Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Priming the Semantic Neighbourhood during the Attentional Blink

Background When two targets are presented in close temporal proximity amongst a rapid serial visual stream of distractors, a period of disrupted attention and attenuated awareness lasting 200–500 ms follows identification of the first target (T1). This phenomenon is known as the “attentional blink” (AB) and is generally attributed to a failure to consolidate information in visual short-term memory due to depleted or disrupted attentional resources. Previous research has shown that items presented during the AB that fail to reach conscious awareness are still processed to relatively high levels, including the level of meaning. For example, missed word stimuli have been shown to prime later targets that are closely associated words. Although these findings have been interpreted as evidence for semantic processing during the AB, closely associated words (e.g., day-night) may also rely on specific, well-worn, lexical associative links which enhance attention to the relevant target. Methodology/Principal Findings We used a measure of semantic distance to create prime-target pairs that are conceptually close, but have low word associations (e.g., wagon and van) and investigated priming from a distractor stimulus presented during the AB to a subsequent target (T2). The stimuli were words (concrete nouns) in Experiment 1 and the corresponding pictures of objects in Experiment 2. In both experiments, report of T2 was facilitated when this item was preceded by a semantically-related distractor. Conclusions/Significance This study is the first to show conclusively that conceptual information is extracted from distractor stimuli presented during a period of attenuated awareness and that this information spreads to neighbouring concepts within a semantic network.
The Effect of Lockup on Post-IPO Underperformance

This research investigates the relationship between lockup decision and post-IPO underperformance, a relationship that has not yet been empirically exam ined. Three main results are reached. First, the st ock performance of IPOs with lockup declines significantly after locku p expired. Specifically, relative to period before lockup expiration and to firms without lockup, firms with lockup sign ificantly underperform post lockup expiration, espe cially in stock performance. Second, IPOs with lockup and IPOs with longer lockup length tend to experience more serio us post-lockup underperformance. Third, IPOs with high er investor sentiment during lockup suffer from gre ater post-lockup underperformance, in line with the “ove r-optimism correction” argument.
Challenges Encountered by Nurses Working in Acute Psychiatric Wards: A Qualitative Study in Iran

ABSTRACT Background: The provision of care to patients with psychiatric disorders and working in a challenging environment lead to many problems among psychiatric nurses. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges nurses faced while working in acute psychiatric wards. Design: A qualitative design using content analysis was used. Fifteen nurses working in psychiatric wards in hospitals affiliated to a university hospital in an urban area of Iran were chosen using a purposive sampling approach. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. An inductive content analysis method was used to analyse the collected data. Results: Four themes were developed based on the analysed data: “experiencing psycho-social challenges,” “experiencing psychological challenges,” “encountering catalysts causing challenges,” and “employing various strategies for coping with challenges. ” Conclusions: Given the importance of physical and mental well-being of nurses and the moral and professional responsibility of an organization to protect staff health, it is of prime importance to examine the inpatient psychiatric nurses' experiences to better understand them and hopefully use such knowledge so as to improve their work life.
Assessment of LiDAR and Spectral Techniques for High-Resolution Mapping of Sporadic Permafrost on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

Western Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) spans nearly 67,200 km2 and is among the largest and most productive coastal wetland ecosystems in the pan-Arctic. Permafrost currently forms extensive elevated plateaus on abandoned floodplain deposits of the outer delta, but is vulnerable to disturbance from rising air temperatures, inland storm surges, and salt-kill of vegetation. As pan-Arctic air and ground temperatures rise, accurate baseline maps of permafrost extent are critical for a variety of applications including long-term monitoring, understanding the scale and pace of permafrost degradation processes, and estimating resultant greenhouse gas dynamics. This study assesses novel, high-resolution techniques to map permafrost distribution using LiDAR and IKONOS imagery, in tandem with field-based parameterization and validation. With LiDAR, use of a simple elevation threshold provided a permafrost map with 94.9% overall accuracy; this approach was possible due to the extremely flat coastal plain of the YKD. The addition of high spatial-resolution IKONOS satellite data yielded similar results, but did not increase model performance. The methods and the results of this study enhance high-resolution permafrost mapping efforts in tundra regions in general and deltaic landscapes in particular, and provide a baseline for remote monitoring of permafrost distribution on the YKD.
A Fast and Efficient Technique for the Automatic Tracing of Corneal Nerves in Confocal Microscopy

Purpose We describe a novel fully automatic method capable of tracing the subbasal plexus nerves from human corneal confocal images. Methods Following an increasing interest in the automatic analysis of corneal nerves, a few approaches have been proposed. These, however, cannot cope with large images, such as mosaics, in due time. The rationale of the proposed method is to minimize required computing time while still providing accurate results. Our method consists of two sequential steps – a thresholding step followed by a supervised classification. For the classification we use a support vector machines (SVM) approach. Initially, a large set of features is computed, which is later reduced using a backward-elimination based on segmentation accuracy. To validate the obtained tracings, we evaluated the tracing accuracy and reliability of extracted clinical parameters (corneal nerves density and tortuosity). Results The proposed algorithm proved capable to correctly trace 0.89 ± 0.07 of the corneal nerves. The obtained performance level was comparable to a second human grader. Furthermore, the proposed approach compares favorably to other methods. For both evaluated clinical parameters the proposed approach performed well. An execution time of 0.61 ± 0.07 seconds per image was achieved. The proposed algorithm was applied successfully to mosaic images, with run times of the order of tens of seconds. Conclusions The achieved quality and processing time of the proposed method appear adequate for the application of this technique to clinical practice. Translational Relevance The automatic tracing of corneal nerves is an important step for the quantitative analysis of corneal nerves in daily clinical practice. The proposed fast technique allows features, such as corneal nerve density and tortuosity, to be computed in a few seconds. The application of nerve tracing to mosaics covering a large area can be a key component in clinical studies aimed at investigating neuropathy influence in various ocular or systemic diseases.
WikiGenomes: an open web application for community consumption and curation of gene annotation data in Wikidata

With the advancement of genome sequencing technologies, new genomes are being sequenced daily. While these sequences are deposited in publicly available data warehouses, their functional and genomic annotations (beyond genes which are predicted automatically) mostly reside in the text of primary publications. Professional curators are hard at work extracting those annotations from the literature for the most studied organisms and depositing them in structured databases. However, the resources don’t exist to fund the comprehensive curation of the thousands of newly sequenced organisms in this manner. Here, we describe WikiGenomes (wikigenomes.org), a web application that facilitates the consumption and curation of genomic data by the entire scientific community. WikiGenomes is based on Wikidata, an openly editable knowledge graph with the goal of aggregating published knowledge into a free and open database. WikiGenomes empowers the individual genomic researcher to contribute their expertise to the curation effort and integrates the knowledge into Wikidata, enabling it to be accessed by anyone without restriction.
Area-Level Socioeconomic Factors Are Associated With Noncompletion of Pediatric Preventive Services

We examined 4872 infants born consecutively, 2011-2012, and seen at 3 primary care centers to determine whether area-based socioeconomic measures were associated with noncompletion of common preventive services within the first 15 months. Addresses were geocoded and linked to census tract poverty, adult educational attainment, and household vehicle ownership rates. The quartile of patients in the highest poverty (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.54) and lowest vehicle ownership tracts (aOR 1.32; 95% CI 1.07-1.63) had significantly increased odds of service noncompletion. There were significant spatial clusters of low completion in Cincinnati’s urban core. These findings have implications for preventive service delivery.
Fibronectin Type III Domain–Containing Protein 5 rs3480 A>G Polymorphism, Irisin, and Liver Fibrosis in Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Context Contrasting data have been reported on the role of irisin, a novel myokine encoded by the fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5) gene, in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis. We tested in patients with suspected nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) the association of FNDC5 variants, hepatic expression, and circulating irisin with liver damage (F2 to F4 fibrosis as main outcome). We also investigated whether irisin modulates hepatocellular fat accumulation and stellate cell activation in experimental models. Methods We considered 593 consecutive patients who underwent liver biopsy for suspected NASH and 192 patients with normal liver enzymes and without steatosis. FNDC5 rs3480 and rs726344 genotypes were assessed by 5' nuclease assays. Hepatic irisin expression was evaluated in mice fed a high-fat diet or treated with CCl4. The effect of irisin was evaluated in fat-laden HepG2 hepatocytes and in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Results In patients at risk for NASH [odds ratio (OR) = 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.47 to 0.87; P = 0.005], and more so in the high-risk subgroup of those with impaired fasting glucose/diabetes (OR = 0.44, 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.74; P = 0.002), the rs3480 A>G variant was independently associated with protection from F2 to F4 fibrosis. Irisin is expressed in human activated HSC, where it mediated fibrogenic actions and collagen synthesis, and is overexpressed in NAFLD patients with F2 to F4 fibrosis and CCl4-treated mice. However, Irisin does not affect fat accumulation in HepG2 and is not induced by high-fat-diet-inducing NAFLD. Conclusions The FNDC5 rs3480 variant is associated with protection from clinically significant fibrosis in patients with NAFLD, while irisin expression is correlated with the severity of NAFLD and may be involved in extracellular matrix deposition. These data suggest that irisin is involved in regulation of hepatic fibrogenesis.
Effect of MS and L 2 Medium on Callusing and Regeneration From Nodal Explants of Asclepias curassavica-( L ) .

The present study demonstrates an efficient protocol for in vitro mass propagation of A. curassavica through direct as well as indirect regeneration. The effect of MS and L2 media supplemented with various concentrations and combinations of growth regulators has been studied. The growth regulators used include BAP and kinetin (cytokinins) and IAA, IBA, NAA and 2, 4-D (auxins). MS media proved better for callusing than L2 media and callus mediated shoot organogenesis was obtained by sub culturing the organogenic callus obtained from leaf explants on MS + 2 mg/L NAA + 1mg/L BAP+0.5 mg/L KN on to a fresh medium fortified with 1 mg/L BAP+ 0.1 mg/L GA3 lacking NAA. Among the two different media (MS and L2) tested, L2 medium proved superior to MS medium in terms of shoot multiplication and shoot length. Nodal explants showed better organogenic response than shoot tip explants. Among nodal explants basal nodal explants produced more number of shoots than terminal nodes for shoot morphogenesis. Among the two different cytokinins tested in MS media BAP proved better than KN for improving shoot number and shoot length in combination with different auxins. Among the two different cytokinins tested in L2 media KN proved better than BAP for improving shoot number and shoot length either individually or in combination with different auxins. Highest number of shoots was obtained from nodal explants cultured on L2 media containing 3 mg/L KN in combination with IAA. Hence L2 media proved to be effective for organogenesis while MS yielded better callusing and can be employed for in vitro mass propagation of A. curassavica.
Quantifying Genomic Privacy via Inference Attack with High-Order SNV Correlations

As genomic data becomes widely used, the problem of genomic data privacy becomes a hot interdisciplinary research topic among geneticists, bioinformaticians and security and privacy experts. Practical attacks have been identified on genomic data, and thus break the privacy expectations of individuals who contribute their genomic data to medical research, or simply share their data online. Frustrating as it is, the problem could become even worse. Existing genomic privacy breaches rely on low-order SNV (Single Nucleotide Variant) correlations. Our work shows that far more powerful attacks can be designed if high-order correlations are utilized. We corroborate this concern by making use of different SNV correlations based on various genomic data models and applying them to an inference attack on individuals' genotype data with hidden SNVs. We also show that low-order models behave very differently from real genomic data and therefore should not be relied upon for privacy-preserving solutions.
Retina Inner Retinal Microvasculature Damage Correlates With Outer Retinal Disruption During Remission in Behçet ’ s Posterior Uveitis by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Citation: Cheng D, Shen M, Zhuang X, et al. Inner retinal microvasculature damage correlates with outer retinal disruption during remission in Behçet’s posterior uveitis by optical coherence tomography angiography. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59:1295–1304. https://doi.org/ 10.1167/iovs.17-23113 PURPOSE. To quantify the inner retinal vascular changes that occur in the superficial and deep layers in patients with Behçet’s disease (BD) in remission using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to evaluate the associations with outer retinal structure.
Multisensory Perceptual Learning of Temporal Order: Audiovisual Learning Transfers to Vision but Not Audition

Background An outstanding question in sensory neuroscience is whether the perceived timing of events is mediated by a central supra-modal timing mechanism, or multiple modality-specific systems. We use a perceptual learning paradigm to address this question. Methodology/Principal Findings Three groups were trained daily for 10 sessions on an auditory, a visual or a combined audiovisual temporal order judgment (TOJ). Groups were pre-tested on a range TOJ tasks within and between their group modality prior to learning so that transfer of any learning from the trained task could be measured by post-testing other tasks. Robust TOJ learning (reduced temporal order discrimination thresholds) occurred for all groups, although auditory learning (dichotic 500/2000 Hz tones) was slightly weaker than visual learning (lateralised grating patches). Crossmodal TOJs also displayed robust learning. Post-testing revealed that improvements in temporal resolution acquired during visual learning transferred within modality to other retinotopic locations and orientations, but not to auditory or crossmodal tasks. Auditory learning did not transfer to visual or crossmodal tasks, and neither did it transfer within audition to another frequency pair. In an interesting asymmetry, crossmodal learning transferred to all visual tasks but not to auditory tasks. Finally, in all conditions, learning to make TOJs for stimulus onsets did not transfer at all to discriminating temporal offsets. These data present a complex picture of timing processes. Conclusions/Significance The lack of transfer between unimodal groups indicates no central supramodal timing process for this task; however, the audiovisual-to-visual transfer cannot be explained without some form of sensory interaction. We propose that auditory learning occurred in frequency-tuned processes in the periphery, precluding interactions with more central visual and audiovisual timing processes. Functionally the patterns of featural transfer suggest that perceptual learning of temporal order may be optimised to object-centered rather than viewer-centered constraints.
Downstream etching of silicon nitride using continuous-wave and pulsed remote plasma sources sustained in Ar/NF3/O2 mixtures

Remote plasma sources (RPSs) are being investigated to produce fluxes of radicals for low damage material processing. In this computational investigation, the properties of a RPS etching system are discussed where an Ar/NF3/O2 gas mixture is flowed through an inductively coupled plasma source into a downstream chamber containing a silicon nitride coated wafer. The plasma is largely confined in the RPS due to the highly attaching NFx (x = 1–3) and an isolating showerhead although a weak ion-ion plasma maintained by [NO+] ≈ [F−] leaks into the downstream chamber. The etching of silicon nitride proceeds through iterative removal of Si and N subsites by isotropic thermal neutrals. When the fluxes to the wafer are rich in fluorine radicals, the etch rate is limited by the availability of NO molecules and N atoms which remove N subsites. As power deposition increases with continuous-wave excitation, the etch rate increases almost linearly with the increasing fluxes of NO and N atoms, as production of NO through.
Dynamic decentralized mapping of tree-structured applications on NoC architectures

This paper presents a novel application-driven and resource-aware mapping methodology for tree-structured streaming applications onto NoCs. This includes strategies for mapping the source of streaming applications (seed point selection), as well as embedding strategies so that each process autonomously embeds its own succeeding tasks. The proposed embedding strategies only consider the local view of neighboring cells on the NoC which allows to significantly reduce computation and monitoring overhead. Our vision is that this approach facilitates self-organizing embedded systems that provide the flexibility and fault-tolerance required in future silicon technologies. The results provided in this paper show that our local and decentralized algorithms can compete with previously presented global and centralized algorithms.
A phase II trial of lenalidomide plus rituximab in previously untreated follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL): CALGB 50803 (Alliance)

Background This multicenter, phase II trial tested the tolerability and efficacy of lenalidomide plus rituximab in patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma (FL). Patients and methods Patients with grade 1-3a FL, stage 3-4 or bulky stage 2, FL international prognostic index (FLIPI) 0-2, and no prior therapy were eligible to receive rituximab 375 mg/m2 weekly during cycle 1 and day 1 of cycles 4, 6, 8, and 10, plus lenalidomide 20-25 mg on days 1-21 for twelve 28-day cycles. The primary objectives were to evaluate response rates [complete (CR) and overall] and time to progression. Secondary objectives included toxicity, response according to polymorphisms in FcgR2A and FcgR3A, and changes in circulating pro-angiogenic cells. Results From October 2010 to September 2011, 66 patients were enrolled. Median age was 53 years, 34 were female, 15 had bulky disease, 21 were FLIPI 0-1, 43 FLIPI 2, and 2 FLIPI 3. One patient withdrew before receiving treatment. Fifty-one patients completed 12 cycles of lenalidomide. Reasons for discontinuation included withdrawal (n = 6), adverse events (n = 6), progression (n = 2). Grade 3-4 hematologic toxicity included neutropenia (21%), lymphopenia (9%), and thrombocytopenia (2%), infection (11%), and rash (8%). Grade 1-2 toxicity included fatigue (78%), diarrhea (37%), rash (32%), and febrile neutropenia in one patient. The overall response rate was 95%; the CR rate was 72% (95% confidence interval, 60% to 83%). With a median follow-up of 5 years, the 2- and 5-year progression-free survival were 86% and 70%, respectively, and the 5-year overall survival was 100%. There was no association between CR rate or PFS and FLIPI, histological grade, bulky disease, FcgR2A/FcgR3A polymorphism, or change in circulating endothelial cell/hematopoietic progenitor cell. Conclusion Lenalidomide plus rituximab was associated with low rates of grade 3-4 toxicity, yielded a CR rate and PFS similar to chemotherapy-based treatment and may represent a reasonable alternative to immunochemotherapy in previously untreated FL. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01145495.
Reference intervals of aortic pulse wave velocity assessed with an oscillometric device in healthy children and adolescents from Argentina

ABSTRACT Age-related reference intervals (RIs) of aortic pulse wave velocity (Ao-PWV) obtained from a large healthy population are lacking in South America. The aims of this study were to determine Ao-PWV RIs in a cohort of healthy children and adolescents from Argentina and to generate year-to-year percentile curves. Ao-PWV was measured in 1000 healthy subjects non-exposed to traditional cardiovascular risk factors (Age: 10–22 y. o., 56% males). First, we evaluated if RIs for males and females were necessaries (correlation and covariate analysis). Second, mean (M) and standard deviation (SD) age-related equations were obtained for cf-PWV, using parametric regression methods based on fractional polynomials. Third, age-specific (year to year) percentiles curves (for all, males and females children and adolescents) were generated using the standard normal distribution. They were, age-specific 1st, 2.5th, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th, 97.5th and 99th percentile curves and values. After covariate analysis (i.e., adjusting by age, jugulum-symphysis distance, body weight and height), specific RIs for males and females of children and adolescents were evidenced as necessaries. The equations were For all subjects: Ao-PWV_Mean = 4.98 + 12.86x10−5 Age3. Ao-PWV_SD = 0.47 + 21.00x10−6Age3. For girls: Ao-PWV_Mean = 5.07 + 10.23x10−5Age3. Ao-PWV_SD = 0.50 + 10.00x10−6Age3. For boys: Ao-PWV_Mean = 4.87 + 15.81x10−5Age3. Ao-PWV_SD = 0.46 + 22.34x10−6Age3. Our study provides the largest database to-date concerning Ao-PWV in healthy children and adolescents in Argentina. Age-related equations (M and SD values) for Ao-PWV are reported by the first time. Specific RIs and percentiles of Ao-PWV are now available according to age and sex for an Argentinian population.