Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk Factors Associated With Language in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Clues to Underlying Mechanisms.

PURPOSE Identifying risk factors associated with neurodevelopmental disorders is an important line of research, as it will lead to earlier identification of children who could benefit from interventions that support optimal developmental outcomes. The primary goal of this review was to summarize research on risk factors associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHOD The review focused on studies of infants who have older siblings with ASD, with particular emphasis on risk factors associated with language impairment that affects the majority of children with ASD. Findings from this body of work were compared to the literature on specific language impairment. RESULTS A wide range of risk factors has been found for ASD, including demographic (e.g., male, family history), behavioral (e.g., gesture, motor) and neural risk markers (e.g., atypical lateralization for speech and reduced functional connectivity). Environmental factors, such as caregiver interaction, have not been found to predict language outcomes. Many of the risk markers for ASD are also found in studies of risk for specific language impairment, including demographic, behavioral, and neural factors. CONCLUSIONS There are significant gaps in the literature and limitations in the current research that preclude direct cross-syndrome comparisons. Future research directions are outlined that could address these limitations.
The Nature of Epiphanic Experience

The purpose of this inquiry is to investigate positive change and transformation that is sudden and abrupt, as defined by the term epiphany. Due to the disparate nature of the epiphanic literature, a thorough and wide-ranging review was undertaken, producing a set of six core characteristics, which were tested and interpreted from a self-identity existential perspective. A narrative inquiry approach to methodology was employed to collect and analyze participants' epiphanies, from which three main interpretations were drawn. Firstly, the participants' life-stories illustrate that an epiphany is a valid experience as indicated by support for the set of six core characteristics developed from the literature. Secondly, an epiphany is a profound illumination of the inauthentic and authentic modes of self-identity, which provide the impetus for a more honest and courageous encounter with the conditions of existence. Lastly, an epiphany is an intentional experience made significant and enduring by the ascription of personal meaning.
Lack of correlation between angiographic grading of collateral and myocardial perfusion and function: implications for the assessment of angiogenic response

BackgroundAngiographic assessment of apparent collaterals (AAC) has been used to quantify the angiogenic response to interventions designed to enhance myocardial perfusion and function in ischemic myocardium. However, the accuracy with which AAC reflects actual myocardial blood flow (MBF) and regional contractility has not been established. ObjectiveTo examine the relationships between myocardial tissue perfusion, AAC grade and myocardial function in a porcine model of chronic myocardial ischemia. MethodsAAC (with results visually graded as 0–3) was performed 4 weeks after placement of an ameroid constrictor around the left circumflex artery in pigs (n = 27). Fluorescent microspheres were used to quantify regional endocardial, epicardial, and transmural MBF, and echocardiography was used to assess percentage thickening of myocardium (PTM) at rest and under stress (pacing). ResultsThere was no significant correlation between AAC grading and endocardial, epicardial or transmural MBF. MBF but not AAC grade was correlated to PTM at rest according to the formula PTM = 0.06 + 0.42MBFtransmural (r = 0.39, P = 0.047). ConclusionResults of simple AAC are not correlated with myocardial perfusion and function and probably should not be used as a primary endpoint in clinical studies designed to enhance myocardial perfusion in ischemic regions.
Inflammation-Induced Reactivation of the Ranavirus Frog Virus 3 in Asymptomatic Xenopus laevis

Natural infections of ectothermic vertebrates by ranaviruses (RV, family Iridoviridae) are rapidly increasing, with an alarming expansion of RV tropism and resulting die-offs of numerous animal populations. Notably, infection studies of the amphibian Xenopus laevis with the ranavirus Frog Virus 3 (FV3) have revealed that although the adult frog immune system is efficient at controlling RV infections, residual quiescent virus can be detected in mononuclear phagocytes of otherwise asymptomatic animals following the resolution of RV infections. It is noteworthy that macrophage-lineage cells are now believed to be a critical element in the RV infection strategy. In the present work, we report that inflammation induced by peritoneal injection of heat-killed bacteria in asymptomatic frogs one month after infection with FV3 resulted in viral reactivation including detectable viral DNA and viral gene expression in otherwise asymptomatic frogs. FV3 reactivation was most prominently detected in kidneys and in peritoneal HAM56+ mononuclear phagocytes. Notably, unlike adult frogs that typically clear primary FV3 infections, a proportion of the animals succumbed to the reactivated FV3 infection, indicating that previous exposure does not provide protection against subsequent reactivation in these animals.
Class specific subspace learning for collaborative representation

Collaborative representation based classification (CRC) has been successfully used for visual recognition and showed impressive performance recently. However, it directly uses the training samples from each class as the subspaces to calculate the minimum residual error for a given testing sample. This leads to high residual error and instability, which is critical especially for a small number of training samples in each class. In this paper, we propose a class specific subspace learning algorithm for collaborative representation. By introducing the dual form of subspace learning, it presents an explicit relationship between the basis vectors and the original image features, and thus enhances the interpretability. Lagrange multipliers are then applied to optimize the corresponding objective function, i.e., learning the weights used in constructing the subspaces. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has achieved superior performance in several visual recognition tasks.
Lymphangiogenesis and colorectal cancer

Lymphatic metastasis is an important event in the progress of metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose of this article is to assess the role of lymphangiogenesis on CRC. In peritumoral areas of CRC, the lymphatic microvessel density (LMVD) is higher than those in normal colorectal tissues. Morever, the high LMVD is correlated with DFS and local recurrence in CRC. The VEGF-C/VEGF-D/VEGFR-3 pathway, sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway and extracellular matrix (ECM) are involved in the regulation of lymphangiogenesis in CRC. Inhibition of the VEGF-C/VEGF-D/VEGFR-3 pathway by specific antibodies has been reported to efficiently inhibit experimental tumor lymphangiogenesis and metastasis in animal experiments. Although lymphangiogenesis has been reported to play an important role in the occurrence of colon cancer and to be associated with prognosis, it remains unclear whether it is a valid therapeutic target molecule. Further study of the potential of targeting this process for anti-lymphatic therapies is worthwhile.
Stochastic Progressive Photon Mapping for Dynamic Scenes

Stochastic Progressive Photon Mapping (SPPM) is a method to simulate consistent global illumination. It is especially useful for complicated light paths like caustics seen through a glass surface. Up to now, SPPM can only be applied to a static scene and noise‐free images require hours to compute. Our approach is to extend this method to dynamic scenes (DSPPM) for an efficient simulation of animated objects and materials. We identify both hit point and photon information that can be re‐used for the pixel statistics of multiple frames. In comparison to an SPPM simulation performed for each frame, we achieve a 1.96 −9.53 speedup in our test scenes without changing correctness or simulation quality.
Second Harmonic Field Generation from a Phased Array Transducer and Its Beam Optimization

In this paper, we have done the simulation of ultrasonic field propagation in human tissue medium from a phased array transducer. The ultrasound plane wave propagation has been modeled using the B/A model and has been solved using the time domain based pseudospectral method. The generation of second harmonic field has been studied along the on-axis and off-axis as well and has been compared with the fundamental. The principle of beam formation has been studied thoroughly and utilized for second harmonic field optimization. The second harmonic beam optimization has been performed by observing the variations of system parameters i.e. applied pressure, frequency, f-number and apodization techniques. propagation due to the underlying paraxial basis. The pseudospectral method (7) provides high spatial accuracy and as it solves the nonlinear wave equation at every point in the 2D spatial domain, it can also be used to model propagation through heterogeneous model. At longer propagation distances, KZK solutions based on finite difference or finite element methods distorts signals unacceptably as they use lower order space and time derivative approximations. In this paper, we have used the same pseudospectral approach to model and simulate the ultrasound nonlinear wave propagation in an attenuating tissue medium. In this paper, the pseudospectral method has been used to model the propagation of ultrasound in human tissues. The lateral and axial beam profiles have been observed at focal depth and also the frequency analysis has been performed. The principle of beam forming mainly composed of parameters related with excitation, probe and propagating medium. The control of these parameters gives the ability to improve the quality of the ultrasound images which ultimately will give the useful information to physicians for diagnosis. Few relevant parameters have been varied to observe their effects on lateral and axial resolution, penetration depth and their optimized selection has been suggested.
GABAA receptors signal bidirectional reward transmission from the ventral tegmental area to the tegmental pedunculopontine nucleus as a function of opiate state

The brainstem tegmental pedunculopontine nucleus (TPP) is involved in reward signalling and is functionally and anatomically linked to the VTA. We examined the possible role of the TPP as a reward transmission output for GABAA receptors in the VTA in rats not previously exposed to opiates vs. rats that were chronically exposed to and in withdrawal from opiates or in rats that had recovered from chronic opiate exposure. Bilateral lesions of the TPP blocked the rewarding effects of a GABAA antagonist but not the rewarding effects of a GABAA receptor agonist in rats previously unexposed to opiates. This functional pattern was reversed in rats that were dependent on opiates and in withdrawal. However, once rats had recovered from chronic opiate exposure the functional parameters of VTA GABAA receptor reward signalling reverted to the pattern observed in animals that had not been exposed to opiates. These findings suggest that GABAA receptors in the VTA can regulate differential reward signalling through separate neural systems during the transition from a drug‐naive to a drug‐dependent and withdrawn state.
Subcellular cadmium distribution, accumulation, and toxicity in a predatory gastropod, Thais clavigera, fed different prey

Bioaccumulation and toxicity of Cd were investigated in a marine predatory whelk, Thais clavigera, after being fed with the rock oyster, Saccostrea cucullata, or the herbivorous snail, Monodonta labio, for up to four weeks. The oysters and snails had different subcellular Cd distributions and concentrations in their bodies given their different metal‐handling strategies and were exposed to dissolved Cd for two weeks before being fed to the whelks. After four weeks of dietary exposure, the Cd body concentrations in T. clavigera increased from 3.1 μg/g to between 22.9 and 41.8 μg/g and to between 22.7 and 24.1 μg/g when they were fed with oyster and snail prey, respectively. An increasing proportion of Cd was found to be distributed in the metallothionein (MT)‐like proteins and organelle fractions, whereas the relative distribution in the metal‐rich granules fraction decreased when the whelks were fed Cd‐exposed prey. At the highest Cd dosage, more Cd was distributed in the pool of metal‐rich granules when the whelks were fed the oysters than when they were fed the snails. Among all the biomarkers measured (MT induction, condition index, lipid peroxidation, and total energy reserve including carbohydrate, lipid, and protein), only MT showed a significant difference from the control treatments, and MT was the most sensitive biomarker for dietary Cd exposure. No toxicity was found in the whelks fed different Cd‐exposed prey as revealed by various biomarkers at the different biological levels. Our results imply that metal fractionation in prey can alter the subsequent subcellular metal distribution in predators and that dietary Cd toxicity to the whelks was low, even when the accumulated Cd body concentrations were high.
Exponential synchronization of a class of neural networks with time-varying delays

This paper aims to present a synchronization scheme for a class of delayed neural networks, which covers the Hopfield neural networks and cellular neural networks with time-varying delays. A feedback control gain matrix is derived to achieve the exponential synchronization of the drive-response structure of neural networks by using the Lyapunov stability theory, and its exponential synchronization condition can be verified if a certain Hamiltonian matrix with no eigenvalues on the imaginary axis. This condition can avoid solving an algebraic Riccati equation. Both the cellular neural networks and Hopfield neural networks with time-varying delays are given as examples for illustration.
Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Vaginal Hysterectomy: A Review

&NA; Recent experimental studies in laboratory animals have elucidated the pathogenesis of operative site infections and have defined the mechanism by which prophylactic antibiotics enhance host defenses against infection. On the basis of these experimental observations, several investigators have conducted well‐designed studies to evaluate the effectiveness of prophylactic antibiotics in reducing the risk of infection associated with vaginal hysterectomy. Without exception, these studies have demonstrated a dramatic decrease in the incidence of pelvic infections when antimicrobial agents are administered for a limited time in the perioperative period. To date, short courses of prophylactic antibiotics have not been shown to create selective pressures for the emergence of drug‐resistant organisms or to lead to the development of more serious superinfections.
Relationship between omega3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid status during early infancy and neurodevelopmental status at 1 year of age.

OBJECTIVE To determine the influence of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA; 18 : 3omega3) intake and, hence, the influence of plasma and/or erythrocyte phospholipid content of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22 : 6omega3) during early infancy on neurodevelopmental outcome of term infants. METHODS The Bayley Scales of Infant Development (second edition), the Clinical Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT/CLAMS) and the Gross Motor Scale of the Revised Gesell Developmental Inventory were administered at a mean age of 12.26 +/- 0.94 months to 44 normal term infants enrolled in a study evaluating the effects of infant formulas differing only in ALA content (0.4, 1.0, 1.7 and 3.2% of total fatty acids). RESULTS As reported previously [Jensen et al., Lipids 13 (1996) 107; J. Pediatr. 131 (1997) 200], the group fed the formula with the lowest ALA content had the lowest mean plasma and erythrocyte phospholipid DHA contents at 4 months of age. This group also had the lowest mean score on every neurodevelopmental measure. The difference in mean gross motor developmental quotient of this group versus the group fed the formula with 1.0% ALA but not of the other groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Across the groups, motor indices correlated positively with each other and with the plasma phospholipid DHA content at 4 months of age (P=0.02-0.03). The CLAMS developmental quotient correlated with the erythrocyte phospholipid content of 20 : 5omega3 (P < 0.01) but not with DHA. CONCLUSIONS These statistically significant correlations suggest that the omega3 fatty acid status during early infancy may be important with respect to neurodevelopmental status at 1 year of age and highlight the need for further studies of this possibility.
Signatures of Value Comparison in Ventral Striatum Neurons

The ventral striatum (VS), like its cortical afferents, is closely associated with processing of rewards, but the relative contributions of striatal and cortical reward systems remains unclear. Most theories posit distinct roles for these structures, despite their similarities. We compared responses of VS neurons to those of ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) Area 14 neurons, recorded in a risky choice task. Five major response patterns observed in vmPFC were also observed in VS: (1) offer value encoding, (2) value difference encoding, (3) preferential encoding of chosen relative to unchosen value, (4) a correlation between residual variance in responses and choices, and (5) prominent encoding of outcomes. We did observe some differences as well; in particular, preferential encoding of the chosen option was stronger and started earlier in VS than in vmPFC. Nonetheless, the close match between vmPFC and VS suggests that cortex and its striatal targets make overlapping contributions to economic choice.
Protein-calorie adequacy of enteral nutrition therapy in surgical patients.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the protein-calorie adequacy of enteral nutrition therapy (ENT) in surgical patients. METHODS A prospective study was performed in surgical patients who received ENT from March to October 2011. Patients were evaluated anthropometrically and by subjective global assessment (SGA). The amount of calories and protein prescribed and administered were recorded daily, as well as the causes of discontinuation of the diet. A 90% value was used as the adequacy reference. The difference between the prescribed and administered amount was verified by Student's t-test. RESULTS A sample of 32 patients, aged 55.8 ± 14.9 years, showed a malnutrition rate of 40.6% to 71.9%, depending on the assessment tool used. Gastric cancer and gastrectomy were the most common diagnosis and surgery, respectively. Of the patients, 50% were able to meet their caloric and protein needs. The adequacy of the received diet in relation to the prescribed one was 88.9 ± 12.1% and 87.9 ± 12.2% for calories and proteins, respectively, with a significant difference (p < 0.0001) of 105.9 kcal/day and 5.5 g protein/day. 59.4% of the patients had adequate caloric intake and 56.2% had adequate protein intake. Causes of diet suspension occurred in 81.3%, with fasting for procedures (84.6%) and nausea/vomiting (38.5%) being the most frequently observed causes in pre- and postoperative periods, respectively. CONCLUSION Inadequate caloric and protein intake was common, which can be attributed to complications and diet suspensions during ENT, which may have hampered the sample reached their nutritional needs. This may contribute to the decline in the nutritional status of surgical patients, who often have impaired nutrition, as observed in this study.
Empirical evaluation of mental time travel

Although the mental time travel (MTT) hypothesis provides a rich, conceptual framework, the absence of clear, empirically tractable, behavioural criteria for determining the capacity for MTT restricts its usefulness in comparative research. Examples of empirical criteria for evaluating MTT in animals are given. We also question the authors' evaluation of semantic foresight and their even-handedness in assessing human and nonhuman behaviour.
If They Move in Sync, They Must Feel in Sync: Movement Synchrony Leads to Attributions of Rapport and Entitativity

Coordinated behavior patterns are one of the pillars of social interaction. Researchers have recently shown that movement synchrony influences ratings of rapport, and the extent to which groups are judged to be a unit. The current experiments investigated the hypothesis that observers infer a shared psychological state from synchronized movement rhythms, influencing attributions of rapport and entitativity judgments. Movement rhythms of observed individuals are manipulated between participants (Experiment 1) or kept constant while the source of the emerging movement synchrony is manipulated (Experiment 2), and both rapport and perceived entitativity are measured. The findings support the assumption that movement synchrony increases attributed rapport and perceived entitativity. Furthermore, mediational analyses reveal that the effects of movement synchrony on perceived unity are not purely perceptual in nature, but caused by psychological inferences. Observers infer the degree to which individuals are a social unit from their movement rhythms.
The Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC): Interdisciplinary bases of the ETC

Abstract The theoretical concept of the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC), proposed by Kagin and Lusebrink in 1978, incorporates several US art therapy pioneers' approaches to art therapy. The ETC consists of three stepwise levels—Kinaesthetic/Sensory, Perceptual/Affective and Cognitive/Symbolic—interconnected by the creative level. Each level of the ETC encompasses two polarities, whereby the emphasis on one polarity decreases the involvement of the other polarity. The therapeutic aspects of the ETC are based on the following art therapy approaches: art as therapy, gestalt art therapy, phenomenological art therapy, psychodynamic art therapy, and cognitive art therapy. The stepwise three-tiered structure of the ETC incorporates concepts from cognitive psychology and art education, namely perception and imagery, visual information processing, stages of graphic development, and different expressive styles. Based on Fuster's (2003) theory about areas of the brain involved in processing perceptual information, Lusebrink has hypothesised that the three levels of the ETC reflect three different areas of the brain in processing visual information. The article elaborates on the practical applications of the ETC concept in therapy and the use of art media on its different levels. The goal of the article is to expand the range of art-based strategies and to further understanding of art expressions in therapy.
Applications of the multifocal electroretinogram in the detection of glaucoma

Glaucoma is one of the most important eye diseases resulting in blindness worldwide. It affects the inner retina and is without signs and symptoms in the early stages, making early detection of glaucoma important for eye care professionals. Electroretinography (ERG) is an objective technique used to measure retinal electrical responses, which directly reflect retinal function. The multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) is a relatively new tool in this area. Various modifications of the mfERG stimulation paradigms such as fast flicker, low contrast, slow sequence, global flash and luminance‐modulation have been developed in recent years. Using these techniques and a better understanding of the mfERG characteristics has resulted in greater effectiveness of the mfERG in the diagnosis of glaucoma. It is likely that sensitive clinical mfERG measurement protocols for early detection of glaucomatous damage will be possible in the near future.