Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Event-Related fMRI Study of Implicit Phrase-Level Syntactic and Semantic Processing

Most neuroimaging studies of language function to date use a block-subtraction paradigm in which images acquired during relatively long periods of target stimuli are compared to those acquired during a control period. These studies typically require an overt response on the part of the subject, usually some type of discrimination or grammatical judgment by button press, or silent word generation. Results from studies of syntactic and semantic processing have generally been compatible with the classical correlation to Broca's area and Wernicke's area, respectively. Recently, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies departing from the block-subtraction paradigm in favor of event-related fMRI paradigms have been reported. We have extended the use of this approach to examine implicit (i.e., without an explicit task on the part of the subject) syntactic and semantic processing at the phrasal level, using visually presented verb phrases. Left BA 44 is more strongly activated for the syntactic condition than the semantic condition. BA 45, 10, and 46 show laterality differences: mostly left-lateralized for the syntactic condition and right-lateralized for the semantic condition. We also find activations of the inferior parietal lobe, consistent with a visual oddball response reported previously, and the anterior cingulate gyrus (BA 32), implicated for attention and memory-related processes in numerous studies.
Development of 3 D Dynamic Flow Model of Human Liver and Its Application to Prediction of Metabolic Clearance of 7-Ethoxycoumarin

Primary and cryopreserved hepatocytes and immortalized hepatic cell lines in static two-dimensional monolayer culture format have been widely used as in vitro liver models for studies of xenobiotic metabolism, enzyme induction, hepatocyte regeneration, and hepatotoxicity. However, the tissue structure and metabolic capacity in these liver models are often ill-defined and are not well preserved compared to in vivo liver-specific architecture and functions. For this reason, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) dynamic flow model with primary human hepatocytes, which was optimized for cell seeding density, medium composition, and extracellular matrix proteins. Human hepatocytes cultured in this system were maintained for up to 7 weeks and reproducibly recapitulated in vivo liver-like structure and important liver-specific functions, such as albumin/ total protein production, glucose utilization, lactate production, and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 activity across multiple tissue donors. The in vitro intrinsic clearance (CLint) of 7-ethoxycoumarin (7-EC) was determined from human hepatocytes cultured in the 3D dynamic flow model and compared to that in hepatocyte suspension. The 7-EC CLint values varied among individual batches and/or the two different in vitro liver models used in this study. The 3D flow model appeared to give more reproducible and stable estimates of clearance that is similar to previously published values. Overall, the results from these studies demonstrate that this culture system could be a valuable tool for making more accurate predictions of the metabolic clearance and long-term effects of chemicals and their metabolites in a complex 3D environment under dynamic flow.
An integrative approach to relationship marketing, customer value, and customer outcomes in the retail banking industry: a customer-based perspective from Turkey

ABSTRACT Given how important it is to provide superior value to customers and to maintain customer loyalty for a sustainable competitive advantage, the aim of this paper is to examine the relationships among relationship marketing components of – trust, competency, commitment, communication, and conflict handling, – relationship investment, relationship quality, perceived customer value, satisfaction and loyalty in an integrated framework in the Turkish retail banking industry. Unlike previous studies, this research extends the literature by analysing affective as well as cognitive dimensions in the same model with a holistic view by simultaneously examining the direct and indirect effects of the related concepts. The distinctive nature of this study is its evaluation of customer satisfaction and loyalty from the perspective of actual consumers. The research model was tested using data collected from 685 retail banking customers by applying structural equation modelling. The findings show that relationship marketing induces loyalty through relationship quality, customer value, and satisfaction, which are mainly provided by trust, communication, and relationship investment. Furthermore, relationship investment and relationship quality are the most important factors in the development of customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty. The emotional value dimension, which captures the affective aspects of perceived value, has the strongest effect on both satisfaction and loyalty.
Long-term outcome of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COPD.

BACKGROUND This study investigates the long-term benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation in terms of health-related quality of life (HRQL). Such information is of particular importance in developing strategies for aftercare at home which aim to maintain the initial improvements seen after rehabilitation. METHODS Criteria for inclusion were diagnosis of COPD, age 40 to 80 years, and completion of an inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program. HRQL was assessed by the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire, and the component "well-being" from the Medical Psychological Questionnaire for Lung Diseases. Patient characteristics included lung function parameters such as FEV1, the diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide and maximal inspiratory mouth pressure, age, socio-economic variables, and exercise tolerance evaluated by a 12-min walking test. To define patients in whom long-term benefits were sustained 9 months postdischarge, cases were clustered using hierarchical cluster analysis, based on the HRQL scores at discharge. RESULTS Complete data sets were obtained from 77 patients. Two groups of cases were clustered. Patient characteristics were essentially the same in both groups. HRQL differed significantly between groups on admission, at discharge, and at follow-up. Within-group analysis revealed that patients in group 1 (n=44) had "moderate" scores on HRQL on admission, a significant improvement between admission and discharge, followed by a significant deterioration of HRQL at follow-up. Group 2 (n=33) had "severely" impaired HRQL on admission, little improvement after rehabilitation, and remained in fairly stable condition 9 months postdischarge. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that patients with COPD require a differentiated aftercare program of postdischarge pulmonary rehabilitation.
High frequency of gastrointestinal manifestations in myotonic dystrophy type 1 and type 2

Objective: To analyze gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations, their progression over time, and medications being used to treat GI symptoms in a large cohort of patients with myotonic dystrophy types 1 (DM1) and 2 (DM2). Methods: We analyzed patient-reported data and medical records in a national registry cohort at baseline and 5 years. Results: At baseline, the majority of patients reported trouble swallowing in DM1 (55%; n = 499 of 913) and constipation in DM2 (53%; n = 96 of 180). Cholecystectomy occurred in 16.5% of patients with DM1 and 12.8% of patients with DM2, on average before 45 years of age. The use of medications indicated for gastroesophageal reflux disease was reported by 22.5% of DM1 and 18.9% of patients with DM2. Greater risk of a GI manifestation was associated with higher body mass index and longer disease duration in DM1 and female sex in DM2. At the 5-year follow-up, the most common new manifestations were trouble swallowing in patients with DM1 and constipation in patients with DM2. Conclusions: GI manifestations were common in both DM1 and DM2, with a relatively high frequency of gallbladder removal in DM1 and DM2 occurring at a younger age compared to normative data in the literature. Studies are needed to determine the pathomechanism of how sex, weight gain, and duration of disease contribute to GI manifestations and how these manifestations affect quality of life and clinical care for patients with DM1 and DM2.
Overexpression of the HER2/neu Gene: A New Therapeutic Possibility for Patients With Advanced Gallbladder Cancer.

BACKGROUND The HER2/neu gene is a proto-oncogene that can predict the response to treatment with trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and lapatinib. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of HER2/neu overexpression and to identify a subgroup of patients with gallbladder cancer who would benefit from targeted therapy. METHODS Patients with gallbladder cancer (n = 187; 165 women and 22 men) with a recorded follow-up of at least 5 years were included, along with control subjects (n = 75). An automated immunohistochemical technique was used with an anti-ErbB2 antibody. Scoring was conducted according to the CAP/ASCO (College of American Pathologists/American Society of Clinical Oncology) criteria for breast cancer. RESULTS Overexpression of HER2/neu was observed in 12.8% of the cases. Of those, 0% were mucosal, 14.3% muscular, 12.8% subserosal, and 10.6% serosal. In 20% of the cases, equivocal staining was observed. Overexpression was more frequent in the advanced cancers and in the better differentiated tumors (13.8% and 17.4%, respectively), but the difference was nonsignificant. The patients with overexpression of HER2/neu had a worse overall survival, when compared with those who had no expression at 5 years (34% vs. 41%). CONCLUSION This is the single largest study of HER2/neu expression in gallbladder cancer to use commonly accepted scoring criteria. The results indicate that HER2/neu overexpression occurred in 14% of the advanced gallbladder cancer cases. This subgroup may benefit from inhibitors of the HER2/neu pathway.
Domestic and international dynamics before and after the Arab uprisings

complex relationship. Proximity and ‘humanitarian art’ (245) are values that are often undermined by distance, institutionalization and bureaucratization. Slim puts this fieldcraft at the centre of what it is to be an ethical humanitarian. It is a powerful message delivered with brio. His book should be required reading for all frontline aid workers—and even more so for their bosses at headquarters and their donors who, alas, seem more prone to lose their ethical bearings.
Regional resilience, skill-relatedness and growth of plants

The research question is “to what extent does regional relatedness influence the survival and growth potential of plants during and after economic shocks in the Netherlands? ” is answered by using state-of-the art indicators, distinguishing resilience subperiods, and uniquely analysing growth on the plant level. This thesis considers the regional economic structure (“agglomeration forces”) as an explanatory variable for a plant’s growth potential. By measuring relatedness, diversification and specialization, the impact on individual plants is analysed and their impact can be compared. Relatedness is measured both on a region specific (cohesion) and a region-industry specific (closeness) dimension. It is concluded that the region-industry specific dimension has higher explanatory value. The heterogeneity of agglomeration impact on employment growth between industries is unveiled, as the influence of the regional economic structure deviates when estimating its relation with plant growth for a selection of various industries. For knowledge-intensive sectors, like high-tech and creative industries, the number of related industries appears to have a positive impact, contrary to other industries. Overall, relatedness can positively influence employment growth of plants, however this is context (i.e. industry, phase of crisis) specific and not per se to a larger extent than other agglomeration forces like diversification or specialization.
Bacteria, Archaea, and Crenarchaeota in the Epilimnion and Hypolimnion of a Deep Holo-Oligomictic Lake

ABSTRACT In a deep, subalpine holo-oligomictic lake, the relative abundance of Archaea and Crenarchaeota, but not that of Bacteria, increases significantly with depth and varies seasonally. Cell-specific prokaryotic productivity is homogeneous along the water column. The concept of active Archaea observed in the deep ocean can therefore be extended to a deep oxic lake.
Effects of mating system on adaptive potential for leaf morphology in Crepis tectorum (Asteraceae).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS A shift from outcrossing to selfing is thought to reduce the long-term survival of populations by decreasing the genetic variation necessary for adaptation to novel ecological conditions. However, theory also predicts an increase in adaptive potential as more of the existing variation becomes expressed as homozygous genotypes. So far, relatively few studies have examined how a transition to selfing simultaneously affects means, variances and covariances for characters that might be under stabilizing selection for a spatially varying optimum, e.g. characters describing leaf morphology. METHODS Experimental crosses within an initially self-sterile population of Crepis tectorum were performed to produce an outbred and inbred progeny population to assess how a shift to selfing affects the adaptive potential for measures of leaf morphology, with special emphasis on the degree of leaf dissection, a major target of diversifying selection within the study species. KEY RESULTS Three consecutive generations of selfing had a minor impact on survival, the total number of heads produced and the mean leaf phenotype, but caused a proportional increase in the genetic (co)variance matrix for foliar characters. For the degree of leaf dissection, the lowest 50th percentile of the inbred progeny population showed a disproportionate increase in the genetic variance, consistent with the recessive nature of the weakly lobed phenotype observed in interpopulation crosses. Comparison of inbreeding response with large-scale patterns of variation indicates a potential for selection in a (recently) inbred population to drive a large evolutionary reduction in degree of leaf dissection by increasing the frequency of particular sibling lines. CONCLUSIONS The results point to a positive role for inbreeding in phenotypic evolution, at least during or immediately after a rapid shift in mating system.
Hindlimb suspension diminishes femoral cross‐sectional growth in the rat

Growth, functional adaptation, and torsional strength were examined in the femora of 39‐day‐old male Sprague‐Dawley rats subjected to hindlimb suspension for 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks and were compared with measurements for age‐matched control animals. Our goal was to understand the effect of reduced loading on the normal age‐related changes in femoral properties during growth. The control animals exhibited growth‐related increases in all geometric and torsional properties of the femur. The mean body mass and femoral length of the hindlimb‐suspended rats were similar to those of the controls throughout the experiment. Over 4 weeks, the femoral cross‐sectional and torsional measurements from the hindlimb‐suspended rats demonstrated increases in comparison with the basal values (+33% cross‐sectional area, +64% polar moment of inertia, +67% ultimate torque, and +181% torsional rigidity), but the age‐matched controls showed significantly greater growth‐related increases (+71% cross‐sectional area, +136% polar moment of inertia, +127% ultimate torque, and +367% torsional rigidity). The differences in femoral structural strength between the hindlimb‐suspended animals and the age‐matched controls were attributable to differences in altered cross‐sectional geometry.
Gastrin-releasing peptide receptors in normal and neoplastic human uterus: involvement of multiple tissue compartments.

CONTEXT Bombesin-like neuropeptides including gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and their corresponding receptors, mediate multiple physiological actions and have biological significance in cancer. However, information about the function of these neuropeptides and the incidence, distribution, density, and subtype of their receptors in human uterine tissues is scarce. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to investigate normal and neoplastic human uterine tissues for their bombesin receptor status. DESIGN In vitro subtype-specific bombesin receptor autoradiography was used in this study. PATIENTS The following tissue samples were taken immediately after surgery: myometrium (n = 41), endometrium (n = 29), leiomyomas (n = 26), leiomyosarcomas (n = 6), endometrial adenocarcinomas (n = 28), and carcinosarcoma (n = 1). RESULTS Normal uterine tissues expressed GRP receptors (GRP-Rs) in the myometrium, in subsets of secretory endometrial glands, and in subsets of endometrial blood vessels of the late proliferative and the secretory phase. Most leiomyomas (20 of 26) expressed GRP-R but not the leiomyosarcomas. GRP-Rs were also detected in 10 of 28 adenocarcinomas, one of one carcinosarcoma, and in blood vessels surrounding the adenocarcinomas. No other bombesin receptor subtypes (neuromedin B receptors and bb3) were detected. CONCLUSIONS These findings may be of physiological and pathophysiological significance. The expression of GRP-R in glands and vessels during specific phases of the cycle suggests a timely precise physiological action of GRP in these targets; in certain uterine neoplasms, the GRP-R overexpression may contribute to tumor development because GRP is a potent growth factor. Furthermore, these findings may be diagnostically and therapeutically relevant. The expression of GRP-R in leiomyomas may allow distinguishing them from receptor-negative leiomyosarcomas; GRP-R in leiomyomas, in a subset of endometrial adenocarcinomas, carcinosarcomas, and in peritumoral vessels may be candidates for receptor targeting in vivo.
Reconstructive Techniques for Tympanosclerosis

Tympanosclerosis is found in more than 30% of patients with chronic ear disease. Clinically significant tympanosclerosis is defined as that affecting the surgical procedure by requiring removal to effect a hearing improvement. This type is seen in less than half of all patients with tympanosclerosis. The incidence and patterns of involvement are documented for 352 of the author's surgical patients subdivided into two groups: One operated on in the early 1960s and another observed more than 15 years later. The surgical techniques employed for hearing restoration are described, as are the hearing results obtained. The findings would indicate that tympanosclerosis is amenable to surgical correction, with a success rate approximately that of nontympanosclerotic ears. The special techniques needed to avoid complications when the disease invades the oval window are emphasized.
Histologic severity of appendicitis can be predicted by computed tomography.

HYPOTHESIS A regression model based on computed tomographic (CT) findings alone can accurately predict the histologic severity of acute appendicitis in patients who have a high disease likelihood. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. PATIENTS Consecutive sample of 105 patients (50 women and 55 men, aged 15-89 years) undergoing nonincidental appendectomy within 3 days of nonfocused abdominal CT. INTERVENTIONS Computed tomographic scans and histologic features were retrospectively reinterpreted. Each patient's histologic and CT findings were scored by standardized criteria. An ordinal logistic regression model was constructed with a subset of CT findings that statistically correlated best with the final histologic features. Predicted severity values were then generated from the model. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Agreement between predicted and actual histologic severity, using weighted kappa measurement. RESULTS Computed tomography variables used in the model were fat stranding, appendix diameter, dependent fluid, appendolithiasis, extraluminal air, and the radiologist's overall confidence score. The weighted kappa measurement of agreement between predicted and actual histologic severity was 0.75, with a 95% confidence interval between the values of 0.59 and 0.90. CONCLUSIONS Computed tomographic findings, when used with the regression model developed from this pilot study, can accurately predict the histologic severity of acute appendicitis in patients initially seen with a high clinical suspicion of the disease. These findings provide a platform from which to prospectively test the model.
Association between Physical Activity and Inflammatory Markers among U.S. Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Purpose. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may cause not only inflammation in the lungs but also systemic effects. One potential strategy to reduce systemic inflammation and attenuate disease progression is physical activity (PA). However, no nationally representative studies, to our knowledge, have examined the association between objectively measured physical activity and inflammation among those with COPD. Design. Cross-sectional. Setting. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2006. Subjects. Two hundred thirty-eight former or current smokers with self-reported COPD who had complete data on study variables. Measures. Participants wore an accelerometer for ≥4 days to assess light-intensity PA (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and total physical activity (TPA); completed questionnaires to assess self-reported COPD and smoking status; and had their blood taken to assess white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil levels. Analysis. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used. Results. LPA (β = –.0004), MVPA (β = –.04), and TPA (β = –.0004) were significantly inversely associated with WBC level. Similarly, LPA (β = –.001) and TPA (β = –.001) were significantly inversely associated with neutrophils; however, MVPA was marginally associated with neutrophils (β = –.05; p =.06). Conclusion. These analyses demonstrate an inverse association between objectively measured PA and inflammation among current or former smokers with COPD. If these findings are confirmed elsewhere, then PA among those with COPD may serve as an anti-inflammatory strategy to possibly decrease cardiovascular and metabolic disease occurrence.
CONNECTING THE DOTS OF NONLINEAR REACTION NORMS UNRAVELS THE THREADS OF GENOTYPE–ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION IN DROSOPHILA

Two contrasting views can characterize the attitude of many studies toward reaction norms (RNs). An “optimistic” view attempts to use a linear model to describe RN variation; and a “pessimistic” view emphasizes RNs complexity without using any model to describe them. Here, we have analyzed the shape of 40 RNs of five traits of Drosophila mediopunctata in response to 11 temperatures. Our results, along with several other studies, show that RNs are typically curves best explained by nonlinear models. Estimating the set of 40 RNs on the basis of three rather than 11 temperatures produces a scenario, typical of the pessimistic view, where the linear model is either nonsignificant or a poor explanatory model. Moreover, we show that RN nonlinearity can significantly affect the conclusions of studies using the linear model. We propose a middle ground view on RNs which recognizes their general nonlinearity. Such view could, on the one hand, explain part of the important phenomenon of genotype–environment interaction emphasized by the pessimistic view. Moreover, it may explain features and patterns which are being ignored by the optimistic view. We suggest the parabolic model as first step to reveal patterns which were ignored before, or not fully appreciated.