Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lexical stress assignment and reading skills of Russian heritage children

The present study is focused on language proficiency and reading skills of Russian–Cypriot Greek bilingual children, Russian heritage speakers, children of the first generation immigrants living in Cyprus. Their dominant society language is Cypriot Greek, while their home (weak/minority) language is Russian. They have limited exposure to Russian, only at home, and low level of schooling in Russian, only 1-2 hours of Russian lessons per week (Saturday schools). Longitudinal methodology was implemented to investigate developmental trajectory, dominant language transfer, divergent attainment and attrition of L1 by Russian heritage speakers in Cyprus (Polinsky and Kagan 2007; Montrul 2008, Benmamoun et al. 2013). Heritage speakers were measured on their reading skills in Russian every month for a period of one year. Longitudinal data consists of the oral corpus of reading aloud recordings. It was found that heritage children had both developmental and transfer (from CG) lexical stress errors in their reading. There was found a correlation between speech rate, word-per-minute output in reading and spontaneous/elicited speech, and degree of grammatical knowledge, this is in line with Polinsky (2008,
Zero-Time Windowing Cepstral Coefficients for Dialect Classification

In this paper, we propose to use novel acoustic features, namely zero-time windowing cepstral coefﬁcients (ZTWCC) for dialect classiﬁcation. ZTWCC features are derived from high resolution spectrum obtained with zero-time windowing (ZTW) method, and were shown to be useful for discriminating speech sound characteristics effectively as compared to a DFT spectrum. Our proposed system is based on i-vectors trained on static and shifted delta coefﬁcients of ZTWCC. The i-vectors are further whitened before classiﬁcation. The proposed system is compared with i-vector baseline system trained on Mel frequency cepstral coefﬁcient (MFCC) features. Classiﬁcation results on STYRIALECT database (German) and UT-Podcast (English) database revealed that the system with proposed features outperformed aforementioned baseline system. Our detailed experimental analysis on dialect classiﬁcation shows that the i-vector system can indeed exploit high spectral resolution of ZTWCC and hence performed better than MFCC features based system.
Two new ectoparasitic trematodes from the stingray Myliobants californicus .

The material upon which this study is based was obtained from G. E. MacGinitie, of the California Institute of Technology. These trematodes were collected from sting rays on July 20, 1927, taken in Elkhorn Slough, a salt water estuary of Monterey Bay. The worms, both as alcoholic specimens and as balsam mounts, were referred to me in August, 1934. An examination of the material revealed two distinct genera of ectoparasitic trematodes belonging to rather widely separated families, Tristomidae Taschenberg (1879) and Udonellidae Van Beneden and Hesse (1863). The writer wishes to make grateful acknowledgement to Mr. MacGinitie for the privilege of examining and describing this material.
Socioeconomic Changes and Land Use and Land Cover of the Northern Region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The dynamics of land use and cover at different spatial and temporal scales allows us to evaluate changes in landscapes, socioeconomic system and impacts on the natural environment. Land use and land cover changes and socioeconomic activities of the Northern Region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil were analyzed over a 20-year scale. Using images from the Landsat 5 sensor TM, land use and land cover maps were obtained for 1991, 2001 and 2011, in which agricultural uses, native vegetation and pasture presented a significant difference between the years. We identified two scenarios for the region: the northern portion presents a reduction in agricultural areas and an increase in pasture and native vegetation, while the southern portion presents a constancy of agricultural areas. The predominant agricultural uses and socioeconomic factors determined the major changes in landscape structure. The effects of these changes resulted in a reduction in the area of agricultural uses and expansion of native vegetation and pasture areas.
Autolysis of .alpha.-galactosides of defatted soy flakes: influence on nutritive value for chickens

Definition des conditions optimales d'autolyse (α-galactosidase endogene). Mise en evidence d'une valeur nutritive semblable avant ou apres traitement, l'energie metabolisable de la ration n'etant pas amelioree de facon significative malgre la diminution des teneurs en raffinose, stachyose et glucides solubles
Heterologous expression and characterization of a bilirubin oxidase gene from Myrothecium verrucaria in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract Bilirubin oxidases (BODs), which catalyze the oxidation of bilirubin to biliverdin, are multi-copper oxidases that can be used in clinical diagnoses. Given their different reported enzymatic characterizations from laccases, BODs have gained considerable attention for their application in healthcare and environment management. In this study, a BOD gene from Myrothecium verrucaria was chemically synthesized and optimized to heterogeneous expression in Arabidopsis thaliana. The optimized DNA sequence showed 80.1% similarity to the original sequences. The gene was successfully transferred into A. thaliana, and the crude extracts of transgenic plants showed higher BOD activity compared with that of untransformed plants. BOD expressed in transgenic A. thaliana also exhibited an activity on the typical substrate (ABTS) of laccase and was able to decolorize the textile dyes crystal violet and malachite green. The results indicated that the M. verrucaria BOD gene could be transgenically exploited in plants for dye decolorization.
Estimating Surface Attachment Kinetic and Growth Transition Influences on Vapor-Grown Ice Crystals

There are few measurements of the vapor growth of small ice crystals at temperatures below −30°C. Presented here are mass-growth measurements of heterogeneously and homogeneously frozen ice particles grown within an electrodynamic levitation diffusion chamber at temperatures between −44° and −30°C and supersaturations si between 3% and 29%. These growth data are analyzed with two methods devised to estimate the deposition coefficient α without the direct use of si. Measurements of si are typically uncertain, which has called past estimates of α into question. We find that the deposition coefficient ranges from 0.002 to unity and is scattered with temperature, as shown in prior measurements. The data collectively also show a relationship between α and si, with α rising (falling) with increasing si for homogeneously (heterogeneously) frozen ice. Analysis of the normalized mass growth rates reveals that heterogeneously frozen crystals grow near the maximum rate at low si, but show increasingly inhibited (low α) growth at high si. Additionally, 7 of the 17 homogeneously frozen crystals cannot be modeled with faceted growth theory or constant α. These cases require the growth mode to transition from efficient to inefficient in time, leading to a large decline in α. Such transitions may be, in part, responsible for the inconsistency in prior measurements of α.
A unique gene expression signature discriminates familial Alzheimer's disease mutation carriers from their wild-type siblings

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with an insidious onset and progressive course that inevitably leads to death. The current diagnostic tools do not allow for diagnosis until the disease has lead to irreversible brain damage. Genetic studies of autosomal dominant early onset familial AD has identified three causative genes: amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin 1 and 2 (PSEN1 and PSEN2). We performed a global gene expression analysis on fibroblasts from 33 individuals (both healthy and demented mutation carriers as well as wild-type siblings) from three families segregating the APPSWE, APPARC and PSEN1 H163Y mutations, respectively. The mutations cause hereditary progressive cognitive disorder, including typical autosomal dominant AD. Our data show that the mutation carriers share a common gene expression profile significantly different from that of their wild-type siblings. The results indicate that the disease process starts several decades before the onset of cognitive decline, suggesting that presymptomatic diagnosis of AD and other progressive cognitive disorders may be feasible in the near future.
Characteristic of complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic status of a muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus (Rodentia: Cricetidae) in South Korea

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus (Rodentia: Cricetidae) in Korea was sequenced for the first time using the next-generation sequencing method to understand its evolutionary relationship and to be helpful to establish a management plan. This mitogenome was 16,350 base pairs in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and one control region. Its overall A, C, G, and T contents were 32.0%, 26.9%, 12.6%, and 28.5%, respectively. A + T content (63.7%) was higher than G + C content (36.3%). We made the phylogenetic tree of muskrat and other 12 species of order Rodentia distributed in Korea.
Detecting EEG outliers for BCI on the Riemannian manifold using spectral clustering

Automatically detecting and removing Electroencephalogram (EEG) outliers is essential to design robust brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). In this paper, we propose a novel outlier detection method that works on the Riemannian manifold of sample covariance matrices (SCMs). Existing outlier detection methods run the risk of erroneously rejecting some samples as outliers, even if there is no outlier, due to the detection being based on a reference matrix and a threshold. To address this limitation, our method, Riemannian Spectral Clustering (RiSC), detects outliers by clustering SCMs into non-outliers and outliers, based on a proposed similarity measure. This considers the Riemannian geometry of the space and magnifies the similarity within the non-outlier cluster and weakens it between non-outlier and outlier clusters, instead of setting a threshold. To assess RiSC performance, we generated artificial EEG datasets contaminated by different outlier strengths and numbers. Comparing Hit-False (HF) difference between RiSC and existing outlier detection methods confirmed that RiSC could detect outliers significantly better (p < 0.001). In particular, RiSC improved HF difference the most for datasets with the most severe outlier contamination.
Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Eleutherococcus senticosus (Araliaceae) as an herb in China

Abstract Eleutherococcus senticosus is a highly valued woody herb medicinal plant belonging to the family Araliaceae, which is also the popular edible plant in China. In this paper, the chloroplast genome of E. senticosus was completed. The complete chloroplast genome of E. senticosus was 156,768 bp in length as a circle. It contained a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,756 bp, a small single- copy (SSC) region of 18,154 bp and separated by two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,929 bp. The base compositions of chloroplast genome is uneven and the overall nucleotide composition is: A (30.7%), T (31.4%), C (19.3%) and G (18.6%), with a total G + C content (39.4%). It comprised 134 genes, including 89 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. 8 PCG genes species, 7 tRNA genes species and 4 rRNA species were found duplicated in the IR regions. The phylogenetic analysis result shown that the chloroplast genome of E. senticosus is closest to Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus of the family Araliaceae in this study by the maximum-likelihood (ML) method. The complete chloroplast genome of E. senticosus can provide more genomics information for further research on the species in China.
Design of a 12dB back-off asymmetric Doherty power amplifier using reactive output impedance

This paper presents a method to extend the back-off range of an asymmetric Doherty power amplifier (DPA) to 12 dB using a reactive output impedance of the peaking amplifier. An analytical method is employed to determine the desired reactive output impedance for specific output power back-off (OPBO) range. Then, a peaking output matching network is designed to achieve the desired impedance to enlarge the efficiency of the carrier amplifier. When compared with conventional design, the OPBO range can be improved by about 2 dB using the proposed method. For verification, a 3.4–3.6 GHz asymmetric DPA with enhanced OPBO range was designed using 10 and 30 W GaN HEMT transistors. The measured efficiencies of 47%–49% at 12 dB back-off and 63%–66% at saturation are obtained over the whole frequency range. For a 40 MHz LTE signal at 3.5 GHz, the adjacent channel leakage ratio is −50 dBc after linearization with an average efficiency of higher than 50%.
Listeners and Lookers: Using Pitch Height and Gaze Duration for Inferring Mental States

Pitch height and gaze duration are used to infer other people’s mental states, e.g. their attentional focus, attitudes or emotions. To shed light on the interplay of these two cues we varied pitch height in German utterances and gaze duration in a paradigm including a virtual character and different objects. At a group level, greater pitch height and longer gaze duration on a given object similarly increased participants’ ratings of the perceived importance of that object to the virtual character. At the individual level, most participants showed a tendency to be influenced predominantly by only one of the two channels (pitch or gaze). The data suggest a high interindividual variability in the employment of the different, potentially competing nonverbal cues used in estimating the thoughts and judgment of another person.
Induction of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication in human glial cells after proinflammatory cytokines stimulation: Effect of IFNγ, IL1β, and TNFα on differentiation and chemokine production in glial cells

Although evidence for human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV‐1) presence in the central nervous system (CNS) of infected patients is well established, the intensity of viral replication within the brain is not usually known. In vitro, human embryonic microglial cells internalized HIV‐1 through a CD4‐dependent pathway but were not permissive to viral replication. We observed that HIV replication was induced when CNS cell cultures were stimulated for 14 days by a combination of proinflammatory cytokines including IFNγ, IL1β, and TNFα. After long‐term cytokine stimulation, morphologically differentiated glial cells appeared, in which HIV‐1 tat antigen was detected after infection. Thus, variations in the stage of maturation/activation of CNS cells under inflammatory conditions probably play a major role in facilitating massive production of HIV‐1. We then studied the effect of prolonged cytokine stimulation on the secretion of inflammatory mediators by glial cells. An early increased secretion of prostaglandin F2α and chemokines (RANTES>>MIP‐1α>>MIP‐1β) was observed, due to both microglia and astrocytes. In contrast to persistent PGF2α production, an extinction of RANTES and MIP‐1β but not of MIP‐1α secretion occurred during the 14 days of stimulation and was inversely correlated with the ability of glial cells to replicate HIV‐1. The study of the secretory factors produced in response to a persistent inflammation could provide a better understanding of the modulation of HIV replication in glial cells. GLIA 23:304–315, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
About the reasons for the rare plant species disappearance in the Upper Volga region

The problems of the extinction of aquatic plant species in Ivanovo region glacial lakes are discussed. As a result of research a sharp decrease in the number of rare hydrophytes (Elatine hydropiper, Isoetes lacustris, I. echinospora, Sparganium gramineum) has been established. The reasons are complex, they are associated with the eutrophication of ponds, heavy metals soil pollution, uncontrolled recreational loads and Elodea canadensis invaded into lake ecosystems. The ecological niche of Sparganium gramineum in the lakes is occupied by S. × longifolium, the hybridogenic origin of which is proved by modern molecular genetic analysis.
Key Components of Rectenna System: A Comprehensive Survey

ABSTRACT In this paper, a comprehensive survey on the key components of a rectenna system, including antenna configurations, rectifier configurations, impedance matching networks, and RF filter, is outlined. Due to increased applications, the rectenna has occupied a unique place in the RF and microwave engineering. For the last few decades, the research on the rectenna design is focused-on to improve the power conversion efficiency, compatibility and to reduce the design complexity. The main objective of the proposed paper is (i) to accommodate the key design requirements of the rectenna; (ii) highlight the specifications and the possible configurations of the rectenna elements as diode, rectifier, and input source; and (iii) present an inclusive survey of the remarkable research carried out and obtained results.
Ecophysiological studies on three desert plants growing in Wadi Natash, Eastern Desert, Egypt.

Physiological adjustments to enhance tolerance or avoidance of drought were studied in three desert plants growing in Wadi Natash (Eastern Desert, Egypt). Studied plants (Zilla spinosa (L.) Prantl, Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad and Morettia philaeana (Dalile) DC. ) were collected from four stands. Cell sap osmotic potential, some organic (soluble sugars, total free amino acids, and soluble proteins) and inorganic (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl- and SO42-) solute concentration were determined. In addition, cover degree of investigated species (according to the cover-abundance scale of Braun-Blanquet) was also estimated. Substantial osmotic adjustment (up to -1.71 MPa) was observed in Z. spinosa collected from stand 4. Z. spinosa was dependent on soluble sugars, soluble proteins, free amino acids, SO42-, K+, Cl- and Mg2+ to readjust their internal osmotic pressure and to improve its water status. It preferred Mg2+ more than the two other species. C. colocynthis accumulated inorganic solutes more than Z. spinosa and less free amino acids. The results suggest that osmotic adjustment was the main water relationship adaptation to cope with drought. Accumulation of soluble sugars, soluble proteins, K+, Cl- and SO42- at higher concentration often assist in turgor maintenance and helped to enhance drought tolerance.
Another one bites the dust: Does incisor-arcade size affect mass gain and survival in grazing ungulates?

Incisor-arcade size affects foraging efficiency in grazing ungulates and should be under strong selective pres - sure. We investigated individual variation in incisor-arcade size and its relationship with body mass and survival in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) at Ram Mountain, Alberta, Canada, over 9 years. In adult ewes, incisor-arcade breadth and depth decreased with age, probably as a result of tooth wear. We found no effects of incisor-arcade size on sur- vival of lambs or adult ewes. In adult ewes, an apparent positive effect of incisor-arcade size on survival disappeared when age was accounted for. Incisor-arcade breadth and depth had no effect on summer mass gain in lambs or adult ewes. Although linear models suggested that arcade breadth in lambs was correlated with summer mass gain, a latent variable path analysis model revealed that the correlation was due to an allometric relationship of arcade breadth with body size. Variation in incisor-arcade size in bighorn sheep appears to be due to individual variation in body size and age rather than to directional selection.
Dynamical Analysis, Electronic Circuit Design and Control Application of a Different Chaotic System

In this study, the dynamic behavior of a chaotic system is explored and its dynamical analysis is performed by Lyapunov exponents, fractional dimension, dependence to initial conditions and bifurcation diagram. In addition, the bifurcation analysis of the system is studied with respect to a certain parameter. The electronic circuit implementation of a chaotic system is realized and compared with the phase portraits obtained from Matlab and circuit realization. Also, passive control technique is applied to stabilize and suppress the chaos in the chaotic system. Numerical simulations are presented to verify the theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed control method.
RESIDUAL EFFECTS OF ALAR ON THE CARBON DIOXIDE AND ETHYLENE PRODUCTION OF McINTOSH APPLES AT HARVEST AND AFTER LONG STORAGE

Applications of 750 and 1500 ppm Alar to mature McIntosh apple trees in late July delayed the preclimacteric minimum 9 to 15 days and first detection of ethylene 8 to 12 days, respectively. Both carbon dioxide and ethylene evolution from the treated fruit were lower at harvest with the largest differences occurring before the treated fruit reached the preclimacteric minimum. As the season progressed the differences became smaller. Fruit stored at 2 C until May produced carbon dioxide and ethylene at a greater rate after treatment with Alar. Fruit harvested one year after Alar was applied produced more carbon dioxide and ethylene. The residual effects of Alar on respiration and ethylene production are discussed in relation to commercial practice.