Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbial inhibition on hospital garments treated with Dow Corning 5700 antimicrobial agent

We evaluated the efficacy of the antimicrobial activity of cotton-polyester fabric treated with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyldimethyloctadecyl ammonium chloride (DC 5700), a quaternary ammonium compound bound irreversibly to the material. Significant antimicrobial activity was observed with 58 of 61 gram-positive cocci but with only 1 of 35 gram-negative bacilli and 0 of 5 yeasts. No inhibition of bacilli or yeasts was observed when the DC 5700 concentration ranged from 0.05 to 1.0% or when antimicrobial activity was assayed by the agar overlay bioassay or broth agitation methods.
The Antecedents of E-Grocery Store Continuance Completed Research Paper

This study presents a respecification of the DeLone and McLean IS success model and empirically assesses it to predict customers’ future purchases in the context of the online grocery store. Survey data were collected from 376 customers of one online grocery store. Structural equation modeling was conducted to validate the research model. The results indicate that service quality, product quality, and perceived ease of use are significant predictors of user satisfaction with the online grocery store. Additionally, user satisfaction, service quality, product quality, and perceived ease of use are significant predictors of customer future intentions to repurchase groceries from the online grocery store. The results may be of importance in explaining factors that measure success of the online grocery store, as well as in providing operators of the online grocery service with a better understanding of how to maintain customer loyalty.
[Safinamide from daily clinical practice: first clinical steps].

INTRODUCTION The management of motor complications in Parkinson's disease (PD) is still limited. Safinamide, a new drug that has MAO-B inhibition and antiglutamatergic effects through inhibition of sodium channels, has shown efficacy for the treatment of fluctuations at doses of 50-100 mg/day. PATIENTS AND METHODS From daily clinical practice, we describe the efficacy and tolerability of safinamide at three months in PD patients with motor complications. Efficacy was assessed by the Clinical Global Impression of Change scale and change in 'off' time during the daytime. All reported adverse events were recorded. RESULTS Fifty patients were recruited. 57.4% reported to be much better or moderately better at three months, improving both motor and non-motor fluctuations. Significant decrease of 0.9 ± 0.6 h/day was achieved at three months. In 13 patients (27.6%), levodopa equivalent daily dose was reduced in 132 mg/day. In patients with dyskinesias, safinamide 100 mg/day was better for controlling fluctuations and dyskinesias. 19% of patients had mild adverse events. Seven patients stopped treatment after development of confusional syndrome. CONCLUSIONS The dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic action of safinamide exerts a good control of motor fluctuations. In patients with fluctuations and dyskinesias the dose of 100 mg/day of safinamide is preferred. Tolerability was good, except for patients older than 75 years or in advanced stages of the disease.
Exploring Prior Knowledge for Pedestrian Detection

In this paper, we aim to explore the role of prior knowledge for pedestrian detection. The main idea is to integrate human body priors into the design of features. To this end, we propose the symmetric features and cross-channel features so as to capture the specific information of human body. Experimental results demonstrate that our detector achieves state-of-the-art performance. What’s more, the evaluation results on "scale" subsets of Caltech-USA show that our detector performs best at medium scale and therefore has great potential to be integrated into real-world applications.
Instability of syllable repetition in Parkinson's disease—Influence of levodopa and deep brain stimulation

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis of a fundamental impairment of vocal pace performance in Parkinson's disease (PD) based on a syllable repetition paradigm and the influence of levodopa and deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN‐DBS). Twenty‐two PD patients under stable dopaminergic medication, 14 patients with STN‐DBS, and 30 controls were tested. Participants had to repeat the syllable /pa/ in a steady pace. Percental coefficient of variance (COV) of interval length was measured for the description of pace stability. Patients were tested in the OFF state and again in the ON state after levodopa administration or ongoing STN‐DBS. COV was elevated in both PD subgroups. COV was not influenced by levodopa administration but showed a further deterioration under STN‐DBS. The impaired syllable repetition capacity shows similarities to the patterns of more complex speech rhythm abnormalities in PD and therefore might share the same pathophysiology. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society
Computer-assisted assessment of the histological structure of the human sural nerve.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the histological structure (cross-sectional area - CSA, number of nerve bundles) of the human sural nerve at the level above the lateral malleolus, using computer-assisted image analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study has been conducted using sural nerves dissected from cadavers during routine autopsies. The harvested tissues samples were dehydrated, embedded in paraffin, sectioned at 4 μm and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. Each cross-section was photographed (16 × magnification) and the images were analysed using Java ImageJ. RESULTS The studied group comprised 12 women and 25 men (mean age 60.1 ± 15.7 years), yielding a total of 74 sural nerves (37 right vs. 37 left). The mean ± standard deviation CSA of the sural nerve was 0.14 ± 0.07 cm2. The mean number of nerve bundles in the sural nerve was 10.5 ± 6.0. In terms of gender and side, neither the CSA (p = 0.45 and p = 0.79, respectively) nor the number of nerve bundles revealed any differences (p = 0.34 and p = 0.47, respectively). Strong negative correlations were noted between the age of the donors and the sural nerve CSA (r = -0.69,p = 0.02), as well as the number of nerve bundles (r = -0.57, p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS This study shows that there are no statistical differences between the CSA and the number of nerve bundles in the sural nerve when compared by gender and side of the lower limb. This study also allows drawing the conclusion that the sural nerve degenerates with age in terms of both the CSA and the number of nerve bundles.
Developing Case-based Learning Activities Based on the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

This study proposes the use of case study in teaching an undergraduate course of Introduction to Business Information Systems Development in class, based on the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. According to the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy of cognitive skills, it includes six levels which are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation, and creation. The lower level of skill is required to be formed before progressing to the higher levels. Therefore, two lower levels of skills comprising knowledge and comprehension are inherent in the course before commencing a case study. In this study, learning activities associated with the Revised Taxonomy-based learning strategy are proposed to support the development of higher-level cognitive skills. The potential effects and benefits of these activities to teaching and learning will be discussed. A conceptual model and hypotheses will be recommended for future study.
Uncovering Metabolic Syndrome among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital, India.

INTRODUCTION Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is known to cause various systemic problems including Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). MetS is a group of cardiovascular risk factors. By assessing MetS, one can assess the cardiovascular disease risk. There is increasing evidence of MetS in COPD patients. However, the frequency of MetS and its individual components are not still been clearly shown which is likely to vary in different population. AIM To know the extent of association of metabolic syndrome and its components in patients with COPD. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study was designed as an analytical case control study. Ninety cases of COPD satisfying the inclusion criteria and 45 healthy volunteer subjects as controls were recruited over 18 months duration. Simple random sampling method was used to select all cases attending outdoor and indoor medicine department. All subjects (cases and controls) were matched for age, sex, occupation and socioeconomic status. Prior to participation in the study, written informed consent was taken from all subjects. All included subjects underwent a detailed history, clinical examination and laboratorial analysis. All subjects were assessed for MetS by using National Cholesterol Education Program-Third Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP ATP III) and International Diabetic Federation (IDF) criteria. RESULTS The present study demonstrated Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in COPD according to NCEP ATP III and IDF criteria as 14 (15.56%) and 30 (33.33%) while there was no association of MetS with controls. The frequency of its component such as abdominal obesity, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, elevated triglyceride, reduced HDL-C and elevated fasting glucose respectively was 71 (78.89%), 25 (26.67%), 12 (13.33%), 18 (20%), 23 (25.56%) and 17 (18.78%) respectively. Dyslipidemia was found in 36 (40%) cases of COPD including 16 (17.78%) cases of elevated LDL cholesterol. CONCLUSION Our study concluded that MetS is frequent in COPD patients as compared to general population. Therefore, a comprehensive medical approach to screen all COPD patients for MetS should be done there to lower the significant risk of cardiovascular events in patients with COPD.
Effect of Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose and Ethyl Cellulose Content on Release Profile and Kinetics of Diltiazem HCl from Matrices

Purpose: To develop a oral controlled matrix drug delivery system for a highly water soluble drug, diltiazem HCl, and investigate its drug release mechanism. Method: Diltiazem HCl was chosen because of its high water solubility. Tablets containing the drug were prepared by direct compression method using different matrix ratios of ethyl cellulose (EC) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). The formulations were evaluated in vitro for their dissolution characteristics over a period of 8 h. Drug release was analysed according to various release kinetic models. Results: The results showed that these polymers slowed down the release of diltiazem HCl from the matrices. In the presence of EC, increasing the concentration of HPMC decreased the release rate of diltiazem. Furthermore, incorporation of EC in tablets with HPMC as the matrix was found to control drug release. Kinetic analysis showed that drug release from three of the formulations was adequately described by zero order model. Conclusion: The formulations developed could potentially be used for controlled delivery of highly soluble drugs such as diltiazem HCl.
« Crime and the city: Domestic burglary and the built environment in Tehran ». Habitat International, 30, 4, 2006, pp. 932-944.

Cette etude tres originale sur le sujet rarement aborde de la delinquance et criminalite en Iran est fondee sur des donnees primaires. Elle montre que si les quartiers du nord de Teheran sont plus souvent victimes de voleurs que le reste de la ville pour des raisons evidentes de niveau de vie, les facteurs de distance, ou d’isolement, et surtout les techniques de protection ne sont d’aucune influence sur le niveau de criminalite. Par contre, cette crainte des voleurs contribue a changer le pa.
Altered K 1 current of ventricular myocytes in rats with chronic myocardial infarction

Rozanski, George J., Zhi Xu, Kun Zhang, and Kaushik P. Patel. Altered K1 current of ventricular myocytes in rats with chronic myocardial infarction. Am. J. Physiol. 274 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 43): H259–H265, 1998. —The aim of the present study was to define the cellular mechanisms underlying changes in K1 channel function in the failing heart after myocardial infarction. Rats with left coronary artery ligation were prepared and allowed to recover for 16 wk before study. Animals with chronic infarction exhibited marked cardiac hypertrophy and signs of heart failure, as indicated by a nearly twofold increase in heart weightand lung weight-tobody weight ratios, respectively, compared with time-matched controls. Cardiac hypertrophy was also evident by a 49% increase in whole cell capacitance of isolated left ventricular myocytes (P , 0.05). Voltage-clamp experiments revealed that the maximum density of the Ca21-independent, transient outward current (Ito), measured at 160 mV, was 42% less in myocytes from infarcted hearts than in myocytes from control hearts (P , 0.05), whereas the inward rectifier current (IK1) density was not different between groups. The reduced Ito density in the infarcted group was reversed, however, in 4–5 h by treatment with exogenous dichloroacetate or pyruvate, both activators of pyruvate dehydrogenase. Moreover, control myocytes incubated for 6 h in the presence of an inhibitor of pyruvate dehydrogenase, 3-bromopyruvate, exhibited a concentration-dependent decrease in Ito density compared with untreated cells. The present data demonstrate that Ito density is reversibly decreased in surviving myocytes from infarcted hearts and suggest that mechanisms related to glucose metabolism via pyruvate dehydrogenase may be involved. These postinfarction changes in myocyte Ito channel function may relate to impaired contractility and arrhythmogenesis, which are characteristic of the intact, failing heart.
Towards Improving E-commerce Users Experience Using Personalization & Persuasive Technology

With the increase in the number of e-commerce companies over the last decade, there is stiffer competition for e-businesses to win and retain customers. Companies have to give clients reasons to shop with them and become return customers. The use of personalization strategies and persuasive technology have been identified as means through which e-businesses can engage their clients and give them a unique shopping experience. To con-tribute to ongoing research in personalization and persuasive technology in e-commerce, my thesis proposes a framework that can create a personalized shopping experience for clients using the consumers' personality and shopping type. This paper presents the results of the first stage of my research which is a user study carried out on 324 e-commerce shoppers to identify the persuasive strategies and its implementation in an e-commerce site, Amazon, and to evaluate the persuasiveness of these strategies to consumers. The result of this thesis can contribute to ongoing research in development of personalization and persuasive strategies that work in e-commerce especially for new companies.
Prostaglandin E2 Negatively Regulates the Production of Inflammatory Cytokines/Chemokines and IL-17 in Visceral Leishmaniasis

Persistence of intracellular infection depends on the exploitation of factors that negatively regulate the host immune response. In this study, we elucidated the role of macrophage PGE2, an immunoregulatory lipid, in successful survival of Leishmania donovani, causative agent of the fatal visceral leishmaniasis. PGE2 production was induced during infection and resulted in increased cAMP level in peritoneal macrophages through G protein–coupled E-series prostanoid (EP) receptors. Among four different EPs (EP1–4), infection upregulated the expression of only EP2, and individual administration of either EP2-specific agonist, butaprost, or 8-Br–cAMP, a cell-permeable cAMP analog, promoted parasite survival. Inhibition of cAMP also induced generation of reactive oxygen species, an antileishmanial effector molecule. Negative modulation of PGE2 signaling reduced infection-induced anti-inflammatory cytokine polarization and enhanced inflammatory chemokines, CCL3 and CCL5. Effect of PGE2 on cytokine and chemokine production was found to be differentially modulated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) and exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC). PGE2-induced decreases in TNF-α and CCL5 were mediated specifically by PKA, whereas administration of brefeldin A, an EPAC inhibitor, could reverse decreased production of CCL3. Apart from modulating inflammatory/anti-inflammatory balance, PGE2 inhibited antileishmanial IL-17 cytokine production in splenocyte culture. Augmented PGE2 production was also found in splenocytes of infected mice, and administration of EP2 antagonist in mice resulted in reduced liver and spleen parasite burden along with host-favorable T cell response. These results suggest that Leishmania facilitates an immunosuppressive environment in macrophages by PGE2-driven, EP2-mediated cAMP signaling that is differentially regulated by PKA and EPAC.
Effects of posture on alveolar-arterial CO2 and O2 differences and on alveolar dead space in man.

The increase in ventilation and lowering of the end-tidal Pco2 after changing from the supine to the standing position were observed to be associated with a significant rise in the arterial to end-tidal CO2 tension difference (average +2.1 mm Hg) in addition to an increased effective alveolar to arterial O2 tension difference (+ 4.8 mm Hg). All dead spaces increased, the alveolar dead space (= the physiological minus the anatomical dead space) on an average by 28 ml. Assuming an unchanged distribution of ventilation this can be expressed as corresponding to 6 per cent of the alveoli being unperfused. A lowering of the alveolar Pco2 during standing is thus in part due to an increased arterial to end-tidal COa tension difference. The end result is also influenced by a certain metabolic acidosis (average decrease in BHCO3st = 0.6 mM/1), in addition to peripheral retention of CO2. The Eff. VA/VE ratio decreased in all subjects, indicating a decline in the respiratory gas exchange efficiency by an average of 6 per cent. The changes observed may be explained as a consequence of the influence of gravity on the blood flow and its distribution not only in the systemic but also in the pulmonary circulation.
Language diarization for semi-supervised bilingual acoustic model training

In this paper, we investigate several automatic transcription schemes for using raw bilingual broadcast news data in semi-supervised bilingual acoustic model training. Specifically, we compare the transcription quality provided by a bilingual ASR system with another system performing language diarization at the front-end followed by two monolingual ASR systems chosen based on the assigned language label. Our research focuses on the Frisian-Dutch code-switching (CS) speech that is extracted from the archives of a local radio broadcaster. Using 11 hours of manually transcribed Frisian speech as a reference, we aim to increase the amount of available training data by using these automatic transcription techniques. By merging the manually and automatically transcribed data, we learn bilingual acoustic models and run ASR experiments on the development and test data of the FAME! speech corpus to quantify the quality of the automatic transcriptions. Using these acoustic models, we present speech recognition and CS detection accuracies. The results demonstrate that applying language diarization to the raw speech data to enable using the monolingual resources improves the automatic transcription quality compared to a baseline system using a bilingual ASR system.
Dietary egg-white protein increases body protein mass and reduces body fat mass through an acceleration of hepatic β-oxidation in rats

Abstract Egg-white protein (EWP) is known to reduce lymphatic TAG transport in rats. In this study, we investigated the effects of dietary EWP on body fat mass. Male rats, 4 weeks old, were fed diets containing either 20 % EWP or casein for 28 d. Carcass protein levels and gastrocnemius leg muscle weights in the EWP group were significantly higher than those in the casein group. In addition, carcass TAG levels and abdominal fat weights in the EWP group were significantly lower than those in the casein group; adipocyte size in abdominal fat in the EWP group was smaller than that in the casein group. To identify the involvement of dietary fat levels in the rats, one of two fat levels (5 or 10 %) was added to their diet along with the different protein sources (EWP and casein). Abdominal fat weight and serum and hepatic TAG levels were significantly lower in the EWP group than in the casein group. Moreover, significantly higher values of enzymatic activity related to β-oxidation in the liver were observed in the EWP group compared with the casein group. Finally, abdominal fat weight reduction in the EWP group with the 10 % fat diet was lower than that in the EWP group with the 5 % fat diet. In conclusion, our results indicate that, in addition to the inhibition of dietary TAG absorption reported previously, dietary EWP reduces body fat mass in rats through an increase of body protein mass and the acceleration of β-oxidation in the liver.
Lipids in common carp (Cyprinuscarpio) and effects on human health

There is evidence that n-3 fatty acids (FA), especially EPA and DHA, are beneficial for human health. This thesis examined factors influencing FA composition in common carp flesh, sought to develop a procedure for long-term sustainable culture of common carp with improved muscle lipid quality (omega 3 carp) and studied the health benefits of eating such carp in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. An approach using the bioactive compound sesamin to increase biosynthesis of EPA and DHA from alpha linolenic acid showed that addition of sesamin did not alter muscle lipid composition in common carp. Investigations of the response of carp to finishing feeding and prediction of FA changes by a dilution model revealed that fillet FA composition reflected the FA composition of the diet and was correlated to the length of the feeding period. The simple dilution model accurately predicted changes in the fillet FA composition. A procedure for long-term sustainable culture of omega 3 carp based on supplementation by pellets containing rapeseed cake and extruded linseed as a lipid source was developed and the carp were compared with fish supplemented by cereals and fish kept on natural feed (plankton and benthos) only. Carp supplemented by cereals were characterised by a high level of monounsaturated FA (MUFA) and low level of n-3 FA, whereas carp supplemented by the rapeseed/linseed pellets had a favourable FA profile close to that of fish kept on natural feed only. Studies on the effects of purging on carp flesh lipid content and composition showed that lipid quality changed during the purging period, with increasing levels of n-3 FA and decreasing levels of MUFA. Supplementation with rapeseed/linseed pellets in the growing period and purging for no longer than 14 days resulted in a nutritionally beneficial FA composition combined with an economically acceptable weight loss. In studies on the health benefits of carp in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, consumption of carp improved plasma lipid parameters in patients after major cardiac revascularisation surgery. Overall, these results suggest that culture of carp should be recognised as long-term sustainable and carp should be promoted as a healthy and local product.