Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do children with developmental dyslexia have an implicit learning deficit?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of specific types of tasks on the efficiency of implicit procedural learning in the presence of developmental dyslexia (DD). Methods: Sixteen children with DD (mean (SD) age 11.6 (1.4) years) and 16 matched normal reader controls (mean age 11.4 (1.9) years) were administered two tests (the Serial Reaction Time test and the Mirror Drawing test) in which implicit knowledge was gradually acquired across multiple trials. Although both tests analyse implicit learning abilities, they tap different competencies. The Serial Reaction Time test requires the development of sequential learning and little (if any) procedural learning, whereas the Mirror Drawing test involves fast and repetitive processing of visuospatial stimuli but no acquisition of sequences. Results: The children with DD were impaired on both implicit learning tasks, suggesting that the learning deficit observed in dyslexia does not depend on the material to be learned (with or without motor sequence of response action) but on the implicit nature of the learning that characterises the tasks. Conclusion: Individuals with DD have impaired implicit procedural learning.
STUDY OF ELASTIC PROPERTIES AS FUNCTION OF TEMPERATURE IN ANISOTROPIC CRACKED MEDIA: AN ULTRASONIC APPROACH

ABSTRACT. The study of seismic wave velocities and their related anisotropy parameters provides important tools to the study of Earth’s subsurface. The analysis of temperature’s influence in the elastic properties of synthetic rocks, e.g., may be a good alternative for modelling the response of elastic properties of rocks surrounding deep wells and/or that are submitted to the process of steam injection. In order to understand the effects of temperature on the elastic parameters, in this work we constructed four porous synthetic sandstones, one representing an uncracked medium and three cracked samples. They were submitted to variable temperatures, while their elastic properties were calculated during heating and cooling processes. It was noted that P- and S-wave velocities decreased with increasing temperature. This behavior may be caused by changes in the background stiffness and by the generation of secondary cracks inside the samples. However, P- and S- anisotropy parameters were not affected by the changes in temperature. This can be an indicative that randomly distributed secondary cracks were created. Other indicative of secondary cracking formation can be associated to the difference between seismic velocities during the heating and cooling processes.Keywords: Cracked media, Anisotropy, Temperature dependence, Elastic parameters.RESUMO. O estudo das ondas sísmicas e de seus parâmetros anisotrópicos associados fornece ferramentas importantes para o estudo da subsuperfície da Terra. A análise da influência da temperatura nos parâmetros elásticos de rochas sintéticas, por exemplo, pode ser uma boa alternativa para modelar a resposta das propriedades elásticas de rochas circundando poços profundos e/ou que são submetidas a processos de injeção de vapor. Para entender os efeitos da temperatura nos parâmetros elásticos, neste trabalho construímos quatro arenitos sintéticos porosos, um representando um meio não-fissurado e três amostras fissuradas. As amostras foram submetidas a temperaturas variadas, enquanto suas propriedades elásticas foram calculadas ao longo dos processos de aquecimento e resfriamento. Notou-se que as velocidades das ondas P e S diminuíram com o aumento da temperatura. Esse comportamento talvez seja causado por variações na rigidez do background e pela formação de fissuras secundárias nas amostras. Entretanto, os parâmetros anisotrópicos P e S não foram afetados pelas mudanças de temperatura. Isso pode ser considerado um indicativo de que fissuras secundárias distribuídas aleatoriamente foram formadas. Outro indicador da formação de fissuras secundárias pode ser associado à diferença entre as velocidades sísmicas durante os processos de aquecimento e resfriamento.Palavras-chave: Meios fissurados, aniostropia, dependência de temperatura, parâmetros elásticos.
A coordinate-based approach for exploiting temporal-spatial diversity in wireless mesh networks

In this paper, we consider the problem of mitigating interference and improving network capacity in wireless mesh networks from the angle of temporal-spatial diversity. In a nutshell, while the achievable throughput on a multihop wireless path is limited by intra-flow interference, the overall capacity of a multihop wireless network can be increased by exploiting temporal-spatial diversity of concurrent transmissions that exist among a number of wireless links. Connections that are routed along multihop wireless paths can be scheduled to take place simultaneously if their transmissions do not interfere with each other (significantly). To make a case of exploiting the temporal-spatial diversity to improve network capacity, we focus on transporting downstream traffic at gateway nodes with Internet access. We propose to construct, based on measurements of received signal strengths, a virtual coordinate system that is used to determine the sets of paths along which transmissions can take place with the least inter-flow interference. Based on the sets of non-interfering paths, the gateway node then determines the order with which a gateway node schedules frames of different connections to be transmitted. Through extensive simulation (with real-life measurement traces on an operational, city-wide wireless community network), we show that the downstream throughput of a gateway node in a wireless mesh network can be improved by 10-35% under a variety of network topologies and traffic distributions. This, coupled with the fact that the proposed approach requires only minor code change in the gateway nodes and does not require any additional hardware, makes it a viable option to improving network capacity in existing wireless mesh networks.
Prevalence of Significant Noncardiac Findings on Electron-Beam Computed Tomography Coronary Artery Calcium Screening Examinations

Background—Screening electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT) examinations for the detection and quantification of coronary artery calcification are being performed throughout the country. In addition to information about the heart, great vessels, and coronary arteries, these examinations include portions of the lungs, bony thorax, and upper abdomen. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of significant noncardiac findings in a series of patients undergoing coronary artery calcification screening studies with EBCT scanning. Methods and Results—Between January 1, 2001, and October 1, 2001, 1326 consecutive patients underwent coronary artery calcification screening with EBCT (3-mm-thick slices were obtained at 3-mm intervals). Two board-certified radiologists reviewed the examinations on a workstation using standard mediastinal windows, lung windows, and bone windows. Significant extracardiac abnormalities were noted. Of 1326 patients, 103 (7.8%) had significant extracardiac pathology requiring clinical or imaging follow-up. These included 53 patients with noncalcified lung nodules <1 cm, 12 patients with lung nodules ≥1 cm, 24 patients with infiltrates, 7 patients with indeterminate liver lesions, 2 patients with sclerotic bone lesions, 2 patients with breast abnormalities, 1 patient with polycystic liver disease, 1 patient with esophageal thickening, and 1 patient with ascites. Conclusions—In this study, 7.8% of patients undergoing screening EBCT examinations for coronary artery calcification were found to have important extracardiac pathology requiring additional work-up. Therefore, it is essential that a radiologist review the entire examination.
Evidence-based timelines for project retrospectives — A method for assessing requirements engineering in context

Effective requirements engineering (RE) can support efficient development of successful products. However, assessing and improving how RE supports its context, i.e. the development life cycle, is non-trivial since many different roles and factors are involved over a long period of time. Project retrospectives may support project teams in reflecting on how requirements are agreed upon and communicated throughout a project. However, time is rarely taken for group reflection after project completion. Furthermore, project events may be recalled differently due to memory bias. We propose supporting project retrospective meetings by providing prepared evidence-based timelines visualizing the project history. The method was designed and evaluated in collaboration with a large telecommunications company using action research with the goal of assessing RE within the full development life-cycle. The initial evaluation results show that the method may support project retrospectives through fact-based memory recall and by enabling efficient and factual group discussions of RE in the context of the project life-cycle. In addition, some areas for improvement of the method have been identified, e.g. strengthened focus on expected outcome and clearer visual separation of evidence types.
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the pathogenesis of pterygium

A pterygium is a wing-shaped, fibrovascular conjunctival outgrowth, invading centripetally into the clear cornea, and its incidence is associated with sun exposure (ultraviolet radiation). We investigated whether epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in the pathogenesis of pterygium. Histopathology showed aberrant fibrotic proliferation beneath the pterygium epithelium, with epithelial processes extending into the stroma. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the dissociation of epithelial cells, which were surrounded by activated fibroblast-like cells. Characteristic downregulation of E-cadherin and intranuclear accumulation of β-catenin and lymphoid-enhancer-factor -1 in pterygial epithelium were also observed by immunohistology. Interestingly, epithelial cells extending into the stroma were positive for both α-SMA/Vimentin and cytokeratin 14. Snail and Slug were immunopositive in the nuclei of pterygial epithelial cells, but not in normal corneal epithelial cells. These results suggested that EMT of basal epithelial cells may play a key role in the pathogenesis of pterygium.
Internalised homonegativity predicts HIV-associated risk behavior in European men who have sex with men in a 38-country cross-sectional study: some public health implications of homophobia

Objectives Internalised homonegativity (IH) is hypothesised to be associated with HIV risk behaviour and HIV testing in men who have sex with men (MSM). We sought to determine the social and individual variables associated with IH and the associations between IH and HIV-related behaviours. Design and setting We examined IH and its predictors as part of a larger Internet-delivered, cross-sectional study on HIV and health in MSM in 38 European countries. Participants 181 495 MSM, IH data analysis subsample 144 177. All participants were male, over the age of consent for homosexual activity in their country of domicile, and have had at least one homosexual contact in the past 6 months. Methodology An anonymous Internet-based questionnaire was disseminated in 25 languages through MSM social media, websites and organisations and responses saved to a UK-based server. IH was measured using a standardised, cross-culturally appropriate scale. Results Three clusters of European countries based on the level of experienced discrimination emerged. IH was predicted by country LGB (lesbian, gay and bisexual) legal climate, Gini coefficient and size of place of settlement. Lower IH was associated with degree the respondent was ‘out’ as gay to others and older age. ‘Outness’ was associated with ever having an HIV test and age, education and number of gay friends, while IH (controlling for the number of non-steady unprotected sex partners and perceived lack of control over safe sex) was associated with condom use for anal intercourse. Conclusions IH is associated with LGB legal climate, economic development indices and urbanisation. It is also associated with ‘outness’ and with HIV risk and preventive behaviours including HIV testing, perceived control over sexual risk and condom use. Homonegative climate is associated with IH and higher levels of HIV-associated risk in MSM. Reducing IH through attention to LGB human rights may be appropriate HIV reduction intervention for MSM.
Enhancing and targeting nucleic acid delivery by magnetic force

Insufficient contact of inherently highly active nucleic acid delivery systems with target cells is a primary reason for their often observed limited efficacy. Physical methods of targeting can overcome this limitation and reduce the risk of undesired side effects due to non-target site delivery. The authors and others have developed a novel means of physical targeting, exploiting magnetic force acting on nucleic acid vectors associated with magnetic particles in order to mediate the rapid contact of vectors with target cells. Here, the principles of magnetic drug and nucleic acid delivery are reviewed, and the facts and potentials of the technique for research and therapeutic applications are discussed. Magnetically enhanced nucleic acid delivery – magnetofection – is universally applicable to viral and non-viral vectors, is extraordinarily rapid, simple and yields saturation level transfection at low dose in vitro. The method is useful for site-specific vector targeting in vivo. Exploiting the full potential of the technique requires an interdisciplinary research effort in magnetic field physics, magnetic particle chemistry, pharmaceutical formulation and medical application.
Polymorphism in the Promoter Region of the Insulin-like Growth Factor I Gene Is Related to Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity in Subjects With Hypertension

Background and Purpose— Low circulating levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) have been associated with an increased risk for atherosclerosis. Absence of the 192-bp (wild-type) allele in the promoter region of the IGF-I gene has been associated with low circulating IGF-I levels. We examined the role of this polymorphism in relation to blood pressure and 2 early markers of atherosclerosis: carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV). Methods— A total of 5132 subjects of the Rotterdam Study, aged 55 to 75 years, were included in this study. In 3769 subjects who did not use blood pressure–lowering medication, the association between the IGF-I polymorphism and blood pressure was examined. In the total population, and in 3484 normotensive subjects, 1648 hypertensive and 462 untreated hypertensive subjects, the association between this polymorphism and IMT and PWV was examined. Results— Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not differ between genotypes. In hypertensive subjects IMT was significantly increased in noncarriers of the 192-bp allele (0.83 mm) compared with heterozygous or homozygous carriers (0.80 mm) (P =0.04). PWV was also significantly higher in hypertensive subjects who were noncarriers of the 192-bp allele (14.3 m/s) compared with heterozygous (14.1 m/s) or homozygous carriers (13.7 m/s) (P =0.02). Findings were more pronounced in hypertensive subjects without medication use. In normotensive subjects, no association between this polymorphism, IMT, and PWV was observed. Conclusions— Our study suggests that hypertensive subjects who have low IGF-I levels because of a genetic polymorphism in the IGF-I gene are at increased risk of developing atherosclerosis.
Finite Horizon LQ Optimal Control and Computation with Data Rate Constraints

This paper considers the optimal control of a linear scalar model with a finite communication rate between the sensor and the controller. We analyze the optimization of the quantizer and the controller where the latter utilizes the overall history of the received symbols to determine the control input. Making use of a tree structure representation, it is shown that the resulting optimal control problem can be reduced to a combined quantization and constrained quadratic minimization problem. We characterize the necessary conditions for the optimal control and develop numerical algorithms. A localized computational method for long time horizon is also discussed.
Investigating environmental identity, well-being, and meaning

Abstract The present article is concerned with the relationships between the natural environment and identity, emotional well-being, and meaning. In a sample of university students, it was hypothesized that frequency of experience of the natural environment and the degree of meaning obtained from such experience would positively predict both well-being and environmental identity. Both hypotheses were partly supported. It was also hypothesized that participants who grew up in a rural location would report more meaning, stronger environmental identities, greater frequency of experience, and more positive well-being than would participants who grew up in urban and suburban environments. All these hypotheses were supported. The strengths and omissions of the present research and potential avenues for practical applications of the findings are discussed.
A Quantitative Analysis of the Impact on Chromatin Accessibility by Histone Modifications and Binding of Transcription Factors in DNase I Hypersensitive Sites

It is known that chromatin features such as histone modifications and the binding of transcription factors exert a significant impact on the “openness” of chromatin. In this study, we present a quantitative analysis of the genome-wide relationship between chromatin features and chromatin accessibility in DNase I hypersensitive sites. We found that these features show distinct preference to localize in open chromatin. In order to elucidate the exact impact, we derived quantitative models to directly predict the “openness” of chromatin using histone modification features and transcription factor binding features, respectively. We show that these two types of features are highly predictive for chromatin accessibility in a statistical viewpoint. Moreover, our results indicate that these features are highly redundant and only a small number of features are needed to achieve a very high predictive power. Our study provides new insights into the true biological phenomena and the combinatorial effects of chromatin features to differential DNase I hypersensitivity.
Potentiation of Developmentally Regulated Plant Defense Response by AtWRKY18, a Pathogen-Induced Arabidopsis Transcription Factor1

AtWRKY18 is a pathogen- and salicylic acid-induced Arabidopsis transcription factor containing the plant-specific WRKY zinc finger DNA-binding motif. In the present study, we have transformed Arabidopsis plants with AtWRKY18under control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Surprisingly, transgenic plants expressing high levels ofAtWRKY18 were stunted in growth. When expressed at moderate levels, AtWRKY18 potentiated developmentally regulated defense responses in transgenic plants without causing substantial negative effects on plant growth. As they grew from seedling to mature stages, transgenic AtWRKY18 plant showed marked increase in the expression of pathogenesis-related genes and resistance to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, whereas wild-type plants exhibited little enhancement in these defense responses. Potentiation of developmentally regulated defense responses by AtWRKY18 was not associated with enhanced biosynthesis of salicylic acid but required the disease resistance regulatory protein NPR1/NIM1. Thus, AtWRKY18 can positively modulate defense-related gene expression and disease resistance. To study the regulated expression ofAtWRKY18, we have identified a cluster of WRKY binding sites in the promoter of the gene and demonstrated that they acted as negative regulatory elements for the inducible expression ofAtWRKY18. These negative cis-acting elements may prevent overexpression of AtWRKY18 during the activation of plant defense responses that could be detrimental to plant growth as inferred from the transgenic plants ectopically expressing the transgene.
Chinese Sign Language Recognition Based on an Optimized Tree-Structure Framework

Chinese Sign Language (CSL) subword recognition based on surface electromyography (sEMG), accelerometer (ACC), and gyroscope (GYRO) sensors was explored in this paper. In order to fuse effectively the information of these three kinds of sensors, the classification abilities of sEMG, ACC, GYRO, and their combinations in three common sign components (one or two handed, hand orientation, and hand amplitude) were evaluated first and then an optimized tree-structure classification framework was proposed for CSL subword recognition. Eight subjects participated in this study and recognition experiments under different testing conditions were implemented on a target set consisting of 150 CSL subwords. The proposed optimized tree-structure classification framework based on sEMG, ACC, and GYRO obtained the best performance among seven different testing conditions with single sensor, paired-sensor fusion, and three-sensor fusion, and the overall recognition accuracies of 94.31% and 87.02% were obtained for 150 CSL subwords in a user-specific test and user-independent test, respectively. Our study could lay a basis for the implementation of large-vocabulary sign language recognition system based on sEMG, ACC, and GYRO sensors.
Embodiment and the Philosophy of Mind

Cognitive science is in some sense the science of the mind. But an increasingly influential theme, in recent years, has been the role of the physical body, and of the local environment, in promoting adaptive success. No right-minded cognitive scientist, to be sure, ever claimed that body and world were completely irrelevant to the understanding of mind. But there was, nonetheless, an unmistakeable tendency to marginalize such factors: to dwell on inner complexity whilst simplifying or ignoring the complex inner-outer interplays that characterize the bulk of basic biological problem-solving. This tendency was expressed in, for example, the development of planning algorithms that treated real-world action as merely a way of implementing solutions arrived at by pure cognition (more recent work, by contrast, allows such actions to play important computational and problem-solving roles). It also surfaced in David Marr's depiction of the task of vision as the construction of a detailed threedimensional image of the visual scene. For possession of such a rich inner model effectively allows the system to ‘throw away’ the world and to focus subsequent computational activity on the inner model alone.