Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative Study of Psychiatric Morbidity and Quality of Life in Psoriasis, Vitiligo and Alopecia Areata

Objective To determine the psychiatric morbidity and quality of life (QOL) in three common dermatologic disorders namely vitiligo, psoriasis and alopecia areata (AA) in Egyptian patients attending Dermatology Outpatient Clinic, Ain Shams University hospital. Egyptian Dermatology Online Journal Vol. 4 No 1: 2, June 2008 © 2008 Egyptian Dermatology Online Journal 2 Patients and Methods: The study included 150 patients (3 groups; each of 50 patients with psoriasis, vitiligo and AA). The patients in this study were subjected to QOL assessment by 2 questionnaires [PCASEE and dermatology life quality index (DLQI)] and psychiatric evaluation using general health questionnaire (GHQ). For evaluating psychological distress, we used Taylor manifest anxiety scale for anxiety assessment and Zung scale for depression assessment. Results: Psychiatric morbidity was detected in 34% of vitiligo patients, 38% of psoriasis patients and 36% of AA patients. Anxiety was detected in 14% of vitiligo patients, 12% of psoriasis patients and 24% of AA patients. Depression was detected in 24% of vitiligo patients, 30% of psoriasis patients and 16% of AA patients. Disease severity was significantly higher in psychiatric morbidity positive cases in the 3 studied groups (P<0.05). Suicidal thoughts were significantly related to the disease severity in the 3 studied groups (P<0.05). In psoriasis patients only, pruritic symptoms were detected in significantly larger number of patients with psychiatric morbidity (15 of total 19) than in those without psychiatric morbidity (10 of 31) (P<0.05). The mean score of QOL was significantly worse in psychiatric morbidity positive patients than psychiatric morbidity negative patients. Psoriasis had the worst QOL compared to the other 2 studied groups. There was a highly significant relation between poorer QOL and depression and anxiety in the 3 disease groups by both DLQI and PCASEE. Egyptian Dermatology Online Journal Vol. 4 No 1: 2, June 2008 © 2008 Egyptian Dermatology Online Journal 3 Conclusions: Vitiligo, psoriasis and AA are commonly associated with psychiatric morbidity. We found a strong association between psychiatric morbidity and poorer QOL in the 3 disease groups. It is important for dermatologists to understand the profound effect of these diseases on the QOL and to know the psychosocial and psychiatric consequences of these diseases. We should evaluate the effect of the different types of treatment or psychological intervention on improving the QOL of the patients and on the course of these diseases.
Sparse-graph AL-FEC solutions for IP datacasting in DVB-H

DVB-H is an IP-based wireless broadcast technology in which users are offered, among other services, the IP datacast (IPDC) service for downloading broadcasted files to their mobile terminals. In this paper, we explore different AL-FEC solutions providing simple and efficient file delivery. Our investigation is focused on recently popular classes and design methods of sparse-graph codes decoded using the iterative decoding algorithm. We provide performance comparisons of various possible AL-FEC schemes in a simulated DVB-H environment. The benefits and drawbacks of different sparse-graph AL-FEC solutions are discussed.
Temporal Changes in a Pink Feedlot Lagoon

Temporal changes in a feedlot drainage lagoon with a predominance of the phototrophic purple sulfur bacterium, Thiopedia rosea, were investigated during a 3-year period. The surface protein and bacteriochlorophyll concentrations, which indirectly measure T. rosea abundance, peaked annually during the fall months and coincided with the intensity of pink coloration. Surface bacteriochlorophyll concentration correlated with pH, alkalinity, and protein. The pH range was optimal for the survival of T. rosea. Surface sulfide concentration, which increased over the winter and early spring, reached low levels during the fall months. The most striking pattern to emerge was the marked increase in sulfate concentration that occurred each fall and winter. The protein peaks, which preceded the sulfate peaks, were indicative of the sulfate concentrations that would follow. During 1977 and 1978, the lagoon was essentially anaerobic and provided adequate growth conditions for T. rosea. Above-average precipitation during early 1979 raised the water level and altered the chemistry of the lagoon. Dissolved oxygen was higher during the final year, and, concurrently, concentrations of bacteriochlorophyll declined. Aeration of the lagoon resulted in a decrease in T. rosea.
Diagnosis of antenna-arrays using near-field antenna measurements and A {itpriori} information

Nowadays antenna measurements are often carried out by exploiting the benefits of near-field transformation techniques. However, as spherical near-field measurements are very time consuming it is desirable to use the near-field data being measured in order to determine an antenna's far-field characteristic also for diagnostic purposes, especially if the far-field characteristic differs from the expected one. This paper explains how to gain diagnostic information from measured near-field data. For this purpose, the standard microwave holography as well as the limits of its spatial resolution are discussed. Following this a new equivalent-source method is introduced allowing the reconstruction of electromagnetic near-fields with enhanced resolution as compared to the holographic approach. The quality of the reconstructed near-field data will be significantly enhanced when applying the proposed diagnostic algorithm.
Detection of Magnetic Object Movements by Flux Density Tracking Control

In this paper, a motion trajectory detecting method that permits tracking of magnetic objects is investigated by the magnetic flux density of a 3-D Hall probe. Inaccurate motion trajectory information may be produced physically due to the measured magnetic field signal altering as the distance between the Hall probe and the object changes. A magnetic flux feedback control is proposed such that the motion command of the control system is generated in real time by the coordinated geometry of the Hall probe and the magnetic object. The magnetic tracking control system consists of an inner position/velocity control loop and an outer magnetic control loop that employs a position vector expressed in terms of the magnetic flux density to detect the relative distance between a magnetic object and the Hall probe. The measurement of the Hall probe can, hence, be kept within an effective distance such that the motion trajectory of the measured magnetic object can be detected accurately for the case of large movements. An experimental setup with a five-axis servo mechanism is constructed for the validation study, in which the three-axis moving table is utilized to control the motion of the Hall probe, and the other two-axis moving table facilitates the movement of the magnetic object. A circular motion and a rhomboidal path are given to verify the improvement of the proposed detecting method.
Folic Acid Promotes Recycling of Tetrahydrobiopterin and Protects Against Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension by Recoupling Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase.

AIMS Nitric oxide (NO) derived from endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) has been implicated in the adaptive response to hypoxia. An imbalance between 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) and 7,8-dihydrobiopterin (BH2) can result in eNOS uncoupling and the generation of superoxide instead of NO. Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) can recycle BH2 to BH4, leading to eNOS recoupling. However, the role of DHFR and eNOS recoupling in the response to hypoxia is not well understood. We hypothesized that increasing the capacity to recycle BH4 from BH2 would improve NO bioavailability as well as pulmonary vascular remodeling (PVR) and right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) as indicators of pulmonary hypertension (PH) under hypoxic conditions. RESULTS In human pulmonary artery endothelial cells and murine pulmonary arteries exposed to hypoxia, eNOS was uncoupled as indicated by reduced superoxide production in the presence of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, L-(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Concomitantly, NO levels, BH4 availability, and expression of DHFR were diminished under hypoxia. Application of folic acid (FA) restored DHFR levels, NO bioavailability, and BH4 levels under hypoxia. Importantly, FA prevented the development of hypoxia-induced PVR, right ventricular pressure increase, and RVH. INNOVATION FA-induced upregulation of DHFR recouples eNOS under hypoxia by improving BH4 recycling, thus preventing hypoxia-induced PH. CONCLUSION FA might serve as a novel therapeutic option combating PH.
On reviewing the catalyst materials for direct alcohol fuel cells ( DAFCs )

Direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs) are electrochemical devices that to be fed directly with alcohol fuel to undergo electrochemical oxidation producing electricity. The most famous among all DAFCs types, are direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) as both liquid ethanol and methanol have high energy density and low cost. Ethanol and methanol are oxidized in DEFC and DMFC respectively producing electrical energy. The most complicated challenge for DMFC and DEFC operations are the slow kinetics of both oxygen reduction at the cathode and fuel oxidation (ethanol or methanol) at the anode. Thus, finding a catalyst material able to accelerate such reactions was the main objective for researchers and manufactures interested in fuel cell technology. In this work, it is hoped to review the pioneering research work done for more than 15 years to satisfy this ambition. Pt alloys and recently Pd alloys have the biggest fortune in this research theme.
Gain enhancement of a microstrip patch antenna using array rectangular Barium Strontium Titanate (BST)

Ceramic microstrip patch antenna formed using Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) has been investigated. The Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio is used for the simulation. We measured the gain of antennas with two, four, and six elements array of BST antenna and found that the gain of an six elements of BST array antenna was enhanced by about 2.126 dB gain over the four elements of BST array antenna at 2.3 GHz. The impedance bandwidths of these BST array antenna for VSWR < 2 were in the Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) application range which is 2.3 GHz to 2.5 GHz. Compared with the conventional array antenna with the same aperture size, the performance of the antenna is improved obviously and the design is suitable for array applications for example base station.
Studies on the Evaporation Regulation Mechanisms of Crude Oil and Petroleum Products

Various concepts for oil evaporation prediction are summarized. Models can be divided into those models that use the basis of air-boundary-regulation or those that do not. Experiments were conducted to determine if oil and petroleum evaporation is regulated by the saturation of the air boundary layer. Experiments included the examination of the evaporation rate with and without wind, in which case it was found that evaporation rates were similar for all wind conditions and no-wind conditions. Experiments where the area and mass varied showed that boundary-layer regulation was not governing for petroleum products. Under all experimental and environmental conditions, oils or petroleum products were not found to be boundary-layer regulated. Experiments on the rate of evaporation of pure compounds showed that compounds larger than Decane were not boundary-layer regulated. Many oils and petroleum products contain few compounds smaller than decane, and this explains why their evaporation is not air boundary-layer limited. Comparison of the air saturation levels of various oils and petroleum products shows that the saturation concentration of water, which is strongly air boundary-regulated, is significantly less than that of several petroleum hydrocarbons. Lack of air boundary-layer regulation for oils is shown to be a result of both this higher saturation concentration as well as a low (below boundary-layer value) evaporation rate.
MicroRNA Expression in Zebrafish Embryonic Development

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, about 21 nucleotides in length, that can regulate gene expression by base-pairing to partially complementary mRNAs. Regulation by miRNAs can play essential roles in embryonic development. We determined the temporal and spatial expression patterns of 115 conserved vertebrate miRNAs in zebrafish embryos by microarrays and by in situ hybridizations, using locked-nucleic acid–modified oligonucleotide probes. Most miRNAs were expressed in a highly tissue-specific manner during segmentation and later stages, but not early in development, which suggests that their role is not in tissue fate establishment but in differentiation or maintenance of tissue identity.
Ochronosis of the knee with secondary osteoarthritis requiring total knee replacement in a patient with cryptogenic organising pneumonia

Ochronosis is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disease caused by homogentisic acid oxidase enzyme deficiency. High homogentisic acid levels will eventually result in black deposits in skin, sclerae, connective tissues and urine (alkaptonuria). It can lead to early degeneration of connective tissues and cartilage. Ochronosis can damage normal cartilage, leading to secondary osteoarthritis. The diagnosis is often delayed because of its low prevalence and non-specific early symptoms. In our patient, the secondary osteoarthritis due to ochronosis deposits in the cartilage was treated by total knee arthroplasty, with good clinical outcome. This article reports the first case of ochronosis with secondary osteoarthritis of the knee in a patient previously diagnosed with cryptogenic organising pneumonia (COP).
A novel homothallic variety of Agaricus bisporus comprises rare tetrasporic isolates from Europe

Among 400 wild specimens of A. bisporus collected in Europe, only three were tetrasporic. In the case of two of them from France, a previous study showed that one was homokaryotic and hypothetically belonged to a homothallic entity while the other was heterokaryotic and possibly resulted from hybridization between a member of this entity and a classical bisporic strain. A third tetrasporic specimen recently was discovered in Greece. Morphological and genetic comparisons, using alloenzymatic markers, molecular markers and ITS polymorphisms, reveal that this third specimen is homokaryotic and belongs, with the homokaryotic specimen from France, to the same entity. Dissimilarity analysis confirms the hybrid origin of the heterokaryotic specimen. Varietal status is proposed for this homothallic, highly homogeneous entity, and A. bisporus var. eurotetrasporus is described. This novel variety clearly differs from var. bisporus by its tetrasporic basidia and from var. burnettii by its longer spores. It has a complex story because it can interbreed with var. bisporus and shares the same habitat; however, because of its homothallic life cycle and its partial intersterility, it is probably in the process of speciation.
Effects of joint immobilization on firing rate modulation of human motor units

1 We investigated the effects of 6 weeks of immobilization on firing rate modulation in motor units in the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) of human volunteers. The middle finger, index finger and thumb were immobilized for a period of 6 weeks in a fibre‐glass cast, which kept FDI in a shortened position. 2 During isometric contraction at 20, 40, 60 and 80 % of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) (index finger abduction), motor unit action potentials were recorded from the FDI using a tungsten microelectrode, and the relationship between voluntary force and mean firing rate (MFR) was obtained by plotting the MFR of each motor unit action potential train as a function of voluntary force. Four recording sessions were held for each subject: before immobilization, after 3 and 6 weeks of immobilization, and after a 6 week recovery period. 3 As a result of immobilization, FDI volume (as measured by computerized tomography (CT) scanning) decreased, with an accompanying reduction in aggregate EMG activity per day (P < 0.01). The force measured during MVC also decreased (P < 0.05). 4 The slope of the relationship between voluntary force and MFR was significantly decreased after immobilization, as was the range of firing rate modulation (P < 0.01). Maximal MFR, estimated from the relationship between voluntary force and MFR, was decreased (P < 0.05). 5 MFR was also plotted against voluntary force without being normalized with respect to MVC, and the slope of the regression line was decreased (P < 0.05). Voluntary force when the MFR was 15 Hz was estimated from regression equations for the absolute force‐MFR relationship, and it was increased after immobilization (P < 0.05). 6 These results suggest that firing rate modulation shows two different adaptations to joint immobilization: a restriction of motoneurone firing to the lower rates and an enhancement of the voluntary force exerted when the MFR is relatively low.
Products of the “x” gene in hepatitis B and related viruses

The X region in hepatitis B virus DNA potentially encodes a polypeptide 154 amino acids in length. Two synthetic peptides spanning residues 100 to 115 (peptide 99) and 115 to 131 (peptide 100) in a hydrophilic domain within the carboxy terminal third of theproposed gene product were made and used to raise peptide antisera in rabbits. Such antisera specifically bound to X reactive determinants in liver‐derived core antigen particles from humans (HBcAg), ducks (DHBcAg), ground squirrels (GSHcAg) and woodchucks (WHcAg) at each step of core antigen purification. This reactivity was blocked by addition of excess synthetic peptide, and neither sera were reactive with other purified antigens such as HBsAg. Individual polypeptides associated with these core particles were also reactive by Western blotting. These findings suggest that X reactive determinants are present in the core particles of hepatitis B virus and related viruses, and thatone or more coreassociated polypeptides may have both X and core antigenic determinants. The possible significance of these observations upon the genetic organization and expression of the X gene is discussed.
An experimental study on cellular automata reservoir in pathological sequence learning tasks

In this study, we are providing a recurrent architecture based on Cellular Automata state evolution. The states of the cells are used as the reservoir of activities as in Echo State Networks. The projection of the input onto this reservoir medium provides a systematic way of remembering previous inputs and combining the memory with a continuous stream of inputs. This is an essential capability for a wide collection of intelligence tasks such as language, continuous vision (i.e. video), symbolic manipulation in a knowledge base etc. We devise intuitive methods for enlarging the memory capacity of the cellular autmata state space and reducing the interference between memory traces. Cellular Automata reservoir constructs a novel bridge between computational theory of automata and neural architectures. The proposed framework is tested on classical synthetic pathological tasks that are widely used in evaluating recurrent algorithms. We show that the proposed algorithm achieves zero error in all tasks, giving a similar performance with Echo State Networks, but even better in many different aspects. Two other methods are also introduced to training recurrent neural networks; “Covariance representation” that has second order attribute statistics and “Stack representation” that has a local representation, and compare them with Cellular Automata based Reservoir Comuting framework that has higher attribute statistics and distributed representation. This raises the question of whether real valued neuron units are essential for solving complex problems that are distributed over time. Our results suggest that, even very sparsely connected binary units with simple computational rules can provide the required computation for intelligent behavior.
Osteoporotic fractures in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and end stage renal disease

Background The incidence of end stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is rising. However, the relationship between osteoporotic fractures and SLE in the setting of ESRD remains uninvestigated. The purpose of this study was to compare the frequency of incident osteoporotic fractures in patients with ESRD with and without SLE, to identify risk factors for fractures in patients with SLE and ESRD, and to examine the contribution of these fractures to mortality. Methods Retrospective cohort study of patients with SLE (n = 716) and a 5% random sample of controls without SLE (n = 4176) in the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) from years 2006–2008 enrolled in Medicare Part D. Results Fractures occurred in 10.6% (n = 76) of patients with SLE and ESRD and 12.1% (n = 507) of patients with ESRD without SLE (p = 0.24). Older age (adjusted relative risk 1.02, 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.04) was associated with an increased risk for fracture in patients with SLE and ESRD. In multivariable analyses, vertebral and hip fractures more than doubled the risk for mortality. Conclusions The frequency of osteoporotic fractures in patients with SLE and ESRD is similar to the general population of patients with ESRD. Vertebral and hip fractures are significant contributors to mortality in patients with SLE and ESRD. Fracture prevention, in particular, for elderly patients with SLE and ESRD, should be considered. Summary SLE is not an independent risk factor for fractures in patients with ESRD. However, among patients with SLE and ESRD, vertebral and hip fractures are significant contributors to mortality.
The Role of WRN Helicase/Exonuclease in DNA Replication

Humans possess five distinct RecQ helicases (see Figure 1), all of which possess a hallmark RecQ helicase domain. Mutation or loss in any one of three human RecQ helicases give rise to genetic instability syndromes: WRN mutation gives Werner’s syndrome (WS), BLM loss results in Bloom syndrome (BS), and Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS) is caused by mu‐ tation of RECQL41. WRN has come to prominence because its loss of function results in hu‐ man Werner’s syndrome, a segmental progeria (premature ageing) characterised by many signs and symptoms of normal ageing at both the organismal and cellular levels, with short‐ ened lifespan (median age of death 47 years [2]). In particular WS patients suffer from osteo‐ porosis, athero-and arterio-sclerosis and a high cancer incidence (particularly sarcoma) together with metabolic disorders normally associated with increased age, especially type II diabetes and lipodystrophy. Furthermore, patients show outwardly recognisable signs of ageing such as cataracts, greying hair and skin wrinkling, while female WS patients suffer premature menopause and both sexes show hypogonadism, with decreased fertility (re‐ viewed in ref. [2]).
Enhanced mathematical model of postprandial glycemic excursion in diabetics using rapid-acting insulin

We present some improvements to our previous model of postprandial glucose excursion in diabetics under rapid-acting insulin therapy. In the glucose sub-model, we correct Glycemic Index values from the glucose relative function and as a result, adjust absorption rate parameters for carbohydrates. In the insulin sub-model, we modify Shimoda insulin model parameters to obtain a more realistic representation of the effect of rapid-acting insulin on glycemic levels. Additionally, we derive a more intelligible expression of the relative exogenous insulin function. Results from computer simulations show that our enhanced model is now accurate throughout the GI range of carbohydrates.