Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional Connectivity Targeting for Deep Brain Stimulation in Essential Tremor

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Deep brain stimulation of the thalamus has become a valuable treatment for medication-refractory essential tremor, but current targeting provides only a limited ability to account for individual anatomic variability. We examined whether functional connectivity measurements among the motor cortex, superior cerebellum, and thalamus would allow discrimination of precise targets useful for image guidance of neurostimulator placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Resting BOLD images (8 minutes) were obtained in 58 healthy adolescent and adult volunteers. Regions of interest were identified from an anatomic atlas and a finger movement task in each subject in the primary motor cortex and motor activation region of the bilateral superior cerebellum. Correlation was measured in the time series of each thalamic voxel with the 4 seeds. An analogous procedure was performed on a single subject imaged for 10 hours to constrain the time needed for single-subject optimization of thalamic targets. RESULTS: Mean connectivity images from 58 subjects showed precisely localized targets within the expected location of the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus, within a single voxel of currently used deep brain stimulation anatomic targets. These targets could be mapped with single-voxel accuracy in a single subject with 3 hours of imaging time, though targets were reproduced in different locations for the individual than for the group averages. CONCLUSIONS: Interindividual variability likely exists in optimal placement for thalamic deep brain stimulation targeting of the cerebellar thalamus for essential tremor. Individualized thalamic targets can be precisely estimated for image guidance with sufficient imaging time.
Autocalibrating parallel imaging of in vivo trabecular bone microarchitecture at 3 Tesla

In this work the generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition (GRAPPA) technique was implemented with modified reconstruction and applied to in vivo high‐resolution (HR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the trabecular bone microarchitecture at 3 Tesla (T) with a multiple‐acquisition balanced steady‐state free precession (b‐SSFP) sequence. Trabecular bone is made up of a network of microstructures (80–140 μm), and its structural deterioration is associated with the skeletal metabolic disorder osteoporosis. HR‐MRI is a promising noninvasive tool for assessing the trabecular microarchitecture in vivo, but it involves long acquisition times. Using partially parallel imaging (PPI) to accelerate the acquisition may help mitigate this shortcoming and allow more flexibility in protocol design. In this study the effects of GRAPPA‐based reconstruction on image characteristics and the measurement of trabecular bone structural parameters were evaluated. Initial studies showed that image quality and depiction of microstructure were preserved in the GRAPPA‐based reconstruction, indicating the feasibility of PPI in HR‐MRI of trabecular bone. The results also demonstrated the potential of PPI for increasing the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) efficiency of multiple‐acquisition b‐SSFP imaging protocols. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Stress and Coping Strategies in Parents of Children with Physical, Mental, and Hearing Disabilities in Jordan

This research aimed to investigate levels of stress in parents of children with disabilities in Jordan, and coping strategies they used to handle these stresses. An Arabic translation of Parental Stress Scale (Berry, & Jones, 1995) and Coping Strategies Inventory (Tobin, et al., 1989) were used on a sample of 134 parents of children with physical, mental, and hearing disabilities enrolled in diurnal special education centers. The results indicted high levels of stress experienced by parents of children with disabilities; Parents of children with physical disability tend to have the highest levels of stress, while parents of children with hearing impairment have the lowest levels of stress. The results also showed that engagement coping strategies were frequently more used in parents, with preference to use problem focused engagement strategies more than emotion focused engagement strategies. In the other hand, fathers of children with disabilities preferred to use engagement strategies more likely than mothers who preferred disengagement strategies. And finally, the results indicated high positive and significant correlation and acceptable predictable relation between levels of stress and coping strategies.
Dexamethasone Increases Hippocampal Neuronal Apoptosis in a Rabbit Model of Escherichia coli Meningitis

Mortality and long-term sequelae rates are high among adults and children with acute bacterial meningitis. Adjunctive treatment with dexamethasone has been shown to reduce systemic complications in bacterial meningitis patients, but corticosteroid treatment may have detrimental effects on hippocampal function. We evaluated the effect of dexamethasone treatment in addition to antibiotic therapy in a rabbit model of Escherichia coli meningitis. A moderate anti-inflammatory effect of dexamethasone could be demonstrated with respect to the inflammatory mediator prostaglandin E2, whereas no significant effect of dexamethasone on tumor necrosis factor-α, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis, protein, lactate, indicators of global neuronal damage, or blood gas analysis was found. Dexamethasone, however, increased the rate of apoptotic neurons in the granular layer of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. In view of the proapoptotic effect of adjunctive dexamethasone on hippocampal neuronal cells in animal models of Gram-positive and Gram-negative meningitis, the application of dexamethasone should be considered carefully in those forms of bacterial meningitis for which no evidence-based data of beneficial effect in humans are available, such as neonatal meningitis, bacillary Gram-negative meningitis or nosocomial forms of meningitis (e.g. following neurosurgery).
Analytical Thermal Rating Method for Cables Installed in J-Tubes

One possible thermal pinch point along the route of a wind farm export circuit is a J tube, commonly used to provide mechanical protection to cable sections between the sea floor and the offshore platform. Current ratings for such cable sections are not covered by the scope of IEC 60287, while the existing publications covering such systems have limitations. This paper presents an updated 2-D analytical method and a 3-D extension for the rating of J tubes with short air section lengths. Continuous rating comparisons have been made against a 3-D finite-element model which shows a 4.5% variation in rating from the 2-D analytical model for air section lengths greater than 10 m, rising to 13% for short air section lengths. With the addition of longitudinal heat transfer within the new 3-D analytical approach, this variation decreases by 2.5%. Both methods proposed can be solved readily using conventional spreadsheet tools and are broadly compliant with the IEC 60287 methodology.
Derogating benevolent behavior of deviant in-group members: group processes within a real-life sample of heterosexual Christians

Abstract How do people evaluate potentially good and desirable behavior by others? We investigate how participants (N = 154) evaluate a couple that wants to adopt an orphan that would otherwise die. We collected data from heterosexual Christians in two cities in the Dutch Bible belt. We manipulated whether the adoptive-parents-to-be were a heterosexual couple or a lesbian couple and whether the couple self-identified as devout Christians or not. Using a subjective group dynamics account, we predicted and found that participants evaluated the lesbian couple in more negative terms than the heterosexual couple, especially when this couple was also Christian. These findings illustrate how positive behavior is derogated when displayed by in-group deviants.
The Case for Informational Text

Think about the way you come to understand the world around you. What do you read to find out about the climate of a region you plan to visit? What do you consult to identify the bird that just flew past your window? In fact, what are you reading right now? The answer to all these questions is informational text. We are surrounded by text whose primary purpose is to convey information about the natural or social world. Success in schooling, the workplace, and society depends on our ability to comprehend this material. Yet many children and adults struggle to comprehend informational text. We should not wait to address this problem until students reach late elementary, middle, and high school, when learning from text is a cornerstone of the curriculum. Four strategies can help teachers improve K–3 students' comprehension of informational text. Teachers should:  Increase students' access to informational text.  Increase the time students spend working with informational text in instructional activities.  Explicitly teach comprehension strategies.  Create opportunities for students to use informational text for authentic purposes.
Can we consider changes in sports participation as institutional change? A conceptual framework

The aim of this paper is to gain conceptual understanding of changes in leisure-time sports participation (LTSP) as an issue of institutional change. The study is elaborated in the LTSP research context of Flanders (Belgium) and Denmark. Data originate from the Flemish Household Study on Sports Participation (1969, 1979, 1989, 1999, 2009), Danish National Surveys on Sports Participation (1964, 1975, 1993, 1998, 2007, 2011) and the Flemish Participation Survey on Culture, Youth, Sports and Media (2009). A theoretical framework on institutional change is outlined to frame developments in the organisation of LTSP. Next, empirical evidence on changes in LTSP is presented based on time-trend observations and an in-depth analysis of profiles of participants in different organisational settings. The developments seem to reflect post-modern and post-materialist values that are linked to the theory of institutional change. The final part of the paper links changes in leisure-time sports participation to institutional theory in a conceptual framework of ‘greedy’ and ‘light’ institutions. The dynamic character of the framework suggests that both processes of deinstitutionalisation and reinstitutionalisation occur in the field of LTSP. The interpretation of institutional logics related to processes of change may inspire LTSP research from different perspectives.
Cells Were Denatured with 2 N Hcl and Permeabilized with 0.3% Triton X-100. Primary

Materials and Methods Cell proliferation assay. NG2-sorted cells were plated at a density of 5x10 3 cells/well in 96-well plate coated with laminin. Cultures were supplemented with growth factors and maintained with a medium change every 3 days. The proliferating cell number was measured from 1 to 7 weeks with the Roche Applied Science Cell Proliferation Kit II converted to a water soluble formazan by the mitochondrial succinate tetrazolium reductase system. Cells were incubated for 4 hours and then analyzed on an ELISA plate reader with the absorbance wavelength of 475 nm. The same medium without cells was measured as blank assay. Immunofluorescence. To observe GPC proliferation, secondary spheres of 14 days in suspension culture were exposed to 10 μM of BrdU for 12 h and then plated for 3 h. Fluorescent-labeling 488 or 568 secondary antibodies against rabbit IgG, mouse IgG or IgM were used for detection (Molecular Probes, 1:1,000). To determine the number of cells/neurosphere, passage spheres of 4 and 7 days in free-floating culture, were plated for 3 h and stained with DAPI. The cellular nuclei of spheres were counted (n = 3-4 spheres/culture, 3 separate cultures per condition). Statistical analysis. An analysis of Student's t-test was used as the cell proliferation data between HC and AD GPCs at a same time point. Level of significance was p ≤0.05.
The Cost of Relapse in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify the costs and resource utilization associated with a relapse of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Methods: The study comprised a retrospective audit of data from 200 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were admitted to hospital for a relapse of their disorder in two mental health services in Australia between 1 June 2001 and 31 May 2002. Resource use and costing data were collected for 12 months before and 12 months after the hospitalization. Results: There was an increase in contacts per month and associated outpatient costs after the index admission which persisted for the full 12 month data collection period (total of AUD $637). There was also a total increase in hospital costs but this did not persist beyond the first 2 months of the follow-up period and is likely explained by the index admission. Conclusions: Increased healthcare resource utilization and costs results from relapse in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. An increase in service use and costs persist for a considerable time period after an episode of relapse.
Early Postnatal Caloric Restriction Protects Adult Male Intrauterine Growth–Restricted Offspring From Obesity

Postnatal ad libitum caloric intake superimposed on intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with adult-onset obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We hypothesized that this paradigm of prenatal nutrient deprivation–induced programming can be reversed with the introduction of early postnatal calorie restriction. Ten-month-old male rats exposed to either prenatal nutrient restriction with ad libitum postnatal intake (IUGR), pre- and postnatal nutrient restriction (IPGR), or postnatal nutrient restriction limited to the suckling phase (50% from postnatal [PN]1 to PN21) (PNGR) were compared with age-matched controls (CON). Visceral adiposity, metabolic profile, and insulin sensitivity by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps were examined. The 10-month-old male IUGR group had a 1.5- to 2.0-fold increase in subcutaneous and visceral fat (P < 0.0002) while remaining euglycemic, insulin sensitive, inactive, and exhibiting metabolic inflexibility (Vo2) versus CON. The IPGR group remained lean, euglycemic, insulin sensitive, and active while maintaining metabolic flexibility. The PNGR group was insulin sensitive, similar to IPGR, but less active while maintaining metabolic flexibility. We conclude that IUGR resulted in obesity without insulin resistance and energy metabolic perturbations prior to development of glucose intolerance and T2DM. Postnatal nutrient restriction superimposed on IUGR was protective, restoring metabolic normalcy to a lean and active phenotype.
What is the best tumor size to achieve optimal functional results in vestibular schwannoma surgery?

OBJECTIVES To analyze our own functional results to delineate a critical vestibular schwannoma size for middle cranial fossa (MCF) surgery with the best possible outcome. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective chart review. SETTING Academic tertiary referral center. METHODS Tumors were divided into intracanalicular, tumors 1 to 5, 6 to 10, and 11 to 15 mm in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). Patients were evaluated at 2 months, 1 year, and 5 years after surgery. RESULTS At 1 year, House-Brackmann score of I or II was obtained in 100% of intracanalicular and in 96%, 86%, and 85% with tumors up to 5, 10, and 15 mm in the CPA, respectively. Class I hearing was postoperatively preserved in 61%, 41%, 29%, and 20%, and measurable word recognition in 67%, 51%, 35%, and 21% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION The outcome is predominantly a function of tumor size, and these changes influence MCF surgery at an earlier stage than in the translabyrinthine or retrosigmoid approach. For the facial nerve, there is a cutoff at 5-mm extracanalicular extension. Also, chances for successful hearing preservation decrease rapidly with size, and in tumors beyond 1.5 cm are below 20%. Consequently, although an expectant policy with small tumors may be reasonable in some instances, it is not so for MCF candidates.
A Functional Role for Nicotinic Acid Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate in Oxytocin-Mediated Contraction of Uterine Smooth Muscle from Rat

Conventionally, G protein-coupled receptors are thought to increase calcium via inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3). More recent evidence shows that an alternative second messenger, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP), also has a role to play, causing researchers to question established calcium releasing pathways. With the recent development, by our group, of cell-permeant NAADP (NAADP-aceteoxymethyl ester) and a selective NAADP receptor antagonist (Ned-19; 1-(3-((4-(2-fluorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)-4-methoxyphenyl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole-3-carboxylic acid),the ability to investigate this signaling pathway has improved. Therefore, we investigated a role for NAADP in oxytocin-mediated responses in the rat uterus. Oxytocin- and NAADP-mediated effects were investigated by using contractile measurements of whole uterine strips from rat in organ baths. Responses were correlated to calcium release in cultured rat uterine smooth muscle cells measured by fluorescence microscopy. Inhibition of both oxytocin-induced contraction and calcium release by the traditional NAADP-signaling disrupter bafilomycin and the NAADP receptor antagonist Ned-19 clearly demonstrated a role for NAADP in oxytocin-induced signaling. A cell-permeant form of NAADP was able to produce both uterine contractions and calcium release. This response was unaffected by depletion of sarcoplasmic reticulum stores with thapsigargin, but was abolished by both bafilomycin and Ned-19. Crucially, oxytocin stimulated an increase in NAADP in rat uterine tissue. The present study demonstrates directly that NAADP signaling plays a role in rat uterine contractions. Moreover, investigation of this signaling pathway highlights yet another component of oxytocin-mediated signaling, stressing the need to consider the action of new components as they are discovered, even in signaling pathways that are thought to be well established.
Blocking Top-down awareness of Kanizsa Figures: An ERP Investigation into Bottom-up Processing of Illusory Contours

Neural models of the processing of illusory contour (ICs) diverge from one another in terms of their emphasis on bottom-up versus top-down constituents. The current study uses a dichoptic fusion paradigm to block top-down awareness of ICs in order to examine possible bottom-up effects. Group results indicate that the N170 ERP component is particularly sensitive to ICs at central occipital sites when top-down awareness of the stimulus is permitted. Furthermore, single-subject statistics reveal that the IC N170 ERP effect is highly variable across individuals in terms of timing and topographical spread. The results suggest that the ubiquitous N170 effect to ICs found in the literature depends, at least in part, on participants’ awareness of the stimulus. Therefore a strong bottom-up model of IC processing at the time of the N170 is unlikely. Table of
When the pulse of the song goes on: Fade-out in popular music and the pulse continuity phenomenon

This exploratory study investigated the effect of different types of song closure in popular music on pulse continuation behaviour. We compared the perceptual effects of the so-called “fade-out” song closure with the so-called “cold end” (arranged end). We assumed that fading could result in the listeners’ imagining that the song continues past the actual ending. Three versions of the same pop song were presented to N = 80 listeners: first, with an arranged end (“cold end”); second, with a gradual decrease in the sound level of the audio signal (“fade-out”); third, with a “cold end” but without a final ritardando (rit.). Participants tapped along to the pulse of the music on the interface sentograph as long as they felt entrained. The tap-along behaviour differed significantly among the three versions: (a) in the fade-out condition the tapping along was continued after the song’s end; (b) in the cold end condition participants stopped tapping along to the pulse before the last beat of the music, (c) in the cold end no ritardando version, tapping was stopped with the last beat onset (range of effect sizes for differences: d = 0.84–1.50). The continuation effect in the fade-out condition is called the Pulse Continuity Phenomenon (PCP).
Between Soma and Society: Neuroscience and the Ontology of Psychopathy

Contemporary neuroscience links together soma and society in complex ways, casting the brain as the locus of a matrix of reciprocal interactions between soma and society. Accordingly, critiques of such research which revolve around its perceived ‘reductionism’ and ‘determinism’ are rendered somewhat problematic. That is not to say, however, that a critical sociology of neuroscience is redundant. Drawing on interviews with different kinds of neuroscientists investigating psychopathologies associated with antisocial behaviour (specifically, antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy), this article draws attention to the degree to which, by assigning roles to both ‘biology’ and ‘environment’ in the development of antisociality, neuroscience complicates the ontology of these categories, while at the same creating possibilities for the emergence of new kinds of deviancy, and legitimating social intervention in ‘risky’ children. In aligning somatic and societal narratives for the development of psychopathology, contemporary neuroscience may resist older sociological criticisms of biological reductionism, yet, in so doing, generate new claims with novel ethical and political valence.
Scattering-aware texture reproduction for 3D printing

Color texture reproduction in 3D printing commonly ignores volumetric light transport (cross-talk) between surface points on a 3D print. Such light diffusion leads to significant blur of details and color bleeding, and is particularly severe for highly translucent resin-based print materials. Given their widely varying scattering properties, this cross-talk between surface points strongly depends on the internal structure of the volume surrounding each surface point. Existing scattering-aware methods use simplified models for light difusion, and often accept the visual blur as an immutable property of the print medium. In contrast, our work counteracts heterogeneous scattering to obtain the impression of a crisp albedo texture on top of the 3D print, by optimizing for a fully volumetric material distribution that preserves the target appearance. Our method employs an efficient numerical optimizer on top of a general Monte-Carlo simulation of heterogeneous scattering, supported by a practical calibration procedure to obtain scattering parameters from a given set of printer materials. Despite the inherent translucency of the medium, we reproduce detailed surface textures on 3D prints. We evaluate our system using a commercial, five-tone 3D print process and compare against the printer's native color texturing mode, demonstrating that our method preserves high-frequency features well without having to compromise on color gamut.