Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural circuitry of emotional face processing in autism spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with severe impairments in social functioning. Because faces provide nonverbal cues that support social interactions, many studies of ASD have examined neural structures that process faces, including the amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex and superior and middle temporal gyri. However, increases or decreases in activation are often contingent on the cognitive task. Specifically, the cognitive domain of attention influences group differences in brain activation. We investigated brain function abnormalities in participants with ASD using a task that monitored attention bias to emotional faces. METHODS Twenty-four participants (12 with ASD, 12 controls) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging study while performing an attention cuing task with emotional (happy, sad, angry) and neutral faces. RESULTS In response to emotional faces, those in the ASD group showed greater right amygdala activation than those in the control group. A preliminary psychophysiological connectivity analysis showed that ASD participants had stronger positive right amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex coupling and weaker positive right amygdala and temporal lobe coupling than controls. There were no group differences in the behavioural measure of attention bias to the emotional faces. LIMITATIONS The small sample size may have affected our ability to detect additional group differences. CONCLUSION When attention bias to emotional faces was equivalent between ASD and control groups, ASD was associated with greater amygdala activation. Preliminary analyses showed that ASD participants had stronger connectivity between the amygdala ventromedial prefrontal cortex (a network implicated in emotional modulation) and weaker connectivity between the amygdala and temporal lobe (a pathway involved in the identification of facial expressions, although areas of group differences were generally in a more anterior region of the temporal lobe than what is typically reported for emotional face processing). These alterations in connectivity are consistent with emotion and face processing disturbances in ASD.
Trust and Tolerance across the Middle East and North Africa: A Comparative Perspective on the Impact of the Arab Uprisings

The protests that swept the Arab Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are expected to have influenced two key civic attitudes fundamental to well-functioning democracies: trust and tolerance. However, systematic comparative assessments of the general patterns and particularities in this region are rare. This contribution theorizes the uprisings’ impact and presents new society-level measurements of trust and tolerance for the MENA, synchronizing over 40 Arab Barometer and World Values Survey surveys on Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Yemen, from before and after the uprisings. The analyses firstly show political-institutional trust falling in the uprisings’ aftermath in countries that went through democratic reform or regime change. It appears that politicians misbehaving and reforms not resolving social problems hurt people’s trust in politics. Secondly, in democratic transition countries Egypt and Tunisia, a decrease in social trust reflected the pattern of political-institutional trust indicating a spill-over effect. Thirdly, ethno-religious tolerance dropped region-wide after the uprisings, indicating that the aftermath of religious conflict impacted the entire Arab region. These results support rational-choice institutionalist theories, while at the same time refining them for the MENA context.
Auxin-mediated rapid degradation of selective proteins in hippocampal neurons

Genetic manipulation of protein levels is a promising approach to identify the function of a specific protein in living organisms. Previous studies demonstrated that the auxin-inducible degron (AID) strategy provides rapid and reversible degradation of various proteins in fungi and mammalian mitotic cells. In this study, we employed this technology to postmitotic neurons to address whether the AID system could be applied to the nervous system. Using adeno-associated viruses, we simultaneously introduced EGFP fused with an AID tag, and an F-box family protein, TIR1 from Oryza sativa (OsTIR1) into hippocampal neurons. In dissociated hippocampal neurons, EGFP fluorescence signals rapidly decreased when adding a plant hormone, auxin. Further, auxin-induced EGFP degradation was also observed in hippocampal acute slices. Taken together, these results open the door for neuroscientists to manipulate protein expression levels by the AID-system in a temporally-controlled manner.
Measurement of lung volumes by plethysmography.

There are various ways of measuring absolute lung volume. These range from measurements derived from chest radiographs to the more common laboratory measurements employing either gas dilution or plethysmography. The principal difference between the latter two methods is that gas dilution techniques measure gas that is in free communication with the airway opening, whilst plethysmography measures all intrathoracic gas. Once the absolute lung volume is known, the other lung volumes can be measured from the change in volume
Effects of oxidized and glycated LDL on gene expression in human retinal capillary pericytes.

PURPOSE Modified (oxidized and/or glycated) low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) have been implicated in retinal pericyte loss, one of the major pathologic features of early-stage diabetic retinopathy. To delineate underlying molecular mechanisms, the present study was designed to explore the global effects of modified LDL on pericyte gene expression. METHODS Quiescent human retinal pericytes were exposed to native LDL (N-LDL), glycated LDL (G-LDL), and heavily oxidized-glycated LDL (HOG-LDL) for 24 hours, and gene expression was evaluated by DNA microarray analysis. Several of the gene responses were checked, and in each case confirmed by reverse-transcription real-time PCR. RESULTS HOG-LDL induced a gene expression pattern markedly distinct from that of N-LDL or G-LDL, whereas G-LDL elicited gene expression similar to that of N-LDL. A comparison of responses to HOG-LDL versus N-LDL revealed 60 genes with expression that varied by > or =1.7-fold. The HOG-LDL-responsive genes included members of functional pathways, such as fatty acid, eicosanoid, and cholesterol metabolism; fibrinolytic regulation; cell growth and proliferation; cell stress responses; the kinin system; and angiogenesis. CONCLUSIONS HOG-LDL elicits gene expression in retinal pericytes that may contribute to pericyte loss and other retinal abnormalities in diabetic retinopathy. Observed proapoptotic and proangiogenic responses to HOG-LDL may be of particular importance in this regard. The genes identified through these studies provide potential therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy.
Impact of androgen deficiency on the lipid profiles in human meibomian gland secretions.

Our previous research has indicated that androgen deficiency may be a critical etiologic factor in the pathogenesis of meibomian gland dysfunction, tear film instability and evaporative dry eye.1–3 We hypothesize that this may be due, at least in part, to significant alterations in the lipid profile of meibomian gland secretions.3 To test this hypothesis, we examined whether androgen deficiency, such as that occurring during aging in both sexes, complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS), the use of anti-androgen therapy and Sjogren’s syndrome (SS),4–7 is associated with significant changes in the fatty acid (FA) patterns of neutral and polar lipids in meibomian gland secretions. In addition, we determined whether lipid profiles could be used to separate individuals into clinically identifiable groups.
Timelike self-similar spherically symmetric perfect-fluid models

Einstein's field equations for timelike self-similar spherically symmetric perfect-fluid models are investigated. The field equations are rewritten as a first-order system of autonomous differential equations. Dimensionless variables are chosen in such a way that the number of equations in the coupled system is reduced as far as possible and so that the reduced phase space becomes compact and regular. The system is subsequently analysed qualitatively using the theory of dynamical systems. Using this approach, we obtain a clear picture of the full phase space and the full space of solutions. Solutions of physical interest, e.g. the solution associated with criticality in black hole formation, are easily singled out. We also discuss the various `band structures' that are associated with certain one-parameter sets of solutions.
Heparin is an adhesive ligand for the leukocyte integrin Mac-1 (CD11b/CD1)

Previous studies have demonstrated that the leukocyte integrin Mac-1 adheres to several cell surface and soluble ligands including intercellular adhesion molecule-1, fibrinogen, iC3b, and factor X. However, experiments with Mac-1-expressing transfectants, purified Mac- 1, and mAbs to Mac-1 indicate the existence of additional ligands. In this paper, we demonstrate a direct interaction between Mac-1 and heparan sulfate glycans. Heparin affinity resins immunoprecipitate Mac- 1, and neutrophils and transfectant cells that express Mac-1 bind to heparin and heparan sulfate, but not to other sulfated glycosaminoglycans. Inhibition studies with mAbs and chemically modified forms of heparin suggest the I domain as a recognition site on Mac-1 for heparin, and suggest that either N- or O-sulfation is sufficient for heparin to bind efficiently to Mac-1. Under conditions of continuous flow in which heparins and E-selectin are cosubstrates, neutrophils tether to E-selectin and form firm adhesions through a Mac- 1-heparin interaction.
'Smart' and 'Stupid' networks: why the Internet is like Microsoft

Is the Internet growing primarily because it is a dumb network, one that simply delivers packets from one point to another? Probably not. If were a dumb network, we surely would not need huge and rapidly growing ranks of network professionals. A more detailed look suggests that the Internet is succeeding largely for the same reasons that led the PC to dominate the mainframe, and are responsible for the success of Microsoft. Like the PC, the Internet offers an irresistible bargain to a crucial constituency, namely developers, while managing to conceal the burden it places on users.
Improving the correlation structure selection approach for generalized estimating equations and balanced longitudinal data

Generalized estimating equations are commonly used to analyze correlated data. Choosing an appropriate working correlation structure for the data is important, as the efficiency of generalized estimating equations depends on how closely this structure approximates the true structure. Therefore, most studies have proposed multiple criteria to select the working correlation structure, although some of these criteria have neither been compared nor extensively studied. To ease the correlation selection process, we propose a criterion that utilizes the trace of the empirical covariance matrix. Furthermore, use of the unstructured working correlation can potentially improve estimation precision and therefore should be considered when data arise from a balanced longitudinal study. However, most previous studies have not allowed the unstructured working correlation to be selected as it estimates more nuisance correlation parameters than other structures such as AR‐1 or exchangeable. Therefore, we propose appropriate penalties for the selection criteria that can be imposed upon the unstructured working correlation. Via simulation in multiple scenarios and in application to a longitudinal study, we show that the trace of the empirical covariance matrix works very well relative to existing criteria. We further show that allowing criteria to select the unstructured working correlation when utilizing the penalties can substantially improve parameter estimation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
BRAIN IMAGING: fMRI activations of SI and SII cortices during tactile stimulation depend on attention

Somatosensory cortical areas are widely studied with new functional imaging techniques, but usually with poor control over the attentional state of subjects. We applied fMRI to determine possible changes in activations of these areas due to modulations of attention. Attention induced large regional changes, mostly enlargements of activated areas, and more of those at SII than at SI. The number of instances where activation was only seen in attend conditions was also larger at SII than at SI. These results show the importance of controlling the attentional state of the subjects in imaging studies, and give evidence of the different roles of SI and SII cortices in the somatosensory system. NeuroReport 11:1673±1676 & 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Cryptococcus neoformans fails to induce nitric oxide synthase in primed murine macrophage-like cells

Nitric oxide (NO) is a microbiostatic gas generated by activated murine macrophages. Cytokine signals, gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) act synergistically to induce production of a macrophage nitric oxide synthase (NOS). A variety of intracellular pathogens, when recognized by macrophages primed with IFN-gamma, induce NOS by eliciting TNF-alpha secretion, which then functions as a positive autocrine signal. In cell culture assays, a murine macrophage cell line (J774), primed with IFN-gamma, was tested for NOS induction upon challenge with virulent Cryptococcus neoformans. C. neoformans failed to induce macrophage NOS as measured by nitrite production. This was true irrespective of the C. neoformans-to-J774 ratio. Other nonpathogenic Cryptococcus species likewise failed to induce NOS, yet Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Histoplasma capsulatum, and Candida albicans were efficient inducers of NOS. Conditions which promoted attachment and/or phagocytosis of C. neoformans did not lead to NOS induction (including opsonization with specific antibodies against C. neoformans). Assays for transcriptional repressors of NOS were negative. Tests for consumption of nitrite by measurement of additional products of NOS induction were negative. No TNF-alpha was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in supernatants from C. neoformans-J774 cocultures. A mutant C. neoformans strain with a minimal, but visible, polysaccharide capsule also failed to induce NOS; however, several nonencapsulated mutants of C. neoformans did induce NOS. Failure of C. neoformans to act as an inducer of NOS may be related to the virulence of this pathogen in mice; C. neoformans is a unique example of a facultative intracellular pathogen which fails to induce NOS in primed macrophages. The mechanism appears to involve the failure of TNF-alpha secretion once the macrophage comes in contact with the fungus. The presence of the polysaccharide capsule appears to mask the signal necessary for TNF-alpha secretion and, ultimately, NOS induction.
Increased erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation in the peripheral venous blood of patients with ischaemic heart disease and an eventful course

Objective — To determine whether increased erythrocyte aggregability has prognostic implications in patients with established ischaemic heart disease. Methods and results — We have adopted a simple slide test and image analysis to reveal the state of erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation (EAA) in the peripheral blood of patients with ischaemic heart disease and an eventful course (n=46) as opposed to those with an uneventful (n=43) course. A significant correlation was noted between the results of the erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation test (EAAT) and either erythrocyte sedimentation or fibrinogen concentration.When we sampled the results of fibrinogen in the group of eventful course they were not significantly different from the results obtained in the uneventful one.This was the case with the results of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.However, the variables of the EAAT showed a significant difference, the values in the eventful group being higher than those observed in the uneventful one. Conclusions — The EAAT is a valuable tool to disclose the presence of increased red blood cell aggregability in patients with ischaemic heart disease. Increased EAA might have prognostic implications in patients with ischaemic heart disease.
Rewarding Volunteers: A Field Experiment

We conducted a field experiment with the American Red Cross ARC to study the effects of economic incentives on volunteer activities. The experiment was designed to assess local and short-term effects as well as spatial and temporal substitution, heterogeneity, and spillovers. Subjects offered $5, $10, and $15 gift cards to give blood were more likely to donate and more so for the higher reward values. The incentives also led to spatial displacement and a short-term shift in the timing of donation activity, but they had no long-term effects. Many of the effects were also heterogeneous in the population. We also detected a spillover effect whereby informing some individuals of rewards through official ARC channels led others who were not officially informed to be more likely to donate. Thus, the effect of incentives on prosocial behavior includes not only the immediate local effects but also spatial displacement, social spillovers, and dramatic heterogeneity. We discuss the implications of these findings for organizations with activities that rely on volunteers for the supply of key inputs or products as well as for government agencies and public policy. This paper was accepted by Uri Gneezy, behavioral economics.
Effects of soybean oil supplement to diets of lactating dairy cows, on productive performance, and milk fat acids profile: a meta-analysis

Abstract The aim of this paper was to investigate the effects of soybean oil, an oilseed rich in the polyunsaturated fatty acid C18:2, on dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield (MY) and milk composition (including fatty acid profile) of dairy cows by using a meta-analysis approach. In the meta-analysis, effect size for all outcomes was reported as standardised means difference with 95% confidence intervals. Q test and I2 were calculated to detect the heterogeneity, with a meta-regression also used to investigate sources of heterogeneity. Results of the meta-analysis indicated that adding soybean oil to the diet of dairy cows decreased DMI, milk fat percentage (MFP), milk fat yield (MFY) and milk protein percentage (MPP), whilst significantly increasing MY. Unsaturated fatty acids C18:2, C18:1 trans-11 and C18:2 cis-9 trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) all significantly increased with soybean oil inclusion in the diet, whereas C18:3 was numerically higher but not significantly different. Milk composition, including MFP, MFY, MPP, short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids (C4–C20) and unsaturated fatty acids showed a significant percentage of heterogeneity. Results of the meta-regression indicated that dose of soybean oil, total fatty acids in the diet, and the concentration of C18:2 between groups receiving soybean oil and control are the most important factors affecting this heterogeneity. By performing meta-analysis and meta-regression it can be concluded that dietary supplementation of soybean oil to lactating dairy cows decreased DMI, and increased MY and the amount of unsaturated fatty acids in milk. Highlights Soybean oil dietary supplementation to dairy cows increased milk yield but reduced milk fat content. Milk fat in soybean oil dietary supplemented cows has a lower content of short-chain fatty acids, associated with de novo synthesis. Milk fat in soybean oil dietary supplemented cows has a higher content of C18:1 trans-11, C18:2 and CLA.
Recovery from DSM-IV post-traumatic stress disorder in the WHO World Mental Health surveys

Background Research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) course finds a substantial proportion of cases remit within 6 months, a majority within 2 years, and a substantial minority persists for many years. Results are inconsistent about pre-trauma predictors. Methods The WHO World Mental Health surveys assessed lifetime DSM-IV PTSD presence-course after one randomly-selected trauma, allowing retrospective estimates of PTSD duration. Prior traumas, childhood adversities (CAs), and other lifetime DSM-IV mental disorders were examined as predictors using discrete-time person-month survival analysis among the 1575 respondents with lifetime PTSD. Results 20%, 27%, and 50% of cases recovered within 3, 6, and 24 months and 77% within 10 years (the longest duration allowing stable estimates). Time-related recall bias was found largely for recoveries after 24 months. Recovery was weakly related to most trauma types other than very low [odds-ratio (OR) 0.2–0.3] early-recovery (within 24 months) associated with purposefully injuring/torturing/killing and witnessing atrocities and very low later-recovery (25+ months) associated with being kidnapped. The significant ORs for prior traumas, CAs, and mental disorders were generally inconsistent between early- and later-recovery models. Cross-validated versions of final models nonetheless discriminated significantly between the 50% of respondents with highest and lowest predicted probabilities of both early-recovery (66–55% v. 43%) and later-recovery (75–68% v. 39%). Conclusions We found PTSD recovery trajectories similar to those in previous studies. The weak associations of pre-trauma factors with recovery, also consistent with previous studies, presumably are due to stronger influences of post-trauma factors.
TOXIC EFFECTS OF 2.5% SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE, 17% ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETIC ACID, AND 2% CHLORHEXIDINE SOLUTIONS ON THE VIABILITY OF DENTAL PULP MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS

Objective: Disinfection of the root canal system is a key factor in the success of regenerative endodontic treatment. However, dental irrigationsolutions must exert bactericidal effects while maintaining stem cell viability. This study aimed to compare the effects of solutions containing 2.5%sodium hypochlorite, 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and 2% chlorhexidine on the viability of dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells.Methods: Primary cells were obtained from immature third molars and cultured. Subsequently, an immunofluorescence assay specific for themesenchymal stem cell marker STRO-1 was used to identify dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells in the cultures. These cells were exposed to the threeabove-described solutions, after which cell viability was analyzed using an 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay.Results: The viabilities of dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells treated with the three irrigating solutions differed significantly from the viability ofcontrol cells (P ≤ 0.05). However, no significant differences in cell viability were observed among the solutions (P ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: All tested solutions had toxic effects on the viability of dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells.
Active muscle and tendon stiffness of plantar flexors in sprinters

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare muscle and tendon stiffness under active conditions in sprinters and untrained participants. In total, 14 sprinters and 24 untrained men participated in this study. Active muscle stiffness in the medial gastrocnemius muscle was calculated based on changes in estimated muscle force and fascicle length during fast stretching after submaximal isometric contractions. Tendon stiffness was determined during isometric plantar flexion using ultrasonography. No significant differences were observed in active muscle stiffness between sprinters and untrained men at any torque levels. Furthermore, no significant difference was noted in tendon stiffness between the two groups. These results suggest that muscle and tendon mechanical properties in the plantar flexors under active conditions are similar in sprinters and untrained participants.