Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The functional neuroanatomy of face perception: from brain measurements to deep neural networks

A central goal in neuroscience is to understand how processing within the ventral visual stream enables rapid and robust perception and recognition. Recent neuroscientific discoveries have significantly advanced understanding of the function, structure and computations along the ventral visual stream that serve as the infrastructure supporting this behaviour. In parallel, significant advances in computational models, such as hierarchical deep neural networks (DNNs), have brought machine performance to a level that is commensurate with human performance. Here, we propose a new framework using the ventral face network as a model system to illustrate how increasing the neural accuracy of present DNNs may allow researchers to test the computational benefits of the functional architecture of the human brain. Thus, the review (i) considers specific neural implementational features of the ventral face network, (ii) describes similarities and differences between the functional architecture of the brain and DNNs, and (iii) provides a hypothesis for the computational value of implementational features within the brain that may improve DNN performance. Importantly, this new framework promotes the incorporation of neuroscientific findings into DNNs in order to test the computational benefits of fundamental organizational features of the visual system.
The construction of subject-verb agreement in sentence production by bilinguals

Experimental research on agreement production has provided compelling evidence that the interference produced by a syntactic element intervening between the subject and its verb (e.g., *The son of the neighbours are absent) is sensitive to the hierarchical position of this attractor (e.g., Vigliocco & Nicol, 1998). Our research extends the construct of hierarchical structure in proposing a finer characterisation of its role in interference. This role is a function of (1) structural intervention conceived of as a necessary condition for interference, (2) the type of structural intervention (precedence versus c-command), and (3) the type of movement involved. We will present a gradient in the strength of attraction emerging from experimental research which supports this approach, and will focus in particular on the evidence suggesting that intermediate traces of movement cause interference. One of the critical experimental comparisons that support this claim involves an object relative structure (1) in which the potential attractor (patients) is the object of the target verb (cures), and a sentence complement structure (2) in which the potential attractor is the object of the main verb (says).
Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and tolerability of verinurad, a selective uric acid reabsorption inhibitor, in healthy Japanese and non-Asian male subjects

Purpose Verinurad (RDEA3170) is a selective uric acid reabsorption inhibitor in clinical development for treatment of gout and asymptomatic hyperuricemia. This study evaluated verinurad pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and tolerability in healthy Japanese and non-Asian adult male subjects. Methods This was a Phase I, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study. Panels of 8 Japanese subjects were randomized to receive oral verinurad (2.5–15 mg) or placebo administered as a single dose in a fasted and fed state and as once-daily doses for 7 days in a fed state. Eight non-Asian subjects received verinurad 10 mg as a single dose (fasted and fed) and multiple doses in the fed state. Serial plasma/serum and urine samples were assayed for verinurad and uric acid. Safety was assessed by adverse events and laboratory data. Results Of 48 randomized subjects, 46 (Japanese, 39; non-Asian, 7) completed the study. Following single or multiple doses in Japanese subjects, maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) increased in a near dose-proportional manner. Time to Cmax (Tmax) was ~1.25–2.0 hours with fasting. A moderate-fat meal delayed Tmax (range 3.0–5.0 hours) and had a variable effect on AUC (0%–97% increase) and Cmax (0%–26% increase) across the dose groups. Following multiple verinurad 10 mg doses, Cmax and AUC were 38% and 23% higher, respectively, in Japanese vs non-Asian subjects, largely due to body weight differences. Mean reduction of serum urate following multiple verinurad 10 mg doses was 46% and 44% after 24 hours in Japanese and non-Asian subjects, respectively. Verinurad was well tolerated at all doses. Conclusion Verinurad monotherapy lowered serum urate and was well tolerated in both healthy Japanese and non-Asian males, while small differences in plasma pharmacokinetics were observed. These data support further evaluation of once-daily verinurad as a treatment for gout and asymptomatic hyperuricemia.
Changing the Way We Approach Rehabilitation in Bone Marrow Transplantation

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (alloBMT) is a highly intensive form of treatment for people with haematological cancer. Given its intensity and potential short and long term complications, there are significant risks of physical and psychological morbidity following treatment [1]. Several studies have identified that the side effects of an alloBMT can be long term and include physical impairments such as muscle weakness and reduced endurance; persistent symptoms such as fatigue; and poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) [2,3]. Whilst the side effects observed in allogeneic and autologous BMT are similar, those experienced following an alloBMT are more numerous and severe due to prolonged hospital length of stay and greater risk of debilitating long-term complications such as graftversus-host-disease [1,4]. The survival rate for patients treated with alloBMT is increasing [5] and therefore as this chronic disease population increases in size, there is awareness of the need to focus on prevention of long-term morbidity and addressing patient survivorship needs.
QT-Opt: Scalable Deep Reinforcement Learning for Vision-Based Robotic Manipulation

In this paper, we study the problem of learning vision-based dynamic manipulation skills using a scalable reinforcement learning approach. We study this problem in the context of grasping, a longstanding challenge in robotic manipulation. In contrast to static learning behaviors that choose a grasp point and then execute the desired grasp, our method enables closed-loop vision-based control, whereby the robot continuously updates its grasp strategy based on the most recent observations to optimize long-horizon grasp success. To that end, we introduce QT-Opt, a scalable self-supervised vision-based reinforcement learning framework that can leverage over 580k real-world grasp attempts to train a deep neural network Q-function with over 1.2M parameters to perform closed-loop, real-world grasping that generalizes to 96% grasp success on unseen objects. Aside from attaining a very high success rate, our method exhibits behaviors that are quite distinct from more standard grasping systems: using only RGB vision-based perception from an over-the-shoulder camera, our method automatically learns regrasping strategies, probes objects to find the most effective grasps, learns to reposition objects and perform other non-prehensile pre-grasp manipulations, and responds dynamically to disturbances and perturbations.
Marrow Adipose Tissue: Its Origin, Function, and Regulation in Bone Remodeling and Regeneration

Marrow adipose tissue (MAT) is a unique fat depot in the bone marrow and exhibits close relationship with hematopoiesis and bone homeostasis. MAT is distinct from peripheral adipose tissue in respect of its heterogeneous origin, site-specific distribution, and complex and perplexing function. Though MAT is indicated to function in hematopoiesis, skeletal remodeling, and energy metabolism, its explicit characterization still requires further research. In this review, we highlight recent advancement made in MAT regarding the origin and distribution of MAT, the local interaction with bone homeostasis and hematopoietic niche, the systemic endocrine regulation of metabolism, and MAT-based strategies to enhance bone formation.
Post-traumatic stress disorder amongst children aged 8–18 affected by the 2011 northern-Namibia floods

Extreme flooding in the northern parts of Namibia occurred in 2011, impacting many school-going children in the region. The rationale for the current research is to assess post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on school children as a result of the floods. A self-administered Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire (CTSQ) with closed-ended questions was administered to 480 children between the ages of eight and 18 years at their respective schools. The CTSQ consists of five items assessing re-experiencing and five items assessing hyper-arousal symptoms. The results show that 55.2% of learners aged 12 and below and 72.8% of learners aged 13 and above reported experiencing symptoms of trauma from the floods 2 years after the event. These percentages were quite high and are therefore a cause for concern. Given the magnitude of this problem, it is important for the government and other stakeholders to provide the necessary psychological and/or emotional support in the event of future floods or similar disasters.
Ipsilateral versus contralateral placement of the pancreas allograft in pancreas after kidney transplant recipients

In a diabetic, uremic kidney transplant recipient that may receive a future pancreas after kidney (PAK) transplant, the kidney is typically implanted on the left side in anticipation of the subsequent pancreas transplant on the right side. In this study, we sought to determine if ipsilateral PAK (iPAK) is as safe as contralateral PAK (cPAK).
Chunking as a rational strategy for lossy data compression in visual working memory

The nature of capacity limits for visual working memory has been the subject of an intense debate that has relied on models that assume items are encoded independently. Here we propose that instead, similar features are jointly encoded through a “chunking” process to optimize performance on visual working memory tasks. We show that such chunking can: 1) facilitate performance improvements for abstract capacity-limited systems, 2) be optimized through reinforcement, 3) be implemented by center-surround dynamics, and 4) increase effective storage capacity at the expense of recall precision. Human performance on a variant of a canonical working memory task demonstrated performance advantages, precision detriments, inter-item dependencies, and trial-to-trial behavioral adjustments diagnostic of performance optimization through center-surround chunking. Models incorporating center-surround chunking provided a better quantitative description of human performance in our study as well as in a meta-analytic dataset, and apparent differences in working memory capacity across individuals were attributable to individual differences in the implementation of chunking. Our results reveal a normative rationale for center-surround connectivity in working memory circuitry, call for re-evaluation of memory performance differences that have previously been attributed to differences in capacity, and support a more nuanced view of visual working memory capacity limitations: strategic tradeoff between storage capacity and memory precision through chunking contribute to flexible capacity limitations that include both discrete and continuous aspects.
Stress induced water content variations in mango stem by time domain reflectometry

Close, direct, and accurate monitoring of the plant water status may serve as a practical (irrigation scheduling) and a research (climate-environmental induced physiologic changes) tool. Methods for highfrequency capacitance measurement (e.g., time domain reflectometry [TDR]) possess the potential for high resolution dielectric measurements with minimal dependence on properties of the measured matrix. The objective of this study is to test the accuracy, response time, and sensitivity of the TDR methodology in measuring changes in water status in a mango (Mangifera indica L., Cultivar 'Kent') tree stem exposed to several perturbations concerning water, salinity, fruit load, and radiation. Under several induced stress conditions, stem and root zone water content (θ) and electrical conductivity (σ) were simultaneously measured. Our study is distinct in its detailed and frequent measurements of stem water content (θ stem ) using short (29-70 mm) TDR probes in trees growing in a detached medium. We have found that θ stem response to root zone applied salinity and water stress were negative and positive, respectively. Stem electrical conductivity (σ stem ) was primarily dependent on θ stem and only negligibly on stem cells salinity. The θ stem response time to water application was ∼4 h. Two practical outcomes of our study were: (1) Because the salt content of the tree cells only slightly affected σ stem , stem resistivity measurements could be used to represent dielectric changes, and (2) quite short probes could be used to include young trees of slim tree branches.
The interaction among obesity, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and periodontitis in Vietnamese patients

To examine the relationship between obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and periodontal disease in Vietnamese patients. The sample included 712 patients aged 18 years or older who first visited the Institute of Traditional Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City. All participants completed a questionnaire and underwent anthropometric index measurements for obesity (height, weight, waist, and hip circumferences) and had their body fat percentage measured. A full periodontal examination was performed and a fasting glycemic level was determined. Occurrence and risk of periodontal outcomes were compared across 3 different measurements of obesity (body mass index, waist–hip ratio, and body fat percentage). The prevalence of periodontitis in obese group (37.0%, 36.4%, and 24.6% by body mass index, waist–hip ratio, and body fat percentage, respectively) or Type 2 diabetic group (50.7%) was significantly higher than those without these conditions (p < .05). Subjects with obesity or Type 2 diabetes had significantly greater pocket depth and clinical attachment loss than those who are not obese or diabetic (p < .001). Multivariate logistic regression, adjusted for confounding variables, showed that the likelihood (odds ratio, OR) for periodontitis was highest in the obese and Type 2 diabetic group (OR = 4.24, CI [2.29, 7.86]; OR = 4.06, CI [2.24, 7.36]; and OR = 5.44, CI [2.94, 10.03]), followed by the obese and non‐Type 2 diabetic group (OR = 2.28, CI [1.05, 4.95]; OR = 2.02, CI [1.34, 3.56]), and then the nonobese and Type 2 diabetic group (OR = 2.20, CI [1.21, 3.98]; OR = 1.99, CI [0.93, 4.24] and OR = 5.22, CI [2.76, 9.84]) when obesity was defined by body mass index, waist–hip ratio, and body fat percentage, respectively, (p < .05). There was a significant association between obesity, Type 2 diabetes, or those with both systemic conditions and periodontitis in Vietnamese patients.
Sex differences influence intestinal epithelial stem cell proliferation independent of obesity

The intestinal epithelium is continuously regenerated by cell renewal of intestinal epithelial stem cells (IESCs) located in the intestinal crypts. Obesity affects this process and results in changes in the size and cellular make‐up of the tissue, but it remains unknown if there are sex differences in obesity‐induced alterations in IESC proliferation and differentiation. We fed male and female mice a 60% high‐fat diet (HFD) or a 10% low‐fat diet (LFD) for 3 months and investigated the differences in (1) the expression of markers of different intestinal epithelial cell types in vivo, and (2) lasting effects on IESC growth in vitro. We found that the growth of IESCs in vitro were enhanced in females compared with males. HFD induced similar in vivo changes and in vitro early growth of IESCs in males and females. The IESCs isolated and grown in vitro from females, though, showed an enhanced growth that was independent of obesity. To determine whether this effect was driven by sex steroid hormones, we used primary intestinal crypts isolated from male and female mice and investigated the differences in (1) the expression of steroid hormone receptors, and (2) cell proliferation in response to steroid hormones. We found that estrogen receptor α was expressed in crypts from both sexes, but estrogen had no effect on proliferation in either sex. These results suggest that obesity similarly effects IESCs in males and females, but IESCs in females have greater proliferation ability than males, but this is not driven by a direct effect of sex steroid hormones on IESCs or other crypt cells that provide essential niche support for IESCs.
When nature frowns: A comprehensive impact assessment of the 2012 Babessi floods on people’s livelihoods in rural Cameroon

Floods are the most common natural disasters worldwide. Much of the growing literature on the impact of floods, especially in developed countries, and to a lesser extent in rural areas of developing countries, concentrates on economic rather than a comprehensive assessment of combined effects on people’s livelihoods. Holistic floods impact assessments are often done long after the shock, raising problems of data reliability following long recall periods, although post-disaster needs assessments when carried out earlier can facilitate appropriate disaster recovery, relief and reconstruction activities. We applied the sustainable livelihoods framework as a comprehensive approach to assess the impacts of the Babessi floods in 2012 on livelihoods in rural (north western region) of Cameroon 6 weeks after the floods. Using a structured questionnaire, data was collected from victims before and after the floods, using recall methods. A matched sample of nonvictims randomly selected from the same village as the victims was used to assess vulnerability to the floods by household type. Floods were found to have serious economic, social, human and food security impacts on victims. Both government and nongovernmental support were jointly crucial for household recovery. Comparatively observed high levels of recovery were attributed to the low loss of human lives. The article concludes with the need for comprehensive approaches to floods impact assessments. The need for combining formal and informal instruments in post-disaster management in rural areas is also emphasised.
The analgesic efficacy of transverse abdominis plane block versus epidural analgesia

Background: The aim of the study was to compare the analgesic efficacy of epidural analgesia and transverse abdominis plane (TAP) block. TAP block has gained popularity to provide postoperative analgesia after abdominal surgery but its advantage over epidural analgesia is disputed. Methods: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines. Only trials comparing TAP block with epidural analgesia were included. The primary outcome was pain score at rest (analog scale, 0–10) on postoperative day 1 analyzed in subgroups according to the population (children and adults). Secondary outcomes included rate of hypotension, length of stay, and functional outcomes (time to first bowel sound, time to first flatus). Results: Ten controlled trials, including 505 patients (195 children and 310 adults), were identified. Pain scores at rest on postoperative day 1 were equivalent for TAP block and epidural analgesia groups in children (mean difference: 0.3; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.1 to 0.6; I2 = 0%; P = .15) and in adults (mean difference: 0.5; 95% CI: −0.1 to 1.0; I2 = 81%; P = .10). The quality of evidence for our primary outcome was moderate according to the GRADE system. The epidural analgesia group experienced a higher rate of hypotension (relative risk: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.04–0.38; I2 = 0%; P = .0002), while hospital length of stay was shorter in the TAP block group (mean difference: −0.6 days; 95% CI: −0.9 to −0.3 days; I2 = 0%; P < .0001), without impact on functional outcomes. Conclusion: There is moderate evidence that TAP block and epidural analgesia are equally effective in treating postoperative pain in both pediatric and adult patients, while TAP block is associated with fewer episodes of hypotension and reduced length of stay.
Differences in university students’ motivation between a required and an elective physical activity education policy

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to examine differences in students’ physical activity motivation, competence, and weekly exercise metabolic equivalent units (METs) between universities with different physical activity education (PAE) policy arrangements (ie, a required PAE vs. an elective PAE). Participants: Participants (N = 953) were purposefully recruited from two universities with different PAE policies 1 week before the start of fall term 2015. Methods: Participants completed questionnaires assessing their physical activity motivation, competence, and weekly exercise METs. Results: The results of this study suggest that having a required PAE policy allows for more students with lower self-determined forms of motivation (ie, amotivation) to be reached in comparison to the elective PAE policy. Conclusions: This finding highlights that a primary value of having a required PAE policy is its ability to reach less motivated students.
A comparative study of single layer continuous sutures versus double layer interrupted sutures in intestinal anastomosis

Objectives : The objective of the study was to compare single layer continuous intestinal anastomosis and double layer interrupted intestinal anastomosis in terms of time taken for the anastomosis and safety. Material & Methods : A prospective comparative study was carried out in the Department of Surgery NKPSIMS and RC, Nagpur from August 2011 to October 2013. All patients who underwent elective intestinal surgeries and bowel anastomosis and consented for the study were included in the study. Patients requiring gastric, duodenal and rectal anastomosis and patients in whom staplers were used were excluded from the study. 30 single layered continuous and 30 double layered interrupted intestinal anastomosis were performed. Data was analyzed using Student t test for continuous variables and Chi square test for categorical variables. Comparison was made in terms of time taken for anastomosis, anastomotic leak and other complications. Results : The mean duration of intestinal anastomosis for the double layer group was 33.06 minutes whereas for the single layer group, it was 23.6 minutes, which was found to be statistically significant. Anastomotic leak was reported in 2 patients in the double layer group and in 3 patients in the single layer group was found to be statistically insignificant. The other complications that included surgical site infection, re intervention and mortality were similar in both the groups. Single layered intestinal anastomosis does not carry any increased risk of anastomotic leak and other complications when compared to double layered intestinal anastomosis and can be constructed in a shorter time. Conclusion : Single layered intestinal anastomosis technique takes less time for construction and does not carry any increased risk of complications
Circulating miR‐338‐5p is a potential diagnostic biomarker in colorectal cancer

The expression of miR‐338‐5p has been reported to be upregulated in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues. Clinicopathological features indicate that miR‐338‐5p overexpression correlates with the metastatic status of CRC. This study was aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of serum miR‐338‐5p for CRC.