Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Influence of Gender on Interruptions in Multiparty Dialogue

During conversations, participants do not always alternate turns smoothly. One cause of disturbance particularly prominent in multiparty dialogue is the presence of interruptions: interventions that prevent current speakers from finishing their turns. Previous work, mostly within the field of sociolinguistics, has suggested that the gender of the dialogue participants plays an important role in their interruptive behaviour. We investigate existing hypotheses in this respect by systematically analysing interruptions in a corpus of spoken multiparty meetings that include a minimum of two male and two female participants. We find a number of significant differences, including the fact that women are more often interrupted overall and that men interrupt more often women than other men, in particular using speech overlap to grab the floor. We do not find evidence for the hypothesis that women interrupt other women more frequently than they interrupt men.
Improving two-temperature method retrievals based on a nonlinear optimization approach

The two-temperature method (TTM) is known to be sensitive to noise, and therefore, land-surface temperature (LST) and emissivity (LSE) retrievals based on TTM are in general not reliable when obtained by algebraic procedures. Accordingly, the added value of using TTM together with a nonlinear mathematical optimization approach is investigated, focusing on the effect that an increase in the temperature difference as well as in the number of observations might have on LST and LSE retrievals. TTM has provided values of LST and LSE with a bias (root mean square error) ranging from 0.1-0.4 K (2.1-2.8 K) and from 0.005-0.010 (0.040-0.055), respectively. Obtained results were almost the same for both well-determined and overdetermined cases, as well as for the considered temperature differences, suggesting that increasing the number of observations and the temperature difference does not lead to significant improvements on the results. On the other hand, it was found out that a greater temperature difference between the first and the last observation acts like a natural constraint by restricting the solutions to a narrower region. In this case, the estimated LST and LSE values do not strongly depend upon the initial guess, and therefore, the use of several initial guess vectors may be avoided, turning TTM computationally more efficient.
Performance Enhancement of Multipath TCP for Wireless Communications With Multiple Radio Interfaces

Multipath transmission control protocol (MPTCP) allows a TCP connection to operate across multiple paths simultaneously and becomes highly attractive to support the emerging mobile devices with various radio interfaces and to improve resource utilization as well as connection robustness. The existing multipath congestion control algorithms, however, are mainly loss-based and prefer the paths with lower drop rates, leading to severe performance degradation in wireless communication systems, where random packet losses occur frequently. To address this challenge and improve the performance of MPTCP in wireless networks, this paper proposes a new mVeno algorithm, which makes full use of the congestion information of all the subflows belonging to a TCP connection in order to adaptively adjust the transmission rate of each subflow. Specifically, mVeno modifies the additive increase phase of Veno so as to effectively couple all subflows by dynamically varying the congestion window increment based on the receiving ACKs. The weighted parameter of each subflow for tuning the congestion window is determined by distinguishing packet losses caused by random error of wireless links or by network congestion. We implement mVeno in a Linux server and conduct extensive experiments both in test bed and in real WAN to validate its effectiveness. The performance results demonstrate that compared with the existing schemes, mVeno increases the throughput significantly, achieves load balancing, and can keep the fairness with regular TCP.
New parliament, new politics in Scotland

The promise of 'new politics' following the establishment of the Scottish Parliament had been part of the rhetoric of the Scottish home rule movement. The nature of new politics was never precisely defined but some of its features can be discerned from statements made by senior figures in the campaign for a Scottish parliament, the publications of the campaign groups and the 'Scotland Forward' umbrella organisation which campaigned for a tax-varying Parliament during the 1997 referendum. Three aspects stand out from this rhetoric: new institutions, new processes and a new political culture. The extent to which politics in Scotland has been changed and the degree of novelty that has emerged is considered in this article. It is argued that while there has been substantial change in the institutions, and to some extent in the policy making processes, there has been little evidence of a change in Scotland's political culture.
CXCR4 peptide antagonist inhibits primary breast tumor growth, metastasis and enhances the efficacy of anti‐VEGF treatment or docetaxel in a transgenic mouse model

CXCR4 is a chemokine receptor implicated in the homing of cancer cells to target metastatic organs, which overexpress its ligand, stromal cell‐derived factor (SDF)‐1. To determine the efficacy of targeting CXCR4 on primary tumor growth and metastasis, we used a peptide inhibitor of CXCR4, CTCE‐9908, that was administered in a clinically relevant approach using a transgenic breast cancer mouse model. We first performed a dosing experiment of CTCE‐9908 in the PyMT mouse model, testing 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg versus the scrambled peptide in groups of 8–16 mice. We then combined CTCE‐9908 with docetaxel or DC101 (an anti‐VEGFR2 monoclonal antibody). We found that increasing doses of CTCE‐9908 alone slowed the rate of tumor growth, with a 45% inhibition of primary tumor growth at 3.5 weeks of treatment with 50 mg/kg of CTCE‐9908 (p = 0.005). Expression levels of VEGF were also found to be reduced by 42% with CTCE‐9908 (p = 0.01). In combination with docetaxel, CTCE‐9908 administration decreased tumor volume by 38% (p = 0.02), an effect that was greater than that observed with docetaxel alone. In combination with DC101, CTCE‐9908 also demonstrated an enhanced effect compared to DC101 alone, with a 37% decrease in primary tumor volume (p = 0.01) and a 75% reduction in distant metastasis (p = 0.009). In combination with docetaxel or an anti‐angiogenic agent, the anti‐tumor and anti‐metastatic effects of CTCE‐9908 were markedly enhanced, suggesting potentially new effective combinatorial therapeutic strategies in the treatment of breast cancer, which include targeting the SDF‐1/CXCR4 ligand/receptor pair.
The direct oxygen abundances of metal-rich galaxies derived from electron temperature (Corrigendum)

Context. Direct measurement of oxygen abundance for metal-rich galaxies from electron temperature is difficult or impossible since temperature-sensitive auroral lines generally become too weak to be measured. Aims. We aim to derive the electron temperature (Te) in the gas of metal-rich star-forming galaxies, which can be obtained from their ratios of auroral lines [O ii]λλ7320, 7330 to nebular lines [O ii]λ3727, in order to establish a more robust massmetallicity relationship, and compare the Te-based (O/H) abundances with those from empirical strong-line calibrations, such as R23 (=([O ii]λ3727+[O iii]λλ4959, 5007)/Hβ). Methods. We obtained 27 spectra by stacking the spectra of several hundred (even several thousand) star-forming galaxies selected from the SDSS-DR4 in each of the 27 stellar mass bins from log(M∗) ∼ 8.0 to 10.6 (in units of log(M� )). This “stack” method sufficiently improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the auroral lines [O ii]λλ7320, 7330. Using a two-zone model for the temperature structure, we derive the electron temperature t2 in the low ionization region from the [O ii]λλ7320, 7330/[O ii]λ3727 ratio, and then use a relation derived by fitting H ii region models to estimate the electron temperature t3 in the high ionization region from t2. Then, the direct (O/H) abundances are obtained from t2, t3 and the related line-ratios. The emission lines have been carefully corrected for dust extinction using the Balmer line ratio after correcting for the underlying stellar absorption. Results. Combining our results with those from the literature with lower metallicities, we are able to provide a new relationship between the direct measurements of (O/H) and R23, which still shows an upper and a lower branch with the transition around 12 + log(O/H) ∼ 8.0−8.2. It also shows that the empirical R23 method will overestimate log(O/H) by 0.2 to 0.6 dex. The new metal-mass relationship of the galaxies with moderate metallicities is fitted by a linear fit (12 + log(O/H) = 6.223 + 0.231 × log(M∗)) confirming that empirical methods significantly overestimate (O/H). We also derived their (N/O) abundance ratios on the basis of the Te method, which are consistent with the combination of the primary and secondary components of nitrogen. Conclusions. This study provides for the first time a method to calibrate direct O/H abundances (from Te) for a large range of galaxies
Accelerometer-based fall detection for smartphones

Falls are considered the main cause of fear and loss of independence among the elderly population and are also a major cause of morbidity, disability and health care utilization. In the majority of fall events external support is imperative in order to avoid major consequences. Therefore, the ability to automatically detect these fall events could help reducing the response time and significantly improve the prognosis of fall victims. This paper presents a unobtrusive smartphone based fall detection system that uses a combination of information derived from machine learning classification applied in a state machine algorithm. The data from the smartphone built-in accelerometer is continuously screened when the phone is in the user's belt or pocket. Upon the detection of a fall event, the user location is tracked and SMS and email notifications are sent to a set of contacts. The accuracy of the fall detection algorithm here proposed is near 97.5% for both the pocket and belt usage. In conclusion, the proposed solution can reliably detect fall events without disturbing the users with excessive false alarms, presenting also the advantage of not changing the user's routines, since no additional external sensors are required.
The epidemiology of skin cancer

Summary Melanoma and non‐melanoma (basal and squamous cell carcinoma) skin cancer (NMSC) are now the most common types of cancer in the white populations and the incidence of skin cancer has reached epidemic proportions. According to recent population‐based studies from Australia the incidence rate is over 2% for basal cell carcinoma in males and 1% for squamous cell carcinoma, and there are over 50 new cases of melanoma per 100 000.
Fine mapping of the 11q22–23 tumor suppressive region and involvement of TSLC1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Previous studies transferring an intact chromosome 11 into HONE1 cells demonstrated the functional significance of chromosome regions, 11q13 and 11q22–23, in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) development. In our study the 11q22–23 region was comprehensively re‐investigated by detailed microsatellite and single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping and by fluorescence in situ hybridization to map precisely the regions containing tumor suppressive activity. We observed 3 chromosomal intervals within 11q22–23 that were commonly lost in the tumor segregants derived from HONE1/chromosome 11 hybrids. One critical region of 0.36 Mb was mapped near the marker D11S2000 and a second 0.44 Mb region was located around the markers D11S1300 and D11S1391. In a third region high allelic loss was also observed at marker D11S4484, where a newly cloned tumor suppressor gene, TSLC1 (tumor suppressor in lung cancer 1), is located. The gene expression analysis showed absence or low expression levels of TSLC1 mRNA in 4 highly tumorigenic NPC cell lines. In addition, the methylation study results show that the TSLC1 promoter region was hypermethylated in all 4 NPC cell lines and re‐expression of the gene occurs in HONE1 cells after 5‐aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine treatment. Hence, the mode of silencing of this candidate TSG in NPC may be attributed to promoter hypermethylation. We have obtained functional evidence for multiple critical tumor suppressive regions in 11q22–23 by fine deletion mapping and for inactivation of TSLC1 being one of these candidate TSGs in NPC development. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Age and Timing of the Permian Mass Extinctions: U/Pb Dating of Closed-System Zircons

The age and timing of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction have been difficult to determine because zircon populations from the type sections are typically affected by pervasive lead loss and contamination by indistinguishable older xenocrysts. Zircons from nine ash beds within the Shangsi and Meishan sections (China), pretreated by annealing followed by partial attack with hydrofluoric acid, result in suites of consistent and concordant uranium/lead (U/Pb) ages, eliminating the effects of lead loss. The U/Pb age of the main pulse of the extinction is 252.6 ± 0.2 million years, synchronous with the Siberian flood volcanism, and it occurred within the quoted uncertainty.
Neuroendocrine Modulation of the Thymus‐Dependent Immune System. Agonists and Mechanisms

It is becoming increasingly clear not only that the immune system is very complex in its mechanisms of intercellular molecular communication, but also that the neuroendocrine systems that impinge upon and regulate the immune system are equally complex in their molecular influences. It is the purpose of this review to summarize the major signals of the central and autonomic nervous systems, the endocrine system, and the immunologic system which regulate the thymus-dependent (T cell) system and to integrate this information with current information on the biochemical mechanisms by which these neurotransmitter and humoral influences are thought to act. At the outset, it is important to note that there are two major liabilities in undertaking such a task: The first is that a summary of the various molecules that act on T cells does not give a clear picture of the operational dynamic and relative importance of various influences in health or disease. The second is that while our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of transmembrane signaling has grown rapidly, it is still fragmentary, making it difficult to provide an integrated view. The T-cell system has evolved to defend us against a wide variety of pathogens (bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic) and against spontaneous tumor development. To do so it provides evolutionarily early nonspecific cellular participants (e.g., natural killer [NK] cells and lymphokine-activated killer [LAK] cells) and specific immune effector (cytotoxic and lymphokine-producing) and regulatory (helper and suppressor) T cells. Through a variety of soluble mediators including lymphokines, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and other substances, mature T cells regulate and interact with other effector populations, particularly the cells of the monocyte/macrophage series. The T-cell system is subject to more frequent deficiency than once thought. It is now clear that mild to severe depression of the T-cell system is seen in cancer, aging, malnutrition, and chronic infections, including AIDS. In contrast to the B-cell or antibody-producing system, the T-cell system is the major target of immunotoxic influences in terms of immunosuppressive drugs and environmental toxicants and probably also of chronic stress (see Ref. 1 for review). The results of cellular immune deficiency are acute and
The structure of high-pressure C 2 / c ferrosilite and crystal chemistry of high-pressure C 2 / c pyroxenes

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments in a diamond-anvil pressure cell have demonstrated that clinoferrosilite (FeSiO3) with space group P2r/c transforms to a pyroxene with space group C2/c at high pressure. The transformation has been reversed at room temperature and pressures between 1.48 and 1.75 GPa; it is first-order in character and is accompanied by a 3o/o decrease in the volume of the unit cell. The structure of this C2/c polymorph has been refined from diffraction data collected at 1.87 GPa and contains a single, symmetrically distinct silicate tetrahedral chain, with a mean Si-O bond length of 1.63 A and a chain extension angle (O3-O3-O3) of 138.4 + 0.9'. The Ml and M2 cation sites are octahedrally coordinated, with mean bond lengths of 2.14 and 2.18 A, respectively. This clinopyroxene is the Fe analogue of the C2/c phase found in MgSiO, at pressures above 7 GPa The high-pressure C2/c structure of ferrosilite differs considerably from the C2/cphase found at elevated temperatures, \Mith a B angle some 7o smaller and a silicate chain significantly more kinked than in the high-temperature form. It is also substantially different from C2/c structures that contain Ca but is very similar (in terms of the sizes and distortions of the cation sites) to orthorhombic ferrosilite. The same structural relationships hold for the MgSiO, phases with C2/c symmetry. The chemical behavior of these C2/c forms of both MgSiO, and FeSiO, is therefore expected to resemble that of the corresponding orthopyroxenes.
Influence of Omeprazole on Multidrug Resistance Protein 3 Expression in Human Liver

Multidrug resistance protein (MRP) 3 transports bile salts and conjugated xenobiotics from cells (hepatocytes and enterocytes) into the blood. Hepatic MRP3 expression is low under normal conditions but is markedly up-regulated during cholestasis. Since little is known about additional factors increasing human hepatic MRP3 expression, we investigated the variability of MRP3 expression in a large collection of human livers and factors contributing to variable MRP3 expression in liver and HepG2 cells. MRP3 was measured in 62 human livers from patients with and without omeprazole treatment and in HepG2 cells with and without omeprazole or β-naphthoflavone treatment. Livers of patients treated with omeprazole showed 4.8-fold (P< 0.0001) higher MRP3 protein expression compared with the remainder of the population. Accordingly, MRP3 mRNA and protein were induced 2.4- and 1.8-fold, respectively (P < 0.01 andP < 0.05), in HepG2 cells treated with omeprazole. Finally, MRP3 was induced in HepG2 cells by β-naphthoflavone. In summary, treatment with omeprazole and β-naphthoflavone is a determinant of variable human hepatic MRP3 expression.
REPLICATIVE DNA POLYMERASE ASSOCIATED B-SUBUNITS MAARIT JOKELA

Replicative DNA polymerases (pols) synthesize chromosomal DNA with high accuracy and speed during cell division. In eukaryotes the process involves three family B pols (α, δ, ε), whereas in Archaea, two types of pols, families B and D, are involved. In this study the B-subunits of replicative pols were analysed at the DNA, RNA and protein levels. By cloning the cDNAs for the B-subunits of human and mouse pol ε we were able to show that the encoded proteins are not only homologous to budding yeast pol ε, but also to the second largest subunit of pol α. Later studies have revealed that the B-subunits are conserved from Archaea to human, and also that they belong to the large calcineurin-like phosphoesterase superfamily consisting of a wide variety of hydrolases. At the mRNA level, the expression of the human pol ε B-subunit was strongly dependent on cell proliferation as has been observed for the A-subunit of pol ε and also for other eukaryotic replicative pols. By analysing the promoter of the POLE2 gene encoding the human pol ε B-subunit we show that the gene is regulated by two E2F-pocket protein complexes associated with the Sp1 and NF-1 transcription factors. Comparison of the promoters of the human pol ε and the pol α B-subunit indicates that the genes for the B-subunits may be generally regulated through E2F-complexes whereas adjustment of the basal activity may be achieved by distinct transcription factors. To clarify the function of the B-subunits, we screened through the expression of 13 different recombinant B-subunits. Although they were mainly expressed as insoluble proteins in E. coli, we were able to optimize the expression and purification for the B-subunit (DP1) of Methanococcus jannaschii pol D (MjaDP1). We show that MjaDP1 alone was a manganese dependent 3'-5' exonuclease with a preference for mispaired nucleotides and single-stranded DNA, suggesting that MjaDP1 functions as the proofreader of archaeal pol D. So far, pol D is the only pol family utilising an enzyme of the calcineurin-like phosphoesterase superfamily as a proofreader.
Risk factors associated with outcomes of hip fracture surgery in elderly patients

Background Hip fracture surgery on elderly patients is associated with a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to identify the risk factors related to the postoperative mortality and complications following hip fracture surgery on elderly patients. Methods In this retrospective study, the medical records of elderly patients (aged 65 years or older) who underwent hip fracture surgery from January 2011 to June 2014 were reviewed. A total of 464 patients were involved. Demographic data of the patients, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, preoperative comorbidities, type and duration of anesthesia and type of surgery were collected. Factors related to postoperative mortality and complications; as well as to intensive care unit admission were analyzed using logistic regression. Results The incidence of postoperative mortality, cardiovascular complications, respiratory complications and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were 1.7, 4.7, 19.6 and 7.1%, respectively. Postoperative mortality was associated with preoperative respiratory comorbidities, postoperative cardiovascular complications (P < 0.05). Postoperative cardiovascular complications were related to frequent intraoperative hypotension (P <0.05). Postoperative respiratory complications were related to age, preoperative renal failure, neurological comorbidities, and bedridden state (P < 0.05). ICU admission was associated with the time from injury to operation, preoperative neurological comorbidities and frequent intraoperative hypotension (P < 0.05). Conclusions Adequate treatment of respiratory comorbidities and prevention of cardiovascular complications might be the critical factors in reducing postoperative mortality in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery.
The Relationship Between Masculinity Ideology, Condom Attitudes, and Condom Use Stage of Change: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Several theorists have hypothesized that traditional men’s gender roles include a prescription for sexually risky behavior (e.g., Amaro, 1995). However, few studies have empirically examined this proposition. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between masculinity ideology, condom attitudes, and condom use stage of change in a sample of 272 heterosexually active undergraduate men. Calculation of nested structural equation models supported a model in which masculinity ideology indirectly affected condom use stage of change by way of condom attitudes. Higher endorsement of masculinity ideology was related to more negative condom attitudes, and more negative condom attitudes were related to decreased readiness to use condoms consistently. These results have important implications for the reduction of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases in both heterosexual men and women.