Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The gender difference in distraction of background music and noise on the cognitive task performance

The current study examined the effect of background music and noise on the cognitive task performance and tested the gender difference. Ninety-one participants completed (53 female, 38 male) two kinds of cognitive tasks: one was simple task (perception task), the other was complex task (spatial reasoning task, which had two levels: easy & difficult). Participants were randomly assigned to one of five background sound conditions: country music, jazz music, rock music, traffic noise, and silence. We used both latency and error rate as cognitive performance. A three-way significant interaction among background sound, cognitive task and gender was found. The differential distraction of background sound was significant on performance of perception and spatial reasoning tasks. Participants spent more time completing the cognitive tasks when in the presence of rock, and made more mistakes when in the presence of noise. This distraction pattern was only found in male participants; Female participants were not distracted by background sound. The implication of these findings was discussed. Keywords-background music; cognitive performance; spatial reasoning task; perception task; gender difference
Intratumoral Expression of Mature Human Neutrophil Peptide-1 Mediates Antitumor Immunity in Mice

Purpose: Human neutrophil peptides (HNP1-3), small molecular antimicrobial peptides, are expressed within tumors and associated with tumor necrosis and inhibition of angiogenesis. Recent investigations have suggested that HNP1-3 are likely to be involved in the host immune responses to tumors. Experimental Design: We used recombinant pSec-HNP1, which expresses a secretable form of HNP1, to obtain expression of HNP1 in the tumor milieu in immunocompetent mice to explore the possible roles of HNP1 in tumor immunity. The antitumor effects were investigated in established CT26 colon cancer and 4T1 breast cancer models. Results: HNP1-mediated chemotactic and activating effects on immature dendritic cells were detected both in vitro and in vivo. Intratumoral expression of HNP1 resulted in not only significant tumor growth inhibition but also increased CTL infiltration within tumors. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes and a 51Cr release assay revealed specific cellular immune responses. Furthermore, increased antibodies were also found in sera from pSec-HNP1treated mice supporting specific humoral immune responses. Increased apoptosis and decreased angiogenesis were also shown in treated tumors. Conclusions: These findings indicate that HNP1 can exert multiple antitumor effects through different mechanisms; more importantly, HNP1 mediates host immune responses to tumors in situ through the recruitment and subsequent activation of immature dendritic cells and thus shows promising potential in cancer therapy. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(22):690111)
Variation in the Propensity to Release Endotoxin after Cefuroxime Exposure in Different Gram-negative Bacteria: Uniform and Dose-dependent Reduction by the Addition of Tobramycin

An aminoglycoside in combination with a β-lactam antibiotic is often recommended for the treatment of severe infections. The aim of the present study was to study whether cefuroxime-induced endotoxin release could be reduced by addition of tobramycin in different Gram-negative bacteria and how endotoxin release was affected by bacterial killing rate and number of killed bacteria. Three Escherichia coli strains, 1 Klebsiella, 1 Salmonella and 1 Neisseria strain were exposed in vitro to 2, 10 and 50× minimum inhibitory concentration of cefuroxime, tobramycin or a combination of both. The cefuroxime-induced endotoxin release in the 6 strains varied from 0.1 to 9.9×10<formula>×−3</formula> EU/killed bacterium. By adding tobramycin, highly significant reductions of 96%, 93%, 97%, 86% and 85% were seen in the 3 E. coli strains and in the Klebsiella and the Salmonella strain, respectively. In the Neisseria strain, the reduction was less. Increasing doses of tobramycin or the combination led to significant endotoxin release reduction in 4/6 strains. In conclusion, addition of tobramycin reduced penicillin-binding protein-3-β-lactam binding-induced endotoxin release in all tested Gram-negative strains, despite a large interspecies variation in the propensity to release endotoxin. Besides broadening the spectrum and increasing the killing rate, this might be of benefit in the most severe forms of sepsis.
Volumetric breast density characteristics as determined from digital mammograms

In this paper we present the results of an automated and entirely reproducible algorithm that estimates the breast volume, dense tissue volume and the volumetric breast density from digital mammograms. The algorithm was applied to 55 087 digital images (CC view only) from 15 351 individual women, acquired between 2008 and 2011 at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada. The algorithm is based on a prior calibration of the digital image signal versus tissue thickness and composition, and the thickness of the compressed breast is estimated using an empirical model that corrects the thickness readout of the mammography system as a function of compression force. The mean volumetric density and breast volumes for our study group were 30% and 687 cm3, respectively. The left and right volumetric density and breast volume were strongly correlated, with a Pearson correlation of 0.92 and 0.91, respectively. The volumetric density decreased from 45% to 25% as age increased from 35 to 75 years, with an increase to 30% at 80 years. For a given woman, the volumetric density decreased at an average rate of -2 density percentage points per year while the breast volume increased by 2% per year.
Sulfamidase Deficiency in a Family of Dachshunds: A Canine Model of Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIA (Sanfilippo A)

Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIA (MPS IIIA or Sanfilippo A, McKusick 25290) was diagnosed in two adult wire-haired Dachshund littermates. Clinical and pathologic features paralleled the human disorder; both dogs exhibited progressive neurologic disease without apparent somatic involvement. Pelvic limb ataxia was observed when the dogs were 3 y old and progressed gradually within 1-2 y to severe generalized spinocerebellar ataxia. Mentation remained normal throughout the course of the disease. A mucopolysaccharide storage disorder was indicated in both dogs by positive toluidine blue spot tests of urine. The diagnosis of MPS IIIA was confirmed by documentation of urinary excretion and tissue accumulation of heparan sulfate and decreased sulfamidase activity in fibroblasts and hepatic tissue. Mild cerebral cortical atrophy and dilation of the lateral ventricles were grossly evident in both dogs. Light microscopically, fibroblasts, hepatocytes, and renal tubular epithelial cells were vacuolated. Within the nervous system, cerebellar Purkinje cells, neurons of brainstem nuclei, ventral and dorsal horns, and dorsal ganglia were distended with brightly autofluorescent, periodic acid-Schiff-positive, sudanophilic material. Ultrastructurally, visceral storage presented as membrane-bound vacuoles with finely granular, variably electron-lucent contents. Neuronal storage appeared as membranous concentric whorls, lamellated parallel membrane stacks, or electron-dense lipid-like globules. This represents the first reported animal disease homolog of the human Sanfilippo A syndrome.
Adjuvant growth hormone therapy in poor responders to in-vitro fertilization: a prospective randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study.

The objective of the study was to assess the effect of growth hormone (GH) supplementation to a combined gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist/human menopausal gonadotrophin (GnRHa/HMG) treatment protocol on ovarian response in 'poor responders' undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). GH or a placebo were administered in a prospective randomized double-blind manner. A total of 14 poor-responder patients (oestradiol < 500 pg/ml, less than three oocytes retrieved in two previous IVF cycles) were randomly allocated to a combined treatment of either GnRHa/HMG/GH (18 IU on alternate days, total dose 72 IU) or GnRHa/HMG placebo. No difference was found between the study and control groups in the number of HMG ampoules used, the number of follicles (> 14 mm) and serum oestradiol concentrations on the day of administration of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG), the number of oocytes retrieved and fertilized, and the number of embryos transferred. The GH group (n = 7) did not show a better ovulatory response in the study cycles; mean +/- SD serum oestradiol on day of HCG 411 +/- 124 versus 493 +/- 291 pg/ml, aspirated oocytes 2.2 +/- 1.5 versus 1.9 +/- 2.0. Interestingly, when the above results for the placebo group were compared with their previous cycles (serum oestradiol 403 +/- 231 pg/ml; 0.4 +/- 0.5 aspirated oocytes), a non-specific effect was found. Follicular recruitment, oestradiol secretion by mature follicles and the number of oocytes retrieved in poor responders were not improved by GH supplementation.
The Password Reset MitM Attack

We present the password reset MitM (PRMitM) attack and show how it can be used to take over user accounts. The PRMitM attack exploits the similarity of the registration and password reset processes to launch a man in the middle (MitM) attack at the application level. The attacker initiates a password reset process with a website and forwards every challenge to the victim who either wishes to register in the attacking site or to access a particular resource on it. The attack has several variants, including exploitation of a password reset process that relies on the victim's mobile phone, using either SMS or phone call. We evaluated the PRMitM attacks on Google and Facebook users in several experiments, and found that their password reset process is vulnerable to the PRMitM attack. Other websites and some popular mobile applications are vulnerable as well. Although solutions seem trivial in some cases, our experiments show that the straightforward solutions are not as effective as expected. We designed and evaluated two secure password reset processes and evaluated them on users of Google and Facebook. Our results indicate a significant improvement in the security. Since millions of accounts are currently vulnerable to the PRMitM attack, we also present a list of recommendations for implementing and auditing the password reset process.
Australia Antigen: Large-Scale Purification from Human Serum and Biochemical Studies of Its Proteins

Biophysical techniques are described for the large-scale isolation of Australia antigen (Au) from unit quantities of human serum by using the batch-type zonal centrifuge rotors. A three-step procedure involving isopycnic banding of the particle in CsCl density gradients and rate-zonal centrifugation on sucrose gradients resulted in a highly purified Au preparation which was used for biochemical studies of Au proteins and as immunizing antigen for the production of reagent antiserum in animals. The spherical form of Au, which was devoid of detectable nucleic acid, was composed of two major proteins (AuP1 and AuP2) and a minor protein (AuP3) of 26,000, 32,000, and 40,000 molecular weight, respectively, as determined by acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The significance of these findings to the possibility of Au subtypes is discussed.
Adaptation of an In Vitro Phospholipidosis Assay to an Automated Image Analysis System

ABSTRACT Phospholipidosis is the excessive intralysosomal accumulation of phospholipids and is induced in humans and animals by the chronic administration of cationic amphiphilic drugs. To identify compounds that may induce phospholipidosis early in the discovery process, we have developed a predictive fluorescent cell-based assay amenable to automated high content screening using the 2-(4,4-difluoro-5-methyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-dodecanoyl)-1-hexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (ß-BODIPY C12-HPC) dye and primary rat hepatocytes. ß-BODIPY C12-HPC localized to lysosomes that accumulate phospholipids and not to lipid droplets, indicating the selectivity for phospholipid-containing granules. Accumulation of ß-BODIPY C12-HPC was monitored in primary rat hepatocytes plated onto 96-well plates and 24 h after exposure to increasing concentrations of 13 drugs known to induce phospholipidosis and four negative compounds. Fluorescent images were captured and analyzed using the Discovery-1 automated cellular imaging system. Eleven out of the 12 selected positive compounds and all negative compounds were properly assigned as positive and negative inducers of phospholipidosis, respectively, indicating the high degree of sensitivity and specificity of this assay. The ability of ß-BODIPY C12-HPC to detect and quantify phospholipidosis is similar to that of the well-established probe, N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)-dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (NBD-PE).
Day/Night rhythm of hemostatic factors in obstructive sleep apnea.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To investigate the hypothesis that day/night patterns of prothrombotic activity differ between patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and individuals with no OSA. DESIGN Prothrombotic markers' day/night rhythms recorded over one 24-h period. SETTING General clinical research center. PATIENTS 38 untreated OSA patients as verified by polysomnography (apnea-hypopnea index > or = 10/h sleep) and 22 non-OSA controls. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Blood samples were collected every 2 h to measure plasma levels of fibrinolysis-inhibiting plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 and the primary fibrin degradation product D-dimer. Day/night variation in hemostasis factors was examined using a cosinor analysis. Mesor (mean) PAI-1 over the 24-h period was higher (P = 0.015), and mesor of D-dimer was lower (P = 0.001) in patients with OSA than in the non-OSA controls. These group differences stayed significant when controlling for age and gender. After further adjustment for body mass index, mean arterial pressure, and smoking, the relationship between OSA and PAI-1 became non-significant, but the relationship between OSA and D-dimer continued to be significant (P = 0.006). In the fully adjusted analysis, the amplitude (peak) for D-dimer was lower in OSA patients than in non-OSA controls (P = 0.048). The acrophase (time of the peak) for PAI-1 and D-dimer did not significantly differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS The relatively higher average level of PAI-1 and lower average level of D-dimer across the 24-h in OSA patients might reflect decreased fibrinolytic capacity and fibrin degradation, respectively. The findings provide some evidence for a prothrombotic state in OSA, but were only partially independent of metabolic variables.
Role of primary constitutive phosphorylation of Sendai virus P and V proteins in viral replication and pathogenesis.

Functional analysis of the primary constitutive phosphorylation of Sendai virus P and V proteins was performed using both in vitro and in vivo systems. Sendai virus minigenome transcription and replication in transfected cells were not significantly affected in the presence of primary phosphorylation deficient P protein (S249A, S249D, P250A) as measured by either the luciferase activity or the Northern blot analysis. Similarly, recombinant Sendai viruses lacking the primary phosphorylation in P grew to titers close to the wild-type virus in cell cultures and in the natural host of Sendai virus, the mouse. Mutant viruses showed no altered pathogenesis in mice lungs. Oligomerization of P by binding WT P or mutant P to GST-P (WT) Sepharose beads revealed that the primary phosphorylation was not crucial for P protein oligomerization. Similar to P protein primary phosphorylation, the V protein primary phosphorylation at serine249 was not essential for minigenome transcription and replication, as both WT and mutant V proteins were found equally inhibitory to the minigenome replication. These results show that the primary phosphorylation of P protein has no essential role in Sendai virus transcription, replication, and pathogenesis.
Differential effects of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation of prefrontal, motor and somatosensory cortices on cortical excitability and pain perception – a double‐blind randomised sham‐controlled study

The primary aim of this study was to assess the effects of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (c‐tDCS) over cortical regions of the pain neuromatrix, including the primary motor (M1), sensory (S1) and dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPFC) cortices on M1/S1 excitability, sensory (STh), and pain thresholds (PTh) in healthy adults. The secondary aim was to evaluate the placebo effects of c‐tDCS on induced cortical and behavioural changes. Before, immediately after and 30 min after c‐tDCS the amplitude of N20–P25 components of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and peak‐to‐peak amplitudes of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were measured under four different experimental conditions. STh and PTh for peripheral electrical and mechanical stimulation were also evaluated. c‐tDCS of 0.3 mA was applied for 20 min. A blinded assessor evaluated all outcome measures. c‐tDCS of M1, S1 and DLPFC significantly decreased the corticospinal excitability of M1 (P < 0.05) for at least 30 min. Following the application of c‐tDCS over S1, M1 and DLPFC, the amplitude of the N20–P25 component of SEPs decreased for at least 30 min (P < 0.05). Compared with baseline values, significant STh and PTh increases were observed after c‐tDCS of these three sites. Decreasing the level of S1 and M1 excitability, following S1, M1 and DLPFC stimulation, confirmed the functional connectivities between these cortical sites involved in pain processing. Furthermore, increasing the level of STh/PTh after c‐tDCS of these sites indicated that stimulation of not only M1 but also S1 and DLPFC could be considered a technique to decrease the level of pain in patients.
A Rotational Motion Perception Neural Network Based on Asymmetric Spatiotemporal Visual Information Processing

All complex motion patterns can be decomposed into several elements, including translation, expansion/contraction, and rotational motion. In biological vision systems, scientists have found that specific types of visual neurons have specific preferences to each of the three motion elements. There are computational models on translation and expansion/contraction perceptions; however, little has been done in the past to create computational models for rotational motion perception. To fill this gap, we proposed a neural network that utilizes a specific spatiotemporal arrangement of asymmetric lateral inhibited direction selective neural networks (DSNNs) for rotational motion perception. The proposed neural network consists of two parts—presynaptic and postsynaptic parts. In the presynaptic part, there are a number of lateral inhibited DSNNs to extract directional visual cues. In the postsynaptic part, similar to the arrangement of the directional columns in the cerebral cortex, these direction selective neurons are arranged in a cyclic order to perceive rotational motion cues. In the postsynaptic network, the delayed excitation from each direction selective neuron is multiplied by the gathered excitation from this neuron and its unilateral counterparts depending on which rotation, clockwise (cw) or counter-cw (ccw), to perceive. Systematic experiments under various conditions and settings have been carried out and validated the robustness and reliability of the proposed neural network in detecting cw or ccw rotational motion. This research is a critical step further toward dynamic visual information processing.
The impact of glycemic status on radiological manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis in diabetic patients

Setting Diabetes mellitus (DM) may increase risk of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and influence its radiological manifestations. Objective To evaluate the impact of glycemic status on radiological findings of PTB in diabetic patients. Methods Between January 2010 and December 2015, chest radiographs (CXRs) in consecutive 214 DM patients with culture-proved PTB and 123 available thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans were enrolled. An equal number of non-DM patients with similar demographics was included as the control group. Glycemic status was assessed by glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and a cutoff of 8% was used to further investigate radiological features of diabetic PTB. Two radiologists and one pulmonologist reviewed the chest images independently. Results Compared with non-DM patients, primary PTB pattern and extensive disease on CXRs as well as primary PTB pattern, large non-cavitary nodule, more than one cavity in a single lesion, unusual location, and all lobe involvement of lesions on thoracic CT scans were more common in DM patients. Furthermore, diabetics with HbA1c > 8% were more likely to exhibit unusual findings (P < 0.001), far advanced extensive lesions (P < 0.001) on CXRs, lymphadenopathy (P = 0.028), more than one cavity in a single lesion (P < 0.001) and all lobe involvement (P = 0.041) on thoracic CT scans. Conclusions Glycemic status influenced radiological manifestations of diabetic PTB. Given an increased risk of atypical radiological presentations of PTB in DM patients, physicians should be alert and pay more attention to those with poor glycemic control.
Evolution of Ancient Functions in the Vertebrate Insulin-Like Growth Factor System Uncovered by Study of Duplicated Salmonid Fish Genomes

Whole-genome duplication (WGD) was experienced twice by the vertebrate ancestor (2 rounds; 2R), again by the teleost fish ancestor (3R) and most recently in certain teleost lineages (4R). Consequently, vertebrate gene families are often expanded in 3R and 4R genomes. Arguably, many types of “functional divergence” present across 2R gene families will exceed that between 3R/4R paralogs of genes comprising 2R families. Accordingly, 4R offers a form of replication of 2R. Examining whether this concept has implications for molecular evolutionary research, we studied insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding proteins (IGFBPs), whose six 2R family members carry IGF hormones and regulate interactions between IGFs and IGF1-receptors (IGF1Rs). Using phylogenomic approaches, we resolved the complete IGFBP repertoire of 4R-derived salmonid fishes (19 genes; 13 more than human) and established evolutionary relationships/nomenclature with respect to WGDs. Traits central to IGFBP action were determined for all genes, including atomic interactions in IGFBP–IGF1/IGF2 complexes regulating IGF–IGF1R binding. Using statistical methods, we demonstrate that attributes of these protein interfaces are overwhelming a product of 2R IGFBP family membership, explain 49–68% of variation in IGFBP mRNA concentration in several different tissues, and strongly predict the strength and direction of IGFBP transcriptional regulation under differing nutritional states. The results support a model where vertebrate IGFBP family members evolved divergent structural attributes to provide distinct competition for IGFs with IGF1Rs, predisposing different functions in the regulation of IGF signaling. Evolution of gene expression then acted to ensure the appropriate physiological production of IGFBPs according to their structural specializations, leading to optimal IGF-signaling according to nutritional-status and the endocrine/local mode of action. This study demonstrates that relatively recent gene family expansion can facilitate inference of functional evolution within ancient genetic systems.