This study focuses on the parametric stochastic modeling of characteristic sound features that distinguish languages from one another. A new stochastic model, the so-called Gaussian mixture bigram ...model (GMBM), that allows exploitation of the acoustic feature bigram statistics without requiring transcribed training data is introduced. For greater efficiency, a minimum classification error (MCE) algorithm is employed to accomplish discriminative training of a GMBM-based Chinese dialect identification system. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the GMBM for dialect-specific acoustic modeling, and use of this model allows the proposed system to distinguish between the three major Chinese dialects spoken in Taiwan with 94.4% accuracy.
To investigate the role of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) gene polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Taiwan, MnSOD and CYP1A1 ...genes polymorphisms were determined by he polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism method in 112 patients with RA and 96 controls. There were no significant differences in the genotype, allele, and phenotype frequencies of MnSOD Ala-9Val (C1183T) polymorphisms between patients with RA and controls. The polymorphism of MnSOD 5777T, threonine at the 58th amino acid, cannot be found in RA patients and controls in Taiwan. The allele and phenotype frequencies of CYP1A1 4887A and genotype frequency of CYP1A1 4887C/A were lower in RA patients than in controls, whereas the significant difference was lost after correction. MnSOD C1183T polymorphisms were not associated with the clinical manifestations of RA. However, RA patients with CYP1A1 4889G/G have significantly higher frequency of Sjögren’s syndrome, especially in the presence of MnSOD 1183T/T. Patients with CYP1A1 4887C/A also have a trend to develop Sjögren’s syndrome in the presence of MnSOD 1183T/T. The linkage disequilibrium between CYP1A1 4889G and CYP1A1 6235C can be found in this study. MnSOD gene polymorphisms are not related to susceptibility to RA in Taiwan, whereas individuals with CYP1A1 4887A tend to avoid the development of RA. Moreover, CYP1A1 4889G/G and 4887C/A may play a role in the development of Sjögren’s syndrome, especially in the presence of MnSOD 1183T/T. These findings are preliminary. A further confirmation study is necessary.
Vitamin D contributes to bone health and extra-skeletal effects. The mechanisms underlying vitamin D metabolism have not been extensively evaluated. The relationships between vitamin D and ...inflammatory cytokines are debated. Our objective was to investigate whether supplemental interferons are associated with longitudinal change of vitamin D status in humans.
A total of 48 patients with 24 or 48 weeks of pegylated interferon-α plus ribavirin therapy were examined for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) level before treatment, at the end of treatment, and 24 weeks after treatment. In addition, we analyzed publicly available RNA sequencing data from accession GSE42697 and GSE7123 in the Gene Expression Omnibus.
The overall sustained virologic response (SVR) rate was 62.5%. There was no statistically significant association between baseline 25(OH)D concentrations and liver fibrosis. In patients with SVR, serum 25(OH)D increased markedly at end-of-treatment and decreased markedly by the end of the 24-week follow-up period. In the non-SVR group, this treatment-dependent change was lost. In gene expression analysis, the vitamin D biosynthesis process was activated in subjects with SVR, but not in patients without SVR. Furthermore, vitamin D receptor (VDR) signaling in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was triggered in marked responders but not in poor responders.
In the aggregate, these data suggest that interferons have a regulatory influence on vitamin D status that can contribute to VDR signaling in PBMCs.
We demonstrate the applicability of LAMOX as an electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) by preparing two anode‐supported cells based on La0.9Dy0.1Mo2O9 and La0.9Dy0.1Mo1W1O9, and operating at ...625°–700°C under single chamber conditions. The two cells, supported by a composite of NiO and Gd‐doped ceria (GDC), are initialized with a porous Ni+GDC disk to catalyze the partial oxidation reaction of methane. The partially oxidized methane reduces NiO to Ni catalyst and activates the cell at 650°C. A typical membrane electrode assembly of the single chamber SOFC cell consists of a 60‐μm‐thick La0.9Dy0.1Mo2O9 electrolyte, an anode of Ni+GDC, and a cathode of lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite. Its peak power measures 220 mW/cm2 at 700°C in a tubular chamber of 15 mm in diameter, with the total methane/air flow rate of 350 mL/min and CH4:O2=2:1.
A mouse model for spinal muscular atrophy Li, Hung; Hsieh-Li, Hsiu Mei; Chang, Jan-Gowth ...
Nature genetics,
200001, 2000, 2000-Jan, 2000-1-00, 20000101, Letnik:
24, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The survival motor neuron gene is present in humans in a telomeric copy, SMN1, and several centromeric copies, SMN2. Homozygous mutation of SMN1 is associated with proximal spinal muscular atrophy ...(SMA), a severe motor neuron disease characterized by early childhood onset of progressive muscle weakness. To understand the functional role of SMN1 in SMA, we produced mouse lines deficient for mouse Smn and transgenic mouse lines that expressed human SMN2. Smn-/- mice died during the peri-implantation stage. In contrast, transgenic mice harbouring SMN2 in the Smn-/- background showed pathological changes in the spinal cord and skeletal muscles similar to those of SMA patients. The severity of the pathological changes in these mice correlated with the amount of SMN protein that contained the region encoded by exon 7. Our results demonstrate that SMN2 can partially compensate for lack of SMN1. The variable phenotypes of Smn-/-SMN2 mice reflect those seen in SMA patients, providing a mouse model for this disease.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A two-step epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) method was proposed to improve the quality of GaN-based epitaxial layers. In the first step, we grew a three-dimensional GaN low temperature buffer layer ...at 520°C for different amount of time, and the second step is similar to conventional ELO. For two-step ELO GaN samples on SiO2 stripes along 〈112̄0〉 direction, it was found that an 8min first step growth time could provide us the highest lateral to vertical growth rate ratio and the largest angle between sidewalls and basal plane. Under such growth conditions, we could achieve a surface root-mean-square (rms) roughness of 0.480nm and an etch pits density (EPD) of 1.6×107cm−2 in the stripe regions. The surface morphology of the two-step ELO GaN sample is also much better than that of the one-step ELO GaN sample.
The authors developed and evaluated a polymer as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance (MR) angiography. The agent consists of a monomethoxy ether of poly(ethylene glycol) covalently attached to ...poly(L-lysine) (PL), with PL serving as the carrier of gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA). Immunogenicity and toxicity studies were performed in mice, and biokinetic and metabolic studies were performed in rats. Dose response studies were performed with a three-dimensional time-of-flight sequence in eight rats. No permanent immune response was elicited against Gd-DTPA or the carrier molecule, and accumulation in organs of the reiculoendothelial system was minimal. The blood half-life of the agent was 14 hours. A dose of 20 mumol of gadolinium per kilogram of body weight was sufficient to increase the vessel-muscle ratio by four- to fivefold. Contrast was substantially improved and remained unchanged 2 hours after contrast medium administration, and good visualization of four orders of vasculature was allowed.
Through a novel temperature measurement method, this paper studies the lubricant film property subjected to heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) laser heating. The material characterization of ...lubricant film under HAMR ultra-fast heating rate and ultra-short heating period condition has been compared with that after conventional thermal heating. The relationship of lubricant degradation and decomposition with the heating rate and heat duration and the reaction of the lubricant with the metal used for the temperature sensor has been studied and discussed.
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