Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of LCPTP in T cell signalling and activation.

The aim of the project was to investigate the role of LCPTP (Leucocyte phosphotyrosine phosphatase) in T cell signalling and activation. The investigation was divided into three parts. In the first part, biochemical studies were used to identify possible LCPTP substrates/interacting proteins. Antibodies specific for LCPTP were used to characterise potential interactions of endogenous LCPTP protein in cells. Recombinant LCPTP proteins, including wildtype and a substrate-trap protein were also generated. These were used to show that LCPTP interacts with members of the MAP kinase family, specifically ERK1 and ERK2, suggesting that these proteins are major LCPTP substrates. In the second part, the effect of overexpressing LCPTP on T cell function was investigated. The Jurkat T cell line was transfected to produce stable cell lines expressing wildtype and mutant forms of LCPTP. LCPTP transfected cells were stimulated via the TCR and CD28 and monitored for cytokine production, surface marker expression and cell proliferation. It was shown that LCPTP inhibited IL-2 production and expression of the surface IL-2 receptor, CD25. LCPTP also protected cells from TCR induced cell death and promoted homotypic aggregation. Following on from the observations made in the Jurkat T cell line, the final part of the project was aimed at looking at the effects of LCPTP in primary T cells. LCPTP adenovirus constructs were made and used to infect both na? ve T cells as well as antigen differentiated Th1 and Th2 populations. Overexpressed LCPTP substrate-trap protein lead to increased levels of cellular phosphoERK. Increased levels of LCPTP resulted in changes in cytokine production in TCR stimulated cells relative to control cells. Cells overexpressing LCPTP had a higher basal level of proliferation. The results obtained support a role for LCPTP in regulating the early stages of T cell activation by changing MAP kinase activity.
Adaptive Droplet Routing for MEDA Biochips via Deep Reinforcement Learning

Digital microfluidic biochips (DMFBs) based on a micro-electrode-dot-array (MEDA) architecture provide fine-grained control and sensing of droplets in real-time. However, excessive actuation of microelectrodes in MEDA biochips can lead to charge trapping during bioassay execution, causing the failure of microelectrodes and erroneous bioassay outcomes. A recently proposed enhancement to MEDA allows run-time measurement of microelectrode health information, thereby enabling synthesis of adaptive routing strategies for droplets. However, existing synthesis solutions are computationally infeasible for large MEDA biochips that have been commercialized. In this paper, we propose a synthesis framework for adaptive droplet routing in MEDA biochips via deep reinforcement learning (DRL). The framework utilizes the real-time microelectrode health feedback to synthesize droplet routes that proactively minimize the likelihood of charge trapping. We show how the adaptive routing strategies can be synthesized using DRL. We implement the DRL agent, the MEDA simulation environment, and the bioassay scheduler using the OpenAI Gym environment. Our framework obtains adaptive routing policies efficiently for COVID-19 testing protocols on large arrays that reflect the sizes of commercial MEDA biochips available in the marketplace, significantly increasing probabilities of successful bioassay completion compared to existing methods.
Mining Twitter Data for Resource Usage Prediction

This thesis investigates the predictability of Twitter traffic for topic-related websites’ resource requirements by developing and implementing a data mining methodology. The new traffic correlation mining process is able to extract traffic surges and develop potential predictive mining and correlation techniques between Twitter and the corresponding forum. Thorough testing of this data mining methodology has been performed, and the results show that using Twitter data to predict imminent resource demands is a fruitful area of research. The findings in this thesis confirm the potential of utilizing the significant public interests expressed in Twitter data as a resource usage prediction tool for relevant websites.
Extremal Problems for Graphical Function-Indices and f-Weighted Adjacency Matrix

Abstract Let f(x, y) (f(x)) be a symmetric real function (real function) and G = (V,E) be a graph. Denote by di the degree of a vertex i in G. The graphical function-index TIf (G) (Hf (G)) of G with edge-weight (vertex-weight) function f(x, y) (f(x)) is defined as TIf (G) = ∑ uv∈E f(du, dv) (Hf (G) = ∑ u∈V f(du)). We can also get a weighted adjacency matrix from the edge-weighted graph, i.e., Af (G) = (afij) where a f ij = f(di, dj) if vertices i and j are adjacent in G, and 0 otherwise. This matrix is simply referred to as the f -weighted adjacency matrix. One can see that the concepts of graphical function-indices and f -weighted adjacency matrix can cover all the degree-based graphical indices and degree-based adjacency matrices of graphs, such as the Zagreb indices, Randić index, ABC-index, etc., and the Randić matrix, ABC-matrix, GA-matrix, etc. So, for the graphical function-indices TIf (G) and Hf (G) and the f -weighted adjacency matrix Af (G) of a graph G, one can think about finding unified ways to study the extremal problems and spectral problems. This survey is intended to sum up the results done so far on these problems.
A Rare Presentation of Polyarteritis Nodosa

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a rare form of necrotizing medium-vessel vasculitis. PAN has the potential for widespread organ involvement, but the skin, renal, neurologic, and musculoskeletal systems are most commonly involved. A definitive diagnosis can be made with a biopsy of an easily accessible organ such as the skin or an involved nerve or muscle. We present a case of a 66-year-old female with no significant past medical history who presented with chest and epigastric pain. She was subsequently found to have computed tomography angiography (CTA) findings consistent with PAN, including areas of arterial narrowing alternating with areas of aneurysmal dilation confined to the mesenteric arteries. A biopsy of the involved arteries was deemed unsafe and ultimately not performed. Her lab findings were remarkable for elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) and unremarkable for a broad infectious disease workup. Suspicion of PAN was further strengthened by a positive response to, and eventual full recovery on, high-dose steroids alone.
Identification of Ascorbic Acid and Gallic Acid as Novel Inhibitors of Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein for the Treatment of Obesity-Induced Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) has been reported as major public health issue rising at an alarming rate worldwide, and obesity is the leading risk factor for the development of T2D. Secreted frizzled-related protein 4 (SFRP4) released with inflammatory mediators from adipose tissues constrains the exocytosis of insulin containing granules from the pancreatic islets that leads towards the development to T2D. The significant overexpression of SFRP4 in diabetic patients and its involvement in islet dysfunction suggest its critical role in the development of diabetes. Thus, this study was designed to explore the potential of ascorbic acid (AA) and gallic acid (GA) against SFRP4 for the treatment of diabetes. Molecular docking approach was used for the prediction of binding interactions of AA and GA at the active pocket of SFRP4. Docking analysis indicated strong binding interactions of AA and GA to the amino acid residues at the active site of SFRP4. A significant reduction in the level of SFRP4 was observed in transfected cells treated with AA and GA. For the evaluation of the cytotoxicity of AA and GA against HepG2 cells, MTT assay was performed. The results of MTT assay demonstrated that AA and GA are non-cytotoxic towards HepG2 cells at concentration of 15 μM. The oral administration of AA and GA to diet-induced obese mice caused significant reduction in body weight, blood glucose level, and SFRP4 expression. The results of this study suggest that AA and GA have potential for the treatment of obesity-induced T2D.
A case report: Gross and microscopic presentation of cysticercosis in a two-year-old boar in pig herd in Jos Plateau State Nigeria

Background: Porcine cysticercosis is a neglected zoonotic caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Taenia solium in pigs and humans. The infection has been well-thought-of as an exclusively economic problem, as cysticercosis impacts on animal production affecting food security due to downgrading and total condemnation of affected meat, or reduced sale price or confiscation of live animals and nutritional losses for small holder farming community thereby reducing income and rendering an important source of protein unsafe to eat leading to poor- quality pork. The aim of the study is to determine the cause of abnormal movement and confirm the presences of cyst in a two-year-old boar in Jos. On the 6th of March, 2016, a Veterinarian was invited to deworm a herd of 20 pigs supposedly raised under intensive management. Method: During physical examination, a 2-year-old boar in the herd was observed to show signs of exhaustion, gasping, unsteady gait and ataxia. Result: On close examination, the presence of cysts was noticed on the tongue. The animal was sacrificed for postmortem examination. Grossly, there was generalized multiple organ infestation involving the tongue, vertebral column, heart, masseter, biceps, diaphragm, meninges, and the brain etc. Histopathologic examination of the affected organs showed irregularly round cyst approximately 200 µm in diameter. Conclusion: Porcine cysticercosis is present in a small holder pig farm in Jos metropolis. Unsanitary condition in the farm leading to occasional contact with human feces from the community could be the principal source of infection to the pigs. Community health education and improvements in hygiene are recommended as effective control measures to mitigate further spread of the disease.
Prevalence, Knowledge and Treatment of Systemic Arterial Hypertension in A Campaign Day

Hypertension affects 1.4 billion of the world population, being considered the main cause of cardiovascular diseases and, therefore, an important cause of premature and preventable mortality worldwide. It is associated with complications such as atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and chronic kidney disease. Given this prevalence and risk, strategies were created to control the disease, such as changes in lifestyle and use of medications. However, non-adherence to treatment is a frequent concern and it is associated with adverse results and an increased number of complications. Therefore, the present study aims to present the incidence of arterial hypertension in the population of a city in the inland part of São Paulo, relating it to its risk factors, adherence to treatment and disease control. The objective is evaluating the incidence and rate of uncontrolled systemic arterial hypertension on a campaign day in a city in the inland part of São Paulo. The method is observational, cross-sectional, descriptive, population-based study, random sample of 545 individuals, 231 women and 314 men, collected in a city in the northwest of São Paulo on a campaign day. The study showed a prevalence of 46.24% for hypertensive patients, with 88.9% adherence to treatment and pressure loss of 34.23%. Among the analyzed hypertensive patients, there was a higher incidence among the elderly, obese, and people with diabetes mellitus. Regarding adherence and disease control, better results were noted among patients with complications such as AMI and thrombotic events, and less adherence among obese, alcoholics and smokers. The results of the present study are consistent with literature data, showing that even with knowledge of the disease, part of the population does not have adequate treatment, showing the need for integrated health policies for early diagnosis, distribution and treatment regulation, and actions to improve lifestyle.
Simulation of Biochemical Pathway Adaptability Using Evolutionary Algorithms

The systems approach to genomics seeks quantitative and predictive descriptions of cells and organisms. However, both the theoretical and experimental methods necessary for such studies still need to be developed. We are far from understanding even the simplest collective behavior of biomolecules, cells or organisms. A key aspect to all biological problems, including environmental microbiology, evolution of infectious diseases, and the adaptation of cancer cells is the evolvability of genomes. This is particularly important for Genomes to Life missions, which tend to focus on the prospect of engineering microorganisms to achieve desired goals in environmental remediation and climate change mitigation, and energy production. All of these will require quantitative tools for understanding the evolvability of organisms. Laboratory biodefense goals will need quantitative tools for predicting complicated host-pathogen interactions and finding counter-measures. In this project, we seek to develop methods to simulate how external and internal signals cause the genetic apparatus to adapt and organize to produce complex biochemical systems to achieve survival. This project is specifically directed toward building a computational methodology for simulating the adaptability of genomes. This project investigated the feasibility of using a novel quantitative approach to studying the adaptability of genomes and biochemical pathways. This effortmore » was intended to be the preliminary part of a larger, long-term effort between key leaders in computational and systems biology at Harvard University and LLNL, with Dr. Bosl as the lead PI. Scientific goals for the long-term project include the development and testing of new hypotheses to explain the observed adaptability of yeast biochemical pathways when the myosin-II gene is deleted and the development of a novel data-driven evolutionary computation as a way to connect exploratory computational simulation with hypothesis-driven experimentation. This LDRD will focus on developing prototype software for the evolutionary computation and demonstrating its efficacy on a well-known biochemical pathway in yeast. Expected outcomes from this LDRD project included a demonstration of computational modeling of evolvability in a biochemical pathway, an important collaboration with the Systems Biology department at Harvard University, several proposals to secure external long-term funding from one or more sources and the nucleus of a new, focused research effort at LLNL in computational genomics, focused principally on Genomes to Life goals. All of these goals were achieved. « less
Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescents and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background Technology is ever evolving, with more and more diverse activities becoming possible on screen-based devices. However, participating in a heavy screen-based lifestyle may come at a cost. Our hypothesis was that problematic social media use increased the prevalence of mental health outcomes. Objective This study seeks to systematically examine problematic social media use in youth and its association with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Methods A systematic search was conducted to identify studies in adolescents and young adults, using the databases Engineering Village, Psycinfo, Pubmed, and Web of Science. A total of 18 studies were identified, with a total of 9269 participants in our review and included in the meta-analysis. Results Our metaregression shows moderate but statistically significant correlations between problematic social media use and depression (r=0.273, P<.001), anxiety (r=0.348, P<.001), and stress (r=0.313, P<.001). We did not find evidence of heterogeneity of these summary correlations by age, gender, or year of publication. Conclusions This study provides further evidence of the association between problematic social media use and negative mental health among adolescents and young adults and supports future research to focus on the underlying mechanisms of problematic use of social media. Trial Registration PROSPERO CRD42021222309; https://tinyurl.com/2p9y4bjx
Corticospinal excitability is influenced by the recent history of electrical digital stimulation: implications for the relative magnitude of short-latency afferent inhibition

Background Electrical stimulation of the hand can suppress the motor evoked potential (MEP) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the primary motor hand area (M1-HAND) when the afferent stimulus arrives in M1-HAND at the time of TMS. The magnitude of short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI) is expressed as the ratio between the conditioned and unconditioned MEP and is widely used to probe sensorimotor interactions in human physiological studies. Objective/Hypothesis We hypothesized that corticospinal excitability and SAI are influenced by the recent history of peripheral electrical stimulation. Methods In twenty healthy participants, we recorded MEPs from the right first dorsal interosseus muscle. MEPs were evoked by single-pulse TMS of the left M1-HAND alone (unconditioned TMS) or by TMS preceded by electrical stimulation of the right index finger (“homotopic” conditioning) or little finger (“heterotopic” conditioning). The three conditions were pseudo-randomly intermixed or delivered in blocks in which a single condition was repeated five or ten times. MEP amplitudes and SAI magnitudes were compared using linear mixed effect models. Results All stimulation protocols consistently produced SAI, which was stronger after homotopic stimulation. Randomly intermingling the three stimulation conditions reduced the relative magnitude of homotopic and heterotopic SAI as opposed to blocked stimulation. The apparent attenuation of SAI was caused by a suppression of the unconditioned but not the conditioned MEP amplitude during the randomly intermixed condition. Conclusion(s) The recent history of afferent stimulation modulates corticospinal excitability. This “history effect” impacts on the relative magnitude of SAI depending on how conditioned and unconditioned responses are intermixed and needs to be taken into consideration when probing afferent inhibition and corticospinal excitability.
Status Review of California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard - Spring 2013 (Revised Version)

The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is a performance-based regulation adopted in California in 2009 that requires regulated parties (e.g., oil producers and importers to California) to reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of their fuel mix by at least 10% by 2020. It sets declining annual targets, starting slowly with a 0.25% reduction in 2011 and increasing to 10% reduction by 2020. This regulation contributes to California’s overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals under the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32). This is the second in a series of periodic status reports of California’s LCFS. Each report will provide updates on LCFS compliance and markets, and address selected special topics. The reports review data, analyze trends, and identify potential challenges, but avoid making predictions. This second report addresses the following topics: Credits and deficits; Carbon intensity of fuels; Credit trading and credit prices; Federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) and implications for LCFS feedstocks; Issues that affect compliance (special topic).
EFFICACY AND TOLERANCE OF TRIPLE THERAPY INERADICATION OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of triple therapy in eradication of Helicobacterpylori. Subjects and methods:Our study is a prospective observational study conducted at the gastroenterology dept in tertiary care hospital, Hyderabad, and accepted by the institutional ethical committee. A total of hundred subjects who were positive for infection of helicobacter pylori was screened by the procedure of endoscopy RUT mentioned in the study based on inclusion&exclusion criteria. Subjects were treated with triple therapy for fourteen days. After completion of fourteen-days therapy, assessment of Helicobacter pylori eradication was carried out after four weeks by the stool antigen test. Results:In the total of hundred subjects, 60 male and 40 female subjects and 44.66 yrs is the mean value of age. total hundred subjects, successful eradication rate was seen in 91 subjects and eradication failure was seen in 9 subjects against helicobacter pylori infection. Conclusion:Standard triple therapy is considered as first-line therapy for the infection of Helicobacter pylori eradication for the past two decades and the effectiveness of triple therapy is variable regionally. so, we are concluding that a 91% success rate was seen in our region with triple therapy and it is well tolerated because no subjects were discontinued therapy due to adverse effects.
The role of physiotherapy treatment in arm lymphoedema associated with breast cancer

Ipsilateral arm lymphoedema is the most frequent long-term complication due to breast cancer surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy, affecting approximately 40% of women treated for this condition. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the efficiency of physiotherapy procedures in reducing arm lymphoedema in women who underwent an exhaustive treatment plan for breast cancer. The study included 32 patients out of the 641 with breast cancer, who were treated by the same multidisciplinary team at the “Prof. Dr. Alexandru Trestioreanu” Institute of Oncology in Bucharest. They underwent unilateral modified radical mastectomy with axillary clearance between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2019 due to developing ipsilateral arm lymphoedema, stage 2. Of the 18 patients who received individual counselling and education, manual lymph drainage and compressive bandage, 10 (55.5%) decreased arm lymphoedema from stage 2 to 1 after 3 months of treatment. Of the 14 patients who associated these procedures and also benefitted from additional individual physiotherapy including stretching exercises (for the levator scapulae, trapezius, pectoralis major and minor) and progressive active and action-assisted shoulder exercises, 11 (78.5%) reduced arm lymphoedema to stage 1 and regained upper arm mobility and sensitivity. Early initiation of physiotherapy after modified radical mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection, along with patient education, is associated with a higher regression rate of arm lymphoedema compared to only patient education and awareness. The treatment response rate was 85.7% in patients benefitting from lymphatic drainage, compressive bandage and an individual physiotherapy plan compared to 55.5% in patients only benefitting from lymphatic drainage and compressive bandage.
An analysis of the application of process improvement techniques in business process outsourcing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the application of process improvement techniques (PITs) in the business process outsourcing (BPO) process. The paper focuses on how PITs impact the BPO process, and identifies a number of key enablers of applying PITs in the BPO process. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a case study approach. In-depth case study analysis of a number of organisations that have employed a number of PITs in BPO is carried out. Findings – The findings support current literature that highlights the importance of formal contracting, relational contracting, and vendor capabilities for applying PITs in BPO. However, the findings also highlight the importance of additional factors, not widely considered in the current literature. The client must possess internal capabilities in PITs and change management to ensure process improvement occurs. Moreover, the findings here have shown that the client must invest in and develop the resources that enha.