Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disrupted Causal Connectivity Anchored in the Posterior Cingulate Cortex in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a transitional stage between normal cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Previous studies have found that neuronal activity and functional connectivity impaired in many functional networks, especially in the default mode network (DMN), which is related to significantly impaired cognitive and memory functions in aMCI patients. However, few studies have focused on the effective connectivity of the DMN and its subsystems in aMCI patients. The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is considered a crucial region in connectivity of the DMN and its key subsystem. In this study, using the coefficient Granger causality analysis approach and using the PCC as the region of interest, we explored changes in the DMN and its subsystems in effective connectivity with other brain regions as well as in correlations among them in 16 aMCI patients and 15 age-matched cognitively normal elderly. Results showed decreased effective connectivity from PCC to whole brain in the left prefrontal cortex, the left medial temporal lobe (MTL), the left fusiform gyrus (FG), and the left cerebellar hemisphere, meanwhile, right temporal lobe showed increased effective connectivity from PCC to the whole brain in aMCI patients compared with normal control. In addition, compared with the normal controls, increased effective connectivity of the whole brain to the PCC in aMCI patients was found in the right thalamus, left medial temporal lobe, left FG, and left cerebellar hemisphere. Compared with the normal controls, no reduced effective connectivity was found in any brain regions from the whole brain to the PCC in aMCI patients. The reduced effective connectivity of the PCC to left MTL showed negative correlation trend with neuropsychological tests (Auditory Verbal Learning Test-immediate recall and clock drawing test) in aMCI patients. Our study shows that aMCI patients have abnormalities in effective connectivity within the PCC-centered DMN network and its posterior subsystems as well as in the cerebellar hemisphere and thalamus. Abnormal integration of networks may be related to cognitive and memory impairment and compensation mechanisms in aMCI patients.
Fate of 15 N-urea blended with composted pig manure for Chinese cabbage

To utilize composts more efficiently, combining composts with fertilizer to meet crop requirements is an appealing alternative. A pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of application rate of composted pig manure (CPM) blended with chemical fertilizer on the availability, immobilization, and loss of fertilizer-N. Chinese cabbage [Brassica campestris (L.) Samjin] plants were cultivated for 30 and 60 days.
The marine diversity spectrum

Distributions of species body sizes within a taxonomic group, for example, mammals, are widely studied and important because they help illuminate the evolutionary processes that produced these distributions. Distributions of the sizes of species within an assemblage delineated by geography instead of taxonomy (all the species in a region regardless of clade) are much less studied but are equally important and will illuminate a different set of ecological and evolutionary processes. We develop and test a mechanistic model of how diversity varies with body mass in marine ecosystems. The model predicts the form of the ‘diversity spectrum’, which quantifies the distribution of species' asymptotic body masses, is a species analogue of the classic size spectrum of individuals, and which we have found to be a new and widely applicable description of diversity patterns. The marine diversity spectrum is predicted to be approximately linear across an asymptotic mass range spanning seven orders of magnitude. Slope −0·5 is predicted for the global marine diversity spectrum for all combined pelagic zones of continental shelf seas, and slopes for large regions are predicted to lie between −0·5 and −0·1. Slopes of −0·5 and −0·1 represent markedly different communities: a slope of −0·5 depicts a 10-fold reduction in diversity for every 100-fold increase in asymptotic mass; a slope of −0·1 depicts a 1·6-fold reduction. Steeper slopes are predicted for larger or colder regions, meaning fewer large species per small species for such regions. Predictions were largely validated by a global empirical analysis. Results explain for the first time a new and widespread phenomenon of biodiversity. Results have implications for estimating numbers of species of small asymptotic mass, where taxonomic inventories are far from complete. Results show that the relationship between diversity and body mass can be explained from the dependence of predation behaviour, dispersal, and life history on body mass, and a neutral assumption about speciation and extinction.
METAMORPHISM OF THE CANADIAN SHIELD, ONTARIO, CANADA. II. PROTEROZOIC METAMORPHIC HISTORY

This paper is a complement to the Tectonometamorphic Map of the Canadian Shield, and contains a brief description of the metamorphic history of Proterozoic orogenic belts and rock sequences in the Canadian Shield in Ontario, with a focus on rocks of the Southern and Grenville provinces. Metamorphism in the Southern Province has generally been attributed to the Penokean orogeny (~1879–1820 Ma), although the timing of this metamorphism is poorly constrained by either relative or absolute ages. In the Sault Ste. Marie – Sudbury area, previously described regional Na- and K-metasomatism has likely altered the original assemblages of metamorphic minerals, making unravelling of the metamorphic history of these rocks problematic. Metamorphism appears to postdate the emplacement of the Sudbury Igneous Complex at 1850 Ma; however, it is unclear if regional metamorphism in the Sault Ste. Marie – Sudbury area is related to the early (1870–1820 Ma) or late-stage (1740–1700 Ma) events of the Penokean orogeny. Three main metamorphic events are associated with the Grenville (1300–950 Ma) orogeny. These events are not necessarily orogen-wide in their effects. The first, at 1250–1240 Ma, affected rocks of the Composite Arc Belt, and is similar in style to that found in Superior Province granite–greenstone belts. It consists of a dominant subgreenschist- to greenschist-facies event, with amphibolite-facies assemblages developed near larger plutonic bodies. The next event (1190–1170 Ma) is restricted mainly to the southern part of the orogen (southern Laurentian margin, Composite Arc and Frontenac–Adirondack belts), and is responsible for regional upper-amphibolite- to granulite-facies metamorphism. In parts of the orogen, metamorphic rocks formed at this time are well preserved ( e.g., Parry Sound and Frontenac domains), whereas in other areas ( e.g., Adirondack Highlands), the rocks are overprinted by younger, high-grade metamorphism. Pan-Grenville greenschist- to granulite-facies metamorphism in Ontario in the period 1070–1050 Ma was associated with major thrusting. In deeper structural levels, this event persists to 990 Ma. Tectonic unroofing after 1070 Ma likely played a major role in the current distribution of metamorphic rocks within the Grenville Province in Ontario.
A New Surgical Method of Suprapubic and Extraperitoneal Approach with Uterine Preservation for Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Kurt Extraperitoneal Ligamentopexy

Objective. To introduce an alternative surgical approach for the optimal treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Methods. Twenty symptomatic women with grades 2–4 POP diagnosis who opted to choose this alternative surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Results. A total of 22 cases were included. The mean age of the patients was 50.6 ± 13.2 years (29–72 years) with a mean gravid and parity of 5.5 ± 2.66 and 3.4 ± 2.06, respectively. The mean body-mass index of the patients was 24.25 ± 2.43. Nine (45%) patients were premenopausal and 11 (55%) patients were postmenopausal. Uterine descensus was present in all patients, and additionally cystorectocele in 9 patients (45%), cystocele in 6 patients (30%), rectocele in 4 patients (20%), and elangatio colli in 6 patients (30%) were diagnosed. In addition to the alternative surgery, Manchester procedure and anteroposterior vaginal wall repair or Burch procedure was performed where necessary. Mean follow-up time was 48.95 ± 42.8 months (6–171 months). No recurrence of POP occurred. Conclusions. Suprapubic, extraperitoneal, and minimally invasive ligamentopexy of the round ligament to the anterior rectus fascia offers an alternative to conventional POP surgery with favorable outcomes without any recurrence.
Fitting and testing the significance of linear trends in Gumbel-distributed data

Abstract. The widely-used hydrological procedures for calculating events with T-year return periods from data that follow a Gumbel distribution assume that the data sequence from which the Gumbel distribution is fitted remains stationary in time. If non-stationarity is suspected, whether as a consequence of changes in land-use practices or climate, it is common practice to test the significance of trend by either of two methods: linear regression, which assumes that data in the record have a Normal distribution with mean value that possibly varies with time; or a non-parametric test such as that of Mann-Kendall, which makes no assumption about the distribution of the data. Thus, the hypothesis that the data are Gumbel-distributed is temporarily abandoned while testing for trend, but is re-adopted if the trend proves to be not significant, when events with T-year return periods are then calculated. This is illogical. The paper describes an alternative model in which the Gumbel distribution has a (possibly) time-variant mean, the time-trend in mean value being determined, for the present purpose, by a single parameter β estimated by Maximum Likelihood (ML). The large-sample variance of the ML estimate ˆβMR is compared with the variance of the trend βLR calculated by linear regression; the latter is found to be 64% greater. Simulated samples from a standard Gumbel distribution were given superimposed linear trends of different magnitudes, and the power of each of three trend-testing procedures (Maximum Likelihood, Linear Regression, and the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test) were compared. The ML test was always more powerful than either the Linear Regression or Mann-Kendall test, whatever the (positive) value of the trend β; the power of the MK test was always least, for all values of β. Keywords: Extreme value probability distribution, Gumbel distribution, statistical stationarity, trend-testing procedures
Shoot the messenger? The media’s role in framing populist attributions of blame

Attributing blame to elites is central to populist communication. Although empirical research has provided initial insights into the effects of populist blame attribution on citizens’ political opinions, little is known about the contextual factors surrounding its presence in the media. Advancing this knowledge, this article draws on an extensive content analysis (N = 867) covering non-election and election periods to provide insights into how populist blame attributions are embedded in journalistic reporting styles. Using Latent Class Analysis, we first identified three distinct styles of reporting: neutral, conflict, and interpretative coverage. In line with our predictions, we find that populist blame attributions are present most in conjunction with an interpretative journalistic style and least when a neutral journalistic style is used. Populist blame attributions are more likely to be used by journalists of tabloid newspapers than journalists of broadsheet newspapers. These results provide valuable insights for understanding the intersections between journalism and populist communication.
Betatrophin Acts as a Diagnostic Biomarker in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Is Negatively Associated with HDL-Cholesterol

Objective. By assessing its circulating concentrations in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, we aimed to explore the associations of betatrophin with various metabolic parameters and evaluate its diagnostic value in T2DM. Methods. A total of 58 non-diabetes-mellitus (NDM) subjects and 73 age- and sex-matched newly diagnosed T2DM patients were enrolled. Correlation analyses between circulating betatrophin levels and multiple metabolic parameters were performed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic value of betatrophin concentration in T2DM. Results. Circulating betatrophin levels were approximately 1.8 times higher in T2DM patients than in NDM individuals (median 747.12 versus 407.41 pg/mL, P < 0.001). Correlation analysis showed that betatrophin was negatively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in all subjects. ROC curve analysis identified betatrophin as a potent diagnostic biomarker for T2DM. The optimal cut-off point of betatrophin concentration for predicting T2DM was 501.23 pg/mL. Conclusions. Serum betatrophin levels were markedly increased in newly diagnosed T2DM patients and further elevated in obese T2DM subjects. Betatrophin was negatively correlated with HDL-C levels. Our findings indicate that betatrophin could be a potent diagnostic biomarker for T2DM.
Adenylate Cyclase Toxin from Bordetella pertussis Synergizes with Lipopolysaccharide To Promote Innate Interleukin-10 Production and Enhances the Induction of Th2 and Regulatory T Cells

ABSTRACT Adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) from Bordetella pertussis can subvert host immune responses allowing bacterial colonization. Here we have examined its adjuvant and immunomodulatory properties and the possible contribution of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), known to be present in purified CyaA preparations. CyaA enhanced antigen-specific interleukin-5 (IL-5) and IL-10 production and immunoglobulin G1 antibodies to coadministered antigen in vivo. Antigen-specific CD4+-T-cell clones generated from mice immunized with antigen and CyaA had cytokine profiles characteristic of Th2 or type 1 regulatory T (Tr1) cells. Since innate immune cells direct the induction of T-cell subtypes, we examined the influence of CyaA on activation of dendritic cells (DC) and macrophages. CyaA significantly augmented LPS-induced IL-6 and IL-10 and inhibited LPS-driven tumor necrosis factor alpha and IL-12p70 production from bone marrow-derived DC and macrophages. CyaA also enhanced cell surface expression of CD80, CD86, and major histocompatibility class II on immature DC. The stimulatory activity of our CyaA preparation for IL-10 production and CD80, CD86, and major histocompatibility complex class II expression was attenuated following the addition of polymyxin B or with the use of DC from Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4-defective mice. However, treatment of DC with LPS alone at the concentration present in the CyaA preparation (0.2 ng/ml) failed to activate DC in vitro. Our findings demonstrate that activation of innate cells in vitro by CyaA is dependent on a second signal through a TLR and that CyaA can promote Th2/Tr1-cell responses by inhibiting IL-12 and promoting IL-10 production by DC and macrophages.
WDR81 Is Necessary for Purkinje and Photoreceptor Cell Survival

The gene encoding the WD repeat-containing protein 81 (WDR81) has recently been described as the disease locus in a consanguineous family that suffers from cerebellar ataxia, mental retardation, and quadrupedal locomotion syndrome (CAMRQ2). Adult mice from the N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced mutant mouse line nur5 display tremor and an abnormal gait, as well as Purkinje cell degeneration and photoreceptor cell loss. We have used polymorphic marker mapping to demonstrate that affected nur5 mice carry a missense mutation, L1349P, in the Wdr81 gene. Moreover, homozygous nur5 mice that carry a wild-type Wdr81 transgene are rescued from the abnormal phenotype, indicating that Wdr81 is the causative gene in nur5. WDR81 is expressed in Purkinje cells and photoreceptor cells, among other CNS neurons, and like the human mutation, the nur5 modification lies in the predicted major facilitator superfamily domain of the WDR81 protein. Electron microscopy analysis revealed that a subset of mitochondria in Purkinje cell dendrites of the mutant animals displayed an aberrant, large spheroid-like structure. Moreover, immunoelectron microscopy and analysis of mitochondrial-enriched cerebellum fractions indicate that WDR81 is localized in mitochondria of Purkinje cell neurons. Because the nur5 mouse mutant demonstrates phenotypic similarities to the human disease, it provides a valuable genetic model for elucidating the pathogenic mechanism of the WDR81 mutation in CAMRQ2.
Airway hyperresponsiveness in workers exposed to low levels of irritants.

The purpose of this study was to assess the association between occupational exposure to low levels of airway irritants, and airway responsiveness to histamine. In 688 male workers, symptom prevalence was assessed according to the British Medical Research Council (BMRC) questionnaire. All subjects performed a 30 s tidal breathing challenge test. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) was defined as a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) at < or = 32 mg.ml-1 histamine. On the basis of job titles and working department, the exposure status of all workers was characterized into seven groups: 1) reference group; 2) white collars; 3) SO2, HCl, SO4(2-); 4) polyester vapour; 5) oil mist and oil vapour; 6) polyamide and polyester vapour; and 7) multiple exposures. Using multiple logistic regression, no association was found between the exposure groups and a higher prevalence of AHR. A higher prevalence was significantly associated with a low FEV1, a history of allergy, and the presence of chronic respiratory symptoms. Subjects in the SO2 group and the oil mist group with < or = 5 exposure years had a lower prevalence of AHR, probably due to pre-employment selection procedures. There was some trend for subjects with more than 5 yrs exposure to polyester vapour and to oil mist and to oil vapour to have a higher prevalence of AHR. Analyses using the dose-response slope according to O'Connor, revealed similar results and provides no additional information. We conclude that no association could be demonstrated between low grade exposure to airway irritants and airway hyperresponsiveness, and that further research is needed to elucidate this relationship.
Faktor-Faktor Penentu Tingkat Pemahaman Akuntansi

Framework for the Development of Accounting Education Research which ispromulgated by the American Accounting Association (AAA), state that special research for accounting education is a need. Tikollah et al. (2006) found that the degree of accounting knowledge is increased by emotional intelligence and students’ self-confidence. This study tries to evaluate the effect of emotional intelligence, study behavior, and culture to the degree of accounting knowledge that is moderated by self confidence. The research population is all of the students in Semarang. While the samples were collected using purposive sampling method. There are two criteria tochoose the samples; which are (1) student from the accounting department in sixth until eighth semester, and (2) the students in Sultan Agung Islamic University, Diponegoro University and Semarang State University. Based on these criteria, the samples are counted by 96 students. The result revealed that emotional intelligence and study behavior has a significant positive effect to the degree of accounting knowledge. Culture does not have a significant effect to the the degree of accounting knowledge. Moreover, the research could not provide evidence that self-confidence is a moderating variable to increase degree of accounting knowledge.
Performance of recommender algorithms on top-n recommendation tasks

In many commercial systems, the 'best bet' recommendations are shown, but the predicted rating values are not. This is usually referred to as a top-N recommendation task, where the goal of the recommender system is to find a few specific items which are supposed to be most appealing to the user. Common methodologies based on error metrics (such as RMSE) are not a natural fit for evaluating the top-N recommendation task. Rather, top-N performance can be directly measured by alternative methodologies based on accuracy metrics (such as precision/recall). An extensive evaluation of several state-of-the art recommender algorithms suggests that algorithms optimized for minimizing RMSE do not necessarily perform as expected in terms of top-N recommendation task. Results show that improvements in RMSE often do not translate into accuracy improvements. In particular, a naive non-personalized algorithm can outperform some common recommendation approaches and almost match the accuracy of sophisticated algorithms. Another finding is that the very few top popular items can skew the top-N performance. The analysis points out that when evaluating a recommender algorithm on the top-N recommendation task, the test set should be chosen carefully in order to not bias accuracy metrics towards non-personalized solutions. Finally, we offer practitioners new variants of two collaborative filtering algorithms that, regardless of their RMSE, significantly outperform other recommender algorithms in pursuing the top-N recommendation task, with offering additional practical advantages. This comes at surprise given the simplicity of these two methods.
Centralized Service Capability Interaction Manager (SCIM) architecutre to support dynamic-blended services in IMS network

Major success factor for the futuristic IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) based network is dynamically delivering a blend of one or more services simultaneously to the end-users based on their preferences and context. Such blended services, can range from triple play to dynamic context based services. To deliver such services 3GPP introduces a functional block called SCIM (service capability interaction manager). SCIM works at the service delivery layer and provides a capability to interact across various service capabilities and thereby enabling a framework to deliver a blended service. However to the best of authorspsila knowledge 3GPP has not detailed the roles and responsibilities of SCIM though it has envisioned its need. Moreover, the architectural details (distributed and centralized) of SCIM are kept open for finalization by scientific community or organization-based. In this paper, authors have presented a novel internal architecture for a centralized-SCIM to cater the needs of blended services in IMS networks. Authors study the proposed SCIM architecture by demonstrating a dynamic blended service. In this approach a blended service is represented in the form of an acyclic service graph where each node in the graph represents a service capability. Centralized-SCIM would choose one of the paths in the service graph dynamically resulting in delivering blended service. To demonstrate such functionality a typical use case related to a media, entertainment and content provider enterprise have been chosen. The call flow diagram for the proposed use case has been discussed.
‘I am not Mr. Mom:’ a qualitative analysis of at-home father’s struggle for legitimacy

Abstract Although scholarship on at-home fathers explores how men negotiate their masculinity and wrestle with social stigma, research has yet to address how language and micro-level interactions are used to undermine, or contest, men’s abilities to parent as well as to reconstruct dominant forms of masculinity and fatherhood. As such, the purpose of this study is to explore the challenges at-home fathers face when gender becomes a frame for evaluating their abilities to parent. Drawing on interviews with men who are primary caregivers, the focus here is on how language situates and delegitimize men’s parenting practices. The findings suggest that gendered discourses constrain men’s ability to parent and create struggles for them as they interact with family, friends and their community. Additionally, these findings demonstrate the flaws in redefining masculinity to incorporate childcare and the implications this process has on existing gender inequalities.