Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
07 02 23 7 v 2 1 3 Fe b 20 07 Constraining bouncing cosmology caused by Casimir effect

In our paper we constrain Friedman Robertson Walker (FRW) model with “radiation-like” contribution to the Friedmann equation against the astronomical data. We analyze the observational limitations on a (1+z) term from supernovae type Ia (SNIa) data, Fanaroff-Riley type IIb (FRIIb) radio galaxy (RG) data, baryon oscillation peak and cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) observations. We argue that it is not possible to determine the energy densities of individual components scaling like radiation from a kinematic astronomical test. The bounds for density parameter for total radiation-like term can be obtained. We find different interpretations of the presence of scaling like radiation term: FRW universe filled with a massless scalar field in a quantum regime (Casimir effect), Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) model in a semi-classical approximation of loop quantum gravity, FRW model in the Randall Sundrum scenario with dark radiation or cosmological model with global rotation. In this paper we mainly concentrate on Casimir effect arising from quantum effects of the scalar field. This contribution can describe decaying part of cosmological constant. We discuss the back reaction of gravity on Casimir-type force which is a manifestation of the vacuum fluctuations of the quantum scalar field at low temperature. It is shown that while the Casimir energy gives rise to accelerating Universe, the cosmological constant term is still required. We argue that a small negative contribution of a radiation-like term can reconcile the tension between the observed primordial He and D abundance. Moreover the presence of such contribution can also remove the disagreement between Hubble parameter H0 values obtained from both SNIa and Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite data. Electronic address: godlows@oa.uj. edu.pl Electronic address: szydlo@oa.uj. edu.pl Electronic address: zhuzh@bnu.edu. cn
The hypoglycemic and antioxidant effects of polysaccharides from the petioles and pedicels of Euryale ferox Salisb. on alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice.

The present study investigated the potential hypoglycemic and antioxidant effects of polysaccharides extracted from the petioles and pedicels of Euryale ferox Salisb. (EFPP) on alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice. The EFPP had a total carbohydrate of 65.72 ± 2.81%, uronic acid of 4.56 ± 0.62% and protein of 0.58 ± 0.12%, with an average molecular weight from 1.02 kDa to 11.45 kDa and monosaccharide composition of Man, GlcA, Rha, Glc, Gal and Ara at a molar ratio of 0.12 : 0.01 : 9.57 : 0.41 : 1.00 : 0.24. Administration with EFPP, especially high dose EFPP, was beneficial to reverse body weight loss, reduce blood glucose levels, enhance serum insulin levels, improve oral glucose tolerance, increase hepatic glycogen content and GCK activity, and modulate the mRNA expression of GCK in the liver. Meanwhile, EFPP had protective effects against alloxan-induced oxidative injury in mice, via increasing the activities of SOD, CAT and GSH-Px and decreasing the MDA contents in the liver and kidney of the mice. EFPP ameliorated the damage in pancreas, kidney and liver tissues, which was confirmed by histopathological observation. The results suggested that EFPP possess hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities, and could be a potential source of natural hypoglycemic and antioxidant agents for functional foods or complementary medicines.
Impact of air temperature variation on the ixodid ticks habitat and tick-borne encephalitis incidence in the Russian Arctic: the case of the Komi Republic

ABSTRACT Background: The causes of the recent rise of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) incidence in Europe are discussed. Our objective was to estimate the impact of air temperature change on TBE incidence in the European part of the Russian Arctic. Methods: We analysed the TBE incidence in the Komi Republic (RK) over a 42-year period in relation to changes in local annual average air temperature, air temperature during the season of tick activity, tick abundance, TBE-prevalence in ticks, tick-bite incidence rate, and normalised difference vegetation index within the area under study. Results: In 1998–2011 in RK a substantial growth of TBE virus (TBEV) prevalence both in questing and feeding ticks was observed. In 1992–2011 there was 23-fold growth of the tick-bite incidence rate in humans, a northward shift of the reported tick bites, and the season of tick bites increased from 4 to 6 months. In 1998–2011 there was more than 6-fold growth of average annual TBE incidence compared with 1970–1983 and 1984–1997 periods. This resulted both from the northward shift of TBE, and its growth in the south. In our view it was related to local climate change as both the average annual air temperature, and the air temperature during the tick activity season grew substantially. We revealed in RK a strong correlation between the change in the air temperature and that in TBE incidence. The satellite data showed NDVI growth within RK, i.e. alteration of the local ecosystem under the influence of climate change. Conclusions: The rise in TBE incidence in RK is related considerably to the expansion of the range of Ixodes persulcatus. The territory with reported TBE cases also expanded northward. Climate change is an important driver of TBE incidence rate growth.
Effect and safety of roflumilast for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Chinese patients

Background: This trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of roflumilast for treating Chinese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: A total of 120 patients with COPD were recruited and were randomly divided into 2 groups (an intervention group and a placebo group) at a 1:1 ratio. Patients received either roflumilast or placebo 500 &mgr;g once daily for a total of 12 months. The primary outcome was lung function, measured by the change from baseline of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FVC = forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEF25–75%. The secondary outcome measurements included the quality of life, measured with the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). All outcomes were measured at the end of 12-month treatment and 3-month follow-up after the treatment. In addition, adverse events (AEs) were also recorded during the treatment period. Results: FEV1, FVC, FEF25–75%, and SGRQ were significantly better in the intervention group than those in the placebo group at the end of 12-month treatment and 3-month follow up after treatment. Moreover, AEs were much higher with roflumilast than placebo in this study. Conclusions: The findings suggest that roflumilast has promising effect to improve lung function in Chinese population with COPD.
Deep learning for segmentation of brain tumors: Impact of cross‐institutional training and testing

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are commonly used for segmentation of brain tumors. In this work, we assess the effect of cross-institutional training on the performance of CNNs. METHODS We selected 44 glioblastoma (GBM) patients from two institutions in The Cancer Imaging Archive dataset. The images were manually annotated by outlining each tumor component to form ground truth. To automatically segment the tumors in each patient, we trained three CNNs: (a) one using data for patients from the same institution as the test data, (b) one using data for the patients from the other institution and (c) one using data for the patients from both of the institutions. The performance of the trained models was evaluated using Dice similarity coefficients as well as Average Hausdorff Distance between the ground truth and automatic segmentations. The 10-fold cross-validation scheme was used to compare the performance of different approaches. RESULTS Performance of the model significantly decreased (P < 0.0001) when it was trained on data from a different institution (dice coefficients: 0.68 ± 0.19 and 0.59 ± 0.19) as compared to training with data from the same institution (dice coefficients: 0.72 ± 0.17 and 0.76 ± 0.12). This trend persisted for segmentation of the entire tumor as well as its individual components. CONCLUSIONS There is a very strong effect of selecting data for training on performance of CNNs in a multi-institutional setting. Determination of the reasons behind this effect requires additional comprehensive investigation.
A Food-Derived Dietary Supplement Containing a Low Dose of Iron Improved Markers of Iron Status Among Nonanemic Iron-Deficient Women

ABSTRACT Objective: Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world. While deficiency can often be resolved through dietary supplementation with iron, adverse events are common and frequently preclude compliance. The objective of this study was to determine whether a food-derived dietary supplement containing a low dose of iron and nutrients that increase iron absorption could resolve iron deficiency with fewer adverse events than reported at higher doses. Methods: A pilot clinical trial (NCT02683369) was conducted among premenopausal women with nonanemic iron deficiency that was verified by blood screening. Participants consumed a dietary supplement (Blood Builder®/Iron Response®) once daily for 8 weeks containing 26 mg of iron, vitamin C, folate, and other food-derived nutrients. Primary outcomes were markers of iron status (serum ferritin, hemoglobin, soluble transferrin receptor, total body iron stores) and secondary outcomes were self-reported fatigue and energy. All outcomes were assessed at baseline and 8 weeks. Adverse events were monitored with questionnaires, daily diaries, and contact with a physician. Dependent samples t test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze outcomes. Results: Twenty-three participants enrolled in the study. Iron deficiency was resolved in the sample (mean serum ferritin: baseline = 13.9 μg/L, 8 weeks = 21.1 μg/L, p < 0.001). All other markers of iron status, fatigue, and energy also improved during the study (p < 0.04). No adverse events were reported. Conclusions: While larger and controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings, a food-derived dietary supplement with a low dose of iron and absorption-enhancing nutrients resolved iron deficiency and improved all other markers of iron status without any adverse events.
Metabolic Syndrome May Not be a Good Predictor of Coronary Artery Disease in the Iranian Population: Population-Specific Definitions are Required

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in Western populations. We have investigated the relationship between the presence of MS and other conventional risk factors, and angiographically defined CAD, in a Middle Eastern population. Patients (n = 431) attending a hospital cardiology clinic for angiography were assessed. Each patient subsequently underwent routine angiography. Anthropometric and biochemical data were used to establish whether patients had MS, using either IDF or NCEP-ATP III criteria. The relationship between the presence of MS, or other individual coronary risk factors, and angiographically defined CAD was assessed by logistic regression analysis. A further reference group of individuals without overt CAD (n = 1276) was used as an additional comparator group. Of the 431 patients, 327 (75.9%) were found to have angiographically defined CAD. There was no significant relationship between MS, using either the IDF or NCEP-ATP III definitions, and CAD in this population. Of the parameters assessed, age, total cholesterol, and low serum HDL cholesterol were the strongest independent predictors of angiographically defined CAD (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively). It appears that within an Iranian population, the presence of MS defined by either the NCEP-ATP III or IDF criteria fails to identify individuals with established, angiographically defined CAD. However, a low serum HDL cholesterol, a component of MS, was an important independent predictor of CAD in this population. It is possible that the criteria for defining MS as a risk predictor of CAD in Middle Eastern populations may need to be revised.
Development of an electrokinetic based microfluidic device for capturing particles in different water conditions

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS . iv LIST OF FIGURES . vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS / SYMBOLS . x ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . xii DEDICATION . xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Different mechanisms used in particle trapping . 3 1.1.1 Hydrodynamic trapping . 3 1.1.2 Optical tweezers . 5 1.1.3 Magnetic trapping . 6 1.1. 4 Electrophoretic trapping . 7 1.1. 5 Dielectrophoretic trapping . 8 1.2 Motivation . 12 1.3 Structure of thesis . 13 CHAPTER 2: THEORY . 14 2.1 Electrophoresis . 14 2.2 Dielectrophoresis . 16 2.3 Hydrodynamic drag force . 22
Diet-Right: A Smart Food Recommendation System

Inadequate and inappropriate intake of food is known to cause various health issues and diseases. Due to lack of concise information about healthy diet, people have to rely on medicines instead of taking preventive measures in food intake. Due to diversity in food components and large number of dietary sources, it is challenging to perform real-time selection of diet patterns that must fulfill one’s nutrition needs. Particularly, selection of proper diet is critical for patients suffering from various diseases. In this article, we highlight the issue of selection of proper diet that must fulfill patients’ nutrition requirements. To address this issue, we present a cloud based food recommendation system, called Diet-Right, for dietary recommendations based on users’ pathological reports. The model uses ant colony algorithm to generate optimal food list and recommends suitable foods according to the values of pathological reports. Diet-Right can play a vital role in controlling various diseases. The experimental results show that compared to single node execution, the convergence time of parallel execution on cloud is approximately 12 times lower. Moreover, adequate accuracy is attainable by increasing the number of ants.
Recent progress on magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: synthesis, surface functional strategies and biomedical applications

Abstract This review focuses on the recent development and various strategies in the preparation, microstructure, and magnetic properties of bare and surface functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs); their corresponding biological application was also discussed. In order to implement the practical in vivo or in vitro applications, the IONPs must have combined properties of high magnetic saturation, stability, biocompatibility, and interactive functions at the surface. Moreover, the surface of IONPs could be modified by organic materials or inorganic materials, such as polymers, biomolecules, silica, metals, etc. The new functionalized strategies, problems and major challenges, along with the current directions for the synthesis, surface functionalization and bioapplication of IONPs, are considered. Finally, some future trends and the prospects in these research areas are also discussed.
A 2×20W 0.0013% THD+N Class-D audio amplifier with consistent performance up to maximum power level

Conventional Class-D amplifiers, although more power efficient than Class-AB amplifiers, typically do not deliver the same audio quality. The non-ideal switching behavior of the output power stages can degrade the linearity, noise and power-supply-rejection-ratio (PSRR) performance of Class-D amplifiers if employed in open-loop configurations [1]. Closed-loop Class-D amplifiers shape the non-idealities of the power amplifiers (PAs) and provide improved performance [2]. Conventional analog feedback amplifiers (AFAs) sense the PA output and feed it back to compare with the audio input signal in the analog domain. Compared with AFAs, digital feedback amplifiers (DFAs) have emerged with benefits of improved control of the loop filter and pulse-width modulation (PWM) in the digital domain. However, the DFA architecture usually demands a high-performance analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to digitize the PA output in the feedback path; This ADC's non-idealities may become the bottleneck of the system [3]. In this paper, a 2-channel Class-D digital error-feedback amplifier (DEFA) with a peak THD+N of 0.0013% is presented. A series of proposed techniques enable the DEFA to maintain its performance up to the maximum power level available.
Fast Computing Betweenness Centrality with Virtual Nodes on Large Sparse Networks

Betweenness centrality is an essential index for analysis of complex networks. However, the calculation of betweenness centrality is quite time-consuming and the fastest known algorithm uses time and space for weighted networks, where and are the number of nodes and edges in the network, respectively. By inserting virtual nodes into the weighted edges and transforming the shortest path problem into a breadth-first search (BFS) problem, we propose an algorithm that can compute the betweenness centrality in time for integer-weighted networks, where is the average weight of edges and is the average degree in the network. Considerable time can be saved with the proposed algorithm when , indicating that it is suitable for lightly weighted large sparse networks. A similar concept of virtual node transformation can be used to calculate other shortest path based indices such as closeness centrality, graph centrality, stress centrality, and so on. Numerical simulations on various randomly generated networks reveal that it is feasible to use the proposed algorithm in large network analysis.
A new four-component gradient-based structural similarity metric using adaptive weights

In this paper, a novel four-component weighted gradient-based structural similarity metric is proposed, according to the effects on the edges, smooth and texture for different types of distortion, by adaptively adjusting the weights of four components (strong edge, weak edge, texture region, and smooth region). Experiments show that the proposed metric can provide better assessment performance compared with other classical image quality assessment metrics.
Transcription Factors Directing Th2 Differentiation: Gata-3 Plays a Dominant Role

From the 1970s to the early 1980s, there was increasing evidence for functional heterogeneity among CD4+ T cells from the work of numerous researchers. Mosmann and Coffman ([1][1]), working then at the DNAX Research Institute for Immunology in California, advanced and clarified the field of CD4+ T
Variable Mutation Rates as an Adaptive Strategy in Replicator Populations

For evolving populations of replicators, there is much evidence that the effect of mutations on fitness depends on the degree of adaptation to the selective pressures at play. In optimized populations, most mutations have deleterious effects, such that low mutation rates are favoured. In contrast to this, in populations thriving in changing environments a larger fraction of mutations have beneficial effects, providing the diversity necessary to adapt to new conditions. What is more, non-adapted populations occasionally benefit from an increase in the mutation rate. Therefore, there is no optimal universal value of the mutation rate and species attempt to adjust it to their momentary adaptive needs. In this work we have used stationary populations of RNA molecules evolving in silico to investigate the relationship between the degree of adaptation of an optimized population and the value of the mutation rate promoting maximal adaptation in a short time to a new selective pressure. Our results show that this value can significantly differ from the optimal value at mutation-selection equilibrium, being strongly influenced by the structure of the population when the adaptive process begins. In the short-term, highly optimized populations containing little variability respond better to environmental changes upon an increase of the mutation rate, whereas populations with a lower degree of optimization but higher variability benefit from reducing the mutation rate to adapt rapidly. These findings show a good agreement with the behaviour exhibited by actual organisms that replicate their genomes under broadly different mutation rates.
The impact of electronic health records on diagnosis

Abstract Diagnostic error may be the largest unaddressed patient safety concern in the United States, responsible for an estimated 40,000–80,000 deaths annually. With the electronic health record (EHR) now in near universal use, the goal of this narrative review is to synthesize evidence and opinion regarding the impact of the EHR and health care information technology (health IT) on the diagnostic process and its outcomes. We consider the many ways in which the EHR and health IT facilitate diagnosis and improve the diagnostic process, and conversely the major ways in which it is problematic, including the unintended consequences that contribute to diagnostic error and sometimes patient deaths. We conclude with a summary of suggestions for improving the safety and safe use of these resources for diagnosis in the future.
Cost-effectiveness of ceritinib in previously untreated anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in the United States

Abstract Aims: To assess the cost-effectiveness of first-line ceritinib vs crizotinib and platinum doublet chemotherapy for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from a US third-party payer’s perspective. Materials and methods: A partitioned survival model with three health states (stable disease, progressive disease, death) was developed over a 20-year time horizon. Ceritinib’s efficacy inputs (progression-free and overall survival) were estimated from ASCEND-4; parametric survival models extrapolated data beyond the trial period. The relative efficacy of ceritinib vs chemotherapy was obtained from ASCEND-4, the relative efficacy of ceritinib vs crizotinib was estimated using a matching-adjusted indirect comparison based on ASCEND-4 and PROFILE 1014. Drug acquisition, treatment administration, adverse event management, and medical costs were obtained from publicly available databases and the literature, and inflated to 2016 US dollars. Treatment-specific stable-state utilities were derived from trials and progressive-state utility from the literature. Incremental costs per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) were estimated for ceritinib vs each comparator. Cost-effectiveness was assessed based on US willingness-to-pay thresholds. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to test model robustness. Results: In the base case, first-line ceritinib was associated with total direct costs of $299,777 and 3.28 QALYs (from 4.61 life years gained [LYG]) over 20 years. First-line crizotinib and chemotherapy were associated with 2.73 and 2.41 QALYs, 3.92 and 3.53 LYG, and $263,172 and $228,184 total direct costs, respectively. The incremental cost per QALY gained was $66,064 for ceritinib vs crizotinib and $81,645 for ceritinib vs chemotherapy. In the first 2 years following treatment initiation, ceritinib dominated crizotinib by conferring greater health benefits at reduced total costs. Results were robust to deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Limitations: In the absence of head-to-head trials, an indirect comparison method was used. Conclusions: Ceritinib is cost-effective compared to crizotinib and chemotherapy in the treatment of previously untreated ALK-positive metastatic NCSLC in the US.
The PAN-Robots Project: Advanced Automated Guided Vehicle Systems for Industrial Logistics

In modern manufacturing plants, automation is widely adopted in the production phases, which leads to a high level of productivity and efficiency. However, the same level of automation is generally not achieved in logistics, typically performed by human operators and manually driven vehicles. In fact, even though automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have been used for a few decades for goods transportation in industrial environments [1], they do not yet represent a widespread solution and are typically applied only in specific scenarios.