Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The dynamics of lexical activation and competition in bilinguals’ first versus second language

Speech input causes listeners to activate multiple candidate words which then compete with one another. These include onset competitors, that share a beginning (bumper, butter), but also, counterintuitively, rhyme competitors, sharing an ending (bumper, jumper). In L1, competition is typically stronger for onset than for rhyme. In L2, onset competition has been attested but rhyme competition has heretofore remained largely unexamined. We assessed L1 (Dutch) and L2 (English) word recognition by the same late-bilingual individuals. In each language, eye gaze was recorded as listeners heard sentences and viewed sets of drawings: three unrelated, one depicting an onset or rhyme competitor of a word in the input. Activation patterns revealed substantial onset competition but no significant rhyme competition in either L1 or L2. Rhyme competition may thus be a "luxury" feature of maximally efficient listening, to be abandoned when resources are scarcer, as in listening by late bilinguals, in either language.
UNCERTAINTY VISUALIZATION OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY DATASETS FROM COMPLEX COMPONENTS USING STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

This paper describes an approach for statistical an lysis of industrial 3D X-ray computed tomography (3DCT) data nd different means of visualization for the statistical informat ion. The main purpose of a statistical analysis is, that the information concerning spatial uncertainty of industrial 3DCT data is often neglec ted for typical data evaluations. However, the data inherent uncertaint y information mainly contributes to the result of each data evaluation. T address this issue, a data processing pipeline is proposed, which consist s of three major steps: anisotropic diffusion for prefiltering, K-me ans clustering for an automatic definition of the specified classes in th e dataset and finally the calculation of probability volumes applying the Bay es Theorem. The first part is a prefiltering step, which aims to re duce noise without blurring edges and so to increase the quality of cl assification. The second step is the statistical analysis: First, a K -means algorithm is used to compute probability information based on the pro vided data. The results are used to define probability density func tions, which describe the probability of a certain data value to belong t o a specific class or material. Secondly the Bayes Theorem is applied to calculate a multichannel probability volume consisting of poste rior probabilities for each channel (material) and each spatial position. These probabilities are finally used for uncertainty visualization. Concern ing visualization we present two methods to visualize the calculated pro bability information: direct volume rendering (DVR) of the probability ap plying a transfer function for color coding and opacity mapping and s econdly the extraction of isolines which interpolate a certain probability value. Both visualization techniques are tested on test specime ns as well as real world industrial components.
INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF FAMILIES OF AQUATIC INSECTS IN RIVERS IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Neotropical rivers suffer effects of human actions. Conservation measures are based on data from other regions because few studies in this region and limnology knowledge. But it ́s often inability to realize differences in the environmental variables answer at different scales about aquatic communities. This study aimed: to know aquatic insects richness in a neotropical watershed to check the environmental variables influence on the distribution of aquatic insects families in four tributaries of this microbasin and to check the rate distribution pattern of aquatic insects families between different rivers orders and different microbasins, according to environmental and spatial variables influence. We found 9,135 individuals belonging to 26 macroinvertebrates families. The communities structure were differed between microbasins. The aquatic insects families were influenced by different spatial and environmental variables in each microbasin.
NUS Speak-to-Sing: A Web Platform for Personalized Speech-to-Singing Conversion

Singing like a professional singer is extremely appealing to the general public. However, many individuals are not able to sing like a singer who has received formal training over several years. We develop a web platform, where users can perform personalized singing synthesis. A user has to read and record the lyrics of a song in our web platform, and enjoy good quality singing vocals synthesized in his/her own voice. We perform a template-based speech-to-singing voice conversion at the backend of the web interface, that uses the prosody characteristics of the song derived from good quality singing by a trained singer and retains the speaker characteristics from the respective user. We utilize an improved temporal alignment scheme between speech and singing signals using tandem features, and employ a deep-spectral map to incorporate singing spectral characteristics into user’s voice. The singing vocals are later synthesized by a vocoder. Using this web platform, we advocate that ‘everyone can sing as they desire’.
METEOROIDS INTERACTION WITH THE EARTH

In this study we evaluate meteoroid mass and its other properties based on the observed atmospheric trajectory. With account for aerodynamics, we formulate a problem by introducing key dimensionless parameters in the model, responsible for the drag, mass loss and rotation of meteoroid. The proposed model is suitable to categorize various impact events in terms of meteor survivability and impact damage and thus, to analyze consequences that accompany collisions of cosmic bodies with planetary atmosphere and surface. The different types of events, namely, formation of a massive single crater (Barringer, Lonar Lake), dispersion of craters and meteorites over a large area (Sikhote-Alin), absent of craters and meteorites, but huge damage (Tunguska) are considered as illustrative examples. The proposed approach helps to summarize the data on existing terrestrial impacts and to formulate recommendations for further studies valuable for planetary defence. It also significantly increases chances of successful meteorite recoveries in future. In other words, the study represents a ’cheap’ possibility to probe cosmic matter reaching planetary surface and it complements results of sample-return missions bringing back pristine samples of the materials.
Quantitative analysis of PPT 1 interactome in human neuroblastoma cells

Mutations in the CLN1 gene that encodes Palmitoyl protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1) or CLN1, cause Infantile NCL (INCL, MIM256730). PPT1 removes long fatty acid chains such as palmitate from modified cysteine residues of proteins. The data shown here result from isolated protein complexes from PPT1expressing SH-SY5Y stable cells that were subjected to single step affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry (AP-MS). Prior to the MS analysis, we utilised a modified filter-aided sample cess article under the CC BY license /j.jprot. 2015.03. 038 i, Meilahti Clinical Proteomics Core Facility, PO Box 63 (Haartmaninkatu 8), 14, Finland. Tel. : þ358294125202. i, Meilahti Clinical Proteomics Core Facility, PO Box 63 (Haartmaninkatu 8), 014, Finland. Tel. : þ358 294125203. ), maciej.lalowski@helsinki.fi (M. Lalowski). alth Research Institute, CAMH and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. E. Scifo et al. / Data in Brief 4 (2015) 207–216 208 preparation (FASP) protocol. Based on label free quantitative analysis of the data by SAINT, 23 PPT1 interacting partners (IP) were identified. A dense connectivity in PPT1 network was further revealed by functional coupling and extended network analyses, linking it to mitochondrial ATP synthesis coupled protein transport and thioester biosynthetic process. Moreover, the terms: inhibition of organismal death, movement disorders and concentration of lipid were predicted to be altered in the PPT1 network. Data presented here are related to Scifo et al. (J. Proteomics, 123 (2015) 42–53). & 2015 Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Specifications table Subject area Biology, Proteomics, Neuroscience More specific subject area Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses Type of data Excel Tables (MS data analysis, GO analysis) and figures How data was acquired Mass spectrometry (Q Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer, Thermo Scientific), SAINT analysis (version exp3.3), Confocal microscopy (Leica SP8 confocal microscope; Wetzlar, Germany), qPCR (ABI 7500Fast) and Western blot analysis Data format Raw, filtered and analyzed Experimental factors Brief description of any pretreatment of samples Experimental features N/A Data source location N/A Data accessibility Data is with this article
MiniMed 670G hybrid closed loop artificial pancreas system for the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus: overview of its safety and efficacy

ABSTRACT Introduction: Automated insulin delivery for people with type 1 diabetes has been a major goal in the diabetes technology field for many years. While a fully automated system has not yet been accomplished, the MiniMed™ 670G artificial pancreas (AP) system is the first commercially available insulin pump that automates basal insulin delivery, while still requiring user input for insulin boluses. Determining the safety and efficacy of this system is essential to the development of future devices striving for more automation. Areas Covered: This review will provide an overview of how the MiniMed 670G system works including its safety and efficacy, how it compares to similar devices, and anticipated future advances in diabetes technology currently under development. Expert Opinion: The ultimate goal of advanced diabetes technologies is to reduce the burden and amount of management required of patients with diabetes. In addition to reducing patient workload, achieving better glucose control and improving hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values are essential for reducing the threat of diabetes-related complications further down the road. Current devices come close to reaching these goals, but understanding the unmet needs of patients with diabetes will allow future technologies to achieve these goals more quickly.
Diffuse Lung Metastases in EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Diffuse lung metastases have been reported in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. The purpose of our study was to compare the incidence of diffuse lung metastases in EGFR-mutant NSCLC and EGFR-wild type NSCLC and to assess other imaging features that may be associated with diffuse lung metastases in EGFR-mutant NSCLC. Two radiologists retrospectively reviewed pre-treatment imaging of metastatic NSCLC cases with known EGFR mutation status. We assessed the imaging features of the primary tumor and patterns of metastases. The cohort consisted of 217 patients (117 EGFR-mutant, 100 EGFR wild-type). Diffuse lung metastasis was significantly more common in EGFR-mutant NSCLC compared with wild-type (18% vs. 3%, p < 0.01). Among the EGFR-mutant group, diffuse lung metastases were inversely correlated with the presence of a nodule greater than 6 mm other than the primary lung lesion (OR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.04–0.41, p < 0.01). EGFR mutations in NSCLC are associated with increased frequency of diffuse lung metastases. The presence of diffuse lung metastases in EGFR-mutant NSCLC is also associated with a decreased presence of other larger discrete lung metastases. EGFR mutations in NSCLC should be suspected in the setting of a dominant primary lung mass associated with diffuse lung metastases.
Understanding the Modus Operandi of MicroRNA Regulatory Clusters

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that regulate a wide range of biological pathways by post-transcriptionally modulating gene expression levels. Given that even a single miRNA may simultaneously control several genes enrolled in multiple biological functions, one would expect that these tiny RNAs have the ability to properly sort among distinctive cellular processes to drive protein production. To test this hypothesis, we scrutinized previously published microarray datasets and clustered protein-coding gene expression profiles according to the intensity of fold-change levels caused by the exogenous transfection of 10 miRNAs (miR-1, miR-7, miR-9, miR-124, miR-128a, miR-132, miR-133a, miR-142, miR-148b, miR-181a) in a human cell line. Through an in silico functional enrichment analysis, we discovered non-randomic regulatory patterns, proper of each cluster identified. We demonstrated that miRNAs are capable of equivalently modulate the expression signatures of target genes in regulatory clusters according to the biological function they are assigned to. Moreover, target prediction analysis applied to ten vertebrate species, suggest that such miRNA regulatory modus operandi is evolutionarily conserved within vertebrates. Overall, we discovered a complex regulatory cluster-module strategy driven by miRNAs, which relies on the controlled intensity of the repression over distinct targets under specific biological contexts. Our discovery helps to clarify the mechanisms underlying the functional activity of miRNAs and makes it easier to take the fastest and most accurate path in the search for the functions of miRNAs in any distinct biological process of interest.
Effect of Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Loss on Tumorigenic Potential in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Loss of the Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer elicits rapid signaling through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In contrast to this well-established role of APC, recent studies from our laboratory demonstrated that APC functions through Wnt-independent pathways to mediate in vitro and in vivo models of breast tumorigenesis. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has an overall median survival of less than one year with a 5-year survival rate of 7.2%. APC is lost in a subset of pancreatic cancers, but the impact on Wnt signaling or tumor development is unclear. Given the lack of effective treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer, it is important to understand the functional implications of APC loss in pancreatic cancer cell lines. Therefore, the goal of this project is to study how APC loss affects Wnt pathway activation and in vitro tumor phenotypes. Using lentiviral shRNA, we successfully knocked down APC expression in six pancreatic cancer cell lines (AsPC-1, BxPC3, L3.6pl, HPAF-II, Hs 766T, MIA PaCa-2). No changes were observed in localization of β-catenin or reporter assays to assess β-catenin/TCF interaction. Despite this lack of Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation, the majority of APC knockdown cell lines exhibit an increase in cell proliferation. Cell migration assays showed that the BxPC-3 and L3.6pl cells were impacted by APC knockdown, showing faster wound healing in scratch wound assays. Interestingly, APC knockdown had no effect on gemcitabine treatment, which is the standard care for pancreatic cancer. It is important to understand the functional implications of APC loss in pancreatic cancer cells lines, which could be used as a target for therapeutics.
Revealing Structure and Crystallographic Orientation of Soft Epitaxial Assembly of Nanocrystals by Grazing Incidence X-ray Scattering.

We study the structural coherence of a self-assembled overlayer of PbS nanocrystal (NC) superlattice onto an underlying PbS NC monolayer, which acts as a template. We explore the effect of templating layer on the structure of the overlayer asemblies by varying interfacial strain and determine the impact of new ligands on their superlattice structure. The overlayers and templates are analyzed by grazing-incidence x-ray scattering and microscopy. We find that differences in the lattice parameters of 7.7 % between the two layers are tolerated in terms of a "soft-epitaxial" assembly into bct superstucture and lead to structural registry within the overlayer. Conversely, at the interface, a lattice mismatch of 24.4 % is too large for soft-epitaxy and invokes a change in the superlattice. Upon ligand treatment, the overlayer superlattices transform their orientation axis and the NCs orient preferentially. These results provide new insights into mitigating defects in layered, heterostructured NC assemblies.
The Pituitary Transcriptional Response Related to Feed Conversion in Pigs

Over the decades, pig breeding objectives have focused on improving the meat content in the carcass without taking into consideration the more effective fattening indicators that affect feed conversion. At present, pig growth traits associated particularly with animal feeding have become crucial due to their economic significance. This is especially evident in countries where pigs are maintained on large farms. The present study indicates that pituitary differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are activated in response to variable feed conversion (FC) in pigs. The experiment included two native Polish breeds: Puławska and Złotnicka White (ZW). The whole pituitary transcriptome was sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. The RNA-seq method identified over 500 and 300 DEGs in the pituitaries of the ZW and the Puławska pig populations, respectively, that were associated with hormonal regulation, notch signaling, and Wnt pathways. Lower FC in the ZW pigs favoured increased fat content in the body and significantly higher prolactin expression. The obtained results indicate that low FC values in pigs are related to slower growth or increased fat content, which suggests various pituitary responses. Therefore, the identified candidate genes were not directly associated with feed conversion values but with other factors. However, the present study delivers new insights into pituitary regulation in pigs.
A Lane Detection Method Based on a Ridge Detector and Regional G-RANSAC

Lane detection plays an important role in improving autopilot’s safety. In this paper, a novel lane-division-lines detection method is proposed, which exhibits good performances in abnormal illumination and lane occlusion. It includes three major components: First, the captured image is converted to aerial view to make full use of parallel lanes’ characteristics. Second, a ridge detector is proposed to extract each lane’s feature points and remove noise points with an adaptable neural network (ANN). Last, the lane-division-lines are accurately fitted by an improved random sample consensus (RANSAC), termed the (regional) gaussian distribution random sample consensus (G-RANSAC). To test the performances of this novel lane detection method, we proposed a new index named the lane departure index (LDI) describing the departure degree between true lane and predicted lane. Experimental results verified the superior performances of the proposed method over others in different testing scenarios, respectively achieving 99.02%, 96.92%, 96.65% and 91.61% true-positive rates (TPR); and 66.16, 54.85, 55.98 and 52.61 LDIs in four different types of testing scenarios.
Selection of Parental Material to Maximize Heterosis Using SNP and SilicoDarT Markers in Maize

The chief aim of plant breeding is to improve varieties so as to increase their yield and breeding traits. One of the first stages of breeding is the selection of parental forms from the available gene pool of existing varieties. To date, costly and laborious methods based on multiple crossbreeding and phenotypic selection have been necessary to properly assess genetic resources in terms of productivity, quality parameters, and susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stressors. The often long and complicated breeding cycle can be significantly shortened through selection using DNA markers. To this end, use is made of close couplings between the marker and the locus responsible for the inheritance of the functional trait. The aim of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and SilicoDArT markers associated with yield traits and to predict the heterosis effect for yield traits in maize (Zea mays L.). The plant material used in the research consisted of 19 inbred maize lines derived from different starting materials, and 13 hybrids resulting from crossing them. A two-year field experiment with inbred lines and hybrids was established at two Polish breeding stations on 10 m2 plots in a randomized block design with three replicates. The biometric measurements included cob length, cob diameter, core length, core diameter, number of rows of grain, number of grains in a row, mass of grain from the cob, weight of one thousand grains, and yield. The isolated DNA was subjected to DArTseq genotyping. Association mapping was performed in this study using a method based on the mixed linear model with the population structure estimated by eigenanalysis (principal component analysis of all markers) and modeled by random effects. Narew, Popis, Kozak, M Glejt, and Grom were the hybrids used in the study that showed the highest significant heterosis effect in 2013 and 2014. The similarity between parental components determined on the basis of SNP and SilicoDArT marker analysis did not exceed 33%. It was found that the genetic similarity between parental components, determined on the basis of SNP and SilicoDArT markers, reflected their degree of relationship, and correlated significantly with the effect of heterosis. As the results indicate, the parental components for heterosis crosses can be selected based on genetic similarity between parental components evaluated using SNP and SilicoDArT markers, supported with information on the origin of parental forms. Of the markers we analyzed, 76 were selected as being significantly associated with at least six traits observed in 2013 and 2014 at both the Łagiewniki and Smolice stations.
Molecularly Imprinted Nanoparticles Assay (MINA) in Pseudo ELISA: An Alternative to Detect and Quantify Octopamine in Water and Human Urine Samples

In 2004, octopamine was added to the list of drugs banned by the world anti-doping agency (WADA) and prohibited in any sport competition. This work aims to develop a new analytical method to detect octopamine in water and human urine samples. We proposed a pseudo-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (pseudo-ELISA) by replacing traditional monoclonal antibodies with molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs). NanoMIPs were synthesised by a solid-phase approach using a persulfate initiated polymerisation in water. Their performance was analysed in pseudo competitive ELISA based on the competition between free octopamine and octopamine-HRP conjugated. The final assay was able to detect octopamine in water within the range 1 nmol·L−1–0.1 mol·L−1 with a detection limit of 0.047 ± 0.00231 µg·mL−1 and in human urine samples within the range 1 nmol·L−1–0.0001 mol·L−1 with a detection limit of 0.059 ± 0.00281 µg·mL−1. In all experiments, nanoMIPs presented high affinity to the target molecules and almost no cross-reactivity with analogues of octopamine such as pseudophedrine or l-Tyrosine. Only slight interference was observed from the human urine matrix. The high affinity and specificity of nanoMIPs and no need to maintain a cold chain logistics makes the nanoMIPs a competitive alternative to antibodies. Furthermore, this work is the first attempt to use nanoMIPs in pseudo-ELISA assays to detect octopamine.