Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distractor Suppression When Attention Fails: Behavioral Evidence for a Flexible Selective Attention Mechanism

Despite consistent evidence showing that attention is a multifaceted mechanism that can operate at multiple levels of processing depending on the structure and demands of the task, investigations of the attentional blink phenomenon have consistently shown that the impairment in reporting the second of two targets typically occurs at a late, or post-perceptual, stage of processing. This suggests that the attentional blink phenomenon may represent the operation of a unique attentional mechanism that is not as flexible as other attentional mechanisms. To test whether the attentional blink is a fixed or flexible phenomenon, we manipulated first target task demands (i.e., difficulty) and measured the influence this had on processing a subsequently presented distractor and the second target. If the attentional blink represents a mechanism that is fixed and consistently fails at a single stage of processing, then manipulations of task difficulty should not affect distractor processing. However, if the attentional blink represents a more multifaceted and flexible mechanism, then task difficulty should modulate distractor processing. The results revealed that distractor processing during the AB was attenuated under high task difficulty. In addition, unlike previous studies, we failed to find a correlation between distractor processing and the severity of the attentional blink. Using a simulation, we demonstrate that the previously reported correlations may have been spurious and due to using variables that were not independent. Overall, the present results support the conclusion that the selectivity of attention during the AB is flexible and depends on the structure and demands of the task.
Sensitivity of surveillance studies for detecting asymptomatic and unsuspected relapse of high-risk neuroblastoma.

PURPOSE Relapse-free survival (RFS) is a powerful measure of treatment efficacy. We describe the sensitivity of standard surveillance studies for detecting relapse of neuroblastoma (NB). PATIENTS AND METHODS The patients were in complete/very good partial remission of high-risk NB; routine monitoring revealed asymptomatic and, therefore, unsuspected relapses in 113 patients, whereas 41 patients had symptoms prompting urgent evaluations. Assessments every 2 to 4 months included computed tomography, iodine-131-metaiodobenzylguanidine (131)I-MIBG; through November 1999) or iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine ((123)I-MIBG) scan, urine catecholamines, and bone marrow (BM) histology. Bone scan was routine through 2002. RESULTS (123)I-MIBG scan was the most reliable study for revealing unsuspected relapse; it had an 82% detection rate, which was superior to the rates with (131)I-MIBG scan (64%; P = .1), bone scan (36%; P < .001), and BM histology (34%; P < .001). Among asymptomatic patients, (123)I-MIBG scan was the sole positive study indicating relapse in 25 (27%) of 91 patients compared with one (4.5%) of 22 patients for (131)I-MIBG scan (P = .04) and 0% to 6% of patients for each of the other studies (P < .001). Patients whose monitoring included (123)I-MIBG scan were significantly less likely than patients monitored by (131)I-MIBG scan to have an extensive osteomedullary relapse and had a significantly longer survival from relapse (P < .001) and from diagnosis (P = .002). They also had significantly longer survival than patients with symptomatic relapses (P = .002). CONCLUSION (123)I-MIBG scan is essential for valid estimation of the duration of RFS of patients with high-risk NB. Without monitoring that includes (123)I-MIBG scan, caution should be used when comparing RFS between institutions and protocols.
Variations of the sciatic nerve anatomy and blood supply in the gluteal region: a review of the literature

Variations of the sciatic nerve anatomy and blood supply are complex and largely not dealt with in common anatomy texts. Variations of the sciatic nerve anatomy can be divided into the height of division of its branches, relation of the branches to the piriformis muscle, and its blood supply. These variations should be well known to any surgeon operating in this anatomical region. It is unknown whether these variations increase the risk of surgical injury and consequent morbidity. This paper will review the current knowledge regarding anatomical variations of the sciatic nerve and its blood supply.
Entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions: assessing gender specific differences

The attitude towards entrepreneurship can strongly influence the probability of individuals to become self-employed. The mindset or attitudes of an individual to move into self-employment make up the foundation for future entrepreneurial activities. Former studies indicate differences between male and female perceptions or intentions to become entrepreneurs. This paper attempts to assess women’s entrepreneurial intentions of as well as their attitudes towards being independent and comparing them to the mail counterparts’. A survey among university students was carried out revealing that male students show more positive attitudes towards entrepreneurship and much more concrete entrepreneurial intentions.
Australian Chinese Consumers

Abstract Based on 288 respondents of Australian consumers of Chinese background but who exhibited contrasting degrees of acculturation, this study examined several aspects of consumer behaviour, including information search, product evaluation and purchase behaviour in relation to three product categories of contrasting involvement, namely toothpaste, stereos and cars. The findings, which contributed usefully to a scarce literature concerning the Asian consumer, provided support for several of the hypotheses put forward and, overall, contributed to answering by the affirmative the question of whether acculturation affects consumer decision making.
H2S Evolution during Oil Shale Pyrolysis

H2S evolution during different oil shale samples pyrolysis was studied in fixed bed in the nitrogen atmosphere. The results show the H2S evolution is influenced by pyrolysis conditions and properties of oil shale. The yield of H2S released for two samples had a marked change at 300600°C of final temperature and 5-50°C/min of heating rate. Both the H2S yields of two samples increase with grain size increasing. While the H2S yields of Huadian oil shale was far more than that of Wangqing under same pyrolysis conditions, which may be attributed to low sulfur content and high ash content of Wangqing oil shale. It is shown that the curve of H2S escaped for Wangqing has a single wave only below 550°C, while two successive waves for Huadian oil shale occur at 440°C and 590°C respectively. The reasons of such results may be attributed to different distribution of organic and pyrite sulfur between Wangqing oil shale and Huadian oil shale. At 600 , about 10% sulfur is released from Wangqing oil shale, while about 25% sulfur fixed in semi-coke; for Huadian oil shale, about 8% sulfur is distributed in gas while 37% in simi-coke. KeywordsOil shale; pyrolysis; H2S
Comparative evaluation of PCR‐based methods for the assessment of T cell clonality in the diagnosis of T cell lymphoma

Aims: The accurate diagnosis of T cell lymphoma often depends on the demonstration of a monoclonal T cell population in a lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD). The aim of this study was to evaluate four polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based methods used to analyse T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements in the assessment of T cell clonality. Methods: DNA was tested from 23 T cell neoplasms, seven B cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas (B‐NHL), three Hodgkin's lymphomas (HL), 14 benign LPD and peripheral blood from a healthy donor. TCR n rearrangements were assessed by McCarthy's et al. two primer set method, Benhattar's et al. linear pre‐amplification method, and Chhanabhai's et al. heteroduplex method. TCR g D‐J rearrangements were analysed by Slack's et al. method. Results: Monoclonal TCR n rearrangements were found in 91% (21 of 23) of T cell neoplasms using McCarthy's et al. method; in 83% (19 of 23) using Benhattar's et al. or Chhanabhai's et al. methods and monoclonal TCR g rearrangements were found in 43% (10 of 23) using Slack's et al. method. Monoclonality was established in all T cell neoplasms using one or more PCR methods. One follicular B‐NHL had inappropriate monoclonal TCR g rearrangement, while the remaining B‐NHL and all HL samples had no monoclonal TCR n or TCR g rearrangements. In addition to polyclonal products, one reactive lymph node had oligoclonal TCR n rearrangements and two others generated monoclonal products of uncertain significance. McCarthy's et al. TCR n method was the most sensitive in establishing T cell monoclonality, and in combination with Slack's et al. TCR g method, monoclonality was demonstrated in 100% of T cell neoplasms (23 of 23). Conclusions: These data indicate that multiple primer set PCR methods should obviate a need for the more expensive and time‐consuming Southern blot (SB) technique and are the preferred diagnostic molecular test for assessing T cell clonality.
Dexmedetomidine Attenuates Oxidative Stress Induced Lung Alveolar Epithelial Cell Apoptosis In Vitro

Background. Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the lung injuries of critical ill patients. This study investigates the protection conferred by α 2 adrenoceptor agonist dexmedetomidine (Dex) from lung alveolar epithelial cell injury induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the underlying mechanisms. Methods. The lung alveolar epithelial cell line, A549, was cultured and then treated with 500 μM H2O2 with or without Dex (1 nM) or Dex in combination with atipamezole (10 nM), an antagonist of α 2 receptors. Their effect on mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ m), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the cell cycle was assessed by flow cytometry. Cleaved-caspases 3 and 9, BAX, Bcl-2, phospho-mTOR (p-mTOR), ERK1/2, and E-cadherin expression were also determined with immunocytochemistry. Results. Upregulation of cleaved-caspases 3 and 9 and BAX and downregulation of Bcl-2, p-mTOR, and E-cadherin were found following H2O2 treatment, and all of these were reversed by Dex. Dex also prevented the ROS generation, cytochrome C release, and cell cycle arrest induced by H2O2. The effects of Dex were partially reversed by atipamezole. Conclusion. Our study demonstrated that Dex protected lung alveolar epithelial cells from apoptotic injury, cell cycle arrest, and loss of cell adhesion induced by H2O2 through enhancing the cell survival and proliferation.
Monitoring and Resolving Comprehension Obstacles: An Investigation of Spontaneous Text Lookbacks among Upper-Grade Good and Poor Comprehenders.

THE RESEARCH REPORTED here was designed to answer questions about spontaneous use of text lookbacks to resolve comprehension obstacles. Nineteen good comprehenders and 19 poor comprehenders were presented with a narrative passage divided into three segments. Interspersed in the text were six non-lookback questions and four lookback questions (i.e., questions presented in one segment but demanding retrieval of information presented in an earlier segment for correct responses). Subjects were seen individually by two investigators who alternated in the roles of directiongiver and intra-experiment observer. Analysis of correct responses to lookback questions and of lookback behaviors noted by the observers yielded evidence of reading proficiency and age/experience effects on use of lookbacks. Converging evidence from the question response and observational notation analyses supported the pronounced good comprehender-poor comprehender monitoring differences found in earlier research.
An Inner View of the Job Interview: An Investigation of Successful Communicative Behaviors.

Research has provided minimal description of the discourse of interviewees engaged in employment interviews. This study investigated the communication of effective and ineffective interviewees to describe their discourse thoroughly and to contrast their communicative choices. Behaviors extracted from rhetorical theory were searched for in “successful” and “unsuccessful” interviews. In comparison to unsuccessful applicants, successful candidates displayed more behaviors that identified them with employers, supported arguments, organized thoughts, clarified ideas, and contributed to effective delivery.
Characterization and Quantification of Polyphenols in Amazon Grape (Pourouma cecropiifolia Martius)

The phenolic profile of Amazon grape fruit (Pourouma cecropiifolia Martius) was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). For this purpose, suitable extraction and liquid chromatographic methods were developed. Anthocyanins, flavonols and chlorogenic acids were found mainly in the peel. Besides the main anthocyanins, i.e. delphinidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-(6”-malonyl)glucoside, several minor anthocyanins were identified in the peel. Among these, cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside, delphinidin 3-galactoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside, cyanidin 3-(3”-malonyl)glucoside, malvidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-glucoside, peonidin 3-glucoside and petunidin 3-glucoside were characterized on the basis of their fragmentation patterns in MS/MS experiments. The total anthocyanin content in the peel was 420.26 ± 3.07 mg kg-1 fresh weight. The pulp contained mainly 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (210.39 ± 3.43 mg kg-1 fresh weight). Rutin was the predominant flavonol found in Amazon grape (peel 155.45 ± 2.06 mg kg-1 fresh weight and pulp 2.64 ± 1.21 mg kg-1 fresh weight). Total polyphenols content was higher in the peel than in the pulp.
The role of attention in auditory information processing as revealed by event-related potentials and other brain measures of cognitive function

Abstract This article examines the role of attention and automaticity in auditory processing as revealed by event-related potential (ERP) research. An ERP component called the mismatch negativity, generated by the brain's automatic response to changes in repetitive auditory input, reveals that physical features of auditory stimuli are fully processed whether or not they are attended. It also suggests that there exist precise neuronal representations of the physical features of recent auditory stimuli, perhaps the traces underlying acoustic sensory (“echoic”) memory. A mechanism of passive attention switching in response to changes in repetitive input is also implicated. Conscious perception of discrete acoustic stimuli might be mediated by some of the mechanisms underlying another ERP component (NI), one sensitive to stimulus onset and offset. Frequent passive attentional shifts might accountforthe effect cognitive psychologists describe as “the breakthrough of the unattended” (Broadbent 1982), that is, that even unattended stimuli may be semantically processed, without assuming automatic semantic processing or late selection in selective attention. The processing negativity supports the early-selection theory and may arise from a mechanism for selectively attending to stimuli defined by certain features. This stimulus selection occurs in the form ofa matching process in which each input is compared with the “attentional trace,” a voluntarily maintained representation of the task-relevant features of the stimulus to be attended. The attentional mechanism described might underlie the stimulus-set mode of attention proposed by Broadbent. Finally, a model of automatic and attentional processing in audition is proposed that is based mainly on the aforementioned ERP components and some other physiological measures.
Macrophage activation syndrome: a potentially fatal complication of rheumatic disorders

AIMS To review the precipitating events, clinical features, treatment, and outcome of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). METHODS Retrospective review of cases of MAS from a prospectively collected database of children with rheumatic diseases from 1980 to 2000. RESULTS Nine patients (eight girls) were considered to have evidence of MAS. The primary diagnosis was systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis in seven, enthesitis related arthritis in one, and chronic infantile neurological cutaneous articular syndrome in one. Mean age of onset was 5.7 years, and duration prior to MAS, 4.2 years. No medication was identified as a trigger. Eight had infections prior to MAS; specific infectious agents were identified in four. High grade fever, new onset hepatosplenomegaly, and lymphadenopathy were common clinical features. Platelet counts fell dramatically, from an average of 346 to 99 × 109/l. Mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate (in three patients) fell from 115 to 28 mm/h. Eight had abnormal liver function during the disease course, and six had coagulopathy. Bone marrow examination supported the diagnosis with definite haemophagocytosis in four of seven. All received high dose steroids (eight intravenous, one oral), five cyclosporin, two cyclophosphamide, and one antithymocyte globulin. Two of three patients with significant renal impairment died. CONCLUSION MAS is a rare and potentially fatal complication of childhood rheumatic disorders. Most of our patients were female, and most cases were preceded by infection. Bone marrow studies support the diagnosis. Deranged renal function may be a poor prognostic sign. Aggressive early therapy is essential. Key messages MAS is a rare complication of childhood rheumatic disease It is a potentially fulminant disorder, which may occur as part of the initial presentation of the rheumatic disease An infective trigger may herald the onset of this complication in predisposed patients Differentiation from a disease flare may be difficult, but is critical to ensure optimal outcome An early and dramatic fall in platelet count is characteristic, with changes in WBC and haemoglobin being more variable early and common Elevation in transaminases and coagulation abnormalities may not be present at onset of MAS Bone marrow examination is supportive, but false negative reports occur as a result of sampling errors or the subtle nature of the disease Multisystem involvement is a poor prognostic sign
Community-Based Education and Social Capital in an Urban After-School Program

This qualitative case study examined how social capital development was facilitated in an urban after-school program. Specific attention was devoted to identifying structures and strategies that helped student participants develop social capital, the types of social networks that were developed through program participation, and the outcomes that were attributed to these networks. The findings suggest that the program’s purposeful design and skillful implementation presented students with opportunities to forge heterogeneous and bridging relationships that fundamentally shaped their learning experiences and their future social, educational, and professional aspirations.
A simplified description of the evolution of organic aerosol composition in the atmosphere

Organic aerosol (OA) in the atmosphere consists of a multitude of organic species which are either directly emitted or the products of a variety of chemical reactions. This complexity challenges our ability to explicitly characterize the chemical composition of these particles. We find that the bulk composition of OA from a variety of environments (laboratory and field) occupies a narrow range in the space of a Van Krevelen diagram (H:C versus O:C), characterized by a slope of ∼−1. The data show that atmospheric aging, involving processes such as volatilization, oxidation, mixing of air masses or condensation of further products, is consistent with movement along this line, producing a more oxidized aerosol. This finding has implications for our understanding of the evolution of atmospheric OA and representation of these processes in models.
3D-SURFER: software for high-throughput protein surface comparison and analysis

SUMMARY We present 3D-SURFER, a web-based tool designed to facilitate high-throughput comparison and characterization of proteins based on their surface shape. As each protein is effectively represented by a vector of 3D Zernike descriptors, comparison times for a query protein against the entire PDB take, on an average, only a couple of seconds. The web interface has been designed to be as interactive as possible with displays showing animated protein rotations, CATH codes and structural alignments using the CE program. In addition, geometrically interesting local features of the protein surface, such as pockets that often correspond to ligand binding sites as well as protrusions and flat regions can also be identified and visualized. AVAILABILITY 3D-SURFER is a web application that can be freely accessed from: http://dragon.bio. purdue.edu/3d-surfer CONTACT dkihara@purdue.edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Lactobacilli attenuate bacteremia and endotoxemia associated with severe intra-abdominal infection.

BACKGROUND Systemic administration of antibiotics or selective decontamination is frequently used in the prophylaxis and treatment of infections originating from the gastrointestinal flora. In this study, we wanted to compare the protective effect of enteral administration of lactobacilli to gentamicin against severe intra-abdominal infection. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Rats were pretreated with saline, Lactobacillus R2LC, and gentamicin. Bacterial growth and endotoxin levels in the blood, reticuloendothelial system (RES)-function, and intestinal transit were determined up to 24 hours after CLP. RESULTS CLP-provoked bacteremia was significantly reduced by 48% and 55% in lactobacilli- and gentamicin-treated rats, respectively. Notably, CLP-induced endotoxemia was abolished at 12 hours, and reduced by 47% at 24 hours, in rats pretreated with lactobacilli. Gentamicin reduced endotoxin levels provoked by CLP by 86% at 12 hours, but had no effect at 24 hours. Lactobacilli had no effect on the clearance of Escherichia coli (E coli) from the blood, whereas intestinal transit was increased in lactobacilli-treated animals, suggesting that the beneficial effect of Lactobacillus R2LC is not related to an increase of phagocytic capacity but may rather be partly attributable to an enhanced intestinal motility. CONCLUSION Enteral administration of Lactobacillus R2LC attenuates bacteremia and endotoxemia associated with intra-abdominal infection in rats.
A Person-Environment Study of Depression

A person-environment interaction model was applied to research on the etiology of depression. The relationship between the predisposition to independence or dependence, in both family and work environments; the fulfillment of independence-dependence needs; and the presence or absence of depression was investigated. Three hundred white, black, and Mexican-American men and women were included in the study. Half of the subjects were depressed, and half were not depressed. They were matched for sex, race, age, and occupation. The results suggested support for the hypothesis that one's predisposition to dependence or independence must be sustained by the environment if one is to be depression free. Also as predicted, lack of family support, and controlling, unsupportive work environments were found to be significant factors associated with depression, as determined by a multiple discriminant analysis. The findings indicated the significance of additive effects, seldom suggesting interactional phenomena.