Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance of subjects fit with the Advanced Bionics CII and Nucleus 3G cochlear implant devices.

OBJECTIVE To determine if subjects who used different cochlear implant devices and who were matched on consonant-vowel-consonant (CNC) identification in quiet would show differences in performance on speech-based tests of spectral and temporal resolution, speech understanding in noise, or speech understanding at low sound levels. DESIGN The performance of 15 subjects fit with the CII Bionic Ear System (CII Bionic Ear behind-the-ear speech processor with the Hi-Resolution sound processing strategy; Advanced Bionics Corporation) was compared with the performance of 15 subjects fit with the Nucleus 24 electrode array and ESPrit 3G behind-the-ear speech processor with the advanced combination encoder speech coding strategy (cochlear corporation). SUBJECTS Thirty adults with late-onset deafness and above-average speech perception abilities who used cochlear implants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Vowel recognition, consonant recognition, sentences in quiet (74, 64, and 54 dB SPL [sound pressure level]) and in noise (+10 and +5 dB SNR [signal-to-noise ratio]), voice discrimination, and melody recognition. RESULTS Group differences in performance were significant in 4 conditions: vowel identification, difficult sentence material at +5 dB and +10 dB SNR, and a measure that quantified performance in noise and low input levels relative to performance in quiet. CONCLUSIONS We have identified tasks on which there are between-group differences in performance for subjects matched on CNC word scores in quiet. We suspect that the differences in performance are due to differences in signal processing. Our next goal is to uncover the signal processing attributes of the speech processors that are responsible for the differences in performance.
An Efficient Hardware Implementation of Canny Edge Detection Algorithm

The edge detection is one of the key techniques in most image processing applications. The canny edge detection is proven to be able to significantly outperform existing edge detection techniques due to its superior performance. Unfortunately, the implementation of the systems in real-time is computationally complex, high hardware cost with increased latency. The proposed canny edge detection algorithm uses approximation methods to replace the complex operations, the pipelining is employed to reduce the latency. Finally, this algorithm is implemented on Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA. When compared with the previous hardware architecture for canny edge detection, the proposed architecture requires fewer hardware costs and takes 1ms to detect the edges of 512×512 image.
Principles of Therapeutic Change That Work

PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1. The Task Force on Empirically Base Principles of Therapeutic Change PART 2: DYSPHORIC DISORDERS 2. Participant Factors in Treating Dysphoric Disorders 3. Relationship Factors in Treating Dysphoric Disorders 4. Technique Factors in Treating Dysphoric Disorders 5. Integration of Therapeutic Factors in Dysphoric Disorders PART 3: ANXIETY DISORDERS 6. Participant Factors in Treating Anxiety Disorders 7. Relationship Factors in Treating Anxiety Disorders 8. Technique Factors in Treating Anxiety Disorders 9. Integration of Therapeutic Factors in Anxiety Disorders PART 4: PERSONALITY DISORDERS 10. Participant Factors in Treating Personality Disorders 11. Relationship Factors in Treating Personality Disorders 12. Technique Factors in Treating Personality Disorders 13. Integration of Therapeutic Factors in Treating Personality Disorders PART 5: SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS 14. Participant Factors in Treating Substance Use Disorders 15. Relationship Factors in Treating Substance Use Disorders 16. Technique Factors in Treating Substance Use Disorders 17. Integration of Therapeutic Factors in Treating Substance Use Disorders PART 6: CONCLUSIONS 18. Common and Unique Problems of Therapeutic Change: What do we know and what do we need to know?
Functional Characterization of 14 Pht1 Family Genes in Yeast and Their Expressions in Response to Nutrient Starvation in Soybean

Background Phosphorus (P) is essential for plant growth and development. Phosphate (Pi) transporter genes in the Pht1 family play important roles in Pi uptake and translocation in plants. Although Pht1 family genes have been well studied in model plants, little is known about their functions in soybean, an important legume crop worldwide. Principal Findings We identified and isolated a complete set of 14 Pi transporter genes (GmPT1-14) in the soybean genome and categorized them into two subfamilies based on phylogenetic analysis. Then, an experiment to elucidate Pi transport activity of the GmPTs was carried out using a yeast mutant defective in high-affinity Pi transport. Results showed that 12 of the 14 GmPTs were able to complement Pi uptake of the yeast mutant with Km values ranging from 25.7 to 116.3 µM, demonstrating that most of the GmPTs are high-affinity Pi transporters. Further results from qRT-PCR showed that the expressions of the 14 GmPTs differed not only in response to P availability in different tissues, but also to other nutrient stresses, including N, K and Fe deficiency, suggesting that besides functioning in Pi uptake and translocation, GmPTs might be involved in synergistic regulation of mineral nutrient homeostasis in soybean. Conclusions The comprehensive analysis of Pi transporter function in yeast and expression responses to nutrition starvation of Pht1 family genes in soybean revealed their involvement in other nutrient homeostasis besides P, which could help to better understand the regulation network among ion homeostasis in plants.
Determination of chromium and cobalt in human serum by neutron activation analysis.

Confusion exists about the chromium and cobalt concentrations in the serum of healthy individuals. We determined these elements by neutron activation analysis. The samples were irradiated during 12 days at a flux of approximately 10(14) neutrons.cm-2.s-1. Chromium was selectively separated by distillation after the irradiation. We obtained the following values (mean +/- standard deviation): 0.160 +/- 0.083 mug/liter for chromium, and 0.108 +/- 0.060 mug/liter for cobalt.
Understanding Narrative Therapy: A Guidebook for the Social Worker

A clear guide to one of today's most popular treatment modalities, this volume explores why the narrative metaphor is important in the therapeutic relationship, and how to incorporate narrative techniques into social work practice. Building on basic insights about how stories shape people's lives, and how destructive stories can be modified, the authors explore various applications of the narrative approach. These applications include conducting groups, working with multicultural clients, and supplementary classroom discussions.
Culture and Institutions: Economic Development in the Regions of Europe

Does culture have a causal effect on economic development? The data on European regions suggest that it does. Culture is measured by indicators of individual values and beliefs, such as trust and respect for others, and confidence in individual self-determination. To isolate the exogenous variation in culture, I rely on two historical variables used as instruments: the literacy rate at the end of the XIXth century, and the political institutions in place over the past several centuries. The political and social history of Europe provides a rich source of variation in these two variables at a regional level. The exogenous component of culture due to history is strongly correlated with current regional economic development, after controlling for contemporaneous education, urbanization rates around 1850 and national effects. Moreover, the data do not reject the over-identifying assumption that the two historical variables used as instruments only influence regional development through culture. The indicators of culture used in this paper are also strongly correlated with economic development and with available measures of institutions in a cross-country setting.
Managing energy tariffs with agents: a field study of a future smart energy system at home

Interactive autonomous systems are likely to be more involved in future energy systems to assist human users. Given this, we prototyped a future scenario in which householders are assisted in switching electricity tariffs by an agent-based interactive system. The system uses real-time electricity monitoring to instantiate a scenario where participants may have to make, or delegate to their agent (in a variety ways), tariff switching decisions given uncertainty about their own consumption. We carried out a field trial with 12 households for 6 weeks in order to study the notion of autonomy. The results show nuanced ways in which monitoring system performance and taking control is balanced in everyday practice. Our field study provides promising directions for future use of smart systems that help householders manage their energy.
Resilience Strategies of South Asian Women Who have Survived Child Sexual Abuse

RESILIENCE STRATEGIES OF SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN WHO HAVE SURVIVED CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE by Anneliese A. Singh The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the resilience strategies of 13 South Asian female survivors of child sexual abuse. Two research questions guided this study: (a) How does a small sample of South Asian adult women in the United States (U.S.) describe their experiences of child sexual abuse? and (b) What resilience strategies do these South Asian female survivors of child sexual abuse report using to cope with child sexual abuse? The phenomenological research design was grounded in feminist theory to capture the lived experiences of resilience related to child sexual abuse (Patton, 1990). Data were collected during semi-structured interviews with five informants and one 90-minute focus group of eight informants who did not participate in the individual interviews. Bracketing of researcher assumptions was used to demonstrate dependability, credibility, and coherence of the data reduction and analysis (Creswell, 1998). Open coding generated a list of broad domains to create a codebook (Wertz, 2005). Using a recursive method of data collection and analysis, the codebook guided independent coding of each transcribed interview. Constant comparison identified new codes that did not fit under previously identified domains (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Two overarching themes emerged from the data. The first theme, South Asian context, included four subthemes (gender, family, ethnic identity, acculturation), and the second theme, resilience, included five subthemes (use of silence, hope social support, social advocacy, self-care). A model based on these finding suggests the informants in this study made meaning of child sexual abuse within a South Asian context before utilizing effective resilience strategies. Practice and research implications for South Asian women who have survived child sexual abuse are discussed. RESILIENCE STRATEGIES OF SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN WHO HAVE SURVIVED CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE by Anneliese A. Singh
Healthcare Use for Pain in Women Waiting for Gynaecological Surgery

Background. Pain while waiting for surgery may increase healthcare utilization (HCU) preoperatively. Objective. Examine the association between preoperative pain and HCU in the year prior to gynecological surgery. Methods. 590 women waiting for surgery in a Canadian tertiary care centre were asked to report on HCU in the year before surgery. Pain was assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory. Results. 33% reported moderate to severe pain intensity and interference in the week before surgery. Sixty-one percent (n = 360) reported a total of 2026 healthcare visits, with 21% (n = 126) reporting six or more visits in the year before surgery. After controlling for covariates, women with moderate to severe (>3/10) pain intensity/interference reported higher odds of overall HCU (≥3 pain-related visits to family doctor or specialist in the past year or ≥1 to emergency/walk-in clinic) compared to women with no or mild pain. Lower body mass index (BMI < 30 versus ≥30) and anxiety and/or depression were associated with emergency department or walk-in visits but not visits to family doctors or specialists. Conclusions. There is a high burden of pain in women awaiting gynecological surgery. Decisions about resource allocation should consider the impact of pain on individuals and the healthcare system.
[Clinicopathologic analysis of 154 cases of tumors and tumor-like lesions in the bones of hands and feet].

OBJECTIVE To study the clinical and pathologic features of tumors and tumor-like lesions in the bones of hands and feet. METHODS Clinical, X-ray and pathologic features of 154 cases of tumors and tumor-like lesions in the bones of hands and feet between 1991 and 2002 were investigated. RESULTS In the bones of hands and feet the frequency and distribution of many lesions were distinctive when compared to those of other skeletal sites. Cartilaginous lesions were most common (60%), and 72% of them were enchondromas. Enchondromas were most often situated in the second to fifth phalanges and metacarpal bones. Chondroblastomas most frequently involved the irregular bones (such as calcaneus, talus and osnaviculare) of the feet. Whereas the occurance of osteochondromas in the bones of the hands and feet was lower than in the long bones. Most "osteochondromas" of the phalanges were subungual exostoses. A group of reactive or reparative lesions, which are related to trauma, such as subungual exostosis, giant cell reparative granuloma, florid reactive periostitis and bizarre parosteal osteochondromatous proliferations typically occurred in the bones of the hands and feet, but these tumor-like lesions were often misdiagnosted. Another feature of lesions in the bones of the hands and feet was that there were much more benign than malignant lesions (21:1), and that chondrosarcomas were common in malignancies. The diagnostic criteria for benign and malignant cartilaginous tumors in the bones of hands and feet were different from those in long bones and flat bones. CONCLUSIONS Bone tumors of the hands and feet are different from that of long bones, flat bones and axial bones. Because the hands and feet are frequently exposed to trauma, reactive and reparative lesions often occur in these sites. These tumor-like lesions may simulate benign and malignant neoplasia. Knowledge of different types of lesions which commonly affect these sites is of benefit in assessing lesions of the bones of hands and feet.
Crystal Engineering in Continuous Plug-Flow Crystallizers

Size, shape, and polymorphic form are the critical attributes of crystalline particles and represent the major focus of today’s crystallization process design. This work demonstrates how crystal properties can be tuned efficiently in solution via a tubular crystallizer that facilitates rapid temperature cycling. Controlled crystal growth, dissolution, and secondary nucleation allow a precise control of the crystal size and shape distribution, as well as polymorphic composition. Tubular crystallizers utilizing segmented flow such as the one presented in our work can provide plug flow characteristics, fast heating and cooling, allowing for rapid changes of the supersaturation. This makes them superior for crystal engineering over common crystallizers. Characterization of particle transport, however, revealed that careful selection of process parameters, such as tubing diameter, flow rates, solvents, etc., is crucial to achieve the full benefits of such reactors.
Sibling Relationships in Remarried Families

Sibling Relationships in Remarried Families by Monique C. Diderich Balsam Dr. Donald E. Cams, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Sociology University of Nevada, Las Vegas This research project examines how different types of sibling relationships, that is, full siblings, half siblings and stepsiblings, develop within remarried families. The study focuses on three types of sibling solidarity: functional (i.e., instrumental help and assistance); associational (i.e., frequency of contact); and affectual (i.e., emotional closeness). The study further analyzes the effects of sibship size, proximity, birth order, marital status and age and gender on the three forms of solidarity, and relies on five middle range theories (attachment theory, family systems theory, rational choice, social comparison, and evolutionary theory). The study is based on participant observation in a Blended Family Workshop, personal accounts of college freshmen reflecting on their family of orientation, and data from the General Social Survey of 1986, 1994, and 2002. The majority of respondents identify a full sibling close in age (a 3 year difference) as their favorite sibling. When the favorite sibling is a half sibling or stepsibling, the age difference between respondent and sibling is much larger Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. (about 7 and 11 years respectively). The results indicate that full sibling bonds are stronger than half sibling and stepsibling bonds. Respondents who grew up in remarried families cite functional solidarity as the major reason why a certain sibling is their favorite. Children who experience trauma such as death or divorce turn to their sibling(s) for instrumental help and assistance. They are resilient and form close bonds with their full siblings and sometimes with half siblings and stepsiblings. Divorce and remarriage do not scar children for life. While remarried family life definitely has its challenges, especially in the first few years, I found that remarried families are beneficial for children as articulated in many positive statements of respondents reared in this type of family. Being part of a remarried family does not affect the ability to develop close bonds with siblings. I conclude that the notion of family and ties among siblings are still perceived as important and valuable in our contemporary American society.
Splenectomy as initial therapy in twenty-six patients with leukemic reticuloendotheliosis (hairy cell leukemia).

Abstract Twenty-six of 44 patients with leukemic reticuloendotheliosis, or hairy cell leukemia, underwent splenectomy as the first treatment of their disease from 1 to 72 months after the diagnosis was established. The median presplenectomy peripheral blood counts were: hematocrit, 32%; leukocytes, 2,600/cu mm; and platelets, 63,000/cu mm. One to 4 months postsplenectomy, the median counts were: hematocrit 35%; leukocytes, 5,500/cu mm; and platelets, 247,000/cu mm. Improvement of the blood counts was the main gain resulting from splenectomy in these patients. Forty-two % of the patients achieved a complete response, and 58% achieved a partial response. The median spleen weight at operation was 1200 g, with a range of 250 to 4450 g. Our data suggest that even the minimally enlarged spleens caused a significant amount of sequestration, which can be alleviated by splenectomy. Thirteen patients had presplenectomy infections; three were acutely ill. Splenectomy was performed on these three patients as an emergency operation after failure of conservative therapeutic measures. All three improved and were discharged within 2 weeks. Nine patients had episodes of infection after splenectomy. Five patients died of hairy cell leukemia at a median time of 9 months after splenectomy; four of these had concurrent overwhelming infections as well. The actuarial survival rate for all 26 patients at 5 years was 72%; for complete responders the rate was 86%, and for partial responders the rate was 47%. Splenectomy is the first treatment for patients with hairy cell leukemia when counts drop significantly (hematocrit,
Detection and Genotyping of Coxiella burnetii in Pigs, South Korea, 2014–2015

We assessed Coxiella burnetii prevalence and genotypes in pigs in South Korea during 2014–2015. Prevalence was low among 1,030 samples tested by ELISA and immunofluorescent assay and 1,124 samples tested by PCR. Despite this finding, possible transmission of C. burnetii from pigs to humans cannot be excluded.
Living with risk : precarity & Bangkok's urban poor

１ Ｒｅｔｈｉｎｋｉｎｇ ｔｈｅ Ｕｒｂａｎ Ｌｏｗｅｒ Ｃｌａｓｓ ２ Ｕｒｂａｎ Ｐｏｖｅｒｔｙ‐Ｒｅｌａｔｅｄ Ｐｏｌｉｃｙ ａｎｄ Ｐｒｏｍｏｔｉｏｎａｌ Ｐｏｌｉｃｉｅｓ ｆｏｒ ｔｈｅ Ｉｎｆｏｒｍａｌ Ｅｃｏｎｏｍｙ ｉｎ Ｂａｎｇｋｏｋ ３ Ｔｈｅ Ｃａｓｅ Ｓｔｕｄｙ Ｃｏｍｍｕｎｉｔｉｅｓ：Ｈｉｓｔｏｒｙ ａｎｄ Ｌｉｖｉｎｇ Ｃｏｎｄｉｔｉｏｎｓ ４ Ｔｈｅ Ｕｒｂａｎ Ｌｏｗｅｒ Ｃｌａｓｓ ａｎｄＴｈｅｉｒ Ｏｃｃｕｐａｔｉｏｎｓ ５ Ｔｈｅ Ｕｒｂａｎ Ｌｏｗｅｒ Ｃｌａｓｓ ａｎｄ Ｔｈｅｉｒ Ｒｅｓｉｄｅｎｃｅｓ ６ Ｅｎｃｏｕｎｔｅｒｉｎｇ Ｒｉｓｋ：Ｆｉｒｅ ａｎｄ Ｒｅｃｏｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ Ｒｅｓｉｄｅｎｃｅ ａｎｄ Ｃｏｍｍｕｎｉｔｉｅｓ ７ Ｅｎｃｏｕｎｔｅｒｉｎｇ Ｒｉｓｋ：Ｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｅ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ Ｓｅｌｆ‐Ｅｍｐｌｏｙｅｄ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ Ｆｉｒｅ ａｎｄ Ｒｅｓｕｌｔｉｎｇ Ｃｌａｓｓ Ｄｉｓｐａｒｉｔｉｅｓ ８ Ｅｎｃｏｕｎｔｅｒｉｎｇ Ｒｉｓｋ：Ｌａｙｏｆｆｓ ａｎｄ ｔｈｅ Ｌｉｆｅ Ｃｏｕｒｓｅ ｏｆ Ｆｅｍａｌｅ Ｗｏｒｋｅｒｓ ９ Ｏｃｃｕｐａｔｉｏｎａｌ ａｎｄ Ｃｌａｓｓ Ｍｏｂｉｌｉｔｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ Ｕｒｂａｎ Ｌｏｗｅｒ Ｃｌａｓｓ：Ｔｈｅ Ｐａｔｈ ｏｆ “Ｕｐｗａｒｄ Ｍｏｂｉｌｉｔｙ” １０ Ｃｏｎｃｌｕｓｉｏｎ
Brain--Tumor Interaction Biophysical Models for Medical Image Registration

State-of-the art algorithms for deformable image registration are based on the minimization of an image similarity functional that is regularized by adding a penalty term on the deformation map. The penalty function typically represents a smoothness regularization. In this article, we use a constrained optimization formulation in which the image similarity functional is coupled to a biophysical model. This formulation is pertinent when the data have been generated by imaging tissue that undergoes deformations due to an actual biophysical phenomenon. Such is the case of coregistering tumor-bearing brain images from the same individual. We present an approximate model that couples tumor growth with the mechanical deformations of the surrounding brain tissue. We consider primary brain tumors—in particular, gliomas. Glioma growth is modeled by a reaction-advection-diffusion PDE, with a two-way coupling with the underlying tissue elastic deformation. Tumor bulk, infiltration, and subsequent mass effects are not regarded separately but are captured by the model itself in the course of its evolution. Our formulation allows for updating the tumor diffusion coefficient following structural displacements caused by tumor growth/infiltration. Our forward problem implementation builds on the *PETSc* library of Argonne National Laboratory. Our reformulation results in a very small parameter space, and we use the derivative-free optimization library *APPSPACK* of Sandia National Laboratories. We test the forward model and the optimization framework by using landmark-based similarity functions and by applying it to brain tumor data from clinical and animal studies. State-of-the-art registration algorithms fail in such problems due to excessive deformations. We compare our results with previous work in our group, and we observed up to 50% improvement in landmark deformation prediction. We present preliminary validation results in which we were able to reconstruct deformation fields using four degrees of freedom. Our study demonstrates the validity of our formulation and points to the need for richer datasets and fast optimization algorithms.