaching, interesting results were found wherein a bleach-boosting effect was observed even at pH 8.0. Further studies carried out with HOBT as mediator in comparison to the commonly used and expensive ABTS laccase mediator system (LMS) resulted in improvement of the bleaching efficiency with reduction in demand of chlorine dioxide by more than 35%. Potential for further reduction was indicated by the brightness gain, when compared with a control using the DE(p)D bleach sequence.
Adjuvant radiotherapy versus observation following lumpectomy in ductal carcinoma in‐situ: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

The role of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) following lumpectomy for ductal carcinoma in‐situ (DCIS) was addressed in four major randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which were conducted two to three decades ago. Initial results of these trials suggested the protective role of RT in reducing the ipsilateral breast recurrences. Long‐term results of all these four trials, based on more than 10‐years follow‐up data, have recently been published. A meta‐analysis of four published RCTs which have addressed the role of adjuvant RT following lumpectomy for DCIS was conducted. Review manager (Cochrane Collaboration's software) version RevMan 5.2 was used for analysis. Evaluated events were ipsilateral breast recurrences (both DCIS and invasive), regional recurrences, contralateral breast events, distant recurrences, and overall mortality. The events were entered as dichotomous variable. The present meta‐analysis included four RCTs and a total of 3680 patients – 1710 received adjuvant RT following lumpectomy while 1970 patients did not receive any adjuvant treatment. Patients who received RT had almost half of risk of ipsilateral breast recurrence (RR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.45‐0.62) and regional recurrence (RR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.32‐0.91) compared to those who did not receive adjuvant treatment – there was absolute risk reduction in 15% (95% CI = 12%‐17%) for ipsilateral breast recurrences in adjuvant RT treated patients. There was no significant difference in distant recurrence (RR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.74‐1.53), contralateral breast events (RR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.98‐1.52) and overall mortality (RR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.79‐1.09). Though addition of postoperative RT to lumpectomy does not reduce overall mortality, the present meta‐analysis confirms that it decreases the ipsilateral breast and regional recurrence by almost half.
Role of IL-17A, IL-17F, and the IL-17 Receptor in Regulating Growth-Related Oncogene-α and Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor in Bronchial Epithelium: Implications for Airway Inflammation in Cystic Fibrosis 1

IL-17R signaling is critical for pulmonary neutrophil recruitment and host defense against Gram-negative bacteria through the coordinated release of G-CSF and CXC chemokine elaboration. In this study, we show that IL-17R is localized to basal airway cells in human lung tissue, and functional IL-17R signaling occurs on the basolateral surface of human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells. IL-17A and IL-17F were potent inducers of growth-related oncogene-α and G-CSF in HBE cells, and significant synergism was observed with TNF-α largely due to signaling via TNFRI. The activities of both IL-17A and IL-17F were blocked by a specific anti-IL-17R Ab, but only IL-17A was blocked with a soluble IL-17R, suggesting that cell membrane IL-17R is required for signaling by both IL-17A and IL-17F. Because IL-17A and IL-17F both regulate lung neutrophil recruitment, we measured these molecules as well as the proximal regulator IL-23p19 in the sputum of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) undergoing pulmonary exacerbation. We found significantly elevated levels of these molecules in the sputum of patients with CF who were colonized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa at the time of pulmonary exacerbation, and the levels declined with therapy directed against P. aeruginosa. IL-23 and the downstream cytokines IL-17A and IL-17F are critical molecules for proinflammatory gene expression in HBE cells and are likely involved in the proinflammatory cytokine network involved with CF pathogenesis.
An Ultrasonic Suction Pump with No Physically Moving Parts

A new ultrasonic suction pump is described in this paper. The pump uses the suction force of a rigid cylinder tube vibrating at an ultrasonic frequency and has no physically moving parts. The pump consists of a longitudinal bolt-clamped Langevin transducer (BLT) combined with a stepped horn working at a resonance frequency of 24 kHz. A glass tube with the length of the half-wavelength-resonance is glued at the tip of the horn. To enhance pump performance, we introduced a reflection plate and a thin rod installed to the end of the glass tube with a small gap. Maximum pressures of 7.2 kPa and 23.5 kPa were recorded using the reflection plate and the thin rod, respectively. In this study, we experimentally investigate the characteristics of the pump and the operating physics. The maximum pressure is a function of the vibration velocity of the end surface of the glass tube and of the gap.
Molecular Identification of Salmonella enterica serovar typhi from Stool Culture of Widal Test Positive Patients in Selected Hospitals in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Typhoid fever, a systemic disease caused by Salmonella enterica serovar typhi (S. typhi) remains a major public health problem in many parts of the world. Widal test appears to be the only laboratory means employed in the diagnosis of typhoid fever among suspected patients and the test continues to suffer from serious cross-reactivity with other infectious agents. This project was designed to confirm the diagnosis of typhoid fever from stool culture of Widal test positive patients using molecular method. Prospective study on stool samples of Widal test positive patients was conducted. Patients with Widal test results of titre value ≥ 1:80 were enrolled. Socio-demographic data of the respondents were obtained with open-ended questionnaire. Stool samples were collected and cultured from a total of 200 patients for isolation of Salmonella enterica serovar typhi. Isolates were identified and confirmed using cultural, morphological and biochemical tests. Further identification was done by molecular method using 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing. DNA sequences obtained were used for similarity search by Basic Local Alignment Search Tools (BLAST) on National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database to identify the isolates molecularly. Phylogenetic tree of relationship among isolates and those on NCBI database was drawn using Molecular Evolutionary Genetic Analysis (MEGA) version 5.0. Antimicrobial susceptibility test for the isolates was determined using disc diffusion method. Descriptive statistics were computed for data analysis using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. Seven (7) isolates of Salmonella enterica serovar typhi was cultured from the 200 stool samples given a prevalence of 3.5 %. Five (71.4%) of the positive samples were isolated from patients age 0-18 while 2 (28.6%) were isolated from patients above 18 years. Also, 2(28.6%) of the isolates were from male and 5(71.4%) from female. The phylogenic analysis showed that six of the isolates formed separate clusters with the isolates from NCBI database. The isolates showed 90% sensitivity to ciprofloxacin, 80% to ofloxacin and 60% to sparfloxacin and pefloxacin. All the isolates were resistant to azithromycin and ceftazidine while 80% of the isolates were resistant to both augumentin and gentamycin. This study demonstrated that stool culture and molecular identification of Salmonella enterica serovar typhi should be part of standard methods for the diagnosis of typhoid fever in humans.
Comparative meta-analysis of prazosin and imagery rehearsal therapy for nightmare frequency, sleep quality, and posttraumatic stress.

STUDY OBJECTIVE In this meta-analysis, we compare the short-term efficacy of prazosin vs. IRT on nightmares, sleep quality, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). METHODS Reference databases were searched for randomized controlled trials using IRT or prazosin for nightmares, sleep disturbance, and/or PTSS. Effect sizes were calculated by subtracting the mean posttest score in the control group from the mean posttest score in the treatment group, and dividing the result by the pooled standard deviation of both groups. Mixed effects models were performed to evaluate effects of treatment characteristics, as well as sample characteristics (veteran vs. civilian) on treatment efficacy. RESULTS Four studies used prazosin, 10 used IRT alone or in combination with another psychological treatment, and 1 included a group receiving prazosin and another group receiving IRT. Overall effect sizes of both treatments were of moderate magnitude for nightmare frequency, sleep quality, and PTSS (p < 0.01). Effect size was not significantly different with type of treatment (psychological vs. pharmacological) on nightmare frequency (p = 0.79), sleep quality (p = 0.65), or PTSS, (p = 0.52). IRT combined with CBT for insomnia showed more improvement in sleep quality compared to prazosin (p = 0.03), IRT alone (p = 0.03), or IRT combined with another psychological intervention, (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Although IRT interventions and prazosin yield comparable acute effects for the treatment of nightmares, adding CBT for insomnia to IRT seems to enhance treatment outcomes pertaining to sleep quality and PTSS. More randomized clinical trials with long-term follow-up are warranted. COMMENTARY A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 9.
Anoxybacillus kaynarcensis sp. nov., a moderately thermophilic, xylanase producing bacterium

A novel moderately thermophilic, Gram‐positive, endospore‐forming, rod‐shaped, motile bacteria and alkaline active xylanase producing strain D1021T, was isolated from Kaynarca hot spring in the province of Izmir, Turkey and was characterized in order to determine its phylogenetic position. Growth was observed at 35–70 °C (optimum 60 °C), at pH 6.0–10.0 (optimum pH 7.0). The strain D1021T grew on a wide range of carbon sources including ribose, xylose, glucose, maltose, sucrose, arabinose, and melibiose. The major isoprenoid quinone was MK‐7. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain D1021T is related to members of genus Anoxybacillus, with similarities to Anoxybacillus spp. varying from 94.7 to 98.7. The major fatty acids of strain D1021T were iso‐C15:0 (57.46%) and iso‐C17:0 (13.98%). The DNA G + C content was 42.9 mol %. DNA–DNA relatedness values between Anoxybacillus spp. and D1021T were lower than 70%. On the basis of phenotypic characteristics, rpoB analysis, phylogenetic and DNA–DNA hybridization data, it was proposed that the strain D1021T (= DSM 21706T = LMG 25303T) should be placed in the genus Anoxybacillus as the type strain of a novel species, Anoxybacillus kaynarcensis sp. nov. The GenBank accession number for the 16S rRNA sequence is EU926955.
Essential Tremor: Diagnosis and Treatment

Essential tremor is a common movement disorder in adults that interferes with the performance of functional and social activities. Differentiation of essential tremor from other tremor syndromes is important in order to provide appropriate patient education and therapy. The mainstays of pharmaco‐therapy are propranolol and primidone; however, in selected patients, agents such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, botulinum toxin, and gabapentin may provide symptomatic benefits. Advances in surgical interventions, such as stereotactic thalamotomy and thalamic deep brain stimulation, offer patients an alternative treatment modality when pharmacotherapy is inadequate. A treatment algorithm is provided to guide clinicians in the management of patients with essential tremor.
Methylation of Histone H3 Mediates the Association of the NuA3 Histone Acetyltransferase with Chromatin

ABSTRACT The SAS3-dependent NuA3 histone acetyltransferase complex was originally identified on the basis of its ability to acetylate histone H3 in vitro. Whether NuA3 is capable of acetylating histones in vivo, or how the complex is targeted to the nucleosomes that it modifies, was unknown. To address this question, we asked whether NuA3 is associated with chromatin in vivo and how this association is regulated. With a chromatin pulldown assay, we found that NuA3 interacts with the histone H3 amino-terminal tail, and loss of the H3 tail recapitulates phenotypes associated with loss of SAS3. Moreover, mutation of histone H3 lysine 14, the preferred site of acetylation by NuA3 in vitro, phenocopies a unique sas3Δ phenotype, suggesting that modification of this residue is important for NuA3 function. The interaction of NuA3 with chromatin is dependent on the Set1p and Set2p histone methyltransferases, as well as their substrates, histone H3 lysines 4 and 36, respectively. These results confirm that NuA3 is functioning as a histone acetyltransferase in vivo and that histone H3 methylation provides a mark for the recruitment of NuA3 to nucleosomes.
Scale-dependent CMB asymmetry from primordial configuration

We demonstrate that a topological defect can explain the hemispherical power asymmetry of the CMB. The first point is that a defect configuration, which already exists prior to inflation, can source asymmetry of the CMB. The second point is that modulation mechanisms, such as the curvaton and other modulation mechanisms, can explain scale-dependence of the asymmetry. Using a simple analysis of the δ N formalism, we show models in which scale-dependent hemispherical power asymmetry is explained by primordial configuration of a defect.
The Impact of Financial Leverage on Agency Cost : Empirical Evidence from Non-Financial Sector of Pakistan

This study tests the agency cost hypothesis that use of leverage decreases agency cost. This relationship has been tested using data of 265 non-financial companies listed on Karachi stock exchange during the period of 2004-2009. General & admin expense to sales ratio is used as proxy to measure agency cost. Total, short term, long term and contractual debt ratios have been used separately to test agency cost hypothesis. The results of pooled and panel regression models show that general &admin expense ratio is negatively related to all four leverage ratios. Thus, this study givesevidence in support of agency cost hypothesis that use of debt in capital structure reduces agency cost.
Endogenous Dimethylarginine as an Inhibitor of Nitric Oxide Synthesis

Summary: Nitric oxide (NO) is a widespread biological mediator with myriad functions. We have demonstrated that methylated arginines capable of inhibiting NO synthesis circulate in the plasma of healthy volunteers and are excreted unchanged in the urine. Up to 10 mg of asymmetric dimethylarginine is excreted in the urine every day, and this compound inhibits NO synthesis in vitro and in vivo, in animals and in humans. This finding raises the possibility that these compounds may act as endogenous regulators of the L‐arginine:NO pathway in health and disease.
Design and implementation of a robotic arm using ROS and MoveIt!

In this paper is presented an interfacing of a robotic arm with a motion planner and a 3D viewer (RViz). The main purpose of this work, is to manipulate and grip objects to transport them from one location to another using Robot Operating System (ROS). In order to do this task, a motion planner, who deal with constraints, i.e. collisions among the arm joints and objects, is used. Also a 3D viewer, called RViz, is used to visualize (online and offline) the motion of the arm. To easily interface the 3 degree of freedom (DOF) arm, it was designed using FreeCAD, as the output files used to print the arm, are simultaneously exported to create the Unified Robot Description Format (URDF) files required for the planner and viewer. A position-force controller for the gripper, previously presented, has been used to pick up and hold the object during the manipulation. Some experiments where carried out to asses the result of the interface, the execution of the motion planning avoiding collision and the grasp to the object. These results are shown and discussed.
γδ T cells in EAE: Early trafficking events and cytokine requirements

We have previously shown that γδ T cells traffic to the CNS during EAE with concurrently increased expression of β2‐integrins and production of IFN‐γ and TNF‐α. To extend these studies, we transferred bioluminescent γδ T cells to WT mice and followed their movement through the acute stages of disease. We found that γδ T cells rapidly migrated to the site of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide injection and underwent massive expansion. Within 6 days after EAE induction, bioluminescent γδ T cells were found in the spinal cord and brain, peaking in number between days 10 and 12 and then rapidly declining by day 15. Reconstitution of γδ T cell−/− mice with γδ T cells derived from β2‐integrin‐deficient mice (CD11a, ‐b or ‐c) demonstrated that γδ T‐cell trafficking to the CNS during EAE is independent of this family of adhesion molecules. We also examined the role of γδ T‐cell‐produced IFN‐γ and TNF‐α in EAE and found that production of both cytokines by γδ T cells was required for full development of EAE. These results indicate that γδ T cells are critical for the development of EAE and suggest a therapeutic target in demyelinating disease.
Some Personality Correlates of Contemplated Suicide

Using subjects' own reports of serious suicidal thought, a group of American university students were divided into two groups in terms of contemplated suicide. The group admitting serious suicidal thoughts (N = 111) differed significantly from the nonsuicidal group (N = 356) on 7 of the 9 personality dimensions covered by Lanyon's Psychological Screening Inventory and Eysenck's PEN Questionnaire. The suicidal group on the whole presents a much more disturbed and pathological profile than the nonsuicidal group.
Characterizing average properties of Southern California ground motion envelopes

We examined ground motion envelopes of horizontal and vertical acceleration, velocity, and filtered displacement recorded within 200 km from Southern California earthquakes in the magnitude range 2 < M <= 7.3. We introduce a parameterization that decomposes the observed ground motion envelope into P-wave, S-wave, and ambient noise envelopes. The body wave envelopes are further parameterized by a rise time, a duration, a constant amplitude, and 2 coda decay parameters. Each observed ground motion envelope can thus be described by 11 envelope parameters. We fit this parameterization to 30,000 observed ground motion time histories, and develop attenuation relationships describing the magnitude, distance, frequency band, and site dependence of these 11 envelope parameters. We use these attenuation relationships to study 1) magnitude-dependent saturation of peak amplitudes on rock and soil sites in various frequency bands, 2) magnitude and distance scaling of Pand S-waves, and 3) the reduction of uncertainty in predicted ground motions due to the application of site-specific station corrections. We compare our envelope amplitude attenuation relationships with amplitude levels predicted by strong motion attenuation relationships in the literature.