DICE: Deep intelligent contextual embedding for twitter sentiment analysis

© 2019 IEEE. The sentiment analysis of the social media-based short text (e.g., Twitter messages) is very valuable for many good reasons, explored increasingly in different communities such as text analysis, social media analysis, and recommendation. However, it is challenging as tweet-like social media text is often short, informal and noisy, and involves language ambiguity such as polysemy. The existing sentiment analysis approaches are mainly for document and clean textual data. Accordingly, we propose a Deep Intelligent Contextual Embedding (DICE), which enhances the tweet quality by handling noises within contexts, and then integrates four embeddings to involve polysemy in context, semantics, syntax, and sentiment knowledge of words in a tweet. DICE is then fed to a Bi-directional Long Short Term Memory (BiLSTM) network with attention to determine the sentiment of a tweet. The experimental results show that our model outperforms several baselines of both classic classifiers and combinations of various word embedding models in the sentiment analysis of airline-related tweets

Platelet biology in regenerative medicine of skeletal muscle

Platelet‐based applications such as platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) and platelet releasate have gained unprecedented attention in regenerative medicine across a variety of tissues as of late. The rationale behind utilizing PRP originates in the delivery of key cytokines and growth factors from α‐granules to the targeted area, which in turn act as cell cycle regulators and promote the healing process across a variety of tissues. The aim of the present review is to assimilate current experimental evidence on the role of platelets as biomaterials in tissue regeneration, particularly in skeletal muscle, by integrating findings from human, animal and cell studies. This review is composed of 3 parts: firstly, we review key aspects of platelet biology that precede the preparation and use of platelet‐related applications for tissue regeneration. Secondly, we critically discuss relevant evidence on platelet‐mediated regeneration in skeletal muscle focusing on findings from (i) clinical trials, (ii) experimental animal studies and (iii) cell culture studies; and thirdly, we discuss the application of platelets in the regeneration of several other tissues including tendon, bone, liver, vessels and nerve. Finally, we review key technical variations in platelet preparation that may account for the large discrepancy in outcomes from different studies. This review provides an up‐to‐date reference tool for biomedical and clinical scientists involved in platelet‐mediated tissue regenerative applications

cGMP signaling inhibits platelet shape change through regulation of the RhoA-Rho Kinase-MLC phosphatase signaling pathway

Background: Platelet shape change, spreading and thrombus stability require activation of the actin cytoskeleton contractile machinery. The mechanisms controlling actin assembly to prevent unwanted platelet activation are unclear. Objectives: We examined the effects of nitric oxide on the signaling pathways regulating platelet actinmyosin activation. Results: S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) inhibited thrombin-induced platelet shape change and myosin phosphorylation of the myosin light chain (MLC). Because thrombin stimulates phospho-MLC through the RhoA/ ROCK dependent inhibition of MLC phosphatase (MLCP) we examined the effects of NO on this pathway. Thrombin caused the GTP loading and activation of RhoA, leading to the ROCK-mediated phosphorylation of MLCP on threonine 853 (thr853), which is known to inhibit phosphatase activity. Treatment of platelets with GSNO blocked ROCK-mediated increases in phosphoMLCPthr853 induced by thrombin. This effect was mimicked by the direct activator of protein kinase G, 8-pCPT-PET-cGMP, and blocked by the inhibition of guanylyl cyclase, but not inhibitors of protein kinase A. Further exploration of the mechanism demonstrated that GSNO stimulated the association of RhoA with protein kinase G (PKG) and the inhibitory phosphorylation (serine188) of RhoA in a cGMP-dependent manner. Consistent with these observations, in vitro experiments revealed that recombinant PKG caused direct phosphorylation of RhoA. The inhibition of RhoA by GSNO prevented ROCK-mediated phosphorylation and inhibition of MLCP activity. Conclusions: These data suggest novel crosstalk between the NO-cGMP-PKG and RhoA/ROCK signaling pathways to control platelet actin remodeling

Increasing Seed System Efficiency in Africa: Concepts, Strategies and Issues

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework that can be used by agricultural leaders, administrators, policy makers, and seed program managers to (1) understand key factors affecting seed system development; and (2) compare organizational and institutional strategies for increasing seed system effectiveness. A literature review of recent studies on seed system development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) was undertaken to achieve these objectives. The studies reviewed included published and unpublished reports, monographs, and case studies.food security, food policy, Sub-Saharan Africa, seed system, Crop Production/Industries, Downloads July 2008-July 2009: 22, F0,

Comparative Analysis on Angular Flow and Mass Transfer in Haemodialysis

Healthy kidney cleans blood and removes unwanted materials in the form of urine. When the kidney does not work properly, dialysis is one of the best solutions. Dialysis required if unhealthy kidney does not remove enough wastes and fluid from the blood. This usually happens when only 10 - 15 % of kidney’s function left. A dialyzer is used to clean blood. In an attempt to address clinical and experimental discrepancies, compartmental theoretical models have been used. Noda et al. (1979) were among the first to introduce a theoretical model on mass transfer using countercurrent flows. Their proposed model assumes an ideal flow distribution of the hollow fibers. Since diffusion is the main mechanism, c(r; t) has been denoted as the concentration of a solute per unit volume at the point r and time t. In this paper, instead of time, we have proposed a new parameter for the concentration of the solute, which is independent of time. Results reveal the behavior of concentration of urea in terms of eigenvalues which depends on angular flow

Conditions of Teaching and Research in Economics: Some Preliminary Findings

This paper reports onthe preliminary findings of a study initiated two years ago, at the initiative of the P.LD.E. to review the problems of teaching and research in economics and related subjects (ERS)! during the last two decades. The need for such a study has been felt for some time not only because of the common perception of declining standards in higher education generally and, economics, in particular, but also from the perceived competition economics has faced from other disciplines, especially business studies and computer science as a passport to the job market. After having enjoyed a relatively robust period of growth in the 1960s largely through the assistance of foreign donors such as the Ford Foundation, ERS in Pakistan have suffered in their development not only from the comparative paucity of resources allocated to them, but also as a result of an adverse change in the perceptions about the primacy of their usefulness for policy purposes. The demand for economics has also suffered some decline as a result of the diminished importance of the public sector and of planned development during the last two decades. While special branches of economics, such as finance, project evaluation, transport and energy economics have shown increased demand, mainly in the private sector or donor-related institutions, the demand for general economic analysts is not as strong as in the past and does not provide many gainful opportunities for professional advancement. Due to the continued disadvantage in terms of salaries and other rewards, the academic profession, remains unattractive

IS AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STILL A PUBLIC GOOD?

The nature of public agricultural research changed in 1980 when the Bayh-Dole Act allowed universities to retain title to inventions that were created with Federal funds, and the court case Diamond v. Chakrabarty allowed patenting of living tissue and eventually other bio-engineered products. In 1997, over 2,300 new licenses and options were executed on academic life-sciences property. This raises the questions agricultural research still be a public good? This paper is a critical first step in understanding how increasingly private ownership of intellectual property affects the agribusiness environment and the evolving role of public agricultural research institutions. The innovative step in this paper is the development of a formal economic model which represents the role of applied biotech research in the agricultural life sciences. The model is built around neo-Schumpeterian ideas of endogenous innovation and growth. The most salient implications for the role of the public sector are(1)The private sector underinvests in applied R&D activity. (2) Concentration in the large-firm, life-science R&D industry increases over time. (3) The life-science revolution is reducing the number of markets, in the short run. This reduction in the number of niche markets diminishes the role of the public sector. (4) There is a role for the public sector in conducting R&D in niche markets. (5) In the long run, the life-science revolution may also create new niche markets. (6) There is a role for the public sector in the provision of basic research which increases the productivity of applied R&D.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Development, Characterization and Statistical Optimization of Almotriptan Malate Loaded Transdermal Patches for the Treatment of Migraine

INTRODUCTION: The development of a new drug molecule is a time consuming procedure and requires approximately 125 million dollars. This is beyond the scope of pharmaceutical companies in developing countries like India. But it is possible to give a new life to the existing molecules by formulating them in the form of novel drug delivery systems. Therefore, in recent years, considerable attention has been focused on the development of new drug delivery systems. The therapeutic efficacy and safety of the drugs administered by convention methods can be improved by more precise spatial and temporal placement within the body, thereby reducing both the size and number of doses through a controlled drug delivery. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Almotriptan Malate is a highly selective serotonin 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonist. According to the FDA Clinical Review, Almotriptan Malate is effective in the acute treatment of moderate to severe migraine attacks in adult and adolescent patients with a history of migraine with or without aura. Several studies have reported that Almotriptan Malate has the best sustained pain-free rate and the lowest adverse events rate of all the triptans. It is consistently one of the preferred triptans in multi attribute decision-making analyses. 1. To design the formula for transdermal patches, preliminary trials were conducted with different concentration of different polymer combination. 2. To select the best polymer combination. 3. To carry out the compatibility studies of drug and selected polymer combinations. 4. To incorporate selected model drug candidates in the formula and prepare patches. 5. To characterize the formulated patches for the physico-mechanical characteristics. 6. To carry out the in vitro drug release studies of the formulated patches through dialysis membrane using Franz diffusion cell. 7. To design the optimized formulation by simple 22 factorial designs by using statistical software. 8. To check the stability of the formulated patches. 9. To evaluate the drug release kinetics for the best formulation among the other patches. CONCLUSION: The present investigation, it may be concluded that such matrix type transdermal patches of Almotriptan Malate may provide sustained transdermal delivery for prolonged periods in the management of migraine, which can be a good way to bypass the extensive hepatic first pass metabolism. The result of the study showed the feasibility of formulating rate-controlled transdermal films of Almotriptan Malate for effective control and prophylaxis of migraine. Further invivo investigations are required to correlate in-vitro permeation studies for the development of suitable transdermal system of Almotriptan Malate

Compliance to HIV treatment monitoring guidelines can reduce laboratory costs

Background: Panel tests are a predetermined group of tests commonly requested together to provide a comprehensive and conclusive diagnosis, for example, liver function test (LFT). South African HIV antiretroviral treatment (ART) guidelines recommend individual tests for toxicity monitoring over panel tests. In 2008, the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) request form was redesigned to list individual tests instead of panel tests and removed the ‘other tests’ box option to facilitate efficient ART laboratory monitoring.Objectives: This study aimed to demonstrate changes in laboratory expenditure, for individual and panel tests, for ART toxicity monitoring.Method: NHLS Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) data were extracted for HIV conditional grant accounts to assess ART toxicity monitoring laboratory expenditure between 2010/2011 and 2014/2015. Data were classified based on the tests requested, as either panel (LFT or urea and electrolytes) or individual (alanine transaminase or creatinine) tests.Results: Expenditure on panel tests reduced from R340 million in 2010/2011 to R140m by 2014/2015 (reduction of R204m) and individual test expenditure increased from R34m to R76m (twofold increase). A significant reduction in LFT panel expenditure was noted, reducing from R322m in 2010/2011 to R130m in 2014/2015 (60% reduction).Conclusion: Changes in toxicity monitoring guidelines and the re-engineering of the NHLS request form successfully reduced expenditure on panel tests relative to individual tests. The introduction of order entry systems could further reduce unnecessary laboratory expenditure