Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A neuropsychological exploration of autistic traits in a transgender population

There have been a small number of studies reporting a higher prevalence of autistic symptomatology in people with Gender Dysphoria (GD), in particular transmen (male-to-female), when compared with the general population. This study aimed to further these findings by recruiting a sample of 26 transgender adults and administering the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), together with measures of the cognitive traits of sex-differentiated thinking associated with autism and neuropsychological measures sensitive to the deficits associated with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD’s), including emotion recognition, planning and set-shifting . The transgender sample was shown to occupy an area of the autism spectrum that was intermediate between ASD and neurotypical comparators. A potential trend of higher median AQ scores in transmen was observed but non-significant (r= .19). Cognitive sex differences on the Systemising Quotient-Revised (SQ-R) and Empathy Quotient (EQ) showed trends in the direction of their perceived gender in selected domains. Further examinations of relationships suggested that correct identification of emotions on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) Emotion Recognition Task (ERT) subtest was inversely related to levels of autistic traits and positively related to empathy-traits. No significant relationships were found between number of autistic traits and performance on planning and set-shifting tasks for the entire transgender sample. The overall findings of the study indicate that the pattern of performance expected in ASD was not found in the transgender sample recruited.
Handshapes and movements: Multiple-channel ASL recognition

In this paper we present a framework for recognizing American Sign Language (ASL). The main challenges in developing scalable recognition systems are to devise the basic building blocks from which to build up the signs, and to handle simultaneous events, such as signs where both the hand moves and the handshape changes. The latter challenge is particularly thorny, because a naive approach to handling them can quickly result in a combinatorial explosion. We loosely follow the Movement-Hold model to devise a breakdown of the signs into their constituent phonemes, which provide the fundamental building blocks. We also show how to integrate the handshape into this breakdown, and discuss what handshape representation works best. To handle simultaneous events, we split up the signs into a number of channels that are independent from one another. We validate our framework in experiments with a 22-sign vocabulary and up to three channels.
The Education-Drug Use Connection: How Successes and Failures in School Relate to Adolescent Smoking, Drinking, Drug Use, and Delinquency

Contents: Preface. Introduction and Overview. Literature Review: Conceptual and Empirical Overview of Issues. Survey Methods and Analysis Strategies. Educational Success and Failure: Causes and Correlates. Delinquency and Other Problem Behaviors Linked With Educational Success and Failure. How Educational Success and Failure Are Linked With Smoking in Adolescence and Young Adulthood. How Marijuana Use is Linked With Educational Success and Failure. How Cocaine Use is Linked With Educational Success and Failure. How Alcohol Use is Linked With Educational Success and Failure. Summary, Conclusions, and Implications. Appendix.
Neofalantes as an active minority: understanding language practices and motivations for change amongst new speakers of Galician

Abstract In this article we use Moscovici's (1976) notion of active minorities as a framework to explain the linguistic practices and motivations behind linguistic change amongst new speakers of Galician. Revitalization policies since the 1980s brought about changes in the symbolic and economic value of Galician on the linguistic market. However, this has not been significant enough to change the rules of social mobility and Spanish has continued to be the language of prestige. Despite this, neofalantes ‘new speakers of Galician’ have opted for linguistic change and engage in the process of majority language displacement. We argue that this displacement can at least in part be explained by a move away from functionalist models of language contact and shift and towards an understanding of these processes from a language conflict perspective. This allows us to explain the practices of neofalantes as not simply deviations from the sociolinguistic “status quo” but as reactions to it and as proponents of social change. To explore the behavioural styles and practices of neofalantes as an active minority, we analyse the discourses which emerge from discussion groups involving twelve new speakers of Galician about their sociolinguistic practices.
Repair or Revenge: Victims and Restorative Justice

1. The Victim in Criminal Justice 2. Victims of Crime and the Victim Movement 3. The Theory and Practice of Restorative Justice 4. The Reintegrative Shaming Experiments: Research Design and Methodology 5. The Lived Experience of Victims: How Restorative Justice Worked in Canberra 6. Victim Satisfaction with the Restorative Alternative 7. Victims and Offenders: A Relational Analysis 8. Conclusion
Consensus Region Merging for Image Segmentation

Image segmentation is a fundamental task of image processing that consists in partitioning the image by grouping pixels into homogeneous regions. We propose a novel segmentation algorithm that consists in combining many runs of a simple and fast randomized segmentation algorithm. Our algorithm also yields a soft-edge closed contour detector. We describe the theoretical probabilistic framework and report on our implementation that experimentally corroborates that performance increases with the number of runs.
Overlooking African American Males

ABSTRACT This study describes a group of seven, urban African American grandmother caregivers' perceptions of family resources. Data for this ethnography design were collected through participant observation, field notes, taped interviews and a genogram to capture those who were available and unavailable to provide support. The identification of themes yielded that grandmothers could only depend upon family members with resources; sons were viewed as most reliable and dependable; and family members were unable to contribute when managing their own problems. The study results suggest intergenerational programs aimed at the family system is important for meeting the needs of grandmother caregivers.
The Making of Nigerian Women Scientists and Technologists

Research has indicated that the interest of girls in a career in science and technology can be fostered by female role models. In Nigeria women accounted for only 17% of total enrollment in science-related university programs in 1984 and 21% in 1988. In order to provide a basis for designing an intervention program to promote sciences among girls in Nigeria a study was undertaken of Nigerian women scientists and technologists. Of the 520 Nigerian women working in scientific and technological professions who were sent a questionnaire 209 responded. Data were also gathered from in-depth interviews with a subsample of women. it was found that 89.5% of the women were married divorced or widowed and 72.7% had attended an all-girls secondary school. Most had formally educated parents and 43.5% and 33.5% had fathers and mothers respectively working in scientific professions. The most important factor in their choice of profession was personal interest followed by ability and altruism. The least important factors were imitation of role models peer influence and potential financial reward. The women reported a great deal of support from their fathers spouses mothers and teachers tempered by a minor amount of discouragement from male peers. The women expressed anxiety only about their ability to distinguish themselves and their compatibility with their chosen fields. They coped with this by relating with their male peers. Excerpts from four of the interviews underscore these points as well as the satisfaction the women reported with their choices.
Seroprevalence survey of varicella, measles, rubella, and hepatitis A and B viruses in a multinational healthcare workforce in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of the vaccine-preventable diseases caused by varicella, measles, rubella, and hepatitis A and B viruses in a multinational healthcare workforce. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING A 750-bed tertiary care center located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS In compliance with hospital policy, newly recruited healthcare workers (HCWs) were enrolled in the study from September 2001 to March 2005. Serum samples were collected from all HCWs during the initial hiring process and tested for IgG antibodies against each of the 5 viral agents. Nonimmune HCWs were subsequently vaccinated at the earliest opportunity. RESULTS A total of 4,006 newly hired (international and local) employees were included in the study. All underwent serologic testing for IgG antibodies against varicella, measles, rubella, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B viruses. Of the total, 63% were female and 37% were male. Middle Eastern employees comprised 47% of the total, followed by employees from the Far East (35%), the West (10%), and Africa (8%). Forty-two percent were nurses, 27% were in administration, 18% were medical technicians, and 13% were physicians. Among the 4,006 newly hired HCWs, 14% had negative IgG antibody test results for varicella virus, 13% for measles virus, 10% for rubella virus, 33% for hepatitis A virus, and 43% for hepatitis B virus. More women than men were susceptible to hepatitis A (40% vs. 24%; P<.001), whereas more men were susceptible to hepatitis B (55% vs. 35%; P<.001). Varicella susceptibility was more common among HCWs from the Far East (19%), whereas susceptibility to measles, rubella, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B was highest among HCWs from the Middle East. Both relative youth and male sex were associated with lack of antibodies against hepatitis B virus and rubella virus. In contrast, female sex and younger age were associated with lack of antibodies against hepatitis A virus (P<.001). CONCLUSION Seroprevalence surveys of vaccine-preventable diseases among HCWs, although labor intensive, are invaluable in caring for a multinational workforce.
Human African Trypanosomiasis Successfully Treated with Melarsoprol in Pregnancy in a Niger Delta Rural Hospital

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) commonly known as sleeping sickness occurs in about 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and results in a large number of deaths and considerable illness. The drugs used in the treatment of HAT are very toxic and therefore might not be safe in pregnancy. Few published data exist on the treatment of HAT in pregnancy. We describe a case of T. brucei gambiense infection occurring in a pregnant woman that was successfully treated with Melarsoprol with no toxic effect to mother and the baby after 2 years of follow-up.
Pathogenic microorganisms carried by migratory birds passing through the territory of the island of Ustica, Sicily (Italy)

Several studies have shown that migratory birds play an important role in the ecology, circulation and dissemination of pathogenic organisms. In October 2006, a health status evaluation was performed on a large population of migratory birds passing through the territory of Ustica (Italy), an island located on the migration route of many species of birds to Africa, and various laboratory tests were conducted. In total, 218 faecal swabs and the internal organs of 21 subjects found dead in nets were collected for bacteriological and virological examination, including avian influenza and Newcastle disease. In addition, 19 pooled fresh faecal samples were collected for mycological examination. The bacteriological analysis produced 183 strains belonging to 28 different species of the Enterobacteriaceae family. In particular, Salmonella bongori, Yersinia enterocolitica and Klebsiella pneumonia strains were isolated. Almost all of the isolates were susceptible to sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprime (99.4%), cefotaxime (98.9%), nalidixic acid (96.7%), chloramphenicol (95.6%), and tetracycline (93.4%). Alternatively, many strains were resistant to ampicillin (42.6%), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (42.6%), and streptomycin (43.7%). According to reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis, all of the samples were negative for the M gene of avian influenza virus. Moreover, isolation tests conducted on specific pathogen free eggs were negative for avian influenza and Newcastle disease. Several hyphomycetes and yeasts belonging to different genera were present in the specimens, and Cryptococcus neoformans was observed in a pooled faecal sample. Antibiotic resistance in wildlife can be monitored to evaluate the impact of anthropic pressure. Furthermore, migratory birds are potential reservoirs of pathogenic agents; thus, they can be regarded as sentinel species and used as environmental health indicators.
Learning to push and learning to move: the adaptive control of contact forces

To be successful at manipulating objects one needs to apply simultaneously well controlled movements and contact forces. We present a computational theory of how the brain may successfully generate a vast spectrum of interactive behaviors by combining two independent processes. One process is competent to control movements in free space and the other is competent to control contact forces against rigid constraints. Free space and rigid constraints are singularities at the boundaries of a continuum of mechanical impedance. Within this continuum, forces and motions occur in “compatible pairs” connected by the equations of Newtonian dynamics. The force applied to an object determines its motion. Conversely, inverse dynamics determine a unique force trajectory from a movement trajectory. In this perspective, we describe motor learning as a process leading to the discovery of compatible force/motion pairs. The learned compatible pairs constitute a local representation of the environment's mechanics. Experiments on force field adaptation have already provided us with evidence that the brain is able to predict and compensate the forces encountered when one is attempting to generate a motion. Here, we tested the theory in the dual case, i.e., when one attempts at applying a desired contact force against a simulated rigid surface. If the surface becomes unexpectedly compliant, the contact point moves as a function of the applied force and this causes the applied force to deviate from its desired value. We found that, through repeated attempts at generating the desired contact force, subjects discovered the unique compatible hand motion. When, after learning, the rigid contact was unexpectedly restored, subjects displayed after effects of learning, consistent with the concurrent operation of a motion control system and a force control system. Together, theory and experiment support a new and broader view of modularity in the coordinated control of forces and motions.
A second orthorhombic polymorph of (Z)-3-(9-anthryl)-1-(2-thienyl)prop-2-en-1-one1

The title heteroaryl chalcone, C21H14OS, is a second orthorhombic polymorph which crystallizes in the space group P212121. The structure was previously reported [Fun et al. (2009 ▶). Acta Cryst. E65, o2168-o2169] in the space group Pna21. The bond distances and angles are similar in both structures. In contrast, the overall crystal packing is different from that in the first orthorhombic Pna21 polymorph in which molecules were stacked into columns along the b axis and the thiophene units of two adjacent columns were stacked in a head to tail fashion. In the present polymorph, molecules are found to dimerize through a weak S⋯S interaction [3.6513 (7) Å] and these dimers are arranged into sheets parallel to the bc plane. There are no classical hydrogen bonds in the packing which features short C⋯O [3.2832 (2)–3.6251 (9) Å], C⋯S [3.4879 (17)–3.6251 (19) Å] and S⋯O [2.9948 (16) Å] contacts, together with C—H⋯π interactions. Similar contacts were found in the other polymorph.
Interferon-Alpha in Combination with Ribavirin for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Patients with Persistently Normal Aminotransferase Levels

Background and Aims: A substantial proportion of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection have persistently normal serum transaminase levels. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of interferon plus ribavirin combination therapy in this population. Methods: In this prospective open trial 152 patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis C were enrolled, 32 of whom had persistently normal alanine aminotransferase levels (group A). The remaining 120 patients served as a comparison (group B). Patients were treated for 12 months with 4.5 million units of interferon-α2a thrice weekly in combination with ribavirin 1,000 or 1,200 mg daily. They were followed up for at least 6 months after therapy. Serum hepatitis C RNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction and quantified by a branched DNA assay. Results: At the end of treatment, 12 (37.5%) and 48 patients (40%) were negative for HCV-RNA in groups A and B, respectively (p = 0.33). After 24 weeks of follow-up, 9 patients (28%) from group A and 36 patients (30%) from group B were still HCV-RNA negative (p = 0.4). Treatment was well tolerated by both groups. There were no alanine transferase elevations among group A patients during therapy. Conclusion: Interferon-ribavirin combination therapy was safe and induced a sustained virologic response in a significant proportion of patients with chronic hepatitis C and repeatedly normal serum transaminase levels.
Early nouns in bilingual acquisition : a test of the separate development hypothesis

In previous work (Sinka & Schelletter 1998), we have addressed the morphosyntactic development of two bilingual children and the issues raised by the opposition between the Single System and the Separate Development hypotheses. Interactions between the two language systems were found to be very rare, consistent with the Separate Development Hypothesis. This is further underlined by the developmental lead-lag pattern evidenced in the emergence of Functional Categories (Schelletter, Sinka & Garman 1999, Garman, Schelletter & Sinka 1999). More recently (Sinka, Garman & Schelletter 2000), we have supplemented our investigation of early grammatical development by using a lexical profiling approach to focus on the evidence from the acquisition of main verbs. Results suggest that the lead-lag order of development for the two languages in each child is the same as for the grammatical system, and each bilingual child appears to be developing the system of main verbs independently for each language, although there are some commonalities across languages, e.g. in the development of the verb 'to be'. In this paper we extend the lexical profiling approach to the analysis of noun vocabulary. We look at the general characteristics of types and tokens, and then consider more fine-grained analysis of the nouns used by each child in terms of grammatico-semantic categories. The findings will be discussed in relation to the Separate Development Hypothesis.
ViP-CNN: A Visual Phrase Reasoning Convolutional Neural Network for Visual Relationship Detection

As the intermediate level task connecting image captioning and object detection, visual relationship detection started to catch researchers' attention because of its descriptive power and clear structure. It localizes the objects and captures their interactions with a subject-predicate-object triplet, e.g. person-ride-horse. In this paper, the visual relationship is considered as a phrase with three components. So we formulate the visual relationship detection as three inter-connected recognition problems and propose a Visual Phrase reasoning Convolutional Neural Network (ViP-CNN) to address them simultaneously. In ViP-CNN, we present a Visual Phrase Reasoning Structure (VPRS) to set up the connection among the relationship components and help the model consider the three problems jointly. Corresponding non-maximum suppression method and model training strategy are also proposed. Experimental results show that our ViP-CNN outperforms the state-of-art method both in speed and accuracy. We further pretrain our model on our cleansed Visual Genome Relationship dataset, which is found to perform better than the pretraining on the ImageNet for this task.
N-of-1 Study of Weight Loss Maintenance in People who Lost Over 5% of Body Weight.

Background: This study aimed to advance understanding of explanatory variables associated with weight loss maintenance (WLM). Methods: We used a series of n-of-1 studies and McKnight bootstrapping approach to explore WLM in 12 people who in the previous year lost over 5% of their body weight. For two months we used ecologic momentary assessment to gather daily data on motivation, self-regulation, resources, habits and environmental and social influences (predictive variables) and weight, physical activity and ability to follow a WLM plan (outcome variables). Results: For all 12 participants, daily fluctuations of each of the 3 outcomes were significantly predicted by explanatory variables. Patterns of variables contributing to the prediction, amount of variability accounted for and autoregression differed between participants. Discussion: Divergent maintenance-related variables showed differential impact on ability to maintain weight, engage in physical activity and to follow a WLM plan for different individuals. The n-of-1 design offers useful tool for developing and testing theory of behaviour change maintenance.
Mass spectrometry-based absolute quantification reveals rhythmic variation of mouse circadian clock proteins

Significance A method for absolute quantification of proteins for targeted proteomics is developed. It introduces a simple and high-throughput synthesis of internal standards for peptide quantification and thereby facilitates both multiplexed and sensitive absolute quantification of proteins. Application of this method to the systems-level dynamic analysis of core circadian clock proteins and detection of internal body time using quantified values of circadian clock proteins is shown. The results demonstrate the validity of the developed method in which quantified values from wild-type mice can predict the endogenous state of the circadian clock. Absolute values of protein expression levels in cells are crucial information for understanding cellular biological systems. Precise quantification of proteins can be achieved by liquid chromatography (LC)–mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of enzymatic digests of proteins in the presence of isotope-labeled internal standards. Thus, development of a simple and easy way for the preparation of internal standards is advantageous for the analyses of multiple target proteins, which will allow systems-level studies. Here we describe a method, termed MS-based Quantification By isotope-labeled Cell-free products (MS-QBiC), which provides the simple and high-throughput preparation of internal standards by using a reconstituted cell-free protein synthesis system, and thereby facilitates both multiplexed and sensitive quantification of absolute amounts of target proteins. This method was applied to a systems-level dynamic analysis of mammalian circadian clock proteins, which consist of transcription factors and protein kinases that govern central and peripheral circadian clocks in mammals. Sixteen proteins from 20 selected circadian clock proteins were successfully quantified from mouse liver over a 24-h time series, and 14 proteins had circadian variations. Quantified values were applied to detect internal body time using a previously developed molecular timetable method. The analyses showed that single time-point data from wild-type mice can predict the endogenous state of the circadian clock, whereas data from clock mutant mice are not applicable because of the disappearance of circadian variation.