Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The NTID speech recognition test: NSRT®

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to collect and analyse data necessary for expansion of the NSRT item pool and to evaluate the NSRT adaptive testing software. Design: Participants were administered pure-tone and speech recognition tests including W-22 and QuickSIN, as well as a set of 323 new NSRT items and NSRT adaptive tests in quiet and background noise. Performance on the adaptive tests was compared to pure-tone thresholds and performance on other speech recognition measures. The 323 new items were subjected to Rasch scaling analysis. Study sample: Seventy adults with mild to moderately severe hearing loss participated in this study. Their mean age was 62.4 years (sd = 20.8). Results: The 323 new NSRT items fit very well with the original item bank, enabling the item pool to be more than doubled in size. Data indicate high reliability coefficients for the NSRT and moderate correlations with pure-tone thresholds (PTA and HFPTA) and other speech recognition measures (W-22, QuickSIN, and SRT). Conclusion: The adaptive NSRT is an efficient and effective measure of speech recognition, providing valid and reliable information concerning respondents’ speech perception abilities.
Antonyms: A serious game for enhancing inhibition mechanisms in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

This paper describes the planning and the implementation of a serious game (SG) for the improvement of attention skills in children with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) to promote learning and autonomous management of impulsive behaviors and to inhibit irrelevant thoughts. The SG, called Antonyms, is a personal computer videogame consisting of a series of activities, each eliciting the tendency to respond in an immediate, inadequate way based on the Dual Pathway Model proposed by Sonuga-Barke. Children must block such a tendency, reflect upon the situation and find the nonintuitive solution to foster self-regulation skills. Antonyms consists of three mini-games in a single framework. It is designed for educational and rehabilitation settings. The expected outcome is an increase in the ability to keep attention focused on the relevant elements of situations that children face in their everyday life.
BER Analysis of MIMO-OFDM System using Alamouti STBC and MRC Diversity Scheme over Rayleigh Multipath Channel

This paper represents a bit error rate performance analysis of multiple-input-multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) system with Alamouti Space Time Block Code (STBC) and Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC) diversity scheme over Rayleigh fading channel. Recently, Alamouti STBC has gained much attention as an effective transmit diversity scheme to provide reliable transmission with high peak data rates to increase the capacity of wireless communication system. In this paper, the analysis of Alamouti STBC is used in MIMO-OFDM system to assure transmit diversity and the receive diversity is resolved with MRC diversity technique. For a fixed number of transmit antennas, the performance of Alamouti STBC is analyzed in terms of probability of bit error and diversity gain for a Rayleigh fading channel. At the receiving end, the signals received from multiple paths are weighted and summed in accordance with MRC scheme which provides maximum performance improvement by maximizing the SNR of the MIMO-OFDM system. The simulated results depict that the proposed MIMO-OFDM system concatenated with Alamouti STBC and MRC outperforms conventional SISO-OFDM, MISO-OFDM with Alamouti STBC and SIMO- OFDM with MRC technique in a scattering environment.
Vectorial Transport of Nucleoside Analogs from the Apical to the Basolateral Membrane in Double-Transfected Cells Expressing the Human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter hCNT3 and the Export Pump ABCC4

The identification of the transport proteins responsible for the uptake and the efflux of nucleosides and their metabolites enables the characterization of their vectorial transport and a better understanding of their absorption, distribution, and elimination. Human concentrative nucleoside transporters (hCNTs/SLC28A) are known to mediate the transport of natural nucleosides and some nucleoside analogs into cells in a sodium-dependent and unidirectional manner. On the other hand, several human multidrug resistance proteins [human ATP-binding cassette transporter, subfamily C (ABCC)] cause resistance against nucleoside analogs and mediate transport of phosphorylated nucleoside derivatives out of the cells in an ATP-dependent manner. For the integrated analysis of uptake and efflux of these compounds, we established a double-transfected Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) II cell line stably expressing the human uptake transporter hCNT3 in the apical membrane and the human efflux pump ABCC4 in the basolateral membrane. The direction of transport was from the apical to the basolateral compartment, which is in line with the unidirectional transport and the localization of both recombinant proteins in the MDCKII cells. Recombinant hCNT3 mediated the transport of several known nucleoside substrates, and we identified 5-azacytidine as a new substrate for hCNT3. It is of interest that coexpression of both transporters was confirmed in pancreatic adenocarcinomas, which represent an important clinical indication for the therapeutic use of nucleoside analogs. Thus, our results establish a novel cell system for studies on the vectorial transport of nucleosides and their analogs from the apical to the basolateral compartment. The results contribute to a better understanding of the cellular transport characteristics of nucleoside drugs.
Risk-Benefit Profile of Warfarin Versus Aspirin in Patients With Heart Failure and Sinus Rhythm: A Meta-analysis

Background—The risk-benefit profile of warfarin versus aspirin for patients with heart failure in normal sinus rhythm has not been definitively established. Our objective was to evaluate the overall comparative effects of warfarin and aspirin in patients with heart failure and normal sinus rhythm. Methods and Results—Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Clinicaltrials.gov from January 1966 to June 2012 were searched to identify relevant studies. We included randomized controlled trials that included comparison of warfarin versus aspirin, and composite end point of death or stroke separately for active treatment and control groups. Summary incidence rates, relative risks (RRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects models. The search identified 4 randomized controlled trials of warfarin versus aspirin therapy, enrolling 3663 patients. There was no significant difference between the 2 treatments for the primary end point (warfarin versus aspirin: RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.84–1.06; P=0.31). Warfarin (versus aspirin) was associated with lower risk of any stroke (RR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.38–0.82; P=0.003) and ischemic stroke (RR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.24–0.86; P=0.02) but had a neutral effect on death (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.89–1.14; P=0.89) and a higher risk of major bleeding (RR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.37–2.76; P=0.0002). Conclusions—Compared with aspirin, warfarin does not provide benefit in the prevention of stroke and death among patients with heart failure in sinus rhythm, but raises the risk of major bleeding; and therefore its use in these patients is not justified.
Organization of mammary epithelial cells into 3D acinar structures requires glucocorticoid and JNK signaling

Mammary epithelial cells cultured on a concentrated laminin-rich extracellular matrix formed 3D acinar structures that matured to polarized monolayers surrounding a lumen. In the absence of glucocorticoids mature acinus formation failed and the expression of an acinus-associated, activator protein 1 (AP1) and nuclear factor κB transcription factor DNA-binding profile was lost. Treatment with the JNK inhibitor, SP600125, caused similar effects, whereas normal organization of the mammary epithelial cells as acini caused JNK activation in a glucocorticoid-dependent manner. The forming acini expressed BRCA1, GADD45β, MEKK4, and the JNK activating complex GADD 45β−MEKK4 in a glucocorticoid-dependent fashion. JNK catalyzed phosphorylation of c-Jun was also detected in the acini. In addition, expression of β4 integrin and in situ occupation of its promoter by AP1 components, c-Jun and Fos, was glucocorticoid dependent. These results suggest that glucocortocoid signaling regulates acinar integrity through a pathway involving JNK regulation of AP1 transcription factors and β4 integrin expression.
Hypochlorite-Modified Albumin Upregulates ICAM-1 Expression via a MAPK–NF-κB Signaling Cascade: Protective Effects of Apocynin

Hypochlorite-modified albumin (HOCl-alb) has been linked to endothelial dysfunction, which plays an important role in the development of hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. However, whether HOCl-alb induces endothelial dysfunction via vascular inflammation and whether a signaling pathway is involved are unknown and have not been investigated. HOCl-alb was found to upregulate ICAM-1 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in a time- and dose-dependent manner. HOCl-alb time-dependently phosphorylated ERK1/2 and p38MAPK. HOCl-alb also activated NF-κB. ICAM-1 expression was dose-dependently inhibited by U0126 (a specific inhibitor of MEK1/2, a signal upstream from ERK1/2), SB203580 (a specific inhibitor of p38MAPK), and SN50 (a specific inhibitor of NF-κB). U0126 and SB203580 both counteracted the activation of NF-κB, whereas the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38MAPK was not blocked by SN50. ERK1/2 phosphorylation was blocked by U0126 but not by SB203580, and p38MAPK activity was reduced by SB203580 but not by U0126. Apocynin, a specific NADPH oxidase (NOX) inhibitor, inhibited ICAM-1 expression and the activity of ERK1/2, p38MAPK, and NF-κB. These results indicate that HOCl-alb-induced ICAM-1 expression is caused by the activation of a redox-sensitive intracellular signal cascade involving ERK1/2 and p38MAPK, culminating in the activation of NF-κB and involving NOXs among the upstream signals.
Amelioration of Mercury-Induced Autoimmunity by 4-1BB1

In certain strains of mice, subtoxic doses of HgCl2 (mercuric chloride; mercury) induce a complex autoimmune condition characterized by the production of antinucleolar IgG Abs, lymphoproliferation, increased serum levels of IgG1/IgE Abs, and deposition of renal immune complexes. 4-1BB is an important T cell costimulatory molecule that has been implicated in T cell proliferation and cytokine production, especially production of IFN-γ. To elucidate T cell control mediated by the 4-1BB signaling pathway in this syndrome, we assessed the effect of administering agonistic anti-4-1BB mAb on mercury-induced autoimmunity. Groups of A.SW mice (H-2s) received mercury/control Ig or mercury/anti-4-1BB or PBS alone. Anti-4-1BB mAb treatment resulted in a dramatic reduction of mercury-induced antinucleolar Ab titers, serum IgG1/IgE induction, and renal Ig deposition. These effects may be related to the present finding that anti-4-1BB mAb decreases B cell numbers and function. The anti-4-1BB mAb-treated mercury group also showed a marked reduction in Th2-type cytokines but an increase in Th1-type cytokines and chemokines. Increased IFN-γ production due to anti-4-1BB mAb treatment appears to be responsible for the observed B cell defects because neutralization of IFN-γ in vivo substantially restored B cell numbers and partly restored IgG1/IgE. Collectively, our results indicate that 4-1BB mAb can down-regulate mercury-induced autoimmunity by affecting B cell function in an IFN-γ-dependent manner and thus, preventing the development of autoantibody production and tissue Ig deposition.
The Obligate Intracellular Parasite Toxoplasma gondii Secretes a Soluble Phosphatidylserine Decarboxylase*

Background: Many genes and enzymes of lipid metabolism in T. gondii remain uncharacterized. Results: The parasite secretes a soluble phosphatidylserine decarboxylase (TgPSD1), which acts on biological membranes. Conclusion: T. gondii uses its secretory apparatus to modify lipids in the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and host cell membranes. Significance: Secreted TgPSD1 reduces externalized phosphatidylserine on host cells, enabling evasion of phagocytosis. Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite capable of causing fatal infections in immunocompromised individuals and neonates. Examination of the phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) metabolism of T. gondii reveals that the parasite secretes a soluble form of PtdSer decarboxylase (TgPSD1), which preferentially decarboxylates liposomal PtdSer with an apparent Km of 67 μm. The specific enzyme activity increases by 3-fold during the replication of T. gondii, and soluble phosphatidylserine decarboxylase (PSD) accounts for ∼20% of the total PSD, prior to the parasite egress from the host cells. Extracellular T. gondii secreted ∼20% of its total PSD activity at 37 °C, and the intracellular Ca2+ chelator 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid tetrakis (acetoxymethyl ester) inhibited the process by 50%. Cycloheximide, brefeldin A, ionic composition of the medium, and exogenous PtdSer did not modulate the enzyme secretion, which suggests a constitutive discharge of a presynthesized pool of PSD in axenic T. gondii. TgPSD1 consists of 968 amino acids with a 26-amino acid hydrophobic peptide at the N terminus and no predicted membrane domains. Parasites overexpressing TgPSD1-HA secreted 10-fold more activity compared with the parental strain. Exposure of apoptotic Jurkat cells to transgenic parasites demonstrated interfacial catalysis by secreted TgPSD1 that reduced host cell surface exposure of PtdSer. Immunolocalization experiments revealed that TgPSD1 resides in the dense granules of T. gondii and is also found in the parasitophorous vacuole of replicating parasites. Together, these findings demonstrate novel features of the parasite enzyme because a secreted, soluble, and interfacially active form of PSD has not been previously described for any organism.
Image Classification using Frequent Itemset Mining

Image classification is one of the most useful and essential research field in computer vision domain and challenging task in the image management and retrieval system. The growing demands for image classification in computer vision having application such as video surveillance, image and video retrieval, web content analysis, biometrics etc. have pushed application developers to search and classify images more efficiently. The main goal of image classification is to classifying image into different classes according to their visual characteristics. In this paper, we propose an approach for image classification by applying frequent itemset mining. Frequent Itemset Mining is used to finding the frequent patterns which is referring as Frequent Local Histograms or FLHs. All Local Histogram information must be maintained for obtaining these FLHs patterns and demonstrate the Bagof-FLHs based image representation. The main aim of this research is to use PCA-SIFT (Principal Component AnalysisScale Invariant Feature Transform) local descriptor for feature extraction. It is more distinctive, robust to image deformations and more compact than the standard SIFT descriptor. The proposed work reduces the overall time of image classification task and maintaining its overall accuracy. General Terms Image Classification, Frequent Itemset Mining (FIM)
Training, Wages, and Sample Selection: Estimating Sharp Bounds on Treatment Effects

This paper empirically assesses the wage effects of the Job Corps program, one of the largest federally-funded job training programs in the United States. Even with the aid of a randomized experiment, the impact of a training program on wages is difficult to study because of sample selection, a pervasive problem in applied micro-econometric research. Wage rates are only observed for those who are employed, and employment status itself may be affected by the training program. This paper develops an intuitive trimming procedure for bounding average treatment effects in the presence of sample selection. In contrast to existing methods, the procedure requires neither exclusion restrictions nor a bounded support for the outcome of interest. Identification results, estimators, and their asymptotic distribution, are presented. The bounds suggest that the program raised wages, consistent with the notion that the Job Corps raises earnings by increasing human capital, rather than solely through encouraging work. The estimator is generally applicable to typical treatment evaluation problems in which there is non-random sample selection/attrition.
On a lower bound for the redundancy of reliable networks with noisy gates

A proof is provided that a logarithmic redundancy factor is necessary for the reliable computation of the parity function by means of a network with noisy gates. This result was first stated by R.L. Dobrushin and S.I. Ortyukov (1977). However, the authors believe that the analysis given by Dobrushin and Ortyukov is not entirely correct. The authors establish the result by following the same steps and by replacing the questionable part of their analysis with entirely new arguments. >
Increased Expression of MERTK is Associated with a Unique Form of Canine Retinopathy

Progressive retinal degenerations are among the most common causes of blindness both in human and in dogs. Canine progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) resembles human retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and is typically characterized by a progressive loss of rod photoreceptors followed by a loss of cone function. The disease gradually progress from the loss of night and day vision to a complete blindness. We have recently described a unique form of retinopathy characterized by the multifocal gray/brown discoloration and thinning of the retina in the Swedish Vallhund (SV) breed. We aimed to identify the genetic cause by performing a genome wide association analysis in a cohort of 18 affected and 10 healthy control dogs using Illumina's canine 22k SNP array. We mapped the disease to canine chromosome 17 (p = 7.7×10−5) and found a 6.1 Mb shared homozygous region in the affected dogs. A combined analysis of the GWAS and replication data with additional 60 dogs confirmed the association (p = 4.3×10−8, OR = 11.2 for homozygosity). A targeted resequencing of the entire associated region in four cases and four controls with opposite risk haplotypes identified several variants in the coding region of functional candidate genes, such as a known retinopathy gene, MERTK. However, none of the identified coding variants followed a compelling case- or breed-specific segregation pattern. The expression analyses of four candidate genes in the region, MERTK, NPHP1, ANAPC1 and KRCC1, revealed specific upregulation of MERTK in the retina of the affected dogs. Collectively, these results indicate that the retinopathy is associated with overexpression of MERTK, however further investigation is needed to discover the regulatory mutation for the better understanding of the disease pathogenesis. Our study establishes a novel gain-of-function model for the MERTK biology and provides a therapy model for retinopathy MERTK inhibitors. Meanwhile, a marker-based genetic counseling can be developed to revise breeding programs.
Familial advanced sleep phase syndrome.

BACKGROUND The circadian rhythms of sleep propensity and melatonin secretion are regulated by a central circadian clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. The most common types of sleep disorders attributed to an alteration of the circadian clock system are the sleep/wake cycle phase disorders, such as delayed sleep phase syndrome and advanced sleep phase syndrome (ASPS). Advanced sleep phase syndrome is characterized by the complaint of persistent early evening sleep onset and early morning awakening. Although the complaint of awakening earlier than desired is relatively common, particularly in older adults, extreme advance of sleep phase is rare. OBJECTIVE To phenotypically characterize a familial case of ASPS. METHODS We identified a large family with ASPS; 32 members of this family gave informed consent to participate in this study. Measures of sleep onset and offset, dim light melatonin onset, the Horne-Ostberg morningness-eveningness questionnaire, and clinical interviews were used to characterize family members as affected or unaffected with ASPS. RESULTS Affected members rated themselves as "morning types" and had a significant advance in the phase of sleep onset (P<.001) and offset (P =.006) times. The mean sleep onset was 2121 hours for the affected family members and 0025 hours for the unaffected family members. The mean sleep offset was 0507 hours for the affected members and 0828 hours for the unaffected members. (Times are given in military form.) In addition, the phase of the circadian rhythm of melatonin onset for the affected family members was on average 3-1/2 hours earlier than for the unaffected members. CONCLUSIONS The ASPS trait segregates with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. The occurrence of familial ASPS indicates that human circadian rhythms, similar to those in animals, are under genetic regulation. Genetic analysis of familial sleep and circadian rhythm disorders is important for identifying a specific gene(s) responsible for the regulation of sleep and circadian rhythms in humans.
Patient cooperative adaptive controller for lower limb Robotic Rehabilitation Device

This is evident that training duration is a key factor for a successful therapy. Robot supported therapy can improve the rehabilitation allowing more intensive training. This paper presents the kinematic, the control architecture and benchmark criteria to evaluate the performance of Robotic Rehabilitation Devices (RRD). Equipped with position, force and impedance controller, the proposed RRD can deliver the patient cooperative lower limb therapy taking into account the patient activity and supporting him/her only as much as needed[1]. One of the main objectives of a successful lower limb robotic rehabilitation device is to obtain a smooth human machine interaction in different phase of gait cycle at the interaction point (haptic behavior). The input (interaction force, Joint angle, rate of change of interaction force) and output (impedance, Δτ) relationship of the control system is nonlinear. This paper proposes a fuzzy rule based controller to be used to control the interaction force at the patient exoskeleton interaction point. In achieving the objective, impedance, driver torque and angular velocity have been modulated in a way such that there is a reduction of interaction force. Minimum interaction force at the interaction point and tracking the defined gait trajectory with minimum error are set as the benchmark to evaluate the performance in many tasks. In this paper there is an evaluation of what degree of impedance is ideal for what type of interaction force and joint angle to maintain a trajectory tunnel. This paper describes the control architecture of one Degree of freedom lower limb exoskeleton that has been specifically designed in order to ensure a proper trajectory control for guiding patient's limb along an adaptive reference gait pattern [2]. The proposed methodology satisfies all the desired criteria to be an ideal robotic rehabilitation device.