Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ToBI prosodic analysis of a professional speaker of American English

We analyze the distribution of ToBI labels in a corpus collected from a professional speaker for use in concatenative speech synthesis. Our goals include using such statistics to aid automatic ToBI labeling of such a corpus, analogously to how a language model aids speech recognition. We ﬁnd that the professional speaker produces a rich variety of prosodic events. ToBI labels occur with skewed frequencies, with a trigram model for occurrences of 34 ToBI labels yielding a perplexity of 3.23, indicating that such statistics will likely aid recognition of those prosodic categories. We relate ToBI label occurrence to sentence type and word frequency, determining patterns which conﬁrm that text information would also useful to such a recognizer.
Risk of HIV transmission under combined antiretroviral therapy: toward risk zero?

AIDS. 2013;8:565–571. 8. Andrews CD, Spreen WR, Mohri H, et al. Longacting integrase inhibitor protects macaques from intrarectal simian/human immunodeficiency virus. Science. 2014;343:1151–1154. 9. Andrews CD, Spreen W, Yueh YL, et al. GSK1265744 long-acting protects macaques against repeated high-dose intravaginal challenges. Paper presented at: 21st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections; March 3–6, 2014; Boston, MA. 10. Markowitz M, Evering TH, Garmon D, et al. A Randomized Open-Label Study of 3versus 5-Drug combination antiretroviral therapy in newly HIV-1-infected individuals. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2014;66:140–147. 11. Baalwa J, Wang S, Parrish NF, et al. Molecular identification, cloning and characterization of transmitted/founder HIV-1 subtype A, D and A/D infectious molecular clones. Virology. 2013;436:33–48. 12. Rolland M, Edlefsen PT, Larsen BB, et al. Increased HIV-1 vaccine efficacy against viruses with genetic signatures in Env V2. Nature. 2012;490:417–420. 13. Salazar-Gonzalez JF, Salazar MG, Keele BF, et al. Genetic identity, biological phenotype, and evolutionary pathways of transmitted/ founder viruses in acute and early HIV-1 infection. J Exp Med. 2009;206:1273–1289. 14. Low A, Prada N, Topper M, et al. Natural polymorphisms of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase and inherent susceptibilities to a panel of integrase inhibitors. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2009;53:4275–4282. 15. Mohammed KD, Topper MB, Muesing MA. Sequential deletion of the integrase (Gag-Pol) carboxyl terminus reveals distinct phenotypic classes of defective HIV-1. J Virol. 2011;85: 4654–4666. 16. Reuman EC, Bachmann MH, Varghese V, et al. Panel of prototypical raltegravir-resistant infectious molecular clones in a novel integrase-deleted cloning vector. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2010;54:934–936.
Does athletic training in volleyball modulate the components of visual evoked potentials? A preliminary investigation

Abstract This longitudinal study investigated visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in 11 young female volleyball players who participated in extensive training for 2 years. The control group consisted of 7 age-matched female students who were not involved in any regular sports activity. Recordings of VEPs were performed twice: baseline recording (i.e., before training began) and after 2 years of systematic, volleyball-specific athletic training. The effect of athletic training on visual signal conductivity was assessed by recording the latency of N75, P100 and N135 components of the VEPs waveform. Extensive experience with volleyball training reduced signal conductivity time through visual pathway. Specifically, the latency of P100 was reduced on average by 2.2 ms during binocular viewing. Moreover, athletes had reduced N75 latency (difference of 3.3 ms) for visual stimuli that generated greater response from peripheral retina. These results indicate that sport training can affect very early sensory processing in athletes.
Low-cost fuzzy logic approach to ship course control

The paper suggests a new fuzzy logic approach to ship course control based on Takagi-Sugeno PID-fuzzy controllers designed in terms of Iterative Feedback Tuning. The fuzzy controllers belong to the class of low-cost automation solutions due to the simplicity and transparency of the design method and the easy controller implementation. One case study focused on servo system control validates the theoretical approach by real-time experimental results.
Three-Phase AC–AC Hexagonal Chopper System With Heterodyne Modulation for Power Flow Control Enhancement

This paper proposes a three-phase ac chopper system for the interconnection of various distributed generation (DG) farms or main utilities to enhance the active and reactive power flow control. The absence of large energy storage component in direct ac-ac converter makes the system footprint small and reliable. As the interface for different ac sources, the presented converter can be configured as star or delta. However, delta connection is preferred as it can trap the potential zero-sequence current and reduce the current rating of the switching devices. In this way, the proposed converter resembles the hexagonal chopper, and it offers an inherent degree of freedom for output voltage phase shifting. Considering the scalability in high-voltage applications, a new version of the hexagonal chopper with half-bridge cell modular multilevel structure is developed. The modular multilevel ac hexagonal chopper (M2AHC) is operated in quasi-two-level mode to suppress the electromagnetic interference (EMI) caused by high-voltage switching. Quasi-two-level operation divides the voltage level transition into multisteps, diminishing the voltage rising and falling rates (dv/dt) in high-voltage condition. Then, heterodyne modulation is adopted for the presented chopper system, supplying a new degree of freedom to decouple the phase and amplitude regulation. Based on this idea, system control strategy is developed in synchronous reference frame (SRF). Simulations and experimentations have confirmed the validity of the proposed approaches.
Three-dimensional high density channel integration of polymer optical waveguide using the mosquito method

We experimentally demonstrate that the Mosquito method is capable of fabricating polymer optical waveguides with extremely narrow pitch. The Mosquito method we developed recently is a technique for directly writing polymer waveguides with circular cores on a substrate using a microdispenser. Actually, even when parallel cores are formed by repetitive horizontal scans of a syringe needle with a 230-μm outer diameter, a pitch of 40 μm is achieved. It is noteworthy that the pitch is almost one third of the outer needle radius. For the waveguide fabrication, a silicone resin (FX-712 form ADEKA Corp.) is used for the core, which is a sufficiently durable polymer material. Furthermore, we also represent in this paper that a three-dimensional channel integration is also realized with the Mosquito method by varying the vertical position of the needle tip in the cladding layer. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first report of three-dimensionally aligned fan-out polymer waveguide realized with GI-circular-core including the pitch and core-height conversions.
Transforming growth factor-β and nuclear factor E2–related factor 2 regulate antioxidant responses in airway smooth muscle cells: role in asthma.

RATIONALE Aberrant airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) function and overexpression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, which modulates ASMC proliferative and inflammatory function and induces oxidant release, are features of asthma. Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activates antioxidant genes conferring protection against oxidative stress. OBJECTIVES To determine the role of Nrf2 in ASMCs and its modulation by TGF-β, and compare Nrf2 activity in ASMCs from subjects with severe and nonsevere asthma and healthy subjects. METHODS ASMCs were cultured from airways of subjects without asthma, and from airway biopsies from patients with severe and nonsevere asthma. We studied Nrf2 activation on antioxidant gene expression and proliferation, the effect of TGF-β on Nrf2 transcriptional activity, and the impact of Nrf2 activation on TGF-β–mediated proliferation and IL-6 release. Nrf2–antioxidant response elements binding and Nrf2-dependent antioxidant gene expression was determined in asthmatic ASMCs. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Activation of Nrf2 led to up-regulation of the antioxidant genes heme oxygenase (HO)-1, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase, and manganese superoxide dismutase, and a reduction in proliferation. TGF-β reduced Nrf2-mediated antioxidant gene transcription through induction of activating transcription factor-3 expression. Nrf2 activation attenuated TGF-β–mediated reduction in HO-1,ASMC proliferation, and IL-6 release. Nrf2–antioxidant response elements binding was reduced in ASMCs from patients with severe asthma compared with ASMCs from patients with nonsevere asthma and normal subjects. HO-1 expression was reduced in ASMCs from patients with both nonsevere and severe asthma compared with healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS Nrf2 regulates antioxidant responses and proliferation in ASMCs and is inactivated by TGF-β. Nrf2 reduction may underlie compromised antioxidant protection and aberrant ASM function in asthma.
Error probability performance of L-branch diversity reception of MQAM in Rayleigh fading

New exact expressions involving hypergeometric functions are derived for the symbol-error rate (SER) of M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (MQAM) for L branch diversity reception in Rayleigh fading and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The diversity combining techniques considered are maximum ratio combining (MRC) and selection combining (SC). MRC with identical channels and dissimilar channels are analyzed.
Low-Risk Stress Fractures

Stress fractures can occur in almost any bone in the body, with the lower extremity weightbearing bones, especially the tibia, tarsals, and metatarsals, being affected most frequently. Although the cause of these fractures is multifactoral, repetitive physical forces without adequate rest are the primary culprits. Stress fractures may be broadly classified as low-risk or high-risk injuries. Low-risk stress fractures, the topic of this review article, can be diagnosed through a thorough history, physical examination, and radiographs. Nuclear scintigraphy is occasionally necessary for confirmation, especially for fractures of the spine and pelvis. When diagnosed early and treated with restriction of activity, low-risk stress fractures have a favorable prognosis.
α-TEA Plus Cisplatin Reduces Human Cisplatin-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Cell Tumor Burden and Metastasis

A novel nonhydrolyzable ether-linked acetic acid analog of vitamin E, 2,5,7,8-tetramethyl-2R-(4R,8R,12-trimethyltridecyl)-chroman-6-yloxyacetic acid (α-TEA) in combination with cisplatin, reduces tumor burden of A2780/cp70 (cp70) cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cells xenografted into immune compromised nude mice. Two xenograft studies were conducted using cp70 cells stably expressing green fluorescent protein (cp70-GFP) subcutaneously transplanted into NU/NU mice. For studies 1 and 2, α-TEA was formulated in liposomes and delivered by aerosol such that approximately 36 μg and 72 μg of α-TEA were deposited in the respiratory tract of each mouse each day, respectively. Cisplatin at 5 mg/kg was administered by intraperitoneal injections once weekly for the first 3 weeks in Study 1 and on the third and 10th days following treatment initiation in Study 2. The combination α-TEA + cisplatin treatment reduced tumor burden and metastasis of cp70-GFP cells in comparison to control mice or mice treated with α-TEA or cisplatin singly. A significant reduction (P < 0.001) in growth of subcutaneous transplanted tumors was obtained with α-TEA + cisplatin for both studies. Visible metastases were observed in the lungs of animals from control and cisplatin-treated groups but not in animals from the α-TEA- or α-TEA + cisplatin–treated groups. The α-TEA + cisplatin significantly reduced the total number of lung and axillary lymph node micrometastasis (P < 0.03 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Analyses of tumor sections showed the α-TEA + cisplatin treatment group, in comparison to control, to have a significantly lower level of cell proliferation (Ki-67 staining; P < 0.0001) and a significantly higher level of apoptosis (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated nick end labeling [TUNEL]; P < 0.0001). In summary, combinations of α-TEA + cisplatin significantly reduced tumor burden and metastases in a xenograft model of cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cells. These data show promise for combination α-TEA + cisplatin chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.
Geographic variation in corticosterone response to chronic predator stress in tadpoles

Chronic stress often affects growth and development negatively, and these effects are often mediated via glucocorticoid hormones, which elevate during stress. We investigated latitudinal variation in corticosterone (CORT) response to chronic predator stress in Rana temporaria tadpoles along a 1500‐km latitudinal cline in Sweden tadpoles, in a laboratory experiment. We hypothesized that more time‐constrained high‐latitude populations have evolved a lower CORT response to chronic stress to maintain higher growth under stressful conditions. Southern tadpoles had higher CORT content in response to predators after 1 day of exposure, whereas there was no increase in CORT in the northern populations. Two weeks later, there were no predator‐induced CORT elevations. Artificially elevated CORT levels strongly decreased growth, development and survival in both northern and southern tadpoles. We suggest that the lower CORT response in high‐latitude populations can be connected with avoidance of CORT‐mediated reduction in growth and development, but also discuss other possible explanations.
Food environment in secondary schools: a la carte, vending machines, and food policies and practices.

OBJECTIVES This study described the food environment in 20 Minnesota secondary schools. METHODS Data were collected on school food policies and the availability and nutritional content of foods in school à la carte (ALC) areas and vending machines (VMs). RESULTS Approximately 36% and 35% of foods in ALC areas and in VMs, respectively, met the lower-fat criterion (< or = 5.5 fat grams/serving). The chips/crackers category constituted the largest share of ALC foods (11.5%). The median number of VMs per school was 12 (4 soft drink, 2 snack, 5 other). Few school food policies were reported. CONCLUSIONS The availability of healthful foods and beverages in schools as well as school food policies that foster healthful food choices among students needs greater attention.
Simultaneous liver, pancreas-duodenum and kidney transplantation in a patient with hepatitis B cirrhosis, uremia and insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

Simultaneous liver, pancreas-duodenum, and kidney transplantation has been rarely reported in the literature. Here we present a new and more efficient en bloc technique that combines classic orthotopic liver and pancreas-duodenum transplantation and heterotopic kidney transplantation for a male patient aged 44 years who had hepatitis B related cirrhosis, renal failure, and insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). A quadruple immunosuppressive regimen including induction with basiliximab and maintenance therapy with tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroids was used in the early stage post-transplant. Postoperative recovery was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the 15th postoperative day with normal liver and kidney function. The insulin treatment was completely withdrawn 3 wk after operation, and the blood glucose level remained normal. The case findings support that abdominal organ cluster and kidney transplantation is an effective method for the treatment of end-stage liver disease combined with uremia and IDDM.
A novel biomaterial: bacterial cellulose and its new era applications

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a promising natural polymer that is produced by bacteria and that has unique and desirable structural, physical, and chemical properties. From the time when the remarkable properties of BC were found 15 years ago compared with plant cellulose, interest has grown in BC and it has become an article of trade in diverse applications. Following this trend, this paper reviews the progress of relevant studies, including general information about cellulose, production by microorganisms as well as BC cultivation, and its properties. The applications reviewed in the present article comprise biological and nonbiological fields. The latest use of BC in the biomedical, environmental, agricultural, electronic, food, and industrial fields is discussed with its applications in composite form. The present article attempts to amass the assorted uses of BC under one umbrella. Thus, recent advances in BC applications in different fields are thoroughly reviewed. This article concludes with the need for future research of BC to make it commercialized as vital biomaterial.
Neutron physics for nuclear reactors, unpublished writings by Enrico Fermi.

This article reviews Neutron physics for nuclear reactors, unpublished writings by Enrico Fermi by S. Esposito, O. Pisanti , Hackensack, NJ 2010. (Hardcover) 704 pp. Price: $111.00. 978–981–4392–22–4.
Rotational and Translational Loading of the Temporomandibular Joint

ABSTRACT Following an introduction to the functional properties of a three-dimensional instantaneous helical axis pertaining to circular (rotatory) and linear (translatory) motions of the mandible, this feasibility study applied the concept of a mandibular average finite helical axis to the maneuver of cyclic opening and closing of the mouth in three healthy subjects. Through the accelerations and decelerations of a mandibular incisor point (instead of a mandibular condylar point) as well as the laws of physics, the kinetic reaction forces and reaction pressures in the upper and lower cavities of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) were estimated over opening-closing distances of five and ten mm from centric occlusion. The translatory reaction pressures in the upper TMJ cavity (17–29 mm Hg) exceeded the rotatory reaction pressures in the lower TMJ cavity (5–12 mm Hg). The estimated reaction pressures were in close agreement with synovial fluid pressures measured in vivo in the TMJ of humans and pigs, and the biologic significance of frequent and/or prolonged increased TMJ hydrostatic pressures is discussed.
Vibrations of an Axial Bar Experiencing Periodic Unilateral Contact Using the Wavelet Balance Method

Efficiently predicting the vibratory responses of flexible structures which experience unilateral contact is becoming of high engineering importance. An example of such a system is a rotor blade within a turbine engine; small operating clearances and varying loading conditions often result in contact between the blade and the casing.The method of weighted residuals is a effective approach to simulating such behaviour as it can efficiently enforce time-periodic solutions of lightly damped, flexible structures experiencing unilateral contact. The Harmonic Balance Method (HBM) based on Fourier expansion of the sought solution is a common formulation, though it is hypothesized wavelet bases that can sparsely define nonsmooth solutions may be superior. This is investigated herein using an axially vibrating rod with unilateral contact conditions. A distributional formulation in time is introduced allowing periodic, square-integrable trial functions to approximate the second-order equations. The mixed wavelet Petrov-Galerkin solutions are found to yield consistent or better results than HBM, with similar convergence rates and seemingly more accurate contact force prediction. © 2014 ASME
A new, structurally nonredundant, diverse data set of protein–protein interfaces and its implications

Here, we present a diverse, structurally nonredundant data set of two‐chain protein–protein interfaces derived from the PDB. Using a sequence order‐independent structural comparison algorithm and hierarchical clustering, 3799 interface clusters are obtained. These yield 103 clusters with at least five nonhomologous members. We divide the clusters into three types. In Type I clusters, the global structures of the chains from which the interfaces are derived are also similar. This cluster type is expected because, in general, related proteins associate in similar ways. In Type II, the interfaces are similar; however, remarkably, the overall structures and functions of the chains are different. The functional spectrum is broad, from enzymes/inhibitors to immunoglobulins and toxins. The fact that structurally different monomers associate in similar ways, suggests “good” binding architectures. This observation extends a paradigm in protein science: It has been well known that proteins with similar structures may have different functions. Here, we show that it extends to interfaces. In Type III clusters, only one side of the interface is similar across the cluster. This structurally nonredundant data set provides rich data for studies of protein–protein interactions and recognition, cellular networks and drug design. In particular, it may be useful in addressing the difficult question of what are the favorable ways for proteins to interact. (The data set is available at http://protein3d.ncifcrf.gov/∼keskino/ and http://home.ku.edu.tr/∼okeskin/INTERFACE/INTERFACES.html.)
Comparison of the Efficiency of the Bumble Bees Bombus impatiens and Bombus ephippiatus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as Pollinators of Tomato in Greenhouses

ABSTRACT Experiments were conducted in a commercial tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L. (Solanaceae) greenhouse to compare the relative foraging effort and efficiency of two bumble bee species: Bombus impatiens Cresson, a species from northeastern North America, commercially reared and used for pollination in Mexico; and B. ephippiatus Say, a native species of Mexico and central America. B. ephippiatus was as efficient in pollination of tomatoes as B. impatiens, as indicated by all variables of fruit quality: fruit weight, number of seed per fruit, and maximum fruit diameter. The two species had similar levels of hourly and daily foraging activity. They had the same response to temperature fluctuation. Pollination rates by both species were similar and close to 100% throughout the sample period. However, B. impatiens showed greater foraging activity during the first half of the 27-d sample period, whereas B. ephipiatus had greater relative activity during the last half. This study establish that B. ephippiatus is as efficient as B. impatiens as a pollinator of tomatoes in greenhouses and thus a candidate as a managed pollinator. However, standard reliable methods for mass rearing of B. ephippiatus are not yet available. Such methods are necessary to ensure healthy colonies and optimum pollination for producers and will reduce the pressure for the unregulated collection of queens in the field and the subsequent reduction of populations of this species.