Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implications of Outbound Medical Tourism on Public Health Care Development in Nigeria

Medical tourism is the practice of patients travelling out of their country of origin or residence for the purpose of getting access to medical care services abroad. Outbound medical tourism is a phenomenon in Nigeria thereby contributing to the growth of the health care industry in destination countries. The paper examines the implications of outbound medical tourism on public health care development in Nigeria and reinforces the need for the Federal Government of Nigeria to restructure and reposition the health sector in the country towards effective and efficient health service delivery. The study employs secondary source of data. Public administrators and health care practitioners concerned about transforming Nigeria into a centre of medical tourist attraction may find it suitable to start by examining the issues raised in this study to initiate a good policy framework for the health sector. The study concludes that huge investment in the health sector can drastically reduce outbound medical tourism, make health care services affordable to all Nigerians and utilising foreign exchange to develop other relevant sectors of the Nigerian economy.
GERIATRIC PATIENTS TREATED WITH IMIPRAMINE: FIVE‐YEAR FOLLOW‐UP

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder in the aged; therefore the newly developed antidepressive drugs were quickly introduced into the field of geriatric psychiatry. Clinical trials of imipramine in geriatric settings were started in 1958, even before the drug became commercially available (1 ,2) . One of these early studies was made in the Geriatric Clinic of the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal in 1959. The following is not only a clinical re-evaluation of imipramine, but also a longitudinal study of depression in the aged, its treatment and eventual outcome. Since the concept of disease depends upon the setting in which it is seen, a short description of our clinic is in order. The geriatric clinic is part of the outpatient department of the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Canada. It is multidisciplinary, staffed by internists, psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists and occupational therapists. It is a diagnostic and treatment clinic, caring for patients over 60 suffering from disorders related to aging. Our philosophy is to provide the necessary care and thus to rehabilitate the geriatric patient so that he can maintain himself independently in the community. The average age of our patients is 72.1 years for men and 70.2 years for women. Approximately 250 patients are active in the clinic and the ratio of women to men is 2 to 1.
Optimized protein extraction methods for proteomic analysis of Rhizoctonia solani

Rhizoctonia solani (Teleomorph: Thanatephorus cucumeris, T. praticola) is a basidiomycetous fungus and a major cause of root diseases of economically important plants. Various isolates of this fungus are also beneficially associated with orchids, may serve as biocontrol agents or remain as saprophytes with roles in decaying and recycling of soil organic matter. R. solani displays several hyphal anastomosis groups (AG) with distinct host and pathogenic specializations. Even though there are reports on the physiological and histological basis of Rhizoctonia-host interactions, very little is known about the molecular biology and control of gene expression early during infection by this pathogen. Proteomic technologies are powerful tools for examining alterations in protein profiles. To aid studies on its biology and host pathogen interactions, a two-dimensional (2-D) gel-based global proteomic study has been initiated. To develop an optimized protein extraction protocol for R. solani, we compared two previously reported protein extraction protocols for 2-D gel analysis of R. solani (AG-4) isolate Rs23. Both TCA-acetone precipitation and phosphate solubilization before TCA-acetone precipitation worked well for R. solani protein extraction, although selective enrichment of some proteins was noted with either method. About 450 spots could be detected with the densitiometric tracing of Coomassie blue-stained 2-D PAGE gels covering pH 4–7 and 6.5–205 kDa. Selected protein spots were subjected to mass spectrometric analysis with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Eleven protein spots were positively identified based on peptide mass fingerprinting match with fungal proteins inPUBLIC databases with the Mascot search engine. These results testify to the suitability of the two optimized protein extraction protocols for 2-D proteomic studies of R. solani.
Output synchronization of multiple FOSMIB power systems

This paper considers the cooperative output synchronization of networked fractional-order single-machine infinite-bus (FOSMIB) power systems, in which the agent's dynamic is modeled by fractional-order derivative in spite of parametric uncertainties. Combining Backstepping approach together with Graph Theory, a distributed adaptive controller is designed recursively for each agent to drive its output synchronized to its neighbors in the network while other variables in the overall system maintain bounded. It is proved that under the topology condition that the graph is connected and at least one agent can obtain the leader's information, all agents outputs can be synchronized to the leader, i.e., cooperative output synchronization of the network is achieved. The distributed controller for each agent has three parts: state feedback of itself, neighborhood information obtained from its neighbors, and parameter updates for the unknown parameters in its dynamic. Simulation result has been presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller.
A Flexible And Fault Tolerant Query-Reply System Based On A Bayesian Neural Network

A query-reply system based on a Bayesian neural network is described. Strategies for generating questions which make the system both efficient and highly fault tolerant are presented. This involves having one phase of question generation intended to quickly reach a hypothesis followed by a phase where verification of the hypothesis is attempted. In addition, both phases have strategies for detecting and removing inconsistencies in the replies from the user. Also described is an explanatory mechanism which gives information related to why a certain hypotheses is reached or question asked. Specific examples of the systems behavior as well as the results of a statistical evaluation are presented.
Temperature-dependent peptidergic feedback: potential role in seasonal egg laying in Aplysia

alpha-Bag cell peptide (alpha-BCP), one of the secretory products of the neuroendocrine bag cells in Aplysia, has been reported by various investigators to have either excitatory or inhibitory feedback effects. Though conflicting, these results may be explained by the difference in temperature at which the experiments were performed. Because egg laying in this animal is temperature dependent, the alteration in function of this peptide by temperature may offer a possible molecular basis for the seasonal regulation of egg laying. This hypothesis was investigated by assessing the feedback actions of alpha-BCP at various temperatures. At 15 degrees C, alpha-BCP hyperpolarized bag cells, shortened the duration of synaptically evoked bag cell discharges, and reduced the number of action potentials per discharge. However, at 20 degrees C, the peptide depolarized bag cells, lengthened discharges, and increased the number of action potentials per discharge. A temperature-dependent influence on bag cell cAMP levels may underlie these effects, because alpha-BCP reduced basal cAMP levels in intact bag cells at temperatures of 15 degrees C and below, while at 17–22 degrees C it increased these levels. However, the inhibitory effects of alpha-BCP on stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in bag cell homogenates were not temperature dependent. Moreover, a low-Ca2+/high-Mg2+ solution abolished alpha- BCP's ability to increase bag cell cAMP levels at 20 degrees C. This suggests that the peptide may evoke the secretion of an excitatory modulator at the higher temperature. These results imply that alpha-BCP is autoinhibitory at typical winter temperatures, but becomes autoexcitatory as ocean temperature rises in the summer. Thus, the peptide may function in coordination with other factors to regulate egg laying in response to seasonal temperature variations.
Toxicity Study of Garcinia Mangostana Linn. Pericarp Extract in Rats

Garcinia mangostana Linn is used as a phytomedicine in South East Asia for the treatment of trauma, diahorrea and skin infections. In the present study oral toxicity studies of G. mangostana methanolic extract powder was carried out in rat model. G. mangostana extract (1, 2 and 3 g/kg) was given orally for 7 and 14 days to Wistar rats. They were observed each hour for 24h and each day for 14 days for any changes in behavioural activity and mortality. The blood was collected for hematological parameters and serum was used to perform the biochemical and enzymatic analysis. Clinical and neurobehavioral observations, growth, feed and water consumption, hematology, clinical chemistry, organ weights and histopathological examination were carried out and it was experimentally observed that there were no significant effect on body weight and mild increase in the hematological parameters were observed in the control group. The study showed that there was neither death nor alterations in the body weight, relative organ weight, cytoarchitecture of organs, clinical biochemistry, serum marker enzymes and hematological parameters in the G.mangostana treated groups when compared to the control.
Deleterious effect of ciprofloxacin on Rickettsia conorii-infected cells is linked to toxin-antitoxin module up-regulation.

OBJECTIVES To confirm and better understand the deleterious effect of fluoroquinolones reported during Rickettsia conorii infection in humans. METHODS We used a new plaque assay to test the effect of ciprofloxacin on cells infected by R. conorii. Controls were mock-treated infected cells and infected cells treated with doxycycline. We used real-time quantitative RT-PCR to quantify vapC and vapB transcripts in cells infected by R. conorii treated with ciprofloxacin or mock treated. RESULTS By plaque assay, at baseline (0 h) there is no difference in lytic area between cells treated with ciprofloxacin (whatever concentration used) and controls. Ciprofloxacin at 0.5 and 50 mg/L induced a significant increase in lytic areas compared with the control at 2 h, 4 h, 6 h (P<0.0001) and 24 h (P<0.0001 and P=0.035, respectively) when not induced with doxycycline. By real-time quantitative RT-PCR, ciprofloxacin was found to cause an up-regulation of toxin-antitoxin (TA) module transcription. Indeed, the mRNA levels of vapC and vapB were significantly increased at 2 h and 4 h in cells treated with 50 mg/L ciprofloxacin (not with 0.5 mg/L ciprofloxacin) compared with control levels (fold change >2.9). CONCLUSIONS These in vitro findings correlated with our previous clinical findings: fluoroquinolones have a deleterious effect during R. conorii infection, not found with doxycycline. We speculate that the toxic effect of fluoroquinolones on R. conorii-infected cells is mediated by the overexpression of TA, possibly followed by their release into the host cytoplasm as described in Rickettsia felis.
Conflict and Hesitancy in Virtual Actors

Internal conflict, in which a character is torn by opposing motivations, is central to drama. Actors portray such conflict in part by mimicking involuntary behaviors that occur as a result of such conflicts. In this paper, we examine the role of timing – pauses and hesitation, in particular – in internal conflict. We argue that virtual actors can be made more expressive if we can emulate the underlying structures of inhibition and conflict detection believed to operate in the human system. We discuss work in progress on this problem that uses the Twig procedural animation system.
Working Paper No . 17-2 Profit-Sharing and Implementation of Efficient Outcomes

Agents are endowed with time that is invested in different projects that generate profit depending on the allocation of time by the agents. A mechanism divides the profit generated by the projects among agents depending on the allocation of time as well as the amount of profit that every project generates. We study mechanisms that incentivize agents to contribute their time to the level that generates the maximal aggregate profit at the Nash equilibrium regardless of the production functions (efficiency). Our main result is the characterization of all the mechanisms that satisfy efficiency. Furthermore, within this class, a narrow class of mechanisms are monotone in the payoffs of the agents with respect to the addition of agents, time or projects.
Mononuclear cell recruitment and maturation to foam cells

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease that involves the arterial wall and is characterised by the progressive accumulation of lipids in the vessel wall. The first step is the internalisation of lipids (LDL) in the intima with endothelial activation which enhances the permeability of the endothelial layer and the expression of cytokines/chemokines and adhesion molecules. These events increase LDL particles accumulation in the extracellular matrix where they aggregate/fuse, are retained by proteoglycans and become targets for oxidative and enzymatic modifications. In turn, retained pro-atherogenic LDLs enhance selective leukocyte recruitment and attachment to the endothelial layer inducing their transmigration across the endothelium into the intima. While smooth muscle cell numbers decline with the severity of plaque progression, monocytes differentiate into macrophages, a process associated with the upregulation of pattern recognition receptors including scavenger receptors and Toll-like receptors leading to foam cell formation. Foam
Analyzing the Service Quality and Patient Satisfaction In Private Hospital of Delhi

Abstratct – Healthcare sector in India is one of the quickest developing sectors. Science, open healthcare framework is neglecting to satisfy request in India, the development of private healthcare is high. People groups' inclination towards private hospitals has likewise been expanding. Healthcare industry fluctuates as per extension and scale, from specific or multi forte to little private centers and hospitals . The present examination is attempted to investigate Operation Effectiveness in of the private hospital of Delhi. The examination is intended to ponder significant parts of patients' basic investigation, for example, Reliability, responsiveness, Empathy. An endeavor is made to examine factors influencing choice of private hospital, and in this paper 150 respondents are chosen utilizing "non-probability accommodation sampling to know the wellsprings of information through which patients gets information about hospitals and facilities and to know the satisfaction level of patients regarding hospitals.
Evaluation of Database Technologies for Usage in Dynamic Data Models - A Comparison of Relational, Document Oriented and Graph Oriented Data Models

Database technologies are evaluated in respect to their performance in model extension, data integration, data access, querying and distributed data management. The structure of the data sources is partially unknown. Additional value is gained combination of data sources. Data models for a relational, a document and a graph oriented database are compared showing strengths and weaknesses of each data model.
Development and Genetic Characterization of an Advanced Backcross-Nested Association Mapping (AB-NAM) Population of Wild × Cultivated Barley

The ability to access alleles from unadapted germplasm collections is a long-standing problem for geneticists and breeders. Here we developed, characterized, and demonstrated the utility of a wild barley advanced backcross-nested association mapping (AB-NAM) population. We developed this population by backcrossing 25 wild barley accessions to the six-rowed malting barley cultivar Rasmusson. The 25 wild barley parents were selected from the 318 accession Wild Barley Diversity Collection (WBDC) to maximize allelic diversity. The resulting 796 BC2F4:6 lines were genotyped with 384 SNP markers, and an additional 4022 SNPs and 263,531 sequence variants were imputed onto the population using 9K iSelect SNP genotypes and exome capture sequence of the parents, respectively. On average, 96% of each wild parent was introgressed into the Rasmusson background, and the population exhibited low population structure. While linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay (r2 = 0.2) was lowest in the WBDC (0.36 cM), the AB-NAM (9.2 cM) exhibited more rapid LD decay than comparable advanced backcross (28.6 cM) and recombinant inbred line (32.3 cM) populations. Three qualitative traits: glossy spike, glossy sheath, and black hull color were mapped with high resolution to loci corresponding to known barley mutants for these traits. Additionally, a total of 10 QTL were identified for grain protein content. The combination of low LD, negligible population structure, and high diversity in an adapted background make the AB-NAM an important tool for high-resolution gene mapping and discovery of novel allelic variation using wild barley germplasm.
Unusual regulatory mechanism for a Streptomyces multidrug resistance gene, ptr, involving three homologous protein‐binding sites overlapping the promoter region

A promoter controlling expression of the pristinamycin multidrug resistance gene (ptr), originally isolated from Streptomyces pristinaespiralis, is inducible by many toxic compounds in various Streptomyces species. Studies of ptr promoter control were carried out in the heterologous host, Streptomyces lividans. In S. lividans, a regulatory protein or a protein complex (Pip), identified by its ability to bind to the ptr promoter in gel‐retardation experiments, was induced by pristinamycin I (PI). In situ copper‐phenanthroline foot‐printing analysis identified three (A, B, and C) similar Pip‐binding sites having the sequence GTACA(C/G)CGTA(C/T). These sites overlapped with functionally important regions of the promoter: the ‘A’ site overlapped with the −35 hexamer, ‘B’ overlapped with the −10 hexamer and ‘C’ was located between the transcription start site and the Shine—Dalgarno sequence. A GT—AG dinucleotide mutation was introduced at positions 8–9 of the consensus sequence to generate seven variant promoters: three mutated in one of the three sites, three mutated in two sites, and one mutated in all three sites. Whereas these promoters had reduced antibiotic (PI)‐induced activity, their levels of expression in the absence of PI was higher. This suggested an unusual regulatory mechanism in which Pip could act either as an activator or repressor. Gel shift experiments revealed Pip or its homologues in many other Streptomyces species, suggesting that it is widely employed in the regulation of antibiotic resistance genes and perhaps secondary metabolism.
Sentinel 1 Stripmap GRDH image despeckling using two stages algorithms

We discuss in this paper despeckling of multilooks SAR images, proposing a new method based on two stages architecture. We describe the particularities of Sentinel-1 Stripmap multilooks (GDRH) images and present the advantages of two stages architecture. Simulation results and comparisons with state of the art denoising methods highlight the benefits of the solution proposed.
Effect of the meniscus at the solid-liquid interface on the microwave exposure of biological samples

In this study, numerical simulations have been carried out to show the importance of modeling the meniscus for in vitro theoretical and experimental dosimetry. A plane wave has been considered impinging from different directions on a Petri dish filled with 2 or 4 mL of culture medium at 0.9, 1.8, and 2.5 GHz. Results indicate that the meniscus has a significant effect on the distributions of power loss density and temperature inside the medium; thus it must be taken into consideration for correct dosimetric evaluations.
Applying the genetic approach to simulated annealing in solving some NP-hard problems

A stochastic approach called the annealing-genetic algorithm is presented for solving some well-known combinatorial optimization problems. This approach incorporates genetic algorithms into simulated annealing to improve the performance of simulated annealing. The authors' approach can be viewed as a simulated annealing algorithm with population-based state transition and with genetic-operator-based quasi-equilibrium control and as a genetic algorithm with the Boltzmann-type selection operator. The goals of efficiency in the algorithm are (1) the gap between final solution and the optimal solution should be around 3% or less, and (2) the computation time should be bounded by a polynomial function of the problem size. Empirically, the error rate of the proposed annealing-genetic algorithm for solving the multiconstraint zero-one knapsack problem is less than 1%, for solving the set partitioning problem is less than 0.1%, and for solving the traveling salesman problem is around 3%. >
A Phase I/II, Multiple-Dose, Dose-Escalation Study of Siltuximab, an Anti-Interleukin-6 Monoclonal Antibody, in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

Purpose: This phase I/II study evaluated safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of escalating, multiple doses of siltuximab, a chimeric anti-interleukin (IL)-6 monoclonal antibody derived from a new Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line in patients with advanced/refractory solid tumors. Experimental Design: In the phase I dose-escalation cohorts, 20 patients with advanced/refractory solid tumors received siltuximab 2.8 or 5.5 mg/kg every 2 weeks or 11 or 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks intravenously (i.v.). In the phase I expansion (n = 24) and phase II cohorts (n = 40), patients with Kirsten rat sarcoma-2 (KRAS)-mutant tumors, ovarian, pancreatic, or anti-EGF receptor (EGFR) refractory/resistant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal, or H&N cancer received 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks. The phase II primary efficacy endpoint was complete response, partial response, or stable disease >6 weeks. Results: Eighty-four patients (35 colorectal, 29 ovarian, 9 pancreatic, and 11 other) received a median of three (range, 1–45) cycles. One dose-limiting toxicity occurred at 5.5 mg/kg. Common grade ≥3 adverse events were hepatic function abnormalities (15%), physical health deterioration (12%), and fatigue (11%). Ten percent of patients had siltuximab-related grade ≥3 adverse events. Neutropenia (4%) was the only possibly related adverse event grade ≥3 reported in >1 patient. Serious adverse events were reported in 42%; most were related to underlying disease. The pharmacokinetic profile of CHO-derived siltuximab appears similar to the previous cell line. No objective responses occurred; 5 of 84 patients had stable disease >6 weeks. Hemoglobin increased ≥1.5 g/dL in 33 of 47 patients. At 11 and 15 mg/kg, completely sustained C-reactive protein suppression was observed. Conclusions: Siltuximab monotherapy appears to be well tolerated but without clinical activity in solid tumors, including ovarian and KRAS-mutant cancers. The recommended phase II doses were 11 and 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks. Clin Cancer Res; 20(8); 2192–204. ©2014 AACR.
A Calcitonin-Producing Neuroendocrine Tumor of the Larynx: A Case Report

A moderately differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx is described. Although the patient had normal serum calcitonin level 36 months before, its level was elevated at the time the neck node was removed. This study supports the hypothesis that a diagnosis of calcitonin-producing neuroendocrine tumor of the larynx with increased plasma calcitonin is possible and should be considered to avoid unnecessary thyroidectomy.