Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A randomized comparison of the effect of two prelinguistic communication interventions on the acquisition of spoken communication in preschoolers with ASD.

PURPOSE This randomized group experiment compared the efficacy of 2 communication interventions (Responsive Education and Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching [RPMT] and the Picture Exchange Communication System [PECS]) on spoken communication in 36 preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). METHOD Each treatment was delivered to children for a maximum total of 24 hr over a 6-month period. Spoken communication was assessed in a rigorous test of generalization at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up periods. RESULTS PECS was more successful than RPMT in increasing the number of nonimitative spoken communication acts and the number of different nonimitative words used at the posttreatment period. Considering growth over all 3 measurement periods, an exploratory analysis showed that growth rate of the number of different nonimitative words was faster in the PECS group than in the RPMT group for children who began treatment with relatively high object exploration. In contrast, analogous slopes were steeper in the RPMT group than in the PECS group for children who began treatment with relatively low object exploration.
A 2.9–4.0-GHz Fractional-N Digital PLL With Bang-Bang Phase Detector and 560-${\rm fs}_{\rm rms}$ Integrated Jitter at 4.5-mW Power

This paper introduces a ΔΣ fractional-N digital PLL based on a single-bit TDC. A digital-to-time converter, placed in the feedback path, cancels out the quantization noise introduced by the dithering of the frequency divider modulus and permits to achieve low noise at low power. The PLL is implemented in a standard 65-nm CMOS process. It achieves - 102-dBc/Hz phase noise at 50-kHz offset and a total absolute jitter below 560 fsrms (integrated from 3 kHz to 30 MHz), even in the worst-case of a -42-dBc in-band fractional spur. The synthesizer tuning range spans from 2.92 GHz to 4.05 GHz with 70-Hz resolution. The total power consumption is 4.5 mW, which leads to the best jitter-power trade-off obtained with a fractional-N synthesizer. The synthesizer demonstrates the capability of frequency modulation up to 1.25-Mb/s data rate.
Constitutive or regulative principles? The Kantian legacy for contemporary philosophy of science

Kant’s philosophy of science is often taken to be straightforwardly refuted by the development of modern science and mathematics. I identify two ways in which key Kantian insights can be defended in contemporary physics: the first—associated with Michael Friedman—emphasises the role of constitutive principles in Kant’s philosophy and the second—associated with Ernst Cassirer—emphasises the role of regulative principles. I argue that the regulative approach of Cassirer is the more promising. I identify two challenges that a Kantian philosophy of science must meet in order to be deemed plausible: (CR) it must provide an account of the rationality of theory change and (CC) it must make sense of the central Kantian idea of constitutivity. I use these challenges to gauge the success of constitutive and regulative approaches throughout. In §1 I introduce Friedman’s constitutive approach. His answers to CR and CC are examined. I outline the role of philosophy in Friedman’s answer to CR and stress the importance for Friedman of defending the syntheticity of the relativized a priori. In §2 I detail the origins of constitutive and regulative principles in Kant’s philosophy of science. It is emphasised that for Kant, both types of principle are essential to the possibility of science. In §3 I introduce Cassirer’s regulative approach. The regulative approach is defended from Friedman’s objection that it cannot provide an account of the prospective rationality of theory change. Cassirer’s understanding of the constitutive and regulative a priori are distinguished. Cassirer’s structuralism is introduced. In §4 I provide a case study of the role of the equivalence principle in the development of general relativity. A regulative Kantian answer to CR is defended. In §5 I defend Cassirer’s answer to CC as a plausible contemporary alternative to ontic structural realism.
Approximation Complexity of Maximum A Posteriori Inference in Sum-Product Networks

We discuss the computational complexity of approximating maximum a posteriori inference in sum-product networks. We first show NP-hardness in trees of height two by a reduction from maximum independent set; this implies non-approximability within a sublinear factor. We show that this is a tight bound, as we can find an approximation within a linear factor in networks of height two. We then show that, in trees of height three, it is NP-hard to approximate the problem within a factor $2^{f(n)}$ for any sublinear function $f$ of the size of the input $n$. Again, this bound is tight, as we prove that the usual max-product algorithm finds (in any network) approximations within factor $2^{c \cdot n}$ for some constant $c < 1$. Last, we present a simple algorithm, and show that it provably produces solutions at least as good as, and potentially much better than, the max-product algorithm. We empirically analyze the proposed algorithm against max-product using synthetic and realistic networks.
Correlations between Her2 oncoprotein, VEGF expression, MVD and clinicopathological parameters in gastric cancer.

INTRODUCTION Gastric carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and is the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths. Several molecular factors are studied as prognostic and predictive factors for gastric cancer, VEGF and Her2 being currently in the spotlight. The aim of the study was to estimate the expression of Her2, VEGF and the MVD in gastric carcinoma and its relationship to clinicopathological and biological features of the tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study were included 28 patients with gastric carcinoma, of which 16 patients underwent total gastrectomy, which provided the TNM stage, and 12 patients with gastric biopsy. The gastric biopsies and the surgical samples were processed immunohistochemically using anti-Her2, anti-CD31, anti-CD34 and anti-VEGF antibodies. RESULTS Her2 oncoprotein was overexpressed in 85.71% of intestinal type gastric cancer cases and 14.29% in diffuse type (p=0.01), and also more in stage I an II comparatively with stage III and IV (p=0.13). Her2 positive tumors were significant low grade (G1/G2) (p<0.01). MVD is higher in Her2 positive tumors than in the negative ones but not statistically significant (p=0.29 for CD31 and p=0.52 for CD34). Positive immunoreaction of VEGF was observed in 55.5% of the intestinal type carcinomas and in 80% of diffuse type. The correlation between expression of VEGF and TNM stage showed that this angiogenic factor is more frequent positive in the first two stages comparative with the IIIrd and IVth stages. The expression of VEGF is more frequent in G1-G2 tumors (p=0.003). There was a close relationship between tumor vascularity detected with CD34 and two main histological parameters: tumor type according to Lauren's classification (diffuse type; p=0.04) and tumor grade (well and moderately differentiated tumors; p=0.01). There was also a significant correlation of mean CD34 MVD value and the TNM stage being more expressed in stage III/IV than in I/II stages (p=0.004). The mean CD34 MVD value of VEGF positive tumors was 30.8 and was a significantly higher MVD than that of VEGF negative tumors (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Overexpression of Her2, the selecting factor of patients that benefit from a specific therapy, occurs at a significant frequency in gastric carcinomas, especially in intestinal type. The correlation between VEGF expression and CD34 MVD suggest that two molecular biomarkers play a major role in the biological tumor behavior and are able to be used as important prognostic parameters, which predict the aggressiveness of gastric carcinomas.
Response of Rigor Cross-bridges to Stretch Detected by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy of Myosin Essential Light Chain in Skeletal Muscle Fibers*

We applied fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy to map the microenvironment of the myosin essential light chain (ELC) in permeabilized skeletal muscle fibers. Four ELC mutants containing a single cysteine residue at different positions in the C-terminal half of the protein (ELC-127, ELC-142, ELC-160, and ELC-180) were generated by site-directed mutagenesis, labeled with 7-diethylamino-3-((((2-iodoacetamido)ethyl)amino)carbonyl)coumarin, and introduced into permeabilized rabbit psoas fibers. Binding to the myosin heavy chain was associated with a large conformational change in the ELC. When the fibers were moved from relaxation to rigor, the fluorescence lifetime increased for all label positions. However, when 1% stretch was applied to the rigor fibers, the lifetime decreased for ELC-127 and ELC-180 but did not change for ELC-142 and ELC-160. The differential change of fluorescence lifetime demonstrates the shift in position of the C-terminal domain of ELC with respect to the heavy chain and reveals specific locations in the lever arm region sensitive to the mechanical strain propagating from the actin-binding site to the lever arm.
The A. M. D.

Charles DeCarli, MD, is Professor of Neurology at the University of California in Davis, California. He is the Director of the Alzheimer? s Disease Center, a United States National Institutes of Health funded Alzheimer? s research center. He is also Director of the Imaging of Dementia and Aging (IDeA) laboratory. His research focuses on using advanced structural and functional brain imaging to study normal aging, mild cognitive impairment and dementia and the role of genetics, cerebrovascular and Alzheimer? s disease on these processes. He is a recipient of the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine? Imaging of the Aging Brain in recognition of his work. In addition, Dr. DeCarli is the Editor-in-Chief of Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, an international journal of AD research. Clinical Interests
Three‐Way Interactions Among Ectomycorrhizal Mutualists, Scale Insects, and Resistant and Susceptible Pinyon Pines

Herbivores and mycorrhizal fungi are important associates of most plants, but little is known about how these organisms interact. In a 9‐yr experiment, we examined how the pinyon needle scale (Matsucoccus acalyptus) affects and is affected by the ectomycorrhizal mutualists found on the roots of scale‐resistant and ‐susceptible pinyon pines (Pinus edulis). Three major results emerged. First, removal experiments demonstrated that scales negatively affected ectomycorrhiza. Second, although ectomycorrhiza could either positively or negatively influence scale performance by improving plant vigor or increasing plant investment in antiherbivore defenses, we found no ectomycorrhizal effect on scale mortality when we experimentally enhanced levels of ectomycorrhiza. This represented the first test of whether ectomycorrhiza promote plant resistance and contrasted with studies showing that arbuscular mycorrhiza negatively affected herbivores. Third, pinyon resistance to scales mediated the asymmetrical interaction between fungal mutualists and scale herbivores. High scale densities suppressed ectomycorrhizal colonization, but only on trees susceptible to scales. Similarities between mycorrhiza‐herbivore interactions and competitive interactions among herbivores suggest broader generalities in the way aboveground herbivores interact with belowground plant associates. However, because mycorrhiza are mutualists, mycorrhiza‐herbivore interactions do not fit within traditional competition paradigms. The widespread occurrence and importance of both herbivores and mycorrhiza argue for incorporating their interactions into ecological theory.
Analysis of Ammonia Toxicity in Landfill Leachates

Toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) phase I manipulations and toxicity test with D. magna were conducted on leachates from an industrial waste landfill site in Japan. Physicochemical analysis detected heavy metals at concentrations insufficient to account for the observed acute toxicity. The graduated pH and aeration manipulations identified the prominent toxicity of ammonia. Based on joint toxicity with additive effects of unionized ammonia and ammonium ions, the unionized ammonia toxicity (LC50,NH3(aq)) was calculated as 3.3 ppm, and the toxicity of ammonium ions (LC50,NH4+) was calculated as 222 ppm. Then, the contribution of ammonia toxicity in the landfill leachate toxicity was calculated as 58.7 vol% of the total toxicity in the landfill leachate. Other specific toxicants masked by ammonia's toxicity were detected. Contribution rate of the toxicants other than by ammonia was 41.3 vol% of the total toxicity of the landfill leachate.
Improvement of energy efficiency of servo pneumatic cylinders by optimising velocity profiles

The authors' previous simulation study indicated that different quantities of compressed air will be consumed by a servo-controlled pneumatic cylinder with different velocity profiles under the same control strategy. This motivated the authors to investigate if there is the most energy-efficient profile, which leads the system to use the least amount of compressed air. To avoid solving a set of complicated non-linear differential equations, the non-linear system is linearised through input/output state feedback, then energy efficient optimal control theory is applied to the linearised system. An optimal control strategy is derived with respect to the transformed states of the linear system model. The solution of the state trajectory results in an energy efficient profile. Simulation study has been conducted using both the linearised and original non-linear system models and the simulation results indicated that the profiles obtained in this paper are more energy efficient.
Management 9-2007 Is the World Flat or Spiky ? Information Intensity , Skills , and Global Service Disaggregation

hich service occupations are the most susceptible to global disaggregation? What are the factors and V V mechanisms that make service occupations amenable to global disaggregation? This research addresses these questions by building on previous work by Apte and Mason (1995) and Rai et al. (2006) that focuses on the unbundling of information and physical flows. We propose a theory of service disaggregation and argue that high information intensity makes an occupation more amenable to disaggregation because the activities in such occupations can be codified, standardized, and modularized. We empirically validate our theoretical model using data on more than 300 service occupations. We find that at the mean skill level, the information intensity of an occupation is positively associated with the disaggregation potential of that occupation, and the effect of information intensity on disaggregation potential is mediated by the modularizability of an occupation. We also find that skills moderate the effect of information intensity on service disaggregation. Furthermore, we study the patterns in U.S. employment and salary growth from 2000 to 2004. Contrary to popular perception, we do not find any adverse effect in terms of employment growth or salary growth for high information-intensity occupations at the mean skill level. Our findings show that high-skill occupations have experienced higher employment and salary growth than low-skill occupations at the mean level of informa tion intensity. Notably, high information-intensity occupations that require higher skill levels have experienced higher employment growth, though this employment growth is accompanied by a decline in salary growth. Occupations with a higher need for physical presence have also experienced higher employment growth and lower salary growth. Overall, these results imply that firms and managers need to consider the modularizability of occupations as they reallocate global resources to pursue cost and innovation opportunities. For individual workers, our results highlight the importance of continuous investments in human capital and skill acquisition because high information-intensity and high-skill occupations appear to be relatively less vulnerable to global disaggregation.
Does the Timing of Grade Retention Make a Difference? Examining the Effects of Early Versus Later Retention

Research examining the effectiveness of grade retention has provided overwhelming and seemingly irrefutable evidence that grade retention is an ineffective and potentially harmful practice. However, proponents of grade retention often advocate that retention in the early elementary grades (e.g., kindergarten, first and second grade) is the justified exception. This longitudinal study examined the reading growth trajectories of students (n = 49) from first through eighth grade. Hierarchical linear modeling analytic procedures provided novel insights regarding the relative reading growth trajectories among retained students, comparing those students retained in kindergarten through second grade with those students retained in Grades 3-6. The results revealed that the growth trajectories of students retained early (Grades K-2) were comparable to those retained later (Grades 3-5). These findings failed to support the efficacy of retention at an earlier grade in elementary school.
What determines voter turnout? : Lessons from citizens with disabilities

Objective. Disability affects resources and other factors associated with political participation. This study examines the relative importance of these factors by analyzing voter turnout among people with disabilities. Methods. This study uses the Current Population Survey and a survey of people with spinal cord injuries (SCI), with data on 1992 presidential election voter turnout. It compares voting rates and determinants between the general population and people with SCI, and links voter turnout to disability characteristics. Results. Voter turnout among people with SCI was 10 percentage points lower than among otherwise-similar people in the general population. Employed people with SCI were just as likely as other employed people to vote, while turnout was strongly depressed among the two-thirds of people with SCI who were not employed. Within the SCI sample, turnout was higher among people who are able to drive and who attend religious services, and was not affected by severity of injury. Conclusions. The results highlight the importance of employment and general mobility for voter turnout. Further research on the low turnout of nonemployed people with disabilities is warranted. Future turnout levels will probably be affected by the success of the ADA and other policies in increasing employment of the one in five Americans with disabilities
Firefighter's personal protective equipment and the chronotropic index

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of personal protective equipment (PPE) on cardiovascular and metabolic responses during incremental exercise, and to determine if PPE affects the relationship between heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake when expressed as the chronotropic index (CI). Ten male participants performed graded exercise tests under three conditions: control (CON), (PPE) and weighted vest (WV) (same weight as PPE). Time to exhaustion was significantly longer in the CON compared to the other conditions (p < 0.01). Submaximal oxygen uptake and HR were significantly lower in the CON compared to the PPE and WV conditions. The CI (CON, 32.2 ± 4.5; PPE, 31.7 ± 5.7; WV, 32.6 ± 4.9) was similar in all three conditions. This study has shown that additional weight and encapsulating clothing leads to elevations in HR and oxygen uptake compared to a control condition, however, the CI remains unaffected. Practitioner Summary: Firefighters wear personal protective equipment that is designed to protect the wearer; however it also imposes a physiological burden. It is known that work in firefighting PPE increases cardiovascular and metabolic strain. This study has shown that PPE does not alter the relationship between heart rate and oxygen uptake.
On k-Median clustering in high dimensions

We study approximation algorithms for <i>k</i>-median clustering. We obtain small coresets for <i>k</i>-median clustering in metric spaces as well as in Euclidean spaces. Specifically, in R<sup>d</sup>, those coresets are of size with only <i>polynomial</i> dependency on <i>d</i>. This leads to a (1 + ε)-approximation algorithm for <i>k</i>-median clustering in R<sup>d</sup>, with running time <i>O</i>(<i>ndk</i> +2<sup>(k/ε)<sup><i>o</i>(1)</sup></sup><i>d</i><sup>2</sup><i>n</i>σ), for any σ > 0. This is an improvement over previous results [5, 20, 21]. We also provide fast constant factor approximation algorithms for <i>k</i>-median clustering in finite metric spaces.We use those coresets to compute (1 + ε)-approximation <i>k</i>-median clustering in the streaming model of computation, using only <i>O</i>(<i>k</i><sup>2</sup><i>de</i><sup>-2</sup>log<sup>8</sup> <i>n</i>) space, where the points are taken from R<sup>d</sup>. This is the first streaming algorithm, for this problem, that has space complexity with only <i>polynomial</i> dependency on the dimension.
Computers and Basic Writers

tinued, "Secretaries go to school for months in order to learn typing and word processing, so I don't understand why so many presenters are encouraging English teachers to train students how to use computers in the same course in which they are learning about writing. " To this woman I would first respond that English teachers are best qualified to present word-processing strategies which help students learn how to compose and revise; next I would stress that students differ from secretaries: typists enter text-writers create it. And although college students in traditional sections of freshman English can be directed to the computer laboratory to learn word-processing commands at the beginning of the semester, without an English teacher's guidance they, too, tend to use the word processor as little more than a specially-equipped typewriter, not as an aid to inventing, drafting, and revising. Finally, I would plead that basic writers in particular be spared the frustration of having to jump still another hurdle--learning all about word processing-before being allowed to write. Initial reports indicate that basic writers do benefit from using word proces
Experimental realization of any discrete unitary operator.

An algorithmic proof that any discrete finite-dimensional unitary operator can be constructed in the laboratory using optical devices is given. Our recursive algorithm factorizes any N\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}N unitary matrix into a sequence of two-dimensional beam splitter transformations. The experiment is built from the corresponding devices. This also permits the measurement of the observable corresponding to any discrete Hermitian matrix. Thus optical experiments with any type of radiation (photons, atoms, etc.) exploring higher-dimensional discrete quantum systems become feasible.