Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Language processing in bilingual children: Language, cognition, and education of bilingual children

The theory and research reported in the preceding chapters of this volume describe a variety of aspects of cognitive and linguistic processing by bilingual children. Bilingual children of different ages and having had different experiences with bilingualism were studied for their ability to learn the second language, perform in school tasks, use language for special purposes, and solve a variety of both linguistic and non-linguistic problems. The purpose of this chapter is to evaluate the evidence reported in this volume with respect to its implications for the study of the cognitive development, linguistic proficiency, and educational prognosis for bilingual children. At the same time, however, more general insights into these areas of cognition, language ability, and education will inevitably emerge. The implications of the study of bilingual children, that is, extend beyond a description of bilingual competence into broader domains of inquiry. Our discussion is divided into two parts. First is an evaluation of the place and prognosis of bilingual children in educational systems. This discussion will also address the implications of these findings for the various programs available to bilingual children in schools. Second is an evaluation of the consequences of bilingualism for cognitive processing. This discussion will focus on the relation between linguistic and other cognitive skills and attempt to set the parameters for a description of the cognitive and linguistic development of bilingual children.
Optimal Classification of Epileptic EEG Signals Using Neural Networks and Harmony Search Methods

In this paper, the Harmony Search (HS)-aided BP neural networks are used for the classification of the epileptic electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. It is well known that the gradient descent-based learning method can result in local optima in the training of BP neural networks, which may significantly affect their approximation performances. Three HS methods, the original version and two new variations recently proposed by the authors of the present paper, are applied here to optimize the weights in the BP neural networks for the classification of the epileptic EEG signals. Simulations have demonstrated that the classification accuracy of the BP neural networks can be remarkably improved by the HS method-based training.
Genetic Polymorphism of Glutathione S Transferases M1 and T1 in Indian Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate whether the association of GSTM1/T1 gene polymorphisms modifies the risk of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and what is its correlation with other predisposing risk factors like alcohol intake, cigarette smoking and hepatitis B and C infections. Study design/setting: It was a case-control study, included 254 HCC cases compared with 525 hospital-based age and sex matched cases of chronic liver disease without HCC as controls from Indian population. The GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes were detected using conventional multiplex PCR method. Results: In this case-control study, we observed a positive correlation between age, HBV and HCV infection, smoking habit of > 20 packs/year, alcohol consumption of > 100 g/day and risk of liver cancer. We found significantly increased risk associated with GSTM1 null genotype (OR = 3.49; 95% CI = 2.52–4.84) as well as GSTT1 null genotype (OR = 3.12; 95% CI = 2.19–4.45), respectively. However, an increased risk of HCC was observed among heavy drinkers with GSTM1 (OR = 2.01; 95% CI = 1.11–3.66). Further, cigarette smoking showed a non-significant association with GSTT1 (OR = 1.49; CI = 0.69–3.25). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the variants in low penetrance gene such as GSTM1 and GSTT1 are associated with an increased liver cancer risk. Further, an influence of GSTM1/T1 null genotypes may contribute in the etiology of HCC in patients with higher cigarette and alcohol consumption.
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase intron 4a/b polymorphism in coronary artery disease in Thrace region of Turkey

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the frequent cardiovascular mortality causes in the world. Common risk factors explain only about half the risk of CAD. The healthy familial predisposition to CAD, combined with advances in genetic analysis, has led to a number of studies in recent years making an effort to identify the genetic factors that influence the risk. The approach taken by most studies was to examine the association of naturally occurring genetic polymorphisms in candidate genes with risk of or severity of CAD. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is important for vascular and tissue protection and is found in endothelial cells that encompass the entire vasculature, including the vessels in the heart. Nitric oxide (NO) is produced in a catabolic reaction in the endothelial cells, neurons, glia and macrophages by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoenzymes. eNOS is a subgroup of this family of enzymes that catalyses the production of nitric oxide (NO) from L-arginine and oxygen, which leads to vascular relaxation by activating the guanylate cyclase. This finally induces smooth muscle relaxation. The aim of this study was to investigate the allelic frequency and the genotypic distribution of the variable number of tandem repeat 27 (27 VNTR) gene polymorphism in intron 4 of the eNOS (eNOS 4a/b) gene in Thrace region, to compare CAD patients with appropriate healthy controls and to correlate the genetic findings with CAD subtypes. The study group included 281 (153 subjects with CAD and 128 controls) patients. The eNOS polymorphism was identified with a polymerase chain reaction. Genotypes were defined as aa, ab and bb according to the presence of a and b alleles. In this case–control study, we found that there was sensible correlation between eNOS gene intron 4a/b VNTR polymorphism and the risk of CAD in Thrace region of Turkey. However, there was no major difference for the genotype distribution and the allelic frequency among the CAD subtypes. Further studies on the interaction of such genes are needed to clarify the association between eNOS 4a/b polymorphism and CAD patients.
Multiple Limbic Regions Mediate the Disruption of Prepulse Inhibition Produced in Rats by the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist Dizocilpine

Prepulse inhibition (PPI), a phenomenon in which a weak prestimulus decreases the startle response to an intense stimulus, provides an operational measure of sensorimotor gating (a process by which an organism filters sensory information) and is diminished in schizophrenia and schizotypal patients. The psychotomimetic phencyclidine and its potent congener dizocilpine are noncompetitive antagonists of the NMDA receptor complex, and they disrupt PPI in rodents, mimicking the clinically observed PPI deficit. The neuroanatomical substrates mediating the PPI-disruptive effects of noncompetitive NMDA antagonists are unknown. The present study sought to identify brain regions subserving the disruption of PPI produced by noncompetitive NMDA antagonists in rats. PPI was measured in startle chambers immediately after bilateral infusion of dizocilpine (0, 0.25, 1.25, and 6.25 μg/0.5 μl/side) into one of six brain regions: amygdala, dorsal hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, ventral hippocampus, and dorsomedial thalamus. Dizocilpine significantly decreased PPI after infusion into the amygdala or dorsal hippocampus. A trend toward PPI disruption was observed with administration into medial prefrontal cortex. In contrast, no change in PPI was produced by dizocilpine infusion into nucleus accumbens, ventral hippocampus, or dorsomedial thalamus. Startle reactivity was increased by dizocilpine infusion into amygdala, dorsal hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, and dorsomedial thalamus, but not medial prefrontal cortex. These findings indicate that multiple limbic forebrain regions mediate the ability of noncompetitive NMDA antagonists to disrupt PPI and that the PPI-disruptive and the startle-increasing effects of dizocilpine are mediated by different central sites.
Gene Loss and Horizontal Gene Transfer Contributed to the Genome Evolution of the Extreme Acidophile “Ferrovum”

Acid mine drainage (AMD), associated with active and abandoned mining sites, is a habitat for acidophilic microorganisms that gain energy from the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds and ferrous iron and that thrive at pH below 4. Members of the recently proposed genus “Ferrovum” are the first acidophilic iron oxidizers to be described within the Betaproteobacteria. Although they have been detected as typical community members in AMD habitats worldwide, knowledge of their phylogenetic and metabolic diversity is scarce. Genomics approaches appear to be most promising in addressing this lacuna since isolation and cultivation of “Ferrovum” has proven to be extremely difficult and has so far only been successful for the designated type strain “Ferrovum myxofaciens” P3G. In this study, the genomes of two novel strains of “Ferrovum” (PN-J185 and Z-31) derived from water samples of a mine water treatment plant were sequenced. These genomes were compared with those of “Ferrovum” sp. JA12 that also originated from the mine water treatment plant, and of the type strain (P3G). Phylogenomic scrutiny suggests that the four strains represent three “Ferrovum” species that cluster in two groups (1 and 2). Comprehensive analysis of their predicted metabolic pathways revealed that these groups harbor characteristic metabolic profiles, notably with respect to motility, chemotaxis, nitrogen metabolism, biofilm formation and their potential strategies to cope with the acidic environment. For example, while the “F. myxofaciens” strains (group 1) appear to be motile and diazotrophic, the non-motile group 2 strains have the predicted potential to use a greater variety of fixed nitrogen sources. Furthermore, analysis of their genome synteny provides first insights into their genome evolution, suggesting that horizontal gene transfer and genome reduction in the group 2 strains by loss of genes encoding complete metabolic pathways or physiological features contributed to the observed diversification.
Cancer survival disparities by health insurance status

Previous studies found that uninsured and Medicaid insured cancer patients have poorer outcomes than cancer patients with private insurance. We examined the association between health insurance status and survival of New Jersey patients 18–64 diagnosed with seven common cancers during 1999–2004. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals for 5‐year cause‐specific survival were calculated from Cox proportional hazards regression models; health insurance status was the primary predictor with adjustment for other significant factors in univariate chi‐square or Kaplan–Meier survival log‐rank tests. Two diagnosis periods by health insurance status were compared using Kaplan–Meier survival log‐rank tests. For breast, colorectal, lung, non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and prostate cancer, uninsured and Medicaid insured patients had significantly higher risks of death than privately insured patients. For bladder cancer, uninsured patients had a significantly higher risk of death than privately insured patients. Survival improved between the two diagnosis periods for privately insured patients with breast, colorectal, or lung cancer and NHL, for Medicaid insured patients with NHL, and not at all for uninsured patients. Survival from cancer appears to be related to a complex set of demographic and clinical factors of which insurance status is a part. While ensuring that everyone has adequate health insurance is an important step, additional measures must be taken to address cancer survival disparities.
Time Trend Analysis of the Prevalence and Incidence of Diagnosed Asthma and Traditional Chinese Medicine Use among Adults in Taiwan from 2000 to 2011: A Population-Based Study

Background The aim of this study was to determine the annual trends of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use for prevalent and incident asthmatic adults in Taiwan from 2000 to 2011. The annual prevalence and incidence of asthma in adults among subgroups of sociodemographic factors were also investigated. Methods A population-based study was conducted using a random sample with one million beneficiaries of all residents aged ≥18 years enrolled in the National Health Insurance program. Adults diagnosed with asthma were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database. The annual prevalence and incidence of asthma in the adult population were estimated by using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic codes to identify relevant cases from 2000 to 2011. Results The number of annual prevalent cases of diagnosed asthma increased from 56,885 in 2000 to 101,535 in 2011. The prevalence increased significantly on annual basis, whereas the incidence rate fluctuated over time. The prevalence of TCM use by adults with asthma decreased significantly (p<0.05), from 38.58% in 2000 to 29.26% in 2011. The number of annual incident cases of diagnosed asthma decreased from 3,896 in 2000 to 2,684 in 2011. TCM use rates in asthma incident adults decreased significantly (p<0.05), from 54.24% in 2000 to 38.19% in 2011. Conclusion The prevalence of TCM utilization is high among adults with asthma in Taiwan. However, our study demonstrated a substantial decrease in the annual prevalence of TCM use by prevalent and incident asthmatic adults in Taiwan from 2000 to 2011. In addition, the prevalence of TCM use was higher among incident cases, compared with those with prevalent cases.
Ego-Dystonic Zoophilia: A case report with treatment plan and a critical look at the current state

Sexual contact with animals (SCA), clinically referred to as zoophilia and legally as bestiality, has interested diverse scholars over six decades, yet its etiology and treatment still remain unclear. A taboo subject in our civilized society, this phenomenon has been in existence among many cultures since the prehistoric times [1]. Even though sex with animals in 31 United States and many other countries is considered animal abuse and also a crime against nature [2,3], the prevalence rates are noteworthy. They range from 8.3% [4] to 4.9% [5] for men and 3.6% [6] to 1.9% [4] for women in normal population. The estimates of prevalence differ among studies because it is difficult to conduct sexual research and obtain random samples [7]. In 1970s the farming population declined in U.S. causing a lack of opportunity to live with animals which is considered the main reason for the change in rates over times [8]. Interestingly, zoophilia has been reported to be much higher in psychiatric inpatients (55%) as compared to medical inpatients (10%) and psychiatric staff (15%). It was suggested that the questions about SCA or fantasies of such acts should be routinely included in the psychiatric clinical interviews [9]. There is a lack of current information about the prevalence of zoophilia in the different parts of the world. This is mainly because of the taboo nature of the subject and legal implications in many jurisdictions [10].
Comparing crowding in human and ideal observers.

A visual target is more difficult to recognize when it is surrounded by other, similar objects. This breakdown in object recognition is known as crowding. Despite a long history of experimental work, computational models of crowding are still sparse. Specifically, few studies have examined crowding using an ideal-observer approach. Here, we compare crowding in ideal observers with crowding in humans. We derived an ideal-observer model for target identification under conditions of position and identity uncertainty. Simulations showed that this model reproduces the hallmark of crowding, namely a critical spacing that scales with viewing eccentricity. To examine how well the model fits quantitatively to human data, we performed three experiments. In Experiments 1 and 2, we measured observers' perceptual uncertainty about stimulus positions and identities, respectively, for a target in isolation. In Experiment 3, observers identified a target that was flanked by two distractors. We found that about half of the errors in Experiment 3 could be accounted for by the perceptual uncertainty measured in Experiments 1 and 2. The remainder of the errors could be accounted for by assuming that uncertainty (i.e., the width of internal noise distribution) about stimulus positions and identities depends on flanker proximity. Our results provide a mathematical restatement of the crowding problem and support the hypothesis that crowding behavior is a sign of optimality rather than a perceptual defect.
The impact of awareness and accessibility on expertise retrieval: A multilevel network perspective

Building on the major premises of transactive memory (TM) theory as well as the recent multilevel extension to the original theory, this study examined the influence of perceived social accessibility of expertise providers, technological accessibility, and awareness of expertise distribution on expertise retrieval. Using social network data collected from a large global sales team, the study found that all three variables had significant impact on expertise retrieval at both the dyadic and individual levels. Our study confirmed the conceptual and theoretical value of approaching TM from a multilevel network perspective.
Applications of Gompertz model in foreign direct investment of Taiwan's IC design industry into China

Previous studies never uses Gompertz model integrated with genetic algorithms to express the evolutions of capital flows although Gompertz model is suitable in the field of statistics, management science, information technology, product innovation, technological forecasting and finance to express the growth diffusions. This work utilizes Gompertz diffusion model integrated with genetic algorithm to illustrate the extension of foreign direct investment (FDI) from Taiwan to various Chinese areas, including East China, South China, North China, Central China, Northwest China, Northeast China, Mid-west China and Southwest China. In this study, FDI from Taiwan to China is defined as the capital flows from Taiwan into China to buy lands, build factories and recruit employees in China minus the capital flows coming back to Taiwan from Chinese branches. This study aims to utilize Gompertz model to explain why the Taiwanese IC design companies choose different Chinese regions to engage in FDIs. Empirical results indicate that the potential FDI size is the greatest for Taiwan's IC design firm flowing into South China. This is possibly caused by that Taiwanese IC design firms invest into South China earlier than other Chinese areas. In addition, Taiwanese IC design firms tend to imitate other firms when purchasing lands, building factories, recruiting employees and implementing FDIs into China. Our results also demonstrate that the incentive of imitating other firms to choose FDI locations is the most pronounced for firms investing in North China. Because North China is the administration center in China and few factories set up over there, so the number of Taiwan IC design firms investing in North China is fairly small. To avoid risks, the successive IC design firms tend to implement FDIs in North China only when they observe the safety or the profitability of other firm's divisions in North China. Consequently, the imitation effect is the greatest for firms investing in North China.
TP-AGB stars with envelope burning

In this paper we focus on the TP-AGB evolution of intermediate-mass stars experiencing envelope burning (M = 45M). OurmodeloftheTP-AGBphaseissuitablydesigned to follow the peculiar behaviour of these stars, to which the simple analytical treatment valid in the low-mass range can no longer be applied. The approach we have adopted is a semi-analytical one as it combines analytical relationships derived from complete mod- els of TP-AGB stars with sole envelope models in which the physical structure is calculated from the photosphere down to the core. The solution for the envelope models stands on an original numerical method which allows to treat major aspects of envelope burning. The method secures that, during the quiescent inter-pulse periods, fundamental quantities such as the effective tempera- ture,thesurfaceluminosity,thephysicalstructureofthedeepest and hottest layers of the envelope, and the related energy gen- eration from nuclear burning, are not input parameters but the consequence of envelope model calculations. This minimizes the use of analytical relations, thus giving our results greater homogeneity and accuracy. Moreover,wewouldliketodrawtheattentiononthegeneral validity of our algorithm which can be applied also to the case of low-mass stars, in which envelope burning does not occur. Our efforts are directed to analyse the effects produced by envelope burning, such as: i) the energy contribution which may drive signicant deviations from the standard core mass- luminosityrelationship;andii)thechangesinthesurfacechem- ical composition due to nuclear burning via the CNO cycle. Evolutionary models for stars with initial mass of 4:0;4:5;5:0M and two choices of the initial chemical com- position ((Y =0 :28;Z =0 :02) and (Y =0 :25;Z =0 :008)) are calculated from the rst thermal pulse till the complete ejec- tion of the envelope. We nd that massive TP-AGB stars can rapidly reach high luminosities ( 6 >M bol > 7), without exceeding, however, the classical limit to the AGB luminosity of Mbol ' 7:1 corresponding to the Chandrasekhar value of the core mass. No carbon stars brighter than Mbol 6:5 are predicted to form (the alternative of a possible transition from Send offprint requests to: P. Marigo M-star to C-star during the nal pulses is also explored), in agreement with observations which indicate that most of the very luminous AGB stars are oxygen-rich. Finally, new chemical yields from stars in the mass range 45M are presented, so as to extend the sets of stellar yields from low-mass stars already calculated by Marigo et al. (1996). For each CNO element we give both the secondary and the primary components.
Exploitation of time constraints for (sub-)event recognition

The aim of this paper is threefold: (a) to introduce a dataset for the recognition of events and sub-events in photographs taken by common users; (b) to propose event-based classification to achieve a more accurate labeling of event-related photo collections; (c) to use time clustering information to improve the sub-event recognition in an efficient Bag of Features classification approach. The dataset is organized according to event models and provides a collection of sample instances that allow the comparison of different recognition systems. On this basis, we will demonstrate how the use of time clustering together with multiple image visual features can outperform single image classification.
Profesionalni stres kod medicinskih sestara i tehničara

The aim of this research was to determine the influence of stress on the perfomance of nurses’ everyday activities. Data was collected anonymously using a questionnaire specifically designed for this purpose. The questionnaire included sociodemographical data of the respondents, stressors common to all nursing professionals, specific stressors that occur in management positions and health issues of the respondents. In the statistical analysis, continuous variables were presented using an arithemic mean and standard deviation. The research included 363 participants that work in different working environments: hospital ward, polyclinics and diagnostics departments. Most of the respondents work in the hospital ward in shifts, that is 175 of them (50.7%). Out of the total number of respondents in the hospital ward 86 of them (24.9%) work in the intensive care department. With regard to the aim of the research, it was necessary to determine how some of the stressors in nursing are ranked by intensity. based on the given results, it can be concluded that the dominant stressors are the PROfeSSIONAl StReSS IN NURSeS prijelom.indd 45 4/11/16 11:17 AM