Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Event-Related fMRI Reveals Cortical Sites Involved in Contextual Sentence Integration

We examined the effects of difficulty of sentential integration on blood oxygenation level-dependent contrast changes. Difficulty of integration was operationalized as the degree to which sentence-final nouns matched the expectations generated by preceding context. Nine young adults read short sentence fragments (e.g., "The pilot flies.") which were completed by highly expected nouns (e.g., "the plane"), unexpected yet semantically legal nouns (e.g., "the kite"), nouns that violated the verbs' selection restriction rules (e.g., "the book"), and pseudowords (e.g., "the foop") and made quick lexical decisions on the sentence-final item. Overall, word completions resulted in higher changes in activation than pseudoword completions. The largest of those changes were observed in left angular and posterior middle temporal gyri, suggesting that despite the lexical nature of the task, word stimuli embedded in sentence contexts triggered integrative-semantic processes beyond a lexical level. A region-of-interest analysis in left inferior frontal and left posterior middle temporal areas revealed activation for both unexpected and anomalous completions when compared to expected completions. Thus, while the underlying processing mechanisms may differ, sentential integration appears similarly effortful for these two types of completions. Our findings are consistent with previous reports of local increases in activation as a function of (syntactic) complexity, while extending the findings to processing demands of semantic integration. Because of its sensitivity to changes in semantic congruence and the implicit nature of the task involved, we argue that the present paradigm is well suited to study patients with potential semantic deficits after brain damage.
Interleukin-6 receptor pathways in abdominal aortic aneurysm

Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting circulating IL-6 in AAA, and new investigations of the association between a common non-synonymous functional variant (Asp358Ala) in the IL-6R gene (IL6R) and AAA, followed the analysis of the variant both in vitro and in vivo. Inflammation may play a role in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) signalling through its receptor (IL-6R) is one pathway that could be exploited pharmacologically. We investigated this using a Mendelian randomization approach. Results Up to October 2011, we identified seven studies (869 cases, 851 controls). Meta-analysis demonstrated that AAA cases had higher levels of IL-6 than controls [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.46 SD, 95% CI = 0.25–0.66, I2 = 70%, P = 1.1 × 10–5 random effects]. Meta-analysis of five studies (4524 cases/15 710 controls) demonstrated that rs7529229 (which tags the non-synonymous variant Asp358Ala, rs2228145) was associated with a lower risk of AAA, per Ala358 allele odds ratio 0.84, 95% CI: 0.80–0.89, I2 = 0%, P = 2.7 × 10–11). In vitro analyses in lymphoblastoid cell lines demonstrated a reduction in the expression of downstream targets (STAT3, MYC and ICAM1) in response to IL-6 stimulation in Ala358 carriers. Conclusions A Mendelian randomization approach provides robust evidence that signalling via the IL-6R is likely to be a causal pathway in AAA. Drugs that inhibit IL-6R may play a role in AAA management.
Mapping Secondary Forest Succession on Abandoned Agricultural Land with LiDAR Point Clouds and Terrestrial Photography

Secondary forest succession on abandoned agricultural land has played a significant role in land cover changes in Europe over the past several decades. However, it is difficult to quantify over large areas. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework for mapping forest succession patterns using vegetation structure information derived from LiDAR data supported by national topographic vector data. This work was performed in the Szczawnica commune in the Polish Carpathians. Using object-based image analysis segments of no vegetation, and sparse/dense low/medium/high vegetation were distinguished and subsequently compared to the national topographic dataset to delineate agricultural land that is covered by vegetation, which indicates secondary succession on abandoned fields. The results showed that 18.7% of the arable land and 40.4% of grasslands, that is 31.0% of the agricultural land in the Szczawnica commune, may currently be experiencing secondary forest succession. The overall accuracy of the approach was assessed using georeferenced terrestrial photographs and was found to be 95.0%. The results of this study indicate that the proposed methodology can potentially be applied in large-scale mapping of secondary forest succession patterns on abandoned land in mountain areas. OPEN ACCESS Remote Sens. 2015, 7 8301
Lip Reading Sentences in the Wild

The goal of this work is to recognise phrases and sentences being spoken by a talking face, with or without the audio. Unlike previous works that have focussed on recognising a limited number of words or phrases, we tackle lip reading as an open-world problem &#x2013; unconstrained natural language sentences, and in the wild videos. Our key contributions are: (1) a Watch, Listen, Attend and Spell (WLAS) network that learns to transcribe videos of mouth motion to characters, (2) a curriculum learning strategy to accelerate training and to reduce overfitting, (3) a Lip Reading Sentences (LRS) dataset for visual speech recognition, consisting of over 100,000 natural sentences from British television. The WLAS model trained on the LRS dataset surpasses the performance of all previous work on standard lip reading benchmark datasets, often by a significant margin. This lip reading performance beats a professional lip reader on videos from BBC television, and we also demonstrate that if audio is available, then visual information helps to improve speech recognition performance.
The validity and reliability of the sphygmomanometer for hip strength assessment in Australian football players

ABSTRACT Objectives: To investigate the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the sphygmomanometer for the assessment of the adductor squeeze test and isometric hip abduction strength and to investigate the concurrent validity of the sphygmomanometer for the assessment of hip muscular strength. Method: Thirty-two healthy adult male community Australian football players (age 23.9 ± 4.5 years) were assessed by two blinded raters that measured the strength of the adductor squeeze test and isometric hip abduction, using a commercially available sphygmomanometer. Concurrent validity was calculated using handheld dynamometry as the reference standard. Results: Moderate to high intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.61 to 0.92) and high inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.77 to 0.91) were found. High concurrent validity (Pearson’s r = 0.77 to 0.91) was established. Sixteen of the participants reached the maximal reading of the sphygmomanometer, demonstrating a ceiling effect. Conclusions: A sphygmomanometer is a cost-efficient device that appears to be both reliable and valid for the assessment of hip strength, offering clinicians an alternate and easily accessible option to obtain objective strength data. A ceiling effect may limit the application of the sphygmomanometer as a strength measurement device in stronger individuals.
Rapid Differentiation and Identification of Shigella sonnei and Escherichia coli O157: H7 by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Statistical Analysis

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with multivariate statistical analysis was applied to differentiate and identify Shigella sonnei and Escherichiacoli O157: H7. FTIR absorption spectra from 4000-600 cm-1 were collected from sampling 10 μL of bacterial suspention. The spectra between 1800 and 900 cm-1 highlighted the most distinctive variations and were the most useful for characterizing the selected microorganisms. Spectra of the two bacteria were noticeably segregated with distinct clustering by principal component analysis (PCA). Further more, another cluster model of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was established and could also gave a good separation between the two bacteria. These results demonstrate that FTIR technology has considerable potential as a rapid, accurate and simple method for differentiating and identifying bacteria.
Bayesian representation learning with oracle constraints

Representation learning systems typically rely on massive amounts of labeled data in order to be trained to high accuracy. Recently, high-dimensional parametric models like neural networks have succeeded in building rich representations using either compressive, reconstructive or supervised criteria. However, the semantic structure inherent in observations is oftentimes lost in the process. Human perception excels at understanding semantics but cannot always be expressed in terms of labels. Thus, \emph{oracles} or \emph{human-in-the-loop systems}, for example crowdsourcing, are often employed to generate similarity constraints using an implicit similarity function encoded in human perception. In this work we propose to combine \emph{generative unsupervised feature learning} with a \emph{probabilistic treatment of oracle information like triplets} in order to transfer implicit privileged oracle knowledge into explicit nonlinear Bayesian latent factor models of the observations. We use a fast variational algorithm to learn the joint model and demonstrate applicability to a well-known image dataset. We show how implicit triplet information can provide rich information to learn representations that outperform previous metric learning approaches as well as generative models without this side-information in a variety of predictive tasks. In addition, we illustrate that the proposed approach compartmentalizes the latent spaces semantically which allows interpretation of the latent variables.
Using Optical Microscopy to Monitor Anisotropic Oxidation Growth in High-Temperature Polymer Matrix Composites

Durability and degradation mechanisms in composites are fundamentally influenced by the fiber, matrix, and interphase regions that constitute the composite domain. In this work, unidirectional G30-500/PMR-15 composite specimens are aged at elevated temperature in air resulting in oxidation propagation parallel and perpendicular to the fibers. The observed anisotropy in composite oxidation is explained by carefully monitoring the development and growth of damage in composite specimens through the use of fluorescence imaging using dye impregnation in conjunction with optical microscopy. Optical micrographs are taken on polished internal sections and viewed in the dark-field mode to measure the degree, depth, and distribution of thermal oxidation development from external surfaces perpendicular and parallel to the fibers. It is shown that alternative pathways for transport of oxygen into the interior of the composite are fiber—matrix debonds and transverse matrix cracks that propagate with the oxidation front for which the oxidation front consistently precedes the debond crack front.
Limited-Memory Reduced-Hessian Methods for Large-Scale Unconstrained Optimization

Limited-memory BFGS quasi-Newton methods approximate the Hessian matrix of second derivatives by the sum of a diagonal matrix and a fixed number of rank-one matrices. These methods are particularly effective for large problems in which the approximate Hessian cannot be stored explicitly. It can be shown that the conventional BFGS method accumulates approximate curvature in a sequence of expanding subspaces. This allows an approximate Hessian to be represented using a smaller reduced matrix that increases in dimension at each iteration. When the number of variables is large, this feature may be used to define limited-memory reduced-Hessian methods in which the dimension of the reduced Hessian is limited to save storage. Limited-memory reduced-Hessian methods have the benefit of requiring half the storage of conventional limited-memory methods. In this paper, we propose a particular reduced-Hessian method with substantial computational advantages compared to previous reduced-Hessian methods. Numerical results from a set of unconstrained problems in the CUTE test collection indicate that our implementation is competitive with the limited-memory codes L-BFGS and L-BFGS-B.
Reply to: Low‐frequency subthalamic nucleus stimulation in Parkinson's disease

It is with great interest that we read the study by Khoo et al. using low frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (LFS-STN) to treat axial symptoms in advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). Despite its elegant design, we have some concerns as to interpreting their results and thus translating them into daily clinical practice. The foremost important issue is the duration of clinical benefit. Current evidence indicates that LFS-STN can improve axial signs in some but not all PD patients, and mostly in the short term. In the study by Moreau et al., 85% of patients still had some improvement in axial symptomatology at the 8-month follow-up, whereas in the case series by Brozova et al., 3 of 12 patients could not tolerate LFS-STN at all, and 2 of 9 remaining lost the initial benefit on the axial signs after 8 to 12 weeks. Ricchi et al., using 80 Hz stimulation, found an improvement in the Stand-Walk-Sit test 3 hours after switching from highfrequency stimulation (HFS) to LFS-STN, but this effect was lost as soon as 1 month later. We recently published the largest series of patients (N 5 45) tested with LFS-STN stimulation. Although our study was not randomized or blinded, most of our patients experienced loss of LFS-STN efficacy. The common denominator in the four prior studies is a remarkable loss of initial axial benefit relatively soon after switching from HFS to LFS-STN. As such, the report of the clinical effectiveness of an immediate improvement in balance and posture with LFS, without confirmation of its long-term duration, is likely to be very limited. One interesting aspect of the study by Khoo et al., however, was the change to more ventral contacts with LFS-STN. This has not been systematically studied previously and merits further investigation. Moreover, none of their patients experienced freezing of gait (FOG) before undergoing LFS. This is odd, because FOG resistant to HFS-STN is one of the common reasons that may prompt a trial of LFS. Based on their provided material, the authors may have adjusted the stimulation voltage when using LFS to achieve the same amount of total electrical energy delivered. However, they did not clearly indicate in their paper whether they actually did so. In our experience, LFS-STN can be used when conventional HFS-STN fails to control various axial signs, including FOG (ON or OFF), imbalance, falls, hypophonia, and eyelid-opening apraxia. The reason why LFS should not be used in the initial programming phase has been clearly reported in earlier studies, because it can actually worsen bradykinesia. We have also tested LFS on one patient with globus pallidus internus stimulation (unpublished data). This patient had severe and unpredictable start hesitation and FOG, and had an almost immediate and remarkable benefit. Unfortunately, within a few days, she lost this initial improvement. Strategies to bypass this tolerance phenomenon to LFS may have to be developed, such as periodically discontinuing stimulation (cycling mode), or periodically switching from high to low frequency.
Predicting the Breaking Elongation of Ring Spun Cotton Yarns Using Mathematical, Statistical, and Artificial Neural Network Models

This paper presents a comparative study of three modeling methodologies for predicting the breaking elongation of ring spun cotton yarns. Constituent cotton fiber properties and yarn count are used as inputs to these models. The predictive powers of the three different models—mathematical, statistical, and artificial neural network—are estimated and com pared. The relative importance of various cotton fiber properties measured by a high volume instrument is also investigated using the artificial neural network model.
Physical activity levels across adult life and grip strength in early old age: updating findings from a British birth cohort

Introduction: observational studies do not always find positive associations between physical activity and muscle strength despite intervention studies consistently showing that exercise improves strength in older adults. In previous analyses of the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), the 1946 British birth cohort, there was no evidence of an association between leisure time physical activity (LTPA) across adulthood and grip strength at age 53. This study tested the hypothesis that cumulative benefits of LTPA across mid-life on grip strength will have emerged by age 60–64. Methods: data from the MRC NSHD were used to investigate the associations between LTPA at ages 36, 43, 53 and 60–64 and grip strength at 60–64. Linear regression models were constructed to examine the effect of activity at each age separately and as a cumulative score, including adjustment for potential confounders and testing of life course hypotheses. Results: there were complete longitudinal data available for 1,645 participants. There was evidence of a cumulative effect of LTPA across mid-life on grip strength at 60–64. Compared with the third of participants who reported the least LTPA participation across the four time points, those in the top third had on average 2.11 kg (95% CI: 0.88, 3.35) stronger grip after adjustments. Conclusions: increased levels of LTPA across mid-life were associated with stronger grip at age 60–64, in both men and women. As these associations have emerged since age 53, it suggests that LTPA across adulthood may prevent decline in grip strength in early old age.
Reorganization after pre‐ and perinatal brain lesions *

The developing human brain can compensate for pre‐ and perinatally acquired focal lesions more effectively than the adult brain. The mechanisms by which this effective reorganization is achieved vary considerably between different functional systems, reflecting differences in the normal maturation of these systems. In the motor system, descending cortico‐spinal motor projections have already reached their spinal target zones at the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy, with initially bilateral projections from each hemisphere. During normal development, the ipsilateral projections are gradually withdrawn, whereas the contralateral projections persist. When, during this period, a unilateral brain lesion disrupts the cortico‐spinal projections of one hemisphere, the ipsilateral projections from the contralesional hemisphere will persist. This allows the contralesional hemisphere to take over motor control over the paretic extremities. Although this mechanism of reorganization is available throughout the pre‐ and perinatal period, the efficacy of this ipsilateral takeover of motor functions decreases with increasing age at the time of the insult. In the somatosensory system, ascending thalamo‐cortical somatosensory projections have not yet reached their cortical target zones at the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy. Therefore, these projections can still ‘react’ to brain lesions acquired during this period, and can form ‘axonal bypasses’ around periventricular white matter lesions to reach their original cortical target areas in the postcentral gyrus. Thus, somatosensory functions can be well preserved even in cases of large periventricular lesions. In contrast, when the postcentral gyrus itself is affected, no signs for reorganization have been observed. Accordingly, somatosensory functions are often poor in these patients. Language functions can be normal even in patients with extensive early left‐hemispheric brain lesions. This is achieved by language organization in the right hemisphere, which takes place in brain regions homotopic to the classical left‐hemispheric language areas in normal subjects. In patients with periventricular lesions, the degree of right‐hemispheric takeover of language functions correlates with the severity of structural damage to facial (and, thus, articulatory) motor projections.
Detecting Knowledge Base Inconsistencies Using Automated Generation of Text and Examples

Verifying the fidelity of domain representation in large knowledge bases (KBs) is a difficult problem: domain experts are typically not experts in knowledge representation languages, and as knowledge bases grow more complex, visual inspection of the various terms and their abstract definitions, their interrelationships and the limiting, boundary cases becomes much harder. This paper presents an approach to help verify and refine abstract term definitions in knowledge bases. It assumes that it is easier for a domain expert to determine the correctness of individual concrete examples than it is to verify and correct all the ramifications of an abstract, intensional specification. To this end, our approach presents the user with an interface in which abstract terms in the KB are described using examples and natural language generated from the underlying domain representation. Problems in the KB are therefore manifested as problems in the generated description. The user can then highlight specific examples or parts of the explanation that seem problematic. The system reasons about the underlying domain model by using the discourse plan generated for the description. This paper briefly describes the working of the system and illustrates three possible types of problem manifestations using an example of a specification of floating-point numbers in Lisp.
A bipartite graph approach to generate optimal test sequences for protocol conformance testing using the Wp-method

Conformance testing using test sequences is used to ensure that a protocol implementation conforms to its specification. A commonly used technique to generate test sequences for specifications described by the finite state machines is the Wp-method with the reset technique, which frequently results in long test sequences. In this paper, we propose a bipartite graph approach to generate optimal test sequences for protocol conformance testing. Our approach significantly reduces the length of the test sequences required for conformance testing while maintaining the same fault detection capability.
Andrographolide inhibits growth of human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia Jurkat cells by downregulation of PI3K/AKT and upregulation of p38 MAPK pathways

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) as a prevalent hematologic malignancy is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide in children. Andrographolide (Andro), the major active component from Andrographis paniculata, has been shown to possess antitumor activities in several types of cancer cells. However, whether Andro would inhibit T-ALL cell growth remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic effect of Andro on human T-ALL Jurkat cells and explored the mechanisms of cell death. Cell apoptosis was assayed by flow cytometry, and the signaling transduction for Andro was analyzed by Western blotting. The results indicated 10 μg/mL Andro could significantly induce Jurkat cells’ apoptosis, depending on the inhibition of PI3K/AKT pathway. Moreover, Andro-induced apoptosis is enhanced by AKT-selective inhibitor LY294002. ERK- or JNK-selective inhibitors PD98059 and SP600125 had no effect on Andro-induced apoptosis. In addition, p38 inhibitor SB203580 could reverse Andro-induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells. We also found that the protein expression of p-p53 and p-p38 were increased after Andro treatments. The result of an in vivo study also demonstrated Andro’s dose-dependent inhibition in subcutaneous Jurkat xenografts. In conclusion, our findings explained a novel mechanism of drug action by Andro in Jurkat cells and suggested that Andro might be developed into a new candidate therapy for T-ALL patients in the coming days.