Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antidepressant drugs and generic counselling for treatment of major depression in primary care: randomised trial with patient preference arms

Abstract Objectives: To compare the efficacy of antidepressant drugs and generic counselling for treating mild to moderate depression in general practice. To determine whether the outcomes were similar for patients with randomly allocated treatment and those expressing a treatment preference. Design: Randomised controlled trial, with patient preference arms. Follow up at 8 weeks and 12 months and abstraction of GP case notes. Setting: 31 general practices in Trent region. Participants: Patients aged 18–70 who met research diagnostic criteria for major depression; 103 patients were randomised and 220 patients were recruited to the preference arms. Main outcome measures: Difference in mean Beck depression inventory score; time to remission; global outcome assessed by a psychiatrist using all data sources; and research diagnostic criteria. Results: At 12 months there was no difference between the mean Beck scores in the randomised arms. Combining the randomised and patient preference groups, the difference in Beck scores was 0.4 (95% confidence interval −2.7 to 3.5). Patients choosing counselling did better than those randomised to it (mean difference in Beck score 4.6, 0.0 to 9.2). There was no difference in the psychiatrist's overall assessment of outcome between any of the groups. 221/265 (83%) of participants with a known outcome had a remission. Median time to remission was shorter in the group randomised to antidepressants than the other three groups (2 months v 3 months). 33/221 (15%) patients had a relapse. Conclusions: Generic counselling seems to be as effective as antidepressant treatment for mild to moderate depressive illness, although patients receiving antidepressants may recover more quickly. General practitioners should allow patients to have their preferred treatment. What is already known on this topic Antidepressants and specific psychological interventions are effective in major depression. Generic counselling has not previously been compared with antidepressants in primary care What this study adds 12 months after starting treatment, generic counselling is as effective as antidepressants Patients treated with antidepressants may recover more quickly Given a choice, more patients opt for counselling Patients who choose counselling may benefit more than those with no strong preference
Altered cytokine balance in the tear fluid and conjunctiva of patients with Sjögren's syndrome keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

PURPOSE To compare epidermal growth factor (EGF) concentration in tear fluid and levels of inflammatory cytokines in the conjunctival epithelium of patients with Sjögren's syndrome keratoconjunctivitis sicca with those of normal controls. METHODS Schirmer 1 tear testing, corneal fluorescein staining and conjunctival impression cytology for quantitation of goblet cell density were performed in ten patients with Sjögren's syndrome-associated keratoconjunctivitis sicca and ten asymptomatic normal controls. ELISA was used to detect the concentration of EGF in tear fluid and interleukin 6 in lysates of conjunctival cytology specimens obtained from all subjects. The levels of RNA transcripts encoding inflammatory cytokines [interleukin 1alpha_(IL-1alpha), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor alpha_(TNF-alpha), and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1)] as well as a housekeeping gene (G3PDH) were evaluated in conjunctival cytology specimens taken from all subjects by semiquantitative competitive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS Decreased tear fluid EGF concentration was noted in Sjögren's syndrome patients (mean 0.68 +/- 0.59 ng/ml) compared to controls (mean 1.66 +/- 0.45 ng/ml, P = 0.004). Significantly increased levels of IL-1alpha, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 RNA transcripts were found in the conjunctival epithelium of Sjögren's syndrome patients compared to controls (P < 0.05), while the level of G3PDH was similar in both groups. The concentration of IL-6 protein was significantly higher in Sjögren's syndrome conjunctiva samples (P = 0.012). Tear EGF concentration correlated with Schirmer 1 scores (rho 0.767, P < 0.001), corneal fluorescein staining scores (rho -0.562, P = 0.01), conjunctival goblet cell density (rho 0.661, P = 0.001) and the levels of IL-1alpha_and IL-8 RNA in the conjunctival epithelium (rho -0.677 and -0.747, respectively, P = 0.001). Both IL-1alpha_and IL-8 RNA in the conjunctival epithelium increased as Schirmer 1 scores decreased (P </= 0.001). IL-8 RNA level correlated with corneal fluorescein staining (rho 0.690, P = 0.001) and conjunctival goblet cell density (rho -0.767, P < 0.001). A significant decrease in IL-8 RNA level, corresponding to improvement in irritation symptoms and ocular surface disease, was observed in six eyes after two weeks of topical corticosteroid therapy. CONCLUSIONS The balance of cytokines in the tear fluid and conjunctival epithelium is altered in Sjögren's syndrome. The severity of keratoconjunctivitis sicca in this condition increases as tear fluid EGF concentration decreases and levels of inflammatory cytokines in the conjunctival epithelium increase. These findings provide new insight into the pathogenesis of keratoconjunctivitis and provide potential targets for therapy.
Pulse Shape Improvement in Core-Type High-Voltage Pulse Transformers With Auxiliary Windings

High-voltage pulsed power technologies are rapidly emerging as a key to efficient and flexible use of electrical power for many industrial applications. One of the most important elements in high-voltage pulse-generating circuit technology is the transformer, generally used to further increase the pulse output voltage level. However, its nonideal behavior has significant influence on the output pulse shape. The most attractive winding configuration for high-voltage, the core-type transformer with primary and secondary on different core legs, is seldom used in pulsed applications, because of its weak magnetic coupling between windings, which would result in a slow-rising output voltage pulse. This paper shows that auxiliary windings, suitably positioned and connected, provide a dramatic improvement in the pulse rise time in core-type high-voltage pulse transformers. The paper derives a mathematical model and uses it to describe the observed behavior of the transformer with auxiliary windings. It discusses experimental results, obtained from a high-voltage test transformer associated with a high-voltage pulse generating circuit, and the simulation results obtained from the numerical evaluation of the developed differential equations implemented in Matlab and taking into account the measured transformer parameters
Oligomerization, Membrane Association, and in Vivo Phosphorylation of Sugarcane UDP-glucose Pyrophosphorylase*

Background: UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of sucrose and the cell wall. Results: UGPase was phosphorylated in and associated with the membrane in vivo. Redox modification modulated UGPase activity by changing its oligomeric state. Conclusion: Phosphorylation, redox modification, and oligomerization regulate UGPase. Significance: Our data broaden the understanding of biomass biosynthesis in the bioenergy crop sugarcane. Sugarcane is a monocot plant that accumulates sucrose to levels of up to 50% of dry weight in the stalk. The mechanisms that are involved in sucrose accumulation in sugarcane are not well understood, and little is known with regard to factors that control the extent of sucrose storage in the stalks. UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase; EC 2.7.7.9) is an enzyme that produces UDP-glucose, a key precursor for sucrose metabolism and cell wall biosynthesis. The objective of this work was to gain insights into the ScUGPase-1 expression pattern and regulatory mechanisms that control protein activity. ScUGPase-1 expression was negatively correlated with the sucrose content in the internodes during development, and only slight differences in the expression patterns were observed between two cultivars that differ in sucrose content. The intracellular localization of ScUGPase-1 indicated partial membrane association of this soluble protein in both the leaves and internodes. Using a phospho-specific antibody, we observed that ScUGPase-1 was phosphorylated in vivo at the Ser-419 site in the soluble and membrane fractions from the leaves but not from the internodes. The purified recombinant enzyme was kinetically characterized in the direction of UDP-glucose formation, and the enzyme activity was affected by redox modification. Preincubation with H2O2 strongly inhibited this activity, which could be reversed by DTT. Small angle x-ray scattering analysis indicated that the dimer interface is located at the C terminus and provided the first structural model of the dimer of sugarcane UGPase in solution.
Orbital and periorbital vascular anomalies – an approach to diagnosis and therapeutic concepts

Abstract Conclusion: A correct and universally accepted terminology based on the biologic behavior of orbital vascular anomalies is essential to avoid misleading diagnoses, to choose an adequate therapy regimen, and to compare different therapeutic approaches. The management of these diseases is multi-modal and an interdisciplinary challenge. Background: There is persisting terminological and clinical confusion about vascular anomalies involving the orbit. Review of the literature reveals a diverse or misleading terminology and a lack of consensus for the treatment of vascular malformations or vascular tumors of the orbit. Methods: This study comprised a detailed analysis of cases presenting with orbital vascular anomalies followed by an extensive review of the literature. Results: Thirty-six patients were analyzed, among them 19 patients with peri- and/or intraorbital hemangiomas, 3 with intraorbital and 2 with periorbital venous malformations, 2 with orbital involvement of complex vascular malformations, and 10 with lymphatic malformations involving the orbit.
The effect of ischemia/reperfusion on the kidney graft

Purpose of reviewIschemia/reperfusion injury is an unavoidable companion after kidney transplantation and influences short-term as well as long-term graft outcome. Clinically ischemia/reperfusion injury is associated with delayed graft function, graft rejection, and chronic graft dysfunction. Ischemia/reperfusion affects many regulatory systems at the cellular level as well as in the renal tissue that eventually result in a distinct inflammatory reaction of the kidney graft. Recent findingsUnderlying factors include energy metabolism, cellular changes of the mitochondria and cellular membranes, initiation of different forms of cell death-like apoptosis and necrosis together with a recently discovered mixed form termed necroptosis. Chemokines and cytokines together with other factors promote the inflammatory response leading to activation of the innate immune system as well as the adaptive immune system. If the inflammatory reaction continues within the graft tissue, a progressive interstitial fibrosis develops that impacts long-term graft outcome. SummaryIt is of particular importance in kidney transplantation to understand the underlying mechanisms and effects of ischemia/reperfusion on the graft as this knowledge also opens strategies to prevent or treat ischemia/reperfusion injury after transplantation in order to improve graft outcome.
Adoption of Electronic Banking System in Ethiopian Banking Industry: Barriers and Drivers

i Acknowledgement ii Table of contents iii List of tables vii List of Figures viii List of abbreviation ix Chapter one: Introduction 1 1.1. Back ground of the study 1 1.2. Statement of the problem 3 1.3. Research questions 5 1.4. Objective of the study 5 1.5. Methods adopted 6 1.6. Scope and limitation of the study. 7 1.7. Significance of the study 7 1.8. Structure of the paper 7 Chapter Two: Literature Review 9 2.1. Definition of E-banking 9 2.2. The evolution of Ebanking 11 2.3. Electronic banking system in Ethiopian banking industry 12 2.4. Factors influencing banks to adopt E-banking system 15 2.4. 1. TechnologyorganizationEnvironment (TOE) framework 16 2.4. 1.1. Technological Factor 17 2.4. 1.2. Organizational Factor 18
Thermal performance of smart heat sinks for cooling high power LED modules

This paper reports the thermal performance of smart heat sinks (SHSs) consisting of hybrid pin fins (HPFs) containing internal channels and integrated with plate fins. The SHSs are mainly aimed at cooling high power LED modules under natural convection condition or forced convection condition with a moderate air velocity. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of SHSs are generated utilizing a commercial CFD software package. The CFD analysis evaluates the cooling performance as well as the basic thermal behavior of the SHSs under various parametric conditions such as heat dissipations ranging from 5 to 20W, air velocities ranging from 0 to 3m/s, and fin spaces of 12, 15, and 20mm. The cooling performance of the SHSs is compared with those of conventional pin fin heat sinks (PHSs). Parametric study has found that thermal resistances of the SHSs are typically smaller than those of the PHSs; for example, they are 15% smaller than the PHS under natural convection. Parametric results show that 15mm is the best fin space for SHSs. This study also explores the effect of the declination angles between the symmetry axis of the fin and the axis of the gravity on the performance of HPFs under natural convection. The results show the thermal resistance value of the HPF decreases with the increase of the declination angle.
Polymorphism of Variable-Number Tandem Repeats at Multiple Loci in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT Genotyping based on variable-number tandem repeats (VNTR) is currently a very promising tool for studying the molecular epidemiology and phylogeny of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Here we investigate the polymorphisms of 48 loci of direct or tandem repeats in M. tuberculosis previously identified by our group. Thirty-nine loci, including nine novel ones, were polymorphic. Ten VNTR loci had high allelic diversity (Nei's diversity indices ≥ 0.6) and subsequently were used as the representative VNTR typing set for comparison to IS6110-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing. The 10-locus VNTR set, potentially providing >2 × 109 allele combinations, obviously showed discriminating capacity over the IS6110 RFLP method for M. tuberculosis isolates with fewer than six IS6110-hybridized bands, whereas it had a slightly better resolution than IS6110 RFLP for the isolates having more than five IS6110-hybridized bands. Allelic diversity of many VNTR loci varied in each IS6110 RFLP type. Genetic relationships inferred from the 10-VNTR set supported the notion that M. tuberculosis may have evolved from two different lineages (high and low IS6110 copy number). In addition, we found that the lengths of many VNTR loci had statistically significant relationships to each other. These relationships could cause a restriction of the VNTR typing discriminating capability to some extent. Our results suggest that VNTR-PCR typing is practically useful for application to molecular epidemiological and phylogenetic studies of M. tuberculosis. The discriminating power of the VNTR typing system can still be enhanced by the supplementation of more VNTR loci.
Age, stage and senescence in plants

Senescence (an increase in the mortality rate or force of mortality, or a decrease in fertility, with increasing age) is a widespread phenomenon. Theories about the evolution of senescence have long focused on the age trajectories of the selection gradients on mortality and fertility. In purely age‐classified models, these selection gradients are non‐increasing with age, implying that traits expressed early in life have a greater impact on fitness than traits expressed later in life. This pattern leads inevitably to the evolution of senescence if there are trade‐offs between early and late performance. It has long been suspected that the stage‐ or size‐dependent demography typical of plants might change these conclusions. In this paper, we develop a model that includes both stage‐ and age‐dependence and derive the age‐dependent, stage‐dependent and age×stage‐dependent selection gradients on mortality and fertility. We applied this model to stage‐classified population projection matrices for 36 species of plants, from a wide variety of growth forms (from mosses to trees) and habitats. We found that the age‐specific selection gradients within a life cycle stage can exhibit increases with age (we call these contra‐senescent selection gradients). In later stages, often large size classes in plant demography, the duration of these contra‐senescent gradients can exceed the life expectancy by several fold. Synthesis. The interaction of age‐ and stage‐dependence in plants leads to selection pressures on senescence fundamentally different from those found in previous, age‐classified theories. This result may explain the observation that large plants seem less subject to senescence than most kinds of animals. The methods presented here can lead to improved analysis of both age‐dependent and stage‐dependent demographic properties of plant populations.
The introduction process of the environmental taxes in the Netherlands

This paper shows the introduction process and the historical development of the environmental tax in the Netherlands. Why was the environmental taxes introduced in the Netherlands? The environmental taxes have replaced environmental charges and developed. As the citizen's environmental awareness increased in the late 1980s, the introduction of environmental taxes had been boosted by political situation. The turning point was the election and the National Environmental Policy Plan in 1989. In addition, it was also an important point that the increase of environmental taxes was consistent with tax reform of the Lubbers administration and the Kok administration.
Characteristics and outcome of dengue infection; clinical perspective from a secondary care hospital of Karachi

Objective: To determine the frequency and characteristics of dengue fever (DF) in patients of acute febrile illness presenting at a secondary care hospital. Methodology: The observational cross sectional study was carried out from May to October 2010 in Remedial Centre Karachi and included patients above the age of 12 years who presented with acute febrile illness. The WHO classification and case definitions were used to classify the disease as Dengue Fever (DF), dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Clinical, hematological and biochemical findings were recorded serially until discharge. Results: During the study period, 90 (34.75%) presented with typical features of DF, 28 (31.11%) were dengue proven, seven (7.7%) proved to be of malaria in which malarial parasites were found positive in the peripheral blood, while the remaining 55 (61.11%) patients were dengue probable. Age of the patients ranged from 13 to 76 years. Fever was the most common clinical presentation (100%) followed by vomiting 50 (55.56%), body ache 31 (34.44%) abdominal pain 17 (18.89%) and headache 9 (10%). Maculopapular rash was seen in 4(4.44%) patients. Laboratory findings included thrombocytopenia, leucopenia and raised alanine aminotransferase levels. Eighty one patients (90%) improved clinically and hematologically and were discharged in stable condition. Conclusion: Fever and thrombocytopenia were the most common presentation of dengue fever (DF). The overall mortality of DF is low, if treated appropriately. Awareness of health care professionals and public regarding preventive strategies is essential to fight against this disease.
Smartphone as an augmented reality authoring tool via multi-touch based 3D interaction method

In this paper we present an Augmented Reality (AR) authoring tool for smartphones which facilitates intuitive interactions that manipulate the augmented virtual objects in real-time. A novel 3D interaction method using multi-touch interface and camera pose is proposed for intuitive authoring. With the gestures of two fingers on the touch screen, the user can adjust 3 DOF translation and 3 DOF rotation to a selected virtual object. The capabilities of the authoring tool are demonstrated on a smartphone.
Integrated Speech Enhancement Method Based on Weighted Prediction Error and DNN for Dereverberation and Denoising

Both reverberation and additive noises degrade the speech quality and intelligibility. Weighted prediction error (WPE) method performs well on the dereverberation but with limitations. First, WPE doesn't consider the influence of the additive noise which degrades the performance of dereverberation. Second, it relies on a time-consuming iterative process, and there is no guarantee or a widely accepted criterion on its convergence. In this paper, we integrate deep neural network (DNN) into WPE for dereverberation and denoising. DNN is used to suppress the background noise to meet the noise-free assumption of WPE. Meanwhile, DNN is applied to directly predict spectral variance of the target speech to make the WPE work without iteration. The experimental results show that the proposed method has a significant improvement in speech quality and runs fast.
Improvement of complementary pedagogical resources indexing based on pedagogical warehouse for recommendation system CEHL

In recent years, the fast growth of Web pages and the constant evolution of internet technologies have lead to a significant increase in the number of pedagogical resources. Thus, the indexing and search problems have become crucial. To overcome this problem, it was proposed to use information coming from the norms and standards of educational metadata. However, this solution does not solve completely the problem. Previously, traditional information retrieval systems rely on indexing by keywords for representing pedagogical resources and queries content. This process, based on lexical matching, allows selecting pedagogical resources based on keywords shared with the query, which can reduce the accuracy of search results if the meaning of common words in the query and in the pedagogical resources is different. To overcome this issue and provide a more sophisticated search, adding semantics becomes necessary. Semantic Indexing offers a representation by the meaning of words in order to find pedagogical resources semantically relevant to the user request. We present in this paper the choice of the indexing approach used for the complementary educational resources. The main objective is to integrate this approach in the warehouse model that aims on one hand to store the complementary pedagogical resources, and on the other hand to help the user fill in the description fields of these resources.
Minimax robust M-beamforming for radar array with antenna switching

We address the problem of estimating the movement parameters in non-Gaussian noise environments using an active radar array with antenna switching. The switch radar system is composed of a single transmitter, M receiving antennas, and a single receiving channel. We propose a new three-dimensional (3-D) power function which is exploited for beamforming and estimation of parameters of moving targets. Maximum peaks of this power function are used for estimation of the angle, velocity, and range of multiple moving targets. The robustness of the beamforming and the estimates is enabled by using Huber's M-estimates of the echoed transmitted radar signal. Two robust beamformers are studied: robust Huber and robust approximate median. Simulation demonstrates that the proposed robust beamformers provide a decreased sensitivity of the estimates with respect to noise components having heavy-tailed distributions.