Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Effects of Tacrolimus and Cyclosporine on the Pharmacokinetics of Mycophenolic Acid

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is almost completely absorbed from the gut and is rapidly de-esterified into its active drug, mycophenolic acid (MPA). The main metabolite is glucuronidated MPA (MPAG), which is excreted into bile and undergoes enterohepatic recirculation. Studies in healthy volunteers treated with cholestyramine show that interruption of the enterohepatic recirculation decreases MPA exposure by approximately 40%. Published data show a difference in mycophenolic acid plasma concentrations between kidney transplant recipients treated with MMF plus cyclosporine (CsA) and those treated with MMF plus tacrolimus (TRL). However, the interpretation of these data is complicated by interpatient differences in variables that may influence MMF pharmacokinetics (e.g., underlying disease, co-medication, and time since transplantation). To understand the influence of TRL and CsA on MMF pharmacokinetics (PK) more completely, the authors eliminated confounding variables in clinical studies by performing drug interaction studies in inbred rats. To achieve a steady state, 3 groups of Lewis rats (n = 8 per group) were treated once daily with oral CsA (8 mg/kg), TRL (4 mg/kg), or placebo on days 0–6 before all rats began once-daily oral treatment with MMF (20 mg/kg) on day 7. Combined treatment with either MMF + CsA, MMF + TRL, or MMF + placebo was continued for 1 week (days 8–14). Thereafter, CsA and TRL treatments were stopped but MMF treatment was continued on days 14–21. Blood was sampled during the 24 hours subsequent to dosing on day 7 (after the first MMF dose), on day 14 (after multiple MMF doses) and on day 21 (after CsA/TRL washout). Rats in the MMF + TRL group and in the MMF + placebo group showed a second peak in the MPA-PK profiles consistent with enterohepatic recirculation of MPA. The MPA-PK profiles for the MMF + CsA–treated animals did not show a second MPA peak. On Day 14, the mean plasma MPA-AUC0–24 hours for the CsA-treated animals was significantly less than MPA exposures for rats in the MMF + TRL– and the MMF + placebo–treated groups. Furthermore, in contrast to results from other investigators, co-administration of CsA and MMF significantly increased MPAG-AUC0–24 hours. Serum creatinines did not differ among rats in the three groups. CsA but not TRL decreased MPA plasma levels and increased MPAG-AUC0–24 hours. These data suggest that CsA inhibits MPAG excretion into bile and offer an explanation for the well-known increased MPA exposure in organ transplant patients caused by conversion from CsA-to TRL-based immunosuppression.
Load Balancing Routing Protocol for considering Energy Efficiency in Wireless Sensor Network

A WSN is composed of a large number of sensor nodes, which are the finite energy resources. Therefore, extending the life of the sensor nodes and minimization in overall power consumption is very important. In this paper, we propose the LBRP that supports to balance the traffic throughout the WSN. In LBPR, the traffics passed by each node are distributed through multiple paths instead of a single path. It allows significant energy saving and makes long-lived sensor nodes. Simulation results show that significant energy savings can be achieved compared to the multi-hop routing protocols.
Expression of fibronectin, the integrin alpha 5, and alpha-smooth muscle actin in heart and lung development.

The developmentally regulated expression of fibronectin (FN) in developing organs and FN's ability to stimulate cell migration and differentiation in vitro suggest a role in organogenesis. We examined the distribution of FN and the alpha 5 subunit of its receptor, the integrin alpha 5 beta 1, in the lungs and hearts of murine embryos at 11, 13, 16, and 18 days of gestation. In the lung, FN staining was present in the mesenchyme and parabronchial cells at day 11, increased at day 13, and decreased after day 16. Increases in FN coincided with the period of branching morphogenesis, and FN was concentrated at areas of airway bifurcation, suggesting a role for FN in cleft formation. The alpha 5 subunit appeared later at 13 days, co-distributing with FN only in well-developed primary bronchioles. At all stages, alpha-smooth muscle actin expression correlated temporally and spatially with that of the alpha 5 subunit. In the heart, staining for FN, the alpha 5 subunit, and alpha-smooth muscle actin were present at day 11 and increased at day 13. FN was present in the outflow tract and developing atria and ventricles, where it was concentrated in the outer layer or visceral pericardium. Interestingly, alpha 5 was detected at the inner layer, the endothelium, lining the outflow tract and atrioventricular cushions where endothelial cells migrate into the cardiac jelly in the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation. This suggests a potential role for alpha 5 beta 1 and FN in ventricular septation and valve formation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire

Most modern theories suggest that interpersonal relationships are of central importance in the development of criminal behavior. We tested the parent attachment scales of a new research and clinical measure, the Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ). It is a 29-scale battery assessing attachments to mother, father, partner, and peers, which also includes several related clinical scales. Sixty-one (18-20 years of age) male offenders from a maximum security detention center and 131contrasts completed the ACIQ. ANOVA demonstrated that mother and father attachments displayed different patterns. The attachment scales also predicted the numbers of crimes within the population of juvenile offenders. Thus, the parent attachment scales of the ACIQ showed promise as an instrument to test dynamic systems approaches to developmental models of criminal behavior.
Molecular dynamics simulation of fungal cellulose-binding domains: differences in molecular rigidity but a preserved cellulose binding surface.

A total of 23 fungal cellulose-binding domain (CBD) sequences were aligned. Structural models of the cellulose-binding domain of an exoglucanase (CBHII) and of three endoglucanases (EGI, EGII and EGV) from Trichoderma reesei cellulases were homology modelled based on the NMR structure of the fungal cellobiohydrolase CBHI, from the same organism. The completed models and the known structure of the CBHI cellulose-binding domain were refined by molecular dynamics simulations in water. All four models were found to be very similar to the structure of the CBHI cellulose-binding domain and sequence comparison indicated that in general the three-dimensional structures of fungal cellulose-binding domains are very similar. In all the CBDs studied, two disulphide bridges apparently stabilize the polypeptide fold. From the models, and additional disulphide bridge was predicted in EGI and CBHII, and in eight further CBDs from other organisms. Three highly conserved aromatic residues on the hydrophilic side of the wedge make this surface flat. This surface is expected to make contact with the substrate. Three invariant amino acids, Gln7, Asn29 and Gln34, on this flat face are in suitable positions for hydrogen bonding with the cellulose surface. Analysis of the differences in the protein surface properties indicated that the endoglucanases tend to be more hydrophilic than the exoglucanases. The largest structural variation was found around positions 12-16. The fungal CBD sequences are discussed in relation to variations in function and pH dependence. Comparison of the modelled structures with experimental binding data for the CBHI and EGI allowed the formulation of a qualitative relationship to cellulose affinity. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Prediction and monitoring of cerebral hyperperfusion after carotid endarterectomy by using single-photon emission computerized tomography scanning.

OBJECT The purpose of this study was to determine whether the preoperative measurement of acetazolamide-induced changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF), which is performed using single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) scanning, can be used to identify patients at risk for hyperperfusion following carotid endarterectomy (CEA). In addition, the authors investigated whether monitoring of CBF with SPECT scanning after CEA can be used to identify patients at risk for hyperperfusion syndrome. METHODS Cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) to acetazolamide were measured before CEA in 51 patients with ipsilateral internal carotid artery stenosis (> or = 70% stenosis). Cerebral blood flow was also measured immediately after CEA and on the 3rd postoperative day. Hyperperfusion (an increase in CBF of > or = 100% compared with preoperative values) was observed immediately after CEA in eight of 12 patients with reduced preoperative CVR. Reduced preoperative CVR was the only significant independent predictor of post-CEA hyperperfusion. Forty-three patients in whom hyperperfusion was not detected immediately after CEA did not exhibit hyperperfusion on the 3rd postoperative day and did not experience hyperperfusion syndrome. In two of eight patients in whom hyperperfusion occurred immediately after CEA, CBF progressively increased and hyperperfusion syndrome developed, but intracerebral hemorrhage did not occur. In the remaining six of eight patients in whom hyperperfusion was detected immediately after CEA, the CBF progressively decreased and the hyperperfusion resolved by the 3rd postoperative day. CONCLUSIONS Preoperative measurement of acetazolamide-induced changes in CBF, which is performed using SPECT scanning, can be used to identify patients at risk for hyperperfusion after CEA. In addition, post-CEA monitoring of CBF performed using SPECT scanning results in the timely and reliable identification of patients at risk for hyperperfusion syndrome.
Forms of lactoferrin: their antibacterial effect on enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

The antibacterial effects of various forms of lactoferrin on enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli were tested in vitro using a microassay for bacterial growth. Native and apo-lactoferrin exhibited variable activity against 19 strains, whereas holo-lactoferrin had no effect. At a concentration of . 2 mg/ml of apo-lactoferrin, strains could be distinguished as either sensitive or resistant to inhibition. Zinc-saturated lactoferrin was as inhibitory as apo-lactoferrin when sensitive and resistant strains were tested over the concentration range . 04 to 1.0 mg/ml of lactoferrin. A bactericidal effect was observed for native, apo-, and Zn-saturated lactoferrin against some sensitive strains. The antibacterial activity of apo-lactoferrin depended on bacterial inoculum size and was not enhanced by the addition of lysozyme. Addition of holo-lactoferrin or cytochrome c diminished the antibacterial effect of apo-lactoferrin, whereas addition of BSA had no effect. Resistance to inhibition by lactoferrin was not related to the production of bacterial siderophores.
Digital assistance design for analog systems: digital baseband for outphasing power amplifiers

Digital assistance is among many aspects that can be leveraged to help analog/mixedsignal designers keep up with the technology scaling. It usually takes the form of predistorter or compensator in an analog/mixed-signal system and helps compensate the nonidealities in the system. Digital assistance takes advantage of the process scaling with faster speed and a higher level of integration. When a digital system is co-optimized with system modeling techniques, digital assistance usually becomes a key enabling block for the high performance of the overall system. This thesis presents the design of digital assistances through the digital baseband design for outphasing power amplifiers. In the digital baseband design, this thesis conveys two major points: the importance of the use of the reduced-complexity system modeling techniques, and the communications between hardware design and system modeling. These points greatly help the success in the design of the energy-efficient baseband. The first part of the baseband design is to realize the nonlinear signal processing unit required by the modulation scheme. Conventional approaches of implementing this functionality do not scale well to meet the throughput, area and energy-efficiency targets. We propose a novel fixed-point piece-wise linear approximation technique for the nonlinear function computations involved in the signal processing unit. The new technique allows us to achieve an energy and area-efficient design with a throughput of 3.4Gsamples/s. Compared to the projected previous designs, our design shows 2x improvement in energy-efficiency and 25x in area-efficiency. The second part of the baseband design devotes to the nonlinear compensator design, aiming to improve the linearity performance of the outphasing power amplifier. We first explore the feasibility of a working compensator by use of an off-line iterative solving scheme. With the confirmation that a compensator does exist, we analyze the structure of the nonlinear baseband-equivalent PA system and create a dynamical real-time compensator model. The resulting compensator provides the overall PA system with around 10dB improvement in ACPR and up to 2.5% in EVM. 3 Thesis Supervisor: Vladimir M. Stojanovid Title: Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Disclosure of Corporate Governance in Banking Sector of Bangladesh

Securities and Exchange Commission in Bangladesh set some rules about the Corporate Governance in 2006 and advises the listed company to follow those rules to ensure proper Corporate Governance. The main purpose of this study is to know about the disclosure of checklist of Corporate Governance in the banking sector of Bangladesh. Certain analysis was done to conduct this study like- dichotomous and partial compliance to find out the Overall disclosure Index. Chi-square test and cross tabulation are used to find relation between certain variables. Besides, Correlation and regression was performed to analysis those factors that influences the disclosure of Corporate Governance. Annual report of 2011 for 30 banks enlisted under Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) has been used to conduct this study. Certain results like higher proportion of independent directors’ gives higher disclosure of corporate governance and more insider ownership results less corporate governance have been found. Recent scam in banking sector is also the result lack of corporate governance in Bangladesh. This research can be used to minimize that scam in the corporate culture. This study creates values not only to those banks but also to the other stakeholders who are related to this. Investors and creditors decision can be influenced by this study. Keyword s: Corporate Governance, Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Disclosure, Banks etc.
Energy-saving Supporting Tourism Sustainability: A Case Study of Hotel Swimming Pool Heat Pump

Based on energy-related measurements, this article evaluates the thermal performance, energy-saving, indirect emissions and financial feasibility of using heat pumps for hotel out-door swimming pools in subtropical climates. A rooftop pool of a city-centre hotel was investigated. It was found that the average coefficient of performance (COP) was around 2.0. The measured electricity consumption was 24.6 MWh and the total heat output was 49.1 MWh for the heating season studied (mid-December to the late April). Compared with conventional electric boilers and gas-fired condensing/non-condensing boilers, the total energy savings during the heating season ranged from 26.5 to 32.5 MWh. Greenhouse and noxious emissions can also be indirectly reduced by about 12,000 kg. A discounting approach was adopted to compute the net present value of fuel costs over a lifecycle of 10 years. It was found that, over a 10-year lifecycle, the energy cost could be reduced by HK$226,400 when a heat pump with an average COP of 2.0 was used instead of a conventional electric boiler. Derived from the energy cost saving over other conventional type of water heating equipment, the simple pay-back period can be about 2 years and the lowest internal rate of return can be 39%.
Introducing Intellectual Capital Analysis to Soccer Club Management: An Integrated Map of Intangible Sources of Value

This paper introduces intellectual capital analysis to soccer club management. Applying a holistic approach to the soccer club organization, we set up an intellectual capital map of value-creating intangible resources of a soccer club, such as player performance, fan loyalty, club winning performance, and so forth. Proceeding beyond the scope of current accounting regulations, we build an analysis mechanism - the soccer scorecard - based on a unified quantification approach to a soccer club's organizational performance.
Molecular Evidence for Nosocomial Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus from a Surgeon to One of His Patients

ABSTRACT We have investigated the molecular evidence in favor of the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from an HIV-infected surgeon to one of his patients. After PCR amplification, theenv and gag sequences from the viral genome were cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the viral sequences derived from the surgeon and his patient are closely related, which strongly suggests that nosocomial transmission occurred. In addition, these viral sequences belong to group M of HIV type 1 but are divergent from the reference sequences of the known subtypes.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: physiologic tests, quantitative CT indexes, and CT visual scores as predictors of mortality.

PURPOSE To retrospectively evaluate quantitative computed tomographic (CT) indexes, pulmonary function test results, and visual CT scoring as predictors of mortality and to describe serial changes in quantitative CT indexes over 12 months in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). MATERIALS AND METHODS Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained at all participating institutions. One hundred sixty-seven patients (110 men, 57 women; mean age, 63 years +/- 9 [standard deviation]) with IPF were enrolled in a clinical trial. Patients underwent thin-section CT in the supine position at full inspiration at enrollment (baseline) and at 12-month follow-up. After segmentation of the lungs, mean lung attenuation (MLA), skewness, and kurtosis were measured. Extent of ground glass opacity and lung fibrosis were assessed visually. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and total lung capacity (TLC) were measured. Median duration of follow-up for mortality was 1.5 years. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were used to determine the predictive value of baseline variables for survival. RESULTS At univariate analysis, baseline variables predictive of death included TLC, fibrosis, skewness, and kurtosis. At multivariate analysis, FVC (P = .006) and fibrosis (P = .002) were predictors of short-term mortality. In 95 patients who had both baseline and follow-up CT scans, fibrosis (P = .030), MLA (P = .003), skewness (P < .001), and kurtosis (P < .001) all showed change indicating disease progression. CONCLUSION Visually determined disease extent on CT images is a strong independent predictor of mortality in IPF. Serial evaluation of quantitative CT measures can show disease progression in these patients.
Going concern opinion and the effects of outside directors of financially distressed companies: Evidence from the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange

This research is aimed at examining the relationship between the characteristics of boards of directors and audit committee of financially distressed/going-concern clients and the likelihood of receiving going concern audit reports. ISA 570 (revised) provides a general auditing guideline for auditors in Malaysia to issue a qualified or a modified report when there are substantial doubts regarding the validity of client's going concern. Our sample comprises 167 companies, which were financially distressed and listed on Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) in year 2000. We hypothesize the going concern opinion is associated with the proportion of outside directors to total directors, outside directors with substantial shareholdings and audit committee with only outside directors. Using binary multiple logistic regression, we find evidence to support our expectation that going-concern opinion is to some extent a function of financial condition.
2-Ethyl-8-methoxymethyl-4-oxo-4H-chromen-7-yl (1S,4R)-4,7,7-trimethyl-3-oxo-2-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-1-carboxylate

The title compound C23H26O7, was prepared by esterification of 2-ethyl-7-hydroxy-8-methoxymethyl-4H-chromen-4-one with (S)-(−)-camphanic chloride. The two rings of the chromone system are coplanar, making a dihedral angle of 1.99 (19)°, and the camphanoyl unit substituted at 7-O retains the original bicyclo[2.2. 1]heptane conformation of the starting reagent.
Recognition of Positive Vocalizations Is Impaired in Behavioral-Variant Frontotemporal Dementia

Abstract Recognition of negative emotions is impaired in behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Less is known about the identification of positive emotions. One limitation likely arises from the stimulus sets used in previous studies. The widely used Ekman 60 Faces Test, for example, consists of four negative emotions (anger, fear, disgust and sadness) but only one positive emotion (happiness). Here, patients with bvFTD (n = 9), AD (n = 9), and controls (n = 15) recognized a range of experimentally-validated positive and negative non-verbal vocalizations (e.g., cheers for triumph; retching for disgust) that have recently become available. The bvFTD group was impaired in the recognition of both positive and negative vocalizations. In contrast, performance in the AD cohort was comparable to that of controls. Findings in the bvFTD group point to a global emotion recognition deficit in this syndrome. These results are consistent with a growing body of research showing that deficits also extend to positive emotions. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–5)
Rheological Properties and Conformation of Tomato Paste Pectins, Citrus and Apple Pectins

Rheological properties of dilute and concentrated solutions of water-soluble, alcohol-precipitated tomato pectins from hot break and cold break tomato paste as well as alcohol-precipitated commercially available apple and citrus pectins were studied. Superposition of rheological data was possible when nsp was plotteds vs c[η] and when η/ηo was plotted vs τγ The slope of nsp vs cMw plot and the limiting slope of η/η0 vs (τγ suggested that citrus, apple and hot break tomato pectin had random coil conformation while cold break tomato pectin had a more rigid conformation. Tomato processing had significant influence on the chain length and rheological properties of tomato pectins.