Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online Adaptation to Altered Auditory Feedback Is Predicted by Auditory Acuity and Not by Domain-General Executive Control Resources

When a speaker's auditory feedback is altered, he adapts for the perturbation by altering his own production, which demonstrates the role of auditory feedback in speech motor control. In the present study, we explored the role of auditory acuity and executive control in this process. Based on the DIVA model and the major cognitive control models, we expected that higher auditory acuity, and better executive control skills would predict larger adaptation to the alteration. Thirty-six Spanish native speakers performed an altered auditory feedback experiment, executive control (numerical Stroop, Simon and Flanker) tasks, and auditory acuity tasks (loudness, pitch, and melody pattern discrimination). In the altered feedback experiment, participants had to produce the pseudoword “pep” (/pep/) while perceiving their auditory feedback in real time through earphones. The auditory feedback was first unaltered and then progressively altered in F1 and F2 dimensions until maximal alteration (F1 −150 Hz; F2 +300 Hz). The normalized distance of maximal adaptation ranged from 4 to 137 Hz (median of 75 ± 36). The different measures of auditory acuity were significant predictors of adaptation, while individual measures of cognitive function skills (obtained from the executive control tasks) were not. Better auditory discriminators adapted more to the alteration. We conclude that adaptation to altered auditory feedback is very well-predicted by general auditory acuity, as suggested by the DIVA model. In line with the framework of motor-control models, no specific claim on the implication of executive resources in speech motor control can be made.
CCO-based analog front-end for iStents

This paper presents a low power analog front-end designed to be part of an intelligent stent for restenosis monitoring in a distal pulmonary artery. The heterogeneous front-end comprises a capacitive MEMS pressure sensors for the acquisition of physiological signals, as well as 0.18 μm CMOS electronics for wireless device powering and data transmission, performed using the ISM 433.92 MHz band. The architecture includes a voltage rectifier, a voltage reference, a voltage regulator, an oscillator and a MEMS pressure sensor. A modified Sawtooth oscillator has been designed to allow the operation of the system under ramped-voltage biasing signals. Post-layout simulations present a good correlation with the analytical model of the system, showing an average power consumption of 11 μW and a frequency-to-capacitance sensitivity of 0.1569 MHz/pF.
Targeting Swine Leukocyte Antigen Class I Molecules for Proteasomal Degradation by the nsp1α Replicase Protein of the Chinese Highly Pathogenic Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Strain JXwn06

ABSTRACT Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a critical pathogen of swine, and infections by this virus often result in delayed, low-level induction of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses in pigs. Here, we report that a Chinese highly pathogenic PRRSV strain possessed the ability to downregulate swine leukocyte antigen class I (SLA-I) molecules on the cell surface of porcine alveolar macrophages and target them for degradation in a manner that was dependent on the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Moreover, we found that the nsp1α replicase protein contributed to this property of PRRSV. Further mutagenesis analyses revealed that this function of nsp1α required the intact molecule, including the zinc finger domain, but not the cysteine protease activity. More importantly, we found that nsp1α was able to interact with both chains of SLA-I, a requirement that is commonly needed for many viral proteins to target their cellular substrates for proteasomal degradation. Together, our findings provide critical insights into the mechanisms of how PRRSV might evade cellular immunity and also add a new role for nsp1α in PRRSV infection. IMPORTANCE PRRSV infections often result in delayed, low-level induction of CTL responses in pigs. Deregulation of this immunity is thought to prevent the virus from clearance in an efficient and timely manner, contributing to persistent infections in swineherds. Our studies in this report provide critical insight into the mechanism of how PRRSV might evade CTL responses. In addition, our findings add a new role for nsp1α, a critical viral factor involved in antagonizing host innate immunity.
Assessment of Tear Functions in Patients with Acne Rosacea without Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the results of tear functions in acne rosacea. Methods: This prospective study includes 64 eyes of 32 acne rosacea patients without blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction and 90 eyes of 45 patients as control group. Tear functions of all were evaluated with ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire, and measurements of tear osmolarity were performed by using TearLab, Schirmer I tests without anesthesia and fluorescein tear break-up time (TBUT). Results: The mean Schirmer test result was 12.53 ± 6.54 in study group and 16.21 + 7.52 mm/5 min in control group (p = 0.28). The mean TBUT in study group was 8.21 ± 4.01 and in control group was 18.03 ± 6.45 s (p = 0.02). Mean tear osmolarity in study group was 304.77 ± 15.59and in control group was 275.23 + 28.52 mOsms/L (p = 0.03). Mean OSDI score in study group was 27.51 ± 16.73 and was 18.15 ± 7.05 in control group (p = 0.38). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated lower dry eye tests before the appearance of clinical signs of meibomian gland disease in acne rosacea.
Overview of refinement procedures within REFMAC5: utilizing data from different sources

Here, a macromolecule-centred approach to three-dimensional structure determination as implemented in REFMAC5 is considered. The use of restraints to transfer chemical and structural information during macromolecular refinement, and how different sources of information can be combined in order to achieve models that are more consistent with data derived from a variety of experimental techniques, including macromolecular crystallography, cryo-EM and NMR spectroscopy, are discussed.
Dose evaluation of lamivudine in human immunodeficiency virus‐infected children aged 5 months to 18 years based on a population pharmacokinetic analysis

AIM The objectives of this study were to characterize age-related changes in lamivudine pharmacokinetics in children and evaluate lamivudine exposure, followed by dose recommendations for subgroups in which target steady state area under the daily plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-24h ) is not reached. METHODS Population pharmacokinetic modelling was performed in NONMEM using data from two model-building datasets and two external datasets [n = 180 (age 0.4-18 years, body weight 3.4-60.5 kg); 2061 samples (median 12 per child); daily oral dose 60-300 mg (3.9-17.6 mg kg-1 )]. Steady state AUC0-24h was calculated per individual (adult target 8.9 mg·h l-1 ). RESULTS A two-compartment model with sequential zero order and first order absorption best described the data. Apparent clearance and central volume of distribution (% RSE) were 13.2 l h-1 (4.2%) and 38.9 l (7.0%) for a median individual of 16.6 kg, respectively. Bodyweight was identified as covariate on apparent clearance and volume of distribution using power functions (exponents 0.506 (20.2%) and 0.489 (32.3%), respectively). The external evaluation supported the predictive ability of the final model. In 94.5% and 35.8% of the children with a body weight >14 kg and <14 kg, respectively, the target AUC0-24h was reached. CONCLUSION Bodyweight best predicted the developmental changes in apparent lamivudine clearance and volume of distribution. For children aged 5 months-18 years with a body weight <14 kg, the dose should be increased from 8 to 10 mg kg-1 day-1 if the adult target for AUC0-24h is aimed for. In order to identify whether bodyweight influences bioavailability, clearance and/or volume of distribution, future analysis including data on intravenously administered lamivudine is needed.
Adult Image and Video Recognition by a Deep Multicontext Network and Fine-to-Coarse Strategy

Adult image and video recognition is an important and challenging problem in the real world. Low-level feature cues do not produce good enough information, especially when the dataset is very large and has various data distributions. This issue raises a serious problem for conventional approaches. In this article, we tackle this problem by proposing a deep multicontext network with fine-to-coarse strategy for adult image and video recognition. We employ a deep convolution networks to model fusion features of sensitive objects in images. Global contexts and local contexts are both taken into consideration and are jointly modeled in a unified multicontext deep learning framework. To make the model more discriminative for diverse target objects, we investigate a novel hierarchical method, and a task-specific fine-to-coarse strategy is designed to make the multicontext modeling more suitable for adult object recognition. Furthermore, some recently proposed deep models are investigated. Our approach is extensively evaluated on four different datasets. One dataset is used for ablation experiments, whereas others are used for generalization experiments. Results show significant and consistent improvements over the state-of-the-art methods.
Permanent Neonatal Diabetes Caused by Creation of an Ectopic Splice Site within the INS Gene

Background The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic etiology in a patient who presented with permanent neonatal diabetes at 2 months of age. Methodology/Principal Findings Regulatory elements and coding exons 2 and 3 of the INS gene were amplified and sequenced from genomic and complementary DNA samples. A novel heterozygous INS mutation within the terminal intron of the gene was identified in the proband and her affected father. This mutation introduces an ectopic splice site leading to the insertion of 29 nucleotides from the intronic sequence into the mature mRNA, which results in a longer and abnormal transcript. Conclusions/Significance This study highlights the importance of routinely sequencing the exon-intron boundaries and the need to carry out additional studies to confirm the pathogenicity of any identified intronic genetic variants.
The relationship between social play and developmental milestones in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)

Social play is common among many group‐living animals, but the benefits are not well understood. Proposed benefits include increased muscle coordination as the result of increased locomotor versatility and development, and strengthened social bonds through interactions with like‐aged individuals. In this study, we used 33 years of long‐term behavioral data on infant chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, to examine these potential benefits of social play, specifically how the percentage of time engaged in social play relates to motor and social developmental milestones. We predicted that infants who engaged in more social play would achieve motor and social milestones at younger ages. We found that individuals that spent more time engaging in social play achieved the motor milestones of riding dorsally and traveling independently at earlier ages. Additionally, we found that the amount of play was correlated with earlier ages for reaching the social milestones of spatial independence from mother, first grooming of non‐maternal kin, and first observed mating attempt. This is the first study in great apes to demonstrate a relationship between play behavior and developmental milestones, supporting the hypotheses that play provides motor, and social benefits.
Nutritional ergogenic aids and exercise performance

Abstract The use of nutritional supplements in sport is widespread and few serious athletes do not, at some stage in their career, succumb to the temptation to experiment with one or more nutritional supplements. Nutritional ergogenic aids are aimed primarily at enhancing performance (either by affecting energy metabolism or by an effect on the central nervous system), at increasing lean body mass or muscle mass by stimulation of protein synthesis and at reducing body fat content. Although not strictly ergogenic (i.e. capable of enhancing work performance), supplements aimed at increasing resistance to infection and improving general health are seen by athletes as important in reducing the interruptions to training that minor illness and infection can cause. Creatine is perhaps the most widely used supplement in sport at the moment. Supplementation can increase muscle creatine phosphate levels and, although not all published studies show positive results, there is much evidence that performance of short-term high-intensity exercise can be improved by supplementation. Ingestion of large doses of bicarbonate can enhance performance of exercise where metabolic acidosis may be a limiting factor, but there is a significant risk of adverse gastrointestinal side effects. Caffeine can also improve performance, in part by a stimulation of fatty acid mobilization and sparing of the body's limited carbohydrate stores, but also via direct effects on muscle and possibly by central nervous system effects on the perception of effort and fatigue. Carnitine plays an essential role in fatty acid oxidation in muscle but, although supplements are used by athletes, there is no good evidence of a beneficial effect of supplementation. None of these products contravenes the International Olympic Committee regulations on doping in sports, although caffeine is not permitted above a urine concentration of 12 mg/l. Supplementation is particularly prevalent among strength and power athletes, where an increase in muscle mass can benefit performance. Protein supplements have not been shown to be effective except in those rare cases where the dietary protein intake is otherwise inadequate. Individual amino acids, especially ornithine, arginine and glutamine, are also commonly used, but their benefit is not supported by documented evidence. Cr and hydroxymethylbutyrate are also used by strength athletes, but again there are no well-controlled studies to provide evidence of a beneficial effect. Athletes use a wide variety of supplements aimed at improving or maintaining general health and vitamin and mineral supplementation is widespread. There is a theoretical basis, and limited evidence, to support the use of antioxidant vitamins and glutamine during periods of intensive training, but further evidence is required before the use of these supplements can be recommended.
Biomic Specialization and Speciation Rates in Ruminants (Cetartiodactyla, Mammalia): A Test of the Resource-Use Hypothesis at the Global Scale

The resource-use hypothesis proposed by E.S. Vrba predicts that specialist species have higher speciation and extinction rates than generalists because they are more susceptible to environmental changes and vicariance. In this work, we test some of the predictions derived from this hypothesis on the 197 extant and recently extinct species of Ruminantia (Cetartiodactyla, Mammalia) using the biomic specialization index (BSI) of each species, which is based on its distribution within different biomes. We ran 10000 Monte Carlo simulations of our data in order to get a null distribution of BSI values against which to contrast the observed data. Additionally, we drew on a supertree of the ruminants and a phylogenetic likelihood-based method (QuaSSE) for testing whether the degree of biomic specialization affects speciation rates in ruminant lineages. Our results are consistent with the predictions of the resource-use hypothesis, which foretells a higher speciation rate of lineages restricted to a single biome (BSI = 1) and higher frequency of specialist species in biomes that underwent high degree of contraction and fragmentation during climatic cycles. Bovids and deer present differential specialization across biomes; cervids show higher specialization in biomes with a marked hydric seasonality (tropical deciduous woodlands and schlerophyllous woodlands), while bovids present higher specialization in a greater variety of biomes. This might be the result of divergent physiological constraints as well as a different biogeographic and evolutionary history.
Extension of chemotactic pseudopods by nonadherent human neutrophils does not require or cause calcium bursts

Calcium bursts in human neutrophils accompany adhesion-dependent deformations but not extension of purely chemotactic pseudopods. Calcium bursts in neutrophil chemotaxis Immune cells migrate toward pathogens using chemotactic cues that are either pathogen-derived or generated by the host, such as components of the complement system. During chemotaxis and phagocytosis, the cells coordinate receptor-based signaling with the mechanical processes that underlie adhesion, cell deformation, and migration. To investigate the physiological role of intracellular calcium (Ca2+) bursts in this complex behavior, Francis and Heinrich presented nonadherent human neutrophils with various targets that induced complement-mediated chemotaxis. By simultaneously monitoring the formation of chemotactic pseudopods at the front of the cell and intracellular Ca2+ concentrations, the authors demonstrated that Ca2+ bursts did not accompany the extension of pseudopods and were only induced when the neutrophil contacted the target or was subjected to supraphysiological concentrations of the anaphylatoxin C5a. Thus, Ca2+ bursts, although potentially important for migration on a substrate or phagocytosis, are not required for neutrophils to sense and initiate a response to chemoattractants. Global bursts in free intracellular calcium (Ca2+) are among the most conspicuous signaling events in immune cells. To test the common view that Ca2+ bursts mediate rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton in response to the activation of G protein–coupled receptors, we combined single-cell manipulation with fluorescence imaging and monitored the Ca2+ concentration in individual human neutrophils during complement-mediated chemotaxis. By decoupling purely chemotactic pseudopod formation from cell-substrate adhesion, we showed that physiological concentrations of anaphylatoxins, such as C5a, induced nonadherent human neutrophils to form chemotactic pseudopods but did not elicit Ca2+ bursts. By contrast, pathological or supraphysiological concentrations of C5a often triggered Ca2+ bursts, but pseudopod protrusion stalled or reversed in such cases, effectively halting chemotaxis, similar to sepsis-associated neutrophil paralysis. The maximum increase in cell surface area during pseudopod extension in pure chemotaxis was much smaller—by a factor of 8—than the known capacity of adherent human neutrophils to expand their surface. Because the measured rise in cortical tension was not sufficient to account for this difference, we attribute the limited deformability to a reduced ability of the cytoskeleton to generate protrusive force in the absence of cell adhesion. Thus, we hypothesize that Ca2+ bursts in neutrophils control a mechanistic switch between two distinct modes of cytoskeletal organization and dynamics. A key element of this switch appears to be the expedient coordination of adhesion-dependent lock or release events of cytoskeletal membrane anchors.
Introduction to rain and fog attenuation on automotive surround sensors

Surround sensors in automated vehicles use electromagnetic waves to perceive their local environment. Due to atmospheric phenomena such as rain and fog, the waves are attenuated and limit sensor performance. As already small errors in sensor data measurements could lead to severe accidents, involved sensors should be able to detect measurement errors caused by adverse weather conditions and react accordingly. Rain drops as well as fog drops absorb and scatter electromagnetic waves depending on different properties. Studying the interaction of electromagnetic waves and hydrometeors has a long history in meteorology and radio engineering. This paper gives an overview of the basic knowledge with focus on automotive applications. We focus on camera, lidar, and radar sensors and describe the attenuation in visible, near infrared, and millimeter frequency ranges. For simulating automotive sensors, different disturbance models must be developed for each sensor type. This work should serve as a quick introduction to the field of rain and fog attenuation, highlights potential problems, and discusses possible solutions.
Preconditioning the Augmented Lagrangian Method for Instationary Mean Field Games with Diffusion

We discuss the application of the augmented Lagrangian method to the convex optimization problem of instationary variational mean field games with diffusion. The problem is first discretized with space-time tensor product piecewise polynomial bases. This leads to a sequence of linear problems posed on the space-time cylinder that are second order in the temporal variable and fourth order in the spatial variable. To solve these large linear problems with the preconditioned conjugate gradients method, we propose a preconditioner that is based on a temporal transformation coupled with a spatial multigrid. This preconditioner is thus based on standard components and is particularly suitable for parallel computation. It is conditionally parameter-robust in the sense that the condition number of the preconditioned system is low for sufficiently fine temporal discretizations. Numerical examples illustrate the method.
Confidentiality Breach Through Acoustic Side-Channel in Cyber-Physical Additive Manufacturing Systems

In cyber-physical systems, due to the tight integration of the computational, communication, and physical components, most of the information in the cyber-domain manifests in terms of physical actions (such as motion, temperature change, etc.). This leads to the system being prone to physical-to-cyber domain attacks that affect the confidentiality. Physical actions are governed by energy flows, which may be observed. Some of these observable energy flows unintentionally leak information about the cyber-domain and hence are known as the side-channels. Side-channels such as acoustic, thermal, and power allow attackers to acquire the information without actually leveraging the vulnerability of the algorithms implemented in the system. As a case study, we have taken cyber-physical additive manufacturing systems (fused deposition modeling-based three-dimensional (3D) printer) to demonstrate how the acoustic side-channel can be used to breach the confidentiality of the system. In 3D printers, geometry, process, and machine information are the intellectual properties, which are stored in the cyber domain (G-code). We have designed an attack model that consists of digital signal processing, machine-learning algorithms, and context-based post processing to steal the intellectual property in the form of geometry details by reconstructing the G-code and thus the test objects. We have successfully reconstructed various test objects with an average axis prediction accuracy of 86% and an average length prediction error of 11.11%.