Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microsaccades and temporal attention at different locations of the visual field

Temporal attention, the prioritization of information at specific points in time, improves performance in behavioral tasks but cannot ameliorate the perceptual asymmetries that exist across the visual field. That is, even after attentional deployment, performance is better along the horizontal than vertical meridian and worse at the upper than lower vertical meridian. Here we asked whether and how microsaccades—tiny fixational eye-movements—could mirror or alternatively attempt to compensate for these performance asymmetries by assessing temporal profiles and direction of microsaccades as a function of visual field location. Observers were asked to report the orientation of one of two targets presented at different time points, in one of three blocked locations (fovea, right horizontal meridian, upper vertical meridian). We found the following: (1) Microsaccade occurrence did not affect either task performance or the magnitude of the temporal attention effect. (2) Temporal attention modulated the microsaccade temporal profiles, and this modulation varied with polar angle location. At all locations, microsaccade rates were significantly more suppressed in anticipation of the target when temporally cued than in the neutral condition. Moreover, microsaccade rates were more suppressed during target presentation in the fovea than in the right horizontal meridian. (3) Across locations and attention conditions, there was a pronounced bias toward the upper hemifield. Overall, these results reveal that temporal attention benefits performance similarly around the visual field, microsaccade suppression is more pronounced for attention than expectation (neutral trials) across locations, and the directional bias toward the upper hemifield could reflect an attempt to compensate for typical poor performance at the upper vertical meridian.
Management of congenitally corrected transposition from fetal diagnosis to adulthood

ABSTRACT Introduction Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA) is a rare congenital heart defect characterized by atrioventricular and ventriculo-arterial discordance. CcTGA can be diagnosed at any stage of life. The natural history of the disease depends on concomitant anomalies present in most of the cases, progression of systemic ventricular dysfunction and conduction disturbances. Areas covered This review describes diagnosis of the anomaly and summarizes the current knowledge on etiology and prognosis in ccTGA patients. Furthermore, interventional and pharmacological approaches to ccTGA management are discussed. The areas requiring further research are highlighted. Expert opinion Although advances in diagnosis and treatment continue to improve outcomes for ccTGA, patients are burdened with significant morbidity and mortality. Optimal approaches to surgical management of the anomaly, as well as prevention and management of heart failure, are still not established. Future research should focus on the long-term effect of anatomic repair, potential benefits of novel pharmacological strategies for heart failure therapy, and the optimal mode of pacing in ccTGA patients. However, the issues might be difficult to address due to rarity of the disease and its heterogenous clinical presentation. As the life-expectancy of ccTGA patients improves, acquired cardiovascular disorders will become another serious concern.
The Effects of Patient-Centered Communication on Emotional Health: Examining the Roles of Self-Efficacy, Information Seeking Frustration, and Social Media Use

The existing literature on the direct association between patient-centered communication (PCC) and emotional well-being often demonstrates inconsistent results. To explain such inconsistency, it is important to explore the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship. Built upon the communication pathways model, this study empirically analyzed the Health Information National Trends Survey 5 Cycle 3 dataset (N = 4,709) and tested a moderated mediation model that links PCC to emotional health via information-seeking self-efficacy, with an additional assessment of the moderating effects of information-seeking frustration and social media use. The findings showed that PCC was positively related to emotional health. Also, PCC was indirectly associated with emotional health through information-seeking self-efficacy. In addition, information-seeking frustration and social media use weakened the association between PCC and information-seeking self-efficacy. Furthermore, the indirect path from PCC to emotional health through information-seeking self-efficacy was conditional on both information-seeking frustration and social media use. Important theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.
Differentially‐regulated miRNAs in COVID‐19: A systematic review

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is responsible for coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID‐19) that infected more than 760 million people worldwide with over 6.8 million deaths to date. COVID‐19 is one of the most challenging diseases of our times due to the nature of its spread, its effect on multiple organs, and an inability to predict disease prognosis, ranging from being completely asymptomatic to death. Upon infection, SARS‐CoV‐2 alters the host immune response by changing host‐transcriptional machinery. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regarded as post‐transcriptional regulators of gene expression that can be perturbed by invading viruses. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have reported such dysregulation of host miRNA expression upon SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Some of this could occur as an anti‐viral response of the host to the viral infection. Viruses themselves can counteract that response by mounting their own pro‐viral response that facilitates virus infection, an aspect which may cause pathogenesis. Thus, miRNAs could serve as possible disease biomarkers in infected people. In the current review, we have summarised and analysed the existing data about miRNA dysregulation in patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 to determine their concordance between studies, and identified those that could serve as potential biomarkers during infection, disease progression, and death, even in people with other co‐morbidities. Having such biomarkers can be vital in not only predicting COVID‐19 prognosis, but also the development of novel miRNA‐based anti‐virals and therapeutics which can become invaluable in case of the emergence of new viral variants with pandemic potential in the future.
Brain‐Tumor Interface‐Based MRI Radiomics Models to Determine EGFR Mutation, Response to EGFR‐TKI and T790M Resistance Mutation in Non‐Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Brain Metastasis

Preoperative assessment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status, response to EGFR‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and development of T790M mutation in non‐small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients with brain metastases (BM) is important for clinical decision‐making, while previous studies were only based on the whole BM.
Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Results of the Randomized Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Intercontinental-Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster 2009 Trial

PURPOSE The International Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (BFM) study group conducted a study on pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Minimal residual disease (MRD) was assessed using flow cytometry (FCM), and the impact of early intensification and methotrexate (MTX) dose on survival was evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS We included 6,187 patients younger than 19 years. MRD by FCM refined the risk group definition previously used in the ALL intercontinental-BFM 2002 study on the basis of age, WBC count, unfavorable genetic aberrations, and treatment response measured morphologically. Patients at intermediate risk (IR) and high risk (HR) were randomly assigned to protocol augmented protocol I phase B (IB) versus IB regimen. MTX doses of 2 versus 5 g/m2 every 2 weeks, four times, were evaluated in precursor B-cell-ALL (pcB-ALL) IR. RESULTS The 5-year event-free survival (EFS ± SE) and overall survival (OS ± SE) rates were 75.2% ± 0.6% and 82.6% ± 0.5%, respectively. Their values in risk groups were standard risk (n = 624), 90.7% ± 1.4% and 94.7% ± 1.1%; IR (n = 4,111), 77.9% ± 0.7% and 85.7% ± 0.6%; and HR (n = 1,452), 60.8% ± 1.5% and 68.4% ± 1.4%, respectively. MRD by FCM was available in 82.6% of cases. The 5-year EFS rates in patients randomly assigned to protocol IB (n = 1,669) and augmented IB (n = 1,620) were 73.6% ± 1.2% and 72.8% ± 1.2%, respectively (P = .55), while those in patients receiving MTX doses of 2 g/m2 (n = 1,056) and MTX 5 g/m2 (n = 1,027) were 78.8% ± 1.4% and 78.9% ± 1.4%, respectively (P = .84). CONCLUSION The MRDs were successfully assessed using FCM. An MTX dose of 2 g/m2 was effective in preventing relapse in non-HR pcB-ALL. Augmented IB showed no advantages over the standard IB.
Design and Simulation of a Multilayer Chemical Neural Network That Learns via Backpropagation

Abstract The design and implementation of adaptive chemical reaction networks, capable of adjusting their behavior over time in response to experience, is a key goal for the fields of molecular computing and DNA nanotechnology. Mainstream machine learning research offers powerful tools for implementing learning behavior that could one day be realized in a wet chemistry system. Here we develop an abstract chemical reaction network model that implements the backpropagation learning algorithm for a feedforward neural network whose nodes employ the nonlinear “leaky rectified linear unit” transfer function. Our network directly implements the mathematics behind this well-studied learning algorithm, and we demonstrate its capabilities by training the system to learn a linearly inseparable decision surface, specifically, the XOR logic function. We show that this simulation quantitatively follows the definition of the underlying algorithm. To implement this system, we also report ProBioSim, a simulator that enables arbitrary training protocols for simulated chemical reaction networks to be straightforwardly defined using constructs from the host programming language. This work thus provides new insight into the capabilities of learning chemical reaction networks and also develops new computational tools to simulate their behavior, which could be applied in the design and implementations of adaptive artificial life.
The Effect Of Using Quintet Learning Cycle In Teaching A Mathematics Unit For Seventh Grade On Improving Mathematical Achievement And Thinking For Students In The Abyan Governorate – Yemen

The aim of the study was to know the effect of using a strategic of quintet learning cycle in teaching a Mathematics Unit for seventh grade in improving mathematical achievement and thinking for students in the Abyan governorate- Republic of Yemen. The researchers follow experimental approach with the pre post tests. The study sample composed of (80) students, who were divided into two groups, experimental, and control groups. The researchers being sure that the two groups were equivalent in extraneous variables. The experimental group were (40) students who were taught using quintet learning cycle strategy. The control group were(40) students taught in the usual way. The researchers prepared two tests, the first was an achievement test (24 statements), and the second was mathematic thinking test (24 statements). Validity and reliability for the two tests were conducted. The appropriate tools for data statistical analysis were used. The results of the research showed that there were significant differences in means of math achievement, skills of mathematic thinking (generalization, induction, expression symbols, logical thinking and mathematical proof) for the two groups, in favour of students of the experimental group, who studied by using a strategic of quintet cycle. Also, there was significant difference in testing mathematical thinking as a whole, in favour of students of the experimental group, However, there was no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups at the skill of the elicitation. Key words: a strategic of quintet cycle of learning. Achievement. Mathematical thinking.
Analyzing Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Fraction Knowledge Structures through Problem Posing.

In this study it was aimed to determine pre-service primary teachers' knowledge structures of fraction through problem posing activities. A total of 90 pre-service primary teachers participated in this study. A problem posing test consisting of two questions was used and the participants were asked to generate as many as problems based on the following conditions: i) using both 1/2 and 3/4 fractions, and ii) using either 1/2 or 3/4 fractions. Data were analyzed using both semantic and constant comperative analysis techniques. The results of the study showed that there was substantial diversity in the problems posed by pre-service primary teachers. Moreover, participants preferred to pose story and symbolic equations in first task and story equation in second task. Furthermore, the participants faced some issues such as not realizing 1/2 + 3/4 situation is more than 1, missing data, choosing wrong number, using different fractions and posing non-fraction problem.
Retrospective: Patricia S. Goldman-Rakic, pioneer in neuroscience and co-founder of the journal, Cerebral Cortex

Abstract Patricia Goldman-Rakic (1937–2003), the co-founder of this journal, was a pioneering neuroscientist who made transformational discoveries about the prefrontal cortex and the neurobiological basis of working memory. Her research served as the foundation for cognitive neuroscience, and paved the path for women in science. Her multidisciplinary approach created a new paradigm, where the scientific question, rather than a single method, was paramount to the investigation. The current review provides a brief summary of her extraordinary life and scientific contributions.
Free entropy with respect to a completely positive map

Given an element X in a tracial von Neumann algebra ( M , τ), a unital subalgebra B ⊂ M , and a completely positive map η: B → B , we define the free Fisher information Φ*( X : B , η) of X relative to B with respect to η. The definition is a generalization of Voiculescu's definition of Φ*( X : B ), which corresponds to η = τ. We show that many facts about Φ*( X : B ) generalize to Φ*( X : B , η). As an application, we show that if B is commutative and X is singular with respect to B , then Φ*( X : B ) is infinite. Φ*( X : B , η) is minimized when X is a B -valued semicircular variable with covariance η. Therefore, Φ*(· : B , η) is an appropriate quantity to study B -valued semicircular systems with arbitrary covariance. Associating to a pair of completely positive maps μ, η: B → B the quantity Φ*( X μ : B , η), where X μ is a B -valued semicircular variable with covariance μ, allows us to measure "absolute continuity" of μ and η. To a completely positive map μ we can naturally associate the number Φ*( X μ : B , id). If μ is the conditional expectation onto a subfactor A ⊂ B of a II1 factor B , we show that Φ*( X E : B , id) is equal to the Jones' index [ B ⊂ A ].
The role of repeated extended FAST in patients with stable blunt thoracoabdominal trauma

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Thoracic and abdominal computed tomography scans are widely used modalities for trauma patients in emergency department (ED). However, alternative diagnostic and follow-up tools are also needed, due to limitations such as high cost and excessive radiation exposure. This study aimed to investigate the utility of repeated extended focused abdominal sonography for trauma (rE-FAST) performed by the emergency physician in patients with stable blunt thoracoabdominal trauma. METHODS: This was a prospective, single-center diagnostic accuracy study. Patients with blunt thoracoabdominal trauma admitted to the ED were included in the study. The E-FAST was performed on the patients included in the study at the 0th h, the 3rd h, and the 6th h during their follow-up. Then, the diagnostic accuracy metrics of E-FAST and rE-FAST were calculated. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of E-FAST in determining thoracoabdominal pathologies were found to be 75% and 98.7%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for specific pathologies were 66.7% and 100% for pneumothorax, 66.7% and 98.8% for hemothorax, and 66.7% and 100% for hemoperitoneum, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of rE-FAST in determining thoracal and/or abdominal hemorrhage in stable patients were found to be 100% and 98.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: E-FAST successfully rules in thoracoabdominal pathologies in patients with blunt trauma, with its high specificity. However, only a rE-FAST might be sensitive enough to exclude traumatic pathologies in these stable patients.
The impact of ascidian biofouling on the farmed Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis physiology and welfare, revealed by stress biomarkers

Abstract In biofouling communities, ascidians are among the most damaging species, presenting severe threats, such as depressed growth rates and decreased chances of lower survival, to shellfish aquaculture. However, little is known concerning the fouled shellfish physiology. In an effort to obtain information for the magnitude of stress caused by ascidians to farmed Mytilus galloprovincialis, five seasonal samplings took place in a mussel aquaculture farm suffering from ascidian biofoulants, in Vistonicos Bay, Greece. The dominant ascidian species were recorded and several stress biomarkers, including Hsp gene expression at both mRNA and protein levels, as well as MAPKs levels, and enzymatic activities of intermediate metabolism were examined. Almost all investigated biomarkers revealed elevated stress levels in fouled mussels compared to non-fouled. This enhanced physiological stress seems to be season-independent and can be attributed to the oxidative stress and/or feed deprivation caused by ascidian biofouling, thus illuminating the biological impact of this phenomenon. Graphical Abstract
A direct numerical simulation study on the possibility of macroscopic turbulence in porous media: Effects of different solid matrix geometries, solid boundaries, and two porosity scales

In this study, we address the question of whether turbulent structures in a porous medium are restricted in size by the pore scale or whether the size of eddies may exceed the pore scale, leading to the formation of macroscopic coherent structures. Based on direct numerical simulations in porous media, we conclude that the size of turbulent eddies is restricted by the pore size, leading to the pore scale prevalence hypothesis (PSPH). We prove this hypothesis by considering four different porous matrices. In particular, we simulated turbulent flow in a two-dimensional matrix, a three-dimensional unbounded matrix, a three-dimensional matrix bounded by two parallel solid walls, and a three-dimensional matrix with two characteristic pore scales. The obtained results for the four simulated porous matrices support the PSPH. However, there is a partly open question of whether turbulent structures can reach the size of the largest pore scale if the solid matrix is characterized by more than one length scale.
Therapeutic approach in heart failure with poor diuretic response: peripheral ultrafiltration vs. conventional treatment

Patients with heart failure (HF) admitted for decompensation often require high doses of intravenous diuretics. This study aims to analyse whether the use of peripheral ultrafiltration (UF) in patients hospitalized for acute HF with systemic‐predominant congestion results in better hydric control, renal protection, and reduction of hospital stay compared with conventional treatment.
Hemispherical Power Asymmetry in the Cosmic Microwave Background by Gibbs Sampling

The current cosmological concordance model states that the fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) should be Gaussian and isotropic. However, many studies claim to have found small deviations from this theory. One such deviation is the apparent existence of hemispherical power asymmetry: One hemisphere of the CMB appears to contain stronger fluctuations than the other. As of yet, it is not clear whether this is a statistical fluke, a systematic effect, or a genuine violation of the cosmological principle. Current studies are either limited to studying structures on large scales due to the poor computational scaling of O(Npix ) (Hoftuft et al., 2009, Eriksen et al., 2007, Gordon, 2007), make use of approximate methods (Hanson & Lewis, 2009, Bennett et al., 2010), or focus on non-parametric statistics (Hansen et al., 2009). A computationally efficient method for fully exact, Bayesian analysis of the hemispherical CMB power asymmetry has been developed in this thesis, based on the CMB Gibbs sampling algorithm (Wandelt et al., 2004, Jewell et al., 2004). With a computational scaling of O(Npix ), the method is able to explore current and future CMB observations at full resolution. Probing for the presence of asymmetry at ` ≥ 1000 is fully realistic for the upcoming Planck data. In this thesis, a dipole modulation field model gets particular attention. However, the computational foundation is also laid for exploring more general models than what has previously been possible. Models with arbitrary azimuthally symmetric modulation fields or scale-dependent modulation strength can be fitted to data at the same computational cost. The complete algorithm has been implemented from scratch in Python and thoroughly tested on simulations. A direct comparison is made with the results of Hoftuft et al. on low resolution data. Some preliminary results of analysis of full resolution WMAP 7-year data are also presented. The preliminary findings are consistent with the earlier studies, indicating the presence of asymmetry on scales up to ` = 600. In particular, the preferred direction is consistent with earlier results. The code is believed to be ready for a more thorough study of WMAP data, although a few final checks are outlined that should be carried out first. As a direct consequence of reviewing the CMB Gibbs sampling algorithm in detail, a couple of minor flaws were found in the existing CMB Gibbs sampler Commander.
Crystal structure of reducing‐end xylose‐releasing exoxylanase in subfamily 7 of glycoside hydrolase family 30

TcXyn30A from Talaromyces cellulolyticus, which belongs to subfamily 7 of the glycoside hydrolase family 30 (GH30‐7), releases xylose from the reducing end of xylan and xylooligosaccharides (XOSs), the so‐called reducing‐end xylose‐releasing exoxylanase (ReX). In this study, the crystal structures of TcXyn30A with and without xylose at subsite +1 (the binding site of the xylose residue at the reducing end) were determined. This is the first report on the structure of ReX in the family GH30‐7. TcXyn30A forms a dimer. The complex structure of TcXyn30A with xylose revealed that subsite +1 is located at the dimer interface. TcXyn30A recognizes xylose at subsite +1 composed of amino acid residues from each monomer and blocks substrate binding to subsite +2 by dimer formation. Thus, the dimeric conformation is responsible for ReX activity. The structural comparison between TcXyn30A and the homologous enzyme indicated that subsite −2 is composed of assembled three stacked Trp residues, Trp49, Trp333, and Trp334, allowing TcXyn30A to accommodate xylan and any branched XOSs decorated with a substitution such as α‐1,2‐linked 4‐O‐methyl‐d‐glucuronic acid or α‐1,2‐ and/or −1,3‐linked L‐arabinofuranose. These findings provide an insight into the structural determinants for ReX activity of TcXyn30A.