Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multifunctional Nanohybrid Based on Porous Silicon Nanoparticles, Gold Nanoparticles, and Acetalated Dextran for Liver Regeneration and Acute Liver Failure Theranostics

Herein, a novel nanohybrid based on porous silicon, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), and acetalated dextran (DPSi/DAu@AcDEX) is reported to encapsulate and deliver one drug and increase the computer tomography (CT) signal for acute‐liver‐failure (ALF) theranostics. A microfluidic‐assisted method is used to co‐encapsulate different NPs in a single step. By alternating the surface properties of different NPs and by modulating the composition of the organic phase, both PSi and Au NPs are effectively encapsulated into the polymer matrix simultaneously, thus further achieving a multifunctional application. This system can be used to identify pathologically changes in the tissues and selectively deliver drugs to these sites. The loading of a therapeutic compound (XMU‐MP‐1) improves the drug solubility, precise, in situ drug delivery, and the drug‐functioning time. In vivo results confirm a superior treatment effect and better compliance of this newly developed nanoformulation than free compound. This nanosystem plays a crucial role in targeting the lesion area, thus increasing the local drug concentration important for ALF reverse‐effect. Moreover, the residence of Au NPs within the matrix further endows our system for CT‐imaging. Altogether, these results support that this nanohybrid is a potential theranostic platform for ALF.
A Systematic Literature Review: Information Accuracy Practices in Tourism

ABSTRACT This paper seeks to identify the practices of information accuracy in the tourism information environment by adapting the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method. The SLR method consists of review planning, performing review, analysis and result reporting steps. Based on the SLR method, we had reviewed 133 journals that were published between 1989 and April 2017, the period of the review on the information accuracy practices. The identified 133 journals had provided study details on the information accuracy practices in the tourism environment. In this paper, the opportunities and challenges in dealing with tourism information have been explained as well. The SLR findings had revealed that the existing research on information accuracy in the tourism context was not sufficiently practiced by the tourism information providers and that there was still room for improvement. The existing information accuracy practices in tourism covers a minimal number of topics and very few closely related studies were available for this review. The SLR findings were twofold. On the one hand, tourism information providers should embrace the many opportunities that tourism information can offer to improve information accuracy practices. On the other hand, it also consciously evaluates the consequences of tourism information and the effects of inaccurate information accessed the tourism stakeholders.
Advancing a cross-cultural narrative approach to career counselling: The case of Vietnam

The purpose of this paper is to advance the concept of narrative approaches to career counselling from a cross-cultural perspective by investigating the case of Vietnam. It offers an account of the sociocultural context of Vietnam as it shifts from its traditional Confucian and communist values to a modern globally integrated market economy. Current approaches to career counselling in Vietnam for students in secondary and tertiary education are outdated and so fail to respond to the challenges that this shift is creating. It is argued that narrative career counselling has the potential to reconcile the tension between the need for flexibility and self-direction in work and career in a society that continues to be heavily influenced by Confucian ethics and collective notions of the self. The paper concludes with a call for future research on the practice of narrative career counselling cross-culturally to test its suitability.
Novel random switching PWM technique with constant sampling frequency and constant inductor average current for digital-controlled converter

A new two-dimensional random switching PWM technique is proposed to reduce the dominant harmonic clusters while retaining constant average inductor current and constant sampling frequency. The special feature of constant average inductor current can reduce the output voltage ripple. And the controller parameters of digital-controlled power converter are not required to change which is quite essential to digital-controlled system. Current random PWM methods are discussed and compared with the proposed method in this paper. It will be shown that the presented method is with the merits of randomly changes switching frequency while keeping constant sampling frequency and average inductor current. An FPGA-based digital-controlled buck converter experimental system has been set up. The specifications of the converter includes: input voltage = 5 V, output voltage = 1.5 V and switching frequency = 200 kHz. The proposed random switching pattern is implemented by software. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed random switching pattern.
A review of multivariate distributions for count data derived from the Poisson distribution

The Poisson distribution has been widely studied and used for modeling univariate count‐valued data. However, multivariate generalizations of the Poisson distribution that permit dependencies have been far less popular. Yet, real‐world, high‐dimensional, count‐valued data found in word counts, genomics, and crime statistics, for example, exhibit rich dependencies and motivate the need for multivariate distributions that can appropriately model this data. We review multivariate distributions derived from the univariate Poisson, categorizing these models into three main classes: (1) where the marginal distributions are Poisson, (2) where the joint distribution is a mixture of independent multivariate Poisson distributions, and (3) where the node‐conditional distributions are derived from the Poisson. We discuss the development of multiple instances of these classes and compare the models in terms of interpretability and theory. Then, we empirically compare multiple models from each class on three real‐world datasets that have varying data characteristics from different domains, namely traffic accident data, biological next generation sequencing data, and text data. These empirical experiments develop intuition about the comparative advantages and disadvantages of each class of multivariate distribution that was derived from the Poisson. Finally, we suggest new research directions as explored in the subsequent Discussion section. WIREs Comput Stat 2017, 9:e1398. doi: 10.1002/wics.1398
Application of Management Audit for increasing Economic Efficiency of State-owned Enterprises Activities

To substantiate the direction of the research, this paper establishes the factors which affect performance efficiency of own-state enterprises (SOEs). The authors’ analyse the effect of management control on the economic efficiency of activities of state-owned enterprises by application of management audit. The paper seeks to highlight the higher utility of economic activity as well as return of capital which was used in the process of activities. The paper analyses the quality of management and economic activity in SOEs based on scientific literature as well as reports and decisions of representative government institutions as well as the results of empirical research which was accomplished in Lithuania. The paper stress, that the state-owned commercial property in Lithuania has thus far been managed inefficiently. Unlike private companies, SOEs practically fail to render much use to the state. This fact do not allow SOE’s to reach the highest economic benefit. Accordingly, the authors’ present an innovative approach towards the improvement of management of SOEs economic activities through application of the audit principles, which traditionally are associated with the assessments of financial activity. The proposed model can be further extended and employed in other countries of North Europe, specifically in Latvia, Estonia and other Post-Soviet countries.DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.ee. 28.4. 17924
L-Type Ca2+ Channels Mediate Adaptation of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 1/2 Phosphorylation in the Ventral Tegmental Area after Chronic Amphetamine Treatment

L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCCs) play an important role in chronic psychostimulant-induced behaviors. However, the Ca2+ second messenger pathways activated by LTCCs after acute and recurrent psychostimulant administration that contribute to drug-induced molecular adaptations are poorly understood. Using a chronic amphetamine treatment paradigm in rats, we have examined the role of LTCCs in activating the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a primary target for the reinforcing properties of psychostimulants. Using immunoblot and immunohistochemical analyses, we find that in chronic saline-treated rats a challenge injection of amphetamine increases phosphorylation of MAP [extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2)] kinase in the VTA that is independent of LTCCs. However, in chronic amphetamine-treated rats there is no increase in amphetamine-mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation unless LTCCs are blocked, in which case there is robust phosphorylation in VTA dopamine neurons. Examination of the expression of phosphatases reveals an increase in calcineurin [protein phosphatase 2B (PP2B)] and MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) in the VTA. Using in situ hybridization histochemistry and immunoblot analyses, we further examined the mRNA and protein expression of the LTCC subtypes Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 in VTA dopamine neurons in drug-naive animals and in rats after chronic amphetamine treatment. We found an increase in Cav1.2 mRNA and protein levels, with no change in Cav1.3. Together, our results suggest that one aspect of LTCC-induced changes in second messenger pathways after chronic amphetamine exposure involves activation of the MAP kinase phosphatase pathway by upregulation of Cav1.2 in VTA dopaminergic neurons.
Protocol for the comparison of triflusal and clopidogrel in secondary prevention of stroke based on cytochrome P450 2C19 genotyping (MASETRO study): A multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial

Rationale and aim The antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel is reportedly influenced by cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) polymorphisms. However, there is no data concerning the relationship between stroke recurrence and CYP2C19 polymorphisms in patients treated with clopidogrel for secondary prevention of ischemic stroke. Triflusal may be an alternative therapy for clopidogrel in patients with poor genotype. The Comparison of Triflusal and Clopidogrel Effects in Secondary Prevention of Stroke Based on Cytochrome P450 2C19 Genotyping (MAESTRO) study will investigate the effect of antiplatelet agents based on CYP2C19 polymorphisms in secondary prevention of ischemic stroke. Sample size and design Assuming that 55% of patients belong to the poor genotype group, the required sample size is 1080 patients with at least 24 months of follow-up. This study is designed as a prospective, multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, open-label, and blind genotype trial. Patients who experience their first non-cardiogenic ischemic stroke within 30 days prior to screening are eligible. Patients received 300 mg triflusal twice a day or 75 mg clopidogrel once daily during the trial. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01174693). Study outcome The primary outcome is recurrent ischemic stroke or hemorrhagic stroke. Secondary outcomes consist of composite major vascular events including stroke, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, or vascular death. Discussion Personalized medicine may be essential for patients according to individual drug metabolism abilities. MAESTRO is the first prospective study designed to evaluate the effect of CYP2C19 polymorphism in secondary stroke prevention and will resolve several questions regarding preventive antiplatelet agents for recurrent stroke.
Probiotic Administration in Infants With Gastroschisis: A Pilot Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

Objectives: Infants with gastroschisis often require long periods of gastric suctioning and hospitalization. The impact of these interventions on the intestinal microbiota and attempts to alter the microbial community have not been studied. We sought to determine how the intestinal microbiota is influenced by the current treatment of gastroschisis and whether alteration of the intestinal microbiota with a probiotic microbe will influence length of hospitalization. Methods: We performed a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study of administration of probiotic Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis in 24 infants with gastroschisis. The primary outcome was changes in the fecal microbiota, and the secondary outcome was length of hospital stay. Results: Administration of the probiotic or placebo was well tolerated, even during the period of gastric suctioning. The overall microbial communities were not significantly different between groups, although analysis of the final specimens by family demonstrated higher Bifidobacteriaceae, lower Clostridiaceae, and trends toward lower Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcaceae, Staphylococcaceae, and Streptococcaceae in the probiotic group. Clinical outcomes, including length of hospital stay, did not differ between groups. Conclusions: In this pilot study, there was significant in infants with gastroschisis that was partially attenuated by the administration of B longum subsp. infantis.
Diagnostic utility of sound naming in early Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract While it is well known that picture naming (PN) is impaired in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), sound naming (SN) has not been thoroughly investigated. We postulated that SN might be impaired more severely and earlier than PN, given the early involvement of the temporal cortex by AD-related pathology. SN and PN were assessed in 21 normal participants, 40 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 27 patients in early stages of AD. Our results showed that SN accuracy and latency were more sensitive to advancing pathology in AD than PN accuracy and latency. SN was more useful and specific in distinguishing MCI patients from normal participants and therefore in potentially identifying the subset of MCI patients who already have impairment in more than one cognitive domain and may actually have incipient AD. These findings indicate a potential diagnostic utility of SN for early detection of the disease. Furthermore, even though most AD patients demonstrated more or less comparable impairment in both tasks, some were disproportionately impaired on SN and others were differentially impaired on PN. Future studies may be able to show that these discrepant groups correspond to patients with right and left hemisphere predominant AD, respectively. (JINS, 2009, 15, 231–238.)
The influence of non-linear frequency compression on the perception of music by adults with a moderate to sever hearing loss: subjective impressions.

OBJECTIVE To date, the main direction in frequency-lowering hearing aid studies has been in relation to speech perception abilities. With improvements in hearing aid technology, interest in musical perception as a dimension that could improve hearing aid users' quality of life has grown. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of non-linear frequency compression (NFC) on hearing aid users' subjective impressions of listening to music. DESIGN & SAMPLE: A survey research design was implemented to elicit participants' (N=40) subjective impressions of musical stimuli with and without NFC. RESULTS The use of NFC significantly improved hearing aid users' perception of the musical qualities of overall fidelity, tinniness and reverberance. Although participants preferred to listen to the loudness, fullness, crispness, naturalness and pleasantness of music with the use of NFC, these benefits were not significant. CONCLUSION The use of NFC can increase hearing aid users' enjoyment and appreciation of music. Given that a relatively large percentage of hearing aid users express a loss of enjoyment of music, audiologists should not ignore the possible benefits of NFC, especially if one takes into account that previous research indicates speech perception benefits with this technology.
APOBEC3G expression is dysregulated in primary HIV-1 infection and polymorphic variants influence CD4+ T-cell counts and plasma viral load

Objectives: In the absence of HIV-1 virion infectivity factor (Vif), cellular cytosine deaminases such as apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3G (APOBEC3G) inhibit the virus by inducing hypermutations on viral DNA, among other mechanisms of action. We investigated the association of APOBEC3G mRNA levels and genetic variants on HIV-1 susceptibility, and early disease pathogenesis using viral load and CD4+ T-cell counts as outcomes. Methods: Study participants were 250 South African women at high risk for HIV-1 subtype C infection. We used real-time PCR to measure the expression of APOBEC3G in HIV-negative and HIV-positive primary infection samples. APOBEC3G variants were identified by DNA re-sequencing and TaqMan genotyping. Results: We found no correlation between APOBEC3G expression levels and plasma viral loads (r = 0.053, P = 0.596) or CD4+ T-cell counts (r = 0.030, P = 0.762) in 32 seroconverters. APOBEC3G expression levels were higher in HIV-negative individuals as compared with HIV-positive individuals (P < 0.0001), including matched pre and postinfection samples from the same individuals (n = 13, P < 0.0001). Twenty-four single nucleotide polymorphisms, including eight novel, were identified within APOBEC3G by re-sequencing and genotyping. The H186R mutation, a codon-changing variant in exon 4, and a 3′ extragenic mutation (rs35228531) were associated with high viral loads (P = 0.0097 and P < 0.0001) and decreased CD4+ T-cell levels (P = 0.0081 and P < 0.0001), respectively. Conclusion: These data suggest that APOBEC3G transcription is rapidly downregulated upon HIV-1 infection. During primary infection, APOBEC3G expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells do not correlate with viral loads or CD4+ T-cell counts. Genetic variation of APOBEC3G may significantly affect early HIV-1 pathogenesis, although the mechanism remains unclear and warrants further investigation.
Trade openness and the nutrient use of nations

To contribute to the debate over globalization and the environment we ask the question: what is the impact of trade openness on the nutrient use of nations? We address this question by using econometric methods to quantify the causal relationship between the trade openness and the nutrient use of nations on a global scale. In our empirical analysis we go beyond a cross-sectional analysis. We exploit time-series variation for an unbalanced panel of countries that spans the time period 2001–2014 (1027 total observations). By using a panel data analysis we are able to use fixed effects and better control for unobservable heterogeneity. We also explicitly consider how the openness of a country to trade may interact with its comparative advantage which determines its relative specialization in production, and hence its export strength as well as its import needs. We find that trade openness on average does not significantly impact nutrient use. However, there is evidence that as countries become more open and more capital abundant their nutrient use is reduced. This finding is in line with previous research that shows that trade openness does not have a negative impact on the environment. Our findings have both scientific and policy relevance as we strive to untangle causal relationships in the global food supply chain and determine its environmental impacts.
Application of adaptive generalized mathematical morphology theory in de-noising of ECG signals

The traditional methods have disadvantages of large computation and poor results in the preprocessing of electrocardiogram (ECG) signal. Morphological filter is faster and simple, besides, the effectiveness of it is approved adequately. However, it will cause statistical bias phenomenon. This paper proposes the adaptive generalized morphological filter can improve the accuracy of filtering and reduce the bias caused by the inappropriate selection of the structural elements. By this method the characteristics of the ECG signal can be effectively maintained and distortion of signals is small. Various experimental results show that the method can effectively remove noise in ECG signals, and better filtering than wavelet method and traditional morphological method. Experiments results being satisfactory, for a robust de-noising which provides a cleaned ECG signal for detection of QRS complexes.
Sustainability , Performance and Mix Design of High Volume Fly Ash Concrete

Conventional concrete technology generates significant amounts of CO2, NOx and SOx (greenhouse gases linked with global warming) through the combustion of fossil fuels to process and transport concrete components as well as the calcination of limestone required to create portland cement. Furthermore, the mining and processing of conventional concrete components damages ecosystems and exhausts natural resources. Since concrete is widely used throughout the world, concrete production places a serious strain on the natural environment, and consequently sustainable concrete, or “green concrete”, with lower environmental impacts than conventional concrete should be used in common practice. After defining sustainability and describing rubrics for measuring sustainability, the environmental impact of conventional concrete technology is discussed. As the production of portland cement has the highest environmental impact of any single process in the manufacturing of concrete, this paper reviews the sustainability, performance and mix design of concrete that replaces cement with high volumes of fly ash (over 50 percent replacement by weight). Barriers to the use of high volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete and the need for more research into this type of concrete are discussed.
A High-Precision Frequency Measurement Algorithm for FID Signal of Proton Magnetometer

The accuracy of measuring a magnetic field using a proton magnetometer depends on the accuracy of frequency measurement of the free induction decay (FID) signal generated by the proton magnetometer. Increasing the accuracy of frequency measurement could increase the accuracy of measuring magnetic fields. In this paper, we propose a multichannel frequency measurement to improve the accuracy after analyzing the error sources of existing frequency measurements based on the FID signal. In addition, we describe the basic principle of the proposed method and the formula for the calculation of the measured FID signal frequency and error in detail. Moreover, we implement a prototype device using the multichannel frequency measurement and compare the test results before and after using the proposed method. Finally, the indoor and outdoor experimental data in the case of using the prototype device are compared with those in the case of a very high-precision overhauser magnetometer. The comparisons indicate that the proposed method improves the accuracy of the FID signal frequency measurement, and therefore, improves the accuracy of magnetic field measurement.