Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Better support for a small effective population size of Neandertals and a long shared history of Neandertals and Denisovans

Rogers et al. (1) compare the sharing of derived alleles among the genomes of Africans, non-Africans, a Neandertal, and a Denisovan to infer the demographic history of archaic humans. They estimate that the effective population size (Ne) of Neandertals was ∼15,000 individuals and that Neandertals and Denisovans separated from each other shortly after their ancestor separated from modern humans (∼300 generations). These estimates are at odds with previous results (2) that suggested a smaller Ne for Neandertals [ranging from 1,000–5,000 individuals according to pairwise sequentially Markovian coalescent (PSMC) estimates of Ne over time] and a longer common branch for the Neandertal–Denisovan ancestor (5,000–10,000 generations). We note that the difference in assumed mutation rate between the two publications cannot account for the differences … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: pruefer{at}eva.mpg. de. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Integration of PSCAD based power system & IEC 61850 IEDs to test fully digital protection schemes

The deployment of IEC 61850-8-1 GOOSE & IEC 61850-9-2 process bus technologies facilitate the implementation of fully digital protection applications in modern substations. However, in order to test the behavior of such fully digital protection schemes for real power system, it is required to replicate the huge power system infrastructure and its dynamic conditions in a laboratory. This paper is an effort to solve the above issue and integrates PSCAD based power system and IEC 61850 IEDs. Instead of making IEDs as part of the power system, approach of this paper is to simulate the faults for a power system, using PSCAD, and then feed these fault waveforms to the protection IEDs in order to test and verify their behavior. Further, PSCAD generated data of fault waveforms is analog and converted to digital format for implementing and testing fully digital distance protection scheme using IEC 61850-8-1 GOOSE & IEC 61850-9-2 process bus technologies.
Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor enhances the production of eosinophil chemotactic lymphokine by egg-associated granulomas of Schistosoma japonicum-infected mice

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) produced by splenic lymphocytes obtained from Schistosoma japonicum-infected mice was partially purified by a combination of DEAE anion-exchange chromatography, concanavalin A-Sepharose affinity chromatography, and high-pressure liquid chromatography. When this partially purified GM-CSF was added to the culture of isolated intact granulomas, eosinophil chemotactic factor (ECF) lymphokine production by granulomas was significantly enhanced. The partially purified GM-CSF also enhanced ECF lymphokine production by granuloma T cells cocultured with syngeneic macrophages and specific antigen. The partially purified GM-CSF itself had neither ECF activity nor a synergistic effect with ECF lymphokine. When normal splenic macrophages were preincubated with the partially purified GM-CSF, they potentiated the ECF production by granuloma T cells under the presence of specific antigen. Augmentation of ECF lymphokine production by partially purified GM-CSF was further confirmed by using T-cell clones that were established from granuloma T cells. These results suggest that T-cell-derived GM-CSF primarily activate macrophages so that these activated macrophages can cooperate more effectively with T lymphocytes to produce ECF. Such potentiation of macrophage-T-cell interaction by GM-CSF may be important in the mechanisms of granuloma formation during an acute stage of schistosomiasis.
Body Ownership in Youth at Risk of Developing Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder and Healthy Controls using the Rubber Hand Illusion

Previous research has indicated a more flexible sense of body ownership in schizophrenia patients, as measured with the Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) paradigm. To assess whether a disturbance in body ownership may be a vulnerability marker for the development of schizophrenia, the current study compared the effects of the RHI between three groups: children with high familial risk of schizophrenia (SZ), children with high familial risk of bipolar disorder (BD), and a control group (HC). Furthermore, the RHI was compared between children with and without psychotic symptoms. Results indicated no differences in the RHI between the SZ, BD and HC group. However, the current study does suggest a stronger subjective RHI in children with subclinical psychotic symptoms. Hence, disturbances in body ownership may be related to clinical instead of familial risk. Due to the small sample size, these results have to be interpreted carefully.
Neural networks engaged in milliseconds and seconds time processing: evidence from transcranial magnetic stimulation and patients with cortical or subcortical dysfunction

Here, we review recent transcranial magnetic stimulation studies and investigations in patients with neurological disease such as Parkinson's disease and stroke, showing that the neural processing of time requires the activity of wide range-distributed brain networks. The neural activity of the cerebellum seems most crucial when subjects are required to quickly estimate the passage of brief intervals, and when time is computed in relation to precise salient events. Conversely, the circuits involving the striatum and the substantia nigra projecting to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are mostly implicated in supra-second time intervals and when time is processed in conjunction with other cognitive functions. A conscious representation of temporal intervals relies on the integrity of the prefrontal and parietal cortices. The role of the PFC becomes predominant when time intervals have to be kept in memory, especially for longer supra-second time intervals, or when the task requires a high cognitive level. We conclude that the contribution of these strongly interconnected anatomical structures in time processing is not fixed, depending not only on the duration of the time interval to be assessed by the brain, but also on the cognitive set, the chosen task and the stimulus modality.
Neural representations of expected reward and risk during gambling

Organisms continuously monitor the stimuli they encounter and the outcome of their actions. To survive in an uncertain world they aim for rewards and try to avoid punishments. Research in neuroscience, ecology, and economics implies that organisms base their decisions in uncertain situations on expected rewards and risk. Neuroscience focuses on reward prediction learning based on reward prediction errors. In contrast, economic studies emphasize risk in addition to expected reward. We used functional imaging in humans during gambling tasks to understand how the brain represents expected reward and risk. We find that brain activity in subcortical dopaminoceptive structures can be separated, both spatially and temporally, into signals that correlate with (mathematical) expectation of reward, and with reward variance (risk) – two fundamental parameters in financial decision theory. Our results suggest that the primary function of the dopaminergic system extends beyond its established role in learning, motivation, and salience: it signals different aspects of upcoming stochastic rewards – expected reward and risk. Based on financial decision theory we then hypothesized neural representations of prediction risk and prediction risk errors. We find that the insula represents both. In analogy with reward representations in subcortical structures, the signals are spatially and temporally differentiated. These findings expand our understanding of the neural basis of decision making under uncertainty by adding prediction risk estimation. Finally, we investigated where and how expected reward and risk are combined into the neural representation of a gamble’s overall value. Using canonical correlation analysis, we find a new predictor that – contrary to expected utility theory – adds risk to expected reward. This sum may define a metric of conflict or attention. This metric significantly correlates with activation in the anterior cingulate cortex a structure associated with conflict monitoring. Drawing on financial theories, we show how the brain represents expected reward and risk. Our results suggest that the earlier understanding of decision making under uncertainty needs to be expanded to include (prediction) risk as measured by variance as well as prediction risk errors. Such integration has far-reaching implications, in particular for pathological decision making.
UTAUT and UTAUT 2: A Review and Agenda for Future Research

This study reviews the most recent literature on UTAUT (Unified Theory of Acceptance, and Use of Technology) and UTAUT 2(Unified Theory of Acceptance, and Use of Technology) 2 by focusing on the findings and recommended future research. The papers, proceedings and dissertations included in the analysis were identified technology acceptance as the focus of their studies. This search was supplemented various websites which host scientific journals such as Emerald, Science Direct and Google Scholar. The initial search produced 65 papers. The studies examined works which employed UTAUT and UTAUT 2 by focusing on findings on the core constructs of UTAUT to predict Behavioral Intentions. The results confirmed previous studies that the four constructs of UTAUT contributed to Behavioral Intention even though PE seemed to be the most significant contributors. Findings also suggest UTAUT 2 has been more explanatory and list the suggestions for future works. The immediate implications are for researchers who wish to examine behavioral intentions, and managers who wish to ensure the acceptance and use of a new system or technology. This study bears a number of limitations. Number of papers examined is one of them. It would be more accurate to increase the number of paper examined. The other limitation is the ability to draw a statistical conclusion each research examined. This is due to a great variety of research topics, methods, constructs and contexts.
Gemeinsame Wissenskonstruktion in computervermittelter Kommunikation: Wirkungen von Kooperationsskripts auf den Erwerb anwendungsorientierten Wissens

Goals of this study are the analysis and the facilitation of knowledge acquisition in cooperative, computer-mediated learning environments. Two cooperative scripts to pre-structure communication have been developed with respect to content- and interaction-related aspects of the learning task. A content-related script sequences the content of the learning task, an interaction-related script prescribes specific roles and interactions. Both scripts have been analyzed with respect to their effects on processes and outcomes of knowledge co-construction in computer-mediated learning environments. The factors "content-related cooperation script" and "interaction-related cooperation script" have been independently varied in a 2X2-factorial design. 96 students of Pedagogy participated in the experiment. Results show, that interaction-related scripts substantially foster the participation and the acquisition of application-oriented knowledge, whereas content-related scripts facilitate focused knowledge application in the process of knowledge co-construction, but impair individual knowledge acquisitio
Sample processing obscures cancer-specific alterations in leukemic transcriptomes

Significance An important goal of cancer biology is to identify molecular differences between normal and cancer cells. Accordingly, many large-scale initiatives to characterize both solid and liquid tumor samples with genomics technologies are currently underway. Here, we show that standard blood collection procedures cause rapid changes to the transcriptomes of hematopoietic cells. The resulting transcriptional and posttranscriptional artifacts are visible in most published leukemia genomics datasets and hinder the identification and interpretation of cancer-specific alterations. Substantial effort is currently devoted to identifying cancer-associated alterations using genomics. Here, we show that standard blood collection procedures rapidly change the transcriptional and posttranscriptional landscapes of hematopoietic cells, resulting in biased activation of specific biological pathways; up-regulation of pseudogenes, antisense RNAs, and unannotated coding isoforms; and RNA surveillance inhibition. Affected genes include common mutational targets and thousands of other genes participating in processes such as chromatin modification, RNA splicing, T- and B-cell activation, and NF-κB signaling. The majority of published leukemic transcriptomes exhibit signals of this incubation-induced dysregulation, explaining up to 40% of differences in gene expression and alternative splicing between leukemias and reference normal transcriptomes. The effects of sample processing are particularly evident in pan-cancer analyses. We provide biomarkers that detect prolonged incubation of individual samples and show that keeping blood on ice markedly reduces changes to the transcriptome. In addition to highlighting the potentially confounding effects of technical artifacts in cancer genomics data, our study emphasizes the need to survey the diversity of normal as well as neoplastic cells when characterizing tumors.
High-Throughput Detection of Induced Mutations and Natural Variation Using KeyPoint™ Technology

Reverse genetics approaches rely on the detection of sequence alterations in target genes to identify allelic variants among mutant or natural populations. Current (pre-) screening methods such as TILLING and EcoTILLING are based on the detection of single base mismatches in heteroduplexes using endonucleases such as CEL 1. However, there are drawbacks in the use of endonucleases due to their relatively poor cleavage efficiency and exonuclease activity. Moreover, pre-screening methods do not reveal information about the nature of sequence changes and their possible impact on gene function. We present KeyPoint™ technology, a high-throughput mutation/polymorphism discovery technique based on massive parallel sequencing of target genes amplified from mutant or natural populations. KeyPoint combines multi-dimensional pooling of large numbers of individual DNA samples and the use of sample identification tags (“sample barcoding”) with next-generation sequencing technology. We show the power of KeyPoint by identifying two mutants in the tomato eIF4E gene based on screening more than 3000 M2 families in a single GS FLX sequencing run, and discovery of six haplotypes of tomato eIF4E gene by re-sequencing three amplicons in a subset of 92 tomato lines from the EU-SOL core collection. We propose KeyPoint technology as a broadly applicable amplicon sequencing approach to screen mutant populations or germplasm collections for identification of (novel) allelic variation in a high-throughput fashion.
Immune Inflammation and Disease Progression in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

The clinical course in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is highly heterogeneous, with some patients having a slow progression and others an accelerated clinical and functional decline. This study aims to clinically characterize the type of progression in IPF and to investigate the pathological basis that might account for the observed differences in disease behavior. Clinical and functional data were analyzed in 73 IPF patients, followed long-time as candidates for lung transplantation. The forced vital capacity (FVC) change/year (< or ≥10% predicted) was used to define “slow” or “rapid” disease progression. Pathological abnormalities were quantified in the explanted lung of 41 out of 73 patients undergoing lung transplantation. At diagnosis, slow progressors (n = 48) showed longer duration of symptoms and lower FVC than rapid progressors (n = 25). Eleven slow and 3 rapid progressors developed an acute exacerbation (AE) during follow-up. Quantitative lung pathology showed a severe innate and adaptive inflammatory infiltrate in rapid progressors, markedly increased compared to slow progressors and similar to that observed in patients experiencing AE. The extent of inflammation was correlated with the yearly FVC decline (r = 0.52, p = 0.005). In conclusion an innate and adaptive inflammation appears to be a prominent feature in the lung of patients with IPF and could contribute to determining of the rate of disease progression.
Effect of Reduced Meal Frequency during Ramadan Fasting on Retinal and Choroidal Thickness

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the effects of Ramadan fasting on central foveal thickness (CFT) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in healthy individuals using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). Materials and Methods: The EDI-OCT scans of 42 healthy individuals obtained after about 12 hours of fasting on at least the twenty-first consecutive day of fasting were compared to scans of the same patients taken one month after the last day they had fasted. Results: CFT values were similar for both time periods (p > 0.05). The SFCT was significantly higher after consecutive fasting days towards the end of Ramadan, compared to the SFCT after one month of no fasting (one month after Ramadan ended) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Ramadan fasting may lead to a significant increase in subfoveal choroidal thickness without affecting the central foveal thickness.
Distributed sensing of spectrum occupancy and interference in outdoor 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks

A spectrum monitoring campaign was launched in an outdoor urban radio environment to investigate the potential deployment of Cognitive Radio (CR) Wi-Fi networks in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. The campaign used a CR learning platform with 4, 8, and 16 sensors. This paper presents Wi-Fi spectrum occupancy and interference behaviour based on the outcome of one of the measurements using 16 GPS-synchronized sensors. At detection thresholds Td ≥ −62dBm, long-term spectrum holes were dominant on all Wi-Fi channels. However, at Td < −62dBm channel availability decreased making CR operation more challenging. Wi-Fi traffic was dominated by management packets which correlated strongly with channel occupancy and far exceeded data and control packets. We noted management and data packet redundancies in the current IEEE 802.11 standard causing inefficient spectrum utilization. About 2/3rd of management packets were beacons, and more than 1/2 of data packets were data-reserved and null (no data). We also noted, at Td ≤ − 82dBm, a large number of Wi-Fi users more than can be attributed to the immediate surroundings of sensors, but a small set of them was dominant producing the bulk of spectrum occupancy and interference. In addition, at least 25% of these users were detected only once over the 5.5 hours measurement time span. The measurements showed spatial variations of the Wi-Fi environment over a small sensing area (21m-by-45m). We noted considerable non-homogeneity in the distribution of Wi-Fi interference at Td ≥ −62dBm, but some non-homogeneity at Td ≤ −82dBm. We also noted significant correlated fluctuations of received signal strength and non-reciprocal links over short distances between sensors.
Reasons Underlying Low Fish Consumption Where Availability Is Not an Issue. A Case Study in Brazil, One of the World's Largest Fish Producers

This research investigated consumer behavior toward fish in a population with low fish consumption, using the theory of planned behavior. A questionnaire was run on a sample of 200 fish consumers in the city of Rio Grande (RS, Brazil). The low frequency of fish consumption could be due to different barriers: a perceived difficulty in buying, preparing, cooking, the belief that it is expensive or the unpleasant sensory properties linked to fish (fishbones or smell). But there can also be cultural parameters determining habits and low consumption. Exploring the individual factors that determine fish consumption makes it possible to develop public policy strategies. Results showed that attitudes toward eating fish, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control all had a significant positive influence on the intention to eat fish. Intention and attitude both proved significant determinants of fish consumption frequency, with attitude inversely correlated to fish consumption. Habit appeared as an important discriminating variable for the consumption of fish. The findings show that the sampled population could be potentially bigger consumers of fish with the correct promotion strategies. The Brazilian government should plan campaigns to promote the habit of eating fish that use the idea of health-consciousness, target younger people and increase the appeals to give the family healthy food. Practical Applications The practical application of the theory of planned behavior as a tool to study a population with low fish consumption is that it aids the understanding of the factors and barriers influencing this behavior and facilitates planning for future changes in eating behavior.
Entangled complexity: Why complex interventions are just not complicated enough

The shift of health care burden from acute to chronic conditions is strongly linked to lifestyle and behaviour. As a consequence, health services are attempting to develop strategies and interventions that can attend to the complex interactions of social and biological factors that shape both. In this paper we trace one of the most influential incarnations of this ‘turn to the complex’: the Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance on developing and evaluating complex interventions. Through an analysis of the key publications, and drawing on social scientific approaches to what might constitute complexity in this context, we suggest that such initiatives need to adjust their conceptualisation of ‘the complex’. We argue that complexity needs to be understood as a dynamic, ecological system rather than a stable, albeit complicated, arrangement of individual elements. Crucially, in contrast to the experimental logic embedded in the MRC guidance, we question whether the Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) is the most appropriate method through which to engage with complexity and establish reliable evidence of the effectiveness of complex interventions.
At‐risk and Not At‐risk Adolescent Girls in Single‐sex and Mixed‐sex School Settings: an examination of their goals and reputations

Abstract The purpose of this research was to examine the goals and reputations of at‐risk and not at‐risk adolescent females in single‐sex and mixed‐sex school contexts. A total of 216 female students in Years 8, 9, and 11 (aged 13, 14, and 16 years) from six secondary schools in one of the capital cities of Australia participated in focus group interviews. Thirty‐six focus group interviews were conducted with each group comprising six students. Students were assigned to either at‐risk or not at‐risk groups based on behavioural and situational checklists completed by the students’ classroom teachers and/or school psychologists. Each group was asked a series of open‐ended, semi‐structured questions, pertaining to academic and personal goals, involvement in reputation‐enhancing activities and social network patterns. In addition, participants were presented with two vignettes that elicited information about perceived differences in image and reputation of boys and girls. Findings indicated that girls in single‐sex schools have higher aspirations, feel more efficacious about their academic achievements, and are more likely to set goals related to education than girls in mixed‐sex schools. Girls in mixed‐sex schools reported career, freedom/autonomy, and interpersonal goals more frequently than educational aspirations. Moreover, at‐risk girls were motivated by a desire for fun and improved life circumstances. In terms of reputation, it appears that engagement in early sexual activity and alcohol consumption is denigrating to the reputation of girls while socially desirable behaviour for boys.