Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictive distractor context facilitates attentional selection of high, but not intermediate and low, salience targets

It is well established that we can focally attend to a specific region in visual space without shifting our eyes, so as to extract action‐relevant sensory information from covertly attended locations. The underlying mechanisms that determine how fast we engage our attentional spotlight in visual‐search scenarios, however, remain controversial. One dominant view advocated by perceptual decision‐making models holds that the times taken for focal‐attentional selection are mediated by an internal template that biases perceptual coding and selection decisions exclusively through target‐defining feature coding. This notion directly predicts that search times remain unaffected whether or not participants can anticipate the upcoming distractor context. Here we tested this hypothesis by employing an illusory‐figure localization task that required participants to search for an invariant target amongst a variable distractor context, which gradually changed—either randomly or predictably—as a function of distractor‐target similarity. We observed a graded decrease in internal focal‐attentional selection times—correlated with external behavioral latencies—for distractor contexts of higher relative to lower similarity to the target. Critically, for low but not intermediate and high distractor‐target similarity, these context‐driven effects were cortically and behaviorally amplified when participants could reliably predict the type of distractors. This interactive pattern demonstrates that search guidance signals can integrate information about distractor, in addition to target, identities to optimize distractor‐target competition for focal‐attentional selection. Hum Brain Mapp 36:935–944, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Wiretap Channels With Side Information—Strong Secrecy Capacity and Optimal Transceiver Design

The wiretap channel models the communication scenario where two legitimate users want to communicate in such a way that a wiretapper is kept ignorant. In this paper, the wiretap channel with side information is studied, where the wiretapper has additional side information available. This side information allows the wiretapper to restrict the transmitted message to a certain subset of messages before further postprocessing. Two different criteria are employed to model the secrecy of the confidential message: the information theoretic criterion of strong secrecy and a signal-processing-inspired criterion based on the decoding performance of the wiretapper. For the latter, the wiretapper is required to have the worst decoding performance regardless of the specific decoding strategy that is used. It is shown that both criteria are equivalent in terms of secrecy capacity. Furthermore, the secrecy capacity equals the one of the classical wiretap channel without side information available at the wiretapper. In addition, the corresponding capacity-achieving code structure and optimal transceiver design are characterized and properties are identified. Finally, extensions to channel uncertainty and multiple wiretappers are discussed.
Smartphone-Based Point-of-Care Urinalysis Under Variable Illumination

Urine tests are performed by using an off-the-shelf reference sheet to compare the color of test strips. However, the tabular representation is difficult to use and more prone to visual errors, especially when the reference color-swatches to be compared are spatially apart. Thus, making it is difficult to distinguish between the subtle differences of shades on the reagent pads. This manuscript represents a new arrangement of reference arrays for urine test strips (urinalysis). Reference color swatches are grouped in a doughnut chart, surrounding each reagent pad on the strip. The urine test can be evaluated using naked eye by referring to the strip with no additional sheet necessary. Along with this new strip, an algorithm for smartphone based application is also proposed as an alternative to deliver diagnostic results. The proposed colorimetric detection method evaluates the captured image of the strip, under various color spaces and evaluates ten different tests for urine. Thus, the proposed system can deliver results on the spot using both naked eye and smartphone. The proposed scheme delivered accurate results under various environmental illumination conditions without any calibration requirements, exhibiting performances suitable for real-life applications and an ease for a common user.
Functional organization and restoration of the brain motor-execution network after stroke and rehabilitation

Multiple cortical areas of the human brain motor system interact coherently in the low frequency range (<0.1 Hz), even in the absence of explicit tasks. Following stroke, cortical interactions are functionally disturbed. How these interactions are affected and how the functional organization is regained from rehabilitative treatments as people begin to recover motor behaviors has not been systematically studied. We recorded the intrinsic functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals from 30 participants: 17 young healthy controls and 13 aged stroke survivors. Stroke participants underwent mental practice (MP) or both mental practice and physical therapy (MP+PT) within 14–51 days following stroke. We investigated the network activity of five core areas in the motor-execution network, consisting of the left primary motor area (LM1), the right primary motor area (RM1), the left pre-motor cortex (LPMC), the right pre-motor cortex (RPMC) and the supplementary motor area (SMA). We discovered that (i) the network activity dominated in the frequency range 0.06–0.08 Hz for all the regions, and for both able-bodied and stroke participants (ii) the causal information flow between the regions: LM1 and SMA, RPMC and SMA, RPMC and LM1, SMA and RM1, SMA and LPMC, was reduced significantly for stroke survivors (iii) the flow did not increase significantly after MP alone and (iv) the flow among the regions during MP+PT increased significantly. We also found that sensation and motor scores were significantly higher and correlated with directed functional connectivity measures when the stroke-survivors underwent MP+PT but not MP alone. The findings provide evidence that a combination of mental practice and physical therapy can be an effective means of treatment for stroke survivors to recover or regain the strength of motor behaviors, and that the spectra of causal information flow can be used as a reliable biomarker for evaluating rehabilitation in stroke survivors.
Update of the UMD‐FBN1 mutation database and creation of an FBN1 polymorphism database

Fibrillin is the major component of extracellular microfibrils. Mutations in the fibrillin gene on chromosome 15 (FBN1) were first described in the heritable connective disorder, Marfan syndrome (MFS). FBN1 has also been shown to harbor mutations related to a spectrum of conditions phenotypically related to MFS, called “type‐1 fibrillinopathies. ” In 1995, in an effort to standardize the information regarding these mutations and to facilitate their mutational analysis and identification of structure/function and phenotype/genotype relationships, we created a human FBN1 mutation database, UMD‐FBN1. This database gives access to a software package that provides specific routines and optimized multicriteria research and sorting tools. For each mutation, information is provided at the gene, protein, and clinical levels. This tool is now a worldwide reference and is frequently used by teams working in the field; more than 220,000 interrogations have been made to it since January 1998. The database has recently been modified to follow the guidelines on mutation databases of the HUGO Mutation Database Initiative (MDI) and the Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS), including their approved mutation nomenclature. The current update shows 559 entries, of which 421 are novel. UMD‐FBN1 is accessible at www.umd. be/. We have also recently developed a FBN1 polymorphism database in order to facilitate diagnostics. Hum Mutat 22:199–208, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Development of a high-quantum-efficiency single-photon counting system

A high-quantum-efficiency single-photon counting system has been developed. In this system, single photons were detected by a visible light photon counter operated at 6.9 K. The visible light photon counter is a solid state device that makes use of avalanches across a shallow impurity conduction band in silicon. Threefold tight shielding and viewports that worked as infrared blocking filters were used to eliminate the dark count caused by room-temperature radiation. Corrected quantum efficiencies as high as 88.2%±5% (at 694 nm) were observed, which we believe is the highest reported value for a single-photon detector. The dark count increased as the exponential of the quantum efficiency with changing temperature or bias voltage, and was 2.0×104 cps at the highest quantum efficiency.
A homologue of the yeast SHE4 gene is essential for the transition between the syncytial and cellular stages during sexual reproduction of the fungus Podospora anserina

The Podospora anserina cro1 gene was identified as a gene required for sexual sporulation. Crosses homozygous for the cro1‐1 mutation yield fruiting bodies which produce few asci due to the formation of giant plurinucleate cells instead of dikaryotic cells after fertilization. This defect does not impair karyogamy, but meioses of the resultant polyploid nuclei are most often abortive. Cytological studies suggest that the primary defect of the mutant is its inability to form septa between the daughter nuclei after each mitosis, a step specific for normal dikaryotic cell divisions. The cro1‐1 mutant would thus be unable to leave the syncytial vegetative state while abiding by the meiotic programme. cro1‐1 also shows defects in ascospore germination and growth rate. GFP‐tagging of the CRO1 protein reveals that it is a cytosolic protein mainly expressed at the beginning of the dikaryotic stage and at the time of ascospore maturation. The CRO1 protein exhibits significant similarity to the SHE4 protein, which is required for asymmetric mating‐type switching in budding yeast cells. Thus, a gene involved in asymmetric cell divisions in a unicellular organism plays a key role at the transition between the syncytial (vegetative) state and the cellular (sexual) state in a filamentous fungus.
Segmental Spinal Instrumentation: A Preliminary Report of 40 Consecutive Cases

Two groups of patients with complex scoliosis problems are presented. The majority of patients had neurogenic scoliosis. Thirty patients (Group A) had Harrington instrumentation with segmental wiring and were immobilized postoperatively. Instrument stability was best when sacral fixation was not required. Pseudarthrosis was especially likely when there was deficiency of posterior elements. Ten patients (Group B) had double L rod instrumentation, and six had no postoperative immobilization. Correction was maintained except in two patients with kyphotic curves. There were transient neurologic complications in both groups, nerve root contusion being the most common (four cases). It is concluded that segmental instrumentation provides significant improvement in stability over conventional Harrington instrumentation. The advantages of added stability must be weighed against the increased potential for neurologic complications.
VMScope: a virtual multicast VPN performance monitor

The growth of one-to-many applications in enterprise networks is fueling the demand for VPNs to support multicast applications. The deployment of such a Multicast VPN service creates the need for appropriate management tools and techniques including performance monitoring, problem isolation and troubleshooting. In this paper we present the MVPN monitoring problem, identify requirements for solutions to the problem, and describe VMScope, a virtual MVPN performance monitor designed to facilitate provider monitoring and debugging of the MVPN service.
Introducing genetic testing for cardiovascular disease in primary care: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND While primary care systematically offers conventional cardiovascular risk assessment, genetic tests for coronary heart disease (CHD) are increasingly commercially available to patients. It is unclear how individuals may respond to these new sources of risk information. AIM To explore how patients who have had a recent conventional cardiovascular risk assessment, perceive additional information from genetic testing for CHD. DESIGN AND SETTING Qualitative interview study in 12 practices in Nottinghamshire from both urban and rural settings. METHOD Interviews were conducted with 29 adults, who consented to genetic testing after having had a conventional cardiovascular risk assessment. RESULTS Individuals' principal motivation for genetic testing was their family history of CHD and a desire to convey the results to their children. After testing, however, there was limited recall of genetic test results and scepticism about the value of informing their children. Participants dealt with conflicting findings from the genetic test, family history, and conventional assessment by either focusing on genetic risk or environmental lifestyle factors. In some participants, genetic test results appeared to reinforce healthy behaviour but others were falsely reassured, despite having an 'above-average' conventional cardiovascular risk score. CONCLUSION Although genetic testing was acceptable, participants were unclear how to interpret genetic risk results. To facilitate healthy behaviour, health professionals should explore patients' understanding of genetic test results in light of their family history and conventional risk assessment.
The cornea in Sjogren's syndrome: an in vivo confocal study.

PURPOSE To analyze the in vivo morphology of corneal cells and nerves in dry eye associated with primary (SSI) and secondary (SSII) Sjögren's syndrome and to study its relationship with the clinical evaluation. METHODS Thirty-five patients with SS and 20 age- and gender-matched control subjects were studied. Confocal microscopy was used to investigate corneal thickness, epithelial and stromal cellular density, and subbasal plexus morphology. RESULTS Corneal central thickness was 514.74 +/- 19.85 microm in the SS group and 550 +/- 21.46 microm in the control group (P < 0.0001, t-test); stromal central thickness was 456.62 +/- 18.05 microm in the SS group and 487.35 +/- 20.40 microm in the control group (P < 0.0001). The density of the superficial epithelial cells in the SSI and SSII groups was 965.40 +/- 96.00 and 999.80 +/- 115.67 cells/mm(2), respectively, and 1488.55 +/- 133.74 cells/mm(2) in the control group (P < 0.001, ANOVA). The number of subbasal nerves was 3.34 +/- 0.76 in the SS group and 5.10 +/- 0.79 in the control group (P < 0.0001, t-test). The average grade of nerve tortuosity was 2.62 +/- 0.94 in the SS group and 1.20 +/- 0.70 in the control group (P < 0.0001). Statistically significant correlations were found between clinical data and confocal microscopy data. CONCLUSIONS Corneal thickness, cells, and nerves show morphologic changes in patients with dry eye associated with SS. The in vivo confocal study of these alterations may be important in better understanding the complexity of the ocular surface morphofunctional unit and the potentials of therapeutic approaches for the control of the phlogistic process and neuroprotection.
Weak index versus Borel rank

We investigate weak recognizability of deterministic languages of infinite trees. We prove that for deterministic languages the Borel hierarchy and the weak index hierarchy coincide. Furthermore, we propose a procedure computing for a deterministic automaton an equivalent minimal index weak automaton with a quadratic number of states. The algorithm works within the time of solving the emptiness problem.
Occult hepatitis B virus infection in patients with chronic liver disease due to hepatitis C virus and hepatocellular carcinoma in Brazil.

BACKGROUND The prevalence and consequences of occult HBV infection in patients with chronic liver disease by HCV remain unknown. AIMS To evaluate the prevalence of occult HBV infection in a population of HCV-infected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS The serum samples were tested for HBV DNA by nested PCR and liver tissue analysis was carried out using the immunohistochemical technique of 66 HBsAg-negative patients: 26 patients with chronic hepatitis by HCV (group 1), 20 with hepatocellular carcinoma related to chronic infection by HCV (group 2) and 20 with negative viral markers for hepatitis B and C (control group). RESULTS Occult HBV infection was diagnosed in the liver tissue of 9/46 (19.5%) HCV-infected patients. Prevalence of occult B infection was evaluated in the HCV-infected patients with and without hepatocellular carcinoma, and there were seven (77.7%) of whom from group 2, conferring a 35% prevalence of this group. No serum sample was positive for HBV DNA in the three groups. CONCLUSION Occult infection B is frequently detected in liver tissue of HCV-infected patients, especially in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma. However large studies are needed to confirm that co-infection could determine a worse progress of chronic liver disease in this population.
Intra- and extra-oral halitosis: finding of a new form of extra-oral blood-borne halitosis caused by dimethyl sulphide.

AIM The aim of this study was to unravel the origen and cause of intra-oral and extra-oral halitosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS We studied 58 patients complaining of halitosis, using gas chromatography of volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) in mouth and nose breath, organoleptic scoring of mouth and nose breath, Halimeter readings of mouth air and tongue-coating inspection. Subjects had no precence or history of periodontitis. RESULT Of 58 patients, 47 patients had halitosis of oral origin, six had halitosis of extra-oral origin and five had no halitosis (halitophobia). A strong correlation was found between the degree of intra-oral halitosis as measured by organoleptic scoring of mouth breath and the concentration of the VSCs hydrogen sulphide (H(2)S) and methyl mercaptan (CH(3)SH) in mouth breath. Taking into account the much larger odour index of CH(3)SH, it was concluded that CH(3)SH is the main contributor to intra-oral halitosis. In all six cases of extra-oral halitosis, halitosis was caused by the presence of elevated levels of dimethyl sulphide (CH(3)SCH(3)) in mouth and nose breath. CONCLUSION Our study provides evidence that the VSC, CH(3)SH and to a lesser extent H(2)S are the main contributors to intra-oral halitosis and that CH(3)SCH(3) is the main contributor to extra-oral or blood-borne halitosis, due to a hitherto unknown metabolic disorder.
Sex Steroids and Gender in Cardiovascular-Renal Physiology and Pathophysiology Sex differences in endothelin-1-mediated vasoconstrictor tone in middle-aged and older adults

Stauffer BL, Westby CM, Greiner JJ, Van Guilder GP, DeSouza CA. Sex differences in endothelin-1-mediated vasoconstrictor tone in middle-aged and older adults. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 298: R261–R265, 2010. First published November 25, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00626. 2009. —The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is lower in middle-aged and older women than men. Increased endothelin-1-mediated vasoconstriction has been linked to the etiology of a number of cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, heart failure, and hypertension. It is unknown whether a sex difference in endothelin-1-mediated vasoconstrictor tone exists in middle-aged and older adults. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that middle-aged and older men would demonstrate greater ET-1-mediated vasoconstrictor tone than age-matched women. Forearm blood flow in response to intra-arterial infusions of endothelin (ET)-1, BQ-123 (a selective ETA receptor antagonist), and BQ-788 (a selective ETB receptor antagonist) was assessed by venous occlusion plethysmography in 21 women (age: 58 1 yr; body mass index: 26.0 1.0 kg/m) and 25 men (age: 57 2 yr; body mass index: 26.8 0.7 kg/m). In response to BQ-123, the increase in forearm blood flow from baseline was significantly higher in the men than the women (24 5% vs. 9 5%; P 0.05). In contrast, the increase in forearm blood flow in response to BQ-123 coinfused with BQ-788 was greater in the women than the men, such that the maximum vasodilation to dual endothelin receptor blockade was similar between men and women ( 25%). There was no difference in the vasoconstrictor response to ET-1 between the sexes. These results indicate that middle-aged and older men are under greater ETA receptor-mediated vasoconstrictor tone than age-matched women. Since the ETA receptor is the predominant receptor subtype in the coronary vasculature, this sex difference in vasoconstrictor tone may be a mechanism contributing to the sex difference in the prevalence of coronary heart disease in middle-aged and older adults.
T-cell responses to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its recombinant antigens in HIV-infected chimpanzees

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from chimpanzees infected for 3 months to more than 3 years with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) had normal T-cell proliferative responses after stimulation with a variety of recall antigens and mitogens, indicating that HIV infection does not cause detectable immunological impairment in chimpanzees. This finding contrasts with that obtained in HIV-infected humans, who often have impaired T-cell reactivity. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from most HIV-infected chimpanzees that were studied also had strong proliferative responses to purified HIV as well as to HIV envelope glycoproteins isolated from the virus, to recombinant HIV envelope glycoproteins gp120 and gp41, and to HIV gag protein p24. The HIV-specific T-cell responses in HIV-infected chimpanzees may contribute to prevention of the development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in this species.