Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Who is playing that wonderful music? Exploring predictors of playing a musical instrument

Music is a phenomenon enjoyed by almost all people. Although music fans may believe that music is an important part of their lives, not every music appreciator decides to venture further by making music themselves. The purpose of this research was to investigate potential variables that may be associated with whether one plays a musical instrument. Specifically, I investigated the role of four individual difference variables that have previously been correlated with a number of factors related to music: openness to experience, self–music overlap (SMO), curiosity, and need for cognition (NFC). Results from two cross-sectional investigations (ns = 369 and 295) revealed that all four variables were positively related to whether one plays a musical instrument. SMO mediated the relation between openness and whether one plays a musical instrument in all studies. Unlike hypothesized, curiosity and NFC did not serve as mediators to the openness–music link. Collectively, this research sheds light on the underexplored question of who plays musical instruments.
Role of the paraventricular nucleus in controlling the frequency of milk ejection and the facilitatory effect of centrally administered oxytocin in the suckled rat.

The milk-ejection reflex was studied in anaesthetized, lactating Wistar rats in order to evaluate the contribution of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) to the patterning of milk ejection and the facilitatory action of centrally administered oxytocin. In the first series of experiments, radiofrequency lesions were performed and centred: (1) antero-dorsal to the PVN, damaging parts of the medial septum and anterior hypothalamus; (2) in the PVN, such that much of the parvocellular division was destroyed, but parts of the magnocellular division remained intact; or (3) in the PVN, destroying both parvocellular and magnocellular divisions. Suckling tests performed before and after lesioning showed that the milk-ejection interval was significantly increased (decreased frequency) after lesioning in groups 2 and 3, but that milk-ejection amplitude was significantly decreased only in group 3. These results suggest that damage to the parvocellular division of the PVN affects milk-ejection frequency, but that damage to the magnocellular PVN only affects amplitude. Subsequent tests on rats injected into the PVN with the neurotoxin N-methyl-D,L-aspartate revealed a fall in the amplitude and frequency of milk ejection, similar to that after complete radiofrequency lesions of the PVN. In the second series of experiments, the facilitatory action of centrally administered oxytocin (1 mU, 2.2 ng) was examined in animals bearing either sham or complete PVN lesions. In both groups, intracerebroventricular injection of oxytocin was able to increase the frequency of milk ejections, although the incidence of milk ejection was lower in the pre- and post-injection period in the PVN-lesioned animals. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Software power estimation and optimization for high performance, 32-bit embedded processors

A software energy estimation model is presented for a family of high performance, integrated, 32-bit embedded RISC processors. This model is significantly less complex than previous models, and yet is demonstrated to accurately predict energy consumption to within 8% with 99% confidence based on physical measurements. Factors such as operating frequency, source/destination registers, and operand values are explored. In view of this model, previously proposed optimizations are evaluated for potential energy savings. We conclude that, for the class of processors under discussion, a good optimizing compiler that minimizes execution time will simultaneously minimize energy consumption.
ROCK1 Is Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease-Specific Plaques, as well as Enhances Autophagosome Formation But not Autophagic Aβ Clearance

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of late-life dementia in the population, characterized by amyloid plaque formation and increased tau deposition, which is modulated by Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase 1 (ROCK1). In this study, we further analyze whether ROCK1 regulates the metabolism of amyloid precursor protein (APP). We show that ROCK1 is colocalized with mature amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in patients with AD, in that ROCK1 enhances the amyloidogenic pathway, and that ROCK1 mediated autophagy enhances the intracellular buildup of Aβ in a cell model of AD (confirmed by increased ROCK1 and decreased Beclin 1 protein levels, with neuronal autophagosome accumulation in prefrontal cortex of AD APP/PS1 mouse model). In vitro over-expression of ROCK1 leads to a decrease in Aβ secretion and an increase in the expression of autophagy-related molecules. ROCK1 interacts with Beclin1, an autophagy initiator, and enhances the intracellular accumulation of Aβ. Reciprocally, overexpression of APP/Aβ promotes ROCK1 expression. Our data suggest ROCK1 participates in regulating Aβ secretion, APP shedding and autophagosome accumulation, and that ROCK1, rather than other kinases, is more likely to be a targetable enzyme for AD therapy.
A Qualitative Examination of African Americans’ Organ Donation-Related Medical Mistrust Beliefs

Abstract Medical mistrust is one of the most prominent barriers to organ donation registration for African Americans, who comprise a disproportionate number of individuals on the organ transplant waiting list. To date, medical mistrust related to organ donation has primarily been conceptualized as a fear of premature declaration of death. However, the history of African Americans’ relationships with medical institutions suggests that this conceptualization may be too narrow. In the current study, we conducted a secondary analysis of focus group discussions to gain a better understanding of African Americans’ medical mistrust regarding organ donation. Results revealed four categories of medical mistrust beliefs: societal distrust, distrust of general institutions, distrust of medical institutions, and organ donation-specific medical mistrust. In addition, medical mistrust beliefs appeared to be the result of personal experiences, interpersonal communication, and exposure to the media. Our results are discussed with an emphasis on the theoretical and practical implications for health practitioners working to increase the rates of organ donation among African Americans.
Revisiting the D1/D5 system or bubbling in AdS3

In this article we study the relation between the bubbling construction and the Mathur's microscopic solutions for the D1/D5 system. We have found that the regular near horizon D1/D5 system (after appropriated constraints are imposed) contains all the bubbling regular solutions. Then, we show that the features of this system are rather different from the bubbling in AdS5 × S5, since the perimeter and not the area plays a key role. After setting the main dictionary between the two approaches, we investigate on extensions to non-regular solutions like conical defects and/or naked singular solutions. In particular, among the latter metrics, closed time-like curves are found together with a chronology protection mechanism enforced by the AdS/CFT duality.
Electron Spin Resonance Characterization of Vascular Xanthine and NAD(P)H Oxidase Activity in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: Relation to Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation

Background—Increased inactivation of nitric oxide by superoxide (O2·−) contributes to endothelial dysfunction in patients with coronary disease (CAD). We therefore characterized the vascular activities of xanthine oxidase and NAD(P)H oxidase, 2 major O2·−-producing enzyme systems, and their relationship with flow-dependent, endothelium-mediated vasodilation (FDD) in patients with CAD. Methods and Results—Xanthine- and NAD(P)H-mediated O2·− formation was determined in coronary arteries from 10 patients with CAD and 10 controls by using electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Furthermore, activity of endothelium-bound xanthine oxidase in vivo and FDD of the radial artery were determined in 21 patients with CAD and 10 controls. FDD was measured before and after infusion of the antioxidant vitamin C (25 mg/min i.a.) to determine the portion of FDD inhibited by radicals. In coronary arteries from patients with CAD, xanthine- and NAD(P)H-mediated O2·− formation was increased compared with controls (xanthine: 12±2 versus 7±1 nmol O2·−/&mgr;g protein; NADH: 11±1 versus 7±1 nmol O2·−/&mgr;g protein; and NADPH: 12±2 versus 9±1 nmol O2·−/&mgr;g protein; each P <0.05). Endothelium-bound xanthine oxidase activity was increased by >200% in patients with CAD (25±4 versus 9±1 nmol O2·−/&mgr;L plasma per min;P <0.05) and correlated inversely with FDD (r =−0.55;P <0.05) and positively with the effect of vitamin C on FDD (r =0.54;P <0.05). Conclusions—The present study represents the first electron spin resonance measurements of xanthine and NAD(P)H oxidase activity in human coronary arteries and supports the concept that increased activities of both enzymes contribute to increased vascular oxidant stress in patients with CAD. Furthermore, the present study suggests that increased xanthine oxidase activity contributes to endothelial dysfunction in patients with CAD and may thereby promote the atherosclerotic process.
Fully parallel integrated CAM/RAM using preclassification to enable large capacities

Many applications would benefit from the availability of large-capacity content addressable memories (CAMs). However, while RAMs, EEPROMs, and other memory types achieve ever-increasing per-chip bit counts, CAMs show little promise of following suit, due primarily to an inherent difficulty in implementing two-dimensional decoding. The serialized operation of most proposed solutions is not acceptable in speed-sensitive environments. In response to the resulting need, this paper describes a fully-parallel (single-clock-cycle) CAM architecture that uses the concept of "preclassification" to realize a second dimension of decoding without compromising throughput. As is typically the case, each CAM entry is used as an index to additional data in a RAM. To achieve improved system integration, the preclassified CAM is merged into the same physical array as its target RAM, and both use the same core cells. Architecture and operation of the resulting novel memory are described, as are two critical-path circuits: the match-line pull-down and the multiple match resolver. The memory circuits, designed in 0.8 /spl mu/m BiCMOS technology, may be employed in chips as large as 1 Mb, and simulations confirm 37 MHz operation for this capacity. To experimentally verify the feasibility of the architectural and circuit design, an 8 kb test chip was fabricated and found to be fully functional at clock speeds up to 59 MHz, with a power dissipation of 260 mW at 50 MHz.
Counter-terrorism policing innovations in Turkey: a case study of Turkish National Police CVE experiment

ABSTRACT In recent years, many governments have introduced so-called ‘countering violent extremism’ (CVE) measures to promote terrorists’ and potential terrorists’ deradicalization and disengagement from terrorist activity. This paper analyses the potential contribution of CVE programmes to counter-terrorism policing through a case study of Turkey. Drawing on Turkish National Police data from a pilot project in the city of Adana, this study suggests that Turkish CVE measures showed promising results, despite Turkey’s history of deterrence-based, repressive, and militarised counter-terrorism policies. The Turkish CVE project pioneered a comprehensive approach to de-radicalisation and disengagement that addresses ideological, social, and practical motivations, and engages clients in every stage of the radicalisation continuum. The paper also analyses Turkey’s adoption and later abandonment of the CVE experiment to gauge the policy’s broader applicability. While other police forces could adopt the Turkish model, CVE programmes require a democratic political environment and commitment to negotiated resolution of political conflicts.
Development of a Large Vocabulary Continuous Speech Recognition System for Rich Transcription Evaluation Using HTK

The focus of this research is to build a large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) system that converts speech to text in accordance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) Rich Transcription (RTE) Evaluation requirements. The result of the current effort will serve as a baseline for future work in the development of an advanced speech recognition system based on WUW technology. Cambridge University’s HTK Speech Recognition Toolkit Version 3.4 serves as the engine in this process. In order to create a sufficiently large speech dataset, multiple corpora are combined, including TIMIT, and NIST RTE 2006 (RT06) and 2007 (RT07) data. Recognition testing and evaluation is performed under a variety of different conditions to find the ideal parameters for optimum accuracy. Modifiable factors include insertion penalties (IP), language models, phonetic questioning, bootstrapping, and skip states. Performance is measured by word error rate (WER). The addition of insertion balancing consistently improved WER at both phone-level and wordlevel, while the removal of TIMIT shibboleth sentences demonstrated no significant change in WER. Phonetic questioning effectively improved computation time without a significant increase of WER. Training and testing on TIMIT corpus data with the implementation of a language model attained the lowest WER of 78.74%. Although 78.74% WER is higher than what other research has achieved with HTK, the addition of the language model improved WER by a relative difference of 48.97%. Additionally, performance is better than expected for using only 1 Gaussian Mixture and 3 output states per HMM.
Fully Eulerian finite element approximation of a fluid‐structure interaction problem in cardiac cells

We propose in this paper an Eulerian finite element approximation of a coupled chemical fluid‐structure interaction problem arising in the study of mesoscopic cardiac biomechanics. We simulate the active response of a myocardial cell (here considered as an anisotropic, hyperelastic, and incompressible material), the propagation of calcium concentrations inside it, and the presence of a surrounding Newtonian fluid. An active strain approach is employed to account for the mechanical activation, and the deformation of the cell membrane is captured using a level set strategy. We address in detail the main features of the proposed method, and we report several numerical experiments aimed at model validation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Planetary nebulae as tracers of galaxy stellar populations

We address the general problem of the luminosity-specific planetary nebula (PN) number, better known as the 'a' ratio, given by a = N PN/L gal , and its relationship with the age and metallicity of the parent stellar population. Our analysis relies on population synthesis models that account for simple stellar populations (SSPs), and more elaborate galaxy models covering the full star formation range of the different Hubble morphological types. This theoretical framework is compared with the updated census of the PN population in Local Group (LG) galaxies and external ellipticals in the Leo group, and the Virgo and Fornax clusters. The main conclusions of our study can be summarized as follows. (i) According to the post-asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stellar core mass, PN lifetime in a SSP is constrained by three relevant regimes, driven by the nuclear (M core ≥ 0.57 M ⊙ ), dynamical (0.57 M ⊙ M core ≥ 0.55 M ⊙ ) and transition (0.55 M ⊙ M core ≥ 0.52 M ⊙ ) time-scales. The lower limit for M core also sets the minimum mass for stars to reach the AGB thermal-pulsing phase and experience the PN event. (ii) Mass loss is the crucial mechanism to constrain the value of a, through the definition of the initial-to-final mass relation (IFMR). The Reimers mass-loss parametrization, calibrated on Pop II stars of Galactic globular clusters, poorly reproduces the observed value of a in late-type galaxies, while a better fit is obtained using the empirical IFMR derived from white dwarf observations in the Galaxy open clusters. (iii) The inferred PN lifetime for LG spirals and irregulars exceeds 10 000 yr, which suggests that A/ core ≤ 0.65 M ⊙ cores dominate, throughout. (iv) The relative PN deficiency in elliptical galaxies, and the observed trend of a with galaxy optical colours, support the presence of a prevailing fraction of low-mass cores (M core ≤ 0.55 M ⊙ ) in the PN distribution and a reduced visibility time-scale for the nebulae as a consequence of the increased AGB transition time. The stellar component with M core ≤ 0.52 M ⊙ , which overrides the PN phase, could provide an enhanced contribution to hotter HB and post-HB evolution, as directly observed in M 32 and the bulge of M 31. This implies that the most UV-enhanced ellipticals should also display the lowest values of a, as confirmed by the Virgo cluster early-type galaxy population. (v) Any blue-straggler population, invoked as progenitor of the M core ≥ 0.7 M ⊙ PNe in order to preserve the constancy of the bright luminosity-function cut-off magnitude in ellipticals, must be confined to a small fraction (a few per cent at most) of the whole galaxy PN population.
alpha-Internexin, a 66-kD intermediate filament-binding protein from mammalian central nervous tissues

In this paper we describe a 66-kD protein that co-purifies with intermediate filaments from rat optic nerve and spinal cord but can be separated further by ion-exchange chromatography. This protein is distinct from the 68-kD neurofilament subunit protein as judged by isoelectric focusing, immunoblotting, peptide mapping, and tests of polymerization competence. This protein is avidly recognized by the monoclonal anti-intermediate filament antigen antibody, previously demonstrated to recognize a common antigenic determinant in all five known classes of intermediate filaments. Also, when isolated this protein binds to various intermediate filament subunit proteins, which suggests an in vivo interaction with the intermediate filament cytoskeleton, and it appears to be axonally transported in the rat optic nerve. Because of this ability to bind to intermediate filaments in situ and in vitro we have named this protein alpha-internexin. A possible functional role for the protein in organizing filament assembly and distribution is discussed.
Interferon gamma effect on immune mediator production in human nerve cells infected by two strains of Toxoplasma gondii

Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) is the major immune mediator that prevents toxoplasmic encephalitis in murine models. The lack of IFN-γ secretion causes reactivation of latent T. gondii infection that may confer a risk for severe toxoplasmic encephalitis. We analyse the effect of IFN-γ on immune mediator production and parasite multiplication in human nerve cells infected by tachyzoites of two T. gondii strains (RH and PRU). IFN-γ decreased the synthesis of MCP-1, G-CSF, GM-CSF and Serpin E1 in all cell types. It decreased IL-6, migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and GROα synthesis only in endothelial cells, while it increased sICAM and Serpin E1 synthesis only in neurons. The PRU strain burden increased in all nerve cells and in contrast, RH strain replication was controlled in IFN-γ-stimulated microglial and endothelial cells but not in IFN-γ-stimulated neurons. The proliferation of the PRU strain in all stimulated cells could be a specific effect of this strain on the host cell.
TRY-5 Is a Sperm-Activating Protease in Caenorhabditis elegans Seminal Fluid

Seminal fluid proteins have been shown to play important roles in male reproductive success, but the mechanisms for this regulation remain largely unknown. In Caenorhabditis elegans, sperm differentiate from immature spermatids into mature, motile spermatozoa during a process termed sperm activation. For C. elegans males, sperm activation occurs during insemination of the hermaphrodite and is thought to be mediated by seminal fluid, but the molecular nature of this activity has not been previously identified. Here we show that TRY-5 is a seminal fluid protease that is required in C. elegans for male-mediated sperm activation. We observed that TRY-5::GFP is expressed in the male somatic gonad and is transferred along with sperm to hermaphrodites during mating. In the absence of TRY-5, male seminal fluid loses its potency to transactivate hermaphrodite sperm. However, TRY-5 is not required for either hermaphrodite or male fertility, suggesting that hermaphrodite sperm are normally activated by a distinct hermaphrodite-specific activator to which male sperm are also competent to respond. Within males, TRY-5::GFP localization within the seminal vesicle is antagonized by the protease inhibitor SWM-1. Together, these data suggest that TRY-5 functions as an extracellular activator of C. elegans sperm. The presence of TRY-5 within the seminal fluid couples the timing of sperm activation to that of transfer of sperm into the hermaphrodite uterus, where motility must be rapidly acquired. Our results provide insight into how C. elegans has adopted sex-specific regulation of sperm motility to accommodate its male-hermaphrodite mode of reproduction.
Tense Switching in English Narratives: an FDG Perspective

Abstract The functions of the simple past and the present perfect appear to be well delimited in English according to prescriptive grammars. However, in actual use their distribution is still a challenging area of English linguistics since there are fuzzy cases in which this distinction is blurred. For example, in some varieties of English the present perfect seems to be taking over the role of the simple past to express definite past in narratives, where the simple past is the default tense. In these cases, the use of the present perfect has been regarded to be functionally motivated by the speaker’s intention to highlight the current relevance of the event expressed by this form (Ritz, 2010, Walker, 2011). The main objective of this research will be to use the results of corpus analysis and of the relevant studies on this topic and to propose an FDG analysis of these data. It will be concluded that the use of the present perfect in narratives has various functions captured at two different levels of the architecture of FDG, namely the Representational Level (RL) and the Interpersonal Level (IL). At the RL, the present perfect functions either as a marker of resultative aspect, or as a signal that a new narrative Episode is introduced. At IL, this form functions as a device for Emphasis, highlighting a salient passage in the narrative.
Optimization of WAVE2 complex–induced actin polymerization by membrane-bound IRSp53, PIP3, and Rac

WAVE2 activates the actin-related protein (Arp) 2/3 complex for Rac-induced actin polymerization during lamellipodium formation and exists as a large WAVE2 protein complex with Sra1/PIR121, Nap1, Abi1, and HSPC300. IRSp53 binds to both Rac and Cdc42 and is proposed to link Rac to WAVE2. We found that the knockdown of IRSp53 by RNA interference decreased lamellipodium formation without a decrease in the amount of WAVE2 complex. Localization of WAVE2 at the cell periphery was retained in IRSp53 knockdown cells. Moreover, activated Cdc42 but not Rac weakened the association between WAVE2 and IRSp53. When we measured Arp2/3 activation in vitro, the WAVE2 complex isolated from the membrane fraction of cells was fully active in an IRSp53-dependent manner but WAVE2 isolated from the cytosol was not. Purified WAVE2 and purified WAVE2 complex were activated by IRSp53 in a Rac-dependent manner with PIP3-containing liposomes. Therefore, IRSp53 optimizes the activity of the WAVE2 complex in the presence of activated Rac and PIP3.