Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Semantic Generation Can Cause Episodic Forgetting

The repeated retrieval of a subset of previously learned items can cause forgetting of the nonretrieved items. The study reported here investigated whether retrieval-induced forgetting generalizes to a situation in which the retrieved and nonretrieved items are not part of the same experiential episode and task. Subjects learned an item list that they had to recall later in the experiment. In a separate intermediate phase, they repeatedly generated related items from semantic memory, or were presented the same items intact for study. Only the semantic generation of items, and not their presentation for study, induced forgetting of the initially learned items. This result indicates that, first, semantic generation can cause recall-specific episodic forgetting and, second, retrieval-induced forgetting can occur even if the retrieved and nonretrieved items belong to different experiential episodes and tasks. Connections of the present results to other memory phenomena, such as part-set cuing and the generation effect, social cognition, and eyewitness memory, are discussed.
Predictions Shape Confidence in Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus

It is clear that prior expectations shape perceptual decision-making, yet their contribution to the construction of subjective decision confidence remains largely unexplored. We recorded fMRI data while participants made perceptual decisions and confidence judgments, manipulating perceptual prior expectations while controlling for potential confounds of attention. Results show that subjective confidence increases as expectations increasingly support the decision, and that this relationship is associated with BOLD activity in right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG). Specifically, rIFG is sensitive to the discrepancy between expectation and decision (mismatch), and higher mismatch responses are associated with lower decision confidence. Connectivity analyses revealed expectancy information to be represented in bilateral orbitofrontal cortex and sensory signals to be represented in intracalcarine sulcus. Together, our results indicate that predictive information is integrated into subjective confidence in rIFG, and reveal an occipital-frontal network that constructs confidence from top-down and bottom-up signals. This interpretation was further supported by exploratory findings that the white matter density of right orbitofrontal cortex negatively predicted its respective contribution to the construction of confidence. Our findings advance our understanding of the neural basis of subjective perceptual processes by revealing an occipitofrontal functional network that integrates prior beliefs into the construction of confidence. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Perceptual decision-making is typically conceived as an integration of bottom-up and top-down influences. However, perceptual decisions are accompanied by a sense of confidence. Confidence is an important facet of perceptual consciousness yet remains poorly understood. Here we implicate right inferior frontal gyrus in constructing confidence from the discrepancy between perceptual judgment and its prior probability. Furthermore, we place right inferior frontal gyrus within an occipitofrontal network, consisting of orbitofrontal cortex and intracalcarine sulcus, which represents and communicates relevant top-down and bottom-up signals. Together, our data reveal a role of frontal regions in the top-down processes enabling perceptual decisions to become available for conscious report.
Toxoplasma gondii immunoglobulin G antibodies and nonfatal suicidal self-directed violence.

OBJECTIVE The primary aim was to relate Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and serointensity to scores on the self-rated Suicide Assessment Scale (SUAS-S). Another aim was to reevaluate the previously reported positive association between T gondii serointensity and a history of nonfatal suicidal self-directed violence. METHOD This cross-sectional, observational study compared T gondii serointensity and seropositivity in plasma from 54 adult suicide attempters (inpatients at Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden) and 30 adult control subjects (randomly selected from the municipal population register in Lund, Sweden) recruited between 2006 and 2010. The potential of patients and controls for self-directed violence was evaluated with the SUAS-S. Psychiatric diagnoses were made according to DSM-IV criteria. Plasma samples were tested for immunoglobulin G antibodies to T gondii, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus type 1. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to investigate the association between T gondii serointensity or seropositivity and a history of nonfatal suicidal self-directed violence; multivariable linear regression was used to explore the relationship between T gondii serointensity or seropositivity and the SUAS-S. Both regression models included sex, age, and body mass index as covariates. RESULTS Seropositivity of T gondii (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 7.12; 95% CI, 1.66-30.6; P = .008) and serointensity of T gondii (adjusted OR = 2.01; 95% CI, 1.09-3.71; P = .03) were positively associated with a history of nonfatal suicidal self-directed violence. Seropositivity of T gondii was associated with higher SUAS-S scores, a relationship significant for the whole sample (P = .026), but not for suicide attempters only. No significant associations with other pathogens were identified. CONCLUSIONS These results are consistent with previous reports on the association between T gondii infection and nonfatal suicidal self-directed violence. Confirming these results in future large longitudinal studies and including suicide as an outcome may lead to novel individualized approaches in suicide prevention.
Secure, efficient and practical double spectrum auction

Truthful spectrum auction is believed to be an effective method for spectrum redistribution. However, privacy concerns have largely hampered the practical applications of truthful spectrum auctions. In this paper, to make the applications of double spectrum auctions practical, we present a secure, efficient and practical double spectrum auction design, SDSA. Specifically, by combining three security techniques: homomorphic encryption, secret sharing and garbled circuits, we design a secure two-party protocol computing a socially efficient double spectrum auction, TDSA, without leaking any information about sellers' requests or buyers' bids beyond the auction outcome. We give the formal security definition in our context, and theoretically prove the security that our design achieves. Experimental results show that our design is efficient and practical even for large-scale double spectrum auctions.
Loss of Gag-specific antibody reactivity in cattle experimentally infected with bovine immunodeficiency-like virus.

The development and persistence of virus-specific antibodies were investigated in eight cattle experimentally infected with the R29 isolate of bovine immunodeficiency-like virus (BIV). By 4 weeks postinoculation (p.i.), antibodies reactive to BIV gag- and env-encoded recombinant fusion proteins were detectable by immunoblotting in all animals. By 40 weeks p.i. , seven of eight cattle had dramatically decreased Gag-specific antibodies, and anti-Gag reactivity remained very low or undetectable through 190 weeks p.i. Immunoprecipitation experiments revealed a similar loss of reactivity to nondenatured BIV Gag in these animals. In contrast, antibodies to a recombinant BIV Env protein were readily detectable throughout the study in all eight cattle. During the period of declining Gag antibody, infectious virus was recoverable from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of each animal. However, there was no evidence for sufficient amounts of BIV p26-containing immune complexes to explain the loss of anti-Gag reactivity. Interestingly, the single animal that maintained detectable anti-Gag reactivity throughout the study was repeatedly negative for virus recovery beyond 17 weeks p.i. All animals have remained clinically normal for over 4 years p.i. , with no evidence of consistent changes in mononuclear cell subsets. These findings provide evidence that in BIV infection an early decline in Gag-specific antibody reactivity can occur without evidence of increasing viral replication or progression to overt clinical disease.
Cerebral tissue repair and atrophy after embolic stroke in rat: A magnetic resonance imaging study of erythropoietin therapy

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols of T2‐, T2*‐, diffusion‐ and susceptibility‐weighted imaging (T2WI, T2*WI, DWI, and SWI, respectively) with a 7T system, we tested the hypothesis that treatment of embolic stroke with erythropoietin (EPO) initiated at 24 hr and administered daily for 7 days after stroke onset has benefit in repairing ischemic cerebral tissue. Adult Wistar rats were subjected to embolic stroke by means of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and were randomly assigned to a treatment (n = 11) or a control (n = 11) group. The treated group was given EPO intraperitoneally at a dose of 5,000 IU/kg daily for 7 days starting 24 hr after MCAO. Controls were given an equal volume of saline. MRI was performed at 24 hr and then weekly for 6 weeks. MRI and histological measurements were compared between groups. Serial T2WI demonstrated that expansion of the ipsilateral ventricle was significantly reduced in the EPO‐treated rats. The volume ratio of ipsilateral parenchymal tissue relative to the contralateral hemisphere was significantly increased after EPO treatment compared with control animals, indicating that EPO significantly reduces atrophy of the ipsilateral hemisphere, although no significant differences in ischemic lesion volume were observed between the two groups. Angiogenesis and white matter remodeling were significantly increased and occurred earlier in EPO‐treated animals than in the controls, as evident from T2*WI and diffusion anisotropy maps, respectively. These data indicate that EPO treatment initiated 24 hr poststroke promotes angiogenesis and axonal remodeling in the ischemic boundary, which may potentially reduce atrophy of the ipsilateral hemisphere. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Familial Financial Assistance to Young Adults

We use the Transition to Adulthood (TA) Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to examine current trends in financial and material assistance provided by parents to their college- age, young adult children. We also investigate the determinants of these transfers. We find that most young adults receive some form of assistance and that the average annual value of all transfers is substantial, roughly $7,500. We find large disparities by family SES, although we also find that as a share of total family income, the total value of all transfers is fairly consistent across the income distribution. We show that controlling for young peoples' college attendance, childhood cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics, family income is the most important predictor of both the receipt and value of parental assistance. We find some evidence that parents' perception of childhood behavior influences discretionary transfers, i.e. gifts and loans. Finally, we find some evidence that these trends were affected by the recession of 2007-2009.
Colonic Aberrant Crypts in Children With Familial Adenomatous Polyposis

Aberrant crypt foci of the colonic mucosa have been reported in adults. The alteration may be defined macroscopically or histologically and may or may not be combined with adenomatous changes. Aberrant crypt foci have been regarded as precancerous lesions and are more common in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. The present report describes the presence of many histologically recognizable aberrant crypt foci without adenomatous changes in the colonic mucosa of 3 children with familial adenomatous polyposis. The openings of the aberrant crypt foci contained inspissated granulofilamentous mucus. Additionally, this report documents the presence of a peculiar serrated appearance of the mucosae surface outline of the nonadenomatous areas. This appears to result from elongation of the crypts and dilated openings/micropapillary arrangement of the uppermost part of the walls of the crypts, with a thin intervening stroma. Neither of these findings has been reported previously to occur in children. They may represent the earliest histologically identifiable changes ever recorded in the colon of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis.
[The factors facilitating and constraining the continuation of breastfeeding in women in Estrie (Quebec)].

OBJECTIVE To document breastfeeding rates from birth to six months as well as the factors facilitating and constraining the continuation of breastfeeding in women in the Eastern Townships of Quebec and to compare these to the results obtained in 1999. METHOD Postal questionnaire sent to 374 mothers who had breastfed and analysis of archival data. RESULTS Breastfeeding rates were 86.3% at birth and 75% at discharge from hospital in all mothers who gave birth to a child in 2004-2005. Breastfeeding rates in the 272 mothers who answered the questionnaire were reported to be 67.3% and 47.4% at three and six months respectively. Results indicate that 8.9% of infants were still receiving breast milk exclusively after the third month. However, 27.9% of the mothers had stopped breastfeeding during the infant's first week. Support from the nurses was the primary factor facilitating breastfeeding. The main reasons the mothers gave for stopping breastfeeding were problems with breastfeeding and fatigue. CONCLUSION Breastfeeding rates in this area of Quebec have increased significantly in the past five years and are comparable with those in the rest of Canada. Breastfeeding exclusively up to six months is rare, and initiatives to support breastfeeding mothers in the hospital and in the community are having success.
Risk‐based decision‐making for blood safety: preliminary report of a consensus conference

J. Stein, J. Besley, C. Brook, M. Hamill, E. Klein, D. Krewski, G. Murphy, M. Richardson, J. Sirna, M. Skinner, R. Steiner, P. van Aken & D. Devine University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA Victoria Health Service, Melbourne, Vic. , Australia Ernst & Young, Melbourne, Vic. , Australia Oregon Health Sciences Center, Portland, OR, USA McLaughlin Centre for Health Risk Assessment, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada Bristol University, Bristol, UK SNC Lavalin, Ottawa, ON, Canada Thalassemia Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada World Hemophilia Federation, Montreal, QC, Canada University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands Canadian Blood Services, Ottawa, ON, Canada
The determinants of foreign direct investment in African countries

This thesis examines the factors that influence foreign direct investment (FDI) flows into African countries. African nations are encouraged to pursue FDI as it promotes economic development, provides access to managerial skills, financial resources, marketing expertise and leads to increased employment. This research will examine the significance of economic risk (economic health), financial risk (financial strength), political risk (political stability), the performance of the Commodity Price Index, the performance of the World Stock Market Index (index tracking the performance of major stock markets in developed countries), gross fixed capital formation (infrastructure), openness to trade, and the availability of a host country stock market in influencing FDI flows into African countries. Thirty-five (35)1 countries are included in this research, which uses panel data analysis. Annual data are used with a time period of 27 years (1984 to 2010). This study will add new information to literature by demonstrating that the change in commodity prices can be used to predict whether or not there will be an increase of inward FDI to Africa. Past studies that have examined FDI flows into Africa have not included the performance of the Commodity Price Index as one of the variables that may influence FDI flows into African countries. Previous studies have also not included the performance of stock markets in various developed countries as one of the variables that may influence FDI flows into African nations. This research will include the World Stock Market Index as one of the variables, thus adding new and unique information to the body of knowledge. The performance of stock markets in developed countries can be used to provide a signal to African nations as to whether or not they can expect an increase of inward FDI from these developed countries. 1Countries included in this research: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Global regulatory roles of the cAMP/PKA pathway revealed by phenotypic, transcriptomic and phosphoproteomic analyses in a null mutant of the PKA catalytic subunit in Candida albicans

The conserved cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKA) plays critical roles in the regulation of morphological transitions and virulence in the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. It has long been thought that the PKA catalytic subunit is essential for cell viability in this fungus. Paradoxically, the single adenylyl cyclase‐encoding gene, CYR1, which is required for the production of cAMP in C. albicans, is not essential for cell growth. Here, a double mutant of TPK1 and TPK2 (tpk2/tpk2 tpk1/tpk1, t2t1), which encode two isoforms of the PKA catalytic subunit was successfully generated, suggesting that this subunit is not essential for cell viability. Inactivation of the PKA catalytic subunit blocked filamentation and dramatically attenuated white‐to‐opaque switching, but promoted sexual mating. Comparative transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that the t2t1 and cyr1/cyr1 mutants exhibited similar global gene expression profiles. Compared with the WT strain, the general transcriptional activity and metabolism were significantly decreased in both the t2t1 and cyr1/cyr1 mutants. Using combined phosphoproteomic and bioinformatic analyses, we identified 181 potential PKA phosphorylation targets, which represent 148 unique proteins involved in a wide spectrum of biological processes. The study sheds new insights into the global regulatory features of the cAMP/PKA pathway in C. albicans.
Novel approaches to purifying bacteriocin: A review

ABSTRACT Bacteriocin is a proteinaceous biomolecule produced by bacteria (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative) that exhibits antimicrobial activity against closely related species, and food-borne pathogens. It has recently gained importance and attracted the attention of several researchers looking to produce it from various substrates and bacterial strains. This ushers in a new era of food preservation where the use of bacteriocin in food products will be an alternative to chemical preservatives, and heat treatment which are understood to cause unwanted side effects, and reduce sensory and nutritional quality. However, this new market depends on the success of novel downstream separation schemes from various types of crude feedstocks which are both effective and economic. This review focuses on the downstream separation of bacteriocin from various sources using both conventional and novel techniques. Finally, recommendations for future interesting areas of research that need to be pursued are highlighted.
Serum n-3 long-chain PUFA differ by sex and age in a population-based survey of New Zealand adolescents and adults

A higher proportion of n-3 long-chain PUFA in tissue lipids has been associated with a lower risk of CVD and some cancers. Diet is an important predictor of n-3 long-chain PUFA composition; however, the importance of non-dietary factors such as sex and age is unclear. We measured the proportion of n-3 long-chain PUFA in serum phospholipid, cholesterol ester and TAG of 2793 New Zealanders 15 years or older who participated in the 1997 National Nutrition Survey to determine differences by sex and age. Women had lower proportions of EPA and docosapentaenoic acid in phospholipid, by 0·07 (P = 0·004) and 0·10 (P < 0·001) mol%, respectively, and a higher proportion of DHA by 0·16 mol% (P = 0·001) compared with men. Intake of fish fat did not differ between men and women. There was a positive association between age and the proportion of EPA and DHA in phospholipid (P < 0·001). The sex differences in EPA and DHA were similar at all ages. Similar sex and age differences in serum cholesterol ester n-3 long-chain PUFA were found; only age differences were found in serum TAG. Sex and age differences in n-3 long-chain PUFA occur in the general population. Men and women may need to be considered separately when examining the association between disease risk and biomarkers of n-3 fatty acids.
On Sum-Rate Capacity of Parallel Gaussian Symmetric Interference Channels

In this paper, we study the optimal transceiver structure for achieving sum-rate capacity of a parallel Gaussian symmetric interference channel. Specifically, we derive a set of channel and power constraint conditions such that the total sum-rate capacity can be achieved by treating interference as noise in each sub-channel. The property of the optimal power allocation is also characterized for such parallel channels.
A 48.6-to-105.2µW machine-learning assisted cardiac sensor SoC for mobile healthcare monitoring

A machine-learning (ML) assisted cardiac sensor SoC (CS-SoC) is designed for healthcare monitoring with mobile devices. The architecture realizes the cardiac signal acquisition with versatile feature extractions and classifications, enabling higher order analysis over traditional DSPs. Besides, the dynamic standby controller further suppresses the leakage power dissipation. Implemented in 90nm CMOS, the CS-SoC dissipates 48.6/105. 2μW at 0.5-1.0V for real-time arrhythmia/myocardial infarction syndrome detection with 95.8/99% accuracy.
Oxidative Stress in 5/6 Nephrectomized Rat Model: Effect of Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a powerful antioxidant, and its effect in ameliorating complications of diabetes mellitus has been widely documented. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of ALA in the disease progression of remnant kidneys (RK). Systolic blood pressure (SBp), hemoglobin, renal function, kidney malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), vitamin E (Vit E) concentrations, p65 nuclear factor (NF)-κB activity, and macrophage infiltration were analyzed in sham and RK rats supplemented with ALA (100 mg/kg body weight, i.p., every other day) or vehicle for 12 weeks. RK rats exhibited increases in SBp, kidney MDA concentration, p65 NF-κB activity, and macrophage infiltration, which were prominent in weeks 4 and 8 and decreased at week 12. RK rats also showed anemia, microalbuminuria, and decreased renal function and kidney GSH and Vit E concentrations. These changes were all attenuated by 8 weeks of ALA treatment compared to RK vehicle group. But the continued ALA treatment after week 8 reversed the beneficial effect on SBp, kidney MDA concentration, p65 NF-κB activity, macrophage infiltration, anemia, microalbuminuria, and renal function, while the beneficial effect was maintained if the treatment was discontinued after week 8. Furthermore, ALA increased albuminuria and kidney MDA concentration in sham animals. In conclusion, ALA administration attenuates oxidative stress, inflammation, and hypertension and delayed the deterioration of kidney function in RK rats with enhanced oxidative stress, while in healthy animals or RK rats with a well-balanced redox state, ALA may act as a pro-oxidant, contributing to renal dysfunction.