Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selective Interference with Syntactic Encoding during Sentence Production by Direct Electrocortical Stimulation of the Inferior Frontal Gyrus

Cortical stimulation mapping (CSM) has provided important insights into the neuroanatomy of language because of its high spatial and temporal resolution, and the causal relationships that can be inferred from transient disruption of specific functions. Almost all CSM studies to date have focused on word-level processes such as naming, comprehension, and repetition. In this study, we used CSM to identify sites where stimulation interfered selectively with syntactic encoding during sentence production. Fourteen patients undergoing left-hemisphere neurosurgery participated in the study. In 7 of the 14 patients, we identified nine sites where cortical stimulation interfered with syntactic encoding but did not interfere with single word processing. All nine sites were localized to the inferior frontal gyrus, mostly to the pars triangularis and opercularis. Interference with syntactic encoding took several different forms, including misassignment of arguments to grammatical roles, misassignment of nouns to verb slots, omission of function words and inflectional morphology, and various paragrammatic constructions. Our findings suggest that the left inferior frontal gyrus plays an important role in the encoding of syntactic structure during sentence production.
Interferometry of Fibrous Materials

An introduction to fiber structure Principles of interferometry Two-beam interferometry applied to fibrous materials Multiple-beam interferometry applied to fibrous materials Interferometric determination of fiber surface topography The effect of irradiation on the optical properties of fibers Interference microscopes Back-scattering of light waves from fibers Automatic analysis of interferograms References Author index Subject index
Melt Elongation Properties of Linear Low-Density Polyethylene

The melt extensional properties of a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) were measured using melt spinning techniques in a range of temperature varying from 150 to 200°C, and the entry flow method in the capillary extrusion at 170°C was used to investigate the effects of elongation strain rate, temperature, and extrusion velocity in the capillary on the melt elongation stress and viscosity. The melt stretching force at break decreased nonlinearly with a rise of temperature. A low melt elongation viscosity might be beneficial to improve the melt drawability. With the increase of elongation strain rate, the melt elongation stress increased while the melt elongation viscosity decreased nonlinearly. Both melt elongation stress and viscosity decreased with a rise of temperature. Under the experimental conditions, the melt elongation stress and viscosity decreased with an increase of extrusion velocity in the capillary. Moreover, the relationship between the elongation viscosity determined from the entry flow and strain rate was similar to that from the melt spinning flow.
Livin/BIRC7 expression as malignancy marker in adrenocortical tumors

Livin/BIRC7 is a member of the inhibitors of apoptosis proteins family, which are involved in tumor development through the inhibition of caspases. Aim was to investigate the expression of livin and other members of its pathway in adrenocortical tumors and in the adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) cell line NCI-H295R. The mRNA expression of livin, its isoforms α and β, XIAP, CASP3 and DIABLO was evaluated by qRT-PCR in 82 fresh-frozen adrenal tissues (34 ACC, 25 adenomas = ACA, 23 normal adrenal glands = NAG). Livin protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 270 paraffin-embedded tissues (192 ACC, 58 ACA, 20 NAG). Livin, CASP3 and cleaved caspase-3 were evaluated in NCI-H295R after induction of livin overexpression. Relative livin mRNA expression was significantly higher in ACC than in ACA and NAG (0.060 ± 0.116 vs 0.004 ± 0.014 and 0.002 ± 0.009, respectively, p < 0.01), being consistently higher in tumors than in adjacent NAG and isoform β more expressed than α. No significant differences in CASP3, XIAP and DIABLO levels were found among these groups. In immunohistochemistry, livin was localized in both cytoplasm and nuclei. The ratio between cytoplasmic and nuclear staining was significantly higher in ACC (1.51 ± 0.66) than in ACA (0.80 ± 0.35) and NAG (0.88 ± 0.27; p < 0.0001). No significant correlations were observed between livin expression and histopathological parameters or clinical outcome. In NCI-H295R cells, the livin overexpression slightly reduced the activation of CASP3, but did not correlate with cell viability. In conclusion, livin is specifically over-expressed in ACC, suggesting that it might be involved in adrenocortical tumorigenesis and represent a new molecular marker of malignancy.
A novel anti-jamming scheme for interference alignment (IA)-based wireless networks

Interference alignment (IA) is a prospective technique of interference management in wireless networks, and jamming is a potential threat for security, which will degrade the performance of IA networks severely. However, the jamming issue is simply ignored in the existing IA studies. In this paper, we propose a novel anti-jamming scheme for the IA-based network, in which there exists an adversarial jammer outside the network intending to interrupt the transmission of IA users. In the proposed scheme, the jamming and interferences are constrained into the same subspace at each receiver, and thus the jamming signal can be eliminated perfectly along with interferences. To achieve this goal, more antennas should be equipped or fewer data streams can be transmitted in the network. Thus the feasibility conditions of the proposed scheme are derived in the cases of one and more streams for each user, respectively. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
A Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling Approach to Searching and Stopping in Multi-Attribute Judgment

In most decision-making situations, there is a plethora of information potentially available to people. Deciding what information to gather and what to ignore is no small feat. How do decision makers determine in what sequence to collect information and when to stop? In two experiments, we administered a version of the German cities task developed by Gigerenzer and Goldstein (1996), in which participants had to decide which of two cities had the larger population. Decision makers were not provided with the names of the cities, but they were able to collect different kinds of cues for both response alternatives (e.g., "Does this city have a university? ") before making a decision. Our experiments differed in whether participants were free to determine the number of cues they examined. We demonstrate that a novel model, using hierarchical latent mixtures and Bayesian inference (Lee & Newell, ) provides a more complete description of the data from both experiments than simple conventional strategies, such as the take-the-best or the Weighted Additive heuristics.
Mathematical modelling for three problems in nanotechnology

The non-covalent interaction energy in multimolecular systems is a topic of considerable interest in nanotechnology, since it holds the key to understanding their equilibrium configurations and mechanical properties. For systems involving large numbers of atoms and molecules, the determination of the interaction energy becomes especially complicated and it provides a major challenge for computational chemistry. This thesis develops mathematical models resulting in analytical formulae for the interaction energy in three specific areas of nanotechnology. Aromatic interactions are generally found to stabilize the global structure of proteins and the double helical structure of DNA, and they also play an important role in recognition processes in biological and non-biological systems. However, the complexity and variety in the structure of aromatic molecules are major obstacles to a proper investigation of their interactions. In this thesis, we investigate a typical case of an aromatic interaction, namely that for a benzene dimer. The major result obtained in this thesis is an analytical expression for the interaction energy which is used to predict all possible equilibrium configurations of the benzene dimer. At sufficiently large distances, the relative orientation of the two benzene molecules is found to be approximated by the arctan of the ratio of the two separation distances in two mutually perpendicular directions. Aromatic hydrocarbons are emitted into the atmosphere as byproducts of combustion, and constitute one of the most widespread human pollutants known as carcinogens and mutagens. The fact that under normal environmental conditions, aromatic hydrocarbons prefer to stay on the surface of airborne particles, provides a possible solution for the elimination of aromatic hydrocarbons from the environment by exploiting materials with high surface area, such as graphitic structures. In this thesis, we study the adsorption mechanism of aromatic hydrocarbons onto a graphene sheet from a full investigation of the adsorption of a coronene molecule onto graphene. We find that coronene is adsorbed on graphene
Do parental decision-making patterns predict compliance with use of child booster seats?

ABSTRACT Booster seat use for 4–9 year olds remains the lowest of all age groups in many countries. The objective of this study is to examine whether parents’ decision-making patterns, as measured by the Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire, relate to car booster seat use. Israeli parents of 4–7 years old children (n = 398) answered a questionnaire about car safety and decision-making habits. Ninety per cent of parents reported having a booster seat; 70.5% reported consistent booster seat use in general and on short drives during the last month (booster seat use compliance index). Greater compliance index was positively related to a vigilant decision-making pattern, passenger compliance with rear seat belts and families with fewer children. Lower booster seat use compliance index was associated with buck-passing decision-making pattern. Health professionals and policy-makers should take into account parents’ habitual decision-making patterns when designing interventions for car booster seat compliance.
Prognostic value of serial B‐type natriuretic peptide measurement in asymptomatic organic mitral regurgitation

Optimal timing of surgery is crucial in mitral regurgitation (MR) to avoid excess mortality and morbidity. The role of brain‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in this setting remains controversial. We evaluated the value of serial BNP measurements for early prediction of deterioration in asymptomatic MR.
Prognostic Factors of Adrenocortical Carcinoma: An Analysis of the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Database

Objective: To define the prognostic factors associated with overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) for adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). Patients and Methods: We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database (1973-2014) to identify ACC patients. Correlated variables, including age, sex, race, tumor laterality, marital status at diagnosis, treatment of primary site, lymph node dissection, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, tumor size and tumor stage, were extracted. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression were used to define the prognostic factors. Harrell’s concordance index (C index) was calculated to evaluate the discrimination ability for the prognostic predictive models. Results: There were 749 ACC patients identified from the database. The overall median survival time was 22 (95%CI, 18-25) months. In multivariate analysis, age, treatment, chemotherapy and tumor stage were independent risk factors for both overall and cancer-specific survival. Tumor stage had a dominant effect on the cancer prognosis. Additionally, the ENSAT stage had better discrimination than the AJCC stage group in different predictive models. Conclusion: Our study shows that age, treatment of primary site, chemotherapy and tumor stage were prognostic factors for overall and cancer-specific mortality in ACC patients. Among these factors, tumor stage had a dominant effect. The ENSAT stage was more discriminative than the 7th AJCC stage group. Further multi-center prospective validation is still needed to confirm these outcomes.
Quantifying the Sexual Afterglow: The Lingering Benefits of Sex and Their Implications for Pair-Bonded Relationships

Sex presumably facilitates pair bonding, but how do partners remain pair-bonded between sexual acts? Evolutionary perspectives suggest that sexual afterglow serves this purpose. We explored how long sexual satisfaction would remain elevated following sex and predicted that stronger sexual afterglow would characterize more satisfying partnerships. We pooled the data from two independent, longitudinal studies of newlywed couples to examine these issues. Spouses reported their daily sexual activity and sexual satisfaction for 14 days and their marital satisfaction at baseline and 4 or 6 months later. Results demonstrated that sexual satisfaction remained elevated approximately 48 hr after sex, and spouses experiencing a stronger afterglow reported higher levels of marital satisfaction both at baseline and over time. We interpret these findings as evidence that sexual afterglow is a proximal cognitive mechanism through which sex promotes pair bonding.
Oral Health of Children and Adolescents in Da Nang

This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study comprising 840 randomly selected children in the age groups of 3, 5, 10 and 15 year-olds. All children were clinically examined for number of teeth, dental caries, dental fillings, plaque, gingivitis and probing pocket depth. Dental care and dietary habits were collected using a self-reported questionnaire. Among 3 and 5 year olds, 98% suffered from dental caries, compared to 91% of 10 and 15 year olds. The mean (SD) of decayed (initial and manifest) and filled tooth surfaces (dfs/DFS) in the different age groups was: 18.2 (14.1), 23.0 (15.4), 5.1 (4.2) and 6.9 (6.0), respectively. There was an average of ~ 30% in all age groups with plaque and gingivitis. Consuming milk with sugar more than 2–3 times a week (3 and 5 year olds) and eating sweets between principal meals twice a day (in 10 and 15 year olds) were statistically significant with caries prevalence. It is concluded that dental caries and gingivitis are significant public health problems among children in Da Nang, Vietnam.
Isolation, characterization, and antibiotic sensitivity assessment of Gallibacterium anatis biovar haemolytica, from diseased Egyptian chicken flocks during the years 2013 and 2015

&NA; Gallibacterium anatis biovar haemolytica constitutes a part of the normal microflora in the upper respiratory and genital tracts of healthy chickens, but it is also associated with different pathological conditions. In the current study, 102 commercial chicken flocks suffering from respiratory disease and/or drop in egg production were investigated for the presence of G. anatis during 2013 and 2015. These flocks comprised 8 breeder, 32 layer, and 62 broiler flocks. By culture method, 20 flocks were found positive: one isolate derived from broiler breeders, 6 isolates from layers, and 13 isolates from broilers. G. anatis biovar haemolytica was identified by phenotyping and PCR. Additionally, partial genome sequencing of 11 isolates (5 layer isolates of 2013 and 6 broiler isolates of 2015) based on 16S rRNA and 23S rRNA gene sequences was performed and revealed 96.5% to 100% genetic relatedness. Antibiotic sensitivity of these isolates revealed that the 2013 isolates were highly susceptible to florfenicol while the isolates of 2015 were highly susceptible to cefotaxime. Gallibacterium anatis biovar haemolytica is a newly introduced bacteria in Egypt causing salpingitis, peritonitis, drop in egg production, and/or respiratory signs.
Tack and shear strength of hybrid adhesive systems made of phenol-formaldehyde, dextrin and fish glue, and acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive

Abstract The development of adhesives that have good initial adhesion (tack) that provides improved mat integrity during shape-forming of wood composites has been the subject of recent research. Hybrid adhesives were made based on thermosetting phenol-formaldehyde (PF), to which three tacky adhesives were added: high tack fish glue (FG), dextrin glue (DX) and a commercial acrylic, pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA). Tacky adhesives were blended with PF at weight levels of 25%, 50% and 75%. The time-dependent tack development of the resulting hybrid adhesives was evaluated by means of a texture analyzer. The bond strength of adhesives was measured after curing by shear block test. PF/DX blends exhibited the highest tack during longer open times, while blends of PF and FG had low tack during shorter times. PF/PSA blends lost their bond strength completely after being heated at the curing temperature of PF. PF/FG blends did not show a significant decrease in bond strength compared to pure PF. The addition of DX had no effect on shear strength at ratios <75%.
Differential processing in modality‐specific Mauthner cell dendrites

The present study examines dendritic integrative processes that occur in many central neurons but have been challenging to study in vivo in the vertebrate brain. The Mauthner cell of goldfish receives auditory and visual information via two separate dendrites, providing a privileged scenario for in vivo examination of dendritic integration. The results show differential attenuation properties in the Mauthner cell dendrites arising at least partly from differences in cable properties and the nonlinear behaviour of the respective dendritic membranes. In addition to distinct modality‐dependent membrane specialization in neighbouring dendrites of the Mauthner cell, we report cross‐modal dendritic interactions via backpropagating postsynaptic potentials. Broadly, the results of the present study provide an exceptional example for the processing power of single neurons.
Dynamic PET image reconstruction integrating temporal regularization associated with respiratory motion correction for applications in oncology

Respiratory motion reduces both the qualitative and quantitative accuracy of PET images in oncology. This impact is more significant for quantitative applications based on kinetic modeling, where dynamic acquisitions are associated with limited statistics due to the necessity of enhanced temporal resolution. The aim of this study is to address these drawbacks, by combining a respiratory motion correction approach with temporal regularization in a unique reconstruction algorithm for dynamic PET imaging. Elastic transformation parameters for the motion correction are estimated from the non-attenuation-corrected PET images. The derived displacement matrices are subsequently used in a list-mode based OSEM reconstruction algorithm integrating a temporal regularization between the 3D dynamic PET frames, based on temporal basis functions. These functions are simultaneously estimated at each iteration, along with their relative coefficients for each image voxel. Quantitative evaluation has been performed using dynamic FDG PET/CT acquisitions of lung cancer patients acquired on a GE DRX system. The performance of the proposed method is compared with that of a standard multi-frame OSEM reconstruction algorithm. The proposed method achieved substantial improvements in terms of noise reduction while accounting for loss of contrast due to respiratory motion. Results on simulated data showed that the proposed 4D algorithms led to bias reduction values up to 40% in both tumor and blood regions for similar standard deviation levels, in comparison with a standard 3D reconstruction. Patlak parameter estimations on reconstructed images with the proposed reconstruction methods resulted in 30% and 40% bias reduction in the tumor and lung region respectively for the Patlak slope, and a 30% bias reduction for the intercept in the tumor region (a similar Patlak intercept was achieved in the lung area). Incorporation of the respiratory motion correction using an elastic model along with a temporal regularization in the reconstruction process of the PET dynamic series led to substantial quantitative improvements and motion artifact reduction. Future work will include the integration of a linear FDG kinetic model, in order to directly reconstruct parametric images.
Multiplex Genome Editing to Generate Universal CAR T Cells Resistant to PD1 Inhibition

Purpose: Using gene-disrupted allogeneic T cells as universal effector cells provides an alternative and potentially improves current chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy against cancers and infectious diseases. Experimental Design: The CRISPR/Cas9 system has recently emerged as a simple and efficient way for multiplex genome engineering. By combining lentiviral delivery of CAR and electro-transfer of Cas9 mRNA and gRNAs targeting endogenous TCR, β-2 microglobulin (B2M) and PD1 simultaneously, to generate gene-disrupted allogeneic CAR T cells deficient of TCR, HLA class I molecule and PD1. Results: The CRISPR gene–edited CAR T cells showed potent antitumor activities, both in vitro and in animal models and were as potent as non-gene–edited CAR T cells. In addition, the TCR and HLA class I double deficient T cells had reduced alloreactivity and did not cause graft-versus-host disease. Finally, simultaneous triple genome editing by adding the disruption of PD1 led to enhanced in vivo antitumor activity of the gene-disrupted CAR T cells. Conclusions: Gene-disrupted allogeneic CAR and TCR T cells could provide an alternative as a universal donor to autologous T cells, which carry difficulties and high production costs. Gene-disrupted CAR and TCR T cells with disabled checkpoint molecules may be potent effector cells against cancers and infectious diseases. Clin Cancer Res; 23(9); 2255–66. ©2016 AACR.
Azacitidine for myelodysplastic patients aged > 65 years: a review of clinical efficacy

Introduction: Therapeutic strategies for elderly patients affected by myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are scarce and only few patients have an advantage in performing allogeneic bone marrow transplant. Areas covered: Primary endpoints for treatment of elderly MDS patients were not curative, but rather allowing to maintain a good quality of life through prolongation of overall survival. In this context, azacitidine showed to improve responses in this subset of patients compared to conventional established regimens, such as intensive or low-dose chemotherapy and best supportive care. Good safety profile of the drug was reported either when it was used inside or outside clinical trials. Improved quality of response was observed when the drug was administered beyond the first response, and it is now usually recommended to continue it at the same dose and schedule in responding patients. Expert opinion: Evaluation of baseline prognostic factors and comorbidities may help to identify patients who can benefit from the prolonged administration of the drug. Real life data regarding efficacy and safety of azacitidine in MDS elderly patients are required in order to confirm the results of clinical trials.