Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resting-state Gamma-band EEG Abnormalities in Autism*

Gamma-band rhythmic abnormalities have been of significant interests in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Most studies used magnetoencephalography (MEG) due to its advantage in measuring weak gamma signals as compared to electroencephalography (EEG). However, EEG is more accessible, portable, and importantly, more sensitive to cortical sources located at the crowns of gyri, than MEG. Therefore, it is extremely valuable if EEG can be used to detect gamma-band abnormalities in ASD, which could provide complementary insights on pathology of ASD. One challenge in detecting gamma-band neural activities is to remove muscular artifacts, which share the same frequency band. In the present study, we used a previously developed time-frequency independent component analysis (ICA)approach to probe EEG gamma-band abnormalities in ASD. We examined functional connectivity (FC) patterns on intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs), i.e., the ICs representing distributed neural activities obtained from ICA, using the metrics of spectral power of individual ICNs and coherence between different ICNs. Seven ICNs that reassembled ICNs obtained from EEG data in the band of 2–30 Hz, were successfully identified in the gamma-band (31–50 Hz) data by the approach. Local over-connectivity in the bilateral frontal and left parietal ICNs, as well as long-range under-connectivity between left and right motor ICNs, were observed in ASD. In addition, the age-related effect was identified in the left motor and left parietal ICNs in healthy control, but not in ASD. These findings demonstrated a mixed pattern of gamma-band FC changes in ASD. It further indicated that the developed approach is promising in reconstructing gamma-band patterns from resting-state EEG signals.
Pedagogical Change in Mathematics Learning: Harnessing the Power of Digital Game-Based Learning

Technological applications, especially the use of multimedia courseware have become more common in today’s education, stimulating innovative approaches in teaching and learning. With the growing interest of integrating information and communication technologies (ICTs) into learning and teaching, the use of multimedia technology and digital games offered an alternate method of instruction. Multimedia objects play an important role in the classroom setting because of its ability to provide a virtual environment for learners to effectively acquire knowledge. This paper presents part of the findings of a research project that focused on the advantages of multimedia technology and the benefits of digital game-based learning. By using sample lessons from an interactive multimedia courseware called “DigiGEMs,” this paper emphasizes the use of digital games as a vital tool in mathematics learning. The study sets out to examine if a positive attitude exists among young learners towards the learning of mathematical concepts. The DigiGEMs is targeted at primary school children aged between 7 to 9 years old, who can practice mathematical thinking skills in an appealing manner. This paper also describes the efficacy of using multimedia and game-based approaches to motivate mathematical learnings among Primary 1 to 3 students. The research findings corroborate with the hypothesis that digital game-based learning is more effective than traditional class-based learning in acquiring mathematical knowledge. It is hoped that the discussion in this paper will encourage other researchers to not only conduct further studies on children’s learnings in the context of digital game-based learning environment in mathematics, but also to adopt game based-learning for other subjects such as science and languages in which the above elements (i.e., multimedia objects and digital games) are cohesively and dynamically integrated to optimise the
Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Acanthamoeba isolates in tap water of Beni-Suef, Egypt

The genus Acanthamoeba is a free-living amoeba widely distributed in various aquatic environments. It is an etiologic cause of amoebic encephalitis and keratitis particularly for immunocompromised individuals. The purpose of the present study was to investigate Acanthamoeba species prevalence in household and hospital potable water in Beni-Suef governorate, Egypt, and to employ sequencing methods to identify positive Acanthamoeba species isolates and their potential health risks. Sixty tap water samples (30 household and 30 governmental and private hospital settings) collected from Beni-Suef governorate, Egypt were filtered, cultured on non-nutrient agar, identified by morphotyping keys after staining with Giemsa stain and then confirmed by PCR using Acanthamoeba specific primers. Twenty positive samples were successfully genetically characterized and phylogenetically analyzed to identify Acanthamoeba species. The total detection rate for Acanthamoeba was 48/60 (80%); Acanthamoeba contamination in water collected from domestic houses was higher than in hospitals; 27/30 (90%) versus 21/30 (70%) with statistical significant value (P value = 0.05). Sequencing of 20 positive isolates revealed Acanthamoeba T4 in 65% and T2 in 35%. To our knowledge, this is the first research that documents the occurrence and phylogeny of Acanthamoeba species in Beni-Suef, Egypt. The presence of a higher percentage of Acanthamoeba species in tap water, in particular T4, highlights the potential health hazards for immunocompromised individuals and emphasizes the urgent need for the implementation of effective filtration and disinfection measures.
Topical Application of a Vitamin A Derivative and Its Combination With Non-ablative Fractional Laser Potentiates Cutaneous Influenza Vaccination

Skin contains a large number of antigen presenting cells, making intradermal (ID) injection one of the most effective ways for vaccine administration. However, although current adjuvants may cause severe local reactions and inflammations in the skin, no adjuvant has been approved for ID vaccination so far. Here, we report that topical application of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a vitamin A derivative produced in the human body, augmented cutaneous influenza vaccination. The adjuvant effects were evaluated in a murine vaccination/challenge model by using A/California/07/2009 pandemic vaccine (09V) or a seasonal influenza vaccine (SIV). ATRA drove a Th2-biased immune response, as demonstrated by profoundly elevated IgG1 titer rather than IgG2 titer. Combining ATRA with a non-ablative fractional laser (NAFL), which represents a new category of vaccine adjuvant utilizing physical stimuli to induce self-immune stimulators, further enhanced the efficacy of influenza vaccines with a more balanced Th1/Th2 immune response. The dual adjuvant strengthened cross-reactive immune responses against both homogenous and heterogeneous influenza viral strains. Analysis of gene expression profile showed that ATRA/NAFL stimulated upregulation of cytosolic nucleic acid sensors and their downstream factors, leading to a synergistic elevation of type I interferon expression. Consistent with this finding, knocking out IRF3 or IRF7, two key downstream regulatory factors in most nucleic acid sensing pathways, resulted in a significant decrease in the adjuvant effect of ATRA/NAFL. Thus, our study demonstrates that the self molecule ATRA could boost cutaneous influenza vaccination either alone or ideally in combination with NAFL.
Concentrations, Distributions, and Risk Assessment of HBCD in Sediment in the Weihe River Basin in Northwest China

As one of the most widely used brominated flame retardants, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is found widely in the environmental media. In this study, the content and spatial distribution of HBCD and risk posed by HBCD in surface sediment in the Weihe River Basin in Northwest China were investigated. The HBCD concentration ranged nd–4.04 ng/g dw with the mean was 0.45 ng/g dw. The major source of HBCD in surface sediment was local point discharge. The distribution profiles of α-, β-, γ-HBCD were 24.7–87.9%, 0–42.0%, and 0–67.1%, respectively. Specially, α-HBCD was the dominating isomer in most sample sites. This differed significantly from that in HBCD technical product, which might be attributed to the different degradation rates and inter-transformation of the three HBCD isomers. Risk quotient method was used to assess the potential risk posed by HBCD in sediment. HBCD do not pose strong risks to aquatic algae organisms in the Weihe River Basin.
Evaluation of sperm DNA fragmentation index, Zinc concentration and seminal parameters from infertile men with varicocele

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of varicocele on DNA fragmentation index (DFI), zinc concentration and seminal parameters in infertile patients. In this prospective study, 179 men with at least 1‐year history of infertility and varicocele were examined for semen quality at Hanoi Medical University Hospital (HMUH), Hanoi, Vietnam. In addition, an inverse correlation between zinc concentration and the degree of sperm DNA fragmentation in patients with clinical varicocele was found. The difference in mean values of sperm DNA fragmentation index in patients with various grades of varicoceles can be neglected, whereas most patients with varicocele of grades II and III had DFI >30%. Varicocele is associated with high levels of DNA damage in spermatozoa and reduced zinc levels that correlate with different grades of disease. Therefore, DNA fragmentation index and zinc concentration can be used as essential additional diagnostic test for patients with clinical varicocele. A study should be conducted to evaluate the benefits of zinc supplementation to improve seminal parameters in patients with varicocele.
Eigen Posture Based Fall Risk Assessment System Using Kinect

Postural Instability (PI) is a major reason for fall in geriatric population as well as for people with diseases or disorders like Parkinson’s, stroke etc. Conventional stability indicators like Berg Balance Scale (BBS) require clinical settings with skilled personnel’s interventions to detect PI and finally classify the person into low, mid or high fall risk categories. Moreover these tests demand a number of functional tasks to be performed by the patient for proper assessment. In this paper a machine learning based approach is developed to determine fall risk with minimal human intervention using only Single Limb Stance exercise. The analysis is done based on the spatiotemporal dynamics of skeleton joint positions obtained from Kinect sensor. A novel posture modeling method has been applied for feature extraction along with some traditional time domain and metadata features to successfully predict the fall risk category. The proposed unobstrusive, affordable system is tested over 224 subjects and is able to achieve 75% mean accuracy on the geriatric and patient population.
Patient‐reported outcome measures for facial skin cancer: a systematic review and evaluation of the quality of their measurement properties

Skin cancer is the commonest malignancy worldwide, often occurring on the face. Both the condition and treatment can lead to scarring and facial disfigurement, affecting a patient's health‐related quality of life (HRQoL), which can be measured using patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs).
Low-Complexity Elliptic Curve Cryptography Processor Based on Configurable Partial Modular Reduction Over NIST Prime Fields

We proposed a high-performance elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) processor over NIST prime fields. Instead of applying a full modular reduction to a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2{k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-bit product, the proposed partial modular reduction method iteratively performs reductions on partial products whose bit length is slightly greater than <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, where <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is the bit length of field elements. As a result, the computational complexity of modular multiplication (MM) was significantly reduced. Moreover, the amount of computation is configurable by parameterizing the size of the partial products. This is a very desirable characteristic of the proposed ECC processor, because the hardware complexity and processing time of the entire ECC processor can be adjusted according to the requirements of various Internet of Things environments. Including the proposed MM module, finite field operation modules are integrated into a single module to further reduce the required resources. The proposed ECC processor synthesized using 180-nm CMOS process technology can perform a 256-bit elliptic curve point multiplication in 0.20–0.74 ms with 144.8k–65.4k gate counts. These results and the experimental results in various FPGA devices show that the proposed ECC processor has significantly better throughput per area than the previously reported ones.
Towards Experiencing Eating as a Form of Play

There is an increasing trend in interaction design to engage with food. We note that most prior work targets instrumental benefits (for example see food tracking apps to manage nutritional intake). In contrast, in this article, we highlight the potential of technology to support eating as a form of play. We reflect on our own work to articulate two design strategies for game designers on how they can facilitate playful eating experiences using novel technologies. Ultimately, with our work, we aim to facilitate a more playful engagement around the way we eat.
Case series of non-freezing cold injury: epidemiology and risk factors

Background Non-freezing cold injury (NFCI) occurs when the peripheral tissue is cooled sufficiently that damage occurs, but not to the point of tissue freezing. Historically, the phenotype of the injuries studied was often severe, and it is unclear whether knowledge gained from these cases is entirely relevant to the frequently subtle injuries seen today. Methods We therefore sought to characterise a recent case series of 100 patients referred with suspected NFCI to a military UK NFCI clinic. Their demographics, medical history and situational risk factors leading to their injuries were analysed, and comparison was made between those subsequently diagnosed with NFCI (n=76) and those receiving alternate diagnoses (n=24). Results Statistically significant predisposing factors for NFCI in the UK service personnel (SP) were being of African-Caribbean ethnicity and having a short duration of service in the Armed Forces. Past or current smoking was not identified as a risk factor. Injuries were almost always suffered on training exercises (most commonly in the UK); being generally cold and being on static duties were statistically significant situational risk factors. Non-significant trends of risk were also found for having wet clothing, wet boots and immersion. Self-reported dehydration was not found to be a risk factor for NFCI. Conclusions Our demographic findings are in general agreement with those of previous studies. Our situational risk factor findings, however, highlight a pattern of NFCI risk factors to the modern UK SP: winter training exercises, when troops are generally cold and extremities often wet, with static duties frequently implicated in the disease mechanism.
Patterns of regional lung physiology in cystic fibrosis using ventilation magnetic resonance imaging and multiple-breath washout

Hyperpolarised helium-3 (3He) ventilation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and multiple-breath washout (MBW) are sensitive methods for detecting lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). We aimed to explore their relationship across a broad range of CF disease severity and patient age, as well as assess the effect of inhaled lung volume on ventilation distribution. 32 children and adults with CF underwent MBW and 3He-MRI at a lung volume of end-inspiratory tidal volume (EIVT). In addition, 28 patients performed 3He-MRI at total lung capacity. 3He-MRI scans were quantitatively analysed for ventilation defect percentage (VDP), ventilation heterogeneity index (VHI) and the number and size of individual contiguous ventilation defects. From MBW, the lung clearance index, convection-dependent ventilation heterogeneity (Scond) and convection–diffusion-dependent ventilation heterogeneity (Sacin) were calculated. VDP and VHI at EIVT strongly correlated with lung clearance index (r=0.89 and r=0.88, respectively), Sacin (r=0.84 and r=0.82, respectively) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (r=−0.79 and r=−0.78, respectively). Two distinct 3He-MRI patterns were highlighted: patients with abnormal FEV1 had significantly (p<0.001) larger, but fewer, contiguous defects than those with normal FEV1, who tended to have numerous small volume defects. These two MRI patterns were delineated by a VDP of ∼10%. At total lung capacity, when compared to EIVT, VDP and VHI reduced in all subjects (p<0.001), demonstrating improved ventilation distribution and regions of volume-reversible and nonreversible ventilation abnormalities. Ventilation distribution on MRI improves at TLC and two distinct patterns of regional lung disease in CF are highlighted, where abnormal FEV1 is associated with VDP >10%. Ventilation MRI and MBW are highly correlated. http://ow.ly/NvyS30lOP4O
Differential Capacitive Readout Circuit Using Oversampling Successive Approximation Technique

This paper designs a close loop <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Sigma - \Delta $ </tex-math></inline-formula> readout circuit for differential MEMS accelerometer. A technique named oversampling successive approximation (OSA) is employed to build basic amplifiers and integrators. This technique can largely reduce the gain error and thus low gain amplifier such as single stage amplifier is allowed to be used. As a result, the power consumption and chip area are reduced. However, the OSA-based amplifiers and integrators are vulnerable to the interference caused by charge injection and leakage current from the specific MOSFET switches. This drawback is analyzed in detail and the interference suppressing solutions are given. The OSA-based readout circuit is fabricated in a commercial 0.18 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> BCD process. The measurement results show that the interference is reduced by 20 dB in the circuit with interference suppressing solutions compared with the circuit without interference suppressing solutions. And the noise floor is 24 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{g}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/rtHz. The readout circuit achieves a 0.07% gain error with a low power consumption of 0.5 mW and 9 MHz sampling rate.
Impact of Food and Drug Administration Approval of Vismodegib on Prevalence of Orbital Exenteration as a Necessary Surgical Treatment for Locally Advanced Periocular Basal Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE To test the hypothesis that the US Food and Drug Administration approval of vismodegib in early 2012 has reduced the prevalence of orbital exenteration for locally advanced periocular basal cell carcinoma (BCC). METHODS Following institutional review board approval, the authors reviewed clinical and pathological data of patients with locally advanced periocular BCC (T4 per the eyelid carcinoma classification in the 8th edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual) treated by the senior author during 2006-2018. Patients were grouped into those who were treated before February 2012 ("before vismodegib approval") and those who presented later ("after vismodegib approval"). RESULTS Forty-two patients with locally advanced periocular BCC were treated during the study period, of whom 31 were men. The median age at presentation was 66 years (range, 43-90). Twenty-two patients had T4a and 20 had T4b tumors. Thirteen patients were treated before and 29 were treated after vismodegib approval. The 2 groups did not differ in age distribution (p = 0.164), sex distribution (p = 0.270), prevalence of recurrent tumor at presentation (p = 0.317), or duration of treatment with vismodegib (p = 0.605). Orbital exenteration was significantly more prevalent in patients treated before vismodegib approval than after (46% vs. 10%, p = 0.016), and vismodegib treatment was significantly more prevalent in patients treated after vismodegib approval than before (when vismodegib was given in clinical trials; 69% vs. 23%, p = 0.008). There was a trend toward more patients retaining their eyes at last follow-up in patients treated after vismodegib approval (83% vs. 54%, p = 0.066). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of orbital exenteration as a necessary surgical procedure in patients with a locally advanced periocular BCC has fallen since the Food and Drug Administration approval of vismodegib. Although vismodegib is not specifically approved for organ-sparing, it has changed the authors' practice and enabled eye preservation in patients with locally advanced periocular BCC, who would otherwise require an orbital exenteration.
The Immune Mechanisms of Lung Parenchymal Damage in Tuberculosis and the Role of Host-Directed Therapy

Impaired lung function is common in people with a history of tuberculosis. Host-directed therapy added to tuberculosis treatment may reduce lung damage and result in improved lung function. An understanding of the pathogenesis of pulmonary damage in TB is fundamental to successfully predicting which interventions could be beneficial. In this review, we describe the different features of TB immunopathology that lead to impaired lung function, namely cavities, bronchiectasis, and fibrosis. We discuss the immunological processes that cause lung damage, focusing on studies performed in humans, and using chest radiograph abnormalities as a marker for pulmonary damage. We highlight the roles of matrix metalloproteinases, neutrophils, eicosanoids and cytokines, like tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin 1β, as well as the role of HIV co-infection. Finally, we focus on various existing drugs that affect one or more of the immunological mediators of lung damage and could therefore play a role as host-directed therapy.
Anterior fontanelle size among term neonates on the first day of life born at University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Background Anterior fontanelle is the largest, prominent and most important fontanelle, which is used for clinical evaluation. It is mainly characterized by its size and shape variation and is possibly influenced by gender, race and genetics. Understanding the variation of anterior fontanelle is used for recognition of different medical disorders and abnormal skeletal morphogenesis. Objective To determine the mean size of anterior fontanelle among term neonates on the first day of life born at University of Gondar Hospital, Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2018 Methods Descriptive cross sectional study design was undertaken in 384 term and apparently healthy neonates, using standard methods. Descriptive analysis, student t-test, one way ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient were implemented. Results In this study, the mean size of anterior fontanelle in term neonates was 3.00 ± 0.62 cm (range 1.70 – 5.50 cm). The mean size of anterior fontanelle was 3.10 ± 0.66 cm for males, and 2.88 ± 0.57 cm for females. There was statistically significant difference in anterior fontanelle size in neonates of different genders (p<0.001), mode of delivery (p<0.001) and duration of labour (p=0.006). However, the size of anterior fontanelle was not significantly affected by the birth order, onset of labour and sociodemographic variables of the mother except occupation of the mother (p=0.01). There was a significant positive correlation between the mean size of anterior fontanelle with birth weight (r=0.11; p=0.04) and head circumference (r=0.17; p=0.001). Conclusions At term, male neonates had significantly larger anterior fontanelle than female neonates and anterior fontanelle size has a direct relationship with birth weight and head circumference.