Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hepatic structural enhancement and insulin resistance amelioration due to AT1 receptor blockade

Over the last decade, the role of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) on the development of obesity and its comorbidities has been extensively addressed. Both circulating and local RAS components are up-regulated in obesity and involved in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease onset. Pharmacological manipulations of RAS are viable strategies to tackle metabolic impairments caused by the excessive body fat mass. Renin inhibitors rescue insulin resistance, but do not have marked effects on hepatic steatosis. However, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) yield beneficial hepatic remodeling. ARBs elicit body mass loss and normalize insulin levels, tackling insulin resistance. Also, this drug class increases adiponectin levels, besides countering interleukin-6, tumoral necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta 1. The latter is essential to prevent from liver fibrosis. When conjugated with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha activation, ARB fully rescues fatty liver. These effects might be orchestrated by an indirect up-regulation of MAS receptor due to angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1R) blockade. These associations of ARB with PPAR activation and ACE2-angiotensin (ANG) (1-7)-MAS receptor axis deserve a better understanding. This editorial provides a brief overview of the current knowledge regarding AT1R blockade effects on sensitivity to insulin and hepatic structural alterations as well as the intersections of AT1R blockade with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor activation and ACE2-ANG (1-7) - MAS receptor axis.
Cooperation in Self-Organizing Map Networks Enhances Information Transmission from Input to Output in the Presence of Input Background Activity

The self-organizing map (SOM) algorithm produces artificial neural maps by simulating competition and cooperation among neurons. We study the consequences of input background activity on simulated self-organization, using the SOM, of the retinotopic map in the superior colliculus. The colliculus not only represents its inputs but also uses them to localize saccadic targets. Using the colliculus as a test-bed enables us to quantify the results of self-organization both descriptively, in terms of input-output mutual information, and functionally, in terms of the probability of error (expected distortion) in localizing targets. We find that mutual information is low, and distortion is high, when the SOM operates in the presence of input background activity but without the cooperative component (no neighbor training). Cooperation (training neighbors) greatly increases mutual information and greatly decreases distortion. Neighbor training can produce maps, but the simulations suggest that cooperative mechanisms are needed to produce information gain in the presence of input background activity. Map formation may be merely a side effect.
Realizable Spatio-Temporal Tomlinson-Harashima Precoders: Theory and Fast Computation

We derive the optimal realizable Tomlinson-Harashima precoder for frequency-selective multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels with respect to a simplified mean square error (MSE) criterion. Realizability means that, in contrast to other works, we do not restrict the internal filters of the precoder to have finite impulse responses (FIRs) but nevertheless ensure that the precoder can be operated in real-time subject to a finite latency time which can be chosen by the system designer. In particular, this allows us to consider channels with infinite impulse responses (IIRs) as they occur, e.g., in digital subscriber lines. The feedforward filter is located at the transmitter in our system model and an additional scalar gain is employed at the receiver. The relocation of the feedforward filter allows us to consider decentralized receivers. However, it also makes it necessary to impose a transmit power constraint. The power constraint often has the effect that the input signals at the receiver have to be rescaled. We argue that the inclusion of the additional scalar gain allows us to incorporate the effect of the rescaling operation into the optimization. Special emphasis is put on the fast computation of the realizable Tomlinson-Harashima precoder via displacement structure theory. We propose a fast algorithm which includes a successive construction of a close-to-optimal ordering of the data streams. The complexity of this algorithm is only cubic in the number of channel inputs and quadratic in the latency time. The algorithm can also be applied in situations where certain FIR constraints have to be fulfilled because we find that the optimal realizable Tomlinson-Harashima precoder involves only FIR filters as soon as the channel is FIR. Our results are reproducible.
Monetary policy and TIPS yields before the crisis

Abstract In this paper we study the joint behavior of the federal funds rate and 10-year TIPS yields before the start of the financial crisis in 2007. We make three points. First, the decade before the crisis was characterized by a collapse in the yield on TIPS. Second, estimated VARs for the federal funds rate and the TIPS yield show that while monetary policy shocks had negligible effects on the TIPS yield, shocks to the latter had one-to-one effects on the federal funds rate. Third, these findings can be rationalized in a New Keynesian model.
A UTF1-based selection system for stable homogeneously pluripotent human embryonic stem cell cultures

Undifferentiated transcription factor 1 (UTF1) was identified first in mouse embryonic stem cells and is also expressed in human embryonic and adult stem cells. UTF1 transcription ceases at the onset of differentiation, which clearly distinguishes it from less sensitive pluripotency markers, such as Oct4 or Nanog. We present here two transgenic hESC lines, named ZUN. Each line harbors one copy of the UTF1 promoter/enhancer driving a resistance gene and yielded highly homogeneous cultures under selection pressure, with a larger proportion of Oct4 and Sox2 positive cells. While ZUN cultures, like parental HUES8 cultures, retained the capacity to differentiate into tissues of all three germ layers using a SICD mouse teratoma model, they surprisingly exhibited an increased refractoriness to various differentiation cues in vitro. Together with its small size of only 2.4 kb for the entire cassette, these features render our selection system a powerful novel tool for many stem cell applications and human somatic cell reprogramming strategies.
From Sentence Processing to Information Access on the World Wide Web

This paper describes the START Information Server built at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Available on the World Wide Web since December 1993, the START Server provides users with access to multi-media information in response to questions formulated in English. Over the last 3 years, the START Server answered hundreds of thousands of questions from users all over the world. The START Server is built on two foundations: the sentence-level Natural Language processing capability provided by the START Natural Language system (Katz [1990])and the idea of natural language annotations for multi-media information segments. This paper starts with an overview of sentence-level processing in the START system and then explains how annotating information segments with collections of English sentences makes it possible to use the power of sentence-level natural language processing in the service of multi-media information access. The paper ends with a proposal to annotate the World Wide Web.
Preoperative QCT assessment of femoral head for assessment of femoral head bone loss

We quantified differences in trabecular volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral head between patients with proximal femoral fractures and healthy subjects in the control group by using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) with the purpose of providing guidance for the choice of head screw in the intramedullary nail fixation. Participants suffering from intertrochanteric fractures (n=536 patients) were recruited. In addition, 497 fracture-free, age-matched cases were considered as the control group. The volumetric BMD of different regions of interest (ROI) in the proximal femur scanned by QCT were analyzed between the fracture and control groups. BMD of proximal femur in the fracture group was markedly lower than that in the control group. There were significant differences at distinct regions for male and female between the two groups. Furthermore, the trend of BMD changes among the femoral head, femoral neck and intertrochanter were not parallels in terms of their average value. In conclusion, osteoporosis has been demonstrated to be a main risk factor of the proximal femoral fracture. BMD value of proximal femur was often inconsistent with that of femoral head. Given this, preoperative QCT assessment plays an important role in choosing proper head screw in the intramedullary nail fixation.
Enhanced multiagent multi-objective reinforcement learning for urban traffic light control

Traffic light control is one of the major problems in urban areas. This is due to the increasing number of vehicles and the high dynamics of the traffic network. Ordinary methods for traffic light control cause high rate of accidents, waste in time, and affect the environment negatively due to the high rates of fuel consumption. In this paper, we develop an enhanced version of our multiagent multi-objective traffic light control system that is based on a Reinforcement Learning (RL) approach. As a testbed framework for our traffic light controller, we use the open source Green Light District (GLD) vehicle traffic simulator. We analyze and fix some implementation problems in GLD that emerged when applying a more realistic continuous time acceleration model. We propose a new cooperation method between the neighboring traffic light agent controllers using specific learning and exploration rates. Our enhanced traffic light controller minimizes the trip time in major arteries and increases safety in residential areas. In addition, our traffic light controller satisfies green waves for platoons traveling in major arteries and considers as well the traffic environmental impact by keeping the vehicles speeds within the desirable thresholds for lowest fuel consumption. In order to evaluate the enhancements and new methods proposed in this paper, we have added new performance indices to GLD.
Web forum mining based on user satisfaction

Online discussion forums are popular resource for finding solutions for various problems. Solutions are found in the repositories of forums and their automated extraction is an important task. People are interested only in those forums which contain answers. Effective techniques for mining forums can significantly reduce searching and navigation time to find a solution. This paper describes a methodology for identifying answered threads from forum. To achieve this goal, question post is detected first and then the thread is classified as answered or unanswered by tracing satisfaction of the user. Based on the experiment performed, this technique showed significant improvement in the result.
Analysis and detection of bottlenecks via TCP footprints in live 3G networks

In this paper we evaluate four different metrics for non intrusive bottleneck detection based on TCP counters. This work is based on the full TCP statistics recorded on five days spread over the last one and a half year within the core network of a mobile network operator in Austria. Scatterplots, so called ldquofootprintsrdquo, were generated counting the number of packets and the number of retransmission for each user during the peak hours. Two of the datasets had a known capacity bottleneck in place. Based on those datasets we benchmarked the different metrics for the detection of a bottleneck event. We preprocessed the traces in order to remove the traffic increase. After this step all metrics were able to detect the special bottleneck case. Even traces separated for more than one year deliver a clear result. The performance of a PSNR metric was similar to the other metrics based on more sophisticated functions.
Callosal Connections of Primary Visual Cortex Predict the Spatial Spreading of Binocular Rivalry Across the Visual Hemifields

In binocular rivalry, presentation of different images to the separate eyes leads to conscious perception alternating between the two possible interpretations every few seconds. During perceptual transitions, a stimulus emerging into dominance can spread in a wave-like manner across the visual field. These traveling waves of rivalry dominance have been successfully related to the cortical magnification properties and functional activity of early visual areas, including the primary visual cortex (V1). Curiously however, these traveling waves undergo a delay when passing from one hemifield to another. In the current study, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate whether the strength of interhemispheric connections between the left and right visual cortex might be related to the delay of traveling waves across hemifields. We measured the delay in traveling wave times (ΔTWT) in 19 participants and repeated this test 6 weeks later to evaluate the reliability of our behavioral measures. We found large interindividual variability but also good test–retest reliability for individual measures of ΔTWT. Using DTI in connection with fiber tractography, we identified parts of the corpus callosum connecting functionally defined visual areas V1–V3. We found that individual differences in ΔTWT was reliably predicted by the diffusion properties of transcallosal fibers connecting left and right V1, but observed no such effect for neighboring transcallosal visual fibers connecting V2 and V3. Our results demonstrate that the anatomical characteristics of topographically specific transcallosal connections predict the individual delay of interhemispheric traveling waves, providing further evidence that V1 is an important site for neural processes underlying binocular rivalry.
Mapping Innovation Networks

This paper outlines a detailed and systematic method for revealing and mapping out the network mobilised in the development of a discrete innovation. This is termed a focal action-set. Important to the utility of this approach has been the development of a set of conventions for the graphical expression of the network and its components: actors, links and flows. It is argued that the network graphic provides a powerful, though under-utilised, tool for the representation of relational data. It may be employed, for example, to reveal variations in network configuration and to highlight key networking or boundary-spanning actors. The network mapping approach is illustrated through three cases of small firm innovation drawn from a wider investigation of award-winning technological innovations. A comparison between the network maps show a variation in the key boundary-spanning interactions, which is related to the organisational background of the entrepreneurial actor.
ACO Hypercube Framework for Solving a University Course Timetabling Problem

simplification of the UCTP problem is used, involving three types of hard constraints and three types of soft constraints. We solve competition instances and we present the results in a comparative form to other techniques. We present an appropriate construction graph and pheromone matrix representation. A representative instance is solved in addition to the schedules of the
Lipid Rafts and Bullous Diseases

Multiple observations point to involvement of lipid membrane domains, known as lipid rafts, in the pathology of human disorders. The putative role of lipid rafts in hereditary and acquired skin blistering diseases is discussed in this review. Stable adhesion of the epidermis to the underlying basement membrane is secured by hemidesmosomes, specialized multiprotein complexes in basal keratinocytes. Loss of function of hemidesmosomal proteins due to inherited or acquired abnormalities result in weak dermal-epidermal adhesion and blistering of the skin. Lipid rafts regulate biological functions of two hemidesmosomal transmembrane components: collagen XVII and ￻ 6￻ 4 integrin. Ectodomain shedding of collagen XVII is regulated by membrane lipid domains, suggesting involvement of lipid rafts in the pathogenesis of junctional epidermolysis bullosa, a genetic disease caused by mutations in the collagen XVII gene, and of bullous pemphigoid, an autoimmune disease with autoantibodies to this collagen. Similarly, adhesive and signaling functions of ￻ 6￻ 4 integrin are modulated by lipid rafts, again linking lipid rafts to junctional epidermolysis bullosa. Therefore, modulation of lipid domains in the epidermis might have therapeutic potential for this group of skin blistering diseases.
Toxoplasmosis complications and novel therapeutic synergism combination of diclazuril plus atovaquone

Toxoplasmosis is a major cause of foodborne disease, congenital complication, and morbidity. There is an urgent need for safe and effective therapies to encounter congenital and persisting toxoplasmosis. The hypothesis was: combination diclazuril plus atovaquone to exert a novel therapeutic synergy to prevent toxoplasmosis syndromes. Methods: Pregnant dams were treated with diclazuril and atovaquone monotherapy or combination therapy and infected i.p with Toxoplasma tachyzoites. Results: Infected dams developed severe toxoplasmosis associated syndrome with increases in the abdominal adiposity surrounding uteri, gansterointestinal and other internal organs and excessive weight gain. Numerous organisms along with infiltration of inflammatory cells were detected scattered into adipose tissues. Combination therapy (p < 0.01) and to a lesser extent diclazuril (p < 0.05) protected dams from inflammatory fat and excess weight gains. This was consistent with pancreatitis development in infected dams (versus normal p < 0.05) with infiltration of inflammatory cells, degeneration and necrosis of pancreatic cells followed by the degeneration and loss of islets. Combination and monotherapy protected dams from these inflammatory and pathological aspects of pancreatitis. Infected dams exhibited severe colitis, and colonic tissues significantly shortened in length. Brush border epithelial cells were replaced with infiltration of lymphocytes, granulocytes, and microabscess formations into cryptic microstructures. Combination therapy synergistically preserved colonic structure and normalized pathological damages (p < 0.001) and to a lesser degree diclazuril monotherapy protected dams from colitis (p < 0.05) and gastrointestinal toxoplasmosis. Other complications included severe splenitis (p < 0.001) and hepatitis (p < 0.001) which were normalized with combination therapy. Conclusion: Combination diclazuril plus atovaquone was safe and with a novel therapeutic synergism protected dams and fetuses from toxoplasmosis.
Freedom to Harm: The Lasting Legacy of the Laissez Faire Revival

How much economic freedom is a good thing? This book tells the story of how the business community, and the trade associations and think tanks that it created, launched three powerful assaults during the last quarter of the twentieth century on the federal regulatory system and the state civil justice system to accomplish a revival of the laissez faire political economy that dominated Gilded Age America. Although the consequences of these assaults became painfully apparent in a confluence of crises during the early twenty-first century, the patch-and-repair fixes that Congress and the Obama administration put into place did little to change the underlying laissez faire ideology and practice that continues to dominate the American political economy. In anticipation of the next confluence of crises, Thomas McGarity offers suggestions for more comprehensive governmental protections for consumers, workers, and the environment.
The research of a novel single-phase hybrid asymmetric 6-level inverter based on Epwm control

A novel single-phase hybrid asymmetric 6-level inverter is researched in this paper. In the inverter a 3-level Half-bridge unit and a Half-bridge unit are cascaded to form an inverter phase leg. The EPWM control method is proposed considering for the construction of the inverter, and the circuit for filtering harmonic waves is connected at the output of the load. In the end this inverter is simulated and experimented through the Matlab and DSP hardware platform. There is ideal waveform to output which shows the feasibility of the construction.
Accounting for the decline in AFDC caseloads: Welfare reform or the economy?

We use state-level monthly panel data to assess the relative contributions of the macroeconomy and welfare reform in accounting for the 1993-96 decline in Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) caseloads. Our results suggest that the decline in per capita AFDC caseloads is attributable largely to the economic conditions in states and not to waivers from federal welfare policies. Nationwide, we attribute 66 percent of the decline to the macroeconomy. However, we do find substantial heterogeneity in the impact and timing of alternative waivers on AFDC caseloads. States with waivers impacting parental responsibilities experienced greater caseload declines than states with waivers that made work more attractive. Overall, our model predicts that had it not been for the influence of economic factors, welfare reform would not have led to any decrease in aggregate caseloads.
Evaluation of contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) enhancement on a FPGA

This paper presents the CLAHE method of contrast enhancement targeted to a FPGA based embedded platform. A novel approach to constructing the algorithm utilizing FPGA resources is discussed. A comparative accuracy analysis is performed against the equivalent software implementation. The FPGA resources and operational power consumption are also highlighted in the considerations required to include effective contrast enhancement on a FPGA video chain.
The Influence of Organisational Size, Internal IT Capabilities, and Competitive and Vendor Pressures on ERP Adoption in SMEs

This empirical study investigates the influence of organisational size, internal IT capabilities and external factors, such as competitive and vendor pressure, on ERP adoption within SMEs. Existing research on ERP adoption has indentified some of the potential factors affecting SMEs, such as organisation size as one of the most significant ones. Yet none of this previous research has looked at organisational size, internal IT capabilities and external pressures in a unified framework and in context to SMEs. More specifically, this study focuses on the direct and moderating relationships which may affect an SME's decision to adopt an ERP system. An analysis of a sample of 229 SMEs shows clear direct and moderating relationships amongst the above factors. Concrete recommendations are provided to accelerate the rate and success level of ERP adoption within SMEs.