Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological Variability in Second Language Learners: An Examination of Electrophysiological and Production Data

We examined sources of morphological variability in second language (L2) learners of Spanish whose native language (L1) is English, with a focus on L1-L2 similarity, morphological markedness, and knowledge type (receptive vs. expressive). Experiment 1 uses event-related potentials to examine noun-adjective number (present in L1) and gender agreement (absent in L1) in online sentence comprehension (receptive knowledge). For each feature, markedness was manipulated, such that half of the critical noun-adjective combinations were feminine (marked) and the other half were masculine; half were used in the plural (marked) and the other half were used in the singular. With this setup, we examined learners’ potential overreliance on unmarked forms or “defaults” (singular/masculine). Experiment 2 examines similar dependencies in spoken sentence production (expressive knowledge). Learners (n = 22) performed better with number than gender overall, but their brain responses to both features were qualitatively native-like (i.e., P600), even though gender was probed with nouns that do not provide strong distributional cues to gender. In addition, variability with gender agreement was better accounted for by lexical (as opposed to syntactic) aspects. Learners showed no advantage for comprehension over production, and no systematic evidence of reliance on morphological defaults, although their online processing was sensitive to markedness in a native-like manner. Overall, these results suggest that there is facilitation for L2 properties that exist in the L1 and that markedness impacts L2 processing, but in a native-like manner. These results also speak against proposals arguing that adult L2ers have deficits at the level of the morphology or the syntax.
Accurate Audio-to-Score Alignment for Expressive Violin Recordings

An audio-to-score alignment system adaptive to various playing styles and techniques, and also with high accuracy for onset/offset annotation is the key step toward advanced research on automatic music expression analysis. Technical barriers include the processing of overlapped notes, repeated note sequences, and silence. Most of these characteristics vary with expressions. In this paper, the audio-to-score alignment problem of expressive violin performance is addressed. We propose a two-stage alignment system composed of the dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm, simulation of overlapped sustain notes, background noise model, silence detection, and reﬁnement process, to better capture the onset. More importantly, we utilize the non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) method for synthesis of the reference signal in order to deal with highly diverse timbre in real-world performance. A dataset of annotated expressive violin recordings in which each piece is played with various expressive musical terms is used. The optimal choice of basic parameters considered in conventional alignment systems, such as features, distance functions in DTW, synthesis methods for the reference signal, and energy ratios, is analyzed. Different settings on different expressions are compared and discussed. Results show that the proposed methods notably improve the conventional DTW-based alignment method.
Exact Algorithms for Planted Motif Problems

The problem of identifying meaningful patterns (i.e., motifs) from biological data has been studied extensively due to its paramount importance. Three versions of this problem have been identified in the literature. One of these three problems is the planted (l, d)-motif problem. Several instances of this problem have been posed as a challenge. Numerous algorithms have been proposed in the literature that address this challenge. Many of these algorithms fall under the category of heuristic algorithms. In this paper we present algorithms for the planted (l, d)-motif problem that always find the correct answer(s). Our algorithms are very simple and are based on some ideas that are fundamentally different from the ones employed in the literature. We believe that the techniques we introduce in this paper will find independent applications.
Trophic Factors Produced by Retinal Cells Increase the Survival of Retinal Ganglion Cells In Vitro

The naturally occurring neuron death of normal development has been shown to depend on trophic factors produced and released by target cells. It has also been shown that the afferent supply and local interactions play a role in the control of this degenerative phenomenon. We studied the effect of trophic factors produced by intrinsic retinal cells on the survival of retinal ganglion cells in vitro. Retinae of newborn hooded rats were retrogradely labelled with horseradish peroxidase injected into the superior colliculus to permit the identification of retinal ganglion cells in culture. We tested the effect of conditioned media either from aggregates or from explants of retinal cells from neonatal rats on the survival of ganglion cells in vitro. Our results showed that both conditioned media increased the survival of these cells. The trophic activity was dose‐dependent, was maintained after dialysis against a 12 kDa membrane, was abolished by heating at 56°C for 30 min, and was not found in conditioned medium from cerebral cortical explants. Conditioned medium obtained without fetal calf serum presented the same trophic effect. These results suggest that the local control of developmental neuron death by intrinsic retinal cells may be mediated by neurotrophic factors.
Development of ER actuators and their applications to force display systems

ER fluids are functional fluids which have attracted attention in recent years. We have developed a new type of actuator using ER fluid. This ER actuator responds quickly, and has large torque/inertia ratio. ER actuators are thus suited to be the actuators used in force feedback systems. We have developed a force feedback system using ER actuators, and have enacted some basic experiments for force display. The ER actuators can be utilized in teleoperation systems and various other force feedback systems as well as in virtual reality systems.
Bone densitometry Is a valuable investigation

EDITOR, - Susan M Ott draws attention to some of the potential pitfalls associated with the use of bone densitometry in clinical practice.1 Though I acknowledge that caution is needed in interpreting measurements of bone density, their value should not be understated. In particular, distinction should be made between the assessment of risk in an individual person and that in population screening. Because of the gaussian distribution of bone density and the gradient of the risk of fracture over its whole range, the proportional contribution to the total incidence of fracture of those with the lowest bone density is small; a major impact on the incidence can be achieved only by increasing bone density across the whole population. In clinical practice, however, the risk in an individual person is an important factor in decisions about treatment, based on analysis of the risk of disease on the one hand and the ratio of risk to benefit associated with treatment on the other. The present lack of strict densitometric criteria for treatment does not invalidate this approach, particularly for those at high risk. The figure of around 6% quoted for the precision of bone densitometry is misleading since it applies only to Ward's triangle; for other regions of the femur, such as the femoral neck and trochanter, precision of 3% …
Multiagent Model-based Credit Assignment for Continuous Control

Deep reinforcement learning (RL) has recently shown great promise in robotic continuous control tasks. Nevertheless, prior research in this vein center around the centralized learning setting that largely relies on the communication availability among all the components of a robot. However, agents in the real world often operate in a decentralised fashion without communication due to latency requirements, limited power budgets and safety concerns. By formulating robotic components as a system of decentralised agents, this work presents a decentralised multiagent reinforcement learning framework for continuous control. To this end, we first develop a cooperative multiagent PPO framework that allows for centralized optimisation during training and decentralised operation during execution. However, the system only receives a global reward signal which is not attributed towards each agent. To address this challenge, we further propose a generic game-theoretic credit assignment framework which computes agent-specific reward signals. Last but not least, we also incorporate a model-based RL module into our credit assignment framework, which leads to significant improvement in sample efficiency. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our framework on experimental results on Mujoco locomotion control tasks. For a demo video please visit: https://youtu.be/gFyVPm4svEY.
Quad-Band Polarization-Insensitive Millimeter-Wave Frequency Selective Surface for Remote Sensing

A novel millimeter-wave frequency selective surface (FSS) is presented for demultiplexing four atmospheric remote sensing bands with varying bandwidth (3–20 GHz) and frequency separation (50–195 GHz). The unit cell (670 μm × 670 μm) is a circular metal mesh loaded with a monopole integrated concentric ring on a 175-μm-thick quartz substrate designed to reject 50–60 GHz (B<sub>1</sub>), 87–91 GHz (B<sub> 2</sub>), and 148–151 GHz (B<sub>3</sub>), and transmit 175–195 GHz (B<sub>4</sub>) for transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations at oblique incidence (25<sup>°</sup>−35 <sup>°</sup>). Transmission response of the cascaded FSS measured using a continuous-wave terahertz source showed insertion loss of 15 dB and higher in the reflection windows (B<sub>1</sub>, B<sub>2</sub>, and B<sub>3</sub>) and less than 0.5 dB in the transmission window (B<sub>4</sub>) for TE and TM polarizations at 30° incident angle.
Cancer Therapy : Preclinical Role of Smac in Determining the Chemotherapeutic Response of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: Second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase (Smac) regulates chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Smac mimetics have been tested in clinical trials as chemosensitizers. We determined the role of Smac in modulating the chemosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Experimental Design: Smac expression was evaluated in tissues from ESCC patients with differential chemotherapeutic responses. The effects of Smac knockdown and Smac mimetics on the chemosensitivity of ESCC cells and the molecular mechanisms by which Smac and Smac mimetics modulate chemosensitivity were determined. The therapeutic responses of ESCC cells with different Smac statuses were compared using xenograft models. Results: We found that Smac was significantly downregulated in most ESCC samples (36.8%, 25/68, P 1⁄4 0.001), and Smac expression differed significantly (P < 0.05) between chemosensitive and chemoresistant tumors. The associations of tested factors and their responses were examined using logistic regression analysis. In ESCC cells treated with cisplatin, a common chemotherapeutic drug, Smac and cytochrome c were released from mitochondria, and caspase-3 and caspase-9 were activated. Knockdown of Smac abrogated cisplatin-induced apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, cytochrome c release, and caspase activation. Smac deficiency also reduced the effect of cisplatin on long-term cell viability, and led to cisplatin resistance in xenograft tumors in vivo. LBW242, a small molecule Smac mimetic, enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis and caspase activation and restored cisplatin sensitivity in Smac-deficient cells. Conclusion:Our data suggested that downregulation of Smac may be a chemoresistance mechanism in ESCC. Combinations of Smac mimetics with chemotherapeutic agents may have therapeutic benefits for the treatment of esophageal cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 17(16); 5412–22. 2011 AACR.
Requirement of a 5'-proximal linear sequence on minus strands for plus-strand synthesis of a satellite RNA associated with turnip crinkle virus.

Viral RNA replication begins with specific recognition of cis-acting RNA elements by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and/or associated host factors. A short RNA element (3'-AACCCCUGGGAGGC) located 41 bases from the 5' end of minus strands of satellite RNA C (satC), a 356-base subviral RNA naturally associated with turnip crinkle virus (TCV), was previously identified as important for plus-strand synthesis using an in vitro RdRp assay (H. Guan, C. Song, A. E. Simon, 1997, RNA 3, 1401-1412). To examine the functional significance of this element in RNA replication, mutations were introduced into the consecutive C residues in the element. A single mutation of the 3'-most C residue resulted in undetectable levels of satC plus strands when transcripts were assayed in protoplasts and suppressed transcription directed by the element in vitro. However, satC minus strands were detectable at 6 h postinoculation (hpi) of protoplasts, accumulating to about 10% of wild-type levels at 24 hpi. This mutation, when in the plus-sense orientation, had little or no effect on minus-strand synthesis from full-length satC plus strands in vitro, suggesting that the 5'-proximal RNA element is required for satC plus-strand synthesis. In addition, in vivo genetic selection revealed a strict requirement for 10 of the 14 nucleotides of the element, indicating that the primary sequence is essential for RNA accumulation.
Hyperaccumulation : An Aspect of EDTA Chelate-Assisted Phytoextraction by Water Hyacinth

The hyperaccumulation capacity of water hyacinth (Eicchornia crassipes) using chelate assistance with ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA) was studied. Results obtained with water hyacinth samples planted in salt solutions of Pb, Ni, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Co and Cd spiked with EDTA and digested using HCl and HNO3 showed that Cu was the highest metal absorbed (12.8395 mg/l) while Ni was the least (3.4420 mg/l) at all weights (3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 g) of the salts for all the elements tested. Water hyacinth plants could only absorb 13% Cu in the control experiment (without EDTA) containing salts of the above metals but could absorb as much as 99, 79, 62, and 60% at 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 g, respectively of Cu. For Ni, these values were 27, 24, 19, 12% at 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 g, respectively but 0% in the control experiment. This result indicates that for Ni and Cu, as the weight of salt increased, the amount of metal absorbed decreased. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Efferent Vagal Fibre Stimulation Blunts Nuclear Factor-&kgr;B Activation and Protects Against Hypovolemic Hemorrhagic Shock

Background—We investigated whether electrical stimulation (STIM) of efferent vagus nerves may suppress nuclear factor (NF)-&kgr;B activation and the inflammatory cascade in hemorrhagic (Hem) shock. Methods and Results—Rats were subjected to bilateral cervical vagotomy (VGX) or sham surgical procedures. Hem shock was induced by intermittent withdrawing of blood until mean arterial pressure stabilized within the range of 35 to 40 mm Hg. Application of constant voltage pulses to the caudal vagus ends (STIM; 5 V, 2 ms, 1 Hz for 12 minutes, 5 minutes after mean arterial pressure stabilization) increased survival time (VGX+Hem+Sham STIM=38±3 minutes; VGX+Hem+STIM >180 minutes), reverted the marked hypotension (VGX+Hem+Sham STIM=33±3 mm Hg; VGX+Hem+STIM=66±5 mm Hg), inhibited I&kgr;B&agr; liver loss, and blunted the augmented NF-&kgr;B activity, decreased hepatic tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-&agr; mRNA (VGX+Hem+Sham STIM=1.42±0.5 amount of TNF-&agr; m-RNA; VGX+Hem+STIM=0.51±0.2 amount of TNF-&agr; mRNA), and reduced plasma TNF-&agr; (VGX+Hem+Sham STIM=190±24 pg/mL; VGX+Hem+STIM=87±15 pg/mL). Chlorisondamine, a nicotinic receptor antagonist, abated the effects of vagal stimulation. Conclusions—Our results show a parasympathetic inhibition of NF-&kgr;B by which the brain opposes NF-&kgr;B activation in the liver and modulates the inflammatory response during acute hypovolemic hemorrhagic shock.
Factors associated with late presentation of HIV infection in Catalonia, Spain

We sought to describe the prevalence, trends and factors associated with late diagnosis of HIV infection between 2001 and 2008 in Catalonia, Spain. Adults over 13 years of age with available CD4 cell counts, who were notified to the Catalonia Voluntary HIV Surveillance System between January 2001 and December 2008, were included in the study. Late presentation for HIV infection was defined as a CD4 cell count <350 cells/μL or with an AIDS-defining condition at presentation. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with late diagnosis of HIV. Of the 4651 newly diagnosed HIV-infected individuals with available CD4 counts, 2598 (55.9%) were diagnosed late. The proportion of people with a late diagnosis decreased from 60.4% in 2001 to 50% in 2008, a significant trend (P < 0.001). Older age, male gender, foreign birth, heterosexuality and injecting drug use were independent risk factors for late diagnosis. Strategies to actively promote HIV testing to populations at risk of late diagnosis of HIV or those never attending health systems should be implemented.
The Management of Type 1 Diabetes in Primary School: Review of the Literature

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic health conditions in childhood. The introduction of intensive insulin therapy and the rising prevalence of diabetes in younger children has increased the need for involvement of diabetes educators and school personnel in school diabetes care. School encompasses a significant proportion of a child’s day, therefore diabetes treatment at school needs to be optimal or the child will have poor metabolic control. The aim of this literature review is to examine diabetes management in the early primary school setting. The main areas of diabetes management explored are: type, provision, and location of treatment, the impact on the child, and the role of the credentialed diabetes educator. The review identifies that the majority of children are not receiving intensive diabetes treatment at school. Younger children require more assistance with care and may be disadvantaged due to lack of appropriate school staff support. Most schools do not have nurses to assist with diabetes care, therefore teaching and administration staff are utilized. The use of insulin pump therapy may increase access to insulin at school, as children and teaching staff appear more confident with this method of delivery than injections. Treatment is frequently performed away from the classroom and can impact on class attendance, metabolic control, and emergencies. Diabetes educators need to work in collaboration with children, parents, and school personnel to ensure diabetes care is fully integrated into the school day.
Production of Carbopol® 974P and Carbopol® 971P Pellets by Extrusion‐Spheronization: Optimization of the Processing Parameters and Water Content

Pellets obtained by extrusion‐spheronization represent multiparticulate dosage forms whose interest in intestinal drug delivery can be potentiated and targeted through bioadhesive properties. However, adhesion itself makes the process difficult or even impossible. The problem of tackiness encountered with bioadhesive wet masses was previously eliminated by the use of electrolytes such as CaCl2. This approach is known to reduce the viscosity of polyacrylic acids by disturbing the interactions between carboxylate groups on adjacent polymer molecules, thereby decreasing their bioadhesive properties. The present study aimed at producing pellets containing carbomers without addition of electrolytes in order to maintain their bioadhesive potentiality at its maximum. Carbopol® 974P (10%, 15% and 20%) and Carbopol® 971P (10%) were used in combination with Avicel® PH101. The extrusion speed (30, 45, 60, 90, and 150 rpm), spheronizer speed (350, 700, 960, 1000, and 1300 rpm), spheronization time (5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes) and amount of water (45%, 50%, 54%, and 58%) were optimized in order to obtain the highest yield of spherical pellets ranging 710–1000 µm in diameter. For pellets containing 10%, 15% Carbopol® 974P or 10% Carbopol® 971P and 45% water content, 30 rpm extrusion speed, 960 rpm, and 10 minutes spheronization speed and time led to the highest yields and sphericities, respectively, 72% and 0.91, 67% and 0.78, and 76% and 0.80. Production of pellets with 20% Carbopol® 974P could be achieved through the increase of the water content up to 58% and implementation of 30 rpm extrusion speed, 1300 rpm, and 10 minutes spheronization speed and time. The yield and sphericity were 42% and 0.78 respectively.
Feature extraction for improved profile HMM based biological sequence analysis

State-of-the-art systems for biological sequence analysis employ statistical modeling techniques, most notably so-called profile HMMs. However, all approaches still rely on a purely symbolic sequence representation, which severely limits their capabilities in describing weak similarities between remotely homologue members of sequence families. Therefore, we propose a multi-channel signal-like sequence representation based on a combination of several numerically encoded biochemical properties of the individual residues. From this representation features are extracted capturing relevant local sequence properties by applying wavelet and principal component analysis. Evaluation results on a challenging task of sequence family classification prove that profile HMMs trained on the feature-based sequence representation significantly outperform discrete models.
A new time tree reveals Earth history’s imprint on the evolution of modern birds

Estimates of the timing of evolution of modern birds reveals the influence of paleogeography and paleoclimate on diversification. Determining the timing of diversification of modern birds has been difficult. We combined DNA sequences of clock-like genes for most avian families with 130 fossil birds to generate a new time tree for Neornithes and investigated their biogeographic and diversification dynamics. We found that the most recent common ancestor of modern birds inhabited South America around 95 million years ago, but it was not until the Cretaceous-Paleogene transition (66 million years ago) that Neornithes began to diversify rapidly around the world. Birds used two main dispersion routes: reaching the Old World through North America, and reaching Australia and Zealandia through Antarctica. Net diversification rates increased during periods of global cooling, suggesting that fragmentation of tropical biomes stimulated speciation. Thus, we found pervasive evidence that avian evolution has been influenced by plate tectonics and environmental change, two basic features of Earth’s dynamics.