Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Action priming with biomechanically possible and impossible grasps: ERP evidence from 6-month-old infants

ABSTRACT Coding the direction of others’ gestures is a fundamental human ability, since it allows the observer to attend and react to sources of potential interest in the environment. Shifts of attention triggered by action observation have been reported to occur early in infancy. Yet, the neurophysiological underpinnings of such action priming and the properties of gestures that might be crucial for it remain unknown. Here, we addressed these issues by recording electroencephalographic activity (EEG) from 6-month-old infants cued with spatially non-predictive hand grasping toward or away from the position of a target object, i.e., valid and invalid trials, respectively. Half of the infants were cued with a gesture executable by a human hand (possible gesture) and the other half with a gesture impossible to be executed by a human hand. Results show that the amplitude enhancement of the posterior N290 component in response to targets in valid trials, as compared to invalid trials, was present only for infants seeing possible gestures, while it was absent for infants seeing impossible gestures. These findings suggest that infants detect the biomechanical properties of human movements when processing hand gestures, relying on this information to orient their visual attention toward the target object.
Increasing use of vitamin D supplementation in the chronic renal insufficiency cohort study.

OBJECTIVE This study examined rates and determinants of vitamin D supplementation among Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) participants and determined the association between dose and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level. The 2010 Institute of Medicine Report noted a significant increase in vitamin D supplementation in the general population, but use in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unknown. METHODS CRIC is a multicenter prospective observational cohort study of 3,939 participants with a median baseline age of 60 and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 42.1 mL/minute per 1.73 m2. Of the cohort, 54.9% was male, 42.1% were Black, and 48.4% were diabetic. Multivariable logistic generalized estimating equations were used to examine determinants of supplementation use assessed annually between 2003 and 2011. Cross-sectional linear regression models, based on a subset of 1,155 participants, assessed associations between supplement dose and 25(OH)D level, measured by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS The proportion of participants reporting supplement use increased (P < .0001), from 10% at baseline to 44% at 7-year follow-up visits. This was largely due to initiation of products containing only ergocalciferol or cholecalciferol. The odds of supplementation were greater in older, female, non-Black, married participants with greater education and lower body mass index. Among participants taking supplementation, dose was positively associated with 25(OH)D level, adjusted for race, season, diabetes, dietary intake, eGFR, and proteinuria. Only 3.8% of non-Black and 16.5% of Black participants taking a supplement were deficient (<20 ng/mL), whereas 22.7% of non-Black and 62.4% of black participants not reporting supplement use were deficient. CONCLUSIONS Vitamin D supplementation rates rose significantly among CRIC participants over 7 years of follow-up and were associated with greater serum 25(OH)D levels. Studies of vitamin D levels on clinical outcomes in CKD and future vitamin D interventional studies should consider these changes in supplementation practices.
The cross‐cultural validity of posttraumatic stress disorder: implications for DSM‐5

Background: There is considerable debate about the cross‐cultural applicability of the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) category as currently specified. Concerns include the possible status of PTSD as a Western culture‐bound disorder and the validity of individual items and criteria thresholds. This review examines various types of cross‐cultural validity of the PTSD criteria as defined in DSM‐IV‐TR, and presents options and preliminary recommendations to be considered for DSM‐5. Methods: Searches were conducted of the mental health literature, particularly since 1994, regarding cultural‐, race‐, or ethnicity‐related factors that might limit the universal applicability of the diagnostic criteria of PTSD in DSM‐IV‐TR and the possible criteria for DSM‐5. Results: Substantial evidence of the cross‐cultural validity of PTSD was found. However, evidence of cross‐cultural variability in certain areas suggests the need for further research: the relative salience of avoidance/numbing symptoms, the role of the interpretation of trauma‐caused symptoms in shaping symptomatology, and the prevalence of somatic symptoms. This review also indicates the need to modify certain criteria, such as the items on distressing dreams and on foreshortened future, to increase their cross‐cultural applicability. Text additions are suggested to increase the applicability of the manual across cultural contexts: specifying that cultural syndromes—such as those indicated in the DSM‐IV‐TR Glossary—may be a prominent part of the trauma response in certain cultures, and that those syndromes may influence PTSD symptom salience and comorbidity. Conclusions: The DSM‐IV‐TR PTSD category demonstrates various types of validity. Criteria modification and textual clarifications are suggested to further improve its cross‐cultural applicability. Depression and Anxiety, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, 1Inc.
A Global View on the Availability of Methods and Information in the Neuropathological Diagnostics of CNS Tumors: Results of an International Survey Among Neuropathological Units

In order to establish an accurate and reproducible diagnosis, neuropathologists have continuously refined their diagnostic criteria and applied methods. This process was reflected in the four different editions of the WHO classification of brain tumors (1). The current revision of the 4th edition of the WHO classification dates back to 2007 (2); its update is being currently performed and will be published in 2016. Over the years, essential ancillary techniques were developed and validated such as immunohistochemistry (IHC) for epitopes with diagnostic potential and Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for analysis of genomic changes. In the light of the upcoming revision to the WHO classification of brain tumors and the tremendous knowledge which has been accumulated on the genetics and biology of brain tumors, the crucial question is which markers and assays should be introduced as mandatory to lead to diagnosis of a brain tumor entity according to WHO classification in a balanced way, so that distinct brain tumor entities can be securely identified in (neuro)pathological departments in most countries. A controversial issue is the incorporation of more complex molecular techniques such as genome-wide studies on the protein, mRNA or DNA level because such methods have shown to allow a more accurate diagnosis of brain tumors, and often better correlation with outcome but have not been approved for clinical decision making. (2) During the discussion on these developments raised at the XVIII International Congress of Neuropathology in Rio de Janeiro 2014, it was realized that there are no robust data available on the current status on the techniques used by (neuro)pathologists for the diagnosis of brain tumors worldwide. Therefore, we performed an international survey within the framework of the International Society of Neuropathology (ISN) to provide these data.
High-fat diet-induced obesity in animal models

Epidemiological studies have shown a positive relationship between dietary fat intake and obesity. Since rats and mice show a similar relationship, they are considered an appropriate model for studying dietary obesity. The present paper describes the history of using high-fat diets to induce obesity in animals, aims to clarify the consequences of changing the amount and type of dietary fats on weight gain, body composition and adipose tissue cellularity, and explores the contribution of genetics and sex, as well as the biochemical basis and the roles of hormones such as leptin, insulin and ghrelin in animal models of dietary obesity. The major factors that contribute to dietary obesity – hyperphagia, energy density and post-ingestive effects of the dietary fat – are discussed. Other factors that affect dietary obesity including feeding rhythmicity, social factors and stress are highlighted. Finally, we comment on the reversibility of high-fat diet-induced obesity.
Aged Oolong Tea Reduces High-Fat Diet-Induced Fat Accumulation and Dyslipidemia by Regulating the AMPK/ACC Signaling Pathway

While oolong tea (OT) has been shown to induce weight loss and reduce fat accumulation, the mechanisms remain poorly defined, especially for aged OT. In this study, five groups of mice (n = 9/group) were used including a normal diet with vehicle treatment, and a high-fat diet (HFD) with vehicle or the water extracts from aged OTs (EAOTs, three different storage years) by oral gavage at 1000 mg/kg·BW for 6 weeks. Body weight, fat accumulation, and serum biochemical parameters were used to evaluate obesity. The morphology of hepatocytes and adipocytes was analyzed by being stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The levels of p-AMPK, p-ACC (and non-phosphorylated versions), CPT-1 and FAS were determined by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. EAOTs decreased HFD-induced body weight, fat accumulation, serum levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, while enhancing the serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. At the same time, EAOTs clearly alleviated fatty liver and reduced the size of adipocytes in the epididymal fat, especially in the 2006 group. Most importantly, EAOTs increased the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC, and up-regulated the expression of CPT-1 but down-regulated the expression of fatty acid synthase, TNF-α and iNOS. Thus, EAOTs may inhibit obesity by up-regulating energy expenditure and fatty acid oxidation while inhibiting fatty acid synthesis and inflammation.
When Pooping Babies Become More Appealing

In this report, we argue that the intensity of the emotions people experience is partly determined by the goals they nonconsciously pursue, and that this effect is functional in nature: Emotions are modulated in ways that may increase the probability of goal achievement. To test this hypothesis, we primed female participants with a motherhood goal and then measured their level of disgust in response to mildly disgusting pictures. Priming led to a reduction of disgust in response to goal-relevant stimuli (e.g., pictures of babies with runny noses) but not goal-irrelevant stimuli. This effect was moderated by the women’s probability of conception, a proxy of their ability to pursue the motherhood goal.
Mining Medical Data to Develop Clinical Decision Making Tools in Hemodialysis

The main objective of this work is to develop and apply data mining methods for the prediction of patient outcome in nephrology care. Cardiovascular events have an incidence of 20% in the first year of hemodialysis (HD). Real data routinely collected during HD administration were extracted from the Fresenius Medical Care database EuCliD (39 independent variables) and used to develop a random forest predictive model for the forecast of cardiovascular events in the first year of HD treatment. Two feature selection methods were applied. Results of these models in an independent cohort of patients showed a significant predictive ability. Our better result was obtained with a random forest built on 6 variables only (AUC: 77.1% ± 2.9%; MCE: 31.6% ± 3.5%), identified by the variable importance out of bag (OOB) estimate.
Coping with the less interesting aspects of training: Toward a model of interest and motivation enhancement in individual sports.

Boring activities are not always avoidable. Yet, one can ask: Is boredom inevitable? Studies in the field of interest self-regulation suggest that it might be possible to transcend boredom and enhance motivation through the use of interest-enhancing strategies (IESs). The goal of this project is to build a model of interest and motivation self-regulation in the context of individual sports. Four IESs are examined: creating challenges for oneself, adding variety to the task, providing oneself with self-relevant rationales for performing the task, and exploiting stimulation from other sources than the task itself. The proposed model comprises the following hypotheses: (a) IESs predict higher levels of interest, in both interesting and less interesting tasks; (b) Interest in ''less interesting'' tasks predicts higher levels of self-determined extrinsic motivation; and (c) Interest in ''interesting'' tasks and self-determined extrinsic motivation predict higher levels of intrinsic motivation. Although exploit.
Cryo-EM structure of a mammalian RNA polymerase II elongation complex inhibited by α-amanitin

RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is the central enzyme that transcribes eukaryotic protein-coding genes to produce mRNA. The mushroom toxin α-amanitin binds Pol II and inhibits transcription at the step of RNA chain elongation. Pol II from yeast binds α-amanitin with micromolar affinity, whereas metazoan Pol II enzymes exhibit nanomolar affinities. Here, we present the high-resolution cryo-EM structure of α-amanitin bound to and inhibited by its natural target, the mammalian Pol II elongation complex. The structure revealed that the toxin is located in a pocket previously identified in yeast Pol II but forms additional contacts with metazoan-specific residues, which explains why its affinity to mammalian Pol II is ∼3000 times higher than for yeast Pol II. Our work provides the structural basis for the inhibition of mammalian Pol II by the natural toxin α-amanitin and highlights that cryo-EM is well suited to studying interactions of a small molecule with its macromolecular target.
Hierarchical organization versus self-organization

In this paper we try to define the difference between hierarchical organization and self-organization. Organization is defined as a structure with a function. So we can define the difference between hierarchical organization and self-organization both on the structure as on the function. In the next two chapters these two definitions are given. For the structure we will use some existing definitions in graph theory, for the function we will use existing theory on (self-)organization. In the third chapter we will look how these two definitions agree. Finally we give a conclusion.
I. Mechanisms for neural circuit formation

We have been studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the development of the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS), mainly using mice. This research covers many developmental events including the patterning of the retina, neuronal terminal differentiation, axonal navigation, branching and targeting, synapse formation, refinement and plasticity. The scope of our interests also encompasses the mechanisms for various functions of the mature brain, including body-fluid regulation, behavior control, learning, and memory.
Bio-Based Thermosetting Resins for Future Generation: A Review

ABSTRACT In this review, thermosetting polymers derived from natural resources are highlighted for future generation with greater sustainability for different applications. Recently, agro-based polymer products are gained popularity since last two decades due to the depletion of fossil reserves and to protect the environment from carbon emissions. This review also designed to explain the various types of agro-based polymer products derived from cardanol, itaconic acid, tannin, sugar (isosorbide), and vegetable oils as important starting materials due to their abundant availability, low price, and unique reactive chemical structure. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
FFT-based homogenization algorithm using digital images

The applicability of the FFT-based algorithm for evaluating the mechanical behaviors of composites is investigated from practical view points. After the iterative numerical algorithm is presented, the computational efficiency is compared with that for conventional FEM-based homogenization algorithm and then extended to nonlinear analyses such as elastoplastic problems. In addition to preferable features in microstructural analyses, there are several advantages over the conventional approach by the FEM-based homogenization method. While the method is for evaluating the micromechanical response to the macroscopic deformation, the solution method can also be utilized to estimate the homogenized material constants. In the numerical examples, the digital image processing technique is extensively utilized to define the geometry of microstructures so that the method would not suffer from modeling effort.
New YHS Color Coordinate System and its Application in Remote Sensing

A new color coordinate system, which describes color by means of brightness, hue and saturation, is presented. The relative distance from the body diagonal to the nearest surface of the RGB color cube is used as the saturation. The conversions from and to the RGB space are described. Keywords—colour coordinate system, brightness, hue, saturation
Transient enhancement of low-threshold calcium current in thalamic relay neurons after corticectomy.

1. The alterations of voltage-sensitive calcium currents produced in thalamic cells by injury were investigated under voltage clamp using patch-clamp recordings in the whole-cell configuration. 2. One day after unilateral cortical ablation in immature rats (postnatal day 7), low-threshold transient calcium (T) currents in acutely isolated thalamic relay neurons (RNs) were increased by 68% compared with contralateral controls (P < 0.001). Three days after the operation, T currents in injured neurons were at 44% of control levels (P < 0.001). On the other hand, high-threshold (L) calcium currents in RNs did not change over the same interval. 3. To investigate the mechanism for the increase of T current, both kinetics and voltage dependency of activation and inactivation were examined. At a test voltage of -40 mV, the activation time constant decreased from 4.1 to 3.2 ms (P < 0.05); however, this small change was insufficient to explain the large increase in T current. Time constants for both fast and slow inactivation did not change significantly, nor did voltage dependence of activation or inactivation of thalamic T currents. 4. Methyl-phenyl-succinimide (MPS, 1 mM), a compound known to block T currents, was used to examine possible alterations in the pharmacological properties of T channels after injury. MPS was more effective in reducing T currents in normal versus injured RNs (24 and 20% reductions, respectively; P < 0.05), suggesting that pharmacological properties of T channels in the injured RNs may be different from those of the normal RNs. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Peripheral blood regulatory T cell measurements correlate with serum vitamin D level in patients with psoriasis.

OBJECTIVE Vitamin D is the precursor of a hormone (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3), which has many biological effects in the skin. The immune modulator properties of vitamin D are mediated in part through effects on regulatory T cells (T-reg). Currently, in psoriasis, the relationship between vitamin D and T-reg has not well elucidated. We assess whether vitamin D status is correlated with circulating T-reg in patients affected by psoriasis and if there is a correlation with the severity of the disease evaluated with Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score. PATIENTS AND METHODS For each patient we have analyzed, PASI-score, serum levels vitamin D and regulatory T cell percentages. Spearmen's coefficient was used between serum vitamin D levels and the predictors. Subsequently, the independent predictive factors were assessed by Multiple Regression. RESULTS A total of 26 patients were included in our analysis. Using no parametric Spearman's Coefficient test between serum levels of vitamin D and the single variables, we found an association with T-reg population (p < 0.001) and with PASI-score (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS While vitamin D treatment induces a cytokine profile known to favor the differentiation of T cells with suppressive activity, at the same time, several studies showed how vitamin D can prime for tolerogenic dendritic cells able to favor the differentiation of Treg from T naïve cells. Low levels of vitamin-D may decrease the number of circulatory T-reg, disrupting the immunological homeostasis in psoriatic patients and encouraging the inflammatory activity.
Epilepsy an Update on Disease Mechanisms: The Potential Role of MicroRNAs

So far, research on epilepsy mechanisms has been designed mainly using animal models and tracking down molecular mechanisms underlying seizures in that model. While this approach is clearly valuable, it can be questioned if it is the best possible. One attractive alternative approach may stem from the consideration of epilepsy as a complex disease of a very complex organ, the brain. This short review summarizes data from analyses of the alterations in expression of microRNAs and their target messenger RNAs in a specific brain subregion, the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, in three experimental models of lesional epilepsy. The findings are discussed within the conceptual framework of complex systems.
Interfacial plasticity governs strain rate sensitivity and ductility in nanostructured metals

Nano-twinned copper exhibits an unusual combination of ultrahigh strength and high ductility, along with increased strain-rate sensitivity. We develop a mechanistic framework for predicting the rate sensitivity and elucidating the origin of ductility in terms of the interactions of dislocations with interfaces. Using atomistic reaction pathway calculations, we show that slip transfer reactions mediated by twin boundary are the rate-controlling mechanisms of plastic flow. We attribute the relatively high ductility of nano-twinned copper to the hardening of twin boundaries as they gradually lose coherency during plastic deformation. These findings provide insights into the possible means of optimizing strength and ductility through interfacial engineering.