Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age verification using a hybrid speech processing approach

The human speech production system is a multi-level system. On the upper level, it starts with information that one wants to transmit. It ends on the lower level with the materialization of the information into a speech signal. Most of the recent work conducted in age estimation is focused on the lower-acoustic level. In this research the upper lexical level information is utilized for age-group verification and it is shown that one's vocabulary reflects one's age. Several age-group verification systems that are based on automatic transcripts are proposed. In addition, a hybrid approach is introduced, an approach that combines the word-based system and an acoustic-based system. Experiments were conducted on a four age-groups verification task using the Fisher corpora, where an average equal error rate (EER) of 28.7% was achieved using the lexical-based approach and 28.0% using an acoustic approach. By merging these two approaches the verification error was reduced to 24 . 1%.
Autosomal dominant limb-girdle muscular dystrophy

Background: Fourteen genetically distinct forms of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) have been identified, including five types of autosomal dominant LGMD (AD-LGMD). Objective: To describe clinical, histologic, and genetic features of a large Spanish kindred with LGMD and apparent autosomal dominant inheritance spanning five generations. Method: The authors examined 61 members of the family; muscle biopsies were performed on five patients. Linkage analysis assessed chromosomal loci associated with other forms of AD-LGMD. Results: A total of 32 individuals had weakness of the pelvic and shoulder girdles. Severity appeared to worsen in successive generations. Muscle biopsy findings were nonspecific and compatible with MD. Linkage analysis to chromosomes 5q31, 1q11-q21, 3p25, 6q23, and 7q demonstrated that this disease is not allelic to LGMD forms 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E. Conclusions: This family has a genetically distinct form of AD-LGMD. The authors are currently performing a genome-wide scan to identify the disease locus.
Central or local incident reporting? A comparative study in Dutch GP out-of-hours services.

BACKGROUND Centralised incident reporting in a Dutch collaboration of nine out-of-hours services yielded very few incident reports. To improve incident reporting and the awareness of primary caregivers about patient safety issues, a local incident-reporting procedure was implemented. AIM To compare the number and nature of incident reports collected in a local incident-reporting procedure (intervention) versus the currently used centralised incident-reporting procedure. DESIGN OF STUDY Quasi experiment. SETTING Three GPs' out-of-hours services (OHSs) in the centre of the Netherlands participated over 2 years before and 2 years after the intervention. METHOD A local incident-reporting procedure was implemented in OHS1, in which participants were encouraged to report all occurring incidents. A local committee with peers analysed the reported incidents fortnightly in order to initiate improvements if necessary. In OHS2 and OHS3, the current centralised incident-reporting procedure was continued, where incidents were reported to an advisory committee of the board of directors of the OHSs collaboration and were assessed every 2 months. The main outcome measures were the number and nature of incidents reported. RESULTS At baseline, participants reported fewer than 10 incidents per year each. In the follow-up period, the number of incidents reported in OHS1 increased 16-fold compared with the controls. The type of incidents reported did not alter. In the local incident-reporting procedure, improvements were implemented in a shorter time frame, but reports in the centralised incident-reporting procedure led to a more systematic addressing of general and recurring safety problems. CONCLUSION It is likely that a local incident-reporting procedure increases the willingness to report and facilitates faster implementation of improvements. In contrast, the central procedure, by collating reports from many settings, seems better at addressing generic and recurring safety issues. The advantages of both approaches should be combined.
Waist-to-Height Ratio and Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Chinese Adults in Beijing

Objectives To examine whether waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) performed better than, body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference (WC) in relation to hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia among Chinese adults in Beijing. Methods A total of 5720 adults (2371 men and 3349 nonpregnant women) aged 18 to 79 years were selected from the general population in a cross-sectional study. Data from a standardized questionnaire, physical examination, and blood sample were obtained. Results The area under curve (AUC) values for WHtR (0.661–0.773) were significantly higher than those for BMI for all outcomes in both sexes, except that WHtR and BMI had similar AUCs for dyslipidemia in men. The AUCs for WHtR were significantly higher than those for WC with respect to hypertension in both sexes, and to diabetes in women. AUCs for the relationships between anthropometric indices and the three outcomes were larger in women than in men, and tended to decrease with age. Optimal cutoffs for WHtR were 0.51–0.53 and 0.48–0.50 in men and women, respectively. With regard to the current Chinese criteria for BMI (≥24 kg/m2), WC (≥90 cm for men, and ≥85 cm for women), and the recommended cutoff of WHtR (≥0.5), WHtR yielded the greatest odds ratio for hypertension and diabetes in both sexes, and dyslipidemia in women. BMI had the highest odds ratio for dyslipidemia in men. The odds ratios of anthropometric indices for hypertension and diabetes, but not for dyslipidemia, were higher in women than in men. The association between anthropometric indices and the three outcomes decreased with age. Conclusion WHtR performed better than BMI and WC for the association with hypertension and diabetes. More studies should be conducted to explore the age differences in the relationships between obesity indices and cardiovascular risk factors.
Mira variables in the OGLE bulge fields

The 222 000 I-band light curves of variable stars detected by the OGLE-II survey in the direction of the Galactic Bulge have been fitted and also correlated with the DENIS and 2MASS all-sky release databases and with lists of known objects. Lightcurves and the results of the lightcurve fitting (periods and amplitudes) and DENIS and 2MASS data are presented for 2691 objects with I-band semi-amplitude larger than 0.45 mag, corresponding to classical Mira variables. That the Mira period distribution of 6 fields at similar longitude but spanning latitudes from -1.2 to -5.8 are statistically indistinguishable indicates similar populations with initial masses of 1.5-2 M ○. , corresponding to ages of 1-3 Gyr. A field at similar longitude at b = -0.05 from Glass et al. (2001, MNRAS, 321, 77; erratum: 2002, MNRAS, 336, 1390) does show a significantly different period distribution, indicating the presence of a younger population of 2.5-3 M ○. and ages below 1 Gyr. The K-band period-luminosity relation is presented for the whole sample and for sub-fields. The zero point depends on Galactic longitude. Simulations are carried out to show that the observed dependence of the zero point with l, and the number of stars per field are naturally explained using the model of disk and bulge stars of Binney et al. (1997, MNRAS, 288, 365), for a viewing angle (major-axis Bar - axis perpendicular to the line-of-sight to the Galactic Centre) of 43 ± 17 degrees. The simulations also show that biases in the observed zero point are small, <0.02 mag. A comparison is made with similar objects in the Magellanic Clouds. The slope of the PL-relation in the Bulge and the MCs agree within the errorbars. Assuming the zero point does not depend on metallicity, distance modulus difference of 3.72 between Bulge and LMC is derived. This implies a LMC DM of 18.21 for an assumed distance to the Galactic Centre (GC) of 7.9 kpc, or, assuming a LMC DM of 18.50, a distance to the GC of 9.0 kpc. From the results in Groenewegen (2004, A&A, 425, 595) it is found for carbon-rich Miras that the PL-relation implies a relative SMC-LMC DM of 0.38, assuming no metallicity dependence. This is somewhat smaller than the often quoted value near 0.50. Following theoretical work by Wood (1990, in From Miras to Planetary Nebulae, ed. M. 0. Mennessier, & A. Omont (Gif-sur-Yvette: Editions Frontieres), 67) a metallicity term of the form M K ∼ log Z is introduced. If a relative SMC-LMC DM of 0.50 is imposed, β = 0.4 is required, and for that value the distance to the GC becomes 8.6 ± 0.7 kpc (for a LMC DM of 18.50), within the errorbar of the geometric determination of 7.9 ± 0.4 kpc. An independent estimate leads to a distance estimate to the GC of 8.8 ± 0.4 kpc.
Expression and regulation of a vesicular monoamine transporter in rat stomach: a putative histamine transporter.

1. Vesicular monoamine transporters (VMATs) translocate monoamines from the cytoplasm into secretory vesicles of endocrine cells and neurones, but they have limited affinity for histamine, and the identity of the vesicular transporter for this monoamine is uncertain. The aims of the present study were to characterize VMAT representatives in rat gastric corpus, and to determine if their expression was regulated by factors that modulate histamine biosynthesis. 2. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cloning using oligonucleotide primers to DNA sequences conserved within the VMAT family provided evidence for VMAT2, but not VMAT1 in rat gastric corpus. Northern analysis using a VMAT2 complementary RNA probe revealed a single 4 kb mRNA species in corpus endocrine cells. 3. In rats treated for up to 5 days with the H(+)‐K(+)‐ATPase inhibitor omeprazole, VMAT2, histidine decarboxylase and chromogranin A mRNA abundance in gastric corpus, and plasma gastrin concentrations increased progressively. Omeprazole also elevated VMAT2 expression in rats fasted for 48 h, but fasting alone, or refeeding fasted animals had no effect. 4. The results are consistent with a role for VMAT2 in the transport of histamine into enterochromaffin‐like cell secretory vesicles, and with upregulation of the transporter to accommodate the increased histamine biosynthesis and secretion that accompanies achlorhydria.
Death, Time, and Psychosis

Working through the awareness of death and the consciousness of time, it is hypothesized, plays a decisive role in the analytic process and in the mental growth of psychotic analysands, as well as in the integration of the psychotic areas in healthier patients. Clinical material is presented from a psychotic woman treated analytically, four sessions a week, for twelve years. The patient suffered several acute relapses, during which the analytic work was not interrupted. Her fourth psychotic episode in the course of analysis, which involved a delusion about gray men and the theft of time, is explored in particular depth. This phase fostered the patient’s recognition of the value of time, together with the acquisition of her own center of psychosensory integration, the basis of an ability to learn from experience.
Neuraxial block for labour analgesia--is the combined spinal epidural (CSE) modality a good alternative to conventional epidural analgesia?

AIM Apart from conventional epidural analgesia (EA), the combined spinal-epidural (CSE) modality is fast becoming a popular technique for treating labour pain. In this study, we investigated the differences in the patient profile and outcome between CSE and EA for labour pain in KK Women's and Children's Hospital. METHODOLOGY Data pertaining to 1,532 healthy parturients who had received either CSE or EA for labour pain during a six-month period was systematically collected by using a specially designed form. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of patient satisfaction and the relation of parturient factors on the choice of block. The side effects and the outcome of labour were also compared. RESULTS CSE accounted for 80% of all neuraxial blocks performed for labour analgesia (vs 20% for EA). Anaesthesiologists were more inclined to using CSE than EA for multiparous parturients (OR 2.03, p<0.01) in a more painful (OR=1.61, p=0.03) and advanced stage of labour (OR=1.12, p=0.03). The need for supplemental analgesics was greater for EA (p<0.01). Patient satisfaction was higher for CSE (OR=1.77, p<0.026). CSE had a higher risk of pruritus (29% vs 14%, p<0.01) but lower risk of post block neural deficits (0% vs 2%, p<0.01) than EA. No difference in the mode of delivery was detected between the two groups. CONCLUSION CSE is a safe and good alternative to EA as a technique of neuraxial block for labour analgesia.
Long and Short-Term Recommendations with Recurrent Neural Networks

Recurrent neural networks have recently been successfully applied to the session-based recommendation problem, and is part of a growing interest for collaborative filtering based on sequence prediction. This new approach to recommendations reveals an aspect that was previously overlooked: the difference between short-term and long-term recommendations. In this work we characterize the full short-term/long-term profile of many collaborative filtering methods, and we show how recurrent neural networks can be steered towards better short or long-term predictions. We also show that RNNs are not only adapted to session-based collaborative filtering, but are perfectly suited for collaborative filtering on dense datasets where it outperforms traditional item recommendation algorithms.
Age-Related Changes in Inter-Network Connectivity by Component Analysis

Healthy aging is associated with brain changes that reflect an alteration to a functional unit in response to the available resources and architecture. Even before the onset of noticeable cognitive decline, the neural scaffolds underlying cognitive function undergo considerable change. Prior studies have suggested a disruption of the connectivity pattern within the “default-mode” network (DMN), and more specifically a disruption of the anterio-posterior connectivity. In this study, we explored the effects of aging on within-network connectivity of three DMN subnetworks: a posterior DMN (pDMN), an anterior DMN (aDMN), and a ventral DMN (vDMN); as well as between-network connectivity during resting-state. Using groupICA on 43 young and 43 older healthy adults, we showed a reduction of network co-activation in two of the DMN subnetworks (pDMN and aDMN) and demonstrated a difference in between-component connectivity levels. The older group exhibited more numerous high-correlation pairs (Pearson's rho > 0.3, Number of comp-pairs = 46) in comparison to the young group (Number of comp-pairs = 34), suggesting a more connected/less segregated cortical system. Moreover, three component-pairs exhibited statistically significant differences between the two populations. Visual areas V2–V1 and V2–V4 were more correlated in the older adults, while aDMN–pDMN correlation decreased with aging. The increase in the number of high-correlation component-pairs and the elevated correlation in the visual areas are consistent with the prior hypothesis that aging is associated with a reduction of functional segregation. However, the aDMN-pDMN dis-connectivity may be occurring under a different mechanism, a mechanism more related to a breakdown of structural integrity along the anterio-posterior axis.
USERS ACCEPTANCE ON MIXED REALITY TECHNOLOGY

User studies need to be perform on the new technology such as Mixed reality (MR) before it reach maturity. In this paper we would like to reveal the study that has been done to determine users’ perception and acceptance on the mixed reality prototype, named Mixed Reality Regenerative Concept (MRRC). The aim of MRRC is to increase users understanding on regenerative concept and tissue engineering. The participants consisted of 37 volunteers from 2 nd and 3 rd year Biomedical Science students who have never experienced with mixed reality technology. We used constructs personal innovativeness, perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and intention to use to evaluate respondents’ acceptance. Results showed that perceived usefulness was the most important factors to determine the intention to use of mixed reality technology compared to perceived enjoyment and perceived ease of use. However students showed high willingness to use the technology in the future.
Mediated Mechanism of Thriving at Work Between Perceived Organization Support, Innovative Work Behavior and Turnover Intention

Thriving at work is a positive psychological state in which individuals experience a sense of vitality and learning. This study is an attempt to analyze thriving at work with two important outcome variables (innovative work behavior and turnover intention) and also examines how perceived organization support transforms individual’s psychological states. Using hierarchical linear modeling on an actual sample of 147 employees from a software house, strong support has been found for all the theory-driven hypothesized statements, including the mediating mechanism of thriving at work. This study is probably the first to analyze the mediating mechanism of thriving at work between perceived organization support and innovative work behavior, and turnover intention. The findings of this study significantly contribute to the better understanding of behavior and particularly to the most developing concept of ‘thriving at work’. The study concludes by starring theoretical and practical implications for workers’ thriving and suggesting directions for further empirical investigations. However, there are certain limitations as the participants were taken from a single organization. Hence, future studies are required to achieve generalizability of the phenomenon under study.
Molecular cloning of the cDNA for a mutant mouse ribonucleotide reductase M1 that produces a dominant mutator phenotype in mammalian cells

Mammalian ribonucleotide reductase is regulated by the binding of dATP and other nucleotide effectors to allosteric sites on subunit M1. Using mRNA from a mutant mouse T-lymphoma (S49) cell line, we have isolated a cDNA which encodes an altered, dATP feedback-resistant subunit M1. The mutant cDNA contains a single point mutation (a G-to-A transition) at codon 57, converting aspartic acid to asparagine. Proof that this mutation is responsible for the phenotype of dATP feedback resistance is provided by the following evidence. (i) The mutation was detected only in mutant S49 cells containing dATP feedback-resistant ribonucleotide reductase and not in wild-type or other mutant S49 cells. (ii) Transfection of Chinese hamster ovary cells with an expression plasmid containing the mutant M1 cDNA resulted in the production of dATP feedback-resistant ribonucleotide reductase. Transfected CHO cells expressing the mutant M1 cDNA exhibited a 15- to 25-fold increase in the frequency of spontaneous mutation to 6-thioguanine resistance, confirming that dATP feedback-resistant ribonucleotide reductase produces a mutator phenotype in mammalian cells. The availability of a cDNA which encodes dATP feedback-resistant subunit M1 thus provides a means of manipulating by transfection the frequency of spontaneous mutation in mammalian cells.
Effects of sertraline on depressive symptoms and attentional and executive functions in major depression

Reports on the severity and reversibility of cognitive disturbances in major depression in the literature diverge due to methodological biases. The present study, using a precise methodology, examined attention and executive functions in 20 relatively young, depressed patients presenting a first or second episode of unipolar major depression without psychotic or melancholic characteristics and all being treated with the same psychopharmacological treatment (sertraline) to investigate the changes in potential attentional and executive loss during a subacute period of treatment of 7 weeks. We compared their performance with a group of 26 control subjects who were administered the same cognitive tests. This study confirmed psychomotor slowing associated with attentional and executive disturbance in adults with major depression. Conscious attentional interference for words with a negative emotional valence also was shown. After the first weeks of treatment, the effect of the antidepressant treatment with sertraline was accompanied by a beneficial effect on psychomotor slowing on attentional and executive functions. Depression and Anxiety 21:78–89, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An efficient Ant Colony Optimization algorithm for function optimization

In this article we have proposed an efficient Ant Colony Optimization method, namely Guided Ant Colony Optimization (GACO) technique for optimizing mathematical functions. The search process of the optimization approach is directed towards a region or a hypercube in a multidimensional space where the amount of pheromone deposited is maximum after a predefined number of iterations. The entire search area is initially divided into 2n number of hypercubic quadrants where n is the dimension of the search space. Then the pheromone level of each quadrant is measured. Now, the search jumps to the region (new search area) of maximum pheromone level and restarts the search process in the new region. However, the search area of the new region is reduced compared to the previous search area. Thus, the search advances and jumps to a new search space (with a reduced search area) in several stages until the algorithm is terminated. The GACO technique has been tested on a set of mathematical functions with number of dimensions upto 100 and compared with several relevant optimizing approaches to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. It is observed that the proposed technique performs better or similar to the performance of other optimization methods.
Effect of Deposition Gas Ratio, RF Power, and Substrate Temperature on the Charging/Discharging Processes in PECVD Silicon Nitride Films for Electrostatic NEMS/MEMS Reliability Using Atomic Force Microscopy

The dependence of the electrical properties of silicon nitride, which is a commonly used dielectric in nano- and micro-electromechanical systems (NEMS and MEMS), on the deposition conditions used to prepare it and, consequently, on material stoichiometry has not been fully understood. In this paper, the influence of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition conditions on the dielectric charging of films is investigated. The work targets mainly the dielectric-charging phenomenon which constitutes a major failure mechanism in electrostatically driven NEMS/MEMS devices and particularly in capacitive MEMS switches. The charging/discharging processes are studied using two nanoscale characterization techniques: Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and, for the first time, force-distance curve (FDC) measurements. KPFM is used to investigate dielectric charging at the level of a single asperity, while FDC is employed to measure the multiphysics coupling between the charging phenomenon and tribological issues, mainly meniscus force. The electrical properties of the films obtained from both techniques show a very good correlation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy material characterization techniques are also used to determine the compositions and chemical bonds, respectively, of the films. An attempt to correlate between the chemical and electrical properties of films is made.