Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuroanatomical Correlates of Developmental Dyscalculia: Combined Evidence from Morphometry and Tractography

Poor mathematical abilities adversely affect academic and career opportunities. The neuroanatomical basis of developmental dyscalculia (DD), a specific learning deficit with prevalence rates exceeding 5%, is poorly understood. We used structural MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine macro- and micro-structural impairments in 7- to 9-year-old children with DD, compared to a group of typically developing (TD) children matched on age, gender, intelligence, reading abilities and working memory capacity. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) revealed reduced grey matter (GM) bilaterally in superior parietal lobule, intra-parietal sulcus, fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus and right anterior temporal cortex in children with DD. VBM analysis also showed reduced white matter (WM) volume in right temporal-parietal cortex. DTI revealed reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in this WM region, pointing to significant right hemisphere micro-structural impairments. Furthermore, FA in this region was correlated with numerical operations but not verbal mathematical reasoning or word reading. Atlas-based tract mapping identified the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and caudal forceps major as key pathways impaired in DD. DTI tractography suggests that long-range WM projection fibers linking the right fusiform gyrus with temporal-parietal WM are a specific source of vulnerability in DD. Network and classification analysis suggest that DD in children may be characterized by multiple dysfunctional circuits arising from a core WM deficit. Our findings link GM and WM abnormalities in children with DD and they point to macro- and micro-structural abnormalities in right hemisphere temporal-parietal WM, and pathways associated with it, as key neuroanatomical correlates of DD.
Inactivated Parapoxvirus ovis induces a transient increase in the expression of proinflammatory, Th1-related, and autoregulatory cytokines in mice

The immunostimulatory properties of inactivated Parapoxvirus ovis (iPPVO) have long been investigated in different animal species and experimental settings. In this study, we investigated the effects of iPPVO on cytokine expression in mice after intraperitoneal inoculation. Spleen and sera collected from iPPVO-treated mice at intervals after inoculation were submitted to cytokine mRNA determination by real-time PCR (qPCR), serum protein concentration by ELISA, and interferon (IFN)-α/β activity by bioassay. The spleen of iPPVO-treated animals showed a significant increase in mRNA expression of all cytokines assayed, with different kinetics and magnitude. Proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and IL-8 mRNA peaked at 24 hours postinoculation (hpi; 5.4-fold increase) and 48 hpi (3- and 10-fold increases), respectively. A 15-fold increase in IFN-γ and 6-fold IL-12 mRNA increase were detected at 48 and 24 hpi, respectively. Increased expression of autoregulatory cytokines (Th2), mainly IL-10 and IL-4, could be detected at later times (72 and 96 hpi) with peaks of 4.7- and 4.9-fold increases, respectively. IFN-I antiviral activity against encephalomyocarditis virus was demonstrated in sera of treated animals between 6 and 12 hpi, with a >90% reduction in the number of plaques. Measurement of serum proteins by ELISA revealed increased levels of IL-1, TNF-α, IL-12, IFN-γ, and IL-10, with kinetics similar to those observed by qPCR, especially for IL-12 and IFN-γ. These data demonstrate that iPPVO induced a transient and complex cytokine response, initially represented by Th1-related cytokines followed by autoregulatory and Th2 cytokines.
Source and Channel Coding of Images for Noisy Channels

Wireless multimedia devices and services are beginning to emerge and will continue to increase in popularity as capabilities improve. The demand to improve quality and increase the capacity of such systems within limited bandwidth resources motivates the interest in efficient and error-resilient image coding methods. An important problem is how to efficiently encode images for transmission over limited-bandwidth channels while maintaining good decoded image quality and resilience to channel impairments. This thesis investigates the problem of robust image transmission over memoryless, fading, and packet erasure channels. First, a system consisting of a high-performance embedded wavelet coder followed by a concatenated channel code is proposed for transmission over memoryless channels. The system maintains the progressive nature of the source coder, has reasonable complexity, and exceeds the performance of previously known systems. Error resilience and progressivity are further explored through the problem of channel code parameter (block length and channel code rate) optimization for progressive transmission. A general performance measure for evaluating progressive image coding quality is proposed and a dynamic programming optimization algorithm is presented. Results are included for erasure channels and bit error channels. In addition, the performances of turbo codes, low-density parity check codes, and concatenated channel codes are compared in this context. For fading channels, the concatenated code proposed for memoryless channels is extended to a product code structure. The new code shows improved performance on fading channels and slightly improved performance on memoryless channels. It also has variable amounts of delay, depending on the level of the channel noise, allowing the progressive performance under iii good channel conditions to remain high. A cumulative distribution of decoded PSNR values is proposed for evaluating performance on these variable channels instead of the traditional expected PSNR value. Modifications to the source coder to increase its inherent error resilience in combination with explicit channel coding are considered for varying channels, including those that introduce both bit errors and packet erasures. A general performance measure is proposed to facilitate the optimization of system parameters. Improvements are shown in terms of robustness to a range of channel conditions. Finally, methods for introducing an adjustable amount of source redundancy are explored in the context of erasure channels. The erasure channel can be considered an abstraction of an arbitrary physical channel as long as reliable error detection is possible, so the methods are broadly applicable. A multistage coding structure is proposed which offers much flexibility …
Effects of flight altitude on tree height estimation using airborne laser scanning

High-density airborne laser scanner data has been previously shown to provide great opportunities for individual tree detection and measurement of variables characterizing the detected trees. This paper evaluates the effect of laser flight altitude on the tree height estimation at individual tree level in the boreal forest area mainly consisting of Norway spruce, Scots pine and birch. The test area (0.5 km by 2 km) was flown at three altitudes (400 m, 800 m and 1500 m) with TopoSys Falcon scanner in spring 2003. Field inventory was carried out on 33 sample plots (about 30 m x 30 m) in the test area during summer 2001. Trees with diameter at breast height larger than 5 cm were measured. Position, height and species of the trees were recorded. 13 plots were dominated by spruce (>50 %), 7 plots by pine, 6 plots by deciduous trees and the rest were mixed forests. Laser point clouds in the circle of varying radius around the trees were used to extract information about spatial distribution of tree crown and height without delineation of individual trees first. Evaluations of estimation errors due to flight altitudes, including beam size and pulse density, were performed for different tree species. The results indicate, in general, that tree height estimation accuracy and number of detectable trees decreases with the increase in flight height. Point density has more influence on tree height estimation than footprint size. Birch is less affected than coniferous trees by the change in the flight altitude.
Characteristics of Lightning Flashes Associated With the Charge Layer Near the 0 °C Isotherm in the Stratiform Region of Mesoscale onvective Systems

Data from an S‐band Doppler radar system and a three‐dimensional very high frequency (VHF) radiation source location system in Chongqing, China, were combined to analyze the characteristics of stratiform lightning flashes associated with the charge layer near the 0 °C isotherm (SL0s) in 10 mesoscale convective systems during the summers of 2014–2015. Most of the SL0 events occurred during the dissipating stage of two thunderstorms. The bright band was found to have a very close relationship with the initiation of the SL0 events. The noninductive and inductive charging mechanisms associated with the process of melting ice particles were inferred to contribute to the charge of the bright band area. The reflectivity at the first located VHF radiation source (FirstS) of the SL0s was always weaker than that in the reflectivity core within the lightning area. The stronger the reflectivity core, the greater the difference between the reflectivity and the reflectivity core. The SL0s generated by the thunderstorms with low SL0 frequency tended to have weaker reflectivity at the FirstS but a stronger reflectivity core in the lightning area than that of the thunderstorms with high SL0 frequency. In the storms with low SL0 frequency, SL0s occurred only when the initiation height of the stratiform lightning flashes decreased gradually toward the height range of the SL0s; but in one storm with high SL0 frequency, the SL0s were generated simultaneously with the stratiform lightning flashes initiated at a high level. It gives a clue that the melting charging mechanisms may enhance the charge density of the bright band area.
PUBLISHED VERSION

Background: Health authorities recommend 6 months of fully breastfeeding and continuation of breastfeeding for at least a year. Many women initiate breastfeeding in hospital but discontinue before the six-month period, and therefore do not optimise the public health benefits. The aim of this study was to determine whether these women could be identified at hospital discharge, to enable targeted interventions. Methods: A secondary analysis of women who intended to breastfeed and were enrolled in a large randomised trial was undertaken. Women were enrolled in the antenatal period and antenatal, delivery and six month postnatal questionnaires were completed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were undertaken to determine the variables associated with early cessation of breastfeeding within six months, compared to women who continued to breastfeed. Results: Of 2148 women who initiated breastfeeding in hospital, 877 continued to breastfed either partially (N = 262) or fully (N = 615) until six months postpartum and 1271 ceased breastfeeding early. Median breastfeeding duration in women who ceased early was 3 weeks (IQR 1 to 11 weeks). In multivariate analysis, factors that were significantly associated with early cessation of breastfeeding were maternal factors of lower education (less than 12 years of schooling, no completion of further education), smoking (pre-pregnancy or during pregnancy), and newborn factors of preterm birth and low birthweight (all p < 0.01). These variables correctly identify 83% of women. Conclusion: We can identify women who initiate and then prematurely discontinue breastfeeding prior to hospital discharge. Evaluation of additional interventions to support longer duration of breastfeeding in women at risk of ceasing prematurely is needed.
Anesthetic efficacy of intraosseous and buccal infiltration Anesthetic efficacy of intraosseous and buccal infiltration techniques: a randomized controlled crossover clinical trial techniques: a randomized controlled crossover clinical trial

Background/objectives This randomized controlled crossover clinical trial aimed to compare the anesthetic efficacy between intraosseous and buccal infiltration techniques as a primary anesthesia for mandibular first molars. Materials and methods Twenty adult subjects randomly received intraosseous injection of 1.7 ml 4% articaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine or buccal infiltration of 3.4 ml 4% articaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine at 2 separate appointments. The mandibular first molars were tested for anesthesia with an electric pulp tester at 3-minute cycles for 60 minutes after the injections. Pain ratings for each injection were recorded. The data were analyzed using the McNemar and Wilcoxon signed ranks tests. Results There was no significant difference (p = 0.250) in success rate between the intraosseous injections (95%) and buccal infiltrations (80%). However, the onset of pulpal anesthesia was significantly faster with the intraosseous injections (p = 0.004). No significant differences were found for injection or postinjection pain (p > 0.05). Conclusion The success rate of buccal infiltration using two cartridges of 4% articaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine is comparable to that of intraosseous injection using a single cartridge of 4% articaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine in asymptomatic mandibular first molars. Both techniques can be useful alternatives for inducing mandibular first molar anesthesia. (CU Dent
The Electroencephalogram in Psychological Disorders: A Review

JU'URING the twenty years in which electroencephalography has been studied it has become increasingly apparent that, in the opinion of many observers, abnormal cerebral potentials occur more frequently in the records of patients with psychological disturbances than in those of the normal population. A large number of articles on the subject has been published but, since many of the data are empirical, a variety of opinions has been expressed, some of which are in disagreement. There are therefore, at the present time, a number of conflicting impressions as to the significance of the EEG in relation to psychological disorders. Three questions emerge from the confusion: 1. Is there actually a high percentage of abnormal EEG patterns in individuals with primary psychopathology who have no other visible organic disorder of the nervous system? 2. To what factor or factors might such a difference be due, if it exists? 3. Of what significance, practical or otherwise, is such a difference? The present article will attempt to review existing data in relation to the above questions. There are a number of earlier reviews on the subject, to be quoted later, which are incomplete either because of the early date of their publication or because they have dealt with only one phase of the subject.
Spectrumize: Spectrum-efficient Satellite Networks for the Internet of Things

Low Earth Orbit satellite constellations are gaining traction for providing connectivity to low-power outdoor Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This is made possible by the development of low-cost, low-complexity pico-satellites that can be easily launched, offering global connectivity without the need for Earth-based gateways. In this paper, we report the space-to-Earth communication bottlenecks derived from our experience of deploying an IoT satellite. Specifically, we characterize the challenges posed by the low link budgets, satellite motion, and packet collisions. To address these challenges, we design a new class of techniques that use the Doppler shift caused by the satellite’s motion as a unique signature for packet detection and decoding, even at low signal-to-noise ratios and in the presence of collisions. We integrate these techniques into our system, called Spectrumize, and evaluate its performance through both simulations and real-world de-ployments. Our evaluation shows that Spectrumize performs 3 × better compared to the classic approach in detecting packets with over 80% average accuracy in decoding.
Evaluation on the immune response induced by DNA vaccine encoding MIC8 co-immunized with IL-12 genetic adjuvant against Toxoplasma gondii infection.

OBJECTIVE To examine the immunoprotection effect induced by MIC8 DNA vaccine co-immunized with a plasmid encoding murine IL-12 (pcIL-12) as an adjuvant in mice against the challenge of Toxoplasma gondii. METHODS The gene sequence encoding MIC8 of T. gondii RH strain was inserted into eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1 to construct the pcMIC8 expression plasmid. The recombinant plasmid was transfected into HeLa cells to test its expression and the recombinant protein was then characterized by Western blotting. Eighty Kunming mice were randomly divided into 5 groups (16 per group): 3 control groups (PBS, pcDNA3.1, and pcIL-12), pcMIC8 group, and pcMIC8 plus pcIL-12 group. Mice in the pcMIC8 plus pcIL-12 group were co-injected intramuscularly at a dosage of 100 microl each of pcMIC8 and pcIL-12 suspended in 100 microg sterile PBS. Mice in other groups were inoculated with PBS, pcDNA3.1, pcIL-12, and pcMIC8 respectively following the same protocol. All the mice received three immunizations at 2-week intervals. Serum samples were collected on day 0, 13, 27, 41, and 55 before each inoculation for determining antibody IgG, IgG subclass IgG2a. Four weeks after the final immunization, IFN-gamma and IL-4 levels in splenocytes cultures from immunized mice were detected by ELISA. The mice were challenged with 10(3) tachyzoites of the virulent T. gondii RH strain three weeks after the last immunization to observe the survival time. RESULTS Western blotting showed that the protein extracts in HeLa cells upon transfection with pcMIC8 were effectively expressed in cells. The levels of IgG (0.51 +/- 0.028) and IgG2a (0.261 +/- 0.04)(on day 55) in mice immunized with pcMIC8 plus pcIL-12 were higher than pcMIC8 group (497.65 +/- 98.15) and control groups (PBS 47.18 +/- 2.73, pcDNA3.1 50.08 +/- 4.62, pcIL-12 118.15 +/- 12.73) (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the level of IgG 1 and IL-4 among the five groups (P > 0.05). After a lethal challenge of T. gondii RH strain, the survival time in mice immunized with pcMIC8 plus pcIL-12 (15d) was prolonged in comparison to that of pcMIC8 (10d) and control groups (PBS 5 d, pcDNA3.1 6d, pcIL-12 8 d) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The immune responses induced by the combined use of the recombinant plasmid encoding MIC8 of T. gondii with murine IL-2 gene adjuvant can be enhanced.
UNLEASHING THE POWER OF ANIMATION IN MARKETING: INSIGHTS AND IMPLICATIONS

Animation has emerged as a dominant force in advertising, captivating audiences with its dynamic and attention-grabbing movements. However, there is a limited understanding of the diverse types of animation and its immense potential for effective marketing. This study aims to explore the fundamental concepts of animation and its utilization in the realm of marketing. Drawing upon existing research, we analyze the effectiveness of animation based on attributes such as attention, recall, and conversion rates. Additionally, we investigate the additional advantages that animation offers beyond these metrics. Our findings emphasize that animation is an exceptionally powerful tool in advertising, as it captures attention, enhances product or service recall, and drives increased conversion rates and overall engagement. Furthermore, animation has the ability to evoke heightened emotional engagement, improve brand image, and amplify social media sharing. This study unveils the substantial impact of animation in marketing, providing invaluable insights and implications for both practitioners and future research endeavors in this field.
1 Percutaneous Angioplasty and Stenting for Mesenteric Ischaemia

Mesenteric ischaemia due to impaired arterial supply is an important cause of abdominal pain, especially in older patients with risk factors for vascular disease. Until recently, surgical revascularisation procedures such as endarterectomy and aorto-coeliac or aortomesenteric bypass grafting were the only available treatment options for patients with mesenteric ischaemia. However, reported rates of peri-operative major complications and mortality are high, influenced by a high prevalence of significant patient co-morbidities. Percutaneous angioplasty and stenting have been shown to be effective and safe alternatives to surgical revascularisation in high-risk patients with mesenteric ischaemia. Indeed, in high-surgical risk patients and in those with suitable lesions, such endovascular revascularisation has emerged as the primary treatment modality. Here, we review current concepts in the diagnosis, treatment selection and outcomes for percutaneous angioplasty and stenting for patients with either chronic or acute mesenteric ischemia.
Modification of Microstructure and Surface Properties of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy by Molybdenum Disilicide Particles Using Micro-Arc Oxidation Process

As an effective surface modification technique, micro-arc oxidation (MAO) is now widely used to improve the hardness and wear resistance of Ti and its alloys by low-cost and thick ceramic coatings. In this study, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi 2 ) – modified ceramic coatings were deposited on Ti–6Al–4V alloy (340 HV) by MAO using an aqueous solution of Na 2 SiO 3 , (NaPO 3 ) 6 and NaOH and MoSi 2 particles. MoSi 2 particles (3, 5, and 7 g/l) from wastes of furnaces electrodes were introduced into the electrolyte to improve the microstructure and surface properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloys. A scanning electron microscope (SEM), dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and mechanical tests (microhardness and wear) were used to identify the coating properties, morphologies, and phases. The findings showed that the addition of 5 g/l MoSi 2 increased the thickness and hardness of MAO coatings from 19.08 µm and 910 HV to 33.12 µm and 1260 HV, respectively. Also, the wear resistance by means of weight losses of uncoated alloys enhanced by 68% and 100% after MAO and 5 g/l MoSi 2 modified-MAO coatings, respectively. Results of this work will promote future works in using of industrial wastes in surface engineering of Ti-6Al-4V alloys by MAO technique for wear resistance applications.
Protein Similarity Networks Reveal Relationships among Sequence, Structure, and Function within the Cupin Superfamily

The cupin superfamily is extremely diverse and includes catalytically inactive seed storage proteins, sugar-binding metal-independent epimerases, and metal-dependent enzymes possessing dioxygenase, decarboxylase, and other activities. Although numerous proteins of this superfamily have been structurally characterized, the functions of many of them have not been experimentally determined. We report the first use of protein similarity networks (PSNs) to visualize trends of sequence and structure in order to make functional inferences in this remarkably diverse superfamily. PSNs provide a way to visualize relatedness of structure and sequence among a given set of proteins. Structure- and sequence-based clustering of cupin members reflects functional clustering. Networks based only on cupin domains and networks based on the whole proteins provide complementary information. Domain-clustering supports phylogenetic conclusions that the N- and C-terminal domains of bicupin proteins evolved independently. Interestingly, although many functionally similar enzymatic cupin members bind the same active site metal ion, the structure and sequence clustering does not correlate with the identity of the bound metal. It is anticipated that the application of PSNs to this superfamily will inform experimental work and influence the functional annotation of databases.