Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural stimulants to N170 event related potential (ERP) component of Hijab covered faces: An ERP study

Has Hijab covered face (Hijab-face) any special neural stimulants to persons of the similar traditions? To address this question we performed Event Related Potential (ERP) (128 channels) study by using the Wavelet Transform (WT), a time frequency representation in 9 healthy volunteers in the same culture during the presentation of bared head face and hijab wearing face with randomly presented cross and house picture as two other neutral stimuli within the face presentation. There had two experiments, Face-target and Hijab-face target experiment. In Face-target experiment, subjects pressed `1' button when saw bared head face and in Hijab-target experiment, subjects pressed the same button when saw Hijab wearing face. The stimuli were presented for 1 s with 1.5 s interstimulus interval (ISI). Upon the stimulus types, event-related responses in the 0 Hz-30 Hz range were distributed mainly in the Fz, Cz, Pz, O1 and O2 locations. Data formed visual ERPs. The cue stimuli evoked posterior N170 ERP components both in the face-target and hijab-target experiments at O1 and O2 locations. Both face and hijab-picture stimuli were analyzed in both face and hijab-target experiments. Amplitude was higher of N170 at face-picture stimuli in both experiments. But significantly higher (P= 0.03) in hijab-target experiment. Latency had no significant change in both experiments in all areas. In the face-target experiment, face-picture gave significantly (P= 0.03) higher beta power at O1 area comparing the hijab-picture, where as remarkable decreased (P=0.03) theta power was found in the same stimuli at O2 area. Results suggest that in the same culture, hijab did not give any special neural stimulants. Increased Beta activity and decreased theta waveform indicate that similar society facial picture give the face-picture impression at O1 and O2, respectively and subjects give more attention to face-picture than hijab-picture where O1 and O2 locations are the crucial for this case.
Ultrastructural studies define soluble macromolecular, particulate, and cellular transendothelial cell pathways in venules, lymphatic vessels, and tumor‐associated microvessels in man and animals

We present de novo studies and review published efforts from our laboratory, spanning 12 years (from 1988 to 2000), where we have used ultrastructural approaches to study the functional anatomy of the microvasculature in man and animals in health and disease. These efforts have defined a new endothelial cell organelle, termed the vesiculo‐vacuolar organelle (VVO), which participates in the regulated transendothelial cell passage of soluble macromolecules. The studies defining this organelle utilized ultrathin serial sections, three‐dimensional computer‐assisted reconstructions, and ultrastructural electron‐dense tracers to establish luminal to abluminal transendothelial cell continuity of VVOs. Commonality of VVOs and caveolae is suggested by the ultrastructural anatomy of individual units of VVOs and caveolae, the presence of caveolin in both structures, and a mathematical analysis of morphometric data, all of which suggest that VVOs form from fusions of individual size units equivalent to vesicles of caveolar size. Ultrastructural studies have localized potent permeability factors and their specific receptors to VVOs in in vivo tumor and allergic inflammation models. Regulation of permeability through VVOs has been quantified and shown to be increased in tumor microvessels and in control vessels exposed to potent permeability‐inducing mediators. The transendothelial cell passage of particulate macromolecules occurs by vacuolar transport in tumor vessels; in permeability factor‐exposed control vessels, colloidal carbon traversed endothelial cells via the development of pores that did not communicate with or disrupt intercellular junctions by gap formation. Serial section and computer‐assisted reconstructions established these findings and suggested the possible development of transendothelial cell pores from VVOs. Serial sectioning and computer‐assisted three‐dimensional reconstructions of ultrastructural samples of an acute inflammation model revealed a transendothelial cell traffic route for motile neutrophils and platelets in the absence of classical ultrastructural criteria for regulated secretion from either cell. Microsc. Res. Tech. 57:289–326, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Expression of functionally active cannabinoid receptor CB1 in the human prostate gland

Cannabinoids exert a wide spectrum of effects in men including alterations in the reproductive system. To date, two types of cannabinoid receptors have been cloned in humans, namely CB1 and CB2 belonging to the G protein‐coupled receptor superfamily. Although cannabinoids have functional and morphologic effects in the prostate gland, the expression of cannabinoid receptors in this tissue has never been investigated. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human prostate gland and their regulatory effects on adenylyl cyclase activity.
Efficacy and safety of topiramate on weight loss: a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Topiramate was associated with weight loss in clinical trials. We summarize the evidence on the efficacy and safety of topiramate in the treatment of overweight/obesity. The databases Medline, Embase, and Cochrane were searched. Randomized controlled studies with at least 16 weeks of duration that report the effect of topiramate on weight loss and adverse events were eligible for inclusion. Ten studies were included (3320 individuals). Patients treated with topiramate lost an average of 5.34 kg (95% confidence interval [95%CI]−6.12 to −4.56) of additional weight as compared with placebo. According to meta‐regression analysis, treatment duration and dosage were associated with the efficacy of topiramate treatment. Evaluating trials using topiramate 96–200 mg day−1, the weight loss was higher in trials with >28 weeks of duration (−6.58 kg [95%CI −7.48 to −5.68]) than in trials with ≤28 weeks (−4.11 kg [95%CI −4.92 to −3.30]). Data of 6620 individuals were available for adverse events evaluation and those more frequently observed were paraesthesia, taste impairment and psychomotor disturbances. The odds ratio for adverse events leading to topiramate withdrawal was 1.94 (95%CI 1.64–2.29) compared with the control group. In conclusion, topiramate might be a useful adjunctive therapeutic tool in the treatment of obesity as long as proper warnings about side effects are considered.
Structural Policies in the Euro Area

Structural policies in the euro area are of great interest for the Eurosystem, particularly as they can support the smooth functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and the effectiveness of monetary policy. This paper adopts a broad definition of structural policies, analysing not only the benefits of efficient labour, product and financial market regulations, but also emphasising the importance of good governance and efficient institutions that ensure high quality and impartial public services, the rule of law and the control of rent-seeking. The paper concludes that there are many opportunities for enhanced structural policies in EU and euro area countries which can yield substantial gains by boosting long-term income and employment growth and supporting social fairness, also via better and more equal opportunities. It provides empirical and model-based analyses on the impacts and the interactions of structural policies, highlighting synergies between growth and inclusiveness, while acknowledging that structural policy changes need to be country-specific to reflect national conditions and social preferences. Welldesigned structural policies would also strengthen economic resilience and convergence of Member States, bringing the euro area closer to the requirements of an optimal currency area and improving the transmission of monetary policy. The paper also discusses the political economy causes of the sluggish implementation of socially beneficial structural policies and assesses ways to deal with possible shortterm costs of reforms. JEL Classification: D60, E24, G28, H11, J08, O47, O43
Familjedynastier: så blev Sverige rikt

to the European integration process. It is clear that the key officials increasingly began to prefer open, free and unregulated systems instead of more controlled ones. The old system of national capitalism was replaced with an international one. Kari’s thesis officially belongs to the field of legal history, but it is really a combination of political, economic, administrative and legal history. He describes, occasionally in too much detail, various relevant economic and political processes such as European integration and Finnish policy towards it. Kari nevertheless pays special attention to legal aspects, but does this in a manner that is easily accessible to those who lack expertise in the field. Kari describes the legal thinking behind the reforms, but it turns out that this was not very sophisticated. The Finns had little knowledge or tradition in many fields of financial or European law. Expertise began to emerge only gradually and after many key reforms had been implemented. One of the most important conclusions of the thesis is that we should not only talk about the deregulation or liberalisation of the Finnish financial sector, as people usually do. Kari shows that, in addition, there was extensive reregulation, as new laws were passed which formed the legal framework for the modern Finnish financial sector. This process of reregulation helped Finland to integrate more extensively into international financial markets, and to channel new funds to Finnish businesses. It also created new business opportunities for financial companies. For example, the first Finnish mutual funds were set up in 1987 after a necessary law had been passed. On the whole, Kari’s book shows that the story of the reforms of the Finnish financial sector in the 1980s is relevant not only to those wishing to study the origins of the 1990s depression. It also helps us to understand how Finland was integrated into international financial markets and into the globalised economy.
Joint perception and planning for efficient obstacle avoidance using stereo vision

Stereo vision is commonly used for local obstacle avoidance of autonomous mobile robots: stereo images are first processed to yield a dense 3D reconstruction of the observed scene, which is then used for navigation planning. Such an approach, which we term Sequential Perception and Planning (SPP), results in significant unnecessary computations as the navigation planner only needs to explore a small part of the scene to compute the shortest obstacle-free path. In this paper, we introduce an approach to Joint Perception and Planning (JPP) using stereo vision, which performs disparity checks on demand, only as necessary while searching on a planning graph. Furthermore, obstacle checks for navigation planning do not require full 3D reconstruction: we present in this paper how obstacle queries can be decomposed into a sequence of confident positive stereo matches and confident negative stereo matches, which are significantly faster to compute than the exact depth of points. The resulting complete JPP formulation is significantly faster than SPP, while still maintaining correctness of planning. We also show how the JPP works with different planners, including search-based and sampling-based planners. We present extensive experimental results from real robot data and simulation experiments, demonstrating that the JPP requires less than 10% of the disparity computations required by SPP.
The Cost of Healthy Foods in Seattle, WA: Price trends from 2004-2014

The Cost of Healthy Foods in Seattle, WA: Price Trends from 2004-2014 Katherine O. Freeman Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Adam Drewnowski, PhD Director of the Nutritional Sciences Program Introduction: The issues surrounding the cost of healthy foods have emerged as a significant barrier to improving dietary habits, especially for individuals and families of low socioeconomic status. Earlier reports have found that nutrient-dense, low energy-density foods have increased in price at a more rapid rate compared to energy-dense, low nutrient-density food. This study seeks to determine whether or not this pattern has continued from 2004-2014. Methods: This study was a longitudinal time analysis of retail prices for over 384 foods and beverages collected over an 11-year period (2004-2014). Prices were collected at six time points, every 2 y, at local Seattle metropolitan grocery store chains. Food cost was defined in three ways: price per 100 g edible portion, price per 1000 kcal, and price per serving. The independent variables were major food groups, energy density quintiles, and by two measures of nutrient density (NNR and NRF). Statistical analyses for this study consisted of computing the
Flow disturbances generated by feeding and swimming zooplankton

Significance Plankton compromise their survival when they swim and feed because the fluid disturbances that they generate may be perceived by predators. Because the abundance and population dynamics of zooplankton in the ocean are governed by their access to food and exposure to predators, an important question is to what extent and how zooplankton may minimize the fluid disturbances that they generate. We show that when swimming and feeding are integrated processes, zooplankton generate fluid disturbances that extend much farther in the water than is the case for zooplankton that swim only to relocate. Quiet swimming is achieved through “breast swimming” or by swimming by jumping, whereas other propulsion modes are much noisier. This pattern applies independent of organism size and species. Interactions between planktonic organisms, such as detection of prey, predators, and mates, are often mediated by fluid signals. Consequently, many plankton predators perceive their prey from the fluid disturbances that it generates when it feeds and swims. Zooplankton should therefore seek to minimize the fluid disturbance that they produce. By means of particle image velocimetry, we describe the fluid disturbances produced by feeding and swimming in zooplankton with diverse propulsion mechanisms and ranging from 10-µm flagellates to greater than millimeter-sized copepods. We show that zooplankton, in which feeding and swimming are separate processes, produce flow disturbances during swimming with a much faster spatial attenuation (velocity u varies with distance r as u ∝ r−3 to r−4) than that produced by zooplankton for which feeding and propulsion are the same process (u ∝ r−1 to r−2). As a result, the spatial extension of the fluid disturbance produced by swimmers is an order of magnitude smaller than that produced by feeders at similar Reynolds numbers. The “quiet” propulsion of swimmers is achieved either through swimming erratically by short-lasting power strokes, generating viscous vortex rings, or by “breast-stroke swimming. ” Both produce rapidly attenuating flows. The more “noisy” swimming of those that are constrained by a need to simultaneously feed is due to constantly beating flagella or appendages that are positioned either anteriorly or posteriorly on the (cell) body. These patterns transcend differences in size and taxonomy and have thus evolved multiple times, suggesting a strong selective pressure to minimize predation risk.
Oral creatine supplementation's decrease of blood lactate during exhaustive, incremental cycling.

PURPOSE To determine the effects of creatine supplementation on blood lactate during incremental cycling exercise. METHODS Thirteen male subjects (M ± SD 23 ± 2 yr, 178.0 ± 8.1 cm, 86.3 ± 16.0 kg, 24% ± 9% body fat) performed a maximal, incremental cycling test to exhaustion before (Pre) and after (Post) 6 d of creatine supplementation (4 doses/d of 5 g creatine + 15 g glucose). Blood lactate was measured at the end of each exercise stage during the protocol, and the lactate threshold was determined as the stage before achieving 4 mmol/L. Lactate concentrations during the incremental test were analyzed using a 2 (condition) × 6 (exercise stage) repeated-measures ANOVA. Differences in power at lactate threshold, power at exhaustion, and total exercise time were determined by paired t tests and are presented as M ± SD. RESULTS Lactate concentrations were reduced during exercise after supplementation, demonstrating a significant condition effect (p = .041). There was a tendency for increased power at the lactate threshold (Pre 128 ± 45 W, Post 143 ± 26 W; p = .11). Total time to fatigue approached significant increases (Pre 22.6 ± 3.2 min, Post 23.3 ± 3.3 min; p = .056), as did maximal power output (Pre 212.5 ± 32.5 W, Post 220 ± 34.6 W; p = .082). CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that creatine supplementation decreases lactate during incremental cycling exercise and tends to raise lactate threshold. Therefore, creatine supplementation could potentially benefit endurance athletes.
Exclusion of Positional Candidate Gene Coding Region Mutations in the Common Posterior Polymorphous Corneal Dystrophy 1 Candidate Gene Interval

Purpose: Posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy (PPCD) is an autosomal-dominant disorder of the corneal endothelium associated with visually significant corneal edema and glaucoma. Statistical genetic analysis of 4 families with PPCD has demonstrated linkage to a 2.4 cM common support interval on chromosome 20 bordered by the markers D20S182 and D20S139. We sought to identify the genetic basis of PPCD linked to chromosome 20 (PPCD1) by screening the 26 positional candidate genes between these markers in a family previously mapped to the PPCD1 region. Methods: The coding regions of the 26 positional candidate genes mapped to the common PPCD1 support interval were amplified and sequenced in affected and unaffected individuals from a family previously linked to the PPCD1 locus. Nine other genes positioned just outside of the common PPCD1 support interval but within the autosomal-dominant congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy interval were also screened. Results: Four DNA sequence variants in 3 of the positional candidate genes demonstrated complete segregation with the affected phenotype: p.Thr109Thr (rs6111803) in OVOL2, p.Arg56Gln (novel variant-RPSnovel) in RPS19P1, and p.Thr85Thr (rs1053834) and p.Pro99Ser (rs1053839) in C20orf79. Each of these 4 sequence variants demonstrated significant linkage with the affected phenotype in this family (P = 2.5 × 10-7 for RPSnovel, rs1053834 and rs1053839; P = 8.6 × 10-7 for rs6111803). However, we also identified each of these 4 sequence variants in ≥9% unaffected control individuals. The haplotype on which the disease-causing mutation is segregating was found to have a population frequency of 4.2% in the CEPH HapMap trios. Although a number of other previously described and novel single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in the 35 positional candidate genes located within the PPCD1 and congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy intervals, none segregated with the affected phenotype. Conclusions: We report the absence of a presumed pathogenic coding region mutation in the common PPCD1 support interval. Although minor alleles of 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified that segregated with the affected phenotype, the relatively high frequency of each minor allele in the general population indicates that none is a candidate for the causal variant for PPCD. Instead, the causal variant is most likely a coding region deletion or a variant in a noncoding region of the PPCD1 common support interval.
Frozen section of the pancreatic neck margin in pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma is of limited utility

Summary The use of frozen section to assess resection margins intraoperatively during pancreaticoduodenectomy facilitates further resection. However, it is unclear whether this actually improves patient survival. We reviewed the overall survival and resection margin status in consecutive pancreaticoduodenectomies performed for carcinoma. An R1 resection was defined as an incomplete excision (⩽1 mm margin); R0(p) resection as complete excision without re-resection and R0(s) resection as an initially positive neck margin which was converted to R0 resection after re-resection. Between 2007 and 2012, 116 pancreatoduodenectomies were performed for adenocarcinoma; 101 (87%) underwent frozen section of the neck margin which was positive in 19 (19%). Sixteen of these patients had negative neck margins after re-excision but only seven patients had no other involved margins [true R0(s) resections]. Median survival for the R0(p), R0(s) and R1 groups were 29, 16, 23 months, respectively (p = 0.049; R0(p) versus R0(s) p = 0.040). Intra-operative frozen section increased the overall R0 rate by 7% but this did not improve survival. Our findings question the clinical benefit of intraoperative margin assessment, particularly if re-excision cannot be performed easily and safely.
Detecting Drivable Area for Self-driving Cars: An Unsupervised Approach

It has been well recognized that detecting drivable area is central to self-driving cars. Most of existing methods attempt to locate road surface by using lane line, thereby restricting to drivable area on which have a clear lane mark. This paper proposes an unsupervised approach for detecting drivable area utilizing both image data from a monocular camera and point cloud data from a 3D-LIDAR scanner. Our approach locates initial drivable areas based on a "direction ray map" obtained by image-LIDAR data fusion. Besides, a fusion of the feature level is also applied for more robust performance. Once the initial drivable areas are described by different features, the feature fusion problem is formulated as a Markov network and a belief propagation algorithm is developed to perform the model inference. Our approach is unsupervised and avoids common hypothesis, yet gets state-of-the-art results on ROAD-KITTI benchmark. Experiments show that our unsupervised approach is efficient and robust for detecting drivable area for self-driving cars.
Effect of collection frequency on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of pigeon (Columba livia) semen

1. The aim was to estimate the optimal frequency of semen collection from pigeons in relation to ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, total spermatozoa in ejaculate and percentage of live morphologically normal cells. 2. The study was carried out on 455 ejaculates collected from two groups of pigeons, each of 10 males (group I: meat-type breed; group II: fancy pigeon). The birds were selected and kept individually in cages under a natural photoperiod. 3. A two-person technique was used for semen collection (lumbo-sacral and cloacal region massage). Semen was collected once, twice or three times per week. 4. Colour, consistency and volume of ejaculates were evaluated macroscopically immediately after collection. Sperm concentration and total number of cells in the ejaculate were estimated after dilution with Ringer's solution. A live–dead stain technique (nigrosin–eosin) was used to determine the percentage of live and normal spermatozoa. 5. Semen collected 3×/week was of high quality. The average volume of a single ejaculate was small (21 µl in group I and 19 µl in group II), but sperm concentration was high—1·58 × 109/ml and 1·96 × 109/ml, respectively. The mean number of spermatozoa per ejaculate was 30·48 × 106 in group I and 39·49 × 106 in group II. An increased percentage of live and normal spermatozoa in semen collected more frequently was also observed. 6. Collecting pigeon semen 3×/week provides spermatozoa in larger amounts and of better quality than less frequent collections (1×/week or 2×/week) and is recommended for obtaining more insemination doses.