Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An update on the mechanisms of the psychostimulant effects of caffeine

There has been a long debate about the predominant involvement of the different adenosine receptor subtypes and the preferential role of pre‐ versus post‐synaptic mechanisms in the psychostimulant effects of the adenosine receptor antagonist caffeine. Both striatal A1 and A2A receptors are involved in the motor‐activating and probably reinforcing effects of caffeine, although they play a different role under conditions of acute or chronic caffeine administration. The present review emphasizes the key integrative role of adenosine and adenosine receptor heteromers in the computation of information at the level of the striatal spine module (SSM). This local module is mostly represented by the dendritic spine of the medium spiny neuron with its glutamatergic and dopaminergic synapses and astroglial processes that wrap the glutamatergic synapse. In the SSM, adenosine acts both pre‐ and post‐synaptically through multiple mechanisms, which depend on heteromerization of A1 and A2A receptors among themselves and with D1 and D2 receptors, respectively. A critical aspect of the mechanisms of the psychostimulant effects of caffeine is its ability to release the pre‐ and post‐synaptic brakes that adenosine imposes on dopaminergic neurotransmission by acting on different adenosine receptor heteromers localized in different elements of the SSM.
Learning Multiple Similarities of Users and Items in Recommender Systems

In addition to the sparse user-item (U-I) matrix, an increasing number of current recommender systems seek to improve performance by exploiting extra heterogeneous data sources (e.g., online social networks). Such rich side sources can provide very useful information about users' personal behaviors and items' properties, therefore can significantly benefit recommender systems. Most existing work can only incorporate a single side source of users or items. In many real-life applications, however, there exist multiple side sources for both users and items, which may be constructed from multiple domains. To incorporate multiple sources, we propose a flexible and robust algorithm called MSUI (Learning Multiple Similarities of Users and Items). The key idea of MSUI is to simultaneously capture the associations between latent factors in the U-I matrix and multiple side sources of users and items through joint nonnegative matrix factorization. MSUI has several advantages over existing methods. First, it seamlessly integrates information from the U-I matrix and information from multiple side sources. Second, by incorporating multiple sources that are usually in complementary, it's more robust to noise contained in each source. Finally, it provides a unified framework that can be easily extended to incorporate additional data sources.
Is It Safe

In the 1976 movie Marathon Man the term “Is it Safe” is used to great effect. This presentation is about some of the many security measures that we implement and expect to protect us. Many are hyped as protecting us completely from a given threat. The simple facts do not support these assertions. This paper will ask the question “Is it Safe” and address and describe the many failures and/or limitations of various accepted security measures. For example, RFID has become the darling of many who would use this technology to “secure” whatever is to be protected. Several countries have implemented RFID within their passport systems. All have shown to be easily cloned from a distance. Those that have used encryption to protect information contained on the RFID have also been shown to have used weak encryption. Some of these have been broken within a few seconds to a few minutes. Every day organizations decide to make use of some of the many security measures currently in the market place assuming that they will be safe as a result. It is not apparent that they are aware of the failings and limitations of many of these measures and techniques. This paper will discuss and describe several of these limited techniques, showing how each has been compromised. Thinking that you are safe when you are in fact not presents an important risk.
A Framework for the Use of Power

Focuses on ways in which channel co‐operation and co‐ordination can be improved and unnecessary dysfunctional conflict reduced. Maintains that the purpose herein is to provide a better understanding of power relationships in marketing channels so that the likelihood of positive outcomes is increased, as this insight is important for both the systems and independent perspectives. Purports that power is the vehicle by which the range of variability in channel behaviour is limited, and a measure of predictability and dependability is established. Sums up that power has been acknowledged as a means by which the conduct of the channel members can be co‐ordinated so as to achieve a higher level of channel efficiency. Proposes that a framework has been presented which serves as a guide to the marketer in outlining the responses, which may ensue from the exercise of power.
Approximation and Optimization of an Auditory Model for Realization in VLSI Hardware

Abstract : The Auditory Image Model (AIM) is a software tool set developed to functionally model the role of the ear in the human hearing process. AIM includes detailed filter equations for the major functional portions of the ear. Currently, AIM is mn on a workstation and requires 10 to 100 times real-time to process audio information and produce an auditory image. An all-digital approximation of the AIM which is suitable for implementation in very large scale integrated circuits is presented. This document details the mathematical models of AIM and the approximations and optimizations used to simplify the filtering and signal processing accomplished by AIM. Included are the details of an efficient multi-rate architecture designed for sub-micron VLSI technology to carry out the approximated equations. Finally, simulation results which indicate that the architecture, when implemented in 0.8jtm CMOS VLSI, will sustain real- time operation on a 32 channel system are included. The same tests also indicate that the chip will be approximately 3.3 mm2, and consume approximately 18 mW. The details of a new and efficient method for computing an approximate logarithm (base two) on binary integers is also presented. The approximate logarithm algorithm is used to convert sound energy into millibels quickly and with low power. Additionally, the algorithm, is easily extended to compute an approximate logarithm in base ten which broadens the class of problems to which it may be applied.
Managing with organizational environments - strategy of e-business

The last few decades have been very turbulent due to significant growth of the usage and interest in the Internet. Everyday life of each individual has been affected by the development of computers and related technologies, making information more accessible to a wider pool of audience. This, of course, has been significantly changing the way of doing business, emphasizing new possibilities for potential entrepreneurs. Business and companies have been affected by the rising pressure of information and communication technologies, making distances and locations diminish. The paper is focused on the advantages or opportunities created by the boom of the technology and especially e-business on one side, and of course, the downsides considering the raised exposure in view of the presence of the Internet as a tool in business
Portfolio Choice when Managers Control Returns

This paper investigates the allocation decision of an investor with two projects. Separate managers control the mean return from each project, and the investor may or may not observe the managers’ actions. We show that the investor’s risk-return trade-off may be radically different from a standard portfolio choice setting, even if managers’ actions are observable and enforceable. In particular, feedback effects working through optimal contracts and effort levels imply that expected terminal wealth is nonlinear in initial wealth allocation. The optimal portfolio may involve very little diversification, despite projects that are highly symmetric in the underlying model. We also show that moral hazard in one of the projects need not imply lower allocation to that project. Expected returns are generally lower than under the first-best, but the optimal contract shifts more of the idiosyncratic risk in the hidden action project to the manager in charge of it. The minimum-variance position of the investor’s (net) terminal wealth would in most cases involve a portfolio shift towards the hidden action project, and there are plausible cases where this would dominate the overall effect on the second-best optimal portfolio when comparing with the first-best.
Amino acid composition of serum albumin in normal individuals and in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

A modern automated technique has been used to re-evaluate the older standard classic methods for studying the amino acid composition of human albumin. Previous published data have been derived from pooled samples that included persons of unknown clinical status. In this study normal values were determined for albumin derived from healthy volunteers and purified by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were similarly evaluated. No differences attributable to age were found. Albumin from women contained 20% more threonine than did albumin from men. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis had more phenylalanine and less lysine in their albumin than did normal persons. No such differences in composition of structural proteins have been previously demonstrated. It is unlikely that the substitution of one amino acid for another in molecules of this size could arise by chance during protein synthesis.
A perceptual stopping condition for global illumination computations

The aim of realistic image synthesis is to produce high fidelity images that authentically represent real scenes. As these images are produced for human observers, we may exploit the fact that not everything is perceived when viewing scene with our eyes. Thus, it is clear that taking advantage of the limited capacity of the human visual system (HVS), can significantly contribute to optimize rendering software. Global illumination methods are used to simulate realistic lighting in 3D scenes. They generally provide a progressive convergence to high-quality solution. One of the problem of such algorithms is to determine a stopping condition, for deciding if calculations reached a satisfactory convergence allowing the process to terminate. In this paper, we propose and we discuss different solutions to this important problem. We show different techniques based on the Visual Difference Predictor (VDP) proposed by Daly [Daly 1993] to define a perceptual stopping condition for rendering computations. We use the VDP to measure the perceived differences between rendered images and to guide the Path Tracing rendering to satisfy a perceptual quality. Also, in a controlled experimental setting with real subjects, we validate our results.
Massive atrial myxoma: surgical treatment for an incidentaloma causing dyspnoea

A patient presented having a one-week history of recurrent falls and confusion and weight loss over an unspecified period of time. A chest radiograph revealed bilateral pleural effusions and the patient was treated for community acquired pneumonia. His weight loss and suspicion of malignant disease prompted computer tomography to be conducted. This revealed widespread mediastinal and oesophageal adenopathy. An echocardiogram showed a large hyperechoic mobile mass. Coronary angiography showed complete occlusion of the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries. He underwent two-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting and an atriotomy to excise the myxoma. He experienced no operative complications and no neurological deterioration and was discharged home three weeks later in sinus rhythm. Myxomas can duplicate a broad array of cardiorespiratory symptoms and signs and can often escape detection by being picked up as an incidentaloma.
Platform competition: Strategic trade‐offs in platform markets

Because the literature on platform competition emphasizes the role of network effects, it prescribes rapidly expanding a network of platform users and complementary applications to capture entire markets. We challenge the unconditional logic of a winner-take-all (WTA) approach by empirically analyzing the dominant strategies used to build and position platform systems in the U.S. video game industry. We show that when platform firms pursue two popular WTA strategies concurrently and with equal intensity (growing the number and variety of applications while also securing a larger fraction of those applications with exclusivity agreements), it diminishes the benefits of each strategy to the point that it lowers platform performance. We also show that a differentiation strategy based on distinctive positioning improves a platform's performance only when a platform system is highly distinctive relative to its rivals. Our results suggest that platform competition is shaped by important strategic trade-offs and that the WTA approach will not be universally successful.
Seismic reflectivity inversion using spectral compressed sensing

In this paper, we proposed a reflectivity inversion method via spectral compressed sensing (SCS). The reflectivity coefficient plays a key role in stratigraphic description and stratigraphic attribute inversion. However, reflectivity inversion is still a challenge due to the influence of noise and singularity of de-convolution. With the help of SCS, we construct a finer dictionary. The atom in the dictionary is composed of partial Fourier transform spectrum of a pair of odd or even reflection coefficients. The selection of local frequency bands is conducive to enhancing the robustness to noise. And we solve the model by a proper sparse representation method instead of de-convolution which enhances the stability of the inversion. Experiments results on simulated data and field data demonstrate that using the proposed method based on SCS can achieve comparable or better performance with traditional least square method. The continuity and singularity free of the output prove the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Comparison between spatial distributions of tweet base and population in Japan

By employing tweet data with location information for roughly one year in Japan, we observed the tweet base distribution of Twitter users. We compared the tweet base distributions to the country's population distribution based on the national census and identified a strong correlation. We also observed the daily time changes of the tweet-from-base probability and compared them to the daily changes of the awake-at-home probability that was investigated by the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute. The patterns of both daily time changes are very similar, especially on weekdays.
Importance of health and environment as quality traits in the buying decision of organic products

Purpose – This paper aims to explore consumer preference for fresh vegetables labelled as organic in combination with health and environment related quality traits. The study decomposes organic farming into its main quality aspects and measures consumers' preference structure for organic, in general, and for specific organic quality traits in particular.Design/methodology/approach – By means of stated choice preference modelling, the following hypotheses are tested: consumers prefer health over environment related quality traits; the organic label plays a significant role in consumers' choice for organic products; organic farming is perceived as healthier and more environmentally friendly than conventional farming; purchase intention is mainly driven by health related quality traits; both health and environmental concerns influence purchase frequency, though to a different extent. The choice experiment was completed by 527 participants, with four repetitions per participant.Findings – The health‐related t.
As We May Ink?: Learning from Everyday Analog Pen Use to Improve Digital Ink Experiences

This paper sheds light on gaps and discrepancies between the experiences afforded by analog pens and their digital counterparts. Despite the long history (and recent renaissance) of digital pens, the literature still lacks a comprehensive survey of what types of marks people make and what motivates them to use ink-both analog and digital in daily life. To capture the diversity of inking behaviors and tease out the unique affordances of pen-and ink, we conducted a diary study with 26 participants from diverse backgrounds. From analysis of 493 diary entries we identified 8 analog pen-and-ink activities, and 9 affordances of pens. We contextualized and contrasted these findings using a survey with 1,633 respondents and a follow-up diary study with 30 participants, observing digital pens. Our analysis reveals gaps and research opportunities based on pen affordances not yet fully explored in the literature.
Diversity, Physiology, and Niche Differentiation of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea

ABSTRACT Nitrification, the aerobic oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via nitrite, has been suggested to have been a central part of the global biogeochemical nitrogen cycle since the oxygenation of Earth. The cultivation of several ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) as well as the discovery that archaeal ammonia monooxygenase (amo)-like gene sequences are nearly ubiquitously distributed in the environment and outnumber their bacterial counterparts in many habitats fundamentally revised our understanding of nitrification. Surprising insights into the physiological distinctiveness of AOA are mirrored by the recognition of the phylogenetic uniqueness of these microbes, which fall within a novel archaeal phylum now known as Thaumarchaeota. The relative importance of AOA in nitrification, compared to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), is still under debate. This minireview provides a synopsis of our current knowledge of the diversity and physiology of AOA, the factors controlling their ecology, and their role in carbon cycling as well as their potential involvement in the production of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. It emphasizes the importance of activity-based analyses in AOA studies and formulates priorities for future research.
Protein Structure and Folding: A New Start

Abstract Standard building blocks of proteins—closed loops of 25–30 amino acid residues—have been recently discovered and further characterized by combined efforts of several laboratories. New challenging views on the protein structure, folding, and evolution are introduced by these studies. In particular, the role of van der Waals contacts in protein stability is better understood. They can be considered as locks closing the polypeptide chain returns and forming the loop-n-lock elements. The linearity of the arrangement of the standard loops in the proteins has important evolutionary implications. Selection pressure to maintain the loops of nearly standard size is reflected in the protein sequences as characteristic distance between hydrophobic residues, equal to the loop end-to-end distance. Further characterization of the loop-n-lock units reveals several sequence/structure prototypes, which suggests a new basis for protein classification. The following is a review of these studies.
'Super-Enrichment' Reveals Dose-Dependent Therapeutic Effects of Environmental Stimulation in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease.

BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by a tandem repeat expansion and involves progressive cognitive decline, psychiatric abnormalities and motor deficits. Disease onset and progression in HD mice can be substantially delayed by a housing environment with enhanced sensorimotor and cognitive stimulation. However, the proposed benefits of environmental enrichment (EE) are always taken in the context of 'deprived' standard housing and investigation is warranted into the graded effects of enrichment. OBJECTIVE To assess if a higher level of environmental stimulation ('super-enrichment') has additional benefits compared to home-cage EE in HD mice. METHODS One group of R6/1 transgenic HD mice and wild-type (WT) littermates were home-cage enriched (EE group). A second group also had enriched home cages, but from 6 weeks of age were exposed to a large 'super-enrichment' arena (SuperE group) three times per week. A range of motor tests (open field, rotarod, clasping) were conducted from 8 weeks of age and, at the end of the experiment, grip strength was assessed and post-mortem measures were taken (brain weight, striatal volume, dopamine receptor activation and aggregate density). RESULTS SuperE improved the reduction of exploration in the open field, ameliorated impaired grip strength in home-cage enriched HD mice and delayed, but did not abolish, the onset of rear-paw clasping compared to EE. SuperE increased brain weight compared to EE in HD mice and reduced striatal dopamine D1 receptor agonist-induced c-fos expression, regardless of genotype. Body weight, rotarod performance, aggregate formation and striatal volume in SuperE groups were no different compared to EE groups. CONCLUSIONS The beneficial effects of sensorimotor and cognitive stimulation are graded and extend beyond merely compensating for the deprivation of standard home cages in specific motor-related phenotypes in HD. Our findings highlight the importance of environmental enrichment quality and quantity and the translational value of stimulating living conditions as experience-dependent modulators of pathogenesis in HD and other brain disorders.
Depressive and anxiety disorders in women with HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE This study examined whether there were differences in the rate of depressive and anxiety disorders between HIV-infected women (N=93) and a comparison group of uninfected women (N=62). Secondary objectives were to examine correlates of depression in HIV-infected women-including HIV disease stage and protease inhibitor use-and the associations between symptoms of depression or anxiety and other potential predictor variables. METHOD Subjects underwent extensive semiannual clinical, psychiatric, neuropsychological, and immunological evaluations. Depressive and anxiety disorder diagnoses were assessed by using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were evaluated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (the 17-item version and a modified 11-item version) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, respectively. RESULTS The rate of current major depressive disorder was four times higher in HIV-seropositive women (19.4%) than in HIV-seronegative women (4.8%). Mean depressive symptom scores on the 17-item Hamilton depression scale also were significantly higher, overall, in the HIV-infected women (mean=8.7, SD=8.0) relative to comparison subjects (mean=3.3, SD=5.8). There was no significant between-group difference in the rate of anxiety disorders. However, HIV-seropositive women had significantly higher anxiety symptom scores (mean=8.8, SD=8.9) than did HIV-seronegative women (mean=3.6, SD=5.5). Both groups had similar substance abuse/dependence histories, but adjusting for this factor had little impact on the relationship of HIV status to current major depressive disorder. CONCLUSIONS HIV-seropositive women without current substance abuse exhibited a significantly higher rate of major depressive disorder and more symptoms of depression and anxiety than did a group of HIV-seronegative women with similar demographic characteristics. These controlled, clinical findings extend recent epidemiologic findings and underscore the importance of adequate assessment and treatment of depression and anxiety in HIV-infected women.