Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mitochondria and ageing

Mitochondria have long been proposed as a perpetrator of aging. We review here the accumulating evidence for chronological alterations in the mitochondrion and discuss how these changes may cause cellular dysfunction and death. We conclude that although the evidence for aging changes in the level of oxidative stress, DNA mutations and biochemical deficiencies in mitochondria are convincing, there is little experimental evidence to link these changes directly with the cellular pathology of aging. Promising avenues for addressing this problem include the investigation of established mitochondrial DNA disorders and the development of animal models with mitochondrial defects.
Through wafer interconnection technologies for advanced electronic devices

There is a need for miniaturizing electronic components such as ICs and modules that are used in portable devices like cellular phones and PDAs. Miniaturization not only results in a reduced foot print of the components on the printed board but it can also have a positive effect on the device performance. The ultimate miniaturization is reached when packaging the component into a chip size package (CSP). To enable this, the bonding pads of ICs can be rerouted into, e.g., a ball grid array (BGA) configuration. For devices such as vertical discrete components and stacked dies planar rerouting is not sufficient. Introducing so-called through wafer interconnect enables addressing the back side and so these devices can be converted into CSPs. Although through wafer interconnect requires rather complicated technologies, wafer level processing (resulting in simultaneous fabrication of large number of packages) limits the additional packaging cost.
Against internet exceptionalism

The sheer novelty of the internet continues to colour discussions of it. Attention paid to online health information invariably focuses on how it differs from what has gone before rather than how it has remained the same. Certainly, the internet provides swift access to large amounts of information that previously required determined tracking. Users can communicate rapidly through email, chat rooms, and other internet forums. And it is remarkably easy to publish and disseminate information, with little accountability.1 But are these enough to justify the belief that information retrieved via the internet differs radically from what has gone before, requiring an exceptional response? The combination of rapid access and wide dissemination makes it easy to understand the appeal of initiatives aimed at limiting access to misleading or inaccurate information on health. Allowing users to judge at a glance the quality of such information by the use of labels has been widely …
Sex differences in statural growth impairment in Crohn's disease: Role of IGF‐1

Background: Growth impairment in Crohn's disease (CD) is more common in males than females for unknown reasons. Since insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) is important for statural growth, we hypothesized that IGF‐1 levels are lower in males with CD. Methods: Sex differences in hormone Z‐scores based on chronological age (CA‐Z) and bone age (BA‐Z) were examined in a cross‐sectional study of 82 CD patients <21 years of age (43% female). Results: IGF‐1 CA‐Z and BA‐Z‐scores were 0.50 units (P = 0.04) and 1.24 units (P = 0.003) lower in males. Mean bone age (12.2 years) was lower than chronological age (13.1 years) (P < 0.0001). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C‐reactive protein (CRP), and albumin did not differ by sex (P ≥ 0.08), but were associated with IGF‐1 CA‐Z and BA‐Z‐scores (P ≤ 0.02). Insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐3 (IGFBP‐3) CA‐Z and BA‐Z‐scores were 0.71 units (P = 0.004) and 1.26 units (P < 0.001) lower in males. Inflammatory markers were correlated with sex hormone CA‐Z and BA‐Z and pituitary hormone BA‐Z‐scores in males (P ≤ 0.03), but not females (P ≥ 0.25). IGF‐1 BA‐Z‐scores were positively associated with height BA‐Z‐scores (P = 0.03). Mean height BA‐Z‐scores were lower in males (P = 0.03). Conclusions: Lower IGF‐1 levels in males may explain sex differences in growth impairment in CD. Inflammation appears to more adversely affect hormone levels and statural growth in males. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to further clarify the role of IGF‐1 in sex differences in statural growth impairment in pediatric CD. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011;)
Utilisation conjointe des ontologies et du contexte pour la conception des systèmes de stockage de données. (The Role of Ontologies and Context in Designing Data Storage Systems)

Nous assistons a une epoque ou toute entreprise (ou organisme), dans le but d’augmenter son pou- voir decisionnel, est fortement interessee par la collecte et l’analyse des donnees provenant de multiples sources heterogenes et variees. Ces sources presentent egalement une autre specificite a savoir la sensibilite au contexte. Cette situation nous met face a un enjeu scientifique crucial, du fait qu’elle reunit trois problematiques complementaires : (i) la resolution de l’heterogeneite qui peut exister entre les sources,(ii) la construction d’un systeme d’integration decisionnel, et (iii) la prise en compte du contexte dans cette integration. Afin de repondre a ces problematiques, nous nous interessons dans cette these a la conception des applications contextuelles basees sur une ontologie de domaine, supposee existante. Pour ce faire, nous proposons d’abord un modele de contexte qui integre les dimensions principales identifiees dans la litterature. Une fois construit, il est lie au modele de l’ontologie. Cette facon de proceder augmente la flexibilite dans la conception des applications avancees. Ensuite, nous proposons deux cas d’etude : (1) la contextualisation de sources de donnees semantiques ou nous etendons le systeme On- toBD/OntoQL afin qu’il prenne en compte le contexte, et (2) la conception d’un entrepot de donnees contextuel ou le modele de contexte est projete sur les differentes phases de conception du cycle de vie. Afin de valider notre proposition, nous presentons un prototype d’outil d’aide a la conception implementant les differentes etapes de l’approche de conception proposee.
The haemodynamic effects of subcutaneous sumatriptan, a 5HT1-receptor agonist.

AIMS Previous in vivo studies with sumatriptan, a 5HT1-receptor agonist, have demonstrated vasopressor responses in the pulmonary and systemic arterial circulation. Pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) also increases after sumatriptan injection, raising the possibility of an additional venoconstrictive action or a negative inotropic effect. The mechanism for the rise in PAWP was investigated in the study. METHODS Ten patients undergoing diagnostic coronary arteriography underwent haemodynamic monitoring. RESULTS There was a significant rise (P < 0.05) in systemic and pulmonary arterial pressure and total systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance. There was a similar rise (P < 0.05) in PAWP and left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP). There was no change in cardiac output nor in peak rate of left ventricular pressure rise (dP/dt). CONCLUSIONS The sumatriptan induced rise in PAWP and LVEDP appears consequent upon increased afterload although a negative inotropic effect cannot be excluded.
Preoperative optimization of the high-risk surgical patient.

Abstract Intra-abdominal, thoraco-abdominal and vascular surgery is associated with a significant incidence of postoperative complications and mortality. Major surgery of body cavities produces a strong inflammatory response, which in turn causes a marked increase in oxygen requirement. Subjects who have a stronger inflammatory response (as judged by concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines in blood) are more likely to develop complications. To survive major surgery, the patient must have an adequate cardiorespiratory reserve to raise cardiac output and oxygen delivery to meet the increase in oxygen demand. The high-risk patient cannot spontaneously raise his cardiac output to the required level, leading to inadequate perfusion of tissue, multi-organ dysfunction, multi-organ failure and possibly death. High-risk patients can be identified (if time permits) by dynamic functional assessment of cardiorespiratory function. Appropriate therapy (e.g. beta-blockers, statins) should be started to optimize physical condition before surgery. Perioperative treatment strategies aimed at improving these abnormalities in tissue perfusion, using carefully monitored physiological variables, are termed ‘goal-directed therapies’; they reduce postoperative morbidity and mortality, particularly in high-risk patients with pre-existing cardiorespiratory disease. Perioperative haemodynamic optimization requires additional monitoring, resources and environment (ICU or HDU), but significantly improves outcome in the patients at most risk.
Increased prevalence of pediatric pneumococcal serotypes in elderly adults.

BACKGROUND Pneumococcal disease is most prevalent among young children and elderly adults. We explored whether similarities exist in the serotypes that cause disease in these 2 high-risk groups. METHODS With use of US population-based data from 1998-1999 (before the introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine [PCV7] as routine immunization for infants) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Active Bacterial Core surveillance, we evaluated whether the rate of invasive pneumococcal disease caused by the pediatric serotypes (6B, 9V, 14, 19F, and 23F) increased among elderly persons. We adjusted for potential confounders in multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS We analyzed 2987 pneumococcal isolates recovered from adults. The risk of infection with pediatric serotypes increased from 32.5% in 35-49-year-old persons to 51.2% in > or = 85-year-old persons (P < .001). Compared with 35-49-year-old persons, the risk of infection with pediatric serotypes was significantly elevated among 65-74-year-old persons (relative risk [RR], 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29-2.20) and increased progressively among persons aged 75-84 years (RR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.41-2.36) and > or = 85 years (RR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.72-3.05), with adjustment for sex, race, geographic location, underlying illness, and penicillin resistance. The rate of penicillin resistance was also elevated in the elderly population but was not significant after adjustment for serotype and race. CONCLUSIONS The increased proportion of severe pneumococcal disease caused by pediatric serotypes in the elderly population might indicate opportunities for prevention with use of PCV7.
Surface-activated Bonding of III-V compound semiconductors and Si for fabricating hybrid tandem solar cells

The possibility of the surface-activated bonding (SAB) technologies for fabricating III-V-on-Si hybrid tandem solar cells is discussed. Although the electrical conduction across the bonding interfaces is influenced by the interface states introduced during the surface-activation process, their impacts are likely to be lowered by combining more heavily-doped bonding layers and the annealing process after the bonding. InGaP/GaAs/Si hybrid triple-junction cells are successfully fabricated by bonding III-V heterostructures for InGaP/GaAs double-junction cells and Si cell structures. This means that the bonding interfaces have an enough tolerance against the possible stress during the conventional device process sequence and that the SAB is promising as a practical substitute for the conventional semiconductor growth technologies in fabricating III-V-on-Si tandem cells.
An automatic calibration method for a multisensor system: application to a mobile robot localization system

This paper describes an automatic calibration method for a multisensor system. Redundancy of sensor measurements is exploited in order to identify a priori unknown system parameters. The calibration method presented does not need any external reference, but is only based on constraint functions which describe the relations existing between the different sensor outputs. An application to a mobile robot dead reckoning localization system is developed, and validated by some experimental results.
On the importance of pedal edema in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Volume control is a key component of treatment of hemodialysis patients. The role of pedal edema as a marker of volume is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine factors that are associated with edema. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS A cross-sectional study of asymptomatic hemodialysis patients (n = 146) in four university-affiliated hemodialysis units was conducted. Echocardiographic variables, blood volume monitoring, plasma volume markers (plasma renin and aldosterone and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide), and inflammation markers (C-reactive protein and IL-6) were measured as exposures, and edema was measured as outcome. RESULTS In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, age, body mass index, and left ventricular hypertrophy were independent determinants of edema. Compared with patients with normal or low weight, overweight patients had odds ratio for edema of 5.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0 to 31.8), and obese patients of 44.8 (95% CI 9.0 to 223). Patients in the top quartile of left ventricular mass index and normal to low weight had odds ratio of edema of 7.7 (95% CI 2.3 -25.9), those who were overweight of 43.5 (95% CI 3.9 to 479.8), and those who were obese of 344.8 (95% CI 33.8 to 3515). Inferior vena cava diameter, blood volume monitoring, plasma volume markers, and inflammation markers were not determinants of edema. CONCLUSIONS Pedal edema correlates with cardiovascular risk factors such as age, body mass index, and left ventricular mass but does not reflect volume in hemodialysis patients.
Phase-shift self-oscillating class-D audio amplifier with multiple-pole feedback filter

A self-oscillating class-D audio amplifier employing a multiple-pole feedback filter is introduced intended for portable multimedia devices. As the oscillation is based on the Barkhausen's criterion, the signal-dependent oscillation frequency is of great concern. Employing higher-order filters contributes to the stable oscillation frequency depending on the input amplitude as well as improves PSRR and THD. The concept is revealed comparatively with other works, and a design implemented in a 0.35um CMOS process under 3.3V supply is proposed and verified.
Quantity Discounts and Capital Misallocation in Vertical Relationships: The Case of Aircraft and Airline Industries

I study transactions between aircraft manufacturers and airlines as well as airlines’ utilization of their fleet. Aircraft production is characterized by economies of scale via learningby-doing, which creates a trade-off between current profit and future competitive advantage in the aircraft market. The latter consideration makes large buyers more attractive than small buyers and induces quantity discounts. The resulting nonlinear pricing strategy may distort both production and allocation in favor of large buyers. There is a negative correlation between the size of aircraft orders and the per-unit price. There is also a positive correlation between the price paid and the utilization rate of the aircraft model, which suggests that the manufacturers’ price discrimination leads to the misallocation of aircraft. To assess whether there is an inefficient allocation, I model the market and show that price discrimination by upstream firms may lead to an inefficient outcome compared with uniform pricing. Then, I construct and estimate a dynamic model of the aircraft market that includes a model of utilization. Finally, I conduct counterfactual simulations using the estimated parameters. I find that uniform pricing increases aircraft production by 10% and total welfare by 1.6%. ∗I am extremely thankful to Igal Hendel, David Besanko, Aviv Nevo, Rob Porter and seminar participants at Northwestern University for their valuable comments and suggestions. †Northwestern University, Department of Economics. email: onishi@u.northwestern. edu
Feature Description Based on LBP and Order Pooling

A novel local image descriptor named OCLBP(Order based Complete Local Binary Patterns) is proposed in this paper. It firstly extracts CLBP(Complete Local Binary Patterns) features pixel-by-pixel in the local image patch, and then pooled the CLBP features based on order relations of the pixel brightness in the patch. Specifically, the CLBP feature is based on CSLBP and adds the information of center pixel. The pattern number of the pixels is reduced compared to CSLBP. Furthermore, in order to better meet the scale invariance, the descriptors is extracted in multi-scales and the final descriptor is constructed by concatenating the histograms in multi-scales. The performance of the proposed descriptor is similar to the state-of-the-art descriptors SIFT and CSLBP in the condition of perspective transformation and light changes. In the condition of scaling, rotation, blurring, and JPEG compression, our descriptor has a better performance against the above descriptors using standard benchmarks.
Pathogenesis of Campylobacter

Purpose of review Molecular pathogenesis of Campylobacter jejuni has lagged behind that of other enteric pathogens. This review summarizes advances in the biology and pathogenesis of C. jejuni. Recent findings Multiple genome sequences have defined conserved and hypervariable loci in the C. jejuni genome. Interaction of C. jejuni with eukaryotic cells results in numerous signal transduction changes and release of proinflammatory cytokines. In-vivo models based on immune knockout mice have also revealed new information on pathogenesis. Summary New information and new methods are available that should provide important tools to further understand pathogenesis of this elusive pathogen.
How C‐type lectins detect pathogens

Glycosylation of proteins has proven extremely important in a variety of cellular processes, including enzyme trafficking, tissue homing and immune functions. In the past decade, increasing interest in carbohydrate‐mediated mechanisms has led to the identification of novel carbohydrate‐recognizing receptors expressed on cells of the immune system. These non‐enzymatic lectins contain one or more carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) that determine their specificity. In addition to their cell adhesion functions, lectins now also appear to play a major role in pathogen recognition. Depending on their structure and mode of action, lectins are subdivided in several groups. In this review, we focus on the calcium (Ca2+)‐dependent lectin group, known as C‐type lectins, with the dendritic cell‐specific ICAM‐3 grabbing non‐integrin (DC‐SIGN) as a prototype type II C‐type lectin organized in microdomains, and their role as pathogen recognition receptors in sensing microbes. Moreover, the cross‐talk of C‐type lectins with other receptors, such as Toll‐like receptors, will be discussed, highlighting the emerging model that microbial recognition is based on a complex network of interacting receptors.
Di-K19Hc, an antimicrobial peptide as new ototopical agent for treatment of otitis media

Abstract Conclusion: Di-K19Hc is a promising new ototopical antibiotic for treatment of middle ear infections associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Objectives: Di-K19Hc was previously shown to exert profound antimicrobial activity against a variety of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi. In this study, we evaluated the potential use of di-K19Hc as a topical agent for the treatment of otitis media (OM) caused by a variety of microbial pathogens including bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics. Methods: Antimicrobial activity of di-K19Hc was measured by colony count assay. Hearing threshold was determined by measurement of auditory brainstem response in mice treated with di-K19Hc. Mice treated with gentamicin were used as a control. Results: Di-K19Hc showed much stronger antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa associated with human OM than did ofloxacin. Also, it was shown that the peptide exhibited substantial dose-dependent antimicrobial activity against microbes from middle ear fluid of patients with OM. Topically applied di-K19Hc caused neither a decrease of hearing level nor loss of hair cells.
The treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism is seldom necessary.

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is a common disorder with a prevalence ranging from 1–10% of the adult population in most community studies (1–14). The risk of developing SH increases with female gender, advanced age, and greater dietary iodine intake. The view that most subjects with SH should be treated with l -thyroxine has gained increasing credence (15–17). A limited number of placebo-controlled randomized trials involving a small number of patients with SH have been performed (18–22), and several of these studies show that l -thyroxine therapy may reduce symptoms of hypothyroidism (18, 22). Other studies in subjects with SH have shown that l -thyroxine lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, improves cardiac function, and diminishes neuropsychiatric symptoms (15– 17). A recent cross-sectional observational study noted an association between SH and atherosclerotic disease (13). On initial assessment then, it appears that the position advocating l -thyroxine therapy for most subjects with SH enjoys strong experimental support. However, careful scrutiny of the entire spectrum of primary data bearing on the question of whether or not SH should be treated with l -thyroxine yields a legitimate con-trary view. There are as many placebo-controlled randomized trials that observed no reduction in symptoms of SH (20, 21) as there are that note benefits of treatment. Other reports have noted the doubtful clinical significance and frequent statistical nonsignificance of l -thyroxine therapy on changes in LDL cholesterol, myocardial performance, and neuropsychiatric parameters. No association between SH and ischemic heart disease was shown in the Whickham survey (23), the most studies are placebo-controlled randomized trials of L -thyroxine therapy for subjects with SH. a The symptomatic response to treatment in these studies was usually assessed by a clinical index based on the work of W. Z. Billewicz et al. (1969, Statistical methods applied to the diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Q J Med 38:255–266) and also by psychometric and quality-of-life scales. (cid:4)(cid:4) , Clear statistically significant improvement on L -thyroxine compared with placebo; (cid:4) , marginal but convincing improvement; 0, no convincing improvement.