Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of Fibrosis in Regeneration of Aged Skeletal Muscle

iv DEDICATION . v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . vi LIST OF FIGURES . x LIST OF APPENDICES . xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . xv INTRODUCTION . 1 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . 3 Skeletal Muscle Repair and Regeneration: An Overview . 3 Effects of Aging on Skeletal Muscle Regeneration . 7 Role of the ECM and the Plasminogen System in Muscle Regeneration . 11 Role of MMP/TIMP Balance in Muscle Regeneration . 14 Implications of MMP/TIMP Balance in Aged Muscle . 15 Clinical Significance of the Plasminogen System in Aged Muscle . 16 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES . 17 METHODS . 19 Animal Care . 19 Skeletal Muscle Damage and Tissue Collection . 20 Histochemical and Immunohistochemical Analyses . 20
Nursing Implications in the ECMO Patient

Effective care and positive outcomes of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patient necessitate optimal interdisciplinary management from the healthcare team, including expert care from specially trained registered nurses (RNs). It is incumbent upon the RN caring for the ECMO patient to excel in both time management and assessment skills, as this population often demands care delivery at the pinnacle of intensive care unit (ICU) acuity. Astute and nuanced monitoring of neurological status, bleeding risk with potential (often massive) transfusions, poor hemodynamics, and integrity of the ECMO pump itself are only the few specialized areas of focus that must share priority with traditional nursing considerations involving the critically ill, such as prevention of pressure injuries and bloodstream infections. These high-intensity medical foci must be balanced with ethical considerations, as the ultimate goal of returning the patient to their normal life is not always possible. These demands highlight the dynamic proficiency of the RN caring for the ECMO patient. The following chapter will highlight the importance of specialized nursing care in the critically ill patient supported with ECMO.
Comparison Between Probabilistic and Multilayer Perceptron Neural Networks for Rolling Bearing Fault Classification

Abstract This article deals with the development of a computational algorithm for fault diagnosis and classification in rolling bearings, independently of operation conditions (shaft speed and radial load). Two different neural networks, with supervised learning, were used to accomplish this goal: a multilayer perceptron with a backpropagation learning algorithm (MLP) and a probabilistic neural network (PNN), which is based on the Bayesian statistical decision criterion. To analyze the influence of the convergence algorithm in the MLP performance, four algorithms were studied: conjugate descent, conjugate gradient, Levenberg-Marquardt, and a secant method. The classification systems were set up to recognize three fault classes on the outer race bearing: a pit on the surface and two localized corrosion levels faults. A perfect bearing was also studied, and represents a fourth category. A set of acoustic noise signals was used in failure characterization. The training set was composed by the spectral representation in an appropriated frequency band for each one of the signals. Different types of classification strategy are discussed, as well as their influence on the training effort and performance. The performances of the PNN and the four different convergence algorithms for MLP networks are discussed and compared.
Water on Fire: The Patients’ Lived Experience of Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background: The success of a coronary angioplasty in the treatment of myocardial infarction is affected by patients’ experiences. However, the experiences of the people with an emergency angioplasty have remained unknown. Objective: This study was conducted to explore the patients’ experiences of an emergency angioplasty. Method: This study was performed using the qualitative research method and interpretive phenomenological approach. Nine patients under emergency angioplasty were selected using purposeful sampling. A total of 11 deep and semistructured interviews were performed with the patients. The data were analyzed using van Manen method. Results: Five subthemes of “diagnosis shock,” “being in an emergency situation,” “trying to self-control,” “the need for reassuring care,” and “stability” formed the structure of the patients’ experiences under the main theme of “water on fire”. Water on fire was the participants’ main perception of the emergency angioplasty. Patient-centered interactions and meeting the care, supportive, and educational needs of the patients in the case of diagnosis shock lead to a pleasant experience of returning to life. Conclusion: The findings of this study may have implications for care of patients undergoing emergency cardiovascular interventions.
Development of Malay Word Pronunciation Application using Vowel Recognition

In Malaysia, many researchers focus on developing speaker independent systems for training or articulation therapy or to assist language learners to learn about Malay Language or Bahasa Malaysia. Accuracy, noise robustness and processing time are concerns when developing speech therapy systems. In this study, a Malay word pronunciation test application was developed using the first 3 format and fundamental frequencies in an effort to improve pronunciation in Malay. This application was developed using Matlab and uses a vowel recognition algorithm classified using MLP classification technique. The application was developed and tested on UUM undergraduate students. For vowel classification, when fundamental frequency was added, 3-format feature vowel classification rate increased by 1.55% for male gender and 1.48% for female. When combined both genders, a more significant improvement of 1.71% was seen. The developed pronunciation application test results showed that the pronunciation application can assist in testing and improving their Malay word pronunciation. It was also observed that, vowel /i/, /e/, /o/ and /u/ are often mispronounced due to pronunciation habits.
Drug Management Pattern and Their Adverse Effects in Patients of Cervical Carcinoma Attending Two Tertiary Care Hospitals in Dhaka City

Background: Cervical cancer remains a significant health burden worldwide. It is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and third leading cause of cancer death among females in least developed countries. There were an estimated 527,600 new cervical cancer cases and 265,700 deaths worldwide in 2012. Bangladesh stands 11th in the world in cervical cancer fatalities with 17.9 women dying in 100,000 due to the largely sexually transmitted disease every year. Objective: The present study was done to evaluate the pattern of drug management, their adverse effects and socio-demographic characteristics of the patients of cervical carcinoma admitted and treated with chemotherapy in two tertiary care hospitals of Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional observational study carried out from January to December 2015 at Dhaka Medical College & Hospital and National Institute of Cancer Research Hospital. During this period, 109 patients were selected by purposive sampling technique using a set of pre-tested structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 21.0. Results: Most of the patients were in 5th decade (51.4%), from low (59.6%) income family and were married (98.16%). The mean duration of treatment for cancer was found 11.34 ± 5.32 months. Cisplatin (93.57%), 5 fluorouracil (63.3%) and paclitaxel (12.8%) were the most frequently prescribed drugs either alone or in combination. The adverse effects for cisplatin were gastrointestinal toxicity, nephrotoxicity, myelosuppresion and for 5-fluorouracil were myelosuppression, diarrhea, hyperpigmentation, dizziness, neuropathy, increased risk of infection. Conclusion: The combination of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil was mostly (50.45%) prescribed followed by cisplatin alone (26.6%) to treat the patients of cervical carcinoma in Bangladesh. J Enam Med Col 2019; 9(2): 104-109
Challenges in Early Diagnosis of Oral Cancer: Cases Series

Oral cancer has an overall survival rate of only 50%. This prognosis is significantly improved when this disease is diagnosed and treated in its early stages. Oral cancer is usually associated with classical clinical features associated with malignancy resulting in accurate diagnosis. However, certain cases of oral cancer, especially in its early stages, can be clinically deceptive and can be misdiagnosed. There is a recent trend of changing demographics and etiology associated with oral cancer adding to the diagnostic challenges faced by the clinician. The awareness of these changing trends is needed to aid in early diagnosis of oral cancer. In this case series, we have presented three cases of patients with challenging aspects.
Positive thyroid antibodies and risk of thyroid cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Previous studies assessing the association between thyroid antibodies and the risk of thyroid cancer (TC) have produced inconsistent results. The present study therefore conducted a meta-analysis of the available data. PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched for the retrieval of relevant studies and a meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the association between positive thyroid antibodies and the risk of TC. This search identified 16 articles containing 17 studies on thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb), which involved a total of 34,488 patients. Positive TgAb was associated with an increased risk of TC [odds ratio (OR)=1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.64–2.27, I2=67.2%]. Whether to adjust for confounding factors (gender and thyroid nodule number) was the main cause of heterogeneity. A stronger association between positive TgAb and an increased risk of TC was identified in the studies with an unadjusted thyroid nodule number (OR=2.14, 95% CI=1.82–2.52), as compared to those with an adjusted thyroid nodule number (OR=1.61, 95% CI=1.29–2.00; P=0.04). In addition, 12 studies on thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) involving 30,007 patients were included. Positive TPOAb was associated with an increased risk of TC (OR=1.50, 95%CI=1.16–1.95, I2=83.0%). No significant heterogeneity was observed in the PTC group. Positive TgAb is an independent risk factor for TC. The association between positive TPOAb and increased risk of TC needs to be further studied.
Urban area radio propagation measurements at 955 and 1845 MHz for small and micro cells

Path-loss in urban area small and microcell environments is discussed. Results from dual-frequency measurements performed in urban areas at 955 MHz and 1845 MHz are presented. The mean difference in path loss between the two frequencies was found to be 10 dB, whereas the free-space loss is only 6 dB. The shadow-fading at the two frequencies was highly correlated. Therefore much of the experience from the 900-MHz band can be used for planning of new cellular systems in the 1800-2000-MHz band. M. Hata's (1980) prediction model was fitted to the data at both frequencies, but predicted too-low path loss at 1845 MHz. A modified Hata prediction model is proposed for use in the frequency range 1500 to 2000 MHz. The effect of low base station antenna heights is also discussed. <<ETX>>
Octopamine neurons mediate flight-induced modulation of visual processing in Drosophila melanogaster

Activity-dependent modulation of sensory systems has been documented in many organisms, and is likely to be essential for appropriate processing of information during different behavioral states. However, the mechanisms underlying these phenomena, and often their functional consequences, remain poorly characterized. I investigated the role of octopamine neurons in the flight-dependent modulation observed in visual interneurons in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The vertical system (VS) cells exhibit a boost in their response to visual motion during flight compared to quiescence. Pharmacological application of octopamine evokes responses in quiescent flies that mimic those observed during flight, and octopamine neurons that project to the optic lobes increase in activity during flight. Using genetic tools to manipulate the activity of octopamine neurons, I find that they are both necessary and sufficient for the flight-induced visual boost. This work provides the first evidence that endogenous release of octopamine is involved in state-dependent modulation of visual interneurons in flies. Further, I investigated the role of a single pair of octopamine neurons that project to the optic lobes, and found no evidence that chemical synaptic transmission via these neurons is necessary for the flight boost. However, I found some evidence that activation of these neurons may contribute to the flight boost. Wind stimuli alone are sufficient to generate transient increases in the VS cell response to motion vision, but result in no increase in baseline membrane potential. These results suggest that the flight boost originates not from a central command signal during flight, but from mechanosensory stimuli relayed via the octopamine system. Lastly, in an attempt to understand the functional consequences of the flight boost observed in visual interneurons, we measured the effect of inactivating octopamine neurons in freely flying flies. We found that flies whose octopamine neurons we silenced accelerate less than wild-type flies, consistent with the hypothesis that the flight boost we observe in VS cells is indicative of a gain control mechanism mediated by octopamine neurons. Together, this work serves as the basis for a mechanistic and functional understanding of octopaminergic modulation of vision in flying flies.
Sharpening of Video Frames for Improvement of Feature Points Detection

Some visual tracking tasks are unable to operate stable for video with blurred frames because feature points detection is degraded on blur images. In the paper we concentrate on blurriness due to refocusing of camera optical system of mobile devices. Our aim is evaluation of influence of blur and sharpening on Harris corner and FAST keypoints detectors. We propose a quality criterion in order to be able to make numerical assessment of the influence. For enhancement of blurred frames we investigate two sharpening filters: local tone mapping decreases of edge transition slope length, unsharp mask via bilateral filter increases local contrast along edges. On data from KITTI Vision Benchmark Suite as well as video captured by smartphone we demonstrate that sharpening improves feature points detection for both Harris corner and FAST methods. A positive impact for FAST is significant, it may improve robustness of various computer vision systems.
Mortality and Morbidity Followed Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Background and Objective: Due to rises in number of peoples with coronary artery diseases, Coronary Artery bypass surgery is considered as one of the most effective treatment methods. In most of cases, adverse events and beside effects is not ignorable. This study was aimed to determine the post-CABG surgery complications in one public hospital during a range of ten years. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted on 600 patients underwent CABG surgery during 1999-2009 in one hospital of Mashhad. Patients’ medical records were reviewed for cases of mortality, postoperative bleeding, cerebral complications, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, pulmonary complications and atrial fibrillation were surveyed. Data were analyzed and interpreted using SPSS descriptive statistics. Results: According to the findings of this study the mean age of patient underwent this surgery (CABG) was 56/6 ±10/2 years and most of patients (73%) were male. The highest complication rate of 31/6% was related to post operation atrial fibrillation and the lowest rate of 0.3% was related to deep vein thrombosis. Death following surgery was reported for 1/6% of patients. Conclusion: coronary artery bypasses surgery in one of the proper options, and indeed the final one, in treatment of coronary artery disease. Like other invasive treatments, this method may be associated with adverse events and complications. Proper treatment management and monitoring procedures can lead to decreases in adverse events.
Effect of Training Program on Nurses' Performance Regarding Infection Control Measures in Caring For Patient with Post-Operative Wound

Background: Now adays wound infection is one of the most challenging aspects of wound management. It is a major contributor to healthcare costs around the world, and causes significant distress to patients and careers. Aim: to evaluate the effectof training program on nurses' performance regarding infection control measures in caring for patient with post operative wound. Setting: The study was conducted in surgical units and out-patient surgical clinics of three general hospitals in Port-Said City. Sampling: The study was applied on 40 nurses working in the previously mentioned setting. Data was collected through a "questionnaire sheet" to assess nurses' knowledge and "observational checklists" to assess nurses' practice in caring for patients with post-operative wounds. Results: the studyresulted that, there were statistically significant relations between total knowledge of nurses' pre, post 1, and post 2, and between nurses' practice pre, post 1 and post 2. The results showed marked improvement in nurses' knowledge and skills related to the care of wounds after surgery after the program. Conclusion: The study concluded that there was statistically significant relation between nurses' total score of knowledge and total score of practice related to post-operative wound care. Recommendations: The study recommended that further programs with continues follow up for nurses in all general hospitals in Port-Said City to help them to improve their performance regarding postoperative wound care through applying infection control measures and monitoring periodically the nurses' performance.
Minimally invasive approach for cancer of the esophagogastric junction

The incidence of esophagogastric junction (EGJ) cancer is increasing in the world. EGJ cancer is traditionally classified by the Siewert classification, despite its limitations. The definition and classification of EGJ cancer is a controversial topic. Thus, the best available strategy for the surgical treatment of EGJ cancer remains controversial. This chapter reviews a minimally invasive approaches for EGJ cancer. Most operations for EGJ cancer that are performed by open surgery can be performed minimally invasively. A minimally invasive transthoracic approach (Ivor-Lewis or McKeown esophagectomy) is the optimal surgical approach for Siewert type I cancer. Mediastinoscope-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy, which was recently reported, may be a suitable surgical option, especially for frail patients with Siewert type I cancer. Generally, laparoscopic total or proximal gastrectomy is regarded as the standard for surgerical method for Siewert type III cancer, while both laparoscopic gastrectomy (with lower esophagectomy) or a minimally invasive Ivor-Lewis approach are recommended for Siewert type II cancer. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has the potential to shorten the length of hospitalization, reduce the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications, and improve quality of life with a similar margin status, nodal harvest, and survival rate to open techniques. However, as the existing literature is still limited, the choice of surgical method should be judged by the experienced surgeons, especially in MIS. This review reveals that further large clinical stuidies are need to deepen our understanding of MIS for EGJ cancer.
ACUTE PHYSIOLOGY AND CHRONIC HEALTH EVALUATION (APACHE) II SCORE – THE CLINICAL PREDICTOR IN NEUROSURGICAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

SUMMARY The APACHE II scoring system is approved for its benchmarking and mortality predictions, but there are only a few articles published to demonstrate it in neurosurgical patients. Therefore, this study was performed to acknowledge this score and its predictive performance to hospital mortality in a tertiary referral neurosurgical intensive care unit (ICU). All patients admitted to the Neurosurgical ICU from February 1 to July 31, 2011 were recruited. The parameters indicated in APACHE II score were collected. The adjusted predicted risk of death was calculated and compared with the death rate observed. Descriptive statistics including the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was performed. The results showed that 276 patients were admitted during the mentioned period. The APACHE II score was 16.56 (95% CI, 15.84-17.29) and 19.08 (95% CI, 15.40-22.76) in survivors and non-survivors, while the adjusted predicted death rates were 13.39% (95% CI, 11.83-14.95) and 17.49% (95% CI, 9.81-25.17), respectively. The observed mortality was only 4.35%. The area under the ROC of APACHE II score to the hospital mortality was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.44-0.79). In conclusion, not only the APACHE II score in neurosurgical patients indicated low severity, but its performance to predict hospital mortality was also inferior. Additional studies of predicting mortality among these critical patients should be undertaken.
Bacterial growth, inflammatory cytokine production, and neutrophil recruitment during coliform mastitis in cows within ten days after calving, compared with cows at midlactation.

OBJECTIVE To define causes of increased susceptibility to coliform mastitis after parturition. ANIMALS 12 healthy Holstein cows assigned to 2 groups. Group-1 cows (n = 6) had calved between 6 and 10 days earlier. Group-2 cows (n = 6) were in midlactation. PROCEDURE Cows from each group were paired and challenge exposed with Escherichia coli in 1 mammary gland. Mastitis severity was determined by bacterial concentration in milk, pyrexia, and milk production. Measures of host defense were neutrophil chemotaxis, adhesion molecule expression, leukocyte recruitment, and cytokine production. RESULTS After challenge exposure, group-1 cows had more rapid E coli growth, higher peak bacterial concentration, and higher fever. Leukocyte recruitment was poor in 1 group-1 cow that had peracute mastitis. In contrast, leukocyte recruitment in 5 other group-1 cows began sooner than that in group-2 cows. In these group-1 cows, prechallenge-exposure milk somatic cell counts (SCC) were significantly lower than those in group-2 cows. Prechallenge-exposure SCC were correlated to stimulated CD18 expression (R2 = 0.79), and both measures correlated inversely with bacterial growth rate (R2 = -0.75). Values for tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1, and interleukin 8 in group-1 cows after challenge exposure were greater than or equal to those in group-2 cows. CONCLUSIONS Weak leukocyte recruitment to the mammary gland is associated with increased severity of coliform mastitis. Impaired production of cytokines measured is not a cause of increased susceptibility to coliform mastitis in early lactation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Low milk SCC after calving may increase susceptibility to severe coliform mastitis.
Interaction detection by statistical analysis of proxemics cues in videos

We present a novel approach for detecting social interactions in a crowded scene by employing solely visual cues. The detection of social interactions in unconstrained scenarios is a valuable and important task, especially for surveillance purposes. Our proposal is inspired by the social signaling literature, and in particular it considers the sociological notion of F-formation. A F-formation is a set of possible configurations in space that people may assume while participating in a social interaction. Our system takes as input the positions of the people in a scene and their (head) orientations; then, employing a voting strategy based on the Hough transform, it recognizes F-formations and the individuals associated with them. Experiments on simulations and real data promote our idea.