Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Receptive vocabulary differences in monolingual and bilingual adults*

English receptive vocabulary scores from 797 monolingual and 808 bilingual participants between the ages of 17 and 89 years old were aggregated from 20 studies to compare standard scores across language groups. The distribution of scores was unimodal for both groups but the mean score was significantly different, with monolinguals obtaining higher standard scores than bilinguals. Consistent with previous research, older adults had higher vocabulary scores than younger adults. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for theoretical conceptions of linguistic processing and clinical diagnosis in bilingual populations.
Krylov Subspace Methods for Linear Systems with Tensor Product Structure

The numerical solution of linear systems with certain tensor product structures is considered. Such structures arise, for example, from the finite element discretization of a linear PDE on a $d$-dimensional hypercube. Linear systems with tensor product structure can be regarded as linear matrix equations for $d=2$ and appear to be their most natural extension for $d>2$. A standard Krylov subspace method applied to such a linear system suffers from the curse of dimensionality and has a computational cost that grows exponentially with $d$. The key to breaking the curse is to note that the solution can often be very well approximated by a vector of low tensor rank. We propose and analyze a new class of methods, so-called tensor Krylov subspace methods, which exploit this fact and attain a computational cost that grows linearly with $d$.
Polytraumatization in an adult national sample and its association with psychological distress and self-esteem

The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of self‐reported experiences of potential childhood traumas and polytraumatization, and to find cut‐off values for different kinds of potential traumatic events in a national representative sample of adults in Sweden. In addition, to analyse the association between polytraumatization and both psychological distress and global self‐esteem.
Chronic myeloid leukemia--advances in biology and new approaches to treatment.

An extraordinary series of discoveries about chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has made this disease a model of the way in which bench and bedside research can unite and culminate in clinically important advances. This review brings the reader up to date on recent advances in understanding the biology of CML and how they have changed the management of the disease.
Inevitable Collision States for Motorcycle-to-Car Collision Scenarios

This paper presents a method to identify inevitable collision states (ICS) specifically for a motorcycle when interacting with an opponent passenger car in typical traffic scenarios. Previous ICS methods were applied to passenger cars or generic vehicles; however, the peculiarities of motorcycles urge the definition of specific methods for these vehicles. The findings extend the applicability of previous algorithms to include all motorcycle-to-car collisions, irrespective of collision configurations. ICS identification can be adopted as a triggering criterion for more invasive safety systems such as motorcycle autonomous emergency braking (MAEB), which require a last-resort approach in their initial phases of development. In this regard, this paper also presents an evaluation of an idealized MAEB through experiments simulating real-world crashes in a computer-based virtual environment.
Low dosages of interleukin 1 protect mice against lethal cerebral malaria

In cerebral malaria, pathological changes can be found in the brain of infected people and in the brain of Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. The pathogenesis of cerebral malaria in mice is believed to be due to an immunopathological reaction giving rise to an excessive production of cytokines such as interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). We find that low doses of interleukin 1 (IL-1) protect mice against cerebral malaria; IL-1 also inhibits parasitemia. The IL-1 effect on parasitemia was not observed in nude mice and was at least partly reversed in mice treated with IL-1 in combination with antibody to IFN-gamma, indicating the involvement of T cells. Mice protected against development of cerebral malaria by IL-1 treatment developed the syndrome when TNF was given as observed in control infected mice or infected mice treated with inactivated IL-1.
Reward Value Coding Distinct From Risk Attitude-Related Uncertainty Coding in Human Reward Systems

When deciding between different options, individuals are guided by the expected (mean) value of the different outcomes and by the associated degrees of uncertainty. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify brain activations coding the key decision parameters of expected value (magnitude and probability) separately from uncertainty (statistical variance) of monetary rewards. Participants discriminated behaviorally between stimuli associated with different expected values and uncertainty. Stimuli associated with higher expected values elicited monotonically increasing activations in distinct regions of the striatum, irrespective of different combinations of magnitude and probability. Stimuli associated with higher uncertainty (variance) elicited increasing activations in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex. Uncertainty-related activations covaried with individual risk aversion in lateral orbitofrontal regions and risk-seeking in more medial areas. Furthermore, activations in expected value-coding regions in prefrontal cortex covaried differentially with uncertainty depending on risk attitudes of individual participants, suggesting that separate prefrontal regions are involved in risk aversion and seeking. These data demonstrate the distinct coding in key reward structures of the two basic and crucial decision parameters, expected value, and uncertainty.
Impaired Cell Surface Expression of HLA-B Antigens on Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Muscle Cell Progenitors

HLA class-I expression is weak in embryonic stem cells but increases rapidly during lineage progression. It is unknown whether all three classical HLA class-I antigens follow the same developmental program. In the present study, we investigated allele-specific expression of HLA-A, -B, and -C at the mRNA and protein levels on human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow and adipose tissue as well as striated muscle satellite cells and lymphocytes. Using multicolour flow cytometry, we found high cell surface expression of HLA-A on all stem cells and PBMC examined. Surprisingly, HLA-B was either undetectable or very weakly expressed on all stem cells protecting them from complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) using relevant human anti-B and anti-Cw sera. IFNγ stimulation for 48–72 h was required to induce full HLA–B protein expression. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR showed that IFNγ induced a 9–42 fold increase of all six HLA-A,-B,-C gene transcripts. Interestingly, prior to stimulation, gene transcripts for all but two alleles were present in similar amounts suggesting that post-transcriptional mechanisms regulate the constitutive expression of HLA-A,-B, and -C. Locus-restricted expression of HLA-A, -B and -C challenges our current understanding of the function of these molecules as regulators of CD8+ T-cell and NK-cell function and should lead to further inquiries into their expression on other cell types.
Preserving Anonymity in Location-based Services When Requests from the Same Issuer May Be Correlated

This paper investigates privacy issues in Location-Based Services (LBS) under the assumption that the adversary may be able to understand that a sequence of (anonymous) requests have been issued by the same user. A formal framework is presented to model this kind of privacy attack under two different assumptions in terms of the adversary’s knowledge about the users’ actual locations. Defense techniques are proposed and evaluated in a realistic simulation environment. The paper provides results and insights on the trade-off between the assumptions of the adversary’s knowledge about users’ locations and the feasibility of preserving privacy while providing personalized LBS services.
Communication Predicts Medication Self-Efficacy in Glaucoma Patients

Purpose Medication self-efficacy, or patients’ confidence that they can perform medication-related behaviors, is associated with better glaucoma medication adherence. Little is known about how to enhance glaucoma patients’ medication self-efficacy. Our purpose is to examine whether patient-provider communication increases glaucoma patients’ medication self-efficacy. Methods During an 8-month cohort study of 279 glaucoma patients and 15 providers, two office visits were videotape-recorded, transcribed, and coded for six patient-provider communication behaviors. A validated scale was used at baseline and 8-month follow-up to assess patients’ confidence in overcoming adherence barriers (adherence barriers self-efficacy) and carrying out tasks to use eye drops correctly (eye drop task self-efficacy). We ran two generalized estimating equations to examine whether more frequent patient-provider communication during office visits predicted increased patient adherence barriers self-efficacy and eye drop task self-efficacy at 8-month follow-up. Results For each additional topic providers educated about, patients reported an average increase of 0.35 in self-efficacy in overcoming adherence barriers (p < 0.001). Patients also reported an average increase of 1.01 points in eye drop task self-efficacy when providers asked about patients’ views of glaucoma and its treatment versus not (p < 0.001). Patients who asked more medication questions (p < 0.001) and African-American patients (p < 0.05) reported lower adherence barriers self-efficacy by 0.30 and 2.15 points, respectively. Women had a 0.63 lower eye drop task self-efficacy than men (p < 0.05). Conclusions When providers educate glaucoma patients and assess patient views about glaucoma and its treatment, patients report higher medication self-efficacy. Providers should be aware that patients who ask more medication questions may have less confidence in their ability to overcome barriers to adherence.
Towards a lean model for production management of refurbishment projects. ApRemodel Project [Kohti peruskorjaushankkeiden tuotannonohjauksen lean-mallia. Apremodel-hanke]

This is the Stage 3 Report for the ApRemodel project, which aims at improving processes for multi-occupancy retrofit by generating a lean model for project delivery. In this respect, a process-driven approach has been adopted to investigate what can be done to improve the way that retrofits projects are delivered. An initial literature review, focused on the management of refurbishment works, revealed that the research on this matter is scarce. There are plenty of studies related to the broad refurbishment area, however only a small number refer to the way that those construction projects are delivered. According to the literature, construction organisations have predominantly used traditional methods for managing the production of refurbishment projects. The problem is that those tools and techniques are not often appropriate to cope with the complex characteristics inherent to construction projects, especially in the case of refurbishments. Moreover, they have often not been based on a clear theoretical foundation. As a result, numerous types of waste have been identified in refurbishment projects such as waiting time, disruptions in performing tasks on site, rework, among others. This has led to unsatisfactory project performance in terms of low productivity, project delays, and cost overrun. The first step towards better production management in refurbishment projects is recognising the complexity of the sector in order to adopt the correct approach to cope with this specific scenario. In this respect, lean construction is identified as an appropriate way to deal with the complexity and uncertainty inherent in refurbishment projects, given that this management philosophy fully integrates the conversion, flow, and value views. This document builds on the findings from the literature review as well as evidence from case studies. Managerial practices based on lean construction principles have presented successful results in the management of complex projects. Case studies available in the literature report the feasibility and usefulness of this theoretical foundation. Moreover, the evidence from these studies show considerable potential for improving the management of refurbishment works. A list of methods, tools, and techniques are identified. This report may be used by construction refurbishment organisations and housing associations as a starting point for improving the efficiency in managing production of refurbishment projects. To this end, partnerships between industry and academia are strongly recommended.
Caveolin-1 Plays a Critical Role in the Differentiation of Monocytes into Macrophages

Objective—Monocyte to macrophage differentiation is an essential step in atherogenesis. The structure protein of caveolae, caveolin-1, is increased in primary monocytes after its adhesion to endothelium. We explore the hypothesis that caveolin-1 plays a role in monocyte differentiation to macrophages. Methods and Results—Both phorbol myristate acetate–induced THP-1 and colony-stimulating factor–induced primary monocyte differentiation was associated with an increase in cellular caveolin-1 expression. Overexpression of caveolin-1 by transfection increased macrophage surface markers and inflammatory genes, whereas caveolin-1 knockdown by small interfering RNA or knockout reduced these. Also, caveolin-1 knockdown inhibited the differentiation–induced nuclear translocation of early growth response 1 (EGR-1) through extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation, further decreased the binding of EGR-1 to CD115 promoter, thus decreasing EGR-1 transcriptional activity. In functional assays, caveolin-1 inhibited transmigration but promoted phagocytosis in the monocyte–macrophage lineage. Decreasing caveolin-1 inhibited the uptake of modified low-density lipoprotein and reduced cellular lipid content. Finally, we showed that caveolin-1 knockout mice displayed less monocyte differentiation than wild-type mice and that EGR-1 transcription activity was also decreased in these mice because of the inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation. Conclusion—Caveolin-1 promotes monocyte to macrophage differentiation through the regulation of EGR-1 transcriptional activity, suggesting that phagocytic caveolin-1 may be critical for atherogenesis.
Assessment of Resident Physicians in Professionalism, Interpersonal and Communication Skills: a Multisource Feedback

Objective: To assess the internal validity and reliability of a multisource feedback (MSF) program by China Medical Board for resident physicians in China. Method: Multisource feedback was used to assess professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills. 258 resident physicians were assessed by attending doctors, self-evaluation, resident peers, nurses, office staffs, and patients who completed a sealed questionnaire at 19 hospitals in China. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to assess reliability. Validity was assessed by exploratory factor analyses and by profile ratings. Results: 4128 questionnaires were collected from this study. All responses had high internal consistency and reliability (Cronbach's α> 0.90), which suggests that both questions and form data were internally consistent. The exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation for the evaluators' questionnaires was able to account for 70 to 74% of the total variance. Conclusion: The current MSF assessment tools are internally valid and reliable for assessing resident physician professionalism and interpersonal and communication skills in China.
Enrollment Prediction Models Using Data Mining

Following World War II, a great need for higher education institutions arose in the United States, and the higher education leaders built institutions on “build it and they will come” basis. After the World War II, enrollment in the public as well as the private institutions soared (Greenberg, 2004); however, this changed by 1990s, due to a significant drop in enrollment, universities were in a marketplace with “hypercompetition,” and institutions faced the unfamiliar problem of receiving less applicants than they were used to receive (Klein, 2001). Today higher education institutions are facing the problem of student retention, which is related to graduation rates; colleges with higher freshmen retention rate tend to have higher graduation rates within four years. The average national retention rate is close to 55% and in some colleges fewer than 20% of incoming student cohort graduate (Druzdzel and Glymour, 1994), and approximately 50% of students entering in an engineering program leave before graduation (Scalise et al., 2000). Tinto (1982) reported national dropout rates and BA degree completions rates for the past 100 years to be constant at 45 and 52 percent respectively with the exception of the World War II period (see Figure 1 for the completion rates from 1880 to 1980). Tillman and Burns at Valdosta State University (VSU) projected lost revenues per 10 students, who do not persist their first semester, to be $326,811. Although gap between private institutions and public institutions in terms of first-year students returning to second year is closing, the retention rates have been constant for a long period for both types of institutions(ACT, 2007). National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (NCPPHE) reported the U.S. average retention rate for the year 2002 to be 73.6% (NCPPHE, 2007). This problem is not only limited to the U.S. institutions, but also for the institutions in many countries such as U.K and Belgium. The U.K. national average freshmen retention for the year 1996 was 75% (Lau, 2003), and Vandamme (2007) found that 60% of the first generation first-year students in Belgium fail or dropout.
Is Aspect-Oriented Programming a Rewarding Investment into Future Code Changes? A Socio-technical Study on Development and Maintenance Time

Aspect-oriented programming (AOP) is commonly assumed to be a technique which improves the resulting software with respect to modularity. However, previous empirical experiments suggest that AOP is with respect to development or maintenance time either a technique without a measurable benefit or a technique with a measurable negative effect. A possible reason why previous experiments were not able to show such a benefit is, that those experiments did not consider situations where AOP has its strength: situations where modules need to be frequently changed. In those situations AOP might be able to compensate a possible higher initial development effort. This paper describes an empirical, socio-technical study with Java and AspectJ where developers needed to perform changes on their code base multiple times. It shows that frequent changes in the crosscutting code which do not change the concern's underlying structure compensate an initial higher development time for those concerns. But it also shows that changes, which do alter the concern's structure again result in higher development times when using AOP.
Design of high-efficiency bidirectional DC-DC converter and high-precision efficiency measurement

This paper first introduces the design of an ultra high-efficiency 50 kW bidirectional DC-DC converter at ZVS operation and then a high-precision efficiency measurement method using regenerative approach. The ultra high-efficiency bidirectional DC-DC converter is achieved with (1) the use of CoolMOS as the main switch under zero-voltage soft switching condition (2) multiple phase legs for current sharing to reduce the conduction loss, and (3) coupling inductors between each two phase legs to reduce the core loss. Two identical hardware prototypes were designed, fabricated and tested for performance evaluation. In order to precisely measure the converter efficiency, the two identical bidirectional DC-DC converters are tested with one as the device under test (DUT) and the other as the regenerative unit. With the use of plusmn0.5% current shunt and regenerative measurement, the relative efficiency error stays below plusmn0.025%. Measured efficiency from 20% to 100% load consistently show above 97.50% and peaks at 99.05%.
The mechanics of human saccadic eye movement

In the investigation of oculomotor systems and especially in the mathematical descriptions of them as pursuit, tracking and stabilizing systems, the need arises for a more exact knowledge of the mechanics of the eyeball, the extraocular muscles and the supporting tissues of the orbit, particularly of the way in which these factors permit the globe to respond to the efferent discharges arising in the oculomotor nuclei. In 1954 Westheimer proposed that the eye moved in a saccade by the application of a step function of net muscular force. He further proposed that the mechanical system was of second order, slightly underdamped and had a natural resonant frequency of about 120 radians per second (19 c/s). Alpern (1962) has discussed the inadequacy of this picture in view of the large burst of activity during a saccade recorded by extraocular electromyography (Bj6rk, 1955; Miller, 1958). The development of the suction contact lens has made practicable a closer investigation of the mechanics of the saccade, for it provides a simple method of applying known forces and loads to the eye while measuring subsequent rotations without fear of lens slippage. The evidence presented here will demonstrate that the system of eyeball and orbital tissues is heavily overdamped, has no resonant frequency and is little affected by the mass of the eyeball. It has an upper mechanical frequency response of only 1 c/s and it succeeds in making quick saccadic movements only under the impetus of a large, briefly applied, excess force delivered by the extraocular muscles. For example, in maintaining the eye 100 horizontally from the primary position the horizontal recti need apply a net force of only 15 g but during the saccade to reach that position they apply about 43 g during the first 40 msec of movement.