Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial navigation, episodic memory, episodic future thinking, and theory of mind in children with autism spectrum disorder: evidence for impairments in mental simulation?

This study explored spatial navigation alongside several other cognitive abilities that are thought to share common underlying neurocognitive mechanisms (e.g., the capacity for self-projection, scene construction, or mental simulation), and which we hypothesized may be impaired in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty intellectually high-functioning children with ASD (with a mean age of ~8 years) were compared to 20 sex, age, IQ, and language ability matched typically developing children on a series of tasks to assess spatial navigation, episodic memory, episodic future thinking (also known as episodic foresight or prospection), theory of mind (ToM), relational memory, and central coherence. This is the first study to explore these abilities concurrently within the same sample. Spatial navigation was assessed using the “memory island” task, which involves finding objects within a realistic, computer simulated, three-dimensional environment. Episodic memory and episodic future thinking were assessed using a past and future event description task. ToM was assessed using the “animations” task, in which children were asked to describe the interactions between two animated triangles. Relational memory was assessed using a recognition task involving memory for items (line drawings), patterned backgrounds, or combinations of items and backgrounds. Central coherence was assessed by exploring differences in performance across segmented and unsegmented versions of block design. Children with ASD were found to show impairments in spatial navigation, episodic memory, episodic future thinking, and central coherence, but not ToM or relational memory. Among children with ASD, spatial navigation was found to be significantly negatively related to the number of repetitive behaviors. In other words, children who showed more repetitive behaviors showed poorer spatial navigation. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.
Gender Differences in the Effect of Auditory Stimuli on Ventricular Repolarization in Healthy Subjects

Introduction: Gender differences in the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias have been reported and torsade de pointes associated with long‐QT syndrome (LQTS) is more common in women than men. Although auditory stimulation has been recognized as an important trigger of torsade de pointes in LQT2 patients, the normal response and gender differences in ventricular repolarization induced by auditory stimuli remained to be evaluated systematically.
The Max K-Armed Bandit: A New Model of Exploration Applied to Search Heuristic Selection

The multiarmed bandit is often used as an analogy for the tradeoff between exploration and exploitation in search problems. The classic problem involves allocating trials to the arms of a multiarmed slot machine to maximize the expected sum of rewards. We pose a new variation of the multiarmed bandit--the Max K-Armed Bandit--in which trials must be allocated among the arms to maximize the expected best single sample reward of the series of trials. Motivation for the Max K-Armed Bandit is the allocation of restarts among a set of multistart stochastic search algorithms. We present an analysis of this Max K-Armed Bandit showing under certain assumptions that the optimal strategy allocates trials to the observed best arm at a rate increasing double exponentially relative to the other arms. This motivates an exploration strategy that follows a Boltzmann distribution with an exponentially decaying temperature parameter. We compare this exploration policy to policies that allocate trials to the observed best arm at rates faster (and slower) than double exponentially. The results confirm, for two scheduling domains, that the double exponential increase in the rate of allocations to the observed best heuristic outperfonns the other approaches.
Mechanisms regulating neuronal excitability and seizure development following mTOR pathway hyperactivation

The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway regulates a variety of neuronal functions, including cell proliferation, survival, growth, and plasticity. Dysregulation of the pathway is implicated in the development of both genetic and acquired epilepsies. Indeed, several causal mutations have been identified in patients with epilepsy, the most prominent of these being mutations in PTEN and tuberous sclerosis complexes 1 and 2 (TSC1, TSC2). These genes act as negative regulators of mTOR signaling, and mutations lead to hyperactivation of the pathway. Animal models deleting PTEN, TSC1, and TSC2 consistently produce epilepsy phenotypes, demonstrating that increased mTOR signaling can provoke neuronal hyperexcitability. Given the broad range of changes induced by altered mTOR signaling, however, the mechanisms underlying seizure development in these animals remain uncertain. In transgenic mice, cell populations with hyperactive mTOR have many structural abnormalities that support recurrent circuit formation, including somatic and dendritic hypertrophy, aberrant basal dendrites, and enlargement of axon tracts. At the functional level, mTOR hyperactivation is commonly, but not always, associated with enhanced synaptic transmission and plasticity. Moreover, these populations of abnormal neurons can affect the larger network, inducing secondary changes that may explain paradoxical findings reported between cell and network functioning in different models or at different developmental time points. Here, we review the animal literature examining the link between mTOR hyperactivation and epileptogenesis, emphasizing the impact of enhanced mTOR signaling on neuronal form and function.
THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS IN DEMENTIA

This article describes the pathophysiology of dementia and differentiates between cognitive and noncognitive symptoms that characterize this devastating illness. Relationships between brain anatomic and neurochemical systems and behavioral symptoms of dementia are discussed. An overview of the etiologies and neuropathologies of dementia are presented as they relate to impairments in memory and intellectual abilities, personality changes, and behavioral symptoms. Recent genetic and molecular discoveries that have advanced our understanding of this complex spectrum of disorders and their treatment(s) are also highlighted.
Fabrication and Analysis of Coconut Coir Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composite with Cement as Filler

Over the past two Decades there has been many researches on coir fiber based composites and hybrid materials and further researches are being carried out on the same as coir is found to a replacement for many syntactic fibers as it abundantly available in nature, specially in India and Asian countries, research on different materials as fillers in coir fiber composites for different purposes such as Roofing tiles, Epoxy flooring, Helmet shells etc are being Carried. The present work is a small effort on testing Portland cement as filler material in the Coir/Epoxy composite and finding out whether the fabricated composite can be a suitable material for preparation of Safety helmet. Different combinations of coir and cement is taken in constant epoxy content and are tested for different mechanical properties such as Tensile strength, Impact Strength and Shore Hardness and it can be said that cement as filler has significant effect on the above mechanical properties of a coir/epoxy composite.
Proteomics in obstetrics and gynecology

Proteomics helps to understand the basic biological processes critical to normal cellular functions as well as the development of diseases. It identifies the essential components of these processes and exploits these components as targets in the development of new methods to prevent or treat diseases. Proteomics, although in an infancy stage in India, has the potential to complement and further enlarge the wealth of information in medicine, especially in the field of cancer. This article reviews the recent progress in proteomic techniques and their applications in the field of obstetrics and gynecology.
Endothelin Receptor Blockers in Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract—The endothelin (ET) system is comprised of 4 active ETs, with ET-1 being the predominant isoform in the cardiovascular system. Because of the potent vasoconstricting and mitogenic effects of ET-1 and its involvement in various cardiovascular diseases, blockade of the ET receptor has received considerable attention. ET receptor antagonism has been demonstrated to be beneficial in patients with pulmonary hypertension. The nonselective ET receptor antagonist bosentan improves exercise capacity and increases time to clinical worsening in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The selective ET A receptor antagonist sitaxsentan also improves hemodynamics and exercise capacity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Results with ET receptor antagonists in congestive heart failure have been disappointing. Although some studies have suggested benefit, larger studies have been neutral. The use of ET receptor antagonists for other conditions has not been fully explored. Future studies with the use of ET receptor antagonists as part of a multidrug regimen are also needed.
Programming Assignment 1: A Data Structure For VLSI Applications 1

In this assignment you are required to implement an information management system for handling data similar to that used in VLSI (very large scale integration) as well as game programming applications. In such an environment the primary entities are small rectangles and the problem in which we are interested is how to manage a large collection of them. In the following we trace the development of a variant of the quadtree data structure that has been found to be useful for such a problem. Your task is to implement this data structure in such a way that a number of operations can be efficiently handled. An example JAVA applet for the data structure can be found on the home page of the class. This assignment is divided into four parts. C, C++, or PASCAL are the permitted programming languages. JAVA is not permitted. Also, you are not allowed to make use of any built in data structures from any library such as, but not limited to, STL in C++. For the first two parts, you must read the attached description of the problem and data structure. A detailed explanation of the assignment including the specification of the operati ons which you are to implement is found at the end of the description. After you have done this, you are to turn in a proposed implementation of the data structure using C++ classes, C structs, or PASCAL record definitions. One week later you must turn in a C++, C, or PASCAL program for the command decoder (i.e., scanner for the commands corresponding to the operations which are to be performed on the data structure). For the third part, you are to write a C++, C, or PASCAL program to implement the data structure and operations (1)-(9). For the fourth pa rt, you are to implement operations (10)‐(14). Operations (15)‐(18) are optional and you will get extra credit if you turn them in with part four. If you are a graduate student, part four is not optional.
Detecting brain growth patterns in normal children using tensor‐based morphometry

Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐based volumetric studies have shown age‐related increases in the volume of total white matter and decreases in the volume of total gray matter of normal children. Recent adaptations of image analysis strategies enable the detection of human brain growth with improved spatial resolution. In this article, we further explore the spatio‐temporal complexity of adolescent brain maturation with tensor‐based morphometry. By utilizing a novel non‐linear elastic intensity‐based registration algorithm on the serial structural MRI scans of 13 healthy children, individual Jacobian growth maps are generated and then registered to a common anatomical space. Statistical analyses reveal significant tissue growth in cerebral white matter, contrasted with gray matter loss in parietal, temporal, and occipital lobe. In addition, a linear regression with age and gender suggests a slowing down of the growth rate in regions with the greatest white matter growth. We demonstrate that a tensor‐based Jacobian map is a sensitive and reliable method to detect regional tissue changes during development. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Discriminative locality preserving dimensionality reduction based on must-link constraints

Locality preserving manifold learning algorithms are seeking intrinsic manifold based on overlapping local geometry structure. Locality Preserving Projections (LPP) and Neighborhood Preserving Embedding (NPE) are two representative linear locality preserving manifold learning algorithms, which not only defined on training samples, but also can generalize to test samples. But they just take the local structure into consideration, ignoring some available prior information. Pairwise constraints are easier obtained supervised information compared with labels. In this paper, we proposed two discriminative locality preserving manifold learning algorithms, by incorporating must-link constraints into LPP and NPE to improve their discriminative ability. Experiments results on Yale and ORL face databases verified the effectiveness.
IDH mutation and MGMT promoter methylation in glioblastoma: results of a prospective registry

Background The relative contribution of isocitrate dehydrogenase mutations (mIDH) and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase promoter methylation (methMGMT) as biomarkers in glioblastoma remain poorly understood. Methods We investigated the association between methMGMT and mIDH with progression free survival and overall survival in a prospectively collected molecular registry of 274 glioblastoma patients. Results For glioblastoma patients who underwent Temozolomide and Radiation Therapy, OS and PFS was most favorable for those with tumors harboring both mIDH and methMGMT (median OS: 35.8 mo, median PFS: 27.5 mo); patients afflicted glioblastomas with either mIDH or methMGMT exhibited intermediate OS and PFS (mOS: 36 and 17.1 mo; mPFS: 12.2 mo and 9.9 mo, respectively); poorest OS and PFS was observed in wild type IDH1 (wtIDH1) glioblastomas that were MGMT promoter unmethylated (mOS: 15 mo, mPFS: 9.7 mo). For patients with wtIDH glioblastomas, TMZ+RT was associated with improved OS and PFS relative to patients treated with RT (OS: 15.4 mo v 9.6 mo, p < 0.001; PFS: 9.9 mo v 6.5 mo, p < 0.001). While TMZ+RT and RT treated mIDH patients exhibited improved overall survival relative to those with wtIDH, there were no differences between the TMZ+RT or RT group. These results suggest that mIDH1 conferred resistance to TMZ. Supporting this hypothesis, exogenous expression of mIDH1 in independent astrocytoma/glioblastoma lines resulted in a 3–10 fold increase in TMZ resistance after long-term passage. Conclusion Our study demonstrates IDH mutation and MGMT promoter methylation status independently associate with favorable outcome in TMZ+RT treated glioblastoma patients. However, these biomarkers differentially impact clinical TMZ response.
An AS-level study of Internet path delay characteristics

According to conventional wisdom, links connecting different autonomous systems (AS) are the performance bottlenecks in the core of the Internet. The paper presents an empirical evaluation of delays across inter-AS links using hop-limited active probes. The measurements cover a diverse set of Internet paths starting from locations within three large transit Internet service providers (ISPs). We find that most inter-AS links on the Internet paths covered by this study do not contribute significantly to end-to-end delays. The few exceptions are long-haul links with large propagation delays. Furthermore, the delay estimates are fairly stable across days, making it possible for ISPs to choose inter-domain paths or perform traffic engineering based on delay measurement feedback. Our observations also suggest that a very large component of the end-to-end delay for the measured paths usually occurs within a single AS.
Prognostic value of plasma endothelin-1 in patients with chronic heart failure.

AIMS Endothelin-1 is a potent vasoconstrictive and multifunctional peptide. Elevated concentrations have been reported in congestive heart failure. We hypothesized that the level of endothelin-1 in plasma is a prognostic marker in congestive heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS Plasma levels of endothelin-1 were measured by radioimmunoassay in 120 congestive heart failure patients with ischaemic or non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (mean ejection fraction 28 +/- 11%, in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class I:21, class II 35, class III: 61, class IV: 3). During a median follow-up of 361 +/- 338 days, 14 cardiac deaths occurred. In the univariate Cox model, endothelin-1 was the most powerful prognostic marker among the variables tested (P = 0.0001). A multivariate model, including plasma atrial natriuretic peptide and noradrenaline, NYHA class, age, and echocardiographic left ventricular end-diastolic diameter index was highly predictive of mortality (P = 0.00008), but only endothelin-1 remained significantly associated with outcome (P = 0.02). Patients with plasma endothelin-1 > or = 5 pg. ml-1 had a higher mortality rate than those with endothelin-1 < 5 pg. ml-1 (21% vs 4%, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION Our results suggest that elevated endothelin-1 plasma levels are associated with a poor prognosis and routine plasma endothelin-1 determination provides important prognostic information in mild to moderate heart failure.
Images compressive sensing reconstruction by inpainting

During the last years, compressive sensing by random sampling has received a growing attention due to positive theoretical and experimental results. However, the algorithms used for reconstruction, generally based on L1 norm minimization, are very complex and time consuming. The major effect of random sampling is the appearance of missing pixels. Because inpainting algorithms are able to fill the missing data, we propose to use them as CS reconstruction algorithms. For the case of CS images obtained by random sampling, we propose the inpaint_nans algorithm for reconstruction. We justify our proposal by simulation results and comparisons with L1 norm based CS reconstruction algorithms.
A $+$31.5 dBm CMOS RF Doherty Power Amplifier for Wireless Communications

A fully differential Doherty power amplifier (PA) is implemented in a 0.13-mum CMOS technology. The prototype achieves a maximum output power of +31.5 dBm with a peak power-added efficiency (PAE) of 36% (39% drain efficiency) with a GMSK modulated signal. The PAE is kept above 18% over a 10 dB range of output power. With a GSM/EDGE input signal, the measured peak output power while still meeting the GSM/EDGE mask and error vector magnitude (EVM) requirements is +25dBm with a peak PAE of 13% (PAE is 6% at 12 dB back-off). Instead of using a bulky lambda/4 transmission line, a passive impedance inverter is implemented as a compact lumped-element network. All circuit components are fully integrated on a single CMOS die except for an off-chip capacitor for output matching and baluns. The die size is 2.8times3. 2mm2 including all pads and bypass capacitors
A low-noise 40-GS/s continuous-time bandpass /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ ADC centered at 2GHz

A 2-GHz, continuous-time bandpass DeltaSigma analog-to-digital converter sampled with a 40-GHz clock was implemented in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. It achieves an SNDR of 55 dB and 52 dB over 60 MHz and 120 MHz, respectively, and an SFDR of 61 dB with a single-ended IIP3 of +4 dBm. The center frequency is tunable from 1.8-2 GHz. It employs a Gm-LCVAR filter based on a MOS-HBT cascode transconductor with an NFmin of 2.3 dB. The ADC dissipates 1.6 W from a 2.5-V supply with a figure of merit of 18 pJ/sampled bit, including the contribution of the 40-GHz clock distribution network
Early impairment in consciousness predicts mortality after hemispheric ischemic stroke

ObjectiveEarly predictors of poor outcome after acute ischemic stroke may be useful in selecting patients for potentially beneficial but high-risk interventions. DesignCohort study of patients given placebo in a randomized clinical trial. SettingMulticenter trial at 139 U.S. and 14 Canadian hospitals. PatientsA cohort of 564 placebo-treated patients with major anterior circulation ischemic stroke enrolled in the Clomethiazole in Acute Stroke Study-Ischemic Stroke (CLASS-I) trial. Patients did not have significant impairment in consciousness at baseline and were enrolled within 12 hrs of symptom onset. InterventionsProspective data collection of a number of clinical variables including use of a 6-point level of consciousness scale (1 = awake, 6 = no reaction to pain) to measure patients’ level of consciousness at enrollment and 12 additional times during the first 24 hrs after enrollment. The ability of level of consciousness score and additional clinical data to predict 30-day mortality was assessed. Measurements and Main ResultsAt 1 month, 114 of 564 patients (20%) had died. In univariate analysis, factors significantly associated with mortality included older age, white race, higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, higher serum glucose, atrial fibrillation, and any impairment in level of consciousness (p < .05). After controlling for these factors, increasing level of consciousness score at 3 hrs after enrollment and at all but one subsequent time point was significantly associated with increased mortality (odds ratio, 1.8 per point; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–2.6; p = .003 at 3-hr time point). Maximum level of consciousness score during the initial 24 hrs of monitoring also predicted mortality (odds ratio, 1.9 per point; 95% confidence interval, 1.4–2.5; p < .001). ConclusionThe development of a decreased level of consciousness within the initial hours after stroke onset, as evaluated by a simple six-point scale, is a powerful independent predictor of mortality after major anterior circulation ischemic stroke.
Neuroprotective Activities of Palmitoylethanolamide in an Animal Model of Parkinson's Disease

The biochemical and cellular changes that occur following treatment with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahyropyridine (MPTP) are remarkably similar to that seen in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons, which results in disabling motor disturbances. Activation of glial cells and the consequent neuroinflammatory response is increasingly recognized as a prominent neuropathological feature of PD. There is currently no effective disease-modifying therapy. Targeting the signaling pathways in glial cells responsible for neuroinflammation represents a promising new therapeutic approach designed to preserve remaining neurons in PD. Chronic treatment with palmitoylethanolamide (PEA, 10 mg/kg, i.p.), initiated 24 hr after MPTP injection (20 mg/kg), protected against MPTP-induced loss of tyrosine hydroxylase positive neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Treatment with PEA reduced MPTP-induced microglial activation, the number of GFAP-positive astrocytes and S100β overexpression, and protected against the alterations of microtubule-associated protein 2a,b-, dopamine transporter-, nNOS- positive cells in the substantia nigra. Furthermore, chronic PEA reversed MPTP-associated motor deficits, as revealed by the analysis of forepaw step width and percentage of faults. Genetic ablation of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)-α in PPAR-αKO mice exacerbated MPTP systemic toxicity, while PEA-induced neuroprotection seemed be partially PPARα-dependent. The effects of PEA on molecules typically involved in apoptotic pathways were also analyzed. Our results indicate that PEA protects against MPTP-induced neurotoxicity and the ensuing functional deficits even when administered once the insult has been initiated.