Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barriers to healthcare for Australian autistic adults

Barriers to healthcare experienced by Australian autistic adults have not been previously explored. We conducted a cross-sectional investigation of barriers to healthcare and associated factors from a subtle realism perspective. Perceived barriers to healthcare were obtained from the Barriers to Healthcare Checklist Short-Form (BHC). A total of 263 autistic and 70 non-autistic individuals completed the BHC. On average, autistic adults reported more barriers to healthcare (4.58) than non-autistic adults (0.76). Gender diversity, higher levels of generalised anxiety, greater global disability and less satisfaction with social support contributed to the experience of barriers to healthcare in autistic participants in regression modelling. Australian autistic adults face substantial barriers to healthcare. Understanding these barriers provides an opportunity to develop approaches to improve access; such as co-designing a healthcare access roadmap for autistic adults, with co-designed policies and practices which advocate for the needs of autistic adults. Lay abstract This study looked at how Australian autistic and non-autistic adults experience barriers to healthcare. We asked autistic and non-autistic adults to complete the Barriers to Healthcare Checklist Short-Form (BHC). We analysed data from 263 autistic adults and 70 non-autistic adults. We found that autistic adults experienced more barriers to healthcare than non-autistic adults. Gender diversity, feeling more anxious, having greater disability and feeling unsatisfied with social support contributed to barriers to healthcare in autistic participants. We recommend interventions such as developing and implementing a national action plan, similar to the National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability (2021) to reduce barriers and address unmet healthcare needs of Australian autistic adults. We also recommend working with autistic adults to develop new policies and strategies, implementing environmental adaptations to health care facilities, and increasing Autism education opportunities for health professionals to address gaps in knowledge.
How can progression be predicted in patients with mild to moderate aortic valve stenosis?

AIMS The pressure increase per time unit (dP/dt) in aortic stenosis (AS) jet velocity is assumed to have inter-individual variability in the progressive AS stage. We sought to examine the association of aortic valve (AoV) Doppler-derived dP/dt in patients with mild to moderate AS with risk of progression to severe disease. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 481 patients diagnosed with mild or moderate AS [peak aortic jet velocity (Vmax) between 2 and 4 m/s] according to echocardiographic criteria were included. AoV Doppler-derived dP/dt was determined by measuring the time needed for the pressure to increase at a velocity of the AoV jet from 1 m/s to 2 m/s. During a median follow-up period of 2.7 years, 12 of 404 (3%) patients progressed from mild to severe AS and 31 of 77 (40%) patients progressed from moderate to severe AS. AoV Doppler-derived dP/dt had a good ability to predict risk of progression to severe AS (area under the curve = 0.868) and the cut-off value was 600 mmHg/s. In multivariable logistic regression, initial AoV calcium score (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-2.73; P = 0.006) and AoV Doppler-derived dP/dt (aOR, 1.52/100 mmHg/s higher dP/dt; 95% CI, 1.10-2.05; P = 0.012) were associated with progression to severe AS. CONCLUSION AoV Doppler-derived dP/dt above 600 mmHg/s was associated with risk of AS progression to the severe stage in patients with mild to moderate AS. This may be useful in individualized surveillance strategies for AS progression.
Large-scale and tunable transparent displays based on silver nanoparticles metasurface

We report a transparent display based on a metasurface of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), consisting of a transparent substrate and a layer of Ag NPs deposited by a dielectric film. The Ag NPs metasurface is prepared by a simple and direct annealing process. It presents a deep transmission valley at the wavelength of λ = 468 nm and enables desired transparent display by projecting the monochromatic image onto the metasurface. We also demonstrate that the formed Ag NPs can be approximated as truncated nanospheres, which have obvious directional scattering properties, and can radiate most of the scattered energy into the backward hemisphere with a relatively large angular beamwidth (the full width at half maximum of the scattered intensity) of ∼90°. Therefore, the fabricated displays possess wide viewing angles and high brightness characteristics. Additionally, the transmission modes can be red-shifted to the wavelength of λ = 527 nm by controlling the thickness of the deposited dielectric film. This approach using traditional thin film deposition and moderate annealing processing techniques enables simple, low-cost, and scalable fabrication in large areas for transparent displays.
Reinforcement Learning Model for Managing Noninvasive Ventilation Switching Policy

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been recognized as a first-line treatment for respiratory failure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hypercapnia respiratory failure, which can reduce mortality and burden of intubation. However, during the long-term NIV process, failure to respond to NIV may cause overtreatment or delayed intubation, which is associated with increased mortality or costs. Optimal strategies for switching regime in the course of NIV treatment remain to be explored.For the goal of reducing 28-day mortality of the patients undergoing NIV, Double Dueling Deep Q Network (D3QN) of offline-reinforcement learning algorithm was adopted to develop an optimal regime model for making treatment decisions of discontinuing ventilation, continuing NIV, or intubation. The model was trained and tested using the data from Multi-Parameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) and evaluated by the practical strategies. Furthermore, the applicability of the model in majority disease subgroups (Catalogued by International Classification of Diseases, ICD) was investigated. Compared with physician's strategies, the proposed model achieved a higher expected return score (4.25 vs. 2.68) and its recommended treatments reduced the expected mortality from 27.82% to 25.44% in all NIV cases. In particular, for these patients finally received intubation in practice, if the model also supported the regime, it would warn of switching to intubation 13.36 hours earlier than clinicians (8.64 vs. 22 hours after the NIV treatment), granting a 21.7% reduction in estimated mortality. In addition, the model was applicable across various disease groups with distinguished achievement in dealing with respiratory disorders. The proposed model is promising to dynamically provide personalized optimal NIV switching regime for patients undergoing NIV with the potential of improving treatment outcomes.
Discriminating simple from double sources via EEG and MEG measurements

An important question of electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography is associated with the possibility to identify the number of simultaneously activated areas in the brain. In the present paper, employing a homogeneous spherical conductor, serving as a geometrical model of the brain, we provide a criterion that determines whether the measured surface potential is caused by a single or a double localized neuronal excitations. We present the necessary and sufficient conditions, which decided whether the collected data originates from a single or from a set of two or more dipoles. Furthermore, we investigate the impossibility of deciding when we cannot be sure for the existence of one or two excitation centres. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular Dirac Fermion Systems — Theoretical and Experimental Approaches —

The transport phenomena of zero-gap conductors are one of the central subjects in condensed matter physics. α-(BEDT-TTF)2I3 [BEDT-TTF = bis(ethylenedithio)-tetrathiafulvalene] is a typical zero-gap conductor consisting of two-dimensional multiple two-dimensional layers. Under high pressures of above 1.5 GPa, it undergoes a phase transition to a zero-gap state, in which it exhibits unusual transport phenomena. This paper reviews the recent progress in clarifying the physics of α-(BEDT-TTF)2I3. In particular, the effect of a magnetic field on the behavior of electrons is investigated. On the basis of the interlayer magnetoresistance, evidence of the Landau level with the index N = 0 was obtained. The collaboration of experiments and theory has opened a new field of exploring the interlayer electron transport in two-dimensional layered zero-gap conductors. Furthermore, these phenomena have been observed by NMR and specific heat measurements in contrast to the case of graphene. The paper also reviews some rec.
Determinating the embedding dimension in phase space reconstruction

This paper presents a new method for determining embedding dimensions in phase space reconstruction.The method is the basis of chaotically vibratory signal identification for ships' mechanical systems.The principles of local manifold distortion minimization and the mutual information method were applied to determine delay time.On this basis,we proposed a new method to calculate embedding dimensions without the use of a threshold.Simulation results showed that,if the embedding dimension is lower,the attractors are compressed and pseudo adjacent points are formed.However,with increasing dimensions,the distance between adjacent points increases,while the number of pseudo adjacent points decreases.We found that the rate of change in distance between adjacent points of the attractor increases with increasing dimensions,but not infinitely,as it is limited by certain conditions.To characterize the evolutionary behavior of the adjacent point pair,an index G is defined,as a function of the embedding dimension d.When parameter d approaches d0,the G(d) curve tends to be saturated,and the corresponding d0 is the optimal dimension for reconstruction.Compared with the FNN(false nearest neighbor) method,the method presented is more objective because it is not necessary to choose the threshold.The effectiveness of this method was verified with chaotic signals generated from Lorenz and Henon systems.Finally,the influences of noise,data length and delay time on this method were studied as well.
Dealing with cost-push inflation in Latin America: multi-causality in a context of increased openness and commodity price volatility*

Despite recognizing the exogenous, cost-push nature of recent inflationary pressures in Latin America, plus the difficulties faced by monetary authorities in dealing, under such circumstances, with internal and external disequilibria simultaneously, intellectual attention in policy circles remains focused on demand-side issues and policy instruments. This paper develops an eclectic model that has the potential to nest demand-side elements, but focuses on cost-push factors â€“ distributional conflict and propagation mechanisms â€“ as typically addressed by the post-Keynesianâ€“structuralist tradition. In addition to shedding some light on the nature of inflationary pressures as experienced in Latin American countries during the recent commodity boom â€“ in particular South American commodity exporting economies â€“ the paper's main goal is to portray the policy and instrumental trade-offs faced by policy-makers themselves. By bringing unconventional policy devices into the model (such as direct interventions in commodity markets), we hope to broaden the scope of the conventional macroeconomic policy instruments.
How do people drink alcohol at a low-risk level?

ABSTRACT Reducing the risks associated with drinking is an ongoing public health goal. Approximately two-fifths of Australian adults consume alcohol within low-risk guidelines, yet little is known about their drinking patterns or practices. In this paper, we use social practice theory to consider low-risk drinking at home as a routinised social practice with material, meaning and competence dimensions. We analysed open-text survey responses from 252 Australian adults (30–65, 89% female) who were considered low-risk drinkers. A low-risk drinking occasion was typically closely linked to other practices such as eating dinner or connecting with family or friends. Drinking alcohol, even in small amounts, was associated with enjoyment. Being attuned to bodily sensations and applying some self-imposed rules were competencies that allowed low-risk drinkers to avoid intoxication. Low-risk drinking practices entail some elements that can inform health promotion, including encouraging efforts to limit drinking to times of the day (e.g. during meals) and to attend to bodily feelings of sufficiency. The study also shows how low-risk drinking is entangled with gendered and age-related norms about drinking, and facilitated by rarely being in ‘intoxigenic’ environments. These factors are imbricated with individual decisions in our respondents’ capacity to consume alcohol moderately.
Preclinical simulation integrated into a nurse practitioner disease management course: Student perceptions and learning outcomes

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. ABSTRACT Nurse practitioner (NP) educators have been tasked with incorporating simulation into preclinical curricula while pivoting to competency-based education. Despite evidence supporting simulation's role in preclinical health care education, limited scholarship has evaluated this educational method among NP students. We sought to evaluate student perceptions, learning satisfaction, and confidence after participation in an experientially designed, preclinical, simulation program and to compare levels of clinical communication self-efficacy and self-rated, clinical rotation preparedness before and after participation. The preclinical simulation program was designed, implemented, and evaluated within a disease management course. Students reported high levels of satisfaction and confidence with learning. Clinical communication self-efficacy (t[17] = 3.73, p < .01) and self-rated levels of clinical rotation preparedness (t[17] = −2.97, p < .01) were significantly higher after program participation. Simulation may be successfully implemented in preclinical disease management courses. Positive program evaluations create a foundation for further competency-based NP educational design using simulation. Faculty should consider implementing experientially designed preclinical simulation in NP programs to promote progression toward competency within the NP role and to encourage clinical readiness.
Multi‐omic analysis in normal colon organoids highlights MSH4 as a novel marker of defective mismatch repair in Lynch syndrome and microsatellite instability

Lynch syndrome (LS) is a hereditary condition that increases the risk of colorectal (CRC) and extracolonic cancers that exhibit microsatellite instability (MSI‐H). MSI‐H is driven by defective mismatch repair (dMMR), and approximately 15% of nonhereditary CRCs also exhibit MSI‐H. Here, we aimed to better define mechanisms underlying tumor initiation in LS and MSI‐H cancers through multi‐omic analyses of LS normal colon organoids and MSI‐H tumors.
The Tetrahymena bcd1 mutant implicates endosome trafficking in ciliate, cortical pattern formation

Ciliates, such as Tetrahymena thermophila, evolved complex mechanisms to determine both the location and dimensions of cortical organelles such as the oral apparatus (OA: involved in phagocytosis), cytoproct (Cyp: for eliminating wastes), and contractile vacuole pores (CVPs: involved in water expulsion). Mutations have been recovered in Tetrahymena that affect both the localization of such organelles along anterior–posterior and circumferential body axes and their dimensions. Here we describe BCD1, a ciliate pattern gene that encodes a conserved Beige-BEACH domain–containing protein a with possible protein kinase A (PKA)-anchoring activity. Similar proteins have been implicated in endosome trafficking and are linked to human Chediak–Higashi syndrome and autism. Mutations in the BCD1 gene broaden cortical organelle domains as they assemble during predivision development. The Bcd1 protein localizes to membrane pockets at the base of every cilium that are active in endocytosis. PKA activity has been shown to promote endocytosis in other organisms, so we blocked clathrin-mediated endocytosis (using “dynasore”) and inhibited PKA (using H89). In both cases, treatment produced partial phenocopies of the bcd1 pattern mutant. This study supports a model in which the dimensions of diverse cortical organelle assembly-platforms may be determined by regulated balance between constitutive exocytic delivery and PKA-regulated endocytic retrieval of organelle materials and determinants.
Diversity and phylogeny of the tick-borne bacterial genus Candidatus Allocryptoplasma (Anaplasmataceae)

The family Anaplasmataceae includes tick-borne bacteria of major public and veterinary health interest, as best illustrated by members of the genera Anaplasma and Ehrlichia. Recent epidemiological surveys have also reported on the presence of a novel putative genus in the Anaplasmataceae, Candidatus Allocryptoplasma, previously described as Candidatus Cryptoplasma in the western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus. However, the genetic diversity of Ca. Allocryptoplasma and its phylogenetic relationship with other Anaplasmataceae remain unclear. In this study, we developed a multi-locus sequence typing approach, examining the DNA sequence variation at five genes of Ca. Allocryptoplasma found in ticks. Combining this multi-locus sequence typing and genetic data available on public databases, we found that substantial genetic diversity of Ca. Allocryptoplasma is present in Ixodes, Amblyomma and Haemaphysalis spp. ticks on most continents. Further analyses confirmed that the Ca. Allocryptoplasma of ticks, the Ca. Allocryptoplasma of lizards and some Anaplasma-like bacteria of wild mice cluster into a monophyletic genus, divergent from all other genera of the family Anaplasmataceae. Candidatus Allocryptoplasma appears as a sister genus of Anaplasma and, with the genera Ehrlichia and Neoehrlichia, they form a monophyletic subgroup of Anaplasmataceae associated with tick-borne diseases. The detection of genetically distinct Ca. Allocryptoplasma in ticks of significant medical or veterinary interest supports the hypothesis that it is an emergent genus of tick-borne pathogens of general concern.
Statistical Plasmode Simulations -- Potentials, Challenges and Recommendations

Statistical data simulation is essential in the development of statistical models and methods as well as in their performance evaluation. To capture complex data structures, in particular for high-dimensional data, a variety of simulation approaches have been introduced including parametric and the so-called plasmode simulations. While there are concerns about the realism of parametrically simulated data, it is widely claimed that plasmodes come very close to reality with some aspects of the"truth'' known. However, there are no explicit guidelines or state-of-the-art on how to perform plasmode data simulations. In the present paper, we first review existing literature and introduce the concept of statistical plasmode simulation. We then discuss advantages and challenges of statistical plasmodes and provide a step-wise procedure for their generation, including key steps to their implementation and reporting. Finally, we illustrate the concept of statistical plasmodes as well as the proposed plasmode generation procedure by means of a public real RNA dataset on breast carcinoma patients.
Deployment of an electrocorticography system with a soft robotic actuator

Electrocorticography (ECoG) is a minimally invasive approach frequently used clinically to map epileptogenic regions of the brain and facilitate lesion resection surgery and increasingly explored in brain-machine interface applications. Current devices display limitations that require trade-offs among cortical surface coverage, spatial electrode resolution, aesthetic, and risk consequences and often limit the use of the mapping technology to the operating room. In this work, we report on a scalable technique for the fabrication of large-area soft robotic electrode arrays and their deployment on the cortex through a square-centimeter burr hole using a pressure-driven actuation mechanism called eversion. The deployable system consists of up to six prefolded soft legs, and it is placed subdurally on the cortex using an aqueous pressurized solution and secured to the pedestal on the rim of the small craniotomy. Each leg contains soft, microfabricated electrodes and strain sensors for real-time deployment monitoring. In a proof-of-concept acute surgery, a soft robotic electrode array was successfully deployed on the cortex of a minipig to record sensory cortical activity. This soft robotic neurotechnology opens promising avenues for minimally invasive cortical surgery and applications related to neurological disorders such as motor and sensory deficits. Description Soft robotic actuation with bioelectronics were combined to develop minimally invasive, deployable cortical electrode arrays.
Ensemble Simulations with Coupled Atmospheric Dynamic and Dispersion Models: Illustrating Uncertainties in Dosage Simulations

Abstract Ensemble simulations made using a coupled atmospheric dynamic model and a probabilistic Lagrangian puff dispersion model were employed in a forensic analysis of the transport and dispersion of a toxic gas that may have been released near Al Muthanna, Iraq, during the Gulf War. The ensemble study had two objectives, the first of which was to determine the sensitivity of the calculated dosage fields to the choices that must be made about the configuration of the atmospheric dynamic model. In this test, various choices were used for model physics representations and for the large-scale analyses that were used to construct the model initial and boundary conditions. The second study objective was to examine the dispersion model's ability to use ensemble inputs to predict dosage probability distributions. Here, the dispersion model was used with the ensemble mean fields from the individual atmospheric dynamic model runs, including the variability in the individual wind fields, to generate dosage probab.
Low-rank tensor methods for partial differential equations

Low-rank tensor representations can provide highly compressed approximations of functions. These concepts, which essentially amount to generalizations of classical techniques of separation of variables, have proved to be particularly fruitful for functions of many variables. We focus here on problems where the target function is given only implicitly as the solution of a partial differential equation. A first natural question is under which conditions we should expect such solutions to be efficiently approximated in low-rank form. Due to the highly nonlinear nature of the resulting low-rank approximations, a crucial second question is at what expense such approximations can be computed in practice. This article surveys basic construction principles of numerical methods based on low-rank representations as well as the analysis of their convergence and computational complexity.
Coupling of the proton-hole and neutron-particle states in the neutron-rich 48K isotope

Excited states in the Z = 19, N = 29 neutron-rich 48 K isotope have been studied using deep-inelastic transfer reactions with a thick target at Gammasphere and with a thin target at the PRISMA-CLARA spectrometer. The lowest excited states were located; they involve a proton hole in the s 1 / 2 or d 3 / 2 orbital coupled to a p 3 / 2 neutron. A new 7.1(5) ns, 5 + isomer, analog of the 7 / 2 − isomer in 47 K, was identiﬁed. Based on the observed γ -decay pattern of the isomer a revised spin-parity assignment of 1 − is proposed for the ground state of 48 K.