Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Task context impacts visual object processing differentially across the cortex

Significance Visual recognition is often thought to depend on neural representations that primarily reflect the physical properties of the environment. However, in this study we demonstrate that the intent of the observer fundamentally perturbs cortical representations of visual objects. Using functional MRI we measured the patterns of response to identical objects under six different tasks. In any given task, these patterns could be used to distinguish which object was being viewed. However, this ability was disrupted when the task changed, indicating that object representations reflect not only the physical properties of the stimulus, but also the internal state of the observer. Perception reflects an integration of “bottom-up” (sensory-driven) and “top-down” (internally generated) signals. Although models of visual processing often emphasize the central role of feed-forward hierarchical processing, less is known about the impact of top-down signals on complex visual representations. Here, we investigated whether and how the observer’s goals modulate object processing across the cortex. We examined responses elicited by a diverse set of objects under six distinct tasks, focusing on either physical (e.g., color) or conceptual properties (e.g., man-made). Critically, the same stimuli were presented in all tasks, allowing us to investigate how task impacts the neural representations of identical visual input. We found that task has an extensive and differential impact on object processing across the cortex. First, we found task-dependent representations in the ventral temporal and prefrontal cortex. In particular, although object identity could be decoded from the multivoxel response within task, there was a significant reduction in decoding across tasks. In contrast, the early visual cortex evidenced equivalent decoding within and across tasks, indicating task-independent representations. Second, task information was pervasive and present from the earliest stages of object processing. However, although the responses of the ventral temporal, prefrontal, and parietal cortex enabled decoding of both the type of task (physical/conceptual) and the specific task (e.g., color), the early visual cortex was not sensitive to type of task and could only be used to decode individual physical tasks. Thus, object processing is highly influenced by the behavioral goal of the observer, highlighting how top-down signals constrain and inform the formation of visual representations.
Are Conscientious Workers Adaptable?

Today's worker faces increasing demands to adapt to change, and therefore organisations need to be able to identify people whose subsequent performance will be adaptable. Despite widespread acceptance that conscientiousness is a good predictor of performance, a review of the extant literature provides evidence suggesting that this relationship may not hold with performance that requires adaptability. The relationship between adaptability and conscientiousness is clarified in this study by examining adaptability in both the performance and predictor domains and by examining conscientiousness at a facet level. Results from three samples of employees suggest that only the achievement facets of conscientiousness relate to adaptability. The dependability facets are either unrelated or, in some cases, actually indicate a lack of adaptability.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Dopaminergic Reward Sensitivity Can Promote Adolescent Health: a New Perspective on the Mechanism of Ventral Striatum Activation

The prevailing view in the field of adolescent brain development is that heightened activity in the mesolimbic dopaminergic reward system serves as a liability, orienting adolescents toward risky behaviors , increasing their sensitivity to social evaluation and loss, and resulting in compromised well-being. Several findings inconsistent with this deficit view challenge the perspective that adolescent reward sensitivity largely serves as a liability and highlights the potential adaptive function that heightened striatal reactivity can serve. The goal of this review is to refine our understanding of dopaminergic reward sensitivity in adolescence. I review several studies showing that ventral striatum activation serves an adaptive function for adolescents' health and well being relating to declines in both risk taking and depression and increases in cognitive persistence and achievement.
16S–23S rRNA Gene Intergenic Spacer Region Variability Helps Resolve Closely Related Sphingomonads

Sphingomonads comprise a physiologically versatile group many of which appear to be adapted to oligotrophic environments, but several also had features in their genomes indicative of host associations. In this study, the extent variability of the 16S–23S rDNA intergenic spacer (ITS) sequences of 14 ATCC reference sphingomonad strains and 23 isolates recovered from drinking water was investigated through PCR amplification and sequencing. Sequencing analysis of the 16S–23S rRNA gene ITS region revealed that the ITS sizes for all studied isolates varied between 415 and 849 bp, while their G+C content was 42.2–57.9 mol%. Five distinct ITS types were identified: ITSnone (without tRNA genes), ITSAla(TGC), ITSAla(TGC)+Ile(GAT), ITSIle(GAT)+Ala(TGC), and ITS Ile(GAT)+Pseudo. All of the identified tRNAAla(TGC) molecules consisted of 73 bases, and all of the tRNAIle(GAT) molecules consisted of 74 bases. We also detected striking variability in the size of the ITS region among the various examined isolates. Highest variability was detected within the ITS-2. The importance of this study is that this is the first comparison of the 16S–23S rDNA ITS sequence similarities and tRNA genes from sphingomonads. Collectively the data obtained in this study revealed the heterogeneity and extent of variability within the ITS region compared to the 16S rRNA gene within closely related isolates. Sequence and length polymorphisms within the ITS region along with the ITS types (tRNA-containing or lacking and the type of tRNA) and ITS-2 size and sequence similarities allowed us to overcome the limitation we previously encountered in resolving closely related isolates based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence.
Peptide toxin blockers of voltage-sensitive K+ channels: inotropic effects on diaphragm.

Agents that block many types of K+ channels (e.g., the aminopyridines) have substantial inotropic effects in skeletal muscle. Specific blockers of ATP-sensitive and Ca2+-activated K+ channels, on the other hand, do not, or minimally, alter the force of nonfatigued muscle, consistent with a predominant role for voltage-gated K+ channels in regulating muscle force. To test this more directly, we examined the effects of peptide toxins, which in other tissues specifically block voltage-gated K+ channels, on rat diaphragm in vitro. Twitch force was increased in response to alpha-, beta-, and gamma-dendrotoxin and tityustoxin Kalpha (17 +/- 6, 22 +/- 5, 42 +/- 14, and 13 +/- 5%; P < 0.05, < 0.01, < 0.05, < 0.05, respectively) but not in response to delta-dendrotoxin or BSA (in which toxins were dissolved). Force during 20-Hz stimulation was also increased significantly by alpha-, beta-, and gamma-dendrotoxin and tityustoxin Kalpha. Among agents, increases in twitch force correlated with the degree to which contraction time was prolonged (r = 0.88, P < 0.02). To determine whether inotropic effects could be maintained during repeated contractions, muscle strips underwent intermittent 20-Hz train stimulation for a duration of 2 min in presence or absence of gamma-dendrotoxin. Force was significantly greater with than without gamma-dendrotoxin during repetitive stimulation for the first 60 s of repetitive contractions. Despite the approximately 55% higher value for initial force in the presence vs. absence of gamma-dendrotoxin, the rate at which fatigue occurred was not accelerated by the toxin, as assessed by the amount of time over which force declined by 25 and 50%. These data suggest that blocking voltage-activated K+ channels may be a useful therapeutic strategy for augmenting diaphragm force, provided less toxic blockers of these channels can be found.
Acid sensitivity and ultrastructure of the retrotrapezoid nucleus in Phox2b‐EGFP transgenic mice

The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) contains noncholinergic noncatecholaminergic glutamatergic neurons that express the transcription factor Phox2b (chemically coded or “cc” RTN neurons). These cells regulate breathing and may be central chemoreceptors. Here we explore their ultrastructure and their acid sensitivity by using two novel BAC eGFP‐Phox2b transgenic mice (B/G, GENSAT JX99) in which, respectively, 36% and 100% of the cc RTN neurons express the transgene in complete or partial anatomical isolation from other populations of eGFP neurons. All but one of the eGFP‐labeled RTN neurons recorded in these mice were acid activated in slices. These cells contained VGLUT2 mRNA, and 50% contained preprogalanin mRNA (determined by single‐cell PCR in the B/G mouse). Two neuronal subgroups were revealed, which differed in discharge rate at pH 7.3 (type I ∼2; type II ∼4 Hz) and the degree of alkalization that silenced the cells (type I 7.4–7.6, type II 7.8–8.0). Medial to the RTN, C1 neurons recorded in a tyrosine hydroxylase‐GFP mouse were pH insensitive between pH 6.9 and pH 7.5. Ultrastructural studies demonstrated that eGFP‐labeled RTN neurons were surrounded by numerous capillaries and were often in direct contact with glial cells, pericytes, and the basement membrane of capillaries. Terminals contacting large proximal eGFP dendrites formed mainly symmetric, likely inhibitory, synapses. Terminals on more distal eGFP dendrites formed preferentially asymmetric, presumably excitatory, synapses. In sum, C1 cells are pH insensitive, whereas cc RTN neurons are uniformly acid sensitive. The RTN neurons receive inhibitory and excitatory synaptic inputs and may have unfettered biochemical interactions with glial cells and the local microvasculature. J. Comp. Neurol. 517:69–86, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An environment for studying the impact of spatialising sonified graphs on data comprehension

We describe AudioCave, an environment for exploring the impact of spatialising sonified graphs on a set of numerical data comprehension tasks. Its design builds on findings regarding the effectiveness of sonified graphs for numerical data overview and discovery by visually impaired and blind students. We demonstrate its use as a test bed for comparing the approach of accessing a single sonified numerical datum at a time to one where multiple sonified numerical data can be accessed concurrently. Results from this experiment show that concurrent access facilitates the tackling of our set multivariate data comprehension tasks. AudioCave also demonstrates how the spatialisation of the sonified graphs provides opportunities for sharing the representation. We present two experiments investigating users solving set data comprehension tasks collaboratively by sharing the data representation.
Chapter 6: Recent Developments in Item Response Theory with Implications for Teacher Certification

The foundation of a test theory that separates the characteristics of items and examinees was laid gradually over many years, in the work of Lawley (1943), Lord (1952), Rasch (1960), Tucker (1946), and others. Under their models, the parameter(s) of an item and the parameter(s) of a person yield a probability of correct response to that item from that examinee—independent of the characteristics of any other item the examinee might be administered, or any population with which he or she might be associated. This formulation makes it possible to tailor tests to individual examinees, to equate tests with­ out expensive population-equating studies, and to interpret scores in terms of expected behavior on each item in a domain. It was not until the 1970s, however, that the increasing availability of high­ speed computers made it practical to carry out the heavy calculations de­ manded by item response theory (IRT)—or latent trait test theory, as it was more commonly called then. This was an exciting decade in IRT develop­ ment. Some of the best minds in the field worked out details for applying IRT to a broad range of practical measurement problems, and a burgeoning num­ ber of illustrative applications began to appear in the literature and in the proceedings of professional meetings. By the early 1980s, interest and knowl­ edge were sufficient to support the publication of textbooks at various levels of technicality; Baker (1985); Hulin, Drasgow, and Parsons (1983); Lord (1980); Hambleton (1983); Hambleton and Swaminathan (1985); Wright and Masters (1982); and Wright and Stone (1979). Despite this burst of progress in exploring implications of the models, de­ velopments in item response theory have generally lagged in two critical re­ spects: integrating IRT into the existing framework of statistical inference,
Men's health and illness: Gender, power, and the body.

PART ONE: MASCULINITY, HEALTH, AND ILLNESS Rethinking Men's Health and Illness - Donald Sabo and David Frederick Gordon Contributions of Changing Gender Differences in Behavior and Social Roles to Changing Gender Differences in Mortality - Ingrid Waldron Premature Death among Males - Judith M Stillion Masculinity, Men's Roles, and Coronary Heart Disease - Vicki S Helgeson Life's Too Short to Die Small - Alan M Klein Steroid Use among Male Bodybuilders PART TWO: DIFFERENT STAKES Health among African American Males - Robert Staples Gender Politics, Pain, and Illness - Carol Polych and Donald Sabo Sport, Masculinity, and the Injured Body - Phillip G White, Kevin Young and William G McTeer Coming to Terms - Thomas J Gerschick and Adam S Miller PART THREE: PSYCHOSOCIAL AND CLINICAL APSECTS OF MEN'S HEALTH Men's Style of Nurturing Elders - Lenard W Kaye and Jeffrey S Applegate Sexual Adaptations among Gay Men with HIV - Richard Tewksbury Testicular Cancer and Masculinity - David Frederick Gordon Identity Dilemmas of Chronically Ill Men - Kathy Charmaz Men Who Survive a Suicidal Act - Silvia Sara Canetto
An Approach‐Inhibition Model of Employee Silence: The Joint Effects of Personal Sense of Power and Target Openness

When employees consciously withhold potentially important suggestions or concerns from those who may be able to act on that information, it can have serious implications for organizational performance. Yet there is research suggesting that, when faced with the choice of whether or not to raise an issue, employees often choose to remain silent. Our objective in this paper is to expand current theoretical understanding of why employees often remain silent and of situational factors that can lessen this tendency. Drawing on the approach-inhibition theory of power, we argue that an employee's personal sense that he or she is lacking in power in relation to others at work is a key factor contributing to the decision to remain silent but that this effect is moderated by perceived target openness. We took a multimethod approach, testing these relationships across 3 studies: a laboratory experiment, a survey study of healthcare workers, and a survey study of employees working across a wide range of industries. Our findings suggest that, although silence is indeed rooted in the psychological experience of powerlessness, perceived target openness mitigates this relationship, encouraging employee to speak up when they would not otherwise do so.
Information Theoretical Analysis of Multivariate Correlation

A set λ of stochastic variables, y1, y2,. , yn, is grouped into subsets, µ1, µ2,. , µk. The correlation existing in λ with respect to the µ's is adequately expressed by C= Σi=1k S(µi)-S(λ)≥0, where S(v) is the entropy function defined with reference to the variables y in subset v. For a given λ, C becomes maximum when each µi consists of only one variable, (n=k). The value Cis then called fhe total correlation in λ, Ctot(λ). The present paper gives various theorems, according to which Ctot(λ) can be decomposed in terms of the partial correlations existing in subsets of λ, and of quantities derivable therefrom. The information-theoretical meaning of each decomposition is carefully explained. As illustrations, two problems are discussed at the end of the paper: (1) redundancy in geometrical figures in pattern recognition, and (2) randomization effect of shuffling cards marked "zero' or "one. "
Protective effect of red orange extract supplementation against UV‐induced skin damages: photoaging and solar lentigines

Exposure of the skin to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiations causes important oxidative damages that result in clinical and hystopathological changes, contributing to premature skin aging. Hyperpigmented lesions, also known as age spots, are one of the most visible alterations in skin photoaging. Skin is naturally equipped with antioxidant systems against UV‐induced ROS generation; however, these antioxidant defenses are not completely efficient during exposure to sunlight. Oral antioxidants are able to counteract the harmful effects of UV radiation and to strengthen the physiological skin antioxidant defenses.
The critical role of membralin in postnatal motor neuron survival and disease

Hitherto, membralin has been a protein of unknown function. Here, we show that membralin mutant mice manifest a severe and early-onset motor neuron disease in an autosomal recessive manner, dying by postnatal day 5–6. Selective death of lower motor neurons, including those innervating the limbs, intercostal muscles, and diaphragm, is predominantly responsible for this fatal phenotype. Neural expression of a membralin transgene completely rescues membralin mutant mice. Mechanistically, we show that membralin interacts with Erlin2, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein that is located in lipid rafts and known to be important in ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD). Accordingly, the degradation rate of ERAD substrates is attenuated in cells lacking membralin. Membralin mutations or deficiency in mouse models induces ER stress, rendering neurons more vulnerable to cell death. Our study reveals a critical role of membralin in motor neuron survival and suggests a novel mechanism for early-onset motor neuron disease. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.06500. 001
A New Softmax Operator for Reinforcement Learning

A softmax operator applied to a set of values acts somewhat like the maximization function and somewhat like an average. In sequential decision making, softmax is often used in settings where it is necessary to maximize utility but also to hedge against problems that arise from putting all of one's weight behind a single maximum utility decision. The Boltzmann softmax operator is the most commonly used softmax operator in this setting, but we show that this operator is prone to misbehavior. In this work, we study an alternative softmax operator that, among other properties, is both a non-expansion (ensuring convergent behavior in learning and planning) and differentiable (making it possible to improve decisions via gradient descent methods). We provide proofs of these properties and present empirical comparisons between various softmax operators.
Impact of CT-guided drainage in the treatment of diverticular abscesses: size matters.

OBJECTIVE Our objective was to determine whether abscess size can be used as a discriminating factor to guide management of patients with diverticular abscesses. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a word search of our CT database between July 2001 and July 2002 for the CT diagnosis of diverticulitis. CTs were retrospectively reviewed as consensus opinion of two reviewers. CTs were evaluated for presence of an abscess, its location, maximum diameter, and feasibility of percutaneous abscess drainage. Abscesses were categorized into smaller than 3 cm and larger than or equal to 3 cm, and the management of these groups was compared. RESULTS Thirty-one abscesses were noted in 30 (17%) of 181 patients with a CT diagnosis of diverticulitis. Twenty-two (73%) of 30 patients had 23 abscesses, all of which were smaller than 3 cm and were treated and resolved with antibiotics alone (p < 0.001). Eight (36%) of 22 required surgical treatment. Eight (26%) of 31 abscesses had a maximum diameter larger than or equal to 3 cm. Four (50%) of eight patients with abscesses 3.4-4.1 cm were treated with antibiotics alone. Four (50%) of eight abscesses, all larger than 4.1 cm, were treated with CT-guided drainage and one abscess required repeat drainage. After resolution of symptoms, surgery was performed in five (62.5%) of eight of the larger abscesses. CONCLUSION Patients with abscesses smaller than 3 cm in size can be treated with antibiotics alone and, in some cases, as outpatients, and may not uniformly require surgery. This is also likely true for patients with abscesses 3-4 cm in size, although our results in this group were limited by a small sample size. Patients with abscesses larger than or equal to 4 cm can be managed with CT-guided abscess drainage followed by referral for surgical treatment.
2. EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF HAPTEN-SPECIFIC SECONDARY ANTIBODY RESPONSES BY THE GRAFT-VERsus-HosT

In recent studies (1-3) it has been demonstrated that the passive transfer of imrnunocompetent allogeneic lymphoid cells to guinea pigs previously primed with 2,4-dinitrophenyl-ovalbumin (DNP-OVA) 1 results in the increased synthesis of anti-DNP and anti-OVA antibodies in the absence of further antigenic challenge, and markedly enhances anti-DNP responses to an appropriately timed challenge with DNP coupled to an unrelated carrier, bovine gamma globulin (BGG). This phenomenon has been termed the "allogeneic effect" and has several salient features. First, the phenomenon reflects and requires the development of a transient graftversus-host (GVtt) reaction in the lymphoid organs of the primed host (1). The existence of a concomitant host rejection reaction is not only not required, but appears to play little if any role (3). Secondly, the lymphoid cells of the host must be primed before the administration of allogeneic cells. Numerous attempts to demonstrate an enhanced primary response by the prior administration of allogeneic cells have failed, and, indeed, the primary response is usually suppressed under these circumstances (1-3a). Finally, the allogeneic effect has been shown to replace the requirement for carrier-specific helper T cells in the development of hapten-specific anamnestic antibody responses manifested by the primed lymphoid cells of the host (2).
Image Flows Visualization for Inter-media Comparison

To understand recent societal behavior, it is important to compare how multiple media are affected by real-world events and how each medium affects other media. This paper proposes a novel framework for inter-media comparison through visualizing images extracted from different types of media. We extract blog image clusters from our six-year blog archive and search for similar TV shots in each cluster from a broadcast news video archive by using image similarities. We then visualize such image flows on a timeline in 3D space to visually and interactively explore time sequential changes in influences among media resources and differences and/or similarities between them such as topics that become popular on only blogs or that become popular on blogs earlier than on TV.
A Welfare Criterion for Models with Distorted Beliefs

This paper proposes a welfare criterion for economies in which agents have heterogeneously distorted beliefs. Instead of taking a stand on whose belief is correct, our criterion asserts that an allocation is belief-neutral efficient (inefficient) if it is efficient (inefficient) under any convex combination of agents' beliefs. While this criterion gives an incomplete ranking of social allocations, it can identify positive- and negative-sum speculation driven by conflicting beliefs in a broad range of economic environments.