Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monetary Reward and Punishment to Response Inhibition Modulate Activation and Synchronization Within the Inhibitory Brain Network

A reward or punishment can modulate motivation and emotions, which in turn affect cognitive processing. The present simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging-electroencephalography study examines neural mechanisms of response inhibition under the influence of a monetary reward or punishment by implementing a modified stop-signal task in a virtual battlefield scenario. The participants were instructed to play as snipers who open fire at a terrorist target but withhold shooting in the presence of a hostage. The participants performed the task under three different feedback conditions in counterbalanced order: a reward condition where each successfully withheld response added a bonus (i.e., positive feedback) to the startup credit, a punishment condition where each failure in stopping deduced a penalty (i.e., negative feedback), and a no-feedback condition where response outcome had no consequences and served as a control setting. Behaviorally both reward and punishment conditions led to significantly down-regulated inhibitory function in terms of the critical stop-signal delay. As for the neuroimaging results, increased activities were found for the no-feedback condition in regions previously reported to be associated with response inhibition, including the right inferior frontal gyrus and the pre-supplementary motor area. Moreover, higher activation of the lingual gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG) and inferior parietal lobule were found in the reward condition, while stronger activation of the precuneus gyrus was found in the punishment condition. The positive feedback was also associated with stronger changes of delta, theta, and alpha synchronization in the PCG than were the negative or no-feedback conditions. These findings depicted the intertwining relationship between response inhibition and motivation networks.
GODS: Global Observatory for Distributed Systems

We propose GODS, an ecosystem for the evaluation and study of world-wide distributed and dynamic systems under a realistic emulated network environment. GODS allows the evaluation of a system's actual implementation in reproducible experiments, collecting global knowledge about the system state. Furthermore, GODS addresses the problems of debugging distributed algorithms, performance tuning, measuring bandwidth consumption, regression testing, and benchmarking similar systems, thus offering a complete evaluation environment for distributed applications. Our framework uses ModelNet for the network emulation and enhances that by (1) adding dynamism by varying link properties, partitioning the network and emulating churn, (2) offering global knowledge about the observed system by gathering statistics and events and (3) enabling the user to easily deploy, manage and monitor complex, large-scale distributed systems.
A Splice Region Variant in LDLR Lowers Non-high Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Protects against Coronary Artery Disease

Through high coverage whole-genome sequencing and imputation of the identified variants into a large fraction of the Icelandic population, we found four independent signals in the low density lipoprotein receptor gene (LDLR) that associate with levels of non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and coronary artery disease (CAD). Two signals are novel with respect to association with non-HDL-C and are represented by non-coding low frequency variants (between 2–4% frequency), the splice region variant rs72658867-A in intron 14 and rs17248748-T in intron one. These two novel associations were replicated in three additional populations. Both variants lower non-HDL-C levels (rs72658867-A, non-HDL-C effect = -0.44 mmol/l, P adj = 1.1 × 10−80 and rs17248748-T, non-HDL-C effect = -0.13 mmol/l, P adj = 1.3 × 10−12) and confer protection against CAD (rs72658867-A, OR = 0.76 and P adj = 2.7 × 10−8 and rs17248748-T, OR = 0.92 and P adj = 0.022). The LDLR splice region variant, rs72658867-A, located at position +5 in intron 14 (NM_000527:c.2140+5G>A), causes retention of intron 14 during transcription and is expected to produce a truncated LDL receptor lacking domains essential for function of the receptor. About half of the transcripts generated from chromosomes carrying rs72658867-A are characterized by this retention of the intron. The same variant also increases LDLR mRNA expression, however, the wild type transcripts do not exceed levels in non-carriers. This demonstrates that sequence variants that disrupt the LDL receptor can lower non-HDL-C and protect against CAD.
Linearization coefficients for Sheffer polynomial sets via lowering operators

The lowering operator σ associated with a polynomial set {Pn}n≥0 is an operator not depending on n and satisfying the relation σPn=nPn−1. In this paper, we express explicitly the linearization coefficients for polynomial sets of Sheffer type using the corresponding lowering operators. We obtain some well-known results as particular cases.
Coffee consumption and mortality in three Eastern European countries: results from the HAPIEE (Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors In Eastern Europe) study

Abstract Objective To test the association between coffee consumption and risk of all-cause, CVD and cancer death in a European cohort. Design Prospective cohort study. Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for potential confounders to estimate multivariable hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI were used. Setting Czech Republic, Russia and Poland. Subjects A total of 28561 individuals followed for 6·1 years. Results A total of 2121 deaths (43·1 % CVD and 35·7 % cancer mortality) occurred during the follow-up. Consumption of 3–4 cups coffee/d was associated with lower mortality risk in men (HR=0·83; 95 % CI 0·71, 0·99) and women (HR=0·63; 95 % CI 0·47, 0·84), while further intake showed non-significant reduced risk estimates (HR=0·71; 95 % CI 0·49, 1·04 and HR=0·51; 95 % CI 0·24, 1·10 in men and women, respectively). Decreased risk of CVD mortality was also found in men (HR=0·71; 95 % CI 0·54, 0·93) for consumption of 3–4 cups coffee/d. Stratified analysis revealed that consumption of a similar amount of coffee was associated with decreased risk of all-cause (HR=0·61; 95 % CI 0·43, 0·87) and cancer mortality (HR=0·59; 95 % CI 0·35, 0·99) in non-smoking women and decreased risk of all-cause mortality for >4 cups coffee/d in men with no/moderate alcohol intake. Conclusions Coffee consumption was associated with decreased risk of mortality. The protective effect was even stronger when stratification by smoking status and alcohol intake was performed.
The Phoneme-Level Articulator Dynamics for Pronunciation Animation

Speech visualization can be extended to a task of pronunciation animation for language learners. In this paper, a three dimensional English articulation database is recorded using Carstens Electro-Magnetic Articulograph (EMA AG500). An HMM-based visual synthesis method for continuous speech is implemented to recover 3D articulatory information. The synthesized articulations are then compared to the EMA recordings for objective evaluation. Using a data-driven 3D talking head, the distinctions between the confusable phonemes can be depicted through both external and internal articulatory movements. The experiments have demonstrated that the HMM-based synthesis with limited training data can achieve the minimum RMS error of less than 2mm. The synthesized articulatory movements can be used for computer assisted pronunciation training.
Development and characterization of electron sources for diffraction applications

The dream to control chemical reactions that are essential to life is now closer than ever to gratify. Recent scientific progress has made it possible to investigate phenomena and processes which deploy at the angstroms scale and at rates on the order femtoseconds. Techniques such as Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (UED) are currently able to reveal the spatial atomic configuration of systems with unit cell sizes on the order of a few nanometers with about 100 femtosecond temporal resolution. Still, major advances are needed for structural interrogation of biological systems like protein crystals, which have unit cell sizes of 10 nanometers or larger, and sample sizes of less than one micrometer. For such samples, the performance of these electron-based techniques is now limited by the quality, in particular the brightness, of the electron source. The current Ph.D. work represents a contribution towards the development and the characterization of electron sources which are essential to static and time-resolved electron diffraction techniques. The focus was on electron source fabrication and electron beam characterization measurements, using the solenoid and the aperture scan techniques, but also on the development and maintenance of the relevant experimental setups. As a result, new experimental facilities are now available in the group and, at the same time, novel concepts for generating electron beams for electron diffraction applications have been developed. In terms of existing electron sources, the capability to trigger and detect field emission from single double-gated field emitter Mo tips was successfully proven. These sharp emitter tips promise high brightness electron beams, but for investigating individual such structures, new engineering was needed. Secondly, the influence of the surface electric field on electron beam properties has been systematically performed for flat Mo photocathodes. This study is very valuable especially for state-of-the-art electron guns where acceleration electric fields as high as 100 MV m are possible. Regarding the development of novel electron sources, the fabrication of patterned photocathode structures, consisting of micrometric emitters was analyzed. These could bring major advantages in terms of electron beam quality, due to the possibility of controlling the size and the shape of the emitting area. On the other hand, first beam characterization measurements of a new type of electron source, based on optical fibers, were performed. While these structures hold all the advantages of the patterned electron sources discussed above, they proved to be much easier to fabricate and their use require no alignment of optical elements inside vacuum, which is usually subject of setup constraints. The experimental output of the current Ph.D. work is very promising and pave the way to a new generation of diffraction experiments with capabilities exceeding the limitations faced before.
Highly sensitive detection of mutations in CHO cell recombinant DNA using multi‐parallel single molecule real‐time DNA sequencing

High‐fidelity replication of biologic‐encoding recombinant DNA sequences by engineered mammalian cell cultures is an essential pre‐requisite for the development of stable cell lines for the production of biotherapeutics. However, immortalized mammalian cells characteristically exhibit an increased point mutation frequency compared to mammalian cells in vivo, both across their genomes and at specific loci (hotspots). Thus unforeseen mutations in recombinant DNA sequences can arise and be maintained within producer cell populations. These may affect both the stability of recombinant gene expression and give rise to protein sequence variants with variable bioactivity and immunogenicity. Rigorous quantitative assessment of recombinant DNA integrity should therefore form part of the cell line development process and be an essential quality assurance metric for instances where synthetic/multi‐component assemblies are utilized to engineer mammalian cells, such as the assessment of recombinant DNA fidelity or the mutability of single‐site integration target loci. Based on Pacific Biosciences (Menlo Park, CA) single molecule real‐time (SMRT™) circular consensus sequencing (CCS) technology we developed a rDNA sequence analysis tool to process the multi‐parallel sequencing of ∼40,000 single recombinant DNA molecules. After statistical filtering of raw sequencing data, we show that this analytical method is capable of detecting single point mutations in rDNA to a minimum single mutation frequency of 0.0042% (<1/24,000 bases). Using a stable CHO transfectant pool harboring a randomly integrated 5 kB plasmid construct encoding GFP we found that 28% of recombinant plasmid copies contained at least one low frequency (<0.3%) point mutation. These mutations were predominantly found in GC base pairs (85%) and that there was no positional bias in mutation across the plasmid sequence. There was no discernable difference between the mutation frequencies of coding and non‐coding DNA. The putative ratio of non‐synonymous and synonymous changes within the open reading frames (ORFs) in the plasmid sequence indicates that natural selection does not impact upon the prevalence of these mutations. Here we have demonstrated the abundance of mutations that fall outside of the reported range of detection of next generation sequencing (NGS) and second generation sequencing (SGS) platforms, providing a methodology capable of being utilized in cell line development platforms to identify the fidelity of recombinant genes throughout the production process.
Multiwavelength Switchable Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser Employing Fiber Bragg Gratings

A multiwavelength switchable erbium doped fiber laser (EDFL) employing fiber Bragg gratings is proposed in this paper. The spectral profile for the active fiber in the EDFL is specifically tailored to enhance the switching capability between two closely-spaced wavelengths. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed EDFL has advantages of moderate power with high stability (4±0.04 dBm), wide wavelength switchable range (covering the C-band), high side-mode suppression ratio (＞37 dB), and narrow separation between two switchable wavelengths (0.15 nm).
Corrosion behaviour of hybrid sol-gel coated steel embedded in carbonated Portland and fly ash mortars contaminated with chlorides

Abstract The protection of metals from their surrounding environment is usually achieved by deposition of protective coatings on the metal surface to establish a physical barrier against aggressive ions. The corrosion behaviour of hybrid organic–inorganic coatings for carbon steel embedded in carbonated ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and alkali activated fly ash (AAFA) mortars was studied, after different periods of immersion in a 3 wt. % sodium chloride solution using electrochemical techniques. Hybrid organic–inorganic films employed as protective coatings have been prepared via sol–gel using several silicon compounds: 3-methacryloxy-propyltrimethoxysilane or methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) or tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) precursors using a molar ratio of 1 and deposited on carbon steel substrates by dip-coating. The corrosion potential (Ecorr) values were higher and the current density (icorr) values were lower for AAFA mortars, indicating that the coatings were more efficient against rebar corrosion in this system than in OPC mortars. On the other hand, the hybrids synthesised with TEOS/MTES and TMOS/MTES for carbon steel embedded in carbonated AAFA mortars showed the lowest icorr values. This enhanced protection could be due to a structure denser and more compact and greater adhesion to the metallic surface.
Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety as Barriers to Participation in Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs Among Arab and Jewish Patients in Israel

Purpose: Despite its proven efficacy, low participation rates in cardiac prevention and rehabilitation programs (CPRPs) prevail worldwide, especially among ethnic minorities. This is strongly evident in Israel's Arab minority. Since psychological distress has been found to be associated with CPRP participation and minorities are subjected to higher levels of distress, it is plausible that distress may be an important barrier for CPRP participation among minority patients. The current prospective study assessed the contribution of depression and anxiety symptoms to participation in a CPRP after acute coronary syndrome, both in the enrollment phase and when considering adherence over time, among Jewish (majority) and Arab (minority) patients in Israel. Methods: Patients were interviewed during hospitalization about their emotional status and at a 6-mo follow-up concerning participation in a CPRP. Analyses were performed on 397 patients. The Brief Symptom Inventory was used. Logistic regression modeling was applied. Results: Symptoms of depression, but not anxiety, were frequently observed among Arab patients compared with their Jewish counterparts. In analyses adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, having symptoms of anxiety was associated with less participation in a CPRP, evident for both Jews and Arabs; this association was less evident for symptoms of depression. Multivariable adjusted models did not show a significant association of symptoms of anxiety or depression with adherence in a CPRP. Accounting for psychological distress did not reduce the sharp difference between Jews and Arabs in CPRP participation. Conclusion: Symptoms of distress may serve as barriers to CPRP participation, regardless of ethnic origin.
Novel Semi-Parametric Algorithm for Interference-Immune Tunable Absorption Spectroscopy Gas Sensing

One of the most common limits to gas sensor performance is the presence of unwanted interference fringes arising, for example, from multiple reflections between surfaces in the optical path. Additionally, since the amplitude and the frequency of these interferences depend on the distance and alignment of the optical elements, they are affected by temperature changes and mechanical disturbances, giving rise to a drift of the signal. In this work, we present a novel semi-parametric algorithm that allows the extraction of a signal, like the spectroscopic absorption line of a gas molecule, from a background containing arbitrary disturbances, without having to make any assumption on the functional form of these disturbances. The algorithm is applied first to simulated data and then to oxygen absorption measurements in the presence of strong fringes.To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the algorithm enables an unprecedented accuracy particularly if the fringes have a free spectral range and amplitude comparable to those of the signal to be detected. The described method presents the advantage of being based purely on post processing, and to be of extremely straightforward implementation if the functional form of the Fourier transform of the signal is known. Therefore, it has the potential to enable interference-immune absorption spectroscopy. Finally, its relevance goes beyond absorption spectroscopy for gas sensing, since it can be applied to any kind of spectroscopic data.
The Viscosity of Latex and of Latex Mixtures

Abstract For the rubber technologist, a change in the plasticity of rubber mixtures is one of the most important indications that fundamental changes are taking place within the mixture. For example, a decrease in plasticity would lead to the conclusion that incipient vulcanization had taken place, and an increase in plasticity would indicate degradation resulting from unfavorable conditions of storage, from the action of deleterious substances in the rubber, etc. Corresponding to these increases and decreases in plasticity in the case of dry rubber mixtures, increases or decreases in the viscosity of rubber solutions are found. These changes in viscosity and plasticity unquestionably conform to the facts which are now known about rubber and its behavior on degradation and on vulcanization. Further, latex, which is becoming of increasing importance, and mixtures prepared from it, undergo changes in viscosity on standing as well as during the processes of manufacture. There are many of these changes in the.
Impact of educational interventions on primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review with a focus on physical activity

Abstract Background: Evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies illustrates the beneficial impact of healthy lifestyle behaviours on cardiovascular risk. Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of primary care health education interventions designed to promote healthy lifestyles on physical activity levels and cardiovascular risk. Methods: A computer-aided search on PubMed and Scopus was performed to identify relevant studies published from January 2000 to October 2016. Two authors independently selected studies for inclusion and extracted data, including intervention characteristics and outcome measures, namely physical activity and cardiovascular risk or risk factors. Results: Of the 212 identified studies, 15 met the inclusion criteria. The 15 studies enrolled 6727 participants; the sample size varied between 74 and 878 adults. Fourteen studies assessed physical activity by questionnaire and only one study used accelerometry. Eight of the 15 studies showed improvements in the physical activity levels after the intervention, ranging from 5% to 26% in those where significant changes between groups were detected. Most studies reported significant positive effects of the health education interventions on cardiovascular risk factors, mainly on lipid profile, blood pressure and cardiovascular risk score. Conclusion: The health education interventions, in primary care, seem to improve daily physical activity, cardiovascular risk factors and risk score.
Structural studies of Acidianus tailed spindle virus reveal a structural paradigm used in the assembly of spindle-shaped viruses

Significance Lemon- or spindle-shaped viruses are common in the archaeal domain of life, but structural studies have been limited by the intrinsic heterogeneity of these uniquely shaped virions. Using a combination of cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography to study Acidianus tailed spindle virus, a large tailed spindle virus, we have shed light on the architectural principles that underlie assembly of a spindle-shaped virus. The architecture suggests a metastable multistart helical assembly of variable radius that, through a remarkable transition to a more stable cylindrical assembly, could be used to drive genome ejection. The structural architecture is clearly relevant to spindle-shaped viruses in general and other members of the large tailed spindle virus superfamily in particular. The spindle-shaped virion morphology is common among archaeal viruses, where it is a defining characteristic of many viral families. However, structural heterogeneity intrinsic to spindle-shaped viruses has seriously hindered efforts to elucidate the molecular architecture of these lemon-shaped capsids. We have utilized a combination of cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography to study Acidianus tailed spindle virus (ATSV). These studies reveal the architectural principles that underlie assembly of a spindle-shaped virus. Cryo-electron tomography shows a smooth transition from the spindle-shaped capsid into the tubular-shaped tail and allows low-resolution structural modeling of individual virions. Remarkably, higher-dose 2D micrographs reveal a helical surface lattice in the spindle-shaped capsid. Consistent with this, crystallographic studies of the major capsid protein reveal a decorated four-helix bundle that packs within the crystal to form a four-start helical assembly with structural similarity to the tube-shaped tail structure of ATSV and other tailed, spindle-shaped viruses. Combined, this suggests that the spindle-shaped morphology of the ATSV capsid is formed by a multistart helical assembly with a smoothly varying radius and allows construction of a pseudoatomic model for the lemon-shaped capsid that extends into a tubular tail. The potential advantages that this novel architecture conveys to the life cycle of spindle-shaped viruses, including a role in DNA ejection, are discussed.