Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Articulatory suppression in language interpretation: Working memory capacity, dual tasking and word knowledge

How do interpreters manage to cope with the adverse effects of concurrent articulation while trying to comprehend the message in the source language? In Experiments 1–3, we explored three possible working memory (WM) functions that may underlie the ability to simultaneously comprehend and produce in the interpreters: WM storage capacity, coordination and word knowledge. In Experiments 1 and 2, interpreters, high span individuals and control participants performed free recall tasks under normal, articulatory suppression conditions (Experiment 1) or while performing a secondary task (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3, professional interpreters free recalled nonwords or words in their first (L1) and second language (L2). The results indicated that the ability of the interpreters to simultaneously comprehend and produce is related to word knowledge rather than to an increased WM storage capacity or to an enhanced ability to coordinate processes and tasks.
Yeast vacuoles fragment when microtubules are disrupted

To identify whether microtubules are involved in the maintenance of vacuolar morphology, we treated Saccharomyces cerevisiae with nocodazole and methyl benzimidazole-2-yl-carbamate, drugs which inhibit the polymerization of microtubules. Treated cells arrest with a single large bud in the G2/prophase portion of the cell cycle. Labeling the vacuole with either quinacrine or FITC-dextran revealed vacuole fragmentation that was not found in untreated cells or in cells arrested in G2 by unrelated means. A drug-resistant mutant in beta tubulin does not show vacuolar fragmentation when treated with drug. We propose that microtubules are involved in the regulation of vacuole morphology.
Evaluation of Ridge Seeking Operators for Multimodality Medical Image Matching

Ridge-like structures in digital images may be extracted by convolving the images with derivatives of Gaussians. The choice of the convolution operator and of the parameters involved defines a specific ridge image. In this paper, various ridge measures related to isophote curvature are constructed, reviewed, and evaluated with respect to their usability in CT/MRI matching of human brain scans. Construction is initially done using heuristics in two-dimensional images, and then established firmly in a mathematical framework. Attention is paid to the necessity of operator invariance, scale of the operator, extension to three-dimensional images, and relations to isophote and principal curvature. It is shown that one of the ridge measures appears well suited for the purpose of matching, despite the fact that the measure fails to detect ridges in a number of stylized scenes.
Linking obstetric and midwifery practice with optimal outcomes.

OBJECTIVE To compare midwifery and medical care practices and measure optimal perinatal outcomes using a new clinimetric instrument. DESIGN Prospective descriptive cohort design. SETTING A large, inner city obstetric service with medical and midwifery services. PARTICIPANTS Three hundred seventy-five of 400 consecutively enrolled patients were participated (25 excluded due to extreme risk status or missing data); 92% were of minority race/ethnicity and 54% had less than a high school education. Of the 375 patients, 179 received physician care and 196 received nurse-midwife care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The Optimality Index-US was measured. Health record data were extracted and scored using the Optimality Index-US to summarize the optimality of processes and outcomes of care as well as the woman's preexisting health status. RESULTS Midwifery patients had more optimal care processes (less use of technology and intervention) with no difference in neonatal outcomes, even when preexisting risk was taken into account. CONCLUSION Even among moderate-risk patients, the midwifery model of care with its limited use of interventions can produce outcomes equivalent to or better than those of the biomedical model.
Sonography of Partial‐Thickness Quadriceps Tendon Tears With Surgical Correlation

Objective. With the use of surgical findings as the reference standard, the purpose of this study was to describe the sonographic findings of partial‐thickness and complete tears of the quadriceps tendon and to determine whether sonography can potentially aid diagnosis. Methods. Three hundred eighty‐nine consecutive sonographic reports (January 1996 to April 2001) of the knee/quadriceps tendon were reviewed retrospectively and assessed for subsequent surgery on the quadriceps tendon. Seven cases were thus identified. Findings at surgery (complete versus partial tears) were compared with the original sonography reports. Results. All 4 partial tears and 1 of 2 complete tears were diagnosed correctly on the basis of sonography. One complete tear was described as a partial tear on the basis of sonography. In a seventh case, complete disruption of the extensor mechanism with osseous avulsion of the superior pole of the patella was identified correctly. Dynamic scanning was essential in diagnosing a partial quadriceps tendon tear in 1 case. Conclusions. Sonography, including the use of dynamic evaluation, was helpful in the diagnosis of partial‐thickness tears of the quadriceps tendon and may aid in differentiation of such cases from complete quadriceps tendon tears, particularly in the acute setting. The presence of scar tissue in the setting of chronic injury may represent a potential pitfall in the assessment of partial versus complete quadriceps tears. Further study is needed to define the accuracy of sonography for detecting quadriceps tendon tears.
DEPLOYMENT OF MEMBRANE FUSION PROTEIN DOMAINS DURING FUSION

It is clear that both viral and intracellular membrane fusion proteins contain a minimal set of domains which must be deployed at the appropriate time during the fusion process. An account of these domains and their functions is given here for the four best‐described fusion systems: influenza HA, sendai virus F1, HIV gp120/41 and the neuronal SNARE core composed of synaptobrevin (syn), syntaxin (stx) and the N‐ and C‐termini of SNAP25 (sn25), together with the Ca2+binding protein synaptotagmin (syt). Membrane fusion begins with the binding of the virion or vesicle to the target membrane via receptors. The committed step in influenza HA‐ mediated fusion begins with an aggregate of HAs (at least eight) with some of their HA2 N‐termini, a.k. a. fusion peptides, embedded into the viral bilayer (Bentz, 2000 a). The hypothesis presented in Bentz (2000 b) is that the conformational change of HA to the extended coiled coil extracts the fusion peptides from the viral bilayer. When this extraction occurs from the center of the site of restricted lipid flow, it exposes acyl chains and parts of the HA transmembrane domains to the aqueous media, i.e. a hydrophobic defect is formed. This is the ‘transition state’ of the committed step of fusion. It is stabilized by a ‘dam’ of HAs, which are inhibited from diffusing away by the rest of the HAs in the aggregate and because that would initially expose more acyl chains to water. Recruitment of lipids from the apposed target membrane can heal this hydrophobic defect, initiating lipid mixing and fusion. The HA transmembrane domains are required to be part of the hydrophobic defect, because the HA aggregate must be closely packed enough to restrict lipid flow. This hypothesis provides a simple and direct coupling between the energy released by the formation of the coiled coil to the energy needed to create and stabilize the high energy intermediates of fusion. Several of these essential domains have been described for the viral fusion proteins SV5 F1 and HIV gp120/41, and for the intracellular SNARE fusion system. By comparing these domains, we have constructed a minimal set which appears to be adequate to explain how the conformational changes can produce a successful fusion event, i.e. communication of aqueous compartments.
Evaluation metric for image understanding

We propose in this paper a new evaluation metric that enables to quantify the quality of an image interpretation result. This metric takes into account the a priori knowledge used by the interpretation algorithm and the ground truth associated with the original image. We combine two metrics that evaluate the localization and recognition results of each detected object. We show that the proposed metric fulfills some theoretical properties and has a correct behavior face to empirical experiments on an image benchmark database. We think that this metric could be a reliable reference for image and video understanding competitions.
Feature selection using differential evolution with binary mutation scheme

In this paper the use of an evolutionary computational algorithm such Differential Evolution have been studied for their use in feature selection problems. Feature selection is rapidly increasing in importance due to the exponential increase in the size of datasets. The dimensionality problem arising due to these large datasets can be dealt with by using feature selection, which provides a multitude of advantages when it comes to datasets. The advantages have been discussed in the paper. The use of Differential Evolution in this regard is a novel approach and provides us with comparable results with existing algorithms like GA. This paper also deals with the approach that involves changing the mutation scheme to allow for conversion to binary before selecting the features.
Multifractal Kaos

Using bi-parametric sweeping based on symbolic representation we reveal selfsimilar fractal structures induced by heteroand homoclinic bifurcations of saddle singularities in the parameter space of two systems with deterministic chaos. We start with the system displaying a few homoclinic bifurcations of higher codimension: resonant saddle, orbit-flip and inclination switch that all can give rise to the onset of the Lorenz-type attractor in Z2-systems with the separatrix butterfly. The second system is the classic Lorenz model of 1963, originated in fluid
Ulnar/fibular ray defect and brachydactyly in a family: a possible new autosomal dominant syndrome

&NA; The ulnar‐mammary syndrome (MIM 181450) includes postaxial ray defects, abnormalities of growth, delayed sexual development, and mammary and apocrine gland hypoplasia. Brachydactyly type E (MIM 113300) presents with shortening of the metacarpals and phalanges in the ulnar ray in association with moderately short stature. We describe a three‐generation family with variable expression of ulnar/fibular hypoplasia, brachydactyly, ulnar ray defects and short stature. The proband had ulnar hypoplasia with missing IV‐Vth fingers, fibular hypoplasia on the right, bilateral club feet, growth retardation, a hypoplastic midface, an ASD and hemangiomas. She had normal mammary tissue and normal sweating. The mother had short stature, midfacial hypoplasia, a hypoplastic ulna and hypoplasia of the IVth metacarpal (brachydactyly) on the right without other associated malformations. The maternal grandfather had mild bilateral fibular hypoplasia and midphalangeal brachydactyly of the IV‐Vth toes. His sister had mild short stature and shortening of the IVth metacarpal of the left hand. Two‐point linkage analysis with microsatellite markers spanning the Ulnar‐Mammary locus at 12q24.1 did not confirm linkage. The patients may have a previously undescribed syndrome. Clin Dysmorphol 12:161‐165 © 2003 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Expression of class II beta-tubulin in non-melanoma cutaneous tumors.

BACKGROUND Different combinations of beta-tubulin isotypes contribute to the diverse functions of microtubules (MTs). Class II beta-tubulin (class II tubulin) is up-regulated in differentiated keratinocytes. In contrast, the expression of class II tubulin in follicular differentiation and cutaneous tumors has not been studied. METHODS The immunohistochemical expression of class II tubulin was investigated in 117 cutaneous tumors: 30 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), seven keratoacanthomas (KAs), 57 basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), 23 trichoepitheliomas (TEs), and in the adjacent non-neoplastic skin. RESULTS Class II tubulin was expressed in the keratinocytes of the granular layer, melanocytes, hair cortical and cuticular cells, inner root sheath (IRS), companion layer (CL) of the outer root sheath (ORS), and mesenchymal cells with Schwannian or myogenic differentiation. Moreover, class II tubulin expression was increased in the areas of squamous or follicular differentiation in cutaneous tumors. On grading the follicular differentiation or myofibroblastic response with anti-class II tubulin, TE showed follicular differentiation more frequently (p < 0.001) with less of a myofibroblastic response (p = 0.001) than BCC. CONCLUSIONS Class II tubulin expression is closely related to squamous or follicular differentiation and may be helpful in distinguishing most SCCs from KAs and BCC from TE. However, it does not reliably distinguish well-differentiated, crateriform SCC from KA.
Hand gesture segmentation, recognition and application

Vision-based hand gesture recognition provides a more nature and powerful means for human-computer interaction. In this paper, we present some new approaches for hand image segmentation, 2D hand posture recognition and 3D hand gesture reconstruction. We segment hand images from complex backgrounds with the color segmentation approach based on the RCE neural network, and recognize 2D hand postures by analyzing the topological features of the segmented hand. We also propose to use the 3D reconstruction techniques to recover 3D hand gestures and present a new method to estimate the fundamental matrix between two uncalibrated cameras from stereo hand images. A gesture-based human-robot interface has been developed to demonstrate the application of hand gestures.
A longitudinal analysis of rural and urban veterans' health-related quality of life.

CONTEXT Cross-sectional studies have identified rural-urban disparities in veterans' health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) scores. PURPOSE To determine whether longitudinal analyses confirmed that these disparities in veterans' HRQOL scores persisted. METHODS We obtained data from the SF-12 portion of the veterans health administration's (VA's) Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP) collected between 2002 and 2006. During that time, the SHEP was randomly administered to approximately 250,000 veterans annually who had used VA outpatient services. We evaluated 163,709 responses from veterans who had completed 2 or more surveys during the years studied. Respondents were classified into rural-urban groups using ZIP Code-based rural-urban commuting area designations. We estimated linear regression models using generalized estimating equations to determine whether rural and urban veterans' HRQOL scores were changing at different rates over the time period examined. FINDINGS After adjustment for sociodemographic differences, we found that urban veterans had substantially better physical HRQOL scores than their rural counterparts and that these differences persisted over the study period. While urban veterans had worse mental HRQOL scores than rural veterans, those differences diminished over the time period studied. CONCLUSIONS Rural-urban disparities in HRQOL scores persist when tracking veterans longitudinally. Reduced access among rural veterans to care may contribute to these disparities. Because rural soldiers are overrepresented in current conflicts, the VA should consider new models of care delivery to improve access to care for rural veterans.
Executing Clinical Practice Guidelines using the SAGE Execution Engine

We report the first successful test of an interoperable guideline execution engine that interprets encoded clinical guideline content and executes that content via functions of a target clinical information system (CIS). For this test, an exemplar immunization guideline was encoded in the SAGE guideline model using standards-based information models and terminologies. This guideline content was subsequently executed using the prototype SAGE guideline execution engine, which interacts through standards-based VMR/Action services to instantiate real-time guideline recommendations via existing functions of the target CIS. In this paper, we describe our test implementation and highlight the significance and implications of each component of our deployment architecture
How sleep is related to fatigue.

OBJECTIVES It is evident that sleep patterns have direct effects on fatigue. However, the multidimensionality of fatigue may imply that complex patterns of relationships exist between fatigue and sleep characteristics. We aimed to study the correlations between fatigue and quantitative and qualitative sleep measurements, while taking into consideration depression and somatization which are known to affect both sleep and fatigue. We predicted that sleep quality, unattained by the effects of somatization and depression, would affect perceived fatigue more than the quantitative characteristics of sleep. DESIGN Employing a cross-sectional design, hypotheses were addressed using multiple hierarchical regression analyses according to established methods. METHODS Data were gathered from a targeted, randomly selected adult sample (N = 278) by means of subjective sleep reports, a mental health inventory, somatization inventory, several fatigue questionnaires and a demographic questionnaire. RESULTS Fatigue was significantly predicted by depression scores, somatization levels and subjective sleep quality, but not quantitative sleep characteristics such as sleep latency, nocturnal awakenings and early morning arousals. Depression levels were positively and significantly related to all aspects of fatigue except physical fatigue and fatigue that responds to rest and sleep. Physical fatigue was correlated with somatization, but not depression. CONCLUSIONS The data further our understanding of the multifaceted nature of human fatigue and underline the greater importance of perceived sleep quality, compared to other sleep characteristics, in predicting fatigue.
Isomorphism of graphs with bounded eigenvalue multiplicity

We investigate the connection between the spectrum of a graph, i.e. the eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix, and the complexity of testing isomorphism. In particular we describe two polynomial time algorithms which test isomorphism of undirected graphs whose eigenvalues have bounded multiplicity. If X and Y are graphs of eigenvalue multiplicity m, then the isomorphism of X and Y can be tested by an O(n4m+c) deterministic and by an O(n2m+c) Las Vegas algorithm, where n is the number of vertices of X and Y.
Bcl-2 and Bax Regulation of Corneal Homeostasis in Genetically Altered Mice

Purpose. The antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and its proapoptotic counterpart Bax may play an important role in the regulation of corneal epithelial renewal. To understand the physiologic importance of Bcl-2 and Bax in the healthy cornea, epithelial and stromal thickness, proliferation, and surface cell exfoliation rates were examined in the central cornea of genetically altered mice overexpressing Bcl-2 and lacking Bax. Methods. Adult Bcl-2 transgenic (n = 55) and Bax knockout (n = 82) mice and wild-type controls were clinically prescreened at no less than 2 months of age for any ocular developmental abnormalities. Polymerase chain reaction was used to confirm genotype. Corneal epithelial renewal was examined by in vivo tandem scanning confocal microscopy to measure total corneal and sublayer thickness and by immunohistochemistry on whole mount corneal tissues to determine basal epithelial cell proliferation using 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) and surface cell exfoliation with a Calcein AM-Ethidium homodimer assay (live/dead). Stained corneas were scanned with a laser scanning confocal microscope, and images were digitized, and cell counts were obtained. Levels of Bcl-2 protein were assessed by Western blots. Results. No significant changes in proliferation or cell death were found in either group compared to wild-type littermate controls; however, epithelial and stromal thicknesses were greater in the Bcl-2 transgenic group compared to wild-type and decreased in the Bax knockout. Western blotting confirmed that there was no change in the level of Bcl-2 expression in the corneal epithelium in the Bcl-2 transgenic or Bax knockout strains. Conclusions. The significant difference in epithelial and stromal thickness suggests a functional role for Bcl-2 and Bax in the maintenance of corneal homeostasis; however, the lack of significant alterations in proliferation, cell exfoliation, and levels of Bcl-2 protein in the adult corneal epithelium suggest that these phenotypic changes are a result of a new stable homeostatic equilibrium (proliferation + migration = shedding). Additional experiments to delineate the role of Bcl-2 and Bax during development and in the adult cornea are necessary.
A Comment on the Yurok and Kalapuya Data in Greenberg's Language in the Americas

When I first saw Greenberg's Language in the Americas I turned to the cognate sets which included Yurok and Kalapuya, both of which I had worked on, to see how Greenberg had treated them. The results were disappointing. Nearly every form required some sort of emendation. Here I discuss in turn the Yurok and the Kalapuya. I restrict myself to those errors which directly affect the validity of the proposed cognate sets. In the Yurok forms Greenberg writes j and a for y and i used by Robins (1958) and indicates vowel length by a colon rather than a raised dot. He frequently omits the hyphen at the end of a stem, making it appear as if the stem were an independent word. In the following list the words are arranged alphabetically according to the main glosses used by Greenberg. These are followed by the page number in parentheses, the Yurok word as Greenberg cites it, the gloss of the Yurok word if it differs from the main gloss, and my comments. BE ABLE (p. 165) rakw-. I have not been able to find the source of this word. If it is a genuine Yurok word it should be rahkw-, with a laryngeal increment after the a (Berman 1981:257-58). Yurok has several words which mean 'to be able': kitkah, nohten-, and so'tk-. BEARD (p. 189) -p'os. This should be mep'oc. meis sometimes a prefix indicating indefinite possession, but in this word it is part of the stem. BITTER (p. 167) sken. This should be sken-. Greenberg compares it to ProtoCentral-Algonquian *oxkuni 'liver', which is a miscopying of Proto-Algonquian *uxkuni from Michelson (1935:137, 156). Siebert (1941:300) revised this reconstruction to *weOkwani 'his liver'. On page 173 under LIVER Greenberg treats this revised reconstruction as if it were an entirely different word and compares it to a supposed Yurok form Ikun 'liver'. The Yurok word should be (? )w.lkun. Yurok (? )w.is a third-person possessive prefix used with words which contain the vowel i, but in this word it is part of the stem. Thus two different Yurok words, skenand (? )witkun, are given as cognates of the same Proto-Algonquian etymon. BONE (p. 198) seki 'strong', sekejow 'hard'. The latter form should be sekejow-. Greenberg compares these to Proto-Algonquian *oxkani 'his bone', Cree osk-an 'bone', Cree sok 'strong', and Cheyenne hekon 'strong'. l The Proto-Algonquian reconstruction has been revised to *we0kani 'his bone' (Goddard 1974:112). The second Cree form should be so'hkan 'it is firm, solid, strong' (Bloomfield, n.d.:247) and is from Proto-Algonquian *so'nkanwi. Cf. Ojibwa so'nkan 'be strong, firm, sturdy'