Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The cortical modulation of stimulus-specific adaptation in the auditory midbrain and thalamus: a potential neuronal correlate for predictive coding

To follow an ever-changing auditory scene, the auditory brain is continuously creating a representation of the past to form expectations about the future. Unexpected events will produce an error in the predictions that should “trigger” the network’s response. Indeed, neurons in the auditory midbrain, thalamus and cortex, respond to rarely occurring sounds while adapting to frequently repeated ones, i.e., they exhibit stimulus specific adaptation (SSA). SSA cannot be explained solely by intrinsic membrane properties, but likely involves the participation of the network. Thus, SSA is envisaged as a high order form of adaptation that requires the influence of cortical areas. However, present research supports the hypothesis that SSA, at least in its simplest form (i.e., to frequency deviants), can be transmitted in a bottom-up manner through the auditory pathway. Here, we briefly review the underlying neuroanatomy of the corticofugal projections before discussing state of the art studies which demonstrate that SSA present in the medial geniculate body (MGB) and inferior colliculus (IC) is not inherited from the cortex but can be modulated by the cortex via the corticofugal pathways. By modulating the gain of neurons in the thalamus and midbrain, the auditory cortex (AC) would refine SSA subcortically, preventing irrelevant information from reaching the cortex.
Maternal and Fetal Outcome of Obstetric Emergencies in a Tertiary Health Institution in South-Western Nigeria

Objective. This study was carried out to determine the pattern of obstetric emergencies and its influence on maternal and perinatal outcome of obstetric emergencies at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, Nigeria. Method. A retrospective study of obstetric emergencies managed over a three-year period at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, Nigeria was conducted. Results. There were 262 obstetric emergencies accounting for 18.5% of the 1420 total deliveries during the period. Unbooked patients formed the bulk of the cases (60.3%). The most common emergencies were prolonged/obstructed labour, postpartum haemorrhage, fetal distress, severe pregnancy-induced hypertension/eclampsia, and antepartum haemorrhage. Obstetric emergencies were responsible for 70.6% of the maternal mortality and 86% of the perinatal mortality within the period. Conclusion. Prevention/effective management of obstetric emergencies will help to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality in our environment. This can be achieved through the utilization of antenatal care services, making budget for pregnancies and childbirth at family level (pending the time every family participates in National Health Insurance Scheme), adequate funding of social welfare services to assist indigent patients, liberal blood donation, and regular training of doctors and nurses on this subject.
The Diffusion of ICT in OECD Economies

This chapter examines the diffusion of ICT across OECD countries. The chapter uses recently developed official statistics that provide a sound basis for international comparisons. Certain ICT technologies, such as the Internet, have now diffused to almost all businesses of more than 10 employees in several OECD countries. Others, such as broadband technologies, are at an earlier stage of the diffusion process. The chapter also shows that large differences in the uptake of ICT technologies persist across the OECD, both between and within OECD countries. Cost differentials and structural differences are among the factors explaining these differences. The state of the business environment in different OECD countries is also an important factor as it affects the degree to which firms can take full benefit from the potential offered by ICT.
Seeing a drummer’s performance modulates the subjective experience of groove while listening to popular music drum patterns

Spontaneous rhythmical movements, like foot-tapping and head-bobbing, often emerge when people listen to music, promoting the enjoyable sensation of ‘being in the groove’. Here we report the first experiment to investigate if seeing the music maker modulates this experience. Across trials we manipulated groove level in the audio beats (high vs low), and manipulated the match between the audio beats and a concurrently observed point-light display (PLD) of the drummer. The visual display was either fully corresponding with the audio beats, or incompatible across three conditions: a static PLD, a corresponding but asynchronous PLD (0.5s time shifted); or a non-corresponding PLD (e.g. high groove audio paired with low groove PLD). Participants (n = 36) rated: (a) their desire to move; and (b) their perceived groove, purely in response to the audio beats, using 8-point Likert scales. The main effects of groove level and visual display were significant in both measurements. Ratings increased for high compared to low groove audio overall, and for the fully corresponding condition compared to the other visual conditions. Ratings of the desire to move also increased in the static compared to the non-corresponding condition, and the two-way interaction was significant. Desire to move significantly increased for high compared to low groove audio in the fully corresponding, static and asynchronous conditions, while this effect was absent in the non-corresponding condition. These findings identify the importance of seeing as well as hearing the musician for an enhanced experience of groove, which necessitates a multimodal account of music perception.
Institutional Determinants of Japanese Outward FDI in the Manufacturing Industry

This paper explores the relationship between six indicators of governance and outward foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Japanese manufacturing industry. We estimate a gravity model of FDI for 30 host countries covering the period 2005-2011, employing Heckman's two-step sample selection correction in order to tackle the issue of zero-value observations. The results indicate that Japanese overseas investments are driven by host market size, yen real exchange rate, macroeconomic stability, resource endowments and policy variables. In particular, we find that confidence societal rules, control of corruption, government effectiveness, political stability and private sector policies are important factors driving FDI.
Multiplicity one theorems: the Archimedean case

Let G be one of the classical Lie groups GLn+1(R), GLn+1(C), U(p;q+1), O(p;q+1), On+1(C), SO(p;q+1), SOn+1(C), and let G 0 be respectively the subgroup GLn(R), GLn(C), U(p;q), O(p;q), On(C), SO(p;q), SOn(C), embedded in G in the standard way. We show that every irreducible Casselman-Wallach representation of G 0 occurs with multiplicity at most one in every irreducible Casselman-Wallach representation of G. Similar results are proved for the Jacobi groups GLn(R)nH2n+1(R), GLn(C)n H2n+1(C), U(p;q)nH2p+2q+1(R), Sp2n(R)nH2n+1(R), Sp2n(C)nH2n+1(C), with their respective subgroups GLn(R), GLn(C), U(p;q), Sp2n(R), and Sp2n(C).
Ultra-High-Field MR Imaging in Polymicrogyria and Epilepsy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Polymicrogyria is a malformation of cortical development that is often identified in children with epilepsy or delayed development. We investigated in vivo the potential of 7T imaging in characterizing polymicrogyria to determine whether additional features could be identified. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten adult patients with polymicrogyria previously diagnosed by using 3T MR imaging underwent additional imaging at 7T. We assessed polymicrogyria according to topographic pattern, extent, symmetry, and morphology. Additional imaging sequences at 7T included 3D T2* susceptibility-weighted angiography and 2D tissue border enhancement FSE inversion recovery. Minimum intensity projections were used to assess the potential of the susceptibility-weighted angiography sequence for depiction of cerebral veins. RESULTS: At 7T, we observed perisylvian polymicrogyria that was bilateral in 6 patients, unilateral in 3, and diffuse in 1. Four of the 6 bilateral abnormalities had been considered unilateral at 3T. While 3T imaging revealed 2 morphologic categories (coarse, delicate), 7T susceptibility-weighted angiography images disclosed a uniform ribbonlike pattern. Susceptibility-weighted angiography revealed numerous dilated superficial veins in all polymicrogyric areas. Tissue border enhancement imaging depicted a hypointense line corresponding to the gray-white interface, providing a high definition of the borders and, thereby, improving detection of the polymicrogyric cortex. CONCLUSIONS: 7T imaging reveals more anatomic details of polymicrogyria compared with 3T conventional sequences, with potential implications for diagnosis, genetic studies, and surgical treatment of associated epilepsy. Abnormalities of cortical veins may suggest a role for vascular dysgenesis in pathogenesis.
Pose-corrected face processing on video sequences for webcam-based remote biometric authentication

We describe a framework aimed at performing facebased biometric user authentication for Web resources through client–server secured sessions. A novel front end for face video sequences processing is developed in which face detection and shot selection are performed at the client side while statistical multishot pose-corrected face verification is performed at the server side. We explain all the image processing steps, from acquisition through decision, paying special attention to a PDM-based pose correction subsystem and a GMM-based sequence decision test. The pose correction relies on projecting a face-shape mesh onto the set of PDM eigenvectors and back-projecting it after changing the coefficients associated with pose variation. The aligned texture features compose the observation vectors ready to be plugged into a GMMbased likelihood ratio for statistical decision. The pose correction strategy has been previously validated over the XM2VTS and CMUPIE data sets, the GMM-based video sequence decision test has been compared to other video-based systems using the BANCA data set, and the complete proposed system has been tested on a new video data set from the European Network of Excellence BIOSECURE.
The Insecurity Gradient in Health: How Inequality in the Distribution of Job Insecurity Matters for the Relationship between Job Insecurity and Self-Rated Health in Europe

ABSTRACT Studies find that workers who feel insecure in their jobs are likely to suffer negative physical and mental health effects. However, cross-national differences in this relationship are typically overlooked. Drawing on notions of relative deprivation and the social gradient of health, the authors argue that the extent of variation in subjective job insecurity within a country can explain these cross-national differences. The results from multilevel models indicate that the relationship between job insecurity and health varies across countries in Europe, and job insecurity exhibits the strongest negative association with health in countries with a low level of job insecurity inequality.
Orbital frontal and amygdala volume reductions in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND Functional neuroimaging studies have implicated the frontal lobes and the hippocampus-amygdala complex in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These brain regions have not been well investigated in patients with OCD, however, using magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS Volumes of the superior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, orbital frontal region, hippocampus, and amygdala were computed from contiguous magnetic resonance images in a sample of 26 patients with OCD and 26 healthy comparison subjects. RESULTS Patients with OCD had significantly reduced bilateral orbital frontal and amygdala volumes compared with healthy comparison subjects and lacked the normal hemispheric asymmetry of the hippocampus-amygdala complex. Neither brain structure volumes nor asymmetry indices were significantly correlated with total illness duration or length of current OCD episode. CONCLUSIONS Findings of reduced orbital frontal and amygdala volumes in patients implicate a structural abnormality of these brain regions in the pathophysiology of OCD. Absence of the normal hemispheric asymmetry of the hippocampus-amygdala complex in patients is consistent with an anomalous neurodevelopmental process.
Putative Structural and Functional Coupling of the Mitochondrial BKCa Channel to the Respiratory Chain

Potassium channels have been found in the inner mitochondrial membranes of various cells. These channels regulate the mitochondrial membrane potential, the matrix volume and respiration. The activation of these channels is cytoprotective. In our study, the single-channel activity of a large-conductance Ca2+-regulated potassium channel (mitoBKCa channel) was measured by patch-clamping mitoplasts isolated from the human astrocytoma (glioblastoma) U-87 MG cell line. A potassium-selective current was recorded with a mean conductance of 290 pS in symmetrical 150 mM KCl solution. The channel was activated by Ca2+ at micromolar concentrations and by the potassium channel opener NS1619. The channel was inhibited by paxilline and iberiotoxin, known inhibitors of BKCa channels. Western blot analysis, immuno-gold electron microscopy, high-resolution immunofluorescence assays and polymerase chain reaction demonstrated the presence of the BKCa channel β4 subunit in the inner mitochondrial membrane of the human astrocytoma cells. We showed that substrates of the respiratory chain, such as NADH, succinate, and glutamate/malate, decrease the activity of the channel at positive voltages. This effect was abolished by rotenone, antimycin and cyanide, inhibitors of the respiratory chain. The putative interaction of the β4 subunit of mitoBKCa with cytochrome c oxidase was demonstrated using blue native electrophoresis. Our findings indicate possible structural and functional coupling of the mitoBKCa channel with the mitochondrial respiratory chain in human astrocytoma U-87 MG cells.
Evolutionary changes in the Leishmania eIF4F complex involve variations in the eIF4E–eIF4G interactions

Translation initiation in eukaryotes is mediated by assembly of the eIF4F complex over the m7GTP cap structure at the 5′-end of mRNAs. This requires an interaction between eIF4E and eIF4G, two eIF4F subunits. The Leishmania orthologs of eIF4E are structurally diverged from their higher eukaryote counterparts, since they have evolved to bind the unique trypanosomatid cap-4 structure. Here, we characterize a key eIF4G candidate from Leishmania parasites (LeishIF4G-3) that contains a conserved MIF4G domain. LeishIF4G-3 was found to coelute with the parasite eIF4F subunits from an m7GTP-Sepharose column and to bind directly to LeishIF4E. In higher eukaryotes the eIF4E-eIF4G interaction is based on a conserved peptide signature [Y(X4)Lϕ], where X is any amino acid and Φ is a hydrophobic residue. A parallel eIF4E-binding peptide was identified in LeishIF4G-3 (20-YPGFSLDE-27). However, the binding motif varies extensively: in addition to Y20 and L25, binding strictly requires the presence of F23, whereas the hydrophobic amino acid (Φ) is dispensable. The LeishIF4E–LeishIF4G-3 interaction was also confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies. In view of these diversities, the characterization of the parasite eIF4E–eIF4G interaction may not only serve as a novel target for inhibiting Leishmaniasis but also provide important insight for future drug discovery.
Galaxy-Galaxy Flexion: Weak Lensing to Second Order

In this paper, we develop a new gravitational lensing inversion technique. While traditional approaches assume that the lensing field varies little across a galaxy image, we note that this variation in the field can give rise to a "flexion," or bending of a galaxy image, which may then be used to detect a lensing signal with increased signal-to-noise ratio. Since the significance of the flexion signal increases on small scales, this is ideally suited to galaxy-galaxy lensing. We develop an inversion technique based on the "shapelets" formalism of Refregier. We then demonstrate the proof of this concept by measuring a flexion signal in the Deep Lens Survey. Assuming an intrinsically isothermal distribution, we find from the flexion signal alone a velocity width of vc = 221 ± 12 km s-1 for lens galaxies of r < 21.5, subject to uncertainties in the intrinsic flexion distribution.
Relationship of Two Vertical Jumping Tests to Sprint and Change of Direction Speed among Male and Female Collegiate Soccer Players

In collegiate level soccer acceleration, maximal velocity and agility are essential for successful performance. Power production is believed to provide a foundation for these speed qualities. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of change of direction speed, acceleration, and maximal velocity to both the counter movement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) in collegiate soccer players. Thirty-six NCAA Division II soccer players (20 males and 16 females) were tested for speed over 10 and 30 m, CODS (T-test, pro agility) and power (CMJ, SJ). Independent t-tests (p ≤ 0.05) were used to derive gender differences, and Pearson’s correlations (p ≤ 0.05) calculated relationships between the different power and speed tests. Female subjects displayed moderate-to-strong correlations between 30 m, pro agility and T-test with the CMJ (r = −0.502 to −0.751), and SJ (r = −0.502 to −0.681). Moderate correlations between 10 and 30 m with CMJ (r = −0.476 and −0.570) and SJ (r = −0.443 and −0.553, respectively) were observed for males. Moderate to strong relationships exist between speed and power attributes in both male and female collegiate soccer players, especially between CMJ and maximal velocity. Improving stretch shortening cycle (SSC) utilization may contribute to enhanced sport-specific speed.
A modified saliency detection for content-aware image resizing using cellular automata

It is often required that image resizing be done brightly in order to preserve important content. Some image resizing techniques like scaling and cropping fail to identify and protect important objects, or they produce non-photorealistic images. But content aware image resizing schemes aim to change image aspect ratios while preserving visually outstanding features. In this paper, a novel method for content aware resizing is presented. Seam carving, an effective image resizing algorithm, fails to protect important objects in images, when either the energy content of the objects are low with respect to their surroundings, or, the number of seams removed are very large. Using saliency map as the energy function in seam carving succeeds to identify important objects but it fails to recognize edges which results in removing borders of the objects during carving seams. In this paper we present a modified saliency map for seam carving using cellular automata. This modified saliency map leads to better results compared with its previous version, while concurrently achieving content aware image resizing.
“The moment I realized I am plurilingual”: Plurilingual tasks for creative representations in EAP at a Canadian university

Abstract In many urban settings across the globe, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes are inherently multilingual and provide unique possibilities to explore a wealth of languages and cultures as well as the interactions among them. Although the field of applied linguistics has historically followed monolingual ideologies, a plurilingual approach in EAP can provide insights into language practices that are situated, creative and contextualized. Raising students’ awareness of their own plurilingual and pluricultural repertoire is key to preparing them to make mindful decisions about culture and language use in real-life situations; plurilingual instruction incudes translanguaging, validating plurilingual identities, as well as understanding pluriculturalism, all of which can open up possibilities for creativity in culture and language use. While research shows plurilingual-inspired pedagogies can benefit language learning, little is known about the extent to which they can enhance creative representations of language and culture. This article reports results from a study on the effects of plurilingual instruction on creativity in an EAP program. Seven EAP instructors delivered plurilingual tasks to adult students at a Canadian university. Data from demographic questionnaires, Language Portraits, student diaries (N=28), and classroom observations (N=21) were qualitatively analyzed and triangulated. Results suggest that the use of plurilingual tasks afforded a heightened awareness of plurilingual/pluricultural identity and validated the creative use of linguistic and cultural resources, including translanguaging. Suggestions for the inclusion of creative data collection instruments and plurilingual instruction in applied linguistics classroom research are made.
Target price accuracy:international evidence

ABSTRACT: Using an international sample of 16 countries, this paper examines if analyst- and country-specific characteristics explain the variation in target price (TP) accuracy. We find that significant variation in average TP accuracy across countries is due to differences in accounting disclosure quality, the origin of the legal system, cultural traits, and IFRS regulation. We also find that analysts exhibit differential and persistent ability to forecast target prices accurately, which confirms that some analysts have superior TP forecasting ability. Data Availability: Data are available from public sources indicated in the text.
Parametric deconvolution of positive spike trains

This paper describes a parametric deconvolution method (PDPS) appropriate for a particular class of signals which we call spike-convolution models. These models arise when a sparse spike train-Dirac deltas according to our mathematical treatment--is convolved with a fixed point-spread function, and additive noise or measurement error is superimposed. We view deconvolution as an estimation problem, regarding the locations and heights of the underlying spikes, as well as the baseline and the measurement error variance as unknown parameters. Our estimation scheme consists of two parts: model fitting and model selection. To fit a spike-convolution model of a specific order, we estimate peak locations by trigonometric moments, and heights and the baseline by least squares. The model selection procedure has two stages. Its first stage is so designed that we expect a model of a somewhat larger order than the truth to be selected. In the second stage, the final model is obtained using backwards deletion. This results in not only an estimate of the model order, but also an estimate of peak locations and heights with much smaller bias and variation than that found in a direct trigonometric moment estimate. A more efficient maximum likelihood estimate can be calculated from these estimates using a Gauss-Newton algorithm. We also present some relevant results concerning the spectral structure of Toeplitz matrices which play a key role in the estimation. Finally, we illustrate the behavior of these estimates using simulated and real DNA sequencing data.