Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examination of the Cross-Battery Approach for the Cognitive Assessment of Children and Youth From Diverse Linguistic and Cultural Backgrounds

Abstract. Flanagan, Ortiz, and Alfonso (2007) recently developed the Culture-Language Interpretive Matrices (C-LIMs) for the cognitive assessment of children and youth from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. To examine the utility of this new approach, we administered the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities to a sample of students receiving English as a second language services in public school settings who had not been referred for special education services. Results of within-subjects analyses of the predicted effects of linguistic demand and of cultural loading on subtest scores in the C-LIM were nonsignificant. Although a statistically significant (decreasing) trend was observed for the effect of linguistic demand and cultural loading combined, post hoc analyses revealed that this finding was attributable to a significantly higher score on one subtest and did not reflect significant differences among all three subtests in this contrast. Moreover, only 13% of the sample had a pattern of test scores that was consistent with Flanagan et al.’s C-LIM predictions of the pattern of subtest scores predicted for children and youth from diverse backgrounds. In sum, results of our study suggest that further research is needed to substantiate the use of C-LIMs for diagnostic purposes with diverse populations.
Temporal and Spatial Denoising of Depth Maps

This work presents a procedure for refining depth maps acquired using RGB-D (depth) cameras. With numerous new structured-light RGB-D cameras, acquiring high-resolution depth maps has become easy. However, there are problems such as undesired occlusion, inaccurate depth values, and temporal variation of pixel values when using these cameras. In this paper, a proposed method based on an exemplar-based inpainting method is proposed to remove artefacts in depth maps obtained using RGB-D cameras. Exemplar-based inpainting has been used to repair an object-removed image. The concept underlying this inpainting method is similar to that underlying the procedure for padding the occlusions in the depth data obtained using RGB-D cameras. Therefore, our proposed method enhances and modifies the inpainting method for application in and the refinement of RGB-D depth data image quality. For evaluating the experimental results of the proposed method, our proposed method was tested on the Tsukuba Stereo Dataset, which contains a 3D video with the ground truths of depth maps, occlusion maps, RGB images, the peak signal-to-noise ratio, and the computational time as the evaluation metrics. Moreover, a set of self-recorded RGB-D depth maps and their refined versions are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Knee Pain during Strength Training Shortly following Fast-Track Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Loading and contraction failure (muscular exhaustion) are strength training variables known to influence neural activation of the exercising muscle in healthy subjects, which may help reduce neural inhibition of the quadriceps muscle following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). It is unknown how these exercise variables influence knee pain after TKA. Objective To investigate the effect of loading and contraction failure on knee pain during strength training, shortly following TKA. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Consecutive sample of patients from the Copenhagen area, Denmark, receiving a TKA, between November 2012 and April 2013. Participants Seventeen patients, no more than 3 weeks after their TKA. Main outcome measures: In a randomized order, the patients performed 1 set of 4 standardized knee extensions, using relative loads of 8, 14, and 20 repetition maximum (RM), and ended with 1 single set to contraction failure (14 RM load). The individual loadings (kilograms) were determined during a familiarization session >72 hours prior. The patients rated their knee pain during each repetition, using a numerical rating scale (0–10). Results Two patients were lost to follow up. Knee pain increased with increasing load (20 RM: 3.1±2.0 points, 14 RM: 3.5±1.8 points, 8 RM: 4.3±2.5 points, P = 0.006), and repetitions to contraction failure (10% failure: 3.2±1.9 points, 100% failure: 5.4±1.6 points, P<0.001). Resting knee pain 60 seconds after the final repetition (2.7±2.4 points) was not different from that recorded before strength training (2.7±1.8 points, P = 0.88). Conclusion Both loading and repetitions performed to contraction failure during knee- extension strength-training, increased post-operative knee pain during strength training implemented shortly following TKA. However, only the increase in pain during repetitions to contraction failure exceeded that defined as clinically relevant, and was very short-lived. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01729520
Neural Correlates of Tactile Attention: Behavioural measures and event-related brain potentials of inhibition of return, exogenous and endogenous attention in touch

The studies presented in this thesis investigated the neural correlates of attention in touch. In particular, the electrophysiology of exogenous tactile processing and inhibition of return (IOR) - an area previously unexplored. In all studies a variation of the Posner cue-target paradigm was used. Typically, a cue was presented to the left or right hand. Following a stimulus onset asynchrony of 800 ms, a target would appear at the same or opposite hand. Behavioural results consistently demonstrated IOR when employing a simple target detection task, showing that IOR is a reliable phenomenon in touch. The concurrently recorded event related potentials (ERPs) demonstrated an early attention modulation of the N80 in all studies presented in this thesis, regardless of the presence or absence of IOR. This early component likely reflects processing of the exogenous lateralized cues. Following the N80, the attention modulations varied across studies. The conclusion to be drawn from this thesis is that not one particular ERP component is directly associated with IOR. Analysis of endogenous tactile attention (Chapter V) demonstrated modulations at the N140 and Nd components. Moreover, correlation analysis showed that larger ERP attention modulation was associated with a larger behavioural effect, demonstrating a novel relationship between ERP modulations and response time effects. Analysis of the cue-target interval has previously only been investigated during endogenous orienting. Here, and for the first time, an anterior directing attention negativity (ADAN) was demonstrated during exogenous orienting. This ADAN was unaffected by varying posture suggesting exogenous tactile attention and IOR are somatotopically coded. Indications of an external frame of reference were only demonstrated during shifts of endogenous attention, as indicated by the presence of a late directing attention positivity (LDAP) (endogenous counter-predictive task presented in Chapter V). The final study of this thesis (Chapter VI) demonstrated that varying visual perceptual load influenced tactile processing. Specifically, high perceptual load led to elimination of IOR. Moreover, the P100 for irrelevant tactile stimuli was significantly reduced in high versus low load condition. This suggests perceptual load may suppress irrelevant tactile stimuli relatively early (around 100 ms post stimuli onset) during tactile processing. Taken together, this thesis presents a series of experiments which map out effects of endogenous and exogenous attention and how these mechanisms interact, both through behaviour and underlying neural correlates.
[Total antioxidant blood capacity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and distal symmetrical polyneuropathy].

BACKGROUND/AIM Reduced systemic antioxidant defence is considerd to play an important mediating role in pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the total antioxidant blood capacity (TAC) is reduced in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic distal symmetrical polyneuropathy (DDSP) and to correlate this antioxidant capacity with the degree of peripheral nerve dysfunction. METHODS This study involved 100 patients with type 2 DM and signs of DDSP, as well as the control group of 50 healthy subjects. The evaluation of DDSP was based on physical examination and nerve conduction studies. The degree of peripheral nerve dysfunction was estimated by scoring and analysing sensory and motor nerve conduction parameters (distal latency and amplitude of evoked potential, conduction velocity). Laboratory analyses involved blood glucose and HbA1C levels, as well as plasma TAC. RESULTS Blood glucose and HbA1C level was significantly higher in the patients than in the control group (p < 0.0001). The TAC was depleted in the diabetic group and the depletion was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). There was no significant correlation between the TAC and the serum glucose level, TAC and HbA1C level as well as between TAC and the duration of DM. There was no significant correlation between TAC and peripheral nerve conduction parameters. CONCLUSION Total antioxidant blood capacity is reduced in patients with DDSP, but it does not correlate with blood sugar level, with the duration of DM or with the degree of functional nerve damage. These results show a reduced systemic antioxidant defence in patients with type 2 DM and DDSP. However, it is still unclear to what extent the oxidative stress is a contributing factor or leading cause of diabetic neuropathy, suggesting that further studies are necessary.
mTOR-dependent signalling in Alzheimer's disease

• Introduction • Neurodegeneration and neurofibrillary degeneration in Alzheimer's disease brains • Dysfunction of protein synthesis mediated by mTOR‐dependent signalling in Alzheimer's disease brains • Neurodegeneration mediated by mTOR‐dependent signalling • Tau phosphorylation mediated by mTOR‐dependent signalling • mTOR‐dependent signalling in lymphocytes of AD: potential biomarkers for AD diagnosis • mTOR‐dependent signalling and other neurodegenerative diseases • Perspectives • Conclusions
Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for Social Change

Ira Shor is a pioneer in the field of critical education who for over twenty years has been experimenting with learning methods. His work creatively adapts the ideas of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire for North American classrooms. In Empowering Education Shor offers a comprehensive theory and practice for critical pedagogy. For Shor, empowering education is a student-centered, critical and democratic pedagogy for studying any subject matter and for self and social change. It takes shape as a dialogue in which teachers and students mutually investigate everyday themes, social issues, and academic knowledge. Through dialogue and problem-posing, students become active agents of their learning. This book shows how students can develop as critical thinkers, inspired learners, skilled workers, and involved citizens. Shor carefully analyzes obstacles to and resources for empowering education, suggesting ways for teachers to transform traditional approaches into critical and democratic ones. He offers many examples and applications for the elementary grades through college and adult education.
A Quantitative Study of Choral Singing and Psychological Well-Being/ ÉTude Quantitative Sur le Chant Choral et le Bien-êTre

The definition and measurement of well-being has long provided challenges for psychological researchers. Some psychologists propose that well-being should be equated with happiness, while others argue that true well-being must encompass concepts beyond pleasure or affect. Much of the current research reflects this dichotomy (Ryan & Deci, 2001]. The hedonic perspective equates well-being with pleasure of both mind and body. It is generally defined and measured in terms of happiness, mood, and life satisfaction. The eudaimonic perspective, in contrast, posits that well-being must consist of more than happiness. Eudaimonic well-being is defined in terms of human potentials, which include personal growth, autonomy, purpose in life, and relationship with others. In the simplest terms, the difference between the hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives maybe summed up as pleasure versus purpose; thus eudaimonic well-being is often considered a more virtuous pursuit than hedonic well-being (Ryan & Deci, 2001). Well-being has been associated with a number of individual factors, both physiological and psychological. Stone et al. (2010) found that older adults tended to report higher well-being and lower stress than younger adults. Eudaimonic, but not hedonic, well-being has also been linked to biomarkers of stress in that higher eudaimonic well-being has been associated with lower salivary cortisol and better sleep (Ryff, Singer, & Love, 2004). However, though physical health and psychological well-being have been shown to be correlated, individuals with poor health can report high well-being and those with low well-being can be in excellent health (Ryan D Gick, 2011 Stacy, Brittain, & Kerr, 2002), it has included considerations of both perceived and quantitatively measured benefits. The perceived benefits of singing have been found to include psychological benefits such as improved mood and self-actualization (Grape, Sandgren, Hansson, Ericson, & Theorell, 2003) as well as improved self-esteem (Bailey & Davidson, 2003); physical benefits such as improved breathing (Clift & Hancox, 2001); and social benefits such as improving social interaction (Bailey & Davidson, 2003) and making friends (Clift & Hancox, 2001). Singers have also reported that singing represented to them an opportunity for growth (Clift & Hancox, 2001), learning (Clift et al., 2007), and self-expression (Bailey & Davidson, 2005). However, the perception of the benefits of singing may be influenced by factors such as socioeconomic status or singing experience. In Bailey and Davidson's (2005) study comparing choirs composed of homeless individuals to a choir composed of middle-class individuals, homeless choristers were more likely to place emphasis on the social opportunities that singing in a choir offered, whereas middle-class choristers placed more importance on the challenge and learning aspects of choral singing. …
Pterygium and Rate of Dysplasia in Surgical Specimens

Purpose: To determine the rate of ocular surface squamous neoplasia in all pterygium specimens in a 2-year period at a single tertiary hospital in metropolitan Brisbane. Secondary outcomes measured included the percentage of tissue samples undergoing histological analysis and the clinical suspicion of dysplastic change. Method: Retrospective chart review was undertaken for all pterygium surgery performed between the period of January 2009 and October 2010 at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. The rate of ocular surface squamous neoplasia, number of specimens sent for histopathology analysis, and clinical suspicion of dysplastic changes at initial review was recorded. Results: One hundred and five out of 166 pterygia removed were sent for histological analysis, and 14 out of 105 (13.3%) showed ocular surface squamous neoplasia. Age, gender and side of surgery were not significantly different between patients with histologically normal and OSSN specimens. Conclusion: Our results showed a much higher rate ocular surface squamous neoplasia in pterygium patients than otherwise suspected based on clinical examination. This finding suggests the need for routine submission of all pterygium specimens for histopathology analysis, so appropriate post-operative treatment and follow up can be instituted.
Coherence in Large-Scale Networks: Dimension-Dependent Limitations of Local Feedback

We consider distributed consensus and vehicular formation control problems. Specifically we address the question of whether local feedback is sufficient to maintain coherence in large-scale networks subject to stochastic disturbances. We define macroscopic performance measures which are global quantities that capture the notion of coherence; a notion of global order that quantifies how closely the formation resembles a solid object. We consider how these measures scale asymptotically with network size in the topologies of regular lattices in 1, 2, and higher dimensions, with vehicular platoons corresponding to the 1-D case. A common phenomenon appears where a higher spatial dimension implies a more favorable scaling of coherence measures, with a dimensions of 3 being necessary to achieve coherence in consensus and vehicular formations under certain conditions. In particular, we show that it is impossible to have large coherent 1-D vehicular platoons with only local feedback. We analyze these effects in terms of the underlying energetic modes of motion, showing that they take the form of large temporal and spatial scales resulting in an accordion-like motion of formations. A conclusion can be drawn that in low spatial dimensions, local feedback is unable to regulate large-scale disturbances, but it can in higher spatial dimensions. This phenomenon is distinct from, and unrelated to string instability issues which are commonly encountered in control problems for automated highways.
Application of Latent Variable Methods to the Study of Cognitive Decline When Tests Change over Time

Background: The way a construct is measured can differ across cohort study visits, complicating longitudinal comparisons. We demonstrated the use of factor analysis to link differing cognitive test batteries over visits to common metrics representing general cognitive performance, memory, executive functioning, and language. Methods: We used data from three visits (over 26 years) of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (N = 14,252). We allowed individual tests to contribute information differentially by race, an important factor to consider in cognitive aging. Using generalized estimating equations, we compared associations of diabetes with cognitive change using general and domain-specific factor scores versus averages of equally weighted standardized test scores. Results: Factor scores provided stronger associations with diabetes at the expense of greater variability around estimates (e.g., for general cognitive performance, −0.064 standard deviation units/year, standard error = 0.015, vs. −0.041 standard deviation units/year, standard error = 0.014), which is consistent with the notion that factor scores more explicitly address error in measuring assessed traits than averages of standardized tests. Conclusions: Factor analysis facilitates use of all available data when measures change over time, and further, it allows objective evaluation and correction for differential item functioning.
On Kinetic Range Spaces and their Applications

We study geometric hypergraphs in a kinetic setting and show that for many of the static cases where the VC-dimension of the hypergraph is bounded the kinetic counterpart also has bounded VC-dimension. Among other results we show that for any set of n moving points in R d and any parameter 1 < k < n, one can select a non-empty subset of the points of size O(k logk) such that each cell of the Voronoi diagram of this subset is \balanced" at any given time (i.e., it contains O(n=k) of the other points). We also show that the bound is near optimal even for the onedimensional case in which points move linearly.
Image-free evaluation of carotid artery stiffness using ARTSENS: A repeatability study

Evaluation of arterial stiffness is significant in early detection and vascular diagnosis. We have developed and validated an image free system called ARTSENS for evaluation of carotid artery stiffness. In this paper, we present a detailed study on the repeatability of arterial stiffness measurements performed using ARTSENS. The study protocol was designed to emulate typical constraints encountered in field usage of ARTSENS as a screening tool. The intra operator variability (repeatability) of ARTSENS was verified by in-vivo measurements on 18 subjects. Inter operator variability (reproducibility) was also studied. The ability of the instrument to give reliable measurements in both sitting and supine posture of the subject was verified. Further, the variation of arterial stiffness measurements over different times of the day was investigated to verify the ability of the instrument to give a practically usable stable measure of stiffness. The repeatability and reproducibility of ARTSENS measurements was found to be comparable to those provided by state of art image-based systems. Stiffness measurements provided by ARTSENS were found to be stable over a day indicating utility of the instrument in providing a quick and reliable measure of carotid artery stiffness.
Xp22.2-3 loss of heterozygosity is associated with germline BRCA1 mutation in ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE X-Chromosome loss of heterozygosity (LOH) occurs in approximately 40% of ovarian cancers. We have previously demonstrated an association between nonrandom X-chromosome inactivation and germline BRCA1 mutation. The current study examines the association between X-chromosome LOH and BRCA1 mutation. METHODS Ninety tumor DNA (81 ovary, 5 fallopian tube, 4 primary peritoneal) and matched peripheral blood mononuclear cell DNA samples were examined for LOH with 11 X-chromosome microsatellite DNA markers. RESULTS Tumor DNA demonstrated frequent LOH at the Xp22.2-3 region (37.7% at DXS6807). Loss of heterozygosity on Xp was twice as common in tumor DNA from germline BRCA1 mutation carriers (9/14 vs 19/67, P = 0.02). In four evaluable samples, Xp22.2-3 LOH preferentially occurred from the active X allele. CONCLUSIONS Our data support the hypothesis that an Xp22.2-3 gene product interacts with or modifies the expression of BRCA1 in some hereditary ovarian cancers.
“Pomacytosis”—Semi-extracellular phagocytosis of cyanobacteria by the smallest marine algae

The smallest algae, less than 3 μm in diameter, are the most abundant eukaryotes of the World Ocean. Their feeding on planktonic bacteria of similar size is globally important but physically enigmatic. Tiny algal cells tightly packed with the voluminous chloroplasts, nucleus, and mitochondria appear to have insufficient organelle-free space for prey internalization. Here, we present the first direct observations of how the 1.3-μm algae, which are only 1.6 times bigger in diameter than their prey, hold individual Prochlorococcus cells in their open hemispheric cytostomes. We explain this semi-extracellular phagocytosis by the cell size limitation of the predatory alga, identified as the Braarudosphaera haptophyte with a nitrogen (N2)–fixing endosymbiont. Because the observed semi-extracellular phagocytosis differs from all other types of protistan phagocytosis, we propose to name it “pomacytosis” (from the Greek πώμα for “plug”).