Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resilience properties of redundant expansions under additive noise and quantization

Representing signals using coarsely quantized coefficients of redundant expansions is an interesting source coding paradigm, the most important practical case of which is oversampled analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. Signal reconstruction from quantized redundant expansions and the accuracy of such representations are problems which are not well understood and we study them in this paper for uniform scalar quantization in finite-dimensional spaces. To give a more global perspective, we first present an analysis of the resilience of redundant expansions to degradation by additive noise in general, and then focus on the effects of uniform scalar quantization. The accuracy of signal representations obtained by applying uniform scalar quantization to coefficients of redundant expansions, measured as the mean-squared Euclidean norm of the reconstruction error, has been previously shown to be lower-bounded by an 1/r/sup 2/ expression. We establish some general conditions under which the 1/r/sup 2/ accuracy can actually be attained, and under those conditions prove a 1/r/sup 2/ upper error bound. For a particular kind of structured expansions, which includes many popular frame classes, we propose reconstruction algorithms which attain the 1/r/sup 2/ accuracy at low numerical complexity. These structured expansions, moreover, facilitate efficient encoding of quantized coefficients in a manner which requires only a logarithmic bit-rate increase in redundancy, resulting in an exponential error decay in the bit rate. Results presented in this paper are immediately applicable to oversampled A/D conversion of periodic bandlimited signals.
DENV up-regulates the HMG-CoA reductase activity through the impairment of AMPK phosphorylation: A potential antiviral target

Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease in humans. Changes of lipid-related metabolites in endoplasmic reticulum of dengue virus (DENV) infected cells have been associated with replicative complexes formation. Previously, we reported that DENV infection inhibits HMGCR phosphorylation generating a cholesterol-enriched cellular environment in order to favor viral replication. In this work, using enzymatic assays, ELISA, and WB we found a significant higher activity of HMGCR in DENV infected cells, associated with the inactivation of AMPK. AMPK activation by metformin declined the HMGCR activity suggesting that AMPK inactivation mediates the enhanced activity of HMGCR. A reduction on AMPK phosphorylation activity was observed in DENV infected cells at 12 and 24 hpi. HMGCR and cholesterol co-localized with viral proteins NS3, NS4A and E, suggesting a role for HMGCR and AMPK activity in the formation of DENV replicative complexes. Furthermore, metformin and lovastatin (HMGCR inhibitor) altered this co-localization as well as replicative complexes formation supporting that active HMGCR is required for replicative complexes formation. In agreement, metformin prompted a significant dose-dependent antiviral effect in DENV infected cells, while compound C (AMPK inhibitor) augmented the viral genome copies and the percentage of infected cells. The PP2A activity, the main modulating phosphatase of HMGCR, was not affected by DENV infection. These data demonstrate that the elevated activity of HMGCR observed in DENV infected cells is mediated through AMPK inhibition and not by increase in PP2A activity. Interestingly, the inhibition of this phosphatase showed an antiviral effect in an HMGCR-independent manner. These results suggest that DENV infection increases HMGCR activity through AMPK inactivation leading to higher cholesterol levels in endoplasmic reticulum necessary for replicative complexes formation. This work provides new information about the mechanisms involved in host lipid metabolism during DENV replicative cycle and identifies new potential antiviral targets for DENV replication.
Mechanism of Systemic Vasodilation During Normovolemic Hemodilution

In the nonfailing heart, normovolemic hemodilution increases cardiac output and decreases total peripheral resistance (TPR). Putative mechanisms mediating the decrease in TPR include reflex vasodilation and changes in the local regulation of blood flow. Our objectives were to determine whether ablation of reflex neural mechanisms or the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of the endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF-NO), modulates the systemic vasodilator response to normovolemic hemodilution. Three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to acute normovolemic hemodilution, which was achieved by exchanging a volume of blood equivalent to 3.8% of body weight with hydroxyethyl starch. Hemodilution increased cardiac output and decreased TPR. Subsequent administration of the NO synthase inhibitor, L-nitroarginine (LNA), returned both cardiac output and TPR to control values. Pretreatment with LNA prior to hemodilution increased TPR, an effect that was partially reversed by the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside. In this setting, hemodilution failed to decrease TPR. After spinal cord destruction by "pithing," hemodilution decreased TPR to the same extent as that observed in intact rats. This hemodilution-induced decrease in TPR was abolished by the subsequent administration of LNA. These results indicate that neural reflexes do not modulate the systemic vascular response to hemodilution. Moreover, the systemic vasodilator response to hemodilution is abolished after inhibition of endogenous NO synthesis. (Anesth Analg 1995;81:30-4)
Thermal expansion of mantle and core materials at very high pressures

The thermal expansivities (α) of MgO and high-pressure phases of CaO, CaMgSi_2O_6, and Fe at ultrahigh pressure are obtained by comparing existing shock compression and temperature measurements to 300 K compression curves constructed from ultrasonic elasticity and static compression data. For MgO, α can be represented by: α = ρ_oγ_oC_V(ρ_o/ρ)^(0.5±0.5)/K_T where γ is the Gruneisen parameter, C_V is the constant volume specific heat, K_T is the isothermal bulk modulus, and ρ is the density. Using this expression, the thermal expansivity of MgO is 28-32×10^(−6)K^(−1) at the pressure of the top of the lower mantle and 10-16×10^(−6)K^(−1) at its base (at 2000 K). New data for α of e-Fe, together with an inner core temperature of 6750 K, constrain the density of the inner core to be 5±2% less than the density of e-Fe, implying the inner core contains a light element.
Exposure Assessment of Pregnant Portuguese Women to Methylmercury Through the Ingestion of Fish: Cross-Sectional Survey and Biomarker Validation

Methylmercury (MeHg) contamination is a critical public health problem in Portugal, where fish is an important component of the daily diet. The Portuguese are the third largest consumers in the world (after Japan and Iceland) but first in Europe. Prenatal exposure to MeHg is believed to be linked to fetal/child neurodevelopment and behavioral impairments due to the neurotoxicity of the compound. The objective of this study was to assess the exposure of pregnant Portuguese women to mercury (Hg) due to fish consumption, calculating the indices of risk and confirming exposure through analyses of a biomarker of exposure. The study consisted of a cross-sectional evaluation of 343 pregnant women recruited at their visit to two antenatal care units in Lisbon, Portugal. A food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate prenatal exposure. Total Hg levels in hair were analyzed by atomic absorption, in samples from 186 women. The average fish consumption was 3.1 meals per week. Median Hg level in the hair was 1.26 μg/g (range: 0.07–5.3 μg/g). The mean calculated risk index was 0.81; however, 28% of the pregnant women ingested levels above the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO; 1.6 mg/kg per body weight), indicating the possibility of risk due to MeHg exposure. Multiple linear regression analysis showed the risk index was reliably predicted from predatory fish species and number of fish meals consumed per week. Ingestion of black and silver scabbard fish as well as mixed predatory fish cooked in traditional dishes enhanced the toxicity risk. In conclusion, some exposure levels exceeded the reference value; therefore, nutritional counseling needs to be provided to populations at risk.
Dynamic network coded cooperative OFDM for underwater data collection

In this paper, we consider an underwater data collection problem, where multiple underwater nodes need to send data to one common destination. With the conventional ARQ protocol, the destination requests retransmission from each node individually without any node cooperation. We propose two protocols, selective relay cooperation and dynamic network coded cooperation, utilizing the fact that underwater nodes can overhear the transmission of others. In the selective relay cooperation, one node can be selected as a relay to transmit the data from another undecoded node in the retransmission round. In the network coded cooperation, the selected relay nodes transmit network coded packets, combining the packets from several undecoded nodes to the destination. The relay nodes participating the cooperation are selected by the destination based on the measured pilot signal to noise ratio of the underlying OFDM modulation. Simulation results based on one specific underwater topology show that the proposed schemes can achieve significant gains compared with the conventional ARQ scheme.
[The posterior inferior cerebellar artery].

The posterior inferior cerebellar artery has a curved course in the region of the medulla oblongata. Besides its frequent individual variations, this vessel exhibits three morphological types: in type 1 (the commonest type, i.e. more than 50% of the cases) it curves with its vertex turned upwards; in type 2, the posterior inferior cerebellar artery turns in a gentle arch on to the posterior surface of the medulla oblongata, so there is no real curve; in type 3, the posterior inferior cerebellar artery curves but its vertex turns downwards. In all of these cases, the artery is in close relationship with the last four cranial nerves. This relationship is most characteristic in the 1st and 3rd types. The morphological types could be recognised on the angiograms.
Congo red inhibition of scrapie agent replication

Congo red inhibits the accumulation of protease-resistant PrP in scrapie-infected mouse neuroblastoma cells. Here we show that Congo red also inhibits the replication of scrapie infectivity in these cells. This observation is consistent with the idea that protease-resistant PrP is a vital component of the scrapie agent or that agent replication depends on the presence of protease-resistant PrP in the cell.
What does it take to generate natural textures?

Natural image generation is currently one of the most actively explored fields in Deep Learning. Many approaches, e.g. for state-of-the-art artistic style transfer or natural texture synthesis, rely on the statistics of hierarchical representations in supervisedly trained deep neural networks. It is, however, unclear what aspects of this feature representation are crucial for natural image generation: is it the depth, the pooling or the training of the features on natural images? We here address this question for the task of natural texture synthesis and show that none of the above aspects are indispensable. Instead, we demonstrate that natural textures of high perceptual quality can be generated from networks with only a single layer, no pooling and random filters.
Logarithmic bundles of deformed Weyl arrangements of type $A_2$

We consider deformations of the Weyl arrangement of type $A_2$, which include the extended Shi and Catalan arrangements. These last ones are well-known to be free. We study their sheaves of logarithmic vector fields in all other cases, and show that they are Steiner bundles. Also, we determine explicitly their unstable lines. As a corollary, some counter-examples to the shift isomorphism problem are given.
Morphology of invasion: body size patterns associated with establishment of Coccinella septempunctata in western North America

The Old World ladybird Coccinella septempunctata has rapidly established itself as an abundant, widespread species throughout North America. Overwintering individuals of this species, and of native ladybirds, were collected from early season alfalfa in northern Utah during the period of initial establishment of the invader (1989 to 1999), and were measured for body size. Adult body size can vary widely within insect species, often reflecting differential success of individuals as immatures in obtaining food. Here I examine patterns of ladybird body size to address two questions associated with the establishment of C. septempunctata: (1) is there evidence for adverse impact on native species? , and (2) why has the invader has been so successful in establishment? As an indirect test of adverse competitive effect of the invader on native species, I determined whether mean body size of adults of the five most common native species (Coccinella tranversoguttata, Hippodamia convergens, H. quinquesignata, H. sinuata, and H. tredecimpunctata) declined over the period 1991-1997 as the invader increased rapidly in abundance. No such decline was observed for any of these species, thus providing no evidence that the invader's establishment has significantly increased scramble competition for food among immature ladybirds. I also compared body size distribution of the invading species with that of native species. The invader was distinctive in having particularly large variation in body size among individuals (i.e., in having relatively high proportions of both unusually large and small individuals). Such results are consistent with the hypothesis that the invader's success derives from being a generalist with much "ecological flexibility" in regard to the conditions under which it engages and succeeds in reproduction.
On-Line Evidence for Elaborative Logical Inferences in Text

A model of propositional-logic reasoning proposed by M. D. S. Braine, B. J. Reiser, and B. Rumain (1984) claims that inferences such as "p or q; not p //. q" are made spontaneously by readers at the moment both premises are available. This claim is inconsistent with some evidence in the text-processing literature that suggests that only those inferences necessary for textual coherence are made spontaneously. In the present study, participants read stories in which a logical inference was not necessary to maintain textual coherence, and inference making was assessed with on-line probes. Two experiments tested logical forms central to Braine et al.'s model, and both indicated that participants were making the logical inferences. Two further experiments replicated this result with stories that did not begin with thematic titles. These findings support Braine et al.'s prediction that some propositional-logic inferences are made routinely in texts that do not require them for coherence.
Epistemology and the socio-cognitive perspective in information science

This article presents a socio-cognitive perspective in relation to information science (IS) and information retrieval (IR). The differences between traditional cognitive views and the socio-cognitive or domain-analytic view are outlined. It is claimed that, given elementary skills in computer-based retrieval, people are basically interacting with representations of subject literatures in IR. The kind of knowledge needed to interact with representations of subject literatures is discussed. It is shown how different approaches or paradigms in the represented literature imply different information needs and relevance criteria (which users typically cannot express very well, which is why IS cannot primarily rely on user studies). These principles are exemplified by comparing behaviorism, cognitivism, psychoanalysis, and neuroscience as approaches in psychology. The relevance criteria implicit in each position are outlined, and empirical data are provided to prove the theoretical claims. It is further shown that the most general level of relevance criteria is implied by epistemological theories. The article concludes that the fundamental problems of IS and IR are based in epistemology, which therefore becomes the most important allied field for IS.
Monoaminergic mechanisms and experimental cataplexy

The effects of pharmacological alteration of the monoamine systems were investigated in a canine model of narcolepsy. Cataplexy was quantified in eight severely affected dogs by means of the food‐elicited cataplexy test. The specific norepinephrine (NE) uptake blocker nisoxetine, and (to a much lesser extent) the specific serotonin (5‐HT) uptake blocker fluoxetine, significantly suppressed cataplexy, as did the tricy'lic antidepressants protriptyline, amitriptyline, and chlorimipramine. Thus, experimental cataplexy is suppressed more by inhibition of the uptake of NE than of 5‐HT. Methylphenidate, the α‐adrenoreceptor blocker clonidine, and the dopamine receptor blocker pimozide also suppressed cataplexy in dogs. The β‐adrenergic blocker propranolol, the fatty acid γ‐hydroxybutyrate, and the monoamine oxidase inhibitors clorgyline and pargyline had little or no effect. With one exception (pimozide). all the drugs that suppressed cataplexy are known to be potent suppressors of REM sleep. The suppression of cataplexy induced by nisoxetine or protriptyline was reversed by the anticholinesterase physostigmine, further supporting a postulated aminergic‐cholinergic interaction in the mechanisms for cataplexy.
Multi-frequency approach to the coaxial multiline through-reflect-line calibration

We present an improved coaxial multiline through-reflect-line calibration method which allows to correct for errors in the description of calibration standards. Our approach is based on the multi-frequency formulation of the vector-network-analyzer calibration problem which accounts for the physical relationships between calibration standard S-parameters at different frequencies. We illustrate our approach with experimental results for the coaxial multiline through-reflect-line calibration with type-N airlines. We show that our calibration method significantly improves the measurement accuracy as compared with the classical multiline through-reflect-line calibration method.
Relationship between bilirubin and C-reactive protein

Abstract Background: Epidemiologic studies have shown that serum total bilirubin is inversely related to an increased risk of coronary artery disease. However, the number of studies which have focused on the relationship between bilirubin and C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a marker reflecting chronic vascular inflammation, are limited. Method: This cross-sectional study consisted of 2307 Korean adults who visited the Center for Health Promotion for a routine health check-up from January 2009 to December 2009. Result: CRP level showed a declining tendency as total bilirubin increased according to total bilirubin quartiles. Negative relations of CRP with both total and direct bilirubin were found after adjustment of age, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, cardiovascular disease, taking aspirin, smoking, alcohol drinking and regular exercise and total bilirubin or direct bilirubin. Conclusions: This study found that elevation of the two types of bilirubin (total and direct) have a relationship with a low serum CRP level among apparently healthy Korean adults. It is hypothesized that a low serum CRP level may be due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of bilirubin metabolism.
Disease and Development: The Eect of Life Expectancy on Economic Growth Appendices B and C (not for publication)

The main text reviewed the etiology of and global interventionsagainst the three diseases in our data responsible for the most deaths: malaria, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. Here we provide details on the remaining 12 infectious diseases, in rough descending order of their contribution to global deaths around 1940 (see Kiple, 1993, Ho¤ and Smith, 2000, Heymann 2004, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website). The relevant global interventions are (a) new drugs for treatment that became available globally (particularly antibiotics where relevant), (b) new preventive measures that became available globally (particularly vaccines and chemicals that were e¤ective against insects) and, (c) speci c WHO campaigns against diseases. It is useful to note that the timing of interventions would not be changed if we word to put greater emphasis on sulphur drugs. Sulfonamide drugs were invented in the 1930s, but were often toxic and not available in the most e¤ective doses (see Conybeare, 1948, pp. 65-66). This changed only from 1939, when the drugs became more e¤ective (though Loudon, 2002, puts the useful breakthrough a little earlier). Inuenza is caused by various strains of the inuenza virus, including type A (the most dangerous), type B, and type C. Transmission is through coughing, sneezing, or directly through
Allergy to pomegranate (Punica granatum)

We present the case of a 7-year-old IgE-dependent asthmatic child who, moments after ingesting several pomegranate seeds, showed a clinical condition of bronchospasm which responded to treatment with inhaled salbutamol. Cutaneous tests using the prick-by-prick techniques with extract of the fresh fruit were positive and the RAST for pomegranate was 0.8 PRU/ml. In the literature studied, we have found few specific references to allergy to pomegranate.
Higher Education in the United States and Brazil: How the Two Systems Origins Shaped Their Further Development

This article draws a parallel between higher education in the United States and Brazil placing emphasis on its different origins. The college tradition in the United States began with Harvard in the seventeenth century soon after the pioneers settled in the new land. These institutions were private, closer to their Board of Trustees than to the British Crown, and had a deeply religious character. Since one of their objectives was to train religious leaders, character formation was very valued. Located far from city centers, colleges used to operate as almost a total institution. The first Brazilian higher education institutions were created in the early nineteenth century when the Portuguese Royal family left Lisbon for its colony, Brazil. Schools of Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, etc. were called Faculdades. Highly elitist they were located in large cities. They followed the model of Napoleonic Great French Schools, which were secular institutions aimed at training professionals. United States and Brazil have quite different higher education systems, but both still sustain, to a large extent, their respective marks of origin and pay tribute to them.