Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
No Need for Templates in the Auditory Enhancement Effect

The audibility of a target tone in a multitone background masker is enhanced by the presentation of a precursor sound consisting of the masker alone. There is evidence that precursor-induced neural adaptation plays a role in this perceptual enhancement. However, the precursor may also be strategically used by listeners as a spectral template of the following masker to better segregate it from the target. In the present study, we tested this hypothesis by measuring the audibility of a target tone in a multitone masker after the presentation of precursors which, in some conditions, were made dissimilar to the masker by gating their components asynchronously. The precursor and the following sound were presented either to the same ear or to opposite ears. In either case, we found no significant difference in the amount of enhancement produced by synchronous and asynchronous precursors. In a second experiment, listeners had to judge whether a synchronous multitone complex contained exactly the same tones as a preceding precursor complex or had one tone less. In this experiment, listeners performed significantly better with synchronous than with asynchronous precursors, showing that asynchronous precursors were poorer perceptual templates of the synchronous multitone complexes. Overall, our findings indicate that precursor-induced auditory enhancement cannot be fully explained by the strategic use of the precursor as a template of the following masker. Our results are consistent with an explanation of enhancement based on selective neural adaptation taking place at a central locus of the auditory system.
First Insights into the Genome of the Cr(VI)-Reducing Bacterium Clostridium chromiireducens DSM 23318

ABSTRACT Clostridium chromiireducens is an obligate, anaerobic, Gram-positive, rod-shaped, and spore-forming bacterium that is able to reduce Cr(VI). The draft genome consists of one chromosome (5,448 Mb) and contains 4,773 predicted protein-encoding genes.
Uncovering performance problems in Java applications with reference propagation profiling

Many applications suffer from run-time bloat: excessive memory usage and work to accomplish simple tasks. Bloat significantly affects scalability and performance, and exposing it requires good diagnostic tools. We present a novel analysis that profiles the run-time execution to help programmers uncover potential performance problems. The key idea of the proposed approach is to track object references, starting from object creation statements, through assignment statements, and eventually statements that perform useful operations. This propagation is abstracted by a representation we refer to as a reference propagation graph. This graph provides path information specific to reference producers and their run-time contexts. Several client analyses demonstrate the use of reference propagation profiling to uncover runtime inefficiencies. We also present a study of the properties of reference propagation graphs produced by profiling 36 Java programs. Several cases studies discuss the inefficiencies identified in some of the analyzed programs, as well as the significant improvements obtained after code optimizations.
Anaphase promoting complex–dependent degradation of transcriptional repressors Nrm1 and Yhp1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The anaphase-promoting complex is a ubiquitin ligase that promotes the degradation of numerous cell cycle regulators during mitosis and in G1. This report identifies two transcriptional repressors—Nrm1 and Yhp1—as novel APC substrates in budding yeast. In the absence of their degradation, target genes are misexpressed and cell fitness is reduced.
The data learning problem arises also in cognitive architectures other than Soar

The data learning problem is a phenomenon that arises when an agent employing a cognitive architecture faces the task of acquiring declarative information from an external source, such as the “answer” to a “question”. Because the agent has to pay attention to both question and answer in order to learn the association between them, it is problematic for the agent to learn to produce the answer in response to the question alone. This observation helps shape the basic characteristics of human memory. The problem was first reported with the Soar architecture, but it arises also in A CT - R, and this paper argues that it will occur in any cognitive architecture, connectionist as well as symbolic, which is specified in a sufficiently explicit manner to avoid having the theorist act as an implicit homunculus for the agent.
Full-covariance UBM and heavy-tailed PLDA in i-vector speaker verification

In this paper, we describe recent progress in i-vector based speaker verification. The use of universal background models (UBM) with full-covariance matrices is suggested and thoroughly experimentally tested. The i-vectors are scored using a simple cosine distance and advanced techniques such as Probabilistic Linear Discriminant Analysis (PLDA) and heavy-tailed variant of PLDA (PLDA-HT). Finally, we investigate into dimensionality reduction of i-vectors before entering the PLDA-HT modeling. The results are very competitive: on NIST 2010 SRE task, the results of a single full-covariance LDA-PLDA-HT system approach those of complex fused system.
Use of LCD Panel for Calibrating Structured-Light-Based Range Sensing System

Calibration is a crucial step in structured-light-based range sensing device. The step involves the determination of the intrinsic parameters of both the camera and the projector that constitute the device and the extrinsic parameters between the two instruments. The traditional solution requires the use of an external calibration object with an accurately measured pattern printed on it. This paper presents a calibration design that makes use of a liquid-crystal display (LCD) panel as the calibration object. The LCD panel's planarity is of industrial grade and is thus dependable. The pattern shown on the LCD panel is programmable and is thus convenient to produce in high precision. We show that, with the design, the projector-and-camera system parameters can be calibrated with far fewer images with much higher accuracy. Extensive experiments are shown to illustrate the dramatic improvement in performance.
Model-based verification of Web service compositions

In this paper, we discuss a model-based approach to verifying Web service compositions for Web service implementations. The approach supports verification against specification models and assigns semantics to the behavior of implementation model so as to confirm expected results for both the designer and implementer. Specifications of the design are modeled in UML (Unified Modeling Language), in the form of message sequence charts (MSC), and mechanically compiled into the finite state process notation (FSP) to concisely describe and reason about the concurrent programs. Implementations are mechanically translated to FSP to allow a trace equivalence verification process to be performed. By providing early design verification, the implementation, testing, and deployment of Web service compositions can be eased through the understanding of the differences, limitations and undesirable traces allowed by the composition. The approach is supported by a suite of cooperating tools for specification, formal modeling and trace animation of the composition workflow.
A Risk Prediction Model for In-hospital Mortality in Patients with Suspected Myocarditis

Background: Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium that may lead to cardiac death in some patients. However, little is known about the predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients with suspected myocarditis. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality in patients with suspected myocarditis by establishing a risk prediction model. Methods: A retrospective study was performed to analyze the clinical medical records of 403 consecutive patients with suspected myocarditis who were admitted to Ningbo First Hospital between January 2003 and December 2013. A total of 238 males (59%) and 165 females (41%) were enrolled in this study. We divided the above patients into two subgroups (survival and nonsurvival), according to their clinical in-hospital outcomes. To maximize the effectiveness of the prediction model, we first identified the potential risk factors for in-hospital mortality among patients with suspected myocarditis, based on data pertaining to previously established risk factors and basic patient characteristics. We subsequently established a regression model for predicting in-hospital mortality using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Finally, we identified the independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality using our risk prediction model. Results: The following prediction model for in-hospital mortality in patients with suspected myocarditis, including creatinine clearance rate (Ccr), age, ventricular tachycardia (VT), New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, gender and cardiac troponin T (cTnT), was established in the study: P = ea/(1 + ea) (where e is the exponential function, P is the probability of in-hospital death, and a = −7.34 + 2.99 × [Ccr <60 ml/min = 1, Ccr ≥60 ml/min = 0] + 2.01 × [age ≥50 years = 1, age <50 years = 0] + 1.93 × [VT = 1, no VT = 0] + 1.39 × [NYHA ≥3 = 1, NYHA <3 = 0] + 1.25 × [male = 1, female = 0] + 1.13 × [cTnT ≥50 &mgr;g/L = 1, cTnT <50 &mgr;g/L = 0]). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.96 (standard error = 0.015, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.93-0.99). The model demonstrated that a Ccr <60 ml/min (odds ratio [OR] = 19.94, 95% CI: 5.66–70.26), an age ≥50 years (OR = 7.43, 95% CI: 2.18–25.34), VT (OR = 6.89, 95% CI: 1.86–25.44), a NYHA classification ≥3 (OR = 4.03, 95% CI: 1.13–14.32), male gender (OR = 3.48, 95% CI: 0.99–12.20), and a cTnT level ≥50 &mgr;g/L (OR = 3.10, 95% CI: 0.91–10.62) were the independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: A Ccr <60 ml/min, an age ≥50 years, VT, an NYHA classification ≥3, male gender, and a cTnT level ≥50 &mgr;g/L were the independent risk factors resulting from the prediction model for in-hospital mortality in patients with suspected myocarditis. In addition, sufficient life support during the early stage of the disease might improve the prognoses of patients with suspected myocarditis with multiple risk factors for in-hospital mortality.
Primary human endothelial cells support direct but not antibody‐dependent enhancement of dengue viral infection

Microvascular plasma leakage is the hallmark of dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. The precise molecular mechanisms leading to microvascular leakage are yet to be determined, but dengue virus (DENV) infection and consequent endothelial cell death has been suggested as its major cause. However, the extent of endothelial cell permissiveness to DENV infection and the magnitude of cell death following DENV infection are controversial. To clarify this issue, we analyzed the kinetics and consequences of DENV infection of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) using a novel molecularly cloned DENV2‐16681 virus. Viral replication was detected as early as 24 hr post‐infection by RT‐PCR and plaque assays. However, merely 2% of HUVEC were DENV antigen‐positive even after 96 hr of infection as measured by the FACS indirect immunofluorescence assays. Unlike monocytes/macrophages, HUVEC did not support antibody dependent enhancement of dengue viral infection due to a lack of FcγRI and FcγRII. Furthermore, DENV infection did not increase HUVEC apoptosis as compared to mock‐infected cells. Because in vitro only a small percentage of endothelial cells were productively infected in vitro with no significant apoptosis occurring in either infected or bystander cells, it would be important to re‐examine whether direct dengue viral infection of endothelium is the major cause of the extensive vascular leakage observed in patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. J. Med. Virol. 81:519–528, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Olfactory ensheathing cells form the microenvironment of migrating GnRH‐1 neurons during mouse development

During development, GnRH‐1 neurons differentiate extracerebraly from the nasal placode and migrate from the vomeronasal organ to the forebrain along vomeronasal and terminal nerves. Numerous studies have described the influence of different molecules on the migration of GnRH‐1 neurons, however, the role of microenvironment cells remains poorly understood. This study used GFAP‐GFP transgenic mice to detect glial cells at early developmental stages. Using nasal explant cultures, the comigration of glial cells with GnRH‐1 neurons was clearly demonstrated. This in vitro approach showed that glial cells began migrating from the explants before GnRH‐1 neurons. They remained ahead of the GnRH‐1 migratory front and stopped migrating after the GnRH‐1 neurons. The association of these glial cells with the axons combined with gene expression analysis of GFAP‐GFP sorted cells enabled them to be identified as olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed the presence of multiple glial cell‐type markers showing several OEC subpopulations surrounding GnRH‐1 neurons. Moreover, these OEC expressed genes whose products are involved in the migration of GnRH‐1 neurons, such as Nelf and Semaphorin 4. In situ data confirmed that the majority of the GnRH‐1 neurons were associated with glial cells along the vomeronasal axons in nasal septum and terminal nerves in the nasal forebrain junction as early as E12.5. Overall, these data demonstrate an OEC microenvironment for migrating GnRH‐1 neurons during mouse development. The fact that this glial cell type precedes GnRH‐1 neurons and encodes for molecules involved in their nasal migration suggests that it participates in the GnRH‐1 system ontogenesis. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Tools for the functional interpretation of metabolomic experiments

The so-called 'omics' approaches used in modern biology aim at massively characterizing the molecular repertories of living systems at different levels. Metabolomics is one of the last additions to the 'omics' family and it deals with the characterization of the set of metabolites in a given biological system. As metabolomic techniques become more massive and allow characterizing larger sets of metabolites, automatic methods for analyzing these sets in order to obtain meaningful biological information are required. Only recently the first tools specifically designed for this task in metabolomics appeared. They are based on approaches previously used in transcriptomics and other 'omics', such as annotation enrichment analysis. These, together with generic tools for metabolic analysis and visualization not specifically designed for metabolomics will for sure be in the toolbox of the researches doing metabolomic experiments in the near future.
New frontiers in the investigation of structural functional RNA domains in viral genomes. Understanding the hepatitis C virus (HCV)

RNA structure is used as a dynamic and robust supracoding system, beyond the nucleotidic sequence, to store critical information in a minimum size. The building blocks of this system are highly conserved folded genomic regions, the so-called functional RNA domains. They play, on their own, biological roles, such as interactions with proteins or nucleic acids. Therefore, deciphering the RNA structural code and understanding the structure-function relationship is critical for a deep knowledge of RNA function. This takes special relevance in the case of RNA viruses, which exhaustively make use of functional RNA domains to get replication efficient and compact genomes. The RNA genome of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be considered a prototype in the investigations about functional genomic regions. It contains multiple structurally conserved domains mostly located in the 5’and 3’-untranslated regions (5’UTR, 3’UTR). These elements participate in HCV translation and replication by recruiting viral and host protein factors and also by establishing a complex and active all-RNA interaction network. Long-range RNA-RNA contacts are related to conformational rearrangements at the 5’ end of the HCV genome and also to the structural transition in the 3’UTR from the replication-competent conformer to the dimerizable form. Together, the essentiality of functional RNA domains and their high conservation rate makes them potential therapeutic targets. This review provides an overview of those methodologies that have been mainly used for analyzing RNA folding and their application to the study of HCV molecular biology.
Internet auction sellers: does size really matter?

Internet marketing is a field which is continuing to grow, and the online auction concept may be defining a totally new and unique distribution alternative. Very few studies have examined auction sellers and their Internet marketing strategies. This research examines the Internet auction phenomenon as it relates to the marketing mix of online auction sellers. The data in this study indicate that, while there is great diversity among businesses that utilize online auctions, distinct cost leadership and differentiation marketing strategies are both evident. These two approaches are further distinguished in terms of the Internet usage strategies employed by each group.
Effects of Peanut-Skin Procyanidin A1 on Degranulation of RBL-2H3 Cells

Peanut skin contains large amounts of polyphenols having antiallergic effects. We found that a peanut-skin extract (PSE) inhibits the degranulation induced by antigen stimulation of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. A low-molecular-weight fraction from PSE, PSEL, also had inhibitory activity against allergic degranulation. A main polyphenol in PSEL was purified by gel chromatography and fractionated by YMC-gel ODS-AQ 120S50 column. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis of the purified polyphenol gave m⁄z 599 [M+Na]+. Based on the results of 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR spectra, and optical rotation analysis, the polyphenol was identified as procyanidin A1. It inhibited the degranulation caused by antigen stimulation at the IC50 of 20.3 μM. Phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and 2,5,-di(tert-butyl)-1,4-hydroquinone (DTBHQ)-induced processes of degranulation were also inhibited by procyanidin A1. These results indicate that peanut-skin procyanidin A1 inhibits degranulation downstream of protein kinase C activation or Ca2+ influx from an internal store in RBL-2H3 cells.
Spigelia genuflexa (Loganiaceae), a new geocarpic species from the Atlantic forest of northeastern Bahia, Brazil

Abstract A new species of Spigelia L. (Loganiaceae), Spigelia genuflexa Popovkin & Struwe, sp. n. , from the Atlantic forest of northeastern Bahia, Brazil, is described, being the first reported geocarpic species in the family. During fruit maturation, the basal infructescences bend down towards the ground, depositing the fruit on the surface (and burying it in soft kinds of ground cover, e.g., moss), whereas the upper ones do so slightly but noticeably. The species is a short-lived annual apparently restricted to sandy-soil habitat of the Atlantic forest of northeastern Bahia, with variable and heterogeneous microenvironment and is known from only two restricted localities. A short review of amphi- and geocarpic species is provided. A discussion of comparative morphology within Spigelia with regards to dwarfism, indumentum, and annual habit is included. A phylogenetic parsimony and Bayesian analysis of ITS sequences from 15 Spigelia species plus 17 outgroups in Loganiaceae confirms its independent taxonomic status: on the basis of sequence similarity and phylogenetic topology it is phylogenetically distinct from all Spigelia species sequenced so far.
Molecular Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Isolates in Taiwan, 2010

The information of molecular characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is essential for control and treatment of diseases caused by this medically important pathogen. A total of 577 clinical MRSA bloodstream isolates from six major hospitals in Taiwan were determined for molecular types, carriage of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and sasX genes and susceptibilities to 9 non-beta-lactam antimicrobial agents. A total of 17 genotypes were identified in 577 strains by pulsotyping. Five major pulsotypes, which included type A (26.2%, belonging to sequence type (ST) 239, carrying type III staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec), type F (18.9%, ST5-SCCmecII), type C (18.5%, ST59-SCCmecIV), type B (12.0%, ST239-SCCmecIII) and type D (10.9%, ST59-SCCmecVT/IV), prevailed in each of the six sampled hospitals. PVL and sasX genes were respectively carried by ST59-type D strains and ST239 strains with high frequencies (93.7% and 99.1%, respectively) but rarely detected in strains of other genotypes. Isolates of different genotypes and from different hospitals exhibited distinct antibiograms. Multi-resistance to ≥3 non-beta-lactams was more common in ST239 isolates (100%) than in ST5 isolates (97.2%, P = 0.0347) and ST59 isolates (8.2%, P<0.0001). Multivariate analysis further indicated that the genotype, but not the hospital, was an independent factor associated with muti-resistance of the MRSA strains. In conclusion, five common MRSA clones with distinct antibiograms prevailed in the major hospitals in Taiwan in 2010. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of invasive MRSA was mainly determined by the clonal distribution.