Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pitch contour shape matters in memory

The Autosegmental-metrical model of prosody [1,2] holds that pitch melodies can be modeled with level low and high tones; information about the shape of the pitch contour is not part of the phonological representation. Yet recent results [3,4] show that contour shape affects the perception of tone height and timing. A pitch plateau that maintains a level pitch at its peak will be perceived as higher and/or having a later accent than a sharp peak of the same height. In this study we ask whether contour shape is encoded in the mental representation of pitch accent by testing memory for the H* pitch accent of American English, realized as a peak or plateau. We establish that, as predicted by recent research, pitch shape affects perception. Then we test these same distinctions in a memory task. Our findings show that pitch plateaus are better discriminated than peaks, and that this advantage grows larger when memory load is higher. We argue that this shows contour shape matters, not just psychoacoustically in immediate perception, but also in memory, and that shape may therefore be posited to be included in the phonological representation of pitch accent.
How Cations Can Assist DNase I in DNA Binding and Hydrolysis

DNase I requires Ca2+ and Mg2+ for hydrolyzing double-stranded DNA. However, the number and the location of DNase I ion-binding sites remain unclear, as well as the role of these counter-ions. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we show that bovine pancreatic (bp) DNase I contains four ion-binding pockets. Two of them strongly bind Ca2+ while the other two sites coordinate Mg2+. These theoretical results are strongly supported by revisiting crystallographic structures that contain bpDNase I. One Ca2+ stabilizes the functional DNase I structure. The presence of Mg2+ in close vicinity to the catalytic pocket of bpDNase I reinforces the idea of a cation-assisted hydrolytic mechanism. Importantly, Poisson-Boltzmann-type electrostatic potential calculations demonstrate that the divalent cations collectively control the electrostatic fit between bpDNase I and DNA. These results improve our understanding of the essential role of cations in the biological function of bpDNase I. The high degree of conservation of the amino acids involved in the identified cation-binding sites across DNase I and DNase I-like proteins from various species suggests that our findings generally apply to all DNase I-DNA interactions.
Use of PM Fe–Cu–SiC composites as bonding matrix for diamond tools

The use of the system Fe–(5,10,15,20)%Cu with the addition of 1% weight of silicon carbide (SiC) as bonding matrix for diamond tools was investigated in the present work. The diamond metallic composites were manufactured via conventional powder metallurgy and sintered at 1050 and 1150°C. Evaluation of the composites included the measurement of the level of shrinkage/swelling, Brinell hardness and wear resistance. Microstructure was investigated via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that temperature of 1150°C presented the best sintering condition for the composites. Among the studied compositions, the alloy with 20%Cu content presented the best wear performance as metallic bonding matrix for diamond composites.
Hospital do Rim, São Paulo: A World Leader in Kidney Transplantation.

In the current issue of Brazilian Journal of Nephrology, Jose Medina-Pestana and colleagues present data on renal transplants at the Hospital do Rim (Hrim) in Sao Paulo, a unique institution focusing on the care of renal disease and transplantation.1,2 Their reported outcomes and progress is astonishing with the single hospital having performed 11,436 kidney transplants over an 18-year period. […] Hospital do Rim, Sao Paulo: A World Leader in Kidney Transplantation
- 1-Becoming an Entrepreneur : A Theory of Entrepreneurial Identity

This paper focuses on the nascent entrepreneurial process from an identity-based perspective. We build on research in the role identity, entrepreneurship, and career literature to develop a multi-dimensional concept of entrepreneurial identity. We link entrepreneurial identity to the nascent process by detailing how it influences the way individuals explore an opportunity or business idea, interpret environmental feedback, and evaluate alternatives. Through these processes, entrepreneurial identity influences key outcomes of the nascent stage, including whether nascents persist or abandon their efforts to become entrepreneurs. -3-Entrepreneurship research has accumulated a large body of empirical evidence about the survival and performance determinants of start-up businesses. Yet, for many years, the processes that led to the ir founding received little systematic examination. It has only been during the last decade that researchers have sought to systematically examine the processes of venture gestation by focusing on the figure of the " nascent entrepreneur " or " those persons currently taking explicit steps to start a new business (Reynolds & White, 1997: 40). " This area of research promises to illuminate early selection processes that lead to the formation of new businesses (Aldrich 1999). To use the objective-subjective dichotomy that has organized research on careers (Barley, 1989), research on nascent entrepreneurship has primarily focused on the objective factors that influence entrepreneurial activity. The objective stream emphasizes observable activities or facilitators of the individual or team that makes entrepreneurial activity an attractive career path and the environmental factors that serve as a selection mechanism (Aldrich, 1999; Carroll and Mosakowski, 1997). Recent empirical studies of nascents have found that they have higher education levels and work experience than a control sample (Davidson and Honig 2003). When followed over time, nascents who took business classes and were a member of a business network were linked to indicators of successful business founding (Davidson and Honig 2003). The focus on the objective also assumes that the achievement of relevant milestones are critical to the start-up stage and that the inability to achieve specific milestones should explain why some nascents decide to give up. However, studies show that there are few consistent predictors (writing a business plan and creating a legal-4-entity) of persistence from an extensive list of activities that were tracked (Shane and Delmar 2004; Delmar and Shane 2003). Surprisingly, as a broad measure of milestone achievement, the total number of start-up activities undertaken has an equivocal relationship to persistence when comparing …
Two-sided Mullins-Sekerka flow does not preserve convexity ∗

The (two-sided) Mullins-Sekerka model is a nonlocal evolution model for closed hypersurfaces, which was originally proposed as a model for phase transitions of materials of negligible specific heat. Under this evolution the propagating interfaces maintain the enclosed volume while the area of the interfaces decreases. We will show by means of an example that the Mullins-Sekerka flow does not preserve convexity in two space dimensions, where we consider both the Mullins-Sekerka model on a bounded domain, and the Mullins-Sekerka model defined on the whole plane.
Viscous modes within the compressible boundary-layer flow due to a broad rotating cone

Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.We investigate the effects of compressibility and wall cooling on the stationary, viscous (Type II) instability mode within the 3D boundary layer over rotating cones with half-angle greater than 40∘ 40∘ . The stationary mode is characterised by zero shear stress at the wall and a triple-deck solution is presented in the isothermal case. Asymptotic solutions are obtained which describe the structure of the wavenumber and the orientation of this mode as a function of local Mach number. It is found that a stationary mode is possible only over a finite range of local Mach number. Our conclusions are entirely consistent with the results of Seddougui 1990 , A nonlinear investigation of the stability models of instability of the trhee-dimensional Compresible boundary layer due to a rotating disc Q. J. Mech. Appl. Math. , 43, pt. 4. It is suggested that wall cooling has a significant stabilising effect, while reducing the half-angle is marginally destabilising. Solutions are presented for air.
Current Understanding on the Role of Standard and Immunoproteasomes in Inflammatory/Immunological Pathways of Multiple Sclerosis

The ubiquitin-proteasome system is the major intracellular molecular machinery for protein degradation and maintenance of protein homeostasis in most human cells. As ubiquitin-proteasome system plays a critical role in the regulation of the immune system, it might also influence the development and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). Both ex vivo analyses and animal models suggest that activity and composition of ubiquitin-proteasome system are altered in MS. Proteasome isoforms endowed of immunosubunits may affect the functionality of different cell types such as CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and B cells as well as neurons during MS development. Furthermore, the study of proteasome-related biomarkers, such as proteasome antibodies and circulating proteasomes, may represent a field of interest in MS. Proteasome inhibitors are already used as treatment for cancer and the recent development of inhibitors selective for immunoproteasome subunits may soon represent novel therapeutic approaches to the different forms of MS. In this review we describe the current knowledge on the potential role of proteasomes in MS and discuss the pro et contra of possible therapies for MS targeting proteasome isoforms.
Hopf Bifurcation with Tetrahedral and Octahedral Symmetry

In the study of the periodic solutions of a -equivariant dynamical s ystem, the H mod K theorem gives all possible periodic solutions, based on the group-theoretical aspects. By contrast, the equivariant Hopf theorem guarantees the existence of families of small-amplitude periodic solutions bifurcating from the origin for each C-axial subgroup of × S 1 . In this paper while characterizing the Hopf bifurcation, we identify which periodic solution types, whose existence is guaranteed by the H mod K theorem, are obtainable by Hopf bifurcation from the origin, when the group is eit her tetrahedral or octahedral. The two groups are isomorphic, but their representations in R 3 and in R 6 are not, and this changes the possible symmetries of bifurcating solutions.
Approximation Algorithms for Stochastic Submodular Set Cover with Applications to Boolean Function Evaluation and Min-Knapsack

We present a new approximation algorithm for the stochastic submodular set cover (SSSC) problem called adaptive dual greedy. We use this algorithm to obtain a 3-approximation algorithm solving the stochastic Boolean function evaluation (SBFE) problem for linear threshold formulas (LTFs). We also obtain a 3-approximation algorithm for the closely related stochastic min-knapsack problem and a 2-approximation for a variant of that problem. We prove a new approximation bound for a previous algorithm for the SSSC problem, the adaptive greedy algorithm of Golovin and Krause. We also consider an approach to approximating SBFE problems using the adaptive greedy algorithm, which we call the Q-value approach. This approach easily yields a new result for evaluation of CDNF (conjunctive / disjunctive normal form) formulas, and we apply variants of it to simultaneous evaluation problems and a ranking problem. However, we show that the Q-value approach provably cannot be used to obtain a sublinear approximation factor for the SBFE problem for LTFs or read-once disjunctive normal form formulas.
Monitoring acute and chronic water column toxicity in the Northern Sacramento–San Joaquin Estuary, California, USA, using the euryhaline amphipod, Hyalella azteca: 2006 to 2007

After the significant population decline of several pelagic fish species in the Northern Sacramento–San Joaquin (SSJ) Estuary (CA, USA) in 2002, a study was performed to monitor water column toxicity using the amphipod Hyalella azteca. From January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2007, water samples were collected biweekly from 15 to 16 sites located in large delta channels and main‐stem rivers, selected based on prevalent distribution patterns of fish species of concern. Ten‐day laboratory tests with H. azteca survival and relative growth as toxicity endpoints were conducted. The enzyme inhibitor piperonyl butoxide ([PBO], 25 µg/L) was added to synergize or antagonize pyrethroid or organophosphate (OP) insecticide toxicity, respectively. Significant amphipod mortality was observed in 5.6% of ambient samples. Addition of PBO significantly changed survival or growth in 1.1% and 10.1% of ambient samples, respectively. Sites in the Lower Sacramento River had the largest number of acutely toxic samples, high occurrence of PBO effects on amphipod growth (along with sites in the South Delta), and the highest total ammonia/ammonium concentrations (0.28 ± 0.15 mg/L). Ammonia/ammonium, or contaminants occurring in mixture with these, likely contributed to the observed toxicity. Pyrethroid insecticides were detected at potentially toxic concentrations. Overall, results of this study identified specific areas and contaminants of concern and showed that water in the Northern SSJ Estuary was at times acutely toxic to sensitive invertebrates. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:2190–2199. © 2010 SETAC
Preparation of Phosphorylated Chitosan/ Chitosan/ Hydroxyapatite Composites by Co-Precipitation Method

In this work, the PCS/CS/HA composites with different weight ratios were prepared through a co-precipitation method. The properties of these composites were characterized by means of the XRD, the IR, the SEM and the bending strength test. The value of bending strength of the PCS/CS/ HA composite with a weight ratio of 10/30/60 was measured about 34.93 MPa which is 1.6 times high of the cancellous bone. The composite is appropriate to be used as materials for bone tissue engineering.
Guaranteed non-linear estimation using constraint propagation on sets

Bounded-error estimation is the estimation of the parameter or state vector of a model from experimental data, under the assumption that some suitably defined errors should belong to some prior feasible sets. When the model outputs are linear in the vector to be estimated, a number of methods are available to contain all estimates that are consistent with the data within simple sets such as ellipsoids, orthotopes or parallelotopes, thereby providing guaranteed set estimates. In the non-linear case, the situation is much less developed and there are very few methods that produce such guaranteed estimates. In this paper, the problem of characterizing the set of all state vectors that are consistent with all data in the case of non-linear discrete-time systems is cast into the more general framework of constraint satisfaction problems. The state vector at time k should be estimated either on-line from past measurement only or off-line from a series of measurements that may include measurements posterior to k . Even in the causal case, prior information on the future value of the state and output vectors, due for instance to physical constraints, is readily taken into account. Algorithms taken from the literature of interval constraint propagation are extended by replacing intervals by more general subsets of real vector spaces. This makes it possible to propose a new algorithm that contracts the feasible domain for each uncertain variable optimally (i.e. no smaller domain could be obtained) and efficiently.
Evidence for enhanced Thy-1 (CD90) expression in orbital fibroblasts of patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy.

BACKGROUND Thy-1 is a surface protein that defines functionally distinct subpopulations of fibroblasts, with those lacking the antigen being capable of adipogenesis. Because increased fat cell development is a hallmark of the orbit in Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO), we wished to compare baseline Thy-1 expression in orbital fibroblasts from GO patients and normal individuals, and determine whether levels of the protein might be impacted by adipogenesis following peroxisome proliferator activator-gamma ligation. METHODS Orbital adipose/connective tissue specimens were obtained from euthyroid patients undergoing orbital decompression surgery for severe GO (n = 9) and from normal individuals (n = 9). Thy-1 mRNA and protein levels were assessed in tissue specimens and in orbital fibroblast cultures at baseline using RT-PCR, quantitative immunofluorescent staining, and flow cytometry using a specific Thy-1 mouse anti-human CD90/Thy-1 monoclonal antibody. In addition, some orbital fibroblast cultures were treated with rosiglitazone (1 microL/mL; 2 nM) or control for 10 days in culture. RESULTS We found that Thy-1 mRNA and protein expression was higher in uncultured GO connective/adipose tissue specimens (3.8-fold; 0.835 +/- 0.116 relative expression) compared with normal (0.22 +/- 0.062; p = 0.002) and in cultured orbital fibroblasts from GO patients (3.3-fold; 9.28 +/- 1.82 relative expression) compared with normal cultures (2.80 +/- 0.42; p = 0.013). Adipocyte differentiation had no effect on Thy-1 expression. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescent staining showed increased numbers of Thy-1-positive cells in the GO (mean 77.9 + 4.09%; range 66.5-84.8%) compared with the normal fibroblast cultures (66.8 + 1.6%; range 63.3-71.0% positive; p = 0.046), as well as higher levels of expression on the positive cells. CONCLUSIONS Increased Thy-1 expression in GO orbital tissues and cultures is likely a consequence of the orbital disease process, reflecting both the presence of increased numbers of Thy-1-positive cells and higher expression on those cells. Adipogenesis itself does not appear to impact Thy-1 expression. Increased expression of this protein in GO could represent an adaptive response to cell injury, in effect limiting disease progression within the orbital adipose/connective tissues.
Development of tensile fatigue criteria for bound materials

Flexural beam breakage and fatigue tests were conducted in 2008–2011 to determine their relationships with pavement fatigue life and tensile strain for a range of New Zealand materials for use in pavement design of stabilised aggregates. The results showed that the tensile fatigue relationships from several fatigue tests under repetitive loading could be approximated by single flexural beam breakage tests. These relationships resulted in significantly longer pavement lives than the Austroads pavement design criteria but still predicted shorter fatigue lives than what actually occurred at the Canterbury Accelerated Pavement Testing Indoor Facility test track, indicating some conservatism in the approach. Further research is required to validate the tensile fatigue design procedure against actual field data.
Contribution of the RgfD Quorum Sensing Peptide to rgf Regulation and Host Cell Association in Group B Streptococcus

Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus; GBS) is a common inhabitant of the genitourinary and/or gastrointestinal tract in up to 40% of healthy adults; however, this opportunistic pathogen is able to breach restrictive host barriers to cause disease and persist in harsh and changing conditions. This study sought to identify a role for quorum sensing, a form of cell to cell communication, in the regulation of the fibrinogen-binding (rgfBDAC) two-component system and the ability to associate with decidualized endometrial cells in vitro. To do this, we created a deletion in rgfD, which encodes the putative autoinducing peptide, in a GBS strain belonging to multilocus sequence type (ST)-17 and made comparisons to the wild type. Sequence variation in the rgf operon was detected in 40 clinical strains and a non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism was detected in rgfD in all of the ST-17 genomes that resulted in a truncation. Using qPCR, expression of rgf operon genes was significantly decreased in the ST-17 ΔrgfD mutant during exponential growth with the biggest difference (3.3-fold) occurring at higher cell densities. Association with decidualized endometrial cells was decreased 1.3-fold in the mutant relative to the wild type and rgfC expression was reduced 22-fold in ΔrgfD following exposure to the endometrial cells. Collectively, these data suggest that this putative quorum sensing molecule is important for attachment to human tissues and demonstrate a role for RgfD in GBS pathogenesis through regulation of rgfC.
pp32 (ANP32A) Expression Inhibits Pancreatic Cancer Cell Growth and Induces Gemcitabine Resistance by Disrupting HuR Binding to mRNAs

The expression of protein phosphatase 32 (PP32, ANP32A) is low in poorly differentiated pancreatic cancers and is linked to the levels of HuR (ELAV1), a predictive marker for gemcitabine response. In pancreatic cancer cells, exogenous overexpression of pp32 inhibited cell growth, supporting its long-recognized role as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer. In chemotherapeutic sensitivity screening assays, cells overexpressing pp32 were selectively resistant to the nucleoside analogs gemcitabine and cytarabine (ARA-C), but were sensitized to 5-fluorouracil; conversely, silencing pp32 in pancreatic cancer cells enhanced gemcitabine sensitivity. The cytoplasmic levels of pp32 increased after cancer cells are treated with certain stressors, including gemcitabine. pp32 overexpression reduced the association of HuR with the mRNA encoding the gemcitabine-metabolizing enzyme deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), causing a significant reduction in dCK protein levels. Similarly, ectopic pp32 expression caused a reduction in HuR binding of mRNAs encoding tumor-promoting proteins (e.g., VEGF and HuR), while silencing pp32 dramatically enhanced the binding of these mRNA targets. Low pp32 nuclear expression correlated with high-grade tumors and the presence of lymph node metastasis, as compared to patients' tumors with high nuclear pp32 expression. Although pp32 expression levels did not enhance the predictive power of cytoplasmic HuR status, nuclear pp32 levels and cytoplasmic HuR levels associated significantly in patient samples. Thus, we provide novel evidence that the tumor suppressor function of pp32 can be attributed to its ability to disrupt HuR binding to target mRNAs encoding key proteins for cancer cell survival and drug efficacy.