Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased mitochondrial DNA deletions and copy number in transfusion-dependent thalassemia.

BACKGROUND Iron overload is the primary cause of morbidity in transfusion-dependent thalassemia. Increase in iron causes mitochondrial dysfunction under experimental conditions, but the occurrence and significance of mitochondrial damage is not understood in patients with thalassemia. METHODS Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to nuclear DNA copy number (Mt/N) and frequency of the common 4977-bp mitochondrial deletion (ΔmtDNA4977) were quantified using a quantitative PCR assay on whole blood samples from 38 subjects with thalassemia who were receiving regular transfusions. RESULTS Compared with healthy controls, Mt/N and ΔmtDNA4977 frequency were elevated in thalassemia (P = 0.038 and P < 0.001, respectively). ΔmtDNA4977 was increased in the presence of either liver iron concentration > 15 mg/g dry-weight or splenectomy, with the highest levels observed in subjects who had both risk factors (P = 0.003). Myocardial iron (MRI T2* < 20 ms) was present in 0%, 22%, and 46% of subjects with ΔmtDNA4977 frequency < 20, 20-40, and > 40/1 × 107 mtDNA, respectively (P = 0.025). Subjects with Mt/N values below the group median had significantly lower Matsuda insulin sensitivity index (5.76 ± 0.53) compared with the high Mt/N group (9.11 ± 0.95, P = 0.008). CONCLUSION Individuals with transfusion-dependent thalassemia demonstrate age-related increase in mtDNA damage in leukocytes. These changes are markedly amplified by splenectomy and are associated with extrahepatic iron deposition. Elevated mtDNA damage in blood cells may predict the risk of iron-associated organ damage in thalassemia.
Networks: Producing Olympic Ice Hockey for a National Television Audience

This paper presents an ethnographic study of the Canadian Television Network’s (CTV) production of the 1988 Winter Olympic ice-hockey tournament. Interview data and media documents are analyzed to uncover how CTV strategically employed hockey as a spectacle of accumulation to boost ratings, expand market positioning, and to attract sponsors while blocking media competitors. At another level of understanding, ethnographic observations of the televisual labor process provide insights into how Olympic broadcasting constitutes a form of mediated communication or a spectacle of legitimation. Observations illustrate how the crew remade the live sporting event into a series of select cultural images. The manufacturing of Olympic images is revealed to be a social process that reproduces select systems of meaning, reinforces particular modes of media production, and strengthens monopolistic network relationships.
Joint Near-End Listening Enhancement and far-end noise reduction

Algorithms for Near-End Listening Enhancement (NELE) improve the intelligibility of speech from the far-end, played back in a near-end noisy environment, by adaptively filtering the speech signal and taking into account the near-end background noise characteristics. In contrast to previous works, this study considers that the speech from the far-end is also disturbed by additive noise. A noise reduction (NR) subsystem is concatenated to NELE and a joint control of NR and NELE is proposed. Listening tests confirm that the joint control leads to a significantly higher intelligibility and quality.
TSV interposer fabrication for 3D IC packaging

In this paper, Through silicon via (TSV) based interposer fabrication processes for 3D stack packaging has been presented. An interposer test chip of 25 × 25 mm size, has been designed with full array TSVs of 50 um size vias at 300 um pitch. TSVs of aspect ratio 4 are formed on 8 inch wafer using DRIE process and these vias are isolated by thermal oxide, followed by barrier/seed layer of Ti/Cu deposition. TSVs are filled with solid copper (Cu) using optimized pulse reverse damascene electroplating and Cu chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process also developed to remove the over burden copper with minimum dishing. Multi layer front side metallization process has been demonstrated using electroplated Cu as re-distribution layers (RDL) and spin-on-dielectrics as RDL passivation. Solid Cu filled TSVs are exposed at the backside of the TSVs using backgrinding and Cu CMP. Thin wafer handling process was developed for backside metallization on 200 um thick interposer wafers using support wafer with temporary adhesive bonding. Low temperature dielectric process has been optimized for backside via passivation to isolate the vias from surrounding silicon and backside RDL process as temporary adhesive can not withstand for high temperature processes. The support wafer is de-bonded by sliding at high temperature, followed by cleaning of temporary adhesive material on the front side of interposer wafer using cleaning chemical. TSV interposer of 200um thickness has been fabricated successfully and the vias are in very good connectivity from the top to the bottom. Complete interposer fabrication process issues and solutions have been discussed.
Selective Attention Supports Working Memory Maintenance by Modulating Perceptual Processing of Distractors

Selective attention has been shown to bias sensory processing in favor of relevant stimuli and against irrelevant or distracting stimuli in perceptual tasks. Increasing evidence suggests that selective attention plays an important role during working memory maintenance, possibly by biasing sensory processing in favor of to-be-remembered items. In the current study, we investigated whether selective attention may also support working memory by biasing processing against irrelevant and potentially distracting information. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while subjects (n 22) performed a delayed-recognition task for faces and shoes. The delay period was filled with face or shoe distractors. Behavioral performance was impaired when distractors were congruent with the working memory domain (e.g., face distractor during working memory for faces) relative to when distractors were incongruent with the working memory domain (e.g., face distractor during shoe working memory). If attentional biasing against distractor processing is indeed functionally relevant in supporting working memory maintenance, perceptual processing of distractors is predicted to be attenuated when distractors are more behaviorally intrusive relative to when they are nonintrusive. As such, we predicted that perceptual processing of distracting faces, as measured by the face-sensitive N170 ERP component, would be reduced in the context of congruent (face) working memory relative to incongruent (shoe) working memory. The N170 elicited by distracting faces demonstrated reduced amplitude during congruent versus incongruent working memory. These results suggest that perceptual processing of distracting faces may be attenuated due to attentional biasing against sensory processing of distractors that are most behaviorally intrusive during working memory maintenance.
Content-adaptive inverse tone mapping

Tone mapping is an important technique used for displaying high dynamic range (HDR) content on low dynamic range (LDR) devices. On the other hand, inverse tone mapping enables LDR content to appear with an HDR effect on HDR displays. The existing inverse tone mapping algorithms usually focus on enhancing the luminance in over-exposed regions with less (or even no) effort on the process of the wellexposed regions. In this paper, we propose an algorithm with not only enhancement in the over-exposed regions but also in the remaining well-exposed regions. This paper provides an ”histogram-based” method for inverse tone mapping. The proposed algorithm contains a content-adaptive inverse tone mapping operator, which has different responses with different scene characteristics. Scene classification is included in this algorithm to select the environment parameters. Lastly, enhancement of the over-exposed regions, which reconstructs the truncated information, is performed.
A Subpopulation of Neurochemically-Identified Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine Neurons Is Excited by Intravenous Cocaine

Systemic administration of cocaine is thought to decrease the firing rates of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons. However, this view is based on categorizations of recorded neurons as DA neurons using preselected electrophysiological characteristics lacking neurochemical confirmation. Without applying cellular preselection, we recorded the impulse activity of VTA neurons in response to cocaine administration in anesthetized adult rats. The phenotype of recorded neurons was determined by their juxtacellular labeling and immunohistochemical detection of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a DA marker. We found that intravenous cocaine altered firing rates in the majority of recorded VTA neurons. Within the cocaine-responsive neurons, half of the population was excited and the other half was inhibited. Both populations had similar discharge rates and firing regularities, and most neurons did not exhibit changes in burst firing. Inhibited neurons were more abundant in the posterior VTA, whereas excited neurons were distributed evenly throughout the VTA. Cocaine-excited neurons were more likely to be excited by footshock. Within the subpopulation of TH-positive neurons, 36% were excited by cocaine and 64% were inhibited. Within the subpopulation of TH-negative neurons, 44% were excited and 28% were inhibited. Contrary to the prevailing view that all DA neurons are inhibited by cocaine, we found a subset of confirmed VTA DA neurons that is excited by systemic administration of cocaine. We provide evidence indicating that DA neurons are heterogeneous in their response to cocaine and that VTA non-DA neurons play an active role in processing systemic cocaine.
Analysis of scale dependencies in an urban land‐use‐change model

Different processes shaping land‐use patterns are observed at different scales. In land‐use modelling, scale can influence the measurement and quantitative description of land‐use patterns and can therefore significantly impact the behaviour of model parameters that describe land‐use change processes. We present results of a rigorous sensitivity analysis of a cellular urban land‐use‐change model, SLEUTH, testing its performance in response to varying cell resolutions. Specifically, we examine the behaviour of each type of urban growth rule across different cell sizes, and explore the model's ability to capture growth rates and patterns across scales. Our findings suggest that SLEUTH's sensitivity to scale extend beyond issues of calibration. While the model was able to capture the rate of growth reliably across all cell sizes, differences in its ability to simulate growth patterns across scales were substantial. We also observed significant differences in the sensitivity of the growth rules across cell sizes, indicating that SLEUTH may perform better at certain cell sizes than at others. These findings emphasize the importance of scale considerations in land‐use‐change modelling research, particularly in terms of determining the relevant and appropriate scales of enquiry for the processes being simulated.
Targets in Capd and Apd Prescription

N umerous studies have appeared in recent years attempting to relate dialytic dose, as measured by KT/V or creatinine clearance, to clinical outcomes in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients (1-6). Although the results of these studies have differed and all have had methodological problems (7), some conclusions have received relatively widespread acceptance. Firstly, there is excess patient mortality below a minimum level of KT/V in CAPD. Early studies, which were relatively small, differed over whether this value was 1.5,1. 7 or 1.9 per week (1,3,5). In 1993, an N . I.H. consensus conference recommended a minimum level ofl. 7 per week (8). Recently, results from the CANUSA study have been presented in prelimi nary form and suggest that the relationship between KT/V and survival in CAPD may be continuous in that values as high as 2.3 per week are associated with lower mortality than values below 2.3 per week (9). CANUSA is a multicenter study with data from over 600 patients, and so it has more statistical power to detect differences in mortality than the previous smaller studies. None of these studies, however, including CANUSA, was a randomized controlled clinical trial, and none was specifically designed to identify a target dialytic dose as 'adequate' or 'optimal. ' All we re observational, noninterventional, cohort studies, and so can only demonstrate the presence or absence of an association between small solute clearance and patient outcome. Such an association does not necessarily imply cause and effect, and does not allow definitive recommendations about a target dose to be made. This is not to understate the importance of these studies, and particularly that of
Fat Talk: What Girls and Their Parents Say about Dieting

Preface Introduction: Barbie and Beyond 1. In the Presence of the Perfect Girl 2. Fat Talk 3. Are Girls Really Dieting? 4. Who Will I Look Like? 5. Mothers, Daughters, and Dieting 6. Looking Good Among African-American Girls 7. What We Can Do Appendix A: Research Strategies Appendix B: Tables Notes Acknowledgments Index
Mitigating egregious ACK delays in cellular data networks by eliminating TCP ACK clocking

It is not uncommon for the uplink buffers of cellular data networks to be saturated when the uplink bandwidths are low. This can cause the ACK packets for a downlink TCP flow to be severely delayed. Since existing TCP implementations are ACK-clocked, the downstream flow will suffer significant degradation, causing the downlink to be under-utilized. We present a new TCP variant, called TCP Receiver-Rate Estimation (TCP-RRE), that addresses this problem directly by eliminating ACK clocking. Instead, it uses TCP timestamps to estimate the receiving rate at the receiver, which it then uses to determine the sending rate. We show that TCP-RRE is able to improve download speeds by 2 to 4 times compared to existing TCP variants in both simulation and on real commercial cellular data networks. Our solution is practical because it is compatible with existing TCP implementations, requires no modifications to existing mobile devices, and is thus immediately deployable in existing ISP proxies.
Short notes on maximum likelihood inference for control‐based pattern‐mixture models

A likelihood‐based analytical approach has been proposed for the control‐based pattern‐mixture model and its extension. In this note, we derive equivalent but simpler analytical expressions for the treatment effect and its variance for these control‐based pattern mixture models. Our formulae are easier to use and interpret. An application of our formulae to an antidepressant trial is provided, in which the likelihood‐based analysis is compared with the multiple imputation approach. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ultra-High Throughput Synthesis of Nanoparticles with Homogeneous Size Distribution Using a Coaxial Turbulent Jet Mixer

High-throughput production of nanoparticles (NPs) with controlled quality is critical for their clinical translation into effective nanomedicines for diagnostics and therapeutics. Here we report a simple and versatile coaxial turbulent jet mixer that can synthesize a variety of NPs at high throughput up to 3 kg/d, while maintaining the advantages of homogeneity, reproducibility, and tunability that are normally accessible only in specialized microscale mixing devices. The device fabrication does not require specialized machining and is easy to operate. As one example, we show reproducible, high-throughput formulation of siRNA-polyelectrolyte polyplex NPs that exhibit effective gene knockdown but exhibit significant dependence on batch size when formulated using conventional methods. The coaxial turbulent jet mixer can accelerate the development of nanomedicines by providing a robust and versatile platform for preparation of NPs at throughputs suitable for in vivo studies, clinical trials, and industrial-scale production.
Estimating Nonlinear Time-Series Models Using Simulated Vector Autoregressions

This paper develops two new methods for conducting formal statistical inference in nonlinear dynamic economic models. The two methods require very little analytical tractability, relying instead on numerical simulation of the model's dynamic behaviour. Although one of the estimators is asymptotically more efficient than the other, a Monte Carlo study shows that, for a specific application, the less efficient estimator has smaller mean squared error in samples of the size typically encountered in macroeconomics. The estimator with superior small sample performance is used to estimate the parameters of a real business cycle model using observed US time-series data. Copyright 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hashcube: A Data Structure for Space- and Query-Efficient Skycube Compression

The skyline operator returns records in a dataset that provide optimal trade-offs of multiple dimensions. It is an expensive operator whose query performance can greatly benefit from materialization. However, a skyline can be executed over any subspace of dimensions, and the materialization of all subspace skylines, called the skycube, dramatically multiplies data size. Existing methods for skycube compression sacrifice too much query performance; so, we present a novel hashing- and bitstring-based compressed data structure that supports orders of magnitude faster query performance.
Reconciling distance functions and level sets

This paper is concerned with the simulation of the partial differential equation driven evolution of a closed surface by means of an implicit representation. In most applications, the natural choice for the implicit representation is the signed distance function to the closed surface. Osher and Sethian have proposed to evolve the distance function with a Hamilton-Jacobi equation. Unfortunately the solution to this equation is not a distance function. As a consequence, the practical application of the level set method is plagued with such questions as when do we have to reinitialize the distance function? how do we reinitialize the distance function? , which reveal a disagreement between the theory and its implementation. This paper proposes an alternative to the use of Hamilton-Jacobi equations which eliminates this contradiction: in our method the implicit representation always remains a distance function by construction, and the implementation does not differ from the theory any more. This is achieved through the introduction of a new equation. Besides its theoretical advantages, the proposed method also has several practical advantages which we demonstrate in three applications: (i) the segmentation of the human cortex surfaces from MRI images using two coupled surfaces (X. Zeng, et al., in Proceedings of the International Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, June 1998), (ii) the construction of a hierarchy of Euclidean skeletons of a 3D surface, (iii) the reconstruction of the surface of 3D objects through stereo (O. Faugeras and R. Keriven, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 1252, pp. 272-283).
Association of Heat Production with 18F-FDG Accumulation in Murine Brown Adipose Tissue After Stress

Previous studies have demonstrated that cold stress results in increased accumulation of 18F-FDG in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Although it has been assumed that this effect is associated with increased thermogenesis by BAT, direct measurements of this phenomenon have not been reported. In the current investigation, we evaluated the relationship between stimulation of 18F-FDG accumulation in BAT by 3 stressors and heat production measured in vivo by thermal imaging. Male SKH-1 hairless mice were subjected to full-thickness thermal injury (30% of total body surface area), cold stress (4°C for 24 h), or cutaneous wounds. Groups of 6 animals with each treatment were kept fasting overnight and injected with 18F-FDG. Sixty minutes after injection, the mice were sacrificed, and biodistribution was measured. Other groups of 6 animals subjected to the 3 stressors were studied by thermal imaging, and the difference in temperature between BAT and adjacent tissue was recorded (ΔT). Additional groups of 6 animals were studied by both thermal imaging and 18F-FDG biodistribution in the same animals. Accumulation of 18F-FDG in BAT was significantly (P < 0.0001) increased by all 3 treatments (burn, ∼5-fold; cold, ∼15-fold; and cutaneous wound, ∼15-fold), whereas accumulation by adjacent white adipose tissue was unchanged. Compared with sham control mice, in animals exposed to all 3 stressors, ΔTs showed significant (P < 0.001) increases. The ΔT between stressor groups was not significant; however, there was a highly significant linear correlation (r2 = 0.835, P < 0.0001) between the ΔT measured in BAT versus adjacent tissue and 18F-FDG accumulation. These results establish, for the first time to our knowledge, that changes in BAT temperature determined in vivo by thermal imaging parallel increases in 18F-FDG accumulation.
Investigation of Material Properties for Thermal Imaging-Based Interaction

Recent work demonstrated the exciting opportunities that thermal imaging offers for the development of interactive systems. It was shown that a thermal camera can sense when a user touches a surface, performs gestures in the camera's direct field of view and, in addition, performs gestures outside the camera's direct field of view through thermal reflection. In this paper, we investigate the material properties that should be considered for detecting interaction using thermal imaging considering both in- and outdoor settings. We conducted a study to analyze the recognition performance for different gestures and different surfaces. Using the results, we derive guidelines on material properties of surfaces for detecting on-surface as well as mid-air interaction using a thermal camera. We discuss the constrains that should be taken into account using thermal imaging as the sensing technology. Finally, we present a material space based on our findings. The space depicts surfaces and the required properties that enable the different interaction techniques.
Why Breeding Values Estimated Using Familial Data Should Not Be Used for Genome-Wide Association Studies

In animal breeding, the genetic potential of an animal is summarized as its estimated breeding value, which is derived from its own performance as well as the performance of related individuals. Here, we illustrate why estimated breeding values are not suitable as a phenotype for genome-wide association studies. We simulated human-type and pig-type pedigrees with a range of quantitative trait loci (QTL) effects (0.5–3% of phenotypic variance) and heritabilities (0.3−0.8). We analyzed 1000 replicates of each scenario with four models: (a) a full mixed model including a polygenic effect, (b) a regression analysis using the residual of a mixed model as a trait score (so called GRAMMAR approach), (c) a regression analysis using the estimated breeding value as a trait score, and (d) a regression analysis that uses the raw phenotype as a trait score. We show that using breeding values as a trait score gives very high false-positive rates (up 14% in human pedigrees and >60% in pig pedigrees). Simulations based on a real pedigree show that additional generations of pedigree increase the type I error. Including the family relationship as a random effect provides the greatest power to detect QTL while controlling for type I error at the desired level and providing the most accurate estimates of the QTL effect. Both the use of residuals and the use of breeding values result in deflated estimates of the QTL effect. We derive the contributions of QTL effects to the breeding value and residual and show how this affects the estimates.