Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reliability in Super- and Near-Threshold Computing: A Unified Model of RTN, BTI, and PV

Near-threshold computing (NTC) poses stringent constraints on designing reliable circuits, as degradations have a magnified impact at lower supply voltages (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\text {dd}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) compared with super-threshold supply voltages. While phenomena, such as bias temperature instability (BTI) <italic>scale down</italic> with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\text {dd}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, mitigate their magnified impact with reduced degradations and, thus, have little impact on NTC reliability. Process variation (PV) and random telegraph noise (RTN) do not scale with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\text {dd}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and, therefore, become key reliability challenges in NTC. On the other hand, in super-threshold computing (STC), PV and BTI are the dominant phenomena, as BTI induces considerable degradations at nominal <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\text {dd}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and PV imposes large enough shifts to matter at any supply voltage. Therefore, to allow <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{\text {dd}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-scaling from super-to near-threshold, we need to consider all of BTI, RTN, and PV. Ergo, we present a unified RTN and BTI model that models their shared physical origin and is validated against experimental data across a wide voltage range. Our unified model and PV model capture the <italic>joint impact</italic> of RTN, BTI, and PV within a probabilistic reliability estimation for NTC and STC circuits. We employed our proposed model to analyze the reliability of SRAM cells showing how taking error correction codes into account is able to mitigate the deleterious effects of BTI, RTN, and PV by 36% compared with unprotected circuits.
The role of Src family kinases in growth and migration of glioma stem cells

Src family kinases (SFKs) are highly expressed and active in clinical glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) specimens. SFKs inhibitors have been demonstrated to inhibit proliferation and migration of glioma cells. However, the role of SFKs in glioma stem cells (GSCs), which are important for treatment resistance and recurrence, has not been reported. Here, we examined the expression pattern of individual members of SFKs and their functional role in CD133+ GSCs in comparison to primary glioma cells. We found that Fyn, c-Src and Yes were robustly expressed in GSCs while Lck was absent. Knockdown of c-Src, Yes or treatment with the SFK inhibitor dasatinib inhibited the migration of GSCs, but had no impact on their growth or self-renewal. These results suggest that SFKs represent an effective target for GSC migration but not for their growth.
Impact of Information Technology on the Therapy of Type-1 Diabetes: A Case Study of Children and Adolescents in Germany

Being able to manage and adjust insulin doses is a key part of managing type-1 diabetes. Children and adolescents with type-1 diabetes mellitus often have serious difficulties with this dosage adjustment. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the impact of using novel mobile, web and communication technologies in assisting their therapy and treatment. A trial was conducted in the north-eastern part of Germany to evaluate the impact of the “Mobil Diab”, a mobile diabetes management system, on the clinical outcome. 68 subjects aged between 8 and 18 years, divided randomly into control and intervention groups, were included into the study. Metrics such as changes in the quality of metabolic control, changes in psychological parameters, usability and acceptance of the technology were used for evaluation purpose. Metabolic control was mainly assessed by the mean HbAlc. Analysis showed a good acceptance of the proposed system. An overall improvement in mean levels of HbA1c was observed, however further studies will be conducted to prove evidence of the weight and BMI improvements. Moreover, initial indications of positive impact on the improvement in psychological parameters were presumed based on the result of the conducted study. The system appeared to be an efficient and time saving tool in diabetes management.
Interventions to Increase the Uptake of Mammography amongst Low Income Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Two previous reviews found that access-enhancing interventions were effective in increasing mammography uptake amongst low-income women. The purpose of this study was to estimate the magnitude of the effect of interventions used to increase uptake of mammography amongst low-income women. Methods Searches were conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE (2002–April 2012) using relevant MeSH terms and keywords. Randomised controlled trials which aimed to increase mammography use in an asymptomatic low-income population and which had as an outcome receipt of a mammogram, were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was the post-intervention difference in the proportion of women who had a mammogram in the intervention and control groups. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. We calculated summary estimates using random effects meta-analyses. Possible reasons for heterogeneity were investigated using sub-group analyses and meta-regression. Publication bias was assessed using Egger's test. Results Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria, including 33 comparisons. Interventions increased the uptake of mammography in low income women by an additional 8.9% (95% CI 7.3 to 10.4%) compared to the control group. There was some evidence that interventions with multiple strategies were more effective than those with single strategies (p = 0.03). There was some suggestion of publication bias. The quality of the included studies was often unclear. Omitting those with high risk of bias has little effect on the results. Conclusions Interventions can increase mammography uptake among low-income women, multiple interventions being the most effective strategy. Given the robustness of the results to sensitivity analyses, the results are likely to be reliable. The generalisability of the results beyond the US is unclear.
Epidermal Growth Factor-Mediated Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase3/1 Pathway Is Conducive to In Vitro Maturation of Sheep Oocytes

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been shown to facilitate the in vitro maturation of sheep oocytes, and enhance embryo’s capability for further development. However, such kind of molecular mechanism has not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the effect of EGF-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinases 3 and 1 (MAPK3/1) pathway on in vitro maturation of sheep oocytes. U0126, a specific inhibitor of MEK (MAPK kinase), was added into the maturation culture medium to block the EGF-mediated MAPK3/1 pathway with different doses. Then, the nuclear maturation of sheep oocytes was examined. Additionally, the effect of EGF-mediated MAPK3/1 on cytoplasmic maturation was examined though in vitro fertilization and embryonic development. The rate of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) after 6 h of culture with 10−4 mol/l of U0126 (50.4%) was significantly decreased compared with control (67.2%, p < 0.05), and the first polation body (PB1) extrusion rate after 22 h of culture in drug treatment was also significantly inhibited compared with control (28.6% vs. 48.4%, p < 0.05). However, 10−6 mol/l U0126 had slight effect on oocyte nuclear maturation. The normal distribution rate of α-tubulin in the oocytes after 22 h of in vitro maturation was significantly decreased in the 10−4 mol/l U0126 group (54%) compared with control (68%, p < 0.05). After in vitro fertilization, the cleavage rate in drug treatments (56.8% in 10−6 mol/l U0126 group and 42.6% in 10−4 mol/l U0126 group) was significantly decreased compared with control (72.3%, p < 0.01). The blastocyst rate in 10−4 mol/l U0126 group (17.6%) was also significantly decreased compared with control (29.9%, p < 0.05). Collectively, these results suggest that EGF-mediated MAPK3/1 pathway is conducive to in vitro maturation of sheep oocytes.
Auditory morphing based on an elastic perceptual distance metric in an interference-free time-frequency representation

An elastic spectral distance measure based on a F0 adaptive pitch synchronous spectral estimation and selective elimination of periodicity interferences, that was developed for a high-quality speech modification procedure STRAIGHT [1], is introduced to provide a basis for auditory morphing. The proposed measure is implemented on a low dimensional piecewise bilinear time-frequency mapping between the target and the original speech representations. A preliminary test results of morphing emotional speech samples indicated that proposed procedure provides perceptually monotonic and high-quality interpolation and extrapolation of CD quality speech samples.
Analysis of collagen IV and fibronectin in blood and urine in evaluation of nephrotic fibrosis in children with chronic glomerulonephritis.

BACKGROUND Changes in the concentration of extracellular matrix components in body fluids may reflect the degree of kidney fibrosis. The aim of our study was to evaluate fibronectin (FN) and type IV collagen (COL IV) concentrations in blood serum and urine, and to refer these values to immunoreactivity in renal biopsy material. MATERIAL/METHODS Our research involved 37 children with glomerulonephritis (GN) aged 4-15 and 18 healthy children. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to the histopathological diagnosis of GN: I - minimal change GN (MCGN, n=17), II - lupus nephritis (LN, n=7), III - other types of GN (n=13). RESULTS Significantly higher COL IV concentrations in serum and urine were noted in the patient group in comparison to the controls, but no differences in FN concentrations. The highest values of serum and urine COL IV were observed in the LN patients. Positive correlation was found between serum and urine COL IV and its renal content in the LN group. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that serum and urine COL IV rises in children with GN, above all in the course of LN. This also reflects changes in renal COL IV content.
Spontaneous Clearance of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected Men Who Have Sex With Men

Abstract We assessed spontaneous clearance in 27 human immunodeficiency virus–infected men who have sex with men (MSM) who seroconverted for hepatitis C virus (HCV). In contrast with a recent estimate of 45.8%, we found a spontaneous clearance rate of 11.1% (95% confidence interval = 2.4–29.2). This finding suggests that treatment deferral to await spontaneous clearance might not be justified for MSM with sexually acquired HCV.
Direct Gram staining and its various benefits in the diagnosis of bacterial infections

ABSTRACT In the era of rapid development of molecular and other diagnostic methods, direct Gram staining (DGS) tends to remain in the background, although it can provide both microbiologists and clinicians numerous benefits. The aim of this review was to emphasize the importance of DGS for the diagnosis of many clinically important infections. A PubMed search was carried out using relevant keywords for articles published primarily since 2010. The DGS can provide early information for a timely diagnosis of infections, can reveal the causative agents of the infections even under suboptimal conditions of specimen collection, transport or identification methods, can detect the presence of rare/unusual pathogens, moreover, the method shows the specimen quality, by distinguishing between contamination and true infection, it can direct or change initial antibiotic treatment before the availability of culture results, can indicate the need of other methods for pathogen identification and, in some cases, can show the need for emergency attention such as urgent antibiotic therapy and surgical measures. Briefly, the DGS remains an easy, rapid, inexpensive and important method, which use should be encouraged in conditions of a standardized and controlled performance to avoid technical or interpretation errors.
Differential Regulation of Cathepsin S and Cathepsin L in Interferon γ–treated Macrophages

Cathepsin S (catS) and cathepsin L (catL) mediate late stages of invariant chain (Ii) degradation in discrete antigen-presenting cell types. Macrophages (Mφs) are unique in that they express both proteases and here we sought to determine the relative contribution of each enzyme. We observe that catL plays no significant role in Ii cleavage in interferon (IFN)-γ–stimulated Mφs. In addition, our studies show that the level of catL activity is significantly decreased in Mφs cultured in the presence of IFN-γ whereas catS activity increases. The decrease in catL activity upon cytokine treatment occurs despite the persistence of high levels of mature catL protein, suggesting that a specific inhibitor of the enzyme is up-regulated in IFN-γ–stimulated peritoneal Mφs. Similar inhibition of activity is observed in dendritic cells engineered to overexpress catL. Such enzymatic inhibition in Mφs exhibits only partial dependence upon Ii and therefore, other mechanisms of catL inhibition are regulated by IFN-γ. Thus, during a T helper cell type 1 immune response catL inhibition in Mφs results in preferential usage of catS, such that major histocompatibility complex class II presentation by all bone marrow–derived antigen-presenting cell is regulated by catS.
Order reduction in optimal event-triggered control design for linear stochastic systems

This paper considers the optimal design of event-triggered controllers under a non-traditional average-cost criterion with costly observations. Determining the optimal event-triggering law can be cast in the dynamic programming framework. Due to the lack of a closed form solution for the value function associated with the dynamic program, the methods for calculating the optimal solution suffer from the curse of dimensionality. Based on structural properties of the optimal solution, we develop a novel approximative method to reduce the dimensionality of the underlying optimization problem from the state dimension of the regulated process to the number of control inputs. As processes often consist of only few inputs compared to the number of state variables, such approach reduces the computational complexity significantly. It is shown that the proposed approximative event-trigger preserves the asymptotic behavior of the closed-loop system. A conditions is derived, when the reduced event-triggering law equals the optimal solution. We propose a measure to evaluate the approximation accuracy of the developed order reduction method.
The role of casein micelles and their aggregates in foam stabilization

Many foam products derived from milk or specific dairy ingredients suffer from drainage, coalescence and/or disproportionation. Previous studies indicated that foam properties of milk are strongly influenced by the composition of the milk as well as by the processing conditions during foam production. The aim of this research was to get a better understanding of these two factors. Interestingly, the presence of aggregates of casein micelles was found to result in very stable foams. The interfacial properties (adsorption speed, adsorption energy, dynamical interfacial tension, interfacial dilatational moduli), thin film stability (rupture time) and foam properties (foamability, drainage, coalescence) of casein micelle dispersions were determined. Based on these data, the very stable foams were concluded to result from properties of the thin films in the foam, which were affected drastically by the presence of the large aggregates of casein micelles.
Association between injury pattern of patients with multiple injuries and circulating levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors, interleukin-6 and interleukin-10, and polymorphonuclear neutrophil elastase.

BACKGROUND Our knowledge about the bidirectional interactions between brain and whole organism after trauma is still limited. It was the purpose of this prospective clinical study to determine the influence of severe head trauma (SHT) as well as trauma in different anatomic injury regions on posttraumatic inflammatory mediator levels from patients with multiple injuries. METHODS Thirty-five healthy controls, 33 patients with an isolated SHT, 47 patients with multiple injuries without SHT, and 45 patients with both SHT and multiple injuries were studied. The posttraumatic plasma levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors p55 and p75, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) elastase were monitored using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. The influence of head injuries as well as thorax, abdomen, and extremity injuries on the mediator release from patients with multiple injuries was investigated by multivariate linear regression models. RESULTS The soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor p55/p75 ratio was significantly elevated within 3 hours of trauma in all three injury groups and returned to reference ratios after 12 hours. The lowest increase was found in patients suffering from an isolated SHT. Lowest mediator levels in this patient population were also found for IL-6, IL-10, and PMN elastase during the first 36 hours after trauma. Additional injuries to the head, thorax, abdomen, and extremity modulated mediator levels to a different degree. No specific effect was found for SHT when compared with other injury groups. Thorax injuries caused the quickest rise in mediator levels, whereas abdominal injuries significantly increased PMN elastase levels 12 to 24 hours after trauma. CONCLUSION Traumatic injuries cause the liberation of various mediators, without any specific association between anatomic injury pattern and the pattern of mediator release.
Biochemical Evidence for ToxR and ToxJ Binding to the tox Operons of Burkholderia glumae and Mutational Analysis of ToxR

ABSTRACT Burkholderia glumae produces toxoflavin, a phytotoxin with a broad host range, which is a key virulence factor in bacterial rice grain rot. Based on genetic analysis, we previously reported that ToxR, a LysR-type regulator, activates both the toxABCDE (toxoflavin biosynthesis genes) and toxFGHI (toxoflavin transporter genes) operons in the presence of toxoflavin as a coinducer. Quorum sensing regulates the expression of the transcriptional activator ToxJ that is required for tox gene expression. Here, we used gel mobility shift and DNase I protection analyses to demonstrate that both ToxR and ToxJ bind simultaneously to the regulatory regions of both tox operons. ToxR and ToxJ both bound to the toxA and toxF regulatory regions, and the sequences for the binding of ToxR to the regulatory regions of both tox operons possessed T-N11-A motifs. Following random mutagenesis of toxR, 10 ToxR mutants were isolated. We constructed a reporter strain, S6K34 (toxR′A′::Ω toxF::Tn3-gusA34) to evaluate which amino acid residues are important for ToxR activity. Several single amino acid substitutions identified residues that might be important for ToxR binding to DNA and toxoflavin binding. When various toxoflavin derivatives were tested to determine whether toxoflavin is a specific coinducer of ToxR in the S6K34 strain, ToxR, together with toxoflavin, conferred toxF expression, whereas 4,8-dihydrotoxoflavin did so only slightly. With these results, we have demonstrated biochemically that B. glumae cells control toxoflavin production tightly by the requirement of both ToxJ and toxoflavin as coinducers of ToxR.
Dynamically Tuning Processor Resources with Adaptive Processing

By using adaptive processing to dynamically tune major microprocessor resources, developers can achieve greater energy efficiency with reasonable hardware and software overhead while avoiding undue performance loss. Adaptive processors require few additional transistors. Further, because adaptation occurs only in response to infrequent trigger events, the decision logic can be placed into a low-leakage state until such events occur.
Adipose Tissue Gene Expression of Factors Related to Lipid Processing in Obesity

Background Adipose tissue lipid storage and processing capacity can be a key factor for obesity-related metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and diabetes. Lipid uptake is the first step to adipose tissue lipid storage. The aim of this study was to analyze the gene expression of factors involved in lipid uptake and processing in subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral (VAT) adipose tissue according to body mass index (BMI) and the degree of insulin resistance (IR). Methods and Principal Findings VLDL receptor (VLDLR), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), acylation stimulating protein (ASP), LDL receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) gene expression was measured in VAT and SAT from 28 morbidly obese patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) or high IR, 10 morbidly obese patients with low IR, 10 obese patients with low IR and 12 lean healthy controls. LPL, FABP4, LRP1 and ASP expression in VAT was higher in lean controls. In SAT, LPL and FABP4 expression were also higher in lean controls. BMI, plasma insulin levels and HOMA-IR correlated negatively with LPL expression in both VAT and SAT as well as with FABP4 expression in VAT. FABP4 gene expression in SAT correlated inversely with BMI and HOMA-IR. However, multiple regression analysis showed that BMI was the main variable contributing to LPL and FABP4 gene expression in both VAT and SAT. Conclusions Morbidly obese patients have a lower gene expression of factors related with lipid uptake and processing in comparison with healthy lean persons.
Concentrations of some Heavy Metals (Cd, Cu, Pb Se and Sn) in Human Teeth at Different Ages and the Correlation to Caries

The present study aims to measure the concentrations of some heavy metals like cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), and tin (Sn) in human teeth using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Forty one Teeth specimens were collected from people living in the Capital of Jordan Amman. Teeth specimens of different classes were analyzed like incisors, molars, and premolars. There are relationships between the concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, Se and Sn and gender, age and smoking with caries degree. In addition, the concentrations of the studied metals in teeth of males were higher in smokers than those from nonsmokers, but the concentrations of these heavy metals were approximately the same for smoker and nonsmoker females. Also, Caries doesn’t affect the concentrations of Cu, Pb and Se in human teeth, but it increases the concentrations of Cd and Sn. Furthermore, no brushing the teeth daily but randomly through the week and rareness of the frequent visits to the dentist clinic are the main reasons for inducing caries. The concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, Se and Sn are found to increase with age due to accumulation.