Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multihop diversity in wireless relaying channels

This paper presents theoretical characterizations and analysis for the physical layer of multihop wireless communications channels. Four channel models are considered and developed: the decoded relaying multihop channel; the amplified relaying multihop channel; the decoded relaying multihop diversity channel; and the amplified relaying multihop diversity channel. Two classifications are discussed: decoded relaying versus amplified relaying, and multihop channels versus multihop diversity channels. The channel models are compared, through analysis and simulations, with the "singlehop" (direct transmission) reference channel on the basis of signal-to-noise ratio, probability of outage, probability of error, and optimal power allocation. Each of the four channel models is shown to outperform the singlehop reference channel under the condition that the set of intermediate relaying terminals is selected intelligently. Multihop diversity channels are shown to outperform multihop channels. Amplified relaying is shown to outperform decoded relaying despite noise propagation. This is attributed to the fact that amplified relaying does not suffer from the error propagation which limits the performance of decoded relaying channels to that of their weakest link.
Type IV Collagen Controls the Axogenesis of Cerebellar Granule Cells by Regulating Basement Membrane Integrity in Zebrafish

Granule cells (GCs) are the major glutamatergic neurons in the cerebellum, and GC axon formation is an initial step in establishing functional cerebellar circuits. In the zebrafish cerebellum, GCs can be classified into rostromedial and caudolateral groups, according to the locations of their somata in the corresponding cerebellar lobes. The axons of the GCs in the caudolateral lobes terminate on crest cells in the dorsal hindbrain, as well as forming en passant synapses with Purkinje cells in the cerebellum. In the zebrafish mutant shiomaneki, the caudolateral GCs extend aberrant axons. Positional cloning revealed that the shiomaneki (sio) gene locus encodes Col4a6, a subunit of type IV collagen, which, in a complex with Col4a5, is a basement membrane (BM) component. Both col4a5 and col4a6 mutants displayed similar abnormalities in the axogenesis of GCs and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Although type IV collagen is reported to control axon targeting by regulating the concentration gradient of an axonal guidance molecule Slit, Slit overexpression did not affect the GC axons. The structure of the BM surrounding the tectum and dorsal hindbrain was disorganized in the col4a5 and col4a6 mutants. Moreover, the abnormal axogenesis of the caudolateral GCs and the RGCs was coupled with aberrant BM structures in the type IV collagen mutants. The regrowth of GC axons after experimental ablation revealed that the original and newly formed axons displayed similar branching and extension abnormalities in the col4a6 mutants. These results collectively suggest that type IV collagen controls GC axon formation by regulating the integrity of the BM, which provides axons with the correct path to their targets.
High Diversity of Rabies Viruses Associated with Insectivorous Bats in Argentina: Presence of Several Independent Enzootics

Background Rabies is a fatal infection of the central nervous system primarily transmitted by rabid animal bites. Rabies virus (RABV) circulates through two different epidemiological cycles: terrestrial and aerial, where dogs, foxes or skunks and bats, respectively, act as the most relevant reservoirs and/or vectors. It is widely accepted that insectivorous bats are not important vectors of RABV in Argentina despite the great diversity of bat species and the extensive Argentinean territory. Methods We studied the positivity rate of RABV detection in different areas of the country, and the antigenic and genetic diversity of 99 rabies virus (RABV) strains obtained from 14 species of insectivorous bats collected in Argentina between 1991 and 2008. Results Based on the analysis of bats received for RABV analysis by the National Rabies system of surveillance, the positivity rate of RABV in insectivorous bats ranged from 3.1 to 5.4%, depending on the geographic location. The findings were distributed among an extensive area of the Argentinean territory. The 99 strains of insectivorous bat-related sequences were divided into six distinct lineages associated with Tadarida brasiliensis, Myotis spp, Eptesicus spp, Histiotus montanus, Lasiurus blosseviilli and Lasiurus cinereus. Comparison with RABV sequences obtained from insectivorous bats of the Americas revealed co-circulation of similar genetic variants in several countries. Finally, inter-species transmission, mostly related with Lasiurus species, was demonstrated in 11.8% of the samples. Conclusions This study demonstrates the presence of several independent enzootics of rabies in insectivorous bats of Argentina. This information is relevant to identify potential areas at risk for human and animal infection.
The Role of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) in Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Carcinogenesis

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the most common cause of physical injury to the skin due to environmental damage, and UV exposure substantially increases the risk of actinic damage to the skin. The inflammatory changes induced by acute UV exposure include erythema (sunburn) of the skin, while chronic exposure to solar UV radiation causes photo-aging, immunosuppression, and ultimately, carcinogenesis of the skin. After skin damage by UV radiation, the cells are known to secrete many cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). MIF was originally identified as a lymphokine that concentrates macrophages at inflammatory loci, and is known to be a potent activator of macrophages in vivo. MIF is considered to play an important role in cell-mediated immunity. Since the molecular cloning of MIF cDNA, MIF has been re-evaluated as a proinflammatory cytokine and pituitary-derived hormone that potentiates endotoxemia. MIF is ubiquitously expressed in various tissues, including the skin. Recent studies have suggested a potentially broader role for MIF in growth regulation because of its ability to antagonize p53-mediated gene activation and apoptosis. This article reviews the latest findings on the roles of MIF with regard to UV-induced skin cancer.
Intergalactic shock acceleration and the cosmic gamma-ray background

We investigate numerically the contribution to the cosmic gamma-ray background from cosmic-ray ions and electrons accelerated at intergalactic shocks associated with cosmological structure formation. We show that the kinetic energy of accretion flows in the low-redshift intergalactic medium is thermalized primarily through moderately strong shocks, which allow for an efficient conversion of shock ram pressure into cosmic-ray pressure. Cosmic rays accelerated at these shocks produce a diffuse gamma-ray flux which is dominated by inverse Compton emission from electrons scattering off cosmic microwave background photons. Decay of neutral π mesons generated in p-p inelastic collisions of the ionic cosmic-ray component with the thermal gas contribute about 30 per cent of the computed emission. Based on experimental upper limits on the photon flux above 100 MeV from nearby clusters we constrain the efficiency of conversion of shock ram pressure into relativistic CR electrons to ≤ 1 per cent. Thus, we find that cosmic rays of cosmological origin can generate an overall significant fraction of order 20 per cent and no more than 30 per cent of the measured gamma-ray background.
Substrate Pathways and Mechanisms of Inhibition in the Sulfur Oxygenase Reductase of Acidianus Ambivalens

Background: The sulfur oxygenase reductase (SOR) is the initial enzyme of the sulfur oxidation pathway in the thermoacidophilic Archaeon Acidianus ambivalens. The SOR catalyzes an oxygen-dependent sulfur disproportionation to H2S, sulfite and thiosulfate. The spherical, hollow, cytoplasmic enzyme is composed of 24 identical subunits with an active site pocket each comprising a mononuclear non-heme iron site and a cysteine persulfide. Substrate access and product exit occur via apolar chimney-like protrusions at the fourfold symmetry axes, via narrow polar pores at the threefold symmetry axes and via narrow apolar pores within in each subunit. In order to investigate the function of the pores we performed site-directed mutagenesis and inhibitor studies. Results: Truncation of the chimney-like protrusions resulted in an up to sevenfold increase in specific enzyme activity compared to the wild type. Replacement of the salt bridge-forming Arg99 residue by Ala at the threefold symmetry axes doubled the activity and introduced a bias toward reduced reaction products. Replacement of Met296 and Met297, which form the active site pore, lowered the specific activities by 25–55% with the exception of an M296V mutant. X-ray crystallography of SOR wild type crystals soaked with inhibitors showed that Hg2+ and iodoacetamide (IAA) bind to cysteines within the active site, whereas Zn2+ binds to a histidine in a side channel of the enzyme. The Zn2+ inhibition was partially alleviated by mutation of the His residue. Conclusions: The expansion of the pores in the outer shell led to an increased enzyme activity while the integrity of the active site pore seems to be important. Hg2+ and IAA block cysteines in the active site pocket, while Zn2+ interferes over a distance, possibly by restriction of protein flexibility or substrate access or product exit.
A hybrid relevance measure for feature selection and its application to underwater objects recognition

This paper presents a new filter method for feature selection, which maximizes a hybrid relevance measure using a sequential forward searching scheme (mHRM-SFS). An individual relevance measure provides the classification information only in a certain aspect. Thus, we choose a modified Relief weight, mutual information, and the information entropy to formalize a hybrid relevance measure (HRM) to identify the most characterizing features. Because of its efficiency, a sequential forward searching scheme is used for maximizing the HRM. The resulting feature selection obtained by mHRM-SFS is appropriate to serve as an input for various classifiers. The mHRM-SFS can also determine the cardinality of the feature selection automatically while choosing the optimal features. Finally, the mHRM-SFS is applied to select features of underwater objects for the classification purpose. The selected features are tested by different classifiers. The classification results are compared to those of 4 existing feature selection methods.
ZO-3, a Novel Member of the MAGUK Protein Family Found at the Tight Junction, Interacts with ZO-1 and Occludin

A 130-kD protein that coimmunoprecipitates with the tight junction protein ZO-1 was bulk purified from Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells and subjected to partial endopeptidase digestion and amino acid sequencing. A resulting 19–amino acid sequence provided the basis for screening canine cDNA libraries. Five overlapping clones contained a single open reading frame of 2,694 bp coding for a protein of 898 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 98,414 daltons. Sequence analysis showed that this protein contains three PSD-95/SAP90, discs-large, ZO-1 (PDZ) domains, a src homology (SH3) domain, and a region similar to guanylate kinase, making it homologous to ZO-1, ZO-2, the discs large tumor suppressor gene product of Drosophila, and other members of the MAGUK family of proteins. Like ZO-1 and ZO-2, the novel protein contains a COOH-terminal acidic domain and a basic region between the first and second PDZ domains. Unlike ZO-1 and ZO-2, this protein displays a proline-rich region between PDZ2 and PDZ3 and apparently contains no alternatively spliced domain. MDCK cells stably transfected with an epitope-tagged construct expressed the exogenous polypeptide at an apparent molecular mass of ∼130 kD. Moreover, this protein colocalized with ZO-1 at tight junctions by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. In vitro affinity analyses demonstrated that recombinant 130-kD protein directly interacts with ZO-1 and the cytoplasmic domain of occludin, but not with ZO-2. We propose that this protein be named ZO-3.
BitMAC: a deterministic, collision-free, and robust MAC protocol for sensor networks

Collisions are a source of inefficiency in contention-based MAC protocols that should be reduced to a minimum. We show that concurrent multiple access to a communication channel will, however, not necessarily lead to a collision with undesirable effects. Rather, we demonstrate that it is possible for a receiver to hear the bitwise "or" of the transmissions of multiple synchronized senders within communication range. This unconventional communication model allows the efficient implementation of a number of basic operations that serve as a foundation for BitMAC: a deterministic, collision-free, and robust MAC protocol that is tailored to dense sensor networks, where nodes report sensory data over multiple hops to a sink.
A survey of subpixel edge detection methods for images of heat-emitting metal specimens

Abstract In this paper the problem of accurate edge detection in images of heat-emitting specimens of metals is discussed. The images are provided by the computerized system for high temperature measurements of surface properties of metals and alloys. Subpixel edge detection is applied in the system considered in order to improve the accuracy of surface tension determination. A reconstructive method for subpixel edge detection is introduced. The method uses a Gaussian function in order to reconstruct the gradient function in the neighborhood of a coarse edge and to determine its subpixel position. Results of applying the proposed method in the measurement system considered are presented and compared with those obtained using different methods for subpixel edge detection.
Bioprinted Osteogenic and Vasculogenic Patterns for Engineering 3D Bone Tissue

Fabricating 3D large‐scale bone tissue constructs with functional vasculature has been a particular challenge in engineering tissues suitable for repairing large bone defects. To address this challenge, an extrusion‐based direct‐writing bioprinting strategy is utilized to fabricate microstructured bone‐like tissue constructs containing a perfusable vascular lumen. The bioprinted constructs are used as biomimetic in vitro matrices to co‐culture human umbilical vein endothelial cells and bone marrow derived human mesenchymal stem cells in a naturally derived hydrogel. To form the perfusable blood vessel inside the bioprinted construct, a central cylinder with 5% gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel at low methacryloyl substitution (GelMALOW ) was printed. We also develop cell‐laden cylinder elements made of GelMA hydrogel loaded with silicate nanoplatelets to induce osteogenesis, and synthesized hydrogel formulations with chemically conjugated vascular endothelial growth factor to promote vascular spreading. It was found that the engineered construct is able to support cell survival and proliferation during maturation in vitro. Additionally, the whole construct demonstrates high structural stability during the in vitro culture for 21 days. This method enables the local control of physical and chemical microniches and the establishment of gradients in the bioprinted constructs.
Kinin, a Mediator of Diabetes-Induced Glomerular Hyperfiltration

Renal kallikrein is increased in diabetic patients and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats with hyperflltration. Chronic inhibition of renal kallikrein reduces glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF) in hyperfiltering STZ-induced diabetic rats. To investigate whether these actions of kallikrein and its inhibition are kinin-mediated, we used a B2-kinin receptor antagonist (BKA). In STZ-induced diabetic rats with hyperflltration, renal kallikrein excretion rate was significantly increased (P < 0.01), and kinin excretion rate was increased 57%, as compared with control rats. Left kidney GFR and RPF were measured before and during a 40-min infusion of BKA (0.5 μg · kg−1 · min−1) or vehicle. Infusion of the kinin receptor antagonist reduced the GFR and RPF significantly. GFR was reduced by 18%, from an average baseline value of 2.07 ± 0.11 to 1.70 ± 0.06 ml/min, P < 0.001 (means ± SE). RPF was reduced by 25%, from 6.74 ± 0.38 to 5.06 ± 0.17 ml/min, P < 0.001. Total renal vascular resistance was significantly increased during BKA infusion, P < 0.001. Vehicle infusion for the same period had no significant effect on GFR, RPF, or renal vascular resistance. These findings further support the hypothesis that increased renal production of kinins contributes to the renal vasodilation of diabetes.
New Two-Stage and Sequential Procedures for Selecting the Best Simulated System

Standard "indifference-zone" procedures that allocate computer resources to infer the best of a finite set of simulated systems are designed with a statistically conservative, least favorable configuration assumption consider the probability of correct selection (but not the opportunity cost) and assume that the cost of simulating each system is the same. Recent Bayesian work considers opportunity cost and shows that an average case analysis may be less conservative but assumes a known output variance, an assumption that typically is violated in simulation. This paper presents new two-stage and sequential selection procedures that integrate attractive features of both lines of research. They are derived assuming that the simulation output is normally distributed with unknown mean and variance that may differ for each system. We permit the reduction of either opportunity cost loss or the probability of incorrect selection and allow for different replication costs for each system. The generality of our formulation comes at the expense of difficulty in obtaining exact closed-form solutions. We therefore derive a bound for the expected loss associated potentially incorrect selections, then asymptotically minimize that bound. Theoretical and empirical results indicate that our approach compares favorably with indifference-zone procedures.
Approaching Autism: A Qualitative Review of Maternal and Familial Adaptation Among Families of Children with Autism

APPROACHING AUTISM: A QUALITATIVE REVIEW OF MATERNAL AND FAMILIAL ADAPTATION AMONG FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM Stephanie A. Williamson Department of Sociology Master of Science The purpose of this study is to serve as an exploration of family experiences in relation to a child’s autism diagnosis. Specifically, it focuses on family adaptation as explained by McCubbin, et al.’s Double ABCX Model (1983). Given that mothers play a crucial role in the family system and are often the primary caregivers for children with disabilities, maternal adaptation is also investigated. This study employs qualitative methods, including in-depth personal and group interviews. Mothers shared their perceptions and experiences surrounding children’s autism diagnoses, including initial recognition of atypical behavior and development, the formal diagnosis process, and subsequent transitions within the family system. Maternal reports of personal and family adaptation revealed notable similarities between the theoretical framework of family adaptation and actual family processes. Families of children with autism experienced multiple stressors, and through the mediating influence of coping strategies, they discovered useful resources, redefined their circumstances, and progressed toward bonadaptation. Mothers followed similar patterns of adaptation personally, though some elements of maternal adaptation were predictably different from those of other family members, given the responsibilities of a parental role. Findings of this study yield insights into social and cultural influences and related adaptations among families of children with autism.
The Effects of Function-Based Self-Management Interventions on Student Behavior

Children with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) struggle to achieve social and academic outcomes. Many studies have demonstrated self-management interventions to be effective at reducing problem behavior and increasing positive social and academic behaviors. Functional behavior assessment (FBA) information may be used in designing effective self-management interventions. The purpose of this study was to link self-management procedures to hypothesized behavior function in three children with E/BD. Results demonstrated that self-monitoring (SM) alone could be enhanced using information derived from FBA and that consequences delivered by teachers were less effective than a self-management treatment package.
Subjects in Human Factors: What are they Thinking?

Failure to debrief test subjects (Ss) is dangerous, because Ss may be responding to the measurement situation in a highly idiosyncratic way which could produce corrupted results. Much of S's behavior, particularly in advanced problem-solving systems, is covert and so must be reported directly by S. Since verbalization during measurement is inadmissable, a method is proposed of debriefing S following the test.
Opportunistic Radar Waveform Design in Joint Radar and Cellular Communication Systems

The ever increasing demand for spectrum, due to services with data rate requirements and ongoing exponential increase in the number of wireless devices, has pushed for new methods that allow for a flexible and shared use of spectrum among different wireless and radar systems. Different systems need to sense the spectrum and adaptively design their transmitted waveforms in a manner such that they do not cause harmful interference to other systems. In this paper we consider a scenario where radar and wireless communication systems are operated jointly. The opportunistic radar constantly senses the spectrum and adapts its waveform based on the occupancy and maximum allowed power. A radar waveform is optimized for the target detection task such that it does not cause significant performance loss to the communication system. We show that the waveform optimized based on the Neyman-Pearson detector provides a very similar detection performance with the one optimized based on Mutual Information maximization. We also demonstrate that the detection performance improves if, at the radar receiver, the reflections off the target due to the communication signals are considered.
Automatic Stressing of the Lithuanian Nouns and Adjectives on the Basis of Rules

The paper deals with automatic stressing of the Lithuanian text. In the previous work the author presented an algorithm for automatic stressing of the Lithuanian text on the basis of a dictionary. The aim of the present work is to improve the above mentioned algorithm by including formal stressing rules for nouns and adjectives. By means of these rules such words as diminutives, names and degrees of adjectives that are not present in the dictionary may be stressed. The work analyses when it is more convenient to formulate rules manually and when to generate them automatically. A method for formulating rules manually has been described and a set of such rules has been presented. Besides the algorithm for generating stressing rules with the help of a dictionary of stems of nouns and adjectives has been given.