Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust speech recognition based on stochastic matching

We present a maximum likelihood (ML) stochastic matching approach to decrease the acoustic mismatch between a test utterance Y and a given set of speech hidden Markov models /spl Lambda//sub X/ so as to reduce the recognition performance degradation caused by possible distortions in the test utterance. This mismatch may be reduced in two ways: (1) by an inverse distortion function F/sub /spl nu//(.) that maps Y into an utterance X which matches better with the models /spl Lambda//sub X/, and (2) by a model transformation function G/sub /spl eta//(.) that maps /spl Lambda//sub X/ to the transformed model /spl Lambda//sub Y/ which matches better with the utterance Y. The functional form of the transformations depends upon our prior knowledge about the mismatch, and the parameters are estimated along with the recognized string in a maximum likelihood manner using the EM algorithm. Experimental results verify the efficacy of the approach in improving the performance of a continuous speech recognition system in the presence of mismatch due to different transducers and transmission channels.
Discriminating mutations of HC-Pro of zucchini yellow mosaic virus with differential effects on small RNA pathways involved in viral pathogenicity and symptom development.

Helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro), the gene-silencing suppressor of Potyvirus spp. , interferes with microRNA (miRNA) and short-interfering RNA (siRNA) pathways. Our previous studies showed that three mutations of highly conserved amino acids of HC-Pro, R(180)I (mutation A), F(205)L (B), and E(396)N (C), of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) affect symptom severity and viral pathogenicity. The mutant ZYMV GAC (ZGAC) with double mutations, R(180)I/E(396)N, induces transient leaf mottling in host plants followed by recovery. This mutant confers complete cross protection against subsequent infection by the parental ZYMV (ZG) strain. Here, we sought to obtain molecular evidence on the roles of the three highly conserved amino acids of HC-Pro in miRNA and siRNA pathways using transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing comparable levels of wild-type and mutant HC-Pro proteins. We demonstrated that amino acid residues 180, 205, and 396 of HC-Pro are critical for suppression of miRNA, trans-acting siRNA (ta-siRNA), and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) pathways but not for sense-post transcriptional gene silencing (s-PTGS). Because the HC-Pro double mutant (R(180)I/E(396)N) does not interfere with miRNA and ta-siRNA pathways, the ZGAC mutant virus elicits only attenuated symptoms. Furthermore, the recovery seen on ZGAC-infected plants likely results from the weak VIGS suppression by the HC-Pro double AC mutant. Thus, through manipulating these three conserved amino acids on HC-Pro, symptom severity of diseases caused by Potyvirus spp. can be modulated to generate useful cross protectants for field application. Although some of our mutated HC-Pro proteins do not interfere with miRNA and ta-siRNA pathways, they still retain the ability to suppress s-PTGS.
Physiologic and Proteomic Evidence for a Role of Nitric Oxide in Biofilm Formation by Nitrosomonas europaea and Other Ammonia Oxidizers

ABSTRACT NO, a free radical gas, is the signal for Nitrosomonas europaea cells to switch between different growth modes. At an NO concentration of more than 30 ppm, biofilm formation by N. europaea was induced. NO concentrations below 5 ppm led to a reversal of the biofilm formation, and the numbers of motile and planktonic (motile-planktonic) cells increased. In a proteomics approach, the proteins expressed by N. europaea were identified. Comparison studies of the protein patterns of motile-planktonic and attached (biofilm) cells revealed several clear differences. Eleven proteins were found to be up or down regulated. Concentrations of other compounds such as ammonium, nitrite, and oxygen as well as different temperatures and pH values had no significant effect on the growth mode of and the proteins expressed by N. europaea.
Experimental determination of baseball spin and lift

The aim of this study was to develop a new method for the determination of lift on spinning baseballs. Inertial trajectories of (a) ball surface markers during the first metre of flight and (b) the centre of mass trajectory near home-plate were measured in a pitch using high-speed video. A theoretical model was developed, incorporating aerodynamic Magnus-Robins lift, drag and cross forces, which predicts the centre of mass and marker trajectories. Parameters including initial conditions and aerodynamic coefficients were estimated iteratively by minimizing the error between predicted and measured trajectories. We compare the resulting lift coefficients and spin parameter values with those of previous studies. Lift on four-seam pitches can be as much as three times that of two-seam pitches, although this disparity is reduced for spin parameters greater than 0.4.
Ultrasound findings in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis: A prospective study

In a prospective study, 118 patients with Crohn's disease, 51 patients with ulcerative colitis, and 72 patients with no disease of the intestine proximal to the rectum were evaluated by ultrasound. In Crohn's disease, thickening of the bowel wall and inflammatory masses were detected in 72.08 of the patients. With a transducer having optimal imaging properties in the near range, these findings were detected in 87.2% of a group of 47 patients. In ulcerative colitis, bowel wall thickening was detected in 52.9% of all patients. Thickening of the bowel wall was more marked in Crohn's disease than in ulcerative colitis. Most pathologic findings in Crohn's disease were located in the right lower abdomen, whereas those in ulcerative colitis were in the left abdomen, in particular in the lower quadrant. The frequency of wall thickening was correlated to the activity of the disease in ulcerative colitis but not in Crohn's disease. Considerably increased wall thickness, when localized in the right lower quadrant and found in combination with inflammatory masses or an abscess, suggests Crohn's disease.
Controlled Fasting Treatment for Schizophrenia

The application of various modifications of fasting for its therapeutic value has been well documented during many different periods of our civilization. In the earliest eras of recorded civilization, humans found in fasting not only a method of treatment and prevention of some diseases, but a potent weapon for self-discipline and moral education. For this reason the fast became an integral part of many religious doctrines and occupied the thinking of physicians and philosophers of Ancient Greek, Tibetan, Indian, and Middle Eastern cultures. Fasting is not starving, and the synonymous use of the two indicates a lack of understanding of the principles of the fast or its meaning. The word "starvation" is derived from the Old English "sterofan," a form of the Teutonic verb "sterb" to die. The word "fast" means to abstain from food. In modern usage; "starvation" is used to designate death from lack of food. Whenever fasting is mentioned to the average person and even to many professionals, the immediate response is to think of the dire consequences of going without food for even a few days. If "fasting" is used interchangeably with
The complementarity of a representational and an epistemological function of signs in scientific activity

Abstract Signs do not only ‘represent’ something for somebody, as Peirce's definition goes, but also ‘mediate’ relations between us and our world, including ourselves, as has been elaborated by Vygotsky. We call the first the representational function of a sign and the second the epistemological function since in using signs we make distinctions, specify objects and relations, structure our observations, and organize societal and cognitive activity. The goal of this paper is, on the one hand, to develop a model in which both these functions appear as complementary and, on the other, to show that this complementarity is essential for the dynamics of scientific activity, causing a dialectical process of generating new epistemological and representational means. This will be demonstrated with an example of how two scientists with different background knowledge analyze educational data collaboratively.
Direct Cortisone Injection in Eosinophilic Granuloma of Bone: A Preliminary Report on 11 Patients

Eleven patients, between 3 and 16 years of age (average 6.5 years), with eosinophilic granuloma of bone were treated with direct injection of methylprednisolone acetate. Methylprednisolone acetate was used at the dilution of 40 mg/ml. Each single injected dose varied from 1 to 4 ml, depending on the sizes of the radiolucent defect and the soft tissue mass. One patient had four separate injections, one had three injections, five had two injections, and four had a single injection. All 11 patients healed without complications. This method of management is recommended.
Why Dissociation and Schizotypy Overlap: The Joint Influence of Fantasy Proneness, Cognitive Failures, and Childhood Trauma

A number of studies have noted that dissociative symptoms (e.g., feelings of derealization, depersonalization, memory complaints, absorption) overlap with the tendency to report psychotic-like experiences (i.e., schizotypy). The question arises as to what may account for the shared variance between dissociation and schizotypy. The present study investigated whether fantasy proneness, cognitive failures, and childhood trauma may jointly explain the dissociation-schizotypy link. To this end, we administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Schizotypal Personality Scale, the Creative Experiences Questionnaire, the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire to a sample of undergraduates (N = 185). Fantasy proneness, cognitive failures, and childhood trauma together explained substantial part (58%) of the dissociation-schizotypy link. The present study succeeded in explaining a considerate part of the shared variance between dissociation and schizotypy.
Lifetime risk: does it help to decide who gets statins and when?

Purpose of review The new risk-based guidelines on blood cholesterol treatment from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association reflect the now widespread international agreement that lipid-lowering treatment decisions should be based primarily on individuals’ predicted cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk rather than LDL-cholesterol levels. Most risk-based guidelines recommend using short-term (5-year or 10-year) predicted cardiovascular disease risk to inform treatment decisions; however, some commentators now advocate using predicted lifetime risk because people with low short-term risk but high long-term risk could miss out on effective treatment. This review addresses the question: ‘should predicted lifetime as well as short-term cardiovascular disease risk inform who gets statins and when? ’ Recent findings The seminal 2012 Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ individual participant meta-analysis of statin trials convincingly demonstrated that the magnitude of CVD-risk reduction is directly proportional to individuals’ pretreatment-predicted short-term CVD risk. Several studies have recently reported lifetime cardiovascular disease risk trajectories and show that the vast majority of adults are at high lifetime cardiovascular disease risk, even when risk factors are optimal. An alternative cardiovascular disease risk prediction approach that forecasts short-term risk over a person's lifetime has also been reported recently. Summary Predicted short-term cardiovascular disease risk predicts short-term cardiovascular disease treatment benefits of statins and should inform who gets statins and when. Predicted lifetime cardiovascular disease risk classifies almost everyone at high risk and so does not usefully inform who will gain most from statins. A risk trajectory that predicts short-term risk throughout a person's lifetime could address the deficiencies of both short-term and lifetime risk assessments.
P‐glycoprotein in blood CD4 cells of HIV‐1‐infected patients treated with protease inhibitors

Many factors are involved in the virological failure of antiretroviral treatments such as low pharmacological plasma levels of drugs, poor adherence to therapy and emergence of viral resistance. P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) has been demonstrated to play a role in multidrug resistance in the therapy of solid tumours, haematological malignancies and Plasmodium falciparum infection. HIV‐1 protease inhibitors (PIs) have been described to be substrates of P‐gp. In vitro and in vivo studies performed in mice have demonstrated that P‐gp may affect the oral bioavailability and intracellular accumulation of PIs. P‐gps have been detected on peripheral CD4 blood cells in HIV‐1‐infected, but antiretroviral‐naive patients.
Case-control study of endemic diarrheal disease in Thai children.

In a year-long, case-control study of endemic diarrheal disease among 1230 Thai children less than five years of age, rotavirus was detected in 20%, Campylobacter in 13%, Shigella in 13%, Salmonella in 12%, and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in 9%. The differences in detection of enteric pathogens between patients and controls was significant for rotavirus (P less than .001), Shigella (P less than .001), ETEC that produced heat-labile and heat-stable toxins (LT and ST; P = .005), and ST only (P less than .001). C. jejuni was most significantly associated with diarrhea in children less than 12 months [corrected] old (P = .037) and Salmonella in children less than three months of age (P = .003). Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) that adhered in a localized pattern to HeLa cells was isolated from 7% of patients and 3% of controls less than six months of age. Only 50% of these E. coli strains were of EPEC serotypes. Enteroinvasive E. coli was isolated from 7% of patients more than two years of age, and new serotypes were identified.
A comparative study of techniques for decreasing contact lens storage case contamination.

BACKGROUND Contact lens storage cases may harbor a variety of pathogenic organisms, and are a potential source of ocular infection. In this study, we evaluated the anti-microbial efficacy of several methods of rinsing of contact lens storage cases. METHODS Lens cases were inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and then 1) rinsed with hot tap water and closed without drying, 2) rinsed with hot tap water followed by air drying, 3) rinsed with 3% hydrogen peroxide followed by air drying, or 4) left closed and undisturbed (control condition). After 24 hours, the cases were cultured to determine the rate of disinfection. RESULTS The hydrogen peroxide rinse was the most effective (99.5 percent of cases disinfected), followed by hot water with air drying (94.7 percent) and hot water without drying (51.1 percent). Significant residual hydrogen peroxide was detected in the cases rinsed with peroxide. CONCLUSIONS Therefore, we recommend that patients be instructed to rinse their cases with hot water and allow them to air dry after use, as well as replace their cases on a regular basis.
[Cardiovascular risk factors in diabetic patients. Cross-sectional study in general population: Hortega study].

OBJECTIVE To find in our population with diabetes mellitus (DM) the prevalence of other cardiovascular risk factors, as well as their degree of control. METHOD A cross-sectional study was carried out in 15-82 years population of our health coverage area, by means of a mailed survey sent to a simple random sample composed of 33,022 individuals, and a interview with collection of exploration and analitic data to a 495 people sub-sample. RESULTS Among patients with DM 47/ have history of hypertension, and 58/ blood pressure =140/90 mmHg. Only 33/ have values <130/85 mmHg, and the percentage of patients with controlled blood pressure is significantly inferior between the women. There is history of hipercholesterolaemia in 45 210 / of diabetic patients versus 19/ of non-diabetic population; in the former group the total and LDL cholesterol levels are significantly lower. Smoking affects equally to both groups, while obesity and central obesity are more frequent between diabetic patients, although only in the case of women. CONCLUSIONS In our diabetic population blood pressure control is limited: two third parts of the patients show values above recommended. This fact forms a contrast with a high degree of dyslipidemia control. We should pay a greater attention to hypertension treatment in patients with diabetes, mainly in women, and promote smoking cessation interventions essentially in males.
Contrast harmonic sonography-guided radiofrequency ablation therapy versus B-mode sonography in hepatocellular carcinoma: prospective randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of contrast harmonic sonographic guidance in radiofrequency ablation of locally progressive hepatocellular carcinoma poorly depicted with B-mode sonography. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A series of 40 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with local tumor progression poorly depicted with B-mode sonography were randomly treated with radiofrequency ablation guided by either contrast harmonic sonography (n = 20) or conventional B-mode sonography (n = 20). Unpaired Student's t tests were performed to compare numbers of treatment sessions. RESULTS Treatment analysis showed that the complete ablation rate after a single treatment session was significantly higher in the contrast harmonic sonography group than in the B-mode sonography group (94.7% vs 65.0%; p = 0.043) and that the number of treatment sessions was significantly lower in the contrast harmonic sonography group (mean, 1.1 +/- 0.2 vs 1.4 +/- 0.6; p =0.037). CONCLUSION Contrast harmonic sonography-guided radiofrequency ablation is an efficient technique for guiding further ablation of local tumor progression not clearly demarcated with B-mode sonography.
Factors explaining heterogeneity in short‐term synaptic dynamics of hippocampal glutamatergic synapses in the neonatal rat

1 Quantal release from single hippocampal glutamatergic (CA3‐CA1) synapses was examined in the neonatal rat during a 10 impulse, 50 Hz stimulus train. These synapses contain a single release site only, thus allowing for an analysis of frequency facilitation/depression at the single release site level. 2 These synapses displayed a considerable heterogeneity with respect to short‐term synaptic dynamics, from a pronounced facilitation to a pronounced depression. Facilitation/depression was the same whether evaluated using the magnitude or the probability of occurrence of the postsynaptic response. This result suggests that postsynaptic factors, such as desensitisation, play little role. 3 Release probabilities initially and late during the train were uncorrelated. Initially, release is determined by the number of immediately release‐ready vesicles and by the probability of releasing such vesicles (Pves). Within the first five stimuli this vesicle pool is depleted. The deciding factor for release is thereafter the rate at which new vesicles can be recruited for release, rather than Pves. 4 Heterogeneity in facilitation/depression among the synapses was strongly correlated with heterogeneity in initial Pves but not with that of the immediately release‐ready vesicle pool. Thus, the main factors deciding short‐term synaptic dynamics are heterogeneity in initial Pves and in vesicle recruitment rate among the synapses.
The effects on metabolism of glucosinolates and theirs hydrolysis products.

Glucosinolates in the nutrition are very important molecules and widely found in Brassicaceae species (brussels sprouts, Dijon mustard, broccoli, cress etc.). Depending on the amount of these kinds of vegetables consumed by humans and animals, some positive or negative metabolic effects of this molecule may occur. Chemically GLS’s are the anticarsinogenic molecules that increase the antioxidan effect, the antibiotic activity and induced the phase-II detoxification enzymes. However, there are the studies shown that I3C, a member of the hydrolysis products of GLS’s, stimulated and inhibited the carsinogenesis. While the low doses of GLS's may be the antiostrogenic effect, the high doses can an estrogen agonist. Due to the lack of scientific data regarding the dose of the molecule that induces favorable and unfavorable effects on the target tissue, our knowledge of this molecule on induction of potential carcinogenic/anticarcinogenic, estrogenic/antiestrogenic, antibiotic effects as well as on regulation of energy balance remains largely insufficient. They constitute the liver, thyroid, rectum abnormalities, and deterioration in the development and reproductive performance. Especially the biological effects, that defines the need to study GLS bioavailability, critically assess the current state of the art on GLS bioavailability, indicate human and animal data on important individual compounds and structural groups, and give recommendations for future research.
Identification of a potential role for the adventitia in vascular lesion formation after balloon overstretch injury of porcine coronary arteries.

BACKGROUND In the present series of experiments, we examined the onset of cell proliferation and growth factor expression after balloon overstretch injury to porcine coronary arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS Domestic juvenile swine underwent balloon overstretch injury to the left anterior descending and circumflex coronary arteries with standard percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty balloon catheters. To identify proliferating cells, 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrDU) was administered over a period of 24 hours before the animals were killed at either 1, 3, 7, or 14 days after injury. Immunohistochemistry was performed with monoclonal antibodies to BrDU and smooth muscle cell markers. Three days after injury, a large number of proliferating cells were located in the adventitia, with significantly fewer positive cells found in the media and lumen. Seven days after injury, proliferating cells were found primarily in the neointima, extending along the luminal surface. In situ hybridization for PDGF A-chain and beta-receptor mRNAs revealed that the expression of these two genes was closely correlated with the sites of proliferation at each time point. Studies in which BrDU was injected between days 2 and 3 and the animals were killed on day 14 suggested that the proliferating adventitial cells may migrate into the neointima. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that adventitial myofibroblasts contribute to the process of vascular lesion formation by proliferating, synthesizing growth factors, and possibly migrating into the neointima. Increased synthesis of alpha-smooth muscle actin observed in the adventitial cells after arterial injury may constrict the injured vessel and contribute to the process of arterial remodeling and late lumen loss after angioplasty.
Aβ Oligomers – a decade of discovery

Converging lines of evidence suggest that progressive accumulation of the amyloid β‐protein (Aβ) plays a central role in the genesis of Alzheimer’s disease, but it was long assumed that Aβ had to be assembled into extracellular amyloid fibrils to exert its cytotoxic effects. Over the past decade, data have emerged from the use of synthetic Aβ peptides, cell culture models, β‐amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice and human brain to suggest that pre‐fibrillar, diffusible assemblies of Aβ are also deleterious. Although the precise molecular identity of these soluble toxins remains unsettled, accumulating evidence suggests that soluble forms of Aβ are indeed the proximate effectors of synapse loss and neuronal injury. Here we review recent progress in understanding the role of soluble oligomers in Alzheimer’s disease.