Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual neglect: does it exist in children with unilateral brain lesion? A systematic review

ABSTRACT Visual Neglect (VN) is a common neuropsychological disorder in adults with unilateral brain lesion (UBL), characterized by the failure to attend and to report sensory events occurring in one side of space, contralateral to an area of brain damage. Less is known about VN expression in children following brain injury. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the presence of VN in UBL children and to identify the best neuropsychological assessment’s tool for this population. A comprehensive search of 4 databases (Pubmed, Cochrane Database, SCOPUS, DARE) was undertaken from May 2020 to January 2021. Inclusion criteria were (i) subjects less than 18 years with cerebral lesions and with MRI, (ii) specific neuropsychological assessments for VN, (iii) studies published in English since 2000. A total of 309 articles were found in the initial search but only 10 observational studies met the full inclusion criteria. In these studies, 1051 subjects were evaluated for VN, of them 749 were controls and 302 had brain lesions. The two most common types of neuropsychological tools used in children with unilateral brain damage to assess the presence of VN were target cancellation tests and drawing tests. This review confirms the possibility that children with UBL can develop VN, even if it is not very clear which brain structure’s characteristics can increase this risk. Children with right lesion showed visuo-spatial attention deficits focalized on the contralateral side, compatible with diagnosis of VN, while children with left lesion showed more generalized attention difficulties. The overall level of evidence correlating the presence of VN and different types of UBL in children was low and neuropsychological assessment of VN for children are sparse. Some important limitations of this review must be reported: the limited number of studies included, the administration of various types of tests to evaluate VN, the lack of information regarding the cognitive level of children in most of the studies. Further research is needed to understand patterns of VN based on brain structure and time since lesion. Systematic Review Registration: ID on PROSPERO: CRD42021281993.
Measuring Process Innovation Output: Results From Firm-Level Panel Data

Process innovation is an important part of firms’ innovation activities and supposed to significantly contribute to positive returns from innovation. Measuring process innovation output at the firm level is still in its infancy, however. This paper reports empirical evidence on measures of process innovation output that have been collected in the German part of the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) over the past 25 years. Distinguishing between cost reduction and quality improvement, the paper finds low item non-response for the qualitative (yes/no) part of both indicators. Item non-response is much higher for quantitative information and does not decrease with questionnaire experience of firms. For both cost reduction and quality improvement, response to quantitative indicators is categorical in nature, and firms tend to report the same set of values when participating frequently in the survey. The determinants of realising the two types of process innovation output are very similar. The observed variance in the quantitative part is difficult to explain for both measures. The impact of process innovation output on firm performance is limited. While cost reduction seems to spur the export share, sales increase due to quality improvement is associated with higher profitability.
Virtual subjective and objective evaluation method of traffic jam assist

The virtual subjective and objective evaluation method is a significant development method to improve the performance of Traffic Jam Assist (TJA). This paper proposed a virtual subjective and objective evaluation method of TJA, including test scenarios and evaluation indices. Firstly, the paper built a virtual test and evaluation platform for intelligent vehicles based on a high-fidelity driving simulator and VTD traffic simulation software. Secondly, the paper proposed an objective evaluation system composed of evaluation indices, 11 test scenarios, and 49 test cases. Thirdly, the paper put forward a subjective evaluation system composed of three indices: acceptance, comfort, and psychological load. Finally, the paper used the platform mentioned above to conduct subjective and objective tests and evaluations of the TJA system that comes from Matlab. Meanwhile, objective and subjective evaluation scoring results were obtained. The evaluation results showed that the subjective and objective evaluation method proposed in this paper can test the objective and subjective performance of the TJA system comprehensively and systematically, which provided a guarantee for the improvement of the TJA system.
Functional analysis of the Nep1-like proteins from Plasmopara viticola

ABSTRACT Necrosis and ethylene-inducing peptide 1 (Nep1) -like proteins (NLP) are secreted by multiple taxonomically unrelated plant pathogens (bacteria, fungi, and oomycete) and are best known for inducing cell death and immune responses in dicotyledonous plants. A group of putative NLP genes from obligate biotrophic oomycete Plasmopara viticola were predicted by RNA-Seq in our previous study, but their activity has not been established. Therefore, we analyzed the P. viticola NLP (PvNLP) family and identified seven PvNLP genes. They all belong to type 1 NLP genes and form a P. viticola-specific cluster when compared with other pathogen NLP genes. The expression of PvNLPs was induced during early infection process and the expression patterns could be categorized into two groups. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient expression assays revealed that only PvNLP7 was cytotoxic and could induce Phytophthora capsici resistance in Nicotiana benthamiana. Functional analysis showed that PvNLP4, PvNLP5, PvNLP7, and PvNLP10 significantly improved disease resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana to Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. Moreover, the four genes caused an inhibition of plant growth which is typically associated with enhanced immunity when over-expressed in Arabidopsis. Further research found that PvNLP7 could activate the expression of defense-related genes and its conserved NPP1 domain was critical for cell death- and immunity-inducing activity. This record of NLP genes from P. viticola showed a functional diversification, laying a foundation for further study on pathogenic mechanism of the devastating pathogen.
Total Hip Arthroplasty with a Cementless Acetabular Component and Impaction Bone Grafting for Dysplastic Osteoarthritis Complicated by Multiple Myeloma

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) for pathologic and impending fracture due to periacetabular multiple myeloma (MM) lesions has been reported. We report a case of radiographic progression of dysplastic osteoarthritis, complicated by periacetabular MM lesions, treated by THA. A 69-year-old female with a 13-year history of MM presented with right hip pain. Plain radiographs and CT showed that dysplastic osteoarthritis had progressed, while the periacetabular MM lesions remained unchanged. Pathologic fracture was not observed on MRI. THA with a cementless acetabular component and impaction bone grafting was done. Bone graft incorporation was confirmed on CT at 1 year after surgery. There were no signs of bone absorption or implant loosening at last follow-up 3 years after surgery. Due to the advances in the treatment of MM and antiresorptive drugs, cementless acetabular component and impaction bone grafting may be an option for dysplastic osteoarthritis complicated by acetabular bone loss due to MM.
Dioxins from industrial emissions to the environment. The Taranto case study.

Starting from mid-2007 the Environment Protection Agency of Apulia has performed several measurement of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) stack emissions for a number of industrial plants located in a large industrial area near Taranto. Although estimates of a significant yearly mass flow for dioxins and PCBs from industrial sources and especially for the local integrated steelwork were already available and published in relevant European inventories since year 2000, the actual measurements were in exceedance of those estimates and prompted the need of a more in-depth investigation of the fate and transport of POPs from emissions and release to the various environmental compartments and ultimately to transfer to the food-chain. In early 2008 high levels of dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs were found in food samples of animal origin that were collected from farms located in the immediate surroundings of the industrial area, causing immediate alarm among citizens and authorities. As an immediate response to the events, as soon as december 2008 a Regional regulation (LR 44/2008) enforced more stringent limits on dioxin stack emissions for plants operating in the metal sector. In fact, the existing Italian emission limits were inadequate to prevent POPs accumulation in the environment and not aligned to relevant regulation already into force in other European countries. In addition, and in order to investigate the extent of the contamination, an extensive monitoring plan was set up and performed throughout the period 2008 - 2011 during which time more than 400 food and feed samples, 40 stack emission samples, 100 atmospheric deposition monthly samples, 50 soil and groundwater samples were collected and analysed. As a result of the monitoring the Local Health Autohority enforced the ban on grazing over wasteland within 20 km from the industrial area and a ban on the consumption of goat and sheep liver originating from animals grown in the same area, together with the stamping out of over 2000 sheep and goats. A first result of all of the above actions has been the enforced reduction of the yearly mass flow of POPs emitted to the atmosphere as stack exhaust gases, as demonstrated by the latest emission measurements. Nevertheless, diffuse and fugitive emissions are contributing to the overall impact on the surroundings resulting in a measurable POPs atmospheric deposition of both wet and dry matter on soils and other urban surfaces. This papers presents the results of dioxin and PCBs monitoring in stack emissions, soils and atmospheric deposition in the Taranto area during a four-year period.
Predictive link between systemic metabolism and cytokine signatures in the brain of apolipoprotein E ε4 mice

The ε4 variant of apolipoprotein E (APOE) is the strongest and most common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While the mechanism of conveyed risk is incompletely understood, promotion of inflammation, dysregulated metabolism, and protein misfolding and aggregation are contributors to accelerating disease. Here we determined the concurrent effects of systemic metabolic changes and brain inflammation in young (3-month-old) and aged (18-month-old) male and female mice carrying the APOE4 gene. Using functional metabolic assays alongside multivariate modeling of hippocampal cytokine levels, we found that brain cytokine signatures are predictive of systemic metabolic outcomes, independent of AD proteinopathies. Male and female mice each produce different cytokine signatures as they age and as their systemic metabolic phenotype declines, and these signatures are APOE genotype dependent. Ours is the first study to identify a quantitative and predictive link between systemic metabolism and specific pathological cytokine signatures in the brain. Our results highlight the effects of APOE4 beyond the brain and suggest the potential for bi-directional influence of risk factors in the brain and periphery.
Mitotically heritable, RNA polymerase II-independent H3K4 dimethylation stimulates INO1 transcriptional memory

For some inducible genes, the rate and molecular mechanism of transcriptional activation depends on the prior experiences of the cell. This phenomenon, called epigenetic transcriptional memory, accelerates reactivation and requires both changes in chromatin structure and recruitment of poised RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII) to the promoter. Memory of inositol starvation in budding yeast involves a positive feedback loop between transcription factor-dependent interaction with the nuclear pore complex and histone H3 lysine 4 dimethylation (H3K4me2). While H3K4me2 is essential for recruitment of RNAPII and faster reactivation, RNAPII is not required for H3K4me2. Unlike RNAPII-dependent H3K4me2 associated with transcription, RNAPII-independent H3K4me2 requires Nup100, SET3C, the Leo1 subunit of the Paf1 complex and, upon degradation of an essential transcription factor, is inherited through multiple cell cycles. The writer of this mark (COMPASS) physically interacts with the potential reader (SET3C), suggesting a molecular mechanism for the spreading and re-incorporation of H3K4me2 following DNA replication.
Using VLF Transmitter Signals at LEO for Plasmasphere Model Validation

This study presents analysis of very low frequency (VLF) transmitter signal measurements on the Very‐Low‐Frequency Propagation Mapper (VPM) CubeSat in low‐Earth orbit. Six months of satellite operation provided good data coverage, used to build global statistical maps of VLF power distribution. The power distribution above four powerful transmitters is used as input for ray tracing to study signal propagation to the conjugate hemisphere in two plasmaspheric density models. The ray tracing results are further compared with VPM measurements to determine which model provides better agreement with observations. As ray propagation largely depends on the background plasma density distribution, this indirect method can be used for plasmaspheric density model validation as an alternative to multipoint in situ plasma measurements that may not be readily obtainable. In addition, it can be used to investigate Landau damping and ducted versus non‐ducted propagation of VLF signals.
JASIS&T special issue on information behavior and information practices theory

Information behavior, and more recently information practices, together are an important area of information science. Significant scholarly work occurs on these topics around the world, which is presented at the major scholarly conferences, including the Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology, and also the biennial ISIC conference, which focuses on research in these areas. Indeed, the largest special interest group in ASIS&T remains Needs, Seeking, and Use (SIG-USE), which is focused on information behavior and practices. One of the enduring challenges in this area is ensuring that this scholarship is appropriately informed by theory from within information science but also across the social sciences and humanities. However, there are several challenges to the development and application of theory in the field(s) of information behavior and information practices. While there is a long and rich tradition of creating models and frameworks in information behavior (e.g., Case & Given, 2016; Ellis, 1993; Godbold, 2006; McKenzie, 2003; Wilson, 1999), this has not been the case with the development of theories. This is not to say that that theoretical work has not happened, as evidenced by work such as Chatman (1999), Dervin (1998), Savolainen (2008), as well as the collection of theories published in the book Theories of Information Behavior (Fisher et al., 2005). However, criticism remains that there is a lack of cohesive theory and/or that theory borrowed from other fields may be treated in shallow ways. Deficiency in theoretical development has contributed to a lack of shared definition and boundaries of the field, evident in the split between information behavior and information practices research (e.g., Savolainen & Wilson, 2009). As a relatively young field—originating in the late 1970s and early 1980s (Ellis, 2011)—an important step in the evolution of information behavior and information practices is the continued development of its own theory, as well as the systematic incorporation of relevant theories from related fields. This special issue was conceived as a continuation and extension of the work begun in Theories of Information Behavior (Fisher et al., 2005), a book composed of the contributions from the participants of the 2003 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium. Continuing the work with SIG-USE 15 years later, the 2020 SIG-USE Symposium was on the theme of the special issue and provided authors an opportunity to develop their ideas and receive feedback on their papers. The call for papers for this special issue asked for submissions examining the following:
Intergenerational Mobility Trends and the Changing Role of Female Labor

Using harmonized administrative data from Scandinavia, we find that intergenerational rank associations in income have increased uniformly across Sweden, Denmark, and Norway for cohorts born between 1951 and 1979. Splitting these trends by gender, we find that father-son mobility has been stable, while family correlations for mothers and daughters trend upward. Similar patterns appear in US survey data, albeit with slightly different timing. Finally, based on evidence from records on occupations and educational attainments, we argue that the observed decline in intergenerational mobility is consistent with female skills becoming increasingly valued in the labor market.
Spectrum of Electroencephalographic Findings in Seizures under 6 months aged infants at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objectives: To determine the spectrum of electroencephalographic findings in epilepsy of infants under 6 months of age Methodology It was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Pediatrics Department, at Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore from May 2018 till April 2019. One hundred and forty-two infants aged one to six months of both genders which were newly diagnosed having first episode of seizures recruited by non-probability purposive sampling. Infants with no seizures, any central nervous system abnormalities like meningomyelocele, spina bifida, encephalocele, microcephaly and already taking antiepileptic drugs were excluded. Patient’s demographic characteristics, seizure pattern and EEG record was obtained on Performa. Frequencies and percentages were calculated. Results: The mean age of infant patients was 3.18±1.90 months (1-6 months). Of the 142 infant patients, 97 (68%) were male and 45 (32%) females with positive family history in 42 (30%) patients. Epilepsy pattern revealed 101 (71.1%) presented with generalized seizures while 23 (16.2%) had focal seizures. Only 1 (0.7%) child suffered from epilepsy syndromes while seventeen (12%) had unclassified seizures. EEG reporting showed 41 (29%) had abnormal tracing. Of these, 23 (16%) patients had abnormal focal while 15 (11%) had abnormal generalized frequency and only 3 (2%) were with undetermined reporting. Normal EEG was seen in 101 (71%) patients. Conclusion: Almost one-third of patients with epilepsy had abnormal EEG findings so antiepileptic therapy selection must be tailored on individual basis, with special focus on patient’s history and clinical presentation.
Openness to Migrate Internationally for a Job: Evidence from LinkedIn Data in Europe

Understanding the factors that explain why people move – or stay – and where they go, is a central goal of migration research. This article improves our understanding of migration aspirations of professionals in Europe by leveraging a previously untapped data source: aggregate-level information on LinkedIn users open to work-related international relocation, accessed through the LinkedIn Recruiter platform. We collected data at regular intervals from Oct. 2020 to Sept. 2021. First, we offer descriptive statistics of proxies for migration aspirations (or lack thereof) for millions of Linkedin users in Europe. Then we approach our questions using a standardization technique, based on gravity models of migration, in order to account for a number of biases in the data, including uneven use of LinkedIn across countries. We found that, in absolute terms, countries in Northern and Western Europe are the most attractive ones when considering LinkedIn users open to work-related relocation (about 60%), followed by Southern Europe (about 40%) and Eastern Europe (30%). We also observed substantial heterogeneity in directionality of aspirations: for example, roughly 20% of LinkedIn users would relocate from Western to Northern Europe, while less than 10% would relocate from Northern to Western Europe. After accounting for differences in population density, geographic and linguistic distances, as well as internet and LinkedIn penetration, we observed that, in relative terms, Southern Europe appears to be a highly desired destination for professionals, indicating that there is potential for changing patterns in actual flows, should more opportunities for professionals arise in Southern Europe.
Further theories on application of new generalized probability density function and its applications

The exponential‐based probability density functions (PDFs) such as Gaussian, exponential, and Rayleigh are widely used in lifetime modeling, survival analysis, and engineering. Recently, the generalized probability density functions consisting a well‐known exponential PDFs were introduced and successfully applied in electrical and electronic engineering. After encouraging results of generalized PDF, further theories and applications are considered within this paper. The parameters of the new (GE) PDF were successfully derived by using the maximum likelihood estimation method. The applications in the paper show that the new generalized probability density function based on maximum likelihood parameter estimators provides more effective probabilistic representation. In this study, statistical properties of new GE distribution is discussed. Some reliability characteristics such as hazard function, mean residual lifetime (MRL) function, and mean past lifetime (MPL) functions are obtained based on special functions. Also, r$r$ th moment of the new GE random variable is obtained in analytical form. Maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) of parameters are also discussed. Lastly, some illustrative examples in engineering and survival analysis are provided based on different real data sets.
A traceable privacy‐aware data publishing platform on permissioned blockchain

The data publishing platform based on blockchain has advantages of decentralization, anti‐tampering function, and distributed storage. However, privacy leakage, untraceability, and the data tampering cannot be addressed. In order to solve these problems, this article proposes an aggregation signature scheme based on the bilinear mapping, and proposes a traceable privacy‐aware data publishing platform by applying the aggregation signature scheme to the data publishing platform on permissioned blockchain. Performance analysis shows that the traceable privacy‐aware data publishing platform reduces the communication cost, improves the efficiency of signature verification and transmission, provides the anonymity and traceability for the users in the platform.