Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nucleus Accumbens Activity Dissociates Different Forms of Salience: Evidence from Human Intracranial Recordings

Theoretical models and empirical work indicate a critical role of the NAcc in salience processing. For instance, the NAcc not only responds to appetitive and aversive information, but it also signals novelty, contextual deviance, and action monitoring. However, because most studies have investigated only one specific type of salience independently, it remains unclear how the NAcc concurrently differentiates between different forms of salience. To investigate this issue, we used intracranial electroencephalography in human epilepsy patients together with a previously established visual oddball paradigm. Here, three different oddball categories (novel, neutral, and target images) were infrequently presented among a standard scene image, and subjects responded to the target via button press. This task allowed us to differentiate “item novelty” (new vs neutral oddballs) from “contextual deviance” (neutral oddballs vs standard images) and “targetness” (target vs neutral oddballs). Time-frequency analysis revealed a dissociation between item novelty and contextual deviance on the basis of decreases in either θ (4–8 Hz) or β power (20–30 Hz). Targetness, on the other hand, was signaled by positive deflections in the stimulus-locked local field potentials, which, importantly, correlated with subjects' reaction times. These findings indicate that, in an ongoing stream of information, the NAcc differentiates between types of salience by distinct neural mechanisms to guide goal-directed behavior.
Wnt5a Is a Transcriptional Target of Dlx Homeogenes and Promotes Differentiation of Interneuron Progenitors In Vitro and In Vivo

During brain development, neurogenesis, migration, and differentiation of neural progenitor cells are regulated by an interplay between intrinsic genetic programs and extrinsic cues. The Dlx homeogene transcription factors have been proposed to directly control the genesis and maturation of GABAergic interneurons of the olfactory bulb (OB), subpallium, and cortex. Here we provide evidence that Dlx genes promote differentiation of olfactory interneurons via the signaling molecule Wnt5a. Dlx2 and Dlx5 interact with homeodomain binding sequences within the Wnt5a locus and activate its transcription. Exogenously provided Wnt5a promotes GABAergic differentiation in dissociated OB neurons and in organ-type brain cultures. Finally, we show that the Dlx-mutant environment is unfavorable for GABA differentiation, in vivo and in vitro. We conclude that Dlx genes favor interneuron differentiation also in a non-cell-autonomous fashion, via expression of Wnt5a.
Resting state in obsessive-compulsive disorder. A review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disease that may have a great impact on functionality. The neuroimaging study on OCD has been advancing along with the advance in the technique. Functional neuroimages suggest the participation of the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia, forming a subcortical cortex system. Study of the resting state is a new radiological technique that makes it possible to see connectivity and activity of the neuronal zones during rest. It has been used in many psychiatric conditions, among them OCD. OBJECTIVE To review the studies on resting state in OCD. METHOD A systematic search was made in PubMed, Scielo and Liliacs, and 11 works for found for review. RESULTS OCD would be caused by variations in different brain circuits. The constant perception of error and checking need could be due to an internal hyperconnection in the cingulate cortex. Difficulty to control compulsions could be caused by alterations on the prefrontal cortex level. No alterations per se of the OCD and absences in controls have been found. The differences would be more qualitative than quantitative, the OCD being a deregulation of normal processes.
Short-chain fatty acid formation in the hindgut of rats fed native and fermented oat fibre concentrates

The formation of SCFA in rats fed fermented oat fibre concentrates was compared with that of rats fed native oat fibre concentrate. The cultures used were lactic acid bacteria consisting of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus (V2), the exopolysaccharide-producing strain Pediococcus damnosus 2.6 (Pd) and L. reuteri (Lr). The materials were incorporated into test diets yielding a concentration of indigestible carbohydrates of 80g/kg (dry weight). Rats fed the V2-fermented fibre-concentrate diet yielded higher caecal and distal concentrations of acetic acid (p<0·01) than rats fed the native fibre concentrate. All the fermented fibre concentrates resulted in a higher propionic acid concentration in the distal colon (p<0·05), while rats fed Pd-fermented fibre concentrate resulted in lower concentration of butyric acid (p<0·05,p <0·01) in all parts of the hindgut as compared with rats fed the native fibre concentrates. Butyrate concentrations ranged between 5–11μmol/g (distal colon) and 6–8;μmol/g (13d faeces). Higher proportions of acetic acid (p<0·05; p<0·01) were observed in the caecum of rats fed the fermented fibre concentrates. Rats fed Pd- and Lr-fermented fibre concentrates produced higher proportions of propionic acid (p<0·05; p<0·01) in the caecum. Changes in SCFA formation in the caecum, distal colon and faeces of rats fed the fermented samples compared with the native sample indicate that these microbes probably survive in the hindgut and that modification of the microflora composition with fermented foods is possible. This may be important for the gastrointestinal flora balance in relation to colonic diseases.
Examining Dimensions of Treatment Intensity and Treatment Fidelity in Mathematics Intervention Research for Students at Risk

To prevent academic failure and promote long-term success, response-to-intervention (RtI) is designed to systematically increase the intensity of delivering research-based interventions. Interventions within an RtI framework must not only be effective but also be implemented with treatment fidelity and delivered with the appropriate level of treatment intensity to improve student mathematics achievement. The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the mathematics intervention research for students at risk of mathematics failure by examining intervention characteristics related to treatment fidelity and intensity. Results from 66 math intervention studies conducted from 2004 to 2015 were summarized. The majority of studies monitored treatment fidelity and provided details of some aspects of treatment intensity (i.e., dose, group size). However, interventionists’ characteristics, implementation characteristics, and treatment design were less frequently reviewed. Implications for future research and educational practices are discussed.
Local maximum likelihood estimation and inference

Local maximum likelihood estimation is a nonparametric counterpart of the widely used parametric maximum likelihood technique. It extends the scope of the parametric maximum likelihood method to a much wider class of parametric spaces. Associated with this nonparametric estimation scheme is the issue of bandwidth selection and bias and variance assessment. This paper provides a unified approach to selecting a bandwidth and constructing confidence intervals in local maximum likelihood estimation. The approach is then applied to least squares nonparametric regression and to nonparametric logistic regression. Our experiences in these two settings show that the general idea outlined here is powerful and encouraging.
Symptoms and disability until 3 months after mild TBI

Objective: Examine frequency, character and course of symptoms until 3 months after MTBI and the relation between symptoms and disability. Methods: Prospective cohort study of 122 consecutive patients with MTBI. Symptom assessment after 1, 7 and 14 days and 3 months post-injury by use of Rivermead Post-concussional Questionnaire. Disability assessment by use of Rivermead Head Injury Follow-up Questionnaire. Results: Patients reporting one or more symptoms declined from 86% on day 1 to 49% 3 months post-injury, when 25% also reported change in one or more domains of everyday activities. Poor memory, sleep disturbance and fatigue were most commonly reported. Symptom and disability scores were correlated (τ = 0.60; p < 0.001). Early symptom load correlated with late symptom load (τ = 0.38; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Symptoms gradually decline post-injury. Symptoms correlate with disability at 3 months. Patients with early high symptom load are at risk for developing persisting complaints.
Social Responsibility and Its Relation with Procrastination and Achievement Motivation among Students of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University

This study aimed at identifying the level of social responsibility, procrastination and achievement motivation among Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University students in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It also aimed to explore the correlational relations between social responsibility, procrastination and achievement motivation and to uncover the differences between male and female students on these three variables. The study was conducted on a sample of 1880 male and female students. Social responsibility, and procrastination scales, as well as the achievement motivation test were employed after verifying their psychometric properties. The results showed that while the university students practice both social responsibility and procrastination at a medium level, they practice achievement motivation at a high level. The study further showed a significant, negative correlation between social responsibility and procrastination, and significant positive correlation between responsibility and achievement motivation. Furthermore, the study showed statistically significant differences between males and females in social responsibility and procrastination in favour of male students; and statistically significant differences in the achievement motivation in favor of females.
Improved vocal tract model for speech synthesis

Speech synthesis of nasal and non-nasal speech sounds are studied on the basis of an improved model where a nasal tract is included in the vocal tract. The transfer function of the model is analysed. Because of the closure of the oral tract, the three-port adaptor at the velum is reduced to a two-port adaptor, so that the model parameters can be estimated by inverse filtering from the speech signal. Moreover this method is applied to investigate nasalization of vowels.
Expression of a IIb b 3 Integrin ( GPIIb-IIIa ) in Myeloid Cell Lines and Normal CD 34 1 / CD 33 1 Bone Marrow Cells

Regulation of myeloid cell proliferation and differentiation in the bone marrow is mediated, in part, by the interaction of integrins on early myeloid cells with the extracellular matrix proteins secreted by stromal cells. To further define adhesive protein receptors of early myeloid cells, we examined the expression of the integrin GPIIb-IIIa (aIIbb3) in leukemic cell lines KG-1a, KG-1, and HL-60, that represent early stages of myeloid differentiation. All three cell lines expressed surface GPIIb-IIIa as measured by flow cytometry and by binding of 125I-anti-GPIIb-IIIa monoclonal antibody. Preincubation of cells with human AB serum or platelet releasate increased GPIIb-IIIa surface expression. GPIIb transcripts were identified in all three cell lines by Northern blot analysis. Furthermore, we readily detected GPIIb transcripts in fluorescence activated cell sorted (FACS) myeloid cells from normal human bone marrow by RT-PCR. Cloning and sequencing of the PCR products established the identity of GPIIb transcripts in the leukemic cell lines and CD34 1/CD331 normal bone marrow cells. Since the normal myeloid cells also demonstrated markers corresponding to the maturational stage of KG-1a/KG-1 cells, we propose that GPIIb-IIIa may serve as a myeloid differentiation antigen and as a key integrin of myeloid precursors.
INTRINSICALLY RED SOURCES OBSERVED BY SPITZER IN THE GALACTIC MIDPLANE

We present a highly reliable flux-limited census of 18,949 point sources in the Galactic midplane that have intrinsically red mid-infrared colors. These sources were selected from the Spitzer Space Telescope Galactic Legacy Infrared Midplane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) I and II surveys of 274 deg2 of the Galactic midplane, and consist mostly of high- and intermediate-mass young stellar objects (YSOs) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. The selection criteria were carefully chosen to minimize the effects of position-dependent sensitivity, saturation, and confusion. The distribution of sources on the sky and their location in the Infrared Array Camera and the Multiband Image Photometer for Spitzer 24 μm color–magnitude and color–color space are presented. Using this large sample, we find that YSOs and AGB stars can be mostly separated by simple color–magnitude selection criteria into approximately 50%–70% of YSOs and 30%–50% of AGB stars. Planetary nebulae and background galaxies together represent at most 2%–3% of all the red sources. 1004 red sources in the GLIMPSE II region, mostly AGB stars with high mass-loss rates, show significant (⩾0.3 mag) variability at 4.5 and/or 8.0 μm. With over 11,000 likely YSOs and over 7000 likely AGB stars, this is to date the largest uniform census of AGB stars and high- and intermediate-mass YSOs in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Strong Independence of Graphcopy Functions

Let H be a finite graph on v vertices . We define a function CH , with domain the set of all finite graphs, by letting cH(G) denote the fraction of subgraphs of G on v vertices isomorphic to H. Our primary aim is to investigate the behavior of the functions CH with respect to each other. We show that the CH, where H is restricted to be connected, are independent in a strong sense. We also show that, in an asymptotic sense, the cH, H disconnected, may be expressed in terms of the CH , H connected . In 1932, Whitney [1] proved that the functions CH , H connected, were algebraically independent . Our results may be considered an extension of this work .
Teachers’ intergenerational advice and information seeking: content matters!

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of generation in teachers’ advice and information-seeking interactions in Flemish secondary school teams, and moreover how the content of advice shapes these interactions. Four content-related advice and information-seeking networks are investigated in this study: subject-matter knowledge, classroom management, innovative teaching methods and ICT. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 660 teachers in ten secondary education schools in Flanders (Belgium) by using an online socio-metric survey. Social network analysis was conducted, more specifically quadratic assignment procedure and multilevel P2 modeling. Findings The findings underline the importance of investigating content-related advice networks. Generation affects the formation of interactions. First, the results revealed that older teachers are less likely to ask advice on subject-matter knowledge, classroom management and innovative teaching methods. Second, the data showed that older teachers are more likely to be asked for advice on subject-matter knowledge. Third, young teachers are more likely to be asked for advice on innovative teaching methods and ICT. Fourth, homophily effects occurred for the youngest teachers when advice is about subject-matter knowledge, and for the oldest teachers for advice about classroom management. Originality/value This study is innovative due to its application of social network analysis to investigate intergenerational knowledge flows, and due to its clear focus on content-related advice-seeking interactions that go beyond the approach of general advice and information-seeking interactions.
Analysis of Host-Mediated Repair Mechanisms after Human CNS-Stem Cell Transplantation for Spinal Cord Injury: Correlation of Engraftment with Recovery

Background Human central nervous system-stem cells grown as neurospheres (hCNS-SCns) self-renew, are multipotent, and have potential therapeutic applications following trauma to the spinal cord. We have previously shown locomotor recovery in immunodeficient mice that received a moderate contusion spinal cord injury (SCI) and hCNS-SCns transplantation 9 days post-injury (dpi). Engrafted hCNS-SCns exhibited terminal differentiation to myelinating oligodendrocytes and synapse-forming neurons. Further, selective ablation of human cells using Diphtheria toxin (DT) abolished locomotor recovery in this paradigm, suggesting integration of human cells within the mouse host as a possible mechanism for the locomotor improvement. However, the hypothesis that hCNS-SCns could alter the host microenvironment as an additional or alternative mechanism of recovery remained unexplored; we tested that hypothesis in the present study. Methods and Findings Stereological quantification of human cells using a human-specific cytoplasmic marker demonstrated successful cell engraftment, survival, migration and limited proliferation in all hCNS-SCns transplanted animals. DT administration at 16 weeks post-transplant ablated 80.5% of hCNS-SCns. Stereological quantification for lesion volume, tissue sparing, descending serotonergic host fiber sprouting, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan deposition, glial scarring, and angiogenesis demonstrated no evidence of host modification within the mouse spinal cord as a result of hCNS-SCns transplantation. Biochemical analyses supplemented stereological data supporting the absence of neural stem-cell mediated host repair. However, linear regression analysis of the number of engrafted hCNS-SCns vs. the number of errors on a horizontal ladder beam task revealed a strong correlation between these variables (r = −0.78, p<0.05), suggesting that survival and engraftment were directly related to a quantitative measure of recovery. Conclusions Altogether, the data suggest that the locomotor improvements associated with hCNS-SCns transplantation were not due to modifications within the host microenvironment, supporting the hypothesis that human cell integration within the host circuitry mediates functional recovery following a 9 day delayed transplant.
Boston College International and Comparative Law Review Constitutional Conventions in the Digital Era: Lessons from Iceland and Ireland Constitutional Conventions in the Digital Era: Lessons from Iceland and Ireland

Mechanisms of constitutional development have recently attracted significant attention, specifically, instances where popular involvement was central to the constitutional change. Examples include attempts by British Co-lumbia, the Netherlands, and Ontario at electoral reform, in addition to the more sweeping reforms sought in Iceland and Ireland. Each of these coun-tries' attempts exemplifies varied innovative avenues to reform involving par-ticipatory and partially citizen-led processes aimed at revitalizing politics. The little legal scholarship on these developments has provided an insufficient analytical account of such novel approaches to constitution-making. This Essay seeks to build upon the current descriptive work on constitutional conventions by focusing on the cases of Iceland and Ireland. The Essay further aims to evaluate whether the means undertaken by each country translates into novelty at a more substantive level, namely, the quality of the process and legitimacy of the end product. The Essay proposes standards of direct democratic engagements that adequately fit these new developments and further identifies lessons for participatory constitution-making processes in the digital twenty-first century.
A trial of ranitidine in asthmatic children and adolescents with or without pathological gastro-oesophageal reflux.

In order to study the importance of gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) as a trigger of asthma the effect of inhibition of gastric acid secretion on asthma was assessed in a double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled trial over four weeks in 37 children and adolescents (mean age 14 yrs) with bronchial asthma. Ranitidine 300 mg, (150 mg if B.W. was less than 40 kg) was given as a single evening dose during four weeks. In previous investigations 18 of the 37 patients had been shown to have pathological GOR by 24 h pH monitoring in the oesophagus. The remaining 19 patients with normal GOR served as controls for possible effects of ranitidine on asthma, not related to reduction of GOR. A modest (30%) but statistically significant reduction of nocturnal asthma symptoms was produced by ranitidine in the patients with pathological GOR when compared to those with normal GOR. There was a significant correlation between the improvement in asthma symptoms and the degree of acid reflux. Side-effects of ranitidine were negligible. Acid reflux appears to be only a weak stimulus for bronchoconstriction in children and adolescents with bronchial asthma and pathological GOR. Further confirmative trials with more potent inhibitors of gastric acid secretion are, however, warranted.
Ozone response to precursor controls in very complex terrains: Use of photochemical indicators to assess O3-NOx-VOC sensitivity in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula

[1] The kinetics of ozone (O3) chemistry and its two main precursors, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), represents an important field of uncertainty in atmospheric chemistry and photochemical modeling. This uncertainty affects the design of control strategies to reduce tropospheric O3 production. The effect of controlling ozone precursors on sensitivity regimes was evaluated by performing simulations with MM5-EMICAT2000-CMAQ model to represent O3 formation in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula with baseline emission rates for VOC and NOx, and reducing anthropogenic VOC and NOx emissions on a 35%. Three different scenarios were considered in order to assess chemical sensitivity in urban, industrial, and background domains. Areas downwind of the city of Barcelona benefit from NOx reductions (reduction of 10 ppb in ground-level O3), while the same reduction causes an important increment of O3 in Barcelona (9 ppb) and the area downwind of Tarragona (18 ppb), with a high industrial influence. The city of Barcelona benefits from VOC reductions (10 ppb of O3) as well as the industrial zone of Alcover (20 ppb). The rest of the domain is practically insensitive to VOC reductions. Diverse photochemical species derived from the air quality model were used as indicators in order to establish the chemical sensitivity regime existing in the areas, analyzing whether O3 values reacted consistently to similar changes in emissions. Results showed that NOy (total reactive nitrogen) and O3/NOy are the indicators involving a lower uncertainty when assessing sensitivity, according to the narrow transition regime between NOx- and VOC-sensitive chemistry and the low uncertainty observed. Indicators performed better in VOC-sensitive than in NOx-sensitive domains. H2O2- and HNO3- derived indicators entailed higher uncertainties since transition regimes between NOx and VOC sensitivity covered a wide range. The extent of reaction also performed as a good indicator to separate NOx- and VOC-sensitive regimes. This sensitivity analysis provides a tool for establishing hypothetical control policies for O3 precursor emissions through a comparison of simulated correlation between the species.