Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Causal Evidence for the Multiple Demand Network in Change Detection: Auditory Mismatch Magnetoencephalography across Focal Neurodegenerative Diseases

The multiple demand (MD) system is a network of fronto-parietal brain regions active during the organization and control of diverse cognitive operations. It has been argued that this activation may be a nonspecific signal of task difficulty. However, here we provide convergent evidence for a causal role for the MD network in the “simple task” of automatic auditory change detection, through the impairment of top-down control mechanisms. We employ independent structure-function mapping, dynamic causal modeling (DCM), and frequency-resolved functional connectivity analyses of MRI and magnetoencephalography (MEG) from 75 mixed-sex human patients across four neurodegenerative syndromes [behavioral variant fronto-temporal dementia (bvFTD), nonfluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA), posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), and Alzheimer's disease mild cognitive impairment with positive amyloid imaging (ADMCI)] and 48 age-matched controls. We show that atrophy of any MD node is sufficient to impair auditory neurophysiological response to change in frequency, location, intensity, continuity, or duration. There was no similar association with atrophy of the cingulo-opercular, salience or language networks, or with global atrophy. MD regions displayed increased functional but decreased effective connectivity as a function of neurodegeneration, suggesting partially effective compensation. Overall, we show that damage to any of the nodes of the MD network is sufficient to impair top-down control of sensation, providing a common mechanism for impaired change detection across dementia syndromes. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Previous evidence for fronto-parietal networks controlling perception is largely associative and may be confounded by task difficulty. Here, we use a preattentive measure of automatic auditory change detection [mismatch negativity (MMN) magnetoencephalography (MEG)] to show that neurodegeneration in any frontal or parietal multiple demand (MD) node impairs primary auditory cortex (A1) neurophysiological response to change through top-down mechanisms. This explains why the impaired ability to respond to change is a core feature across dementias, and other conditions driven by brain network dysfunction, such as schizophrenia. It validates theoretical frameworks in which neurodegenerating networks upregulate connectivity as partially effective compensation. The significance extends beyond network science and dementia, in its construct validation of dynamic causal modeling (DCM), and human confirmation of frequency-resolved analyses of animal neurodegeneration models.
Profiles of Community Violence Exposure, Moral Disengagement, and Bullying Perpetration: Evidence from a Sample of Italian Adolescents

According to the Pathologic Adaptation Model of community violence exposure, repeated experiences of violence within the community lead youth to accept violence as a normative and legitimate strategy to cope with conflict, thus increasing their involvement in aggressive behaviors. This hypothesis has been under-investigated with reference to bullying at school. Using a person-centered analytical approach (latent profile analysis), this study examines the mediating role of moral disengagement as a type of normalizing cognition about violence, in the relationship between profiles of community violence exposure and perpetration of bullying. Eight hundred and two adolescents (11–18 years; 43.4% girls) from two different urban and societal contexts in Italy (Milan vs. Naples) participated in the study. Four profiles of exposure to community violence emerged. Context site and age influenced belonging to the four profiles. Being moderately exposed to violence, both as a victim and as a witness, was significantly associated with higher levels of moral disengagement and bullying perpetration. Being exposed as a witness and as a victim, and being exposed only as a witness were associated with bullying perpetration via the increase of moral disengagement. These findings support the Pathologic Adaptation Model and indicate that adolescents who experience higher levels of community violence, as a witness or both as a witness and a victim, are more likely to develop morally disengaged beliefs about violence, which in turn would increase the likelihood to perpetrate bullying. Results are also discussed in the context of social diversity.
The Use of Osseodensification for Ridge Expansion and Dental Implant Placement in Narrow Alveolar Ridges: A Prospective Observational Clinical Study

Abstract: The osseodensification (OD) drilling technique was suggested as an alveolar ridge expansion technique, so the aim of this prospective clinical study was to evaluate the amount of bone expansion obtained by the OD drilling technique and its effect on implant stability in patients with narrow alveolar ridges. The width of the alveolar ridge was measured at the crest before and after implant site preparation, whereas the implant stability was measured using Osstell Beacon implant stability quotient (ISQ). The ISQ values were recorded immediately postoperatively and after 16 weeks. Twenty-three patients were included; they received 40 implants. The mean (± standard deviation [SD]) amount of expansion was 1.29 (± 0.41) mm, and the difference between preexpansion and post-expansion bone width was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The mean (± SD) primary stability was 73.73 (± 2.85) ISQ, whereas the mean (± SD) secondary stability was 74.83 (± 2.73) ISQ, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.043). The implant survival rate was 100%. It can be concluded that using the OD technique in narrow alveolar ridges resulted in bone expansion without dehiscence or fenestration and allowed simultaneous implant placement with high primary and secondary implant stability.
Retrospective comparison of parent‐reported genetics knowledge, empowerment, and familial uptake of cardiac screening between parents who received genetic counseling by a certified genetic counselor and those who did not: A single US academic medical center study

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart defect, which can cause severe cardiac complications. BAVs cluster in families and demonstrate high heritability. Cardiac screening for first‐degree relatives of individuals with a BAV is recommended. This retrospective two‐group study evaluated the impact of cardiovascular genetic counseling provided by a board‐certified genetic counselor on parent‐reported outcomes by comparing parental responses of those who received genetic counseling by a genetic counselor (GC group) for family history of BAV to those who did not (non‐GC group). A retrospective chart review from May 2016 to June 2019 identified 133 pediatric patients with an isolated BAV. Parents of eligible probands were invited to complete an online survey assessing genetics knowledge, empowerment (Genomics Outcome Scale), and familial uptake of cardiac screening. Surveys were completed by 38/97 (39%) parents in the non‐GC group and 20/36 (56%) parents in the GC group. The median genetics knowledge score was not significantly different between the two groups (GC group: 8, range 3–11 out of a maximum possible of 12; non‐GC group: 7, range 2–11; p = .08). The mean empowerment score was not significantly different between the two groups (GC group: mean 24.6, SD 2.2; non‐GC group: mean 23.2, SD 3.5; p = .06). The uptake of cardiac screening was significantly higher in the GC group with 39/59 (66%) total first‐degree relatives reported as having been screened compared with 36/91 (40%) in the non‐GC group (p = .002). Parent‐reported outcomes in our study suggest that receiving genetic counseling by a board‐certified genetic counselor significantly increased familial uptake of cardiac screening for first‐degree relatives of pediatric patients with a BAV. Studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the findings of this study; however, a referral to a genetic counselor should be considered for patients with a BAV.
First detection of avian metapneumovirus subtype C Eurasian lineage in a Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope) wintering in Northeastern Italy: an additional hint on the role of migrating birds in the viral epidemiology

ABSTRACT Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) economically affects the global poultry industry causing respiratory and reproductive disorders. Considering the paucity of data on aMPV occurrence in European free-ranging avifauna, a molecular survey was conducted on wild birds of 23 species belonging to the orders Anseriformes, Charadriiformes or Passeriformes, captured alive and sampled in Northeast Italy as part of the national avian influenza virus (AIV) surveillance activities. A total of 492 oropharyngeal swabs, collected from 2007–2010, all AIV-negative, were screened from aMPV by subtype-specific qRT-PCR. An aMPV-C strain, named aMPV/C/IT/Wigeon/758/07, was found in a wintering young Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope) sampled in November 2007. The matrix, fusion, and attachment glycoprotein genes of the detected strain were subsequently amplified by specific independent RT-PCRs, then sequenced, and compared in a phylogenetic framework with known aMPV homologous sequences retrieved from GenBank. Close genetic relationships were found between the aMPV/C/IT/Wigeon/758/07 strain and subtype C Eurasian lineage strains isolated in the late 1990s in French domestic ducks, suggesting epidemiological links. Eurasian wigeons are medium/long-range migrant dabbling ducks that move along the Black Sea/Mediterranean flyway; our finding might, therefore, be related to migratory bridges between countries. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular evidence of the occurrence of aMPV subtype C in Italy and backdates the aMPV-C circulation to 2007. Moreover, the results suggest the susceptibility of Eurasian wigeons to aMPV. Broader investigations are needed to assess the role of wild ducks and the significance of the wildfowl/poultry interface in aMPV-C epidemiology. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Wild birds live-captured in Italy were tested for aMPV detection and characterization. aMPV-C Eurasian lineage was found for the first time in a wintering Eurasian wigeon. Migratory birds could be involved in the aMPV epidemiology. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
MetaGeo: A General Framework for Social User Geolocation Identification With Few-Shot Learning

Identifying the geolocation of social media users is an important problem in a wide range of applications, spanning from disease outbreaks, emergency detection, local event recommendation, to fake news localization, online marketing planning, and even crime control and prevention. Researchers have attempted to propose various models by combining different sources of information, including text, social relation, and contextual data, which indeed has achieved promising results. However, existing approaches still suffer from certain constraints, such as: 1) a very few samples are available and 2) prediction models are not easy to be generalized for users from new regions—which are challenges that motivate our study. In this article, we propose a general framework for identifying user geolocation—MetaGeo, which is a meta-learning-based approach, learning the prior distribution of the geolocation task in order to quickly adapt the prediction toward users from new locations. Different from typical meta-learning settings that only learn a new concept from few-shot samples, MetaGeo improves the geolocation prediction with conventional settings by ensembling numerous mini-tasks. In addition, MetaGeo incorporates probabilistic inference to alleviate two issues inherent in training with few samples: location uncertainty and task ambiguity. To demonstrate the effectiveness of MetaGeo, we conduct extensive experimental evaluations on three real-world datasets and compare the performance with several state-of-the-art benchmark models. The results demonstrate the superiority of MetaGeo in both the settings where the predicted locations/regions are known or have not been seen during training.
The relation of echo‐derived lateral MAPSE to left heart functions and biochemical markers in patients with preserved ejection fraction: Short‐term prognostic implications

Mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) is a simple way to evaluate—left ventricle (LV) function. Our aim was to explain the relationship of MAPSE with LV function and biochemical markers in patients with preserved ejection fraction (EF), and to determine whether it has an effect on prognosis in echocardiography (echo) practice.
Direct Oral Anticoagulants for the Treatment of Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism: A Latin American Perspective

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. On the basis of results from randomized controlled trials, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are now recommended for the treatment of cancer-associated VTE. The decision to use a DOAC requires consideration of bleeding risk, particularly in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies, the cost-benefit and convenience of oral therapy, and patient preference. While efficacy with apixaban, edoxaban, and rivaroxaban versus dalteparin has been consistent in the treatment of cancer-associated VTE, heterogeneity is evident with respect to major GI bleeding, with an increased risk with edoxaban and rivaroxaban but not apixaban. Although cost and accessibility vary in different countries of Latin America, DOACs should be considered for the long-term treatment of cancer-associated VTE in all patients who are likely to benefit. Apixaban may be the preferred DOAC in patients with GI malignancies and LMWH may be preferred for patients with upper or unresected lower GI tumors. Vitamin K antagonists should only be used for anticoagulation when DOACs and low molecular weight heparin are inaccessible or unsuitable.
Machine Learning May Sometimes Simply Capture Literature Popularity Trends: A Case Study of Heterocyclic Suzuki–Miyaura Coupling

Applications of machine learning (ML) to synthetic chemistry rely on the assumption that large numbers of literature-reported examples should enable construction of accurate and predictive models of chemical reactivity. This paper demonstrates that abundance of carefully curated literature data may be insufficient for this purpose. Using an example of Suzuki–Miyaura coupling with heterocyclic building blocks—and a carefully selected database of >10,000 literature examples—we show that ML models cannot offer any meaningful predictions of optimum reaction conditions, even if the search space is restricted to only solvents and bases. This result holds irrespective of the ML model applied (from simple feed-forward to state-of-the-art graph-convolution neural networks) or the representation to describe the reaction partners (various fingerprints, chemical descriptors, latent representations, etc.). In all cases, the ML methods fail to perform significantly better than naive assignments based on the sheer frequency of certain reaction conditions reported in the literature. These unsatisfactory results likely reflect subjective preferences of various chemists to use certain protocols, other biasing factors as mundane as availability of certain solvents/reagents, and/or a lack of negative data. These findings highlight the likely importance of systematically generating reliable and standardized data sets for algorithm training.
Wound Healing Following Palatoplasty Using Either Honey or Warm Saline Mouth Bath for Postoperative Wound Care: A Randomized-Controlled Study

Objective To evaluate and compare the effect of honey or saline mouth bath for wound care on the rate of re-epithelisation of the lateral palatal defects and occurrence of early postoperative complications following palatoplasty. Methodology This was a prospective randomized study on participants with non-syndromic cleft palate conducted at a tertiary health institution in Lagos, Nigeria. The test group received oral honey drops for post-operative care for an initial period of two weeks post-surgery, while the control group had regular oral toileting using a warm saline solution. The primary outcome was epithelisation of lateral palatal defect at 2- and 4-weeks post repair. Descriptive and comparative statistics were computed, and the p-value was set at <0.05. Results Fifty participants were recruited into the study, 24 in the Test group and 26 in the Control group. The frequency of occurrence of oronasal fistula in the Test group was 4.0% while in the Control group was 10.0%, however, this was not statistically significant. Complete epithelisation of the lateral palatal defect was clinically observed in 66.7% of the participants in the Test group at 2 weeks post-operation, while only 38.5% of participants in the Control group had clinically observed complete epithelisation at the same time point (β = 1.70, p = .035, 95% CI 1.122–26.533). At four weeks, all wounds had epithelised irrespective of the study group. Conclusion The application of honey appears to aid earlier epithelization of palatal surgical wounds following cleft palate repair and reduced the incidence of palatal fistula.
Impact of uniaxial strain on the electrical characteristics of MOSFETs and Esaki tunnel diodes

by Wei Zhao Process-induced uniaxial strain is widely used in CMOS transistor fabrication in order to increase carrier mobility or current drive because of strain-induced band structure changes. Although a significant body of research exists on uniaxially-strained MOSFETs, most previous effort has focused on carrier mobility, how to augment it with strain and how to understand the strain-induced change. In this study, measurements and analysis of the effects of uniaxial-stress-induced changes in MOSFET mobility are extended to explore stress dependent changes in mobility degradation factor, onand offstate gate tunneling current, impact ionization rate, C-V characteristics, and ring oscillator performance (standby and dynamic power dissipation and speed). In addition to this exploration of uniaxial-strain-induced changes in MOSFETs, Esaki diodes offer a new transport laboratory, i.e. interband tunneling, for understanding the effects of uniaxial strain. Very few papers have been published on the influence of stress on the current-voltage characteristics of Esaki tunnel diode and the strain effects are poorly understood. In this thesis, the impact of uniaxial strain on the peak tunneling current density of Esaki tunnel diodes is theoretically calculated, considering straininduced changes in the bandgap, electron repopulation among different valleys (only for multi-valley conduction band minimum) and the reduced mass along the tunneling
Potential significance of CX3CR1 dynamics in stress resilience against neuronal disorders

Recent findings have implicated inflammatory responses in the central nervous system in a variety of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, and the understanding and control of immunological responses could be a major factor of future therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders. Microglia, derived from myelogenous cells, respond to a number of stimuli and make immune responses, resulting in a prominent role as cells that act on inflammation in the central nervous system. Fractalkine (FKN or CX3CL1) signaling is an important factor that influences the inflammatory response of microglia. The receptor for FKN, CX3CR1, is usually expressed in microglia in the brain, and therefore the inflammatory response of microglia is modified by FKN. Reportedly, FKN often suppresses inflammatory responses in microglia and activation of its receptor may be effective in the treatment of inflammatory neurological disorders. However, it has also been suggested that inflammatory responses facilitated by FKN signaling aggravate neurological disorders. Thus, further studies are still required to resolve the conflicting interpretation of the protective or deleterious contribution of microglial FKN signaling. Yet notably, regulation of FKN signaling has recently been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of human diseases, although not neurological diseases. In addition, a CX3CR1 inhibitor has been developed and successfully tested in animal models, and it is expected to be in human clinical trials in the future. In this review, I describe the potential therapeutic consideration of microglial CX3CR1 dynamics through altered FKN signaling.
The causal role of the bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortices on emotion regulation of social feedback

The ventrolateral prefrontal cortices (VLPFC) are crucial regions involved in voluntary emotion regulation. However, the lateralization of the VLPFC in downregulating negative emotions remains unclear; and whether the causal role of the VLPFC is generalizable to upregulating positive emotions is unexplored. This study used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to examine the causal relationship between the left/right VLPFC and social emotion reappraisal. One hundred and twenty participants were randomly assigned to either active (left and right VLPFC groups, n = 40/40) or sham (vertex, n = 40) TMS groups. Participants were instructed to passively receive social feedback or use reappraisal strategies to positively regulate their emotions. While the subjective emotional rating showed that the bilateral VLPFC facilitated the reappraisal success, the electrophysiological measure of the late positive potential (LPP) demonstrated a more critical role of the right VLPFC on social pain relief (decreased LPP amplitudes) and social reward magnification (enhanced LPP amplitudes). In addition, the influence of emotion regulation on social evaluation was found to be mediated by the memory of social feedback, indicating the importance of memory in social behavioral shaping. These findings suggest clinical protocols for the rehabilitation of emotion‐regulatory function in patients with affective and social disorders.
Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis exhibits T cell activation and IgG4 immune response in the tissue; comparison with IgG4-related disease

Objective To study the pathophysiological differences of EGPA and IgG4-related disease (RD) by clarifying their clinical, pathological and immunological features. Methods Clinical and pathological findings were compared in patients with EGPA and IgG4-RD. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used for comprehensive flow cytometric analysis. Results An elevation of the IgG4 level was found in all EGPA cases, with the accompanying pathological findings of lymphocytic infiltration and fibrosis observed in 30.8% patients, and the elevation of IgG4/IgG ratio in 61.5% patients. However, actual IgG4 levels, as well as the degree of the infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells, were still higher in patients with IgG4-RD than patients with EGPA. Examination by ACR/EULAR classification criteria showed only 13.6% of the EGPA patients met entry criteria, while all of them met the exclusion criteria. In regard to the immunophenotyping, EGPA patients had increases in activated CD4 and CD8 T cells compared with the healthy controls. However, no such similar changes occurred in IgG4-RD patients. On the other hand, both the EGPA and IgG4-RD patient groups had correlated increased plasmablasts and Tfh. These results indicate the presence of two axes: namely, the activation of T cells and that of B cells. Both axes are present in EGPA, but the T cell activation axis was not observed in IgG4-RD. Conclusions The elevation of serum IgG4 as well as pathological IgG4 infiltration are not specific. Meanwhile, EGPA and IgG4-RD differ in immunological phenotypes, indicating the possible importance of the predominant activation of T cells in the development of vasculitis.