Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tensor Analysis and Fusion of Multimodal Brain Images

Current high-throughput data acquisition technologies probe dynamical systems with different imaging modalities, generating massive data sets at different spatial and temporal resolutions-posing challenging problems in multimodal data fusion. A case in point is the attempt to parse out the brain structures and networks that underpin human cognitive processes by analysis of different neuroimaging modalities (functional MRI, EEG, NIRS, etc.). We emphasize that the multimodal, multiscale nature of neuroimaging data is well reflected by a multiway (tensor) structure where the underlying processes can be summarized by a relatively small number of components or “atoms. ” We introduce Markov-Penrose diagrams-an integration of Bayesian DAG and tensor network notation in order to analyze these models. These diagrams not only clarify matrix and tensor EEG and fMRI time/frequency analysis and inverse problems, but also help understand multimodal fusion via multiway partial least squares and coupled matrix-tensor factorization. We show here, for the first time, that Granger causal analysis of brain networks is a tensor regression problem, thus allowing the atomic decomposition of brain networks. Analysis of EEG and fMRI recordings shows the potential of the methods and suggests their use in other scientific domains.
High Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Pre-S Mutant in Countries Where It Is Endemic and Its Relationship with Genotype and Chronicity

ABSTRACT It has been reported that hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutants carrying mutations in the pre-S region can be found in infected patients. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of the HBV variant with the pre-S mutant in different geographic regions, including countries with low and high levels of endemic HBV infection, and analyzed the correlation with clinical findings. We examined 387 HBV DNA-positive serum samples from individuals among 12 countries, consisting of Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Korea, Nepal, Japan, Russia, Spain, United States, Bolivia, and Ghana. HBV pre-S mutants were detected in 71 (18.3%) of 387 serum samples tested. This mutant was the most prevalent in Vietnam (36%), followed by Nepal (27.3%), Myanmar (23.3%), China (22.4%), Korea (14.3%), Thailand (10.5%), Japan (7.7%), and Ghana (4.3%). In contrast, no case with this mutation was found in Russia, Spain, United States, and Bolivia. Among the HBV deletion mutations, 15.5% (11 of 71) occurred in the pre-S1 and 46.5% (33 of 71) in the pre-S2 regions. Eight (11.3%) cases had a mutation in both the pre-S1 and pre-S2 regions. In addition, a point mutation at the pre-S2 starting codon was observed in 19 (26.7%) cases. The detection rate of the HBV mutant in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma was significantly higher than in other patients (P < 0.05). Furthermore, these mutants were found more frequently in genotype B (25%) and genotype C (24.5%) than in the other genotypes (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that there was a high prevalence of HBV pre-S mutation in regions of endemic HBV infection in Asia. Furthermore, the pre-S mutation appeared to be correlated with hepatocellular carcinoma and HBV genotypes.
Medical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is increasingly being recognized as a serious public health problem, and is characterized by repetitive, complete or partial closure of the upper airway during sleep, resulting in sleep fragmentation and oxygen desaturation. The key symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are snoring, witnessed apneas, excessive daytime sleepiness and deficits in neurocognitive function, adversely impacting on quality of life. The last 10 years have seen a steady increase in evidence linking obstructive sleep apnea to long-term cardiovascular morbidity, including hypertension, myocardial infarction and stroke, and an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. The discovery of continuous positive airway pressure treatment, and the resultant recognition of the high prevalence of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, and their impact on health, has spawned a new and rapidly growing global industry. Whilst diagnostic technologic advancements have evolved relatively rapidly, many questions relating to the use of such devices in clinical practice remain unresolved. Similarly, on the therapeutic front, advances in continuous positive airway pressure technology have broadened the use of such treatment, although compliance remains an important impediment to widespread treatment of this common disorder. This has prompted a search for simpler treatment alternatives, ranging from surgical, medical and dental therapies, although none have matched the efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure. Advances in our understanding of the neurobiology of sleep and respiration herald the prospect of pharmacologic treatment in the longer term.
Online education and training : well-founded pedagogy or state-corporate interests?

There is much enthusiasm for the use of new information and communications technologies (ICT) and online education and training (OET) in particular, in higher education. ICT is presented as a panacea for all contemporary education and training problems. But using ICT and OET is subject to similar practical and theoretical problems long debated in the extensive literature on open and distance learning (ODL), and to a small but growing critical literature on its use in education. These literatures have largely been ignored by advocates of ICT. The question is why their enthusiasm persists. It is argued that the answer to this question can only be found by drawing on the literature on ODL, the critical literature on using ICT in education, and placing the issue in the context of state, corporate and higher education relationships, in today\'s neo-liberal, global capitalist society. It is suggested that the enthusiasm for ICT/OET reflects state-corporate interests rather than well-founded pedagogy. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 21 (3) 2007: pp. 473-484
Contribution of philosophy to the advancement of marketing thought

The four papers in this special issue revisit the core concepts and key functions of marketing through philosophy. They examine the discipline as it enters its maturity amidst unprecedented global socioeconomic turmoil. As the certainties of modernity and the individualism of postmodernity melt into the uncharted lands of metamodernity, they offer a kaleidoscopic view of the big issues faced by contemporary societies through a fascinatingly eclectic mix of topics, theoretical frameworks and methodological perspectives. They call for a clean break from amoralism and a wholehearted embracement of our role as facilitators of value coproduction and agents of the ethics of gentleness.
Dietary diversity as a food security indicator

Household food security is an important measure of well-being. Although it may not encapsulate all dimensions of poverty, the inability of households to obtain access to enough food for an active, healthy life is surely an important component of their poverty. Accordingly, devising an appropriate measure of food security outcomes is useful in order to identify the food insecure, assess the severity of their food shortfall, characterize the nature of their insecurity (for example, seasonal versus chronic), predict who is most at risk of future hunger, monitor changes in circumstances, and assess the impact of interventions. However, obtaining detailed data on food security status—such as 24- hour recall data on caloric intakes—can be time consuming and expensive and require a high level of technical skill both in data collection and analysis. This paper examines whether an alternative indicator, dietary diversity, defined as the number of unique foods consumed over a given period of time, provides information on household food security. It draws on data from 10 countries (India, the Philippines, Mozambique, Mexico, Bangladesh, Egypt, Mali, Malawi, Ghana, and Kenya) that encompass both poor and middle-income countries, rural and urban sectors, data collected in different seasons, and data on calories acquisition obtained using two different methods. [D]ietary diversity would appear to show promise as a means of measuring food security and monitoring changes and impact, particularly when resources available for such measurement are scarce.
Robust detection in nominally Laplace noise

The authors consider the robust detection of a known constant signal in additive, mutually independent and identically distributed noise which is nominally Laplace. Employing the classical saddlepoint methodology of Huber (1951), they specify the form of the robust detector and obtain closed form results which allow for the analysis of the performance of the robust detector. They show via examples that the robustness can entail a considerable cost in detector performance. In addition, they compare the performance of the robust detector to that of the Neyman-Pearson detector for examples where the noise is Laplace and also where the noise is least favorable for the given detector. >
Angelman syndrome: Current understanding and research prospects

Angelman syndrome is a neurogenetic disorder characterized by developmental delay, severe intellectual disability, absent speech, exuberant behavior with happy demeanor, motor impairment, and epilepsy, due to deficient UBE3A gene expression that may be caused by various abnormalities of chromosome 15. Recent findings in animal models demonstrated altered dendritic spine formation as well as both synaptic [including γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)A and N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) transmission] and nonsynaptic (including gap junction) influences in various brain regions, including hippocampus and cerebellar cortex. Reversal of selected abnormalities in rescue genetically engineered animal models is encouraging, although it should not be misinterpreted as promising “cure” for affected patients. Much research is still required to fully understand the functional links between lack of UBE3A expression and clinical manifestations of Angelman syndrome. Studies of regulation of UBE3A expression, including imprinting‐related methylation, may point to possibilities of therapeutic upregulation. Understanding relevant roles of the gene product might lead to targeted intervention. Further documentation of brain network dynamics, with particular emphasis on hippocampus, thalamocortical, and cerebellar networks is needed, including in a developmental perspective. There is also a need for further clinical research for improving management of problems such as epilepsy, behavior, communication, learning, motor impairment, and sleep disturbances.
Zero-delay joint source-channel coding in the presence of interference known at the encoder

Zero-delay transmission of a Gaussian source is considered over an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel in the presence of an additive Gaussian interference signal. The mean squared error (MSE) distortion is minimized under an average power constraint assuming that the interference signal is known causally at the transmitter. Optimality of simple uncoded transmission does not hold in this setting due to the presence of the known interference signal, and various non-linear transmission schemes are proposed. In particular, interference concentration (ICO) and one-dimensional lattice (1DL) strategies are studied. It is shown that non-uniform quantization of the interference signal for ICO improves the performance.
A critical balance between Cyclin B synthesis and Myt1 activity controls meiosis entry in Xenopus oocytes

In fully grown oocytes, meiosis is arrested at first prophase until species-specific initiation signals trigger maturation. Meiotic resumption universally involves early activation of M phase-promoting factor (Cdc2 kinase-Cyclin B complex, MPF) by dephosphorylation of the inhibitory Thr14/Tyr15 sites of Cdc2. However, underlying mechanisms vary. In Xenopus oocytes, deciphering the intervening chain of events has been hampered by a sensitive amplification loop involving Cdc2-Cyclin B, the inhibitory kinase Myt1 and the activating phosphatase Cdc25. In this study we provide evidence that the critical event in meiotic resumption is a change in the balance between inhibitory Myt1 activity and Cyclin B neosynthesis. First, we show that in fully grown oocytes Myt1 is essential for maintaining prophase I arrest. Second, we demonstrate that, upon upregulation of Cyclin B synthesis in response to progesterone, rapid inactivating phosphorylation of Myt1 occurs, mediated by Cdc2 and without any significant contribution of Mos/MAPK or Plx1. We propose a model in which the appearance of active MPF complexes following increased Cyclin B synthesis causes Myt1 inhibition, upstream of the MPF/Cdc25 amplification loop.
Time‐dependent effects of the flame retardant tris(1,3‐dichloro‐2‐propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) on mRNA expression, in vitro and in ovo, reveal optimal sampling times for rapidly metabolized compounds

The flame retardant, tris(1,3‐dichloro‐2‐propyl) phosphate (TDCPP), was previously shown to affect chicken embryo growth, gallbladder size, and lipid homeostasis. A microarray study, however, revealed only modest transcriptional alterations in liver tissue of pipping embryos (days 20–21), which was attributed to the rapid metabolism of TDCPP throughout incubation. To identify the most appropriate sampling time for rapidly metabolized compounds, the present study assessed the time‐dependent effects of TDCPP on 27 genes, in ovo (50 µg [116 nmol] TDCPP/g egg) and in vitro (10 µM), using a chicken ToxChip polymerase chain reaction array. The greatest magnitude in dysregulation (up to 362‐fold) occurred on day 8 of incubation (in ovo) with alterations of genes involved in phase I, II, and III metabolism, among others. Gallbladder hypotrophy was observed by embryonic day 12, corroborating the finding in pipping embryos from our previous study. From days 12 to 19, genes involved in lipid homeostasis, steroid hormone metabolism, and oxidative stress were affected. In chicken embryonic hepatoctyes (CEHs), TDCPP was completely metabolized to bis(1,3‐dichloro‐2‐propyl) phosphate (BDCPP) within 36 h, but transcriptional changes remained significant up to 36 h. These changes were not attributed to BDCPP exposure as it only altered 1 gene (CYP1A4). An 18‐h exposure in CEHs altered the greatest number of genes, making it an appropriate time point for high‐throughput chemical screening; however, depending on the biological pathways of interest, shorter or longer incubation times may be more informative. Overall, TDCPP elicits the transcriptional and phenotypic alterations observed in vitro and in ovo, whereas its major metabolite, BDCPP, is far less biologically active. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:2842–2849. © 2014 SETAC
Endobronchial eosinophils preferentially stimulate T helper cell type 2 responses

Background: Antigen‐loaded eosinophils instilled intratracheally into mice were capable of migrating into local lymph nodes and localize to the T cell‐rich paracortical zones where they stimulated antigen‐specific proliferation of CD4+ T cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether eosinophils within the tracheobronchial lumen can stimulate Th2 cell expansion by presenting antigen both in vitro and in vivo.
Text Document Clustering based on Phrase Similarity using Affinity Propagation

Affinity propagation (AP) was recently introduced as an unsupervised learning algorithm for exemplar based clustering. In this paper novel text document clustering algorithm has been developed based on vector space model, phrases and affinity propagation clustering algorithm. Proposed algorithm can be called Phrase affinity clustering (PAC). PAC first finds the phrase by ukkonen suffix tree construction algorithm, second finds the vector space model using tf-idf weighting scheme of phrase. Third calculate the similarity matrix form VSD using cosine similarity . In Last affinity propagation algorithm generate the clusters . F-Measure ,Purity and Entropy of Proposed algorithm is better than GAHC ,ST-GAHC and ST-KNN on OHSUMED ,RCV1 and News group data sets.
Peripheral vestibular dysfunction is prevalent in older adults experiencing multiple non-syncopal falls versus age-matched non-fallers: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND vestibular disorders are common in the general population, increasing with age. However, it is unknown whether older adults who fall have a higher proportion of vestibular impairment compared with age-matched older adult non-fallers. OBJECTIVE to identify whether a greater proportion of older adult fallers have a peripheral vestibular impairment compared with age-matched healthy controls. DESIGN case-controlled study. SETTING tertiary falls and neuro-otology clinics and local community centres, London, UK. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS community-dwelling older adults experiencing: (i) ≥2 unexplained falls within the previous 12-months (Group F, n = 25), (ii) a confirmed peripheral vestibular disorder (Group PV, n = 15) and (iii) healthy non-fallers (Group H, n = 16). All the participants completed quantitative vestibular function tests, the functional gait assessment (FGA), physiological profile assessment (PPA) and subjective measures for common vestibular symptoms (i.e. giddiness), balance confidence during daily activities and psychological state. RESULTS a clinically significant vestibular impairment was noted for 80% (20/25) of Group F compared with 18.75% (3/16) for Group H (P < 0.01). Group F performed less well in complex gait tasks (FGA), and reported a greater number of falls than both Groups H and PV (P < 0.05). Vestibular symptom scores showed no significant difference between Groups F and PV. CONCLUSION vestibular dysfunction is significantly more prevalent in older adult fallers versus non-fallers. Individuals referred to a falls clinic are older, more impaired and report more falls than those referred to a neuro-otology department. A greater awareness of vestibular impairments may lead to more effective management and treatment for older adult fallers.
The effects of an apparent breach of therapeutic regulations on consumers: the Pan Pharmaceuticals recall

The aim of this study was to assess how demographic variables and personal values are related to people's knowledge and cognitive and behavioural responses towards a major drug recall event that occurred in Australia in 2003. For this purpose, a survey was sent out in 2003 to 1000 households in Victoria, Australia. Households had been randomly selected from the electoral role. A total of 415 respondents participated. Results indicated that higher socioeconomic status was related to better information about the recall event and more trust in manufacturers. Respondents who held traditional or naturalistic values were likely to trust that faults in the system would be regulated by the government or consumers themselves. Parents and older respondents were more likely to be critical of the Therapeutic Goods Administration which co-ordinated the recall. Parental status, education and values were related to subsequent changes in respondents’ use of complementary medicines. In light of the worth of the health supplement industry to the Australian economy, the results of this survey suggest that the Therapeutic Goods Administration should adopt a more transparent and accountable role towards the public.
Soluble lipopolysaccharide receptor (CD14) is released via two different mechanisms from human monocytes and CD14 transfectants

The receptor for lipopolysaccharide LPS (CD14) exists in a membrane‐associated (mCD14) and a soluble form (sCD14). Previous studies indicate that monocytes produce sCD14 by limited proteolysis of the membrane‐bound receptor. In this study we demonstrate that human monocytes also produce sCD14 by a protease‐independent mechanism. To investigate the molecular nature of this second pathway we studied sCD14 formation in the monocytic cell line Mono Mac 6 (MM6) and in CD14 transfectants. Both MM6 and the CD14 transfectants constitutively produce sCD14 by a protease‐independent mechanism. Structural analysis of sCD14 produced by the CD14 transfectants reconfirmed the presence of the COOH terminus predicted from the cDNA. Since glycosylphosphatidyl‐inositol anchor attachment is associated with the removal of a hydrophobic C‐terminal signal peptide, our finding demonstrates that the transfectants secrete sCD14 which escaped this posttranslational modification. Identical results obtained for sCD14 derived from peritoneal dialysis fluid of a patient with kidney dysfunction show the in vivo relevance of this pathway for sCD14 production.
Molecular systematics and biological diversification of Boletales

Historical patterns of morphological evolution and ecology in the Boletales are largely unresolved but appear to involve extensive convergence. We studied phylogenetic relationships of Boletales based on two datasets. The nuc-lsu dataset is broadly sampled and includes roughly 30% of the described species of Boletales and 51 outgroup taxa across the Hymenomycetes. The multigene dataset (nuc-ssu, nuc-lsu, 5.8S, mt-lsu, atp6) sampled 42 key species of Boletales in a framework of 14 representative Hymenomycetes. The Boletales are strongly supported as monophyletic in our analyses on both datasets with parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches. Six major lineages of Boletales that currently are recognized on subordinal level, Boletineae, Paxillineae, Sclerodermatineae, Suillineae, Tapinellineae, Coniophorineae, received varied support. The backbone of the Boletales was moderately resolved in the analyses with the nuc-lsu dataset, but support was strong for most major groups. Nevertheless, most brown-rot producing forms were placed as a paraphyletic grade at the base of the Boletales. Analyses on the multigene dataset confirm sister group relationships among Boletales, Agaricales and Atheliales. Boletineae and Suillineae received the highest support values; Paxillineae and Sclerodermatineae were not consistently resolved as monophyletic groups. The Coniophorineae were not monophyletic in any analyses. The Tapinellineae consisting of morphologically diverse brown-rotting fungi forms the basal group in the Boletales. We performed ancestral state reconstruction with BayesMultiState, which suggested that the ancestor of the Boletales was a resupinate or polyporoid saprotrophic fungus, producing a brown-rot.
Party Leaders in the Media and Voting Behavior: Priming Rather Than Learning or Projection

The prominence of party leaders in the media is one of the presumed causes of leader effects (i.e., the influence of party leader evaluation on the voting decision). Yet there is scant knowledge of the relationship between attention for party leaders in the news and the weight of party leader evaluations in the voting decision. This study fills this research gap by examining the effect of exposure to personalized coverage on the weight of party leader evaluations in the voting decision. Based on priming theory, exposure to personalized coverage is expected to make voters weigh leader evaluations more heavily in their vote decision. The study is based on a content analysis of the coverage of the 2010 Dutch election campaign and an 11-wave panel survey. Therewith the hypotheses are tested in a dynamic natural media environment. The analyses demonstrate that leader effects do occur. Voters use leader evaluations in their voting decision, even when controlling for the lagged vote, party evaluations, and issue agreement. Our data also support the hypothesis that personalized media coverage primes personalized voting behavior, even when controlling for learning and projection. Voters weigh leader evaluations more heavily in their vote decision and party evaluations and issue agreement less heavily when they are exposed to more personalized coverage.