Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Late diagnosis of Asperger syndrome in Croatia - a low-income country.

Asperger's syndrome (AS) is a pervasive developmental disorder that involves qualitative disorders in social relationship, atypical understanding of and use of pragmatic language, restricted and repetitive interests and activities, and high WAIS verbal/performance score ratio (Woodbury-Smith & Volkmar 2009). Although AS is an illness that begins in childhood, its diagnosis may frequently not be done until later stages (Toth & King 2008). The diagnosis of AS requires time, resources, and clinical experience. A clinical diagnosis is considered the “gold standard“, although several structured clinical interviews help clinicians reach the diagnosis (Toth & King 2008, Volkmar et al. 2014). The child’s total developmental profile as well as coexisting psychiatric and medical disorders needs to be considered. Whenever a definitive diagnosis of AS is made, the patient should be given comprehensive psychosocial counseling and offered the appropriate treatment (Volkmar et al. 2014). While knowledge among health workers on childhood ASD and the prevalence are on the increase in developed parts of the world (Fombonne 2003), expertise and professional support services are limited in most of the developing world (Bakare et al. 2008, Samadi & McConkey 2011). Early identification and intervention which have been shown to improve the prognosis of AS may be compromised in low-income countries (Volkmar et al. 2014). In Croatia, there is a serious shortage of specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry. Currently there are around 35 child psychiatrist in the country with the population of about 4,5 million inhabitants. Children with AS and ASD are diagnosed by child and adolescent psychiatrists through public child and adolescent psychiatry clinics which are only available in larger cities. Only few child psychiatrists are experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with ASD. There is only one inpatient facility for children with ASD. State-funded special schools and day centre placements for children more severely affected or with other conditions such as intellectual disability are provided, but also only in larger cities. On a positive note, non-goverment organizations for children and families with autism have been founded recently in Croatia and have started with activities aimed at increasing the level of awareness on ASD among the general publicand among various categories of health care workers. The following case describes a male patient with AS diagnosed in adolescent age. This case illustrates a large delay between the age at which parents first report first symptoms and age at diagnosis. This paper also reflects the unsatisfactory situation of the knowledge of diagnosis and intervention in AS in Croatia, and in fact even many other low-income countries throughout Europe and the world, which will be discussed.
Real-time globally consistent 3D grid mapping

For path planning of mobile robots in complex unknown three-dimensional (3D) environments, an accurate 3D volumetric representation of the environment is usually required. In this paper, we present a novel method to produce globally consistent 3D grid maps in real-time, through a grid-map update strategy and an efficient data structure. We transform point clouds into the world frame provided by a visual SLAM module, then process them by the grid mapping module to produce globally consistent 3D grid maps. Experimental results in an indoor scenario demonstrate that our approach is able to update the 3D grid map efficiently and can cope with loop closures while operating in real-time.
Standardization of Shredded Potato and Added Water Levels in the Development of Chevon Cutlets

The objective of the present study was undertaken to standardize the levels of shredded potato and added water in the development of chevon cutlets. The lean meat was minced twice through 4 mm plate. The cutlets were prepared with the incorporation of shredded potato at 0, 5, 10 and 15% level and added water at 0, 3, 6 and 9%, respectively replacing the lean meat. A significant effect of mincing was observed with the highest scores for juiciness and texture for the products developed from twice minced lean meat. Cutlets prepared with the incorporation of 5% shredded potato were found to have better scores for almost all the sensory parameters. Incorporation of 3% added water significantly (p<0.05) increased the appearance and colour, texture, juiciness and rusk pick-up. Thus, good quality chevon cutlets could be prepared by incorporating 5% shredded potato and 3% added water.
Kinetic determination of vitellogenin induction in the epidermis of cyprinid and perciform fishes: Evaluation of sensitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays

Induction of vitellogenin (VTG) in male and immature fish is a standardized endpoint in endocrine‐disruption testing. To establish a nondestructive swab sampling method, VTG induction in the epidermis of Cypriniformes and Perciformes species was investigated. Both VTG and estrogen receptor genes are expressed in epidermal cells. Immunoaffinity and mass fingerprint analyses show induction of identical VTG peptides in liver and epidermis. Induction of VTG by estradiol (E2) and bisphenol A (BPA) in the epidermis was quantified with homolog enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays. Initial values in juveniles and males were below 1 ng VTG/mL extraction buffer. Exposure to E2 led to values between 200 ng/mL and 4600 ng/mL in cyprinids and between 10 ng/mL and 81 ng/mL in perciforms. Exposure to BPA increased VTG amounts to 250 ng/mL in fathead minnows, 1360 ng/mL in goldfish, 100 ng/mL in zebrafish, and 12 ng/mL in bluegills. Serum VTG contents demonstrated a similar dose–response pattern in the epidermis and the blood. These results show that VTG induction may be reliably assessed in the skin mucus of fishes, demonstrating the suitability of this biological sample for investigating estrogenic activity in compliance with Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development standard protocols. This broadens the perspectives in toxicological screening and environmental monitoring, reducing the number of tested animals and minimizing harmful effects for animals, allowing for follow‐up of individual induction profiles. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2916–2930. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.
Interventions to address household food insecurity in high-income countries

Household food insecurity is a serious public health concern in high-income countries. Canada and the USA regularly monitor household food insecurity, while in other countries, such as the UK, it has been the rapid rise of food bank usage that has drawn increased attention to this longstanding, but largely overlooked, problem. This review evaluates evidence on interventions intended to reduce household food insecurity in high-income countries. Research on social protection interventions suggests both cash transfers and food subsidies (e.g. the US Supplement Nutrition and Assistance Programme) reduce household food insecurity. In contrast, research on community-level interventions, such as food banks and other food programmes, suggests limited impacts. Although food banks have become a common intervention for food insecurity in high-income countries, evidence suggests their reliance on donations of volunteer time and food make them inevitably limited in the assistance they are able to provide. The stigma people feel using food banks may also make them untenable. Alternatives to, or enhanced, food banks such as community shops or community kitchens, have become common, but evidence also suggests they may be limited in effectiveness if they do not reach people experiencing food insecurity. This review highlights the difficulty of trying to address household food insecurity with community-based food interventions when solutions likely lie upstream in social protection policies.
Resveratrol, 4′ Acetoxy Resveratrol, R-equol, Racemic Equol or S-equol as Cosmeceuticals to Improve Dermal Health

Phytochemicals are botanical compounds used in dermatology applications as cosmeceuticals to improve skin health. Resveratrol and equol are two of the best-known polyphenolic or phytoestrogens having similar chemical structures and some overlapping biological functions to 17β-estradiol. Human skin gene expression was reviewed for 28 different biomarkers when resveratrol, 4′ acetoxy resveratrol (4AR), R-equol, racemic equol or S-equol were tested. Sirtuin 1 activator (SIRT 1) was stimulated by resveratrol and 4AR only. Resveratrol, R-equol and racemic equol were effective on the aging biomarkers proliferating cell nuclear factor (PCNA), nerve growth factor (NGF), 5α-reductase and the calcium binding proteins S100 A8 and A9. Racemic equol and 4AR displayed among the highest levels for the collagens, elastin and tissue inhibitor of the matrix metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP 1). S-equol displayed the lowest level of effectiveness compared to the other compounds. The 4AR analog was more effective compared to resveratrol by 1.6-fold. R-equol and racemic equol were almost equal in potency displaying greater inhibition vs. resveratrol or its 4′ analog for the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), but among the inflammatory biomarkers, resveratrol, 4AR, R-equol and racemic equol displayed high inhibition. Thus, these cosmeceuticals display promise to improve dermal health; however, further study is warranted to understand how phytochemicals protect/enhance the skin.
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something black.

DOI:10.1097/MNH.0000000000000325 Over the years, we have had the privilege to present to you, members of the clinical and research communities, a series of contemporary review articles focused on normal mineral metabolism and its alterations in a variety of disease states, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). We have used a standard and consistent approach throughout. Each year, we set out to identify a set of topics for the next edition by surveying the year’s literature in search of new publications of significant scientific interest that we blend with additional topics of high clinical relevance. To present the reviews in the most effective manner, we identify the authors who are best equipped to integrate advances in the area with their own opinions of how these advances might impact the future, both clinically and scientifically. It is this ‘opinion’ in Current Opinion that makes for such a distinctive publication. Although many journals mandate that review articles be staid expositions of the published literature that often allow only narrow lanes for expression of opinion, we implore our authors to go beyond the data, to contextualize, to question, to provoke, and to frame the future. In the 2017 edition of the Mineral Metabolism section of Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension, we are pleased to present five new and prescient articles to you. The issue opens with two articles that provide an up-to-date review on topics that fit in the ‘something old’ category. Long before vitamin D analogs or calcimimetics, surgical parathyroidectomy was an established treatment of refractory secondary hyperparathyroidism in endstage renal disease (ESRD). With the development of new medical therapies to control parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and a body of preclinical and epidemiological research that suggested that suppressed PTH may be just as harmful or more harmful to the bone and vasculature than elevated PTH, use of surgical parathyroidectomy receded. More recently, parathyroidectomy is resurgent, perhaps because of loosening of international guidelines for PTH control that may be leading to higher rates of refractory hyperparathyroidism, and the emergence of a new school of thought on the safety and efficacy of parathyroidectomy. Although the latter position
Population Structure and Genomic Breed Composition in an Angus–Brahman Crossbred Cattle Population

Crossbreeding is a common strategy used in tropical and subtropical regions to enhance beef production, and having accurate knowledge of breed composition is essential for the success of a crossbreeding program. Although pedigree records have been traditionally used to obtain the breed composition of crossbred cattle, the accuracy of pedigree-based breed composition can be reduced by inaccurate and/or incomplete records and Mendelian sampling. Breed composition estimation from genomic data has multiple advantages including higher accuracy without being affected by missing, incomplete, or inaccurate records and the ability to be used as independent authentication of breed in breed-labeled beef products. The present study was conducted with 676 Angus–Brahman crossbred cattle with genotype and pedigree information to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of using genomic data to determine breed composition. We used genomic data in parametric and non-parametric methods to detect population structure due to differences in breed composition while accounting for the confounding effect of close familial relationships. By applying principal component analysis (PCA) and the maximum likelihood method of ADMIXTURE to genomic data, it was possible to successfully characterize population structure resulting from heterogeneous breed ancestry, while accounting for close familial relationships. PCA results offered additional insight into the different hierarchies of genetic variation structuring. The first principal component was strongly correlated with Angus–Brahman proportions, and the second represented variation within animals that have a relatively more extended Brangus lineage—indicating the presence of a distinct pattern of genetic variation in these cattle. Although there was strong agreement between breed proportions estimated from pedigree and genetic information, there were significant discrepancies between these two methods for certain animals. This was most likely due to inaccuracies in the pedigree-based estimation of breed composition, which supported the case for using genomic information to complement and/or replace pedigree information when estimating breed composition. Comparison with a supervised analysis where purebreds are used as the training set suggest that accurate predictions can be achieved even in the absence of purebred population information.
Effect of particle size distribution on railroad ballast deformation

O efeito da granulometria no comportamento mecânico do lastro tem sido estudado por vários pesquisadores no passado. A revisão de estes estudos indicaram que uma gradação mais uniforme que as atualmente usadas pela indústria ferroviária, diminuiria a deformação permanente e degradação do lastro ferroviário. Neste estudo, o equipamento prismoidal triaxial cíclico projetado e construído na Universidade de Wollongong foi utilizado. Duas granulometrias de lastro foram testadas sob tensão vertical cíclica máxima de 450 kPa. Os resultados mostraram que a granulometria teve grande influencia a deformação permanente e quebra de lastro ferroviário.
ProtaBank: A repository for protein design and engineering data

We present ProtaBank, a repository for storing, querying, analyzing, and sharing protein design and engineering data in an actively maintained and updated database. ProtaBank provides a format to describe and compare all types of protein mutational data, spanning a wide range of properties and techniques. It features a user-friendly web interface and programming layer that streamlines data deposition and allows for batch input and queries. The database schema design incorporates a standard format for reporting protein sequences and experimental data that facilitates comparison of results across different data sets. A suite of analysis and visualization tools are provided to facilitate discovery, to guide future designs, and to benchmark and train new predictive tools and algorithms. ProtaBank will provide a valuable resource to the protein engineering community by storing and safeguarding newly generated data, allowing for fast searching and identification of relevant data from the existing literature, and exploring correlations between disparate data sets. ProtaBank invites researchers to contribute data to the database to make it accessible for search and analysis. ProtaBank is available at https://protabank.org. Impact The ProtaBank database provides a central repository for researchers to store, query, analyze, and share all types of protein engineering data. This modern database will serve a pivotal role in organizing protein engineering data and leveraging the increasingly large amounts of mutational data being generated. Together with the analysis tools, it will help scientists gain insights into sequence-function relationships, support the development of new predictive tools and algorithms, and facilitate future protein engineering efforts. Abbreviations 3D three-dimensional API application programming interface AWS Amazon Web Services BLAST Basic Local Alignment Search Tool Cm concentration of denaturant at midpoint of unfolding transition CSV comma-separated values ΔG Gibbs free energy of folding/unfolding Gβ1 β1 domain of Streptococcal protein G GdmCl guanidinium chloride kcat catalytic rate constant Kd dissociation constant MIC minimum inhibitory concentration PDB Protein Data Bank PE protein engineering RDS Relational Database Services REST Representation State Transfer Tm melting temperature
A road paved with safe intentions: Increasing intentions to use alcohol protective behavioral strategies via Deviance Regulation Theory.

OBJECTIVE Drinking remains a problem across college campuses. Changing this behavior requires interventions that can be easily and widely dispersed. Several theories place intentions as a proximal predictor of behavior change. The current study examines the effects of a Web-based Deviance Regulation Theory (DRT) intervention on (1) intentions to use alcohol protective behavior strategies (PBS) and (2) associations between these intentions and actual behavior. METHOD Participants (n = 76) completed a 6-week, Web-based study examining drinking behaviors. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a positive frame about individuals who use PBS or a negative frame about individuals who do not. They also reported normative perceptions of PBS use among college students. They subsequently logged onto a secure server each week to report on alcohol involvement, use of 3 types of PBS (Manner of Drinking, Stopping/Limiting, and Serious Harm Reduction), and intentions to use these PBS the following week. RESULTS Consistent with DRT, negative frames resulted in higher PBS use intentions if individuals held high normative beliefs about PBS use. Positive frames resulted in higher Manner of Drinking PBS use intentions if individuals held low normative beliefs about PBS use, but only if individuals endorsed a high belief in the frame. In addition, there was a DRT consistent increase in intention-action associations, but only for Stopping/Limiting PBS. DISCUSSION A brief Web-based DRT intervention was effective at increasing PBS intentions and increasing PBS intention-action associations. DRT may provide a mechanism to additively or synergistically improve other Web-based interventions for college drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record
Prevalence of mental illness within families in a regional child‐focussed mental health service

Nearly 50% of all mental illnesses begin in childhood before the age of 14 years, and over 20% of parents have a mental illness. Few studies have examined the co-occurrence of mental illnesses in parents and children. In the present study, we examined the extent of mental illness within families of 152 clients attending an Australian regional child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS). A cross-sectional study design was employed involving a case record review and clinician-completed questionnaire of the children and youth attending a CAMHS. It was found that 79% of these children were living with a parent with mental illness. The predominant diagnosis of both child and parent was an anxiety or mood disorder, and many families had co-occurring risk factors of domestic violence and limited social supports. The findings in this Australian cohort are similar to those of other international research. While novel in nature, the present study has highlighted the extent of both mental illness and scarce supports for both children and parents in the same family. The findings indicate the need for a coordinated multiservice delivery of appropriate and consistent family-focussed interventions, responding to both mental illness and social supports for children and parents. Further research should examine specific components of family need and support, as seen through the eyes of the child and their parent.
Efficient and Scalable Graph Parallel Processing With Symbolic Execution

Existing graph processing essentially relies on the underlying iterative execution with synchronous (Sync) and/or asynchronous (Async) engine. Nevertheless, they both suffer from a wide class of inherent serialization arising from data interdependencies within a graph. In this article, we present SymGraph, a judicious graph engine with symbolic iteration that enables the parallelism of dependent computation on vertices. SymGraph allows using abstract symbolic value (instead of the concrete value) for the computation if the desired data is unavailable. To maximize the potential of symbolic iteration, we propose a chain of tailored sophisticated techniques, enabling SymGraph to scale out with a new milestone of efficiency for large-scale graph processing. We evaluate SymGraph in comparison to Sync, Async, and a hybrid of Sync and Async engines. Our results on 12 nodes show that SymGraph outperforms all three graph engines by 1.93x (vs. Sync), 1.98x (vs. Async), and 1.57x (vs. Hybrid) on average. In particular, the performance for PageRank on 32 nodes can be dramatically improved by 16.5x (vs. Sync), 23.3x (vs. Async), and 12.1x (vs. Hybrid), respectively. The efficiency of SymGraph is also validated with at least one order of magnitude improvement in contrast to three specialized graph systems (Naiad, GraphX, and PGX.D).
Evaluating defect prediction approaches using a massive set of metrics: an empirical study

To evaluate the performance of a within-project defect prediction approach, people normally use precision, recall, and F-measure scores. However, in machine learning literature, there are a large number of evaluation metrics to evaluate the performance of an algorithm, (e.g., Matthews Correlation Coefficient, G-means, etc.), and these metrics evaluate an approach from different aspects. In this paper, we investigate the performance of within-project defect prediction approaches on a large number of evaluation metrics. We choose 6 state-of-the-art approaches including naive Bayes, decision tree, logistic regression, kNN, random forest and Bayesian network which are widely used in defect prediction literature. And we evaluate these 6 approaches on 14 evaluation metrics (e.g., G-mean, F-measure, balance, MCC, J-coefficient, and AUC). Our goal is to explore a practical and sophisticated way for evaluating the prediction approaches comprehensively. We evaluate the performance of defect prediction approaches on 10 defect datasets from PROMISE repository. The results show that Bayesian network achieves a noteworthy performance. It achieves the best recall, FN-R, G-mean1 and balance on 9 out of the 10 datasets, and F-measure and J-coefficient on 7 out of the 10 datasets.