Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supercritical fluid-mediated liposomes containing cyclosporin A for the treatment of dry eye syndrome in a rabbit model: comparative study with the conventional cyclosporin A emulsion

Background The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of cyclosporin (CsA)-encapsulated liposomes with the commercially available CsA emulsion (Restasis®) for the treatment of dry eye syndrome in rabbits. Methods Liposomes containing CsA were prepared by the supercritical fluid (SCF) method consisted of phosphatidylcholine from soybean (SCF-S100) and egg lecithins (SCF-EPCS). An in vitro permeation study was carried out using artificial cellulose membrane in Franz diffusion cells. Dry eye syndrome was induced in male albino rabbits and further subdivided into untreated, Restasis®-treated, EPCS, and S100-treated groups. Tear formation in the dry-eye-induced rabbits was evaluated using the Schirmer tear test. All formulations were also evaluated by ocular irritation tests using the Draize eye and winking methods with the determination of CsA concentration in rabbit tears. Results After the treatment, the Schirmer tear test value significantly improved in EPCS-treated (P=0.005) and S100-treated (P=0.018) groups compared to the Restasis®-treated group. The AUC0–24 h for rabbit’s tear film after the administration of SCF-S100 was 32.75±9.21 μg·h/mg which was significantly higher than that of 24.59±8.69 μg·h/mg reported with Restasis®. Liposomal CsA formulations used in this study showed lower irritation in rabbit eyes compared with Restasis®. Conclusion These results demonstrate that the novel SCF-mediated liposomal CsA promises a significant improvement in overcoming the challenges associated with the treatment of dry eyes.
PHYSIOLOGY IN FOREST MODELS: HISTORY AND THE FUTURE

Empirical models are standard tools in forest management. They provide quantitative information for management and planning that is accurate within the limits of sampling and measurement accuracy, but they are generally site-specific and cannot simulate the results of changing conditions. Mechanistic, or process-based models, based on the physiological processes that govern tree growth can, in principle, provide estimates of the potential productivity of sites for which no mensuration data exist, calculate realized growth and evaluate the effects of actions such as fertilisation or thinning, or the impact of pests and diseases on productivity. It should also be possible to use these models to evaluate the probable effects of climate change on forest growth. However, most process-based models contain too many poorly known parameters and their projections are not as reliable in practice as those of empirical models. In addition they have not, up to now, produced outputs of interest to those concerned with forest management. The reasons for this state of affairs are considered and a brief historical survey of some of the physiological research that, over the last 30 years, has produced the knowledge and information needed to produce useful, practical process-based forest models, is presented. The survey deals with light interception, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, water relations and nutrition. The evolution of process-based models is outlined, leading to the central thesis of the paper: that hybrid models, combining the advantages of process-based and conventional empirical models will be the management tools of the foreseeable future. The software for these models should be well-designed, robust, ‘user friendly’ and open, in the sense that it is freely available and can be modified by users. Brief comments on mensuration procedures for hybrid models, weather data and the use and values of Geographical Information Systems and remote sensing are provided.
Progressive swelling, hyperkeratosis, and fibrosis of distal limbs in Clydesdales, Shires, and Belgian draft horses, suggestive of primary lymphedema.

BACKGROUND A condition characterized by progressive swelling, hyperkeratosis, and fibrosis of the distal limbs has been recognized in Shire, Clydesdale, and Belgian draft horses. This chronic progressive disease starts at an early age, progresses throughout the life of the horse, and often ends in disfigurement and disability of the limbs that inevitably leads to the horse's premature death. This study was undertaken to better characterize this disease. METHODS AND RESULTS Six affected horses were donated for diagnostic workup. A detailed clinical, radiologic, gross, and histologic description is given in this report. The lesions in the limb consisted of progressive development of thick-walled lymphatics, associated with chronic dermal edema, inflammation, fibrosis, neovascularization, and elastin degeneration. In the end stages, arteriosclerosis and fibrosed veins were also present. The clinical signs and pathologic changes in this disease closely resemble the human condition of elephantiasis nostras verrucosa, a state in which chronic lymphedema plays a pivotal pathogenic role.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 12

Background Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are autosomal-dominant neurodegenerative diseases that are clinically and genetically heterogeneous. SCAs are characterized by a range of neurological symptoms. SCA12 is an autosomal-dominant (AD) ataxia caused by a CAG repeat expansion mutation in a presumed promoter region of the gene PPP2R2B in a non-coding region on chromosome 5q32. This study sought to determine changes in different positions in a single Uyghur SCA12 pedigree by measuring the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA). Material/Methods A single Uyghur pedigree was collected and was confirmed to possess SCA12 by genetic diagnosis, among which 13 cases were patients and 54 cases were “healthy” individuals. Five patients were presymptomatic and 15 individuals selected as a control group were examination in the same time. DTI was performed on a 1.5T scanner, with b=1000 s/mm2 and 15 directions. ADC and FA were measured by regions of interest positioned in the corticospinal tract at the level of the pons (pons), superior peduncle (SCP), middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP), cerebellar cortex (CeC), cerebral cortex (CC), and cerebellar vermis (CV) white matter. Results Compared with the controls, the ADC was significantly elevated in the CeC, SCP, CC, and CV regions in SCA12 patients. The FA significantly decreased in the CC region in SCA12 patients and the CC and CV regions in SCA12 presymptomatic patients. The course of the disease, SARA score, and ADC values in CV showed highly positive correlations. Conclusions SCA12 pedigree patients exhibited microstructural damage in the brain white matter. The damage in white matter fiber may first occur in the CC and CV regions in SCA12 presymptomatic patients. The ADC values in the CV region could reflect disease severity in SCA12 patients.
Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis and Muscular Fitness in Healthy Men

Muscle strength can define the general muscular fitness (MF) measurable through hand-grip strength (HG), which is a factor that relates to the health of people of different ages. In this study we evaluated the muscle strength together with a bioimpedance electric analysis in 223 healthy Colombian adult subjects. The bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) was conducted to determine the resistance (R), reactance (Xc) and phase angle (PhA). We classified the subjects into three groups (for tertiles), obtaining lower values of R and Xc in subjects with lower HG, plus a high correlation between PhA and HG. An increase in the level of PhA is associated with a high level of MF in a sample of healthy Latin American adult men. The BIVA’s parameters and PhA are a potentially effective preventive measure to be integrated into routine screening in the clinical setting.
Failure to detect infection by oral polio vaccine virus following natural exposure among inactivated polio vaccine recipients

SUMMARY While oral polio vaccine (OPV) has been shown to be safe and effective, it has been observed that it can circulate within a susceptible population and revert to a virulent form. Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) confers protection from paralytic disease, but provides limited protection against infection. It is possible, then, that an IPV-immunized population, when exposed to OPV, could sustain undetected circulation of vaccine-derived poliovirus. This study examines the possibility of polio vaccine virus circulating within the United States (highly IPV-immunized) population that borders Mexico (OPV-immunized). A total of 653 stool and 20 sewage samples collected on the US side of the border were tested for the presence of poliovirus. All samples were found to be negative. These results suggest that the risk of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus is low in fully immunized IPV-using populations in developed countries that border OPV-using populations.
Implications for Diverse Functions of the LINC Complexes Based on the Structure

The linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex is composed of the outer and inner nuclear membrane protein families Klarsicht, Anc-1, and Syne homology (KASH), and Sad1 and UNC-84 (SUN) homology domain proteins. Increasing evidence has pointed to diverse functions of the LINC complex, such as in nuclear migration, nuclear integrity, chromosome movement and pairing during meiosis, and mechanotransduction to the genome. In metazoan cells, the nuclear envelope possesses the nuclear lamina, which is a thin meshwork of intermediate filaments known as A-type and B-type lamins and lamin binding proteins. Both of lamins physically interact with the inner nuclear membrane spanning SUN proteins. The nuclear lamina has also been implicated in various functions, including maintenance of nuclear integrity, mechanotransduction, cellular signalling, and heterochromatin dynamics. Thus, it is clear that the LINC complex and nuclear lamins perform diverse but related functions. However, it is unknown whether the LINC complex–lamins interactions are involved in these diverse functions, and their regulation mechanism has thus far been elusive. Recent structural analysis suggested a dynamic nature of the LINC complex component, thus providing an explanation for LINC complex organization. This review, elaborating on the integration of crystallographic and biochemical data, helps to integrate this research to gain a better understanding of the diverse functions of the LINC complex.
A Novel Approach for Iris Recognition

 Abstract— The iris has been proposed as a reliable means of biometric identification. The importance of the iris as a unique identifier is predicated on the assumption that the iris is stable throughout a person's life. Also, the need for security systems going up, Iris recognition is emerging as one of the important methods of biometrics-based identification systems. Iris biometry has been proposed as a sound measure of personal identification. Iris biometry has been proposed as a sound measure of personal identification. This project basically explains comparison of the purposed algorithm with the existing algorithms for Iris recognition. In proposed method, image preprocessing is performed using Daugman's Integro-differential operator. The extracted iris part is then normalized using Daugman's rubber sheet model followed by extracting the iris portion of the eye image using Haar transform. Finally two Iris Codes are compared to find the Hamming Distance which is a fractional measure of the dissimilarity. The results obtained with this algorithm are of highest accuracy whereas the false acceptance ratio (FAR) and false rejection ratio (FRR) are lowest compared to existing algorithms.
The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder: System Architecture and Specifications of the Boolardy Engineering Test Array

Abstract This paper describes the system architecture of a newly constructed radio telescope – the Boolardy engineering test array, which is a prototype of the Australian square kilometre array pathfinder telescope. Phased array feed technology is used to form multiple simultaneous beams per antenna, providing astronomers with unprecedented survey speed. The test array described here is a six-antenna interferometer, fitted with prototype signal processing hardware capable of forming at least nine dual-polarisation beams simultaneously, allowing several square degrees to be imaged in a single pointed observation. The main purpose of the test array is to develop beamforming and wide-field calibration methods for use with the full telescope, but it will also be capable of limited early science demonstrations.
Variability in interpretive performance at screening mammography and radiologists' characteristics associated with accuracy.

PURPOSE To identify radiologists' characteristics associated with interpretive performance in screening mammography. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was approved by institutional review boards of University of Washington (Seattle, Wash) and institutions at seven Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium sites, informed consent was obtained, and procedures were HIPAA compliant. Radiologists who interpreted mammograms in seven U.S. regions completed a self-administered mailed survey; information on demographics, practice type, and experience in and perceptions of general radiology and breast imaging was collected. Survey data were linked to data on screening mammograms the radiologists interpreted between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2005, and included patient risk factors, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System assessment, and follow-up breast cancer data. The survey was returned by 71% (257 of 364) of radiologists; in 56% (205 of 364) of the eligible radiologists, complete data on screening mammograms during the study period were provided; these data were used in the final analysis. An evaluation of whether the radiologists' characteristics were associated with recall rate, false-positive rate, sensitivity, or positive predictive value of recall (PPV(1)) of the screening examinations was performed with logistic regression models that were adjusted for patients' characteristics and radiologist-specific random effects. RESULTS Study radiologists interpreted 1 036 155 screening mammograms; 4961 breast cancers were detected. Median percentages and interquartile ranges, respectively, were as follows: recall rate, 9.3% and 6.3%-13.2%; false-positive rate, 8.9% and 5.9%-12.8%; sensitivity, 83.8% and 74.5%-92.3%; and PPV(1), 4.0% and 2.6%-5.9%. Wide variability in sensitivity was noted, even among radiologists with similar false-positive rates. In adjusted regression models, female radiologists or fellowship-trained radiologists had significantly higher recall and false-positive rates (P < .05, all). Fellowship training in breast imaging was the only characteristic significantly associated with improved sensitivity (odds ratio, 2.32; 95% confidence interval: 1.42, 3.80; P < .001) and the overall accuracy parameter (odds ratio, 1.61; 95% confidence interval: 1.05, 2.45; P = .028). CONCLUSION Fellowship training in breast imaging may lead to improved cancer detection, but it is associated with higher false-positive rates.
FUS functions in coupling transcription to splicing by mediating an interaction between RNAP II and U1 snRNP

Significance The protein fused-in-sarcoma (FUS) is mutated to cause the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, but its normal cellular role remains to be understood. Previous work showed that FUS associates with both RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) and the essential splicing factor U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP). Here we were able to directly investigate the functional significance of these interactions using an in vitro system. We show that FUS is essential for the interaction between U1 snRNP and RNAP II and that FUS must be present during the RNAP II transcription reaction in order for splicing to occur. Together, these data indicate that FUS mediates an interaction between RNAP II and U1 snRNP, thereby physically and functionally coupling transcription to splicing. Pre-mRNA splicing is coupled to transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAP II). We previously showed that U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) associates with RNAP II, and both RNAP II and U1 snRNP are also the most abundant factors associated with the protein fused-in-sarcoma (FUS), which is mutated to cause the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Here, we show that an antisense morpholino that base-pairs to the 5′ end of U1 snRNA blocks splicing in the coupled system and completely disrupts the association between U1 snRNP and both FUS and RNAP II, but has no effect on the association between FUS and RNAP II. Conversely, we found that U1 snRNP does not interact with RNAP II in FUS knockdown extracts. Moreover, using these extracts, we found that FUS must be present during the transcription reaction in order for splicing to occur. Together, our data lead to a model that FUS functions in coupling transcription to splicing via mediating an interaction between RNAP II and U1 snRNP.
Historical tintype plates: analysis of supports, japanning layers, and verso varnishes

ABSTRACT The tintype, a wet collodion photograph on a japanned metal support, was a popular type of photographic image in mid-nineteenth-century United States. Tintype plates consisting of a metal sheet with a protective varnish on the verso and a dark colored japanning layer on the recto were commercially available in different colors and surface textures. Although millions of plates were produced, there is little information regarding the materials used to create them. To address this lacuna, the metal supports, japanning layers, and protective verso varnishes of 226 historic tintypes were analyzed to identify the support metal, binders, and pigments. The predominant component of the japanning layers is drying oil, or drying oil with Pinaceae resin; shellac, sandarac, and camphor also occur. The verso varnishes are primarily drying oil and Pinaceae resin, and the presence of these two materials permits comparison of relative extent of oxidation and illustrates that factors other than age impact these metrics. Carbonaceous blacks and iron oxide pigments are common japanning layer pigments, but asphaltum was minimally used. Cross-sections reveal that some japanning layers are a single layer, while others contain multiple coats indicating a complex manufacturing process. The materials used and manner of coating applications differ from the contemporaneous literature and may be manufacturer dependent.
Pore Formation in Aluminum Castings: Theoretical Calculations and the Extrinsic Effect of Entrained Surface Oxide Films

• Awarded graduate scholarship by University of North Florida (UNF) 2015-Present • 7th Place in the 10th National Heat Treatment Competitions 2013 • 2nd Place in “Topical” section in the 1st International Metallography Competition 2012 • 2nd Place in “Software” section in the 1st International Metallography Competition 2012 • Ranked 1st in Department in the National University Entrance Exam 2009 • Awarded scholarship by NIOC (National Iranian Oil Company) , Offered to top students in order of cumulative GPA 2009-2013 • Ranked in the top 0.5% of participants in Iranian University Entrance Exam, Among 500,000 participants in mathematics-physics branch 2009 • Selected and honored in the first round of National Chemistry Olympiad 2006
Manual Thrombus Aspiration and the Improved Survival of Patients With Unstable Angina Pectoris Treated With Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (30 Months Follow-Up)

AbstractThe clinical effect of intracoronary thrombus aspiration during percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with unstable angina pectoris is unknown. In this study, we aimed to assess how thrombus aspiration during percutaneous coronary intervention affects in-hospital and 30-month mortality and complications in patients with unstable angina pectoris.We undertook an observational cohort study of 645 consecutive unstable angina pectoris patients who had performed percutaneous coronary intervention from February 2011 to March 2013. Before intervention, 159 patients who had culprit lesion with thrombus were randomly assigned to group 1 (thrombus aspiration group) and group 2 (stand-alone percutaneous coronary intervention group). All patients were followed-up 30 months until August 2015.Thrombus aspiration was performed in 64 patients (46%) whose cardiac markers (ie, creatinine kinase [CK-MB] mass and troponin T) were significantly lower after percutaneous coronary intervention than in those of group 2 (CK-MB mass: 3.80 ± 1.11 vs 4.23 ± 0.89, P = 0.012; troponin T: 0.012 ± 0.014 vs 0.018 ± 0.008, P = 0.002). Left ventricular ejection fraction at 6, 12, and 24 months postintervention was significantly higher in the group 1. During a mean follow-up period of 28.87 ± 6.28 months, mortality rates were 6.3% in the group 1 versus 12.9% in the group 2. Thrombus aspiration was also associated with significantly less long-term mortality in unstable angina pectoris patients (adjusted HR: 4.61, 95% CI: 1.16–18.21, P = 0.029). Thrombus aspiration in the context of unstable angina pectoris is associated with a limited elevation in cardiac enzymes during intervention that minimises microembolization and significantly improves both of epicardial flow and myocardial perfusion, as shown by angiographic TIMI flow grade and frame count. Thrombus aspiration during percutaneous coronary intervention in unstable angina pectoris patients has better survival over a 30-month follow-up period.
An assessment of features related to phishing websites using an automated technique

Corporations that offer online trading can achieve a competitive edge by serving worldwide clients. Nevertheless, online trading faces many obstacles such as the unsecured money orders. Phishing is considered a form of internet crime that is defined as the art of mimicking a website of an honest enterprise aiming to acquire confidential information such as usernames, passwords and social security number. There are some characteristics that distinguish phishing websites from legitimate ones such as long URL, IP address in URL, adding prefix and suffix to domain and request URL, etc. In this paper, we explore important features that are automatically extracted from websites using a new tool instead of relying on an experienced human in the extraction process and then judge on the features importance in deciding website legitimacy. Our research aims to develop a group of features that have been shown to be sound and effective in predicting phishing websites and to extract those features according to new scientific precise rules.