Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chronic alcohol intake during adolescence, but not adulthood, promotes persistent deficits in risk-based decision making.

BACKGROUND Adolescent alcohol use is a major public health concern and is strongly correlated with the development of alcohol abuse problems in adulthood. Adolescence is characterized by maturation and remodeling of brain regions implicated in decision making and therefore may be uniquely vulnerable to environmental insults such as alcohol exposure. We have previously demonstrated that voluntary alcohol consumption in adolescence results in maladaptive risk-based decision making in adulthood. However, it is unclear whether this effect on risk-based decision making can be attributed to chronic alcohol use in general or to a selective effect of alcohol use during the adolescent period. METHODS Ethanol (EtOH) was presented to adolescent (postnatal day [PND] 30 to 49) and adult rats (PND 80 to 99) for 20 days, either 24 hours or 1 h/d, in a gel matrix consisting of distilled water, gelatin, polycose (10%), and EtOH (10%). The 24-hour time course of EtOH intake was measured and compared between adolescent and adult animals. Following 20 days of withdrawal from EtOH, we assessed risk-based decision making with a concurrent instrumental probability-discounting task. Blood EtOH concentrations (BECs) were taken from trunk blood and assessed using the Analox micro-stat GM7 in separate groups of animals at different time points. RESULTS Unlike animals exposed to EtOH during adolescence, animals exposed to alcohol during adulthood did not display differences in risk preference compared to controls. Adolescent and adult rats displayed similar EtOH intake levels and patterns when given either 24- or 1-hour access per day. In addition, while both groups reached significant BEC levels, we failed to find a difference between adult and adolescent animals. CONCLUSIONS Here, we show that adolescent, but not adult, EtOH intake leads to a persistent increase in risk preference which cannot be attributed to differences in intake levels or BECs attained. Our findings support previous work implicating adolescence as a time period of heightened susceptibility to the long-term negative effects of alcohol exposure.
Flagellar synchronization through direct hydrodynamic interactions

Flows generated by ensembles of flagella are crucial to development, motility and sensing, but the mechanisms behind this striking coordination remain unclear. We present novel experiments in which two micropipette-held somatic cells of Volvox carteri, with distinct intrinsic beating frequencies, are studied by high-speed imaging as a function of their separation and orientation. Analysis of time series shows that the interflagellar coupling, constrained by lack of connections between cells to be hydrodynamical, exhibits a spatial dependence consistent with theory. At close spacings it produces robust synchrony for thousands of beats, while at increasing separations synchrony is degraded by stochastic processes. Manipulation of the relative flagellar orientation reveals in-phase and antiphase states, consistent with dynamical theories. Flagellar tracking with exquisite precision reveals waveform changes that result from hydrodynamic coupling. This study proves unequivocally that flagella coupled solely through a fluid can achieve robust synchrony despite differences in their intrinsic properties. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.02750. 001
Prospective Cohort Study Evaluating the Prognostic Value of Simple EEG Parameters in Postanoxic Coma

We prospectively studied early bedside standard EEG characteristics in 61 acute postanoxic coma patients. Five simple EEG features, namely, isoelectric, discontinuous, nonreactive to intense auditory and nociceptive stimuli, dominant delta frequency, and occurrence of paroxysms were classified yes or no. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of each of these variables for predicting an unfavorable outcome, defined as death, persistent vegetative state, minimally conscious state, or severe neurological disability, as assessed 1 year after coma onset were computed as well as Synek’s score. The outcome was unfavorable in 56 (91.8%) patients. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and AUC of nonreactive EEG for predicting an unfavorable outcome were 84%, 80%, 98%, 31%, and 0.82, respectively; and were all very close to the ones of Synek score >3, which were 82%, 80%, 98%, 29%, and 0.81, respectively. Specificities for predicting an unfavorable outcome were 100% for isoelectric, discontinuous, or dominant delta activity EEG. These 3 last features were constantly associated to unfavorable outcome. Absent EEG reactivity strongly predicted an unfavorable outcome in postanoxic coma, and performed as accurate as a Synek score >3. Analyzing characteristics of some simple EEG features may easily help nonneurophysiologist physicians to investigate prognostic issue of postanoxic coma patient. In this study (a) discontinuous, isoelectric, or delta-dominant EEG were constantly associated with unfavorable outcome and (b) nonreactive EEG performed prognostic as accurate as a Synek score >3.
Multivariate DPOAE metrics for identifying changes in hearing: Perspectives from ototoxicity monitoring

Abstract Distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) provide a window into real-time cochlear mechanical function. Yet, relationships between the changes in DPOAE metrics and auditory sensitivity are still poorly understood. Explicating these relationships might support the use of DPOAEs in hearing conservation programs (HCPs) for detecting early damage leading to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) so that mitigating steps might be taken to limit any lasting damage. This report describes the development of DPOAE-based statistical models to assess the risk of hearing loss from cisplatin treatment among cancer patients. Ototoxicity risk assessment (ORA) models were constructed using a machine learning paradigm in which partial least squares and leave-one-out cross-validation were applied, yielding optimal screening algorithms from a set of known risk factors for ototoxicity and DPOAE changes from pre-exposure baseline measures. Single DPOAE metrics alone were poorer indicators of the risk of ototoxic hearing shifts than the best performing multivariate models. This finding suggests that multivariate approaches applied to the use of DPOAEs in a HCP, will improve the ability of DPOAE measures to identify ears with noise-induced mechanical damage and/or hearing loss at each monitoring interval. This prediction must be empirically assessed in noise-exposed subjects.
Development of Polymorphic Genic SSR Markers by Transcriptome Sequencing in the Welsh Onion (Allium fistulosum L.)

Transcriptome analysis is an efficient way to explore molecular markers in plant species, for which genome sequences have not been published. To address the limited number of markers published for the Welsh onion, this study found 6486 loci of genic simple sequence repeats (SSR), which consisted of 1–5 bp repeat motifs, based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and the RNA-Seq approach. The most abundant motif was mononucleotide (52.33%), followed by trinucleotide (31.96%), and dinucleotide (14.57%). A total of 2525 primer pairs were successfully designed, and 91 out of 311 tested primers were polymorphisms. Overall, 38 genic SSR markers were randomly selected to further validate the degree of genetic diversity, and 22 genic SSR markers (57.89%) showed high levels of polymorphism. The average polymorphism information content (PIC) value and the number of alleles (Na) were 0.63 and 5.27, respectively, and the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic average (UPGMA) cluster analysis grouped the 22 Allium accessions into three groups with Nei’s similarity coefficients ranging from 0.37 to 0.99. This result suggested that these genic SSR markers could be used to develop a higher resolution genetic map and/or to analyze the phylogenetic relationships among Allium plants in the near future.
A feeling estimation system using a simple electroencephalograph

This paper proposes a system for feeling estimation. It uses a simple electroencephalograph as an interface. If quantitative feeling presumption with information from a living body is made possible, it can be considered that a computer can appropriately deal with human's natural sensibility. Input data of proposed system is electroencephalogram (EEG) data of several feelings acquired using a simple electroencephalograph. Output of the system is one of some words associated with certain feelings states. One feature of proposed system is performing classification using the neural network. The neural networks have generalization ability and can deal with data including noise. Another feature is a low burden for the user by using a simple electroencephalograph. The proposed system is applicable to the quantitative evaluation replaced with a questionnaire. It is also applicable to handling the non-verbal information that is missing at communication.
Exploiting method-level parallelism in single-threaded Java programs

Method speculation of object-oriented programs attempts to exploit method-level parallelism (MLP) by executing sequential method invocations in parallel, while still maintaining correct sequential ordering of data dependencies and memory accesses. In this paper, we show why the Java virtual machine is an effective environment for exploiting method-level parallelism, and demonstrate how method speculation can potentially speed up single-threaded general purpose Java programs. Results from our study show that significant speedups can be achieved on data-parallel applications with minimal programmer and compiler effort. On control-flow dependent programs, moderate speedups have been achieved, suggesting more significant performance improvements on these types of programs may come from more careful analysis or re-coding of the application. For both classes of applications, we discover performance debugging drastically improves speedups by eliminating or minimizing dependencies that limit the effectiveness of method speculation.
In situ formation of lead phosphates in soils as a method to immobilize lead.

Considerable evidence, both theoretical and experimental, support the assertion that lead phosphates are the most stable environmental soil lead form and that they may form rapidly when adequate phosphate is present. This study demonstrated that the weathering of galena to insoluble lead phosphates in soils at a port facility historically used for shipment of ore concentrates is due to the presence of adequate soil phosphate. Geochemical modeling indicated that the addition of a phosphate amendment to Pb-bearing soil would result in lead phosphate formation with an estimated aqueous lead solubility of 0.1 μg/L in soil
Molecular Characterization of MSI-H Colorectal Cancer by MLHI Promoter Methylation, Immunohistochemistry, and Mismatch Repair Germline Mutation Screening

Microsatellite instability (MSI) occurs in 10% to 20% of colorectal cancers (CRC) and has been attributed to both MLH1 promoter hypermethylation and germline mutation in the mismatch repair (MMR) genes. We present results from a large population- and clinic-based study of MLH1 methylation, immunohistochemistry, and MMR germline mutations that enabled us to (a) estimate the prevalence of MMR germline mutations and MLH1 methylation among MSI-H cases and help us understand if all MSI-H CRC is explained by these mechanisms and (b) estimate the associations between MLH1 methylation and sex, age, and tumor location within the colon. MLH1 methylation was measured in 1,061 population-based and 172 clinic-based cases of CRC. Overall, we observed MLH1 methylation in 60% of population-based MSI-H cases and in 13% of clinic-based MSI-H cases. Within the population-based cases with MMR mutation screening and conclusive immunohistochemistry results, we identified a molecular event in MMR in 91% of MSI-H cases: 54% had MLH1 methylation, 14% had a germline mutation in a MMR gene, and 23% had immunohistochemistry evidence for loss of a MMR protein. We observed a striking age difference, with the prevalence of a MMR germline mutation more than 4-fold lower and the prevalence of MLH1 methylation more than 4-fold higher in cases diagnosed after the age of 50 years than in cases diagnosed before that age. We also determined that female sex is an independent predictor of MLH1 methylation within the MSI-H subgroup. These results reinforce the importance of distinguishing between the underlying causes of MSI in studies of etiology and prognosis. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(11):3208–15)
Towards a Computational Theory of Statistical

We initiate a computational theory of statistical tests. Loosely speaking, we say that an algorithm is a statistical test if it rejects a \negligible" fraction of strings. We say that a statistical test is universal for a class of algorithms if it rejects all (but nitely many) of the strings rejected by each algorithm in the class. We consider the existence and eeciency of universal statistical tests for various classes of statistical tests. We also consider the relation between ensembles passing statistical tests of particular complexity and ensembles which are indistinguishable from uniform by algorithms of the same complexity. Some of our results refer to relatively simple statistical tests (e.g., those implemented by counter machines). In addition to their own merit, we hope that these results will stimulate investigations directed towards results that refer to more complex statistical tests (e.g., those implemented in log-space).
Management of hypogonadism in adolescent girls and adult women with Prader–Willi syndrome

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by an insatiable appetite, dysmorphic features, cognitive and behavioral difficulties, and hypogonadism. The heterogeneous reproductive hormone profiles indicate that some PWS women may have symptoms of hypoestrogenism, while others may potentially be fertile. We describe our experience in the assessment and treatment of hypogonadism in adolescents and adult females with PWS. The study population consisted of 20 PWS females, age ≥16 years (27.3 ± 7.9 years), followed in our clinic (12 deletion, 7 uniparental disomy, 1 imprinting‐center defect). General physical examination, pubertal assessment, body mass index (BMI), gynecological examination, ultrasonography, bone densitometry, and hormonal profiles [FSH, LH, inhibin B, estradiol, prolactin, and TSH] were performed. The relevant assessed factors were: FSH and inhibin B, menstrual cycles (oligo/amenorrhea or irregular bleeding), ultrasound findings (endometrial thickness, uterine/ovarian abnormalities), BMI, bone densitometry, and patient/caregivers attitude. We classified seven women with inhibin B >20 ng/ml as potentially fertile. Following the assessment of the above factors, we recommended the individual‐specific treatment; contraceptive pills, intra‐uterine device, estrogen/progesterone replacement, and cyclic progesterone, in 3, 1, 4, and 1 patients, respectively. Four patients did not follow our recommendations due to poor compliance or family refusal. We recommended contraception pills for one 26‐year‐old woman with inhibin B and FSH levels 53 ng/ml and 6.4 IU/L; however, she refused treatment, conceived spontaneously and had an abortion. Guidelines for hormonal replacement therapy in PWS need to be tailored individually depending on physical development, hormonal profiles, bone density, and emotional and social needs of each PWS adolescent and adult. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A mixed-effects, spatially varying coefficients model with application to multi-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging data

Spatial resolution plays an important role in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies as the signal-to-noise ratio increases linearly with voxel volume. In scientific studies, where functional magnetic resonance imaging is widely used, the standard spatial resolution typically used is relatively low which ensures a relatively high signal-to-noise ratio. However, for pre-surgical functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis, where spatial accuracy is paramount, high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging may play an important role with its greater spatial resolution. High spatial resolution comes at the cost of a smaller signal-to-noise ratio. This begs the question as to whether we can leverage the higher signal-to-noise ratio of a standard functional magnetic resonance imaging study with the greater spatial accuracy of a high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging study in a pre-operative patient. To answer this question, we propose to regress the statistic image from a high resolution scan onto the statistic image obtained from a standard resolution scan using a mixed-effects model with spatially varying coefficients. We evaluate our model via simulation studies and we compare its performance with a recently proposed model that operates at a single spatial resolution. We apply and compare the two models on data from a patient awaiting tumor resection. Both simulation study results and the real data analysis demonstrate that our newly proposed model indeed leverages the larger signal-to-noise ratio of the standard spatial resolution scan while maintaining the advantages of the high spatial resolution scan.
A User Profile Modeling Method Based on Word2Vec

Researchers have done extensive work on establishing an accurate user profile, which has been verified an effective way to implement the user marketing accurately and effectively. In this paper, we will present a feature extraction method based on the fusion of Word2Vec and TF-IDF, and try to establish a user profile. The vector space model (VSM) contains the word vector calculated by Word2Vec, and the weight vector represented by TF-IDF. Based on this idea, we deduce the user's basic information by analyzing the user's search logs in a period of time. The experiments demonstrate the efficiency of the new method
Scheduling for Improved Write Performance in a Cost- Effective, Fault-Tolerant Parallel Virtual File System (CEFT-PVFS)

Without any additional hardware, CEFT-PVFS utilizes the existing disks on each cluster node to provide RAID-10 style parallel I/O service. In CEFT-PVFS, all servers are also computational nodes and can be heavily loaded by different applications running on the cluster, thus potentially degrad- ing the I/O performance. To minimize the degradation, I/O requests can be scheduled on a less loaded server in each mirroring pair. To help define the meaning of "load" in face of multiple resources such as CPU, memory, disk and network, this paper examines the impacts of these resources by measuring ag- gregate I/O throughput of the simplest CEFT-PVFS configurations, under spe- cific and isolated workload stresses. Based on the heuristic rules found from the experimental results, a scheduling algorithm for dynamic load balancing is de- veloped. In a CEFF-PVFS with 16 data servers, we evaluate this algorithm un- der different workloads. The results show that the proposed scheduling algo- rithm significantly improves the overall performance.
A Decentralized Multi-agent Service Lookup Mechanism : Cooperation and Communication without Center Agents in RoboCup Rescue

Multi-agent systems (MAS) offer promising solutions to complex problems in distributed, open environments. Each MAS agent uses limited resources, incomplete knowledge, and limited capabilities to contribute to the solution of complex problems via agent interactions. For this reason, how to perform efficient searches for compatible agents is currently an important research topic. The author describes a proposed decentralized service lookup (DSL) mechanism that constructs service directories that are distributed among agents, who use keywords to find resources, capabilities, and knowledge held by other agents. The proposed DSL avoids three common problems in this area: broadcast queries, single point failures, and performance bottlenecks.
Kisspeptin administration to women: a window into endogenous kisspeptin secretion and GnRH responsiveness across the menstrual cycle.

CONTEXT Kisspeptin is the most powerful known stimulus of GnRH-induced LH secretion across mammalian species. However, the effects of kisspeptin are just being explored, and the dynamics of kisspeptin responsiveness across the menstrual cycle are incompletely understood. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to characterize the effects of kisspeptin on GnRH secretion in healthy women in different phases of the menstrual cycle. PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION Ten women in the early follicular phase, three women in the late follicular (preovulatory) phase, and 14 women in the midluteal phase received a bolus of kisspeptin 112-121 0.24 nmol/kg iv. An additional four women in the early to midfollicular phase received kisspeptin 112-121 0.72 nmol/kg iv. RESULTS The response to kisspeptin varied depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle. LH pulses were observed immediately after kisspeptin administration in all luteal and preovulatory women. However, only half the women in the early follicular phase had unambiguous kisspeptin responses. Increasing the kisspeptin dose did not increase the LH response in early to midfollicular phase women. Kisspeptin did not appear to reset the GnRH pulse generator in women as it does in men. CONCLUSIONS Differences in responses to exogenous kisspeptin across the menstrual cycle suggest that kisspeptin tone is higher in the early follicular phase compared with other cycle phases. The mechanisms that determine the timing of GnRH pulse generation in men and women appear to be distinct.
Association of rs1006737 in CACNA1C with alterations in prefrontal activation and fronto‐hippocampal connectivity

Background: Genome‐wide association studies have identified the rs1006737 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the CACNA1C gene as a susceptibility locus for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. On the neural systems level this association is explained by altered functioning of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the hippocampal formation (HF), brain regions also affected by mental illness. In the present study we investigated the association of rs1006737 genotype with prefrontal activation and fronto‐hippocampal connectivity. Methods: We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure neural activation during an n‐back working memory task in 94 healthy subjects. All subjects were genotyped for the SNP rs1006737. We tested associations of the rs1006737 genotype with changes in working‐memory‐related DLPFC activation and functional integration using a seed region functional connectivity approach. Results: Rs1006737 genotype was associated with altered right‐hemispheric DLPFC activation. The homozygous A (risk) group showed decreased activation compared to G‐allele carriers. Further, the functional connectivity analysis revealed a positive association of fronto‐hippocampal connectivity with rs1006737 A alleles. Conclusions: We did not replicate the previous findings of increased right DLPFC activation in CACNA1C rs1006737 A homozygotes. In fact, we found the opposite effect, thus questioning prefrontal inefficiency as rs1006737 genotype‐related intermediate phenotype. On the other hand, our results indicate that alterations in the functional coupling between the prefrontal cortex and the medial temporal lobe could represent a neural system phenotype that is mediated by CACNA1C rs1006737 and other genetic susceptibility loci for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Hum Brain Mapp 35:1190–1200, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.