Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deep Layer Somatosensory Cortical Neurons Initiate Spike-and-Wave Discharges in a Genetic Model of Absence Seizures

Typical absence has long been considered as the prototypic form of generalized nonconvulsive epileptic seizures. Recent investigations in patients and animal models suggest that absence seizures could originate from restricted regions of the cerebral cortex. However, the cellular and local network processes of seizure initiation remain unknown. Here, we show that absence seizures in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg, a well established genetic model of this disease, arise from the facial somatosensory cortex. Using in vivo intracellular recordings, we found that epileptic discharges are initiated in layer 5/6 neurons of this cortical region. These neurons, which show a distinctive hyperactivity associated with a membrane depolarization, lead the firing of distant cortical cells during the epileptic discharge. Consistent with their ictogenic properties, neurons from this “focus” exhibit interictal and preictal oscillations that are converted into epileptic pattern. These results confirm and extend the “focal hypothesis” of absence epilepsy and provide a cellular scenario for the initiation and generalization of absence seizures.
Small ideas for big impacts: Multifunctionality in the rural village of Verkykerskop

Nijkamp affirms the Utopians’ claim of an open and flexible future, where development could imply surprising steps towards something better. Castells questions admonishingly whether planning approaches are changeable in a world that has already changed. Following Davidoff’s indications of making urban life beautiful, exciting and creative, planners encounter “surprising steps” within the planning approaches of compact cities, new urbanism, new ruralism, smart growth, green urbanism, and so on. In responding to Castells’ “multidimensional change in the spatial dimension”, the imagination of planners is intercepted, angling them towards a multifunctional planning advent. This article reasons that a combination of the new urbanism, green urbanism and new ruralism may be a beneficial response to multifunctionality, especially as megatrends emphasise the need to abandon the pursuit of a predictable single future or outcome. It questions whether the reciprocal use of these planning approaches may induce multifunctional rural landscapes. The uniqueness of the inherently rural South African landscape also necessitates a rural emphasis in this article, questioning whether the reciprocal use of the three planning approaches in the recently planned rural village of Verkykerskop, acclaimed by the Charter for New Urbanism in 2012, generated multifunctional rural land use. Keywords : Green urbanism, multifunctionality, new ruralism, new urbanism, rural landscapes, urban design
The E ff ect of Relationships on Contract Choice : Evidence from O ff shore Drilling

We build a simple model to show that relationships and high-powered formal contracts can be either substitutes or complements, depending on the relative impact of relationships on incentive problems and contracting costs. Empirically, in the offshore drilling industry we find that oil and gas companies are less likely to choose high-powered fixed-price contracts as the intensity of their relationships with drillers increases. This supports the conclusion that relationships and formal contracts are substitutes in this setting, indicating that relationships reduce incentive problems more than contracting costs. We further test the effect of relationships on different types of wells that differ in the severity of their contracting costs and incentive problems, and find results consistent with our theory. ∗Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163; kcorts@hbs.edu and jsingh@hbs.edu. We thank George Baker, Dale Jorgenson, Paul Oyer, Steve Tadelis, and seminar participants at Harvard, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and London Business School for helpful comments.
Survival in acute myeloid leukemia is associated with NKp44 splice variants

NKp44 is a receptor encoded by the NCR2 gene, which is expressed by cytokine-activated natural killer (NK) cells that are involved in anti-AML immunity. NKp44 has three splice variants corresponding to NKp44ITIM+ (NKp44-1) and NKp44ITIM− (NKp44-2, and NKp44-3) isoforms. RNAseq data of AML patients revealed similar survival of NKp46+NKp44+ and NKp46+NKp44− patients. However, if grouped according to the NKp44 splice variant profile, NKp44-1 expression was significantly associated with poor survival of AML patients. Moreover, activation of PBMC from healthy controls showed co-dominant expression of NKp44-1 and NKp44-3, while primary NK clones show more diverse NKp44 splice variant profiles. Cultured primary NK cells resulted in NKp44-1 dominance and impaired function associated with PCNA over-expression by target cells. This impaired functional phenotype could be rescued by blocking of NKp44 receptor. Human NK cell lines revealed co-dominant expression of NKp44-1 and NKp44-3 and showed a functional phenotype that was not inhibited by PCNA over-expression. Furthermore, transfection-based overexpression of NKp44-1, but not NKp44-2/NKp44-3, reversed the endogenous resistance of NK-92 cells to PCNA-mediated inhibition, and resulted in poor formation of stable lytic immune synapses. This research contributes to the understanding of AML prognosis by shedding new light on the functional implications of differential splicing of NKp44.
INVESTIGATION THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIG FIVE PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS VIA STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODEL

Date of accept: 28 June 2018 ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify the link between five factor personality traits and executive functions. Method: A total of 100 healthy participants, 59 female and 41 male, participated in the study. The data was analyzed performing Pearson moment correlation coefficients and Structural Equation Model (SEM). Results: Three models were constituted and the first model revealed a significant relationship between personality characteristics and executive functions. The second and the third models indicated that personality-executive functions relations are based on the correlation between openness to experience and shifting executive function measured by Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Results indicated that there is a significant positive relationship between openness to experience and WCST perseverative scores. In addition, there was no correlation between openness to experience and fluid intelligence. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be suggested that high openness may be characterized by high perseverative thinking rather than intellect.
EEG Activity Underlying Successful Study of Associative and Order Information

Two of the most well studied and ecologically relevant memory paradigms are memory for pairs (“associations”) and ordered sequences (“serial lists”). Behavioral theories comprise two classes: those that use common mechanisms and those that use distinct mechanisms for study and retrieval of associations versus serial lists. We tested the common-mechanisms hypothesis by recording electroencephalographic activity related to successful study (“subsequent memory effect” [SME]) of pairs and short lists (triples) of nouns. Multivariate analysis identified four distributed patterns of brain activity: (1) right parietal activity throughout most of the study period that differentiated study of pairs from triples within subjects as well as exhibiting an SME that was significant for pairs but not for triples; (2) a left parietal and fronto-polar activity pattern that was reliable around 500 msec and later in the study trial, exhibiting an SME for pairs and a weaker, nonsignificant SME for triples; (3) a left frontal/right parietal topography in the middle of the study interval which covaried with speed and accuracy across subjects; and (4) a pattern resembling the late positive component preceded by an early potential which together covaried with accuracy in triples but slow response times for both pairs and triples. These patterns point to the relevance of three classic SME components (early, late positive, and slow components) from single-item memory to memory for structured information, but suggest that they reflect subsets of more complex spatio-temporal patterns. Our findings support common underlying mechanisms for study and recall of pairs and lists. However, existing models must be modified to account for differences in both the presence of certain study-relevant processes and in the relevance of these processes to performance measures for pairs versus serial lists.
Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D 2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 levels are independently associated with macroalbuminuria , but not with retinopathy and macrovascular disease in type 1 diabetes : the EURODIAB prospective complications study Cardiovascular Diabetology

Lian Engelen (l.engelen@maastrichtuniversity.nl) Casper G. Schalkwijk (c.schalkwijk@maastrichtuniversity.nl) Simone J. P. M. Eussen (simone.eussen@maastrichtuniversity.nl) Jean L. J. M. Scheijen (j.scheijen@maastrichtuniversity.nl) Sabita S. Soedamah-Muthu (sabita.soedamah-muthu@wur.nl) Nish Chaturvedi (n.chaturvedi@ucl.ac.uk) John H. Fuller (johnfuller211@btinternet.com) Coen D. A. Stehouwer (cda.stehouwer@mumc.nl)
DefSense: Computational Design of Customized Deformable Input Devices

We present a novel optimization-based algorithm for the design and fabrication of customized, deformable input devices, capable of continuously sensing their deformation. We propose to embed piezoresistive sensing elements into flexible 3D printed objects. These sensing elements are then utilized to recover rich and natural user interactions at runtime. Designing such objects is a challenging and hard problem if attempted manually for all but the simplest geometries and deformations. Our method simultaneously optimizes the internal routing of the sensing elements and computes a mapping from low-level sensor readings to user-specified outputs in order to minimize reconstruction error. We demonstrate the power and flexibility of the approach by designing and fabricating a set of flexible input devices. Our results indicate that the optimization-based design greatly outperforms manual routings in terms of reconstruction accuracy and thus interaction fidelity.
A Multi-State Comparison of NASP Domains of Practice and School Psychologist Evaluation Rubrics

ii Acknowledgements.iii A Multi-State Comparison of NASP Domains of Practice and School Psychologist Evaluation Rubrics Research Purpose.4 Research Questions and Hypotheses.4 Literature Review NASP Domains of Practice.9 Current Evaluation Practices of School Psychologists.10 Common Evaluation Components.12 Classroom Observation.13 Validity.14 Student Demographics.19 Inter-Rater Reliability.22 Content Bias.25 Value-Added Data.27 Value-Added Data Applied to Individuals.28 School-Wide Value-Added Data.30 Validity.31 Significance of Study.35 Methodology Study Design.36 Question 1: Type of Data.36 Question 2: Definition of Data.37 Question 3: Population.37 Question 4: Context.37 Question 5: Data Analysis.37 Question 6: Inference Standardization.40 Results Demographic Information.42 Predominant Themes in Rubrics.50 v Discussion.51 NASP Domain and Terminology Representation.54 Predominant Theme in Rubrics.56 Implications for Practice.57 School Psychology Evaluation Impact.64 Study Limitations and Future Directions.65 Conclusion.68 References.71 Appendix A: Data Collection Procedures.91 Appendix B: Sample Rubric.108
The Association of Pet Ownership and Attachment with Perceived Stress among Chinese Adults

ABSTRACT Pet ownership is associated with both positive and negative emotions. Given that not everyone responds to pet care in a stressful way, perceptions of companion animals may play a role in how owners respond to them. In this study, we explored the relationship between pet ownership and perceived stress among Chinese pet owners. We also examined the effect of care practices and perceptions of pets on perceived stress. A total of 288 Hong Kong Chinese, adult pet owners, aged 18 to 70 years, were recruited. Participants were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire covering demographics, pet ownership background, pet attachment, and perceived stress. Regression analyses were performed to examine pet attachment in different demographic groups and its relationship with perceived stress. Moderation and mediation analyses were performed to elucidate their underlying mechanisms. After adjusting for demographics and pet ownership background, greater attachment to a pet was associated with lower stress in owners. The perception of pets as family members minimized the stressful burden of pet care. More time spent caring for a pet increased attachment to that animal which in turn reduced stress in owners. The findings suggest attachment to companion animals and the perception of them as family members can help manage and reduce stress in owners.
Perception of midline diastema in dental- and nondental-oriented individuals

Background: The perception of maxillary midline diastema differs in different individuals and continent. Culture and other factors are believed to influence the perception of maxillary midline diastema. The aim is to determine the influence of dental knowledge on the perception of maxillary midline diastema. Materials and Methods: Study was done in Nigeria, which consists of diverse ethnic and social African groups. A two-stage sampling method was done to select participants between the ages 20 and 49 years. Participants were randomly selected from the University of Lagos and Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire including a set of color smile photographs with varying sizes of maxillary midline diastema (narrowest = 2 mm; widest = 6 mm) was administered, and grading of attractiveness of smile was done. This information was evaluated using a Likert scale. Results: Study participants were 89 and age range was between 20 and 49 years with the mean age being 27.9 ± 7.9 years. Female participants were 49.4%, while male was 50.6%. The proportion of those who were medically inclined was 47.2% and those that were nonmedically inclined were 52.8%. Prevalence of midline diastema was 16.9%. About 52% of the medically inclined and 48.9% of nonmedically inclined participants rated maxillary midline diastema of 4 mm as acceptable (P = 0.02). At 6 mm width, there was a general rating of unattractiveness with 83.3% medically inclined and 66% nonmedically inclined participants rating it unattractive (P = 0.03). A higher percent (73.8%) of the medically inclined participants did not like midline diastema (P = 0.00). Conclusion: This study was able to demonstrate the perception of maxillary midline diastema in dental and nondental professionals.
Tonal alignment, scaling and slope in Italian question and statement tunes

Unlike in languages such as English and Standard Italian, Neapolitan Italian yes/no questions and narrow focus statements share a rising-falling (LHL) tune (d'Imperio00b,Grice00) whose H peak alignment is a cue to tune identification (d'Imperio97c). This study acoustically tested the hypothesis that all three tonal targets of the rise-fall are timed and scaled differently in questions and statements. Moreover, slope differences for both rise and fall were also tested by employing logistic regression modeling. Two speakers of Neapolitan Italian produced utterances whose target words differed in question/statement modality, syllable structure and segmental environment. The results show that all three targets within the rise-fall are timed later in questions. By contrast, no systematic slope difference was found. The exact contribution of scaling to signaling the contrast could not be determined, though. In fact, while one speaker marked the difference by producing higher peaks for statements, the other did not produce any difference.
Chemical Genetics Reveals an RGS/G-Protein Role in the Action of a Compound

We report here on a chemical genetic screen designed to address the mechanism of action of a small molecule. Small molecules that were active in models of urinary incontinence were tested on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and the resulting phenotypes were used as readouts in a genetic screen to identify possible molecular targets. The mutations giving resistance to compound were found to affect members of the RGS protein/G-protein complex. Studies in mammalian systems confirmed that the small molecules inhibit muscarinic G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling involving G-αq (G-protein alpha subunit). Our studies suggest that the small molecules act at the level of the RGS/G-αq signaling complex, and define new mutations in both RGS and G-αq, including a unique hypo-adapation allele of G-αq. These findings suggest that therapeutics targeted to downstream components of GPCR signaling may be effective for treatment of diseases involving inappropriate receptor activation.
Characterizing the influence of vitamin D levels on IVF outcomes.

BACKGROUND Vitamin D plays a role in reproductive capacity. Recently, several investigators have demonstrated higher IVF pregnancy rates in vitamin D replete women. The objective of this study was to validate these findings and to further elucidate the role of vitamin D in reproduction among a diverse group of women. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study in an academic tertiary care center of 188 infertile women undergoing IVF. Serum levels of vitamin D (25OH-D) were measured in previously frozen serum samples. The main outcome measure was clinical pregnancy, defined as sonographic presence of a heartbeat following IVF. RESULTS The relationship between vitamin D status and pregnancy rates differed by race (P < 0.01). Among non-Hispanic whites, pregnancy rates declined with progressively lower levels of vitamin D, while in Asians, the reverse was true. Adjusting for age and number and quality of embryos transferred among non-Hispanic whites, the odds of pregnancy were four times higher in vitamin D replete versus deficient patients. Live birth rates mirrored pregnancy rates. Vitamin D status was not associated with ovarian stimulation parameters or with markers of embryo quality. CONCLUSIONS Vitamin D deficiency is associated with lower pregnancy rates in non-Hispanic whites, but not in Asians, possibly due to their lower IVF success rates. Vitamin D deficiency was not correlated with ovarian stimulation parameters or with markers of embryo quality, suggesting its effect may be mediated through the endometrium.
Autism as a Disorder of Biological and Behavioral Rhythms: Toward New Therapeutic Perspectives

There is a growing interest in the role of biological and behavioral rhythms in typical and atypical development. Recent studies in cognitive and developmental psychology have highlighted the importance of rhythmicity and synchrony of motor, emotional, and interpersonal rhythms in early development of social communication. The synchronization of rhythms allows tuning and adaptation to the external environment. The role of melatonin in the ontogenetic establishment of circadian rhythms and the synchronization of the circadian clocks network suggests that this hormone might be also involved in the synchrony of motor, emotional, and interpersonal rhythms. Autism provides a challenging model of physiological and behavioral rhythm disturbances and their possible effects on the development of social communication impairments and repetitive behaviors and interests. This article situates autism as a disorder of biological and behavioral rhythms and reviews the recent literature on the role of rhythmicity and synchrony of rhythms in child development. Finally, the hypothesis is developed that an integrated approach focusing on biological, motor, emotional, and interpersonal rhythms may open interesting therapeutic perspectives for children with autism. More specifically, promising avenues are discussed for potential therapeutic benefits in autism spectrum disorder of melatonin combined with developmental behavioral interventions that emphasize synchrony, such as the Early Start Denver Model.
The partition function of interfaces from the Nambu-Goto effective string theory

We consider the Nambu-Goto bosonic string model as a description of the physics of interfaces. By using the standard covariant quantization of the bosonic string, we derive an exact expression for the partition function in dependence of the geometry of the interface. Our expression, obtained by operatorial methods, resums the loop expansion of the NG model in the ``physical gauge'' computed perturbatively by functional integral methods in the literature. Recently, very accurate Monte Carlo data for the interface free energy in the 3d Ising model became available. Our proposed expression compares very well to the data for values of the area sufficiently large in terms of the inverse string tension. This pattern is expected on theoretical grounds and agrees with previous analyses of other observables in the Ising model.
Dependability Assessment of Android OS

In this brave new world of smartphone-dependent society, dependability is a strong requirement and needs to be addressed properly. Assessing the dependability of these mobile system is still an open issue, and companies should have the tools to improve their devices and beat the competition against other vendors. The main objective of this dissertation is to provide the methods to assess the dependability of mobile OS, fundamental for further improvements. Mobile OS are threatened mainly by traditional residual faults (when errors spread across components as failures), aging-related faults (when errors accumulate over time), and misuses by users and applications. This thesis faces these three aspects. First, it presents a qualitative method to define the fault model of a mobile OS, and an exhaustive fault model for Android. I designed and developed AndroFIT, a novel fault injection tool for Android smartphone, and performed an extensive fault injection campaign on three Android devices from different vendors to analyze the impact of component failure on the mobile OS. Second, it presents an experimental methodology to analyze the software aging phenomenon in mobile OS. I performed a software aging analysis campaign on Android devices to identify the impacting factors on performance degradation and resource consumption. Third, it presents the design and implementation of a novel fuzzing tool, namely Chizpurfle, able to automatically test Android vendor customizations by leveraging code coverage information at run-time.