Do adults with high functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome differ in empathy and emotion recognition?

The present study examined whether adults with high functioning autism (HFA) showed greater difficulties in (i) their self-reported ability to empathise with others and/or (ii) their ability to read mental states in others’ eyes than adults with Asperger syndrome (AS). The Empathy Quotient (EQ) and ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ Test (Eyes Test) were compared in 43 adults with AS and 43 adults with HFA. No significant difference was observed on EQ score between groups, while adults with AS performed significantly better on the Eyes Test than those with HFA. This suggests that adults with HFA may need more support, particularly in mentalizing and complex emotion recognition, and raises questions about the existence of subgroups within autism spectrum conditions

Growth characteristics in individuals with osteogenesis imperfecta in North America: results from a multicenter study.

PurposeOsteogenesis imperfecta (OI) predisposes people to recurrent fractures, bone deformities, and short stature. There is a lack of large-scale systematic studies that have investigated growth parameters in OI.MethodsUsing data from the Linked Clinical Research Centers, we compared height, growth velocity, weight, and body mass index (BMI) in 552 individuals with OI. Height, weight, and BMI were plotted on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention normative curves.ResultsIn children, the median z-scores for height in OI types I, III, and IV were -0.66, -6.91, and -2.79, respectively. Growth velocity was diminished in OI types III and IV. The median z-score for weight in children with OI type III was -4.55. The median z-scores for BMI in children with OI types I, III, and IV were 0.10, 0.91, and 0.67, respectively. Generalized linear model analyses demonstrated that the height z-score was positively correlated with the severity of the OI subtype (P < 0.001), age, bisphosphonate use, and rodding (P < 0.05).ConclusionFrom the largest cohort of individuals with OI, we provide median values for height, weight, and BMI z-scores that can aid the evaluation of overall growth in the clinic setting. This study is an important first step in the generation of OI-specific growth curves

Search for direct pair production of the top squark in all-hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for direct pair production of the scalar partner to the top quark using an integrated luminosity of 20.1fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at √s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The top squark is assumed to decay via t˜→tχ˜01 or t˜→ bχ˜±1 →bW(∗)χ˜01 , where χ˜01 (χ˜±1 ) denotes the lightest neutralino (chargino) in supersymmetric models. The search targets a fully-hadronic final state in events with four or more jets and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits are reported in terms of the top squark and neutralino masses and as a function of the branching fraction of t˜ → tχ˜01 . For a branching fraction of 100%, top squark masses in the range 270–645 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 30 GeV. For a branching fraction of 50% to either t˜ → tχ˜01 or t˜ → bχ˜±1 , and assuming the χ˜±1 mass to be twice the χ˜01 mass, top squark masses in the range 250–550 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 60 GeV

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT

Multi-split configuration design for fluid-based thermal management systems

High power density systems require efficient cooling to maintain their thermal performance. Despite this, as systems get larger and more complex, human practice and insight may not suffice to determine the desired thermal management system designs. To this end, a framework for automatic architecture exploration is presented in this article for a class of single-phase, multi-split cooling systems. For this class of systems, heat generation devices are clustered based on their spatial information, and flow-split are added only when required and at the location of heat devices. To generate different architectures, candidate architectures are represented as graphs. From these graphs, dynamic physics models are created automatically using a graph-based thermal modeling framework. Then, an optimal fluid flow distribution problem is solved by addressing temperature constraints in the presence of exogenous heat loads to achieve optimal performance. The focus in this work is on the design of general multi-split heat management systems. The architectures discussed here can be used for various applications in the domain of configuration design. The multi-split algorithm can produce configurations where splitting can occur at any of the vertices. The results presented include 3 categories of cases and are discussed in detail.Comment: 11 pages, 18 figure

Extracting Design Knowledge from Optimization Data: Enhancing Engineering Design in Fluid Based Thermal Management Systems

As mechanical systems become more complex and technological advances accelerate, the traditional reliance on heritage designs for engineering endeavors is being diminished in its effectiveness. Considering the dynamic nature of the design industry where new challenges are continually emerging, alternative sources of knowledge need to be sought to guide future design efforts. One promising avenue lies in the analysis of design optimization data, which has the potential to offer valuable insights and overcome the limitations of heritage designs. This paper presents a step toward extracting knowledge from optimization data in multi-split fluid-based thermal management systems using different classification machine learning methods, so that designers can use it to guide decisions in future design efforts. This approach offers several advantages over traditional design heritage methods, including applicability in cases where there is no design heritage and the ability to derive optimal designs. We showcase our framework through four case studies with varying levels of complexity. These studies demonstrate its effectiveness in enhancing the design of complex thermal management systems. Our results show that the knowledge extracted from the configuration design optimization data provides a good basis for more general design of complex thermal management systems. It is shown that the objective value of the estimated optimal configuration closely approximates the true optimal configuration with less than 1 percent error, achieved using basic features based on the system heat loads without involving the corresponding optimal open loop control (OLOC) features. This eliminates the need to solve the OLOC problem, leading to reduced computation costs.Comment: 13 pages, 20 figure

Advancing Fluid-Based Thermal Management Systems Design: Leveraging Graph Neural Networks for Graph Regression and Efficient Enumeration Reduction

In this research, we developed a graph-based framework to represent various aspects of optimal thermal management system design, with the aim of rapidly and efficiently identifying optimal design candidates. Initially, the graph-based framework is utilized to generate diverse thermal management system architectures. The dynamics of these system architectures are modeled under various loading conditions, and an open-loop optimal controller is employed to determine each system's optimal performance. These modeled cases constitute the dataset, with the corresponding optimal performance values serving as the labels for the data. In the subsequent step, a Graph Neural Network (GNN) model is trained on 30% of the labeled data to predict the systems' performance, effectively addressing a regression problem. Utilizing this trained model, we estimate the performance values for the remaining 70% of the data, which serves as the test set. In the third step, the predicted performance values are employed to rank the test data, facilitating prioritized evaluation of the design scenarios. Specifically, a small subset of the test data with the highest estimated ranks undergoes evaluation via the open-loop optimal control solver. This targeted approach concentrates on evaluating higher-ranked designs identified by the GNN, replacing the exhaustive search (enumeration-based) of all design cases. The results demonstrate a significant average reduction of over 92% in the number of system dynamic modeling and optimal control analyses required to identify optimal design scenarios.Comment: 13 pages, 17 figure

Mechanisms of decadal variability in the Labrador Sea and the wider North Atlantic in a high-resolution climate model

A necessary step before assessing the performance of decadal predictions is the evaluation of the processes that bring memory to the climate system, both in climate models and observations. These mechanisms are particularly relevant in the North Atlantic, where the ocean circulation, related to both the Subpolar Gyre and the Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), is thought to be important for driving significant heat content anomalies. Recently, a rapid decline in observed densities in the deep Labrador Sea has pointed to an ongoing slowdown of the AMOC strength taking place since the mid 90s, a decline also hinted by in-situ observations from the RAPID array. This study explores the use of Labrador Sea densities as a precursor of the ocean circulation changes, by analysing a 300-year long simulation with the state-of-the-art coupled model HadGEM3-GC2. The major drivers of Labrador Sea density variability are investigated, and are characterised by three major contributions. First, the integrated effect of local surface heat fluxes, mainly driven by year-to-year changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation, which accounts for 62% of the total variance. Additionally, two multidecadal-to-centennial contributions from the Greenland-Scotland Ridge outflows are quantified; the first associated with freshwater exports via the East Greenland Current, and the second with density changes in the Denmark Strait Overflow. Finally, evidence is shown that decadal trends in Labrador Sea densities are followed by important atmospheric impacts. In particular, a negative winter NAO response appears to follow the positive Labrador Sea density trends, and provides a phase reversal mechanism

Uneven focal shoe deterioration in Tourette syndrome.

A 31-year-old single man (AB) sought neuropsychiatric consultation for treatment-resistant motor and vocal tics. He described himself expressing a total of 24 different tics, mainly facial twitches (eye blinking, raising eyebrows, mouth opening, lips licking, stereotyped grimacing) and inappropriate utterances (grunting, throat clearing, sniffing), since the age of 7. There appeared to be no family history of tic disorder. He reported occasional utterance of swear words in contextually inappropriate situations (coprolalia), and the urge to copy other people’s movements (echopraxia). Other tic-associated symptoms included self-injurious behaviours and forced touching of objects. A.B. met both DSM-IV-tr and ICD-10 criteria for Tourette syndrome, and also DSM-IV-tr criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (combined type) in childhood