Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship between physical and subspace propagation channels

The channel capacity of a MIMO telecommunication system depends on different parameters such as the signal-to-noise ratio, the space-time characteristics of the propagation channel, the antenna array geometry and the antenna pattern. However, the propagation channel remains the strongest constraint imposed on designers of new radio air interfaces. Using a MIMO channel model, computer simulations are performed to highlight the relation between the radiation pattern of subspace channels and the physical space-time characteristics of the propagation channel. This provides a better understanding of the subspace channel origins and achievability of degrees of freedom. In addition to the simulation approach, UWB MIMO channel measurements are used. Both simulation and experimental results show that there is not a bijective relation between physical paths and subspace channels. The number of subspace channels is the same but the amplitudes and directions can be different, leading to inaccuracies in the space-time characteristics of the propagation channel. Nevertheless, the results are promising for fast-jointed DoA-DoD channel estimation.
Education and debate

Education is an important part of the work of most doctors, and the BMJ is interested to publish original studies that will be useful to doctors in their educational role. Unfortunately many of the accounts we receive of educational interventions comprise a thin description of the innovation and an evaluation that says little more than that the students liked the innovation. This is not good enough. The standard of papers evaluating educational interventions should be as high as that of any other original papers that we publish. We recognise, however, that many of the methodologies that are best for evaluating educational innovations are different from the methods with which BMJ readers are familiar—for instance, methods for evaluating new drugs. We thus set up a group of advisers, consisting of people expert in medical education, to produce guidelines that we could use when reviewing original papers that describe educational innovations. This is a first version of those guidelines. The guidelines are intended for authors, editors, reviewers, and readers. We have no doubt that they can be improved, and it might be that we should evolve different guidelines for those different groups. We are doing three things with these guidelines: x Publishing them today and inviting comment. The group that produced the guidelines will revise them in the light of the responses we receive; x Sending them to various groups and individuals interested in evaluating educational innovations and asking them to comment; x To see if the guidelines work in practice, we plan to use them in reviewing papers describing educational innovations.
CNV and nervous system diseases – what’s new?

Several new genomic disorders caused by copy number variation (CNV) of genes whose dosage is critical for the physiological function of the nervous system have been recently identified. Dup(7)(q11.23) patients carry duplications of the genomic region deleted in Williams-Beuren syndrome, they are characterized by prominent speech delay. The phenotypes of Potocki-Lupski syndrome and MECP2 duplication syndrome were neuropsychologically examined in detail, which revealed autism as an endophenotype and a prominent behavioral feature of these disorders. Tandem duplication of LMNB1 was reported to cause adult-onset autosomal dominant leukodystrophy. PAFAH1B1/LIS1 and YWHAE, which were deleted in isolated lissencephaly (PAFAH1B1/LIS1 alone) and Miller-Dieker syndrome (both genes), were found to be duplicated in patients with developmental delay. Finally, two novel microdeletion syndromes affecting 17q21.31 and 15q13.3, as well as their reciprocal duplications, were also identified. In this review, we provide an overview of the phenotypic manifestation of these syndromes and the rearrangements causing them.
Cardiovascular and renal actions of endothelin: effects of calcium-channel blockers.

We have evaluated the effects of two calcium-channel blockers, verapamil (VP) and manganese (Mn), on endothelin (EN)-induced changes in systemic and renal function in pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized female rats and male and female dogs. In the rat studies, saline was infused at 24 microliters/min iv with or without (n = 10) two doses of VP (0.02 mg.kg-1.min-1, n = 5; 0.03 mg.kg-1.min-1, n = 3) or Mn (0.5 mg.kg-1.min-1, n = 5) throughout the entire experiment. After surgery, rats were allowed 60 min to stabilize, and three 20-min control clearances were collected. EN (100 ng.kg-1.min-1) was then added to the infusate for 30 min. EN alone caused an increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and a decrease in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). VP at either dose and Mn totally blocked the EN-induced increase in MAP. However, the two calcium-channel blockers had no effect on the renal action of EN; the GFR (in ml/min) decreased (at 30 min of EN infusion) from 2.7 +/- 0.1 (SE) to 0.7 +/- 0.1 (P less than 0.01) in controls, from 2.5 +/- 0.3 to 0.4 +/- 0.3 with the lower dose of VP (P less than 0.01), from 2.3 +/- 0.1 to 0.6 +/- 0.2 with the higher dose of VP (P less than 0.01), and from 1.5 +/- 0.5 to 0.9 +/- 0.6 with Mn (P less than 0.05). Infusion of EN alone (10 ng.kg-1.min-1, n = 5) and EN with VP (50 micrograms/min, n = 3) into the renal artery of dogs reduced renal blood flow from 3.5 +/- 0.4 to 0.9 +/- 0.2 and from 3.6 +/- 0.6 to 1.2 +/- 0.6 ml.g-1.min-1, respectively. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Is There a Valuation Gap? The Case of Interval Valuations

We extend the literature on the willingness-to-pay/willingness-to-accept (WTP/WTA) disparity by testing two hypotheses, distilled from the literature. We also introduce a modified mechanism for eliciting the subjective valuation range if the individual cannot articulate the subjective value as a precise amount confidently. Our key finding is that the disparity disappears under the intervals treatment, suggesting that response format is important, given that earlier experimental studies invariably uses point values (i.e. open ended questions about WTP/WTA). Moreover, for the risky prospect we observe that from their admissible range the buyers state the lower bound as their WTP whereas sellers state the upper bound as their WTA. We conclude that this type of behavior can to some extent explain the observed disparity at least for the risky prospects.
Molecular docking of balanol to dynamics snapshots of protein kinase A

Even if the structure of a receptor has been determined experimentally, it may not be a conformation to which a ligand would bind when induced fit effects are significant. Molecular docking using such a receptor structure may thus fail to recognize a ligand to which the receptor can bind with reasonable affinity. Here, we examine one way to alleviate this problem by using an ensemble of receptor conformations generated from a molecular dynamics simulation for molecular docking. Two molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to generate snapshots for protein kinase A: one with the ligand bound, the other without. The ligand, balanol, was then docked to conformations of the receptors presented by these trajectories. The Lamarckian genetic algorithm in Autodock [Goodsell et al. J Mol Recognit 1996;9(1):1–5 ; Morris et al. J Comput Chem 1998;19(14):1639–1662 ] was used in the docking. Three ligand models were used: rigid, flexible, and flexible with torsional potentials. When the snapshots were taken from the molecular dynamics simulation of the protein–ligand complex, the correct docking structure could be recovered easily by the docking algorithm in all cases. This was an easier case for challenging the docking algorithm because, by using the structure of the protein in a protein–ligand complex, one essentially assumed that the protein already had a pocket to which the ligand can fit well. However, when the snapshots were taken from the ligand‐free protein simulation, which is more useful for a practical application when the structure of the protein–ligand complex is not known, several clusters of structures were found. Of the 10 docking runs for each snapshot, at least one structure was close to the correctly docked structure when the flexible‐ligand models were used. We found that a useful way to identify the correctly docked structure was to locate the structure that appeared most frequently as the lowest energy structure in the docking experiments to different snapshots. Proteins 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Insertion of a ligand to HER2 in gB retargets HSV tropism and obviates the need for activation of the other entry glycoproteins

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) entry into the cells requires glycoproteins gD, gH/gL and gB, activated in a cascade fashion by conformational modifications induced by cognate receptors and intermolecular signaling. The receptors are nectin1 and HVEM (Herpes virus entry mediator) for gD, and αvβ6 or αvβ8 integrin for gH. In earlier work, insertion of a single chain antibody (scFv) to the cancer receptor HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) in gD, or in gH, resulted in HSVs specifically retargeted to the HER2-positive cancer cells, hence in highly specific non-attenuated oncolytic agents. Here, the scFv to HER2 was inserted in gB (gBHER2). The insertion re-targeted the virus tropism to the HER2-positive cancer cells. This was unexpected since gB is known to be a fusogenic glycoprotein, not a tropism determinant. The gB-retargeted recombinant offered the possibility to investigate how HER2 mediated entry. In contrast to wt-gB, the activation of the chimeric gBHER2 did not require the activation of the gD and of gH/gL by their respective receptors. Furthermore, a soluble form of HER2 could replace the membrane-bound HER2 in mediating virus entry, hinting that HER2 acted by inducing conformational changes to the chimeric gB. This study shows that (i) gB can be modified and become the major determinant of HSV tropism; (ii) the chimeric gBHER2 bypasses the requirement for receptor-mediated activation of other essential entry glycoproteins.
Expression of Wnt5a during development of anorectal malformations in a rat model of prenatal exposure to di(n-butyl) phthalate

Abstract Mounting evidence has indicated the crucial role of Wnt5a in the embryonic development including guts. However, the Wnt5a involvement in the process of anorectal malformations (ARMs) remains unclear. In this study, we examined the expression of Wnt5a during ARMs development in the offspring of di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP)-treated pregnant rats. During the neonatal period, Wnt5a expression was evaluated in the terminal rectum of ARM offspring, non-ARM littermates and controls. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR), western-blot analysis and immunohistochemistry approaches, we found a significant decrease of Wnt5a expression in DBP-induced ARMs rats. Collectively, our results demonstrate the aberrant expression of Wnt5a during anorectal development, which suggests that Wnt5a might be involved in DBP-induced ARMs.
PALLD Regulates Phagocytosis by Enabling Timely Actin Polymerization and Depolymerization

PALLD is an actin cross-linker supporting cellular mechanical tension. However, its involvement in the regulation of phagocytosis, a cellular activity essential for innate immunity and physiological tissue turnover, is unclear. We report that PALLD is highly induced along with all-trans-retinoic acid–induced maturation of myeloid leukemia cells, to promote Ig- or complement-opsonized phagocytosis. PALLD mechanistically facilitates phagocytic receptor clustering by regulating actin polymerization and c-Src dynamic activation during particle binding and early phagosome formation. PALLD is also required at the nascent phagosome to recruit phosphatase oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe, which regulates phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate hydrolysis and actin depolymerization to complete phagosome closure. Collectively, our results show a new function for PALLD as a crucial regulator of the early phase of phagocytosis by elaborating dynamic actin polymerization and depolymerization.
Efficient responses to host and bacterial signals during Vibrio cholerae colonization

Vibrio cholerae, the microorganism responsible for the diarrheal disease cholera, is able to sense and respond to a variety of changing stimuli in both its aquatic and human gastrointestinal environments. Here we present a review of research efforts aimed toward understanding the signals this organism senses in the human host. V. cholerae’s ability to sense and respond to temperature and pH, bile, osmolarity, oxygen and catabolite levels, nitric oxide, and mucus, as well as the quorum sensing signals produced in response to these factors will be discussed. We also review the known quorum sensing regulatory pathways and discuss their importance with regard to the regulation of virulence and colonization during infection.
Inhibition by opiate narcotics of rat flexor alpha-motoneurones.

Specific effects of opiate narcotics on rat flexor alpha-motoneurones were studied in ventral roots of laminectomized rats under halothane anaesthesia. The alpha-motoneurones were activated by tetanic stimulation of the cut ipsilateral common peroneal nerve, exciting up to group II- but not group III- and C-afferents. Morphine (0.5--3.0 mg/kg i.v.) reduced or completely suppressed the discharge rate of flexor alpha-motoneurones in a dose-dependent manner. This effect was antagonized by naloxone (0.5 mg/kg i.v.) and mimicked by levorphanol (1.0 mg/kg i.v.), but not by an equal dose of its stereoisomer dextrorphan, suggesting that the effect described is a specific one. After spinalization, the inhibitory effect of morphine was abolished. Previous studies had shown that opiates (e.g. morphine, given in a dose of 2 or 4 mg/kg i.v.) excite rat extensor alpha-motoneurones, an effect opposite to the opiate narcotic action on flexor alpha-motoneurones. The action of opiates leading to an inhibition of flexor alpha-motoneurones may contribute to akinesia and catalepsy, and opioid-induced muscular rigidity. From the results presented it appears that morphine produces a reciprocal change in the activity evoked in extensor and flexor reflex pathways.
The UV‐B stimulon of the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune comprises early shock proteins and late acclimation proteins

The UV‐B and desiccation‐tolerant terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune was grown under defined UV irradiation. Proteome changes were monitored in the membrane and the cytosolic and the extracellular fractions. Tools were developed to separate stress‐triggered from growth stage‐dependent changes. UV‐B changed the relative cellular concentration of 493 out of 1350 protein spots at least by a factor of three, rendering the UV‐B stimulon of N. commune the most complex one described so far. It comprises two different parts: an early shock response influencing 214 proteins and a late accli‐mation response involving 279 proteins. The shock response comprised many membrane or membrane‐associated proteins, whereas the acclimation re‐sponse mainly changed cytosolic proteins. Most of the shock‐induced changes were transient and did not overlap with the acclimation response. In the extracellular fraction, UV irradiation induced superoxide dismutase and the water stress protein. In total, 27 intracellular, UV‐B‐induced proteins were partially sequenced by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Three functional classes were identified: proteins involved in lipid metabolism, in carbohydrate metabolism and in regulatory pathways. About 50% of the sequenced proteins were homologous to cyanobacterial database entries with un‐known function. Interestingly, all of these proteins belong to the UV‐B acclimation response. We conclude that the UV‐B shock response and the UV‐B acclimation response represent two completely different and remarkably complex strategies of N. commune to protect itself against UV‐B radiation in its natural environment.
Abscisic acid accumulation in leaves of two contrasting hybrid poplar clones affected by nitrogen fertilization plus cyclic flooding and soil drying.

Cuttings of hybrid Populus clones Tristis and Eugenei growing in pots in a greenhouse were treated with nitrogen fertilizer at two rates and subjected to repeated soil flooding or drying. Periodically, gas exchange measurements and radioimmunoassays, to determine abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations, were made on recently mature leaves.In both clones, photosynthesis and stomatal conductance were depressed five days after flooding, but leaf ABA concentrations remained relatively constant. In contrast, an initial, 9-day period of soil drying resulted in substantial ABA accumulation in leaves, which closely correlated with declines in photosynthesis and conductance. A second soil drying cycle of up to 9 days was less effective in modifying gas exchange and leaf ABA concentrations. High-N supply stimulated leaf ABA production as the soil dried. On the resumption of watering, gas exchange in Tristis recovered fully and rapidly and leaf ABA concentrations quickly returned to control values, whereas gas exchange in Eugenei recovered slowly and leaf ABA concentrations remained high for longer.Gas exchange in Eugenei was unaffected by soil drying until leaf ABA concentrations exceeded 100 ng g(dw) (-1), whereas Tristis showed a reduction in stomatal conductance and photosynthesis at leaf ABA concentrations of only 10 ng g(dw) (-1). A rise in internal CO(2) concentrations was associated with increased leaf ABA concentrations in Tristis, but not in Eugenei. Clonal differences in the relationship between gas exchange and leaf ABA concentration suggest contrasting physiological strategies for survival under prolonged drying conditions.
Testicular carcinoma in U.S. Air Force aviators: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND Previous descriptive studies have suggested an increased risk of testicular carcinoma in military aviators. The association between testicular carcinoma and aviation in the U.S. Air Force was measured using a case-control study design. METHODS A Department of Defense hospitalization database was used to obtain a set of testicular carcinoma cases (seminomas, embryonal cell carcinomas, teratocarcinomas, and choriocarcinomas) and an unmatched set of male appendicitis controls from October 1988 to February 1999. A centralized U.S. Air Force personnel database was used to obtain demographic and flying history data on the subjects. Multiple logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) for the following exposure factors: total flight time, rank, crew position, and general type of aircraft. Study subjects were restricted to white active duty officers. RESULTS For one or more total flight hours, the age-adjusted OR was 1.74 (95% CI 1.04-2.92). Age-adjusted OR's for 1-499, 500-1999, and 2000 or more flight hours were, respectively, 1.37, 1.92, and 1.67. These OR's were not statistically significant. Age- and flight hour-adjusted OR's were increased for the navigator crew position and for bomber/tanker/ transport/reconnaissance type aircraft (2.13 and 1.67, respectively), but the ratios were not statistically significant. OR's were not increased for senior rank, fighter/trainer type aircraft, and rotary-wing aircraft. CONCLUSIONS There is an association between testicular carcinoma and flight time in U.S. Air Force officers. There was a suggestion of a dose-response effect; however, the OR's were not statistically significant.
Small molecule screening in zebrafish: swimming in potential drug therapies

Phenotype‐driven chemical genetic screens in zebrafish have become a proven approach for both dissection of developmental mechanisms and discovery of potential therapeutics. A library of small molecules can be arrayed into multiwell plates containing zebrafish embryos. The embryo becomes a whole organism in vivo bioassay that can produce a phenotype upon treatment. Screens have been performed that are based simply on the morphology of the embryo. Other screens have scored complex phenotypes using whole mount in situ hybridization, fluorescent transgenic reporters, and even tracking of embryo movement. The availability of many well‐characterized zebrafish mutants has also enabled the discovery of chemical suppressors of genetic phenotypes. Importantly, the application of chemical libraries that already contain FDA‐approved drugs has allowed the rapid translation of hits from zebrafish chemical screens to clinical trials. WIREs Dev Biol 2012, 1:459–468. doi: 10.1002/wdev.37
Budesonide turbuhaler delivered once daily improves health-related quality of life in adult patients with non-steroid-dependent asthma.

Budesonide inhalation powder via the dry-powder multidose inhaler Turbuhaler (budesonide Turbuhaler) has been shown to improve lung function and symptoms in adults with asthma. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial, we evaluated the effects of once-daily budesonide Turbuhaler on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in 177 adults (aged 18-70 years) with non-steroid-dependent asthma. Patients were randomized to receive budesonide Turbuhaler (400 micrograms) once daily or placebo for 12 weeks. HRQL was assessed at baseline and weeks 4 and 12 using the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). In addition to assessment based on the four AQLQ domains (activity limitations, asthma symptoms, emotional function, and response to exposure to environmental stimuli), AQLQ overall scores were analyzed for both treatment groups. Compared with placebo, patients using budesonide Turbuhaler once daily had statistically significant (p < 0.001) improvements from baseline to weeks 4 and 12 in AQLQ overall scores. Statistically significant improvements from baseline to weeks 4 and 12 in all four individual domains also were observed in the budesonide Turbuhaler group compared with placebo. Differences between the two treatment groups in mean changes from baseline in AQLQ overall, asthma symptoms, and emotional function reached the level required for patients to achieve a minimal important difference of change (> or = 0.5 U) at week 12. A retrospective analysis of the data showed that approximately 70% of patients treated with budesonide Turbuhaler experienced a minimal important difference of change in AQLQ overall scores. Overall, improvements in AQLQ correlated significantly (p < or = 0.04) with improvements in forced expiratory volume in 1 second, morning peak expiratory flow measurements, asthma symptoms, and breakthrough bronchodilator use at the study end. Thus, patients with corticosteroid-naïve asthma can experience improved HRQL when using budesonide Turbuhaler.
Birth Weight is Not Related to Risk of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Purpose: Low birth weight has been suggested as a risk factor for diabetes. Whether it is related to diabetic retinopathy is unclear and is examined in this study. Materials and Methods: We examined 609 adults with type 2 diabetes from the population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Retinal photographs were graded for diabetic retinopathy. Birth weight was assessed by self-report. Results: Retinopathy was present in 116 (19%) participants (113 non-proliferative and 3 proliferative). After adjusting for age, sex, race, education level, body mass index, fasting glucose, duration of diabetes, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, family history of diabetes, serum total cholesterol, and blood pressure, there was no evidence of either a linear or non-linear relationship between birthweight and diabetic retinopathy. Conclusions: Birth weight was not associated with diabetic retinopathy.