Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Listening to an Audio Drama Activates Two Processing Networks, One for All Sounds, Another Exclusively for Speech

Earlier studies have shown considerable intersubject synchronization of brain activity when subjects watch the same movie or listen to the same story. Here we investigated the across-subjects similarity of brain responses to speech and non-speech sounds in a continuous audio drama designed for blind people. Thirteen healthy adults listened for ∼19 min to the audio drama while their brain activity was measured with 3 T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). An intersubject-correlation (ISC) map, computed across the whole experiment to assess the stimulus-driven extrinsic brain network, indicated statistically significant ISC in temporal, frontal and parietal cortices, cingulate cortex, and amygdala. Group-level independent component (IC) analysis was used to parcel out the brain signals into functionally coupled networks, and the dependence of the ICs on external stimuli was tested by comparing them with the ISC map. This procedure revealed four extrinsic ICs of which two–covering non-overlapping areas of the auditory cortex–were modulated by both speech and non-speech sounds. The two other extrinsic ICs, one left-hemisphere-lateralized and the other right-hemisphere-lateralized, were speech-related and comprised the superior and middle temporal gyri, temporal poles, and the left angular and inferior orbital gyri. In areas of low ISC four ICs that were defined intrinsic fluctuated similarly as the time-courses of either the speech-sound-related or all-sounds-related extrinsic ICs. These ICs included the superior temporal gyrus, the anterior insula, and the frontal, parietal and midline occipital cortices. Taken together, substantial intersubject synchronization of cortical activity was observed in subjects listening to an audio drama, with results suggesting that speech is processed in two separate networks, one dedicated to the processing of speech sounds and the other to both speech and non-speech sounds.
Evaluation of the results of management of frozen shoulder using the arthroscopic capsular release.

BACKGROUND The aim of treatment of frozen shoulder is to regain a painless and functional shoulder range of shoulder motion. In this study we evaluated the results of using the arthroscopic technique for the release of the shoulder joint capsule in patients with a diagnosis of frozen shoulder. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 40 patients with frozen shoulder. They were operated upon with the use of electrocautery for the release of the shoulder joint capsule. The group consisted of 29 women and 11 men with a mean age of 48.2 years (range 38-62). RESULTS Preoperatively, the mean Constant and Murly shoulder score was 36.35 (range 21-51). At the end of the follow up period, the mean score was 85.8 (range 62 to 98). The difference between the means of pre- and postoperative total score was statistically significant (t =10.85 and p=0.0001). 22 patients (55%) had excellent results, 14 patients (35%) had good results, 4 patients (10%) had fair results and none had poor results. The 4 cases with fair results were all female, all had insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and were > 50 years old. CONCLUSIONS 1. Arthroscopic capsular release is an effective and safe method for the treatment of refractory frozen shoulder. 2. It achieves dramatic pain and motion improvement post-operatively, allowing very early postoperative rehabilitation.
Lifetime Earnings, Social Security Benefits, and the Adequacy of Retirement Wealth Accumulation

This paper provides new evidence on the adequacy of household retirement saving. We depart from much previous research on the adequacy of saving in two key ways. First, our underlying simulation model of optimal wealth accumulation allows for precautionary saving against uncertain future earnings. Second, we employ data on lifetime earnings. Using data from the 1992 Health and Retirement Study, we find that households at the median of the empirical wealth-lifetime earnings distribution are saving as much or more as the underlying model suggests is optimal, and households at the high end of the wealth distribution are saving significantly more than the model indicates. But we also find significant undersaving among the lowest 25 percent of the population. We show that reductions in Social Security benefits could have significant deleterious effects on the adequacy of saving, especially among low-income households. We also show that, controlling for lifetime earnings, households with high current earnings tend to save far more adequately than other households.
Mass Effect: A Chemical Engineering Education Application of Virtual Reality Simulator Technology

Advanced three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality (VR) technology similar to that used by the film and computer game industries can allow educational developers to rapidly create realistic online virtual environments. This technology has been used to generate a range of online VR-based learning environments across a broad spectrum of industries and educational application areas. This idea is not new; flight simulators have been used for decades to train pilots for both commercial and military aviation. There are a number of lessons that can be learned from the industries that have successfully utilized virtual training and learning systems. Generic rules of thumb regarding the specification, development, application, and operation of these learning environments can be garnered from these industrial training systems and examined in an educational context. In this paper, an online VR-based system developed by the author, ViRILE (Virtual Reality Interactive Learning Environment), is introduced. This software is designed for use by undergraduate chemical engineers and simulates the configuration and operation of a polymerization plant. During the implementation of this and other visual learning environments, a number of complex operational problems were encountered that have required a number of innovative solutions and management procedures to be developed. The implementation of this and other similar systems is also discussed in this paper, and the lessons learned are extrapolated into general pedagogical guidelines to be considered for the development of VR-based online educational learning resources.
A formal specification of fault-tolerance in prospecting asteroid mission with Reactive Autonomie Systems Framework

The NASA's Autonomous Nano Technology Swarm (ANTS) is a generic mission architecture consisting of miniaturized, autonomous, self-similar, reconfigurable, and addressable components forming structures. The Prospecting Asteroid Mission (PAM) is one of ANTS applications for survey of large dynamic populations. In this paper, we propose a formal approach based on Category Theory to specify the fault-tolerance property in PAM by Reactive Autonomie Systems Framework.
“Actions Speak Louder Than Words”: Korean American Emerging Adults’ Perceptions and Meaning Making of Their Parents’ Instrumental Aspects of Parenting

Drawing on semistructured interviews, this study explored 25 Korean American emerging adults’ experience of their parents’ parenting, focusing on the aspects of parenting they perceive as salient as well as their perceptions and interpretations of such experiences. The majority of our respondents highlighted instrumental aspects of their parents’ parenting which includes different ways that their parents provide instrumental tools for their well-being and success, such as material provision and service for children. Importantly, they attributed significant meaning to these parental actions. Youth’s recognition of and appreciation for their parents’ instrumental aspects of parenting was shaped by the immigrant family context as well as an increase in cultural understanding and perspective taking of their parents. Taken together, this study suggests the importance of examining sociocultural contexts of family processes to better understand experiences of youth from diverse immigrant and cultural groups.
Comparison of On-Demand Routing Protocols

Routing in MANET is very important issue as dynamic topology of MANET makes routing very difficult. In this paper we are comparing two on-demand routing protocol namely Ad hoc on demand distance vector (AODV) and Dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol. Performance is compared on the parameters like Packet delivery fraction i.e. throughput, Average end to end delay and Normalized routing overhead using network simulator-2. The performance analysis is done by varying mobility pattern (pause time and speed) and traffic pattern (sending rate). The simulation result will help to select the best one for MANET. Our work shows that DSR slightly outperformed AODV.
Social Media and Political Disengagement Among Young Adults: A Moderated Mediation Model of Cynicism, Efficacy, and Social Media Use on Apathy

To examine the role of social media use in the process of political disaffection, a web survey of young adults was conducted prior to the 2012 U.S. presidential election. Results showed that the positive relationship between cynicism and apathy was weaker for respondents who paid greater attention to social media for political information. Also, the indirect relationship between cynicism and apathy through external political efficacy was weaker for those who paid greater attention to social media for political information. We discuss implications for the role of social media in political disaffection.
Multi-Scale Context Aggregation by Dilated Convolutions

State-of-the-art models for semantic segmentation are based on adaptations of convolutional networks that had originally been designed for image classification. However, dense prediction and image classification are structurally different. In this work, we develop a new convolutional network module that is specifically designed for dense prediction. The presented module uses dilated convolutions to systematically aggregate multi-scale contextual information without losing resolution. The architecture is based on the fact that dilated convolutions support exponential expansion of the receptive field without loss of resolution or coverage. We show that the presented context module increases the accuracy of state-of-the-art semantic segmentation systems. In addition, we examine the adaptation of image classification networks to dense prediction and show that simplifying the adapted network can increase accuracy.
Young People, Postmaterialism and Online Political Activism: The Greek Case

Research on political participation has suggested that young people in western countries have become gradually disengaged from conventional politics. While traditional repertoires of participation have been declining, recent research also found that young people are relatively active in civic arenas and have become more prone to engage in extra-institutional forms of political participation. One of the contributing factors to this change in political participation preferences is the rise of postmaterialist values. According to postmaterialist theory, young people brought up in periods of high economic and physical security, surrounded by better chances for education, are more likely to prioritise values such as freedom, self-expression and quality of life, rather than values related to physical sustenance and safety. Internet researchers have reported that Internet users are mainly young, well educated and affluent, thus denoting a similarity to the demographic characteristics of postmaterialists. This article presents evidence regarding the existence of postmaterialist values in the online realm attempting to contribute to the debate about how postmaterialism influences online and offline political activity. The author takes Greece as a case study, a European country with a rich partisan culture, compulsory voting, growing development and increasing rate of Internet penetration. The article also examines the relationship between offline and online extra-institutional activity and cultural values. It presents evidence showing that young people in Greece display a postmaterialist orientation and are keen in participating in extra-institutional types of political activity. The results also demonstrate that postmaterialism is positively related to both offline and online extra-institutional political participation.
Light Suppresses Sporulation and Epidemics of Peronospora belbahrii

Peronospora belbahrii is a biotrophic oomycete attacking sweet basil. It propagates asexually by producing spores on dichotomously branched sporophores emerging from leaf stomata. Sporulation occurs when infected plants are incubated for at least 7.5h in the dark in moisture-saturated atmosphere at 10-27°C. Exposure to light suppresses spore formation but allows sporophores to emerge from stomata. Incandescent or CW fluorescent light of 3.5 or 6 µmoles. m2.s-1 respectively, caused 100% inhibition of spore formation on lower leaf surface even when only the upper leaf surface was exposed to light. The inhibitory effect of light failed to translocate from an illuminated part of a leaf to a shaded part of the same leaf. Inhibition of sporulation by light was temperature-dependent. Light was fully inhibitory at 15-27°C but not at 10°C, suggesting that enzyme(s) activity and/or photoreceptor protein re-arrangement induced by light occur at ≥15°C. DCMU or paraquat could not abolish light inhibition, indicating that photosystem I and photosystem II are not involved. Narrow band led illumination showed that red light (λmax 625 nm) was most inhibitory and blue light (λmax 440 nm) was least inhibitory, suggesting that inhibition in P. belbahrii, unlike other oomycetes, operates via a red light photoreceptor. Nocturnal illumination of basil in the field (4-10 µmoles.m2.s-1 from 7pm to 7am) suppressed sporulation of P. belbahrii and reduced epidemics of downy mildew, thus reducing the need for fungicide applications. This is the first report on red light inhibition of sporulation in oomycetes and on the practical application of light for disease control in the field.
EU–USA pathology panel for uniform diagnosis in randomised controlled trials for HRCT screening in lung cancer

Randomised controlled trials for lung cancer screening using high-resolution computed tomography are now underway. In order to allow effective future comparison of the different trials, as well as strengthening conclusions based upon the analysis of larger data sets, uniformity and consistency of pathology diagnosis are essential. The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of the learning process in this difficult area of diagnostic pathology. Eight pathologists received two CD-ROMs, each with digital images of 30 cases. After diagnosing the first series, selected background reading was provided. Kappa (κ) scores were calculated for each pathologist and category, and were compared to the consensus score. The readings of the first series showed a moderate agreement κ score: mean±sd for category numbers 8 (all eight categories) and 2 were 0.53±0.05 and 0.65±0.04, respectively. The κ 2 score distinguished between categories denoting benign and malignant lesions. The second series resulted in a good agreement κ score: 0.65±0.06 for category number 8 and 0.81±0.02 for category number 2. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that screen-detected cases pose particular problems for pathologists and that a trained pathology panel serving randomised controlled trials is likely to lead to more consistent and accurate tissue diagnosis.
Numerical Modeling of η Carinae Bipolar Outflows

In this paper, we present two-dimensional gasdynamic simulations of the formation and evolution of the η Car bipolar outflows. Adopting the interacting nonspherical winds model, we have carried out high-resolution numerical simulations, which include explicitly computed time-dependent radiative cooling, for different possible scenarios of the colliding winds. In our simulations, we consider different degrees of nonspherical symmetry for the preoutburst wind and the great eruption of the 1840s produced by the η Car wind. Different models show important differences in the shape and kinematical properties of the Homunculus structure. In particular, we search for the appropriate combination of wind parameters (which control the degree of nonspherical symmetry) to obtain the numerical results that best match both the observed morphology and the expansion velocity of the η Car bipolar shell. In addition, our numerical simulations show the formation of a bipolar nebula embedded within the Homunculus (the little Homunculus) that developed from a secondary eruptive event suffered by the star in the 1890s, and also the development of tenuous, high-velocity ejections in the equatorial region that resulted from the impact of the eruptive wind of the 1840s with the preoutburst wind; these ejections could explain some of the high-speed features observed in the equatorial ejecta. The models were, however, unable to produce the equatorial ejections associated with the second eruptive event.
Constructivist approaches in the secondary school mathematics classroom and their effects on students' learning, interest, and sense of challenge : a re-analysis of the german TIMSS data

Constructivist learning theories argue that tasks and discourse modes that explicitly incorporate students’ former experiences can form powerful learning environments. Furthermore, research shows that students develop intrinsic motivation such as domain-specific interest, when they feel challenged and personally involved. Accordingly, constructivist teaching settings in which students participate actively, bringing in their own experiences, may be well-suited to offer this kind of experience. This study addresses the following questions: a) How effective are naturally occurring elements of constructivist teaching in terms of learning outcomes? b) Are students’ individual perceptions of challenge enhanced by constructivist approaches, and do these perceptions influence students’ interest development? This study re-analyses data from the German sample of the TIMS Study and the TIMSS Video Study. In Germany, the international design was extended to a 1-year-longitudinal design, with additional student measures collected one year prior to the international study. For 1900 students from 80 classes, math achievement was assessed with the TIMSS achievement test, and mathematical interest and perceptions of challenge were assessed with questionnaires. To measure constructivist teaching approaches, video ratings of one mathematics lesson per class were carried out using a newly developed rating instrument. Multilevel regression analyses predicting math achievement and interest in grade 8 revealed a small, but positive effect of constructivist teaching on achievement development, but no such direct effect on interest development. Students’ individually perceived sense of challenge was the best predictor of interest development. This sense of challenge, in turn, is higher in classes with more constructivist elements, suggesting an indirect effect of constructivist teaching on interest. CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACHES IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM AND THEIR EFFECTS ON STUDENTS’ LEARNING, INTEREST, AND SENSE OF CHALLENGE: A RE-ANALYSIS OF THE
Orientation bias of optically selected galaxy clusters and its impact on stacked weak-lensing analyses

Weak-lensing measurements of the averaged shear profiles of galaxy clusters binned by some proxy for cluster mass are commonly converted to cluster mass estimates under the assumption that these cluster stacks have spherical symmetry. In this paper, we test whether this assumption holds for optically selected clusters binned by estimated optical richness. Using mock catalogues created from N-body simulations populated realistically with galaxies, we ran a suite of optical cluster finders and estimated their optical richness. We binned galaxy clusters by true cluster mass and estimated optical richness and measure the ellipticity of these stacks. We find that the processes of optical cluster selection and richness estimation are biased, leading to stacked structures that are elongated along the line of sight. We show that weak-lensing alone cannot measure the size of this orientation bias. Weak-lensing masses of stacked optically selected clusters are overestimated by up to 3–6 per cent when clusters can be uniquely associated with haloes. This effect is large enough to lead to significant biases in the cosmological parameters derived from large surveys like the Dark Energy Survey, if not calibrated via simulations or fitted simultaneously. This bias probably also contributes to the observed discrepancy between the observed and predicted Sunyaev–Zel’dovich signal of optically selected clusters.
It Takes a (Virtual) Village: Exploring the Role of a Career Community to Support Sensemaking As a Proactive Socialization Practice

Scholars have long advocated for individuals to play a more proactive role during organizational entry rather than relying on institutionally led processes. The primary benefit being that the newcomer moves from passive recipient, dependent on the institution to highlight relevant information, to active agent with self-determined sources and methods to aid in adjustment. A virtual career community made up of 12 first year business faculty members was created to provide such a self-determined source of support during the transition from doctoral studies to full-time assistant professorship. After the entry period (1 academic year), the interactions in this community were used as data for a phenomenon driven research study. The results illustrate how a virtual career community could be used as a proactive socialization tool by encouraging sensemaking amongst first year faculty peers. The sensemaking process consists of perceived contrasts and tensions, followed by positive and negative self-disclosures, community feedback, and the experience of cognitive-behavioral shifts. The findings also expand the proactive use of external referents during organizational entry, which previously had only looked at friends and family members of the newcomer.
Altered antisense-to-sense transcript ratios in breast cancer

Transcriptome profiling studies suggest that a large fraction of the genome is transcribed and many transcripts function independent of their protein coding potential. The relevance of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in normal physiological processes and in tumorigenesis is increasingly recognized. Here, we describe consistent and significant differences in the distribution of sense and antisense transcripts between normal and neoplastic breast tissues. Many of the differentially expressed antisense transcripts likely represent long ncRNAs. A subset of genes that mainly generate antisense transcripts in normal but not cancer cells is involved in essential metabolic processes. These findings suggest fundamental differences in global RNA regulation between normal and cancer cells that might play a role in tumorigenesis.