Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theophylline-Ethylcellulose Microparticles: Screening of the Process and Formulation Variables for Preparation of Sustained Release Particles

Objective(s) The aim of this study was to formulate and evaluate microencapsulated controlled release preparations of theophylline using ethylcellulose as the retardant material with high entrapment efficiency. Materials and Methods Microspheres were prepared by water-in-oil-in-oil (W/O1/O2) emulsion-solvent diffusion (ESD). A mixed solvent system consisting of acetonitrile and dichloromethane in a 1:1 ratio and light liquid paraffin were chosen as primary and secondary oil phases, respectively. In the current study formulations with different drug/polymer ratios were prepared and characterized by drug loading, loading efficiency, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results The best drug to polymer ratio was 0.5:1 (F2 formulation). F2 Formulation showed 29.53% of entrapment, loading efficiency of 88.59%, and mean particle size of 757.01 µm. SEM studies showed that the microspheres were spherical. FTIR, SEM, XRD and DSC showed that drug in the microspheres was stable and revealed crystallinity form. Conclusion The results showed that, generally, an increase in the ratio of drug to polymer resulted in a reduction in the release rate of the drug which may be attributed to the hydrophobic nature of the polymer. The release of theophylline was found to be diffusion controlled and was influenced by the drug to polymer ratio, loading efficiency, and particle size. The in vitro release profile could be modified by changing various processing and formulation parameters (as stirring rate, the volume of dispersing medium, and non-solvent concentration) to give a controlled release of drug from the microparticules.
MODELING NON-IGNORABLE NON-RESPONSE IN PANEL DATA

1. INTRODUCTION A number of large-scale sample surveys, such as the Current Population Survey and the National Crime Survey in the United States and the Labour Force Survey in Canada, are designed using rotating panel structures so that subjects are interviewed a number of times before being dropped from the sample. Although such surveys are used mainly to obtain cross-sectional estimates, it has long been recognized that information from the repeated interviewing of subjects provides an additional longitudinal data base that could be exploited to give estimates of gross change over time for a small additional cost (see, for example, Kalachek, 1979, and Fienberg and Tanur, 1983 and 1984). Naturally, there are problems associated with the use of such data to estimate change. The problems include how to handle period-to-period non-response, response error, period-to-period differences in sample-based weights, and inconsistencies between the estimates of change over time and point-in-time estimates. This paper considers the problem of handling period-to-period non-response in using panel data to provide estimates of gross change over time. In this paper we consider the case where survey responses are categorical as would be the case, for example, for the Current Population Survey where subjects are classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force, and the National Crime Survey where subiects are classified according to the type of crime committe~t against them. We further restrict the problem to the case of estimating gross changes or gross flows from one time period to another rather than over several periods. One possible approach to the problem of gross flow estimation is to use only the information from individuals who are respondents in both of the interview periods. In order to use this approach, we must assume that individuals who do not respond in both periods are a random sample of all individuals (Rubin, 1976). However, in most cases, we do not believe that non-response occurs at random. For example, Saphire (1984) gives evidence that non-response in the National Crime Survey is related to victimizations. Paul and Lawes (1982) and Fienberg and Stasny (1983) give evidence that non-response in the Canadian Labour Force Survey is related to labor force classification. Since there is evidence that non-response does not occur at random, we would like to consider models for estimating period-to-period gross flows that allow us to treat non-response as related to survey classification. In this paper, we develop five …
A Penalty-Evaporation Heuristic in a Decomposition Method for the Maximum Clique Problem

In this paper, we present a heuristic method to solve the maximum clique problem, based on the concepts of penalty and evaporation. At each iteration, some vertex i is inserted into the current solution (always a clique) and the vertices that are not adjacent to vertex i are removed from the solution. The removed vertices are then penalized in order to reduce their potential of being selected to be inserted in the solution again during the next iterations. This penalty is gradually evaporating to allow vertices to become interesting subsequently. This penalty-evaporation heuristic method is embedded in a decomposition algorithm that restricts the search for a maximum clique to subgraphs, but performs an aggressive exploration of the feasible domain. Numerical results indicate that the penalty-evaporation heuristic method alone is effective and reliable, but the gain in quality obtained when embedding it in the decomposition algorithm is worthy of the additional computing time required.
Latent Topic Estimation Based on Events in a Document

Recently, several latent topic model-based methods such as LSI, pLSI, and LDA have been widely used for text analysis. However, those methods basically assign topics to words, and therefore the relationship between words in a document is not considered. Considering this, we propose a latent topic extraction method which assigns topics to events that represent the relation between words in a document. There are several ways to express events, and the accuracy of estimating latent topics differs depending on the definition of an event. Therefore, we propose several event types and examine which event type works well to estimate latent topics in a document with a common document retrieval task. Furthermore, as an application of our proposed method, we also show a multi-document summarization based on latent topics.
Quercetin Both Partially Attenuates Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Toxicity and Decreases Viability of Rat Glial Cells

Quercetin is one of the most ubiquitous flavonoids in foods of plant origin. Although quercetin is generally considered to provide protection against oxidative injury, recent studies have shown to be cytotoxic to many cell types. We intended here to determine whether quercetin protects against H_2O_2-induced toxicity and/or affects viability of rat mixed glial cells. The cells were obtained from 1–3 day olds rat brains and incubated in a. humidified atmosphere of 5% CO_2, at 37 °C in flasks. In the quercetin groups, different quercetin concentrations (1, 10, 50, 75 or 100 μM) were applied alone for 24 h. For H_2O_2 cytotoxicity group, the glial cells were treated for 3 h. with 100 μM H_2O_2 which induced 75% cell death. In another group, the cells were treated with 100 μM H_2O_2 plus respective quercetin concentrations simultaneously for 3 h. , the medium was removed and refed for 24 h. MTT test was then applied and statistical significance was ascertained by one way analysis of variance, followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test. Quercetin starting from 50 μM decreased the glia survival significantly. In H_2O_2 plus quercetin co-treated groups, both 75 and 100 μM quercetin attenuated toxic effect of H_2O_2 by 15%. In conclusion, quercetin both partially protects H_2O_2-induced gliotoxicity and decreases rat glial cell viability in primary culture.
The outdoor leisure behaviour of Moroccan public sector workers

Do demographic variables directly impact attitude and subjective norm? This study sought to address this previously unanswered question by exploring whether income, education and gender influence attitude and subjective norm within the context of five leisure behaviours in Morocco. Employing an online survey method and structural equation modelling, results from a sample of 187 Moroccan public sector workers suggest that these demographic characteristics have no attitudinal or normative influence on participation in outdoor jogging, walking, biking, swimming and visiting natural parks. This finding appears to contradict the theory of reasoned action’s (TRA) early model assumptions. However, results do lend further support to the TRA’s sufficiency assumption and provide information about outdoor leisure behaviour in a developing country.
Structure and dynamics of information pathways in online media

Diffusion of information, spread of rumors and infectious diseases are all instances of stochastic processes that occur over the edges of an underlying network. Many times networks over which contagions spread are unobserved, and such networks are often dynamic and change over time. In this paper, we investigate the problem of inferring dynamic networks based on information diffusion data. We assume there is an unobserved dynamic network that changes over time, while we observe the results of a dynamic process spreading over the edges of the network. The task then is to infer the edges and the dynamics of the underlying network. We develop an on-line algorithm that relies on stochastic convex optimization to efficiently solve the dynamic network inference problem. We apply our algorithm to information diffusion among 3.3 million mainstream media and blog sites and experiment with more than 179 million different pieces of information spreading over the network in a one year period. We study the evolution of information pathways in the online media space and find interesting insights. Information pathways for general recurrent topics are more stable across time than for on-going news events. Clusters of news media sites and blogs often emerge and vanish in matter of days for on-going news events. Major social movements and events involving civil population, such as the Libyan'{}s civil war or Syria'{}s uprise, lead to an increased amount of information pathways among blogs as well as in the overall increase in the network centrality of blogs and social media sites.
In Vivo Imaging of Microglial Calcium Signaling in Brain Inflammation and Injury

Microglia, the innate immune sentinels of the central nervous system, are the most dynamic cells in the brain parenchyma. They are the first responders to insult and mediate neuroinflammation. Following cellular damage, microglia extend their processes towards the lesion, modify their morphology, release cytokines and other mediators, and eventually migrate towards the damaged area and remove cellular debris by phagocytosis. Intracellular Ca2+ signaling plays important roles in many of these functions. However, Ca2+ in microglia has not been systematically studied in vivo. Here we review recent findings using genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators and two-photon imaging, which have enabled new insights into Ca2+ dynamics and signaling pathways in large populations of microglia in vivo. These new approaches will help to evaluate pre-clinical interventions and immunomodulation for pathological brain conditions such as stroke and neurodegenerative diseases.
Mapping the Interactions between a RUN Domain from DENND5/Rab6IP1 and Sorting Nexin 1

Eukaryotic cells have developed a diverse repertoire of Rab GTPases to regulate vesicle trafficking pathways. Together with their effector proteins, Rabs mediate various aspects of vesicle formation, tethering, docking and fusion, but details of the biological roles elicited by effectors are largely unknown. Human Rab6 is involved in the trafficking of vesicles at the level of Golgi via interactions with numerous effector proteins. We have previously determined the crystal structure of Rab6 in complex with DENND5, alternatively called Rab6IP1, which comprises two RUN domains (RUN1 and RUN2) separated by a PLAT domain. The structure of Rab6/RUN1-PLAT (Rab6/R1P) revealed the molecular basis for Golgi recruitment of DENND5 via the RUN1 domain, but the functional role of the RUN2 domain has not been well characterized. Here we show that a soluble DENND5 construct encompassing the RUN2 domain binds to the N-terminal region of sorting nexin 1 by surface plasmon resonance analyses.
Diagnostic & prognostic role of microRNAs in paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia

Dysregulation in microRNAs (miRNAs) expression has been observed in distinct acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) subtypes, and their potential as an effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarker is slowly being realized. Certain miRNAs have been found to be associated with various cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities of prognostic significance in AML. Experimental evidences have indicated the potential of modulating miRNA expression as an effective antileukaemic strategy. This has opened a new window for miRNAs-based targeted therapies. In this review, we present results of some studies analyzing the dysregulation in miRNAs expression pattern in paediatric AML and also discuss their use as diagnostic and prognostic markers.
Involvement of cDNA in homologous recombination between Ty elements in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Strains carrying a marked Ty element (TyUra) in the LYS2 locus were transformed with plasmids bearing a differently marked Ty1 element (Ty1Neo) under the control of the GAL promoter. When these strains were grown in glucose, a low level of gene conversion events involving TyUra was detected. Upon growth on galactose an increase in the rate of gene conversion was seen. This homologous recombination is not the consequence of increased levels of transposition. When an intron-containing fragment was inserted into Ty1Neo, some of the convertants had the intron removed, implying an RNA intermediate. Mutations that affect reverse transcriptase or reverse transcription of Ty1Neo greatly reduce the induction of recombination in galactose. Thus, Ty cDNA is involved in homologous gene conversion with chromosomal copies of Ty elements. Our results have implications about the way families of repeated sequences retain homogeneity throughout evolution.
Performativity in place of responsibility

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to question the common conviction that responsibility is the major factor influencing performance.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a comparison of two recent cases of ecological catastrophes.Findings – In emergency situations, locating parties able to perform gives better results than establishing responsibility for the accident.Research limitations/implications – More similar cases should be examined systematically.Practical implications – If the conclusions are accepted, the conventional mode of acting in emergencies may change.Social implications – Hopefully, the paper may redirect attention from responsibility to performativity.Originality/value – The paper opposes a commonly accepted belief and the corresponding mode of acting.
Care-related preferences and values of elderly community-based LTC consumers: can case managers learn what's important to clients?

This article describes the development and implementation of a brief values assessment protocol to be used by case managers working in community-based long-term care (LTC) for the elderly and presents data on the values and preferences of 790 LTC clients at two locations. The importance that clients placed on selected issues related to their care (e.g., privacy, daily routines, activities, involvement of family in care, the trade-off between freedom and safety) varied as did the specific content of those issues. Associations were found between the content and strength of preferences. The work has implications for research and practice.
On the limit of control flow analysis for regression test selection

Automated analyses for regression test selection (RTS) attempt to determine if a modified program, when run on a test t, will have the same behavior as an old version of the program run on t, but without running the new program on t. RTS analyses must confront a price/performance tradeoff: a more precise analysis might be able to eliminate more tests, but could take much longer to run.We focus on the application of control flow analysis and control flow coverage, relatively inexpensive analyses, to the RTS problem, considering how the precision of RTS algorithms can be affected by the type of coverage information collected. We define a strong optimality condition (edge-optimality) for RTS algorithms based on edge coverage that precisely captures when such an algorithm will report that re-testing is needed, when, in actuality, it is not. We reformulate Rothermel and Harrold's RTS algorithm and present three new algorithms that improve on it, culminating in an edge-optimal algorithm. Finally, we consider how path coverage can be used to improve the precision of RTS algorithms.
Tenascin-W is a specific marker of glioma-associated blood vessels and stimulates angiogenesis in vitro

The microenvironment hosting a tumor actively participates in regulating tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Among the extracellular matrix proteins enriched in the stroma of carcinomas are the tenascin family members tenascin‐C and tenascin‐W. Whereas tenascin‐C overexpression in gliomas is known to correlate with poor prognosis, the status of tenascin‐W in brain tumors has not been investigated so far. In the present study, we analyzed protein levels of tenascin‐W in 38 human gliomas and found expression of tenascin‐W in 80% of the tumor samples, whereas no tenascin‐W could be detected in control, nontumoral brain tissues. Double immunohistochemical staining of tenascin‐W and von Willebrand factor revealed that tenascin‐W is localized around blood vessels, exclusively in tumor samples. In vitro, the presence of tenascin‐Wincreased the proportion of elongated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and augmented the mean speed of cell migration. Furthermore, tenascin‐W triggered sprouting of HUVEC spheroids to a similar extent as the proangiogenic factor tenascin‐C. In conclusion, our study identifies tenascin‐W as a candidate biomarker for brain tumor angiogenesis that could be used as a molecular target for therapy irrespective of the glioma subtype. —Martina, E. , Degen, M. , Ruegg, C. , Merlo, A. , Lino, M. M. , Chiquet‐Ehrismann, R. , Brellier, F. Tenascin‐W is a specific marker of glioma‐associated blood vessels and stimulates angiogenesis in vitro. FASEB J. 24, 778–787 (2010). www.fasebj. org
A novel meta-analysis method exploiting consistency of high-throughput experiments

MOTIVATION Large-scale biological experiments provide snapshots into the huge number of processes running in parallel within the organism. These processes depend on a large number of (hidden) (epi)genetic, social, environmental and other factors that are out of experimentalists' control. This makes it extremely difficult to identify the dominant processes and the elements involved in them based on a single experiment. It is therefore desirable to use multiple sets of experiments targeting the same phenomena while differing in some experimental parameters (hidden or controllable). Although such datasets are becoming increasingly common, their analysis is complicated by the fact that the various biological elements could be influenced by different sets of factors. RESULTS The central hypothesis of this article is that biologically related elements and processes are affected by changes in similar ways while unrelated ones are affected differently. Thus, the relations between related elements are more consistent across experiments. The method outlined here looks for groups of elements with robust intra-group relationships in the expectation that they are related. The major groups of elements may be identified in this way. The strengths of relationships per se are not valued, just their consistency. This represents a completely novel and unutilized source of information. In the analysis of time course microarray experiments, I found cell cycle- and ribosome-related genes to be the major groups. Despite not looking for these groups in particular, the identification of these genes rivals that of methods designed specifically for this purpose. AVAILABILITY A C++ implementation is available at http://www.rinst. org/ICS/ICS_Programs. tar.gz.
DeepBurning: Automatic generation of FPGA-based learning accelerators for the Neural Network family

Recent advances in Neural Networks (NN) are enabling more and more innovative applications. As an energy-efficient hardware solution, machine learning accelerators for CNNs or traditional ANNs are also gaining popularity in the area of embedded vision, robotics and cyberphysics. However, the design parameters of NN models vary significantly from application to application. Hence, it's hard to provide one general and highly-efficient hardware solution to accommodate all of them, and it is also impractical for the domain-specific developers to customize their own hardware targeting on a specific NN model. To deal with this dilemma, this study proposes a design automation tool, DeepBurning, allowing the application developers to build from scratch learning accelerators that targets their specific NN models with custom configurations and optimized performance. DeepBurning includes a RTL-level accelerator generator and a coordinated compiler that generates the control flow and data layout under the user-specified constraints. The results can be used to implement FPGA-based NN accelerator or help generate chip design for early design stage. In general, DeepBurning supports a large family of NN models, and greatly simplifies the design flow of NN accelerators for the machine learning or AI application developers. The evaluation shows that the generated learning accelerators burnt to our FPGA board exhibit great power efficiency compared to state-of-the-art FPGA-based solutions.
Bullying at work: Epidemiological findings in public and private organizations

Abstract The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of bullying and harassment at work, to identify risk groups and risk organizations, and to investigate who the victims report to be their tormentors. Bullying and harassment are defined as situations where a worker or a supervisor is systematically mistreated and victimized by fellow workers or supervisors through repeated negative acts. However, to be a victim of such bullying one must also feel inferiority in defending oneself in the actual situation. Data from 14 different Norwegian surveys (N = 7986) are presented, encompassing a broad array of organizations and professions. The results show that bullying and harassment at work are widespread problems in Norwegian working life. As many as 8.6% of the respondents had been bullied at work during the previous six months. Organizations with many employees, male-dominated organizations, and industrial organizations had the highest prevalence of victimization. Older workers had a higher risk of.