Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MUCOADHESIVE VAGINAL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: A REVIEW ON ADVANCE STATUS

Mucoadhesive delivery systems offer several advantages over other oral controlled release systems by virtue of prolongation of residence time of drug, its targeting, and localization of the dosage form at a specific site. These advantages include bypass of first pass metabolism of the drug and hence more concentration of the drug is available for absorption. Mucoadhesion occurs between two surfaces, one of which is a mucous membrane and another is drug delivery system. These mucoadhesive systems are known to provide intimate contact between dosage form and the absorptive mucosa, resulting in a high drug influx through the absorbing tissue. Mucoadhesive formulations use polymers as the adhesive component. Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems are available in the form of tablets, films, patches, and gels for oral, buccal, nasal, ocular, vaginal, rectal and topical routes for both systemic and local effects. To design an effective particulate drug delivery system having mucoadhesive function, several mucoadhesion tests for polymers and for the resultant delivery systems should be developed. This paper lays main emphasis on evaluation parameters. This review article presents the theories of mucoadhesion and factors affecting mucoadhesion and techniques for invitro and in vivo evaluation of mucoadhesive dosage forms.
Divergent modes for cargo-mediated control of clathrin-coated pit dynamics

Cargo-mediated control of clathrin-coated pits (CCPs) is an emerging paradigm with few examples. Activated μ-opioid receptors are localized to CCPs and control the dynamics specifically of these CCPs by regulating dynamin lifetimes via a cytoplasmic bileucine sequence. This suggests divergent modes for cargo-mediated control of CCPs.
Cryptographic Distinguishability Measures for Quantum-Mechanical States

This paper, mostly expository in nature, surveys four measures of distinguishability for quantum-mechanical states. This is done from the point of view of the cryptographer with a particular eye on applications in quantum cryptography. Each of the measures considered is rooted in an analogous classical measure of distinguishability for probability distributions: namely, the probability of an identification error, the Kolmogorov distance, the Bhattacharyya coefficient, and the Shannon (1948) distinguishability (as defined through mutual information). These measures have a long history of use in statistical pattern recognition and classical cryptography. We obtain several inequalities that relate the quantum distinguishability measures to each other, one of which may be crucial for proving the security of quantum cryptographic key distribution. In another vein, these measures and their connecting inequalities are used to define a single notion of cryptographic exponential indistinguishability for two families of quantum states. This is a tool that may prove useful in the analysis of various quantum-cryptographic protocols.
On designing pronunciation lexicons for large vocabulary continuous speech recognition

Creation of pronunciation lexicons for speech recognition is widely acknowledged to be an important but labor-intensive, aspect of system development. Lexicons are often manually created and make use of knowledge and expertise that is difficult to codify. We describe our American English lexicon developed primarily for the ARPA WSJ/NAB tasks. The lexicon is phonemically represented, and contains alternate pronunciations for about 10% of the words. Tools have been developed to add new lexical items, as well as to help ensure consistency of the pronunciations. Our experience in large vocabulary, continuous speech recognition is that systematic lexical design can improve system performance. Some comparative results with commonly available lexicons are given.
Joint Selection Combining and Power Loading Transmission With Adaptive $M$-QAM in Multichannel System

In this paper, we propose an adaptive M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) transmission scheme that jointly uses selection combining and power loading over multiple independent identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh-fading channels in multichannel systems. We derive exact closed-form expressions of the performance of the proposed scheme in terms of the spectral efficiency, the average bit error rate (BER), and the outage probability. Numerical results show that our proposed hybrid scheme offers higher spectral efficiency and lower outage probability than the conventional schemes presented in the literature and is more reliable in the low-signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) region as well.
Intellectual Humility: Scale Development and Theoretical Elaborations in the Context of Religious Leadership

This article focused on how perceptions of intellectual humility (IH)—humility regarding one's knowledge or influence over ideas—affect relationships with religious leaders. We developed an informant report measure of IH perceptions using exploratory (Study 1; N = 213) and confirmatory (Study 2; N = 213) factor analyses, as well as a basic manipulation of IH (Study 3; N = 139). Then in Study 4 (N = 105), we examined IH in the context of a major betrayal by a religious leader (i.e., aligning with several factors theorized to strain the practice of IH). The results provide preliminary evidence for the psychometric soundness of the scale, including reliability and content validity of the scores. The scale was able to distinguish between IH and other constructs. Furthermore, the results provide initial evidence that IH is related to social bonds, as perceptions of IH were related to trust and higher forgiveness toward the religious leader, and positive attitudes towards the Sacred.
Pose induction for visual servoing to a novel object instance

Present visual servoing approaches are instance specific i.e. they control camera motion between two views of the same object. However, in practical scenarios where a robot is required to handle various instances of a category, classical visual servoing techniques are less suitable. We formulate across instance visual servoing as a pose induction and pose alignment problem. Initially, the desired pose given for any known instance is transferred to the novel instance through pose induction. Then the pose alignment problem is solved by estimating the current pose using the part aware keypoints reconstruction followed by a pose based visual servoing (PBVS) iteration. To tackle large variation in appearance across object instances in a category, we employ visual features that uniquely correspond to locations of object's parts in images. These part-aware keypoints are learned from annotated images using a convolutional neural network (CNN). Advantages of using such part-aware semantics are two-fold. Firstly, it conceals the illumination and textural variations from the visual servoing algorithm. Secondly, semantic keypoints enables us to match descriptors across instances accurately. We validate the efficacy of our approach through experiments in simulation as well as on a quadcopter. Our approach results in acceptable desired camera pose and smooth velocity profile. We also show results for large camera transformations with no overlap between current and desired pose for 3D objects, which is desirable in servoing context.
A Core Theory Based Algorithm for Influence Maximization in Social Networks

The connectivity of large scale complex networks relies on a specific small set of structural nodes which is called the core of the whole network. The influence maximization problem is to identify such set of nodes, known as influencers, who can trigger the maximum range of information propagation in a network, which is one of the most important problems in network science. In this paper, we introduce core theory and simulated annealing algorithm to locate the set of core nodes. The initial active influencer can be acquired by optimally choosing from the core nodes. We compare our method with other alternative algorithms in real-world datasets. The results demonstrate that our method is competitive in both information propagation efficiency and time-consuming in all the diffusion models we consider.
Conversation Scene Analysis with Dynamic Bayesian Network Basedon Visual Head Tracking

A novel method based on a probabilistic model for conversation scene analysis is proposed that can infer conversation structure from video sequences of face-to-face communication. Conversation structure represents the type of conversation such as monologue or dialogue, and can indicate who is talking/listening to whom. This study assumes that the gaze directions of participants provide cues for discerning the conversation structure, and can be identified from head directions. For measuring head directions, the proposed method newly employs a visual head tracker based on sparse-template condensation. The conversation model is built on a dynamic Bayesian network and is used to estimate the conversation structure and gaze directions from observed head directions and utterances. Visual tracking is conventionally thought to be less reliable than contact sensors, but experiments confirm that the proposed method achieves almost comparable performance in estimating gaze directions and conversation structure to a conventional sensor-based method
The era of the wandering mind? Twenty-first century research on self-generated mental activity

The first decade of the twenty-first century was characterized by renewed scientific interest in self-generated mental activity (activity largely generated by the individual, rather than in direct response to experimenters’ instructions or specific external sensory inputs). To understand this renewal of interest, we interrogated the peer-reviewed literature from 2003 to 2012 (i) to explore recent changes in use of terms for self-generated mental activity; (ii) to investigate changes in the topics on which mind wandering research, specifically, focuses; and (iii) to visualize co-citation communities amongst researchers working on self-generated mental activity. Our analyses demonstrated that there has been a dramatic increase in the term “mind wandering” from 2006, and a significant crossing-over of psychological investigations of mind wandering into cognitive neuroscience (particularly in relation to research on the default mode and default mode network). If our article concludes that this might, indeed, be the “era of the wandering mind,” it also calls for more explicit reflection to be given by researchers in this field to the terms they use, the topics and brain regions they focus on, and the research literatures that they implicitly foreground or ignore.
Metabolomic Profiling in Individuals with a Failing Kidney Allograft

Background Alteration of certain metabolites may play a role in the pathophysiology of renal allograft disease. Methods To explore metabolomic abnormalities in individuals with a failing kidney allograft, we analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS; for ex vivo profiling of serum and urine) and two dimensional correlated spectroscopy (2D COSY; for in vivo study of the kidney graft) 40 subjects with varying degrees of chronic allograft dysfunction stratified by tertiles of glomerular filtration rate (GFR; T1, T2, T3). Ten healthy non-allograft individuals were chosen as controls. Results LC-MS/MS analysis revealed a dose-response association between GFR and serum concentration of tryptophan, glutamine, dimethylarginine isomers (asymmetric [A]DMA and symmetric [S]DMA) and short-chain acylcarnitines (C4 and C12), (test for trend: T1-T3 = p<0.05; p = 0.01; p<0.001; p = 0.01; p = 0.01; p<0.05, respectively). The same association was found between GFR and urinary levels of histidine, DOPA, dopamine, carnosine, SDMA and ADMA (test for trend: T1-T3 = p<0.05; p<0.01; p = 0.001; p<0.05; p = 0.001; p<0.001; p<0.01, respectively). In vivo 2D COSY of the kidney allograft revealed significant reduction in the parenchymal content of choline, creatine, taurine and threonine (all: p<0.05) in individuals with lower GFR levels. Conclusions We report an association between renal function and altered metabolomic profile in renal transplant individuals with different degrees of kidney graft function.
The SecureRing protocols for securing group communication

The SecureRing group communication protocols provide reliable ordered message delivery and group membership services despite Byzantine faults such as might be caused by modifications to the programs of a group member following illicit access to, or capture of, a group member. The protocols multicast messages to groups of processors within an asynchronous distributed system and deliver messages in a consistent total order to all members of the group. They ensure that correct members agree on changes to the membership, that correct processors are eventually included in the membership, and that processors that exhibit detectable Byzantine faults are eventually excluded from the membership. To provide these message delivery and group membership services, the protocols make use of an unreliable Byzantine fault detector.
An area-efficient universal cryptography processor for smart cards

Cryptography circuits for smart cards and portable electronic devices provide user authentication and secure data communication. These circuits should, in general, occupy small chip area, consume low power, handle several cryptography algorithms, and provide acceptable performance. This paper presents, for the first time, a hardware implementation of three standard cryptography algorithms on a universal architecture. The microcoded cryptography processor targets smart card applications and implements both private key and public key algorithms and meets the power and performance specifications and is as small as 2.25 mm/sup 2/ in 0.18-/spl mu/m 6LM CMOS. A new algorithm is implemented by changing the contents of the memory blocks that are implemented in ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM). Using FeRAM allows nonvolatile storage of the configuration bits, which are changed only when a new algorithm instantiation is required.
Selective induction of transforming growth factor beta in human monocytes by lipoarabinomannan of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The induction of macrophage-deactivating (interleukin-10 [IL-10] and transforming growth factor beta [TGF-beta] and macrophage-activating (IL-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha] cytokines by lipoarabinomannan (LAM) from pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis Erdman and H37Rv strains (ManLAM) and nonpathogenic mycobacteria (AraLAM) in human blood monocytes was examined. ManLAM was significantly less potent in induction of TNF-alpha, IL-1, IL-6, and IL-10 protein and mRNA, whereas its ability to induce TGF-beta was similar to that of AraLAM. Differences in induction of TNF-alpha mRNA by the two LAM preparations only became apparent at late time points of culture (24 h). The induction of TNF-alpha and IL-1 by purified protein derivative of M. tuberculosis was significantly stronger than that by ManLAM. Pretreatment of monocytes with ManLAM did not, however, interfere with cytokine induction by lipopolysaccharide or AraLAM. The extensive mannosyl capping of arabinose termini of ManLAM may underlie the lack of ability to induce some cytokines (IL-1, TNF-alpha, and IL-10) and the retained ability to induce TGF-beta. The latter may have a role in shifting the cytokine milieu in favor of survival of M. tuberculosis.
Cellular Cholesterol Efflux Mediated by Cyclodextrins (*)

In this study, we compared cholesterol efflux mediated by either high density lipoproteins (HDL3) or β-cyclodextrins, cyclic oligosaccharides that are able to dissolve lipids in their hydrophobic core. β-Cyclodextrin, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, and methyl-β-cyclodextrin at 10 mM induced the release of 50-90% of L-cell [3H]cholesterol after 8 h of incubation, with a major portion of this cholesterol being released in the first 1-2 h of incubation. The cholesterol efflux kinetics are different if cells are incubated with HDL3, which induces a relatively constant rate of release of cholesterol throughout an 8-h incubation. Cholesterol efflux to cyclodextrins was much greater than phospholipid release. To test the hypothesis that maximal efflux rate constants for a particular cell are independent of the type of acceptor, we estimated the maximal rate constants for efflux (Vmax) of cellular cholesterol from L-cells, Fu5AH cells, and GM3468A fibroblasts. The rate constant for HDL3-mediated efflux varied among cell lines in the order Fu5AH > L-cells > fibroblasts. However, these differences were not evident when cyclodextrins were used as cholesterol acceptors. The estimated Vmax values for cyclodextrin-mediated efflux were 3.5-70-fold greater than for HDL3 for the three cell lines. The very high efficiency of cyclodextrins in stimulating cell cholesterol efflux suggests that these compounds can be used in two general ways for studies of atherosclerosis: 1) as research tools to probe mechanisms of cholesterol transport and aspects of membrane structure or 2) as potential pharmacological agents that could modify in vivo cholesterol metabolism and influence the development of the atherosclerotic plaque.
Hypoglycemia influences oligodendrocyte development and myelin formation

Damage to central nervous system white matter is observed following hypoglycemia, raising the possibility that hypoglycemia influences oligodendrocytes and myelination. To examine effects of hypoglycemia on oligodendrocytes and myelin formation, we studied cultured oligodendrocyte precursor cells and cerebellar slice cultures. We observed that with decreasing concentrations of glucose, oligodendrocyte precursor cell proliferation, maturation, and migration decreased. We also observed that hypoglycemia induced apoptotic cell death and activation of caspase-3 in oligodendrocyte precursor cells. Slice culture studies showed that glucose is required for myelinated fiber formation, as with reduction in the glucose concentration, the density of myelinated fibers decreased. Collectively, these data show that hypoglycemia inhibits oligodendrocyte development and myelination and that hypoglycemia triggers apoptotic cell death in oligodendrocyte precursor cells.
Distributed Selfish Replication

A commonly employed abstraction for studying the object placement problem for the purpose of Internet content distribution is that of a distributed replication group. In this work, the initial model of the distributed replication group of Leff et al. [CHECK END OF SENTENCE] is extended to the case that individual nodes act selfishly, i.e., cater to the optimization of their individual local utilities. Our main contribution is the derivation of equilibrium object placement strategies that 1) can guarantee improved local utilities for all nodes concurrently as compared to the corresponding local utilities under greedy local object placement, 2) do not suffer from potential mistreatment problems, inherent to centralized strategies that aim at optimizing the social utility, and 3) do not require the existence of complete information at all nodes. We develop a baseline computationally efficient algorithm for obtaining the aforementioned equilibrium strategies and then extend it to improve its performance with respect to fairness. Both algorithms are realizable, in practice, through a distributed protocol that requires only a limited exchange of information.
Direction finding algorithms based on joint iterative subspace optimization

In this paper, a reduced-rank scheme with joint iterative optimization is presented for direction of arrival estimation. A rank-reduction matrix and an auxiliary reduced-rank parameter vector are jointly optimized to calculate the output power with respect to each scanning angle. Subspace algorithms to estimate the rank-reduction matrix and the auxiliary vector are proposed. Simulations are performed to show that the proposed algorithms achieve enhanced performance over existing algorithms in the studied scenarios.
STUDIES OF THE GENERALIZED SHWARTZMAN REACTION PRODUCED BY DIET

The generalized Shwartzman reaction can be produced in pregnant rats by dietary means in the absence of injection of exogenous bacterial endotoxin. The experiment consists of a period of exposure to a diet low in tocopherol followed by exposure to a diet containing oxidized lipids during the gestation period. Pregnancy near term is an essential requirement for the development of the generalized Shwartzman reaction in these experiments. Fibrin thrombi were found in the renal glomeruli in 88.5 per cent, in the lungs in 94.2 per cent, in the liver in 11.4 per cent, in the spleen in 11.4 per cent, and in the adrenal in 40 per cent of animals that died spontaneously. There were pathologic alterations in the placenta which consisted of degeneration of the trophoblast, thrombosis of maternal blood channels in the giant cell trophoblast layer and in the labyrinth, congestion of the labyrinth, hemorrhage into the uterine cavity, placental separation, intra-uterine fetal death, decidual and uterine vein thrombosis, and placentitis in 10 per cent of the cases. The mechanism by which the diet is instrumental in causing this reaction remains to be demonstrated.
Design Thinking vs Co-Création : Une étude comparative de deux méthodes d ’ innovation

While many papers have studied innovation methods based on design thinking and cocreation, little research has compared them. Given the increasing popularity of these methods, one may wonder whether one approach or the other leads to innovations which are more innovative and consistent with market needs. Based on an in-depth case study, we show that useroriented approaches lead to fewer operational results, but offer a founding framework useful to shed light on use patterns. We also observed that some of these methodologies are more appropriate when introduced at a specific stage of the new service development process. Key-words: Co-Creation, Design Thinking, New Product Development