Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impaired auditory sampling in dyslexia: further evidence from combined fMRI and EEG

The aim of the present study was to explore auditory cortical oscillation properties in developmental dyslexia. We recorded cortical activity in 17 dyslexic participants and 15 matched controls using simultaneous EEG and fMRI during passive viewing of an audiovisual movie. We compared the distribution of brain oscillations in the delta, theta and gamma ranges over left and right auditory cortices. In controls, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that there is a dominance of gamma oscillations in the left hemisphere and a dominance of delta-theta oscillations in the right hemisphere. In dyslexics, we did not find such an interaction, but similar oscillations in both hemispheres. Thus, our results confirm that the primary cortical disruption in dyslexia lies in a lack of hemispheric specialization for gamma oscillations, which might disrupt the representation of or the access to phonemic units.
Incidence, type of atrial fibrillation and risk factors for stroke: a population-based cohort study

Purpose The aims of this study were to estimate the incidence of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter (AF), to assess the presence of provoking factors and risk factors for stroke and systemic embolism, and to determine the type of AF in patients with first-diagnosed AF. Patients and methods This cohort study was performed in northern Sweden between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012. Diagnosis registries were searched for the International Classification of Diseases-10 code for AF (I48) to identify cases of incident AF. All AF diagnoses were electrocardiogram-verified. Data pertaining to provoking factors, type of AF and presence of risk factors for stroke and systemic embolism according to the CHA2DS2-VASc score were obtained from medical records. Results The incidence of AF in the entire population was 4.0 per 1,000 person-years. The incidence was 27.5 per 1,000 person-years in patients aged ≥80 years. A total of 21% of all patients had a provoking factor in association with the first-diagnosed episode of AF. The CHA2DS2-VASc score was 2 or higher in 81% of the patients. Permanent AF was the most common type of AF (29%). Conclusion There was a considerable increase in the incidence of AF with age, and a provoking factor was found in one-fifth. The most common type of AF was permanent AF. Four in five patients had a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 2 or more.
Transition-based Dependency DAG Parsing Using Dynamic Oracles

In most of the dependency parsing studies, dependency relations within a sentence are often presented as a tree structure. Whilst the tree structure is sufficient to represent the surface relations, deep dependencies which may result to multi-headed relations require more general dependency structures, namely Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs). This study proposes a new dependency DAG parsing approach which uses a dynamic oracle within a shift-reduce transitionbased parsing framework. Although there is still room for improvement on performance with more feature engineering, we already obtain competitive performances compared to static oracles as a result of our initial experiments conducted on the ITU-METU-Sabanci Turkish Treebank (IMST).
Global warming may disproportionately affect larger adults in a predatory coral reef fish

Global warming is expected to reduce body sizes of ectothermic animals. Although the underlying mechanisms of size reductions remain poorly understood, effects appear stronger at latitudinal extremes (poles and tropics) and in aquatic rather than terrestrial systems. To shed light on this phenomenon, we examined the size dependence of critical thermal maxima (CTmax) and aerobic metabolism in a commercially important tropical reef fish, the leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) following acclimation to current‐day (28.5 °C) vs. projected end‐of‐century (33 °C) summer temperatures for the northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). CTmax declined from 38.3 to 37.5 °C with increasing body mass in adult fish (0.45–2.82 kg), indicating that larger individuals are more thermally sensitive than smaller conspecifics. This may be explained by a restricted capacity for large fish to increase mass‐specific maximum metabolic rate (MMR) at 33 °C compared with 28.5 °C. Indeed, temperature influenced the relationship between metabolism and body mass (0.02–2.38 kg), whereby the scaling exponent for MMR increased from 0.74 ± 0.02 at 28.5 °C to 0.79 ± 0.01 at 33 °C, and the corresponding exponents for standard metabolic rate (SMR) were 0.75 ± 0.04 and 0.80 ± 0.03. The increase in metabolic scaling exponents at higher temperatures suggests that energy budgets may be disproportionately impacted in larger fish and contribute to reduced maximum adult size. Such climate‐induced reductions in body size would have important ramifications for fisheries productivity, but are also likely to have knock‐on effects for trophodynamics and functioning of ecosystems.
Preference reversal in quantum decision theory

We consider the psychological effect of preference reversal and show that it finds a natural explanation in the frame of quantum decision theory. When people choose between lotteries with non-negative payoffs, they prefer a more certain lottery because of uncertainty aversion. But when people evaluate lottery prices, e.g., for selling to others the right to play them, they do this more rationally, being less subject to behavioral biases. This difference can be explained by the presence of the attraction factors entering the expression of quantum probabilities. Only the existence of attraction factors can explain why, considering two lotteries with close utility factors, a decision maker prefers one of them when choosing, but evaluates higher the other one when pricing. We derive a general quantitative criterion for the preference reversal to occur that relates the utilities of the two lotteries to the attraction factors under choosing vs. pricing and test successfully its application on experiments by Tversky et al. We also show that the planning paradox can be treated as a kind of preference reversal.
Multiscale modeling of the primary visual cortex

Unifying the results obtained from the large-scale, physiologically realistic, yet minimal computational primary visual cortex (V1) network models and identifying the single cortical operating state, namely, an intermittent desuppressed state (IDS) with fluctuation-controlled criticality are presented. The study suggests a possible operating state of V1 characterised by high total conductance with strong inhibition, large synaptic fluctuation, and the important role played by the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid conductance in long-range, orientation-specific interactions. The model cortex has the ability to quantitatively and qualitatively reproduce a host of dynamical phenomena exhibited by the real cortex, and the network mechanisms as revealed in the IDS state with fluctuation-controlled criticality in the model V1 dynamics offers suggestions for the physiological underpinnings of the neuronal dynamics in real V1.
Basal lamina of embryonic salivary epithelia. Nature of glycosaminoglycan and organization of extracellular materials

The ultrastructural organization and the composition of newly synthesized glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in the epithelial basal lamina of mouse embryo submandibular glands were assessed. The labeled GAG accumulating in the lamina is distinct from that in its tissue of origin, the epithelium, or from that in the surrounding mesenchyme. In the lamina, hyaluronic acid accounts for approximately 50% of the labeled GAG, chondroitin-4-sulfate is twice the chondroitin-6-sulfate, and there is a low proportion of chondroitin. This composition is constant regardless of whether the lamina is labeled by whole glands or, in the absence of mesenchyme, by isolated epithelia retaining a lamina and by isolated epithelia generating a lamina de novo. The results andicate that the labeled GAG are bona fide components of the lamina, and suggest that laminar GAG is deposited in units of constant composition. Ultrastructural observations following ruthenium red staining or tannic acid fixation extablish that the lamina is a highly ordered specialization of the basal cell surface. Discrete structures in macroperiodic arrays apparently attached to the plasmalemma are visualized. This organization is seen in intact glands and in the laminae produced by epithelia in the absence of mesenchyme or biological substrate. The data are interpreted as indicating that the basal lamina contains supramolecular complexes of hyaluronic acid and proteoglycan which are organized into an extracellular scaffolding which imposes structural form on the epithelium.
Simultaneous identification by multiplex PCR of major Prototheca spp. isolated from bovine and buffalo intramammary infection and bulk tank

Bovine mastitis caused by Prototheca spp. infection is increasing worldwide, therefore becoming more relevant to the dairy industry. Almost all Prototheca isolates from bovine mammary protothecosis came from P. zopfii genotype 2, with a lower prevalence of infection due to P. blaschkeae and rarely to P. wickerhamii. In this study, we report the development of two multiplex PCR assays able to discriminate among the three species responsible for bovine intramammary infection (IMI). Our assay is based on the specific amplification of new DNA target from mitochondria and chloroplasts partial sequences, of different Prototheca isolates. Both methods were set up using reference strains belonging to all Prototheca species and validated by the analysis of 93 isolates from bovine and buffalo IMI and bulk tank milk samples. The investigation involves 70 isolates from North, 13 from Central and 10 from South Italian regions. Isolates from bovine were most commonly identified as P. zopfii genotype 2, and only in one case as P. blaschkeae, whereas isolates from buffaloes belonged both to P. zopfii genotype 2 and P. wickerhamii. These findings proved the suitability of our multiplex PCRs as a rapid test to discriminate among pathogenic Prototheca strains.
Trace reconstruction with constant deletion probability and related results

We provide several new results for the trace reconstruction problem. In this setting, a binary string yields a collection of traces, where each trace is independently obtained by independently deleting each bit with a fixed probability Δ. Each trace therefore consists of a random subsequence of the original sequence. Given the traces, we wish to reconstruct the original string with high probability. The questions are how many traces are necessary for reconstruction, and how efficiently can the reconstruction be performed. Our primary result is that for some universal constant γ and uniformly chosen strings of length n, for any Δ < γ reconstruction is possible with poly(n) traces in poly(n) time with high probability. We also obtain algorithms that require a number of traces exponential in Õ (√n) for any Δ < 1 even for worst case strings, and we derive lower bound results for simpler classes of algorithms based on summary statistics from the traces.
Can Institutions Build Unity in Multiethnic States?

We investigate whether political institutions can promote attachment to the state in multiethnic societies. Building on literatures on nationalism, democratization, and conflict resolution, we discuss the importance of attachment, understood as a psychological identification with, and pride in, the state. We construct a model of state attachment, specifying the individual-, group-, and state-level conditions that foster it. Then, using cross-national survey data from 51 multiethnic states, we show that, in general, ethnic minorities manifest less attachment to the states in which they reside than do majorities. Combining the survey data with minority group attributes and country-level attributes, we show that the attachment of minorities varies importantly across groups and countries. Our central finding is that federalism and proportional electoral systems—two highly touted solutions to ethnic divisions—have at best mixed effects. These results have implications for state-building and democratic consolidation in ethnically heterogeneous states.
Optimization of anaerobic digestion for mechanically pretreated waste paper

In the anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic materials such as waste paper, the accessibility of microorganisms to the fermentable sugars is restricted by their complex structure. A mechanical pre-treatment with a Hollander beater was assessed in order to reduce the biomass particle size and to increase the feedstock’ specific surface area available to the microorganisms, and therefore improve the biogas yield. The mechanical pretreatment has been applied to a batch of office paper previously shredded and inoculated with pre-incubated sludge in order to minimize the inoculum contribution and improve the gas measurements precision. Pretreatment of paper waste for 60 min improves the methane yield by 20.60%, from a value of 210.30 ml/gVS correspondent to untreated paper waste to 253.63 ml/gVS. 30 min pretreatment decreases the methane yields of waste paper by 5.24%. A response surface methodology was used in order to evaluate the effect of the beating time and feedstock/inoculum ratio on the methane yield. An optimum methane yield of 253.62 ml/gVS resulted at 55 min beating pretreatment and a F/I ratio of 0.3. The net energy of the process was always positive making the pretreatment of waste paper for anaerobic digestion economically feasible
Erosive progression is minimal, but erosion healing rare, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with adalimumab. A 1 year investigator-initiated follow-up study using high-resolution computed tomography as the primary outcome measure

Objective: With computed tomography (CT) and radiography, to investigate if repair of bone erosions, defined as regression of erosion scores, occurs during adalimumab treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Fifty-two patients with RA, naïve to biological agents, with at least two low-grade radiographic erosions in the wrist or metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints in the same (index) hand, initiated adalimumab 40 mg subcutaneously every other week. Thirty-five patients completed the study (median age 61 years (interquartile range 46–68), disease duration 8 years (3–15)). CT of the index wrist and MCP joints 2–5 and radiographs of hands and forefeet were obtained at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Images were evaluated by investigators blinded to chronology and clinical data, and assessed according to Sharp/van der Heijde (radiographs) and OMERACT RA MRI scoring (CT) methods. Results: Disease activity score, C-reactive protein, tender and swollen joints count and Health Assessment Questionnaire score had all decreased at 6 and 12 months (wilcoxon signed-ranks test p<0.001). No significant change in any imaging parameters of joint destruction was observed at 6 and 12 months. High intrareader agreements were reached (mean intraobserver intraclass coefficients: 0.96 (CT) and 0.97 (radiography)). The number of patients with change scores exceeding the smallest detectable change (SDC) was comparable on CT and radiography, as were the proportions of patients progressing/regressing. Decreased erosion scores at 12 months were registered in 1.6% and 1.8% of sites assessed on CT and radiography, respectively. Conclusion: Repair of erosions in adalimumab-treated patients with RA is rare, but erosive regression, exceeding the SDC, on CT and radiography occurred. The very limited overall erosive progression supports the view that joint destruction is minimal during adalimumab treatment of patients with RA.
Assessment of Geostatistical Methods for Spatial Analysis of SPI and EDI Drought Indices

3 Abstract: Drought monitoring is a fundamental ingredient of drought risk management. It is normally performed using various drought indices that are effectively continuous functions of rainfall and other hydrometeorological variables. In many instances drought indices used for monitoring purposes. However, these indices are calculated at sites and it is required to estimate the spatial distribution of drought in the forms of maps. Geostatistical methods allow the interpolation of spatially referenced data. They allow the prediction of values for arbitrary points in the area of interest. In this research, several geostatistical methods including Ordinary Kriging,Inverse Distance Weighted and Thin Palte Smoothing Splinewere assessed for the derivation of maps of drought indices at 27 climatic stations in the Boushehr province of Iran. The results indicated that IDW method with the power of two is more appropriate for spatial analysis of SPI index and Ordinary Kriging method is more appropriate for spatial analysis of EDI index.
Modified Medical Research Council scale vs Baseline Dyspnea Index to evaluate dyspnea in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background Assessment of dyspnea in COPD patients relies in clinical practice on the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, whereas the Baseline Dyspnea Index (BDI) is mainly used in clinical trials. Little is known on the correspondence between the two methods. Methods Cross-sectional analysis was carried out on data from the French COPD cohort Initiatives BPCO. Dyspnea was assessed by the mMRC scale and the BDI. Spirometry, plethysmography, Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale, St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, exacerbation rates, and physician-diagnosed comorbidities were obtained. Correlations between mMRC and BDI scores were assessed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. An ordinal response model was used to examine the contribution of clinical data and lung function parameters to mMRC and BDI scores. Results Data are given as median (interquartile ranges, [IQR]). Two-hundred thirty-nine COPD subjects were analyzed (men 78%, age 65.0 years [57.0; 73.0], forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1] 48% predicted [34; 67]). The mMRC grade and BDI score were, respectively, 1 [1–3] and 6 [4–8]. Both BDI and mMRC scores were significantly correlated at the group level (rho =−0.67; P<0.0001), but analysis of individual data revealed a large scatter of BDI scores for any given mMRC grade. In multivariate analysis, both mMRC grade and BDI score were independently associated with lower FEV1% pred, higher exacerbation rate, obesity, depression, heart failure, and hyperinflation, as assessed by the inspiratory capacity/total lung capacity ratio. The mMRC dyspnea grade was also associated with the thromboembolic history and low body mass index. Conclusion Dyspnea is a complex symptom with multiple determinants in COPD patients. Although related to similar factors (including hyperinflation, depression, and heart failure), BDI and mMRC scores likely explore differently the dyspnea intensity in COPD patients and are clearly not interchangeable.
Local Convexity-Preserving C 2 Rational Cubic Spline for Convex Data

We present the smooth and visually pleasant display of 2D data when it is convex, which is contribution towards the improvements over existing methods. This improvement can be used to get the more accurate results. An attempt has been made in order to develop the local convexity-preserving interpolant for convex data using C 2 rational cubic spline. It involves three families of shape parameters in its representation. Data dependent sufficient constraints are imposed on single shape parameter to conserve the inherited shape feature of data. Remaining two of these shape parameters are used for the modification of convex curve to get a visually pleasing curve according to industrial demand. The scheme is tested through several numerical examples, showing that the scheme is local, computationally economical, and visually pleasing.
Surface functionalization affects the zeta potential, coronal stability and membranolytic activity of polymeric nanoparticles

Abstract Nano materials are commonly functionalized to boost their physicochemical properties. However, there is little known about the impact of these modifications on cellular systems. Herein, we synthesized eight types of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) bearing different functional groups, and investigated their effects on interactions with cellular membranes. As models for particle membrane interactions, hemolysis assays using human red blood cells and culture with A549 cells were utilized. Under protein-free conditions, the NPs showed a wide distribution of zeta potentials (ζPs) which showed a good correlation with their hemolytic potential. However, in the presence of serum or lung lining fluid, the ζPs of all NPs coalesced towards a single common negative value and showed neither hemolytic activity nor cytotoxicity to A549 cells. Lipase and protease treatment of the coronated particles did not restore their reactivity. These result simply proves that particle functionalization influences the stability of the particle corona which, if intact, prevents hemolytic activity and membrane disrupture.
Intra-guild vs extra-guild prey: effect on predator fitness and preference of Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) and Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans) (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Abstract The relationships between the predatory mites, Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) and Neoseiulus cucumeris (Oudemans) (Acari: Phytoseiidae), and their prey, western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), were investigated to determine the effects of predation on intra-guild or extra-guild prey and predator preference. Life history characteristics of both predatory mites were measured when fed eggs and larvae of the other predator species and compared to data obtained when the predators were fed thrips larvae. In addition, choice tests were conducted to determine if the predators had a preference for different prey or if they were indiscriminate predators. Amblyseius swirskii appears to be an important intra-guild predator of N. cucumeris juveniles because of a high predation rate and a preference for N. cucumeris juveniles over thrips. Neoseiulus cucumeris is also an intra-guild predator of A. swirskii juveniles; however, it has a lower predation rate than A. swirskii. Contrary to intra-guild predation theory, intra-guild prey was an equally good or better food source than thrips (extra-guild prey) for both predators, based on high oviposition rates and fast development times. The results of this study indicate a high potential for negative interactions between A. swirskii and N. cucumeris when used together in biological control of thrips.