Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Obtaining the Preinverse of a Power Amplifier Using Iterative Learning Control

Telecommunication networks make extensive use of power amplifiers (PAs) to broaden the coverage from transmitter to receiver. Achieving high power efficiency is challenging and comes at a price: the wanted linear performance is degraded due to nonlinear effects. To compensate for these nonlinear disturbances, existing techniques compute the preinverse of the PA by the estimation of a nonlinear model. However, the extraction of this nonlinear model is involved and requires advanced system identification techniques. The plant inversion iterative learning control (ILC) algorithm is used here in combination with the best linear approximation to investigate whether the nonlinear modeling step can be simplified. This paper introduces the ILC framework for the preinverse estimation and predistortion of PAs. The ILC algorithm is used to obtain a high quality predistorted input for the PA under study without requiring a nonlinear model of the PA. In a second step, a nonlinear preinverse model of the amplifier is obtained. Both the nonlinear and memory effects of a PA can be compensated by this approach. The convergence of the iterative approach and the predistortion results are illustrated on a simulation of a Motorola LDMOS transistor-based PA and a measurement example using the Chalmers RF WebLab measurement setup.
CHANGES IN THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF HEMP OFFICE PAPERS DUE TO ACCELERATED AGEING

This research observes alteration in optical properties of two commercially available hemp office papers exposed to various methods of accelerated ageing. Both handmade office papers, natural colored and non-chlorine bleached were formed from 100% hemp plant fiber. In order to establish their optical stability under controlled conditions two different accelerating ageing treatments were carried out for the period of 24 hours as a simulation of different degradation processes that naturally occurs in cellulosic materials: thermal oxidation (TO) and photo-oxidation (PO). Before and after ageing treatments the changes in the optical properties of papers were monitored by X-rite DTP 20 spectrophotometer and obtained differences in Reflectance index (R), Euclidean difference (ΔE00*) and Yellowness Index (YI E313) have been discussed. The results have shown how the paper optical stability is dependent upon manufacturing process. Namely, it was found that bleached hemp pulp provide better optical stability of papers than unbleached hemp pulp.
Gradual enhancement of ethyl acetate production through promoter engineering in chinese liquor yeast strains

As content and proportion of ethyl acetate is critical to the flavor and quality of beverages, the concise regulation of the ethyl acetate metabolism is a major issue in beverage fermentations. In this study, for ethyl acetate yield regulation, we finely modulated the expression of ATF1 through precise and seamless insertion of serially truncated PGK1 promoter from the 3′ end by 100bp steps in the Chinese liquor yeast, CLy12a. The three engineered promoters carrying 100‐, 200‐, and 300‐bp truncations exhibited reduced promoter strength but unaffected growth. These three promoters were integrated into the CLy12a strain, generating strains CLy12a‐P‐100, CLy12a‐P‐200, and CLy12a‐P‐300, respectively. The transcription levels of CLy12a‐P‐100, CLy12a‐P‐200, and CLy12a‐P‐300 were 20%, 17%, and 10% of that of CLy12a‐P, respectively. The AATase (alcohol acetyl transferases, encoded by the ATF1 gene) activity of three engineered strains were 36%, 56%, and 62% of that of CLy12a‐P. In the liquid fermentation of corn hydrolysate at 30°C, the concentration of ethyl acetate in CLy12a‐P‐100, CLy12a‐P‐200, and CLy12a‐P‐300 were reduced by 28%, 30%, and 42%, respectively, compared to CLy12a‐P. These results verifying that the ethyl acetate yield could be gradually enhanced by finely modulating the expression of ATF1. The engineered strain CLy12a‐P‐200 produced the ethyl acetate concentration with the best sensorial quality compared to the other engineered yeast strains. The method proposed in this work supplies a practical proposal for breeding Chinese liquor yeast strains with finely modulated ethyl acetate yield. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 34:328–336, 2018
Stochastic Variance Reduced Optimization for Nonconvex Sparse Learning

We propose a stochastic variance reduced optimization algorithm for solving a class of large-scale nonconvex optimization problems with cardinality constraints, and provide sufficient conditions under which the proposed algorithm enjoys strong linear convergence guarantees and optimal estimation accuracy in high dimensions. We further extend our analysis to an asynchronous variant of the approach, and demonstrate a near linear speedup in sparse settings. Numerical experiments demonstrate the efficiency of our method in terms of both parameter estimation and computational performance.
Dynamic characterization of the thickness-tapered laminated plant fiber-reinforced polymer composite plates

Evolution of the laminated woven natural fiber fabric-reinforced polymer composite structures makes a way to the development of the non-uniform laminated composite structures in order to achieve the stiffness variation throughout the structure. An attempt is made in this work to carry out the experimental and numerical investigations on the dynamic characteristics of the thickness-tapered laminated woven jute/epoxy and woven aloe/epoxy composite plates. The governing differential equations of motion for the thickness-tapered laminated composite plate are developed using the h-p version FEM based on higher order shear deformation theory. The validation of the present finite element formulation is carried out by comparing the natural frequencies obtained using the finite element formulation with those natural frequencies determined experimentally. The developed model is further validated with the available literature works on tapered composite plate to confirm the efficiency of h-p version FEM. This work also explores the study of the vibrational characteristics of composite plates under the influence of plant fiber’s transverse isotropic material characteristics and porosity associated with plant fiber composites through the elastic constants evaluated in the author’s previous work. Also the influences of aspect ratios, ply orientations, and taper angles under various end conditions on the natural frequencies of the woven jute/epoxy composite plate are studied using the present finite element formulation. The forced vibration response of the thickness-tapered laminated woven jute/epoxy composite plate under the harmonic force excitation is carried out considering CFCF and CFFF end conditions.
Protein A chromatography resin lifetime—impact of feed composition

Adsorbent lifetime during protein A chromatography is not readily predicted or understood, representing a key challenge to be addressed for biopharmaceutical manufacturers. This article focuses on the impact of feed composition on the performance of a typical agarose‐based protein A resin across a lifetime of 50 cycles. Cycling studies were performed using three different feed materials with varying levels of feed components including proteases, histones, DNA, and nonhistone proteins. Changes in the process and quality attributes were measured. The DBCs were not seen to vary between conditions although there was a reduction in particle porosity in all cases. Fluorescence spectroscopy and LC‐MS/MS were used to identify the contribution and extent of fouling to the observed capacity loss. Residual protein A ligand density and deposition of foulants (HCP, residual mAb, and DNA) varied between the three feed materials. Resins cycled in feed materials containing high concentrations of HCP and histones were seen to have greater extents of capacity loss. The mode of performance loss, capacity loss, or impact on product quality was seen to vary depending on the feed material. The results indicate that feed material composition may be correlated to the rate and mode of resin aging as a basis for improved process understanding. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 34:412–419, 2018
Reactive species and mitochondrial dysfunction: Mechanistic significance of 4‐hydroxynonenal

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a global term used in the context of “unhealthy” mitochondria. In practical terms, mitochondria are extremely complex and highly adaptive in structure, chemical and enzymatic composition, subcellular distribution and functional interaction with other components of cells. Consequently, altered mitochondrial properties that are used in experimental studies as measures of mitochondrial dysfunction often provide little or no distinction between adaptive and maladaptive changes. This is especially a problem in terms of generation of oxidant species by mitochondria, wherein increased generation of superoxide anion radical (O 2− ·) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is often considered synonymously with mitochondrial dysfunction. However, these oxidative species are signaling molecules in normal physiology so that a change in production or abundance is not a good criterion for mitochondrial dysfunction. In this review, we consider generation of reactive electrophiles and consequent modification of mitochondrial proteins as a means to define mitochondrial dysfunction. Accumulated evidence indicates that 4‐hydroxynonenal (HNE) modification of proteins reflects mitochondrial dysfunction and provides an operational criterion for experimental definition of mitochondrial dysfunction. Improved means to detect and quantify mitochondrial HNE‐protein adduct formation could allow its use for environmental healthrisk assessment. Furthermore, application of improved mass spectrometry‐based proteomic methods will lead to further understanding of the critical targets contributing to disease risk. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
De novo transcriptome assembly and polymorphism detection in two highly divergent evolutionary units of Bosca's newt (Lissotriton boscai) endemic to the Iberian Peninsula

This article reports the de novo transcriptome assemblies of two highly divergent evolutionary units of the Iberian endemic Bosca's newt, Lissotriton boscai. These two units are distributed mostly allopatrically but overlap in the central–southwestern coastal region of Portugal. The resources we provide include the raw sequence reads, the assembled transcripts, the annotation and SNPs called for both lineages.
Activity of Fluorine‐Containing Analogues of WC‐9 and Structurally Related Analogues against Two Intracellular Parasites: Trypanosoma cruzi and Toxoplasma gondii

Two obligate intracellular parasites, Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease, and Toxoplasma gondii, an agent of toxoplasmosis, upregulate the mevalonate pathway of their host cells upon infection, which suggests that this host pathway could be a potential drug target. In this work, a number of compounds structurally related to WC‐9 (4‐phenoxyphenoxyethyl thiocyanate), a known squalene synthase inhibitor, were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their effect on T. cruzi and T. gondii growth in tissue culture cells. Two fluorine‐containing derivatives, the 3‐(3‐fluorophenoxy)‐ and 3‐(4‐fluorophenoxy)phenoxyethyl thiocyanates, exhibited half‐maximal effective concentration (EC50) values of 1.6 and 4.9 μm, respectively, against tachyzoites of T. gondii, whereas they showed similar potency to WC‐9 against intracellular T. cruzi (EC50 values of 5.4 and 5.7 μm, respectively). In addition, 2‐[3‐ (phenoxy)phenoxyethylthio]ethyl‐1,1‐bisphosphonate, which is a hybrid inhibitor containing 3‐phenoxyphenoxy and bisphosphonate groups, has activity against T. gondii proliferation at sub‐micromolar levels (EC50=0.7 μm), which suggests a combined inhibitory effect of the two functional groups.
Epidemiology and clinical relevance of Staphylococcus aureus intestinal carriage: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Introduction: Recent data highlight the importance of screening more than one site for improving the detection of S. aureus colonization. Intestinal carriage is frequently under-investigated and its clinical impact ought to be defined a better way. Areas covered: This review and meta-analysis provide an updated overview of prevalence, characteristics and clinical significance of S. aureus intestinal carriage in different populations, both for methicillin-susceptible and -resistant S. aureus strains. Expert commentary: Intestinal S. aureus carriage is documented with higher prevalence in children and in patients with S. aureus skin and soft tissue infections. This site of colonization was shown to be associated with a high risk of dissemination in the environment and with S. aureus infection. Intestinal carriage is frequently retrieved in nasal carriers, reflecting probably an association with a high bacterial load. Exclusive intestinal carriage present in one third of intestinal carriers can be associated with infection. Comparative genotyping analysis of different strains from nasal and extra-nasal sites of carriage, including the intestinal ones, in the same individuals, would allow a better comprehension of the pathophysiology of S. aureus endogenous infection. It could also permit to improve the prevention of these infections by decolonization of sites implicated in infection genesis.
cAMP Has Distinct Acute and Chronic Effects on Aquaporin-5 in Lung Epithelial Cells*

Aquaporin-5 (AQP5) is present on the apical membrane of epithelial cells in various secretory glands as well as on the apical membrane of the airway epithelium, airway submucosal glands, and type 1 pneumocytes, where it can participate in respiratory tract water homeostasis. We examined the effects of cAMP on AQP5 distribution and abundance. When AQP5-expressing mouse lung epithelial cells were treated with cAMP or the β-adrenergic agonist terbutaline, a biphasic AQP5 response was observed. Short term (minutes) exposure to cAMP produced internalization of AQP5 off of the membrane and a decrease in protein abundance. Both of these responses were blocked by inhibition of protein kinase A and the decrease in abundance was blocked by chloroquine, indicating lysosome-mediated degradation. Sustained cAMP exposure (hours) produced an increase in membrane localization and increased abundance; these effects were also blocked by protein kinase A inhibition. The β-adrenergic agonist terbutaline produced changes in AQP5 abundance in mouse trachea and lung, consistent with our findings in cultured epithelial cells. Purified AQP5 protein was phosphorylated by protein kinase A but not protein kinase C or casein kinase II, and aquaporin-5 was phosphorylated in cultured cells after long term (but not short term) exposure to cAMP. These studies indicate that cAMP and β-adrenergic agonists produce distinct short and long term effects on AQP5 distribution and abundance that may contribute to regulation of lung water homeostasis.
AIBP protects against metabolic abnormalities and atherosclerosis[S]

Apolipoprotein A-I binding protein (AIBP) has been shown to augment cholesterol efflux from endothelial cells and macrophages. In zebrafish and mice, AIBP-mediated regulation of cholesterol levels in the plasma membrane of endothelial cells controls angiogenesis. The goal of this work was to evaluate metabolic changes and atherosclerosis in AIBP loss-of-function and gain-of-function animal studies. Here, we show that Apoa1bp−/−Ldlr−/− mice fed a high-cholesterol, high-fat diet had exacerbated weight gain, liver steatosis, glucose intolerance, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and larger atherosclerotic lesions compared with Ldlr−/− mice. Feeding Apoa1bp−/−Ldlr−/− mice a high-cholesterol, normal-fat diet did not result in significant differences in lipid levels or size of atherosclerotic lesions from Ldlr−/− mice. Conversely, adeno-associated virus-mediated overexpression of AIBP reduced hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis in high-cholesterol, high-fat diet-fed Ldlr−/− mice. Injections of recombinant AIBP reduced aortic inflammation in Ldlr−/− mice fed a short high-cholesterol, high-fat diet. Conditional overexpression of AIBP in zebrafish also reduced diet-induced vascular lipid accumulation. In experiments with isolated macrophages, AIBP facilitated cholesterol efflux to HDL, reduced lipid rafts content, and inhibited inflammatory responses to lipopolysaccharide.jlr Our data demonstrate that AIBP confers protection against diet-induced metabolic abnormalities and atherosclerosis.
Transcription factor scleraxis vitally contributes to progenitor lineage direction in wound healing of adult tendon in mice

Tendon is a dense connective tissue that transmits high mechanical forces from skeletal muscle to bone. The transcription factor scleraxis (Scx) is a highly specific marker of both precursor and mature tendon cells (tenocytes). Mice lacking scx exhibit a specific and virtually complete loss of tendons during development. However, the functional contribution of Scx to wound healing in adult tendon has not yet been fully characterized. Here, using ScxGFP-tracking and loss-of-function systems, we show in an adult mouse model of Achilles tendon injury that paratenon cells, representing a stem cell antigen-1 (Sca-1)–positive and Scx-negative progenitor subpopulation, display Scx induction, migrate to the wound site, and produce extracellular matrix (ECM) to bridge the defect, whereas resident tenocytes exhibit a delayed response. Scx induction in the progenitors is initiated by transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling. scx-deficient mice had migration of Sca-1–positive progenitor cell to the lesion site but impaired ECM assembly to bridge the defect. Mechanistically, scx-null progenitors displayed higher chondrogenic potential with up-regulation of SRY-box 9 (Sox9) coactivator PPAR-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) in vitro, and knock-in analysis revealed that forced expression of full-length scx significantly inhibited Sox9 expression. Accordingly, scx-null wounds formed cartilage-like tissues that developed ectopic ossification. Our findings indicate a critical role of Scx in a progenitor-cell lineage in wound healing of adult mouse tendon. These progenitor cells could represent targets in strategies to facilitate tendon repair. We propose that this lineage-regulatory mechanism in tissue progenitors could apply to a broader set of tissues or biological systems in the body.
High-resolution proteomics and metabolomics in thyroid cancer: Deciphering novel biomarkers

Abstract The incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) – the most common endocrine malignancy – has been increasing sharply since the mid-1990s. The rate of TC incidence in both men and women has been faster than any other cancer. Both improved diagnoses (i.e. increased medical surveillance and more sensitive diagnostic tests, such as ultrasound and confirmation via fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB)), and environmental factors detrimental to thyroid health are thought to account for the increased incidence. There are several histological types of thyroid carcinoma including papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic. Determining the type of TC is crucial for prognosis and treatment selection. Unfortunately, approximately 20–30% of patients undergoing FNAB have inconclusive or indeterminate results, leading to unnecessary surgical intervention in 80% of patients with benign nodules. To resolve this diagnostic dilemma, new biomarkers of TC are needed. Proteomic approaches offer an unbiased platform for the comprehensive analysis of the whole proteome. Although mRNA expression is widely considered to be indicative of protein expression, protein levels are the result of protein synthesis and degradation, yet RNA levels are only indicative of protein synthesis. Clinically, there is growing evidence for the role of proteomic and metabolomic technologies in TC biomarker discovery, providing novel information on the molecular events associated with TC, and potentially leading to the identification of novel drug targets. This review thoroughly discusses the importance of novel proteomic and metabolomic approaches to identify new biomarkers for TC.
An evolutionary algorithm for resource-constrained project scheduling

The single-mode, single-project, resource-constrained project-scheduling problem is solved by an evolutionary algorithm. The design of this algorithm is presented. Results of a computational study on two sets of benchmark problems, the first consisting of 330 problem instances and the second 2040, are presented. These results show that the proposed algorithm is effective in terms of the number of times it achieves both the best-known solutions and the average error with respect to these solutions, particularly given that the best-known solutions have been compiled from various sources, using a variety of algorithms. Moreover, the computation time requirements are quite modest.
Postnatal acquisition of primary rhesus cytomegalovirus infection is associated with prolonged virus shedding and impaired CD4+ T lymphocyte function.

BACKGROUND Although virus-specific CD4(+) T lymphocytes emerge rapidly during primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in humans, they exhibit a state of prolonged functional exhaustion of unknown etiology. To investigate the suitability of rhesus macaques as a model of primary human CMV infection, we examined the virologic and immunologic features of naturally acquired primary CMV infection in rhesus macaques. METHODS CMV-specific CD4(+) T lymphocytes and CMV load in blood, saliva, and urine were evaluated in a cohort of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-negative rhesus macaques stratified by age into infant, juvenile, and adult groups. RESULTS CMV infection was detected in juvenile and adult monkeys but not in infant monkeys. CMV loads and shedding frequency in urine and saliva were significantly higher in the 2-3-year old juvenile monkeys, compared with the adult monkeys. The increased CMV load in juvenile monkeys was associated with lower polyfunctionality, impaired proliferation, and increased expression of the inhibitory receptor PD-1 in CMV-specific CD4(+) T lymphocytes. The proliferative defect was partially reversible by exogenous PD-1 blockade or addition of interleukin 2. CONCLUSIONS Postnatal acquisition of primary CMV infection in rhesus macaques results in prolonged virus excretion and impaired CMV-specific CD4(+) T-lymphocyte function, findings that recapitulate key features of primary CMV infection in humans.
Comparing the potential of different strategies for colour tuning in thin film photovoltaic technologies

ABSTRACT While the performance of some emerging solar cell technologies is rocketing, there are other important parameters that also need to be considered for industrialization, including aesthetics, payback time or long-term stability. More specifically, aesthetical features of the solar cells play a very important role in the path towards the integration of these semi-transparent technologies into the buildings and windows of the future. In this work, we have implemented a theoretical methodology to study in depth colour tuning in polymer-based organic photovoltaic cells that uses experimentally complex refractive indices. We compare quantitatively basic interference effects (through active layer thickness), binaries with different donors and different acceptors, and ternary systems where the third component is either active or a simple dye. For hybrid perovskite solar cells, we compare the colour tuning capability of blending and alloying. Additionally, we show that the same theoretical framework can be employed for the so-called inverse problem, i.e. determining the best solar cell parameters (specific materials, donor:acceptor ratio and photoactive film thickness) that can reproduce a desired set of chromaticity coordinates. Graphical Abstract