Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impaired Neocortical Plasticity in Bipolar II Disorder

Objective: It has recently been hypothesized that synaptic plasticity may play an important role in the pathophysiology and treatment of bipolar disorders. In this study, we aimed to induce and assess plastic modifications of evoked responses in the visual system of healthy controls. In addition, we aimed to examine whether this form of plasticity is altered in patients with bipolar II disorder (BD-II). Methods: Recordings of visually evoked potentials (VEPs) in healthy controls and BD-II patients. Clinical information was obtained using standardized questionnaires and interviews. Results: In healthy controls, a 10-minute modulation phase using checkerboard reversals (2 Hz) resulted in significant plasticity of the VEP. The P1 and N1 peak as well as the P1-N1 peak-to-peak amplitude were all significantly increased, of which we found the P1-N1 peakto-peak amplitude to be the most robust measure of the effect. In BD-II patients, no significant plasticity of the VEP was found. Comparing the healthy controls and patients, we found a significant group difference in the P1-N1 peak-to-peak plasticity. We found no significant correlations when exploring possible relationships between P1-N1 peak-to-peak plasticity and clinical variables in the patient group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that plasticity of the VEP is an accessible and robust method for assessing neocortical plasticity in the intact human brain. The current evidence supports the notion that VEP plasticity reflects a form of neocortical plasticity closely related to long-term potentiation. Patients with BD-II had impaired neocortical plasticity relative to healthy controls. Future studies should longitudinally assess plasticity of the VEP in BD-II before and after treatment.
DNA hypermethylation-induced miR-182 silence targets BCL2 and HOXA9 to facilitate the self-renewal of leukemia stem cell, accelerate acute myeloid leukemia progression, and determine the sensitivity of BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax

Rationale: microRNAs (miRNAs) are frequently deregulated and play important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). miR-182 functions as an onco-miRNA or tumor suppressor miRNA in the context of different cancers. However, whether miR-182 affects the self-renewal of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) and normal hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs) is unknown. Methods: Bisulfite sequencing was used to analyze the methylation status at pri-miR-182 promoter. Lineage-negative HSPCs were isolated from miR-182 knockout (182KO) and wild-type (182WT) mice to construct MLL-AF9-transformed AML model. The effects of miR-182 depletion on the overall survival and function of LSC were analyzed in this mouse model in vivo. Results: miR-182-5p (miR-182) expression was lower in AML blasts than normal controls (NCs) with hypermethylation observed at putative pri-miR-182 promoter in AML blasts but unmethylation in NCs. Overexpression of miR-182 inhibited proliferation, reduced colony formation, and induced apoptosis in leukemic cells. In addition, depletion of miR-182 accelerated the development and shortened the overall survival (OS) in MLL-AF9-transformed murine AML through increasing LSC frequency and self-renewal ability. Consistently, overexpression of miR-182 attenuated AML development and extended the OS in the murine AML model. Most importantly, miR-182 was likely dispensable for normal hematopoiesis. Mechanistically, we identified BCL2 and HOXA9 as two key targets of miR-182 in this context. Most importantly, AML patients with miR-182 unmethylation had high expression of miR-182 followed by low protein expression of BCL2 and resistance to BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax (Ven) in vitro. Conclusions: Our results suggest that miR-182 is a potential therapeutic target for AML patients through attenuating the self-renewal of LSC but not HSPC. miR-182 promoter methylation could determine the sensitivity of Ven treatment and provide a potential biomarker for it.
Formalism for the calculation of local elastic constants at grain boundaries by means of atomistic simulation

A new formalism for use in atomistic simulations to calculate the full local elastic‐constant tensor in terms of local stresses and strains is presented. Results of simulations on a high‐angle (001) twist grain boundary are illustrated, using both a Lennard–Jones potential for Cu and an embedded‐atom potential for Au. The two conceptionally rather different potentials show similar anomalies in all elastic constants, confined to within a few lattice planes of the grain boundary, with an especially dramatic reduction in the resistance to shear parallel to the grain‐boundary plane. It is found that the primary cause of the anomalies is the atomic disorder near the grain boundary, as evidenced by the slice‐by‐slice radial distribution functions for the inhomogeneous interface system.
Gold nanoshell thermal confinement of conformal laser thermal therapy in liver metastasis

Cooled fiber tip technology has significantly improved the volume coverage of laser induced thermal therapy (LITT), making LITT an attractive technology for the minimally invasive treatment of cancer. Gold coated nanoshells can be tuned to experience a plasmon resonance at a desired laser frequency, there introduction into the treatment region can greatly amplify the effectiveness of the thermal treatment. The goal is to conformaly heat the target, while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. To this end a treatment option that is self-confining to the target lesion is highly desirable. This can be achieved in the liver by allowing nanoshells to be taken up by the healthy tissue of the liver as part of their natural removal from the blood stream. The lesion is then incased inside the nanoshell laden tissue of the surrounding healthy tissue. When an interstitial laser probe is introduced into the center of the lesion the thermal radiation scatters outward until it interacts with and is absorbed by the nanoshells located around the lesion periphery. As the periphery heats it acts as secondary source of thermal radiation, sending heat back into lesion and giving rise to ablative temperatures within the lesion while sparing the surrounding tissue. In order to better monitor therapy and know when the target volume has been ablated, or exceeded, accurate knowledge is needed of both the spatial distribution of heating and the maximum temperature achieved. Magnetic resonance temperature imaging (MRTI) is capable of monitoring the spatiotemporal distribution of temperature in vivo[1]. Experiments have been performed in vitro using a dog liver containing nanoshells (concentration 860ppm) and a tissue like lesion phantom designed to have the optical properties of liver metastasis [2].
Physical, Nutritional, and Bioactive Properties of Mandacaru Cladode Flour (Cereus jamacaru DC.): An Unconventional Food Plant from the Semi-Arid Brazilian Northeast

In this study, we evaluated the physical, nutritional, and bioactive properties of mandacaru cladode flour (Cereus jamacaru DC.). The granulometric profile revealed particles with non-uniform geometry, flakiness, a rectangular tendency, and a non-homogeneous surface, with particle sizes ranging from 20 to 60 µm. The flour presented low water activity (0.423), a moisture content of 8.24 g/100 g, high ash (2.82 g/100 g), protein (5.18 g/100 g), and total carbohydrate contents (74.48 g/100 g), and low lipid contents (1.88 g/100 g). Mandacaru flour is an excellent source of insoluble dietary fiber (48.08 g/100 g), calcium (76.33%), magnesium (15.21%), and potassium (5.94%). Notably, 1H NMR analysis revealed the presence of N-methyltyramine. Using HPLC chromatography, glucose was identified as the predominant sugar (1.33 g/100 g), followed by four organic acids, especially malic acid (9.41 g/100 g) and citric acid (3.96 g/100 g). Eighteen phenolic compounds were detected, with relevant amounts of kaempferol (99.40 mg/100 g), myricetin (72.30 mg/100 g), and resveratrol (17.84 mg/100 g). The total phenolic compounds and flavonoids were 1285.47 mg GAE/100 g and 15.19 mg CE/100 g, respectively. The mean in vitro antioxidant activity values were higher using the FRAP method (249.45 µmol Trolox TEAC/100 g) compared to the ABTS•+ method (0.39 µmol Trolox TEAC/g). Finally, the ascorbic acid had a content of 35.22 mg/100 g. The results demonstrate the value of mandacaru as a little-explored species and an excellent matrix for the development of flours presenting good nutritional value and bioactive constituents with excellent antioxidant potential.
Parameter estimation from power system disturbance measurements

Estimation of parameters from power system measurements is complicated by the nonlinear nature of system dynamics. The paper proposes a Gauss-Newton approach to computing model parameters that give the best fit between measurements and the model response. This approach involves trajectory sensitivities, i.e., the sensitivity of the model trajectory to small changes in parameters. An overview of trajectory sensitivity analysis is provided. A small example, which exhibits both soft and hard nonlinearities, is used to illustrate the estimation algorithm.
Reliability of systems with fuzzy-failure criterion

In many situations, such as robot path planning and automated manufacturing systems, the output for a given input cannot be simply classified as being either correct (no failure) or incorrect (failure). Instead of an ad hoc binary classification of the correctness of the output, it is more intuitive to use a fuzzy set based classification scheme. One approach is to let the value of the fuzzy set membership function denote the degree of acceptability (i.e., correctness) of the output. In this paper, we investigate several such fuzzy-failure criteria and their effects on system reliability in embedded computer systems. We first model the fuzzy output level of a response to a sensor event as a random variable in the range of [0,1] with 0 indicating that the output is completely acceptable and 1 indicating that the output is completely unacceptable. Then we derive analytical expressions for the reliability of systems for various fuzzy-failure criteria and compare their numerical solutions. We conclude that the reliability of such systems depends significantly on the fuzzy-failure criterion defined by the system designer. <<ETX>>
Relationship between Dark Triad, Mental Health, and Subjective Well-being Moderated by Mindfulness: A Study on Atheists and Muslim Students

Research indicates that mindfulness is related to mental health (anxiety, depression, and general health) and well-being. However, its impact on individuals who have the Dark Triad (DT) personality remains unclear. We examined the relationship between the DT constructs (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism), mental health, and subjective well-being with mindfulness as the moderator variable. A total of 764 (Atheist=412; Muslims=352) university students were recruited to complete the Dark Triad personality scale (DM), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Trait Anxiety scale (STAI), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and Subjective Well-Being scale (SWB). Pearson's correlations and PROCESS macro were used to evaluate associations between these variables and whether mindfulness moderated the associations between DT constructs, mental health, and subjective well-being. The results revealed that DT statistically significant predictor of mental health but only in low mindfulness levels. While two DT constructs, narcissism and Machiavellianism, significantly predict subjective well-being only for participants with high mindfulness levels.
Acetazolamide-Induced Periorbital Myokymia: A Case Report

Acetazolamide, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, is primarily used in the treatment of glaucoma, due to its role in decreasing intraocular pressure by lowering the production of aqueous humor. Additionally, by lowering cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) production, it is also used in the treatment of raised intracranial pressure. Drug-induced myokymia has rarely been reported, with known triggers being clozapine, gabapentin and flunarizine, and topiramate. Acetazolamide-induced myokymia itself has only been reported once before, to the best of our knowledge, and the exact mechanism behind this occurrence remains unknown. We, therefore, report a rare case of periorbital myokymia induced by the use of acetazolamide in a patient diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The nature of her symptoms was significant, as they caused her considerable distress, and subsided almost immediately upon discontinuation of the drug.
Occupational Health of Education Personnel—The Role of Job Crafting and Other Control Strategies on Healthy Ageing at Work

This article looks at the strategies that influence healthy ageing at work from the motivational theory of life span development (MTD). It aims to better understand the influence of job crafting as a selective primary control, help-seeking as a compensatory primary control, positive reappraisal as a selective secondary control, and downward social comparison and downgrading expectation as a compensatory secondary control on healthy ageing at work (work engagement, health, and motivation to continue working after retirement). A total of 386 educational personnel participated in the study. This study used hierarchical regression analysis to test incremental validity, supplemented with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling as a solution to solve the potential error problems caused. The results show that job crafting is positively correlated with healthy ageing at work. Positive reappraisal and downward social comparison showed incremental validity in predicting healthy ageing at work beyond job crafting among the middle-aged group (45–65-years-old); in particular, positive reappraisal was the determinant of healthy ageing at work among the middle-aged group. However, both help-seeking and downgrading expectation did not show incremental validity. This study can contribute to the evolution of career development interventions and human resource management focused on supporting older people at work.
1‐D random walk in presence of a totally reflecting barrier

A rigorous analysis of counting paths for 1‐D random walk in the presence of a reflecting barrier is presented. This paper defines and distinguishes between partially and totally reflecting barriers. So far, in the literature only a special case of partially reflecting barrier has been dealt with. An exact combinatorial formula is proven which describes the probability distribution of a diffusing particle at a totally reflecting barrier, allowing computation of any random walk redistribution of a diffusing species near or at the totally reflecting barrier. The analysis shows that for a particle starting its random walk at the barrier, the probability of finding it at the interface is diminishing with the number of diffusion steps N as 1/(N/2 + 1) and that the peak of the probability distribution is moving away from the barrier with the increasing number of steps as . This analysis has implications on the treatment of diffusion of impurities and point defects in thin films and in subsurface layers.
Adaptive state tracking of switched systems based on a hyperstability criterion

The adaptive state tracking problem of switched systems is studied in this paper. The desirable state trajectory is generated by a switched reference model. First, a condition for asymptotical hyperstability of switched systems is proposed and a switching law is designed, which is a generalization of the classical hyperstability condition for non‐switched systems. Then, the result is applied to uncertain switched systems to achieve state tracking. An individual adaptive law is designed for each subsystem such that the Popov inequality is satisfied. Asymptotical state tracking is achieved under non‐persistent exciting input when the error system switches in a certain way. The result is demonstrated by a numerical example and a practical system of Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology vehicle, respectively. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Higher order QCD corrections to diboson production at hadron colliders

Hadronic collider experiments have played a major role in particle physics phenomenology over the last few decades. Data recorded at the Tevatron at Fermilab is still of interest, and its successor, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, has recently announced the discovery of a particle consistent with the Standard Model Higgs boson. Hadronic colliders look set to guide the field for the next fifteen years or more, with the discovery of more particles anticipated. The discovery and detailed study of new particles relies crucially on the availability of high-precision theoretical predictions for both the signal and background processes. This requires observables to be calculated to next-to-leading order (NLO) in perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Many hadroproduction processes of interest contain multiple particles in the final state. Until recently, this caused a bottleneck in NLO QCD calculations, due to the difficulty in calculating one-loop corrections to processes involving three or more final state particles. Spectacular developments in on-shell methods over the last six years have made these calculations feasible, allowing highly accurate predictions for final state observables at the Tevatron and LHC. A particular realisation of on-shell methods, generalised unitarity, is used to compute the NLO QCD cross-sections and distributions for two processes: the hadroproduction of W+ W-jj, and the hadroproduction of W+ W-jj. The NLO corrections to both processes serve to reduce the scale dependence of the results significantly, while having a moderate effect on the central scale choice cross-sections, and leaving the shapes of the kinematic distributions mostly unchanged. Additionally, the gluon fusion contribution to the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD corrections to W+ W-j productions are studied. These contributions are found to be highly depen- dent on the kinematic cuts used. For cuts used in Higgs searches, the gluon fusion effect can be as large as the NLO scale uncertainty, and should not be neglected. All of the higher-order QCD corrections increase the accuracy and reliability of the theoretical predictions at hadronic colliders.
Latency Minimization for Mobile Edge Computing Enhanced Proximity Detection in Road Networks

In road networks, mobile users (including vehicles and pedestrians) need to know the proximity relationship with other users in real time, referred to as the problem of proximity detection which is very significant for autonomous driving. However, due to limited computing and storage resources of mobile users and real-time changes of road network status, it becomes a difficult task to calculate and update the proximity relationship between users in real time. Therefore, in this paper, we first propose a computation offloading scheme and a dynamic road network state update model for proximity detection in dynamic road networks based on Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), and formulate the latency optimization problem for proximity detection in the dynamic road network as a nonlinear optimization problem. Then we use the Sequential Least Squares Programming (SLSQP) algorithm to solve the latency optimization problem. In addition, to reduce the running time, we also use the deep reinforcement learning approach, i.e., the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm, to address the latency optimization problem. Simulation results show that, compared with the SLSQP algorithm, the DDPG algorithm can effectively and efficiently reduce the computational time of the optimal latency each time by continuously adjusting the task allocation strategy, and the computational time of the DDPG algorithm is two orders of magnitude lower than the SLSQP algorithm.
Stability Analysis of Numerical Schemes for Stochastic Differential Equations

Stochastic differential equations (SDEs) represent physical phenomena dominated by stochastic processes. As for deterministic ordinary differential equations (ODEs), various numerical schemes are proposed for SDEs. In this paper we study the stability of numerical schemes for scalar SDEs with respect to the mean-square norm, which we call $MS$-stability. We will show some figures of the $MS$-stability domain or regions for some numerical schemes and present numerical results which confirm it. This notion is an extension of absolute stability in numerical methods for ODEs.
Natural Nearest Neighbor for Isomap Algorithm without Free-Parameter

Isomap is a classic and efficient manifold learning algorithm, which aims at finding the intrinsic structure hidden in high dimensional data. Only deficiency appeared in this algorithm is that it requires user to input a free parameter k which is closely related to the success of unfolding the true intrinsic structure and the algorithm’s topological stability. Here, we propose a novel and simple k-nn based concept: natural nearest neighbor (3N), which is independent of parameter k, so as to addressing the longstanding problem of how to automatically choosing the only free parameter k in manifold learning algorithms so far, and implementing completely unsupervised learning algorithm 3N-Isomap for nonlinear dimensionality reduction without the use of any priori information about the intrinsic structure. Experiment results show that 3N-Isomap is a more practical and simple algorithm than Isomap.
The space density of low-profile gas-rich galaxies at the present epoch

To constrain the space density of low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies, an analysis has been conducted that depends on the relative angular size of the object compared to the radio telescope beam. The space densities of LSB objects that subtend angles larger than a telescope beam over the redshift range are discussed separately from objects that are unresolved. An H I-mass function of normal galaxies is estimated from the optical luminosity function and the assumptions about H I content. It is considered that the high mass end of the H I-mass function may be clarified by a large survey conducted with a telescope of modest aperture. The dynamical and metal enrichment processes taking place in LSB galaxies may illustrate the earlier experiences of the present-day normal galaxies. 35 refs.
Statistical Model of Temperature Anomalies Using a New Instability Index

A statistical model (relationship) between a new circulation instability index and the registered temperature anomalies in two regions of Europe has been proposed and tested. The average values of this index, calculated at levels of 850 hPa and 500 hPa, were used as predictors in the modelling of temperature anomalies by months for the period 2011–2020. The average monthly values of temperature and geopotential during this period were utilized to calculate the index and anomalies in these regions. For each of them, the following statistical characteristics were calculated: correlation, root mean square error, and the coefficient of determination (R-squared). They evaluate the performance of the statistical model. The obtained results demonstrate the principal applicability of the instability index in a similar way as the well established circulation estimator North Atlantic Oscillation.
The Dynamics of Brand Loyalty: A Markovian Approach

Our purpose is to attempt to apply the probabilistic methods of Markov chains to a systematic study of the phenomena of brand switching and brand loyalty. After summarizing the traditional basic concepts of Markov chains, we introduce concepts from the theory of directed graphs in order to provide a geometric and intuitive point of view. We then demonstrate that the set of all brands of a particular product category can be validly regarded as a concrete case of an abstract Markov chain. The implications of this approach for marketing strategy are also indicated. A simplified situation is employed to indicate various applications. This is followed by a discussion of real applications.