Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An independent study of the preclinical efficacy of C2-8 in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease.

BACKGROUND C2-8 is a small molecule inhibitor of polyglutamine aggregation and can reduce photoreceptor neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model of Huntington's disease (HD). Further preclinical studies have shown that oral administration of C2-8 in R6/2 HD transgenic mice can penetrate into the brain, reduce mHTT-exon1 aggregation, improve motor performance and diminish striatal neuron atrophy. OBJECTIVE In this independent preclinical study, we aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic properties and therapeutic efficacy of C2-8 intraperitoneal (IP) delivery in the R6/2 HD mouse. METHODS R6/2 mice were IP injected with low dose C2-8 (10 mg/kg), high dose C2-8 (20 mg/kg), or vehicle twice daily from 3 weeks to 3 months old. Longitudinal behavioral tests (accelerating Rotarod and wire-hang) were performed to evaluate the motor deficits, and neuropathology was measured by unbiased stereology. RESULTS We confirmed that the compound has good blood-brain-barrier penetration after acute or sub-chronic intraperitoneal delivery. Chronic treatment with C2-8 in R6/2 mice results in a significant reduction of nuclear mHTT aggregate volume in the brains, replicating a key finding of C2-8 as a polyglutamine aggregation inhibitor in vivo. However, by comparing HD mice with C2-8 treatment to those with vehicle treatment, we were unable to demonstrate significant amelioration of motor deficits using Rotarod and wire-hang tests. Moreover, we did not observe improvement in the striatal neurodegenerative pathology, as measured by brain weight, striatal volume, and striatal neuron volume in the C2-8 treated R6/2 mice. CONCLUSIONS Our study supports the practice of independent preclinical studies for novel molecules in HD therapeutic development and suggests that the use of alternative delivery strategies and full-length HD mouse models are likely needed to further assess whether the aggregate-inhibiting properties of C2-8 can be consistently translated into a preclinical benefit in HD mice.
On the endogeneity of telecommunications and economic growth: evidence from Asia

The impact of mobile and fixed telephones on economic growth has been the subject of increasing scrutiny in the literature on economic development. It is even of interest to theoretical macroeconomists, as it provides a useful test of the positive network externalities that should be present if endogenous growth theory is correct. We study the relationship between teledensity and growth in Asia, as the countries there have experienced wildly different levels of telephone penetration per capita, and of rates of growth of GDP per capita. We estimate several econometric models, one which explicitly treats telecom as strictly exogenous, and others which treat it as endogenous. Our conclusions are robust to the econometric specification. We find that the impact of teledensity on growth is positive, and increases with the level of telephone penetration. This provides support for endogenous growth theory.
Sub-50 nm P-channel FinFET

High-performance PMOSFETs with sub-50-nm gate-length are reported. A self-aligned double-gate MOSFET structure (FinFET) is used to suppress the short-channel effects. This vertical double-gate SOI MOSFET features: 1) a transistor channel which is formed on the vertical surfaces of an ultrathin Si fin and controlled by gate electrodes formed on both sides of the fin; 2) two gates which are self-aligned to each other and to the source/drain (S/D) regions; 3) raised S/D regions; and 4) a short (50 nm) Si fin to maintain quasi-planar topology for ease of fabrication. The 45-nm gate-length p-channel FinFET showed an I/sub dsat/ of 820 /spl mu/A//spl mu/m at V/sub ds/=V/sub gs/=1.2 V and T/sub ox/=2.5 mm. Devices showed good performance down to a gate-length of 18 nm. Excellent short-channel behavior was observed. The fin thickness (corresponding to twice the body thickness) is found to be critical for suppressing the short-channel effects. Simulations indicate that the FinFET structure can work down to 10 nm gate length. Thus, the FinFET is a very promising structure for scaling CMOS beyond 50 nm.
Pricing A Class of Multiasset Options using Information on Smaller Subsets of Assets

In this paper, we study the pricing problem for the class of multiasset European options with piecewise linear convex payoff in the asset prices. We derive a simple upper bound on the price of this option by constructing a static super-replicating portfolio using cash and options on smaller subsets of assets. The best upper bound is found by determining the optimal set of strike prices that minimizes the cost of this super-replicating portfolio. Under the no-arbitrage assumption, this bound is shown to be tight when the joint risk-neutral distributions for the smaller subsets of assets are known but the complete risk-neutral distribution is unknown. Using a simulation-based optimization approach, we obtain new price bounds for the basket option, an option on the maximum of several assets and an option on the spread between the maximum and minimum of assets. Extensions to markets where only a finite set of options are traded on smaller subsets of assets is also provided. The paper thus extends some of the recent results in Aspremont and Ghaoui [1] and Hobson et al. [15] to a larger class of options under more general assumptions.
Facial aesthetics: Achieving the natural, relaxed look

When patients undergoing nonsurgical facial rejuvenation procedures are asked to state their expectations in terms of outcomes, the achievement of a “natural, relaxed look” usually emerges as the paramount goal. The importance to clinicians of delivering on this patient desire is becoming increasingly clear. After all, patient satisfaction is the ultimate treatment goal. This article explores aspects of what defines the natural, relaxed look and what patients are seeking when they undergo nonsurgical facial rejuvenation procedures and is based on the clinical experience of the authors. The article also offers suggestions intended to help clinicians provide each patient with appropriate outcomes and satisfaction.
Heterogeneity in the Effects of Reward- and Deposit-based Financial Incentives on Smoking Cessation.

RATIONALE Targeting different smoking cessation programs to smokers most likely to quit when using them could reduce the burden of lung disease. OBJECTIVES To identify smokers most likely to quit using pure reward-based financial incentives or incentive programs requiring refundable deposits to become eligible for rewards. METHODS We conducted prespecified secondary analyses of a randomized trial in which 2,538 smokers were assigned to an $800 reward contingent on sustained abstinence from smoking, a refundable $150 deposit plus a $650 reward, or usual care. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Using logistic regression, we identified characteristics of smokers that were most strongly associated with accepting their assigned intervention and ceasing smoking for 6 months. We assessed modification of the acceptance, efficacy, and effectiveness of reward and deposit programs by 11 prospectively selected demographic, smoking-related, and psychological factors. Predictors of sustained smoking abstinence differed among participants assigned to reward- versus deposit-based incentives. However, greater readiness to quit and less steep discounting of future rewards were consistently among the most important predictors. Deposit-based programs were uniquely effective relative to usual care among men, higher-income participants, and participants who more commonly failed to pay their bills (all interaction P values < 0.10). Relative to rewards, deposits were more effective among black persons (P = 0.022) and those who more commonly failed to pay their bills (P = 0.082). Relative to rewards, deposits were more commonly accepted by higher-income participants, men, white persons, and those who less commonly failed to pay their bills (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Heterogeneity among smokers in their acceptance and response to different forms of incentives suggests potential benefits of targeting behavior-change interventions based on patient characteristics. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials. gov (NCT 01526265).
When in Rome: The role of culture & context in adherence to robot recommendations

In this study, we sought to clarify the effects of users' cultural background and cultural context on human-robot team collaboration by investigating attitudes toward and the extent to which people changed their decisions based on the recommendations of a robot collaborator. We report the results of a 2×2 experiment with nationality (Chinese vs. US) and communication style (implicit vs. explicit) as dimensions. The results confirm expectations that when robots behave in more culturally normative ways, subjects are more likely to heed their recommendations. Specifically, subjects with a Chinese vs. a US cultural background changed their decisions more when collaborating with robots that communicated implicitly vs. explicitly. We also found evidence that Chinese subjects were more negative in their attitude to robots and, as a result, relied less on the robot's advice. These findings suggest that cultural values affect responses to robots in collaborative situations and reinforce the importance of culturally sensitive design in HRI.
IN STUDENTS : PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS 1 Internet addiction in students : Prevalence and risk factors

The last decade has witnessed a large increase in research on the newly emerging mental health problem of Internet addiction. Rather than looking at Internet addiction per se, this study focused on particular activities on the Internet that might be potentially addictive and linked them to personality traits that might predispose individuals to Internet addiction. The aims of this study were (i) to assess the prevalence of clinically significant levels of Internet addiction, and to (ii) discern the interplay between personality traits and specific Internet uses in increasing the risk for Internet addiction. This cross-sectional online survey used data from 2,257 students of an English university. Results indicated that 3.2% of the students were classified as being addicted to the Internet. The included personality traits and uses of online activities explained 21.5% of the variance in Internet addiction. A combination of online shopping and neuroticism decreased the risk for Internet addiction, whereas a combination of online gaming and openness to experience increased it. In addition to this, frequent usage of online shopping and social online activities, high neuroticism and low agreeableness significantly increased the chances of being addicted to the Internet. Findings and their implications
Towards Pentecopolitanism: New African Pentecostalism and social cohesion in South Africa

This article evaluates the challenges that militate against the full engagement of New African Pentecostalism (NAP) in the process of social cohesion in South Africa. It argues that this new religious phenomenon in South Africa has been preoccupied with the promotion of internal social cohesion within its ecclesiastical boundaries to the neglect of national social cohesion. Employing the notion of ‘religious cosmopolitanism’ (Cahill 2003) as theoretical underpinning, the article proposes a new concept termed Pentecopolitanism, as an ethical frame for New African Pentecostal engagement in democratisation and social cohesion in South Africa. The notion of Pentecopolitanism is envisaged to function as an antidote against sectarianism and fundamentalism within NAP and a framework for its constructive engagement with pluralism in the current South African search for national social cohesion. Pentecopolitanism is a philosophy which arises out of the need for recognition of the social function of religion, so as to enable human beings to discover their humanity through the humanity of others. Keywords : Social cohesion, Pentecopolitanism, South Africa, Black Africans, New African Pentecostalism
Fitting stories into boxes: rhetorical and textual constraints on candidates’ performances in British job interviews

This paper examines a site where inequality is produced. Street-level bureaucrats make decisions about candidates’ suitability for inclusion in their organisation, and therefore paid employment, on the basis of their ability to produce ‘bureaucratically processable’ talk (Iedema, 1999). This requirement implicitly entails adherence to culturally specific conventions and possession of specific forms of linguistic capital (Bourdieu, 1991) and creates a linguistic penalty for those who do not know the rules of this cultural game. Drawing on the first ever substantial data set of video-recorded job interviews in the UK, this paper analyses how candidates born abroad are disadvantaged by two interactional procedures that are central to the institutional discourses of the job interview: narrative accounts and the keeping of a written record. In our data, candidates’ responses were constrained by the requirement to produce a ‘standard’ narrative, and to make their talk recordable. When things went wrong, less support was given by interviewers, and institutional requirements were tightened for those candidates who found them most difficult to manage.
Effects of Halothane, Enflurane, and Isoflurane on Coronary Blood Flow Autoregulation and Coronary Vascular Reserve in the Canine Heart

To investigate the effects of volatile anesthetics on coronary blood flow (CBF) autoregulation and coronary vascular reserve, studies were performed on chronically instrumented dogs, awake and during the administration of 1.0 MAC halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane. Coronary pressure-flow plots were generated by measuring left anterior descending coronary artery blood flow while varying coronary inflow pressure with a hydraulic occluder. Autoregulation was quantitated by two measures: the slope of the horizontal “autoregulated” portion of the pressure-flow relationship and the autoregulation index (ArI) of Norris, Slope values (ml min−1 mmHg−1 SD) were: awake, 0.243 0.043; halothane, 0.414, 0.044; enflurane, 0.587, 0.187; and isoflurane, 0.795 0.246. The increase in slope was statistically significant only for halothane and isoflurane (P < .05). The ArI approaches 1.0 when autoregulation is perfect, and approaches zero or is a negative number when autoregulation is absent. The authors found ArI values of: awake, 0.55; halothane, −0.08; enflurane, −0.01; isoflurane, −0.02. These values indicate good autoregulation while awake, but impaired autoregulation with all three anesthetics (P < .05). Coronary vascular reserve was calculated, at a diastolic coronary pressure of 40 mmHg, as the difference between resting flow and flow during maximal coronary vasodilation induced by intracoronary adenosine. Coronary vascular reserve, maximal coronary conductance, and coronary zero-flow pressure were not significantly altered by these anesthetics. The authors conclude that 1.0 MAC enflurane, halothane, and isoflurane mildly disrupt CBF autoregulation, increasing CBF out of proportion to myocardial demands. Under the conditions of this study, these anesthetics do not affect maximal CBF or coronary vascular reserve.
Prevalence of Refractive Errors among High School Students in Western Iran

Purpose To determine the prevalence of refractive errors among high school students. Methods In a cross-sectional study, we applied stratified cluster sampling on high school students of Aligoudarz, Western Iran. Examinations included visual acuity, non-cycloplegic refraction by autorefraction and fine tuning with retinoscopy. Myopia and hyperopia were defined as spherical equivalent of -0.5/+0.5 diopter (D) or worse, respectively; astigmatism was defined as cylindrical error >0.5 D and anisometropia as an interocular difference in spherical equivalent exceeding 1 D. Results Of 451 selected students, 438 participated in the study (response rate, 97.0%). Data from 434 subjects with mean age of 16±1.3 (range, 14 to 21) years including 212 (48.8%) male subjects was analyzed. The prevalence of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism was 29.3% [95% confidence interval (CI), 25-33.6%], 21.7% (95%CI, 17.8-25.5%), and 20.7% (95%CI, 16.9-24.6%), respectively. The prevalence of myopia increased significantly with age [odds ratio (OR)=1.30, P=0.003] and was higher among boys (OR=3.10, P<0.001). The prevalence of hyperopia was significantly higher in girls (OR=0.49, P=0.003). The prevalence of astigmatism was 25.9% in boys and 15.8% in girls (OR=2.13, P=0.002). The overall prevalence of high myopia and high hyperopia were 0.5% and 1.2%, respectively. The prevalence of with-the-rule, against-the-rule, and oblique astigmatism was 14.5%, 4.8% and 1.4%, respectively. Overall, 4.6% (95%CI, 2.6-6.6%) of subjects were anisometropic. Conclusion More than half of high school students in Aligoudarz had at least one type of refractive error. Compared to similar studies, the prevalence of refractive errors was high in this age group.
Energy-Efficient Opportunistic Interference Alignment

We introduce an energy-efficient distributed opportunistic interference alignment (OIA) scheme that greatly improves the sum-rates in multiple-cell uplink networks while reducing the transmit power consumption compared to the conventional OIA scheme. In the proposed scheme, each user employs optimal transmit vector design and power control strategy in the sense of minimizing the amount of generated interference to other-cell base stations while satisfying a given required signal quality. Our main result indicates that owing to the reduced interference level, the proposed OIA method attains larger sum-rates than those of OIA with no power control (i.e., with full transmit power) for almost all signal-to-noise ratio regions, thus resulting in improved energy efficiency.
The Writer as ‘Ragpicker’: The Auratic Power of the Mundane in Nadine Gordimer's Recent Fiction

Recent intellectual debates in the humanities have shown a renewed interest in things spiritual. Also known as ‘subjective-life revolution’ and ‘postmodern holism’, the turn to the spiritual is, paradoxically, post-religious. It is best understood as ‘secular spirituality’: a sense of the sacred without allegiance to religious doctrines or institutions. I shall pursue this line of analysis in one of Nadine Gordimer's post-1990 novels, The House Gun. In suggesting a new way of reading the work of this Nobel Laureate, often dubbed the “conscience against apartheid”, I seek ‘spirituality in unexpected places’, including the sphere of sexuality. How might we respond to J M Coetzee's observation that there has been a “spiritual turn in her thought” (2007)?
Effects of sea level change on the upstream Kuroshio Current through the Okinawa Trough

Sea‐level effects on the Kuroshio Current (KC) in the Okinawa Trough (OT) are examined using a 3‐D ocean model. When the sea level is −135 m (for the Last Glacial Maximum), topographic high at the southernmost OT partially blocks the KC throughflow, resulting in a 43% reduction of KC inflow. Meanwhile, meandering is enhanced and deepwater ventilation is reduced. However, the KC does not migrate to the east off the OT as suggested previously. When sea level is −40 m (for the beginning of Holocene), the modeled flow pattern resembled present KC in terms of flow path and volume transport. Sea level fluctuation may act as a major control altering the KC course in the OT, leading to significant changes in horizontal and vertical water exchange. It may alter surface water properties, biogeochemistry in both water column and sediments below, potentially, downstream KC and climate over the northeast Asia.
Peripheral Refraction Patterns Out to Large Field Angles

Purpose To investigate hyperopic shifts and the oblique (or 45-degree/135-degree) component of astigmatism at large angles in the horizontal visual field using the Hartmann-Shack technique. Methods The adult participants consisted of 6 hypermetropes, 13 emmetropes and 11 myopes. Measurements were made with a modified COAS-HD Hartmann-Shack aberrometer across ±60 degrees along the horizontal visual field in 5-degree steps. Eyes were dilated with 1% cyclopentolate. Peripheral refraction was estimated as mean spherical (or spherical equivalent) refraction, with/against the rule of astigmatism and oblique astigmatism components, and as horizontal and vertical refraction components based on 3-mm major diameter elliptical pupils. Results Thirty percent of eyes showed a pattern that was a combination of type IV and type I patterns of Rempt et al. (Rempt F, Hoogerheide J, Hoogenboom WP. Peripheral retinoscopy and the skiagram. Ophthalmologica 1971;162:1–10), which shows the characteristics of type IV (relative hypermetropia along the vertical meridian and relative myopia along the horizontal meridian) out to an angle of between 40 and 50 degrees before behaving like type I (both meridians show relative hypermetropia). We classified this pattern as type IV/I. Seven of 13 emmetropes had this pattern. As a group, there was no significant variation of the oblique component of astigmatism with angle, but about one-half of the eyes showed significant positive slopes (more positive or less negative values in the nasal field than in the temporal field) and one-fourth showed significant negative slopes. Conclusions It is often considered that a pattern of relative peripheral hypermetropia predisposes to the development of myopia. In this context, the finding of a considerable portion of emmetropes with the IV/I pattern suggests that it is unlikely that refraction at visual field angles beyond 40 degrees from fixation contributes to myopia development.
Thiamine losses during storage of pasteurised and sterilized model systems of minced chicken meat with addition of fresh and oxidized fat, and antioxidants.

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to determine the effect of pasteurisation and sterilization of model systems of minced chicken meat in the presence of low or high-oxidised pork lard, soy and sunflower oil, as well as casein hydrolysate and rosemary extract, on losses of thiamine in model systems. METHODS In the samples, the thiamine content was analysed periodically by thiochromium method, as well as rate of lipid oxidation based on measurement of peroxide value (PV) by iodometric method and p-anisidine value (AV) by spectrophotometric method. RESULTS It was observed that the thiamine losses in model systems of minced chicken after pasteurisation (61-71%) were higher than after sterilization (57-67%). Introduction of high-oxidised fat increased the total thiamine losses both during thermal processing and storage of meat samples (to 23%). A strong relationship was established between thiamine losses and rate of fat oxidation. The lowest total thiamine losses were observed in the samples with low-oxidised pork lard. Antioxidant addition (rosemary extract or casein hydrolysate) into meat samples limited the thiamine losses. However, the effect depended on oxidation of fat that was mixed with meat. In the samples with low-oxidised fat, higher protective effect was found for rosemary extract (7-11%). In the samples with high-oxidised fat, casein hydrolysate was superior to rosemary extract (14%). CONCLUSIONS In order to increase the stability of thiamine in pasteurized or sterilized meat products with fats, the influence of fat type and its oxidative stability should be taken under consideration. Moreover, the addition of rosemary extract or casein hydrolysate has impact on the thiamine losses since it slows down lipid oxidation to a significant extent.