Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic Effects of Fenofibrate Nano-Emulsion Eye Drops on Retinal Vascular Leakage and Neovascularization

Simple Summary Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are the leading causes of blindness and lack non-invasive drug treatments. Macular edema and neovascularization are the key pathogenic features responsible for vision loss in AMD and DR. Clinical studies showed that fenofibrate, a PPARα agonist, has robust therapeutic effects on macular edema and retinal neovascularization after oral administration. However, the efficacy of oral fenofibrate remains to be improved, due to limited amounts of the drug delivered to the retina after systemic administration. To increase the drug availability in the retina, this study developed a novel nano-emulsion fenofibrate eye drop. Topical administration of the fenofibrate eye drop delivered significantly higher drug concentrations to the retina/vitreous, relative to the systemic administration. The fenofibrate eye drop alleviated retinal inflammation and vascular leakage in both DR and AMD models. Further, the fenofibrate eye drop also alleviated laser-induced choroidal neovascularization. These findings suggest that topical administration of the nano-emulsion-based eye drop of a PPARα agonist has potential to become a non-invasive therapeutic strategy for long-term treatment of DR and AMD. Abstract Macular edema caused by retinal vascular leakage and ocular neovascularization are the leading causes of severe vision loss in diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients. Oral administration of fenofibrate, a PPARα agonist, has shown therapeutic effects on macular edema and retinal neovascularization in diabetic patients. To improve the drug delivery to the retina and its efficacy, we have developed a nano-emulsion-based fenofibrate eye drop formulation that delivered significantly higher amounts of the drug to the retina compared to the systemic administration, as measured by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometer (LC-MS). The fenofibrate eye drop decreased leukocytes adherent to retinal vasculature and attenuated overexpression of multiple inflammatory factors in the retina of very low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout (Vldlr−/−) mice, a model manifesting AMD phenotypes, and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The fenofibrate eye drop also reduced retinal vascular leakage in these models. The laser-induced choroidal neovascularization was also alleviated by the fenofibrate eye drop. There were no detectable ocular toxicities associated with the fenofibrate eye drop treatment. These findings suggest that fenofibrate can be delivered efficiently to the retina through topical administration of the nano-emulsion eye drop, which has therapeutic potential for macular edema and neovascularization.
Clinical and Molecular Outcomes After Combined Intense Pulsed Light Therapy With Low-Level Light Therapy in Recalcitrant Evaporative Dry Eye Disease With Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Purpose: Dry eye disease (DED) is a leading cause of ocular morbidity worldwide. This study evaluates the effects of combined light therapy [intense pulsed light (IPL) and low-level light therapy (LLLT)] on clinical and molecular outcomes in evaporative DED with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Methods: This prospective study evaluated 94 eyes (47 subjects) with chronic MGD treated with combined light therapy. Patients underwent a detailed evaluation of MGD and DED using the Ocular Surface Disease Index, dry eye tests—tear breakup time and Schirmer test, ocular surface staining, meibomian gland expressibility scoring, and meibography. Patients underwent a single session of combined light therapy (IPL + LLLT treatment) using the Eye-light device. All these tests were repeated at 3 and 6 months after treatment. Tear fluid and ocular surface wash samples were collected from a subset of patients before and after treatment for cellular and secreted immune factor profiling by flow cytometry. Results: Combined light therapy (IPL + LLLT) demonstrated a marked improvement in the clinical metrics studied. Three months after treatment, Ocular Surface Disease Index showed a significant reduction in 95.6% (P < 0.0001), tear breakup time increased in 72.3% (P < 0.0001), and meibomian gland expressibility scoring increased in 80.8% (P < 0.0001) of the eyes. These effects were observed to be sustained during the 6-month follow-up visit. Significant (P < 0.05) reduction in tear fluid levels of interleukin-1β, interleukin-17F, and MMP9; MMP9/TIMP1 ratio; and ocular surface B-cell proportions was observed. Conclusions: Combined light therapy shows promising results in patients with chronic MGD and DED, even in recalcitrant cases. Clinical and molecular factor alterations support the improved symptomatology and reduced inflammation.
The Role Social Media Marketing Plays in Customers’ Purchase Decisions in the Context of the Fashion Industry in Saudi Arabia

Globalization and rapid advancements in communication technologies have changed the way people throughout the world communicate with one another. Social media has grown in popularity as a technology that allows companies and consumers to communicate without being physically present. As a result, businesses in a variety of industries have turned to social media marketing (SMM) to boost consumer interactions, brand value and recognition, word of mouth, and sales. However, some socioeconomic and cultural characteristics in a given location have an impact on the usage of SMM. The growth of social media technology has resulted in a surge in social media users in Saudi Arabia, providing the opportunity for fashion businesses to leverage SMM to make great strides in this region. As a result, the current research project seeks to investigate how SMM (SMM) might influence customer purchase decisions in the Saudi Arabian fashion sector. In this respect, a self-administered online survey with a sample size of 106 participants was performed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to the study’s findings, there has been an increase in the usage of social media, and clients now prefer to shop online. Fashion businesses have a lot of potential to employ SMM to boost their brand value, awareness, identity, and word of mouth.
Relative merits of 'in use' and laboratory methods for the evaluation of antimicrobial products

Synopsis--The relationship between the resistance of cultures grown in the laboratory and on the skin is examined in the light of factors known to influence RESISTANCE OF BACTERIA under laboratory culture. Examples are taken from tests designed to measure the efficacy of HAIR SHAMPOOS, DEODORANTS, BATH ADDITIVES and ANTISEPTICS to show that little correlation exists between activity measured in the laboratory and in practice. Both LABORATORY TESTS and 'IN-USE' TESTS should be carried out side by side as a means of identifying factors which influence the results. With this information design of more realistic tests should be possible.
Experimental Study of Conventional Wire Electrical Discharge Machining for Microfabrication

This article discusses the investigation and optimization of the process parameters of conventional wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) of a copper substrate for microfabrication. The effect of discharge current, pulse-on time, and gap voltage on surface finish were studied. The average surface roughness (R a ) and peak-to-valley height (R t ) were measured with a surface profiler. The surface roughness increased with higher discharge current and gap voltage. With the increase of pulse-on time, the surface roughness decreased. Statistical models were established to predict the surface roughness R a and R t in terms of discharge current, pulse-on time, and gap voltage. Using the optimized parameters, miniaturized spur gears, and plate-shaped hot embossing microtools were fabricated where an average surface roughness of about 1 µ m and dimensional accuracy of 1–2% were achieved.
Computation of the resonant frequency of electrically thin and thick rectangular microstrip antennas with the use of fuzzy inference systems

A new method for calculating the resonant frequency of electrically thin and thick rectangular microstrip antennas, based on the fuzzy inference systems, is presented. The optimum design parameters of the fuzzy inference systems are determined by using the classical, modified, and improved tabu search algorithms. The calculated resonant frequency results are in very good agreement with the experimental results reported elsewhere. Q 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 10: 108]119, 2000.
Voltage-controlled RF filters employing thin-film barium-strontium-titanate tunable capacitors

Tunable lowpass and bandpass lumped-element filters employing barium-strontium-titanate (BST)-based capacitors are presented. A new metallization technique is used, which improves the quality factor of the tunable BST capacitors by a factor of two. The lowpass filter has an insertion loss of 2 dB and a tunability of 40% (120-170 MHz) with the application of 0-9 V DC bias. The bandpass filter (BPF) has an insertion loss of 3 dB and a tunability of 57% (176-276 MHz) with the application of 0-6 V DC. The third-order intercept point of the BPF was measured to be 19 dBm with the application of two tones around 170 MHz.
Differences in health policies for drug availability in pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension across Latin America

Abstract Treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in Latin America differs between countries, with regard to disease etiology, health insurance coverage, and drug availability. A group of experts from Latin America, met to share regional experiences and propose possible lines of collaboration. The available evidence, regional clinical practice data, and the global context of the proceedings of the 6th World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension, held in Nice, France, in February 2018, were analyzed. Here, we discuss some priority concepts identified that could guide transnational interaction and research strategies in Latin America: (1) despite being evidence‐based, the 6th World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension proceedings may not be applicable in Latin American countries; (2) proactive identification and diagnosis of patients in Latin America is needed; (3) education of physicians and standardization of appropriate treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is vital; (4) our clinical experience for the treatment strategy for pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is based on drug availability in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and México; (5) there are difficulties inherent to the consultation of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, and access to treatment; (6) the importance of data generation and research of Latin American‐specific issues related to pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is highlighted.
Fast Decoupled Load Flow

This paper describes a simple, very reliable and extremely fast load-flow solution method with a wide range of practical application. It is attractive for accurate or approximate off-and on-line routine and contingency calculations for networks of any size, and can be implemented efficiently on computers with restrictive core-store capacities. The method is a development on other recent work employing the MW-? / MVAR-V decoupling principle, and its precise algorithmic form has been determined by extensive numerical studies. The paper gives details of the method's performance on a series of practical problems of up to 1080 buses. A solution to within 0.01 MW/MVAR maximum bus mismatches is normally obtained in 4 to 7 iterations, each iteration being equal in speed to 1? Gauss-Seidel iterations or 1/5th of a Newton iteration. Correlations of general interest between the power-mismatch convergence criterion and actual solution accuracy are obtained.
Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with serious mental disorders: A systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a great impact on individuals from all over the world, particularly on individuals with mental disorders. Several studies found more pronounced psychiatric symptoms, notably symptoms of depression and anxiety. AIM To assess the situation of patients with serious mental illness (SMI: Affective disorders and schizophrenia) regarding their mental health outcome during the pandemic. METHODS A systematic search using the databases PubMed and MEDLINE was conducted, employing the key words “COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV-2”, “psychiatric/mental disorder/illness”, “affective/mood disorder”, “bipolar disorder”, “(major) depression”, “schizoaffective disorder”, and “schizophrenia”. Studies that had been published up until January 9, 2021 were included. Information of studies in languages other than English and German was mostly taken from their English abstracts. RESULTS The literature search concluded in the finding of 36 studies containing relevant clinical data. A general impairment of the mental health of individuals with SMI could be detected, particularly in individuals with affective disorders, as compared to those with schizophrenia. Compared to healthy controls, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress were more pronounced in individuals with SMI. Relevant factors found that impacted their mental health were age, resilience, and socioeconomic environment, especially the shortage of mental health services, lack of social support, and inadequate information about COVID-19. CONCLUSION In light of these results, mental health services should be reinforced, notably the use of telemental health services. Furthermore, supplying individuals with SMI with adequate information about the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing their resilience is important. When researching the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with SMI, standardization as well as follow-up studies are needed to enable better comparability and understanding.
A new frequency domain approach for flicker evaluation of arc furnaces

In this paper, flicker magnitudes of rapidly varying loads are evaluated by means of a new frequency domain method. Analytical expressions of the instantaneous flicker sensation are obtained in terms of interharmonic voltages. The dynamic response of flicker magnitudes of such loads can be clearly described with this analysis, as well as the individual contribution of each interharmonic to the flicker sensation. The proposed method, applied to the voltages of DC and AC arc furnaces, provides very satisfactory results that have been validated with measurements performed with the standardized IEC flickermeter.
A study of mix design and durability of self compacting concrete

A self-compacting concrete (SCC) is the one that can be placed in the form and can go through obstructions by its own weight and without the need of vibration. Since its first development in Japan in 1988, SCC has gained wider acceptance in Japan, Europe and USA due to its inherent distinct advantages. Although there are visible signs of its gradual acceptance in the Middle East through its limited use in construction, Saudi Arabia has yet to explore the feasibility and applicability of SCC in new construction. The contributing factors to this reluctance appear to be lack of any supportive evidence of its suitability with local marginal aggregates and the harsh environmental conditions.
Hydrometeor Classification of Winter Precipitation in Northern China Based on Multi-Platform Radar Observation System

Hydrometeor classification remains a challenge in winter precipitation cloud systems. To address this issue, 42 snowfall events were investigated based on a multi-platform radar observation system (i.e., X-band dual-polarization radar, Ka-band millimeter wave cloud radar, microwave radiometer, airborne equipment, etc.) in the mountainous region of northern China from 2016 to 2020. A fuzzy logic classification method is proposed to identify the particle phases, and the retrieval result was further verified with ground-based radar observation. Moreover, the hydrometeor characteristics were compared with the numerical simulations to clarify the reliability of the proposed hydrometeor classification approach. The results demonstrate that the X-/Ka- band radars are capable of identifying hydrometeor phases in winter precipitation in accordance with both ground observations and numerical simulations. Three particle categories, including snow, graupel and the mixture of snow and graupel are also detected in the winter precipitation cloud system, and there are three vertical layers identified from top to bottom, including the ice crystal layer, snow-graupel mixed layer and snowflake layer. Overall, this study has the potential for improving the understanding of microphysical processes such as freezing, deposition and aggregation of ice crystal particles in the winter precipitation cloud system.
Passengers’ Perception of and Behavioral Adaptation to Unreliability in Public Transportation

Reliability is regularly cited by users of public transportation as one of the most important qualities of service. However, it is not yet well understood how transit riders are affected by unreliability, particularly in the long term. To gain a better understanding of the importance of reliability, a survey focusing on users of San Francisco's public transportation system in California was developed to investigate the link between people's past experiences of unreliability and the adaptation strategies that they used. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of a number of reliability aspects; the aspects found to be most important were the absence of a gap at a transfer stop and the ability to walk up to a stop and leave within 10 min. Users also reported that they considered reliability when planning trips. Common strategies for handling unreliability were using services and routes deemed more reliable and using real-time information. In addition, an ordinal logit model linking past experiences of unreliability to a reduction in transit use was estimated. The most significant negative experiences that drove a reduction in transit use were delays perceived to be the fault of the transit agency, long waits at transfer points, and being prevented from boarding because of crowding. These results have implications in transit planning: passengers may prefer more frequent service with occasional crowding over less frequent buses that are larger and less crowded. In addition, the growing use of real-time information services will continue to affect how people view transit service and perhaps even intensify the unattractiveness of infrequent service.
Inferring Breakwater Overtopping and Wave Transmission Per- formance Based on Armor Type

The selection of the appropriate armor unit for use on a rubble mound breakwater is a cost decision related not only to the ability of the armor unit to resist wave attack, but also the resulting harbor agitation or structural damage associated with the wave transmission or overtopping event. In order to provide safe navigation and harbor tranquility, breakwater design must address the critical issues of overtopping and the resulting wave transmission it causes. The harbor designer's objective is to evaluate not just the relative cost of an individual armor unit placed on the breakwater, but to evaluate it as part of an optimized system considering the volumetric breakwater costs, the relative protection offered to the leeward side of the breakwater, and issues related to viewshed and aesthetic appearance. The evaluation and comparison of different breakwater armor types has historically been difficult to perform short of full-blown physical modeling. Studies and performance data to date have either measured the overtopping volumes and dis- charge rates that result from waves of various heights hitting a breakwater, or they have measured the transmitted wave climate in the basin when a wave of a particular height overtops a breakwater, but not both at the same time. Yet logically, for the same gross breakwater geometry, there should be a one-to-one correlation between the overtopping amount and the resulting trans- mitted wave. This paper outlines a simple mathematical methodology for computing overtopping volumes given transmission or vice versa. Using independently documented overtopping volumes and transmitted wave heights for rock armored trapezoidal breakwaters, a correlated relationship is explicitly developed between overtopping and transmission. This methodology allows for earlier selection of the most efficient armor type to use, given unit costs, variable breakwater volumes, and aesthetic goals.
High performance MEMS inductors fabricated on localised and planar thick SiO2 layer

High performance MEMS RF inductors fabricated on thick oxide layers using a process platform so-called SiDeox (silicon deep etching and oxidation) technology are presented. Deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) was performed to form 20 µm deep trenches of 2 µm wide trenches and silicon beams in the silicon substrate. DRIE etched silicon wafer was then thermally oxidised in the thermal furnace to form 20 µm-thick SiO2. RF inductors were fabricated on this thick SiO2 with high quality factors and self-resonance frequency.
Training Effectiveness of Skill Certification System: The Case of Automotive Industry in Thailand

Evaluation in terms of training effectiveness is beneficial to both employees and management while it has not been implemented very well in organizations. In fact, most of researches and practices on training effectiveness in Thailand, the case country of the present study, has focused on Kirkpatrick’s level one (reaction) and level two (learning) because of the difficulty of obtaining relevant information on further levels, much training in Thailand ignores behavior (level three) and results (level four). Consequently, Thai human resource development (HRD) professionals will continue to make decisions based on reaction and learning level only (Yamnil and McLean, 2005). A skill certification system for the automotive industry in Thailand is also not the exception. It has not been evaluated comprehensively so far. Thus, this study tries to evaluate the effectiveness of the skill certification system with training program by using Kirkpatrick’s model and investigate the influence of moderator variables on training effectiveness. By considering the role of trainees’ individual and work environment characteristics as influencing
Effects of different shrimp extracts on Vibrio parahaemolyticus growth and virulence

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the main causative agent of acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) in shrimp. This study aimed to investigate how shrimp extracts affect the growth and virulence of an AHPND-causative strain known as V. parahaemolyticus XN9. To this end, the bacteria was cultured in media containing 3% extract of each of five shrimp types and their growth kinetics were compared against that from bacteria grown in brain-heart infusion (BHI) media. Eight-hour growth curves were constructed using the plate-counting method. The activity of five extracellular enzymes that contribute to bacterial virulence was examined using the agar-based method. The results showed that V. parahaemolyticus XN9’s growth was strongly enhanced in all five shrimp extract media with the highest increase (25% greater than the BHI medium) found in the giant tiger prawn extract. Additionally, all the shrimp extracts boosted the extracellular enzymatic activity of V. parahaemolyticus XN9, although to different extents. In summary, the shrimp extracts, particularly that from the prawns, not only promoted the viability and growth of V. parahaemolyticus XN9 but also its extracellular enzymatic activities.