Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advancing understanding of executive function impairments and psychopathology: bridging the gap between clinical and cognitive approaches

Executive function (EF) is essential for successfully navigating nearly all of our daily activities. Of critical importance for clinical psychological science, EF impairments are associated with most forms of psychopathology. However, despite the proliferation of research on EF in clinical populations, with notable exceptions clinical and cognitive approaches to EF have remained largely independent, leading to failures to apply theoretical and methodological advances in one field to the other field and hindering progress. First, we review the current state of knowledge of EF impairments associated with psychopathology and limitations to the previous research in light of recent advances in understanding and measuring EF. Next, we offer concrete suggestions for improving EF assessment. Last, we suggest future directions, including integrating modern models of EF with state of the art, hierarchical models of dimensional psychopathology as well as translational implications of EF-informed research on clinical science.
The Citrus ABA signalosome: identification and transcriptional regulation during sweet orange fruit ripening and leaf dehydration

The abscisic acid (ABA) signalling core in plants include the cytosolic ABA receptors (PYR/PYL/RCARs), the clade-A type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2CAs), and the subclass III SNF1-related protein kinases 2 (SnRK2s). The aim of this work was to identify these ABA perception system components in sweet orange and to determine the influence of endogenous ABA on their transcriptional regulation during fruit development and ripening, taking advantage of the comparative analysis between a wild-type and a fruit-specific ABA-deficient mutant. Transcriptional changes in the ABA signalosome during leaf dehydration were also studied. Six PYR/PYL/RCAR, five PP2CA, and two subclass III SnRK2 genes, homologous to those of Arabidopsis, were identified in the Citrus genome. The high degree of homology and conserved motifs for protein folding and for functional activity suggested that these Citrus proteins are bona fide core elements of ABA perception in orange. Opposite expression patterns of CsPYL4 and CsPYL5 and ABA accumulation were found during ripening, although there were few differences between varieties. In contrast, changes in expression of CsPP2CA genes during ripening paralleled those of ABA content and agreeed with the relevant differences between wild-type and mutant fruit transcript accumulation. CsSnRK2 gene expression continuously decreased with ripening and no remarkable differences were found between cultivars. Overall, dehydration had a minor effect on CsPYR/PYL/RCAR and CsSnRK2 expression in vegetative tissue, whereas CsABI1, CsAHG1, and CsAHG3 were highly induced by water stress. The global results suggest that responsiveness to ABA changes during citrus fruit ripening, and leaf dehydration was higher in the CsPP2CA gene negative regulators than in the other ABA signalosome components.
Genetic and physiological analysis of Rht8 in bread wheat: an alternative source of semi-dwarfism with a reduced sensitivity to brassinosteroids

Over the next decade, wheat grain production must increase to meet the demand of a fast growing human population. One strategy to meet this challenge is to raise wheat productivity by optimizing plant stature. The Reduced height 8 (Rht8) semi-dwarfing gene is one of the few, together with the Green Revolution genes, to reduce stature of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and improve lodging resistance, without compromising grain yield. Rht8 is widely used in dry environments such as Mediterranean countries where it increases plant adaptability. With recent climate change, its use could become increasingly important even in more northern latitudes. In the present study, the characterization of Rht8 was furthered. Morphological analyses show that the semi-dwarf phenotype of Rht8 lines is due to shorter internodal segments along the wheat culm, achieved through reduced cell elongation. Physiological experiments show that the reduced cell elongation is not due to defective gibberellin biosynthesis or signalling, but possibly to a reduced sensitivity to brassinosteroids. Using a fine-resolution mapping approach and screening 3104 F2 individuals of a newly developed mapping population, the Rht8 genetic interval was reduced from 20.5 cM to 1.29 cM. Comparative genomics with model genomes confined the Rht8 syntenic intervals to 3.3 Mb of the short arm of rice chromosome 4, and to 2 Mb of Brachypodium distachyon chromosome 5. The very high resolution potential of the plant material generated is crucial for the eventual cloning of Rht8.
Correction: Quantitative Determination of Technological Improvement from Patent Data

Fig 1 appears incorrectly in the published article. Please see the correct Fig 1 and its legend here. Fig 1 Technological Improvement Rates vs Simple Patent Count (A), ratio of patents with greater than 20 citations (B), and average number of forward citations within 3 years of publication (C); the Pearson correlation coefficient (cp), the null hypothesis acceptance . There is an error in the second sentence of the third paragraph in the Results section. The correct sentence is: There seems to be a slight visual trend in the figure, the Pearson correlation is a moderate 0.38 and the p-value is slightly lower than is generally accepted for statistical significance, at 0.043. Table 4 appears incorrectly in the published article. Please see the correct Table 4 and its legend here. Table 4 Least Squares Linear Regression Models for Predicting Technological Improvement Rates with R2 shown for each model and the coefficients shown for each metric included in the model and its p value.
Behavioural evidence for self-medication in bumblebees?

The presence of antimicrobial secondary metabolites in nectar suggests that pollinators, which are threatened globally by emergent disease, may benefit from the consumption of nectars rich in these metabolites. We tested whether nicotine, a nectar secondary metabolite common in Solanaceae and Tilia species, is used by parasitized bumblebees as a source of self-medication , using a series of toxicological, microbiological and behavioural experiments. Caged bees infected with Crithidia bombi had a slight preference for sucrose solution laced with the alkaloid and behavioural tests showed that the parasite infection induced an increased consumption of nicotine during foraging activity, though nicotine had an appetite-reducing effect overall. When ingested, nicotine delayed the progression of a gut infection in bumblebees by a few days, but dietary nicotine did not clear the infection, and after 10 days the parasite load approached that of control bees. Moreover, when pathogens were exposed to the alkaloid prior to host ingestion, the protozoan’s viability was not directly affected, suggesting that anti-parasite effects were relatively weak. Nicotine consumption in a single dose did not impose any cost even in starved bees but the alkaloid had detrimental effects on healthy bees if consistently consumed for weeks. These toxic effects disappeared in infected bees, suggesting that detoxification costs might have been counterbalanced by the advantages in slowing the progression of the infection. Nicotine consumption did not affect bee lifespan but the reduction in the parasite load may have other likely unexplored subtle benefits both for individual bees and their colony. Potential evidence for self-medication is discussed. The contention that secondary metabolites in nectar may be under selection from pollinators, or used by plants to enhance their own reproductive success, remains to be confirmed.
DNA Damage, Homology-Directed Repair, and DNA Methylation

To explore the link between DNA damage and gene silencing, we induced a DNA double-strand break in the genome of Hela or mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells using I-SceI restriction endonuclease. The I-SceI site lies within one copy of two inactivated tandem repeated green fluorescent protein (GFP) genes (DR-GFP). A total of 2%–4% of the cells generated a functional GFP by homology-directed repair (HR) and gene conversion. However, ~50% of these recombinants expressed GFP poorly. Silencing was rapid and associated with HR and DNA methylation of the recombinant gene, since it was prevented in Hela cells by 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine. ES cells deficient in DNA methyl transferase 1 yielded as many recombinants as wild-type cells, but most of these recombinants expressed GFP robustly. Half of the HR DNA molecules were de novo methylated, principally downstream to the double-strand break, and half were undermethylated relative to the uncut DNA. Methylation of the repaired gene was independent of the methylation status of the converting template. The methylation pattern of recombinant molecules derived from pools of cells carrying DR-GFP at different loci, or from an individual clone carrying DR-GFP at a single locus, was comparable. ClustalW analysis of the sequenced GFP molecules in Hela and ES cells distinguished recombinant and nonrecombinant DNA solely on the basis of their methylation profile and indicated that HR superimposed novel methylation profiles on top of the old patterns. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and RNA analysis revealed that DNA methyl transferase 1 was bound specifically to HR GFP DNA and that methylation of the repaired segment contributed to the silencing of GFP expression. Taken together, our data support a mechanistic link between HR and DNA methylation and suggest that DNA methylation in eukaryotes marks homologous recombined segments.
Point matching under large image deformations and illumination changes

To solve the general point correspondence problem in which the underlying transformation between image patches is represented by a homography, a solution based on extensive use of first order differential techniques is proposed. We integrate in a single robust M-estimation framework the traditional optical flow method and matching of local color distributions. These distributions are computed with spatially oriented kernels in the 5D joint spatial/color space. The estimation process is initiated at the third level of a Gaussian pyramid, uses only local information, and the illumination changes between the two images are also taken into account. Subpixel matching accuracy is achieved under large projective distortions significantly exceeding the performance of any of the two components alone. As an application, the correspondence algorithm is employed in oriented tracking of objects.
INTRAPERITONEAL AND INTRACEREBRAL ROUTES IN SERUM PROTECTION TESTS WITH THE VIRUS OF EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS

Young (12 to 15 day old) mice are approximately as susceptible to the virus of equine encephalomyelitis, Eastern or Western strain, when it is given intraperitoneally as are adult mice when the virus is injected intracerebrally. With this susceptibility by the intraperitoneal route as a basis, the injection of immune serum-virus mixtures intraperitoneally was found to result in protection in dilutions which give rise to infection after intracerebral inoculation. The difference of protective power by the two indicated routes was shown not to depend on the amount of inoculum nor on the age of the intracerebrally injected mice. Incubation at 37°C. for 2½ hours neither increases nor diminishes the protective action of immune serum when the intraperitoneal method is employed. The phenomenon of selective protection in different tissues is elicited by the sera of hyperimmunized mice, guinea pigs, and rabbits and by sera derived from horses infected with the disease in nature or exposed to it by contact. Of four horses recovered from the malady, all showed antibody in their sera; of others exposed by contact, four of nine animals revealed antiviral bodies, when the intraperitoneal technique was employed. These tests on horse sera have pointed to the potential value of this procedure for epidemiological studies. Finally, the reaction itself has significance through its bearing on the mechanism of immunity.
Exact electromagnetic scattering of an E-polarized plane wave by a double trihedral reflector with a semi-infinite slot

A dihedral metallic corner reflector is bisected into two octants by a metal plane perpendicular to the edge of the reflector and touching one of the reflector sides while having a gap with the other side. The scattered field due to a plane wave incident in one of the octants is determined exactly, in the phasor domain.
Non-destructive staging of barley reproductive development for molecular analysis based upon external morphology

A prerequisite to study the molecular genetic pathways of pollen and anther development is an accurate staging system for reproductive development. However in barley, floret formation occurs mainly within the pseudostem, which makes the observation of floret development and access to the floret particularly difficult without dissecting the plant. Thus selecting stages for molecular analysis cannot be done non-destructively. A staging method has therefore been developed for barley in order to define the relationship between readily detectable growth points and reproductive development, to provide a clear key to enable accurate selection of reproductive material. Initial staging followed the traditional Zadoks decimal system, with minor adaptations to stages 31–34 and stage 37. The later stages, from 37 onward, were replaced by growth staging based upon the last flag elongation (LFE) and the position occupied by the spike within the pseudostem. Spike size could be readily predicted by using the staging system incorporating Zadoks stages 31–37, supplemented with substages and by LFE staging to improve accuracy. The different spike sizes, as well as the LFE stages, showed a clear relationship to events occurring within the anther, as confirmed by light microscopy of the anthers. The defined relationship between spike size and development to anther development now makes possible the accurate prediction of anther and pollen progression by external staging. This, therefore, provides a mechanism for non-destructive selection of material for analysis that is critical for the molecular characterization of genes in anther and pollen development.
iMoon: Using Smartphones for Image-based Indoor Navigation

The adoption of indoor navigation for smartphones has been relatively slow in the past years, although it would be direly needed in complex indoor areas. The primary barriers for its adoption include the lack of fine-grained and up-to-date indoor maps and the potential deployment and maintenance cost. In this paper we investigate the feasibility of utilizing crowdsourced data for building a smartphone-based indoor navigation system, focusing on the technical challenges caused by the varying quality of crowdsourced data. We developed iMoon, an indoor navigation system based on sensor-enriched 3D models of indoor environment, and evaluated its performance via a field study in a public building covering around 1,100 square meters. iMoon builds 3D models of indoor environment from crowdsourced 2D photos, and compiles a navigation mesh from the generated 3D models. Depending on the input for 3D modelling, indoor pedestrian paths may be partly missing from the output. iMoon solves this issue by integrating into navigation mesh the pedestrian paths recognized from crowdsourced user motion trajectories. With photo-based 3D models, iMoon supports image-based localization that identifies user's position and facing direction with photos, and provides visual navigation instructions that show when and where to turn. To reduce response delay while maintaining the accuracy of localization, iMoon partitions 3D models based on the density of 3D points, and selects partitions for image-based localization using Wi-Fi fingerprints. According to our experimental results, iMoon works properly, and our solution of indoor localization achieves competitive performance compared with traditional approaches: in most cases, a user can be located within an average of 3.85 seconds with a location error of less than 2 meters and a facing direction error of less than 6 degrees.
Preclinical Predictors of Anticancer Drug Efficacy: Critical Assessment with Emphasis on Whether Nanomolar Potency Should Be Required of Candidate Agents

In the current paradigm of anticancer drug development, candidate compounds are evaluated by testing their in vitro potency against molecular targets relevant to carcinogenesis, their effect on cultured cancer cells, and their ability to inhibit cancer growth in animal models. We discuss the key assumptions inherent in these approaches. In recent years, great emphasis has been placed on selecting for development compounds with nanomolar in vitro potency, expecting that they will be efficacious and safer based on the assumption that they can be used at lower doses (“the nanomolar rule”). However, this rule ignores critical parameters affecting efficacy and toxicity such as physiochemical and absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion properties, off-target effects, and multitargeting activities. Thus, uncritical application of the nanomolar rule may reject efficacious compounds or select ineffective or toxic compounds. We present examples of efficacious chemotherapeutic (alkylating agents, hormonal agents, antimetabolites, thalidomide, and valproic acid) and chemopreventive (aspirin and sulindac) agents having millimolar potency and compounds with nanomolar potency (cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors) that, nevertheless, failed or proved to be unsafe. The effect of candidate drugs on animal models of cancer is a better predictor of human drug efficacy; particularly useful are tumor xenografts. Given the cost of failure at clinical stages, it is imperative to keep in mind the limitations of the nanomolar rule and use relevant in vivo models early in drug discovery to prioritize candidates. Although in vivo models will continue having a major role in cancer drug development, more robust approaches that combine high predictive ability with simplicity and low cost should be developed.
Hyperpolarizability effects and accuracy evaluation of a 87Sr optical lattice clock

The authors report the observation of the hyperpolarizability frequency shift due to the trapping field in a 87Sr optical lattice clock. The authors show that at the magic wavelength of the lattice, where the first order term cancels, this higher order shift will not constitute a limitation to the fractional accuracy of the clock down to the 10 -18 level. This result is achieved by operating the clock at very high trapping intensity up to 400 kW/cm2 and by a specific study of the effect of the two two-photon transitions near the magic wavelength. The authors also report an accurate frequency measurement of the clock transition. The frequency is determined to be v1S0-3P0 = 429 228 004 229 879 (5) Hz with a fractional uncertainty that is comparable to state-of-the-art optical clocks with neutral atoms in free fall
Acute stress response and posttraumatic stress disorder in traffic accident victims: a one-year prospective, follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to assess the natural course of posttraumatic symptoms formation, as well as the degree to which acute stress reactions predict later posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in injured traffic accident victims. METHOD A prospective, 1-year follow-up study was carried out on 74 injured traffic accident victims and a comparison group of 19 patients who were hospitalized for elective orthopedic surgery. Participants were interviewed within the first week following the accident, and follow-up interviews were performed 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the accident. At 12 months, a structured clinical interview was administered to determine a formal DSM-III-R diagnosis of PTSD. RESULTS Twenty-four (32%) of the 74 traffic accident victims, but none of the 19 comparison subjects, met DSM-III-R criteria for PTSD at 1 year. Traffic accident victims who developed PTSD had higher levels of premorbid and comorbid psychopathology. Levels of posttraumatic symptoms were significantly higher from the outset in the subjects who developed PTSD and worsened progressively over the first 3 months, in contrast to subjects without PTSD, who manifested gradual amelioration of symptoms during this time. Existence of posttraumatic symptoms immediately after the accident was a better predictor of later PTSD than was accident or injury severity. CONCLUSIONS In this study, a significant portion of injured traffic accident victims manifested PTSD 1 year after the event. The development of PTSD at 1 year can be predicted as early as 1 week after the accident on the basis of the existence and severity of early PTSD-related symptoms. However, the first 3 months following the accident appear to be the critical period for the development of PTSD.
Comment on “Ym1/2 Promotes Th2 Cytokine Expression by Inhibiting 12/15(S)-Lipoxygenase: Identification of a Novel Pathway for Regulating Allergic Inflammation”

We read the article published by Cai et al. in the May 1, 2009 issue of The Journal of Immunology ([1][1]) with great interest. The experiments are systematic and unequivocal when seen in isolation. However, there are major conflicts between the discovered proallergic effects of Ym1/2 via inhibition
GATA2 Inhibition Sensitizes Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells to Chemotherapy

Drug resistance constitutes one of the main obstacles for clinical recovery of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Therefore, the treatment of AML requires new strategies, such as adding a third drug. To address whether GATA2 could act as a regulator of chemotherapy resistance in human leukemia cells, we observed KG1a cells and clinical patients’ AML cells with a classic drug (Cerubidine) and Gefitinib. After utilizing chemotherapy, the expression of GATA2 and its target genes (EVI, SCL and WT1) in surviving AML cells and KG1a cells were significantly enhanced to double and quadrupled compared to its original level respectively. Furthermore, with continuous chemotherapeutics, AML cells with GATA2 knockdown or treated with GATA2 inhibitor (K1747) almost eliminated with dramatically reduced expression of WT1, SCL, EVI, and significantly increased apoptotic population. Therefore, we propose that reducing GATA2 expression or inhibition of its transcription activity can relieve the drug resistance of acute myeloid leukemia cells and it would be helpful for eliminating the leukemia cells in patients.
A Prism-Mask System for Multispectral Video Acquisition

This paper presents a prism-mask system for capturing multispectral videos. The system is composed of a triangular prism, a monochrome camera, and an occlusion mask. Incoming light beams from the scene are sampled by the occlusion mask, dispersed into their constituent spectra by the triangular prism, and then captured by the monochrome camera. Our system is capable of capturing frames with high spectral resolution at video rates. It also allows for different trade-offs between spectral and spatial resolution by adjusting the focal length of the camera. We demonstrate multispectral video acquisition with various spectral resolutions and spatial resolutions, as well as different frame rates. The effectiveness of our system is further evaluated with several applications, including human skin detection, physical material recognition, video segmentation, RGB video generation, and illumination identification.