Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for autism: a review and integration of findings.

OBJECTIVE To review the evidence for the presence of prenatal and perinatal factors that affect the risk of autism and autism spectrum disorders. DATA SOURCES Relevant articles were identified by searching MEDLINE, screening reference lists of original studies, and searching major journals likely to publish epidemiological studies on the topic. STUDY SELECTION For inclusion in this review, studies required (1) a well-defined sample of cases drawn from population-based registers or cohorts; (2) standardized, prospectively collected obstetric information from birth records or registers; (3) comparison subjects drawn from the general population with information on obstetric complications collected from the same source; and (4) a standardized format for presentation of data, allowing for comparisons among studies. Main Exposures Parental characteristics and obstetric complications. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Rates of autism and autism spectrum disorders. RESULTS Seven epidemiological studies were identified that fulfilled inclusion criteria. The parental characteristics associated with an increased risk of autism and autism spectrum disorders included advanced maternal age, advanced paternal age, and maternal place of birth outside Europe or North America. The obstetric conditions that emerged as significant fell into 2 categories: (1) birth weight and duration of gestation and (2) intrapartum hypoxia. CONCLUSIONS Evidence to suggest that parental age and obstetric conditions are associated with an increased risk of autism and autism spectrum disorders is accumulating. Although not proven as independent risk factors for autism, these variables should be examined in future studies that use large, population-based birth cohorts with precise assessments of exposures and potential confounders.
On the Structure of Neuronal Population Activity under Fluctuations in Attentional State

Attention is commonly thought to improve behavioral performance by increasing response gain and suppressing shared variability in neuronal populations. However, both the focus and the strength of attention are likely to vary from one experimental trial to the next, thereby inducing response variability unknown to the experimenter. Here we study analytically how fluctuations in attentional state affect the structure of population responses in a simple model of spatial and feature attention. In our model, attention acts on the neural response exclusively by modulating each neuron's gain. Neurons are conditionally independent given the stimulus and the attentional gain, and correlated activity arises only from trial-to-trial fluctuations of the attentional state, which are unknown to the experimenter. We find that this simple model can readily explain many aspects of neural response modulation under attention, such as increased response gain, reduced individual and shared variability, increased correlations with firing rates, limited range correlations, and differential correlations. We therefore suggest that attention may act primarily by increasing response gain of individual neurons without affecting their correlation structure. The experimentally observed reduction in correlations may instead result from reduced variability of the attentional gain when a stimulus is attended. Moreover, we show that attentional gain fluctuations, even if unknown to a downstream readout, do not impair the readout accuracy despite inducing limited-range correlations, whereas fluctuations of the attended feature can in principle limit behavioral performance. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Covert attention is one of the most widely studied examples of top-down modulation of neural activity in the visual system. Recent studies argue that attention improves behavioral performance by shaping of the noise distribution to suppress shared variability rather than by increasing response gain. Our work shows, however, that latent, trial-to-trial fluctuations of the focus and strength of attention lead to shared variability that is highly consistent with known experimental observations. Interestingly, fluctuations in the strength of attention do not affect coding performance. As a consequence, the experimentally observed changes in response variability may not be a mechanism of attention, but rather a side effect of attentional allocation strategies in different behavioral contexts.
Evaluation of the clinical usefulness of pancreatic alpha amylase as a novel biomarker in dogs with acute pancreatitis: a pilot study

Abstract Pancreatic alpha amylase (P-AMY) is used as a biomarker of acute pancreatitis (AP) in human medicine. To our knowledge, there are no studies evaluating the usefulness of P-AMY in dogs with AP. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic value of P-AMY, currently not verified in veterinary medicine. The AP group (n = 40) consisted of dogs with AP diagnosed using clinical signs and laboratory examinations, including abnormal canine pancreatic lipase (cPL) concentration, and compatible abdominal ultrasound examination at first presentation. Evaluation of the canine AP severity (CAPS) score was performed. The control group (n = 38) was composed of normal dogs without any abnormalities in clinical findings, blood exams or diagnostic imaging. The correlation of P-AMY with cPL was confirmed by Pearson’s correlation analysis (r = 0.564, p < .001). The sensitivity and specificity for the most appropriate cut-off values of P-AMY were recorded similar to the values of DGGR. The dogs with AP and CAPS ≥11 had significantly higher serum P-AMY (p = .016) contrary to DGGR lipase and cPL. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the median P-AMY dependent on the presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (p = .001). P-AMY showed similar level of diagnostic accuracy along with sensitivity and specificity compared to DGGR lipase. In addition, P-AMY showed a significant association with CAPS score, contrary to cPL and DGGR lipase. Along with other biomarkers associated with AP, P-AMY has the potential of usefulness as a supportive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of AP in dogs.
Lack of chick embryotoxicity after 20 kHz, 1.1 mT magnetic field exposure

This investigation was undertaken because biological studies to evaluate the effects of intermediate frequency magnetic fields are insufficient. White Leghorn fertile eggs (60/group) were either exposed to a 20 kHz, 1.1 mT(rms) sinusoidal magnetic field or sham‐exposed during the first 2, 7, or 11 days of embryogenesis. Lower dose exposures at 0.011 and 0.11 mT(rms) for 2 days were also conducted to elucidate possible dose–response relationships. Additional eggs given all‐trans‐retinoic acid, a teratogen, were exposed to the 1.1 mT(rms) magnetic field for the same periods to investigate the modification of embryotoxicity. After exposure, embryos were examined for mortality and developmental abnormalities. Developmental stage, number of somite pairs, and other developmental endpoints were also evaluated. Experiments were triplicated and conducted in a blind fashion. No exposure‐related changes were found in any of the endpoints in intact embryos exposed to1.1 mT(rms) or to the lower doses of 0.11 and 0.011 mT(rms) magnetic fields. Retinoic acid administration produced embryotoxic responses, which were embryonic death and developmental abnormalities, in 40–60% of embryos in the sham‐exposed groups. The magnitude of these responses was not changed significantly by the magnetic field exposures. Under the present experimental conditions, exposure to 20 kHz magnetic field up to 1.1 mT(rms) was not embryotoxic in the chick and did not potentiate the embryotoxic action of retinoic acid. Bioelectromagnetics 30:573–582, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Truncated Importance Sampling for Reinforcement Learning with Experience Replay

Reinforcement Learning (RL) is considered here as an adaptation technique of neural controllers of machines. The goal is to make Actor-Critic algorithms require less agent-environment interaction to obtain policies of the same quality, at the cost of additional background computations. We propose to achieve this goal in the spirit of experience replay . An estimation method of improvement direction of a changing policy, based on preceding experience, is essential here. We propose one that uses truncated importance sampling. We derive bounds of bias of that type of estimators and prove that this bias asymptotically vanishes. In the experimental study we apply our approach to the classic Actor-Critic and obtain 20-fold increase in speed of learning.
The effect of platelet-rich plasma on osteoblast and periodontal ligament cell migration , proliferation and differentiation

Background and objective: The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) aims to safely and conviniently deliver growth factors in order to enhance bone and periodontal regeneration. However, conflicting reports regarding its effectiveness suggest that further study of the relevant cellular mechanisms is required. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effect of PRP on osteoblasts and periodontal ligament cell function. Methods: Various concentrations of PRP (100%, 50%, 20% and 10%) and plateletpoor plasma (PPP) obtained from human donors was applied to primary cultures of human osteoblast and periodontal ligament cells. H-Thymidine incorporation, crystal violet and MTT assays were utilized to assess DNA synthesis and proliferation. Migration was determined by assessing cell response to a concentration gradient, while differentiation was assessed using Alazarin Red staining. Results: PRP and PPP had stimulatory effects on the migration of both cell types. At 24 hours, DNA synthesis was suppressed by the application of the various concentrations of PRP, but over a 5 day period, a beneficial effect on proliferation was observed, especially in response to the intermediate concentrations of 50% PRP. Platelet-poor plasma (PPP) resulted in the greatest enhancement of cellular proliferation for both cell types. 50% PRP and PPP facilitated differentiation of both cell types. Conclusion: PRP can exert a positive effect on osteoblast and periodontal ligament cell function, but this effect is concentration specific with maximal concentrations not 2 necessarily resulting in optimal outcomes. Furthermore, PPP appears to also have the ability to promote wound healing associated cell function.
Mental Health Trends in India from 2020 to 2022: Association with Financial Stress, Food Insecurity, and COVID-19-related Illness Concerns

This study examines the impact of pandemic-related worries on mental health in the Indian general adult population from 2020 to 2022. Using data from the Global COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey (N = 2,576,174 respondents aged >= 18 years in India; an average weekly sample size of around 25,000), it explores the associations between worry variables (namely financial stress, food insecurity, and COVID-19-related health worries) and self-reported symptoms of depression and nervousness. The statistical analysis was conducted using complete cases only (N = 747,996). Our analysis used survey-weighted models, focusing on the three pandemic-related worries as the exposures, while also adjusting for various other covariates, including demographics and calendar time. The study finds significant associations between these worries and mental health outcomes, with financial stress being the most significant factor affecting both depression (adjusted odds ratio: 2.36, 95% confidence interval: [2.27, 2.46]) and nervousness (adjusted odds ratio: 1.91, 95% confidence interval: [1.81, 2.01]) during the first phase of the study period (June 27, 2020, to May 19, 2021). The fully adjusted models also identify additional factors related to mental health, including age, gender, residential status, geographical region, occupation, and education. Moreover, the research highlights that males and urban residents had higher odds ratios for self-reported mental health problems regarding the worry variables than females and rural residents, respectively. Furthermore, the study reveals a rise in the prevalence of self-reported depression and nervousness and their association with COVID-19-related health worries during the lethal second wave of the pandemic in May 2021 compared to the onset of the pandemic. This study shows that social media platforms like Facebook can deploy surveys to a large number of participants globally and can be useful tools in capturing mental health trends and uncovering associations during a public health crisis.
Mechanisms of leukemogenesis by MLL fusion proteins

Infant acute leukaemia is characterised by specific genetic rearrangements and a rapid onset of disease shortly after birth. The vast majority of these cases bear rearranged MLL alleles. However, many facets of MLL‐rearranged leukaemia are largely unknown. Basically, there exists a fundamental and evolutionary conserved relationship between the family of MLL/Trithorax proteins and the regulation of HOX gene clusters. Therefore, direct MLL fusion proteins are per se able to deregulate HOX genes, except when reciprocal MLL fusion proteins come into play. This reviews discusses (i) the current situation in MLL‐rearranged leukaemia, (ii) the molecular and genetic tools to functionally investigate the many different MLL fusions, (iii) the latency of disease development, (iv) a novel cancer mechanism that has been recently uncovered when different MLL fusion protein complexes were characterized, (v) mutated signalling pathways in MLL‐rearranged leukaemia and (vi) presents new ideas on how a given MLL fusion protein may modulate existing signalling pathways in leukaemic cells. The hypothesis is posed that the many different fusion partners of MLL are critically distinct entities for which specific inhibitors should be identified in the future.
Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle-Based Interdigitated Electrodes: A Novel Current to Voltage DNA Biosensor Recognizes E. coli O157:H7

Nanoparticle-mediated bio-sensing promoted the development of novel sensors in the front of medical diagnosis. In the present study, we have generated and examined the potential of titanium dioxide (TiO2) crystalline nanoparticles with aluminium interdigitated electrode biosensor to specifically detect single-stranded E.coli O157:H7 DNA. The performance of this novel DNA biosensor was measured the electrical current response using a picoammeter. The sensor surface was chemically functionalized with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) to provide contact between the organic and inorganic surfaces of a single-stranded DNA probe and TiO2 nanoparticles while maintaining the sensing system’s physical characteristics. The complement of the target DNA of E. coli O157:H7 to the carboxylate-probe DNA could be translated into electrical signals and confirmed by the increased conductivity in the current-to-voltage curves. The specificity experiments indicate that the biosensor can discriminate between the complementary sequences from the base-mismatched and the non-complementary sequences. After duplex formation, the complementary target sequence can be quantified over a wide range with a detection limit of 1.0 x 10-13M. With target DNA from the lysed E. coli O157:H7, we could attain similar sensitivity. Stability of DNA immobilized surface was calculated with the relative standard deviation (4.6%), displayed the retaining with 99% of its original response current until 6 months. This high-performance interdigitated DNA biosensor with high sensitivity, stability and non-fouling on a novel sensing platform is suitable for a wide range of biomolecular interactive analyses.
Improving in-hospital cardiac arrest process and outcomes with performance debriefing.

BACKGROUND Recent investigations have documented poor cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance in clinical practice. We hypothesized that a debriefing intervention using CPR quality data from actual in-hospital cardiac arrests (resuscitation with actual performance integrated debriefing [RAPID]) would improve CPR performance and initial patient survival. METHODS Internal medicine residents at a university hospital attended weekly debriefing sessions of the prior week's resuscitations, between March 2006 and February 2007, reviewing CPR performance transcripts obtained from a CPR-sensing and feedback-enabled defibrillator. Objective metrics of CPR performance and initial return of spontaneous circulation were compared with a historical cohort in which a similar feedback-delivering defibrillator was used but without RAPID. RESULTS Cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality and outcome data from 123 patients resuscitated during the intervention period were compared with 101 patients in the baseline cohort. Compared with the control period, the mean (SD) ventilation rate decreased (13 [7]/min vs 18 [8]/min; P < .001) and compression depth increased (50 [10] vs 44 [10] mm; P = .001), among other CPR improvements. These changes correlated with an increase in the rate of return of spontaneous circulation in the RAPID group (59.4% vs 44.6%; P = .03) but no change in survival to discharge (7.4% vs 8.9%; P = .69). CONCLUSIONS The combination of RAPID and real-time audiovisual feedback improved CPR quality compared with the use of feedback alone and was associated with an increased rate of return of spontaneous circulation. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation sensing and recording devices allow for methods of debriefing that were previously available only for simulation-based education; such methods have the potential to fundamentally alter resuscitation training and improve patient outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00228293.
Propofol or halothane anaesthesia for children with asthma: effects on respiratory mechanics.

Propofol may cause histamine release and alter airway tone and reactivity. Although its use has been reported to be safe in asthmatics, there is a lack of information on its effect on lung function in children with asthma. We measured respiratory mechanics after i.v. or inhalation anaesthesia in 60 children, aged 2-12 yr, with or without asthma. Anaesthesia was induced with propofol 3 mg kg-1, fentanyl 1 microgram kg-1 and atracurium 0.5 mg kg-1 and maintained with an infusion of propofol 10 mg kg-1h-1 and 50% nitrous oxide in oxygen. Halothane was administered subsequently at a concentration of 1 MAC. Respiratory mechanics were measured by applying a single-compartment model using multi-linear regression analysis to calculate dynamic compliance (Crs,dyn) and respiratory system resistance (Rrs), based on: Pao = V/Crs,dyn + V Rrs + PA,EE, where Pao = airway opening pressure, PA,EE = alveolar pressure, V = volume and V = flow. The two groups were comparable in age, weight and ventilation variables (tidal volume and peak pressure). Respiratory mechanics during propofol anaesthesia were comparable in normal and asthmatic children (Rrs = 20.5 X 10(-4) (SD 5.2 X 10(-4)) vs 21.5 X 10(-4) (5.7 X 10(-4)) kPa ml-1 S-1 (ns) and Crs,dyn = 247.5 (76.51 vs 235.1 (63.8) ml kPa-1 (ns)). Halothane produced a minimal decrease in Rrs and a minimal increase in tidal volume in both groups without changes in Crs,dyn. In conclusion, respiratory mechanics were comparable after propofol anaesthesia in both children with and without asthma. Changes in Rrs after halothane administration were not clinically relevant.
Learning for quantified boolean logic satisfiability

Learning, i.e., the ability to record and exploit some information which is unveiled during the search, proved to be a very effective AI technique for problem solving and, in particular, for constraint satisfaction. We introduce learning as a general purpose technique to improve the performances of decision procedures for Quantified Boolean Formulas (QBFs). Since many of the recently proposed decision procedures for QBFs solve the formula using search methods, the addition of learning to such procedures has the potential of reducing useless explorations of the search space. To show the applicability of learning for QBF satisfiability we have implemented it in QUBE, a state-of-the-art QBF solver. While the backjumping engine embedded in QUBE provides a good starting point for our task, the addition of learning required us to devise new data structures and led to the definition and implementation of new pruning strategies. We report some experimental results that witness the effectiveness of learning. Noticeably, QUBE augmented with learning is able to solve instances that were previously out if its reach. To the extent of our knowledge, this is the first time that learning is proposed, implemented and tested for QBFs satisfiability.
Raycasting for Graphics-Hardware-based Cluster Systems

In this paper, we present a sort-last parallel volume rendering system based on single-pass volume raycasting performed in the fragment shader unit. The architecture is aimed for displaying data sets that utilize the total distributed texture memory at interactive framerates. We use uniform texture bricks that are distributed by means of a kd-tree to employ object space partitioning. They are further used for implementing empty-space-skipping and a load balancing mechanism, which also makes use of the kd-tree, to increase the overall performance of the rendering system. Performance numbers are given for a mid-range GPU-cluster system consisting of eight render nodes with an Infiniband interconnection.
Diagnostic performance of multiplex lateral flow tests in ambulatory patients with acute respiratory illness

Background: We assessed the performance of three different multiplex lateral flow assays which provide results for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Ambulatory patients 6 months and older presenting with two or more symptoms or signs of an acute respiratory illness were enrolled in an outpatient clinic in Hong Kong. Multiplex lateral flow tests manufactured by SureScreen, Microprofit and Goldsite were performed by trained research staff using the nasal swabs from each test kit, and separate swabs were collected for RT-PCR testing. Results: Between 4 April and 20 October 2023, 1646 patients were enrolled and tested by at least one lateral flow test. The point estimates for all three multiplex tests had high sensitivity above 80% for influenza A and SARS-CoV-2, and the tests manufactured by Microprofit and Goldsite had sensitivity exceeding 84% to detect RSV. Test sensitivity increased with viral load. Specificity was higher than 97% for all three tests except for the SureScreen test which had specificity 86.2% (95% CI: 83.9% to 88.3%) for influenza A. Conclusions: The multiplex lateral flow tests provided timely diagnosis of influenza, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 infection and can be used to inform clinical management and infection control such as isolation behaviours.
WORKING PAPER SERIES

The principles underlying evolutionary psychology suggest an approach to Law and Economics that tends to reject top-down policy making and encourages a bottom-up stance, whereby rules lead to behavioral routines that are consistent with individuals’ shared psychological patterns. The view proposed here is fruitful from a methodological perspective, in that it allows a new classification of societies, new insight on their prospects for economic growth, an innovative appreciation of the chances for successful transition in areas that have undergone substantial political transformation. (*) I am very grateful to Simon Teitel for his useful comments on a preliminary draft of this work. Previous versions of this paper were presented at the New York Law School’s Center for International Law and at the Prague Conference on Political Economy. This work is forthcoming in Procesos de Mercado (2006).