Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Money and Inflation: Some Critical Issues

We consider what, if any, relationship there is between monetary aggregates and inflation, and whether there is any substantial reason for modifying the current mainstream mode of policy analysis, which frequently does not consider monetary aggregates at all. We begin by considering the body of thought known as the "quantity theory of money. " The quantity theory centers on the prediction that there will be a long-run proportionate reaction of the price level to an exogenous increase in the nominal money stock. The nominal homogeneity conditions that deliver the quantity-theory result are the same as those that deliver monetary neutrality, an important principle behind policy formulation. The quantity theory implies a ceteris paribus unitary relationship between inflation and money growth. Simulations of a New Keynesian model suggest that we should expect this relationship to be apparent in time series data, with no heavy averaging or filtering required, but with allowance needed for the phase shift in the relationship between monetary growth rates and inflation. While financial innovation can obscure the relationship between monetary growth and inflation, evidence of a money growth/inflation relationship does emerge from the United States time series and G7 panel data. Various considerations suggest that studies of inflation and monetary policy behavior can benefit from including both interest rates and money in the empirical analysis.
GM-CSF Treated F4/80+ BMCs Improve Murine Hind Limb Ischemia Similar to M-CSF Differentiated Macrophages

Novel cell therapy is required to treat critical limb ischemia (CLI) as many current approaches require repeated aspiration of bone marrow cells (BMCs). The use of cultured BMCs can reduce the total number of injections required and were shown to induce therapeutic angiogenesis in a murine model of hind limb ischemia. Blood flow recovery was significantly improved in mice treated with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-dependent BMCs that secreted inflammatory cytokines. Angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, and blood flow recovery ratio were significantly higher in the GM-CSF-cultured F4/80+ macrophage (GM-Mø)-treated group compared with controls. Furthermore, Foxp3+ cell numbers and tissue IL-10 concentrations were significantly increased compared with controls. There was no significant difference in blood flow recovery between GM-Mø and M-CSF-cultured F4/80+ macrophages (M-Mø). Thus, GM-Mø were associated with improved blood flow in hind limb ischemia similar to M-Mø. The selective methods of culturing and treating GM-Mø cells similar to M-Mø cells could be used clinically to help resolve the large number of cells required for BMC treatment of CLI. This study demonstrates a novel cell therapy for CLI that can be used in conjunction with conventional therapy including percutaneous intervention and surgical bypass.
Bypassing P-Glycoprotein Drug Efflux Mechanisms: Possible Applications in Pharmacoresistant Schizophrenia Therapy

The efficient noninvasive treatment of neurodegenerative disorders is often constrained by reduced permeation of therapeutic agents into the central nervous system (CNS). A vast majority of bioactive agents do not readily permeate into the brain tissue due to the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the associated P-glycoprotein efflux transporter. The overexpression of the MDR1 P-glycoprotein has been related to the occurrence of multidrug resistance in CNS diseases. Various research outputs have focused on overcoming the P-glycoprotein drug efflux transporter, which mainly involve its inhibition or bypassing mechanisms. Studies into neurodegenerative disorders have shown that the P-glycoprotein efflux transporter plays a vital role in the progression of schizophrenia, with a noted increase in P-glycoprotein function among schizophrenic patients, thereby reducing therapeutic outcomes. In this review, we address the hypothesis that methods employed in overcoming P-glycoprotein in cancer and other disease states at the level of the BBB and intestine may be applied to schizophrenia drug delivery system design to improve clinical efficiency of drug therapies. In addition, the current review explores polymers and drug delivery systems capable of P-gp inhibition and modulation.
Aceruloplasminemia With Psychomotor Excitement and Neurological Sign Was Improved by Minocycline (Case Report)

AbstractAceruloplasminemia is an autosomal recessive disorder of iron metabolism caused by mutations in the ceruloplasmin gene. Its prevalence is 1 in 2,000,000 people in Japan. This is a disorder of neurodegeneration with iron accumulation in the brain revealed by MRI. The iron overload induces oxidative stress and generation of reactive oxygen species, which triggers a cascade of pathological events that lead to neuronal death. Intravenous administration of an iron chelator, deferoxamine has been proposed as a method of inhibiting the accumulation of iron.The patient was a 46-year-old Japanese woman. She was diagnosed at the age of 33 years. Deferoxamine was administrated for 6 months but was discontinued due to adverse effects. On admission at the age of 46, psychomotor excitement was acute in onset. The extrapyramidal symptoms reflected iron deposition in the basal ganglia and substantia nigra in the midbrain. Ataxia and a wide-based gate reflected iron deposition in the dentate nuclei of the cerebellum. An antibiotic, minocycline at 150 mg/day successfully ameliorated the clinical symptoms.Minocycline, a second generation tetracycline, has a direct radical scavenging property due to its chemical structure. It has been reported that minocycline is similar to deferoxamine in its ability to chelate iron. Minocycline is also involved in preventing the upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines. The iron-chelating, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of minocycline were involved in this case.
FTO Gene Associated Fatness in Relation to Body Fat Distribution and Metabolic Traits throughout a Broad Range of Fatness

Background A common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of FTO (rs9939609, T/A) is associated with total body fatness. We investigated the association of this SNP with abdominal and peripheral fatness and obesity-related metabolic traits in middle-aged men through a broad range of fatness present already in adolescence. Methodology/Principal Findings Obese young Danish men (n = 753, BMI≥31.0 kg/m2) and a randomly selected group (n = 879) from the same population were examined in three surveys (mean age 35, 46 and 49 years, respectively). The traits included anthropometrics, body composition, oral glucose tolerance test, blood lipids, blood pressure, fibrinogen and aspartate aminotransferase. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the age-adjusted association between the phenotypes and the odds ratios for the FTO rs9939609 (TT and TA genotype versus the AA genotype), for anthropometrics and body composition estimated per unit z-score. BMI was strongly associated with the AA genotype in all three surveys: OR = 1.17, p = 1.1*10−6, OR = 1.20, p = 1.7*10−7, OR = 1.17, p = 3.4*10−3, respectively. Fat body mass index was also associated with the AA genotype (OR = 1.21, p = 4.6*10−7 and OR = 1.21, p = 1.0*10−3). Increased abdominal fatness was associated with the AA genotype when measured as waist circumference (OR = 1.21, p = 2.2*10−6 and OR = 1.19, p = 5.9*10−3), sagittal abdominal diameter (OR = 1.17, p = 1.3*10−4 and OR = 1.18, p = 0.011) and intra-abdominal adipose tissue (OR = 1.21, p = 0.005). Increased peripheral fatness measured as hip circumference (OR = 1.19, p = 1.3*10−5 and OR = 1.18, p = 0.004) and lower body fat mass (OR = 1.26, p = 0.002) was associated with the AA genotype. The AA genotype was significantly associated with decreased Stumvoll insulin sensitivity index (OR = 0.93, p = 0.02) and with decreased non-fasting plasma HDL-cholesterol (OR = 0.57, p = 0.037), but not with any other of the metabolic traits. However, all significant results for both body fat distribution and metabolic traits were explained by a mediating effect of total fat mass. Conclusion The association of the examined FTO SNP to general fatness throughout the range of fatness was confirmed, and this association explains the relation between the SNP and body fat distribution and decreased insulin sensitivity and HDL-cholesterol. The SNP was not significantly associated with other metabolic traits suggesting that they are not derived from the general accumulation of body fat.
Combining haptic guidance and haptic disturbance: an initial study of hybrid haptic assistance for virtual steering task

In this paper, we present an experimental study in which we tested the feasibility of a hybrid haptic assistance scheme that combines haptic guidance and disturbance. In our hybrid method, haptic guidance is used in the initial phase of learning, but it is progressively turned into haptic disturbance as the learner's performance improves. The purpose of haptic guidance is to help learners become familiar with a new motor skill more quickly and easily, while the use of haptic disturbance is to further improve the learners' skill in the later stage of training. In order to assess the performance of hybrid haptic assistance, we conducted a human subjects experiment using a virtual steering task along with three other methods of no assistance, progressive haptic guidance, and haptic disturbance. Experimental results indicated some advantages of hybrid haptic assistance and progressive haptic guidance for the steering skill, but did not show any statistically significant differences in terms of absolute tracking errors among the four methods in both immediate and delayed retention test. However, further analysis provided more insights for the effects of different haptic assistance methods on two classes of skills (open-loop road tracking and closed-loop error canceling) required for our experimental task, which may offer some new ideas for future research.
Tracking multiple people with a multi-camera system

We present a multi-camera system based on Bayesian modality fusion to track multiple people in an indoor environment. Bayesian networks are used to combine multiple modalities for matching subjects between consecutive image frames and between multiple camera views. Unlike other occlusion reasoning methods, we use multiple cameras in order to obtain continuous visual information of people in either or both cameras so that they can be tracked through interactions. Results demonstrate that the system can maintain people's identities by using multiple cameras cooperatively.
A Recombinant Anticarsia gemmatalis MNPV Harboring chiA and v-cath Genes from Choristoneura fumiferana Defective NPV Induce Host Liquefaction and Increased Insecticidal Activity

One of the interesting features of Anticarsia gemmatalis multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus isolate 2D (AgMNPV-2D) genome is the absence of chitinase (chiA) and cathepsin (v-cath) genes. This characteristic may be responsible for the lack of liquefaction and melanization in A. gemmatalis larvae killed by AgMNPV-2D infection. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that CHIA and V-CATH proteins from Choristonera fumiferana DEF multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (CfDEFNPV) are able to liquefy and melanize the cuticle of A. gemmatalis larvae infected by a recombinant AgMNPV containing chiA and v-cath genes inserted in its genome. A fragment from the CfDefNPV genome containing chiA and v-cath genes was inserted into the genome of AgMNPV-2D. The recombinant virus (vAgp2100Cf.chiA/v-cath) was purified and used to infect insect cells and larvae. Transcripts of v-cath and chiA genes were detected along the infection of insect cells by qRT-PCR, from early to late phases of infection. The analysis of A. gemmatalis larvae killed by vAgp2100Cf.chiA/v-cath infection confirmed the hypothesis proposed. The vAgp2100Cf.chiA/v-cath showed higher insecticidal activity against third instar A. gemmatalis larvae when compared to AgMNPV-2D. The mean time to death was also lower for the vAgp2100Cf.chiA/v-cath when compared to AgMNPV-2D at 10 days post infection. Occlusion body production was higher in A. gemmatalis larvae infected with vAgp2100Cf.chiA/v-cath when compared to AgMNPV-2D. Enzyme assays showed higher chitinase and cysteine protease activities in insect cells and insects infected with vAgp2100Cf.chiA/v-cath when compared to AgMNPV-2D. The introduction of chiA and v-cath genes into the genome of AgMNPV improves its insecticidal activity against A. gemmatalis larvae and this recombinant virus could be used as an alternative to the wild type virus to control this important insect pest.
Real-Time Artistic Silhouettes Rendering for 3D Models

In line drawings, the line thickness is an important element for artists to depict shape and express emotion. In this paper, we proposed an approach for the real-time rendering of artistic silhouette outlines, based on the inherent aesthetic law of line thickness. We adopted the triangle shell technique as the basis of our silhouette outlines rendering method. By shifting the vertex of the back-facing mesh along its vertex normal under the aesthetic law, we recovered the variation of line thickness that artists often use when creating line drawings, and obtained aesthetically pleasing rendering results. Our method is implemented on GPU, and is suitable for real-time applications such as 3D games.
Analysis and simulation of fast-OLSR

With the current increase in ad hoc mobile networks in public domains (e.g. airports, cities, etc.), and the widespread use of the IEEE 802.11 standard in wireless LAN, there is a growing need to handle and manage fast mobility. Optimized link state routing protocol (OLSR) is a proactive protocol that enables routing in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Fast-OLSR is a new extension of OLSR designed to meet the need for fast mobility in ad-hoc networks. Combining mobile-IP with fast-OLSR ad-hoc routing could offer a complimentary solution to the UMTS or fourth generation (4G) mobile networks. In these mobile wireless networks greatly overlapping coverage areas can be produced. In this paper, we evaluate the performances of fast-OLSR in an overlapping coverage context.
Gadamerian philosophical hermeneutics as a useful methodological framework for the Delphi technique

In this article we aim to demonstrate how Gadamerian philosophical hermeneutics may provide a sound methodological framework for researchers using the Delphi Technique (Delphi) in studies exploring health and well-being. Reporting of the use of Delphi in health and well-being research is increasing, but less attention has been given to covering its methodological underpinnings. In Delphi, a structured anonymous conversation between participants is facilitated, via an iterative survey process. Participants are specifically selected for their knowledge and experience with the topic of interest. The purpose of structuring conversation in this manner is to cultivate collective opinion and highlight areas of disagreement, using a process that minimizes the influence of group dynamics. The underlying premise is that the opinion of a collective is more useful than that of an individual. In designing our study into health literacy, Delphi aligned well with our research focus and would enable us to capture collective views. However, we were interested in the methodology that would inform our study. As researchers, we believe that methodology provides the framework and principles for a study and is integral to research integrity. In assessing the suitability of Delphi for our research purpose, we found little information about underpinning methodology. The absence of a universally recognized or consistent methodology associated with Delphi was highlighted through a scoping review we undertook to assist us in our methodological thinking. This led us to consider alternative methodologies, which might be congruent with the key principles of Delphi. We identified Gadamerian philosophical hermeneutics as a methodology that could provide a supportive framework and principles. We suggest that this methodology may be useful in health and well-being studies utilizing the Delphi method.
Locally Testable Codes Analogues to the Unique Games Conjecture Do Not Exist

The Unique Games Conjecture (UGC ) is possibly the most important open problem in the research of PCPs and hardness of approximation. The conjecture is a strengthening of the PCP Theorem, predicting the existence of a special type of PCP veri ers: 2-query veri ers that only make unique tests. Moreover, the UGC predicts that such PCP veri ers can have almost-perfect completeness and low-soundness. The computational complexity notion of a PCP is closely related to the combinatorial notion of a Locally Testable Code (LTC ). LTCs are error-correcting codes with codeword testers that only make a constant number of queries to the tested word. All known PCP constructions use LTCs as building blocks. Furthermore, to obtain PCPs with certain properties, one uses LTCs with corresponding properties. In light of the strong connection between PCPs and LTCs, one may conjecture the existence of LTCs with properties similar to the ones required by the UGC. In this work we show that such LTCs do not exist. That is, we consider 2-query LTCs with codeword testers that only make unique tests. Roughly speaking, we show that any such LTC with relative distance close to 1, almost-perfect completeness and low-soundness, is of constant size. The result intends to point out the limitations of the current techniques for constructing PCPs. It suggests that proving the UGC may require a new approach. †Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. Research supported by Binational Science Foundation (BSF) and Israel Science Foundation (ISF).
Semantic Models for Question Answering

The research presented in this paper focuses on the adoption of semantic models for Question Answering (QA) systems. We propose a framework which exploits semantic technologies to analyze the question, retrieve and rank relevant passages. It exploits: (a) Natural Language Processing algorithms for the analysis of questions and candidate answers both in English and Italian; (b) Information Retrieval (IR) probabilistic models for retrieving candidate answers and (c) Machine Learning methods for question classification. The data source for the answers is an unstructured text document collection stored in search indices. The aim of the research is to improve the system performances by introducing semantic models in every step of the answering process.
Usability evaluation of web services by structural equation modeling

This paper is aimed at determining of the effect of subjective measures of web service usability on its objective measures. Using these results by appropriate design of web system its usability can be improved. A checklist combining the dimensions of web service usability and web service quality is proposed. For determining the subjective measures with the highest and lowest contribution to web service usability the structural equation modeling employed. A case study with 179 students using a student information system was carried out. By exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis the checklist was empirically verified and validated. Structural equation modeling was employed to evaluate the usability of the student information system. Data analysis revealed that the objective measures of web service usability have a strong and positive effect on its subjective measures. The most significant checklist dimensions affecting on web service usability were determined. For example the contribution of assurance was found to be highly influential on web service usability. Also the user navigation within the system can be neglected because of its low impact on web service usability. In contrary to previous studies this case study found a strong similarity between web service quality and web service usability. These results could be used for designing web services with better usability.
Schema Matching Based on Weighted Fuzzy Concept Lattice

This paper introduces a new schema matching approach based on weighted fuzzy concept lattice. The procedure contains three steps. Firstly, we increase the evidence about each element being matched by applying naive bayes classifier to classify the names and descriptions of the elements. Secondly, we use weighted fuzzy concept lattice to integrate the classified results as well as type messages and constrains. At last, a structural similarity measure is introduced to calculate the final matching. We present experimental results that demonstrate WFCL-based matching outperforms direct matching (without the benefit of WFCL). Keyword: schema matching; weighted fuzzy concept lattice; formal concept analysis; naive bayes classifier; similarity measure;
Detection of tampering in lossy compressed digital audio recordings

This paper addresses the problem of tampering detection and discusses one of the methods used for authenticity analysis of digital audio recordings. Presented approach is based on checking frame offsets in audio files compressed by using perceptual audio coding. This method can be further improved by applying histogram analysis of modified discrete cosine transform spectrum and detection of maximum number of nonzero spectral coefficients. The influence of compression algorithms' parameters on detection of forgeries are presented by applying AAC and Ogg Vorbis encoders as examples. The effectiveness of tampering detection algorithms proposed in this paper is tested on a predefined music database and compared graphically using ROC-like curves.
The challenge of managing informally

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the orientations of line managers in handling workplace conflict. In particular it examines the tension between the traditional preference of frontline managers for informal approaches and the perceived certainty of written disputes procedures. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws upon findings from 12 organisational case studies, focusing on interviews conducted with HR and managers. Findings – As line managers undertake more responsibility for people management, their preferences for informal approaches to workplace issues appears to be being replaced by a more rigid adherence to policy and procedure. This is largely driven by a lack of confidence and expertise in conflict management and a fear of the repercussions (both legal and organisational) of mishandling difficult issues. Written procedure therefore provides managers with both a systematic guide but also a protective shield against criticism and litigation. Research limitations/implicatio.
Load Balancing Using Consistent Hashing: A Real Challenge for Large Scale Distributed Web Crawlers

Large scale search engines nowadays use distributed Web crawlers to collect Web pages because it is impractical for a single machine to download the entire Web. Load balancing of such crawlers is an important task because of limitations in memory/resources of each crawling machine. Existing distributed crawlers use simple URL hashing based on site names as their partitioning policy. This can be done in a distributed environment using consistent hashing to dynamically manage joining and leaving of crawling nodes. This method is formally claimed to be load balanced in cases that hashing method is uniform. Given that the Web structure abides by power law distribution according to existing statistics, we argue that it is not at all possible for a uniform random hash function based on site's URL to be load balanced for case of large scale distributed Web crawlers. We show the truth of this claim by applying Web statistics to consistent hashing as it is used in one of famous Web crawlers. We also report some experimental results to demonstrate the effect of load balancing when we just rely on hash of host names.