Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of the ORCA Nonsense Syllable Test

Objectives: Many new processing features in hearing aids have their primary effects on information located in the high frequencies. Speech perception tests that are optimized for evaluating high-frequency processing are needed to adequately study its effects on speech identification. The goal of the current research was to develop a medium for evaluating the effects of high-frequency processing in hearing aids. Design: A list of 115 consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel-consonant nonsense syllables with American English consonants in all word positions was created in an open-set phoneme identification format. The source material was spoken by a male and a female speaker. A custom computer program was developed for administration of the test and automatic analysis of the test results. Nine normal-hearing listeners were employed in the collection of the normative data. The test was presented to the listeners in quiet (at 68 dB SPL), in noise at five signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs; −10, −5, 0, 5, and 10), and in a low-pass filter condition with cutoff frequencies at 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, and 4000 Hz. The data were examined to evaluate the psychometric properties of the test for different phoneme positions and phoneme classes. In addition, a shortened version of the test was developed based on the data from normal-hearing listeners. The test–retest reliability was verified at 0 dB SNR. The full and shortened versions of the test were repeated in 10 hearing-impaired listeners at their most comfortable listening level in quiet and in noise at various SNRs. Results: The availability of high-frequency output was verified with acoustic analysis. The performance intensity functions for both versions of the test (i.e., male and female speakers) showed expected monotonic growth with SNR and cutoff frequencies. High reliability was seen between test and retest identification scores in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. Conclusions: The current nonsense syllable test provided a reliable and efficient means for phoneme identification testing.
Análisis del procesamiento atencional de la información relacionada con el tabaco y la salud mediante una tarea stroop modificada

Resumen Objetivos: Examinar si las advertencias sanitarias obligatorias logran capturar la atención de los fumadores y comprobar si este grupo presenta un sesgo atencional hacia las palabras relacionadas con el tabaco. Método: Una muestra de fumadores, exfumadores y no fumadores completan un stroop modificado compuesto por palabras-tabaco, palabras-salud y palabras neutras. Se manipula el posible efecto priming. Resultados: Las palabras relacionadas con la salud, extraídas de las advertencias sanitarias, no atraen la atención de los fumadores más que las palabras neutras. Al contrario de lo que ha sido descrito por otros autores, el presente estudio no detecta una hipervigilancia atencional hacia claves-tabaco en fumadores. Sin embargo, la tarea stroop tabaco que se ha diseñado muestra valor predictivo del rendimiento que caracteriza al grupo de sujetos fumadores. Conclusiones: Las palabras relacionadas con el tabaco y con la salud no ejercen un impacto atencional significativo en nuestra muestra de sujetos fumadores. El stroop tabaco podría ser de utilidad como marcador cognitivo de éxito en tratamientos de deshabituación del tabaquismo o ser predictor de riesgo de recaídas.
Unique allosteric regulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor-mediated signal transduction by oleamide.

The effects of oleamide, an amidated lipid isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid of sleep-deprived cats, on serotonin receptor-mediated responses were investigated in cultured mammalian cells. In rat P11 cells, which endogenously express the 5-hydroxytryptamine2A (5HT2A) receptor, oleamide significantly potentiated 5HT-induced phosphoinositide hydrolysis. In HeLa cells expressing the 5HT7 receptor subtype, oleamide caused a concentration-dependent increase in cAMP accumulation but with lower efficacy than that observed by 5HT. This effect was not observed in untransfected HeLa cells. Clozapine did not prevent the increase in cAMP elicited by oleamide, and ketanserin caused an approximately 65% decrease. In the presence of 5HT, oleamide had the opposite effect on cAMP, causing insurmountable antagonism of the concentration-effect curve to 5HT, but had no effect on cAMP levels elicited by isoproterenol or forskolin. These results indicate that oleamide can modulate 5HT-mediated signal transduction at different subtypes of mammalian 5HT receptors. Additionally, our data indicate that oleamide acts at an apparent allosteric site on the 5HT7 receptor and elicits functional responses via activation of this site. This represents a unique mechanism of activation for 5HT G protein-coupled receptors and suggests that G protein-coupled neurotransmitter receptors may act like their iontropic counterparts (i.e., gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors) in that there may be several binding sites on the receptor that regulate functional activity with varying efficacies.
Clinicopathological Phenotype and Genetics of X-Linked Dystonia–Parkinsonism (XDP; DYT3; Lubag)

X-linked dystonia–parkinsonism (XDP; OMIM314250), also referred to as DYT3 dystonia or “Lubag” disease, was first described as an endemic disease in the Philippine island of Panay. XDP is an adult-onset movement disorder characterized by progressive and severe dystonia followed by overt parkinsonism in the later years of life. Among the primary monogenic dystonias, XDP has been identified as a transcriptional dysregulation syndrome with impaired expression of the TAF1 (TATA box-binding protein associated factor 1) gene, which is a critical component of the cellular transcription machinery. The major neuropathology of XDP is progressive neuronal loss in the neostriatum (i.e., the caudate nucleus and putamen). XDP may be used as a human disease model to elucidate the pathomechanisms by which striatal neurodegeneration leads to dystonia symptoms. In this article, we introduce recent advances in the understanding of the interplay between pathophysiology and genetics in XDP.
Use of the index of orthodontic treatment need in a school population of Zahedan

IOTN Index has been used in different countries for assessment of orthodontic treatment need in recent years. This index has 2 components, an Aesthetic Component (AC) and Dental Health Component (DHC). Objective: The aim of this study is determining orthodontic treatment need based on IOTN in 11-14 years old students in zahedan (2010-2011). Materials and Methods: This study was an analytical discreptive study. It was undertaken among 11-14 years old zahedanian schoolchildren. The method of sampling was cluster sampling.In total, 395 students (198 boys and 197 girls) randomly selected from schools in zahedan. The examination were done with disposable dentistry mirrors and measurements were done with disposable rulers, and photographs were taken with digital camera statistical analysis For comparison result between girls and boys we used chi-square test. Result: The results for DHC of IOTN were: 46/6% of population showed little or no need for treatment, 17% were in borderline category and 36/5% had a severe or very severe need for treatment. In evaluating AC, 77/2% of children was in no need or little need, 16/2% in moderate need and 6/6% in severe or very severe need to treatment group. The results for ACE were: 63/9% no need and little need, 27/8% moderate need and 8/3% severe or very severe need. There was no significant statistical difference between girls and boys. But there was significant statistical difference between AC and AC E)p=0.0001), AC and DHC (p=0.016), ACE and DHC (p=0.0002). Conclusion: Evaluation of this index in zahedan show that most of people are in no need or little need group of orthodontic treatment. (Shahri F, Risbaf S, Use of the index of orthodontic treatment need in a school population of Zahedan. Life Sci J 2013;10(2s):240-244) (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com. 42 Key word: AC, ACE, DHC
Strength and Setting Times of Low Calcium Fly Ash-based Geopolymer Mortar

Geopolymer is a novel binding material produced from the reaction of fly ash with an alkaline solution. In Geopolymer mortar, Portland cement is not utilized at all. In this research, the influence of various parameters on the short term engineering properties of fresh and hardened low-calcium fly ash-based Geopolymer mortar were studied. Tests were carried out on 50 x 50 x 50mm cube Geopolymer mortar specimens. The test results revealed that as the concentration of alkaline activator increases, the compressive strength of Geopolymer mortar also increases. Specimens cured at temperature of 65 o C for 1 day showed the highest 28 days compressive strength. The mass ratio of activator/fly ash of 0.4 produced the highest 28 days compressive strength for the specimen. The obtained compressive strength was in the range of 1.6MPa – 20MPa.
Conformational Spread in the Flagellar Motor Switch: A Model Study

The reliable response to weak biological signals requires that they be amplified with fidelity. In E. coli, the flagellar motors that control swimming can switch direction in response to very small changes in the concentration of the signaling protein CheY-P, but how this works is not well understood. A recently proposed allosteric model based on cooperative conformational spread in a ring of identical protomers seems promising as it is able to qualitatively reproduce switching, locked state behavior and Hill coefficient values measured for the rotary motor. In this paper we undertook a comprehensive simulation study to analyze the behavior of this model in detail and made predictions on three experimentally observable quantities: switch time distribution, locked state interval distribution, Hill coefficient of the switch response. We parameterized the model using experimental measurements, finding excellent agreement with published data on motor behavior. Analysis of the simulated switching dynamics revealed a mechanism for chemotactic ultrasensitivity, in which cooperativity is indispensable for realizing both coherent switching and effective amplification. These results showed how cells can combine elements of analog and digital control to produce switches that are simultaneously sensitive and reliable.
Tax policy and innovation: A search for common ground

The paper is motivated by a desire to find common ground between mainstream and post-Keynesian approaches to fiscal policy. A post-Keynesian approach with origins in Kalecki offers a promising line of enquiry which is developed here. The paper identifies the principal differences between the Keynesian and Kaleckian approaches. The possibilities are explored of finding accommodation between the mainstream and Kaleckian approaches to the taxation of greenhouse gases. The macroeconomic implications of taxing greenhouse gases are identified. However, these may be thwarted by the emergence of 'political aspects of innovation', akin to Kalecki's 'political aspects of full employment'. A Kaleckian balanced budget approach allied to fiscal incentives to innovate offers some prospect of common ground with the mainstream.
[Influence of cytokines on ICAM-1 expression and soluble ICAM-1 production by human endothelial cells].

The present study was designed to clarify (1) the effects of cytokines on intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression on human endothelial cells (EC) and soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) production by these cells and (2) the effects of purified sICAM-1 on leukocyte-EC adhesion. IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha induced a parallel increase of both the ICAM-1 expression on EC and sICAM-1 production by EC, while IFN-gamma induced only the dose dependent enhancement of ICAM-1 expression, but not the production of sICAM-1, IL-4 and IL-6 did not show any effects on the ICAM-1 expression nor on the sICAM-1 production. IL-4 and IL-6 abolished the expression enhancing effect by IL-1 beta, while TNF-alpha showed a synergism with IL-1 beta to promote ICAM-1 expression on EC. The sICAM-1 continued to accumulate in the culture supernatant even at 48 h after stimulation of EC by IL-1 beta, whereas the ICAM-1 expression on EC reached the maximum at 40 h and declined thereafter under the stimulation by IL-1 beta. IL-1 beta treatment of EC resulted in an increase in adhesion of leukocytes to the EC. The sICAM-1, purified from the cell-free supernatant obtained after a 48 h culture of EC in IL-1 beta by affinity column chromatography using monoclonal ICAM-1 antibody coupled to Sepharose beads, significantly inhibited leukocyte-EC adhesion. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Does Green Mean Healthy? Nutrition Label Color Affects Perceptions of Healthfulness

The food industry has recently implemented numerous front-of-package nutrition labels to readily convey key aspects a food product's nutritional profile to consumers (e.g., calories and fat content). Although seemingly well-intentioned, such labels might lead consumers to perceive relatively poor nutrition foods in a healthier light. The present research explores whether one underresearched aspect of nutrition labels—namely, their color—might influence perceptions of a product's healthfulness. In Study 1, participants perceived a candy bar as healthier when it bore a green rather than a red calorie label, despite the fact that the labels conveyed the same calorie content. Study 2 examined the perceived healthfulness of a candy bar bearing a green versus white calorie label and assessed individual differences in the importance of healthy eating. Overall, results suggest that green labels increase perceived healthfulness, especially among consumers who place high importance on healthy eating. Discussion focuses on implications for health-related judgment and nutrition labeling.
Single-Sample Face Recognition Based on LPP Feature Transfer

Due to its wide applications in practice, face recognition has been an active research topic. With the availability of adequate training samples, many machine learning methods could yield high face recognition accuracy. However, under the circumstance of inadequate training samples, especially the extreme case of having only a single training sample, face recognition becomes challenging. How to deal with conflicting concerns of the small sample size and high dimensionality in one-sample face recognition is critical for its achievable recognition accuracy and feasibility in practice. Being different from the conventional methods for global face recognition based on generalization ability promotion and local face recognition depending on image segmentation, a single-sample face recognition algorithm based on locality preserving projection (LPP) feature transfer is proposed here. First, transfer sources are screened to obtain the selective sample source using the whitened cosine similarity metric. Second, we project the vectors of source faces and target faces into feature subspace by LPP, respectively, and calculate the feature transfer matrix to approximate the mapping relationship on source faces and target faces in subspace. Then, the feature transfer matrix is used on training samples to transfer the original macro characteristics to target macro characteristics. Finally, the nearest neighbor classifier is used for face recognition. Our results based on popular databases FERET, ORL, and Yale demonstrate the superiority of the proposed LPP feature transfer-based one-sample face recognition algorithm when compared with popular single-sample face recognition algorithms, such as (PC)2A and Block FLDA.
Plant mitochondria possess a short-patch base excision DNA repair pathway

Despite constant threat of oxidative damage, sequence drift in mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA usually remains very low in plant species, indicating efficient defense and repair. Whereas the antioxidative defense in the different subcellular compartments is known, the information on DNA repair in plant organelles is still scarce. Focusing on the occurrence of uracil in the DNA, the present work demonstrates that plant mitochondria possess a base excision repair (BER) pathway. In vitro and in organello incision assays of double-stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotides showed that mitochondria isolated from plant cells contain DNA glycosylase activity specific for uracil cleavage. A major proportion of the uracil–DNA glycosylase (UDG) was associated with the membranes, in agreement with the current hypothesis that the DNA is replicated, proofread and repaired in inner membrane-bound nucleoids. Full repair, from uracil excision to thymidine insertion and religation, was obtained in organello following import of a uracil-containing DNA fragment into isolated plant mitochondria. Repair occurred through single nucleotide insertion, which points to short-patch BER. In vivo targeting and in vitro import of GFP fusions showed that the putative UDG encoded by the At3g18 630 locus might be the first enzyme of this mitochondrial pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Should preventive antibiotics be used in patients with acute stroke? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background Infection is a common complication in acute stroke. Whether or not preventive antibiotics reduce the risk of infection or even lead to a favorable outcome and reduction of mortality after a stroke still remains equivocal. This review was performed to update the current knowledge on the effect and possible benefits of prophylactic antibiotic therapy in patients with stroke. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of preventive antibiotics`effect on the incidence of infection, favorable outcome (mRS≤2) and mortality in patients with acute stroke is performed with relevant randomized controlled trials. Results Six studies were identified, involving 4125 participants. Compared with the control group, the treated groups were significantly less prone to suffer from early overall infections [RR = 0.52, 95%CI (0.39, 0.70), p<0.0001], early pneumonia [RR = 0.64, 95%CI (0.42, 0.96), p = 0.03] and early urinary tract infections [RR = 0.35, 95%CI (0.25, 0.48), p<0.00001]. However, there was no significant difference in overall mortality [RR = 1.07, 95%CI (0.90, 1.27), p = 0.44], early mortality [RR = 0.99, 95%CI (0.78, 1.26), p = 0.92], late mortality [RR = 1.12, 95%CI (0.94, 1.35), p = 0.21] or favorable outcome [RR = 1.00, 95%CI (0.92, 1.08), p = 0.98]. Conclusion Although preventive antibiotic treatment did reduce the occurrence of early overall infections, early pneumonia and early urinary tract infection in patients with acute stroke, this advantage was not eventually translated to a favorable outcome and reduction in mortality. Future studies are warranted to identify any subgroup of stroke patients who might benefit from preventive antibiotic treatment.
Sentence Similarity Measure Based on Events and Content Words

Similarity between sentences plays an important role in a variety of applications of natural language process. The paper proposes a novel method to calculate sentence similarity, which takes into account both semantic and syntax: measuring semantic similarity based on events, measuring syntactic similarity based on content words sequence. Our experimental results show that the method is reasonable and effective.
A Fair Adaptive Data Rate Algorithm for LoRaWAN

LoRaWAN exhibits several characteristics that can lead to an unfair distribution of the Data Extracted Rate (DER) among nodes. Firstly, the capture effect leads to a strong signal suppressing a weaker signal at the gateway and secondly, the spreading codes used are not perfectly orthogonal, causing packet loss if an interfering signal is strong enough. In these conditions, nodes experiencing higher attenuation are less likely to see their packets received correctly. We develop FADR, a Fair Adaptive Data Rate algorithm for LoRaWAN that exploits the different Spreading Factors (SFs) and Transmission Powers (TPs) settings available in LoRa to achieve a fair Data Extraction Rate among all nodes while at the same time avoiding excessively high TPs. Simulations show that FADR, in highly congested cells, achieves 300% higher fairness than the minimum airtime allocation approach and 22% higher fairness than Brechts approach, while consuming almost 22% lower energy.
Antimicrobial profiles of periodontal pathogens isolated from periodontitis patients in The Netherlands and Spain.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Antimicrobial resistance of periodontal pathogens towards currently used antibiotics in periodontics has been investigated in a previous study. Microbial resistance in the periodontal microflora was more frequently observed in Spanish patients in comparison with Dutch patients. The aim of the present study was to compare antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of five periodontal bacteria isolated from periodontitis patients in Spain and in The Netherlands. MATERIAL AND METHODS Subgingival plaque samples from adult patients with periodontitis were collected and cultured on selective and non-selective plates. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Micromonas micros were isolated and used for minimal inhibitory concentration tests using the Epsilometer (E-test) technique. Eight different antibiotics were tested on all bacterial isolates. MIC50 and MIC90 values for each antibiotic and each species were determined and the percentage of resistant strains was calculated. RESULTS Significantly higher MIC values were noted in Spanish strains of F. nucleatum for penicillin, ciprofloxacin, of P. intermedia for penicillin, amoxicillin and tetracycline, of M. micros for tetracycline, amoxicillin and azithromycin, and of P. gingivalis for tetracycline and ciprofloxacin. Based on breakpoint concentrations, a higher number of resistant strains in Spain were found in F. nucleatum for penicillin, amoxicillin and metronidazole, in Prevotella intermedia for tetracycline and amoxicillin, and in A. actinomycetemcomitans for amoxicillin and azithromycin. Resistance of P. gingivalis strains was not observed for any of the antibiotics tested both in Spain and The Netherlands. CONCLUSIONS Differences exist in the susceptibility profiles of periodontal pathogens isolated from periodontitis patients in Spain and in The Netherlands. This implicates that antibiotic susceptibility testing is necessary to determine efficacy of antimicrobial agents. Also, clinical studies with antibiotics should take these differences into account. The information from the present study indicates that it may not be possible to develop uniform protocols for usage of antibiotics in the treatment of severe periodontitis in the European Union.