Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
N1-p2 recordings to gaps in broadband noise.

BACKGROUND Normal temporal processing is important for the perception of speech in quiet and in difficult listening situations. Temporal resolution is commonly measured using a behavioral gap detection task, where the patient or subject must participate in the evaluation process. This is difficult to achieve with subjects who cannot reliably complete a behavioral test. However, recent research has investigated the use of evoked potential measures to evaluate gap detection. PURPOSE The purpose of the current study was to record N1-P2 responses to gaps in broadband noise in normal hearing young adults. Comparisons were made of the N1 and P2 latencies, amplitudes, and morphology to different length gaps in noise in an effort to quantify the changing responses of the brain to these stimuli. It was the goal of this study to show that electrophysiological recordings can be used to evaluate temporal resolution and measure the influence of short and long gaps on the N1-P2 waveform. RESEARCH DESIGN This study used a repeated-measures design. All subjects completed a behavioral gap detection procedure to establish their behavioral gap detection threshold (BGDT). N1-P2 waveforms were recorded to the gap in a broadband noise. Gap durations were 20 msec, 2 msec above their BGDT, and 2 msec. These durations were chosen to represent a suprathreshold gap, a near-threshold gap, and a subthreshold gap. STUDY SAMPLE Fifteen normal-hearing young adult females were evaluated. Subjects were recruited from the local university community. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Latencies and amplitudes for N1 and P2 were compared across gap durations for all subjects using a repeated-measures analysis of variance. A qualitative description of responses was also included. RESULTS Most subjects did not display an N1-P2 response to a 2 msec gap, but all subjects had present clear evoked potential responses to 20 msec and 2+ msec gaps. Decreasing gap duration toward threshold resulted in decreasing waveform amplitude. However, N1 and P2 latencies remained stable as gap duration changed. CONCLUSIONS N1-P2 waveforms can be elicited by gaps in noise in young normal-hearing adults. The responses are present as low as 2 msec above behavioral gap detection thresholds (BGDT). Gaps that are below BGDT do not generally evoke an electrophysiological response. These findings indicate that when a waveform is present, the gap duration is likely above their BGDT. Waveform amplitude is also a good index of gap detection, since amplitude decreases with decreasing gap duration. Future studies in this area will focus on various age groups and individuals with auditory disorders.
An analysis of the relationships among face concerns and facework behaviors in perceived conflict situations

Purpose – Prior research demonstrates the importance of face in conflict situations. However, the direct relationship of face concerns to facework behaviors has limited empirical support. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among self‐, other‐, and mutual‐face concern and 11 facework strategies within Chinese, Japanese, German, and USA national cultures in recalled conflict situations.Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted by administering a survey to 768 participants from China, Japan, Germany, and the USA who recalled a conflict situation. Participants completed a self‐report questionnaire about their attitudes and conflict behaviors during a recalled conflict. Regression analysis and comparisons of correlations were utilized to examine relationships between face concerns and facework across the four cultures.Findings – The major findings are: other‐face is associated with remain calm, apologize, private discussion, giving in and pretend positively and.
Ethnic Variation in Vellus Hair Follicle Size and Distribution

It is a given fact that hair follicles play an important role in the penetration process of topically applied drugs and cosmetics. Since exact knowledge of the potential follicular reservoir is essential for understanding and calculating the penetration process, this knowledge may indeed help to optimize the development of topically applied drugs and cosmetic products. We know that variability in skin properties exists among the human population, but it is the deciphering and quantification of these differences that may help to explain racial disparities in dermatological disorders and provide a basic approach for treatment and prevention. Data pertaining to structural and functional differences within ethnic skin types (reviewed in this paper) support the assumption that hair follicles in the various skin types are not equal. Thus, the need to investigate follicular morphology in non-Caucasian skin types becomes more than apparent. The aim of the present study was to determine the potential reservoir of vellus hair follicles in non-Caucasian skin types in order to estimate their contribution to the penetration of topically applied substances. Cyanoacrylate skin surface biopsies were taken from seven body sites of Asians and African-Americans. To determine the follicular reservoir, the samples were evaluated under the light microscope. Follicular parameters were measured with the help of a digital imaging software program. In the evaluation and comparison of the results with those of Caucasians, significant differences were detected. Compared with Whites, follicular density on the forehead is significantly lower in Asians and African-Americans. Smaller values were detected for volume, surface, follicular orifice and hair shaft diameter on the thigh and in calf regions in Asians and African-Americans. Furthermore, the follicular reservoir, characterized by follicular volume, is generally higher in Caucasians. In comparison to African-Americans, larger follicular volumes on the forehead, back and on the upper arm were determined in Asians. The fairly similar density in these sites revealed that Asians have a higher follicular reservoir in these sites. Due to significant ethnic differences in the follicular reservoir, particularly on the calf and forehead, prospective skin absorption experiments need to be performed on different skin types in order to be representative. Likewise, the development of topically applied drugs should take place under adequate consideration of ethnic differences in skin physiology.
Dynamic Security Labels and Noninterference Lantian

This paper gives a language in which information flow is securely controlled by a dependent type system, yet the security classes of data can vary dynamically. Information flow policies provide the means to express strong security requirements for data confidentiality and integrity. Recent work on security-typed programming languages has shown that information flow can be analyzed statically, ensuring that programs will respect the restrictions placed on data. However, real computing systems have security policies that vary dynamically and that cannot be determined at the time of program analysis. For example, a file has associated access permissions that cannot be known with certainty until it is opened. Although one security-typed programming language has included support for dynamic security labels, there has been no demonstration that a general mechanism for dynamic labels can securely control information flow. In this paper, we present an expressive language-based mechanism for reasoning about dynamic security labels. The mechanism is formally presented in a core language based on the typed lambda calculus; any well-typed program in this language is provably secure because it satisfies noninterference.
Riots, Revolution and Rehabilitation: The Future of Probation

The probation service currently faces an unprecedented attack on its future existence as a public sector agency, publicly funded and accountable to local communities. This attack is partly a reflection of the ideological drive, begun under New Labour and accelerated under the current coalition arrangements to segment and privatise correctional services, and partly a result of a renewed criticism on the effectiveness of the rehabilitative endeavour of the probation service. The author argues that this attack can only be fully understood within the context of neoliberal approaches to defining social problems and the role of the State.
Flow Cytometry in Veterinary Oncology

Flow cytometry is a highly sensitive and specific method for simultaneous analysis of multiple parameters of individual cells in a suspension. It has a range of applications in veterinary medicine, and it is increasingly used in veterinary oncology as more species-specific antibodies are generated and cross-reactivity of antibodies is characterized. Two major applications in veterinary oncology are (1) immunophenotyping with a panel of fluorescently labeled antibodies to assess expression of cell markers and (2) determination of the DNA content of cells with fluorescent dyes that bind nucleic acids. The diagnostic and prognostic value of classifying round cell tumors of animals—especially, lymphocyte proliferations—remains to be fully determined, but studies to date have indicated benefit to patient management. Similarly, determining the proliferating fraction of tumors through DNA analysis remains to be standardized and validated in veterinary oncology but shows promise as an adjunct to morphologic tumor classification. This article reviews technical aspects of flow cytometry, availability of antibodies suitable for studies in domestic animals, and applications in veterinary oncology with emphasis on characterization of round cell tumors.
Agents of Change: Interpreters as Witnesses of Transition

In this article we would like to share the preliminary results of our on-going research on the memories of interpreters. From 2011-2012 we have carried out in-depth interviews with representatives of two different samples: experienced dialogue interpreters a) in Estonia and b) in Sweden, most of whom have worked from the 1960s till today. This article sums up the preliminary results on the sample from Estonia. The focus is on the development of the interpreter´s role as reflecting the changes in society, cultural and social practices. As for the theoretical background, we view the processes within the framework of Transition Studies (cf. Lauristin, Vihalemm 2010; Kennedy 2002). The methodological framework is ethnographic research. More specifically: we combine narrative studies and memory research ( Koresaar, Kirss 2004; Riessman 1993, Middleton, Brown 2005, Gilbert 2008); method: semi-structured interviews (cf. Nunan 1992, Van Maanen 1983, Gilbert 2008). The analysis of our on-going research also enables us to test and share with our readers the pros and cons of the chosen methodology and methods.
Backlash compensation in nonlinear systems using dynamic inversion by neural networks

A dynamic inversion compensation scheme is presented for backlash. The compensator uses the backstepping technique with neural networks (NN) for inverting the backlash nonlinearity in the feedforward path. The technique provides a general procedure for using NN to determine the dynamic pre-inverse of an invertible dynamical system. A tuning algorithm is presented for the NN backlash compensator which yields a stable closed-loop system.
A comparative study of American English and Korean vowels produced by male and female speakers

F 1 ‐ F 3 and f 0 of 10 Korean vowels and 13 American English vowels produced by 10 male and 10 female speakers of each language group were studied while holding dialectal factors as homogeneous as possible in each group . Within- and across-language comparisons of the collected data revealed considerable variation in vocal tract length between male and female speakers and between Korean and American English speakers . For a more precise comparison , the variation was drastically reduced by applying uniform scaling within and across the two languages . In the cross-language comparison of the normalized data , which were converted to a perceptual dimension , it is argued that adaptive dispersion is operating within a language’s system of contrasts to fulfill a condition of suf ficient contrast . t -tests were conducted on those vowels transcribed using the same or similar IPA symbols in the two languages to assess the statistical significance of those comparisons . ÷ 1996 Academic Press Limited
May Exercise Prevent Addiction?

Amphetamines exert their persistent addictive effects by activating brain's reward pathways, perhaps through the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (and/or in other places). On the other hand, there is a relationship between dopamine and all behavioural aspects that involve motor activity and it has been demonstrated that exercise leads to an increase in the synthesis and release of dopamine, stimulates neuroplasticity and promotes feelings of well-being. Moreover, exercise and drugs of abuse activate overlapping neural systems. Thus, our aim was to study the influence of chronic exercise in the mechanism of addiction using an amphetamine-induced conditioned-place-preference in rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly separated in groups with and without chronic exercise. Chronic exercise consisted in a 8 week treadmill running program, with increasing intensity. The conditioned place preference test was performed in both groups using a procedure and apparatus previously established. A 2 mg.kg-1 amphetamine or saline solution was administered intraperitonially according to the schedule of the conditioned place preference. Before conditioning none of the animals showed preference for a specific compartment of the apparatus. The used amphetamine dose in the conditioning phase was able to produce a marked preference towards the drug-associated compartment in the group without exercise. In the animals with exercise a significant preference by the compartment associated with saline was observed. These results lead us to conclude that a previous practice of regular physical activity may help preventing amphetamine addiction in the conditions used in this test.
One in Millions, Billions and Trillions: Lessons from People V. Collins (1968) for People V. Simpson (1995)

On June 18, 1994, newspaper headlines across the world trumpeted the arrest of sports superstar O. J. Simpson in Los Angeles for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. After a contentious nine-month trial, the jury took only three and a half hours to find Mr. Simpson not guilty of both murders. For years to come, students entering law school will know the basic facts of the Simpson case and will have opinions about the incriminating value of the DNA evidence that linked Mr. Simpson to the crime scene. But few among them will know the significance of certain events that took place just a few miles from the Simpson/Goldman crime scene exactly thirty years earlier.
Generation of transgenic quail through germ cell‐mediated germline transmission

Here, we describe the production of transgenic quail via a germline transmission system using postmigratory gonadal primordial germ cells (gPGCs). gPGCs retrieved from the embryonic gonads of 5‐day‐old birds were transduced with a lentiviral vector and subsequently transferred into recipient embryos. Testcross and genetic analyses revealed that among three germline chimeric G0 quail, one male produced transgenic offspring;of 310 hatchlings from the transgenic germline chimera, 24 were identified as donor‐derived offspring, and 6 were transgenic (6/310, 1.9%). Conventional transgenesis using stage × blastodermal embryos was also conducted, but the efficiency of transgenesis was similar between the two systems (<1.6 vs. 1.9% for the conventional and gPGC‐mediated systems, respectively). However, substantial advantages can be gained from gPGC‐mediated method in that it enables an induced germline modification, whereas direct retroviral transfer to stage X embryos causes mosaic integration. The use of gonadal PGCs for transgenesis may lead to the production of bioreactors. —Shin, S. S. , Kim, T. M. , Kim, S. Y. , Kim, T. W. , Seo, H. W. , Lee, S. K. , Kwon, S. C. , Lee, G. S. , Kim, H. , Lim, J. M. , Han, J. Y. Generation of transgenic quail through germ cell‐mediated germline transmission. FASEB J. 22, 2435–2444 (2008)
Cytochalasin D reduces Ca2+ currents via cofilin‐activated depolymerization of F‐actin in guinea‐pig cardiomyocytes

1 L‐type Ca2+ channel currents (ICa) were measured in guinea‐pig ventricular myocytes (22 °C, 300 ms steps from ‐45 to +10 mV). Pulsing at 0.5 Hz reduced ICa within 5 min to 92 ± 3 % (mean ±s.e.m., n= 14) and within 10 min to 83 ± 4 % (‘run‐down’ with reference to ICa after a 5 min equilibration period). 2 Bath‐applied cytochalasin D (cytD, 10 μm) reduced ICa to 75 ± 4 % within 5 min and to 61 ± 4 % within 10 min (‘cytD reduction of ICa‘) by reduction of maximal Ca2+ conductance (suggested by fits of time course and of current‐potential (I–V) curves). 3 Preincubation with phalloidin (bath applied, 100 μm, 5 h) prevented the cytD reduction of ICa. Since phalloidin specifically blocks F‐actin depolymerization, cytD reduction of ICa is linked to depolymerization of F‐actin. 4 CytD did not attenuate the β‐adrenergic stimulation of ICa (30 nm isoproterenol), suggesting that A kinase anchoring proteins are unlikely to mediate the cytD reduction of ICa. The cytD reduction of ICa was abolished by extra‐/intracellular acidosis (pHo 6.9), by cell dialysis of 5 mm BAPTA, or by serine/threonine protein phosphatase inhibitors. 5 Actin‐depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin are proteins that bind to actin, mediate a pH‐sensitive depolymerization of F‐actin, and are activated by dephosphorylation. Western blots from hearts perfused with solutions containing zero or 10 μm cytD indicated that cytD reduces the ratio of phosphorylated to total ADF/cofilin content by 50 %. 6 The data support the concept that cytD mediates dephosphorylation and activation of ADF/cofilin, leading to depolymerization of F‐actin with a subsequent reduction of ICa.
When the Early Bird Catches the Worm: The Impact of Training in Retail

We econometrically evaluate the performance effects of a six month e-learning programme in a large retail chain with monthly data on sales revenue, for four years using panel regressions. Participants in early cohorts show positive performance effects during training periods that depreciate afterwards. We conclude that offering training on a voluntary basis leads participants with the highest expected idiosyncratic gains and the highest talent to self-select into early participation. As performance effects already unfold during training, our findings put forward the importance of continuous training with close coaching unlike single training incidences.
Bullying: A Case for Early Intervention

While early intervention into bullying is identified as part of national crime prevention strategies in countries such as Australia, there is a relative paucity of bullying research in early childhood education in comparison to bullying research conducted in the formal school setting. There is little evidence also of usage by early childhood teachers of the binary categories of bully and victim with clear criteria for category membership to denote those individuals who threaten social order. This paper reports on a beginning study of bullying with early childhood teachers and children in three centres catering for children birth to 5 years in Brisbane, Australia. The emerging study examines the pedagogical practices employed by early childhood teachers to address the bullying phenomenon within an early intervention imperative and seeks to generate research-based insight into the nature of bullying and the strategies used to address and reduce bullying in early childhood education.
Occupational gender stereotypes and problem-solving in Italian adolescents

ABSTRACT The first purpose of the study was to establish how Italian adolescents perceive jobs in the newly emerging economy sectors as well as more traditional jobs from gender-stereotyped and gender-segregated perspectives. The second purpose was to verify the role of problem-solving and gender in gender-role stereotyping. A total of 217 Italian high school students were involved. A questionnaire developed by Miller and Hayward was used to examine the students’ occupational gender-role stereotyping, segregation and interests. The Problem-Solving Inventory was administered to examine problem-solving. Adolescents perceived most jobs as being gender-stereotyped and -segregated. Female gender and problem-solving ability were associated with a reduced tendency to perceive jobs as gender-stereotyped.
Market Power and Capital Flexibility : A New Perspective on the Pricing of Technology Shocks ∗

In this paper we show that firms’ market power and flexibility in the utilization of capital crucially affect how investment-specific technology (IST) shocks impact asset prices. We develop a two-sector general equilibrium model in which households have recursive preferences and obtain three main results. First, the equilibrium price of risk for IST shocks changes sign from negative, under fixed capital utilization, to positive, when firms are allowed to optimally choose the intensity of capital utilization. Variable capital utilization provides flexible capital service input in the production of the consumption good and hence alters the intertemporal trade-off between current and future consumption (“discount rate effect”). Second, the firms’ equilibrium IST loadings change sign from negative, for perfectly competitive firms, to positive, for monopolistically competitive firms. Market power allows firms to benefit from the reduction in capital investment costs induced by a positive technology shock (“cash flow effect”). Finally, preference for early resolution of uncertainty, together with flexible capital utilization and high market power, can generate simultaneously positive price of risk and positive risk premium for IST shocks. These results indicate that variable capital utilization and market power are critical ingredients for production-based models that rely on IST shocks to explain observed properties of both asset prices and macroeconomic quantities. JEL Classification Codes: E22; G12; O30
Legally Prescribed Functions of Adult and Juvenile Probation Officers

Abstract Historically, there have been two competing goals of probation: law enforcement and rehabilitation of the offender. Accordingly, the role, functions, and tasks of probation officers are at times in conflict. In this paper we explore the roles of adult and juvenile probation officers and compare their statutorily prescribed duties. In so doing we attempt to uncover what differences exist between adult and juvenile probation officers. We conclude that there are no appreciable differences between the orientation (either law enforcement or rehabilitation) of the tasks adult and juvenile probation officers are mandated to perform. Moreover, the task orientation of probation officers (adult and juvenile) is slanted towards law enforcement.