Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PATTERN OF ACUTE PANCREATITIS: THE LIAQUATUNIVERSITY HOSPITAL EXPERIENCE

OBJECTIVES: To determine the aetiological factors, presentation and management of acute pancreatitis and to assess the outcome of different forms of management in our set up. DESIGN: A case series. SETTING: Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro/Hyderabad - Sindh from January 2002 to December 2004. METHOD: The data of 45 consecutive patients admitted with acute pancreatitis was collected through a proforma and assessed with reference to aetiological factors, clinical presentation and management in each case. RESULTS: Majority (60%) of the patients belonged to 30-40 years of age. Thirty-six (80%) patients presented in emergency. The most common aetiological factor for acute pancreatitis was gallstones and the pain, nausea and vomiting were the main symptoms. Serum amylase (>3 x normal) was seen in 36(80%) patients. Prediction of severity was identified through Ranson score. It was 50% cases. CONCLUSION: Acute pancreatitis in our set up shows a lower frequency of this disease when compared to the world literature. However, when compared with aetiology and presentation, the pattern remains the same. Meanwhile, due to adoptation of Western way of life, the incidence seems to be increasing. Due to patientâ€™s delayed arrival, the diagnosis depending upon the level of serum amylase seems to be misleading.
THE INTERACTION OF DAUNOMYCIN WITH DNA'S OF VARYING COMPOSITION

Daunomycin, an anthracycline glycoside antibiotic, has cytotoxic and antimitotic activities (Di Marc0 et a1 1965), and inhibits both enzymatic RNA and DNA synthesis by binding to DNA thus interfering with the DNA template function (Calendi et a1 1965). In analogy with the hypothesis of Lerman et a1 (1964) for acridine dyes, it has been suggested that intercalation of daunomycin between adjacent base pairs on the DNA is responsible for the drug action (Di Marco 1967, Waring 1970). The interaction of daunomycin with DNA has been demonstrated by several methods including ultra-violet and visible absorption spectrophotometry. In the visible region daunomycin shows a peak absorbance at 475 nm. On addition of DNA the absorbance is reduced in proportion to the ONA concentration and no further variations appear after a PNA to daunomycin ratio of about 8 . 7 to 1 is reached (Calendi et a1 1965). Zunino et a1 (1972) defined two classes of binding site one being the 'strongly' bound antibiotic molecules intercalated on the DNA double helix, and the other 'weakly' bound molecules probably attached by means of electrostatic interaction involving the phosphate groups and the daunomycin amino group. structure of DNA was a necessary condition for the strong binding process. This communication reports the use of visible absorption spectrophotometry to follow the interaction of daunomycin and DNA at different temperatures, and by means of Scatchard plots (Scatchard 1949) to calculate apparent association constants f o r the strong binding process.
Effectiveness of Working Time Restriction in the Treatment of Procrastination

Summary Background: Pathological delay (procrastination) is a clinically relevant disorder of self-control, which is particularly well known in counselling services and psychotherapeutic outpatient clinics serving universities. Nevertheless, systematically evaluated interventions are lacking so far. In this study we investigated the effectiveness of the method of working time restriction in the treatment of procrastination. Patients and Methods: The participants were 116 students who had asked for help in our psychotherapeutic outpatient clinic because they suffered from procrastination. The method of working time restriction is based on the idea to make working time more precious by restricting it. Participants are allowed to work only within specific ‘time windows’, which also helps to distinguish between working time and leisure time. Only if a predefined percentage of the planned working time is used efficiently, the participants are allowed additional working time. Dependent variables were self-reports of state and trait procrastination, planning, time management and the arrangement of the working environment, and daily on-line reported working behavior (‘Munsteraner Arbeitstagebuch’). Questionnaire reports were collected 4 times throughout the training. Results: Significant improvements were found on all measures. State procrastination (Academic Procrastination State Inventory (APSI)) improved with an effect size of 2.24 and trait procrastination (Aitken Procrastination Scale (APS)) with an effect size of 1.30. Conclusion:The method of working time restriction is a promising approach to treat procrastination.
Growth, Carbon Assimilation and Quality of Kesum (Persicaria minor) as Exposed to Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

Aims: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles towards the Persicaria minor that can be used as a guidance for further toxicity investigation of ZnO-NPs. Study Design: A Completely Randomized Block Design (RCBD) was used with three replication. Each unit was consisted with eight plants and the total of 96 plants were used in this study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in plot 1, Vegetables Field plot for Teaching and Research, Taman Pertanian Universiti, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Selangor, Malaysia, from May 2018 until August 2018. Methodology: Persicaria minor were exposed to four different concentration of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) which were (50,100 and 150 mg/L) and 0 mg/L as a control. The ZnO-NPs was dissolved in distilled water before being applied to plants. 40 mL of ZnO-NPs solution was applied to each plant. The growth, carbon assimilation and also secondary metabolites were measured in this experiment. Results: The results showed that the treatment of zinc oxide nanoparticles enhanced growth of the Persicaria minor as the plant treated with zinc oxide nanoparticles had higher plant height and total biomass when compared to control treatment. However, the analysis revealed that the treatment of zinc oxide nanoparticles highly and significantly influenced the carbon assimilation and quality of this plant as the treated plants showed reduction in chlorophyll content, photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate but increased in production of secondary metabolites. The increased in production of plant secondary metabolites may be attributed by the plant protection mechanism due to metabolic stress caused by high concentration of zinc oxide nanoparticles. Conclusion: This research will progressively help in contributing some reliable and valid data on the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), towards the Persicaria minor that can be used as guidance for further experimental investigation regarding this field.
Protein kinase STK25 regulates hepatic lipid partitioning and progression of liver steatosis and NASH

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of liver disease, and 10% to 20% of NAFLD patients progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The molecular pathways controlling progression to NAFLD/NASH remain poorly understood. We recently identified serine/threonine protein kinase 25 (STK25) as a regulator of whole‐body insulin and glucose homeostasis. This study investigates the role of STK25 in liver lipid accumulation and NASH. Stk25 transgenic mice challenged with a high‐fat diet displayed a dramatic increase in liver steatosis and hepatic insulin resistance compared to wild‐type siblings. Focal fibrosis, hepatocellular damage, and inflammation were readily seen in transgenic but not wild‐type livers. Transgenic livers displayed reduced β‐oxidation and triacylglycerol secretion, while lipid uptake and synthesis remained unchanged. STK25 was associated with lipid droplets, colocalizing with the main hepatic lipid droplet‐coating protein adipose differentiation‐related protein, the level of which was increased 3.8 ± 0.7‐fold in transgenic livers (P < 0.01), while a key hepatic lipase, adipose triacylglycerol lipase, was translocated from the lipid droplets surface to the cytoplasm, providing the likely mechanism underlying the effect of STK25. In summary, STK25 is a lipid droplet‐associated protein that promotes NAFLD through control of lipid release from the droplets for β‐oxidation and triacylglycerol secretion. STK25 also drives pathogenesis of NASH. —Amrutkar, M. , Cansby, E. , Nuñez‐Durán, E. , Pirazzi, C. , Ståhlman, M. , Stenfeldt, E. , Smith, U. , Borén, J., Mahlapuu, M. Protein kinase STK25 regulates hepatic lipid partitioning and progression of liver steatosis and NASH. FASEB J. 29, 1564‐1576 (2015). www.fasebj. org
The β domain is required for Vps4p oligomerization into a functionally active ATPase

Endocytic and biosynthetic trafficking pathways to the lysosome/vacuole converge at the prevacuolar endosomal compartment. During transport through this compartment, integral membrane proteins that are destined for delivery to the lysosome/vacuole lumen undergo multivesicular body (MVB) sorting into internal vesicles formed by invagination of the endosomal limiting membrane. Vps4 is an AAA family ATPase which plays a key role in MVB sorting and facilitates transport through endosomes. It possesses an N‐terminal microtubule interacting and trafficking domain required for recruitment to endosomes and an AAA domain with an ATPase catalytic site. The recently solved 3D structure revealed a β domain, which protrudes from the AAA domain, and a final C‐terminal α‐helix. However, the in vivo roles of these domains are not known. In this study, we have identified motifs in these domains that are highly conserved between yeast and human Vps4. We have mutated these motifs and studied the effect on yeast Vps4p function in vivo and in vitro. We show that the β domain of the budding yeast Vps4p is not required for recruitment to endosomes, but is essential for all Vps4p endocytic functions in vivo. We also show that the β domain is required for Vps4p homotypic interaction and for full ATPase activity. In addition, it is required for interaction with Vta1p, which works in concert with Vps4p in vivo. Our studies suggest that assembly of a Vps4p oligomeric complex with full ATPase activity that interacts with Vta1p is essential for normal endosome function.
Survey of Credit Risk Models in Relation to Capital Adequacy Framework for Financial Institutions

This article (i) iterates what is meant by credit risks and the mathematical/statistical modelling thereof, (ii) elaborates the conceptual and technical links between credit risk modelling and capital adequacy framework for financial institutions, particularly as per the New Capital Accord (Basel II)’s Internal Ratings-Based (IRB) approach, (iii) proffer a simple and intuitive taxonomy on contemporary credit risk modelling methodologies, and (iv) discuses in some details a number of key models pertinent, in various stages of development, to various application areas in the banking and financial sector.
An incremental zoom sturdy MASH ADC

This paper introduces a speed-enhanced incremental ADC architecture for high-resolution low-power sensor applications, incorporating a third-order sturdy MASH modulator. Unlike previous sturdy MASH ADCs, owing to the properly modified loop filters in the 2-1 sturdy MASH, the quantization noise of the first noise-shaping loop could be cancelled out. The proposed ADC with a 4b coarse SAR ADC and a 2-1 sturdy MASH modulator is designed for a 0.35um CMOS process. Simulation result achieved an 18b resolution in conversion time of 606 us, consuming 161 uA current under a 3.3 V supply.
ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF INTEREST RATES ON AUTOMOBILE DEMAND

The popularity of interest rate incentive programs as a means of boosting new car sales has been puzzling to many industry analysts. In this paper, an econometric analysis is undertaken to determine how consumers value interest rates in their new car choice decisions. The findings suggest that consumers tend to overvalue interest rates relative to their true worth, thus explaining the surprising success of interest rate incentive programs. Moreover, estimation results indicate that domestic manufacturers can reap greater benefits from interest rate overvaluation than can their Japanese competitors.
Thesis Supervisors as Literacy Brokers in Brazil

In Brazil, as in much of the academic world, there is an increasing acknowledgement among scholars that their chances of having their research noticed by a geographically diverse scientific community increase when that research is communicated in English. At the same time, much like the majority of the world, the first language of Brazil is not English, which raises one question that heretofore has not been addressed in the context of that country: How do Brazilian scholars write their research articles in English? That question drove the initial phase of the exploratory study described in the present paper, and it is one that also led the authors to discover that one key agent in the publishing process in Brazilian academia is the dissertation/thesis supervisor. Questionnaire and interview data collected from students and supervisors at a Brazilian university suggest that student and lecturer alike see the need and value of specialized writing guidance, yet neither party seems to ascribe the role of “literacy broker” (a person who contributes to the development of a text intended for publication) to the thesis supervisor in any specific way. Pedagogical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
A PSO Approach in Optimal FACTS Selection with Harmonic Distortion Considerations

Static Var Compensator (SVC) has been commonly used to provide reactive power compensation in distribution systems [1]. The SVC placement problem is a well-researched topic. Earlier approaches differ in problem formulation and the solution methods. In some approaches, the objective function is considered as an unconstrained maximization of savings due to energy loss reduction and peak power loss reduction against the SVC cost. Others formulated the problem with some variations of the above objective function. Some have also formulated the problem as constrained optimization and included voltage constraints into consideration.
Efficient Non‐linear Optimization via Multi‐scale Gradient Filtering

We present a method for accelerating the convergence of continuous non‐linear shape optimization algorithms. We start with a general method for constructing gradient vector fields on a manifold, and we analyse this method from a signal processing viewpoint. This analysis reveals that we can construct various filters using the Laplace–Beltrami operator of the shape that can effectively separate the components of the gradient at different scales. We use this idea to adaptively change the scale of features being optimized to arrive at a solution that is optimal across multiple scales. This is in contrast to traditional descent‐based methods, for which the rate of convergence often stalls early once the high frequency components have been optimized. We demonstrate how our method can be easily integrated into existing non‐linear optimization frameworks such as gradient descent, Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno (BFGS) and the non‐linear conjugate gradient method. We show significant performance improvement for shape optimization in variational shape modelling and parameterization, and we also demonstrate the use of our method for efficient physical simulation.
Software-Defined heterogeneous vehicular networks: Taxonomy and architecture

Heterogeneous vehicular networks (HetVNets) are a promising approach to meet the various communication requirements of vehicular networks' services using a variety of available access networks. However, due to their inherited characteristics, HetVNets are rigid, difficult to manage and suffer from a lack of programmability, flexibility, and scalability. In this paper, we first highlight the limits of current HetVNet architectures and show what the emerging software-defined networking (SDN) paradigm can bring to overcome these limitations with a focus on some use cases. We also provide a taxonomy of existing software-defined heterogeneous vehicular networks architectures and discuss their limits. Based on that, we continue by proposing a new SDN-based architecture for HetVNet. It is a cluster-based architecture with a semi-centralized hierarchical control and an efficient fall back recovery mechanism, that functions in both infrastructure-less and infrastructure-based covered vehicular scenarios. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility and the efficiency of the proposed architecture compared to the related SDN-based HetVNet architectures through simulation results.
Inconsistency in Savings Pattern

Traditionally, the difference between income and expenditure reported in household surveys is used for estimation of savings at the household level. However, persistent deviation in consumption–income ratios by household income brackets raises questions about both the quality of data and the estimation method employed. This paper provides statistical evidence to accentuate the endogeneity bias, which is connected with the choice of welfare proxy for ranking process, in savings estimates by income groups. Also, two different estimators for households spending behaviour are discussed and the statistical properties of their difference are derived by the delta method.
Portfolio management with higher moments: the cardinality impact

In this paper we extend the study of the cardinality impact from the standard mean-variance scenario to higher moments, considering a utility maximization framework. For each scenario, we propose a bi-objective model that allows the investor to directly analyse the efficient trade-off between expected utility and cardinality. We study not only the effect of cardinality in each scenario but also the real gain of considering higher moments in portfolio management. This analysis is performed assuming that the investor has constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) preferences. For the data collected on the PSI20 index, the empirical results showed that there are no performance gains, in-sample, from the efficient mean-variance expected utility/cardinality portfolios to the efficient expected utility/cardinality portfolios when higher moments are considered. However, the out-of-sample performance of the efficient mean-variance-skewness expected utility/cardinality portfolios and of the efficient mean-variance-skewness-kurtosis expected utility/cardinality portfolios suggest the existence of real gains, especially when transaction costs are considered.
Bioelectricity production from fermentable household waste in a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell

In this study, the use of a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell for the production of bioelectricity from a food residue biomass (FORBI) product was investigated. Food residue biomass was produced by drying and shredding the pre-sorted fermentable fraction of household food waste collected door-to-door in the Municipality of Halandri, Athens, Greece. Different organic loads of food residue biomass expressed as chemical oxygen demand (COD) were examined (0.7, 0.9, 1.4, 2.8, 6 and 14 g COD L−1, respectively). It was observed that an increase of the initial concentration of the final extract resulted in a corresponding increase in the operating time. The microbial fuel cell potential increased from 33.3 mV to 46 mV as the concentration was increased from 0.7 to 14 g COD L−1. The best performance in terms of maximum power density (29.6 mW m−2) corresponding to a current density of 88 mA m−2 was observed for 6 g COD L−1. Setting the external resistance at its optimal value (Rext = 2 kΩ) as determined by polarisation experiments, Pyield drastically increased to 13.7 and 17.3 Joule (g FORBI)−1 in two consecutive cycles. The results demonstrate that readily biodegradable substrates, such as food residue biomass, can be effectively used for enhanced bioelectricity harvesting in a microbial fuel cell.
Effectiveness-implementation Hybrid Designs: Combining Elements of Clinical Effectiveness and Implementation Research to Enhance Public Health Impact

Objectives:This study proposes methods for blending design components of clinical effectiveness and implementation research. Such blending can provide benefits over pursuing these lines of research independently; for example, more rapid translational gains, more effective implementation strategies, and more useful information for decision makers. This study proposes a “hybrid effectiveness-implementation” typology, describes a rationale for their use, outlines the design decisions that must be faced, and provides several real-world examples. Results:An effectiveness-implementation hybrid design is one that takes a dual focus a priori in assessing clinical effectiveness and implementation. We propose 3 hybrid types: (1) testing effects of a clinical intervention on relevant outcomes while observing and gathering information on implementation; (2) dual testing of clinical and implementation interventions/strategies; and (3) testing of an implementation strategy while observing and gathering information on the clinical intervention’s impact on relevant outcomes. Conclusions:The hybrid typology proposed herein must be considered a construct still in evolution. Although traditional clinical effectiveness and implementation trials are likely to remain the most common approach to moving a clinical intervention through from efficacy research to public health impact, judicious use of the proposed hybrid designs could speed the translation of research findings into routine practice.
Broadband filter based on stub-loaded ridge substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) in low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC)

A new broadband bandpass filter is proposed using stub-loaded ridge substrate integrated waveguide (SIW). The ridge SIWs loaded with and without stubs play the roles of resonators and inductive coupling structures, respectively. Since the cutoff frequency of ridge SIW is designed within the passband, both its propagating and evanescent modes are utilized to provide a strong coupling over the whole passband. The proposed filter has a multilayer configuration and can be fabricated with a standard low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) technology. In order to validate our design, a LTCC filter prototype is developed with a central frequency of 19 GHz and a fractional bandwidth of 40%. It has a compact volume of 6.89×2.85×0.79 mm3 and a low measured in-band insertion loss of 1.2 dB. The good performance of our proposed SIW filter has been demonstrated by the reasonable agreement obtained between the simulated and measured S-parameters. Its potential application for system in package is expected.