Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Applications of soft-switching full-bridge converter and rotational electric field to transdermal drug delivery

This paper presents applications of a soft-switching full-bridge converter to generate pulsed voltage (PV) for exciting tissue, which includes transdermal drug delivery (TDD), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, functional electrical stimulation, etc. Particularly, in TDD it offers many potential advantages over conventional methods, such as oral and injection, and it avoids drug degradation through gastro-intestinal and liver. To design a portable driving system with battery source, the proposed converter is equipped with a soft-switching cell to achieve zero voltage switching or zero current switching, improving efficiency about 20%. The overall system needs only a set of soft-switching cell to achieve soft-switching feature even though there are N sets of PVs, reducing size and cost significantly. Moreover, a rotational electrical field concept is introduced to further improve effectiveness of drug delivery. Experimental results of a 150 V output voltage and 18 W peak power have demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed converter.
Nucleus accumbens AGS3 expression drives ethanol seeking through Gβγ

Approximately 90% of alcoholics relapse within 4 years, in part because of an enhanced motivation to seek alcohol (EtOH). A novel G protein modulator (Gpsm1/AGS3) was up-regulated in the rat nucleus accumbens core (NAcore) but not in other limbic nuclei during abstinence from operant EtOH self-administration. Furthermore, NAcore AGS3 knockdown reduced EtOH seeking to pre-abstinence levels in a novel rat model of compulsive, human EtOH seeking. AGS3 can both inhibit G protein Giα-mediated signaling and stimulate Gβγ-mediated signaling. Accordingly, sequestration of Gβγ, but not Giα knockdown, significantly reduced EtOH seeking to pre-abstinence levels. Thus, AGS3 and Gβγ are hypothesized to gate the uncontrolled motivation to seek EtOH during abstinence. AGS3 up-regulation during abstinence may be a key determinant of the transition from social consumption to compulsion-like seeking during relapse.
Prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the British nationwide survey of child mental health

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disorder that appears to be under-diagnosed and under-treated, despite the evidence for effective treatments. There are variable estimates of OCD prevalence in the under-16s and published rates give little indication of age trends. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence and associates of OCD in young people aged 5-15 years. The method was a nationwide (UK) epidemiological study of rates of psychiatric disorder in 5-15 year olds (1999 British Child Mental Health Survey): 10,438 children were assessed. Twenty-five children with OCD were identified (weighted overall prevalence 0.25%; 95% CI 0.14-0.35), with prevalence rising exponentially with increasing age. Compared with normal controls, children with OCD were more likely to be from lower socio-economic class and of lower intelligence. Only three of these children had been seen by specialist children's services. Although OCD is rare in young children, the rate increases towards the adult rates at puberty. Children with OCD have additional psychosocial disadvantage. The majority of the childhood cases identified in this survey appear to have been undetected and untreated.
Metabonomic characteristics and biomarker research of human lung cancer tissues by HR1H NMR spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND The combination of NMR spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis (MVDA), such as orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), has been collectively acknowledged as an excellent tool to investigate tissue metabolism and provide metabolite information for the diagnosis of disease, and become an important metabonomic platform for studies in biological tissues so far. METHODS Both ex vivo high resolution magic-angle spinning1H NMR and in vitro1H NMR spectroscopy technique were synchronously employed to analyze the metabonomic characteristics of 102 lung tissues from 34 patients with lung cancer in hope to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers for malignancy detection in lung tissues. RESULTS Significant elevations in the levels of lipids and lactate and significant reductions in the levels of myo-inositol and valine in the cancer tissues had been identified when compared with the adjacent non-involved tissues. Furthermore, the OPLSDA models calculated by two1H NMR spectra provided for relatively high sensitivity, specificity and good prediction accuracy in the identification of class membership regardless of the number of metabolites involved. CONCLUSIONS MVDA in combination with1H NMR spectra highlighted the potential of metabonomics in clinical settings so that the techniques might be further exploited for future lung cancer biomarker research or identification.
Encrypted Color Image Transmission in an Amplify and Forward Relaying Based STBC Encoded Cooperative MIMO OFDM System

The present paper emphasizes greatly on the development of a simulation model for the single relaying based cooperative MIMO OFDM wireless communication system This paper provides a new insight on system performance comparison with Amplify and Forward relaying protocol, STBC and Spatial multiplexing schemes, four channel equalization techniques (ZF, MMSE, ZF-SIC and MMSE-SIC) and four digital modulation schemes (BPSK, QPSK, 16PSK and 64PSK). From simulation results for encrypted color image transmission, it is observable that the STBC encoded MIMO-OFDM system with Amplify and Forward relaying protocol, BPSK digital modulation and MMSE-SIC channel equalization technique provides an encouraging and quite acceptable system performance.
MEASLES CASE-BASED SURVEILLANCE AND OUTBREAK RESPONSE IN NIGERIA; AN UPDATE FOR CLINICIANS AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

The Federal Ministry of Health recommendations for response during measles epidemics in Nigeria previously focused on case management using antibiotics and Vitamin. A supplements and did not include outbreak response immunization (ORI) campaigns. However, with the revision of the existing national technical guideline on measles casebased surveillance and outbreak response in Nigeria in 2012 in line with the World Health Organization recommendation on response to measles outbreak in measles mortality reduction settings, there is a need to update members of the Nigerian public health community on these revisions to ensure appropriate implementation and compliance. This article therefore seeks to provide clinicians and other public health professionals in Nigeria with updates on recent developments in measles case-based surveillance and outbreak response in Nigeria
Glucose repression of PRX 1 expression is mediated by Tor 1 p and Ras 2 p through inhibition of Msn 2 / 4 p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Expression of mitochondrial thioredoxin peroxidase (Prx1p) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is subjected to complex transcriptional regulation and is responsive to the levels of several compounds such as glucose and peroxides. We have previously shown that glucose represses the expression of mitochondrial thioredoxin peroxidase gene (PRX1) in a process mediated by cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) andMsn2/4p. Here, we show by northern blot and reporter gene (b-galactosidase) assays that deletion of genes encoding Tor1p and Ras2p resulted in increased PRX1 expression, indicating that these proteins are also mediators of the glucose repression effect. We also identified the position of the stress transcription responsive element (STRE) in thePRX1 promoter, which is recognized byMsn2p and Msn4p activators. Mutation of AGGGG sequence at position 116 to 112 caused a high drop in PRX1 expression under respiratory conditions and in strains containing deletions of TOR1 or RAS2, confirming the finding that this sequence is a STRE. 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies.
Induction of neuropeptide Y expression in dorsomedial hypothalamus of diet‐induced obese mice

ALTERATIONS of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y(NPY) and melanocortinergic functions in diet-induced obese (DIO) C57BL/6J mice were investigated by in situ hybridization. Compared with controls, the DIO mice displayed a profound induction (∼40-fold) of NPY expression in the dorsomedial (DMH) and ventromedial (VMH) hypothalamic nuclei, whereas the level of NPY mRNA in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) was reduced by 44%. The expression of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and agouti-related protein was not significantly altered in the ARC of obese mice. Both excess body weight gain and altered hypothalamic NPY expression were reversible. We propose that the highly induced NPY expression in DMH and/or VMH may be a contributing etiological factor for the development of obesity and leptin resistance in the DIO mice.
Hepatocyte growth factor promotes endogenous repair and functional recovery after spinal cord injury

Many therapeutic interventions using neurotrophic factors or pharmacological agents have focused on secondary degeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI) to reduce damaged areas and promote axonal regeneration and functional recovery. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which was identified as a potent mitogen for mature hepatocytes and a mediator of inflammatory responses to tissue injury, has recently been highlighted as a potent neurotrophic and angiogenic factor in the central nervous system (CNS). In the present study, we revealed that the extent of endogenous HGF up‐regulation was less than that of c‐Met, an HGF receptor, during the acute phase of SCI and administered exogenous HGF into injured spinal cord using a replication‐incompetent herpes simplex virous‐1 (HSV‐1) vector to determine whether HGF exerts beneficial effects and promotes functional recovery after SCI. This treatment resulted in the significant promotion of neuron and oligodendrocyte survival, angiogenesis, axonal regrowth, and functional recovery after SCI. These results suggest that HGF gene delivery to the injured spinal cord exerts multiple beneficial effects and enhances endogenous repair after SCI. This is the first study to demonstrate the efficacy of HGF for SCI. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fiber-wireless networks incorporating wavelength division multiplexing

Broadband wireless access operating in the microwave and millimeter-wave frequency windows has been actively investigated for future ultra broadband communications. The drastic increase in the throughout of each base station in these systems necessitates the use of an optical fiber backbone to provide broadband interconnections between the central office and all the antenna base stations. With such a network layout, significant reduction of the antenna base station complexity can be achieved by moving the routing, switching and processing functionalities to the central office. By taking advantage of optical networking techniques such as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), the total capacity of the hybrid fiber-wireless network can be greatly enhanced and efficient optical fiber architectures can be realized. In this paper we present an overview of the research that has been carried out in fiber-wireless networks incorporating WDM, with a particular focus on the optical interfaces in such networks.
Expression of Survivin Gene and Protein in Mycosis Fungoides

Background: Survivin is a member of the inhibitors of apoptosis gene family that has been implicated in cell division and suppression of apoptosis that becomes expressed in human cancers, e.g. colorectal, bladder cancers. But, there is no available data on the role of survivin in cutaneous neoplasms. Aim: To estimate the expression of survivin gene and protein in Mycosis Fungoides (MF). Methods: Seventeen cases of MF have been en-rolled into this study. Skin biopsies from such patient were subjected to RT-PCR technique to detect the level of survivin gene and protein. Results: There was significant increase in expression of surviving gene and protein in cases of MF if compared to normal control. Conclusion: Survivin may have a role in induction of MF and this may influence the therapeutic strategies for the treatment of MF.
The role of zinc and vitamin A deficiency in diarrhoeal syndromes in developing countries

Of all the infections which cause death among children aged 0-5 years in developing countries, diarrhoea is among the most important (Fig. 1). It may account for 10-20% of deaths and is often the single commonest cause of death during the first few years of life (UNICEF, 1991). The importance of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) as a risk factor for mortality has been described for many years (Scrimshaw et al. 1968). Studies have shown that children who are undernourished (low weight-for-age, low height-for-age or low weight-for-height, or have a low mid-upper arm circumference) are all at risk of increased prevalence of diarrhoea (Tomkins & Watson, 1989). It appears that the attack rate is not particularly influenced by underlying malnutrition, whereas the duration of illness certainly is. Mortality rates in diarrhoea are often three-fourfold higher among severely malnourished children (less than 60% weight-for-age) than among moderate or mildly malnourished children (Vella et al. 1991). While this information has been useful
Longitudinal analysis of cartilage atrophy in the knees of patients with spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE A previous cross-sectional study indicated that the morphology of patellar and tibial cartilage is subject to change after spinal cord injury (SCI). The aim of this study was to perform a longitudinal analysis of cartilage atrophy in all knee compartments, including the femoral condyles, in SCI patients over 12 months. METHODS The right knees of 9 patients with complete, traumatic SCI were examined shortly after the injury (mean +/- SD 9 +/- 4 weeks) and at 6 and 12 months postinjury. Three-dimensional morphology of the patellar, tibial, and femoral cartilage (mean and maximum thickness, volume, and surface area) was determined from coronal and transversal magnetic resonance images (fat-suppressed gradient-echo sequences) using validated postprocessing techniques. RESULTS The mean thickness of knee joint cartilage decreased significantly during the first 6 months after injury (range 5-7%; P < 0.05). The mean change at 12 months was 9% in the patella, 11% in the medial tibia, 11% in the medial femoral condyle, 13% in the lateral tibia, and 10% in the lateral femoral condyle (P < 0.05 for all compartments). CONCLUSION This is the first report of a longitudinal analysis of cartilage atrophy in patients with SCI. These data show that human cartilage atrophies in the absence of normal joint loading and movement after SCI, with a rate of change that is higher than that observed in osteoarthritis (OA). A potential clinical implication is that cartilage thinning after SCI may affect the stress distribution in the joint and render it vulnerable to OA. Future studies should focus on whether specific exercise protocols and rehabilitation programs can prevent cartilage thinning.
Behavior and Cellular Evidence for Propofol-induced Hypnosis Involving Brain Glycine Receptors

Background:It is well documented that several general anesthetics, including propofol, potentiate glycine receptor function. Furthermore, glycine receptors exist throughout the central nervous system, including areas of the brain thought to be involved in sleep. However, the role of glycine receptors in anesthetic-induced hypnosis has not been determined. Methods:Experiments were conducted in rats where the loss of righting reflex (LORR) was used as a marker of the hypnotic state. Propofol-induced LORR was examined in the presence and absence of strychnine (a glycine receptor antagonist), GABAzine (a γ-aminobutyric acid A receptor antagonist), as well as ketamine (an antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid subtype of glutamate receptors). Furthermore, the effects of propofol on the currents elicited by glycine and γ-aminobutyric acid were analyzed in neurons isolated from the posterior hypothalamus of rats. The effects of strychnine and GABAzine on propofol-induced currents were also evaluated. Results:Strychnine and GABAzine dose-dependently reduced the percentage of rats exhibiting LORR induced by propofol. Furthermore, strychnine significantly increased the onset time and reduced the duration of LORR induced by propofol. In contrast, strychnine did not affect the LORR induced by ketamine. In addition, propofol markedly increased the currents elicited by glycine and GABA of hypothalamic neurons. Conversely, strychnine and GABAzine both profoundly attenuated the current induced by propofol. Conclusion:Strychnine, the glycine receptor antagonist, dose-dependently reduced propofol-induced LORR in rats and propofol-induced current of rat hypothalamic neurons. These results suggest that neuronal glycine receptors partially contribute to propofol-induced hypnosis.
Balanced counting bloom filters: a space-efficient synoptic data structure for a high-performance network

A Bloom filter is a simple space-efficient randomised data structure allowing membership queries over data sets. It is widely utilised in peer-to-peer network, traffic measurement and distributed systems. Aiming at the deficiencies of the naive counting Bloom filters (NCBFs), a novel data structure called balanced counting Bloom filters (BCBFs) is presented. In order to achieve space-efficient storage and effective query, the BCBF adopts the following methods: introducing hash fingerprints, partitioning bucket vectors into equally sized segments and storing elements with the least load bucket. Analytical expressions are deduced in detail based on the theory of differential equations and probability. Besides, simulations are conducted based on the data produced by computer and real network trace. The results demonstrate that the BCBF cannot only serve the same functionality as the NCBF using much less space, but also becomes a valuable tool in hardware to scale the high-speed link.
Quinolinic acid induces NMDA receptor-mediated lipid peroxidation in rat brain microvessels

Abstract Quinolinic acid increased the generation of lipid peroxidation products by isolated rat brain microvessels in vitro. The effect was inhibited both by a specific NMDA receptor antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid and by reduced glutathione (GSH). Furthermore, quinolinic acid displaced specific binding of [3H]-L-glutamate by cerebral microvessel membranes, particularly in the presence of NMDA receptor co-agonist (glycine) and modulator (spermidine). We conclude that quinolinic acid can cause potentially cytotoxic lipid peroxidation in brain microvessels via an NMDA receptor mediated mechanism.
Insulin signalling in Alzheimer′s disease and diabetes: from epidemiology to molecular links

As populations across the world both age and become more obese, the numbers of individuals with Alzheimer′s disease and diabetes are increasing; posing enormous challenges for society and consequently becoming priorities for governments and global organizations. These issues, an ageing population at risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer′s disease and an increasingly obese population at risk of metabolic alterations such as type 2 diabetes, are usually considered as independent conditions, but increasing evidence from both epidemiological and molecular studies link these disorders. The aim of this review was to highlight these multifactorial links. We will discuss the impact of direct links between insulin and IGF‐1 signalling and the Alzheimer′s disease‐associated pathological events as well as the impact of other processes such as inflammation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction either common to both conditions or perhaps responsible for a mechanistic link between metabolic and neurodegenerative disease. An understanding of such associations might be of importance not only in the understanding of disease mechanisms but also in the search for novel therapeutic options.
On a Generalized Discrete Ratio-Dependent Predator-Prey System

Verifiable criteria are established for the permanence and existence of positive periodic solutions of a delayed discrete predator-prey model with monotonic functional response. It is shown that the conditions that ensure the permanence of this system are similar to those of its corresponding continuous system. And the investigations generalize some well-known results. In particular, a more acceptant method is given to study the bounded discrete systems rather than the comparison theorem.
Persistence of early-generated neurons in the rodent subplate: assessment of cell death in neocortex during the early postnatal period

In the rat, the deepest neocortical layer forms a conspicuous cell band known as layer Vlb. Cells in layer Vlb are among the first to differentiate, and it has been regarded as an homolog to the subplate of primates and carnivores. Cell death has been considered a universal feature of subplate cells. In order to assess the validity of this assertion, we examined the sequence of generation and the extent of cell death in layer Vlb. This was achieved using injections of 3H- thymidine and two methods for the direct visualization of apoptotic figures. Single injections of 3H-thymidine were performed between E12 and E15 (E0 is the day of insemination), and brains were examined at different postnatal ages between P1 and P63. The number of heavily labeled cells were counted in layer Vlb in six standard, equally spaced coronal sections in each brain. Single injections at E12 labels about 3% of the entire population of layer Vlb cells, 17% at E13, 30% at E14, and < 1% at E15. Our results indicate that the absolute number of heavily labeled cells in layer Vlb remains constant. The analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) showed that the difference among the group means was not significant from P1 to P63 after injections at either E12, E13, or E14. In order to confirm these results, we evaluated the distribution of pyknotic (apoptotic) cell bodies in the neocortex. Apoptotic cells were visualized in Nissl preparations and by histochemical staining using an in situ apoptosis detection kit. The analysis was performed in rats from E18 to P15. Both methods gave comparable results. We found that the amount of cell death in layer Vlb is neither particularly prominent nor significantly different from that which occurs in the remaining neocortical layers, apart from layer II and in the white matter of the corpus callosum. We conclude that neuronal death does not play any significant role in the rodent subplate.
Lipid Profile and Urinary Protein – Creatinine Ratio Changes in Pre-Eclampsia Cases in and around Chitradurga By Gaurang

Pre-eclampsia is defined by the new onset of elevated blood pressure and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation.According to current studies dyslipidemia, particularly the rise in serum triglycerides is a contributing factor in pre-eclampsia. There is a positive correlation between serum triglycerides and systolic blood pressure in pre-eclampsia cases . Urinary proteincreatinine ratio has been used to evaluate proteinuria in pre-eclampsia, this parameter is sensitive and predictive as well.The presence of proteinuria is seen as a possible indication of many complications in pregnancy, from urinary tract infection to chronic renal disease and it remains central to the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia in a hypertensive pregnancy. It has both diagnostic and prognostic implications . Extensive changes occur in the renal system in pre-eclampsia. As a part of the end organ pathology pre-eclamptic glomeruli undergo structural changes with pronounced endothelial vacuolization and hypertrophy of the cytoplasmic organelles, first defined as glomerular endotheliosis. A case control comparative study was done with preeclampsia and normal pregnant women . both for out door patient and indoor patients of Basaveshwara Medical College Hospital & RC, Chitradurga according to the criteria.