Battery level A/D conversion with fuel gauge sense voltage cancellation in 40 nm CMOS technology

A new integrated approach for battery voltage conversion inside portable devices is presented. It is specifically suited for latest Fuel Gauge techniques and exploits an A/D converter that operates as a General Purpose ADC inside the system. A peculiar solution for an analog cancellation of the Coulomb counter sense resistor voltage drop on the battery level measurement is disclosed. A prototype made by this battery voltage buffer and a 10-bit A/D converter has been integrated in a 40 nm CMOS process with double oxide option, resulting to a total power consumption of about 950 μW, and an active area of 0.174 mm².     

Submicroscopic deletions in the Y chromosome of infertile men

Recent investigations have suggested a high prevalence of Y chromosome submicroscopic deletions in men with severely impaired spermatogenesis. We evaluated the frequency of Y chromosome deletions in 160 infertile men using a series of 36 sequence-tagged-sites, emphasizing intervals 5 and 6 of the long arm of the Y chromosome. Peripheral leukocyte DNA was extracted and amplified with two parallel techniques to minimize potential overestimation of the frequency of deletions. The presence of deletions was evaluated relative to patient's sperm concentration, testis volume, and hormonal parameters. Men with sperm concentration <5 x 10(6)/ml had a 7% prevalence of submicroscopic Y chromosome deletions. Deletions were detected in 7% of azoospermic men, 10% of men with <1 x 10(6) spermatozoa/ml, and 8% of men with >1 x 10(6) but <5 x 10(6) spermatozoa/ml. Other clinical parameters did not identify men with Y chromosome deletions prior to polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based testing for the presence of sequence-tagged-sites. Two distinct regions of Y chromosome deletions were detected, approximately 3.6 Mb and 1.4 Mb in length respectively. These deleted regions are present in AZFb and AZFc respectively. No deletions were detected in AZFa. The loss of these two distinct areas is supported by the finding of highly repetitive sequences along the Y chromosome, predisposing to deletion of specific intervals on the Y chromosome during meiosis. Men with severe male infertility are at high risk for Y chromosome deletions. Testing of men for these genetic abnormalities is indicated prior to treatment with assisted reproduction.     

The Italian quality control study for evaluation of CD4 cells in centres involved in the treatment of HIV-1 patients. Italian CD4 Quality Control Group

We report on the experience of establishing a national network for a quality control programme in evaluating CD4 cell counts in most Italian centres involved in the care of patients with HIV disease. The 68 centres were divided according to their geographical location into eight groups, and twice a year (tests A and B) they received three coded whole blood samples (two were replicates of the same sample) obtained from two informed HIV+ patients, one with CD4 counts/mm3 expected to be < 200 and one with values > 300. The medians of the determinations performed by the labs involved in each of the eight areas were taken as the 'true' values for each sample. Unsatisfactory performances for percentage of CD4 cells were identified as a CD4 analysis with residual values > or = +/- 5% and with deviates > or = +/- 2. For absolute numbers of CD4 cells, an unsatisfactory performance was defined as CD4 counts with residual > +/- 100 CD4 cells/mm3 and with deviates > or = +/- 2. The residual value is the CD4 value reported by each lab minus the median value. The deviate is the residual divided by the modified interquartile range (IQR x 0.75). Most of the centres provided reliable results. However, some labs failed to provide satisfactory results for percentages (6.25% of the tested labs for test A and 6.17% for test B) or absolute numbers (16.25% test A and 12.34% test B). Only 3.7% of the labs gave unsatisfactory results in both tests. Four of the unsatisfactory results from the two tests gave an error in absolute numbers > +/- 200 CD4 cells/mm3. Our data suggest that most Italian labs provide reliable results in evaluating the numbers of CD4 cells in HIV-1+ samples, but the importance of running a quality control programme is highlighted by our experience with those centres which provide unsatisfactory data which may lead to incorrect classification of the patients or assessment of treatment.     

A domain model of Web recommender systems based on usage mining and collaborative filtering

Considering the increasing demand of multi-agent systems, the practice of software reuse is essential to the development of such systems. Multi-agent domain engineering is a process for the construction of domain-specific agent-based reusable software artifacts, like domain models, representing the requirements of a family of multi-agent systems in a domain, and frameworks, implementing reusable agent-based design solutions to those requirements. This article describes the domain modeling tasks of the MADEM methodology and a case study on the application of GRAMO, a MADEM technique, for the construction of the domain model of ONTOWUM, specifying the common and variable requirements of a family of Web recommender systems based on usage mining and collaborative filtering.     

Brassinosteroids Mitigate Cadmium Effects in Arabidopsis Root System without Any Cooperation with Nitric Oxide

The heavy metal cadmium (Cd) affects root system development and quiescent center (QC)-definition in Arabidopsis root-apices. The brassinosteroids-(BRs)-mediated tolerance to heavy metals has been reported to occur by a modulation of nitric oxide (NO) and root auxin-localization. However, how BRs counteract Cd-action in different root types is unknown. This research aimed to find correlations between BRs and NO in response to Cd in Arabidopsis’s root system, monitoring their effects on QC-definition and auxin localization in root-apices. To this aim, root system developmental changes induced by low levels of 24-epibrassinolide (eBL) or by the BR-biosynthesis inhibitor brassinazole (Brz), combined or not with CdSO₄, and/or with the NO-donor nitroprusside (SNP), were investigated using morpho-anatomical and NO-epifluorescence analyses, and monitoring auxin-localization by the DR5::GUS system. Results show that eBL, alone or combined with Cd, enhances lateral (LR) and adventitious (AR) root formation and counteracts QC-disruption and auxin-delocalization caused by Cd in primary root/LR/AR apices. Exogenous NO enhances LR and AR formation in Cd-presence, without synergism with eBL. The NO-signal is positively affected by eBL, but not in Cd-presence, and BR-biosynthesis inhibition does not change the low NO-signal caused by Cd. Collectively, results show that BRs ameliorate Cd-effects on all root types acting independently from NO.