Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cholinergic Enhancement of Brain Activation in Mild Cognitive Impairment during Episodic Memory Encoding

Objective: To determine the physiological impact of treatment with donepezil (Aricept) on neural circuitry supporting episodic memory encoding in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods: Eighteen patients with MCI and 20 age-matched healthy controls (HC) were scanned twice while performing an event-related verbal episodic encoding task. MCI participants were scanned before treatment and after approximately 3 months on donepezil; HC were untreated but rescanned at the same interval. Voxel-level analyses assessed treatment effects on activation profiles in MCI patients relative to retest changes in non-treated HC. Changes in task-related connectivity in medial temporal circuitry were also evaluated, as were associations between brain activation, task-related functional connectivity, task performance, and clinical measures of cognition. Results: At baseline, the MCI group showed reduced activation during encoding relative to HC in the right medial temporal lobe (MTL; hippocampal/parahippocampal) and additional regions, as well as attenuated task-related deactivation, relative to rest, in a medial parietal lobe cluster. After treatment, the MCI group showed normalized MTL activation and improved parietal deactivation. These changes were associated with cognitive performance. After treatment, the MCI group also demonstrated increased task-related functional connectivity from the right MTL cluster seed region to a network of other sites including the basal nucleus/caudate and bilateral frontal lobes. Increased functional connectivity was associated with improved task performance. Conclusion: Pharmacologic enhancement of cholinergic function in amnestic MCI is associated with changes in brain activation and functional connectivity during episodic memory processing which are in turn related to increased cognitive performance. fMRI is a promising biomarker for assessing treatment related changes in brain function.
Age at Immigration and the Educational Attainment of Foreign-Born Children in the United States

A substantial empirical literature confirms an educational disadvantage for foreign-born children that arrive in their host countries at older ages. In the presence of a negative correlation between parental education and age at immigration, estimates of the educational attainment age at immigration gradient, neglecting controls for parental education, will tend to overestimate this disadvantage. The results indicate a considerable overestimation (up to almost 28%) of the disadvantage for immigrant children that arrive at older ages. Moreover, a considerable portion (69%) of the total bias associated with omitted controls for parental education reflects the non-random educational selection of immigrant parents across the age at immigration distribution.
A comparison of image quality metric performances under practical conditions

In this paper three image quality metrics are compared: mean-square error (MSE), noise quality measure (NQM), and structural information metric (SIM). Such a comparison is made in order to evaluate the performance of those different metrics under practical conditions. Experimental results along with statistical indices of performance are provided. The referred results suggest that there are situations in which the MSE-based metric outperforms the two other considered metrics.
UTILITY OF QUALITY CONTROL TOOLS AND STATISTICAL PROCESS CONTROL TO IMPROVE THE PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY IN AN INDUSTRY

Statistical Process Control (SPC) methods have been widely recognized as effective approaches for process monitoring and diagnosis. Statistical process control provides use of the statistical principals and techniques at every stage of the production. Statistical Process Control (SPC) aims to control quality characteristics on the methods, machine, products, equipments both for the company and operators with magnificent seven. Some simple techniques like the “seven basic quality control (QC) tools” provide a very valuable and cost effective way to meet these objectives. However, to make them successful as cost effective and problem solving tools, strong commitment from top management is required. Statistical process control (SPC) is one of the important tools in quality control (QC). In order to survive in a competitive market, improving quality and productivity of product or process is a must for any company.
Structure and expression of a plant U1 snRNP 70K gene: alternative splicing of U1 snRNP 70K pre-mRNAs produces two different transcripts.

The product of the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle (U1 snRNP) 70K (U1-70K) gene, a U1 snRNP-specific protein, has been implicated in basic as well as alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs in animals. Here, we report the isolation of full-length cDNAs and the corresponding genomic clone encoding a U1-70K protein from a plant system. The Arabidopsis U1-70K protein is encoded by a single gene, which is located on chromosome 3. Several lines of evidence indicate that two distinct transcripts (short and long) are produced from the same gene by alternative splicing of the U1-70K pre-mRNA. The alternative splicing involves inclusion or exclusion of a region (910 bp) that we named "included intron. " Two transcripts were clearly detectable in all tissues tested, and the level of the transcripts varied in different organs. The deduced amino acid (427 residues) sequence from the short transcript has strong homology to the animal U1-70K protein and contains an RNA recognition motif, a glycine hinge, and an arginine-rich region characteristic of the animal U1-70K protein. The long transcript has an in-frame translational termination codon within the 910-bp included intron, resulting in a truncated protein containing only 204 amino acids. The protein encoded by the short transcript is recognized by U1 RNP-specific monoclonal antibodies and binds specifically to the Arabidopsis U1 snRNA, whereas the protein from the long transcript does not. In addition, multiple polyadenylation sites were observed in the 3' untranslated region. These results suggest a complex post-transcriptional regulation of Arabidopsis U1-70K gene expression.
Density regulation in strictly metric-free swarms

There is now experimental evidence that nearest-neighbour interactions in flocks of birds are metric free, i.e. they have no characteristic interaction length scale. However, models that involve interactions between neighbours that are assigned topologically are naturally invariant under spatial expansion, supporting a continuous reduction in density towards zero, unless additional cohesive interactions are introduced or the density is artificially controlled, e.g. via a finite system size. We propose a solution that involves a metric-free motional bias on those individuals that are topologically identified to be on an edge of the swarm. This model has only two primary control parameters, one controlling the relative strength of stochastic noise to the degree of co-alignment and another controlling the degree of the motional bias for those on the edge, relative to the tendency to co-align. We find a novel power-law scaling of the real-space density with the number of individuals N as well as a familiar order-to-disorder transition.
Estradiol Increases Mucus Synthesis in Bronchial Epithelial Cells

Airway epithelial mucus hypersecretion and mucus plugging are prominent pathologic features of chronic inflammatory conditions of the airway (e.g. asthma and cystic fibrosis) and in most of these conditions, women have worse prognosis compared with male patients. We thus investigated the effects of estradiol on mucus expression in primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells from female donors grown at an air liquid interface (ALI). Treatment with estradiol in physiological ranges for 2 weeks caused a concentration-dependent increase in the number of PAS-positive cells (confirmed to be goblet cells by MUC5AC immunostaining) in ALI cultures, and this action was attenuated by estrogen receptor beta (ER-β) antagonist. Protein microarray data showed that nuclear factor of activated T-cell (NFAT) in the nuclear fraction of NHBE cells was increased with estradiol treatment. Estradiol increased NFATc1 mRNA and protein in ALI cultures. In a human airway epithelial (1HAE0) cell line, NFATc1 was required for the regulation of MUC5AC mRNA and protein. Estradiol also induced post-translational modification of mucins by increasing total fucose residues and fucosyltransferase (FUT-4, -5, -6) mRNA expression. Together, these data indicate a novel mechanism by which estradiol increases mucus synthesis in the human bronchial epithelium.
Neighborhoods of a certain class of analytic functions with negative coefficients

Abstract. A certain subclass of analytic functions in the open unit disc with negative coefficients is introduced. The new class is defined by means of multiplier transformations. By making use of the familiar concept of neighborhoods of analytic function, the author proves coefficient inequalities, distortion theorems and associated inclusion relations for the (n, δ)-neighborhoods of functions belonging to the new class, which satisfy a certain nonhomogeneous CauchyEuler differential equation.
The SAS-5 N-terminal domain is a tetramer, with implications for centriole assembly in C. elegans

The centriole is a conserved microtubule-based organelle essential for both centrosome formation and cilium biogenesis. It has a unique 9-fold symmetry and its assembly is governed by at least five component proteins (SPD-2, ZYG-1, SAS-5, SAS-6 and SAS-4), which are recruited in a hierarchical order. Recently published structural studies of the SAS-6 N-terminal domain have greatly advanced our understanding of the mechanisms of centriole assembly. However, it remains unclear how the weak interaction between the SAS-6 N-terminal head groups could drive the assembly of a closed ring-like structure, and what determines the stacking of multiple rings on top one another in centriole duplication. We recently reported that SAS-5 binds specifically to a very narrow region of the SAS-6 central coiled coil through its C-terminal domain (CTD, residues 391–404). Here, we further demonstrate by both static light scattering and small angle X-ray scattering that the SAS-5 N-terminal domain (NTD, residues 1–260) forms a tetramer. Specifically, we found that the tetramer is formed by SAS-5 residues 82–260, whereas residues 1–81 are intrinsically disordered. Taking these results together, we propose a working model for SAS-5-mediated assembly of the multi-layered central tube structure.
Impact of early second-language acquisition on the development of first language and verbal short-term and working memory

ABSTRACT The present study aimed at investigating whether L2 learning affects phonological short-term and working memory and first language (L1) development. The performance of a group of 31 4- to-5-year-old sequential bilinguals attending an International School on tasks assessing phonological short-term and working memory and linguistic performance in L1 was compared to that of a group of 31 age-matched monolinguals. The bilingual group outperformed monolinguals on two simple and one complex span task assessing phonological short-term and working memory, respectively. They performed as monolinguals on measures assessing articulatory skills, phonological abilities, naming and grammatical processing in L1. However, bilingual participants performed worse than monolinguals on a test of lexical comprehension. These results are discussed in light of current models of cognitive development.
Integration of Vision and Inertial Sensors for 3D Arm Motion Tracking in Home-based Rehabilitation

The integration of visual and inertial sensors for human motion tracking has attracted significant attention recently, due to its robust performance and wide potential application. This paper introduces a real-time hybrid solution to articulated 3D arm motion tracking for home-based rehabilitation by combining visual and inertial sensors. Data fusion is a key issue in this hybrid system and two different data fusion methods are proposed. The first is a deterministic method based on arm structure and geometry information, which is suitable for simple rehabilitation motions. The second is a probabilistic method based on an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) in which data from two sensors is fused in a predict-correct manner in order to deal with sensor noise and model inaccuracy. Experimental results are presented and compared with commercial marker-based systems, CODA and Qualysis. They show good performance for the proposed solution.
“Robots Vs Animals”

A widespread culture supporting public engagement activities in higher education is desirable but difficult to establish. Drawing on social cognitive theory, this science communication project aimed to enhance culture change in engineering by developing communication skillsets of early-career engineers, particularly supporting female engineers as role models. Engineers received training in storytelling to present at live events, enhanced by peer group social persuasion and vicarious modeling. A science communication coordinator and senior management endorsement removed barriers to participation. Evaluation showed engineers’ self-efficacy levels significantly increased. Qualitative data highlighted a developing culture of engagement but purposive selection of women proved controversial.
A randomized-controlled trial of computerized alerts to reduce unapproved medication abbreviation use

Abbreviation use is a preventable cause of medication errors. The objective of this study was to test whether computerized alerts designed to reduce medication abbreviations and embedded within an electronic progress note program could reduce these abbreviations in the non-computer-assisted handwritten notes of physicians. Fifty-nine physicians were randomized to one of three groups: a forced correction alert group; an auto-correction alert group; or a group that received no alerts. Over time, physicians in all groups significantly reduced their use of these abbreviations in their handwritten notes. Physicians exposed to the forced correction alert showed the greatest reductions in use when compared to controls (p=0.02) and the auto-correction alert group (p=0.0005). Knowledge of unapproved abbreviations was measured before and after the intervention and did not improve (p=0.81). This work demonstrates the effects that alert systems can have on physician behavior in a non-computerized environment and in the absence of knowledge.
Portraits or People? Distinct Representations of Face Identity in the Human Visual Cortex

Humans can identify individual faces under different viewpoints, even after a single encounter. We determined brain regions responsible for processing face identity across view changes after variable delays with several intervening stimuli, using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging during a long-term repetition priming paradigm. Unfamiliar faces were presented sequentially either in a frontal or three-quarter view. Each face identity was repeated once after an unpredictable lag, with either the same or another viewpoint. Behavioral data showed significant priming in response time, irrespective of view changes. Brain imaging results revealed a reduced response in the lateral occipital and fusiform cortex with face repetition. Bilateral face-selective fusiform areas showed view-sensitive repetition effects, generalizing only from three-quarter to front-views. More medial regions in the left (but not in the right) fusiform showed repetition effects across all types of viewpoint changes. These results reveal that distinct regions within the fusiform cortex hold view-sensitive or view-invariant traces of novel faces, and that face identity is represented in a view-sensitive manner in the functionally defined face-selective areas of both hemispheres. In addition, our finding of a better generalization after exposure to a 3/4-view than to a front-view demonstrates for the first time a neural substrate in the fusiform cortex for the common recognition advantage of three-quarter faces. This pattern provides new insights into the nature of face representation in the human visual system.
The characteristics of federal offenders sentenced for sexual exploitation of children within a large urban metropolitan region

ABSTRACT This study reviewed federal court transcripts of 24 offenders sentenced for violating Title 18, United States Code (USC) § 2251 and § 2252, which included offense charges involving the sexual exploitation of children, and receipt, reproduction, production, transportation, and distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conducts; possession of child pornography; and other related federal offenses under these statutes. The offender characteristics suggest diversity within age, education, and occupations. Similar to existing research, offenders were generally white males whose offending involved some aspect of digital recording and storage. Victim ages ranged from infancy to late adolescence.
Corings over rings with local units

We show that the bicategory whose 0‐cells are corings over rings with local units is bi‐equivalent to the bicategory of comonads in (right) unital modules whose underlying functors are right exact and preserve direct sums. A base ring extension of a coring by an adjunction is introduced as well (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Antidepressant-Induced Neurogenesis in the Hippocampus of Adult Nonhuman Primates

New neurons are generated in the adult hippocampus of many species including rodents, monkeys, and humans. Conditions associated with major depression, such as social stress, suppress hippocampal neurogenesis in rodents and primates. In contrast, all classes of antidepressants stimulate neuronal generation, and the behavioral effects of these medications are abolished when neurogenesis is blocked. These findings generated the hypothesis that induction of neurogenesis is a necessary component in the mechanism of action of antidepressant treatments. To date, the effects of antidepressants on newborn neurons have been reported only in rodents and tree shrews. This study examines whether neurogenesis is increased in nonhuman primates after antidepressant treatment. Adult monkeys received repeated electroconvulsive shock (ECS), which is the animal analog of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the most effective short-term antidepressant. Compared with control conditions, ECS robustly increased precursor cell proliferation in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus in the monkey hippocampus. A majority of these precursors differentiated into neurons or endothelial cells, while a few matured into glial cells. The ECS-mediated induction of cell proliferation and neurogenesis was accompanied by increased immunoreactivity for the neuroprotective gene product BCL2 (B cell chronic lymphocytic lymphoma 2) in the SGZ. The ECS interventions were not accompanied by increased hippocampal cell death or injury. This study demonstrates that ECS is capable of inducing neurogenesis in the nonhuman primate hippocampus and supports the possibility that antidepressant interventions produce similar alterations in the human brain.
Arruinamento e regeneração do espaço edificado na metrópole do século XXI: o caso de Lisboa

espanolRuinas y espacios abandonados son presencias ubicuas en las ciudades contemporaneas. Tal vez porque son vistos como elementos no deseados y anomalos, son un tema poco tratado en los estudios urbanos. En este articulo, se trabaja en vista a una teoria de la ruina urbana moderna. Tomando como referencia el caso del area metropolitana de Lisboa (Portugal), se plantea que los abandonos y arruinamientos son parte integrante de la mutabilidad de las formas urbanas impuesta por el progreso y que la aceleracion del tiempo en la modernidad, al radicalizar la obsolescencia de los objetos, intensifica esos procesos. Abandonos y arruinamientos tienden a ser mas subitos y aleatorios, irrumpiendo en el tejido urbano de forma caotica y fractal, tanto en espacios centrales como en las periferias. Se demuestra, finalmente, que las politicas de regeneracion urbana estan favoreciendo la reinversion en las areas centrales, aunque de forma selectiva, y que se asiste a una tendencia reciente de periferizacion de los arruinamientos. EnglishRuins and derelict spaces are ubiquitous presences in contemporary cities. Probably because they are seen as undesirable and anomalous elements, scarce attention has been paid to them in urban studies. A theory of modern urban ruin is attempted in this paper. Using the Lisboa metropolitan area (Portugal) as case study, it is argued that dereliction and ruinification are part of the mutability of urban forms imposed by progress. The acceleration of time in modernity, by making the obsolescence of objects easier and faster, intensifies those processes. Dereliction and ruinification tend to occur more suddenly and randomly, breaking into the urban space in a chaotic and fractal geography, which reaches both central and peripheral areas. Finally, it is demonstrated that urban regeneration policies are favoring reinvestment in central areas, albeit selectively, and that a trend of ruins shifting to periphery is under way. portuguesRuinas e espacos abandonados sao presencas ubiquas nas cidades contemporâneas. Talvez por serem considerados elementos indesejados e anomalos, sao um tema pouco tratado nos estudos urbanos. Neste artigo, trabalha-se em vista a uma teoria da ru ina urbana moderna. Tomando por referencia o caso da area metropolitana de Lisboa (Portugal), sustenta-se que os abandonos e arruinamentos sao parte integrante da mutabilidade das formas urbanas imposta pelo progresso e que a aceleracao do tempo na modernidade, ao radicalizar o obsolescimento dos objetos, intensifica esses processos. Abandonos e arruinamentos tendem a ser mais subitos e aleatorios, irrompendo no tecido urbano de forma caotica e fractal, tanto em espacos centrais como nas periferias. Demonstra-se, por fim, que as politicas de regeneracao urbana estao a favorecer o reinvestimento nas areas centrais, embora de forma seletiva, e que se assiste a uma tendencia recente de periferizacao dos arruinamentos.
Number development and developmental dyscalculia

There is a growing consensus that the neuropsychological underpinnings of developmental dyscalculia (DD) are a genetically determined disorder of ‘number sense’, a term denoting the ability to represent and manipulate numerical magnitude nonverbally on an internal number line. However, this spatially‐oriented number line develops during elementary school and requires additional cognitive components including working memory and number symbolization (language). Thus, there may be children with familial‐genetic DD with deficits limited to number sense and others with DD and comorbidities such as language delay, dyslexia, or attention‐deficit‐hyperactivity disorder. This duality is supported by epidemiological data indicating that two‐thirds of children with DD have comorbid conditions while one‐third have pure DD. Clinically, they differ according to their profile of arithmetic difficulties. fMRI studies indicate that parietal areas (important for number functions), and frontal regions (dominant for executive working memory and attention functions), are under‐activated in children with DD. A four‐step developmental model that allows prediction of different pathways for DD is presented. The core‐system representation of numerical magnitude (cardinality; step 1) provides the meaning of ‘number’, a precondition to acquiring linguistic (step 2), and Arabic (step 3) number symbols, while a growing working memory enables neuroplastic development of an expanding mental number line during school years (step 4). Therapeutic and educational interventions can be drawn from this model.