Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A genetic polymorphism in the CAV 1 gene associates with the development of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung transplantation

Background: Caveolin 1 (Cav-1) is the primary structural component of cell membrane invaginations called ‘caveolae’. Expression of Cav-1 is implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Genetic polymorphisms in the CAV1 gene influence the function of Cav-1 in malignancies and associate with renal allograft fibrosis. Chronic allograft rejection after lung transplantation, called ‘bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome’ (BOS), is also characterised by the development of fibrosis. In this study, we investigated whether CAV1 genotypes associate with BOS and whether Cav-1 serum levels are influenced by the CAV1 genotype and can be used as a biomarker to predict the development of BOS. Methods: Twenty lung transplant recipients with BOS (BOS), ninety without BOS (BOS) and four hundred twenty-two healthy individuals donated DNA samples. Four SNPs in CAV1 were genotyped. Serial Cav-1 serum levels were measured in a matched cohort of 10 BOS patients and 10 BOS patients. Furthermore, single-time point Cav-1 serum levels were measured in 33 unmatched BOS patients and 60 healthy controls. Results: Homozygosity of the minor allele of rs3807989 was associated with an increased risk for BOS (odds ratio: 6.13; P = 0.0013). The median Cav-1 serum level was significantly higher in the BOS patients than in the matched BOS patients (P = 0.026). Longitudinal analysis did not show changes in Cav-1 serum levels over time in both groups. The median Cav-1 serum level in the group of 43 BOS patients was lower than that in the healthy control group (P = 0.046). In lung transplant recipients, homozygosity of the minor allele of rs3807989 and rs3807994 was associated with increased Cav-1 serum levels. Conclusion: In lung transplant recipients, the CAV1 SNP rs3807989 was associated with the development of BOS and Cav-1 serum levels were influenced by the CAV1 genotype.
Average placement method with common centroid constraints for analog IC layout design

To improve immunity against process gradients, a common centroid constraint, in which every pair of capacitors should be placed symmetrically with respect to a common center point, is widely used. Several methods to obtain a good placement satisfying the constraints were proposed. However, the distance between cells in a common centroid group may be redundantly big, and it degrades the immunity. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to place cells belonging to each common centroid group. The algorithm is simple, but it is proved to be effective.
Disturbances of phosphate metabolism: another feature of metabolic syndrome.

BACKGROUND Despite important recent advances in the understanding of the consequences of metabolic syndrome, its pathophysiological characteristics remain unclear. It has been proposed that disturbances in phosphate metabolism may contribute to the development of this constellation of cardiovascular risk factors. However, there have been insufficient clinical data supporting this hypothesis to date. The aim of our study is to confirm the presence of hypophosphatemia in patients with metabolic syndrome, as well as investigate mechanisms that may underlie the disturbances in phosphate metabolism in this patient group. METHODS Two hundred fifty-five individuals were enrolled. The diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was based on Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Subjects with fewer than 3 criteria served as controls. RESULTS Patients with metabolic syndrome showed significantly lower phosphate and magnesium levels compared with controls. Because fractional excretion of phosphate was similar in both groups, we assume that hypophosphatemia in patients with metabolic syndrome can be attributed to decreased dietary intake, as well as internal redistribution of this element. Lower magnesium values in the patient group may result from the same mechanisms as lower phosphate levels. In addition, hyperinsulinemia-induced renal magnesium wasting also may be a contributory factor. CONCLUSION Patients with metabolic syndrome show significantly lower phosphate and magnesium levels compared with healthy individuals. The clinical significance of these disturbances, as well as their importance as targets for preventive or therapeutic interventions, remains to be established.
Investigation on low voltage, low power silicon bipolar design topology for high speed digital circuits

This paper investigates a bipolar design topology which is suitable to operate from a voltage supply well below 1.5-V, while maintaining the ability of high frequency operation. We applied the topology in the design of different divide-by-4 circuits, which featured slightly changed component architecture. Measurements have shown operation at 1.0-V supply voltage and up to 4.2- GHz input frequency, and at 1.5-V up to 6-GHz. The power consumption is approximately 0.3-mW/latch and 1.2-mW/latch, respectively.
Evolution of quantitative bacteriology in wound management.

Having preceded man on earth, bacteria continue to exert their â€œterritorial imperative. â€​ The normal state of man is not â€œgerm-free. â€​ The interrelationship between man, his wounds, his systemic and local defense mechanisms, and his bacteria is a balance that can be evaluated quantitatively. This quantitative balance is a useful concept for understanding the biologic aspects of infection. Moreover, it provides information that can be useful clinically. Choose an option to locate/access this article: a, 1 b, 2 Purchase Export
Arthroscopic Treatment of Massive Rotator Cuff Tears

In the past 10 years, arthroscopic surgeons have gone from being unable to repair any rotator cuff tears arthroscopically to being able to repair virtually all rotator cuff tears, even complex massive tears, arthroscopically. The factors responsible for this rapid evolution have been: (1) recognition of the mechanical principles responsible for a secure repair (margin convergence, knot security, loop security); (2) recognition of major tear patterns that require different techniques of repair; and (3) development of instrumentation and arthroscopic portals that predictably accomplish secure repair of the rotator cuff and direct access to the pathologic areas. In the current study, the author analyzes each factor, anatomic and mechanical, that influences the quality of the repair, and explains how to optimize the overall repair by optimizing each step in the repair. In the author’s series of arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears, the results have been gratifying, with massive tears achieving final results equivalent to those of smaller tears.
Kingfisher's attack on the China market: a success?

This paper is a case study examining the entry to the Chinese market of Kingfisher plc under its BQ there is some concentration in four key cities in the wealthy east coast region; and it has made profits over a fair portion of the last decade. Lessons were learned from initial mistakes and the core sales proposition in China has been crafted to differ from that in the original UK home base. However, for the last three completed financial years, losses have been booked and significant changes have been made or are planned at the time of writing. Some changes were inevitable, but which were they (other than those where the PRC government changed its rules)?
The surrogate's experience during treatment decision-making.

PURPOSE To explore the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of surrogates making decisions for older adults. To identify nursing practices perceived as helpful to surrogates. SAMPLE Eleven surrogate decision-makers. METHOD Qualitative. Semi-structured interviews/descriptive data used to enrich a larger study. FINDINGS Four main themes were identified that described the surrogates' experiences: Contextualizing the decision Actualizing agency Reviewing and resolving Transcending CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Three paradigm cases describe caregiving, protecting, and trusting response patterns of surrogates. Surrogates found decision-making an evolving and difficult process. Nurses can be more helpful to surrogates by giving them more opportunities to ask questions, solicit information, express emotions and obtain comfort and support.
The D2Q2 Framework: On the Relationship and Combination of Language Modelling and TF-IDF

Language Modelling (LM) and TF-IDF are two retrieval models with different foundations. There have been efforts aiming at establishing the relationship between these models, and whether one includes the other. Whether their combination could yield a third and better model is an open research question. This paper revisits the foundations of LM and TF-IDF and explores how these models’ bare structures relate and how these structures can be combined. We begin with the premise that TF-IDF is the P (d|q)/P (d) side of retrieval, which complements the common view that LM is P (q|d)/P (q). Next, a hybrid framework based on the decomposition of the product of the two sides, P (d|q)/P (d) · P (q|d)/P (q), is developed. This leads to the D2Q2 family of models, which joins the inner components of LM and TF-IDF instead of combining their scores. This paper provides new insights into the relationship between LM and TF-IDF, and experimental results show that the D2Q2 models perform comparably to competitive baselines.
Evaluating coverage collection using the VEasy functional verification tool suite

This paper describes a performance evaluation of coverage collection on different simulators. It also describes how coverage is collected using VEasy, a tool suite developed specifically for aiding the process of Functional Verification. A Verilog module is used as an example of where each coverage metric applies. The block and toggle coverage collection algorithms used in VEasy are presented and explained in detail. Finally, the results show that the algorithms used in VEasy are capable of performing coverage collection with a lower simulation overhead when compared with commercial simulators.
Risk factors for premenstrual dysphoric disorder in a community sample of young women: the role of traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder.

BACKGROUND There is some evidence that the onset and course of premenstrual syndrome is related to stress; however, few studies have explored the role of traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as risk factors for the development of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). METHOD A community cohort of 1488 women (aged 14-24 years at baseline) were prospectively and longitudinally evaluated up to 3 times over a period of about 42 months from 1995 to 1999. The DSM-IV version of the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to establish PMDD and PTSD diagnostic status; stressful life events and conditions were assessed with the Munich Events List and the Daily Hassles Scale. Prevalence and incidence of either threshold or subthreshold PMDD from baseline to the second follow-up were calculated. Risk factors, including prior comorbid mental disorders and traumatic events, were examined using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS The incidence of threshold PMDD was 3.0%. The most powerful predictors were subthreshold PMDD at baseline (OR = 11.0, 95% CI = 4.7 to 25.9). Traumatic events greatly increased the odds of developing PMDD at follow-up (OR = 4.2, 95% CI = 1.2 to 12.0). Other predictors were a history of anxiety disorder (OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.1 to 5.5) and elevated daily hassles scores (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1 to 2.3). Both were also associated with the risk of developing subthreshold PMDD, although the association was less robust. CONCLUSIONS Traumatic events and pre-existing anxiety disorders are risk factors for the development of PMDD. The underlying mechanisms are unknown, making further investigation necessary.
Thermal performance evaluation of dual-side cooling for a three-dimensional (3D) chip stack: Additional cooling from the laminate (substrate) side

When a 3D chip stack is composed of some memories and a logic device such as processor, the logic device has been assumed to be located as a bottom chip in wide I/O and HBM applications. On the other hand, for high-end server applications, a processor needs to be located as a top chip because it needs to be cooled efficiently. In this case, many Through Silicon Vias (TSVs) are necessary in a memory (bottom chip), because a processor (top chip) requires many electrical connections (power, ground, signal) with a substrate [1]. However, when effective cooling from the bottom side of chips ( from the substrate side) is achieved, a processor can be located as a bottom chip, and only a small numbers of TSVs are required in a processor which electrically connects a memory and a substrate [2,3]. In this paper, we will describe how to realize effective cooling from the bottom side of chips, assuming a laminate, which consists of organic dielectric materials and copper, as substrate. A 3D package for high-end server applications is assumed to be composed of a top and bottom side heat-sinks, thermal interface material-2 (TIM-2) between a top side heat-sink and a heatspreader, a heat-spreader (lid), TIM-1 between a heat-spreader and stacked chips, stacked chips, a laminate and a mother board. For effective cooling from the bottom side of chips, the distance between a bottom chip and a bottom side heat-sink should be shortened. Therefore, the following three structural improvements are proposed. Firstly, re-distribution layers (RDL) by wafer level packaging (RDL-first process) is adopted to shorten the thickness of the wiring layer (there is no laminates). Secondly, a mother board is drilled and a bottom side heat-sink is embedded in the drilled cavity, where a few layers of circuits (wiring) are kept in a mother board for electrical connections. Thirdly, the joint (interconnection) between a bottom chip and RDL, and also the joint between RDL and a mother board are shortened as short as possible (for example, the joint height of 25μm is preferable). In addition to the short distance between a bottom chip and a bottom side heat-sink, high thermal conductivity material should be used between a bottom chip and a bottom side heat-sink. First exampleis underfill in the joint layer. Underfill occupies a large area of the joint layer, such as 80%, therefore its thermal conductivity significantly affects the thermal resistance of the joint layer [4]. Underfill of 1.5-2 W/mK is desirable. To realize effective cooling from the bottom side of chips, the requirements for each item are discussed qualitatively. We perform thermal conductivity measurements of each component, such as joint, and based on these measured thermal conductivities, we also demonstrate how much thermal resistance is achieved by cooling from the bottom side of chips. It is clarified that the maximum allowable heat density of a bottom chip is 24.5 W/cm2, and it is shown that by further thickness reduction of each component, 44.0 W/cm2 is realized.
The chimeric E2A-HLF transcription factor abrogates p53-induced apoptosis in myeloid leukemia cells.

Leukemic lymphoblasts expressing the E2A-HLF oncoprotein possess wild-type p53 genes, but do not undergo apoptosis in response to DNA damage. Experimentally, E2A-HLF prevents apoptosis due to growth factor deprivation or gamma-irradiation in interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent murine pro-B cells. To directly test the chimeric protein's ability to abrogate p53-mediated cell death, we used mouse myeloid leukemia cells (M1p53tsval) that constitutively express a temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant p53 gene and undergo apoptosis when p53 assumes an active wild-type configuration. This effect is blocked by treatment with IL-6, which allows the cells to survive in culture despite wild-type p53 activation. We introduced E2A-HLF into M1p53tsval cells and found that they were resistant to p53-mediated apoptosis and that E2A-HLF effectively substituted for the survival functions of IL-6. The expression of p53-responsive genes such as p21 and Bax was upregulated normally, suggesting that E2A-HLF acts downstream of p53 to block execution of the p53-induced apoptotic program. NFIL3, a growth factor-regulated bZIP protein that binds to the same DNA-consensus site as E2A-HLF, delays apoptosis in IL-3-dependent pro-B cells deprived of growth factor. By contrast, in the present study, enforced expression of NFIL3 failed to protect M1p53tsval cells from p53-dependent apoptosis and actively antagonized the ability of IL-6 to rescue cells from that fate, consistent with its role as either a transcriptional repressor or activator, depending on the cell type in which it is expressed. We conclude that the E2A-HLF chimera abrogates p53-induced apoptosis in leukemic cells, possibly through the transcriptional modulation of cell death pathways that are activated by p53 in response to DNA damage.
Protective effect of melatonin‐supported adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells against small bowel ischemia‐reperfusion injury in rat

We tested the hypothesis that combined melatonin and autologous adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) was superior to either alone against small bowel ischemia‐reperfusion (SBIR) injury induced by superior mesenteric artery clamping for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 72 hr. Male adult Sprague Dawley rats (n = 50) were equally categorized into sham‐operated controls SC, SBIR, SBIR‐ADMSC (1.0 × 106 intravenous and 1.0 × 106 intrajejunal injection), SBIR‐melatonin (intraperitoneal 20 mg/kg at 30 min after SI ischemia and 50 mg/kg at 6 and 18 hr after SI reperfusion), and SBIR‐ADMSC‐melatonin groups. The results demonstrated that the circulating levels of TNF‐α, MPO, LyG6+ cells, CD68+ cells, WBC count, and gut permeability were highest in SBIR and lowest in SC, significantly higher in SBIR‐ADMSC group and further increased in SBIR‐melatonin group than in the combined therapy group (all P < 0.001). The ischemic mucosal damage score, the protein expressions of inflammation (TNF‐α, NF‐κB, MMP‐9, MPO, and iNOS), oxidative stress (NOX‐1, NOX‐2, and oxidized protein), apoptosis (APAF‐1, mitochondrial Bax, cleaved caspase‐3 and PARP), mitochondrial damage (cytosolic cytochrome C) and DNA damage (γ‐H2AX) markers, as well as cellular expressions of proliferation (PCNA), apoptosis (caspase‐3, TUNEL assay), and DNA damage (γ‐H2AX) showed an identical pattern, whereas mitochondrial cytochrome C exhibited an opposite pattern compared to that of inflammation among all groups (all P < 0.001). Besides, antioxidant expressions at protein (NQO‐1, GR, and GPx) and cellular (HO‐1) levels progressively increased from SC to the combined treatment group (all P < 0.001). In conclusion, combined melatonin‐ADMSC treatment offered additive beneficial effect against SBIR injury.
Financial Inclusion for Financial Stability: Access to Bank Deposits and the Growth of Deposits in the Global Financial Crisis

In crisis times, depositors get anxious, can run on banks, and withdraw their deposits. Correlated withdrawals of bank deposits could be mitigated if bank deposits are more diversified, that is, held by more individuals. This paper examines the link between the broader access to bank deposits prior to the 2008 crisis and the dynamics of bank deposit growth during the crisis, while controlling for relevant covariates. Employing proxies for access to deposits and the use of bank deposits, the authors find that greater access to bank deposits can make the deposit funding base of banks more resilient in times of financial stress. Policy efforts to enhance financial stability should thus not only focus on macroprudential regulation, but also recognize the positive effect of broader access to bank deposits on financial stability.
A Qualitative Study of Supervisors' Reflections on Providing Sanctioned Supervision

Sanctioned supervision, sometimes referred to as mandated supervision or professional monitoring, is intended to protect the public, reduce further counselor ethical/legal violations, and improve the professional practice of the counselor adjudicated for unprofessional behavior. Sanctioned supervision is a common remediation intervention required by state regulatory boards. However, there is a lack of research on the practice of sanctioned supervision and the perceptions of sanctioned supervisors. A qualitative research approach was used to better understand the experiences of four supervisors who provided sanctioned supervision within the past year as part of a state regulatory board remediation process. The main themes from the qualitative study included the following: supervisors finding the supervision process to be unique from traditional supervision, and supervisors experiencing ambivalence about the sanctioned supervision process. Practice considerations for supervisors providing sanctioned supervision are discussed.
How to create attractive and unique customer experiences: An application of Kano's theory of attractive quality to recreational tourism

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to understand the differences across various quality dimensions and how these contribute to experienced quality and satisfaction among users.Design/methodology/approach – The study applies the Kano model of attractive quality to a destination (in this case a snowpark). The fact that the Kano model was used means that a quantitative approach was applied. In total 270 respondents responded to the survey instrument, which in turn was based on qualitative interviews.Findings – The research shows the great importance of a destination that offers conditions that support specific goals or desired activities in order to achieve customer satisfaction. It also finds that the physical service environment has a major influence on customer satisfaction. Finally, the physical conditions seem to affect the destination's image to a greater degree than the interactions.Practical implications – In order to create the most attractive offering, managers should focus primarily on the physica.
Reference Transport Network Scenarios

The European network has 28 nodes and is therefore the largest network. The German network (17 nodes) and the US network (14 nodes) have about the same number of nodes (n) and links (k). Average node degree ( n k / 2 ⋅ ) is approximately the same for all networks. Minimum, maximum, and average link length is significantly larger in the European network compared to the German network. The US network contains both rather short and very long links.
WTO Agreements on SPS & TBT: Implications for Food Quality Issues

Trade liberalization, hoped to be achieved through WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) is expected to lead to export promotion and import substitution opportunities for Indian food sector. However, these opportunities cannot be exploited unless serious attention is paid to two important WTO agreements - Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). Due to the experience and credence nature of food products, trading partners impose import restrictions based on food safety and quality concerns. These concerns are legitimised by SPS and TBT agreements. Hence, to obtain maximum possible benefit from these agreements, India will have to improve its safety and quality norms to match the Codex standards and participate effectively in Codex standard setting meetings. Moreover, it must ask for substantial amendments to some of the articles of these agreements which seem discriminatory in nature. Finally, India will have to strengthen import monitoring mechanisms so that domestic food and phytosanitary laws are effectively applied to imported food items.