Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatio-temporal channel sounding in a street canyon at 15, 28 and 60 GHz

Spatio-temporal channel sounding was performed at frequency bands of 15,28 and 60 GHz in the backhaul-link street canyon scenario. Analysis of the measured channels from the sounding show 1) path loss exponents close to the free-space in the line-of-sight condition, with extra losses of 5 to 30 dB in the non-line-of-sight conditions; 2) the azimuth angular and delay spreads mostly less than 25° and 30 ns at the three frequency bands; 3) decreasing angular and delay spreads as the link distance is longer, 4) up to fourth-order specular reflection observed in the 100-m long street canyon when looking at the strongest 30-dB dynamic range of the channels, and finally, 5) no decisive frequency dependency of the angular and delay spreads and the reflection order, though the presence or absence of cars in the street canyon during the measurements seemed to make some impacts on the spread values given the antenna height of our channel sounding.
Optimal allocation and economic evaluation for industrial PV microgrid

An economic evaluation method and optimal allocation model of the industrial PV microgrids are proposed in this paper. The economic indexes include levelized energy cost, emission reduction benefits and payback period. The optimal model considering various relevant issues such as local insolation level and detailed investment costs is established and applied to improve the configuration of the PV microgrids for four different operation strategies. The optimization problem is solved by Particle Swarm Optimization to obtain the minimum annual energy cost of the system and bring more economic and emission reduction benefits for industrial users. The simulation results based on three months running data of a 500kW industrial PV microgrid in Dongguan City, China, verify that the optimal allocations by the proposed method can meet the technical indicators as well as the economic optimum, thus effectively optimizing industrial PV microgrid in both economic and environmental way. In addition, the added batteries can not only be used to maximize the utilization of renewable energy, but also enhance the system's ability of peak load shifting. Besides, the sensitivity of the impact of different parameters on the system is also performed. The economic evaluation and optimal allocation of the industrial PV microgrids in this paper provide a reference for the application of similar projects.
Locally reduced levels of acidic FGF lead to decreased expression of 28‐kDa calbindin and contribute to the selective vulnerability of the neurons in the entorhinal cortex in Alzheimer's disease

Recent studies demonstrate that a disturbed calcium‐homeostasis leading to increased susceptibility to excitotoxic triggers plays a major role in the neurodegenerative process initiating in layer 2 of the entorhinal cortex (EC2) during Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, proteins binding free Ca 11 (i.e. calbindin) and factors regulating these proteins are of great importance for the neuroprotective–neurotoxic balance in the affected brain regions. In the present combined human and in vitro study evidence is provided that altered levels of the acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) and calbindin expression are concomitantly present in EC2 neurons and have interactive effects. A dramatic loss of aFGF‐ and calbindin‐labeled EC2 neurons was found. Further analysis of the surviving EC2 neurons revealed a strong immunoreactivity to calbindin and aFGF. In vitro experiments show that aFGF regulates calbindin expression, because treatment of differentiating neurons with recombinant aFGF increases calbindin expression in a time‐dependent fashion. The data imply that a reduced expression of aFGF in EC2 neurons of AD brains leads to lower levels of calbindin resulting in decreased neuroprotective capacity.
Development of a Predictive Model for Induction Success of Labour

Induction of the labour process is an extraordinarily common procedure used in some pregnancies. Obstetricians face the need to end a pregnancy, for medical reasons usually (maternal or fetal requirements) or less frequently, social (elective inductions for convenience). The success of induction procedure is conditioned by a multitude of maternal and fetal variables that appear before or during pregnancy or birth process, with a low predictive value. The failure of the induction process involves performing a caesarean section. This project arises from the clinical need to resolve a situation of uncertainty that occurs frequently in our clinical practice. Since the weight of clinical variables is not adequately weighted, we consider very interesting to know a priori the possibility of success of induction to dismiss those inductions with high probability of failure, avoiding unnecessary procedures or postponing end if possible. We developed a predictive model of induced labour success as a support tool in clinical decision making. Improve the predictability of a successful induction is one of the current challenges of Obstetrics because of its negative impact. The identification of those patients with high chances of failure, will allow us to offer them better care improving their health outcomes (adverse perinatal outcomes for mother and newborn), costs (medication, hospitalization, qualified staff) and patient perceived quality. Therefore a Clinical Decision Support System was developed to give support to the Obstetricians. In this article, we had proposed a robust method to explore and model a source of clinical information with the purpose of obtaining all possible knowledge. Generally, in classification models are difficult to know the contribution that each attribute provides to the model. We had worked in this direction to offer transparency to models that may be considered as black boxes. The positive results obtained from both the information recovery system and the predictions and explanations of the classification show the effectiveness and strength of this tool.
Role of intracellular calcium in superoxide‐induced hepatocyte injury

The mechanisms of hepatocyte injury caused by exogenous superoxide were investigated with the use of cultured rat hepatocytes. Cell viability, cytosolic free calcium concentration and cell surface structure were observed. Superoxide was produced by adding hypoxanthine and xanthine oxidase to the buffer. Cytosolic free calcium concentration was calculated by means of ratio imaging of fura 2 fluorescence with multiparameter digitized microscopy. In the buffer containing 1.27 mmol/L of calcium, lactate dehydrogenase release into the buffer began to increase at 1 hr and reached a plateau in 5 hr. Eighteen minutes after the addition of hypoxanthine and xanthine oxidase, small blebs were recognized on the cell surface with a scanning electron microscope; then a gradual rise in cytosolic free calcium concentration was observed. Thirty minutes after exposure to superoxide, large blebs were recognized with a phase‐contrast microscope, when cytosolic free calcium concentration had risen to about 700 nmol/L. Depriving the buffer of calcium (< 10 μmol/L) significantly suppressed bleb formation and cell death, and cytosolic free calcium concentration was found to remain around the basal level (200 nmol/L). When ethylene glycol‐bis (β‐amino‐ethyl ether)‐N,N,N′,N′‐tetraacetic acid was added to the buffer, bleb formation and cell death were suppressed more completely, and cytosolic free calcium concentration decreased. Superoxide dismutase combined with catalase or nifedipine allowed the hepatocytes to maintain their viability and suppressed cytosolic free calcium concentration elevation. Calpeptin, a Ca2+‐dependent neutral protease inhibitor, did not affect the rise in cytosolic free calcium concentration but prevented cell injury. We concluded that cell injury caused by superoxide is initiated by influx of calcium and that the resultant activation of Ca2+‐dependent protease may play an important role in bleb formation and cell death. (HEPATOLOGY 1994;19:1223–1228.)
Managing requirements in ICT companies

Purpose – Requirements management has become a challenge for new product development (NPD) as products are getting increasingly complicated and customer segments more fragmented. The purpose of this paper is to provide new ideas for improving requirements management in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative interview study is carried out in the ICT sector to clarify the current challenges in requirements management. The results of the interview study are analysed using a benchmark from the automotive industry. This benchmark is chosen, as the automotive industry is a developed business sector that has streamlined its business processes, including its requirements management.Findings – The paper shows how ICT can benefit from the experience of the car industry on issues such as managing customer needs throughout the NPD process, overflow of data and communicating requirements with suppliers.Research limitations/implications – Using another sec.
Maximum rate of oxygen uptake by human skeletal muscle in relation to maximal activities of enzymes in the Krebs cycle

1 Ten subjects performed incremental exercise up to their maximum work rate with the knee extensors of one leg. Measurements of leg blood flow and femoral arteriovenous differences of oxygen were made in order to be able to calculate oxygen uptake of the leg. 2 The volume of the quadriceps muscle was determined from twenty‐one to twenty‐five computer tomography section images taken from the patella to the anterior inferior iliac spine of each subject. 3 The maximal activities of three enzymes in the Krebs cycle, citrate synthase, oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase, were measured in biopsy samples taken from the vastus lateralis muscle. 4 The average rate of oxygen uptake over the quadriceps muscle at maximal work, 353 ml min−1kg−1, corresponded to a Krebs cycle rate of 4.6 μmol min−1 g−1. This was similar to the maximal activity of oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (5.1 μmol min−1 g−1), whereas the activities of succinate dehydrogenase and citrate synthase averaged 7.2 and 48.0 μmol min−1 g−1, respectively. 5 It is suggested that of these enzymes, only the maximum activity of oxoglutarate dehydrogenase can provide a quantitative measure of the capacity of oxidative metabolism, and it appears that the enzyme is fully activated during one‐legged knee extension exercise at the maximal work rate.
An LC-Based Clock Buffer With Tunable Injection Locking

This paper introduces a hybridized version of two common topologies of LC-based clock buffers. The proposed design can minimize jitter by adaptively adjusting the ratio between these two topologies. The analysis shows that the setting for optimum jitter depends on the relative level between the input noise and the inherent noise of the clock buffer. The long-term and short-term jitters are both studied and supported by measurement. A frequency tuning technique based on a voltage-swing digitizer is also demonstrated. The test chip is fabricated in a 1P8M 1.2-V 0.13-mum digital CMOS process. The power consumption of the proposed LC-based clock buffer is 12 mW.
Dirichlet-to-Neumann Transparent Boundary Conditions for Photonic Crystal Waveguides

In this paper, we present a complete algorithm for the exact computation of the guided mode band structure in photonic crystal (PhC) waveguides. In contrast to the supercell method, the used approach does not introduce any modeling error and is hence independent of the confinement of the modes. The approach is based on Dirichlet-to-Neumann transparent boundary conditions that yield a nonlinear eigenvalue problem. For the solution of this nonlinear eigenvalue problem, we present a direct technique using Chebyshev interpolation that requires a bandgap calculation of the PhC in advance. For this bandgap calculation, we introduce as a very efficient tool a Taylor expansion of the PhC band structure. We show that our algorithm-like the supercell method-converges exponentially, however, its computational costs-in comparison with the supercell method-only increase moderately since the size of the matrix to be inverted remains constant.
Implementation and Validation of an Adaptive Template Registration Method for 18F-Flutemetamol Imaging Data

The spatial normalization of PET amyloid imaging data is challenging because different white and gray matter patterns of negative (Aβ−) and positive (Aβ+) uptake could lead to systematic bias if a standard method is used. In this study, we propose the use of an adaptive template registration method to overcome this problem. Methods: Data from a phase II study (n = 72) were used to model amyloid deposition with the investigational PET imaging agent 18F-flutemetamol. Linear regression of voxel intensities on the standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) in a neocortical composite region for all scans gave an intercept image and a slope image. We devised a method where an adaptive template image spanning the uptake range (the most Aβ− to the most Aβ+ image) can be generated through a linear combination of these 2 images and where the optimal template is selected as part of the registration process. We applied the method to the 18F-flutemetamol phase II data using a fixed volume of interest atlas to compute SUVRs. Validation was performed in several steps. The PET-only adaptive template registration method and the MR imaging–based method used in statistical parametric mapping were applied to spatially normalize PET and MR scans, respectively. Resulting transformations were applied to coregistered gray matter probability maps, and the quality of the registrations was assessed visually and quantitatively. For comparison of quantification results with an independent patient-space method, FreeSurfer was used to segment each subject’s MR scan and the parcellations were applied to the coregistered PET scans. We then correlated SUVRs for a composite neocortical region obtained with both methods. Furthermore, to investigate whether the 18F-flutemetamol model could be generalized to 11C-Pittsburgh compound B (11C-PIB), we applied the method to Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) 11C-PIB scans (n = 285) and compared the PET-only neocortical composite score with the corresponding score obtained with a semimanual method that made use of the subject’s MR images for the positioning of regions. Results: Spatial normalization was successful on all scans. Visual and quantitative comparison of the new PET-only method with the MR imaging–based method of statistical parametric mapping indicated that performance was similar in the cortical regions although the new PET-only method showed better registration in the cerebellum and pons reference region area. For the 18F-flutemetamol quantification, there was a strong correlation between the PET-only and FreeSurfer SUVRs (Pearson r = 0.96). We obtained a similar correlation for the AIBL 11C-PIB data (Pearson r = 0.94). Conclusion: The derived adaptive template registration method allows for robust, accurate, and fully automated quantification of uptake for 18F-flutemetamol and 11C-PIB scans without the use of MR imaging data.
Nurses’ moral experiences of assisted death: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research

Background: Legislative changes are resulting in assisted death as an option for people at the end of life. Although nurses’ experiences and perspectives are underrepresented within broader ethical discourses about assisted death, there is a small but significant body of literature examining nurses’ experiences of caring for people who request this option. Aim: To synthesize what has been learned about nurses’ experiences of caring for patients who request assisted death and to highlight what is morally at stake for nurses who undertake this type of care. Design: Qualitative meta-synthesis. Methods: Six databases were searched: CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE, Joanna Briggs Institute, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. The search was completed on 22 October 2014 and updated in February 2016. Of 879 articles identified from the database searches, 16 articles were deemed relevant based on inclusion criteria. Following quality appraisal, 14 studies were retained for analysis and synthesis. Results: The moral experience of the nurse is (1) defined by a profound sense of responsibility, (2) shaped by contextual forces that nurses navigate in everyday end-of-life care practice, and (3) sustained by intra-team moral and emotional support. Discussion: The findings of this synthesis support the view that nurses are moral agents who are deeply invested in the moral integrity of end-of-life care involving assisted death. The findings further demonstrate that to fully appreciate the ethics of assisted death from a nursing standpoint, it is necessary to understand the broader constraints on nurses’ moral agency that operate in everyday end-of-life care. Ethical considerations: Research ethics board approval was not required for this synthesis of previously published literature. Conclusion: In order to understand how to enact ethical practice in the area of assisted death, the moral experiences of nurses should be investigated and foregrounded.
The host environment drives HIV‐1 fitness

Viral fitness is defined by the ability of an individual genotype to produce infectious progeny in a specific environment. For HIV the environment is never constant but rather fluctuates in time and space. For instance, environmental factors that determine viral fitness during transmission from host to host are different to the pressures from either cytotoxic T‐lymphocytes (CTLs) or antiviral drugs. Consequently, viral fitness is highly dependent on the environment and the accurate determination of this value therefore depends strongly on the chosen environmental setting. This review describes how the host environment imposes selective pressures on the virus that shape its genotype and fitness. The most important environments that the virus encounters throughout its life cycle and during natural infection are discussed. In order of appearance, CTLs are discussed, followed by neutralising antibodies and antiretroviral drug treatment. It then goes on to describe receptor molecules that mediate viral entry and intracellular restriction factors, which represent selective pressures that are present directly from the start of a natural infection. It concludes by discussing the complexity of viral fitness and how an accurate measure of viral fitness eventually may, for example, contribute to the improvement of antiretroviral therapy or help in the formulation of an optimal vaccination strategy. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
T Cell Expansion Is the Limiting Factor of Virus Control in Mice with Attenuated TCR Signaling: Implications for Human Immunodeficiency

Defining the minimal thresholds for effective antiviral T cell immunity is important for clinical decisions in immunodeficient patients. TCR signaling is critical for T cell development, activation, and effector functions. In this article, we analyzed which of these TCR-mediated processes is limiting for antiviral immunity in a mouse strain with reduced expression of SLP-76 (twp mice). Despite severe T cell activation defects in vitro, twp mice generated a normal proportion of antiviral effector T cells postinfection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Twp CD8+ T cells showed impaired polyfunctional cytokine production, whereas cytotoxicity as the crucial antiviral effector function for LCMV control was normal. The main limiting factor in the antiviral response of twp mice was impaired T cell proliferation and survival, leading to a 5- to 10-fold reduction of antiviral T cells at the peak of the immune response. This was still sufficient to control infection with the LCMV Armstrong strain, but the more rapidly replicating LCMV-WE induced T cell exhaustion and viral persistence. Thus, under conditions of impaired TCR signaling, reduced T cell expansion was the limiting factor in antiviral immunity. These findings have implications for understanding antiviral immunity in patients with T cell deficiencies.
Efficacy, effectiveness and safety of etanercept in monotherapy for refractory psoriatic arthritis: a 26-week observational study.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of etanercept, a soluble tumour necrosis factor-alpha receptor, in a prospective observational cohort of patients with refractory psoriatic arthritis and polyarticular involvement. METHODS Twenty patients with psoriatic arthritis refractory to conventional anti-rheumatic drugs were treated with etanercept 25 mg subcutaneously twice a week for 26 weeks. Efficacy and safety were recorded at weeks 2, 6, 10, 16, 20 and 26. Effectiveness, defined as clinical remission, reduction of 50% in clinical parameters and concomitant NSAID use, was evaluated at 26 weeks. RESULTS Etanercept therapy was efficacious in this cohort as 85% of the patients met the Psoriatic Arthritis Response Criterion at week 26. Effectiveness of etanercept for the individual patient was demonstrated, since at least 50% of the patients had a 90 and 85% improvement in swollen and tender joint count, respectively, and a 71% improvement in the Health Assessment Questionnaire at week 26. Four patients showed complete remission and NSAIDs were stopped in 10/15 patients. The most common adverse events were upper respiratory tract infections. Interestingly, in two patients psoriasis worsened during the study, unrelated to the course of arthritis. The administration of etanercept was interrupted in three patients for adverse events: one septic bursitis, one myocardial infarction and one tooth abscess. After resolution of the adverse events, etanercept was successfully reintroduced. CONCLUSIONS Etanercept in monotherapy is efficacious, effective and safe in the majority of patients with refractory psoriatic arthritis.
Use of the Disability Rating Scale recovery curve as a predictor of psychosocial outcome following closed-head injury

Rapid rate of recovery has been associated with better outcome following closed-head injuries, but few studies have compellingly demonstrated this. This study used growth curve analyses of Disability Rating Scale (DRS) scores at acute hospitalization discharge, 1, 3, and 6 months post injury in a sample of 55 patients with a closed-head injury. Six month post-injury outcome measures were taken from significant other (SO) responses on the NYU Head Injury Family Interview (NYU-HIFI) including severity and burden ratings of affective/neurobehavioral disturbance, cognitive deficits, and physical/dependency status. Rate of recovery (linear and curvilinear recovery curve components) was significantly related to the level of affective/neurobehavioral severity, and the severity and burden of SO-perceived cognitive deficits. Only the intercept of the DRS recovery curve was associated with the SO-perceived severity and burden of physical/dependency status. Growth curve modeling is a meaningful and powerful tool in predicting head injury outcome. (JINS, 2001, 7, 457–467.)