Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deterministic Propagation Models for Radio Transmission into Buildings and Enclosed Spaces

With the growing interest for broadband mobile services in 3rd generation mobile communication networks, the investigation of radio transmission into vehicles and buildings is getting more important. Models for the propagation into vehicles and buildings enable the calculation of the field strength or received power inside these objects. The inner structure of the vehicles (e.g. metal parts) and buildings (inner walls, furniture) as well as the surroundings (other vehicles, buildings) must be considered, and also different construction materials must be taken into account. A deterministic ray tracing approach has been developed, enabling the computation of the transition from an urban scenario to an indoor scenario and vice versa, thus allowing a very accurate computation of the field strength or received power inside vehicles or buildings. Due to the ray tracing technique, the approach can also be utilized to evaluate wideband properties of the mobile radio channel by computing its impulse response. In order to validate such propagation models, measurements inside and outside a building were made.
The new model of sick building syndrome

I read with interest the article by Israeli et al. [1] on the potential inclusion of the sick building syndrome (SBS) in the scope of the autoimmune syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA). The authors reflect upon the similarities of SBS and other four conditions—siliconosis, macrophagic myofascitis, Gulf War syndrome, and postvaccination phenomena—characterized by environmental exposure and possible autoimmune features. However, it is pointed out that the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease is either a missing denominator in SBS or is not reported. Conversely, defined autoimmune connective tissue disorders have been previously described by our group in one of the main buildings of a general hospital [2]. Moreover, other immune disorders, triggered or worsened, were also found, which suggest that the same environmental exposure leads to different reactions in susceptible individuals [3]. Finally, we found four patients who showed antiphospholipid antibodies and three who suffered miscarriages [1] in balance to the negative findings of our colleagues who assessed the pregnancy risks of different cohorts, which did not include SBS cases [4]. All of those findings state a new scenario of interpretation for SBS, where the immune susceptibility seems to be equally or more important than the building itself, in order to explain biologically the manifestations of the patients. Since the beginnings of SBS descriptions, investigations have focused on the effects of the buildings, but clinical individual assessment has been neglected. If individual susceptibility is behind SBS, retrospective surveys containing workers without a risk profile will attenuate the results. The hitherto evaluation through questionnaires should be substituted for the clinical approach of each individual case, by experts on immune diseases. Beyond a reclassification of SBS in ASIA, SBS may start being recognized as one more example of well-known autoimmune condition or immune disease induced by environmental components.
Over‐expression of wild‐type Rad51 correlates with histological grading of invasive ductal breast cancer

Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer‐related death in women. BRCA1 tumour‐suppressor function is abolished in sporadic breast cancer by down‐regulation of the protein level. This down‐regulation inversely correlates with tumour grading. BRCA1 is part of a multiprotein complex, which also contains the recombination factor Rad51. Here we describe that in contrast to BRCA1, histological grading of sporadic invasive ductal breast cancer significantly correlates with over‐expression of wild‐type Rad51. These data suggest that in addition to the absence of the tumour‐suppressor protein BRCA1, over‐expression of wild‐type Rad51 also contributes to the pathogenesis of a significant percentage of sporadic breast cancers and that other mechanisms than mutations must be responsible for this altered expression. Int. J. Cancer 88:907–913, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
P-glycoprotein mediates brain-to-blood efflux transport of buprenorphine across the blood–brain barrier

The involvement of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in buprenorphine (BNP) transport at the blood–brain barrier (BBB) in rats was investigated in vivo by means of both the brain uptake index technique and the brain efflux index technique. P-gp inhibitors, such as cyclosporin A, quinidine and verapamil, enhanced the apparent brain uptake of [3H]BNP by 1.5-fold. The increment of the BNP uptake by the brain suggests the involvement of a P-gp efflux mechanism of BNP transport at the BBB. [3H]BNP was eliminated with an apparent elimination half-life of 27.5 min after microinjection into the parietal cortex area 2 regions of the rat brain. The apparent efflux clearance of [3H]BNP across the BBB was 0.154 ml/min/g brain, which was calculated from the elimination rate constant (2.52 × 10− 2 min− 1) and the distribution volume in the brain (6.11 ml/g brain). The efflux transport of [3H]BNP was inhibited by range from 32 to 64% in the presence of P-gp inhibitors. The present results suggest that BNP is transported from the brain across the BBB via a P-gp-mediated efflux transport system, at least in part.
Project Northland: outcomes of a communitywide alcohol use prevention program during early adolescence.

OBJECTIVES Project Northland is an efficacy trial with the goal of preventing or reducing alcohol use among young adolescents by using a multilevel, communitywide approach. METHODS Conducted in 24 school districts and adjacent communities in northeastern Minnesota since 1991, the intervention targets the class of 1998 (sixth-grade students in 1991) and has been implemented for 3 school years (1991 to 1994). The intervention consists of social-behavioral curricula in schools, peer leadership, parental involvement/education, and communitywide task force activities. Annual surveys of the class of 1998 measure alcohol use, tobacco use, and psychosocial factors. RESULTS At the end of 3 years, students in the intervention school districts report less onset and prevalence of alcohol use than students in the reference districts. The differences were particularly notable among those who were nonusers at baseline. CONCLUSIONS The results of Project Northland suggest that multilevel, targeted prevention programs for young adolescents are effective in reducing alcohol use.
Rhabdomyolysis after abdominal surgery in the hyperlordotic position enforced by pneumatic support.

(PDE5) gene expression is regulated during rat pulmonary development. Pediatr Res 1998; 43:163-8 2. Ivy DD, Kinsella JP, Ziegler JW, Abman SH: Dipyridamole attenuates rebound pulmonary hypertension after inhaled nitric oxide withdrawal in postoperative congenital heart disease. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1998; 115:875-82 3. Boolell M, Gepi-Attee S, Gingell JC, Allen MJ: Sildenafil, a novel effective oral therapy for male erectile dysfunction. Br J Urol 1996; 78:257-61 4. Goldman AP, Haworth SG, Macrae DJ: Does inhaled nitric oxide suppress endogenous nitric oxide production? J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996; 112541-2 5. Buga GM, Griscavage JM, Rogers NE, Ignarro LJ: Negative feedback regulation of endothelial cell function by nitric oxide. Circ Res
Output-feedback generalization of Variable Gain Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Control via global HOSM differentiators

In this paper, an output-feedback version of the Variable Gain Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Control is proposed for uncertain plants with arbitrary relative degree. This extension is achieved by using global HOSM (higher-order sliding modes) differentiators with dynamic gains. Norm observers for the unmeasured state are employed to dominate the disturbances as well as to adapt the gains of the proposed differentiator, since the disturbances may be state-dependent and time-varying. The proposed control scheme guarantees global stability with robust exact tracking. As the control signal is continuous the proposed scheme alleviates the chattering phenomenon. Numerical simulations illustrate the theoretical results.
From the Doppler Effect to Ultrafast Distance Metrology

The fast inspection of technical processes gains increasing importance. Time resolved distance and shape measurements of the dynamic deformation of high speed rotating objects are challenging. The measurement rate of conventional distance sensors is limited, since their uncertainty strongly increases with the surface velocity of the inspected object. In contrast, the recently developed laser Doppler distance sensor exhibits a distance measurement uncertainty which is independent of the lateral surface velocity. This unique measurement feature allows ultrafast inspection of high-speed objects such as rotors of turbo machines.
Topical homophily in online social systems

Understanding the dynamics of social interactions is crucial to comprehend human behavior. The emergence of online social media has enabled access to data regarding people relationships at a large scale. Twitter, specifically, is an information oriented network, with users sharing and consuming information. In this work, we study whether users tend to be in contact with people interested in similar topics, i.e., topical homophily. To do so, we propose an approach based on the use of hashtags to extract information topics from Twitter messages and model users' interests. Our results show that, on average, users are connected with other users similar to them and stronger relationships are due to a higher topical similarity. Furthermore, we show that topical homophily provides interesting information that can eventually allow inferring users' connectivity. Our work, besides providing a way to assess the topical similarity of users, quantifies topical homophily among individuals, contributing to a better understanding of how complex social systems are structured.
Real-Time Traffic Light Recognition Based on C-HOG Features

This paper proposes a real-time traffic light detection and recognition algorithm that would allow for the recognition of traffic signals in intelligent vehicles. This algorithm is based on C-HOG features (Color and HOG features) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). The algorithm extracted red and green areas in the video accurately, and then screened the eligible area. Thereafter, the C-HOG features of all kinds of lights could be extracted. Finally, this work used SVM to build a classifier of corresponding category lights. This algorithm obtained accurate real-time information based on the judgment of the decision function. Furthermore, experimental results show that this algorithm demonstrated accuracy and good real-time performance.
Is the person trade-off a valid method for allocating health care resources? Some caveats

The Person Trade-Off (PTO) is a methodology aimed at measuring the social value of health states. The rest of methodologies would measure individual utility and would be less appropriate for taking resource allocation decisions. However few studies have been conducted to test the validity of the method. We present a pilot study with this objective. The study is based on the result of interviews to 30 undergraduate students in Economics. We judge the validity of PTO answers by their adequacy to three hypothesis of rationality. First, we show that, given certain rationality assumptions, PTO answers should be predicted from answers to Standard Gamble questions. This first hypothesis is not verified. The second hypothesis is that PTO answers should not vary with different frames of equivalent PTO questions. This second hypothesis is also not verified. Our third hypothesis is that PTO values should predict social preferences for allocating resources between patients. This hypothesis is verified. The evidence on the validity of the method is then conflicting.
Control of cascaded inverter with a novel H-bridge driver

To increase the fault tolerance for cascaded H-bridge inverter, a novel powerful driver is used for H-bridge drive and protection. This driving-circuit could drive four high power IGBTs simultaneously, with slowly decreasing grid-voltage and softly turn-off based short circuit protection. To obtain a balanced line to line voltage with the cell-fault inverter, neutral shift based control methods is adopted, the output are increased than traditional control method. A cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter prototype with this novel driver is designed. The experiment results show that the reliability of the system is then enhanced.
Omega-3 fatty acids inhibit the up-regulation of endothelial chemokines in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Chronic systemic inflammation is common in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis (CKD5D) and has been considered a key mediator of the increased cardiovascular risk in this patient population. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that supplementation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) will attenuate the systemic inflammatory process in CKD5D patients. METHODS The design was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled pilot trial (NCT00655525). Thirty-eight patients were randomly assigned in a 1 : 1 fashion to receive 2.9 g of eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5, n-3) plus docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6, n-3) versus placebo for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was change in pro-inflammatory chemokines measured by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Secondary outcomes were changes in systemic inflammatory markers. Analysis of covariance was used to compare percent change from baseline to 12 weeks. RESULTS Thirty-one patients completed 12 weeks and three patients completed 6 weeks of the study. Median age was 52 (interquartile range 45, 60) years, 74% were African-American and 79% were male. Supplementation of ω-3 PUFAs effectively decreased the LPS-induced PBMC expression of RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T cell Expressed and Secreted) and MCP-1 (Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1; unadjusted P = 0.04 and 0.06; adjusted for demographics P = 0.02 and 0.05, respectively). There was no significant effect of the intervention on serum inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and procalcitonin). CONCLUSIONS The results of this pilot study suggest that supplementation of ω-3 PUFAs is beneficial in decreasing the levels of endothelial chemokines, RANTES and MCP-1. Studies of larger sample size and longer duration are required to further evaluate effects of ω-3 PUFAs on systemic markers of inflammation, other metabolic parameters and clinical outcomes, particularly cardiovascular outcomes in CKD5D patients.
An Enhanced 'Optimization-on-a-Manifold' Framework for Global Registration of 3D Range Data

In this paper we present a robust global registration technique which is suitable to accurately align sets of high-resolution range images. Our approach is based on the `Optimization-on-a-Manifold', OOM framework proposed by Krishnan et al. to which we contribute with both systemic and computational improvements. The original OOM algorithm performs an error minimization over the manifold of rotations through an iterative scheme based on Gauss-Newton optimization, provided that a set of exact correspondences is known beforehand. As a main contribution, we relax this requirement, allowing to accept sets of inexact correspondences that are dynamically updated after each iteration. Other improvements are directed toward the reduction of the computational burden of the method while maintaining its robustness. The modifications we have introduced allow to significantly improve both the convergence rate and the accuracy of the original technique, while boosting its computational speed. Meaningful comparisons with a classic global registration approach are also provided.
Comparative analyses of salivary proteins from three aphid species

Saliva is a critical biochemical interface between aphids and their host plants; however, the biochemical nature and physiological functions of aphid saliva proteins are not fully elucidated. In this study we used a multidisciplinary proteomics approach combining liquid chromatography‐electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and two‐dimensional differential in‐gel electrophoresis/matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight/mass spectrometry to compare the salivary proteins from three aphid species including Acyrthosiphon pisum, Megoura viciae and Myzus persicae. Comparative analyses revealed variability among aphid salivary proteomes. Among the proteins that varied, 22% were related to DNA‐binding, 19% were related to GTP‐binding, and 19% had oxidoreductase activity. In addition, we identified a peroxiredoxin enzyme and an ATP‐binding protein that may be involved in the modulation of plant defences. Knowledge of salivary components and how they vary among aphid species may reveal how aphids target plant processes and how the aphid and host plant interact.
Glutathione Synthesis in the Exocrine Pancreas

Glutathione is essential for cellular cytoprotection, and in the exocrine pancreas, it is required for digestive enzyme synthesis. The purpose of these studies was to measure the capacity of the exocrine pancreas to synthesize glutathione, determine whether the pancreatic transsulfuration pathway has a role in providing cysteine needed for glutathione synthesis, and determine whether the glutathione synthetic capacity of the pancreas responds to pathologically relevant stresses. The activity of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, the key regulatory enzyme for glutathione synthesis, was 3.56 ± 0.29 mU/mg protein in the pancreas of fed rats, compared to 31 ± 4 in the liver and 116 ± 5 in the kidney. Studies using dispersed rat pancreatic acinar cells showed that the exocrine pancreas synthesizes glutathione from precursor amino acids and that the transsulfuration pathway is functionally intact in the pancreas and may serve as an important source of pancreatic cysteine. In mice, pancreatic γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase activity was induced 37% by corn oil, 77% by ethanol, and 88% by both treatments. Thus, the glutathione synthetic capacity of the pancreas is quantitatively less than that of the kidney or liver, but its key regulatory enzyme responds dynamically to pathologically relevant metabolic stresses, suggesting that glutathione is a key pancreatic cytoprotectant.
Effect of Height on Edge Tapered Rectangular Patch Antenna using Parasitic Stubs and Slots

In this paper an rectangular patch with parasitic stub whose edge have been cut , with two slots near the feedline has been proposed. The antenna is designed using HFSS software. The designed antenna shows wideband characteristics having simulated bandwidth of 96 %. The overall dimension of the antenna are 35×35×1.6 mm 3 . This antenna obtained maximum gain of 9.55dB having VSWR is less than 2. KeywordsMicrostrip patch antenna, Parasitic stubs, Slot antenna, wideband
Lung Cancer Incidence by Smoking Status in Korean Men: 16-Years of Observations in the Seoul Male Cancer Cohort Study

The relative risk (RR) of smoking and mortality of lung cancer in British doctors was previously reported to have increased throughout a 40-yr period. Here, we evaluated this RR based on the incidence of lung cancer in Korean men using a longer follow-up period. We compared our data to the RR reported in a study using a 10-yr follow-up period; the subjects and methods were identical to those of the previous paper with the exception of the follow-up period, which ended on December 31, 2008. We found that the RR of smoking habits in patients with lung cancer did not increase, and that the data showed narrowing 95% confidence intervals over a longer observation in Korean men. Estimated lung cancers attributable to smoking were 55.6%. These results highlight the need for an intervention program to help patients quit smoking in Korea.
Energy Efficiency of MIMO-IFBC for Green Wireless Systems

To design a reliable wireless system, its energy efficiency is an essential factor. As MIMO system has to suffer from fading, interferences and noises, the system should design in such a way that to compensate these problems. So interference alignment is included with MIMO interfering broadcast channel. This paper deals with the energy efficiency maximization of MIMO-IFBC system. When the energy efficiency is maximized, as it depends on power, the capacity of the system increases and thus the data rate also increases and cancels or minimizes interferences. Here the EE is compared and optimized for two SNR regions, that is, for high SNR and moderate SNR. For high SNR singular value decomposition is used with water filling power adaptation algorithm and EE is optimized. The optimization of EE and power allocation is easy to implement as noise and interference is less. In the case of high SNR the power is high and noise is low so EE can maximize using power allocation algorithms most commonly used is water filling algorithm. For moderate SNR regions, the power is less so by using DPC algorithm the distorted or low power signal at receiver can be boosted so power can increased and thereby EE get maximized. This paper focused mainly on the EE optimization of moderate SNR regions, and thereby a reliable MIMO-IFBC system with interference alignment for medium SNR is proposed.
An Abundant Perivascular Source of Stem Cells for Bone Tissue Engineering

Adipose tissue is an ideal mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) source, as it is dispensable and accessible with minimal morbidity. However, the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of adipose tissue is a heterogeneous cell population, which has disadvantages for tissue regeneration. In the present study, we prospectively purified human perivascular stem cells (PSCs) from n = 60 samples of human lipoaspirate and documented their frequency, viability, and variation with patient demographics. PSCs are a fluorescence‐activated cell sorting‐sorted population composed of pericytes (CD45−, CD146+, CD34−) and adventitial cells (CD45−, CD146−, CD34+), each of which we have previously reported to have properties of MSCs. Here, we found that PSCs make up, on average, 43.2% of SVF from human lipoaspirate (19.5% pericytes and 23.8% adventitial cells). These numbers were minimally changed by age, gender, or body mass index of the patient or by length of refrigerated storage time between liposuction and processing. In a previous publication, we observed that human PSCs (hPSCs) formed significantly more bone in vivo in comparison with unsorted human SVF (hSVF) in an intramuscular implantation model. We now extend this finding to a bone injury model, observing that purified hPSCs led to significantly greater healing of mouse critical‐size calvarial defects than hSVF (60.9% healing as opposed to 15.4% healing at 2 weeks postoperative by microcomputed tomography analysis). These studies suggest that adipose‐derived hPSCs are a new cell source for future efforts in skeletal regenerative medicine. Moreover, hPSCs are a stem cell‐based therapeutic that is readily approvable by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with potentially increased safety, purity, identity, potency, and efficacy.
Performance and Breakdown Characteristics of Irradiated Vertical Power GaN P-i-N Diodes

Electrical performance and defect characterization of vertical GaN P-i-N diodes before and after irradiation with 2.5 MeV protons and neutrons is investigated. Devices exhibit increase in specific on-resistance following irradiation with protons and neutrons, indicating displacement damage introduces defects into the p-GaN and n- drift regions of the device that impact on-state device performance. The breakdown voltage of these devices, initially above 1700 V, is observed to decrease only slightly for particle fluence <; 1013 cm-2. The unipolar figure of merit for power devices indicates that while the on-resistance and breakdown voltage degrade with irradiation, vertical GaN P-i-Ns remain superior to the performance of the best available, unirradiated silicon devices and on-par with unirradiated modern SiC-based power devices.