Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cortical and behavioural characteristics of children with developmental disorders : does treatment change the picture?

This dissertation was motivated by two questions: 1) Do children with developmental disorders have reliable cortical characteristics that distinguish them from control children or that are unique for different disorder-subtypes? 2) Do these cortical characteristics reflect behavioural changes effectuated by an intervention? Five studies that contribute to answering these questions will be presented and discussed in detail. Study I was dedicated to source localisation of auditory syllable-processing in children with developmental dyslexia and control children. Study II investigated the influence of different training programs on a cortical measure of auditory sensitivity in dyslexia. Study III investigated visual word processing differences between dyslexic and control children. For more detailed insight, study IV investigated the same set of words in skilled adult readers. Study V examined the effect of a stimulant medication on cortical measures of attentional deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – a disorder that often occurs comorbid with dyslexia. The results indicate that dyslexia is characterised by (a) more posterior source localisations of speech sounds in right temporal regions possibly resulting from more symmetrical plana temporali and (b) reduced activation and enhanced spectral frequencies following words that require sublexical processing in occipital regions possibly reflecting reduced phonological awareness in dyslexia. Dyslexic children did not differ from control children in their sensitivity for sound changes. Nevertheless, the auditory sensitivity measure was differentially influenced by different intervention programs. It was found that a training of phonological awareness had most effects on cortical and behavioural measures. These findings favour a phonological awareness deficit as general aetiological factor in dyslexia rather than a more basic auditory perceptual deficit. The results on ADHD suggest different cortical profiles of ADHD subtypes. Children with ADHD of the combined type not only differed from children with ADHD of the predominantly inattentive type, they also responded differently to stimulant medication. The results further propose that good and poor medication responders have differing cortical characteristics. The overall medication effect supports frontocortical hypoarousal as a relevant aetiological factor in ADHD.
Selective Automated Perimetry Under Photopic, Mesopic, and Scotopic Conditions: Detection Mechanisms and Testing Strategies

Purpose Automated scotopic, mesopic, and photopic perimetry are likely to be important paradigms in the assessment of emerging treatments of retinal diseases, yet our knowledge of the photoreceptor mechanisms detecting targets under these conditions remains largely dependent on simian data. We therefore aimed to establish the photoreceptor/postreceptoral mechanisms detecting perimetric targets in humans under photopic, mesopic, and scotopic conditions and to make recommendations for suitable clinical testing strategies for selective perimetry. Methods Perimetric sensitivities within 30° of fixation were determined for eight wavelengths (410, 440, 480, 520, 560, 600, 640, and 680 nm) under scotopic, mesopic (1.3 cd.m−2) and photopic (10 cd.m−2) conditions. Data were fitted with vector combinations of rod, S-cone, nonopponent M+L-cone mechanism, and opponent M- versus L-cone mechanism templates. Results Scotopicperimetric sensitivity was determined by rods peripherally and by a combination of rods and cones at, and immediately around, fixation. Mesopic perimetric sensitivity was mediated by M+L-cones and S-cones centrally and by M+L-cones and rods more peripherally. Photopic perimetric sensitivity was determined by an opponent M- versus L-cone, a nonopponent M+L-cone, and an S-cone mechanism centrally and by a combination of an S-cone and an M+L-cone mechanism peripherally. Conclusions Under scotopic conditions, a 480-nm stimulus provides adequate isolation (≥28 dB) of the rod mechanism. Several mechanisms contribute to mesopic sensitivity: this redundancy in detection may cause both insensitivity to broadband white targets and ambiguity in determining which mechanism is being probed with short-wavelength stimuli. M- and L-cone–derived mechanisms are well isolated at 10 cd.m−2: these may be selectively probed by a stimulus at 640 nm (≥ 20 dB isolation). Translation Relevance In human observers, multiple mechanisms contribute to the detection of Goldmann size III and size V perimetric targets under scotopic, mesopic, and photopic conditions. The relative contribution of these mechanisms appears to differ from those found previously for macaques. Our results furthermore suggest that caution must be exercised when using microperimetric techniques, which are typically conducted under mesopic conditions and which are likely to be important in the assessment of emerging treatments for retinal disease. This is because mesopic background conditions maximize the redundancy of target detection. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that spectral manipulation of the stimulus alone cannot be used to reliably separate rod from cone responses under these conditions.
Quality, Importance, and Instruction: The Perspectives of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments on Graphics Use by Students

Introduction This study investigated the perceptions and practices of teachers of students with visual impairments in Canada and the United States regarding graphics (both tactile and print) that are used by students with visual impairments. Questions focused on quality, importance, and instruction in the use of graphics. Methods An electronic survey was disseminated. Results were summarized by percentage, based on the number of respondents who answered each question. Parallel questions that compared responses for tactile versus print graphics were statistically compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and effect sizes were computed. Results In general, teachers valued the use of graphics and the need to provide instruction. Significant differences were found in how teachers answered tactile and print graphic questions. Fewer than 50% of the respondents felt that graphics were appropriately adapted on large-scale assessments, that there was sufficient instruction in the use of graphics in mainstream classrooms, or that there was an adequate amount of instructional time to teach the use of graphics. Discussion Findings highlighted a need to gain insight into effective teaching strategies that help students gather information from both tactile and print graphics. Attention to students with low vision using print graphics needs to be part of future investigations. Implications for practitioners Advocacy for sufficient instruction time for graphics and continued monitoring of the quality and effectiveness of graphics in educational materials are important. Providing feedback to material producers can help to support quality. Increasing student independence and exposure to graphics could support the effective use of graphics on assessments.
Measuring polarization in microlensing events

We reconsider the polarization of the star light that may arise during microlensing events due to the high gradient of magnification across the atmosphere of the source star, by exploring the full range of microlensing and stellar physical parameters. Since it is already known that only cool evolved giant stars give rise to the highest polarization signals, we follow the model by Simmons et al. to compute the polarization as due to the photon scattering on dust grains in the stellar wind. Motivated by the possibility to perform a polarization measurement during an ongoing microlensing event, we consider the recently reported event catalogue by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) collaboration covering the 2001–2009 campaigns (OGLE-III events), that makes available the largest and more comprehensive set of single-lens microlensing events towards the Galactic bulge. The study of these events, integrated by a Monte Carlo analysis, allows us to estimate the expected polarization profiles and to predict for which source stars and at which time is most convenient to perform a polarization measurement in an ongoing event. We find that about two dozens of OGLE-III events (about 1 per cent of the total) have maximum polarization degree in the range 0.1 < P_max < 1 per cent, corresponding to source stars with apparent magnitude I ≲ 14.5, being very cool red giants. This signal is measurable by using the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph (FORS2) polarimeter at Very Large Telescope (VLT) telescope with about 1 h integration time.
Evaluation of the influence of rotor magnetic anisotropy on condition monitoring of 2 pole induction motors

Non grain-oriented silicon steel laminations used in electric machines show a small degree of non-ideal magnetic anisotropy, which is introduced during the rolling process. If the rotor laminations are punched and stacked in a uniform direction, magnetic asymmetry is present in the rotor core. In this paper, it is shown that rotor core anisotropy can produce twice slip-frequency, 2sfs, modulation that can be misinterpreted as rotor faults in 2 pole induction motors when performing motor current signature analysis (MCSA). Unnecessary motor inspection due to false rotor fault alarms is a common on-going problem in the field, and it is shown for the first time in this work that rotor anisotropy is a root cause of false MCSA alarms in 2 pole induction motors. The influence of rotor core anisotropy is analyzed in detail, and it is shown that 2sfs components produced by the rotor fault and rotor anisotropy interact, making reliable fault detection difficult with MCSA. It is also shown that off-line testing is currently the only available means of detecting the fault, and on-line monitoring of the space harmonics-induced current components is proposed as a viable solution for providing reliable rotor fault detection for 2 pole motors with rotor anisotropy. The analysis and conclusions presented in this paper are verified through testing on custom built lab motors and on 3.3 kV motors.
Using group support systems to discover hidden profiles: an examination of the influence of group size and meeting structures on information sharing and decision quality

This paper reports on an experimental study of information sharing for groups using a group support system (GSS). A group member's success or failure in sharing unique information can have important impacts on meeting outcomes. This research builds on previous work which has examined various factors that impact information-sharing performance. To examine these issues, groups processed a hidden profile task, i.e. a task with an asymmetrical distribution of information. In addition, group size (groups of four and seven) and the level of structure (structured or unstructured agenda) were manipulated. Results show that group size had no effect on information sharing. However, groups using the structured agenda shared more initially-shared information and initially-unshared information. Although no relationship was found between information-sharing performance and decision quality, a curvilinear (U-shaped) relationship between information sharing and satisfaction was observed. These results show that, for hidden-profile tasks, a critical performance level must be reached before performance is positively related to satisfaction. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings and the implications for future research and use.
Strength of Temporal White Matter Pathways Predicts Semantic Learning

Learning the associations between words and meanings is a fundamental human ability. Although the language network is cortically well defined, the role of the white matter pathways supporting novel word-to-meaning mappings remains unclear. Here, by using contextual and cross-situational word learning, we tested whether learning the meaning of a new word is related to the integrity of the language-related white matter pathways in 40 adults (18 women). The arcuate, uncinate, inferior-fronto-occipital and inferior-longitudinal fasciculi were virtually dissected using manual and automatic deterministic fiber tracking. Critically, the automatic method allowed assessing the white matter microstructure along the tract. Results demonstrate that the microstructural properties of the left inferior-longitudinal fasciculus predict contextual learning, whereas the left uncinate was associated with cross-situational learning. In addition, we identified regions of special importance within these pathways: the posterior middle temporal gyrus, thought to serve as a lexical interface and specifically related to contextual learning; the anterior temporal lobe, known to be an amodal hub for semantic processing and related to cross-situational learning; and the white matter near the hippocampus, a structure fundamental for the initial stages of new-word learning and, remarkably, related to both types of word learning. No significant associations were found for the inferior-fronto-occipital fasciculus or the arcuate. While previous results suggest that learning new phonological word forms is mediated by the arcuate fasciculus, these findings show that the temporal pathways are the crucial neural substrate supporting one of the most striking human abilities: our capacity to identify correct associations between words and meanings under referential indeterminacy. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The language-processing network is cortically (i.e., gray matter) well defined. However, the role of the white matter pathways that support novel word learning within this network remains unclear. In this work, we dissected language-related (arcuate, uncinate, inferior-fronto-occipital, and inferior-longitudinal) fasciculi using manual and automatic tracking. We found the left inferior-longitudinal fasciculus to be predictive of word-learning success in two word-to-meaning tasks: contextual and cross-situational learning paradigms. The left uncinate was predictive of cross-situational word learning. No significant correlations were found for the arcuate or the inferior-fronto-occipital fasciculus. While previous results showed that learning new phonological word forms is supported by the arcuate fasciculus, these findings demonstrate that learning new word-to-meaning associations is mainly dependent on temporal white matter pathways.
Human Tails: Ownership and Control of Extended Humanoid Avatars

This paper explores body ownership and control of an 'extended' humanoid avatar that features a distinct and flexible tail-like appendage protruding from its coccyx. Thirty-two participants took part in a between-groups study to puppeteer the avatar in an immersive CAVETM -like system. Participantsa' body movement was tracked, and the avatara's humanoid body synchronously reflected this motion. However, sixteen participants experienced the avatara's tail moving around randomly and asynchronous to their own movement, while the other participants experienced a tail that they could, potentially, control accurately and synchronously through hip movement. Participants in the synchronous condition experienced a higher degree of body ownership and agency, suggesting that visuomotor synchrony enhanced the probability of ownership over the avatar body despite of its extra-human form. Participants experiencing body ownership were also more likely to be more anxious and attempt to avoid virtual threats to the tail and body. The higher task performance of participants in the synchronous condition indicates that people are able to quickly learn how to remap normal degrees of bodily freedom in order to control virtual bodies that differ from the humanoid form. We discuss the implications and applications of extended humanoid avatars as a method for exploring the plasticity of the braina's representation of the body and for gestural human-computer interfaces.
TaGW2, a Good Reflection of Wheat Polyploidization and Evolution

Hexaploid wheat consists of three subgenomes, namely, A, B, and D. These well-characterized ancestral genomes also exist at the diploid and tetraploid levels, thereby rendering wheat as a good model species for studying polyploidization. Here, we performed intra- and inter-species comparative analyses of wheat and its relatives to dissect polymorphism and differentiation of the TaGW2 genes. Our results showed that genetic diversity of TaGW2 decreased with progression from the diploids to tetraploids and hexaploids. The strongest selection occurred in the promoter regions of TaGW2-6A and TaGW2-6B. Phylogenetic trees clearly indicated that Triticum urartu and Ae. speltoides were the donors of the A and B genomes in tetraploid and hexaploid wheats. Haplotypes detected among hexaploid genotypes traced back to the tetraploid level. Fst and π values revealed that the strongest selection on TaGW2 occurred at the tetraploid level rather than in hexaploid wheat. This infers that grain size enlargement, especially increased kernel width, mainly occurred in tetraploid genotypes. In addition, relative expression levels of TaGW2s significantly declined from the diploid level to tetraploids and hexaploids, further indicating that these genes negatively regulate kernel size. Our results also revealed that the polyploidization events possibly caused much stronger differentiation than domestication and breeding.
Soft-Switching AC-Link Three-Phase AC–AC Buck–Boost Converter

In this paper, the soft-switching ac-link ac-ac buck-boost converter will be studied in more detail. This single-stage converter, which is, in essence, an extension of the dc-dc buck-boost converter, can be an excellent alternative to dc-link converters. Being a buck-boost converter, this converter is capable of both stepping-up and stepping-down the voltage. The link current and voltage are both alternating, and their frequency can be as high as permitted by the switches and the sampling time of the microcontroller. This eliminates the need for dc inductors or dc electrolytic capacitors, and the main energy storage element is an ac inductor (L). Moreover, in this converter, galvanic isolation can be provided by adding a single-phase high-frequency transformer to the link. Therefore, the proposed converter is expected to be more compact compared to the conventional dc-link converter. The other advantage of this converter is the soft switching of the switches, which is feasible by adding a small capacitor (C) to the link. In this paper, the design and analysis of this converter will be studied in detail. In order to accurately analyze this converter, the effect of the LC link resonance on the performance of the converter will be studied. This analysis helps in evaluating the performance of the converter at low power levels when the resonating time of the LC link is not negligible. Using this analysis, the link peak current and the link frequency may be calculated at any point of operation. The accuracy of this method is verified through simulations and experiments. Detailed comparison of the proposed converter with the dc-link converter will be also presented in this paper. It will be shown that, despite having more switches, the current rating of the switches is lower in this converter. Moreover, the efficiencies of the two converters will be compared. Finally, the performance of the soft-switching ac-link ac-ac buck-boost converter is experimentally evaluated in this paper. It will be shown that the converter has the possibility of changing both the frequency and the voltage. Both step-up and step-down operations will be verified through experiments.
WASP-25b: A 0.6M planet in the Southern hemisphere

We report the detection of a 0.6 MJ extrasolar planet by WASP-South, WASP-25b, transiting its solar-type host star every 3.76 d. A simultaneous analysis of the WASP, FTS and Euler photometry and CORALIE spectroscopy yields a planet of Rp= 1.22 RJ and Mp= 0.58 MJ around a slightly metal-poor solar-type host star, [Fe/H]=− 0.05 ± 0.10, of R*= 0.92 R⊙ and M*= 1.00 M⊙. WASP-25b is found to have a density of ρp= 0.32 ρJ, a low value for a sub-Jupiter mass planet. We investigate the relationship of planetary radius to planetary equilibrium temperature and host star metallicity for transiting exoplanets with a similar mass to WASP-25b, finding that these two parameters explain the radii of most low-mass planets well.
Algorithms for Joint Phase Estimation and Decoding for MIMO Systems in the Presence of Phase Noise and Quasi-Static Fading Channels

In this paper, we derive the maximum a posteriori (MAP) symbol detector for a multiple-input multiple-output system in the presence of Wiener phase noise due to noisy local oscillators, and quasi-static fading channels. As in single-antenna systems, the computation of the optimum receiver is an analytically intractable problem and is unimplementable in practice. In this purview, we propose three suboptimal, low-complexity algorithms for approximately implementing the MAP symbol detector, which involve joint phase noise estimation and data detection. Our first algorithm is obtained by means of the sum-product algorithm, where we use the multivariate Tikhonov canonical distribution approach. In our next algorithm, we derive an approximate MAP symbol detector based on the smoother-detector framework, wherein the detector is properly designed by incorporating the phase noise statistics from the smoother. The third algorithm is derived based on the variational Bayesian framework. By simulations, we evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms for both uncoded and coded data transmissions and observe that the proposed techniques significantly outperform the other important algorithms from prior works, which are considered herein.
Interaction of Insulin Resistance and Related Genetic Variants With Triglyceride-Associated Genetic Variants

Background—Several studies suggest that some triglyceride-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have pleiotropic and opposite effects on glycemic traits. This potentially implicates them in pathways such as de novo lipogenesis, which is presumably upregulated in the context of insulin resistance. We therefore tested whether the association of triglyceride-associated SNPs with triglyceride levels differs according to one’s level of insulin resistance. Methods and Results—In 3 cohort studies (combined n=12 487), we tested the interaction of established triglyceride-associated SNPs (individually and collectively) with several traits related to insulin resistance, on triglyceride levels. We also tested the interaction of triglyceride SNPs with fasting insulin–associated SNPs, individually and collectively, on triglyceride levels. We find significant interactions of a weighted genetic risk score for triglycerides with insulin resistance on triglyceride levels (Pinteraction=2.73×10−11 and Pinteraction=2.48×10–11 for fasting insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, respectively). The association of the triglyceride genetic risk score with triglyceride levels is >60% stronger among those in the highest tertile of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance compared with those in the lowest tertile. Individual SNPs contributing to this trend include those in/near GCKR, CILP2, and IRS1, whereas PIGV-NROB2 and LRPAP1 display an opposite trend of interaction. In the pooled data set, we also identify a SNP–by–SNP interaction involving a triglyceride-associated SNP, rs4722551 near MIR148A, with a fasting insulin–associated SNP, rs4865796 in ARL15 (Pinteraction=4.1×10−5). Conclusions—Our findings may thus provide genetic evidence for the upregulation of triglyceride levels in insulin-resistant individuals, in addition to identifying specific genetic loci and a SNP–by–SNP interaction implicated in this process.