Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Beamforming Designs for Joint Spatial Division and Multiplexing in Large-Scale MISO Multi-User Systems

In this paper, we study a joint spatial division multiplexing (JSDM) beamforming scheme, which enables large-scale spatial multiplexing gains for massive multi-input multi-output downlink systems. In contrast to the conventional JSDM, which employs a block diagonalization method as a pre-beamformer, we aim to maximize sum-rate by applying minimum-mean-squared error (MMSE) approaches when designing a pre-beamformer and a multi-user precoder sequentially. First, to suppress inter-group interference, we design the pre-beamformer, which minimizes an upper bound of the sum mean-squared-error in the large-scale array regime. Then, to mitigate same-group interference, we present the multi-user precoder based on the weighted MMSE (WMMSE) optimization method, which requires the same channel state information overhead as the conventional JSDM. Also, in order to reduce the computational complexity, we compute deterministic equivalents of the WMMSE beamforming parameters to generate the beamformers by employing asymptotic results of large system analysis. Through simulation results, we confirm that the proposed two-step beamforming methods bring substantial performance gains in terms of sum-rate over the conventional JSDM schemes especially in a low and medium signal-to-noise ratio regime with comparable complexity.
Influence Analysis of Cleft Type and Supernumerary Teeth Eruption in the Prognosis of Bone Graft in Patients With Cleft Palate

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of cleft type and supernumerary tooth eruption on the treatment of palatal clefts with alveolar bone grafts. Materials and Methods In this article, medical records of 40 patients with palatal clefts and associated supernumerary teeth who were treated with alveolar bone grafting in the Hospital for Craniofacial Anomalies Rehabilitation were assessed. The patients were studied to assess the influence of supernumerary teeth and the cleft severity on the prognosis of the alveolar bone graft. Results Forty medical records were included in the assessment. When the teeth in the cleft had an anatomic shape close to canine, we called them precanine. When they were very small or malformed, we called them anomalous lateral incisors. The teeth studied showed good prognoses and were more expressive in the preforaminal clefts (87.5%) than in the transforaminal ones (62.5%). Moreover, the transforaminal clefts presented a higher percentage in satisfactory and poor prognoses (37.5%). The authors found that supernumerary teeth influenced the maintenance of alveolar bone graft height and that transforaminal clefts presented a worse prognosis than preforaminal clefts.
Cortical Plasticity Induced by Inhibitory Neuron Transplantation

Inflexible Timing for Flexibility During critical periods in early life, sensory experience molds circuits in the brain. In the visual cortex, blurring or occluding vision in one eye triggers a rapid reorganization of neuronal responses known as ocular dominance plasticity. The critical period for this plasticity depends on inhibitory neurotransmission. Southwell et al. (p. 1145) show that by transplanting embryonic precursors of inhibitory neurons into mice, a period of ocular dominance plasticity can be induced after the end of the normal critical period. These observations suggest that transplantation of inhibitory neurons has therapeutic potential for brain repair and for treating neurological disorders and inducing periods of brain plasticity. Plasticity in the mouse brain’s visual cortex can be re-induced by neurons embedded by an earlier transplantation. Critical periods are times of pronounced brain plasticity. During a critical period in the postnatal development of the visual cortex, the occlusion of one eye triggers a rapid reorganization of neuronal responses, a process known as ocular dominance plasticity. We have shown that the transplantation of inhibitory neurons induces ocular dominance plasticity after the critical period. Transplanted inhibitory neurons receive excitatory synapses, make inhibitory synapses onto host cortical neurons, and promote plasticity when they reach a cellular age equivalent to that of endogenous inhibitory neurons during the normal critical period. These findings suggest that ocular dominance plasticity is regulated by the execution of a maturational program intrinsic to inhibitory neurons. By inducing plasticity, inhibitory neuron transplantation may facilitate brain repair.
Multistrain probiotic preparation significantly reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in a double-blind placebo-controlled study.

AIM To investigate the effect of bifid triple viable capsule, a multistrain probiotic preparation on symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and the amount of fecal Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. of IBS patients before and after treatment. METHODS A total of 60 IBS patients who met Rome III criteria were included in this double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled study. The patients were randomly assigned to receive composite probiotics or placebo for four weeks. The IBS symptoms of participants were surveyed using a questionnaire, and the amount of fecal Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. was determined by quantitative Real-time PCR pre- and post-intervention. RESULTS During the four week intervention period, the patients receiving probiotic preparation showed a significantly greater improvement in the symptom severity score of IBS, severity and frequency of pain or discomfort, abdominal distention and satisfaction with bowel habits. The symptom subtypes revealed that low amounts of both Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. were present in the samples of diarrhea-predominant IBS patients, while the alternating-predominant IBS patients had only low amounts of Bifidobacterium spp. Post-intervention for diarrhea-predominant IBS patients with lower symptom severity score showed even lower amounts of Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. CONCLUSION Bifid triple viable capsule supplement may benefit patients with IBS. Multistrain probiotic preparation may be a promising candidate for IBS therapy, although the mechanism needs to be further studied.
Membrane-bound C4b interacts endogenously with complement receptor CR1 of human red cells

Activation of the classical complement pathway on the membrane of autologous cells results in the deposition of C4b on their surface and in the assembly of the C3 convertase C4b2a, one of the amplifying enzymes of the cascade. Here we study the sequence of events leading to irreversible inactivation of the potentially harmful C4b bound to human red cells. We show that deposited C4b interacts endogenously with complement receptor type 1 (CR1) present on the membrane of the same red cell. Complexes containing CR1 and C4b are found in extracts of membranes of C4b-bearing red cells after treatment of the intact cells with a bifunctional crosslinking reagent. The amount of complexed CR1 increases with the number of deposited C4b molecules. Only small amounts of free CR1 are observed on red cells bearing as few as 1,900 molecules of C4b, suggesting that the binding avidity between C4b and endogenous CR1 is high. In agreement with this observation, we find that the deposited C4b inhibits the exogenous cofactor activity of the red cell CR1 for the factor I-mediated cleavage of target-bound clustered C3b. The C4b bound to the human red cells is cleaved by the serum enzyme C3b/C4b inactivator (factor I) and a large fragment (C4c) is released in the incubation medium. The cleavage is totally inhibited by mAbs against CR1, showing that the complement receptor is an essential cofactor for the activity of I. When the number of bound C4b per red cell is relatively small (less than 1,000 molecules) the substrate for the enzymatic activity of factor I is mostly or exclusively the C4b bound endogenously to CR1. Indeed, the kinetics or the extent of cleavage of C4b are not affected by greatly augmenting the concentration of exogenous CR1 or of C4b-bearing red cells in the incubation mixture, thereby increasing the frequency of collisions between CR1 on the surface of one cell with C4b deposited on the membrane of a different cell. On the basis of the present and prior observations, we speculate that both DAF and CR1 act endogenously to inactivate the function of autologous red cell-bound C4b and prevent the progression of the cascade. DAF binding prevents the formation of the C3 convertase, C4b2a. The cleavage and irreversible inactivation of C4b only occurs after the concerted activities of endogenous CR1 and serum factor I. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Pension fund's illiquid assets allocation under liquidity and capital requirements

Abstract Defined benefit pension funds invest in illiquid asset classes for return, diversification or liability hedging reasons. So far, little is known about factors influencing how much they invest in illiquid assets. We conjecture that liquidity and capital requirements are pivotal in this decision. Short-term pension payments and margining on derivative contracts generate liquidity requirements, while regulations impose capital requirements. Consistent with our model we empirically find that these requirements create a hump-shaped impact of liability duration on the fraction of risky assets invested in illiquid assets. Further, we report that pension fund size, type, and funding ratio impact illiquid assets allocations.
The roles of FGFs in the early development of vertebrate limbs.

‘‘Fibroblast growth factor’’ (FGF) was first identified 25 years ago as a mitogenic activity in pituitary extracts (Armelin 1973; Gospodarowicz 1974). This modest observation subsequently led to the identification of a large family of proteins that affect cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, and motility (for review, see Basilico and Moscatelli 1992; Baird 1994). Recently, evidence has been accumulating that specific members of the FGF family function as key intercellular signaling molecules in embryogenesis (for review, see Goldfarb 1996). Indeed, it may be no exaggeration to say that, in conjunction with the members of a small number of other signaling molecule families [including WNT (Parr and McMahon 1994), Hedgehog (HH) (Hammerschmidt et al. 1997), and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) (Hogan 1996)], FGFs are responsible for inducing and/or regulating the subsequent development of most organs in the vertebrate body. The purpose of this review is to discuss the functions performed by members of the FGF family in one of the best-studied vertebrate developmental systems—limb formation. It focuses initially on what is known about FGF function in the established limb bud and then discusses the mechanisms by which the signaling centers that control outgrowth and patterning of the established limb bud are formed, emphasizing possible roles played by FGFs in these processes. Finally, it discusses the potential role of FGFs in the induction of limb development. The insights into the requirement for FGF signaling in bone development that have been gained from analyses of mutations in human and mouse FGF receptor (FGFR) genes will not be discussed, as those studies have been the subject of several recent reviews (Wilkie et al. 1995; Yamaguchi and Rossant 1995; De Moerlooze and Dickson 1997; Webster and Donoghue 1997).
The Effect of Partisanship in Election Law Judicial Decision-Making

This dissertation seeks to determine if, and to what extent, federal judges behave in a partisan manner when deciding politically salient election law cases. Specifically, do judges favor the interests of their political party, after controlling for judicial policy preferences? The main hypothesis that I seek to test is the relationship between case votes and the interests of a judge’s political party in a given election law case. I posit that when the judge’s political party benefits from a ruling for the plaintiff/defendant, a judge will be more likely to rule for the plaintiff/defendant. I also test four additional hypotheses, all of which should moderate the relationship between partisan interests and case votes. I test the effects of political career experience, age, court of appeals membership, and partisan panel composition on the likelihood of a judge ruling in favor of her political party. To test these hypotheses, I model the case votes of federal district court and court of appeals judges in campaign finance, political party right to association, and redistricting cases from 1962 through 2007. To control for a judge’s policy preferences, I impute first and second dimension common space scores for all federal judges in my dataset. Of the three categories of election law cases examined in this dissertation, only the campaign finance models consistently produce a statistically significant partisanship iii effect. There is also evidence of a conditional partisanship effect in redistricting cases, which is contingent on the partisan composition of a three-judge district court. Additionally, judicial policy preferences are statistically significant predictors of judicial behavior in political party right to association and redistricting cases, and campaign finance cases that do not involve the interests of the Democratic and Republican Parties. While most political science models of judicial behavior emphasize policy preferences or a combination of law and policy preferences to explain and predict judicial behavior, the results of this dissertation provide evidence that social groups could be another important, systematic influence on judicial behavior. Specifically, these results suggests that judges hold separate sets of preferences: preferences for preferred in-groups (such as a political party) and policy preferences. Therefore, judicial scholars should consider, when appropriate, the influence of personally salient social in-groups when modeling judicial behavior. While the influence of partisan preferences in any form is troubling, the results demonstrate that the effect of partisanship is not pervasive in all areas of election law. As such, policy makers should decide if any semblance of partisanship is unacceptable in the federal courts before considering any potential reforms or changes to the judiciary.
The Effect of Input-Trade Liberalization on Nonfarm and Farm Labour Participation in Rural Vietnam

This paper examines the impact of the trade liberalization of chemical fertilisers on the allocation of labour between nonfarm and farm sectors in rural Vietnam during the period 1993-1998. To do that, we use a panel dataset controlling for fixed effects and instrumenting the volume of chemical fertilisers and the exogenous change in fertilisers’ prices is exploited. The study shows that a higher volume of chemical fertilisers reduces the employment of rural households in the nonfarm sector and increases labour participation in farm activities. A larger use of chemical fertilisers would also generate other complementary effects such as a higher demand for organic fertilisers, increased on-farm hired labour, a bigger cultivated area with chemical fertilisers and a larger number of crops grown with chemical fertilisers. Also, we find that a larger use of chemical fertilisers creates larger incentives for on-farm family labour for small landholders compared to those with larger agricultural land, and that the magnitude of the effects is relatively larger for new farmers.
Treatment of Amatoxin Poisoning: 20-Year Retrospective Analysis

Background: Amatoxin poisoning is a medical emergency characterized by a long incubation time lag, gastrointestinal and hepatotoxic phases, coma, and death. This mushroom intoxication is ascribed to 35 amatoxin-containing species belonging to three genera: Amanita, Galerina, and Lepiota. The major amatoxins, the α-, β-, and γ-amanitins, are bicyclic octapeptide derivatives that damage the liver and kidney via irreversible binding to RNA polymerase II. Methods: The mycology and clinical syndrome of amatoxin poisoning are reviewed. Clinical data from 2108 hospitalized amatoxin poisoning exposures as reported in the medical literature from North America and Europe over the last 20 years were compiled. Preliminary medical care, supportive measures, specific treatments used singly or in combination, and liver transplantation were characterized. Specific treatments consisted of detoxication procedures (e.g., toxin removal from bile and urine, and extra-corporeal purification) and administration of drugs. Chemotherapy included benzylpenicillin or other β-lactam antibiotics, silymarin complex, thioctic acid, antioxidant drugs, hormones and steroids administered singly, or more usually, in combination. Supportive measures alone and 10 specific treatment regimens were analyzed relative to mortality. Results: Benzylpenicillin (Penicillin G) alone and in association was the most frequently utilized chemotherapy but showed little efficacy. No benefit was found for the use of thioctic acid or steroids. Chi-square statistical comparison of survivors and dead vs. treated individuals supported silybin, administered either as mono-chemotherapy or in drug combination and N-acetylcysteine as mono-chemotherapy as the most effective therapeutic modes. Future clinical research should focus on confirming the efficacy of silybin, N-acetylcysteine, and detoxication procedures.
Performance, carcass yield, and carcass quality characteristics of steers finished on rhizoma peanut (Arachis glabrata)-tropical grass pasture or concentrate.

Steers (n = 156) finished on rhizoma peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.)-tropical grass pasture in Florida and slaughtered at Central Packing, Center Hill were compared with steers (n = 152) finished on a concentrate diet in Texas and slaughtered at Excel, Plainview. Average daily gain during the growing and finishing periods was lower (P < .001) for forage-finished steers (.49 and .94 kg/d, respectively) than for concentrate-finished steers (.78 and 1.33 kg/d, respectively). Forage-finished steers had less fat over the ribeye (8.3 vs 11.4 mm; P < .01), lighter hot carcass weight (280 vs 346 kg; P < .001), and smaller longissimus muscle area (70.8 vs 86.6 cm2; P < .001) than concentrate-finished steers. Yield grade was not different (2.7 vs 2.6; P > .10), but quality grade was slightly better (low Select vs mid Select; P < .01) for concentrate-finished steers. Lean color of forage-finished steers was darker (P < .001) and fat of forage-finished steers had a creamier color (P < .001), but carcasses were not discounted due to yellow fat color. Shear force values were higher (6.8 vs 4.0 kg; P < .001) for forage-finished than for concentrate-finished steers. Off-flavors were detected by trained sensory panelists in 36% of forage-finished and 14% of concentrate-finished carcasses, but all at barely detectable levels. This research indicates that steers can be finished on rhizoma peanut-tropical grass pastures, but with some reduction in quality grade relative to concentrate-finished steers. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Critical success factors for GSCM adoption: case studies in the automotive battery industry

Resumo: A percepção da influência de fatores críticos de sucesso (FCS) à adoção das práticas de green supply chain management (GSCM) é o tema desta pesquisa que tem por objetivo identificar e analisar como as principais empresas fabricantes de baterias automotivas instaladas no Brasil, e consideradas focais em suas cadeias de suprimentos, percebem tais influências. Três das principais empresas de manufatura desse setor foram investigadas por meio da técnica de estudo de casos, com o uso da triangulação de dados: entrevistas com gestores das empresas, observações no próprio lugar das atividades operacionais e obtenção de dados secundários. Esta pesquisa identifica como as variáveis dos FCS se relacionam com as práticas de GSCM. Como principais resultados, tem-se que: O FCS “compromisso da alta direção” é o mais crítico para o sucesso na adoção de práticas de GSCM e que os FCS “gestão da informação” e indiretamente “treinamento” são críticos para a adoção de uma série de práticas de GSCM. A teoria que suporta este tema ainda está em desenvolvimento, portanto a pesquisa contribui com alguns insights que merecem mais aprofundamento. Palavras-chave: Green supply chain management; Fatores críticos de sucesso; Práticas ambientais; Baterias automotivas; Estudo de casos. Abstract: This study aimed to analyze how the major manufacturers of automotive batteries in Brazil, considered as focal companies in their supply chains, perceive the influence of critical success factors (CSFs) for adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices. A case study was carried out in the three leading manufacturing companies in this sector using data source triangulation: interviews with company managers, coordinators, and supervisors; on site observations of operational activities; and secondary data. The relationship between CSF variables and GSCM practices was investigated. The main results obtained include: “top management commitment” is the most critical success factor for the effective adoption of GSCM practices and that “information management” and “training” (indirectly) are highly critical for adoption of a number of GSCM practices. This study provides deeper insights into this fairly recent topic.
The Impact of Tumor Size in Breast Needle Biopsy Material on Final Pathologic Size and Tumor Stage: A Detailed Analysis of 222 Consecutive Cases

Tumor size is a significant prognostic indicator for invasive mammary carcinoma. By current standards, this is routinely reported during pathologic evaluation of the definitive excision, but no recommendations exist for reporting tumor size in needle biopsy material. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between tumor size on breast needle biopsy specimens and that on subsequent definitive excision specimens and to evaluate the impact of the former, if any, in determining the final pathologic tumor stage. This was achieved by an evaluation of 222 consecutive cases of invasive mammary carcinoma for which both the diagnostic biopsy and definitive excision were available for review. Of 200 cases without a history of neoadjuvant therapy, there were 161 (80.5%) cases in which the tumor size on biopsy was smaller, 15 (7.5%) cases in which the sizes were equal, and 24 (12%) in which the size on biopsy was greater, including 6 (3%) cases with no residual tumor on excision. The average size change (excision size minus biopsy size) increased with increasing tumor stage, with these being significantly lower in pT1a compared with pT1b tumors (−0.14 vs. 0.17 mm; P=0.0002), pT1a/b compared with pT1c tumors (0.12 vs. 0.53 mm; P<0.0001), and pT1 compared with pT2/3 tumors (0.32 vs. 2.2 mm; P<0.001). Of the 24 cases in which tumor size on biopsy was greater than that on excision, there were 15 (7.5% of cohort) in which the tumor size on biopsy was the sole determinant of a higher final pathologic T stage. A larger tumor size on biopsy compared with that on excision was significantly associated with a lower final pathologic T stage (P<0.001) but not with patient age, histologic type, histologic grade, mitotic score, or the presence/absence of ductal carcinoma in situ. Evaluation of the remaining 22 cases also showed that there was a clear association between a history of neoadjuvant therapy and the finding of a larger size on biopsy compared with that on excision (P<0.0001). These findings indicate that tumor size on breast needle biopsy is not infrequently larger than that on excision and can also dictate the final pathologic T stage. Accordingly, it is recommended that the greatest extent of invasive carcinoma is reported in all needle biopsy specimens.