Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Test-Retest Reliability of a Computerized Concussion Test

Background: Neurocognitive testing is an important concussion evaluation tool, but for neurocognitive tests to be useful, their psychometric properties must be well established. Test-retest reliability of computerized neurocognitive tests can influence their clinical utility. The reliability for a commonly used computerized neurocognitive test, CNS Vital Signs, is not well established. The purpose of this study was to examine test-retest reliability and reliable change indices for CNS Vital Signs in a healthy, physically active college population. Hypothesis: CNS Vital Signs yields acceptable test-retest reliability, with greater reliability between the second and third test administration compared with between the first and second administration. Study Design: Cohort study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: Forty healthy, active volunteers (16 men, 24 women; mean age, 21.05 ± 2.17 years) reported to a clinical laboratory for 3 sessions, 1 week apart. At each session, participants were administered CNS Vital Signs. Outcomes included standard scores for the following CNS Vital Signs domains: verbal memory, visual memory, psychomotor speed, cognitive flexibility, complex attention, processing speed, reaction time, executive functioning, and reasoning. Results: Participants performed significantly better on the second session and/or third session than they did on the first testing session on 6 of 9 neurocognitive domains. Pearson r test-retest correlations between sessions ranged from 0.11 to 0.87. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.10 to 0.86. Conclusion: Clinicians should consider using reliable change indices to account for practice effects, identify meaningful score changes due to pathology, and inform clinical decisions. Clinical Relevance: This study highlights the importance of clinicians understanding the psychometric properties of computerized neurocognitive tests when using them in the management of sport-related concussion. If CNS Vital Signs is administered twice within a small time frame (such as 1 week), athletes should be expected to improve between the first and second administration.
Mitochondrial dysfunction promotes and aggravates the inflammatory response in normal human synoviocytes.

OBJECTIVES In RA, synoviocytes cause increased oxidative stress, leading to mitochondrial alterations that may participate in the pathogenesis of RA. Here we investigated whether mitochondrial dysfunction induces inflammatory responses in cultured normal human synoviocytes, a hallmark of RA. METHODS Mitochondrial dysfunction was induced with the inhibitor oligomycin. The effects of mitochondrial dysfunction on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and IL-8 expression; cellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production; nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation and p65 translocation were studied. ROS scavengers (N-acetylcysteine and mitoTEMPO) and an NF-κB inhibitor (BAY-117085) were used to investigate the pathways involved. The natural anti-inflammatory antioxidant resveratrol was also tested. RESULTS Mitochondrial dysfunction per se significantly stimulated mitochondrial ROS production as well as low-grade expressions of COX-2, PGE2 and IL-8. Interestingly, mitochondrial dysfunction induced by pretreatment of synoviocytes with oligomycin synergized with IL-1β to increase the expression of these inflammatory mediators. The inflammatory effects of mitochondrial damage appeared to be dependent on ROS production and NF-κB activation since the inflammatory response was counteracted by both N-acetylcysteine and mitoTEMPO and it was also reduced by BAY-117085. Antimycin A and paraquat (inhibitors of mitochondrial function) also induced inflammatory responses. Furthermore, resveratrol significantly reduced the inflammatory response by decreasing ROS production and NF-κB activation. CONCLUSION These data suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction could induce an inflammatory response in normal human synoviocytes and sensitize these cells, causing a significant amplification of the inflammatory response induced by IL-1β. Resveratrol may represent a promising strategy in controlling the synovial inflammatory response.
Perceptual dependencies in information visualization assessed by complex visual search

A common approach for visualizing data sets is to map them to images in which distinct data dimensions are mapped to distinct visual features, such as color, size and orientation. Here, we consider visualizations in which different data dimensions should receive equal weight and attention. Many of the end-user tasks performed on these images involve a form of visual search. Often, it is simply assumed that features can be judged independently of each other in such tasks. However, there is evidence for perceptual dependencies when simultaneously presenting multiple features. Such dependencies could potentially affect information visualizations that contain combinations of features for encoding information and, thereby, bias subjects into unequally weighting the relevance of different data dimensions. We experimentally assess (1) the presence of judgment dependencies in a visualization task (searching for a target node in a node-link diagram) and (2) how feature contrast relates to salience. From a visualization point of view, our most relevant findings are that (a) to equalize saliency (and thus bottom-up weighting) of size and color, color contrasts have to become very low. Moreover, orientation is less suitable for representing information that consists of a large range of data values, because it does not show a clear relationship between contrast and salience; (b) color and size are features that can be used independently to represent information, at least as far as the range of colors that were used in our study are concerned; (c) the concept of (static) feature salience hierarchies is wrong; how salient a feature is compared to another is not fixed, but a function of feature contrasts; (d) final decisions appear to be as good an indicator of perceptual performance as indicators based on measures obtained from individual fixations. Eye tracking, therefore, does not necessarily present a benefit for user studies that aim at evaluating performance in search tasks.
Use of an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene valved patch with a sinus in right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction†.

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to evaluate our late outcomes using expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) valved patches with bulging sinuses and a fan-shaped valve for right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction. METHODS Six hundred and ninety patients underwent RVOT reconstruction using fan-shaped ePTFE valves and ePTFE valved patches with a bulging sinus. The patients' median age and weight were 1.3 years [range 4 days-64.2 years, interquartile range (IQR) 0.9-2.3 years] and 8.7 (range 2.8-83.1, IQR 7.4-10.5) kg, respectively. The patches were monocuspid in 634 patients, bicuspid in 49 patients and tricuspid in 7 patients. Preoperative and postoperative data were collected retrospectively from the patients' medical records. The longest follow-up period was 17.5 (7.6 ± 3.9) years. RESULTS There were no deaths related to the ePTFE patch. Pulmonary insufficiency was less than mild in 77.3%, and the peak RVOT gradient was <36 mmHg in 92.3% at the latest follow-up. Redo of RVOT reconstruction was performed in 40 patients, in no cases because of patch infection. Overall freedom from reoperation at 5, 10 and 15 years was 96.5%, 93.1% and 87.9%, respectively; by patient age, the rates at 5, 10 and 15 years for those younger than 1 year were 93.2%, 91.0% and 88.9%, respectively, while for those 1 year or older, they were 97.9%, 94.0% and 88.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Satisfactory long-term outcomes were achieved with ePTFE patches with a bulging sinus and a fan-shaped valve. This ePTFE valved patch could be the optimal choice for RVOT reconstruction.
Determinants of E-Banking Among Bruneian Corporate Customers: An Application of Theory of Planned Behavior

E-banking has become a new way of doing business and an important alternative for many banks and their customers. The acceptance of e-banking is affected by several factors, including the personal attitude of the users that influences normality and the context in which it is used. This study examines 150 customers of four major banks in Brunei Darussalam to explore the behavioral intent of the corporate customers toward e-banking through their attitudes. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is used as a reference framework to understand the intention toward using e-banking. The data is analyzed using PLS smart graph; analysis suggests that customersâ€™ attitudes toward e-banking are a significant predictor of behavioral intention, whereas subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are insignificant. The causal link between perceived behavioral control and behavior (use of e-banking) is also insignificant. However, use of e-banking is further supported by the behavioral intention. The implications of these findings are discussed and conclusions are drawn.
The "LO"-Down on Grit: Non-Cognitive Trait Assessments Fail to Predict Learning Gains in iSTART and W-Pal.

: The current study explored relations between non-cognitive traits (Grit, Learning Orientation, Performance Orientation), reading skill, and performance across three experiments conducted in the context of two intelligent tutoring systems, iSTART and Writing Pal. Results showed that learning outcomes (comprehension score, holistic essay score) were moderately to strongly correlated with reading skill. In contrast, these outcomes only weakly correlated with learning orientation (LO) and were unrelated to either Grit or performance orientation (PO). Further, regression analyses indicated that none of the non-cognitive traits predicted learning gains. We open the discussion of these findings in the context of theoretical perspectives, construct validity and reliability, and large scale assessment.
Generating a transport stream for digital terrestrial television system in conformance with ISDB-Tb standard

Since the year 2007, Escuela Politécnica del Ejército has been carrying out lab and field tests to evaluate the performance of current digital television systems. ISDB-Tb is the Japanese with Brazilian modifications digital terrestrial television standard adopted by Ecuadorian Government, which is able to transmit multiple television programs with interactive applications and high definition contents. This paper details tests about generation, transmission and reception of data flow TS containing multimedia, audio, video and interactive applications, using free distribution tools. This paper tries to be a reference document for those who want to start experimenting quickly, easily and cheaply, with interactive multimedia TS generation.
Impacts of Normal Aging on Different Working Memory Tasks: Implications from an fMRI Study

Purpose: To evaluate patterns of activation, convergence and divergence of three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Working Memory (WM) tasks in two different age groups. We want to understand potential impact of task and subjects’ age on WM activations as well as most important areas with regard to WM functions. Materials and Methods: Thirty-five healthy volunteers completed visual, verbal, and novel auditory WM tasks. The subjects were selected from age extremes to depict possible impact of normal aging. General Linear Model was used to report significant activations and the effect of group. One-to-one comparison of the tasks and Combined Task Analysis was also performed. Results: Most of the observed differences between the tasks were seen in areas that were responsible for feature processing. Frontal regions were mainstay activation areas, regardless of the utilized stimulus. We found an age-related reduction in activity of visual (in visually-presented tasks) and auditory (in auditory task) cortices but an age-related increase in prefrontal cortex for all tasks. Conclusion: Regardless of the type of the task stimuli, frontal regions are the most important activation areas in WM processing. These areas are also main targets of age-related changes with regard to activation patterns. Our results also indicate that prefrontal overactivity in working memory might be a compensatory effort to mask age-related decline in sensory processing.
An eye movement analysis of multiple object tracking in a realistic environment

To study multiple object tracking under naturalistic conditions, observers tracked 1–4 sharks (9 in total) swimming throughout an underwater scene. Accuracy was high in the Track 1–3 conditions (>92%), but declined when tracking 4 targets (78%). Gaze analyses revealed a dependency between tracking strategy and target number. Observers tracking 2 targets kept their gaze on the target centroid rather than individual objects; observers tracking 4 targets switched their gaze back-and-forth between sharks. Using an oculomotor method for identifying targets lost during tracking, we confirmed that this strategy shift was real and not an artifact of centroid definition. Moreover, we found that tracking errors increased with gaze time on targets, and decreased with time spent looking at the centroid. Depending on tracking load, both centroid and target-switching strategies are used, with accuracy improving with reliance on centroid tracking. An index juggling hypothesis is advanced to explain the suboptimal tendency to fixate tracked objects.
Math Anxiety, Working Memory, and Math Achievement in Early Elementary School

Although math anxiety is associated with poor mathematical knowledge and low course grades (Ashcraft & Krause, 2007), research establishing a connection between math anxiety and math achievement has generally been conducted with young adults, ignoring the emergence of math anxiety in young children. In the current study, we explored whether math anxiety relates to young children's math achievement. One hundred and fifty-four first- and second-grade children (69 boys, 85 girls) were given a measure of math achievement and working memory (WM). Several days later, children's math anxiety was assessed using a newly developed scale. Paralleling work with adults (Beilock, 2008), we found a negative relation between math anxiety and math achievement for children who were higher but not lower in WM. High-WM individuals tend to rely on WM-intensive solution strategies, and these strategies are likely disrupted when WM capacity is co-opted by math anxiety. We argue that early identification and treatment of math anxieties is important because these early anxieties may snowball and eventually lead students with the highest potential (i.e., those with higher WM) to avoid math courses and math-related career choices.
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Role of Tos3, a Snf1 Protein Kinase Kinase, during Growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on Nonfermentable Carbon Sources

ABSTRACT In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Snf1 protein kinase of the Snf1/AMP-activated protein kinase family is required for growth on nonfermentable carbon sources and nonpreferred sugars. Three kinases, Pak1, Elm1, and Tos3, activate Snf1 by phosphorylation of its activation-loop threonine, and the absence of all three causes the Snf− phenotype. No phenotype has previously been reported for the tos3Δ single mutation. We show here that, when cells are grown on glycerol-ethanol, tos3Δ reduces growth rate, Snf1 catalytic activity, and activation of the Snf1-dependent carbon source-responsive element (CSRE) in the promoters of gluconeogenic genes. In contrast, tos3Δ did not significantly affect Snf1 catalytic activity or CSRE function during abrupt glucose depletion, indicating that Tos3 has a more substantial role in activating Snf1 protein kinase during growth on a nonfermentable carbon source than during acute carbon stress. We also report that Tos3 is localized in the cytosol during growth in either glucose or glycerol-ethanol. These findings lend support to the idea that the Snf1 protein kinase kinases make different contributions to cellular regulation under different growth conditions.
Genetics, evolution, and expression of the 68,000-mol-wt neurofilament protein: isolation of a cloned cDNA probe

A 1.2-kilobase (kb) cDNA clone (NF68) encoding the mouse 68,000-mol-wt neurofilament protein is described. The clone was isolated from a mouse brain cDNA library by low-stringency cross-hybridization with a cDNA probe encoding mouse glial fibrillary acidic protein (Lewis et al., 1984, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 81:2743-2746). The identity of NF68 was established by hybrid selection using mouse brain polyA+ mRNA, and cell-free translation of the selected mRNA species. The cell-free translation product co-migrated with authentic 68,000-mol-wt neurofilament protein on an SDS/polyacrylamide gel, and was immunoprecipitable with a monospecific rabbit anti-bovine neurofilament antiserum. In addition, DNA sequence analysis of NF68 showed 90% homology at the amino acid level compared with the sequence of the porcine 68,000-mol-wt neurofilament protein. At high stringency, NF68 detects a single genomic sequence encoding the mouse 68,000-mol-wt neurofilament protein. Two mRNA species of 2.5 kb and 4.0 kb are transcribed from the single gene in mouse brain. The level of expression of these mRNAs remains almost constant in postnatal mouse brains of all ages and, indeed, in the adult. At reduced stringency, NF68 detects a number of mRNAs that are expressed in mouse brain, one of which encodes the 150,000-mol-wt neurofilament protein. The NF68 probe cross-hybridizes at high stringency with genomic sequences in species as diverse as human, chicken, and (weakly) frog, but not with DNA from Drosophila or sea urchin.
The construction of people in suicide prevention documents

Abstract Suicide is a significant issue worldwide and despite comprehensive prevention activities, suicide stigma remains. To explore this issue, we used critical discourse analysis to examine how Australian suicide prevention documents (n = 8) constructed people living with thoughts of suicide. We found that risk and biomedical discourses dominated, with people experiencing suicide ideation constructed as dangerous, different, lacking coping skills, and burdensome. We propose that future suicide prevention activities address potentially stigmatizing language, broaden support and advocacy options, and meaningfully include people with lived experience of suicidal ideation or behavior in the development of policy and interventions.
Influence of Renal ABC and SLC Transporter Polymorphisms on Cisplatin-induced Nephrotoxicity in Patients with Esophageal Cancer

Background: The individual and collective contributions of genetic polymorphisms in drug transporter genes in human renal proximal tubules to cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity are still unclear. Methods: In this study, we investigated the effects of polymorphisms in SLC22A2 (808G>T), SLC31A1 (rs10981694A>C, rs12686377G>T, rs7851395A>G), SLC47A1 (rs2289669G>A), ABCB1 (1236C>A, 2677G>T/A, 3435C>T), ABCC2 (-24C>T), and ABCG2 (421C>A) on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in 131 patients with esophageal cancer receiving 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin (FP) chemotherapy. The change rate of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated according to the following formula: eGFR before FP chemotherapy-lowest eGFR during first cycle after FP chemotherapy)/eGFR before FP chemotherapy. Results: In univariate analysis, there was a significant correlation between patient age and the change rate of the eGFR by cisplatin (P = 0.021). However, there were no significant differences in the change rate of the eGFR by cisplatin between SLC22A2, SLC47A1, SLC31A1, ABCB1, ABCC2, and ABCG2 polymorphisms. Multivariate analysis revealed that only age was an independent variable predicting a higher risk of cisplatin-induced acute renal dysfunction. Conclusion: In FP chemotherapy for esophageal cancer patients, cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity was not affected by polymorphisms in the uptake transporters OCT2 and Ctr1 or efflux transporters MATE1, P-glycoprotein, MRP2, and BCRP. Since degradation of renal function due to aging reduces cisplatin clearance, the cisplatin dosage should be carefully chosen in elderly patients.
Two Strong-Lensing Clusters Confront Universal Dark Matter Profiles

In the galaxy clusters SSDS J1004+411 and ACO 1689, a large number of multiply imaged background objects have recently been observed. We use these data to map the projected mass distribution in the inner regions of these clusters. The source redshifts in these clusters span a large range, which eliminates the degeneracies that plague nearly all lensing work. As a result, the mass maps are very well constrained, despite very weak prior assumptions. ACO 1689 lenses so many objects that we can afford to map it twice using disjoint sets of images, thus verifying our internal error estimates. We then deproject the mass maps (pretending for this purpose that they are spherical) and obtain inner profiles consistent with ρ ∝ r-1 and indistinguishable from recent cold dark matter simulations. Assuming that baryons make only a small difference to the profile outside ~10 kpc, these results support the prediction of a universal inner profile for dark matter structures, independent of any parameterization of that profile.
Stochastic Biasing and the Galaxy-Mass Density Relation in the Weakly Nonlinear Regime

It is believed that the biasing of galaxies plays an important role in understanding the large-scale structure of the universe. In general, the biasing of galaxy formation could be stochastic. Furthermore, future galaxy surveys might allow us to explore the time evolution of the galaxy distribution. In this paper the analytic study of the galaxy-mass density relation and its time evolution is presented within the framework of stochastic biasing. In the weakly nonlinear regime, we derive a general formula for the galaxy-mass density relation as a conditional mean using the Edgeworth expansion. The resulting expression contains the joint moments of the total mass and galaxy distributions. Using the perturbation theory, we investigate the time evolution of the joint moments and examine the influence of the initial stochasticity on the galaxy-mass density relation. The analysis shows that the galaxy-mass density relation could be well approximated by the linear relation. Compared with the skewness of the galaxy distribution, we find that the estimation of the higher order moments using the conditional mean could be affected by the stochasticity. Therefore, the galaxy-mass density relation as a conditional mean should be used with caution as a tool for estimating the skewness and the kurtosis.