Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematic Review of the Use of Ketones in the Management of Acute and Chronic Neurological Disorders

Background: Ketosis is currently being utilized as treatment option in paediatric patients with resistant epilepsy. However, the evidence for efficacy in adult epilepsy and other neurological conditions is lacking. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the evidence for inducing ketogenesis in adult humans with neurological and neurosurgical disorders, both acute and chronic. Method: We conducted a literature review through electronic databases, including Medline, the Cochrane Library and PubMed. Our search was focussed using the following MeSH terms: ketones, ketonaemia, Bhydroxybutyrate, ketogenic diet, adults, brain trauma, traumatic brain injury, status epilepticus, carbohydratefree diet, neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, intracranial bleed and subarachnoid haemorrhage. Results: From the literature search, we identified 14 publications that met the selection criteria for inclusion into this study. Of the 14 publications, 3 were randomised controlled trials, 10 were case series (6 prospective and 4 retrospective) and one was a non-randomised placebo control trial. Study subjects included Alzheimer’s disease, severe refractory status epilepticus, intracranial neoplasms, traumatic brain injury and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Although studies suggested ketosis may be beneficial, interpretation is limited by poor quality of evidence. Conclusion: This is the first systematic review of the role of ketones in the management of neurological and neurosurgical disorders. Ketone administration may prove beneficial in the management of a number of these conditions. Better quality studies are required before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Age‐dependent effects of 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP): Correlation with monoamine oxidase‐B

The effects of 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) administration on whole brain dopamine content and monoamine oxidase subtype B (MAO‐B) activity were assessed in Swiss‐Webster male mice. Groups of mice at six different ages (1,2,4,8,16, and 52 weeks) were treated with either MPTP(12.5 mg/kg) every 2 hours for four subcutaneous injections or with the saline vehicle in the same injection volume. A third group of subjects was untreated and sacrificed at the same ages. The animals were sacrificed 1 week following treatment. The brains were removed and divided into right and left halves. The right brain halves from all subjects of a given age were assayed for MAO‐B activity. The left brain halves were assayed for dopamine content using high performance liquid chromatography.
The Joint Action Effect on Memory as a Social Phenomenon: The Role of Cued Attention and Psychological Distance

In contrast to individual tasks, a specific social setting is created when two partners work together on a task. How does such a social setting affect memory for task-related information? We addressed this issue in a distributed joint-action paradigm, where two team partners respond to different types of information within the same task. Previous work has shown that joint action in such a task enhances memory for items that are relevant to the partner’s task but not to the own task. By removing critical, non-social confounds, we wanted to pinpoint the social nature of this selective memory advantage. Specifically, we created joint task conditions in which participants were aware of the shared nature of the concurrent task but could not perceive sensory cues to the other’s responses. For a differentiated analysis of the social parameters, we also varied the distance between partners. We found that the joint action effect emerged even without sensory cues from the partner, and it declined with increasing distance between partners. These results support the notion that the joint-action effect on memory is in its core driven by the experience of social co-presence, and does not simply emerge as a by-product of partner-generated sensory cues.
Making Minimal Solvers for Absolute Pose Estimation Compact and Robust

In this paper we present new techniques for constructing compact and robust minimal solvers for absolute pose estimation. We focus on the P4Pfr problem, but the methods we propose are applicable to a more general setting. Previous approaches to P4Pfr suffer from artificial degeneracies which come from their formulation and not the geometry of the original problem. In this paper we show how to avoid these false degeneracies to create more robust solvers. Combined with recently published techniques for Gröbner basis solvers we are also able to construct solvers which are significantly smaller. We evaluate our solvers on both real and synthetic data, and show improved performance compared to competing solvers. Finally we show that our techniques can be directly applied to the P3.5Pf problem to get a non-degenerate solver, which is competitive with the current state-of-the-art.
CS 6320 Final Project : Image Sequence Stabilization with Optical Flow

Image sequence stabilization is widely used in many fields related to photography. In this project, we propose a three-step method to compensate for the influence of camera shake. First, we estimate the motion field with a state-of-the-art optical flow method; then the transformation parameter matrices between each two consecutive images are computed; finally, the whole image sequence is stabilized via piecewise smoothing. Experiment results indicate that our method is successful in stabilizing image sequences with/without moving foreground taken with significant camera shake.
Binary upscaling on complex heterogeneities : The role of geometry and connec y ⇑

The equivalent conductivity (Keq) of a binary medium is known to vary with the proportion of the two phases, but it also depends on the geometry and topology of the inclusions. In this paper, we analyze the role of connectivity and shape of the connected components through a correlation study between Keq and two topological and geometrical indicators: the Euler number and the Solidity indicator. We show that a local measure such as the Euler number is weakly correlated to Keq and therefore it is not suitable to quantify the influence of connectivity on the global flux; on the contrary the Solidity indicator, related to the convex hull of the connected components, presents a direct correlation with Keq. This result suggests that, in order to estimate Keq properly, one may consider the convex hull of each connected component as the area of influence of its spatial distribution on flow and make a correction of the proportion of the hydrofacies according to that. As a direct application of these principles, we propose a new method for the estimation of Keq using simple image analysis operations. In particular, we introduce a direct measure of the connected fraction and a non-parametric correction of the hydrofacies proportion to compensate for the influence of the connected components shape on flow. This model, tested on a large ensemble of isotropic media, provides a good Keq approximation even on complex heterogeneities without the need for calibration.
Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (Gelatinase A) Regulates Glomerular Mesangial Cell Proliferation and Differentiation*

A biologic role for the 72-kDa gelatinase A (matrix metalloproteinase 2; MMP-2), beyond simple extracellular matrix turnover, was evaluated in glomerular mesangial cells. To determine the significance of MMP-2 secretion for the acquisition of the inflammatory phenotype, we reduced the constitutive secretion of MMP-2 by cultured mesangial cells with antisense RNA expressed by an episomally replicating vector or with specific anti-MMP-2 ribozymes expressed by a retroviral transducing vector. The phenotype of the transfected, or retrovirally infected, cells was profoundly altered from the activated state and closely approximated that of quiescent cells in vivo. The prominent differences included a change in the synthesis and organization of the extracellular matrix, loss of activation markers, and a virtually total exit from the cell cycle. Reconstitution with exogenous active, but not latent MMP-2, induced a rapid return to the inflammatory phenotype in vitro. This effect was specific to MMP-2, because the closely related MMP-9 did not reproduce these changes. Furthermore, this pro-inflammatory effect of MMP-2 is dependent upon the active form of the enzyme, which can be produced by an autocatalytic activation process on the mesangial cell plasma membrane. It is concluded that MMP-2 acts directly upon mesangial cells to permit the development of an inflammatory phenotype. Specific inhibition of MMP-2 activity in vivo may represent an alternate means of ameliorating complex inflammatory processes by affecting the phenotype of the synthesizing cells, per se.
The Assimilation of Jason-2 Significant Wave Height Data in the North Indian Ocean Using the Ensemble Optimal Interpolation

A parallel module of data assimilation based on the ensemble optimal interpolation (EnOI) scheme has been developed and implanted into the third-generation spectral wave model NOAA WAVEWATCH III version 3.14 (hereafter NWW3). This paper presents an evaluation of preliminary experiments assimilating satellite altimeter significant wave height (SWH) data into the NWW3-EnOI wave assimilation system. Data from Jason-2 are used mainly for assimilation and from Jason-1 for validation. The target computational domain for the experiments is north of 15° S in the Indian Ocean, which is nested into a global implementation of NWW3. A stationary ensemble of model output SWH sampled during a long time integration was examined first, showing that the ensemble error covariances were of significant flow dependence due to the monsoon climate. Experimental results by the NWW3-EnOI were validated against a number of moored buoys situated in the Bay of Bengal and east of the Arabian Sea. It was found that the assimilation of altimeter SWH reduced the root mean square errors in analyzed SWH by approximately 20%-60% at different validation stations. The improvement in model skill can be retained throughout the forecast period. The assimilation is found to have the greatest impact of the assimilation in areas and seasons where and when sea states are dominated by swells.
Relationship among energy balance, blood metabolites and hypothalamic expression of orexin receptor type 1 and neuropeptide Y in crossbred dairy cows during postpartum.

En vacas mestizas bajo condiciones tropicales, donde la oferta y calidad de la dieta pueden ser limitadas, la relacion entre el estatus energetico (EE), metabolico y productivo de los animales son aun poco claras. En tal sentido, 27 vacas (3/4 a 5/8 Bos taurus x 1/4 a 3/8 Bos indicus) doble proposito (DP), fueron distribuidas al azar en los siguientes tratamientos, tomando en cuenta la condicion corporal (CC) al parto (P) y el nivel de alimentacion (A) postparto (PP): 1) CAAA: CC alta al P (CA: ≥2,5) y alto A PP (AA); 2) CBAA: CC baja al P (CB: < 2,5) y AA; 3) CAAB: CA y bajo A PP (AB) y, 4) CBAB: CB y AB. Se evaluo el balance energetico (BE) PP; la concentracion de glucosa (GLU), colesterol (COL) y nitrogeno ureico (NU) y, la expresion hipotalamica del neuropeptido Y (NPY) y el receptor tipo 1 de orexina (OX-1R) por Western Blot. Se aplico ANAVAR para medidas repetidas en el tiempo, incluyendo el efecto de CC, nivel de A y su interaccion. No hubo efecto de CC x A en las variables evaluadas. Las vacas AA consumieron (kg.anim.d-1) mas alimento (10,9 a 12,9) que las aBstRact
Scattering from an object above a rough surface using the Extended PILE method hybridized with PO approximation

A new hybrid method which combines the E-PILE (Extended Propagation-Inside-Layer Expansion) method and the Physical Optics approximation (PO), is developed for computing the electromagnetic scattering from an object above a rough surface for a three-dimensional problem. Such a 3-D problem involves a large number of unknowns and can not be solved easily with a conventional method of moments (MoM) by using a direct LU inversion. Thus, a hybridization between the E-PILE and PO reduces significantly the memory requirements and CPU time.
Machine Comprehension using SQuAD and Deep Learning

There are many state-of-the-art deep learning architectures that have been used to develop reading comprehension systems using the Stanford Question Answering Dataset (SQuAD). In this work, we provide an overview of some of the state-ofthe-art models and compare their performance across several variations of encoder and decoder architectures and different attention mechanisms. We take inspiration from these state-of-the-art models and develop our own hybrid architectures, which have performed very similarly to previous models in the literature such as Match-LSTM and Dynamic Coattention when excluding extensive hyperparameter searches. Across all the architectures experimented with, our custom Stackson-Stacks (SoS) model yielded the best results of 0.537 F1 and 0.407 EM on the SQuAD test set.
CD150 (SLAM) Is a Receptor for Measles Virus but Is Not Involved in Viral Contact-Mediated Proliferation Inhibition

ABSTRACT Measles virus (MV) interacts with cellular receptors on the surface of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) which mediate virus binding and uptake. Simultaneously, the direct contact of the viral glycoproteins with the cell surface induces a negative signal blocking progression to the S phase of the cell cycle, resulting in a pronounced proliferation inhibition. We selected a monoclonal antibody (MAb 5C6) directed to the surface of highly MV-susceptible B cells (B95a), which inhibits binding to and infection of cells with MV wild-type and vaccine strains. By screening a retroviral cDNA library from human splenocytes (ViraPort; Stratagene) with this antibody, we cloned and identified the recognized molecule as signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM; CD150), which is identical to the MV receptor recently found by H. Tatsuo et al. (Nature 406:893–897, 2000). After infection of cells, and after surface contact with MV envelope proteins, SLAM is downregulated from the cell surface of activated PBL and cell lines. Although anti-SLAM and/or anti-CD46 antibodies block virus binding, they do not interfere with the contact-mediated proliferation inhibition. In addition, the cell-type-specific expression of SLAM does not correlate with the sensitivity of cells for proliferation inhibition. The data indicate that proliferation inhibition induced by MV contact is independent of the presence or absence of the virus-binding receptors SLAM and CD46.
Assessing the Environmental Impact of Mountain Tourism. The Case of Elatochori Ski Centre, Greece

The development of mountain tourism in Greece is a recent phenomenon and one that has been affected by the economic crisis. Key factor to its development was the ski resorts that spread through the country especially in the last twenty years. The present paper focuses on a ski resort in Greece, Elatochori Pierias, attempting to assess the impact of mountain tourism on the sustainable development of the area. Apart from the obvious economic benefits, the ski resorts have negative impact on the environment and the society. Therefore, ski resorts cannot be characterized as sustainable according to the spirit of the three pillars of sustainability.
Natural otolith microstructure patterns reveal precise homing to natal incubation sites by sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

Experimental results suggest that anadromous salmon and trout learn (imprint) the odors of their natal site just prior to or during seaward migration. In contrast, information on the life histories of several species and the genetic structure of populations indicate that they must imprint earlier in life, probably during incubation in the gravel or when they emerge as free-swimming fry. To test the hypothesis that sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) home to their incubation-emergence sites (rather than just to the lake where they reared before migrating to sea), we took advantage of the natural variation in otolith microstructure caused by differences in thermal regimes during incubation. We collected otoliths from adult sockeye salmon that returned to discrete spawning areas in Iliamna Lake, Alaska, and Lake Washington, Washington, and, in blind trials, these were classified based on comparison with otoliths from juveniles from the same sites and using information on site-specific thermal regimes. Our an.
Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri: factors affecting successful eradication of citrus canker.

UNLABELLED SUMMARY Taxonomic status: Bacteria, Proteobacteria, gamma subdivision, Xanthomodales, Xanthomonas group, axonopodis DNA homology group, X. axonopodis pv. citri (Hasse) Vauterin et al. Microbiological properties: Gram negative, slender, rod-shaped, aerobic, motile by a single polar flagellum, produces slow growing, non-mucoid colonies in culture, ecologically obligate plant parasite. HOST RANGE Causal agent of Asiatic citrus canker on most Citrus spp. and close relatives of Citrus in the family Rutaceae. Disease symptoms: Distinctively raised, necrotic lesions on fruits, stems and leaves. EPIDEMIOLOGY Bacteria exude from lesions during wet weather and are disseminated by splash dispersal at short range, windblown rain at medium to long range and human assisted movement at all ranges. Crop loss: Severe infections cause defoliation, blemished fruit, premature fruit drop, die-back of twigs and general debilitation of the tree. Distribution: Citrus canker is not present in all subtropical to tropical regions of citriculture in the world, so considerable regulatory efforts are expended to prevent the introduction and spread of X. axonopodis pv. citri into areas in the Americas, Australia and elsewhere, with climates conducive to the disease. IMPORTANCE Limited strategies exist for suppression of citrus canker on more susceptible cultivars. Blemished fruit are unmarketable and exposed fruit are restricted in market access. The economic impact of loss of markets is much greater than that from yield and quality reductions of the crop. USEFUL WEBSITES http://doacs.state. fl.us/canker, http://www.apsnet. org/education/lessonsplantpath/citruscanker/top.htm, http://www.apsnet. org/online/feature/citruscanker/, http://www.plantmanagementnetwork. org/pub/php/review/citruscanker/, http://www.abecitrus. com.br/fundecitrus.html, http://www.biotech. ufl.edu/PlantContainment/canker.htm, http://www.aphis. usda.gov/oa/ccanker/.
Biosimilar infliximab (CT-P13) in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease: A Norwegian observational study

Objective: To assess the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of CT-P13 (Remsima®) in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods: This was a prospective observational study performed in a single center in Norway. Patients with CD (n = 46) or UC (n = 32) received CT-P13 (5 mg/kg) by intravenous infusion at weeks 0, 2, and 6. Efficacy end points included remission at week 14, measured by a Harvey-Bradshaw Index score of ≤4 or partial Mayo score of ≤2. Levels of the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein and calprotectin were measured. Adverse events up to week 14 were also recorded. Results: Seventy-nine percent of CD and 56% of UC patients achieved remission at week 14. Significant reductions in C-reactive protein and calprotectin occurred between baseline and week 14. There were no unexpected adverse events reported during the study. Conclusion: CT-P13 is efficacious and well tolerated in patients with CD or UC.
Minimum entropy control of non-Gaussian dynamic stochastic systems

This paper presents a new method to minimize the closed loop randomness for general dynamic stochastic systems using the entropy concept. The system is assumed to be subjected to any bounded random inputs. Using the linear B-spline model for the shape control of the system output probability density function, a control input is formulated which minimizes the output entropy of the closed loop system. Since the entropy is the measure of randomness for a given random variable, this controller can thus reduces the uncertainty of the closed loop system. A set of sufficient conditions have been established to guarantee the local minimum property of the obtained control input and the stability of the closed loop system. Discussions on the design of minimum entropy tracking error have also been made. An illustrative example is utilized to demonstrate the use of the control algorithm, and satisfactory results have been obtained.
Protective effects of diltiazem and tadalafil on shock wave-induced kidney injury in rats.

BACKGROUND We aimed to compare the protective effects of tadalafil and diltiazem on renal histology after ischemia and reperfusion injury in a rat model of shock wave lithotripsy. METHODS A total of 40 adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into four groups as follows; control group (group C), group S (SWL + nephrectomy), group T (SWL + tadalafil given before nephrectomy) and group D (SWL + diltiazem given before nephrectomy). Both kidneys were evaluated regarding tubular damage, peritubular fibrosis and heat shock protein-70 (HSP-70) immune-expression of glomeruli, cortical and medullar collector tubules on light microscopy. RESULTS HSP-70 levels of cortical and medullar collector tubules, tubular damage and peritubular fibrosis scores were decreased in group T compared with group S. Similarly, HSP-70 immunostaining levels on cortical and medullar collector tubules, tubular damage and peritubular fibrosis scores were decreased in group D compared with group S. No significant difference was detected between group D and group T for all parameters. CONCLUSION As a result, shock waves induced renal cell damage due to increment of HSP-70 levels, morphological irregularity in tubules and increased peritubular fibrosis. Tadalafil and diltiazem had beneficial effects in decreasing renal tissue damage which was caused by SWL (Tab. 2, Fig. 6, Ref. 29).
Avaliação de Sistemas de Recomendação Educacionais no Brasil: uma revisão sistemática da literatura

Neste artigo, e descrita uma Revisao Sistematica de Sistemas de Recomendacao Educacionais (SRE) com foco na forma de avaliacao empregada, considerando os estudos primarios divulgados nos cinco veiculos brasileiros de publicacao cientifica melhor classificados pelo Qualis/CAPES. Alem da forma de avaliacao, os dados obtidos indicaram a evolucao historica dessas publicacoes, as instituicoes envolvidas, as metricas mais utilizadas, entre outros aspectos. Com esta revisao, espera-se que os educadores e pesquisadores possam ter acesso facilitado as iniciativas que propoem e avaliam SRE no Brasil.
Molecule mechanism of stem cells in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plants possess the ability to continually produce new tissues and organs throughout their life. Unlike animals, plants are exposed to extreme variations in environmental conditions over the course of their lives. The vitality of plants is so powerful that they can survive several hundreds of years or even more making it an amazing miracle that comes from plant stem cells. The stem cells continue to divide to renew themselves and provide cells for the formation of leaves, stems, and flowers. Stem cells are not only quiescent but also immortal, pluripotent and homeostatic. Stem cells are the magic cells that repair tissues and regenerate organs. During the past decade, scholars around the world have paid more and more attention toward plant stem cells. At present, the major challenge is in relating molecule action mechanism to root apical meristem, shoot apical meristem and vascular system. The coordination between stem cells maintenance and differentiation is critical for normal plant growth and development. Elements such as phytohormones, transcription factors and some other known or unknown genes cooperate to balance this process. In this review, Arabidopsis thaliana as a pioneer system, we highlight recent developments in molecule modulating, illustrating how plant stem cells generate new mechanistic insights into the regulation of plants growth and development.