Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Binding at Birth: The Newborn Brain Detects Identity Relations and Sequential Position in Speech

Breaking the linguistic code requires the extraction of at least two types of information from the speech signal: the relations between linguistic units and their sequential position. Furthermore, these different types of information need to be integrated into a coherent representation of language structure. The brain networks responsible for these abilities are well known in adults, but not in young infants. Our results show that the neural architecture underlying these abilities is operational at birth. In three optical imaging studies, we found that the newborn brain detects identity relations, as evidenced by enhanced activation in the bilateral superior temporal and left inferior frontal regions. More importantly, the newborn brain can also determine whether such identity relations hold for the initial or final positions of speech sequences, as indicated by increased activity in the inferior frontal regions, possibly Broca's area. This implies that the neural foundations of language acquisition are in place from birth.
AirNet: a machine learning dataset for air quality forecasting

In the past decade, many urban areas in China have suffered from serious air pollution problems, making air quality forecast a hot spot. Conventional approaches rely on numerical methods to estimate the pollutant concentration and require lots of computing power. To solve this problem, we applied the widely used deep learning methods. Deep learning requires large-scale datasets to train an effective model. In this paper, we introduced a new dataset, entitled as AirNet, containing the 0.25 degree resolution grid map of mainland China, with more than two years of continued air quality measurement and meteorological data. We published this dataset as an open resource for machine learning researches and set up a baseline of a 5-day air pollution forecast. The results of experiments demonstrated that this dataset could facilitate the development of new algorithms on the air quality forecast.
Learning automata based method for solving demand and supply problem with periodic behaviors

The demand and supply problems are encountered widely in almost all fields. While the users hope to get their demand satisfied always, the suppliers do not want to produce superfluous supplies. One way to tackle this problem is to have a good prediction on the future demand. Many forecasting algorithms have been proposed by using time series and extrapolation techniques. However, most of the algorithms are based on the complex theories and consume potentially large amount computing resources. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm to predict the demand by applying classical learning automata techniques. The algorithm uses more concise strategies and consumes considerably less computing resources.
Intelligent Medical Search Engine by Knowledge Machine

Many modern search engines for information retrieval system retrieve a large number of documents from a word-search query. Yet a simple question in natural language requests only an answer that is simple, accurate, and likely only one. A whole document of search result causes the inquirers to read through or find the answer in the document. Also too many documents in return distract the inquirers from their concern. We propose an idea of using knowledge machine to retrieve one finest answer for one-question-one-answer query. A search engine for natural-language application on medical field is introduced and its possible impact is discussed
Comprehension of Focus Types in Japanese

Distinct types of focus in Tokyo Japanese are investigated, with special attention given to their acoustic and perceptual characteristics. The results of production, prominence rating, and context retrieval tests demonstrate that prosodic differences between Informational Focus (IF) and Contrastive/Corrective Focus (CF) are subtle, but perceptible to listeners: CF involving a slightly greater F0 fall and longer duration is perceived more prominent than IF. However, it is also revealed that the perceived differences of prominence do not guide listeners to identify the focus types, implying that the prosodic differences between IF and CF in the speech signal alone do not play a functional role in terms of communication.
IQGAP1 Is a Scaffold for Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling

ABSTRACT IQGAP1 modulates many cellular functions such as cell-cell adhesion, transcription, cytoskeletal architecture, and selected signaling pathways. We previously documented that IQGAP1 binds extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 2 and regulates growth factor-stimulated ERK activity. Here we show that MEK, the molecule immediately upstream of ERK in the Ras/mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling cascade, also interacts directly with IQGAP1. Both MEK1 and MEK2 bound IQGAP1 in vitro and coimmunoprecipitated with IQGAP1. The addition of ERK2 enhanced by fourfold the in vitro interaction of MEK2 with IQGAP1 without altering binding of MEK1. Similarly, ERK1 promoted MEK binding to IQGAP1, but either MEK protein altered the association between IQGAP1 and ERK. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) differentially regulated binding, enhancing MEK1 interaction while reducing MEK2 binding to IQGAP1. In addition, both knockdown and overexpression of IQGAP1 reduced EGF-stimulated activation of MEK and ERK. Analyses with selective IQGAP1 mutant constructs indicated that MEK binding is crucial for IQGAP1 to modulate EGF activation of ERK. Our data strongly suggest that IQGAP1 functions as a molecular scaffold in the Ras/MAP kinase pathway.
Speech serial control in healthy speakers and speakers with hypokinetic or ataxic dysarthria: effects of sequence length and practice

The current study investigated the processes responsible for selection of sounds and syllables during production of speech sequences in 10 adults with hypokinetic dysarthria from Parkinson’s disease, five adults with ataxic dysarthria, and 14 healthy control speakers. Speech production data from a choice reaction time task were analyzed to evaluate the effects of sequence length and practice on speech sound sequencing. Speakers produced sequences that were between one and five syllables in length over five experimental runs of 60 trials each. In contrast to the healthy speakers, speakers with hypokinetic dysarthria demonstrated exaggerated sequence length effects for both inter-syllable intervals (ISIs) and speech error rates. Conversely, speakers with ataxic dysarthria failed to demonstrate a sequence length effect on ISIs and were also the only group that did not exhibit practice-related changes in ISIs and speech error rates over the five experimental runs. The exaggerated sequence length effects in the hypokinetic speakers with Parkinson’s disease are consistent with an impairment of action selection during speech sequence production. The absent length effects observed in the speakers with ataxic dysarthria is consistent with previous findings that indicate a limited capacity to buffer speech sequences in advance of their execution. In addition, the lack of practice effects in these speakers suggests that learning-related improvements in the production rate and accuracy of speech sequences involves processing by structures of the cerebellum. Together, the current findings inform models of serial control for speech in healthy speakers and support the notion that sequencing deficits contribute to speech symptoms in speakers with hypokinetic or ataxic dysarthria. In addition, these findings indicate that speech sequencing is differentially impaired in hypokinetic and ataxic dysarthria.
Intracellular pH is a major factor in the induction of tolerance to acid and other stresses in Lactococcus lactis

This study demonstrates that exposure of log-phase Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris 712 cells to mildly acid conditions induces resistance to normally lethal intensities of environmental stresses such as acid, heat, NaCl, H2O2, and ethanol. The intracellular pH (pHi) played a major role in the induction of this multistress resistance response. The pHi was dependent on the extracellular pH (pHo) and on the specific acid used to reduce the pHo. When resuspended in fresh medium, cells were able to maintain a pH gradient even at pHo values that resulted in cell death. Induction of an acid tolerance response (ATR) coincided with an increase in the ability of cells to resist change to an unfavorable pHi; nevertheless, a more favorable pHi was not the sole reason for the increased survival at acid pHo. Cells with an induced ATR survived exposure to a lethal pHo much better than did uninduced cells with a pHi identical to that of the induced cells. Survival following lethal acid shock was dependent on the pHi during induction of the ATR, and the highest survival was observed following induction at a pHi of 5.9, which was the lowest pHi at which growth occurred. Increased acid tolerance and the ability to maintain a higher pHi during lethal acid stress were not acquired if protein synthesis was inhibited by chloramphenicol during adaptation.
Robust Stability of Singularly Perturbed Impulsive Systems Under Nonlinear Perturbation

The robust stability problem for singularly perturbed impulsive systems under nonlinear perturbation is considered. The uncertainties are assumed to be limited by their upper norm bound. By applying the vector Lyapunov function method and a two-time scale comparison principle, a sufficient condition that ensures robust exponential stability for sufficiently small singular perturbation parameter is derived. Moreover, the stability bound of the singular perturbation parameter can be obtained by solving a set of matrix inequalities. Finally, two numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed results.
Extracting domain knowledge by complex networks analysis of Wikipedia entries

In this paper we describe a complex networks analysis of Wikipedia. We construct 10 different networks from Wikipedia entries (articles) related to the chosen domain. The goal of the experiment is to extract domain knowledge in terms of identifying entries that are centrally positioned and entries that are strongly related. We apply complex networks analysis on all acquired networks and examine the networks' structure. We employ centrality measures in order to find centrally positioned entries in the network. Furthermore we identify communities and find which entries are densely connected according to the network structure.
Overweight and Obesity and Related Factors in Urban Iranian Population Aged Between 20 to 84 Years

Background: Obesity is one of the most common health problems in the world and is assuming epidemic proportions in both developed and developing countries. Aim: The present study aimed to provide population-based data on the prevalence of obesity and estimation the risk of some of demographic factors associated with obesity. Subjects and Methods: From May 2007 through December 2008, we conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey on 3,000 males and females (age ≥ 20 years) in Tehran province. Respondents were asked to give their height and weight in the questionnaire. Body mass index (BMI) is recognized as the measure of overall obesity and calculated as body weight divided by the square body height in meters (kg/m2). Results: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 34.1% (924/2708) and 15.4% (417/2708). The combined prevalence of both overweight and obesity was 51.2% (1387/2708) in males and 57.5% (1557/2708) in females. The mean (SD) BMI for the total population studied was 26.14 (4.71) and it was higher in women than in men (P < 0.001). The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 39.5% (376/952) and 11.7% (111/952) in men and 36.9% (548/1458) and 20.6% (306/1458) in women. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratios of obesity showed that higher ages, females, married and low educated subjects had more chance to being obese. Conclusion: This population-based cross-sectional survey indicates that the prevalence of overweight and obesity are moderately high in the general Iranian population and must be considered as a significant public health problem at national level especially among women.
Heterophyllin B inhibits the adhesion and invasion of ECA-109 human esophageal carcinoma cells by targeting PI3K/AKT/β-catenin signaling

The present study aimed to measure the effect of heterophyllin B (HB) on the adhesion and invasion of ECA-109 human esophageal carcinoma cells, and examine the possible mechanism involved. A Cell Counting kit 8 assay was performed to determine the cell viability. Cell adhesion and invasion were determined following treatment of the ECA-109 cells with HB (0, 10, 25 and 50 µM) for 24 h. The levels of phosphorylated (p-)ATK and p-phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and the protein levels of β-catenin were measured using western blot analysis. The mRNA and protein expression levels of E-cadherin, vimentin, snail, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 and MMP9 were detected using reverse trancsription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses, respectively. HB (10, 25 and 50 µM) significantly suppressed the adhesion and invasion of the ECA-109 human esophageal carcinoma cells in a dose-dependant manner. The expression levels of p-ATK, p-PI3K and β-catenin were markedly decreased. The expression of E-cadherin was promoted, whereas the expression levels of snail, vimentin, MMP 2 and MMP 9 were decreased significantly in the ECA-109 cells treated with HB. In addition, HB inhibited the adhesion and invasion induced by PI3K activating peptide in the ECA-109 cells, and the protein expression levels were also adjusted. These results suggested that HB effectively suppressed the adhesion and invasion of the human esophageal carcinoma cells by mediating the PI3K/AKT/β-catenin pathways and regulating the expression levels of adhesion- and invasion-associated genes.
Nanosecond laser pulse-induced electron emission from multiwall carbon nanotube film

Electron emission from multiwall carbon nanotube film induced by the irradiation of the second, third and fourth harmonics of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser was studied as a function of applied voltage and irradiation energy. The experimental result at 266 nm showed a one-photon field-assisted photoemission mechanism at low laser energy and a thermal contribution at higher energy. At 355 and 532 nm wavelengths, the emission seems to be due to thermal assisted field emission.
Neuropsychological changes between “off” and “on” STN or GPi stimulation in Parkinson’s disease

Background: In a previous study on a consecutive series of 62 patients with PD, the authors showed that bilateral subthalamic or pallidal continuous high-frequency deep brain stimulation (DBS) affects neither memory nor executive functions 3 to 6 months after surgery. Objective: To investigate the specific effects of DBS by comparing the performance of patients with the stimulator turned “on” and “off. ” Methods: The performance of 56 patients on clinical tests of executive function was compared after 3 and 12 months of DBS of the subthalamic nucleus (STN; n = 48) or the internal globus pallidus (GPi; n = 8) with the stimulator “on” or “off. ” Global intellectual efficiency, verbal learning, and mood were also evaluated with the stimulator “on. ” The performance of another group of 20 patients was compared after 6 months of DBS of the STN (n = 15) or the GPi (n = 5) with the stimulator “on” or “off” on more experimental tests recently shown to be more sensitive to l-dopa therapy. Results: When the stimulator was “on,” STN patients showed a mild but significant improvement in psychomotor speed and working memory. In comparison with the presurgical state, STN patients had no cognitive deficit at 12 months, except for lexical fluency. There was no differential effect of STN or GPi stimulation. Conclusions: 1) The specific effect of DBS seems to mimic the action of l-dopa treatment in the cognitive as in the motor domain; 2) the surgery associated with DBS does not appear to affect the cognitive performance of patients with PD 12 months later, except for a mild deficit in lexical fluency.
Signal transduction for chemotaxis and haptotaxis by matrix molecules in tumor cells

Transduction of signals initiating motility by extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules differed depending on the type of matrix molecule and whether the ligand was in solution or bound to a substratum. Laminin, fibronectin, and type IV collagen stimulated both chemotaxis and haptotaxis of the A2058 human melanoma cell line. Peak chemotactic responses were reached at 50-200 nM for laminin, 50-100 nM for fibronectin, and 200-370 nM for type IV collagen. Checkerboard analysis of each attractant in solution demonstrated a predominantly directional (chemotactic) response, with a minor chemokinetic component. The cells also migrated in a concentration-dependent manner to insoluble step gradients of substratum-bound attractant (haptotaxis). The haptotactic responses reached maximal levels at coating concentrations of 20 nM for laminin and type IV collagen, and from 30 to 45 nM for fibronectin. Pretreatment of cells with the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide (5 micrograms/ml), resulted in a 5-30% inhibition of both chemotactic and haptotactic responses to each matrix protein, indicating that de novo protein synthesis was not required for a significant motility response. Pretreatment of cells with 50-500 micrograms/ml of synthetic peptides containing the fibronectin cell- recognition sequence GRGDS resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of fibronectin-mediated chemotaxis and haptotaxis (70-80% inhibition compared to control motility); negative control peptide GRGES had only a minimal effect. Neither GRGDS nor GRGES significantly inhibited motility to laminin or type IV collagen. Therefore, these results support a role for the RGD-directed integrin receptor in both types of motility response to fibronectin. After pretreatment with pertussis toxin (PT), chemotactic responses to laminin, fibronectin, and type IV collagen were distinctly different. Chemotaxis to laminin was intermediate in sensitivity; chemotaxis to fibronectin was completely insensitive; and chemotaxis to type IV collagen was profoundly inhibited by PT. In marked contrast to the inhibition of chemotaxis, the hepatotactic responses to all three ligands were unaffected by any of the tested concentrations of PT. High concentrations of cholera toxin (CT; 10 micrograms/ml) or the cAMP analogue, 8-Br-cAMP (0.5 mM), did not significantly affect chemotactic or haptotactic motility to any of the attractant proteins, ruling out the involvement of cAMP in the biochemical pathway initiating motility in these cells. The sensitivity of chemotaxis induced by laminin and type IV collagen, but not fibronectin, to PT indicates the involvement of a PT-sensitive G protein in transduction of the signals initiating motility to soluble laminin and type IV collagen. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Searching genetic risk factors for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: learn from the past and back to the future

For more than 20 years already, researchers from all over the world have tried to get insight into the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar (BP) disorder. Linkage and candidate gene association study results have led to a range of hypotheses about the pathogenesis of the disorders, but overall genetic findings have been inconsistent and not a single functional risk causing variant has yet been identified. Even genomewide association (GWA) studies in large samples, the most extensive and systematic interrogation of the genome thus far, seemingly have not brought the expected answers. A reasonable interpretation is that multiple rare variants, inherently linked with locus and allelic heterogeneity, confer a substantial proportion of susceptibility to the disorders. Also, structural variation might be an important factor and promising results are arising from copy‐number variation (CNV) analyses. In this review we shortly touch on “old” results from linkage and association studies and critically review the design and “new” results of GWA and CNV studies. We discuss what can be learned from the past and how this knowledge can be used in future study designs. Hum Mutat 30, 1139–1152, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Association of maternal age with child health: A Japanese longitudinal study

Average maternal age at birth has been rising steadily in Western and some Asian countries. Older maternal age has been associated with adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes; however, studies on the relationship between maternal age and young children’s health remain scarce. Therefore, we sought to investigate the association of maternal age with child health outcomes in the Japanese population. We analyzed data from two birth cohorts of the nationwide Japanese Longitudinal Survey of Babies in 21st Century (n2001 = 47,715 and n2010 = 38,554). We estimated risks of unintentional injuries and hospital admissions at 18 and 66 months according to maternal age, controlling for the following potential confounders: parental education; maternal parity, smoking status, and employment status; household income; paternal age, and sex of the child. We also included the following as potential mediators: preterm births and birthweight. We observed a decreasing trend in the risks of children’s unintentional injuries and hospital admissions at 18 months according to maternal age in both cohorts. In the 2001 cohort, compared to mothers <25 years, odds ratios of hospital admission at 18 months were 0.97 [95% CI: 0.86, 1.09], 0.92 [0.81, 1.05], 0.76 [0.65, 0.90], and 0.71 [0.51, 0.98] for mothers aged 25.0–29.9, 30.0–34.9, 35.0–39.9, and >40.0 years, respectively, controlling for confounders. Our findings were in line with previous findings from population-based studies conducted in the United Kingdom and Canada suggesting that older maternal age may be beneficial for early child health.