Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NATURALLY DERIVED COMPOUNDS USED FOR PREVENTION OR REGRESSION OF EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED LIVER FIBROSIS

Liver fibrosis is a common health problem that is associated with mortality and morbidity worldwide. The inappropriate tissue repair of damaged liver results in over-synthesis and deposition of fibrillar collagen. It is usually associated with progressive pathological and biochemical changes that ultimately lead to structural and metabolic abnormalities and hepatic scarring. If not properly treated, liver fibrosis may develop to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma within few years. Blocking this progression, therefore, could be an effective and potential strategy for survival. The only effective approach to treating advanced liver fibrosis is transplantation. Understanding its etiology and pathophysiology, however, could help to investigate therapeutic pathophysiology based treatment of liver fibrogenesis. Recently several promising natural based treatment methods interfering with cytokines signaling pathway involved in fibrogenesis have been investigated offering new potential therapeutic intervention. The aim of the present updated review is to identify the natural antifibrotic options that have been studied in animal models with liver fibrosis for the treatment of this pathological conditions enabling prevention or at least regression of its progression.
Edinburgh Research Explorer 'The formula that killed Wall Street'

Drawing on documentary sources and 114 interviews with market participants, this and a companion article discuss the development and use in finance of the Gaussian copula family of models, which are employed to estimate the probability distribution of losses on a pool of loans or bonds, and which were centrally involved in the credit crisis. This article, which explores how and why the Gaussian copula family developed in the way it did, employs the concept of ‘evaluation culture’, a set of practices, preferences and beliefs concerning how to determine the economic value of financial instruments that is shared by members of multiple organizations. We identify an evaluation culture, dominant within the derivatives departments of investment banks, which we call the ‘culture of no-arbitrage modelling’, and explore its relation to the development of Gaussian copula models. The article suggests that two themes from the science and technology studies literature on models (modelling as ‘impure’ bricolage, and modelling as articulating with heterogeneous objectives and constraints) help elucidate the history of Gaussian copula models in finance.
EVALUATION OF PUBLIC SUPPORT PROGRAMMES IN FINANCING OF SMALL AND MEDIUM – SIZED ENTERPRISES

Small and medium-sized enterprises are a key segment of the business sector in Slovakia, as well as the backbone of the economy and the basis for the country’s competitiveness. A favorable business environment and the provision of appropriate forms of support is an important prerequisite for the successful development of small and medium-sized enterprises because they usually have limited financial sources and significantly higher sensitivity to the existence of different barriers in business compared to large enterprises. Under the conditions of Slovakia, a number of support measures have been implemented, which direct or indirect aim is to support small and medium-sized enterprises. The aim of the article is to evaluate support programmes for SMEs in the SR and to propose measures to improve the support system.
Autoeficácia, intensidade de dor e qualidade de vida em indivíduos com dor crônica

The study aimed to correlate self-efficacy, quality of life, and pain intensity in people with chronic disease. A cross-sectional study. The sample had 95 people with chronic pain, recruited in the broadening area of a Family Health Unit. The instruments used in the study were: the Self-Efficacy Scale for Pain, the Numerical Scale of Pain, and the WHOQOL – Bref, to assess self-efficacy, pain intensity and quality of life. The correlations indicated that individuals with chronic pain and high levels of self-efficacy might present lower pain intensity and better quality of life. Self-efficacy and quality of life are variables to consider in the assessment of people with chronic pain.
Advance on anti-tumor activities of sinoporphyrin sodium

[Abstract] Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a new oncotherapy method. Photosensitizer and matched-light are the key elements of PDT. As a next generation photosensitizers of high purity, sinoporphyrin sodium (DVDMS) has the characteristics of clear structure and high content, low effective dose, short time avoiding light after treatment and good safety. Due to the discovery of ultrasonic sensitivity of DVDMS, great progresses have been made on the research and application of DVDMSmediated sonodynamic therapy. Research suggests that DVDMS has potentials to be used for anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, treatment of psoriasis, development of therapeutic diagnostic reagents and so on. This review sums up the anti-tumor activities and mechanisms of DVDMS. [Key words] sinoporphyrin sodium; neoplasms; photodynamic therapy; sonodynamic therapy [Acad J Sec Mil Med Univ, 2018, 39(11): 1259-1264]
In Allergic Diseases Mouse , Rat Models Alerjik Hastalıklarda Fare

During the past few years, the increasing prevalence of allergies has brought about a search for new techniques of diagnosis and treatment. Animal models of allergies play a major role in understanding the pathogenesis at immunological, physiological and histopatological levels as well as elaborating on the existing treatment methods. It is indispensable to know the anatomic, physiological and biological characteristics of the laboratory animals used in biomedical research in order to obtain repeatable and reliable outcomes in the animal models imitating the situation in humans. From this aspect, a variety of animals can be utilized to model allergic illnesses. Yet, in this compiled article, mouse and rat models were emphasized for they are ethical, their production and growing environments are easily standardizable and they are more feasible economically. Son yıllarda alerjik hastalıkların görülme sıklığının artması tanı ve tedavi sürecinde arayışları da beraberinde getirmiştir. Alerjik yürüyüş ya da atopik marş olarak ifade edilen ve süt çocukluğu döneminden itibaren başlayan süreç, besin allerjenleriKlinik Tıp Pediatri Dergisi Cilt: 9 Sayı: 2 Mart Nisan 2017 Derleme Review In Allergic Diseases Mouse, Rat Models Alerjik Hastalıklarda Fare, Sıçan Modelleri Doç. Dr. Meral KARAMAN Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Tıbbi Mikrobiyoloji AD. Yazışma Adresleri /Address for Correspondence: Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü Laboratuvar Hayvanları Bilimi AD. Tel/phone: +90 ? mail: meral.karaman@deu.edu. tr Anahtar Kelimeler: Astım, Alerjik rinit, Atopik dermatit, hayvan modeli
Implementation of Private Cloud for Optimization of Computer Resources at University

The development of computer technology and applications are very rapid, causing the needs of computer use in the organization has increased. The performance of personal computers has increased rapidly, but it cannot be utilized properly. Therefore, personal computers can be used together to perform parallel processing, so that data processing time can be shortened. Private cloud, as an alternative solution to provide cloud services to organizations that are on the same network. The service provided is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), where users can request certain types of services and use certain operating systems. Universities have many computers in the laboratory that have considerable resources if they are able to optimize the use of each computer as a processing resource. Supported by high specification on each computer, it is suitable for private cloud implementation. Using the Openstack framework can produce a good enough performance to perform parallel data processing. The test results show that the parallel processing performance works as expected.
Analysis of models for e-commerce adoption factors in developing countries

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have a considerable role in most developing countries because they are able to develop and improve the economy. Whereas e-commerce is also a vital subject in the field of research, where they offer significant benefits for these countries. However, the adoption of e-commerce in developing countries by SMEs is low due to several factors, including the lack of a suitable model for the adoption of e-commerce. Therefore, some of the most widely used models for the adoption of e-commerce in developing countries were highlighted, which were Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) established by Molla and Licker (2005), Technology Organisation Environment (TOE) Integration of TOE and TAM, Perceived eReadiness Model (PERM) and E-commerce Success Factors. The exploratory research was conducted in this study. Finally, some recommendations were reached that may give the researchers a better understanding of the adoption of e-commerce in developing countries which they have not yet started using e-commerce
Content-Preserving Image Stitching With Piecewise Rectangular Boundary Constraints

This article proposes an approach to content-preserving image stitching with regular boundary constraints, which aims to stitch multiple images to generate a panoramic image with piecewise rectangular boundaries. Existing methods treat image stitching and rectangling as two separate steps, which may result in suboptimal results as the stitching process is not aware of the further warping needs for rectangling. We address these limitations by formulating image stitching with regular boundaries in a unified optimization framework. Starting from the initial stitching result produced by traditional warping-based optimization, we obtain the irregular boundary from the warped meshes by polygon Boolean operations which robustly handle arbitrary mesh compositions. By analyzing the irregular boundary, we construct a piecewise rectangular boundary. Based on this, we further incorporate line and regular boundary preservation constraints into the image stitching framework, and conduct iterative optimizations to obtain an optimal piecewise rectangular boundary. Thus we can make the boundary of the stitching result as close as possible to a rectangle, while reducing unwanted distortions. We further extend our method to video stitching, by integrating the temporal coherence into the optimization. Experiments show that our method efficiently produces visually pleasing panoramas with regular boundaries and unnoticeable distortions.
Neonatal and temperament variables predict behavior problems of preterm children at toddlerhood

Background: Children born preterm are at high risk for behavior problems at different ages. To better understand these problems, we examine the predictive biopsychosocial variables. Objective: To examine the predictive effects of neonatal clinical status and the temperament of the children and mothers on the behavior problems of children born preterm. Study design: Longitudinal predictive study. Methods: The sample was composed of 40 children born preterm at 18 to 36 months of age and their mothers. The temperament of the children was assessed using the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire, which comprises the negative affect, extroversion and effortful control factors and their domains. Behaviors were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist 1 ½-5 (total, internalized, and externalized problems scores and classifications). The temperament of the mothers was assessed using the Adult Temperament Questionnaire. All instruments were applied through interviews with mothers. Descriptive and the hierarchical multiple linear regression statistical analyses were performed. The level of significance adopted in the study was p < 0.05. Results: The prediction analysis revealed that the internalized behavior problems were explained significantly by children’s temperaments with more fear (negative affect) and less by mothers’ temperament with inhibitory control (effortful control factor). The externalized behavior problems were explained significantly by greater time spent in the neonatal intensive care unit, less effortful control of children’s temperament and less mothers` temperament inhibitory control. Conclusion: The behavior problems of children at toddlerhood who were born preterm were explained by high neonatal clinical risk as well as by the temperament dispositional traits of both the children and the mothers.
The Roles of Different Sugar Sources on the Quality of Nigella Enriched Tomato Ketchup

The study was concerned to evaluate the effect of table sugar, honey and zero-calorie sugar on the quality of nigella enriched tomato ketchup. Ketchup was prepared by mixing 5, 10 and 15% nigella paste with tomato pulp. The variations in taste, color and texture were analyzed based on the consumers’ acceptability and 5% nigella paste was appropriate for product development. Three different types of sugar source (table sugar/honey/zero-calorie sugar) were used to prepare nigella enriched tomato ketchup. Moisture content and total soluble solids (TSS) were significantly lower in the sample S2 (tomato ketchup prepared with honey) which was 64.00±1.75% and 18.00±1.8%, respectively. Sample S1 (tomato ketchup prepared with table sugar) contained higher moisture content (65.40±1.55%); though it's not significantly different with sample S3 (tomato ketchup prepared with zero-calorie sugar). Sample S3 contained significantly (p<0.05) higher amount of TSS (25±1.6%) than other samples. In case of color analysis, it was observed that L*, a* and b* value reduced for all samples when treated with sodium benzoate but not significantly different. Sensory analysis suggested that sample S1 was suitable for the processing of nigella enriched tomato ketchup. Original Research Article Tripty et al.; AFSJ, 13(3): 1-6, 2019; Article no.AFSJ. 52945 2
Dietary Patterns Impact Temporal Dynamics of Fecal Microbiota Composition in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Environmental factors such as diet are known influencers on gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota variability and some diseases are associated with microbial stability. Whether microbial variability is related to symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how diet impacts microbial stability in ASD is unknown. Herein, temporal variability in stool microbiota in relation to dietary habits in 2–7 years-old children with ASD (ASD, n = 26) and unaffected controls (CONT, n = 32) was investigated. Fecal samples were collected at baseline, 6-weeks and 6-months. Bacterial composition was assessed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Short fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations were analyzed by gas chromatography. Nutrient intake was assessed using a 3-day food diary and dietary patterns (DP) were empirically derived from a food frequency questionnaire. Social deficit scores (SOCDEF) were assessed using the Pervasive Developmental Disorder Behavior Inventory-Screening Version (PDDBI-SV). GI symptoms were assessed using the GI severity index. Overall, temporal variability in microbial structure, and membership did not differ between the groups. In children with ASD, abundances of Clostridiaceae, Streptophyta, and Clostridiaceae Clostridium, varied significantly, and concentrations of all SCFAs decreased over time. Variability in community membership was negatively correlated with median SOCDEF scores. Additionally, Clostridiales, Lactococcus, Turicibacter, Dorea, and Phascolarctobacterium were components of a more stable microbiota community in children with ASD. DP1, characterized by vegetables, starchy vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, fruit, grains, juice and dairy, was associated with changes in species diversity, abundance of Erysipelotricaceae, Clostridiaceae Clostridium, and Oscillospira and concentrations of propionate, butyrate, isobutyrate and isovalerate in children with ASD. DP2 characterized by fried, protein and starchy foods, “Kid's meals,” condiments, and snacks was associated with variations in microbiota structure, abundance of Clostridiaceae Clostridium, and Oscillospira and changes in all SCFA concentrations. However, no association between microbial stability and SOCDEF or GI severity scores were observed. In conclusion, microbiota composition varies over time in children with ASD, might be related to social deficit scores and can be impacted by diet. Future studies investigating the physiological effect of the changes in specific microbial taxa and metabolites are needed to delineate the impact on ASD symptomology.
Compensatory Cognitive Training for Latino Youth at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Early psychosocial interventions targeting cognitive and functional outcomes in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis are a research priority. An even greater need is the identification of effective interventions in underserved populations. Compensatory Cognitive Training (CCT) is a psychosocial intervention with demonstrated efficacy in chronic schizophrenia and first episode psychosis, but remains to be evaluated in pre-illness phases. The aim of this study was to describe the development and implementation of an ongoing pilot randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of group-based, manualized CCT, as compared to recreational therapy (RT), for Latino participants at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) in both the United States and Mexico. It is hypothesized that, in comparison to those receiving RT, participants receiving CCT will show significant improvements in neurocognitive performance and functional capacity (co-primary outcomes) and self-rated functioning and clinical symptoms (secondary outcomes). Methods: Latino CHR participants aged 12–30 years will be included in the study. Both CCT and RT will be delivered in either Spanish or English, depending on group preference. Additionally, all assessments will be administered in participants’ preferred language. A comprehensive assessment of neurocognitive and functional performance and clinical symptomatology will be performed at baseline, mid-intervention (4 weeks, 8 weeks), post-intervention (12 weeks) and 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome measures are neurocognition and functional capacity, as assessed by the MATRICS (Measurement and Treatment Research in Cognition in Schizophrenia) Consensus Cognitive Battery and the University of California, San Diego Performance-Based Skills Assessment-Brief, respectively. Furthermore, secondary outcomes measures will be used to examine change in clinical symptoms and self-reported functioning in response to CCT versus RT. Discussion: The evaluation of a novel treatment such as CCT in CHR youth will provide empirical support for a low risk, comprehensive cognitive intervention that could have important implications for public health if it improves neurocognition and functioning.
Hydrogen Permeation Through Glass

Physical storage of gaseous hydrogen under high-pressure in glassy micro-containers such as spheres and capillaries is a promising concept for enhancing safety and the volumetric capacity of mobile hydrogen storage systems. As very low permeation through the container wall is required for storage of compressed hydrogen, development of glasses of minimal hydrogen permeability is needed. For this purpose, one has to understand better the dependence of hydrogen permeability on glass structure. The paper points out that minimizing the accessible free volume is a sound strategy to minimize hydrogen permeability. Based on previously measured and comprehensive literature data, it is shown that permeation is independently controlled by ionic porosity and network modifier content. Thus, ionic porosity in modified and fully polymerized networks can be decreased equally to the lowest hydrogen permeability among the glasses under study. Applying this concept, a drop of up to 30,000 with respect to the permeation of hydrogen molecules through silica glass is attainable.
Object detection and recognition method based on binocular

This paper proposes a method based on 3D version to recognize free-form objects in the complicated environment, which could be used in field of robot picking. The point cloud data is generated by binocular camera system. The depth map is employed to recover 3D point cloud of the scenario with the calibration method from the binocular camera. Segmentation algorithm is used to detect the object. Recognition is performed by using software libraries integrated with custom-developed segmentation algorithm and model database created by the same binocular camera system. Experiments are designed to verify the performance of the method by randomly placing different types of experimental objects in manipulator workspace. The preliminary results demonstrate the excellent ability of the system to perform object recognition and picking.
Do “America's Best Hospitals” Perform Better for Acute Myocardial Infarction?

Background “America's Best Hospitals,” an influential list published annually by U.S. News & World Report, assesses the quality of hospitals. It is not known whether patients admitted to hospitals ranked at the top in cardiology have lower short-term mortality from acute myocardial infarction than those admitted to other hospitals or whether differences in mortality are explained by differential use of recommended therapies. Methods Using data from the Cooperative Cardiovascular Project on 149,177 elderly Medicare beneficiaries with acute myocardial infarction in 1994 or 1995, we examined the care and outcomes of patients admitted to three types of hospitals: those ranked high in cardiology (top-ranked hospitals); hospitals not in the top rank that had on-site facilities for cardiac catheterization, coronary angioplasty, and bypass surgery (similarly equipped hospitals); and the remaining hospitals (non–similarly equipped hospitals). We compared 30-day mortality; the rates of use of aspirin, beta-blockers.
Plasma antennas formed in a Ge crystal under laser irradiation

The possibilities of using plasma formed by laser radiation in Ge- and Si semiconductors to create plasma antennas are analyzed. The dependences of the amplitude of the emitted microwave signal in the range of 6-7.5 GHz on the laser power and the length of the irradiated section on the semiconductor plate, which served as a transmitting vibrating antenna, were obtained. It is shown that the amplitude of the transmitted signal during the formation of a plasma antenna in Si and Ge crystals can be increased by more than an order of magnitude. The proposed method for creating a semiconductor plasma antenna with initiation by laser radiation has great prospects for creating materials with controlled electromagnetic characteristics in the radio, microwave and THz spectral ranges.