Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infant visual attention in the paired-comparison paradigm: test-retest and attention-performance relations.

The visual behavior of infants in the paired-comparison paradigm was assessed with multiple discrimination tasks week-to-week at 4 and 7 months and longitudinally from 4 to 7 months. Results indicated that although task-to-task reliability was extremely variable and typically low, most measures of infants' attention averaged across multiple tasks were reliable from 1 week to the next as well as relatively stable over the longer longitudinal period. Across all groups, infants who had shorter fixations (i.e., more fixations per fixed-exposure period) during the familiarization phase showed higher novelty preferences. While infants' shift rate during test phases was a reliable individual characteristic at 7 months, it was not at 4 months; rather, data suggested that the difficulty of the stimulus discrimination may be related to young infants' shift rate.
Constructive Learning Using Internal Representation Conflicts

We present an algorithm for the training of feedforward and recurrent neural networks. It detects internal representation conflicts and uses these conflicts in a constructive manner to add new neurons to the network. The advantages are twofold: (1) starting with a small network neurons are only allocated when required; (2) by detecting and resolving internal conflicts at an early stage learning time is reduced. Empirical results on two real-world problems substantiate the faster learning speed; when applied to the training of a recurrent network on a well researched sequence recognition task (the Reber grammar), training times are significantly less than previously reported.
Protocol enhancements for intermittently connected hosts

Internet users are increasingly mobile. Their hosts are often only intermittently connected to the Internet, due to using multiple access networks, gaps in wireless coverage or explicit user choice. When such hosts communicate using the current Internet protocols, intermittent connectivity can significantly decrease performance and even cause connections to fail altogether. This paper experimentally measures the behavior of Internet communication across a dynamically changing, intermittently connected path. An analysis of the experimental results finds that address changes together with transport-layer timeout and retransmission behaviors are the main limiting factors. Based on these experimental results, this paper proposes a solution that combines the Host Identity Protocol (HIP) with two new protocol enhancements, the TCP User Timeout Option and the TCP Retransmission Trigger. Detailed experiments with HIP and a prototype implementation of these protocol enhancements show that they tolerate address changes and arbitrary-length disconnections while significantly increasing performance under intermittent connectivity to within 86-96% of a scenario with constant connectivity.
Estimating the prevalence of renal insufficiency in seniors requiring long-term care.

BACKGROUND Renal function declines with age, but little is known about the extent of renal insufficiency among the institutionalized elderly. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in a large sample of elderly adults living in long-term care facilities, and to compare two commonly used methods for estimating GFR. METHODS A total of 9931 residents aged 65 years and older participated in a retrospective cross-sectional study of 87 long-term care facilities in Ontario. GFR was estimated by the Cockcroft-Gault and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study (MDRD) equations. The prevalence of low GFR, using the Cockcroft-Gault equation (<30 mL/min), was compared with the MDRD equation (<30 mL/min/1.73 m2). RESULTS A total of 17.0% (95% CI 15.6 to 18.5) of men and 14.4% (95% CI 13.6 to 15.3) of women had a serum creatinine concentration above the laboratory reported upper reference limit of normal. The prevalence of both elevated serum creatinine and low GFR were observed to increase with age (P < 0.0001). The Cockcroft-Gault equation produced a consistently lower estimate of GFR than did the MDRD equation, a discrepancy most pronounced in the oldest residents. Among all men, a low GFR was more prevalent using the Cockcroft-Gault (10.3%, 95% CI 9.2 to 11.5) than MDRD (3.5%, 95% CI 2.8 to 4.2) equation, with a similar difference also seen in women (23.3%, 95% CI 22.4 to 24.3 versus 4.0%, 95% CI 3.6 to 4.5, respectively). Of all residents whose Cockcroft-Gault estimated GFR was under 30 mL/min, 14.7% (95% CI 13.2 to 16.3) were found to have GFR greater than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 according to the MDRD equation. CONCLUSION Age-associated renal impairment is common among elderly long-term care residents, but there exists a clear discrepancy between the Cockcroft-Gault and MDRD equations in predicting GFR. Consideration should be given to medication dose adjustment, based on a practical estimate of GFR. However clarification is needed about which method, if either, is most valid among the frail elderly. Complex patient and societal issues surrounding advanced care directives, treatments associated with renal insufficiency, and, if and when to initiate dialysis, require further attention.
Quality models for microblog retrieval

Microblog services typically contain very short documents (e.g., tweets) containing comments about the latest news and events. Many of these documents are not informative or have very little content due to their personal and ephemeral nature. Providing effective retrieval in a microblog service will require addressing the challenge of distinguishing the high-quality, informative documents from the others. Recent work has focused on finding features that indicate the quality of microblog documents, but the impact these quality features on retrieval is not clear. In this paper, we suggest a low-cost quality model using surrogate judgments based on user behavior (i.e., retweets) that can be collected automatically. We analyze the relationship between document informativeness and relevance judgments for microblog retrieval. Then we demonstrate that our behavior-based quality metric has a high correlation with manual judgments. Also, we perform experiments to study the impact of the quality model on microblog retrieval. The results based on the TREC Microblog track show that the proposed quality model, combined with a variety of retrieval models, can improve retrieval performance and is competitive with a model trained using manual relevance judgments.
Updating reionization scenarios after recent data

The recent release of data on (i) high-redshift source counts from the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) and (ii) electron scattering optical depth from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) requires a re-examination of reionization scenarios. Using an improved self-consistent reionization model, based on Choudhury & Ferrara, we determine the range of reionization histories which can match a wide variety of data sets simultaneously. The updated constraints from our analysis imply that hydrogen reionization starts at around z≈ 15, driven by the metal-free Population III (PopIII) stars (with normal Salpeter-like initial mass functions), and it is 90 per cent complete by z≈ 10. The photoionizing power of the PopIII stars fades for z≲ 10 because of concomitant action radiative and chemical feedbacks, which causes the reionization process to stretch considerably and to end only by z≈ 6. The combination of different data sets still favours a non-zero contribution from metal-free stars, with star-forming efficiencies larger than 2 per cent.
Emergence of Yalom's Therapeutic Factors in a Peer-Led, Asynchronous, Online Support Group for Family Caregivers

Support groups fill a critical void in the health care system, harnessing the power of shared experiences to provide support to group members. Likewise, family caregivers fill a void in the health care system, providing billions in unpaid care to the chronically ill. Caregiver support groups offer an opportunity for alleviating the psychological burden of caregiving. The power of any group, including a support group, to foster psychological well-being lies in its ability to cultivate Yalom's therapeutic factors. Gaps in the literature remain regarding the ability of non-prototypical groups to promote therapeutic mechanisms of change. The purpose of this study was to determine if and when Yalom's therapeutic group factors emerged in a peer-led support group delivered in an asynchronous, online format. Qualitative content analysis utilizing deductive category application was employed. Participants’ responses were coded and frequency counts were conducted. Results revealed that 9 of 11 therapeutic factors emerged over the course of the group, with Group Cohesiveness, Catharsis, Imparting of Information, and Universality occurring most often. Several factors, including Interpersonal Learning, Corrective Recapitulation of the Primary Family Group, Imitative Behavior, and Development of Socializing Techniques were absent or virtually absent, likely due to the peer-led format of the group. Progression of therapeutic factors over the course of the group is presented. Findings demonstrate the presence of a variety of Yalom's therapeutic factors in an asynchronous, peer-led online support group.
Centrophilin: a novel mitotic spindle protein involved in microtubule nucleation

A novel protein has been identified which may serve a key function in nucleating spindle microtubule growth in mitosis. This protein, called centrophilin, is sequentially relocated from the centromeres to the centrosomes to the midbody in a manner dependent on the mitotic phase. Centrophilin was initially detected by immunofluorescence with a monoclonal, primate-specific antibody (2D3) raised against kinetochore- enriched chromosome extract from HeLa cells (Valdivia, M. M., and B. R. Brinkley. 1985. J. Cell Biol. 101:1124-1134). Centrophilin forms prominent crescents at the poles of the metaphase spindle, gradually diminishes during anaphase, and bands the equatorial ends of midbody microtubules in telophase. The formation and breakdown of the spindle and midbody correlates in time and space with the aggregation and disaggregation of centrophilin foci. Immunogold EM reveals that centrophilin is a major component of pericentriolar material in metaphase. During recovery from microtubule inhibition, centrophilin foci act as nucleation sites for the assembly of spindle tubules. The 2D3 probe recognizes two high molecular mass polypeptides, 180 and 210 kD, on immunoblots of whole HeLa cell extract. Taken together, these data and the available literature on microtubule dynamics point inevitably to a singular model for control of spindle tubule turnover.
Ischemic neurons recruit natural killer cells that accelerate brain infarction

Significance Stroke is a devastating illness second only to cardiac ischemia as a cause of death worldwide. Long-time attempts to salvage dying neurons and preserve neurological functions via various neuroprotective agents have failed, owing at least in part to medical science’s limited knowledge of ischemia-induced elements that participate in irreversible neurovascular damage. The present study was performed to understand the role of natural killer (NK) cells, a key member of the innate immune system, in stroke. We discovered that NK cells infiltrated the brains of stroke patients and mice with induced stroke. Multiple pathways by which NK cells exacerbate brain infarction are discovered. This study revealed the role of NK cells in the pathogenesis of stroke. Brain ischemia and reperfusion activate the immune system. The abrupt development of brain ischemic lesions suggests that innate immune cells may shape the outcome of stroke. Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that can be swiftly mobilized during the earliest phases of immune responses, but their role during stroke remains unknown. Herein, we found that NK cells infiltrated the ischemic lesions of the human brain. In a mouse model of cerebral ischemia, ischemic neuron-derived fractalkine recruited NK cells, which subsequently determined the size of brain lesions in a T and B cell-independent manner. NK cell-mediated exacerbation of brain infarction occurred rapidly after ischemia via the disruption of NK cell tolerance, augmenting local inflammation and neuronal hyperactivity. Therefore, NK cells catalyzed neuronal death in the ischemic brain.
Guidelines for the treatment and management of new‐onset diabetes after transplantation 1

Abstract: Although graft and patient survival after solid organ transplantation have improved markedly in recent years, transplant recipients continue to experience an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the general population. A number of factors are known to impact on the increased risk of CVD in this population, including hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus. Of these factors, new‐onset diabetes after transplantation has been identified as one of the most important, being associated with reduced graft function and patient survival, and increased risk of graft loss. In 2003, International Consensus Guidelines on New‐onset Diabetes after Transplantation were published, which aimed to establish a precise definition and diagnosis of the condition and recommend management strategies to reduce its occurrence and impact. These updated 2004 guidelines, developed in consultation with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), extend the recommendations of the previous guidelines and encompass new‐onset diabetes after kidney, liver and heart transplantation. It is hoped that adoption of these management approaches pre‐ and post‐transplant will reduce individuals’ risk of developing new‐onset diabetes after transplantation as well as ameliorating the long‐term impact of this serious complication.
Analyzing histopathological features of rare charcot-marie-tooth neuropathies to unravel their pathogenesis.

BACKGROUND Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathies are very heterogeneous disorders from both a clinical and genetic point of view. The CMT genes identified so far encode different proteins that are variably involved in regulating Schwann cells and/or axonal functions. However, the function of most of these proteins still remains to be elucidated. OBJECTIVE To characterize a large cohort of patients with demyelinating, axonal, and intermediate forms of CMT neuropathy. DESIGN A cohort of 131 unrelated patients were screened for mutations in 12 genes responsible for CMT neuropathies. Demyelinating, axonal, and intermediate forms of CMT neuropathy were initially distinguished as usual on the basis of electrophysiological criteria and clinical evaluation. A sural nerve biopsy was also performed for selected cases. Accordingly, patients underwent first-level analysis of the genes most frequently mutated in each clinical form of CMT neuropathy. RESULTS Although our cohort had a particularly high percentage of cases of rare axonal and intermediate CMT neuropathies, we found mutations in 40% of patients. Among identified changes, 7 represented new mutations occurring in the MPZ, GJB1, EGR2, MFN2, NEFL, and HSBP1/HSP27 genes. Histopathological analysis performed in selected cases revealed morphological features, which correlated with the molecular diagnosis and provided evidence of the underlying pathogenetic mechanism. CONCLUSION Clinical and pathological analysis of patients with CMT neuropathies contributes to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of CMT neuropathies.
Recommendations from the Association for European Paediatric Cardiology for training in congenital cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING IS A RELATIVELY new modality for imaging that provides clinically useful information in various situations in patients with congenital cardiac malformations. Guidelines for its use in clinical practice have already been prepared by a Consensus panel representing European specialists in resonance imaging and cardiology.1 In selected situations, the technique may also be considered an excellent scientific tool. In these recommendations, we define the different levels of knowledge and expertise that might be acquired by paediatric cardiologists. All paediatric cardiologists performing magnetic resonance imaging in children should have demonstrated expertise at the recommended second level, this being the level required for obtaining the European Accreditation in Paediatric Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. Training in paediatric cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, particularly for those dealing with congenital malformations, should be provided at 3 levels. In order to provide adequate training, co-operation is generally required with those working in other specialities, such as radiologists, cardiologists, magnetic resonance physicists, magnetic resonance technologists, image processing engineers, and so on.
Moderating role of the MAOA genotype in antisocial behaviour

Background Recent studies have examined gene×environment (G×E) interactions involving the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene in moderating the associations between exposure to adversity and antisocial behaviour. The present study examined a novel method for assessing interactions between a single gene and multiple risk factors related to environmental and personal adversity. Aims To test the hypothesis that the presence of the low-activity MAOA genotype was associated with an increased response to a series of risk factors. Method Participants were 399 males from the Christchurch Health and Development Study who had complete data on: (a) MAOA promoter region variable number tandem repeat genotype; (b) antisocial behaviour (criminal offending) to age 30 and convictions to age 21; and (c) maternal smoking during pregnancy, IQ, childhood maltreatment and school failure. Results Poisson regression models were fitted to three antisocial behaviour outcomes (property/violent offending ages 15–30; and convictions ages 17–21), using measures of exposure to adverse childhood circumstances. The analyses revealed consistent evidence of G x E interactions, such that those with the low-activity MAOA variant who were exposed to adversity in childhood were significantly more likely to report offending in late adolescence and early adulthood. Conclusions The present findings add to the evidence suggesting that there is a stable G x E interaction involving MAOA, a range of adverse environmental and personal factors, and antisocial behaviour across the life course. These analyses also demonstrate the utility of using multiple environmental/personal exposures to test G×E interactions.
A Surgical Safety Checklist to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in a Global Population

BACKGROUND Surgery has become an integral part of global health care, with an estimated 234 million operations performed yearly. Surgical complications are common and often preventable. We hypothesized that a program to implement a 19-item surgical safety checklist designed to improve team communication and consistency of care would reduce complications and deaths associated with surgery. METHODS Between October 2007 and September 2008, eight hospitals in eight cities (Toronto, Canada; New Delhi, India; Amman, Jordan; Auckland, New Zealand; Manila, Philippines; Ifakara, Tanzania; London, England; and Seattle, WA) representing a variety of economic circumstances and diverse populations of patients participated in the World Health Organization's Safe Surgery Saves Lives program. We prospectively collected data on clinical processes and outcomes from 3733 consecutively enrolled patients 16 years of age or older who were undergoing noncardiac surgery. We subsequently collected data on 3955 consecutively enrolled patients after the introduction of the Surgical Safety Checklist. The primary end point was the rate of complications, including death, during hospitalization within the first 30 days after the operation. RESULTS The rate of death was 1.5% before the checklist was introduced and declined to 0.8% afterward (P=0.003). Inpatient complications occurred in 11.0% of patients at baseline and in 7.0% after introduction of the checklist (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Implementation of the checklist was associated with concomitant reductions in the rates of death and complications among patients at least 16 years of age who were undergoing noncardiac surgery in a diverse group of hospitals.
SPATIAL PROFILING OF QUANTUM DOT LASERS

The unique electronic structure of quantum dot based semiconductor lasers leads to significant differences in lasing properties when compared to their quantum well counterparts. In particular, the total injected carrier population can be separated into two types: one that take part in lasing process, called resonant charge carriers and the other one that do not take part in lasing process, called nonresonant charge carriers. In this thesis, two methods are used to model injection profiled quantum dot lasers and examine the roles of resonant and non-resonant carrier populations. The first model is a rate equation approach, which is used to analyze the dynamical properties along the transverse section of the laser. The second model is a steady state beam propagation approach, which calculates both transverse and longitudinal carrier and field distributions in the laser. Numerical simulations on both models reveal the role of non-resonant carries in the appearance of a characteristic dip at the center of the near field intensity profile. Furthermore, these models reveal the occurrence of symmetry breaking in the near and far field intensity distributions at high injection currents. In addition, the steady state beam propagation approach uncovers non-uniformities in the non-resonant carrier profile along the longitudinal dimension. In addition to single emitters, this work also examines the possibility of phase-locking between two transversely coupled injection profiled QD lasers, where various types of phase relationships are identified. We compare the performance of single and double emitters by examining the beam focusing properties and evaluating M2 factor for various configurations.
Myosin VI and Optineurin Are Required for Polarized EGFR Delivery and Directed Migration

The polarized trafficking of membrane proteins into the leading edge of the cell is an integral requirement for cell migration. Myosin VI and its interacting protein optineurin have previously been shown to operate in anterograde trafficking pathways, especially for the polarized delivery of cargo to the basolateral domain in epithelial cells. Here we show that in migratory cells ablation of myosin VI or optineurin inhibits the polarized delivery of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) into the leading edge and leads to profound defects in lamellipodia formation. Depletion of either myosin VI or optineurin, however, does not impair the overall ability of cells to migrate in a random migration assay, but it dramatically reduces directed migration towards a growth factor stimulus. In summary, we identified a specific role for myosin VI and optineurin in directionally persistent cell migration, which involves the polarized delivery of vesicles containing EGFR into the leading edge of the cell.