Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Movement of the stimulated finger in a Go/NoGo task enhances attention directed to that finger as evidenced by P300 amplitude modulation

Somatosensory cues and the optimal allocation of attentional resources are critical for motor performance, but it is uncertain how movement of a body part modulates directed attention and the processing of somatosensory signals originating from that same body part. The current study measured motor reaction time (RT) and the P300 event-related potential during a required movement response to stimulation of the same body part in a Go/NoGo task under multiple response. In the Movement Condition, participants were instructed to extend their right index finger in response to mild electrical stimulation of the same finger (Go signal) or remain still when receiving electrical stimulation to the fifth right finger (NoGo signal). Movement RTs and P300 amplitudes and latencies were measured under varying Go signal 50% probabilities. In other trial blocks, participants were required to count Go signals but not respond with movement or to ignore all signals while engaged in an unrelated task. Mean RT in the Movement Condition was 234.5 ms. P300 response amplitudes at midline electrodes (Fz, Cz, Pz) were the largest in the Movement Condition. The P300 amplitude at parietal electrode site Pz was significantly greater during Movement Condition trials than during Count Condition trials. The increase in P300 amplitude during trials requiring movement of the same body part receiving somatosensory stimulation suggests that movement itself modulates the attentional resources allocated to that body part.
A genetic variant in the CD40 gene is related to HBV infection in the Chinese Han population

Background: CD40 is an important immune costimulatory molecule that has recently been found to be associated with chronic hepatitis B. This study aims to explore the association between CD40 polymorphisms and HBV infection, as well as to investigate the impact of different rs1883832 genotypes on CD40 expression and its effect on the progression of chronic HBV infection. Methods: We genotyped rs1883832 in 3433 individuals using MassARRAY, and quantified the CD40 expression, including CD40 mRNA, sCD40, and mCD40. The CD40 and HBV infection indicators were assessed to investigate the potential function of rs1883832 in suppressing HBV replication in HepG2.2. 15 and HepAD38, CD40L in cytotoxic t lymphocytes (CTLs) and interferon-γ, TNF-α, granzyme B, and perforin were measured to elucidate the mechanism by which CD40 inhibits HBV replication. Results: Our study revealed that the frequencies of CC genotype and C allele of rs1883832 were significantly higher in immune recovery compared to chronic hepatitis B. Individuals with CC genotype exhibited significantly elevated CD40 in serum and B cells compared to TT genotypes in chronic hepatitis B. Additionally, CD40 is capable of inhibiting HBV replication and transcription in hepatocytes by means of interaction with CD40L. A significant negative correlation was found between HBV DNA, HBeAg, and mCD40. Conversely, the expressions of ALT and mCD40 showed a positive correlation, which aligns with the trend of CD40L. Conclusions: rs1883832 C allele may have a protective role in HBV immune recovery. This protective effect could potentially be attributed to the regulation of CD40 expression. The activation of the anti-HBV immune response, which occurs through binding CD40L on CTL, can suppress HBV DNA replication and potentially facilitate immune recovery in HBV infection.
Evaluation of the microwave-assisted enzymatic inactivation process of tomato pulp

In this study, the thermal and non-thermal effects of microwaves on the enzymatic inactivation of pectin methylesterase in the tomato pulp were validated. An amount of 30 kg of tomato pulp was subject to two different types of treatments: thermal effects and then non-thermal effects using microwaves, implementing a system that allowed simultaneous cooling of microwave heating. An experimental rotational central composite design was used to analyze the effect of the interactions of the variables involved in the process. The activity analysis of the PME enzyme, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solid, and color was performed on both processed and non-processed tomato pulps, which showed that the heating process with thermal effect did not significantly change physical-chemical properties and were found to be more effective, reaching the enzymatic inactivation of 99% and the temperature of 80ºC after 425 s of processing. However, the non-thermal analysis with temperatures at a maximum of 40ºC attained 56.8% of enzymatic inactivation.
Measurement of longitudinal flow decorrelations in Pb+Pb

Measurements of longitudinal flow correlations are presented for charged particles in the pseudorapidity range |η| < 2.4 using 7 μb−1 and 470 μb−1 of Pb+Pb collisions at √ sNN = 2.76 and 5.02 TeV, respectively, recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. It is found that the correlation between the harmonic flow coefficients vn measured in two separated η intervals does not factorise into the product of single-particle coefficients, and this breaking of factorisation, or flow decorrelation, increases linearly with the η separation between the intervals. The flow decorrelation is stronger at 2.76 TeV than at 5.02 TeV. Higher-order moments of the correlations are also measured, and the corresponding linear coefficients for the kth-moment of the vn are found to be proportional to k for v3, but not for v2. The decorrelation effect is separated into contributions from the magnitude of vn and the event-plane orientation, each as a function of η. These two contributions are found to be comparable. The longitudinal flow correlations are also measured between vn of different order in n. The decorrelations of v2 and v3 are found to be independent of each other, while the decorrelations of v4 and v5 are found to be driven by the nonlinear contribution from v2 2 and v2v3, respectively.
Comparison of the Therapeutic Effects of Adipose- and Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Renal Fibrosis

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have attracted a great deal of interest as a therapeutic tool for renal fibrosis. Although both adipose-derived and bone marrow-derived MSCs (ADSCs and BMSCs, respectively) suppress renal fibrosis, which of these two has a stronger therapeutic effect remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the antifibrotic effects of ADSCs and BMSCs extracted from adipose tissue and bone marrow derived from the same rats. When cultured in serum-containing medium, ADSCs had a more potent inhibitory effect than BMSCs on renal fibrosis induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. ADSCs and BMSCs cultured in serum-free medium were equally effective in suppressing renal fibrosis. Mice infused with ADSCs (serum-containing or serum-free cultivation) had a higher death rate from pulmonary embolism than those infused with BMSCs. In vitro, mRNA levels of tissue factor, tumor necrosis factor-α-induced protein 6 and prostaglandin E synthase were higher in ADSCs than in BMSCs, while that of vascular endothelial growth factor was higher in BMSCs than in ADSCs. Although ADSCs had a stronger antifibrotic effect, these findings support the consideration of thromboembolism risk in clinical applications. Our results emphasize the importance of deciding between ADSCs and BMSCs based upon the target disease and culture method.
The Problems Of The International Students: Comparison Of Turkey And Belgium

Her yil, bircok uluslararasi ogrenci (UO), niteliklerini gelistirmek, yeni kulturleri kesfetmek ve hayat deneyimlerini gelistirmek icin Erasmus ve Sokrates gibi programlar araciligiyla farkli egitim kurumlarina giderler. Fakat, bu kurumlarda kaldiklari sure boyunca, bu ogrenciler bazi problemlerle bas etmek zorunda kalirlar. Bu makalenin amaci, iki farkli ulkedeki (Turkiye ve Belcika) UOlerin karsilastiklari problemleri belirlemek ve benzerlikler ve farkliliklar acisindan degerlendirmektir. Turkiye (23) ve Belcika’daki (58) UOler, misafir olduklari kurumda karsilastiklari problemleri belirlemeye yonelik 18 maddeden olusan bir anket (guvenirlik = .94) doldurmuslardir. Her iki ulkedeki UOler kaldiklari yerlerden memnun olduklarini ifade etmislerdir. Ek olarak, sinifta ders isleme yonteminin kendi ulkelerindeki ders isleme yontemine oldukca benzedigini de vurgulamislardir. Bununla birlikte, her iki ulkedeki UOlerin sinif ici tartismalara katilmakta, ogretmenlerin sorularina cevap vermekte ve okuma parcalarini anlamakta zorlandiklari bulunmustur.
The application of artificial intelligence in the management of sepsis

Abstract Sepsis is a complex and heterogeneous syndrome that remains a serious challenge to healthcare worldwide. Patients afflicted by severe sepsis or septic shock are customarily placed under intensive care unit (ICU) supervision, where a multitude of apparatus is poised to produce high-granularity data. This reservoir of high-quality data forms the cornerstone for the integration of AI into clinical practice. However, existing reviews currently lack the inclusion of the latest advancements. This review examines the evolving integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in sepsis management. Applications of artificial intelligence include early detection, subtyping analysis, precise treatment and prognosis assessment. AI-driven early warning systems provide enhanced recognition and intervention capabilities, while profiling analyzes elucidate distinct sepsis manifestations for targeted therapy. Precision medicine harnesses the potential of artificial intelligence for pathogen identification, antibiotic selection, and fluid optimization. In conclusion, the seamless amalgamation of artificial intelligence into the domain of sepsis management heralds a transformative shift, ushering in novel prospects to elevate diagnostic precision, therapeutic efficacy, and prognostic acumen. As AI technologies develop, their impact on shaping the future of sepsis care warrants ongoing research and thoughtful implementation.
Characterization, lateral variability and lateral extent of discontinuity surfaces on a Carbonate Platform (Barremian to Lower Aptian, Oman)

Hiati of various duration in carbonates are commonly expressed as discontinuity surfaces. The understanding of processes that form and affect these surfaces leads to an improved sequence‐stratigraphic interpretation, a reliable outcrop correlation, and better models for reservoir compartmentalization. Various intraformational discontinuities were analysed and interpreted in a well‐exposed study window, 2·5 km in lateral length and 60 m in height comprising the Barremian‐Aptian Qishn Formation (Haushi‐Huqf area, central Oman). This study focuses on the lateral extent and morphology of the surfaces, the petrography of the underlying rocks, and the facies changes and geochemical trends across these discontinuities. Furthermore, the lateral variability of discontinuity surfaces was documented. Three genetic types of discontinuities are differentiated: (i) erosion surfaces; (ii) omission surfaces (hard‐ and firmgrounds); and (iii) composite surfaces with evidence for both subaerial exposure and submarine boring. Field observations, combined with petrographic and geochemical data, suggest that 17 surfaces are laterally extensive for at least 20 km and record relative sea‐level fluctuations of regional scale. In contrast, a large number of laterally limited surfaces (<1 km) are related to locally active processes such as waves and current erosion. The lateral variability along extensive surfaces is the result of the depositional environment below the discontinuity, the sea‐floor topography, waves and currents and differential erosion. The most pronounced lateral variability is present along six laterally extensive composite surfaces that record terrestrial exposure and subsequent flooding of a tidal flat environment. This variability is caused by spatial variability in the tidal flat environment, meteoric alteration and differential erosion. This study emphasizes the spatial and temporal complexity of processes that form and modify discontinuity surfaces. This variability must be kept in mind when interpretations and correlations are based on one‐dimensional sections or cores.
Geochemical Characteristics and Genesis of the Laowan Gold Deposit in Henan Province

On the basis of detailed investigation of geological setting and ore deposit geologic features,this study analyses quartz-hosted fluid inclusions and oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of quartz,as well as sulfur and lead isotope composition of sulfides from the Laowan gold deposit in Henan Province.The ore-forming fluid of the Laowan gold deposit is of the CO2-rich K+-Na+-Cl——SO2-4 system with middle-low temperature and low salinity.Oxygen and hydrogen isotope analyses show that δ18O and δD values range from-5.25‰ to +5.37‰ and-67‰ to-76‰,respectively,which indicates that the ore-forming fluid of the Laowan gold deposit is derived from magmatic and meteoric water.The δ34S values of sulfides associated with gold mineralization range from-0.1‰ to+5.3‰ with a mean of +3.98‰,indicating typical signature of deep source sulfur.The characteristics of lead isotope indicate that it was mainly derived from the mantle,partly from the crust.Comprehensive research shows that Laowan gold deposit is a mesothermal-epithermal tectonic altered type gold deposit controlled by ductile shear zone.
Arctic plants are capable of sustained responses to long-term warming

Previous studies have shown that Arctic plants typically respond to warming with increased growth and reproductive effort and accelerated phenology, and that the magnitude of these responses is likely to change over time. We investigated the effects of long-term experimental warming on plant growth (leaf length) and reproduction (inflorescence height, reproductive phenology and reproductive effort) using 17–19 years of measurements collected as part of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) at sites near Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska. During the study period, linear regressions indicated non-significant tendencies towards warming air temperatures at our study sites. Results of our meta-analyses on the effect size of experimental warming (calculated as Hedges’ d) indicated species generally responded to warming by increasing inflorescence height, increasing leaf length and flowering earlier, while reproductive effort did not respond consistently. Using weighted least-squares regressions on effect sizes, we found a significant trend towards dampened response to experimental warming over time for reproductive phenology. This tendency was consistent, though non-significant, across all traits. A separate analysis revealed significant trends towards reduced responses to experimental warming during warmer summers for all traits. We therefore propose that tendencies towards dampened plant responses to experimental warming over time are the result of regional warming. These results show that Arctic plants are capable of sustained responses to warming over long periods of time but also suggest that, as the region continues to warm, factors such as nutrient availability, competition and herbivory will become more limiting to plant growth and reproduction than temperature.
Quark-versus-gluon tagging in CMS Open Data with CWoLa and TopicFlow

We use the CMS Open Data to examine the performance of weakly-supervised learning for tagging quark and gluon jets at the LHC. We target $Z$+jet and dijet events as respective quark- and gluon-enriched mixtures and derive samples both from data taken in 2011 at 7 TeV, and from Monte Carlo. CWoLa and TopicFlow models are trained on real data and compared to fully-supervised classifiers trained on simulation. In order to obtain estimates for the discrimination power in real data, we consider three different estimates of the quark/gluon mixture fractions in the data. Compared to when the models are evaluated on simulation, we find reversed rankings for the fully- and weakly-supervised approaches. Further, these rankings based on data are robust to the estimate of the mixture fraction in the test set. Finally, we use TopicFlow to smooth statistical fluctuations in the small testing set, and to provide uncertainty on the performance in real data.
Diffused Task-Agnostic Milestone Planner

Addressing decision-making problems using sequence modeling to predict future trajectories shows promising results in recent years. In this paper, we take a step further to leverage the sequence predictive method in wider areas such as long-term planning, vision-based control, and multi-task decision-making. To this end, we propose a method to utilize a diffusion-based generative sequence model to plan a series of milestones in a latent space and to have an agent to follow the milestones to accomplish a given task. The proposed method can learn control-relevant, low-dimensional latent representations of milestones, which makes it possible to efficiently perform long-term planning and vision-based control. Furthermore, our approach exploits generation flexibility of the diffusion model, which makes it possible to plan diverse trajectories for multi-task decision-making. We demonstrate the proposed method across offline reinforcement learning (RL) benchmarks and an visual manipulation environment. The results show that our approach outperforms offline RL methods in solving long-horizon, sparse-reward tasks and multi-task problems, while also achieving the state-of-the-art performance on the most challenging vision-based manipulation benchmark.
Bidirectional Patellar Luxation in Small- or Miniature-Breed Dogs in Japan; Patient Characteristics and Radiographic Measures Compared with Medial Patellar Luxation

Simple Summary Bidirectional patellar luxation (BPL) is a not-widely described form of patellar luxation. The purpose of this study was to describe common breeds and radiographic measures associated with BPL in dogs in Japan, compared with dogs with medial patellar luxation (MPL). The most common breed with BPL in the present study was Toy Poodles (odds ratio: 7.05), and patella alta in the extended-stifle position was more common in the BPL group (23.4%) than in the MPL group (0.8%). However, there were no significant differences in radiographic-patellar-ligament length indices between the BPL and MPL groups. The study highlights the common breeds with BPL, particularly Toy Poodles, and suggests that the occurrence of BPL may be related to stifle lengthening. This information will contribute to a better understanding of this unique form of patellar luxation, and may help guide more patient-specific treatment options. Abstract Bidirectional patellar luxation (BPL) is a relatively rare form of patellar luxation, with limited information reported regarding breed predisposition and etiology. The purpose of this study was to describe the patient characteristics and radiographic measures of proximodistal patellar position associated with BPL in dogs in Japan, compared with dogs with medial patellar luxation (MPL). A retrospective medical record search of surgically corrected MPL and BPL dogs was performed, and breed, age, sex, body weight, and presence of the patella alta in the extended-stifle position were recorded. The ratio of the patellar ligament length to patella length (PLL/PL) and the ratio of the distance between the proximal pole of the patella and the femoral condyle to patella length (A/PL) were measured on stifle radiographs. A total of 35 dogs with BPL and 95 dogs with MPL were included. The BPL was most commonly present in Toy Poodles (odds ratio compared to MPL dogs: 7.05) in the present study. There were no significant differences in age, sex, or body weight between the BPL and MPL groups. Patella alta in the extended-stifle position was more common in the BPL group (23.4%) than in the MPL group (0.8%). However, there were no significant differences in PLL/PL or A/PL between the BPL and MPL groups. The study highlights BPL in different dog breeds in Japan, and suggests that the occurrence of BPL may be related to stifle extension. However, more research is needed to fully understand the etiology of BPL.
COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy: Pilot Study for Maternal and Neonatal MicroRNA Profiles

This pilot study explores alterations in miRNA profiles among pregnant women and their neonates upon receiving different doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Blood samples, including maternal blood (MB) and neonatal cord blood (CB), collected from five pregnant women were scrutinized using the miRNA PanelChip Analysis System, identifying nine distinct miRNAs, including miR-451a and miR-1972, which exhibited significant downregulation with two vaccine doses in both MB and CB. When compared with women vaccinated with four doses, miR-486-5p, miR-451a, and miR-1972 in the two-dose group also showed notable downregulation. Evaluating recipients of three and four doses, miR-423-5p and miR-1972 expression were significantly reduced in both MB and CB. Further comparative analysis highlighted a decline in miR-223-3p expression with increasing vaccine doses, while miR15a-5p, miR-16-5p, and miR-423-5p showed an upward trend. Notably, miR-451a, miR-1972, and miR-423-5p levels varied across doses and were associated with pathways such as “PI3K-Akt”, “neurotrophin signaling”, and “cortisol synthesis”, suggesting the profound influence of vaccination on diverse molecular mechanisms. Our research has uncovered that escalating vaccine dosages impact miRNA profiles, which may be associated with the immunological response mechanisms in both the mother and fetus, thus indicating a substantial impact of vaccination on various molecular processes.
Semi-Supervised Active Learning for Semantic Segmentation in Unknown Environments Using Informative Path Planning

Semantic segmentation enables robots to perceive and reason about their environments beyond geometry. Most of such systems build upon deep learning approaches. As autonomous robots are commonly deployed in initially unknown environments, pre-training on static datasets cannot always capture the variety of domains and limits the robot's perception performance during missions. Recently, self-supervised and fully supervised active learning methods emerged to improve robotic vision. These approaches rely on large in-domain pre-training datasets or require substantial human labelling effort. We propose a planning method for semi-supervised active learning of semantic segmentation that substantially reduces human labelling requirements compared to fully supervised approaches. We leverage an adaptive map-based planner guided towards the frontiers of unexplored space with high model uncertainty collecting training data for human labelling. A key aspect of our approach is to combine the sparse high-quality human labels with pseudo labels automatically extracted from highly certain environment map areas. Experimental results show that our method reaches segmentation performance close to fully supervised approaches with drastically reduced human labelling effort while outperforming self-supervised approaches.