Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Analysis of Multihop AF Relaying Systems in the Presence of Cochannel Interferences

This paper investigates the performance of N-hop ( N ≥ 2 ) amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying systems with both relays and the destination subject to independent and not necessarily identically distributed multiple cochannel interferences (CCIs). Based on a new class of upper bound of the equivalent signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) which is the harmonic mean of the minimum of the first M ≥ 0 hop SIRs and the minimum of the remaining N - M hop SIRs, new approximate closed-form expressions of the outage probability and the ergodic capacity are derived. Furthermore, we derive the asymptotic expression of outage probability which accurately reveals the achievable coding gain and diversity gain. Finally, numerical results validate the correctness of the derived expressions.
Westphal and Wittgenstein on White

'Why is it that something can be transparent green but not transparent white? ' Jonathan Westphal,2 despite disarmingly admitting that he may misunderstand Wittgenstein's question, suggests an answer: to be transparent is to transmit almost all incident light; to be white is to scatter almost all of it back; therefore, to be both transparent and white involves a contradiction. I shall suggest first that this answer is unsatisfactory as a response to Wittgenstein's question and secondly, that this is because it is the wrong sort of answer to the question as Wittgenstein, or indeed any philosopher, intends it.
LOW COST AERIAL MAPPING WITH CONSUMER-GRADE DRONES

Drones are innovative equipment which are now being used in geographic mapping as an alternative to high cost traditional photogrammetry and ground surveying. Considering the advantages of surveying with drones, pioneering companies in the geomatics industry like senseFly, Trimble, and Leica, etc. have built survey-grade drones specifically for mapping purposes; but in today’s market, there are cheaper consumer-grade drones available. Moving beyond the intentional purpose of these consumer-grade drones, this study was undertaken to identify the potential of using them for mapping purposes. In this study, the Phantom 3 Professional drone was successfully used to map a landscape in Sri Lanka to a horizontal accuracy of 17cm and a vertical accuracy of 28cm. An area of 1.28km was covered by 241 images with an average ground sampling distance of 6.93cm. These high resolution images were processed using Pix4D software to obtain orthoimages and a digital surface model (DSM) of the area. Ground control points surveyed by a differential global navigation satellite system (GNSS) were used to access the accuracy of the products. The results were further compared with a survey-grade drone and other common mapping techniques available today to further understand the benefits and limitations. It was shown that a GPS-enabled consumer-grade drone with an armature camera is a low cost but yet accurate and powerful mapping device which makes it possible to provide necessary aerial maps, DSMs etc. for many applications.
Cytometric detection of mycobacterial surface antigens: exposure of mannosyl epitopes and of the arabinan segment of arabinomannans

The physical arrangement of cell envelope components leads to the exposure of selected structural motifs which in turn may influence host-parasite interactions. To gain insight into the exposed epitopes, the present study describes a flow cytometric method designed to probe defined molecules on dispersed mycobacteria. The hydrophobic fluorophore N-hexadecanoyl aminofluorescein inserted in the mycobacterial cell envelope permitted focusing of fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis on cells that were further labeled with defined monoclonal antibodies and fluorochrome-coupled streptavidin. The use of antibodies directed against the lipooligosaccharide of Mycobacterium tuberculosis demonstrated the specific detection of the antigen on the cell surface of a Canetti-like strain of M. tuberculosis, and not on those of mycobacterial strains that were devoid of the glycolipid. Thus, the method was applied to investigate the relative amounts of surface-exposed mannosylated compounds and D-arabinan-containing substances of different strains of the tubercle bacillus and a strain of the rapidly growing nonpathogenic species Mycobacterium smegmatis. Both M. tuberculosis and M. smegmatis are endowed with mannosyl and arabinan epitopes on their surfaces, although there are many differences in terms of exposed mannosyl epitopes between the various strains of the tubercle bacillus examined. These differences are correlated with the amounts of terminal mannosyl residues that cap the surface-exposed arabinomannans (A. Ortalo-Magné, A. B. Andersen, and M. Daffé, Microbiology 142:927-935, 1996) but not with the degrees of virulence of the strains. This novel approach could provide new insights into the distribution of defined surface-exposed antigens and thereby into the architecture of the cell envelopes.
Nck adaptor proteins control the organization of neuronal circuits important for walking

The intracellular signaling targets used by mammalian axon guidance receptors to organize the nervous system in vivo are unclear. The Nck1 and Nck2 SH2/SH3 adaptors (collectively Nck) can couple phosphotyrosine (pTyr) signals to reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and are therefore candidates for linking guidance cues to the regulatory machinery of the cytoskeleton. We find that selective inactivation of Nck in the murine nervous system causes a hopping gait and a defect in the spinal central pattern generator, which is characterized by synchronous firing of bilateral ventral motor neurons. Nck-deficient mice also show abnormal projections of corticospinal tract axons and defective development of the posterior tract of the anterior commissure. These phenotypes are consistent with a role for Nck in signaling initiated by different classes of guidance receptors, including the EphA4 receptor tyrosine kinase. Our data indicate that Nck adaptors couple pTyr guidance signals to cytoskeletal events required for the ipsilateral projections of spinal cord neurons and thus for normal limb movement.
Co-regulation of senescence-associated genes by oncogenic homeobox proteins and polycomb repressive complexes

Cellular senescence is a stable cell cycle arrest that can be induced by stresses such as telomere shortening, oncogene activation or DNA damage. Senescence is a potent anticancer barrier that needs to be circumvented during tumorigenesis. The cell cycle regulator p16INK4a is a key effector upregulated during senescence. Polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs) play a crucial role in silencing the INK4/ARF locus, which encodes for p16INK4a, but the mechanisms by which PRCs are recruited to this locus as well as to other targets remain poorly understood. Recently we discovered the ability of the homeobox proteins HLX1 (H2.0-like homeobox 1) and HOXA9 (Homeobox A9) to bypass senescence. We showed that HLX1 and HOXA9 recruit PRCs to repress INK4a, which constitutes a key mechanism explaining their effects on senescence. Here we provide evidence for the regulation of additional senescence-associated PRC target genes by HLX1 and HOXA9. As both HLX1 and HOXA9 are oncogenes implicated in leukemogenesis, we discuss the implications that the collaboration between Homeobox proteins and PRCs has for senescence and cancer.
Desejabilidade Social e Barreiras ao cumprimento da terapêutica dietética em mulheres com excesso de peso.

Introducao: Sao diversas as barreiras ao cumprimento da terapeutica dietetica do excessode peso. A desejabilidade social (DS) corresponde a propensao para transmitir uma imagemculturalmente aceitavel, podendo enviesar parâmetros avaliados em investigacoescientificas.Objectivos: (1) Avaliar a DS em mulheres com excesso de peso; (2) Avaliar a associacaoentre a DS e outras caracteristicas; (3) Comparar os niveis de DS entre doentes avaliadasna primeira consulta ou em consultas subsequentes; (4) Avaliar as diferencas no nivel deDS entre as doentes que referem ou nao cada barreira ao cumprimento da terapeuticadietetica; (5) Avaliar o efeito da DS na frequencia de cada afirmacao indicada como barreiraao cumprimento da terapeutica dietetica.Material e Metodos: Avaliaram-se 67 mulheres com IMC superior a 25,0 kg/m2 (IMC medio= 40,0 kg/m2; dp = 5,7) e idade media de 40 anos (dp = 11) quanto a idade, escolaridade,estatura, pesos actual e desejado, percepcao do estado de saude, peso e imagem corporal(escala tipo Likert de 1 sente-se muito bem a 5 muito mal). Calcularam-se o IMC, o pesoque deseja perder e o IMC correspondente. Registaram-se o numero de consultas previase a data da primeira consulta e calculou-se o tempo desde a primeira consulta. Estudaramseas caracteristicas psicopatologicas com a Escala de Bem-Estar Psicologico Geral.Avaliaram-se as barreiras ao cumprimento da terapeutica dietetica por enumeracao, deuma lista de 34 afirmacoes que referiam obstaculos ao seu cumprimento, daquelas comque as doentes se identificavam. Avaliou-se a DS recorrendo a Marlowe-Crowne SocialDesirability Scale (MC-SDS). Resultados: A pontuacao media na MC-SDS foi de 20,9 (dp = 4,0). Encontraram-se correlacoespositivas fracas entre a DS e o numero de consultas previas e tempo desde aprimeira consulta. As doentes com consultas previas apresentam niveis de DS significativamentesuperiores as avaliadas na primeira consulta (medias de 21,7 e 18,8; p = 0,005). Nao se encontraram diferencas significativas no nivel de DS de doentes que indicassemou nao qualquer uma das afirmacoes e nao se registou efeito significativo da DS nafrequencia de qualquer afirmacao.Discussao: A pontuacao media na MC-SDS foi superior aos valores encontrados namaioria dos estudos, o que pode resultar da idade superior, menor escolaridade e presencade patologia. O contacto previo com as doentes parece influenciar a DS, podendoenviesar e dificultar a interpretacao de parâmetros medidos por auto-relato. A identificacaode barreiras ao cumprimento da terapeutica dietetica parece ser independente da DS.
" ACTIVATION " ET " SAILLANCE " D'UNITÉS GRAMMATICALES. QUELLE PLACE POUR L'INTONATION DANS LA CONSTRUCTION DYNAMIQUE DU SENS ?

L'hypothese proposee dans cet article est de distinguer deux types d'unites en jeu dans la construction dynamique du sens : les unites qui ont un role actif dans la regulation semantique de l'enonce, appelees unites " actives " et notees Ua, et celles qui, en plus d'etre actives, sont egalement proeminentes prosodiquement, appelees unites " saillantes " et notees Us. Selon cette hypothese, une unite active est une unite (entite ou proces) qui agit directement dans la construction du sens (a l'ecrit ou a l'oral), comme par exemple les mots grammaticaux. Une unite saillante est dans la meme hypothese une unite qui fait evoluer la scene verbale en plus de participer a sa construction. Dans cette perspective, l'analyse de l'adverbe anglais always montre qu'une unite " saillante " comme celle-ci permet de donner une dimension a la scene, ce que ne permet pas de faire une unite " active ". Elle montre ainsi qu'une unite saillante concentre sur elle une bonne partie de la construction du sens, a la fois grâce a sa forme schematique et a sa proeminence prosodique. L'intonation acquiere ainsi dans le modele presente un role fondamentalement instructionnel. La proeminence intonative peut effectivement etre definie comme une instruction particuliere de mise en scene verbale. Cette instruction consiste a rendre saillants des entites ou des proces, c'est-a-dire a rendre saillants leurs roles respectifs dans la construction dynamique du sens de l'enonce. Ainsi, certains elements (entites ou proces) deviennent des " centres d'attention perceptive " (Lacheret 2003) sur la scene verbale, ce qui a deux consequences : d'une part subdivision de la scene au niveau cognitif, et d'autre part, au niveau linguistique, redistribution de la predication sur les unites dites " saillantes ".
Investigations on a dual-frequency micro strip antenna for wireless applications

In this paper, the design of a micro strip patch antenna is reported which can be operated at GPS (Global Positioning System) and Bluetooth frequencies. Very small thin micro strip antenna is excited by a co-axial SMA connector to produce centre frequency of a Bluetooth system and the correct feed position is determined for impedance matching. Then a thin parasitic micro strip patch is coupled with this patch to excite the centre frequency of GPS system. The simulated results using IE3D software are supported by measurement.
[Proposal of a new standard for the nutritional assessment of pregnant women].

BACKGROUND There is evidence to suggest that the criteria for nutritional assessment of pregnant women, used by the Chilean Ministry of Health, overestimates nutritional disturbances. AIM To propose a new reference table to assess the nutritional status of pregnant women, based on body mass index. MATERIAL AND METHODS The table was theoretically defined using criteria for normality proposed by FAO and the weight increase during pregnancy that is associated with a lower maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. In 665 pregnant women, weight, height, mid arm circumference and skinfolds were measured using standard techniques. Body mass index, arm fat and muscle area and percentage of body fat were calculated. Body composition for each nutritional category, derived from the body mass index or "Rosso-Mardones classification", was analyzed. RESULTS According to the new table, under weight women had lower percentage of body fat and mid arm circumference and overweight women had higher weight, skinfold thickness and percentage of body fat than the homologous groups defined according to Rosso-Mardones tables. CONCLUSIONS The proposed reference table may be useful to correct distortions generated by the current norms for nutritional assessment of pregnant women, proposed by the Chilean Ministry of Health. It has to be validated, analyzing its sensitivity, specificity and predictive value to predict fetal and maternal variables.
Adenoviral insulinoma-associated protein 1 promoter-driven suicide gene therapy with enhanced selectivity for treatment of neuroendocrine cancers.

BACKGROUND Insulinoma-associated protein 1 (INSM1) is a zinc finger transcriptional repressor with a limited spatial and temporal embryonic expression pattern in neuronal and neuroendocrine tissues. Interestingly, INSM1 activity is reactivated in neuroendocrine tumors such as small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, and retinoblastoma. Adenoviral constructs with the 1.7-kilobase pair INSM1 promoter-driven herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene could effectively suppress D283 Med subcutaneous xenograft tumor growth. Undesirably, sequences in the adenoviral backbone overrode promoter specificity in vivo. Incorporation of both the chicken β-globin HS4 insulator sequence and 2 copies of the mouse nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAchR) neuronal restrictive silencer element abolished the nonspecific activation of the INSM1 promoter in vivo. METHODS The luciferase reporter gene was replaced with the HSV-tk suicide gene to generate the Ad-K5 virus. Both in vitro cell viability assays and in vivo tumor regression studies were used to determine the efficacy of the improved configuration INSM1 promoter adenoviral construct against a panel of neuroendocrine cell lines. RESULTS In vitro cell viability assays with the Ad-K5 HSV-tk-expressing construct further reinforced that the Ad-K5 virus could eradicate SCLC, insulinoma, medulloblastoma, and neuroblastoma cells. Further, Ad-K5 virus treatment of a D283 Med subcutaneous xenograft tumor showed a superior antitumor effect over the control Ad-RSV (Rous sarcoma virus)-HSV-tk. CONCLUSIONS Improvements to the INSM1 promoter resulted in a stronger and more selective adenovirus. Treatment of a panel of neuroendocrine carcinomas with the Ad-K5 virus revealed enhanced antitumor activity over the RSV control, demonstrating its usefulness for the treatment of a variety of neuroendocrine tumors.
Global priorities for conservation across multiple dimensions of mammalian diversity

Significance Approximately a quarter of all land mammals are currently threatened, mostly by human activities including habitat loss and harvesting. Here, we provide the first biological map of priority areas that captures all three dimensions of mammalian biodiversity: taxonomic, phylogenetic, and traits. We find limited overlap in priority regions across the three dimensions and with currently protected areas, indicating that conservation planning should consider multiple dimensions of biodiversity to maximize biodiversity conservation. Our complementarity-based prioritization provides a conservation solution that can be incorporated in future conservation planning efforts aimed at helping protect not only species but also evolutionary potential and ecosystem function. Conservation priorities that are based on species distribution, endemism, and vulnerability may underrepresent biologically unique species as well as their functional roles and evolutionary histories. To ensure that priorities are biologically comprehensive, multiple dimensions of diversity must be considered. Further, understanding how the different dimensions relate to one another spatially is important for conservation prioritization, but the relationship remains poorly understood. Here, we use spatial conservation planning to (i) identify and compare priority regions for global mammal conservation across three key dimensions of biodiversity—taxonomic, phylogenetic, and traits—and (ii) determine the overlap of these regions with the locations of threatened species and existing protected areas. We show that priority areas for mammal conservation exhibit low overlap across the three dimensions, highlighting the need for an integrative approach for biodiversity conservation. Additionally, currently protected areas poorly represent the three dimensions of mammalian biodiversity. We identify areas of high conservation priority among and across the dimensions that should receive special attention for expanding the global protected area network. These high-priority areas, combined with areas of high priority for other taxonomic groups and with social, economic, and political considerations, provide a biological foundation for future conservation planning efforts.
Roles and origins of leukocyte lipid bodies: proteomic and ultrastructural studies

Lipid bodies (LBs), multifunctional organelles present in most eukaryotic cells, are sites of eicosanoid formation in leukocytes; but little is known about the composition of leukocyte LBs or the biogenesis and internal structures of LBs from mammalian cells. Proteomic analyses of LBs purified from human monocytic U937 cells detected, common to LBs in other cells, proteins involved in cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism, Rab GTPases, and many membrane and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)‐associated proteins. Newly lipid body (LB)‐associated proteins included MRP‐14, potentially involved in arachidonate transport, and ribosomal subunit proteins and translation regulatory proteins. Ultrastructurally, in U937 cells as well as human neutrophils and eosinophils, ribosomes are attached to and distributed within LBs, and LBs contain extensive ER‐like membranes. The presence of ribosomes, ER‐like membranes and many membrane‐associated and ER luminal proteins within LBs, supports a new model by which enveloped ER‐membranes and domains form LBs and indicates that LBs may be sites of protein synthesis. Wan, H‐C. , Melo, R. C. N. , Jin, Z. , Dvorak, A. M. , Weller, P. F. Roles and origins of leukocyte lipid bodies: proteomic and ultrastructural studies. FASEB J. 21, 167–178 (2007)
Extracellular proteolytic pathophysiology in the neurovascular unit after stroke

Abstract The NINDS Stroke Progress Review Group recommended a shift in emphasis from a purely neurocentric view of cell death towards a more integrative approach whereby responses in all brain cells and matrix are considered. The neurovascular unit (fundamentally comprising endothelium, astrocyte, and neuron) provides a conceptual framework where cell–cell and cell–matrix signaling underlies the overall tissue response to stroke and its treatments. Here, we briefly review recent data on extracellular proteolytic dysfunction in the neurovascular unit after a stroke. The breakdown of neurovascular matrix initiates blood–brain barrier disruption with edema and/or hemorrhage. Endothelial dysfunction amplifies inflammatory responses. Perturbation of cell–matrix homeostasis triggers multiple cell death pathways. Interactions between the major classes of extracellular proteases from the plasminogen and matrix metalloprotease families may underlie processes responsible for some of the hemorrhagic complications of thrombolytic stroke therapy. Targeting the proteolytic imbalance within the neurovascular unit may provide new approaches for improving the safety and efficacy of thrombolytic reperfusion therapy for stroke.
Expression of P‐cadherin distinct from that of E‐cadherin in re‐epithelialization in neonatal rat skin

Our previous study showed that an open wound made in neonatal rat skin was covered by migration of certain undifferentiated populations of keratinocytes as a multilayered cell sheet. In this study, the expression of the components of adherens junctions (AJ), E‐ and P‐cadherins, and beta‐catenin, was examined to understand the underlying mechanisms. Both E‐ and P‐cadherins were downregulated in the basal layer at 6 h post‐wounding (PW), indicating a reduction in the intercellular adhesiveness. The expression of P‐cadherin but not E‐cadherin was expanded to the suprabasal layers at the wound margin at 12 h PW. Moreover, the expression pattern of P‐cadherin at sites of cell–cell contact was punctate rather than linear. By 24 h PW, cells accumulated beta‐catenin in the cytoplasm in a suprabasal layer contacting the basal layer at the wound margin. Both the E‐ and P‐cadherins showed a punctate AJ pattern at the confined suprabasal layer. Such differential expression of the E‐ and P‐cadherins strongly suggests that these two classic cadherins play distinct roles in re‐epithelialization. The changing of the E‐ and/or P‐cadherin expression may participate in a delay of terminal differentiation of keratinocytes for cell supply toward a wound.
Genome-wide data substantiate Holocene gene flow from India to Australia

The Australian continent holds some of the earliest archaeological evidence for the expansion of modern humans out of Africa, with initial occupation at least 40,000 y ago. It is commonly assumed that Australia remained largely isolated following initial colonization, but the genetic history of Australians has not been explored in detail to address this issue. Here, we analyze large-scale genotyping data from aboriginal Australians, New Guineans, island Southeast Asians and Indians. We find an ancient association between Australia, New Guinea, and the Mamanwa (a Negrito group from the Philippines), with divergence times for these groups estimated at 36,000 y ago, and supporting the view that these populations represent the descendants of an early “southern route” migration out of Africa, whereas other populations in the region arrived later by a separate dispersal. We also detect a signal indicative of substantial gene flow between the Indian populations and Australia well before European contact, contrary to the prevailing view that there was no contact between Australia and the rest of the world. We estimate this gene flow to have occurred during the Holocene, 4,230 y ago. This is also approximately when changes in tool technology, food processing, and the dingo appear in the Australian archaeological record, suggesting that these may be related to the migration from India.