Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of World Englishes Accents in English Phonetics Instruction of China

With the notion of World Englishes (WE) accepted in the academia, the past decade has witnessed ten studies or so conducted to scrutinize how English learners of China perceptually evaluate English varieties. Those studies, however, seldom explore the juncture between learners’ attitudes toward accent varieties of English and their expectations of English phonetics instruction. Additionally, they primarily draw quantitative data from surveys of large samples without providing in-depth viewpoints from learners themselves. This study aimed to investigate Chinese tertiary-level English learners’ attitudes toward WE accents and how they view accents situated in English phonetics instruction with cross-validated research methods including an accent recognition test, an attitudinal experiment, a questionnaire survey, and semi-structured interviews. Its participants were 64 sophomore English majors at a Chinese university; the accents examined were American English (AmE), British English (BrE), China English (ChE), Australian English, Indian English, and Korean English. Results indicate that students could recognize AmE and BrE better than other accents and that they identified with BrE most, but preferred to imitate AmE and welcome Americans as their phonetics teachers. Results also show students’ propensity for setting a native speaker norm, rather than adopting ChE as a model, at phonetics class. Based on the findings, the study concluded that nowadays teachers for English majors in China still need to adhere to the native speaker model in English phonetics instruction, and meanwhile, expose their students to various WE accents in order to facilitate their English phonetics learning and cultivate their awareness of WE.
The interplay between selective and nonselective inhibition during single word production

The present study investigated the interplay between selective inhibition (the ability to suppress specific competing responses) and nonselective inhibition (the ability to suppress any inappropriate response) during single word production. To this end, we combined two well-established research paradigms: the picture-word interference task and the stop-signal task. Selective inhibition was assessed by instructing participants to name target pictures (e.g., dog) in the presence of semantically related (e.g., cat) or unrelated (e.g., window) distractor words. Nonselective inhibition was tested by occasionally presenting a visual stop-signal, indicating that participants should withhold their verbal response. The stop-signal was presented early (250 ms) aimed at interrupting the lexical selection stage, and late (325 ms) to influence the word-encoding stage of the speech production process. We found longer naming latencies for pictures with semantically related distractors than with unrelated distractors (semantic interference effect). The results further showed that, at both delays, stopping latencies (i.e., stop-signal RTs) were prolonged for naming pictures with semantically related distractors compared to pictures with unrelated distractors. Taken together, our findings suggest that selective and nonselective inhibition, at least partly, share a common inhibitory mechanism during different stages of the speech production process.
Human angiogenin is a potent cytotoxin in the absence of ribonuclease inhibitor

Angiogenin (ANG) is a secretory ribonuclease that promotes the proliferation of endothelial cells, leading to angiogenesis. This function relies on its ribonucleolytic activity, which is low for simple RNA substrates. Upon entry into the cytosol, ANG is sequestered by the ribonuclease inhibitor protein (RNH1). We find that ANG is a potent cytotoxin for RNH1-knockout HeLa cells, belying its inefficiency as a nonspecific catalyst. The toxicity does, however, rely on the ribonucleolytic activity of ANG and a cytosolic localization, which lead to the accumulation of particular tRNA fragments (tRFs), such as tRF-5 Gly-GCC. These up-regulated tRFs are highly cytotoxic at physiological concentrations. Although ANG is well-known for its promotion of cell growth, our results reveal that ANG can also cause cell death.
Experimental Comparative Study of the Possible Effect ofPanax Ginseng and Fish Code Oilagainst Acetaminophen Induced Hepatotoxicity

Background: Hepatic damage due to drugs, xenobiotics and environmental pollutants has been a serious concern worldwide. Acetaminophen is widely used as an analgesic and antipyretic drug, which can cause hepatic injury when given in high doses.Panax ginseng(Chinese medicinal herb) and Fishcode oil with antioxidant properties would attenuate the intensity of the oxidative stress often involved in thepathogenesis of various diseases andhave been studied in a variety of clinical conditions and found to protect against cellular damage . The objective of the present study was to study and compare the possible effect of ginseng and fish code oil against acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity . Methods:36 rats were divided into six equal groups (n = 6):firstgroup (healthy control),second group (positive control group),they were given a single oral dose of acetaminophen (500 mg/kg),the third and fourth groups were givenPanaxginseng(300 mg/kg) and fish oil (4 ml/kg) as protection for 7 consecutive days prior to single oral dose of acetaminophen (500 mg/Kg), the fifth and sixth groups were first taken single oral dose of acetaminophen (500 mg/Kg) and after 3 days the animals were treated with ginseng and fish code oil for 7 days (300mg/Kg and 4 ml/Kg, respectively). Blood was taken from the orbital sinus of the rats for biochemical testsserum transaminases (ALT ,AST) , Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Total protein (T.P) and Albumin (Alb.) and at the same time liver was removed and kept in 10% formalin solution for histological analysis.All histological sections were subjected to morphometric study , pathological evaluation followed by statistical analysis.Results: The results showed that the acute elevation of serum ALT,AST, ALPand the acute reduction of T.P and Alb. due to acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity were significantlycorrected in the groups receiving Panax ginseng and fish code oil. Necrosis of liver significantlydecreased according to histopathologic observation, and that fish code oil was significantly more effective against acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity when compared with ginseng.Conclusion:It is concluded that both Panax ginseng and fishcode oil have protective and treating effect on hepatotoxicity induced by acetaminophen and that fish code oil has better effect thanPanaxginseng. (WesamA.ElslamA.Elwahab,HebaGamalAbd El-Aziz and Mona A.A. ArafaExperimental Comparative Study of the Possible Effect of Fish Code Oiland Panax Ginsengagainst Acetaminophen Induced Hepatotoxicity . J Am Sci2013;9(6):234-244). (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience. org.27
Submitted to the Annals of Statistics MULTICLASS CLASSIFICATION , INFORMATION , DIVERGENCE , AND SURROGATE RISK By

We provide a unifying view of statistical information measures, multi-way Bayesian hypothesis testing, loss functions for multi-class classification problems, and multi-distribution f -divergences, elaborating equivalence results between all of these objects, and extending existing results for binary outcome spaces to more general ones. We consider a generalization of f -divergences to multiple distributions, and we provide a constructive equivalence between divergences, statistical information (in the sense of DeGroot), and losses for multiclass classification. A major application of our results is in multi-class classification problems in which we must both infer a discriminant function γ—for making predictions on a label Y from datum X— and a data representation (or, in the setting of a hypothesis testing problem, an experimental design), represented as a quantizer q from a family of possible quantizers Q. In this setting, we characterize the equivalence between loss functions, meaning that optimizing either of two losses yields an optimal discriminant and quantizer q, complementing and extending earlier results of Nguyen et al. [20] to the multiclass case. Our results provide a more substantial basis than standard classification calibration results for comparing different losses: we describe the convex losses that are consistent for jointly choosing a data representation and minimizing the (weighted) probability of error in multiclass classification problems.
Transformation-Optics-Based Design of a Metamaterial Radome for Extending the Scanning Angle of a Phased-Array Antenna

We apply the transformation-optics approach to the design of a metamaterial radome that can extend the scanning angle of a phased-array antenna. For moderate enhancement of the scanning angle, via suitable parameterization and optimization of the coordinate transformation, we obtain a design that admits a technologically viable, robust, and potentially broadband implementation in terms of thin-metallic-plate inclusions. Our results, validated via finite-element-based numerical simulations, indicate an alternative route to the design of metamaterial radomes that does not require negative-valued and/or extreme constitutive parameters.
EXERCISE ENHANCES ALLOCENTRIC PROCESSING AND HIPPOCAMPAL FUNCTION IN THE ADULT BRAIN

This experiment explored whether a long-term aerobic exercise program may induce significant structural and functional changes in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is important for spatial navigation and memory formation. Based on existing rodent studies, we hypothesize that exercise will cause a shift to allocentric processing, away from a less robust egocentric learning strategy. It is possible that exercise-induced relief of chronic stress, which contributes to improved hippocampal function, will increase reliance on allocentric spatial navigation. Neurogenesis, which occurs in the dentate gyrus region of the hippocampus, is another indicator of hippocampal function that may influence this shift to allocentric learning. The current study examines whether six weeks of aerobic exercise enhances allocentric processing in healthy young adults. Forty-nine young adults (35 female; age range 18-29 years) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1) High intensity interval training group, 2) Moderate intensity training group, or 3) Non-exercising control group. Hippocampus-dependent memory was assessed before and after the intervention on a Virtual Reality Water Maze task, and a high interference memory task, the Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST) which may be dependent on hippocampal neurogenesis. Levels of chronic stress and depression were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory II. It was expected that exercise would improve spatial memory performance on the water maze task, and that performance would improve in proportion to enhanced fitness levels. This improvement in spatial memory performance was expected to correlate with the two indicators of hippocampal function that were assessed in the current study—chronic stress and performance on the high interference memory task. Six weeks of regular aerobic exercise resulted in a 21.5% improvement in spatial memory performance on the water maze task, indicating improved hippocampus-mediated spatial memory function. Improvements displayed by high intensity exercisers were greater than those observed in the moderate intensity exercisers, suggesting that higher intensity exercise may be more effective in enhancing hippocampal function. Importantly, low responders to exercise exhibited a 30% improvement in water maze performance, suggesting that even minor fitness improvements can lead to significant cognitive gains. Chronic stress and depression, and performance on the MST were not significantly associated with changes in spatial memory performance; however trends observed may offer some explanation to the aforementioned changes in spatial memory. Findings from the current study have important implications for treatment options in populations that are currently, or at risk of suffering from impaired hippocampal function.
Variation in hearing within a wild population of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

ABSTRACT Documenting hearing abilities is vital to understanding a species’ acoustic ecology and for predicting the impacts of increasing anthropogenic noise. Cetaceans use sound for essential biological functions such as foraging, navigation and communication; hearing is considered to be their primary sensory modality. Yet, we know little regarding the hearing of most, if not all, cetacean populations, which limits our understanding of their sensory ecology, population level variability and the potential impacts of increasing anthropogenic noise. We obtained audiograms (5.6–150 kHz) of 26 wild beluga whales to measure hearing thresholds during capture–release events in Bristol Bay, AK, USA, using auditory evoked potential methods. The goal was to establish the baseline population audiogram, incidences of hearing loss and general variability in wild beluga whales. In general, belugas showed sensitive hearing with low thresholds (<80 dB) from 16 to 100 kHz, and most individuals (76%) responded to at least 120 kHz. Despite belugas often showing sensitive hearing, thresholds were usually above or approached the low ambient noise levels measured in the area, suggesting that a quiet environment may be associated with hearing sensitivity and that hearing thresholds in the most sensitive animals may have been masked. Although this is just one wild population, the success of the method suggests that it should be applied to other populations and species to better assess potential differences. Bristol Bay beluga audiograms showed substantial (30–70 dB) variation among individuals; this variation increased at higher frequencies. Differences among individual belugas reflect that testing multiple individuals of a population is necessary to best describe maximum sensitivity and population variance. The results of this study quadruple the number of individual beluga whales for which audiograms have been conducted and provide the first auditory data for a population of healthy wild odontocetes. Summary: The first auditory data for a population of healthy wild odontocetes shows that belugas have sensitive hearing with limited hearing loss and thresholds that approach quiet ambient noise conditions.
The DNA Methylome and Association of Differentially Methylated Regions with Differential Gene Expression during Heat Stress in Brassica rapa

Cytosine DNA methylation is a critical epigenetic mechanism in the silencing of transposable elements, imprinting and regulating gene expression. However, little is known about the potential role of mC in response to heat stress. To determine and explore the functions of the dynamic DNA methylome during heat stress, we characterized single-base resolution methylome maps of Brassica rapa and assessed the dynamic changes of mC under heat stress using whole genome bisulfite sequencing. On average, the DNA methylation levels of CG, CHG and CHH are 39.3%, 15.38% and 5.24% in non-heading Chinese cabbage (NHCC), respectively. We found that the patterns of methylation are similar to other eudicot plants, but with higher CHH methylation levels. Further comparative analysis revealed varying patterns for three sequence contexts (mCG, mCHG and mCHH) under heat stress indicating context- and position-dependent methylation regulation. DNA methylation near the TSS and TES may be closely associated with methylation-dependent transcriptional silencing. Association analysis of differential methylation and differential gene expression revealed a different set of methDEGs involved at early and late stages under heat stress. The systemic characterization of the dynamic DNA methylome during heat stress will improve our understanding of the mechanism of epigenetic regulation under heat stress.
Information retrieval and spectrum based bug localization: better together

Debugging often takes much effort and resources. To help developers debug, numerous information retrieval (IR)-based and spectrum-based bug localization techniques have been proposed. IR-based techniques process textual information in bug reports, while spectrum-based techniques process program spectra (i.e., a record of which program elements are executed for each test case). Both eventually generate a ranked list of program elements that are likely to contain the bug. However, these techniques only consider one source of information, either bug reports or program spectra, which is not optimal. To deal with the limitation of existing techniques, in this work, we propose a new multi-modal technique that considers both bug reports and program spectra to localize bugs. Our approach adaptively creates a bug-specific model to map a particular bug to its possible location, and introduces a novel idea of suspicious words that are highly associated to a bug. We evaluate our approach on 157 real bugs from four software systems, and compare it with a state-of-the-art IR-based bug localization method, a state-of-the-art spectrum-based bug localization method, and three state-of-the-art multi-modal feature location methods that are adapted for bug localization. Experiments show that our approach can outperform the baselines by at least 47.62%, 31.48%, 27.78%, and 28.80% in terms of number of bugs successfully localized when a developer inspects 1, 5, and 10 program elements (i.e., Top 1, Top 5, and Top 10), and Mean Average Precision (MAP) respectively.
The Continued Value of Disk Diffusion for Assessing Antimicrobial Susceptibility in Clinical Laboratories: Report from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Methods Development and Standardization Working Group

Expedited pathways to antimicrobial agent approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have led to increased delays between drug approval and the availability of FDA-cleared antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) devices. ABSTRACT Expedited pathways to antimicrobial agent approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have led to increased delays between drug approval and the availability of FDA-cleared antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) devices. Antimicrobial disks for use with disk diffusion testing are among the first AST devices available to clinical laboratories. However, many laboratories are reluctant to implement disk diffusion testing for a variety of reasons, including dwindling proficiency with this method, interruptions of the laboratory workflow, uncertainty surrounding the quality and reliability of disk diffusion tests, and a perceived need to report MIC values to clinicians. This minireview provides a report from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Methods Development and Standardization Working Group on the current standards and clinical utility of disk diffusion testing.
The sea urchin Diadema africanum uses low resolution vision to find shelter and deter enemies

ABSTRACT Many sea urchins can detect light on their body surface and some species are reported to possess image-resolving vision. Here, we measure the spatial resolution of vision in the long-spined sea urchin Diadema africanum, using two different visual responses: a taxis towards dark objects and an alarm response of spine-pointing towards looming stimuli. For the taxis response we used visual stimuli, which were isoluminant to the background, to discriminate spatial vision from phototaxis. Individual animals were placed in the centre of a cylindrical arena under bright down-welling light, with stimuli of varying angular width placed on the arena wall at alternating directions from the centre. We tracked the direction of movement of individual animals in relation to the stimuli to determine whether the animals oriented towards the stimulus. We found that D. africanum responds by taxis towards isoluminant stimuli with a spatial resolution in the range of 29–69 deg. This corresponds to a theoretical acceptance angle of 38–89 deg, assuming a contrast threshold of 10%. The visual acuity of the alarm response of D. africanum was tested by exposing animals to different sized dark looming and appearing stimuli on a monitor. We found that D. africanum displays a spine-pointing response to appearing black circles of 13–25 deg angular width, corresponding to an acceptance angle of 60–116 deg, assuming the same contrast threshold as above. Summary: Using a combination of imaging and behavioural experiments, testing visual detection via two photic behaviours, the authors show that the sea urchin Diadema africanum has low resolution vision.
Integrating two cultures successfully: Factors influencing acculturation attitude of international postgraduate students in Malaysia

Based on Berry’s seminal work on the acculturation process, this study examines the pattern of acculturation attitude among international postgraduate students in Malaysia, an emerging education hub in Asia. It also investigates the influence of several demographic factors (gender, geographical region, marital status, and education level) and predictors (English language proficiency, media usage, intention to stay in the host country after graduation, and perceived positive stereotype image) on international postgraduate students’ four acculturation attitudes integration, separation, assimilation, and marginalization. Our survey of a sample of 1186 international postgraduate students reveals that the most prevalent acculturation attitude chosen by the international postgraduate students is integration. The identified predictors are shown to positively influence integration attitude while the demographic factors have no significant effect on international postgraduate students’ acculturation attitude in Malaysia. Study findings provide valuable insights for education policymakers and university administrators to manage and address the needs of international students via effective acculturation programs.
Machine learning identifies signatures of host adaptation in the bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica

Emerging pathogens are a major threat to public health, however understanding how pathogens adapt to new niches remains a challenge. New methods are urgently required to provide functional insights into pathogens from the massive genomic data sets now being generated from routine pathogen surveillance for epidemiological purposes. Here, we measure the burden of atypical mutations in protein coding genes across independently evolved Salmonella enterica lineages, and use these as input to train a random forest classifier to identify strains associated with extraintestinal disease. Members of the species fall along a continuum, from pathovars which cause gastrointestinal infection and low mortality, associated with a broad host-range, to those that cause invasive infection and high mortality, associated with a narrowed host range. Our random forest classifier learned to perfectly discriminate long-established gastrointestinal and invasive serovars of Salmonella. Additionally, it was able to discriminate recently emerged Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium lineages associated with invasive disease in immunocompromised populations in sub-Saharan Africa, and within-host adaptation to invasive infection. We dissect the architecture of the model to identify the genes that were most informative of phenotype, revealing a common theme of degradation of metabolic pathways in extraintestinal lineages. This approach accurately identifies patterns of gene degradation and diversifying selection specific to invasive serovars that have been captured by more labour-intensive investigations, but can be readily scaled to larger analyses.