Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Indication criteria for cochlear implants and hearing aids: impact of audiological and non-audiological findings

Owing to technological progress and a growing body of clinical experience, indication criteria for cochlear implants (CI) are being extended to less severe hearing impairments. It is, therefore, worth reconsidering these indication criteria by introducing novel testing procedures. The diagnostic evidence collected will be evaluated. The investigation includes postlingually deafened adults seeking a CI. Prior to surgery, speech perception tests [Freiburg Speech Test and Oldenburg sentence (OLSA) test] were performed unaided and aided using the Oldenburg Master Hearing Aid (MHA) system. Linguistic skills were assessed with the visual Text Reception Threshold (TRT) test, and general state of health, socio-economic status (SES) and subjective hearing were evaluated through questionnaires. After surgery, the speech tests were repeated aided with a CI. To date, 97 complete data sets are available for evaluation. Statistical analyses showed significant correlations between postsurgical speech reception threshold (SRT) measured with the adaptive OLSA test and pre-surgical data such as the TRT test (r=−0.29), SES (r=−0.22) and (if available) aided SRT (r=0.53). The results suggest that new measures and setups such as the TRT test, SES and speech perception with the MHA provide valuable extra information regarding indication for CI.
Signed and Spoken Language Development in a Hearing Child of Hearing Parents

The communicative behavior of a hearing child of hearing parents was recorded from the child’s 26th week through the 17th month. Both parents communicated with the child from birth in signs and spoken words. Comparison with contemporary studies of spoken language development shows this child’s expressive communication in both modalities accelerated. It is hypothesized that the addition of a signed component may have been responsible for this child’s early acquisition of language.
Bacterial Chitinolytic Communities Respond to Chitin and pH Alteration in Soil

ABSTRACT Chitin amendment is a promising soil management strategy that may enhance the suppressiveness of soil toward plant pathogens. However, we understand very little of the effects of added chitin, including the putative successions that take place in the degradative process. We performed an experiment in moderately acid soil in which the level of chitin, next to the pH, was altered. Examination of chitinase activities revealed fast responses to the added crude chitin, with peaks of enzymatic activity occurring on day 7. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)-based analyses of 16S rRNA and chiA genes showed structural changes of the phylogenetically and functionally based bacterial communities following chitin addition and pH alteration. Pyrosequencing analysis indicated (i) that the diversity of chiA gene types in soil is enormous and (i) that different chiA gene types are selected by the addition of chitin at different prevailing soil pH values. Interestingly, a major role of Gram-negative bacteria versus a minor one of Actinobacteria in the immediate response to the added chitin (based on 16S rRNA gene abundance and chiA gene types) was indicated. The results of this study enhance our understanding of the response of the soil bacterial communities to chitin and are of use for both the understanding of soil suppressiveness and the possible mining of soil for novel enzymes.
Docking Ligands into Flexible and Solvated Macromolecules. 6. Development and Application to the Docking of HDACs and other Zinc Metalloenzymes Inhibitors

Metalloenzymes are ubiquitous proteins which feature one or more metal ions either directly involved in the enzymatic activity and/or structural properties (i.e., zinc fingers). Several members of this class take advantage of the Lewis acidic properties of zinc ions to carry out their various catalytic transformations including isomerization or amide cleavage. These enzymes have been validated as drug targets for a number of diseases including cancer; however, despite their pharmaceutical relevance and the availability of crystal structures, structure-based drug design methods have been poorly and indirectly parametrized for these classes of enzymes. More specifically, the metal coordination component and proton transfers of the process of drugs binding to metalloenzymes have been inadequately modeled by current docking programs, if at all. In addition, several known issues, such as coordination geometry, atomic charge variability, and a potential proton transfer from small molecules to a neighboring basic residue, have often been ignored. We report herein the development of specific functions and parameters to account for zinc-drug coordination focusing on the above-listed phenomena and their impact on docking to zinc metalloenzymes. These atom-type-dependent but atomic charge-independent functions implemented into Fitted 3.1 enable the simulation of drug binding to metalloenzymes, considering an acid-base reaction with a neighboring residue when necessary with good accuracy.
Accusative object marking: A change in progress in Cuban Spanish?

Although accusative object marking has been widely studied in Spanish, there do not appear to be sociolinguistic studies addressing its variation and possible change, despite evidence of loss of the marker from Dominican Spanish. This paper describes the findings of a study on the marking of human accusative objects in Cuban Spanish that compared two time periods and two generational cohorts with spoken data from the 1960s and 1990s. A significantly lower rate of object marking was found for the later time period, as well as similar rates for one generational cohort studied at both times. The findings of a logistic regression analysis suggested that loss of the object marker is a change in progress constrained by definiteness of the object. It is shown that the pattern found here for Cuban Spanish is more similar to Old Spanish than to Modern Spanish.
Biological activity of amoebicin m4-A from Bacillus licheniformis M-4

Amoebicin m4-A from Bacillus licheniformis M-4 exerts a bactericidal and bacteriolytic action on Bacillus megaterium GR10. Protein, DNA, and RNA synthesis are inhibited, and the membrane electrical potential of this bacterium is depleted by amoebicin. Synthesis of DNA and RNA by Naegleria fowleri HB-1 is also inhibited. Liposomes constructed from L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine become permeable to ions, low-molecular-weight solutes, and high-molecular-weight polymers after treatment with amoebicin.
Personality as an Affect-processing System: Toward An Integrative Theory

Contents: Preface. Introduction and Orientation. Some Logical, Psycho-Logical, and Definitional Matters. Theoretical Orientation and Aspiration. A First Characterization of the Personality System. A Beginning Discussion of Drive, Percept, and Anxiety. Drives, Tension, and Control. Percept, Environment, and Perceptualizing. Closing the Ring. Clinical Implications. Connections to Theoretical Alternatives. Prescript: Developmental Aspects of Ego Control and Ego-Resiliency.
STUDY THE ROLE OF CUSTOMER-BASED BRAND EQUITY IN THE BRAND PERSONALITY EFFECT ON PURCHASE INTENTION

In the Brand literature, few studies especially in Iran investigated the brand functions and business success. Hence, this study aims to provide the desirable model to creation and developing a deeper insight into the role of brand equity in the relationship between brand personality and customers purchase intention. The study statistical population consists of the whole Mellat Bank customers in Qazvin province, which used a questionnaire to collect data from them. In addition to, four hypotheses were announced and tested using structural equation modeling techniques. Research findings show the significant and positive effects of the brand personality on brand equity and purchase intention. Likewise, the results revealed that brand equity has a positive influence on customers’ purchase intention and has a positive mediator role for the other two variables. According to the results of study, it is recommended to organizations and those marketing managers to take action to create a positive brand personality until make differentiation in customers minds compared to other brands and enhance brand equity and achieved to the comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior.
Project Yi Jin: an alternative route to lifelong education in Hong Kong

An innovative scheme known as Project Yi Jin that provided an alternative route for students who failed in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) to gain an academic status for, and access to, higher education was evaluated after one year’s implementation. A survey of 2416 students via telephone found that students who successfully completed the project had better opportunities for further study and tended to do so at higher academic levels than those who did not complete the programme. They also had better subsequent employment opportunities and felt more satisfied with the course. The programme was found to be gender and age unbiased and was able to differentiate higher academic achievers from lower academic achievers for more advanced academic pursuit. Project Yi Jin has served as a bridge between secondary and tertiary education and provided a route for those who had completed secondary education in Hong Kong with unsatisfactory results and those mature students who are 21 or above to obtain a formal qualification for both employment and continuing education purposes.
Augmentation effect of postprandial hyperinsulinaemia on growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) frequently have impaired glucose metabolism. Aims: To investigate whether impaired glucose metabolism affects the growth rate of the tumour. Patients and methods: Tumour doubling time (DT), assessed by ultrasound imaging analysis, was measured in 60 patients with single small HCC (diameter <30 mm). DT was compared with plasma insulin and glucose concentrations following the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The effect of continuous infusion of octreotide (a somatostatin analogue 200 μg/day) for three months on DT in five cases was assessed. Results: The 60 patients were divided into two groups because the median DT was 140 days: rapid growth group (DT ≤140 days, n=30) and slow growth group (DT >140 days, n=30). Fasting plasma insulin concentration and area under the plasma insulin curve (AUCins) of the OGTT (10.4 (6.2) μU/ml and 262 (152) μU/ml/h, respectively; mean (SD)) in the rapid growth group were significantly higher than those in the slow growth group (7.6 (4.3) and 146 (140), respectively) (p=0.041 and p=0.0006, respectively). In contrast, fasting plasma glucose concentration and area under the plasma glucose curve (AUCgluc) in the rapid growth group were significantly lower than those in the slow growth group (p=0.0003 and p=0.0012, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analyses of logistic regression models demonstrated that AUCins was a significant factor contributing to the growth rate of HCC (p=0.001 and p=0.016, respectively). AUCins significantly decreased after octreotide treatment (p<0.02) but AUCgluc did not significantly change. DT after treatment increased in three of the five patients and could not be calculated in the remaining two patients because of no change in the diameter of the tumour. Conclusions: These data suggest that postprandial hyperinsulinaemia is associated with accelerated HCC growth.
Low-Rank Regression with Tensor Responses

This paper proposes an efficient algorithm (HOLRR) to handle regression tasks where the outputs have a tensor structure. We formulate the regression problem as the minimization of a least square criterion under a multilinear rank constraint, a difficult non convex problem. HOLRR computes efficiently an approximate solution of this problem, with solid theoretical guarantees. A kernel extension is also presented. Experiments on synthetic and real data show that HOLRR computes accurate solutions while being computationally very competitive.
Developing a better understanding of technology based pedagogy

The focus of this paper is to present the major qualitative findings from a one year, mixed methods study that explores a cohort of preservice teachers' process of learning to teach with information and communication technology (ICT) across their teacher preparation program in Singapore. This study suggests a variation in the preservice teachers' technology competency, stances, decision making and actions in using ICT for classroom teaching and learning. The majority of the participants seemed to be unable to translate into teaching practice their increased technological competency and espoused constructivist orientation gained from the coursework. They tended to use ICT to improve and enhance teacher centred instruction on a regular basis during the teaching practicum. However, three focus participants were also able to use ICT to engage their students in student centred learning. They began to demonstrate their leadership potential in influencing others to use ICT for enhancing student learning. The findings suggest that preservice teachers may need more guidance, modelling and collaboration to develop a better understanding of technology based pedagogy from their own practice so that they can synthesise their constructivist orientation, student centred teaching approaches, and effective use of ICT.
Anger and Neoclassical Rationality

This paper evaluates the rationality of anger in the light of a standard notion of economic rationality. Whether anger is rational or otherwise cannot be answered in general, but will depend on the economic setting. As long as anger can be explained as a preference in a parsimonious and stable utility function, it does not make sense to talk of anger as rational or irrational. The production of anger is subtly mediated by a variety of cognitive factors. These (and the cognitive effects produced by anger) underlie what are the genuine problems that anger creates for rational choice.
Assistive Planning in Complex, Dynamic Environments: A Probabilistic Approach

We explore the probabilistic foundations of shared control in complex dynamic environments. In order to do this, we formulate shared control as a random process and describe the joint distribution that governs its behavior. For tractability, we model the relationships between the operator, autonomy, and crowd as an undirected graphical model. Further, we introduce an interaction function between the operator and the robot, that we call "agreeability", in combination with the methods developed in [26], we extend a cooperative collision avoidance autonomy to shared control. We therefore quantify the notion of simultaneously optimizing over agreeability (between the operator and autonomy), and safety and efficiency in crowded environments. We show that for a particular form of interaction function between the autonomy and the operator, linear blending is recovered exactly. Additionally, to recover linear blending, unimodal restrictions must be placed on the models describing the operator and the autonomy. In turn, these restrictions raise questions about the flexibility and applicability of the linear blending framework. Additionally, we present an extension of linear blending called "operator biased linear trajectory blending" (which formalizes some recent approaches in linear blending such as [10]) and show that not only is this also a restrictive special case of our probabilistic approach, but more importantly, is statistically unsound, and thus, mathematically, unsuitable for implementation. Instead, we suggest a statistically principled approach that guarantees data is used in a consistent manner, and show how this alternative approach converges to the full probabilistic framework. We conclude by proving that, in general, linear blending is suboptimal with respect to the joint metric of agreeability, safety, and efficiency.
Resilience: a new integrative approach to health and mental health research

Abstract We know from anecdote and research, science and art, that human resilience is a powerful, seemingly ubiquitous force. What is needed is a better understanding of the properties, variations, and applications of that concept to health and well-being. In this paper we put forth two definitions of resilience: Sustainability of purpose in the face of stress, and recovery from adversity. We review current thinking in the social sciences on the nature of biological, psychological and socio-community processes that may confer resilience. In doing so, we encourage greater attention to aspects of biopsychosocial resourcefulness as a dimension of influence on health and mental health distinct from measures of risk found in standard models of public health inquiry. Multi-level, longitudinal, and intervention methods are advocated for research and applications of the concept with conceptual guidelines for the examination of laboratory, diary, and community indicator data on manifestations of resilience across the life span.
Language Model Passage Retrieval for Question-Oriented Multi Document Summarization

The goal of question-oriented text summarization aims at producing the informative short description according to the given queries. This is somewhat similar to the target of question answering which retrieves exact answers from large raw text collections. In this paper, we present a resource, and training data-free summarization model for DUC multi-document summarization task. Similar as last year, our method simplified the two-pass retrieval as a passage retrieval task. At first the top-down clustering algorithm is used to merge similar passages into a set of groups. Then the passage retriever extracts relevant groups in response to the given query. Finally a maximizing scorer is used to re-form the sentences into the final summary. This the second time to participate in DUC. Although the result of our system is not comparable with most top-performed methods, the light-weight and rule free techniques still encourage us to further improve via integrating rich sources.
A Robust Adaptive Beamformer Based on Worst-Case Semi-Definite Programming

In this correspondence, a novel robust adaptive beamformer is proposed based on the worst-case semi-definite programming (SDP). A recent paper has reported that a beamformer robust against large steering direction error can be constructed by using linear constraints on magnitude response in SDP formulation. In practice, however, array system also suffers from many other array imperfections other than steering direction error. In order to make the adaptive beamformer robust against all kinds of array imperfections, the worst-case optimization technique is proposed to reformulate the beamformer by minimizing the array output power with respect to the worst-case array imperfections. The resultant beamformer has the mathematical form of a regularized SDP problem and possesses superior robustness against arbitrary array imperfections. Although the formulation of robust beamformer uses weighting matrix, with the help of spectral factorization approach, the weighting vector can be obtained so that the beamformer can be used for both signal power and waveform estimation. Simple implementation, flexible performance control, as well as significant signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) enhancement, support the practicability of the proposed method.
Optimal Response to a Transitory Demographic Shock in Social Security Financing

We examine the optimal policy response to a transitory demographic shock that affects negatively the financing of retirement pensions. In contrast to existing literature, we endogenously determine optimal policies rather than exploring implications of exogenous parametric policies. Our approach identifies optimal strategies of the social security administration to guarantee the financial sustainability of existing retirement pensions in a Pareto improving way. Hence, no cohort will pay the cost of the demographic shock. We find that the optimal strategy is based in the following ingredients: elimination of compulsory retirement, a change in the structure of labor income taxation and a temporary increase in the level of government debt.
Use of a modified reproductive life plan to improve awareness of preconception health in women with chronic disease.

OBJECTIVE Chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity pose unique reproductive challenges for women. Preconception health results in improved reproductive outcomes. We designed an interventional study testing the use of a reproductive life plan to improve knowledge of preconception and contraception health in women with chronic diseases. METHODS Primarily underserved, English-and Spanish-speaking women aged 18 to 40 years with active diabetes, hypertension, or obesity were recruited. We developed a revised reproductive life plan specific to these diseases. Two resident physicians performed reproductive plan counseling. Pre- and postcounseling surveys were administered to evaluate knowledge and attitudes about chronic disease and the effects on a potential pregnancy. RESULTS Twenty-seven women (average age = 31 years) were surveyed. Of the subjects, 85.2% were obese, 29.6% had hypertension, and 7.4% had diabetes. Significant increases were reported in understanding risks of pregnancy associated with diabetes (p < 0.001), hypertension (p < 0.001), and obesity (p < 0.01). After counseling, women increased their knowledge about a reproductive plan (p < 0.001) and increased support and information to make reproductive health choices (p = 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). The largest improvements in postcounseling variables occurred in women with the lowest precounseling test scores and in women without children. CONCLUSION A reproductive life plan is a brief, cost-effective preconception and contraception counseling tool in the primary care setting for women with chronic diseases. This tool increases knowledge about reproductive health and enables women with chronic diseases to make informed decisions about their reproductive future.
Realistic following behaviors for crowd simulation

While walking through a crowd, a pedestrian experiences a large number of interactions with his neighbors. The nature of these interactions is varied, and it has been observed that macroscopic phenomena emerge from the combination of these local interactions. Crowd models have hitherto considered collision avoidance as the unique type of interactions between individuals, few have considered walking in groups. By contrast, our paper focuses on interactions due to the following behaviors of pedestrians. Following is frequently observed when people walk in corridors or when they queue. Typical macroscopic stop‐and‐go waves emerge under such traffic conditions. Our contributions are, first, an experimental study on following behaviors, second, a numerical model for simulating such interactions, and third, its calibration, evaluation and applications. Through an experimental approach, we elaborate and calibrate a model from microscopic analysis of real kinematics data collected during experiments. We carefully evaluate our model both at the microscopic and the macroscopic levels. We also demonstrate our approach on applications where following interactions are prominent.