Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Empty nose syndrome

“Empty nose” patients suffer from chronic nasal crusting, dryness, and intermittent bleeding. The most distinctive symptom of ENS is “paradoxical obstruction”in that the patient suffers from difficulty breathing despite a widely patent nasal airway (Sozansky & Houser, 2014). ENS patients describe their feeling of nasal obstruction as constant and continuous: feeling of suffocation, inability or significant difficulty to breathe through their nose, feeling that their nose is too open, sensation of excessive airflow, shortness of breath, difficulty to properly inflate the lungs, lack of nasal resistance, and/or undifferentiated breathing difficulties (Houser, 2006; Houser, 2007; Chhabra & Houser, 2009; Scheithauer, 2010; Coste et al, 2012).
Applied On-Chip Machine Learning for Dynamic Resource Control in Multithreaded Processors

In this paper, we propose a machine learning algorithm to control instruction fetch bandwidth in a simultaneous multithreaded CPU. In a simultaneous multithreaded CPU, multiple threads occupy pools of hardware resources in the same clock cycle. Under some conditions, one or more threads may undergo a period of inefficiency, e.g., a cache miss, thereby inefficiently using shared resources and degrading the performance of other threads. If these inefficiencies can be identified at runtime, the offending thread can be temporarily blocked from fetching new instructions into the pipeline and given time to recover from its inefficiency, and prevent the shared system resources from being wasted on a stalled thread. In this paper, we propose a machine learning approach to determine when a thread should be blocked from fetching new instructions. The model is trained offline and the parameters embedded in a CPU, which can be queried with runtime statistics to determine if a thread is running inefficiently and should be temporarily blocked from fetching. We propose two models: a simple linear model and a higher-capacity neural network. We test each model in a simulation environment and show that system performance can increase by up to 19% on average with a feasible implementation of the proposed algorithm.
Hybrid Perspective Mapping: Align Method for Cross-View Image-Based Geo-Localization

Cross view image-based geo-localization aims to estimate global position of an image by matching the query image with the images in a geo-referenced image database. Cross-view image-based geo-localization is a potential supplement of GPS, but it's hard to matching cross-view image pairs because of the tremendous appearance differences. However, most of deep learning approaches match cross-view image pairs directly and ignore the inner relation between them. In this paper, we introduce our novel hybrid perspective mapping method to align ground-level image to aerial image by considering projection relation between them. Unlike other learning based method which generate corresponding aerial image by traning, our approach is totally geometry based and can be plugged to other network conveniently. And we propose our network based on hybrid perspective mapping. our network shows higher retrieval accuracy and powerful generalization ability on several public dataset. In addition, we also conduct cross-view image matching experiments on our own dataset and analyse the influence of spatial resolution and seasonal variation of aerial image on image matching.
Stress Driven Discovery of Natural Products From Actinobacteria with Anti-Oxidant and Cytotoxic Activities Including Docking and ADMET Properties

Elicitation through abiotic stress, including chemical elicitors like heavy metals, is a new technique for drug discovery. In this research, the effect of heavy metals on actinobacteria Streptomyces sp. SH-1312 for secondary metabolite production, with strong pharmacological activity, along with pharmacokinetics profile, was firstly investigated. The optimum metal stress conditions consisted of actinobacteria strain Streptomyces sp. SH-1312 with addition of mix metals (Co2+ + Zn2+) ions at 0.5 mM in Gause’s medium. Under these conditions, the stress metabolite anhydromevalonolactone (MVL) was produced, which was absent in the normal culture of strain and other metals combinations. Furthermore, the stress metabolite was also evaluated for its anti-oxidant and cytotoxic activities. The compound exhibited remarkable anti-oxidant activities, recording the IC50 value of 19.65 ± 5.7 µg/mL in DPPH, IC50 of 15.49 ± 4.8 against NO free radicals, the IC50 value of 19.65 ± 5.22 µg/mL against scavenging ability, and IC50 value of 19.38 ± 7.11 µg/mL for iron chelation capacity and the cytotoxic activities against PC3 cell lines were recorded with IC50 values of 35.81 ± 4.2 µg/mL after 24 h, 23.29 ± 3.8 µg/mL at 48 h, and 16.25 ± 6.5 µg/mL after 72 h. Further mechanistic studies have revealed that the compound MVL has shown its pharmacological efficacy by upregulation of P53 and BAX while downregulation of BCL-2 expression, indicating that MVL is following apoptosis in varying degrees. To better understand the pharmacological properties of MVL, in this work, the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) were also evaluated. During ADMET predictions, MVL has displayed a safer profile in case of hepatotoxicity, cytochrome inhibition and also displayed as non-cardiotoxic. The compound MVL showed good binding energy in the molecular docking studies, and the results revealed that MVL bind in the active region of the target protein of P53 and BAX. This work triumphantly announced a prodigious effect of heavy metals on actinobacteria with fringe benefits as a key tool of MVL production with a strong pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profile.
The Pricing of Bank Deposits: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis

There has developed over the last several years a large and growing literature on the relationship between local bank market structure and performance. Two characteristics of this development are particularly notable. First, a carefully structured microeconomic model of the banking firm is rarely used as the starting point of the analysis. Secondly, the possibility that local market structure may have a differential impact on bank performance in different activities seems to have escaped systematic investigation. Specifically, it is a contention of this study that an empirical investigation of structure and performance in banking must be grounded in the explicit development of a microeconomic model of the banking firm.
Kinetic study of uranium removal from aqueous solutions by macaúba biochar

Abstract Macaúba (Acronomia aculeata) is a palm tree native of the Brazilian savanna and a valuable renewable source of vegetable oil for human consumption and biodiesel production. In this study, the potentiality of the macaúba endocarp for biochar (BC) production was demonstrated. Moisture, density, elemental and molecular composition, along with TGA, FTIR, and XRD analyses were performed for the endocarp. Adsorption of uranyl ions, U(VI), from aqueous solutions was studied by batch technique using BC produced by slow pyrolysis of the endocarp at 350 °C (BC350). The effect of contact time on the removal of U(VI) by BC350 was evaluated. Linear and non-linear kinetics models were employed and the best fit for the experimental data was achieved for pseudo-first order non-linear model. The adsorption equilibrium was attained after 180 min of contact time and the equilibrium adsorption capacity achieved was of 400 mg g−1. Finally, BC350 was characterized by SEM, FTIR, WDXRF, and XRD techniques.
Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Dynamic Multichannel Access in HetNets

This paper deals with the problem of the dynamic multichannel access (MCA) based on the LTE-WLAN aggregation in dynamic heterogeneous networks. To ensure the users' personalized requirements, the minimization after satisfied (MAS) criterion is firstly proposed. Then, a prediction-based deep deterministic policy gradient (P-DDPG) algorithm is presented, achieving continuous processing. Finally, a new reward function is designed according to the MAS criteria. Meanwhile, the virtual user approach and the base station-centric strategy are proposed to design the action spaces so that the number of actions is independent of the number of users. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the P-DDPG algorithm for solving the dynamic MCA problem and corroborate that the proposed MAS criterion is superior to the existing criteria.
Robust Profit Maximization with Double Sandwich Algorithms in Social Networks

Social networks are becoming important dissemination platforms, and a large body of works have been performed on viral marketing, but most are to maximize the benefits associated with the number of active nodes. In this paper, we study the benefits related to interactions among activated nodes. Furthermore, due to the uncertainty in edge probability estimates in social networks, we propose the robust profit maximization problem to have the best solution in the worst case of probability settings. We design a double sandwich algorithm to this problem and further improve the algorithm with sampling method such that it increases robustness of the output. Through real data sets, we verify the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm.
Radiation Effect on Learning Behavior in Memristor-Based Neuromorphic Circuit

In this work, a memristor-based spiking neural network with a many-to-one feed-forward topology is designed for spatio-temporal pattern learning (25-pixel character ‘B’). A TiO2 non-linear drift behavioral memristor model is used for simulation of a neuromorphic circuit with 25 pre- and 1 post-synaptic neuron. The memristor model mimics synaptic behavior and is modified to include effects of radiation interactions on memristor. Simulated irradiation of the memristors during the learning process alters their state, and the effect on circuit learning behavior is observed. The network uses spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) learning implemented using biphasic neuron action potentials. It is found that although radiation changes the synaptic weights, the network is able to recover and relearn the pattern after radiation ceases. Recovery time is proportional to flux, intensity, and duration of the radiation. If the network is exposed to radiation events of low intensity and flux even for an indefinite period (as observed in space), it may be able to retain its pattern recognition capabilities.
Effect of Oral Consumption of Action Bitters on Renal Indices of Apparently Healthy Subjects in Port Harcourt Metropolis

Action bitters has been seen not to have nephro-toxic effects on the kidney. However, this study evaluated the effects of sachet packaged action bitters on the kidney of apparently healthy subjects. Blood sample was collected from 20 subjects. Basal blood sample and the blood samples collected after 2 hours of intake of action bitters by subjects were analyzed. The parameters analyzed include sodium, potassium, urea and creatinine using the colorimetric method of analysis and results subjected further to statistical analysis using the GraphPad Prism Version 8.02. Basal results of the renal indices obtained showed the values to be; 144.16 ± 8.89 mmol/L, 3.81 ± 0.57 mmol/L, 25.70 ± 5.66 mg/dL and 1.05 ± 0.38 mg/dL for sodium, potassium, urea and creatinine respectively while the results obtained from the subjects two(2) hours after the intake of action bitters were; 128.18 ± 11.05 mmol/L, 2.93 ± 0.57 mmol/L, 25.34 ± 4.74 mg/dL and 1.51 ± 0.75 mg/dL for sodium. potassium, urea and creatinine values respectively. The comparison of the basal and treated sample showed significant differences in the values of sodium, potassium and creatinine (P=0.05) while the urea value was not significantly different. The mean value for sodium and potassium in the treated subjects were significantly decreased when compared to the value gotten at the basal state where the action bitter has not been consumed by the subject whereas the creatinine value was significantly increased in the sample of the treated subjects compared to the value of the basal sample. This implies that exposure to a higher dose of action bitters might be detrimental to renal function in the body hence, the dose of bitters and its consumption by humans should be monitored in order to protect against any adverse effect, and subsequent malfunctioning of the kidney.
Paraneoplastic Pemphigus Revealed by Anti-programmed Death-1 Pembrolizumab Therapy for Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Complicating Hidradenitis Suppurativa

A 64-year-old patient developed a widespread autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering disease 3 weeks after the initiation of the anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1) pembrolizumab therapy administered for a locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the buttocks arising from hidradenitis suppurativa. A diagnosis of paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) was made based on the presence of a suprabasal acantholysis associated with intercellular deposits of immunoglobulin G and C3 on basement membrane zone. Analysis of the patient's sera was positive on monkey bladder and detected circulating antibodies against desmoglein 3 and desmoplakin I prior to the initiation of pembrolizumab. At that time, the patient had few localized blisters limited to the peri-tumoral skin of the buttocks with acantholysis but without in vivo immune deposits. Pembrolizumab therapy was discontinued and a complete remission of PNP was obtained using oral steroids. Reintroduction of pembrolizumab resulted in flare of PNP. Given the close temporal relation between pembrolizumab initiation and the subsequent clinical expression of a widespread PNP, the patient was diagnosed with pre-existing subclinical PNP exacerbated by PD-1 inhibitor. The extreme rarity of PNP in the setting of cutaneous SCC and the effects of challenge, dechallenge, and rechallenge of pembrolizumab argue in favor of a checkpoint inhibitor related adverse effect. Our case is the first PNP associated with anti-PD-1 therapy and serological follow-up suggest that one infusion of pembrolizumab is sufficient to allow clinical expression of underlying pemphigus auto-immunity.
Cell Wall-Associated Virulence Factors Contribute to Increased Resilience of Old Cryptococcus neoformans Cells

As Cryptococcus neoformans mother cells generationally age, their cell walls become thicker and cell-wall associated virulence factors are upregulated. Antiphagocytic protein 1 (App1), and laccase enzymes (Lac1 and Lac2) are virulence factors known to contribute to virulence of C. neoformans during infection through inhibition of phagocytic uptake and melanization. Here we show that these cell-wall-associated proteins are not only significantly upregulated in old C. neoformans cells, but also that their upregulation likely contributes to the increased resistance to antifungal and host-mediated killing during infection and to the subsequent accumulation of old cells. We found that old cells melanize to a greater extent than younger cells and as a consequence, old melanized cells are more resistant to killing by amphotericin B compared to young melanized cells. A decrease in melanization of old lacΔ mutants lead to a decrease in old-cell resilience, indicating that age-related melanization is contributing to the overall resilience of older cells and is being mediated by laccase genes. Additionally, we found that older cells are more resistant to macrophage phagocytosis, but this resistance is lost when APP1 is knocked out, indicating that upregulation of APP1 in older cells is in part responsible for their increased resistance to phagocytosis by macrophages. Finally, infections with old cells in the Galleria mellonella model support our conclusions, as loss of the APP1, LAC1, and LAC2 gene ablates the enhanced virulence of old cells, indicating their importance in age-dependent resilience.
The Interplay Between the Genetic and Immune Landscapes of AML: Mechanisms and Implications for Risk Stratification and Therapy

AML holds a unique place in the history of immunotherapy by virtue of being among the first malignancies in which durable remissions were achieved with “adoptive immunotherapy,” now known as allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The successful deployment of unselected adoptive cell therapy established AML as a disease responsive to immunomodulation. Classification systems for AML have been refined and expanded over the years in an effort to capture the variability of this heterogeneous disease and risk-stratify patients. Current systems increasingly incorporate information about cytogenetic alterations and genetic mutations. The advent of next generation sequencing technology has enabled the comprehensive identification of recurrent genetic mutations, many with predictive power. Recurrent genetic mutations found in AML have been intensely studied from a cell intrinsic perspective leading to the genesis of multiple, recently approved targeted therapies including IDH1/2-mutant inhibitors and FLT3-ITD/-TKD inhibitors. However, there is a paucity of data on the effects of these targeted agents on the leukemia microenvironment, including the immune system. Recently, the phenomenal success of checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cells has re-ignited interest in understanding the mechanisms leading to immune dysregulation and suppression in leukemia, with the objective of harnessing the power of the immune system via novel immunotherapeutics. A paradigm has emerged that places crosstalk with the immune system at the crux of any effective therapy. Ongoing research will reveal how AML genetics inform the composition of the immune microenvironment paving the way for personalized immunotherapy.
Hanger Drive: Driver Manipulation System for Self-balancing Transporter Using the Hanger Reflex Haptic Illusion

In recent years, self-balancing transporters have become popular for medium-distance transportation such as police patrols and sightseeing tours, and are expected to further gain prevalence. Therefore, it is important to develop danger avoidance and automated driving systems for self-balancing transporters. However, automated control of a self-balancing transporter is challenging because the user balances on the vehicle while riding. In this study, we control the driving direction of a self-balancing transporter indirectly by controlling the motion of the user who is riding the vehicles. We develop a system to controlling the turning direction of self-balancing transporter using Hanger Reflex and its application.
Effect of Different Reactive Diluents on PDMS-PEG Hydrogels Properties

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is commonly used biomaterials for tissue engineering due to inert and nontoxic properties. However, there is the main drawback of PDMS which it is hydrophobic in nature. To overcome this limitation, PDMS was crosslinked with polyethylene glycol (PEG) in order to enhance it hydrophilic property. In this study, the effect of allyl methacrylate (AMA) and PDMS-MA 1K as reactive diluents in the hydrogel fabrication was investigated. Firstly, PDMS-SiH and PDMS-MA that was synthesized and had been confirmed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). While for UV-crosslinked hydrogel, contact angle and swelling study were conducted. From the analysis, it was found that increasing in reactive diluents content increased the swelling with insignificant trend for contact angle result. Importantly, from this work the biocompatibility of produced PDMS-based hydrogel was enhanced with the addition of reactive diluents.
Mechanism, Prevention, and Treatment of Radiation-Induced Salivary Gland Injury Related to Oxidative Stress

Radiation therapy is a common treatment for head and neck cancers. However, because of the presence of nerve structures (brain stem, spinal cord, and brachial plexus), salivary glands (SGs), mucous membranes, and swallowing muscles in the head and neck regions, radiotherapy inevitably causes damage to these normal tissues. Among them, SG injury is a serious adverse event, and its clinical manifestations include changes in taste, difficulty chewing and swallowing, oral infections, and dental caries. These clinical symptoms seriously reduce a patient’s quality of life. Therefore, it is important to clarify the mechanism of SG injury caused by radiotherapy. Although the mechanism of radiation-induced SG injury has not yet been determined, recent studies have shown that the mechanisms of calcium signaling, microvascular injury, cellular senescence, and apoptosis are closely related to oxidative stress. In this article, we review the mechanism by which radiotherapy causes oxidative stress and damages the SGs. In addition, we discuss effective methods to prevent and treat radiation-induced SG damage.
Effect of Lumbar Stabilisation Exercises using the Stable and Unstable Surface on Pain, Disability and Electromyography (EMG) Activity in Chronic Low Back Pain

Introduction: Non-specific low back pain is one of the common representations of musculoskeletal disorders which can be widely seen all over the world. It is mainly due to the unbalanced and weak muscles of the core, which plays a vital role in maintaining stability and mobility of the spine. Consequently causes recurrence of back pain with activities. The objective of the study: The study was done to evaluate the effects of lumbar stabilisation exercise using stable and unstable surfaces on pain, disability and electromyographic activity of the Erector spine and transverse abdomen are muscle in chronic low back pain patients (CLBP). Methods: Twenty-four patients with chronic low back pain were recruited in the study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were randomly allocated into two groups i.e Group A (n=12) lumbar stabilization exercise (LSE) on a stable surface while Group B (n=12) LSE on an unstable surface for 3 sessions per week for 6 weeks in both the groups. The pain was assessed using the Numerous Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), functional disability using Modified Oswestry Disability Index (MODI) Scale and Muscle recruitment pattern using Electromyography (EMG). Result: Six weeks of interventions showed significant improvement in pain, functional disability and muscle activity of core muscles in both groups (p <0.05). While comparing both groups, there was a significant improvement in pain and muscle activity of the transverse abdominal muscle in Group B patients (p <0.05). Conclusion: Lumbar stabilization exercises using Swiss balls as unstable surfaces is effective interventional therapy for the alleviation of chronic low back pain and improving the muscle recruitment pattern in patients.
A Survey of Adwords Problem With Small Bids In a Primal-dual Setting: Greedy Algorithm, Ranking Algorithm and Primal-dual Training-based Algorithm

The Adwords problem has always been an interesting internet advertising problem. There are many ways to solve the Adwords problem with the adversarial order model, including the Greedy Algorithm, the Balance Algorithm, and the Scale-bid Algorithm, which is also known as MSVV. In this survey, I will review the Adwords problem with different input models under a primal-dual setting, and with the small-bid assumption. In the first section, I will focus on Adwords with adversarial order model, and use duality to prove the efficiency of the Greedy Algorithm and the MSVV algorithm. Next, I will look at a primal-dual training-based algorithm for the Adwords problem with the IID model.