Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative Effects of Purslane seed oil (PSO) and 5- Flourourasil on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) in female albino mice

The present study was to evaluate anti-cancer effects of Purslane seed oil (PSO) (200g/kg. diet), 5-Flourourasil (20mg/kg b.w. i.p) and their combinatorial formulation in female mice induced by Ehrlich ascites cells for 21 consecutive days prior. Ten days after intraperitoneal inoculation of tumor EAC cells in mice, PSO was supplemented at (200g/kg. diet) daily for 21 consecutive days. On the 22th day, the mice were sacrificed for the estimation of tumor growth (tumor volume), and biochemical parameters (glucose, insulin, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lipid peroxides (TBARS), protein thiols (Pr-SHs), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), HDL-C, LDL-C, 17β-estradiol and progesterone). The results of this study also showed that administration of Purslane seed oil (PSO), 5-Flourourasil both individually and in combination for 21 days to the carcinoma induced mice demonstrated a significant (P<0.01) decrease in tumor volume and a significant (P<0.01) improvement in biochemical parameters and life span as compared to the EAC control mice than either agent alone. On the other hand, the results clearly suggest that the combination of PSO and 5-Flourourasil produced higher antioxidant activities on experimental EAC control as well as 5-Flourourasil mice than their individual influences.
Parameterized complexity : permutation patterns, graph arrangements, and matroid parameters

The theory of parameterized complexity is an area of computer science focusing on refined analysis of hard algorithmic problems. In the thesis, we give two complexity lower bounds and define two novel parameters for matroids. The first lower bound is a kernelization lower bound for the Permutation Pattern Matching problem, which is concerned with finding a permutation pattern inside another input permutation. Our result states that unless a certain (widely believed) complexity hypothesis fails, it is impossible to construct a polynomial time algorithm taking an instance of the Permutation Pattern Matching problem and producing an equivalent instance of size bounded by a polynomial of the length of the pattern. Obtaining such lower bounds has been posed by Stephane Vialette as an open problem. We then prove a subexponential lower bound for the computational complexity of the Optimum Linear Arrangement problem. In our theorem, we assume a conjecture about the computational complexity of a variation of the Min Bisection problem. The two matroid parameters introduced in this work are called amalgam-width and branch-depth. Amalgam-width is a generalization of the branch-width parameter that allows for algorithmic applications even for matroids that are not finitely representable. We prove several results, including a theorem stating that deciding monadic second-order properties is fixed-parameter tractable for general matroids parameterized by amalgam-width. Branch-depth, the other newly introduced matroid parameter, is an analogue of graph tree-depth. We prove several statements relating graph tree-depth and matroid branch-depth. We also present an algorithm that efficiently approximates the value of the parameter on a general oracle-given matroid.
Biological Control-Parasitoids and Predators Functional Response and Prey Preference of Neoseiulus bicaudus (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) to Three Important Pests in Xinjiang, China

Knowledge about the prey preference of polyphagous predators is important for determining their ability to suppress pest insects. Tetranychus truncatus (Tetranychidae), Tetranychus turkestani (Tetranychidae), and Thrips tabaci (Thripidae) often coexist in crops. Neoseiulus bicaudus (Wainstein) is a native predatory mite that was recently observed in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of northwest China. The objective of this study was to assess the potential of N. bicaudus as a bio-control agent against the three pest species mentioned above. The results showed that N. bicaudus protonymphs, deutonymphs, and adults can be effective biological control agents for the three pest species. Neoseiulus bicaudus at all three developmental stages exhibited a Holling’s Type II (convex) functional response to the prey. Neoseiulus bicaudus exhibited no preference between T. truncatus adults and T. turkestani adults, irrespective of the prey ratio. In comparison, N. bicaudus clearly preferred first-instar T. tabaci larvae to T. turkestani adults. The results of this study suggest that N. bicaudus could help control T. truncatus, T. turkestani, and T. tabaci. Among these pests, N. bicaudus may be most effective for first-instar T. tabaci.
PROMINENT PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS AND GLUCOSE HYPOMETABOLISM IN A FAMILY WITH A SNCA DUPLICATION

The genomic duplication of the α-synuclein gene ( SNCA ) has been shown to cause familial parkinsonism.1,2 Although patients with SNCA duplication often exhibit similar features to those with idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD), we and others previously reported that patients with SNCA duplication may develop the phenotype of PD dementia (PDD). 3,4 We identified a new family with SNCA duplication who developed parkinsonism, visual hallucination, and cognitive fluctuation, which are the characteristic phenotypes in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). A PET study of this family revealed a pattern of cerebral glucose hypometabolism similarly described in patients with DLB.5 ### Case reports. #### Patient 1. The proband had symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder including palpitation, restlessness, sensation of dyspnea, and excessive worry 5 years prior to his first visit to our hospital with complaint of gait disturbance at age 47 years. On neurologic examination, poor facial expression, rigidity, and bradykinesia in his right extremities were noted. His cognitive function was apparently normal. At age 49, his bradykinesia has progressed and shuffling gait, impaired postural balance, and postural tremor were present. These symptoms were improved by treatment with l-dopa and cabergoline. At age 50, he developed visual hallucinations and delirium followed by obvious deficits in attention and verbal fluency, and prosopagnosia was occasionally noted. These psychiatric symptoms including his hallucinations were apparently unrelated to l-dopa therapy. He also exhibited fluctuating cognitive decline, as shown by his Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of 24 and Raven Colored Progressive Matrices score of 27. #### Patient 2. The mother of the proband …
Molecular Fingerprinting of Mycobacterium tuberculosisIsolates Obtained in Havana, Cuba, by IS6110 Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis and by the Double-Repetitive-Element PCR Method

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis sputum isolates from 38 patients, obtained in the first 6 months of 1997 in Havana, Cuba, were characterized by IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and the double-repetitive-element PCR (DRE-PCR) method. Among 41 strains from 38 patients, 24 and 25 unique patterns, and 5 and 4 cluster patterns, were found by the RFLP and DRE-PCR methods, respectively. Patients within two of these clusters were found to be epidemiologically related, while no relation was observed in patients in the other clusters. The DRE-PCR method is rapid, and it was as discriminating as IS6110 RFLP analysis in identifying an epidemiological association. Its simplicity makes the technique accessible for subtyping of M. tuberculosisstrains in laboratories not equipped to perform RFLP analysis.
Transmitted Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Carrying the D67N or K219Q/E Mutation Evolves Rapidly to Zidovudine Resistance In Vitro and Shows a High Replicative Fitness in the Presence of Zidovudine

ABSTRACT Drug-naive patients infected with drug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) who initiate antiretroviral therapy show a shorter time to virologic failure than patients infected with wild-type (WT) viruses. Resistance-related HIV genotypes not commonly seen in treated patients, which likely result from reversion or loss of primary resistance mutations, have also been recognized in drug-naive persons. Little work has been done to characterize the patterns of mutations in these viruses and the frequency of occurrence, their association with phenotypic resistance, and their effect on fitness and evolution of resistance. Through the analysis of resistance mutations in 1082 newly diagnosed antiretroviral-naive persons from the United States, we found that 35 of 48 (72.9%) persons infected with HIV-1 containing thymidine analog mutations (TAMs) had viruses that lacked a primary mutation (T215Y/F, K70R, or Q151M). Of these viruses, 9 (25.7%) had only secondary TAMs (D67N, K219Q, M41L, or F77L), and all were found to be sensitive to zidovudine (AZT) and other drugs. To assess the impact of secondary TAMs on the evolution of AZT resistance, we generated recombinant viruses from cloned plasma-derived reverse transcriptase sequences. Two viruses had D67N, three had D67N and K219Q/E, and three were WT. Four site-directed mutants with D67N, K219Q, K219E, and D67N/K219Q were also made in HIV-1HXB2. In vitro selection of AZT resistance showed that viruses with D67N and/or K219Q/E acquired AZT resistance mutations more rapidly than WT viruses (36 days compared to 54 days; P = 0.003). To investigate the factors associated with the rapid selection of AZT mutations in these viruses, we evaluated fitness differences among HXB2WT and HXB2D67N or HXB2D67N/K219Q in the presence of AZT. Both HXB2D67N/K219Q and HXB2D67N were more fit than HXB2WT in the presence of either low or high AZT concentrations, likely reflecting low-level resistance to AZT that is not detectable by phenotypic testing. In the absence of AZT, the fitness cost conferred by D67N or K219Q was modest. Our results demonstrate that viruses with unique patterns of TAMs, including D67N and/or K219Q/E, are commonly found among newly diagnosed persons and illustrate the expanding diversity of revertant viruses in this population. The modest fitness cost conferred by D67N and K219Q supports persistence of these mutants in the untreated population and highlights the potential for secondary transmission. The faster evolution of these mutants toward AZT resistance is consistent with the higher viral fitness in the presence of AZT and shows that these viruses are phenotypically different from WT HIV-1. Our study emphasizes the need for clinical studies to better define the impact of these mutants on treatment responses and evolution of resistance.
Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of entacapone in levodopa-treated patients with stable Parkinson disease.

BACKGROUND The catechol O-methyltransferase inhibitor entacapone acts by extending the elimination half-life of levodopa and is currently approved as an adjunct to levodopa for the treatment of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) with motor fluctuations. OBJECTIVE To determine if the addition of entacapone administration provides benefit to levodopa-treated PD patients who have a stable response to levodopa and do not experience motor complications. DESIGN Prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING Outpatient multicenter study. PATIENTS Female and male patients 30 years or older with idiopathic PD receiving stable doses of levodopa or carbidopa with or without other dopaminergic therapies and who did not experience motor fluctuations were eligible for the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Parkinsonian function and quality of life. RESULTS The addition of entacapone did not improve motor scores on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale in levodopa-treated PD patients who did not experience motor fluctuations. The mean +/- SE adjusted change between baseline and final treatment visit was -0.9 +/- 0.35 in the entacapone group and -0.8 +/- 0.35 in the placebo group (P = .83). Significant improvement with entacapone treatment was detected in several quality-of-life measures, including the Parkinson Disease Questionnaire 39, the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, the Parkinson's Symptom Inventory, and investigator and subject Clinical Global Assessments. The drug was well tolerated by patients in this population. CONCLUSIONS The catechol O-methyltransferase inhibitor entacapone, used as an adjunct to levodopa in PD patients who do not experience motor fluctuations, does not improve Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor scores but does improve a variety of quality-of-life measures.
Predicting Hot Spots of Herpetofauna Road Mortality Along Highway Networks

Abstract Road mortality is often spatially aggregated, and there is a need for models that accurately and efficiently predict hot spots within a road network for mitigation. We surveyed 145 points throughout a 353-km highway network in New York State, USA, for roadkill of reptiles and amphibians. We used land cover, wetland configuration, and traffic volume data to identify features that best predicted hot spots of herpetofauna road mortality. We resampled 40 points an additional 4 times over 4 years to evaluate temporal repeatability. Both amphibian and reptile road mortality were spatially clustered, and road-kill hot spots of the 2 taxa overlapped. One survey provided a valid snapshot of spatial patterns of road mortality, and spatial patterns remained stable across time. Road-kill hot spots were located where wetlands approached within 100 m of the road, and the best predictor was a causeway configuration of wetlands (wetlands on both sides of the road). We validated causeways as predictors of road mortality by surveying 180 causeways and 180 random points across 5 regions (17,823 km2) of northeastern New York. Causeways were 3 times more likely than random locations to have amphibian and 12 times more likely to have reptile mortality present, and causeways had a 4 times higher total number of amphibian roadkill and 9 times higher reptile roadkill than did random points. We conclude it is possible to identify valid predictors of hot spots of amphibian and reptile road mortality for use when planning roads or when conducting surveys on existing roads to locate priority areas for mitigation.
Control of a pneumatic power active lower-limb orthosis with filter-based iterative learning control

A filter-based iterative learning control (FILC) scheme is developed in this paper, which consists in a proportional–derivative (PD) feedback controller and a feedforward filter. Moreover, based on two-dimensional system theory, the stability of the FILC system is proven. The design criteria for a wavelet transform filter (WTF) – chosen as the feedforward filter – and the PD feedback controller are also given. Finally, using a pneumatic power active lower-limb orthosis (PPALO) as the controlled plant, the wavelet-based iterative learning control (WILC) implementation and the orchestration of a trajectory tracking control simulation are given in detail and the overall tracking performance is validated.
SVM via Saddle Point Optimization: New Bounds and Distributed Algorithms

We study two important SVM variants: hard-margin SVM (for linearly separable cases) and $\nu$-SVM (for linearly non-separable cases). We propose new algorithms from the perspective of saddle point optimization. Our algorithms achieve $(1-\epsilon)$-approximations with running time $\tilde{O}(nd+n\sqrt{d / \epsilon})$ for both variants, where $n$ is the number of points and $d$ is the dimensionality. To the best of our knowledge, the current best algorithm for $\nu$-SVM is based on quadratic programming approach which requires $\Omega(n^2 d)$ time in worst case~\cite{joachims1998making,platt199912}. In the paper, we provide the first nearly linear time algorithm for $\nu$-SVM. The current best algorithm for hard margin SVM achieved by Gilbert algorithm~\cite{gartner2009coresets} requires $O(nd / \epsilon )$ time. Our algorithm improves the running time by a factor of $\sqrt{d}/\sqrt{\epsilon}$. Moreover, our algorithms can be implemented in the distributed settings naturally. We prove that our algorithms require $\tilde{O}(k(d +\sqrt{d/\epsilon}))$ communication cost, where $k$ is the number of clients, which almost matches the theoretical lower bound. Numerical experiments support our theory and show that our algorithms converge faster on high dimensional, large and dense data sets, as compared to previous methods.
High involvement HR systems and innovative work behaviour: the mediating role of psychological empowerment, and the moderating roles of manager and co-worker support

ABSTRACT Employees’ innovative work behaviour can help firms’ competitiveness. Existing research focuses on several factors, including HR policies, psychological empowerment as well as manager and co-worker support, to explain innovative work behaviour. However, much of this literature analyses just one of these, neglecting how they interact and limiting our understanding of the causes of innovative work behaviour. Synthesizing this work, we develop a novel and holistic framework that examines 1) how high-involvement HR systems are linked via the mediating role of psychological empowerment to innovative work behaviour and 2) how both manager and co-worker support moderate this relationship. Analysing software companies in Pakistan, we use hierarchical linear modelling to assess this framework. We draw on a unique dataset that captures HR policies at the organizational level as well as management and co-worker support, and supervisors’ assessments of individuals’ innovative work behaviour at the individual level. We analyse specific groups of HR practices. Psychological empowerment mediates the relationship between high-involvement HR systems and employees’ innovative work behaviour. Manager and co-worker support moderate the relationship between psychological empowerment and innovative work behaviour. Motivation-enhancing HR practices have a direct effect on innovative work behaviour, whereas ability- and opportunity-enhancing ones are mediated by psychological empowerment.
Symptomatic primary infection with human herpesvirus 6 variant A.

The first isolation ofhuman herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) was reported in 1986, although the infection is common in humans. The clinical manifestation of primary HHV-6 infection is exanthem subitum, a benign febrile disease that typically occurs in childhood [1]. HHV-6 has been variously associated with chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, a mononucleosis-like lymphoproliferation, afebrile lymphadenopathy, hepatitis, meningitis, meningoencephalitis, myalgic encephalomyelitis, and the hemophagocytic syndrome [2]. 9.5 g/dL; and platelet count, 217,0001j.lL. Serum concentrations of C-reactive protein, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase are shown in table 1. Examination of CSF revealed 2 cells/3 j.lL, a protein level of 24 mg/dL, and a glucose level of 54 mg/dL. Culture of blood and CSF was negative for bacteria. The patient's fever persisted for 3 days, and the rash diminished gradually. The serum levels of AST and ALT remained elevated on day 5 of the illness but had decreased by day 9. Viral studies for HHV-6 and HHV-7 were done with use of nested PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and CSF specimens. The PCR primers were described by Yalcin et al. [9]. Samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were digested with
Meta-analysis: eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with the development of endoscopic gastroesophageal reflux disease

Objective The role of Helicobacter pylori infection in the pathogenesis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is controversial. We aimed to confirm the negative association between H. pylori infection and endoscopic GORD and further determine whether eradication of the infection is associated with the development of endoscopic GORD. Materials and methods Case–control studies comparing the prevalence of H. pylori infection between patients with and those without GORD, type A cohort studies comparing the incidence of GORD between patients with and those without anti-H. pylori eradication therapy, and type B cohort studies comparing the incidence of GORD between H. pylori-positive patients with and those without successful eradication were included. Moreover, the effects of H. pylori eradication on the development of GORD in randomized-controlled trials were also analyzed. Results Overall, 43 studies were analyzed. Case–control studies showed a lower prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with GORD [odds ratio 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49–0.83]. Type A cohort studies showed an increased incidence of GORD in patients whose H. pylori infection was successfully eradicated [risk ratio (RR) 2.50, 95% CI 1.46–4.26]. Type B cohort studies showed that patients whose H. pylori had been eradicated had a higher risk of GORD (RR 1.70, 95% CI 1.30–2.23). Moreover, randomized-controlled trials showed that H. pylori eradication leads to a higher risk of GORD (RR 1.99, 95% CI 1.23–3.22); subanalyses showed that the risk existed especially in Asian studies (RR 4.53, 95% CI 1.66–12.36). Conclusion H. pylori infection shows a negative association with the development of endoscopic GORD. Eradication of the infection may be a risk factor for de-novo endoscopic GORD, especially in Asian populations.
Effect of maturation on physico-chemical and sensory quality characteristics of custard apple wine

Abstract Recently, researchers have taken a shift to utilize the custard apple for wine preparation besides its major use in ice cream, confectionary and milk products. In the present study, an attempt has been made to study the effect of maturation on physico-chemical and sensory quality characteristics of custard apple wine. Custard apple wine was prepared as per the earlier standardized method. The wine so prepared was matured for six months. The physico-chemical analysis was conducted at every three months interval for six months and sensory evaluation was performed after six months of storage. With the maturation, a decrease in total soluble solids, total sugars, titratable acidity, ethanol, total phenols and tannins was observed, whereas, an increase in reducing sugars and pH was observed. All the sensory quality characteristics of custard apple wine increased with advancement of the maturation period except astringency. Cluster analysis of the data obtained from physico-chemical analysis revealed that there was no difference between three months and six months of storage. Physico-chemical characteristics of custard apple wine were reduced to two principal components using principal component analysis which accounted for 100% variation. In general, maturation for six months improved the quality of custard apple wine considerably.