Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Causal Evidence for a Double Dissociation between Object- and Scene-Selective Regions of Visual Cortex: A Preregistered TMS Replication Study

Natural scenes are characterized by individual objects as well as by global scene properties such as spatial layout. Functional neuroimaging research has shown that this distinction between object and scene processing is one of the main organizing principles of human high-level visual cortex. For example, object-selective regions, including the lateral occipital complex (LOC), were shown to represent object content (but not scene layout), while scene-selective regions, including the occipital place area (OPA), were shown to represent scene layout (but not object content). Causal evidence for a double dissociation between LOC and OPA in representing objects and scenes is currently limited, however. One TMS experiment, conducted in a relatively small sample (N = 13), reported an interaction between LOC and OPA stimulation and object and scene recognition performance (Dilks et al., 2013). Here, we present a high-powered preregistered replication of this study (N = 72, including male and female human participants), using group-average fMRI coordinates to target LOC and OPA. Results revealed unambiguous evidence for a double dissociation between LOC and OPA: relative to vertex stimulation, TMS over LOC selectively impaired the recognition of objects, while TMS over OPA selectively impaired the recognition of scenes. Furthermore, we found that these effects were stable over time and consistent across individual objects and scenes. These results show that LOC and OPA can be reliably and selectively targeted with TMS, even when defined based on group-average fMRI coordinates. More generally, they support the distinction between object and scene processing as an organizing principle of human high-level visual cortex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our daily-life environments are characterized both by individual objects and by global scene properties. The distinction between object and scene processing features prominently in visual cognitive neuroscience, with fMRI studies showing that this distinction is one of the main organizing principles of human high-level visual cortex. However, causal evidence for the selective involvement of object- and scene-selective regions in processing their preferred category is less conclusive. Here, testing a large sample (N = 72) using an established paradigm and a preregistered protocol, we found that TMS over object-selective cortex (lateral occipital complex) selectively impaired object recognition, while TMS over scene-selective cortex (occipital place area) selectively impaired scene recognition. These results provide strong causal evidence for the distinction between object and scene processing in human visual cortex.
Arabidopsis thaliana interaction with Ensifer meliloti can support plant growth under N-deficiency

Nitrogen (N) is an essential macronutrient for plants. Some plant species obtain this nutrient by interacting with N-fixing bacteria. These beneficial interactions are well described in legumes but have also been observed in non-legume plant species that are unable to form root nodules. We studied the expanding role of beneficial plant-bacteria interactions for N-nutrition in the widely used model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that the bacteria Ensifer meliloti enhanced A. thaliana growth under severe N-deficiency conditions, allowing plants to complete their life cycle. Our results showed that bacteria colonize the rhizosphere associated with the epidermis of the plant root. We also demonstrated that A. thaliana possesses genes that are critical for this beneficial interaction and are required for plant-growth promotion by E. meliloti under N-deficiency. This work shows association between A. thaliana and E. meliloti for plant nutrition under severe N-deficiency, and suggests that plants have conserved-molecular mechanisms to interact with N-fixing bacteria to procure N and escape adverse conditions. Under these circumstances, the supply of N via N-fixation is critical for survival, allowing the plant to complete its life cycle. Our findings provide a new framework and an experimental model system that expand our understanding of plant-rhizobia interactions for plant N-nutrition.
Myasthenia Gravis and Physical Exercise: A Novel Paradigm

The benefits of physical exercise for healthy individuals are well-established, particularly in relation to reducing the risks of chronic lifestyle related diseases. Furthermore, physical exercise has been seen to provide beneficial effects in many chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is therefore recommended as part of the treatment regimen. Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes neuromuscular transmission failure resulting in abnormal fatigable skeletal muscle weakness. In spite of this fluctuating skeletal muscle weakness, it is reasonable to assume that MG patients, like healthy individuals, could benefit from some of the positive effects of physical exercise. Yet exercise-related research in the field of MG is sparse and does not provide any guidelines on how MG patients should perform physical training in order to obtain exercise's favorable effects without risking disease deterioration or more pronounced muscle fatigue. A handful of recent studies report that MG patients with mild disease activity can adhere safely to general exercise recommendations, including resistance training and aerobic training regimens, without subjective or objective disease deterioration. These findings indicate that MG patients can indeed improve their functional muscle status as a result of aerobic and high-resistance strength training. This knowledge is important in order to establish collective as well as personalized guidelines on physical exercise for MG patients. This review discusses the present knowledge on physical exercise in MG.
User Experience in Using Graphical User Interfaces of Web Maps

The purpose of this article is to show the differences in users’ experience when performing an interactive task with GUI buttons arrangement based on Google Maps and OpenStreetMap in a simulation environment. The graphical user interface is part of an interactive multimedia map, and the interaction experience depends mainly on it. For this reason, we performed an eye-tracking experiment with users to examine how people experience interaction through the GUI. Based on the results related to eye movement, we presented several valuable recommendations for the design of interactive multimedia maps. For better GUI efficiency, it is suitable to group buttons with similar functions in screen corners. Users first analyze corners and only then search for the desired button. The frequency of using a given web map does not translate into generally better performance while using any GUI. Users perform more efficiently if they work with the preferred GUI.
Aspects of nitrogen use efficiency of cauliflower II. Productivity and nitrogen partitioning as influenced by N supply

Based on studies concerning dry matter (DM) partitioning, DM production, root growth, nitrogen (N) contents of cauliflower organs and soil nitrate availability (first part of the paper Kage et al. 2003b), an integrated simulation model for the cauliflower/soil system is constructed, parameterized and evaluated. Dry matter production of cauliflower is described and predicted using a simple light use efficiency (LUE) based approach assuming a linear decrease of light use efficiency with increasing differences between actual, NCAProt, and ‘optimal’, NCAoptProt area based leaf protein concentrations. For 2 experimental years the decline of LUE with decreasing nitrogen concentration was at 0·82 and 0·75 (g DM×m2/(MJ×g N)). Using the parameters obtained from the first experimental year shoot DM production data of cauliflower from five independent experiments with varied N supply containing intermediate harvests could be predicted with a residual mean square error (RMSE) of 72 g/m2 for intermediate harvest DM values ranging from about 50 to 900 g/m2. Nitrogen uptake and partitioning of cauliflower was simulated using functions describing an organ size dependent decline of N content. Leaf nitrate was considered explicitly as a radiation intensity dependent pool, mobilized first under N deficiency. The curd was assumed to have a sink priority for nitrogen. The model predicted shoot N uptake including data of intermediate harvest with a RMSE of 2·4 g/m2 for intermediate harvest N values ranging from about 3 to 30 g/m2. Nitrogen uptake of cauliflower at final harvest was correlated to final leaf number. A scenario simulation was carried out to quantify seasonal variation in N uptake of cauliflower cultivars under unrestricted N availability. Due to variations in the length of the vernalization phase, simulated shoot N uptake ranged from about 260 kg N/ha for spring planted crops to about 290 kg N/ha for summer planted crops of the cultivar ‘Fremont’. The cultivar ‘Linday’, which shows a more severe delay of vernalization under high temperatures, shows on average a larger shoot N uptake for summer planted crops of about 320 kg N/ha and a much larger variation of shoot N uptake.
Rac1/ROCK-driven membrane dynamics promote Natural Killer cell cytotoxicity via necroptosis

Natural Killer (NK) cells play an important role in cancer immunosurveillance and therapy. However, the target selectivity of NK cell activity is still poorly understood. Here we used live-cell reporters to unravel differential epithelial cancer target killing by primary human NK cells. We found highly variable fraction of killing by distinct NK cell cytotoxic modes that was not determined by NK ligand expression. Rather, epithelial plasma membrane dynamics driven by ROCK-mediated blebs and/or Rac1-mediated lamellipodia promoted necrotic mode in preference to apoptotic mode of killing. Inhibition of granzyme and key necroptosis regulators RIP1, RIP3 and MLKL significantly attenuated necrotic killing, revealing a novel NK cytotoxic pathway by granzyme-induced necroptosis that conferred target selectivity. Our results not only elucidate a new NK cell effector mechanism but also suggest tissue microenvironment and oncogenic signaling pathways that promote membrane dynamics, e.g., Rac1 and Rho/ROCK, could be exploited to enhance proinflammatory NK cell killing.
Monetary Incentives Increase Metacognitive Confidence in Source Memory Performance in Patients With Schizophrenia

Background Contemporary psychiatric research focuses its attention on the patient’s dysfunction of metacognition in relation to the basic cognitive processes of mental activity. The current study investigated dysfunctional metacognition in relation to self-monitoring of memory in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Dysfunctions in metacognition were examined by focusing on two types of metacognitive measures: post-decision wagering (PDW) scale and confidence ratings (CR) scale (CR). Objectives The research employed an action-memory task that required patients with schizophrenia (N = 39) and healthy controls (N = 50) to evaluate their metacognition by categorizing self-monitoring actions (imagined vs. performed actions) either with PDW or CR. It was hypothesized that metacognition in self-monitoring activity in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia is improved by imaginary monetary incentives. Material and Methods To test this hypothesis, participants were asked to memorize actions either performed or imagined during the first phase of the experiment. The second phase was to identify previous actions as performed, imagined or new, and then to express confidence using two measures of metacognition (CR or PDW scales) that were randomly allocated to participants. Results Our study showed reduced performance in the action memory task for patients with schizophrenia, although there were no group differences in confidence measures when assessing self-monitoring actions. In particular, irrespective of the diagnosis, no differences in confidence measures for correct responses were found in the case of the PDW and CR scales. We also observed that metacognitive judgements were more accurate for incorrect responses when both groups used monetary incentives to reveal their metacognition. Conclusions Our findings suggest that monetary incentives improve accuracy of metacognition among both patients and healthy controls. This accuracy-enhancing effect of monetary incentives on metacognition was possibly a result of motivational processes, including aversion to loss. The paper discusses the potential application of PDW in therapeutic metacognitive training for patients with schizophrenia.
Design of High Robustness BNN Inference Accelerator Based on Binary Memristors

In-memory computing based on memristor is a promising solution to accelerate on-chip deep neural networks. Concerning the nonideal factors of the device analog behaviors, binary neural network (BNN) with ±1 weight and 0/+1 neuron is an alternative route to better employ the binary memristors with high technical maturity. In this article, we demonstrate a select column scheme for the BNN inference accelerator. By incorporating the performance of a W/AlOx/Al2O3/Pt memristor, the BNN shows high robustness and achieves a high recognition accuracy of 98.31% on the MNIST data set. We further propose a bit error model to investigate the impact of device error on recognition accuracy. The effects of device variation and nonideal input are also considered. The results show that the accuracy keeps satisfying (more than 90%) even under a high invalid rate, high input swing (0.21 standard deviation), and 7% salt noise in binary input, respectively, whereas the device variation has a trivial effect on the network.
barcodetrackR: an R package for the interrogation of clonal tracking data

Clonal tracking methods provide quantitative insights into the cellular output of genetically labelled progenitor cells across time and cellular compartments. In the context of gene and cell therapies, clonal tracking methods have enabled the tracking of progenitor cell output both in humans receiving cellular therapies and in corresponding animal models, providing valuable insight into lineage reconstitution, clonal dynamics, and vector genotoxicity. However, the absence of a toolbox by which to interrogate these data has precluded the development of standardized analytical frameworks within the field. Thus, we developed barcodetrackR, an R package that provides users with tools for the analysis and visualization of clonal dynamics across time and cellular compartments in clonal tracking experiments. Here, we demonstrate the utility of barcodetrackR in exploring longitudinal clonal patterns and lineage relationships in the context of a number of clonal tracking studies of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in humans receiving HSPC gene therapy and in animals receiving lentivirally transduced HSPC transplants.
High Voltage Gain DC/DC Converter Using Coupled Inductor and VM Techniques

In this study, a new non-isolated high voltage gains dc/dc converter using coupled inductor and voltage multiplier techniques (diode/capacitor) is presented. The voltage gain will be increased by increasing the turns ratio (N) and the number of stages of the VM units. The proposed converter capable to more increase the output voltage gains with transfer energy which is stored in coupled inductance. Also, the voltage multiplier unit causes to further increase in the output voltage level of the proposed converter. Besides, the nominal value of the semiconductors is low due to these are clamped to the capacitors available on the voltage multiplier units. The normalized voltage stress across the semiconductors is low which this case is compared in the comparison section. Therefore, the power loss of switch can be reduced by using a switch with a lower rating (lower RDS(on)) and power diodes with the low nominal rating. As a result, the overall efficiency of the proposed converter will be high. To confirm the benefits of working in this paper, comparison results for different items with other works are provided in section 4. The principle of operation, the theoretical analysis and the experimental results of a laboratory prototype for N(N2/N1) = 2 and n = 2 stage in about 260W with operating at 40kHz are provided.
Quick Design of a Superjunction Considering Charge Imbalance Due to Process Variations

The breakdown voltage, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{{\text {BR}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, of a superjunction whose pillar parameters, namely doping, length, and width, are optimized to yield the least specific ON-resistance, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{{\text {ONSP}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, for the specified <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{{\text {BR}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, falls drastically for even small charge imbalances. Hence, a structure fabricated with these target parameter values often has a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V} _{{\text {BR}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> much lower than specified due to the charge imbalance caused by random process variations. We give an analytical solution for alternate target parameter values which yield the specified <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{{\text {BR}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> in spite of process variations, with minimum sacrifice in <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R} _{{\text {ONSP}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The solution is obtained by the method of Lagrange multipliers and a simple equation for the breakdown field versus charge imbalance. It is validated by TCAD simulation. It can either be approximated to a closed-form or can yield the target parameter values accurately with just a few iterations. Apart from eliminating the tedious iterations of prior design methods, our solution provides two new insights: when compared with an optimum balanced device, a device optimized considering typical charge imbalance has significantly lower pillar doping but almost the same pillar length and width; the breakdown field of a balanced device is a power law function of the pillar length alone. Although illustrated for 4H-SiC structures with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{{\text {BR,target}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 1–10 kV, our solution should work for any semiconductor after material specific changes.
Dendritic Cells and T Cells, Partners in Atherogenesis and the Translating Road Ahead

Atherosclerosis is a chronic process associated with arterial inflammation, the accumulation of lipids, plaque formation in vessel walls, and thrombosis with late mortal complications such as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Immune and inflammatory responses have significant effects on every phase of atherosclerosis. Increasing evidence has shown that both innate and adaptive “arms” of the immune system play important roles in regulating the progression of atherosclerosis. Accumulating evidence suggests that a unique type of innate immune cell, termed dendritic cells (DCs), play an important role as central instigators, whereas adaptive immune cells, called T lymphocytes, are crucial as active executors of the DC immunity in atherogenesis. These two important immune cell types work in pairs to establish pro-atherogenic or atheroprotective immune responses in vascular tissues. Therefore, understanding the role of DCs and T cells in atherosclerosis is extremely important. Here, in this review, we will present a complete overview, based on existing knowledge of these two cell types in the atherosclerotic microenvironment, and discuss some of the novel means of targeting DCs and T cells as therapeutic tactics for the treatment of atherosclerosis.
Current and Emerging Topical Scar Mitigation Therapies for Craniofacial Burn Wound Healing

Burn injury in the craniofacial region causes significant health and psychosocial consequences and presents unique reconstructive challenges. Healing of severely burned skin and underlying soft tissue is a dynamic process involving many pathophysiological factors, often leading to devastating outcomes such as the formation of hypertrophic scars and debilitating contractures. There are limited treatment options currently used for post-burn scar mitigation but recent advances in our knowledge of the cellular and molecular wound and scar pathophysiology have allowed for development of new treatment concepts. Clinical effectiveness of these experimental therapies is currently being evaluated. In this review, we discuss current topical therapies for craniofacial burn injuries and emerging new therapeutic concepts that are highly translational.
Characterization of single‐nucleotide polymorphism markers in the Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis

The Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, is one of the most important aquaculture species in Europe. Appropriate molecular markers are required to evaluate genetic resources and to trace genealogies in breeding programmes for improving mussel culture. Microsatellites have been commonly applied to this purpose in other species. However, Mediterranean mussel microsatellites have demonstrated high frequencies of null alleles that hamper accurate estimates of population parameters and confident parentage inferences. As alternative markers, we have characterized in silico 25 potential single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in the Mediterranean mussel from expressed sequence tag (EST) public databases. The genotyping of SNPs was performed using a single-base extension approach. Their polymorphism was evaluated in 47 individuals from an Atlantic population. Out of the 25 potential SNPs tested, 12 were technically feasible (producing a single amplicon) and polymorphic. All were biallelic and had an unbiased heterozygosity ranging from 0.160 to 0.504. One SNP was from a mitochondrial gene. The combined potential of nuclear SNPs for parentage assignment gave an exclusion probability of a false couple of parents of 0.9471. These markers will be useful for evaluating resources and tracing genealogies in genetic breeding programmes implemented to solve the main problems of mussel culture.
Incentives, Globalization, and Redistribution

We offer a new explanation for why taxes have become less progressive in many countries in parallel with an increase in income inequality. When performancebased compensation differentials are needed to incentivize effort, redistribution through progressive income taxes becomes less precisely targeted. Taxation reduces after-tax income inequality but undermines incentive contracts, lowering effort and raising pre-tax income differentials. Market integration can widen the spread of project returns and make contract choices more responsive to changes in the level of taxation, resulting in a lower optimum income tax rate even when individuals are not inter-jurisdictionally mobile.
Adaptation incrémentale de modèles de traduction neuronaux (Incremental adaptation of neural machine translation models)

L’adaptation au domaine est un verrou scientifique en traduction automatique. Il englobe généralement l’adaptation de la terminologie et du style, en particulier pour la post-édition humaine dans le cadre d’une traduction assistée par ordinateur. Avec la traduction automatique neuronale, nous étudions une nouvelle approche d’adaptation au domaine que nous appelons “spécialisation” et qui présente des résultats prometteurs tant dans la vitesse d’apprentissage que dans les scores de traduction. Dans cet article, nous proposons d’explorer cette approche.