Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration: Pathogenesis, pathology and pathways to phenotype

Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) is a clinically, pathologically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders that affect principally the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. There are three major associated clinical syndromes, behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), semantic dementia (SD) and progressive non‐fluent aphasia (PNFA); three principal histologies, involving tau, TDP‐43 and FUS proteins; and mutations in three major genes, MAPT, GRN and C9orf72, along with several other less common gene mutations. All three clinical syndromes can exist separately or in combination with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). SD is exclusively a TDP‐43 proteinopathy, and PNFA may be so, with both showing tight clinical, histological and genetic inter‐relationships. bvFTD is more of a challenge with overlapping histological and genetic features, involvement of any of the three aggregating proteins, and changes in any of the three major genes. However, when ALS is present, all cases show a clear histological phenotype with TDP‐43 aggregated proteins, and familial forms are associated with expansions in C9orf72. TDP‐43 and FUS are nuclear carrier proteins involved in the regulation of RNA metabolism, whereas tau protein – the product of MAPT – is responsible for the assembly/disassembly of microtubules, which are vital for intracellular transport. Mutations in TDP‐43 and FUS genes are linked to clinical ALS rather than FTLD (with or without ALS), suggesting that clinical ALS may be a disorder of RNA metabolism. Conversely, the protein products of GRN and C9orf72, along with those of the other minor genes, appear to form part of the cellular protein degradation machinery. It is possible therefore that FTLD is a reflection of dysfunction within lysosomal/proteasomal systems resulting in failure to remove potentially neurotoxic (TDP‐43 and tau) aggregates, which ultimately overwhelm capacity to function. Spread of aggregates along distinct pathways may account for the different clinical phenotypes, and patterns of progression of disease.
Fiber Birefringence Measurement of Single-Mode Fiber by a Polarimetric Fiber Ring Laser

A novel and low-cost fiber birefringence measurement scheme is proposed and studied by a polarimetric fiber ring laser interrogated by the beat frequency technique. For the fiber ring laser, modes splitting occur between two orthogonal polarization modes because of intrinsic fiber birefringence. As a result, two types of beat frequency signals (i.e., longitudinal mode beat frequency and polarization mode beat frequency signals) are generated simultaneously. The principle of measurement of fiber birefringence by the fiber ring laser has been analyzed theoretically in detail. Two alternative expressions for fiber birefringence change are obtained, which is very convenient for users to choose different order longitudinal and polarization mode beat frequency signals. The variation of fiber birefringence caused by applied strain has been calculated in terms of beat frequency shift. To validate the proposed sensing system, the strain-induced fiber birefringence change in commercial Erbium-doped fiber is investigated and obtained by measuring frequency shift of two types of beat frequency signals. The experimental results show that the fiber birefringence experiences a linear decrease when the applied strain is increased. A strain response coefficient of –1.756 × 10–11/μϵ is obtained. The proposed sensing scheme has obvious advantages of simple structure, low cost, and high sensitivity and it will provide great convenience for measuring fiber birefringence for short-length single mode fiber.
Three categories of reasons why and ways in which communal context shapes emotional lives

A case is made that a communal relationship context (or lack thereof) shapes people’s emotional lives for three reasons. First, a person’s communal partners assume some degree of non-contingent responsibility for the person’s welfare. This allows the person, when with or, at times, when thinking about such partners, to drop some self-protective vigilance, appraise situations as less threatening, focus attention outward on to situations and to see those situations through the partner’s eyes often enhancing the emotional impact of those situations, express emotions which convey individual vulnerabilities and, in turn, receive and accept emotion regulation from partners. Second, a person is responsive to his or her communal partners’ welfare. This leads a person, when with or, at times, when thinking about such partners to attend to partners’ welfare and attendant emotions, mimic them, empathize with them and help to regulate them. This may also enhance how threatening situations seem when they might threaten the partner for whom the person feels communal responsibility. Third, communal relationships are valued by people. As a result certain emotions, which we call relational emotions, including embarrassment, hurt, guilt and gratitude commonly arise in the context of communal relationships as signals of the welfare of the relationship per se. In well-functioning communal relationships these emotions elicit partner responses that help to form, build, maintain and repair the relationships. It is more generally noted that other aspects of relational context (e.g. power differentials) also shape emotional lives and that emotion researchers are well-advised to attend to how all aspects relational context may influence emotional lives.
M$^2$S-Net: Multi-Modal Similarity Metric Learning based Deep Convolutional Network for Answer Selection

Recent works using artificial neural networks based on distributed word representation greatly boost performance on various natural language processing tasks, especially the answer selection problem. Nevertheless, most of the previous works used deep learning methods (like LSTM-RNN, CNN, etc.) only to capture semantic representation of each sentence separately, without considering the interdependence between each other. In this paper, we propose a novel end-to-end learning framework which constitutes deep convolutional neural network based on multi-modal similarity metric learning (M$^2$S-Net) on pairwise tokens. The proposed model demonstrates its performance by surpassing previous state-of-the-art systems on the answer selection benchmark, i.e., TREC-QA dataset, in both MAP and MRR metrics.
Role of an Arabidopsis AP2/EREBP-Type Transcriptional Repressor in Abscisic Acid and Drought Stress Responses

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) modulates the expression of many genes important to plant growth and development and to stress adaptation. In this study, we found that an APETALA2/EREBP-type transcription factor, AtERF7, plays an important role in ABA responses. AtERF7 interacts with the protein kinase PKS3, which has been shown to be a global regulator of ABA responses. AtERF7 binds to the GCC box and acts as a repressor of gene transcription. AtERF7 interacts with the Arabidopsis thaliana homolog of a human global corepressor of transcription, AtSin3, which in turn may interact with HDA19, a histone deacetylase. The transcriptional repression activity of AtERF7 is enhanced by HDA19 and AtSin3. Arabidopsis plants overexpressing AtERF7 show reduced sensitivity of guard cells to ABA and increased transpirational water loss. By contrast, AtERF7 and AtSin3 RNA interference lines show increased sensitivity to ABA during germination. Together, our results suggest that AtERF7 plays an important role in ABA responses and may be part of a transcriptional repressor complex and be regulated by PKS3.
Computing the Planar $\beta$-skeleton Depth

For $\beta \geq 1$, the \emph{$\beta$-skeleton depth} ($\SkD_\beta$) of a query point $q\in \mathbb{R}^d$ with respect to a distribution function $F$ on $\mathbb{R}^d$ is defined as the probability that $q$ is contained within the \emph{$\beta$-skeleton influence region} of a random pair of points from $F$. The $\beta$-skeleton depth of $q\in \mathbb{R}^d$ can also be defined with respect to a given data set $S\subseteq \mathbb{R}^d$. In this case, computing the $\beta$-skeleton depth is based on counting all of the $\beta$-skeleton influence regions, obtained from pairs of points in $S$, that contain $q$. The $\beta$-skeleton depth introduces a family of depth functions that contains \emph{spherical depth} and \emph{lens depth} for $\beta=1$ and $\beta=2$, respectively. The straightforward algorithm for computing the $\beta$-skeleton depth in dimension $d$ takes $O(dn^2)$. This complexity of computation is a significant advantage of using the $\beta$-skeleton depth in multivariate data analysis because unlike most other data depths, the time complexity of the $\beta$-skeleton depth grows linearly rather than exponentially in the dimension $d$. The main results of this paper include two algorithms. The first one is an optimal algorithm that takes $\Theta(n\log n)$ for computing the planar spherical depth, and the second algorithm with the time complexity of $O(n^{\frac{3}{2}+\epsilon})$ is for computing the planar $\beta$-skeleton depth, $\beta>1$. By reducing the problem of \textit{Element Uniqueness}, we prove that computing the $\beta$-skeleton depth requires $\Omega(n \log n)$ time. Some geometric properties of $\beta$-skeleton depth are also investigated in this paper. These properties indicate that \emph{simplicial depth} ($\SD$) is linearly bounded by $\beta$-skeleton depth. Some experimental bounds for different depth functions are also obtained in this paper.
GFAP Isoforms in Adult Mouse Brain with a Focus on Neurogenic Astrocytes and Reactive Astrogliosis in Mouse Models of Alzheimer Disease

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is the main astrocytic intermediate filament (IF). GFAP splice isoforms show differential expression patterns in the human brain. GFAPδ is preferentially expressed by neurogenic astrocytes in the subventricular zone (SVZ), whereas GFAP+1 is found in a subset of astrocytes throughout the brain. In addition, the expression of these isoforms in human brain material of epilepsy, Alzheimer and glioma patients has been reported. Here, for the first time, we present a comprehensive study of GFAP isoform expression in both wild-type and Alzheimer Disease (AD) mouse models. In cortex, cerebellum, and striatum of wild-type mice, transcripts for Gfap-α, Gfap-β, Gfap-γ, Gfap-δ, Gfap-κ, and a newly identified isoform Gfap-ζ, were detected. Their relative expression levels were similar in all regions studied. GFAPα showed a widespread expression whilst GFAPδ distribution was prominent in the SVZ, rostral migratory stream (RMS), neurogenic astrocytes of the subgranular zone (SGZ), and subpial astrocytes. In contrast to the human SVZ, we could not establish an unambiguous GFAPδ localization in proliferating cells of the mouse SVZ. In APPswePS1dE9 and 3xTgAD mice, plaque-associated reactive astrocytes had increased transcript levels of all detectable GFAP isoforms and low levels of a new GFAP isoform, Gfap-ΔEx7. Reactive astrocytes in AD mice showed enhanced GFAPα and GFAPδ immunolabeling, less frequently increased vimentin and nestin, but no GFAPκ or GFAP+1 staining. In conclusion, GFAPδ protein is present in SVZ, RMS, and neurogenic astrocytes of the SGZ, but also outside neurogenic niches. Furthermore, differential GFAP isoform expression is not linked with aging or reactive gliosis. This evidence points to the conclusion that differential regulation of GFAP isoforms is not involved in the reorganization of the IF network in reactive gliosis or in neurogenesis in the mouse brain.
Why Do Firms Engage in Selective Hedging

Surveys of corporate risk management document that selective hedging, where managers incorporate their market views into firms' hedging programs, is widespread in the U.S. and other countries. Stulz (1996) argues that selective hedging could enhance the value of firms that possess an information advantage relative to the market and have the financial strength to withstand the additional risk from market timing. We study the practice of selective hedging in a 10-year sample of North American gold mining firms and find that selective hedging is most prevalent among firms that are least likely to meet these value- maximizing criteria -- (a) smaller firms, i.e., firms that are least likely to have private information about future gold prices; and (b) firms that are closest to financial distress. The latter finding provides support for the alternative possibility suggested by Stulz that selective hedging may also be driven by asset substitution motives. We detect weak relationships between selective hedging and some corporate governance measures, especially board size, but find no evidence of a link between selective hedging and managerial compensation.
Frequency and phase drift correction of magnetic resonance spectroscopy data by spectral registration in the time domain

Frequency and phase drifts are a common problem in the acquisition of in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) data. If not accounted for, frequency and phase drifts will result in artifactual broadening of spectral peaks, distortion of spectral lineshapes, and a reduction in signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR). We present herein a new method for estimating and correcting frequency and phase drifts in in vivo MRS data.
Behaviour of Strain-Hardening Cement-Based Composites Under High Strain Rates

In this research project the behaviour of strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) subjected to low and high strain rates was studied. Uniaxial tension tests on dumbbell-shaped SHCC specimens were performed at rates ranging from 10 -5 s -1 to 50s -1 . For the tests performed at strain rates of 10 -2 s -1 and below, SHCC yielded a moderate increase in tensile strength and simultaneous decrease in strain capacity with increasing strain rate. When tested for higher strain rates from 10 to 50s -1 a considerable increase in tensile strain and strain capacity was measured. Microscopic investigation of the fracture surfaces showed that almost no fibre failure and an average pullout length of 2.5mm were found in the high strain rate test. This observation is in contrast to that of rapid quasi-static testing, where the average fibre pullout length of 300μm was much shorter. Furthermore, the fibres on the fracture surfaces produced in the high rate tests exhibited pronounced plastic deformations. Finally, quasi-static and high-speed tension tests on individual fibres and single fibre pullout tests were performed. While the increase in the tensile strength of the fibre was only moderate in the range of strain rates investigated, a considerable increase in bond strength between fibre and matrix was determined.
Patients Satisfaction and Outcome of Fistulotomy Versus Fistulectomy for Low Anal Fistula

Introduction: Anal fistulae are still negatively influencing the patient's quality of life by causing minor pain, social hygienic embarrassment, and in severe cases, frank sepsis. Although a number of surgical techniques have been proposed to treat this condition, there is still no single ideal technique for the treatment of this disease. Generally, fistulectomy is an adequate surgical procedure for the treatment of a simple or low transsphincteric fistula while others reported that fistulotomy continues to have excellent results. Patients and Methods: This study represented parallel prospective randomized clinical trial where 200 patients were divided randomly into two main groups; A and B. Group A patients were subjected to fistulotomy and those of group B were subjected to fistulectomy for low anal fistulae. The study included all patients having low anal fistulae complicating perianal abscesses. Patients with high fistulae and patients with multiple external openings were excluded. The primary end point was anal incontinence and the secondary end points were time off from work, postoperative pain, wound discharge, wound healing and patients’ satisfaction. Results: The mean operative time, time taken for wound discharge to cease and time taken for complete healing was significantly less in patients of group A. Regarding the occurrence of fecal incontinence, no permanent cases were reported in our series but temporary incontinence was observed in 2 patients in fistulotomy group while in fistulectomy group there were 4 patients. Therefore, the overall patient satisfaction mean values were 90.6 ± 8.87and 85.6 ± 13.2 for patients in group A and B respectively with statistically insignificant distribution. Conclusion: Fistulotomy could be used as a primary treatment of low anal fistula as being safe and simple to perform with good patient’s satisfaction as regard postoperative pain and outcome.
Persons with age-related maculopathy risk genotypes and clinically normal eyes have reduced mesopic vision.

PURPOSE To determine whether participants with normal visual acuity, no ophthalmoscopically signs of age-related maculopathy (ARM) in both eyes, and who are carriers of the CFH, LOC387715, and HRTA1 high-risk genotypes (gene-positive) have impaired rod- and cone-mediated mesopic visual function compared with persons who do not carry the risk genotypes (gene-negative). METHODS Fifty-three Caucasian study participants (mean 55.8 ± 6.1) were genotyped for CFH, LOC387715/ARMS2, and HRTA1 polymorphisms. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped in the CFH (rs380390), LOC387715/ARMS2 (rs10490924), and HTRA1 (rs11200638) genes using optimized gene-expression assays. The critical fusion frequency (CFF) mediated by cones alone (long-, middle-, and short-wavelength sensitive cones, LMS) and by the combined activities of cones and rods (LMSR) were determined. The stimuli were generated using a four-primary photostimulator that provides independent control of the photoreceptor excitation under mesopic light levels. Visual function was further assessed using standard clinical tests, flicker perimetry, and microperimetry. RESULTS The mesopic CFF mediated by rods and cones (LMSR) was significantly reduced in gene-positive compared to gene-negative participants after correction for age (P = 0.03). Cone-mediated CFF (LMS) was not significantly different between gene-positive and -negative participants. There were no significant associations between flicker perimetry and microperimetry and genotype. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to relate ARM risk genotypes with mesopic visual function in clinically normal persons. These preliminary results could become of clinical importance because mesopic vision may be used as a biomarker to document subclinical retinal changes in persons with risk genotypes and to determine whether those persons progress into manifest disease.
Estimates of direct and indirect effects for early juvenile survival in captive populations maintained for conservation purposes: the case of Cuvier's gazelle

Together with the avoidance of any negative impact of inbreeding, preservation of genetic variability for life-history traits that could undergo future selective pressure is a major issue in endangered species management programmes. However, most of these programmes ignore that, apart from the direct action of genes on such traits, parents, as contributors of offspring environment, can influence offspring performance through indirect parental effects (when parental genotype and phenotype exerts environmental influences on offspring phenotype independently of additive genetic effects). Using quantitative genetic models, we estimated the additive genetic variance for juvenile survival in a population of the endangered Cuvier's gazelle kept in captivity since 1975. The dataset analyzed included performance recording for 700 calves and a total pedigree of 740 individuals. Results indicated that in this population juvenile survival harbors significant additive genetic variance. The estimates of heritability obtained were in general moderate (0.115–0.457) and not affected by the inclusion of inbreeding in the models. Maternal genetic contribution to juvenile survival seems to be of major importance in this gazelle's population as well. Indirect genetic and indirect environmental effects assigned to mothers (i.e., maternal genetic and maternal permanent environmental effects) roughly explain a quarter of the total variance estimated for the trait analyzed. These findings have major evolutionary consequences for the species as show that offspring phenotypes can evolve strictly through changes in the environment provided by mothers. They are also relevant for the captive breeding programme of the species. To take into account, the contribution that mothers have on offspring phenotype through indirect genetic effects when designing pairing strategies might serve to identify those females with better ability to recruit, and, additionally, to predict reliable responses to selection in the captive population.
Maladaptive Behaviours Associated with Generalized Anxiety Disorder: An Item Response Theory Analysis

Background: Cognitive models of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) suggest that maladaptive behaviours may contribute to the maintenance of the disorder; however, little research has concentrated on identifying and measuring these behaviours. To address this gap, the Worry Behaviors Inventory (WBI) was developed and has been evaluated within a classical test theory (CTT) approach. Aims: As CTT is limited in several important respects, this study examined the psychometric properties of the WBI using an Item Response Theory approach. Method: A large sample of adults commencing treatment for their symptoms of GAD (n = 537) completed the WBI in addition to measures of GAD and depression symptom severity. Results: Patients with a probable diagnosis of GAD typically engaged in four or five maladaptive behaviours most or all of the time in an attempt to prevent, control or avoid worrying about everyday concerns. The two-factor structure of the WBI was confirmed, and the WBI scales demonstrated good reliability across a broad range of the respective scales. Together with previous findings, our results suggested that hypervigilance and checking behaviours, as well as avoidance of saying or doing things that are worrisome, were the most relevant maladaptive behaviours associated with GAD, and discriminated well between adults with low, moderate and high degrees of the respective WBI scales. Conclusions: Our results support the importance of maladaptive behaviours to GAD and the utility of the WBI to index these behaviours. Ramifications for the classification, theoretical conceptualization and treatment of GAD are discussed.
Haptic pen: a tactile feedback stylus for touch screens

In this paper we present a system for providing tactile feedback for stylus-based touch-screen displays. The Haptic Pen is a simple low-cost device that provides individualized tactile feedback for multiple simultaneous users and can operate on large touch screens as well as ordinary surfaces. A pressure-sensitive stylus is combined with a small solenoid to generate a wide range of tactile sensations. The physical sensations generated by the Haptic pen can be used to enhance our existing interaction with graphical user interfaces as well as to help make modern computing systems more accessible to those with visual or motor impairments.