Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional MRI Evidence for Neural Plasticity at Early Stages of Visual Processing in Humans

In everyday life, our visual system is continuously fl ooded with information from the environment. However, the visual system has a limited processing capacity. Hence, we perceive only a fraction of this information, which typically forms the objects of our visual experience. In other words, because of the limited processing resources, information or objects that are simultaneously present in the visual fi eld will compete for neural representation. How does our visual system select what is relevant to us at any given time and in any given context stands as a fundamental question in visual neurosciences. In recent years, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has proven very useful to study visual selection and competition in the human brain (e.g., Kastner and Ungerleider 2000). Here I review three fMRI studies showing that perceptual learning and voluntary attention can bias visual selection and modulate neuronal response in adult human visual cortex. By enhancing the visual processing of relevant information and reducing the processing of ignored stimuli, both learning and attention shape the landscape of our present and future visual experiences. The studies reported here indicate that substantial neural plasticity may occur at the earliest cortical stage of visual processing, i.e., within the primary visual cortex (V1). More generally, these recent functional neuroimaging data indicate that the infl uence of learning and attention on early vision is mediated by subtle interactions between excitatory and inhibitory neural mechanisms. They also exemplify the successful integration of behavioral and brain imaging data, shedding new light on the ever-changing and adaptive nature of our brains and minds.
Image texture based fast CU size selection algorithm for HEVC intra coding

High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is the newest standard of video coding being developed by JCT-VC. It flexibly uses quad-tree structure, which makes the encoding procedure more complex and time-consuming compared with H.264/AVC. For intra prediction, determining the optimal distribution of coding unit (CU) size requires huge computing time. In this paper, we propose a new fast CU size selection algorithm based on image texture for HEVC intra coding. Some CU sizes can be adaptively skipped due to the characteristic of input image texture. Moreover, the proposed algorithm innovatively adopts the grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) to measure image texture to select CU size. Experimental result shows that this algorithm performs about 26.08% time saving with negligible loss of encoding efficiency.
Extending Rigor and Relevance: Towards Credible, Contributory and Communicable Research

There are many ways to discuss research quality. This paper aims at presenting an actionable framework for research quality, which can be used as guiding principles for identifying important dimensions when evaluating research. The framework takes its starting point in prior suggestions that research should be rigorous, relevant and consumable. When examining the rigor aspect it is argued that this is a means rather than an end. By being rigorous, research strives to be credible. This also calls for consistency and transparency. Similarly, it is argued that relevance is a means for research to be contributory. To be contributory research also has to be original and generalizable. Research has to be consumable in order to be communicable, but to become a consumed piece of research it must also be accessible. Starting out with the agenda of discussing research being rigorous, relevant and consumable, the paper instead ends up with a call for research being credible, contributory and communicable. By using the dimensions presented in the paper, researchers may increase the quality of research efforts both in research design, as well as research execution and research presentation.
Breast Cancer : Implications for Breast Carcinogenesis Normal Human Mammary Epithelium but not in Invasive Class I Alcohol Dehydrogenase Is Highly Expressed in Updated

Detoxification of ethanol can contribute to oxidative cellular and DNA damage and, thereby, to carcinogenesis. The potential relevance of this to breast carcinogenesis is suggested by evidence that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for breast cancer. It is, however, not known whether ethanol can be metabolized in breast parenchyma. The goal of this study was to determine whether class I and/or IV alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), medium chain ADHs that can catalyze oxidation of ethanol, are expressed in human breast parenchyma. Normal and neoplastic human breast tissue specimens were examined for class I and IV ADH mRNA by reverse transcription-PCR, for protein by immunocytochemistry and Western analysis, and for their potential to catalyze NAD -dependent oxidation of ethanol. Together, the findings provide evidence that: (a) class I ADH is the medium-chain ADH that is expressed in human breast parenchyma, specifically in the mammary epithelium; (b) human breast parenchyma can support ADH-mediated oxidation of ethanol; and (c) the expression of class I ADH is dramatically reduced or abrogated in invasive breast cancers. Expression of class I ADH in normal human breast parenchyma was confirmed by probing a multiple human tissue polyA RNA. The unexpected finding of virtual abrogation of expression of class I ADH in invasive breast cancer suggests that the enzyme has some “tumor suppressor” function in the mammary epithelium. The one property of class I ADH fitting this designation is its potential to catalyze the oxidation of the micronutrient/prohormone retinol to retinal, the first step in the biosynthesis of retinoic acid, the principal known mediator of the actions of retinoids important for maintaining epithelia in a differentiated state.
Comparison of thromboprophylaxis patterns in arthroplasty in public and private hospitals

Objective To compare therapy for prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism and costs related to hospitalization of patients undergoing total knee and hip replacement within the context of the Brazilian health system. Methods A retrospective study of patients undergoing arthroplasty in 2010 in a public hospital and two private hospitals in the state of São Paulo, conducted by means of medical record review. Costs were estimated based on the use of health care resources during hospitalization. A descriptive analysis was performed using frequency and mean (standard deviation) according to the type of care delivered (by public or private organization). Results A total of 215 patients were evaluated, and 56.3% were submitted to knee surgery and 43.7%, to hip replacement. Approximately 88% and 98% of patients from public and private health services, respectively, received some form of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, and enoxaparin was the drug most widely used in both systems. The total cost of prophylaxis was R$ 1,873.01 (R$ 26.38 per patient) in the public service and R$ 21,559.73 (R$ 163.33 per patient) in the private service. For the individuals who presented with thromboembolism, the average cost of hospitalization was R$ 6,210.80 and R$ 43,792.59 per patient in public and private health services, respectively. Conclusion Thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients undergoing arthroplasty is most commonly used in the private health services than public organizations, despite its high costs in both services. The cost per patient with thrombosis during hospitalization was higher than the total cost of prophylaxis, suggesting that prevention is associated to better cost-benefit ratio.
Impact of Postthyroidectomy Scar on the Quality of Life of Thyroid Cancer Patients

Background Surgical scars are crucial cosmetic problem, especially when in exposed areas such as the anterior neck following thyroidectomy. Objective To evaluate the impact of post-thyroidectomy scars on quality of life (QoL) of thyroid cancer patients and identify the relationship between scar characteristics and QoL. Methods Patients with post-thyroidectomy scars on the neck were recruited. QoL was measured using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Scar characteristics were graded according to Vancouver scar scale (VSS) score. Results Ninety-seven patients completed a battery of questions at the time of enrollment. Post-thyroidectomy scars were classified according to morphology as linear flat scars, linear bulging scars, hypertrophic scars or adhesive scars. There were 32 patients (33.0%), 9 patients (9.3%), 41 patients (42.3%) and 15 patients (15.5%), respectively, in each group. The mean total DLQI score was 9.02. Domain 2 (daily activities, 2.87 points), which includes questions about clothing, was the most greatly impacted among patients. The total DLQI scores of patients who have experienced scar-related symptoms were significantly higher than those of patients without symptoms (p<0.05). The VSS scores were 3.09 for linear flat scars, 6.89 for linear bulging scars, 6.29 for hypertrophic scars and 5.60 for adhesive scars. However, the DLQI scores did not significantly differ among scar types or VSS scores. Conclusion Post-thyroidectomy scars on the neck affect the QoL of thyroid cancer patients regardless of scar type. Therefore, clinicians should pay attention to the psychological effects of scars on patients and take care to minimize post-thyroidectomy scar.
Dependability modeling and evaluation of phased mission systems: a DSPN approach

We focus on analytical modeling for the dependability evaluation of phased-mission systems. Because of their dynamic behavior, systems showing a phased behavior offer challenges in modeling. We propose the modeling and evaluation of phased-mission system dependability through the Deterministic and Stochastic Petri Nets (DSPN). The DSPN approach to the phased-mission systems offers many advantages, concerning both the modeling and the solution. The DSPN model of the mission can be a very concise one, and it can be efficiently solved for dependability evaluation purposes. The solution procedure is supported by the existence of an analytical solution for the transient probabilities of the marking process underlying the DSPN model. This analytical solution can be fully automated. We show how the DSPN model capabilities are able to deal with various peculiar features of phased-mission systems, including those systems where the next phase to be performed can be chosen at the time the preceding phase ends.
Parallel Accelerated Group Iterative Algorithms in the Solution of Two-Space Dimensional Diffusion Equations

Diffusion equations are mathematical models which explain how the concentration of one or more substances distributed in space is altered by a diffusion process which causes the substances to spread out over a surface in space. For a normal diffusion process, the flux of particles into one region must be the sum of particle flux flowing out of the surrounding regions. From Fick’s first law, this can be represented mathematically by the following diffusion equation
Typology and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Massively Multiplayer Online Game Players

To date, there has been relatively little research comparing different types of online gamers. The main aim of this study was to provide robust benchmark data on different types of Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) players using a large sample of online gamers. An online survey was used to recruit 4,374 Hungarian online gamers from websites offering different types of MMOGs. In addition to sociodemographic characteristics, the study also collected data on gaming preference, amount of time spent gaming, amount of money spent on the game, and whether they played at an amateur or professional level. A latent profile analysis of gaming preferences differentiated between eight specific gamer types, of which four types emerged as clear categories, indicating clear preference for a specific type of game (role-playing games, first-person shooter games, real-time strategy games, and other games). Overall, 79% of gamers belonged to these four categories. First-person shooter gamers were almost exclusively male, younger aged, lower educated, and of lower socioeconomic status. Real-time strategy gamers were older. Female gamers were most likely to play “Other” games and/or role-playing games. In relation to time spent gaming, role-playing gamers appeared to be the most vulnerable. The results indicated that a significant number of gamers have clear gaming preferences, and these specific gaming types are associated with significant differences regarding sociodemographic and gaming characteristics of gamers.
Grid polygons from permutations and their enumeration by the kernel method

A grid polygon is a polygon whose vertices are points of a grid. We define an injective map between permutations of length n and a subset of grid polygons on n vertices, which we call consecutive-minima polygons. By the kernel method, we enumerate sets of permutations whose consecutive-minima polygons satisfy specific geometric conditions. We deal with 2-variate and 3-variate generating functions.
Hepatic Rather Than Cardiac Steatosis Relates to Glucose Intolerance in Women with Prior Gestational Diabetes

Background Increased myocardial lipid accumulation has been described in patients with pre- and overt type 2 diabetes and could underlie the development of left-ventricular dysfunction in metabolic diseases (diabetic cardiomyopathy). Since women with prior gestational diabetes (pGDM) display a generally young population at high risk of developing diabetes and associated cardiovascular complications, we aimed to assess whether myocardial lipid accumulation can be detected at early stages of glucose intolerance and relates to markers of hepatic steatosis (Fatty Liver Index), cardiac function, insulin sensitivity and secretion. Methods Myocardial lipid content (MYCL), left-ventricular function (1H-magnetic-resonance-spectroscopy and -imaging), insulin sensitivity/secretion (oral glucose tolerance test) and the fatty liver index (FLI) were assessed in 35 pGDM (45.6±7.0 years, 28.3±4.8 kg/m2) and 14 healthy control females (CON; 44.7±9.8 years, 26.1±2.5 kg/m2), matching for age and body-mass-index (each p>0.1). Results Of 35 pGDM, 9 displayed normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 6 impaired glucose regulation (IGR) and 20 had been already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). MYCL and cardiac function were comparable between pGDM and CON; in addition, no evidence of left-ventricular dysfunction was observed. MYCL was inversely correlated with the ejection fraction in T2DM (R = −0.45, p<0.05), while the FLI was tightly correlated with metabolic parameters (such as HbA1C, fasting plasma glucose and HDL-cholesterol) and rose along GT-groups. Conclusions There is no evidence of cardiac steatosis in middle-aged women with prior gestational diabetes, suggesting that cardiac complications might develop later in the time-course of diabetes and may be accelerated by the co-existence of further risk factors, whereas hepatic steatosis remains a valid biomarker for metabolic diseases even in this rather young female cohort.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a common gynecologic malignancy often diagnosed at early stage. In spite of a huge advance in our understanding of EC biology, therapeutic modalities do not have significantly changed over the past 40 years. A restricted number of genes have been reported to be mutated in EC, mediating cell proliferation and invasiveness. However, besides these alterations, few other groups and ourselves recently identified the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) and GRP78 increase following endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress as mechanisms favoring growth and invasion of EC cells. Here, a concise update on currently available data in the field is presented, analyzing the crosstalk between the UPR and the main signaling pathways regulating EC cell proliferation and survival. It is evident that this is a rapidly expanding and promising issue. However, more data are very likely to yield a better understanding on the mechanisms through which EC cells can survive the low oxygen and glucose tumor microenvironment. In this perspective, the UPR and, particularly, GRP78 might constitute a novel target for the treatment of EC in combination with traditional adjuvant therapy.
Thermal and force‐chain effects in an experimental, sloping granular shear flow

Force chains figure prominently in shearing motions of granular materials, inasmuch as these chains of load‐bearing grains dominate resistance to motion. A simple scaling of the forces involved in the motion of a dry, gravity‐driven granular shear flow induced by vibrations (see, e.g., Roering et al., 2001; Roering, 2004) suggests that this shearing motion reflects a balance between the rate of production and the rate of disruption of granular force chains. The rate of production of force chains is proportional to the rate of shear. The rate of disruption is proportional to the rate of shear as force chains ‘age’ during rotation, whence they become unstable and self‐destruct. The rate of disruption is also proportional to the frequency and intensity of elastic waves, induced by acoustic vibrations, that propagate through the granular material and weaken force chains. The analysis is empirically consistent with the exponential‐like profiles of grain displacement, and the strongly nonlinear increase in grain flux with increasing surface slope, observed in experiments. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fabrication, Physicochemical Characterization and Evaluation of In vitro Anticancer Efficacy of a Novel pH Sensitive Polymeric Nanoparticles for Efficient Delivery of Hydrophobic Drug against Colon Cancer -

Objective: The present investigation was aimed to overcome the limitations and to enhance the incorporation of the hydrophobic drug into polymeric nanoparticles and characterize the prepared nanoparticles and also to evaluate the in vitro anticancer efficacy of prepared nanoparticles. Method: Nanoprecipitation method was used to prepare plain and hydrophobic drug (Camptothecin) loaded polymeric nanoparticles. Prepared nanoformulations were evaluated for average particle size, particle size uniformity, surface area, zeta potential, surface morphology, drug content, encapsulation efficiency, drug loading, in vitro release, anticancer activity and stability studies at long term and accelerated storage conditions. Results: Plain and Camptothecin loaded polymeric nanoparticles were successfully prepared by nanoprecipitation method using stirring technique. Prepared Camptothecin encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles were (a) spherical in shape with size 20 mV; (b) showed > 95% release in colonic environment; (c) demonstrated enhanced anticancer activity than pure Camptothecin; and (d) extremely stable at both long term and accelerated storage conditions. Conclusion: In summary, the investigation concluded that the prepared Camptothecin encapsulated polymeric nanoformulations may be considered as an attractive and promising formulation which significantly overcome the limitations of Camptothecin and synergistically enhance its anticancer activity.
Tobacco particulate matter self‐administration in rats: differential effects of tobacco type

Nicotine self‐administration in rats is the most widely used animal model of tobacco dependence. There is increasing evidence, however, that non‐nicotinic constituents in smoke contribute to addiction and that different tobacco products contain varying levels of these constituents. The present study firstly sought to compare self‐administration of pure nicotine to tobacco particulate matter (TPM) to determine if there were differences in reward‐efficacy attributable to the non‐nicotine constituents. Secondly, cigarette and roll‐your‐own (RYO) TPM groups were included and compared to determine whether different formulations of non‐nicotinic constituents could impact reward. Briefly, male Sprague Dawley rats were implanted with indwelling jugular catheters for self‐administration (n = 76). The reinforcing efficacy of infusions of nicotine (0.0 or 30.0 μg/kg/infusion) versus cigarette/RYO TPM (with matched nicotine content) was determined using spontaneous acquisition of self‐administration on a fixed ratio schedule. The progressive ratio schedule was then employed to determine the motivation to receive each drug and within‐subject dose–response curves were also produced (7.5, 15.0, 30.0 and 60.0 μg/kg/infusion nicotine). The main finding was that the RYO TPM was more reinforcing and produced a different profile of reward‐related behaviour compared with both the nicotine and the cigarette TPM groups. The conclusions were that non‐nicotinic components have a role in tobacco dependence and that some tobacco products could have higher abuse liability, irrespective of nicotine levels.
Interleukin-19: A Constituent of the Regulome That Controls Antigen Presenting Cells in the Lungs and Airway Responses to Microbial Products

Background Interleukin (IL)-19 has been reported to enhance chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma but the in vivo mechanism is incompletely understood. Because IL-19 is produced by and regulates cells of the monocyte lineage, our studies focused on in vivo responses of CD11c positive (CD11c+) alveolar macrophages and lung dendritic cells. Methodology/Principal Findings IL-19-deficient (IL-19-/-) mice were studied at baseline (naïve) and following intranasal challenge with microbial products, or recombinant cytokines. Naïve IL-19-/- mixed background mice had a decreased percentage of CD11c+ cells in the bronchoalveolar-lavage (BAL) due to the deficiency in IL-19 and a trait inherited from the 129-mouse strain. BAL CD11c+ cells from fully backcrossed IL-19-/- BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice expressed significantly less Major Histocompatibility Complex class II (MHCII) in response to intranasal administration of lipopolysaccharide, Aspergillus antigen, or IL-13, a pro-allergic cytokine. Neurogenic-locus-notch-homolog-protein-2 (Notch2) expression by lung monocytes, the precursors of BAL CD11c+ cells, was dysregulated: extracellular Notch2 was significantly decreased, transmembrane/intracellular Notch2 was significantly increased in IL-19-/- mice relative to wild type. Instillation of recombinant IL-19 increased extracellular Notch2 expression and dendritic cells cultured from bone marrow cells in the presence of IL-19 showed upregulated extracellular Notch2. The CD205 positive subset among the CD11c+ cells was 3-5-fold decreased in the airways and lungs of naïve IL-19-/- mice relative to wild type. Airway inflammation and histological changes in the lungs were ameliorated in IL-19-/- mice challenged with Aspergillus antigen that induces T lymphocyte-dependent allergic inflammation but not in IL-19-/- mice challenged with lipopolysaccharide or IL-13. Conclusions/Significance Because MHCII is the molecular platform that displays peptides to T lymphocytes and Notch2 determines cell fate decisions, our studies suggest that endogenous IL-19 is a constituent of the regulome that controls both processes in vivo.