Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treatment of Acne Vulgaris with 5-Alpha Avocuta Cream 2% in Comparison with Tretinion Cream 0.025% (Single Blind Comparative Study)

Background: Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease. Its pathogenesis is multifactorial, and therapy can now be directed at many of these factors. Among these factors are androgen hormones which play an important role in the pathogenesis of acne. Accordingly,many antiandrogens have been developed to treat acne by systemic and topical ways. Five-Alpha Avocuta 2% cream is a new topical 5-alpha reductase inhibitor extracted from the tropical fruit “avocado”. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of 5-Alpha Avocuta cream and compare it to tretinoin 0.025% cream, in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Patients& Methods: This single blinded comparative study was done in Department of Dermatology– Baghdad Teaching Hospital - from July 2009 through October 2010. All demographic points related to the disease were obtained from each patient to evaluate severity of acne. Sixty-eight patients with acne were divided into two groups and instructed to apply the drugs for three months. Group A uses 5-Alpha avocuta 2% (Teen-derm K) cream and Group B uses tretinoin (Acretin) 0.025% cream. Severe acne was excluded from the study. The clinical improvement was evaluated by counting the number of inflammatory lesions before and after treatment and compare between them by paired t-test. Results: Fifty-eight patients completed the study, their age ranged from 12 - 30 years with a mean of 18.21 ± 4.64 years. In Group A there was a significant reduction of the mean number of papules from 29.7 before treatment to 15.5 after treatment (p < 0.0001), while the mean number of pustules decreased from 4.9 to 0.6 (p = 0.019). In Group B the mean number of papules was reduced from 28.5 to 14.9 (p < 0.0001), while the mean number of pustules dropped from 5.3 before treatment to 0.7 after treatment (p = 0.009). The mean difference of papules after 14 weeks in Group A was 15.55 ± 6.95 while in Group B, the mean difference was 14.86 ± 6.99. This result was statistically not significant (p = 0.708, t-test). The difference in the mean percentage of reduction of inflammatory lesions at week 14 between the two groups was not statistically significant (P-value = 0.999). The side effect was negligible in Group A and not required stopping the drug while in Group B treatment stopped in 2 patients. Conclusions: Five Alpha avocuta was an effective mode of therapy in treatment of acne vulgaris, and it was comparable to tretinoin, with little side effects.
Airway smooth muscle function in asthma

The traditional view of airway smooth muscle in asthma is of a passive partner in airway in ̄ammation, contracting in response to pro-in ̄ammatory mediators and neurotransmitters, and relaxing in response to endogenous and exogenous bronchodilators [1]. Early studies of human airway smooth muscle (HASM) function in asthma therefore tended to concentrate on the contractile aspects in order to try to explain airway hyperresponsiveness, the characteristic of asthma in which the airways show an exaggerated response to a large number of different stimuli acting through disparate pathways [1,2]. A number of studies has addressed the issue of whether this hyperresponsiveness is due to altered properties of airway smooth muscle itself. These studies have failed to consistently demonstrate an alteration in contractile properties, although studies in animal models of asthma, and in airway smooth muscle preparations from asthmatic patients in vitro, have suggested that relaxant responses may be impaired. It has become apparent that the airways in asthma undergo marked structural changes and that these may contribute to the underlying hyperresponsiveness [3,4]. Changes in airway smooth muscle thickness may be particularly important in this respect. Most recently, attention has turned to the synthetic properties of airway smooth muscle. Airway smooth muscle is a rich source of many cytokines, chemokines and in ̄ammatory mediators which may modulate airway in ̄ammation in asthma [5]. In this review we will discuss the current state of knowledge of the contractile, proliferative and synthetic functions of airway smooth muscle in asthma (Fig. 1).
A high-resolution flexible tactile imager system based on floating comb electrodes

Flexible high-resolution contact force imagers are needed in many applications for robotic grippers and gait analysis, but its intrinsic intimate contact requirement often causes breaking of top metallization layers and failure in a short time. The use of floating electrodes has significantly improved the reliability of traditional quad-cell capacitive tactile sensing devices. In this paper we present a new type of high-resolution (676-sensors) flexible pressure/shear imager array based on floating combs. Each sensing cell consists of two sets of orthogonal comb electrodes connected in a differential capacitance configuration. The shear sense direction (+x, -x, +y, -y) is determined by the amount of asymmetric comb overlap. Pressure readouts are obtained from the net capacitance of the cell. The new comb configuration multiplies the shear capacitive signal by the number of combs per cell. The imager is read using a high-speed switched-capacitor circuit with a 12-bit resolution at full frame rates of 100 Hz (~ 0.8Mb/s).
V2 Loop Glycosylation of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 SF162 Envelope Facilitates Interaction of This Protein with CD4 and CCR5 Receptors and Protects the Virus from Neutralization by Anti-V3 Loop and Anti-CD4 Binding Site Antibodies

ABSTRACT We examined the role of asparagine-linked glycosylation of the V2 loop of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) SF162 envelope on viral replication potential and neutralization susceptibility. We report that the asparagines located at the amino- and carboxy-terminal sites (at positions 154 and 195, respectively), as well as within the V2 loop of the SF162 envelope (at position 186), are glycosylated during in vitro replication of this virus in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Our studies indicate that glycosylation of the V2 loop, in particular at its base, facilitates the interaction of the HIV envelope with the CD4 and CCR5 receptor molecules present on the surface of target cells and affects viral replication kinetics in a cell type-dependent manner. In cells expressing high numbers of receptor molecules on their surfaces, the SF162-derived V2 loop-deglycosylated mutant viruses replicate as efficiently as the parental SF162 virus, while in cells expressing small numbers of receptor molecules, the mutant viruses replicate with markedly reduced efficiency. In addition to expanding the viral tropism, V2 loop glycosylation at the three sites examined prevents neutralization by anti-CD4 binding site antibodies. In contrast, glycosylation at the amino- and carboxy-terminal sites of the V2 loop but not within the loop itself offers protection against anti-V3 loop antibodies. Thus, the epitopes masked by the sugar molecules present on the three glycosylation sites examined are not identical but overlap.
Pulmonary tuberculosis masquerading as metastatic lung disease

A 30-year-old, HIV-negative female, who had never smoked, was referred for evaluation of lung metastasis. She had abdominal pain, occasional fever and weight loss for 3 months. Progressive breathlessness was present for 15 days. Her physical examination was unremarkable. Chest radiography (figure 1) showed bilateral nodular opacities with indistinct margins in all the lung zones. Computed tomography (CT) of the thorax demonstrated multiple round nodules of variable sizes scattered throughout both lung fields, suggestive of metastatic lung disease. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed multiple large retroperitoneal lymph nodes, which were confirmed on CT. Several sputum samples for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and malignant cytology were negative. Her bronchial aspirate was positive for AFB and GeneXpert (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis without rifampicin resistance. Transbronchial biopsy revealed caseating granulomas consistent with pulmonary tuberculosis. She was then referred to DOTS (directly observed therapy, short course) centre for initiation of antituberculous therapy. Subsequently, the bronchial aspirate also cultured M. tuberculosis. Pulmonary TB should be considered in the differential diagnosis of bilateral pulmonary nodules simulating metastasis http://ow.ly/TLQl4
Measurement error compensation using metacognitive elm based artificial neural network

Measurement of a physical parameter can adversely be affected by several factors like manufacturing process variations, environmental conditions etc. The measured output may non-linearly vary with many of these factors and may cause error in the parameter being measured. A precise modeling of the input-output relationship of measurement systems is indeed a necessity in order to have an accurate measurement. This paper proposes an innovative software error correction method, based on McELM learned Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The network is trained using an advanced fast learning algorithm called Extreme leaning Machine (ELM). The performance of the network on a typical dataset indicate encouraging results with a mean square error better than 1e−04. Further improvement of the algorithm in terms of its capability to efficiently handle online data has also been demonstrated. This has been achieved by building intelligence into ELM learning, using a Metacognitive approach.
Results of silver nitrate pleurodesis in spontaneous pneumothorax.

Pleurodesis induced by silver nitrate is a simple and safe procedure when performed on the correct indications in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax, i.e., for patients with only small or no blebs visible on thoracoscopy or with no or only mild pre-existing lung disease. It entails few complications and little risk. Long-term results are excellent. The procedure prevents recurrences seen in similar cases treated conservatively. Our recurrence rate in 132 cases was 1.5 per cent (two cases). Both were treated effectively with repeated pleurodesis. For patients with serious preexisting lung diseases, simple drainage should be tried before pleurodesis. Thoracotomy with resection is indicated only in the event of major cysts. Decortication is the method of choice in chronic pneumothorax. Among 128 cases in whom pleurodesis was performed, two required supplementary decortication because of incomplete expansion of the lung.
Plasticity of NMDA Receptor Expression During Mouse Cerebellar Granule Cell Development

A period of hypersensitivity to N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) has been described during the early development of different types of neuron. Since activation of NMDA receptors can also induce rapid neuron death, the hypersensitivity to NMDA may be tightly controlled. In the present study we show that mouse cerebellar granule neurons become transiently hypersensitive to NMDA between days 10 and 14 after plating in a culture medium containing 30 mM K+. The NMDA sensitivity is higher when cells are cultured in the presence of an NMDA receptor antagonist [30 mM K+ plus 100 μM 3‐((±)‐2‐carboxypiperazine‐4‐yl)‐propyl‐1‐phosphonic acid (CPP)], and no hypersensitivity is observed when cells are cultured in the continuous presence of NMDA (12.5 mM K+ plus 100 μM NMDA). The high NMDA sensitivity in control cells is associated with a higher density of NMDA receptors than that measured in NMDA‐treated cells, suggesting that the sensitivity to NMDA may be partly controlled by activity‐dependent NMDA receptor down‐regulation. We also examined the level of NMDA‐ζ1 mRNA and found no correlation between this parameter and the transient pattern of NMDA sensitivity. Such NMDA receptor plasticity may be of importance in the central nervous system, protecting developing cells from excitotoxicity at critical developmental stages.
Effect of Inventory Information Discrepancy in a Drop-Shipping Supply Chain

This article investigates the impact of information discrepancy between a drop-shipper and an online retailer on the drop-shipping supply chain performance. The inventory information misalignment between them contributes to the failure of order fulfillment and demand satisfaction, and hence the associated penalties are incurred. In this article, we first analyze the penalties of ignoring such information discrepancy on both the drop-shipper and the online retailer. We then assess the impact of information discrepancy on both parties when the drop-shipper understands the existence of the information discrepancy but is not able to eliminate the errors. The numerical experiments indicate that both parties can have significant amount of the percentage cost reductions if the information discrepancy can be eliminated, and the potential savings are substantial especially when the errors have large variability. Furthermore, we observe that the online retailer is more vulnerable to information discrepancy than the drop-shipper, and the drop-shipper is likely to suffer from the online retailer's underestimation of the physical inventory level more than the problem of its overestimation. Moreover, even if eliminating errors is not possible, both parties could still benefit from taking the possibility of errors into consideration in decision making.
AD Award Number : DAMD 17-001-0312 TITLE : p 202 as a Potential Therapeutic Gene for Breast Cancer

p202, an IFN-inducible protein, interacts witli several important regulatory proteins, leading to growth arrest or ditTerentiation. In this report, we demonstrate that, in addition to inhibiting in vitro cell growth, p202 can also suppress the tumorigenicity of breast cancer cells in vivo. Furthermore, we found that p202 expression could sensitize breast cancer cells to apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor a treatment. One possible mechanism contributing to this sensitization is the inactivation of nuclear factor-KB by its interaction with p202. These results provide a scientific basis for a novel therapeutic strategy that combines p202 and tumor necrosis factor a treatment against breast cancer.
Semiconductor-based THz plasmonic metamaterials

A new metamaterial (MTM) for THz range applications is proposed. The unit cell consists of indium antimonide (InSb) and silicon (Si) single-layered fishnet MTM. The InSb-based MTM shows enhanced resonance in the THz band and can be efficiently tuned by changing doping level of the semiconductor.
Usefulness of phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis and treatment evaluation in patients with SIH

Background Most diagnostic tools for spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) are either invasive or occasionally inconsistent with the clinical condition. In this study, we examined the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics in SIH using phase-contrast magnetic resonance (PC-MR) imaging. Materials and method Seventeen SIH patients and 32 healthy individuals, matched by sex and age, were recruited. Each person underwent brain and PC-MR imaging using 3-Tesla MRI. We evaluated the differences in image parameters among patients during the initial and recovery stages against the status of the control group. Results SIH patients had lower CSF flow-volume, flux, peak velocity, and higher systolic-to-diastolic time ratio, as well as systolic-to-diastolic volume ratio compared to the control group and the conditions when they recovered. The flow time and volume of the diastolic phase markedly increased after treatment. The discriminating power of PC-MR for SIH was good. Diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement and venous engorgement were present when their PC-MR values were lower than the cut-off values for SIH diagnosis. The headache scores correlated with the peak velocity and pituitary volume. Conclusion Noninvasive PC-MR could provide valid parameters for diagnosis and treatment follow-up in SIH patients. It may be more sensitive than conventional brain MRI.
Network Localization Cramér–Rao Bounds for General Measurement Models

A closed-form Cramér-Rao bound for general multi-modal measurements is derived for D-dimensional network localization (D ∈ {2, 3}). Links are asymmetric and the measurements among neighboring nodes are non-reciprocal depending on an arbitrary differentiable function of their position difference, subject to additive Gaussian noise (with variance that may depend on distance). The provided bound incorporates network connectivity and could be applied for a wide range of typical, unimodal ranging measurement methods (e.g., angle-of-arrival or time-of-arrival or signal strength with directional antennas) or multi-modal methods (e.g., simultaneous use of unimodal ranging measurements). It was interesting to see that for specific network connectivity, mean squared-error performance of various different ranging measurement methods coincide, while performance of network localization algorithms is clearly sensitive on network connectivity.
Predation on fish larvae by moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita under low dissolved oxygen concentrations

Laboratory experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that low dissolved oxygen concentrations have the potential to enhance the predation rate on fish larvae by moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita which is increasing in abundance in the coastal waters of Japan. Larvae of the red sea bream Pagrus major in four size classes (2.9, 4.1, 6.2 and 8.6 mm in standard length) were used as prey in a short-term predation experiment. No change in the bell contraction rate of the jellyfish (mean bell diameter, 100.4 ± 10.2 mm) was observed at the oxygen concentrations tested (1,2 and 4 mg/L, and air-saturated, 5.5–6.0 mg/L), suggesting a strong tolerance to a decline in the oxygen concentration. More than 80% of the 2.5 and 4.1-mm size-class larvae were predated on by the jellyfish at all oxygen concentrations during the 15-min trials in 10-L tanks. The 6.2 and 8.6-mm size-class larvae were able to escape from the jellyfish apparently due to their developed swimming ability at the two higher dissolved oxygen concentrations. There was an increase in predation on larvae of these two size classes at the two lower dissolved oxygen concentrations. Predation by moon jellyfish on fish larvae can be more intense at low dissolved oxygen concentrations that commonly occur in the coastal waters of Japan.
9 An Overview of the NoSQL World

Over the past decade, rapidly growing Internet-based services such as e-mail, blogging, social networking, search, and e-commerce have substantially redefined the way consumers communicate, access contents, share information and purchase products. Relational database management systems (RDBMS) have been considered as the one-size-fits-all solution for data persistence and retrieval for decades. However, the ever-increasing need for scalability and new application requirements have created new challenges for traditional RDBMS. Recently, a new generation of low-cost, high-performance database software, aptly named as NoSQL (Not Only SQL), has emerged to challenge the dominance of RDBMS. The main features of these systems include ability to horizontally scale, supporting weaker consistency models, using flexible schemas and data models and supporting simple low-level query interfaces. In this chapter, we explore the recent advancements and the new approaches of web-scale data management. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of several recently introduced approaches and its suitability to support certain class of applications and
Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) and Rice Starch as an Alternative Binder in Wood Composite Industry

Medium density fiberboards (MDF) was produced in laboratory using bio-adhesives synthesized using natural rubber latex (NRL) and rice starch (RS) with pressing time of 3 minutes, temperature of 180°C and pressure of 5MPa. This present study is aimed on increasing and improving the physical and mechanical performances of MDF by application of bio-based adhesives which comprises NRL and rice starch solution. The effects of bio-adhesives used on the physical and mechanical properties of boards produced were investigated accordingly and compared with the MDF prepared using urea-formaldehyde according to the specific ASTM standards. In the composite preparation, bio- adhesives were used as manipulated variable, where they were split into 5 further weight proportions as follows: 1) 20g NRL; 2) 15g NRL + 5g RS; 3) 10g NRL + 10g RS; 4) 5g NRL + 15g RS and 5) 20g RS. The samples were also subjected to mechanical testing such as modulus of rupture (MOR), internal bonding (IB) and thickness swelling (TS). Based on the mechanical testing done on the specimens, it is clearly indicated that bioadhesives comprising of 15g of natural rubber latex and 5 g of rice starch blend improves the modulus of rupture (MOR) and internal bonding strength (IB) of MDF significantly, where the mechanical strength value obtained were better and comparable than MDF made with UF alone. Hence, it strongly indicates the promising feasibility of NRL and rice starch to replace conventional UF in wood composite industry, and eventually highlights the success of this research.
A dynamic routing protocol for broadband networks

An efficient dynamic routing protocol is necessary for future broadband networks where a variety of services with different characteristics and QoS requirements are integrated. The main components of a dynamic routing protocol are the exchange of topology state information, the routing algorithm and the routing decision. The exchange of topology state information helps in keeping the network nodes updated on the network status and hence making the correct routing decision. The routing algorithm is responsible for computing the best paths for different source-destination pairs. The routing decision taken at a node decides the path to be followed by a certain call. Different alternatives are possible in the design of each of these components leading to different scenarios for the routing protocol. These different scenarios are examined based on both analytical and/or simulation results and the one with the best results in terms of efficiency as well as various performance measures is presented. The simulation is carried out over a practical network topology; the NSFNET.
Assessing the intelligibility impact of vowel space expansion via clear speech-inspired frequency warping

Among the key acoustic features attributed with the intelligibility gain of Clear speech are the observed reduction in speaking rate and expansion of vowel space, representing greater articulation and vowel discrimination. Considering the slower speaking rate, previous works have attempted to assess the intelligibility impact of time-scaling casual speech to mimic Clear speech. In a complementary fashion, this work addresses the latter of the key traits observed in Clear speech, notably vowel space expansion. Speciﬁcally, a novel Clear speech-inspired frequency warping method is described and shown to successfully achieve vowel space expansion when applied to casual speech. The intelligibility impact resulting from this expansion is then evaluated objectively and subjectively through formal listening tests. Much like the relevant time-scaling works, the frequency warping that expands vowel space is not shown to yield intelligibility gains. The implications are thus that further analyses and studies are merited in order to isolate the pertinent acoustic-phonetic cues that lead to the improved intelligibility of Clear speech.