Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How do Girls with Low Functioning Autism Compare to Boys with Autism and Typically Developing Girls with regard to Behavior, Cognition, and Psychopathology?

Abstract Background: The female autism spectrum disorder (ASD) phenotype is currently underresearched. Girls with ASD may differ from boys with ASD, yet few studies have tested this hypothesis, particularly among low functioning individuals. This study compared girls and boys with predominantly low functioning ASD and typically developing girls during middle and late childhood across autism symptoms, cognition, sensory overresponsivity, and co-occurring psychopathology. Methods: Three mental-age–matched groups were compared: girls with ASD (N = 27), boys with ASD (N = 27), and typically developing girls (N = 17). Their ages ranged from 7 to 19 years old. The majority of individuals in the ASD sample had an intelligence quotient of less than 70. Participants were assessed on standard social cognition and attention to detail tasks. Parents completed behavior questionnaires. Results: Mean levels of autism symptoms were not significantly different for boys and girls with ASD, and they were significantly higher than those of typically developing girls. There were some weak trends for boys with ASD to show more compulsive behavior, inattention/hyperactivity and taste sensory overresponsivity than girls with ASD, but differences were not significant after controlling for multiple comparisons. The Block Design task, assessing attention to detail, showed a significant sex difference, with boys with ASD outperforming both girls with ASD and typically developing girls. Conclusions: Predominantly low functioning girls with ASD differed from typically developing girls but did not differ from boys with ASD with regard to their levels of autism symptoms, sensory overresponsivity, or co-occurring psychopathology. These data feed into debates about whether ASD assessment tools require sex-specific criteria and to what degree treatment should be tailored to the sex of the individual.
State-of-the-art multiple outputs high brightness (HB) LED driving technology

In high power HB LED lighting applications, low output voltage LED drivers are preferred due to its low voltage stress and safety requirement, high reliability and safety requirements. However, most LED modules are packaged in low power module, such as 1W and 3W modules. Therefore, more LED strings are required to reduce the forward voltage drop. Since the currents in different LED strings should be kept in same in order to keep same luminance, current sharing techniques must be introduced in multi-output drivers. This paper reviews and compares the state of the art multi-output driving techniques and classified these solutions according to balancing principles.
Early Embryonic Lethality in Mice with Targeted Deletion of the CTP:Phosphocholine Cytidylyltransferase α Gene (Pcyt1a)

ABSTRACT CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT) catalyzes a rate-controlling step in the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho). Multiple CCT isoforms, CCTα, CCTβ2, and CCTβ3, are encoded by two genes, Pcyt1a and Pcyt1b. The importance of CCTα in mice was investigated by deleting exons 5 and 6 in the Pcyt1a gene using the Cre-lox system. Pcyt1a− / − zygotes failed to form blastocysts, did not develop past embryonic day 3.5 (E3.5), and failed to implant. In situ hybridization in E11.5 embryos showed that Pcyt1a is expressed ubiquitously, with the highest level in fetal liver, and CCTα transcripts are significantly more abundant than transcripts encoding CCTβ or phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) N-methyl transferase, two other enzymes capable of producing PtdCho. Reduction of the CCTα transcripts in heterozygous E11.5 embryos was accompanied by upregulation of CCTβ and PtdEtn N-methyltransferase transcripts. In contrast, enzymatic and real-time PCR data revealed that CCTβ (Pcyt1b) expression is not upregulated to compensate for the reduction in CCTα expression in adult liver and other tissues from Pcyt1a +/ − heterozygous mice. PtdCho biosynthesis measured by choline incorporation into isolated hepatocytes was not compromised in the Pcyt1a +/ − mice. Liver PtdCho mass was the same in Pcyt1a +/+ and Pcyt1a + / − adult animals, but lung PtdCho mass decreased in the heterozygous mice. These data show that CCTα expression is required for early embryonic development, but that a 50% reduction in enzyme activity has little detectable impact on the operation of the CDP-choline metabolic pathway in adult tissues.
Multiple reference effects on restaurant evaluations: a cross-cultural study

This paper aims to explore multiple reference effects with regard to customers’ post-consumption evaluations in a cross-cultural context. The authors propose to test an integrative model of three types of reference effects (disconfirmation, attractiveness of alternatives and self-image congruity) and their relationship to customers’ evaluations associated with satisfaction and loyalty. Additional insight into the link between reference points and customer satisfaction is provided by examining the moderating influence of the cultural orientation of customers: South Korean (an Eastern, collectivist and high uncertainty avoidance culture) versus American (a Western, individualistic and low uncertainty avoidance culture). ,The data for this study were collected through a Web-based survey. Based on a sample of 723 Korean and American consumers, multi-group analysis of structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model and the moderating effect of culture. ,Overall, the results indicated that American customers’ use of reference points in their post-consumption evaluations is significantly different from that of Korean customers. Specifically, disconfirmation had a stronger effect on Korean customers than on their American counterparts, whereas the attractiveness of alternatives had a stronger effect on American customers than on those from Korea. Moreover, self-image congruity was found to be equally important in both cultures. ,Owing to the comparison of American and Korean participants in this study, these results may not be applied to customers from other countries. Moreover, the study is limited to post-consumption evaluations in restaurants and generalization of the results to other industries may be ill advised. Thus, further research is required to replicate the results and include customers from different countries in more diverse consumption settings. ,The findings provide useful guidance for efficient marketing strategies to generate positive consumer outcomes across borders. Marketers must consider the interaction of cultures and customers to better understand customer perceptions and evaluations about their experiences. This understanding will enable the marketers to more effectively communicate with their target markets and allow them to tailor advertising to different segments of their customer base contingent upon their cultural orientations. ,Although the role of reference effects has begun to attract considerable interest among consumer behavior researchers, much of this research has been conducted in a single cultural context. Because the global economy is becoming increasingly cross-cultural, it is valuable to conduct international consumer research to further the understanding of consumers’ post-consumption evaluation processes using multiple reference points from a global perspective.
The effect of dexamethasone and glucagon on the expression of hepatocyte plasma membrane proteins during development

The regulation of different maturational processes in the liver is believed to be influenced by the hormonal system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two hormones, glucagon and dexamethasone, on levels of plasma membrane proteins in rat liver cells during late fetal and early postnatal stages of development. For this purpose, 18‐day‐old rat fetuses and 1‐day‐old newborns were treated with glucagon or dexamethasone and killed at 22 days of gestation and 3, 5 and 7 days of age, respectively. Postnuclei liver membranes were isolated using a sucrose gradient method and assessed for levels of specific membrane proteins. Asialoglycoprotein receptor and 110,000 Mr glycoprotein, denoted GP 110, representing the sinusoidal and bile canalicular domains, respectively, were quantitated using the immunoblot method. Membrane enzymes alkaline phosphatase, leucine aminopeptidase and γ‐glutamyl transferase were evaluated using enzymatic methods. The data showed that glucagon and dexamethasone have a differential effect on membrane constituents according to the stage of development. Glucagon increased the levels of membrane enzymes during the late fetal stage but had no effect on liver membrane proteins in the newborn animal. In contrast, although dexamethasone elevated GP 110 in fetal rat livers, none of the other marker proteins was significantly affected. On the other hand, in newborns dexamethasone reduced the amount of asialoglycoprotein receptor and alkaline phosphatase and leucine aminopeptidase enzyme activities but greatly augmented the level of γ‐glutamyl transferase. Thus, glucagon primarily affects plasma membrane proteins in late gestation while dexamethasone does so during the early postnatal period. The roles that these two hormones may play during ontogeny is discussed with respect to liver development.
Establishing international branch campuses: a framework for assessing opportunities and risks

ABSTRACT At the start of 2016, there were 230 international branch campuses operating worldwide, but of the campuses that were established since the mid-1990s, around 10 per cent have failed. The purpose of this article is to propose a framework that the strategic decision makers in higher education institutions can refer to when evaluating opportunities to develop branch campuses in foreign countries. The framework derives from empirical evidence that was the product of a rigorous search of the literature and other secondary sources, and it has drawn upon business management theories such as institutional theory, Porter’s industry-based view, and Barney’s resource-based view. Thematic analysis was used to identify the following themes, or influencing factors, in the data: environmental, industry, and organisational. The framework provides higher education managers with an analytical tool to guide a process of systematic data collection and analysis, which includes reflection on institutional objectives, resources, and competencies. It is likely that the systematic, data-driven approach promoted by the framework will in future reduce the number of international branch campus failures.
Generic Entry, Pay-for-Delay Settlements, and the Distribution of Surplus in the US Pharmaceutical Industry

Using an event study approach, and unique data on Paragraph (iv) pharmaceutical patent litigation decisions, we estimate that brand rms value deterrence at $4.6 billion on average while generic entrants value the right to enter, on average, at $236.8 million. These estimates account for probabilistic district court decisions and an appellate process. In 2002, the Schering-Plough vs. FTC decision led to a surge in "pay-for-delay" settlements. We estimate that surpluses at stake in decided cases are 73% lower after this decision, reducing the direct (per-case) consumer surplus gains anticipated by the 1984 Hatch-Waxman Act's procedures for early generic entry.
Conferring specificity in redox pathways by enzymatic thiol/disulfide exchange reactions

ABSTRACT Thiol–disulfide exchange reactions are highly reversible, displaying nucleophilic substitutions mechanism (SN2 type). For aliphatic, low molecular thiols, these reactions are slow, but can attain million times faster rates in enzymatic processes. Thioredoxin (Trx) proteins were the first enzymes described to accelerate thiol–disulfide exchange reactions and their high reactivity is related to the high nucleophilicity of the attacking thiol. Substrate specificity in Trx is achieved by several factors, including polar, hydrophobic, and topological interactions through a groove in the active site. Glutaredoxin (Grx) enzymes also contain the Trx fold, but they do not share amino acid sequence similarity with Trx. A conserved glutathione binding site is a typical feature of Grx that can reduce substrates by two mechanisms (mono and dithiol). The high reactivity of Grx enzymes is related to the very acid pKa values of reactive Cys that plays roles as good leaving groups. Therefore, although distinct oxidoreductases catalyze similar thiol–disulfide exchange reactions, their enzymatic mechanisms vary. PDI and DsbA are two other oxidoreductases, but they are involved in disulfide bond formation, instead of disulfide reduction, which is related to the oxidative environment where they are found. PDI enzymes and DsbC are endowed with disulfide isomerase activity, which is related with their tetra-domain architecture. As illustrative description of specificity in thiol–disulfide exchange, redox aspects of transcription activation in bacteria, yeast, and mammals are presented in an evolutionary perspective. Therefore, thiol–disulfide exchange reactions play important roles in conferring specificity to pathways, a required feature for signaling.
Creatinine point-of-care testing for detection and monitoring of chronic kidney disease: primary care diagnostic technology update.

#### Clinical Question What is the accuracy and utility of creatinine point-of-care (POC) tests in the detection and monitoring of chronic kidney disease (CKD), compared with standard practice using laboratory blood tests? Creatinine point-of-care (POC) testing could facilitate primary care chronic kidney disease (CKD) screening, allowing rapid results and immediate feedback to patients. Up-to-date renal function testing would allow immediate adjustment of medications excreted via the kidneys in patients with renal impairment.1 Creatinine POC testing allows patients to monitor their renal function at home, facilitating more frequent testing and earlier detection of deterioration. We identified 10 creatinine POC devices, allowing rapid measurement of creatinine levels from fingerprick blood samples; a summary of these can be found on the Diagnostic Evidence Co-operative Oxford website.2 CKD has an annual incidence rate of 1701 per million population in the UK and a prevalence of 6%. Incidence increases with age; …
Does pulmonary rehabilitation reduce peripheral blood pressure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) can improve aerobic exercise capacity, health-related quality of life and dyspnoea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Recent studies have suggested that exercise training may improve blood pressure and arterial stiffness, albeit in small highly selected cohorts. The aim of the study was to establish whether supervised outpatient or unsupervised home PR can reduce peripheral blood pressure. Resting blood pressure was measured in 418 patients with COPD before and after outpatient PR, supervised by a hospital-based team (HOSP). Seventy-four patients with COPD undergoing an unsupervised home-based programme acted as a comparator group (HOME). Despite significant improvements in mean (95% confidence interval) exercise capacity in the HOSP group (56 (50–60) m, p < 0.001) and HOME group (30 (17–42) m, p < 0.001) systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) did not change in either the HOSP (SBP: p = 0.47; DBP: p = 0.06; MAP: p = 0.38) or HOME group (SBP: p = 0.67; DBP: p = 0.38; MAP: p = 0.76). Planned subgroup analysis of HOSP patients with known hypertension and/or cardiovascular disease showed no impact of PR upon blood pressure. PR is unlikely to reduce blood pressure, and by implication, makes a mechanism of action in which arterial stiffness is reduced, less likely.
A Single Residue Substitution Causes a Switch from the Dual DNA Binding Specificity of Plant Transcription Factor MYB.Ph3 to the Animal c-MYB Specificity*

Transcription factor MYB.Ph3 from Petunia binds to two types of sequences, MBSI and MBSII, whereas murine c-MYB only binds to MBSI, and Am305 from Antirrhinum only binds to MBSII. DNA binding studies with hybrids of these proteins pointed to the N-terminal repeat (R2) as the most involved in determining binding to MBSI and/or MBSII, although some influence of the C-terminal repeat (R3) was also evident. Furthermore, a single residue substitution (Leu71 → Glu) in MYB.Ph3 changed its specificity to that of c-MYB, and c-MYB with the reciprocal substitution (Glu132 → Leu) essentially gained the MYB.Ph3 specificity. Molecular modeling and DNA binding studies with site-specific MYB.Ph3 mutants strongly supported the notion that the drastic changes in DNA binding specificity caused by the Leu → Glu substitution reflect the fact that certain residues influence this property both directly, through base contacts, and indirectly, through interactions with other base-contacting residues, and that a single residue may establish alternative base contacts in different targets. Additionally, differential effects of mutations at non-base-contacting residues in MYB.Ph3 and c-MYB were observed, reflecting the importance of protein context on DNA binding properties of MYB proteins.
Misoperation of CT automatic tube current modulation systems with inappropriate patient centering: phantom studies.

OBJECTIVE Inappropriate patient centering on the gantry changes the size of the localizer radiographs used for CT examinations, influencing the operation of CT automatic tube current modulation because tube current is controlled with information from localizer radiographs. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of inappropriate patient centering on the gantry isocenter on automatic tube current modulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS An elliptical phantom was scanned with four automatic tube current modulation techniques after acquisition of localizer radiographs in the horizontal and vertical directions with the phantom center shifted from the gantry isocenter in the vertical direction. After scanning, the magnification rate of the frontal localizer radiographs, tube current-time product, and image noise were examined. RESULTS On phantom studies, the magnification rate of localizer radiographs showed a linear relation to the vertical deviation of the phantom from the gantry isocenter. From 50 mm above to 50 mm below the gantry isocenter, tube current-time products ranged from 75% to 141% compared with those at the gantry isocenter. In addition, increases and decreases in the amount of image noise related to changes in tube current-time product were confirmed. CONCLUSION Inappropriate patient centering causes misoperation of automatic tube current modulation systems, in which tube current is controlled with information from localizer radiographs, and thus causes increases in tube current or image noise.
Compensation for magnetic moment measurement error of dynamic loop method

Dynamic loop method is a magnetic moment measurement method using eccentric magnetic dipole model, which can calculate the dipole magnetic moment values and position of the target object through the magnetic flux generated by the object. If the magnetic flux is not compensated, the measurement error is very large. Based on the analysis of the sources and characteristics of the instrument error, equipment error and random error of dynamic loop method prototype, three kinds of error compensation models are proposed, and the solving method of the model parameters is given. The test results show that the error compensation model can effectively correct the magnetic flux measurement value and improve the accuracy of dipole magnetic moment measurement. When the fluctuation amplitude of the ambient magnetic field is less than 10nT, the measurement error of the dipole magnetic moment is less than 10% ± 50mA · m2. This error compensation method can be applied to the dynamic loop method magnetic moment measurement, and it can effectively improve the measurement accuracy.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae survives within and modulates apoptosis and inflammatory cytokine production of human macrophages

The human‐adapted organism Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted infection. It readily colonizes the genital, rectal and nasalpharyngeal mucosa during infection. While it is well established that N. gonorrhoeae recruits and modulates the functions of polymorphonuclear leukocytes during infection, how N. gonorrhoeae interacts with macrophages present in infected tissue is not fully defined. We studied the interactions of N. gonorrhoeae with two human monocytic cell lines, THP‐1 and U937, and primary monocytes, all differentiated into macrophages. Most engulfed bacteria were killed in the phagolysosome, but a subset of bacteria was able to survive and replicate inside the macrophages suggesting that those cells may be an unexplored cellular reservoir for N. gonorrhoeae during infection. N. gonorrhoeae was able to modulate macrophage apoptosis: N. gonorrhoeae induced apoptosis in THP‐1 cells whereas it inhibited induced apoptosis in U937 cells and primary human macrophages. Furthermore, N. gonorrhoeae induced expression of inflammatory cytokines in macrophages, suggesting a role for macrophages in recruiting polymorphonuclear leukocytes to the site of infection. These results indicate macrophages may serve as a significant replicative niche for N. gonorrhoeae and play an important role in gonorrheal pathogenesis.
Forearm blood flow responses to fatiguing isometric contractions in women and men.

Previous studies suggest that women experience less vascular occlusion than men when generating the same relative contractile force. This study examined forearm blood flow (FBF) in women and men during isometric handgrip exercise requiring the same relative force. Thirty-eight subjects [20 women and 18 men, 22.8 +/- 0.6 yrs old (means +/- SE)] performed low- and moderate-force handgrip exercise on two occasions. Subjects performed five maximum voluntary contractions (MVC) before exercise to determine 20% and 50% MVC target forces. Time to task failure (TTF) was determined when the subject could not maintain force within 5% of the target force. Mean blood velocity was measured in the brachial artery with the use of Doppler ultrasonography. Arterial diameter was measured at rest and used to calculate absolute FBF (FBFa; ml/min) and relative FBF (FBFr; ml.min(-1). 100 ml(-1)). Women generated less (P < 0.05) absolute maximal force (208 +/- 10 N) than men (357 +/- 17 N). The TTF was longer (P < 0.05) at 20% MVC for women (349 +/- 32 s) than for men (230 +/- 23 s), but no difference between the sexes was observed at 50% MVC (women: 69 +/- 5 s; men: 71 +/- 8 s). FBFa and FBFr increased (P < 0.05) from rest to TTF in both women and men during 20% and 50% MVC trials. FBFr was greater in women than in men at > or =30% TTF during 50% MVC. At exercise durations > or =60% of TTF, FBFa was lower (P < 0.05) in women than in men during handgrip at 20% MVC. Despite the longer exercise duration for women at the lower contraction intensity, FBFr was similar between the sexes, suggesting that muscle perfusion is matched to the exercising muscle mass independent of sex.