Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient combination of n-gram language models and recognition grammars in real-time LVCSR decoder

The paper presents a method for incorporation of regular grammars into n-gram language models. Such composite model then benefits from both language modeling formalisms - a grammar yields robust probability estimates for well-defined phrases with fixed structure whereas the n-gram provides better coverage of casual speech. Moreover, the grammar allows adding new words to the phrase pattern while taking advantage of the existing structural (context) information. The proposed method for grammar incorporation allows the use of combined models in our in-house real-time decoder which is designed to work only with standard n-gram language model. The performance of the combined model was tested in the dictation task where a simple grammar was designed for date entries. A statistically significant improvement of WER was achieved.
Sampling online social networks

Online social networks (OSNs) are an important source of information for scientists in different fields such as computer science, sociology, economics, etc. However, it is hard to study OSNs as they are very large. For instance, Facebook has 1.28 billion active users in March 2014 and Twitter claims 255 million active users in April 2014. Also, companies take measures to prevent crawls of their OSNs and refrain from sharing their data with the research community. For these reasons, we argue that sampling techniques will be the best technique to study OSNs in the future. In this work, we take an experimental approach to study the characteristics of well-known sampling techniques on a full social graph of Twitter crawled in 2012 [2]. Our contribution is to evaluate the behavior of these techniques on a real directed graph by considering two sampling scenarios: (a) obtaining most popular users (b) obtaining an unbiased sample of users, and to find the most suitable sampling techniques for each scenario.
COMBINED MIRTAZAPINE AND SSRI TREATMENT OF PTSD: A PLACEBO‐CONTROLLED TRIAL

Combined treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) plus mirtazapine has shown superior efficacy in some studies of depression, but has not been studied in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aimed to assess acceptability of combined sertraline plus mirtazapine treatment for PTSD and to estimate its effect size relative to sertraline plus placebo.
Structure-Based Virtual Screening for Drug Discovery: a Problem-Centric Review

Structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) has been widely applied in early-stage drug discovery. From a problem-centric perspective, we reviewed the recent advances and applications in SBVS with a special focus on docking-based virtual screening. We emphasized the researchers’ practical efforts in real projects by understanding the ligand-target binding interactions as a premise. We also highlighted the recent progress in developing target-biased scoring functions by optimizing current generic scoring functions toward certain target classes, as well as in developing novel ones by means of machine learning techniques.
Concurrency and Network Disassortativity

The relationship between a network's degree-degree correlation and a loose version of graph coloring is studied on networks with broad degree distributions. We find that, given similar conditions on the number of nodes, number of links, and clustering levels, fewer colors are needed to color disassortative than assortative networks. Since fewer colors create fewer independent sets, our finding implies that disassortative networks may have higher concurrency potential than assortative networks. This in turn suggests another reason for the disassortative mixing pattern observed in biological networks such as those of protein-protein interaction and gene regulation. In addition to the functional specificity and stability suggested by Maslov and Sneppen, a disassortative network topology may also enhance the ability of cells to perform crucial tasks concurrently. Hence, increased concurrency may also be a driving force in the evolution of biological networks.
Multiplexed cytokine profiling of serum for detection of colorectal cancer.

AIM To evaluate the concentrations of eight cytokines in order to identify potential biomarkers for assisting in the detection of colorectal cancer. MATERIALS & METHODS The concentrations of IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, MMP-2, MMP-7 and MMP-9 were detected in the sera of 69 healthy controls, 93 colorectal adenoma patients and 149 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. RESULTS Multivariate logistic regression analyses, which included CEA, CA199, IL-8, TNF-α and MMP-7, were used to evaluate the diagnostic value for differentiating between colorectal adenoma and CRC. The area under the curve was 0.945 (95% CI: 0.909-0.981). The sensitivity and specificity were 85.86 and 96.78%, respectively. Compared with the conventional biomarkers CEA and CA199, multivariate logistic regression showed significant improvement. CONCLUSION Our data demonstrated that testing using a panel of three serum cytokines, CEA and CA199 may have strong potential to assist in the detection of CRC.
Mycobacterial virulence. Virulent strains of Mycobacteria tuberculosis have faster in vivo doubling times and are better equipped to resist growth-inhibiting functions of macrophages in the presence and absence of specific immunity

The kinetics of growth of two virulent strains of mycobacteria (M. tuberculosis Erdman and M. tuberculosis H37Rv) and two attenuated strains (M. tuberculosis H37Ra and M. bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guerin [BCG]) were studied in the lungs, livers, spleens, and kidneys of severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice and of their coisogenic CB- 17 immunocompetent counterparts. It was found, in keeping with the findings of earlier investigators (Pierce, C. H., R. J. Dubos, and W. B. Schaefer. 1953. J. Exp. Med. 97:189.), that in immunocompetent mice, virulent organisms grew progressively only in the lungs, whereas the growth of attenuated organisms was controlled in all organs. In SCID mice, in contrast, virulent mycobacteria grew rapidly and progressively in all organs, as did BCG, although at a slower rate. However, H37Ra failed to grow progressively in any organs of SCID mice, unless the mice were treated with hydrocortisone. In fact, hydrocortisone treatment enabled virulent, as well as attenuated, organisms to grow strikingly more rapidly in all organs of SCID mice and in all organs of CB-17 mice. A histological study showed that in SCID mice, multiplication of mycobacteria in the liver occurs in the cytoplasm of macrophages in granulomas and presumably in macrophages in other organs. It is suggested, therefore, that the macrophages of SCID mice possess a glucocorticoid-sensitive mycobacterial mechanism that prevents virulent and avirulent mycobacteria from expressing their true minimal doubling times. In the absence of this mechanism in the lungs of hydrocortisone-treated SCID mice, the doubling times of Erdman, H37Rv, BCG, and H37Ra were 17.7, 17.4, 44.6, and 98.6 h, respectively. The possible importance of a rapid multiplication rate for mycobacterial virulence is discussed.
Stable Isotopes Provide Insight into Population Structure and Segregation in Eastern North Atlantic Sperm Whales

In pelagic species inhabiting large oceans, genetic differentiation tends to be mild and populations devoid of structure. However, large cetaceans have provided many examples of structuring. Here we investigate whether the sperm whale, a pelagic species with large population sizes and reputedly highly mobile, shows indication of structuring in the eastern North Atlantic, an ocean basin in which a single population is believed to occur. To do so, we examined stable isotope values in sequential growth layer groups of teeth from individuals sampled in Denmark and NW Spain. In each layer we measured oxygen- isotope ratios (δ18O) in the inorganic component (hydroxyapatite), and nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios (δ15N: δ13C) in the organic component (primarily collagenous). We found significant differences between Denmark and NW Spain in δ15N and δ18O values in the layer deposited at age 3, considered to be the one best representing the baseline of the breeding ground, in δ15N, δ13C and δ18O values in the period up to age 20, and in the ontogenetic variation of δ15N and δ18O values. These differences evidence that diet composition, use of habitat and/or migratory destinations are dissimilar between whales from the two regions and suggest that the North Atlantic population of sperm whales is more structured than traditionally accepted.
A randomized, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of terlipressin for type 1 hepatorenal syndrome.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) type 1 is a progressive functional renal failure in subjects with advanced liver disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of terlipressin, a systemic arterial vasoconstrictor, for cirrhosis type 1 HRS. METHODS A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of terlipressin was performed. Subjects with type 1 HRS were randomized to terlipressin (1 mg intravenously every 6 hours) or placebo plus albumin in both groups. The dose was doubled on day 4 if the serum creatinine (SCr) level did not decrease by 30% of baseline. Treatment was continued to day 14 unless treatment success, death, dialysis, or transplantation occurred. Treatment success was defined by a decrease in SCr level to </=1.5 mg/dL for at least 48 hours by day 14 without dialysis, death, or relapse of HRS type 1. RESULTS Fifty-six subjects were randomized to each arm. Treatment success with terlipressin was double that with placebo (25% vs 12.5%, P = .093). SCr level improved from baseline to day 14 on terlipressin (-0.7 mg/dL) as compared with placebo (0 mg/dL), P < . 009. Terlipressin was superior to placebo for HRS reversal (34% vs 13%, P = .008), defined by decrease in SCr level </=1.5 mg/dL. Overall and transplantation-free survival was similar between study groups; HRS reversal significantly improved survival at day 180. One nonfatal myocardial infarction occurred with terlipressin, but the total adverse event rate was similar to placebo. CONCLUSIONS Terlipressin is an effective treatment to improve renal function in HRS type 1.
Nitrite Regulates Hypoxic Vasodilation via Myoglobin-Dependent Nitric Oxide Generation

Background— Hypoxic vasodilation is a physiological response to low oxygen tension that increases blood supply to match metabolic demands. Although this response has been characterized for >100 years, the underlying hypoxic sensing and effector signaling mechanisms remain uncertain. We have shown that deoxygenated myoglobin in the heart can reduce nitrite to nitric oxide (NO·) and thereby contribute to cardiomyocyte NO· signaling during ischemia. On the basis of recent observations that myoglobin is expressed in the vasculature of hypoxia-tolerant fish, we hypothesized that endogenous nitrite may contribute to physiological hypoxic vasodilation via reactions with vascular myoglobin to form NO·. Methods and Results— We show in the present study that myoglobin is expressed in vascular smooth muscle and contributes significantly to nitrite-dependent hypoxic vasodilation in vivo and ex vivo. The generation of NO· from nitrite reduction by deoxygenated myoglobin activates canonical soluble guanylate cyclase/cGMP signaling pathways. In vivo and ex vivo vasodilation responses, the reduction of nitrite to NO·, and the subsequent signal transduction mechanisms were all significantly impaired in mice without myoglobin. Hypoxic vasodilation studies in myoglobin and endothelial and inducible NO synthase knockout models suggest that only myoglobin contributes to systemic hypoxic vasodilatory responses in mice. Conclusions— Endogenous nitrite is a physiological effector of hypoxic vasodilation. Its reduction to NO· via the heme globin myoglobin enhances blood flow and matches O2 supply to increased metabolic demands under hypoxic conditions.
Die Versprachlichung des Sakralen und die Entsprachlichung der Ökonomie

Zusammenfassung Im Kern von Habermas’ Theorie kommunikativen Handelns steht die Unterscheidung von „System“ und „Lebenswelt“. Habermas macht einen doppelten Gebrauch von dieser Unterscheidung: zur Formulierung der evolutionstheoretischen Idee, daß im Verlauf der Geschichte Rationalisierungsfortschritte der Lebenswelt solche des Systems nach sich ziehen, und der gesellschaftstheoretischen Idee, daß kommunikative Verständigung bedroht ist durch das Eindringen von Rationalitätsstandards des Systems in die Lebenswelt. Der Aufsatz kritisiert diese Konstruktion durch Verknüpfung von drei Argumenten: Handlungstypen lassen sich nicht fest Handlungsbereichen zuordnen; die Theorie kommunikativen Handelns vernachlässigt die Analyse systeminterner Spannungslinien; lebensweltliche Orientierungen breiten sich ebenso im System aus wie systemische Orientierungen in der Lebenswelt.
Phylogeography, genetic structure, and diversity in the dhole (Cuon alpinus)

The Asiatic wild dog or dhole was once very widely distributed across Asia but now has a very fragmented range. In this first genetic study of this little‐known species, we obtained information on genetic diversity, phylogeography, and social structure using both mitochondrial control region sequencing and microsatellite genotyping of noninvasive faecal samples from wild populations, as well as from museum and captive samples. A pattern largely consistent with isolation by distance across the Asian mainland was observed, with no clear subspecies distinctions. However, two major phylogeographical groupings were found across the mainland, one extending from South, Central, and North India (south of the Ganges) into Myanmar, and the other extending from India north of the Ganges into northeastern India, Myanmar, Thailand and the Malaysian Peninsula. We propose a scenario involving glaciation events that could explain this pattern. The origin of the dhole populations in Sumatra and Java is enigmatic and requires further study. Very low levels of genetic diversity were observed among wild dholes from Baluran National Park in Java, Indonesia, but in contrast, high levels were observed in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in South India.
Do individualists have a higher opportunistic propensity than collectivists? Individualism and economic cooperation

Les individualistes ont-ils une propension opportuniste plus elevee que les collectivistes? Individualisme et cooperation economiqueL’opportunisme consiste a promouvoir ses interets personnels au moyen de la tromperie, du mensonge et de la tricherie, aux depens des interets d’autrui (Williamson, 1985). Cette recherche explore les relations entre le concept d’individualisme versus collectivisme et l’opportunisme economique considere comme une strategie non-cooperative basee sur la manipulation de l’information. Notre hypothese, qui a ete inferee de la theorie evolutionniste des jeux (Axelrod, 1984), predit que les individualistes, qui ont des relations plus precaires et vulnerables, doivent, en general, etre moins aptes a etablir des relations cooperatives. Un questionnaire compose d’une echelle mesurant l’opportunisme et d’une echelle mesurant l’individualisme-collectivisme a ete soumis a un echantillon de 397 sujets en Grece. Les resultats de la recherche ont montre qu’il y a une correlation positive significative entre individualisme et opportunisme economique.
AspectJ Code Analysis and Veriﬁcation with GASR

Aspect-oriented programming languages extend existing languages with new features for supporting modularization of crosscutting concerns. These features however make existing source code analysis tools unable to reason over this code. Consequently, all code analysis eﬀorts of aspect-oriented code that we are aware of have either built limited analysis tools or were performed manually. Given the signiﬁcant complexity of building them or manual analysis, a lot of duplication of eﬀort could have been avoided by using a general-purpose tool. To address this, in this paper we present Gasr : a source code analysis tool that reasons over AspectJ source code, which may contain metadata in the form of annotations. Gasr provides multiple kinds of analyses that are general enough such that they are reusable, tailorable and can reason over annotations. We demonstrate the use of Gasr in two ways: we ﬁrst automate the recognition of previously identiﬁed aspectual source code assumptions. Second, we turn implicit assumptions into explicit assumptions through annotations and auto-mate their veriﬁcation. In both uses Gasr performs detection and veriﬁcation of aspect assumptions on two well-known case studies that were manually investigated in earlier work. Gasr ﬁnds already known aspect assumptions and adds instances that had been previously overlooked.
The rate of adaptive evolution in animal mitochondria

We have investigated whether there is adaptive evolution in mitochondrial DNA, using an extensive data set containing over 500 animal species from a wide range of taxonomic groups. We apply a variety of McDonald–Kreitman style methods to the data. We find that the evolution of mitochondrial DNA is dominated by slightly deleterious mutations, a finding which is supported by a number of previous studies. However, when we control for the presence of deleterious mutations using a new method, we find that mitochondria undergo a significant amount of adaptive evolution, with an estimated 26% (95% confidence intervals: 5.7–45%) of nonsynonymous substitutions fixed by adaptive evolution. We further find some weak evidence that the rate of adaptive evolution is correlated to synonymous diversity. We interpret this as evidence that at least some adaptive evolution is limited by the supply of mutations.
Justicia organizacional, individualismo-colectivismo y estrés laboral Organizational justice, individualism-colectivism, and work stress

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship betwen organizational justice perceptions and work stress among Argentinian workers, and to verify the impact of cultural values (individualism-collectivism) on these relationships. A self-administered survey method was employed to collect data from 378 employees (216 male and 162 female). Results revealed that some sociodemographic variables affect organizational justice perceptions; that perceptions of lack of organizational justice relate negatively to work stress, and that the orientation toward the employees collectivism act as a moderating variable over such relationships. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for organizational practices and programs.
Betulinic Acid for Cancer Treatment and Prevention

Betulinic acid is a natural product with a range of biological effects, for example potent antitumor activity. This anticancer property is linked to its ability to induce apoptotic cell death in cancer cells by triggering the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. In contrast to the cytotoxicity of betulinic acid against a variety of cancer types, normal cells and tissue are relatively resistant to betulinic acid, pointing to a therapeutic window. Compounds that exert a direct action on mitochondria present promising experimental cancer therapeutics, since they may trigger cell death under circumstances in which standard chemotherapeutics fail. Thus, mitochondrion-targeted agents such as betulinic acid hold great promise as a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of human cancers.
Graph theoretic techniques in the analysis of uniquely localizable sensor networks

In the network localization problem the goal is to determine the location of all nodes by using only partial information on the pairwise distances (and by computing the exact location of some nodes, called anchors). The network is said to be uniquely localizable if there is a unique set of locations consistent with the given data. Recent results from graph theory and combinatorial rigidity made it possible to characterize uniquely localizable networks in two dimensions. Based on these developments, extensions, related optimization problems, algorithms, and constructions also became tractable. This chapter gives a detailed survey of these new results from the graph theorist’s viewpoint.
Taking the LOUVRE approach

This article presented landmark overlays for urban vehicular routing environments (LOUVRE), a density-based landmark overlay routing protocol for urban vehicular environments. We described the concept and the protocol as well as a novel distributed traffic density estimation scheme. We implemented the protocol in Qualnet and evaluated the feasibility of LOUVRE by comparing it with the benchmarks GPSR and GPCR protocols using realistic mobility traces. Results showed that due to improved visibility of the overlay network and the routing guarantees of the underlay network, LOUVRE provides a better packet delivery ratio and hop count than the benchmark protocols. Future work includes verifying the necessity of recovery mode and comparison with GyTAR and GSR.
Determinants of echocardiographic aortic root size. The Framingham Heart Study.

BACKGROUND Previous studies that evaluated the determinants of aortic root size have not yielded uniform results. We examined the relations of age, height, weight, body surface area, sex, and blood pressure to echocardiographically determined aortic root size in a population-based cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS The study sample consisted of 1849 men and 2152 women in the Framingham Heart Study and Framingham Offspring Study who were free of clinically apparent cardiac disease when echocardiography was performed. Aortic root measurements were made by M-mode echocardiography using a leading-edge-to-leading-edge technique. The relations of age, height, weight, body surface area, and blood pressure variables (contemporary and those obtained 8 years before) to aortic root dimension were examined by use of sex-specific correlations and linear regression analyses. Age, height, weight, and sex emerged as the principal determinants of aortic root dimensions in adults (cumulative R2 = .2085 in men and .2327 in women). The additional effect of contemporary or previous blood pressure measures was small and revealed direct associations of aortic root dimension with mean arterial and diastolic blood pressures and inverse associations with pulse and systolic blood pressures. Previous blood pressure measurements did not contribute significantly to prediction of aortic root size once contemporary blood pressure variable entered the models. Results of regression analyses using a sex-pooled data set showed that on average, the aortic root measurement in women was 2.4 mm smaller than that of men of comparable age, height, and weight. Logistic regression was used to assess the likelihood of aortic root enlargement according to blood pressure levels. After adjustment for age, height, and weight, the odds ratio of aortic dilation for a 1-SD increment in systolic pressure was 0.70 (95% CI, 0.52 to 0.95) in men and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.60 to 1.04) in women; the odds ratio for a 1-SD increment in diastolic pressure was 1.22 (95% CI, 0.91 to 1.63) in men and 1.33 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.73) in women. CONCLUSIONS Age, height, weight, and sex emerged as the principal determinants of aortic root dimensions. The additional influences of blood pressure measurements were small; direct associations of aortic root dimensions with mean arterial and diastolic blood pressures and inverse associations with pulse and systolic blood pressures were observed. Additional prospective studies are needed to confirm these observations and to assess the impact of aortic root dimensions on the incidence of hypertension.