Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain changes following four weeks of unimanual motor training: Evidence from behavior, neural stimulation, cortical thickness, and functional MRI

Although different aspects of neuroplasticity can be quantified with behavioral probes, brain stimulation, and brain imaging assessments, no study to date has combined all these approaches into one comprehensive assessment of brain plasticity. Here, 24 healthy right‐handed participants practiced a sequence of finger‐thumb opposition movements for 10 min each day with their left hand. After 4 weeks, performance for the practiced sequence improved significantly (P < 0.05 FWE) relative to a matched control sequence, with both the left (mean increase: 53.0% practiced, 6.5% control) and right (21.0%; 15.8%) hands. Training also induced significant (cluster p‐FWE < 0.001) reductions in functional MRI activation for execution of the trained sequence, relative to the control sequence. These changes were observed as clusters in the premotor and supplementary motor cortices (right hemisphere, 301 voxel cluster; left hemisphere 700 voxel cluster), and sensorimotor cortices and superior parietal lobules (right hemisphere 864 voxel cluster; left hemisphere, 1947 voxel cluster). Transcranial magnetic stimulation over the right (“trained”) primary motor cortex yielded a 58.6% mean increase in a measure of motor evoked potential amplitude, as recorded at the left abductor pollicis brevis muscle. Cortical thickness analyses based on structural MRI suggested changes in the right precentral gyrus, right post central gyrus, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and potentially the right supplementary motor area. Such findings are consistent with LTP‐like neuroplastic changes in areas that were already responsible for finger sequence execution, rather than improved recruitment of previously nonutilized tissue. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4773–4787, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Open Evaluation Tool for Layout Analysis of Document Images

This paper presents an open tool for standardizing the evaluation process of the layout analysis task of document images at pixel level. We introduce a new evaluation tool that is both available as a standalone Java application and as a RESTful web service. This evaluation tool is free and open-source in order to be a common tool that anyone can use and contribute to. It aims at providing as many metrics as possible to investigate layout analysis predictions, and also provides an easy way of visualizing the results. This tool evaluates document segmentation at pixel level, and supports multi-labeled pixel ground truth. Finally, this tool has been successfully used for the ICDAR 2017 competition on Layout Analysis for Challenging Medieval Manuscripts.
Liver kinase B1 regulates hepatocellular tight junction distribution and function in vivo

Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) and its downstream effector AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) play critical roles in polarity establishment by regulating membrane trafficking and energy metabolism. In collagen sandwich‐cultured hepatocytes, loss of LKB1 or AMPK impaired apical ABCB11 (Bsep) trafficking and bile canalicular formation. In the present study, we used liver‐specific (albumin‐Cre) LKB1 knockout mice (LKB1−/−) to investigate the role of LKB1 in the maintenance of functional tight junction (TJ) in vivo. Transmission electron microscopy examination revealed that hepatocyte apical membrane with microvilli substantially extended into the basolateral domain of LKB1−/− livers. Immunofluorescence studies revealed that loss of LKB1 led to longer and wider canalicular structures correlating with mislocalization of the junctional protein, cingulin. To test junctional function, we used intravital microscopy to quantify the transport kinetics of 6‐carboxyfluorescein diacetate (6‐CFDA), which is processed in hepatocytes into its fluorescent derivative 6‐carboxyfluorescein (6‐CF) and secreted into the canaliculi. In LKB1−/− mice, 6‐CF remained largely in hepatocytes, canalicular secretion was delayed, and 6‐CF appeared in the blood. To test whether 6‐CF was transported through permeable TJ, we intravenously injected low molecular weight (3 kDa) dextran in combination with 6‐CFDA. In wild‐type mice, 3 kDa dextran remained in the vasculature, whereas it rapidly appeared in the abnormal bile canaliculi in LKB1−/− mice, confirming that junctional disruption resulted in paracellular exchange between the blood stream and the bile canaliculus. Conclusion: LKB1 plays a critical role in regulating the maintenance of TJ and paracellular permeability, which may explain how various drugs, chemicals, and metabolic states that inhibit the LKB1/AMPK pathway result in cholestasis. (Hepatology 2016;64:1317‐1329)
A Simulation Based Investigation of High Latency Space Systems Operations

This study was the first in a series of planned tests to use physics-based subsystem simulations to investigate the interactions between a spacecraft’s crew and a ground-based mission control center for vehicle subsystem operations across long communication delays. The simulation models the life support system of a deep space habitat. It contains models of an environmental control and life support system, an electrical power system, an active thermal control systems, and crew metabolic functions. The simulation has three interfaces: 1) a real-time crew interface that can be use to monitor and control the subsystems; 2) a mission control center interface with data transport delays up to 15 minute each way; and 3) a real-time simulation test conductor interface used to insert subsystem malfunctions and observe the interactions between the crew, ground, and simulated vehicle. The study was conducted at the 21st NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) mission. The NEEMO crew and ground support team performed a number of relevant deep space mission scenarios that included both nominal activities and activities with system malfunctions. While this initial test sequence was focused on test infrastructure and procedures development, the data collected in the study already indicate that long communication delays have notable impacts on the operation of deep space systems. For future human missions beyond cis-lunar, NASA will need to design systems and support tools to meet these challenges. These will be used to train the crew to handle critical malfunctions on their own, to predict malfunctions and assist with vehicle operations. Subsequent more detailed and involved studies will be conducted to continue advancing NASA’s understanding of space systems operations across long communications delays.
Helping Hands: Using Augmented Reality to Provide Remote Guidance to Health Professionals

Access to expert practitioners or geographic distance can compound the capacity for appropriate supervision of health professionals in the workplace. Guidance and support of clinicians and students to undertake new or infrequent procedures can be resource intensive. The Helping Hands remote augmented reality system is an innovation to support the development of, and oversee the acquisition of procedural skills through remote learning and teaching supervision while in clinical practice. Helping Hands is a wearable, portable, hands-free, low cost system comprised of two networked laptops, a head-mounted display worn by the recipient and a display screen used remotely by the instructor. Hand hygiene was used as the test procedure as it is a foundation skill learned by all health profession students. The technology supports unmediated remote gesture guidance by augmenting the object with the Helping Hands of a health professional. A laboratory-based study and field trial tested usability and feasibility of the remote guidance system. The study found the Helping Hands system did not compromise learning outcomes. This innovation has the potential to transform remote learning and teaching supervision by enabling health professionals and students opportunities to develop and improve their procedural performance at the workplace.
Persistent aberrant cortical phase–amplitude coupling following seizure treatment in absence epilepsy models

In two monogenic models of absence epilepsy, interictal beta/gamma power is augmented in homozygous stargazer (stg/stg) but not homozygous tottering (tg/tg) mice. There are distinct gene‐linked patterns of aberrant phase–amplitude coupling in the interictal EEG of both stg/stg and tg/tg mice, compared to +/+ and stg/+ mice. Treatment with ethosuximide significantly blocks seizures in both genotypes, but the abnormal phase–amplitude coupling remains. Seizure‐free stg/+ mice have normal power and phase–amplitude coupling, but beta/gamma power is significantly reduced with NMDA receptor blockade, revealing a latent cortical network phenotype that is separable from, and therefore not a result of, seizures. Altogether, these findings reveal gene‐linked quantitative electrographic biomarkers free from epileptiform activity, and provide a potential network correlate for persistent cognitive deficits in absence epilepsy despite effective treatment.
The effect of intravenous alcohol on the neural correlates of risky decision making in healthy social drinkers

Alcohol is thought to contribute to an increase in risk‐taking behavior, but the neural correlates underlying this effect are not well understood. In this study, participants were given intravenous alcohol or placebo while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and playing a risk‐taking game. The game allowed us to examine the neural response to choosing a safe or risky option, anticipating outcome and receiving feedback. We found that alcohol increased risk‐taking behavior, particularly among participants who experienced more stimulating effects of alcohol. fMRI scans demonstrated that alcohol increased activation in the striatum to risky compared with safe choices and dampened the neural response to notification of both winning and losing throughout the caudate, thalamus and insula. This study suggests that alcohol may increase risk‐taking behavior by both activating brain regions involved in reward when a decision is made, and dampening the response to negative and positive feedback.
Empirische evidence voor de effectiviteit van routine outcome monitoring; een literatuuronderzoek

achtergrond Routine outcome monitoring (rom) is een belangrijk kwaliteitsinstrument om effecten van behandeling zichtbaar te maken en wordt landelijk geïmplementeerd in de Nederlandse ggz. doel Evalueren van de wetenschappelijke stand van zaken betreffende de effectiviteit van rom voor diagnostiek, behandeling en andere uitkomsten. methode Literatuuronderzoek in PubMed, Medline, Psycinfo en Embase Psychiatry (1975-2009) naar gerandomiseerde gecontroleerde trials (rct’s) van rom bij alle leeftijdsgroepen patiënten (algemeen en ggz). De voornaamste zoektermen waren ‘routine outcome monitoring’ c.q. ‘routine outcome measurement’. resultaten Er werden 52 rct’s geïncludeerd betreffende rom bij volwassen patiënten. Hiervan waren 45 rct’s gericht op psychische klachten, zij het niet altijd in een psychiatrische setting of als primaire uitkomstmaat. Er bleken positieve effecten van rom op de diagnostiek en behandeling, en op de communicatie tussen patiënt en behandelaar. Andere uitkomsten waren minder eenduidig. conclusie rom blijkt vooral effectief voor het monitoren van behandelingen die onvoldoende aanslaan. Nader onderzoek is nodig naar de klinische effectiviteit en de kosteneffectiviteit van rom in zowel de volwassenenals de kinderen jeugdpsychiatrie.
Feasibility Study for Collection of HER2 Data by National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program Central Cancer Registries

The clinical importance of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) in breast cancer is now clearly established, given that expression of this tumor marker is used to guide therapy and as a prognostic indicator. Despite its now routine evaluation in breast cancer patients, population-based data are lacking because information on HER2 status is not routinely collected in the majority of population-based cancer registries. We assessed the feasibility of collecting HER2 data and its completeness in three registries in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program. Among a sample of invasive first primary breast cancer patients diagnosed between June and December 2007, HER2 tests had been done on 96.5% (n = 522), and test results were available for 95.2% (n = 515) of patients. The majority of HER2 tests were performed by immunohistochemistry alone (50.9%), 35.3% by both immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and 11.8% of tests by FISH alone. As a result of these findings, SEER registries will collect HER2 data on all invasive breast cancer patients as an optional data element for those diagnosed in 2009 and HER2 will likely be a required data element for these patients in 2010. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(1); 144–7
Recovery following Thyroxine Treatment Withdrawal, but Not Propylthiouracil, Averts In Vivo and Ex Vivo Thyroxine-Provoked Cardiac Complications in Adult FVB/N Mice

Persistent cardiovascular pathology has been described in hyperthyroid patients even with effective antithyroid treatment. Here, we studied the effect of a well-known antithyroid drug, propylthiouracil (PTU; 20 mg/kg/day), on thyroxine (T4; 500 µg/kg/day)-induced increase in blood pressure (BP), cardiac hypertrophy, and altered responses of the contractile myocardium both in vivo and ex vivo after 2 weeks of treatment. Furthermore, the potential recovery through 2 weeks of T4 treatment discontinuation was also investigated. PTU and T4 recovery partially reduced the T4-prompted increase in BP. Alternatively, PTU significantly improved the in vivo left ventricular (LV) function with no considerable effects on cardiac hypertrophy or ex vivo right ventricular (RV) contractile alterations subsequent to T4 treatment. Conversely, T4 recovery considerably enhanced the T4-provoked cardiac changes both in vivo and ex vivo. Altogether, our data is in agreement with the proposal that hyperthyroidism-induced cardiovascular pathology could persevere even with antithyroid treatments, such as PTU. However, this cannot be generalized and further investigation with different antithyroid treatments should be executed. Moreover, we reveal that recovery following experimental hyperthyroidism could potentially ameliorate cardiac function and decrease the risk for additional cardiac complications, yet, this appears to be model-dependent and should be cautiously construed.
Membrane Computing as a Modeling Tool for Discrete Systems

Problem statement: Discrete systems have been modeled by using Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) in which the variation of concentration of an object was modeled as continuous and deterministic manner, contrary to the real behaviors of such systems. Although, this approaches able to generate the general behavior of the system, the specific discrete processes and stochastic behaviors in the system have not been addressed. Membrane computing has been an unconventional computational approach that provides a platform for modeling discrete systems. It deals with parallel, distributed and non-deterministic computing models. Approach: This study was carried to compare the ODE with membrane computing approach in modeling a discrete system by taking Prey-Predator population as the case study. Membrane computing simulator based on Gillespie Algorithm and Probabilistic and Symbolic Model Checker (PRISM) were used to verify and validate the model. Results: Membrane computing able to not only maintain the dynamics and equilibrium of Prey-Predator population but also preserve the discrete and stochastic evolvement of the prey and predator in the population by sustaining the properties of the system. Conclusion: Membrane computing modeling approach preserved the characteristics of discrete systems that absent in the ODE approach.
Simulating eye-head coordination during smooth pursuit using an ocular biomechanic model

The main objective of all eye movements is to keep the image of the object of interest focused. Head motion makes this objective more complex. However, the vestibular system is responsible for eye movement that compensate head motion. Simulating and analysing eye movement in coordination with head and neck movements is useful for assessing visual system contribution to discomfort in different tasks especially related to motion such as simulation sickness. In this paper, we present an ocular biomechanic model integrated into a head and neck model and used to simulate and analyse eye-head coordination movement during smooth pursuit. The proposed model is based on the physiological and the kinematics properties of the human eye provided from clinical trials performed by Robinson and Collins and also magnetic resonance imaging studies. The model incorporates six extraocular muscles (EOMs) and their connective tissues, known as pulleys. The pulleys are modelled as moving points on the muscle path according to the Active Pulley Hypothesis (APH) provided by Kono et al. Dynamic simulations of smooth pursuit with head movement is presented. The model achieved root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.77°, 0.29°and 0.14°for the horizontal, vertical and torsional rotation angles. It can be further used to simulate and analyse the vestibulo-ocular reflex of the eye.
Current ebola vaccines

Introduction: Ebolaviruses cause severe viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and non-human primates (NHPs), with case fatality rates of up to 90%. Currently, neither a specific treatment nor a vaccine licensed for use in humans is available. However, a number of vaccine candidates have been developed in the last decade that are highly protective in NHPs, the gold standard animal model for ebola hemorrhagic fever. Areas covered: This review analyzes a number of scenarios for the use of ebolavirus vaccines, discusses the requirements for ebolavirus vaccines in these scenarios and describes current ebolavirus vaccines. Among these vaccines are recombinant adenoviruses, recombinant vesicular stomatitis viruses (VSVs), recombinant human parainfluenza viruses and virus-like particles. Interestingly, one of these vaccine platforms, based on recombinant VSVs, has also demonstrated post-exposure protection in NHPs. Expert opinion: The most pressing remaining challenge is now to move these vaccine candidates forward into human trials and toward licensure. In order to achieve this, it will be necessary to establish the mechanisms and correlates of protection for these vaccines, and to continue to demonstrate their safety, particularly in potentially immunocompromised populations. However, already now there is sufficient evidence that, from a scientific perspective, a vaccine protective against ebolaviruses is possible.
Differential Monocyte Activation Underlies Strain-Specific Mycobacterium tuberculosis Pathogenesis

ABSTRACT In vitro infection of monocytes with Mycobacterium tuberculosis HN878 and related W/Beijing isolates preferentially induced interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13, which characterize Th2 polarized immunity. In contrast, CDC1551 induced more IL-12 and other molecules associated with phagocyte activation and Th1 protective immunity. The differential cytokine-chemokine response was mediated by extracted lipids, suggesting that these molecules regulate host responses to infection.
Synergistic Hematite‐Fullerene Electron‐Extracting Layers for Improved Efficiency and Stability in Perovskite Solar Cells

Hematite, α-Fe2O3, is arising as a promising electron-extraction material in perovskite solar cells, yet present α-Fe2O3-based perovskite solar cells still show unsatisfactory efficiencies owing to large charge recombination. In this contribution, phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and α-Fe2O3 synergistically worked together as the electron transport layer (ETL) in planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells. The introduction of fullerene at the top of the α-Fe2O3 ETL improved the crystallinity of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite and facilitated electron extraction. As a consequence, a substantially retarded charge recombination largely boosted the short-circuit current density and power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells. The optimized perovskite solar cells with α-Fe2O3/PCBM ETL showed a competitive power conversion efficiency of 14.2 %, which is 20 % higher than that of pristine α-Fe2O3-based solar cells. Moreover, α-Fe2O3/PCBM-based perovskite solar cells exhibited improved stability compared to the pristine α-Fe2O3-based devices, retaining over 95 % of their initial values after 45 days storage in dark in humid air.
An integrated modeling approach to estimating Gunnison sage-grouse population dynamics: combining index and demographic data

Evaluation of population dynamics for rare and declining species is often limited to data that are sparse and/or of poor quality. Frequently, the best data available for rare bird species are based on large-scale, population count data. These data are commonly based on sampling methods that lack consistent sampling effort, do not account for detectability, and are complicated by observer bias. For some species, short-term studies of demographic rates have been conducted as well, but the data from such studies are typically analyzed separately. To utilize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of these two data types, we developed a novel Bayesian integrated model that links population count data and population demographic data through population growth rate (λ) for Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus). The long-term population index data available for Gunnison sage-grouse are annual (years 1953–2012) male lek counts. An intensive demographic study was also conducted from years 2005 to 2010. We were able to reduce the variability in expected population growth rates across time, while correcting for potential small sample size bias in the demographic data. We found the population of Gunnison sage-grouse to be variable and slightly declining over the past 16 years.