Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Use, Perceived Effectiveness and Safety of Herbal Galactagogues During Breastfeeding: A Qualitative Study

The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding as the normal infant feeding method and that infants being breastfed should be regarded as the control group or norm reference in all instances. There are many factors which could contribute to a new mother ceasing breastfeeding early, with the most commonly reported reason being perceived insufficient breast milk supply. The use of herbal galactagogues is increasingly common worldwide. Literature review identified a need for more research in the area of herbal galactagogue use during breastfeeding. Twenty in-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken with breastfeeding women who used herbal galactagogues, to document use and explore their perceived effectiveness and safety of herbal galactagogues. Several indicators of breastfeeding adequacy were mentioned as participants described their experiences with the use of herbal galactagogues. Confidence and self-empowerment emerged as an over-arching theme linked to positive experiences with the use of herbal galactagogues. Despite the lack of clinical trial data on the actual increase in measured volume of breast milk production, indicators of breastfeeding adequacy boosted participants’ confidence levels and resulted in psychological benefits. This study highlighted the importance of considering the potential psychological benefits of using herbal galactagogues, and how this translates into breastfeeding adequacy.
Power Efficient MIMO Techniques for 3GPP LTE and Beyond

Environmental issues and the need to reduce energy consumption for lowering operating costs have pushed power efficiency to become one of the major issues of current research in the field of wireless networks. The objective of the Green Radio research programme (Core 5) of Mobile VCE is to deliver reduced power consumption of radio access networks. This paper attempts to show that an efficient exploitation of multiple antenna techniques and multiuser diversity in both the time, frequency as well as the space domain can significantly ease the power requirements of a base station, whilst maintaining the same levels of service. Different MIMO transmission and precoding schemes proposed for LTE, achieving varying degrees of multiuser diversity are examined.
Dominant, toxic gain-of-function mutations in gars lead to non-cell autonomous neuropathology

Charcot–Marie–Tooth (CMT) neuropathies are collectively the most common hereditary neurological condition and a major health burden for society. Dominant mutations in the gene GARS, encoding the ubiquitous enzyme, glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS), cause peripheral nerve degeneration and lead to CMT disease type 2D. This genetic disorder exemplifies a recurring motif in neurodegeneration, whereby mutations in essential, widely expressed genes have selective deleterious consequences for the nervous system. Here, using novel Drosophila models, we show a potential solution to this phenomenon. Ubiquitous expression of mutant GlyRS leads to motor deficits, progressive neuromuscular junction (NMJ) denervation and pre-synaptic build-up of mutant GlyRS. Intriguingly, neuronal toxicity is, at least in part, non-cell autonomous, as expression of mutant GlyRS in mesoderm or muscle alone results in similar pathology. This mutant GlyRS toxic gain-of-function, which is WHEP domain-dependent, coincides with abnormal NMJ assembly, leading to synaptic degeneration, and, ultimately, reduced viability. Our findings suggest that mutant GlyRS gains access to ectopic sub-compartments of the motor neuron, providing a possible explanation for the selective neuropathology caused by mutations in a widely expressed gene.
Advances in Brief HRad 17 , a Human Homologue of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Checkpoint Gene rad 17 , Is Overexpressed in Colon Carcinoma 1

Using the palindromic PCR-cDNA display method, we have cloned a novel gene overexpressed by human colon carcinoma relative to normal colon. Among normal tissues examined, only testis expresses it at a high level. Sequence analysis revealed its extensive homology with checkpoint genesrad17of Schizosaccharomyces pombe and RAD24 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This novel gene designated as hRad17 is localized to chromosome 5q12,13.1, a region known to be deleted in a variety of human cancers. Promoter region and one pseudogene of hRad17have been identified. Whereas the increased expression ofhRad17 by human colon carcinomas may be related to the known resistance of these cells to DNA-damaging agents during therapy, the deletion ofhRad17in a variety of cancers may predispose them to increased rate of mutation and heightened sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, including radiation and anticancer drugs.
Dependency Networks Extractions from Textual Sources in Criminology: An Initial Implementation

The acquisition and understanding of data is of paramount importance in any scientific context. However, the complexity of data due to its exponentially increasing size, its dynamical properties, and its internal contradictory information, raises huge challenges, which are at the core of Big Data science. In this paper, we discuss an automatic method to identify, rank and discover knowledge specifically focusing on Criminology research. Our main motivation is to create a set of tools to guide criminology experts through the decision process and knowledge discovery. In our validation we will show the clear potential of the proposed method.
Decreased Na/K ATPase Ouabain Binding Sites in Red Blood Cells of Patients with Insulin-Dependent Diabetes and Healthy North African Control Subjects: Relationship with Diabetic Neuropathy

Like other degenerative complications occurring during diabetes, development of neuropathy is determined mainly by the duration of disease and quality of control. However, there may be some predisposing factors. Activity of Na/K ATPase has been implicated in the pathophysiology of diabetic neuropathy. A decrease in the activity of this enzyme has been observed in red blood cells of poorly controlled diabetic patients and healthy North African subjects who are predisposed to diabetic neuropathy. This study was performed to characterize abnormalities of Na/K ATPase activity in these two populations. For this purpose we measured enzyme activity (hydrolysis of ATP) and the number of enzyme units (number of binding sites for ouabain) in the red blood cells of three groups of men, i.e., healthy Caucasian subjects, healthy North African subjects and Caucasian insulin-dependent diabetic patients. The level of Na/K ATPase activity and the number of enzyme units were about 30% lower in the red blood cells of diabetic patients and North African subjects, than in healthy Caucasian controls. In healthy North African subjects predisposed to neuropathy in case of development of diabetes, the decrease in enzymatic activity was correlated with a decrease in the number of enzyme units. This correlation was not observed in diabetic patients. We speculate that the constitutional decrease in Na/K ATPase activity in healthy North African subjects corresponds to a quantitative defect, whereas the acquired decrease in diabetic patients corresponds to a qualitative defect probably related to the structure of the lipid membrane.
Lipopolysaccharide Effect on Vascular Endothelial Factor and Matrix Metalloproteinases in Leukemic Cell Lines In vitro

Background: Angiogenesis, the process of new vessels generation, plays a critical role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), as a cytokine, and Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs), has been the important factors that involved in angiogenesis. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has an essential effect on angiogenesis. Objectives: In this study the effect of LPS on VEGF production and MMP-2/MMP-9 activity in two leukemic cell lines has been assessed in vitro. Materials and Methods: Human leukemic U937 and THP1 cells were cultured in complete RPMI medium. Then the cells at the exponential growth phase were incubated with different concentrations of LPS (0 - 4 μg/mL) for 48 hours. Then the level of VEGF production and MMP-2/MMP-9 activity in cell culture supernatants were evaluated with the ELISA standard kits and gelatin zymography respectively. Results: U937 cells have produced a large amount of VEGF without any stimulus and LPS has not shown any substantial effect on VEGF production by these cells. However THP1 cells have produced a small amount of VEGF without stimulation and LPS significantly has increased VEGF production in these cells dose-dependently. Moreover LPS significantly has augmented the MMP-2/MMP-9 activity in the both leukemic cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions: Our results have shown that LPS might be a potential inducer/enhancer of VEGF production and MMP-2/MMP-9 activity (angiogenic factors) in leukemia. Moreover the LPS effect on angiogenesis might be in part, due to its stimulatory effects on VEGF and MMPs. Overall LPS-stimulated leukemic cells might be good models for study and planning the useful therapeutic approaches for angiogenesis- dependent diseases.
Constrained Efficiency in a Risky Human Capital Model

This paper revisits the question whether capital in a competitive equilibrium is overaccumulated from the perspective of the social planner in an incomplete market economy with risky human capital accumulation. As in Dávila, Hong, Krusell and RíosRull (2012), we consider a constrained social planner who cannot complete markets, but can improve welfare by only internalizing how individual allocations affect prices. In a standard incomplete market economy with exogenous labor income shocks, Dávila et al. (2012) show that the pecuniary externalities tend to imply that capital in a competitive equilibrium is underaccumulated in economies with realistically high wealth inequality. We analytically show that by introducing risky human capital accumulation to this standard incomplete market model, the implication of pecuniary externalities can be overturned — the capital-labor ratio in a competitive equilibrium is likely to be too high from the perspective of the constrained planner. However, a quantitative investigation shows that an economy with human capital calibrated to match the inequalities of both wealth and earnings of the US still shows a capital-labor ratio lower than the optimal ratio. Introducing human capital does not overturn the quantitative result of Dávila et al. (2012) — underaccumulation of capital, but qualitatively, the result can be reversed.
Critical Role of Exogenous Nitric Oxide in ROCK Activity in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Objective Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) signaling pathway has been shown to mediate various cellular functions including cell proliferation, migration, adhesion, apoptosis, and contraction, all of which may be involved in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Endogenous nitric oxide (NO) is well known to have an anti-atherosclerotic effect, whereas the exogenous NO-mediated cardiovascular effect still remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of exogenous NO on ROCK activity in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in vitro and in vivo. Methods VSMCs migration was evaluated using a modified Boyden chamber assay. ROCK activities were measured by Western blot analysis in murine and human VSMCs and aorta of mice treated with or without angiotensin II (Ang II) and/or sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor. Results Co-treatment with SNP inhibited the Ang II-induced cell migration and increases in ROCK activity in murine and human VSMCs. Similarly, the increased ROCK activity 2 weeks after Ang II infusion in the mouse aorta was substantially inhibited by subcutaneous injection of SNP. Conclusions These findings suggest that administration of exogenous NO can inhibit ROCK activity in VSMCs in vitro and in vivo.
Subunit Organisation of In Vitro Reconstituted HOPS and CORVET Multisubunit Membrane Tethering Complexes

Biochemical and structural analysis of macromolecular protein assemblies remains challenging due to technical difficulties in recombinant expression, engineering and reconstitution of multisubunit complexes. Here we use a recently developed cell-free protein expression system based on the protozoan Leishmania tarentolae to produce in vitro all six subunits of the 600 kDa HOPS and CORVET membrane tethering complexes. We demonstrate that both subcomplexes and the entire HOPS complex can be reconstituted in vitro resulting in a comprehensive subunit interaction map. To our knowledge this is the largest eukaryotic protein complex in vitro reconstituted to date. Using the truncation and interaction analysis, we demonstrate that the complex is assembled through short hydrophobic sequences located in the C-terminus of the individual Vps subunits. Based on this data we propose a model of the HOPS and CORVET complex assembly that reconciles the available biochemical and structural data.
Introduction of Plasmid DNA into Isolated Mitochondria by Electroporation

Mitochondrial disorders are a large group of phenotypically heterogeneous diseases. An understanding of their molecular basis would benefit greatly from the ability to manipulate the mitochondrial genome and/or to introduce functional exogenous DNA into mitochondria. As a first step toward this approach, we have used electroporation to introduce a 7.2-kilobase plasmid DNA into isolated functional mitochondria. Transfer of the DNA at field strengths between 8 and 20 kV/cm was investigated by Southern blot analysis. Maximal plasmid internalization was achieved at a field strength of 14 kV/cm. The functional integrity of the mitochondria after electroporation was verified by enzymatic assays of specific mitochondrial marker enzymes and by measuring respiratory control. At field strengths above 12 kV/cm, an increasing mitochondrial destruction was observed. 12 kV/cm was found to be optimal for the most efficient plasmid internalization while still retaining the functional integrity of the mitochondria. At this field strength, about half of the internalized plasmid was found in the inner membrane or mitochondrial matrix, as determined by immunoelectron microscopy and Southern blot analysis of electroporated mitochondria treated with digitonin. We estimate that on average one plasmid molecule/mitochondrion reaches the matrix or inner membrane.
An Agent Architecture for On-Line Learning of Procedural andDeclarative

In order to develop versatile cognitive agents that learn in situated contexts and generalize resulting knowledge to diierent environments , we explore the possiblity of learning both declarative and procedural knowledge in a hybrid connectionist architecture. The architecture is based on the two-level idea proposed earlier by the author. Declarative knowledge is represented symbolically, while procedural knowledge is represented subsymboli-cally. The architecture integrates reactive procedures , rules, learning, and decision-making in a uniied framework, and structures diierent learning components (including Q-learning and rule induction) in a synergistic way to perform on-line and integrated learning.
Achievable rates in two-user interference channels with finite inputs and (very) strong interference

For two-user interference channels, the capacity is known for the case where interference is stronger than the desired signal. Moreover, it is known that if the interference is above a certain level, it does not reduce the capacity at all. To achieve this capacity, the channel inputs need to be Gaussian distributed. However, Gaussian signals are continuous and unbounded. Thus, they are not well suited for practical applications. In this paper, we investigate the achievable rates if the channel inputs are restricted to finite constellations. Moreover, we will show by numerical simulations that rotating one of these input alphabets in the complex plane can increase the achievable rate region. Finally, we show that the threshold at which the single-user rates are achieved also depends on this rotation.
Swimmer detection and pose estimation for continuous stroke-rate determination

In this work we propose a novel approach to automatically detect a swimmer and estimate his/her pose continuously in order to derive an estimate of his/her stroke rate given that we observe the swimmer from the side. We divide a swimming cycle of each stroke into several intervals. Each interval represents a pose of the stroke. We use specifically trained object detectors to detect each pose of a stroke within a video and count the number of occurrences per time unit of the most distinctive poses (so-called key poses) of a stroke to continuously infer the stroke rate. We extensively evaluate the overall performance and the influence of the selected poses for all swimming styles on a data set consisting of a variety of swimmers.
Developing and Evaluating Cognitive Architectures with Behavioural Tests

We present a methodology for developing and evaluating cognitive architectures based on behavioural tests and suitable optimisation algorithms. Behavioural tests are used to clarify those aspects of an architecture’s implementation which are critical to that theory. By fitting the performance of the architecture to observed behaviour, values for the architecture’s parameters can be automatically obtained, and information can be derived about how components of the architecture relate to performance. Finally, with an appropriate optimisation algorithm, different cognitive architectures can be evaluated, and their performances compared on multiple tasks.
ID3 algorithm based object discrimination for multi object tracking

In this paper, we assume that a single pedestrian is a single blob, and define the representative properties of blobs to selection between merge and split of blobs. And we collect attribute information of the blob and make decision tree by using the ID3 algorithm. Next, we experimented for dividing the decision tree by directing the status of merge and split, as a result, it is possible to generate a pedestrian trajectory of the individual.
Modeling repeating behaviors in packet arrivals: Detection and measurement

With the growing stickiness of the Internet, numerous automated programs running in terminal facilities (e.g., laptops) tend to keep closely connected to the Internet by repetitively interacting with remote services. It is of fundamental importance to study such repeating behaviors of automated programs in areas like traffic engineering and network monitoring. This paper focuses on repeating behaviors in packet arrivals that are of interest, aiming at a hierarchical characterization of packet arrivals, detection methods and quantitative metrics. To this end, we present a structure-oriented characterization of packet arrivals, which reflects the temporal structure of repeating behaviors at different scales. Based on such characterization, a repeating behavior detection method is proposed by leveraging online-learning prediction, and two novel metrics of repeating behaviors are proposed from different aspects. In addition, a denoising method is developed to enhance the noise-tolerant capability of detection and measurement in face of noises. Experimental results based on real-world traces demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approaches in automated program behavior detection and behavioral botnet analysis.
The Wisdom of the Body; A Contemporary View

I know that most men, including those at ease with the problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives. L. Tolstoy
Maternal Milk Contains Antimicrobial Factors That Protect Young Rabbits from Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Infection

ABSTRACT Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) colibacillosis represents a major cause of lethal diarrhea in young children in developing countries. EPEC strains also infect numerous mammal species and represent a major economical problem in rabbit industry. Protection against this pathogen is a challenging goal both in humans and in other mammal species. Despite a good knowledge of the pathogenicity mechanisms of EPEC, the intrinsic and environmental factors that control the expression of EPEC virulence in mammals remain unknown. For instance, the exacerbated sensitivity of young mammals to EPEC infection is still unexplained. Our goal was to investigate if age or other factors, like milk consumption, could be determinants that trigger the disease. We used rabbits as an animal model to study the role of milk in the sensitivity to an EPEC infection. Weaned and suckling rabbits were orally inoculated with EPEC strain E22 (O103:H2:K−) at 28 days of age, and the evolution of the disease was investigated in the two groups. In addition, in order to better characterize the interactions between milk and EPEC, we determined in vitro bacterial growth and the abilities of EPEC cells to adhere to epithelial cells in the presence of milk. Our results demonstrate a protective role of milk in vivo in association with in vitro antibacterial activity. These effects are independent of the presence of specific anti-EPEC antibodies.
AFM stiffness nanotomography of normal, metaplastic and dysplastic human esophageal cells

The mechanical stiffness of individual cells is important in tissue homeostasis, cell growth, division and motility, and the epithelial–mesenchymal transition in the initiation of cancer. In this work, a normal squamous cell line (EPC2) and metaplastic (CP-A) as well as dysplastic (CP-D) Barrett's Esophagus columnar cell lines are studied as a model of pre-neoplastic progression in the human esophagus. We used the combination of an atomic force microscope (AFM) with a scanning confocal fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope to study the mechanical properties of single adherent cells. Sixty four force indentation curves were taken over the nucleus of each cell in an 8 × 8 grid pattern. Analyzing the force indentation curves, indentation depth-dependent Young's moduli were found for all cell lines. Stiffness tomograms demonstrate distinct differences between the mechanical properties of the studied cell lines. Comparing the stiffness for indentation forces of 1 nN, most probable Young's moduli were calculated to 4.7 kPa for EPC2 (n = 18 cells), 3.1 kPa for CP-A (n = 10) and 2.6 kPa for CP-D (n = 19). We also tested the influence of nuclei and nucleoli staining organic dyes on the mechanical properties of the cells. For stained EPC2 cells (n = 5), significant stiffening was found (9.9 kPa), while CP-A cells (n = 5) showed no clear trend (2.9 kPa) and a slight softening was observed (2.1 kPa) in the case of CP-D cells (n = 16). Some force–indentation curves show non-monotonic discontinuities with segments of negative slope, resembling a sawtooth pattern. We found the incidence of these ‘breakthrough events’ to be highest in the dysplastic CP-D cells, intermediate in the metaplastic CP-A cells and lowest in the normal EPC2 cells. This observation suggests that the microscopic explanation for the increased compliance of cancerous and pre-cancerous cells may lie in their susceptibility to ‘crumble and yield’ rather than their ability to ‘bend and flex’.