Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Markedness and dominance in the ATR harmony system of Diola-Fogny

Abstract Diola-Fogny is a well-known example of a tongue root harmony language with assimilatory dominance of [+ATR] vowels. Less well known, however, are some asymmetries involving the frequency and distribution of [+ATR] and [-ATR] vowels. In addition to being dominant, [+ATR] vowels are subject to restrictions on their occurrence in certain classes of function words and affixes and occur with far lower overall frequency than [-ATR] vowels. In essence, they pattern like a marked sound class. This paper focuses on some implications of these findings for a theoretical topic of interest: markedness relations involving tongue root features. The Diola-Fogny patterns conform quite well to the expectations of a traditional understanding of featural markedness, which equates the dominant value of a feature with the marked one. They are problematic, however, for a widely assumed view of tongue root markedness relations that treats [-ATR] as universally marked in high vowels. Under this view, marked patterning of all [+ATR] vowels (including high [+ATR] [i], [u]) is unexpected. I show that such patterning is intelligible in a framework in which markedness has a representational basis and in which [+ATR] quality is represented by a privative feature [ATR].
Analysis of multi-hop broadcast in vehicular ad hoc networks: A reliability perspective

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), supporting the development of innovative vehicular applications, have benefited from major contributions in the field of wireless networking. Broadcasting is a crucial communication type for many domain-specific applications. In this work we focus on analytical modeling of multi-hop broadcast in vehicular networks and quantify its performance in terms of relevant indicators, by taking into account the effect of main parameters. Our model is based on the network topology and as a result, the major network characteristics such as vehicle density and the number of 1-hop neighbors, affecting dissemination penetration rate, are considered in the model. Through extensive experiments, confirming the substantial impact of the network topology and the connectivity regime on the overall broadcast performance, we provide insight into the system functionality. Such observations can be used as feedback for further performance optimization in various network conditions.
The chemopreventive potential of Curcuma purpurascens rhizome in reducing azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci in rats

: Curcuma purpurascens BI. rhizome, a member of the Zingiberaceae family, is a popular spice in Indonesia that is traditionally used in assorted remedies. Dichloromethane extract of C. purpurascens BI. rhizome (DECPR) has previously been shown to have an apoptosis-inducing effect on colon cancer cells. In the present study, we examined the potential of DECPR to prevent colon cancer development in rats treated with azoxymethane (AOM) (15 mg/kg) by determining the percentage inhibition in incidence of aberrant crypt foci (ACF). Starting from the day immediately after AOM treatment, three groups of rats were orally administered once a day for 2 months either 10% Tween 20 (5 mL/kg, cancer control), DECPR (250 mg/kg, low dose), or DECPR (500 mg/kg, high dose). Meanwhile, the control group was intraperitoneally injected with 5-fluorouracil (35 mg/kg) for 5 consecutive days. After euthanizing the rats, the number of ACF was enumerated in colon tissues. Bax, Bcl-2, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) protein expressions were examined using immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses. Antioxidant enzymatic activity was measured in colon tissue homogenates and associated with malondialdehyde level. The percentage inhibition of ACF was 56.04% and 68.68% in the low-and high-dose DECPR-treated groups, respectively. The ACF inhibition in the treatment control group was 74.17%. Results revealed that DECPR exposure at both doses significantly decreased AOM-induced ACF formation, which was accompanied by reduced expression of PCNA. Upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2 suggested the involvement of apoptosis in the chemopreventive effect of DECPR. In addition, the oxidative stress resulting from AOM treatment was significantly attenuated after administration of DECPR, which was shown by the elevated antioxidant enzymatic activity and reduced malondialdehyde level. Taken together, the present data clearly indicate that DECPR significantly inhibits ACF formation in AOM-treated rats and may offer protection against colon cancer development
Can Complex Visual Discrimination Deficits in Amnesia Be Attributed to the Medial Temporal Lobe? An Investigation Into the Effects of Medial Temporal Lobe Damage on Brain Connectivity

It has been suggested that complex visual discrimination deficits in patients with medial temporal lobe (MTL) damage may be explained by damage or dysfunction beyond the MTL. We examined the resting functional networks and white matter connectivity of two amnesic patients who have consistently demonstrated discrimination impairments for complex object and/or spatial stimuli across a number of studies. Although exploratory analyses revealed some significant differences in comparison with neurologically healthy controls (more specifically in the patient with a larger MTL lesion), there were no obvious findings involving posterior occipital or posterior temporal regions, which can account entirely for their discrimination deficits. These findings converge with previous work to support the suggestion that the MTL does not subserve long‐term declarative memory exclusively. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Behavioral Modeling of MIMO Nonlinear Systems With Multivariable Polynomials

This paper proposes a novel behavioral model for multiple-input single-output (MISO) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) nonlinear transmitters based on multivariable polynomials (MVPs). The main source of nonlinearity in these transmitters is the RF power amplifier, which is commonly modeled using polynomial models. The proposed MVP model is capable of handling the nonlinear effects of the RF transmitters, as well as the linear and nonlinear crosstalk between the input signals. At the same time, the developed model was optimized for computing efficiency without compromising its accuracy. The model was tested for MISO and MIMO wireless transmitters. The simulations and measurement results revealed that the proposed model gives excellent accuracy when modeling MIMO transmitters with different branch coupling factors.
Emerging Role of Robot-assisted Gastrectomy: Analysis of Consecutive 200 Cases

Purpose Robotic surgery for gastric cancer is a promising alternative to laparoscopic surgery, but the data are limited. We aimed to evaluate whether gaining experience in robotic gastrectomy could improve surgical outcomes in the treatment of gastric cancer. Materials and Methods Two hundred and seven consecutive cases of patients with clinical stage I gastric cancer who underwent robotic surgery at the National Cancer Center of Korea between February 2009 and February 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Surgical outcomes were analyzed and compared between the initial 100 and later 100 cases. Results Seven patients required conversion to open surgery and were excluded from further analysis. The mean operating time for all patients was 248.8 minutes, and mean length of hospitalization was 8.0 days. Twenty patients developed postoperative complications. Thirteen were managed conservatively, while 6 had major complications requiring invasive procedures. One mortality occurred owing to myocardial infarction. Operating time was significantly shorter in the latter 100 cases than in the initial 100 cases (269.9 versus 233.5 minutes, P<0.001). The number of retrieved lymph nodes was significantly greater in the latter cases (35.9 versus 39.9, P=0.032). The hospital stay of patients with complications was significantly longer in the initial cases than in the latter cases (16 versus 7 days, P=0.005). Conclusions Increased experience with the robotic procedure for gastric cancer was associated with improved outcomes, especially in operating time, lymph node retrieval, and shortened hospital stay of complicated patients. Further development of surgical techniques and technology might enhance the role of robotic surgery for gastric cancer.
Hearing Voices: The Impact of Announcer Speech Characteristics on Consumer Response to Broadcast Advertising

Virtually every broadcast ad uses the voice of an announcer but, due to lack of guidance from the marketing literature, managers must rely on gut feel when choosing a voice. Drawing on research from psycholinguistics we identify three important voice characteristics, syllable speed, interphrase pausation, and pitch, and link these characteristics to key advertising response variables. By considering these three variables simultaneously, we test competing explanations previously offered to explain the process by which speech rate affects consumer response to advertising. Specifically, we assess whether an increase in speech rate enhances or reduces processing of the advertisement, and whether this effect is driven primarily by syllable speed or interphrase pausation. Consideration of these two aspects of speech rate independently helps us identify whether the changes in processing stem from changes in the opportunity to process and/or the motivation to process. Our results show that a voice with faster-than-normal syllable speed and low pitch produces less negative ad-directed cognitive responses, more favorable ad attitudes, as well as more favorable brand attitudes, lending support to a motivational process explanation. No significant effects were found for interphrase pausation suggesting that the results cannot be accounted for by the reduced opportunity to process in the compressed conditions.
The processing of dialectal variants: Further insight from French

ABSTRACT In two semantic priming experiments, this study examined how southern French speakers process the standard French [o] variant in closed syllables in comparison to their own variant [ɔ]. In Experiment 1, southern French speakers showed facilitation in the processing of the associated target word VIOLET whether the word prime mauve was pronounced by a standard French speaker ([mov]) or a southern French speaker ([mɔv]). More importantly, Experiment 1 has also revealed that words of type mauve, which are subject to dialectal variation, behave exactly in the same way as words of type gomme, which are pronounced with [ɔ] by both southern and standard French speakers, and for which we also found no modulation in the magnitude of the priming effect as a function of the dialect of the speaker. Experiment 2 replicated the priming effect found with the standard French variant [mov], and failed to show a priming effect with nonwords such as [mœv] that also differ from the southern French variant [mɔv] by only one phonetic feature. Our study thus provides further evidence for efficient processing of dialectal variants during spoken word recognition, even if these variants are not part of the speaker’s own productions.
A Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Survey of Interstellar O VI Absorption in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present the results of a Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) survey of O VI λ1031. 93 and λ1037. 62 absorption toward 18 OB stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The FUSE data are of very high quality, allowing a detailed study of the coronal temperature gas in the SMC. We find that O VI is ubiquitous in the SMC, with a detection along every sight line. The average value of the O VI column density in the SMC is log⟨N(O VI)⟩ = 14.53. This value is 1.7 times higher than the average value for the Milky Way halo (perpendicular to the Galactic plane) of log N⊥(O VI) = 14.29 found by FUSE, even though the SMC has much lower metallicity than the Galaxy. The column density in the SMC is higher along sight lines that lie close to star-forming regions, in particular NGC 346 in the northern part of the SMC, and to a lesser degree the southwestern complex of H II regions. This correlation with star formation suggests that local processes have an important effect on the distribution of coronal gas in the SMC. If the sight lines within NGC 346 are excluded, the mean column density for the SMC is log N(O VI) = 14.45, only 1.4 times higher than the Milky Way average. The standard deviation of the column densities for sight lines outside of NGC 346 is ±27%, somewhat lower than the deviation seen in the Milky Way halo. The lowest O VI column densities, log N(O VI)~14.3, occur in the central region and in the southeastern "wing" of the galaxy. Even these low column densities are as high as the Milky Way average, establishing the presence of a substantial, extended component of coronal gas in the SMC. The O VI absorption is always shifted to higher velocities than the main component of lower ionization gas traced by Fe II absorption. The O VI line widths are broader than expected for pure thermal broadening at 3 × 105 K, the temperature at which the O VI peaks in abundance, so large nonthermal motions or multiple hot gas components are likely present. We discuss several mechanisms that may be able to explain the observed properties of the hot gas, including supershells, a galactic fountain, and the infall of gas previously stripped from the SMC by tidal interactions with the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud. If a galactic fountain produces the hot gas, the mass flux per unit surface area is Ṁ/Ω ~ 2 × 10-2 M☉ yr-1 kpc-2.
Dynamical Friction on Galactic Center Star Clusters with an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole

Numerical simulations of the dynamical friction suffered by a Galactic center star cluster harboring an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) have been performed. Gerhard has suggested that dynamical friction, which causes a cluster to lose orbital energy and spiral in toward the Galactic center, may explain the presence of a cluster of very young stars in the central parsec, where star formation might be prohibitively difficult because of strong tidal forces. However, numerical simulations by Kim & Morris showed that this is possible only if the cluster initially has an extremely dense core. Hansen & Milosavljević recently suggested that the presence of an IMBH in the cluster core might stabilize the core against tidal disruption during the inspiral through dynamical friction and thus might easily deliver young stars down to the central parsec. We find that the presence of an IMBH does lower the minimum initial core density required to transport young stars down to the central parsec, but this is possible only when the mass of the IMBH is at least ~10% of the total cluster mass. This fraction is significantly higher than that estimated by Portegies Zwart & McMillan with numerical simulations of IMBH formation by successive merging of stars in the cluster core, so it does not appear that a realistic IMBH can help transport young stars into the central parsec.
Micronized Copper Wood Preservatives: Efficacy of Ion, Nano, and Bulk Copper against the Brown Rot Fungus Rhodonia placenta

Recently introduced micronized copper (MC) formulations, consisting of a nanosized fraction of basic copper (Cu) carbonate (CuCO3·Cu(OH)2) nanoparticles (NPs), were introduced to the market for wood protection. Cu NPs may presumably be more effective against wood-destroying fungi than bulk or ionic Cu compounds. In particular, Cu- tolerant wood-destroying fungi may not recognize NPs, which may penetrate into fungal cell walls and membranes and exert their impact. The objective of this study was to assess if MC wood preservative formulations have a superior efficacy against Cu-tolerant wood-destroying fungi due to nano effects than conventional Cu biocides. After screening a range of wood-destroying fungi for their resistance to Cu, we investigated fungal growth of the Cu-tolerant fungus Rhodonia placenta in solid and liquid media and on wood treated with MC azole (MCA). In liquid cultures we evaluated the fungal response to ion, nano and bulk Cu distinguishing the ionic and particle effects by means of the Cu2+ chelator ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (TTM) and measuring fungal biomass, oxalic acid production and laccase activity of R. placenta. Our results do not support the presence of particular nano effects of MCA against R. placenta that would account for an increased antifungal efficacy, but provide evidence that attribute the main effectiveness of MCA to azoles.
Spinors on manifolds with boundary: APS index theorems with torsion

Index theorems for the Dirac operator allow one to study spinors on manifolds with boundary and torsion. We analyse the modifications of the boundary Chern-Simons correction and APS η invariant in the presence of torsion. The bulk contribution must also be modified and is computed using a supersymmetric quantum mechanics representation. Here we find agreement with existing results which employed heat kernel and Pauli-Villars techniques. Nonetheless, this computation also provides a stringent check of the Feynman rules of de Boer et al. for the computation of quantum mechanical path integrals. Our results can be verified via a duality relation between manifolds admitting a Killing-Yano tensor and manifolds with torsion. As an explicit example, we compute the indices of Taub-NUT and its dual constructed using this method and find agreement for any finite radius to the boundary. We also suggest a resolution to the problematic appearance of the Nieh-Yan invariant multiplied by the regulator (mass) 2 in computations of the chiral gravitational anomaly coupled to torsion.
Non-committal memory: The ambivalent inclusion of Romani suffering under National Socialism in hegemonic cultural memory

This article compares the place of Romani migrants in contemporary Austrian society to their position in memory debates. It analyses official forms of commemoration which had the intentions not only to remember the victims of past atrocities, but also included a normative, moral aspect – namely, the promise that memory of past injustice would somehow be a useful device against racism, injustice and discrimination in the present day. In this understanding, history, especially the history of National Socialism would ideally teach societies valuable lessons about the treatment of minorities, thus also the Romani communities, in the present. While this still is the predominant political discourse about these forms of memory, the author suggests that memory culture can by contrast be described by what he refers to as non-committal memory. He argues, that when looking at Central European examples, it immediately becomes transparent that memory is only applied in abstract discussions while all immediate connections between contemporary discrimination and historical suffering are neglected. Thus, non-committal memory disconnects present and past policies, and delegitimises a comparison between the persecution of past victim groups and the criminalisation of present-day migrants. The author contends that this is visible by the fact that the majority of memorials that honour Romani victims of National Socialism (in Austria, but also across much of Europe) fail to include or contribute to an understanding of the plight of contemporary Romani people, especially Romani migrants. Arguably, this resulted from the strategies by which activists decided to copy memory politics related to Jewish victims of National Socialism as a ‘successful’ model of integration.
In vitro analysis of shear bond strength and adhesive remnant index of different metal brackets

ABSTRACT Introduction: There is a great variety of orthodontic brackets in the Brazilian market, and constantly evaluating them is critical for professionals to know their properties, so as to be able to choose which product best suits their clinical practice. Objectives: To evaluate the bond strength and the adhesive remnant index (ARI) of different brands of metal brackets. Material and Methods: A total of 105 bovine incisors were used, and brackets of different brands were bonded to teeth. Seven different bracket brands were tested (MorelliTM, American OrthodonticsTM, TP OrthodonticsTM, Abzil-3MTM, OrthometricTM, TecnidentTM and UNIDENTM). Twenty-four hours after bonding, shear bond strength test was performed; and after debonding, the ARI was determined by using an optical microscope at a 10-fold increase. Results: Mean shear bond strength values ranged from 3.845 ± 3.997 (MorelliTM) to 9.871 ± 5.106 MPa (TecnidentTM). The majority of the ARI index scores was 0 and 1. Conclusion: Among the evaluated brackets, the one with the lowest mean shear bond strength values was MorelliTM. General evaluation of groups indicated that a greater number of bond failure occurred at the enamel/adhesive interface.
A point-based method for animating incompressible flow

In this paper, we present a point-based method for animating incompressible flow. The advection term is handled by moving the sample points through the flow in a Lagrangian fashion. However, unlike most previous approaches, the pressure term is handled by performing a projection onto a divergence-free field. To perform the pressure projection, we compute a Voronoi diagram with the sample points as input. Borrowing from Finite Volume Methods, we then invoke the divergence theorem and ensure that each Voronoi cell is divergence free. To handle complex boundary conditions, Voronoi cells are clipped against obstacle boundaries and free surfaces. The method is stable, flexible and combines many of the desirable features of point-based and grid-based methods. We demonstrate our approach on several examples of splashing and streaming liquid and swirling smoke.
On the formation of star clusters in the merger NGC 6240

We identified star clusters in archived HST/WFPC2 images of the merger and ultraluminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240, with the aim of investigating whether star cluster properties (luminosity, age and mass) in such an extreme environment differ from those of clusters in less luminous starburst galaxies. We found 54 star clusters in all of the F450W, F547M and F814W exposures, of which 41 are located in the main body of NGC 6240 and 13 in the galactic tails. Given that only two colours are available to derive two independent variables (cluster reddening and age), we adopted an ad hoc procedure to statistically derive cluster parameters under the assumption that the cluster metallicity is LMC-like. The colours of each cluster are fitted to STARBURST99 models of fixed mass and variable ages and reddenings. All cluster reddening and age solutions with χ 2 < 1 are considered to be consistent with the data. Masses are derived by scaling the luminosity of the models with best-fit χ 2 < 1 by the observed V luminosity, after correction for reddening and distance. Therefore, each cluster is described by a range of reddening values, ages and masses; for each of these parameters we derive probability functions. We thus infer that the most probable age of the observed clusters is between 5 and 13 Myr and their most probable mass is about (1 2)×10 5 M⊙. A low probability exists for clusters as massive as 10 8 M⊙, as well as for the trend that the mean cluster mass increases towards the double nuclei of NGC 6240. Comparison with star clusters in starburst galaxies seems to point to more massive clusters being formed in more massive galaxies and gas-rich mergers, while the overall cluster mass distribution might be relatively independent of the details of the associated starburst where dense, massive clusters preferentially form.