Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Aging on Acoustic Parameters of Voice

Background/Aims: There are no studies of the phonatory parameters of elderly Iranian speakers. The purpose of this study was to obtain normative acoustic data for a group of elderly Iranian male and female speakers over 70 years of age. Four selected acoustic parameters [fundamental frequency (F0), jitter, shimmer, and harmonics-to-noise ratio] were obtained and compared to a group of young and middle-aged speakers. Methods: Subjects were 21 Iranian elderly men and 20 Iranian elderly women. The age range for both male (mean ± SD: 77.09 ± 5.84) and female subjects (77.55 ± 4.34) was 70–90 years. The control group consisted of 40 Iranian young and middle-aged adults who were 20–49 years old (20 men and 20 women). The age range for the females was 23–40 years (30 ± 4.76) and for the males it was 21–49 years (30.1 ± 8.51). Each subject phonated 5/a/vowels with constant pitch and loudness for at least 5 s. The mid 3-second portion of the tokens was analyzed using the Dr. Speech 4.3u software (subprogram: Vocal Assessment; Dr. Speech, Tiger Electronics, Seattle, Wash., USA). Results: F0 was greater for elderly males than for young and middle-aged males. Conversely, F0 was greater for young and middle-aged females than for elderly females. Average shimmer was significantly higher in elderly males than in elderly females. Likewise, jitter was significantly higher in elderly males than in elderly females. Both shimmer and jitter were significantly greater in elderly speakers than in the young and middle-aged speakers. In addition, the harmonics-to-noise ratio was significantly greater for young and middle-aged males and females than for elderly males and females. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that elderly Iranian speakers had significantly greater vocal instability than young and middle-aged Iranian adults, as measured by the selected acoustic parameters. As the elderly population in Iran and the world continues to increase rapidly, studies of this kind are needed for researchers, educators, and practitioners to better understand the effects of aging on all aspects of human speech-language communication. Voice is an important factor for communication, and its change with age alters the communication process.
A Review of Cloud Business Models and Sustainability

This paper reviews current cloud computing business models and presents proposals on how organisations can achieve sustainability by adopting appropriate models. Using the Jericho Forum’s Cloud Cube Model (CCM), we classify cloud computing business models into eight types: (1) Service Provider and Service Orientation; (2) Support and Services Contracts; (3) In-House Private Clouds; (4) All-In-One Enterprise Cloud; (5) One-Stop Resources and Services; (6) Government Funding; (7) Venture Capitals; and (8) Entertainment and Social Networking. We newly propose the Hexagon Model that includes six key elements for sustainability based on Sun Tzu’s Art of War and literature review, and the sixth factor is rated based on case studies and peer reviews. Areas occupied in the Hexagon can represent strengths and weaknesses of a cloud business, and several cases are presented with rationale explained. Apart from the qualitative approach, the quantitative approach we use is the Capital Asset Pricing Model and Modern Portfolio Theory, both of which aim computing organisational sustainability and predict how well an organisation can perform. The OMII-UK data is used to demonstrate sustainability and study the impact on cloud businesses, and is presented by statistical computation, 3D visualisation and the Hexagon Model. We believe that adopting an appropriate cloud computing business model will help organisations investing in this technology to stand firm at all times.
Dependence of weak interaction rates on the nuclear composition during stellar core collapse

We investigate the influences of the nuclear composition on the weak interaction rates of heavy nuclei during the core collapse of massive stars. The nuclear abundances in nuclear statistical equilibrium (NSE) are calculated by some equation of state (EOS) models including in-medium effects on nuclear masses. We systematically examine the sensitivities of electron capture and neutrino-nucleus scattering on heavy nuclei to the nuclear shell effects and the single-nucleus approximation. We find that the washout of the shell effect at high temperatures brings significant change to weak rates by smoothing the nuclear abundance distribution: the electron capture rate decreases by ∼20% in the early phase and increases by ∼40% in the late phase at most, while the cross section for neutrino-nucleus scattering is reduced by ∼15%. This is because the open-shell nuclei become abundant instead of those with closed neutron shells as the shell effects disappear. We also find that the single-nucleus description based on the average values leads to underestimations of weak rates. Electron captures and neutrino coherent scattering on heavy nuclei are reduced by ∼80% in the early phase and by ∼5% in the late phase, respectively. These results indicate that NSE like EOS accounting for shell washout is indispensable for the reliable estimation of weak interaction rates in simulations of core-collapse supernovae.
Decisiones laborales en América Latina: el caso de los emprendedores. Un estudio sobre la base de encuestas de hogares

Los paises de America Latina han experimentado fuertes transformaciones en sus mercados laborales, las cuales han tenido consecuencias en terminos sociales y productivos. Analizar al mercado laboral, y en particular a las decisiones de trabajo, es importante para una mejor comprension de los cambios en la pobreza, la desigualdad, la productividad y el crecimiento en la region. Este trabajo, utilizando microdatos de encuestas de hogares y laborales de todos los paises de America Latina (AL), contribuye a ese objetivo, caracterizando la condicion ocupacional y documentando diferencias entre los paises de la region y su evolucion en el tiempo. En particular, el trabajo se focaliza en la condicion laboral de patron o empresario, con el objetivo de contribuir a entender las decisiones hacia la actividad emprendedora en la region. Toda accion emprendedora tiene origen en una decision ocupacional afectada por las condiciones de mercado y las caracteristicas idiosincraticas (observables o no) del individuo. En consecuencia, entender el emprendedurismo requiere caracterizar la condicion ocupacional a lo largo de multiples dimensiones. Este trabajo ofrece esta amplia caracterizacion en diferentes paises de America Latina, con el fin de dar luces sobre algunas propiedades de la decision ocupacional.
Multilinear Regression for Embedded Feature Selection with Application to fMRI Analysis

Embedded feature selection is effective when both prediction and interpretation are needed. The Lasso and its extensions are standard methods for selecting a subset of features while optimizing a prediction function. In this paper, we are interested in embedded feature selection for multidimensional data, wherein (1) there is no need to reshape the multidimensional data into vectors and (2) structural information from multiple dimensions are taken into account. Our main contribution is a new method called Regularized multilinear regression and selection (Remurs) for automatically selecting a subset of features while optimizing prediction for multidimensional data. Both nuclear norm and the ℓ1-norm are carefully incorporated to derive a multi-block optimization algorithm with proved convergence. In particular, Remurs is motivated by fMRI analysis where the data are multidimensional and it is important to find the connections of raw brain voxels with functional activities. Experiments on synthetic and real data show the advantages of Remurs compared to Lasso, Elastic Net, and their multilinear extensions.
Mismatch Repair Proteins hMLH1 and hMSH2 Are Differently Expressed in the Three Main Subtypes of Sporadic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Objectives: We studied the role of minor mismatch repair proteins (MMR) human MutL homologue 1 (hMLH1) and human MutS homologue 2 (hMSH2) in the main subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Methods: Expression of MMR proteins hMLH1 and hMSH2 were investigated in 166 RCC tumors, containing the main subtypes by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, each tumor was screened for microsatellite instability (MSI) using the National Cancer Institute consensus panel for hereditary non-polyposis colon carcinoma as well as for elevated microsatellite alterations at selected tetranucleotide repeats (EMAST) by 10 additional markers. Results: MSI was found only in 2.0% of analyzable cases and EMAST was detected only in 1 patient. hMLH1 and hMSH2 expression was reduced in 83.7 (118/141) and 51.2% (65/127) of cases, respectively, in a subtype-specific manner. None of the clear cell RCC tumors retained a high hMLH1 expression and 92.0% lost hMLH1 completely, while papillary and chromophobe RCC preserved the expression in 25.0 and 33.3% of cases (p < 0.001). Subtype specificity was also present in hMSH2 staining, where chromophobe RCC retained a high expression in 41.7% of cases, while clear cell and papillary tumors did not (29.9 and 23.1%; p = 0.01). Conclusion: MSI and EMAST are rare events in sporadic RCC, whereas diminished MMR protein expression is linked to tumor entity and might contribute to the different biological behavior of the RCC subtypes.
Misinformation, partial knowledge and guessing in true/false tests

Context Examiners disagree on whether or not multiple choice and true/false tests should be negatively marked. Much of the debate has been clouded by neglect of the role of misinformation and by vagueness regarding both the specification of test types and ‘partial knowledge’ in relation to guessing. Moreover, variations in risk‐taking in the face of negative marking have too often been treated in absolute terms rather than in relation to the effect of guessing on test unreliability.
Changes in Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression in Experimental Glomerulonephritis

Abstract We assessed changes in transcriptional activation of the inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in a model of macrophage-dependent proliferative glomerulonephritis in the rat resembling human forms of rapidly progressive nephritis. By the use of a cDNA probe derived from rat glomerular RNA and an RNase protection assay, iNOS expression was assessed at early and late stages of the disease and was correlated with the extent of macrophage infiltration. Prominent iNOS expression occurred in isolated glomeruli 24 hr after onset of immune injury when marked glomerular infiltration by macrophages also occurred. Treatment of animals with immune injury with the arachidonic acid cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin, potentiated iNOS expression. iNOS expression was short-lived; it was markedly reduced on Day 2 of injury and undetectable on Days 4 and 10, despite sustained infiltration of glomeruli by macrophages. These observations suggest that in glomerular immune injury the enhanced expression of iNOS is not sustainable possibly due to downregulatory factors generated in the course of injury.
The role of low-molecular-weight heparin in cardiovascular diseases.

Unfractionated heparin continues to have important limitations in clinical practice. It has an inconsistent anticoagulant effect, needs frequent monitoring, and is inactivated by several plasma proteins. Low-molecular-weight heparins have a more predictable anticoagulant effect than unfractionated heparin, are easier to administer, and may not require monitoring. The anticoagulation effect of low-molecular-weight heparins is caused by a combination of inhibition of thrombin generation and inhibition of thrombin activity. Low-molecular-weight heparins have now been evaluated for a number of cardiovascular conditions and have been found to be safe and effective. We review and summarize the existing data regarding the use of low-molecular-weight heparins in cardiovascular diseases, including venous thromboembolism, percutaneous coronary interventions, and acute coronary syndromes such as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.
EFFICACY OF A TYPE C BOTULISM VACCINE IN GREEN-WINGED TEAL

We tested the efficacy of a single dose of Botumink® toxoid for protecting wild green-winged teal (Anas crecca) during botulism epizootics caused by Clostridium botulinum type C. We challenged control and immunized ducks with four different doses of type C botulinum toxin to determine the LD50 for this species and to evaluate vaccine protection. Fewer immunized ducks were affected with botulism than control ducks, indicating that a single dose of Botumink® toxoid could increase the survival of ducks during epizootics. However, the frequency of immunized ducks with signs of botulism increased with the challenge dose of botulinum toxin. Even at doses of botulinum toxin approximately 2 to 4 green-winged teal LD50, about 50% of the immunized ducks were affected. We believe an improved vaccine or a better delivery system is required to justify immunization of wild birds for experimental survival studies.
Enhanced detection of deleterious and other germline mutations of hMSH2 and hMLH1 in Japanese hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer kindreds.

Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is an autosomal, dominantly inherited cancer-prone syndrome. Here, we describe a novel and efficient approach for screening mutations of two major HNPCC susceptibility genes, hMSH2 and hMLH1. The system consists of RNA extraction from whole blood treated with the translation inhibitor, followed by long RT-PCR of the entire coding regions combined with direct sequencing. In analysis of 15 kindreds suspicious for HNPCC, 8 samples were subjected to analysis after puromycin treatment and 7 samples were analyzed without puromycin treatment. Three deleterious mutations were detected in the kindreds with puromycin treatment, while none were observed in those without puromycin. Signals from mutated alleles were enhanced after puromycin treatment and easily distinguished from the wild-type allele, achieved by suppression of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Furthermore, 12 other mutations were detected in 15 kindreds. The system is considered to be a reliable and useful approach for detecting germline mutations of hMSH2 and hMLH1 in HNPCC kindreds.
Outcome-Based Doctor-Patient Interaction Analysis: II. Identifying Effective Provider and Patient Behavior

Three interactional analysis (IA) systems (Bales’, Roter’s modified Bales and Stiles’ “Verbal response modes”) were used to characterize behavioral elements of provider–patient dialogues of 101 new-patient visits in a general medical clinic. In a previous article,1 the explanatory power of these IA systems was compared. In this article, specific provider and patient behaviors within segments of the encounter (introduction–history, physical examination and conclusion), which were shown to be related to encounter outcomes of knowledge, compliance and satisfaction, were examined. Review of interactional behaviors entering regression analysis with a significant F-to-enter (p≤0.05) and supplementary contextual analyses suggested the importance of several categories of physician and patient behavior. Behaviors manifesting tension bear important and complex relationships to encounter outcomes. For example, patient and physician expressions of tension generally bear strong negative relationships to patient satisfaction, while patient expressions interpreted as tension release are positively related to both satisfaction and compliance. The timing of other behaviors appears to be critical to subsequent outcomes. If patient requests for medication occur early in the encounter, this behavior is positively related to subsequent patient satisfaction. However, if they occur in the concluding segment, a negative relationship results. Finally, several relationships taken together indicate that physician teaching in the concluding segment may be important. While useful observations may emerge from application of currently available IA techniques, the resulting information is best characterized as hypothesis-generating. These IA systems have many limitations, and research is needed to derive more clinically oriented systems that may permit more consistent demonstrations of critical process-outcome relationships.
Epidermal growth factor receptor expression in colorectal cancer

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor expression was estimated in 50 invasive human colorectal cancers using immunohistochemistry and the degree of expression was quantified from integrated optical density measurements on the stained sections. All tumours stained positively, but Dukes' C tumours exhibited significantly higher levels of receptor than either Dukes' A or B tumours. In addition, histologically high grade cancers expressed receptors more strongly than those of low grade. It is concluded that a high EGF receptor concentration is associated with poor prognostic factors in colorectal malignancy.
Low temperature nullifies the circadian clock in cyanobacteria through Hopf bifurcation

Significance Loss of circadian rhythms of poikilotherms or plants occurs widely at low temperatures. Here we chilled the simplest circadian oscillator reconstituted in a test tube and found that a reduction in amplitude abrogated rhythmicity, which transitioned into a damped circadian rhythm oscillator at approximately 19 °C. Physicists in the field of dynamical systems refer to this phenomenon as the Hopf bifurcation. Further, diminished amplitude was restored by resonating with temperature cycles. These results suggest that the amplitude of the cyanobacterial circadian rhythm is sufficiently maintained during periods of cold temperatures through resonating with a periodical environment. Cold temperatures lead to nullification of circadian rhythms in many organisms. Two typical scenarios explain the disappearance of rhythmicity: the first is oscillation death, which is the transition from self-sustained oscillation to damped oscillation that occurs at a critical temperature. The second scenario is oscillation arrest, in which oscillation terminates at a certain phase. In the field of nonlinear dynamics, these mechanisms are called the Hopf bifurcation and the saddle-node on an invariant circle bifurcation, respectively. Although these mechanisms lead to distinct dynamical properties near the critical temperature, it is unclear to which scenario the circadian clock belongs. Here we reduced the temperature to dampen the reconstituted circadian rhythm of phosphorylation of the recombinant cyanobacterial clock protein KaiC. The data led us to conclude that Hopf bifurcation occurred at ∼19 °C. Below this critical temperature, the self-sustained rhythms of KaiC phosphorylation transformed to damped oscillations, which are predicted by the Hopf bifurcation theory. Moreover, we detected resonant oscillations below the critical temperature when temperature was periodically varied, which was reproduced by numerical simulations. Our findings suggest that the transition to a damped oscillation through Hopf bifurcation contributes to maintaining the circadian rhythm of cyanobacteria through resonance at cold temperatures.
PIK3CA gene alterations in bladder cancer are frequent and associate with reduced recurrence in non‐muscle invasive tumors

Bladder cancer (BC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world, being the non‐muscle invasive tumors (NMIBC) the most frequent. NMIBC shows a very high frequency of recurrence and, in certain cases, tumor progression. The phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) pathway, which controls cell growth, tumorigenesis, cell invasion and drug response, is frequently activated in numerous human cancers, including BC, in part through alterations of PIK3CA gene. However, the significance of PIK3CA gene alterations with respect to clinicopathological characteristics, and in particular tumor recurrence and progression, remains elusive. Here, we analyzed the presence of mutations in FGFR3 and PIK3CA genes and copy number alterations of PIK3CA gene in bladder tumor and their correspondent paired normal samples from 87 patients. We observed an extremely high frequency of PIK3CA gene alterations (mutations, copy gains, or both) in tumor samples, affecting primarily T1 and T2 tumors. A significant number of normal tissues also showed mutations and copy gains, being coincident with those found in the corresponding tumor sample. In low‐grade tumors PIK3CA mutations associated with FGFR3 mutations. Alterations in PIK3CA gene resulted in increased Akt activity in tumors. Interestingly, the presence of PIK3CA gene alterations, and in particular gene mutations, is significantly associated with reduced recurrence of NMIBC patients. Importantly, the presence of FGFR3 mutations may influence the clinical outcome of patients bearing alterations in PIK3CA gene, and increased recurrence was associated to FGFR3 mutated, PIK3CA wt tumors. These findings may have high relevance in terms of using PI3K‐targeted therapies for BC treatment. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PORCINE RETINA IN LOW TEMPERATURES

Background: We previously observed that the stiffness of the porcine retina was significantly higher when deforming at room temperature than at body temperature. The present study further investigates this phenomenon by examining the mechanical properties of the retina in saline at temperature lower than room temperature. Methods: Tensile testing was performed on a total of 15 retinal strips dissected from pig eyes. Equal amount of strips from the dissection were tested at 37.0 ± 0.3°C, 26.1 ± 0.1°C, and 7.8 ± 1.2°C. Their transition modulus, stress, and strain were measured for statistical analysis. Results: The transition modulus, the transition stress, and the transition strain of the retinal strips were found to be 11.12 ± 6.10 kPa, 0.12 ± 0.07 kPa, and 0.016 ± 0.001, respectively, at 37.0°C. These values were 111.25 ± 88.16 kPa, 1.11 ± 0.85 kPa, and 0.016 ± 0.001 at 26.1°C, and 125.13 ± 63.61 kPa, 1.30 ± 0.50 kPa, and 0.017 ± 0.003 at 7.8°C, respectively. The differences of the transition modulus and the transition stress at between 37.0°C and 26.1°C and at between 37.0°C and 7.8°C were statistically significant (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in these values at between 26.1°C and 7.8°C. Conclusion: These findings suggest that lowering the temperature of the retina from body temperature is potentially useful to decrease retinal damage in posterior eye surgeries by increasing the resistance of the retina to mechanical deformation.
Clinical and Epidemiologic Research Cone – Photoreceptor Density in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

Citation: Tan W, Wright T, Rajendran D, et al. Cone–photoreceptor density in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2015;56:6339–6343. DOI:10.1167/ iovs.15-16817 PURPOSE. Changes to retinal structure and function occur in individuals with diabetes before the onset of diabetic retinopathy. It is still unclear if these changes initially affect vascular or neural retina, or if particular retinal areas are more susceptible than others. This paper examines the distribution of cone photoreceptor density in the retina of adolescents with type 1 diabetes.