On the performance of iterative receivers for interfering MIMO-OFDM systems in measured channels

This paper investigates the gains harvested through base station cooperation in the up-link for a multi-user (MU) Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) system, operating in a real indoor environment. The base stations perform joint detection using an iterative receiver that carries out multi-user detection and channel estimation via soft information from the single-user decoders. Performance evaluation is carried out using real channels from an indoor dynamic dual MIMO link measurement campaign. The measured scenario represent a real life situation where two users communicate with two base stations, each with two antennas, in an environment resembling a shopping mall or an airport terminal. System performance is evaluated in terms of both Bit-Error Rate (BER) vs. Signal-to-Interference Ratio (SIR) and Cumulative Distribution Functions (CDF) for the instantaneous BER. Also, the impact of using soft information in the channel estimation is analyzed

Bradykinin receptors in GtoPdb v.2021.3

Bradykinin (or kinin) receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR subcommittee on Bradykinin (kinin) Receptors [91]) are activated by the endogenous peptides bradykinin (BK), [des-Arg9]bradykinin, Lys-BK (kallidin), [des-Arg10]kallidin, [Phospho-Ser6]-Bradykinin, T-kinin (Ile-Ser-BK), [Hyp3]bradykinin and Lys-[Hyp3]-bradykinin. Variation in pharmacology and activity of B1 and B2 receptor antagonists at species orthologs has been documented. icatibant (Hoe140, Firazir) is approved in North America and Europe for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema

Bradykinin receptors (version 2019.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database

Bradykinin (or kinin) receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR subcommittee on Bradykinin (kinin) Receptors [76]) are activated by the endogenous peptides bradykinin (BK), [des-Arg9]bradykinin, Lys-BK (kallidin), [des-Arg10]kallidin, [Phospho-Ser6]-Bradykinin, T-kinin (Ile-Ser-BK), [Hyp3]bradykinin and Lys-[Hyp3]-bradykinin. Variation in pharmacology and activity of B1 and B2 receptor antagonists at species orthologs has been documented. icatibant (Hoe140, Firazir) is approved in North America and Europe for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema

Bradykinin receptors in GtoPdb v.2023.1

Bradykinin (or kinin) receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR subcommittee on Bradykinin (kinin) Receptors [92]) are activated by the endogenous peptides bradykinin (BK), [des-Arg9]bradykinin, Lys-BK (kallidin), [des-Arg10]kallidin, [Phospho-Ser6]-Bradykinin, T-kinin (Ile-Ser-BK), [Hyp3]bradykinin and Lys-[Hyp3]-bradykinin. Variation in pharmacology and activity of B1 and B2 receptor antagonists at species orthologs has been documented. icatibant (Hoe140, Firazir) is approved in North America and Europe for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema. Inhibition of bradykinin with icatibant in COVID-19 infection is under clinical evaluation, with trial NCT05407597 expected to complete in mid 2023

Extremely anisotropic van der Waals thermal conductors

The densification of integrated circuits requires thermal management strategies and high thermal conductivity materials1–3. Recent innovations include the development of materials with thermal conduction anisotropy, which can remove hotspots along the fast-axis direction and provide thermal insulation along the slow axis4,5. However, most artificially engineered thermal conductors have anisotropy ratios much smaller than those seen in naturally anisotropic materials. Here we report extremely anisotropic thermal conductors based on large-area van der Waals thin films with random interlayer rotations, which produce a room-temperature thermal anisotropy ratio close to 900 in MoS2, one of the highest ever reported. This is enabled by the interlayer rotations that impede the through-plane thermal transport, while the\ua0long-range intralayer crystallinity maintains high in-plane thermal conductivity. We measure ultralow thermal conductivities in the through-plane direction for MoS2 (57 \ub1 3 mW m−1 K−1) and WS2 (41 \ub1 3 mW m−1 K−1) films, and we quantitatively explain these values using molecular dynamics simulations that reveal one-dimensional glass-like thermal transport. Conversely, the in-plane thermal conductivity in these MoS2 films is close to the single-crystal value. Covering nanofabricated gold electrodes with our anisotropic films prevents overheating of the electrodes and blocks heat from reaching the device surface. Our work establishes interlayer rotation in crystalline layered materials as a new degree of freedom for engineering-directed heat transport in solid-state systems

OrthoDB: the hierarchical catalog of eukaryotic orthologs in 2011

The concept of homology drives speculation on a gene’s function in any given species when its biological roles in other species are characterized. With reference to a specific species radiation homologous relations define orthologs, i.e. descendants from a single gene of the ancestor. The large-scale delineation of gene genealogies is a challenging task, and the numerous approaches to the problem reflect the importance of the concept of orthology as a cornerstone for comparative studies. Here, we present the updated OrthoDB catalog of eukaryotic orthologs delineated at each radiation of the species phylogeny in an explicitly hierarchical manner of over 100 species of vertebrates, arthropods and fungi (including the metazoa level). New database features include functional annotations, and quantification of evolutionary divergence and relations among orthologous groups. The interface features extended phyletic profile querying and enhanced text-based searches. The ever-increasing sampling of sequenced eukaryotic genomes brings a clearer account of the majority of gene genealogies that will facilitate informed hypotheses of gene function in newly sequenced genomes. Furthermore, uniform analysis across lineages as different as vertebrates, arthropods and fungi with divergence levels varying from several to hundreds of millions of years will provide essential data for uncovering and quantifying long-term trends of gene evolution. OrthoDB is freely accessible from http://cegg.unige.ch/orthodb

An integrated expression phenotype mapping approach defines common variants in LEP, ALOX15 and CAPNS1 associated with induction of IL-6

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an important modulator of inflammation and immunity whose dysregulation is associated with a number of disease states. There is evidence of significant heritability in inter-individual variation in IL6 gene expression but the genetic variants responsible for this remain to be defined. We adopted a combined approach of mapping protein and expression quantitative trait loci in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing for ∼2000 loci implicated in cardiovascular, metabolic and inflammatory syndromes to show that common SNP markers and haplotypes of LEP (encoding leptin) associate with a 1.7- to 2-fold higher level of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced IL-6 expression. We subsequently demonstrate that basal leptin expression significantly correlates with LPS-induced IL-6 expression and that the same variants at LEP which associate with IL-6 expression are also major determinants of leptin expression in these cells. We find that variation involving two other genomic regions, CAPNS1 (encoding calpain small subunit 1) and ALOX15 (encoding arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase), show significant association with IL-6 expression. Although this may be a subset of all such trans-acting effects, we find that the same ALOX15 variants are associated with induced expression of tumour necrosis factor and IL-1beta consistent with a broader role in acute inflammation for ALOX15. This study provides evidence of novel genetic determinants of IL-6 production with implications for understanding susceptibility to inflammatory disease processes and insight into cross talk between metabolic and inflammatory pathways. It also provides proof of concept for use of an integrated expression phenotype mapping approach

Systemic complement activation is associated with respiratory failure in COVID-19 hospitalized patients

The new SARS-CoV-2 pandemic leads to COVID-19 with respiratory failure, substantial morbidity, and significant mortality. Overactivation of the innate immune response is postulated to trigger this detrimental process. The complement system is a key player in innate immunity. Despite a few reports of local complement activation, there is a lack of evidence that the degree of systemic complement activation occurs early in COVID-19 patients, and whether this is associated with respiratory failure. This study shows that a number of complement activation products are systemically, consistently, and long-lastingly increased from admission and during the hospital stay. Notably, the terminal sC5b-9 complement complex was associated with respiratory failure. Thus, complement inhibition is an attractive therapeutic approach for treatment of COVD-19

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London