Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The sigma algorithm for estimation of reference-quality glottal closure instants from Electroglottograph signals

Accurate estimation of glottal closure instants (GCIs) in voiced speech is important for speech analysis applications which benefit from glottal-synchronous processing. Electroglottograph (EGG) recordings give a measure of the electrical conductance of the glottis, providing a signal which is proportional to its contact area. EGG signals contain little noise or distortion, providing a good reference from which GCIs can be extracted to evaluate GCI estimation from speech recordings. Many approaches impose a threshold on the differentiated EGG signal which provide accurate results during voiced speech but are prone to errors at the onset and end of voicing; modern algorithms use a similar approach across multiple dyadic scales using the stationary wavelet transform. This paper describes a new method for EGG-based GCI estimation named SIGMA, which is based upon the stationary wavelet transform, peak detection with a group delay function and Gaussian Mixture Modelling for discrimination between true and false GCI candidates. In most real-world environments, it is necessary to estimate GCIs from a speech signal recorded with a microphone placed at some distance from the talker. The presence of reverberation, noise and filtering by the vocal tract render GCI detection from real speech signals relatively difficult to achieve compared with the EGG, so EGG-based references have often been used to evaluate GCI detection from speech signals. Evaluation against 500 hand-labelled sentences has shown an accuracy of 99.35%, a 4.7% improvement over a popular existing method.
Programming Games and their Equilibria in Maude

In this short paper we explore how strategic and extensive games, from Game Theory, may be represented as rewrite theories. We also discuss how to calculate Nash and Subgame Perfect Equilibria using term rewriting. We have coded some simple, and yet relevant, games in the rewriting language Maude, an implementation of Rewriting Logic. Our coding technique takes advantage of the Rewriting Logic calculus and rewriting modulo theories implemented in Maude.
Integrating Genetics and Genomics in Primary Aldosteronism

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of secondary hypertension, with an estimated prevalence of ≈10% in referred patients and 4% in primary care1,2 but as high as 20% in patients with resistant hypertension.3,4 It is characterized by hypertension with low plasma renin and elevated aldosterone that is often seen with hypokalemia. PA occurs as a result of a dysregulation of the normal mechanisms controlling adrenal aldosterone production. The 2 major causes are aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (BAH), also called idiopathic hyperaldosteronism. The early detection of PA has an enormous impact on clinical outcome and survival, given the major cardiovascular adverse effects of aldosterone excess, which are independent of blood pressure,5,6 and predict outcome after surgical treatment.7,8 Patients with PA have a significantly higher risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, and stroke compared with age-, sex-, and blood pressure–matched essential hypertensives.5 Furthermore, changes in cardiac structure and function9 and partially reversible renal dysfunction10 have been described, whereas the increased occurrence of metabolic abnormalities in patients with PA is still a matter of debate.11,12 Although the 2008 guidelines for the management of PA have been pivotal for homogenizing screening procedures and treatment among specialized centers,13 there remain a few critical issues related to diagnosis, subtype differentiation, and treatment of nonsurgically correctable forms. Reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are lacking for more sensitive and specific screening, as well as new therapeutic avenues, because medical and/or surgical treatment of PA leads to normotension in only a minority of patients. This may come from a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of the disease, in particular, identification of the genetic and molecular determinants leading to the development of APA and …
Steering laws for motion camouflage

Motion camouflage is a stealth strategy observed in nature. We formulate the problem as a feedback system for particles moving at constant speed, and define what it means for the system to be in a state of motion camouflage. (Here, we focus on the planar setting, although the results can be generalized to three-dimensional motion.) We propose a biologically plausible feedback law, and use a high-gain limit to prove the accessibility of a motion-camouflage state in finite time. We discuss connections to work in missile guidance. We also present simulation results to explore the performance of the motion-camouflage feedback law for a variety of settings.
Evolutionarily Conserved Linkage between Enzyme Fold, Flexibility, and Catalysis

Proteins are intrinsically flexible molecules. The role of internal motions in a protein's designated function is widely debated. The role of protein structure in enzyme catalysis is well established, and conservation of structural features provides vital clues to their role in function. Recently, it has been proposed that the protein function may involve multiple conformations: the observed deviations are not random thermodynamic fluctuations; rather, flexibility may be closely linked to protein function, including enzyme catalysis. We hypothesize that the argument of conservation of important structural features can also be extended to identification of protein flexibility in interconnection with enzyme function. Three classes of enzymes (prolyl-peptidyl isomerase, oxidoreductase, and nuclease) that catalyze diverse chemical reactions have been examined using detailed computational modeling. For each class, the identification and characterization of the internal protein motions coupled to the chemical step in enzyme mechanisms in multiple species show identical enzyme conformational fluctuations. In addition to the active-site residues, motions of protein surface loop regions (>10 Å away) are observed to be identical across species, and networks of conserved interactions/residues connect these highly flexible surface regions to the active-site residues that make direct contact with substrates. More interestingly, examination of reaction-coupled motions in non-homologous enzyme systems (with no structural or sequence similarity) that catalyze the same biochemical reaction shows motions that induce remarkably similar changes in the enzyme–substrate interactions during catalysis. The results indicate that the reaction-coupled flexibility is a conserved aspect of the enzyme molecular architecture. Protein motions in distal areas of homologous and non-homologous enzyme systems mediate similar changes in the active-site enzyme–substrate interactions, thereby impacting the mechanism of catalyzed chemistry. These results have implications for understanding the mechanism of allostery, and for protein engineering and drug design.
Regulation of fetal placental blood flow in the lamb.

Inflatable occluders were placed on the distal aorta of 11 fetal lambs. After 1 wk of control measurements, fetal placental blood flow was reduced to about two-thirds of its control value for an average period of 2 wk. No allowance was made for fetal growth. During the period of flow restriction, fetal growth was 2%/day. Femoral arterial blood pressure was reduced from a control value of 41 to 27 mmHg (P less than 0.001). There was an insignificant increase in carotid arterial blood pressure from 48 to 50 mmHg. Placental resistance to flow did not decrease more than could be accounted for by the increase in gestational age in the course of the experiment. It is concluded that fetal placental blood flow is not under feedback control, since neither of the determinants of flow (i.e., driving pressure and resistance) responded to its chronic reduction.
Monitoring Kidney Function and Albuminuria in Patients With Diabetes

It is beyond doubt that patients with diabetes are at high risk of developing renal and cardiovascular disease. Both outcomes have significant clinical implications and are associated with high additional costs. Several traditional (blood pressure, HbA1c, cholesterol) and novel cardiovascular biomarkers (C-reactive protein, pro-brain natriuretic peptide) are at hand to identify those individuals who will develop end-stage renal or cardiovascular disease, as early as possible. The traditional biomarkers have been successfully applied in clinical practice and have proven their clinical usefulness. Renal biomarkers, in particular, albuminuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), have been added to the biomarker armamentarium. Both are indeed associated with renal and cardiovascular disease in individuals with diabetes and may be used to identify individuals at risk of long-term complications. Although identifying individuals at risk is important, even more important is the question whether we can lower this risk by changing renal biomarkers through pharmacological (or other) intervention. This overview describes the performance of albuminuria and eGFR in predicting renal and cardiovascular disease. In the second part, the relationship between treatment-induced changes in these two renal biomarkers and renal and cardiovascular outcome will be described. ### Albuminuria The relationship between albuminuria and renal and cardiovascular disease has been well established. Its association was first described in patients with type 1 diabetes (1,2). Several studies followed these initial reports and confirmed the significance of albuminuria in predicting long-term renal prognosis. Data from prospective trials showed that patients with type 2 diabetes appear to progress from micro- to macroalbuminuria to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), similar to the earlier reports of patients with type 1 diabetes. The Reduction in End Points in Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus With the Angiotensin II Antagonist Losartan (RENAAL) showed that albuminuria is the most critical baseline predictor for ESRD (3). Similar data …
Children's Narrative Structure: How Do Japanese Children Talk About Their Own Stories?.

The conversational narratives of 17 Japanese children aged 5 to 9 were analyzed using stanza analysis. Three distinctive features emerged: (1) the narratives are exceptionally succinct; (2) they are usually free-standing collections of three expariences; and (3) stanzas almost always consist of three lines. These features reflect the basic characteristics of "haiku," a commonly-practiced literary form that often combines poetry and narrative, and an ancient game called "karuta," which also displays three lines of written discourse. These literacy games explain both the extraordinary regularity of lines per stanza and the smooth acquisition of reading by a culture that practices restricted, ambiguous, oral-style discourse. The narratives can be understood in the larger context of flomoiyari" (empathy) training of Japanese children. This empathy training may explain the production, comprehension, and appreciation of ambiguous discourse in Japanese society. An 84-item bibliography is included, and narrative samples and discourse analysis results are appended. (Author/MSE) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** Children's Narrative Structure: How Do Japanese Children Talk about Their Own Stories? "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL IN OTHER THAN PAPER COPY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
Data Classification: A Rough - SVM Approach

Classification is one of the most important tasks for different applications. Most of the existing supervised classification methods are based on traditional statistics, which can provide ideal results when sample size is tending to infinity. However, only finite samples can be acquired in practice. SVM, a powerful machine method developed from statistical learning and has made significant achievement in some field. Introduced in the early 90’s, they led to an explosion of interest in machine learning. The foundations of SVM have been developed by Vapnik and are gaining popularity in field of machine learning due to many attractive features and promising empirical performance. SVM method does not suffer the limitations of data dimensionality and limited samples. This paper reports the introduction of Rough -SVM Approach based on the hybridization of SVM and Rough Set Exploration System (RSES). RSES is used to find reducts which then applied to SVM to obtain better classification results.
Pancreatitis in a Native American Indian Population

We have studied pancreatitis in a population of Southwestern American Indians where gallstones are frequent, alcohol consumption is presumably high, but where smoking is an uncommon habit. Over a 5-year period, 131 cases of pancreatitis (65 males, 66 females) were observed: 66 (50%) were thought to be biliary pancreatitis, 54 cases (41%) alcoholic pancreatitis, and 5 cases (4%) were caused by injuries. In 6 cases (5%) no definite cause was found. Smoking appeared to be increased in male subjects with alcoholic pancreatitis when compared to subjects with alcoholic liver cirrhosis—a group with similar drinking habits. (Adjusted odds ratio = 12.5, p = 0.008). No such relationship was observed for females. Our findings suggest that in this population smoking may be an additional important risk factor for male subjects with alcoholic pancreatitis.
-Ca Exchange During Cardiac Hypertrophy After Myocardial Infarction

Hypertrophied and failing cardiac myocytes generally show alterations in intracellular Ca handling associated with changes in the contractile function and arrhythmogenicity. The cardiac Na -Ca exchange (NCX) is an important mechanism for Ca extrusion and cell relaxation. Its possible involvement in changes of excitation-contraction coupling (EC-coupling) with disease remains uncertain. We analyzed the NCX function in rat ventricular myocytes 5 to 6 months after experimental myocardial infarction (PMI) produced by left coronary artery ligation and from sham-operated (SO) hearts. Caged Ca was dialyzed into the cytoplasm via a patch-clamp pipette and Ca was released by flash photolysis to activate NCX and measure the associated currents (INaCa), whereas [Ca 2 ]i changes were simultaneously recorded with a confocal microscope. INaCa density normalized to the [Ca 2 ]i jumps was 2.6-fold higher in myocytes from PMI rats. The level of total NCX protein expression in PMI myocytes was also increased. Interestingly, although the INaCa density in PMI cells was larger, PMI and SO myocytes presented virtually identical Ca transport via the NCX. This discrepancy was explained by a reduced surface/volume ratio (34.8%) observed in PMI cells. We conclude that the increase in NCX density may be a mechanism to maintain the required Ca extrusion from a larger cell to allow adequate relaxation. (Circ Res. 2002;91:323-330.)
Effect of Verapamil on the Normal Action Potential and on a Calcium Dependent Slow Response of Canine Cardiac Purkinje Fibers

The effect of verapamil on normal sodium (Na)-dependent and slow calcium (Ca)-dependent action potentials recorded from canine cardiac Purkinje fibers was studied. The Ca-dependent slow response was obtained in fibers exposed to solutions in which all NaCl was replaced by tetraethylammonium chloride and in which Ca ranged from 4 mM to 16.2 mM. Verapamil (0.25–2 mg/liter) had little or no effect on the upstroke of the normal action potential, but such concentrations of verapamil suppressed rhythmic activity and depressed excitability in fibers that showed Ca-dependent slow responses. Spontaneous activity and rhythmic activity evoked by long depolarizing pulses were depressed. Verapamil decreased the amplitude and the upstroke velocity and shifted the threshold potential toward zero in fibers that showed Ca-dependent slow responses. The effectiveness of verapamil varied with the level of Ca; 0.25 mg/liter of verapamil was as effective in suppressing activity in fibers exposed to 4 mM Ca as was 2 mg/liter of verapamil in fibers exposed to 16.2 mM Ca. Although verapamil did not alter the upstroke of the normal Na-dependent action potential, it did depress the plateau and prolong the action potential of fibers exposed to normal Tyrode's solution.
Digital Earth's Nervous System for crisis events: real-time Sensor Web Enablement of Volunteered Geographic Information

Abstract Digital Earth (DE) is a powerful metaphor for the organisation and access to digital information through a multi-scale three-dimensional representation of the globe. Recent progress gave a concrete body to this vision. However, this body is not yet self-aware: further integration of the temporal and voluntary dimension is needed to better portray the event-based nature of our world. We thus aim to extend DE vision with a Nervous System in order to provide decision makers with improved alerting mechanisms. Practical applications are foreseen for crisis management, where up-to-date situational awareness is needed. While it is traditionally built through trusted sources, citizens can play a complementary role by providing geo-referenced information known as Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI). Although workflows have been implemented to create, validate and distribute VGI datasets for various thematic domains, its exploitation in real time and its integration into existing concepts of DE, such as spatial data infrastructures, still needs to be further addressed. In this paper we suggest to bridge this gap through Sensor Web Enablement for VGI, where VGI sensing becomes a sense of the DE's Nervous System. We discuss this approach and its applicability in the context of a forest fire scenario.
The Oxford handbook of theology, sexuality, and gender

1. METHODS 2. WHAT THEOLOGIANS NEED TO KNOW 3. SEXUALITY AND GENDER IN THE BIBLICAL WORLD 4. SEXUALITY AND GENDER IN CHRISTIAN TRADITION 5. CONTROVERSIES WITHIN THE CHURCH 6. INTER-RELIGIOUS CONVERSATIONS 7. CONCEPTS AND ISSUES 8. SEXUAL THEOLOGIES FOR ALL PEOPLE
A Reliable Architecture for Substitution Boxes in Integrated Cryptographic

In this paper we propose an on-line self-test architecture for hardware implementations of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The solution assumes a parallel architecture and exploits the inherent spatial replications of this implementation. Because Substitution boxes (S-Box) represent the largest hardware in this architecture, we focus on faults affecting these S-Boxes and propose a trade-off between hardware overhead and fault latency. We show that our solution is very effective for on-line fault detection while keeping the area overhead very low. Moreover, it does not weak the device with respect to side-channel attacks based on power analysis.
Microbial Diversity and Host-Specific Sequences of Canada Goose Feces

ABSTRACT Methods to assess the impact of goose fecal contamination are needed as the result of the increasing number of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) near North American inland waters. However, there is little information on goose fecal microbial communities, and such data are important for the development of host-specific source-tracking methods. To address this issue, 16S rRNA gene clone libraries for Canada goose fecal samples from Ontario, Canada, and Ohio were analyzed. Analyses of fecal clones from Ontario (447) and Ohio (302) showed that goose fecal communities are dominated by the classes “Clostridia” (represented by 33.7% of clones) and “Bacilli” (38.1% of clones) and the phylum “Bacteroidetes” (10.1% of clones). Sequences not previously found in other avian fecal communities were used to develop host-specific assays. Fecal DNA extracts from sewage plants (10 samples) and different species of birds (11 samples) and mammals (18 samples) were used to test for host specificity. Of all the assays tested, one assay showed specificity for Canada goose fecal DNA. The PCR assay was positive for Canada goose fecal DNA extracts collected from three locations in North America (Ohio, Oregon, and Ontario, Canada). Additionally, of 48 DNA extracts from Lake Ontario waters presumed to be impacted by waterfowl feces, 19 tested positive by the assay, although 10 were positive only after a nested PCR approach was used. Due to the level of host specificity and the presence of signals in environmental waters, the assay is proposed as a part of the toolbox to detect Canada goose contamination in waterfowl-contaminated waters.
Mobilization and harvesting of peripheral blood stem cells: randomized evaluations of different doses of filgrastim

The effects of different doses of filgrastim on yields of CD34+ peripheral blood stem cells were evaluated in patients with breast cancer. 55 were randomized to receive filgrastim 10, 20, 30 or 40 μg/kg/d with more CD34+ cells/kg/apheresis harvested after the three highest dose levels. 35 additional patients were randomized to receive 10 or 30 μg/kg. The median number of CD34+ cells collected after 10 μg/kg (n= 31) was 0.7 × 106/kg/apheresis (range 0.1–4.4) as compared to 1.2 (range 0.1–6.8) after 30 μg/kg (n= 32) (P= 0.04). Among patients randomized to 10 v 30 μg/kg, more (50%) achieved 5.0 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg and less aphereses were required to achieve 2.5 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg after the higher dose (P= 0.04). In multivariate analyses, patients receiving 10 μg/kg (n= 31) had lower yields of CD34+ cells (P= 0.026) and had a 3.3‐fold increase in the probability of not achieving 5.0 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg as compared to patients receiving 20–40 μg/kg (n= 59). Patients who had received radiation had a 2.9‐fold probability of not achieving 2.5 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg. These data suggest that, in patients with good marrow reserves, doses of filgrastim > 10 μg/kg/d mobilized more CD34+ cells and may be useful when high numbers of CD34+ cells are desired.
Dual KS: Defining Gene Sets with Tissue Set Enrichment Analysis

Background Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) is an analytic approach which simultaneously reduces the dimensionality of microarray data and enables ready inference of the biological meaning of observed gene expression patterns. Here we invert the GSEA process to identify class-specific gene signatures. Because our approach uses the Kolmogorov-Smirnov approach both to define class specific signatures and to classify samples using those signatures, we have termed this methodology “Dual-KS” (DKS). Results The optimum gene signature identified by the DKS algorithm was smaller than other methods to which it was compared in 5 out of 10 datasets. The estimated error rate of DKS using the optimum gene signature was smaller than the estimated error rate of the random forest method in 4 out of the 10 datasets, and was equivalent in two additional datasets. DKS performance relative to other benchmarked algorithms was similar to its performance relative to random forests. Conclusions DKS is an efficient analytic methodology that can identify highly parsimonious gene signatures useful for classification in the context of microarray studies. The algorithm is available as the dualKS package for R as part of the bioconductor project.