Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wireless information and power transfer over an AWGN channel: Nonlinearity and asymmetric Gaussian signaling

Simultaneous transmission of information and power over a point-to-point complex Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channel is studied. In contrast with the literature that relies on an inaccurate linear model of the energy harvester, an experimentally-validated nonlinear model is considered. A general form of the delivered Direct Current (DC) power in terms of system baseband parameters is derived, which demonstrates the dependency of the delivered DC power on higher order statistics of the channel input distribution. The optimization problem of maximizing Rate-Power (R-P) region is studied. Assuming that the Channel gain is known at both the receiver and the transmitter, and constraining to independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) channel inputs determined only by their first and second moment statistics, an inner bound for the general problem is obtained. Notably, as a consequence of the harvester nonlinearity, the studied inner bound exhibits a tradeoff between the delivered power and the rate of received information. It is shown that the tradeoff-characterizing input distribution is with mean zero and with asymmetric power allocations to the real and imaginary dimensions.
Short and long-term outcome of patients with severe acute kidney injury requiring renal replacement therapy.

BACKGROUND Severe acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in 2-7% of all hospital admissions and is an independent poor prognostic marker. Nevertheless, information on the long-term outcome of AKI and the factors influencing this is limited. AIM To describe the short- and long-term outcome of patients requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) for severe AKI and to examine factors affecting patient survival and renal recovery. DESIGN AND METHODS Single centre retrospective analysis of 481 consecutive patients over a period of 39 months. FOLLOW-UP 12 months. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES overall mortality and RRT dependency at 30 days, 90 days and 1 year. RESULTS Survival at 30 days, 90 days and 1 year was 54.4, 47.2 and 37.6%, respectively. RRT independency at 30 days, 90 days and 1 year was 35.2, 27.2 and 25.8%, respectively. Of those RRT independent at 90 days, 55% had ongoing chronic kidney disease. There were two distinct groups of patients: Group A (haemofiltration in ITU) and Group B (intermittent haemodialysis in the renal unit). Patient survival was worse in Group A while RRT independence was higher. Independent predictors of survival included renal cause of AKI and lower CI score in Group A and renal or post-renal cause of AKI, younger age and the absence of malignancy in Group B. Independent predictors of renal recovery included the presence of sepsis in Group A and pre- or post-renal cause of AKI in Group B. CONCLUSIONS The short- and long-term survival outcome of severe AKI requiring RRT remains poor. Among those who survive, a significant number either continue to require RRT or have residual renal impairment necessitating ongoing follow-up.
Sprachvariation in Norddeutschland : Ein Projekt zur Analyse des sprachlichen Wandels in Norddeutschland

L'A. decrit dans cet article le projet Variation linguistique en Allemagne du Nord, dont le but est de permettre une analyse systematique et regionale de la situation linguistique en Allemagne du Nord, en prenant en compte le continuum de langues comprises entre la langue standard (Hochdeutsch) et le bas-allemand (Niederdeutsch). Pour realiser cela sont recueillies et analysees des donnees linguistiques et metalinguistiques de locuteurs certifies issus de 54 endroits differents du nord de l'Allemagne. L'article presente l'historique de ce projet, ses objectifs et la methodologie adoptee pour la realisation de ces derniers.
Vanin‐1 controls granuloma formation and macrophage polarization in Coxiella burnetii infection

Q fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii, a bacterium that survives in MΦ. Vanin‐1 is a membrane‐anchored pantetheinase that controls tissue inflammation. Consequently, Vanin‐1‐deficient mice represent a unique mouse model in which stress‐induced inflammation is limited by the reaction of resident tissue cells. To investigate the contribution of host tissues in the control of a bacterial infection, we infected Vanin‐1‐deficient mice with C. burnetii. Mortality and morbidity of mice were not affected. The lack of Vanin‐1 had no effect on C. burnetii clearance but decreased the formation of granulomas in spleen and liver. Granuloma formation depends upon MΦ recruitment and activation in these tissues. Whereas the former was slightly impaired in mutant mice, the lack of Vanin‐1 significantly affected the activation pattern of BM‐derived MΦ stimulated by C. burnetii. While their microbicidal activity against C. burnetii was moderately impaired, they exhibited decreased inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and MCP‐1 gene expression, and increased IL‐10 and arginase expression. In liver from mutant mice, increased arginase expression and decreased expression of MCP‐1 and iNOS were reminiscent of MΦ data. These results suggest a role of Vanin‐1 in granuloma formation in response to C. burnetii by skewing MΦ activation toward an M2 program.
Microarray Expression Profile of lncRNAs and mRNAs in Rats with Traumatic Brain Injury after A2B5+ Cell Transplantation

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) may cause neurological damage, but an effective therapy and the associated mechanisms of action have not yet been elucidated. A TBI model was established using the modified Feeney method. A2B5+ cells, an oligodendroglial progenitor, were acquired from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by mouse embryonic fibroblasts and were transplanted into the injured site. The neurological severity score (NSS) was recorded on 3 d, 7 d, 11 d, 15 d, and 19 d. Seven days after transplantation, oligodendrocytes 2 (Olig2) and myelin basic protein (MBP) were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot (WB), and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) were screened by microarray technology. Moreover, we took an intersection of the differentially expressed lncRNAs or mRNAs and scanned 10 kb upstream and downstream of the common lncRNAs. Meanwhile, Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway analysis on mRNAs was performed in the A2B5+ iPSC group. A2B5+ iPSCs survived and migrated around the injury site and differentiated into oligodendrocytes. Meanwhile, the increase in Olig2 and MBP were higher in A2B5+ cell-engrafted rats than that in TBI rats. However, the NSSs in the A2B5+ iPSC group were lower than that in the TBI group. Between the TBI and sham groups, 270 lncRNAs and 1,052 mRNAs were differently expressed (P < 0.05, fold change (FC) > 2), while between the A2B5+ iPSC and TBI groups, 83 lncRNAs and 360 mRNAs were differently expressed (P < 0.05, FC > 2). Meanwhile, 37 lncRNAs and 195 mRNAs were simultaneously changed in the 2 parts. Using bioinformatic analysis, we found the crucial lncRNA and mRNA were ENSRNOT00000052577 and Kif2c in the TBI brain with cell transplantation. This study demonstrated that A2B5+ iPSC grafts effectively improved neurological function, and the mechanism of action was associated with lncRNA and mRNA expression. Therefore, A2B5+ iPSC transplantation could be considered as a new method for the treatment of TBI, and ENSRNOT00000052577 and Kif2c may be new molecular targets or markers for functional improvement.
A Western blot and molecular genetic investigation of the estrogen receptor beta in giant cell arteritis.

OBJECTIVE The epidemiology of giant cell arteritis (GCA) may indicate a pathogenetic relationship between GCA and female sex hormone metabolism; GCA is two to four times more common in women compared with men. Our previous analyses gave no support for the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of GCA should be related to somatic mutations in the estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) gene. The object of the present study was to investigate the size of the estrogen receptor beta (ERBeta), and the size and nucleotide sequence of the ERBeta gene in temporal arteries in GCA. METHODS The ERBeta protein was analyzed by Western blot technique and the ERBeta gene by RT-PCR and direct sequencing of the PCR product. RESULTS Western blot analysis revealed an ERBeta of normal size. There were no aberrations in size or nucleotide sequence in the ERBeta gene in the GCA patients. CONCLUSION The present observations gave no support for the hypothesis that somatic mutations in the ERBeta gene should be involved in the pathogenesis of GCA.
Non-invasive myocardial iron assessment in thalassaemic patients. T2 relaxometry and magnetization transfer ratio measurements.

PURPOSE To compare T2 relaxometry and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) measurements of myocardial tissue in normal volunteers and thalassaemic patients for assessment of the myocardial iron levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS All examinations were done on a 1 T MR system using a multi-echo spin-echo sequence with 8 echoes for T2 measurements and a gradient echo sequence for MTR measurements. Diastolic cardiac triggering was used in both sequences. Ten patients and 10 normal subjects were included in the study. T2 and MTR measurements were correlated with serum ferritin levels. RESULTS Regression analysis between T2 and MTR measurements and ferritin demonstrated a reversed linear relationship, (r=-0.932, p<0.05) and (r= -0.824, p<0.05), respectively. Mean T2 relaxation time and mean MTR of the normal subjects (57.95+/-4.9 ms and 43.70+/-3.3%) was significantly higher than that of the thalassaemic patients (38.8+/-6.2 ms and 26.40+/-6.1%) (p<0.01), respectively. CONCLUSION MTR measurements can be used to complement T2 measurements for non-invasive myocardial iron assessment.
Short-term Load Forecasting Using Improved Similar Days Method

Short-term load forecasting is the basis for the safe operation of power systems. The accuracy of forecasting will have a direct impact on the load distribution of the entire power grid. There are many factors affecting the load, while the method based on similar historical days' data can fully consider these factors. It forecasts load by selecting similar historical days' data and then obtaining a weighted average from them. However, in previous studies, the weights of similar days selected are not obvious, which cannot reflect the importance of the most similar days, and results in a big forecasting error. In this paper, the weight of the most similar days is increased so as to embody the influence of the most similar days on the forecasting load,and then weighted average of the selected similar days is used to predict the load of 96 periods. At the same time, it makes an analysis on how to select similar days and situations without similar days. Moreover, it forecasts the load of a certain week of June in Hainan, and the forecasting results are more desirable than previous methods.
Volumetric Analysis of Alveolar Bone Defect Using Three-Dimensional-Printed Models Versus Computer-Aided Engineering

Abstract Knowing the volume of a graft is essential in repairing alveolar bone defects. This study investigates the 2 advanced preoperative volume measurement methods: three-dimensional (3D) printing and computer-aided engineering (CAE). Ten unilateral alveolar cleft patients were enrolled in this study. Their computed tomographic data were sent to 3D printing and CAE software. A simulated graft was used on the 3D-printed model, and the graft volume was measured by water displacement. The volume calculated by CAE software used mirror-reverses technique. The authors compared the actual volumes of the simulated grafts with the CAE software-derived volumes. The average volume of the simulated bone grafts by 3D-printed models was 1.52 mL, higher than the mean volume of 1.47 calculated by CAE software. The difference between the 2 volumes was from −0.18 to 0.42 mL. The paired Student t test showed no statistically significant difference between the volumes derived from the 2 methods. This study demonstrated that the mirror-reversed technique by CAE software is as accurate as the simulated operation on 3D-printed models in unilateral alveolar cleft patients. These findings further validate the use of 3D printing and CAE technique in alveolar defect repairing.
A hedgehog homolog is involved in muscle formation and organization of Sepia officinalis (mollusca) mantle

Our study focuses on the possible involvement of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway in the differentiation of striated muscle fibres in cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) mantle. We show here that both an hh‐homolog signalling molecule and its receptor Patched (Ptc) are expressed in a specific population of myoblasts which differentiates into the radial fast fibres. To evaluate the functional significance of hh expression in developing cuttlefish, we inhibited the Hedgehog signalling pathway by means of cyclopamine treatment in cuttlefish embryos. In treated embryos, the gross anatomy was considerably compromised, displaying an extremely reduced mantle with a high degree of morphological abnormalities. TUNEL and BrdU assays showed that the absence of an hh signalling induces apoptosis and reduces the proliferation rate of muscle precursors. We therefore hypothesize a possible involvement of Hh and its receptor Ptc in the formation of striated muscle fibres in cuttlefish. Developmental Dynamics 237:659–671, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
When hybrid cloud meets flash crowd: Towards cost-effective service provisioning

With rapid development in online shopping, e-commerce websites are facing intensive user requests from an increasing number of customers. Especially in promotion seasons, these websites may encounter flash crowds which pull heavy pressure o private infrastructure and even make he website unavailable. Such severe flash crowds can be addressed by leveraging hybrid cloud solution, which relieves workloads of the private cloud by offloading the excessive user requests to the IaaS public cloud. However, the bursty and fluctuation of flash crowds bring challenges to distributing user requests with targest of delay-minimizing and cost-saving. In his paper, we apply the queueing theory to evaluate the average response time and explore the tradeoff between performance and cost in the hybrid cloud. By taking advantage of Lyapunov optimization techniques, we design an online decision algorithm for request distribution which achieves the average response time arbitrarily close to the theoretically optimum and controls he outsourcing cost based on a given budge. The simulation results demonstrate ha in a hybrid cloud, our solution can reduce he cost of e-commerce services as well as guarantee performance when encountering flash crowds.
Hybrid minigene splicing assay verified the pathogenicity of a novel splice site variant in the dystrophin gene of a Chinese patient with typical Duchenne muscular dystrophy phenotype

Abstract Background: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is typically caused by disrupting the reading frame of the dystrophin gene: approximately 70%–80% of mutational events are represented by deletions or duplications of one or more exons in the dystrophin gene, and the remaining cases by subtle mutations, including point mutations, small indels, small inversions, and complex small rearrangements. The dystrophin gene is the largest known gene with one of the highest known rates of new mutations. Methods: Deletions and duplications were detected in the DMD gene of the proband by using multiple ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used in the subtle mutation detection, followed by Sanger sequencing confirmation. The effect of the mutation on the splicing of the DMD gene was assessed by bioinformatics prediction and hybrid minigene splicing assay (HMSA). Results: Neither duplication nor deletion was found in the DMD gene of the proband. While a novel splice site mutation c.6762+1G>C was identified in the proband by NGS and Sanger sequencing, and his mother was heterozygous at the same site. Bioinformatics predicted that the 5′ donor splice site of intron 46 disappeared because of the mutation, which would lead to aberrant splicing and introduce premature stop codon. The HMSA results were in agreement with the prediction. Conclusions: The novel splice site mutation caused DMD in the proband by aberrant splicing. We suggested that combined applications of MLPA, NGS, HMSA and bioinformatics are comprehensive and effective methods for diagnosis and aberrant splicing study of DMD.
Differences in Growth of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on Alfalfa Sprouts

ABSTRACT Sprout producers have recently been faced with several Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreaks. Many of the outbreaks have been traced to sprout seeds contaminated with low levels of human pathogens. Alfalfa seeds were inoculated with S. enterica and E. coli O157:H7 strains isolated from alfalfa seeds or other environmental sources and sprouted to examine growth of these human pathogens in association with sprouting seeds. S. enterica strains grew an average of 3.7 log10 on sprouting seeds over 2 days, while E. coli O157:H7 strains grew significantly less, an average of 2.3 log10. The initial S. enterica or E. coli O157:H7 inoculum dose and seed-sprouting temperature significantly affected the levels of both S. enterica and E. coli O157:H7 on the sprouts and in the irrigation water, while the frequency of irrigation water replacement affected only the levels of E. coli O157:H7. Colonization of sprouting alfalfa seeds by S. enterica serovar Newport and E. coli O157:H7 strains transformed with a plasmid encoding the green fluorescent protein was examined with fluorescence microscopy. Salmonella serovar Newport colonized both seed coats and sprout roots as aggregates, while E. coli O157:H7 colonized only sprout roots.
Integrated tunable systems for scalable 4G radios

Tunable elements have been deployed in mobile handsets since 2011 to improve radiated performance, compensate for environmental influences on antenna impedance, shrink antenna volumes and shorten design cycles. The greatest challenge facing the RF front end in modern handsets is the proliferation of frequency bands for LTE systems, not only for global roaming but also for local services. This is driving a rapid expansion in the quantity of filters and related switching which has an impact on overall performance, particularly efficiency and cost. We present details on development toward creating fully tunable front ends that will enable highly efficient scalable and compact radio implementations in future mobile terminals.
"You're all a bunch of fucking feminists:" Addressing the perceived conflict between gender and professional identities using the Montreal Massacre

A case study of the Montreal Massacre was employed in a core engineering thermodynamics class, using two video news clips to spur discussion about the event and about the intersection of gender identity and feminist politics with the engineering profession. In the pilot test of our lesson plan, students discussed strategies for addressing overt and subtle sexism, negotiating questions of dress in the profession, the ways they use gendered behavior or gender distancing as strategies, work-life balance, competition and women's success as a threat. Such concerns are not typically included in professionalization aspects of engineering curricula, but their importance for both women and men is evident. We present our lesson plan and discussion outcomes, and address multiple contexts in which this case can be utilized to teach about gender and engineering
Inhibition of intestinal lipid peroxidation does not minimize morphologic damage.

Free radical-initiated lipid peroxidation (LP) following intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) may disrupt mucosal integrity. It is unknown if inhibition of LP prevents this injury. We analyzed rat ileum, subjected to I/R, for evidence of LP inhibition and structural damage following treatment with the 21-aminosteroid, U74389F, a potent LP inhibitor. Four groups of Lewis rats were studied after superior mesenteric artery occlusion with ligation of collateral arcades: (i) no ischemia, (ii) 10 min ischemia, (iii) 10 min ischemia + 1 hr reperfusion, (iv) 10 min ischemia + 1 hr reperfusion + U74389F (6 mg/kg i.v. prior to clamp removal and reperfusion). Ileal mucosa was analyzed for: 9i0 superoxide dismutase (SOD; U/mg protein), a key antioxidant enzyme, (ii) myeloperoxidase (MPO; U/mg protein), an index of PMN stimulation, (iii) malondialdehyde (MDA; pmole/mg), an end product of LP, and (iv) routine histology. MDA rose from 2.09 +/- 0.44 (mean +/- SE) in Group 1 to 15.10 +/- 2.22 in Group 3 following I/R (P < 0.01). In Group 2 and Group 4, MDA remained unchanged at 3.25 +/- 1.38 and 1.73 +/- 0.15, respectively. MPO, likewise, rose during I/R from 0.59 +/- 0.17 in Group 1 to 1.10 +/- 0.13 in Group 3 (P = 0.08) and 1.49 +/- 0.24 in Group 4 (P < 0.05). SOD did not vary significantly in the four groups studied. Despite PMN stimulation indicated by increased MPO with reperfusion, no PMN infiltration was seen histologically. U74389F normalized MDA, indicating effective inhibition of LP; however, similar epithelial sloughing and edema and hemorrhage in the lamina propria were seen in treated and untreated rats. These data implicate MDA-independent or possibly LP-independent pathways in intestinal morphologic damage occurring with I/R.
Effects of Low Temperatures on Transmembrane Potentials of Single Fibers of the Rabbit Atrium

Lowering the temperature caused a fall in the diastolic membrane potential and action potential and an increase in the duration of the action potential in both pacemaker and nonpacemaker fibers of the rabbit atrium. Pacemaker fibers were the most resistant to cooling and continued to discharge at a temperature where all conducted action potentials and mechanical contractions had ceased. Acetylcholine (10−7 Gm./ml.) administered at a low temperature when only pacemaker fibers were discharging, elicited propagated action potentials and contractions. This effect was associated with an increase in diastolic membrane potential towards that existing at a temperature of 30 C.
Associação entre déficit de elastina e retrações da membrana timpânica : um estudo transversal e comparado em pacientes portadores de Síndrome de Williams

Objective: Compare the results found in the otoscopic exam of Williams syndrome patients and participants without the syndrome, by establishing an association between abnormalities in elastin and retractions of the tympanic membrane. Study design: Compared cross-sectional study. Setting: Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Otolaryngology Service a tertiary care university hospital in Southern Brazil. Patients: Patients with a definite diagnosis of Williams Syndrome and controls. Evaluation: Digital otoscopic evaluation of patients with Williams Syndrome, controls and classification of tympanic membrane retraction by two evaluators. Main outcome measure: Prevalence of retractions in both groups. Results: The raters agreement was 71.1% for the retraction of pars tensa and 65% for pars flaccida (p <0.001). The retraction of pars tensa and pars flaccida showed in patients presenting with Williams syndrome an adjusted residue of respectively -2.8 and -2.6 (p = 0.011 and p = 0.022) compared to the patients without the syndrome. Conclusions: In this study timpanic membrane retractions were not significantly prevalent in patients presenting with elastin abnormalities.