Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Analysis of 1-Bit Massive MIMO with Superimposed Pilots

In this work, we consider a 1-bit quantized Massive MIMO channel with superimposed pilots (SP), dubbed "QSP". With linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) channel estimator and maximum ratio combining (MRC) receiver at the BS, we deive an approximate lower bound on the ergodic achievable rate. When optimizing pilot and data powers, the optimal power allocation maximizing the data rate is obtained in a closed-form solution. We demonstrate that quantization noise is not critical and the data rate converges to a deterministic value as the number of BS antennas grows without limit. When considering a 1-bit quantized Massive MIMO channel with multiplexed-pilots (QTP), it is shown that QSP can outperform the non-optimized QTP in many cases. Moreover, we demonstrate that the gap between QSP, with and without pilot removal after estimating the channel, is not significant. Numerical results are presented to verify our analytical findings and insights are provided for further research on SP.
Mouse models in haemostasis and thrombosis

Gene targeting in the mouse genome has generated a variety of mouse lines with complete deficiencies in virtually all know factors involved in haemostasis. In addition, transgenic techniques have produced mice with altered expression of some of these factors, which are required in cases of embryonic lethality. Based on these studies, in general, mouse haemostasis is very similar to haemostasis in humans, however, some differences do exist. In this theme issue of Thrombosis and Haemostasis several articles (see pages 444– 508) are published that summarize the generation of a wide variety of genetically modified mice and their analysis in haemostasis and thrombosis models.
Virtual reality in cognitive and motor rehabilitation: facts, fiction and fallacies

ABSTRACT Introduction: Over recent decades many researchers and clinicians have started to use Virtual Reality (VR) as a new technology for implementing innovative rehabilitation treatments in cognitive and motor domains. However, the expression ‘VR’ has often also been improperly used to refer to video games. Further, VR efficacy, often confused with that of video-game exercises, is still debated. Areas covered: In this review, we provide the scientific rationale for the advantages of using VR systems in rehabilitation and investigate whether the VR could really be a promising technique for the future of rehabilitation of patients, or if it is just an entertainment for scientists. In addition, we describe some of the most used devices in VR with their potential advantages for research and provide an overview of the recent evidence and meta-analyses in rehabilitation. Expert commentary: We highlight the efficacy and fallacies of VR in neurorehabilitation and discuss the important factors emerging from the use of VR, including the sense of presence and the embodiment over a virtual avatar, in developing future applications in cognitive and motor rehabilitation.
Reverse Genetics System Demonstrates that Rotavirus Nonstructural Protein NSP6 Is Not Essential for Viral Replication in Cell Culture

ABSTRACT The use of overlapping open reading frames (ORFs) to synthesize more than one unique protein from a single mRNA has been described for several viruses. Segment 11 of the rotavirus genome encodes two nonstructural proteins, NSP5 and NSP6. The NSP6 ORF is present in the vast majority of rotavirus strains, and therefore the NSP6 protein would be expected to have a function in viral replication. However, there is no direct evidence of its function or requirement in the viral replication cycle yet. Here, taking advantage of a recently established plasmid-only-based reverse genetics system that allows rescue of recombinant rotaviruses entirely from cloned cDNAs, we generated NSP6-deficient viruses to directly address its significance in the viral replication cycle. Viable recombinant NSP6-deficient viruses could be engineered. Single-step growth curves and plaque formation of the NSP6-deficient viruses confirmed that NSP6 expression is of limited significance for RVA replication in cell culture, although the NSP6 protein seemed to promote efficient virus growth. IMPORTANCE Rotavirus is one of the most important pathogens of severe diarrhea in young children worldwide. The rotavirus genome, consisting of 11 segments of double-stranded RNA, encodes six structural proteins (VP1 to VP4, VP6, and VP7) and six nonstructural proteins (NSP1 to NSP6). Although specific functions have been ascribed to each of the 12 viral proteins, the role of NSP6 in the viral replication cycle remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that the NSP6 protein is not essential for viral replication in cell culture by using a recently developed plasmid-only-based reverse genetics system. This reverse genetics approach will be successfully applied to answer questions of great interest regarding the roles of rotaviral proteins in replication and pathogenicity, which can hardly be addressed by conventional approaches.
The Leveraging of Silicon Valley

Early-stage firms utilize venture debt in one-third of financing rounds despite their general lack of cash flow and collateral. In our model, we show how venture debt aligns incentives within a firm. We derive a novel theoretical channel in which runway extension through debt increases firm value while potentially lowering closure. Consistent with the model's mechanism, we find that dilution predicts venture debt issuance. Empirically, treatment with venture debt lowers closure hazard by 1.6-4.4% and increases successful exits by 4.3-5.3%. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest $41B, or 9.4% of invested capital, remains productive due to venture debt.
New versus old wood: differences and similarities in physical, mechanical, and chemical properties

Physical, mechanical, and chemical properties of specimens of new and old (17th-century) wood ( Pinus sylvestris L.) from the same locale in Norway were examined. Only slight changes resulted from more than 300 years in an uncontrolled environment. No significant differences were seen in mechanical and physical properties including stress-strain behavior and dimensional moisture isotherms. Chemical changes found in the resin and cellulose were minor. Analysis indicated some hydrolysis of xylan. These results confirm previous work showing that wooden objects of all constructions, including furniture, safely tolerate moderate fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity. Cycling experiments on the present specimens confirmed this. Intact wood is chemically stable over a wide range of environments. The deterioration of furniture and wooden objects is due primarily to other factors, including abuse, extreme changes in temperature or relative humidity (such as hot, dry conditions caused by central heating), biological attack, or liquid water.
LONGITUDINAL FACE CRACK PREDICTION WITH THERMO-MECHANICAL MODELS OF THIN SLABS IN FUNNEL MOULDS

This paper investigates longitudinal depressions and cracks in steel continuous-cast in funnel moulds using a finite-element model to simulate thermo-mechanical behavior of the solidifying shell in the thin-slab caster mould at the Corus Direct Sheet Plant (DSP) in IJmuiden, The Netherlands. The commercial code ABAQUS [1] is used to study the effect of the funnel shape on the stresses developed within a two-dimensional section through the shell while it moves through the mould. The model first simulates heat transfer, based on heat flux profiles found from extensive plant measurements of mould heat removal and thermocouples embedded in the mould wall. It incorporates the drop in heat flux due to local gap formation. The temperature solution is input to the mechanical model which incorporates grade-dependent elastic-viscoplastic constitutive behavior, ferrostatic pressure, taper, mould-wall oscillations, and contact with the profiled mould wall. The results are validated with plant measurements, including a breakout shell, and crack statistics. The model is applied to study the effects of increasing casting speed and funnel design in order to avoid longitudinal cracks.
Inhibition of galectin-3 ameliorates the consequences of cardiac lipotoxicity in a rat model of diet-induced obesity

ABSTRACT Obesity is accompanied by metabolic alterations characterized by insulin resistance and cardiac lipotoxicity. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) induces cardiac inflammation and fibrosis in the context of obesity; however, its role in the metabolic consequences of obesity is not totally established. We have investigated the potential role of Gal-3 in the cardiac metabolic disturbances associated with obesity. In addition, we have explored whether this participation is, at least partially, acting on mitochondrial damage. Gal-3 inhibition in rats that were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks with modified citrus pectin (MCP; 100 mg/kg/day) attenuated the increase in cardiac levels of total triglyceride (TG). MCP treatment also prevented the increase in cardiac protein levels of carnitine palmitoyl transferase IA, mitofusin 1, and mitochondrial complexes I and II, reactive oxygen species accumulation and decrease in those of complex V but did not affect the reduction in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake observed in HFD rats. The exposure of cardiac myoblasts (H9c2) to palmitic acid increased the rate of respiration, mainly due to an increase in the proton leak, glycolysis, oxidative stress, β-oxidation and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential. Inhibition of Gal-3 activity was unable to affect these changes. Our findings indicate that Gal-3 inhibition attenuates some of the consequences of cardiac lipotoxicity induced by a HFD since it reduced TG and lysophosphatidyl choline (LPC) levels. These reductions were accompanied by amelioration of the mitochondrial damage observed in HFD rats, although no improvement was observed regarding insulin resistance. These findings increase the interest for Gal-3 as a potential new target for therapeutic intervention to prevent obesity-associated cardiac lipotoxicity and subsequent mitochondrial dysfunction. Summary: Inhibition of Gal-3 activity reduced the excessive cardiac accumulation of lipids in rats fed a high fat diet. This was accompanied by the amelioration of mitochondria damage observed in obese rats.
Early-onset autoimmune disease due to a heterozygous loss-of-function mutation in TNFAIP3 (A20)

Rare Mendelian disorders increasingly contribute to our understanding of the genetic architecture of autoimmune disease and the key molecular pathways governing its pathogenesis. Early-onset autoimmune disease can arise through activating mutations in inflammatory signalling pathways or loss-of-function mutations in immunoregulatory proteins. We investigated the molecular basis of complex autoimmunity—characterised by the onset of insulin-dependent diabetes, cytopaenias, hepatitis, enteropathy and interstitial lung disease at age 10—in a 14-year-old boy of healthy non-consanguineous British parents. Immunological analysis revealed lymphopaenia with no naive T cells and a high proportion of activated T cells (table 1). Pathogenic variants in STAT3 and FOXP3 were excluded. The clinical course was refractory to intensive immunosuppression with prednisolone, sirolimus, tacrolimus, infliximab or rituximab, necessitating haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Twenty-one months post-transplant, he is thriving off all immunosuppressive medication with complete remission of autoimmune disease (except diabetes). View this table: Table 1 Immunological and clinical parameters Ethical approval was granted (ref: 10/H0906/22) and written informed consent provided prior to study commencement. By whole exome sequencing of peripheral blood genomic DNA (Illumina MiSeq) and downstream bioinformatic filtering (Ingenuity Variant Analysis), we identified a single biologically plausible variant—a novel de novo heterozygous 2 bp deletion in tumour necrosis factor-alpha-induced protein 3 ( TNFAIP3 , figure 1A). TNFAIP3 encodes the ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20, a negative regulator of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway.1 A20 removes K63-linked ubiquitin chains from key adaptor proteins, replacing them with K48-linked polyubiquitin chains, to trigger proteasomal degradation and termination of the NF-κB activation cascade.2 Polymorphisms in …
Small-scale Tourism Development in Brazilian Amazonia: The Creation of a ‘Tourist Bubble’

In Brazil, tourism is promoted as a means of generating employment, tax revenues, foreign exchange and investments in infrastructure. The Amazon region is thereby primarily marketed as a 'green' destination. One such a destination is the village of Alter do Chao in the municipality of Santa- rem in the state of Para, where tourism has expanded rapidly during the past decade. Looking at the main characteristics of tourism in the study area and the actors involved, the authors show that the no- tion of a 'tourist bubble', which was developed for large-scale enclave-like resorts, may apply equally to a small-scale destination. First, it is in the sense of abstracting from historical and cultural contexts in relation to the antecedents of the local population and by commercializing the local Saire festival as 'staged authenticity'. Second, a 'tourist bubble' is emerging as a result of increasing physical and func- tional segregation of tourism and residential areas. As far as the local population is concerned, the crea- tion of the 'bubble' primarily represents new economic opportunities. However, the introduction of 'invented traditions' is also easily adopted because it fits in with the ongoing ethnic reclassification process in Brazil among culturally fragmented populations in search for their 'roots' and lost rights. The authors conclude that in order to fully understand the complexity and dynamics of cultural and econo- mic transformations following tourism development, it is necessary to also look beyond the 'tourist bubble'. Keywords: tourism, tourist bubble, staged authenticity, Brazilian Amazonia, Brazil.
Variations in right ventricular outflow tract morphology following repair of congenital heart disease: implications for percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation.

OBJECTIVE Our aim was to identify sub-groups of right ventricular outflow tract morphology that would be suitable for percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation and to document their prevalence in our patient population. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighty-three consecutive patients with right ventricular outflow tract dysfunction (5-41 years, 76% tetralogy of Fallot) referred to our center for cardiovascular magnetic resonance were studied. A morphological classification was created according to visual assessment of three-dimensional reconstructions and detailed measurement. Diagnosis, right ventricular outflow tract type, surgical history and treatment outcomes were documented. RESULTS Right ventricular outflow tract morphology was heterogeneous; nevertheless, 5 patterns were visually identified. Type I, a pyramidal morphology, was most prevalent (49%) and related to the presence of a transannular patch. Other types (II-V) were seen more commonly in patients with conduits. Two patients had unclassifiable morphology. Ninety-five percent of patients were assigned to the correct morphological classification by visual assessment alone. Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation was performed successfully in 10 patients with Type II-V morphology and in 1 patient with unclassifiable morphology. Percutaneous implantation was not performed in patients with Type I morphology. Only right ventricular outflow tract diameters < 22 mm in diameter were suitable for the current device. CONCLUSIONS We have created a morphological classification of the RVOT in patients referred for assessment of RVOT dysfunction. Though only 13% of our patients underwent percutaneous implantation, > 50% of outflow tract morphologies may be suitable for this approach, in particular with the development of new devices appropriate for larger outflow.
Cross-sectional Study of the Burden of Vector-Borne and Soil-Transmitted Polyparasitism in Rural Communities of Coast Province, Kenya

Background In coastal Kenya, infection of human populations by a variety of parasites often results in co-infection or poly-parasitism. These parasitic infections, separately and in conjunction, are a major cause of chronic clinical and sub-clinical human disease and exert a long-term toll on economic welfare of affected populations. Risk factors for these infections are often shared and overlap in space, resulting in interrelated patterns of transmission that need to be considered at different spatial scales. Integration of novel quantitative tools and qualitative approaches is needed to analyze transmission dynamics and design effective interventions. Methodology Our study was focused on detecting spatial and demographic patterns of single- and co-infection in six villages in coastal Kenya. Individual and household level data were acquired using cross-sectional, socio-economic, and entomological surveys. Generalized additive models (GAMs and GAMMs) were applied to determine risk factors for infection and co-infections. Spatial analysis techniques were used to detect local clusters of single and multiple infections. Principal findings Of the 5,713 tested individuals, more than 50% were infected with at least one parasite and nearly 20% showed co-infections. Infections with Schistosoma haematobium (26.0%) and hookworm (21.4%) were most common, as was co-infection by both (6.3%). Single and co-infections shared similar environmental and socio-demographic risk factors. The prevalence of single and multiple infections was heterogeneous among and within communities. Clusters of single and co-infections were detected in each village, often spatially overlapped, and were associated with lower SES and household crowding. Conclusion Parasitic infections and co-infections are widespread in coastal Kenya, and their distributions are heterogeneous across landscapes, but inter-related. We highlighted how shared risk factors are associated with high prevalence of single infections and can result in spatial clustering of co-infections. Spatial heterogeneity and synergistic risk factors for polyparasitism need to be considered when designing surveillance and intervention strategies.
Selective Sensitization: Consuming a Food Activates a Goal to Consume Its Complements

Eating a food reduces the desire to eat more of that food. General-process theories of motivation posit that eating a food also increases the motivation to eat other foods—an effect known as cross-stimulus sensitization. The authors propose that eating a food selectively sensitizes consumers to its complements rather than to all foods. Eating a food activates a goal to consume foods that consumers perceive to be well paired with the consumed food. In five experiments, imagined and actual consumption of a food sensitized participants to complementary foods but not to unrelated or semantically associated foods. These findings suggest that cross-stimulus sensitization is more specific and predictable than previously assumed. The authors identify goal activation as the process through which cross-stimulus sensitization occurs and can be instilled.
Deciphering microRNAs and Their Associated Hairpin Precursors in a Non-Model Plant, Abelmoschus esculentus

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial regulatory RNAs, originated from hairpin precursors. For the past decade, researchers have been focusing extensively on miRNA profiles in various plants. However, there have been few studies on the global profiling of precursor miRNAs (pre-miRNAs), even in model plants. Here, for the first time in a non-model plant—Abelmoschus esculentus with negligible genome information—we are reporting the global profiling to characterize the miRNAs and their associated pre-miRNAs by applying a next generation sequencing approach. Preliminarily, we performed small RNA (sRNA) sequencing with five biological replicates of leaf samples to attain 207,285,863 reads; data analysis using miRPlant revealed 128 known and 845 novel miRNA candidates. With the objective of seizing their associated hairpin precursors, we accomplished pre-miRNA sequencing to attain 83,269,844 reads. The paired end reads are merged and adaptor trimmed, and the resulting 40–241 nt (nucleotide) sequences were picked out for analysis by using perl scripts from the miRGrep tool and an in-house built shell script for Minimum Fold Energy Index (MFEI) calculation. Applying the stringent criteria of the Dicer cleavage pattern and the perfect stem loop structure, precursors for 57 known miRNAs of 15 families and 18 novel miRNAs were revealed. Quantitative Real Time (qRT) PCR was performed to determine the expression of selected miRNAs.
Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Bioactive and Nutritional Phytochemicals

Cacti are known for their minimum water requirement. They grow extensively in arid lands, where they were traditionally used for both human and animal food. Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly referred to as prickly pear or nopal cactus, was known as a medicinal plant, owing to its rich composition in polyphenols, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids. This makes cactus pear a promising crop for commercial food applications. Recent scientific investigations showed thatcactus products may be efficiently used as a source of foods additives, mainly fibre, colorants and antioxidants. Tablets, cookies and other forms of fibre derived from cactus cladodes are currently marketed in severalAmerican countries. This review details the main functional phytochemicals characterizing different tissues of Opuntia ficus-indica.
The Impact of Cortical Deafferentation on the Neocortical Slow Oscillation

Slow oscillation is the main brain rhythm observed during deep sleep in mammals. Although several studies have demonstrated its neocortical origin, the extent of the thalamic contribution is still a matter of discussion. Using electrophysiological recordings in vivo on cats and computational modeling, we found that the local thalamic inactivation or the complete isolation of the neocortical slabs maintained within the brain dramatically reduced the expression of slow and fast oscillations in affected cortical areas. The slow oscillation began to recover 12 h after thalamic inactivation. The slow oscillation, but not faster activities, nearly recovered after 30 h and persisted for weeks in the isolated slabs. We also observed an increase of the membrane potential fluctuations recorded in vivo several hours after thalamic inactivation. Mimicking this enhancement in a network computational model with an increased postsynaptic activity of long-range intracortical afferents or scaling K+ leak current, but not several other Na+ and K+ intrinsic currents was sufficient for recovering the slow oscillation. We conclude that, in the intact brain, the thalamus contributes to the generation of cortical active states of the slow oscillation and mediates its large-scale synchronization. Our study also suggests that the deafferentation-induced alterations of the sleep slow oscillation can be counteracted by compensatory intracortical mechanisms and that the sleep slow oscillation is a fundamental and intrinsic state of the neocortex.