Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age at diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders: is there an association with socioeconomic status and family self-education about autism?

Background The marked increase in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) prevalence has stimulated worldwide interest in exploring broader circumstances of care of autistic children, including the role of socioeconomic status (SES) and family information on autism. Methods Our sample comprised of 160 children who participated in a diagnostic examination focused on autism, and their parents who completed a simple descriptive questionnaire focusing on the family situation as well as family self-education about autism. The diagnosis of ASD was confirmed in 120 children (75% of the sample; 94 boys, 26 girls) with mean age 6.2±2.7 years (median 5.3, range 2.2–17.2 years). In 71 autistic patients (59.2%), a diagnosis of mental retardation was also established. Results The age at diagnosis of ASD correlated negatively with maternal (P=0.014) and paternal (P=0.002) ages at the time of birth of the ASD child as well as with paternal (P=0.002) and maternal (P=0.050) education. The age at diagnosis of ASD did not correlate with family SES. Mothers were significantly more active in seeking information on autism than fathers or both parents equally (80 vs 9 vs 28 cases, respectively; P<0.001). The mean number of information sources on autism was 3.5±1.8 with a range 0–9. The mean number of resources did not differ among the three SES groups (3.50 vs 3.49 vs 4.25, respectively; P=0.704). The mean number of sources did not correlate with the age at diagnosis of ASD. The most often used sources were the Internet (81.7%), followed by psychologists (48.3%), books (46.7%), and child and adolescent psychiatrists (43.3%). Conclusion An earlier diagnosis of ASD is associated with higher parental age at birth and higher parental education but not with family SES or number of family information sources.
Experiences of mental illness, treatment and recovery in schizophrenia. An existential-phenomenological exploration

This study explores in depth the narratives and experience of recovery from a convenience sample of seven participants with a schizophrenia diagnosis, but now remitted (Andreasen et al, 2005). Three lifeworlds (phases) emerged using hermeneutic phenomenology: (A) Losing existential grounding; (B) Being-within-the-system (i.e. hospitalised); and (C) Outside schizophrenia. Outside has a double meaning as it both emerges from the narratives and also is an important base for existential exploration: what else needs to happen except psychiatry? Each lifeworld had a different meaning and different behaviours connected to it. Two necessary transitions were identified: First, accepting help; and second, an existential construction or re- construction depending on where in your life course you become affected. Psychotherapy was useful, but not necessary for remission and recovery.
Impedance controller design of Internet-based teleoperation using absolute stability concept

Relationships between impedance parameters and scaling factors are derived using absolute stability and passivity. For this, the teleoperation system is represented as a two-port model with a. hybrid matrix. Design procedure of the impedance parameters for the absolute stability of the teleoperator under the time delay is proposed. The validity of the proposed control scheme is demonstrated by experiments with a 1-dof master/slave system connected through the Internet.
Electrocardiographic P-wave characteristics in patients with psoriasis vulgaris

Abstract Purpose. Psoriasis vulgaris is one of the most common skin disorders. Patients with psoriasis carry an excessive risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). The differences between the maximum (Pmax) and the minimum (Pmin) P-wave duration on ECG are defined as P-wave dispersion (PWD). Prolongation of PWD is an independent risk factor for the development of AF. The aim of this the study was to investigate P-wave duration and PWD in patients with psoriasis. Methods. Sixty-one adult patients with psoriasis vulgaris (group 1) and 58 age and sex-matched healthy individuals (group 2) were included in this study. ECG recordings were obtained, and the P-wave variables were calculated. Results were reported as mean ± standard deviation and percentages. Continuous variables were analysed using Student's t test. A value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically signiﬁcant. Results. Pmax and PWD were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (108.8 ± 21.3 ms versus 93.3 ± 13.0 ms, P < 0.001; 67.4 ± 22.9 ms versus 45.0 ± 19.6 ms, P < 0.001, respectively). Also, Pmin was significantly lower in group 1 (41.3 ± 12.3 ms versus 48.3 ± 14.3 ms, P = 0.04). The psoriasis disease activity score and hsCRP correlated with PWD (P < 0.01). Conclusions. Atrial conduction of sinus impulses was impaired in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. It was more prominent in patients with severe disease. Physicians caring for patients with psoriasis vulgaris should screen them for AF development.
Self-Esteem in Iran: Views from Antiquity to Modern Times

Self-esteem, an antecedent to well-being, is highly contested. Most of the research on self-esteem has been conducted in Western or East Asian cultures and little is known about the concept and functions of self-esteem elsewhere. In fact, the relationship between self-esteem and culture has been the subject of debate as some argue that self-esteem is a Western cultural artifact. In the present study, notions related to self-esteem from selected Iranian religious and philosophical texts, the Qu’ran, as well as psychological views are reviewed as much of the prior work in this area has relied on conceptualizations rooted in Western philosophy and history. The analysis demonstrates that self-esteem is valued in Iranian religious worldviews and folk belief systems. Further, an investigation of contemporary Iranian culture and existing empirical findings indicates that these cultural beliefs are translated into actual effects. This examination is critical in developing local constructs or unearthing those that exist within the local Iranian context, a premise put forward within the cultural and positive psychology domains in developing indigenous forms of knowledge.
Textures of optical flow for real-time anomaly detection in crowds

Automated visual surveillance of crowds is a rapidly growing area of research. In this paper we focus on motion representation for the purpose of abnormality detection in crowded scenes. We propose a novel visual representation called textures of optical flow. The proposed representation measures the uniformity of a flow field in order to detect anomalous objects such as bicycles, vehicles and skateboarders; and can be combined with spatial information to detect other forms of abnormality. We demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms state-of-the-art anomaly detection algorithms on a large, publicly-available dataset.
Conveying Conceptions of Quality through Instruction

Building up an understanding of aspects of quality, and how to critically assess them, is a complex problem. This paper provides an overview of research on student conceptions of what constitutes quality in different programming domains. These conceptions are linked to tertiary education and computing education research results. Using this literature as a background we discuss how to develop and use instructional approaches that might assist students in developing a better understanding of software quality.
Foundations of Human Resource Development

Human Resource Development (HRD) is in a state of becoming. With these words, Lee (2001) describes the emerging field of HRD. From its origins (Harbison and Myers, 1964; Nadler, 1970), HRD has evolved as a field of theory and practice with a distinctive tripartite agenda of human betterment, organisational enhancement and societal development. The transformative power of HRD lies in its capacity to empower the creation of innovative and radical solutions to real world problems. HRD has evolved to meet the changing individual, organisational and societal environment it inhabits. Its historical development has mirrored changes in the nature of work and reflects the diverse cultures and values it occupies (Alagaraja and Dooley, 2003). They trace the development of HRD to the work of the toolmaker in constructing human axes leading to the development of agriculture and animal husbandry in the era 5 million to 3000bc. Swanson and Holton (2001) trace the roots of HRD back to the legacy of the Greeks and Romans (100bc–ad300), while Ruona (2001) identifies the Training Within Industry (TWI) agency in the 1940s as being pivotal to the emergence of contemporary HRD. McGuire and Cseh (2006) highlight some of the more recent key milestones in the development of the field as the publication of Malcolm Knowles’ The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Andragogy; the publication of Nadlers’ Developing Human Resources and the foundation of the Academy of Human Resource Development.
Rift Valley Fever Vaccine Virus Clone 13 Is Able to Cross the Ovine Placental Barrier Associated with Foetal Infections, Malformations, and Stillbirths

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that affects domesticated ruminants and occasionally humans. Classical RVF vaccines are based on formalin-inactivated virus or the live-attenuated Smithburn strain. The inactivated vaccine is highly safe but requires multiple administrations and yearly re-vaccinations. Although the Smithburn vaccine provides solid protection after a single vaccination, this vaccine is not safe for pregnant animals. An alternative live-attenuated vaccine, named Clone 13, carries a large natural deletion in the NSs gene which encodes the major virulence factor of the virus. The Clone 13 vaccine was previously shown to be safe for young lambs and calves. Moreover, a study in pregnant ewes suggested that the vaccine could also be applied safely during gestation. To anticipate on a possible future incursion of RVFV in Europe, we have evaluated the safety of Clone 13 for young lambs and pregnant ewes. In line with the guidelines from the World Organisation for Animal health (Office International des Epizooties, OIE) and regulations of the European Pharmacopeia (EP), these studies were performed with an overdose. Our studies with lambs showed that Clone 13 dissemination within vaccinated animals is very limited. Moreover, the Clone 13 vaccine virus was not shed nor spread to in-contact sentinels and did not revert to virulence upon animal-to-animal passage. Importantly, a large experiment with pregnant ewes demonstrated that the Clone 13 virus is able to spread to the fetus, resulting in malformations and stillbirths. Altogether, our results suggest that Clone 13 can be applied safely in lambs, but that caution should be taken when Clone 13 is used in pregnant animals, particularly during the first trimester of gestation.
BaNHFaP: A Bayesian Network Based Failure Prediction Approach for Hard Disk Drives

A Hard Disk Drive (HDD) failure may lead to serious consequences for users and companies. Hence, predicting failures in HDDs became a topic that attracted much attention in recent years. Monitoring a HDD status can provide information about its degradation, so as to let the user or a system manager know about a failure before it happens, preventing loss of information. In this paper, we propose a failure prediction method using a Bayesian Network. Our method uses the deterioration over time of a HDD, calculated via SMART (SelfMonitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) attributes, for predicting eventual failures. To demonstrate practical usefulness, this method was applied to a dataset consisting of 49,056 hard drives from Backblaze's data centers. The proposed method has improved the mean and median quadratic errors in 28.3% and 17.6% respectively in comparison with a baseline model.
Stability of Linear-Quadratic Minimization over Euclidean Balls

Stability properties of the problem of minimizing a (nonconvex) linear-quadratic function over a Euclidean ball, known as the trust-region subproblem, are studied in this paper. We investigate in detail the case where the linear part of the objective function is perturbed and obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the upper/lower semicontinuity of the Karush--Kuhn--Tucker (KKT) point set map and the global solution map, explicit formulas for computing the directional derivative and the Frechet derivative of the optimal value function. Stability of the Karush--Kuhn--Tucker point set under the perturbation of the quadratic form is also studied.
Helium Nova on a Very Massive White Dwarf: A Revised Light-Curve Model of V445 Puppis (2000)

V445 Pup (2000) is a unique object identified as a helium nova. Color indexes during the outburst are consistent with those of free-free emission. We present a free-free emission-dominated light-curve model of V445 Pup on the basis of the optically thick wind theory. Our light-curve fitting shows that (1) the white dwarf (WD) mass is very massive (MWD≳ 1.35 M☉) and (2) half of the accreted matter remains on the WD, both of which suggest that the WD mass is increasing. Therefore, V445 Pup is a strong candidate for a Type Ia supernova progenitor. The estimated distance to V445 Pup is now consistent with recent observational suggestions, 3.5 kpc ≲ d ≲ 6.5 kpc. A helium star companion is consistent with the brightness of mv = 14.5 mag just before the outburst, if it is a slightly evolved hot (log T[K] ≳ 4.5) star with the mass of MHe ≳ 0.8 M☉. We then emphasize importance of observations in the near-future quiescent phase after the thick circumstellar dust dissipates away, especially its color and magnitude, to specify the nature of the companion star. We have also calculated helium ignition masses for helium shell flashes against various helium accretion rates and discussed the recurrence period of helium novae.
Next-generation biomedical implants using additive manufacturing of complex, cellular and functional mesh arrays

In this paper, we examine prospects for the manufacture of patient-specific biomedical implants replacing hard tissues (bone), particularly knee and hip stems and large bone (femoral) intramedullary rods, using additive manufacturing (AM) by electron beam melting (EBM). Of particular interest is the fabrication of complex functional (biocompatible) mesh arrays. Mesh elements or unit cells can be divided into different regions in order to use different cell designs in different areas of the component to produce various or continually varying (functionally graded) mesh densities. Numerous design elements have been used to fabricate prototypes by AM using EBM of Ti-6Al-4V powders, where the densities have been compared with the elastic (Young) moduli determined by resonant frequency and damping analysis. Density optimization at the bone–implant interface can allow for bone ingrowth and cementless implant components. Computerized tomography (CT) scans of metal (aluminium alloy) foam have also allowed for the building of Ti-6Al-4V foams by embedding the digital-layered scans in computer-aided design or software models for EBM. Variations in mesh complexity and especially strut (or truss) dimensions alter the cooling and solidification rate, which alters the α-phase (hexagonal close-packed) microstructure by creating mixtures of α/α′ (martensite) observed by optical and electron metallography. Microindentation hardness measurements are characteristic of these microstructures and microstructure mixtures (α/α′) and sizes.
Long-Term Alterations of Cytokines and Growth Factors Expression in Irradiated Tissues and Relation with Histological Severity Scoring

Purpose Beside its efficacy in cancer treatment, radiotherapy induces degeneration of healthy tissues within the irradiated area. The aim of this study was to analyze the variations of proinflammatory (IL-1α, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ), profibrotic (TGF-β1), proangiogneic (VEGF) and stem cell mobilizing (GM-CSF) cytokines and growth factors in an animal model of radiation-induced tissue degeneration. Materials and Methods 24 rats were irradiated unilaterally on the hindlimb at a monodose of 30 Gy. Six weeks (n = 8), 6 months (n = 8) and 1 year (n = 8) after irradiation the mediators expression in skin and muscle were analyzed using Western blot and the Bio-Plex® protein array (BPA) technology. Additional histological severity for fibrosis, inflammation, vascularity and cellularity alterations scoring was defined from histology and immnunohistochemistry analyses. Results A significant increase of histological severity scoring was found in irradiated tissue. Skin tissues were more radio-sensitive than muscle. A high level of TGF-β1 expression was found throughout the study and a significant relation was evidenced between TGF-β1 expression and fibrosis scoring. Irradiated tissue showed a chronic inflammation (IL-2 and TNF-α significantly increased). Moreover a persistent expression of GM-CSF and VEGF was found in all irradiated tissues. The vascular score was related to TGF-β1 expression and the cellular alterations score was significantly related with the level of IL-2, VEGF and GM-CSF. Conclusion The results achieved in the present study underline the complexity and multiplicity of radio-induced alterations of cytokine network. It offers many perspectives of development, for the comprehension of the mechanisms of late injuries or for the histological and molecular evaluation of the mode of action and the efficacy of rehabilitation techniques.
The finch epidemic strain of Trichomonas gallinae is predominant in British non-passerines

SUMMARY Avian trichomonosis, caused by the flagellated protozoan Trichomonas gallinae, is a recently emerged infectious disease of British passerines. The aetiological agent, a clonal epidemic strain of the parasite, has caused unprecedented finch mortality and population-level declines in Britain and has since spread to continental Europe. To better understand the potential origin of this epidemic and to further investigate its host range, T. gallinae DNA extracts were collected from parasite culture and tissue samples from a range of avian species in Britain. Sequence typing at the ITS1/5.8S rRNA/ITS2 region resolved three distinct ITS region types circulating in free-ranging British birds. Subtyping by sequence analyses at the Fe-hydrogenase gene demonstrated further strain variation within these ITS region types. The UK finch epidemic strain was preponderant amongst columbids sampled, however, wide strain diversity was encountered in isolates from a relatively small number of pigeons, suggesting further strains present in columbid populations across the UK are yet to be identified. Fe-hydrogenase gene sequence data in isolates from birds of prey with disease were predominantly identical to the UK finch epidemic strain, demonstrating its presence as a virulent strain in UK birds of prey since at least 2009.
Intrinsic MyD88-Akt1-mTOR Signaling Coordinates Disparate Tc17 and Tc1 Responses during Vaccine Immunity against Fungal Pneumonia

Fungal infections have skyrocketed in immune-compromised patients lacking CD4+ T cells, underscoring the need for vaccine prevention. An understanding of the elements that promote vaccine immunity in this setting is essential. We previously demonstrated that vaccine-induced IL-17A+ CD8+ T cells (Tc17) are required for resistance against lethal fungal pneumonia in CD4+ T cell-deficient hosts, whereas the individual type I cytokines IFN-γ, TNF-α and GM-CSF, are dispensable. Here, we report that T cell-intrinsic MyD88 signals are crucial for these Tc17 cell responses and vaccine immunity against lethal fungal pneumonia in mice. In contrast, IFN-γ+ CD8+ cell (Tc1) responses are largely normal in the absence of intrinsic MyD88 signaling in CD8+ T cells. The poor accumulation of MyD88-deficient Tc17 cells was not linked to an early onset of contraction, nor to accelerated cell death or diminished expression of anti-apoptotic molecules Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL. Instead, intrinsic MyD88 was required to sustain the proliferation of Tc17 cells through the activation of mTOR via Akt1. Moreover, intrinsic IL-1R and TLR2, but not IL-18R, were required for MyD88 dependent Tc17 responses. Our data identify unappreciated targets for augmenting adaptive immunity against fungi. Our findings have implications for designing fungal vaccines and immune-based therapies in immune-compromised patients.
The Rose Project: Best for Babies - Determining and supporting the best interests and wellbeing of babies of imprisoned mothers in Scotland

The Rose Project: Best for Babies was a qualitative research project that explored the issue of babies in prison, and in particular, how they are supported to stay with their imprisoned mothers where this is in their best interests. Our interviews with professionals and with mothers provided valuable insights into the practical and emotional realities of supporting a baby in a prison environment and of determining whether or not a baby should be in prison in the first place.
Randomized study of weekly irinotecan plus high-dose 5-fluorouracil (FUIRI) versus biweekly irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFIRI) as first-line chemotherapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: a Spanish Cooperative Group for the Treatment of Digestive Tumors Study.

BACKGROUND Irinotecan plus infusional 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFIRI) is accepted as a reference treatment for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC). The aim of this study was to demonstrate that a regimen without leucovorin (LV) (FUIRI) is not inferior to the standard FOLFIRI (response rate). PATIENTS AND METHODS Chemotherapy-naive patients with MCRC were randomized to receive either irinotecan (180 mg/m(2) on day 1) + 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (400 mg/m(2) bolus and 600 mg/m(2) 22-h infusion) + LV (200 mg/m(2) on days 1-2) (FOLFIRI) every 2 weeks or irinotecan (80 mg/m(2)) + 5-FU (2.250 mg/m(2) 48-h infusion) (FUIRI) weekly. RESULTS In all, 346 patients were included, 173 in each arm. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the response rates for FOLFIRI and FUIRI were 57% [95% confidence interval (CI) 49% to 64%] and 51% (95% CI 43% to 59%), respectively (P = 0.2809). No statistically significant differences were observed between FOLFIRI and FUIRI regarding median progression-free survival (8.3 versus 8.4 months; P = 0.4339) nor median overall survival (21.6 versus 19.2 months; log-rank test P = 0.2941). Grade 3/4 neutropenia was significantly more frequent on FOLFIRI arm (27% versus 9%), while the proportion of diarrhea was higher on FUIRI arm (21% versus 42%). CONCLUSION FUIRI represents a valid alternative without LV to the FOLFIRI regimen as MCRC first-line treatment.