Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Noble Therapeutic Approach of Atopic dermatitis by Development of Th2 Chemokine Inhibitors from Natural Products : Inhibitory Effect of Sophora flavescens Extract in Atopic Dermatitis Model mice, NC/Nga

We investigated the inhibitory effect of an oral administration of a Sophora flavescens Aiton ethanol extract (SFE) on the development of atopic dermatitis (AD) by using NC/Nga model mice. The induction of atopic dermatitis-like lesion was conducted by the removal of the back hairs and topical application of a mite antigen (Dermatophagoides farinae, Df) on to the back skin twice a week for 8 weeks. SFE was orally administered at a different doses (100-400 mg/kg). Atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions were evaluated by dermatitis scores, skin histology and immunological parameters (serum levels of IgE, TARC/CCL17, MDC/CCL22, and CTACK/CCL27). Oral administration of SFE significantly inhibited the clinical sign of Df-induced atopic dermatitis, including dermatitis score and leukocyte infiltration. Moreover, SFE suppressed significantly the serum IgE and Th2 chemokine (TARC/CCL17, MDC/CCL22, and CTACK/CCL27) levels in a concentration dependent manner. These results suggest that oral administration of SFE could reduce significantly the clinical signs and Th2 chemokines in Df-induced atopic dermatitis model mice. Therefore, SFE may be effective substances for the management of AD in human.
The application of J integral to measure cohesive laws in materials undergoing large scale yielding

We explore the possibility of determining cohesive laws by the J-integral approach for materials having non-linear stress-strain behaviour (e.g. polymers and composites) by the use of a DCB sandwich specimen, consisting of stiff elastic beams bonded to the non-linear test material, loaded with pure bending moments. For a wide range of parameters of the non-linear material, the plastic unloading during crack extension is small, resulting in J integral values (fracture resistance) that deviate maximum 15% from the work of the cohesive traction. Thus the method can be used to extract the cohesive laws directly from experiments without any presumption about their shape. Finally, the DCB sandwich specimen was also analysed using the I integral to quantify the overestimation of the steady-state fracture resistance obtained using the J integral based method.
Union responses to young workers since the Great Recession in Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden: are youth structures reorienting the union agenda? 1

This article analyses how youth structures at the confederal level of trade unions are influencing the union agenda in the face of the growing problem of youth unemployment in Europe. Five youth structures from union confederations in Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden have been studied. Although youth structures were already able to influence the union agenda in certain confederations before the crisis, the evidence demonstrates that youth issues have gained prominence today. A particular pattern discernible across countries is coalition-building between youth structures and student organizations for guiding the transition of the next generation of young workers from school to the labour market. More generally, youth structures’ possibilities for action can be explained not only by the confederations’ age composition and changing systems of union governance, but also by the specific national socio-economic context and political opportunity structures.
User Hand Influence on Properties of a Dual-Band PIFA Antenna

This paper deals with the user hand influence on impedance matching and radiation pattern of a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA). In the text, the PIFA structure is discussed in order to achieve broadband and multiband capability. Then, the dual-band PIFA antenna for opera- tion at frequencies of GSM900 and GSM1800 systems is designed. In the next step we investigate the user influence in data mode (the user is typing a message or browsing with a phone). For this purpose the phantom hand was made of an agar based material. The first author's right hand was used as a template for the phantom. Numerical model was created by 3D scanning of the fabricated phantom. Finally, the comparison of the differences be- tween simulations and measurement is presented.
Comparative Real World Effectiveness of Liraglutide versus Sitagliptin in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes as an Add-On to Metformin Monotherapy in the United States

Objective: Limited real-world evidence is available on the effectiveness of liraglutide compared with sitagliptin as an add-on therapy to metformin in clinical practice for adult patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcomes 6 months after initiating treatment with liraglutide or sitagliptin for patients uncontrolled on metformin monotherapy in the United States (US). Methods: We used the General Electric Centricity electronic medical records database to analyze the effectiveness of liraglutide and sitagliptin in adult (≥18 years) patients with T2DM who started either drug between January 1, 2010 and January 31, 2013 (index period) as an add-on to metformin monotherapy. Changes in A1C, body weight, and the proportion of patients reaching ADA A1C target of <7.0% 6 months after starting treatment with liraglutide or sitagliptin, adjusted for differences in demographic and baseline clinical characteristics, were evaluated. Results: 395 patients treated with liraglutide (mean age: 52.9 years, female: 57.5%) and 1,896 patients treated with sitagliptin (mean age: 58.0 years, female: 51.1%) were identified during the index period. After adjusting for baseline factors, patients treated with liraglutide experienced greater reductions in A1C (-1.18% vs. -0.94%, p<0.001) and body weight (-3.0 kg vs. -1.6 kg [6.6 lbs vs. -3.4 lbs], p<0.001) at 6 months from baseline than patients treated with sitagliptin. Significantly more patients treated with liraglutide met the A1C <7.0% target after 6 months follow-up (49.4% vs. 40.0%, p=0.001). Conclusions: As in clinical trials, this real-world study found that among adult patients with T2DM uncontrolled on metformin monotherapy liraglutide was associated with significantly greater reductions in A1C and body weight and improved glycemic goal attainment compared to sitagliptin.
Relative growth in rabbits: the effects of genetic line, diet and gender

The relative growth of different parts of the body and tissues was analysed using an allometric model. Animals were crossbred rabbits (males and females) from the mating of commercial lines HYLA-grand parental doe (HY-GPD) female with HYLA Coloured (HY-CO) or Grimaud (GR) males, both selected for the growth rate, or HY-GPD males, selected for weaning weight. They were fed on two different diet, mainly differing in their energy content, and the relative growth of the different parts of their body was assessed. The components with a nearly isometric growth pattern, which grew at the same mean rate as the rest of the body, were skin, chilled carcass and reference carcass; hind legs for retail cuts; and dorsal and carcass length for linear measurements. All allometric coefficients were calculated with respect to the slaughter weight, except percentage of hind leg inter-intramuscular fat (IIMF), which was calculated with respect to the weight of the hind leg. The components that showed early maturing were liver, kidneys, breast and rib viscera for offal and organs; head and breast and ribs for retail cuts; and bone and IIMF percentage of the hind leg. The components with late maturing were forelegs and loin for retail cuts, inguinal, scapular and perirenal fat, meat of the hind leg, and thigh and lumbar circumference length for carcass linear measurements. The GR line showed earlier growth for loin than the maternal HY-GPD line. In addition, the GR and HY-CO lines developed scapular and inguinal fat later than the HY-GPD line. For IIMF percentage, GR presented later growth than HY-CO and HY-GPD. The main effect of the diet was on liver development and on scapular fat: rabbits fed on the high-energy diet showed later liver and scapular fat growth.
A comparison of fatigue crack growth performance of two aerospace grade aluminium alloys reinforced with bonded crack retarders

To improve the fail-safety performance of integral metallic structures, the bonded crack retarder concept has been developed in recent years. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the effectiveness of bonded crack retarder on fatigue crack growth life in two aerospace aluminium alloys: 2624-T351 and 7085-T7651. M(T) specimens bonded with a pair of straps made of GLARE fibre-metal laminate were tested under the constant amplitude load. Although the bonded crack retarders increased the crack growth life in both alloys, the magnitude of life improvement is very different between them. Compared to unreinforced specimens, application of crack retarders has resulted in 90% increase in fatigue life in AA7085, but only 27% increase in AA2624. The significant difference in fatigue life improvement is owing to the material’s intrinsic fatigue crack growth rate property, i.e. the Paris law constants C and n. Value of n for AA7085 is 1.8 times higher than that for AA2624. Therefore, AA7085 is much more sensitive to reductions in the effective stress intensity factor brought by the crack retarders; hence better life improvement.
A Clustering Mechanism for Energy EfficientRouting Path

For many applications in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), users want to continuously extract data from the networks for analysis. In wireless sensor networks, sensor nodes in the area of interest must report the cognitive process to the sink by sensing, and this report will satisfies the report frequency required by the sink. This approach proposes a link-aware clustering mechanism, called LCM, which determines energy efficient and establishes the routing path. Node status and causal connection of the nodes, considers a fiction clustering metric called the predicted transmission count (PTX). Itevaluates the attribute of nodes for clusterheads and gateways to construct clusters. Each clusterhead or gateway nodes depends on this primary clustering metric, helps to derive the priority of nodes which is having the greatest priority becomes the clusterhead or gateway. Simulation results show that this technique is significantly forms the higher degree of the clustering and considers the residual energy and link condition in the packet delivery ratio and energy consumption.
Comparative analysis of epigenetic markers in plasma and tissue of patients with colorectal cancer

Aim. The work is devoted to the development of less invasive tools for the colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Methods. Q-PCR and methylation-specific PCR techniques were used in the current work. Results. We have shown that the levels of cell-free plasma DNA are higher in the CRC patients compared with the healthy donors (p < 0.01). Hypermethylation of APC, FHIT, LRRC3B and HIC1 genes was studied in the tumor and plasma samples of CRC patients. Two-stage verification for CRC screening was proposed. Conclusions. We proposed and tested a novel approach for CRC screening based on the determination of cell-free DNA and methylated DNA fragments in the plasma.
Characteristics, Antihyperglycemics Utilization, and Quality of Life in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Admitted to a Primary Health Center

Abstract. This study aimed to assess the characteristics, utilization of antihyperglycemic drugs, and to analyze the quality of life (QOL) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. This two-month prospective descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken by distributing the European Quality of Life - 5 Dimensions 3 Level (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire to the patients with T2DM (n=50) admitted to Helvetia primary health center Medan to assessed their QOL. The patients’ characteristics and the utilization of antihyperglycemic drugs were assessed from the patients’ medical records using a self-designed questionnaire. The inclusion criteria were T2DM patients with age of 18 years or older, had no mental disorders, and agreed to sign the informed consent. The patients’ characteristics, their QOL, utilization of antihyperglycemic drugs, and association among their characteristics and QOL were analyzed using descriptive and Chi-Square tests. All analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 19, Chicago, IL, USA) (p value 0.05). This study proved that most of the T2DM patients were females. Glibenclamide was the most frequently prescribed drug for the patients. The QOL of the patients was 79% of full health. Keyword: Antihyperglycemic Drugs , EQ-5D, QOL, T2DM
IN VITRO PROPAGATION OF HEBE SPECIOSA ON AN ORGANIC - FREE MEDIUM

Burritt, DJ. & Leung, D.W. M. (1991). In vitro propagation ofHebe speciosa on an organic - free medium. New Zealand Natural Sciences 18: 55-58. Axenic plantlets of Hebe speciosa (A. Cunn.) Ckn et Allan (Scrophulariaceae), a garden plant having a pleasant habit with large red/purple inflorescences, havebeen successfully established in culture. When 'micro-cuttings' consisting of the shoot meristem plus multiple layers of immature leaves were cultured on media containing GA3, shoot growth was promoted and the emerged shoots with several nodes were rooted on a medium containing IBA. A micropropagation procedure based on plantlet regeneration from single nodal explants of the axenic plantlets was then developed. A culture medium consisting of only 1/10 strength of inorganic MS salts was found to be adequate for shoot development and growth.
Artificial Neural Networks Can be Used as Alternative Method to Estimate Loss Tooth Root Sizes for Prediction of Dental Implants

Bu calismanin amaci, kanin dis koku uzunlugu ve servikal genisliginin yapay bir sinir agi yontemi (ANN) ile tahmin edilmesinin fizibilitesini arastirmaktir. Bilgisayarli tomografilerin (BT) panoramic goruntuleri ile rasgele 120 hasta degerlendirildi. 120 ornekten 96'si (% 80) egitim fazinda, 24'u (% 20) randomize bir secimden sonra test asamasinda kullanildi. Sag maksiller kanin kok uzunlugu (RL), servikal genisligi (CW) ve intertuberal uzunluk (IL) olculerek bir veri dosyasina olusturuldu. Sonuclara gore, yontem bu amaca uygun bulundu. Tahminler icin ortalama karesel hata degerleri %2 ile %4.4 arasinda bulundu. Bu ANN yonteminin kanin kok boyu ve servikal genisligi icin alternatif bir yontem oldugunu gostermektedir. Satin alinabilecek uygun maliyetli bir arac olan ANN yazilimi ve sistemi, daha ileri calismalar ve yazilim ayarlarinin optimizasyonundan sonra dental implant ameliyatina adapte edilebilir, implant ameliyatlarinda implantlarin boy ve genislikleri icin ongoru imkani verebilir.
Gene Polymorphisms and their Transcripts as Factors for Computerized Assessment of Fracture Risk: The Case of Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis

The aim of this study is the evaluation of osteoporosis related genes and transcription products, demographic and medication data for the estimation of fracture risk in women with osteoporosis. Such estimations are important for the creation of computerized applications similar to the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool FRAX®. Low cost Internet based tools were used for the creation of anonymised patient record stored in the Cloud, and for an interdisciplinary team to decide on patient inclusion via voice and video conference. 100 female patients with an osteoporotic fracture, on medication or not were included in the study. A series of seven biochemical parameters using the Luminex® technique were measured and genetic characteristics using the microarray Metabone® technique were analysed. The statistical analysis indicated that these new parameters can be important for the estimation of fracture risk; thus computer based risk estimation for fractures could be based on additional molecular data.
Conventional Versus Pegylated Interferons in Treatment of HCV Patients

Introduction: Based on data from recent trials, peginterferon and ribavirin combination therapy is the standard of care in treating patients with chronic HCV infection, but because of high costs, many patients may deprive from treatment. Methods: We conducted a clinical trial on HCV patients in Yazd in gastroenterology clinic. Thirty patients received conventional subcutaneous interferon alfa-2b (PDferon B®,PooyeshDarou, Tehran, Iran) at a dose of 3 million units three times per week plus oral ribavirin 1000 mg, and 30 patients received PEG IFN -2a (Pegasys: Roche company)180 mcg weekly plus ribavirin 1000 mg/day. Patients with genotype 1 were treated for 48 weeks and those with genotypes 2 and 3 were treated for 24 weeks. Ribavirin was used according to weight based regimen. Sustained virological response(SVR) was the primary objective outcome. Two groups were matched for age, sex and BMI. Results: Three females and fifty seven males participated in the study. SVR was 93.3% in peginterferon group and 90% in conventional interferon group regardless of genotype. Frequency of genotype 1a, 1b, and 3a was 51.7 %, 3.3%, and 36.7%, respectively and in 8.3% of cases genotype was undetermined. SVR in peginterferon group with genotype 1a, 1b, 3a and undetermined genotype was 94.4%, 100%, 87.55 and 100%, respectively. SVR in conventional group with genotype 1a, 1b, 3a and undetermined genotype was 92.3%, -, 85.7% and 100%, respectively. SVR was not significantly different between two groups (p= 1). There wasn't a significant difference between two groups regarding response to treatment or side effects. The treatment cost was 3.240. 000 Rls and 36.000. 000 Rls in conventional interferon and peginterferon groups, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed a continuous and acceptable response to treatment with conventional interferon and ribavirin.
Effect of dietary crude protein level on the performance and apparent digestibility of Iranian Saanen kids

The effects of increasing dietary levels of crude protein (CP) on growth, feed intake, feed efficiency and nutrient apparent digestibility on Iranian Saanen kids were studied. 24 Iranian Saanen weaned kids who were 86 ± 3 days old with live weight of 9 ± 03 kg were used in a completely randomized design. There were three treatments (n = 8 kids per treatment). The dietary treatments contained 35% lucerne hay with 65% concentrate supplement that consisted of 14, 15 and 16% CP for T1, T2 and T3, respectively (based on dry matter). The kids were housed in individual metabolic cages. Daily intake and body weight gain were determined and feed efficiency was calculated. Rumen fluid was collected by stomach tube and pH was immediately measured. The results show that, with increasing CP level in the diet, feed intake and body weight gain increased numerically, which was not significant (P> 0.5). Feed efficiency improved with increasing CP level. The effects of treatments on apparent digestibility were not significant (P> 0.5); but, ammonia-N and pH significantly increased with increasing CP level (P<0.5). No significant differences were observed between treatments for body measurement. Therefore, the results of this study show that increasing CP level from 14 to 16% improved performance in the Saanen kids. Keywords : Saanen kids, crude protein level, treatment, performance African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(26), pp. 4202-4205
CROSS-LANGUAGE PERCEPTUAL ASSIMILATION AND DISCRIMINATION OF SOUTHERN BRITISH ENGLISH VOWELS BY GREEK AND JAPANESE LEARNERS OF ENGLISH

This study compared the perception of Southern British English (SBE) vowels by Greek (Gr) and Japanese (J) learners of English, first using a crosslanguage mapping task to make predictions regarding SBE vowels’ discriminability and then a categorial oddity discrimination task to test these predictions. Both G and J listeners have five vowel qualities in their inventories but only Japanese has short/long versions of each quality. Differences between L2 groups in both experiments support the view that L2 perception cannot accurately be predicted by an abstract phonological crosslanguage comparison. L1 experience with duration helps J listeners in perceiving some SBE contrasts; Gr listeners nonetheless seem to be able to use duration to some extent despite the lack of experience with the particular feature in L1.
A neuromorphic MOS circuit imitating jamming avoidance response of Eigenmannia

In this paper, we implement a model of an electric fish, Eigenmannia, that detects frequency differences between the individuals, on analog CMOS circuits. The circuit's fundamental function is equivalent to a conventional “phase frequency comparator”. The circuit consists of five elemental cell units that implement neural networks of the electric fish. Using a simulation program of integrated circuit emphasis (SPICE), we demonstrate that the proposed circuit can detect the frequency difference.
Climate-change induced tropicalisation of marine communities in Western Australia

A major observed and predicted impact of climate change on marine species is the poleward shift in their distributions and the resulting changes in community structure. Here, we used a Dynamic Bioclimate Envelope Model to project range shift of exploited marine fishes and invertebrates in Western Australia. We combined published data and expert knowledge to predict current species distributions for 30 tropical, sub-tropical and temperate species that occur along the coast of Western Australia. Using outputs from both a Regional Oceanographic Model and a Global Circulation Model, we simulated change in the distribution of each species. Our study shows that under the SRES (Special Report for Emission Scenarios) A1B scenario, the median rate of distribution shift is around 19 km decade–1 towards higher latitudes and 9 m deeper decade–1 by 2055 relative to 2005. As a result, species gains and losses are expected along the south coast and north coast of Western Australia, respectively. Also, the coast of Western Australia is expected to experience a ‘tropicalisation’ of the marine community in the future, with increasing dominance of warmer-water species. Such changes in species assemblages may have large ecological and socio-economic implications through shifts in fishing grounds and unexpected trophic effects.
Mobile Probes in Mobile Learning.

In this paper experiences from using mobile probes in educational design of a mobile learning application is presented. The probing process stems from the cultural probe method, and was influenced by qualitative interview and inquiry approaches. In the project, the mobile phone was not only acting as an agent for acquiring empirical data (as the situation in hitherto mobile probe settings) but was also the technological medium for which data should say something about (mobile learning). Consequently, not only the content of the data but also the ways in which data was delivered and handled, provided a valuable dimension for investigating mobile use. The data was collected at the same time as design activities took place and the collective data was analysed based on user experience goals and cognitive processes from interaction design and mobile learning. The mobile probe increased the knowledge base available in the design decision process. Author