Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prosody signals the emergence of intentional communication in the first year of life: evidence from Catalan-babbling infants*

ABSTRACT There is considerable debate about whether early vocalizations mimic the target language and whether prosody signals emergent intentional communication. A longitudinal corpus of four Catalan-babbling infants was analyzed to investigate whether children use different prosodic patterns to distinguish communicative from investigative vocalizations and to express intentionality. A total of 2,701 vocalizations from 0;7 to 0;11 were coded acoustically (by marking pitch range and duration), gesturally, and pragmatically (by marking communicative status and specific pragmatic function). The results showed that communicative vocalizations were shorter and had a wider pitch range than investigative vocalizations and that these patterns in communicative vocalizations depended on the intention of the vocalizations: requests and expressions of discontent displayed wider pitch range and longer duration than responses or statements. These results support the hypothesis that babbling children can successfully use a set of prosodic patterns to signal intentional speech.
GROUND STATE OF A SYSTEM OF N HARD CORE QUANTUM PARTICLES IN 1-D BOX

The ground state of a system of N impenetrable hard core quantum particles in a 1-D box is analyzed by using a new scheme applied recently to study a similar system of two such particles [Centl. Eur. J. Phys., 2(4), 709 (2004)]. Accordingly, each particle of the system behaves like an independent entity represented by a macroorbital, -a kind of pair waveform identical to that of a pair of particles moving with (q, −q) momenta at their center of mass which may have any momentum K in the laboratory frame. It concludes: (i) = 0, (ii) ≥ �/2 and (iii) q ≥ qo(= �/d) (with d = L/N being the average nearest neighbor distance), etc. While all bosons in their ground state have q = qo and K = 0, fermions have q = qo with different K ranging between 0 and K = KF (the Fermi wave vector). Independent of their bosonic or fermionic nature, all particles in the ground state define a close packed arrangement of their equal size wave packets representing an ordered state in phase (�−)space with �� = 2n� (with n = 1,2,3, .), = �/2 = d, and q = qo. As such our approach uses greatly simplified mathematical formulation and renders a visibly clear picture of the low energy states of the systems and its results supplement earlier studies in providing their complete understanding.
Universally Sloppy Parameter Sensitivities in Systems Biology Models

Quantitative computational models play an increasingly important role in modern biology. Such models typically involve many free parameters, and assigning their values is often a substantial obstacle to model development. Directly measuring in vivo biochemical parameters is difficult, and collectively fitting them to other experimental data often yields large parameter uncertainties. Nevertheless, in earlier work we showed in a growth-factor-signaling model that collective fitting could yield well-constrained predictions, even when it left individual parameters very poorly constrained. We also showed that the model had a “sloppy” spectrum of parameter sensitivities, with eigenvalues roughly evenly distributed over many decades. Here we use a collection of models from the literature to test whether such sloppy spectra are common in systems biology. Strikingly, we find that every model we examine has a sloppy spectrum of sensitivities. We also test several consequences of this sloppiness for building predictive models. In particular, sloppiness suggests that collective fits to even large amounts of ideal time-series data will often leave many parameters poorly constrained. Tests over our model collection are consistent with this suggestion. This difficulty with collective fits may seem to argue for direct parameter measurements, but sloppiness also implies that such measurements must be formidably precise and complete to usefully constrain many model predictions. We confirm this implication in our growth-factor-signaling model. Our results suggest that sloppy sensitivity spectra are universal in systems biology models. The prevalence of sloppiness highlights the power of collective fits and suggests that modelers should focus on predictions rather than on parameters.
Oxidative Stress in Hypertensive Patients Induces an Increased Contractility in Vein Grafts Independent of Endothelial Function

Objective. To evaluate the impact of oxidative stress on vascular reactivity to vasoconstrictors and on nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability in saphenous vein (SV) graft with endothelial dysfunction from hypertensive patients (HT). Methods. Endothelial function, vascular reactivity, oxidative state, nitrites and NO release were studied in isolated SV rings from HT and normotensive patients (NT). Only rings with endothelial dysfunction were used. Results. HT rings presented a hyperreactivity to vasoconstrictors that was reverted by diphenylene iodonium (DPI). In NT, no effect of DPI was obtained, but Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) increased the contractile response. NO was present in SV rings without endothelial function. Nitrites were higher in NT than in HT (1066.1 ± 86.3 pmol/mg; n = 11 versus 487.8 ± 51.6; n = 23; P < 0.01) and inhibited by nNOS inhibitor. L-arginine reversed this effect. Antioxidant agents increased nitrites and NO contents only in HT. The anti-nNOS-stained area by immunohistochemistry was higher in NT than HT. HT showed an elevation of oxidative state. Conclusions. Extraendothelial NO counter-regulates contractility in SV. However, this action could be altered in hypertensive situations by an increased oxidative stress or a decreased ability of nNOS to produce NO. Further studies should be performed to evaluate the implication of these results in graft patency rates.
R-COMP 21 for frail elderly patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A pilot study

We evaluated the toxicity and efficacy of nonpegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Myocet®) when substituted for conventional doxorubicin in the CHOP-21 regimen in the treatment of frail elderly patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Twenty frail patients (median age, 73 years), as defined by Balducci et al., with diffuse large B cell or grade IIIb follicular lymphoma, either at diagnosis (15 patients) or relapsed (five patients), were prospectively enrolled. Nine out of 20 (45%) had a World Health Organisation (WHO) performance status ≥2. Fifteen out of 20 patients (75%) had an International Prognostic Index (IPI) score ≥3. Thirteen out of 20 (65%) evaluable patients obtained a complete response. Five additional patients (25%) achieved a partial response. With a median follow-up of 24 months (range 18–27), 15/18 responding patients (83%) are alive and disease free, as well as 3/18 are alive with active disease. Toxicity was mainly hematological with grade 3/4 neutropenia in 26% of cycles and febrile neutropenia in 5%. However, 3/20 patients presented a grade III–IV WHO toxicity (one fatal pulmonary embolism, one congestive, and one ischemic heart failure) while receiving R-COMP chemotherapy. In conclusion, R-COMP-21 is an effective regimen with promising response rates for frail and elderly patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Motives and Barriers Affecting the Use of Mobile Data Services

Studying the adoption and acceptance of mobile data services (MDS) has been an intriguing endeavour for quite some time. Much of the related literature is inspired by the technology acceptance model and its heirs. The study presented in this paper adopts an alternative perspective and proposes the study of MDS actual usage patterns under the lens of the Triandis theory of explaining human behaviour. To this end, we adjust the concepts included in the original Triandis model to the MDS context and construct a model predicting MDS use. The model is empirically validated through a survey (N=365) and tested for its predictive capacity against four different MDS categories (m-commerce, communication, information, and entertainment services). Results suggest that the uptake of each of the four service categories is contingent upon a limited set of factors. In addition, financial barriers emerge as a universal inhibitor over and above specific service groupings.
Does It Look Painful or Disgusting? Ask Your Parietal and Cingulate Cortex

Looking at still images of body parts in situations that are likely to cause pain has been shown to be associated with activation in some brain areas involved in pain processing. Because pain involves both sensory components and negative affect, it is of interest to explore whether the visually evoked representations of pain and of other negative emotions overlap. By means of event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, here we compare the brain areas recruited, in female volunteers, by the observation of painful, disgusting, or neutral stimuli delivered to one hand or foot. Several cortical foci were activated by the observation of both painful and disgusting video clips, including portions of the medial prefrontal cortex, anterior, mid-, and posterior cingulate cortex, left posterior insula, and right parietal operculum. Signal changes in perigenual cingulate and left anterior insula were linearly related to the perceived unpleasantness, when the individual differences in susceptibility to aversive stimuli were taken into account. Painful scenes selectively induced activation of left parietal foci, including the parietal operculum, the postcentral gyrus, and adjacent portions of the posterior parietal cortex. In contrast, brain foci specific for disgusting scenes were found in the posterior cingulate cortex. These data show both similarities and differences between the brain patterns of activity related to the observation of noxious or disgusting stimuli. Namely, the parietal cortex appears to be particularly involved in the recognition of noxious environmental stimuli, suggesting that areas involved in sensory aspects of pain are specifically triggered by observing noxious events.
Regulatory function of CD4+CD25+ T cells from Class II MHC‐deficient mice in contact hypersensitivity responses

Contact hypersensitivity (CHS) is a CD8+ T cell‐mediated, inflammatory response to hapten sensitization and challenge of the skin. During sensitization, the magnitude and duration of hapten‐specific CD8+ T cell expansion in the skin‐draining lymph nodes (LN) are restricted by CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells (Treg). The regulation of hapten‐specific CD8+ T cell priming in Class II MHC‐deficient (MHC–/–) mice was investigated. Although hapten‐specific CD8+ T cell priming and CHS responses were elevated in Class II MHC–/– versus wild‐type mice, presensitization depletion of CD4+ or CD25+ cells in Class II MHC–/– mice further increased CD8+ T cell priming and the elicited CHS response. Flow cytometry analyses of LN cells from Class II MHC–/– mice revealed a population of CD4+ T cells with a majority expressing CD25. Forkhead box p3 mRNA was expressed in LN cells from Class II MHC–/– and was reduced to background levels by depletion of CD4+ or CD25+ cells. Isolated CD4+CD25+ T cells from wild‐type and Class II MHC–/– mice limited in vitro proliferation of alloantigen‐ and hapten‐specific T cells to antigen‐presenting stimulator cells. These results identify functional CD4+CD25+ Treg in Class II MHC–/– mice, which restrict hapten‐specific CD8+ T cell priming and the magnitude of CHS responses.
Recent improvements to the SMART domain-based sequence annotation resource

SMART (Simple Modular Architecture Research Tool, http://smart.embl-heidelberg.de) is a web-based resource used for the annotation of protein domains and the analysis of domain architectures, with particular emphasis on mobile eukaryotic domains. Extensive annotation for each domain family is available, providing information relating to function, subcellular localization, phyletic distribution and tertiary structure. The January 2002 release has added more than 200 hand-curated domain models. This brings the total to over 600 domain families that are widely represented among nuclear, signalling and extracellular proteins. Annotation now includes links to the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database in cases where a human disease is associated with one or more mutations in a particular domain. We have implemented new analysis methods and updated others. New advanced queries provide direct access to the SMART relational database using SQL. This database now contains information on intrinsic sequence features such as transmembrane regions, coiled-coils, signal peptides and internal repeats. SMART output can now be easily included in users' documents. A SMART mirror has been created at http://smart.ox. ac.uk.
Adult celiac disease: US signs.

PURPOSE To examine whether distinct ultrasonographic (US) signs exist in patients with adult celiac disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a partly retrospective study, abdominal sonograms were obtained in 11 patients with adult celiac disease. Fifty matched control subjects also were examined. After the patients had fasted overnight, they were examined with 2-4-MHz abdominal and high-frequency 5-10-MHz linear-array US transducers. RESULTS The authors found several US pathologic signs in patients with untreated disease, including abnormal fluid-filled small intestine in all 11 patients, flaccid and moderately dilated small-bowel loops (2.5-3.5 cm) in eight, slight diffuse thickening of the small-bowel wall (3-5 mm) in seven, increased peristalsis of the small intestine in eight, enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes (anteroposterior diameter 5-10 mm) in nine, dilated caliber of the superior mesenteric artery or portal vein in seven, free fluid in the abdominal cavity in five, and increased echogenicity of the liver in six. None of these signs was present in the control group. CONCLUSION There are several US signs associated with adult celiac disease. None of the signs identified is specific, but a combination of signs is characteristic and indicates suspicion of this disease in a high percentage of cases. US could help to avoid diagnostic delay, especially in patients who have atypical clinical presentations.
High Occupational Stress and Low Career Satisfaction of Korean Surgeons

Surgery is a demanding and stressful field in Korea. Occupational stress can adversely affect the quality of care, decrease job satisfaction, and potentially increase medical errors. The aim of this study was to investigate the occupational stress and career satisfaction of Korean surgeons. We have conducted an electronic survey of 621 Korean surgeons for the occupational stress. Sixty-five questions were used to assess practical and personal characteristics and occupational stress using the Korean occupational stress scale (KOSS). The mean KOSS score was 49.31, which was higher than the average of Korean occupational stress (45.86) or that of other specialized professions (46.03). Young age, female gender, long working hours, and frequent night duties were significantly related to the higher KOSS score. Having spouse, having hobby and regular exercise decreased the KOSS score. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that long working hours and regular exercise were the independent factors associated with the KOSS score. Less than 50% of surgeons answered that they would become a surgeon again. Most surgeons (82.5%) did not want to recommend their child follow their career. Korean Surgeons have high occupational stress and low level of career satisfaction. Graphical Abstract
Familiarity mediates the relationship between emotional arousal and pleasure during music listening

Emotional arousal appears to be a major contributing factor to the pleasure that listeners experience in response to music. Accordingly, a strong positive correlation between self-reported pleasure and electrodermal activity (EDA), an objective indicator of emotional arousal, has been demonstrated when individuals listen to familiar music. However, it is not yet known to what extent familiarity contributes to this relationship. In particular, as listening to familiar music involves expectations and predictions over time based on veridical knowledge of the piece, it could be that such memory factors plays a major role. Here, we tested such a contribution by using musical stimuli entirely unfamiliar to listeners. In a second experiment we repeated the novel music to experimentally establish a sense of familiarity. We aimed to determine whether (1) pleasure and emotional arousal would continue to correlate when listeners have no explicit knowledge of how the tones will unfold, and (2) whether this could be enhanced by experimentally-induced familiarity. In the first experiment, we presented 33 listeners with 70 unfamiliar musical excerpts in two sessions. There was no relationship between the degree of experienced pleasure and emotional arousal as measured by EDA. In the second experiment, 7 participants listened to 35 unfamiliar excerpts over two sessions separated by 30 min. Repeated exposure significantly increased EDA, even though individuals did not explicitly recall having heard all the pieces before. Furthermore, increases in self-reported familiarity significantly enhanced experienced pleasure and there was a general, though not significant, increase in EDA. These results suggest that some level of expectation and predictability mediated by prior exposure to a given piece of music play an important role in the experience of emotional arousal in response to music.
DNA Extracted from Stained Sputum Smears Can Be Used in the MTBDRplus Assay

ABSTRACT We examined the feasibility of using DNA extracted from stained sputum smears for the detection of rifampin and isoniazid resistance with the commercial MTBDRplus assay from Hain Lifescience GmbH, Nehren, Germany. Overall sensitivity was initially low (70.0%) but increased to 96.7% when a multiplex PCR preamplification step was added. We then tested stored Mycobacterium tuberculosis-positive stained smears prepared from 297 patients' sputum samples. Species identification and drug susceptibility testing (DST) had been performed at the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar. Overall, the performance of the MTBDRplus assay applied to slide DNA was similar to that obtained in other studies with DNA extracted from clinical specimens. With the ready availability of stained smears in routine diagnostic laboratories and their easy transport and storage at room temperature, this approach should be useful for optimizing the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and for conducting resistance surveys aimed at identifying hot-spot regions and breaking chains of transmission.
Synchronized Action of Synaptically Coupled Chaotic Model Neurons

Experimental observations of the intracellular recorded electrical activity in individual neurons show that the temporal behavior is often chaotic. We discuss both our own observations on a cell from the stom-atogastric central pattern generator of lobster and earlier observations in other cells. In this paper we work with models of chaotic neurons, building on models by Hindmarsh and Rose for bursting, spiking activity in neurons. The key feature of these simplified models of neurons is the presence of coupled slow and fast subsystems. We analyze the model neurons using the same tools employed in the analysis of our experimental data. We couple two model neurons both electrotonically and electrochemically in inhibitory and excitatory fashions. In each of these cases, we demonstrate that the model neurons can synchronize in phase and out of phase depending on the strength of the coupling. For normal synaptic coupling, we have a time delay between the action of one neuron and the response of the other. We also analyze how the synchronization depends on this delay. A rich spectrum of synchronized behaviors is possible for electrically coupled neurons and for inhibitory coupling between neurons. In synchronous neurons one typically sees chaotic motion of the coupled neurons. Excitatory coupling produces essentially periodic voltage trajectories, which are also synchronized. We display and discuss these synchronized behaviors using two distance measures of the synchronization.
Effects of Different Volume-Equated Resistance Training Loading Strategies on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men

Abstract Schoenfeld, BJ, Ratamess, NA, Peterson, MD, Contreras, B, Sonmez, GT, and Alvar, BA. Effects of different volume-equated resistance training loading strategies on muscular adaptations in well-trained men. J Strength Cond Res 28(10): 2909–2918, 2014—Regimented resistance training has been shown to promote marked increases in skeletal muscle mass. Although muscle hypertrophy can be attained through a wide range of resistance training programs, the principle of specificity, which states that adaptations are specific to the nature of the applied stimulus, dictates that some programs will promote greater hypertrophy than others. Research is lacking, however, as to the best combination of variables required to maximize hypertophic gains. The purpose of this study was to investigate muscular adaptations to a volume-equated bodybuilding-type training program vs. a powerlifting-type routine in well-trained subjects. Seventeen young men were randomly assigned to either a hypertrophy-type resistance training group that performed 3 sets of 10 repetition maximum (RM) with 90 seconds rest or a strength-type resistance training (ST) group that performed 7 sets of 3RM with a 3-minute rest interval. After 8 weeks, no significant differences were noted in muscle thickness of the biceps brachii. Significant strength differences were found in favor of ST for the 1RM bench press, and a trend was found for greater increases in the 1RM squat. In conclusion, this study showed that both bodybuilding- and powerlifting-type training promote similar increases in muscular size, but powerlifting-type training is superior for enhancing maximal strength.
Immunohistochemical expression of podocyte markers in the variants of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

BACKGROUND Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is the most prevalent primary glomerulopathy in Brazil and its incidence is increasing worldwide. Pathogenesis is related to podocyte injury, which may be due to several factors including viruses, drugs, immunology. In 2004, the Columbia classification of FSGS identified five histologic variants of the disease: collapsing (COL), usual (not otherwise specified, NOS), tip lesion (TIP), perihilar (PHI) and cellular variant (CEL). Several studies have demonstrated molecular changes in podocytes of FSGS patients. This study sought to classify a large series of FSGS biopsies according to the Columbia classification and analyze the occurrence of immunohistochemical differences among the five variants. METHODS Approximately 131 cases of renal biopsies with a diagnosis of primary FSGS during the period from 1996-2006 were classified according to the criteria of Columbia and were then submitted to immunohistochemical staining to the following antibodies: CD10, WT-1, Vimentin, Synaptopodin, α-actinin-4, GLEPP-1, cytokeratin (CK) 8-18, CK19 and Ki-67. RESULTS The FSGS classification resulted in 38.2% of NOS variant, in 36.6% COL, in 14.5% TIP, in 6.9% PHI and in 3.8% CEL. COL variant distinguished themselves among the others for having loss of expression of CD10, WT1 and α-actinin-4 (P < 0.05). Furthermore, COL gained expression of the CK8-18 and CK19 diverging from the other variants (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS COL variant of FSGS presented immunohistochemical characteristics that distinguished it from others pointing to additional studies in this area. The distinct immunohistochemical properties of COL might be of help in the comprehension of this aggressive form of FSGS.