Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Developmental Hierarchy of Syllabic Difficulty

The syllable has been investigated as a basic unit in theoretical phonology (Morgan 1984, Harris 1983), the acquisition of phonology (Macken 1979, 1978, Ingram 1978), and printed-word recognition (Katz and Baldasare 1983, Katz and Feldman 1981). In theoretical phonology, the syllable and its structure are studied because "it is there, native speakers demonstrate some sort of competence with syllables, and syllable structure interacts with other aspects of linguistic organization" (Harris 1983:4). The syllable has been shown to play various functions in phonological development. In a review of research on the role of the syllable in child language development, Ingram (1978) showed that phonological processes operate at the level of the syllable, children develop canonical word shapes based on syllable structure, and the acquisition of segments affects syllable development. For printed word recognition of alphabetic orthographic systems, Katz and Baldasare (1983) showed that children (native language English) at the fifth grade level and below use syllable structure in order to name novel words and access lexical infor-
High specificity of cphA-encoded metallo-beta-lactamase from Aeromonas hydrophila AE036 for carbapenems and its contribution to beta-lactam resistance

The Aeromonas hydrophila AE036 chromosome contains a cphA gene encoding a metallo-beta-lactamase highly active against carbapenem antibiotics. This enzyme was induced in strain AE036 to the same extent by both benzylpenicillin and imipenem. When the cphA gene was inserted into plasmid pACYC184, used to transform Escherichia coli DH5 alpha, the MICs of imipenem, meropenem, and penem HRE664 for recombinant clone DH5 alpha(pAA20R), expressing the Aeromonas metallo-beta-lactamase, were significantly increased, but those of penicillins and cephalosporins were not. When the metallo-beta-lactamase purified from E. coli DH5 alpha(pAA20R) was assayed with several beta-lactam substrates, it hydrolyzed carbapenems but not penicillins or cephalosporins efficiently. These results demonstrate that this metallo-beta-lactamase possesses an unusual spectrum of activity compared with all the other class B enzymes identified so far, being active on penems and carbapenems only. This enzyme may thus contribute to the development of resistance to penems and carbapenems but not other beta-lactams.
Testing system virtual machines

Virtual machines offer the ability to partition the resources of a physical system and to create isolated execution environments. The development of virtual machines is a very challenging task. This is particularly true for system virtual machines, since they run an operating system and must replicate in every detail the incredibly complex environment it requires. Nowadays, system virtual machines are the key component of many critical architectures. However, only little effort has been invested to test if the environment they provide is semantically equivalent to the environment found on real machines. In this paper we present a methodology specific for testing system virtual machines. This methodology is based on protocol-specific fuzzing and differential analysis, and consists in forcing a virtual machine and the corresponding physical machine to execute specially crafted snippets of user- and system-mode code and in comparing their behaviors. We have developed a prototype, codenamed KEmuFuzzer, that implements our methodology for the Intel x86 architecture and used it to test four state-of-the-art virtual machines: BOCHS, QEMU, VirtualBox and VMware. We discovered defects in all of them.
An evidence‐based model of distributed software development project management: results from a systematic mapping study

Distributed software development (DSD) has intensified over the past few years, and DSD project management is more complex than collocated project management. However, no systematic research effort has focused on aggregating evidence from the scientific literature to build models to support project management on DSD context. For these reasons, the goal of this paper is to build an evidence‐based model of DSD project management from the research findings about challenges of DSD and the practices, models and tools proposed and used to overcome these challenges. We based the construction of this model on the evidence collected and synthesized by a comprehensive systematic mapping study of 70 research papers published between 1997 and 2009. We believe that our results can help practitioners and researchers to better understand the challenges and implement more effective solutions to improve project management within distributed project management teams. These results also provide a mapping of the research about DSD project management, identifying areas where further research is needed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Can Voluntary Support Projects Help Vulnerable Families? The Work of Home-Start

In an exploratory study, we examined the characteristics of a sample of families referred to a branch of Home-Start (a voluntary organization to help stressed parents of under-fives) and the work of its volunteers. Comparison with families on social workers' case-loads suggested that Home-Start was able to work with a wide variety of families, including those with severe difficulties, and that it offered a qualitatively different and complementary service to that of the local authority.
Impact of HbA1c Measurement on Hospital Readmission Rates: Analysis of 70,000 Clinical Database Patient Records

Management of hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients has a significant bearing on outcome, in terms of both morbidity and mortality. However, there are few national assessments of diabetes care during hospitalization which could serve as a baseline for change. This analysis of a large clinical database (74 million unique encounters corresponding to 17 million unique patients) was undertaken to provide such an assessment and to find future directions which might lead to improvements in patient safety. Almost 70,000 inpatient diabetes encounters were identified with sufficient detail for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to fit the relationship between the measurement of HbA1c and early readmission while controlling for covariates such as demographics, severity and type of the disease, and type of admission. Results show that the measurement of HbA1c was performed infrequently (18.4%) in the inpatient setting. The statistical model suggests that the relationship between the probability of readmission and the HbA1c measurement depends on the primary diagnosis. The data suggest further that the greater attention to diabetes reflected in HbA1c determination may improve patient outcomes and lower cost of inpatient care.
Merging Mixture Components for Cell Population Identification in Flow Cytometry

We present a framework for the identification of cell subpopulations in flow cytometry data based on merging mixture components using the flowClust methodology. We show that the cluster merging algorithm under our framework improves model fit and provides a better estimate of the number of distinct cell subpopulations than either Gaussian mixture models or flowClust, especially for complicated flow cytometry data distributions. Our framework allows the automated selection of the number of distinct cell subpopulations and we are able to identify cases where the algorithm fails, thus making it suitable for application in a high throughput FCM analysis pipeline. Furthermore, we demonstrate a method for summarizing complex merged cell subpopulations in a simple manner that integrates with the existing flowClust framework and enables downstream data analysis. We demonstrate the performance of our framework on simulated and real FCM data. The software is available in the flowMerge package through the Bioconductor project.
Internet advertising strategy by comparison challenge approach

A comparison challenge approach is proposed as a form of challenger-activated, just-in-time advertising. To develop a framework for a comparison challenge, we propose a theory of comparison. Based on this theory, the CompareMe and CompareThem strategies are devised, and comparable objects are classified in terms of price and performance dominance as well as the scope of proximity. The idea is demonstrated with a comparison of PCs from five leading manufacturers. To assist in the planning of the comparison challenge, a mathematical programming model was formulated to maximize the value of comparison under the constraints of the comparison opportunity and budget. The model is applied to eight scenarios in terms of the range of comparing objects. We found the ad effect of comparison challenge to be substantially better than banners (4.75 times) and similarity-based comparisons (2.77 times), providing customers with better performance and reduced prices.
High-efficiency thin-disk lasers based on Tm:KLu(WO4)2 crystals

We report on a high-efficiency room-temperature thin-disk lasers based on the monoclinic 5%Tm:KLuW crystals, epitaxial layers, and composite structures 5%Tm:KLuW/KLuW. The output spectra and oscillation performances of various types of thin-disk active elements are comparatively studied.
Exploration of the Robustness of Plans

This paper considers the problem of stochastic robustness testing for plans. As many authors have observed, unforeseen execution-time variations, both in the effects of actions and in the times at which they occur, can result in a plan failing to execute correctly even when it is valid with respect to a domain model. In this paper we contrast the validation of a plan with respect to a domain model, confirming soundness, with the validation with respect to an execution model, which we call robustness. We describe a Monte Carlo probing strategy that takes a hypothesis testing approach to confirming the robustness of a plan. An important contribution of the work is that we draw links between the robustness of plans and the notion of the "fuzzy" robustness of traces through timed hybrid automata, introduced by Gupta et al. We show that robustness depends on the metric used to define the set of plans that are probed, and that the most appropriate metric depends on the capabilities of the executive and the way in which it will interpret and execute the plan.
Characterization of antibacterial compounds produced by the actinomycetes using NMR spectral analysis

A total of 3 strains were found with potential antibacterial activity. The MMKK5 strain showed moderate, good and excellent growth in GAA broth during 7, 14 and 21 day of incubation respectively while in starch-casein broth weak growth observed in 7 days incubation but finally at twenty one days showed excellent growth. MMKK2 showed moderate to good growth up to 21 days of incubation. Whereas, MMKK2 and BPA showed good growth in both the media in 21 days of incubation. MMKK5 strain found to be highly active against test microorganisms like Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus stearothermophilus and was modertately active against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. MMKK2 showed its high inhibitory activity to B. cereus and B. megaterium while showed moderate inhibition with B. subtilis, S. aureus and B. sterothermophilus. BPA showed moderately active inhibition to only Bacillus cereus and Micro luteus, while all other bacteria were passive or with slight activity. The NMR spectra of MMKK5 showed purely aliphatic compounds, the signals were normalized to the integral of the spectral region 8 to 9 shows aldehyde group and showed the compound slightly soluble with methanol, ethyl acetate showed carboxylic groups, showing the aliphatic aminoaldehyde (Gummy solid CH2 group 3.22 at 2 ppm) and two (CH3 groups 1.88 and 3.02 correlated at 1 ppm). NMR spectra of MMKK2 showed singlet, doublet peak multiplicity signals showed NH, CH2, CH3 groups signal 1.67 and 2.63 correlated 2.44 at 1 ppm of CH3 group. Singlet signals 2.52 and 3.00 at 2 ppm of CH2 group. NMR spectra of BPA in DMSO-d6 showed signal regions were normalized to the integral of the spectral region 8 to 9 ppm showed 1.32 and 2.33 singlet signal at 5 to 6 ppm and 1.97 at 7.5 ppm.
Research Note: Clement Attlee, Percy Sillitoe and the Security Aspects of the Fuchs Case

In November 2003 the United Kingdom National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office) released a previously classified file relating to the security aspects of the case surrounding the atom spy Klaus Fuchs. It includes an eight-page memorandum, submitted by the Director-General of MI5, Sir Percy Sillitoe, to the Prime Minister, Clement Attlee. This document describes the security aspects of Fuchs's background and arrest. However, a careful examination reveals that MI5 deliberately misled the Prime Minister to cover their own incompetence. Furthermore, in recommending to Attlee that he make a statement in parliament, the document reveals that MI5 were prepared to allow Attlee to mislead the country.
Microglia/Macrophage Polarization Dynamics Reveal Novel Mechanism of Injury Expansion After Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Background and Purpose— Mononuclear phagocytes are highly plastic cells that assume diverse phenotypes in response to microenvironmental signals. The phenotype-specific roles of microglia/macrophages in ischemic brain injury are poorly understood. A comprehensive characterization of microglia/macrophage polarization after ischemia may advance our knowledge of poststroke damage/recovery. Methods— Focal transient cerebral ischemia was induced in mice for 60 minutes; animals were euthanized at 1 to 14 days of reperfusion. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining for M1 and M2 markers were performed to characterize phenotypic changes in brain cells, including microglia and infiltrating macrophages. In vitro experiments using a transwell system, a conditioned medium transfer system, or a coculture system allowing cell-to-cell contacts were used to further elucidate the effect of neuronal ischemia on microglia/macrophage polarization and, conversely, the effect of microglia/macrophage phenotype on the fate of ischemic neurons. Results— Local microglia and newly recruited macrophages assume the M2 phenotype at early stages of ischemic stroke but gradually transformed into the M1 phenotype in peri-infarct regions. In vitro experiments revealed that ischemic neurons prime microglial polarization toward M1 phenotype. M1-polarized microglia or M1-conditioned media exacerbated oxygen glucose deprivation–induced neuronal death. In contrast, maintaining the M2 phenotype of microglia protected neurons against oxygen glucose deprivation. Conclusions— Our results suggest that microglia/macrophages respond dynamically to ischemic injury, experiencing an early “healthy” M2 phenotype, followed by a transition to a “sick” M1 phenotype. These dual and opposing roles of microglia/macrophages suggest that stroke therapies should be shifted from simply suppressing microglia/macrophage toward adjusting the balance between beneficial and detrimental microglia/macrophage responses.
Survival of breast cancer patients in Connecticut in relation to socioeconomic and health care access indicators

The purpose of this study of 16,931 black and white Connecticut women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 1988–1995 was to examine survival in relation to surrogate or proxy indicators of both socioeconomic status (SES) and access to primary care. Patients were followed through 1998, and the risk of death was elevated for the lowest (vs. highest) SES category independent of stage at diagnosis and other characteristics, especially among patients diagnosed before age 65 years. The health care access indicator was not associated with risk of death when other patient characteristics (including the SES variable and stage at diagnosis) were taken into account. Unexplained elevations, relative to the rest of the state, in risk of death were found for patients diagnosed while living in two of the state’s four largest cities.
Cortical Representation of Species-Specific Vocalizations in Guinea Pig

We investigated the representation of four typical guinea pig vocalizations in the auditory cortex (AI) in anesthetized guinea pigs with the aim to compare cortical data to the data already published for identical calls in subcortical structures - the inferior colliculus (IC) and medial geniculate body (MGB). Like the subcortical neurons also cortical neurons typically responded to many calls with a time-locked response to one or more temporal elements of the calls. The neuronal response patterns in the AI correlated well with the sound temporal envelope of chirp (an isolated short phrase), but correlated less well in the case of chutter and whistle (longer calls) or purr (a call with a fast repetition rate of phrases). Neuronal rate vs. characteristic frequency profiles provided only a coarse representation of the calls’ frequency spectra. A comparison between the activity in the AI and those of subcortical structures showed a different transformation of the neuronal response patterns from the IC to the AI for individual calls: i) while the temporal representation of chirp remained unchanged, the representations of whistle and chutter were transformed at the thalamic level and the response to purr at the cortical level; ii) for the wideband calls (whistle, chirp) the rate representation of the call spectra was preserved in the AI and MGB at the level present in the IC, while in the case of low-frequency calls (chutter, purr), the representation was less precise in the AI and MGB than in the IC; iii) the difference in the response strength to natural and time-reversed whistle was found to be smaller in the AI than in the IC or MGB.
Hybrid Spectrum Sensing Architecture for Cognitive Radio Equipment

Spectrum sensing is the key function in implementing cognitive radio, which enables secondary users to identify and utilize vacant spectrum resource allocated to primary users. Recent studies have proposed four major sensing methods, including matched filter, energy, feature, and eigenvalue-based detectors. However, there are some drawbacks along with them. In this paper, we propose a hybrid architecture, associating energy and cyclostationary detectors, for spectrum sensing that improves the ability of conventional energy detector to detect the primary user in the presence of noise uncertainty. In a constant noise environment, the performance of the proposed detector approaches that of an ideal radiometer.
Distinguishing Cognitive and Somatic Dimensions of State and Trait Anxiety: Development and Validation of the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA)

Abstract To date, little research has endeavoured to discriminate between cognitive and somatic dimensions of trait anxiety and, consequently, it remains uncertain whether these anxiety dimensions can be reliably distinguished at the trait level. The four studies presented here support the validity of the distinction between cognitive and somatic anxiety at both state and trait levels. The research involved the development and validation of a self-report questionnaire, the State-Trait Inventory for cognitive and somatic anxiety (STICSA). The nature of the anxiety dimensions assessed by this new measure was then investigated. The results indicate that the state scales of this new measure assess the degree of cognitive and somatic anxiety experienced at a particular point in time. The trait scales of the STICSA predict the situations in which different individuals will display elevations in cognitive and somatic state anxiety. Trait cognitive and somatic anxiety are indeed distinct constructs that can be reliably and validly assessed. Theoretical and applied implications of this finding are discussed.
Minimization, Denial, and Victim Blaming by Batterers

Male domestic violence (DV) offenders often minimize their aggression or attribute blame to their partner. These distortions make it difficult to obtain accurate self-report information and men who engage in significant denial are less compliant with treatment. It is also commonly believed that batterers who minimize, deny, and blame their victim are more dangerous than men who accept responsibility for their actions. Data to support this latter opinion remain limited, however, and the few studies that are available have produced mixed findings. In this study, measures of minimization, denial, attributions, and socially desirable responding were collected from a large sample of convicted DV offenders (N = 2,824). Analyses examined the association between these scales and new DV police reports. Little evidence was found to support the hypothesis that minimization, denial, and victim blaming are associated with increased recidivism. Explanations for these findings and suggestions for further study are discussed.
Three-Dimensional Motion Estimation via Matrix Completion

Three-dimensional motion estimation from multiview video sequences is of vital importance to achieve high-quality dynamic scene reconstruction. In this paper, we propose a new 3-D motion estimation method based on matrix completion. Taking a reconstructed 3-D mesh as the underlying scene representation, this method automatically estimates motions of 3-D objects. A “separating + merging” framework is introduced to multiview 3-D motion estimation. In the separating step, initial motions are first estimated for each view with a neighboring view. Then, in the merging step, the motions obtained by each view are merged together and optimized by low-rank matrix completion method. The most accurate motion estimation for each vertex in the recovered matrix is further selected by three spatiotemporal criteria. Experimental results on data sets with synthetic motions and real motions show that our method can reliably estimate 3-D motions.
Deletion of the immunoglobulin kappa chain intron enhancer abolishes kappa chain gene rearrangement in cis but not lambda chain gene rearrangement in trans.

Immunoglobulins (Ig) secreted from a plasma cell contain either kappa or lambda light chains, but not both. This phenomenon is termed isotypic kappa‐lambda exclusion. While kappa‐producing cells have their lambda chain genes in germline configuration, in most lambda‐producing cells the kappa chain genes are either non‐productively rearranged or deleted. To investigate the molecular mechanism for isotypic kappa‐lambda exclusion, in particular the role of the Ig kappa intron enhancer, we replaced this enhancer by a neomycin resistance (neoR) gene in embryonic stem (ES) cells. B cells heterozygous for the mutation undergo V kappa‐J kappa recombination exclusively in the intact Ig kappa locus but not in the mutated Ig kappa locus. Homozygous mutant mice exhibited no rearrangements in their Ig kappa loci. However, splenic B cell numbers were only slightly reduced as compared with the wild‐type, and all B cells expressed lambda chain bearing surface Ig. These findings demonstrate that rearrangement in the Ig kappa locus is not essential for lambda gene rearrangement. We also generated homozygous mutant mice in which the neoR gene was inserted at the 3′ end of the Ig kappa intron enhancer. Unexpectedly, mere insertion of the neoR gene showed some suppressive effect on V kappa‐J kappa recombination. However, the much more pronounced inhibition of V kappa‐J kappa recombination by the replacement of the Ig kappa intron enhancer suggests that this enhancer is essential for V kappa‐J kappa recombination.