Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α activation in HPV-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines

Purpose Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a causative agent for a rising number of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), which are characterized by distinct tumor biology. Hypoxia inducible-factor (HIF) signaling influences initiation and progression of carcinogenesis and HPV oncoproteins have evolved to highjack cellular pathways for viral reproduction. Therefore, we investigated whether HPV activates HIF-1α expression in HNSCC. Experimental Technique HPV-positive and -negative HNSCC cells were examined for adaptive responses to hypoxia. Expression of HIF-1α, prolyl hydroxylase-domain protein 2 (PHD2) and E-cadherin was analyzed by Western blotting, immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy and migration/wound healing assays. Results HPV-positive HNSCC cells showed higher HIF-1α and PHD2 protein levels under normoxia and hypoxia. HIF-1α hydroxylation was reduced in HPV-positive HNSCC cell lines under PHD and proteasomal inhibition. In vitro wound healing assays showed impairment of migration and proliferation by HIF-1α pathway activation in HPV-negative cell lines only. In contrast, migration and proliferation in HPV-positive cell lines was impaired by HIF-1α specific siRNA. Conclusions HPV-positive HNSCC cells show activation of the HIF pathway and adaptation to HIF-1α upregulation, representing potential therapeutic targets in this emerging tumor entity.
COL1A2 polymorphic markers confer an increased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration in a Han Chinese population

Purpose We have previously documented that neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) have multiple different clinical and genetic characteristics. In this study, we investigated the association of rs42524 in the alpha-2 type I collagen (COL1A2) gene, which has been identified as a risk variant for intracranial aneurysm, with nAMD and PCV in a Han Chinese population. Methods The study prospectively recruited 195 patients with PCV, 136 patients with nAMD, and 181 control individuals. We genotyped the rs42524 polymorphism of COL1A2 using the Multiplex SNaPshot System and direct DNA sequencing. Genotype and allele frequencies were evaluated with PLINK software. Results The rs42524 polymorphism was modestly significantly associated with nAMD [minor allele: G, p(allelic)=0.04253, odds ratio=0.5285 (95% confidence interval: 0.2832–0.9866)], but not with PCV [minor allele: G, p(allelic)=0.4164, odds ratio=1.2110 (95% confidence interval: 0.7631–1.9210)]. The pvalues for the additive model were significant for nAMD but not for the dominant or recessive models. None of the models for PCV were statistically significant. The size of our sample cohort resulted in a post hoc power of more than 80% to detect associations of rs42524 with nAMD and PCV. Conclusions The rs42524 polymorphism is a risk allele for nAMD in a Han Chinese population. rs42524 in COL1A2 confers different levels of susceptibility to nAMD and PCV.
The cache DRAM architecture: a DRAM with an on-chip cache memory

A DRAM (dynamic RAM) with an on-chip cache, called the cache DRAM, has been proposed and fabricated. It is a hierarchical RAM containing a 1-Mb DRAM for the main memory and an 8-kb SRAM (static RAM) for cache memory. It uses a 1.2- mu m CMOS technology. Suitable for no-wait-state memory access in low-end workstations and personal computers, the chip also serves high-end systems as a secondary cache scheme. It is shown how the cache DRAM bridges the gap in speed between high-performance microprocessor units and existing DRAMs. The cache DRAM concept is explained, and its architecture is presented. The error checking and correction scheme used to improve the cache DRAM's reliability is described. Performance results for an experimental device are reported. <<ETX>>
Photoinduced Phase Transition in Strongly Electron-Lattice and Electron–Electron Correlated Molecular Crystals

Strongly electron-lattice- and electron-electron-correlated molecular crystals, such as charge transfer (CT) complexes, are often sensitive to external stimuli, e.g., photoexcitation, due to the cooperative or competitive correlation of various interactions present in the crystals. These crystals are thus productive targets for studying photoinduced phase transitions (PIPTs). Recent advancements in research on the PIPT of CT complexes, especially Et2Me2Sb[Pd(dmit)2]2 and (EDO-TTF)2PF6, are reviewed in this report. The former exhibits a photoinduced insulator-to-insulator phase transition with clearly assigned spectral change. We demonstrate how to find the dynamics of PIPT using this system. The latter exhibits a photoinduced hidden state as an initial PIPT process. Wide energy ranged time-resolved spectroscopy can probe many kinds of photo-absorption processes, i.e., intra-molecular and inter-molecular electron excitations and intramolecular and electron-molecular vibrations. The photoinduced spectral changes in these photo-absorption processes reveal various aspects of the dynamics of PIPT, including electronic structural changes, lattice structural changes, and molecular deformations. The complexities of the dynamics of the latter system were revealed by our measurements.
Estimation methods for ranking recent information

Temporal aspects of documents can impact relevance for certain kinds of queries. In this paper, we build on earlier work of modeling temporal information. We propose an extension to the Query Likelihood Model that incorporates query-specific information to estimate rate parameters, and we introduce a temporal factor into language model smoothing and query expansion using pseudo-relevance feedback. We evaluate these extensions using a Twitter corpus and two newspaper article collections. Results suggest that, compared to prior approaches, our models are more effective at capturing the temporal variability of relevance associated with some topics.
Silicon nanowires with controlled sidewall profile and roughness fabricated by thin-film dewetting and metal-assisted chemical etching

This paper presents a non-lithographic approach to generate wafer-scale single crystal silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with controlled sidewall profile and surface morphology. The approach begins with silver (Ag) thin-film thermal dewetting, gold (Au) deposition and lift-off to generate a large-scale Au mesh on Si substrates. This is followed by metal-assisted chemical etching (MacEtch), where the Au mesh serves as a catalyst to produce arrays of smooth Si nanowires with tunable taper up to 13°. The mean diameter of the thus fabricated SiNWs can be controlled to range from 62 to 300 nm with standard deviations as small as 13.6 nm, and the areal coverage of the wire arrays can be up to 46%. Control of the mean wire diameter is achieved by controlling the pore diameter of the metallic mesh which is, in turn, controlled by adjusting the initial thin-film thickness and deposition rate. To control the wire surface morphology, a post-fabrication roughening step is added to the approach. This step uses Au nanoparticles and slow-rate MacEtch to produce rms surface roughness up to 3.6 nm.
Plasticity of Local-Circuit Constraint Properties During Functional Reorganization of Adult Cortex

Author(s): Paullus, Jeffrey Richard | Advisor(s): Hickmott, Peter W | Abstract: Cortical sensory maps are highly organized structures that contain point-to-point representations of sensory inputs. This organization emerges in-part from horizontal connections that limit activity-flow across representational borders (local-circuit constraint properties). Interestingly, this organization undergoes experience-dependent modifications throughout life. This dissertation examines changes in local-circuit constraint properties during cortical reorganization. Synaptic plasticity of horizontal connections could modify activity-flow across borders. Very little is known about inhibitory synaptic plasticity, its relationship to excitatory synaptic plasticity, and their relationship to functional organization. To investigate this, we located the forepaw/lower jaw (FP/LJ) of the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) in vivo, and used whole cell-patch electrophysiology to record excitatory and inhibitory responses of horizontal connections in vitro. Connections that remained within the representation (continuous) and those that crossed from one representation to another (discontinuous) were both examined before and after tetanization, allowing us to examine differences associated with borders. Tetanic stimulation induced diverse forms of synaptic plasticity, with long-term potentiation (LTP) dominating for excitation and long-term depression dominating for inhibition. The border did not restrict this plasticity in either case. In contrast, tetanization elicited LTP of monosynaptic inhibitory responses in continuous, but not discontinuous connections. These results demonstrate that continuous and discontinuous horizontal connections are capable of diverse plasticity responses that could theoretically functionally reorganize the cortex. Axon remodeling could also change activity-flow across borders. To investigate this, we examined axon remodeling during long-durations of reorganization. We located the FP/LJ border and then iontophoresed a retrograde axonal tracer near the border at different durations of forelimb-denervation or sham-denervation. In sham-denervated animals, neurons close to the border had axonal projections oriented away from the border (axonal bias). Forelimb denervation resulted in a sustained change in border location and a significant reduction in the axonal bias after 6 weeks of denervation, but not after 4 or 12 weeks. The change in axonal bias resulted from axon sprouting across the border at 6 weeks, followed by the retraction of those axons by 12 weeks. This suggests bidirectional axonal rearrangements are associated with relatively long-durations of reorganization. Thus, diverse synaptic and morphological plasticity mechanisms could contribute to functional reorganization.
Do Students With and Without Lexical Retrieval Weaknesses Respond Differently to Instruction?

Deficits in phonological processing are theorized to be responsible for at least some reading disabilities. A considerable amount of research demonstrates that many students can be taught one of these phonological processes—phonemic awareness. However, not all students have responded favorably to this instruction. Research has suggested that these nonresponders may be unable to retrieve phonological codes quickly from long-term memory. The purpose of this study was to examine whether such a deficiency, which we refer to as lexical retrieval weakness, blunts the effectiveness of combined phonemic awareness and decoding training. To this end, we compared the effectiveness of phonemic awareness and decoding training for students with and without severe lexical retrieval weaknesses. All students in both groups demonstrated poor phonemic awareness. The results suggested that students with relatively strong lexical retrieval skill responded more favorably to beginning reading instruction than did students with weak lexical retrieval skill. In other words, lexical retrieval weakness may influence reading development independently of the effects of phonemic awareness. Implications for instruction are discussed.
So Many Brands and Varieties to Choose from: Does This Compromise the Control of Food Intake in Humans?

The recent rise in obesity is widely attributed to changes in the dietary environment (e.g., increased availability of energy-dense foods and larger portion sizes). However, a critical feature of our “obesogenic environment” may have been overlooked - the dramatic increase in “dietary variability” (the tendency for specific mass-produced foods to be available in numerous varieties that differ in energy content). In this study we tested the hypothesis that dietary variability compromises the control of food intake in humans. Specifically, we examined the effects of dietary variability in pepperoni pizza on two key outcome variables; i) compensation for calories in pepperoni pizza and ii) expectations about the satiating properties of pepperoni pizza (expected satiation). We reasoned that dietary variability might generate uncertainty about the postingestive effects of a food. An internet-based questionnaire was completed by 199 adults. This revealed substantial variation in exposure to different varieties of pepperoni pizza. In a follow-up study (n= 66; 65% female), high pizza variability was associated with i) poorer compensation for calories in pepperoni pizza and ii) lower expected satiation for pepperoni pizza. Furthermore, the effect of uncertainty on caloric compensation was moderated by individual differences in decision making (loss aversion). For the first time, these findings highlight a process by which dietary variability may compromise food-intake control in humans. This is important because it exposes a new feature of Western diets (processed foods in particular) that might contribute to overeating and obesity.
How much do mental disorders contribute to New Zealand’s tobacco epidemic?

Objective: To quantify the share of tobacco consumed by people with 12-month mental disorders in New Zealand. Methods: Estimates of current smoking prevalence and the 12-month prevalence of three groups of mental disorders—anxiety, mood and substance use disorders—were derived from the New Zealand Mental Health Survey, a nationally representative survey of almost 13 000 adults (16+ years) fielded in 2003–4. Estimates of the smoking intensity ratio (comparing smokers with mental disorders to those without mental disorders) were derived from the 2006–7 New Zealand Health Survey. Results: Approximately 33% of all cigarettes are consumed by people with 12-month mental disorders (males 27%, females 39%), using an estimated smoking intensity ratio of 1.21. Among this group, anxiety disorders account for almost one-half of consumption, mood disorders for over one-quarter and substance use disorders for about one-fifth. Conclusion: This study quantifies for the first time the contribution of mental disorders to tobacco consumption in New Zealand. In particular, it identifies anxiety disorders as an important risk factor for tobacco use. People with mental disorders are an important target group for tobacco control. Enhanced collaboration and sharing of expertise between smoking cessation service providers and community mental health services are urgently needed.
Synaptic Dynamics in Analog VLSI

Synapses are crucial elements for computation and information transfer in both real and artificial neural systems. Recent experimental findings and theoretical models of pulse-based neural networks suggest that synaptic dynamics can play a crucial role for learning neural codes and encoding spatiotemporal spike patterns. Within the context of hardware implementations of pulse-based neural networks, several analog VLSI circuits modeling synaptic functionality have been proposed. We present an overview of previously proposed circuits and describe a novel analog VLSI synaptic circuit suitable for integration in large VLSI spike-based neural systems. The circuit proposed is based on a computational model that fits the real postsynaptic currents with exponentials. We present experimental data showing how the circuit exhibits realistic dynamics and show how it can be connected to additional modules for implementing a wide range of synaptic properties.
Multi-Granularity Aggregation Index for Data Stream

Aggregate information is important for data stream processing systems, especially, to get any user-specified time window queries and evolution analysis over data stream. To solve this problem, in this paper, we propose an integrated structure for managing summarized information of snapshots under geometry timeframe, which facilitates analyzing the temporal evolving of data stream. By using our method, the cost of update operations and the errors can be controlled within acceptable scope. Evaluation shows the our structure can respond to arbitrary time window aggregate queries within small errors, efficiently.
VLSI architecture design of weighted mode filter for Full-HD depth map upsampling at 30fps

High-resolution depth maps are necessary for advanced computer vision applications but difficult to generate on portable devices. In this paper, we aim to provide a realtime depth upsampling engine using weighted mode filtering to alleviate the hardware requirement in such scenarios. An appropriate filter window size is essential for both performance and complexity, and extensive experiments are conducted to choose an 8×8 window. The design bottlenecks are then mainly twofold: high SRAM bandwidth due to large-window source data access and complex histogram processing for a high depth-label count up to 128. These issues were addressed by two proposed techniques accordingly: source spreading and one-the-fly maximum finding. Based on the synthesis results using TSMC 40nm technology, the proposed architecture can provide Full-HD depth upsampling at 43 fps with 247k logic gates and 5.4 kbytes of SRAM.
Longterm Prognosis of 121 Patients with Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis in Japan

Objective. We investigated the risk factors for relapse or prognosis of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) in Japanese patients presenting to our hospital. Methods. From June 1999 through March 2015, we retrospectively recruited 121 patients with EGPA according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria. Frequent relapse was defined as disease occurrence at least once every 2 years after a period of initial remission. The study endpoint was the last examination performed. We used multiple logistic regression to analyze risk factors for relapse or survival in EGPA. Results. Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement with both abnormalities on endoscopy and biopsy (p < 0.01) and symptoms; myocardial involvement with both abnormalities on 1 or more cardiac investigations and symptoms (p < 0.01); and treatment at initial or maintenance with immunosuppressants (p < 0.01) or administration of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG; p < 0.01) were associated significantly more often with frequent relapse than with infrequent. Overall 5-, 10-, and 20-year survival rates were 91.1%, 83.7%, and 68.6%, respectively. Survival in EGPA was associated with age of onset < 65 years. Age at onset of EGPA was the only significant predictor of survival (p < 0.01). Myocardial or GI tract involvement did not affect mortality risk. Conclusion. Patients with myocardial or GI tract involvement had frequent relapses, but these conditions were not reflected in increased mortality. Treatment with immunosuppressants or IVIG in addition to corticosteroids might have improved the prognosis in Japanese patients with EGPA.
Effect of gate-field dependent mobility degradation on distortion analysis in MOSFETs

Compact MOSFET models in contemporary circuit simulators fail to accurately describe distortion effects. In the ohmic region of the MOSFET, this failure is mainly due to inaccurate modeling of the gate-field dependent mobility degradation effect. In this paper a new model for mobility degradation Is introduced which gives a major improvement in distortion analysis in the linear region for both n-type and p-type MOS transistors. Incorporating a gate voltage dependent series resistance, this model even gives good results for very short channel length devices.
Evaluating Performance and Energy in File System Server Workloads

Recently, power has emerged as a critical factor in designing components of storage systems, especially for power-hungry data centers. While there is some research into power-aware storage stack components, there are no systematic studies evaluating each component's impact separately. This paper evaluates the file system's impact on energy consumption and performance. We studied several popular Linux file systems, with various mount and format options, using the FileBench workload generator to emulate four server workloads: Web, database, mail, and file server. In case of a server node consisting of a single disk, CPU power generally exceeds disk-power consumption. However, file system design, implementation, and available features have a significant effect on CPU/disk utilization, and hence on performance and power. We discovered that default file system options are often suboptimal, and even poor. We show that a carefulmatching of expectedworkloads to file system types and options can improve power-performance efficiency by a factor ranging from 1.05 to 9.4 times.
Prevalence of Premorbid Metabolic Syndrome in Spanish Adult Workers Using IDF and ATPIII Diagnostic Criteria: Relationship with Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Background Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a complex disorder defined as a cluster of interconnected risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity and high blood glucose levels. Premorbid metabolic syndrome (PMetS) is defined by excluding patients with previously diagnosed cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus from those suffering MetS. We aimed to determine the prevalence of PMetS in a working population, and to analyse the relationship between the diagnostic criteria of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII). The relationship between the presence of PMetS and cardiovascular risk factors was also analysed. Research Methodology/Findings A cross-sectional study was conducted in 24,529 male and 18,736 female Spanish (white western European) adult workers (20–65 years) randomly selected during their work health periodic examinations. Anthropometrics, blood pressure and serum parameters were measured. The presence of MetS and PMetS was ascertained using ATPIII and IDF criteria. Cardiovascular risk was determined using the Framingham-REGICOR equation. The results showed MetS had an adjusted global prevalence of 12.39% using ATPIII criteria and 16.46% using IDF criteria. The prevalence of PMetS was slightly lower (11.21% using ATPIII criteria and 14.72% using IDF criteria). Prevalence in males was always higher than in females. Participants with PMetS displayed higher values of BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose and triglycerides, and lower HDL-cholesterol levels. Logistic regression models reported lower PMetS risk for females, non-obese subjects, non-smokers and younger participants. Cardiovascular risk determined with Framingham-REGICOR was higher in participants with PMetS. Conclusions PMetS could be a reliable tool for the early identification of apparently healthy individuals who have a significant risk for developing cardiovascular events and type 2 diabetes.
Service adaptive multicast for media distribution networks

Multicast technology is highly efficient for the large scale multimedia content service delivery. Its efficiency is maximized when all the service recipients have identical needs. In reality however, the end users may have a heterogeneous set of requirements for different service levels as well as different service components, depending on their system and network capabilities. We propose the notion of service adaptive multicast (SAM) that balances the tradeoffs between providing individualized service to each client and maintaining an efficient overlay multicast tree structure. The novel aspects of our approach are (a) the ability to augment and transform existing paths into service paths with the desired attributes; and (b) integration of two tree maintenance processes: a receiver-initiated just-in-time adaptation of the multicast service tree driven by application/user perceived QoS, and a demand-driven tree maintenance process geared towards long-term tree quality. We demonstrate the performance of our approach using simulations of large client population.