Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Capacity bounds for multi-user MIMO systems in terrestrial line-of-sight environments

We derive capacity upper and lower bounds for a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) system in a two dimensional line-of-sight environment where the central node is equipped with a uniform circular array and the remote nodes are distributed from the central node at an equal distance and equal angular separation. We first show that this channel can be represented by a circulant matrix that facilitates the derivation of the bounds. We then show that those bounds are robust to non-equal distances and non-equal angular separation, and closely indicate the performance of three dimensional MU-MIMO channel taking into account the antenna height, antenna patterns, and ground reflection in the terrestrial environment. We also show the MU-MIMO channel capacity for the central node using a uniform linear, triangular, square, and circular array as a function of remote node locations and central node antenna spacing, and conclude that the circular array provides the best performance.
Up-Regulation of IL-17 Is Associated with Bioactive IL-8 Expression in Helicobacter pylori-Infected Human Gastric Mucosa1

Helicobacter pylori (Hp)-associated gastritis is characterized by an increased number of acute and chronic inflammatory cells secreting cytokines that contribute to maintain and expand the local inflammation. Locally induced IL-8 is believed to play a major role in the Hp-associated acute inflammatory response. Factors/mechanisms that regulate IL-8 induction are, however, not fully understood. In the present study we investigated whether Hp infection is associated with an increased production of IL-17, a T cell-derived cytokine capable of modulating IL-8 gene expression. We showed that both IL-17 RNA transcripts and protein were expressed at a higher level in the whole gastric mucosal and lamina propria mononuclear cell samples from Hp-infected patients than in those from uninfected subjects. Hp eradication was associated with a marked down-regulation of IL-17 expression. The addition of a neutralizing anti-IL-17 Ab to the gastric lamina propria mononuclear cell cultures resulted in a significant inhibition of IL-8 secretion, indicating that IL-17 contributes to enhance IL-8 in the Hp-colonized gastric mucosa. Consistently, stimulation of MKN 28 cells, a gastric epithelial cell line, with IL-17 increased IL-8 secretion. Finally, conditioned medium from the IL-17-stimulated MKN 28 cell cultures promoted the in vitro polymorphonuclear leukocyte migration. This effect was inhibitable by a neutralizing IL-8 but not IL-17 Ab. Together, these data indicate that biologically active IL-17 production is increased during Hp infection, suggesting the possibility that this cytokine may play an important role in the inflammatory response to the Hp colonization.
Parties, Candidates, and Gendered Political Recruitment in Closed-List Proportional Representation Systems: The Case of Spain

Throughout the world, the number of women elected to legislatures has risen dramatically. Most of the quantitative research explaining party, district, or national differences has focused on the aggregate rather than the candidate level thereby overlooking women’s access to party ballots. In examining both the election and selection stages, we focus on Spain, a closed-list proportional representation system where parties have tight control over their ballots and the election of candidates is largely a function of rank orders on the ballot. In this South European democracy women’s representation in the national parliament has experienced an incremental track, reaching 39 percent in 2016. Party differences in gender outcomes and policies promoting equal gender representation did not vanish once a legislated quota was introduced in 2007. The empirical analysis builds on an original set of candidate longitudinal data covering nine elections held between 1986 and 2016. Specifically, we test how party and candidate factors differentially affect the selection of men and women to party ballots and their likelihood of getting elected. We show that strategic discrimination against female candidates affects all parties and it happens irrespective of candidates’ political experience, which explains why male overrepresentation has been significantly reduced but not overturned.
Multidimensional range queries on modern hardware

Range queries over multidimensional data are an important part of database workloads in many applications. Their execution may be accelerated by using multidimensional index structures (MDIS), such as kd-trees or R-trees. As for most index structures, the usefulness of this approach depends on the selectivity of the queries, and common wisdom told that a simple scan beats MDIS for queries accessing more than 15%-20% of a dataset. However, this wisdom is largely based on evaluations that are almost two decades old, performed on data being held on disks, applying IO-optimized data structures, and using single-core systems. The question is whether this rule of thumb still holds when multidimensional range queries (MDRQ) are performed on modern architectures with large main memories holding all data, multi-core CPUs and data-parallel instruction sets. In this paper, we study the question whether and how much modern hardware influences the performance ratio between index structures and scans for MDRQ. To this end, we conservatively adapted three popular MDIS, namely the R*-tree, the kd-tree, and the VA-file, to exploit features of modern servers and compared their performance to different flavors of parallel scans using multiple (synthetic and real-world) analytical workloads over multiple (synthetic and real-world) datasets of varying size, dimensionality, and skew. We find that all approaches benefit considerably from using main memory and parallelization, yet to varying degrees. Our evaluation indicates that, on current machines, scanning should be favored over parallel versions of classical MDIS even for very selective queries.
Effect of temperature on muscle energy metabolism and endurance during successive isometric contractions, sustained to fatigue, of the quadriceps muscle in man

1. The effects of altered tissue temperature on muscle metabolism during successive isometric contractions, sustained to fatigue, have been studied in the quadriceps muscle of man by combining biochemical analyses of metabolites in needle biopsy samples with measurements of endurance time with a force of 2/3 maximum voluntary contraction. Fatigue and recovery were observed repeatedly in a series of seven contractions at intervals of 20 sec, following immersion of the test leg in water at 12, 26 or 44° C for 45 min. Muscle temperatures corresponding to these water temperatures were 22·5, 32·6 and 38·6° C respectively.
Design of greenhouse environment monitoring system based on Wireless Sensor Network

As an important agricultural infrastructure, greenhouse plays an important role in the development of modern agriculture to supply proper environment for plants. The wireless sensor network has the advantages of simple structure, high efficiency, low cost, safety and reliability compared with the existing wired monitoring technology. This paper describes a design of greenhouse environment monitoring system based on wireless sensor network, the system integrates detection, wireless communication, alarm, display, control and other functions into one, using temperature and humidity sensor SHT11 and light intensity sensor BH1750 for data monitoring, using CC2530 as microprocessor, man-machine interface is realized by using LabVIEW software. The system is mobile and flexible, strong expansibility, low cost, low power consumption, flexible operation, the experiment proved that the system measurement accuracy, control stable operation. It can satisfy the demand of the greenhouse monitoring.
Rapid identification of pathogens using molecular techniques

Summary Real-time PCR is the traditional face of nucleic acid detection in the diagnostic microbiology laboratory and is now generally regarded as robust enough to be widely adopted. Methods based on nucleic acid detection of this type are bringing increased accuracy to diagnosis in areas where culture is difficult and/or expensive, and these methods are often effective partners to other rapid molecular diagnostic tools such as matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). This change in practice has particularly affected the recognition of viruses and fastidious or antibiotic-exposed bacteria, but has been also shown to be effective in the recognition of troublesome or specialised phenotypes such as antiviral resistance and transmissible antibiotic resistance in the Enterobacteriaceae. Quantitation and high-intensity sequencing (of multiple whole genomes) has brought new opportunities as well as new challenges to the microbiology community. Diagnostic microbiologists currently training might be expected to deal less with the culture-based techniques of the last half-century than with the high-volume data and complex analyses of the next.
Laminar origin and septotemporal distribution of entorhinal and perirhinal projections to the hippocampus in the cat

The Projections o the entorhinal and perirhinal cortices to the hippocampus in the cat have been studied with retrograde and anterograde tracing techniques. Retarogradely transported tracers, which were injected at different levels along the septotemporal longitudinal hippocampal axis, result in labeled neurons in superficial entorhinal cortical layers II and III. Occasionally, labeled cells were also observed in the deepest entorhinal layer as well as in the superficial layers of the perirhinal area 35. It could further be shown that labeled neurons located superficially in the entorhinal cortex corresponds to a septotemporal gradient along the longitudinal axis of the hippocampus. This topographical organization of the entorhinal‐hippocampal projection system could be substantiated by the use of anterograde tracing of radioactively labeled amino acids. Injections in the entorhinal cortex produce labeled fibers in the hippocampus. Injections in the perirhinal area 35 result also in labeling over the hippocampus, whereas area 36 does not seem to distribute fibers to the hippocampus. As anticipated from the results of the retrograde tracing experiments, injections located laterally, in or close to the posterior rhinal sulcus, produce prominent labeling over the septal pole of the hippocampus, whereas progressively more medially located injections result in progressively more temporally located labeling. This topographical distribution of perforant path fibers along the septotemporal axis of the hippocampus, which is related to a lateromedial axis in the entorhinal cortex, has been observed following injections in the lateral entorhinal area (LEA) as well as in the medial entorhinal area (MEA). The present observations are discussed in regard of other connectional and putative functional differences between the septal and temporal hippocampus.
Effect of naltrexone on neuropathic pain in mice locally transfected with the mutant μ‐opioid receptor gene in spinal cord

Opioid antagonists, such as naloxone and naltrexone, exhibit agonistic properties at the mutated μ receptor, MOR‐S196ACSTA. In our previous study, systemic naloxone (10 mg·kg−1, s.c.) elicited antinociceptive effect without the induction of tolerance, dependence or rewarding effect in mice 2 weeks after intrathecal administration of double‐stranded adeno‐associated virus‐MOR‐S196ACSTA‐eGFP. Here, we have investigated if this antinociceptive paradigm would be effective in a mouse model of neuropathic pain.
Role of Histone Acetylation in Reprogramming of Somatic Nuclei Following Nuclear Transfer1

Abstract Before fertilization, chromatins of both mouse oocytes and spermatozoa contain very few acetylated histones. Soon after fertilization, chromatins of both gametes become highly acetylated. The same deacetylation-reacetylation changes occur with histones of somatic nuclei transferred into enucleated oocytes. The significance of these events in somatic chromatin reprogramming to the totipotent state is not known. To investigate their importance in reprogramming, we injected cumulus cell nuclei into enucleated mouse oocytes and estimated the histone deacetylation dynamics with immunocytochemistry. Other reconstructed oocytes were cultured before and/or after activation in the presence of the highly potent histone deacetylase inhibitor trychostatin A (TSA) for up to 9 h postactivation. The potential of TSA-treated and untreated oocytes to develop to the blastocyst stage and to full term was compared. Global deacetylation of histones in the cumulus nuclei occurred between 1 and 3 h after injection. TSA inhibition of histone deacetylation did not affect the blastocyst rate (37% with and 34% without TSA treatment), whereas extension of the TSA treatment beyond the activation point significantly increased the blastocyst rate (up to 81% versus 40% without TSA treatment) and quality (on average, 59 versus 45 cells in day 4 blastocysts with and without TSA treatment, respectively). TSA treatment also slightly increased full-term development (from 0.8% to 2.8%). Thus, deacetylation of somatic histones is not important for reprogramming, and hyperacetylation might actually improve reprogramming.
Visual and Pathologic Analyses of Keloid Growth Patterns

Keloids grow and spread not only vertically but also horizontally, although hypertrophic scars do not grow beyond the boundaries of the original injury. Clinically, we have encountered keloids with regular and irregular (untypical) shapes. As the characteristics of the irregular growth patterns of keloids have not been studied yet, we analyzed the irregular growth of keloids both visually and pathologically.A total of 220 keloid specimens, each from a different patient, were surgically removed and used in this study. Through visual analysis, the preoperative shapes of these 220 keloids were classified into those with a regular shape (R group) and those with an irregular shape (IR group). Moreover, we distinguished between cases that had received keloidectomy previously and those that had not. We also determined whether the keloids were recurrent keloids or not. In both the R and IR groups, keloid specimens were studied histologically to examine for infection.In the R group, there were 156 cases (70.9%; 55 males and 101 females with a mean age of 33.68 years). Three patients (1.9%) had infection and 2 patients (1.3%) had undergone keloidectomy previously. In the IR group, there were 64 cases (29.1%; 24 males and 40 females with a mean age of 45.27 years). Thirty patients (46.9%) had infection and 24 patients (37.5%) had undergone keloidectomy previously. Statistically, the rates of infection and keloidectomy were significantly different between the R group and the IR group.Severe infection or operative history may be the cause of irregularly shaped keloids. Thus, in the absence of significant infection or a surgical history, the shape of keloids may be determined uniquely by skin tension.
The Impact of a Campus-Based 4-H Summer Conference Program on Youth Thriving

In 2014 the Oregon 4-H program adopted a new program model to describe and evaluate the impact of 4-H on youths. The model is based on promoting thriving in young people, with an emphasis on high program quality. This article discusses the impact on thriving in 378 youth participants of the 4-H Summer Conference (4-HSC) program. The results of the study conducted provide preliminary support for the validity of the program model as well as the impact of the 4-HSC program on participants. Additionally, the study has implications for the use of program models in translating research into practice across Extension programs.
Influenza immunization: the impact of notifying patients of high-risk status.

BACKGROUND The influenza immunization rate in the high-risk military and retired military population has not been reported. To determine this rate, and to test whether the rate could be improved by notifying patients of their high-risk status, a clinical trial was conducted using a postcard reminder as an intervention. METHODS All 1068 high-risk patients enrolled in a large, residency-affiliated, military family practice department were identified. Of these, 519 patients were randomly selected to receive a reminder postcard; the remainder (549) were not sent a card. The immunization rates of each group were compared. RESULTS A significantly higher percentage of those to whom postcards were sent received an influenza immunization (25.2% vs 9.1%, P less than .001). This difference was significant in all demographic groups except in those less than 21 years of age and those 21 to 40 years of age, in which very few patients presented for immunization. In those in the study group aged 65 years and over, 46.7% were immunized vs 20% of controls (P less than .001). Those aged 65 years and older and those in the higher income group had higher immunization rates, while those aged 40 years and under had very low immunization rates. CONCLUSIONS The influenza immunization rate among military beneficiaries in high-risk groups is low, but can be significantly improved with a reminder postcard. This intervention may be more effective in the older and higher-income segments of the high-risk population. The low immunization rates of the lower-income group and the younger age groups have significant public health implications and should be studied further.
Wnt/ß-catenin signalling and the dynamics of fate decisions in early mouse embryos and Embryonic Stem (ES) cells.

Wnt/ß-catenin signalling is a widespread cell signalling pathway with multiple roles during vertebrate development. In mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells, there is a dual role for ß-catenin: it promotes differentiation when activated as part of the Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway, and promotes stable pluripotency independently of signalling. Although mES cells resemble the preimplantation epiblast progenitors, the first requirement for Wnt/ß-catenin signalling during mouse development has been reported at implantation. [1, 2][1, 2][1, 2]The relationship between ß-catenin and pluripotency and that of mES cells with epiblast progenitors suggests that ß-catenin might have a functional role during preimplantation development. Here we summarize the expression and function of Wnt/ß-catenin signalling elements during the early stages of mouse development and consider the reasons why the requirement in ES cells do not reflect the embryo.
Characterization and Comparison of Mycobacterial Antigens by Two-Dimensional Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

Cell extracts and culture filtrates were prepared from several mycobacterial species and subjected to two-dimensional acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The cell preparations were first electrophoresed in a 7% homogeneous gel followed by a second electrophoresis, at right angles to the first separation, in a 2 to 30% linear gel gradient slab. Because the stained slab resembled a “fingerprint” or “peptide map,” this procedure has been called “electroprotein mapping. ” More than 200 protein-staining spots were detected in several of the cell extracts, each map being characteristic of the species examined. The single most characteristic portion of each map was the region between the 16 and 30% gel concentrations. This region consisted of several small-molecular-weight components (many of peptide proportions) which together appeared as the most anodic band in the 7% gel column (first separation). The number and location of these components in the linear gel slab (second separation) were specific for each species tested. By electrophoresis of molecular-weight markers (i.e., albumin, myoglobin, cytochrome c) with and across (transverse electrophoresis) the gel gradient, the relative molecular weights of the unknown cell extract components could be estimated. These results suggest that two-dimensional acrylamide gel electrophoresis is a useful tool for the characterization of mycobacterial cell constituents.
Heritability of the Human Craniofacial Complex

Quantifying normal variation and the genetic underpinnings of anatomical structures is one of the main goals of modern morphological studies. However, the extent of genetic contributions to normal variation in craniofacial morphology in humans is still unclear. The current study addresses this gap by investigating the genetic underpinnings of normal craniofacial morphology. The sample under investigation consists of 75 linear and angular measurements spanning the entire craniofacial complex, recorded from lateral cephalographs of 1,379 participants in the Fels Longitudinal Study. Heritabilities for each trait were estimated using SOLAR, a maximum‐likelihood variance components approach utilizing all pedigree information for parameter estimation. Trait means and mean effects of the covariates age, sex, age2, sex × age, and sex × age2 were simultaneously estimated in the analytic models. All traits of the craniofacial complex were significantly heritable. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.10 to 0.60, with the majority being moderate. It is important to note that we found similar ranges of heritability occurring across the different functional/developmental components of the craniofacial complex, the splanchnocranium, the basicranium, and the neurocranium. This suggests that traits from different regions of the craniofacial complex are of comparable utility for the purposes of population history and phylogeny reconstruction. At the same time, this genetic influence on craniofacial morphology signals a caution to researchers of nongenetic studies to consider the implications of this finding when selecting samples for study given their project design and goals. Anat Rec, 298:1535–1547, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lessons Learned From the Study of 10,000 Patients With Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Background and Objective:The management of rare tumors is difficult because of limited information on natural history. Our objective was to describe a long-term comprehensive prospective database with the assumption that with careful attention to patient, predisposing tumor and treatment variables, valuable knowledge could be obtained that could guide management. Methods:In July of 1982, we began a prospective database of all adult patients admitted to our institution for a surgical procedure for soft tissue sarcoma. Patients were included if they had primary, locally recurrent or metastatic disease undergoing a surgical procedure. Results:Over 3 decades, we entered 10,000 patients into our prospective soft tissue sarcoma database. Data were entered on a weekly or biweekly schedule with full participation of a multidisciplinary team and a dedicated sarcoma pathologist. Extensive information is available from this database. In this article, we describe distribution by site, histopathology, sex, size, and grade. We utilize this information along with outcome data for local recurrence, distant recurrence, disease specific, and overall survival. The value of molecular diagnosis is illustrated. Conclusions:Continuous prospective long-term databases are important to obtain knowledge particularly for rare tumors. Such data can be a rich resource for the development of prognostic indicators including nomograms and can be analyzed by Bayesian Belief Networks. These long-term data linked to collection of tumor and germ-line tissue at the time of an initial procedure will remain a resource for future decades.