Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Olfactory-to-visual facilitation in the infant brain declines gradually from 4 to 12 months

During infant development, intersensory facilitation declines gradually as unisensory perception improves. However, this developmental trade-off has been mainly investigated using audiovisual stimulations. Here, fifty 4- to 12-month-old infants were tested to determine whether the facilitating effect of their mother’s body odor on neural face categorization, as previously observed at 4 months, decreases with age. In a baseline odor context, results revealed a face-selective electroencephalographic (EEG) response that increases and changes qualitatively between 4 and 12 months, marking improved face categorization. At the same time, the benefit of adding maternal odor fades gradually with age, indicating an inverse relation with the strength of the sole visual response, and generalizing to olfactory-visual interactions previous evidence from the audiovisual domain.
Parallel G-quadruplex folds via multiple paths involving G-tract stacking and structuring from coil ensemble

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are non-canonical nucleic acid structures that fold through complex processes. Characterization of G4 folding landscape contributes to comprehending G4 roles in gene regulation but is challenging for experiments and computations. Here we investigate the folding of a three-quartet parallel DNA G4 with (GGGA)3GGG sequence using all-atom explicit-solvent enhanced-sampling molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We suggest an early formation of guanine stacks in the G-tracts, which behave as semi-rigid blocks in the folding process. The parallel G4 folding is initiated by the formation of a collapsed compact coil-like ensemble. Structuring of the G4 from the coil then proceeds via various cross-like, hairpin, slip-stranded, and two-quartet ensembles and can bypass the G-triplex structure. While parallel G-hairpins are extremely unstable when isolated, they are more stable inside the coil structure. Folding of parallel G4 does not appear to involve any salient intermediates and, instead, it is an extremely multiple-pathway process. On the methodology side, we show that the AMBER DNA force field predicts the folded G4 to be less stable than the unfolded ensemble, uncovering substantial force-field issues. Overall, we provide unique atomistic insights into the folding landscape of parallel-stranded G4 but also reveal limitations of the state-of-the-art MD techniques.
Anticipated educational outcomes: a case study of the outdoor recreation consortium experience

This paper reports on a case study of an outdoor experiential learning program and examines its meaning for program participants. The research was conducted with 56 university students who participated in the Outdoor Recreation Consortium held at the Great Smoky Mountain Institute in Tremont, TN. A mixed-method comparative research approach, using both quantitative and qualitative data collection, was adopted. This research demonstrates that qualitative data not only support the findings from quantitative data but also provide additional insight into participants' learning experiences and emphasize the value of adventure programs to individuals. Additionally, the results indicate that outdoor education programs offering more practical hands-on experiences are highly desired.
On the Word Problem for Compressible Monoids.

A monoid is compressible if it admits a presentation in which all words in the defining relations begin and end with some specified word. Associated to any compressible monoid $M$ is a compressed left monoid $L(M)$. We study the language-theoretic properties of the word problem, in the sense of Duncan & Gilman, of compressible monoids. We prove that if $\mathcal{C}$ is a superAFL, then $M$ has word problem in $\mathcal{C}$ if and only if $L(M)$ has word problem in $\mathcal{C}$. In particular, this applies when $\mathcal{C}$ is the class of context-free languages. As a corollary, we deduce that if $L(M)$ has context-free word problem, then the rational subset membership problem for $M$ is decidable. We also consider subspecial monoids, which are the one-relation monoids that can be compressed to special monoids. In this case we extend the above results, and show that a subspecial monoid has context-free word problem if and only if all its maximal subgroups are virtually free. This gives a generalisation of the Muller-Schupp theorem to subspecial monoids.
Neural representations of concrete concepts enable identification of individuals during naturalistic story listening

Different people listening to the same story may converge upon a largely shared interpretation while still developing idiosyncratic experiences atop that shared foundation. What semantic properties support this individualized experience of natural language? Here, we investigate how the “concreteness” of word meanings — i.e., the extent to which a concept is derived from sensory experience — relates to variability in the neural representations of language. Leveraging a large dataset of participants who each listened to four auditory stories while undergoing functional MRI, we demonstrate that an individual’s neural representations of concrete concepts are reliable across stories and unique to the individual. In contrast, we find that neural representations of abstract concepts are variable both within individuals and across the population. Using natural language processing tools, we show that concrete words exhibit similar neural signatures despite spanning larger distances within a high-dimensional semantic space, which potentially reflects an underlying signature of sensory experience — namely, imageability — shared by concrete words but absent from abstract words. Our findings situate the concrete-abstract semantic axis as a core dimension that supports reliable yet individualized representations of natural language.
Spatial and temporal control of lysis by the lambda holin

ABSTRACT The infection cycle of phage λ terminates in lysis mediated by three types of lysis proteins, each disrupting a layer in the bacterial envelope: the S105 holin, the R endolysin, and the Rz/Rz1 spanin complex targeting the inner membrane, cell wall or peptidoglycan, and the outer membrane, respectively. Video microscopy has shown that in most infections, lysis occurs as a sudden, explosive event at a cell pole, such that the initial product is a less refractile ghost that retains rod-shaped morphology. Here, we investigate the molecular basis of polar lysis using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy. The results indicate that the holin determines the morphology of lysis by suddenly forming two-dimensional rafts at the poles about 100 s prior to lysis. Given the physiological and biochemical similarities between the lambda holin and other class I holins, dynamic redistribution and sudden concentration may be common features of holins, probably reflecting the fitness advantage of all-or-nothing lysis regulation. IMPORTANCE In this study, we use fluorescent video microscopy to track -green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled holin in the minutes prior to phage lysis. Our work contextualizes prior genetic and biochemical data, showing when hole formation starts and where holin oligomers form in relation to the site of lytic rupture. Furthermore, prior work showed that the morphology of lambda-infected cells is characterized by an explosive event starting at the cell pole; however, the basis for this was not clear. This study shows that holin most often oligomerizes at cell poles and that the site of the oligomerization is spatially correlated with the site of lytic blowout. Therefore, the holin is the key contributor to polar lysis morphology for phage lambda. In this study, we use fluorescent video microscopy to track -green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled holin in the minutes prior to phage lysis. Our work contextualizes prior genetic and biochemical data, showing when hole formation starts and where holin oligomers form in relation to the site of lytic rupture. Furthermore, prior work showed that the morphology of lambda-infected cells is characterized by an explosive event starting at the cell pole; however, the basis for this was not clear. This study shows that holin most often oligomerizes at cell poles and that the site of the oligomerization is spatially correlated with the site of lytic blowout. Therefore, the holin is the key contributor to polar lysis morphology for phage lambda.
An adapted stem cell-derived microglia protocol for the study of microgliopathies and other neurological disorders

Background Adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP) is a primary microgliopathy caused by pathogenic variants in the colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) gene. Since CSF1R signaling is crucial for microglia development, survival and function, induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia (iMGL) represent an excellent tool in studying microglial defects caused by ALSP patient-specific CSF1R variants. Methods Serial modifications to an existing iMGL protocol were made, including but not limited to changes in growth factor combination to drive microglial differentiation, until successful derivation of microglia-like cells from an ALSP patient carrying a c.2350G > A (p.V784M) CSF1R variant. Using healthy control lines, the quality of the new iMGL protocol was validated through cell yield assessment, measurement of microglia marker expression, transcriptomic comparison to primary microglia, and evaluation of inflammatory and phagocytic activities. Similarly, molecular and functional characterization of the ALSP patient-derived iMGL was carried out in comparison to healthy control iMGL. Results The newly devised protocol allowed the generation of iMGL with enhanced transcriptomic similarity to primary human microglia and with higher phagocytic and inflammatory competence at ∼3-fold greater yield compared to the original protocol. Using this protocol, decreased CSF1R autophosphorylation and cell surface expression was observed in iMGL derived from the ALSP patient compared to those derived from healthy controls. Additionally, ALSP patient-derived iMGL presented a migratory defect accompanying a temporal reduction in purinergic receptor P2Y12 (P2RY12) expression. Finally, ALSP patient-derived cells showed surprisingly high phagocytic capacity, which was associated with higher lysosomal content. Conclusions We optimized a pre-existing iMGL protocol, generating a powerful tool to study microglial involvement in human neurological diseases. Using the optimized protocol, we have generated for the first time iMGL from an ALSP patient carrying a pathogenic CSF1R variant, with preliminary characterization pointing toward functional alterations in migratory and phagocytic activities.
Differential Carbonic Anhydrase Activities Control EBV-Induced B-Cell Transformation and Lytic Cycle Reactivation

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) contributes to ∼1% of all human cancers including several B-cell neoplasms. A characteristic feature of EBV life cycle is its ability to transform metabolically quiescent B-lymphocytes into hyperproliferating B-cell blasts with the establishment of viral latency, while intermittent lytic cycle induction is necessary for the production of progeny virus. Our RNA-Seq analyses of both latently infected naïve B-lymphocytes and transformed B-lymphocytes upon lytic cycle replication indicate a contrasting expression pattern of a membrane-associated carbonic anhydrase isoform CA9, an essential component for maintaining cell acid-base homeostasis. We show that while CA9 expression is transcriptionally activated during latent infection model, lytic cycle replication restrains its expression. Pharmacological inhibition of CA-activity using specific inhibitors retards EBV induced B-cell transformation, inhibits B-cells outgrowth and colony formation ability of transformed B-lymphocytes through lowering the intracellular pH, induction of cell apoptosis and facilitating degradation of CA9 transcripts. Reanalyses of ChIP-Seq data along with utilization of EBNA2 knockout virus and sh-RNA mediated knockdown of CA9 expression we further demonstrate that EBNA2 mediated CA9 transcriptional activation is essential for EBV latently infected B-cell survival. In contrast, during lytic cycle reactivation CA9 expression is transcriptionally suppressed by the key EBV lytic cycle transactivator, BZLF1 through its transactivation domain. Overall, our study highlights the dynamic alterations of CA9 expression and its activity in regulating pH homeostasis act as one of the major drivers for EBV induced B-cell transformation and subsequent B-cell lymphomagenesis.
Menopause Status and Within-Group Differences in Chronological Age Affect the Functional Neural Correlates of Spatial Context Memory in Middle-Aged Females

Reductions in the ability to encode and retrieve past experiences in rich spatial contextual detail (episodic memory) are apparent by midlife—a time when most females experience spontaneous menopause. Yet, little is known about how menopause status affects episodic memory-related brain activity at encoding and retrieval in middle-aged premenopausal and postmenopausal females, and whether any observed group differences in brain activity and memory performance correlate with chronological age within group. We conducted an event-related task fMRI study of episodic memory for spatial context to address this knowledge gap. Multivariate behavioral partial least squares was used to investigate how chronological age and retrieval accuracy correlated with brain activity in 31 premenopausal females (age range, 39.55–53.30 years; mean age, 44.28 years; SD age, 3.12 years) and 41 postmenopausal females (age range, 46.70–65.14 years; mean age, 57.56 years; SD age, 3.93 years). We found that postmenopausal status, and advanced age within postmenopause, was associated with lower spatial context memory. The fMRI analysis showed that only in postmenopausal females, advanced age was correlated with decreased activity in occipitotemporal, parahippocampal, and inferior parietal cortices during encoding and retrieval, and poorer spatial context memory performance. In contrast, only premenopausal females exhibited an overlap in encoding and retrieval activity in angular gyrus, midline cortical regions, and prefrontal cortex, which correlated with better spatial context retrieval accuracy. These results highlight how menopause status and chronological age, nested within menopause group, affect episodic memory and its neural correlates at midlife. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This is the first fMRI study to examine how premenopause and postmenopause status affect the neural correlates of episodic memory encoding and retrieval, and how chronological age contributes to any observed group similarities and differences. We found that both menopause status (endocrine age) and chronological age affect spatial context memory and its neural correlates. Menopause status directly affected the direction of age-related and performance-related correlations with brain activity in inferior parietal, parahippocampal, and occipitotemporal cortices across encoding and retrieval. Moreover, we found that only premenopausal females exhibited cortical reinstatement of encoding-related activity in midline cortical, prefrontal, and angular gyrus, at retrieval. This suggests that spatial context memory abilities may rely on distinct brain systems at premenopause compared with postmenopause.
Virtual Learning: A Revolutionary Approach to Building a Highly Skilled Workforce

Through the virtual reality of computer simulations and role-playing scenarios, Virtual Learning shows you how to radically rethink your company's entire training process. Its proven steps and strategies will demonstrate how you can excite your employees, make them want to learn more about your business, improve your customer service dramatically, and decrease training costs as you increase productivity! For well-known educator and author Roger Schank, these methods are more than just theory. Schank packs Virtual Learning with actual case histories and examples, including in-depth coverage of the Business Practices Course he developed for Andersen Consulting. After working with Schank, Arthur Andersen, the world's largest consulting firm and the first to implement virtual learning, reported that dramatic improvements resulted from their training programs and other companies have asked to purchase their training systems.
Tweet, Tweet, Retweet: Conversational Aspects of Retweeting on Twitter

Twitter - a microblogging service that enables users to post messages ("tweets") of up to 140 characters - supports a variety of communicative practices; participants use Twitter to converse with individuals, groups, and the public at large, so when conversations emerge, they are often experienced by broader audiences than just the interlocutors. This paper examines the practice of retweeting as a way by which participants can be "in a conversation. " While retweeting has become a convention inside Twitter, participants retweet using different styles and for diverse reasons. We highlight how authorship, attribution, and communicative fidelity are negotiated in diverse ways. Using a series of case studies and empirical data, this paper maps out retweeting as a conversational practice.
ne size does not fit all : Conservation farming success in Africa more ependent on management than on location

Conservation agriculture practices have been successfully applied to improve crop yields in South America, but questions arose whether these practices can be successfully implemented in Africa. Here we show that a specific set of soil conservation practices called conservation farming (CF) using planting basins and hand hoes disseminated on 280 farms in Zambia on average failed to increase maize yields compared to traditional farming (TF). Average grain yield was low with 1.2 t ha−1, but variation between farms was large with a variance of 32% for CF, ranging in individual farms from 0.02 to 2.8 t ha−1. Yields on farms that declared to practice CF were more constrained by inappropriate management (P < 0.001 of multiple stepwise regression; 13% of total variability) such as lack of early planting and insufficient weeding (25% of total variability explained by management) than by site or climatic conditions. In contrast, yields under TF varied the most (26%) based on the amount and types of inputs. CF practices increased maize yields at −1 anure
Impacts morphologiques des surcotes et vagues de tempêtes sur le littoral méditerranéen

This work investigates the main morphodynamic processes that occur during storms on a microtidal barred beach (including erosion, flooding), typically influenced by an irregular stormy- wave climate. The overriding question is to define the more important settings involved in the (rapid) morphological response of the beach and shoreface. New regional historical analyses demonstrate the principal influence of storm wave height, determining impact levels (importance of run-up elevation). Big storm events are significantly involved in offshore migration of nearshore bars (N. O. M. Cycles). A large fieldwork campaign was conducted at the Lido of Sete in the Gulf of Lions. More than 20 pre- and post-storm surveys show the respective part of hydrodynamic conditions and steady morphological difference in term of nearshore bar which are either longshore uniform or rhythmic (due to NOM) over 4. Storms quickly modify the nearshore bar (and rhythmic patterns), and relocate large volume of sub-water sand, with a significant role of the wave direction and longshore currents. An intensive hydrodynamic campaign and a numerical circulation model clearly demonstrate the direct influence of bar patterns on surf zone currents in addition to wave settings. A new video monitoring during a storm group introduce the progressive but highly dynamic 3D-morphological change and longshore displacement of bar pattern at storm peak. During storm, bar irregularities have a large effect on sub-aerial beach impact. The predominant role of morphological feedback and inherited morphology (e. G. : pre-storm bar wavelength) is clearly demonstrated and constitutes the leading improvement of this work.
Ex vivo expansion potential of murine hematopoietic stem cells is a rare property only partially predicted by phenotype

The scarcity of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) restricts their use in both clinical settings and experimental research. Here, we examined a recently developed method for expanding rigorously purified murine HSCs ex vivo. After three weeks of culture, only 0.1% of cells exhibited the input HSC phenotype, but these accounted for almost all functional long-term HSC activity. Input HSCs displayed varying potential for ex vivo self-renewal, with alternative outcomes revealed by single cell multimodal RNA- and ATAC-seq profiling. While most HSC progeny offered only transient in vivo reconstitution, these cells efficiently rescued mice from lethal myeloablation. The amplification of functional HSC activity allowed for long-term multilineage engraftment in unconditioned hosts that associated with a return of HSCs to quiescence. Thereby, our findings identify several key considerations for ex vivo HSC expansion, with major implications also for assessment of normal HSC activity. Key point: Ex vivo self-renewal is an intrinsic property of rare candidate HSCs, with implications for assessments of HSC activity by transplantation.
Scholars Commons @ Laurier Scholars Commons @ Laurier Evidence of metacognitive awareness in young children who have Evidence of metacognitive awareness in young children who have experienced a repeated event experienced a repeated event

Two studies examined children’s confidence judgments in the accuracy of their memories after repeated experience of an event. Children aged 5- to 6-years took part in an event once or four times, were provided with misinformation either shortly after (Study 1) or a while after (Study 2), and interviewed with yes/no recognition questions three months later. Children in the repeated-experience conditions were highly confident of their accurate responses to questions about items that were identical rather than variable across occurrences, and this discrimination was best at the shorter delay. The results show that children were able to metacognitively monitor the accuracy of their responses to qualitatively different kinds of details, and indicate that age is not the only determinant of metacognitive awareness after being misled. Rather, the nature of event representations must also be considered.
Repositório ISCTE-IUL

—In this paper we propose to approach the subject of Twitter Topic Detection using a new technique called Topic Fuzzy Fingerprints. A comparison is made with two popular text classiﬁcation techniques, Support Vector Machines (SVM) and k -Nearest Neighbours ( k NN). Preliminary results show that Twitter Topic Fuzzy Fingerprints outperforms the other two techniques achieving better Precision and Recall, while still being much faster, which is an essential feature when processing large volumes of streaming data.