Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Odor Perception in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and its Relationship to Food Neophobia

Atypical sensory functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been well documented in the last decade for the visual, tactile and auditory systems, but olfaction in ASD is still understudied. The aim of the present study was to examine whether children with ASD and neuro-typically (NT) developed children differed in odor perception, at the cognitive (familiarity and identification ability), sensorimotor (olfactory exploration) and affective levels (hedonic evaluation). Because an important function of the sense of smell is its involvement in eating, from food selection to appreciation and recognition, a potential link between odor perception and food neophobia was also investigated. To these ends, 10 children between 6 and 13 years old diagnosed with ASD and 10 NT control children were tested. To compare performance, 16 stimuli were used and food neophobia was assessed by the parents on a short food neophobia scale. Results revealed that (i) significant hedonic discrimination between attractive and aversive odors was observed in NT (p = 0.005; d = 2.378) and ASD children (p = 0.042; d = 0.941), and (ii) hedonic discrimination level was negatively correlated with food neophobia scores in ASD (p = 0.007) but not NT children. In conclusion, this study offers new insights into odor perception in ASD children, highlighting a relationship between odor hedonic reactivity and eating behavior. This opens up new perspectives on both (i) the role of olfaction in the construction of eating behavior in ASD children, and (ii) the measurement and meaning of food neophobia in this population.
Narcissism and Depression: MMPI-2 Evidence for the Continuum Hypothesis in Clinical Samples

According to one hypothesis, self-report measures of narcissism help describe a psychological continuum related to self-esteem. Most of the previous support for this idea appeared in studies of undergraduates responding to the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI; Raskin & Hall, 1981) along with other self-report instruments. In this project, results consistent with the continuum hypothesis were obtained when Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) narcissism scales were correlated with depression in adults receiving treatment for alcoholism. Essentially identical outcomes emerged in a second sample of state psychiatric hospital patients. A third study upheld the hypothesis when narcissism scales were correlated with clinical assessments rather than self-reports of depression. None of these findings were easily explained in terms of alternative interpretations of self-reported narcissism, and these data demonstrate that empirical support for the continuum hypothesis was not limited to the NPI, undergraduates, or self-report measures.
Non-supramenable groups acting on locally compact spaces

Supramenability of groups is characterised in terms of invariant measures on locally compact spaces. This opens the door to constructing interesting crossed product C*-algebras for non-supramenable groups. In particular, stable Kirchberg algebras in the UCT class are constructed using crossed products for both amenable and non-amenable groups.
PC 1643+4631A, B: THE LYMAN-α FOREST AT THE EDGE OF COHERENCE

This is the first measurement and detection of coherence in the intergalactic medium (IGM) at substantially high redshift (z ∼ 3.8) and on large physical scales (∼2.5 h−170 Mpc). We perform the measurement by presenting new observations of the high-redshift quasar pair PC 1643+4631A, B and their Lyα-absorber coincidences. With data collected from Keck I Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (LRIS) in a 10,200 s integration, we have full coverage of the Lyα forest over the redshift range 2.6 < z < 3.8 at a resolution of 3.6 Å (∼220 km s−1). This experiment extends multiple sight line quasar absorber studies to higher redshift, higher opacity, larger transverse separation, and into a regime where coherence across the IGM becomes weak and difficult to detect. Noteworthy features from these spectra are the strong damped Lyα absorbers (DLAs) just blueward of both Lyα emission peaks, each within 1000 km s−1 of the emission redshift but separated by 2500 km s−1 from each other. The coherence is measured by fitting discrete Lyα absorbers and by using pixel flux statistics. The former technique results in 222 Lyα absorbers in the A sight line and 211 in B. Relative to a Monte Carlo pairing test (using symmetric, nearest-neighbor matching) the data exhibit a 4σ excess of pairs at low velocity splitting (Δv < 150 km s−1), thus detecting coherence on transverse scales of ∼2.5 h−170 Mpc. We use spectra extracted from a smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) simulation to analyze symmetric pair matching, transmission distributions as a function of redshift and compute zero-lag cross-correlations to compare with the quasar pair data. The simulations agree with the data with the same strength (∼4σ) at similarly low velocity splitting above random chance pairings. In cross-correlation tests, the simulations agree when the mean flux (as a function of redshift) is assumed to follow the prescription given by Kirkman et al. (). While the detection of flux correlation (measured through coincident absorbers and cross-correlation amplitude) is only marginally significant, the agreement between data and simulations is encouraging for future work in which even better quality data will provide the best insight into the overarching structure of the IGM and its understanding as shown by SPH simulations.
Scaling Memcache at Facebook

Memcached is a well known, simple, in-memory caching solution. This paper describes how Facebook leverages memcached as a building block to construct and scale a distributed key-value store that supports the world's largest social network. Our system handles billions of requests per second and holds trillions of items to deliver a rich experience for over a billion users around the world.
Profiling of 2′-O-Me in human rRNA reveals a subset of fractionally modified positions and provides evidence for ribosome heterogeneity

Ribose methylation is one of the two most abundant modifications in human ribosomal RNA and is believed to be important for ribosome biogenesis, mRNA selectivity and translational fidelity. We have applied RiboMeth-seq to rRNA from HeLa cells for ribosome-wide, quantitative mapping of 2′-O-Me sites and obtained a comprehensive set of 106 sites, including two novel sites, and with plausible box C/D guide RNAs assigned to all but three sites. We find approximately two-thirds of the sites to be fully methylated and the remainder to be fractionally modified in support of ribosome heterogeneity at the level of RNA modifications. A comparison to HCT116 cells reveals similar 2′-O-Me profiles with distinct differences at several sites. This study constitutes the first comprehensive mapping of 2′-O-Me sites in human rRNA using a high throughput sequencing approach. It establishes the existence of a core of constitutively methylated positions and a subset of variable, potentially regulatory positions, and paves the way for experimental analyses of the role of variations in rRNA methylation under different physiological or pathological settings.
Characterization of Stanniocalcin 2, a Novel Target of the Mammalian Unfolded Protein Response with Cytoprotective Properties

ABSTRACT Accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) induces a highly conserved homeostatic response in all eukaryotic cells, termed the unfolded-protein response (UPR). Here we describe the characterization of stanniocalcin 2 (STC2), a mammalian homologue of a calcium- and phosphate-regulating hormone first identified in fish, as a novel target of the UPR. Expression of STC2 gene is rapidly upregulated in cultured cells after exposure to tunicamycin and thapsigargin, by ATF4 after activation of the ER-resident kinase PERK. In addition, STC2 expression is also activated in neuronal cells by oxidative stress and hypoxia but not by several cellular stresses unrelated to the UPR. In contrast, expression of another homologue, STC1, is only upregulated by hypoxia independent of PERK or ATF4 expression. In vivo studies revealed that rat cortical neurons rapidly upregulate STC2 after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Finally, siRNA-mediated inhibition of STC2 expression renders N2a neuroblastoma cells and HeLa cells significantly more vulnerable to apoptotic cell death after treatment with thapsigargin, and overexpression of STC2 attenuated thapsigargin-induced cell death. Consequently, induced STC2 expression is an essential feature of survival component of the UPR.
Assessment of the effects of dry anaerobic co- digestion of cow dung with waste water sludge on biogas yield and biodegradability

Dry anaerobic digestion has been treated as feasible process for potential renewable energy recovery with nutrient-rich fertilizer and sustainable solid waste management. Dry methane fermentation of undiluted cow manure (CM), waste water sludge (WWS) and their mixtures into different ratios were conducted at 35°C in the laboratory-scale single-stage batch reactors for 63 days. The specific biogas production obtained for the CM/WWS ratios of 1:0, 4:1, 3:2, 2:3, 1:4 and 0:1 were 56.94, 58.51, 61.64, 63.12, 59.30 and 55.39 L/kg, with methane yield were 32.01, 33.14, 35.31, 36.91, 34.76 and 32.63 L/kg respectively. The experimental results showed that the co-digestion with CM/WWS ratio of 2:3 obtained highest total biogas production of 63.12 L/kg, methane yield of 0.328 m3/kgVS and total solid (TS), volatile solids (VS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC) reductions of 34.24, 54.80, 55.22 and 70.71% compared to the other co-digestion ratios and single digestions. It was also revealed that co-digestion resulted in 3.11-13.99% higher methane gas yields, due to synergistic effect. The synergistic effect is mainly attributed to more balanced nutrients and increased buffering capacity. Key words: Dry anaerobic digestion process, co-digestion, specific energy production, methane.
Outage Performance Analysis of Cooperative Diversity with MRC and SC in Correlated Lognormal Channels

The study of relaying systems has found renewed interest in the context of cooperative diversity for communication channels suffering from fading. This paper provides analytical expressions for the end-to-end SNR and outage probability of cooperative diversity in correlated lognormal channels, typically found in indoor and specific outdoor environments. The system under consideration utilizes decode-and-forward relaying and Selection Combining or Maximum Ratio Combining at the destination node. The provided expressions are used to evaluate the gains of cooperative diversity compared to noncooperation in correlated lognormal channels, taking into account the spectral and energy efficiency of the protocols and the half-duplex or full-duplex capability of the relay. Our analysis demonstrates that correlation and lognormal variances play a significant role on the performance gain of cooperative diversity against noncooperation.
English shop names in the retail landscape of Medellín, Colombia

The city of Medellín, Colombia's second largest, impresses the visitor. What was once the most dangerous city in the world has gone through a metamorphosis since drug lord Pablo Escobar's death in 1993. Indeed, in 2013, Medellín was named the World's Most Innovative City by the Wall Street Journal and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). ‘Few cities have transformed the way that Medellín… has in the past 20 years' reads the ULI's explanation (Wall Street Journal, 2013, online). Medellín is now poised to move forward with its innovative infrastructure projects, and looks to position itself as a center of international business, technology, and education (Alexander, 2015). One of the ways in which this new international outlook manifests itself is in the ever-increasing use of English in various areas of public life, notably in advertising and in shop names. Accordingly, this study explores and describes the use of English in shop names in a cross section of commercial areas in Medellín. First, we consider the use of English shop names in four shopping malls that serve customers from a variety of socioeconomic strata. Note that our use of ‘shop’ refers not only to stores but also restaurants, bars, travel agencies, and any other commercial enterprise. Second, we look at four public commercial corridors (retail streets or demarcated zones) in metropolitan Medellín through a similar lens. From these two commercial venues, we find that English use is common in Medellín's retail landscape and that it increases as the socioeconomic status of the target consumers increases.
The Commodity-Consumer Price Connection: Fact or Fable?

The recent surge in commodity prices has rekindled interest in their power to predict consumer price inflation. But is this interest warranted? In examining the empirical relationship between commodity prices and consumer price inflation, this article finds that commodities' reputation as useful leading indicators of inflation is actually based more on fable than fact. Testing eight commonly used indexes, the authors conclude that although commodities had some predictive power in the past, the commodity-consumer price connection has broken down in the more recent period. They argue that this shift primarily reflects the diminished role of traditional commodities in U.S. production and the "sterilization" of some inflation signals by offsetting monetary policy actions.
Inferring social ties from geographic coincidences

We investigate the extent to which social ties between people can be inferred from co-occurrence in time and space: Given that two people have been in approximately the same geographic locale at approximately the same time, on multiple occasions, how likely are they to know each other? Furthermore, how does this likelihood depend on the spatial and temporal proximity of the co-occurrences? Such issues arise in data originating in both online and offline domains as well as settings that capture interfaces between online and offline behavior. Here we develop a framework for quantifying the answers to such questions, and we apply this framework to publicly available data from a social media site, finding that even a very small number of co-occurrences can result in a high empirical likelihood of a social tie. We then present probabilistic models showing how such large probabilities can arise from a natural model of proximity and co-occurrence in the presence of social ties. In addition to providing a method for establishing some of the first quantifiable estimates of these measures, our findings have potential privacy implications, particularly for the ways in which social structures can be inferred from public online records that capture individuals’ physical locations over time.
Immunohistochemical Detection of Nestin in Pediatric Brain Tumors

Nestin is an intermediate filament protein (IFP) expressed in undifferentiated cells during CNS development and in CNS tumors. Previous studies have arrived at different conclusions in terms of which types of CNS tumors express nestin. In this report we establish an immunohistochemical protocol using antigen retrieval, which significantly enhances staining with two polyclonal anti-nestin antisera, #130 and #4350. The staining pattern was identical for the two nestin antisera and very similar to that of vimentin, while glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), immunoreactivity was absent from 9.5-week-old forebrain. The current study of 20 primary CNS tumors from pediatric patients included seven ependymomas, seven primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs), five pilocytic astrocytomas, and one glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). All these tumors expressed nestin to various extents, in contrast to five brain metastases tested. Strong nestin immunoreactivity was found in malignant primary CNS tumors, whereas benign pilocytic astrocytomas showed low but consistent nestin expression. In all tumors nestin immunoreactivity was confined to the cytoplasm of tumor cells and was co-expressed with astrocyte markers vimentin, GFAP, and S-100. Vascular endothelial cells of all neoplasms also showed marked immunoreactivity for nestin and vimentin, whereas they were negative for GFAP and S-100. In conclusion, antiserum #4350 detected nestin in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections by heat-induced antigen retrieval immunohistochemistry. Nestin was expressed in both highly malignant and low malignant gliomas, indicating the potential use of nestin as a diagnostic tumor marker in surgical pathology.
DENIS-P J1228.2–1547—A New Benchmark Brown Dwarf

We present optical spectroscopy of three brown dwarf candidates identified in the first 1% of the DENIS sky survey. Low-resolution spectra from 6430 to 9150 Å show these objects to have similar spectra to the brown dwarf candidate GD 165B. High-resolution spectroscopy shows that one of the objects—DENIS-P J1228.2-1547—has a strong 2.3 ± 0.05 Å equivalent width absorption line of Li I λ6708 and is therefore a brown dwarf with mass below 0.065 M☉, and age ≲1.5 Gyr. DENIS-P J1228.2-1547 can now be considered a prototype for brown dwarfs closer to the hydrogen-burning limit than Gl 229B.
Promoting Coparenting After Divorce: A Relational Perspective on Child Custody Evaluations in Italy

ABSTRACT This study intended to explore how child custody evaluations might help in supporting parents during the transition of divorce to continue to be parents together. Sixteen Italian divorced parents were interviewed using an ad hoc semistructured interview. Data were analyzed by T-LAB software. Findings indicated a shift from the structural aspects of the intervention to the dynamic ones, as well as from an individual vision of the child to a more relational one, from the problems and the conflicts to resources, mutual respect, and trust. Results are discussed in relation to practical implications for intervention.
Damping of Fast Magnetohydrodynamic Oscillations in Quiescent Filament Threads

High-resolution observations provide evidence of the existence of small-amplitude transverse oscillations in solar filament fine structures. These oscillations are believed to represent fast magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves, and the disturbances are seen to be damped on short timescales of the order of 1-4 periods. In this Letter, we propose that, due to the highly inhomogeneous nature of the filament plasma at the fine-structure spatial scale, the phenomenon of resonant absorption is likely to operate in the temporal attenuation of fast MHD oscillations. By considering transverse inhomogeneity in a straight flux tube model, we find that, for density inhomogeneities typical of filament threads, the decay times are of a few oscillatory periods only.
Modelling 'Talking Head' Behaviour

We describe a generative model of ‘talking head’ facial behaviour, intended for use in both video synthesis and model-based interpretation. The model is learnt, without supervision, from talking head video, parameterised by tracking with an Active Appearance Model (AAM). We present a integrated probabilistic framework for capturing both the short-term visual dynamics and longer-term behavioural structure. We demonstrate that the approach leads to a compact model, capable of generating realistic and relatively subtle talking head behaviour in real time. The results of a forcedchoice psychophysical experiment show that the quality of the generated sequences is significantly better than that obtained using alternative approaches, and is indistinguishable from that of the original training sequence.
Operator fission for load balancing in distributed heterogeneous data stream processing systems

Distributed data stream processing allows to optimize resource consumption. A query's operators can be executed by several systems. The placement of filter or aggregate operators near the data source omits unnecessary data transfer. The operator placement decision is a complex problem. In certain scenarios the goal is not only overall minimization of e.g. resource consumption but an evenly distributed load. We propose an operator fission algorithm, that works on the basis of an initial operator placement. The algorithm selects certain operators from the set of operators that allow fission for parallel execution by multiple systems. Load is thus divided between processors in a more fine-grained way, resulting in lower maximum load and lower load variance. We present and evaluate three different variants of the algorithm to allow tuning the trade-off between optimization time and result quality.
Accident proneness, or variable accident tendency?

The term accident proneness is current in both medical and lay press, but it is not always used in the same sense, nor is one always confident that many who employ it so freely are aware of the exact assumptions contained in their definition To many, although not to all, the designation of a person as accident prone implies that, irrespective of environment, that individual is more likely at all times to incur an accident than his colleagues even though exposed to equal risk, and that this is due to some characteristic or summation of characteristics associated with corporeal dexterity, senson-motor skill, personality, or higher conative or cognitive function. In short, accident proneness is conceived as an immutable load to which the unfortunate possessor is chained like some Ixion to his wheel The corollaryis, that the population can either be dichotomised on the basis of the possession or non-possession of the characteristic, or at least ranked in terms of its severity How this widely held concept achieved the status of an axiom, as it did for thirty years, is a salutary lesson to all research workers stemming as it does mainly from inadequate appreciation and grasp of the fundamental research In this paper an attempt is made to explain, firstly why such misinterpretations arose, secondly to present an alternative hypothesis of accident distribution among a population at risk, using for this purpose data derived from Public Transport drivers in Northern Ireland, and thirdly to compare the respective abilities of these two hypotheses to explain the data
In vitro investigations of a novel wound dressing concept based on biodegradable polyurethane

Abstract Non-healing and partially healing wounds are an important problem not only for the patient but also for the public health care system. Current treatment solutions are far from optimal regarding the chosen material properties as well as price and source. Biodegradable polyurethane (PUR) scaffolds have shown great promise for in vivo tissue engineering approaches, but accomplishment of the goal of scaffold degradation and new tissue formation developing in parallel has not been observed so far in skin wound repair. In this study, the mechanical properties and degradation behavior as well as the biocompatibility of a low-cost synthetic, pathogen-free, biocompatible and biodegradable extracellular matrix mimicking a PUR scaffold was evaluated in vitro. The novel PUR scaffolds were found to meet all the requirements for optimal scaffolds and wound dressings. These three-dimensional scaffolds are soft, highly porous, and form-stable and can be easily cut into any shape desired. All the material formulations investigated were found to be nontoxic. One formulation was able to be defined that supported both good fibroblast cell attachment and cell proliferation to colonize the scaffold. Tunable biodegradation velocity of the materials could be observed, and the results additionally indicated that calcium plays a crucial role in PUR degradation. Our results suggest that the PUR materials evaluated in this study are promising candidates for next-generation wound treatment systems and support the concept of using foam scaffolds for improved in vivo tissue engineering and regeneration.