Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuroleptic Withdrawal with Remitted Schizophrenics: A Naturalistic Follow–Up Study

Abstract Despite proven efficacy of maintenance pharmacotherapy in schizophrenia, indefinite neuroleptic treatment may not be optimal for all patients. It is uncertain how long maintenance therapy should be continued and how to identify those patients who can withdraw eventually from neuroleptics. Prospective randomized controlled studies are the ideal approach for evaluation of medication, however they are inevitably for the short term and may not be suitable for addressing the above–mentioned issue. In this study, we naturalistically followed up 30 remitted schizophrenics for 10.7 years on average and examined factors that might affect the outcomes. Of 30 remitted patients, 8 cases (26.7%) ceased neuroleptic use completely for more than 2 years. The details of clinical courses of those 8 cases were described as case reports in this report. Importantly, 4 of 8 withdrawal cases required 2 or more trials in order for neuroleptic withdrawal to reach a drug–free state. Factors which significantly affected successful withdrawal involved the mode of onset and the ages at first neuroleptic withdrawal trial. Our results suggest that approximately one-fourth of completely remitted patients could withdraw neuroleptics, but certain cases may need withdrawal trials at least a few times to accomplish the drug–free state.
Reflection and transmission properties of a conductive slab in time domain

The propagation of uniform plane TEM-waves through a conductive slab (0</spl sigma/</spl infin/) of arbitrary width /spl sigma/ is studied in the time domain. The incident wave is perpendicular to the slab but its waveform is arbitrary. Therefore, the present time domain calculation is particularly applicable for broadband excitations. Additionally for an impulse excitation an analytical expression of the electric and the corresponding magnetic fields for the reflected and transmitted waves and also within the slab is derived. This investigation provides fundamental insights of shielding problems in the time domain. Plots of electric and magnetic impulse responses are presented as well as a plot of rectangular pulse propagation.
Efficient Load Shedding for Streaming Sliding Window Joins

We present a novel load shedding technique, called range loading shedding (denoted as RANGE), for sliding window joins when CPU capacity is insufficient in the system and the details of the distribution of streams are unknown. To obtain the statistics of data, we dynamically maintain clustering range histogram (CR-histogram) and average density counter table (ADC-table) for each sliding window. The CR-Histogram is constructed and maintained by clustering technique with a fixed amount of memory. When CPU capacity is insufficient, the RANGE technique is used to select tuples to be processed by utilizing the CR-Histogram and ADC-table, and then produces maximum subset join outputs. Experimental results on synthetic and real life data show that Range load shedding approach obtains max-subset results effectively, and outperforms the existing load shedding strategies.
La tendencia a la sobrevaluación del tipo de cambio

En los paises de desarrollo existe una tendencia a sobrevaluar el tipo de cambio. Las causas estructurales de este fenomeno son dos: la enfermedad holandesa y la atraccion sobre los capitales extranjeros que frecuentemente ejercen las mas altas tasas de interes prevaleciente en los paises en desarrollo. En materia de politica economica existen cuatro causas adicionales: la politica de crecer con base en ahorros extremos, el control de la inflacion mediante anclas cambiarias, la politica de profundizacion financiera y el populismo vinculado al tipo de cambio. En estas condiciones un pais puede neutralizar estas tendencias y crecer rapidamente, o puede no hacerlo con lo que se sometera a crisis ciclicas de balanza de pagos
Controlled Release Oral Delivery of Apigenin Containing Pellets with Antioxidant Activity.

BACKGROUND Drug delivery of phytochemicals has gained interest recently due to their remarkable health effects. Apigenin, a plant flavonoid, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities but its delivery is challenging. It could be absorbed through the whole intestine, however, it has poor bioavailability due to its low aqueous solubility. In Europe, the daily intake was estimated to be as low as 3 ± 1 mg. Pellets offer several advantages such as improved bioavailability and various resultant drug release profiles can be obtained by simply mixing pellets with different coatings. OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to develop a carrier system containing 20 mg apigenin thus enhancing intake and to offer reduction of oxidative stress which can cause inflammation in the intestine. METHOD The apigenin powder was dispersed in aqueous solution of binding material and layered onto the inert cores in a fluidized bed apparatus. The layered cores were further coated with enteric polymers and the process parameters were optimized. RESULTS The prepared pellets met with the requirements and have good physical characteristic. 10% (w/w) Eudragit® L was suitable for enteric coating with a complete release at pH 6.8 within 1 hour. 15% (w/w) Eudragit® FS coating ensured acid resistance ability and colonic delivery. The therapeutic efficiency was confirmed with antioxidant activity measurement by using DPPH* assay. CONCLUSION Enteric coated spheres allow targeted delivery into the intestine and colon thus reaching the main absorption site. Pellets were proved to be an optimal delivery system for apigenin thus providing enhanced apigenin intake.
ADAPTIVE AND MINIMAX ESTIMATION OF THE CUMULATIVE DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION GIVEN A FUNCTIONAL COVARIATE

We consider the nonparametric kernel estimation of the conditional cumulative distribution function given a functional covariate. Given the bias-variance trade-off of the risk, we first propose a totally data-driven bandwidth selection device in the spirit of the recent Goldenshluger-Lepski method and of model selection tools. The resulting estimator is shown to be adaptive and minimax optimal: we establish nonasymptotic risk bounds and compute rates of convergence under various assumptions on the decay of the small ball probability of the functional variable. We also prove lower bounds. Both pointwise and integrated criteria are considered. Finally, the choice of the norm or semi-norm involved in the definition of the estimator is also discussed, as well as the projection of the data on finite dimensional subspaces. Numerical results illustrate the method.
Predaceous Feeding in Two Common Gooseneck Barnacles

Lepas anatifera and Mitella polymerus, while relatively unselective omnivores, behave at times like predatory macrophagous carnivores. Observations suggest a greater range of food size for gooseneck barnacles than is generally suspected and clearly indicate that large organisms, when available, are effectively captured and handled.
Selenium Content of Human Nails: A New Index for Epidemiologic Studies of Dental Caries

Increased consumption of dietary selenium (Se) during tooth development is believed to enhance caries susceptibility considerably in children and experimental animals (HADJIMARKOS, Adv Oral Biol 3:252, 1968; LUDWIG and BIBBY, Caries Res 3:32, 1969; BUTTNER, J Dent Res 42:453, 1963). In conducting epidemiologic studies among children in regard to Se intake and caries prevalence rates, the amount of Se consumed in the diet is measured by determining the Se content in urine samples. This procedure impedes the undertaking of field studies because of the obvious difficulties involved for collection, preservation, and shipment of urine samples from large numbers of children. The purpose of the present study was to measure the Se content of human nail clippings, which in turn could be used as an index of dietary Se intake, and to compare this with the concentration of Se in urine collected from the same individuals. No such data are presently available. Chemical analyses of nail clippings for various inorganic elements have been used in studying disease conditions or abnormalities (SIBINGA, Pediatrics, 24:225, 1959; KOPITO ET AL New England J Med 272:504, 1965). Samples of unpainted nail clippings (mean weight, 175 + 13 mg) were collected from 16 volunteers, 21 to 53 years old. A urine sample also was collected in midmorning from each individual; mean volume was 171 + 10 ml. The Se content in nails and urine was determined in duplicate by the fluorometric method of HOFFMAN ET AL (J Assoc Offic Anal Chemists, 51: 1039, 1968). The findings in the table show that nails accumulate high levels of Se. The mean Se content of nails was 1.14 ppm and that of urine was only 0.049 ppm; this is a more than 20-fold difference. The range of the Se content of nail clippings among individuals is narrow compared with that of urine samples. The level of Se in nails found in the present study is one of the highest ever recorded for human tissues (HADJIMARKOS ET AL, J Pediatr 54:
In Vitro and In Vivo Intracellular Killing Effects of Tigecycline against Clinical Nontyphoid Salmonella Isolates Using Ceftriaxone as a Comparator

ABSTRACT Salmonella is an important, worldwide food-borne pathogen. Resistance to fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins has been increasingly reported, and new therapeutic agents are desperately needed. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of clinical nontyphoidal Salmonella isolates to tigecycline. Antibacterial activity of tigecycline, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin were investigated by time-kill studies and the murine peritonitis model. The MIC50/MIC90 values of tigecycline, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin against 76 Salmonella isolates were 0.25/0.5, 1/8, and 0.125/0.5 μg/ml, respectively. The intracellular inhibitory activity of tigecycline at 0.5 μg/ml (1× MIC) against Salmonella isolates in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells was sustained for 24 h. In a mouse peritonitis model, tigecycline reduced the extracellular and intracellular bacterial counts from 107 CFU/ml and 105 CFU/ml, respectively, to an undetectable level within 96 h. The results were similar to those obtained with ceftriaxone. The survival rate of mice exposed to tigecycline after being infected by an inoculum of 1 × 105 CFU was 80%, and that of mice exposed to ceftriaxone was 100%. When the inoculum was increased to 1.3 × 106 CFU, the survival rate of mice treated by tigecycline was 20%, and that of mice exposed to ceftriaxone was 0% (P = 0.2). When a ceftriaxone- and ciprofloxacin-resistant but tigecycline-susceptible isolate was tested, mice treated by tigecycline had a higher survival rate than those treated by ceftriaxone (15/20 [75%] versus 6/20 [30%]; P = 0.011). Our results suggest that tigecycline is at least as effective as ceftriaxone for murine Salmonella infections and warrants further clinical investigations to delineate its potential against human Salmonella infections.
Effect of cataract extraction on frequency doubling technology perimetry in patients with glaucoma

Aim: To evaluate the effect of cataract surgery on frequency doubling technology (FDT) perimetry in patients with co-existing cataract and glaucoma. Methods: In this consecutive prospective cohort study 27 patients with open angle glaucoma scheduled for cataract extraction alone or combined with trabeculectomy were enrolled. All patients underwent FDT threshold C-20 visual fields within 3 months before and 3 months after surgery. Changes in mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD) were evaluated. Additionally, changes in best corrected logMAR visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), and number of glaucoma medications were also studied. Results: 22 patients completed the study. VA improved after surgery, from 0.47 (SD 0.19) to 0.12 (0.17) (p<0.001). The visual indexes changed after cataract extraction: MD improved (from −10.9 (SD 4.6) dB to −7.0 (4.6) dB; p<0.001) while PSD worsened (from 7.1 (SD 3.5) dB to 8.5 (3.8) dB; p = 0.001). Conclusion: In patients with co-existing cataract and glaucoma, examined with FDT, MD improved and PSD worsened after cataract surgery. Global indexes of FDT should be interpreted with caution in patients with glaucoma and cataracts.
Lipid profile of nutrition students and its association with cardiovascular disease risk factors.

OBJECTIVE To describe the lipid profile and to verify its relationship with cardiovascular disease risk factors in students at a public university in São Paulo. METHODS After obtaining clinical, anthropomorphic, and lipid profile data from 118 students, variables of the lipid profile were related to other risk factors. RESULTS The mean age of the students was 20.3 years (SD = 1.5). The risk of cardiovascular disease was characterized by a positive family history of ischemic heart disease in 38.9%; sedentariness in 35.6%; limiting and increased total and LDL-C cholesterol levels in 17.7% and 10.2%, respectively; decreased HDL-C levels in 11.1%; increased triglyceride levels in 11.1%; body mass index > 25 in 8.5%, and smoking in 6.7% of the subjects. Students' diet was found to be inadequate regarding protein, total fat, saturated fat, sodium, and fiber contents. A statistically significant association between cholesterol and contraceptive use, between HDL-C and contraceptive use, age and percent body fat, and triglycerides and percent lean weight was observed. CONCLUSION A high prevalence of some risk factors of cardiovascular disease as well as the association between these factors with altered lipid profiles was observed in the young population studied.
A coat with a clue.

The 6-month duration makes typical bacterial and viral infections less likely and suggests indolent infections such as mycobacteria, fungi, or human immunodeficiency virus. Lymphoma or chronic leukemia could cause dyspnea through pleural or pulmonary involvement or from anemia. Autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus or adult Still’s disease could also present with this course.
A High-Gain Single-Feed Dual-Mode Microstrip Disc Radiator

A novel high-gain circular microstrip radiator is proposed. The antenna consists of two circular discs, in a stacked configuration, designed to operate in TM11 and TM13 modes. The patches are designed, so that the resonant frequencies for both modes converge into a single frequency. It is found that by simultaneous excitation of both resonant modes, high gain and low sidelobe level (SLL) can be obtained in the radiation patterns. Excitation is done using a single coaxial feed. The fundamental working principle of the antenna is based on the superposition of radiated far fields of the TM11 and TM13 modes. At first, through a pattern synthesis, using different far field mode amplitude ratios, it is shown that the substrate dielectric constants can be selected for both layers such that it leads to low SLL. Next, for practical antenna design, the mode excitation, input impedance, and radiation properties of the TM13 mode are studied. For sound understanding and explanation, the edge voltage ratio at the aperture and mode amplitude ratio in the far field are calculated and their effects on SLL and peak directivity are discussed. Finally, the measurements results are provided in support of simulations.
Ommatidial type‐specific interphotoreceptor connections in the lamina of the swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus

The eye of the butterfly Papilio xuthus contains a random array of three types of ommatidia (types I–III), each bearing nine photoreceptors, R1–R9. Of the six spectral classes of photoreceptors identified, types I, II, and III ommatidia contain four, three, and two classes, respectively: the ommatidia are thus spectrally heterogeneous. The photoreceptors send their axons to the lamina where, together with some large monopolar cells (LMCs), the nine from a single ommatidium contribute to a module called a lamina cartridge. We recently reported that among different photoreceptor axon terminals visualized by confocal microscopy, the number and length of axon collaterals differ for different spectral receptors, suggesting that lamina circuits are specific for each ommatidial type. Here we studied the distribution of synapse‐like structures in the cartridges, first characterizing a photoreceptor by measuring its spectral sensitivity and then injecting Lucifer yellow (LY). We subsequently histologically identified the type of ommatidium to which the injected photoreceptor belonged, cut serial ultrathin sections of the entire lamina, labeled these with anti‐LY immunocytochemistry, and then localized synapse‐like structures. We found numerous interphotoreceptor contacts both within and between cartridges, the combination of which was again specific for the ommatidial type. R3 and R4, which are green‐sensitive photoreceptors in all ommatidia, have thick axons lacking collaterals. We found that these cells exclusively make contacts with LMCs and not with photoreceptors. We therefore presume that R3 and R4 construct a system for motion vision, whereas other randomly distributed spectral types provide inputs for color vision. J. Comp. Neurol. 494:663–672, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Co-simulation methodology for improved design and verification of hardware neural networks

This paper presents a methodology for speeding up the design and verification of process of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in system-on-chip (SoC) hardware with the help of co-simulation. Application of advanced design methodologies for complex designs such as ANNs are important in todays fast moving hardware design industry. However, it is difficult to fully verify the functionality of ANNs when designed in hardware. Most forms of ANN require the use of complex training algorithms, which are difficult to implement in a testbench even with the help of modern interfaces such as SystemVerilog's DPI-C. The neural network topology selected as the case study for this paper are evolvable block-based neural networks (BbNNs). The case studies employed during the verification process are the XOR problem, driver drowsiness classification, and heart arrhythmia classification. The proposed methodology significantly reduces the verification time required for the design of hardware-based neural networks. This allows complex models applicable a variety of applications to be quickly designed, such as industrial motor controllers or fuzzy systems.
The Copper Chaperone for Superoxide Dismutase*

Copper is distributed to distinct localizations in the cell through diverse pathways. We demonstrate here that the delivery of copper to copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is mediated through a soluble factor identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae LYS7 and human CCS (copperchaperone for SOD). This factor is specific for SOD1 and does not deliver copper to proteins in the mitochondria, nucleus, or secretory pathway. Yeast cells containing alys7Δ null mutation have normal levels of SOD1 protein, but fail to incorporate copper into SOD1, which is therefore devoid of superoxide scavenging activity. LYS7 and CCS specifically restore the biosynthesis of holoSOD1 in vivo. Elucidation of the CCS copper delivery pathway may permit development of novel therapeutic approaches to human diseases that involve SOD1, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Minimizing the surface effect of PDMS–glass microchip on polymerase chain reaction by dynamic polymer passivation

Polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS)-glass microchip has a very strong surface effect on polymerase chain reaction (PCR), leading to a very poor PCR yield. In the work reported here, practical dynamic passivation of surfaces of PDMS-glass microchip using polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was achieved using a conventional thermocycler. The passivation procedure was cost-effective and easy to conduct. The effects of polymer molecular weight and polymer concentration on tube PCR efficiency were investigated primarily to prescreen out suitable polymers and polymer concentrations in the PCR mixture. The result from tube PCR indicated that both PEG and PVP could affect the performance of Taq polymerase. A final concentration of 0.025% (w/v) or 0.4% (w/v) polymer in the PCR mixture can enhance the tube PCR, while 1% (w/v) polymer was found to inhibit the reaction. PEG was more effective in tube PCR, although PVP performed better in chip PCR. Instead of employing the polymer directly in the PCR mixture, i.e. the conventional in situ passivation approach, another approach of dynamic passivation by pre-injecting polymers into the microchip achieved better performance. The efficiency of pre-passivation was found to follow the order: PVP10000>PVP55000, PEG8000> PEG10000>PEG400. After pre-passivation with PVP10000, PVP55000 and PEG8000, the PCR efficiency can recover to 93%, 86% and 83%, respectively, of that obtained from tube PCR.  2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Enhanced Stabilization of Cu and Zn in the Sediments by Montmorillonite for the Management of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Municipal Sludge

The adsorption, desorption and species distribution characteristics of Cu and Zn in the sediments with or without montmorillonite spiked were investigated by isothermal adsorption and sequential extraction procedure. The results show that the montmorillonite spiked in the sediments enhanced the adsorption capacity of sediments for Cu and Zn and facilitated the transformation of Cu and Zn from less stable phases to more stable phases, especially advanced the translation of Cu and Zn from exchangeable fraction to the other fractions. Meanwhile, the montmorillonite inserted in the sediments restrained Cu and Zn leached from the sediments. These results imply that the addition of montmorillonite to the sediments facilitated the stability of heavy metals in the sediments and restrained the environmental risk of heavy metals to the aquatic environment to some extent.
Screening for Diabetes Mellitus in Adults: The utility of random capillary blood glucose measurements

OBJECTIVE Because half of the people with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) are undiagnosed and because near-normal glycemic control can prevent diabetic complications, we evaluated the use of field-based random capillary blood glucose measurement as a screening test for NIDDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A cross-sectional sample of 828 Egyptians ≥20 years of age underwent both a random capillary blood glucose measurement performed with a portable reflectance meter in the field and an oral glucose tolerance test in the laboratory. The sensitivity and specificity of random capillary blood glucose measurements in predicting the presence of NIDDM were evaluated. RESULTS Multivariate analyses showed that the screening test performed better when subjects had eaten shortly before the test (area under receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.87 for a 1-h postprandial period compared with 0.69 for an 8-h postprandial period) and that the optimal capillary blood glucose cutoff points to define a positive test increased with age. For a postprandial period of 1 h, cutoff points of 115 mg/dl for individuals 30 years of age and 140 mg/dl for those 75 years of age yielded similar performance characteristics (sensitivity 82% and specificity 78% for those 30 years old; sensitivity 81% and specificity 80% for those 75 years old). CONCLUSIONS Adjusting random capillary blood glucose measurements for the postprandial period and using age-specific cutoff point values can improve performance of the screening test.