Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Controlled delivery of tauroursodeoxycholic acid from biodegradable microspheres slows retinal degeneration and vision loss in P23H rats

Successful drug therapies for treating ocular diseases require effective concentrations of neuroprotective compounds maintained over time at the site of action. The purpose of this work was to assess the efficacy of intravitreal controlled delivery of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) encapsulated in poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres for the treatment of the retina in a rat model of retinitis pigmentosa. PLGA microspheres (MSs) containing TUDCA were produced by the O/W emulsion-solvent evaporation technique. Particle size and morphology were assessed by light scattering and scanning electronic microscopy, respectively. Homozygous P23H line 3 rats received a treatment of intravitreal injections of TUDCA-PLGA MSs. Retinal function was assessed by electroretinography at P30, P60, P90 and P120. The density, structure and synaptic contacts of retinal neurons were analyzed using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy at P90 and P120. TUDCA-loaded PLGA MSs were spherical, with a smooth surface. The production yield was 78%, the MSs mean particle size was 23 μm and the drug loading resulted 12.5 ± 0.8 μg TUDCA/mg MSs. MSs were able to deliver the loaded active compound in a gradual and progressive manner over the 28-day in vitro release study. Scotopic electroretinografic responses showed increased ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes in TUDCA-PLGA-MSs-treated eyes as compared to those injected with unloaded PLGA particles. TUDCA-PLGA-MSs-treated eyes showed more photoreceptor rows than controls. The synaptic contacts of photoreceptors with bipolar and horizontal cells were also preserved in P23H rats treated with TUDCA-PLGA MSs. This work indicates that the slow and continuous delivery of TUDCA from PLGA-MSs has potential neuroprotective effects that could constitute a suitable therapy to prevent neurodegeneration and visual loss in retinitis pigmentosa.
A Battery Management Unit

Emissions from vehicles and decreasing oil resources are pressing matters in today’s society. Electric vehicles are considered, by some, to be the solution to those problems. For years the available batteries have been too heavy and inefficient to be used in commercial electric vehicles. This thesis considers a new cell technology, LiFePO4, which was investigated and implemented into a battery pack for a prototype electric go-cart. The LiFePO4 cells need to be supervised by an efficient Battery Management Unit to function. The Battery Management Unit implemented in this thesis was based on minimal hardware combined with a prototype board for active cell balancing. The results show that it is possible to build such a lightweight Battery Management Unit, but with the loss of accuracy in the system.
Supply chain performance measurement framework : case studies on the Thai manufacturers

One of the most significant paradigm shifts of modern business management is that individual businesses no longer compete as solely autonomous entities, but rather as supply chains. Firms worldwide have embraced the concept of supply chain management as important and sometimes critical to their business. The idea of a collaborative supply chain is to gain a competitive advantage by improving overall performance through measuring a holistic perspective of the supply chain. However, contemporary performance measurement theory is somewhat fragmented and fails to support this idea. Therefore, this research develops and applies an integrated supply chain performance measurement framework that provides a more holistic approach to the study of supply chain performance measurement by combining both supply chain macro processes and decision making levels. Therefore, the proposed framework can provide a balanced horizontal (cross-process) and vertical (hierarchical decision) view and measure the performance of the entire supply chain system. Firstly, literature on performance measurement frameworks and performance measurement factors of supply chain management will help to develop a conceptual framework. Next the proposed framework will be presented. The framework will be validated through in-depth interviews with three Thai manufacturing companies. The fieldwork combined varied sources in order to understand the views of manufacturers on supply chain performance in the three case study companies. The collected data were analyzed, interpreted, and reported using thematic analysis and analysis hierarchy process (AHP), which was influenced by the study’s conceptual framework. This research contributes a new theory of supply chain performance measurement and knowledge on supply chain characteristics of a developing country, Thailand. The research also affects organisations by preparing decision makers to make strategic, tactical and operational level decisions with respect to supply chain macro processes. The results from the case studies also indicate the similarities and differences in their supply chain performance. Furthermore, the implications of the study are offered for both academic and practical use.
Supply chain analysis of Gabilan Manufacturing Inc.

Abstract : The purpose of this MBA Project was to investigate and provide alternative supply chain management strategies to assist Gabilan Manufacturing Inc. in reducing supply chain costs. This project was conducted with the sponsorship and assistance of Gabilan Manufacturing Inc. There were two primary goals of this project. The first was to identify and document the impact of forecasting errors in an environment where customer forecasts are available to the vendor. The second was to investigate the costs associated with relocating cutting operations as well as the procurement impact of a new cutting machine. Both of these goals relate directly to the overall effort to reduce supply chain costs without a loss of service level to Gabilan's customer.
Influence of metal (Cd and Zn) waterborne exposure on radionuclide (134Cs, 110mAg, and 57Co) bioaccumulation by rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): A field and laboratory study

Field and laboratory experiments were carried out to assess the influence of Cd and Zn on the contamination levels of 110mAg, 57Co, and 134Cs in rainbow trout. During a four‐week prior exposure phase, two fish groups were held in tanks in the Lot River (France) at a reference (<0.05 μg Cd/L and 68 μg Zn/L) and at a polluted site (1.5 μg Cd/L and 152 μg Zn/L). During a subsequent phase, organisms were brought back to the laboratory, where the radionuclide accumulation and depuration were studied for 14 and 7 d, respectively. During this second phase, the water used in the experiments was brought back from the two sites on the Lot River in order to work under the same chemical conditions. The potential effect of chronic exposure to stable metals on several biomarkers has been explored: Plasma analysis indicated the disruption of certain variables linked to the energetic metabolism and to the maintenance of the ionic balance. In contrast, no significant disruption of the measured enzyme activities was observed. With regard to the bioaccumulation of radionuclides, concentrations in fish exposed to metals are much lower than those in fish from the control group. Various hypotheses are proposed to link fish metabolic profiles due to metal exposure to the radiocontamination of organisms.
Covalent attachment of P15 peptide to titanium surfaces enhances cell attachment, spreading, and osteogenic gene expression

P15, a synthetic 15 amino acid peptide, mimics the cell‐binding domain within the alpha‐1 chain of human collagen is being tested in clinical trials to determine if it enhances bone formation in spinal fusions. We hypothesize that covalent attachment of P15 to titanium implants may also serve to promote osseointegration. To test this hypothesis, we measured osteoblast and mesenchymal cell adhesion, proliferation, and maturation on P15 tethered to a titanium (Ti‐P15) surface. P15 peptide was covalently bonded to titanium alloy surfaces and incubated with osteoblast like cells. Cell toxicity, adhesion, spreading, and differentiation was then evaluated. Real‐time quantitative PCR, Western blot analysis, and fluorescent immunohistochemistry was performed to measure osteoblast gene expression and differentiation. There was no evidence of toxicity. Significant increases in early cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation were observed on the Ti‐P15 surface. Increased filapodial attachments, α2 integrin expression, and phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase immunostaining indicated activation of integrin signaling pathways. qRT‐PCR analysis indicated there was significant increase in osteogenic differentiation markers in cells grown on Ti‐P15 compared to control‐Ti. Western blotting confirmed these findings. Surface modification of titanium with P15 significantly increased cell attachment, spreading, osteogenic gene expression, and differentiation. Results of this study suggest that Ti‐P15 has the potential to safely enhance bone formation and promote osseointegration of titanium implants. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:1626–1633, 2012
Parallel algorithm for mining fuzzy association rules

The principle and steps of the algorithm for mining fuzzy association rules is studied, and the parallel algorithm for mining fuzzy association rules is presented. In this parallel mining algorithm, quantitative attributes are partitioned into several fuzzy sets by the parallel fuzzy c-means algorithm, and fuzzy sets are applied to soften the partition boundary of the attributes. Then, the parallel algorithm for mining Boolean association rules is improved to discover frequent fuzzy attributes. Last, the fuzzy association rules with at least fuzzy confidence are generated on all processors. The parallel mining algorithm is implemented on the distributed linked PC/workstation. The experiment results show that the parallel mining algorithm has fine scaleup, sizeup and speedup.
Clinical relevance of nighttime blood pressure and of daytime blood pressure variability.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to assess whether hypertensive target organ damage is related to average nighttime blood pressure (BP) and to BP variability. METHODS Sixty-seven normotensive subjects and 171 borderline, 309 mild, 140 moderate, and 41 severe hypertensive patients were studied with noninvasive ambulatory BP monitoring. Each subject was assigned a target organ damage score of 0 to 5 on the basis of funduscopic changes and degree of left ventricular hypertrophy calculated from electrocardiogram and chest roentgenogram. RESULTS When the 728 subjects were subdivided into five classes of increasing daytime BP, in each class a significantly higher degree of target organ damage was present in the subjects with higher nighttime diastolic BP. A similar, although nonsignificant, trend was observed in the subjects with higher nighttime systolic BP. In particular, higher nighttime BP levels were accompanied by a more severe degree of left ventricular hypertrophy. As for variability, subjects with higher daytime systolic BP SD, but not with higher daytime diastolic SD, displayed a more severe degree of target organ damage; this was accounted for by a higher degree of retinal abnormalities. The association between target organ damage and systolic BP SD was present both in men and women, while that with nighttime BP was present only in men. No relationship was found between degree of cardiovascular complications and peaks of pressure. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that a reduced day-night BP difference and an increased daytime BP variability, evaluated as the SD, are associated with a higher degree of hypertensive cardiovascular complications. Whether this BP profile is the cause or the consequence of target organ damage remains to be established.
Alarming occurrence of Fusarium wilt disease in pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivations of Jabalpur district in Central India revealed by an array of pathogenicity tests

A survey of pea cultivations in Jabalpur district of India revealed predominance of Fusarium diseases in this region. This was confirmed by an array of pathogenicity tests involving pathogen spores and metabolites. Fusarium oxysporum FP-02/G [NFCCI-2195] isolated from Ghana village of Jabalpur district was found to show severe pathogenicity on pea varieties commonly grown in Jabalpur.
The genetic ablation of cyclooxygenase 2 prevents the development of autoimmune arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1) and COX-2 gene deletion on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). METHODS Mice that were susceptible to CIA but lacked either the COX-1 or the COX-2 gene were immunized with type II collagen (CII), and the incidence and severity of arthritis were compared with findings in wild-type animals, by clinical and histologic examination. The immune response was assessed by measuring total CII IgG, IgG1, and IgG2 antibody production in sera from immunized mice. The passive transfer of arthritis, accomplished using anti-CII monoclonal antibodies, was tested in wild-type and COX-deficient (-/-) mice. Splenocytes cultured from CII-immunized wild-type and COX-/- mice were challenged with bovine alpha1(II), and cytokine production was assessed. RESULTS COX-2 gene deletion reduced the incidence and severity of CIA compared with findings in wild-type and COX-1-/- mice. Histologic examination of joints after the onset of clinical arthritis revealed cartilage erosions, proliferation of the synovial lining, and inflammatory cell infiltration in wild-type and COX-1-/- mice, but not in COX-2-/- mice. COX-2-/- mice exhibited reduced anti-CII IgG antibody levels, indicating a decreased immune response. However, cytokine production by spleen cells from immunized mice indicated no cytokine deficiencies in COX-2-/- mice compared with wild-type or COX-1-/- mice. More important, arthritis could not be passively transferred to naive COX-2-/- mice, indicating a requirement for COX-2 in the pathogenesis of arthritis, independent of the immune response. CONCLUSION COX-2-/- mice exhibit at least 2 defects resulting in down-modulation of the development of CIA: a reduced immune response to CII demonstrated by a markedly reduced antibody titer, and an "inflammatory" defect reflected by the inability to passively transfer arthritis to COX-2-/- mice.
Identification of Medically Important Yeast Species by Sequence Analysis of the Internal Transcribed Spacer Regions

ABSTRACT Infections caused by yeasts have increased in previous decades due primarily to the increasing population of immunocompromised patients. In addition, infections caused by less common species such as Pichia, Rhodotorula, Trichosporon, and Saccharomyces spp. have been widely reported. This study extensively evaluated the feasibility of sequence analysis of the rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions for the identification of yeasts of clinical relevance. Both the ITS1 and ITS2 regions of 373 strains (86 species), including 299 reference strains and 74 clinical isolates, were amplified by PCR and sequenced. The sequences were compared to reference data available at the GenBank database by using BLAST (basic local alignment search tool) to determine if species identification was possible by ITS sequencing. Since the GenBank database currently lacks ITS sequence entries for some yeasts, the ITS sequences of type (or reference) strains of 15 species were submitted to GenBank to facilitate identification of these species. Strains producing discrepant identifications between the conventional methods and ITS sequence analysis were further analyzed by sequencing of the D1-D2 domain of the large-subunit rRNA gene for species clarification. The rates of correct identification by ITS1 and ITS2 sequence analysis were 96.8% (361/373) and 99.7% (372/373), respectively. Of the 373 strains tested, only 1 strain (Rhodotorula glutinis BCRC 20576) could not be identified by ITS2 sequence analysis. In conclusion, identification of medically important yeasts by ITS sequencing, especially using the ITS2 region, is reliable and can be used as an accurate alternative to conventional identification methods.
Management of lower-pole caliceal stones.

A series of 205 urologists answered questions about their choice of treatment for lower-caliceal stones. The preferred approaches were extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) for stones <1 cm and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for those >2 cm. For stones of 1 to 2 cm, 65% preferred SWL and 30% would advise PCNL. Thus, SWL is recommended for lower-caliceal stones more frequently than is justified by published success rates. Continued efforts need to be made to inform practicing urologists regarding the most appropriate therapy for patients with lower-pole stones >1 cm.
Involvement of Wnt4 signaling during myogenic proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle

The direct effects of Wnt4 on myogenic proliferation and differentiation of skeletal muscle precursors are examined. Wnt4 cDNA was misexpressed in the presumptive limb fields on the right side of stage 16 chick embryos. Muscle development was evaluated at stage 37 with hematoxylin–eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining for fast and slow types of the myosin heavy chain (MyHC). Overexpression of Wnt4 resulted in up‐regulation of Pax7 and MyoD1 expression. The muscle mass showed a significant increase compared with that of the control limb. The area for fast MyHC‐expressing cells showed a significant increase, whereas a slight decrease was observed for slow MyHC‐expressing cells. Wnt4 acted as a stimulator during myogenic proliferation and differentiation, especially, for fast‐type muscle in C2C12 cells. The present results are identical to those of myostatin knockout, suggesting that Wnt4 is acting against myostatin as an antagonizing signal for myostatin. Developmental Dynamics 236:2800–2807, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bioactive prenylated xanthones from the stems of Cratoxylum cochinchinense

Cochinchinones M–U (1–9), together with 12 known compounds (10–21), were isolated from the stems of Cratoxylum cochinchinense (Lour.) Blume. Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data analyses. In addition, their retinoid X receptor-α transcriptional activities were evaluated using an in vitro assay.
Comparison of Environmental and Genetic Factors for Parkinson’s Disease between Chinese and Caucasians

This review paper compares the differences in prevalence, and environmental and genetic risk factors for Parkinson’s disease between Chinese and Caucasian subjects. Comparison of age-specific prevalence between Chinese people and Caucasians suggests that the prevalence is lower in the Chinese (at least in the past), although the prevalence rate in China appears to be rising. Distinctions in environmental risk factors and genetic factors are discussed. The difference in prevalence may be due to distinctions in environmental and genetic risk factors as well as the complex interaction between these environmental and genetic factors, although discrepancies in methodology for prevalence surveys can also be an explanation.
Neurodegeneration in Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence From Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to assess changes in the neural retina in eyes with different stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in comparison to age-matched healthy subjects. METHODS Retrospective analysis of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans of 76 naïve eyes of 62 subjects with diabetes was performed. Key exclusion criteria included presence of diabetic macular edema, any other retinal disease, history of any treatment for DR, or incorrect segmentation of the retinal layers on SD-OCT scans. Eyes from diabetic patients were divided into three groups, including no DR, nonproliferative DR (NPDR), and proliferative DR (PDR). A control group of 67 eyes of 66 age-matched healthy volunteers was included for comparison. Average, minimum, and sectoral thicknesses for the ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) were collected from both groups and compared using an ANOVA test. RESULTS Among the 76 included eyes, 43 had NPDR, 13 had PDR, and 20 had no signs of DR. Average and minimum GCIPL showed significant thinning in diabetic subjects compared with controls in all stages of DR (P < 0.05), especially involving the papillo-macula bundle. However, GCIPL thickness was similar between diabetic groups. There was no significant difference in average or sectoral RNFL thicknesses among groups; however, the minimum RNFL thickness was lower in diabetics compared with controls (P < 0.05). No relationship between GCIPL and RNFL thicknesses and duration of diabetes was present. CONCLUSIONS Early thinning on the inner retina happens in type 2 diabetes, even before visible vascular signs of DR. This supports the presence of a neurodegenerative process in eyes of patients with diabetes and warrants neuroprotective intervention to prevent chronic neurodegeneration. The SD-OCT may represent an indispensable tool for identifying early signs of neurodegeneration in diabetic patients.
Prediction of Remaining Useful Life of anAircraft Engine under Unknown Initial Wear

Effectiveness of Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) strategy depends on accuracy in prediction of Remaining Useful Life (RUL). Data driven prognosisapproaches are generally used to estimate the RUL of the system. Presence of noise in the system monitored data may affect the accuracy of prediction. One of the sources of data noise is the presence of unknown initial wear in the samples. Present paper illustrates the effect of such initial wear on prediction accuracy and presents the guidelines to handle such initial wears. Two Artificial Neural Network (ANN)models are developed. First model is developed with the help of completedata; while the second model is developed after removing samples with abnormal initial wear. �� and R control chart is used to screen the samples with abnormal initial wear. It is found that the presence of initial wear significantly affects the prediction accuracy. Also, it is found that RUL estimation for a unit with short history tends to produce great uncertainty.Hence, it is recommended that RUL prediction should be continuously updated with age of the unit to increase the effectiveness of CBM policy.
Supplier segmentation in the automotive industry

The competitive business environment in the automotive industry has forced vehicle manufacturers (VMs) to improve their relationship strategies towards their suppliers. VMs have implemented supplier segmentation in order to optimise current business activities and existing resource allocations. Supplier selection criteria have also become crucial in order to achieve an appropriate evaluation of suppliers. Models of supplier segmentation and supplier selection criteria underpin theoretically this research. Empirical illustrations of supplier segmentation based on the perspectives of a VM and its suppliers are presented. The principal contributions of this study are the various models therein. One of the models consists of two dimensions: the supplier's commitment to a VM; and the commodity's importance to a VM. In extension, another model of dynamic relationship strategies is introduced. It consists of four relationship strategies towards suppliers in the automotive industry, such as family, business partner, friendly, and transactional. Furthermore, a four‐phase process for the analysis, selection, and managerial decision of a dynamic relationship strategy towards suppliers in the automotive industry is outlined.