Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Absolute pitch and lexical tones: tone perception by non-musician, musician, and absolute pitch non-tonal language speakers

In this paper we investigate whether musically trained non-tonal language speakers perceive lexical tone better than their non-musician counterparts. Three groups of English language speakers, non-musicians, musicians, and musicians with absolute pitch (n=24, N=72), were tested for same/different discrimination of Central Thai tone pairs. These were presented in three separate conditions: as speech (on the syllable [ba]), as filtered speech, or as violin sounds. Non-musicians discriminated tones better in music than in filtered speech, and better in each of these than in speech. Musicians without absolute pitch showed the same pattern of results but were better in all three contexts compared with the non-musicians. On the other hand absolute pitch musicians were equally good in all three contexts, and better overall than the other musicians and the non-musicians. It is concluded that speech and music perception are not independent: musical training and absolute pitch ability may affect speech perception.
Lightweight JPEG2000 Encryption with Anisotropic Wavelet Packets

A lightweight encryption technique for JPEG2000 with optional support for transparent encryption is proposed. Randomized anisotropic wavelet packet bases are used to construct a secret frequency domain, leading to a situation in which only a minimal amount of data needs to be encrypted. Results and calculations are presented to evaluate the suggested approach in terms of compression performance, security, and applicability
Performance of UWB Receivers with Partial CSI Using a Simple Body Area Network Channel Model

Ultra wideband (UWB) communication is a very promising candidate for the use in wireless body area networks (BAN). The high UWB peak data rate allows for medium average data rates in combination with a very low duty cycle, which is the key for a very low power consumption. Devices in a wireless BAN require low complexity. Hence, mainly non-coherent receivers such as energy detector and transmitted-reference receiver are suited. In this paper, the symbol-wise maximum-likelihood (ML) detectors for pulse position modulation (PPM) and transmitted reference pulse amplitude modulation (TR PAM) are derived assuming partial channel state information (CSI) at the receiver. Additionally, also the ML detectors for a combination of PPM and TR PAM are presented. The performance of the derived receiver structures is evaluated using a novel BAN channel model not distinguishing line-of-sight and non line-of-sight situations. This simple channel model is based on 1100 channel measurements in the frequency range between 2 and 8 GHz, which were measured in an anechoic chamber. Using the BAN channel model, performance of the derived receiver structures is evaluated showing that the knowledge of the average power delay profile (APDP) at the receiver improves performance substantially. Requiring only slightly more complexity such receivers are a well suited alternative to non-coherent receivers for the use in a BAN.
Prostate stem cell antigen is overexpressed in human transitional cell carcinoma.

Prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), a homologue of the Ly-6/Thy-1 family of cell surface antigens, is expressed by a majority of human prostate cancers and is a promising target for prostate cancer immunotherapy. In addition to its expression in normal and malignant prostate, we recently reported that PSCA is expressed at low levels in the transitional epithelium of normal bladder. In the present study, we compared the expression of PSCA in normal and malignant urothelial tissues to assess its potential as an immunotherapeutic target in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). Immunohistochemical analysis of PSCA protein expression was performed on tissue sections from 32 normal bladder specimens, as well as 11 cases of low-grade transitional cell dysplasia, 21 cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS), 38 superficial transitional cell tumors (STCC, stages T(a)-T(1)), 65 muscle-invasive TCCs (ITCCs, stages T(2)-T(4)), and 7 bladder cancer metastases. The level of PSCA protein expression was scored semiquantitatively by assessing both the intensity and frequency (i.e., percentage of positive tumor cells) of staining. We also examined PSCA mRNA expression in a representative sample of normal and malignant human transitional cell tissues. In normal bladder, PSCA immunostaining was weak and confined almost exclusively to the superficial umbrella cell layer. Staining in CIS and STCC was more intense and uniform than that seen in normal bladder epithelium (P < 0.001), with staining detected in 21 (100%) of 21 cases of CIS and 37 (97%) of 38 superficial tumors. PSCA protein was also detected in 42 (65%) of 65 of muscle-invasive and 4 (57%) of 7 metastatic cancers, with the highest levels of PSCA expression (i.e., moderate-strong staining in >50% of tumor cells) seen in 32% of invasive and 43% of metastatic samples. Higher levels of PSCA expression correlated with increasing tumor grade for both STCCs and ITCCs (P < 0.001). Northern blot analysis confirmed the immunohistochemical data, showing a dramatic increase in PSCA mRNA expression in two of five muscle-invasive transitional cell tumors when compared with normal samples. Confocal microscopy demonstrated that PSCA expression in TCC is confined to the cell surface. These data demonstrate that PSCA is overexpressed in a majority of human TCCs, particularly CIS and superficial tumors, and may be a useful target for bladder cancer diagnosis and therapy.
Yes, But What's the Mechanism? (Don't Expect an Easy Answer)

Psychologists increasingly recommend experimental analysis of mediation. This is a step in the right direction because mediation analyses based on nonexperimental data are likely to be biased and because experiments, in principle, provide a sound basis for causal inference. But even experiments cannot overcome certain threats to inference that arise chiefly or exclusively in the context of mediation analysis-threats that have received little attention in psychology. The authors describe 3 of these threats and suggest ways to improve the exposition and design of mediation tests. Their conclusion is that inference about mediators is far more difficult than previous research suggests and is best tackled by an experimental research program that is specifically designed to address the challenges of mediation analysis.
Impact of Working Memory Load on fMRI Resting State Pattern in Subsequent Resting Phases

Background The default-mode network (DMN) is a functional network with increasing relevance for psychiatric research, characterized by increased activation at rest and decreased activation during task performance. The degree of DMN deactivation during a cognitively demanding task depends on its difficulty. However, the relation of hemodynamic responses in the resting phase after a preceding cognitive challenge remains relatively unexplored. We test the hypothesis that the degree of activation of the DMN following cognitive challenge is influenced by the cognitive load of a preceding working-memory task. Methodology/Principal Findings Twenty-five healthy subjects were investigated with functional MRI at 3 Tesla while performing a working-memory task with embedded short resting phases. Data were decomposed into statistically independent spatio-temporal components using Tensor Independent Component Analysis (TICA). The DMN was selected using a template-matching procedure. The spatial map contained rest-related activations in the medial frontal cortex, ventral anterior and posterior cingulate cortex. The time course of the DMN revealed increased activation at rest after 1-back and 2-back blocks compared to the activation after a 0-back block. Conclusion/Significance We present evidence that a cognitively challenging working-memory task is followed by greater activation of the DMN than a simple letter-matching task. This might be interpreted as a functional correlate of self-evaluation and reflection of the preceding task or as relocation of cerebral resources representing recovery from high cognitive demands. This finding is highly relevant for neuroimaging studies which include resting phases in cognitive tasks as stable baseline conditions. Further studies investigating the DMN should take possible interactions of tasks and subsequent resting phases into account.
Adenosine A2B Receptor: From Cell Biology to Human Diseases

Extracellular adenosine is a ubiquitous signaling molecule that modulates a wide array of biological processes. Recently, significant advances have been made in our understanding of A2B adenosine receptor (A2BAR). In this review, we first summarize some of the general characteristics of A2BAR, and then we describe the multiple binding partners of the receptor, such as newly identified α-actinin-1 and p105, and discuss how these associated proteins could modulate A2BAR's functions, including certain seemingly paradoxical functions of the receptor. Growing evidence indicates a critical role of A2BAR in cancer, renal disease, and diabetes, in addition to its importance in the regulation of vascular diseases, and lung disease. Here, we also discuss the role of A2BAR in cancer, renal disease, and diabetes and the potential of the receptor as a target for treating these three diseases.
Social Intelligence Modeling using Wearable Devices

Social Signal Processing techniques have given the opportunity to analyze in-depth human behavior in social face-to-face interactions. With recent advancements, it is henceforth possible to use these techniques to augment social interactions, especially the human behavior in oral presentations. The goal of this paper is to train a computational model able to provide a relevant feedback to a public speaker concerning his coverbal communication. Hence, the role of this model is to augment the social intelligence of the orator and then the relevance of his presentation. To this end, we present an original interaction setting in which the speaker is equipped with only wearable devices. Several coverbal modalities have been extracted and automatically annotated namely speech volume, intonation, speech rate, eye gaze, hand gestures and body movements. An offline report was addressed to participants containing the performance scores on the overall modalities. In addition, a post-experiment study was conducted to collect participant's opinions on many aspects of the studied interaction and the results were rather positive. Moreover, we annotated recommended feedbacks for each presentation session, and to retrieve these annotations, a Dynamic Bayesian Network model was trained using as inputs the multimodal performance scores. We will show that our assessment behavior model presents good performances compared to other models.
Oral contraceptives, breastfeeding and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis: results from the Swedish EIRA study

Objectives To study whether oral contraceptive (OC) use or breastfeeding (BF) influence the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), stratifying the cases by presence/absence of anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), and whether these factors interact with known risk factors in the development of ACPA-positive RA. Methods Women aged ≥18 years, participants in the population-based case–control Swedish Epidemiological Investigation of RA study (2641 cases/4251 controls), completed an extensive questionnaire regarding OC, BF and potential confounders. We calculated ORs, with 95% CIs, adjusted for age, residential area, smoking and alcohol consumption. Attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) was estimated to evaluate presence of interaction. Results Compared with never users, ever and past OC users had a decreased risk of ACPA-positive RA (OR=0.84 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.96); OR=0.83 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.95), respectively). No significant associations were found for ACPA-negative RA. Long duration of OC use (>7 years vs never use) decreased the risk of both ACPA-positive (p=0.0037) and ACPA-negative RA (p=0.0356). A history of long BF decreased the risk only of ACPA-positive RA in a dose-dependent manner (p=0.0086), but this trend did not remain after adjustments. A significant interaction was observed between the lack of OC use and smoking (AP=0.28 (95% CI 0.14–0.42)) on the risk of ACPA-positive RA. No interactions were found for BF. Conclusions OC decreased the risk of RA, especially ACPA-positive RA, where an interaction with smoking was observed. A long duration of OC use decreased the risk of both disease subsets. We could not confirm an association between BF and a decreased risk of either ACPA-positive or ACPA-negative RA.
A Study Of Subsyndromal And Syndromal Psychiatric Morbidity Among Male Patients With Alcohol Dependence

Objectives: The aims of this research were to study the frequency and pattern of subsyndromal and syndromal psychiatric morbidity in male patients with alcohol dependence, and the relationship of subsyndromal psychiatric morbidity with severity and duration of alcohol use in male patients with alcohol dependence. Methods: The sample were male patients suffering from alcohol dependence, admitted for treatment at Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre (DATRC) ward of Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) Hospital for more than 3 weeks. A period of 12 months was taken and total sample size was fifty patients (n=50). Chief outcome measure was development of psychiatric morbidity, independent of signs and symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Results: In this study, 38% of patients had onset of alcohol use at the age of between 10 to 20 years and 46% between 20 to 30 years. Majority (52%) of patients had relatively short duration of alcohol dependence i.e. less than 10 years. There was presence of significant amount of subsyndromal psychiatric morbidity even in 34 patients without diagnosable psychiatric disorder. Somatization was present in 3 patients, hostility in 3, paranoid ideation in 3, and positive symptom distress index (PSDI) was positive in 4 patients. Out of 50 patients, psychiatric disorder was present in 16 (32%) patients; depressive disorder was the most common psychiatric morbidity, being present in 6 (12%) patients. Among other disorders, anxiety disorders were present in 5(10%) patients, mania in 2(4%) patients, and schizophrenia in 2 (4%) patients, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) along with depressive disorder in 1(2%) patients. Conclusions: There was presence of psychiatric disorders in 32% of patients with alcohol dependence. Depressive disorder (37.5%) is the most common psychiatric disorder followed by anxiety disorders (31.25%), mania (12.5%), schizophrenia (12.5%) and OCD along with depressive disorder (6.25%). Among patients without any diagnosable psychiatric disorders, 9 (26%) had subsyndromal psychiatric morbidity. Download ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 14 (2): July - December 2013 .
Relationship Between Corneal Topographic Indices and Scleral Lens Base Curve

Objectives: To determine whether parameters of anterior corneal contour as identified by topographic analysis (steep and flat simulated keratometry, reference sphere) predict the base curve of Jupiter scleral lenses in patients with dry eye syndrome and keratoconus. Methods: We identified 33 eyes with dry eye syndrome and 21 eyes with keratoconus that were fit with Jupiter scleral lenses of standard design between June 2006 and July 2009. Steep and flat simulated keratometry powers and shape factor from axial topographic maps, reference sphere from elevation maps, and base curve of the scleral lens prescribed for each eye were recorded. Correlations between topographic indices and base curve were evaluated by using the Pearson correlation coefficient, and significances were completed by using generalized estimating equation models. Results: In dry eye syndrome, the base curve of the final scleral lens prescribed correlated with the steep keratometric power (r = 0.70, P = 0.05, n = 33), the flat keratometric power (r = 0.71, P<0.001, n = 33), and the reference sphere (r = 0.73, P = 0.002, n = 33). In eyes with keratoconus, base curve also correlated with the steep keratometric power (r = 0.72, P<0.001, n = 19), the flat keratometric power (r = 0.70, P<0.001, n = 19), and the reference sphere (r = 0.68, P<0.001, n = 21). There were no correlations between base curve and shape factor. Conclusions: In eyes with normal and abnormal ocular contour, base curve of scleral lenses correlates with reference sphere and steep and flat keratometric powers, but the predictive relationship is weak (r2 ∼0.50). Diagnostic fitting may be the most efficient method of fitting scleral lenses at present.
Factors and the Extracellular Matrix Environment The Developmental Control of Osteoblast-Specific Gene Expression : Role of Specific Transcription

Bone formation is a carefully controlled developmental process involving morphogen-mediated patterning signals that define areas of initial mesenchyme condensation followed by induction of cell-specific differentiation programs to produce chondrocytes and osteoblasts. Positional information is conveyed via gradients of molecules, such as Sonic Hedgehog that are released from cells within a particular morphogenic field together with region-specific patterns of hox gene expression. These, in turn, regulate the localized production of bone morphogenetic proteins and related molecules which initiate chondrocyte-and osteoblast-specific differentiation programs. Differentiation requires the initial commitment of mesenchy-mal stem cells to a given lineage, followed by induction of tissue-specific patterns of gene expression. Considerable information about the control of osteoblast-specific gene expression has come from analysis of the promoter regions of genes encoding proteins like osteocalcin that are selectively expressed in bone. Both general and tissue-specific transcription factors control this promoter. Osf2/Cbfal, the first osteoblast-specific transcription factor to be identified, is expressed early in the osteoblast lineage and interacts with specific DNA sequences in the osteocalcin promoter essential for its selective expression in osteoblasts. The OSF2/CBFAI gene is necessary for the development of mineralized tissues, and its mutation causes the human disease, cleidocranial dysplasia. Committed osteoprogenitor cells already expressing Osf2/Cbfa 1 must synthesize a col-lagenous ECM before they will differentiate. A cell:ECM interaction mediated by integrin-type cell-surface receptors is essential for the induction of osteocalcin and other osteoblast-related proteins. This interaction stimulates the binding of Osf2/Cbfa 1 to the osteocalcin promoter through an as-yet-undefined mechanism.
Reduced prefrontal cortex activation using the Trail Making Test in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has been associated with a deficit of the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in attention, executive processes, and working memory. The Trail Making Test (TMT) is administered in two parts, TMT-A and TMT-B. It is suggested that the difference in performance between part A and part B reflects executive processes. In this study, we compared the characteristics of hemodynamic changes during TMT tasks between 14 outpatients with schizophrenia and 14 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects. Using multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy, we measured relative changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration, which reflects brain activity of the prefrontal cortex during this task. In both tasks, patients showed significantly smaller activation than controls and, in an assessment of executive functions, a subtraction of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) changes during TMT-A from those of TMT-B showed a decrease in cerebral lateralization and hypoactivity in patients. There was a significant negative correlation between oxy-Hb changes and the severity of psychiatric symptoms. These findings may characterize disease-related features, suggesting the usefulness of oxy-Hb change measurement during TMT tasks for assessing functional outcomes in schizophrenic patients.
A Systematic Summary of Systematic Reviews on the Topic of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Background: There has been a substantial increase in the amount of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Purpose: To quantify the number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published on the ACL in the past decade and to provide an overall summary of this literature. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A systematic review of all ACL-related systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between January 2004 and September 2014 was performed using PubMed, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Database. Narrative reviews and non-English articles were excluded. Results: A total of 1031 articles were found, of which 240 met the inclusion criteria. Included articles were summarized and divided into 17 topics: anatomy, epidemiology, prevention, associated injuries, diagnosis, operative versus nonoperative management, graft choice, surgical technique, fixation methods, computer-assisted surgery, platelet-rich plasma, rehabilitation, return to play, outcomes assessment, arthritis, complications, and miscellaneous. Conclusion: A summary of systematic reviews on the ACL can supply the surgeon with a single source for the most up-to-date synthesis of the literature.
Spatiotemporal Changes in the Structure and Composition of a Less-Abundant Bacterial Phylum (Planctomycetes) in Two Perialpine Lakes

ABSTRACT We used fingerprinting and cloning-sequencing to study the spatiotemporal dynamics and diversity of Planctomycetes in two perialpine lakes with contrasting environmental conditions. Planctomycetes, which are less-abundant bacteria in freshwater ecosystems, appeared to be structured in the same way as the entire bacterial community in these ecosystems. They were more diversified and displayed fewer temporal variations in the hypolimnia than in the epilimnia. Like the more-abundant bacterial groups in aquatic systems, Planctomycetes communities seem to be composed of a very small number of abundant and widespread operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and a large number of OTUs that are present at low abundance. This indicates that the concept of “abundant or core” and “rare” bacterial phylotypes could also be applied to less-abundant freshwater bacterial phyla. The richness and diversity of Planctomycetes were mainly driven by pH and were similar in both of the lakes studied, whereas the composition of the Planctomycetes community seemed to be determined by a combination of factors including temperature, pH, and nutrients. The relative abundances of the dominant OTUs varied over time and were differently associated with abiotic factors. Our findings demonstrate that less-abundant bacterial phyla, such as Planctomycetes, can display strong spatial and seasonal variations linked to environmental conditions and suggest that their functional role in the lakes studied might be attributable mainly to a small number of phylotypes and vary over space and time in the water column.