Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A randomized controlled trial of a brain-computer interface based attention training program for ADHD

Objective The use of brain-computer interface in neurofeedback therapy for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a relatively new approach. We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine whether an 8-week brain computer interface (BCI)-based attention training program improved inattentive symptoms in children with ADHD compared to a waitlist-control group, and the effects of a subsequent 12-week lower-intensity training. Study design We randomized 172 children aged 6–12 attending an outpatient child psychiatry clinic diagnosed with inattentive or combined subtypes of ADHD and not receiving concurrent pharmacotherapy or behavioral intervention to either the intervention or waitlist-control group. Intervention involved 3 sessions of BCI-based training for 8 weeks, followed by 3 training sessions per month over the subsequent 12 weeks. The waitlist-control group received similar 20-week intervention after a wait-time of 8 weeks. Results The participants’ mean age was 8.6 years (SD = 1.51), with 147 males (85.5%) and 25 females (14.5%). Modified intention to treat analyzes conducted on 163 participants with at least one follow-up rating showed that at 8 weeks, clinician-rated inattentive symptoms on the ADHD-Rating Scale (ADHD-RS) was reduced by 3.5 (SD 3.97) in the intervention group compared to 1.9 (SD 4.42) in the waitlist-control group (between-group difference of 1.6; 95% CI 0.3 to 2.9 p = 0.0177). At the end of the full 20-week treatment, the mean reduction (pre-post BCI) of the pooled group was 3.2 (95% CI 2.4 to 4.1). Conclusion The results suggest that the BCI-based attention training program can improve ADHD symptoms after a minimum of 24 sessions and maintenance training may sustain this improvement. This intervention may be an option for treating milder cases or as an adjunctive treatment.
Using structural diversity to measure the complexity of technologies

The paper introduces structural diversity as a new approach to quantify the complexity of technologies. By modeling technologies as combinatorial networks, a measure of technological complexity is derived that represents the diversity of (sub-)network topologies in these networks. It is further argued that this measure can be empirically approximated with the Network Diversity Score (NDS). The paper also presents an application of this approach to European patent data from 1980 to 2015. On this basis, the measure of structural diversity is shown to replicate a number of stylized facts commonly associated with technological complexity: Complexity increases over time and younger technologies are more complex than older technologies. Complex technologies are also associated to larger R&D efforts and require more collaborative R&D activities. Lastly, when controlling for technologies’ size, technologies scoring high on structural diversity are also shown to concentrate in space.
A Systematic Review of Older Adults' Attitudes towards Depression and its Treatment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Late-life depression is a major societal concern, but older adults' attitudes toward its treatment remain complex. We aimed to explore older adults' views regarding depression and its treatment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We undertook a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies that explored the views of older community-dwelling adults with depression (not actively engaged in treatment), about depression and its treatment. We searched 7 databases (inception-November 2018) and 2 reviewers independently quality-appraised studies using the CASP checklist. RESULTS Out of 8,351 records, we included 11 studies for thematic synthesis. Depression was viewed as a normal reaction to life stressors and ageing. Consequently, older adults preferred self-management strategies (e.g., socializing, prayer) that aligned with their lived experiences and self-image. Professional interventions (e.g., antidepressants, psychological therapies) were sometimes considered necessary for more severe depression, but participants had mixed views. Willingness to try treatments was based on a balance of different judgments, including perceptions about potential harm and attitudes based on trust, familiarity, and past experiences. Societal and structural factors, including stigma, ethnicity, and ageism, also influenced treatment attitudes. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Supporting older adults to self-manage milder depressive symptoms may be more acceptable than professional interventions. Assisting older adults with accessing professional help for more severe symptoms might be better achieved by integrating access to help within familiar, convenient locations to reduce stigma and increase accessibility. Discussing treatment choices using narratives that engage with older adults' lived experiences of depression may lead to greater acceptability and engagement.
Purification and immunological characterization of types 4 and 5 adenovirus-soluble antigens.

so obtained were tested for infectivity, toxicity, and the ability to fix complement. Determinations for DNA, RNA, and protein: The Burton26 modification of the diphenylamine reaction for deoxyribose was employed for the determination of DNA. Thymus DNA was used as a standard. RNA was determined by the orcinol method,27 which measures ribose. D-Ribose was utilized as the standard. The method of Lowry et al.28 was employed to determine protein concentration with crystalline bovine albumin employed as a standard.
Characterization of nurses’ duty to care and willingness to report

Background: Nurses must balance their perceived duty to care against their perceived risk of harm to determine their willingness to report during disaster events, potentially creating an ethical dilemma and impacting patient care. Research aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate nurses’ perceived duty to care and whether there were differences in willingness to respond during disaster events based on perceived levels of duty to care. Research design: A cross-sectional survey research design was used in this study. Participants and research context: Using a convenience sample with a snowball technique, data were collected from 289 nurses throughout the United States in 2017. Participants were recruited through host university websites, Facebook, and an American Nurses Association discussion board. Ethical considerations: Institutional review board approval was obtained from the University of Texas at Tyler and the University of Arkansas. Findings: Analysis of willingness to report to work based on levels of perceived duty to care resulted in the emergence of two groups: “lower level of perceived duty to care group” and “higher level of perceived duty to care group. ” The most discriminating characteristics differentiating the groups included fear of abandonment by co-workers, reporting because it is morally the right thing to, and because of imperatives within the Nursing Code of Ethics. Discussion: The number of nurses in the lower level of perceived duty to care group causes concern. It is important for nursing management to develop strategies to advance nurses’ safety, minimize nurses’ risk, and promote nurses’ knowledge to confidently work during disaster situations. Conclusion: Level of perceived duty to care affects nurses’ willingness to report to work during disasters. Primary indicators of low perceived duty to care are amenable to actionable strategies, potentially increasing nurses’ perceived duty to provide care and willingness to report to work during disasters.
Components of the crude risk ratio.

Miettinen, O. S. (Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass. 02115). Components of the crude risk ratio. Am J Epidemiol 96: 168-172, 1972. —Both in cohort and case-control studies the estimate of the crude risk ratio factors into two important and easily derived components. One is a measure of the strength of confounding, and the other is an estimate of the residual risk ratio in terms of the standardized morbidity (mortality) ratio. For case-control studies the latter seems to be a new and useful "summary relative risk. " epidemiologic methods; biometry Risk ratio ("relative risk" (RR)) is a parameter of central interest in epidemiology. It is denned as the ratio of the risk among the exposed to that among the nonexposed, with "risk" referring to some measure of morbidity or mortality and "exposure" and "nonexposure" distinguishing between a pair of alternative experiences or characteristi cs. The data-layouts for its estimation in cohort and case-control studies, respectively, are presented in table 1. With a cohort study the "crude" RR is estimated naturally by the ratio of the two observed rates, i.e., by f>e = (e/F)/(g/H) = eH/gF. The equivalent formula for case-control studies, introduced by Cornfield (1), is the "odds ratio" fic = ad/bc as long as the compared series are independent (unmatched) and the disease is "rare" among exposed as well as nonexposed individuals. These estimates of the crude RR are useful for predictive purposes, but in etiologic research it is necessary to make a distinction between two components of the parameter—one resulting from recognizaAbbreviations: ML, maximum likelihood; RR, risk ratio; SMR, standard morbidity (mortality)
ARMBIS: accurate and robust matching of brain image sequences from multiple modal imaging techniques

MOTIVATION Study of brain images of rodent animals is the most straightforward way to understand brain functions and neural basis of physiological functions. An important step in brain image analysis is to precisely assign signal labels to specified brain regions through matching brain images to standardized brain reference atlases. However, no significant effort has been made to match different types of brain images to atlas images due to influence of artifact operation during slice preparation, relatively low resolution of images and large structural variations in individual brains. RESULTS In this study, we develop a novel image sequence matching procedure, termed accurate and robust matching brain image sequences (ARMBIS), to match brain image sequences to established atlas image sequences. First, for a given query image sequence a scaling factor is estimated to match a reference image sequence by a curve fitting algorithm based on geometric features. Then, the texture features as well as the scale and rotation invariant shape features are extracted, and a dynamic programming based procedure is designed to select optimal image subsequences. Finally, a hierarchical decision approach is employed to find the best matched subsequence using regional textures. Our simulation studies show that ARMBIS is effective and robust to image deformations such as linear or non-linear scaling, 2D or 3D rotations, tissue tear and tissue loss. We demonstrate the superior performance of ARMBIS on three types of brain images including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), mCherry with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining and green fluorescent protein (GFP) without DAPI staining images. AVAILABILITY The R code is freely available at https://www.synapse. org/#! Synapse:syn18638510.1/files/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Altruism and the pressure to share: Lab evidence from Tanzania

We propose a novel laboratory experiment to document the pressure to share income within social networks in Africa. We find that the redistributive pressure exerted via the possibility of receiving a claim increases altruism, while the possibility of hiding from such claim reduces it. Our results indicate that sharing norms are crucial drivers of giving to other members of the network. We also find that pressure to share has a detrimental effect on the undertaking of profitable but risky investments.
Selective Control of Oligosaccharide Transfer Efficiency for the N-Glycosylation Sequon by a Point Mutation in Oligosaccharyltransferase*

Asn-linked glycosylation is the most ubiquitous posttranslational protein modification in eukaryotes and archaea, and in some eubacteria. Oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) catalyzes the transfer of preassembled oligosaccharides on lipid carriers onto asparagine residues in polypeptide chains. Inefficient oligosaccharide transfer results in glycoprotein heterogeneity, which is particularly bothersome in pharmaceutical glycoprotein production. Amino acid variation at the X position of the Asn-X-Ser/Thr sequon is known to modulate the glycosylation efficiency. The best amino acid at X is valine, for an archaeal Pyrococcus furiosus OST. We performed a systematic alanine mutagenesis study of the archaeal OST to identify the essential and dispensable amino acid residues in the three catalytic motifs. We then investigated the effects of the dispensable mutations on the amino acid preference in the N-glycosylation sequon. One residue position was found to selectively affect the amino acid preference at the X position. This residue is located within the recently identified DXXKXXX(M/I) motif, suggesting the involvement of this motif in N-glycosylation sequon recognition. In applications, mutations at this position may facilitate the design of OST variants adapted to particular N-glycosylation sites to reduce the heterogeneity of glycan occupancy. In fact, a mutation at this position led to 9-fold higher activity relative to the wild-type enzyme, toward a peptide containing arginine at X in place of valine. This mutational approach is potentially applicable to eukaryotic and eubacterial OSTs for the production of homogenous glycoproteins in engineered mammalian and Escherichia coli cells.
Mechanism of completion of peptidyltransferase centre assembly in eukaryotes

During their final maturation in the cytoplasm, pre-60S ribosomal particles are converted to translation-competent large ribosomal subunits. Here, we present the mechanism of peptidyltransferase centre (PTC) completion that explains how integration of the last ribosomal proteins is coupled to release of the nuclear export adaptor Nmd3. Single-particle cryo-EM reveals that eL40 recruitment stabilises helix 89 to form the uL16 binding site. The loading of uL16 unhooks helix 38 from Nmd3 to adopt its mature conformation. In turn, partial retraction of the L1 stalk is coupled to a conformational switch in Nmd3 that allows the uL16 P-site loop to fully accommodate into the PTC where it competes with Nmd3 for an overlapping binding site (base A2971). Our data reveal how the central functional site of the ribosome is sculpted and suggest how the formation of translation-competent 60S subunits is disrupted in leukaemia-associated ribosomopathies.
Technology-enhanced discriminative programs for children with autism

Autism impacts a subject's communication, socialization and language abilities with different degrees of severity. Intensive therapy is needed to improve and maintain these abilities over time. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) enriches communication with images, video or gestures to help children with autism understand a task. Discrete Trial Training (DTT), breaking up a task into small trials of increasing levels of difficulty (structured trials), is used in teaching autistic children. In this paper, we compare the progress of seven autistic children while carrying out both traditional and technology-enhanced Applied Behavior Analysis programs, including matching, receptive and expressive trials. Results show that with ABCD software learning time is reduced, as children in the sample required less time to master new articles and generalize previously mastered skills.
MapChart: software for the graphical presentation of linkage maps and QTLs.

Over the last 15 years a wealth of linkage maps and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping results have become available. The pace of generating this genetic information is accelerating owing to advances in molecular marker technology and the development of software for linkage analysis and QTL mapping. A graphical presentation of this information is often needed, both for publication purposes and for easy and intuitive interpretation. However, the development of tools for the graphical presentation of linkage maps and QTLs has lagged behind. DrawMap (Van Ooijen 1994) was an early program capable of drawing genetic linkage maps. However, the output of this program was not very well suited for use in modern word processors and presentation software. Authors in this field have therefore, of necessity, resorted to the use of general graphics software to compose charts of their linkage and QTL maps. This is always a laborious process, with sometimes disappointing results. Also, each time a map is recalculated when new data become available, this process has to be repeated. For this reason I developed MapChart, a software package that takes as input the linkage and QTL data and generates charts of linkage maps and QTLs. These charts can easily be exported to word processing or presentation software. The charts are exported as vector graphics (Windows enhanced metafiles) rather than bitmaps, which makes them easy to rescale and to edit further if desired.
The RNA-binding protein TcUBP1 up-regulates an RNA regulon for a cell surface–associated Trypanosoma cruzi glycoprotein and promotes parasite infectivity

The regulation of transcription in trypanosomes is unusual. To modulate protein synthesis during their complex developmental stages, these unicellular microorganisms rely largely on post-transcriptional gene expression pathways. These pathways include a plethora of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that modulate all steps of the mRNA life cycle in trypanosomes and help organize transcriptomes into clusters of post-transcriptional regulons. The aim of this work was to characterize an RNA regulon comprising numerous transcripts of trypomastigote-associated cell-surface glycoproteins that are preferentially expressed in the infective stages of the human parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. In vitro and in vivo RNA-binding assays disclosed that these glycoprotein mRNAs are targeted by the small trypanosomatid-exclusive RBP in T. cruzi, U-rich RBP 1 (TcUBP1). Overexpression of a GFP-tagged TcUBP1 in replicative parasites resulted in >10 times up-regulated expression of transcripts encoding surface proteins and in changes in their subcellular localization from the posterior region to the perinuclear region of the cytoplasm, as is typically observed in the infective parasite stages. Moreover, RT–quantitative PCR analysis of actively translated mRNAs by sucrose cushion fractionation revealed an increased abundance of these target transcripts in the polysome fraction of TcUBP1-induced samples. Because these surface proteins are involved in cell adherence or invasion during host infection, we also carried out in vitro infections with TcUBP1-transgenic trypomastigotes and observed that TcUBP1 overexpression significantly increases parasite infectivity. Our findings provide evidence for a role of TcUBP1 in trypomastigote stage-specific gene regulation important for T. cruzi virulence.
Hyperpolarising Pyruvate through Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE)

Abstract Hyperpolarisation methods that premagnetise agents such as pyruvate are currently receiving significant attention because they produce sensitivity gains that allow disease tracking and interrogation of cellular metabolism by magnetic resonance. Here, we communicate how signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) can provide strong 13C pyruvate signal enhancements in seconds through the formation of the novel polarisation transfer catalyst [Ir(H)2(η2‐pyruvate)(DMSO)(IMes)]. By harnessing SABRE, strong signals for [1‐13C]‐ and [2‐13C]pyruvate in addition to a long‐lived singlet state in the [1,2‐13C2] form are readily created; the latter can be observed five minutes after the initial hyperpolarisation step. We also demonstrate how this development may help with future studies of chemical reactivity.
Mitotic DNA Synthesis Is Differentially Regulated between Cancer and Noncancerous Cells

Mitotic DNA synthesis is a recently discovered mechanism that resolves late replication intermediates, thereby supporting cell proliferation under replication stress. This unusual form of DNA synthesis occurs in the absence of RAD51 or BRCA2, which led to the identification of RAD52 as a key player in this process. Notably, mitotic DNA synthesis is predominantly observed at chromosome loci that colocalize with FANCD2 foci. However, the role of this protein in mitotic DNA synthesis remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of FANCD2 and its interplay with RAD52 in mitotic DNA synthesis using aphidicolin as a universal inducer of this process. After examining eight human cell lines, we provide evidence for FANCD2 rather than RAD52 as a fundamental supporter of mitotic DNA synthesis. In cancer cell lines, FANCD2 exerts this role independently of RAD52. Surprisingly, RAD52 is dispensable for mitotic DNA synthesis in noncancerous cell lines, but these cells strongly depend on FANCD2 for this process. Therefore, RAD52 functions selectively in cancer cells as a secondary regulator in addition to FANCD2 to facilitate mitotic DNA synthesis. As an alternative to aphidicolin, we found partial inhibition of origin licensing as an effective way to induce mitotic DNA synthesis preferentially in cancer cells. Importantly, cancer cells still perform mitotic DNA synthesis by dual regulation of FANCD2 and RAD52 under such conditions. Implications: These key differences in mitotic DNA synthesis between cancer and noncancerous cells advance our understanding of this mechanism and can be exploited for cancer therapies.
Membrane‐based therapeutic plasma exchange in dogs: Prescription, anticoagulation, and metabolic response

Abstract Background Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is used increasingly in small animals to remove circulating large molecular products such as antibodies, pathogenic proteins, and protein‐bound toxins. Specific, efficient, and safe protocols need to be developed. Hypothesis/Objectives To describe the technique of membrane‐based TPE, the resulting physiological and metabolic changes, and to define an adequate regional citrate anticoagulation protocol. Animals Thirty‐four dogs treated with TPE (2011‐2017). Methods Retrospective review of all TPE treatments performed at the Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, identified through a search of the institutional database for extracorporeal treatments. Results Sixty‐four treatments were performed, resulting in 1.0 plasma volume exchange (range, 0.4‐1.1). Replacement fluids included fresh frozen plasma (12%‐100% volume), colloids (0%‐52%), human albumin (0%‐41%), and saline (0%‐70%). Anticoagulation was performed with regional citrate (n = 24), systemic heparinization (n = 2), or combined (n = 38). Main relevant laboratory changes included a 24.7% decrease in total proteins (interquartile range, 16.7‐31.4; P < .001), 53% in fibrinogen (−30 to 63; P = .009), 36% in bilirubin (13‐43, P = .02), 9.0% in urea (0.7‐15.7; P < .001), and 4.5% in creatinine (−6.6 to 10.6; P = .006). Citrate accumulation was evidenced in all dogs, more pronounced in those with renal but not with hepatic impairment. Maximal tolerable citrate rates were estimated as 5.5 and 9.0 μmol/kg/min for treatments in dogs with and without renal impairment, respectively. Complications were observed in 22 treatments (34%) and were fatal in 2 dogs. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Therapeutic plasma exchange causes metabolic and biochemical alterations. Understanding these effects makes possible to anticipate most complications and to improve safety of the procedure.