Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing measures of synchrony and alignment in dialogue speech timing with respect to turn-taking activity

This paper describes a system for predicting discourse-role features based on voice-activity detection. It takes as input a vector of values extracted from conversational speech and predicts turn-taking activity and active-listening patterns using an echo-state network. We observed evidence of frame-attunement us-ing a measure of speech density which takes the ratio of speech to non-speech behaviour per utterance. We noted a synchrony of utterance timing and modelled this using the ESN. The system was trained on a subset of data from 100 telephone conversations from the 1,500-hour JST Expressive Speech Processing corpus, and predicts the interlocutor’s timing behaviour with an error-rate of less than 15% based on one partner’s speech-activity alone. An integrated system with access to content information would of course perform at higher rates.
Lidocaine Metabolites Inhibit Glycine Transporter 1: A Novel Mechanism for the Analgesic Action of Systemic Lidocaine?

Background: Lidocaine exerts antinociceptive effects when applied systemically. The mechanisms are not fully understood but glycinergic mechanisms might be involved. The synaptic glycine concentration is controlled by glycine transporters. Whereas neurons express two types of glycine transporters, astrocytes specifically express glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1). This study focuses on effects of lidocaine and its major metabolites on GlyT1 function. Methods: The effects of lidocaine and its metabolites monoethylglycinexylidide (MEGX), glycinexylidide, and N-ethylglycine on GlyT1 function were investigated in uptake experiments with [14C]-labeled glycine in primary rat astrocytes. Furthermore, the effect of lidocaine and its metabolites on glycine-induced currents were investigated in GlyT1-expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes. Results: Lidocaine reduced glycine uptake only at toxic concentrations. The metabolites MEGX, glycinexylidide, and N-ethylglycine, however, significantly reduced glycine uptake (P < 0.05). Inhibition of glycine uptake by a combination of lidocaine with its metabolites at a clinically relevant concentration was diminished with increasing extracellular glycine concentrations. Detailed analysis revealed that MEGX inhibits GlyT1 function (P < 0.05), whereas N-ethylglycine was identified as an alternative GlyT1 substrate (EC50 = 55 &mgr;M). Conclusions: Although lidocaine does not function directly on GlyT1, its metabolites MEGX and glycinexylidide were shown to inhibit GlyT1-mediated glycine uptake by at least two different mechanisms. Whereas glycinexylidide was demonstrated to be an alternative GlyT1 substrate, MEGX was shown to inhibit GlyT1 activity in both primary astrocytes and in GlyT1-expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes at clinically relevant concentrations. These findings provide new insights into the possible mechanisms for the antinociceptive effect of systemic lidocaine.
Influence of anesthetics on the incidence of reperfusion-induced arrhythmias and sudden death in rats.

PURPOSE We compared the influence of pentobarbital (P, 60 mg/kg), urethane (U, 1.8 g/kg), and a contribution of diazepam with ketamine hydrochloride (D+K, 10 + 100 mg/kg) anesthesia on the incidence of ischemia/ reperfusion-induced arrhythmias in rats. In anesthetized rats, myocardial ischemia was produced by a 6-min ligation of the left main coronary artery, followed by 5 min of reperfusion. The incidence of reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation (VF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT) was markedly decreased in the D+K-anesthetized animals compared with the P-anesthetized group (VF, 46 vs. 89%; VT, 64 vs. 94%). The mean blood pressure (MBP) before coronary ligation was significantly lower in U-anesthetized animals (72 +/- 3.5 vs. 102 +/- 4.1 and 108 +/- 5.9 mm Hg in P and D+K, respectively). The MBP recovery was the best in the D+K-anesthetized group. In experimental work, pentobarbitone anesthesia may be recommended for studying arrhythmias, while the combination of diazepam and ketamine may be useful for hemodynamic investigations.
Análisis longitudinal del impacto de un programa de alfabetización temprana

(analitico): Se presenta un estudio longitudinal del desempeno de ninos que participaron de un programa de promocion del desarrollo linguistico en el jardin de infantes y en 1o grado del nivel primario. Un grupo de ninos participantes (198) fue evaluado en vocabulario pasivo y productivo, escritura y lectura; su desempeno fue comparado con el de un grupo control (43). Se observo un mejor desempeno de los ninos participantes, tanto en el jardin de infantes como en 1°grado. El analisis de regresion multiple mostro que algunas de las habilidades evaluadas en el Nivel Inicial predicen el desempeno de los ninos en 1o grado. Los resultados destacan la relevancia de una intervencion planificada y sistematica en el Nivel Inicial con el fin de conseguir logros observables en el desempeno de los ninos.
Australian National Trends in Stimulant Dispensing: 2002–2009

Objective: Internationally there has been an increase in the prescriptions of stimulant medication. The aim of this study was to examine longitudinal national trends of stimulant dispensing in Australia between 2002 and 2009. Method: Government databases were retrospectively reviewed for all dispensed stimulant prescriptions between 2002 and 2009. Prescriptions were converted to defined daily dose (DDD)/1000 population/day using census data. Utilization of dexamphetamine and methylphenidate were analysed by source (subsidized or non-subsidized), prescriber (general practitioner, psychiatrist or other specialists), gender and age of patient. Results: Between 2002 and 2009, dispensing of stimulants in Australia increased 87% from 2.93 to 5.47 DDD/1000 population/day. Dexamphetamine remained the most commonly dispensed stimulant, with rates of dispensing falling 13% from 2.02 to 1.75 DDD/1000 population/day. Dispensed prescriptions of methylphenidate increased 300% from 0.45 in 2002 to 1.81 DDD/1000 population/day in 2009, attributable to the availability of long-acting preparations. Dispensing of stimulants to males was four-fold greater than to females. There was substantial dispensing of dexamphetamine to those older than 25 years. Conclusions: Stimulant dispensing in Australia increased between 2002 and 2009 as a result of increased dispensing of long-acting preparations of methylphenidate. Further research is required to determine if the increase in stimulant dispensing in Australia is clinically appropriate.
The Rtt107 BRCT scaffold and its partner modification enzymes collaborate to promote replication

ABSTRACT Faithful duplication of the entire genome during each cell cycle is key for genome maintenance. Each stage of DNA replication, including initiation, progression, and termination, is tightly regulated. Some of these regulations enable replisomes to overcome tens of thousands of template obstacles that block DNA synthesis. Previous studies have identified a large number of proteins that are dedicated to this mission, including protein modification enzymes and scaffold proteins. Protein modification enzymes can bestow fast and reversible changes on many substrates, and thus are ideal for coordinating multiple events needed to promptly overcome replication impediments. Scaffold proteins can support specific protein-protein interactions that enable protein complex formation, protein recruitment, and partner enzyme functions. Taken together with previous studies, our recent work elucidates that a group of modification and scaffold proteins form several complexes to aid replication progression and are particularly important for synthesizing large replicons. Additionally, our work reveals that the intrinsic plasticity of the replication initiation program can be used to compensate for deficient replication progression.1
Community programme reduces depression in patients with chronic pain, study shows

A community based programme helping patients to use a cognitive behavioural approach to manage chronic pain reduced depression but not pain related disability over 12 months, a UK study has shown.1 Researchers randomly assigned 703 adults (mean age 59.9) with musculoskeletal pain for more than three months to a group intervention or to usual care plus a relaxation CD. The group intervention involved sessions for learning cognitive behavioural approaches, with a …
The meaning of WISE colours – I. The Galaxy and its satellites

Through matches with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) catalogue we identify the location of various families of astronomical objects in WISE colour space. We identify reliable indicators that separate Galactic/local from extragalactic sources and concentrate here on the objects in our Galaxy and its closest satellites. We develop colour and magnitude criteria that are based only on WISE data to select asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with circumstellar dust shells, and separate them into O-rich and C-rich classes. With these criteria we produce an all-sky map for the count ratio of the two populations. The map reveals differences between the Galactic disc, the Magellanic Clouds and the Sgr Dwarf Spheroidal galaxy, as well as a radial gradient in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) disc. We find that the C:O number ratio for dusty AGB stars increases with distance from the LMC centre about twice as fast as measured for near-IR selected samples of early AGB stars. Detailed radiative transfer models show that WISE colours are well explained by the emission of centrally heated dusty shells where the dust has standard properties of interstellar medium (ISM) grains. The segregation of different classes of objects in WISE colour space arises from differences in properties of the dust shells: those around young stellar objects have uniform density distributions while in evolved stars they have steep radial profiles.
Perception of prosodic prominence and boundaries by L1 and L2 speakers of English

This study provides a direct comparison of boundary and prominence perception strategies between Japanese EFL learners and native speakers of English using the Rapid Prosody Transcription (RPT) method. Although RPT experiments are available for both native English speakers [1], [2], [3] and Japanese EFL learners [4], a direct comparison of the available data is problematic as the stimuli sets used in the experiments are not identical. The present research addresses this issue by using identical stimuli sets across L1 and L2 listeners. The data for native English speakers was taken from RPT experiments carried out by Jennifer Cole with Yoonsook Mo and colleagues [1-3, 5-8]. The non-native data was collected by re-running a subset of RPT tasks reported in the work by Cole and Mo with 108 Japanese undergraduate students. Although native speakers perceived more boundaries and prominent words than L2 speakers, the results outlined surprisingly similar perceptual strategies. A strong correlation was found between the responses of native speakers and Japanese learners of English in both boundary and prominence perception tasks. In boundary perception both groups relied heavily on silent pauses and vocal fillers. In prominence detection the responses correlated with vowel duration, maximum amplitude, and maximum pitch in this specific order for both language groups.
Observations on Heavily Deformed Tantalum

The deformation of metals having the body-centered cubic (BCC) crystal lattice [1] is thought to occur by the glide of dislocations with a Burgers vector of 1 /2<111> [2, 3] or by twinning [4]. The present study is concerned with the deformation of the BCC, period-6 (third-series), transition metal, Tantalum [5, 6]. Although the slip planes have been discussed and modeled since before 1970 (see [3]), there are still many questions concerning the planes on which the screw dislocations glide and how the slip systems differ for different BCC metals. It is with these questions in mind that the authors are examining samples of Ta that have been heavily deformed under well controlled conditions. The material examined in the present study was obtained as a textured sputter target from the H.C. Starck company. Conventional tensile specimens were prepared from bulk disks and cut to shape using electro discharge machining (EDM) following the procedures used previously for Ta metal obtained from a different source [5]. The TEM analysis was performed on an FEI Tecnai F30 TEM operating at 300kV and on an FEI Titan G2 80-200 equipped with Chemi-STEM Technology operated at 200 kV. Part of the deformed sample that was used to extract FIB TEM specimens is shown in Figure 1a. The surface of the deformed material was quite uneven and showed effects of the EDM. However at a distance of 1 to 2 μm below the surface, the microstructure of the deformed Ta was clearly visible and consisted of very small grains with few dislocations in some parts (e.g., in Figure 1b), and relatively large grains in other parts containing both dislocations and sub-grain boundaries as illustrated in Figure 2; no contamination from the EDM was detected in these regions. Additional analysis using the chemical analysis capabilities of the Titan TEM was performed to determine the presence and location of any impurities, including oxygen, in the specimens. The structure of the Ta and of selected grain boundaries was determined using calibrated high-resolution imaging and diffraction pattern analysis. The initial results of this analysis, some of which are indeed surprising, will be presented.
Educating Patients About Anesthesia: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials of Media-Based Interventions

In this systematic review, we compared the effectiveness of media-based patient education about anesthesia. Fifteen randomized controlled trials (n = 1506) were identified after a systematic search of electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PSYCINFO, The Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry), published articles, and contact with authors. Outcomes assessed were anxiety, knowledge, and patient satisfaction. Anxiety levels before anesthesia were less intense in subjects receiving the video and printed information compared with those receiving no intervention (weighted mean difference of 3; 95% confidence interval [95%CI], 1–5 Spielberger’s State and Trait Anxiety Inventory). Patients in the video group were more likely to answer all knowledge questions correctly compared with patients with no intervention (relative risk of 6.64; 95%CI, 2.05–21.52). The level of knowledge about pain management was higher in the video group compared with patients with no intervention (weighted mean difference of 17%; 95%CI, 9–25). However, the level of patient satisfaction with the intervention (expectation versus actual anesthetic experience) was similar between the groups (relative risk of 1.06; 95%CI, 0.93–1.22). This systematic review supports the use of video and printed information about general process and risks of anesthesia for patient education before surgery.
“Isn’t It Fun to Get the Respect That We’re Going to Deserve?” Narcissism, Social Rejection, and Aggression

Across four studies, narcissists were more angry and aggressive after experiencing a social rejection than were nonnarcissists. In Study 1, narcissism was positively correlated with feelings of anger and negatively correlated with more internalized negative emotions in a self-reported, past episode of social rejection. Study 2 replicated this effect for a concurrent lab manipulation of social rejection. In Study 3, narcissists aggressed more against someone who rejected them (i.e., direct aggression). In Study 4, narcissists were also more aggressive toward an innocent third party after experiencing social rejection (i.e., displaced aggression). Narcissists were not more aggressive after social acceptance. Self-esteem plays little role in predicting aggression in response to rejection. These results suggest that the combination of narcissism and social rejection is a powerful predictor of aggressive behavior.
Detection of non‐radial pulsation and faint companion in the symbiotic star CH Cyg

We have detected asymmetry in the symbiotic star CH Cyg through the measurement of precision closure phase with the Integrated Optics Near-Infrared Camera (IONIC) beam combiner, at the infrared optical telescope array interferometer. The position of the asymmetry changes with time and is correlated with the phase of the 2.1-year period found in the radial velocity measurements for this star. We can model the time-dependent asymmetry either as the orbit of a low-mass companion around the M giant or as an asymmetric, 20 per cent change in brightness across the M giant. We do not detect a change in the size of the star during a 3-year monitoring period neither with respect to time nor with respect to wavelength. We find a spherical dust shell with an emission size of 2.2 ± 0.1 D_* full width at half-maximum around the M giant star. The star to dust flux ratio is estimated to be 11.63 ± 0.3. While the most likely explanation for the 20 per cent change in brightness is non-radial pulsation, we argue that a low-mass companion in close orbit could be the physical cause of the pulsation. The combined effect of pulsation and low-mass companion could explain the behaviour revealed by the radial velocity curves and the time-dependent asymmetry detected in the closure-phase data. If CH Cyg is a typical long secondary period variable then these variations could be explained by the effect of an orbiting low-mass companion on the primary star.
Wideband microwave crossover using suspended substrate transmission line configuration

A novel planar microwave crossover is presented that uses a suspended substrate configuration to cross two transmission channels. Conductive blocks placed on upper and lower sides of the crossed region guide the electric field due to each channel in opposing directions and therefore allow both channels to transmit with minimal interference. From DC to 18.4 GHz (200% fractional bandwidth), simulation results show more than 16.5 dB return loss, more than 14.4 dB isolation, and less than 0.5 dB insertion loss.
Stimulation by insulin-like growth factor-I of creatine kinase activity in skeletal-derived cells and tissues of male and female rats.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) has been reported to mediate the effects of oestradiol-17 beta in the osteoblast-like osteosarcoma cell line ROS 17/2.8 and to stimulate directly cell proliferation in cell cultures derived from rat calvaria. Few data are available on the role of IGF-I in androgen stimulation of cultured skeletal cells and in oestrogen and androgen stimulation of bone and cartilage in vivo. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effect of IGF-I in rats in vivo with its effect in vitro on calvarial bone cells from females (responding only to oestrogens) and from males (responding only to androgens, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone). We found that IGF-I stimulated, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, the specific activity of creatine kinase (CK, a marker of skeletal cell division), in both female and male calvarial bone cells, in ROS 17/2.8 cells and in epiphyseal cartilage cell cultures. Maximal stimulation occurred at 30 or 100 nM within 1-2 h after stimulation. In ROS 17/2.8 cells, IGF-I stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation, after 22 h of treatment, in parallel with CK activity. IGF-II, at higher doses than IGF-I (maximal stimulation at 300 nM), stimulated CK specific activity in female- and male-derived calvarial cell cultures. When IGF-I (50 nM) was applied together with oestradiol-17 beta (30 nM) or with dihydrotestosterone (300 nM) there was no additional response in the cultures. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Role of Stem B, Loop B, and Nucleotides next to the Primer Binding Site and the Kissing-Loop Domain in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Replication and Genomic-RNA Dimerization

ABSTRACT Stem-loop B is a 12-nucleotide [nt]-long completely conserved sequence postulated to form a 4-bp stem and a 4-nt internal loop under the kissing-loop hairpin (klh) (nt 248 to 270) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genomic RNA. We investigated its role in viral replication, genomic RNA dimerization, and dimerization of partial HIV-1 RNA transcripts. The putative CUCG246-CGAG277 duplex was replaced by nine alternative complementary sequences, five likely to base pair only in short RNAs and four likely to base pair in long (∼500-nt) RNAs, as assessed by the algorithm mfold. Among the five former sequences, none preserved genome dimerization and all reduced viral replication by 98 to 99.9%. Among the four latter sequences, three (MB6, -9, and -10) preserved genome dimerization, one (MB7) did not significantly inhibit it, and two (MB9 and -10) preserved viral replication. We conclude that duplex formation by stem B nucleotides is necessary for viral infectivity and complete genome dimerization. Deleting the 5′ or 3′ side of loop B or of stem B had little impact on dimerization of partial RNA transcript and no impact on klh folding (and, for loop B mutations, on stem B folding), but each deletion inhibited genome dimerization almost as much as klh destruction. This suggests that loop B is required for complete genome dimerization and that loop B and stem B stimulate dimerization only in very long RNAs and/or in the presence of unidentified viral and cellular factors. Finally, we asked if nine deletions or nucleotide substitutions within nt 200 to 242 and/or nt 282 to 335 could influence genome dimerization. These mutations had intermediate inhibitory impacts consistent with their predicted influence on stem B, loop B, and klh formation. Two exceptions were Δ200–226 and Δ236–242 genomic RNAs, which dimerized relatively poorly despite having neutral or positive influences on stem B, loop B, and klh folding.
Phylogenetic relationships within Aglaopheniidae (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) reveal unexpected generic diversity

Morphology can be misleading in the representation of phylogenetic relationships, especially in simple organisms like cnidarians and particularly in hydrozoans. These suspension feeders are widely distributed in many marine ecosystems, and the family Aglaopheniidae Marktanner‐Turneretscher, 1890 is among the most diverse and visible, especially on tropical coral reefs. The taxonomy of this family is based on morphological characters with emphasis on reproductive structures for the identification of genera. This study is the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the Aglaopheniidae to date, including six genera and 38 species, of which 13 were investigated for the first time and sampled on tropical coral reefs throughout the Indo‐Pacific region. For newly sampled individuals, we sequenced the 16S rRNA, the nuclear locus comprising the complete ITS1‐5.8S rRNA gene‐ITS2 and the first intron of the calmodulin nuclear gene. Phylogenetic analyses of the data revealed and confirmed a general polyphyly, or doubtful monophyly, of all sampled genera in tropical regions based on both the mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Our results revealed that several morphological characters used today are unsuited to resolve phylogenetic relationships between species and genera, as well as the high phyletic diversity within this family. Future revision of the classification of this family will require extensive geographic sampling and the use of an integrative approach.