Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prior expectations induce prestimulus sensory templates

Significance The way that we perceive the world is partly shaped by what we expect to see at any given moment. However, it is unclear how this process is neurally implemented. Recently, it has been proposed that the brain generates stimulus templates in sensory cortex to preempt expected inputs. Here, we provide evidence that a representation of the expected stimulus is present in the neural signal shortly before it is presented, showing that expectations can indeed induce the preactivation of stimulus templates. Importantly, these expectation signals resembled the neural signal evoked by an actually presented stimulus, suggesting that expectations induce similar patterns of activations in visual cortex as sensory stimuli. Perception can be described as a process of inference, integrating bottom-up sensory inputs and top-down expectations. However, it is unclear how this process is neurally implemented. It has been proposed that expectations lead to prestimulus baseline increases in sensory neurons tuned to the expected stimulus, which in turn, affect the processing of subsequent stimuli. Recent fMRI studies have revealed stimulus-specific patterns of activation in sensory cortex as a result of expectation, but this method lacks the temporal resolution necessary to distinguish pre- from poststimulus processes. Here, we combined human magnetoencephalography (MEG) with multivariate decoding techniques to probe the representational content of neural signals in a time-resolved manner. We observed a representation of expected stimuli in the neural signal shortly before they were presented, showing that expectations indeed induce a preactivation of stimulus templates. The strength of these prestimulus expectation templates correlated with participants’ behavioral improvement when the expected feature was task-relevant. These results suggest a mechanism for how predictive perception can be neurally implemented.
Characterization of semi-insulating liquid encapsulated Czochralski gallium arsenide

This thesis consists of a study of several qualification techniques for SI LEC GaAs and the application of these techniques to various ingots. For use on the starting material before any doping procedures, the technique of studying the semi-insulating properties by monitoring the activation energy of dark resistivity with temperature was investigated. Experiments were performed on both ring dot as well as cloverleaf samples. Different activation energies for the dark resistivity were observed for temperatures above and below 290 K. Also, ingots with different background impurity concentrations were tested. Another technique applicable to the undoped starting material is Optical Transient Current Spectroscopy (OTCS). The occurrence of 'negative' peaks was simulated using a depletion layer model. The results showed that under certain conditions a recombination centre can produce a positive peak, a negative peak, or both a positive and a negative peak. Further analysis of the negative peaks led to the formulation of a field enhanced injection model to explain their occurrence. More than one negative peak was observed experimentally. In addition, the effect of different electrode structures on OTCS experiments was investigated. The effect of polarity on negative peaks was studied using ring dot structures and was found to agree with the proposed model. Some peculiar anomalies which were observed in investigating OTCS led to the discovery of a photocurrent memory effect with decay time constants of the order of minutes at a temperature of 266 K. This memory effect was found to be associated with surface modifications. The effects of surface passivation with Na2S were investigated. The method of normalizing the OTCS peak height with photocurrent was investigated.
Discontinuation and dose adjustment of metoprolol after metoprolol‐paroxetine/fluoxetine co‐prescription in Dutch elderly

Co‐prescription of paroxetine/fluoxetine (a strong CYP2D6 inhibitor) in metoprolol (a CYP2D6 substrate) users is common, but data on the clinical consequences of this drug‐drug interaction are limited and inconclusive. Therefore, we assessed the effect of paroxetine/fluoxetine initiation on the existing treatment with metoprolol on the discontinuation and dose adjustment of metoprolol among elderly.
Neuroplasticity following short‐term strength training occurs at supraspinal level and is specific for the trained task

Different modalities of strength training cause performance enhancements, which are specific for the trained task. However, the involved mechanisms are still largely unknown. It has been demonstrated that strength training could induce neuroplasticity, which might underlie the performance improvements during the first training sessions. Thus, we hypothesized to find task‐specific neuroplasticity after a short‐term strength training of two distinct strength tasks.
A detailed musculoskeletal study of a fetus with anencephaly and spina bifida (craniorachischisis), and comparison with other cases of human congenital malformations

Few descriptions of the musculoskeletal system of humans with anencephaly or spina bifida exist in the literature. Even less is published about individuals in which both phenomena occur together, i.e. about craniorachischisis. Here we provide a detailed report on the musculoskeletal structures of a fetus with craniorachischisis, as well as comparisons with the few descriptions for anencephaly and with musculoskeletal anomalies found in other congenital malformations. We focused in particular on the comparison with trisomies 13, 18, and 21 because neural tube defects have been associated with such chromosomal defects. Our results showed that many of the defects found in the fetus with craniorachischisis are similar not only to anomalies previously described in the available works on musculoskeletal phenotypes seen in fetuses with anencephaly and spina bifida, but also to a wide range of other different conditions/syndromes including trisomies 13, 18 and 21, and cyclopia. The fact that similar anomalies are seen commonly not only in a wide range of different syndromes, but also as variants of the normal human population and as the ‘normal’ phenotype of other animals, supports Pere Alberch's unfortunately named idea of a ‘logic of monsters’. That is, it supports the idea that development is so constrained that both in ‘normal’ and abnormal development one sees certain outcomes being produced again and again because ontogenetic constraints only allow a few possible outcomes, thus also leading to cases where the anatomical defects of some organisms are similar to the ‘normal’ phenotype of other organisms. In fact, this applies not only to specific anomalies but also to general patterns, such as the fact that in pathological conditions affecting different regions of the body, one consistently sees more defects on the upper limbs than on the lower limbs. Such general patterns are, again, seen in the fetus examined for this study, which had 29 muscle anomalies on the right upper limb and 22 muscle anomalies on the left upper limb, vs. seven muscle anomalies on the right lower limb and two on the left lower limb. It is therefore hoped that this work, which is part of our effort to describe and compile information on human musculoskeletal defects found in a wide range of conditions, will contribute not only to a better understanding of craniorachischisis in particular and of human congenital malformations in general, but also to broader discussions on the fields of comparative anatomy, and developmental and evolutionary biology.
XRD and TGA Investigation of Hardened Cement Paste Degradation

It is generally recognized that the environmental degradation of the concrete infrastructure is a serious, large scale and costly problem in many parts of the world. In this paper a deterioration of concrete by leaching of hardened cement paste due to aggressive water action is considered. Concrete from a hydro-electric power plant’ s pipeline 30 years old was characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTA). The study highlights the capabilities of the methods for the analysis of concrete towards the determination of hardened cement paste degradation. On the basis of a visual survey of drilled cores, a number of representative spots were selected for detailed testing and verification of visual estimates. The methods ascertain a leach of hardened cement paste on samples taken from a surface concrete cover layer of few millimetres, and from flaws like cracks, segregations or cold joints. On these samples XRD results showed small quantity of ettringite, calcium carboaluminate hydrate and Friedel’ s salt, and a complete leach of portlandite, while TGA results indicated small quantities of hydrates. Samples taken from flawless inside of concrete layer showed expected quantities of hydrates for the concrete.
Alopecia areata treated with hydroxychloroquine: A retrospective study of nine pediatric cases

Alopecia areata is a common hair loss condition that is often emotionally devastating for patients. There is a paucity of effective treatments available. Hydroxychloroquine has been reported as variably effective in inducing significant hair regrowth in adults with alopecia areata. The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the benefit and tolerability of hydroxychloroquine in pediatric alopecia areata.
Acidity of selected industrial wood species in Serbia

The acidity of wood has an important role in many areas of wood applications. Hence, this paper presents a study on the acidity of beech, fir and poplar, as the representatives of the most industrially utilized wood species in Serbia. The contents of both the soluble and insoluble acids were determined through the extraction methods with cold distilled water and sodium acetate solution, respectively, followed by the titration with sodium hydroxide solution. The acidity strongly differs among the three wood species used in this research. The amount of insoluble acids was the highest in fir, almost twice as much than in poplar, and about 68 % higher than in fir wood species. Such differences also showed a strong correlation with the gel times of UF adhesive mixes with hot water extracts. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TP 31041: Establishment of Wood Plantations Intended for Afforestation of Serbia]
When Patients Request the Knife Cesarean Delivery on Maternal Request

When Patients Request the Knife – Cesarean Delivery on Maternal Request Cesarean delivery on maternal request is defined as a prelabor cesarean delivery on maternal request in the absence of any maternal or fetal indications. There are many reasons underlying why women may desire this type of delivery versus planned vaginal delivery: anxiety over the birthing process, concern for perineal trauma during vaginal delivery, potential for urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse, or the desire of selecting the date of delivery.
Total Variation Regularized Tensor RPCA for Background Subtraction From Compressive Measurements

Background subtraction has been a fundamental and widely studied task in video analysis, with a wide range of applications in video surveillance, teleconferencing, and 3D modeling. Recently, motivated by compressive imaging, background subtraction from compressive measurements (BSCM) is becoming an active research task in video surveillance. In this paper, we propose a novel tensor-based robust principal component analysis (TenRPCA) approach for BSCM by decomposing video frames into backgrounds with spatial-temporal correlations and foregrounds with spatio-temporal continuity in a tensor framework. In this approach, we use 3D total variation to enhance the spatio-temporal continuity of foregrounds, and Tucker decomposition to model the spatio-temporal correlations of video background. Based on this idea, we design a basic tensor RPCA model over the video frames, dubbed as the holistic TenRPCA model. To characterize the correlations among the groups of similar 3D patches of video background, we further design a patch-group-based tensor RPCA model by joint tensor Tucker decompositions of 3D patch groups for modeling the video background. Efficient algorithms using the alternating direction method of multipliers are developed to solve the proposed models. Extensive experiments on simulated and real-world videos demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approaches over the existing state-of-the-art approaches.
The Impact of Ultrasound on the Use and Efficacy of Intraarticular Glucocorticoid Injections in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

Intraarticular glucocorticoid injections are common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. This study was undertaken to investigate whether ultrasound in combination with clinical examination is better than clinical examination alone at identifying joints that will benefit from intraarticular injections, and to compare the efficacy of ultrasound‐guided versus palpation‐guided procedures.
The performance of bone tissue engineering scaffolds in in vivo animal models: A systematic review

Bone tissue engineering is an excellent alternative for the regeneration of large bone defects caused by trauma or bone pathologies. Scaffolds, stem cells, and bioactive molecules are the three key components of bone regeneration. Although a wide range of biomaterials of various compositions and structures has been proposed in the literature, these materials are rarely used in clinical applications. Therefore, more standardized studies are required to design scaffolds that enable better bone regeneration and are suitable for clinical use. The aim of this systematic review was to compare the performance of scaffolds used in preclinical animal studies to determine which class of materials has achieved a higher rate of bone neoformation (osteoinduction and osteoconduction). The selected studies were divided into three groups according to the following experimental models: studies that used subcutaneous models, bone defects in calvaria, and bone defects in long bones. Despite the large number of parameters in the included studies, we generally concluded that biomaterials containing calcium phosphates had important osteoinductive effects and were essential for better performance of the materials. Furthermore, natural polymers generally had better performance than synthetic polymers did, especially when the materials were associated with stem cells. The combination of materials from different classes was the most promising strategy for bone tissue regeneration.
The anatomical components of the cardiac outflow tract of chondrichthyans and actinopterygians

The outflow tract of the fish heart is the segment interposed between the ventricle and the ventral aorta. It holds the valves that prevent blood backflow from the gill vasculature to the ventricle. The anatomical composition, histological structure and evolutionary changes in the fish cardiac outflow tract have been under discussion for nearly two centuries and are still subject to debate. This paper offers a brief historical review of the main conceptions about the cardiac outflow tract components of chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fish) and actinopterygians (ray‐finned fish) which have been put forward since the beginning of the nineteenth century up to the current day. We focus on the evolutionary origin of the outflow tract components and the changes to which they have been subject in the major extant groups of chondrichthyans and actinopterygians. In addition, an attempt is made to infer the primitive anatomical design of the heart of the gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates). Finally, several areas of further investigation are suggested. Recent work on fish heart morphology has shown that the cardiac outflow tract of chondrichthyans does not consist exclusively of the myocardial conus arteriosus as classically thought. A conus arteriosus and a bulbus arteriosus, devoid of myocardium and mainly composed of elastin and smooth muscle, are usually present in cartilaginous and ray‐finned fish. This is consistent with the suggestion that both components coexisted from the onset of the gnathostome radiation. There is evidence that the conus arteriosus appeared in the agnathans. By contrast, the evolutionary origin of the bulbus is still unclear. It is almost certain that in all fish, both the conus and bulbus develop from the embryonic second heart field. We suggest herein that the primitive anatomical heart of the jawed vertebrates consisted of a sinus venosus containing the pacemaker tissue, an atrium possessing trabeculated myocardium, an atrioventricular region with compact myocardium which supported the atrioventricular valves, a ventricle composed of mixed myocardium, and an outflow tract consisting of a conus arteriosus, with compact myocardium in its wall and valves at its luminal side, and a non‐myocardial bulbus arteriosus that connected the conus with the ventral aorta. Chondrichthyans have retained this basic anatomical design of the heart. In actinopterygians, the heart has been subject to notable changes during evolution. Among them, the following two should be highlighted: (i) a decrease in size of the conus in combination with a remarkable development of the bulbus, especially in teleosts; and (ii) loss of the myocardial compact layer of the ventricle in many teleost species.
Effects on the Function of Arctic Ecosystems in the Short- and Long-term Perspectives

Abstract Historically, the function of Arctic ecosystems in terms of cycles of nutrients and carbon has led to low levels of primary production and exchanges of energy, water and greenhouse gases have led to low local and regional cooling. Sequestration of carbon from atmospheric CO2, in extensive, cold organic soils and the high albedo from low, snow-covered vegetation have had impacts on regional climate. However, many aspects of the functioning of Arctic ecosystems are sensitive to changes in climate and its impacts on biodiversity. The current Arctic climate results in slow rates of organic matter decomposition. Arctic ecosystems therefore tend to accumulate organic matter and elements despite low inputs. As a result, soil-available elements like nitrogen and phosphorus are key limitations to increases in carbon fixation and further biomass and organic matter accumulation. Climate warming is expected to increase carbon and element turnover, particularly in soils, which may lead to initial losses of elements but eventual, slow recovery. Individual species and species diversity have clear impacts on element inputs and retention in Arctic ecosystems. Effects of increased CO2 and UV-B on whole ecosystems, on the other hand, are likely to be small although effects on plant tissue chemisty, decomposition and nitrogen fixation may become important in the long-term. Cycling of carbon in trace gas form is mainly as CO2 and CH4. Most carbon loss is in the form of CO2, produced by both plants and soil biota. Carbon emissions as methane from wet and moist tundra ecosystems are about 5% of emissions as CO2 and are responsive to warming in the absence of any other changes. Winter processes and vegetation type also affect CH4 emissions as well as exchanges of energy between biosphere and atmosphere. Arctic ecosystems exhibit the largest seasonal changes in energy exchange of any terrestrial ecosystem because of the large changes in albedo from late winter, when snow reflects most incoming radiation, to summer when the ecosystem absorbs most incoming radiation. Vegetation profoundly influences the water and energy exchange of Arctic ecosystems. Albedo during the period of snow cover declines from tundra to forest tundra to deciduous forest to evergreen forest. Shrubs and trees increase snow depth which in turn increases winter soil temperatures. Future changes in vegetation driven by climate change are therefore, very likely to profoundly alter regional climate.
Bioaccumulation of perfluoroalkyl acids including the isomers of perfluorooctane sulfonate in carp (Cyprinus carpio) in a sediment/water microcosm

Carp (Cyprinus carpio) were exposed to perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) isomers in an artificially contaminated sediment/water microcosm. The uptake constant of PFAAs increased with increasing carbon chain length, whereas the elimination coefficient displayed the opposite trend, suggesting that carbon chain length plays an important role in the bioaccumulation of PFAAs. When the contribution of suspended particulate matter was taken into account, the bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) became lower (3.61–600 L/kg) compared with BAFs derived from only considering the absorption from free PFAAs in water (3.85–97000 L/kg). The results indicate that suspended particulate matter in water constitutes an important source of exposure for aquatic organisms to long‐chain PFAAs. Linear (n‐)PFOS was preferentially accumulated compared with branched isomers in carp. Among the branched isomers, 1m‐PFOS displayed the greatest bioaccumulation, whereas m2‐PFOS had the lowest. Linear PFOS displayed greater partitioning ability from blood to other tissues over branched PFOS (br‐PFOS) isomers, leading to a relatively lower n‐PFOS proportion in blood. In summary, suspended particulate matter made a contribution to the accumulation of long‐chain PFAAs in aquatic organisms, and n‐PFOS was preferentially accumulated compared with br‐PFOS isomers. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:3005–3013. © 2016 SETAC
Role of the immune system in the peritoneal tumor spread of high grade serous ovarian cancer

The immune system plays a critical role in cancer progression and overall survival. Still, it is unclear if differences in the immune response are associated with different patterns of tumor spread apparent in high grade serous ovarian cancer patients and previously described by us. In this study we aimed to assess the role of the immune system in miliary (widespread, millet-sized lesions) and non-miliary (bigger, exophytically growing implants) tumor spread. To achieve this we comprehensively analyzed tumor tissues, blood, and ascites from 41 patients using immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, RNA sequencing, multiplexed immunoassays, and immunohistochemistry. Results showed that inflammation markers were systemically higher in miliary. In contrast, in non-miliary lymphocyte and monocyte/macrophage infiltration into the ascites was higher as well as the levels of PD-1 expression in tumor associated cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and PD-L1 expression in tumor cells. Furthermore, in ascites of miliary patients more epithelial tumor cells were present compared to non-miliary, possibly due to the active down-regulation of anti-tumor responses by B-cells and regulatory T-cells. Summarizing, adaptive immune responses prevailed in patients with non-miliary spread, whereas in patients with miliary spread a higher involvement of the innate immune system was apparent while adaptive responses were counteracted by immune suppressive cells and factors.