Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reception of consonants in a classroom as affected by monaural and binaural listening, noise, reverberation, and hearing aids.

Reception of consonants was studied with normal‐hearing subjects in a sound‐treated classroom, at reverberation times T ≃0.3 and 0.6 sec, to compare binaural and monaural reception, with and without hearing aids, in the presence of an impulsive noise (16 imp/sec) and a quasisteady noise (a babble of eight voices). The consonants were spoken in words inbedded in a rapidly spoken carrier phrase. The speech and noise sources subtended an angle of 60° on a circle 11 ft in radius centered on the listener, to give a large advantage for binaural reception. Binaural gain was taken as the difference in speech‐to‐noise ratios for 60% correct reception comparing binaural and monaural results. The binaural gain at short reverberation, with unaided listening, was 5 dB in the presence of the babble and 4 dB in the presence of the impulsive noise. The introduction of hearing aids and the increase in reverberation each caused the binaural gain to decrease to 3 dB. The small increase in reverberation caused a substantial .
An experimental study of the fornix system in the rat

Current concepts regarding the functional significance of the hippocampal formation differ widely from those commonly held a relatively short time ago. Modern neurophysiological findings appear to militate against the traditional concept of the mammalian hippocampus as a prevailingly olfactory structure, and have, instead, given rise to far less specific notions which tend 'to implicate the hippocampus in neural mechanisms involved in the integration of affective behavior ( Papez, '37 ; Brodal, '47 ; McLean, '50). Up to the present time, such amplified functional concepts have not been paralleled by an increased knowledge of the anatomy of the hippocampal connections. On the contrary, a perusal of the vast literature dealing with the anatomy of the fornix system brings to light the remarkable fact that fewer efferent connections of the hippocampus are mentioned in the modern literature than were described by earlier workers. For example, more than 70 years ago a massive distribution of fornix fibers to rostra1 parts of the thalamus was described by Gudden (1881) in the normal rabbit brain, an observation which was later confirmed and amplified experimentally with the Marchi technique by 0. Vogt (1898a). It is remarkable that this thalamic distribution of the fornix system appears to have been mentioned in the more readily available literature for the last time by Cajal ( ' l l ) , who traced fornix collaterals to the thalamus. It is not clear whether later workers
A Framework for Steering Dynamic Robotic Locomotion Systems

We seek to formulate control and motion planning algorithms for a class of dynamic robotic locomotion systems. We consider mechanical systems that involve some type of interaction with the environment and have dynamics that possess rotational and translational symmetries. Research in non-holonomic systems and geometric mechanics has led to a single, simplified framework that describes this class of systems. In this paper, we explore a hybrid systems approach to generating motion plans for systems of this type. We perform a dynamic analysis of the system to find a small set of periodic control inputs for momentum generation in desired directions. We then find a simplified, kinematic model which captures the fundamental nature of the locomotion system and we use this abstract model for motion planning. This approach is inherently modular, since broad classes of locomotion systems can be described by the same kinematic approximation. In this paper, we describe the application of such an approach to two examples: the snakeboard robot and an eel-like, underwater robot.
Cancer Screening for Underserved Women: The Breast and Cervical Cancer Intervention Study

Objective: To report on the effect of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Intervention Study (BACCIS), a multicomponent intervention conducted in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1992 and 1997. Methods: BACCIS targeted ∼25,000 multiethnic, underserved women in eight neighborhoods and the public health clinics that served them. An outreach intervention using lay health worker peers and clinic provider inreach intervention to improve breast and cervical cancer screening were evaluated in a quasi-experimental, controlled trial with pretest and posttest household surveys of 1,599 and 1,616 women, respectively. Surveys were conducted in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Results: Analyses of community survey results showed no significant improvement in reported screening behaviors. Reports of mammography in the intervention areas in the previous 2 years, or for Pap smear in the previous 3 years, did not differ significantly (73-71% and 84-87%, respectively, for pretest and posttest surveys). Conclusion: High baseline screening rates, lack of sensitive measures of change at the population level, contamination of the control group, and an imbalance of predictive factors at baseline contributed to the difficulty of assessing the value of the intervention. Lessons learned from this inconclusive study may be of value to future community intervention studies of cancer screening and other health behaviors in multiethnic underserved urban populations. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(8):1945–9)
Multicast Capacity of Wireless Ad Hoc Networks Under Gaussian Channel Model

We study the multicast capacity of large-scale random extended multihop wireless networks, where a number of wireless nodes are randomly located in a square region with side length <i>a</i> = √<i>n</i>, by use of Poisson distribution with density 1. All nodes transmit at a constant power <i>P</i> , and the power decays with attenuation exponent <i>α > 2</i>. The data rate of a transmission is determined by the <i>SINR</i> as <i>B</i>log(1+ SINR), where <i>B</i> is the bandwidth. There are <i>ns</i> randomly and independently chosen multicast sessions. Each multicast session has <i>k</i> randomly chosen terminals. We show that when <i>k</i> ≤ θ<sub>1</sub>[(<i>n</i>)/((log<i>n</i>)<sup>2α+ 6</sup>)] and <i>ns</i> ≥ θ<sub>2</sub><i>n</i><sup>1/2+β</sup>, the capacity that each multicast session can achieve, with high probability, is at least <i>c</i><sub>8</sub>[(√<i>n</i>)/(<i>ns</i>√<i>k</i>)], where <i>θ</i><sub>1</sub>, <i>θ</i><sub>2</sub>, and <i>c</i><sub>8</sub> are some special constants and <i>β > 0</i> is any positive real number. We also show that for <i>k</i> = <i>O</i>( [(<i>n</i>)/(log<sup>2</sup><i>n</i>)]) , the per-flow multicast capacity under Gaussian channel is at most <i>O</i>([(√<i>n</i>)/(<i>ns</i> √<i>k</i>)]) when we have at least <i>ns</i> = Ω(log<i>n</i>) random multicast flows. Our result generalizes the unicast capacity for random networks using percolation theory.
Empowerment, job satisfaction and organizational commitment: a comparative analysis of nurses working in Malaysia and England.

AIMS To examine the relationships between nurses' empowerment, job satisfaction and organizational commitment in culturally and developmentally different societies. BACKGROUND Employment and retention of sufficient and well-committed nursing staff are essential for providing safe and effective health care. In light of this, nursing leaders have been searching for ways to re-engineer the healthcare system particularly by providing an environment that is conducive to staff empowerment, job satisfaction and commitment. METHODS This is a descriptive correlational survey of 556 registered nurses (RNs) in two teaching hospitals in England and Malaysia. RESULTS Although the Malaysian nurses felt more empowered and committed to their organization, the English nurses were more satisfied with their job. CONCLUSION The differences between these two groups of nurses show that empowerment does not generate the same results in all countries, and reflects empirical evidence from most cross cultural studies on empowerment. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Nursing management should always take into consideration cultural differences in empowerment, job satisfaction and commitment of nursing staff while formulating staff policies.
Discontinuous LYVE‐1 expression in corneal limbal lymphatics: dual function as microvalves and immunological hot spots

LYVE‐1+ corneal lymphatics contribute to drainage and immunity. LYVE‐1 is widely accepted as the most reliable lymphatic marker because of its continuous expression in lymphatic endothelium. LYVE‐1 expression in corneal lymphatics has not been examined. In this study, we report intact CD31+ corneal lymphatic capillary endothelial cells that do not express LYVE‐1. The number of LYVE‐1‐ gaps initially increased until 8 wk of age but was significantly reduced in aged mice. C57BL/6 mice showed a notably higher number of the LYVE‐1‐/CD31+ lymphatic regions than BALB/c mice, which suggests a genetic predisposition for this histological feature. The LYVE‐1‐ lymphatic gaps expressed podoplanin and VE‐cadherin but not αSMA or FOXC2. Interestingly, the number of LYVE‐1‐ gaps in FGF‐2, but not VEGF‐A, implanted corneas was significantly lower than in untreated corneas. Over 70% of the CD45+ leukocytes were found in the proximity of the LYVE‐1‐ gaps. Using a novel in vivo imaging technique for visualization of leukocyte migration into and out of corneal stroma, we showed reentry of extravasated leukocytes from angiogenic vessels into newly grown corneal lymphatics. This process was inhibited by VE‐cadherin blockade. To date, existence of lymphatic valves in cornea is unknown. Electron microscopy showed overlapping lymphatic endothelial ends, reminiscent of microvalves in corneal lymphatics. This work introduces a novel corneal endothelial lymphatic phenotype that lacks LYVE‐1. LYVE‐1‐ lymphatic endothelium could serve as microvalves, supporting unidirectional flow, as well as immunological hot spots that facilitate reentry of stromal macropahges. —Nakao, S. , Zandi, S. , Faez, S. , Kohno, R. , Hafezi‐Moghadam, A. Discontinuous LYVE‐1 expression in corneal limbal lymphatics: dual function as microvalves and immunological hot spots. FASEB J. 26, 808–817 (2012). www.fasebj. org
Association Between the Mediterranean Diet and Cancer Risk: A Review of Observational Studies

The aim of this article was to summarize the evidence concerning the association between Mediterranean dietary pattern and cancer risk in observational epidemiological studies. All the studies that met the following criteria were reviewed: human cohort and case-control studies that examined the effect of the Mediterranean diet as an entire food pattern (the combined effect of individual components of the Mediterranean diet) and whose results were published in English. Out of the 12 reviewed studies (7 cohort and 5 case-control), 10 studies (6 cohort and 4 case-control) provided some evidence that the Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of cancer incidence or mortality. Although the reviewed studies varied according to certain study characteristics, such as being set in different populations and studying different cancer outcomes, the existing evidence from observational studies collectively suggests that there is a “probable” protective role of the Mediterranean diet toward cancer in general. Specific results for several outcomes such as different cancer sites deserve additional evidence. This favorable effect of the Mediterranean diet on cancer reduction is of public health relevance, given the tendency of modern societies to shift toward a more U.S. and Northern European dietary pattern.
Physical Layer Security in MIMO Backscatter Wireless Systems

Backscatter wireless communication is an emerging technique widely used in low-cost and low-power wireless systems, especially in passive radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. Recently, the requirement of high data rates, data reliability, and security drives the development of RFID systems, which motivates our investigation on the physical layer security of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) RFID system. In this paper, we propose a noise-injection precoding strategy to safeguard the system security with the resource-constrained nature of the backscatter system taken into consideration. We first consider a multi-antenna RFID tag case and investigate the secrecy rate maximization (SRM) problem by jointly optimizing the energy supply power and the precoding matrix of the injected artificial noise at the RFID reader. We exploit the alternating optimization method and the sequential parametric convex approximation method, respectively, to tackle the non-convex SRM problem and show an interesting fact that the two methods are actually equivalent for our SRM problem with the convergence of a Karush-Kuhn-Tucker point. To facilitate the practical implementation for resource-constrained RFID devices, we propose a fast algorithm based on projected gradient. We also consider a single-antenna RFID tag case and develop a low-complexity algorithm, which yields the global optimal solution. Simulation results show the superiority of our proposed algorithms in terms of the secrecy rate and computational complexity.
p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway Regulates Genes during Proliferation and Differentiation in Oligodendrocytes

We have previously shown that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) is important for oligodendrocyte (OLG) differentiation and myelination. However, the precise cellular mechanisms by which p38 regulates OLG differentiation remain largely unknown. To determine whether p38 functions in part through transcriptional events in regulating OLG identity, we performed microarray analysis on differentiating oligodendrocyte progenitors (OLPs) treated with a p38 inhibitor. Consistent with a role in OLG differentiation, pharmacological inhibition of p38 down-regulated the transcription of genes that are involved in myelin biogenesis, transcriptional control and cell cycle. Proliferation assays showed that OLPs treated with the p38 inhibitor retained a proliferative capacity which could be induced upon application of mitogens demonstrating that after two days of p38-inhibition OLGs remained poised to continue mitosis. Together, our results suggest that the p38 pathway regulates gene transcription which can coordinate OLG differentiation. Our microarray dataset will provide a useful resource for future studies investigating the molecular mechanisms by which p38 regulates oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination.
Effects of TET2 mutations on DNA methylation in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia

TET2 enzymatically converts 5-methyl-cytosine to 5-hydroxymethyl-cytosine, possibly leading to loss of DNA methylation. TET2 mutations are common in myeloid leukemia and were proposed to contribute to leukemogenesis through DNA methylation. To expand on this concept, we studied chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) samples. TET2 missense or nonsense mutations were detected in 53% (16/30) of patients. In contrast, only 1/30 patient had a mutation in IDH1 or IDH2, and none of them had a mutation in DNMT3A in the sites most frequently mutated in leukemia. Using bisulfite pyrosequencing, global methylation measured by the LINE-1 assay and DNA methylation levels of 10 promoter CpG islands frequently abnormal in myeloid leukemia were not different between TET2 mutants and wild-type CMML cases. This was also true for 9 out of 11 gene promoters reported by others as differentially methylated by TET2 mutations. We found that two non-CpG island promoters, AIM2 and SP140, were hypermethylated in patients with mutant TET2. These were the only two gene promoters (out of 14,475 genes) previously found to be hypermethylated in TET2 mutant cases. However, total 5-methyl-cytosine levels in TET2 mutant cases were significantly higher than TET2 wild-type cases (median = 14.0% and 9.8%, respectively) (p = 0.016). Thus, TET2 mutations affect global methylation in CMML but most of the changes are likely to be outside gene promoters.
Childhood Determinants of Adult Psychiatric Disorder

The aim of this project was to assess the current evidence from longitudinal studies for childhood determinants of adult mental illness. Because of the variable and often prolonged period between factors in childhood and the identification of mental illness in adults, prospective studies, particularly birth cohorts, offer the best chance of demonstrating associations in individuals. A review was undertaken in 2006 of the published literature from longitudinal studies, together with some large-scale retrospective studies and relevant reviews which provided supplementary evidence. The main focus was upon potentially ameliorable characteristics, experiences or situations of childhood; however, other factors, not determinants but pre-cursors, associated with later mental illness could not be left out. Seven major electronic data-bases of published research were interrogated with a range of key-words and the results supplemented from personal searches, enquiries and reference trails. In excess of 1,500 abstracts were read to select 250 papers for full review. The material was assessed in relation to ten factors: Psychological disturbance; Genetic Influences; Neurological Deviance; Neuroticism; Behaviour; School Performance; Adversity; Child Abuse or Neglect; Parenting and parent-child relationships; Disrupted and Disfunctional Families. In 2011 the search was repeated for the period 2006 to mid-2011, using the same search terms and supplemented in the same manner. Over 1,800 abstracts emerged and almost 200 papers selected for more detailed review. These were then integrated into the original text with modifications where necessary. The whole text was then revised and edited in January / February 2012. There is continuing evidence for the association with later mental ill-health for each of these ten factors, but with different degrees of conviction. The evidence for each is discussed in detail and weighed both separately and in relation to others. These are then summarised, and the research implications are considered. Finally, the implications for prevention are discussed together with the practical potential for preventive and health-promoting programmes.
Leptin, adiponectin, visfatin and retinol‐binding protein‐4 – mediators of comorbidities in patients with psoriasis?

Abstract: White adipose tissue is known to be involved in numerous physiological processes such as insulin‐mediated functions, lipid and glucose metabolism, vascular changes and coagulation. These processes are mainly mediated by adipokines that are secreted either from adipocytes or cells of the stromal‐vascular fraction of adipose tissue. In obesity, a shift in the production of adipokines can mediate the development of associated diseases, such as metabolic syndrome, and vascular complications, such as artherosclerosis, myocardial infarction or stroke, which are known comorbidities of psoriasis too. As obesity is a frequently seen comorbidity in psoriasis patients, adipokines could be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and/or its comorbidities either dependently or independently from obesity. Therefore, this study investigates the levels of four major adipokines in psoriasis patients compared with a control group of healthy volunteers without chronic inflammatory diseases in relation to body composition. Leptin, adiponectin (high molecular weight (HMW) and total adiponectin), visfatin and retinol‐binding protein 4 (RBP4) have been analysed in 79 psoriasis patients and in 80 healthy volunteers. It was shown that HMW adiponectin (OR 1.3755; P = 0.0094) and visfatin (OR 1.1267; P = 0.0472) are independently increased, and RBP4 (OR 0.9884; P < 0.0001) is independently decreased in psoriasis. In conclusion, increased levels of HMW adiponectin and decreased levels of RBP4 could be a mechanism in a chronic inflammatory state that helps to protect against vascular and metabolic disorders, whereas the increase of the pro‐inflammatory adipokine visfatin could lead to atherosclerosis and vascular disorders found in psoriasis.
Factors involved in the discontinuation of antihypertensive drug therapy: an analysis from real life data

Objectives: We have previously shown that in Italian region of Lombardy (about 10 million citizens), adherence to antihypertensive treatment is low, and that this is associated with a greater risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular events. In this study, we used a healthcare database to study the factors involved in discontinuation of antihypertensive drug prescriptions in real life. Methods and results: The analysis was restricted to 493 623 new users of antihypertensive drugs (no prescriptions in the previous 3 years) recruited in 2003, 2006 and 2009. Discontinuation was defined as lack of prescription renewal for at least 3 months. Each patient was followed at most for 1 year. The adjusted risk of treatment discontinuation depended on the type of initial antihypertensive treatment (diuretic monotherapy associated with higher risk) and it was lower in men (−17%) and older (−21 to −29%) patients, in patients with co-treatment with antidiabetic drugs, or hospitalization for cardiovascular or renal disease (−12 to −27%), but greater in patients under co-treatment with antidepressant drugs or hospitalization for concomitant pulmonary, rheumatic, neoplastic or neurological diseases (+9 to +32%). An unexpected relationship between discontinuation of treatment and density of the population of patient's residence, with a much greater discontinuation in metropolitan areas, was observed. Conclusions: In a real life setting, discontinuation of antihypertensive treatment is affected in an opposite direction by a large number of factors: type of antihypertensive treatment, co-treatments, clinical conditions and even demographic characteristics of the geographical area where the patient lives. Knowledge of these factors may help the effort to reduce this phenomenon.
Commodity Price Exposure and Ownerhsip Clienteles

This paper examines the association between commodity price exposure and investor interest in stocks of firms in two commodity-based industries: Gold Mining, and Oil and Gas Exploration. Investors, on average, are attracted to commodity price exposure. Using market-based measures of commodity price exposure, there is robust evidence that commodity stocks with high commodity price exposures have higher turnover and a larger number of institutional investors, in particular mutual fund investors, than commodity stocks with low exposures. We conduct cross-sectional analysis that condition on the source of the exposure, the type of investor, and the performance of the underlying commodity. Overall, investors' revealed preferences for high exposure stocks appear to reflect a desire to gain exposure to the underlying commodity through an exposed equity security. They are not consistent with an attraction to exposure because of its transparency.
Rational functions with given ramification in characteristic p

Using limit linear series and a result controlling degeneration from separable maps to inseparable maps, we give a formula for the number of rational functions (up to automorphism of the target) on the projective line with ramification to order ei at general points Pi, in the case that all ei are less than the characteristic. Unlike the case of characteristic 0, the answer is not given by Schubert calculus, nor is the number of maps always finite for distinct Pi, even in the tamely ramified case. However, finiteness for general Pi, obtained by exploiting the relationship to branched covers, is a key part of the argument.
Bifurcations, intersections, and heights

In this article, we prove the equivalence of dynamical stability, preperiodicity, and canonical height 0, for algebraic families of rational maps $f_t: \mathbb{P}^1(\mathbb{C}) \to \mathbb{P}^1(\mathbb{C})$, parameterized by $t$ in a quasi-projective complex variety. We use this to prove one implication in the if-and-only-if statement of Conjecture 1.10 in [Baker-DeMarco, 2013] on unlikely intersections in the moduli space of rational maps; we present the conjecture here in a more general form.