Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Misconceptions and misapprehensions about population ageing.

The last decade has seen the emergence of neo-liberal policies and agendas, and a parallel dismantling of the public provision of health and social services and programmes in most western countries. This neo-liberalism represents an endorsement of, or at the very least an accommodation to, the primacy of the individual and his/her efforts to ensure his/her own well-being, and a corresponding de-emphasis of conceptualizations of, and commitments to, shared risk, rights of citizenship, and the common good. Population ageing has played a fundamental role in this transition; the public costs of population ageing—particularly regarding health care and pensions—are purported to be unsustainable without considerable welfare state ‘reform’. Reform is of course a process, and it has taken differing shapes in various western countries. I focus on North America, and particularly Canada, examining the links between reform and (mis)perceptions about population ageing, concentrating on the latter. In the last few years, three monographs highlighting the fallacies of current, taken-for-granted understandings of population ageing have appeared: Demography is not Destiny, 1 published in the US; the Canadian-based The Overselling of Population Aging: Apocalyptic Demography, Intergenerational Challenges, and Social Policy, 2 and The Imaginary Time Bomb: Why an Ageing Population is not a Social Problem 3 from the UK. These monographs were preceded by a few journal articles with the same theme. 4‐8 While the still dim voices of these demographers and gerontologists are beginning to be heard, more people have to pay attention. This paper seeks to deconstruct the misperception that population ageing is necessarily the social crisis/social problem that it is commonly believed to be; this will be done by illuminating untested and sometimes clearly wrong assumptions. This misperception contains (at least) four interrelated components that will be dealt with separately for the purposes of analysis.
Reliability improvement in field-MOS FETs with thick gate oxide for 300-V applications

The reliability of high performance Field-PMOS FET with thick gate oxide was improved. By reducing the amount of charge in the insulating film, RESURF effect was well performed in the drift region to obtain BVDSS over 350 V. Gate oxide breakdown voltage was found to decrease at AC high slew rate, and its reduction was suppressed with the fluorine termination. NBTI shift was also reduced within 15% in a product lifetime. The fluorine termination works as suppressing parasitic charge traps effect in the oxide.
Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications: Reception and Interference of Safety-Critical Messages (Fahrzeug-zu-Fahrzeug-Kommunikation: Empfang und Interferenz sicherheitskritischer Nachrichten)

Summary A robust exchange of messages between vehicles via radio communication represents a key problem of vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) research. Environmental influences and the multitude of communicating nodes result in challenging communication conditions that have to be taken into account when assessing the potential benefit of VANETs for traffic safety and efficiency applications. In this paper we discuss an appropriate modeling of three influencing factors on the communication behavior to establish a basis for credible simulation results. In detail, we analyze the effects of fast-fading, capturing, and cumulative noise on vehicular communications and illustrate their considerable influence on a simulation's outcome. As a second contribution, we provide an empirical model for the probability of packet reception that is based on the proposed simulation methodology. The model thus allows to determine credible simulation results without being dependent on the complexity of detailed simulations. The saved computational effort facilitates the assessment of VANETs in large-scale scenarios and the consideration of communication specifics in the design process. Zusammenfassung Der robuste Austausch von Nachrichten zwischen Fahrzeugen mittels Funkkommunikation stellt ein wesentliches Problem der Forschung über Fahrzeug-Ad-Hoc-Netzwerke (VANET) dar. Umwelteinflüsse und die große Anzahl miteinander kommunizierender Fahrzeuge verursachen schwierige Kommunikationsbedingungen, die es bei der Abschätzung des möglichen Nutzens von VANETs auf die Verkehrssicherheit und -effizienz zu berücksichtigen gilt. Die vorliegende Arbeit diskutiert eine geeignete Modellierung von Einflussfaktoren auf das Kommunikationsverhalten und schafft damit eine Basis für glaubwürdige Simulationsergebnisse. Wir untersuchen den Einfluss von “Fast Fading” und die Bedeutung von “Packet-Capturing” und diskutieren die Auswirkung von kumuliertem Rauschen auf dem Kommunikationskanal. Für alle Effekte demonstrieren wir ihren entscheidenden Einfluss auf die Ergebnisse einer Simulation. Aufbauend auf dieser detaillierten Modellierung stellen wir ein empirisches Modell vor, das die Empfangswahrscheinlichkeit von Paketen in Abhängigkeit von der Entfernung und der Verkehrsdichte bestimmt. Dieses Modell ermöglicht das Erzielen akkurater Simulationsergebnisse bei reduzierter Komplexität des Simulationsvorgangs. Der eingesparte Rechenaufwand vereinfacht die Simulation von sehr großen Fahrzeugnetzen und die Berücksichtigung von Kommunikationsspezifika in der Anwendungsentwicklung.
Institutional Determinants of Regional Diversity of Labor Market in Poland

The article focuses on regional diversity of the Polish Labor Market from institutional perspective. The Polish Labor Market is geographically diverse in terms of unemployment and employment rates, and also in terms of economic development. At the end of 2013 the difference between the lowest and the highest unemployment rate in the Polish regions was 12.1% (Wielkopolska located in the West Poland has unemployment rate of 9.6% and Warmia - Mazury in the East has unemployment of 21.7%). The question arises whether this difference comes from the structural or institutional sources. The paper describe the character of Polish Labor Market, whereas in the second part, it traces the impact of institutional variables such as real wage, Kaitz index and Gender gap on the regional unemployment rate in 2002–2012 in Poland.
The Interferon-induced Double-stranded RNA-activated Protein Kinase PKR Will Phosphorylate Serine, Threonine, or Tyrosine at Residue 51 in Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 2α*

The family of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) protein kinases plays an important role in regulating cellular protein synthesis under stress conditions. The mammalian kinases PKR and HRI and the yeast kinase GCN2 specifically phosphorylate Ser-51 on the α subunit of the translation initiation factor eIF2. By using an in vivo assay in yeast, the substrate specificity of these three eIF2α kinases was examined by substituting Ser-51 in eIF2α with Thr or Tyr. In yeast, phosphorylation of eIF2 inhibits general translation but derepresses translation of the GCN4 mRNA. All three kinases phosphorylated Thr in place of Ser-51 and were able to regulate general and GCN4-specific translation. In addition, both PKR and HRI were found to phosphorylate eIF2α-S51Y and stimulateGCN4 expression. Isoelectric focusing analysis of eIF2α followed by detection using anti-eIF2α and anti-phosphotyrosine-specific antibodies demonstrated that PKR and HRI phosphorylated eIF2α-S51Y on Tyr in vivo. These results provide new insights into the substrate recognition properties of the eIF2α kinases, and they are intriguing considering the potential for alternate substrates for PKR in cellular signaling and growth control pathways.
Formation stabilization and tracking control of mobile agents using local potential functions

We present a constructive method to design cooperative controllers that force a group of N mobile agents to stabilize at a fixed desired location in terms of both shape and orientation while guaranteeing no collisions between the agents can occur. The proposed formation stabilization solution is extended to formation tracking in 2-dimensional (2D) space. The control development is based on new local potential functions, which attain the minimum value when the desired formation is achieved, and are equal to infinity when a collision occurs
Autoantibody stimulation of the human thyrotropin receptor: regulation of adenylate cyclase activity, thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase mRNA levels in primary cultures of Graves’ thyroid tissue

The effects of immunoglobulin preparations from hyperthyroid Graves’ disease patients on primary cultures of thyroid cells have been studied at the mRNA level. Autoantibodies to the thyrotropin (TSH) receptor from these patients, which had been initially characterized by their ability to stimulate adenylale cyclase and inhibit the binding of radiolabelled TSH to thyroid membrane preparations, were studied for their effects on thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase mRNA levels. Incubation of thyroid cells with TSH receptor autoantibodies from different Graves'disease patients for 48 h led to time‐ and dose‐dependent increases in the levels of thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin mRNA in primary cultures of thyrocytes. The incomplete correlation between G protein‐linked adenylate cyclase activation and thyroid mRNA elevation indicates the possibility of the involvement of alternative second messenger pathways in the regulation of thyroid cell function and differentiation.
Interpreting Deviations from Long-run Parity in an I(2) Model

The Covered Interest Parity (CIP) theorem states that, in the foreign exchange market, the forward premium should be equal to the differential in returns between two identical assets denominated in different currencies. Models explaining foreign exchange rate often assume that this parity is approximately valid and therefore deviations from this parity should be stationary around zero. The aim of the paper is to examine the dynamics of these deviations using daily data on the EU/US spot and 3-month forward exchange rates and the corresponding money market interest rates, over the period August 2007 to August 2011. We find that I(2) cointegrated models show evidence of such stationary relation even during the financial crisis, when much more complex dynamics are taken into account.
Bandgap Voltage VGO Extraction with Two-Temperature Trimming for Designing Sub-ppm/°C Voltage References

This paper presents a general approach to extract VGO from the base emitter voltage of a bipolar transistor. VGO is the silicon bandgap voltage at zero Kelvin and it is a physical constant voltage independent of temperature. The proposed method can be implemented on any of the widely used Banba, Kuijk, Brokaw or resistorless structures to build voltage references with sub-ppm/°C temperature coefficient. One embodiment based on Kuijk structure is used to illustrate how the proposed VGO extraction can be realized. Error sources which can affect the voltage reference's performance are analyzed with a new base expansion and their effects on the temperature coefficient are minimized after the proposed two-temperature trimming. Transistor level simulations are run in GlobalFoundries 130nm process and simulation results show that the design can achieve 0.5 ppm/°C temperature coefficient from −40 °C to 125 °C.
European Strategy 2020: what about the carrot?

This paper aims at testing the incitative role of past structural funds on the achievement of targets of Europe 2020 strategy. The methodology used is a quantitative analysis aiming at explaining a dependant variable “difference to target” for each dimension of Europe 2020 (employment rate, R&D expenditures, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, early leaving from education, tertiary education, people at risk of poverty) by several independent variables, namely structural funds consumption (inputs), structural funds outputs over the period 2007-2013, cumulated structural funds for the previous period 2000- 2006. These independent variables will be used among other variables classically considered by scholars and/or by the European Commission.
Mode selection for Device-to-Device (D2D) communication under LTE-Advanced networks

This paper analyzes the underlay and overlay mode selection of Device-to-Device (D2D) communication in the LTE-Advanced single-cell scenario. The two cases that the cell contains relay node or not are considered, and the study focuses on the location relationship between cellular UE and D2D UE. Our evaluation shows that whether D2D communication can reuse the cellular uplink resource or not is affected by the system parameters. Specifically the underlay mode is preferred when the cellular user is closer to the BS or relay node than the D2D user. The simulations show that the introduction of relay node enables D2D pairs to have more chances to share the resources with cellular user in the underlay mode.
Quorum sensing: How bacteria can coordinate activity and synchronize their response to external signals?

Quorum sensing is used by a large variety of bacteria to regulate gene expression in a cell‐density‐dependent manner. Bacteria can synchronize population behavior using small molecules called autoinducers that are produced by cognate synthases and recognized by specific receptors. Quorum sensing plays critical roles in regulating diverse cellular functions in bacteria, including bioluminescence, virulence gene expression, biofilm formation, and antibiotic resistance. The best‐studied autoinducers are acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) molecules, which are the primary quorum sensing signals used by Gram‐negative bacteria. In this review we focus on the AHL‐dependent quorum sensing system and highlight recent progress on structural and mechanistic studies of AHL synthases and the corresponding receptors. Crystal structures of LuxI‐type AHL synthases provide insights into acyl‐substrate specificity, but the current knowledge is still greatly limited. Structural studies of AHL receptors have facilitated a more thorough understanding of signal perception and established the molecular framework for the development of quorum sensing inhibitors.
Effects of Early Progressive Eccentric Exercise on Muscle Size and Function After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A 1-Year Follow-up Study of a Randomized Clinical Trial

Background and Purpose: The authors previously reported that focused eccentric resistance training during the first 15 weeks following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R) induced greater short-term increases in muscle volume, strength, and measures of function relative to standard rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of early progressive eccentric exercise on muscle volume and function at 1 year after ACL-R. Participants and Methods: Forty patients who had undergone an ACL-R were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: a group that received early progressive eccentric exercise (n=20) and a group that received standard rehabilitation (n=20). Seventeen participants in the eccentric exercise group and 15 participants in the standard rehabilitation group completed a 1-year follow-up. Magnetic resonance images of the thighs were acquired 1 year after ACL-R and compared with images acquired 3 weeks after surgery. Likewise, routine knee examinations, self-report assessments, and strength and functional testing were completed 1 year after surgery and compared with previous evaluations. A 2-factor analysis of variance for repeated measures (group × time) was used to analyze the data. Results: Compared with the standard rehabilitation group, improvements in quadriceps femoris and gluteus maximus muscle volume in the involved lower extremity from 3 weeks to 1 year following ACL-R were significantly greater in the eccentric exercise group. Improvements in quadriceps femoris and gluteus maximus muscle volume were 23.3% (SD=14.1%) and 20.6% (SD=12.9%), respectively, in the eccentric exercise group and 13.4% (SD=10.3%) and 11.6% (SD=10.4%), respectively, in the standard rehabilitation group. Improvements in quadriceps femoris muscle strength and hopping distance also were significantly greater in the eccentric exercise group 1 year postsurgery. Discussion and Conclusions: A 12-week focused eccentric resistance training program, implemented 3 weeks after ACL-R, resulted in greater increases in quadriceps femoris and gluteus maximus muscle volume and function compared with standard rehabilitation at 1 year following ACL-R.
Modulation of brain structure by catechol‐O‐methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism in chronic cannabis users

Neuroimaging studies have shown that chronic consumption of cannabis may result in alterations in brain morphology. Recent work focusing on the relationship between brain structure and the catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) gene polymorphism suggests that functional COMT variants may affect brain volume in healthy individuals and in schizophrenia patients. We measured the influence of COMT genotype on the volume of four key regions: the prefrontal cortex, neostriatum (caudate‐putamen), anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus‐amygdala complex, in chronic early‐onset cannabis users and healthy control subjects. We selected 29 chronic cannabis users who began using cannabis before 16 years of age and matched them to 28 healthy volunteers in terms of age, educational level and IQ. Participants were male, Caucasians aged between 18 and 30 years. All were assessed by a structured psychiatric interview (PRISM) to exclude any lifetime Axis‐I disorder according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders‐Fourth Edition. COMT genotyping was performed and structural magnetic resonance imaging data was analyzed by voxel‐based morphometry. The results showed that the COMT polymorphism influenced the volume of the bilateral ventral caudate nucleus in both groups, but in an opposite direction: more copies of val allele led to lesser volume in chronic cannabis users and more volume in controls. The opposite pattern was found in left amygdala. There were no effects of COMT genotype on volumes of the whole brain or the other selected regions. Our findings support recent reports of neuroanatomical changes associated with cannabis use and, for the first time, reveal that these changes may be influenced by the COMT genotype.
Treatment with antisense oligodeoxynucleotide to the opioid delta receptor selectively inhibits delta 2-agonist antinociception.

Using approaches emphasizing differential antagonism of receptor selective agonists and cross-tolerance paradigms, evidence in vivo has suggested the existence of subtypes of opioid delta receptors, which have been termed delta 1 and delta 2. Recent work has elucidated the structure of an opioid delta receptor. The present investigation attempted to continue to test the hypothesis of subtypes of delta receptors and to correlate the cloned delta receptor with the existing pharmacological classification. Synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (oligos) complementary to the 5' end of the cloned delta receptor coding region (antisense) or its corresponding sequence (sense) were given by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration to mice, twice-daily for 3 days and antinociceptive responses to selective agonists at putative delta 1 and delta 2 receptors were subsequently determined. Treatment with antisense, but not sense, oligo significantly inhibited the response to [D-Ala2,Glu4]deltorphin (delta 2 agonist), but not to [D-Pen2,D-Pen5]enkephalin (DPDPE, delta 1 agonist). Further, subsequent administration of DPDPE elicited a full antinociceptive response in the same antisense oligo treated mice which did not show a significant response to [D-Ala2,Glu4]deltorphin while antisense oligo treated mice which responded to DPDPE did not show antinociception when tested subsequently with [D-Ala2,Glu4]deltorphin. The data suggest that the cloned delta receptor corresponds to that pharmacologically classified as delta 2 and continue to support the concept of subtypes of opioid delta receptors.
Efficient Algorithms for Non-convex Isotonic Regression through Submodular Optimization

We consider the minimization of submodular functions subject to ordering constraints. We show that this optimization problem can be cast as a convex optimization problem on a space of uni-dimensional measures, with ordering constraints corresponding to first-order stochastic dominance. We propose new discretization schemes that lead to simple and efficient algorithms based on zero-th, first, or higher order oracles; these algorithms also lead to improvements without isotonic constraints. Finally, our experiments show that non-convex loss functions can be much more robust to outliers for isotonic regression, while still leading to an efficient optimization problem.
Gender-specific association of serum uric acid with metabolic syndrome and its components in juvenile obesity

Abstract Background: Hyperuricemia has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and related metabolic abnormalities. Studies on the association between serum uric acid (sUA) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in juvenile obesity are scant. The effect of gender has not been evaluated. Methods: sUA (uricase method), anthropometric and biochemical indices were measured in gender-stratified children/adolescents consisting of 113 overweight/obese and 71 lean individuals. Results: In males, sUA was significantly elevated in overweight as well as obese patients. sUA was strongly associated with obesity indices and reflected sexual development, decreases in high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and moderately, the number of MetS components. Waist circumference (WC) and Tanner stage explained 40% of sUA variability. Controlling for body mass index (BMI) and other MetS components, sUA was associated with abdominal obesity, explaining 30% of variability in WC. In females, sUA was significantly increased in obesity, high blood pressure (BP), and MetS and corresponded with the number of MetS components, indices of glucose metabolism, triglycerides (TG), and the atherogenecity index. Insulin-resistance (IR) (homeostasis model assessment; HOMA) and high BP explained 29% of sUA variability, whereas sUA, while controlling for BMI, age, and other MetS components, was associated with hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, high BP, and abdominal obesity. IR mediated the associations with high TG and glucose. Conclusions: The association between sUA and MetS components in juvenile obesity is gender-specific, with females being related more closely and to more metabolic abnormalities. It may explain why, despite its lower concentrations, sUA is an independent predictor of mortality from all causes and from vascular diseases exclusively in females. Our findings may help in identifying metabolic abnormalities which may possibly be targeted by reducing sUA in males and females.
Lateral Hip Pain in an Athletic Population

Context: Historically, the term greater trochanteric pain syndrome has been used to describe a spectrum of conditions that cause lateral-sided hip pain, including greater trochanteric bursitis, snapping iliotibial band, and/or strains or tendinopathy of the abductor mechanism. Diagnosis of these conditions may be difficult because clinical presentations are variable and sometimes inconclusive. Especially difficult is differentiating intrinsic pain from pain referred to the greater trochanteric region. The purposes of this article are to review the relevant anatomy and pathophysiology of the lateral hip. Evidence Acquisition: Data were collected through a thorough review of the literature conducted through a MEDLINE search of all relevant papers between 1980 and January 2010. Results: Recent advances in imaging and an improved understanding of pathomechanics have helped to guide the evaluation, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment for patients presenting with lateral hip pain. Conclusion: Various diagnostic tools and treatment modalities can be used to effectively manage the athletic patient presenting with lateral hip pain.