Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional connectivity predicts gender: Evidence for gender differences in resting brain connectivity

Prevalence of certain forms of psychopathology, such as autism and depression, differs between genders and understanding gender differences of the neurotypical brain may provide insights into risk and protective factors. In recent research, resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI) is widely used to map the inherent functional networks of the brain. Although previous studies have reported gender differences in rfMRI, the robustness of gender differences is not well characterized. In this study, we use a large data set to test whether rfMRI functional connectivity (FC) can be used to predict gender and identify FC features that are most predictive of gender. We utilized rfMRI data from 820 healthy controls from the Human Connectome Project. By applying a predefined functional template and partial least squares regression modeling, we achieved a gender prediction accuracy of 87% when multi‐run rfMRI was used. Permutation tests confirmed that gender prediction was reliable ( p<.001 ). Effects of motion, age, handedness, blood pressure, weight, and brain volume on gender prediction are discussed. Further, we found that FC features within the default mode (DMN), fronto‐parietal and sensorimotor networks contributed most to gender prediction. In the DMN, right fusiform gyrus and right ventromedial prefrontal cortex were important contributors. The above regions have been previously implicated in aspects of social functioning and this suggests potential gender differences in social cognition mediated by the DMN. Our findings demonstrate that gender can be reliably predicted using rfMRI data and highlight the importance of controlling for gender in brain imaging studies.
Spatially Explicit Analysis of Metal Transfer to Biota: Influence of Soil Contamination and Landscape

Concepts and developments for a new field in ecotoxicology, referred to as “landscape ecotoxicology,” were proposed in the 1990s; however, to date, few studies have been developed in this emergent field. In fact, there is a strong interest in developing this area, both for renewing the concepts and tools used in ecotoxicology as well as for responding to practical issues, such as risk assessment. The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial heterogeneity of metal bioaccumulation in animals in order to identify the role of spatially explicit factors, such as landscape as well as total and extractable metal concentrations in soils. Over a smelter-impacted area, we studied the accumulation of trace metals (TMs: Cd, Pb and Zn) in invertebrates (the grove snail Cepaea sp and the glass snail Oxychilus draparnaudi) and vertebrates (the bank vole Myodes glareolus and the greater white-toothed shrew Crocidura russula). Total and CaCl2-extractable concentrations of TMs were measured in soils from woody patches where the animals were captured. TM concentrations in animals exhibited a high spatial heterogeneity. They increased with soil pollution and were better explained by total rather than CaCl2-extractable TM concentrations, except in Cepaea sp. TM levels in animals and their variations along the pollution gradient were modulated by the landscape, and this influence was species and metal specific. Median soil metal concentrations (predicted by universal kriging) were calculated in buffers of increasing size and were related to bioaccumulation. The spatial scale at which TM concentrations in animals and soils showed the strongest correlations varied between metals, species and landscapes. The potential underlying mechanisms of landscape influence (community functioning, behaviour, etc.) are discussed. Present results highlight the need for the further development of landscape ecotoxicology and multi-scale approaches, which would enhance our understanding of pollutant transfer and effects in ecosystems.
Private Information Retrieval From MDS Coded Data in Distributed Storage Systems

The problem of providing privacy, in the private information retrieval (PIR) sense, to users requesting data from a distributed storage system (DSS), is considered. The DSS is coded by an <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(n,k,d)$ </tex-math></inline-formula> maximum distance separable code to store the data reliably on unreliable storage nodes. Some of these nodes can be spies which report to a third party, such as an oppressive regime, which data is being requested by the user. An information theoretic PIR scheme ensures that a user can satisfy its request while revealing no information on which data is being requested to the nodes. A user can trivially achieve PIR by downloading all the data in the DSS. However, this is not a feasible solution due to its high communication cost. We construct PIR schemes with low download communication cost. When there is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$b=1$ </tex-math></inline-formula> spy node in the DSS, in other words, no collusion between the nodes, we construct PIR schemes with download cost <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\frac {1}{1-R}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> per unit of requested data (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R=k/n$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the code rate), achieving the information theoretic limit for linear schemes. The proposed schemes are universal since they depend on the code rate, but not on the generator matrix of the code. Also, if <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$b\leq n-\delta k$ </tex-math></inline-formula> nodes collude, with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\delta =\lfloor {\frac {n-b}{k}}\rfloor $ </tex-math></inline-formula>, we construct linear PIR schemes with download cost <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\frac {b+\delta k}{\delta }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>.
Transgenic Potatoes for Potato Cyst Nematode Control Can Replace Pesticide Use without Impact on Soil Quality

Current and future global crop yields depend upon soil quality to which soil organisms make an important contribution. The European Union seeks to protect European soils and their biodiversity for instance by amending its Directive on pesticide usage. This poses a challenge for control of Globodera pallida (a potato cyst nematode) for which both natural resistance and rotational control are inadequate. One approach of high potential is transgenically based resistance. This work demonstrates the potential in the field of a new transgenic trait for control of G. pallida that suppresses root invasion. It also investigates its impact and that of a second transgenic trait on the non-target soil nematode community. We establish that a peptide that disrupts chemoreception of nematodes without a lethal effect provides resistance to G. pallida in both a containment and a field trial when precisely targeted under control of a root tip-specific promoter. In addition we combine DNA barcoding and quantitative PCR to recognise nematode genera from soil samples without microscope-based observation and use the method for nematode faunal analysis. This approach establishes that the peptide and a cysteine proteinase inhibitor that offer distinct bases for transgenic plant resistance to G. pallida do so without impact on the non-target nematode soil community.
Distributed decision making in action: diagnostic imaging investigations within the bigger picture

Decision making in the health care system – specifically with regard to diagnostic imaging investigations – occurs at multiple levels. Professional role players from various backgrounds are involved in making these decisions, from the point of referral to the outcomes of the imaging investigation. The aim of this study was to map the decision‐making processes and pathways involved when patients are referred for diagnostic imaging investigations and to explore distributed decision‐making events at the points of contact with patients within a health care system.
Huaier aqueous extract protects against dextran sulfate sodium-induced experimental colitis in mice by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation

The use of Trametes robiniophila Murr. (Huaier) as a complementary therapy for cancer has recently become increasingly common in China. However, whether Huaier can regulate host immune responses, especially innate immunity, remains largely unknown. The NLRP3 inflammasome is a multimeric complex consisting of NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1. NLRP3 inflammasomes respond to a variety of endogenous (damage-associated molecular patterns) and exogenous (pathogen-associated molecular patterns) stimuli, and play crucial roles in host defense against pathogens and multiple diseases such as ulcerative colitis (UC). In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of Huaier in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced murine colitis and revealed the underlying mechanisms by targeting NLRP3 inflammasomes. In C57BL/6 mice, oral administration of Huaier attenuated DSS-induced colon shortening and colonic pathological damage. Furthermore, we analyzed the effect of Huaier on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages. Huaier inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation-induced IL-1β secretion and caspase-1 cleavage. Moreover, Huaier decreased NLRP3 protein expression via promoting NLRP3 degradation through the autophagy lysosome pathway. Therefore, our findings demonstrate a novel function for Huaier in the regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and suggest a potential role for Huaier in NLRP3 inflammasome-associated diseases.
Affect and between-meal snacking in daily life: the moderating role of gender and age

Objective: Affect-related energy intake from snacks remains relatively unexplored in daily life. This study examines the associations between momentary positive affect (PA) and momentary negative affect (NA) and subsequent energy intake from snacks. In addition, the moderating role of BMI, gender, age and level of education is investigated. Design: Adults (N = 269), aged 20–50, participated in this study. Demographics were assessed in an online composite questionnaire. An experience sampling smartphone application was used to map momentary NA/PA and energy intake (kilocalories) from snacks in the context of daily life. Main outcome measures: Energy intake from moment-to-moment self-reported snacks in real-life settings. Results: A significant negative main effect of momentary NA on moment-to-moment energy intake was found. The higher the momentary NA, the lower the subsequent amount of kilocalories consumed. There was no main effect with regard to PA. Interaction analyses showed that men decreased their energy intake after experiencing NA, and increased their intake after experiencing PA. No associations were found in women. Additionally, young adults (20–30) increased their energy intake after experiencing PA. No associations were found in the other age groups. Conclusion: Interventions aiming at reducing energy intake might also address PA-related snacking in young adults and men.
Impact of family environment and support on adherence, metabolic control, and quality of life in adolescents with diabetes

Background: Diabetes is a common disease in pediatric populations. Family functioning has been related to child adaptation to diabetes. Purpose: To determine the impact of family factors on diabetes, particularly the influence of family support and family environment on adherence to treatment, quality of life, and metabolic control in Portuguese adolescents with type 1 diabetes, taking in consideration age, sex, duration of disease, and social class. Method: This study used a cross-sectional design. A sample of 157 Portuguese diabetic patients filled disease-specific measures on adherence and quality of life and family functioning measures. Hypotheses were that family support and an organized family environment (high cohesion and low conflict) would be positively associated with better adherence, metabolic control, and quality of life. Results: This study’s results confirmed that adherence was predicted by family support for females and lower-class patients while metabolic control was predicted by family conflict for upper-class patients. Quality of life was predicted by lack of family conflict and family social support for both males and females as well as lower-class patients. Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of studying family variables in adolescents’ diabetes care within the wider cultural factors affecting the patient.
A Rare Cause of Childhood Cerebellitis-Influenza Infection: A Case Report and Systematic Review of Literature

Acute cerebellitis is a benign neurologic condition generally caused by viral or bacterial infections. Influenza associated cerebellitis is extremely rare; a 6-year-old boy with acute cerebellitis, who presented with fever, vomiting, weakness, febrile seizure, and acute cerebellar features, is discussed in this article.
Retrieving Low Wavenumber Information in FWI: An Overview of the Cycle-Skipping Phenomenon and Solutions

Full waveform inversion (FWI) is an advanced seismic processing method for high-resolution subsurface geophysical property reconstruction through a data-fitting procedure. When low-frequency seismic data are not available, conventional FWI often suffers from the cycle-skipping issue caused by the severe nonlinearity nature of the standard L2 norm objective function, inducing strong artifacts in the reconstructed geophysical property models.
Association Between Hypodensities Detected by Computed Tomography and Hematoma Expansion in Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

IMPORTANCE Hematoma expansion is a potentially modifiable predictor of poor outcome following an acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The ability to identify patients with ICH who are likeliest to experience hematoma expansion and therefore likeliest to benefit from expansion-targeted treatments remains an unmet need. Hypodensities within an ICH detected by noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) have been suggested as a predictor of hematoma expansion. OBJECTIVE To determine whether hypodense regions, irrespective of their specific patterns, are associated with hematoma expansion in patients with ICH. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We analyzed a large cohort of 784 patients with ICH (the development cohort; 55.6% female), examined NCCT findings for any hypodensity, and replicated our findings on a different cohort of patients (the replication cohort; 52.7% female). Baseline and follow-up NCCT data from consecutive patients with ICH presenting to a tertiary care hospital between 1994 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Data analyses were performed between December 2015 and January 2016. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Hypodensities were analyzed by 2 independent blinded raters. The association between hypodensities and hematoma expansion (>6 cm3 or 33% of baseline volume) was determined by multivariable logistic regression after controlling for other variables associated with hematoma expansion in univariate analyses with P ≤ . 10. RESULTS A total of 1029 patients were included in the analysis. In the development and replication cohorts, 222 of 784 patients (28.3%) and 99 of 245 patients (40.4%; 321 of 1029 patients [31.2%]), respectively, had NCCT scans that demonstrated hypodensities at baseline (κ = 0.87 for interrater reliability). In univariate analyses, hypodensities were associated with hematoma expansion (86 of 163 patients with hematoma expansion had hypodensities [52.8%], whereas 136 of 621 patients without hematoma expansion had hypodensities [21.9%]; P < .001). The association between hypodensities and hematoma expansion remained significant (odds ratio, 3.42 [95% CI, 2.21-5.31]; P < .001) in a multivariable model; other independent predictors of hematoma expansion were a CT angiography spot sign, a shorter time to CT, warfarin use, and older age. The independent predictive value of hypodensities was again demonstrated in the replication cohort (odds ratio, 4.37 [95% CI, 2.05-9.62]; P < .001). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE Hypodensities within an acute ICH detected on an NCCT scan may predict hematoma expansion, independent of other clinical and imaging predictors. This novel marker may help clarify the mechanism of hematoma expansion and serve as a useful addition to clinical algorithms for determining the risk of and treatment stratification for hematoma expansion.
Effectiveness of advance care planning with family carers in dementia nursing homes: A paired cluster randomized controlled trial

Background: In dementia care, a large number of treatment decisions are made by family carers on behalf of their family member who lacks decisional capacity; advance care planning can support such carers in the decision-making of care goals. However, given the relative importance of advance care planning in dementia care, the prevalence of advance care planning in dementia care is poor. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of advance care planning with family carers in dementia care homes. Design: Paired cluster randomized controlled trial. The intervention comprised a trained facilitator, family education, family meetings, documentation of advance care planning decisions and intervention orientation for general practitioners and nursing home staff. Setting/participants: A total of 24 nursing homes with a dementia nursing category located in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Family carers of nursing home residents classified as having dementia and judged as not having decisional capacity to participate in advance care planning discussions. Results: The primary outcome was family carer uncertainty in decision-making about the care of the resident (Decisional Conflict Scale). There was evidence of a reduction in total Decisional Conflict Scale score in the intervention group compared with the usual care group (−10.5, 95% confidence interval: −16.4 to −4.7; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Advance care planning was effective in reducing family carer uncertainty in decision-making concerning the care of their family member and improving perceptions of quality of care in nursing homes. Given the global significance of dementia, the implications for clinicians and policy makers include them recognizing the importance of family carer education and improving communication between family carers and formal care providers.
ORF33 and ORF38 of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Interact and Are Required for Optimal Production of Infectious Progeny Viruses

ABSTRACT We recently showed that the interaction between Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) tegument proteins ORF33 and ORF45 is crucial for progeny virion production, but the exact functions of KSHV ORF33 during lytic replication were unknown (J. Gillen, W. Li, Q. Liang, D. Avey, J. Wu, F. Wu, J. Myoung, and F. Zhu, J Virol 89:4918–4931, 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.02925-14). Therefore, here we investigated the relationship between ORF33 and ORF38, whose counterparts in both alpha- and betaherpesviruses interact with each other. Using specific monoclonal antibodies, we found that both proteins are expressed during the late lytic cycle with similar kinetics and that both are present in mature virions as components of the tegument. Furthermore, we confirmed that ORF33 interacts with ORF38. Interestingly, we observed that ORF33 tightly associates with the capsid, whereas ORF38 associates with the envelope. We generated ORF33-null, ORF38-null, and double-null mutants and found that these mutants apparently have identical phenotypes: the mutations caused no apparent effect on viral gene expression but reduced the yield of progeny virion by about 10-fold. The progeny virions also lack certain virion component proteins, including ORF45. During viral lytic replication, the virions associate with cytoplasmic vesicles. We also observed that ORF38 associates with the membranes of vesicles and colocalizes with the Golgi membrane or early endosome membrane. Further analyses of ORF33/ORF38 mutants revealed the reduced production of virion-containing vesicles, suggesting that ORF33 and ORF38 are involved in the transport of newly assembled viral particles into cytoplasmic vesicles, a process important for viral maturation and egress. IMPORTANCE Herpesvirus assembly is an essential step in virus propagation that leads to the generation of progeny virions. It is a complicated process that depends on the delicate regulation of interactions among virion proteins. We previously revealed an essential role of ORF45-ORF33 binding for virus assembly. Here, we report that ORF33 and its binding partner, ORF38, are required for infectious virus production due to their important role in the tegumentation process. Moreover, we found that both ORF33 and ORF38 are involved in the transportation of virions through vesicles during maturation and egress. Our results provide new insights into the important roles of ORF33 and ORF38 during viral assembly, a process critical for virus propagation that is intimately linked to KSHV pathobiology.
PCR-TTGE Analysis of 16S rRNA from Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Gut Microbiota Reveals Host-Specific Communities of Active Bacteria

This study assessed the relative contributions of host genetics and diet in shaping the gut microbiota of rainbow trout. Full sibling fish from four unrelated families, each consisting of individuals derived from the mating of one male and one female belonging to a breeding program, were fed diets containing either vegetable proteins or vegetable oils for two months in comparison to a control diet consisting of only fish protein and fish oil. Two parallel approaches were applied on the same samples: transcriptionally active bacterial populations were examined based on RNA analysis and were compared with bacterial populations obtained from DNA analysis. Comparison of temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) profiles from DNA and RNA showed important differences, indicating that active bacterial populations were better described by RNA analysis. Results showed that some bacterial groups were significantly (P<0.05) associated with specific families, indicating that microbiota composition may be influenced by the host. In addition, the effect of diet on microbiota composition was dependent on the trout family.
Differential Cannabinoid Receptor Expression during Reactive Gliosis: a Possible Implication for a Nonpsychotropic Neuroprotection

Activated microglia and astrocytes produce a large number of inflammatory and neurotoxic substances in various brain pathologies, above all during neurodegenerative disorders. In the search for new neuroprotective compounds, interest has turned to marijuana derivatives, since in several in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies, they have shown a great ability to control neuroinflammation. Despite the emerging evidence regarding pharmacological activities of cannabinoids, their effective introduction into clinical therapy still remains controversial and strongly limited by their unavoidable psychotropicity. Since the psychotropic effect of cannabinoids is generally linked to the activation of the CB1 receptor on neurons, the aim of our review is to clarify the function of the two cannabinoid receptors on glial cells and the differential role played by them, highlighting the emerging evidence of a CB2-mediated control of neuroinflammation that could liberate cannabinoids from the slavery of their central side effects.