Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Vagal Motor Neurons Projecting to the Guinea Pig Airways and Esophagus

Distinct parasympathetic postganglionic neurons mediate contractions and relaxations of the guinea pig airways. We set out to characterize the vagal inputs that regulate contractile and relaxant airway parasympathetic postganglionic neurons. Single and dual retrograde neuronal tracing from the airways and esophagus revealed that distinct, but intermingled, subsets of neurons in the compact formation of the nucleus ambiguus (nAmb) innervate these two tissues. Tracheal and esophageal neurons identified in the nAmb were cholinergic. Esophageal projecting neurons also preferentially (greater than 70%) expressed the neuropeptide CGRP, but could not otherwise be distinguished immunohistochemically from tracheal projecting preganglionic neurons. Few tracheal or esophageal neurons were located in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus. Electrical stimulation of the vagi in vitro elicited stimulus dependent tracheal and esophageal contractions and tracheal relaxations. The voltage required to evoke tracheal smooth muscle relaxation was significantly higher than that required for evoking either tracheal contractions or esophageal longitudinal striated muscle contractions. Together our data support the hypothesis that distinct vagal preganglionic pathways regulate airway contractile and relaxant postganglionic neurons. The relaxant preganglionic neurons can also be differentiated from the vagal motor neurons that innervate the esophageal striated muscle.
Orientation and scale invariant mean shift using object mask-based kernel

In this paper, we propose a new method for object tracking based on mean shift algorithm using a kernel which has the shape of the target object, and with probabilistic estimation of the orientation change and scale adaptation. The proposed method uses an object mask to construct a kernel which has the shape of the actual object for tracking. Orientation is adjusted using probabilistic estimation of orientation and scale is adapted using a newly proposed descriptor for scale. Tests results show that the proposed method is robust to background clutter and tracks objects very accurately.
A History of Inequality in South Africa 1652-2002

A History of Inequality in South Africa, 1652-2002. By Sampie Terreblanche. Pietermaritzburg: University of Durban Press, 2002. Pp. xvi, 527. $43.95 paper. Sampie Terreblanche is a distinguished professor emeritus of economics at the University of Stellenbosch who obtained degrees at Stellenbosch and Harvard before returning to teach at his alma mater from 1968 to 2002. The author of eight books and numerous other publications, Terreblanche was an economic advisor to the old apartheid regime and a twenty-one year member of the Afrikaner Broederbond. More recently, however, he has become a champion of the poor and a harsh critic of the current government's economic policies. His new study of inequality, which took eight years to complete, has stirred intense discussion and controversy since its publication in 2002. In his work, Terreblanche argues that unequal power structures were a central feature of colonial South African society, beginning with the arrival of the Dutch in 1652, and that these unequal relationships continued and even hardened during the segregation and apartheid periods from 1910 to 1994 when whites monopolized political and economic power. Very few would argue with him on these points. It is his conclusions about South African society since 1994, however, that have been the center of a most contentious debate. He believes that "unequal power relations and unequal socio-economic outcomes have remained defining characteristics of the post-apartheid period. Despite our transition to an inclusive democracy, old forms of inequality have been perpetuated, and some entrenched more deeply than ever before" (p. xv). Terreblanche spends the first four chapters setting out his analysis and criticisms of economic policy and developments since 1990. He begins with a broad overview of previous studies and theories that have sought to explain unequal power relationships and unfree labor patterns in South African history and the various ways that power and authority have been manifested in six successive systemic periods since 1652. Terreblanche then looks at the recent transitional period from white to majority rule, 1990 to 2002, and discusses the legacy of apartheid and the legislation created to build a new nonracial South Africa, which, he concedes, has greatly improved political and legal rights for all South Africans. The economic structure put in place after 1994, however, draws harsh, sometimes scathing, criticism from Terreblanche. …
A fast color image encryption scheme based on multidimensional chaotic maps

In this paper, we propose a new color image encryption technique using two multidimensional chaotic maps: a three dimensional chaotic map for the key expansion and a two dimensional chaotic map for the generation of two chaotic lookup tables. The experimental results demonstrate that the distributions of red, green and blue surfaces of the encrypted image have a random-like behavior. Simulations show also that the proposed encryption scheme is particularly suitable for high speed applications.
A Simulation Suite for Internet Nodes with the Ability to Integrate Arbitrary Quality of Service Behavior

ihouin a nd ne ls, . In es. ith ny bain . f her omor Abstract In the last few years, the Internet community spent a of research efforts in investigating several kinds of mech nisms to provide better services than the traditional best fort delivery. Simulating the behavior of Internet routers an hosts with modified QoS behavior is one of the most impo ant ways to prove their guarantees. Existing models availa for common simulation tools have not been implemented such a modular way as to reuse them easily according to principles of new Internet services. In this paper, a modular simulation suite of complete Inte net nodes with a realistic simulation of the Internet protoc and the underlying layers will be presented. The IP mode designed in a very detailed way, covering all features of t protocol, including mechanisms for ICMP and Multicast, u like other network simulation models. The model conside hardware restrictions of IP processing computers as well. T second feature of the simulation suite is the ability to bu any quality of service behavior. This is supported by eleme tary QoS models, which can be combined and integrated v flexibly. The simplicity to design this modular and reusab models is supported by the modular architecture of the c sen simulation environment – the OMNeT simulation tool.
Is it interesting? Comparing human and machine judgements on the PETS dataset

Dee, H. M. ; Hogg, D. C. Is it Interesting? : Comparing human and machine judgements on the PETS dataset in: Proceedings of the Performance Evaluation of Tracking And Surveillance workshop (PETS2004) at the European Conference on Computer Vision, pp 49-55, Prague, Czech Repubic, 2004.
Semi-automated lifestyle manager for obesity

Existing healthcare services on smartphones are not convenient to use as they typically require too many manual inputs from users. This paper presents a semi-automated obesity-care application for helping people manage their own lifestyles. In our approach, a person's lifestyle is captured by a log of daily activities performed (e.g., eating, visiting, etc.), which can be captured automatically. For this purpose, the application recognizes the current location of the user and logs the history of his/her visiting places over time. This log can be used to deduce the type and the duration of the user's activities and then the calorie consumption. The application also helps the user aware of his/her own lifestyle and BMI changes, and records this information for future usage such as when meeting a doctor for a clinical purpose. We have implemented the application on the Android platform and demonstrate the usefulness of this approach by illustrating the screen designs.
Licochalcone A, a Polyphenol Present in Licorice, Suppresses UV-Induced COX-2 Expression by Targeting PI3K, MEK1, and B-Raf

Licorice is a traditional botanical medicine, and has historically been commonly prescribed in Asia to treat various diseases. Glycyrrhizin (Gc), a triterpene compound, is the most abundant phytochemical constituent of licorice. However, high intake or long-term consumption of Gc has been associated with a number of side effects, including hypertension. However, the presence of alternative bioactive compounds in licorice with anti-carcinogenic effects has long been suspected. Licochalcone A (LicoA) is a prominent member of the chalcone family and can be isolated from licorice root. To date, there have been no reported studies on the suppressive effect of LicoA against solar ultraviolet (sUV)-induced cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression and the potential molecular mechanisms involved. Here, we show that LicoA, a major chalcone compound of licorice, effectively inhibits sUV-induced COX-2 expression and prostaglandin E2 PGE2 generation through the inhibition of activator protein 1 AP-1 transcriptional activity, with an effect that is notably more potent than Gc. Western blotting analysis shows that LicoA suppresses sUV-induced phosphorylation of Akt/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2/p90 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (RSK) in HaCaT cells. Moreover, LicoA directly suppresses the activity of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)1, and B-Raf, but not Raf-1 in cell-free assays, indicating that PI3K, MEK1, and B-Raf are direct molecular targets of LicoA. We also found that LicoA binds to PI3K and B-Raf in an ATP-competitive manner, although LicoA does not appear to compete with ATP for binding with MEK1. Collectively, these results provide insight into the biological action of LicoA, which may have potential for development as a skin cancer chemopreventive agent.
Lactococcus lactis NCC 2287 Alleviates Food Allergic Manifestations in Sensitized Mice by Reducing IL-13 Expression Specifically in the Ileum

Objective. Utilizing a food allergy murine model, we have investigated the intrinsic antiallergic potential of the Lactococcus lactis NCC 2287 strain. Methods. BALB/c mice were sensitized at weekly intervals with ovalbumin (OVA) plus cholera toxin (CT) by the oral route for 7 weeks. In this model, an oral challenge with a high dose of OVA at the end of the sensitization period leads to clinical symptoms. Lactococcus lactis NCC 2287 was given to mice via the drinking water during sensitization (prevention phase) or after sensitization (management phase). Results. Lactococcus lactis NCC 2287 administration to sensitized mice strikingly reduced allergic manifestations in the management phase upon challenge, when compared to control mice. No preventive effect was observed with the strain. Lactococcus lactis NCC 2287 significantly decreased relative expression levels of the Th-2 cytokine, IL-13, and associated chemokines CCL11 (eotaxin-1) and CCL17 (TARC) in the ileum. No effect was observed in the jejunum. Conclusion/Significance. These results taken together designate Lactococcus lactis NCC 2287 as a candidate probiotic strain appropriate in the management of allergic symptoms.
Corporate Financial Leverage: A Canada - U.S. Comparison, 1961-1996

Recent studies have shown that companies with relatively high debt-to-asset (leverage) ratios exhibit more variability in investment and employment patterns. Other studies argue that high aggregate corporate leverage is associated with macroeconomic instability. This paper establishes and compares the evolution of aggregate corporate leverage trends in Canada and the United States from 1961 to 1996. Leverage has increased nearly 50 percent in both countries, and the majority of this increase is attributable to a greater use of short-term debt instruments. Although the magnitude of the increase is similar in both countries, the period harboring the lion's share of the increase is country-specific. Most of the increase in corporate leverage in Canada occurred between 1974 to 1983; a period associated with low real interest rates and rapid capital expansion in western Canada. The brunt of the increase in American corporate leverage occurred between 1982 and 1990. Over this period, U.S. companies were in the process of massive capital restructuring by purchasing outstanding equity with borrowed funds. This period was also associated with an increase in the number and value of U.S. leveraged buy-outs that aided in pushing financial leverage higher.
On the complexity of learning with a small number of nodes

It is shown that the loading problem for a six-node neural network with a node function set AC/sub 10/, i.e., the conjunction or disjunction of a subset of the inputs or their complements is NP complete. It can be deduced from this observation that the loading problem for a six-node analog neural network is NP hard. The loading problem for a four-node neural network with a node function set equal to AC/sub 10/ plus the three-input equality function is shown to be NP complete, and it is indicated how the required results can be derived in a similar fashion. Three loading problems are studied. <<ETX>>
Association of (cid:1) 2 -Adrenoceptor Gln27Glu Variant With Body Weight But Not Hypertension

(cid:1) 2 -Adrenoceptor ( (cid:1) 2 -ADR)-mediated vasodilatation de-creases vascular reactivity and blood pressure (BP) and chromosome 5 where its gene ( ADRB2R ) resides and shows linkage to hypertension (HT). A Gln27Glu ADRB2R variant confers resistance to agonist-induced desensitiza-tion and enhanced vasodilator response to isoprenaline. Therefore, we carried out a case-control study in a cohort of HT and normotensive (NT) Anglo-Celtic Australian white subjects whose parents had a similar BP status as the subjects. Glu27 frequency was 0.41 in 108 HT and 0.42 in 141 NT ( (cid:2) 2 (cid:1) 0.05, P (cid:1) . 82). Within the HT group, the Glu27 allele was more prevalent in 61 subjects who were overweight (body mass index [BMI] (cid:3) 25 kg/m 2 ) com-pared with 41 who were lean (BMI (cid:2) 25 kg/m 2 ); ie, 0.49 v 0.31, respectively ( (cid:2) 2 (cid:1) 6.4, P (cid:1) . 012). Furthermore, Glu27 tracked with elevation in BMI in these subjects: 24 (cid:3) 4 kg/m 2 , 27 (cid:3) 5 kg/m 2 , and 28 (cid:3) 5 kg/m 2 for Gln/Gln , Gln/Glu , and Glu/Glu , respectively ( P (cid:1) . 0058 by one-way ANOVA). Thus, the Gln27Glu (cid:1) 2 -ADR variant is excluded in HT, but might inﬂuence body weight.
Observations and Modeling of the Inner Disk Region of T Tauri Stars

We present observations of four T Tauri stars using long baseline infrared interferometry from the Palomar Testbed Interferometer. The target sources, T Tau N, SU Aur, RY Tau, and DR Tau, are all known to be surrounded by dusty circumstellar disks. The observations directly trace the inner regions (<1 AU) of the disk and can be used to constrain the physical properties of this material. For three of the sources observed, the infrared emission is clearly resolved. We first use geometric models to characterize the emission region size, which ranges from 0.04 to 0.3 AU in radius. We then use Monte Carlo radiation transfer models of accretion disks to jointly model the spectral energy distribution and the interferometric observations with disk models including accretion and scattering. With these models, we are able to reproduce the data set with extended emission arising from structures larger than 10 mas contributing less than 6% of the K-band emission, consistent with little or no envelope remaining for these class II sources [d log(λFλ)/d log λ ≈ -2-0 in the infrared]. The radiation transfer models have inner radii for the dust similar to the geometric models; however, for RY Tau, emission from gas within the inner dust radius contributes significantly to the model flux and visibility at infrared wavelengths. The main conclusion of our modeling is that emission from inner gas disks (between the magnetic truncation radius and the dust destruction radius) can be a significant component in the inner disk flux for sources with large inner dust radii.
Poverty in Plenty: A human development report for the UK

List of Figures, Boxes and Tables List of Main Contributors UNED- UK Foreword by Sakiko Fukuda-Parr Preface by Derek Osborn Acknowledgements List of Acronym and Abbreviations Part I: Issues and Context 1. Why a UK Human Development Report? Introduction What is a Human Development Report? The Definitions we have Used Social Capital: Making the Connection to Poverty The Process Structure of the Book 2. Human Development in Context Setting the Scene Thinking Globally Environmental Justice A Global Imbalance Environmental Justice in the UK A national View The UK's Treaty Commitments Trade Agreements and Human Development Conclusion Main Messages of this Chapter 3. Getting the Measure of Human Development Thinking about Poverty The Right Tools for the Job Human Poverty and Human Development Making Comparisons Who Dies Young in Britain? Functional Illiteracy in Britain Low Income in the UK Long-term Unemployment in the UK Human Poverty in Britain The Social Exclusion Unit What the Social Exclusion Unit has Done so Far Is the SEU having an Impact? In the Regions Main Messages of this Chapter Part II: Key Elements and the UK Policy Agenda 4. Food Security: A Challenge for Human Development The Food we Eat Food and Human Development Food Poverty Food Security Developing Food Security Commodity or Necessity? Lessons from the Past Main Messages of this Chapter 5. Housing A Key to Human Development Homeward Bound Sustainable Building Sustainable Living Meeting Demand Conclusion Main Messages of this Chapter 6. Employment Integration for the Least Advantaged People in the UK: Opportunities and Risks Into Work Sustainable Livelihoods Incentives to Take up Employment Low Pay and the Minimum Wage In-work Benefits Unemployment and High Risk Groups for Unemployment Active Labour Market Policies Flexibility Employability Conclusion Main Messages of this Chapter Part Ill: The Way Forward 7. From Vision to Reality Meeting Needs An Equitable Environment Fair Shares How can we Empower Communities? Setting up Systems to Build Sustainability Sustainable Regeneration Regional Level National Level Main Messages of this Chapter Part IV: Reference Section - HDR-UK Report Statistics at Regional Level Appendix 1 Environment and Health Appendix 2 Economics and Employment Appendix 3 Social Environment Appendix 4 Human Poverty Index for British Parliamentary Constituencies and OECD Countries Appendix 5 Participating Organisations References Index
Metabolic Syndrome in South African Patients with Severe Mental Illness: Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors

Background There is a surge of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Africa. CVD is the leading cause of mortality among patients with severe mental illness (SMI) in developed countries, with little evidence from the African context. Objective To determine the prevalence and risk factors for MetS among South African patients with SMI. Method In a cross sectional study, individuals with SMI treated with antipsychotics and a control group without a mental illness, matched for age, gender and ethnicity were evaluated for MetS using the 2009 Joint Interim statement (JIS) criteria. Results Of the 276 study group subjects, 65.9% were male, 84.1% black African, 9.1% white, 5.4% of Indian descent and 1.5% coloured (mixed race) with a mean age of 34.7 years (±12.5). Schizophrenia was the most common diagnosis (73.2%) and 40% were taking first generation antipsychotics. The prevalence of MetS was 23.2% (M: 15.4%, F: 38.3%) in the study group and 19.9% (M: 11.9%, F: 36.3%) in the control group (p = 0.4). MetS prevalence was significantly higher in study subjects over 55 years compared to controls (p = 0.03). Increased waist circumference (p< 0.001) and low high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (p = 0.003) were significantly more prevalent in study subjects compared to controls. In study subjects, risk factors associated with MetS included age (OR: 1.09, 95% CI 1.06–1.12, p < 0.001), female gender (OR: 2.19, 95% CI 1.06–4.55, p = 0.035) and Indian descent (OR: 5.84, 95% CI 1.66–20.52, p = 0.006) but not class of antipsychotic (p = 0.26). Conclusion The overall MetS prevalence was not increased in patients with SMI compared to controls; however, the higher prevalence of the individual components (HDL cholesterol and waist circumference) suggests an increased risk for CVD, especially in patients over 55 years.
General Supersymmetric Solutions of Five-Dimensional Supergravity

The classification of 1/4-supersymmetric solutions of five dimensional gauged supergravity coupled to arbitrary many abelian vector multiplets, which was initiated in [15], is completed. The structure of all solutions for which the Killing vector constructed from the Killing spinor is null is investigated in both the gauged and the ungauged theories and some new solutions are constructed.
Methodological Problems in fMRI Studies on Acupuncture: A Critical Review with Special Emphasis on Visual and Auditory Cortex Activations

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been used for more than a decade to investigate possible supraspinal mechanisms of acupuncture stimulation. More than 60 studies and several review articles have been published on the topic. However, till now some acupuncture-fMRI studies have not adopted all methodological standards applied to most other fMRI studies. In this critical review, we comment on some of the problems including the choice of baseline, interpretation of deactivations, attention control and implications of different group statistics. We illustrate the possible impact of these problems by focussing on some early findings, namely activations of visual and auditory cortical areas, when acupoints were stimulated that are believed to have a therapeutic effect on vision or hearing in traditional Chinese medicine. While we are far from questioning the validity of using fMRI for the study of acupuncture effects, we think that activations reported by some of these studies were probably not a direct result of acupuncture stimulation but rather attributable to one or more of the methodological problems covered here. Finally, we try to offer solutions for these problems where possible.
Observations of intrahour variable quasars: scattering in our Galactic neighbourhood

Abstract Interstellar scintillation (ISS) has been established as the cause of the random variations seen at centimetre wavelengths in many compact radio sources on timescales of a day or less. Observations of ISS can be used to probe structure both in the ionized insterstellar medium of the Galaxy and in the extragalactic sources themselves down to μ as scales. A few quasars have been found to show large amplitude scintillations on unusually rapid, intrahour timescales. This has been shown to be due to weak scattering in very local Galactic ‘screens’, within a few tens of parsec of the Sun. The short variability timescales allow detailed study of the scintillation properties in relatively short observation periods with compact interferometric arrays. The three best-studied ‘intrahour variable’ quasars, PKS 0405−385, J1819+3845 and PKS 1257−326, have been instrumental in establishing ISS as the principal cause of intraday variability at centimetre wavelengths. Here we review the relevant results from obse.