There are numerous methods in the literature for Direction-of-Arrival (DOA) estimation, including both classical and machine learning-based approaches that jointly estimate the Number of Sources (NOS) and DOA. However, most of these methods do not fully leverage the potential synergies between these two tasks, which could yield valuable shared information. To address this limitation, in this article, we present a multi-task Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) capable of simultaneously estimating both the NOS and the DOA of the signal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe design and synthesis of efficient ligands for DC-SIGN is a topic of high interest, because this C-type lectin has been implicated in the early stages of many infection processes. DC-SIGN membrane-protein presents four carbohydrate-binding domains (CRD) that specifically recognize mannose and fucose. Therefore, antagonists of minimal disaccharide epitope Manα(1,2)Man, represent potentially interesting antibacterial and antiviral agents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Inspiratory resistive breathing (IRB) challenges affect respiratory muscle endurance in healthy individuals, which is considered to be an interleukin 6 (IL-6)-dependent mechanism. Whether nonpharmacological thermal therapies promote the endurance of loaded inspiratory muscles in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unclear. The objectives of this study were to compare the effects of two thermal interventions on endurance time (ET) and plasma IL-6 concentration following an IRB challenge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To explore the mediating role of protein interleukin-6 (IL-6) on the relationship between forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) and, further, to determine whether status variables (such as age, sex, and body mass index [BMI]) operate as moderators of this mediation relationship.
Design: Moderated mediation model.
Setting: An inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation center in Italy.