Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Betahistine in the treatment of Ménière’s disease

Ménière’s disease and related disease of the vestibular system are common and debilitating. Current therapy is multi-modal and includes drug therapy and lifestyle adaptations. Unfortunately many of the drugs used in treatment (particularly those used to control nausea) are sedative and hamper the process of vestibular compensation. Although betahistine (Serc®, BetaSerc®; Solvay Pharmaceuticals) is the mainstay of drug treatment in these illnesses, its efficacy has not, until recently, been evaluated to modern standards. Betahistine is an analog of histamine with weak agonist properties at histamine H1 receptors and more potent anatgonistic effects at histamine H3 receptors. Growing evidence suggests that the mechanism of action of betahistine lies in the central nervous system and in particularly in the neuronal systems involved in the recovery from process after vestibular loss. The histaminergic neurones of the tuberomamillary and vestibular nuclei are implicated. In recent years the clinical efficacy of betahistine has been demonstrated in double-blind, randomized, placebo, and active controlled studies in adequate numbers of patients. Although the results of comparative studies between betahistine and other drugs (flunarizine, cinnarizine, and cinnarizine + dimenhydrate) are equivocal, the efficacy of betahistine is now clear.
Polythiophenes Inhibit Prion Propagation by Stabilizing Prion Protein (PrP) Aggregates*

Background: Luminescent conjugated polymers (LCPs) are highly specific to amyloid conformations and may represent potential antiprion compounds. Results: LCPs significantly reduce prion titers, while rendering PrPSc more stable to proteolytic digestion. Conclusion: LCPs possess pronounced antiprion potential and appear to act by compaction of frangible fibers. Significance: LCPs may represent novel pharmacophores for the prevention and treatment of prion diseases. Luminescent conjugated polymers (LCPs) interact with ordered protein aggregates and sensitively detect amyloids of many different proteins, suggesting that they may possess antiprion properties. Here, we show that a variety of anionic, cationic, and zwitterionic LCPs reduced the infectivity of prion-containing brain homogenates and of prion-infected cerebellar organotypic cultured slices and decreased the amount of scrapie isoform of PrPC (PrPSc) oligomers that could be captured in an avidity assay. Paradoxically, treatment enhanced the resistance of PrPSc to proteolysis, triggered the compaction, and enhanced the resistance to proteolysis of recombinant mouse PrP(23–231) fibers. These results suggest that LCPs act as antiprion agents by transitioning PrP aggregates into structures with reduced frangibility. Moreover, ELISA on cerebellar organotypic cultured slices and in vitro conversion assays with mouse PrP(23–231) indicated that poly(thiophene-3-acetic acid) may additionally interfere with the generation of PrPSc by stabilizing the conformation of PrPC or of a transition intermediate. Therefore, LCPs represent a novel class of antiprion agents whose mode of action appears to rely on hyperstabilization, rather than destabilization, of PrPSc deposits.
IXP traffic: a macroscopic view

Today's public Internet eXchange Points (IXP) are a crucial element in the Internet ecosystem, carrying around 20--24Tbps, i.e. 15-20% of Internet's inter-domain traffic and supporting a large percentage of links among autonomous systems. In spite of their importance, community still lacks empirical data on the nature of the traffic exchanged through IXPs. In this paper, we analyze the traffic data from two medium-size IXPs and draw several important conclusions. We quantify the relationship between the different types (access/content/transit) of ISPs present in the two studied IXPs, both in terms of traffic volumes and peering intensity. We also demonstrate that the peering (AS-level) topology within the IXP is impacted by the pricing model of the IXP. Finally, we shed light on the temporal characteristics of the traffic exchanged at IXPs and list a number of research problems that can benefit from the data studied here. We strongly believe that, in contrast with confidential datasets typically used in studying the Internet traffic characteristics, the IXP data provide rich and publicly available resources crucial for understanding various aspects of the Internet.
The Role of Frontal and Parietal Brain Areas in Bistable Perception

When sensory input allows for multiple, competing perceptual interpretations, observers' perception can fluctuate over time, which is called bistable perception. Imaging studies in humans have revealed transient responses in a right-lateralized network in the frontal-parietal cortex (rFPC) around the time of perceptual transitions between interpretations, potentially reflecting the neural initiation of transitions. We investigated the role of this activity in male human observers, with specific interest in its relation to the temporal structure of transitions, which can be either instantaneous or prolonged by periods during which observers experience a mix of both perceptual interpretations. Using both bistable apparent motion and binocular rivalry, we show that transition-related rFPC activity is larger for transitions that last longer, suggesting that rFPC remains active as long as a transition lasts. We also replicate earlier findings that rFPC activity during binocular rivalry transitions exceeds activity during yoked transitions that are simulated using video replay. However, we show that this established finding holds only when perceptual transitions are replayed as instantaneous events. When replay, instead, depicts transitions with the actual durations reported during rivalry, yoked transitions and genuine rivalry transitions elicit equal activity. Together, our results are consistent with the view that at least a component of rFPC activation during bistable perception reflects a response to perceptual transitions, both real and yoked, rather than their cause. This component of activity could reflect the change in sensory experience and task demand that occurs during transitions, which fits well with the known role of these areas in attention and decision making.
Exceptionally widespread nanomachines composed of type IV pilins: the prokaryotic Swiss Army knives

Prokaryotes have engineered sophisticated surface nanomachines that have allowed them to colonize Earth and thrive even in extreme environments. Filamentous machineries composed of type IV pilins, which are associated with an amazing array of properties ranging from motility to electric conductance, are arguably the most widespread since distinctive proteins dedicated to their biogenesis are found in most known species of prokaryotes. Several decades of investigations, starting with type IV pili and then a variety of related systems both in bacteria and archaea, have outlined common molecular and structural bases for these nanomachines. Using type IV pili as a paradigm, we will highlight in this review common aspects and key biological differences of this group of filamentous structures.
Does Inflation Uncertainty Affect Output Growth ?

CONOMISTS have long been interested in the effects of inflation on real economic variables. In the past two decades, this line of research has expanded greatly, spurred on by the relatively high inflation rates in the developed economies beginning in the 1970s and the coincident slowing in the rate of output growth. One traditional and widely accepted notion is that anticipated inflation has little or no effect on real variables, except for those effects arising from institutional features such as incompletely indexed tax codes and zero intem’est payments on currency and reserves. ’ It is also widely accepted that unanticipated inflation affects real variables, at least in the short m’un.
A formal model of views for object-oriented database systems

The de nition of a view mechanism is an important issue for object-oriented database systems, in order to provide a number of features that are crucial for the development of advanced applications. Due to the complexity of the data model, the object-oriented paradigm introduces new problems in the de nition of a view mechanism. Several approaches have been de ned, each de ning a particular view mechanism tailored to a set of functionalities that the view mechanism should support. In particular, views can be used as shorthand in queries, can support the de nition of external schemas, can be used for content-dependent authorization, and, nally, can support some form of schema evolution. In this paper, we formally introduce a view model for object-oriented databases. Our view model is comparable to existing view models for what concerns the supported features; however, our model is the only one for which a formal de nition is given. This formal de nition of object-oriented view mechanisms is useful both for understanding what views are and as a basis for further investigations on view properties. The paper introduces the model, discussing all the supported features both from a theoretical and practical point of view. A comparison of our model with other models is also presented.
Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems ( PACIS ) 2014 MOBILE VALUE ADDED SERVICES FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH : A STUDY OF WOMEN MICRO-ENTREPRENEURS IN FIJI

Though it is contended that mobile value added services (MVAS) can help growth of small and microenterprises, few empirical studies have investigated the drivers of MVAS adoption particularly by women entrepreneurs. Our study fills this important gap in the literature by specifically focusing on women micro-enterprises (WMEs) in a Pacific island country Fiji. The study aims to investigate the effect of organisational and individual characteristics of the entrepreneurs on the decision to adopt mobile value added services. We also identify the supply-side constraints in the uptake of MVAS. We interviewed 74 women micro entrepreneurs and 10 providers of mobile phone services and policy makers. Age of respondents and mobile network operator used had significant positive association with the decision to adopt MVAS. Many policy barriers, infrastructure constraints and interoperability issues were found to hinder the growth of MVAS in Fiji. Access to finance, insurance, and capital were the three major challenges faced by respondents who desired that business mentoring and information needs to be made available through mobile phones as a top priority. We conclude that appropriate policy framework backed by supporting infrastructure to build high equilibrium ecosystem would help rapid adoption of MVAS in Fiji.
Proteomic Landscape of Tissue-Specific Cyclin E Functions in Vivo

E-type cyclins (cyclins E1 and E2) are components of the cell cycle machinery that has been conserved from yeast to humans. The major function of E-type cyclins is to drive cell division. It is unknown whether in addition to their ‘core’ cell cycle functions, E-type cyclins also perform unique tissue-specific roles. Here, we applied high-throughput mass spectrometric analyses of mouse organs to define the repertoire of cyclin E protein partners in vivo. We found that cyclin E interacts with distinct sets of proteins in different compartments. These cyclin E interactors are highly enriched for phosphorylation targets of cyclin E and its catalytic partner, the cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2). Among cyclin E interactors we identified several novel tissue-specific substrates of cyclin E-Cdk2 kinase. In proliferating compartments, cyclin E-Cdk2 phosphorylates Lin proteins within the DREAM complex. In the testes, cyclin E-Cdk2 phosphorylates Mybl1 and Dmrtc2, two meiotic transcription factors that represent key regulators of spermatogenesis. In embryonic and adult brains cyclin E interacts with proteins involved in neurogenesis, while in adult brains also with proteins regulating microtubule-based processes and microtubule cytoskeleton. We also used quantitative proteomics to demonstrate re-wiring of the cyclin E interactome upon ablation of Cdk2. This approach can be used to study how protein interactome changes during development or in any pathological state such as aging or cancer.
Correlating drop impact simulations with drop impact testing using high-speed camera measurements

The increased use of mobile appliances in today's society has resulted in an increase of reliability issues related to drop performance. Mobile appliances are dropped multiple times during their lifespan and the product is required to survive common drop accidents. The use of lead-free solder compositions and the decreasing size of microelectronics aggravated the sensitivity of these products towards drop failures. Also, the use of miniature IC packages like Wafer Level Chip Scale Packages (WLCSP) with smaller lead sizes resulted in a decreased amount of material available to absorb the loading caused by a drop. A widely accepted method to assess the drop reliability of microelectronics on board-level is the drop impact test. The drop impact test has been standardized by international councils like JEDEC and is widely adopted throughout the industry. The intention of the drop test is to assess the overall product reliability towards dropping, focusing on the solder interconnections. These solder interconnections are usually the first link in the chain to fail. Clearly the drop impact reliability of a product is also influenced by numerous design factors like material compositions, ball layout and product size as well as manufacturing conditions. Solder loading is investigated in this research by using high-speed camera recordings of several drop impact tests with verified Finite Element models. These simulation models are developed in order to gain an insight on the loading pattern of solder joints based on product specifications, interconnect layout and drop conditions prior to physical prototyping. Deflections and frequencies during drop testing are measured using a high-speed camera setup. The high-speed camera experiments are performed on two levels: product level (with different levels of energy and different pulse times) and machine level (rebounds with and without a catcher). Parametric (dynamic and quasi static) 3D models are developed to predict the drop impact performance. The experimental results are used to verify and enhance the simulation models, e.g. by tuning the damping parameters. As a result, the verified models can be used to determine the location of the critical solder joint and to obtain estimates of the solder lifetime performance.
1 “ Health and Economic Growth : Findings and Policy Implications ” The role of health on economic growth . An Introduction

1. A preliminary overview on health and economic growth (*) Thew authors wish to acknowledge financial support from The Merck Foundation Unrestricted Grant and from SEC2003-05045/ECO, and to Vicente Ortun (CRES-UPF) for wise comments on an early version of this paper. HEALTH AND ECONOMIC GROWTH 2 he evolution of economic growth theory has become inextricably linked to the evolution of economics itself, at least in as far as this provides an explanation for the wealth of nations. The works of Solow (1956) and Swan (1956), gave rise to a wide range of literature on economic growth and this in turn fueled the debate on the capital-production relationship and the properties that determine market equilibrium. Taking as a starting point the intertemporal optimization approach of Ramsey (1928), the contributions of Cass (1965) and Koopmans (1965) effectively transformed the classical growth model into a tool capable of analyzing optimum consumer behavior. However, the limitations of the neoclassical model in explaining long term growth and the persistent interest of economists in short term phenomena led to a dearth of ideas during the 70's, the nature of which were to change only in the second half of the 80's. In the neoclassical model technological progress is exogenous and long term economic growth is directly related to diminishing returns to capital and this has limited the analytical capacity of the model and its empirical verification. The constant increase in the differences between rich and poor economies stimulated economists to look at new theories that they felt might explain this dynamic. As a direct result, a new family of theories emerged that were better capable of explaining long-term growth. Central to these models is the idea that technology is endogenous to the growth process. Since endogenous technology determines economic growth in an endogenous way they are known as " endogenous growth models. " The first of these models was published by Romer (1986). The concept of technology here depends on economic factors such the capital-labor relationship. An increase in this ratio explains not only an increase in income but also the ability to maintain high levels of growth in the long term. From the early 90's various studies have attempted to identify the determinants of economic growth. Many variables have been tested, but only a few have been accepted T INTRODUCTION 3 as being economically and statistically significant in explaining growth. Theorists generally accept human capital …
Scalable domain adaptation of convolutional neural networks

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) tend to become a standard approach to solve a wide array of computer vision problems. Besides important theoretical and practical advances in their design, their success is built on the existence of manually labeled visual resources, such as ImageNet. The creation of such datasets is cumbersome and here we focus on alternatives to manual labeling. We hypothesize that new resources are of uttermost importance in domains which are not or weakly covered by ImageNet, such as tourism photographs. We first collect noisy Flickr images for tourist points of interest and apply automatic or weakly-supervised reranking techniques to reduce noise. Then, we learn domain adapted models with a standard CNN architecture and compare them to a generic model obtained from ImageNet. Experimental validation is conducted with publicly available datasets, including Oxford5k, INRIA Holidays and Div150Cred. Results show that low-cost domain adaptation improves results compared to the use of generic models but also compared to strong non-CNN baselines such as triangulation embedding.
A Perceptive-Oriented Approach to Image Fusion

At present time image fusion is widely recognized as an important tool and has attracted a great deal of attention from the research community with the purpose of searching general formal solutions to a number of problems in different applications such as medical imaging, optical microscopy, remote sensing, computer vision and robotics. Image fusion consists of combining information from two or more images from the same sensor or from multiple sensors in order to improve the decision making process. Fused images from multiple sensors, often called multi-modal image fusion system, include at least, two image modalities ranging from visible to infrared spectrum and they provide several advantages over data images from a single sensor (Kor & Tiwary, 2004). An example of this can be found in medical imaging where it is common to merge functional activity as in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET) or magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) with anatomical structures such as magnetic resonance image (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound, which helps improve diagnostic performance and surgical planning (Guihong et al., 2001, Hajnal et al., 2001). An interesting example of single sensor fusion can be found in remote sensing, where pansharpening is an important task that combines panchromatic and multispectral optical data in order to obtain new multispectral bands that preserve their original spectral information with improved spatial resolution. Depending on the merging stage, common image fusion schemes can be classified into three categories: pixel, feature and decision levels (Pohl & van Genderen, 1998). Many fusion schemes usually employ pixel level fusion techniques but since features, that are sensitive to human visual system (HVS), are bigger than a pixel and they exist in different scales, it is necessary to apply multiresolution analysis which improves the reconstruction of relevant image features (Nava et al., 2008). Moreover, the image representation model used to build the fusion algorithm must be able to characterize perceptive-relevant image primitives. In the literature several methods of pixel level fusion have been reported using a transformation to perform data fusion, some of these transformations are: intensity-huesaturation transform (IHS), principal component analysis (PCA) (Qiu et al., 2005), the
Application of multilevel growth-curve analysis in cancer treatment toxicities: the exemplar of oral mucositis and pain.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To introduce the use of a statistical technique known as multilevel growth-curve analysis and illustrate how the method can be advantageous in comparison with traditional repeated measures for the study of trajectories of signs and symptoms in individual patients over time. DATA SOURCES Data were derived from use of the technique in a randomized clinical trial of a psychoeducational intervention to reduce severity of oral mucositis and oral pain. DATA SYNTHESIS The development of new biologic models that seek to explain clustering of signs and symptoms or the appearance and resolution of signs and symptoms motivates the need to use more sophisticated statistical techniques to test such models. CONCLUSIONS The application of multilevel growth model to an existing data set demonstrates that the model can be effective in the study of individual differences in trajectories of change in signs and symptoms. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING This method for the study of changes in patients' signs and symptoms over time can be of particular interest to nursing, both from a clinical point of view and as a way to test theoretical models that have been proposed to capture patient experiences with signs and symptoms.
Lycopene and male infertility

Excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause a state of oxidative stress, which result in sperm membrane lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and apoptosis, leading to decreased sperm viability and motility. Elevated levels of ROS are a major cause of idiopathic male factor infertility, which is an increasingly common problem today. Lycopene, the most potent singlet oxygen quencher of all carotenoids, is a possible treatment option for male infertility because of its antioxidant properties. By reacting with and neutralizing free radicals, lycopene could reduce the incidence of oxidative stress and thus, lessen the damage that would otherwise be inflicted on spermatozoa. It is postulated that lycopene may have other beneficial effects via nonoxidative mechanisms in the testis, such as gap junction communication, modulation of gene expression, regulation of the cell cycle and immunoenhancement. Various lycopene supplementation studies conducted on both humans and animals have shown promising results in alleviating male infertility—lipid peroxidation and DNA damage were decreased, while sperm count and viability, and general immunity were increased. Improvement of these parameters indicates a reduction in oxidative stress, and thus the spermatozoa is less vulnerable to oxidative damage, which increases the chances of a normal sperm fertilizing the egg. Human trials have reported improvement in sperm parameters and pregnancy rates with supplementation of 4–8 mg of lycopene daily for 3–12 months. However, further detailed and extensive research is still required to determine the dosage and the usefulness of lycopene as a treatment for male infertility.