Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tiagabine augmentation to fluvoxamine–risperidone combination in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Despite the recent progress in the pharmacological treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – especially with high doses of serotonin reuptake inhibitors, alone or in combination with low doses of antipsychotics – a non-negligible proportion of patients remains refractory to it. For these patients augmentation tactics with drugs from other chemical classes, including antiepileptic drugs, seems advisable. We report on the case of a female inpatient with OCD, whereby the adjunction of tiagabine, a selective GABA reuptake inhibitor at 15 mg/day, to a fluvoxamine (400 mg/day)–risperidone (1 mg/day) combination led to the patient's marked improvement as reflected in the reduction by almost 47% of her score on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. With respect to tiagabine's specifically anti-OCD mechanism of action, we note that enhanced inhibitory GABAergic neurotransmission slows down excitatory glutamatergic transmission in the cortico-striato-thalamic system, which presumably constitutes the core pathophysiological mechanism of OCD symptoms.
Converged wired and wireless services in next generation optical access networks

5G communications will require the effective transmission of new radio signals through fiber networks, in order to facilitate the proliferation of antenna sites as well as greater pooling of resources. Next generation optical access networks can provide an efficient platform for mobile x-haul. Techniques discussed in this paper shows how both wired and 5G wireless services may be converged over a single fiber infrastructure, and how optical networking can be harnessed in order to provide flexible millimeter-wave radio-over-fiber.
What I Do Matters, Too: Transformation and Success of First-Generation Adult Women in Undergraduate Education

Researchers qualitatively examined the experiences of first-generation adult women in a 4-year university, and found that participants (a) experienced enhanced academic self-efficacy through positive instructor feedback, (b) resolved the “dilemma of choice” regarding role expectations, and (c) developed a sense of responsibility for the academic status of the next generation. Background In 2005, 14.9 million students were enrolled in postsecondary education, and 31% were adult learners (NCES, 2007-182). The U.S Census Bureau (2005) reported that in 2003, 63% of all college students aged 35 and older were female. The NCES (2005) also found that while 68% of continuing generation students will complete a 4-year degree, only 28% of first-generation students will be successful. Adult, female, first-generation students run an especially high risk of attrition due to less participation (Donaldson & Graham, 1999), conflict with cultural peers (Luttrell, 1989, p. 39), or feelings of guilt about neglecting her family (Terrell, 1990). Although researchers have studied first-generation or female adult learners in vocational or community college settings, little is known about how this population succeeds at 4-year research universities. Theoretical Framework To guide this study on successful, female, first-generation adult learners in an 4-year university, the researchers utilized a conceptual framework synthesized from Tinto’s (1975) theory of undergraduate student dropout behavior and Gilligan’s (1982) model of women’s moral development. While Tinto theorized that college students must disassociate from prior communities to successfully integrate into an academic institution, Gilligan proposed that women grow developmentally by maintaining connection with others. Therefore, the need exists to determine how female, first-generation adult women succeed in an academic environment. Methodology Participants were eight first-generation adult women (ages 26-50) who had been successful in their undergraduate studies at a large, public research university. The authors used a basic (generic) qualitative methodology (Merriam, 1998) to identify themes. The sample was purposefully selected from female volunteers who had at least a Junior standing, were over the age of 25, and were first-generation students. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews, a brief demographic questionnaire, and participant reflective writings. Data was analyzed using open and axial coding, and constant comparative methods.
Latino small businesses in northwest Washington: Perceptions, challenges, and needs

Abstract Despite the increase of Latino small businesses, they fail at a higher rate than their mainstream counterparts. Further, researchers and practitioners show insufficient understanding of Latino small businesses, over-relying on ethnic and nationality entrepreneurship that underestimate gender, education, and socioeconomic status. A responding framework maintains that structural forces push Latino immigrants into entrepreneurship because no other income opportunities are available to them. Considering both frameworks, we surveyed 82 Latino-owned businesses and conducted three focus groups in Washington State. We learnt that most (1) want a financially stable business, (2) are interested in talking with a business advisor, (3) lack a business plan, (4) use English and Spanish for business, (5) need help with paperwork for a loan, and (6) need computer training. We found too that business satisfaction derives from the emotional rewards and sense of accomplishment business owners felt in doing good work, helping others, and having financial success.
Rising signal intensity observed in extra-axial brain tumours - a potential pitfall in perfusion MR imaging.

OBJECTIVE Dynamic perfusion magnetic resonance (MR) techniques may be used to track the susceptibility effects of gadolinium contrast material as it passes through the brain. We describe three intracranial tumours that showed progressively rising signal intensity above the baseline during first-pass contrast-enhanced echo-planar imaging (EPI) MR imaging. METHODS Multiphase acquisition using single-shot EPI was performed during rapid bolus contrast injection. Ten studies, using either spin-echo or gradient-echo EPI sequences, were carried out in eight patients with intracranial tumours. Time-signal intensity graphs and regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV) were reviewed. RESULTS In seven studies, the signal intensity within the tumour showed initial signal drop and quick recovery to baseline and increased rCBV. Three studies revealed progressively rising signal intensity. These patients were all imaged using a spin-echo EPI method and subsequent histology revealed meningioma, hemangiopericytoma and pinealblastoma. CONCLUSION Dynamic perfusion MR methods may be used to study intracranial tumours. However, in short relaxation time spin-echo EPI, the T1- effect of gadolinium becomes noticeable during the first-pass acquisition in extra-axial tumours that lack a well-developed blood-brain barrier. Careful selection of patients and pulse sequence is essential to avoid this potential pitfall.
Internal LTE/WWAN handset antenna integrated with solar cells for performance improvement

An internal LTE/WWAN handset antenna integrated with solar cells for performance improvement is presented. By simply designing an inverted-L current guiding structure to be coupled with series solar cells on the casing, the lower operating bandwidth and radiation efficiency of an internal handset antenna with a small-size connected system ground can be greatly enhanced to easily achieve multi-band operations. With this approach, the functionality of solar cells and internal antenna performance can both be increased. The constructed proposed antenna shows that two wide operating bandwidth can be generated to easily cover the LTE/WWAN 8-band operations successfully.
Modeling, Prediction, and in Vitro in Vivo Correlation of CYP3A4 Induction

CYP3A4 induction is not generally considered to be a concern for safety; however, serious therapeutic failures can occur with drugs whose exposure is lower as a result of more rapid metabolic clearance due to induction. Despite the potential therapeutic consequences of induction, little progress has been made in quantitative predictions of CYP3A4 induction-mediated drug-drug interactions (DDIs) from in vitro data. In the present study, predictive models have been developed to facilitate extrapolation of CYP3A4 induction measured in vitro to human clinical DDIs. The following parameters were incorporated into the DDI predictions: 1) EC50 and Emax of CYP3A4 induction in primary hepatocytes; 2) fractions unbound of the inducers in human plasma (fu, p) and hepatocytes (fu, hept); 3) relevant clinical in vivo concentrations of the inducers ([Ind]max, ss); and 4) fractions of the victim drugs cleared by CYP3A4 (fm, CYP3A4). The values for [Ind]max, ss and fm, CYP3A4 were obtained from clinical reports of CYP3A4 induction and inhibition, respectively. Exposure differences of the affected drugs in the presence and absence of the six individual inducers (bosentan, carbamazepine, dexamethasone, efavirenz, phenobarbital, and rifampicin) were predicted from the in vitro data and then correlated with those reported clinically (n = 103). The best correlation was observed (R2 = 0.624 and 0.578 from two hepatocyte donors) when fu, p and fu, hept were included in the predictions. Factors that could cause over- or underpredictions (potential outliers) of the DDIs were also analyzed. Collectively, these predictive models could add value to the assessment of risks associated with CYP3A4 induction-based DDIs by enabling their determination in the early stages of drug development.
Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Brain Functional Activation and Connectivity in Depression

Objective Past neuroimaging work has suggested that increased activation to cognitive and emotional tasks and decreased connectivity in frontal regions are related to cognitive inefficiency in depression; normalization of these relationships has been associated with successful treatment. The present study investigated brain function before and after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and demonstrated the effect of treatment on cortical activation patterns. Methods Six ECT-naive patients with depression (mean ± SD age, 39.0 ± 5.4 years) were treated with ECT. Within 1 week before and 1 to 3 weeks after ECT, the patients underwent a magnetic resonance imaging session with functional magnetic resonance image scanning during working memory and affective tasks and during rest. Changes in voxelwise statistical maps of brain response to each task in regions identified to be relevant from past studies of depression were compared with changes in depression severity as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Score. Changes in functional connectivity between brain regions were also compared with changes in depression severity. Results Activation during both tasks was generally found to be decreased after ECT. Remission of depression was significantly associated with reduced affective deactivation after ECT in the orbitofrontal cortex (P = 0.03). Whole-brain functional connectivity of the anterior cingulate cortex showed a consistent increase in connectivity to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex after ECT. Conclusions These results suggest that successful ECT for MDD is associated with decreased activation to cognitive and emotional tasks and an increase in resting connectivity.
Somatic mutations of cell-free circulating DNA detected by next-generation sequencing reflect the genetic changes in both germinal center B-cell-like and activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphomas at the time of diagnosis

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common form of lymphoma, accounting for 30–40% of newly diagnosed cases of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The molecular heterogeneity of DLBCL has been deciphered by gene expression profiling, and DLBCL have been divided into three main molecular subtypes
Direct load control of air conditioners in Qatar: An empirical study

Meeting peak electricity demand in Qatar has become a major priority as the consumption levels have been increasing dramatically during the last years. The primary source of customer demand is air conditioning which is a necessity during sweltering summer months. Even though, decision-makers have initiated energy efficiency measures, demand response programs which aim to reduce customer demand during peak periods, are yet to be implemented. In this paper, we present direct load control (DLC) of air conditioner (AC) units in a typical Qatari villa during summer 2017. We deployed an energy monitor, thermal and hygrometers to measure power demand and the changes in the thermal comfort. Results indicate that significant demand reductions can be achieved by curtailing AC units for 15 to 30 min at units with active occupants, while further savings are feasible if AC is cut for an hour or longer at units whose residents are on summer vacation. Such results provide critical insights in assessing demand reduction potential of Qatar and determining associated economic savings.
Data fusion‐based assessment of raw materials in mammalian cell culture

In mammalian cell culture producing therapeutic proteins, one of the important challenges is the use of several complex raw materials whose compositional variability is relatively high and their influences on cell culture is poorly understood. Under these circumstances, application of spectroscopic techniques combined with chemometrics can provide fast, simple, and non‐destructive ways to evaluate raw material quality, leading to more consistent cell culture performance. In this study, a comprehensive data fusion strategy of combining multiple spectroscopic techniques is investigated for the prediction of raw material quality in mammalian cell culture. To achieve this purpose, four different spectroscopic techniques of near‐infrared, Raman, 2D fluorescence, and X‐ray fluorescence spectra were employed for comprehensive characterization of soy hydrolysates which are commonly used as supplements in culture media. First, the different spectra were compared separately in terms of their prediction capability. Then, ensemble partial least squares (EPLS) was further employed by combining all of these spectral datasets in order to produce a more accurate estimation of raw material properties, and compared with other data fusion techniques. The results showed that data fusion models based on EPLS always exhibit best prediction accuracy among all the models including individual spectroscopic methods, demonstrating the synergetic effects of data fusion in characterizing the raw material quality. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109: 2819–2828. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fostering More Informed Epistemic Views Among Students Through Knowledge Building

Understanding students' epistemic views is critical for educators to understand how they work with ideas and knowledge. The present study explored how college students’ online collaborative inquiry activities may inform their epistemic views. A mixed-method analysis revealed that students’ online knowledge-building and inquiry activities were associated with the change of their epistemic views. When engaging in more productive group inquiry activities, a more sophisticated epistemic view conducive to continual idea improvement for knowledge advancement was more likely to develop among students.
Interactions of the Amino Acid Residue at Position 31 of the c-Ha-Ras Protein with Raf-1 and RalGDS*

The Ras and Rap1A proteins can bind to the Raf and RalGDS families. Ras and Rap1A have Glu and Lys, respectively, at position 31. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of mutating the Glu at position 31 of the c-Ha-Ras protein to Asp, Ala, Arg, and Lys on the interactions with Raf-1 and RalGDS. The Ras-binding domain (RBD) of Raf-1 binds the E31R and E31K Ras mutants less tightly than the wild-type, E31A, and E31D Ras proteins; the introduction of the positively charged Lys or Arg residue at position 31 specifically impairs the binding of Ras with the Raf-1 RBD. On the other hand, the ability of the oncogenic RasG12V protein to activate Raf-1 in HEK293 cells was only partially reduced by the E31R mutation but was drastically impaired by the E31K mutation. Correspondingly, RasG12V(E31K) as well as Rap1A, but not RasG12V(E31R), exhibited abnormally tight binding with the cysteine-rich domain of Raf-1. On the other hand, the E31A, E31R, and E31K mutations, but not the E31D mutation, enhanced the RalGDS RBD-binding activity of Ras, indicating that the negative charge at position 31 of Ras is particularly unfavorable to the interaction with the RalGDS RBD. RasG12V(E31K), RasG12V(E31A), and Rap1A stimulate the RalGDS action more efficiently than the wild-type Ras in the liposome reconstitution assay. All of these results clearly show that the sharp contrast between the characteristics of Ras and Rap1A, with respect to the interactions with Raf-1 and RalGDS, depends on their residues at position 31.
Frozen-thawed embryo transfer: influence of clinical factors on implantation rate and risk of multiple conception.

BACKGROUND Frozen embryo transfer is an important supplementary procedure in the treatment of infertility. While general information concerning the outcome of frozen embryo transfer has been documented, few studies have addressed the potential of embryo implantation in particular clinical situations. Importantly, the risk of multiple conception following frozen embryo transfer has been poorly documented compared with the information available for fresh embryo transfer. METHODS This is a retrospective study analysing 3570 frozen embryo transfer cycles (1438 couples) with a view to increasing our understanding of the clinical circumstances that influence the potential for embryo implantation. RESULTS The overall implantation rate was 9.1%. The characteristics associated with a more favourable implantation rate were the success of the previous fresh embryo transfer cycle, age < 40 years and non-tubal factor aetiology of infertility. Such women had an increased risk of multiple conception. CONCLUSION Female age, the aetiology of infertility and the outcome of fresh embryo transfer are the most important factors influencing the implantation rate following frozen embryo transfer. A prognostic table has been constructed that may assist with the determination of the optimal number of embryos to be replaced in frozen embryo transfer to provide better individualized counselling and to secure an optimal chance of pregnancy while reducing the risk of multiple conception.
Active dummy generation for homogeneity increase in a 130 nm SiGe-BiCMOS process

In this work we investigated the chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) of the shallow trench isolation of a 130nm SiGe-BiCMOS process. Different active dummy shapes, densities and distances to electrical active devices are considered. The test structures are placed in a dedicated layout to reach a wide range of active densities from 10 to 80%. The main concern of the investigation was the decrease of dishing effects in filler free structures in the surrounding of hetero-junction bipolar transistors. The width of the dummy free area was varied between 2 μm and 70 μm and an optimum was determined depending on the filler shape.
Associations Between Nutritional Parameters and Clinicopathologic Factors in Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Comprehensive Study

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to assess and analyze the nutritional status of gastric cancer (GC) patients. The analysis included 207 patients with GC treated in a large center of oncology. Patients were divided into two groups according to the cutoff value of the mean prognostic nutritional index (PNI): those with a PNI < 52.78 and those with a PNI ≥ 52.78. The higher PNI was associated with lower age and higher total protein and hemoglobin levels (P < 0.01). The total lymphocyte count (P = 0.02), albumin, total protein and PNI (P < 0.01) were significantly higher in stable-weight patients and lower in the group with weight loss > 10% (P = 0.000031). Body mass index (BMI) after disease recognition, albumin and total protein (0.003) levels, total lymphocyte count, and PNI were significantly lower in patients with nutritional risk. Significantly lower BMI before disease and BMI after disease recognition were noted in smoking patients. Significantly higher total lymphocyte count was observed in smoking patients (P < 0.01). Significantly lower PNI was noted in tumors with lymph node metastasis (N+). G3 tumors were associated with the lowest total lymphocyte count (P = 0.01). Assessment of nutritional status using PNI calculation should be the standard management of patients with GC before treatment.
Protection of chickens against highly lethal H5N1 and H7N1 avian influenza viruses with a recombinant fowlpox virus co-expressing H5 haemagglutinin and N1 neuraminidase genes

Inactivated whole avian influenza virus (AIV) vaccine provides protection against homologous haemagglutinin (HA) subtype virus, but poor protection against a heterologous HA virus. Moreover, it induces chickens to produce antibodies to cross-reactive antigens, especially nucleoprotein, which is limits AIV serological surveillance. In this study, a recombinant fowlpox virus co-expressing HA (H5 subtype) and NA (N1 subtype) genes of AIV was evaluated for its ability to protect chickens against intramuscular challenge with a lethal dose of highly pathogenic (HP) AIV. Susceptible chickens were also vaccinated by wing-web puncture with the parent fowlpox vaccine virus. Following challenge 4 weeks later with HPAIV, all chickens vaccinated with recombinant virus were protected, while the chickens vaccinated with either the unaltered parent fowlpox vaccine virus or unvaccinated controls experienced 100% mortality following challenge. This protection was accompanied by the high levels of specific antibody to the respective components of the recombinant vaccine. The above results showed that rFPV-HA-NA could be a potential vaccine to replace current inactivated vaccines for preventing AI.
Prediction of heart disease using neural network

Heart disease is a deadly disease that large population of people around the world suffers from. When considering death rates and large number of people who suffers from heart disease, it is revealed how important early diagnosis of heart disease. Traditional way of diagnosis is not sufficient for such an illness. Developing a medical diagnosis system based on machine learning for prediction of heart disease provides more accurate diagnosis than traditional way. In this paper, a heart disease prediction system which uses artificial neural network backpropagation algorithm is proposed. 13 clinical features were used as input for the neural network and then the neural network was trained with backpropagation algorithm to predict absence or presence of heart disease with accuracy of 95%.