Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Botulinum Toxin as a Treatment for Depression in a Real-world Setting

Objectives: A series of randomized controlled trials have shown the efficacy of glabellar botulinum toxin (BTX) injection as a treatment for depression in women. We wanted to extend these findings and assess how they may be translated to a real-world setting. Methods: For that purpose, 42 patients with severe, in most cases chronic and treatment-resistant depression received adjunctive treatment with BTX in private practice. Depression severity was rated before and 3 weeks after the treatment using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: Almost all of the patients improved clinically, with depression scores dropping by 27% on all 3 scales in the sample as a whole. These changes were highly significant (P<0.001, paired t test or Wilcoxon test) and the absolute prepost score differences were similar to those observed in previous randomized controlled trials. Importantly, treatment effects did not differ between male (n=23) and female (n=19) patients. Conclusions: These findings suggest that glabellar BTX injection may also be effective in the treatment of severe depression and in the treatment of depression in men, when treatment is carried out not just in clinical trials but in real-world settings.
A simple control algorithm to avoid flux density bias in isolated full-bridge topologies

Isolated full-bridge topologies are used in some industrial applications due to its characteristic of cost-effective and high power density. However, the transformer used for isolation in such topologies can be easily saturated. In this paper, a control algorithm to suppress flux density bias in the transformer is proposed. The algorithm can be easily implemented into a low cost DSP. Details of the practical implementation of the proposed algorithm are shown. An example of application over a 3 kW single-stage power factor corrector is presented. The experimental results illustrate the feasibility of the proposed digital control solution.
Does Regulatory Jurisdiction Affect the Quality of Investment-Adviser Regulation?

The Dodd-Frank Act shifted regulatory jurisdiction over “ midsize” investment advisers from the SEC to state-securities regulators. Client complaints against midsize advisers increased relative to those continuing under SEC oversight by 30 to 40 percent of the unconditional probability. Complaints increasingly cited fiduciary violations and rose more where state regulators had fewer resources. Advisers responding more to weaker oversight had past complaints, were located farther from regulators, faced less competition, had more conflicts of interest, and served primarily less-sophisticated clients. Our results inform optimal regulatory design in markets with informational asymmetries and search frictions. (JEL G24, G28, K22, L51, L84)
Fast Inverse-Free Sparse Bayesian Learning via Relaxed Evidence Lower Bound Maximization

Sparse Beyesian learning is a popular approach for sparse signal recovery, and has demonstrated superior performance in a series of experiments. Nevertheless, the sparse Bayesian learning algorithm involves a matrix inverse at each iteration. Its associated computational complexity grows significantly with the problem size, which hinders its application to many practical problems even with moderately large datasets. To address this issue, in this letter, we develop a fast inverse-free sparse Bayesian learning method. Specifically, by invoking a fundamental property for smooth functions, we obtain a relaxed evidence lower bound (relaxed-ELBO) that is computationally more amiable than the conventional ELBO used by sparse Bayesian learning. A variational expectation-maximization (EM) scheme is then employed to maximize the relaxed-ELBO, which leads to a computationally efficient inverse-free sparse Bayesian learning algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has a fast convergence rate and achieves lower reconstruction errors than other state-of-the-art fast sparse recovery methods in the presence of noise.
A low-IF/zero-IF reconfigurable receiver with two-step channel selection technique for multistandard applications

This paper presents a low-IF/zero-IF reconfigurable receiver for multistandard applications based on a two-step channel selection (2-SCS) technique. Such technique is mainly implemented by a reconfigurable sampling scheme, which can perform either programmable Analog-Double Quadrature Sampling (A-DQS) or Analog-Baseband Sampling (A-BS) to, first, relax the front-end PLL-frequency synthesizer (PLL-FS) locking time and phase noise requirements; and, second, allow a low-IF architecture to be transformable to zero-IF with small overheads. In this way, the receiver can operate in low-IF mode for narrowband standards avoiding 1/f noise and DC offset, and alternatively, for wideband standards, it can be reconfigured seamlessly in zero-IF mode to minimize image interference. The operating principles, design considerations and circuit implementation of such schemes for multistandard applications, including Bluetooth, HomeRF and IEEE 802.11FH, demonstrate the flexibility of such topology.
Towards an optimized multiview streaming system with view interpolation

In this paper an approach to optimize the transmission of multiview video over bandwidth limited channels is presented. The main idea is to reduce the number of transmitted views by choosing a set of views that can be reconstructed with the highest quality at the receiver using view interpolation, removing them from the stream and encoding the remaining views with a higher quality. We have shown that at the moment this approach only makes sense in cases where the channel is very restricted, but when view interpolation algorithms improve in quality, the threshold at which our method improves image quality rises quickly and can be applied to a wider range of streaming scenarios.
Research on cost management methods used in new product development and their relationship to strategic priorities and collaborative competences: A systematic literature review and survey of the German manufacturing industry

This doctoral thesis presents a systematic review in both the management accounting as well as the innovation and operation management literature on 15 different methods for cost management. Subsequently, six antecedents of the adoption of cost management methods are identified and empirically analysed. It was found that the antecedents explaining the adoption of this methods during NPD are cost leadership,
HR Personnels Perception for the Importance and Success of Social Networking Sites Integration in Recruitment

Today in the period of globalization when everybody and everything appears to be associated over the globe through the progressive improvement in the field of information technology. In the present-day business world, the utilization of the Internet has turned into an integrated and fundamental tool. Consistently an ever-increasing number of organizations arrive at the digital or virtual sphere by making their organization LinkedIn profile, Twitter account, as well as a Facebook page. The purposive, nonprobability sampling technique utilized for the current study. The sample of 203 Human Resource personnel selected from private and public limited companies. All of the HR personnel’s are serving in Karachi based private and public limited companies. All respondents are power users of Social Networking Sites in the recruitment process as well as the traditional recruitment process as predefined criteria of the study. The beneficial aspects are found out by this inquiry which may lead the awareness among HR personnel’s and companies as well that the most worthy sites for the recruitment practice are LinkedIn, Indeed.com, Rozee.pk, and Facebook.
High-Order Resonant Converter Topology With Extremely Low-Coupling Contactless Transformers

Although a large number of typical resonant converter topologies have been developed for use in contactless power transfer applications, these topologies need to be precisely optimized to obtain maximum efficiency and maximum power transferring capacity. High-order resonant power converters with flexible designs are invariably required to develop energy-efficient and cost-effective converter systems. An ideal converter topology can contribute toward realizing efficient converter systems if it is capable of providing an optimized output that is insensitive to load variations, coupling coefficient, type of the wireless transformer used, and other operating conditions. This paper presents a new contactless power converter topology for a low-coupling (0.14) ferrite-core transformer that has low cost, small size, high efficiency, and a wide gap (20 mm). In addition, the merits and demerits of conventional converter topologies are studied herein, and results for these topologies are compared with those for the proposed converter topology.
Prolonged Infusion Antibiotics for Suspected Gram-Negative Infections in the ICU: A Before-After Study

BACKGROUND: β-Lactam antibiotics demonstrate time-dependent killing. Prolonged infusion of these agents is commonly performed to optimize the time the unbound concentration of an antibiotic remains greater than the minimum inhibitory concentration and decrease costs, despite limited evidence suggesting improved clinical results. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether prolonged infusion of β-lactam antibiotics improves outcomes in critically ill patients with suspected gram-negative infection. METHODS: We conducted a single-center, before-after, comparative effectiveness trial between January 2010 and January 2011 in the intensive care units at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, an urban teaching hospital affiliated with the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. Outcomes were compared between patients who received standardized dosing of meropenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, or cefepime as an intermittent infusion over 30 minutes (January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2010) and patients who received prolonged infusion over 3 hours (August 1, 2010, to January 31, 2011). RESULTS: A total of 503 patients (intermittent infusion, n = 242; prolonged infusion, n = 261) treated for gram-negative infection were included in the clinically evaluable population. Approximately 50% of patients in each group received cefepime and 20% received piperacillin-tazobactam. More patients in the intermittent infusion group received meropenem (35.5% vs 24.5%; p = 0.007). Baseline characteristics were similar between groups, with the exception of a greater occurrence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the intermittent infusion group. Treatment success rates in the clinically evaluable group were 56.6% for intermittent infusion and 51.0% for prolonged infusion (p = 0.204), and in the microbiologically evaluable population, 55.2% for intermittent infusion and 49.5% for prolonged infusion (p = 0.486). Fourteen-day, 30-day, and inhospital mortality rates in the clinically evaluable population for the intermittent and prolonged infusion groups were 13.2% versus 18.0% (p = 0.141), 23.6% versus 25.7% (p = 0.582), and 19.4% versus 23.0% (p = 0.329). CONCLUSIONS: Routine use of prolonged infusion of time-dependent antibiotics for the empiric treatment of gram-negative bacterial infections offers no advantage over intermittent infusion antibiotic therapy with regard to treatment success, mortality, or hospital length of stay. These results were confirmed after controlling for potential confounders in a multivariate analysis.
The Problems of Radiofrequency Ablation as an Approach for Advanced Unresectable Ductal Pancreatic Carcinoma

Advanced ductal pancreatic carcinoma (PC) remains a challenge for current surgical and medical approaches. It has recently been claimed that radiofrequency ablation (RFA) may be beneficial for patients with locally advanced or metastatic PC. Using the MEDLINE database, we found seven studies involving 106 patients in which PC was treated using RFA. The PC was mainly located in the pancreatic head (66.9%) with a median size of 4.6 cm. RFA was carried out in 85 patients (80.1%) with locally advanced PC and in 21 (19.9%) with metastatic disease. Palliative surgical procedures were carried out in 41.5% of the patients. The average temperature used was 90 °C (with a temperature range of 30–105 °C) and the ratio between the number of passes of the probe and the size of the tumor in centimeters was 0.5 (range of 0.36–1). The median postoperative morbidity and mortality were 28.3% and 7.5%, respectively; the median survival was 6.5 months (range of 1–33 months). In conclusion, RFA is a feasible technique: however, its safety and long-term results are disappointing; Thus, the RFA procedure should not be recommended in clinical practice for a PC patient.
Technological behavior analysis and societal impact: A human services perspective.

Important research developments in applied behavior analysis stem from a variety of sources. Most pervasively, behavior-analytic research originates from institutions of higher education. A much smaller but nevertheless persistent set of developments results from the work of practitioners in nonacademic settings. The latter source of contributions not only plays a part in shaping the field of behavior analysis but also helps incorporate research advances made in academia into nonacademic settings (Reid, 1987). For the most part, the contributions made by behavior analysts working in nonacademic settings have occurred through technological research-research developing, refining, and applying behavior analysis technology. The reason for the focus on technological research in contrast to other components of behavior analysis and, in particular, theoretically oriented research is primarily due to the employment contingencies under which behavior analysts operate in most nonacademic settings. Contingencies that support technological research in contrast to theoretical research are readily found in human services settings, a common employment site for behavior analysts not working in academia. The livelihood of the vast majority of behavior analysts in human services agencies is based on fulfilling clinical, supervisory, and/or administrative duties. Essentially none of the livelihood (from an income standpoint) stems from conducting applied behavior analysis research. Actually, research endeavors of behavior analysts in human services settings frequently have to be justified to administrative and related personnel in terms of the research not inhibiting service delivery.
Molecular Weight of Sindbis Virus Ribonucleic Acid as Measured by Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

The molecular weight (MW) of Sindbis virion ribonucleic acid (RNA) determined by gel electrophoresis was in a range of 3.89 × 106 to 4.45 × 106 daltons. Upon denaturation with urea, it separated into fragments having an MW of 1.76 × 106 daltons. Viral-specific Sindbis 26S RNA contained a major species having an MW of 1.76 × 106 daltons.
Heteromeric Assembly of Acid-sensitive Ion Channel and Epithelial Sodium Channel Subunits*

Amiloride-sensitive ion channels are formed from homo- or heteromeric combinations of subunits from the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC)/degenerin superfamily, which also includes the acid-sensitive ion channel (ASIC) family. These channel subunits share sequence homology and topology. In this study, we have demonstrated, using confocal fluorescence resonance energy transfer microscopy and co-immunoprecipitation, that ASIC and ENaC subunits are capable of forming cross-clade intermolecular interactions. We have also shown that combinations of ASIC1 with ENaC subunits exhibit novel electrophysiological characteristics compared with ASIC1 alone. The results of this study suggest that heteromeric complexes of ASIC and ENaC subunits may underlie the diversity of amiloride-sensitive cation conductances observed in a wide variety of tissues and cell types where co-expression of ASIC and ENaC subunits has been observed.
Characterization of the acetylcholine‐induced potassium current in rabbit cardiac Purkinje fibres.

Acetylcholine (ACh) induces a K+ current in rabbit cardiac Purkinje fibres. The question was studied whether ACh produces this effect by modifying the properties of K+ channels pre‐existing in the absence of the neurotransmitter or whether it induces the formation of a different type of K+ channels. The relaxation properties of the ACh‐induced current and its blockade by Cs+ and Ba2+ have been investigated using voltage clamp. During hyperpolarizing or depolarizing voltage pulses of moderate amplitude, the ACh‐induced current is time independent. For large voltage pulses, time‐dependent changes of the ACh‐induced current are observed. These latter changes can be explained by intracellular K+ accumulation/depletion phenomena or by the effects of ACh on time‐dependent currents (e.g. the late outward current, ix). Cs+ and Ba2+ block the ACh‐induced current. The block produced by 20 mM‐Cs+ is instantaneous and increases with hyperpolarization, i.e. it is voltage dependent. The block produced by Ba2+ at high concentrations (greater than 1 mM) is also instantaneous but complete at all potentials studied, and thus voltage independent. At these concentrations, either ion also blocks the background inward rectifier (iK1) current in a similar way. Low [Ba2+] (less than 0.1 mM) cause a block of the ACh‐induced current which is instantaneous and little voltage dependent. The block of iK1 in contrast is time and voltage dependent for the same concentrations. These results indicate that the ACh‐induced K+ current is different from the background iK1 current.
The clinical (ir)relevance of opioid-induced immune suppression

Purpose of review Opioid-induced immune suppression has been demonstrated in cell culture experiments and in animal models. This review examines whether opioids also increase the risk of infections in the perioperative setting or on the ICU. Recent findings Only a few studies are available. Patients receiving higher doses of systemic opioids had an increased risk of developing a pneumonia perioperatively. However, these results only occurred if laparoscopic vs. open surgery or epidural vs. systemic opioid therapy were compared. These differences are thought to reflect the better quality of analgesia and the improved ability to clear secretions. Alternatively, systemic opioids could induce an immune suppression leading to infectious complications. In intensive care patients, opioid use correlated with infectious complications in patients with burn injuries but did not increase the rate of sepsis in neonates. One retrospective study indicated that opioid withdrawal might be an important risk factor. At present, it remains unclear whether the choice of an opioid, its dose, and mode of withdrawal influence infectious complications. Summary In contrast to in-vitro studies and to animal models, conclusive evidence is currently lacking that opioids induce clinically relevant infectious complications in patients. However, these findings should be interpreted with great caution, as almost no adequately designed trials have been performed. Peripherally selective opioid receptor antagonists might be useful if opioid-induced immune suppression should prove to be clinically relevant.
Quantitative measurement of serum HCV RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis C: Comparison between amplicor HCV monitor system and branched DNA signal amplification assay

Quantitative measurement of serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA is important in predicting and monitoring the therapeutic effects of interferon in treating patients with chronic hepatitis C. We compared two commercial available assays, Roche Amplicor HCV Monitor test kits and Chiron branched DNA signal amplification (bDNA) assay, in quantitative measurement of serum HCV RNA in 74 patients with chronic hepatitis C. The serum HCV RNA of each of these patients was qualitatively positive by conventional reverse transcription‐nested polymerase chain reaction. Serum HCV RNA was detected positive by the Amplicor test kits in 63 (85%) patients and by the bDNA assay in 58 (78%) patients (P >0.05). The quantitative results of HCV RNA detected by both assays showed a good linear correlation (r=0.56, P<0.001). Amplicor test kits detected 5 patients with low viremia which were below the detection limit of the bDNA assay (2.0 × 105 genome equivalents/ml). However, the mean HCV RNA values detected by the Amplicor test kits was 1.26 log lower than that of the bDNA assay. The Amplicor test kits detected only 5 samples (8%) with a HCV RNA value greater than 5 × 106 copies/ml, while the bDNA assay detected 23 samples (40%) with a HCV RNA value greater than 5 × 106 genome equivalents/ml (P<0.01). HCV genotype did not affect the positive rate of HCV RNA measurement detected by both assays. However, a significantly higher mean serum HCV RNA value was noted in HCV genotype 1b as compared with the other genotypes. We concluded that the Roche Amplicor HCV Monitor test kits and the Chiron branched DNA signal amplification assay are equally sensitive in the quantitative measurement of serum HCV RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis C and can be reliably used in measuring HCV viremia clinically. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 12:121–125, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cell type–dependent mechanisms for formin-mediated assembly of filopodia

Several mammalian formins participate in filopodial assembly, but the identity of the actin nucleation factor is not clear. Nucleation factor requirements differ between nonadherent and adherent cells. Arp2/3 complex is essential in suspension cells, whereas the situation is more complex in adherent cells.
A TWIN REGISTRY STUDY OF FAMILIAL AND INDIVIDUAL RISK FACTORS FOR TRAUMA EXPOSURE AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

This study examines the association of individual and familial risk factors with exposure to trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in male twins (N = 6744) from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Independent reports of familial psychopathology from co-twins were used to avoid the potential biases of the family history method. Risk for exposure to traumatic events was increased by service in Southeast Asia, preexisting conduct disorder, preexisting substance dependence, and a family history of mood disorders whose effects appear to be partly genetic. Preexisting mood disorders in the individual were associated with decreased odds of traumatic exposure. Risk of developing PTSD following exposure was increased by an earlier age at first trauma, exposure to multiple traumas, paternal depression, less than high school education at entry into the military, service in Southeast Asia, and preexisting conduct disorder, panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder, and major depression. Results suggest the association of familial psychopathology and PTSD may be mediated by increased risk of traumatic exposure and by preexisting psychopathology.