Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coordinating Strategy of Supply Chain Contract based on Price Discount and Quantity Buyback

The coordinating decision model of supply chain contract is developed with the contracts of price discount and quantity buyback, irrespective of shortage cost. It obtains the optimal ordering strategy of retailer and quantity buyback policy of supplier. Finally, numerical example is given to illustrate the feasibility of this model, and a conclusion is obtained that corresponds to practice.
PROPHYLACTIC RECTAL NSAIDS IN THE PREVENTION OF POST-ERCP PANCREATITIS

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of rectal non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) using diclofenac in preventing pancreatitis following ERCP. Methodology: It was a randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled study carried out at Surgical Unit-I, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi from May 2013 to April 2014. A total of 108 patients were included and randomly assigned in each of study and placebo groups. Group I patients received 100 mg of diclofenac per rectally while group II patients received a glycerine suppository per rectally (placebo) before the start of ERCP. Post ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) was diagnosed by clinical evaluation and raised serum amylase levels after four hours of the procedure in both groups (study vs control). Results: Out of 108 patients 32 were males and 76 were females. Mean age was 46.09 ±12.31 in group I, while it was 42.93 ±14.69 in Group II. Mean serum amylase level, 4 hours after ERCP, was 184.70 ±36.34 in the diclofenac group, while it was 388.20 ±57.27 IU/L in the control group. Thirty one patients were diagnosed with Post ERCP pancreatitis, out of which nine patients belonged to the study group and twenty two were of the control group (P = 0.000). Conclusion: Per-rectal administration of diclofenac suppository prior to ERCP results in significant reduction in the frequency of ERCP induced pancreatitis.
The moderating effects of mother-adolescent relations on the longitudinal association between father and offspring depressive symptoms

Little theoretical or empirical attention has been given to factors associated with better or worse outcomes in offspring of depressed fathers. Drawing from interpersonal models of intergenerational depression transmission in children of depressed mothers, the present investigation of adolescents and their families (N = 424) examined maternal warmth and hostility as moderators of the longitudinal association between paternal and adolescent depressive symptoms. Controlling for family demographic variables, previous adolescent depressive symptoms, and maternal depressive symptoms, fathers' depressive symptoms predicted offspring depressive symptoms among adolescents experiencing low maternal warmth or high maternal hostility. Adolescent girls reporting adversity in their relationships with their mothers were the most vulnerable to risk associated with paternal depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the implications of fathers' mental health for adolescent psychological well-being and add to the growing evidence that family relationships play a crucial role in the transmission of depression from one generation to the next.
Antibody mapping to domains of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A in the complexed and uncomplexed forms

The domain organization of the botulinum neurotoxin serotype A was studied by using antibody mapping of 44 monoclonal single-chain variable fragments. The analysis was carried out on (i) the individual domains of botulinum neurotoxin holotoxin (binding, translocation, and catalytic), (ii) botulinum neurotoxin holotoxin, (iii) the botulinum neurotoxin holotoxin in complex with the nontoxic portion, and (iv) botulinum neurotoxin holotoxin and nontoxic portion of the complex recombined in vitro. All 44 antibodies mapped to individual domains of botulinum neurotoxin. Forty of the 44 single-chain variable fragments bound the botulinum neurotoxin holotoxin relative to the isolated domains, suggesting that 4 epitopes are covered when the individual domains are in the holotoxin form. Only 20 of the antibodies showed a positive reaction to the toxin while in complex with the nontoxic portion. All of the covered epitopes were mapped to the binding domain of botulinum neurotoxin, which suggested that the binding domain is in direct contact with the nontoxic portion in the complex. Based on the antibody mapping to the different domains of the botulinum neurotoxin holotoxin and the entire complex, a model of the botulinum neurotoxin complex is proposed.
Using Hawthorne effects to improve adherence in clinical practice: lessons from clinical trials.

We thank Mr. Davis and Dr. Feldman for their insightful comments in response to our study. They addressed how the Hawthorne effect, which occurs when patients' behaviors change (such as improving adherence) after knowing they are being watched in ways that may improve outcomes, could be leveraged in clinical practice. In our cross-sectional study, patients were evaluated at a single time point under real world conditions (e.g. routine follow-up visit) and did not know that the effectiveness of their psoriasis treatment was going to be formally assessed until the day of their regularly scheduled clinic visit 1 . Thus the Hawthorne effect could not have affected adherence and was unlikely to have impacted our estimates of physician reported outcomes but may have influenced patient reported outcomes. The degree to which suboptimal adherence with systemic psoriasis treatments influences effectiveness remains largely unknown. Nevertheless, optimizing patient adherence remains an important treatment goal and thus dermatologists may consider attempts at replicating the Hawthorne Effect in their clinical practices. However, achieving the Hawthorne effect in
Building height estimation in single SAR image using OSM building footprints

Automatic detection and reconstruction of man-made objects from single very high resolution (VHR) SAR image is of great interest especially when it comes to applications having stringent temporal restrictions, e.g., emergency responses. In particular, estimation of building height is of key issue in such post emergency scenarios aiding information retrieval. However, due to inherent complexity of SAR images originating due to side-looking geometry and different microwave scattering contributions, the problem is highly challenging. In this work, we present a workflow to estimate buildings heights from single VHR SAR image with the help of auxiliary information building footprints from openly available OpenStreetMap (OSM) GIS data. The proposed workflow first extract meaningful features (corner lines) from single SAR image and later exploit them to determine the layover length based on intensity analysis which in turn is subsequently utilized to estimate building heights. Experimental results over real VHR TerraSAR-X image are provided.
A mitochondrial DNA mutation linked to colon cancer results in proton leaks in cytochrome c oxidase

An increasing number of cancer types have been found to be linked to specific mutations in the mitochondrial DNA, which result in specific structural changes of the respiratory enzyme complexes. In this study, we have investigated the effect of 2 such mutations identified in colon cancer patients, leading to the amino acid substitutions Ser458Pro and Gly125Asp in subunit I of cytochrome c oxidase (complex IV) [Greaves et al. (2006) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:714–719]. We introduced these mutations in Rhodobacter sphaeroides, which carries an oxidase that serves as a model of the mitochondrial counterpart. The lack of expression of the former variant indicates that the amino acid substitution results in severely altered overall structure of the enzyme. The latter mutation (Gly171Asp in the bacterial oxidase) resulted in a structurally intact enzyme, but with reduced activity (approximately 30%), mainly due to slowed reduction of the redox site heme a. Furthermore, even though the Gly171Asp CytcO pumps protons, an intrinsic proton leak was identified, which would lead to a decreased overall energy-conversion efficiency of the respiratory chain, and would also perturb transport processes such as protein, ion, and metabolite trafficking. Furthermore, the specific leak may act to alter the balance between the electrical and chemical components of the proton electrochemical gradient.
An efficient separation for convolutive mixtures

This paper describes a new efficient blind source separation method; in this method we uses a non-uniform filter bank and a new structure with different sub-bands. This method provides a reduced permutation and increased convergence speed comparing to the full-band algorithm. Recently, some structures have been suggested to deal with two problems: reducing permutation and increasing the speed of convergence of the adaptive algorithm for correlated input signals. The permutation problem is avoided with the use of adaptive filters of orders less than the full-band adaptive filter, which operate at a sampling rate lower than the sampling rate of the input signal. The decomposed signals by analysis bank filter are less correlated in each sub-band than the input signal at full-band, and can promote better rates of convergence.
High-gain observer based decentralised output feedback control for interconnected nonlinear systems with unknown hysteresis input

In this paper, an adaptive dynamic surface control is proposed for a class of interconnected nonlinear systems with inputs preceded by unknown saturated PI hysteresis. By using the proposed dynamic surface control scheme, the explosion of complexity problem when the hysteresis is fused with backstepping design can be eliminated which, together with the estimation of vector norm of the unknown parameters, greatly simplifies the control law and reduces the computational burden. Moreover, by introducing an initialisation technique, the tracking performance of each subsystem can be guaranteed, which, for the first time, establishes the relationship between tracking performance and design parameters in the interconnected system.
Singularity subtraction technique for high-order polynomial vector basis functions on planar triangles

In this paper a singularity subtraction technique is developed for computing the impedance matrix elements of various electromagnetic surface integral equation formulations with the Galerkin method and high-order basis functions. Analytical closed form formulas for computing surface integrals with |r - r'|/sup n/, n/spl ges/-3, singularities times polynomial nodal shape functions of arbitrary order on a planar triangle are presented.
Bone tissue engineering in oral peri‐implant defects in preclinical in vivo research: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

The regeneration and establishment of osseointegration within oral peri‐implant bone defects remains a clinical challenge. Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is emerging as a promising alternative to autogenous and/or biomaterial‐based bone grafting. The objective of this systematic review was to answer the focused question: in animal models, do cell‐based BTE strategies enhance bone regeneration and/or implant osseointegration in experimental peri‐implant defects, compared with grafting with autogenous bone or only biomaterial scaffolds? Electronic databases were searched for controlled animal studies reporting on peri‐implant defects and implantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) or other cells seeded on biomaterial scaffolds, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Random effects meta‐analyses were performed for the outcomes histomorphometric bone area fraction (BA) and bone‐to‐implant contact (BIC). Nineteen studies reporting on large animal models (dogs and sheep) were included. Experimental defects were created surgically (16 studies) or via ligature‐induced peri‐implantitis (LIPI, three studies). In general, studies presented with an unclear to high risk of bias. In most studies, MSC were used in combination with alloplastic mineral phase or polymer scaffolds; no study directly compared cell‐loaded scaffolds vs. autogenous bone. In three studies, cells were also modified by ex vivo gene transfer of osteoinductive factors. The meta‐analyses indicated statistically significant benefits in favour of: (a) cell‐loaded vs. cell‐free scaffolds [weighted mean differences (WMD) of 10.73–12.30% BA and 11.77–15.15% BIC] in canine surgical defect and LIPI models; and (b) gene‐modified vs. unmodified cells (WMD of 29.44% BA and 16.50% BIC) in canine LIPI models. Overall, heterogeneity in the meta‐analyses was high (I2 70–88%); considerable variation was observed among studies regarding the nature of cells and scaffolds used. In summary, bone regeneration and osseointegration in peri‐implant defects are enhanced by the addition of osteogenic cells to biomaterial scaffolds. Although the direction of treatment outcome is clearly in favour of BTE strategies, due to the limited magnitude of treatment effect observed, no conclusive statements regarding the clinical benefit of such procedures for oral indications can yet be made. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Methodological challenges in near-field exposure assessment of personnel operating military radio equipment using personal exposimeters: Possible difficulties in compliance analysis

In this study we report on the relationship between the field strength (both electric and magnetic components) measured by the exposimeter placed in the upper pocket of a group of subjects equipped with a backpacked military radio transceiver (VHF) and the unperturbed field values at the location of the human body/exposimeter position without the human body present. We propose correction factors for the investigated scenarios, for different spatial averaging methods and discuss methodological challenges in near field exposure assessment.
Single cycle to failure in bending of three titanium polyaxial locking plates

Summary Objective: Evaluation of the bending properties in one direction of three titanium polyaxial locking plate systems. Materials and methods: The Polyaxial Advanced Locking System (PAX®) straight plate (PAX SP), the PAX® reconstruction plate (PAX RP), and the VetLOX reconstruction plates (VetLOX) were evaluated individually and as constructs applied to a bone model simulating a fracture gap and compared using a two-way analysis of variance and Tukey posthoc analysis. Results: The PAX SP had the highest values of bending stiffness, bending structural stiffness and bending strength. When tested as plates alone, the PAX RP and VetLOX showed no differences with regard to bending stiffness and bending structural stiffness, whilst the PAX RP had significantly higher strength. The PAX RP construct had significantly higher bending stiffness, bending structural stiffness and bending strength than the VetLOX construct. Clinical relevance: The PAX RP and VetLOX reconstruction plates are much more likely to fail when used as bridging implants, thus adjunct support is needed. The lower bending strength of the VetLOX reconstruction plates suggests it should not be used in fractures under high loads.
Efficacy of a portable acustimulation device in controlling seasickness.

BACKGROUND Nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness are serious and sometimes debilitating symptoms for commercial and recreational seafarers. HYPOTHESIS In order to treat these symptoms, a portable device, the Relief Band, was designed to deliver acustimulation to the Neiguan (P6) acupuncture point. METHOD Nine volunteers used the device on a placebo point or the P6 active point on the open seas outside the San Francisco Bay. Motion sickness symptoms were graded from 1 ("feel fine") to 5 ("intermittent vomiting, with or without nausea"). RESULTS Five subjects with motion sickness initially positioned the device at the placebo site and reported minimal symptom improvement (3.6 +/- 0.6 to 3.4 +/- 1.1) (mean, +/- SD), whereas the other four subjects initially used the device in the P6 position and reported decreased symptoms (4.3 +/- 1.0 to 1.0 +/- 0.2). The position of the Relief Band was then switched; in the four subjects who switched to the placebo position, symptoms worsened (1.0 +/- 0.2 to 4.0 +/- 1.4); whereas, in the five subjects where the device was switched to the P6 position, symptoms improved in each subject (3.4 +/- 1.1 to 1.0 +/- 0.7) (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Motion sickness symptoms were suppressed by portable acustimulation in field studies of seasickness. The Relief Band may be an alternative to drug treatments of the nausea and vomiting of seasickness.
Towards an agent-based approach for multidimensional analyses of semantic web data

OLAP analytical systems are essential technologies in decision-making processes; they provide an efficient way to carry out complex analysis in a simpler and faster way to decision-makers. In today's dynamic and competitive business contexts, the stored internal data within companies does no longer provide enough information for decision-making processes. Therefore, decision analysis systems could be improved by including external data available through the semantic web in order to provide multiple perspectives to decision makers. In this article, we describe a preliminary approach based on the use of multi-agent systems for multidimensional analysis of external data coming from the semantic web also gives a short review of recent research works combining business intelligence and semantic web technologies. The proposed approach is based on an evolutionary architecture by dint of the “agents” technology. The different stages of the analysis are considered tasks that will be assimilated to services, managed by agents.
Critical Roles for Rac1 and Rac2 GTPases in B Cell Development and Signaling

The Rac1 guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) has been implicated in multiple cellular functions, including actin dynamics, proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, and migration resulting from signaling by multiple receptors, including the B cell antigen receptor (BCR). We used conditional gene targeting to generate mice with specific Rac1 deficiency in the B cell lineage. In the absence of both Rac1 and the highly related Rac2, B cell development was almost completely blocked. Both GTPases were required to transduce BCR signals leading to proliferation, survival and up-regulation of BAFF-R, a receptor for BAFF, a key survival molecule required for B cell development and maintenance.
Oxidative stress evaluation in uraemic patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Since the great bulk of evidences regarding oxidative stress associated with chronic renal failure (CRF) came from haemodialysis patients and only scant data is available concerning peritoneal dialysis, we investigated the oxidative status in CRF patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Plasma lipid peroxidation assayed as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS; nmol/g protein), plasma total free thiols (Pt-SH; mcmol/g protein) as marker of extracellular antioxidant status and parameters of enzymatic/non-enzymatic intracellular antioxidant defence (erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD; U/g haemoglobin), glutathione peroxidase (EGPx; U/g haemoglobin) and nonprotein thiols (E-SH; mcmol/g haemoglobin)] were measured by spectrophotometry in 18 CAPD patients, 16 non-dialysed CRF patients and 12 healthy subjects. Increased TBARS were found only in CAPD patients versus Controls (58.3±19.8 vs. 42.7±12.4, p= 0.01). Also, they had lower activity of erythrocyte SOD (164.2±47.5 vs. 463.2±77.5 in CRF group, p<0.001 and 409.8±58.8 in Controls, p<0.001). Plasma thiols were decreased (6.3±0.9 in CAPD group, p=0.03 and 6.1±1.0 in CRF group, p=0.02 vs. 7.2±1.1), while EGPx and E-SH showed gradually elevated values in patients, with the bigger increment in CAPD group (EGPx: 3.3±0.9 in Controls, 4.5±1.3 in CRF group, p=0.01, and 7.9±0.9 in CAPD group, p<0.001; E-SH: 3.2±0.9 in Controls, 4.8±2.5 in CRF group, p= 0.04, and 11.8±1.8 in CAPD group, p<0.001). CAPD patients seem exposed to oxidative stress, evidenced by both an increase in plasma lipid peroxidation and a suppressed activity of antioxidants (SOD, Pt-SH). The enhancement of erythrocyte glutathione-dependent antioxidants, as an adaptive response to oxidative processes, indirectly argues in favour of oxidative stress occurring before initiation of dialysis and augmented thereafter.
Shigella and Salmonella Diarrhoeal Disease

SHIGELLA INFECTIONS Bacteria of the genus Shigella when ingested by man can cause a spectrum of clinical illness including asymptomatic infection, diarrhoea without fever, or severe dysentery manifested by high fever, toxaemia, chills, convulsions (in children), tenesmus and bloody mucoid stools. Strictly speaking, dysentery refers to the presence of blood and mucus in stools of which Shigella infection is an important cause. However, bacillary dysentery has become synonomous with shigellosis in any of its clinical patterns. There are four groups or species of Shigella containing a total of 39 types and sub-types. Groups A (S. dysenteriae), B (S. flexneri), and C (S. boydii) contain multiple serotypes, while there is only one serotype of Group D (S. sonnei). S. dysenteriae and S. flexneri serotypes are isolated most commonly in the tropics, while S. sonnei is the most frequent Shigella encountered in industrialized countries.
The Electric Characteristics of the Ozonator Discharge

Oscillographic studies of the ozonator discharge, together with power measurements, have shown that: (1) The ozonator discharge is intermittent; during each cycle of the alternating voltage there are two discharge periods alternating with two dark periods. (2) During the discharge periods, the potential drop across the air space has constant value of +e0 or −e0 depending on the direction of the current. The quenching of the discharge coincides with the maximum of the voltage wave. (3) During the succeeding dark period there appears to be no transport of charges across the air spaces, so that the charges accumulated on the inner surfaces of the dielectrics during one discharge period remain to influence the starting of the next discharge period. (4) An equation has been found which gives the power consumption of an ozonator in terms of the peak voltage, the capacity of the dielectrics, the frequency and the discharge potential, e0. (5) Methods have been found for measuring e0, which proves to be proportional to the spacing, d, and the air density : . at 0°C, 760 mm. This is considerably lower than the potential for spark breakdown at comparable spacing.
Lower-Limb Robotic Rehabilitation: Literature Review and Challenges

This paper presents a survey of existing robotic systems for lower-limb rehabilitation. It is a general assumption that robotics will play an important role in therapy activities within rehabilitation treatment. In the last decade, the interest in the field has grown exponentially mainly due to the initial success of the early systems and the growing demand caused by increasing numbers of stroke patients and their associate rehabilitation costs. As a result, robot therapy systems have been developed worldwide for training of both the upper and lower extremities. This work reviews all current robotic systems to date for lower-limb rehabilitation, as well as main clinical tests performed with them, with the aim of showing a clear starting point in the field. It also remarks some challenges that current systems still have to meet in order to obtain a broad clinical and market acceptance.