Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tone Splits and Voicing Shifts in Thai: Phonetic Plausibility*

It has been shown for a number of languages that right after the release of a voiced stop consonant the fundamental frequency (FO) of the voice is likely to be lower than after the release of a voiceless stop and that such FO perturbations can influence phonemic judgments of voicing. This led to the designing of two experiments to test the phonetic plausibility of the argument: (1) CV syllables were synthesized with three values of voice onset time (VOT) acceptable as Thai Ib p phi. Each of these was combined with a continuum of FO contours that had previously been divided perceptually into the high, mid and low tones. These syllables were played to native speakers of Thai for tonal identification. (2) Labial stops with nine values of VOT separable into Ib p phi categories were coupled on synthetic mid-tone and low-tone CV syllables with upward and downward FO onsets varying in extent and duration. The resulting syllables were played for iden­ tification of the initial consonants. The historical argument receives modest support, especially from the second experiment, suggesting that during a period of tone splitting, under the influence of audible FO perturbations, speaken could have brought about the rephonemicization of the old consonant categories. Thus, these results give direct support to the argument that pitch factors led to voicing shifts but only indirect support to the claim that they gave rise to tone splits.
Impact of glycemic control on colonoscopy outcomes: bowel preparation and polyp detection

Background The negative effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the colonoscopy preparation has been previously established. Metabolic syndrome has been shown to increase risk for malignancy and possibly for premalignant lesions. This study aimed to investigate the impact of DM control on colonoscopy outcomes including bowel preparation and adenoma detection rate (ADR). Methods We included patients with DM who underwent colonoscopy in our hospital and had a documented glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) within 3 months. Patients were categorized into three groups based on their HbA1C level. The clinical and endoscopic data were collected and analyzed. Results Our cohort included 352 DM patients. The mean age was 63.5 years. When patients were analyzed based on HBA1C, bowel preparation was poor in 46.7% of patients with good glycemic control, 52.1% of patients with fair control and 50% of patients with poor control. ADR was 24.3% in patients with good glycemic control, 20.2% in patients with fair glycemic control and 27.1% in patients with poor glycemic control. There was no statistically significant difference in the quality of preparation or adenoma detection amongst the groups. Conclusion The degree of glycemic control did not impact the quality of bowel preparation or ADR.
An empirical investigation of scenarios gained and lost in architecture evaluation meetings

Studying the effectiveness of scenario development meetings in the software architecture process is important to improve meeting effectiveness. This paper reports initial findings from analyzing the data collected in a controlled experiment aimed at studying the effectiveness of meetings in terms of gained and lost scenarios of individuals, real and nominal (non-communicating) teams. Our findings question the effectiveness of holding meetings since more important scenarios were lost than gained in these meetings. In the study nominal teams performed better than individuals and real teams.
Privacy, security, risk, and trust concerns in e-commerce

Electronic commerce has increased dramatically in recent years, because of the revolution in information technology. The services provided by e-commerce companies could be affected by several factors such as privacy, security, trusts and perceived risks. In this paper, we propose a preliminary theoretical model that investigates the relationship between privacy, security concerns, and perceived risks, and how it would relate to customers' level of trust in e-commerce. A survey that involves 100 participants has been conducted and analyzed testing a number of hypotheses focused on studying the attributes of each factor, and its effect on the perceived risks associated with unexpected situations. The results of this research study show that a positive relationship exists between the perceived risks and some of the privacy attributes such as control and notice. A positive relationship also exists between the perceived risks and some of the security attributes such as confidentially and integrity. Further, the study demonstrates a positive relationship between perceived risks and customers' level of trust.
Genetic diversity of Rhizobia isolates from Amazon soils using cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) as trap plant

The aim of this work was to characterize rhizobia isolated from the root nodules of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) plants cultivated in Amazon soils samples by means of ARDRA (Amplified rDNA Restriction Analysis) and sequencing analysis, to know their phylogenetic relationships. The 16S rRNA gene of rhizobia was amplified by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) using universal primers Y1 and Y3. The amplification products were analyzed by the restriction enzymes HinfI, MspI and DdeI and also sequenced with Y1, Y3 and six intermediate primers. The clustering analysis based on ARDRA profiles separated the Amazon isolates in three subgroups, which formed a group apart from the reference isolates of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Bradyrhizobium elkanii. The clustering analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the fast-growing isolates had similarity with Enterobacter, Rhizobium, Klebsiella and Bradyrhizobium and all the slow-growing clustered close to Bradyrhizobium.
Comparision of the Cytotoxic Effects of Birch Bark Extract, Betulin and Betulinic Acid Towards Human Gastric Carcinoma and Pancreatic Carcinoma Drug-sensitive and Drug-Resistant Cell Lines

Betulin and betulinic acid are naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenes showing cytotoxicity towards a number of cancer cell lines. These compounds can be found in the bark of the many plants. In this report we have compared the cytotoxic activity of crude birch bark extract and purified betulin and betulinic acid towards human gastric carcinoma (EPG85-257) and human pancreatic carcinoma (EPP85-181) drug-sensitive and drug-resistant (daunorubicin and mitoxantrone) cell lines. Our results show significant differences in sensitivity between cell lines depending on the compound used, and suggest that both betulin and betulinic acid can be considered as a promising leads in the treatment of cancer.
Pattern selection in plants: coupling chemical dynamics to surface growth in three dimensions.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS A study is made by computation of the interplay between the pattern formation of growth catalysts on a plant surface and the expansion of the surface to generate organismal shape. Consideration is made of the localization of morphogenetically active regions, and the occurrence within them of symmetry-breaking processes such as branching from an initially dome-shaped tip or meristem. Representation of a changing and growing three-dimensional shape is necessary, as two-dimensional work cannot distinguish, for example, formation of an annulus from dichotomous branching. METHODS For the formation of patterns of chemical concentrations, the Brusselator reaction-diffusion model is used, applied on a hemispherical shell and generating patterns that initiate as surface spherical harmonics. The initial shape is hemispherical, represented as a mesh of triangles. These are combined into finite elements, each made up of all the triangles surrounding each node. Chemical pattern is converted into shape change by moving nodes outwards according to the concentration of growth catalyst at each, to relieve misfits caused by area increase of the finite element. New triangles are added to restore the refinement of the mesh in rapidly growing regions. KEY RESULTS The postulated mechanism successfully generates: tip growth (or stalk extension by an apical meristem) to ten times original hemisphere height; tip flattening and resumption of apical advance; and dichotomous branching and higher-order branching to make whorled structures. Control of the branching plane in successive dichotomous branchings is tackled with partial success and clarification of the issues. CONCLUSIONS The representation of a growing plant surface in computations by an expanding mesh that has no artefacts constraining changes of shape and symmetry has been achieved. It is shown that one type of pattern-forming mechanism, Turing-type reaction-diffusion, acting within a surface to pattern a growth catalyst, can generate some of the most important types of morphogenesis in plant development.
A dual topology of Unified Power Quality Conditioner: The iUPQC

Configurations of combined series and shunt active filters, also known as Unified Power Quality Conditioners (UPQCs), are designed for simultaneous compensation of voltage and current harmonics and imbalances. Sometimes, compensation of voltage sag/swell is also included as additional functionality of the UPQC. Traditionally, the shunt active filter of the UPQC behaves as a controlled current source that compensates the load current, whereas the series active filter behaves as a controlled voltage source that compensates the supply voltage. Here, a dual configuration of UPQC, hereafter called as iUPQC, is presented. In contrast to the conventional approach of UPQC, the shunt active filter of the new iUPQC behaves as an ac voltage source and the series one as an ac current source. An advantage of the iUPQC over traditional UPQCs is the fact of having fundamental positive-sequence currents and voltages references for the series and shunt active filters, respectively. Contrarily, conventional approaches of UPQC must deal with nonsinusoidal compensating voltage and current references, with aleatoric frequency spectra. In this case, it is impossible to practically unsure zero steady-state errors in all frequency components. Beside all those compensation characteristics of the UPQC, the iUPQC can also keep the voltage at load terminal tracking its referential values, according to the desired specifications. In other words, the iUPQC has voltage sag/swell compensation capability, with fast response, comparable to that of a Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR). The basic control strategy and an improved version are presented and the system performance is compared through simulations. Finally, experimental results are presented to validate the proposed iUPQC controller.
Oestrogen receptors in breast cancer: basic mechanisms and clinical implications

Since the discovery of the connection between ovarian hormones and breast cancer, endocrine therapy has been an integral adjuvant treatment for patients with hormone-dependent breast cancers. Oestrogen receptor (ER) plays a central role in mediating the effects of endogenous hormones and therapeutic agents. ER serves as a prognostic marker for responsiveness to endocrine therapy and is targeted either directly by selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and pure antagonists or indirectly by aromatase inhibitors (AIs) that block oestrogen production. A significant number of ER-positive patients, however, fail to respond to therapy or develop resistance over time. This review focuses on the current understanding of ER functions and recent advances in genomic technologies and research that have provided a global perspective on hormone and ER activity and led to a number of significant discoveries, including the roles of co-regulatory factors and non-coding RNAs. Mechanistic insights into normal ER functions and therapeutic actions of SERMs and AIs will enable the development of better predictive markers and more effective target mechanisms and ultimately facilitate improvements in disease outcomes and patient survival.
A Low-Power RF Direct-Conversion Receiver/Transmitter for 2.4-GHz-Band IEEE 802.15.4 Standard in 0.18- $\mu{\hbox {m}}$ CMOS Technology

This paper presents a low-power RF receiver/transmitter front-end for 2.4-GHz-band IEEE 802.15. 4 standard in 0.18-mum CMOS technology. An RF receiver comprises a single-ended low-noise amplifier, a quadrature passive mixer, and a transimpedance amplifier. A current-mode passive mixer showing a very good 1/f noise performance is adopted to convert an RF signal directly to a baseband signal. Moreover, this type of passive mixer shows high-linearity performance, leading to overall RF receiver linearity improvement. A low-power, high-linearity transmitter front-end is implemented by using a passive mixer and two-stage driver amplifier in which the first stage is a conventional cascode amplifier and the second stage uses a folded cascode one. The receiver front-end achieves 30-dB voltage conversion gain, 7.3-dB noise figure with 1/f noise corner frequency of 70 kHz, -8-dBm input third-order intercept point, and +40-dBm input second-order intercept point. The transmitter front-end shows 12-dB power conversion gain, 0-dBm output power with 10-dBm output third-order intercept point, and -30-dB local-oscillator suppression. The receiver and transmitter front-end dissipate 3.5 and 3 mA from a 1.8-V supply, respectively
Empirical Evidence of Technical Efficiency Levels in Greek Organic and Conventional Farms

The present study utilizes the stochastic production frontier approach in evaluating the technical efficiency rates achieved in four types of Greek organic and conventional farm operations, namely, olive oil-producing, cotton, raisin-producing, and grapes-for-wine producing farms. The empirical results are expected to illustrate possible differences in the technical efficiency scores between the two farming technologies, and provide empirical evidence which at least in the field of organic farming performance is scarce or even absent. Such assessments may also be helpful for pointing out purely economic advantages (or disadvantages) of organic farming, in addition to its environmental dimension, and formulating policies to improve its economic performance.
APOBEC3G-Augmented Stem Cell Therapy to Modulate HIV Replication: A Computational Study

The interplay between the innate immune system restriction factor APOBEC3G and the HIV protein Vif is a key host-retrovirus interaction. APOBEC3G can counteract HIV infection in at least two ways: by inducing lethal mutations on the viral cDNA; and by blocking steps in reverse transcription and viral integration into the host genome. HIV-Vif blocks these antiviral functions of APOBEC3G by impeding its encapsulation. Nonetheless, it has been shown that overexpression of APOBEC3G, or interfering with APOBEC3G-Vif binding, can efficiently block in vitro HIV replication. Some clinical studies have also suggested that high levels of APOBEC3G expression in HIV patients are correlated with increased CD4+ T cell count and low levels of viral load; however, other studies have reported contradictory results and challenged this observation. Stem cell therapy to replace a patient’s immune cells with cells that are more HIV-resistant is a promising approach. Pre-implantation gene transfection of these stem cells can augment the HIV-resistance of progeny CD4+ T cells. As a protein, APOBEC3G has the advantage that it can be genetically encoded, while small molecules cannot. We have developed a mathematical model to quantitatively study the effects on in vivo HIV replication of therapeutic delivery of CD34+ stem cells transfected to overexpress APOBEC3G. Our model suggests that stem cell therapy resulting in a high fraction of APOBEC3G-overexpressing CD4+ T cells can effectively inhibit in vivo HIV replication. We extended our model to simulate the combination of APOBEC3G therapy with other biological activities, to estimate the likelihood of improved outcomes.
Interplay of Agency and Ownership: The Intentional Binding and Rubber Hand Illusion Paradigm Combined

The sense of agency (SoA) refers to the phenomenal experience of initiating and controlling an action, whereas the sense of ownership (SoO) describes the feeling of myness an agent experiences towards his or her own body parts. SoA has been investigated with intentional binding paradigms, and the sense of ownership (SoO) with the rubber-hand illusion (RHI). We investigated the relationship between SoA and SoO by incorporating intentional binding into the RHI. Explicit and implicit measures of agency (SoA-questionnaire, intentional binding) and ownership (SoO-questionnaire, proprioceptive drift) were used. Artificial hand position (congruent/incongruent) and mode of agent (self-agent/other-agent) were systematically varied. Reported SoO varied mainly with position (higher in congruent conditions), but also with agent (higher in self-agent conditions). Reported SoA was modulated by agent (higher in self-agent conditions), and moderately by position (higher in congruent conditions). Implicit and explicit agency measures were not significantly correlated. Finally, intentional binding tended to be stronger in self-generated than observed voluntary actions. Results provide further evidence for a partial double dissociation between SoA and SoO, empirically distinct agency levels, and moderate intentional binding differences between self-generated and observed voluntary actions.
National Culture and Innovation: Implications for Locating Global R&D Operations1

■ As multinational corporations internationalize their R&D function, location decisions become vital to the success of the firm. One input to the location decision process that has received little attention is the impact of national culture on R&D operations. ■ The current paper reviews the literature on global R&D with an emphasis on identifying types of foreign R&D facilities, reviews the link between dimensions of national culture and innovative activities, and concludes with a conceptual model suggesting cultural profiles supportive of R&D types.
Regulation of floral initiation in horticultural trees.

The intention of this review is to discuss floral initiation of horticultural trees. Floral initiation is best understood for herbaceous species, especially at the molecular level, so a brief overview of the control of floral initiation of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. ) precedes the discussion of trees. Four major pathways to flowering have been characterized in Arabidopsis, including environmental induction through photoperiod and temperature, autonomous floral initiation, and regulation by gibberellins. Tropical trees are generally induced to flower through environmental cues, whereas floral initiation of temperate deciduous trees is often autonomous. In the tropical evergreen tree mango, Mangifera indica L. , cool temperature is the only factor known to induce flowering, but does not ensure floral initiation will occur because there are important interactions with vegetative growth. The temperate deciduous tree apple, Malus domestica Borkh. , flowers autonomously, with floral initiation dependent on aspects of vegetative development in the growing season before anthesis, although with respect to the floral initiation of trees in general: the effect of the environment, interactions with vegetative growth, the roles of plant growth regulators and carbohydrates, and recent advances in molecular biology, are discussed.
Availability of consumer prices from US hospitals for a common surgical procedure.

IMPORTANCE Many proposals for health care reform incentivize patients to play a more active role in selecting health care providers on the basis of quality and price. While data on quality are increasingly available, availability of pricing data is uncertain. OBJECTIVE To examine whether we could obtain pricing data for a common elective surgical procedure, total hip arthroplasty (THA). DESIGN We randomly selected 2 hospitals from each state (plus Washington, DC) that perform THA, as well as the 20 top-ranked orthopedic hospitals according to US News and World Report rankings. We contacted each hospital by telephone between May 2011 and July 2012. Using a standardized script, we requested from each hospital the lowest complete "bundled price" (hospital plus physician fees) for an elective THA that was required by one of the author's 62-year-old grandmother. In our scenario, the grandmother did not have insurance but had the means to pay out of pocket. We explained that we were seeking the lowest complete price for the procedure. When we encountered hospitals that could provide the hospital fee only, we contacted a random hospital affiliated orthopedic surgery practice to obtain the physician fee. Each hospital was contacted up to 5 times in efforts to obtain pricing information. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS All top-ranked and a sample of non-top-ranked US hospitals performing THA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Percentage of hospitals able to provide a complete price estimate for THA (physician and hospital fee) for top-ranked and non-top-ranked hospitals and range of prices quoted by each group. RESULTS Nine top-ranked hospitals (45%) and 10 non-top-ranked hospitals (10%) were able to provide a complete bundled price (P < .001). We were able to obtain a complete price estimate from an additional 3 top-ranked hospitals (15%) and 54 non-top-ranked hospitals (53%) (P = .002) by contacting the hospital and physician separately. The range of complete prices was wide for both top-ranked ($12,500-$105,000) and non-top-ranked hospitals ($11,100-$125,798). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE We found it difficult to obtain price information for THA and observed wide variation in the prices that were quoted. Many health care providers cannot provide reasonable price estimates. Patients seeking elective THA may find considerable price savings through comparison shopping.
Myosin Isoforms and Contractile Properties of Single Fibers of Human Latissimus Dorsi Muscle

The aim of our study was to investigate fiber type distribution and contractile characteristics of Latissimus Dorsi muscle (LDM). Samples were collected from 18 young healthy subjects (9 males and 9 females) through percutaneous fine needle muscle biopsy. The results showed a predominance of fast myosin heavy chain isoforms (MyHC) with 42% of MyHC 2A and 25% of MyHC 2X, while MyHC 1 represented only 33%. The unbalance toward fast isoforms was even greater in males (71%) than in females (64%). Fiber type distribution partially reflected MyHC isoform distribution with 28% type 1/slow fibers and 5% hybrid 1/2A fibers, while fast fibers were divided into 30% type 2A, 31% type A/X, 4% type X, and 2% type 1/2X. Type 1/slow fibers were not only less abundant but also smaller in cross-sectional area than fast fibers. During maximal isometric contraction, type 1/slow fibers developed force and tension significantly lower than the two major groups of fast fibers. In conclusion, the predominance of fast fibers and their greater size and strength compared to slow fibers reveal that LDM is a muscle specialized mainly in phasic and powerful activity. Importantly, such specialization is more pronounced in males than in females.