Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modified Kirchhoff Migration for UWB MIMO Array-Based Radar Imaging

In this paper, the formulation of Kirchhoff migration is modified for multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) array-based radar imaging in both free-space and subsurface scenarios. By applying the Kirchhoff integral to the multistatic data acquisition, the integral expression for the MIMO imaging is explicitly derived. Inclusion of the Snell's law and the Fresnel's equations into the integral formulation further expends the migration technique to subsurface imaging. A modification of the technique for strongly offset targets is proposed as well. The developed migration techniques are able to perform imaging with arbitrary MIMO configurations, which allow further exploration of the benefits of various array topologies. The proposed algorithms are compared with conventional diffraction stack migration on free-space synthetic data and experimentally validated by ground-penetrating radar experiments in subsurface scenarios. The results show that the modified Kirchhoff migration is superior over the conventional diffraction stack migration in the aspects of resolution, side-lobe level, clutter rejection ratio, and the ability to reconstruct shapes of distributed targets.
Hybrid underlay/overlay cognitive radio system with hierarchical modulation in the presence of channel estimation error

In this paper, we study the performance of hybrid cognitive radio (CR) system in the presence of channel estimation error (CER) in terms of bit-error-probability (BEP) and outage probability. We assume simultaneous switching between the underlay and overlay modes of CR where in, the secondary user (SU) probabilistically accesses the primary user's (PU) channel in both underlay and overlay modes to utilize the benefits of hybrid CR system. The PU uses two-layer 2/4 - ASK constellation with unequal level of bit protection against the interference imposed by the SU's transmitter. The SU wishes to opportunistically use the PU's channel to transmit its own data while maintaining the performance of the PU's layer with the worst level of protection at a desired value. We derive the SU's maximum allowable transmit power in the overlay mode to guarantee the PU reliable communication then, we discuss about the optimum value of the hybrid switching rate that minimizes the outage probability of the SU along with, deriving the exact BEP and outage probability expressions for the secondary system as well as that of the first and the second layers of the PU system.
Capacity of the Testosterone-Binding Globulin in Human Plasma and Influence of Specific Binding of Testosterone on Its Metabolic Clearance Rate

ABSTRACT The binding capacity (TeBC) and binding index (BI) of the testosterone-binding globulin (TeBG) have been studied in several groups of patients. Before puberty, TeBC and BI are similar in both sexes and in the adult female range, but are higher in adult females than in adult males. Increased. TeBC and BI values were observed in male hypogonadism in hyperthyroidism, and in males with chronic asthmatic bronchitis or cirrhosis of the liver. During pregnancy increased TeBC and BI values were observed but at delivery low normal TeBC and BI values were found. Decreased TeBC and BI values were observed in hirsutism, in female obese patients, and in patients with the nephrotic syndrome. Progestogens do not increase TeBC, whereas estrogens (contraceptives) increase significantly the TeBC and BI values; decreased values were observed after testosterone treatment of females; corticoids decrease the TeBC values of patients with chronic asthmatic bronchitis. The metabolic clearance rate (MCR) of testosterone, .
On design of improper signaling for ser minimization in K-user interference channel

The rate maximization for the K-user interference channels (ICs) has been investigated extensively in the literature. However, the dual problem of minimizing the error probability with given signal constellations and/or data rates of the users is less exploited. In this paper, by utilizing the additional degrees of freedom attained from the improper signaling (versus the conventional proper signaling), we optimize the precoding matrices for the K-user single-input single-output (SISO) ICs to achieve minimal transmission symbol error rate (SER). Compared to conventional proper signaling as well as other state-of-the-art improper signaling designs, our proposed improper signaling scheme is shown to achieve notable SER improvement in SISO-ICs by simulations. Our study provides another viewpoint for optimizing transmissions in ICs and further justifies the practical benefit of improper signaling in interference-limited communication systems.
Cooperative versus noncooperative cellular wireless systems

The cellular systems with base station (BS) coordination are known for increasing the cell edge user throughput considerably. They process signals captured by geographically distributed BSs coherently. In contrast, noncooperative BSs with large number of antennas are also known for achieving both high spectral and energy efficiency. The fully cooperative BSs have several drawbacks such as ideal backhaul requirements, need for BS synchronization, and channel state information (CSI). These drawbacks hinder fully cooperative cellular systems considerably. Therefore, in this paper, the prospect of designing noncooperative cellular systems with comparable performance in some sense to ideal cooperative cellular systems with no additional power or spectrum is systematically pursued. The approach is based on the information theoretic rate characterization for finite size systems. The size of systems is in terms of the number of BS antennas and users. We show in this paper that under certain conditions, such noncooperative cellular systems can be designed. We devise a framework to compare two systems and obtain necessary conditions for making the performance of two seemingly unrelated access technologies closely comparable.
PD-L1 (B7-H1) and PD-1 pathway blockade for cancer therapy: Mechanisms, response biomarkers, and combinations

PD pathway blockade elicits durable antitumor responses in a subset of patients with a broad spectrum of cancers. Gloss PD-L1 and PD-1 (PD) pathway blockade is a highly promising therapy and has elicited durable antitumor responses and long-term remissions in a subset of patients with a broad spectrum of cancers. How to improve, widen, and predict the clinical response to anti-PD therapy is a central theme in the field of cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Oncologic, immunologic, genetic, and biological studies focused on the human cancer microenvironment have yielded substantial insight into this issue. Here, we focus on tumor microenvironment and evaluate several potential therapeutic response markers including the PD-L1 and PD-1 expression pattern, genetic mutations within cancer cells and neoantigens, cancer epigenetics and effector T cell landscape, and microbiota. We further clarify the mechanisms of action of these markers and their roles in shaping, being shaped, and/or predicting therapeutic responses. We also discuss a variety of combinations with PD pathway blockade and their scientific rationales for cancer treatment. PD-L1 and PD-1 (PD) pathway blockade is a highly promising therapy and has elicited durable antitumor responses and long-term remissions in a subset of patients with a broad spectrum of cancers. How to improve, widen, and predict the clinical response to anti-PD therapy is a central theme in the field of cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Oncologic, immunologic, genetic, and biological studies focused on the human cancer microenvironment have yielded substantial insight into this issue. Here, we focus on tumor microenvironment and evaluate several potential therapeutic response markers including the PD-L1 and PD-1 expression pattern, genetic mutations within cancer cells and neoantigens, cancer epigenetics and effector T cell landscape, and microbiota. We further clarify the mechanisms of action of these markers and their roles in shaping, being shaped, and/or predicting therapeutic responses. We also discuss a variety of combinations with PD pathway blockade and their scientific rationales for cancer treatment.
Psychopharmacology and Psychobiology of Ethnicity

Are there differences in the responses to medication among different ethnic groups? This book gives the state-of-the-art answer and discusses the increasingly complex issues in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications in whites, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and American Indians. In an interesting and provocative way, the authors describe the multiple issues involved in the choice of psychotropic medication for patients of diverse ethnic backgrounds and also consider appropriate dosages for individual patients. The first of the book's three sections is an introduction and overview, which discusses both the basic issues in psychopharmacology and psychobiology as related to ethnicity and the interface between psychobiology and ethnicity. Nonbiological issues and cultural considerations also are discussed. Chapter 3 deals with important issues like compliance and placebo effects. The second section focuses on ethnicity and psychopharmacology. Different chapters cover tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, lithium, neuroleptics, and ethanol. For example, in chapter 4,
Embedded/Real-Time Systems

Embedded and real-time systems, like other computing systems, seek to maximize computing power for a given price and thus can significantly benefit from the advancing capabilities of cluster computing. In addition to MFLOPS/s, embedded and real-time systems often have severe constraints on size, weight, and power as well as latency and reliability. Satisfying these constraints is usually achieved by reducing components such as disk drives, memory, and access ports. These additional constraints have traditionally led to more customized solutions within a limited marketplace. More recently, embedded computer vendors have adopted the practice of using clusters of mainstream RISC processors configured in rack-mounted cabinets. In addition, many cluster vendors are adapting their rack-mounted systems to more compact environments. Reliability constraints in these markets have traditionally been handled by traditional fault avoidance (e.g., applying higher quality and more expensive fabrication procedures on older designs) and fault tolerance (e.g., replication) techniques. While effective, these techniques tend to work against the goals (cost, power, size, and weight) of embedded real-time systems. This article seeks to provide an overview of the cluster-computing technology found in the embedded computing world. We begin with a brief description of some of the major applications that use embedded computers. The next two sections present hardware issues (processors, interconnects, and form factors) and software issues (operating systems and middleware). Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the current trend toward embedded systems looking more like clusters and clusters looking more like embedded systems.
Chronic skin inflammation leads to bone loss by IL-17–mediated inhibition of Wnt signaling in osteoblasts

Skin inflammation inhibits bone formation through IL-17A. IL-17 in skin and bones Patients with psoriasis develop red, itchy, scaly patches on the skin in part because of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-17A. Now, Uluçkan et al. report that IL-17A may also lead to bone loss in affected individuals. They found in two different mouse models that in contrast to other types of inflammatory bone loss where osteoclast activation leads to bone degradation, IL-17A prevented new bone formation. Blocking IL-17A restored bone formation in vivo. If these data hold true in humans, targeting IL-17A in psoriasis may have the added benefit of blocking psoriasis-related bone loss. Inflammation has important roles in tissue regeneration, autoimmunity, and cancer. Different inflammatory stimuli can lead to bone loss by mechanisms that are not well understood. We show that skin inflammation induces bone loss in mice and humans. In psoriasis, one of the prototypic IL-17A–mediated inflammatory human skin diseases, low bone formation and bone loss correlated with increased serum IL-17A levels. Similarly, in two mouse models with chronic IL-17A–mediated skin inflammation, K14-IL17Aind and JunBΔep, strong inhibition of bone formation was observed, different from classical inflammatory bone loss where osteoclast activation leads to bone degradation. We show that under inflammatory conditions, skin-resident cells such as keratinocytes, γδ T cells, and innate lymphoid cells were able to express IL-17A, which acted systemically to inhibit osteoblast and osteocyte function by a mechanism involving Wnt signaling. IL-17A led to decreased Wnt signaling in vitro, and importantly, pharmacological blockade of IL-17A rescued Wnt target gene expression and bone formation in vivo. These data provide a mechanism where IL-17A affects bone formation by regulating Wnt signaling in osteoblasts and osteocytes. This study suggests that using IL-17A blocking agents in psoriasis could be beneficial against bone loss in these patients.
Gastric Polyps With Intramucosal Carcinoma

Gastric polyps such as adenomas, hyperplastic polyps, fundic gland polyps, and pyloric gland adenomas can sometimes harbor carcinoma. Polyps with dysplasia rarely present a problem because they do not metastasize and are treated by polypectomy provided the stalk margin is clear of dysplasia. However, polyps with intramucosal carcinoma can be more challenging as there are certain histologic features which can impact on the likelihood of lymph node metastases. These features will determine whether a patient undergoes an endoscopic resection or a partial gastrectomy with lymph node dissection. Gastric polyps with intramucosal carcinoma can be treated with curative endoscopic resection provided they are well differentiated and free of lymphovascular invasion. Additional factors such as the presence or absence of ulceration, diameter of lesion, and rarely invasion into the submucosa can also provide useful information in this regard.
Staphylococcus aureus α toxin potentiates opportunistic bacterial lung infections

S. aureus α toxin promotes opportunistic co-infection, which can be neutralized with a pathogen-specific antibody. Toxic eviction There are many benefits to a good roommate, but the wrong choice can be toxic. Now, Cohen et al. examine the effects of co-habitation on lung infection. They found that α toxin produced by Staphylococcus aureus can worsen lung co-infection by Gram-negative bacteria by preventing acidification of bacteria-containing phagosomes, increasing proliferation, spread, and lethality. However, early treatment or prophylaxis with a neutralizing antibody to α toxin prevented this effect and promoted S. aureus clearance in a humanized mouse model. If this eviction occurs in humans, this approach may reduce co-infection risk in patients colonized with S. aureus. Broad-spectrum antibiotic use may adversely affect a patient’s beneficial microbiome and fuel cross-species spread of drug resistance. Although alternative pathogen-specific approaches are rationally justified, a major concern for this precision medicine strategy is that co-colonizing or co-infecting opportunistic bacteria may still cause serious disease. In a mixed-pathogen lung infection model, we find that the Staphylococcus aureus virulence factor α toxin potentiates Gram-negative bacterial proliferation, systemic spread, and lethality by preventing acidification of bacteria-containing macrophage phagosomes, thereby reducing effective killing of both S. aureus and Gram-negative bacteria. Prophylaxis or early treatment with a single α toxin neutralizing monoclonal antibody prevented proliferation of co-infecting Gram-negative pathogens and lethality while also promoting S. aureus clearance. These studies suggest that some pathogen-specific, antibody-based approaches may also work to reduce infection risk in patients colonized or co-infected with S. aureus and disparate drug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial opportunists.
Occurrence of γ-trace in the calcitonin-producing C-cells of simian thyroid gland and human medullary thyroid carcinoma

: gamma-Trace, a microprotein occurring in neuroendocrine cells, was demonstrated by immunohistochemical technique to be present in the calcitonin-producing C-cells of normal simian thyroid gland and of human medullary thyroid carcinoma. A comparatively high concentration of gamma-trace was demonstrated in tissue extract of neoplastic C-cells. The immunoreactive protein found in the extract had a molecular weight and electrophoretic mobility characteristic for gamma-trace.
Amyloid-β peptide protects against microbial infection in mouse and worm models of Alzheimer’s disease

β-Amyloid protein oligomerization and fibrillization, known to be pathogenic in Alzheimer’s disease, may play a physiological role in microbial entrapment and innate immunity. Rehabilitation of a β-amyloid bad boy A protein called Aβ is thought to cause neuronal death in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Aβ forms insoluble aggregates in the brains of patients with AD, which are a hallmark of the disease. Aβ and its propensity for aggregation are widely viewed as intrinsically abnormal. However, in new work, Kumar et al. show that Aβ is a natural antibiotic that protects the brain from infection. Most surprisingly, Aβ aggregates trap and imprison bacterial pathogens. It remains unclear whether Aβ is fighting a real or falsely perceived infection in AD. However, in any case, these findings identify inflammatory pathways as potential new drug targets for treating AD. The amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) is a key protein in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. We previously reported in vitro evidence suggesting that Aβ is an antimicrobial peptide. We present in vivo data showing that Aβ expression protects against fungal and bacterial infections in mouse, nematode, and cell culture models of AD. We show that Aβ oligomerization, a behavior traditionally viewed as intrinsically pathological, may be necessary for the antimicrobial activities of the peptide. Collectively, our data are consistent with a model in which soluble Aβ oligomers first bind to microbial cell wall carbohydrates via a heparin-binding domain. Developing protofibrils inhibited pathogen adhesion to host cells. Propagating β-amyloid fibrils mediate agglutination and eventual entrapment of unatttached microbes. Consistent with our model, Salmonella Typhimurium bacterial infection of the brains of transgenic 5XFAD mice resulted in rapid seeding and accelerated β-amyloid deposition, which closely colocalized with the invading bacteria. Our findings raise the intriguing possibility that β-amyloid may play a protective role in innate immunity and infectious or sterile inflammatory stimuli may drive amyloidosis. These data suggest a dual protective/damaging role for Aβ, as has been described for other antimicrobial peptides.
Anatomy and Physiology of the Peritoneal Membrane

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) accomplishes blood purification by the repeated instillation and drainage of a hyperosmotic dialysis solution into and out of the patient’s peritoneal cavity via an indwelling catheter (1). Circulating waste solutes and excess water accumulate in the instilled dialysate by crossing what has been termed the ‘peritoneal membrane. ’ The use of PD as a long-term renal-replacement therapy depends, therefore, on the sustained ability of the peritoneal membrane to perform as a permselective ultrafiltration barrier ( 2 ) . However, longterm exposure of the peritoneal membrane to current PD solutions can compromise peritoneal membrane performance (3-5). Thus, it is important to understand the normal anatomy and physiology of the peritoneal membrane, so that any PD-induced damage can be fully evaluated.
Day/Night Polarimetric Anomaly Detection Using SPICE Imagery

We introduce a novel longwave polarimetric-based approach to man-made object detection that departs from a more traditional direct use of Stokes parameters. The approach exploits the spatial statistics on two coregistered vertical and horizontal polarization components of the images, where differences of spatial second-order statistics in the bivariate space reveal that man-made objects are separable from natural objects while holding invariant to diurnal cycle variation and geometry of illumination. We exploit the invariant feature using the Bayes decision rule based only on probabilities. Experimental results on a challenging data set, covering a 24-h diurnal cycle, show the effectiveness of the new approach on detecting anomalies; three military tank surrogates posed at different aspect angles are detectable in a natural clutter background. These results yield a negligible false alarm rate as the heating components of the tank surrogates were turned off during data collection.
Zoledronic acid: future potential use in rheumatology

Zoledronic acid, a third-generation bisphosphonate, is the monohydrate of 1-hydrox-2 ([H-imidazole-1-yl] ethylidene) bisphosphonic acid. Zoledronic acid is registered in over 80 countries throughout the world for tumor-induced hypercalcemia and for the prevention of skeletal-related events in patients with solid tumor metastases or multiple myeloma with bone lesions. Zoledronic acid currently has investigational status for the treatment of Paget’s disease of bone, osteoporosis and a number of other bone disorders. This review will focus on the potential future use of zoledronic acid, a potent and easily administered intravenous bisphosphonate, in Paget's disease of bone and osteoporosis – two disorders likely to be commonly treated by rheumatologists. Another potential utility, the suppression of osteoclast-mediated bone erosions in inflammatory arthritis, will be briefly mentioned.
Successes in cancer treatment

N T H E PAST 10 YEARS REMARKABLE IMPROVEI ments have occurred in the successful treatment of a few types of cancer that in the past were usually fatal. For the most part these improvements developed in rather uncommon tumors, generally those of children, adolescents, and young adults. From these successes, cancer researchers have been able to uncover principles of cancer treatment that will soon bring a new outlook to many older patients with cancer. Surgery and x irradiation can cure truly localized cancer. Up until the era of chemotherapy, successful treatment depended entirely upon recognition of cancer before it had spread. About one-half of new patients with cancer present with localized disease and are curable, although it must be cautioned that when the figures for cures of skin cancer are subtracted, the cure rate drops to one-third (Table 1). The new factor in the control of cancer is the ability to cure cancer that is no longer localized, an achievement brought about by the development of antitumor drugs. Drugs have the property of being able to control distant or metastatic cancer. The brightest prospects for the future involve the use of surgery or irradiation to control local disease and the early use of drugs to control imperceptible metastatic disease. But even though a third of patients with cancer are cured, the treatment leaves in its wake a series of new problems for the patient, his family, and society. I should also mention a new set of problems for his physician, but I hesitated to say it because I am afraid that physicians concentrate on the short-term problems of diagnosis and treatment. Relatively few physicians have emphasized the need for equal attention to long-term problems of cancer patients. Until recently cancer treatment has been the province of highly specialized physi-