Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structured variation in British English liquids : the role of resonance

This dissertation provides a declarative, non-segmental account of the phonetics and phonology of English liquid consonants, paying particular attention to cross-dialectal variation and the resonance characteristics associated with secondary articulation. Liquids pose a particular challenge for current theories of phonological and phonetic constraints and representations. Phonologically, they straddle the border between consonants and vowels. Phonetically, they are made up of multiple gestures with complex acoustic output. Clear and dark are resonance attributes often associated with laterals, but they apply equally well to rhotics; different dialects have different patterns of clear or dark [1] or [1]. These patterns are not restricted to the single segment. I provide temporal and spectral analyses of newly-collected data from a representative range of varieties of British English: both rhotic and nonrhotic varieties, and varieties both with typically clear [1] and with typically dark [1]. I explore and evaluate several methods designed to tease out the spectral detail associated with resonance characteristics. The neo-Firthian declarative phonology adopted in this dissertation is characterised by being abstract, relational and polysystemic. It expones a finely-detailed phonetics in an arbitrary but systematic manner: phonetic interpretation is structure-dependant but variety-specific. Phonetic interpretation is explicit and extrinsic: there is no phonetic content within the phonology. I claim that extrinsic phonetic interpretation provides for a felicitous account of phonetic variation and phonological abstraction. I argue that the prosodic and melodic branches of phonology should be conflated in a single hierarchical structure, leaving no equivalent to the skeletal tier or a segmental string. I propose a new abstract and nonsegmental phonological analysis of liquids in English and show how it can account for a number of instances of variation in the language.
Characterizing Malignant Bone Tumors on Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Review of Literature

Purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the more specific diagnosis of the bone tumors and characteristic MRI features of the primary malignancies of bones. Primary bone malignancies are uncommon and constitute approx. 0.2 % of all the malignancies. Bone tumors are present with non-specific complaints of pain, swelling and sometimes restricted mobility. Imaging has a very important role in the evaluation of the bone tumors for the location, extent, periosteal reaction, cortical erosion and matrix characteristic. Primary investigation is radiograph however MRI is the best modality to evaluate the osseous as well as extra-osseous component, marrow involvement, exact extent and neurovascular involvement. It is very helpful in staging of the tumor.
Data-Carrier Aided Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation for OFDM Systems

In order to prevent inter-carrier interference (ICI), carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimation is essential and crucial for OFDM systems. Conventional fractional CFO estimation can be classified into two categories: the pilot tone-aided (PTA) schemes and the cyclic prefix-based schemes (CPB). In addition to the subcarriers dedicated for channel/frequency estimation, data subcarriers are also candidates that may be potentially used to improve the CFO estimation. In this work, we propose novel data-subcarrier aided CFO estimation algorithms, without the need of demodulating the data in advance, for M-PSK data modulated OFDM systems. According to the simulation results, it is found that the proposed algorithms can significantly improve the CFO estimation performance at the cost of an increase in computational complexity.
Disaccharidase Activity in Infants and Comparison Based on Symptoms and Histological Changes

Objectives: There is uncertainty regarding disaccharidase activity (DA) in infants. In this study, values for DA in infants were established and compared with symptoms and intestinal mucosal histological appearance. Patients and Methods: Disaccharidase activity and histological appearance of endoscopically obtained intestinal mucosal biopsy specimens from 131 infants (75 males; mean age 180 days; range 20–364 days) obtained during an 8-year period were reviewed. Patients were divided into 2 groups on the basis of absence (group 1; n = 56) or presence (group 2; n = 75) of failure to thrive (FTT) and/or diarrhea. These groups were subdivided into 3 subgroups on the basis of histological findings: normal histological appearance (A), mild histological abnormalities (B), and moderate to severe histological abnormalities (C). Results: The DA from patients in group 1A represent values in infants who were free of diarrhea/FTT and who had normal intestinal mucosal histological appearance. The geometric means (95% CI) in units of DA were as follows: lactase 33.7 (normal range 29.0–39.1), sucrase 48.9 (normal range 44.2–54.1), maltase 160.5 (normal range 144.4–178.3), and palatinase 11.2 (normal range 9.7–12.9). Differences in DA were not related to symptoms, in the absence of histological abnormalities (1A vs 2A), but rather on the presence of histological abnormalities even in the absence of symptoms (1A vs 1B). Differences were also found when patients with FTT and/or diarrhea with abnormal histological appearance (2B and 2C) were compared with patients with no FTT and/or diarrhea with a normal brush border (1A). Conclusions: We outline DA values in a large cohort of infants. DA in infants, as in children, relates to intestinal mucosal histological appearance rather than to symptoms.
Ovine interferon-tau regulates expression of endometrial receptors for estrogen and oxytocin but not progesterone.

Ovine interferon-tau (oIFN-tau) may stabilize endometrial progesterone receptor (PR) and/or inhibit estrogen receptor (ER) gene expression during pregnancy recognition to suppress endometrial oxytocin receptor (OTR) formation and production of luteolytic prostaglandin (PG) F2 alpha pulses. This study determined whether or not oIFN-tau stabilized PR expression in the endometrium during PR down-regulation by continuous exposure to progesterone. Twenty cyclic ewes were bilaterally ovariectomized and fitted with uterine catheters on Day 2 of the estrous cycle (Day 0 = estrus). Ewes were then assigned randomly to be treated, in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement, with recombinant oIFN-tau (roIFN-tau; 2 x 10(7) antiviral units per ewe per day) or control proteins (6 mg/day) by intrauterine injection from Days 10 to 14, and with daily i.m. injections of 20 mg progesterone from Days 2 to 14 (P) or progesterone from Days 2 to 14 plus 50 micrograms estradiol-17 beta from Days 12 to 14 (P+E). All ewes were hysterectomized on Day 15. Endometrial PR mRNA (p < 0.01) and protein (p < 0.03) were higher in ewes receiving P+E than in those receiving P alone. However, the increase in PR mRNA and protein was not as great in the endometrium of roIFN-tau-treated ewes as compared to controls (p < 0.08, treatment x steroid). In ewes receiving P alone, PR mRNA and immunoreactive PR were localized to stroma and deep glandular epithelium and were not present in endometrial luminal and shallow glandular epithelium. Values for endometrial ER mRNA (p < 0.02) and ER protein (p < 0.01) were greater in controls than in roIFN-tau-treated ewes regardless of steroid treatment. Among controls, ER mRNA and immunoreactive ER protein were present in the luminal and glandular epithelium and were increased in the epithelium and stroma in ewes receiving estrogen. In contrast, endometrial ER mRNA and immunoreactive ER protein were very low or absent in the endometrium of roIFN-tau-treated ewes and were not increased by estrogen. Among controls, endometrial OTR density was greater (p < 0.09) in ewes treated with P+E than in those treated with P alone. In roIFN-tau-treated ewes, endometrial OTR density was lower (p < 0.01) than in the controls. Results indicate that roIFN-tau did not stabilize or prevent autologous down-regulation of PR mRNA or protein expression in the endometrium. However, roIFN-tau did suppress endometrial ER expression and OTR formation in ewes regardless of steroid treatment. The results support the hypothesis that the antiluteolytic effects of oIFN-tau are to suppress endometrial ER gene expression in the endometrial epithelium, thereby inhibiting formation of OTR and production of luteolytic PGF2 alpha pulses.
Computational advertising and recommender systems

Computational advertising is an emerging scientific discipline, at the intersection of large scale search and text analysis, information retrieval, statistical modeling, machine learning, optimization, and microeconomics. The central challenge of computational advertising is to find the "best match" between a given user in a given context and a suitable advertisement. The context could be a user entering a query in a search engine ("sponsored search"), a user reading a web page ("content match" and "display ads"), a user conversing on a cell phone ("mobile advertising"), and so on. The information about the user can vary from scarily detailed to practically nil. The number of potential advertisements might be in the billions. Thus, depending on the definition of "best match" this challenge leads to a variety of massive optimization and search problems, with complicated constraints. The main part of this talk will give an introduction to computational advertising and present some illustrative research. In the second part we will discuss connections to recommender systems and present a couple of open problems of potential interest to both communities.
Treatment costs and health care utilization for patients with bipolar disorder in a large managed care population.

OBJECTIVES This study measured the treatment cost of bipolar disorder (BPD), decomposed the cost into that portion which was directly BPD-related and that attributable to comorbidities, and compared health-care utilization and costs across groups of patients with different drug regimens. METHODS Using a multistate managed-care-organization claims database, a cohort of 67,862 BPD patients were selected and followed for the length of their enrollment between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2002. All costs associated with the patients' medical claims were adjusted to 2002 dollars using the medical component of Consumer Price Index. Patients were classified into three groups based on their drug regimen: atypical antipsychotics (ATYP), atypical antipsychotics plus mood stabilizers (ATYP + MS), and mood stabilizers only (MS). The Charlson comorbidity index was used to control for comorbid conditions. Using both Poisson and log-linear regression analyses, numbers of hospitalizations, emergency room (ER) visits, and outpatient visits, as well as treatment costs per enrolled month, were regressed on age, sex, medication regimen, and clinical comorbidities. RESULTS The mean charge and reimbursement per patient-year were $12,797 and $6581, respectively. Of the treatment cost, 33% was BPD-related, and 67% was attributed to comorbidities. Compared to patients in the MS treatment regimen, higher treatment costs were associated with ATYP (Rate Ratio = 1.24, 95% CI 1.17-1.31) and ATYP + MS (RR = 1.52, 1.47-1.56). Moreover, higher costs were associated with key comorbidities like personality disorder (RR = 1.45, 1.37-1.53). Patients on the ATYP regimen had higher risks of hospitalization (RR = 1.44, 1.33-1.56) and ER visits (RR = 1.15, 1.04-1.27), but lower risk of outpatient visits (RR = 0.81, 0.76-0.86). CONCLUSIONS Controlling treatment costs for BPD patients requires focusing on patients with key comorbidities and monitoring the association between treatment regimen and resource use.
Tuning Wettability of Electrospun Three-dimensional Scaffolds through Morphology Control

Surface wettability plays an important role in determining adsorption that governs cell adhesion. The importance of the physical parameters, such as, overall porosity, pore directionality, difference between 2D and 3D scaffold structures are also highly critical. Also, the correct chemical structure of the scaffold material is crucial for the overall performance of an implant. Amongst various methods, fabrication of 3D scaffolds using electrospinning has generated great interest for the production nonwoven fibres of nano to micron range porosity. Fluoropolymers have been used in a wide variety of blood-contacting medical device applications due to thrombo-resistance, reduced inflammation, and increased re-endothelialisation. Therefore, in this work with a view to achieve low adhesion, low friction and good biocompatible vascular graft implant, a variety of surface morphologies have been produced by electrospinning Poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)-PVDFHFP by tuning viscosity, surface tension and solution conductivity. The contact angle of spin coated PVDF-HFP surface was lower than that of thee-spun surfaces. These electrospun surfaces have shown less number of cells due to their ultrahydrophobic behaviour.
Optimal undervoltage load shedding using Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Programming

This paper presents a new technique to determine optimal undervoltage load shedding in a distribution system with load variation. The proposed technique is based on multiobjective approach namely Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Programming (QIEP). This approach utilised the concept of quantum mechanics in the Evolutionary Programming (EP). Quantum-Inspired is implemented according to three levels defined by quantum individuals, quantum groups and quantum universe in order to improve the speed of the algorithm. The QIEP is employed to search for the best location and amount of load to be shed based on multiobjective functions which are power loss minimisation, voltage profile improvement and power interruption cost minimisation. The effectiveness of multiobjective QIEP optimisation technique is illustrated in IEEE 33-bus distribution test system. The result was also compared with other technique in terms of fitness values. The proposed technique also applied for IEEE 69-bus distribution test system and 141-bus distribution system with the variation of loading condition on the load curve.
Diagnostic coding for epilepsy.

Accurate coding is an important function of neurologic practice. This contribution to Continuum is part of an ongoing series that presents helpful coding information along with examples related to the issue topic. Tips for diagnosis coding, Evaluation and Management coding, procedure coding, or a combination are presented, depending on which is most applicable to the subject area of the issue.
Recycling of Apolipoprotein E in Mouse Liver*

Following the internalization of low density lipoprotein (LDL) by the LDL receptor within cells, both the lipid and the protein components of LDL are completely degraded within the lysosomes. Remnant lipoproteins are also internalized by cells via the LDL receptor as well as other receptors, but the events following the internalization of these complexes, which use apolipoprotein E (apoE) as their ligand for receptor capture, have not been defined. There is evidence that apoE-containing β-very low density lipoproteins follow differential intracellular routing depending on their size and apoE content and that apoE internalized with lipoproteins can be resecreted by cultured hepatocytes and fibroblasts. In the present studies, we addressed the question of apoE sparing or recycling as a physiologic phenomenon. Remnant lipoproteins (d < 1.019 g/ml) from normal mouse plasma were iodinated and injected into normal C57BL/6 mice. Livers were collected at 10, 30, 60, and 120 min after injection, and hepatic Golgi fractions were prepared for gel electrophoresis analysis. Golgi preparations were analyzed for galactosyltransferase enrichment (>40-fold above cell homogenate) and by appearance of the Golgi stacks and vesicles on electron microscopy. Iodinated apoE was consistently found in the Golgi fractions peaking at 10 min and disappearing by 2 h after injection. Although traces of apoB48 were present in the Golgi fractions, the apoE/apoB ratio in the Golgi was 50-fold higher compared with serum. Quantitatively similar results were obtained when the very low density lipoprotein remnants were injected into mice deficient in either apoE or the LDL receptor, indicating that the phenomenon of apoE recycling is not influenced by the production of endogenous apoE and is not dependent on the presence of LDL receptors. In addition, radioactive apoE in the Golgi fractions was part of d= 1.019–1.21 g/ml complexes, indicating an association of recycled apoE with either newly formed lipoproteins or the internalized complexes. These studies show that apoE recycling is a physiologic phenomenon in vivo and establish the presence of a unique pathway of intracellular processing of apoE-containing remnant lipoproteins.
Long telomeres: too much of a good thing

Abstract Telomeres, the physical ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes, protect chromosome ends from end fusions and degradation. Telomere length is tightly regulated to ensure that telomeres are neither too short nor too long. Short telomeres are preferentially elongated by the enzyme telomerase. In the absence of telomerase, telomeres progressively shorten with each round of cell division. Critically shortened telomeres lose their ability to protect chromosome ends, inducing cell cycle arrest and senescence. While the consequences and cellular response to short telomeres are frequently explored, long telomeres also pose problems and cells have evolved mechanisms to shorten over-elongated telomeres. These aspects of long telomeres are discussed in this short conceptual overview.
Genetic Diversity and Structure of Calophyllum brasiliense Along the Santa Catarina Coast

Population genetics studies can provide knowledge in support of conservation efforts for plant populations. We studied the genetic diversity and structure in nine populations of Calophyllum brasiliense from Santa Catarina state, Brazil, aiming to establish conservation strategies. Allozymic markers were used to genotype about 50 individuals from each population. Moderate genetic diversity (mean = 0.135) and high fixation indexes (mean = 0.259) were estimated. Genetic divergence was significant, equal to 0.140, and a Bayesian analysis found two different genetic groupings. The results show clear signs of risk of diversity loss, basically related to restrictions of effective size. As conservation efforts, we suggested the use of C. brasiliense in restoration programs and for wood production. We also suggested the protection of its associated fauna and the development of more protected areas. Finally, populations 430, 640, 642 and 913 were indicated as priorities for conservation, based on their genetic indexes.
Abnormal brain white matter in schizophrenia: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Fractional anisotropy and the mean diffusion coefficient were measured in the cerebral volume in 20 schizophrenic and 24 healthy subjects, men and women, using diffusion tensor imaging. In addition, 3D SPGR was used for segmentation of brain tissue into grey and white matter and cerebrospinal fluid. In schizophrenic patients, fractional anisotropy was reduced in the splenium of the corpus callosum and in adjacent occipital white matter. The segmentation revealed no tissue deficits in the volume of reduced fractional anisotropy. The mean diffusion was increased in the total white and grey matter volume of the schizophrenic patients compared with the healthy subjects. The findings support the view that global and regional white matter abnormalities occur in chronic schizophrenia.
Procesos de decisión de Markov y microescenarios para navegación y evasión de colisiones para multitudes

Resumen. La simulación en tiempo real de multitudes ha sido relevante en aplicaciones relacionadas a la planificación urbana, evacuaciones, entrenamiento para el control de multitudes y entretenimiento. Problemas fundamentales como la navegación de agentes y evasión de colisiones deben ser resueltos eficientemente para obtener una simulación interactiva. Este trabajo propone un método integrado que hace uso de Procesos de Decisión de Markov para el cálculo de trayectorias óptimas que los agentes deberán seguir y de Microescenarios, técnica geométrica basada en curvas Bézier, que permite la evasión de colisiones entre los agentes y objetos dinámicos. Se reportan resultados usando estas técnicas para la simulación interactiva de multitudes en ambientes virtuales.
Medication adherence in HIV-infected adults: effect of patient age, cognitive status, and substance abuse

Objective: To examine the predictors of antiretroviral adherence among HIV-infected adults, with a particular focus on advancing age, neuropsychological dysfunction, and substance abuse. Design: Prospective observational design. Methods: Participants were 148 HIV-infected adults between the ages of 25 and 69 years, all on a self-administered antiretroviral regimen. Medication adherence was tracked over a one-month period using an electronic monitoring device (medication event monitoring system caps). All participants completed a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests as well as a structured psychiatric interview. Results: The mean adherence rate for the entire cohort was 80.7%, with older patients (⩾ 50 years) demonstrating significantly better medication adherence than younger patients (87.5 versus 78.3%). Logistic regression analyses found that older patients were three times more likely to be classified as good adherers (defined as ⩾ 95% adherent). Neurocognitive impairment conferred a 2.5 times greater risk of poor adherence. Among the older patients, those who were classified as poor adherers performed significantly worse on neuropsychological testing, particularly on measures of executive function and psychomotor speed. Current drug abuse/dependence, but not current alcohol abuse/dependence, was also associated with sub-optimal medication adherence. Conclusion: Although older age is associated with higher rates of antiretroviral adherence, older participants who were cognitively impaired showed disproportionate difficulty in adequately adhering to their medication regimen. As such, efforts to detect neuropsychological dysfunction, particularly among older patients, and a thorough assessment of substance abuse, appear to be essential for the effective treatment of HIV-infected adults.
BRCA1 Pathway Function in Basal-Like Breast Cancer Cells

ABSTRACT Sporadic basal-like cancers (BLCs) are a common subtype of breast cancer that share multiple biological properties with BRCA1-mutated breast tumors. Despite being BRCA1+/+, sporadic BLCs are widely viewed as phenocopies of BRCA1-mutated breast cancers, because they are hypothesized to manifest a BRCA1 functional defect or breakdown of a pathway(s) in which BRCA1 plays a major role. The role of BRCA1 in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks by homologous recombination (HR) is its best understood function and the function most often implicated in BRCA1 breast cancer suppression. Therefore, it is suspected that sporadic BLCs exhibit a defect in HR. To test this hypothesis, multiple DNA damage repair assays focused on several types of repair were performed on a group of cell lines classified as sporadic BLCs and on controls. The sporadic BLC cell lines failed to exhibit an overt HR defect. Rather, they exhibited defects in the repair of stalled replication forks, another BRCA1 function. These results provide insight into why clinical trials of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, which require an HR defect for efficacy, have been unsuccessful in sporadic BLCs, unlike cisplatin, which elicits DNA damage that requires stalled fork repair and has shown efficacy in sporadic BLCs.