Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning Absolute Pitch by Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study is an attempt to depict the learning process of AP in Japanese children in a cross-sectional design. In this study, 104 children of 4 to 10 years of age in a music school were tested. The children had been trained within a music education system of the school since they entered the school at the age of 4. They had received a one-hour keyboard lesson a week in school and probably had everyday practice at home. The training during the initial 2-year course emphasized imitative singing with syllables in the fixed- do system while playing on the keyboard at the same time. In this training, particular emphasis was placed on establishing associations between pitches and solfege labels. In the AP test, test tones presented to the children ranged from C3 (131 Hz) to B5 (988 Hz). Children were instructed to name each tone out loud as rapidly as possible. The test score markedly increased for a fairly good number of the children with remarkable improvement from the age of 4 to 7. Children seemed to learn pitches in order of their appearance in music lessons; first, white-key notes, then black-key notes. However, one should be cautious about concluding from the present results that anyone can learn to develop AP with appropriate training, because there may be confounding factors (e.g., sampling bias and a certain dropout rate). Nevertheless, the present results are consistent with the early-learning theory of AP, and may explain the existence of partial AP (greater accuracy for white-key notes) and a high prevalence of AP in Japan.
Do Ethical Leaders Get Ahead? Exploring Ethical Leadership and Promotability

ABSTRACT: Despite sustained attention to ethical leadership in organizations, scholarship remains largely descriptive. This study employs an empirical approach to examine the consequences of ethical leadership on leader promotability. From a sample of ninety-six managers from two independent organizations, we found that ethical leaders were increasingly likely to be rated by their superior as exhibiting potential to reach senior leadership positions. However, leaders who displayed increased ethical leadership were no more likely to be viewed as promotable in the near-term compared to those who displayed less ethical leadership. Our findings also show ethical culture and pressure to achieve results are important contextual factors that moderate the relationships between ethical leadership and leader promotability to senior leadership roles.
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium Content Fluctuation Is the Key to Cardiac Alternans

Abstract— The aim of this work was to investigate whether beat-to-beat alternation in the amplitude of the systolic Ca2+ transient (Ca2+ alternans) is due to changes of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ content, and if so, whether the alternans arises due to a change in the gain of the feedback controlling SR Ca2+ content. We found that, in rat ventricular myocytes, stimulating with small (20 mV) depolarizing pulses produced alternans of the amplitude of the Ca2+ transient. Confocal measurements showed that the larger transients resulted from propagation of Ca2+ waves. SR Ca2+ content (measured from caffeine-evoked membrane currents) alternated in phase with the alternans of Ca2+ transient amplitude. After a large transient, if SR Ca2+ content was elevated by brief exposure of the cell to a Na+-free solution, then the alternans was interrupted and the next transient was also large. This shows that changes of SR Ca2+ content are sufficient to produce alternans. The dependence of Ca2+ transient amplitude on SR content was steeper under alternating than under control conditions. During alternation, the Ca2+ efflux from the cell was also a steeper function of SR Ca2+ content than under control. We attribute these steeper relationships to the fact that the larger responses in alternans depend on wave propagation and that wave propagation is a steep function of SR Ca2+ content. In conclusion, alternans of systolic Ca2+ appears to depend on alternation of SR Ca2+ content. This, in turn results from the steep dependence on SR Ca2+ content of Ca2+ release and therefore Ca2+ efflux from the cell as a consequence of wave propagation.
Unsupervised adaptation of the LDA classifier for Brain-Computer interfaces

This paper discusses simulated on-line unsupervised adaptation of the LDA classifier in order to counteract the harmful effect of non-class related non-stationarities in EEG during BCI sessions. Three types of adaptation procedures were applied to the two large BCI data sets from TU Graz and Berlin BCI project. Our results demonstrate that the unsupervised adaptive classifiers can improve performance substantially under different BCI settings. More importantly, since label information is not necessary, they are applicable to wide ranges of practical BCI tasks.
On the initial label configuration of MRF

Many image analysis and computer vision problems can be formulated as a scene labeling problem. Bayesian modeling of images by Markov random fields is a coherent theoretical framework. It has however some drawbacks, one of which is the computational complexity. Because the energy function has many local minima, most deterministic or local optimization algorithms depend on the starting point, i.e., the better the initialization, the bigger the chance of the final result close to the global optimum. Usually, the initialiation uses maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) for each site and it is not good enough in practice. We propose two approaches to obtain better initialization than the traditional MLE, one is based on circular window sampling, another is "spotlight" operator. From the experiments, we can see the two approaches are very effective and efficient for initializations, and the fast ICM optimization based on them can provide satisfactory labeling results.
Epidemiology of chronic allograft nephropathy

Since the first successful kidney transplantation in 1954 between Identical twins, a new modality to treat patients with terminal kidney insufficiency was born. Although the results in the first decades were modest, continuous development has characterized this captivating field. A major advance was the introduction of the new immunosuppressant cyclosporine A in the early 1980s. The fundament of its success was the aptitude to improve kidney graft survival significantly over the first year, and calcineurin inhibitors are the cornerstone of immunosuppression even in the present decade. Chronic allograft nephropathy is a histopathological diagnosis used to denote features of chronic interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy within the renal allograft. It remains the most common cause of graft dysfunction and loss after renal transplantation. The term Chronic allograft nephropathy was proposed in 1991, and it replaced the previously used term “chronic rejection”. The intention was to unify chronic histological changes seen under light microscopy, such us interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, transplant glomerulopathy and vasculopathy. The pathophysiology behind each of these features may nevertheless be different. The processes involved are approached by dividing them roughly into immunological and non-immunological factors, although they may be interrelated. In this chapter we will discuss the histological features, the pathogenesis, the different etiologies and the therapeutic possibilities in cases of chronic allograft nephropathy.
Inhaled vs subcutaneous effects of a dual IL‐4/IL‐13 antagonist in a monkey model of asthma

Background: Pitrakinra is a recombinant protein derived from human interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) that binds to IL‐4Rα and acts as a competitive antagonist of IL‐4 and IL‐13. The studies reported here compare the dose‐ranging effects of pitrakinra on allergen‐induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and airway eosinophilia when administered subcutaneously (s.c.) or by inhalation to the Ascaris suum‐sensitive cynomolgus monkey for the purpose of elucidating the primary site of pitrakinra’s anti‐asthmatic action.
Dynamic Changes in EPCAM Expression during Spermatogonial Stem Cell Differentiation in the Mouse Testis

Background Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) have the unique ability to undergo self-renewal division. However, these cells are morphologically indistinguishable from committed spermatogonia, which have limited mitotic activity. To establish a system for SSC purification, we analyzed the expression of SSC markers CD9 and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EPCAM), both of which are also expressed on embryonic stem (ES) cells. We examined the correlation between their expression patterns and SSC activities. Methodology and Principal Findings By magnetic cell sorting, we found that EPCAM-selected mouse germ cells have limited clonogenic potential in vitro. Moreover, these cells showed stronger expression of progenitor markers than CD9-selected cells, which are significantly more enriched in SSCs. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting of CD9-selected cells indicated a significantly higher frequency of SSCs among the CD9+EPCAMlow/- population than among the CD9+EPCAM+ population. Overexpression of the active form of EPCAM in germline stem (GS) cell cultures did not significantly influence SSC activity, whereas EPCAM suppression by short hairpin RNA compromised GS cell proliferation and increased the concentration of SSCs, as revealed by germ cell transplantation. Conclusions/Significance These results show that SSCs are the most concentrated in CD9+EPCAMlow/- population and also suggest that EPCAM plays an important role in progenitor cell amplification in the mouse spermatogenic system. The establishment of a method to distinguish progenitor spermatogonia from SSCs will be useful for developing an improved purification strategy for SSCs from testis cells.
The management of children and family social workers in England: Reflecting upon the meaning and provision of support

Summary In England in 2010, the then Children’s Workforce Development Council introduced an initiative which aimed to support front line social work managers in the performance of their role. This article reflects on the way in which support was interpreted and implemented by the Children’s Workforce Development Council and the local authorities that participated in the project, but also the relevance of the project for the social work profession in England at the time. Findings The construction and implementation of the ‘Support to Front Line Managers Project’ was negotiated, iterative and contingent. However, in keeping with the aims of the project, relational and reflective methods of developing supervisory skills were deployed by local authorities. Applications In acknowledging the limitations of techno-rational systems of management, this article offers an interpretive case study of a national initiative which encouraged investment in reflective and relational approaches to performance enhancement. It highlights the interest in coaching, mentoring and action learning as developmental techniques, but also the significance of supervision to the identity of social work as a profession.
Historical Invasion Records Can Be Misleading: Genetic Evidence for Multiple Introductions of Invasive Raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Germany

Biological invasions provide excellent study systems to understand evolutionary, genetic and ecological processes during range expansions. There is strong evidence for positive effects of high propagule pressure and the associated higher genetic diversity on invasion success, but some species have become invasive despite small founder numbers. The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is often considered as a typical example for such a successful invasion resulting from a small number of founders. The species’ largest non-native population in Germany is commonly assumed to stem from a small number of founders and two separate founding events in the 1930s and 1940s. In the present study we analyzed 407 raccoons at 20 microsatellite loci sampled from the invasive range in Western Europe to test if these assumptions are correct. Contrary to the expectations, different genetic clustering methods detected evidence for at least four independent introduction events that gave rise to genetically differentiated subpopulations. Further smaller clusters were either artifacts or resulted from founder events at the range margin and recent release of captive individuals. We also found genetic evidence for on-going introductions of individuals. Furthermore a novel randomization process was used to determine the potential range of founder population size that would suffice to capture all the alleles present in a cluster. Our results falsify the assumption that this species has become widespread and abundant despite being genetically depauperate and show that historical records of species introductions may be misleading.
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis: a study of 72 patients from the Spanish registry.

BACKGROUND Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare lung disease that almost exclusively affects young women of childbearing age. The true incidence and prevalence of LAM are unknown. This study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of lymphangioleiomyomatosis in Spain. METHODS Over a 2-year period, a questionnaire designed for this study was collected. This questionnaire included sociodemograhic, clinical, radiological and functional data. Information about the study and this questionnaire were both sent by e-mail to all the participants of the interstitial disease registry of 2004. RESULTS Seventy-two patients, all of whom were women, were included in the registry, with a mean age of 44.56 +/- 11.1 yr. Sixty-three patients (87.5%) presented the sporadic LAM and 9 (12.5%) presented LAM associated with tuberous sclerosis (LAM-TS). LAM diagnosis was confirmed with an open lung biopsy in 57 patients (79.2%) and was performed with thoracic HRCT compatible with LAM diagnosis in the other 15 cases. The most frequent symptom was dyspnoea (90%) followed by cough (44.4%). Almost 40% of patients presented renal angiomyolipomas in the study and the most frequent spirometric pattern was obstructive in more than half of the patients. Most patients with LAM-TS (88.8%) had renal angiomyolipomas compared with 31.7% in the sporadic LAM group. CONCLUSION The characteristics of the Spanish population affected with LAM are similar to those of other countries. Most patients were symptomatic, had a history of previous pneumothorax and presented abnormal radiological findings and pulmonary function tests.
Increasing Iron and Zinc in Pre-Menopausal Women and Its Effects on Mood and Cognition: A Systematic Review

Iron and zinc are essential minerals often present in similar food sources. In addition to the adverse effects of frank iron and zinc-deficient states, iron insufficiency has been associated with impairments in mood and cognition. This paper reviews current literature on iron or zinc supplementation and its impact on mood or cognition in pre-menopausal women. Searches included MEDLINE complete, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), psychINFO, psychARTICLES, pubMED, ProQuest Health and Medical Complete Academic Search complete, Scopus and ScienceDirect. Ten randomized controlled trials and one non-randomized controlled trial were found to meet the inclusion criteria. Seven studies found improvements in aspects of mood and cognition after iron supplementation. Iron supplementation appeared to improve memory and intellectual ability in participants aged between 12 and 55 years in seven studies, regardless of whether the participant was initially iron insufficient or iron-deficient with anaemia. The review also found three controlled studies providing evidence to suggest a role for zinc supplementation as a treatment for depressive symptoms, as both an adjunct to traditional antidepressant therapy for individuals with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder and as a therapy in its own right in pre-menopausal women with zinc deficiency. Overall, the current literature indicates a positive effect of improving zinc status on enhanced cognitive and emotional functioning. However, further study involving well-designed randomized controlled trials is needed to identify the impact of improving iron and zinc status on mood and cognition.
“It's the Worst Place to Live”: Urban Youth and the Challenge of School-Based Civic Learning

One of the primary aims of education in the United States is to prepare youth to contribute to civic life in a democracy. Urban youth have daily school and community experiences with poverty, violence, and injustice that complicate their relationship with civic life. In this article the authors explore the ramifications of these experiences for youth civic identity development and consider how new understandings of the civic learning and identity development of urban adolescents might be used to rejuvenate civic education practices and, by extension, the civic mission of schooling.
Gender differences in children's pathways to independent mobility

This paper presents some empirical findings relating to the independent mobility of children in two parts of south-east England – one a south London borough, the other a suburban county north of London. In both locations boys appear to enjoy greater mobility than girls, and become independent much earlier. But closer analysis suggests that girls manage to attain similar levels of independence from adults by travelling more in groups. This collective independence achieved through peers is often overlooked, and may compensate modern children to some extent for their loss of individual freedom.
PID & LQR control for a quadrotor: Modeling and simulation

This paper aims to present a comparison between various controllers to be used in dynamic model of a quadrotor platform. The controllers assumed in this work are conventional PID and a classic LQR controller. The PID controller is chosen for quadrotor model because of its versatility and facile implementation, while also providing a good response for the model dynamics attitudes. The LQR controller seemed to be a good comparative controller due to its great performance and robustness in the plant. In this study, it is accomplished that both the controllers provide satisfactory feedback for quadrotor stabilization.
Emotion Recognition in Adults with Mild-Moderate Learning Disabilities

Adults with mild-moderate learning disabilities, together with non-learning disabled adults, were given emotion recognition tasks where they identified (1) the categorical emotion portrayed in facial photographs, affect-laden stories, and memory of personal emotional experience, and (2) the emotion dimensions (valence and arousal) portrayed in facial photographs, and stories. Adults with learning disabilities demonstrated impaired performance, relative to controls, in categorical emotion recognition, and recognition of the arousal dimension of emotion. No group differences were found, however, in the recognition of valence, the primary dimension of emotion. These results suggest that emotion recognition deficits in individuals with learning disabilities may be confined to categorical recognition or labelling deficits. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.
Kidney dysfunction and cerebral microbleeds in neurologically healthy adults

Introduction Cerebral microbleed (CMB) is a potent risk factor for overt cerebrovascular disease. Although some studies indicated the possible role of renal dysfunction as a risk factor of CMB, the findings could not be generalized. This study aimed to investigate the association between renal dysfunction and cerebral microbleed (CMB) in neurologically healthy adults. Materials and methods A total of 2,518 subjects who underwent brain MRI as part of health screening were involved in the study. CMBs were defined as well-demarcated focal areas of low signal intensity with associated blooming on the T2-weighted MRI measuring less than 5mm in diameter. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula. Kidney function was classified as normal (≥90), mild (60 to 89.9), moderate (30 to 59.9), and severe (<30 mL/min/1.73 m2) renal dysfunction according to the GFR. Results The mean age of the participants was 57.5 ± 8.3 years (ranged 40 to 79), and 1,367 subjects (54.3%) were male. The mean GFR level was 81.5 ± 15.5, and the prevalence of CMB was 4.1% (n = 103). Subjects with CMB demonstrated a higher proportion of moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction than those without CMB (15.5% vs. 5.0%, p < 0.001). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction showed a significant association with CMB (adjusted odd ratio = 2.63; p = 0.008). Furthermore, a decrease in the GFR level was associated with an increasing trend of the presence of CMB (p for trend = 0.031) and number of CMB lesions (p for trend = 0.003). Conclusions Renal dysfunction was significantly associated with the presence of CMB in neurologically healthy adults. More studies are needed to evaluate if treatment of kidney disease and risk factor modification may prevent further progress of CMB.
Co-regulated gene expression by oestrogen receptor α and liver receptor homolog-1 is a feature of the oestrogen response in breast cancer cells

Oestrogen receptor α (ERα) is a nuclear receptor that is the driving transcription factor expressed in the majority of breast cancers. Recent studies have demonstrated that the liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1), another nuclear receptor, regulates breast cancer cell proliferation and promotes motility and invasion. To determine the mechanisms of LRH-1 action in breast cancer, we performed gene expression microarray analysis following RNA interference for LRH-1. Interestingly, gene ontology (GO) category enrichment analysis of LRH-1–regulated genes identified oestrogen-responsive genes as the most highly enriched GO categories. Remarkably, chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq) to identify genomic targets of LRH-1 showed LRH-1 binding at many ERα binding sites. Analysis of select binding sites confirmed regulation of ERα−regulated genes by LRH-1 through binding to oestrogen response elements, as exemplified by the TFF1/pS2 gene. Finally, LRH-1 overexpression stimulated ERα recruitment, while LRH-1 knockdown reduced ERα recruitment to ERα binding sites. Taken together, our findings establish a key role for LRH-1 in the regulation of ERα target genes in breast cancer cells and identify a mechanism in which co-operative binding of LRH-1 and ERα at oestrogen response elements controls the expression of oestrogen-responsive genes.
Institutions and Maintenance: The Repair Work of Italian Professions

This paper contributes to extending institutional theory by theorizing institutional maintenance as a process of repair and empirically examining repair work in a professional setting. Our in-depth, longitudinal case study illustrates how Italian professions—led by two professional associations—rebuffed the decisive intervention of the Italian Government to coercively reform the professional service sector and reconstituted institutional arrangements that had been severely disrupted. The paper advances theory on the resilience of institutions by showing that maintenance repair work enables powerful incumbents to reverse change and re-establish the status quo.
Effective Personalized Web Mining by Utilizing The Most Utilized Data

Looking into the growth of information in the web it is a very tedious process of getting the exact information the user is looking for. Many search engines generate user profile related data listing. This paper involves one such process where the rating is given to the link that the user is clicking on. Rather than avoiding the uninterested links both interested links and the uninterested links are listed. But sorted according to the weightings given to each link by the number of visit made by the particular user and the amount of time spent on the particular link.