Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of medial consonant transitions in word perception.

In VCV nonsense forms (such as /epsilondepsilon/, while both the CV transition and the VC transition are perceptible in isolation, the CV transition dominates identification of the stop consonant. Thus, the question arises, what role, if any, do VC transitions play in word perception? Stimuli were two-syllable English words in which the medial consonant was either a stop or a fricative (e.g., "feeding" and "gravy"). Each word was constructed in three ways: (1) the VC transition was incompatible with the CV in either place, manner of articulation, or both; (2) the VC transition was eliminated and the steady-state portion of first vowel was substituted in its place; and (3) the original word. All versions of a particular word were identical with respect to duration, pitch contour, and amplitude envelope. While an intelligibility test revealed no differences among the three conditions, data from a paired comparison preference task and an unspeeded lexical decision task indicated that incompatible VC transitions hindered word perception, but lack of VC transitions did not. However, there were clear differences among the three conditions in the speeded lexical decision task for word stimuli, but not for nonword stimuli that were constructed in an analogous fashion. We discuss the use of lexical tasks for speech quality assessment and possible processes by which listeners recognize spoken words.
Low voltage system state estimation using smart meters

Accurate and reliable state estimation for low voltage networks is the core stone for flexible operation and control in the current transaction from passive conventional to active smart grids. The development in the energy supply has revealed a rapid increase of controllable distributed generators, consumer's installation, stationary storage systems and electric vehicles. This development leads to a significantly different kind of system behavior which must be understood first, and then to make suggestions for operational network improvements in order to increase the security and efficiency of the distribution system operation. For this, a high chronological and topological resolution of information for the system state estimation in the low voltage level is necessary. However, measurement data are necessary for state estimation, these measurements can be obtained either from the distribution system measurement infrastructure or from the smart meters at the connection points of the customer. The focus of this paper is to obtain the technical feasibility of using smart meter and their measurements for low voltage network observability and controllability through state estimation techniques. Also to analyse the impact of high accuracy measurement data provided from smart meters on the state estimation output accuracy for both voltage and it's phase angle.
Modeling Undesirable Outputs in Data Envelopment Analysis: Various Approaches

The general practice in performance and production efficiency measurement has been to ignore additional products of most transformation processes that can be classified as " undesirable outputs " — which are a subset of the output set. Without the inclusion of these factors, the efficiency evaluation becomes a purely technical measure of the system alone, and does not account for the interaction of the system with the surrounding environment and the impact of policy decisions on the system. In addition, there are also technological dependencies arising due to the relationships between the desirable and the undesirable outputs. One of the analytical tools normally used in efficiency evaluation is Data Envelopment Analysis, DEA. In the course of addressing these problems, a decision-maker encounters multiple and contradictory objectives with respect to the output set. This motivates the exploration of new arenas of measurement of efficiency to facilitate policy decisions and address technological relationships. This research presents five modifications of the traditional DEA technique to give a more realistic and comprehensive score of production efficiency considering both, desirable and undesirable outputs. The models address the following problems: (i) technological dependency between desirable and undesirable outputs; (ii) decision-maker's preferences over inputs, desirable outputs and undesirable output performance and finally (iii) conflicting production objectives through a formulation that uses Goal Programming in conjunction with DEA, a concept known as GoDEA. iii To My Mom and Dad iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to dedicate this Thesis to my Mom Mrs. Lalitha Pasupathy and my Dad Dr. N. K. Pasupathy, who were there for me in all trials and tribulations all through my life. It would not be appropriate not to dedicate this work also to my Maternal Grandparents who were like my second parents and with whom I spent a great part of my childhood. Credits for the fact that I'm here and am able to accomplish a task go to these four important people in my life. I also thank my younger brother Arrvind Sunder for being more of a friend and a companion in my life. My Advisor Dr. Triantis, the " Master " , deserves all tribute for opening my eyes and for stimulating me to look at things from a broader perspective. He was (and still is) a very close friend in the entire journey of research at whose door I could go knocking anytime. Thanks to my other Committee members Dr. Hoopes …
Rationale and Standards for the Systematic Review of Qualitative Literature in Health Services Research

Despite growing recognition of the need for qualitative methods in health services research, there have been few attempts to define quality standards for assessing the results. This article acknowledges the desirability of a plurality of standards. However, it is argued that three interrelated criteria can be identified as the foundation of good qualitative health research: interpretation of subjective meaning, description of social context, and attention to lay knowledge. These criteria can be examined in relation to different dimensions of any research report, including theoretical basis, sampling strategy, scope of data collection, description of data collected, and concern with generalizability or typicality. But if the concern is with the appropriateness of care and with understanding the factors that shape lay and clinical behavior, then these criteria must form the basis of a hierarchy of qualitative research evidence.
Ferrite assisted synchronous reluctance machines: A general approach

A general approach to the design of high performance ferrite-assisted synchronous reluctance motors is presented. Reference is made to a rectified rotor structure, with multiple flux barriers, designed to optimize the performance and the exploitation of the PM material. The key design issue of de-magnetization is analytically investigated, pointing out the maximum allowed current loading, depending on temperature and machine dimensions. Such current limit is then compared with the one imposed by the thermal constraint. The analysis shows that low and medium size machines tend to be robust against demagnetization, while larger machines are more at risk. The theoretical analysis is confirmed by finite-elements via an example machine design.
Aesthetic Problems in Consumption Period ——Reflection on “Aesthetic Standard of Daily Life”

Aesthetics in consumption period is a new problem in human aesthetics in globalization, and it's also an important academic project in history of aesthetics research. The consumption period, as a special cultural context in globalization, changes cultural background existing in human aesthetics, forms a new consumptive ideology, leads to a wider cultural field and living area. The vital sign in this period seems to transform to aesthetic standard of daily life with restructuring the quality of daily life and the ideology of value as its core. The viewpoint and practice in aesthetics in this period are full of contradictions and problems, which will be necessarily to further analyze and to have a better understanding.
Decreased paraoxonase 1 activity and increased oxidative stress in low lead−exposed workers

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) has been proposed as an antioxidant enzyme. Although lead-inhibited PON1 activity has been demonstrated mostly based on in vitro experiments, it is uncertain whether this phenomenon is relevant in pathogenesis of lead-induced oxidative stress in the lead exposure. We examined associations of blood lead levels (BLL) and PON1 activity along with oxidative stress parameters in lead exposure workers. We determined malondialdehyde (MDA), conjugated diene (CD), total peroxides (TP), total antioxidant status (TAS), the oxidative stress index (OSI), and PON1 activity in earthenware factory workers (n = 60) and control subjects (n = 65). The lead-exposed group significantly increased lipid peroxidation parameters and OSI compared to the control group (p < 0.001). The lead-exposed group had significantly decreased PON1 activity and TAS levels compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that BLL were significantly correlated with decreased TAS (r = −0.496) and PON1 activity (r = −0.434), but with increased CD (r = 0.694), TP (r = 0.614), MDA (r = 0.788), and OSI (r = 0.722). Interestingly, BLL at 10 µg/dL significantly decreased PON1 activity and increased oxidative stress parameters with insignificant changes in other biochemical and hematological parameters. Altogether, the reduction of PON1 activity may associate in an imbalance in pro-oxidants and antioxidants, leading to oxidative damage in lead-exposed workers even at low BLL.
Danshen extracts decrease blood c reactive protein and prevent ischemic stroke recurrence: a controlled pilot study

The efficacy of a danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) dripping pill (DDP) for secondary stroke prevention was evaluated in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease. The preparation also contained Panax notoginseng (sanqi) and Dryobalanops camphor. Patients who had suffered from ischemic stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA) within the previous 20 days were managed according to established guidelines, and were divided into groups to receive either DDP or non‐DDP treatment according to their time of enrolment. Mortality, cerebrovascular events and any suspected adverse reactions during the 1‐year follow‐up were recorded and analysed. Hematological and hemorheological parameters were measured at the start of the study (baseline) and the end of the follow‐up period. A total of 106 patients with ischemic stroke/TIA were enrolled, of which 52 were allocated to take DDP and 54 were in the control group. Recurrent stroke/TIA was observed in five patients (9.6%) with DDP and in 13 patients (24.1%) without DDP during the follow‐up. Recurrence in the patient group taking DDP was lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05). No significant differences in intracranial hemorrhage and mortality were detected between groups (p > 0.05). Blood C reactive protein decreased significantly in patients with DDP compared with patients without DDP. These results indicate that DDP treatment may reduce the risk for stroke/TIA recurrence, and this reduction of risk may be associated with its antiinflammatory effects. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Contribution of collagen, elastin, and smooth muscle to in vivo human brachial artery wall stress and elastic modulus.

BACKGROUND The contributions of collagen, elastin, and smooth muscle to arterial mechanical properties in the in vivo human artery are not known. METHODS AND RESULTS We used a recently developed intravascular ultrasound technique to measure total brachial artery wall stress and incremental elastic modulus (Einc) in seven normal human subjects at baseline and after intra-arterial norepinephrine (1.2 micrograms) and nitroglycerin (100 micrograms). Then we applied a modified Maxwell model to estimate the elastic modulus of elastin (EE); the recruitment of collagen fibers supporting wall stress; and the differential contributions of collagen, elastin, and smooth muscle to wall stress and Einc over a wide range of pressure and smooth muscle tone. With this model, EE was 3 x 10(6) dynes/cm2. Collagen fibers were recruited increasingly as transmural arterial pressure increased and reached a value of approximately 5% to 6% at 100 mm Hg under each of the conditions studied. Isobaric smooth muscle contraction resulted in a small decrease in total wall stress and no significant change in total Einc while shifting the predominant element contributing to these mechanical parameters from collagen in parallel with the smooth muscle to collagen in series with the smooth muscle. In contrast, isometric smooth muscle contraction produced large increases in total wall stress (from 0.11 x 10(6) dynes/cm2 after nitroglycerin administration to 1.35 x 10(6) dynes/cm2 after norepinephrine administration) and Einc (from 3.84 x 10(6) dynes/cm2 after nitroglycerin administration to 57.8 x 10(6) dynes/cm2 after norepinephrine administration) entirely as a result of the additional contribution of the smooth muscle and its associated series collagen. CONCLUSIONS This study describes a technique for determining arterial elastic properties and a model that can be used to estimate a number of mechanical parameters of the human brachial artery in vivo. This technique may be useful in studies of the arterial elastic properties of arteries in patients with vascular pathology.
Immediate bromodeoxyuridine labelling of unseparated human bone marrow cells ex vivo is superior to labelling after routine laboratory processing

It is important to evaluate the proliferation of bone marrow cells in several disease conditions and during treatment of patients with for example cytokines. Labelling with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd), immunocytochemical staining with anti‐BrdUrd antibody and analysis by flow cytometry provides a reliable and reproducible technique for estimation of the fraction of cells that incorporated BrdUrd into DNA during S‐phase. We have compared immediate BrdUrd labelling of unseparated bone marrow cells with the previously used labelling in the laboratory after routine separation of the mononuclear cells. Bone marrow aspirates from seven lymphoma patients without bone marrow involvement were studied with these two methods. We found higher BrdUrd labelling indices (LI) in the mononuclear cells, when cells were labelled immediately. A large variation in LI was found between patients. Our results suggest that ex vivo BrdUrd labelling of bone marrow cells should be performed immediately after aspiration and before separation, because these data are closer to values reported from in vivo labelling with BrdUrd.
Emotion Recognition in Context

Understanding what a person is experiencing from her frame of reference is essential in our everyday life. For this reason, one can think that machines with this type of ability would interact better with people. However, there are no current systems capable of understanding in detail peoples emotional states. Previous research on computer vision to recognize emotions has mainly focused on analyzing the facial expression, usually classifying it into the 6 basic emotions [11]. However, the context plays an important role in emotion perception, and when the context is incorporated, we can infer more emotional states. In this paper we present the Emotions in Context Database (EMCO), a dataset of images containing people in context in non-controlled environments. In these images, people are annotated with 26 emotional categories and also with the continuous dimensions valence, arousal, and dominance [21]. With the EMCO dataset, we trained a Convolutional Neural Network model that jointly analyzes the person and the whole scene to recognize rich information about emotional states. With this, we show the importance of considering the context for recognizing peoples emotions in images, and provide a benchmark in the task of emotion recognition in visual context.
Vehicle geo-localization using IMM-UKF multi-sensor data fusion based on virtual 3D city model as a priori information

The major contribution of this paper concerns vehicle geo-localization in urban environment by integrating a new source of information that is a virtual 3D city model. The 3D model provides a realistic representation of the vehicle's navigation environment. To optimize the performance of vehicle geo-localization system, several sources of information are used for their complementarity and redundancy: a GPS receiver, proprioceptive sensors (odometers and gyrometer), exteroceptive sensors (video camera or laser scanner) and a virtual 3D city model as a priori information. The proprioceptive sensors allow to continuously estimate the dead-reckoning position and orientation of the vehicle. Moreover, two concepts based on 3D virtual model and exteroceptive sensors could be envisaged to compensate the drift of the dead-reckoning localization when GPS measurements are unavailable for a long time. The first proposed approach is based on the matching between the virtual image extracted from the 3D city model and the real image acquired by the camera. This observation construction is composed of two major parts. The first part consists in detecting and matching the feature points of the real and virtual images. Three features are compared: Harris corner, SIFT (Scale Invariant Feature Transform) and SURF (Speed Up Robust Features). The second part is the pose computation using POSIT algorithm and the previously matched features set. The second approach uses an on-board horizontal laser scanner which provides a set of distances. This set of distances (real laser scan data) is matched with depth information of virtual laser scan data obtained using the virtual 3D city model which is managed in real-time by a 3D Geographical Information System (3D-GIS). GPS measurements, proprioceptive sensors based pose estimation, and camera/3D model based pose estimation are integrated in IMM UKF data fusion formalism. The developed approaches have been tested on a real sequence and the obtained results proved the feasibility of the approach.
Relay Selection and Resource Allocation for D2D-Relaying under Uplink Cellular Power Control

Device-to-Device (D2D) communication underlying 5G cellular networks enable using direct communication between devices as a relay strategy for coverage extension. We consider such a D2D-relaying approach in a scenario where there are multiple candidate devices to be selected as relays. Both backhaul and D2D transmissions are performed in uplink cellular resources, and are subject to cellular uplink power control. We investigate the relay selection and resource allocation problem for D2D-relaying in a multi-user, multi-carrier and multi-cellular network. For this purpose, we formulate a joint optimization problem and propose a simplified relay selection and resource allocation scheme. Using this scheme in a system simulation, we demonstrate that D2D-relaying under uplink power control increases the throughput of cell-edge users significantly.
Identification and Characterization of an Extramitochondrial Human 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA Lyase*

Background: Ketone bodies have been implicated not only in energy metabolism, but also in lipogenesis. Results: Discovery and characterization of human extramitochondrial HMG-CoA lyase-like protein (HMGCLL1) has been accomplished. Conclusion: Catalytically active HMGCLL1 is myristoylated and vesicle associated. Significance: Extramitochondrial HMG-CoA lyase may be crucial to lipid biosynthesis or to energy metabolism in certain tissues and cancer cells. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase-like protein (HMGCLL1) has been annotated in the Mammalian Genome Collection as a previously unidentified human HMG-CoA lyase (HMGCL). To test the validity of this annotation and evaluate the physiological role of the protein, plasmids were constructed for protein expression in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris. Protein expression in E. coli produced insoluble material. In contrast, active HMGCLL1 could be recovered upon expression in P. pastoris. Antibodies were prepared against a unique peptide sequence found in the N terminus of the protein. In immunodetection experiments, the antibodies discriminated between HMGCLL1 and mitochondrial HMGCL. Purified enzyme was characterized and demonstrated to cleave HMG-CoA to acetoacetate and acetyl-CoA with catalytic and affinity properties comparable with human mitochondrial HMGCL. The deduced HMGCLL1 sequence contains an N-terminal myristoylation motif; the putative modification site was eliminated by construction of a G2A HMGCLL1. Modification of both proteins was attempted using human N-myristoyltransferase and [3H]myristoyl-CoA. Wild-type protein was clearly modified, whereas G2A protein was not labeled. Myristoylation of HMGCLL1 affects its cellular localization. Upon transfection of appropriate expression plasmids into COS1 cells, immunofluorescence detection indicates that G2A HMGCLL1 exhibits a diffuse pattern, suggesting a cytosolic location. In contrast, wild-type HMGCLL1 exhibits a punctate as well as a perinuclear immunostaining pattern, indicating myristoylation dependent association with nonmitochondrial membrane compartments. In control experiments with the HMGCL expression plasmid, protein is localized in the mitochondria, as anticipated. The available results for COS1 cell expression, as well as endogenous expression in U87 cells, indicate that HMGCLL1 is an extramitochondrial hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA lyase.
Association analyses of variants in the DIO2 gene with early-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus in Pima Indians.

BACKGROUND The type 2 deiodinase gene (DIO2) encodes a deiodinase that converts the thyroid prohormone, thyroxine, to the biologically active triiodothyronine. Thyroid hormones regulate energy balance and may also influence glucose metabolism. Therefore, we hypothesized that variations in DIO2 could contribute to obesity or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Pima Indians. METHODS Sequencing of the DIO2 gene in DNA from 83 Pima Indians identified 12 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Several of these SNPs were in perfect genotypic concordance among the 83 samples that were sequenced, and all 12 could be divided into five linkage disequilibrium groups. One representative SNP from each group (Thr92Ala, rs225011, rs225015, rs6574549, and a rare 5' flanking SNP) was selected for further genotyping for association analyses. In this study, the five selected variants in DIO2, as described above, were genotyped in three groups of Pima Indians: (i) a case (n=150)/control (n=150) group for early-onset T2DM (onset age <25 years); (ii) a case (n=362)/control (n=127) group for obesity; (iii) a large (n=1,311, cases n=810/controls n=501) family-based group, of which 256 nondiabetic subjects had undergone detailed metabolic phenotyping. RESULTS The Thr92Ala variant common in Pima Indians, rs225011, and rs225015 were modestly associated with early-onset T2DM (p=0.01-0.04) in the case-control study, but were not associated with obesity in the obesity case-control study, nor associated with T2DM (at any age) or body-mass index (BMI; as a quantitative trait) in the family-based analysis. Thr92Ala, rs225011, rs225015, and rs6574549 were also nominally associated with hepatic glucose output (p=0.02). rs6574549 was associated with fasting insulin (p=0.02), insulin action (p=0.04), and energy expenditure (p=0.02). None of these nominal associations remained statistically significant after corrections for multiple testing. CONCLUSIONS We propose that variation in DIO2 may have a subtle role in altering metabolic processes that lead to early-onset T2DM, but this gene does not have a large impact on T2DM at older ages, nor does DIO2 influence BMI in the Pima Indian population.