Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of the Role of Musical Structural Features in the Perception of Emotion in Greek Traditional Music

Background in music psychology. Music is widely acknowledged as a powerful elicitor of strong emotional experiences; this is partly attributed to its inherent features. Previous research has found a relationship between certain features of music and their emotional connotations. However, research has been mainly limited to Western art music and its inherent qualities, neglecting the cultural effects on perception of emotion in music. Background in historical musicology, music theory and analysis. ‘Ethos’ is a notion found in notable civilizations, such as Chinese, Indian, Greek, Arabic, etc. Researchers of Byzantine music, studying the notion ‘ethos’, have up to now mainly concentrated on discussing similarities and differences with the characteristics of ‘ethos’, as described in treatises of ancient Greek music theory and philosophy, as well as in medieval and post-medieval theories of the byzantine modes. Aims. The present study expands the area of music research to the field of non-Western music, focusing on Greek traditional music, which is based on Byzantine music theory. The researchers’ main goals were a) to pinpoint cultural similarities and differences in the perception of emotion in music, and b) to shed light on the role of musical structure in the decoding of emotional messages when listening to a familiar or unfamiliar musical tonal system. Main contribution. 14 Italians, 15 British, and 30 Greek adult listeners rated the level of communication of certain basic and secondary emotions while listening to 10 Greek traditional musical excerpts. Subsequently, the relationships between certain structural features of the musical excerpts and the subjects’ judgments of the intended emotions were examined. Results showed that basic emotions were accurately recognized (except for the emotion of fear), along with some secondary emotions. Moreover, familiar and unfamiliar listeners seemed to rely more or less on different structural parameters during the emotional decoding process. Conclusions from previous empirical research on the role of certain structural features, as well as theoretical descriptions of ‘ethos’ were partly confirmed. Implications. It is once more confirmed that people perceive music in both a culture-specific and a universal manner via the decoding of various perceptual cues. Such a conclusion could strongly influence educational practice, being an incentive for music educators to focus more on teaching students how to listen and decode acoustic cues, and how to improve structural communication during instrumental performances, or in music composition.
The End of an Architectural Era (It's Time for a Complete Rewrite)

In previous papers [SC05, SBC+07], some of us predicted the end of “one size fits all” as a commercial relational DBMS paradigm. These papers presented reasons and experimental evidence that showed that the major RDBMS vendors can be outperformed by 1-2 orders of magnitude by specialized engines in the data warehouse, stream processing, text, and scientific database markets. Assuming that specialized engines dominate these markets over time, the current relational DBMS code lines will be left with the business data processing (OLTP) market and hybrid markets where more than one kind of capability is required. In this paper we show that current RDBMSs can be beaten by nearly two orders of magnitude in the OLTP market as well. The experimental evidence comes from comparing a new OLTP prototype, H-Store, which we have built at M.I. T. , to a popular RDBMS on the standard transactional benchmark, TPC-C. We conclude that the current RDBMS code lines, while attempting to be a “one size fits all” solution, in fact, excel at nothing. Hence, they are 25 year old legacy code lines that should be retired in favor of a collection of “from scratch” specialized engines. The DBMS vendors (and the research community) should start with a clean sheet of paper and design systems for tomorrow’s requirements, not continue to push code lines and architectures designed for yesterday’s needs.
Cross‐regulatory role of interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ), IL‐4 and IL‐10 in schistosome egg granuloma formation: in vivo regulation of Th activity and inflammation

This study examined the relationship ofIL‐4, IL‐10 and IFN‐γ with regard to the local granuloma (GR) and draining lymph node (LN) response to Schistosoma mansoni eggs. Synchronized GR were induced in naive and schistosome‐infected mice at the vigorous (8 weeks) and late chronic (20 weeks) stages. In LN cultures, IL‐10 and IFN production peaked on day 4 and was greatest for 8 week‐infected mice. All GR cultures contained IFN, but compared with naive mice IL‐10 production was accelerated at 8 weeks and abrogated at 20 weeks, consistent with expansion and abatement of Th2 activity, Cytokine neutralization was performed in egg‐challenged, naive mice that were adoptively sensitized with lymphoid cells from 8 week‐infected donors. GR size, GR macrophage tumour necrosis factor (TNF) production and egg antigen‐elicited IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐10 and IFN were examined on day 4 of GR formation, Anti‐IFN augmented GR area by 40%, increased local IL‐4 and IL‐10, but decreased IFN and TNF production. In corresponding LN cultures, IFN decreased by about 50%, while IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐IO and lL‐5 increased by nearly two‐, four‐, five‐ and six‐fold, respectively, Anti‐IL‐10 did not affect GR size or GR cytokines, but increased IFN levels in LN cultures four‐fold and decreased IL‐2, IL‐4, lL‐5 and IL‐10. Anti‐IL‐4 abrogated GR area by 40%, along with a reduction in local IL‐4 and TNF production. In LN, IL‐4 depletion reduced IL‐4 and IL‐5 by 60–70% and increased IFN levels. These results support the notion of a cross‐regulatory network in which IFN inhibits Th2 and IL‐10 inhibits ThI cells. IL‐4 fosters Th2 cell differentiation in LN, but also performs a critical recruitment function in the eosinophil‐rich schistosome egg‐induced GR, whereas IFN contributes to enhanced GR macrophage function.
Comparative in vitro susceptibilities of eight Enterobacter species, with special reference to Enterobacter sakazakii

An agar dilution method was used to measure the MICs of 29 antimicrobial agents against Enterobacter sakazakii, E. cloacae, E. aerogenes, E. agglomerans, E. amnigenus, E. gergoviae, E. intermedium, and E. taylorae (formerly Enteric Group 19). E. sakazakii was the most susceptible species. Results showing resistance to ampicillin are likely to exclude E. sakazakii.
Evaluation of depth perception for touch interaction with stereoscopic rendered objects

Recent developments in the domain of Human Computer Interaction have suggested to combine stereoscopic visualization with touch interaction. Although this combination has the potential to provide more intuitive and natural interaction setups for a wide range of applications, until now interaction with such systems is mainly constrained to simple navigation, whereas manipulation of the stereoscopically displayed objects is supported only rather rudimentarily. In this paper we investigate the users' ability to discriminate depth or depth motion of stereoscopically rendered objects while she is performing touch gestures and discuss implications for object selection and manipulation. Our results show that there is a usable range of imperceptible manipulation, which - if properly applied - could support interaction with objects floating in the vicinity around the display surface without noticeable impact on a user's visual or touch performance.
Mature-Onset Obesity in Interleukin-1 Receptor I Knockout Mice

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a major mediator of inflammation that exerts its biological activities through the IL-1 type I receptor (IL-1RI). The body weights of IL-1RI−/− mice of both sexes started to deviate from those of wild-type mice at 5–6 months of age and were 20% higher at 9 months of age. Visceral and subcutaneous fat mass, measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and magnetic resonance imaging, was markedly (1.5- to 2.5-fold) increased. Lean body mass and crown-rump length were also slightly (11 and 5%, respectively) increased, as was serum IGF-I. Obese IL-1RI−/− mice were insulin resistant, as evidenced by hyperinsulinemia, decreased glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity. To elucidate the mechanisms for the development of obesity, young preobese IL-1RI−/− mice were investigated. They showed decreased suppression of body weight and food intake in response to systemic leptin treatment. The decreased leptin responsiveness was even more pronounced in older obese animals. Moreover, spontaneous locomotor activity and fat utilization, as measured by respiratory quotient, were decreased in preobese IL-1RI−/− mice. In conclusion, lack of IL-1RI–mediated biological activity causes mature-onset obesity. This obese phenotype is preceded by decreased leptin sensitivity, fat utilization, and locomotor activity.
Mechano-Chemical Aspects of Organ Formation in Arabidopsis thaliana: The Relationship between Auxin and Pectin

How instructive signals are translated into robust and predictable changes in growth is a central question in developmental biology. Recently, much interest has centered on the feedback between chemical instructions and mechanical changes for pattern formation in development. In plants, the patterned arrangement of aerial organs, or phyllotaxis, is instructed by the phytohormone auxin; however, it still remains to be seen how auxin is linked, at the apex, to the biochemical and mechanical changes of the cell wall required for organ outgrowth. Here, using Atomic Force Microscopy, we demonstrate that auxin reduces tissue rigidity prior to organ outgrowth in the shoot apex of Arabidopsis thaliana, and that the de-methyl-esterification of pectin is necessary for this reduction. We further show that development of functional organs produced by pectin-mediated ectopic wall softening requires auxin signaling. Lastly, we demonstrate that coordinated localization of the auxin transport protein, PIN1, is disrupted in a naked-apex produced by increasing cell wall rigidity. Our data indicates that a feedback loop between the instructive chemical auxin and cell wall mechanics may play a crucial role in phyllotactic patterning.
An associative index model for the results list based on Vannevar Bush's selection concept

Introduction. We define the results list problem in information search and suggest the associative index model, an ad-hoc, user-derived indexing solution based on Vannevar Bush's description of an associative indexing approach for his memex machine. We further define what selection means in indexing terms with reference to Charles Cutter's 3 objectives for the dictionary catalogue, particularly the selection objective. Method. A case study utilizing a structured-interview method illustrates and tests the feasibility of the model by comparing it the AquaBrowser's word cloud, a popular word association and visualization information retrieval system. Analysis. System-derived indexing schemes such as Aquabrowser's �word cloud' attempt to facilitate user processing of the results list by showing concept paths associated with the user's query. These externally-derived paths may not be helpful for an exploratory information search. The proposed model, which facilitates the user's information need processing, appears better suited for this type of search. Results. The case study provides anecdotal evidence indicating the potential benefits of the model over externally-derived indexing systems. Conclusion. Large-scale testing of the model is required to confirm the results.
Increasing the Efficacy of Educators Teaching Online

In order to provide and maintain effective pedagogy for the burgeoning virtual reality community, it is vital to have trained faculty in the institutions of higher education who will teach these courses and be able to make full use of their academic knowledge and expertise. As the number of online courses continues to grow, there is a need for these institutions to establish mentoring programs that will support the novice online instructor. The environment in which this takes place and the factors that ensure its success are critical to the adoption of the new instructional delivery format taught by both seasoned educators and adjunct instructors. Effective one-on-one mentoring promotes a professional, compassionate and collegial faculty who will provide a consistent and rigorous academic program for students online. Keywords—Mentoring seasoned faculty, staff development, online pedagogy, online andragogy.
The endothelial cytoskeleton as a target of electroporation-based therapies

Electroporation-based therapies, such as electrochemotherapy and electrogene therapy, result in the disruption of blood vessel networks in vivo and cause changes in blood flow and vascular permeability. The effects of electroporation on the cytoskeleton of cultured primary endothelial cells and on endothelial monolayer permeability were investigated to elucidate possible mechanisms involved. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were electroporated in situ and then immunofluorescence staining for filamentous actin, β-tubulin, vimentin, and VE-cadherin as well as Western blotting analysis of levels of phosphorylated myosin light chain and cytoskeletal proteins were performed. Endothelial permeability was determined by monitoring the passage of FITC-coupled dextran through endothelial monolayers. Exposure of endothelial cells to electric pulses resulted in a profound disruption of microfilament and microtubule cytoskeletal networks, loss of contractility, and loss of vascular endothelial cadherin from cell-to-cell junctions immediately after electroporation. These effects were voltage dependent and reversible because cytoskeletal structures recovered within 60 min of electroporation with up to 40 V, without any significant loss of cell viability. The cytoskeletal effects of electroporation were paralleled by a rapid increase in endothelial monolayer permeability. These results suggest that the remodeling of the endothelial cytoskeleton and changes in endothelial barrier function could contribute to the vascular disrupting actions of electroporation-based therapies and provide an insight into putative mechanisms responsible for the observed increase in permeability and cessation of blood flow in vivo. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(12):3145–52]
Circulating Fibroblast Growth Factor‐23 and the Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Background Increased concentrations of circulating fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF‐23) have been associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The association between FGF‐23 and the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), a common arrhythmia, is less defined. Thus, we explored whether FGF‐23 concentration was associated with AF incidence in a large community‐based cohort. Methods and Results We studied 12 349 men and women enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, without prevalent AF at baseline in 1990–1992. Serum intact FGF‐23 concentration was measured with the Kainos 2‐site ELISA. Incident AF through 2010 was ascertained from study ECGs and hospital discharge codes. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for potential confounding factors, including kidney function, were used to estimate the association between FGF‐23 and AF risk. We identified 1572 AF events during a mean follow‐up of 17 years. In multivariable analysis, a difference of 1 SD (16 pg/mL) in baseline FGF‐23 was not associated with the risk of AF (hazard ratio [HR], 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99, 1.09). Results were similar when FGF‐23 was modeled in quartiles (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.94, 1.26, comparing extreme quartiles). Reduced kidney function was associated with increased AF risk across quartiles of FGF‐23 levels. Conclusion In this large community‐based cohort, baseline FGF‐23 levels were not associated with AF risk independently of kidney function. Our results do not support a major role for FGF‐23 as a risk factor for AF or as a mediator of the association between chronic kidney disease and AF.
DUSP1 Maintains IRF1 and Leads to Increased Expression of IRF1-dependent Genes

Although the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase, DUSP1, mediates dexamethasone-induced repression of MAPKs, 14 of 46 interleukin-1β (IL1B)-induced mRNAs were significantly enhanced by DUSP1 overexpression in pulmonary A549 cells. These include the interferon regulatory factor, IRF1, and the chemokine, CXCL10. Of these, DUSP1-enhanced mRNAs, 10 including CXCL10, were IRF1-dependent. MAPK inhibitors and DUSP1 overexpression prolonged IRF1 expression by elevating transcription and increasing IRF1 mRNA and protein stability. Conversely, DUSP1 silencing increased IL1B-induced MAPK phosphorylation while significantly reducing IRF1 protein expression at 4 h. This confirms a regulatory network whereby DUSP1 switches off MAPKs to maintain IRF1 expression. There was no repression of IRF1 expression by dexamethasone in primary human bronchial epithelial cells, and in A549 cells IL1B-induced IRF1 protein was only modestly and transiently repressed. Although dexamethasone did not repress IL1B-induced IRF1 protein expression at 4–6 h, silencing of IL1B plus dexamethasone-induced DUSP1 significantly reduced IRF1 expression. IL1B-induced expression of CXCL10 was largely insensitive to dexamethasone, whereas other DUSP1-enhanced, IRF1-dependent mRNAs showed various degrees of repression. With IL1B plus dexamethasone, CXCL10 expression was also IRF1-dependent, and expression was reduced by DUSP1 silencing. Thus, IL1B plus dexamethasone-induced DUSP1 maintains expression of IRF1 and the IRF1-dependent gene, CXCL10. This is supported by chromatin immunoprecipitation showing IRF1 recruitment to be essentially unaffected by dexamethasone at the CXCL10 promoter or at the promoters of more highly repressed IRF1-dependent genes. Since IRF1-dependent genes, such as CXCL10, are central to host defense, these data may help explain the reduced effectiveness of glucocorticoids during asthma exacerbations.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of infant universal routine pneumococcal vaccination in Malaysia and Hong Kong

Pneumococcal disease causes large morbidity, mortality and health care utilization and medical and non-medical costs, which can all be reduced by effective infant universal routine immunization programs with pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV). We evaluated the clinical and economic benefits of such programs with either 10- or 13-valent PCVs in Malaysia and Hong Kong by using an age-stratified Markov cohort model with many country-specific inputs. The incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) was calculated to compare PCV10 or PCV13 against no vaccination and PCV13 against PCV10 over a 10-year birth cohort's vaccination. Both payer and societal perspectives were used. PCV13 had better public health and economic outcomes than a PCV10 program across all scenarios considered. For example, in the base case scenario in Malaysia, PCV13 would reduce more cases of IPD (+2,296), pneumonia (+705,281), and acute otitis media (+376,967) and save more lives (+6,122) than PCV10. Similarly, in Hong Kong, PCV13 would reduce more cases of IPD cases (+529), pneumonia (+172,185), and acute otitis media (+37,727) and save more lives (+2,688) than PCV10. During the same time horizon, PCV13 would gain over 74,000 and 21,600 additional QALYs than PCV10 in Malaysia and Hong Kong, respectively. PCV13 would be cost saving when compared against similar program with PCV10, under both payer and societal perspective in both countries. PCV13 remained a better choice over PCV10 in multiple sensitivity, scenario, and probabilistic analyses. PCV13s broader serotype coverage in its formulation and herd effect compared against PCV10 were important drivers of differences in outcomes.
Lipopolysaccharide Upregulated Intestinal Epithelial Cell Expression of Fn14 and Activation of Fn14 Signaling Amplify Intestinal TLR4-Mediated Inflammation

TLR4 in intestinal epithelial cells has been shown both inflammatory and homeostatic roles following binding of its cognate ligand lipopolysaccharide (LPS). TWEAK-Fn14 axis plays an important role in pathologies caused by excessive or abnormal inflammatory responses. This study aimed to evaluate potential cross-talk between TLR4 and TWEAK/Fn14 system in porcine small intestinal epithelial cells. Our in vivo results showed that, compared with the age-matched normal control piglets, increased expression of Fn14 in epithelium and decreased TWEAK expression in lamina propria were detected in the small intestinal of piglets stimulated with LPS. Consistent with this finding, treatment with LPS increased the expression of Fn14 and TLR4 while decreased TWEAK expression in porcine small intestinal epithelial cell lines SIEC02. Interestingly, modulating Fn14 activation using agonistic anti-Fn14 decreased TLR4-mediated TNF-α production by SIEC02. In addition, pretreatment of LPS-stimulated SIEC02 with recombinant TWEAK protein suppresses the expression of Fn14 and TNF-α and inhibits the negative impact of LPS on the tight junctional protein occludin expression. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the TWEAK-independent Fn14 activation augments TLR4-mediated inflammatory responses in the intestine of piglets. Furthermore, the TWEAK-dependent suppression of Fn14 signaling may play a role in intestinal homeostasis.
On the characteristic of integral point sets in 𝔼m

We generalise the definition of the characteristic of an integral triangle to integral simplices and prove that each simplex in an integral point set has the same characteristic. This theorem is used for an efficient construction algorithm for integral point sets. Using this algorithm we are able to provide new exact values for the minimum diameter of integral point sets.
Effect of telemonitoring of cardiac implantable electronic devices on healthcare utilization: a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials in patients with heart failure

Implantable device telemonitoring (DTM) is a diagnostic adjunct to traditional face‐to‐face hospital visits. Remote device follow‐up and earlier diagnoses facilitated by DTM should reduce healthcare utilization. We explored whether DTM reduces healthcare utilization over standard of care (SoC), without compromising patient outcomes.
A distributed pareto-optimal dynamic estimation method

In this paper, a novel distributed model-based prediction method is proposed using sensor networks. Each sensor communicates with the neighboring nodes for state estimation based on a consensus protocol without centralized coordination. The proposed distributed estimator consists of a consensus-filtering scheme, which uses a weighted combination of sensors information, and a model-based predictor. Both the consensus-filtering weights and the model-based prediction parameter for all the state components are jointly optimized to minimize the variance and bias of the prediction error in a Pareto framework. It is assumed that the weights of the consensus-filtering phase are unequal for the different state components, unlike consensus-based approaches from literature. The state, the measurements, and the noise components are assumed to be individually correlated, but no probability distribution knowledge is assumed for the noise variables. The optimal weights are derived and it is established that the consensus-filtering weights and the model-based prediction parameters cannot be designed separately in an optimal way. The asymptotic convergence of the mean of the prediction error is demonstrated. Simulation results show the performance of the proposed method, obtaining better results than distributed Kalman filtering.