Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic brain activity during associative learning examined with MEG/fMRI co-processing

Background Due to limitations of individual neuroimaging methods we examine spatial and temporal contributions to self-generation using multimodality imaging with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) within the Bayesian framework Multiple Sparse Priors (MSP). New Method 24 healthy participants performed an fMRI and MEG paired-associate learning task. FMRI data were processed within Group ICA fMRI Toolbox. Independent components (ICs) were temporally sorted by task time series (|r|>0.30 threshold identified task-related ICs). Task-positive (“generate”) ICs were retained as spatial priors for MEG analyses. MEG data were processed by averaging trials to increase the signal-to-noise ratio within subjects and with an event-related theta power approach. MEG source reconstructions were constrained within the task-positive ICs for both analytical approaches. Results For fMRI, five networks were identified as task-related. Four ICs underlying active generation spanned bilateral parietal, orbitofrontal, medial frontal and superior temporal regions, and occipital lobe. FMRI-constrained MEG source reconstructions yielded early visual cortex activity followed by left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) recruitment to coalesce in the left inferior temporal lobe. For the event-related theta approach, reconstructions showed a progression of activity from bilateral temporal areas to left OFC and middle temporal gyrus, followed by right IFG. Comparison with Existing Methods MSP analyses informed by fMRI produced more focused regional activity than reconstructions without priors suggesting increased attention and maintenance when selecting relevant semantic information during active generation. Conclusions Constraining MEG source reconstruction to fMRI priors during active generation implicates interconnected fronto-temporal and fronto-parietal networks across time.
Horizontal connectivity in V1: Prediction of coherence in contour and motion integration

This study demonstrates the functional importance of the Surround context relayed laterally in V1 by the horizontal connectivity, in controlling the latency and the gain of the cortical response to the feedforward visual drive. We report here four main findings : 1) a centripetal apparent motion sequence results in a shortening of the spiking latency of V1 cells, when the orientation of the local inducer and the global motion axis are both co-aligned with the RF orientation preference; 2) this contextual effects grows with visual flow speed, peaking at 150-250°/s when it matches the propagation speed of horizontal connectivity (0.15-0.25 mm/ms); 3) For this speed range, the axial sensitivity of V1 cells is tilted by 90° to become co-aligned with the orientation preference axis; 4) the strength of modulation by the surround context correlates with the spatiotemporal coherence of the apparent motion flow. Our results suggest an internally-generated binding process, linking local (orientation /position) and global (motion/direction) features as early as V1. This long-range diffusion process constitutes a plausible substrate in V1 of the human psychophysical bias in speed estimation for collinear motion. Since it is demonstrated in the anesthetized cat, this novel form of contextual control of the cortical gain and phase is a built-in property in V1, whose expression does not require behavioral attention and top-down control from higher cortical areas. We propose that horizontal connectivity participates in the propagation of an internal “prediction” wave, shaped by visual experience, which links contour co-alignment and global axial motion at an apparent speed in the range of saccade-like eye-movements.
Microglial Phenotypic Transition: Signaling Pathways and Influencing Modulators Involved in Regulation in Central Nervous System Diseases

Microglia are macrophages that reside in the central nervous system (CNS) and belong to the innate immune system. Moreover, they are crucially involved in CNS development, maturation, and aging; further, they are closely associated with neurons. In normal conditions, microglia remain in a static state. Upon trauma or lesion occurrence, microglia can be activated and subsequently polarized into the pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory phenotype. The phenotypic transition is regulated by numerous modulators. This review focus on the literature regarding the modulators and signaling pathways involved in regulating the microglial phenotypic transition, which are rarely mentioned in other reviews. Hence, this review provides molecular insights into the microglial phenotypic transition, which could be a potential therapeutic target for neuroinflammation.
Benchmarking tools for DNA repeat identification in diverse genomes

Continuous progression in genomics shows that repeats are important elements of genomes that perform many regulatory and other functions. Eventually, to date, many computational tools have been developed and frequently used for the identification and analysis of genomic repeats. A single tool cannot detect all different types of repeats in diverse species rather pipeline of tools is more effective. But, the choice of such rigorous and robust tools is highly challenging. A method has been implemented to select a set of optimal tools for finding all available classes of perfect and imperfect tandem repeats including microsatellites, minisatellites, and interspersed CRISPRs in genomes. A total of 11 tools have been shortlisted using rule-based selection and then ranked by analyzing rigorousness in searching in diverse species and execution time. Tool comparison shows consistency in perfect microsatellite detection performance but significantly differ for long and imperfect repeats. A web-server has been built which provides a generic platform for various classes of repeat identification from the diverse genome using multiple tools and comparison.
Children with amblyaudia show less flexibility in auditory cortical entrainment to periodic non-speech sounds

Objective We investigated auditory temporal processing in children with amblyaudia (AMB), a subtype of auditory processing disorder, via cortical neural entrainment. Design and study samples Evoked responses were recorded to click-trains at slow vs. fast (8.5 vs. 14.9/sec) rates in n=14 children with AMB and n=11 age-matched controls. Source and time-frequency analyses decomposed EEGs into oscillations (reflecting neural entrainment) stemming from the bilateral auditory cortex. Results Phase-locking strength in AMB depended critically on the speed of auditory stimuli. In contrast to age-matched peers, AMB responses were largely insensitive to rate manipulations. This rate resistance was seen regardless of the ear of presentation and in both cortical hemispheres. Conclusion Children with AMB show a stark inflexibility in auditory cortical entrainment to rapid sounds. In addition to reduced capacity to integrate information between the ears, we identify more rigid tagging of external auditory stimuli. Our neurophysiological findings may account for certain temporal processing deficits commonly observed in AMB and related auditory processing disorders (APDs) behaviorally. More broadly, our findings may inform communication strategies and future rehabilitation programs; increasing the rate of stimuli above a normal (slow) speech rate is likely to make stimulus processing more challenging for individuals with AMB/APD.
Variant Approach for Identifying Spurious Relations That Deep Learning Models Learn

A deep learning (DL) model learns a function relating a set of input variables with a set of target variables. While the representation of this function in form of the DL model often lacks interpretability, several interpretation methods exist that provide descriptions of the function (e.g., measures of feature importance). On the one hand, these descriptions may build trust in the model or reveal its limitations. On the other hand, they may lead to new scientific understanding. In any case, a description is only useful if one is able to identify if parts of it reflect spurious instead of causal relations (e.g., random associations in the training data instead of associations due to a physical process). However, this can be challenging even for experts because, in scientific tasks, causal relations between input and target variables are often unknown or extremely complex. Commonly, this challenge is addressed by training separate instances of the considered model on random samples of the training set and identifying differences between the obtained descriptions. Here, we demonstrate that this may not be sufficient and propose to additionally consider more general modifications of the prediction task. We refer to the proposed approach as variant approach and demonstrate its usefulness and its superiority over pure sampling approaches with two illustrative prediction tasks from hydrometeorology. While being conceptually simple, to our knowledge the approach has not been formalized and systematically evaluated before.
The Triple Jags of Dietary Fibers in Cereals: How Biotechnology Is Longing for High Fiber Grains

Cereals represent an important source of beneficial compounds for human health, such as macro- and micronutrients, vitamins, and bioactive molecules. Generally, the consumption of whole-grain products is associated with significant health benefits, due to the elevated amount of dietary fiber (DF). However, the consumption of whole-grain foods is still modest compared to more refined products. In this sense, it is worth focusing on the increase of DF fractions inside the inner compartment of the seed, the endosperm, which represents the main part of the derived flour. The main components of the grain fiber are arabinoxylan (AX), β-glucan (βG), and resistant starch (RS). These three components are differently distributed in grains, however, all of them are represented in the endosperm. AX and βG, classified as non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), are in cell walls, whereas, RS is in the endosperm, being a starch fraction. As the chemical structure of DFs influences their digestibility, the identification of key actors involved in their metabolism can pave the way to improve their function in human health. Here, we reviewed the main achievements of plant biotechnologies in DFs manipulation in cereals, highlighting new genetic targets to be exploited, and main issues to face to increase the potential of cereals in fighting malnutrition.
Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging and Spectroscopic Co-Validation for Protoporphyrin IX-Guided Tumor Visualization in Neurosurgery

Maximal safe resection is a key strategy for improving patient prognosis in the management of brain tumors. Intraoperative fluorescence guidance has emerged as a standard in the surgery of high-grade gliomas. The administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid prior to surgery induces tumor-specific accumulation of protoporphyrin IX, which emits red fluorescence under blue-light illumination. The technology, however, is substantially limited for low-grade gliomas and weakly tumor-infiltrated brain, where low protoporphyrin IX concentrations are outweighed by tissue autofluorescence. In this context, fluorescence lifetime imaging has shown promise to distinguish spectrally overlapping fluorophores. We integrated frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime imaging in a surgical microscope and combined it with spatially registered fluorescence spectroscopy, which can be considered a research benchmark for sensitive protoporphyrin IX detection. Fluorescence lifetime maps and spectra were acquired for a representative set of fresh ex-vivo brain tumor specimens (low-grade gliomas n = 15, high-grade gliomas n = 80, meningiomas n = 41, and metastases n = 35). Combining the fluorescence lifetime with fluorescence spectra unveiled how weak protoporphyrin IX accumulations increased the lifetime respective to tissue autofluorescence. Infiltration zones (4.1ns ± 1.8ns, p = 0.017) and core tumor areas (4.8ns ± 1.3ns, p = 0.040) of low-grade gliomas were significantly distinguishable from non-pathologic tissue (1.6ns ± 0.5ns). Similarly, fluorescence lifetimes for infiltrated and reactive tissue as well as necrotic and core tumor areas were increased for high-grade gliomas and metastasis. Meningioma tumor specimens showed strongly increased lifetimes (12.2ns ± 2.5ns, p = 0.005). Our results emphasize the potential of fluorescence lifetime imaging to optimize maximal safe resection in brain tumors in future and highlight its potential toward clinical translation.
Analysis of Significant Factors Influencing the Technology Acceptance of Smartglasses in the Craft Sector: Analyse signifikanter Einflussfaktoren auf die Technologieakzeptanz von Smartglasses im Handwerk

Smartglasses mit Augmented Reality Technologie erfreuen sich immer größerer Beliebtheit in der Arbeitswelt und finden zunehmend Verwendung als Arbeitsassistenzsysteme. In Deutschland sind die Geräte im Handwerk, insbesondere in kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMU), noch nicht weit verbreitet, obwohl sie zentralen Herausforderungen wie Fachkräftemangel und kürzer werdenden Innovations- und Produktionszyklen entgegenwirken können. Um die Wahrnehmung von Smartglasses im Handwerk zu beleuchten, wird eine erste quantitative Analyse durchgeführt. Hierzu wird ein kontextspezifisches Forschungsmodell für die Sanitär-, Heizungs- und Klimatechnik-(SHK-)Branche entwickelt, das die Akzeptanzfaktoren Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, Compatibility, Perceived Risks und Perceived Substitutability umfasst. Auf Basis einer Online-Umfrage (N = 38) wird das entwickelte Modell evaluiert und eine deskriptive Analyse sowie Korrelationsanalyse zur Auswertung der Umfragedaten vorgenommen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Nutzung von Smartglasses überwiegend Zustimmung durch die Beschäftigten erfährt und die Technik als nützlich, einfach bedienbar, risikofrei und mit der eigenen Arbeitsweise vereinbar wahrgenommen wird.
RESPONSE OF THE OLIGO-MIOCENE BIVALVE FAUNA OF THE KUTCH BASIN (WESTERN INDIA) TO REGIONAL TECTONIC EVENTS

Abstract: Tectonic changes have influenced the evolution of the marine community by changing the land and seaway configuration through time. Two such events during the Oligo-Miocene—the closure of the Tethyan seaway due to development of the Gomphotherium Landbridge leading to separation of the Arabian Sea from proto-Mediterranean Sea (∼ 19 Ma) and significant uplift of the Tibetan Plateau marking the initiation of the monsoon (∼ 16 Ma)—represent a classic case of tectonic shift influencing the regional environment of the Indian subcontinent. We investigated the taxonomic and body-size related response of the shallow marine fauna to this regional change using bivalves from 11 time-constrained shellbeds of the Kutch Basin (western India) from three formations—Maniyara Fort (Chattian), Khari Nadi (Aquitanian) and Chhasra (Burdigalian-Langian) representing a time span of ∼ 9 Ma (24.4–15 Ma). Our collection of over 2000 individuals represents a total of 15 families and 61 morphospecies. The fossils are predominantly calcitic in nature and families of aragonitic composition are often preserved as molds indicating a potential negative effect of diagenesis. The taphonomic nature, however, does not vary substantially across shellbeds and hence, less likely produced a temporal pattern. The five most abundant species, Ostrea latimarginata, Ostrea angulata, Talochlamys articulata, Anomia primaeva, and Placuna lamellata occur in all the formations. The species composition of the Maniyara Fort Formation is substantially different from those of the younger formations, implying the possible effect of biogeographic separation. The absence of proto-Mediterranean taxa in Oligocene shellbeds supports limited faunal exchange between the Mediterranean-Iranian Province (MIP) and the western Indian Province (WIP) as early as ∼ 24.4 Ma (Chattian). Faunal exchange, however, continued between the WIP and the adjacent Eastern African-Arabian Province (EAAP). Formation-specific evenness shows a monotonic decrease from the Maniyara Fort to the Chhasra Formation. However, shellbed-specific analyses of diversity and body size do not show a strong directional trend through time and supports the stasis model. Although it is difficult to rule out the negative influence of taphonomy on the diversity of the studied fauna, the Oligo-Miocene marine bivalve fauna of the Kutch Basin demonstrates little or no influence of the Tethyan closure and Himalayan upliftment on the diversity through time.
A cross-sectional analysis of diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in people living with HIV

Abstract Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is common in people living with HIV (PLWH). We sought to evaluate the appropriateness of COPD diagnosis and management in PLWH, comparing results to HIV-uninfected persons. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of Veterans enrolled in the Examinations of HIV-Associated Lung Emphysema study, in which all participants underwent spirometry at enrollment and reported respiratory symptoms on self-completed surveys. Primary outcomes were misdiagnosis and under-diagnosis of COPD, and the frequency and appropriateness of inhaler prescriptions. Misdiagnosis was defined as having an International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 diagnosis of COPD without spirometric airflow limitation (post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1-second [FEV1]/Forced vital capacity [FVC] < 0.7). Under-diagnosis was defined as having spirometry-defined COPD without a prior ICD-9 diagnosis. The analytic cohort included 183 PLWH and 152 HIV-uninfected participants. Of 25 PLWH with an ICD-9 diagnosis of COPD, 56% were misdiagnosed. Of 38 PLWH with spirometry-defined COPD, 71% were under-diagnosed. In PLWH under-diagnosed with COPD, 85% reported respiratory symptoms. Among PLWH with an ICD-9 COPD diagnosis as well as in those with spirometry-defined COPD, long-acting inhalers, particularly long-acting bronchodilators (both beta-agonists and muscarinic antagonists) were prescribed infrequently even in symptomatic individuals. Inhaled corticosteroids were the most frequently prescribed long-acting inhaler in PLWH (28%). Results were overall similar amongst the HIV-uninfected. COPD was frequently misdiagnosed and under-diagnosed in PLWH, similar to uninfected-veterans. Among PLWH with COPD and a likely indication for therapy, long-acting inhalers were prescribed infrequently, particularly guideline-concordant, first-line long-acting bronchodilators. Although not a first-line controller therapy for COPD, inhaled corticosteroids were prescribed more often.
Preparation of three-dimensional porous graphene/ruthenium oxide nano-composite for high performance supercapacitors by electrochemical method

ABSTRACT A facile one-step electrodeposition method to synthesis of ruthenium oxide/ graphene (ERG/RuO2) nano-composite has been developed. The SEM and TEM revealed the three-dimensional (3D) porous ERG decorated by RuO2 nanoparticle with the size of less than 5 nm. The electrochemical tests showed that the ERG/RuO2 nanocomposites exhibited distinct pseudocapacitive characteristic with a high specific capacitance and an outstanding rate capability, and even after 5000 cycles the capacity retention was still maintained at 80.2%. These results suggest that ERG/RuO2 electrode as electrode material of supercapacitor has great prospects.
Antimicrobial Use in Livestock in Low-Income Countries

The emergence of resistant bacteria is directly associated with inappropriate use of antimicrobials (see Box 1). In many lowand middle-income countries, regulations regarding antimicrobial use are poor or non-existent. This, together with the expected growth of the livestock sector – a major consumer of antimicrobials – in low-income countries, may result in an increase in the amount of antimicrobials administered and have severe implications for healthcare (Robinson et al., 2016).
Machine Learning Technique Reveals Prognostic Factors of Vibrant Soundbridge for Conductive or Mixed Hearing Loss Patients

Objectives: Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) was developed for treatment of hearing loss, but clinical outcomes vary and prognostic factors predicting the success of the treatment remain unknown. We examined clinical outcomes of VSB for conductive or mixed hearing loss, prognostic factors by analyzing prediction models, and cut-off values to predict the outcomes. Study design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Tertiary care hospital. Patients: Thirty patients who underwent VSB surgery from January 2017 to December 2019 at our hospital. Intervention: Audiological tests were performed prior to and 3 months after surgery; patients completed questionnaires 3 months after surgery. Main outcome measures: We used a multiregression and the random forest algorithm for predictions. Mean absolute errors and coefficient of determinations were calculated to estimate prediction accuracies. Coefficient values in the multiregression model and the importance of features in the random forest model were calculated to clarify prognostic factors. Receiver operation characteristic curves were plotted. Results: All audiological outcomes improved after surgery. The random forest model (mean absolute error: 0.06) recorded more accuracy than the multiregression model (mean absolute error: 0.12). Speech discrimination score in a silent context in patients with hearing aids was the most influential factor (coefficient value: 0.51, featured value: 0.71). The candidate cut-off value was 36% (sensitivity: 89%, specificity: 75%). Conclusions: VSB is an effective treatment for conductive or mixed hearing loss. Machine learning demonstrated more precise predictions, and speech discrimination scores in a silent context in patients with hearing aids were the most important factor in predicting clinical outcomes.
Synergistic association of hyperuricemia and hyperhomocysteinemia with chronic kidney disease in middle-aged adults and the elderly population

Abstract Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major global public health issue. Both hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and hyperuricemia are independent risk factors for CKD. In this study, we evaluated the association of HHcy and hyperuricemia with CKD in the middle-aged and elderly populations in Taiwan. In this cross-sectional study, we collected the data of 5910 patients aged ≥50 years after their self-paid health examination at a single medical center. Homocysteine (Hcy) levels were divided into 4 quartiles (Q1, <8.2; Q2, 8.2–9.8; Q3, 9.9–11.7; and Q4, >11.7 μM/L). Renal function was determined using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. Patients were considered to have CKD if their estimated glomerular filtration rate was < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. The prevalence of CKD significantly increased with the quartiles of uric acid (UA) and Hcy. In multiple logistic regression analysis, the odds ratios (ORs) of CKD increased with the quartiles of Hcy, independent of UA. There was 22.9 in Q4 in the normal serum UA group and 18.3 in the hyperuricemia group compared with Q1 of Hcy. Both hyperuricemia (OR 2.9) and Q4 of Hcy (OR 8.1) were significant independent risk factors for CKD. Furthermore, hyperuricemia and HHcy had significant synergistic association (synergy index, 1.7) with CKD. The ORs of CKD increased with the quartiles of Hcy, independent of hyperuricemia. Hyperuricemia and HHcy had synergistic association with CKD.