Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anticipatory Activity in Anterior Cingulate Cortex Can Be Independent of Conflict and Error Likelihood

Previous studies have found no agreement on whether anticipatory activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) reflects upcoming conflict, error likelihood, or actual control adjustments. Using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the nature of preparatory activity in the ACC. Informative cues told the participants whether an upcoming target would or would not involve conflict in a Stroop-like task. Uninformative cues provided no such information. Behavioral responses were faster after informative than after uninformative cues, indicating cue-based adjustments in control. ACC activity was larger after informative than uninformative cues, as would be expected if the ACC is involved in anticipatory control. Importantly, this activation in the ACC was observed for informative cues even when the information conveyed by the cue was that the upcoming target evokes no response conflict and has low error likelihood. This finding demonstrates that the ACC is involved in anticipatory control processes independent of upcoming response conflict or error likelihood. Moreover, the response of the ACC to the target stimuli was critically dependent on whether the cue was informative or not. ACC activity differed among target conditions after uninformative cues only, indicating ACC involvement in actual control adjustments. Together, these findings argue strongly for a role of the ACC in anticipatory control independent of anticipated conflict and error likelihood, and also show that such control can eliminate conflict-related ACC activity during target processing. Models of frontal cortex conflict-detection and conflict-resolution mechanisms require modification to include consideration of these anticipatory control properties of the ACC.
Learning nominal automata

We present an Angluin-style algorithm to learn nominal automata, which are acceptors of languages over infinite (structured) alphabets. The abstract approach we take allows us to seamlessly extend known variations of the algorithm to this new setting. In particular we can learn a subclass of nominal non-deterministic automata. An implementation using a recently developed Haskell library for nominal computation is provided for preliminary experiments.
Evaluation of salvage techniques for infected baclofen pumps in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy.

OBJECT Intrathecal baclofen therapy has been used successfully for intractable spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. Infections are rare, but they are potentially life threatening if complicated by bacteremia or meningitis. Treatment without removal of the system is desirable if it can be done safely and effectively. METHODS The Authors reviewed the records of 207 patients ranging from 3 to 18 years of age with cerebral palsy who underwent placement or revision of a baclofen pump. They identified 38 patients with suspected or documented infectious complications. Initial attempts were made to eradicate infection with the devices in situ in all patients. Methods and effectiveness of pump salvage were evaluated. RESULTS Of the 38 patients identified, 13 (34.2%) had documented infections; 11 had deep wound/pocket empyemas and 2 had meningitis. Eight patients with deep wound infections received intravenous antibiotics alone. All required pump explantation. The remaining 3 patients underwent a washout procedure as well; the infection was cured in 1 patient. Both patients with meningitis received intravenous and intrathecal antibiotics, and both required device explantation. In addition, 25 patients (65.8%) had excessive or increasing wound erythema. No objective criteria to document a superficial infection were present. The wounds were considered suspicious and were managed with serial examinations and oral antibiotics. The erythema resolved in 24 of the 25 patients. CONCLUSIONS In general, observation, wound care, and oral antibiotics are sufficient for wounds that are suspicious for superficial infection. For deep-seated infection, antibiotic therapy alone is generally insufficient and explantation is required. Washout procedures can be considered, but failures are common.
Pathway of incorporation of microinjected lamin A into the nuclear envelope

When microinjected into the cytoplasm of 3T3 cells, biotinylated human lamin A rapidly enters the nucleus and gradually becomes incorporated into the nuclear lamina region as determined by immunofluorescence. The incorporation of the microinjected material takes several hours and progresses through a series of morphologically identifiable stages. Within minutes after microinjection, lamin A is found in spots distributed throughout the nucleus, except in nucleolar regions. Over a time course of up to 6 h, these spots appear to decrease in size and number as the biotinylated lamin A becomes associated with the endogenous nuclear lamina. Eventually, the typical nuclear rim staining pattern normally revealed by immunofluorescence with nuclear lamin antibodies is seen with antibiotin. This latter rim staining property is passed on to daughter cells following mitosis. These results indicate that the microinjected biotinylated nuclear lamin A retains those properties required for its integration into the lamina, as well as those necessary for the disassembly and subsequent reassembly of the nuclear lamina during cell division. The initial rapid accumulation into foci and the subsequent slower incorporation into the nuclear lamina appear to be analogous to the stages of incorporation following the microinjection of cytoskeletal intermediate filament proteins such as vimentin and keratin (Vikstrom, K., G. G. Borisy, and R. D. Goldman. 1989. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 86:549-553; Miller, R. K., K. Vikstrom, and R. D. Goldman. 1991. J. Cell Biol. 113:843-855). Foci are also observed in some uninjected cells using nuclear lamin antibodies, indicating that these features are a genuine component of nuclear substructure. Evidence is presented that shows the appearance of these nuclear structures is cell cycle dependent.
Religion and Entrepreneurship

While considerable concern has emerged about the impact of religion on economic development, little is actually known about how religion impacts the decision making of individuals. This paper examines the influence of religion on the decision for people to become an entrepreneur. Based on a large-scale data set of nearly ninety thousand workers in India, this paper finds that religion shapes the entrepreneurial decision. In particular, some religions, such as Islam and Christianity, are found to be conducive to entrepreneurship, while others, such as Hinduism, inhibit entrepreneurship. In addition, the caste system is found to influence the propensity to become an entrepreneur. Individuals belonging to a backward caste exhibit a lower propensity to become an entrepreneur. Thus, the empirical evidence suggests that both religion and the tradition of the caste system influence entrepreneurship, suggesting a link between religion and economic behavior.
Identification and differential expression of microRNAs in the ovaries of pigs (Sus scrofa) with high and low litter sizes.

Litter size affects profitability in the swine industry. Mammalian ovaries play important roles during reproduction, including ovulation and hormone secretion, which are tightly regulated by specific microRNAs (miRNAs). In this study, we investigated the effects of specific miRNAs on porcine litter size. We compared the ovarian miRNAs of Yorkshire pigs with high (YH) and low (YL) litter sizes using Solexa sequencing technology. We identified 327 and 320 miRNAs in the ovaries of YH and YL pigs respectively. A total of 297 miRNAs were co-expressed; 30 and 23 miRNAs respectively were specifically expressed in the two libraries. A total of 83 novel miRNAs were predicted; 37 specific miRNAs were obtained, of which 21 miRNAs were upregulated and 16 miRNAs were downregulated in YH compared with YL. Additionally, 19 628 and 19 250 target genes were predicted in the two libraries respectively. The results revealed that specific miRNAs (i.e., miR-224, miR-99a, let-7c, miR-181c, miR-214 and miR-21) may affect porcine litter size. The results of this study will help in gaining understanding of the role of miRNAs in porcine litter size regulation.
ICP0, a regulator of herpes simplex virus during lytic and latent infection.

Cold sores produced by HSV-1 infection are an annoying but trivial recurrent problem for most of us, but the virus can also cause more serious disease. Episodes of active HSV-1 infection, in response to stress or sunlight, are possible because the virus establishes a latent infection in neurones which can not be eliminated. Since vigorous transcription from the whole viral genome during lytic infection contrasts with almost complete quiescence during latency, the mechanisms controlling HSV-1 gene expression have come under close scrutiny. These studies have demonstrated that the viral immediate-early protein ICP0, a promiscuous activator of gene expression, is required for efficient initiation of lytic infection and reactivation from latency. It is proposed that in the absence of functional ICP0, a cellular repression mechanism silences viral transcription. ICP0 appears to counteract this process by stimulating the degradation of a number of cellular proteins via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.
Biomaterials for periodontal regeneration

Periodontal disease is characterized by the destruction of periodontal tissues. Various methods of regenerative periodontal therapy, including the use of barrier membranes, bone replacement grafts, growth factors and the combination of these procedures have been investigated. The development of biomaterials for tissue engineering has considerably improved the available treatment options above. They fall into two broad classes: ceramics and polymers. The available ceramic-based materials include calcium phosphate (eg, tricalcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite), calcium sulfate and bioactive glass. The bioactive glass bonds to the bone with the formation of a layer of carbonated hydroxyapatite in situ. The natural polymers include modified polysaccharides (eg, chitosan,) and polypeptides (collagen and gelatin). Synthetic polymers [eg, poly(glycolic acid), poly(L-lactic acid)] provide a platform for exhibiting the biomechanical properties of scaffolds in tissue engineering. The materials usually work as osteogenic, osteoconductive and osteoinductive scaffolds. Polymers are more widely used as a barrier material in guided tissue regeneration (GTR). They are shown to exclude epithelial downgrowth and allow periodontal ligament and alveolar bone cells to repopulate the defect. An attempt to overcome the problems related to a collapse of the barrier membrane in GTR or epithelial downgrowth is the use of a combination of barrier membranes and grafting materials. This article reviews various biomaterials including scaffolds and membranes used for periodontal treatment and their impacts on the experimental or clinical management of periodontal defect.
Relay station based multicast system

In this paper, we consider an environment where a number of users are geographically bounded and analyze a performance of multicast transmission via a relay station. Generally, common data rate of a conventional multicast system is determined by a minimum link capacity between a base station and multiple users. However, common data rate of the multicast system based on relay station is determined by not only a link capacity between the base station and relay station but also a minimum link capacity between the relay station and multiple users. Considering these characteristics, we derive the number of users and a range of received signal power of relay station to show that the relay station based multicast system guarantees more quality of service than conventional multicast system.
Tobacco Calcium-dependent Protein Kinases Are Differentially Phosphorylated in Vivo as Part of a Kinase Cascade That Regulates Stress Response*

In vivo phosphorylation sites of the tobacco calcium-dependent protein kinases NtCDPK2 and NtCDPK3 were determined in response to biotic or abiotic stress. Stress-inducible phosphorylation was exclusively located in the variable N termini, where both kinases were phosphorylated differentially despite 91% overall sequence identity. In NtCDPK2, serine 40 and threonine 65 were phosphorylated within 2 min after stress. Whereas Thr65 is subjected to intra-molecular in vivo autophosphorylation, Ser40 represents a target for a regulatory upstream protein kinase, and correct NtCDPK2 membrane localization is required for Ser40 phosphorylation. NtCDPK3 is phosphorylated at least at two sites in the N terminus by upstream kinase(s) upon stress stimulus, first at Ser54, a site not present in NtCDPK2, and also at a second undetermined site not identical to Ser40. Domain swap experiments established that differential phosphorylation of both kinases is exclusively determined by the respective N termini. A cell death-inducing response was only observed upon expression of a truncated variant lacking the junction and calcium-binding domain of NtCDPK2 (VK2). This response required protein kinase activity and was reduced when subcellular membrane localization was disturbed by a mutation in the myristoylation and palmitoylation site. Our data indicate that CDPKs are integrated in stress-dependent protein kinase signaling cascades, and regulation of CDPK function in response to in vivo stimulation is dependent on its membrane localization.
2-source dispersers for sub-polynomial entropy and Ramsey graphs beating the Frankl-Wilson construction

The main result of this paper is an explicit disperser for two independent sources on n bits, each of entropy k=no(1). Put differently, setting N=2n and K=2k, we construct explicit N x N Boolean matrices for which no K x K submatrix is monochromatic. Viewed as adjacency matrices of bipartite graphs, this gives an explicit construction of K-Ramsey bipartite graphs of size N.This greatly improves the previous bound of k=o(n) of Barak, Kindler, Shaltiel, Sudakov and Wigderson [4]. It also significantly improves the 25-year record of k = Õ (√n) on the special case of Ramsey graphs, due to Frankl and Wilson [9]. The construction uses (besides "classical" extractor ideas) almost all of the machinery developed in the last couple of years for extraction from independent sources, including:Bourgain's extractor for 2 independent sources of some entropy rate < 1/2 [5]Raz's extractor for 2 independent sources, one of which has any entropy rate > 1/2 [18]Rao's extractor for 2 independent block-sources of entropy nΩ (1) [17]The "Challenge-Response" mechanism for detecting "entropy concentration" of [4]. The main novelty comes in a bootstrap procedure which allows the Challenge-Response mechanism of [4] to be used with sources of less and less entropy, using recursive calls to itself. Subtleties arise since the success of this mechanism depends on restricting the given sources, and so recursion constantly changes the original sources. These are resolved via a new construct, in between a disperser and an extractor, which behaves like an extractor on sufficiently large subsources of the given ones.This version is only an extended abstract, please see the full version, available on the authors' homepages, for more details.
Optimization of culture media for large‐scale lutein production by heterotrophic Chlorella vulgaris

Lutein is a carotenoid with a purported role in protecting eyes from oxidative stress, particularly the high‐energy photons of blue light. Statistical optimization was performed to growth media that supports a higher production of lutein by heterotrophically cultivated Chlorella vulgaris. The effect of media composition of C. vulgaris on lutein was examined using fractional factorial design (FFD) and central composite design (CCD). The results indicated that the presence of magnesium sulfate, EDTA‐2Na, and trace metal solution significantly affected lutein production. The optimum concentrations for lutein production were found to be 0.34 g/L, 0.06 g/L, and 0.4 mL/L for MgSO4·7H2O, EDTA‐2Na, and trace metal solution, respectively. These values were validated using a 5‐L jar fermenter. Lutein concentration was increased by almost 80% (139.64 ± 12.88 mg/L to 252.75 ± 12.92 mg/L) after 4 days. Moreover, the lutein concentration was not reduced as the cultivation was scaled up to 25,000 L (260.55 ± 3.23 mg/L) and 240,000 L (263.13 ± 2.72 mg/L). These observations suggest C. vulgaris as a potential lutein source. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 30:736–743, 2014
The Influence of Users' Personality Traits on Satisfaction and Attractiveness of Diversified Recommendation Lists

Diversifying recommendations has shown to be a good means to counteract on choice diﬃculties and overload, and is able to positively inﬂuence subjective evaluations, such as satisfaction and attractiveness. Personal characteristics (e.g., domain expertise, prior preference strength) have shown to inﬂuence the desired level of diversity in a recommendation list. However, only personal characteristics that are directly related to the domain have been investigated so far. In this work we take personality traits as a general user model and show that speciﬁc traits are related to a preference for different levels of diversity (in terms of recommendation satisfaction and attractiveness). Among 103 participants we show that conscientiousness is related to a preference for a higher degree of diversiﬁcation, while agreeableness is re-lated to a mid-level diversiﬁcation of the recommendations. Our results have implications on how to personalize recommendation lists (i.e., the amount of diversity that should be provided) depending on users’ personality.
Cerebral and spinal modulation of pain by emotions

Emotions have powerful effects on pain perception. However, the brain mechanisms underlying these effects remain largely unknown. In this study, we combined functional cerebral imaging with psychophysiological methods to explore the neural mechanisms involved in the emotional modulation of spinal nociceptive responses (RIII-reflex) and pain perception in healthy participants. Emotions induced by pleasant or unpleasant pictures modulated the responses to painful electrical stimulations in the right insula, paracentral lobule, parahippocampal gyrus, thalamus, and amygdala. Right insula activation covaried with the modulation of pain perception, consistent with a key role of this structure in the integration of pain signals with the ongoing emotion. In contrast, activity in the thalamus, amygdala, and several prefrontal areas was associated with the modulation of spinal reflex responses. Last, connectivity analyses suggested an involvement of prefrontal, parahippocampal, and brainstem structures in the cerebral and cerebrospinal modulation of pain by emotions. This multiplicity of mechanisms underlying the emotional modulation of pain is reflective of the strong interrelations between pain and emotions, and emphasizes the powerful effects that emotions can have on pain.
A Parallel Processing Architecture for Solving Large-Scale Linear Systems

Solving linear systems with multiple variables is at the core of many scienti c problems. Parallel processing techniques for solving such system problems has have received much attention in recent years. A key theme in the literature pertains to the application of Lower triangular matrix and Upper triangular matrix(LU) decomposing, which factorizes an N N square matrix into two triangular matrices. The resulting linear system can be more easily solved in O(N2) work. Inherently, the computational complexity of LU decomposition is O(N3). Moreover, it is a challenging process to parallelize. A highly-parallel methodology for solving large-scale, dense, linear systems is proposed in this thesis by means of the novel application of Cramers Rule. A numerically stable scheme is described, yielding an overall computational complexity of O(N) with N2 processing units.
Copper Oxide Thin Films Deposited by Radiofrequency Magnetron Sputtering: 1Photovoltaic Applications

An unbalanced radiofrequency magnetron sputtering, at low pressure argon-oxygen gas mixture, was used to elaborate copper oxide films. Analyses of the deposited layers by X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectrometry UV-VIS-NIR and electrical resistivity measurement were carried out to assist and optimize the method. The apparition of CuO and/or CuO phases is affected by the experimental plasma parameters. So it’s important to find the best operating range ensuring the correct stoichiometry and giving the preferred phase. The results showed a changing films color with resistivity ranging from 10 to 570Ωcmandfilmsthicknessfrom0. 24to2. 2μm.
Peripheral Infusion of IGF-I Selectively Induces Neurogenesis in the Adult Rat Hippocampus

In several species, including humans, the dentate granule cell layer (GCL) of the hippocampus exhibits neurogenesis throughout adult life. The ability to regulate adult neurogenesis pharmacologically may be of therapeutic value as a mechanism for replacing lost neurons. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is a growth-promoting peptide hormone that has been shown to have neurotrophic properties. The relationship between IGF-I and adult hippocampal neurogenesis is to date unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the peripheral administration of IGF-I on cellular proliferation in the dentate subgranular proliferative zone, which contains neuronal progenitor cells, and on the subsequent migration and differentiation of progenitor cells within the GCL. Using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling, we found a significant increase of BrdU-immunoreactive progenitors in the GCL after 6 d of peripheral IGF-I administration. To determine the cell fate in progenitor progeny, we characterized the colocalization of BrdU-immunolabeled cells with cell-specific markers. In animals treated with IGF-I for 20 d, BrdU-positive cells increased significantly. Furthermore, the fraction of newly generated neurons in the GCL increased, as evaluated by the neuronal markers Calbindin D28K, microtubule-associated protein-2, and NeuN. There was no difference in the fraction of newly generated astrocytes. Thus, our results show that peripheral infusion of IGF-I increases progenitor cell proliferation and selectively induces neurogenesis in the progeny of adult neural progenitor cells. This corresponds to a 78 ± 17% (p < 0.001) increase in the number of new neurons in IGF-I-treated animals compared with controls.
Insights into the role of RD3 in guanylate cyclase trafficking, photoreceptor degeneration, and Leber congenital amaurosis

Retinal degeneration 3 (RD3) is an evolutionarily conserved 23 kDa protein expressed in rod and cone photoreceptor cells. Mutations in the gene encoding RD3 resulting in unstable non-functional C-terminal truncated proteins are responsible for early onset photoreceptor degeneration in Leber Congenital Amaurosis 12 patients, the rd3 mice, and the rcd2 collies. Recent studies have shown that RD3 interacts with guanylate cyclases GC1 and GC2 in retinal cell extracts and HEK293 cells co-expressing GC and RD3. This interaction inhibits GC catalytic activity and promotes the exit of GC1 and GC2 from the endoplasmic reticulum and their trafficking to photoreceptor outer segments. Adeno-associated viral vector delivery of the normal RD3 gene to photoreceptors of the rd3 mouse restores GC1 and GC2 expression and outer segment localization and leads to the long-term recovery of visual function and photoreceptor cell survival. This review focuses on the genetic and biochemical studies that have provided insight into the role of RD3 in photoreceptor function and survival.