Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MIMO Channel Modeling and Capacity analysis using 3-D Spatial Statistical Channel Model for Millimeter Wave outdoor communication

We compute the Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) channel capacity for 28 GHz and 73 GHz frequency bands using the 3-D Spatial Statistical Channel Impulse response model. Wideband capacity is evaluated using Rician distributed voltage amplitudes (varying K-factor for Line of Sight (LOS) and non-LOS (NLOS)) as well as spatial correlations of multi-path voltages present between transmitting and receiving antenna elements which is considered a significant factor when accounting for very small wavelength resulting in smaller spacing between antenna elements.Our simulation results show that due to fewer number of scatterers in Single Input Multiple Output (SIMO), the strong LOS component adds to the overall channel capacity, hence Rician distribution with a high K-factor (15 dB) outperforms Rayleigh distribution (K = 0 dB). On the other hand, due to a large number scatterers contributing in overall channel capacity in NLOS conditions for MIMO (low value of K-factor), it is concluded that using MIMO with millimeter wave frequencies is expected to provide overall higher capacity results due to scattering gain regardless of heavy propagation and blocking losses, later of which is dominant in NLOS conditions.
Displacement sensor based on interdigital capacitor

In this paper we investigate the possibility of displacement detection by approaching dielectric plate to electrodes of interdigital capacitor. Working principle of this sensor is based on penetration depth of the fringing electric fields above capacitors electrodes and its intersection with dielectric plate. Tests were done with interdigital capacitor and dielectric plates fabricated in Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) technology. Experimentally obtained results are compared with a theoretical model. Good agreement between measured results and parameters estimated by analytical calculations are obtained.
Effect of selenium‐supplement on the calcium signaling in human endothelial cells

Intracellular Ca2+ signaling controls many cellular functions. Understanding its regulation by selenoproteins is essential for understanding the role of selenoproteins in regulating cell functions. The activity of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), thioredoxin (Trx) content, and the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the human endothelial cells cultured in selenium‐supplemented medium (refer as Se+ cells) was found 70%, 40%, and 20% higher, respectively than those in the cells cultured in normal medium (refer as Se0 cells). The intracellular Ca2+ signaling initiated by inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3), histamine, thapsigargin (TG), carbonyl cyanide p‐(tri‐fluoromethoxy) phenyl‐hydrazone (FCCP), and cyclosporin A (CsA) was investigated in both Se+ and Se0 cells. It was interestingly found that the higher activity of selenoproteins reduced the sensitivity of IP3 receptor to the IP3‐triggered Ca2+ release from intracellular stores, but enhanced activation of the receptor‐coupled phospholipase C in histamine‐stimulated Se+ cells by showing much more generation of IP3 and higher elevation of cytosolic Ca2+. The higher selenoprotein activity also reduced susceptibility of the uniporter to the mitochondrial uncoupler, susceptibility of the permeability transition pore (PTP) to its inhibitor, and the vulnerability of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+‐ATPase to its inhibitor in selenium‐supplementing cells. The results suggest that cell calcium signaling is subjected to thiol‐redox regulation by selenoproteins. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hypomodification of the Wobble Base in tRNAGlu, tRNALys, and tRNAGln Suppresses the Temperature-Sensitive Phenotype Caused by Mutant Release Factor 1

ABSTRACT In Escherichia coli, release factor 1 (RF1) is one of two RFs that mediate termination; it specifically recognizes UAA and UAG stop codons. A mutant allele, prfA1, coding for an RF1 that causes temperature-sensitive (Ts) growth at 42°C, was used to select for temperature-resistant (Ts+) suppressors. This study describes one such suppressor that is the result of an IS10 insertion into the cysB gene, giving a Cys− phenotype. CysB is a transcription factor regulating the cys regulon, mainly as an activator, which explains the Cys− phenotype. We have found that suppression is a consequence of the lost ability to donate sulfur to enzymes involved in the synthesis of thiolated nucleosides. From genetic analyses we conclude that it is the lack of the 5-methylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine (mnm5s2U) modification of the wobble base of tRNAGlu, tRNALys, and/or tRNAGln that causes the suppressor phenotype.
Proteomic and Phosphoproteomic Insights into a Signaling Hub Role for Cdc14 in Asexual Development and Multiple Stress Responses in Beauveria bassiana

Cdc14 is a dual-specificity phosphatase that regulates nuclear behavior by dephosphorylating phosphotyrosine and phosphoserine/phosphothreonine in fungi. Previously, Cdc14 was shown to act as a positive regulator of cytokinesis, asexual development and multiple stress responses in Beauveria bassiana, a fungal insect pathogen. This study seeks to gain deep insight into a pivotal role of Cdc14 in the signaling network of B. bassiana by analyzing the Cdc14-specific proteome and phosphoproteome generated by the 8-plex iTRAQ labeling and MS/MS analysis of peptides and phosphopeptides. Under normal conditions, 154 proteins and 86 phosphorylation sites in 67 phosphoproteins were upregulated in Δcdc14 versus wild-type, whereas 117 proteins and 85 phosphorylation sites in 58 phosphoproteins were significantly downregulated. Co-cultivation of Δcdc14 with NaCl (1 M), H2O2 (3 mM) and Congo red (0.15 mg/ml) resulted in the upregulation / downregulation of 23/63, 41/39 and 79/79 proteins and of 127/112, 52/47 and 105/226 phosphorylation sites in 85/92, 45/36 and 79/146 phosphoproteins, respectively. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that Cdc14 could participate in many biological and cellular processes, such as carbohydrate metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, the MAP Kinase signaling pathway, and DNA conformation, by regulating protein expression and key kinase phosphorylation in response to different environmental cues. These indicate that in B. bassiana, Cdc14 is a vital regulator of not only protein expression but also many phosphorylation events involved in developmental and stress-responsive pathways. Fourteen conserved and novel motifs were identified in the fungal phosphorylation events.
Co-Implicated Disruptions

A vehicle careening off the road, a drunk student breaking and entering an apartment, a burning trash can. The stories of these events were shared in succession during a focus group exploring the notion of belongingness in higher education. These disruptions produce simultaneous moments of recognition and misrecognition and suggest different entry points for exploring belonging in college. Specifically, this article explores disruption through these three encounters and their telling as well as the process and ethics of transcribing and (re)presenting these moments. Through exploring the notion of disruption in multiple contexts, this article argues that as higher education researchers continue to explore the environments that allow diverse groups of students to thrive in higher education, a dynamic and relational conception of belonging is needed. A starting point for this reconceptualization is to reconsider our roles as researchers as co-implicated in the contexts and subjects of higher education.
The Effect of Asymmetric Information in the Money Market on Investment, Employment, and Production in Iran

Nowadays, banks are considered as one of the major components of the financial system of a country and any deficits and malfunction in the banking system will negatively affect the performance of the real sector. Therefore, there is a need for more investigation on the behavior of banks and factors affecting those behaviors in a country. One of the issues that affect the behavior of banks is symmetric information. Thus, the main aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of asymmetric information in the money markets on investment, production, and employment. Hence, based on the New-Keynesian framework, a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model was adopted in accordance with the structure of the economy of Iran. The designed model entailed nine sectors including households, firms, banks, the Central Bank, oil, the government, exports, imports, and other countries of the world. Moreover, the rigidities of the prices and wages, and the rigidities of the imported and exported goods were taken into account in the model. By using the Bayesian method and data gathered from Iran during 1974-2017, the parameters of equations were estimated and the impact of symmetric information was investigated. The results indicated that increasing the asymmetric information and reducing the honesty in the society through decreasing the resources available to the banks and increasing the cost of banks will lead to an increase in the profit of the facilities. Also, increasing the profit of banks concessional loans decreases investment, production, and employment.
The experiences of working carers of older people regarding access to a web‐based family care support network offered by a municipality

Policy makers in Sweden and other European Member States pay increasing attention as to how best support working carers; carers juggling providing unpaid family care for older family members while performing paid work. Exploring perceived benefits and challenges with web-based information and communication technologies as a means of supporting working carers' in their caregiving role, this paper draws on findings from a qualitative study. The study aimed to describe working carers' experiences of having access to the web-based family care support network 'A good place' (AGP) provided by the municipality to support those caring for an older family member. Content analysis of interviews with nine working carers revealed three themes: A support hub, connections to peers, personnel and knowledge; Experiencing ICT support as relevant in changing life circumstances; and Upholding one's personal firewall. Findings indicate that the web-based family care support network AGP is an accessible, complementary means of support. Utilising support while balancing caregiving, work obligations and responsibilities was made easier with access to AGP; enabling working carers to access information, psychosocial support and learning opportunities. In particular, it provided channels for carers to share experiences with others, to be informed, and to gain insights into medical and care issues. This reinforced working carers' sense of competence, helping them meet caregiving demands and see positive aspects in their situation. Carers' low levels of digital skills and anxieties about using computer-based support were barriers to utilising web-based support and could lead to deprioritising of this support. However, to help carers overcome these barriers and to better match web-based support to working carers' preferences and situations, web-based support must be introduced in a timely manner and must more accurately meet each working carer's unique caregiving needs.
Germline variants of base excision repair genes and breast cancer: A polymorphism in DNA polymerase gamma modifies gene expression and breast cancer risk

Base excision repair (BER) removes DNA damage induced by endogenous reactive oxygen species or ionizing radiation, important breast cancer risk factors. Genetic variation associated with impaired BER might thus increase breast cancer risk. Therefore, we assessed risk associations of 123 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 19 BER genes in 1,639 postmenopausal breast cancer cases and 1,967 controls from the German population‐based case‐control study MARIE. SNPs were tagging SNPs representing genetic variation across the gene together with potentially functional SNPs. Risk associations were assessed using conditional logistic regression, adjusted for potential breast cancer risk factors. Significant associations between polymorphisms and breast cancer risk were found for one SNP in PARP2 and three SNPs in the mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma, POLG. A SNP in the promoter region of POLG (rs2856268, A>G) showed a protective effect for homozygous GG carriers (odds ratio 0.81, 95% confidence intervals 0.65–1.00). Joint analysis of an enlarged sample set and haplotype analysis supported the results for POLG. Quantification of POLG mRNA expression in lymphocytes of 148 breast cancer patients revealed higher mRNA levels for rs2856268 GG carriers (p value = 0.038). A luciferase promoter assay showed significant differences between constructs harboring the respective alleles. Taken together, our results suggest that genetic variation in the POLG promoter region affects DNA polymerase gamma levels in mitochondria. This could contribute to the reported increase in mitochondrial mutation frequency resulting in dysfunction and altered breast cancer risk. Risk effects and the functional impact of the POLG promoter variant require further confirmation.
Increased lipid peroxidation occurs during development in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) embryos

Abstract The growth of the avian embryo is paralleled by an exponential increase in the rate of whole-embryonic oxygen consumption, which potentially increases oxidative damage. Age-related patterns of tissue lipid peroxidation were characterised in brain, liver and heart tissue of developing Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) embryos between 9 and 15 d of age, over which embryo mass increased by a factor of 6. Lipid peroxidation was quantified in each tissue by spectrophotometric measurement of malondialdehyde using the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay. In all tissues, lipid peroxidation increased greatly as development proceeded. Concentrations of malondialdehyde increased in parallel with the cumulative amount of oxygen consumed by the developing embryo consistent with the hypothesis that oxidative stress results from the production of free radicals due to oxidative metabolism. This study describes in vivo oxidative stress in developing avian embryos and suggests that rates of embryonic growth, oxidative metabolism and oxidative damage likely vary in parallel.
Intensive insulin therapy in the medical ICU.

BACKGROUND Intensive insulin therapy reduces morbidity and mortality in patients in surgical intensive care units (ICUs), but its role in patients in medical ICUs is unknown. METHODS In a prospective, randomized, controlled study of adult patients admitted to our medical ICU, we studied patients who were considered to need intensive care for at least three days. On admission, patients were randomly assigned to strict normalization of blood glucose levels (80 to 110 mg per deciliter [4.4 to 6.1 mmol per liter]) with the use of insulin infusion or to conventional therapy (insulin administered when the blood glucose level exceeded 215 mg per deciliter [12 mmol per liter], with the infusion tapered when the level fell below 180 mg per deciliter [10 mmol per liter]). There was a history of diabetes in 16.9 percent of the patients. RESULTS In the intention-to-treat analysis of 1200 patients, intensive insulin therapy reduced blood glucose levels but did not significantly reduce in-hospital mortality (40.0 percent in the conventional-treatment group vs. 37.3 percent in the intensive-treatment group, P=0.33). However, morbidity was significantly reduced by the prevention of newly acquired kidney injury, accelerated weaning from mechanical ventilation, and accelerated discharge from the ICU and the hospital. Although length of stay in the ICU could not be predicted on admission, among 433 patients who stayed in the ICU for less than three days, mortality was greater among those receiving intensive insulin therapy. In contrast, among 767 patients who stayed in the ICU for three or more days, in-hospital mortality in the 386 who received intensive insulin therapy was reduced from 52.5 to 43.0 percent (P=0.009) and morbidity was also reduced. CONCLUSIONS Intensive insulin therapy significantly reduced morbidity but not mortality among all patients in the medical ICU. Although the risk of subsequent death and disease was reduced in patients treated for three or more days, these patients could not be identified before therapy. Further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary data. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00115479.)
The Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function: A Pilot Test–Retest Reliability Study in Typically Developing Children

ABSTRACT Aims: The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate reproducibility of the Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) in children. Methods: Eighty-seven typically developing children 5 to 10 years old were included from five Outside School Hours Care centers in the Greater Brisbane Region, Australia. Hand function was assessed on two occasions with a modified JTTHF, then reproducibility was assessed using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC [3,1]) and the Standard Error of Measurement (SEM). Results: Total scores for male and female children were not significantly different. Five-year-old children were significantly different to all other age groups and were excluded from further analysis. Results for 71 children, 6 to 10 years old were analyzed (mean age 8.31 years (SD 1.32); 33 males). Test–retest reliability for total scores on the dominant and nondominant hands were ICC 0.74 (95% CI 0.61, 0.83) and ICC 0.72 (95% CI 0.59, 0.82), respectively. ‘Writing’ and ‘Simulated Feeding’ subtests demonstrated poor reproducibility. The Smallest Real Difference was 5.09 seconds for total score on the dominant hand. Conclusions: Findings indicate good test–retest reliability for the JTTHF total score to measure hand function in typically developing children aged 6 to 10 years.
Europe in an age of transition

ABSTRACT In June 2016, the European Union released an updated global security strategy, outlining some of the main threats and challenges it currently faces. While the document notes that “global power shifts and power diffusion” characterize world politics today, it devotes little attention to how these developments are likely to affect Europe’s ability to advance its aims and agenda around the world. This article takes up this question, reviewing how global power shifts and power diffusion will shape and influence Europe’s security environment, focusing on two key implications of this period of transition in world politics: the decline of the EU’s share of global economic output and military capabilities and the weakening of the cohesion and vitality of transatlantic relations. The article affirms that Europe still has time to design an effective strategy to the challenges it currently faces but also explains the risks and dangers inherent in a failure to do so.
The benefits of the CAGE as a screening tool for alcoholism in a closed rural South African community.

OBJECTIVE Testing the benefits of the CAGE questionnaire (a four-item test with questions on Cutting down, Annoyance at criticism, Guilty feelings and use of Eye-openers) in screening for possible alcoholism in rural underserviced South Africa. DESIGN The CAGE questionnaire and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual i.v. diagnostic criteria for substance abuse and dependence were used to screen a representative sample (N = 96) of a rural community in the North West province of South Africa. SETTING The closed community of Ammerville situated at Fraserburg, approximately 500 km from Cape Town. SUBJECTS Adults above the age of 18 years. RESULTS The prevalence of alcohol dependence in this community was 56%. The 'positive' CAGE (two or more affirmative replies) showed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 78% for alcohol dependence. This compared favourably with similar screening results in other clinical settings. CONCLUSIONS The high prevalence of alcohol dependence (56%) in this community, and the possibility of comparable results in many similar rural South African communities, reflect a startling reality that should be addressed. Use of the CAGE by other than traditional sources is recommended and emphasised. Treatment modalities for alcohol dependence and abuse in rural areas should be developed.
An Empirical Study of the Determinants of Banking Sector Development in the SADC Countries

This paper explored the determinants of banking sector development in Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries using the dynamic generalised methods of moments (GMM) estimation technique with panel balanced data ranging from 1994 to 2014. The major advantage of the GMM approach is its ability to capture the dynamic characteristic of banking sector development data and address the endogeneity problem. The impact of banking sector on economic growth has been investigated by several researchers and their findings show consensus with regard to the direction of causality between the two variables. What is still unclear or not yet agreeable is what determines banking sector development. Although few studies attempted to address that question, they overlooked the SADC region, a grouping of countries which over the last two decades relied on savings mobilization and allocative efficiency ability of the banking sector to influence economic growth. The current study contributes to literature because no similar study has been done on SADC countries to the best of the author’s knowledge. Few similar studies as shown by literature have used a single country as a unit of analysis, which is not very useful to SADC for regional banking sector policy formulation. Apart from not having focused on SADC countries, previous studies on banking sector development determinants ignored the dynamic aspect of banking sector development data and the endogeneity problem. This paper addressed all the shortcomings. The findings of this study are: (1) The lag of banking sector development and GDP positively and significantly influenced banking sector development in line with theoretical predictions. Trade openness negatively and significantly impacted on banking sector development whilst inflation had a marginal positive impact on banking sector development in SADC countries. Government consumption and unemployment had a negative but insignificant effect on banking sector development. These results are supported by literature. The implication of the study is that SADC countries should implement economic growth enhancement policies in order to increase the development of their banking sectors. They are also urged to reduce government final consumption expenditure, trade openness and unemployment levels in order to enhance banking sector development.