Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical and pathological characteristics of primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in adult

Background and objective: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis shares overlapping patterns of injury with segmental consolidation and obliteration of glomerular architecture by the accumulation of collagenous extracellular matrix or by increased cellularity or both. This study aimed to investigate the patterns of primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in adults in Erbil. The specific objectives of this study included determining the frequency of histological variant of Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, defining the clinical characteristics of the primary type in general and recognizing the clinical and pathological characteristics for each variant separately. Methods: A cross-sectional, clinico-pathologic study was conducted for 50 patients attending the Nephrology Department in Erbil Teaching Hospital between March and December 2013. This study included patients of >16 years old with biopsy-proven idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Results: A total of 50 patients were enrolled into this study. The median age of patients was 33 years, ranged from 18 to 54, 31 (62%) males and 19 (38%) females. The frequency of histopathological variants was 80% not otherwise specific focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, 14% glomerular tip lesion, and 6% cellular type. Nephrotic syndrome and hypertension were the main presenting features (92% and 68%, respectively). The mean percentage of sclerosed glomeruli was 40% and the mean interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy was 24%. Conclusion: A not otherwise specific variant is a common morphological lesion in many glomerular and non-glomerular diseases, and it is just like a junk drawer of multiple glomerular alterations with this common pattern of the lesion.
Gender Bias in Haemato-Biochemical and Oxidative Stress Indices in Karakul Sheep

Twelve apparently healthy 3–4 year old animals from cold arid deserts of Ladakh region, with equal representation of male and female were bled in the jugular vein after observing strict aseptic measures. Three samples from each animal were collected at an interval of 15 days and values averaged. Normal physiological levels of haemato-biochemical parameters and oxidative stress markers were recorded. Many of the hematological parameters did differ between sexes. Total erythrocyte count, total leukocyte count and haemoglobin was significantly (P < 0.05) higher (10.32 × 106, 9.03 × 103 and 11.25 g/dl) in males as compared to females (9.04 × 106, 7.75 × 103 and 10.10 g/dl) respectively. Similarly plasma albumin (3.53 g/dl) and creatinine (1.28 mg/dl) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher and cholesterol (77.66 mg/dl) significantly (P < 0.01) lower in males as compared to females (3.23 g/dl, 1.03 mg/dl and 113.83 mg/dl) respectively. Antioxidant power determined by FRAP did not reveal any significant difference between sexes, however, TBARS differed significantly (P < 0.01) between the sexes with higher value (3.84 ± 0.15 nM/L) in males than females (2.88 ± 0.22 nM/L). Various other plasma analytes including liver enzymes did not vary significantly between the sexes. Present study recognized the course of various blood constituents between the sexes of Karakul sheep which was not available in literature and thus can prove potentially valuable diagnostic tool in the health care and clinical interpretation of laboratory data in these animals.
Higher susceptibility to osmolality of the medaka (Oryzias latipes) mutants in orthologue genes of mammalian skin transglutaminases

Abstract Transglutaminase (TG) is an essential enzyme to catalyze cross-linking reactions of epidermal proteins. Recently, we biochemically characterized human skin TG orthologues for medaka (Oryzias latipes), a model fish. By genome editing, gene-modified fishes for the two orthologues were obtained, both of which lack the ordinal enzymes. These fish appeared to exhibit higher susceptibility to osmolality at the period of larvae.
Perceptions of Partner's Deception in Friends With Benefits Relationships

Friends-with-benefits relationships combine elements of friendship with sexual intimacy. Using hierarchical regression, the authors examined perceived deception in 310 relationships. In comparison with men, women reported greater deception by their friends-with-benefits partner. Perceived deception was inversely related to awareness of relational risk factors and directly related to anxious attachment, more sexual interactions as compared with friendship interactions in the relationship, and more favorable attitudes toward ambiguous commitment. Awareness of relational risk factors moderated the association between anxious attachment and perceptions of being deceived as awareness of relational risk factors was only negatively associated with perceived deception for those with lower levels of anxious attachment. Last, gender moderated the association between perceptions of being deceived and anxious attachment in that more anxious attachment was related to perceived deception for women, but not men. In particular, anxious attachment did not predict perceptions of deception for men, but greater degrees of anxious attachment for women increased perceptions of deception. Recommendations for assisting young adults to navigate this relational style are offered.
Characterization and modeling of the strain-rate, temperature and pressure dependence of the deformatio nof a highly crosslinked aerospace grade epoxy resin

The non-linear behavior of the RTM6 aerospace grade epoxy resin is characterized and modeled by addressing the effects of strain-rate, temperature and hydrostatic pressure. The elastic-plastic constitutive model is based on a simple pressure dependent modified Von Mises yield criterion. A hardening function incorporating pre-upper yield non-linearity, softening and re-hardening is developed. Strain-rate and temperature dependences of the true stress-strain curve are introduced via the coefficients of the hardening function. The constitutive model is selected in order to be directly applicable with the standard distribution of the general purpose finite element software Abaqus, without the need for coding a user defined material subroutine. The introduction of the identified model in the current engineering practice is thus straightforward and will facilitate the use of the identified mechanical behavior of RTM6 in numerical multi-scale analyses of composites.
Nanoscale Roughness and Morphology Affect the IsoElectric Point of Titania Surfaces

We report on the systematic investigation of the role of surface nanoscale roughness and morphology on the charging behaviour of nanostructured titania (TiO2) surfaces in aqueous solutions. IsoElectric Points (IEPs) of surfaces have been characterized by direct measurement of the electrostatic double layer interactions between titania surfaces and the micrometer-sized spherical silica probe of an atomic force microscope in NaCl aqueous electrolyte. The use of a colloidal probe provides well-defined interaction geometry and allows effectively probing the overall effect of nanoscale morphology. By using supersonic cluster beam deposition to fabricate nanostructured titania films, we achieved a quantitative control over the surface morphological parameters. We performed a systematical exploration of the electrical double layer properties in different interaction regimes characterized by different ratios of characteristic nanometric lengths of the system: the surface rms roughness Rq, the correlation length ξ and the Debye length λD. We observed a remarkable reduction by several pH units of IEP on rough nanostructured surfaces, with respect to flat crystalline rutile TiO2. In order to explain the observed behavior of IEP, we consider the roughness-induced self-overlap of the electrical double layers as a potential source of deviation from the trend expected for flat surfaces.
Weather-Related Mortality: How Heat, Cold, and Heat Waves Affect Mortality in the United States

Background: Many studies have linked weather to mortality; however, role of such critical factors as regional variation, susceptible populations, and acclimatization remain unresolved. Methods: We applied time-series models to 107 US communities allowing a nonlinear relationship between temperature and mortality by using a 14-year dataset. Second-stage analysis was used to relate cold, heat, and heat wave effect estimates to community-specific variables. We considered exposure timeframe, susceptibility, age, cause of death, and confounding from pollutants. Heat waves were modeled with varying intensity and duration. Results: Heat-related mortality was most associated with a shorter lag (average of same day and previous day), with an overall increase of 3.0% (95% posterior interval: 2.4%–3.6%) in mortality risk comparing the 99th and 90th percentile temperatures for the community. Cold-related mortality was most associated with a longer lag (average of current day up to 25 days previous), with a 4.2% (3.2%–5.3%) increase in risk comparing the first and 10th percentile temperatures for the community. Mortality risk increased with the intensity or duration of heat waves. Spatial heterogeneity in effects indicates that weather–mortality relationships from 1 community may not be applicable in another. Larger spatial heterogeneity for absolute temperature estimates (comparing risk at specific temperatures) than for relative temperature estimates (comparing risk at community-specific temperature percentiles) provides evidence for acclimatization. We identified susceptibility based on age, socioeconomic conditions, urbanicity, and central air conditioning. Conclusions: Acclimatization, individual susceptibility, and community characteristics all affect heat-related effects on mortality.
Single-minded unlimited supply pricing on sparse instances

We deal with the problem of finding profit-maximizing prices for a finite number of distinct goods, assuming that of each good an unlimited number of copies is available, or that goods can be reproduced at no cost (e.g., digital goods). Consumers specify subsets of the goods and the maximum prices they are willing to pay. In the considered single-minded case every consumer is interested in precisely one such subset. If the goods are the edges of a graph and consumers are requesting to purchase paths in this graph, then we can think of the problem as pricing computer network connections or transportation links.We start by showing weak NP-hardness of the very restricted case in which the requested subsets are nested, i.e., contained inside each other or non-intersecting, thereby resolving the previously open question whether the problem remains NP-hard when the underlying graph is simply a line. Using a reduction inspired by this result we present an approximation preserving reduction that proves APX-hardness even for very sparse instances defined on general graphs, where the number of requests per edge is bounded by a constant B and no path is longer than some constant l. On the algorithmic side we first present an O(log l + log B)-approximation algorithm that (almost) matches the previously best known approximation guarantee in the general case, but is especially well suited for sparse problem instances. Using a new upper bounding technique we then give an O(l2)-approximation, which is the first algorithm for the general problem with an approximation ratio that does not depend on B.
Sentence Recognition Prediction for Hearing-impaired Listeners in Stationary and Fluctuation Noise With FADE

To characterize the individual patient’s hearing impairment as obtained with the matrix sentence recognition test, a simulation Framework for Auditory Discrimination Experiments (FADE) is extended here using the Attenuation and Distortion (A+D) approach by Plomp as a blueprint for setting the individual processing parameters. FADE has been shown to predict the outcome of both speech recognition tests and psychoacoustic experiments based on simulations using an automatic speech recognition system requiring only few assumptions. It builds on the closed-set matrix sentence recognition test which is advantageous for testing individual speech recognition in a way comparable across languages. Individual predictions of speech recognition thresholds in stationary and in fluctuating noise were derived using the audiogram and an estimate of the internal level uncertainty for modeling the individual Plomp curves fitted to the data with the Attenuation (A-) and Distortion (D-) parameters of the Plomp approach. The “typical” audiogram shapes from Bisgaard et al with or without a “typical” level uncertainty and the individual data were used for individual predictions. As a result, the individualization of the level uncertainty was found to be more important than the exact shape of the individual audiogram to accurately model the outcome of the German Matrix test in stationary or fluctuating noise for listeners with hearing impairment. The prediction accuracy of the individualized approach also outperforms the (modified) Speech Intelligibility Index approach which is based on the individual threshold data only.
BSA‐Mediated Synthesis of Bismuth Sulfide Nanotheranostic Agents for Tumor Multimodal Imaging and Thermoradiotherapy

Fabrication of ultrasmall single‐component omnipotent nanotheranostic agents integrated with multimodal imaging and multiple therapeutic functions becomes more and more practically relevant but challenging. In this article, sub 10 nm Bi2S3 biocompatible particles are prepared through a bovine serum albumin (BSA)‐mediated biomineralization process under ambient aqueous conditions. Owing to the ultrasmall size and colloidal stability, the resulting nanoparticles (NPs) present outstanding blood circulation behavior and excellent tumor targeting ability. Toward theranostic applications, the biosafety profile is carefully investigated. In addition, photothermal conversion is characterized for both photoacoustic imaging and photothermal treatment of cancers. Upon radiolabeling, the performance of the resulting particles for SPECT/CT imaging in vivo is also carried out. Additionally, different combinations of treatments are applied for evaluating the performance of the as‐prepared Bi2S3 NPs in photothermal‐ and radiotherapy of tumors. Due to the remarkable photothermal conversion efficiency and large X‐ray attenuation coefficient, the implanted tumors are completely eradicated through combined therapies, which highlights the potential of BSA‐capped Bi2S3 NPs as a novel multifunctional nanotheranostic agent.
Preparation and Evaluation of Ofloxacin Sustained Released Gastro Retentive Floating Microspheres

Floating microspheres of Ofloxacin were prepared by emulsion cross linking method in which form two phase solution. A total of six formulations were prepared i.e. F1, F2, F3, F4, F5 and F6. Microsphere were evaluated for various rheological properties like bulk density, tapped density, Hausner’s ratio, angle of repose, shows satisfactory results. The prepared microsphere were then evaluated for various physical tests like particle size, drug content, drug entrapment efficiency, swelling index and buoyancy test by using standard procedures. The particle size of all the formulations was ranged between 158.6±0.62 and 205.1±0.42 μm. The drug content and entrapment efficiency was ranged between 18.4±0.48 to 31.1±1.02% and 53.0±1.48 to 76.6±0.94%, respectively. The swelling index and buoyancy were ranged from 79.9±1.42 to 110.6±1.37 and 94.2±0.29 to 121.9±0.19, respectively. The prepared microspheres exhibited good spherical geometry with smooth surface as evidence by scanning electron microscopy. The in vitro release studies exhibited that F3 displayed better sustained effect over a period of 16 hours.
Predicting Wood Decay and Density Using Nir Spectroscopy

Variable wood chip density and extent of decay can significantly affect pulp yield and quality. Rapid methods are needed to quantify and eventually control these variables. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a rapid technique that may be suitable for measuring these variables. In the present research, NIR spectroscopy was used to develop partial least squares (PLS) models capable of estimating basic wood density and extent of decay in wood. These methods offer a rapid means of determining wood density and extent of decay, and can be applied to routine lab analyses as well as online measurements for process control applications.
SUDDEN DROP PHENOMENA IN NATURAL FREQUENCIES of PARTIALLY- STIFFENED, STEPPED-THICKNESS, COMPOSITE PLATES or PANELS

The partially-stiffened, stepped-thickness, composite plates or panels are analyzed in terms of their free, Ilexural vibrations. The orthotropic base plate is reinforced by a dissimilar, orthotropic plate of shorter length. The two plates are joined by a thin, yet deformable adhesive layer. The dynamic equations of the composite plate system are derived according to the “Mindlin Plate Theory”. The governing system of the coupled partial differential equations of the plates are reduced to a set of first order differential equations by eliminating the time variable and one of the space variables. The resulting system of ordinary differential equations are integrated by the “Modified Version of the Transfer Matrix Method’. The effect of the “hard’ and the “soft” adhesive layer on the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the plate or panel system are imcstigatcd. It was also shown that the natural frequencies of the system gradually increase at first for the increasing values of the “Bending Cross Stiffness Ratio” of the lower base plate and the upper short plate Then, for certain values of the “Ratio”, they espcrience a sudden drop and again start to go up although slowly, regardless of the boundary conditions. This unusual “Sudden Drop Phenomena” is explained in detail and some important conclusions are drawn.
WHICH METHODOLOGY IS BETTER FOR COMBINING LINEAR AND NONLINEAR MODELS FOR TIME SERIES FORECASTING

Both theoretical and empirical findings have suggested that combining different models can be an effective way to improve the predictive performance of each individual model. It is especially occurred when the models in the ensemble are quite different. Hybrid techniques that decompose a time series into its linear and nonlinear components are one of the most important kinds of the hybrid models for time series forecasting. Several researches in the literature have been shown that these models can outperform single models. In this paper, the predictive capabilities of three different models in which the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) as linear model is combined to the multilayer perceptron (MLP) as nonlinear model, are compared together for time series forecasting. These models are including the Zhang’s hybrid ANNs/ARIMA, artificial neural network (p,d,q), and generalized hybrid ANNs/ARIMA models. The empirical results with three well-known real data sets indicate that all of these methodologies can be effective ways to improve forecasting accuracy achieved by either of components used separately. However, the generalized hybrid ANNs/ARIMA model is more accurate and performs significantly better than other aforementioned models.
Facilitated sequence assembly using densely labeled optical DNA barcodes: A combinatorial auction approach

The output from whole genome sequencing is a set of contigs, i.e. short non-overlapping DNA sequences (sizes 1-100 kilobasepairs). Piecing the contigs together is an especially difficult task for previously unsequenced DNA, and may not be feasible due to factors such as the lack of sufficient coverage or larger repetitive regions which generate gaps in the final sequence. Here we propose a new method for scaffolding such contigs. The proposed method uses densely labeled optical DNA barcodes from competitive binding experiments as scaffolds. On these scaffolds we position theoretical barcodes which are calculated from the contig sequences. This allows us to construct longer DNA sequences from the contig sequences. This proof-of-principle study extends previous studies which use sparsely labeled DNA barcodes for scaffolding purposes. Our method applies a probabilistic approach that allows us to discard “foreign” contigs from mixed samples with contigs from different types of DNA. We satisfy the contig non-overlap constraint by formulating the contig placement challenge as a combinatorial auction problem. Our exact algorithm for solving this problem reduces computational costs compared to previous methods in the combinatorial auction field. We demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed scaffolding method both for synthetic contigs and for contigs obtained using Illumina sequencing for a mixed sample with plasmid and chromosomal DNA.
Occlusion of INTERFERON® and COPAXONE® on SBA-15 Silica Reservoirs for their Use in the Treatment of Demyelization Diseases

Occlusion of INTERFERON® and COPAXONE® on SBA-15 Silica Reservoirs for their Use in the Treatment of Demyelization Diseases Interferon® and Copaxone®, two commercial drugs used to treat the demyelization diseases like multiple sclerosis, were adsorbed on nanostructured SBA-15 reservoir. SBA-15 is ordered mesoporous silica normally used as catalytic adsorbent powder, but in this work we occluded the drug in the solid from separate solutions of each drug and then released them in a controlled way. The resultant SBA15-Copaxone and SBA15-Interferone were characterized by means of Infrared spectroscopy, Electron Microscopy, N2 adsorptiondesorption, Thermal-gravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction techniques. Also, an “in vitro” drug release test was performed using an aqueous medium, the released drug was monitored by Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy. The resultant X-ray diffraction patterns and electron micrographs showed the characteristic ordered structures of mesoporous silica nanomaterials. The calculated surface area, pore diameter and pore volume values for the silica containing the drugs decreased approximately a 50% compared to SBA-15 reference values. These observations suggest that the drug molecules occupied the empty spaces inside and on the surface of the samples. The drug release profiles showed two stages, beginning with fast medicament liberation during the first hours, followed by a slow drug release until the end of the test.
REINFORCEMENT OF CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES OBTAINED BY AN IONIC CROSS-LINKING PROCESS

he reduction in burst release of a new drug nanocarrier system was achieved by ionic gelation of nanoparticles made of chitosan and tripolyphosphate. Capability of calcium alginate for reinforcement of the chitosan-tripolyphosphate nanoparticle matrix was studied. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was loaded into nanoparticles as a model drug. The final particle size, polydispersity index, entrapment efficiency and the release rate of BSA were optimized in relation to variations in parameters such as sodium alginate concentration, theoretical loading of BSA and degree of deacetylation of chitosan. It was found that increases in sodium alginate concentration resulted in smaller particle size, higher polydispersity index, lower entrapment efficiency and lower release rate of BSA. The same parametric changes were observed for the theoretical loading of BSA, with the exception of drug release which was followed by higher rate. Nanoparticles of chitosan-tripolyphosphate with a high degree of deacetylation led to production of smaller particle size, higher polydispersity index and entrapment efficiency, and a faster drug-release profile. The experimental data of this study revealed that burst release decreased significantly in reinforced chitosan-tripolyphosphate nanoparticles.