Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Computer-based interventions to improve social and emotional skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review

Objective: To review studies involving the use of computer-based interventions (CBI) to improve the social and emotional skills (e.g. emotional recognition) of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Methods: The use of computer-based intervention (CBI) in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may offer some advantages to traditional one-to-one or group instruction including easier differentiation of instruction, decreased distractions and the incorporation of an individual's relative visual learning strengths. However, the results of past research suggest varying outcomes for CBI with individuals with ASD. This review provides a systematic analysis of studies investigating CBI to improve social and emotional skills (e.g. emotion recognition) of individuals with ASD. Electronic database searches and ancestral searches were used to identify studies that met pre-determined inclusion criteria. The included studies were then summarized in terms of: (a) participant characteristics, (b) social and emotional skills targeted, (c) details of the CBI, (d) results, and (e) certainty of evidence. Results: The results of these studies indicated that CBI's effect on social and emotional skills was mixed, with the majority of studies reporting unacceptable outcomes following intervention. Conclusions: Overall, this review suggests that the use of CBI to improve the social and emotional skills of individuals with ASD is a promising practice. A comparison of CBI plus tutoring and face-to-face social skills training suggests that CBI can be as effective as face-to-face instruction. Practitioners should carefully consider the preferences and existing abilities of individuals with ASD and the customizability of the software when deciding to use CBI and selecting a software program.
Protective role of vascular smooth muscle cell PPARγ in angiotensin II-induced vascular disease.

AIMS Vascular peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) activation improves vascular remodelling and endothelial function in hypertensive rodents. The goal of this study was to determine that vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) PPARγ exerts a vascular protective role beyond its metabolic effects. METHODS AND RESULTS We generated a model of adult inducible VSMC-specific Pparγ inactivation to test the hypothesis that PPARγ counteracts angiotensin (Ang) II-induced vascular remodelling and endothelial dysfunction. Inducible VSMC Pparγ knockout mice were generated by crossing Pparγ floxed mice with mice expressing a tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase Smooth muscle (Sm) myosin heavy chain promoter control. Eight-to-ten-week-old SmPparγ(-/-) and control mice were infused with a nonpressor dose of Ang II for 7 days. Blood pressure was unaffected. Mesenteric arteries showed eutrophic remodelling in Ang II-infused control mice and hypertrophic remodelling in Ang II-infused SmPparγ(-/-) mice. Endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine was reduced in SmPparγ(-/-) mice and further impaired by Ang II infusion, and was unaffected by an inhibitor of NO synthase, suggesting a defect of NO-mediated relaxation. SmPparγ deletion increased the sensitivity to Ang II-induced contraction. SmPparγ(-/-) mice exhibited enhanced Ang II-induced vascular NADPH oxidase activity and adhesion molecule ICAM-1 and chemokine monocyte chemotactic protein-1 expression. The antioxidant Superoxide dismutase 3 expression was decreased by SmPparγ deletion. Ang II infusion increased the expression of CD3 T-cell co-receptor chain δ and decreased Adiponectin in perivascular adipose tissue of SmPparγ(-/-) mice. CONCLUSION Inducible Pparγ inactivation in VSMCs exacerbated Ang II-induced vascular remodelling and endothelial dysfunction via enhanced vascular oxidative stress and inflammation, revealing the protective role of VSMC PPARγ in angiotensin II-induced vascular injury.
The immune and the chemical crossover

Among the different mechanisms employed by evolutionary algorithms, it can be argued that recombination, or crossover, is the most original, intuitively appealing and useful in an engineering perspective. It is a simple, but natural trick to combine elements of two good individuals in the hopes of generating a better one and, in particular, by combining the elements that make these solutions good in isolation. The trick of recombination can be seen not only in genetic systems, but also in immune and chemical systems as well. This paper describes and explains these latter recombination mechanisms, first from a biological or chemical perspective, then from an engineering perspective. With regard to crossover in immune systems, several algorithmic mechanisms have already been proposed (e.g. IRM, GA-Simplex, STEP) and these are reviewed. Their basic functionality in each case is the same: new individuals are created in a zone of the search space that is shaped by the position of the current solutions, together with their fitness values. When the immune system proposes a new cell, the profile of this new candidate evidences a huge diversity, providing its adaptive capability, but this is subject to a subsequent "recruitment test" under the selective pressure of the current population of cells. With regard to crossover in chemical reactions, these can be viewed as a combination of computational graphs coupled with the distribution of the fitness values assigned to components in the graphs, as is already evidenced in particular instances of genetic algorithms and genetic programming. The benefits that these new features allow are discussed, along with other possible positive influences that come from chemistry. Finally, the paper shows how chemistry and immunology converge to this same basic message, which is in line with classical optimization techniques: exploit the information contained in the current population of solutions better before proposing a new candidate to be evaluated.
Biomarkers of Mn exposure in humans.

BACKGROUND Studies have reported associations between manganese (Mn) exposures and Mn levels in blood and urine, though the suitability of these biological measures as biomarkers of exposure is not well known. METHODS We evaluated whether whole blood, plasma, and urine Mn levels reflect exposures in occupationally exposed humans. RESULTS In active ferroalloy workers, blood Mn was associated with total air Mn levels in subjects currently exposed to low (median = 0.42 microg/m(3), P = 0.009) and moderate (median = 4.2 microg/m(3), P = 0.007) air Mn levels, but not in workers exposed to the highest Mn levels (median = 292 microg/m(3), P = 0.31). In bridge welders blood Mn (P < 0.01), but not plasma or urine Mn was significantly associated with their cumulative respiratory exposure index. In welders, approximately 6% (range approximately 3-9%) of whole blood Mn was contained in the plasma fraction, though there was no association between whole blood and plasma Mn levels (Pearson's R = 0.258, P = 0.12). In contrast, in fresh whole blood samples spiked with Mn ex vivo approximately 80% or more of added Mn partitioned in the plasma, while only approximately 20% or less partitioned in the cellular fraction. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest a complex and limited relationship between exposure and blood Mn levels that may depend upon exposure attributes and the latency of blood sampling relative to exposure; plasma and urine Mn appear to be of little utility as exposure biomarkers. This underscores the need to fully characterize and validate these or other biomarkers for use in constructing appropriate exposure metrics and determining exposure-effect relationships.
Unsupervised learning of object frames by dense equivariant image labelling

One of the key challenges of visual perception is to extract abstract models of 3D objects and object categories from visual measurements, which are affected by complex nuisance factors such as viewpoint, occlusion, motion, and deformations. Starting from the recent idea of viewpoint factorization, we propose a new approach that, given a large number of images of an object and no other supervision, can extract a dense object-centric coordinate frame. This coordinate frame is invariant to deformations of the images and comes with a dense equivariant labelling neural network that can map image pixels to their corresponding object coordinates. We demonstrate the applicability of this method to simple articulated objects and deformable objects such as human faces, learning embeddings from random synthetic transformations or optical flow correspondences, all without any manual supervision.
ALOPECIA AREATA. AN EVALUATION OF 736 PATIENTS.

Alopecia areata is fairly common and is easily recognized; yet recently published dermatologic textbooks disagree on numerous aspects of the disease, and journals reveal only a few investigative efforts. Most investigators agree that alopecia areata is a manifestation of microscopic inflammatory changes of the pilary unit, though clinical evidence of inflammation is rare. The most frequent form is the isolated, asymptomatic loss of hair from a circumscribed plaque, usually on the scalp, with regrowth in a few months. This benign form may develop gradually into more severe ones, eventuating sometimes in universal alopecia. Some involvement of the nails—pitting, ridging, increased friability, or shedding— occurs in many cases. 8 Alopecia areata has been described as associated with diseases of the endocrine glands, various tension states and emotional shock, errors of refraction, vitiligo, and neurodermatitis, and as a result of reflex irritations from focal lesions such as dental abscesses and from traumatic
The cytopathicity of a simian immunodeficiency virus Mne variant is determined by mutations in Gag and Env

Previous studies suggested that the rapidly replicating, highly cytopathic, syncytium-inducing (rapid-high/SI) phenotype of simian immunodeficiency virus Mne variants that evolved in macaques inoculated with a slowly replicating, minimally cytopathic, non-syncytium-inducing (slow-low/NSI) molecular clone was not solely the result of changes in the envelope surface protein (Env SU). To define the viral determinants responsible for the change in phenotype, we molecularly cloned a rapid-high/SI variant (designated SIVMne170) derived from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of a pig-tailed macaque that was inoculated with a slow-low/NSI molecular clone, SIVMneCL8. SIVMne170 was SI and replicated with faster kinetics and was more cytopathic than the parent SIVMneCL8 in CEMx174 cells. Additionally, SIVMne170 was more cytopathic for the CD4+ T-cell population than SIVMneCL8 in macaque PBMCs. An analysis of chimeric viruses constructed between the variant SIVMne170 and the parent virus SIVMneCL8 demonstrated that there are determinants encoded within both the 5' and 3' halves of SIVMne170 that independently contribute to its rapid-high/SI phenotype. As we previously observed with other SIVMne variants, the Env SU of SIVMne170 was important for syncytium induction but was not a key determinant of cytopathicity. By contrast, the intracellular domain of the envelope transmembrane protein (Env TM) contributed to both the SI and cytopathic properties of SIVMne170. We also found that the minimal determinant within the 5' half of SIVMne170 that conferred its rapid replication kinetics and cytopathicity mapped to the capsid- and nucleocapsid-encoding regions of gag. Together, these data demonstrate that mutations selected in Gag and Env TM intracytoplasmic tail influence the replication and cytopathicity of SIVMne variants that evolve in the host.
Silencing the Hydroxyproline-Rich Glycopeptide Systemin Precursor in Two Accessions of Nicotiana attenuata Alters Flower Morphology and Rates of Self-Pollination1[W][OA]

Systemins and their hydroxyproline-rich glycopeptide systemin (ppHS) subfamily members are known to mediate antiherbivore defenses in some solanaceous taxa but not others; functions other than in defense remain largely unexplored. Nicotiana attenuata's ppHS is known not to function in herbivore defense. NappHS transcripts are abundant in flowers, particularly in pistils, and when two N. attenuata accessions from Utah and Arizona were transformed to silence NappHS by RNAi (IRsys), seed capsule production and seed number per capsule were reduced in both accessions. These reductions in reproductive performance could not be attributed to impaired pollen or ovule viability; hand-pollination of all IRsys lines of both accessions restored seed production per capsule to levels found in wild-type plants. Rather, changes in flower morphology that decreased the efficiency of self-pollination are likely responsible: IRsys plants of both accessions have flowers with pistils that protrude beyond their anthers. Because these changes in flower morphology are reminiscent of CORONATINE-INSENSITIVE1-silenced N. attenuata plants, we measured jasmonates (JAs) and their biosynthetic transcripts in different floral developmental stages, and found levels of JA-isoleucine (Ile)/leucine and threonine deaminase transcripts, which are abundant in wild-type pistils, to be significantly reduced in IRsys buds and flowers. Threonine deaminase supplies Ile for JA-Ile biosynthesis, and we propose that ppHS mediates JA signaling during flower development and thereby changes flower morphology. These results suggest that the function of ppHS family members in N. attenuata may have diversified to modulate flower morphology and thereby outcrossing rates in response to biotic or abiotic stresses.
Depot-Specific Variation in the Osteogenic and Adipogenic Potential of Human Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells

Background: Adipose-derived stromal cells hold promise for use in tissue regeneration. However, multiple facets of their biology remain unclear. The authors examined the variations in osteogenesis and adipogenesis in adipose-derived stromal cells between subcutaneous fat depots and potential molecular causes. Methods: Adipose-derived stromal cells were isolated from human patients from subcutaneous fat depots, including arm, flank, thigh, and abdomen (n = 5 patients). Osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation was performed (alkaline phosphatase, alizarin red, and oil red O staining, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction). Co-cultures were established to assess the paracrine effect of human adipose-derived stromal cells on mouse osteoblasts. Finally, HOX gene expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Subcutaneous fat depots retain markedly different osteogenic and adipogenic potentials. Osteogenesis was most robust in adipose-derived stromal cells from the flank and thigh, as compared with those from the arm and abdomen (p < 0.05 by all markers examined). This was accompanied by elevations of BMP4 and BMPR1B (p < 0.05 by all markers examined). The osteogenic advantage of cells from the flank and thigh was again observed when analyzing the paracrine effects of these cells. Conversely, those cells isolated from the flank had a lesser ability to undergo adipogenic differentiation. Adipose-associated HOX genes were less expressed in flank-derived adipose-derived stromal cells. Conclusions: Variations exist between fat depots in terms of adipose-derived stromal cell osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. Differences in HOX expression and bone morphogenetic protein signaling may underlie these observations. This study indicates that the choice of fat depot derivation of adipose-derived stromal cells may be an important one for future efforts in tissue engineering.
Stance control is not affected by paresis and reflex hyperexcitability: the case of spastic patients

OBJECTIVES Spastic patients were studied to understand whether stance unsteadiness is associated with changes in the control of voluntary force, muscle tone, or reflex excitability, rather than to abnormal posture connected to the motor deficit itself. METHODS Twenty four normal subjects, 12 patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), seven by spastic paraparesis, and 14 by hemiparesis were studied. All patients featured various degrees of spasticity and paresis but were free from clinically evident sensory deficits. Body sway during quiet upright stance was assessed through a stabilometric platform under both eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) conditions. The sudden rotation of a supporting platform, in a toe up and toe down direction respectively, evoked short (SLR) and medium latency (MLR) reflex responses to stretch of the soleus or the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle. RESULTS No relation was found between clinical findings (tone, muscle strength, tendon reflexes, plantar response, and duration of disease) and body sway. On average, all patient groups exhibited a forward shift of the centre of foot pressure (CFP) with respect to normal subjects; in addition, paraparetic and to a much larger extent hemiparetic patients showed a lateral shift of CFP. Body sway area was significantly increased only in the hemiparetic patients. No relation was found between position of the CFP and sway within any patient group. Soleus SLR was increased in all patients with respect to normal subjects. TA SLR was often seen in both patients with ALS and paraparetic patients, but only rarely in normal subjects and hemiparetic patients. However, no relation was found between amplitude of soleus or TA SLRs and stabilometric variables. The frequency and size of soleus MLR and TA MLR were decreased in all patients. These responses were decreased in size and not modulated by background EMG in the affected leg of hemiparetic patients, suggesting a disturbed control of spinal reflexes fed by spindle group II afferent fibres. CONCLUSIONS It is proposed that body posture, paresis, or monosynaptic reflex hyperexcitability do not affect the control of equilibrium during quiet upright stance. In hemiparetic patients, the decreased amplitude of MLRs might be the main cause of the large postural instability. The results are congruent with the hypothesis of a role for group II afferent input in the reflex control of equilibrium.
Building a Fuzzy Model with Transparent Membership Functions through Constrained Evolutionary Optimization

In this paper, a new evolutionary scheme to design a TSK fuzzy model from relevant data is proposed. The identification of the antecedent rule parameters is performed via the evolutionary algorithm with the unique fitness function and the various evolutionary operators, while the identification of the consequent parameters is done using the least square method. The occurrence of the multiple overlapping membership functions, which is a typical feature of unconstrained optimization, is resolved with the help of the proposed fitness function. The proposed algorithm can generate a fuzzy model with transparent membership functions. Through simulations on various problems, the proposed algorithm found a TSK fuzzy model with better accuracy than those found in previous works with transparent partition of input space.
Immunoregulatory actions of melatonin and zinc during chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection

After one century of the discovery of Chagas' disease and the development of an efficient drug with amplitude of actions both in the acute and chronic phase is still a challenge. Alternative immune modulators have been exhaustively used. For that purpose, melatonin and zinc were administered during chronic Trypanosoma cruzi‐infected Wistar rats and several endpoints were assessed. Melatonin has a remarkable functional versatility, being associated with important antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and anti‐apoptotic effects. The cross‐talk between zinc and the immune system includes its ability to influence the production and signaling of numerous inflammatory cytokines in a variety of cell types. Our study showed that zinc triggered a decrease in the generation of IFN‐γ for TCD4+ cells. Reduced percentage of CD4+T cells producing TNF‐α was observed in control melatonin or zinc‐and‐melatonin‐treated animals as compared with untreated rats. On the other hand, a significant increase in the percentage of IL‐4 from CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes producers was observed 60 days after infection, for all zinc‐treated animals, whether infected or not. Melatonin and zinc therapies increased the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes IL‐10 producers. CD4+CD25highFoxp3+ T cells were also elevated in zinc‐ and melatonin‐treated animals. The modulation of the immune system influenced by these molecules affected cytokine production and the inflammatory process during chronic T. cruzi infection. Elucidation of the interplay between cytokine balance and the pathogenesis of Chagas’ disease is extremely relevant not only for the comprehension of the immune mechanisms and clinical forms but, most importantly, also for the implementation of efficient and adequate therapies.
EXPLORING KNOWLEDGE AND HEALTH-SEEKING BEHAVIOUR RELATED TO SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS AMONG THE TRIBAL POPULATION OF MADHYA PRADESH, CENTRAL INDIA

Summary This community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in the tribal population of randomly selected villages of Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh, central India. A total of 200 married men and women aged 15–49 years were interviewed to explore their knowledge, experience and health-seeking behaviour related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Though 91% of respondents were aware of STIs, the sexual route was mentioned by only 19% as the route of transmission. Around 18% reported a need for social isolation from persons with STIs. Though 88% of the respondents felt modern medicine was the best remedy for STIs, only a few of them used medical treatment while suffering from an STI. Twenty-seven per cent of respondents resorted to traditional healers, and 30% utilized home remedies for STI treatment. The study highlights a need for generating STI awareness amongst the tribal population of the region through a needs-based behaviour change communication (BCC) strategy.
How much do nanoparticle fillers improve the modulus and strength of polymer foams?

Nanofiller reinforcing agents can significantly improve the strength and modulus of polymer foams. But these improvements are often accompanied by changes in foam density (or equivalently the expansion ratio or void volume). The efficacy of nanofillers as reinforcing agents can only be judged once the density differences are accounted for. We review the literature and show that representing the data on Ashby charts of modulus against foam density is an effective way of evaluating whether nanofillers have a significant reinforcing effect or not. The literature suggests that strength and improvements due to nanofiller – after accounting for foam density changes – are typically modest for thermoplastic foams. However, major improvements are possible for reactively generated foams, especially flexible polyurethane foams.
Influence of genetic dissimilarity in the reproductive success and mate choice of brown trout – females fishing for optimal MHC dissimilarity

We examined the reproductive success of 48 adult brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) which were allowed to reproduce in a stream that was controlled for the absence of other trout. Parentage analyses based on 11 microsatellites permitted us to infer reproductive success and mate choice preferences in situ. We found that pairs with intermediate major histocompatibility complex (MHC) dissimilarity mated more often than expected by chance. It appears that female choice was the driving force behind this observation because, compared with other individuals, males with intermediate MHC dissimilarity produced a larger proportion of offspring, whereas female reproductive output did not show this pattern. Hence, rather than seeking mates with maximal MHC dissimilarity, as found in several species, brown trout seemed to prefer mates of intermediate MHC difference, thus supporting an optimality‐based model for MHC‐dependent mate choice.