Comparison of the Tax Structure in Central European and European Union Countries: Tax Reform Goals and the Current Situation

The paper provides an analyses of the public finance reform in Central European Countries during the economic transition. The process of reforming public finance (covering both tax and expenditure reforms) is a long lasting one with specific features in individual countries. Nevertheless, some common, general features to the restructuring of CEC public finances can be identified.economic transition, public finance, Central Europe, taxation

Regional development: contribution of evolutionary biology

This paper tries to set out a potential of application of some evolutionary biology concepts to the issue of regional development. The objective is to show that employment of these concepts or at least inspiration by them may enrich some theories of regional development and enhance the explanatory framework of regional evolution.First, the views of institutional economics and geography on evolutionary biology contribution are summarised, then some evolutionary concepts are applied to the path dependence concept e. g., in effort to find a possible way of classification of this phenomenon. However, we discuss some other evolutionary concepts, as coevolution, adaptation, preadaption, general approach to comprehension of evolution, etc. in connexion with some chosen theories and problems of regional development.Regional development ; evolutionary biology ; path dependence ; theories of regional development

Etiopathogenesis of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinomas

INTRODUCTION: Thyroid malignomas are a heterogeneous group of neoplasm consisting of most frequent differentiated encountered carcinomas, papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma, then medullary thyroid carcinoma originating from neuroendocrine calcitonin-producing C-cells and rare forms of thyroid lymphomas arising from intrathyroidal lymphatic tissue, thyroid sarcomas and poorly differentiated anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. There are increasing numbers of epidemiological studies and publications that have suggested increased incidence rate of thyroid carcinomas. We have read, analysed and compare available reviews and original articles investigating different etiological factors in the development of thyroid carcinomas through Google Scholar and PubMed Database.DISCUSSION: Aetiology involved in the development of thyroid carcinomas is multifactorial and includes external influences, as well as constitutional predispositions and genetic etiological factors. The actual effect of environmental and constitutional factors is on promoting genetic and epigenetic alterations which result in cell proliferation and oncogenesis. Until now are identified numerous genetic alterations, assumed to have an important role in oncogenesis, with MAPK and PI3K-AKT as crucial signalling networks regulating growth, proliferation, differentiation and cell survival/apoptosis. CONCLUSION: This new molecular insight could have a crucial impact on diagnosis and also on improving and selecting an appropriate treatment to the patients with thyroid malignancies

Nueva metodología para el endurecimiento óptimo de sistemas digitales con distribución de la funcionalidad, trabajando en entornos sometidos a la radiación ionizante

Debido al extenso uso de los sistemas digitales distribuidos en las diferentes áreas tecnológicas sometidas a entornos agresivos, como por ejemplo la automoción o el espacio, actualmente es de vital importancia la aplicación de técnicas de endurecimiento ante los efectos de radiación ionizante. Esta tesis se inició con el proyecto de investigación RENASER+ “TEC2010-22095-C03-03”, financiado por el Ministerio Español de Ciencia y Tecnología. El objetivo principal del subproyecto liderado por la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, consistía en la evaluación de la sensibilidad de los sistemas digitales a los efectos de la radiación ionizante. Para ello, se planificaron una serie de tareas destinadas a establecer un protocolo y desarrollar un sistema de pruebas válido para realizar campañas de irradiación en los aceleradores instalados en el Centro Nacional de Aceleradores de la Universidad de Sevilla (CNA). Con el fin de alcanzar los objetivos de este proyecto, en los trabajos de la tesis doctoral, se estudiaron y aplicaron técnicas de tolerancia a fallos para sistemas distribuidos, y se comprobó la sensibilidad del sistema con el método basado en la inyección de los fallos por emulación. En concreto, utilizando la herramienta de Emulación Autónoma desarrollada en el grupo DMA de la Universidad Carlos III. A lo largo del desarrollo de la tesis doctoral, en concordancia con las tareas y objetivos del proyecto RENASER+, se han introducido mejoras en el sistema de inyección de fallos transitorios por emulación, para permitir la inyección de fallos múltiples en los elementos de memoria y para permitir el análisis detallado del efecto acumulado de los fallos detectados mediante técnicas de mitigación de fallos, y técnicas de rastreo del fallo y su propagación. Con el objetivo de generar un método integral de análisis, validación y calificación de los sistemas distribuidos robustos, además de inyectar fallos por emulación se indujeron fallos reales en dichos sistemas, mediante el uso del acelerador de partículas tipo ciclotrón del CNA de Sevilla. La evaluación de la sensibilidad del sistema distribuido prototipado requirió una cualificación mediante varias campañas de irradiación, en esta tesis se ha propuesto un método de planificación y realización de una campaña que permite la monitorización continúa del efecto de los fallos y la generación automática de informes finales del proceso completo. En la realización de la tesis doctoral se planteó un objetivo más ambicioso, que consistía en la generación de un método de comprobación continua, durante el tiempo de funcionamiento normal de los sistemas distribuidos, de la presencia de fallos que pudieran causar un mal funcionamiento, e incluso averías graves. Así, se amplió el método de calificación de la robustez de sistemas distribuidos a un método de test on-line de dichos sistemas. Durante el estudio de la robustez de los sistemas distribuidos, principalmente para aplicaciones terrestres, se identificó y estudió el problema de los fallos debidos a envejecimiento de los componentes electrónicos digitales. Por lo tanto, el método propuesto es también adecuado para la realización del test on-line durante el funcionamiento normal del sistema distribuido, para la detección de los fallos procedentes de la radiación ionizante (fallos transitorios) y los fallos debidos al envejecimiento de los dispositivos (fallos permanentes). Los sistemas digitales distribuidos, aparte de los nodos que los componen, tienen un protocolo de comunicación que puede fallar igual que el mismo nodo. En esta tesis doctoral se han estudiado varios protocolos de comunicación utilizados en sistemas distribuidos de aplicaciones aeroespaciales y de automoción; así mismo, se han comparado los protocolos CAN y LIN, y se ha propuesto, diseñado y prototipado un sistema distribuido básico, para la comprobación de la metodología de calificación y test on-line y de las técnicas de endurecimiento propuestas. Como aportación original de esta tesis doctoral, se propone una nueva metodología para comprobar y asegurar el endurecimiento efectivo de un sistema digital distribuido, que incluya cualquier bus de comunicación. Otra contribución original de esta tesis doctoral, consiste en una técnica que permite la comparación de los datos obtenidos tras la irradiación de una forma directa y transparente al sistema de test, basada en un bloque de detección de minoría para rastreo de la propagación de los fallos. Se han analizado distintas tecnologías de FPGA basadas en memoria Flash, con el propósito de una mejor caracterización de los dispositivos a iradiar. Para el sistema final se ha optado por la utilización de una FPGA Igloo de Microsemi®, debido a que es una tecnología más robusta y basada en la tecnología Flash. Se ha desarrollado un software de control para el sistema distribuido, el cual se ejecuta en un microprocesador contenido en uno de los nodos del sistema y el que envía los resultados obtenidos por medio de un bus SPI a un PC. El software automatiza el proceso de recolección de los datos, proporcionando el resultado de cuál de los nodos ha fallado, si se ha recuperado, si ha fallado el sistema de comunicación, etc. Estos resultados permiten validar experimentalmente el método propuesto para los sistemas distribuidos digitales. Además de cumplir con los objetivos del proyecto, se han resuelto dos de los problemas típicos de este tipo de sistemas. Estos corresponden al reset síncrono del sistema y a la monitorización del mantenimiento continuo del tiempo real del sistema. Los distintos bloques propuestos y utilizados en este método integral de calificación de sistemas distribuidos son adecuados para la realización de test on-line de sistemas distribuidos, con el objeto de detectar la presencia de fallos permanentes (debidos al envejecimiento de los dispositivos) y de fallos transitorios (debidos a la radiación ionizante). Finalmente, los últimos aportes de la investigación de este trabajo de tesis, correspondientes al análisis detallado del material del encapsulado del dispositivo a irradiar, y su comportamiento ante el paso de protones, se han podido obtener gracias a la ayuda del Departamento de Ciencia e Ingeniería de los Materiales e Ingeniería Química de la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid y del Centro Nacional de Aceleradores de la Universidad de Sevilla. La mayoría de los resultados parciales y globales de este trabajo de tesis doctoral han sido publicados en Conferencias Internacionales (International On-Line Testing Symposium, Latin American Test Workshop, Digital Circuit and Integrated Systems) y en una revista internacional (IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science).Nowadays, due to the spread of distributed digital systems in the different technological areas, working in aggressive environments, such as automotive and aerospace applications, hardening techniques against ionizing radiation effects is crucial. This PhD work started with the research Project RENASER+ “TEC2010-22095-C03-03”, supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The main objective of the sub-project, managed by the Carlos III University of Madrid, was the assessment of the sensitiveness of digital systems against ionizing radiation effects. For this purpose, a number of tasks were planned, aimed to set a protocol and to develop a test system, able to run irradiation campaigns in the accelerators placed in the National Centre of Accelerators, University of Seville (CNA). Furthermore, in order to fulfill the project objectives, the works developed in the PhD were devoted to the study and application of Fault Tolerance Techniques for distributed digital systems, and to the prior analysis of the systems sensitivity with emulation-based fault injection campaigns. This last task used the Autonomous Emulation Tool developed in the DMA research group of Carlos III University of Madrid. Along the development of the work of this PdD, in agreement with the tasks and objectives of RENASER+ Project, new improvements have been proposed, developed and included in the emulation-based transient fault injection tool, in order to enable the injection of multiple faults in memory elements, to enable the detailed tracking of accumulated effect of faults injected and detected by mitigation techniques and to scan the fault propagation within the distributed system. With the main purpose of generating a comprehensive method for the analysis, assessment and qualification of robust digital distributed systems, apart from injecting faults via emulation, real faults have been injected thanks to the use of a particle accelerators, CNA-US cyclotron (proton beam). The assessment of the prototyped distributed digital systems, through proton beam irradiation campaigns, required three irradiation campaigns; in the PhD a planning method was proposed for this type of campaigns on distributed systems, which allows the continuous monitoring of fault effects and automatic final report generation. As a more ambitious objective, in the PhD the method was extended to an on-line test, for the continuous checking during normal operation of distributed digital systems, to detect faults which can cause a wrong behavior or, even, a serious failure. Therefore, the qualification method for the assessment of the robustness of distributed digital systems was extended to an on-line method for these systems. During the robustness study of distributed digital systems another problem was identified and analyzed: the permanent faults appearing in this type of systems due to digital devices aging. Indeed, the proposed method is suitable for on-line testing of the normal operation of the distributed digital systems, for the detection of faults due to ionizing radiation (transient faults) and the detection of faults due to the device aging (permanent faults). Distributed digital systems, apart the nodes composing them, use to include a communication protocol that can suffer also from transient or permanent faults. In this PhD different communication protocols, used in distributed digital systems for aerospace and automotive applications; also, CAN and LIN protocols have been compared and a basic distributed system has been proposed, designed and prototyped, for validating the qualification methodology and the test on-line method, as well as proposed hardening techniques. As original contribution of this PhD, a comprehensive methodology for assessing and assuring the effective hardening of distributed digital systems, including a communication protocol, is proposed. Another original contribution of this PhD is the technique that allows the analysis of the data obtained (transparently and directly whatever the test system used) from any irradiation campaign, based on a minority checker block for the fault tracking. Furthermore, in this PhD work, different Flash-based FPGA technologies have been analyzed, with the purpose of better characterizing the analyzed devices. For the final system implemented, FPGAs Igloo from Microsemi® have been selected, because is a more robust technology. Specific control software has been developed for the distributed system, which was run on a microprocessor included in one node of the system and that sends obtained results through a PCI bus to a Personal Computer. This software automates the data collecting process, telling which node is failing, its recovery state, as well as any communication fault occurring. These tools allow the experimental validation of proposed method for the distributed digital systems. Apart from fulfilling the Project objectives, two typical problems of this type of systems have been solved. They correspond to synchronous initialization of the system and continuous real-time maintenance. Different blocks proposed and used in this comprehensive method for the assessment of the sensitivity of distributed digital systems are also adequate for on-line testing of these systems, with the prupose of detecting permanent faults (due to device aging) and transient faults (due to ionizing radiation). Finally, the latest research works of this PhD work correspond to the detailed analysis of the packaging of the devices to be irradiated, as well as its behavior when proton particles are going through it. These works have been done thanks to the help of Science and Material Engineering and Chemistry Engineering Department of Carlos III University of Madrid, and the National Centre of Accelerators of University of Seville. The majority of partial and global results of this PhD have been published in International Conferences (International On-Line Testing Symposium, Latin American Test Workshop, Digital Circuit and Integrated Systems) and in the IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.Esta tesis se inició con el proyecto de investigación RENASER+ “TEC2010-22095-C03-03”, financiado por el Ministerio Español de Ciencia y Tecnología.Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y AutomáticaPresidente: Raoul Velazco.- Secretario: Emilio Olías Ruiz.- Vocal: Miguel Ángel Aguirre Echanov

Role of cGMP phosphodiesterases in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology associated with high morbidity and mortality, and further characterized by abnormal alveolar epithelial and fibro-proliferative responses, excessive extra-cellular matrix deposition, patchy inflammatory infiltrations and progressive loss of normal lung structure. At present there is no demonstrably effective therapy for blocking or reversing the progression of the disease. This situation demands a better understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of IPF. Current evidence suggests a role of cyclic guanosine monophosphate phosphodiesterases (cGMP-PDEs) in the pathogenesis of various proliferative lung diseases, including IPF. Lung PDE6 expression and function has received little or no attention. The present study aimed to characterize (i) cGMP PDEs profile in IPF, (ii) PDE6 subunits expression in human lung, (iii) PDE6 subunits expression and alteration in IPF and (iv) functionality of the specific PDE6D subunit. The experiments were carried out with human lung samples from donors and IPF patients. RT-PCR analyses from donor and IPF human lungs revealed up-regulation of PDE1A, PDE10A and PDE11A in the IPF lungs and expression of PDE6 subunits mRNA transcripts in human lungs. Westernblot analysis showed 2-fold up-regulation of PDE6A and PDE6B, and 2-fold down-regulation of PDE6D and membrane localization of PDE6G in the IPF lungs as compared to the donor lungs. Immunohistochemical analysis showed alveolar epithelial localization of the PDE6 subunits. RT-PCR analysis from donor and IPF-derived human primary alveolar type (AT) II cells confirmed the cellular localization of the PDE6 subunits and the down-regulation pattern of PDE6D. Further, siRNA-mediated PDE6D knockdown and an ectopic PDE6D expression in A549 cells demonstrated the modulatory effects of PDE6D on alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) proliferation. Additionally, we showed that these effects specifically involve ERK phosphorylation. Collectively, we report (i) mRNA expression profile of cGMP PDEs in IPF, (ii) previously unrecognized PDE6 expression in human lungs, (iii) pronounced alterations of PDE6 subunits in IPF-derived lungs and (iv) characterize the functional role of PDE6D in AEC proliferation.Die idiopathische pulmonale Fibrose (IPF) ist eine progressive interstitielle Lungenerkrankung unbekannter Ätiologie, assoziiert mit hoher Morbidität und Mortalität. IPF charakterisiert sich weiterhin durch abnormale epitheliale und fibro-proliferative Reaktionen, exzessive Ablagerung extrazellulärer Matrix, ungleichmäßige inflammatorische Infiltrate und einen progressiven Verlust der normalen Lungenstruktur. Gegenwärtig existiert keine nachweislich effektive Therapie zur Beeinflussung des Krankheitsverlaufs. Diese Tatsache unterstreicht die Notwendigkeit für ein besseres Verständnis der molekularen und zellulären Mechanismen, die in der Pathogenese der IPF involviert sind. Neue Studien weisen auf eine Rolle der Phosphodiesterasen des zyklischen Guanosinmonophosphats (cGMP-PDEs) an der Pathogenese von unterschiedlichen Lungenerkrankungen, einschließlich IPF. Allerdings wurden die Expression und Funktion der Lungen-Phosphodiesterase 6 (PDE6) bisher wenig untersucht. Die vorliegende Studie hat sich Folgendes zum Ziel gesetzt: (i) die Charakterisierung der Expressionsprofile der cGMP-PDEs bei IPF in der Lunge, (iii) die Charakterisierung der Expression der PDE6-Untereinheiten in der Lunge, (iii) die Untersuchung der Expressen der PDE6-Untereinheiten bei IPF und (iv) charakterisierung der Funktion der PDE6D-Untereinheit. Untersucht wurde Lungenmaterial von gesunden Probanden und IPF-Patienten. Durch RT-PCR wurde eine Hochregulation der Gen-Transkription von PDE1A, PDE10A und PDE11A in IPF-Proben sowie eine Basis-Transkription der PDE6-Untereinheiten nachgewiesen. Western-Blot-Experimente zeigten eine Hochregulation von PDE6A und PDE6B ums Zweifache und eine gleichstarke Abschwächung von PDE6D bei IPF im Vergleich zu gesunden Probanden. Darüber hinaus wurde eine Membranlokalisation der PDE6G bei IPF festgestellt. Die immunhistochemischen Untersuchungen zeigten die Lokalisation der PDE6-Untereiheiten im alveolaren Epithel. RT-PCR-Analysen von primären Typ II alveolaren Zellen (ATII) von Probanden und IPF-Patienten bestätigten die Anwesenheit der PDE6-Untereinheiten und die Herunterregulation von PDE6D bei IPF. Durch siRNA-Knockdown von PDE6D und ektopische Expression von PDE6D in der A549 Zellinie wurden die modulierenden Effekte dieser Untereinheit auf die Proliferation von alveolaren Epithelzellen (AEC) demonstriert. Es konnte auch gezeigt werden, daß diese Effekte spezifisch die Phosphorylierung von ERK beeinflussen. Zusammenfassend, wurden in dieser Arbeit (i) die Expressionsprofile der Phosphodiesterasen des zyklischen Guanosinmonophosphats (cGMP-PDEs) in IPF-Lungengewebe erstellt. (ii) eine bis dato nicht beschriebene Expression von PDE6 in der humanen Lunge konnte nachgewiesen werden. (iii) die Veränderung der PDE6-Espression in IPF-Lungenproben und (iv) die Rolle der PDE6D-Untereinheit bei der Proliferation von AEC wurden analysiert

Comparative essays in labour market outcomes.

This thesis consists of three essays which provide a detailed empirical investigation of the returns to education, gender wage gap and public-private wage differential in Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia and Tajikistan - countries that have received little attention in the literature. The studies are based on rich data sets which allow the most up-to- date analysis of the specific labour market outcomes. All three essays go a step further than the existing empirical literature since in each one the quantile regression results showed a much broader picture than the ones based on central tendency measures such as Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). The first essay looks at what had happened to the returns to human capital in Bulgaria over the period from early 1986 pre-transition to 2003. The study also contributes to the literature by estimating returns to education across the entire wage distribution, providing further evidence from Serbia, Russia and Tajikistan. Moreover, it deals with endogeneity and sample selection biases in a quantile regression framework. The second essay estimates gender wage gaps in the selected countries by applying a decomposition method that simulates marginal distributions from the quantile regression process. The study seeks to extend the popular Machado and Mata (2005) distributional approach by addressing the 'index' number problem suggested by Neumark (1988) and Oaxaca and Ransom (1994 and 1998). The gender wage gap decomposition is performed for each quantile of the earnings distribution by using the pooled wage structure as a non-discriminatory structure and giving a much richer picture of the influence of the covariate and coefficient effects. The third essay provides a comprehensive empirical study on the public-private wage differential in Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia, and Tajikistan. The study seeks to understand whether the differential in the public-private sector payment is explained by differences in workers characteristics or the difference in the returns to these characteristics. The endogenous sector choice is also considered. The study further analyses what has happened to the public sector hourly earnings differential at different points in the conditional earnings distribution and over time by adapting the Donohue-Heckman time-wise decomposition

Influence of the Subclinical Hypothyroidism on the Left Ventricular Systolic and Diastolic Function (pilot study)

Introduction: The clinically manifested hypothyroidism is associated with systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Studies investigating the left ventricular function in subclinical hypothyroidism (ScH) have shown controversial results. The aim of the study was to assess whether ScH is associated with the left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Material and methods: Seventeen consecutive patients with newly diagnosed ScH and 20 healthy euthyroid patients as controls were analyzed. The two groups were appropriate by: age, sex, and body mass index. Laboratory analyses were performed in all patients - determination of TSH, free thyroxin (FT4), free triijodothyronine (FT3), antibodies directed to thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb) and antitiroglobulin antibodies (TgAb), and the assessment of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function by M-mode, two-dimensional echocardiography, pulse, continuous and color-Doppler, advanced echocardiographic modalities Tissue Doppler (TDI) and two-dimensional speckle tracking. Results: ScH patients had statistically significant lower ejection fraction, smaller ratio s/d (where s is the systolic velocity and d is the diastolic velocity through the pulmonary veins) and lower negative longitudinal global strain compared with the control group (62.1 ± 2.1 vs. 58.7 ± 6.2%, p<0.05, 1.27 ± 0.12 vs. 1.06 ± 0.20, p<0.001, -0.21 ± 0.01 versus -0.19 ± 0.01%, p<0.05, respectively). There was a statistically significant negative correlation of TSH with s/d and S/ TDI (r = 0.43 and r = 0.26, p<0.05, respectively). There was a statistically significant negative correlation of free thyroxine with myocardial performance index (r = -0.17, p<0.05), and a positive correlatin with s/d (r =0.48, p<0.05). Conclusion: ScH was associated with a statistically significant reduction in global systolic and global longitudinal systolic function of the left ventricle

The effect of levothyroxine treatment on left ventricular function in subclinical hypothyroidism

Objective: Treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism (ScH), especially the mild form of ScH, is controversial because thyroid hormones influence cardiac function. We investigate left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in ScH and evaluate the effect of 5-month levothyroxine treatment. Subjects and methods: Fifty-four patients with newly diagnosed mild ScH (4.2 < TSH < 10.0 mU/L) and 30 euthyroid subjects matched by age were analysed. Laboratory analyses and an echocardiography study were done at the first visit and after 5 months in euthyroid stage in patients with ScH. Results: Compared to healthy controls, patients with ScH had a lower E/A ratio (1.03 ± 0.29 vs. 1.26 ± 0.36, p < 0.01), higher E/e’ sep. ratio (7.62 ± 2.29 vs. 6.04 ± 1.64, p < 0.01), higher myocardial performance index (MPI) (0.47 ± 0.08 vs. 0.43 ± 0.07, p < 0.05), lower global longitudinal strain (GLS) (-19.5 ± 2.3 vs. -20.9 ± 1.7%, p < 0.05), and lower S wave derived by tissue Doppler imaging (0.077 ± 0.013 vs. 0.092 ± 0.011 m/s, p < 0.01). Levothyroxine treatment in patients with ScH contributed to higher EF (62.9 ± 3.9 vs. 61.6 ± 4.4%, p < 0.05), lower E/e’ sep. ratio (6.60 ± 2.06 vs. 7.62 ± 2.29, p < 0.01), lower MPI (0.43 ± 0.07 vs. 0.47 ± 0.08%, p < 0.01), and improved GLS (-20.07 ± 2.7 vs. -19.55 ± 2.3%, p < 0.05) compared to values in ScH patients at baseline. Furthermore, in all study populations (ScH patients before and after levothyroxine therapy and controls), TSH levels significantly negatively correlated with EF (r = -0.15, p < 0.05), E/A (r = -0.14, p < 0.05), GLS (r = ‑0.26, p < 0.001), and S/TDI (r = -0.22, p < 0.01) and positively correlated with E/e’ sep. (r = 0.14, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Patients with subclinical hypothyroidism versus healthy individuals had subtle changes in certain parameters that indicate involvement of systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricle. Although the values of the parameters were in normal range, they were significantly different compared to ScH and the control group at baseline, as well as to the ScH groups before and after treatment. The results of our study suggest that patients with ScH must be followed up during treatment to assess improvement of the disease. Some of the echocardiography obtained parameters were reversible after levothyroxine therapy

Genomic test ends a long diagnostic odyssey in a patient with resistance to thyroid hormones

Background: Resistance to thyroid hormones is a very rare condition, which is often misdiagnosed and mistreated. The cases where there is a concomitant autoimmune thyroid disorder are ultra-rare and particularly challenging to treat. Diagnostic and research-based genomic testing can sometimes identify pathogenic variants unrelated to the primary reason for testing (incidental findings)

SEU Sensitivity Comparison for Different Reprogrammable Technologies With Minority Check Block

In this work, a method is proposed for obtaining comparable measurements of the SEU sensitivity in reprogrammable devices that present different characteristics like internal architecture, technology, amount of available resources, etc. A specific minority checker is developed for reporting the presence of SEUs or MBUs which will help in this comparing task during dynamic tests.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology, code TEC2010-22095-C03-03. RENASER+ projec