Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An EEG Analysis of Honorification in Japanese: Human Hierarchical Relationships Coded in Language

This study examines the neural substrate of the understanding of human relationships in verbal communication with Japanese honorific sentences as experimental materials. We manipulated two types of Japanese verbs specifically used to represent respect for others, i.e., exalted and humble verbs, which represent respect for the person in the subject and the person in the object, respectively. We visually presented appropriate and anomalous sentences containing the two types of verbs and analyzed the electroencephalogram elicited by the verbs. We observed significant parietal negativity at a latency of approximately 400 ms for anomalous verbs compared with appropriate verbs. This parietal negativity could be a manifestation of the pragmatic process used to integrate the linguistic forms with the human relationships represented in the sentences. The topographies of these event-related potentials (ERPs) corresponded well with those of ERPs for two second-person pronouns in Chinese (plain ni and respectful nin). This correspondence suggests that the pragmatic integration process in honorific expressions is cross-linguistically common in part. Furthermore, we assessed the source localization by means of independent component (IC) analysis and dipole fitting and observed a significant difference in ERP between the honorific and control sentences in the IC cluster centered in the precentral gyrus and in the cluster centered in the medial part of the occipital lobe, which corresponded well with the functional magnetic resonance imaging findings for Japanese honorification. We also found several significant differences in the time-frequency analyses for the medial occipital cluster. These significant differences in the medial occipital cluster suggested that the circuit of the theory of mind was involved in the processing of Japanese honorification. Our results suggest that pragmatic and syntactic processing are performed in parallel because the person to be respected must fulfill the grammatical function appropriate for the honorific verb.
MicroRNA-34a: Potent Tumor Suppressor, Cancer Stem Cell Inhibitor, and Potential Anticancer Therapeutic

Overwhelming evidence indicates that virtually all treatment-naive tumors contain a subpopulation of cancer cells that possess some stem cell traits and properties and are operationally defined as cancer cell stem cells (CSCs). CSCs manifest inherent heterogeneity in that they may exist in an epithelial and proliferative state or a mesenchymal non-proliferative and invasive state. Spontaneous tumor progression, therapeutic treatments, and (epi)genetic mutations may also induce plasticity in non-CSCs and reprogram them into stem-like cancer cells. Intrinsic cancer cell heterogeneity and induced cancer cell plasticity, constantly and dynamically, generate a pool of CSC subpopulations with varying levels of epigenomic stability and stemness. Despite the dynamic and transient nature of CSCs, they play fundamental roles in mediating therapy resistance and tumor relapse. It is now clear that the stemness of CSCs is coordinately regulated by genetic factors and epigenetic mechanisms. Here, in this perspective, we first provide a brief updated overview of CSCs. We then focus on microRNA-34a (miR-34a), a tumor-suppressive microRNA (miRNA) devoid in many CSCs and advanced tumors. Being a member of the miR-34 family, miR-34a was identified as a p53 target in 2007. It is a bona fide tumor suppressor, and its expression is dysregulated and downregulated in various human cancers. By targeting stemness factors such as NOTCH, MYC, BCL-2, and CD44, miR-34a epigenetically and negatively regulates the functional properties of CSCs. We shall briefly discuss potential reasons behind the failure of the first-in-class clinical trial of MRX34, a liposomal miR-34a mimic. Finally, we offer several clinical settings where miR-34a can potentially be deployed to therapeutically target CSCs and advanced, therapy-resistant, and p53-mutant tumors in order to overcome therapy resistance and curb tumor relapse.
Simulation of Effect of Wind Barriers on Airflow

ABSTRACT LACK of a quantitative theory to explain airflow near wind barriers in the atmospheric boundary layer has hindered experimental programs in barrier research and made optimum barrier design for practical applications difficult. Our objectives were to develop a quantitative, theoretical simulation of airflow normal to narrow wind barriers of various porosities and, when possible, verify the results using experimental data. To simulate the airflow near wind barriers, we used five linked, partial differential equations. The differen-tial equations described the conservation of horizontal momentum, vertical momemtum, mass, turbulence energy, and dissipation rate of turbulence energy. Final-ly, we used an algebraic turbulence model to relate the turbulent viscosity to the turbulent energy and to the tur-bulent energy dissipation rate. We used finite difference methods having a combination of upwind and central difference schemes to solve the equations. As a barrier boundary condition, the porous wind barriers were treated as sources of horizontal velocity. The source strengths for 20-, 40-, and 60-percent-porous slat-fence barriers were determined by measuring the windspeed profiles at 0.5 to 1.0 barrier heights (H) leeward. For experimental verification of the simulation model, windspeed reduction was measured leeward of 20-, 40-, and 60-percent-porous barriers having a ratio of H to a roughness parameter (z0) of H/z0 = 75 and compared with the simulated results. Windspeed reduction data in the literature also were compared with simulated wind-speed reduction with H/z0 = 300. Finally, vertical pro-files of turbulence energy were measured near a 40-percent-porous wind barrier and compared with the simulated results. Treating porous barriers as a source of horizontal velocity appears to be a valid method to obtain useful simulation results because the leeward simulated and measured windspeed patterns generally agreed well. The windspeed profiles measured at 0.5 to 1.0 H leeward of porous barriers can be used as a measure of the source strength; however, it was necessary to average several profiles to obtain an adequate estimate of source strength.
The Ameliorating Effects of Bushen Huatan Granules and Kunling Wan on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Induced by Dehydroepiandrosterone in Rats

Aim To investigate the effects of Bushen Huatan Granules (BHG) and Kunling Wan (KW), the two Chinese medicines, on the regulation of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and their underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods PCOS rat model was established by subcutaneous injection of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) (6 mg/100 g/day) for 20 days, followed by treatment with BHG (0.75, 1.49, and 2.99 g/kg) or KW (0.46, 0.91, and 1.82 g/kg) by gavage for 4 weeks. Estrous cycle was detected by vaginal smears. Follicles development was assessed by histology. Levels of testosterone and insulin in serum were tested by ELISA. Apoptosis of Granulosa cells (GCs) was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling staining. Pathways associated with apoptosis were detected with western blot. Pregnancy outcome was also assessed. GCs were pre-treated with 10–5 M testosterone in vitro for 24 h, then incubated with serum from rats receiving BHG (1.49 g/kg) or KW (1.82 g/kg). The parameters concerning apoptosis, mitochondrial function and endoplasmic reticulum stress were assessed. Results Post-treatment with either BHG or KW ameliorated DHEA-induced irregular estrous cycles, follicles development abnormalities, increase of testosterone and insulin in serum, and the apoptosis of GCs. Post-treatment with BHG decreased the expression of cleaved caspase-9/caspase 9, release of cytochrome C from mitochondria, and mitochondria reactive oxygen species production, increased activities of complex I, II, IV of ovarian tissue. Post-treatment with KW decreased the levels of caspase-12, GRP78, C/EBP homologous protein, phosphorylation of IRE-I, x-box-binding protein 1s, as well as phosphorylation of proline-rich receptor-like protein kinase, phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α and ATF4 of ovarian tissue and GCs. Both BHG and KW ameliorated pregnancy outcome. Conclusion This study demonstrated BHG or KW as a potential strategy for treatment of PCOS induced by DHEA, and suggested that the beneficial role of the two medicines were mediated by different pathway with the effect of BHG being correlated with the regulation of mitochondria, while the effect of KW being attributable to protection of endoplasmic reticulum stress.
LMO7 as an Unrecognized Factor Promoting Pancreatic Cancer Progression and Metastasis

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal human malignancies without effective treatment. In an effort to discover key genes and molecular pathways underlying PC growth, we have identified LIM domain only 7 (LMO7) as an under-investigated molecule, which highly expresses in primary and metastatic human and mouse PC with the potential of impacting PC tumorigenesis and metastasis. Using genetic methods with siRNA, shRNA, and CRISPR-Cas9, we have successfully generated stable mouse PC cells with LMO7 knockdown or knockout. Using these cells with loss of LMO7 function, we have demonstrated that intrinsic LMO7 defect significantly suppresses PC cell proliferation, anchorage-free colony formation, and mobility in vitro and slows orthotopic PC tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that loss of LMO7 function causes PC cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. These data indicate that LMO7 functions as an independent and unrecognized druggable factor significantly impacting PC growth and metastasis, which could be harnessed for developing a new targeted therapy for PC.
A New Subject-Specific Discriminative and Multi-Scale Filter Bank Tangent Space Mapping Method for Recognition of Multiclass Motor Imagery

Objective: Tangent Space Mapping (TSM) using the geometric structure of the covariance matrices is an effective method to recognize multiclass motor imagery (MI). Compared with the traditional CSP method, the Riemann geometric method based on TSM takes into account the nonlinear information contained in the covariance matrix, and can extract more abundant and effective features. Moreover, the method is an unsupervised operation, which can reduce the time of feature extraction. However, EEG features induced by MI mental activities of different subjects are not the same, so selection of subject-specific discriminative EEG frequency components play a vital role in the recognition of multiclass MI. In order to solve the problem, a discriminative and multi-scale filter bank tangent space mapping (DMFBTSM) algorithm is proposed in this article to design the subject-specific Filter Bank (FB) so as to effectively recognize multiclass MI tasks. Methods: On the 4-class BCI competition IV-2a dataset, first, a non-parametric method of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) based on the sum of squared distances is used to select discriminative frequency bands for a subject; next, a multi-scale FB is generated according to the range of these frequency bands, and then decompose multi-channel EEG of the subject into multiple sub-bands combined with several time windows. Then TSM algorithm is used to estimate Riemannian tangent space features in each sub-band and finally a liner Support Vector Machines (SVM) is used for classification. Main Results: The analysis results show that the proposed discriminative FB enhances the multi-scale TSM algorithm, improves the classification accuracy and reduces the execution time during training and testing. On the 4-class BCI competition IV-2a dataset, the average session to session classification accuracy of nine subjects reached 77.33 ± 12.3%. When the training time and the test time are similar, the average classification accuracy is 2.56% higher than the latest TSM method based on multi-scale filter bank analysis technology. When the classification accuracy is similar, the training speed is increased by more than three times, and the test speed is increased two times more. Compared with Supervised Fisher Geodesic Minimum Distance to the Mean (Supervised FGMDRM), another new variant based on Riemann geometry classifier, the average accuracy is 3.36% higher, we also compared with the latest Deep Learning method, and the average accuracy of 10-fold cross validation improved by 2.58%. Conclusion: Research shows that the proposed DMFBTSM algorithm can improve the classification accuracy of MI tasks. Significance: Compared with the MFBTSM algorithm, the algorithm proposed in this article is expected to select frequency bands with good separability for specific subject to improve the classification accuracy of multiclass MI tasks and reduce the feature dimension to reduce training time and testing time.
Phylogeny and Pathology of Anisakids Parasitizing Stranded California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) in Southern California

In marine mammals, nematode-inflicted pathological lesions combined with other pathogens and factors (i.e., pollution, climate change, domoic acid poisoning events, and seasonal El Nino starvation events) negatively impact pinnipeds’ health and may cause mortality. Five California sea lions (Zalophus californianus)—a female pup, three male yearlings, and an adult female—suffered mortalities during rehabilitation at the Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles (San Pedro, CA). According to the necropsy reports, animals developed multisystemic parasitism as a leading cause of death, combined with malnutrition and hypoglycemia. In order to reveal host–parasite dynamics that may play a role in pinniped health and recovery, we examined the type and level of histopathological stomach lesions in California sea lions caused by anisakid nematodes. All isolated anisakids were morphologically and molecularly identified, and their phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using the sequence of the mitochondrial COII gene. Co-parasitation of different Anisakidae spp. within the same host or lesions presented the opportunity to evaluate the existence of recombinant haplotypes and their eventual pathological pressure exerted onto host. The lesions were presented as chronic granulomatous gastritis, with moderate edema and hyperemia of the tunica submucosa and lamina propria, followed by mild, focal fibrosis of the gastric wall. Ulcerative changes with mixed leukocytic infiltrate showed to be localized, shallow, and non-perforative and with no apparent bacterial coinfection, mostly accompanied by healing granulation tissue. Isolated anisakids are grouped into three distinctively separated monophyletic clades corresponding to genera Anisakis, Contracaecum, and Pseudoterranova. Most abundant were representatives of Contracaecum ogmorhini sensu lato (55.36%), followed by Anisakis pegreffii (23.21%), Pseudoterranova azarasi (17.86%), Pseudoterranova decipiens sensu lato (1.79%), and Anisakis simplex (1.79%). Phylogenetic trees revealed no differentiation at intra-species level. Our analysis of divergence revealed Contracaecum separated from other lineages in the Jurassic period at the 176.2 Mya and Anisakis diverging from Pseudoterranova in Cenozoic period at 85.9 Mya.
Microfluidics in Sickle Cell Disease Research: State of the Art and a Perspective Beyond the Flow Problem

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the monogenic hemoglobinopathy where mutated sickle hemoglobin molecules polymerize to form long fibers under deoxygenated state and deform red blood cells (RBCs) into predominantly sickle form. Sickled RBCs stick to the vascular bed and obstruct blood flow in extreme conditions, leading to acute painful vaso-occlusion crises (VOCs) – the leading cause of mortality in SCD. Being a blood disorder of deformed RBCs, SCD manifests a wide-range of organ-specific clinical complications of life (in addition to chronic pain) such as stroke, acute chest syndrome (ACS) and pulmonary hypertension in the lung, nephropathy, auto-splenectomy, and splenomegaly, hand-foot syndrome, leg ulcer, stress erythropoiesis, osteonecrosis and osteoporosis. The physiological inception for VOC was initially thought to be only a fluid flow problem in microvascular space originated from increased viscosity due to aggregates of sickled RBCs; however, over the last three decades, multiple molecular and cellular mechanisms have been identified that aid the VOC in vivo. Activation of adhesion molecules in vascular endothelium and on RBC membranes, activated neutrophils and platelets, increased viscosity of the blood, and fluid physics driving sickled and deformed RBCs to the vascular wall (known as margination of flow) – all of these come together to orchestrate VOC. Microfluidic technology in sickle research was primarily adopted to benefit from mimicking the microvascular network to observe RBC flow under low oxygen conditions as models of VOC. However, over the last decade, microfluidics has evolved as a valuable tool to extract biophysical characteristics of sickle red cells, measure deformability of sickle red cells under simulated oxygen gradient and shear, drug testing, in vitro models of intercellular interaction on endothelialized or adhesion molecule-functionalized channels to understand adhesion in sickle microenvironment, characterizing biomechanics and microrheology, biomarker identification, and last but not least, for developing point-of-care diagnostic technologies for low resource setting. Several of these platforms have already demonstrated true potential to be translated from bench to bedside. Emerging microfluidics-based technologies for studying heterotypic cell–cell interactions, organ-on-chip application and drug dosage screening can be employed to sickle research field due to their wide-ranging advantages.
Use of excimer laser test system for studying haze growth

With the use of 193nm lithography, haze growth has increased and become a critical issue for photomask suppliers and wafer fabs. Currently, the industry uses various test methods to measure known contributions to crystal growth, such as ion chromatography of cleaning residues and environmental monitoring in steppers. The understanding of the conditions that create haze is limited to end user photomask lifetime experience, which is gathered under varying environmental conditions. A better method to understand the formation of haze is to create a controlled environment and vary experimental conditions. Once experimental factors are understood, product reliability can be verified through end-user feedback. A custom excimer laser test system capable of 193nm and 248nm wavelengths was built to accelerate haze growth and to better understand haze formation. A photomask is enclosed in a test chamber where the environmental atmosphere and exposure conditions are controlled and monitored throughout testing. The system is used to test various elements important to mask fabrication and use, including materials, mask fabrication processes, and environmental operating conditions. This paper details the investigation of haze performance with commercially available pellicles using controlled environmental conditions and varying exposure parameters, such as pulse rate, energy density, and exposure dose. Using this methodology, the conditions that create haze growth were identified.
An Inverted Management Strategy for the Fishery of Endangered Marine Species

Overfishing is notorious for triggering population collapses and disrupting marine biological functioning worldwide. To counter such a threat, policy-makers have created and implemented multiple management strategies, but most were incapable to prevent the decline of several key species. Here, we discuss a new management strategy in force since June 2019 in Brazil that aims to deter the overfishing of parrotfish species of the genera Scarus and Sparisoma. This innovative strategy, here referred to as inverted management, allows the capture of endangered parrotfish species inside management areas, such as partially protected marine areas—MPAs, but bans it elsewhere. This initiative is supposed to be built in a partnership among the government, scientists, managers, and fishers. If implemented correctly, endangered species would recover in the much larger area outside MPAs, and fishers would benefit from the conservation-value of the scarce and valued product. However, to succeed, the strategy depends on the adoption of a series of challenging management rules that are not currently being enforced along an extensive coastline. So far, few MPAs have incorporated rules for endangered species in their management plan, and those that have done so have no plans or the means to enforce them. Therefore, fishing of endangered species is currently ongoing without any management or monitoring in the entire Brazilian coast. Concerned with the challenges to develop plans to recover populations of endangered species faced by Brazilian managers, we suggest wide communication and a ban on the fisheries until management plans are implemented. Additionally, we suggest that the effectiveness of the inverted management strategy for parrotfishes should be assessed before it’s applied to other endangered species.
Utility of Climatic Information via Combining Ability Models to Improve Genomic Prediction for Yield Within the Genomes to Fields Maize Project

Genomic prediction provides an efficient alternative to conventional phenotypic selection for developing improved cultivars with desirable characteristics. New and improved methods to genomic prediction are continually being developed that attempt to deal with the integration of data types beyond genomic information. Modern automated weather systems offer the opportunity to capture continuous data on a range of environmental parameters at specific field locations. In principle, this information could characterize training and target environments and enhance predictive ability by incorporating weather characteristics as part of the genotype-by-environment (G×E) interaction component in prediction models. We assessed the usefulness of including weather data variables in genomic prediction models using a naïve environmental kinship model across 30 environments comprising the Genomes to Fields (G2F) initiative in 2014 and 2015. Specifically four different prediction scenarios were evaluated (i) tested genotypes in observed environments; (ii) untested genotypes in observed environments; (iii) tested genotypes in unobserved environments; and (iv) untested genotypes in unobserved environments. A set of 1,481 unique hybrids were evaluated for grain yield. Evaluations were conducted using five different models including main effect of environments; general combining ability (GCA) effects of the maternal and paternal parents modeled using the genomic relationship matrix; specific combining ability (SCA) effects between maternal and paternal parents; interactions between genetic (GCA and SCA) effects and environmental effects; and finally interactions between the genetics effects and environmental covariates. Incorporation of the genotype-by-environment interaction term improved predictive ability across all scenarios. However, predictive ability was not improved through inclusion of naive environmental covariates in G×E models. More research should be conducted to link the observed weather conditions with important physiological aspects in plant development to improve predictive ability through the inclusion of weather data.