Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hearing History Influences Voice Gender Perceptual Performance in Cochlear Implant Users

Objectives: The study was carried out to assess the role that five hearing history variables (chronological age, age at onset of deafness, age of first cochlear implant [CI] activation, duration of CI use, and duration of known deafness) play in the ability of CI users to identify speaker gender. Design: Forty-one juvenile CI users participated in two voice gender identification tasks. In a fixed, single-interval task, subjects listened to a single speech item from one of 20 adult male or 20 adult female speakers and had to identify speaker gender. In an adaptive speech-based voice gender discrimination task with the fundamental frequency difference between the voices as the adaptive parameter, subjects listened to a pair of speech items presented in sequential order, one of which was always spoken by an adult female and the other by an adult male. Subjects had to identify the speech item spoken by the female voice. Correlation and regression analyses between perceptual scores in the two tasks and the hearing history variables were performed. Results: Subjects fell into three performance groups: (1) those who could distinguish voice gender in both tasks, (2) those who could distinguish voice gender in the adaptive but not the fixed task, and (3) those who could not distinguish voice gender in either task. Gender identification performance for single voices in the fixed task was significantly and negatively related to the duration of deafness before cochlear implantation (shorter deafness yielded better performance), whereas performance in the adaptive task was weakly but significantly related to age at first activation of the CI device, with earlier activations yielding better scores. Conclusions: The existence of a group of subjects able to perform adaptive discrimination but unable to identify the gender of singly presented voices demonstrates the potential dissociability of the skills required for these two tasks, suggesting that duration of deafness and age of cochlear implantation could have dissociable effects on the development of different skills required by CI users to identify speaker gender.
Maternal use of flaxseed oil during pregnancy and lactation prevents morphological alterations in pancreas of female offspring from rat dams with experimental diabetes

Nutritional recommendations have promoted the increased need to consume n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Flaxseed is the richest dietary source of n‐3 fatty acids among plant sources and is widely used for its edible oil. This study aimed to investigate whether maternal use of flaxseed oil has effects on pancreas morphology in the female offspring of diabetic mothers. Female Wistar rats (n = 12) were induced into diabetes by a high‐fat diet and low dose of streptozotocin. After confirmation of the diabetes, rats were mated, and once pregnancy was confirmed, they were allocated into three groups (n = 6): high‐fat group (HG); flaxseed oil group (FOG); and control group (CG) (non‐diabetic rats). At weaning, female offspring (n = 6/group) received standard chow diet. The animals were euthanized at 180 days. Pancreas was collected for histomorphometric and immunohistochemistry analysis. HG showed hypertrophy of pancreatic islets (P < 0.0001), whereas FOG offspring had islets with smaller diameters compared to HG (P < 0.0001). HG offspring showed higher percentage of larger (P = 0.0061) and lower percentage of smaller islets (P = 0.0036). HG showed lower islet insulin immunodensity at 180 days (P < 0.0001), whereas FOG was similar to CG (P < 0.0001). Flaxseed oil reduced the damage caused by maternal hyperglycaemia, promoting normal pancreas histomorphometry and β‐cell mass in female offspring.
Towards a comprehensive measurement of the information rich and poor: Based on the conceptualization of individuals as information agents

Purpose – Following the assumption that studies of information inequality need to be based on precise discrimination between society’s information rich and poor and against the context that a mechanism for such discrimination is still lacking, the purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility of establishing a holistic informational measurement. Design/methodology/approach – It does so by developing a measurement based on the conceptualization of the individual as an information agent and his/her information world as his/her characterization. The development procedure consists of four steps: operationalization of the theoretical constructs and the initial drafting of the questionnaire instrument; revisions of the questionnaire based on pilot tests with small groups of people; weighing of the questionnaire items for the purpose of calculating index-type variable scores; formal test of validity and reliability. Findings – The resulting measurement consists of eight variables corresponding to eight the.
Estimation of motion vector fields using tensor field filtering

This paper presents a method for computation of two-dimensional motion vector fields from an image sequence. The magnitudes from a set of spatio-temporal quadrature filters are combined into a tensor description. The shape of the tensors describe locally the structure of the spatio-temporal neighbourhood and provides information about local velocity and if true flow or only normal flow is present. It is shown how normal flow estimates are combined into a true flow using linear filtering on this tensor field description. <<ETX>>
Detection and side‐chain specificity of IgE antibodies to flucloxicillin in allergic subjects

Unlike studies on the antigenicity of penicillins in laboratory animals, limited information is available on the allergenicity of penicillins in man, especially with regard to fine structural allergenic differences between the many different penicillins. Inconsistent with the earlier conclusions of others, our studies suggest that side‐chain structures to flucloxacillin‐reactive IgE antibodies. Quantitative hapten inhibition studies revealed potent inhibition by flucloxacillin and three structurally related penicillins: oxacillin, cloxacillin and dicloxacillin. Analysis of the results showed that the side‐chain group of flucloxacillin, 3‐2(‐chloro‐6‐fluorophenyl)‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolyl, is recognized by some antibodies and that the 5‐methyl‐3‐phenyl‐4‐isoxazolyl group, with or without halogen substituents, accounts for the reactivity of other antibodies and for the cross‐reactions seen with some other penicillins. Since it is the side‐chain group that distinguishes the many different types of penicillin, and since IgE antibodies in many of the allergic reactions recognize the side‐chain groups, it is becoming clear that specific assays are required for the detection of IgE antibodies to each of the different penicillins.
Synaptic secretion of BDNF after high‐frequency stimulation of glutamatergic synapses

The protein brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been postulated to be a retrograde or paracrine synaptic messenger in long‐term potentiation and other forms of activity‐dependent synaptic plasticity. Although crucial for this concept, direct evidence for the activity‐dependent synaptic release of BDNF is lacking. Here we investigate secretion of BDNF labelled with green fluorescent protein (BDNF–GFP) by monitoring the changes in fluorescence intensity of dendritic BDNF–GFP vesicles at glutamatergic synaptic junctions of living hippocampal neurons. We show that high‐frequency activation of glutamatergic synapses triggers the release of BDNF–GFP from synaptically localized secretory granules. This release depends on activation of postsynaptic ionotropic glutamate receptors and on postsynaptic Ca2+ influx. Release of BDNF–GFP is also observed from extrasynaptic dendritic vesicle clusters, suggesting that a possible spatial restriction of BDNF release to specific synaptic sites can only occur if the postsynaptic depolarization remains local. These results support the concept of BDNF being a synaptic messenger of activity‐dependent synaptic plasticity, which is released from postsynaptic neurons.
Active virtual guides as an apparatus for augmented reality based telemanipulation system on the Internet

In many current teleoperation architectures, remote tasks are indirectly performed by a human operator (HO) by means of a virtual environment consisting in a virtual or symbolic representation of the remote site. In order to achieve virtual tasks, the interaction of the HO and the virtual representation is monitored. Monitoring results are subsequently translated into a sequence of instructions sent to the remote robot for actual execution. This paper focuses on different strategies designed to allow a user-friendly operator interaction with the virtual representation in order to achieve complex remote tasks via the Internet. The use of active virtual guides to assist the HO in performing simple or complex tasks with enhanced performance (speed, precision and safety) is also discussed. Techniques such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) combined with Internet-based programming facilities are investigated as part of the proposed teleoperation system named ARITI (acronym for Augmented Reality Interface for Telerobotic applications via Internet).
Research collaboratories: their potential for health behavior researchers.

OBJECTIVE To discuss how online collaboratories can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of research conducted in multiple sites. METHODS We describe how online collaboratories offer a flexible infrastructure for health behavior researchers, and describe the strengths and weaknesses of such tools and the lessons learned from several systems. RESULTS Although virtual collaboration requires a technology infrastructure achieved at some cost, including access, connectedness, bandwidth, and technology literacy, the potential benefits to health behavior researchers are extensive. CONCLUSIONS The range of technical skills and level of comfort with technology are variable in most groups. However, technology tools are just one aspect of the fully realized collaboratory. Ultimately it is the human skills for collaboration rather than the technical excellence of the infrastructure that signals the potential for success.
The Long-Run Impact of Corn-Based Ethanol on the Grain, Oilseed, and Livestock Sectors with Implications for Biotech Crops

The ongoing growth of corn-based ethanol production raises some fundamental questions about what impact continued growth will have on U.S. and world agriculture. Estimates of the long-run potential for ethanol production can be made by calculating the corn price at which the incentive to expand ethanol production disappears. Under current ethanol tax policy, if the prices of crude oil, natural gas, and distillers grains stay at current levels, then the break-even corn price is $4.05 per bushel. A multi-commodity, multi-country system of integrated commodity models is used to estimate the impacts if we ever get to $4.05 corn. At this price, corn-based ethanol production would reach 31.5 billion gallons per year, or about 20% of projected U.S. fuel consumption in 2015. Supporting this level of production would require 95.6 million acres of corn to be planted. Total corn production would be approximately 15.6 billion bushels, compared to 11.0 billion bushels today. Most of the additional corn acres come from reduced soybean acreage. Wheat markets would adjust to fulfill increased demand for feed wheat. Corn exports and production of pork and poultry would all be reduced in response to higher corn prices and increased utilization of corn by ethanol plants. These results should not be viewed as a prediction of what will eventually materialize. Rather, they indicate a logical end point to the current incentives to invest in corn-based ethanol plants.
Harnessing the Power of the Crowds with Corporate Social Networking Tools: How IBM Does It

Despite the plethora of tools, the value of corporate social networking is determined not by the tools but by how tools are harnessed for value creation. For example, one company could implement virtual worlds for the purpose of connecting people, while another company may implement virtual worlds not for social networking but for training and new hire orientation. A company might use tagging tools to identify who is interested in what, while another company uses tagging tools not for social networking but for making document search in repositories more efficient.
Myelodysplastic syndrome transforming to acute promyelocytic‐like leukemia with trisomy and rearrangement of chromosome II

Variants of the t(15;17)(q22;q12‐q21) chromosomal rearrangement associated with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) have been previously described and they frequently involve either chromosome 15 and/or 17. Previously we reported a rare variant t(11;17). We now describe two patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) that transformed to APL‐like leukemia. Both had trisomy 11 at the diagnosis of APL‐like leukemia. Following treatment for APL, patient I reverted to MDS and showed a normal karyotype. When leukemia recurred, his bone marrow karyotype was 47,XY,t(4;11), +11,der(22)t(1;22). Both patients were treated with all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA) for APL for 5 weeks, but failed to respond. The karyotype of patient I after ATRA treatment was 46,XY,t(4;11); the trisomy 11 had been lost and the bone marrow was replaced with immature myeloblasts without promyelocytes. In patient 2, the karyotype remained the same as at diagnosis, i.e., 47,X,‐Y,dir ins(4;7),del(5), +6,del(7), +8, +11,‐18. Molecular analysis by reverse transcriptase PCR analysis showed the presence of wild type retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA) and the absence of the PML‐RARA chimeric gene associated with t(15;17). Additional analysis of PLZF, a new zinc finger gene associated with t(11;17), also showed the absence of this hybrid gene. These data support the concept that APL is a heterogeneous disorder and that variants with chromosome 11 rearrangement exist that do not respond to ATRA. Genes Chrom Cancer 10:15–25 (1994). © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Delayed Processing of Blood Samples Influences Time to Positivity of Blood Cultures and Results of Gram Stain-Acridine Orange Leukocyte Cytospin Test

ABSTRACT We investigated in vitro whether storage of blood samples influences the time to positivity used for the calculation of the differential time to positivity (DTP) and the results of the Gram stain-acridine orange leukocyte Cytospin (AOLC) test. A 24-hour storage of blood samples at room temperature may lead to false-negative DTP and false-positive Gram stain-AOLC test results, whereas storage at 4°C does not.
Measuring learning by trainees in general practice.

Twenty simulated consultations with patients having a respiratory illness were carried out by 20 trainees at the start and finish of a training year in general practice, using the same method as used in a previous study of principals in general practice.During the course of the year, the trainees as a group closely approached the behaviour-in the defined terms of the study-of principals as a group. The trend was more marked for doctors on a three-year training programme than for those on a one-year programme.In 11 cases direct comparison between trainee and trainer was possible. It was difficult to identify changes in behaviour as being due to either group influences or individual trainer influences, but it appeared that atypical trainers do not necessarily produce atypical trainees and typical trainers do not prevent the development of individuality in trainees.The technique of simulated consultation may assist the difficult task of evaluating training for general practice.
Human pegivirus molecular epidemiology in Argentina: Potential contribution of Latin American migration to genotype 3 circulation

In order to determine the human pegivirus (HPgV) genotypic diversity in Argentina taking into account the potential contribution of human migration from neighboring countries, samples from 130 Argentine injecting drug users, 116 Argentine‐ and 50 immigrant‐pregnant women were analyzed. HPgV RNA prevalence among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐positive injecting drug users was similar to HIV‐positive pregnant women, as was the case when comparing HIV‐negative injecting drug users and HIV‐negative pregnant women (P > 0.05). HPgV genotype 2 (HPgV/2) was prevalent among both Argentine injecting drug users and pregnant women, in contrast to HPgV/3 observed among pregnant women from Latin American countries with predominant indigenous populations and who had experienced their initial sexual intercourses––and possibly their source of infection––in those countries (P < 0.01). In addition, HPgV vertical and horizontal transmission was proven by molecular analysis of E2 gene and construction of identity matrixes with epidemiologically non‐related isolates. This study shows that human migration from neighboring Latin American countries with predominant indigenous populations might contribute to HPgV/3 circulation in Argentina. J. Med. Virol. 86:2076–2083, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Canadian Society of Transplantation and Canadian Society of Nephrology commentary on the 2009 KDIGO clinical practice guideline for the care of kidney transplant recipients.

KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global utcomes) is an international initiative to deelop and implement clinical practice guideines. In November 2009, KDIGO published ts guideline for the management of kidney ransplant recipients. This guideline was exremely comprehensive and spanned more than 50 pages. The Canadian Society of Transplanation (CST) and the Canadian Society of Nehrology (CSN) congratulate KDIGO, memers of the guideline work group, and the vidence review team for producing such a horough and exhaustive document. This guideine will be of great value to health professionls involved in the management of kidney ransplant recipients. KDIGO is an international organization and hus its guidelines have international scope. To ave practical applicability, the various recomendations and suggestions will need adaptation o suit individual countries or jurisdictions. As uch, the CST and CSN formed a joint work roup to review the KDIGO guideline and make uggestions about its applicability and relevance n a Canadian context. This commentary was ritten acknowledging the unique nature of our ransplant population with its ethnic diversity, ur health care system that has variable funding nd access to different medications and services, nd our geography, which has transplant care ocused in larger urban areas, requiring many atients to travel considerable distances. Our ommentary provides supplementary informaion regarding the care of kidney transplant recipints in a Canadian context and should be viewed n conjunction with the full KDIGO document hen making clinical decisions.
Measuring p66Shc Signaling Pathway Activation and Mitochondrial Translocation in Cultured Cells

The adaptor protein p66Shc links membrane receptors to intracellular signaling pathways, with downstream consequences on mitochondrial metabolism and reactive oxygen species production. Moreover, p66Shc has also been implicated in cancer development, progression, and metastasis. Increased phosphorylation of serine 36 residue of p66Shc very often correlates with oxidative stress–associated pathologies. The pro‐oxidative role of p66Shc also appears to be involved in chemical toxicity, being an important component of stress responses triggered by xenobiotics. Here, we present a protocol that can be used: (a) for isolation of mitochondrial, cytosolic, and mitochondrial‐associated membrane fractions from adherent cells lines; (b) to perform p66Shc detection with specific antibodies in order to monitor its translocation between different cellular compartments in response to the oxidative stress; and (c) to modulate the p66Shc pathway with the use of pharmacological approaches or gene‐silencing methods. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
[Neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia and elderly people in the community: results from the Beijing Dementia Cooperative Study].

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia and normal elderly people living in the Chinese community of Beijing. METHODS A cross-sectional study derived from the Beijing Dementia Cooperative Study was carried out a population survey was carried out on a total of 1540 participants aged 65 years and older living in Beijing city and rural areas. All the individuals and 373 demented elderly people completed a series of neuropsychological examination and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). RESULTS Among the dementia participants, 49.33% had exhibited neuropsychiatric symptoms (35.66% rated as clinically significant), in which 80.4% reported 2 or more disturbances, with depression (23.86%), apathy (21.72%) and anxiety (20.38%) being most common. Of the 1540 normal individuals, 18.25% of them exhibited neuropsychiatric symptoms (6.49% rated as clinically significant), in which 53% reported 2 or more disturbances, with sleepless (10%), depression (8.9%) and anxiety (6.97%) being the most common. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this was the first multi-center study on neuropsychiatric disturbances in dementia and cognitive normal elderly people. Neuropsychiatric symptoms occurred mainly in persons with dementia and of clinical severity. Though the neuropsychiatric disturbances reported in cognitive normal individuals were lower and less serious compared to dementia, they should not be neglected. These finding suggested that a screening programme focusing on identifying these symptoms should be included in the physician's diagnostic tools for dementia.
Biochemical consequences of the NOS3 Glu298Asp variation in human endothelium: altered caveolar localization and impaired response to shear

Human endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) gene polymorphism at Exon 7 (Glu298Asp) has been linked to vascular endothelial dysfunction, but the mechanisms are not defined. Shear is a key modulator of NOS3 function in vivo and association with caveolae is important for the control of NOS3 protein activity. Here we tested the hypothesis that altered enrichment of NOS3 in the caveolar membrane defines Glu298Asp genotype‐specific responses and NOS3 activity. Basal caveolar membrane enrichment was carried out to quantitate the NOS3 enrichment in caveolae. Cells were subjected to shear and NOS3 protein levels, phosphorylation, enzyme function were investigated. Variant genotypes had lower NOx production pre‐ and post‐shear, but no genotype‐dependent alterations in pNOS3 were observed. Asp variants had significantly lower NOS3 enrichment in the caveolar membrane fraction. Further, immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that Asp variants had substantially less NOS3/ Cav‐1 association (~40%) during static conditions. Furthermore, acute shear causes impaired NOS3/Cav‐1 dissociation in Asp variants. The results from immuno‐precipitation studies were in complete agreement with caveolar membrane preparation findings. Collectively, these data demonstrate functional consequences of the Glu298Asp NOS3 variation and further define disruption of NOS3 caveolar localization and shear‐induced mobilization as the primary mechanism responsible for these differences. —Joshi, M. S. , Mineo, C. , Shaul, P. W. , Bauer, J. A. Biochemical consequences of the NOS3 Glu298Asp variation in human endothelium: altered caveolar localization and impaired response to shear. FASEB J. 21, 2655–2663 (2007)