Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Contrast and Surface Code Explains Complex Responses to Black and White Stimuli in V1

We investigated the cortical mechanisms underlying the visual perception of luminance-defined surfaces and the preference for black over white stimuli in the macaque primary visual cortex, V1. We measured V1 population responses with voltage-sensitive dye imaging in fixating monkeys that were presented with white or black squares of equal contrast around a mid-gray. Regions corresponding to the squares' edges exhibited higher activity than those corresponding to the center. Responses to black were higher than to white, surprisingly to a much greater extent in the representation of the square's center. Additionally, the square-evoked activation patterns exhibited spatial modulations along the edges and corners. A model comprised of neural mechanisms that compute local contrast, local luminance temporal modulations in the black and white directions, and cortical center-surround interactions, could explain the observed population activity patterns in detail. The model captured the weaker contribution of V1 neurons that respond to positive (white) and negative (black) luminance surfaces, and the stronger contribution of V1 neurons that respond to edge contrast. Also, the model demonstrated how the response preference for black could be explained in terms of stronger surface-related activation to negative luminance modulation. The spatial modulations along the edges were accounted for by surround suppression. Overall the results reveal the relative strength of edge contrast and surface signals in the V1 response to visual objects.
When Strangers Pass

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated brain activity evoked by mutual and averted gaze in a compelling and commonly experienced social encounter. Through virtual-reality goggles, subjects viewed a man who walked toward them and shifted his neutral gaze either toward (mutual gaze) or away (averted gaze) from them. Robust activity was evoked in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and fusiform gyrus (FFG). For both conditions, STS activity was strongly right lateralized. Mutual gaze evoked greater activity in the STS than did averted gaze, whereas the FFG responded equivalently to mutual and averted gaze. Thus, we show that the STS is involved in processing social information conveyed by shifts in gaze within an overtly social context. This study extends understanding of the role of the STS in social cognition and social perception by demonstrating that it is highly sensitive to the context in which a human action occurs.
The Effect of Sample Size on Different Failure Prediction Methods

Neural networks and machine learning methods have proved in many ways and in a number of publications to be real challengers to statistical methods - especially to logit and discriminant analysis - in predicting failures. However, most of the studies have used a rather small data set, very often close to only one hundred observations. Therefore, it has been difficult to say whether there are any significant differences between the methods tested. In this study, we compare neural networks, a machine learning method, discriminant analysis and logit analysis using a large data set consisting of 570 companies. We investigate the effects of the prediction capabilities of the methods when using different sample sizes for estimation and testing, i.e. 400-170, 200-90 and 100-50. Our study shows that neural networks and the machine leanring method perform better than discriminant analysis and logit analysis when the sample size is 400 while there is no best performer when the sample size is decreased to 200 and 100.
The first double-blind, randomised, parallel-group certolizumab pegol study in methotrexate-naive early rheumatoid arthritis patients with poor prognostic factors, C-OPERA, shows inhibition of radiographic progression

Objectives To evaluate efficacy and safety of combination therapy using certolizumab pegol (CZP) and methotrexate (MTX) as first-line treatment for MTX-naive, early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with poor prognostic factors, compared with MTX alone. Methods MTX-naive, early RA patients with ≤12 months persistent disease, high anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide, and either rheumatoid factor positive and/or presence of bone erosions were enrolled in this multicentre, double-blind, randomised placebo (PBO)-controlled study. Patients were randomised 1:1 to CZP+MTX or PBO+MTX for 52 weeks. Primary endpoint was inhibition of radiographic progression (change from baseline in modified Total Sharp Score (mTSS CFB)) at week 52. Secondary endpoints were mTSS CFB at week 24, and clinical remission rates at weeks 24 and 52. Results 316 patients randomised to CZP+MTX (n=159) or PBO+MTX (n=157) had comparable baseline characteristics reflecting features of early RA (mean disease duration: 4.0 vs 4.3 months; Disease Activity Score 28-joint assessment (DAS28)) (erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)): 5.4 vs 5.5; mTSS: 5.2 vs 6.0). CZP+MTX group showed significantly greater inhibition of radiographic progression relative to PBO+MTX at week 52 (mTSS CFB=0.36 vs 1.58; p<0.001) and week 24 (mTSS CFB=0.26 vs 0.86; p=0.003). Clinical remission rates (Simple Disease Activity Index, Boolean and DAS28 (ESR)) of the CZP+MTX group were significantly higher compared with those of the PBO+MTX group, at weeks 24 and 52. Safety results in both groups were similar, with no new safety signals observed with addition of CZP to MTX. Conclusions In MTX-naive early RA patients with poor prognostic factors, CZP+MTX significantly inhibited structural damage and reduced RA signs and symptoms, demonstrating the efficacy of CZP in these patients. Trial registration number (NCT01451203).
The relationship between attitudes towards and knowledge of sexual diversity / La relación entre actitudes y conocimientos sobre diversidad sexual

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the links between the participants’ knowledge of sex roles, sexual behaviour and the realities of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth on the one hand, and their attitudes towards homosexuality and bisexuality on the other. One hundred and fourteen university students from different education programmes answered a questionnaire to identify their knowledge and attitudes. Descriptive statistics show that these future teachers knew little about the three topics evaluated and that their attitudes towards homosexual and bisexual people are ‘neither positive nor negative’. Correlational statistics show a positive link between knowledge and the participants’ attitudes. This study suggests new ways to improve training programmes for future teachers to prevent discrimination and bullying against homosexual and bisexual students.
Efficient Combination of Partial Monte Carlo Estimators

In many practical scenarios, including those dealing with large data sets, calculating global estimators of unknown variables of interest becomes unfeasible. A common solution is obtaining partial estimators and combining them to approximate the global one. In this technical report, we focus on minimum mean squared error (MMSE) estimators, introducing two efficient linear schemes for the fusion of partial estimators. The proposed approaches are valid for any type of partial estimators, although in the simulated scenarios we concentrate on the combination of Monte Carlo estimators due to the nature of the problem addressed. Numerical results show the good performance of the novel fusion methods with only a fraction of the cost of the asymptotically optimal solution. 1 General problem statement In many applications, we are interested in inferring a variable of interest given a set of observations or measurements. Let us consider the variable of interest, x ∈ X ⊆ R, and let y ∈ Y ⊆ R be the observed data. The posterior pdf is then given by p(x|y) = L(y|x)g(x) Z(y) , (1) where L(y|x) is the likelihood function, g(x) is the prior pdf and Z(y) is the model evidence or partition function. In general, Z(y) is unknown, so we consider the corresponding (usually unnormalized) target pdf, π(x,y) = L(y|x)g(x), (2) such that p(x|y) = 1 Z(y)π(x,y), i.e., p(x|y) ∝ π(x,y). 1 The problem that we intend to address is computing efficiently some moment of x, i.e., an integral measure w.r. t. the target pdf, I(y) = ∫ X f(x)p(x|y)dx = 1 Z(y) ∫ X f(x)π(x,y)dx, (3) where the unknown partition function can be obtained as Z(y) = ∫ X π(x,y)dx. (4) ∗This work has been supported by the Spanish government’s projects COMONSENS (CSD2008-00010), ALCIT (TEC2012-38800C03-01), AGES (S2010/BMD-2422), DISSECT (TEC2012-38058-C03-01), OTOSiS (TEC2013-41718-R), and COMPREHENSION (TEC2012-38883-C02-01); by the ERC grant 239784 and AoF grant 251170; by the European Union 7th FP through the Marie Curie ITN MLPM2012 (Grant No. 316861); and by the National Science Foundation under Award CCF-0953316. 1Note that, for the sake of simplicity and since the observations are fixed, we will often use π(x) instead of π(x,y).
PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FROM BANANA GERMPLASMS AVAILABLE IN SOUTH WESTERN REGION OF BANGLADESH

Banana remains available throughout the year and its consumption rate is also higher than any other fruits in Bangladesh. In developing countries they are the fourth most important food crop after rice, wheat and maize. The study was conducted to determine the physico-chemical characteristics of 19 banana germplasms and to develop products (chips and jam) from banana available in the south western regions of Bangladesh. The experiment was laid out in the completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Better performance was showed by germplasm No. 6 (Seeded kola) in respect of fruit width, depth and weight of non edible part while germplasm No. 12 (Kathali kola) was better in respect of fruit weight and edible part. The highest length was recorded from germplasm No. 7 (Kabli kola) and thickest skin was found in germplasm No. 14 (Anazi kola). The maximum titrable acidity (12.80 %) and TSS (19.89 %) content of fruit pulp were determined from germplasm No. 1 (Sagor kola-1). pH (5.140) and vitamin C (29.61 ml/100 g) were better in germplasm No. 6 (Seeded kola) and germplasm No. 5 (Kathali kola-1) while germplasm No. 14 (Anazi kola) was better in respect of carotenoids (18.96 mg/100 g), germplasm No. 12 (Kathali kola-2) in anthocyanin (0.2902 mg/100 g) content and germplasm No. 14 (Anazi kola) in flavonoids (0.1973 g/100 g) content of fruit pulp. In case of product development, banana chips were successfully prepared by using 0.01 g of citric acid, 3.0 L soyabin oil and 11 g NaCl in 1000 g mature green banana. Banana jam were successfully prepared using 900 g sugar with 50 g variations of the treatment in 1000 g of ripen banana.
Prediction Consistency: A Test of the Equivalence Assumption across Different Indicators of the Same Construct

Prominent theoretical constructs such as the Big Five personality factors often inspire the development and use of different inventories. This practice rests on the vital assumption that different indicators equivalently assess the same construct—otherwise, it would often be inappropriate to draw conclusions on the construct level. In comparison to the evidence typically relied on to support this equivalence assumption, we argue that a direct test of prediction consistency will provide further insights: prediction consistency is a necessary condition for the equivalence assumption that indicators from different inventories predict an external criterion to the same extent. Here, we outline guidelines how to design studies to establish prediction consistency and illustrate this approach in an experiment testing the prediction consistency of the Agreeableness indicators from three prominent Big Five inventories. Specifically, we considered prediction consistency with respect to honesty (vs. cheating) as the behavioral criterion for which a specific a priori hypothesis can be derived on theoretical grounds. Results contradicted predictions consistency and thus the equivalence assumption by showing qualitatively different relations to behavioral honesty, thereby also emphasizing that the interchangeability of inventories should generally be subjected to a strict test, rather than assumed. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology
TNFAIP3 (A20) is a tumor suppressor gene in Hodgkin lymphoma and primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma

Proliferation and survival of Hodgkin and Reed/Sternberg (HRS) cells, the malignant cells of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), are dependent on constitutive activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). NF-κB activation through various stimuli is negatively regulated by the zinc finger protein A20. To determine whether A20 contributes to the pathogenesis of cHL, we sequenced TNFAIP3, encoding A20, in HL cell lines and laser-microdissected HRS cells from cHL biopsies. We detected somatic mutations in 16 out of 36 cHLs (44%), including missense mutations in 2 out of 16 Epstein-Barr virus–positive (EBV+) cHLs and a missense mutation, nonsense mutations, and frameshift-causing insertions or deletions in 14 out of 20 EBV− cHLs. In most mutated cases, both TNFAIP3 alleles were inactivated, including frequent chromosomal deletions of TNFAIP3. Reconstitution of wild-type TNFAIP3 in A20-deficient cHL cell lines revealed a significant decrease in transcripts of selected NF-κB target genes and caused cytotoxicity. Extending the mutation analysis to primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma (PMBL), another lymphoma with constitutive NF-κB activity, revealed destructive mutations in 5 out of 14 PMBLs (36%). This report identifies TNFAIP3 (A20), a key regulator of NF-κB activity, as a novel tumor suppressor gene in cHL and PMBL. The significantly higher frequency of TNFAIP3 mutations in EBV− than EBV+ cHL suggests complementing functions of TNFAIP3 inactivation and EBV infection in cHL pathogenesis.
Client Engagement with a Manualized Group Therapy Program

ABSTRACT A mixed-methods design was used to explore factors influencing client engagement, in a short-term, manualized, group therapy program for people with substance misuse problems. Associations between predictor variables and engagement with the group were explored. A number of pretreatment characteristics were found to be significantly related to client engagement. Thematic analysis of interviews with clients who dropped out of the group program revealed a number of other factors that influenced attrition among the sample. The results are worthy of consideration when assessing suitability of individuals for group treatment programs in addiction settings and more generally.
who have sex with men Anal cancer prevention: how we are failing men

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Delay of gratification in a food exchange task in Goffin cockatoos (Cacatua goffini)

Flexible Impulskontrolle uber Futterkonsumation, wie zum Beispiel zeitliche Diskontierung, wurde bisher selten an anderen Tieren auser Menschen nachgewiesen. Bis jetzt konnten nur wenige Primaten und Corviden die Konsumation eines wohlschmeckenden Futters fur mehr als eine Minute unterbinden, in der Voraussicht in naher Zukunft ein qualitativ oder quantitativ besseres Futter im Austausch dafur zu erhalten. Wir testeten diese Fahigkeit an Goffin Kakadus, einer Spezies die sich in anderen Experimenten durch besondere Beharrlichkeit und Ausdauerfahigkeit ausgezeichnet hat. Es zeigte sich, dass Goffin Kakadus in der Lage sind bis zu 80 Sekunden fur eine qualitativ besseres Futter und fur eine quantitative Steigerung der Futtermenge bis zu 20 Sekunden zu warten. Sie scheinen bei ihrer Entscheidung die benotigte Zeitdauer und auch die Qualitat des angebotenen Futters einzukalkulieren, da sie dazu tendierten das zuerst angebotene Futter ofter fur ein stark bevorzugtes Futter einzutauschen, als fur ein etwas weniger praferiertes. In parallel durchgefuhrten Kontrollversuchen, in denen das zuerst angebotene Futter quantitativ oder qualitativ wertvoller als das in Aussicht gestellte war, wurde kaum getauscht. Des Weiteren scheinen die Vogel beurteilen zu konnen ob sich das Warten lohnt, da sie die Tendenz zeigten schneller fur ein etwas weniger praferiertes Futter aufzugeben als fur ein stark Bevorzugtes. Die Tiere scheinen eine mentale Reprasentation der Zeitdauer zu besitzen, da die Entscheidung, entweder auf ein besseres Futter zu warten oder das zuerst angebotene Futter zu fressen, fruher als zufallsmasig erwartet, oft zu Beginn des Versuches in den ersten Sekunden getroffen wurde. Auserdem zeigten die Tiere idiosynkratische Verhaltensmuster, die moglicherweise darauf abzielen sich bei langeren Wartezeiten von der Konsumation des zuerst angebotenen Futters abzulenken. Unsere Ergebnisse liefern damit den ersten Beweis fur zeitliche Diskontierung bei Vogeln, von deren Nahrungsokologie es nicht bekannt ist, dass sie Futter fur zukunftige Konsumation verstecken.
On the Logic of Information Flow

This paper is an investigation into the logic of information ow. The basic perspective is that logic ows in virtue of constraints (as in 7]), and that constraints classify channels connecting particulars (as in 8]). In this paper we explore some logics intended to model reasoning in the case of idealized information ow, that is, where the constraints involved are exceptionless. We look at this as a step toward the far more challenging task of understanding the logic of imperfect information ow, that is where the constraints admit of exceptional connections. This paper continues and ampliies work presented by the same authors in 10]. Over the past decade, information has emerged as an important topic in the study of logic, language, and computation. This paper contributes to this line of work. We formulate a notion of information network that covers many important examples from the literature of information-theoretic structures. Information networks have two kinds of items. Following Barwise 5] we call these items: sites of information, and channels between sites. We present various logical calculi intended to model perfect reasoning about the ow of information through an information network. To motivate the basic picture, let's brieey consider some real world examples of information ow, and then think about how we can model them in a uniform way. First, imagine a person going into a room and seeing some scene, which we construe as a site. Based on general information about how the world works, the person knows something about how things came to be as they are. Certain connections exist between what they see and other situations. The person's knowledge of these connections and how they work lead him to know other facts about other situations. 1 We think of this as information ow, from the information that is actually visually present in the scene, to the richer information derived by the person viewing it. For a second example, borrowed from 9], imagine a simple circuit with components a battery, a switch, and a light bulb, hooked up in series. This`hooking up' establishes 1 Situation theory views these in terms of situations and constraints; LDS in terms of labels and labelled entail-ment. The common abstraction we present here is site and channel.
Hydrophobic surfaces for enhanced differentiation of embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodies

With their unique ability to differentiate into all cell types, embryonic stem (ES) cells hold great therapeutic promise. To improve the efficiency of embryoid body (EB)-mediated ES cell differentiation, we studied murine EBs on the basis of their size and found that EBs with an intermediate size (diameter 100–300 μm) are the most proliferative, hold the greatest differentiation potential, and have the lowest rate of cell death. In an attempt to promote the formation of this subpopulation, we surveyed several biocompatible substrates with different surface chemical parameters and identified a strong correlation between hydrophobicity and EB development. Using self-assembled monolayers of various lengths of alkanethiolates on gold substrates, we directly tested this correlation and found that surfaces that exhibit increasing hydrophobicity enrich for the intermediate-size EBs. When this approach was applied to the human ES cell system, similar phenomena were observed. Our data demonstrate that hydrophobic surfaces serve as a platform to deliver uniform EB populations and may significantly improve the efficiency of ES cell differentiation.
Chemicals and chemoreceptors: ecologically relevant signals driving behavior in Drosophila

Insects encounter a vast repertoire of chemicals in their natural environment, which can signal positive stimuli like the presence of a food source, a potential mate, or a suitable oviposition site as well as negative stimuli such as competitors, predators, or toxic substances reflecting danger. The presence of specialized chemoreceptors like taste and olfactory receptors allow animals to detect chemicals at short and long distances and accordingly, trigger proper behaviors towards these stimuli. Since the first description of olfactory and taste receptors in Drosophila fifteen years ago, our knowledge on the identity, properties, and function of specific chemoreceptors has increased exponentially. In the last years, multidisciplinary approaches combining genetic tools with electrophysiological techniques, behavioral recording, evolutionary analysis, and chemical ecology studies are shedding light on our understanding on the ecological relevance of specific chemoreceptors for the survival of Drosophila in their natural environment. In this review we discuss the current knowledge on chemoreceptors of both the olfactory and taste systems of the fruitfly. We focus on the relevance of particular receptors for the detection of ecologically relevant cues such as pheromones, food sources, and toxic compounds, and we comment on the behavioral changes that the detection of these chemicals induce in the fly. In particular, we give an updated outlook of the chemical communication displayed during one of the most important behaviors for fly survival, the courtship behavior. Finally, the ecological relevance of specific chemicals can vary depending on the niche occupied by the individual. In that regard, in this review we also highlight the contrast between adult and larval systems and we propose that these differences could reflect distinctive requirements depending on the change of ecological niche occupied by Drosophila along its life cycle.