Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feedback in computer assisted pronunciation training: technology push or demand pull?

In this paper, we examine the type of feedback that currently available Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) systems provide, with a view to establishing whether this meets pedagogically sound requirements. We show that many commercial systems tend to prefer technological novelties that do not always comply with pedagogical criteria and that despite the limitations of today's technology, it is possible to design CAPT systems that are more in line with learners' needs.
POLLINATOR PREFERENCES FOR NICOTIANA ALATA, N. FORGETIANA, AND THEIR F1 HYBRIDS

Abstract The role of pollinators in plant speciation and maintenance of species boundaries is dubious because most plant species are visited by several types of pollinators, and most pollinator species visit several species of plants. We investigated pollinator preferences and their efficacy as ethological isolation mechanisms between two interfertile species, Nicotiana alata and N. forgetiana and their F1 hybrids. Hawkmoths pollinate N. alata, while primarily hummingbirds and occasionally small hawkmoths visit N. forgetiana. F1 hybrids are easily produced in the greenhouse and although the species grow in similar habitats, hybrids have not been found in nature. In Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, near where both species are found, experimental plots were studied containing both species, and both species plus F1 hybrids. In the mixed-species plots, hawkmoths showed a strong preference for N. alata. Hummingbirds were less common and only visited N. forgetiana. Hybrid seed was produced but plants made significantly fewer hybrid offspring than predicted by the frequency of interspecific pollinator movements. Nicotiana forgetiana was the seed parent of 97% of the F1 offspring, suggesting an asymmetry in pollen delivery or postpollination processes. In plots containing F1 hybrids plus both parental species, hawkmoths preferred N. alata and undervisited the other two phenotypes, except that in the third plot they visited hybrids in proportion to the hybrid frequency. Hummingbirds strongly preferred N. forgetiana in all plots but also visited F1 hybrids in proportion to their frequency in the third plot. Overall, F1 hybrids were well pollinated and were frequently visited immediately before or after one of the parental species. Thus hybrids could facilitate gene flow between the parental species. We conclude that pollinator discrimination among species is strong but is an imperfect isolation mechanism, especially if hybrids are present.
Automated Fingerprint Identification System based on Sectorized Complex Walsh Plane

Most of the current security and attendance systems are shifting towards automated biometric systems, the most popular biometrics being fingerprints. In Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS), the fingerprint of an individual needs to be identified with that stored in the database. In this paper, a method which deals with fingerprint identification in the transform domain is considered and the main focus is on the reduction of the processing time. First, the mean of rows (or columns) of the fingerprint image is computed, this converts a two dimensional image signal into one dimension. The onedimensional Walsh transform of the row (or column) vector is generated and is distributed in a complex plane which is subjected to sectorization to generate the feature vector. The feature vector of a given test image is compared to those present in the database. The scores from row and column transform methods are fused using OR and MAX functions. The results with accuracy of more than 73% (for 16 sectors) and high computational speed show that the method can be used in fingerprint identification in application with requirements of less processing time. General Terms Biometrics, Image Processing
Design of Nanostructures: Self-Assembly of Nanomaterials

Clearly divided into three sections covering the main aspects of nanoscience, the first part deals with the basic principles of nanoscale science. Alongside essential approaches and forces, this section also covers thermodynamics, phase transitions, and applications to biological systems. The second and third parts then go on to provide a detailed description of the synthesis of inorganic and organic nanoparticles, respectively.
Web site design, trust, satisfaction and e-loyalty: the Indian experience

Purpose – With the rapid expansion of global online markets including India, researchers and practitioners are challenged to understand drivers of customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty towards web sites. The paper aims to focus on web site design, which is expected to influence whether customers revisit an online vendor.Design/methodology/approach – Participants in India evaluated a local and foreign web site of the same online vendor. Surveys and interviews were used to collect the data.Findings – The results indicate significant preference for the local web site in almost all design categories. Further, the local site instilled greater trust, satisfaction and loyalty. Data collected for this study are compared with parallel work conducted using the same procedures in four other countries.Research limitations/implications – The current investigation is relevant for researchers who aim to expand knowledge concerning the impact of web site design related to user trust, satisfaction and loyalty. The work.
The Autolytic Enzyme LytA of Streptococcus pneumoniae Is Not Responsible for Releasing Pneumolysin

ABSTRACT It was previously proposed that autolysin's primary role in the virulence of pneumococci was to release pneumolysin to an extracellular location. This interpretation came into question when pneumolysin was observed to be released in significant amounts from some pneumococci during log-phase growth, because autolysis was not believed to occur at this time. We have reexamined this phenomenon in detail for one such strain, WU2. This study found that the extracellular release of pneumolysin from WU2 was not dependent on autolysin action. A mutant lacking autolysin showed the same pattern of pneumolysin release as the wild-type strain. Addition of mitomycin C to a growing WU2 culture did not induce lysis, indicating the absence of resident bacteriophages that could potentially harbor lytA-like genes. Furthermore, release of pneumolysin was unaltered by growth in 2% choline, a condition which is reported to inactivate autolysin, as well as most known pneumococcal phage lysins. Profiles of total proteins in the cytoplasm and in the supernatant media supported the hypothesis that release of pneumolysin is independent of pneumococcal lysis. Finally, under some infection conditions, mutations in pneumolysin and autolysin had different effects on virulence.
Bond–Slip Behavior of Self Compacting Concrete

For the design of structural elements, bond behaviour plays an important role; therefore it is important to investigate the bond behaviour of normal vibrated concrete in comparison with self-compacting concrete. This paper aims to investigate the bond with reinforced bar of a new construction material, self-compacting concrete, the bond strength between reinforcing steel and concrete was determined by beam tests carried out after 28 days. Deformed bars S500 with 16 mm and 18 mm effective diameters were used to evaluate the bond in C50 and self-compacting concrete, according to RILEM procedures. Also in this study the hardened properties of self compacting concrete containing limestone powder were experimentally investigated and compared with those of normal vibrating concrete. The main parameters were: the concrete compressive strength, the steel bar diameter and the type of concrete. According to the obtained results, self-compacting concrete and normal vibrating concrete presented quite similar behaviour, so it can be concluded that self-compacting concrete has similar or better behaviour in comparison with normal vibrating concrete.
TheYNP metagenome project : environmental parameters responsible for microbial distribution in theYellowstone geothermal ecosystem

1 Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman MT, USA 2 Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman MT, USA 3 Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, USA 4 Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Hørsholm Denmark 5 Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
Identiﬁcation of Translationally Optimal Codons and Suitable Expression Host of DPV gB Gene

In this report, we conduct study on codon composition and codon usage of DPV glycoprotein B (gB) gene, its homologs constitute the most highly conserved family of herpesvirus glycoproteins and are present in members of each herpesvirus subfamily. Our results show that sixty-one codons (excluding the termination codons) in the polypeptide, a high level of diversity in codon usage bias existed for coding the Ala, Gly, Leu, Pro, Arg, Ser, Thr and Val amino acids. Sixteen codons (each for a amino acid), including GCA (Ala), GAT (Asp), GAA (Glu), GGA (Gly), CAT (His), ATA (Ile), AAA (Lys), CTA (Leu), AAT (Asn), CCA (Pro), CAA (Gln), AGA (Arg), TCT (Ser), ACT (Thr), GTA (Val) and TAT (Tyr) were determined as the translationally optimal codons. The codon preferences of DPV gB gene were compared with those of E. coli, yeast, and H. sapiens, we can speculate that the DPV gB gene may be more efﬁciently expressed in the E. coli system. In summary, knowledge of codon usage of herpesvirus gB genes provides insights into molecular and species evolution, and also plays important role in furthering some biotechnological applications. These would be fruitful areas for further study.
A novel SVM Geometric Algorithm based on Reduced Convex Hulls

Geometric methods are very intuitive and provide a theoretically solid viewpoint to many optimization problems. SVM is a typical optimization task that has attracted a lot of attention over the recent years in many pattern recognition and machine learning tasks. In this work, we exploit recent results in reduced convex hulls (RCH) and apply them to a nearest point algorithm (NPA) leading to an elegant and efficient solution to the general (linear and nonlinear, separable and non-separable) SVM classification task
Microbleeds do not affect rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease

Editors’ Note: Dr. Martinez-Ramirez et al. comment on study limitations that might have led to the authors’ conclusions in “Microbleeds do not affect rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease. ” Dr. Vanacore, in reference to “Neurodegenerative causes of death among retired National Football League players,” raises the 12-fold higher risk of death from ALS in professional Italian soccer players, specifically midfielders, and calls for further cohort studies in other professional athletes. Megan Alcauskas, MD, and Robert C. Griggs, MD
Lysophosphatidic acid accelerates lung fibrosis by inducing differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into myofibroblasts

Lung fibrosis is characterized by vascular leakage and myofibroblast recruitment, and both phenomena are mediated by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) via its type‐1 receptor (LPA1). Following lung damage, the accumulated myofibroblasts activate and secrete excessive extracellular matrix (ECM), and form fibrotic foci. Studies have shown that bone marrow‐derived cells are an important source of myofibroblasts in the fibrotic organ. However, the type of cells in the bone marrow contributing predominantly to the myofibroblasts and the involvement of LPA‐LPA1 signalling in this is yet unclear. Using a bleomycin‐induced mouse lung‐fibrosis model with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic mouse bone marrow replacement, we first demonstrated that bone marrow derived‐mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) migrated markedly to the bleomycin‐injured lung. The migrated BMSC contributed significantly to α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA)‐positive myofibroblasts. By transplantation of GFP‐labelled human BMSC (hBMSC) or EGFP transgenic mouse BMSC (mBMSC), we further showed that BMSC might be involved in lung fibrosis in severe combined immune deficiency (SCID)/Beige mice induced by bleomycin. In addition, using quantitative‐RT‐PCR, western blot, Sircol collagen assay and migration assay, we determined the underlying mechanism was LPA‐induced BMSC differentiation into myofibroblast and the secretion of ECM via LPA1. By employing a novel LPA1 antagonist, Antalpa1, we then showed that Antalpa1 could attenuate lung fibrosis by inhibiting both BMSC differentiation into myofibroblast and the secretion of ECM. Collectively, the above findings not only further validate LPA1 as a drug target in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis but also elucidate a novel pathway in which BMSCs contribute to the pathologic process.
Cognitive functioning of long-term heavy cannabis users seeking treatment.

CONTEXT Cognitive impairments are associated with long-term cannabis use, but the parameters of use that contribute to impairments and the nature and endurance of cognitive dysfunction remain uncertain. OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of duration of cannabis use on specific areas of cognitive functioning among users seeking treatment for cannabis dependence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Multisite retrospective cross-sectional neuropsychological study conducted in the United States (Seattle, Wash; Farmington, Conn; and Miami, Fla) between 1997 and 2000 among 102 near-daily cannabis users (51 long-term users: mean, 23.9 years of use; 51 shorter-term users: mean, 10.2 years of use) compared with 33 nonuser controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Measures from 9 standard neuropsychological tests that assessed attention, memory, and executive functioning, and were administered prior to entry to a treatment program and following a median 17-hour abstinence. RESULTS Long-term cannabis users performed significantly less well than shorter-term users and controls on tests of memory and attention. On the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, long-term users recalled significantly fewer words than either shorter-term users (P =.001) or controls (P =.005); there was no difference between shorter-term users and controls. Long-term users showed impaired learning (P =.007), retention (P =.003), and retrieval (P =.002) compared with controls. Both user groups performed poorly on a time estimation task (P<.001 vs controls). Performance measures often correlated significantly with the duration of cannabis use, being worse with increasing years of use, but were unrelated to withdrawal symptoms and persisted after controlling for recent cannabis use and other drug use. CONCLUSIONS These results confirm that long-term heavy cannabis users show impairments in memory and attention that endure beyond the period of intoxication and worsen with increasing years of regular cannabis use.
A randomized controlled trial of long-acting injectable risperidone vs continuation on oral atypical antipsychotics for first-episode schizophrenia patients: initial adherence outcome.

OBJECTIVE Nonadherence for first-episode schizophrenia is a major unsolved challenge. The long-acting injectable route is an appealing strategy, but there are concerns about acceptability. We report on acceptance and initial adherence outcomes with risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) in first-episode schizophrenia patients. METHOD We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial in which we enrolled patients defined by appropriate Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV diagnosis and < or = 16 weeks of lifetime antipsychotic exposure. Participants were randomly assigned (2:1 ratio) to a recommendation of changing to RLAI versus continuing on oral therapy (ORAL). Nonadherence behavior was defined as a medication gap > or = 14 days. Adherence attitudes were determined by the Rating of Medication Influences (ROMI) scale. A priori analysis defined treatment groups as intent-to-treat (ITT) and as-actually-treated (AAT) for the first 12 weeks after initial randomization. Participants were enrolled from December 2004 to March 2007. RESULTS Of 46 eligible patients, 37 were randomly assigned, 11 to ORAL and 26 to RLAI. Nineteen of 26 patients (73%) accepted the RLAI recommendation. There were no differences in adherence behavior at 12 weeks based on initial randomization (Kaplan-Meier survival for ITT: 76% [95% CI, 35%-90%] adherent for RLAI vs 72% [95% CI, 55%-89%] for ORAL; log-rank P = .78), but patients accepting RLAI were significantly more likely to be adherent than patients staying on ORAL (AAT: 89% [95% CI, 64%-97%] adherent for RLAI vs 59% [95% CI, 32%-78%] for ORAL; log-rank P = .035). There were no ROMI attitude differences between either treatment group comparison at 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS Most first-episode patients taking oral antipsychotics will accept a recommendation of RLAI therapy. On the basis of initial randomization status, an RLAI recommendation did not affect adherence behavior at 12 weeks. However, acceptance of RLAI was associated with significantly better adherence. Regardless of whether RLAI is recommended or accepted, there is no adverse impact on subsequent medication attitudes at 12 weeks. These results support the feasibility and acceptability of introducing RLAI as a treatment option for first-episode schizophrenia patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00220714.
Infant Footprint Recognition

Infant recognition has received increasing attention in recent years in many applications, such as tracking child vaccination and identifying missing children. Due to the lack of efficient identification methods for infants and newborns, the current methods of infant recognition rely on identification of parents or certificates of identity. While biometric recognition technologies (e.g., face and fingerprint recognition) have been widely deployed in many applications for recognizing adults and teenagers, no such recognition systems yet exist for infants or newborns. One of the major problems is that the biometric traits of infants and newborns are either not permanent (e.g., face) or difficult to capture (e.g., fingerprint) due to lack of appropriate sensors. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of infant recognition by their footprint using a 500 ppi commodity friction ridge sensor. We collected an infant footprint dataset in three sessions, consisting of 60 subjects, with age range from 1 to 9 months. We proposed a new minutia descriptor based on deep convolutional neural network for measuring minutiae similarity. The descriptor is compact and highly discriminative. We conducted verification experiments for both single enrolled template and fusion of multiple enrolled templates, and show the impact of age and time gap on matching performance. Comparison experiments with state of the art algorithm show the advantage of the proposed minutia descriptor.
Biofilms as multifunctional surface coatings and adaptive systems: a biomimetic approach

iii OPSOMMING . v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . vii TABLE OF CONTENTS . ix LIST OF TABLES . xiii LIST OF FIGURES . xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . xvii
Consequences of inflammatory processes on lignocaine protein binding during anaesthesia in fibreoptic bronchoscopy.

patient and the daily MD (mg/kg); advancing age generally indicated reduced MD requirements (n = 35, r = -0.57, P < 0.01). There was no significant correlation between age and average PR at stabilisation (n = 35, r = 0.27, P > 0.10), indicating a similar level of control. The model described here, based on the correlation between patients' initial and maintenance anticoagulant responses, may enable accurate and rapid prediction of individual warfarin dosage requirements. The method involves relatively little extra expense; the two measurements of factor VII activity cost a total of approximately Aus. $47 (£30). The model is currently being assessed in a prospective study, where the predicted MD is given from the second day of warfarin therapy. Computer simulations with the model suggest that it will be most precise when the initial 24 h fall in factor VII is greater than 25%.
β-Catenin Is Required for Hair-Cell Differentiation in the Cochlea

The development of hair cells in the auditory system can be separated into steps; first, the establishment of progenitors for the sensory epithelium, and second, the differentiation of hair cells. Although the differentiation of hair cells is known to require the expression of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, Atoh1, the control of cell proliferation in the region of the developing cochlea that will ultimately become the sensory epithelium and the cues that initiate Atoh1 expression remain obscure. We assessed the role of Wnt/β-catenin in both steps in gain- and loss-of-function models in mice. The canonical Wnt pathway mediator, β-catenin, controls the expression of Atoh1. Knock-out of β-catenin inhibited hair-cell, as well as pillar-cell, differentiation from sensory progenitors but was not required to maintain a hair-cell fate once specified. Constitutive activation of β-catenin expanded sensory progenitors by inducing additional cell division and resulted in the differentiation of extra hair cells. Our data demonstrate that β-catenin plays a role in cell division and differentiation in the cochlear sensory epithelium.
JobOlize - Headhunting by Information Extraction in the Era of Web 2.0

E-recruitment is one of the most successful e-business applications supporting both, headhunters and job seekers. The explosive growth of online job offers makes the usage of information extraction techniques to build up, e.g., job portals in a semi-automatic way a necessity. Existing approaches, however, hardly cope with the heterogeneous and semi-structured nature of job offers nor do they consider potentials offered by Web 2.0 technologies. This paper proposes an information extraction system called “JobOlize” 1 , realized for arbitrarily structured IT job offers. To improve extraction quality, a hybrid approach is employed, combining existing NLP-techniques with a new form of context-driven extraction, incorporating layout, structure and content information. To allow users a proper adaptation of the extraction results while preserving the look and feel of the original Web pages, a rich client interface is provided. The improvements in extraction quality are justified on basis of a case study and the experiences gained are generalized and critically reflected by discussing lessons learned.
High-Performance Silver Nanowire Film on Flexible Substrate Prepared by Meyer-rod Coating

Flexible and transparent conducting (FTC) films based on silver nanowires (AgNWs) were fabricated onto a polycarbonate (PC) substrate by a simple Meyer-rod coating process. AgNWs were synthesized using polyvinyl alcohol by polyol process with a diameter and length of 500 nm and 10 µm, respectively. The FTC film was fabricated by varying the number of layers. The FTC film exhibited a sheet resistance of 12.1 Ω. sq-1 with a transparency of 89.5%. The optical conductivity of FTC films was obtained about 4.7 - 13.1 × 105 S.m-1 with a refractive index about 1.2 to 1.7. The number of layers is an important to influence on the sheet resistance and transmittance of the FTC films. The sheet resistance and transmittance decreases with the number of layers.