Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting frequency discrimination in school-aged children and adults

Auditory frequency discrimination is a basic ability that may limit the maturation of speech and language skills in some listeners. Despite its importance, the factors affecting frequency discrimination in school-aged children are poorly understood. The goal of the present study was to evaluate effects related to memory for pitch, musical training, and the utilization of temporal fine-structure cues. Listeners were normal-hearing children, 5.1–13.6 years old, and adults. One subgroup of children had musical training (>150 h) and the other did not. The standard stimulus was either a 500- or a 5000-Hz pure tone, and the target stimulus was either a tone of higher frequency or a frequency-modulated tone (2- or 20-Hz rate) centered on the standard frequency. As commonly observed, mean frequency discrimination thresholds tended to be elevated in younger listeners. This developmental effect was smaller for FM detection than for pure-tone frequency discrimination, consistent with an effect of memory for pitch. The child/adult difference tended to be smaller for musically trained than untrained children. Children were not particularly poor at 2-Hz FM detection for the 500-Hz standard, a condition thought to rely on temporal fine-structure cues. [Work supported by NIDCD R03DC008389. ]
Effects of acoustic variability on infant speech perception

From birth, infants are capable of discriminating many of the speech sounds that occur cross-linguistically [Werker and Tees (1984)]. However, there are cases where the direction of presentation of contrasts reveals asymmetries in the discrimination of some speech contrasts, suggesting that some phonetic categories are more salient than others. These asymmetries may be due to an inherently uneven perceptual space [Polka and Bohn (2011)] or shaped by distributional properties of the input [Anderson et al. (2003)]. We explore whether acoustic variability also cause perceptual asymmetries. Six- and 9-month-olds participated in a discrimination task comparing English legal and illegal stop-liquid onsets (e.g., /kla/-/tla/ & /pla/-/tla/). Infants discriminated coronal versus bilabial onsets (p 0.05). Analysis of adult productions revealed that velar stop-liquid onsets showed more variability in their production, suggesting acoustic variability affects infants’ perception. The current study provides a more direct test of the hypothesis that acoustic variability drives perceptual biases. Using the same clusters, we are exploring 9-month-olds’ directional asymmetries. Preliminary results show that 9-month-olds successfully discriminate /dla/ after familiarization to /bla/ (p = 0.05; n = 5). Further investigation will reveal whether presentation direction affects infants’ sensitivity to acoustic variability.
Nuclear Potential Clustering As a New Tool to Detect Patterns in High Dimensional Datasets

We present a new approach for the clustering of high dimensional data without prior assumptions about the structure of the underlying distribution. The proposed algorithm is based on a concept adapted from nuclear physics. To partition the data, we model the dynamic behaviour of nucleons interacting in an N-dimensional space. An adaptive nuclear potential, comprised of a short-range attractive (strong interaction) and a long-range repulsive term (Coulomb force) is assigned to each data point. By modelling the dynamics, nucleons that are densely distributed in space fuse to build nuclei (clusters) whereas single point clusters repel each other. The formation of clusters is completed when the system reaches the state of minimal potential energy. The data are then grouped according to the particles' final effective potential energy level. The performance of the algorithm is tested with several synthetic datasets showing that the proposed method can robustly identify clusters even when complex configurations are present. Furthermore, quantitative MRI data from 43 multiple sclerosis patients were analyzed, showing a reasonable splitting into subgroups according to the individual patients' disease grade. The good performance of the algorithm on such highly correlated non-spherical datasets, which are typical for MRI derived image features, shows that Nuclear Potential Clustering is a valuable tool for automated data analysis, not only in the MRI domain.
Molecular Research in Pancreatic Cancer: Small Molecule Inhibitors, Their Mechanistic Pathways and Beyond

Pancreatic enzymes assist metabolic digestion, and hormones like insulin and glucagon play a critical role in maintaining our blood sugar levels. A malignant pancreas is incapable of doing its regular functions, which results in a health catastrophe. To date, there is no effective biomarker to detect early-stage pancreatic cancer, which makes pancreatic cancer the cancer with the highest mortality rate of all cancer types. Primarily, mutations of the KRAS, CDKN2A, TP53, and SMAD4 genes are responsible for pancreatic cancer, of which mutations of the KRAS gene are present in more than 80% of pancreatic cancer cases. Accordingly, there is a desperate need to develop effective inhibitors of the proteins that are responsible for the proliferation, propagation, regulation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. This article discusses the effectiveness and mode of action at the molecular level of a wide range of small molecule inhibitors that include pharmaceutically privileged molecules, compounds under clinical trials, and commercial drugs. Both natural and synthetic small molecule inhibitors have been counted. Anti-pancreatic cancer activity and related benefits of using single and combined therapy have been discussed separately. This article sheds light on the scenario, constraints, and future aspects of various small molecule inhibitors for treating pancreatic cancer—the most dreadful cancer so far.
Leukocyte Response to Campylobacter Intra-Abdominal Infection in One Day Old Leghorn Chickens

Using a previously characterized and described abdominal model to define the avian immune response to Salmonella intra-abdominal challenge in chickens, we have adapted this technique for the study of chickens’ immune response to a Campylobacter intra-abdominal challenge. The intra-abdominal Campylobacter infection model facilitates the characterization of peripheral blood leukocyte dynamics and abdominal cell infiltrates. Day-of-hatch Leghorn chickens were injected intra-abdominally (IA) with Campylobacter jejuni [(CJ)1 × 108 colony-forming units (CFUs)]. Changes in peripheral blood leukocyte numbers and abdominal cell infiltrates were monitored at 0, 4, 8, and 24 h post-injection. Peripheral blood leukocyte numbers were also determined for 2 h post-injection. For mortality studies, birds were injected intra-abdominally with 1 × 108 CFUs CJ and mortalities were recorded for 72 h post-injection. In the peripheral blood of CJ-injected chicks, total white blood cell (WBC) numbers began increasing by 2 h post-injection, peaking at 4 h post-injection with the predominant cell type being polymorphonuclear leukocytes (heterophils). Total WBCs declined after 8 h and this decline continued at 24 h, with total WBC numbers approaching control values. The injection of CJ into the abdominal cavity caused a rapid rise in abdominal cell infiltrates with the predominant infiltrating leukocytes being heterophils. Peak abdominal heterophil infiltrates were observed at 8 h post-injection, declining only slightly by 24 h post-injection. Mortality in the CJ challenge groups reached 37%. Mortality in the Salmonella enteritidis positive control groups were greater than 50%. The data suggest that Campylobacter infection does stimulate the innate immune response in chickens when administered IA, however, the immune response and infection is not characterized with the high levels of mortality observed with a Salmonella infection. These data provide a basis for a more definitive characterization of chickens’ immune response to Campylobacter and a model to evaluate intervention strategies to prevent the infection and colonization of poultry.
Energy-Efficient Resource Allocation in Multiple UAVs-Assisted Energy Harvesting-Powered Two-Hop Cognitive Radio Network

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted energy harvesting (EH)-based cognitive wireless networks can solve the problems of spectrum scarcity, energy shortage, and challenging layout of communication facilities faced by traditional wireless networks, envisioned as a vital frontier communication technology in the 5G/6G era. In this article, we consider a UAVs-assisted two-hop cognitive radio network (CRN) with EH (UAVs-EH-DHCRN), where multiple UAVs are employed to act as air access points (AAPs) and relay nodes (RNs). Since all EH-powered secondary users (SUs) can simultaneously associate with AAPs by sharing the licensed spectrum of primary users (PUs), intercell interference (ICI) occurs among AAPs. Our goal is to maximize the end-to-end energy efficiency (EE) of the UAVs-EH-DHCRN while considering constraints like ICI, energy, minimum data rate, and interference to PUs. However, the formulated end-to-end EE maximization problem is a typical nonconvex optimization problem with complex constraints that off-the-shelf optimization strategies cannot solve. Therefore, we propose a resource allocation algorithm called approximate convex policy concerning associations, power allocation, and placements (ACP-APP). Specifically, in ACP-APP, we introduce additional parameters to convert the fractional objective function into a polynomial function. Then, the optimal AAPs’ placements, optimal associations between SUs and AAPs, and power allocation are obtained alternately by leveraging the proposed circular-based recursive random search (CRRS), 1-D linear programming, and Frank–Wolfe (FW) policy. Simulation results show that our proposed strategy can converge quickly to obtain the approximate optimal solution. Moreover, the ACP-APP can obtain significant end-to-end EE gains compared with benchmark schemes.
Calculation of eddy currents and associated losses in electrical steel laminations

Starting from the well known analytical formula for the eddy current losses in electrical steel laminations, saturation and edge effects are studied by means of 1D and 2D finite element models of a single lamination. A novel method for directly including the laminated core energy dissipation in a time stepped 2D model of a complete (rotating) machine is proposed. By way of example the method is applied to a tooth model with enforced flux waveforms.
Subpixel registration using a concentric ring fiducial

An examination of the effects of spatial sampling and image noise on the precision with which the centroids of different geometric shapes can be determined is presented. The concentric ring fiducial-a bull's-eye pattern-is identified as having desirable qualities of high location precision and rotational invariance. The performance of the concentric fiducial, as a function of diameter, number of rings. and ring spacing, has been tested, and these results are shown. <<ETX>>
Potential of Circulating miRNAs as Molecular Markers in Mood Disorders and Associated Suicidal Behavior

Mood disorders are the most prevalent psychiatric disorders associated with significant disability, morbidity, and mortality. The risk of suicide is associated with severe or mixed depressive episodes in patients with mood disorders. However, the risk of suicide increases with the severity of depressive episodes and is often presented with higher incidences in bipolar disorder (BD) patients than in patients with major depression (MDD). Biomarker study in neuropsychiatric disorders is critical for developing better treatment plans by facilitating more accurate diagnosis. At the same time, biomarker discovery also provides more objectivity to develop state-of-the-art personalized medicine with increased accuracy through clinical interventions. Recently, colinear changes in miRNA expression between brain and systemic circulation have added great interest in examining their potential as molecular markers in mental disorders, including MDD, BD, and suicidality. A present understanding of circulating miRNAs in body fluids implicates their role in managing neuropsychiatric conditions. Most notably, their use as prognostic and diagnostic markers and their potential role in treatment response have significantly advanced our knowledge base. The present review discusses circulatory miRNAs and their underlying possibilities to be used as a screening tool for assessing major psychiatric conditions, including MDD, BD, and suicidal behavior.
Optimization of repulsive passive magnetic bearings

Passive magnetic bearings are an attractive alternative to conventional ball bearings in applications where wear and tear must be minimal and cost or construction restrictions ban the use of active magnetic bearings. They also find applications as miniaturized high-speed bearings where no other low-friction solutions are available. We show that, for a given cylindrical construction volume, an optimized repulsive bearing design with respect to a maximal radial stiffness can be found. This optimal configuration is independent of the aspect ratio of the bearing, but is determined by the width of the air gap between rotor and stator. Our method can determine the optimal configuration for any bearing geometry. We develop a design for a miniaturized high-speed bearing as an example.
Inelasticity-induced segregation: Why it matters, when it matters

Differences in particles' elastic properties may significantly affect the behaviours of granular systems containing two or more distinct components, most notably by causing the spatial separation of these differing particle species. Despite this fact, inelasticity-induced segregation is often overlooked in contemporary literature; in some instances, the lack of consideration of particle elasticity is justified, although in others it is possible that the ignorance of the role of elasticity may adversely affect the analysis of segregative behaviours in granular mixtures. In this letter, we use a combination of theoretical, experimental and simulational analysis to determine the ranges of parameter space for which differences in particle elasticity may be safely neglected, and those for which they cannot be ignored.
The question of the human mortality plateau: Contrasting insights by longevity pioneers

BACKGROUND The debate about limits to the human life span is often based on outcomes from mortality at the oldest ages among longevity pioneers. To this day, scholars disagree on the existence of a late-life plateau in human mortality. Amid various statistical analysis frameworks, the parametric proportional hazards model is a simple and valuable approach to test the presence of a plateau by assuming different baseline hazard functions on individual-level data.
IMPROVEMENT OF THE PEELING STRENGTH OF THIN FILMS BY A BIOINSPIRED HIERARCHICAL INTERFACE

The peeling behavior of a thin film bonded to a substrate is investigated by using the cohesive interface model. We compare the peeling processes of film/substrate interfaces with three different geometric shapes, including a flat interface, a curved interface of sinusoidal shape, and a wavy interface with two-level sinusoidal hierarchy. The effect of the peeling angle on the maximal peeling strength is also examined. It is demonstrated that the peeling strength can be significantly improved by introducing a hierarchical wavy morphology at the film/substrate interface. This study may be helpful for the design of film/substrate systems with enhanced mechanical properties.
Controlling the size and relaxation dynamics of superferromagnetic domains

The magnetization reversal process has been studied on a discontinuous metal-insulator multilayer sample [Co80Fe20(1.3 nm)/Al2O3(3 nm)]10 showing superferromagnetic (SFM) behavior. Size and shape of SFM domains can be changed by varying the angle θ between the magnetic field and the easy axis (EA). The magnetization reversal process along the EA is governed by domain wall motion. However, upon approaching the hard axis at increasing θ coherent rotation of superspins becomes dominant in the magnetization reversal process. This leads to the reduction of domain sizes for larger values of θ. The relaxation of magnetization has also been studied for various values of θ. We find fast relaxation along the easy axis, while the relaxation time increases for increasing θ. In general, the angular dependence of the magnetization reversal of SFM domains shows properties similar to continuous thin films.
Variance Function Estimation

Abstract Heteroscedastic regression models are used in fields including economics, engineering, and the biological and physical sciences. Often, the heteroscedasticity is modeled as a function of the covariates or the regression and other structural parameters. Standard asymptotic theory implies that how one estimates the variance function, in particular the structural parameters, has no effect on the first-order properties of the regression parameter estimates; there is evidence, however, both in practice and higher-order theory to suggest that how one estimates the variance function does matter. Further, in some settings, estimation of the variance function is of independent interest or plays an important role in estimation of other quantities. In this article, we study variance function estimation in a unified way, focusing on common methods proposed in the statistical and other literature, to make both general observations and compare different estimation schemes. We show that there are significant di.
Three-dimensional numerical simulation of convection in low-Prandtl-number fluids

We present three-dimensional numerical simulations of convection in a low-Prandtlnumber fluid confined between two infinite horizontal bounding surfaces maintained at constant temperatures. We consider the case of free-slip boundary conditions for a fluid of Prandtl number Pr = 0.2 and that of rigid boundary conditions with Pr = 0.025. In the former situation, we observe stationary, periodic, biperiodic and chaotic regimes as the Rayleigh number is increased. In the later situation, the dynamics involves very different characteristic times, and only stationary and time-periodic solutions have been simulated. Convergence to the later regime may occur after a long transient where the amplitude of the oscillation is slowly modulated.
Crystal and magnetic structure of orthorhombic HoMnO 3

$o\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{HoMnO}}_{3}$ crystallizes in the ${\mathrm{GdFeO}}_{3}$-type structure (Pbnm) with no crystal structure anomalies below 295 K and with the Mn-O-Mn angle as low as 144.1\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{3+}$ and ${\mathrm{Ho}}^{3+}$ magnetic moments are ordered below ${T}_{N}=38\mathrm{K}$ and ${T}_{\mathrm{Ho}}=11\mathrm{K},$ respectively. The ordering is incommensurate with a propagation vector $\mathbf{k}{=k}_{y}{\mathbf{b}}^{*},$ where ${k}_{y}$ is between 0.395 and 0.431 depending on temperature. Symmetry analyses have been carried out for both magnetic sites. The ordering was determined to be ${A}_{y}$ for the ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{3+}$ moments, modulated in a longitudinal sinusoidal wave along the propagation vector. The ${\mathrm{Ho}}^{3+}$ moments order with the same propagation vector as ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{3+},$ but the site is split in two orbits of two ions, each ordered in an ${a}_{x}{f}_{y}$ pattern with a phase factor between them. At the lowest temperatures an antiferromagnetic (commensurate) magnetic phase appears in competition with the main (incommensurate) magnetic phase. The arrangement of the moments is discussed in terms of the magnetic exchange interactions and compared with the closely related magnetic structures of ${\mathrm{LaMnO}}_{3}, {\mathrm{TbMnO}}_{3},$ and $o\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{YMnO}}_{3}. {k}_{y}$ is found to increase with decreasing size of the rare-earth component.
Quantum-confined Franz-Keldysh Effect in CdTe Quantum Dots in Glass

Microcrystallites of CdTe were grown in a special-formula glass, yielding the first reported CdTe dots (ro ≅ 36Å). As many as six quantum-confinement peaks1 have been seen in the linear absorption spectrum. These quantum dots are especially suited for electric-field effects because of CdTe′s large Bohr radius (aB ≅ 73 Å). The quantum-dots glass sample was arranged in a waveguide configuration with the electric field applied transverse to the light propagation direction. The samples were 200 to 250 µm thick, and measurements were taken at 8 K. Single photon counting enabled measurement of differential signals as small as 10−5. The observed changes in the absorption spectrum are interpreted to arise mainly from a red shift of the lowest transition and the redistribution of the oscillator strength as forbidden transitions are opened up by the symmetry-breaking action of the external field. This interpretation is made plausible by a strong-confinement Franz-Keldysh calculation similar to that of Miller, Chemla, and Schmitt-Rink2 which predicts a differential absorption spectrum in good qualitative agreement with the data. We also report the first nonlinear optical measurements on CdTe quantum dots, observing the differential absorption during 2-µs pump pulses.
Characterization of nanocrystalline diamond films by core‐level photoabsorption

Core‐level photoabsorption has been used to determine the sp2 and sp3 bonding content of nanocrystalline diamond thin films grown using C60 or CH4 precursors. The C(1s) absorption spectra show clear bulk diamond excitonic and sp3 features with little evidence of sp2 bonding, while the Raman spectra measured from these same films are ambiguous and indeterminate. This result can be attributed to the local structure (near‐neighbor bonding) sensitivity of core‐level photoabsorption that is insensitive to domain size, unlike Raman spectroscopy.
ICT in the University Environment: Twitch and Instagram as Learning Tools

In recent days, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been incorporated into the teaching-learning process. The study aims to achieve greater student engagement, and satisfaction using Instagram and Twitch platforms as methodological tools in teaching. The sample collects 50 students from the degree of a primary school teacher at the University of Valencia. The evaluation instrument has been based on direct observation and the use of the survey Barrado et al. (1999), evaluating the practical program, and the degree of satisfaction of the students. The results show the benefits of accessing learning at any time. Active participation in the platforms has made possible the involvement of students, receiving immediate feedback, and allowing them to build continuous learning.
A Multiscale Approach to Deep Blind Image Quality Assessment

Faithful measurement of perceptual quality is of significant importance to various multimedia applications. By fully utilizing reference images, full-reference image quality assessment (FR-IQA) methods usually achieve better prediction performance. On the other hand, no-reference image quality assessment (NR-IQA), also known as blind image quality assessment (BIQA), which does not consider the reference image, makes it a challenging but important task. Previous NR-IQA methods have focused on spatial measures at the expense of information in the available frequency bands. In this paper, we present a multiscale deep blind image quality assessment method (BIQA, M.D.) with spatial optimal-scale filtering analysis. Motivated by the multi-channel behavior of the human visual system and contrast sensitivity function, we decompose an image into a number of spatial frequency bands through multiscale filtering and extract features to map an image to its subjective quality score by applying convolutional neural network. Experimental results show that BIQA, M.D. compares well with existing NR-IQA methods and generalizes well across datasets.