Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peak Oxygen Uptake Correlates With Survival Without Clinical Deterioration in Ambulatory Children With Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Background— Children stable at home with dilated cardiomyopathy remain at risk of death; there is evidence of survival benefit for transplantation out to 4 years postoperatively. The limited supply of donor organs makes risk stratification imperative, but although cardiopulmonary exercise test is well established as a powerful tool in adults with heart failure, no published studies have linked oxygen uptake to prognosis in children. Methods and Results— Between 2001 and 2009, using cardiopulmonary exercise test and echocardiography, we studied 82 children (mean age, 13.5±2.3 years) with dilated cardiomyopathy. All were ambulatory, outpatients, and >120 cm in height. All children completed a symptom-limited maximal exercise test. Resting left ventricular shortening fraction was 20±9%; peak heart rate was 87±13% of predicted; peak oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2) was 67±22% of predicted; and ventilatory efficiency was 32±8. Follow-up was available for 100% of the children, and was a mean of 32.3±7.5 months. Eighteen patients reached the defined clinical end point of death or listing for urgent heart transplantation. On univariate analysis, left ventricular shortening fraction, peak heart rate, peak V[Combining Dot Above]O2, peak systolic blood pressure, and ventilatory efficiency were all associated with adverse outcome. On multivariable Cox analysis, only peak V[Combining Dot Above]O2 (P=0.003) was associated with the study end point. Patients with a peak V[Combining Dot Above]O2 ⩽62% of predicted had a higher 24-month event rate (50.6% versus 4.4%; hazard ratio, 10.78). Conclusions— We have demonstrated that a cardiopulmonary exercise test is feasible in ambulatory children with dilated cardiomyopathy who are >120 cm height and for the first time have linked peak V[Combining Dot Above]O2 with outcome in children.
Efficacy of electronic portable assistive devices for people with acquired brain injury: A systematic review

A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of electronic portable assistive devices (EPADs) for people with acquired brain injury. A systematic database search (OVID, CINAHL) found 541 citations published between 1989 and the end of 2012. A total of 23 reports met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, namely intervention studies (group, n-of-1) testing the efficacy of EPADs as compensatory devices for cognitive impairment for people with acquired brain injury aged 16–65 years. Study quality was rated by the PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) scale, (randomised controlled trials), the Downes and Black tool (other group intervention studies), and the Single Case Experimental Design tool (single participant studies). Levels of evidence were determined using five levels of classification based on the Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Evidence table. Results found no Level 1 studies (RCTs with PEDro score ≥ 6), four Level 2 studies and 10 Level 3 studies. There was insufficient evidence to recommend any practice standards, but sufficient evidence to recommend the use of electronic reminder systems in supporting the everyday functioning of people with acquired brain injury as a practice guideline. Higher quality studies are required to support a broader range of compensatory roles that EPADs have the potential to play in neurorehabilitation and the long-term support of people with acquired brain injury.
A Complete Resistive-Open Defect Analysis for Thermally Assisted Switching MRAMs

Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) is an emerging technology with potential to become the universal on-chip memory. Among existing MRAM technologies, thermally assisted switching (TAS)-MRAM technology offers several advantages compared with other technologies: selectivity, single magnetic field, and high-integration density. In this paper, we analyze the impact of resistive-open defects on TAS-MRAM behavior. Electrical simulations were performed on a hypothetical 16 word TAS-MRAM architecture enabling any combination of read and write operations. Results show that read and write sequences may be affected by resistive-open defects that may induce single and double-cell faulty behaviors. As a next step, we will exploit the analyses results to guide the test phase by providing effective test algorithms targeting faults related to actual defects affecting TAS-MRAM architectures.
Electrospun Ag/PMA Nanofibrous Scaffold as a Drug Delivery System

Polymers play a key-role in the drug delivery technology. They allow for the controlled release of therapeutic agents under an external stimulus if a sensitive segment is suitable incorporated in the polymer matrix. Actually, polymer capsules containing noble metal nanostructures are regarded as promising light-responsive drug carriers. Among polymers, poly(methacrylic acid), PMA, offers manifold advantages: i) solubility in water, ii) coordination ability for Ag-Au nanoparticles, and iii) ability to act as capping agent. However, the preparation of Ag/PMA nanocolloids involves complex procedures the use of reagents with severe environmental impact. The goal of this work is to develop Ag/PMA nanocolloids for the controlled release of the encapsulated therapeutic agent (Sorafenib Tosylate) through a simple and cost effective synthesis process and the use of biocompatible, implantable materials. The light- and heat-responsiveness of fibrous scaffolds of Ag/PMA nanocolloids produced by electrospinning is investigated and compared with that of Ag/PMA nanocolloids. The goal of this work is to develop Ag/PMA nanocolloids for the controlled release of the encapsulated therapeutic agent (Sorafenib Tosylate) through a simple and cost effective synthesis process and the use of biocompatible, implantable materials. The light- and heat-responsiveness of fibrous scaffolds of Ag/PMA nanocolloids produced by electrospinning is investigated and compared with that of Ag/PMA nanocolloids. In both the investigated systems, Ag/PMA nanocolloids and electrospun scaffolds of Ag/PMA nanocolloids, the drug release is significantly favored by the considered stimuli. Upon heat stimulus, Ag/PMA nanocolloids provide greater cumulative drug release with respect to the electrospun scaffold. Conversely, upon light stimulus, the scaffold is able to release a larger amount of Sorafenib at a faster rate, thanks to the Ag-mediated laser irradiation heating effect. The electrospun fibrous scaffold of Ag/PMA nanocolloids is demonstrated to be an efficient system for the remotely-triggered delivery of drug in a target area. The values of its loading efficiency (60%) and drug content (5.5%) are comparable to the ones obtained from amphiphilic copolymer structures prepared via complex chemical procedures with the use of toxic solvents and surfactant to stabilize the nanocolloids.
Functional deficiencies in two distinct interferon α‐producing cell populations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from human immunodeficiency virus seropositive patients

Two populations of IFN‐α producing cells (IPC) were examined to determine whether they are coordinately dysregulated in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. IFN‐α produced in response to herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Sendai virus (SV) was measured and the frequencies of the IPC were obtained by ELISpot assay. IPC that respond to HSV (natural IFN‐α producing cells) and those responding to SV (predominantly monocytes) were present, on average, at 7.6 and 138 per 104 PBMC in healthy controls, respectively. More patients had a reduced IFN‐α response to HSV than to SV, and individual patients did not show a decreased response to SV without a decreased response to HSV. Neither IPC function was correlated with CD4+ cell levels. We conclude that the defects in IFN‐α production in these two cell populations arise independently, possibly due to differences in susceptibility to HIV infection or molecular regulation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 57: 214–220; 1995.
Recent advances in the understanding of inherited sideroblastic anaemia

Sideroblastic anaemia includes a heterogeneous group of rare conditions, characterized by decreased haem synthesis and mitochondrial iron overload, which are diagnosed by the presence of ringed sideroblasts in the bone marrow aspirate. The most frequent form is X‐linked sideroblastic anaemia, caused by mutations of delta‐aminolevulinic acid synthase 2 (ALAS2), the enzyme that catalyses the first and regulatory step of haem synthesis in erythroid precursors and is post‐transcriptionally controlled by the iron regulatory proteins. Impaired haem production causes variable degrees of anaemia and mitochondrial iron accumulation as ringed sideroblasts. The heterogeneity and complexity of sideroblastic anaemia is explained by an increasing number of recognized molecular defects. New forms have been recognized as being linked to the deficient function of mitochondrial proteins involved in iron–sulphur cluster biogenesis, such as ABCB7 and GLRX5, which are extremely rare but represent important biological models. Local mitochondrial iron overload is present in all sideroblastic anaemias, whereas systemic iron overload occurs only in the forms because of primary or secondary deficiency of ALAS2.
A prognostic prediction system for hepatocellular carcinoma based on gene co-expression network

In the present study, gene expression data of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were analyzed by using a multi-step Bioinformatics approach to establish a novel prognostic prediction system. Gene expression profiles were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between these two datasets were identified using the limma package in R. Prognostic genes were further identified by Cox regression using the survival package. The significantly co-expressed gene pairs were selected using the R function cor to construct the co-expression network. Functional and module analyses were also performed. Next, a prognostic prediction system was established by Bayes discriminant analysis using the discriminant.bayes function in the e1071 package, which was further validated in another independent GEO dataset. A total of 177 overlapping DEGs were identified from TCGA and the GEO dataset (GSE36376). Furthermore, 161 prognostic genes were selected and the top six were stanniocalcin 2, carbonic anhydrase 12, cell division cycle (CDC) 20, deoxyribonuclease 1 like 3, glucosylceramidase β3 and metallothionein 1G. A gene co-expression network involving 41 upregulated and 52 downregulated genes was constructed. SPC24, endothelial cell specific molecule 1, CDC20, CDCA3, cyclin (CCN) E1 and chromatin licensing and DNA replication factor 1 were significantly associated with cell division, mitotic cell cycle and positive regulation of cell proliferation. CCNB1, CCNE1, CCNB2 and stratifin were clearly associated with the p53 signaling pathway. A prognostic prediction system containing 55 signature genes was established and then validated in the GEO dataset GSE20140. In conclusion, the present study identified a number of prognostic genes and established a prediction system to assess the prognosis of HCC patients.
Sympatric, parapatric or allopatric: the most important way to classify speciation?

The most common classification of modes of speciation begins with the spatial context in which divergence occurs: sympatric, parapatric or allopatric. This classification is unsatisfactory because it divides a continuum into discrete categories, concentrating attention on the extremes, and it subordinates other dimensions on which speciation processes vary, such as the forces driving differentiation and the genetic basis of reproductive isolation. It also ignores the fact that speciation is a prolonged process that commonly has phases in different spatial contexts. We use the example of local adaptation and partial reproductive isolation in the intertidal gastropod Littorina saxatilis to illustrate the inadequacy of the spatial classification of speciation modes. Parallel divergence in shell form in response to similar environmental gradients in England, Spain and Sweden makes this an excellent model system. However, attempts to demonstrate ‘incipient’ and ‘sympatric’ speciation involve speculation about the future and the past. We suggest that it is more productive to study the current balance between local adaptation and gene flow, the interaction between components of reproductive isolation and the genetic basis of differentiation.
The anorectic anx/anx mouse displays signs of astrogliosis in the hypothalamus

Introduction: Anorexia Nervosa is a serious psychiatric condition that has been suggested to have a neuroimmunological mechanism as a part of the pathophysiology. Hypothalamic inflammation occurs in an anorectic animal model called the anx/anx mouse in the form of up-regulation of inflammatory markers and activated microglia. However, neuroinflammation based on astrogliosis has not been studied in this model. Aims: This study aimed at establishing if astrogliosis occurs in the hypothalamus of the anx/anx mouse model. Material and Methods: A total of 8 animals 4 of each genotype (anx/anx and +/+) at postnatal day 21 were employed. The brains were dissected, the hypothalamus sectioned and immunohistochemistry was performed with tyramide signal amplification method using glial fibrillary-acidic protein (GFAP) as a marker for astrogliosis. The GFAP immunofluorescence in anx/anx and +/+ mice was measured in different hypothalamic areas involved in the regulation of food intake. Results: A statistically significant increase of GFAP-marked astrocytes was present in the paraventricular nucleus (p=0.04) and arcuate nucleus (p=0.03) of the anx/anx mouse in comparison to +/+ mice. There was no significant increase of GFAP-marked astrocytes in the medial preoptic area (p=0.07). Conclusions: The anx/anx mouse displays signs of astrogliosis in the hypothalamus suggesting an important role for astrocytes in anorexia. The underlying cause for the astrogliosis present in the hypothalamic regions in the anx/anx mouse is not known and needs to be further studied.
Preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio can improve disease progression prediction of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

The purpose of this study was prospectively evaluate the ability of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to predict disease progression in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). This is a continuation of our previous retrospective study that indicated the signiﬁcance of NLR > 2.5 criterion as a predictor of progression in patients with NMIBC. Since December 2013, all patients admitted to Bnai-Zion department for TUR-BT and agreed to participate in the study, had blood analyses for cell count and differential 24hr prior to surgery. Patients with pathological NMIBC were followed prospectively for disease progression. The end-point of the follow up was either a disease progression or the termination of the study. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression were performed to assess the predictive ability of NLR > 2.5 for disease progression. Our results demonstrate a signiﬁcant difference ( p = 0.02) in mean progression-free survival – (35.9 months vs 41.1 months) in the whole cohort Kaplan-Meier survival plot factored by NLR > 2.5. Mean progression-free survival of NLR > 2.5 stratiﬁed by stage, grade and treatment (sub-group analysis), showed statistical signiﬁcance ( p = 0.035) for those treated with intra-vesical instillation, and demonstrated a persistent trend for the rest of the stratiﬁcations - revealing that the NLR > 2.5 groups always fared worse than the NLR < 2.5 groups. In a univariate analysis, whole cohort Cox regression analysis for disease progression, NLR > 2.5 was found signiﬁcant ( p = 0.05; HR 7.8; CI 1–61), indicating that the probability of progression is increased at least 7-fold for a person with a NLR > 2.5 compared with those with NLR < 2.5. In conclusion, NLR > 2.5 was found to be a signiﬁcant predictor of disease progression and demonstrated high hazard ratio and worse progression-free survival in patients with NMIBC, especially in those treated with intra-vesical instillation. We propose to consider the incorporation of NLR > 2.5 in the next revisions of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) scores, given more widely available evidence.
How Do Lay-Off Costs Affect Employment?

General equilibrium analyses of layoff costs have had mixed messages on the implications for employment. This paper brings out the economic forces at work and explains the disparate results. Specifically, we show that positive employment effects of layoff costs come through reducing labor reallocation, whereas negative effects come through reducing the private return to work due to those layoff costs and the associated inefficient allocation of labor. Additional adverse employment effects can arise through an increase in the effective bargaining strength of workers. These forces explain why layoff costs tend to increase employment in search models while the opposite is true in models with employment lotteries. In matching models, we show that the employment effects depend critically on how layoff costs are assumed to enter the bargaining process.
Psychological stress perturbs epidermal permeability barrier homeostasis: implications for the pathogenesis of stress-associated skin disorders.

BACKGROUND A large number of skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, appear to be precipitated or exacerbated by psychological stress. Nevertheless, the specific pathogenic role of psychological stress remains unknown. In 3 different murine models of psychological stress, it was recently shown that psychological stress negatively impacts cutaneous permeability barrier function and that coadministration of tranquilizers blocks this stress-induced deterioration in barrier function. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS The relationship between psychological stress and epidermal permeability barrier function was investigated in 27 medical, dental, and pharmacy students without coexistent skin disease. Their psychological state was assessed with 2 well-validated measures: the Perceived Stress Scale and the Profile of Mood States. Barrier function was assessed simultaneously with the stress measures at periods of presumed higher stress (during final examinations) and at 2 assumed, lower stress occasions (after return from winter vacation [approximately 4 weeks before final examinations] and during spring vacation [approximately 4 weeks after final examinations]). RESULTS The subjects as a group demonstrated a decline in permeability barrier recovery kinetics after barrier disruption by cellophane tape stripping, in parallel with an increase in perceived psychological stress during the higher vs the initial lower stress occasions. During the follow-up, presumed lower stress period, the subjects again displayed lower perceived psychological stress scores and improved permeability barrier recovery kinetics, comparable to those during the initial lower stress period. Moreover, the greatest deterioration in barrier function occurred in those subjects who demonstrated the largest increases in perceived psychological stress. CONCLUSION These studies provide the first link between psychological status and cutaneous function in humans and suggest a new pathophysiological paradigm, ie, stress-induced derangements in epidermal function as precipitators of inflammatory dermatoses.
Light Response of Retinal ON Bipolar Cells Requires a Specific Splice Variant of Gαo

Glutamate released onto retinal ON bipolar neurons binds to a metabotropic receptor to activate a heterotrimeric G-protein (Go) that ultimately closes a nonspecific cation channel. Signaling requires the α subunit (Gαo), but its effector is unknown. Because Gαo is transcribed into two splice variants (αo1 and αo2) that differ in the key GTPase domain, the next step in elucidating this pathway was to determine which splice variant carries the signal. Here we show by reverse transcription-PCR and Western blots that retina expresses both splice variants. Furthermore, in situ hybridization and immunostaining on mouse retina deficient in one splice variant or the other show that both αo1 and αo2 are expressed by ON bipolar cells but that αo1 is much more abundant. Finally, electroretinography performed on mice deficient for one splice variant or the other shows that the positive b-wave (response of ON bipolar cells to rod and cone input) requires αo1 but not αo2. Thus, the light response of the ON bipolar cell is probably carried by its strongly expressed splice variant, Gαo1.
Range Doppler detection for automotive FMCW radars

The FMCW-Radar-Principle is widely used for automotive radar systems. The basic idea for FMCW-Radars is to generate a linear frequency ramp as transmit signal. The difference frequency between the transmitted and received signal is determined after downconversion. In order to detect range and velocity together, the information, extracted from one frequency ramp, is not enough, because it is ambiguous. Several subsequent ramps have to be generated to remove the ambiguity between the frequency portion produced by range and the doppler frequency. In this paper two methods are presented to perform this basic signal processing step. The two methods have the Fast Fourier Transform as basic calculation step in common, but the number of FFTs and their length are different. The requirements on bandwidth for the IF-Hardware and A/D-Converters are also determined by the algorithm for Range-Doppler-Detection. The CFAR (Constant False Alarm Rate)-Algorithm for target detection must also be adapted to the chosen method. Both methods have been verified with a 24 GHz radar prototype. The Radar-Frontend has been built with a newly developed SiGe-Radar-Chipset on Infineon's B7HF200-Process with a transition frequency of 200 GHz.
Term-Level Verification of a Pipelined CISC Microprocessor

By abstracting the details of the data representations and operations in a microprocessor, term-level verification can formally prove that a pipelined microprocessor faithfully implements its sequential, instruction-set architecture specification. Previous efforts in this area have focused on reduced instruction set computer (RISC) and very-large instruction word (VLIW) processors. This work reports on the verification of a complex instruction set computer (CISC) processor styled after the Intel IA32 instruction set using the UCLID term-level verifier. Unlike many case studies for term-level verification, this processor was not designed specifically for formal verification. In addition, most of the control logic was given in a simplified hardware description language. We developed a methodology in which the control logic is translated into UCLID format automatically, and the pipelined processor and the sequential reference version were described with as much modularity as possible. The latter feature was made especially difficult by UCLID’s limited support for modularity. A key objective of this case study was to understand the strengths and weaknesses of UCLID for describing hardware designs and for supporting the formal verification process. Although ultimately successful, we identified several ways in which UCLID could be improved.
Health aspects of wireless communication: the risk of human exposure to cellular mobile communication radiation

Most of our knowledge concerning the biological effects of radio frequency (RF) radiation from wireless communication devices came out of investigations conducted using experimental animals, such as rats, mice, etc. When it comes to the impact of RF radiation on human health and safety, epidemiology can play a pivotal role, because it is a study of the distribution of disease and its determinants in human populations.