Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling Signal-to-Noise Ratio of Otoacoustic Emissions in Workers Exposed to Different Industrial Noise Levels

Introduction: Noise is considered as the most common cause of harmful physical effects in the workplace. A sound that is generated from within the inner ear is known as an otoacoustic emission (OAE). Distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) assess evoked emission and hearing capacity. The aim of this study was to assess the signal-to-noise ratio in different frequencies and at different times of the shift work in workers exposed to various levels of noise. It was also aimed to provide a statistical model for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of OAEs in different frequencies based on the two variables of sound pressure level (SPL) and exposure time. Materials and Methods: This case–control study was conducted on 45 workers during autumn 2014. The workers were divided into three groups based on the level of noise exposure. The SNR was measured in frequencies of 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz in both ears, and in three different time intervals during the shift work. According to the inclusion criterion, SNR of 6 dB or greater was included in the study. The analysis was performed using repeated measurements of analysis of variance, spearman correlation coefficient, and paired samples t-test. Results: The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the three exposed groups in terms of the mean values of SNR (P > 0.05). Only in signal pressure levels of 88 dBA with an interval time of 10:30–11:00 AM, there was a statistically significant difference between the right and left ears with the mean SNR values of 3000 frequency (P = 0.038). The SPL had a significant effect on the SNR in both the right and left ears (P = 0.023, P = 0.041). The effect of the duration of measurement on the SNR was statistically significant in both the right and left ears (P = 0.027, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated that after noise exposure during the shift, SNR of OAEs reduced from the beginning to the end of the shift.
Perceived Subjective Features of Software Components: Consumer Behavior in a Software Component Market

Component‐based software reuse has been generally regarded as a promising approach to improving software productivity and quality within software development. However, progress in component‐based software reuse has been slower than expected. Much of the software reuse literature points to the lack of software components that can maximize users’ benefits as the most important source of the slow progress. Considering that the underlying processes behind component‐based software reuse are strikingly similar to commercial software marketing, this paper attempts to identify the aspects of software components that consumers value and to establish relationships between the identified aspects and consumer behavior in the software component market. More specifically, this paper focuses on the perceived subjective features of software components. This study was conducted in a web‐based artificial market environment called “SofTrade. ”
Enhanced Sensitivity of Striatal Neurons to Axonal Transport Defects Induced by Mutant Huntingtin

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease linked to a polyQ (polyglutamine) expansion in the huntingtin protein. Although general brain atrophy is found in HD patients, the striatum is the most severely affected region. Loss or mutant forms of huntingtin were reported to disrupt fast axonal transport in Drosophila, squid, and mice. However, previous work did not resolve whether mutant huntingtin affects global axonal transport or only a subset of cargoes, nor did it resolve whether striatal neurons are preferentially sensitive to huntingtin-mediated defects. We used amyloid precursor protein (APP)–yellow fluorescent protein and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)–mCherry fusion proteins as markers for fast axonal transport when huntingtin is altered. We found that movement of APP and BDNF is impaired in striatal and hippocampal, but not cortical, neurons from presymptomatic homozygous mutant mice carrying 150Q huntingtin knock-in mutations. In addition, loss of huntingtin disrupts APP axonal transport, whereas overexpression of wild-type, but not mutant, huntingtin enhances APP transport in all three types of neurons tested. These data suggest that a loss of wild-type huntingtin function in fast axonal transport plays important roles in the development of cell-type-specific defects in HD.
Nasal Sensitization with Ragweed Pollen Induces Local-Allergic-Rhinitis-Like Symptoms in Mice

Recently, the concept of local allergic rhinitis (LAR) was established, namely rhinitis symptoms with local IgE production and negative serum antigen-specific IgE. However, the natural course of LAR development and the disease pathogenesis is poorly understood. This study investigated the pathophysiology of mice with allergic rhinitis that initially sensitized with ragweed pollen through the nasal route. Mice were nasally administrated ragweed pollen over consecutive days without prior systemic immunization of the allergen. Serial nasal sensitization of ragweed pollen induced an allergen-specific increase in sneezing, eosinophilic infiltration, and the production of local IgE by day 7, but serum antigen-specific IgE was not detected. Th2 cells accumulated in nose and cervical lymph nodes as early as day 3. These symptoms are characteristic of human LAR. Continual nasal exposure of ragweed pollen for 3 weeks resulted in the onset of classical AR with systemic atopy and adversely affected lung inflammation when the allergen was instilled into the lung. Fcer1a −/− mice were defective in sneezing but developed normal eosinophilic infiltration. Contrary, Rag2 −/− mice were defective in both sneezing and eosinophilic infiltration, suggesting that T cells play a central role in the pathogenesis of the disease. These observations demonstrate nasal allergen sensitization to non-atopic individuals can induce LAR. Because local Th2 cell accumulation is the first sign and Th2 cells have a central role in the disease, a T-cell-based approach may aid the diagnosis and treatment of LAR.
Employment Duration and Shifts into Retirement in the EU

The decision to cease working is traditionally influenced by a wide set of socio-economic and environmental variables. In this paper, we study transitions out of work for 26 EU countries over the period 2004-2009 in order to investigate the determinants of retirement based on the Eurostat Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). Applying standard survivor analysis tools to describe exits into retirement, we do not find any significant differences in the patterns into retirement between the average euro area and EU non-euro area countries. Moreover, we find that shifts into retirement have increased during the onset of the 2009 economic and financial crisis. Income, together with flexible working arrangements, is found to be important as regards early retirement decisions, compared to retiring beyond the legal retirement age. Finally, we show that institutional measures (such as, state/health benefits, minimum retirement age) could not be sufficient alone if individuals withdraw earlier from the labour market due to a weakening of their health. Especially, these latter results are of importance for structural and macroeconomic policy, for instance, in increasing the employment of both people and hours worked against the background of population ageing.
A cost-effective design for ATM switching fabrics

In this paper, we present a cost-effective design for ATM switching fabrics based on multistage structures, which involve no internal buffers at the constituent switching elements (SEs). The design consists of repeated copies of multiple stages of SEs, that are interconnected according to the indirect n-cube connection style between stages and that provide outlets for cells to terminate at their respective output queues when they reach their destined SEs, referred to as the I-Cubeout. This I-Cubeout makes use of far simpler SEs and requires fewer stages to achieve a given cell drop rate than the earlier design known as the shuffleout. It routes cells in a distributed manner and exhibits low hardware complexity, making it suitable for the ATM switch residing in wireless base stations.
Wari’ Intentional State Constructions

Wari’, the last viable language of the Chapakuran family of Brazil and Bolivia, manifests a typologically and theoretically interesting construction for expressing intentional states. I refer to this construction as the Intentional State Construction. The special interest of this construction is that it simultaneously manifests properties of both words and clauses, yet seems difficult to subsume under common definitions of Complex Predicates, mixed categories, or within theories of syntax based strictly on endocentricity. It is argued that these constructions are handled straightfowardly by Role and Reference Grammar (Van Valin & LaPolla 1997), in which they are dominated by a non-projecting node (NUC) heading an exocentric unit, Clause.
A note on the impact of non linear reward and risk measures

In this note, we examine the impact of non linear reward and risk measures on portfolio selection. In particular, we compare the ex-post nal wealth sample paths of strategies based on the Sharpe ratio and strategies based on non-linear reward/risk measures. As suggested by the recent literature, we model dependencies with an asymmetric t copula estimated on the innovations of the marginals that follow an ARMA-GARCH type model. Therefore, we rst simulate future scenarios, on the basis of which allocation decisions are made, and then we compare the ex-post nal wealth obtained with non-linear risk and reward strategies and the wealth obtained with classic portfolio strategies .
Interlanguage requests in academic encounters

Introduction In the field of interlanguage pragmatics (ILP) there is now a substantial body of empirical studies which document how learners and native speakers differ with regard to speech act production (e.g. Blum-Kulka et. al. 1989, Hassall 2001, Hill 1997, Trosborg 1995). The present study is a „single moment‟ study (Cook 1993, Rose 2000) which informs on speech act use and focuses on the pragmalinguistic aspects of advanced learners‟ pragmatic performance in a status-unequal (student/tutor) scenario.
Making a “difference” with digital media? The evaluation perspectives, practices, and challenges of Chinese NGOs

Although a considerable body of research has examined the use of digital media communication by Chinese NGOs, no attention has been paid to whether and how NGOs in China evaluate the results of their efforts in digital communication. This study explores the perceptions and practices of individuals who work for NGOs in China with specific regard to the evaluation of their digital media tools. The study also considers the influence of government and both foreign and domestic donors on the digital media use and evaluation capacity of NGOs. The analysis of data collected through interviews with NGO staff in Shanghai and Beijing demonstrated that Chinese NGOs, although they rely on digital media to publicize events, broadcast accomplishments, and deliver services, are less expert in and ascribe relatively less value to the evaluation of their digital communication. The findings of the study suggest that the attention to and organizational capacity for evaluation are influenced by relationships with foreign donors. Based on these findings, it is recommended that Chinese NGOs develop the capacity to measure the offline consequences of their online activity if they are to continue to develop their organizations and demonstrate outcomes.
Circadian Modulation of Dopamine Levels and Dopaminergic Neuron Development Contributes to Attention Deficiency and Hyperactive Behavior

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in children and adults. While ADHD patients often display circadian abnormalities, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here we found that the zebrafish mutant for the circadian gene period1b (per1b) displays hyperactive, impulsive-like, and attention deficit-like behaviors and low levels of dopamine, reminiscent of human ADHD patients. We found that the circadian clock directly regulates dopamine-related genes monoamine oxidase and dopamine β hydroxylase, and acts via genes important for the development or maintenance of dopaminergic neurons to regulate their number and organization in the ventral diencephalic posterior tuberculum. We then found that Per1 knock-out mice also display ADHD-like symptoms and reduced levels of dopamine, thereby showing highly conserved roles of the circadian clock in ADHD. Our studies demonstrate that disruption of a circadian clock gene elicits ADHD-like syndrome. The circadian model for attention deficiency and hyperactive behavior sheds light on ADHD pathogenesis and opens avenues for exploring novel targets for diagnosis and therapy for this common psychiatric disorder.
The Identity Impairment Model: A Longitudinal Study of Self-schemas as Predictors of Disordered Eating Behaviors

Background: There is broad consensus that the eating disorders of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa stem from fundamental disturbances in identity development, but theoretically based empirical support is lacking. Objective: To extend work on the identity impairment model (Stein, 1996) by investigating the relationship between organizational properties of the self-concept and change in disordered eating behaviors (DEB) in an at-risk sample of college women transitioning between freshman and sophomore years. Methods: The number, valence, and organization of self-schemas; availability of a fat body weight self-schema; and DEB were measured at baseline in the freshman year and 6 and 12 months later in a community-based sample of college women engaged in subthreshold DEB (n = 77; control: n = 41). Repeated-measures analyses of variances were used to examine group differences, and hierarchical regression analyses were used to predict disordered eating behaviors. Results: Women in the DEB group had more negative self-schemas at baseline and showed information-processing evidence of a fat self-schema compared with the controls. The groups did not differ in the number of positive self-schemas or interrelatedness. The number of negative self-schemas predicted increases in the level of DEB at 6- and 12-month follow-up, and these effects were mediated through the fat self-schema. The number of positive self-schemas predicted the fat self-schema score but was not predictive of increases in DEB. Interrelatedness of the self-concept was not a significant predictor in this model. Discussion: Impairments in overall collection of identities are predictive of the availability in memory of a fat self-schema, which in turn is predictive of increases in DEB during the transition to college in a sample of women at risk for an eating disorder. Therefore, organizational properties of the self-concept may be an important focus for effective primary and secondary prevention.
The content and structure of autobiographical memories in children with and without Asperger Syndrome.

Severe difficulty in interacting with others is a defining characteristic of autism spectrum disorders. In addition, even high-functioning children with autism, such as those with Asperger Syndrome, demonstrate significant delays in Theory of Mind. Nelson and Fivush's (2004) comprehensive model of the development of autobiographical memory assigns central importance to the child's social interactions and emerging theory of mind. Children with Asperger Syndrome, however, have normal IQs and show no language delays. Thus, there was reason to suspect that children with Asperger Syndrome would show differences in their autobiographical memories when compared to typically developing children. A better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in autobiographical memory found in children with Asperger Syndrome will help future intervention efforts. The present investigation examined the factors that influence the content and structure of emotional memory narratives in 7- to 13-year-old children with and without Asperger Syndrome. Children with Asperger Syndrome had a particularly difficult time self-generating negative memory narratives compared to their typically developing peers. Typically developing children infused a good deal of positive emotion in their self-generated negative memories, whereas children with Asperger syndrome did not. Children with Asperger Syndrome were also more likely to include negative emotions such as fear and anxiety in their narratives, regardless of memory type, than typically developing children. This group difference disappears when controlling for working memory, suggesting that children with higher levels of working memory are more likely to be able to bring meaning to an event for themselves. Finally, children with Asperger Syndrome provided less coherent memory narratives than their typically developing peers. Together, these findings suggest that children with Asperger Syndrome may be engaging less frequently in meaning-making activities.
A novel framework, based on fuzzy ensemble of classifiers for intrusion detection systems

By developing technology and speed of communications, providing security of networks becomes a significant topic in network interactions. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) play important role in providing general security in the networks. The major challenges with IDSs are detection rate and cost of misclassified samples. In this paper we introduce a novel multistep framework based on machine learning techniques to create an efficient classifier. In first step, the feature selection method will implement based on gain ratio of features. Using this method can improve the performance of classifiers which are created based on this features. In classifiers combination step, we will present a novel fuzzy ensemble method. So, classifiers with more performance and lower cost have more effect to create the final classifier.
Money and the Natural Rate of Interest: Structural Estimates for the United States and the Euro Area

We examine the role of money in three environments: the New Keynesian model with separable utility and static money demand; a nonseparable utility variant with habit formation; and a version with adjustment costs for holding real balances. The last two variants imply forward-looking behavior of real money balances, with forecasts of future interest rates entering current portfolio decisions. We conduct a structural econometric analysis of the U.S. and euro area economies. FIML estimates confirm the forward-looking character of money demand. A consequence is that real money balances are valuable in anticipating future variations in the natural interest rate.
Second-Generation Linkage Maps for the Pacific Oyster Crassostrea gigas Reveal Errors in Assembly of Genome Scaffolds

The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, a widely cultivated marine bivalve mollusc, is becoming a genetically and genomically enabled model for highly fecund marine metazoans with complex life-histories. A genome sequence is available for the Pacific oyster, as are first-generation, low-density, linkage and gene-centromere maps mostly constructed from microsatellite DNA markers. Here, higher density, second-generation, linkage maps are constructed from more than 1100 coding (exonic) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as well as 66 previously mapped microsatellite DNA markers, all typed in five families of Pacific oysters (nearly 172,000 genotypes). The map comprises 10 linkage groups, as expected, has an average total length of 588 cM, an average marker-spacing of 1.0 cM, and covers 86% of a genome estimated to be 616 cM. All but seven of the mapped SNPs map to 618 genome scaffolds; 260 scaffolds contain two or more mapped SNPs, but for 100 of these scaffolds (38.5%), the contained SNPs map to different linkage groups, suggesting widespread errors in scaffold assemblies. The 100 misassembled scaffolds are significantly longer than those that map to a single linkage group. On the genetic maps, marker orders and intermarker distances vary across families and mapping methods, owing to an abundance of markers segregating from only one parent, to widespread distortions of segregation ratios caused by early mortality, as previously observed for oysters, and to genotyping errors. Maps made from framework markers provide stronger support for marker orders and reasonable map lengths and are used to produce a consensus high-density linkage map containing 656 markers.
Multidimensional Scaling: Some Possibilities for Counseling Psychology.

Although counseling psychologists conduct a great deal of research that attempts to reveal the structure of a given data set, rarely if ever do they utilize scaling procedures, preferring instead to rely on factor analytic strategies. In this article, we give a short introduction to the use of multidimensional scaling (MDS), with specific emphasis on applications in counseling and vocational psychology, including an example of one standard nonmetric scaling method. We conclude with a discussion of some conceptual and practical considerations associated with the use of MDS, along with a description of its possible applications to a variety of substantive issues in counseling and vocational psychology.
Nuclear HER4 mediates acquired resistance to trastuzumab and is associated with poor outcome in HER2 positive breast cancer

The role of HER4 in breast cancer is controversial and its role in relation to trastuzumab resistance remains unclear. We showed that trastuzumab treatment and its acquired resistance induced HER4 upregulation, cleavage and nuclear translocation. However, knockdown of HER4 by specific siRNAs increased trastuzumab sensitivity and reversed its resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer cells. Preventing HER4 cleavage by a γ-secretase inhibitor and inhibiting HER4 tyrosine kinase activity by neratinib decreased trastuzumab-induced HER4 nuclear translocation and enhanced trastuzumab response. There was also increased nuclear HER4 staining in the tumours from BT474 xenograft mice and human patients treated with trastuzumab. Furthermore, nuclear HER4 predicted poor clinical response to trastuzumab monotherapy in patients undergoing a window study and was shown to be an independent poor prognostic factor in HER2 positive breast cancer. Our data suggest that HER4 plays a key role in relation to trastuzumab resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. Therefore, our study provides novel findings that HER4 activation, cleavage and nuclear translocation influence trastuzumab sensitivity and resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. Nuclear HER4 could be a potential prognostic and predictive biomarker and understanding the role of HER4 may provide strategies to overcome trastuzumab resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer.