Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The power of the truth bias: False information affects memory and judgment even in the absence of distraction

Truth-bias is the tendency to believe information whether or not it is true. According to a prominent account, this tendency results from limited cognitive resources. We presented participants true and false statements organized in coherent narratives, and distracted half of the participants while processing the statements. Our findings suggest that explicitly false statements are misremembered as true and affect participants’ judgments regardless of cognitive load (Experiments 1 & 2). Experiment 3 replicates a distraction-independent truth- bias in a paradigm with an equal number of true and false statements, suggesting that the truth-bias does not depend on the frequency of true vs. false statements. Experiment 4 suggests that when the statements are presented in lists, as it often happens in the relevant literature, the truth-bias is significantly underscored. Taken together, our results strongly support that the truth-bias may be stronger than suggested by previous studies.
Low-Luminosity Gamma-Ray Bursts as a Unique Population: Luminosity Function, Local Rate, and Beaming Factor

Swift BAT has detected ~200 long-duration GRBs, with redshift measurements for ~50 of them. We derive the luminosity function (ΦHL) and the local event rate (ρ) of the conventional high-luminosity (HL) GRBs by using the z-known Swift GRBs. Our results are generally consistent with that derived from the CGRO BATSE data. However, the fact that Swift detected a low-luminosity (LL) GRB, GRB 060218, at z = 0.033 within ~2 years of operation, together with the previous detection of the nearby GRB 980425, suggests a much higher local rate for these LL-GRBs. We explore the possibility that LL-GRBs are a distinct GRB population from the HL-GRBs. We find that ρ is ~325 Gpc-3 yr-1, which is much higher than ρ (1.12 Gpc-3 yr-1). This rate is ~0.7% of the local Type Ib/c SNe. Our results, together with the finding that less than 10% of Type Ib/c SNe are associated with off-beam GRBs, suggest that LL-GRBs have a beaming factor typically less than 14, or a jet angle typically wider than 31°. The high local GRB rate, small beaming factor, and low-luminosity make the LL-GRBs distinct from the HL-GRBs. Although the current data could not fully rule out the possibility that both HL- and LL-GRBs are the same population, our results suggest that LL-GRBs are likely a unique GRB population and that the observed low-redshift GRB sample is dominated by the LL-GRBs.
Effect of functional classification on the swimming race segments during the 2012 London Paralympic Games

Abstract The aims of the present research were (1) to characterise the individualised race segments configuration (start, turn and free swimming) of Paralympic swimmers and (2) to examine the influence of the swimmers’ functional classification on their race segments configuration. Finalists (248 men and 264 women) in the 100 m swimming events of the 2012 London Paralympic Games were distributed in five different subgroups based on their functional class designation and race performances were video-analysed with 2D-DLT algorithms. The start and turn distances of Paralympic swimmers in the 100 m events did not coincide with the traditional 10–15 m segments and they depended on the swimmer’s functional group (η2 = 0.48), as longer start and turn distances were observed according to the lower degree of impairment of swimmers. However, no differences were observed in the start and turn distances of the least physically impaired, the visually and the intellectually impaired swimmers (S8–S14), regardless of the stroke and gender. These results indicate that, in terms of the race segments configuration, there is no evidence to support the classification of S8–S14 swimmers in different functional classes.
Leishmania Eukaryotic Initiation Factor (LeIF) Inhibits Parasite Growth in Murine Macrophages

The leishmaniases constitute neglected global public health problems that require adequate control measures, prophylactic clinical vaccines and effective and non-toxic drug treatments. In this study, we explored the potential of Leishmania infantum eukaryotic initiation factor (LieIF), an exosomal protein, as a novel anti-infective therapeutic molecule. More specifically, we assessed the efficacy of recombinant LieIF, in combination with recombinant IFN-γ, in eliminating intracellular L. donovani parasites in an in vitro macrophage model. J774A.1 macrophages were initially treated with LieIF/IFN-γ prior to in vitro infection with L. donovani stationary phase promastigotes (pre-infection treatment), and resistance to infection was observed 72 h after infection. J774A.1 macrophages were also treated with LieIF/IFN-γ after L. donovani infection (post-infection treatment), and resistance to infection was also observed at both time points tested (19 h and 72 h) after infection. To elucidate the LieIF/IFN-γ-induced mechanism(s) that mediate the reduction of intracellular parasite growth, we examined the generation of potent microbicidal molecules, such as nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), within infected macrophages. Furthermore, macrophages pre-treated with LieIF/IFN-γ showed a clear up-regulation in macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α) as well as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) expression. However, significant different protein levels were not detected. In addition, macrophages pre-treated with LieIF/IFN-γ combined with anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody produced significantly lower amounts of ROS. These data suggest that during the pre-treatment state, LieIF induces intramacrophage parasite growth inhibition through the production of TNF-α, which induces microbicidal activity by stimulating NO and ROS production. The mechanisms of NO and ROS production when macrophages are treated with LieIF after infection are probably different. Overall, these results indicate that LieIF is a good candidate for use as an anti-leishmanial molecule.
Loss Rates for Lévy Processes with Two Reflecting Barriers

We consider a Levy process that is reflected at 0 and at K < 0. The reflected process is obtained by adding the difference between the local time at 0 and the local time at K to the sum of the feeding Levy process and an initial condition. We define the loss rate to be the expectation of the local time at K at time 1 under stationary conditions. The main result of the paper is the identification of the loss rate in terms of the stationary measure of the reflected process and the characteristic triplet of the Levy process. We also derive asymptotics of the loss rate as K ← ∞ when the drift of the feeding process is negative and the Levy measure is light tailed. Finally, we extend the results for Levy processes to hold for Markov-modulated Levy processes.
H1 RNA polymerase III promoter-driven expression of an RNA aptamer leads to high-level inhibition of intracellular protein activity

Aptamers offer advantages over other oligonucleotide-based approaches that artificially interfere with target gene function due to their ability to bind protein products of these genes with high affinity and specificity. However, RNA aptamers are limited in their ability to target intracellular proteins since even nuclease-resistant aptamers do not efficiently enter the intracellular compartments. Moreover, attempts at expressing RNA aptamers within mammalian cells through vector-based approaches have been hampered by the presence of additional flanking sequences in expressed RNA aptamers, which may alter their functional conformation. In this report, we successfully expressed a ‘pure’ RNA aptamer specific for NF-κB p50 protein (A-p50) utilizing an adenoviral vector employing the H1 RNA polymerase III promoter. Binding of the expressed aptamer to its target and subsequent inhibition of NF-κB mediated intracellular events were demonstrated in human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549), murine mammary carcinoma cells (4T1) as well as a human tumor xenograft model. This success highlights the promise of RNA aptamers to effectively target intracellular proteins for in vitro discovery and in vivo applications.
Validación psicométrica del cuestionario de regulación emocional (ERQ-CA) en población adolescente española

espanolEl concepto de regulacion emocional (RE) se refiere a la habilidad para percibir, asimilar, comprender y regular las propias emociones. Pese a que la RE se entiende como un proceso eminentemente adaptativo, los esfuerzos por modificar los estados emocionales pueden ser ineficaces e incluso contraproducentes, y formar parte de la vulnerabilidad y sintomatologia de diversos trastornos mentales. Muchas investigaciones han senalado la adolescencia como el periodo de desarrollo mas importante para la adquisicion de esta habilidad. Dada su importancia, es esencial contar con buenos instrumentos de evaluacion. El objetivo del presente estudio es determinar las propiedades psicometricas del “Cuestionario de Regulacion Emocional” (ERQ-CA) en adolescentes espanoles. Para ello, 399 participantes (178 hombres y 221 mujeres), con una media de edad de 15.27 cumplimentaron los cuestionarios ERQ-CA y el de “Dificultades en la Regulacion Emocional” (DERS). Posteriormente, se realizo el analisis factorial exploratorio, consistencia interna y validez convergente. Los resultados revelaron que el analisis factorial mostro una estructura de dos factores, la consistencia interna para las subescalas del ERQ-CA mostro niveles muy bajos en comparacion con valores obtenidos con adultos y en cuanto a la validez convergente, apenas hubo correlacion entre ambos instrumentos. El ERQ-CA muestra niveles bajos de fiabilidad en poblacion adolescente espanola, por lo que se necesita mas investigacion para confirmar la conveniencia o no de su uso en esta poblacion. EnglishPsychometric validation of the emotional regulation questionnaire (ERQ-CA) in adolescent population. The concept of emotion regulation (ER) refers to the ability to perceive, assimilate, understand, and regulate emotions. Although ER is an eminently adaptive process, efforts to modify emotional states can be ineffective and even counterproductive and be part of the vulnerability and the symptoms of various mental disorders. Many research has pointed to adolescence as the most important developmental period for the acquisition of this skill. Given its importance, it is essential to have good assessment tools. The aim of this study was to determinate the psychometric properties of the “Emotion Regulation Questionnaire” (ERQ-CA) in Spanish adolescents. For this, 399 participants (178 boys and 221 girls) with a mean age of 15.27 completed the questionnaires ERQCA and “Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale” (DERS). Subsequently, the exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency and convergent validity analysis was performed. The results revealed that the factorial analysis showed a two-factor structure, the internal consistency for the subscales was not acceptable compared to values obtained in validations with adults and as for the convergent validity, correlation between the two instruments was small. The ERQ-CA shows low levels of reliability in adolescent population. For this reason, more research is needed to confirm the use of the questionnaire in this population.
Commentary on Entrenched Postseparation Parenting Disputes: The Role of Interparental Hatred

This Comment on Smyth and Moloney's article discusses the historical context and earlier work on the role of interparental hate in high-conflict divorce. A seminal line of clinical research on the core psychological dynamics of entrenched postdivorce disputes over children is identified and traced through three main research programs in California, Israel, and Australia. The importance of assessing hate as a risk factor in working with separated and divorced families is discussed, along with cautions about its misuse.
Which Working Memory Components Predict Fluid Intelligence: The Roles of Attention Control and Active Buffer Capacity

This study tested which of two crucial mechanisms of working memory (WM): attention control, consisting of focusing attention on the proper task-set as well as blocking distraction, and the active buffer capacity, related to the number of chunks that can be actively maintained, plays a more important role in WM’s contribution to fluid intelligence. In the first study, the antisaccade task was used, the standard measure of attention control, in a modified variant which resulted in scores less sensitive to individual differences in the active buffer capacity, in comparison to the standard variant. In effect, attention control became a weak predictor of Gf, explaining less than one third of its variance accounted for by the capacity. In the second study, a variant of another attention control test, the Stroop task, was applied, which minimized the load on capacity, and no significant contribution of this task to Gf was found. Thus, when contribution of control and capacity were unconfounded, attention control mechanisms of WM contributed to fluid intelligence to a lesser extent than did the mechanisms related to the active buffer of WM.
PNPLA3 has retinyl-palmitate lipase activity in human hepatic stellate cells

Retinoids are micronutrients that are stored as retinyl esters in the retina and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). HSCs are key players in fibrogenesis in chronic liver diseases. The enzyme responsible for hydrolysis and release of retinyl esters from HSCs is unknown and the relationship between retinoid metabolism and liver disease remains unclear. We hypothesize that the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) protein is involved in retinol metabolism in HSCs. We tested our hypothesis both in primary human HSCs and in a human cohort of subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (N = 146). Here we show that PNPLA3 is highly expressed in human HSCs. Its expression is regulated by retinol availability and insulin, and increased PNPLA3 expression results in reduced lipid droplet content. PNPLA3 promotes extracellular release of retinol from HSCs in response to insulin. We also show that purified wild-type PNPLA3 hydrolyzes retinyl palmitate into retinol and palmitic acid. Conversely, this enzymatic activity is markedly reduced with purified PNPLA3 148M, a common mutation robustly associated with liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma development. We also find the PNPLA3 I148M genotype to be an independent (P = 0.009 in a multivariate analysis) determinant of circulating retinol-binding protein 4, a reliable proxy for retinol levels in humans. This study identifies PNPLA3 as a lipase responsible for retinyl-palmitate hydrolysis in HSCs in humans. Importantly, this indicates a potential novel link between HSCs, retinoid metabolism and PNPLA3 in determining the susceptibility to chronic liver disease.
The Role of Argumentation in Online Knowledge Building Activities

This paper attempts to study the relationship of argumentation and knowledge building at a discourse level. Its basic research question is whether discourse more indicative of argumentation also indicates characteristics of knowledge building. A total of two databases of online discourse generated by sixth-grade and tenth-grade students were analyzed to see whether the findings can be generalized. It was found that when students put forward arguments, more of their discourse was of higher quality from the perspective of knowledge building. The pattern was consistently found for the two grades of students, even though they produced different amount of arguments in their discourse. Besides, their discussion threads were more sustained with the appearance of opposite ideas.
Minimum Latency Broadcast Scheduling in Single-Radio Multi-Channel Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks

We study the minimum latency broadcast scheduling (MLBS) problem in Single-Radio Multi-Channel (SR-MC) wireless ad-hoc networks (WANETs), which are modeled by Unit Disk Graphs. Nodes with this capability have their fixed reception channels, but can switch their transmission channels to communicate with their neighbors. The single-radio and multi-channel model prevents existing algorithms for single-channel networks achieving good performance. First, the common assumption that one transmission reaches all the neighboring nodes does not hold naturally. Second, the multi-channel dimension provides new opportunities to schedule the broadcast transmissions in parallel. We show MLBS problem in SR-MC WANETs is NP-hard, and present a benchmark algorithm: Basic Transmission Scheduling (BTS), which has approximation ratio of 4k + 12. Here k is the number of orthogonal channels in SR-MC WANETs. Then we propose an Enhanced Transmission Scheduling (ETS) algorithm, improving the approximation ratio to k + 23. Simulation results show that ETS achieves better performance over BTS, and the performance of ETS approaches the lower bound.
Running Experiments on Amazon Mechanical Turk

Although Mechanical Turk has recently become popular among social scientists as a source of experimental data, doubts may linger about the quality of data provided by subjects recruited from online labor markets. We address these potential concerns by presenting new demographic data about the Mechanical Turk subject population, reviewing the strengths of Mechanical Turk relative to other online and offline methods of recruiting subjects, and comparing the magnitude of effects obtained using Mechanical Turk and traditional subject pools. We further discuss some additional benefits such as the possibility of longitudinal, cross cultural and prescreening designs, and offer some advice on how to best manage a common subject pool.
A chunk-based caching algorithm for streaming video

It is customary nowadays that large web objects are cached somewhere close to the user. This saves traffic upstream of the cache and offers the users a better responsiveness. Caching algorithms typically rank the objects in some way and cache the top-ranked objects. In this paper we study a scenario in which a requested video is (instantaneously) streamed to the user and in which the video library is highly dynamic: new videos are frequently introduced, get popular, get consumed and fade away. Caching streaming videos differs from caching traditional web objects as the former are consumed as their information trickles in, while the latter have to be downloaded (almost) completely before they can be consumed. We develop a caching algorithm specifically for streaming video taking into account the dynamicity of the library. First we make sure that its ranking algorithm can follow the dynamicity of the library (better than traditional algorithms can). Second we segment each video in chunks and propose a new algorithm to rank these chunks. We compare the performance of caching based on this new ranking algorithm with traditional caching algorithms and show that chunking is most beneficial.
Temperature-Related Divergence in Experimental Populations of DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER. I. Genetic and Developmental Basis of Wing Size and Shape Variation.

The effects of environmental temperature on wing size and shape of Drosophila melanogaster were analyzed in populations derived from an Oregon laboratory strain kept at three temperatures (18 degrees , 25 degrees , 28 degrees ) for 4 yr. Temperature-directed selection was identified for both wing size and shape. The length of the four longitudinal veins, used as a test for wing size variations in the different populations, appears to be affected by both genetic and maternal influences. Vein expression appears to be dependent upon developmental pattern of the wing: veins belonging to the same compartment are coordinated in their expression and relative position, whereas veins belonging to different compartments are not. Both wing and cell areas show genetic divergence, particularly in the posterior compartment. Cell number seems to compensate for cell size variations. Such compensation is carried out both at the level of single organisms and at the level of population as a whole. The two compartments behave as individual units of selection.
Crystallization environment of Kazakhstan microdiamond: evidence from nanometric inclusions and mineral associations

Nanometric solid inclusions in diamond incorporated in garnet and zircon from felsic gneiss of the Kokchetav massif, Kazakhstan, have been examined utilizing electron microscopy and focused ion beam techniques. Host garnet and zircon contain numerous pockets of multiple inclusions, which consist of 1–3 diamond crystals intergrown with quartz, phengite, phlogopite, albite, K‐feldspar, rutile, apatite, titanite, biotite, chlorite and graphite in various combinations. Recalculation of the average chemical composition of the entrapped fluid represented by multiple inclusion pockets indicates that such fluid contained a low wt% of SiO2, suggesting a relatively low‐temperature fluid rather than a melt. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the diamond contains abundant nanocrystalline inclusions of oxides, rare carbonates and silicates. Within the 15 diamond crystals studied, abundant inclusions were found of SiO2, TiO2, FexOy, Cr2O3, ZrSiO4, and single grains of ThxOy, BaSO4, MgCO3, FeCr2O4 and a stoichiometric Fe‐rich pyroxene. The diversity of trace elements within inclusions of essentially the same stoichiometry suggests that the Kokchetav diamond crystallized from a fluid containing variable amounts of Si, Fe, Ti, Cr, Zr, Ba, Mg and Th and other minor components such as K, Na, P, S, Pb, Zn, Nb, Al, Ca, Cl. Most of the components in crystals included in diamond appear to have their origin in the subducted metasediments, but some of them probably originate from the mantle. It is concluded that Kokchetav diamond most likely crystallized from a COH‐rich multicomponent supercritical fluid at a relatively low temperature (hence the apparently low content of rock‐forming elements), and that the diversity of major and minor components suggests interactions between subducted metasediments and mantle components.
Vasopressin, not octreotide, may be beneficial in the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a severe complication of cirrhosis and is associated with high mortality. Ornipressin and terlipressin are effective in treatment of HRS, but are not available in the USA. The efficacy of vasopressin (AVP) and octreotide (OCT) infusions, commonly utilized in the USA, in the treatment of HRS is unknown. This study aims to evaluate the effects of AVP and OCT on renal function, systemic haemodynamics and clinical outcomes in HRS. METHODS This observational study evaluated patients receiving AVP or OCT therapy for HRS from January 2000 to December 2003. Recovery from HRS was defined as a decrease in the serum creatinine (SCr) to a value < or =1.5 mg/dl. RESULTS Forty-three patients were identified: eight received AVP, 16 received OCT and 19 received both AVP and OCT. Patients who received AVP alone or in combination with OCT had significantly greater recovery rates than those receiving OCT monotherapy (42 vs 38 vs 0%, respectively, P = 0.01). The average time to response in serum creatinine (SCr) was 7+/- 2 days. The mean AVP doses were 0.23+/-0.19 U/min in patients demonstrating clinical response. Therapy with AVP was an independent predictor of recovery (odds ratio 6.4, 95% confidence interval 1.3-31.8). Patients who responded to therapy had significantly lower mortality (23 vs 67%, P = 0.008) and higher rates of liver transplantation (23 vs 0%, P = 0.005). No adverse effects related to AVP therapy were observed. CONCLUSION When compared with OCT, HRS patients treated with AVP had significantly higher recovery rates, improved survival and were more likely to receive a liver transplant.