Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theta Phase Synchrony Is Sensitive to Corollary Discharge Abnormalities in Early Illness Schizophrenia but Not in the Psychosis Risk Syndrome.

BACKGROUND Prior studies have shown that the auditory N1 event-related potential component elicited by self-generated vocalizations is reduced relative to played back vocalizations, putatively reflecting a corollary discharge mechanism. Schizophrenia patients and psychosis risk syndrome (PRS) youth show deficient N1 suppression during vocalization, consistent with corollary discharge dysfunction. Because N1 is an admixture of theta (4-7 Hz) power and phase synchrony, we examined their contributions to N1 suppression during vocalization, as well as their sensitivity, relative to N1, to corollary discharge dysfunction in schizophrenia and PRS individuals. METHODS Theta phase and power values were extracted from electroencephalography data acquired from PRS youth (n = 71), early illness schizophrenia patients (ESZ; n = 84), and healthy controls (HCs; n = 103) as they said "ah" (Talk) and then listened to the playback of their vocalizations (Listen). A principal component analysis extracted theta intertrial coherence (ITC; phase consistency) and event-related spectral power, peaking in the N1 latency range. Talk-Listen suppression scores were analyzed. RESULTS Talk-Listen suppression was greater for theta ITC (Cohen's d = 1.46) than for N1 in HC (d = 0.63). Both were deficient in ESZ, but only N1 suppression was deficient in PRS. When deprived of variance shared with theta ITC suppression, N1 suppression no longer differentiated ESZ and PRS individuals from HC. Deficits in theta ITC suppression were correlated with delusions (P = .007) in ESZ. Theta power suppression did not differentiate groups. CONCLUSIONS Theta ITC-suppression during vocalization is a more sensitive index of corollary discharge-mediated auditory cortical suppression than N1 suppression and is more sensitive to corollary discharge dysfunction in ESZ than in PRS individuals.
Analysis of membrane protein de-insertion-associated currents with nanoneedle-supported bilayers to discover pore formation mechanisms.

Analysis of the pore formation mechanisms of biological nanopores can provide insight into pore-forming peptide-induced dis-eases and into the characterization of nanopores employed in sensing methods. Evaluation of pore formation mechanisms is typically performed using microscopy including atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, as well as electrically via channel current measurements using a patch-clamp amplifier. However, due to the relatively low temporal resolution of the abovementioned microscopy techniques and the low analysis accuracy of the channel current measurement, new analytical methods are required. Here, we describe a new analytical strategy to measure and analyze both ionic currents associated with biological nanopore insertion and de-insertion into and out of lipid bilayers to determine pore formation mechanisms for several representative proteins. The current changes associated with protein de-insertion are monitored as the lipid membrane leaflets are pulled apart - a unique phenomenon enabled by our gold nano-needle measurement probe. This de-insertion cur-rent analysis (DiCA) is performed using a gold nanoneedle-supported lipid bilayer at which a bilayer membrane is formed by bringing together two lipid monolayers at the surface of the nanoneedle and the interface of an aqueous solution and a lipid/oil mixture. The lipid bilayer can be pulled apart by removing the nanoneedle from this interface. In this study, we demonstrate the determination of pore formation mechanisms for four different pore-forming proteins and peptides - α-hemolysin, streptolysin O, alamethicin, and amyloid beta 1-42 using DiCA. As a result, we successfully discern the pore formation mechanism, either addition or expansion, for each protein/peptide by analyzing the ratio and magnitude of insertion and de-insertion current events.
Development of methods to genetically transform American grape (Vitis × labruscana L. H. Bailey)

Summary A method to genetically transform embryogenic callus from Vitis × labruscana is reported. Embryogenic calli from ‘Fredonia’ and ‘Niagara’ were co-cultivated with A. tumefaciens strain LBA 4404 carrying constructor Agl-gus BS35, to obtain Agl-gus transgenic plants. Five ‘Fredonia’ Agl-gus plants were recovered in this experiment. They were confirmed as positive transformants by PCR and Southern blot analysis. This is the first report of successful genetic transformation and recovery of transgenic plants in V. × labruscana.
Are There Magic Compositions in Deep Eutectic Solvents? Effects of Composition and Water Content in Choline Chloride/ethylene Glycol from Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics.

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations at elevated temperature are carried out to investigate the microscopic structure of liquid mixtures (deep eutectic solvents) com- posed of 1:1, 1:2 choline chloride:ethylene glycol ([Ch]Cl:EG) and 1:2:1 ([Ch]Cl:EG:water). In the present study, we aim to understand the composition effect on the choline chlo- ride:ethylene glycol deep eutectic solvent and whether there is a specific composition in these solvents with marked special behavior at the microscopic level. The role of hydrogen bonds between all components was investigated through distribution func- tions. The structures are governed by the balance of hydrogen bond networks and the different populations of the EG molecule conformations. In the water-containing system, water competes for association with the anion. Also, the charge distribution analysis, which is consistent with structural analysis, indicates that the results are not impacted by changing composition. In addition, the charge transfer observed between ions, EG and water molecules appears to be sizable.
Trehalose Induces Autophagy Against Inflammation by Activating TFEB Signaling Pathway in Human Corneal Epithelial Cells Exposed to Hyperosmotic Stress

Purpose Autophagy plays an important role in balancing the inflammatory response to restore homeostasis. The aim of this study was to explore the mechanism by which trehalose suppresses inflammatory cytokines via autophagy activation in primary human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) exposed to hyperosmotic stress. Methods An in vitro dry eye model was used in which HCECs were cultured in hyperosmolar medium with the addition of sodium chloride (NaCl). Trehalose was applied in different concentrations. The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 were detected using RT-qPCR and ELISA. Cell viability assays, immunofluorescent staining of LC3B, and western blots of Beclin1, Atg5, Atg7, LC3B, and P62 were conducted. The key factors in upstream signaling pathways of autophagy activation were measured: P-Akt, Akt, and transcription factor EB (TFEB). Results Trehalose reduced the proinflammatory mediators TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 in primary HCECs at 450 mOsM. This effect was osmolarity dependent, and a level of 1.0% trehalose showed the most suppression. Trehalose promoted autophagosome formation and autophagic flux, as evidenced by increased production of Beclin1, Atg5, and Atg7, as well as higher LC3B I protein turnover to LC3B II, with decreased protein levels of P62/SQSTM1. The addition of 3-methyladenine blocked autophagy activation and increased the release of proinflammatory cytokines. Trehalose further activated TFEB, with translocation from cytoplasm to the nucleus, but diminished Akt activity. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that trehalose, functioning as an autophagy enhancer, suppresses the inflammatory response by promoting autophagic flux via TFEB activation in primary HCECs exposed to hyperosmotic stress, a process that is beneficial to dry eye.
Optical/X-ray/radio view of Abell 1213: A galaxy cluster with anomalous diffuse radio emission

Context. Abell 1213, a low-richness galaxy system, is known to host an anomalous radio halo detected in data of the VLA. It is an outlier with regard to the relation between the radio halo power and the X-ray luminosity of the parent clusters. Aims. Our aim is to analyze the cluster in the optical, X-ray, and radio bands to characterize the environment of its diffuse radio emission and to shed new light on its nature. Methods. We used optical data from the SDSS to study the internal dynamics of the cluster. We also analyzed archival XMM-Newton X-ray data to unveil the properties of its hot intracluster medium. Finally, we used recent data from LOFAR at 144 MHz, together with VLA data at 1.4 GHz, to study the spectral behavior of the diffuse radio source. Results. Both our optical and X-ray analysis reveal that this low-mass cluster exhibits disturbed dynamics. In fact, it is composed of several galaxy groups in the peripheral regions and, in particular, in the core, where we find evidence of substructures oriented in the NE-SW direction, with hints of a merger nearly along the line of sight. The analysis of the X-ray emission adds further evidence that the cluster is in an unrelaxed dynamical state. At radio wavelengths, the LOFAR data show that the diffuse emission is ~510 kpc in size. Moreover, there are hints of low-surface-brightness emission permeating the cluster center. Conclusions. The environment of the diffuse radio emission is not what we would expect for a classical halo. The spectral index map of the radio source is compatible with a relic interpretation, possibly due to a merger in the N-S or NE-SW directions, in agreement with the substructures detected through the optical analysis. The fragmented, diffuse radio emissions at the cluster center could be attributed to the surface brightness peaks of a faint central radio halo.
Transcription factor Pax6 regulates cell cycle progression and cell fate determination

The development of the central nervous system relies on the tight regulation of the neural progenitor proliferation and differentiation in order to generate new neurons. The transcription factor Pax6 coordinates these functions during the development of the mammalian forebrain, using the paired DNA binding domain. This is a bipartite DNA-binding domain constituted by two subdomains, the PAI and the RED, binding the DNA in a cooperative or independent manner in order to control specific targets. Focusing on the activity of Pax6 as regulator of cell proliferation and of cell fate determination, I aimed to understanding how these functions are regulated at the molecular level, using the developing ventral forebrain as a model. In this work the role of the RED domain of Pax6 as a regulator of cell cycle progression is investigated. The mutation of the RED subdomain leads to an increase of progenitors in active mitosis (phospho-histone3 positive cells) in the ventral telencephalon at midneurogenesis. Similar result was obtained in the progenitors of the dorsal telencephalon. The increment in the phospho-histone3 positive cells is followed by the increase in cell death in both dorsal and ventral forebrain. These evidences suggest impairments in the cell cycle progression of the progenitor cells in the RED domain mutant. The importance of full activity of the RED domain of Pax6 for the proper progression of the cell cytokinesis is shown via ex-vivo live imaging, performed on ventral developing forebrain of Pax6Leca2 mutant animals (RED domain mutant). To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed phenotype, transcriptome of the Pax6Leca2 mutants and their age matching siblings is analyzed, identifying a potential candidate gene: the Holliday junction recognition protein (HJURP). The overexpression of the HJURP protein in the wild type progenitors in vitro resembles the impairment of cytokinesis observed in Pax6Leca2 mutant. In summary, my data suggest new mechanisms for the regulation of cytokinesis in progenitors mediated by the RED domain of Pax6 and indicate that the full functionality of the paired domain is a prerequisite for Pax6 to function as fate determinant.
Discussion on: Sparse regression: Scalable algorithms and empirical performance & Best Subset, Forward Stepwise, or Lasso? Analysis and recommendations based on extensive comparisons

We congratulate the authors Bertsimas, Pauphilet and van Parys (hereafter BPvP) and Hastie, Tibshirani and Tibshirani (hereafter HTT) for providing fresh and insightful views on the problem of variable selection and prediction in linear models. Their contributions at the fundamental level provide guidance for more complex models and procedures.
The Laplace transform and inconsistent initial values

Switches in electrical circuits may lead to Dirac impulses in the solution; a real word example utilizing this effect is the spark plug. Treating these Dirac impulses in a mathematically rigorous way is surprisingly challenging. This is in particular true for arguments made in the frequency domain in connection with the Laplace transform. A survey will be given on how inconsistent initials values have been treated in the past and how these approaches can be justified in view of the now available solution theory based on piecewise-smooth distributions.
Critical Discourse Analysis of Sino-U.S. News Reports on Trade War: A Corpus-based Comparative Study

Since April 2018, the U.S. government headed by U.S. President Trump has adopted trade protection measures, and the Sino-U.S. trade war broke out. This lasting event has attracted widespread attention from domestic and foreign media, and the attitudes and opinions presented by various reports are different. In order to explore more in-depth information behind news reports, we analyze the Sino-U.S. trade war news based on the collected corpora. By combining corpus analysis and Fairclough's three-dimensional analysis framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and collecting 15 news reports on the websites of China Daily and The Wall Street Journal respectively from January 2019 to January 2020, this study explores the focuses of Sino-U.S. reports and their attitudes towards Sino-U.S. trade issues, and further reveals the national images of the two countries constructed by the media. It is found that the Wall Street Journal reports focus on the tariff policies and the economic impact of the Sino-U.S. trade war on its own country. While China Daily reports focus on response to trade war. For building a national image, The Wall Street Journal uses more positive words to construct the United States as an image of strong and just. China Daily builds China as an image of a big country that actively responded to challenges and actively promoted global free trade and peaceful coexistence. This study provides some empirical evidence for the critical discourse analysis of news discourse, deepens our understanding of the ideology hidden behind the news discourse, and has a certain enlightening role for discourse analysis of different genres.
BANKER-CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP IN THE CONVENTIONAL AND ISLAMIC BANKS IN MALAYSIA, REVISITED

The distinct feature of Islamic banking operations is the multiple contractual relationships between Islamic banks and their customers being that of partners, investors and traders, as well as buyer and seller. Conversely, conventional banking is primarily based on the debtor-creditor relationship (as enunciated in Foley v Hill) between the banks and the borrower with the bank earning money from a spread made between interest it receives from the borrower on loans and other assets and interest paid to the depositors in interest-bearing accounts. This article revisits previous papers related to these different types of banker-customer relationships. Afterwards, a reconsideration in comparative sense of the nature of banker-customer relationship in conventional and Islamic banks is discussed. This study is a library research which analyses the literature from books, research articles, official websites, industry report, journals and online newspapers to explore the development in the application of equity-based Shariah contract for deposit and financing to see whether the Islamic banks have distinctly move away from the debtbased financing of Foley v Hill position or otherwise. The research findings show that not many Islamic banks bode well with equity-based financing since the risks are above and beyond the threshold a normal bank is willing to take and it seems that Islamic banks are reversing back to the debt-based financing of Foley v Hill position. This study concludes with a call for a review of the duty of care of Islamic banks towards performing prudent risk management in debt-based financing in striving to adhere to higher objectives of Shariah (Maqasid al-Shari’ah). This study will be helpful for bringing policy formulation by Islamic banks to facilitate innovation in Islamic product offerings.
4. A mathematical model describing an outbreak of fire blight

Fire blight is an infectious tree disease caused by the bacteria Erwinia amylovora that primarily affects apple and pear varieties. Current methods for reducing fire blight infection are cutting off infected branches and using an antibiotic spray. In this chapter, we outline the economic impact of the disease in Canada and construct three models to investigate the spread of fire blight throughout an orchard. The full model is the most biologically accurate and examines infection through pollinator vectors and through the environment. We introduce two simplified models because of the complexity of the equations in the full model. These models allow for analysis of the basic reproductive ratio, R0. Latin hypercube sampling was used to perform sensitivity analysis for each R0 to determine the significance of each parameter in predicting Correspondence/Reprint request: Dr. Robert J. Smith? , Department of Mathematics and Faculty of Medicine The University of Ottawa 585 King Edward Ave Ottawa ON K1N 6N5, Canada. E-mail: rsmith43@uottawa.ca Tzvia Iljon et al. 92 the outcome of the disease. Analysis shows that both of the current control methods may have some impact in reducing the spread of fire blight. However, to successfully control the spread of fire blight, a more effective antibiotic spray with less resistance must be developed.
Individualized Treatment Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer with Liver Metastasis

Aim: Liver metastasis (LM) is the most common cause of death in colorectal cancer (CRC). In cases of recurrent LM, individualized aggressive local treatments are recommended for better survival outcomes. In this study, we aimed to present the health outcomes obtained in a group of highly selected patients with metastatic CRC. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of a total of 45 (28 males, 17 females) patients who were diagnosed with liver-metastatic CRC and underwent surgical treatment between March 2013 and November 2018. Results: The median patient age was 61 years. Thirty-two patients were diagnosed with synchronous metastases, and 21 of these patients underwent synchronous surgery. The median time for metachronous metastases was 18 months. Twenty-three patients developed bilobar metastases, with a median number of 4 (1–18) metastases. Eleven (10 synchronous and 1 metachronous metastasis) patients underwent liver resection without perioperative chemotherapy while the other 34 received perioperative treatment. Parenchymal-sparing liver surgery (metastasectomy/segmentectomy) as performed in 34 patients was the most preferred surgical approach and, again in accordance with the oncological principles, surgery was combined with ablation procedures to treat 31 metastases in 10 patients. The median tumor size and surgical margin width were 35 mm and 3 mm, respectively. Surgical margin positivity was present in 4 patients, of whom only 1 developed local recurrence. In a median time of 12 months, a total of 20 patients developed recurrent LM, and 12 of them underwent secondary surgery. The median survival time was 32 months for all 45 patients and 36 months for the 12 patients who underwent secondary surgery due to recurrences. Discussion and Conclusion: In CRC with LM, aggressive individualized multidisciplinary treatments can provide better survival outcomes in the long term. Synchronous or staged interventions are applicable with an acceptable morbidity and mortality. In patients with recurrent metastasis, parenchymal-sparing procedures should be preferred in order to increase the patient’s chance of repeated surgical treatment.
Custom MEMS-Based Inertial Measurement Unit For Pedestrian Navigation Use

As part of STEPPING project, which aims at developing a robust smartphone-based pedestrian indoor navigation system, a custom inertial navigation system based solely on MEMS sensors is developed. The INS consists of a linear accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer and a barometric pressure sensor and connects to a smartphone. The latter two sensors are used to support the inertial measurements. The system is evaluated with regard to the viability of the produced data and the mobility constraints it imposes on the user. It is found to be equal to the demands put to it and the qualification process of the INS is continued.
Non-Parametric Outlier Synthesis

Out-of-distribution (OOD) detection is indispensable for safely deploying machine learning models in the wild. One of the key challenges is that models lack supervision signals from unknown data, and as a result, can produce overconfident predictions on OOD data. Recent work on outlier synthesis modeled the feature space as parametric Gaussian distribution, a strong and restrictive assumption that might not hold in reality. In this paper, we propose a novel framework, Non-Parametric Outlier Synthesis (NPOS), which generates artificial OOD training data and facilitates learning a reliable decision boundary between ID and OOD data. Importantly, our proposed synthesis approach does not make any distributional assumption on the ID embeddings, thereby offering strong flexibility and generality. We show that our synthesis approach can be mathematically interpreted as a rejection sampling framework. Extensive experiments show that NPOS can achieve superior OOD detection performance, outperforming the competitive rivals by a significant margin. Code is publicly available at https://github.com/deeplearning-wisc/npos.
Monte Carlo calculated wall and axial non-uniformity corrections for primary standards of air kerma

Following the approach of an earlier NRC paper[1], this report uses improved Monte Carlo techniques to recalculate the wall attenuation and scatter corrections, Kwall, and axial non-uniformity corrections, Kan, for a wide range of ion chambers which are the primary standards of air kerma for their respective national metrological institutes (NMIs). It is first demonstrated that the Monte Carlo calculations are capable of reproducing the experimental data upon which the standards laboratories have based their values of Kwall, in the majority of cases, well within 0.2%. The calculated correction factors are then systematically applied to all chambers and the results of many international comparisons of air kerma rates determined by the NMIs to that determined by the BIPM are revised. This is done for 16 chambers for 60Co beams and for 5 chambers for 137Cs beams. In the 60Co beams the mean value of the measured air-kerma rate increases by 0.8% while the rms deviation of the results increases from 0.2% to 0.3%, with most of the increase in the scatter due to just 3 laboratories. The results for the 137Cs beam are less clear cut, but the revised values show no more spread than the original data. If one considers just the chamber type recently analyzed by Boutillon[2] it is shown that using the calculated correction factors significantly improves the original results which she found inconsistent.