Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Captopril and Combination Therapy of Captopril and Pentoxifylline in Reducing Proteinuria in Diabetic Nephropathy

Chronic kidney disease is a worldwide health problem. Type II diabetes mellitus is now a major cause of end stage renal disease. The effect of diabetes mellitus through the dysregulation of the innate immunity results in increased tumor necrosis factor-α. This can lead to an increasing protein trafficking through the glomerular capillary, which can have an intrinsic renal toxicity. Seventy-four patients with type II diabetes mellitus with overt proteinuria were included in the study. They were randomly assigned to two groups of 37 patients (group 1: captopril 25 mg three times a day, group 2: captopril 25 mg and pentoxifylline 400 mg each three times per day). In the course of the study, two patients were excluded from each group. Daily urinary protein excretion was assessed at baseline and at two and six months. The reduction of urinary protein to creatinine clearance ratio in group 2 was 15.16 points more than in group 1 from baseline to the end of the study (p = 0.001). The difference in reduction only started after two months of pentoxifylline use. The differences in HbA1c and duration of diabetes mellitus at baseline in the two groups had not adversely affected the outcome of the study. There was a modest decrease in systolic blood pressure in group 2 as well (p = 0.041). Combining an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and pentoxifylline can lead to a greater reduction in proteinuria.
Biometric fusion: Combining multimodal and multi algorithmic approach

Biometrics, due to their uniqueness and accuracy are being widely used for authentication and identification. In multimodal biometrics more than one trait of an individual is fused. Multimodal biometrics is of different types, multi algorithmic, multi instance and multi sensorial. This paper combines two biometric traits namely face and fingerprint. Face is being processed using two algorithms, PCA and modular kernel PCA, to reduce the recognition error. After being processed by PCA, output of PCA is provided to modular kernel PCA. Then fingerprint is processed using crossing number based method. Finally output from modular kernel PCA andfingerprint are combined based on sum rule.
Preliminary PET performance of the detectors for OPET: a combined optical and PET imaging system

The dual modality imaging system for small animal optical and positron emission tomography imaging (OPET) is currently being developed at the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging. The OPET system is capable of detecting and simultaneously imaging both high-energy gamma-rays from PET tracers and single photons in the optical wavelength from bioluminescence. The PET performance characteristics for a two-detector prototype of the OPET system are described here. Each detector consists of an 8 /spl times/ 8 array of GSO crystals cut to different lengths providing a detector surface with a circular profile and a 3.4 cm ring diameter. The crystals were inserted into a laser-cut grid assembly constructed from 0.067 mm thick reflector film. Crystals were coupled to a 64-channel photomultiplier tube (PMT) and a charge-division readout circuit was implemented to decode the signals from the 64 outputs of the PMT into event location data. Flood images were taken to obtain look-up tables as well as energy spectra for each crystal. The timing resolution was determined to be 6.6 nsec. A 0.3 mm Na-22 point source was stepped across the field of view (FOV) and the intrinsic detector spatial resolution was 1.23 mm FWHM. The estimated peak absolute system sensitivity at the center of FOV for the two detector system was 0.33%. Data from a line phantom was acquired and reconstructed with an expectation maximization 3D reconstruction algorithm.
A 12-bit 100 kS / s SAR ADC for Biomedical Applications

This paper describes a 12-bit 100kS/s successive approximation register analog-todigital converter (SAR ADC) for biomedical system. Both top-plate sampling technique and VCM-based switching technique are applied to the capacitor digital-to-analog converter (CDAC) to implement a 12-bit SAR ADC with 10-b capacitor array DAC. To enhance the linearity of proposed ADC, thermometer decoder is used in capacitor array DAC. Switching-energy minimization technique, asynchronous control with a low-power delay circuit and true single phase clocking (TSPC) D_FF are also adopted to reduce power consumption. Simulation results show that the proposed ADC achieves the SNDR of 70.97dB, the SDFR of 80.23dB and the ENOB of 11.49b with the CMOS 0.18m technology. Total power consumption is 11.16W under the supply voltage of 1.8V at the sampling frequency of 100 kHz. And the figure of merit (FoM) is 38.79fJ/conversionsteps.
JENNA: a jamming evasive network-coding neighbor-discovery algorithm for cognitive radio networks [Dynamic Spectrum Management]

Cognitive radios operate in a particularly challenging wireless environment. Besides the strict requirements imposed by opportunistic coexistence with licensed users, cognitive radios may have to deal with other concurrent (either malicious or selfish) cognitive radios that aim at gaining access to the available spectrum resources with no regard to fairness or other behavioral etiquettes. By taking advantage of their highly flexible RF front-ends, they are able to mimic a licensed user's behavior or simply jam a given channel with high power. This way these concurrent users (jammers) are capable of interrupting or delaying the neighbor discovery process initiated by a cognitive radio, which is interested in using a portion of the available spectrum for its own data communications. To solve this problem we propose a Jamming Evasive Network-coding Neighbor-Discovery Algorithm (JENNA), which ensures complete neighbor discovery for a cognitive radio network in a distributed and asynchronous way. We compare the proposed algorithm with baseline schemes that represent existing solutions, and validate its feasibility in a single-hop cognitive radio network.
An automated detection and correction method of EOG artifacts in EEG-based BCI

In BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) research community, most BCI research is focused on bioelectrical brain signals recorded by EEG (electroencephalography) as it's noninvasive and thus readily available. While the EEG signal processing methods in EEG based BCI are appealing, they face substantial practical problems. Due to the limitation of EEG signal recording technology, physiological artifacts, especially those generated by eye (EOG, electrooculography), interfere with EEG, may change the characteristics of the neurological phenomena in EEG, and make those signal processing performs incompetently. Linear combination and regression is the most common used technique for removing ocular artifacts from EEG signals where a fraction of the EOG signal is subtracted from the EEG. One problem is that subtracting the EOG signal may also remove part of the EEG signal, for the EOG signal to be subtracted is also contaminated with the EEG signal. In this paper, a new EOG correction model is introduced for EOG artifacts, where the EEG contained in the EOG is considered, and thus avoid removing part of the EEG signal by subtracting the EOG signal. In order to apply this new model in online BCI signal processing, this paper adopts the AR (autoregressive) filtering model of the EEG activity to detect the EOG artifacts, only if it exists, the EEG correction method are performed. We test our methods in the BCI competition 2008 dataset IIa, our informal results indicate that EOG artifacts are well detected, and EOG is well removed from motor imagination related EEG signals.
Incidence of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and the feasibility of molecular screening for the disease.

BACKGROUND Genetic disorders that predispose people to colorectal cancer include the polyposis syndromes and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. In contrast to the polyposis syndromes, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer lacks distinctive clinical features. However, a germ-line mutation of DNA mismatch-repair genes is a characteristic molecular feature of the disease. Since clinical screening of carriers of such mutations can help prevent cancer, it is important to devise strategies applicable to molecular screening for this disease. METHODS We prospectively screened tumor specimens obtained from 509 consecutive patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas for DNA replication errors, which are characteristic of hereditary colorectal cancers. These replication errors were detected through microsatellite-marker analyses of tumor DNA. DNA from normal tissue from the patients with replication errors was screened for germ-line mutations of the mismatch-repair genes MLH1 and MSH2. RESULTS Among the 509 patients, 63 (12 percent) had replication errors. Specimens of normal tissue from 10 of these 63 patients had a germ-line mutation of MLH1 or MSH2. Of these 10 patients (2 percent of the 509 patients), 9 had a first-degree relative with endometrial or colorectal cancer, 7 were under 50 years of age, and 4 had had colorectal or endometrial cancer previously. CONCLUSIONS In this series of patients with colorectal cancer in Finland, at least 2 percent had hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. We recommend testing for replication errors in all patients with colorectal cancer who meet one or more of the following criteria: a family history of colorectal or endometrial cancer, an age of less than 50 years, and a history of multiple colorectal or endometrial cancers. Patients found to have replication errors should undergo further analysis for germ-line mutations in DNA mismatch-repair genes.
Assessment of low-order theories for analysis and design of shrouded wind turbines using CFD

The use of a shroud around the rotor of a wind turbine has been known to augment the airflow through the rotor plane and hence result in improved performance. This work uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to assess the validity of several simple theories which attempt to extend Betz theory to shrouded turbines. Two CFD models are employed and compared to predictions of previously published models. The first makes use of a fixed pressure-drop actuator disk, while the second incorporates the twist and chord distribution of the turbine blade as well as an airfoil polar using a technique much like the classical blade element momentum (BEM) method. Calculations are performed for a sweep of turbine loadings using the fixed pressure-drop model and a sweep of tip speed ratios using the BEM model for both an open and shrouded turbine. Power is computed using a control volume approach for the fixed pressure-drop model and by integrating tangential forces for the BEM model. Information including mass flow ratio, power coefficient ratio, axial induction, and shroud force is extracted from the solution fields and compared against the predictions of low-order theories. Finally, the blade element model is used to redesign the turbine twist distribution to achieve greater performance across a range of tip speed ratios.
A test lab for the performance analysis of TCP over ethernet LAN on windows operating system

A test laboratory for the performance analysis of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the teaching of its basic concepts is proposed. The laboratory environment is a small Ethernet local area network (LAN) with PCs running different versions of the Windows operating system (95/98/NT/2000). To support the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) for Windows and to improve flexibility, the Netperf TCP software tool has been modified. Based on the modified Netperf and a protocol analyzer, students perform traffic measurements on a real network. Various aspects of the Microsoft TCP implementation for Windows are discovered and clearly explained. The IPv6 for Windows 2000 is also examined, and comparisons with IPv4 are made.
The structure of glutamine-binding protein complexed with glutamine at 1.94 A resolution: comparisons with other amino acid binding proteins.

The crystal structure of the glutamine-binding protein (GlnBP) complexed with its ligand (Gln) was determined and refined to 1.94 A resolution. This ellipsoidal protein has two globular domains and is approximately 52 Ax40 Ax35 A in size. The glutamine ligand is located in the cleft between the two domains and stablized by hydrogen bondings and ionic interactions with Asp10, Gly68, Thr70, Ala67, Asp157, Arg75, Lys115, Gly119 and His156. The aliphatic portion of the glutamine ligand is sandwiched in a hydrophobic pocket formed between Phe13 and Phe50 and has 21 van der Waals contacts with GlnBP. Lys115 and His156, that are unique to GlnBP among amino acid binding proteins, apparently contribute to the ligand binding specificity of GlnBP. Asp10 is within 3 A of Lys115. These two residues are over 10 A apart in the ligand-free form of the GlnBP. In addition, GlnBP-Gln exhibits a large-scale movement of the two hinges connecting the two globular domains upon ligand binding. The most significant changes are 41.1 degrees in the phi angle of Gly89 and 34.3 degrees in the psi angle of Glu181 from the first and the second hinge of the protein, respectively. Besides the original six hydrogen bonds, three extra hydrogen bonds can be observed between the two hinge strands upon ligand binding. A hydrogen bond network connects the large domain to the second hinge and a second hydrogen bond network coalesces the small domain to the same strand, both via interaction with the glutamine ligand. Although the two strands of the hinge connecting the domains do not directly participate in the ligand binding, Gln183 and Tyr185 from the second hinge may be involved in the cascade of the conformational change that is induced by ligand binding.
Time Series Modeling and Forecasting in Banking Sector of KSE-100 and Distribution Fitting on Stock Market Data

One of the main important issues of statistical analysis is forecasting. There are two important objectives of this article one is to developed time series modeling of stock market data of Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE-100). Second is to identify the probability distribution on banking sector of Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE-100). In this work, statistical relation between prices and corresponding turnovers is introduced. Different probability distributions have been fitted on the closing price, turnover and their ratio (closing price and turnover). The theory of statistical distribution and time series modeling is applied on each Bank of Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE-100). Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), the Autoregressive conditional Hetroscedasticity (ARCH) were fitted on each variable of Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE-100). We have found that mostly for closing price, best fitted distribution and their ratio(closing price/turnover) are Gen.Pareto, Johnson SB and Log-logistic distributions. The best fitted time series models for closing price are AR(1) ARCH(1) and Constant mean model with ARCH(1) and turnover and their ratio (closing price and turnover) are ARMA(1,1) GARCH(1,1). The goodness of fit of mean model is accessed through the Mean Error (ME), Mean Square Error (MSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and the goodness of fit for variance model is accessed with the help of Loss function. This research gives a new idea that MCB is the best bank among the banking sector of Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE-100) for a new investor to invest. 94 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 32, No. 1
Structure-based screening, ADMET profiling, and molecular dynamic studies on mGlu2 receptor for identification of newer antiepileptic agents

Structure-based screening approach targeting mGlu2 receptor was carried out to identify good chemical starting points for anti-epileptic therapy. Interactive modes of final 12 compounds identified on the basis of screening of Asinex library, binding energy analysis, ADME profiling with special emphasis for CNS ranges, and toxicity analysis were studied and showed good binding modes in the mGluR2-active site. Enrichment studies for validating screening protocol were carried out which gave ROC values 0.98 (AUC = 0.96) for SP, 0.97 (AUC = 0.95) for XP with BEDROC analysis. Our results indicate that all the 12 hits showed good CNS drug-like properties, have better binding free energy and ADME profile as compared to co-crystallized ligand with the best ligand hit retaining conserved hydrogen bond interactions with Ala-166, Thr-168, Ser-145, and Arg-61 residues in bilobatevenus fly-trap domain of mGluR2 receptor. Molecular dynamics simulations proved that the two potential hits, qualifying all screening parameters, are stable in the receptor active site pocket, confirming the potential of the identified hits as a specific target for mGluR2. Because the newly discovered mGluR2 agonists are structurally different with Tc values ranging from 0.57 to 0.92, all of them can be considered for further de novo design methods.
Scheduling control for queueing systems with many servers: asymptotic optimality in heavy traffic

A multiclass queueing system is considered, with heterogeneous service stations, each consisting of many servers with identical capabilities. An optimal control problem is formulated, where the control corresponds to scheduling and routing, and the cost is a cumulative discounted functional of the system's state. We examine two versions of the problem: ``nonpreemptive,'' where service is uninterruptible, and ``preemptive,'' where service to a customer can be interrupted and then resumed, possibly at a different station. We study the problem in the asymptotic heavy traffic regime proposed by Halfin and Whitt, in which the arrival rates and the number of servers at each station grow without bound. The two versions of the problem are not, in general, asymptotically equivalent in this regime, with the preemptive version showing an asymptotic behavior that is, in a sense, much simpler. Under appropriate assumptions on the structure of the system we show: (i) The value function for the preemptive problem converges to $V$, the value of a related diffusion control problem. (ii) The two versions of the problem are asymptotically equivalent, and in particular nonpreemptive policies can be constructed that asymptotically achieve the value $V$. The construction of these policies is based on a Hamilton--Jacobi--Bellman equation associated with $V$.
Heterozygote men with familial hypercholesterolaemia may have an abnormal triglyceride response post‐prandially. Evidence for another predictor of vascular risk in familial hypercholesterolaemia

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is associated with premature coronary heart disease (CHD). Post‐prandial hypertriglyceridaemia has also been associated with cardiovascular disease. Thus, an abnormal post‐prandial triglyceride (TG) clearance may contribute to the heterogeneity in the risk of CHD in heterozygous (h) FH. Therefore, we investigated the response of TG levels to a fatty meal in men with hFH.
An Age-Related Decline in Interleukin-10 May Contribute to the Increased Expression of Interleukin-6 in Brain of Aged Mice

Objectives: The DNA-binding activity of nuclear factor ĸB (NFĸB) is elevated in brain of aged mice, resulting in elevated levels of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6. The purpose of this study was to determine if in the brain of aged mice a decrease in the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 contributes to the increase in IL-6. Methods: In initial studies coronal brain sections and glial cells from adult (6-months-old) and aged (24-months-old) mice were incubated in the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the concentrations of IL-6 and IL-10 in supernatants were determined. In subsequent studies, the effect of recombinant murine IL-10 on constitutive and inducible NFĸB activity, IL-6 mRNA expression and IL-6 protein secretion by glia cultured from brains of adult and aged mice was determined. Results: Coronal brain sections and glia from aged mice secreted more IL-6 and less IL-10 than brain sections and glia from adults. This effect of age was evident in the absence and presence of LPS and suggested that a decrease in IL-10 production permitted increased IL-6 production. Consistent with this idea, treatment of glia from aged mice with recombinant IL-10 decreased both constitutive and inducible binding of NFĸB to the IL-6 gene promoter. The decrease in NFĸB activity was associated with a reduction of IL-6 mRNA and protein. Exogenous IL-10, however, had no effect on NFĸB activity, which was undetectable in unstimulated glia from adult mice, and did not decrease steady-state levels of IL-6 mRNA or IL-6 protein secretion. Conclusions: Collectively, these studies suggest that IL-10 constrained IL-6 gene expression in the adult brain, but in the aged brain it decreased and thus enabled a cascade of intracellular events that increased expression of the IL-6 gene.
Improved Matrix Dilations for Robust Semidefinite Programming

Simple improvements to an approach for robust semidefinite programming are proposed. The matrix dilation reformulation used as the core idea in a work by Oishi 2006 is improved in terms of computational complexity by applying standard sum-of-squares methods, and by introducing less conservative uncertainty dependent parameterizations of the dilation matrix.
Unboxing the Concepts in Newcomb’s Paradox: Causation, Prediction, Decision in Causal Knowledge Patterns

In Nozick’s rendition of the decision situation given in Newcomb’s Paradox dominance and the principle of maximum expected utility recommend different strategies. While evidential decision theory (EDT) seems to be split over which principle to apply and how to interpret the principles in the first place, causal decision theory (CDT) seems to go for the solution recommended by dominance (“two-boxing”). As a reply to the CDT proposal by Wolfgang Spohn (2012), who opts for “one-boxing” by employing reflexive decision graphs, I will draw on the framework of causal knowledge patterns, i.e., Bayes net causal models (cf. e.g. Pearl 2009), augmented by non-causal knowledge (epistemic contours), to finally arrive at “one-boxing” – more intuitively and more closely to what actually is in Nozick’s story. This proposal allows the careful re-examination of all relevant concepts in the original story – it prompts a re-evaluation of how prediction may be analyzed, philosophically and formally, and what the decision-maker’s conceptualization of the situation might look like.