Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a MOS estimation model for G.729 using listening-opinion tests with Thai speech referring to packet loss effects

This paper presents a proposed mathematical model of VoIP quality estimation from G.729. This model is based on native Thai users. The subjective Mean Opinion Score (MOS) were obtained from listening-opinion tests with a total of 102 subjects that covered five conditions of packet loss effects (0%, 3%, 5%, 10% and 20%). The model was then created using a simple function in Microsoft Excel, before evaluating with the test set data obtained from four test conditions (0%, 4%, 8% and 12%) with 30 subjects. From the evaluated result, it has been found that the Mean Absolute Percent Error (MAPE) of the model is 16.29%. That means this model is accepted as a good model for MOS estimation from G.729 for Thai users, referring to packet loss effects (0-10% =excellent, whereas about 10-20% = good).
Effect of polysulfonate resins and direct compression fillers on multiple-unit sustained-release dextromethorphan resinate tablets

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of different polysulfonate resins and direct compression fillers on physical properties of multiple-unit sustained-release dextromethorphan (DMP) tablets. DMP resinates were formed by a complexation of DMP and strong cation exchange resins, Dowex 50 W and Amberlite IRP69. The tablets consisted of the DMP resinates and direct compression fillers, such as microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCP), and spray-dried rice starch (SDRS). Physical properties of tablets, such as hardness, disintegration time, and in vitro release, were investigated. A good performance of the tablets was obtained when MCC or SDRS was used. The use of rod-like and plate-like particles of Amberlite IRP69 caused a statistical decrease in tablet hardness, whereas good tablet hardness was obtained when spherical particle of Dowex 50 W was used. The plastic deformation of the fillers, such as MCC and SDRS, caused a little change in the release of DMP. A higher release rate constant was found in the tablets containing DCP and Dowex 50 W, indicating the fracture of the resinates under compression, which was attributable to the fragmentation of DCP. However, the release of DMP from the tablets using Amberlite IRP69 was not significantly changed because of the higher degree of cross-linking of the resinates, which exhibited more resistance to deformation under compression. In conclusion, the properties of polysulfonate resin, such as particle shape and degree of cross-linking, and the deformation under compaction of fillers affect the physical properties and the drug release of the resinate tablets.
Who Isn’t a Special Learner? A Survey of How Music Teacher Education Programs Prepare Future Educators to Work With Exceptional Populations

As music educators are faced with an increasing number of students with various exceptionalities, their ability to differentiate instruction for those with special needs becomes paramount. The purpose of this survey was to investigate how music teacher preparation programs addressed the topic of differentiation for exceptional populations at the undergraduate level. Specifically, the survey asked if NASMaccredited universities that granted doctoral or master’s degrees in music education (a) required a course, (b) offered a course, or (c) in some other significant way systematically addressed the topic of teaching music to special populations. A link to a brief online survey was e-mailed to representatives of 212 institutions. Of 109 respondents, 29.6% required a course in teaching music to special populations, 38.9% indicated that this type of course was available, and 59.8% reported purposefully integrating the teaching of exceptional populations throughout their coursework. Respondent comments led to further literature review and discussion of the lack of consistent instruction with regard to this topic in undergraduate music education programs.
Collaborative recommendation: A robustness analysis

Collaborative recommendation has emerged as an effective technique for personalized information access. However, there has been relatively little theoretical analysis of the conditions under which the technique is effective. To explore this issue, we analyse the <i>robustness</i> of collaborative recommendation: the ability to make recommendations despite (possibly intentional) noisy product ratings. There are two aspects to robustness: recommendation <i>accuracy</i> and <i>stability</i>. We formalize recommendation accuracy in machine learning terms and develop theoretically justified models of accuracy. In addition, we present a framework to examine recommendation stability in the context of a widely-used collaborative filtering algorithm. For each case, we evaluate our analysis using several real-world data-sets. Our investigation is both practically relevant for enterprises wondering whether collaborative recommendation leaves their marketing operations open to attack, and theoretically interesting for the light it sheds on a comprehensive theory of collaborative recommendation.
An assessment framework for inclusive education: integrating assessment approaches

Teachers committed to inclusive education have the potential to revolutionise pedagogical and assessment practices within regular classrooms simply because students with high needs challenge traditional assumptions about what it means ‘to learn’ and ‘to assess’. This creates opportunities for teachers to find creative ways to ascertain what and how a child learns, and how these assessment results can be communicated to the child, parents, the school and funding bodies to enable further learning. This paper explores diverse assessment practices including criterion-based, normative, ipsative and self-assessment, with both formative and summative functions, reported as being used by teachers in New Zealand who teach students with high needs. These multiple approaches can be integrated into learning stories to ‘narrate’ student learning. An assessment framework is introduced to support teachers to appreciate the functionality of an integrated assessment approach to document student learning and outcomes, arguably a framework applicable for all learners.
The effect of choice on motivation for young children on the autism spectrum during discrete trial teaching

Self-determination and decision-making are acknowledged internationally as key rights of persons with disabilities and should play an important role in the development of educational plans and procedures. Not only is the chance for individuals with developmental disabilities to select their own tasks, leisure activities or reinforcers a valuable way of enhancing rights-based education and personal dignity, but choice-making opportunities may also function as a useful clinical or educational tool if they actually improve the efficacy of programmes aimed at the acquisition of socially relevant behaviours and life skills or the reduction of challenging behaviours. The study reported here assessed whether or not choice affected effectiveness of an educational procedure for three children on the autism spectrum. Following a preference assessment, a number of discrete teaching trials were conducted with each child and, contingent upon targeted responses, either the child or the therapist selected one of three preferred reinforcer items. Reinforcer choice did not affect intervention effectiveness for two of the children; however, performance and motivation improved for the third child. Results re-affirmed the importance of thorough preference assessments prior to intervention and showed that additional stimulus choice contingent on the target response may improve motivation and outcomes for some children.
EFFECT OF MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY ISOMETRIC CONTRACTION OF ANTAGONIST MUSCLES IN MAX TORQUE AND RATE OF TORQUE DEVELOPMENT OF AGONIST MUSCLES IN TRAINED AND UNTRAINED WOMEN

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of antagonist maximum voluntary isometric contraction on the torque and the rate of torque development of the agonist muscles in ankle joint in trained and untrained women at 0° angle joint. Twelve untrained and twelve trained women handball player participated in the study. An isokinetic dynamometer CYBEX Norm was used for the evaluation of torque. Initially the Maximal Voluntary Isometric Contraction (MVIC) both for plantar(PF) and dorsi flexors(DF) was evaluated. Afterwards the subjects performed 3 maximal isometric contractions of plantar flexor for 1 second, with 1 minute break between trials. After 10 minutes complete rest, 3 consecutive maximal dorsiflexion contractions and immediately after that three maximal PF contraction were performed for the evaluation of the reversal effect DF on PF. The following parameters were evaluated before and after DF contraction: Plantar flexion MVIC, Maximal Rate of Torque Development (MRTD), time of MRTD and the RTD for the period 0-30, 0-50, 0-100 and 0-200 ms after the torque onset. The statistical analysis showed that the reversal effect was presented only for the trained group for the MRTD and RTD 0-30. These results demonstrated that the existence of the reversal effect of the antagonists is not appeared always in untrained groups and especially for the joint angle it is affected by the training background only for selective parameters of muscle contraction.
Effects of positive emotional events on memory

Memory of positive emotional events (erotic pictures) was investigated in a paradigm often used in laboratory simulations of amnesia. After viewing mildly erotic pictures in the middle of a series of slides of an otherwise neutral character (Experiment I), or neutral pictures surrounded by erotic slides (Experiment 2), subjects were tested for memory (recall and recognition) of verbal descriptors presented along with the pictures. Emotional responses were evaluated by means of measurements of cardiac activity, and self-ratings of affect, and showed that a state of positive emotional arousal was induced to subjects presented with erotic pictures. While no difference in memory performance was obtained when erotic pictures were presented in a context of neutral pictures, an increase in performance was obtained when neutral pictures were presented in a context of erotic pictures. Furthermore, subjects presented with only neutral pictures showed a higher memory performance as compared with subjects presented with only erotic pictures. Taken together, the reults were interpreted as showing that not only negative emotional arousal, as has been shown by previous research, but also positive emotional arousal, has negative effects on memory performance in this type of design, due to attentional division and contextual affects.
Trajectories to the New Age. The spiritual turn of the first generation of Dutch New Age teachers

Most studies on New Age spirituality remain overly descriptive and lack solid, empirically grounded historical-sociological explanations for its increasing popularity since the counter culture of the 1960s and 1970s. The authors therefore study the motivations of the ‘first generation’ spiritual seekers to turn to the New Age on the basis of 42 qualitative interviews with Dutch New Age teachers who grew up in the counter culture. The analysis demonstrates that they were motivated by discontentment about Christian churches and modern work organizations, especially in the field of social care. Due to the countercultural emphasis on individual liberty, the respondents experienced institutions as both ‘meaningless’ and ‘alienating’ and felt attracted to the promises of humanistic self-spirituality and holism. In the conclusion the authors speculate on how and why the young ‘second generation’ New Agers turns to spirituality nowadays and in what ways their motivations differ from those of the first generation.
Transcranial direct current stimulation and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in consultation-liaison psychiatry

Patients with clinical diseases often present psychiatric conditions whose pharmacological treatment is hampered due to hazardous interactions with the clinical treatment and/or disease. This is particularly relevant for major depressive disorder, the most common psychiatric disorder in the general hospital. In this context, nonpharmacological interventions could be useful therapies; and, among those, noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) might be an interesting option. The main methods of NIBS are repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which was recently approved as a nonresearch treatment for some psychiatric conditions, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a technique that is currently limited to research scenarios but has shown promising results. Therefore, our aim was to review the main medical conditions associated with high depression rates, the main obstacles for depression treatment, and whether these therapies could be a useful intervention for such conditions. We found that depression is an important and prevalent comorbidity in a variety of diseases such as epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson's disease, myocardial infarction, cancer, and in other conditions such as pregnancy and in patients without enteral access. We found that treatment of depression is often suboptimal within the above contexts and that rTMS and tDCS therapies have been insufficiently appraised. We discuss whether rTMS and tDCS could have a significant impact in treating depression that develops within a clinical context, considering its unique characteristics such as the absence of pharmacological interactions, the use of a nonenteral route, and as an augmentation therapy for antidepressants.
Gender-Based Differences in Consumer E-Commerce Adoption

Despite the spread of e-commerce, few studies have investigated gender-based differences in the adoption of consumer-oriented electronic commerce. Theory and evidence from other domains indicates that such differences may exist. Using innovation diffusion theory as a framework, we empirically investigate whether the impact of beliefs regarding the characteristics of e-commerce and the trustworthiness of Web merchants on intentions to use e-commerce differ according to gender. Results indicate that such differences do exist. Perceived compatibility and visibility have greater impacts for women. In contrast, males' use intentions are more driven by perceived relative advantage and result demonstrability. No differences were found for perceived ease of use and Web merchant trustworthiness.
The Rise of Non-Traditional Site Use for Online Political Information

This article updates and clarifies what is known about where political information is gathered online. Some studies have found that the online sites of traditional media companies dominate online interest and marginalize non-traditional sites that present independent views, which damages the Internet's ability to provide diverse viewpoints (Blevins, 2001; Dahlberg, 2005; Introna & Nissenbaum, 2000). Other research shows a trend toward more non-traditional site use (Pew Research Center, 2009). This study uses survey data from political information gatherers during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign to measure how much traditional and non-traditional media sites dominated their attention and whether factors such as demographics, political interest, social ties, and use of offline media limited or contributed to that domination. The survey found that non-traditional sites controlled respondents' online attention as much as traditional media sites in terms of political information, and several factors contributed to accessing traditional and non-traditional media online.
Reciprocal Teaching and Transenvironmental Programming

This article reports on experimental evaluation of the effectiveness of combining two metacognitive instructional approaches to enhance the reading comprehension skills of upper-primary poor readers. The program involves the use of reciprocal teaching procedures in the resource room and transenvironmental programming techniques by which students were instructed to employ the newly learned comprehension strategies in their homeroom reading and social studies classes. The results support previous research into the facilitative effects of reciprocal teaching on reading comprehension and of transenvironmental programming on transfer of learning across settings. Of greater importance is the finding that it is the combination of the two instructional approaches that has provided a very effective means of facilitating poor readers' unprompted use of relevant strategies for enhancing text processing.
The Insemination Rates of some Anopheline and Culicine Populations in the Makurdi Area of Benue State , North Central Nigeria

Studies on the insemination rates of mosquito populations in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria were carried out using four mosquito infested localities: High-level, Wurukum, Northbank and Wadata, over a 12 month period. A total of 4,320 adult female mosquitoes, comprising anopheline and culicine species were identified and dissected using standard procedures. Of these, 1,040 (24.1%) were Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.); 641 (14.8%) were Aonopheles funestus Giles and 2,418 (56.0%) of the mosquitoes were Culex quinquefasciatus Say while 221 (5.1%) were tagged „unidentified‟ species of Anopheles mosquitoes. Chi-square statistic showed a significant difference between the mosquito species and their abundance ( ) 05 . 0  P . The overall mosquito population was found to be highly inseminated (88.9%) which varied significantly ( , test  ) 05 . 0  P across the localities with Culex quinquefasciatus having the highest insemination rate of 51.2%, followed by Anopheles gambiae s.l. which had insemination rate of 21.6%, while 11.6% of the Anopheles funestus were inseminated. Meanwhile, the „unidentified‟ Anopheles species had the lowest insemination rate of 4.5%. There was a significant difference between the insemination rates and the mosquito species ( , test  ) 05 . 0  P . In terms of localities, the order of insemination was: Wadata (99.3%) > North-bank (97.7%) >High-level (91.1%) > Wurukum (70.5%) respectively. There was also a significant difference between the insemination rates of the mosquito species across the localities from where they were caught ( , test  ) 05 . 0  P . The findings indicate that the residents of Makurdi are potentially prone to mosquito bites and that Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles funestus and Culex quinquefasciatus were the major mosquito vectors in the study area. This work may provide an entomological baseline data that is required for evaluation and implementation of vector control interventions in Makurdi.
Miscue Analysis: A Critical Review

Miscue analysis procedures are becoming increasingly popular for both research and evaluation purposes. Although there are no normative data available to guide the interpretation of a reader's oral reading miscues, there are a number of studies which may be used for this purpose. However the evidence also suggests that miscue patterns are subject to considerable variation as a function of a complex interaction among several factors including instructional method, the reader's background, skills, and purpose for reading, and the nature and content of the written material. The information reported to date suggests that both the assumptions underlying miscue analysis and the procedures used to analyze miscues require additional rigorous empirical explication and validation.
Do we need demographic data to forecast population responses to 1 climate change ?

6 Rapid climate change has generated growing interest in forecasts of future population 7 trajectories. Traditional population models, typically built using detailed demographic 8 observations from one study site, can address climate change impacts at one location, but are 9 di cult to scale up to the landscape and regional scales relevant to management decisions. 10 An alternative is to build models using population-level data that is much easier to collect 11 over broad spatial scales than individual-level data. However, such models ignore the fact 12 that climate drives population growth through its influence on individual performance. Here, 13 we test the consequences of aggregating individual responses when forecasting climate change 14 impacts on four perennial grass species in a semi-arid grassland in Montana, USA. We 15 parameterized two population models based on the same dataset, one based on individual16 level data (survival, growth and recruitment) and one on population-level data (percent 17 cover), and compared their accuracy, precision, and sensitivity to climate variables. The 18 individual-level model was more accurate and precise than the aggregated model when 19 predicting out-of-sample observations. When comparing climate e ects from both models, 20 the population-level model missed important climate e ects from at least one vital rate for 21 each species. Increasing the sample size at the population-level would not necessarily reduce 22 forecast uncertainty; the way to reduce uncertainty is to capture unique climate dependence 23 of individual vital rates. Our analysis indicates that there is no shortcut to forecasting climate 24 1 E-mail: atredenn@gmail.com 1 . CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license peer-reviewed) is the author/funder. It is made available under a The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not . http://dx.doi. org/10.1101/025742 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Aug. 30, 2015;
Exclusive control for compound operations on hardware transactional memory

Transactional memory (TM) is a lock-free synchronization mechanism for shared memory systems, and it is a promising paradigm for complementing or replacing conventional lock-based techniques. On TM, read-after-read (RaR) accesses cause no conflict and do not prevent parallel speculative execution of transactions. However, quite a few of read accesses are followed by write accesses to the same variables or addresses, for example in compound operations such as increment or decrement. We found that granting such RaR access requests causes futile stalls which impact TM performance seriously. In this paper, we propose a novel effective transaction scheduling for hardware transactional memories by controlling such RaR accesses with very small additional hardware costs. If an RaR access to an address is expected to be followed by a write access to the same address, the transactions concerned with the access are serialized. The result of the experiment shows that the execution time of HTM is reduced 72.2% at a maximum and 17.5% on average with our transaction scheduling.
The Relationships Between Athletes’ Perceptions of Coach-Created Motivational Climate, Self-Talk, and Self-Efficacy in Youth Soccer

The purpose of this study was to explore the mediating role of self-talk in the relationship between athletes’ perceptions of coach-created motivational climate and athletes’ self-efficacy. Two hundred eighty-nine youth soccer players (M = 11.63 years, SD = 1.55 years) completed the Automatic Self-Talk Questionnaire for Sport, the Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire, and a self-efficacy measure for soccer. The results showed that only positive and not negative self-talk mediated the relationship between empowering motivational climate and self-efficacy, whereas no relationship emerged between disempowering climate and self-efficacy, highlighting the role of self-talk explaining this relationship.