Channel estimation with TCH codes for machine-type communications

TCH codes possess several properties that allow us to use them efficiently in various applications. One of these applications is channel estimation and, in this dissertation, it is studied the performance of TCH codes to estimate the channel in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing system, regarding Machine-Type Communications. Bit error rate performance results were obtained by executing simulations that allowed the evaluation of the impact of using two different pilot techniques, such as data multiplexed and implicit pilots, different pilot power levels and different modulations, QPSK and 64-QAM. Pilots based on TCH codes are also compared with other conventional pilots. Results show that TCH codes have a very positive and reliable performance. Joint timing synchronization and channel estimation is also performed using different sparse based approaches, such as Orthogonal Matching Pursuit, L1- regularized and Iterative Reweighted L1. TCH codes are compared against different sequence types, namely Zadoff-Chu sequences and pseudorandom codewords, and variations in the pilot size, the channel length and the observation window size are executed in order to understand their effects. Results ultimately illustrate that TCH codes can be effectively used in joint channel estimation and synchronization, managing to withstand worst simulation conditions better than its counterparts. It is also proven that compressed sensing can successfully be utilized in joint synchronization and channel estimation, an area where its use has not been very explored.Os códigos TCH possuem várias propriedades que nos permitem usá-los eficientemente em diversas aplicações. Uma delas é a estimação de canal e nesta dissertação é estudado o desempenho dos códigos TCH em estimação de canal num sistema OFDM, tendo em conta as comunicações Machine-Type. Resultados que ilustram a taxa de erro de bit foram obtidos através de simulações que permitem avaliar o impacto de usar diferentes técnicas de pilotos, nomeadamente multiplexados e implícitos, diferentes valores de potência para os pilotos e diferentes modulações, QPSK e 64-QAM. Também é feita a comparação entre os pilotos TCH e pilotos convencionais. Os resultados mostram que os pilotos TCH tem um desempenho muito positivo e confiável, dentro dos parâmetros testados. Também é efetuado o estudo de sincronização e estimação de canal conjunta usando métodos esparsos como o OMP, o L1-regularized e o Iterative Reweighted L1. Os códigos TCH são comparados com outros tipos de sequências, tais como as sequências Zadoff-Chu e os códigos pseudo-aleatórios. São consideradas variações no tamanho dos pilotos, no comprimento do canal e no tamanho da janela de observação para perceber quais são os seus efeitos no desempenho. Os resultados demonstram que os códigos TCH podem ser utilizados com sucesso em estimação de canal e sincronização conjunta e conseguem aguentar condições adversas de simulação melhor que os outros pilotos utilizados. Também é provado que compressed sensing pode ser utilizado com sucesso em sincronização e estimação conjunta, que é uma área onde o seu uso ainda não foi explorado aprofundadamente

Análise do perfil de suscetibilidade de seis populações de Aedes aegypti do Distrito Federal ao análogo de hormônio juvenil pyriproxyfen

Dissertação (mestrado) — Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Medicina, Pós-graduação em Medicina Tropical, 2018.Introdução: Arboviroses são doenças causadas por arbovírus, entre elas podemos destacar a Febre Amarela (FA), Dengue, Chikungunya e Zika vírus. Esses vírus podem ser transmitidos por meio da picada da fêmea de mosquitos da espécie Aedes aegypti e Aedes albopictus. Historicamente, o controle da espécie Aedes aegypti – principal transmissor do vírus da dengue, chikungunya e zika foi realizado com o organoclorado diclorodifeniltricloretano (DDT), organofosforados (malathion, fenitrothion e temephos), carbamato (bendiocarb), piretróides (cipermetrina, deltametrina e alfacipermetrina), inseticidas reguladores de crescimento (IGR) (diflubenzuron, novaluron) e mais recentemente pyriproxyfen (PPF). Em 2016 o Distrito Federal (DF) começou a utilizar o PPF no controle de fase imatura do mosquito Ae. aegypti. Apesar do uso recente já existe registro de resistência moderada de Ae. aegypti ao IGR methoprene, em 2015, na Malásia. Objetivo: Analisar o perfil de suscetibilidade de seis populações da espécie Ae. aegypti ao PPF, oriundas de seis regiões do Distrito Federal. Métodos: Ovos do mosquito Ae. aegypti foram coletados de seis áreas (Vila Planalto, Granja do Torto, Regimento de Cavalaria de Guardas (RCG), Lago Norte, Varjão e Subsecretaria de Justiça do Distrito Federal (SUAG- DF) por meio de armadilhas ovitrampas e submetidos ao tratamento e avaliação de suscetibilidade ao PPF. As larvas de 3o e 4o estádios da geração F1 foram expostas as concentrações de 0,0001; 0,0005; 0,0007; 0,001; 0,005; 0,007; 0,01 e 0,03 μg/ml de PPF grau técnico. Os bioensaios foram realizados em triplicatas em dias alternados e o registro de mortalidade realizado a cada 48 horas. O grupo controle foi tratado com 1 ml de álcool. Resultados: Foram expostas um total de 15.120 larvas do mosquito Ae. aegypti. De modo geral, as populações procedentes da Vila Planalto, Granja do Torto, RCG, Lago Norte, Varjão e SUAG apresentaram suscetibilidade ao PPF, conforme mostra os valores da Inibição de Emergência (IE) que obtiveram média geral acima de 50%. A população de referência obteve IE de 99% e Concentração de Inibição (CI) 99% de 0,4 μg/ml. A dose-diagnóstica (DD) deste estudo foi de 0,8 μg/ml. A mortalidade de larvas e pupas foi de 1,1% a 3,0% e 54,6% a 72,8%, respectivamente. A Razão de Resistência (RR) foi de 0,8 para Vila Planalto e RCG; 4,0 para a população do Varjão; 5,0 para SUAG; 7,0 para o Lago Norte e 11,0 para Granja do Torto. Apesar de três populações terem apresentado RR altas, quando estas expostas a Dose Diagnostico (DD) de 0,8 μg/m, as mesmas provavelmente serão suscetíveis ao PPF. Por fim, sugere-se a utilização da TL50%=102 horas da população de referência Rockfeller com dose de 0,03 μg/ml como parâmetro comparativo para detectar alterações de suscetibilidade em populações da espécie Ae. aegypti de campo. Conclusão: As seis populações de mosquito Ae. aegypti do Distrito Federal apresentaram elevado nível de suscetibilidade ao PPF. No entanto, novas áreas do DF necessitam ser monitoradas ao longo do tempo, em relação à alteração de suscetibilidade da principal espécie transmissora de arboviroses no Brasil – Ae. aegypti.Arboviroses are diseases caused by an arbovirus; among them, we can highlight Yellow fever, dengue, Chikungunya and Zika virus. These viruses are transmitted through the bite of the female species of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Historically, the control of Aedes aegypti species, the main transmitter of dengue, chikungunya and Zika was done using dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), organophosphates (malathion, fenitrothion and temephos), carbamate (bendiocarb), pyrethroids (cypermethrin, deltamethrin and alphacypermethrin), insecticides that are insect growth regulators (IGR) (diflubenzuron, novaluron) and recently pyriproxyfen (PPF). In 2016, PPF started being used in Distrito Federal (DF). Despite its recent use, moderate resistance has been registered of Ae. aegypti to IGR methoprene in 2015 in Malaysia. Objective: Analyze the susceptibility profile of six populations of the species Ae. aegypti to PPF, in Distrito Federal. Methods: The Ae. aegypti mosquito eggs were collected from six areas (Vila Planalto, Granja do Torto, RCG, Lago Norte, Varjão and SUAG) by means of traps ovitraps and subjected to treatment with PPF. The larvae of 3rd and 4th stages of F1 generation were exposed to concentrations of 0.0001, 0.0005, 0.0007; 0.001; 0.005; 0.007; 0.01 and 0.03 μg/ml of PPF. The bioassays were carried out in triplicate on alternate days and the record of mortality performed every 48 hours. The control group was treated with 1 ml of alcohol. Results: A total of 15.120 of Ae. aegypti mosquito larvae were exposed. Overall, the populations from Vila Planalto, Granja do Torto, RCG, Lago Norte, Varjão and SUAG showed susceptibility to PPF, as shown by the values of the Emergency Inhibition (SI) that obtained a general average above 50%. The reference population had 99% IE and concentration of inhibition (99% CI) of 0.4 μg/ml. The diagnostic dose (DD) in this study was 0.8 μg/ml. The mortality of larvae and pupae was 1.1% to 3.0% and 54.6% to 72.8%, respectively. The resistance ratio (RR) was 0.8 for Vila Planalto and RCG; 4.0 for the population of Varjão; 5.0 for SUAG; 7.0 for Lago Norte and 11.0 for Granja do Torto. Despite these latter populations present RR values above 10, when exposed to DD (0.8 μg/ml) and the concentrations of the commercial product of PPF (Sumilarv® 0.5 G) they will have 100% of IE. Finally, it is suggested the use of TL50%=102 hours of reference population of Rockefeller with dose of 0,03 μg/ml as comparative parameter to detect changes in susceptibility in populations of the Ae. aegypti species Conclusion: The six mosquito populations of Ae. aegypti in Distrito Federal showed a high level of susceptibility to PPF. However, new areas of DF need to be monitored, in relation to the changes of susceptibility of the main species that transmit arboviroses in Brazil - Ae. aegypti

O discernimento espiritual na conceção cristã : o discernimento como uma constante de vida

A presente dissertação desenvolve o tema do Discernimento a partir das Exortações Apostólicas do Papa Francisco, entre as quais a Christus Vivit ocupa o lugar central da investigação. O primeiro capítulo é dedicado ao aprofundamento bíblico do “discernimento”, tocando ainda o Concílio Ecuménico Vaticano II e o Magistério do Papa Francisco. Passando ao segundo capítulo, o leitor poderá encontrar uma abordagem ao tema numa perspetiva da moral pessoal e do acompanhamento, focando a atenção nos temas da “liberdade”, “conhecimento”, “identidade”, “consciência” e “verdade”, que estruturam esta secção. Por fim, o terceiro capítulo sintetiza a abordagem teórica dos capítulos precedentes, desembocando todo o processo no “discernimento juvenil” a partir de autores da espiritualidade.This thesis develops the theme of Discernment from the Apostolic Exhortations of Pope Francis, among which Christus Vivit occupies the dominant topic of the investigation. The first chapter is dedicated to the biblical deepening of “discernment”, still focusing on the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and the Magisterium of Pope Francis. Moving on to the second chapter, the reader will be able to find an approach to the theme from a perspective of personal morality and accompaniment, converging attention on the themes of “freedom”, “knowledge”, “identity”, “conscience” and “truth”, which structure this section. Finally, the third chapter summarizes the theoretical approach of the preceding chapters, leading the entire process to “youth discernment” from authors of spirituality

Argumentation models and their use in corpus annotation: practice, prospects, and challenges

The study of argumentation is transversal to several research domains, from philosophy to linguistics, from the law to computer science and artificial intelligence. In discourse analysis, several distinct models have been proposed to harness argumentation, each with a different focus or aim. To analyze the use of argumentation in natural language, several corpora annotation efforts have been carried out, with a more or less explicit grounding on one of such theoretical argumentation models. In fact, given the recent growing interest in argument mining applications, argument-annotated corpora are crucial to train machine learning models in a supervised way. However, the proliferation of such corpora has led to a wide disparity in the granularity of the argument annotations employed. In this paper, we review the most relevant theoretical argumentation models, after which we survey argument annotation projects closely following those theoretical models. We also highlight the main simplifications that are often introduced in practice. Furthermore, we glimpse other annotation efforts that are not so theoretically grounded but instead follow a shallower approach. It turns out that most argument annotation projects make their own assumptions and simplifications, both in terms of the textual genre they focus on and in terms of adapting the adopted theoretical argumentation model for their own agenda. Issues of compatibility among argument-annotated corpora are discussed by looking at the problem from a syntactical, semantic, and practical perspective. Finally, we discuss current and prospective applications of models that take advantage of argument-annotated corpora

Encouraging brand attachment on consumer behaviour: Pet-friendly tourism segment

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to study the factors that influence consumer behaviour through brand attachment, in the pet-friendly segment in Portugal. Pet-friendly tourism has stood out as a very recognized and valid tourism and marketing segment, growing worldwide, urging the complex needed advances on tourism practices performance. Methods: The application of the model to a group of 190 respondents carried out in order to analyse the relationships between brand attachment, trust, satisfaction, commitment, loyalty and quality of service. To test our measurement model, data was analysed using the SmartPLS 3.2. Results: Results reveal that quality of the service, satisfaction, trust and commitment had a strong relationship with the loyalty of the respondents. As for the brand attachment, the variables that showed the most influence were satisfaction, trust and commitment. Implications: The research still needs to be empirically applied in pet-friendly tourism settings to enrich their robustness in a cross-cultural tourism experiences, covering a wider spread of abroad tourism destinations and products. This study thus contributes to a better clarity at the theoretical level of brand attachment and consumer behaviour, as well as making it possible to understand from the consumers’ side, which characteristics are part of their decision-making process, granting relevant data that can cooperate in the definition of better marketing strategies

Metodologias ativas em habilidades médicas e anatomia humana: a importância do papel do monitor

Este artigo refere ao uso de metodologias ativas no curso de medicina por meio da monitoria da disciplina Habilidades médicas, que faz parte do eixo de Saúde e Sociedade II, bem como a disciplina Anatomia Humana, ambas pertencentes à grade curricular de uma Universidade Federal do nordeste brasileiro. Desse modo, utilizou-se o trabalho voluntário do monitor, totalizando 12 horas/semanais, juntamente com os professores dos setores pertencentes à mesma instituição de nível superior que oferece a oportunidade pontual de realizar metodologias ativas, como sala de aula invertida, com assuntos/temas ofertados no início de uma aula prática e aplicada de modo didático para que os discentes ativamente usassem os seus saberes. Portanto, todo esse processo de modelos atuais de ensino foi executado pelos monitores, sendo supervisionado e orientado pelos professores. Logo, gerou riquezas múltiplas tanto para os estudantes que receberam esta forma de ensino, quanto para o corpo docente que alcançou o seu objetivo do “ensinar” e, sobretudo, para os monitores que puderam aprender ensinando os colegas: ponto nobre da educação

Annotating arguments in a corpus of opinion articles

Interest in argument mining has resulted in an increasing number of argument annotated corpora. However, most focus on English texts with explicit argumentative discourse markers, such as persuasive essays or legal documents. Conversely, we report on the first extensive and consolidated Portuguese argument annotation project focused on opinion articles. We briefly describe the annotation guidelines based on a multi-layered process and analyze the manual annotations produced, highlighting the main challenges of this textual genre. We then conduct a comprehensive inter-annotator agreement analysis, including argumentative discourse units, their classes and relations, and resulting graphs. This analysis reveals that each of these aspects tackles very different kinds of challenges. We observe differences in annotator profiles, motivating our aim of producing a non-aggregated corpus containing the insights of every annotator. We note that the interpretation and identification of token-level arguments is challenging; nevertheless, tasks that focus on higher-level components of the argument structure can obtain considerable agreement. We lay down perspectives on corpus usage, exploiting its multi-faceted nature

Celastrol efficacy by oral administration in the adjuvant-induced arthritis model

Copyright © 2020 Cascão, Vidal, Carvalho, Lopes, Romão, Goncalves, Moita and Fonseca. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Background: We previously demonstrated that celastrol has significant anti-inflammatory and bone protective effects when administered via the intraperitoneal route. For further preclinical evaluation, an effective oral administration of celastrol is crucial. Here we aimed to study the therapeutic dose range for its oral administration. Methods: Celastrol (1-25 μg/g/day, N = 5/group) was administrated orally to female adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats after 8 days of disease induction for a period of 14 days. A group of healthy (N = 8) and arthritic (N = 15) gender- and age-matched Wistar rats was used as controls. During the treatment period, the inflammatory score, ankle perimeter, and body weight were measured. At the end of the treatment, the animals were sacrificed, blood was collected for clinical pathology, necropsy was performed with collection of internal organs for histopathological analysis, and paw samples were used for disease scoring. Results: Doses higher than 2.5 μg/g/day of celastrol reduced the inflammatory score and ankle swelling, preserved joint structure, halted bone destruction, and diminished the number of synovial CD68+ macrophages. Bone resorption and turnover were also reduced at 5 and 7.5 μg/g/day doses. However, the dose of 7.5 μg/g/day was associated with thymic and liver lesions, and higher doses showed severe toxicity. Conclusion: Oral administration of celastrol above 2.5 μg/g/day ameliorates arthritis. This data supports and gives relevant information for the development of a preclinical test of celastrol in the setting of a chronic model of arthritis since rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term disease.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Clinical performance of an infliximab rapid quantification assay

Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)-based algorithms can be used to guide infliximab (IFX) adjustments in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. This study aimed to explore a rapid IFX-quantification test from a clinical perspective. Methods: This manuscript describes a prospective cohort study involving 110 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients on the maintenance phase of IFX. IFX trough levels were quantified using a rapid quantification assay and a commonly-used reference kit. Results: Irrespective of the assay used to measure IFX, its through levels were statistically different between patients with and without endoscopic remission (Mayo endoscopic score = 0), as well as between patients stratified by their faecal calprotectin (FC) levels. Despite the fact that the two methods correlated well with each other [Spearman's rank correlation coefficient = 0.843, p < 0.001; intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.857, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.791-0.903], there was a discernible systematic variation; values obtained with the reference kit were on average 2.62 units higher than those obtained with the rapid assay. Notwithstanding, 3 mu g/ml was shown to be an acceptable cut-off to assess endoscopic status and inflammatory burden levels using both assays. The percentage of patients that had a positive outcome when the IFX concentration measured by the rapid assay ranked above 3 mu g/ml was 88% both for a Mayo endoscopic score <= 1 and for an FC concentration <250 mu g/g. Conclusions: Based on this study, we concluded that using the rapid IFX assessment system with a 3 mu g/ml threshold is a reliable alternative to the time-consuming enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in patients on the maintenance phase of IFX.Portuguese IBD Group (GEDII, Grupo de Estudo da Doenca Inflamatoria Intestinal)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of Ischemic Preconditioning on the Recovery of Cardiac Autonomic Control From Repeated Sprint Exercise

Repeated sprint exercise (RSE) acutely impairs post-exercise heart rate (HR) recovery (HRR) and time-domain heart rate variability (i. e., RMSSD), likely in part, due to lactic acidosis-induced reduction of cardiac vagal reactivation. In contrast, ischemic preconditioning (IPC) mediates cardiac vagal activation and augments energy metabolism efficiency during prolonged ischemia followed by reperfusion. Therefore, we investigated whether IPC could improve recovery of cardiac autonomic control from RSE partially via improved energy metabolism responses to RSE. Fifteen men team-sport practitioners (mean ± SD: 25 ± 5 years) were randomly exposed to IPC in the legs (3 × 5 min at 220 mmHg) or control (CT; 3 × 5 min at 20 mmHg) 48 h, 24 h, and 35 min before performing 3 sets of 6 shuttle running sprints (15 + 15 m with 180° change of direction and 20 s of active recovery). Sets 1 and 2 were followed by 180 s and set 3 by 360 s of inactive recovery. Short-term HRR was analyzed after all sets via linear regression of HR decay within the first 30 s of recovery (T30) and delta from peak HR to 60 s of recovery (HRR60s). Long-term HRR was analyzed throughout recovery from set 3 via first-order exponential regression of HR decay. Moreover, RMSSD was calculated using 30-s data segments throughout recovery from set 3. Energy metabolism responses were inferred via peak pulmonary oxygen uptake (V˙O2peak), peak carbon dioxide output (V˙O2peak), peak respiratory exchange ratio (RERpeak), first-order exponential regression of V˙O2 decay within 360 s of recovery and blood lactate concentration ([Lac-]). IPC did not change T30, but increased HRR60s after all sets (condition main effect: P = 0.03; partial eta square (η2p) = 0.27, i.e., large effect size). IPC did not change long-term HRR and RMSSD throughout recovery, nor did IPC change any energy metabolism parameter. In conclusion, IPC accelerated to some extent the short-term recovery, but did not change the long-term recovery of cardiac autonomic control from RSE, and such accelerator effect was not accompanied by any IPC effect on surrogates of energy metabolism responses to RSE