Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictors of L2 Vowel Learning Success Under Biofeedback Training

Previous studies have reported that the visual presentation of acoustic or tongue-kinematic information during speech (i.e., biofeedback) can facilitate speech sound learning; however, participant-level success has been highly heterogeneous, and individual differences have rarely been investigated. The current study explored predictors of success in an L2 vowel learning task under different biofeedback conditions: visual-acoustic or ultrasound. Progress in production accuracy was predicted to be correlated with individual learners’ sensory acuity in auditory and somatosensory domains. Baseline accuracy, production variability and phonological awareness were also examined and found to be significant predictors of learning. Sensory acuity was not significant as a main effect or interaction, which might reflect limitations of the acuity measures adopted for this initial study. Future studies will explore additional measures of sensory acuity and will continue to investigate the potential benefit of customizing training paradigms based on individual learners’ sensorimotor characteristics.
GENETIC DIVERGENCE STUDY BETWEEN UMBLACHERY AND KANGAYAM BREED OF CATTLE USING RANDOM AMPLIFIED POLYMORPHIC DNA

Fifty randomly selected Umblachery and Kangayam cattle were used. Out of nine random primers tested five random primers ILO 1127, ILO 526, ILO 868, ILO 876 and BG 85 yielded amplification with genomic DNA samples. In Umblachery, primers ILO 1127, ILO 526, ILO 876 have the ability to amplify more bands such as 9, 8 and 10 where as ILO 868 and BG 85 gave only 4 bands. All the primers except BG 85 produced polymorphic bands. In the same way, in Kangayam breed, all primer except BG 85 produced more bands (6 to 12) and the numbers of polymorphic bands are two in ILO 1127, three in ILO 526 and one in all other three primers. All the five primers revealed band sharing within and between breeds. The frequency varied in Umblachery from 0.06 to 0.118 with respect to primers ILO 526 and ILO 876 whereas in Kangayam it varied from 0.07 to 0.2665 with respect to primers ILO 526 and ILO 876 respectively. The highest APD value between these two breeds obtained was 88.00 with ILO 868 and the lowest value of 50 with ILO 876.The MAPD between these two breeds was estimated to be 74.93 indicating these two breeds differed at 74.9% of loci amplified by a group of five random primers.
Market concentration and price dispersion ; the role of asymmetric spatial competition

Mark Lijesen* and Marco van der Voort Economic literature on the impact of competition on price dispersion in civil aviation yields ambiguous results. We show that asymmetric spatial competition drives both interfirm price dispersion and market share inequality. We apply our framework to a panel data set of long haul and short haul air markets originating in Europe. We decompose the Hirschmann Herfindahl index in our analysis and find that price dispersion is related to market share inequality rather than market concentration. This confirms our theoretical finding that both price dispersion and market share inequality are caused by (unobserved) product differentiation. Moreover, our results are also consistent with PED-type models of price dispersion.
Economic issues associated with the operation and evaluation of telemedicine

s, and secondly, restricting the search terms to within the title (TI), this retrieved 180 abstracts. All articles regarding the costs and cost-effectiveness of telemedicine found in the topic search were also identified in the title search. Hence, the decision to use the search strategy which was restricted to title search was justified, as nothing important seemed to be omitted and the other articles which were identified in the TS search were not relevant.
Evaluation of foliar resistance to downy mildew in different cv. Albariño clones

Resistance to downy mildew was studied in different Vitis vinifera L. cv. Albarino clones belonging to the collection of the Mision Biologica de Galicia, CSIC (Spain). V. riparia, V. vinifera cv. Solaris and V. vinifera cv. Muller-Thurgau were used as controls. Plants were inoculated with Plasmospora viticola in the laboratory using the leaf disc, whole leaf and whole plant techniques. The results were compared with those obtained in the field for the same Albarino clones. The most susceptible group of clones included MBG-2, MBG-14, MBG-12 and MBG-9, while MBG-13, MBG-3 and MBG-6 formed the most resistant group. The remaining clones showed intermediate resistance. These results coincide with observations made in the field. The resistance observed in MBG-12 could have been generated from in vitro culture, because this induces changes in the downy mildew resistance.
ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PINK-PIGMENTED , FACULTATIVE METHYLOTROPHIC ( PPFM ) BACTERIA FROM LEAVES OF NEEM , A zadirachta indica A . Juss

A total of twenty isolates of pink-pigmented, facultative methylotrophic bacteria were obtained from the leaves of neem. All isolates exhibited pink to orange-pink pigmentation, entire margin, round colonies with a smooth glistening surface, and convex elevation. Most of the colonies were opaque with butyrous consistency. Staining revealed rod to coccobacilli shaped, Gram negative cells, containing poly-β-hydroxybutyrate granules. Biochemical analyses showed that all were catalase positive; majority of them were positive for citrate utilization, urease and oxidase activities but were negative for amylase activity. They can be cultivated on ammonium mineral salt (AMS) agar with methanol, glycerol peptone agar (GPA) and tryptic soy agar (TSA) with variations in colonial morphology. Based on the observed characteristics, the isolates obtained belong to the genus Methylobacterium.
On the Buffer-Aided Relaying Technique and Its Applications

In this paper, we investigate a buffer-aided relaying technique which is one of promising 5G mobile technologies. More specifically, we study a basic concept and recent research trends on this area. First of all, we investigate the principle of buffer-aided relaying and research results in three-node networks. Next, we study buffer-aided relay selection techniques in multi-relay networks. Finally, we investigate some applications of the buffer-aided relaying technique to cognitive radio networks and physical-layer security.
Metabolic activities and health indices of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fed varying levels of Zingiber officinale root.

Growth, haematology and histopathology are important indices in evaluating the health and physiological state of fish. These metabolic and health indices were examined in Clarias gariepinus fed with Zingiber officinale (ginger) roots- powder supplemented diets in 40-litre freshwater-filled plastic tanks. 120 C. gariepinus fingerlings (weight, 2.33Â±0.07g) were fed with 40% crude protein diets containing three concentrations of Zingiber officinale roots-powder:GRP1â€“1%; GRP2â€“2%; GRP3â€“3%, and controlâ€“0% ad libitum twice daily for 12 weeks. Significant differences (p < 0.05) occurred in the growth parameters except feed conversion ratio and specific growth rate. Survival rate decreased as concentration of powder increased. Differences (p
ANALYSIS OF 3 D FACE , ACTION UNITS , AND PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA FOR MULTIMODAL EMOTION RECOGNITION

To fully understand the complexities of human emotion, the integration of multiple physical features from different modalities can be advantageous. Considering this, we present an approach to emotion recognition using hand-crafted features that consist of 3D facial data, action units, and physiological data. We analyze each modality independently, as well as the combination of each for recognizing human emotion. This analysis includes the use of principal component analysis to determine which dimensions of the feature vector are most important for emotion recognition. We show that our proposed features can be used to accurately recognize emotion and that our proposed approach outperforms current state of the art on the BP4D+ dataset.
Pattern of Infertility Among Couples in Gezira Area , Sudan

Objectives: To screen couples in Gezira area, central of Sudan, to identify prevalence, types and main causes of infertility. Patients and Methods: This study was performed in Gezira State (Wad Medani City), Central Sudan. Four primary health care (PHC) centers were randomly chosen. A consecutive sample was followed to include 2000 couples (i.e., 2000 husbands and 2000 wives) attending the selected 4 PHC centers for any complaint. A questionnaire was constructed by the researcher for collection of variables related to full history of both the wife and the husband, present complaint, past complaint, surgical history, family history of chronic diseases and infertility, sexual intercourse history, results of all necessary physical examination and conducted investigations. Results: Almost two-thirds of participant wives aged 3039 years (62.5%). Only 3.7% of wives had university education, compared with 9.5%, of husbands. Prevalence of infertility was 10.4%, mainly primary infertility (77.4%), with a duration of 5-9 years among 46.6% of the couples and >10 years among 26.4% of the couples. In about one third of the couples, infertility was due to female factors (33.7%), while in about one fourth of the couples, infertility was due to male factors (25.5%). However, cause of infertility was unknown in 38% of couples. Sexually transmitted infections were identified in only 4 infertile couples (1.9%), of whom two couples had N. gonorrheae and the other two had C. trachomatis. The great majority of wives (98.6%) underwent female genital mutilation. A minority of husbands received previous treatment for infertility (5.3%) compared with the majority of wives (90.4%). Conclusions: Infertility is a public health problem in Central Sudan with a prevalence rate of about 10%. The main infertility pattern is primary rather than secondary infertility. There is delay in conducting investigations for infertility, especially among husbands. Sexually transmitted diseases are not the main causative cause for infertility. Almost all wives underwent extensive female genital mutilation during their childhood.
Audio-analgesia and Multi-disciplinary Pain Management: A Psychological Investigation into Acute, Post-operative Pain

Background: Audio-analgesia, the ability of music to reduce the perception of pain, has been a significant field of research in the past decade. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the musical constructs of harmonicity and rhythmicity on acute, post-operative pain. Method: 98 patients scheduled for primary total knee arthroplasty were randomly allocated at their pre-admissions clinic to one of four music listening groups, receiving commercially-available music. The participants in the experimental groupings were randomised according to the musical constructs of high/low harmonicity and rhythmicity (four possible groups; + +, + –, – +, – –). Music groups were compared against a silent control group, receiving quiet relaxation (with headphones). After surgery using a standardised anaesthetic regiment, all participants undertook a 15-minute listening/silent intervention on the ward for each day of their in-patient stay (max. 5 days). The primary endpoint was pain intensity. Salivary cortisol concentrations and mood stability were also monitored. Qualitative data was collected via daily feedback and assessed through thematic category analysis. Results: A significant reduction in pain intensity from preto post-test was shown for all participants (p < 0.0005), but with no difference between groups (F(4,68) = 1.331, NS). Quiet relaxation (mean change: 22.27%) was as effective as music listening (mean change: 37.47%). Salivary cortisol concentrations showed an interaction between music with high harmonicity and high rhythmicity (+ +) and music of low harmonicity and rhythmicity (– –). + + music reduced cortisol concentration to a greater extent on Day 1 (p < .05) than – – music. There was no significant difference between groups in mood disturbance. Qualitative data revealed four thematic categories of response: psychological, physiological, musicological and methodological, overall indicating that patients utilised their intervention as a distracting and relaxing cognitivecoping strategy. Conclusion: Music is a viable therapeutic medium which reduced pain, as effectively as quiet relaxation. Compositional constructs were minimally active in the degree of analgesia and physiological changes experienced by patients, but where this did occur, it could be related to Berlyne’s inverted-U model of musical preference (Berlyne, 1971). The positive reception of the interventions and the associated benefits, supports the inclusion of cognitive-coping strategies in multi-modal care pathways.
microRNA-1 Regulates NCC Migration and Differentiation by Targeting sec63

Background/Aims: Neural crest cells play a vital role in craniofacial development, microRNA-1 (miR-1) is essential in development and disease of the cardiac and skeletal muscle, the objective of our study is to investigate effects of miR-1 on neural crest cell in the craniofacial development and its molecular mechanism. Methods: We knocked down miR-1 in zebrafish by miR-1 morpholino (MO) microinjection and observed phenotype of neural crest derivatives. We detected neural crest cell migration by time-lapse. Whole-mount in situ hybridization was used to monitor the expressions of genes involved in neural crest cell induction, specification, migration and differentiation. We performed a quantitative proteomics study (iTRAQ) and bioinformatics prediction to identify the targets of miR-1 and validate the relationship between miR-1 and its target gene sec63. Results: We found defects in the tissues derived from neural crest cells: a severely reduced lower jaw and delayed appearance of pigment cells. miR-1 MO injection also disrupted neural crest cell migration. At 24 hours post fertilization (hpf), reduced expression of tfap2a, dlx2, dlx3b, ngn1 and crestin indicated that miR-1 deficiency affected neural crest cell differentiation. iTRAQ and luciferase reporter assay identified SEC63 as a direct target gene of miR-1. The defects of miR-1 deficiency could be reversed, at least in part, by specific suppression of sec63 expression. Conclusion: miR-1 is involved in the regulation of neural crest cell development, and that it acts, at least partially, by targeting sec63 expression.
oss averse agents and lenient supervisors in performance ppraisal

A consistent empirical literature shows that in many organizations supervisors systematically overrate their employees’ performance. Such leniency bias is at odds with the standard principal-agent model and has been explained with causes that range from social interactions to fairness concerns and to collusive behavior between the supervisor and the agent. We show that the principal-agent model, extended to consider loss-aversion and referencedependent preferences, predicts that the leniency bias is comparatively less detrimental to effort provision than the severity bias. We test this prediction with a laboratory experiment where we demonstrate that failing to reward deserving agents is significantly more detrimental than rewarding undeserving agents. This offers a novel explanation as to why supervisors tend to be lenient in their appraisals. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Buddleja officinalis eye drops alleviate the symptoms of moderate to severe dry eye

Objective: Buddleja officinalis is used as a natural Chinese medicine and contains flavonoids that may be beneficial to the treatment of dry eye. Methods: Sixty postmenopausal females diagnosed with dry eye were assigned to treatment with Buddleja officinalis eye drops and artificial tears (n=30) or a control treatment with artificial tears only (n=30). The analysis of subjective symptoms of the ocular surface, the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), tear film function, tear protein levels and confocal scanning microscopy results were analyzed at pre-therapy and following 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks of therapy. Results: Following 8 weeks of therapy, all the indices of the patients treated with Buddleja officinalis eye drops were improved compared with those pre-therapy (P < 0.05), but those in the control group were not. All indices at 8 weeks presented statistically significant differences between the two groups (all P < 0.05). In addition, the mean density of inflammatory cells and corneal epithelium basal cells of the patients treated with Buddleja officinalis eye drops was reduced compared with the men density of the control (P < 0.05). Conclusion: These results show that Buddleja officinalis eye drops provided a clinical benefit in relieving the symptoms of moderate to severe dry eye in postmenopausal females.
Contribution of Cultural Event to the Visitor ’ s Intention to Revisit and Recommend Tourist Destination Case Study : Dieng Culture Festival , Central Java , Indonesia

Indonesia, as the country richest in cultural resources in ASEAN, has opportunities to maintain its cultural resources and thereby increase tourism, and hosting cultural events is one of the ways to do so. Alluring events can motivate one to leave one’s place, visit the place conducting cultural events, and spend money to procure services at the event site. Dieng, a highland in Indonesia, rich in cultural resources, held cultural event namely Dieng Culture Festival since 2009 and has become one of the national events. The focus of this study is the contribution of cultural events and other elements of a tourist destination to the formation of the destination image which then leads to a positive behavioural intention. This research used PLS-SEM to analyze the effect of cultural events, event brand, place brand, and structural elements to the affective and cognitive image. Respondents of this research represented anyone who had visited The Dieng Culture Festival 6, 7, or 8. This research has found that place brand and structural elements significantly affect both cognitive and affective image. The other aforementioned variables, cultural events, and cultural event brand, were determined significantly to affect only the affective image of a tourist destination. In the case of Dieng and the Dieng Culture Festival, the affective image has a more significant effect on the formation of the overall image than the cognitive image. In this study, the researcher also found that the overall image of the tourist destination significantly affects positive behavioural intention (intention to revisit and intention to recommend) of the tourist to a certain tourist destination.
Endovascular Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke beyond 6 Hours after Symptoms Onset: A Single Centre Experience

Background: Ischemic stroke is characterized by the sudden onset of neurologic symptoms related to the occlusion of cerebral vessels. Recently, some randomized clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of mechanical arterial revascularization within 6 hours after the symptoms onset, getting through patient’s selection and the new endovascular devices. Purpose: Our aim is to characterize the factors that may influence the endovascular treatment, in order to extent the therapeutic time window. Results: 69 patients were treated beyond 6 hours from symptoms onset. The median time to treatment was 8.3 hours. Successful recanalization was achieved in the 85%. At discharge the median NIHSS score was 12. At 3 months the modified Ranking score 0-2 was achieved in the 33.3%, with a mortality rate of 26%. Conclusion: Our experience evaluates the role of endovascular therapy beyond 6 h after stroke onset secondary to a strict imaging guided selection of the patients, which is essential to achieve good clinical results.
CATEGORIZATION OF BILABIAL STOP CONSONANTS BY BILINGUAL SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH AND POLISH

The range of VOT characterizing voiced [b] and voiceless [p] stop consonants is different in English and Polish languages. The study focused on the influence of voicing distinction in Polish on that in English. The experiment included 10 monolingual English listeners and 10 bilingual Polish listeners who had learned to speak English in an intensive setting between six and twelve years of age. Participants listened to a [bi-pi] continuum of 10 synthesized syllables with VOT values varying from -40 to +50 ms. Ten repetitions of each stimulus were presented to the listeners within Polish and English settings. Results indicated that the location of the phonemic boundary between categories of voiced and voiceless stop consonants differed significantly between bilingual and monolingual groups. Moreover, a significant influence of the language setting on categorization of stop consonants by bilinguals suggests that they may possess a distinct phonetic inventory representation for each language.
Normal approximation for sums of weighted $U$-statistics – application to Kolmogorov bounds in random subgraph counting

We derive normal approximation bounds in the Kolmogorov distance for sums of discrete multiple integrals and weighted U -statistics made of independent Bernoulli random variables. Such bounds are applied to normal approximation for the renormalized subgraph counts in the Erdős-Rényi random graph. This approach completely solves a long-standing conjecture in the general setting of arbitrary graph counting, while recovering recent results obtained for triangles and improving other bounds in the Wasserstein distance.
Can facilitation in fl uence the spatial genetics of the bene fi ciary plant population ?

1. Plant facilitation is a positive interaction where a nurse or nurse plant community alters the local conditions, improving the lifetime fitness of other beneficiary plants. In stressful environments, a common consequence is the formation of discrete vegetation patches under nurse plants, surrounded by open space. The consequences of such spatial patterns have been studied mostly at the community level. 2. At the population level, facilitation causes a distribution of beneficiary individuals that could have intraspecific genetic consequences. The spatial patchiness and the increase in local aggregation can potentially affect the population fine-scale genetic structure. In addition, marked microenvironmental differences under nurses versus outside could lead to plastic phenotypic variation between facilitated and non-facilitated individuals, as for example reproductive asynchrony, potentially producing assortative mating. 3. This study tests the hypothesis that plant facilitation can have genetic consequences for the population of a beneficiary plant (Euphorbia nicaeensis) by affecting its spatial genetic structure and mating patterns between subpopulations of facilitated and non-facilitated individuals. 4. Facilitation in this system creates an aggregated distribution of beneficiary individuals compared to a minority of non-facilitated individuals that grow on the open ground. Facilitation also leads to slight phenological differences mediated by strong microenvironmental differences created by nurses compared to the open ground. Yet a molecular analysis showed that, although there is fine-scale spatial genetic structure in this system, there is no evidence that it is caused by facilitation. Numerical simulations further showed that spatial genetic patterns in the population are little influenced by the phenological mismatch observed in the field. 5. Synthesis. Facilitation leads to the strong spatial aggregation of beneficiary plants and desynchronizes their flowering phenology, but the magnitude of these effects is not enough to have local genetic consequences in our study system. Facilitation seems thus to have a homogenizing role by allowing the persistence of a diverse gene pool in populations in harsh environments, rather than promoting genetic differentiation. Further information on other systems where facilitation produces stronger spatial or phenological effects on facilitated plants is needed to fill our large knowledge gap on the genetic effects of facilitation.