Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal Alcohol Use Disorder and Risk of Child Contact with the Justice System in Western Australia: A Population Cohort Record Linkage Study

Background Early contact with the justice system is associated with a multitude of negative outcomes across the life course. This includes an increased risk of ongoing justice contact, social disadvantage and marginalization, and mental health and substance use issues. Children whose mothers have an alcohol use disorder may be at risk of early justice system contact, and we sought to quantify this relationship in a Western Australian cohort. Methods This population cohort study made use of linked administrative data. Those in‐scope for the study were women who had a birth recorded on the Midwives Notification System (1983 to 2007). The exposed cohort were mothers who had an alcohol‐related diagnosis (ICD9/10), recorded on administrative data. This included mental and behavioral disorders which were alcohol related, diseases which could be entirely attributed to alcohol and other ICD alcohol codes. These women were considered to have an alcohol use disorder, which was a proxy for heavy drinking. The comparison cohort was frequency‐matched sample with no alcohol‐related diagnosis identified on administrative data sets. Results After adjusting for potential confounders, children whose mothers had a maternal alcohol use disorder had a significantly increased odds of justice contact when compared to those whose mothers had no diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.60 to 1.99). Additional significant maternal factors associated with child justice contact included being Indigenous (OR = 5.14, 95% CI = 4.54 to 5.81), low maternal age, low socioeconomic status, being unmarried, and a history of a mental health problems. Significant child‐level factors, which were associated with increased odds of justice contact, included being male, a mental health diagnosis, child protection contact, parity, and academic failure. Conclusions Children who were exposed to a maternal alcohol use disorder had significantly increased odds of contact with the justice system. Additional risk was associated with being Indigenous and with markers of social disadvantage. These results suggest that prevention and early intervention services should span across agencies in an effort to reduce risk.
Improved Fertility Following Enucleation of Intramural Myomas in Infertile Women

Background: The relationship between intramural myomas and fertility remains unclear. The main debate rests on whether cavity-distorting intramural myomas (CDMs) adversely affect fertility more than non-CDMs. We aimed to compare the effects of enucleating non-CDMs and CDMs on fertility improvement in females with unexplained infertility. Methods: We prospectively recruited 83 women undergoing myomectomy for unexplained infertility with intramural myomas between June 2008 and November 2012 and classified them into non-CDMs group (n = 45) and CDMs group (n = 38). We then compared postoperative infertility rates, spontaneous pregnancy rates, pregnancy outcomes, live birth rates, and obstetric complications. For continuous variables, we calculated the mean ± standard deviation, median and interquartile range, and analyzed the data using Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U-test. For categorical variables, the Pearson's Chi-square test, the continuity correction test, and Fisher's exact test were used. Results: Patients’ demographics and myoma characteristics were comparable between the two groups. The overall spontaneous pregnancy rate increased from 0% to 68.42% following myomectomy. The postoperative infertility rate was significantly higher in the non-CDMs group than that in the CDMs group (50.00% vs. 23.53%, t = 5.579, P = 0.018), whereas the postoperative spontaneous pregnancy rate was significantly lower in the non-CDMs group than that in the CDMs group (47.62% vs. 70.59%, t = 4.067, P = 0.044). Compared with the enucleation of non-CDM, the enucleation of CDM patients was a protective factor for the fertility restoration (risk ratio [RR] = 3.717, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.284–10.753, P = 0.015), although postoperative fertility restoration declined with age (RR = 1.141, 95% CI: 1.005–1.295, P = 0.041). Conclusions: Intramural myomas are associated with impaired fertility. Women experiencing unexplained infertility, and possessing intramural myomas, have a better chance of conception following myomectomy, and these benefits are more obvious for younger patients and patients with CDM.
Adaptive NN Backstepping Output-Feedback Control for Stochastic Nonlinear Strict-Feedback Systems With Time-Varying Delays

For the first time, this paper addresses the problem of adaptive output-feedback control for a class of uncertain stochastic nonlinear strict-feedback systems with time-varying delays using neural networks (NNs). The circle criterion is applied to designing a nonlinear observer, and no linear growth condition is imposed on nonlinear functions depending on system states. Under the assumption that time-varying delays exist in the system output, only an NN is employed to compensate for all unknown nonlinear terms depending on the delayed output, and thus, the proposed control algorithm is more simple even than the existing NN backstepping control schemes for uncertain systems described by ordinary differential equations. Three examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the control scheme proposed in this paper.
Perceived triggers of primary headache disorders: A meta-analysis

Objective To quantitatively synthesize extant literature on perceived triggers of primary headache disorders. Methods A meta-analytic review of headache trigger survey studies was conducted. Endorsement rates, assessment method, and headache and sample characteristics were extracted from included articles. Separate random-effects models were used to assess trigger endorsement rates and post-hoc meta-regressions examined potential moderator variables. Results 85 articles from 1958 to 2015 were included, involving 27,122 participants and querying 420 unique triggers (collapsed into 15 categories). Four-fifths (0.81; 95% CI .75 to .86) of individuals with migraine or tension-type headache endorsed at least one trigger. Rates increased with the number of categories queried (OR: 1.18, 1.08–1.30) and year of publication (OR: 1.04, 1.00–1.08). The triggers most commonly endorsed were stress (.58, .53–.63) and sleep (.41, .36–.47). Conclusions Extreme heterogeneity characterizes the headache trigger literature. Most individuals with a primary headache disorder perceive their attacks to be triggered by one or more precipitants, the most common of which are stress and sleep. However, trigger endorsement is influenced by method of assessment. Enhancing methodological consistency and prioritizing experimental studies would improve our understanding of headache triggers.
Baroreflex dysfunction and augmented sympathetic nerve responses during mental stress in veterans with post‐traumatic stress disorder

Patients with post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at a significantly higher risk of developing hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The mechanisms underlying this increased risk are not known. Studies have suggested that PTSD patients have an overactive sympathetic nervous system (SNS) that could contribute to cardiovascular risk; however, sympathetic function has not previously been rigorously evaluated in PTSD patients. Using direct measurements of sympathetic nerve activity and pharmacological manipulation of blood pressure, we show that veterans with PTSD have augmented SNS and haemodynamic reactivity during both combat‐related and non‐combat related mental stress, impaired sympathetic and cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity, and increased inflammation. Identifying the mechanisms contributing to increased cardiovascular (CV) risk in PTSD will pave the way for developing interventions to improve sympathetic function and reduce CV risk in these patients.
Effect of in-situ formed MgO on the microstructure of thixomolded AZ91 magnesium alloy

ABSTRACT In-situ magnesium matrix nano-composites were produced through a reaction of CO2 with the AZ91 alloy at a semi-solid temperature range. The process was performed at 595°C, which corresponded to about 10% of solid fraction, under shear and mixing conditions generated by a screw-barrel system. As a result, nano-scale native MgO (30–50 nm) and a small amount of Al4C3 carbide within an eutectic consisting of α(Mg), β-Mg17Al12 were formed. Homogeneously distributed α(Mg) globular grains with volume 8–12% were visible. AZ91 composites revealed yield strength of 220 MPa at compression strength of 460 MPa and hardness 103 ± 2 HV.
Chikungunya Virus Seroprevalence and Associated Factors among Hospital Attendees in Two States of Southwest Nigeria: A Preliminary Assessment

ABSTRACT Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging pathogen causing long-term polyarthritis and encephalitis. In conducting a preliminary investigation, we hypothesized that there is no serologic evidence of CHIKV infection among attendees of selected hospitals in Lagos and Osun States, Nigeria. Sera from 304 consecutively selected participants were screened for CHIKV IgG and IgM using ELISA. Findings were analyzed vis-à-vis participants’ demographic and clinical data. Over 90.0% of the participants had never heard of CHIKV despite the fact that a large proportion of them (88.8%) had secondary/tertiary education. Overall, 41.8% were positive for, at least, one antibody type (IgG or IgM), while about 16.0% of the participants had dual seropositivity (CHIKV IgG and IgM) with gender as associated factor (odds ratio [OR]: 2.8, p = 0.03). Prevalence rates were 31.8% and 38.4% for CHIKV IgG and IgM, respectively. Only hospital location (Osogbo) was associated with CHIKV IgG (OR: 2.2, p = 0.009), while gender alone was associated with CHIKV IgM (OR: 3.0, p = 0.001). Participants seropositive for CHIKV antibodies were mostly adults (18–59 yrs) belonging to the active work-force; five (22.7%) and three (20.0%) of the pregnant participants had CHIKV IgG and IgM, respectively. Detection of CHIKV IgM in some participants might make them potentially infectious to the newborn and mosquito vectors. Importantly, participants positive for either IgG or IgM had fever (72.8%, 67.2%) and general body pains (61.7%, 57.6%), respectively. This ELISA-based study revealed serologic evidence of CHIKV infection among hospital attendees in Lagos and Osun states with the group-specific prevalence rates being considerably high. Abbreviations:Chikungunya virus (CHIKV); Chikungunya (CHIK); enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); immunoglobulin G or M (IgG/IgM); odds ratio (OR); non-structural proteins (nsP); hemagglutination inhibiting (HI); complement fixing (CF); neutralization test (NT); immunofluorescence assay (IFA); plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT); confidence interval (CI); analysis of variance (ANOVA); body temperature (BT); Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change (BNRCC).
Food ingestion in an upright sitting position increases postprandial amino acid availability when compared with food ingestion in a lying down position.

Dietary protein digestion and absorption kinetics determine the postprandial increase in muscle protein synthesis. We recently demonstrated that body position during feeding can modulate the postprandial rise in plasma amino acid availability. Here we investigated whether protein ingestion in an upright sitting body position accelerates gastric emptying and improves dietary protein digestion and subsequent amino acid absorption compared with feeding in a supine lying body position. In a crossover design, 8 young males (age, 26 ± 1 years; body mass index, 24.0 ± 0.9 kg·m-2) ingested 20 g intrinsically l-[1-13C]-phenylalanine-labeled milk protein plus 1.5 g paracetamol while sitting in an upright position or lying down in a supine position. Blood samples were collected frequently during a 5-h postprandial period. Gastric emptying rates and dietary protein digestion and absorption were assessed using plasma paracetamol and amino acid concentrations as well as plasma l-[1-13C]-phenylalanine enrichments. Peak plasma leucine concentrations were higher when protein was ingested in an upright sitting versus lying position (213 ± 15 vs 193 ± 12 μmol·L-1, P < 0.05), which was accompanied by a trend for a greater overall leucine response (13 989 ± 720 vs 11 875 ± 1073 AU, respectively; P = 0.05). Peak plasma paracetamol concentrations were higher in the sitting versus lying treatment (11.6 ± 0.5 vs 9.3 ± 0.6 mg·L-1, P < 0.05). Protein ingestion in an upright sitting position accelerates gastric emptying and increases the postprandial rise in plasma amino acid availability by increasing protein digestion and amino acid absorption rates. Therefore, feeding in an upright body position as opposed to a lying position is an important prerequisite to allow proper postprandial muscle protein accretion.
EAGRE: Towards scalable I/O efficient SPARQL query evaluation on the cloud

To benefit from the Cloud platform's unlimited resources, managing and evaluating huge volume of RDF data in a scalable manner has attracted intensive research efforts recently. Progresses have been made on evaluating SPARQL queries with either high-level declarative programming languages, like Pig [1], or a sequence of sophisticated designed MapReduce jobs, both of which tend to answer the query with multiple join operations. However, due to the simplicity of Cloud storage and the coarse organization of RDF data in existing solutions, multiple join operations easily bring significant I/O and network traffic which can severely degrade the system performance. In this work, we first propose EAGRE, an Entity-Aware Graph compREssion technique to form a new representation of RDF data on Cloud platforms, based on which we propose an I/O efficient strategy to evaluate SPARQL queries as quickly as possible, especially queries with specified solution sequence modifiers, e.g., PROJECTION, ORDER BY, etc. We implement a prototype system and conduct extensive experiments over both real and synthetic datasets on an in-house cluster. The experimental results show that our solution can achieve over an order of magnitude of time saving for the SPARQL query evaluation compared to the state-of-art MapReduce-based solutions.
Attributes of Conscientiousness Throughout the Animal Kingdom: An Empirical and Evolutionary Overview

Conscientiousness is a fundamental aspect of human personality, one that is closely linked with various favorable life outcomes. Despite its importance in humans, conscientiousness has received little attention as to how it may have evolved, or whether it provides similar fitness benefits in other animals. To date, research in animal personality has found consistent support for the presence of all major dimensions of human personality in other animals except conscientiousness. In this review, we investigate conscientiousness at the level of traits and facets (clusters of closely related traits). A systematic review of the literature retrieved 876 relevant publications describing attributes of conscientiousness in other animal species. A factor analysis of citation counts revealed 2 major dimensions representing 9 distinct facets of conscientiousness in nonhumans. These facets, together with their underlying personality traits, exhibit individual variability, are generally known to be heritable, and often offer clear fitness benefits to individuals. Other facets of conscientiousness appear to be unique to humans. Publication biases, research biases, and anthropomorphism may all play a role in the structure of the evidence we report. We conclude by suggesting fruitful areas of future research to further elucidate the presence and functional roles of conscientiousness in animals.
Warped Convolutions: Efficient Invariance to Spatial Transformations

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are extremely efficient, since they exploit the inherent translation-invariance of natural images. However, translation is just one of a myriad of useful spatial transformations. Can the same efficiency be attained when considering other spatial invariances? Such generalized convolutions have been considered in the past, but at a high computational cost. We present a construction that is simple and exact, yet has the same computational complexity that standard convolutions enjoy. It consists of a constant image warp followed by a simple convolution, which are standard blocks in deep learning toolboxes. With a carefully crafted warp, the resulting architecture can be made equivariant to a wide range of two-parameter spatial transformations. We show encouraging results in realistic scenarios, including the estimation of vehicle poses in the Google Earth dataset (rotation and scale), and face poses in Annotated Facial Landmarks in the Wild (3D rotations under perspective).
The Clinical Utility of Measuring IgG Subclass Immunoglobulins During Immunological Investigation for Suspected Primary Antibody Deficiencies

Abstract Measurement of IgG subclass concentrations is a standard laboratory test run as part of a panel to investigate the suspicion of antibody deficiency. The assessment is clinically important when total IgG is within the normal age-specific reference range. The measurement is useful for diagnosis of IgG subclass deficiency, to aid the diagnosis of specific antibody deficiency, as a supporting test for the diagnosis of common variable immunodeficiency, as well as for risk stratification of patients with low IgA. The measurement of IgG subclasses may also help determine a revaccination strategy for patients and support patient management. In certain circumstances, the measurement of IgG subclasses may be used to monitor a patient’s humoral immune system. In this review, we discuss the utility of measuring IgG subclass concentrations.
A Novel Soft Actuator for the Musculoskeletal System

The musculoskeletal system (MS) is essential for the movements of biological systems. Inspired by this natural structure, several attempts are made to create a synthetic MS. However, one of the challenges in developing an artificial MS for biomimetic robots is the lack of a high‐performance, low‐cost, light‐weight, and compact artificial muscle. In this Communication, a novel twisted and coiled artificial muscle is demonstrated, which is a promising actuator for the development of the artificial MS. The new muscle is made by twisting a nylon 6 fishing line precursor fiber and wrapping with a very thin (80 µm diameter) resistance wire. The resistance wire is not twisted during twist insertion of the polymer, which is very important for the performance of the muscle. The new muscle termed TCPNCFL is integrated in a 3D printed ball‐and‐socket‐based artificial MS. Characterization results show a remarkable tensile actuation (53% strain provided at 1.69 MPa for an input current of 0.22 A). Furthermore, a bioinspired design and fabrication of the synthetic MS is illustrated incorporating antagonistic pairs capable of reaching a bending angle of 20° within 1 s. These actuators can potentially be used in other soft robots, prosthetics, and orthotics advancing the progress in the area.
Telepresence Robot for Home Care Assistance

Teleoperated from a distant location, a mobile robot with some autonomous capabilities can become a beneficial tool in telehealth applications. Assistive technologies for telementoring in homes constitute a very promising avenue to decrease load on the health care system, reduce hospitalization period and improve quality of life. However, design issues related to such systems are broad and mostly unexplored, but with very few systems currently available commercially. Mobile robots operating in home environments must deal with constrained space and a great variety of obstacles and situations to handle. This paper presents the interdisciplinary design methodology followed to develop Telerobot, a telepresence assistive mobile robot for home care assistance of elderly people. Using field trials with existing platforms, focus groups and interviews, initial requirements for the new mobile robot platform with its augmented video user interfaces are outlined.
Whisker experience‐dependent mGluR signaling maintains synaptic strength in the mouse adolescent cortex

Sensory experience‐dependent plasticity in the somatosensory cortex is a fundamental mechanism of adaptation to the changing environment not only early in the development but also in adolescence and adulthood. Although the mechanisms underlying experience‐dependent plasticity during early development have been well documented, the corresponding understanding in the mature cortex is less complete. Here, we investigated the mechanism underlying whisker deprivation‐induced synaptic plasticity in the barrel cortex in adolescent mice. Layer 4 (L4) to L2/3 excitatory synapses play a crucial role for whisker experience‐dependent plasticity in rodent barrel cortex and whisker deprivation is known to depress synaptic strength at L4–L2/3 synapses in adolescent and adult animals. We found that whisker deprivation for 5 days or longer decreased the presynaptic glutamate release probability at L4–L2/3 synapses in the barrel cortex in adolescent mice. This whisker deprivation‐induced depression was restored by daily administration of a positive allosteric modulator of the type 5 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR5). On the other hand, the administration of mGluR5 antagonists reproduced the effect of whisker deprivation in whisker‐intact mice. Furthermore, chronic and selective suppression of inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3) signaling in postsynaptic L2/3 neurons decreased the presynaptic release probability at L4–L2/3 synapses. These findings represent a previously unidentified mechanism of cortical plasticity, namely that whisker experience‐dependent mGluR5‐IP3 signaling in the postsynaptic neurons maintains presynaptic function in the adolescent barrel cortex.
Fluid Shear Stress and Inner Curvature Remodeling of the Embryonic Heart. Choosing the Right Lane!

Cardiovascular development is directed or modulated by genetic and epigenetic factors. The latter include blood flow-related shear stress and blood pressure-related circumferential strain. This review focuses on shear stress and its effects on endothelial cells lining the inner surfaces of the heart and blood vessels. Flow characteristics of the embryonic blood, like velocity, viscosity and periodicity, are taken into account to describe the responses of endothelial cells to shear stress and the sensors for this friction force. The primary cilium, which is an integral part of the shear sensor, connects to the cytoskeletal microtubules and transmits information about the level and direction of blood flow into the endothelial cell. When the heart remodels from a more or less straight into a c-shaped tube the sharp curvature, in combination with the small vessel dimensions and high relative viscosity, directs the highest shear stress to the inner curvature of this pump. This proves to be an important epigenetic modulator of cardiac morphogenesis because when shear stress is experimentally altered inner curvature remodeling is affected which leads to the development of congenital cardiovascular anomalies. The best of both worlds, mechanics and biology, are used here to describe early cardiogenesis.