Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Feature Extraction for Voice Pathology Detection from Speech Signals

Reliable, automatic and objective detector of pathological voice disorders from speech signals is a long sought-for tool, by voice clinicians as well as by general practitioners. Such a detector can also be used for low-cost and noninvasive mass-screening, diagnosis and early detection of voice pathology for professionals using voice as an essential career tool, for humans working in risky environments such as chemical factories, and for the general population. Following years of research and significant advancements in voice pathology detection and classification, correct detection and classification rates of various pathology stages are still insufficient for reliable and trusted large-scale screening. The research work in this field generally splits in two stages: first, extraction of meaningful feature sets, and second, using these features for classification of speech recordings into healthy condition and different pathological cases. This work examines the performance of state-of-theart methods, and investigates their weaknesses. Methods examined include features in time, frequency, perturbations, noise and spectral structure; also examined are features more related to the glottal source. Those features are evaluated by different machine learning techniques. This paper describes ongoing work to improve feature sets for more accurate detection of pathology in voice signals, aiming at overcoming certain weaknesses in current state-of-the-art methods, with emphasis on early-stage cases. Promising results on real-world pathologic and healthy samples, recorded in voice clinics, are shown, and future directions discussed.
Therapeutic Potential of Stem cells in Regenerative Dentistry; a Review of Literature

The discovery of stem cells has developed new but strange possibilities in the regeneration of different tissue and organs. Presently, research works and studies to know potential and capabilities of stem cells and their use in dentistry are becoming an interesting topic. In a few years lots of studies and demonstrations have been carried out which show that stem cells and tissue engineering are giving rise to a separate branch named “Regenerative Dentistry” that will have its own position in future dental clinical practice. This short review discusses the therapeutic potential of stem cells in regenerative dentistry as seen in studies and demonstrations carried out by different workers.
Effects of Localized X-Ray Irradiation on Peripheral Nerve Regeneration in Transected Sciatic Nerve in Rats

Low-dose radiation has been used in clinical and experimental models for the prevention of scarring and for fracture healing. There is evidence that low-dose radiation improves the hormesis of various cell types but little is known about its effects on peripheral nerve tissue. In this study, we investigated the beneficial effects of low-dose radiation on the regeneration of transectional peripheral nerve injury in an experimental rat model. Seventy-two male Sprague-Dawley rats received transection injury to the left sciatic nerves, and the nerves were subsequently sutured by epineurium end-to-end anastomosis to restore continuity. Animals were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups (n = 36/group): 1 Gy X-ray irradiation or control (sham irradiation). Gait analysis, electrophysiological examination and morphological investigations were performed. In addition, Western blot and qRT-PCR were performed to determine the level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43). Content of VEGF and GAP-43 in the regenerated sciatic nerve of the irradiated group was higher than the control group. At 4 to 12 weeks after surgery, the irradiated animals exhibited a significantly improved functional recovery relative to controls. At 12 weeks after surgery, amplitude and conduction velocity of the irradiated group were higher than the control group (P < 0.05). The number of nerve fibers, diameter of axons and morphological structure of the myelin sheath in the irradiated group were superior to those of the control group. These results suggest that low-dose radiation contributed to regeneration and functional recovery after transverse peripheral nerve injury by inducing increased production of VEGF and GAP-43, which promote the axonal regeneration and myelination.
A metabolic model of cellular energetics and carbon flux during aerobic Escherichia coli fermentation

An integrated metabolic model for the production of acetate by Escherichia coli growing on glucose under aerobic conditions was presented previously (Ko et al., 1993). The resulting model equations can be used to explain phenomena often observed with industrial fermentations, i.e., increased acetate production which follows from high glucose uptake rate, a low dissolved oxygen concentration, a high specific growth rate, or a combination of these conditions. However, several questions still need to be addressed. First, cell composition is growth rate and media dependent. Second, the macromolecular composition varied between E. coli strains. And finally, a model that represents the carbon fluxes between the Embden–Meyerhof–Parnas (EMP) and the hexose monophosphate (HMP) pathways when cells are subject to internal and/or external stresses is still not well defined. In the present work, we have made an effort to account for these effects, and the resulting model equations show good agreement for wild‐type and recombinant E. coli experimental data for the acetate concentration, the onset of acetate secretion, and cell yield based on glucose. These results are useful for optimizing aerobic E. coli fermentation processes. More specifically, we have determined the EMP pathway carbon flux profiles required by the integrated metabolic model for an accurate fit of the acetic acid profile data from a wild‐type E. coli strain ML308. These EMP carbon flux profiles were correlated with a dimensionless measurement of biomass and then used to predict the acetic acid profiles for E. coli strain F‐122 expressing human immunodeficiency virus‐(HIV528) β‐galactosidase fusion protein. The effect of different macromolecular compositions and growth rates between these two E. coli strains required a constant scaling factor for improved quantitative predictions.
New extended-spectrum TEM-type beta-lactamase from Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica isolated in a nosocomial outbreak

A new extended-spectrum beta-lactamase was detected in a lactose-positive Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica strain that caused a nosocomial outbreak involving eight patients in a pediatric cardiology unit. This strain showed high levels of resistance to ceftazidime and aztreonam and relatively low levels of resistance to cefotaxime and ceftriaxone. Resistance was associated with a conjugative plasmid of 59 kb, which encoded a new beta-lactamase with an isoelectric point of 5.9 that strongly hydrolyzed ceftazidime and to a much lesser extent hydrolyzed cefotaxime. The enzyme activity was inhibited by clavulanate. The corresponding bla gene was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence showed three significant amino acid replacements with respect to the TEM-1 sequence: Arg-164-->His, Glu-240-->Lys, and Thr-265-->Met. This combination is unique among extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and served to characterize the new enzyme, TEM-27.
The compression method combining multirate operations and JPEG image processing

JPEG is a commonly used comparison algorithm in the real applications such as photographs, digital still camera images. Employing the multirate technique, the multirate JPEG (MrJPEG) with parameter R is developed to reduce the file size. The proposed approach provides a parameter R to trade off the image size and the image quality. Two examples are demonstrated in this paper. An image database including 1000 test images are also performed for R from 0.5 to 0.99.
Involvement of dopamine D2 receptor signal transduction in the discriminative stimulus effects of the &kgr;-opioid receptor agonist U-50,488H in rats

We have reported previously that the inhibition of both dopaminergic and psychotomimetic/hallucinogenic components plays a role in the discriminative stimulus effects of U-50,488H. However, the mechanisms that underlie the discriminative stimulus effects of U-50,488H, and especially the component that plays a significant role, have not yet been clarified. The present study was designed to further investigate the mechanism(s) of the discriminative stimulus effects of the &kgr;-opioid receptor agonist U-50,488H in rats that had been trained to discriminate between 3.0 mg/kg U-50,488H and saline. The dopamine D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride, but not the D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390, generalized to the discriminative stimulus effects of U-50,488H. The mood-stabilizing agents lithium chloride and valproic acid, which have attenuating effects on the Akt/GSK3 pathway, also partially generalized to the discriminative stimulus effects of U-50,488H. In contrast, the 5-HT-related compound racemic 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55,212-2, and the &mgr;-opioid receptor agonist morphine failed to generalize to the discriminative stimulus effects of U-50,488H. These results suggest that the inhibition of the dopaminergic activity mediated by the postsynaptic D2 receptor, followed by suppression of the Akt/GSK3 pathway may be critical for the induction of the discriminative stimulus effects induced by U-50,488H.
Music learning through visualization

We have developed a prototype music visualization system that shows the whole piece in a computer window, however long the piece and no matter how many parts it includes, as well as the selected part. The selected part is presented using either performed data or staff notation. Users can better understand performance expression by visualizing the performance with expressive cues of qualitative music terms. Based on this understanding, users can exchange comments with other users, recorded on visualized figures, through the Internet. Though still a prototype, we expect to make our system one that will enable users to better understand a musical piece and its performance, especially for a cooperative performance.
DNA Vaccination Using pcDNA3.1 eGFP in Experimental Study and its Effect on Pregnancy and Embryogenesis

DNA vaccination that is for non-human animals has been successful over the past years is a method of protecting animals against infections by injecting them with genetically modified DNA to trigger direct production of antigens by the cells, resulting in an advanced immune protective response. There is remarkable progress and hope towards realizing the DNA vaccines for humans especially again frequent and dangerous disesases although the current statistics do not show any success in developing a functional genetically engineered DNA vaccine for the human race. There are many doubtness about the use of DNA vaccines especially in a special condition as in pregnancy. The aim of this paper is to discuss the effect of DNA vaccines in pregnancy and its effect on embryogenesis.
CpG methylation of viral DNA in EBV‐associated tumours

In EBV‐immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) a small number of “latent” proteins are expressed. These are the EBV nuclear antigens, EBNAs 1–6, and a latent membrane protein, LMP. We have investigated the expression of these proteins in a variety of EBV‐associated tumours and cell lines. Whereas transplant and B‐cell lymphomas from cottontop tamarins appear to express the full range of antigens found in LCLs, we and others have found that in Burkitt's lymphomas (BL) and a nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) isolate, EBNA expression is restricted to EBNA‐1. (In NPC, but not in BL, LMP may also be expressed.) In order to ask what restricts the expression of EBNA 2–6 in NPC and BL cells it seemed reasonable to consider the possibility that the DNA sequences normally regulating expression of these antigens could be chemically modified. In this analysis, a tight inverse correlation between methylation of CpG dinucleotides in the 5′ flanking region of the EBNA‐2 gene and the expression of EBNAs 2–6 has been revealed. In the NPC tumour, CpG methylation within the gene is also observed, as is specific methylation over the EBNA‐1 region I and II binding sites (in oriP). The significance of these observations is considered.
Alterations of Cortical and Trabecular Architecture Are Associated With Fractures in Postmenopausal Women, Partially Independent of Decreased BMD Measured by DXA: The OFELY Study

We assessed the role of low aBMD and impaired architecture—assessed by an HR‐pQCT system—in a case‐control study of postmenopausal women with fractures. Vertebral and nonvertebral fractures are associated with low volumetric BMD and architectural alterations of trabecular and cortical bone, independent of aBMD assessed by DXA.
Effects of dietary threonine on growth performance and carcass traits of Yangzhou geese

A dose-response experiment with 5 total dietary threonine (Thr) levels (0.54, 0.64, 0.74, 0.84 and 0.94%) was conducted to study the effect of dietary Thr on growth performance and carcass traits of Yangzhou geese from 0 to 8 weeks of age. Three hundred 1-day-old Yangzhou goslings were randomly allo - cated to 15 pens with 20 birds (10 males and 10 females) per pen according to similar pen weight. There were 5 dietary treatments, consisting of 3 replicate pens. Weight gain, feed intake and feed/gain of geese from each pen were measured at 2-week intervals from 0 to 8 weeks. At 56 days of age, four geese (2 males and 2 females) were selected randomly from each pen and slaughtered to evaluate the carcass quality. The results showed that an increase in dietary Thr resulted in an increase and then a decrease in daily weight gain in both periods. Peak daily weight gain responses appeared in geese fed the 0.74%Thr diet in both peri - ods (36.120 and 61.96 g, respectively). Thr supplementation significantly affected feed/gain in the 0-4 week period (P ≤ 0.045) and daily feed intake in the 5-8 week period ( P ≤ 0.012). No significant linear or quadratic responses from Thr supplementation were observed in growth performance and carcass traits of geese except for eviscerated carcass percentage (quadratic effect, P ≤ 0.016). The optimal Thr requirement of Yangzhou geese from 0 to 8 weeks of age was 0.726% for eviscerated carcass percentage. The results of our experiment reported herein would document that the Thr requirements suggested by NRC (1994) for geese up to 8 weeks of age are safe estimates; they may slightly overestimate the requirements but not by a large margin.
Tissue engineering of blood vessels: characterization of smooth‐muscle cells for culturing on collagen‐and‐elastin‐based scaffolds

Tissue engineering offers the opportunity to develop vascular scaffolds that mimic the morphology of natural arteries. We have developed a porous three‐dimensional scaffold consisting of fibres of collagen and elastin interspersed together. Scaffolds were obtained by freeze‐drying a suspension of insoluble type I collagen and insoluble elastin. In order to improve the stability of the obtained matrices, they were cross‐linked by two different methods. A water‐soluble carbodi‐imide, alone or in combination with a diamine, was used for this purpose: zero‐ or non‐zero‐length cross‐links were obtained. The occurrence of cross‐linking was verified by monitoring the thermal behaviour and the free‐amino‐group contents of the scaffolds before and after cross‐linking. Smooth‐muscle cells (SMCs) were cultured for different periods of time and their ability to grow and proliferate was investigated. SMCs were isolated from human umbilical and saphenous veins, and the purity of the cultures obtained was verified by staining with a specific monoclonal antibody (mAb). Cultured cells were also identified by mAbs against muscle actin and vimentin. After 14 days, a confluent layer of SMCs was obtained on non‐cross‐linked scaffolds. As for the cross‐linked samples, no differences in cell attachment and proliferation were observed between scaffolds cross‐linked using the two different methods. Cells cultured on the scaffolds were identified with an anti‐(α‐smooth‐muscle actin) mAb. The orientation of SMCs resembled that of the fibres of collagen and elastin. In this way, it may be possible to develop tubular porous scaffolds resembling the morphological characteristics of native blood vessels.
Chronic effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus on cardiac muscle contraction in the Goto‐Kakizaki rat

Type 2 diabetes mellitus accounts for more than 90% of all cases of diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular complications are the major cause of mortality and death in diabetic patients. The chronic effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus on heart function have been investigated in the Goto‐Kakizaki (GK) rat. Experiments were performed in GK rats and age‐matched Wistar control rats at 18 months of age. The progressive effects of diabetes on glucose metabolism were monitored periodically by application of the glucose tolerance test. Ventricular action potentials were measured in isolated, perfused heart. Shortening and intracellular Ca2+ were measured in electrically stimulated ventricular myocytes. The GK rats displayed mild fasting hyperglycaemia and progressively worsening glucose tolerance. At 18 months of age and 180 min after intraperitoneal injection of glucose (2 g (kg body weight)−1), blood glucose was 436 ± 47 mg dl−1 in GK rats compared with 153 ± 18 mg dl−1 in control animals. Heart weight to body weight ratio was significantly increased in GK rats (4.10 ± 0.09 mg g−1, n= 5) compared with control animals (3.36 ± 0.22 mg g−1, n= 4). Spontaneous heart rate was slightly reduced in GK rats compared with control rats. Although the amplitude of shortening was not altered, the amplitude of the Ca2+ transient was significantly increased in myocytes from GK rats (0.78 ± 0.11 ratio units) compared with control rats (0.50 ± 0.06 ratio units). Despite progressively worsening glucose metabolism, at 18 months of age the contractile function of the heart appears to be well preserved.
Protein profiling of rat cerebella during development

Protein profiles of developing rat cerebella were analyzed by means of two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (2‐DE) and mass spectrometry (MS). The analysis of adult rat cerebellum gave rise to a protein map comprising ˜3000 spots detectable by silver staining following high resolution 2‐DE with a pH range of 3‐10 and a mass range of 8‐100 kDa. To obtain landmarks for comparison of developmental profiles of cerebellar proteins, 100 spots were subjected to peptide mass fingerprinting using matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF‐MS), and 67 spots were assigned on the map. Analysis of profiles of the developing cerebella revealed significant changes in the expression of proteins during development. In most cases the expression levels of proteins increased as the cerebellum matured, while the expression of 42 spots appeared specific or remarkably abundant in the immature cerebellum. Peptide mass fingerprinting of these spots allowed us to identify 29 proteins, which include, in addition to proteins of unknown function, many proteins known to have roles in the development of the central nervous system. These results suggest that the proteomic approach is valuable for mass identification of proteins involved in cerebellar morphogenesis.
ON THE PHOTODECOMPOSITION OF CHLOROPHYLL IN VITRO‐II. INTERMEDIATES AND BREAKDOWN PRODUCTS *

Abstract— The bleaching of chlorophyll solutions by light in the presence of oxygen can be interrupted, and red intermediates can be precipitated by the use of highly nonpolar solvents in appropriate solvent mixtures. The precipitates are more highly oxygenated but retain phytol and a N‐Mg ratio of 4:1. The NMR spectra indicate that the methine bridge and vinyl protons have been lost. Methyl ethyl maleimide is a product of chromic acid oxidation of the red precipitates. It is also found in the supernatant solution and in the fully bleached end product.
Intentional switching between patterns of bimanual coordination depends on the intrinsic dynamics of the patterns.

Two predictions arising from previous theoretical and empirical work which demonstrated that spontaneous changes of bimanual coordination patterns result from a loss of pattern stability (i.e., a nonequilibrium phase transition) were tested: (a) that the time it takes to intentionally switch from one pattern to another depends on the differential stability of the patterns themselves; and (b) that an intention, defined as an intended behavioral pattern, can change the dynamical characteristics, e.g., the overall stability of the behavioral patterns. Subjects moved both index fingers rhythmically at one of six movement frequencies while performing either an in-phase or antiphase pattern of finger coordination. On cue from an auditory signal, subjects switched from the ongoing pattern to the other pattern. The relative phase of movement between the two fingers was used to characterize the ongoing coordinative pattern. The time taken to switch between patterns, or switching time, and relative phase fluctuations were used to evaluate the modified pattern dynamics resulting from a subject's intention to change patterns. Switching from the in-phase to the antiphase pattern was significantly slower than switching in the opposite direction for all subjects. Both the mean and distribution of switching times in each direction were found to be in agreement with model predictions. movement frequency had little effect on switching time, a finding that is also consistent with the model. Relative phase fluctuations were significantly larger when moving in the antiphase pattern at the highest movement frequencies studied. The results show that, although intentional influences act to modify a coordinative pattern's intrinsic dynamics, the influence of these dynamics on the resulting behavior is always present and is particularly strong at high movement frequencies.
The Engram Revisited On the Elusive Permanence of Memory

That memory involves enduring physical changes in the organism has been proposed, using era-dependent metaphors, since antiquity. 1 More than a century ago, Richard Semon introduced the term engram to refer to such a change. 2 It gained popularity, however, only when a group of researchers, most notable among them Karl Lashley, embarked on a systematic hunt for engrams, using lesions to determine which parts of the brain impair the ability of animals to form and maintain memories. That search proved futile: “ This series of experiments, ” wrote Lashley in 1950 toward the end of his career, “ has yielded a good bit of information about what and where the memory trace is not . I sometimes feel, in reviewing the evidence on the localization of the memory trace, that the necessary conclusion is that learning just is not possible . Nevertheless, in spite of such evidence against it, learning does sometimes occur. ” 3