Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the contribution of ventral-lexical and dorsal-sublexical pathways during reading in bilinguals

Several studies suggest the existence of ventral-lexical and dorsal-sublexical systems for reading. The relative contribution of these pathways can be manipulated by stimulus type and task demands. However, little is known about how bilinguals use these systems to read in their second language. In this study diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to investigate the relationship between white matter (WM) integrity and reaction time in a group of 12 Chinese–English bilingual and 11 age-matched English monolingual adults. Considering a dual-route model of reading, the following four tracts were isolated in both the left and right hemispheres using a tractography measurement approach. Ventral tracts included the uncinate fasciculus (UF) and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). The dorsal tracts of interest were the arcuate fasciculus (AF) and the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). A significant correlation between the reaction time in a reading task and the mean diffusivity (MD) value was observed in the right UF in both bilingual and monolingual groups. Moreover, in the bilingual group we observed significantly more positive relationships between reaction time and MD in the right AF, and bilaterally in the SLF. We concluded that the relative contribution of the dorsal system for reading is greater in bilinguals than monolinguals. Further, these findings implicate a role of the right hemisphere in reading.
Adaptive Kernel-Based Image Denoising Employing Semi-Parametric Regularization

The main contribution of this paper is the development of a novel approach, based on the theory of Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces (RKHS), for the problem of noise removal in the spatial domain. The proposed methodology has the advantage that it is able to remove any kind of additive noise (impulse, gaussian, uniform, etc.) from any digital image, in contrast to the most commonly used denoising techniques, which are noise dependent. The problem is cast as an optimization task in a RKHS, by taking advantage of the celebrated Representer Theorem in its semi-parametric formulation. The semi-parametric formulation, although known in theory, has so far found limited, to our knowledge, application. However, in the image denoising problem, its use is dictated by the nature of the problem itself. The need for edge preservation naturally leads to such a modeling. Examples verify that in the presence of gaussian noise the proposed methodology performs well compared to wavelet based technics and outperforms them significantly in the presence of impulse or mixed noise.
Corneal Endothelium Evaluation After Phacoemulsification With Continuous Anterior Chamber Infusion

To determine if the use of continuous anterior chamber infusion (CACI) during conventional phacoemulsification can damage the corneal structure by adding an additional hydrodynamic stress to the corneal endothelium intraoperatively and to use this option routinely in small-incision phacoemulsification to soften its learning curve. Methods: We performed a prospective, interventional, case series of patients with cataract who underwent phacoemulsification. Patients were previously classified into 2 groups based on whether CACI was used (group 2) intraoperatively or not (group 1). Pachymetry and endothelial cell (EC) density were evaluated before and after surgery, and data were compared between the 2 groups. Eyes with values of EC density less than 1000 cells/mm2 or showing previous corneal structural alterations were excluded from the study. Results: Sixty-seven eyes were included in our study from September 2002 to January 2003. Group 1 included 31 eyes (mean pachymetry 520.4 μm and EC density 2883), and group 2 included 36 eyes (mean pachymetry 519.0 and EC density 2627). Multivariate analysis of postoperative data following a multiple regression model showed an increase in pachymetry for both groups at 24 hours after surgery that progressively diminished until the last visit 4 weeks postoperatively, and no statistically significant differences were found between the groups. EC density displayed an abrupt loss for both groups, especially for group 2, that reached statistical significance at day 7 after surgery (P = 0.020). EC density experienced an increase for both groups in follow-up visits, and it was not statistically different at last postoperative control (P = 0.361). Conclusions: The trend in modern cataract surgery is to reduce postoperative ocular trauma, and this can be achieved by small-incision phacoemulsification. But it requires a learning curve that we believe can be softened by using some surgical maneuvers such as continuous anterior chamber infusion, which minimizes the risk for anterior chamber collapse during the intervention. Comparing postoperative pachymetry and EC density between group 1 and 2, we found that the use of CACI does not add any additional damage to corneal structures because the initial statistically significant EC loss at day 7 postoperatively has a prompt recovery in subsequent visits, and then the EC loss remains similar in both groups. Transition from conventional to bimanual phacoemulsification can be simplified by using CACI, and it does not increase postoperative corneal damage.
Cis-regulatory Elements and Human Evolution

Modification of gene regulation has long been considered an important force in human evolution, particularly through changes to cis-regulatory elements (CREs) that function in transcriptional regulation. For decades, however, the study of cis-regulatory evolution was severely limited by the available data. New data sets describing the locations of CREs and genetic variation within and between species have now made it possible to study CRE evolution much more directly on a genome-wide scale. Here, we review recent research on the evolution of CREs in humans based on large-scale genomic data sets. We consider inferences based on primate divergence, human polymorphism, and combinations of divergence and polymorphism. We then consider “new frontiers” in this field stemming from recent research on transcriptional regulation.
Increased Plasma Thrombomodulin as a Vascular Endothelial Cell Marker in Patients With Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome

Several hemostatic and vascular endothelial cell markers were measured in 39 patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP)/hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and in 20 healthy volunteers to examine the relationship between the occurrence of hemostatic abnormality or vascular endothelial cell injury and patient outcome. The plasma levels of von Willebrand factor, tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), and the TPA-PAI-1 complex were significantly increased in TTP/HUS patients; however, the levels of these markers were not significantly different between TTP/HUS patients who survived and those who died, suggesting that these markers might not be directly related to outcome. The plasma levels of soluble granule membrane protein (GMP)-140 were significantly higher in TTP/ HUS patients than in healthy volunteers, suggesting that platelets and vascular endothelial cells are activated or injured in TTP/HUS. There was no significant difference in GMP-140 levels between TTP/HUS patients with good and poor prognoses ; this may be owing to the release of GMP-140 from platelets. The plasma thrombomodulin (TM) levels in TTP/ HUS patients were significantly higher than in healthy volunteers; the plasma TM levels were significantly higher in patients who died than in patients who survived. These findings showed that TM levels reflect the outcome and that the outcome of TTP/HUS depends on the presence vascular endothelial cell injury. The plasma protein C and antithrombin levels were markedly reduced in TTP/HUS patients who died compared with those who survived. These findings suggest that reduced plasma antithrombin and protein C may be useful markers of systemic vascular endothelial injury. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that the outcome of TTP/HUS is related to vascular endothelial cell injury and that plasma TM, antithrombin, and protein C levels may be useful markers of systemic vascular endothelial cell injury.
Structure and characterization of the glycan moiety of L-amino-acid oxidase from the Malayan pit viper Calloselasma rhodostoma.

Ophidian L-amino-acid oxidase (L-amino-acid oxygen:oxidoreductase, deaminating, EC 1.4.3.2) is found in the venom of many poisonous snakes (crotalids, elapids and viperids). This FAD-dependent glycoprotein has been studied from several snake species (e.g. Crotalus adamanteus, Crotalus atrox and Calloselasma rhodostoma) in detail with regard to the biochemical and enzymatic properties. The nature of glycosylation, however, as well as the chemical structure(s) of the attached oligosaccharide(s) are unknown. In view of the putative involvement of the glycan moiety in the biological effects of ophidian L-amino-acid oxidase, notably the apoptotic activity of the enzyme, structural knowledge is needed to evaluate its exact function. In this study we report on the glycosylation of L-amino-acid oxidase from the venom of the Malayan pit viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma). Its glycosylation is remarkably homogeneous with the major oligosaccharide accounting for approximately 90% of the total sugar content. Based on detailed analysis of the isolated oligosaccharide by 2D NMR spectroscopies and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry the glycan is identified as a bis-sialylated, biantennary, core-fucosylated dodecasaccharide. The biological significance of this finding is discussed in light of the biological activities of the enzyme.
COMPETITIVE CELL-SPECIFIC INTEGRATION AND SURVIVAL OF ADULT-BORN NEURONS IN THE MOUSE OLFACTORY BULB

In several areas of the adult brain, notably the olfactory bulb, new neurons are generated and integrated into existing mature circuits. This observation raises questions about how an ongoing developmental process shapes adult brain circuitry and opens potential treatment avenues for neurological disorders such as traumatic brain injury, ischemia, depression, and degenerative diseases. In the networks where adult neurogenesis occurs, the integration of adult-born neurons is modulated by activity. The experiments in this dissertation are designed to address the hypothesis that adult-born neurons integrate into mature circuits in a competitive, activity-dependent manner. Specifically, we sought to address the question of whether activity in adult-born neurons directly causes enhanced survival of particular active newborn neurons in a cell-autonomous fashion, or whether survival is a competitive process in which the most active cells in the network have the highest chance of survival. To differentiate between these two hypotheses required manipulating activity both of the adult-born neurons and other neurons within the network. Here we used both virus-mediated reduction of cell intrinsic activity and reduced sensory stimuli to show that survival is a competitive process in which the most active cells in the network have the highest chance of survival. RNA-based knockdown of Na+ channels resulted in decreased survival of adult-born neurons from 10-21 d.p.i. We then investigated the role of circuit level activity by inducing sensory deprivation through naris occlusion. Adult-born neurons with normal cell-intrinsic activity showed a reduction in survival in a sensory deprived circuit. But, interestingly, adult-born neurons with reduced intrinsic excitability showed an increased rate of survival in a sensory deprived circuit. These results provide important insights into the role of activity in the integration and therapeutic potential of neural stem cells in mature functional brain circuits.
Anti-Mullerian hormone as a predictor of follicular reserve in ovarian insufficiency: special emphasis on FSH-resistant ovaries.

BACKGROUND Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is secreted by ovarian granulosa cells and its serum levels reflect ovarian follicle reserve. The main objective of this study was to test the use of AMH assay in identifying women with primary amenorrhea (PA) and existing follicles and to study follicle phase dependent AMH secretion. METHODS Serum levels of AMH were measured in subjects with FSH-resistant ovaries (FSHRO, n= 12), primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) with PA (n= 11) or secondary amenorrhea (SA n= 20) of unknown etiology, and controls (n= 23), and in Turner syndrome (TS) [45,X (n= 18), mosaicism (n= 7), structural X chromosome abnormalities (SCA, n= 10)], and healthy controls (n= 34). RESULTS Serum levels of AMH in women with FSHRO were comparable with those in control women (2.76 ± 2.37 versus 3.77 ± 2.36 ng/ml) and significantly higher than in women with PA (0.05 ± 0.04 ng/ml; P < 0.001) or SA of unknown origin (0.12 ± 0.20 ng/ml; P < 0.001). TS girls/women with 45,X or SCA had low serum AMH levels (0.13 ± 0.09 and 0.27 ± 0.19 ng/ml) compared with their controls (3.34 ± 2.23 ng/ml) or subjects with mosaicism (2.33 ± 2.81 ng/ml). AMH expression was detected in granulosa cells of women with FSHRO but not in any of the 45,X fetal ovarian specimens. CONCLUSIONS A serum AMH assay could be used to identify patients with decreasing ovarian reserves and POI. Moreover, our results support the notion that AMH is secreted mainly by small non-selected follicles, since follicular granulosa cells were AMH-positive and serum AMH levels were normal/low normal in women with FSHRO, who lack follicle development beyond the small antral stage.
Peer Encouragement of Risky Behavior and Other Statistical Predictors of Campus Sexual Assault Victimization

Campus sexual assault (CSA) is a chronic health crisis. There are many factors that are thought of to be predictors of CSA, such as alcohol consumption, which is the most robust correlate of CSA. Additionally, previous research (e.g., Flack et al., 2007) demonstrates a positive association between CSA and hooking up. Hazing is an activity that often includes alcohol and hooking up. Female peer encouragement of risky behavior (FPE) is a set of behaviors that women engage in with other women that may place them at higher risk for CSA victimization. Some examples of FPE include engaging in hook-up and drinking bets. The purpose of the present study was to test alcohol consumption, rates of hooking up, hazing, and female peer encouragement of risky behavior as statistical predictors of CSA victimization among females. Method. A random sample of 374 female undergraduates from the Bucknell campus responded to a web-based survey containing the short form victim version of the revised Sexual Experiences Survey (RSES; Koss et al., 2007). RSES endorsements were followed by questions about context of the assault, including five different types of hook ups. The survey also contained the AUDIT-C (DeMartini &Carey, 2012), a hazing measure (Allan & Madden, 2012), and a measure of female peer encouragement of risky behavior designed for this study. Results. A regression analysis found that class year, hooking-up frequency and the behavior of female peer encouragement of risky behavior were independent statistically significant predictors of CSA. Implications. If replicated, these findings should be used for local prevention and education efforts. Education should include female peer encouragement of risky behavior and ways in which these behaviors increase potential risk of victimization.
Reverse Engineering of Protocols from Network Traces

Communication protocols determine how network components interact with each other. Therefore, the ability to derive a specification of a protocol can be useful in various contexts, such as to support deeper black-box testing or effective defense mechanisms. Unfortunately, it is often hard to obtain the specification because systems implement closed (i.e., undocumented) protocols, or because a time consuming translation has to be performed, from the textual description of the protocol to a format readable by the tools. To address these issues, we propose a new methodology to automatically infer a specification of a protocol from network traces, which generates automata for the protocol language and state machine. Since our solution only resorts to interaction samples of the protocol, it is well-suited to uncover the message formats and protocol states of closed protocols and also to automate most of the process of specifying open protocols. The approach was implemented in a tool and experimentally evaluated with publicly available FTP traces. Our results show that the inferred specification is a good approximation of the reference specification, exhibiting a high level of precision and recall.
Use of antidepressants for major depressive disorder in children and adolescents: clinical considerations

Abstract Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a frequent condition among children and, especially, among adolescents. However, its clinical presentation usually differs from that of adults. It is also associated with other diagnoses and with an increased morbidity and mortality. However, MDD in this population remains underrecognized and undertreated. Antidepressants (ATDs) are chosen when psychoeducational, psychosocial and/or psychotherapeutic approaches have failed. ATDs are generally used in severe cases, and are always combined with psychological treatments. The objective of this work is to discuss the role of ATD in child and adolescent MDD. We focus on the recommendations of the most cited and updated clinical guidelines and discuss some controversial aspects with regards efficacy and safety issues that have been raised based on the information obtained from clinical trials. Finally, we offer some practical recommendations for clinicians. All these findings also pose some doubt on the hypothesis of MDD as a homogeneous phenomenon during the human life cycle.
Prevention of Bone Bridge Formation Using Transplantation of the Autogenous Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Physeal Defects: An Experimental Study in Rabbits

Preventive transplantation of autogenous mesenchymal stem cells into iatrogenically created defect in femoral distal growth plate in rabbit prevented origination of a bone bridge and healed the physeal defect in by hyaline cartilage. Immunofluorescence examination proved that the newly created chondrocytes originated in the growth zone as a result of differentiation of implanted MSCs. Growth of the right femur in the traumatized physis was preserved after transplantation of autogenous MSCs and, compared to the left femur (with physeal defect but without transplanted MSCs), substantial shortening and valgus deformity of the bone did not occur (p=0.018).
Molecular characterization of pncA gene mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from China

A sample of 35 pyrazinamide (PZA)-resistant and 30 PZA-susceptible clinical isolates recovered from Beijing and Taiyuan City, China were characterized by SSCP and sequence analysis for mutations in the pncA gene that encodes the Mycobacterium tuberculosis PZase. The purpose of this study was to understand the molecular basis and the characteristics of pncA gene mutations and its relation to PZA resistance in M. tuberculosis strains from China. Several mutations with base changes leading to amino acid substitutions were found in the PZA-resistant isolates. No mutations were seen in the 243 PZA-susceptible isolates. Among the 35 PZA-resistant isolates, 32 isolates (91·4%) had nucleotide substitutions, insertions and deletions that resulted in amino-acid substitution; or frameshifts in some strains. Other previously uncharacterized mutations were found as follows: Asn118→Thr, CG insertion at position 501; CC insertion at nucleotide position 403; a 8 base-pair deletion at start codon; Pro54→Thr; AG insertion at 368; Tyr41→His, Ser88→stop, and A insertion at nucleotide position 301. IS6110 subtyping revealed that each strain was unique; indicative of the epidemiologic independence of the isolates.
Organic aerosol components observed in Northern Hemispheric datasets from Aerosol Mass Spectrometry

Abstract. In this study we compile and present results from the factor analysis of 43 Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) datasets (27 of the datasets are reanalyzed in this work). The components from all sites, when taken together, provide a holistic overview of Northern Hemisphere organic aerosol (OA) and its evolution in the atmosphere. At most sites, the OA can be separated into oxygenated OA (OOA), hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA), and sometimes other components such as biomass burning OA (BBOA). We focus on the OOA components in this work. In many analyses, the OOA can be further deconvolved into low-volatility OOA (LV-OOA) and semi-volatile OOA (SV-OOA). Differences in the mass spectra of these components are characterized in terms of the two main ions m/z 44 (CO2+) and m/z 43 (mostly C2H3O+), which are used to develop a new mass spectral diagnostic for following the aging of OA components in the atmosphere. The LV-OOA component spectra have higher f44 (ratio of m/z 44 to total signal in the component mass spectrum) and lower f43 (ratio of m/z 43 to total signal in the component mass spectrum) than SV-OOA. A wide range of f44 and O:C ratios are observed for both LV-OOA (0.17±0.04, 0.73±0.14) and SV-OOA (0.07±0.04, 0.35±0.14) components, reflecting the fact that there is a continuum of OOA properties in ambient aerosol. The OOA components (OOA, LV-OOA, and SV-OOA) from all sites cluster within a well-defined triangular region in the f44 vs. f43 space, which can be used as a standardized means for comparing and characterizing any OOA components (laboratory or ambient) observed with the AMS. Examination of the OOA components in this triangular space indicates that OOA component spectra become increasingly similar to each other and to fulvic acid and HULIS sample spectra as f44 (a surrogate for O:C and an indicator of photochemical aging) increases. This indicates that ambient OA converges towards highly aged LV-OOA with atmospheric oxidation. The common features of the transformation between SV-OOA and LV-OOA at multiple sites potentially enable a simplified description of the oxidation of OA in the atmosphere. Comparison of laboratory SOA data with ambient OOA indicates that laboratory SOA are more similar to SV-OOA and rarely become as oxidized as ambient LV-OOA, likely due to the higher loadings employed in the experiments and/or limited oxidant exposure in most chamber experiments.