Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development and aging of cortical thickness correspond to genetic organization patterns

Significance Here we show that developmental and adult aging-related changes in cortical thickness follow closely the genetic organization of the cerebral cortex. A total of 1,633 MRI scans from 974 participants from 4.1 to 88.5 y of age were used to measure longitudinal changes in cortical thickness, and the topographic pattern of change was compared with the genetic relationship between cortical subdivisions of maximal shared genetic influence, obtained from an independent sample of 406 middle-aged twins. Cortical changes due to maturation and adult age changes adhered to the genetic organization of the cortex, indicating that individual differences in cortical architecture in middle-aged adults have a neurodevelopmental origin and that genetic factors affect cortical changes through life. There is a growing realization that early life influences have lasting impact on brain function and structure. Recent research has demonstrated that genetic relationships in adults can be used to parcellate the cortex into regions of maximal shared genetic influence, and a major hypothesis is that genetically programmed neurodevelopmental events cause a lasting impact on the organization of the cerebral cortex observable decades later. Here we tested how developmental and lifespan changes in cortical thickness fit the underlying genetic organizational principles of cortical thickness in a longitudinal sample of 974 participants between 4.1 and 88.5 y of age with a total of 1,633 scans, including 773 scans from children below 12 y. Genetic clustering of cortical thickness was based on an independent dataset of 406 adult twins. Developmental and adult age-related changes in cortical thickness followed closely the genetic organization of the cerebral cortex, with change rates varying as a function of genetic similarity between regions. Cortical regions with overlapping genetic architecture showed correlated developmental and adult age change trajectories and vice versa for regions with low genetic overlap. Thus, effects of genes on regional variations in cortical thickness in middle age can be traced to regional differences in neurodevelopmental change rates and extrapolated to further adult aging-related cortical thinning. This finding suggests that genetic factors contribute to cortical changes through life and calls for a lifespan perspective in research aimed at identifying the genetic and environmental determinants of cortical development and aging.
Personality Hardiness at Different Levels of Competitive Motorcycling

This study assessed the personality construct of hardiness within elite, male, full-time, professional motorcycle racers (n = 32) from the Federation Internationale de Motorcyclisme (F.I.M) Moto G. P Championship (n = 16) and World Endurance Championship (n = 16), as well as club level motorcycling competitors (n = 31). All riders completed Nowack's Cognitive Hardiness Inventory (1990), either before the start of official qualification during race week (elite professional riders), or prior to a club weekend meet (club racers). There was a significant group difference on hardiness. In the select group of professional riders, the top 10% performing, elite riders had a significantly higher mean score on hardiness than the bottom 10% of performers, providing further evidence of high hardiness scores amongst elite performers.
An Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase-Independent Mechanism of Secondary VH Gene Rearrangement in Preimmune Human B Cells1

VH replacement is a form of IgH chain receptor editing that is believed to be mediated by recombinase cleavage at cryptic recombination signal sequences (cRSS) embedded in VH genes. Whereas there are several reports of VH replacement in primary and transformed human B cells and murine models, it remains unclear whether VH replacement contributes to the normal human B cell repertoire. We identified VH→VH(D)JH compound rearrangements from fetal liver, fetal bone marrow, and naive peripheral blood, all of which involved invading and recipient VH4 genes that contain a cryptic heptamer, a 13-bp spacer, and nonamer in the 5′ portion of framework region 3. Surprisingly, all pseudohybrid joins lacked the molecular processing associated with typical VH(D)JH recombination or nonhomologous end joining. Although inefficient compared with a canonical recombination signal sequences, the VH4 cRSS was a significantly better substrate for in vitro RAG-mediated cleavage than the VH3 cRSS. It has been suggested that activation-induced cytidine deamination (AICDA) may contribute to VH replacement. However, we found similar secondary rearrangements using VH4 genes in AICDA-deficient human B cells. The data suggest that VH4 replacement in preimmune human B cells is mediated by an AICDA-independent mechanism resulting from inefficient but selective RAG activity.
Acoustic Beamforming for Speaker Diarization of Meetings

When performing speaker diarization on recordings from meetings, multiple microphones of different qualities are usually available and distributed around the meeting room. Although several approaches have been proposed in recent years to take advantage of multiple microphones, they are either too computationally expensive and not easily scalable or they cannot outperform the simpler case of using the best single microphone. In this paper, the use of classic acoustic beamforming techniques is proposed together with several novel algorithms to create a complete frontend for speaker diarization in the meeting room domain. New techniques we are presenting include blind reference-channel selection, two-step time delay of arrival (TDOA) Viterbi postprocessing, and a dynamic output signal weighting algorithm, together with using such TDOA values in the diarization to complement the acoustic information. Tests on speaker diarization show a 25% relative improvement on the test set compared to using a single most centrally located microphone. Additional experimental results show improvements using these techniques in a speech recognition task.
[Effect of olmesartan medoxomil on arterial stiffness in patients with essential hypertension].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Arterial stiffness is one of the early lesions of the arteries in patients with cardiovascular risk factors. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is one form of measurement of arterial stiffness. The renin-angiotensin system seems to be involved in the inflammatory mechanisms that take place at level of the vascular wall. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of olmesartan (angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist) in the arterial stiffness, measuring the PWV. Another secondary objective is to determine the antihypertensive efficacy with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). PATIENTS AND METHOD Seventy-one patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension were consecutively included. Clinical blood pressure (CBP), ABPM and PWV, automatized measurement between the carotid and femoral arteries using the Complior device (Colson, Paris, France), were determined in a baseline and after 16 weeks of treatment with 10-40 mg of olmesartan. RESULTS Sixty-four patients completed the study. The mean (standard deviation) age was 48.31 (9.69) years and 44.9% were men. A significant reduction of the PWV was observed. The basal PWV was 10.50 (1.87) m/s and after treatment was 9.26 (1.84) m/s (p < 0.0001). We found only a positive correlation between the decline of PWV and diastolic blood pressure (BP). We could not find such correlation with systolic BP. The reduction degree was higher in the youngest patients where BP decrease was less evident. The BP decreased in a significant way (p < 0.0001) doing so in CBP and in the periods of 24 h, diurnal and nocturnal. CONCLUSIONS Olmesartan has shown effective to decrease the arterial stiffness, mainly in young patients. This effect seems to be independent of the decrease of the systolic BP. Olmesartan reduces effectively the BP during the 24 h.
From Engrams to Pathologies of the Brain

Memories are the experiential threads that tie our past to the present. The biological realization of a memory is termed an engram—the enduring biochemical and physiological processes that enable learning and retrieval. The past decade has witnessed an explosion of engram research that suggests we are closing in on boundary conditions for what qualifies as the physical manifestation of memory. In this review, we provide a brief history of engram research, followed by an overview of the many rodent models available to probe memory with intersectional strategies that have yielded unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution over defined sets of cells. We then discuss the limitations and controversies surrounding engram research and subsequently attempt to reconcile many of these views both with data and by proposing a conceptual shift in the strategies utilized to study memory. We finally bridge this literature with human memory research and disorders of the brain and end by providing an experimental blueprint for future engram studies in mammals. Collectively, we believe that we are in an era of neuroscience where engram research has transitioned from ephemeral and philosophical concepts to provisional, tractable, experimental frameworks for studying the cellular, circuit and behavioral manifestations of memory.
A Family of Dictatorship Tests with Perfect Completeness for 2-to-2 Label Cover

: We give a family of dictatorship tests with perfect completeness and low-soundness for 2–to–2 constraints. The associated 2–to–2 conjecture has been the basis of a few inapproximability results with perfect completeness. Our result provides some indication of the expressiveness and non-triviality of 2–to–2 constraints, given the close connections between dictatorship tests and satisﬁability and approximability of CSPs.
Threshold Voltage Tuning Technique in Gate-All-Around MOSFETs by Utilizing Gate Electrode With Potential Distribution

A technique for achieving tunable threshold voltage (VTH) is investigated in a gate-all-around device, which is a representative floating body structure. For this concept, the in-plane gate is designed to be both a driving gate and a control gate. The control gate governs the potential distribution along the gate electrode, which acts as a built-in voltage divider in the MOSFET. During the VTH tuning by the control gate, there is no electrical performance degradation, and modulation of VTH follows a nearly perfect linear tendency. The results are verified by the electrical measurements of the fabricated device and a multi-physics simulator.
Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy

To clarify the bioenergetic relevance of mtDNA mutations in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), we investigated affected individuals and healthy carriers from six Italian LHON families harboring the 11778/ ND4 and the 3460/ND1 mtDNA mutations. The enzymatic activities of mitochondrial complex I and its sensitivity to the potent inhibitors rotenone and rolliniastatin-2 were studied in mitochondrial particles from platelets, in correlation with mtDNA analysis of platelets and leukocytes. In platelets homoplasmic for mutant mtDNA, both 11778/ND4 and 3460/ND1 mutations induced resistance to rotenone and the 3460/ND1 mutation also provoked a marked decrease in the specific activity of complex I. Individuals heteroplasmic in platelets for either mutation showed normal biochemical features, indicating functional complementation of wild-type mtDNA. There was no correlation between the clinical status and mtDNA homoheteroplasmy in platelets, but the biochemical features correlated with the mitochondrial genotype of platelets. In some cases, the degree of mtDNA heteroplasmy differed in platelets and leukocytes from the same individual with a prevalence of wild-type mtDNA in the platelets. These results imply that biochemical studies on mitochondrial diseases should always be integrated with mtDNA analysis of the same tissue investigated and also suggest that the mtDNA analysis on the leukocyte fraction, as usually performed in LHON, does not necessarily reflect the mutant genotype level of other tissues. The differential tissue heteroplasmy may be more relevant than previously thought in determining disease penetrance.
Dynamical Green functions and discrete Schrödinger operators with potentials generated by primitive invertible substitution

In this paper, we set up a ‘dictionary’ between discrete Schrödinger operators and holomorphic dynamics on certain affine cubic surfaces, building on previous work by Cantat, Damanik and Gorodetski. To achieve this, we make use of potential theory: a detailed description of the dynamical Green functions is obtained; then basic results concerning the equilibrium measures and the Green functions of compact subsets of are used to transfer statements from the dynamical context to the Schrödinger one. This provides a new viewpoint on several recent theorems.
To what extent do smokers make spontaneous quit attempts and what are the implications for smoking cessation maintenance? Findings from the International Tobacco Control Four country survey.

AIM To assess the extent to which quit attempts are spontaneous and to evaluate if this is a determinant of smoking cessation maintenance, with better control for memory effects. METHODS We use data from 3,022 smokers who made quit attempts between Waves 4 and 5 and/or Waves 5 and 6 of the International Tobacco Control Four country survey. Outcomes (quitting for 6 months) were confirmed at the next wave for cases where the attempt began within the previous 6 months. We assessed the length of delay between the decision to quit and implementation and whether the attempt followed a "spur-of-the-moment" decision or some serious prior consideration. Outcomes were modeled using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS Prior consideration of quitting was unrelated to the outcome, but there were complex relationships for the delay between choosing a quit day and implementation. Those who reported quitting on the day they decided and those who delayed for 1 week or more had comparable rates of 6-month abstinence. Delaying for 1-6 days was associated with a greater relapse rate than those who quit on the day, although this effect became nonsignificant in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS Quitting is on most smokers' minds regularly and most attempts are not preceded by a long lead in period following the decision to try. Neither prior consideration nor delay between the decision to quit and implementation was clearly related to outcomes. Previous findings of greater success for spontaneous quit attempts may be because they conflate setting a date in advance with planning and also perhaps some differential memory effects.
Autosomal dominant rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with an Arg453Ter mutation in the COL2A1 gene.

PURPOSE To investigate the clinical features and molecular causes of autosomal dominant rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in two large families. METHODS Clinical examination and linkage analysis of both families using markers flanking the COL2A1 gene associated with Stickler syndrome type 1, the loci for Wagner disease/erosive vitreoretinopathy (5q14.3), high myopia (18p11.31 and 12q21-q23), and nonsyndromic congenital retinal nonattachment (10q21). RESULTS Fifteen individuals from family A and 12 individuals from family B showed RRD or retinal tears with minimal (family A) or no (family B) systemic characteristics of Stickler syndrome and no ocular features of Wagner disease or erosive vitreoretinopathy. The RRD cosegregated fully with a chromosomal region harboring the COL2A1 gene with maximum lod scores of 6.09 (family A) and 4.97 (family B). In family B, an Arg453Ter mutation was identified in exon 30 of the COL2A1 gene, that was previously described in a patient with classic Stickler syndrome. In family A, DNA sequence analysis revealed no mutation in the coding region and at the splice sites of the COL2A1 gene. CONCLUSIONS In two large families with RRD, linkage was found at the COL2A1 locus. In one of these families an Arg453Ter mutation was identified, which is surprising, because all predominantly ocular Stickler syndrome cases until now have been associated with protein-truncating mutations in exon 2, an exon subject to alternative splicing. In contrast, the Arg453Ter mutation and other protein-truncating mutations in the helical domain of COL2A1 have been associated until now with classic Stickler syndrome.
Vascular Health and Risk Management Dovepress Strokes in Young Adults: Epidemiology and Prevention

Strokes in young adults are reported as being uncommon, comprising 10%–15% of all stroke patients. However, compared with stroke in older adults, stroke in the young has a disproportionately large economic impact by leaving victims disabled before their most productive years. Recent publications report an increased incidence of stroke in young adults. This is important given the fact that younger stroke patients have a clearly increased risk of death compared with the general population. The prevalence of standard modifiable vascular risk factors in young stroke patients is different from that in older patients. Modifiable risk factors for stroke, such as dyslipidemia, smoking, and hypertension, are highly prevalent in the young stroke population, with no significant difference in geographic, climatic, nutritional, lifestyle, or genetic diversity. The list of potential stroke etiologies among young adults is extensive. Strokes of undetermined and of other determined etiology are the most common types among young patients according to TOAST (Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment) criteria. Prevention is the primary treatment strategy aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality related to stroke. Therefore, primary prevention is very important with regard to stroke in young adults, and aggressive treatment of risk factors for stroke, such as hypertension, smoking, and dyslipidemia, is essential. The best form of secondary stroke prevention is directed toward stroke etiology as well as treatment of additional risk factors. However, there is a lack of specific recommendations and guidelines for stroke management in young adults. In conclusion, strokes in young adults are a major public health problem and further research, with standardized methodology, is needed in order to give us more precise epidemiologic data. Given the increasing incidence of stroke in the young, there is an objective need for more research in order to reduce this burden.
Range-Sample Depth Feature for Action Recognition

We propose binary range-sample feature in depth. It is based on τ tests and achieves reasonable invariance with respect to possible change in scale, viewpoint, and background. It is robust to occlusion and data corruption as well. The descriptor works in a high speed thanks to its binary property. Working together with standard learning algorithms, the proposed descriptor achieves state-of-the-art results on benchmark datasets in our experiments. Impressively short running time is also yielded.
Propriedades mecânicas de materiais compósitos à base de cimento Portland e resina epoxi

The study of multi-functional materials of high performance, as the polymeric-cementitious composites, has been the focus of several researches in the industry of the civil engineering. This work investigates the effect of the combination of a thermorigid epoxy phase and the white Portland cement, followed by the evaluation of its compressive strength and modulus of elasticity. This composite, when the phases are individually compared, provides an increase of the compressive strength, a reduction of the density, and a significant change of the mechanical behaviour. The changes in mechanical behaviour are associated with the hydration of cement in the presence of resin, which was evident after infrared spectroscopy analysis.
TR-UNL-CSE-2009-0007 Network Coding for WDM All-Optical Multicast

Network coding has become a useful means for achieving efficient multicast, and the optical community has started to examine its application to optical networks. However, a number of challenges, including limited processing capability and coarse bandwidth granularity, need to be overcome before network coding can be effectively used in optical networks. In this paper, we address some of these problems. We consider the problem of finding efficient routes to use with coding, and we study the effectiveness of using network coding for optical-layer dedicated protection of multicast traffic. We also propose architectures for all-optical circuits capable of performing the processing required for network coding. Our experiments show that network coding provides a moderate improvement in bandwidth efficiency for unprotected multicast while significantly outperforming existing approaches for dedicated multicast protection.
Regressive Virtual Metric Learning

We are interested in supervised metric learning of Mahalanobis like distances. Existing approaches mainly focus on learning a new distance using similarity and dissimilarity constraints between examples. In this paper, instead of bringing closer examples of the same class and pushing far away examples of different classes we propose to move the examples with respect to virtual points. Hence, each example is brought closer to a a priori defined virtual point reducing the number of constraints to satisfy. We show that our approach admits a closed form solution which can be kernelized. We provide a theoretical analysis showing the consistency of the approach and establishing some links with other classical metric learning methods. Furthermore we propose an efficient solution to the difficult problem of selecting virtual points based in part on recent works in optimal transport. Lastly, we evaluate our approach on several state of the art datasets.
Joint Spatio-Temporal Alignment of Sequences

Video alignment is important in different areas of computer vision such as wide baseline matching, action recognition, change detection, video copy detection and frame dropping prevention. Current video alignment methods usually deal with a relatively simple case of fixed or rigidly attached cameras or simultaneous acquisition. Therefore, in this paper we propose a joint video alignment for bringing two video sequences into a spatio-temporal alignment. Specifically, the novelty of the paper is to formulate the video alignment to fold the spatial and temporal alignment into a single alignment framework. This simultaneously satisfies a frame-correspondence and frame-alignment similarity; exploiting the knowledge among neighbor frames by a standard pairwise Markov random field (MRF). This new formulation is able to handle the alignment of sequences recorded at different times by independent moving cameras that follows a similar trajectory, and also generalizes the particular cases that of fixed geometric transformation and/or linear temporal mapping. We conduct experiments on different scenarios such as sequences recorded simultaneously or by moving cameras to validate the robustness of the proposed approach. The proposed method provides the highest video alignment accuracy compared to the state-of-the-art methods on sequences recorded from vehicles driving along the same track at different times.