Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The NIST 2010 speaker recognition evaluation

The 2010 NIST Speaker Recognition Evaluation continues a series of evaluations of text independent speaker detection begun in 1996. It utilizes the newly collected Mixer-6 and Greybeard Corpora from the Linguistic Data Consortium. Major test conditions to be examined include variations in channel, speech style, vocal effort, and the effect of speaker aging over a multi-year period. A new primary evaluation metric giving increased weight to false alarm errors compared to misses is being used. A small evaluation test with a limited number of trials is also being offered for systems that include human expertise in their processing.
Validity and bias of academic achievement measures in the first year of elementary school

We tested the criterion-related validity and potential bias of two measures of pupils' academic achievement: the Teacher Rating Scale (TRS) and the Mathematics and Literacy Achievement Tests (MLTs). These measures are representative of assessment methods largely used in the elementary school. The aims were: (1) to verify the extent to which TRS and MLTs can be predicted by external criteria collected at kindergarten and (2) to estimate the degree to which each measure might be biased by family, teacher and children's characteristics. A total of 239 children were assessed during kindergarten. At the end of the first grade, they were tested for social-emotional adjustment and academic achievement (TRS and MLTs). Results suggest that family socioeconomic status and children's school readiness at kindergarten were associated with both measures; however, the predictors accounted for significantly more variance in TRS than in MLTs. Regarding the presence of bias, results indicate that TRS seems more sensitive to children's social competence, whereas the MLTs appears to be more sensitive to pupils' anxiety.
Positive Selection, Relaxation, and Acceleration in the Evolution of the Human and Chimp Genome

For years evolutionary biologists have been interested in searching for the genetic bases underlying humanness. Recent efforts at a large or a complete genomic scale have been conducted to search for positively selected genes in human and in chimp. However, recently developed methods allowing for a more sensitive and controlled approach in the detection of positive selection can be employed. Here, using 13,198 genes, we have deduced the sets of genes involved in rate acceleration, positive selection, and relaxation of selective constraints in human, in chimp, and in their ancestral lineage since the divergence from murids. Significant deviations from the strict molecular clock were observed in 469 human and in 651 chimp genes. The more stringent branch-site test of positive selection detected 108 human and 577 chimp positively selected genes. An important proportion of the positively selected genes did not show a significant acceleration in rates, and similarly, many of the accelerated genes did not show significant signals of positive selection. Functional differentiation of genes under rate acceleration, positive selection, and relaxation was not statistically significant between human and chimp with the exception of terms related to G-protein coupled receptors and sensory perception. Both of these were over-represented under relaxation in human in relation to chimp. Comparing differences between derived and ancestral lineages, a more conspicuous change in trends seems to have favored positive selection in the human lineage. Since most of the positively selected genes are different under the same functional categories between these species, we suggest that the individual roles of the alternative positively selected genes may be an important factor underlying biological differences between these species.
SPGR based energy-efficient routing technique in MANETs

Energy-efficiency of ad-hoc networks has been a crucial issue in recent years. In this paper, first, geographic routing protocols of which the distinctive feature is the ability to be aware of the geographic location of nodes were studied in terms of energy-efficiency. Then, a new energy-efficient geographic routing technique is introduced. It is shown that the technique introduced has low delay and long network lifetime results compared to the Geographic Routing Protocol (GRP) technique and the Shortest Path Based Geographical Routing (SPGR) technique.
De Novo Ceramide Synthesis Is Required for N-Linked Glycosylation in Plasma Cells1

Plasma cells (PCs) are terminally differentiated B lymphocytes responsible for the synthesis and secretion of Igs. The differentiation of B cells into PCs involves a remarkable expansion of both lipid and protein components of the endoplasmic reticulum. Despite their importance in many signal transduction pathways, the role of ceramides, and of complex sphingolipids that are derived from ceramide, in PC differentiation has never been directly studied. To assess their putative role in PC differentiation, we blocked ceramide synthesis with fumonisin B1, a specific inhibitor of ceramide synthase. Under fumonisin B1 treatment, N-linked glycosylation was severely impaired in LPS-activated, but not in naive, B cells. We also show that ceramide synthesis is strongly induced by XBP-1 (X box-binding protein-1). In the absence of ceramide synthesis, ER expansion was dramatically diminished. Our results underscore ceramide biosynthesis as a key metabolic pathway in the process of PC differentiation and reveal a previously unknown functional link between sphingolipids and N-linked glycosylation in PCs.
Trait psychopathy and utilitarian moral judgement: The mediating role of action aversion

Although past research has established that the utilitarian bias (increased willingness to agree to personally kill someone for the greater good) in psychopathy on moral dilemmas stems from weaker negative affect at the prospect of harming others due to reduced harm aversion, it remains to be seen if this is owing to reduced aversion to witnessing harmful outcomes (outcome aversion) or performing harmful actions (action aversion). In this study, we show that trait psychopathy is associated with both reduced outcome and action aversion and that only action aversion negatively mediates the influence of trait psychopathy on utilitarian moral judgement. Thus, the increased tendency in psychopathy to make utilitarian moral judgements is in part due to reduced aversion to carrying out harmful actions.
Methods, Theories and Evidence: A Reply to Arzheimer

Kai Arzheimer's careful and thorough comment upon my earlier BJPIR article raises a number of important issues. While engaging in a thorough critique of the original article's methods, he also points to the (perhaps) inherent problems any quantitative approach may encounter in this area. The consequences of this are that if we wish to assess whether there are social determinants to participation, quantitative methods are limited. In the light of this, after addressing some mis-characterisations in his comment, this reply seeks to provide qualitative evidence that there may well be a link between welfare state institutions and outputs and participation.
Time efficient architecture implementation of FastICA processor for EEG signals

BSS (Blind Source Separation) can be efficiently achieved through a popular Fast Independent Component Analysis (FastICA). This work proposes time efficient and high precision FastICA architecture which operates on 2 channels each with 3000 samples in single precision FP (floating point) format. Proposed Architecture uses high speed parallel computations for FastICA for throughput producing more than 1Gflops and FP units are incorporated for high precision.
Scattering polarization of hydrogen lines from electric-induced atomic alignment

We consider a gas of hydrogen atoms illuminated by a broadband unpolarized radiation with zero anisotropy. In the absence of external fields, atomic J-levels are thus isotropically populated. While this condition persists in the presence of a magnetic field, we show instead that electric fields can induce the alignment of these levels. We also show that this electric alignment cannot occur for a two-term model of hydrogen (e.g. if only the Lyα transition is excited), or if the level populations are distributed according to Boltzmann's law.
Development of a PCR probe test for identifying Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas (Burkholderia) cepacia.

AIMS--To develop a system of species specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA hybridisation based on 16s ribosomal RNA sequences for the identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas (Burkholderia) cepacia in sputum from children with cystic fibrosis. METHODS--Most of the 16s rRNA sequences from strains of Ps aeruginosa, Ps (Burkholderia) cepacia, and Ps putida were determined. PCR primers and DNA probes were synthesised from suitable sequences and then evaluated on bacterial cultures and sputum samples. RESULTS--About 1000 bases of sequence was obtained from strains of Ps aeruginosa, Ps (Burkholderia) cepacia, and Ps putida. PCR of bacterial cultures was species specific, but PCR on sputum resulted in some non-specific amplification products. The subsequent hybridisation reaction was species specific. CONCLUSION--A species specific system of PCR and DNA hybridisation based on 16s rRNA sequences is applicable in clinical practice, and may aid the early diagnosis of respiratory tract infection with small numbers of Ps aeruginosa and Ps (Burkholderia) cepacia in patients with cystic fibrosis.
The Internet As a Safety Net: Findings From a Series of Online Focus Groups With LGB and Non-LGB Young People in the United States

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth face special challenges during adolescence including stigma, alienation, and abuse which have been linked with social costs and negative health outcomes. The Internet has been shown to ameliorate the negative impacts of homophobia by providing access to friendships and support, information, romantic partners, and a gay community. In this qualitative study, internet use of LGB and Non-LGB young people were compared. The LGB young people were more adventurous in their internet use than non LGB young people, including meeting new people online. Findings have implications for adolescent health professionals and policy makers.
A Novel In Vitro Multiple-Stress Dormancy Model for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Generates a Lipid-Loaded, Drug-Tolerant, Dormant Pathogen

Background Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) becomes dormant and phenotypically drug resistant when it encounters multiple stresses within the host. Inability of currently available drugs to kill latent Mtb is a major impediment to curing and possibly eradicating tuberculosis (TB). Most in vitro dormancy models, using single stress factors, fail to generate a truly dormant Mtb population. An in vitro model that generates truly dormant Mtb cells is needed to elucidate the metabolic requirements that allow Mtb to successfully go through dormancy, identify new drug targets, and to screen drug candidates to discover novel drugs that can kill dormant pathogen. Methodology/Principal Findings We developed a novel in vitro multiple-stress dormancy model for Mtb by applying combined stresses of low oxygen (5%), high CO2 (10%), low nutrient (10% Dubos medium) and acidic pH (5.0), conditions Mtb is thought to encounter in the host. Under this condition, Mtb stopped replicating, lost acid-fastness, accumulated triacylglycerol (TG) and wax ester (WE), and concomitantly acquired phenotypic antibiotic-resistance. Putative neutral lipid biosynthetic genes were up-regulated. These genes may serve as potential targets for new antilatency drugs. The triacylglycerol synthase1 (tgs1) deletion mutant, with impaired ability to accumulate TG, exhibited a lesser degree of antibiotic tolerance and complementation restored antibiotic tolerance. Transcriptome analysis with microarray revealed the achievement of dormant state showing repression of energy generation, transcription and translation machineries and induction of stress-responsive genes. We adapted this model for drug screening using the Alamar Blue dye to quantify the antibiotic tolerant dormant cells. Conclusions/Significance The new in vitro multiple stress dormancy model efficiently generates Mtb cells meeting all criteria of dormancy, and this method is adaptable to high-throughput screening for drugs that can kill dormant Mtb. A critical link between storage-lipid accumulation and development of phenotypic drug-resistance in Mtb was established. Storage lipid biosynthetic genes may be appropriate targets for novel drugs that can kill latent Mtb.
Evaluation of student feedback

The processes by which feedback is gathered from students and courses evaluated provide challenges and difficulties. How much feedback is needed? Which instruments should be used? When should the feedback be gathered? From whom should the feedback be gathered? What does the feedback tell us? Does the process really improve the learning experience? These are all questions that concern tutors who wish to understand the educational experience of their students. This paper aims to offer some support and encouragement for tutors who are thinking about the evaluation process at course or module level. An action research model is adopted. A module leader (the practitioner) seeks improvement in feedback gathering and evaluation processes. Experiences with a new first year undergraduate module are described and the various ways in which feedback was obtained are evaluated. It is not the intention to evaluate the module in question but to evaluate the forms of student feedback. Feedback that occurs naturally as part of the teaching/learning process is set alongside structured feedback instruments. Implications for tutors involved in feedback and evaluation are considered and suggestions offered.
The Manipulation of Auxin in the Abscission Zone Cells of Arabidopsis Flowers Reveals That Indoleacetic Acid Signaling Is a Prerequisite for Organ Shedding1[C][W][OA]

Premature loss of leaves, flowers, and fruit can reduce crop yield; manipulating the plant hormone auxin in abscission zone cells alters the timing of organ shedding. A number of novel strategies were employed to examine the role of indoleacetic acid (IAA) in regulating floral organ abscission in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Analysis of auxin influx facilitator expression in β-glucuronidase reporter plants revealed that AUXIN RESISTANT1, LIKE AUX1, and LAX3 were specifically up-regulated at the site of floral organ shedding. Flowers from mutants where individual family members were down-regulated exhibited a reduction in the force necessary to bring about petal separation; however, the effect was not additive in double or quadruple mutants. Using the promoter of a polygalacturonase (At2g41850), active primarily in cells undergoing separation, to drive expression of the bacterial genes iaaL and iaaM, we have shown that it is possible to manipulate auxin activity specifically within the floral organ abscission zone (AZ). Analysis of petal breakstrength reveals that if IAA AZ levels are reduced, shedding takes place prematurely, while if they are enhanced, organ loss is delayed. The At2g41850 promoter was also used to transactivate the gain-of-function AXR3-1 gene in order to disrupt auxin signaling specifically within the floral organ AZ cells. Flowers from transactivated lines failed to shed their sepals, petals, and anthers during pod expansion and maturity, and these organs frequently remained attached to the plant even after silique desiccation and dehiscence had taken place. These observations support a key role for IAA in the regulation of abscission in planta and reveal, to our knowledge for the first time, a requirement for a functional IAA signaling pathway in AZ cells for organ shedding to take place.
Enhancing audio source separability using spectro-temporal regularization with NMF

We propose a spectro-temporal regularization approach for NMF that accounts for a source’s spectral variability over time. The regularization terms allow NMF to adapt the spectral basis matrices optimally to reduce mismatch between the spectral characteristics of sources observed during training and encountered during separation. We ﬁrst tested our algorithm on a simulated source separation task. Preliminary results show signiﬁ-cant improvement of SAR, SDR, and SIR values over some current NMF methods. We also tested our algorithm on a speech enhancement task and were able to show a modest improvement of the PESQ scores of the recovered speech.
Using Transmission Lines for Global On-Chip Communication

The growing number of cores in chip multiprocessors increases the importance of interconnection for overall system performance and energy efficiency. Compared to traditional distributed shared-memory architectures, chip-multiprocessors (CMPs) offer a different set of design constraints and opportunities. As a result, a conventional packet-relay multiprocessor interconnect architecture is a valid, but not necessarily optimal, design point. Worsening wire delays, energy-inefficient routers, and the decreased importance of in-field scalability, make the conventional packet-switched network-on-chip a less attractive option. An alternative solution uses well-engineered transmission lines as communication links. These transmission lines, along with simple, practical circuits using modern complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology, can provide low latency, low energy, high throughput channels which can be used as a shared-medium point-to-point link. The design of the transmission lines and transceiver circuits has important architectural impact. This paper includes a first-step design effort for these components, particularly when used for a globally shared-medium bus. For medium-scale CMPs, this interconnect backbone can eliminate the need for packet switching and provide energy, as well as performance benefits when compared to a conventional mesh interconnect. We will provide a design of such a system from the ground up, including design of the transmission lines, transceiver circuits, and a simple, yet effective, architectural design for a shared-medium interconnect, and show that such a design can be a compelling alternative to packet-switched networks for CMPs.
Gravity in warped compactifications and the holographic stress tensor

We study gravitational aspects of brane-world scenarios. We show that the bulk Einstein equations together with the junction condition imply that the induced metric on the brane satisfies the full nonlinear Einstein equations with a specific effective stress-energy tensor. This result holds for any value of the bulk cosmological constant. The analysis is done by either placing the brane close to infinity or by considering the local geometry near the brane. In the case that the bulk spacetime is asymptotically AdS, we show that the effective stress-energy tensor is equal to the sum of the stress-energy tensor of matter localized on the brane and of the holographic stress-energy tensor appearing in the AdS/CFT duality. In addition, there are specific higher-curvature corrections to Einstein's equations. We analyse in detail the case of asymptotically flat spacetime. We obtain asymptotic solutions of Einstein's equations and show that the effective Newton constant on the brane depends on the position of the brane.
Technique, usage et représentations

Cet article se propose de reexaminer la question de l'usage des objets techniques de communication. Dans un premier temps, il presente comment la sociologie des techniques, la sociologie des medias, la sociologie des TIC domestiques et la recherche sur le management des systemes d'information posent la question de l'usage. A la lumiere de ces differents travaux, on reviendra, dans un deuxieme temps, sur le modele du cadre d'usage. Celui-ci a une double fonction, d'une part cognitive et symbolique, d'autre part, il permet d'organiser les interactions des acteurs avec l'objet technique et des acteurs entre eux. On presentera enfin les differents modes d'alliance entre usager et concepteur.
The association between alcohol consumption patterns and adherence to food consumption guidelines.

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between alcohol consumption patterns and adherence to major food consumption guidelines in adults in Spain. METHODS Telephone survey of 12,037 persons, representative of the population age 18 to 64 years in the region of Madrid, conducted from 2000 to 2005. The threshold between average moderate and excessive drinking was 40 g alcohol/d in men and 24 g/d in women. Binge drinking was defined as intake of ≥80 g alcohol in men and ≥60 g in women during 1 drinking session in the last 30 days. Food consumption was measured with a 24-hour recall. Statistical analyses were performed using logistic regression and adjusted for the main confounders. RESULTS In total, 4.3% of study participants were excessive drinkers and 10.3% binge drinkers; 6.5% preferred spirits and 24.2% drank with meals. In comparison with never drinking, average moderate drinking with binge drinking was associated with excessive meat consumption (>1 serving/d). Excessive alcohol consumption without binge drinking was associated with insufficient intake of milk products (<2 servings/d) and excessive consumption of meat, fish, and eggs (>2 servings/d). Excessive drinkers with binge drinking more often did not meet the guidelines on consumption of fruit and vegetables (<3 servings/d), milk products, and meat. Excessive drinkers, with and without binge drinking, were more likely to skip a meal, especially breakfast. Consumption mainly of spirits was associated with insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption, and with skipping a meal. Finally, drinking at mealtimes was associated with poor adherence to most of the food consumption guidelines. No dietary differences between men and women were found in relation to alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS Average excessive alcohol consumption, binge drinking, preference for spirits, and drinking alcohol at mealtimes are associated with poor adherence to major food consumption guidelines.
Roles of CcrA and CcrB in Excision and Integration of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec, a Staphylococcus aureus Genomic Island

ABSTRACT The gene encoding resistance to methicillin and other β-lactam antibiotics in staphylococci, mecA, is carried on a genomic island, SCCmec (for staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec). The chromosomal excision and integration of types I to IV SCCmec are catalyzed by the site-specific recombinases CcrA and CcrB, the genes for which are encoded on each element. We sought to identify the relative contributions of CcrA and CcrB in the excision and integration of SCCmec. Purified CcrB but not CcrA was shown to mediate the gel shift of chromosomal target integration sequences (attB) in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. However, preincubation of CcrB-DNA complexes with increasing concentrations of CcrA blocked gel shift. The interaction of CcrB and CcrA was confirmed by Escherichia coli two-hybrid analysis. SCCmec excision mediated by plasmid-encoded and inducible ccrA, ccrB, or both genes was assessed by PCR in Staphylococcus aureus. CcrB alone could mediate excision but excision was at an alternate att site (attR2) within the right extremity of SCCmec. In contrast, both CcrB and CcrA were required to mediate excision at the chromosomal attB site (called attR when SCCmec is integrated). Insertion of a plasmid containing the SCCmec att site (attS) into the chromosome required both CcrA and CcrB, but CcrA overexpression lowered integration frequency. Thus, while CcrB binds DNA, interaction between CcrA and CcrB, in a precise ratio, is required for attB site-specific excision and SCCmec chromosomal insertion.