Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Family Distress Scale 1 ORIGINAL PAPER The Brief Family Distress Scale : A Measure of Crisis in Caregivers of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often experience stressors associated with caring for their child. These stressors can cause considerable distress for families, which at times can develop into full blown crisis, and it is important that professionals be able to quickly identify when families are approaching or are in crisis to respond appropriately. The current study presents an initial attempt to measure the subjective experience of crisis in 164 caregivers of people with ASD through a single item instrument, the Brief Family Distress Scale. The BFDS was negatively correlated with helpful coping mechanisms (family hardiness, and parent empowerment), and positive adjustment (caregiver quality of life and positive parenting experiences), and positively correlated with known stressors (severity of aggressive behavior, negative life events) and problematic coping and outcomes (caregiver burden, worry, mental health problems). As expected, caregivers at Marked levels of distress (approaching or in crisis) were significantly different from caregivers at lower levels of distress in nearly all of the dependent variables. Having a quick way of measuring where families are in terms of distress and crisis can be helpful for researchers and clinicians alike.
Effects of carbon source and particle size on nitrogen cycling in aggregated "Bio-Floc" microbial communities

The addition of a carbon source in aquaculture systems can stimulate microbial flocs which take up fish waste and subsequently convert it into a protein source for fish. Microbes utilize nitrogen in different ways depending on the carbon source used; past studies have reported higher rates of N immobilization in flocs treated with glycerol rather than glucose. The proposed hypothesis aims to investigate the effects C sources may have on respiration rates, which would affect N conversion pathways. In this experiment I observed the effects of C source and particle size on respiration rates and nitrogen cycling. I measured oxygen uptake rates (OUR) and N forms NH4, NO3, TDN, and PON to complete a mass balance and find N2 by difference. I also ran a protein assay to confirm higher protein concentration in the glycerol treatment. While results replicated past studies and the glycerol treatment increased protein content, differences between respiration rates and denitrification rates were difficult to determine between treatments during the given time period. Results did show significant protein increase and NH4 removal by glycerol and suggests further research on the mechanism behind this. Microscopy images show stark differences in floc composition between treatments, with hyphal growth dominating glycerol treatments, which may be key to understanding the role of carbon in nitrogen uptake.
Second language acquisition and “real” French: An investigation of subject doubling in the French of Montreal Anglophones

We investigated the French of the first generation of Montreal Anglophones who had had access to French immersion schooling. Our aim was to determine the extent to which these Anglophones had acquired the variable grammar of their Francophone peers and how that was related to the type of French instruction received and to the types of exposure to French. In Montreal French, a subject NP may be “echoed” by a pronoun without emphatic or contrastive effect. Because this is not a feature of standard French, Anglophones who learned French primarily in school were not expected to exhibit it. On the other hand, Anglophones who frequently spent time with Montreal Francophones were expected to have picked it up. To test this hypothesis, we used a database of speech from 29 speakers, varying in their quantity and type of exposure to French. Multivariate analyses determined the degree of correlation of several linguistic and social factors (related to type and quantity of exposure to French) to the presence of a doubled subject. These data were then compared with that for L1 French. Speakers who were more nativelike with respect to the rate of subject doubling and effects of linguistic factors were those who had had more contact with native speakers, especially as adults.We thank Pierrette Thibault and Gillian Sankoff for graciously allowing us to use this corpus. The interviews in French, which provide the linguistic data and some sociological data, were conducted by Hélène Blondeau, Marie-Odile Fonollosa, Lucie Gagnon, and Gillian Sankoff. The follow-up interviews in English, which provide additional sociological data, were conducted by Naomi Nagy. The authors gratefully acknowledge the interviewers' work, the helpful comments of two anonymous reviewers, and the support of a Summer Research Fellowship from the University of New Hampshire to the first author in 1997.
Quantifying an Adherence Path-Specific Effect of Antiretroviral Therapy in the Nigeria PEPFAR Program

ABSTRACT Since the early 2000s, evidence has accumulated for a significant differential effect of first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load suppression. This finding was replicated in our data from the Harvard President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program in Nigeria. Investigators were interested in finding the source of these differences, that is, understanding the mechanisms through which one regimen outperforms another, particularly via adherence. This question can be naturally formulated via mediation analysis with adherence playing the role of a mediator. Existing mediation analysis results, however, have relied on an assumption of no exposure-induced confounding of the intermediate variable, and generally require an assumption of no unmeasured confounding for nonparametric identification. Both assumptions are violated by the presence of drug toxicity. In this article, we relax these assumptions and show that certain path-specific effects remain identified under weaker conditions. We focus on the path-specific effect solely mediated by adherence and not by toxicity and propose an estimator for this effect. We illustrate with simulations and present results from a study applying the methodology to the Harvard PEPFAR data. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Marangoni spreading due to a localized alcohol supply on a thin water film

Bringing two miscible fluids into contact naturally generates strong gradients in surface tension. Here, we investigate such a Marangoni-driven flow by continuously supplying isopropyl alcohol (IPA) on a film of water, using micron-sized droplets of IPA-water mixtures. These droplets create a localized depression in surface tension that leads to the opening of a circular, thin region in the water film. At the edge of the thin region, there is a growing rim that collects the water of the film, reminiscent of Marangoni spreading due to locally deposited surfactants. In contrast to the surfactant case, the driving by IPA-water drops gives rise to a dynamics of the thin zone that is independent of the initial layer thickness. The radius grows as r ∼ t 1/2, which can be explained from a balance between Marangoni and viscous stresses. We derive a scaling law that accurately predicts the influence of the IPA flux as well as the thickness of the thin film at the interior of the spreading front.
Point-of-use arsenic removal from drinking water in Nepal using coagulation and filtration

Arsenic contamination of groundwater was discovered in the Terai, the southern region of Nepal, in the late 1990’s. This poses a serious public health risk as the majority of the population in the region relies on tubewell water as the main source their water. In order to address the problem, a non-governmental organization, the Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) in Nepal, has been working to find a solution by providing a cost effective arsenic treatment system that can be implemented at the household level. In 2001, ENPHO has started distributing one such treatment system that utilizes coagulation and filtration as a treatment technique as a part of a large-scale pilot program. The purpose of this study, conducted in Nepal and in the United States from January to April, 2002 as part of the 2001-2002 Nepal Water Project, was to evaluate the ENPHO Arsenic Removal System on the basis of technical performance while considering the cost as well as social acceptability. Initial field evaluation in Nepal showed that the ENPHO Arsenic Removal System, prior to recent modifications in coagulant dose and procedure made by ENPHO, could not achieve adequate arsenic removal from the arsenic contaminated drinking well water, mainly due to insufficient coagulant dose. However, additional evaluation showed that with the modified coagulant dose and procedure, the ENPHO Arsenic Removal System is able to reliably reduce arsenic concentrations below the interim Nepali Standard of 50 μg/L. Further investigations in the U.S. indicated that the modified coagulant dose seems to be appropriate. In addition, experimental results showed that it may be possible to modify the procedure in order to improve the usability of the system without significantly sacrificing arsenic removal efficiency. Thesis Supervisor: Susan Murcott Title: Lecture, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Performance Evaluation of SARDA: An Individual Aircraft-Based Advisory Concept for Surface Management

Surface operations at airports in the US are based on tactical operations, where departure aircraft primarily queue up and wait at the departure runways. NASA's Spot And Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) tool was developed to address these inefficiencies through Air Traffic Control Tower advisories. The SARDA system is being updated to include collaborative gate hold, either tactically or strategically. This paper presents the results of the human-in-the-loop evaluation of the tactical gate hold version of SARDA in a 360 simulated tower setting. The simulations were conducted for the east side of the Dallas/Fort Worth airport. The new system provides gate hold, Ground Controller and Local Controller advisories based on a single scheduler. Simulations were conducted with SARDA on and off, the off case reflecting current day operations with no gate hold. Scenarios based on medium (1.2x current levels) and heavy (1.5x current levels) traffic were explored. Data collected from the simulation were analyzed for runway usage, delay for departures and arrivals, and fuel consumption. Further, Traffic Management Initiatives were introduced for a subset of the aircraft. Results indicated that runway usage did not change with the use of SARDA, i.e., there was no loss in runway throughput as compared to baseline. Taxiing delay was significantly reduced with the use of advisory by 45% in medium scenarios and 60% in heavy. Observed gate-holds were less than 15 minutes in all but one scenario, and even in this scenario 95% of the aircraft had a gate hold of less than 15 minutes. Arrival delay was unaffected by the use of advisory. Total fuel consumption was also reduced by 23% in medium traffic and 33% in heavy. TMI compliance appeared unaffected by the advisory.
Fluorescence Interferometry of Neuronal Cell Adhesion on Microstructured Silicon

We measured the separation of cell membranes from a surface of silica with nanometer precision taking advantage of the fluorescence of an organic dye in the standing modes of light above silicon. For neural cells from rat brain we found about 105 nm on a surface coated with laminin and about 60 nm with fibronectin. No plaques of close adhesion were seen within a lateral resolution of 400 nm. The wide homogeneous cleft raises the question about the nature of the attractive and repulsive forces in cell adhesion. [S0031-9007(98)07867-3]
Changes in Excitability of the Motor Cortex Associated with Internal Model Formation during Intrinsic Visuomotor Learning in the Upper Arm

Previous studies have shown that the primary motor cortex (M1) may drive part of the feed forward control of well learnt simple movements by specifying patterns of muscle activation. This study explored the role of the M1 in the feed forward control of newly formed movement patterns after motor adaptation. Ten healthy right-handed subjects performed planar, centre-out arm reaching movement trials with a robotic manipulandum in three phases: a null force field (baseline), a velocity-dependent force field (adaptation; 25 Nsm-1) and again in a null force field (deadaptation). Reaching error and voluntary EMG were recorded from the biceps and triceps before, during and after motor adaptation. We also explored the effects of motor adaptation on evoked responses to single and paired pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation from the same muscles at different delays after a visual go command, but before the onset of voluntary muscle activity. After the force field was removed, subjects produced reaching overshoot characteristic of adaptive internal model formation. Following motor adaptation, there was a significant increase in corticospinal excitability, reduction in short interval intracortical inhibition and increase in short interval intracortical facilitation that was associated with a sustained increase in voluntary muscle activity in the biceps. The adaptation-driven increase in reaching overshoot coupled with the increase in voluntary activity, corticospinal and intracortical excitability in the biceps suggests that the M1 may specify some of the feed forward components of newly learnt internal models through the control of specific muscles.
The past, present, and future of gaze-enabled handheld mobile devices: survey and lessons learned

While first-generation mobile gaze interfaces required special-purpose hardware, recent advances in computational gaze estimation and the availability of sensor-rich and powerful devices is finally fulfilling the promise of pervasive eye tracking and eye-based interaction on off-the-shelf mobile devices. This work provides the first holistic view on the past, present, and future of eye tracking on handheld mobile devices. To this end, we discuss how research developed from building hardware prototypes, to accurate gaze estimation on unmodified smartphones and tablets. We then discuss implications by laying out 1) novel opportunities, including pervasive advertising and conducting in-the-wild eye tracking studies on handhelds, and 2) new challenges that require further research, such as visibility of the user's eyes, lighting conditions, and privacy implications. We discuss how these developments shape MobileHCI research in the future, possibly the next 20 years.
Usefulness of Faecal Markers in Cow’s Milk Protein Immunomediated Reactions

Cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) affects children most commonly than adults, with symptoms usually developing before 1 year of age and within 1 week after the intake of cow’s milk. Food allergies can be divided into: IgE mediated and non-IgE mediat‐ ed. Some reactions may include both mechanisms (mixed type). The most studied faecal Mar-kers, so far, are calprotectin, Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), beta-defensin and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP). Calprotectin belongs to the S-100 family of calcium-binding proteins and seems to be involved in the regulation of inflammation. Faecal calprotectin (FC) values are significantly higher in infants suspected of having CMPA than in a comparison group of healthy infants. Moreover, there is a significant decrease in FC in infants with CMPA after a period of dietary antigen elimination, although levels use to remain higher than in age- and diet-matched comparisons. TNF-α is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation and is one of the cytokines that make up the acute phase reaction. TNF-α expression in the epithelial cells and mononuclear cells in the lamina propria is markedly increased in FPIES patients. TNF-α is also increased in the stools of patients with gastrointestinal milk allergy after milk challenge. Defensins are small (~29 to 42 amino acid) cationic arginine and cysteine rich, amphipathic peptides with a molecular weight of 3–5 kDa. They can be classified into three groups: α-, β- and θ-defensins. Among them, only α- and β-defensins are expressed in humans. Defensins display various functions, including antimicrobial activity and also act as chemoattractant. They contribute to host immunity and to ly in patients with immediate-type reactions to the cow’s milk challenge whereas faecal TNF-α enhances in those with delayed-type reactions, confirming the different pathogenesis (IgE mediated and non-IgE mediated) of these two types of reactions. Can fecal calprotectin level be used as a markers of inflammation in the diagnosis and follow-up of protein
EVALUATING POTENTIAL EXPOSURES TO ECOLOGICAL RECEPTORS DUE TO TRANSPORT OF HYDROPHOBIC ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN SUBSURFACE SYSTEMS

The occurrence of substantial concentrations of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or dioxin in ground water presents a conundrum in that HOCs are generally immobile in subsurface systems. For systems in which there is hydraulic connection between the contaminated aquifer and downgradient surface water bodies, assessment of ecological exposure to HOCs may be required. Mechanisms that may enhance subsurface HOC migration include increases in solubility due to cosolvency with other mobile organic constituents in the plume, and the association of HOCs with mobile colloids within the aquifer. HOC transport by either mechanism can be affected by the site-contaminant source composition, the geophysical characteristics of the hydrologic system, and the dynamics of subsurface chemistry, which can affect sorption of the HOC (chemical partitioning) to mobile (e.g., colloidal) or immobile subsurface solids. This technical paper recommends several types of screening assessments to evaluate site conditions for the potential to enhance transport of HOCs, as well as site artifacts that result from inadequate well installation and sampling procedures within a ground-water monitoring network. These assessments are incorporated into a suggested three-tiered decision analysis process that provides a summarized view of the upland, contaminant source characteristics that need evaluation in order to establish if facilitated transport of HOCs may occur at a given site. The decision analysis process attempts to address all potential mechanisms that can result in HOC transport to surface water. The potential transport pathways (tiers) considered in the decision analysis process are (1) nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) as primary transport medium, (2) ground water as primary transport medium, and (3) mobile colloids as primary transport medium. Visual inspection of site conditions within surface water bodies that are located along the flow path originating from upgradient source areas can support estimates of plume discharge locations based on screening evaluations of aquifer conditions. Along with subsequent examination of HOC concentrations in sediment solids and pore water from suspect locations, this preliminary site assessment provides the basis for establishing a monitoring network to map out the dimensions of the migrating plume and the zone of impact within the surface water body. Delineation of the spatial extent and magnitude of contaminant flux migrating across the GW/SW transition zone will ultimately help target approaches to estimate the extent of
The Effects of Sample Transport by Pneumatic Tube System on Routine Hematology and Coagulation Tests

Background Automation helps improve laboratory operational efficiency and reduce the turnaround time. Pneumatic tube systems (PTS) automate specimen transport between the lab and other areas of the hospital. Its effect on complete blood count (CBC) and coagulation is still controversial. Aim To study the effects of pneumatic tube system sample transport on complete blood count and coagulation parameters to compare them with hand delivered samples. Methods 75 paired samples for complete blood count and 25 paired samples for coagulation analysis were compared between samples sent via pneumatic tube system and hand delivered system. Results PTS showed significant decrease in red cell indices such as MCV and RDW and increase in MCHC. Other red cell parameters and WBC parameters showed no statistical significant difference. Statistically significant increase in platelet count was observed with PTS samples. However, these differences were clinically insignificant. No significant effect of PTS was found in PT and APTT samples compared to the hand delivered samples. Conclusion Despite statistically significant changes in RBC parameters such as MCV, RDW, and MCHC and platelet count, these changes were clinically insignificant. Hence, blood samples for CBC and coagulation assay can safely be transported via our hospital's PTS. However, further studies on platelet count are warranted to ensure safe transport and accuracy of the results.
Heterogeneous agent-enabled decision system for evaluating Green IT performance in industrial environments

ABSTRACT This article implements heterogeneous agent-enabled decision systems that provide a Green IT nomenclature to be implemented by IT practitioners in an industrial environment. Moreover, the system evaluates and ranks the current Green IT performance in an industrial environment. Data was collected using questionnaire from selected industries in Malaysia and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) by applying descriptive and factor analysis to test the usability of the agent-based evaluating system. Respectively, findings from this study indicate that the heterogeneous agents facilitate decision-making of IT practitioners by providing information on how they improve their current Green IT practice towards addressing environmental issues. Besides, the system reduces the time and cost of Green IT practice implementation by capturing, retaining and reusing past knowledge for improved decision-making. Practically, the system provides decision support by providing best-practice recommendations to IT practitioners on Green IT nomenclature to be implemented in their industrial operations.