Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome: clinical diagnostic value of dynamic enhanced MSCT

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the clinical diagnostic value of dynamic enhanced multislice computed tomography (MSCT) for Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome (FHCS). [Subjects and Methods] This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical features and manifestations of scanning and dynamic enhanced MSCT in 19 patients with FHCS. [Results] MSCT scans showed different degrees of liver capsule thickness in the lesion area: seven cases of sub-capsular effusion and three cases with a small amount of pleural effusion; thickness of the liver capsular arterial phase showing significant enhancement in 17 cases, and slight enhancement in two; portal venous and delayed phase enhancement decreased with no clear boundary of the liver parenchyma; and adjacent hepatic parenchymal involvement in five cases, in which the arterial phase appeared to have patchy or triangular enhancement, and unclear portal vein and delayed phase imaging findings. MSCT revealed pelvic inflammatory disease in 14 cases, peritonitis in two, endometritis combined with bilateral ovarian abscesses in two, and a tube-ovarian abscess in one. [Conclusion] Dynamic enhanced MSCT can accurately display liver capsule lesions and possible pelvic inflammatory diseases related to FHCS, suggest the infection source, and have high application value for making early, accurate diagnoses and improved prognosis.
Does N-acetylcysteine improve behaviour in children with autism?: A mixed-methods analysis of the effects of N-acetylcysteine

ABSTRACT Background: Traditional treatment for the behavioural symptoms in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains unsatisfactory. There is an urgent need for new, biologically relevant therapies that target both the core and comorbid symptoms that children may experience. This article builds on research previously published by the authors. Method: We report a mixed-methods analysis from a 24-week double-blind randomised controlled trial of adjunctive N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for the treatment of behavioural symptoms in ASD. Ninety-eight children between the ages of 3 and 9 years, diagnosed with ASD, participated in the study. Outcome measures included parents' assessment reports (obtained before, during, and after the trial), clinicians' observations, and the researchers' detailed case notes. Thematic analysis of textual data (n = 85) was carried out, followed by an evaluation of differences in the frequency with which changes in behaviour were qualitatively reported. Results: Compared with placebo, the parents of the group that received NAC reported improved calmness, decreased aggression and agitation, and greater improvements in verbal communication. Conclusions: These results support the usefulness of NAC for treating potentially disruptive behaviour (e.g., aggression and hyperactivity) in children with ASD and provide a novel finding: potentially improved verbal communication following NAC treatment. This paper supports the utility of a mixed-methods analysis for detecting latent signals in clinical trials.
Legible robot navigation in the proximity of moving humans

Our objective is to improve legibility of robot navigation behavior in the presence of moving humans. We examine a human-aware global navigation planner in a path crossing situation and assess the legibility of the resulting navigation behavior. We observe planning based on fixed social costs and static search spaces to perform badly in situations where robot and human move towards the same point. To find an improved cost model, we experimentally examine how humans deal with path crossing. Based on the results we provide a new way of calculating social costs with context dependent costs without increasing the search space. Our evaluation shows that a simulated robot using our new cost model moves more similar to humans. This shows how comparison of human and robot behavior can help with assessing and improving legibility.
Multisystemic therapy effects on attempted suicide by youths presenting psychiatric emergencies.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of multisystemic therapy (MST) in reducing attempted suicide among predominantly African American youths referred for emergency psychiatric hospitalization. METHOD Youths presenting psychiatric emergencies were randomly assigned to MST or hospitalization. Indices of attempted suicide, suicidal ideation, depressive affect, and parental control were assessed before treatment, at 4 months after recruitment, and at the 1-year posttreatment follow-up. RESULTS Based on youth report, MST was significantly more effective than emergency hospitalization at decreasing rates of attempted suicide at 1-year follow-up; also, the rate of symptom reduction over time was greater for youths receiving MST. Also, treatment differences in patterns of change in attempted suicide (caregiver report) varied as a function of ethnicity, gender, and age. Moreover, treatment effects were found for caregiver-rated parental control but not for youth depressive affect, hopelessness, or suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS Results generally support MST's effectiveness at reducing attempted suicide in psychiatrically disturbed youngsters, whereas the effects of hospitalization varied based on informant and youth demographic characteristics.
The cutaneous borders of interoception: Active and social inference of pain and pleasure on the skin

Pain and pleasant touch have been recently classified as interoceptive modalities. This reclassification lies at the heart of long-standing debates questioning whether these modalities should be defined as sensations on their basis of neurophysiological specificity at the periphery or as homeostatic emotions on the basis of top-down convergence and modulation at the spinal and brain levels. Here, we outline the literature on the peripheral and central neurophysiology of pain and pleasant touch. We next recast this literature within a recent Bayesian predictive coding framework, namely active inference. This recasting puts forward a unifying model of bottom-up and top-down determinants of pain and pleasant touch and the role of social factors in modulating the salience of peripheral signals reaching the brain.
Corporate Governance, Product Market Competition, and Equity Prices

This paper examines the hypothesis that firms in competitive industries should benefit relatively less from good governance, while firms in non-competitive industries--where lack of competitive pressure fails to enforce discipline on managers--should benefit relatively more. Whether we look at the effects of governance on long-horizon stock returns, firm value, or operating performance, we consistently find the same pattern: The effect is monotonic in the degree of competition, it is small and insignificant in competitive industries, and it is large and significant in non-competitive industries. By implication, the effect of governance (in non-competitive industries) reported in this paper is stronger than what has been previously reported in Gompers, Ishii, and Metrick (2003, "GIM") and subsequent work, who document the average effect across all industries. For instance, GIM’s hedge portfolio - provided it only includes firms in non-competitive industries -earns a monthly alpha of 1.47%, which is twice as large as the alpha reported in GIM. The alpha remains large and significant even if the sample period is extended until 2006. We also revisit the argument that investors in the 1990s anticipated the effect of governance, implying that the alpha earned by GIM’s hedge portfolio is likely due to an omitted risk factor. We find that while investors were indeed not surprised on average, they underestimated the effect of governance in non-competitive industries, the very industries in which governance has a significant effect in the first place.
A three-dimensional model for the radio emission of magnetic chemically peculiar stars

In this paper we present a three-dimensional numerical model for the radio emission of Magnetic Chemically Peculiar stars, on the hypothesis that energetic electrons emit by the gyrosynchrotron mechanism. For this class of radio stars, characterized by a mainly dipolar magnetic field whose axis is tilted with respect to the rotational axis, the geometry of the magnetosphere and its deformation due to the stellar rotation are determined. The radio emitting region is determined by the physical conditions of the magnetosphere and of the stellar wind. Free-free absorption by the thermal plasma trapped in the inner magnetosphere is also considered. Several free parameters are involved in the model, such as the size of the emitting region, the energy spectrum and the number density of the emitting electrons, and the characteristics of the plasma in the inner magnetosphere. By solving the equation of radiative transfer, along a path parallel to the line of sight, the radio brightness distribution and the total flux density as a function of stellar rotation are computed. As the model is applied to simulate the observed 5 GHz lightcurves of HD 37479 and HD 37017, several possible magnetosphere configurations are found. After simulations at other frequencies, in spite of the large number of parameters involved in the modeling, two solutions in the case of HD 37479 and only one solution in the case of HD 37017 match the observed spectral indices. The results of our simulations agree with the magnetically confined wind-shock model in a rotating magnetosphere. The X-ray emission from the inner magnetosphere is also computed, and found to be consistent with the observations.
The Influence of HLA on HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Impairment in Anhui, China

Background HLA-DR*04 was identified as a predictor of HIV-Associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND), low CD4 T-cell responses to HIV, and low plasma HIV RNA levels in a U.S. cohort. We hypothesized that low CD4 T-cell activation leads to poor immune control of HIV in the CNS, predisposing to HAND, but also provided fewer target (activated CD4 T-cells) for HIV replication. To assess the consistency of these HLA Class II associations in a new cohort and extend analysis to HLA Class I, HLA types, neurocognitive, and virologic status were examined in a cohort of former plasma donors in China. Methods 178 HIV infected individuals in Anhui China, were HLA typed and underwent neurocognitive evaluations (using locally standardized norms), neuromedical, treatment and virologic assessments at baseline and at 12 months. Results HLA DR*04 was associated with a higher rate of baseline neurocognitive impairment (p = 0.04), neurocognitive decline (p = 0.04), and lower levels of HIV RNA in plasma (p = 0.05). HLA Class I alleles (B*27,57,58,A*03,33) that specify a CD8 T-cell response to conserved HIV sequences were neuroprotective, associated with less impairment at baseline (p = 0.037), at month 012 (p = 0.013) and less neurocognitive decline (p = 0.023) in the interval. Consistent with the theory that effective CD8 T-cell responses require CD4 T-cell support, the HLA DR*04 allele reduced the neuroprotective effect of the Class I alleles. The presence of HLA-DR*04 and the Alzheimer associated allele ApoE4 in the same individual had a synergistic negative effect on cognition (p = 0.003). Conclusions Despite major background differences between U.S. and Anhui China cohorts, HLA DR*04 predicted neurocognitive impairment and lower plasma HIV RNA levels in both populations. HLA Class I alleles associated with CD8 T-cell control of HIV were associated with protection from HAND, but protection was reduced in the presence of HLA-DR*04.
The dark matter halos of the bluest low surface brightness galaxies

Most of the matter in the Universe appears to be in some form which does not emit or absorb light. While evidence for the existence of this dark matter has accumulated over the last seventy years, its nature remains elusive. In this thesis, quasars and low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) are used to investigate the properties of the dark matter. Quasars are extremely bright light sources which can be seen over vast distances. These cosmic beacons may be used to constrain dark matter in the form of low-mass, compact objects along the line of sight, as such objects are expected to induce brightness fluctuations in quasars through gravitational microlensing effects. Using a numerical microlensing model, we demonstrate that the uncertainty in the typical size of the optical continuum-emitting region in quasars represents the main obstacle in this procedure. We also show that, contrary to claims in the literature, microlensing fails to explain the observed long-term optical variability of quasars. Here, quasar distances are inferred from their redshifts, which are assumed to stem from the expansion of the Universe. Some astronomers do however defend the view that quasar redshifts could have a different origin. A number of potential methods for falsifying claims of such non-cosmological redshifts are proposed. As the ratio of dark to luminous matter is known to be unusually high in LSBGs, these objects have become the prime targets for probing dark matter halos around galaxies. Here, we use spectral evolutionary models to constrain the properties of the stellar populations in a class of unusually blue LSBGs. Using rotation curve data obtained at the ESO Very Large Telescope, we also investigate the density profiles of their dark halos. We find our measurements to be inconsistent with the predictions of the currently favoured cold dark matter scenario.
Comprehension of conversational implicatures in L2 English

Abstract This study investigated the development of the ability to interpret conversational implicatures in English as an L2. The study followed a cross-sectional design and used a methodologically innovative audio-visual interpretation task with an oral production component. By orally reporting their interpretations, participants demonstrated comprehension of conversational implicatures viewed in a video, rather than employing a predetermined response approach used in earlier studies, which neither explore nor reveal how L2 learners understand implicatures. Fifty participants, forty-five learners at three proficiency levels and five native speakers of English, took part in the study. The results indicated that the comprehension of conversational implicatures showed a significant improvement as L2 proficiency increased. Learner responses were additionally coded based on stages of implicature calculation, which demonstrated that not only learners’ correct interpretations but also their incorrect responses provide insights into their interlanguage development. Such a finding further illustrates the superiority of a free response approach over a predetermined one since the former approach can better shed light on L2 learners’ true pragmatic competence in conversational implicatures.
GENDER DISPARITY IN BIG FIVE FACTORS OF PERSONALITY AND THEIR EFFECT ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS

Background: Although personality and intelligence both affect the academic achievement, research findings prove that personality has a profound effect on academic achievement of secondary school students. The objectives of the study were; to compare the Big Five Factors (BFF) of personality of male and female students; and to explore the effect of Big Five Factors of personality on academic achievement of students at secondary level. Methods: Cross sectional analytical design was used to conduct study at secondary level in Hazara Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from October, 2013 to March, 2014. A sample of 1438 of Grade 10 students from Hazara Division was selected by using stratified random sampling technique. Information about Personality was collected by adopting 41 items Big Five Factors Personality Inventory. Whereas academic achievement scores of the students were collected from their 9th class annual result of examination. Results: Results indicated that male students had higher extraversion (p<0.01), conscientiousness (p<0.01), and Agreeableness (p<0.01) while female students had significantly higher academic achievement (p<0.01) scores. Further, Extraversion (β= -17.14, p=0.00) Neuroticism (β= -10.76, p=0.02), and Agreeableness (β= -10.75, 0.01) were significant negative predictors of academic achievement whereas Conscientiousness (β= 11.59, p=0.02) was significant positive predictor of academic achievement of students at secondary level. Conclusion: This study proves male students as social, outgoing, organized, and having a sense of dutifulness, cooperativeness, and straightforwardness. Further, Extraversion Agreeableness, and Neuroticism negatively predicts academic achievement of students. Conscientiousness positively predicts academic achievement. Pak J Physiol 2018;14(4):51–4
The Role of Interactive Media Features on the Affective Response: a Virtual Reality Study

Aﬀective dimension is an important aspect of user experience in interactive media. For this reason, many authors are exploring how to induce relevant emotions and to improve the level of involvement in the interactive experience. In order to mediate the aﬀective response several authors state that there is a mutual relationship between emotion and cognition. This vision suggests that it is possible to manipulate the emotional response by using two diﬀerent strategies focused on cognitive and aﬀective factors: matching expectations or deﬁning speciﬁc goals and interpretations. By combining these strategies, our study aimed to test the impact of the characteristics of an interactive media - virtual reality (VR) - on the aﬀective state of the participants. In particular, we simultaneously manipulated the background narrative and the ecological features of the virtual environment (VE). We also assessed the eﬀects on user’s aﬀective response by combining self-report evaluations and physiological measurements. Results conﬁrm the importance of thoroughly investigating cognitive and aﬀective factors, when designing interactive media that may be critical for the future development of VE applications.
SGDR: Stochastic Gradient Descent with Restarts

Restart techniques are common in gradient-free optimization to deal with multimodal functions. Partial restarts are also gaining popularity in gradient-based optimization to improve the rate of convergence in accelerated gradient schemes to deal with ill-conditioned functions. In this paper, we propose a simple restart technique for stochastic gradient descent to improve its anytime performance when training deep neural networks. We empirically study its performance on CIFAR-10 and CIFAR-100 datasets where we demonstrate new state-of-the-art results below 4\% and 19\%, respectively. Our source code is available at this https URL
Heterogeneous conversion of NO2 and NO on HNO3 treated soot surfaces

In the present study, the heterogeneous conversion of nitrogen oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) was studied at atmospheric humidity levels on ﬂame soot surfaces, which were treated with gaseous nitric acid (HNO 3 ). In addition, the heterogeneous reaction of HNO 3 on soot was investigated at atmospheric humidity. 5 For the treatment of soot by pure HNO 3 only reversible uptake with a surface coverage of ∼ 1–2 × 10 14 HNO 3 cm − 2 was observed for HNO 3 mixing ratios in the range 250–800 ppbv. Only for higher HNO 3 mixing ratios of > 800 ppbv the formation of NO and NO 2 was observed. The results were not a ﬀ ected by the addition of NO. In none of the experiments with HNO 3 the formation of nitrous acid (HONO) was observed. 10 For HNO 3 mixing ratios < 600 ppbv the upper limit yields for HONO, NO 2 and NO were found to be < 0.2%, < 0.5% and < 1%, respectively. Compared to untreated soot, the product formation of the reaction of NO 2 with soot was not signiﬁcantly a ﬀ ected when the soot surface was treated with gaseous HNO 3 prior to the experiment. Only for high surface coverage of HNO 3 the formation of HONO was suppressed in the initial phase 15 of the reaction, probably caused by the blocking of active sites by adsorbed HNO 3 . Under the assumption that the experimental ﬁndings for the used model ﬂame soot can be extrapolated to atmospheric soot particles, the results show that the reactions of HNO 3 and HNO 3 + NO on soot surfaces are unimportant for a “renoxiﬁcation” of the atmosphere and do not
How Has Educational Expansion Shaped Social Mobility Trends in the United States?

This contribution provides a long-term assessment of intergenerational social mobility trends in the United States across the 20th and early 21st centuries and assesses the determinants of those trends. In particular, we study how educational expansion has contributed to the observed changes in mobility opportunities for men across cohorts. Drawing on recently developed decomposition methods, we empirically identify the contribution of each of the multiple channels through which changing rates of educational participation shape mobility trends. We find that a modest but gradual increase in social class mobility can nearly exclusively be ascribed to an interaction known as the compositional effect, according to which the direct influence of social class backgrounds on social class destinations is lower among the growing number of individuals attaining higher levels of education. This dominant role of the compositional effect is also due to the fact that, despite pronounced changes in the distribution of education, class inequality in education has remained stable while class returns to education have shown no consistent trend. Our analyses also provide a cautionary tale about mistaking increasing levels of social class mobility for a general trend toward more fluidity in the United States. The impact of parental education on son’s educational and class attainment has grown or remained stable, respectively. Here, the compositional effect pertaining to the direct association between parental education and son’s class attainment counteracts a long-term trend of increasing inequality in educational attainment tied to parents’ education.
Untargeted metabolomics approach for unraveling robust biomarkers of nutritional status in fasted gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)

A metabolomic study has been performed to identify sensitive and robust biomarkers of malnutrition in farmed fish, using gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) as a model. The metabolomic fingerprinting of serum from fasted fish was assessed by means of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. More than 15,000 different m/z ions were detected and Partial Least Squares–Discriminant analysis allowed a clear differentiation between the two experimental groups (fed and 10-day fasted fish) with more than 90% of total variance explained by the two first components. The most significant metabolites (up to 45) were elucidated on the basis of their tandem mass spectra with a broad representation of amino acids, oligopeptides, urea cycle metabolites, L-carnitine-related metabolites, glutathione-related metabolites, fatty acids, lysophosphatidic acids, phosphatidylcholines as well as biotin- and noradrenaline-related metabolites. This untargeted approach highlighted important adaptive responses in energy and oxidative metabolism, contributing to identify robust and nutritionally-regulated biomarkers of health and metabolic condition that will serve to assess the welfare status of farmed fish.