Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Document caching policies on high-speed distributed networks for personalized multimedia services

Following the previously introduced multimedia information caching paradigm in the literature, we present a polynomial time optimal caching strategy that minimizes the total monetary cost of all the service requests by the users requesting a multimedia document to view in a high-speed metropolitan area broadband network (MAN). We consider a scenario in which a large pool of customers from one or more number of remote sites on this network demand a multimedia program situated on a site for viewing at different time instants. This process of distribution of the requested program involves communication costs and caching costs of the program before it is delivered to the users at their desired viewing times. We configure the MANs as a fully-connected topology and show that a single copy of the requested document is sufficient to serve all the user requests in an optimal manner, for the case of high speed networks. Using this strategy, the personal service agents (PSAs) will decide when, where, and for how long the requested programs must be cached to obtain an optimal solution.
Soluble CD26 / Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV Enhances Human Lymphocyte Proliferation In Vitro Independent of Dipeptidyl Peptidase Enzyme Activity and Adenosine Deaminase Binding

Human CD26 has dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP IV) enzyme activity and binds to adenosine deaminase (ADA). CD26 is costimulatory for lymphocytes and has a circulating soluble form (sCD26). DPP IV enzyme inhibition is a new successful type 2 diabetes therapy. We examined whether the ADA binding and catalytic functions of sCD26 contribute to its effects on T‐cell proliferation. Wildtype soluble recombinant human CD26 (srhCD26), an enzyme inactive mutant (srhCD26E‐) and an ADA non‐binding mutant (srhCD26A‐) were co‐incubated in in vitro T‐cell proliferation assays with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), muromonab‐CD3 or Herpes simplex virus antigen (HSV Ag). Both srhCD26 and srhCD26E‐ enhanced PHA‐induced T‐cell proliferation dose‐dependently in all six subjects tested. srhCD26 and srhCD26A‐ had no overall effect on anti‐CD3‐stimulated PBMC proliferation in four of five subjects. srhCD26, srhCD26E‐ and srhCD26A‐ enhanced HSV Ag induced PBMC proliferation in low responders to HSV Ag, but had no effect or inhibited proliferation in HSV‐high responders. Thus, effects of soluble human CD26 on human T‐cell proliferation are mechanistically independent of both the enzyme activity and the ADA‐binding capability of sCD26.
Real-time Ada: outstanding problem areas

As the Ada language matures and compilers be, come more efficient, new application domains will open up. This in turn will place fresh requirements on the language. In some instances Ada, in its current form, will be unsuitable and language changes will be demanded. This is, of course, at odds with producing a "standard" and "stable" language definition; consequently the evolution of the language will be a long and drawn out procedure. The Ada 9X process offers the opportunity to eliminate some of the short-comings of ANSI Ada in the area of real-time systems. It also provides a focus within which the requirements from future real-time systems can be discussed.The purpose of this paper is to identify the outstanding issues that must be discussed in the short, medium or long-term, if Ada is to be used for a wide range of real-time applications in current and future systems. Our approach is to start with application requirements, from these to indicate Ada problem areas and then, if appropriate, offer potential solutions. The areas considered are those associated with hard real-time, software reliability, mode changes, change management and distribution.
Effect of Recrystallization on Size, Shape, Polymorph andDissolution of Carbamazepine

The recrystallization of carbamazepine was done by using two solvents and at different cooling conditions.The solvent and cooling conditions could modify the size, shape, polymorph and thereby the dissolution of original drug. The crystal shape of original carbamazepine was flaky or thin plate like. In the present work carbamazepine crystals were modified by using ethanol and acetone under four different cooling conditions. DSC study showed a change in the polymorphs under different conditions of cooling. The samples recrystallized from ethanol and acetone solutions as well as the original CBZ samples exhibited identical IR spectra, indicating that there was no change at the molecular level. A study indicated that the size, shape and the type of polymorphs in the sample effect its dissolution behaviour.
Control strategies for groups of autonomous wheeled mobile robots with restricted inputs

The problem of team control is of recent interest in intelligent systems and robotics due to the broad range of applications of multi-agent systems in space missions, operations in hazardous environments, and military missions. Such systems can exhibit flexibility, reliability through redundancy, and simple hardware. This paper considers control problems in unicycle-like mobile robots with restricted inputs. The concept of flatness will be applied for generating reference trajectories, and tracking controllers will be established for the considered system with bounds on the input signals. The rigid formation control problem will then be studied and solved based on the established tracking controllers. The proposed controllers which account for the system physical constraints ensure asymptotic convergence of a group of N agents towards a desired rigid formation.
Impaired recovery of strength in older patients after major abdominal surgery.

OBJECTIVE This study compared changes in muscle strength after major elective abdominal surgery in young and old patients, and related these changes to body composition and nitrogen balance. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA The breakdown of muscle protein, erosion of lean tissue, and negative nitrogen balance are characteristic metabolic responses to surgical illness. With a substantial loss of muscle mass typical of advancing age, the authors postulated that older patients would be weaker during acute surgical illness and less able to maintain muscle function and meet metabolic demands. METHODS Active, community-dwelling individuals undergoing major abdominal procedures who were 70 years of age or older or 50 years of age or younger were studied. Total body water (TBW) was determined preoperatively by deuterium oxide dilution. Maximal voluntary handgrip, respiratory muscle strength, and visual analog pain scores were measured preoperatively and on postoperative days 2, 4, and 6. All urine was collected postoperatively for 7 days for determination of total nitrogen, creatinine, and cortisol. RESULTS The young (age, 36 +/- 9 years [mean +/- standard deviation]; n = 20) and old groups (age, 77 +/- 5 years; n = 20) were similar regarding weight, sex distribution, nutritional status, surgical procedures and anesthesia, and postoperative urine cortisol values. Age group, time after operation, and interaction effects were significant for each strength variable (all p < 0.005 by analysis of variance). Older patients had lower preoperative strength (29% to 41%) and mean 24-hour urine creatinine (27%). Postoperative strength was decreased most markedly on postoperative day 2, with similar proportional changes in the two age groups but lower absolute levels in the older patients. The rate of recovery of strength was substantially less rapid and complete in older patients. Older patients had less postoperative pain and received much less parenteral narcotic than younger patients. Postoperative urine nitrogen was similar in each group. Recovery of strength was not related to malignancy, preoperative strength, muscle mass (urine creatinine), lean body mass (TBW), sex, malignancy, pain, or narcotic administration. CONCLUSIONS Older patients are weaker preoperatively than younger patients; their strength falls to lower levels after surgery and their postoperative recovery of strength is impaired. The lesser preoperative strength of older patients is due in large part but not totally to diminished muscle mass. Their impaired postoperative recovery appears to be related to more acute factors, such as muscle energetics or substrate availability.
SHORT COMMUNICATION Antioxidant activities and phenolics profiling of different parts of Carica papaya by LCMS-MS

This article deals with the comparison of the antioxidant activity of aqueous extracts of various parts of Carica papaya L. The evaluation of total phenolic content and total flavonoid content revealed high antioxidant potential of the seeds and fruits. The free radical-scavenging potential of the aqueous extracts indicated the seeds to have better DPPH-scavenging activity than fruits. The results were augmented by the FRAP activity as well. The phenolics present in the extracts were separated and identified as 5-hydroxy feruloyl quinic acid, acetyl p-coumaryl quinic acid, quercetin-3-Orhamnoside, syringic acid hexoside, 5-hydroxy caffeic quinic acid, peonidin-3-Oglucoside, sinapic acid-O-hexoside, cyaniding-3-O-glucose and methyl feruloyl glycoside by LCMS-MS technique.
Seasonal variations in male mice at the time of sexual maturation

The sexual maturation of male mice reared under constant laboratory conditions was studied in animals born in different months of the year. The body weights were significantly affected by the month of birth. Males born in March and May were heavier at 4 and 5 weeks of age than those born in autumn and winter. As indicated by the relative weights of accessory glands, males born in spring matured earlier compared with animals born in other months of the year. Variation in the relative testicular weights during maturation was not influenced by the month of birth. Female mice also showed a significant relationship between the month of birth and sexual maturation. Females born in March reached puberty, as measured by the age of vaginal opening and first oestrus, earlier than those born in other months of the year.
IGH/MYC Translocation Associates with BRCA2 Deficiency and Synthetic Lethality to PARP1 Inhibitors

Burkitt lymphoma/leukemia cells carry t(8;14)(q24;q32) chromosomal translocation encoding IGH/MYC, which results in the constitutive expression of the MYC oncogene. Here, it is demonstrated that untreated and cytarabine (AraC)-treated IGH/MYC–positive Burkitt lymphoma cells accumulate a high number of potentially lethal DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) and display low levels of the BRCA2 tumor suppressor protein, which is a key element of homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DSB repair. BRCA2 deficiency in IGH/MYC–positive cells was associated with diminished HR activity and hypersensitivity to PARP1 inhibitors (olaparib, talazoparib) used alone or in combination with cytarabine in vitro. Moreover, talazoparib exerted a therapeutic effect in NGS mice bearing primary Burkitt lymphoma xenografts. In conclusion, IGH/MYC–positive Burkitt lymphoma/leukemia cells have decreased BRCA2 and are sensitive to PARP1 inhibition alone or in combination with other chemotherapies. Implications: This study postulates that IGH/MYC–induced BRCA2 deficiency may predispose Burkitt lymphoma cells to synthetic lethality triggered by PARP1 inhibitors. Visual Overview: http://mcr.aacrjournals. org/content/molcanres/15/8/967/F1.large. jpg. Mol Cancer Res; 15(8); 967–72. ©2017 AACR. Visual Overview
Hepatitis G infection: role in cryptogenic chronic liver disease and primary liver cell cancer in the UK

Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is a flavivirus that can cause acute hepatitis and persistent infection but its role in chronic liver disease or primary liver cancer is unproven. In this study we have examined the prevalence of HGV RNA in the serum of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and in patients with cryptogenic chronic liver disease, including non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and in patients with HCV‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and HCC arising in patients with cryptogenic liver disease. One‐hundred and thirty patients who were positive for antibody to HCV (anti‐HCV), 54 patients with cryptogenic chronic liver disease (including 17 patients with NASH) and 46 patients with hepatitis C‐related (n=27) or cryptogenic liver disease‐related HCC (n=19) were studied. HGV RNA was detected using nested reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) and was found in 16.1% of patients with HCV infection. HGV RNA was not detected in any patient with cryptogenic liver disease. In patients with HCC, 7/34 samples were positive for HGV RNA and six out of seven HGV‐positive subjects also had HCV infection. Only one patient with HCC in cryptogenic liver disease was positive for HGV RNA. Hence, cryptogenic liver disease in the UK is not caused by HGV/GBVc infection. It seems unlikely that HGV plays a significant role in hepatocarcinogenesis.
Engineering a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Wine Yeast That Exhibits Reduced Ethanol Production during Fermentation under Controlled Microoxygenation Conditions

ABSTRACT We recently showed that expressing an H2O-NADH oxidase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae drastically reduces the intracellular NADH concentration and substantially alters the distribution of metabolic fluxes in the cell. Although the engineered strain produces a reduced amount of ethanol, a high level of acetaldehyde accumulates early in the process (1 g/liter), impairing growth and fermentation performance. To overcome these undesirable effects, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of the impact of oxygen on the metabolic network of the same NADH oxidase-expressing strain. While reducing the oxygen transfer rate led to a gradual recovery of the growth and fermentation performance, its impact on the ethanol yield was negligible. In contrast, supplying oxygen only during the stationary phase resulted in a 7% reduction in the ethanol yield, but without affecting growth and fermentation. This approach thus represents an effective strategy for producing wine with reduced levels of alcohol. Importantly, our data also point to a significant role for NAD+ reoxidation in controlling the glycolytic flux, indicating that engineered yeast strains expressing an NADH oxidase can be used as a powerful tool for gaining insight into redox metabolism in yeast.
Factors forming the edge of a receptive field: the presence of relatively ineffective afferent terminals

A specialized type of spinal cord cell has its cell body in lamina IV and has a small low threshold cutaneous receptive field which is remarkable for its abrupt edge. No signs could be found of a subliminal fringe to this field since its size remains fixed during wide excursions of the cell's excitability. Reversible blocking of peripheral nerves and dorsal roots showed that the afferents responsible for exciting these cells following natural stimuli, run in a restricted area of peripheral nerve and dorsal root. When the fibres necessary to sustain the natural stimulus receptive field were blocked, it was shown that other large myelinated fibres in neighbouring roots were still capable of firing the cell monosynaptically following electrical stimulation of the root or periphery although no natural stimuli were able to change the cell's excitability. It is necessary to divide the afferent synapses on such cells into a class which is highly effective in firing the cell on natural stimulation and a second class which has no effect yet detected following natural stimuli but which can fire the cell monosynaptically if synchronously activated by electrical stimulation. Suggestions are made for possible presynaptic and post‐synaptic mechanisms which might divide the effect of arriving impulses into two such classes.
When traditional model meets competencies in Singapore: beyond conflict resolution.

INTRODUCTION The implementation of competency-based internal medicine (IM) residency programme that focused on the assurance of a set of 6 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies in Singapore marked a dramatic departure from the traditional process-based curriculum. The transition ignited debates within the local IM community about the relative merits of the traditional versus competency-based models of medical education, as well as the feasibility of locally implementing a training structure that originated from a very different healthcare landscape. At the same time, it provided a setting for a natural experiment on how a rapid integration of 2 different training models could be achieved. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our department reconciled the conflicts by systematically examining the existing training structure and critically evaluating the 2 educational models to develop a new training curriculum aligned with institutional mission values, national healthcare priorities and ACGME-International (ACGME-I) requirements. RESULTS Graduate outcomes were conceptualised as competencies that were grouped into 3 broad areas: personal attributes, interaction with practice environment, and integration. These became the blueprint to guide curricular design and achieve alignment between outcomes, learning activities and assessments. The result was a novel competency-based IM residency programme that retained the strengths of the traditional training model and integrated the competencies with institutional values and the unique local practice environment. CONCLUSION We had learned from this unique experience that when 2 very different models of medical education clashed, the outcome may not be mere conflict resolution but also effective consolidation and transformation.
Trends in global warming and evolution of polymerase basic protein 2 family from influenza a virus

Both global warming and influenza trouble humans in varying ways, therefore it is important to study the trends in both global warming and evolution of influenza A virus, in particular, proteins from influenza A virus. Recently, we have conducted two studies along this line to determine the trends between global warming and polymerase acidic protein as well as matrix protein 2. Although these two studies reveal some interesting findings, many studies are still in need because at least there are ten different proteins in influenza A virus. In this study, we analyze the trends in global warming and evolution of polymerase basic protein 2 (PB2) from influenza A virus. The PB2 evolution from 1956 to 2008 was defined using the unpredictable portion of aminoacid pair. Then the trend in this evolution was compared with the trend in the global temperature, the temperature in north and south hemispheres, and the temperature in influenza A virus sampling site and species carrying influenza A virus. The results show the similar trends in global warming and in PB2 evolution, which are in good agreement with our previous studies in polymerase acidic protein and matrix protein 2 from influenza A virus.
Surgical Sutures as a Means of Identifying Human Remains *

Abstract: The Food and Drug Administration does not require surgical sutures to be tracked by manufacturer, physician, or patient; thereby, surgical sutures have been of little use to forensic practitioners who are tasked with establishing a positive identification with biological evidence. This study demonstrates the investigative process used to pinpoint suture manufacturers by presenting a case where surgical sutures were a distinctive characteristic that aided in the positive identification of skeletal remains. The suture’s manufacturer, construction material and structure, size, and medical use was determined by contacting a local surgical suture and orthopedic implant manufacturer and utilizing publicly available manufacturer websites, which provide catalogs and specific product details. This research was one of many lines of evidence used to establish the positive identification of a 47‐year‐old male.
Targeting the Metastasis Suppressor, N-Myc Downstream Regulated Gene-1, with Novel Di-2-Pyridylketone Thiosemicarbazones: Suppression of Tumor Cell Migration and Cell-Collagen Adhesion by Inhibiting Focal Adhesion Kinase/Paxillin Signaling

Metastasis is a complex process that is regulated by multiple signaling pathways, with the focal adhesion kinase (FAK)/paxillin pathway playing a major role in the formation of focal adhesions and cell motility. N-myc downstream regulated gene-1 (NDRG1) is a potent metastasis suppressor in many solid tumor types, including prostate and colon cancer. Considering the antimetastatic effect of NDRG1 and the crucial involvement of the FAK/paxillin pathway in cellular migration and cell-matrix adhesion, we assessed the effects of NDRG1 on this important oncogenic pathway. In the present study, NDRG1 overexpression and silencing models of HT29 colon cancer and DU145 prostate cancer cells were used to examine the activation of FAK/paxillin signaling and the formation of focal adhesions. The expression of NDRG1 resulted in a marked and significant decrease in the activating phosphorylation of FAK and paxillin, whereas silencing of NDRG1 resulted in an opposite effect. The expression of NDRG1 also inhibited the formation of focal adhesions as well as cell migration and cell-collagen adhesion. Incubation of cells with novel thiosemicarbazones, namely di-2-pyridylketone 4,4-dimethyl-3-thiosemicarbazone and di-2-pyridylketone 4-cyclohexyl-4-methyl-3-thiosemicarbazone, that upregulate NDRG1 also resulted in decreased phosphorylation of FAK and paxillin. The ability of these thiosemicarbazones to inhibit cell migration and metastasis could be mediated, at least in part, through the FAK/paxillin pathway.
Frequently used healthcare services in urban slums of Dhaka and adjacent rural areas and their determinants.

BACKGROUND To compare patterns of healthcare service user preference between urban slums in Dhaka and adjacent rural areas and to identify key determinants of those preferences. METHODS The data were collected through baseline surveys conducted in 2008 and 2009. A total of 3207 subjects aged 10-90 years were systematically selected from 12 big slums in Dhaka and 3 rural villages outside Dhaka. RESULTS Two frequently used healthcare sources utilized in 1 month preceding the baseline survey were pharmacies (slum, 42.6%; rural, 30.1%) and government hospitals/clinics (GVHC; slum, 13.5%; rural, 8.9%). According to the multilevel logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex and marital status, the likelihood of using pharmacies and GVHC were higher for those subjects who used non-hygienic toilets, who reported food deficiency at a family level, who expressed dissatisfaction about family income and who stated poor health status. Some more factors namely overweight, living in permanently structured house, smoking bidis and less frequency of watching TV were associated with higher likelihood of using GVHC. CONCLUSIONS Pharmacy was the most dominant healthcare service in both areas. As persons running pharmacies often provide poor quality of healthcare services, they need continuous training and back-up supports to improve their quality of services and to strengthen the overall healthcare system in Bangladesh.