Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A quantitative investigation of English adnominal modifiers

The present study employs the valency theory to approach the internal structure of noun phrases. Specifically, we adopt The Georgetown University Multilayer Corpus (GUM) to investigate the valency distribution, mean valency, and valency pattern of three subclasses of nominal heads, commons nouns, proper nouns, and pronouns. It is found that: 1) The mean valency of common nouns is significantly larger than that of proper nouns, which is far larger than that of pronouns. 2) The Mean Valency Pattern (MVP) newly proposed in this paper offers a better comparative basis for the valency distribution of different categories than the original Probabilistic Valency Pattern (PVP). 3) The three nominal classes manifest different valency patterns. Common nouns have a strong combining ability with determiners, adjectival modifiers, prepositions phrases and nominal modifiers. The combining ability of pronouns is near zero for most groups except for a few cases in certain constructions, whereas the mean valency of proper nouns are not close to zero as expected due to the improper treatment of complex proper names in annotation. The findings are expected to pave the way for further quantitative studies into the frequency structure of noun phrases.
Physical study of the non-equilibrium development of a turbulent thermal boundary layer

Abstract The direct numerical simulation of a non-equilibrium turbulent heat transfer case is performed in a channel flow, where non-equilibrium is induced by a step change in surface temperature. The domain is thus made of two parts in the streamwise direction. Upstream, the flow is turbulent, homogeneous in temperature and the channel walls are adiabatic. The inflow conditions are extracted from a recycling plane located further downstream, so that a fully developed turbulent adiabatic flow reaches the second part. In the domain located downstream, isothermal boundary conditions are prescribed at the walls. The boundary layer, initially at equilibrium, is perturbed by the abrupt change of boundary conditions, and a non-equilibrium transient phase is observed until, further downstream, the flow reaches a new equilibrium state, presenting a fully developed thermal boundary layer. The work aims at identifying the non-equilibrium effects that are expected to be encountered in comparable flows, while providing the means to understand them. In particular, the study allows for the identification of an inner region of the developing boundary layer where several quantities are at equilibrium. Other quantities, instead, exhibit a behaviour of their own, especially in proximity to the leading edge. The analysis is supported by mean and root-mean-square profiles of temperature and velocity, as well as by budgets of first- and second-order moment balance equations for the enthalpy and momentum turbulent fields.
Busy and confused? High risk of missed alerts in the cockpit: An electrophysiological study

Of evolutionary importance, the ability to react to unexpected auditory stimuli remains critical today, especially in settings such as aircraft cockpits or air traffic control towers, characterized by high mental and auditory loads. Evidences show that both factors can negatively impact auditory attention and prevent appropriate reactions in hazardous situations. In the present study, sixty participants performed a simulated aviation task, varying in terms of mental load (no, low, high mental load), that was embedded with a concurrent tone detection paradigm, in which auditory load was manipulated by the number of different tones (1, 2 or 3). We measured both detection performance (miss, false alarm) and brain activity (event-related potentials) related to the target tone. Our results showed that both mental and auditory loads affected tone detection performance. Importantly, their combined effects had a massive impact on the percentage of missed target tones. While, in the no mental load condition, miss rate was very low with 1 (0.53%) and 2 tones (1.11%), it increased drastically with 3 tones (24.44%), and this effect was accentuated as mental load increased, yielding to the higher miss rate in the 3-tone paradigm under high mental load conditions (68.64%). Increased mental load, auditory load, and miss rate, were all associated with disrupted brain response to the target tone as showed by reductions of the P3b amplitude. In sum, our results highlight the importance of balancing mental and auditory loads to maintain or improve efficient reactions to alarms in complex environment.
The salivary, metal-binding peptide histatin-5 buffers extracellular copper availability

The family of human salivary histidine-rich peptides known as histatins bind zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), but whether they contribute to nutritional immunity by influencing Zn and/or Cu availability has not been examined. Here we tested whether histatin-5 (Hst5) limits Zn availability (and promotes bacterial Zn starvation) and/or raises Cu availability (and promotes bacterial Cu poisoning). Group A Streptococcus (GAS), which colonises the human oropharynx, was used as a model bacterium. Contrary to our hypothesis, Hst5 did not strongly influence Zn availability. This peptide did not induce expression of Zn uptake genes in GAS, nor did it suppress growth of an ΔadcAI mutant strain that is impaired in Zn uptake. Equilibrium competition measurements confirmed that Hst5 binds Zn weakly and does not compete with the high-affinity Zn uptake protein AdcAI for binding Zn. By contrast, Hst5 bound Cu with a high affinity and strongly influenced Cu availability. However, contrary to our hypothesis, Hst5 did not promote Cu toxicity. Instead, this peptide suppressed expression of Cu-inducible genes in GAS, stopped intracellular accumulation of Cu, and rescued growth of a ΔcopA mutant strain that is impaired in Cu efflux in the presence of added Cu. These findings led us to propose a new role for Hst5 and salivary histatins as major Cu buffers in saliva that reduce the potential negative effects of Cu exposure to microbes. We speculate that histatins promote oral and oropharyngeal health by contributing to microbial homeostasis in these host niches.Saliva influences colonisation of the human oral cavity and oropharynx by commensal microbes, and infection (and subsequent transmission) by pathogenic microbes. This fluid assists with microbial attachment to host tissues, supplies nutrients, and buffers pH. It is thus not surprising that reduced saliva flow is a risk factor for oral and oropharyngeal dysbiosis, linked to the disappearance of beneficial microbes, overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens, and loss of microbial diversity. Our work suggests an additional role for saliva, particularly the salivary metal-binding peptides histatins, in buffering the availability of metal ions such as copper. In doing so, histatins may contribute to microbial homeostasis by safeguarding resident microbes from potential copper toxicity, which can arise from endogenous (metal-linked immune response to pathogens) or exogenous (food, medicine) sources. Our study raises exciting questions about potential functions of host metal-binding peptides in controlling metal availability in ways that support (instead of suppress) host-associated microbes.
Fluid-structure interaction analysis of eccentricity and leaflet rigidity on thrombosis biomarkers in bioprosthetic aortic valve replacements

This work introduces the first 2-way fluid-structure interaction (FSI) computational model to study the effect of aortic annulus eccentricity on the performance and thrombogenic risk of cardiac bioprostheses. The model predicts that increasing eccentricities yield lower geometric orifice areas (GOAs) and higher normalized transvalvular pressure gradients (TPGs) for healthy cardiac outputs during systole, agreeing with in vitro experiments. Regions with peak values of residence time and shear rate are observed to grow with eccentricity in the sinus of Valsalva, indicating an elevated risk of thrombus formation for eccentric configurations. In addition, the computational model is used to analyze the effect of varying leaflet rigidity on both performance, thrombogenic and calcification risks with applications to tissue-engineered prostheses, observing an increase in systolic and diastolic TPGs, and decrease in systolic GOA, which translates to decreased valve performance for more rigid leaflets. An increased thrombogenic risk is detected for the most rigid valves. Peak solid stresses are also analyzed, and observed to increase with rigidity, elevating risk of valve calcification and structural failure. The immersed FSI method was implemented in a high-performance computing multi-physics simulation software, and validated against a well known FSI benchmark. The aortic valve bioprosthesis model is qualitatively contrasted against experimental data, showing good agreement in closed and open states. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first computational FSI model to study the effect of eccentricity or leaflet rigidity on thrombogenic biomarkers, providing a novel tool to aid device manufacturers and clinical practitioners.
VDJ Gene Usage in IgM Repertoires of Rhesus and Cynomolgus Macaques

Macaques are frequently used to evaluate candidate vaccines and to study infection-induced antibody responses, requiring an improved understanding of their naïve immunoglobulin (IG) repertoires. Baseline gene usage frequencies contextualize studies of antigen-specific immune responses, providing information about how easily one may stimulate a response with a particular VDJ recombination. Studies of human IgM repertoires have shown that IG VDJ gene frequencies vary several orders of magnitude between the most and least utilized genes in a manner that is consistent across many individuals but to date similar analyses are lacking for macaque IgM repertoires. Here, we quantified VDJ gene usage levels in unmutated IgM repertoires of 45 macaques, belonging to two species and four commonly used subgroups: Indian and Chinese origin rhesus macaques and Indonesian and Mauritian origin cynomolgus macaques. We show that VDJ gene frequencies differed greatly between the most and least used genes, with similar overall patterns observed in macaque subgroups and individuals. However, there were also clear differences affecting the use of specific V, D and J genes. Furthermore, in contrast to humans, macaques of both species utilized IGHV4 family genes to a much higher extent and showed evidence of evolutionary expansion of genes of this family. Finally, we used the results to inform the analysis of a broadly neutralizing HIV-1 antibody elicited in SHIV-infected rhesus macaques, RHA1.V2. 01, which binds the apex of the Env trimer in a manner that mimics the binding mode of PGT145. We discuss the likelihood that similar antibodies could be elicited in different macaque subgroups.
Transcriptional and Physiological Analyses to Assess the Effects of a Novel Biostimulant in Tomato

This work aimed to study the effects in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) of foliar applications of a novel calcium-based biostimulant (SOB01) using an omics approach involving transcriptomics and physiological profiling. A calcium-chloride fertilizer (SOB02) was used as a product reference standard. Plants were grown under well-watered (WW) and water stress (WS) conditions in a growth chamber. We firstly compared the transcriptome profile of treated and untreated tomato plants using the software RStudio. Totally, 968 and 1,657 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (adj-p-value < 0.1 and |log2(fold change)| ≥ 1) were identified after SOB01 and SOB02 leaf treatments, respectively. Expression patterns of 9 DEGs involved in nutrient metabolism and osmotic stress tolerance were validated by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) on RT-qPCR results highlighted that the gene expression profiles after SOB01 treatment in different water regimes were clustering together, suggesting that the expression pattern of the analyzed genes in well water and water stress plants was similar in the presence of SOB01 treatment. Physiological analyses demonstrated that the biostimulant application increased the photosynthetic rate and the chlorophyll content under water deficiency compared to the standard fertilizer and led to a higher yield in terms of fruit dry matter and a reduction in the number of cracked fruits. In conclusion, transcriptome and physiological profiling provided comprehensive information on the biostimulant effects highlighting that SOB01 applications improved the ability of the tomato plants to mitigate the negative effects of water stress.
The Effective Cognitive Assessment and Training Methods for COVID-19 Patients With Cognitive Impairment

1 Brain Computer Intelligence and Intelligent Health Institution, Institute of Artificial Intelligence, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China, 2 The Key Laboratory for Computer Virtual Technology and System Integration of Hebei Province, School of Information Science and Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China, Department of Statistics, School of Science, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China, Department of Computer Science and Technology, School of Mathematics and Information Science and Technology, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao, China, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chengde Medical University, Chengde, China, Department of Computer and Communication Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia, Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Methodological Considerations for Preterm Birth Research

Complications from preterm birth are a leading cause of infant mortality, with long-term implications for morbidity and quality of life of preterm infants. There are many important risk factors for preterm births however in this article, we focus on the maternal infection etiological pathway, given its significance in low-to-middle income countries. In high preterm birth settings such as sub-Saharan Africa, maternal HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) use have been associated with an increased risk of preterm births. Consequently, we highlight methodological considerations related to selection and measurement bias in preterm birth research. We further illustrate the potential impact of these biases in studies investigating the relationship between HIV/ART and preterm births. We also briefly discuss issues related to population-level estimations based on routinely collected clinical or civil registration data. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of strengthening of antenatal care services to improve quality of population data as well as optimizing current and future study designs, by taking into account the important methodological considerations described in this article.
Gender Differences in Social Comparison Processes and Self-Concept Among Students

Forced social comparison (i.e., comparing oneself to another “predefined” student) has often been studied in school settings. However, to our knowledge, studies that explore its association with academic self-concept have rarely distinguished between subjects involved (e.g., mathematics or language learning). Moreover, some processes taking place during forced social comparison are thought to have a negative impact on academic self-concept. Thus, the aims of this study were to explore: 1) the associations between self-concepts (i.e., Language learning, Mathematics and Social), attitudes towards school and social comparison processes in school settings; and 2) the influence of social comparison processes on components of academic self-concept across gender. A sample of 238 elementary school students (Mage = 10.12, SD = 1.25; 52% boys) completed a questionnaire assessing self-concepts and attitudes towards school, as well as a questionnaire measuring four social comparison processes. Results indicated that girls used negative processes (i.e., upward contrast and downward identification) more than boys. In addition, boys reported better self-concept in mathematics while girls reported better self-concept in language learning (small effect). Results of stepwise multiple linear regression analyses showed that upward contrast best explained gender differences, with a stronger effect for girls. Attitudes towards school only explained gender differences in language learning self-concept. Furthermore, positive processes (i.e., upward identification and downward contrast) have no effect on either component of academic self-concept. Results of this study demonstrate the need to examine the evolution of social comparison processes over time, considering their impact on students’ academic/social well-being and achievement from a gender perspective.
A Single Cisterna Magna Injection of AAV Leads to Binaural Transduction in Mice

Viral-mediated gene augmentation, silencing, or editing offers tremendous promise for the treatment of inherited and acquired deafness. Inner-ear gene therapies often require a safe, clinically useable and effective route of administration to target both ears, while avoiding damage to the delicate structures of the inner ear. Here, we examined the possibility of using a cisterna magna injection as a new cochlear local route for initiating binaural transduction by different serotypes of the adeno-associated virus (AAV2/8, AAV2/9, AAV2/Anc80L65). The results were compared with those following canalostomy injection, one of the existing standard inner ear local delivery routes. Our results demonstrated that a single injection of AAVs enables high-efficiency binaural transduction of almost all inner hair cells with a basal-apical pattern and of large numbers of spiral ganglion neurons of the basal portion of the cochlea, without affecting auditory function and cochlear structures. Taken together, these results reveal the potential for using a cisterna magna injection as a local route for binaural gene therapy applications, but extensive testing will be required before translation beyond mouse models.
Benefits and Costs of Mixed-Species Aggregations in Harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones)

Many animals form aggregations with individuals of the same species (single-species aggregations, SSA). Less frequently, individuals may also aggregate with individuals of other species (mixed-species aggregations, MSA). Although the benefits and costs of SSA have been intensively studied, the same is not true for MSA. Here, we first review the cases of MSA in harvestmen, an arachnid order in which the records of MSA are more frequent than other arthropod orders. We then propose several benefits and costs of MSA in harvestmen, and contrast them with those of SSA. Second, using field-gathered data we describe gregariousness in seven species of Prionostemma harvestmen from Costa Rica. These species form MSA, but individuals are also found solitarily or in SSA. We tested one possible benefit and one possible cost of gregariousness in Prionostemma harvestmen. Regarding the benefit, we hypothesized that individuals missing legs would be more exposed to predation than eight-legged individuals and thus they should be found preferentially in aggregations, where they would be more protected from predators. Our data, however, do not support this hypothesis. Regarding the cost, we hypothesized that gregariousness increases the chances of parasitism. We found no support for this hypothesis either because both mite prevalence and infestation intensity did not differ between solitary or aggregated individuals. Additionally, the type of aggregation (SSA or MSA) was not associated with the benefit or the cost we explored. This lack of effect may be explained by the fluid membership of the aggregations, as we found high turnover over time in the number of individuals and species composition of the aggregations. In conclusion, we hope our review and empirical data stimulate further studies on MSA, which remains one of the most elusive forms of group living in animals.
Fractal-Based Analysis of fMRI BOLD Signal During Naturalistic Viewing Conditions

Background: Temporal fractals are characterized by prominent scale-invariance and self-similarity across time scales. Monofractal analysis quantifies this scaling behavior in a single parameter, the Hurst exponent (H). Higher H reflects greater correlation in the signal structure, which is taken as being more fractal. Previous fMRI studies have observed lower H during conventional tasks relative to resting state conditions, and shown that H is negatively correlated with task difficulty and novelty. To date, no study has investigated the fractal dynamics of BOLD signal during naturalistic conditions. Methods: We performed fractal analysis on Human Connectome Project 7T fMRI data (n = 72, 41 females, mean age 29.46 ± 3.76 years) to compare H across movie-watching and rest. Results: In contrast to previous work using conventional tasks, we found higher H values for movie relative to rest (mean difference = 0.014; p = 5.279 × 10−7; 95% CI [0.009, 0.019]). H was significantly higher in movie than rest in the visual, somatomotor and dorsal attention networks, but was significantly lower during movie in the frontoparietal and default networks. We found no cross-condition differences in test-retest reliability of H. Finally, we found that H of movie-derived stimulus properties (e.g., luminance changes) were fractal whereas H of head motion estimates were non-fractal. Conclusions: Overall, our findings suggest that movie-watching induces fractal signal dynamics. In line with recent work characterizing connectivity-based brain state dynamics during movie-watching, we speculate that these fractal dynamics reflect the configuring and reconfiguring of brain states that occurs during naturalistic processing, and are markedly different than dynamics observed during conventional tasks.