Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development and validity of the Arabic Handwriting Assessment for elementary school students

Introduction Assessing handwriting performance is important for developing effective intervention programmes. We describe the development of the Arabic Handwriting Assessment for elementary school students (A-HAT) and its initial psychometric properties. In its development, the unique characteristic of the Arabic orthography played an important role. Method The A-HAT evolved through two stages: constructing the assessment and establishing content validity, and examining its feasibility and initial psychometric properties. The study included 114 normally achieving students in second (n = 54, Mage = 7.79, SD = 0.31) and fourth grades (n = 60, Mage = 9.86, SD = 0.40), whose mother tongue was Arabic. Students were administered the A-HAT, including copying a paragraph and writing to dictation tasks, in small groups. Results Speed and legibility improved from second to fourth grades, in both the copying and dictation tasks. Girls were found to write more legibly than the boys in the dictation task. Finally, medium to high test–retest and inter-rater reliability were found. Conclusion This study emphasises the importance of considering the unique orthography of a language in the development of a handwriting assessment. In addition, the results indicate that the A-HAT is a promising measure that may assist educators and clinicians in assessing the Arabic handwriting performance of students in lower elementary school.
A new concept for solar energy thermal conversion

of Naval Research and the A ir Force Aerospace Research Laboratories and the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, Air Force Systems Command, United States Air Force, under Contract No. F33615-73-C-4107. tA. C. Eckbreth and J. W. Davis, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-8, 139 (19n), and references cited therein. 2A.C. EckbrethandF.S. Owen, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 43,995 (1972); A.C. Eckbreth and P.F. Blaszuk, Paper No. 72-723, AIAA, New York, 1972 (unpublished). gA. E. Hill, Appl. Phys. Lett. 18, 194 (1971). 4W. L. Nighan and W.J. Wiegand, Appl. Phys. Lett. 25, 633 (1974); see also Phys. Rev. A 10, 922 (1974). 5Such reasoning has recently been applied in connection with the design of both cw and pulsed electron-beam-sustained lasers; see Yeo p. Velikhov, S.A. Golubev, Yu. K. Zemtsov, A.F. Pal, I.G. Persiantsev, V.D. Psimennyy, and A.J. Rakhimov, Zh. Eksperim. Teor. Fiz. 65, 543 (1973) [Sov. Phys. -JETP (to be published)]; and in the past in connection with analysis of the stability of magnetohydrodynamic devices, see J.K. Wright, Proc. Phys. Soc. 81, 498 (1963). 60. Biblarz and R.E. Nelson, J. Appl. Phys. 45, 633 (1974). 7H. Schlichting, Boundary Layer Theory (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1960), Chap. 16-19. 8Turbulence intensity T is defined as the ratio of the timeaveraged rms value of the oscillating velocity component to the mean flow velocity (see Ref. 7). 9G. K. Batchelor, Theory of Homogeneous Turbulence (Cambridge U.P., London, 1953); J.O. Hinze, Turbulence (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1959), Chap. 3; H. L. Grant and I. C. T. Nisbet, J. Fluid Mech. 2, 263 (1957), tOJ:l. McLeary and W.E. K. Gibbs, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-9, 828 (1973).
Behavioral and Histological Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury on Alzheimer's Disease Transgenic Mice

The main objective of this study was to elucidate the possible mechanistic link between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using an animal model. We examined behavioral and histological effects of TBI in pre-symptomatic AD-transgenic mice (C57B6/SJL/SwissWebster/B6D2F1). In previous studies, these mice displayed AD-like behavioral deficits by 15-17 months of age and AD-like neuropathology as early as six months of age. To clarify the effects of TBI on these mice, the present study began when they were about three months of age and the study ended when they were about five months of age. As a control, non-transgenic (NT) mice were also evaluated in this study. To assess behavioral changes following TBI, all mice were subjected to 14 days of pre-TBI training of a spatial memory task, the radial arm water maze (RAWM). After training, there were no performance differences between AD-transgenic mice and NT mice. Then, half of the AD-transgenic mice, as well as half of the NT mice, received an experimental TBI at the right parietal cortex using a pneumatic impactor. The other half of these mice received sham surgery. At two, four, and six weeks after surgery, all mice were tested in the same water maze task and the numbers of errors were recorded. AD-transgenic mice with TBI made significantly more errors than AD-transgenic mice without TBI and NT mice regardless of TBI. Furthermore, deficits were observed at both two and six weeks after TBI surgery. To assess histological changes following TBI, we used a monoclonal antibody against beta-amyloid (Aβ) to v detect AD-like plaques and an antibody against NeuN to evaluate the total neuronal loss. There were no clear group differences in terms of the Aβ expression pattern, although one AD-transgenic mouse with TBI showed AD-like Aβ plaques throughout the entire cortex and hippocampus. These results suggest that TBI precipitated behavioral deficits in a spatial memory task in pre-symptomatic AD-transgenic mice, but not control mice. Further studies are warranted for histological effects of TBI.
Molecular Basis of the Acceleration of the GDP-GTP Exchange of Human Ras Homolog Enriched in Brain by Human Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein*

Ras homolog enriched in brain (Rheb), a small GTPase, positively regulates the mTORC1 pathway. The GDP-GTP exchange of Rheb has been suggested to be facilitated by translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP). Here we demonstrate that human TCTP (hTCTP) interacts with human Rheb (hRheb) and accelerates its GDP release in vitro and that hTCTP activates the mTORC1 pathway in vivo. To investigate the underlying mechanism, we built structure models of GDP- and GTP-bound hRheb in complexes with hTCTP and performed molecular dynamics simulations of the models, which predict key residues involved in the interactions and region of hRheb undergoing conformational change during the GDP-GTP exchange. These results are verified with site-directed mutagenesis and in vitro biochemical and in vivo cell biological analyses. Furthermore, a crystal structure of the E12V mutant hTCTP, which lacks the guanine nucleotide exchange factor activity, shows that the deficiency appears to be caused by loss of a salt-bridging interaction with Lys-45 of hRheb. These data collectively provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of how hTCTP interacts with hRheb and activates the mTORC1 pathway.
Autoamplification of a Two-Component Regulatory System Results in “Learning” Behavior

ABSTRACT We have tested the hypothesis that the autoamplification of two-component regulatory systems results in “learning” behavior, i.e., that bacteria respond faster or more extensively to a signal when a similar signal has been perceived in the past. Indeed, the induction of alkaline phosphatase activity upon phosphate limitation was faster if the cultures had been limited for phosphate previously, and this faster response correlated with the autoamplification of the cognate two-component system.
Competing for users' attention: on the interplay between organic and sponsored search results

Queries on major Web search engines produce complex result pages, primarily composed of two types of information: organic results, that is, short descriptions and links to relevant Web pages, and sponsored search results, the small textual advertisements often displayed above or to the right of the organic results. Strategies for optimizing each type of result in isolation and the consequent user reaction have been extensively studied; however, the interplay between these two complementary sources of information has been ignored, a situation we aim to change. Our findings indicate that their perceived relative usefulness (as evidenced by user clicks) depends on the nature of the query. Specifically, we found that, when both sources focus on the same intent, for navigational queries there is a clear competition between ads and organic results, while for non-navigational queries this competition turns into synergy. We also investigate the relationship between the perceived usefulness of the ads and their textual similarity to the organic results, and propose a model that formalizes this relationship. To this end, we introduce the notion of responsive ads, which directly address the user's information need, and incidental ads, which are only tangentially related to that need. Our findings support the hypothesis that in the case of navigational queries, which are usually fully satisfied by the top organic result, incidental ads are perceived as more valuable than responsive ads, which are likely to be duplicative. On the other hand, in the case of non-navigational queries, incidental ads are perceived as less beneficial, possibly because they diverge too far from the actual user need. We hope that our findings and further research in this area will allow search engines to tune ad selection for an increased synergy between organic and sponsored results, leading to both higher user satisfaction and better monetization.
Brain tissue volumes in preterm infants: prematurity, perinatal risk factors and neurodevelopmental outcome: A systematic review

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of neonatal brain tissue segmentation in preterm infants according to the literature. Methods: A structured literature search was undertaken in MEDLINE/Pubmed. This included all publications on volumetric brain tissue assessment in preterm infants at term-equivalent age (TEA) compared to brain tissue volumes of term-born infants, related to perinatal risk factors or related to neurodevelopmental outcome. Results: Sixteen prospective cohort studies, described in 30 articles, fulfilled the criteria. Preterm infants displayed total and regional brain tissue alterations compared to healthy, term-born controls. These alterations seemed more prominent with decreasing gestational age. White matter injury, intraventricular haemorrhage, postnatal corticosteroid therapy, intra-uterine growth retardation and chronic lung disease were frequently associated with volume changes. Associations between volume alterations at TEA and neurodevelopmental outcome in early childhood were shown in a few studies. Conclusions: Preterm birth is associated with brain tissue volume alterations that become more pronounced in the presence of perinatal risk factors and white matter injury. Moreover, associations between volumetric alterations as early as TEA and long-term neurodevelopmental impairments are scarce.
A Theoretical Approach for Biometrics Authentication of e-Exams

In the past fifteen years the use of Internet technologies has been substantially growing for delivery of educational content. E-learning environments have been incorporated in many universities for the delivery of e-learning courses. However, opponents of e-learning claim that a central disadvantage of such teaching medium is the growing unethical conduct in such environments. In particular, opponents of e-learning argue that the inability to authenticate exam takers is a major challenge of e-learning environments. As a result, some institutions proposed to take extreme measures including asking students to take exams in proctor centers or even abandon completely the offering of e-learning courses in their institutions. This paper attempts to address this important problem by proposing a theoretical approach that incorporates available fingerprint biometrics authentication technologies in conjunction with e-learning environments to curb unethical conduct during e-learning exam taking. The proposed approach suggests practical solution that can incorporate a random fingerprint biometrics user authentication during exam taking in e-learning courses. Doing so is hypothesized to curb exam cheating in e-learning environments.
A Survey of the Preferences of Primary Care Physicians Regarding the Comanagement With Specialists of Children With Rare or Complex Conditions

Objectives. To assess primary care pediatric providers’ comfort with co-managing patients with rare conditions. Methods. A survey was sent via an electronic link to pediatricians and family practitioners. Chi-square test of significance and Fisher’s exact test were used for categorical variable comparisons and the Student’s t test was used for continuous variable comparisons. Results. Most of the providers believed that care decisions are most frequently made by the specialist with consultation with the primary care clinician. The most common source of information is direct communication from the specialist. The most effective tool to increase clarity and comfort about provider roles was an active care plan identifying current care needs, who will act on the plan, and when the action should be completed. Conclusions. Coordinated co-management in which caregiving roles are explicitly defined and tools are available for the timely exchange of information among all key participants warrants further study.
Protein fold recognition score functions: Unusual construction strategies

We describe two ways of optimizing score functions for protein sequence to structure threading. The first method adjusts parameters to improve sequence to structure alignment. The second adjusts parameters so as to improve a score function's ability to rank alignments calculated in the first score function. Unlike those functions known as knowledge‐based force fields, the resulting parameter sets do not rely on Boltzmann statistics, have no claim to representing free energies and are purely constructions for recognizing protein folds. The methods give a small improvement, but suggest that functions can be profitably optimized for very specific aspects of protein fold recognition. Proteins 1999;36:454–461. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dose-Dependent Anti-Inflammatory and Neuroprotective Effects of an ανβ3 Integrin-Binding Peptide

Previous studies have shown that prevention of leukocyte infiltration by targeting integrins involved in transendothelial migration may suppress the clinical and pathological features of neuroinflammatory disease. This study was designed to investigate the effects of C16, an α ν β3 integrin-binding peptide, in an acute experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) rat model. Multiple histological and immunohistochemical staining, electron microscopy observation, ELISA assay, Western blot, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were employed to assess the degree of inflammation, axonal loss, neuronal apoptosis, white matter demyelination, and extent of gliosis in the brain and spinal cord of differently treated EAE models. The results showed that C16 treatment could inhibit extensive leukocyte and macrophage accumulation and infiltration and reduce cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) expression levels. A significantly lower clinical score at the peak time of disease was also demonstrated in the C16 treated group. Moreover, astrogliosis, demyelination, neuronal death, and axonal loss were all alleviated in C16 treated EAE animals, which may be attributed to the improvement of microenvironment. The data suggests that C16 peptide may act as a protective agent by attenuating inflammatory progression and thus affecting the expression of some proinflammatory cytokines during neuroinflammatory disease.
Characteristics and outcomes of patients requiring rapid response system activation within hours of emergency admission.

OBJECTIVES To establish the prevalence of emergency responses for clinical deterioration (cardiac arrest team or medical emergency team [MET] activation) within 24 hours of emergency admission, and determine if there were differences in characteristics and outcomes of ward patients whose emergency response was within, or beyond, 24 hours of emergency admission. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A retrospective, descriptive, exploratory study using MET, cardiac arrest, emergency department and inpatient databases, set in a 365-bed urban district hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Participants were adult hospital inpatients admitted to a medical or surgical ward via the emergency department (ED) who needed an emergency response for clinical deterioration during 2012. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Inhospital mortality, unplanned intensive care unit admission and hospital length of stay (LOS). RESULTS A total of 819 patients needed an emergency response for clinical deterioration: 587 patients were admitted via the ED and 28.4% of emergency responses occurred within 24 hours of emergency admission. Patients whose first emergency response was within 24 hours of emergency admission (compared with beyond 24 hours) were more likely to be triaged to Australasian triage scale category 1 (5.4% v 1.2%, P=0.005), less likely to require ICU admission after the emergency response (7.6% v 13.9%, P=0.039), less likely to have recurrent emergency responses during their hospital stay (9.7% v 34%, P < 0.001) and had a shorter median hospital LOS (7 days v 11 days, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS One-quarter of emergency responses after admission via the ED occurred within 24 hours. Further research is needed to understand the predictors of deterioration in patients needing emergency admission.
Elevated Dengue Virus Nonstructural Protein 1 Serum Levels and Altered Toll-Like Receptor 4 Expression, Nitric Oxide, and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production in Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever Patients

Background. During dengue virus (DV) infection, monocytes produce tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) which might be critical to immunopathogenesis. Since intensity of DV replication may determine clinical outcomes, it is important to know the effects of viral nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) on innate immune parameters of infected patients. The present study investigates the relationships between dengue virus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) serum levels and innate immune response (TLR4 expression and TNF-α/NO production) of DV infected patients presenting different clinical outcomes. Methodology/Principal Findings. We evaluated NO, NS1 serum levels (ELISA), TNF-α production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and TLR4 expression on CD14+ cells from 37 dengue patients and 20 healthy controls. Early in infection, increased expression of TLR4 in monocytes of patients with dengue fever (DF) was detected compared to patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Moreover, PBMCs of DHF patients showed higher NS1 and lower NO serum levels during the acute febrile phase and a reduced response to TLR4 stimulation by LPS (with a reduced TNF-α production) when compared to DF patients. Conclusions/Significance. During DV infection in humans, some innate immune parameters change, depending on the NS1 serum levels, and phase and severity of the disease which may contribute to development of different clinical outcomes.
Comparison of Droplet Digital PCR and Quantitative PCR Assays for Quantitative Detection of Xanthomonas citri Subsp. citri

Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) is a novel molecular biology technique providing absolute quantification of target nucleic acids without the need for an external calibrator. Despite its emerging applications in medical diagnosis, there are few reports of its use for the detection of plant pathogens. This work was designed to assess the diagnosis potential of the ddPCR for absolute quantitative detection of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, a quarantine plant pathogenic bacterium that causes citrus bacterial canker in susceptible Citrus species. We transferred an established quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for citrus bacterial canker diagnosis directly to the ddPCR format and compared the performance of the two methods. The qPCR assay has a broader dynamic range compared to the ddPCR assay and the ddPCR assay has a significantly higher degree of sensitivity compared to the qPCR assay. The influence of PCR inhibitors can be reduced considerably in the ddPCR assay because the collection of end-point fluorescent signals and the counting of binomial events (positive or negative droplets) are associated with a Poisson algorithm. The ddPCR assay also shows lower coefficient of variation compared to the qPCR assay especially in low target concentration. The linear association of the measurements by ddPCR and qPCR assays is strong (Pearson correlation = 0.8633; P<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicates the ddPCR methodology is a more robust approach for diagnosis of citrus bacterial canker. In summary, the results demonstrated that the ddPCR assay has the potential for the quantitative detection of X. citri subsp. citri with high precision and accuracy as compared with the results from qPCR assay. Further studies are required to evaluate and validate the value of ddPCR technology in the diagnosis of plant disease and quarantine applications.
Satellite-based Estimates of Ambient Air Pollution and Global Variations in Childhood Asthma Prevalence

Background: The effect of ambient air pollution on global variations and trends in asthma prevalence is unclear. Objectives: Our goal was to investigate community-level associations between asthma prevalence data from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) and satellite-based estimates of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and modelled estimates of ozone. Methods: We assigned satellite-based estimates of PM2.5 and NO2 at a spatial resolution of 0.1° × 0.1° and modeled estimates of ozone at a resolution of 1° × 1° to 183 ISAAC centers. We used center-level prevalence of severe asthma as the outcome and multilevel models to adjust for gross national income (GNI) and center- and country-level sex, climate, and population density. We examined associations (adjusting for GNI) between air pollution and asthma prevalence over time in centers with data from ISAAC Phase One (mid-1900s) and Phase Three (2001–2003). Results: For the 13- to 14-year age group (128 centers in 28 countries), the estimated average within-country change in center-level asthma prevalence per 100 children per 10% increase in center-level PM2.5 and NO2 was –0.043 [95% confidence interval (CI): –0.139, 0.053] and 0.017 (95% CI: –0.030, 0.064) respectively. For ozone the estimated change in prevalence per parts per billion by volume was –0.116 (95% CI: –0.234, 0.001). Equivalent results for the 6- to 7-year age group (83 centers in 20 countries), though slightly different, were not significantly positive. For the 13- to 14-year age group, change in center-level asthma prevalence over time per 100 children per 10% increase in PM2.5 from Phase One to Phase Three was –0.139 (95% CI: –0.347, 0.068). The corresponding association with ozone (per ppbV) was –0.171 (95% CI: –0.275, –0.067). Conclusion: In contrast to reports from within-community studies of individuals exposed to traffic pollution, we did not find evidence of a positive association between ambient air pollution and asthma prevalence as measured at the community level.