Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meta-Analysis of the Functional Neuroanatomy of Single-Word Reading: Method and Validation

Intersubject variability and subtle differences in experimental design can lead to variable results in studies of cognitive processes such as reading. To accurately identify the neural processes associated with cognition and sensorimotor processing, meta-analytic methods capable of identifying areas of consistent activation among studies are useful. This paper describes a novel approach for combining published neuroimaging results from multiple studies, designed to maximize the quantification of interstudy concordance while minimizing the subjective aspects of meta-analysis. In this method, a localization probability distribution was modeled for each activation focus obtained from 11 PET studies of reading single words aloud, and the union of these distributions was taken to yield an activation likelihood estimate map for the brain. Significance was assessed via permutation analysis of randomly generated sets of foci. Regions of significant concordance were identified in bilateral motor and superior temporal cortices, pre-SMA, left fusiform gyrus, and the cerebellum. These meta-analytic results were validated by comparison with new fMRI data on aloud word reading in normal adult subjects. Excellent correspondence between the two statistical maps was observed, with fMRI maxima lying close to all meta-analysis peaks and statistical values at the peaks identified by the two techniques correlating strongly. This close correspondence between PET meta-analysis and fMRI results also demonstrates the validity of using fMRI for the study of language tasks involving overt speech responses. Advantages of this automated meta-analysis technique include quantification of the level of concordance at all brain locations and the provision for use of a threshold for statistical significance of concordance.
Paricalcitol versus cinacalcet plus low-dose vitamin D for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients receiving haemodialysis: study design and baseline characteristics of the IMPACT SHPT study

Background. Paricalcitol and cinacalcet are common therapies for patients on haemodialysis with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). We conducted a multi-centre study in 12 countries to compare the safety and efficacy of paricalcitol and cinacalcet for the treatment of SHPT. Methods. Patients aged ≥18 years with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease receiving maintenance haemodialysis and with intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) 300–800 pg/mL, calcium 8.4–10.0 mg/dL (2.09–2.49 mmol/L) and phosphorus ≤6.5 mg/dL (2.09 mmol/L) were randomized within two strata defined by the mode of paricalcitol administration to treatment with paricalcitol- (intra-venous, US and Russian sites, IV stratum; oral, non-US and non-Russian sites, oral stratum) or cinacalcet-centred therapy. The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients in each treatment group who achieve a mean iPTH value of 150–300 pg/mL during Weeks 21–28 of treatment. Assuming efficacy response rates of 36 and 66% for cinacalcet and paricalcitol, respectively, and a 20% discontinuation rate, 124 subjects in each stratum were estimated to provide 81% power to detect a 30% absolute difference in the primary endpoint. Results. Of 746 patients screened, 272 (mean age, 63 years; mean iPTH, 509 pg/mL) were randomized. Mean duration of haemodialysis at baseline was 3.7 years. Comorbidities included hypertension (90.4%), Type 2 diabetes (40.4%), congestive heart failure (17.3%), coronary artery disease (34.6%) and gastrointestinal disorders (75%). Conclusions. The study participants are representative of a multinational cohort of patients on haemodialysis with elevated iPTH. The study results will provide valuable information on the best available treatment of SHPT in patients on haemodialysis.
Invasion of Cooperation in Scale-Free Networks: Accumulated vs. Average Payoffs

It is well known that cooperation cannot be an evolutionary stable strategy for a non-iterative game in a well-mixed population. In contrast, structured populations favor cooperation since cooperators can benefit each other by forming local clusters. Previous studies have shown that scale-free networks strongly promote cooperation. However, little is known about the invasion mechanism of cooperation in scale-free networks. To study microscopic and macroscopic behaviors of cooperators' invasion, we conducted computational experiments of the evolution of cooperation in scale-free networks where, starting from all defectors, cooperators can spontaneously emerge by mutation. Since the evolutionary dynamics are influenced by the definition of fitness, we tested two commonly adopted fitness functions: accumulated payoff and average payoff. Simulation results show that cooperation is strongly enhanced with the accumulated payoff fitness compared to the average payoff fitness. However, the difference between the two functions decreases as the average degree increases. As the average degree increases, cooperation decreases with the accumulated payoff fitness, while it increases with the average payoff fitness. Moreover, with the average payoff fitness, low-degree nodes play a more important role in spreading cooperative strategies compared to the case of the accumulated payoff fitness.
Phosphorylation of Connexin43 on Serine368 by Protein Kinase C Regulates Gap Junctional Communication

Phorbol esters (e.g., TPA) activate protein kinase C (PKC), increase connexin43 (Cx43) phosphorylation, and decrease cell–cell communication via gap junctions in many cell types. We asked whether PKC directly phosphorylates and regulates Cx43. Rat epithelial T51B cells metabolically labeled with 32Pi yielded two-dimensional phosphotryptic maps of Cx43 with several phosphopeptides that increased in intensity upon TPA treatment. One of these peptides comigrated with the major phosphopeptide observed after PKC phosphorylation of immunoaffinity-purified Cx43. Purification of this comigrating peptide and subsequent sequencing indicated that the phosphorylated serine was residue 368. To pursue the functional importance of phosphorylation at this site, fibroblasts from Cx43−/− mice were transfected with either wild-type (Cx43wt) or mutant Cx43 (Cx43-S368A). Intercellular dye transfer studies revealed different responses to TPA and were followed by single channel analyses. TPA stimulation of T51B cells or Cx43wt-transfected fibroblasts caused a large increase in the relative frequency of ∼50-pS channel events and a concomitant loss of ∼100-pS channel events. This change to ∼50-pS events was absent when cells transfected with Cx43-S368A were treated with TPA. These data strongly suggest that PKC directly phosphorylates Cx43 on S368 in vivo, which results in a change in single channel behavior that contributes to a decrease in intercellular communication.
Variance of protein heterozygosity in different species of mammals with respect to the number of loci studied

Analysis of published data on protein heterozygosity of 321 species of mammals shows that it varies from 0 up to 22%, an average species being heterozygous at 5% of its protein-coding loci. Many attempts have been made to explain the observed differences in protein heterozygosity, relating its value to various species-, population-, or environment-specific parameters. In this work it is shown that the wide scatter of protein heterozygosity in different species of mammals can be explained by the small numbers of loci studied (usually 20–30). It is shown that with an increasing number of studied loci, the mean of the heterozygosity does not change, while its variance among different species decreases in accordance with a Poisson distribution. The true heterozygosity of the whole protein-coding region of the mammalian genome is thus characterized by a narrow spread around the mean. This means that the true heterozygosity of the protein-coding region is similar in all mammalian species. Its value can be viewed as the threshold level of variability of the protein-coding region of mammals, which characterizes the permissible level of erosion of genetic information of species and is maintained by stabilizing selection in natural ecological niches.
Fluctuating Roles of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

One hallmark of cancer is the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is caused by proteinases. In oral cancers, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), especially MMP-9, are associated with this degradation. MMPs break down the ECM allowing cancer to spread; they also release various factors from their cryptic sites, including cytokines. These factors modulate cell behavior and enhance cancer progression by regulating angiogenesis, migration, proliferation, and invasion. The development of early metastases is typical for oral cancer, and increased MMP-9 expression is associated with a poor disease prognosis. However, many studies fail to relate MMP-9 expression with metastasis formation. Contrary to earlier models, recent studies show that MMP-9 plays a protective role in oral cancers. Therefore, the role of MMP-9 is complicated and may fluctuate throughout the different types and stages of oral cancers.
Impact of HCMV Infection on NK Cell Development and Function after HSCT

Natural Killer (NK) cell function is regulated by an array of inhibitory and activating surface receptors that during NK cell differentiation, at variance with T and B cells, do not require genetic rearrangement. Importantly, NK cells are the first lymphocyte population recovering after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Thus, their role in early immunity after HSCT is considered crucial, as they can importantly contribute to protect the host from tumor recurrence and viral infections before T-cell immunity is fully recovered. In order to acquire effector functions and regulatory receptors, NK cell precursors undergo a maturation process that can be analyzed during immune reconstitution after HSCT. In this context, the occurrence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection/reactivation was shown to accelerate NK cell maturation by promoting the differentiation of high frequencies of NK cells characterized by a KIR+NKG2A− and NKG2C+ mature phenotype. Thus, it appears that the development of NK cells and the distribution of NK cell receptors can be deeply influenced by HCMV infection. Moreover, in HCMV-infected subjects the emergence of so called “memory-like” or “long-lived” NK cells has been documented. These cells could play an important role in protecting from infections and maybe from relapse in patients transplanted for leukemia. All the aspects regarding the influence of HCMV infection on NK cell development will be discussed.
Peppa Piggy in the Middle of Marketers and Mashup Makers: A Netnography of Absurd Animation on YouTube

Cartoons for kids are confections of colour, candyfloss and talking animals (Well 2009; Shaw 2010). From sentimental classics like Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh, to contemporary characters like The Gruffalo and Shaun the Sheep, these anthropomorphic creations are designed, yes, to sell merchandise and partake in inevitable cross promotions with fast food companies, but also to educate, captivate and entertain young minds.They are carefully produced so that parents feel secure that their child is not being exposed to inappropriate prototypes of conduct (Dill 2009). And although children’s TV programmes often have an undercurrent of humorous violence – where characters run off cliffs and fail to realize that there is nothing under their feet but the long plunge to the ground beneath – they are, for the most part, saccharin and cute, comforting and familiar. The narrative thread tends to focus on simple life lessons that children can easily understand. Despite justified parental reservations that extensive television viewing is bad for children, lest it impinge on their social development and instil in them a ‘lifetime of constant, unthinking consumption’ (Giroux and Pollock 2011: 73), such cartoons are frequently regarded as: ‘wholesome vehicles of amusement, a highly regarded source of fun and joy for children’ (Giroux 2001:83).
Decreased Maternal Serum 2-Methoxyestradiol Levels are Associated with the Development of Preeclampsia

Background: 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME), a natural metabolite of 17β-estradiol, is synthesized by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). The aim of this study was to explore the maternal 2-ME concentration and placental COMT expression in the different trimesters of normal pregnancy and preeclamptic pregnancies, as well as the effects of 2-ME on cell proliferation and migration of HTR-8/SVneo under normoxic (20% O2) and hypoxic (2.5% O2) conditions. Methods: 2-ME levels were examined by ELISA. COMT protein expression was analyzed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Cell proliferation and migration were measured by crystal violet assay and transwell system under either normoxia or hypoxia. Results: Maternal 2-ME concentration was elevated with the progression of pregnancy, in contrast, 2-ME was lower in women diagnosed with mild preeclampsia (mPE; 23%) and severe preeclampsia (sPE; 32%) as compared with normotensive full term pregnancies. Meanwhile, preterm controls had lower levels of 2-ME than full term controls. Soluble cytoplasmic COMT (S-COMT), but not membrane-bound COMT (MB-COMT) levels in placentas were increased by 2.5 fold in the full term vs. the first trimester placentas. Furthermore, 2-ME suppressed cell proliferation under 20% O2 but not 2.5% O2, while 2-ME promoted cell migration under 2.5% but not 20% O2in vitro. Conclusion: Considering 2.5% O2 is a state more closely mimicking in vivo condition, these data suggest a decrease in 2-ME levels may inhibit trophoblast cell migration, possibly leading to PE.
On the security of open source software

Abstract With the rising popularity of so‐called ‘open source’ software there has been increasing interest in both its various benefits and disadvantages. In particular, despite its prominent use in providing many aspects of the Internet's basic infrastructure, many still question the suitability of such software for the commerce‐oriented Internet of the future. This paper evaluates the suitability of open source software with respect to one of the key attributes that tomorrow's Internet will require, namely security. It seeks to present a variety of arguments that have been made, both for and against open source security and analyses in relation to empirical evidence of system security from a previous study. The results represent preliminary quantitative evidence concerning the security issues surrounding the use and development of open source software, in particular relative to traditional proprietary software.
Statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: the benefits outweigh the risks

Purpose of review Statins significantly reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with and without coronary heart disease. Recently, much debate has focused on use of statins for primary prevention following a class-wide safety label change by the US Food and Drug Administration amidst concerns of worsened hyperglycemia. Here, we review the evidence for statins in primary prevention and offer guidance for their appropriate use. Recent findings Two meta-analyses published since 2012 unequivocally support statins for primary prevention. Data from the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ Collaborators demonstrated a 9% [relative risk (RR) 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.85–0.97] reduction in all-cause mortality and a 25% (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.70–0.80) reduction in major vascular events per 1.0 mmol/l reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, even among low-risk patients. A 2013 Cochrane review corroborated these findings including a 14% (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.79–0.94) reduction in all-cause mortality and a 25% (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.70–0.81) reduction in cardiovascular disease events with statin therapy despite an 18% (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.01–1.39) increase in incident diabetes. Summary Statins effectively lower atherogenic lipoproteins and result in clinically significant reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. When well tolerated, the cardiovascular benefits of statins for primary prevention generally far outweigh the reported harms.
Cytokine gene polymorphisms in bullous pemphigoid in a Chinese population

Background Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune bullous disease mostly associated with autoantibodies to the hemidesmosomal BP autoantigens BP180 and BP230. High levels of interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, IL‐13, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and interferon (IFN)‐γ have been detected in skin lesions or sera of patients with BP. Cytokine gene polymorphisms may affect cytokine production and contribute to susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. Until now, no cytokine gene polymorphism study has been conducted on patients with BP.
Secular Trend in Reported Sperm Counts

Anhand einer Literaturübersicht wird darauf verwiesen, daß während der letzten 50 Jahre allgemein ein Rückgang der Spermatozoendichte von den verschiedenen Autoren bei sog. fertilen Männern publiziert wird. Die Protagonisten auf beiden Seiten der Diskussion begründen ihre Argumente mit den Daten einer größeren Anzahl von Ejakulatuntersuchungen zu verschiedenen Zeiten und meistens an verschiedenen Orten. Es ist nicht diskutiert, daß die Unterschiede zwischen den Mittelwerten der verschiedenen Stichproben statistisch signifikant sind: Was zur Debatte steht, ist ob ein kontinuierlicher Rückgang über einen längeren Zeitraum hierfür verantwortlich zu machen ist.
Representation and Aesthetics of the Human Face in Portraiture

How do representations of the face in portraits relate to the natural face, and how does the aesthetics of portraits relate to the aesthetics of faces in photographs? Here we investigate these questions with regard to the frontal face. Frontal faces are of particular interest because they are by far the most commonly studied type of face image in psychology, yet frontal portraits have been little studied by psychologists. Using behavioral and statistical tests, we show that artistic representations of frontal female faces have representational properties that broadly match those of the natural face, but we also find properties unique to artworks. We report that, as with frontal faces, frontal portraits show norm-based coding properties with respect to preference: averaged portraits become more attractive in proportion to the number of portraits averaged together. However, averaged photographs of faces are preferred to averaged portraits, suggesting that faces in portraits and photographed faces show basic differences in aesthetics. Consistent with this notion, we found that average face width and height ratios in an extended sample of frontal female portraits were significantly different from those for photographed faces. This indicates that portraits on average are not faithful representations of the typical structure of the face. In a behavioral experiment where we manipulated the structural ratios in portraits, we found that the preferred width and height ratios were significantly different from those preferred in photographed faces, and that the preferred ratios for portraits were closer to the average ratios of the portrait sample. We evaluate a variety of possible causes of the observed differences. We conclude that despite the demonstrated differences between artistic representations and natural faces, fundamental properties of natural faces are preserved in artistic representations of the face.
Bell’s theorem: Critique of proofs with and without inequalities

Most of the standard proofs of the Bell theorem are based on the Kolmogorov axioms of probability theory. We show that these proofs contain mathematical steps that cannot be reconciled with the Kolmogorov axioms. Specifically we demonstrate that these proofs ignore the conclusion of a theorem of Vorob’ev on the consistency of joint distributions. As a consequence Bell’s theorem stated in its full generality remains unproven, in particular, for extended parameter spaces that are still objective local and that include instrument parameters that are correlated by both time and instrument settings. Although the Bell theorem correctly rules out certain small classes of hidden variables, for these extended parameter spaces the standard proofs come to a halt. The Greenberger‐Horne‐Zeilinger (GHZ) approach is based on similar fallacious arguments. For this case we are able to present an objective local computer experiment that simulates the experimental test of GHZ performed by Pan, Bouwmeester, Daniell, Weinfurt.
Validation of urinary cortisol as an indicator of hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal function in the bearded emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens)

The use of cortisol levels as a measure of stress is often complicated by the use of invasive techniques that may increase hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis activity during sample collection. The goal of this study was to collect samples noninvasively and validate an enzyme‐immunoassay (EIA) for the measurement of cortisol in urine to quantify HPA axis activity in the bearded emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens). Urine samples were collected from trained subjects between 0700 and 0730 hr during a 1‐month period, and were pooled for immunological validation. We validated the assay immunologically by demonstrating specificity, accuracy, precision, and sensitivity. For biological validation of the assay, we showed that levels of urinary cortisol (in samples collected between 0700 and 1700 hr) varied significantly across the day. Cortisol concentration was lowest at 0700 hr, increased to a mid‐morning peak (0900 hr), and declined across the remainder of the day in a typical mammalian circadian pattern. We thus demonstrate that urinary cortisol can be used to quantify HPA activity in S.i. subgrisescens. Am. J. Primatol. 63:17‐23, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The WAIS-III as a Nested Factors Model: A Useful Alternative to the More Conventional Oblique and Hi

Past confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) research that has examined the factor structure of the WAIS-III has only investigated the more popular models, such as oblique factors and/or higher-order models. In contrast, CFA modeling based on nested factors modeling has been neglected. Consequently, this study investigated the model fit of various WAIS-III nested factors models, in com- parison to the more traditional higher-order models. Based on the WAIS-III standardization sample, the results associated with the nested factors modeling indicated that Digit Span, Arithmetic, and Letter-Number Sequencing did not share any variance with VIQ, independently of "g. " Further, across all age groups, there was only very weak evidence in favor of the plausibility of a Perceptual Organization (PO) factor, independently of a general factor. The results are discussed in light of the distinction between modeling "g" as a higher-order factor and a first-order factor. Researchers are encouraged to model the subtests of intelligence batteries as nested factor models, because of their tendency to be associated with greater model fit, as well the possibility to obtain less ambiguous factor loading estimates and their associated statistical significance.
Generalized Singular Value Thresholding

This work studies the Generalized Singular Value Thresholding (GSVT) operator associated with a nonconvex function g defined on the singular values of X. We prove that GSVT can be obtained by performing the proximal operator of g on the singular values since Proxg(.) is monotone when g is lower bounded. If the nonconvex g satisfies some conditions (many popular nonconvex surrogate functions, e.g., lp-norm, 0 < p < 1, of l0-norm are special cases), a general solver to find Proxg(b) is proposed for any b ≥ 0. GSVT greatly generalizes the known Singular Value Thresholding (SVT) which is a basic subroutine in many convex low rank minimization methods. We are able to solve the nonconvex low rank minimization problem by using GSVT in place of SVT.