Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Discovering consistent word confusions in noise

Listeners make mistakes when communicating under adverse conditions, with overall error rates reasonably well-predicted by existing speech intelligibility metrics. However, a detailed examination of confusions made by a majority of listeners is more likely to provide insights into processes of normal word recognition. The current study measured the rate at which robust misperceptions occurred for highly-confusable words embedded in noise. In a second experiment, confusions discovered in the first listening test were subjected to a range of manipulations designed to help identify their cause. These experiments reveal that while majority confusions are quite rare, they occur sufficiently often to make large-scale discovery worthwhile. Surprisingly few misperceptions were due solely to energetic masking by the noise, suggesting that speech and noise “react” in complex ways which are not well-described by traditional masking concepts.
Paraphilia Among Undergraduates in a Nigerian University

There is a paucity of information regarding paraphilia in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims to take a preliminary look at the prevalence of paraphilia in a population representative of young adults in Nigeria. A total of 871 randomly selected full-time undergraduate students aged 18 or more years and enrolled at the University of Calabar had their paraphilia self-administered proforma analyzed. For the purpose of this study probable paraphilia was defined as paraphilic symptoms lasting over 6 months and associated with moderate to severe distress. The combined prevalence of paraphilia which described the number of subjects with at least one paraphilia was 14.8%. The most prevalent paraphilia subtype was voyeurism while pedophilia was the least prevalent. Paraphilia was significantly more likely to be present among younger students. In contrast to most reports however, there was no significant relationship between gender and paraphilia. Paraphilia research should thus not exclude women or be restricted to populations dominated by men. Longitudinal studies should be carried out in the future to explore the relationship(s) between possible risk factors and paraphilia.
Alcohol intoxicated eyewitnesses' memory of intimate partner violence

Alcohol affects memory in many, and mostly negative, ways. This is a problem in legal contexts as many witnesses are alcohol intoxicated when taking part of the critical event. However, research is sparse regarding how, and under what circumstances, the reports of alcohol intoxicated witnesses differ from those of sober witnesses. This study investigated whether alcohol intoxicated and sober eyewitnesses differ regarding completeness, accuracy, and type of information reported, as well as whether gender influenced these variables. Eighty-seven healthy men (n = 44) and women (n = 43) received either an alcoholic beverage (0.7 g/kg) or a control (juice) in a laboratory setting before viewing a film picturing intimate partner violence. Ten minutes after viewing the film, they were interviewed. Reports by alcohol intoxicated women were less complete, but as accurate, as sober women's. In contrast, intoxicated and sober men did not differ regarding completeness or accuracy. Furthermore, compared with sober women, intoxicated women reported fewer actions but no difference was found between the groups regarding reported objects. At this moderate dose, alcohol affected women's reports more than men's, which may be because alcohol affects attention and memory consolidation more clearly at a lower dose for women than for men.
When the appeal of a dominant leader is greater than a prestige leader

Significance We examine why dominant/authoritarian leaders attract support despite the presence of other admired/respected candidates. Although evolutionary psychology supports both dominance and prestige as viable routes for attaining influential leadership positions, extant research lacks theoretical clarity explaining when and why dominant leaders are preferred. Across three large-scale studies we provide robust evidence showing how economic uncertainty affects individuals’ psychological feelings of lack of personal control, resulting in a greater preference for dominant leaders. This research offers important theoretical explanations for why, around the globe from the United States and Indian elections to the Brexit campaign, constituents continue to choose authoritarian leaders over other admired/respected leaders. Across the globe we witness the rise of populist authoritarian leaders who are overbearing in their narrative, aggressive in behavior, and often exhibit questionable moral character. Drawing on evolutionary theory of leadership emergence, in which dominance and prestige are seen as dual routes to leadership, we provide a situational and psychological account for when and why dominant leaders are preferred over other respected and admired candidates. We test our hypothesis using three studies, encompassing more than 140,000 participants, across 69 countries and spanning the past two decades. We find robust support for our hypothesis that under a situational threat of economic uncertainty (as exemplified by the poverty rate, the housing vacancy rate, and the unemployment rate) people escalate their support for dominant leaders. Further, we find that this phenomenon is mediated by participants’ psychological sense of a lack of personal control. Together, these results provide large-scale, globally representative evidence for the structural and psychological antecedents that increase the preference for dominant leaders over their prestigious counterparts.
The International Diffusion of Public Sector Downsizing

We examine change in government employment among OECD countries between 1980 and 1997, with particular attention to the international spread of ideas about organizational downsizing. Network models of diffusion show linked annual rates of employment change among nations that are geographically close to each other and which trade extensively. Sub-analyses demonstrate that downsizers but not upsizers are imitated, and that high rates of economic growth among downsizers stimulate downsizing elsewhere while the outcomes experienced by upsizers have little effect. These results suggest a incremental sharing of policy experience facilitated by the growing power of neoliberal and managerialist discourse. Analysis of alternative diffusion mechanisms locates no general pattern of mimicry among trade competitors, and evidence of learning from outcomes is modest. Major internal sources of public sector downsizing include low rates of economic growth and the parliamentary power of rightist parties.
Induction of Apoptosis in Human Oral Keratinocyte by Doxorubicin.

BACKGROUND/AIM We have previously reported that doxorubicin (DXR) showed much higher cytotoxicity against human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines compared to normal human mesenchymal normal oral cells (gingival fibroblast, periodontal ligament fibroblast, pulp cell), yielding high tumor-specificity. However, we unexpectedly found that doxorubicin showed potent cytotoxicity against human normal oral keratinocytes and primary gingival epithelial cells. In the present study, we investigated the reproducibility, underlining mechanisms and generality of this unexpected finding. MATERIALS AND METHODS Viable cell number was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide method, fine cell structure by transmission electron microscopy and apoptosis induction by western blot analysis. RESULTS Doxorubicin induced keratinocyte toxicity, regardless of cell density and concentration of FBS in the culture medium. Doxorubicin induced apoptosis (characterized by the loss of cell surface microvilli, chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation and caspase-3 activation) in keratinocytes. A total of 11 anticancer drugs showed similar keratinocyte toxicity. Alkaline extract of the leaves of Sasa senanensis Rehder partially alleviated the DXR-induced keratinocyte cytotoxicity by promoting cell growth. CONCLUSION The present study suggested that oral keratinocyte toxicity is a novel adverse effect of most anticancer agents.
Access policies for middleware

This dissertation examines how the architectural layering of middleware constrains the design of a middleware security architecture, and analyses the complications that arise from that. First, we define a precise notion of middleware that includes its architecture and features. Our definition is based on the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), which is used throughout this dissertation both as a reference technology and as a basis for a proof of concept implementation. In several steps, we construct a security model that fits to the described middleware architecture. The model facilitates conceptual reasoning about security. The results of our analysis indicate that the cryptographic identities available on the lower layers of the security model are only of limited use for expressing fine-grained security policies, because they are separated from the application layer entities by the middleware layer. To express individual application layer entities in access policies, additional more fine-grained descriptors are required. To solve this problem for the target side (i.e., the receiving side of an invocation), we propose an improved middleware security model that supports individual access policies on a per-target basis. The model is based on so-called “resource descriptors”, which are used in addition to cryptographic identities to describe application layer entities in access policies. To be useful, descriptors need to fulfil a number of properties, such as local uniqueness and persistency. Next, we examine the information available at the middleware layer for its usefulness as resource descriptors, in particular the interface name and the instance information inside the object reference. Unfortunately neither fulfils all required properties. However, it is possible to obtain resource descriptors on the target side through a mapping process that links target instance information to an externally provided descriptor. We describe both the mapping configuration when the target is instantiated and the mapping process at invocation time. A proof of concept implementation, which contains a number of technical improvements over earlier attempts to solve this problem, shows that this approach is useable in practice, even for complex architectures, such as CORBA and CORBASec (the security services specified for CORBA). Finally, we examine the security approaches of several related middleware technologies that have emerged since the specification of CORBA and CORBASec, and show the applicability of the resource descriptor mapping.
Enteric Viruses and Fecal Bacteria Indicators to Assess Groundwater Quality and Suitability for Irrigation

According to Italian Ministerial Decree No. 185 of 12 June 2003, water is considered suitable for irrigation if levels of fecal bacteria (i.e., Escherichia coli and Salmonella) are within certain parameters. The detection of other microorganisms is not required. The aim of this study is to determine the bacteriological quality of groundwater used for irrigation and the occurrence of enteric viruses (Norovirus, Enterovirus, Rotavirus, Hepatovirus A), and to compare the presence of viruses with the fecal bacteria indicators. A total of 182 wells was analyzed. Widespread fecal contamination of Apulian aquifers was detected (141 wells; 77.5%) by the presence of fecal bacteria (i.e., E. coli, Salmonella, total coliforms, and enterococci). Considering bacteria included in Ministerial Decree No. 185, the water from 35 (19.2%) wells was unsuitable for irrigation purposes. Among 147 wells with water considered suitable, Norovirus, Rotavirus, and Enterovirus were detected in 23 (15.6%) wells. No Hepatovirus A was isolated. Consequently, 58 wells (31.9%) posed a potential infectious risk for irrigation use. This study revealed the inadequacy of fecal bacteria indicators to predict the occurrence of viruses in groundwater and it is the first in Italy to describe the presence of human rotaviruses in well water used for irrigation.
E‐Learning Takes the Lead: An Empirical Investigation of Learner Differences in Online and Classroom Delivery

Outcomes and mediators of differences in online and traditional course delivery were tested with a sample of 112 graduate students who completed an introductory course in training and development. Specifically, the individual learner characteristics of self-efficacy, motivation, goal orientation, and meta-cognition and their effects on success through online delivery were examined. The study also addressed three outcomes: trainees' reactions to that program, their learning, and subsequent planned changes in job behavior. The findings indicate that online learners have significantly more positive reaction levels of enjoyment and utility and significantly stronger intent to transfer their learning. Online students find the coursework more difficult, but there was no significant difference in learning based on delivery mode. Implications for both managers and educators involved in online learning are discussed.
Malignant melanoma of the sympathetic chain: with a consideration of pigmented nerve sheath tumours

A case of malignant melanoma of the posterior mediastinum, arising from the sympathetic chain is reported. The structural features and the presence of long‐spaced collagen on electron microscopic examination suggest schwannian derivation of the tumour. Similar tumours are reviewed and the histogenesis of pigmented nerve sheath tumours in general is discussed. The term ‘malignant melanotic schwannoma’ is probably the most appropriate for the tumour entity described here.
Communicative Interaction and Second Language Acquisition: An Inuit Example

This article reports on research findings that emerged during a longitudinal ethnographic study on the role of cultural context in the communicative interactions of young Inuit (Eskimo) children and their caregivers. The study was conducted in two small communities of arctic Quebec where Inuktitut, the native language of the Inuit, is spoken on a routine, daily basis. The focus of the research was on discourse features of primary language socialization in Inuit families. The incongruity of these features with the discourse in classrooms taught by non-Inuit second language teachers surfaced repeatedly during the course of the study. This incongruity raised several issues pertinent to the learnability and teachability of second languages for Native populations. Such issues are discussed here with reference to related second language acquisition literature. In doing so, the interface between the sociocultural aspects of communicative interaction and second language acquisition is emphasized.
Regulation of endothelial barrier function by p120-catenin∙VE-cadherin interaction

Maintaining VE-cadherin levels by inhibiting its endocytosis through p120-catenin binding is not sufficient for forming a restrictive barrier. Instead, p120-catenin binding to VE-cadherin is required to allow tyrosine-phosphorylated VE-cadherin to contribute to barrier formation.
Hierarchical Diagnosis of Multiple Faults

Due to large search spaces, diagnosis of combinational circuits is often practical for finding only single and double faults. In principle, system models can be compiled into a tractable representation (such as DNNF) on which faults of arbitrary cardinality can be found efficiently. For large circuits, however, compilation can become a bottleneck due to the large number of variables necessary to model the health of individual gates. We propose a novel method that greatly reduces this number, allowing the compilation, as well as the diagnosis, to scale to larger circuits. The basic idea is to identify regions of a circuit, called cones, that are dominated by single gates, and model the health of each cone with a single health variable. When a cone is found to be possibly faulty, we diagnose it by again identifying the cones inside it, and so on, until we reach a base case. We show that results combined from these hierarchical sessions are sound and complete with respect to minimum-cardinality diagnoses. We implement this method on top of the diagnoser developed by Huang and Darwiche in 2005, and present evidence that it significantly improves the efficiency and scalability of diagnosis on the ISCAS-85 circuits.
Supralaryngeal control in Korean velar stops Running Title: Supralaryngeal control in Korean velar stops

The aim of this study was to investigate the supralaryngeal control of the production of the Korean three-way contrast in velar stops. First, an EMA-experiment with three Korean speakers was carried out, and the kinematic properties of the tongue back were analyzed (length of the deceleration phase of the movement, peak velocity, peak acceleration, amplitude and duration of the looping movement during consonantal closure, and angle of incidence between tongue and palate at contact onset). To understand the potential motor control mechanisms underlying the production of the three-way contrast, the target hypothesis which suggests that articulator movements in stops are directed towards a target at or beyond the palate, was evaluated by comparing its predictions with our experimental findings. Evidence was found in support of this hypothesis. Hence, the hypothesis was further explored in a modeling study. The results suggest that variability in the articulatory parameters can be explained by a single control parameter, namely the target position of the tongue. In a third step the Korean velar stops were simulated by varying the target position. The results show that the main trends of the simulated consonants are in good agreement with the experimental findings.
Association of IL10 -819C>T and -592C>A Polymorphisms with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Susceptibility: Evidence from Published Studies

Numerous studies have investigated the association of IL10 -819C>T and -592C>A polymorphisms with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) susceptibility, and yet reported conflicting results. With this in mind, we performed the current meta-analysis with an aim to verify actual causative variants underlying lymphomagenesis. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to evaluate the strength of the associations. Moreover, to explore the biological function of these polymorphisms, we also performed genotype-based mRNA expression analysis using online database derived from 270 subjects within three ethnicities. The final analysis included 11 studies with a total of 5859 NHL cases and 6893 controls for the IL10 -819C>T polymorphism, and 11 studies with 6277 cases and 7350 controls for the IL10 -592C>A polymorphism. No significant association was observed for these two polymorphisms in either the overall analysis or the stratification analyses by ethnicity and source of controls. Nevertheless, stratification analyses demonstrated a significant decreased risk associated with the IL10 -819C>T polymorphism (homozygous: OR=0.81, 95% CI=0.66-0.99, and recessive model: OR=0.80, 95%CI=0.65-0.98) and IL10 -592C>A polymorphism (homozygous: OR=0.80, 95% CI=0.66-0.99, and recessive model: OR=0.80, 95%CI=0.66-0.97) among patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Despite some limitations, this meta-analysis indicates that polymorphisms in IL10 gene may contribute to DLBCL susceptibility.
Geloof en geluk in landen

textabstractDit artikel behandelt drie vragen over de relatie tussen geloof en geluk in landen: 1) Zijn mensen gelukkiger in landen waar geloof een grote rol speelt? 2) Maakt de aard van het geloof daarbij uit? 3) Doet diversiteit in geloof afbreuk aan het geluk? Deze vragen worden beantwoord aan de hand van vergelijkende analyse van 142 hedendaagse landen. De mate van geloof in landen wordt gemeten met een enquetevraag naar het belang dat men hecht aan God. De aard van geloof en de diversiteit van geloof worden gemeten aan de hand van percentages van de bevolking dat zich tot een bepaalde geloofsgemeenschap rekent. Geluk wordt gemeten met enquetevragen naar ‘overkoepelend geluk’, stemmingsniveau en tevredenheid met het leven. Analyse van deze gegevens leert het volgende: 1) Er is een negatief verband tussen mate van geloof en gemiddeld geluk (r = ─ 0.31). In landen waar God belangrijk wordt geacht zijn de mensen doorgaans minder gelukkig. Bij controle voor welvaart verdwijnt dit verband grotendeels. Ook bij aparte analyse van westerse landen vinden we een negatieve correlatie tussen religiositeit en geluk (r = ─ 0.29). 2) Het percentage Christenen in een land blijkt positief samen te hangen met het gemiddelde geluk van de bevolking. Het percentage Katholieken hangt sterk samen met geluk op mondiaal niveau, terwijl het percentage Protestanten sterk samenhangt met geluk in de Westerse wereld. Op mondiaal niveau blijkt er een negatief verband te bestaan met het aantal Moslims, met het aantal Hindoes en met het aantal Boeddhisten, terwijl er geen verband wordt gevonden met het percentage Joden. De meeste verbanden verdwijnen na controle voor welvaart, maar het positieve verband met het percentage katholieken blijft (rp= +0.37). Hetzelfde geldt voor het negatieve verband tussen geluk en het percentage Boeddhisten (rp= ─ 0.27). 3) Diversiteit in geloof in het land gaat doorgaans gepaard met lager geluk (r=─ 0.25), maar onder westerse landen blijkt juist een licht positief verband (r= +0.10). Deze uitkomsten sluiten aan bij eerder onderzoek waaruit blijkt dat mensen beter gedijen in de moderne maatschappij dan in landen die nog dichter bij de traditionele agrarische samenleving staan. In die context kan geloof worden gezien als een bijverschijnsel van een minder leefbare maatschappijvorm, waarbinnen het mogelijk een positieve functie vervult. Geloof kan echter ook een factor zijn die dit soort samenlevingen in stand houdt. ENGLISH ABSTRACT Three questions are addressed in this paper: 1) Are people happier in nations where religion is prominent? 2) Does religious denomination matter in that context? 3) Are people less happy in religiously diverse nations? Comparison of 142 nations around 2005 yields the following answers: 1) People tend to be less happy in the most religious nations. 2) Average happiness is higher the more Christians in the nations and lower the more Muslims or Buddhist. 3) Religious diversity is negatively related to happiness among most countries, but is slightly positively related to average happiness in western nations
Targeted disruption of the murine Plag1 proto‐oncogene causes growth retardation and reduced fertility

The pleomorphic adenoma gene 1 (Plag1) proto‐oncogene encodes a transcription factor and is implicated in human tumorigenesis via ectopic overexpression. No information is available about its developmental role. To address this, a Plag1–/– mouse strain was generated and it appears that Plag1‐deficient mice are viable. No anatomical differences are obvious at birth, except that the weight of Plag1–/– mice is significantly lower in comparison to control litter mates. This early growth retardation is maintained throughout adult life with proportionally smaller organs except for the disproportionally small seminal vesicles and ventral prostate; however, plasma testosterone levels in males were not affected. Furthermore, fertility of both male and female Plag1–/– is reduced. Northern blot analysis revealed that Plag1 is developmentally regulated with high overall fetal expression levels, which drop after birth. Furthermore, Plag1 is differentially expressed and is readily detectable in the reproductive organs and pituitary. Expression of growth regulatory Igf2, a known target gene of Plag1 in tumorigenesis, was not affected in Plag1–/– embryos and pups. The general morphology and histology of the size‐reduced pituitaries was not affected. Our results establish that Plag1 disruption in mouse differentially affects pre‐ and postnatal growth and development of organs, with reproductive repercussions.