Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neurobehavioral abnormalities in first-degree relatives of individuals with autism.

CONTEXT Studying sensorimotor and neurocognitive impairments in unaffected family members of individuals with autism may help identify familial pathophysiological mechanisms associated with the disorder. OBJECTIVE To determine whether atypical sensorimotor or neurocognitive characteristics associated with autism are present in first-degree relatives of individuals with autism. DESIGN Case-control comparison of neurobehavioral functions. SETTING University medical center. PARTICIPANTS Fifty-seven first-degree relatives of individuals with autism and 40 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched healthy control participants (aged 8-54 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Oculomotor tests of sensorimotor responses (saccades and smooth pursuit); procedural learning and response inhibition; neuropsychological tests of motor, memory, and executive functions; and psychological measures of social behavior, communication skills, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. RESULTS On eye movement testing, family members demonstrated saccadic hypometria, reduced steady-state pursuit gain, and a higher rate of voluntary response inhibition errors relative to controls. They also showed lateralized deficits in procedural learning and open-loop pursuit gain (initial 100 milliseconds of pursuit) and increased variability in the accuracy of large-amplitude saccades that were confined to rightward movements. In neuropsychological studies, only executive functions were impaired relative to those of controls. Family members reported more communication abnormalities and obsessive-compulsive behaviors than controls. Deficits across oculomotor, neuropsychological, and psychological domains were relatively independent from one another. CONCLUSIONS Family members of individuals with autism demonstrate oculomotor abnormalities implicating pontocerebellar and frontostriatal circuits and left-lateralized alterations of frontotemporal circuitry and striatum. The left-lateralized alterations have not been identified in other neuropsychiatric disorders and are of interest given atypical brain lateralization and language development associated with the disorder. Similar oculomotor deficits have been reported in individuals with autism, suggesting that they may be familial and useful for studies of neurophysiological and genetic mechanisms in autism.
Kaleidomap Visualizations of Cardiovascular Function in Critical Care Medicine

In this paper we consider how the use of Kaleidomaps can facilitate our understanding and interpretation of large complex multivariate medical datasets relating to cardiovascular function in critical care medicine. Kaleidomaps are a new technique for the visualization of multivariate time-series data. They build upon the classic cascade plot and use the curvature of a line to enhance the detection of periodic patterns within multivariate dualperiodicity datasets. Kaleidomaps keep user interaction to a minimum, facilitating the rapid identification of periodic patterns not only within their own variants but also across many different sets of the variants. By linking this technique with traditional line graphs and signal processing techniques, we are able to provide medical experts with a set of visualization tools that permit the combination of medical datasets in their raw form and also with the results of mathematical analysis.
Facts for youngsters: Contextualised technology or fragmented artefacts? A study on portrayals of technology in picture books from a gender perspective

Technology is a field with strong connections to the female/male dichotomy and children's gender stereotyping starts as early as the age of two (Berner, 2004; Nisbet, Pendergast & Reynolds, 1998; Turja, Endepohls-Ulpe & Chatoney, 2009). According to the Swedish Curriculum for the Preschool, the preschool should strive to ensure that children ”develop their ability to identify technology in everyday life, and explore how simple technology works” (Lpfo98/2010, p. 10). The preschool also has a goal to actively counteract traditional gender roles and patterns (Lpfo98/2010, p. 4). An important part of children's activities in preschool relates to picture books. A government investigation states that the preschool, through its activities (among them ”reading aloud”) is an arena where societal norms can either be preserved or challenged (SOU 2006:75). Books about cars, airplanes, boats etc. often serve as an introduction to human applications of technology. Based on these, children start to identify and categorize the technologies they encounter in everyday life.The aim of this study is consequently to investigate the technological content from a gender perspective in a selection of picture books, more specifically; how do the books content preserve or challenge preschool children's view of technology and gender? Preschools use books from libraries in their daily activities, therefore the empirical material in this study is derived from the library section ”facts for youngsters”. A thematic analysis was employed to discover the dominant themes within the books. The result of the study shows that there is a focus on how separate artefacts function but no detailed explanation on how these artefacts are connected or what kind of implications they have in a societal context. There also seems to be an emphasis on traditionally masculine coded technology. This study will serve as a basis for a comparative study between two preschools, one where gender and technology is a prioritised goal and one where it is not.
Autoimmune diseases and infections as risk factors for schizophrenia

Immunological hypotheses have become increasingly prominent when studying the etiology of schizophrenia. Autoimmune diseases, and especially the number of infections requiring hospitalization, have been identified as significant risk factors for schizophrenia in a dose–response relationship, which seem compatible with an immunological hypothesis for subgroups of patients with schizophrenia. Inflammation and infections may affect the brain through many different pathways that are not necessarily mutually exclusive and can possibly increase the risk of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals. However, the findings could also be an epiphenomenon and not causal, due to, for instance, common genetic vulnerability, which could be supported by the observations of an increased prevalence of autoimmune diseases and infections in parents of patients with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, autoimmune diseases and infections should be considered in the treatment of individuals with schizophrenia symptoms, and further research is needed of the immune system's possible contributing pathogenic factors in the etiology of schizophrenia.
Evaluation of the Safety of Recent Surgical Microscopes Equipped With Xenon Light Sources

Although recent surgical microscopes for neurosurgery are equipped with xenon light sources to obtain bright fields of vision, the safety of a xenon beam, which has strong energy intensity in a long ultraviolet light, for cortical neurons has not been evaluated. Cranial windows were made in the parietal bones of gerbils. The skull of each gerbil was covered with warmed saline (0.5 mm in depth) to maintain the brain temperature. Ultraviolet irradiation (365-nm) was performed for 30 minutes at energy levels of 9.6, 4.4, 1.3, and 0.3 mwatts/cm2, and neuronal damage was observed in 90 ± 4%, 42 ± 23%, 9 ± 6%, and 0 ± 0% of pyramidal cells in the parietal cortex 24 hours later. With the use of a logistic regression curve, the energy level causing 50% of neuronal damage was estimated to be 5.4 mwatts/cm2. By increasing the thickness of the saline layer over the skull surface (1 mm and 2 mm), neuronal damages were significantly attenuated (21 ± 18% and 10 ± 8%, respectively, 4.4 mwatts/cm2). Because the highest energy levels of 365-nm ultraviolet rays emitted from surgical microscopes measured in the present study (0.379 mwatts/cm2) were much closer to the dose causing 0% damage than to the dose causing 9% damage, the risk of neuronal injury occurring during microsurgery could be negligible. However, care should be taken in patients who take medicine classified as photosensitizing agents, such as diphenylhydantoin, which are thought to concentrate ultraviolet energy. The use of saline over the cortical surface may be beneficial for reducing the detrimental effects of 365-nm ultraviolet light.
Proprioception of the Mind: Balancing Science and Spirit Through Emotional Intelligence

This paper purports to demonstrate that teaching is an art form that not only relies on knowledge of theory and practice, but, even more importantly, also depends on a sensitivity to the needs of the individual student and the needs of the group. It is important for us, as teachers, to understand that in order to teach our students we need to reach them on an emotional level by implementing emotionally intelligent judgments throughout our interactions with them. It is not sufficient to be totally versed in the subject we are teaching, we must be continually aware of the emotional state of our students by assessing myriad clues simultaneously. These clues are received accurately by an emotionally intelligent teacher, affording students the opportunity to actualize their potential. The Nebulous Bull’s-Eye and Proprioception of the Mind are graphic representations of two key concepts; understanding how a student progresses through emotional stages and circumstances yielding the optimal conditions to actualize their learning potential, and how a masterful awareness of students’ cognitive and emotional bearings guide a teacher towards effective instruction.
Monitoring Plan Optimality During Execution

A great deal of research has addressed the problem of generating optimal plans, but these plans are of limited use in circumstances where noisy sensors, unanticipated exogenous actions, or imperfect models result in discrepancies between predicted and observed states of the world during plan execution. Such discrepancies bring into question the continued optimality of the plan being executed and, according to current-day practice, are resolved by aborting the plan and replanning, often unnecessarily. In this paper we address the problem of monitoring the continued optimality of a given plan at execution time, in the face of such discrepancies. While replanning cannot be avoided when critical aspects of the environment change, our objective is to avoid replanning unnecessarily. We address the problem by building on practical approaches to monitoring plan validity. We begin by formalizing plan validity in the situation calculus and characterizing common approaches to monitoring plan validity. We then generalize this characterization to the notion of plan optimality and propose an algorithm that verifies continued plan optimality. We have implemented our algorithm and tested it on simulated execution failures in well-known planning domains. Experimental results yield a significant speedup in performance over the alternative of replanning, clearly demonstrating the merit of our approach.
Detrimental effect of blood pressure reduction in the first 24 hours of acute stroke onset

Background: High blood pressure, although the main modifiable risk factor for stroke, may have a beneficial effect in maintaining brain perfusion after acute ischemia. The authors assessed the effects of blood pressure variation in the first 24 hours of stroke onset. Methods: The authors prospectively studied consecutive patients admitted in the first 24 hours after stroke onset. Patients were classified according to the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Oxfordshire Stroke Classification Scale (OSCS). Stroke etiology was defined according to Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment classification. After 3 months, outcome was assessed using Rankin and Barthel scales, with poor outcome defined as Rankin score > 2 or Barthel score < 70. Results: A total of 115 patients were admitted between January 2001 and October 2002. Median NIHSS was 4.5; main stroke etiology was cardioembolism (30%). After 3 months, 44 (39%) patients had a poor outcome. Predictors of poor outcome in univariable analyses (p < 0.05) were as follows: total anterior circulation classification on OSCS, nonlacunar stroke etiology, older age, higher NIHSS score, lack of antiplatelet use, higher body temperature, lower diastolic blood pressure on admission, and a larger degree of systolic blood pressure reduction. In the multivariable analysis, remaining predictors of poor outcome included the following: NIHSS score (OR = 1.55 per 1 point increase; 95% CI = 1.28 to 1.87; p < 0.001) and degree of systolic blood pressure reduction in the first 24 hours (OR = 1.89 per 10% decrease; 95% CI = 1.02 to 3.52; p = 0.047). Conclusion: Blood pressure reduction in the first 24 hours of stroke onset is independently associated with poor outcome after 3 months.
Heart and lung transplantation

Purpose of review Every year, thousands of heart and lung transplants are performed worldwide. As experience and clinical acumen advance, both fields are continually evolving. This review elucidates and describes many of the recent changes in practice and future directions of heart and lung transplantation. Preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative developments are presented with supporting evidence in these continually evolving fields. Recent findings The field of heart transplantation is continually adapting to the growing use of mechanical circulatory support devices as bridge to transplant and for postoperative support. Recent modifications in surgical technique have contributed to improved outcomes. Lung transplantation advancements include the increasing use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation during the perioperative period. Lobar transplantation and ex-vivo lung perfusion techniques may aid in providing successful lung grafts to those with potentially long wait list times. Rates of rejection continue to decline in both fields as immunosuppression regimens are improved and modified. Summary This review investigates and summarizes the recent changes and advancements in heart and lung transplantation. Mechanical circulatory support and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation are increasingly used in the perioperative setting, and continuing research will evaluate their safety profiles. Optimizing and tailoring immunosuppression regimens for transplant recipients continue to be the subject of ongoing investigation.
Active Remote Sensing of Snow Using NMM3D/DMRT and Comparison With CLPX II Airborne Data

We applied the Numerical Maxwell Model of three-dimensional simulations (NMM3D) in the Dense Media Radiative Theory (DMRT) to calculate backscattering coefficients. The particles' positions are computer-generated and the subsequent Foldy-Lax equations solved numerically. The phase matrix in NMM3D has significant cross-polarization, particularly when the particles are densely packed. The NMM3D model is combined with DMRT in calculating the microwave scattering by dry snow. The NMM3D/DMRT equations are solved by an iterative solution up to the second order in the case of small to moderate optical thickness. The numerical results of NMM3D/DMRT are illustrated and compared with QCA/DMRT. The QCA/DMRT and NMM3D/DMRT results are also applied to compare with data from two specific datasets from the second Cold Land Processes Experiment (CLPX II) in Alaska and Colorado. The data are obtained at the Ku-band (13.95 GHz) observations using airborne imaging polarimetric scatterometer (POLSCAT). It is shown that the model predictions agree with the field measurements for both co-polarization and cross-polarization. For the Alaska region, the average snow depth and snow density are used as the inputs for DMRT. The grain size, selected from within the range of the ground measurements, is used as a best-fit parameter within the range. For the Colorado region, we use the Variable Infiltration Capacity Model (VIC) to obtain the input snow profiles for NMM3D/DMRT.
ER Tubules Mark Sites of Mitochondrial Division

Mitochondrial division occurs at positions where endoplasmic reticulum tubules contact mitochondria and mediate constriction. Mitochondrial structure and distribution are regulated by division and fusion events. Mitochondrial division is regulated by Dnm1/Drp1, a dynamin-related protein that forms helices around mitochondria to mediate fission. Little is known about what determines sites of mitochondrial fission within the mitochondrial network. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria exhibit tightly coupled dynamics and have extensive contacts. We tested whether ER plays a role in mitochondrial division. We found that mitochondrial division occurred at positions where ER tubules contacted mitochondria and mediated constriction before Drp1 recruitment. Thus, ER tubules may play an active role in defining the position of mitochondrial division sites.
SARS-CoV 9b Protein Diffuses into Nucleus, Undergoes Active Crm1 Mediated Nucleocytoplasmic Export and Triggers Apoptosis When Retained in the Nucleus

Background 9b is an accessory protein of the SARS-CoV. It is a small protein of 98 amino acids and its structure has been solved recently. 9b is known to localize in the extra-nuclear region and has been postulated to possess a nuclear export signal (NES), however the role of NES in 9b functioning is not well understood. Principal Findings/Methodology In this report, we demonstrate that 9b in the absence of any nuclear localization signal (NLS) enters the nucleus by passive transport. Using various cell cycle inhibitors, we have shown that the nuclear entry of 9b is independent of the cell cycle. Further, we found that 9b interacts with the cellular protein Crm1 and gets exported out of the nucleus using an active NES. We have also revealed that this NES activity influences the half-life of 9b and affects host cell death. We found that an export signal deficient SARS-CoV 9b protein induces apoptosis in transiently transfected cells and showed elevated caspase-3 activity. Conclusion/Significance Here, we showed that nuclear shuttling of 9b and its interaction with Crm1 are essential for the proper degradation of 9b and blocking the nuclear export of this protein induces apoptosis. This phenomenon may be critical in providing a novel role to the 9b accessory protein of SARS-CoV.
On convergence efficiency of an improved Vicsek model

For accelerating the convergence efficiency of Vicsek model, a new direction-adjustment rule is presented with considering the topological structure of the dynamic multi-individual network, in which each individual exploits the median of the maximum deviation direction of its neighborhood range to take the place of the average direction in original Vicsek model. Simulation results show that the new improved rule is better than the original Vicsek model in convergence efficiency.
The Glaucoma Symptom Scale. A brief index of glaucoma-specific symptoms.

OBJECTIVE To develop a brief symptom survey specific for persons with glaucoma, the Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS). DESIGN Cross-sectional study of symptoms, functional impairment, and vision-targeted health-related quality of life among persons with glaucoma. PATIENTS A sample of 147 persons with glaucoma among a broad range of treatment categories from 4 tertiary care glaucoma centers and 44 persons without eye disease enrolled from the same 4 centers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Participants completed a modified version of the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study 10-item symptom checklist. Participants also completed 2 vision-specific measures, the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire and the VF-14. Participants underwent a clinical evaluation, including ocular and medical history, dilated ophthalmic examination, and Humphrey 24-2 automated visual field testing. RESULTS The GSS has 2 underlying domains that demonstrate sufficient internal consistency reliability for between-group comparisons. The GSS discriminates well between persons with and without glaucoma. Additionally, tests of association with clinical markers of glaucoma severity support the clinical validity of the measure and tests of association with established vision-targeted measures provide evidence of construct validity. CONCLUSION The simplicity, brevity, and psychometric properties of the GSS support its use in clinical practice and research to quantify symptoms in patients with glaucoma and to assist in investigations concerning the effect of glaucoma and treatments.
Reduced Effect of Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease at the Disease Front

Abstract: Pathogen‐driven declines in animal populations are increasingly regarded as a major conservation issue. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is threatened with extinction by devil facial tumor disease, a unique transmissible cancer. The disease is transmitted through direct transfer of tumor cells, which is possible because the genetic diversity of Tasmanian devils is low, particularly in the major histocompatibility complex genes of the immune system. The far northwest of Tasmania now holds the last remaining disease‐free wild devil populations. The recent discovery of unique major histocompatibility complex genotypes in the northwestern region of Tasmania has raised the possibility that some animals may be resilient to the disease. We examined the differences in the epidemiology and population effects of devil facial tumor disease at 3 well‐studied affected sites in eastern Tasmania and 1 in western Tasmania (West Pencil Pine). In contrast to the 3 eastern sites, there has been no rapid increase in disease prevalence or evidence of population decline at West Pencil Pine. Moreover, this is the only onsite at which the population age structure has remained unaltered 4 years after the first detection of disease. The most plausible explanations for the substantial differences in population effects and epidemiology of the disease between eastern and western sites are geographic differences in genotypes or phenotypes of devils and functional differences between tumor strains in the 2 regions. We suggest that conservation efforts focus on identifying whether either or both these explanations are correct and then, if resistance alleles exist, to attempt to spread the resistant alleles into affected populations. Such assisted selection has rarely been attempted for the management of wildlife diseases, but it may be widely applicable.
NRZ-OOK signaling with LED dimming for visible light communication link

A signal format based on PWM dimming and NRZ-OOK signals has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The signal format increases slot utilization. The signaling scheme utilizes the off-state of the PWM dimming period. Thereby, the data rate is increased compared with the case without data in the off-state of the PWM period, at the cost of dimming level change. The proposed technique is simple and effective in providing the data transmission with the dimming simultaneously.