Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Helicobacter Activities of Eryngium foetidum (Apiaceae), Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae), and Galinsoga ciliata (Asteraceae) against Helicobacter pylori

This study was performed to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of extracts of Bidens pilosa, Galinsoga ciliata, and Eryngium foetidum against 6 clinical strains of Helicobacter pylori in vitro and in vivo. Broth microdilution method was used in vitro. In vivo, Swiss mice were inoculated with H. pylori and divided into 5 groups; the control group received the vehicle and the four others received 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg of methanol extract of Eryngium foetidum and ciprofloxacin (500 mg/kg) for 7 days, respectively. Helicobacter pylori colonization and number of colonies in gastric biopsies culture were assessed on days 1 and 7 after treatment. The lowest MIC value (64 μg/mL) and the best spectrum of bactericidal effect (MBC/MIC = 1) were obtained with the methanol extract of Eryngium foetidum. The number of H. pylori infected animals was 17% (plant-extract) and 0% (ciprofloxacin) compared to 100% for the infected untreated group. Plant-extract (381.9 ± 239.5 CFU) and ciprofloxacin (248 ± 153.2 CFU) significantly reduced bacterial load in gastric mucosa compared to untreated, inoculated mice (14350 ± 690 CFU). Conclusion. The present data provided evidence that methanol extract of Eryngium foetidum could be a rich source of metabolites with antimicrobial activity to fight Helicobacter pylori infections.
Probabilistic power analysis technique for low power VLSI circuits

Here the author reviewed the previous works in literature for low power at gate level logic transformation in synthesis process. I applied the probabilistic power analysis technique with an example f = b(a+c) and same is proved using MATLAB 7.10. 0 (R2010a). I showed the advantage of Binary Decision Diagram (BDD) for computing the probability of given Boolean function. The effect of technology mapping is reviewed with an example f = ab + cd using the cost metric of minimum area and minimum power mapping. The area mapped circuit has less area than the power mapped circuit but it has 22% higher switched capacitance as reported in literature. I observed that the area mapped circuit has ≈ 28 % less area and power cost has also been reduced three times of power mapped circuit for the same circuit with probability P (a, b, c = 1) = 0.5. The reason for this effective change is the transition probability (Pt). I found that in minimum area mapping the lower transition probability (Pt = 0.058) point is driven by AOI22 library having high intrinsic and load capacitance while in minimum power mapping case the lower transition probability point is driven by a much lower capacitance of G3, a NAND2 gate. Beside that internal switching capacitance of G1 and G2 is included to make the power cost so high. I also showed that a tree structure consume more power than a chain structure with an example f = abcd, the same is used to show the effect of pin ordering on transition probabilities that directly affect the dynamic power.
Obtaining better software product by using test first programming technique

Test driven development (TDD) is one of the basic practices of agile software development and wasproposed by Kent Beck. The developers produce automated unit tests first, even before writing the production code. Today software organizations face a lot of competition among themselves, and everyone wants to satisfy customers. Producing good quality software in time, within budget and fulfilling customer's requirements is a big challenge. As software design is one of the most important phases of software development and quality of design holds the overall quality of the final software. So, there is an urgent need to improve the quality of software design process. One way to do this is to follow a different software design and development methodology using the concept of TDD. So, this paper aims to study the effects of TDD on the software design quality improvement and the various other aspects related to it.
Melatonin and female reproduction

Melatonin (N‐acetyl‐5‐methoxytryptamine) is secreted during the dark hours at night by the pineal gland. After entering the circulation, melatonin acts as an endocrine factor and a chemical messenger of light and darkness. It regulates a variety of important central and peripheral actions related to circadian rhythms and reproduction. It also affects the brain, immune, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, renal, bone and endocrine functions and acts as an oncostatic and anti‐aging molecule. Many of melatonin's actions are mediated through interactions with specific membrane‐bound receptors expressed not only in the central nervous system, but also in peripheral tissues. Melatonin also acts through non‐receptor‐mediated mechanisms, for example serving as a scavenger for reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species. At both physiological and pharmacological concentrations, melatonin attenuates and counteracts oxidative stress and regulates cellular metabolism. Growing scientific evidence of reproductive physiology supports the role of melatonin in human reproduction. This review was conducted to investigate the effects of melatonin on female reproduction and to summarize our findings in this field.
Attachment theory and paranoid cognitions: An experimental investigation

This thesis has been prepared in paper based format. The thesis focusses of the use of experimental manipulations in the investigation of paranoia and extends the use of these to an empirical investigation of the role of attachment theory in paranoia. Papers 1 and 2 have been prepared for submission to Clinical Psychology Review and Schizophrenia Bulletin respectively. Paper 1 provides a comprehensive overview of experimental paradigms that aim to induce or manipulate paranoid thinking in both clinical and analogue samples. Twenty-seven studies were identified that satisfied inclusion criteria for the review. The strengths, limitations, effectiveness of individual paradigms, as well as of the literature as a whole, are considered throughout the review and recommendations for future research are made. Theoretical and clinical implications are also discussed.Paper 2 reports an experimental analogue in which participants (N=60) were randomised to a secure attachment prime (or neutral/positive affect control) condition before being exposed to a paranoia induction paradigm. Dispositional levels of insecure attachment were associated with both trait and state paranoid thinking. Contrary to predictions, the secure attachment prime did not appear to buffer paranoid thinking. The secure attachment prime was indicated to have a negative impact for people with high levels of attachment anxiety, who experienced higher levels of paranoia following the paranoia induction. Paper 3 is a critical reflection of the submitted papers and research process as a whole. The strengths and limitations of the presented research, methodological considerations and implications for clinical practice and theory are discussed and directions for future research are highlighted.
A logic of authentication

Authentication protocols are the basis of security in many distributed systems, and it is therefore essential to ensure that these protocols function correctly. Unfortunately, their design has been extremely error prone. Most of the protocols found in the literature contain redundancies or security flaws. A simple logic has allowed us to describe the beliefs of trustworthy parties involved in authentication protocols and the evolution of these beliefs as a consequence of communication. We have been able to explain a variety of authentication protocols formally, to discover subtleties and errors in them, and to suggest improvements. In this paper we present the logic and then give the results of our analysis of four published protocols, chosen either because of their practical importance or because they serve to illustrate our method.
Measuring patients’ help-seeking decisions: results of a pilot-scale survey using a newly developed tool

Aim The aim of the study was to establish the scale and cost of ineffectively made consultations by self-referring patients across three North Wales primary care practices for ‘day-to-day’ conditions. Background Little evidence exists of the scale of ineffectively made day-to-day help-seeking by self-referral patients. Examination of this issue is compromised by the use of traditional language to describe help-seeking, which is subjective and of limited use. There is little understanding about help-seeking for day-to-day conditions. Most research on help-seeking behaviour has considered help-seeking for specific services; specific cohorts; or specific conditions, rather than help-seeking for day-to-day conditions. Method A survey of all routine consultations made at four general practices in North Wales over a one-week period was conducted. Using objective definitional parameters classifying routine consultations as either effectively or ineffectively made, we measured the scale of ineffective help-seeking. General practitioners categorised consultations as either effective or ineffective. Ineffectively made consultations were categorised as follows: potentially avoidable; made with the wrong healthcare professional; or made at the wrong time. Findings A total of 22 GPs made 1217 routine consultations for day-to-day symptoms, of which 24% were ineffectively made. Fifteen percent of consultations were potentially avoidable. Potentially avoidable consultations alone may be costing the NHS £87.85 million annually. The ineffective use of limited and scarce healthcare resources should be examined. Patient outcome may be potentially compromised directly by poor help-seeking decisions but also by ineffective use of resources.
Multi-weight enveloping: least-squares approximation techniques for skin animation

We present a process called multi-weight enveloping for deforming the skin geometry of the body of a digital creature around its skeleton. It is based on a deformation equation whose coefficients we compute using a statistical fit to an input training exercise. In this input, the skeleton and the skin move together, by arbitrary external means, through a range of motion representative of what the creature is expected to achieve in practice. The input can also come from existing pieces of handcrafted skin animation. Using a modified least-squares fitting technique, we compute the coefficients, or "weights", of the deformation equation. The result is that the equation generalizes the skin movement so that it applies well to other sequences of animation. The multi-weight deformation equation is computationally efficient to evaluate; once the training process is complete, even creatures with high levels of geometric detail can move at interactive frames rates with a look that approximates that of anatomical, physically-based models. We demonstrate the technique in a feature film production environment, on a human model whose input poses are sculpted by hand and an animal model whose input poses come from the output of an anatomically-based dynamic simulation.
Visual Motion Detection in Tethered Flying Flies

1 1 Introduction 4 1.1 The Role of Sensory Input in Maintaining Flight Stability 5 1.2 Visually Guided Behavior 6 1.3 Elementary Motion Detection 9 1.4 The Optic Lobes and their Role in Motion Computation 12 1.4. 1 Compound Eyes in Insects 14 1.4. 2 Lamina 15 1.4. 3 Medulla 18 1.4. 4 Lobula 19 1.4. 5 Lobula Plate 20 1.4. 6 H1 Cell 22 1.5 State‐Dependent Influences on Sensory Processing 24 1.5. 1 Examples from Various Modalities 24 1.5. 2 State‐Dependent Visual Processing in Insects 26 1.6 Octopamine and its Role in Insects 28 1.7 Goals and Project Outline 29 2 Materials & Methods 31 2.1 Experimental Animals 31 2.2 Preparation 32 2.2.1 Preparation for Cutting Experiments 32 2.2.2 Preparation for Experiments on CDM Application 33
From region inference to von Neumann machines via region representation inference

Region Inference is a technique for implementing programming languages that are based on typed call-by-value lambda calculus, such as Standard ML. The mathematical runtime model of region inference uses a stack of regions, each of which can contain an unbounded number of values. This paper is concerned with mapping the mathematical model onto real machines. This is done by composing region inference with Region Representation Inference, which gradually refines region information till it is directly implementable on conventional von Neumann machines. The performance of a new region-based ML compiler is compared to the performance of Standard ML of New Jersey, a state-of-the-art ML compiler.
Teaching and assessment of explanation and planning in medical schools in the United Kingdom: Cross sectional questionnaire survey

Background: The second half of the consultation (explanation and planning) has been described as neglected in communication skills teaching in medical schools, with programmes concentrating on information gathering. Aims: To identify the extent and ways in which explanation and planning is taught in medical schools in the United Kingdom. Methods: Questionnaire mailed to consultation teaching leads Results: Teaching in explanation and planning occurred in 32/32 medical schools. Teaching commenced in years 1 or 2 in 14/32 and year three onwards in 17/32 medical schools. Teaching took place over one year in 12/32, two years in 13/32, three years in 3/32 and 4 years in 2/32 medical schools. Different teaching methods were used, but most use discussion and rehearsal of skills with a simulated patient (21/32). 20/32 medical schools based their teaching on a published consultation model, with 18/20 using the Calgary Cambridge Guide to the Consultation. 31/32 medical schools examined their students in explanation and planning: formative assessment (3/31) or summative (16/31) or both (9/31). Conclusions: There is now universal teaching and almost universal assessment of the second half of the consultation in medical schools in the UK. Timing of teaching, educational methods, consultation models and assessment used varies between schools
Dissecting the molecular mechanism underlying the intimate relationship between cellulose microfibrils and cortical microtubules

A central question in plant cell development is how the cell wall determines directional cell expansion and therefore the final shape of the cell. As the major load-bearing component of the cell wall, cellulose microfibrils are laid down transversely to the axis of elongation, thus forming a spring-like structure that reinforces the cell laterally and while favoring longitudinal expansion in most growing cells. Mounting evidence suggests that cortical microtubules organize the deposition of cellulose microfibrils, but the precise molecular mechanisms linking microtubules to cellulose organization have remained unclear until the recent discovery of cellulose synthase interactive protein 1 , a linker protein between the cortical microtubules and the cellulose biosynthesizing machinery. In this review, we will focus on the intimate relationship between cellulose microfibrils and cortical microtubules, in particular, we will discuss microtubule arrangement and cell wall architecture, the linkage between cellulose synthase complexes and microtubules, and the feedback mechanisms between cell wall and microtubules.
Comparing the validity of the Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS) and the Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS) in the assessment of wrist flexor spasticity in patients with stroke: protocol for a neurophysiological study

Introduction Reliable and valid tools must be used to assess spasticity in clinical practise and research settings. There is a paucity of literature regarding the validity of the Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS) and the Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS). No study, to date, has been performed to compare the validity of the MMAS and the MTS. This neurophysiological study protocol will compare the validity of the MMAS and the MTS in the assessment of poststroke wrist flexor spasticity. Methods and analysis Thirty-two patients with stroke from the University Rehabilitation clinics will be recruited to participate in this cross-sectional, non-interventional study. All measurements will be taken in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department of Shafa University Hospital in Tehran, Iran. First, wrist flexor spasticity will be assessed clinically using the MMAS and MTS. The tests will be applied randomly. For the MTS, the components of R1, R2, R2−R1 and quality of muscle reaction will be measured. Second, neurophysiological measures of H-reflex latency, Hmax/Mmax ratio, Hslp and Hslp/Mslp ratio will be collected from the affected side. The results will be analysed using Spearman's ρ test or Pearson's correlation test to determine the validity of the MMAS and the MTS as well as to compare the validity between the MMAS and the MTS. Ethics and dissemination The Research Council, School of Rehabilitation and the Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) approved the study protocol. The study results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and presented at international congresses.
Newly Designed Six-Membered Azasugar Nucleotide-Containing Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotides as Potent Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Inhibitors

ABSTRACT A series of modified oligonucleotides (ONs), characterized by a phosphorothioate (P═S) backbone and a six-membered azasugar (6-AZS) as a sugar substitute in a nucleotide, were newly synthesized and assessed for their ability to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) via simple treatment of HIV-1-infected cultures, without any transfection process. While unmodified P═S ONs exhibited only minor anti-HIV-1 activity, the six-membered azasugar nucleotide (6-AZN)-containing P═S oligonucleotides (AZPSONs) exhibited remarkable antiviral activity against HIV-1/simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) replication and syncytium formation (50% effective concentration = 0.02 to 0.2 μM). The AZPSONs exhibited little cytotoxicity at concentrations of up to 100 μM. DBM 2198, one of the most effective AZPSONs, exhibited antiviral activity against a broad spectrum of HIV-1, including T-cell-tropic, monotropic, and even drug-resistant HIV-1 variants. The anti-HIV-1 activities of DBM 2198 were similarly maintained in HIV-1-infected cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. When we treated severely infected cultures with DBM 2198, syncytia disappeared completely within 2 days. Taken together, our results indicate that DBM 2198 and other AZPSONs may prove useful in the further development of safe and effective AIDS-therapeutic drugs against a broad spectrum of HIV-1 variants.
Robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy following transurethral resection of the prostate: perioperative, oncologic and functional outcomes

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess surgical, oncologic and functional results after robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) with and without previous transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Methods: Between December 2005 and January 2010, 200 patients underwent RALP, of whom 16 (8%) had received previous TURP and 184 (92%) had not. Perioperative and postoperative data were compared between those with previous TURP (group 1) and those without previous TURP (group 2). All patients included in the study had at least 1-year follow-up. Results: Preoperative clinical parameters were comparable between both groups. Group 1 patients were found to have significantly more need for bladder neck reconstruction (93.75 % vs. 15.21%, P <0.001), more rectal injury (18.75% vs. 0%, P <0.001), higher incidence of major complications (18.8% vs. 1.1%, P<0.001), and smaller specimen volume (31.63 mL vs. 45.49 mL, P<0.001) than group 2. The 12-month continence rate was 93.8 % in group 1 and 97.8% in group 2 (P =0.344). A nerve-sparing technique was significantly less successfully performed in group 1 patients than in group 2 (33.3% vs. 92.0 %, P=0.001). Conclusions: Performing RALP for prostate cancer in patients who have had previous TURP is a technically demanding procedure and may be potentially associated with a higher perioperative major complication rate in short-term follow-up. Neurovascular bundle preservation is technically more challenging.
The Effects of Medical Ozone Therapy on Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Introduction: This study was designed to investigate the possible beneficial effects of medical ozone therapy (OT), known as an immunomodulator and antioxidant, on the renal function, morphology, and biochemical parameters of oxidative stress in kidneys subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). Materials and methods: Thirty male Sprague–Dawley rats were classified into three groups: control, renal IRI, and renal IRI + OT. The IRI group was induced by bilateral renal ischemia for 60 min, followed by reperfusion for 6 h. After reperfusion, the kidneys and blood of rats were obtained for histopathologic and biochemical evaluation. Results: Renal IRI increased the tissue oxidative stress parameters (lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and nitrite plus nitrate) and decreased the antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase). The serum neopterin levels showed correlation with oxidative stress parameters. All these parameters were brought to control values in the treatment group. Histopathologically, the kidney injury in the treatment group was significantly lesser than in the renal IRI group. Conclusions: Our results clearly showed that OT has beneficial effect to protect kidney against IRI. The serum neopterin levels might be used as a marker to detect the degree of renal IRI.
Nizatidine and acid‐pepsin related gastrointestinal disease

There are few, if any, more exciting series of events in gastroenterology than the development of modem antisecretory drugs, which began with the sophisticated observations of Sir James Black. This series of drugs has been shown to be safe and effective. In the present issue of the Journal, Chen et al. provide observations relevant to the dose of one of the more recent H2-receptor antagonists, namely nizatidine. It is demonstrated that a single dose of 300 mg at night is preferred for the initial healing of chronic duodenal ulcer (DU) in Chinese patients.
An All-In-One Silicon Odometer for Separately Monitoring HCI, BTI, and TDDB

We present an on-chip reliability monitor capable of separating the aging effects of hot carrier injection (HCI), bias temperature instability (BTI), and time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) with high frequency resolution. This task is accomplished with a pair of modified ring oscillators (ROSCs) which are representative of standard CMOS circuits. We use a ¿backdrive¿ concept, in which one ROSC drives the voltage transitions in both structures during stress, such that the driving oscillator ages due to both BTI and HCI, while the other suffers from only BTI. In addition, long term or high voltage experiments facilitate TDDB measurements in both oscillators. Sub-¿s measurements are controlled by on-chip logic in order to avoid excessive unwanted BTI recovery during stress interruptions. Sub-ps frequency resolution is achieved during these short measurements using a beat frequency detection system, and we automate the experiments through a simple digital interface. Measurement results are presented from a 65 nm test chip over a range of stress conditions.