Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Microblepharon Exfoliation on Clinical Correlates of Contact Lens Discomfort.

SIGNIFICANCE Microblepharon exfoliation improved eyelid signs and tear film characteristics after a single in-office treatment in symptomatic contact lens wearers. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of two eyelid hygiene treatments-microblepharon exfoliation and a hypoallergenic foam cleanser (LidHygenix)-on clinical signs of the eyelids, meibomian glands, and tear film in contact lens discomfort. METHODS A randomized, interventional, unmasked, crossover trial was conducted on 30 experienced daily-wear soft contact lens wearers. Assessment of clinical signs of the eyelid margin, meibomian gland morphology and secretion, and tear film biophysical properties was performed (baseline 1), and participants were randomly assigned to receive one of the two treatments (microblepharon exfoliation or foam cleansing using LidHygenix) as a single in-office procedure. Symptoms were evaluated using the Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire-8 immediately after treatment, and assessment of all the study variables was repeated at the follow-up visit 7 to 10 days after treatment. After 28 to 30 days of washout, participants returned for reassessment of the study variables (baseline 2) and were crossed over to receive the alternate treatment. Follow-up was repeated 7 to 10 days after the second treatment. RESULTS Seven to 10 days after treatment with microblepharon exfoliation, symptomatic wearers showed significant improvement in anterior blepharitis (mean difference, 0.60; P = .04), lid wiper staining (0.50; P = .06), and lid-parallel conjunctival folds (0.68, P = .02) along with orifice capping (median difference, 0.65; P < .001), foam (0.90; P < .001), secretion volume (0.69; P < .001), quality (0.74; P < .001), and expressibility (0.49; P = .002), which were also clinically significant changes. However, in tear properties, significant improvements were observed in tear volume (LidHygenix, -1.25 mm; microblepharon exfoliation, -1.62 mm), break-up time (-0.14 seconds; -0.14 seconds), tear evaporation rate without contact lenses (21.52 g m h; 45.43 g m h), and lipid layer thickness (-20.61 nm; -25.13 nm) after both treatments but in symptomatic lens wearers only (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Microblepharon exfoliation improved eyelid signs and tear film characteristics in symptomatic contact lens wearers after a single in-office treatment.
An LDA-Based Approach for Real-Time Simultaneous Classification of Movements Using Surface Electromyography

Myoelectric-based decoding strategies offer significant advantages in the areas of human-machine interactions because they are intuitive and require less cognitive effort from the users. However, a general drawback in using machine learning techniques for classification is that the decoder is limited to predicting only one movement at any instant and hence restricted to performing the motion in a sequential manner, whereas human motor control strategy involves simultaneous actuation of multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs) and is considered to be a natural and efficient way of performing tasks. Simultaneous decoding in the context of myoelectric-based movement control is a challenge that is being addressed recently and is increasingly popular. In this paper, we propose a novel classification strategy capable of decoding both the individual and combined movements, by collecting data from only the individual motions. Additionally, we exploit low-dimensional representation of the myoelectric signals using a supervised decomposition algorithm called linear discriminant analysis, to simplify the complexity of control and reduce computational cost. The performance of the decoding algorithm is tested in an online context for the two DOFs task comprising the hand and wrist movements. Results indicate an overall classification accuracy of 88.02% for both the individual and combined motions.
Determining Risk Factors for Gastric and Esophageal Cancers between 2009-2015 in East-Azarbayjan, Iran Using Parametric Survival Models

Background: Esophageal cancer (EC) and Gastric cancer (GC) have been identified as two of the most common cancers in the northeastern regions of Iran. The increasing rates of these types of cancers requires attention. This study aims to assess the potential risk factors for these two cancers and then determine shared risk factors between them in a population of Iranian patients using parametric survival models. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using 127 patients with EC and 184 patients with GC in East Azarbaijan, Iran who were diagnosed and registered during the years 2009-2010 in Iran’s National Cancer Control Registration Program and were followed for five years. Parametric survival models were used to find the risk factors of the patients. Akaike Information Criteria was used to identify the best parametric model in this study. Interaction analysis was used to determine shared risk factors between EC and GC. Results: The mean (±standard deviation) age of diagnoses for EC and GC were 66.92(±11.95) and 66.5(±11.5) respectively. The survival time ranges of GC patients was (0.07-70.33) and the survival time ranges were from 0.10 to 69.03 months for EC patients. Multivariable Log- logistic model showed that being married (OR=2.25, 95% CI: 1.33 - 3.81) for EC patients and Esophagectomy surgery for EC (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.04 – 2.55) and GC (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.02 – 2.53) had significant effects on survival. Age at the time of diagnosis, job status, and Esophagectomy surgery were statistically comparable regarding their magnitude of effect on survival of two cancers (all Ps>0.05). Conclusion: Esophagectomy surgery and being married were important risk factors in EC and GC. The log-logistic model was the most appropriate statistical approach to identify significant risk factors on survival of both cancers.
Distributed Secure Filtering for Discrete-Time Systems Under Round-Robin Protocol and Deception Attacks

This paper addresses the problem of designing a distributed filter for linear discrete-time networked control systems that suffer from randomly occurring deception attacks and bounded disturbances. A Round-Robin-type protocol is applied to schedule communication between filters due to the communication resource constraint. The discrete-time Wirtinger’s inequality is used to derive a sufficient condition that ensures $\boldsymbol {H}_{\boldsymbol \infty }$ performance of the closed-loop system. A corresponding filter that guarantees the security is designed. Finally, a numerical example of an inverted pendulum system is provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed filter.
Do sudden onsets need to be perceived as new objects to capture attention ? The interplay between sensory transients and display configuration

Yantis and Jonides (1984) and Jonides and Yantis (1988) reported robust involuntary attentional capture by sudden-onsets, the origin of which has been debated. Prominent accounts have highlighted aspects that include the Bnew object^ status of a sudden-onset (Yantis & Hillstrom, 1994) and the substantial luminance changes accompanying their appearance (Gellatly, Cole & Blurton, 1999; Franconeri, Hollingworth & Simons, 2005), including relative differences in the amount of sensory change between target and nontarget items (Pinto, Olivers & Theeuwes, 2008). In this research we dissociate the amount of sensory change accompanying sudden onsets from the extent to which they appear as newly created objects in search displays. We attempted to determine the relative contribution of local sensory changes and display configuration to attentional capture by sudden-onsets. We showed that the display configuration of old objects modulates the impact of capture caused by sudden-onsets.
Perisomalien A, a new cytotoxic scalarane sesterterpene from the fruits of Periploca somaliensis

Abstract The CHCl3 fraction of MeOH extract of Periploca somaliensis (family Asclepiadaceae) fruits afforded a new scalarane sesterterpene, namely perisomalien A (1), along with lupeol acetate (2), β-amyrin (3), cycloart-23Z-ene-3β,25-diol (4), and β-sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5). Their chemical structures were established by various spectroscopic analyses, in addition to comparison with the formerly reported data. Moreover, the cytotoxic activity of these metabolites was assessed towards MCF-7, HepG2, and HCT-116 tumour cell lines using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Compound 4 showed the most potent cytotoxic profile with IC50 9.0 µM towards MCF-7, compared to doxorubicin (IC50 0.18 µM). Also, 1 and 4 possessed the most potent effect towards HepG2 with IC50s 26.7 and 25.9 μM, respectively. In addition, all tested compounds showed cytotoxic effects with IC50 values ranging from 19.9 to 39.3 µM against HCT-116. Graphical Abstract
Applications of an interaction, process, integration and intelligence (IPII) design approach for ergonomics solutions

Abstract This paper first reviews current ergonomics design approaches in delivering digital solutions to achieve a unified experience from interaction and business process design perspectives. Then, it analyses the opportunities that new technologies may bring in for enhancing current ergonomics design approaches from integration and intelligence design perspectives. To address the challenges in today’s ergonomics practices in delivering digital solutions, an interaction, process, integration and intelligence (IPII) design approach is proposed. A case study is presented that implemented the IPII approach. The quantitative data gathered from the case study demonstrates that the IPII approach has achieved significant advantages in reaching the goal of a unified experience and operational benefits for delivering digital solutions. The IPII approach also demonstrates improvements compared to today’s ergonomics design approaches, such as user-centred design, for digital solutions. Finally, the paper highlights the contributions of the IPII approach for future ergonomics practices in delivering digital solutions. Practitioner Summary: In addition to the interaction design for the UI of digital solutions, as is the case in current typical ergonomics practice, the IPII adds three additional design components: process, integration and intelligence design. The case study demonstrates the advantages of the IPII, providing an enhanced approach for designing digital solutions. Abbreviations: IPII: interaction, process, integration and intelligence; IEA: International Ergonomics; Association; HFE: human factors/ ergonomics; HCD: human-centred design; UX: user experience; UI: user interface; ISO: International Organization for Standardization; UCD: user-centred design; ERP: enterprise resource planning; E2E experience: end-to-end experience; UXD: user experience design; AI: artificial intelligence; ML: machine learning; HCI: human-computer interaction; IaaS: infrastructure as a service; PaaS: platform as a service; SaaS: software as a service; CRM: customer relation management; SCM: supply chain management; HCM: human capability management; BI: business intelligence; BOMA: Bill of Materials Application; POC: proof of concept; TCM: transition change management; SMEs: subject matter experts; PMO: program management office; UAT: user acceptance test; iBPMS: intelligent business process management suite
Prevalence of trachoma in Yemen: results of population-based prevalence surveys of 42 evaluation units in nine governorates

ABSTRACT Purpose: In suspected trachoma-endemic areas of Yemen, we sought to determine the prevalence of the sign trachomatous inflammation—follicular (TF) in children aged 1–9 years, and the potential individual and household risk factors for TF in that age group. We also sought to determine the prevalence of trichiasis in adults aged ≥15 years. Methods: We conducted a cluster-sampled survey in each of 42 evaluation units (EUs) comprising 166 rural districts of nine Governorates (Adh Dhale’a, Al Hodeihah, Al Jawf, Hadramoot, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahj, Ma’rib, Taiz) using the Global Trachoma Mapping Project systems and methodologies. Fieldwork was undertaken from September 2013 to March 2015. Risk factors for TF in children aged 1–9 years were evaluated using multilevel random effects logistic regression. Results: The TF prevalence in children aged 1–9 years was ≥10% in two EUs (7 districts) and 5–9.9% in six EUs (24 districts). In adults aged ≥15 years, trichiasis prevalence was ≥0.2% in five EUs (19 districts). Being older (within the 1–9-year age bracket), being male, living in a household with higher numbers of children, and living in a household that reported the use of open defecation, were each independently associated with higher odds of TF. Conclusions: These surveys provided baseline data to enable planning for trachoma elimination. The World Health Organization Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020 stands ready to assist Yemen once security considerations permit further surveys and implementation of control activities.
Internode Distance-Based Redundancy Reliable Transport in Underwater Sensor Networks

Underwater communication is a very challenging topic. Protocols used in terrestrial sensor networks cannot be directly applied in the underwater world. High-bit error rate and large propagation delay make the design of transport protocols especially awkward. ARQ-based reliable transport schemes are not appropriate in underwater environments due to large propagation delay, low communication bandwidth, and high error probability. Thus, we focus on redundancy-based transport schemes in this paper. We first investigate three schemes that employ redundancy mechanisms at the bit and/or packet level to increase the reliability in a direct link scenario. Then, we show that the broadcast property of the underwater channel allows us to extend those schemes to a case with node cooperative communication. Based on our analysis, an adaptive redundancy transport protocol (ARRTP) for underwater sensor networks is proposed. We suggest an architecture for implementation. For two kinds of topologies, namely, regular and random, we show that ARRTP presents a better transmission success probability and energy efficiency tradeoff for single- and multihop transmissions. We also offer an integrated case study to show that ARRTP is not only supplying reliability but also has some positive effect in guiding the deployment of underwater sensor nodes.
Time-Trend Analyses of Bleeding and Mortality After Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention During Out of Working Hours Versus In-Working Hours: An Observational Study of 11 466 Patients

Background—Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the treatment of choice for ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction. Resources are limited during out of working hours (OWH). Whether PPCI outside working hours is associated with worse outcomes and whether outcomes have improved over time are unknown. Methods and Results—We analyzed 11 466 patients undergoing PPCI between 2004 and 2011 at all 8 tertiary cardiac centers in London, United Kingdom. We defined working hours as 9 AM to 5 PM (Monday to Friday). We analyzed in-hospital bleeding and all-cause mortality ⩽3 years, comparing OWH versus in-working hours. A total of 7494 patients (65.3%) were treated during OWH. Multivariable analyses demonstrated that PPCI during OWH was not a predictor for bleeding (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97–2.24; P=0.071) or 3-year mortality (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.94–1.32; P=0.20). This was confirmed in propensity-matched analyses. Time-stratified analyses demonstrated that PPCI during OWH was a predictor for bleeding (odds ratio, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.06–3.80; P=0.034) and 3-year mortality during 2005 to 2008 (hazard ratio, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.00–1.50; P=0.050), but this association was lost during 2009 to 2011. During 2005 to 2008, transradial access was predominantly used during in-working hours and PPCI during OWH was predictive of reduced transradial access use (odds ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.71–0.98; P=0.033), but this association was lost during 2009 to 2011. Conclusions—In this study of unselected patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction, PPCI during OWH versus in-working hours had comparable bleeding and mortality. Time-stratified analyses demonstrated a reduction in adjusted bleeding and mortality during OWH over time. This may reflect the improved service provision, but the increased adoption of transradial access during OWH may also be contributory.
Processivity vs. Beating: Comparing Cytoplasmic and Axonemal Dynein Microtubule Binding Domain Association with Microtubule

This study compares the role of electrostatics in the binding process between microtubules and two dynein microtubule-binding domains (MTBDs): cytoplasmic and axonemal. These two dyneins are distinctively different in terms of their functionalities: cytoplasmic dynein is processive, while axonemal dynein is involved in beating. In both cases, the binding requires frequent association/disassociation between the microtubule and MTBD, and involves highly negatively charged microtubules, including non-structured C-terminal domains (E-hooks), and an MTBD interface that is positively charged. This indicates that electrostatics play an important role in the association process. Here, we show that the cytoplasmic MTBD binds electrostatically tighter to microtubules than to the axonemal MTBD, but the axonemal MTBD experiences interactions with microtubule E-hooks at longer distances compared with the cytoplasmic MTBD. This allows the axonemal MTBD to be weakly bound to the microtubule, while at the same time acting onto the microtubule via the flexible E-hooks, even at MTBD–microtubule distances of 45 Å. In part, this is due to the charge distribution of MTBDs: in the cytoplasmic MTBD, the positive charges are concentrated at the binding interface with the microtubule, while in the axonemal MTBD, they are more distributed over the entire structure, allowing E-hooks to interact at longer distances. The dissimilarities of electrostatics in the cases of axonemal and cytoplasmic MTBDs were found not to result in a difference in conformational dynamics on MTBDs, while causing differences in the conformational states of E-hooks. The E-hooks’ conformations in the presence of the axonemal MTBD were less restricted than in the presence of the cytoplasmic MTBD. In parallel with the differences, the common effect was found that the structural fluctuations of MTBDs decrease as either the number of contacts with E-hooks increases or the distance to the microtubule decreases.
Engineering Peptide-Based Polyelectrolyte Complexes with Increased Hydrophobicity

Polyelectrolyte complexation is a versatile platform for the design of self-assembled materials. Here we use rational design to create ionic hydrophobically-patterned peptides that allow us to precisely explore the role of hydrophobicity on electrostatic self-assembly. Polycations and polyanions were designed and synthesized with an alternating sequence of d- and l-chiral patterns of lysine or glutamic acid with either glycine, alanine or leucine due to their increasing hydrophobicity index, respectively. Two motifs were considered for the oppositely charged patterned peptides; one with equal residues of charged and uncharged amino acids and the other with increased charge density. Mass spectroscopy, circular dichroism, H- and F-NMR spectroscopy were used to characterize the polypeptides. Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) formed using the sequences were characterized using turbidity measurements, optical microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. Our results show that the critical salt concentration, a key measure of PEC stability, increased with both increasing charge density as well as hydrophobicity. Furthermore, by increasing the hydrophobicity, the amount of PEC formed increased with temperature, contrary to purely ionic PECs. Lastly, we assessed the encapsulation behavior of these materials using a hydrophobic dye. Concluding that encapsulation efficiency increased with hydrophobic content of the complexes providing insight for future work on the application of these materials for drug delivery.
Are we seeing a resurgence in the use of natural products for new drug discovery?

The contribution of natural products (NPs) to drug development has been extensively documented. The structural diversity and biological activity of NPs make them the most valuable sources of drugs and drug leads. Table 1 shows examples of representative drugs discovered from NPs. They include several well-known history-changing drugs, such as penicillin, morphine, paclitaxel, avermectins, and artemisinin. In fact, more than one-third of all the US FDA-approved therapeutic agents over the past 20 years are derived from or inspired by NPs, and more than 50% of the developed small-molecule drugs from 1981 to 2014 were originated fromNPs, semi-synthetic NPs and NP-derivedmimetics [1]. Since cytarabine became the first FDA-approved marine-derived anticancer drug in 1969, exploitation of marine environments especially marine microorganisms has led to encouraging outcomes. So far, more than 28,500 marine natural products (MRPs) have been identified, in a rate of ~1000 new compounds per year since 2008, including approximately 1490 new compounds in 2017 [2]. Many of theseMRPs have been applied in medicine and agrochemistry, such as the commercialized Cytarabine, Vidarabine, Eribulin, and Ziconotide. These results demonstrate that MRPs might be the most recent source of bioactive molecules, and their potentials as novel drugs or drug leads are underexplored. The climax of the story emerged in 2015, when the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura, and Youyou Tu for the discovery of avermectins and artemisinin, respectively.
Malnutrition Impacts Health-Related Quality of Life in Cirrhosis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND To explore the influence of nourishment state measured by various nutrition assessment tools (NATs) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a pretransplant population with cirrhosis. METHODS We collected demographic, nutrition assessment, and disease specific data on 81 patients. HRQoL was measured with the Short-Form 36 and divided into 8 subscales. Significant relationships between NATs and HRQoL were examined using independent sample t-tests, χ2 analyses, correlations, and multiple and logistic regression adjusted for age and gender. RESULTS Study mean age was 54.2 years (SD 10.4 years), and 57% were male. Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) was significantly related to all HRQoL subscales, except bodily pain and mental health. In the adjusted regression models, general health, vitality, and social functioning were all significantly lower in patients with poorer nutrition status measured using SGA (adjusted R2 = 11%, β = -0.34, p < 0.01; adjusted R2 = 8%, β = -0.27, P < 0.05; and adjusted R2 = 12%, β = -0.38, P < 0.01, Q4 respectively). Physical functioning improved as hand grip strength increased (adjusted R2 = 20%, β = 0.36, P < 0.01). MELDNa demonstrated a significant negative relationship with role-emotional (adjusted R2 = 3%, β = 0.25, P < 0.05), and mid-arm circumference did not demonstrate any significant relationships with HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS Malnutrition assessed by SGA is associated with lower HRQoL in patients with cirrhosis. Future research should identify if nutrition interventions can effectively improve HRQoL in cirrhosis patients.