Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributional Cues to Word Boundaries: Context is Important

Word segmentation, or identifying word boundaries in continuous speech, is one of the first problems that infants must solve as they are acquiring language. A number of different weak cues to word boundaries are present in fluent speech, and there is evidence that infants are able to use many of these, including phonotactics (Mattys et al., 1999), allophonic variation (Jusczyk et al., 1999a), metrical (stress) patterns (Morgan et al., 1995; Jusczyk et al., 1999b), effects of coarticulation (Johnson and Jusczyk, 2001), and statistical regularities amongst sequences of syllables (Saffran et al., 1996a). The kinds of statistical regularities studied by Saffran et al. (1996a) allow for the possibility of language-independent word segmentation strategies, and seem to be used by infants earlier than other kinds of cues (Thiessen and Saffran, 2003). These facts have led to the proposal that strategies exploiting the statistical patterns found in sound sequences are a crucial first step in bootstrapping word segmentation (Thiessen and Saffran, 2003), and have provoked a great deal of research into statistical word segmentation using both human subjects and computational models. Most previous work on statistical word segmentation is based on the observation that transitions from one syllable or phoneme to the next tend to be less predictable at word boundaries than within words (Harris, 1955; Saffran et al., 1996a). This observation has led to proposals that infants use statistics such as transitional probabilities or mutual information in order to segment words from speech. A number of models have been developed in an attempt to explain how these kinds of statistics can be used procedurally to identify words or word boundaries. Here, we take a different approach: we seek to identify the assumptions the learner must make about the nature of language in order to correctly segment natural language input. Observations about predictability at word boundaries are consistent with two different kinds of assumptions about what constitutes a word: either a word is a unit that is statistically independent of other units, or it is a unit that helps to predict other units (but to a lesser degree than the beginning of a word predicts its end). In most artificial language experiments on word segmentation, the first assumption is adopted implicitly by creating stimuli through random concatenation of nonce words. In this paper, we use simulations to examine learning from natural, rather than artificial, language input. We ask what kinds of words are identified by a learner who assumes that words are statistically independent, or
Estimating Treatment Effects using Multiple Surrogates: The Role of the Surrogate Score and the Surrogate Index

Estimating the long-term effects of treatments is of interest in many fields. A common challenge in estimating such treatment effects is that long-term outcomes are unobserved in the time frame needed to make policy decisions. One approach to overcome this missing data problem is to analyze treatments effects on an intermediate outcome, often called a statistical surrogate, if it satisfies the condition that treatment and outcome are independent conditional on the statistical surrogate. The validity of the surrogacy condition is often controversial. Here we exploit that fact that in modern datasets, researchers often observe a large number, possibly hundreds or thousands, of intermediate outcomes, thought to lie on or close to the causal chain between the treatment and the long-term outcome of interest. Even if none of the individual proxies satisfies the statistical surrogacy criterion by itself, using multiple proxies can be useful in causal inference. We focus primarily on a setting with two samples, an experimental sample containing data about the treatment indicator and the surrogates and an observational sample containing information about the surrogates and the primary outcome. We state assumptions under which the average treatment effect be identified and estimated with a high-dimensional vector of proxies that collectively satisfy the surrogacy assumption, and derive the bias from violations of the surrogacy assumption, and show that even if the primary outcome is also observed in the experimental sample, there is still information to be gained from using surrogates.
Campaign Advertising and the Stimulation and Activation of the Authoritarian Personality

This research examines whether authoritarianism can be stimulated and activated by politicians. The traditional belief is that psychological traits are basically quasipermanent structures that consistently determine behavior, but newer research suggests that these traits can be stimulated. This research tests whether campaigns can stimulate traits with targeted messages. I do so by exposing subjects in an experiment to political television advertising that was designed to stimulate known correlates of authoritarianism, such as fear. The results show that authoritarianism is stimulated in treatment groups that watched advertising designed to invoke threat and the strong-father metaphor and the treatment effect is greater on conservatives. I also show that watching these commercials leads to an activation of authoritarianism that influences its predictive power over support for torture. This suggests that politicians can use emotional appeals to stimulate advantageous personality traits, and that these ads also influence the public's attitudes through activation.
Automatic partitioning of high dimensional search spaces associated with articulated body motion capture

Particle filters have proven to be an effective tool for visual tracking in non-Gaussian, cluttered environments. Conventional particle filters, however, do not scale to the problem of human motion capture (HMC) because of the large number of degrees of freedom involved. Annealed Particle Filtering (APF), introduced by J. Deutscher et al. (2000), tackled this by layering the search space and was shown to be a very effective tool for HMC. We improve upon and extend the APF in two ways. First we develop a hierarchical search strategy which automatically partitions the search space without any explicit representation of the partitions. Then we introduce a crossover operator (similar to that found in genetic algorithms) which improves the ability of the tracker to search different partitions in parallel. We present results for a simple example to demonstrate the new algorithm's implementation and then apply it to the considerably more complex problem of human motion capture with 34 degrees of freedom.
Perceived Organizational Support and Police Officer Effectiveness

The study of perceived organizational support (POS) has received considerable attention in the academic literature. However, in police circles, POS has received minimal scholarly attention. To address this gap, the present study surveyed 145 police officers selected randomly from five police districts in Accra, Ghana, to investigate how officers’ perception of organizational support influence their effectiveness in performing assigned duties. The study further examined the influence of officers’ demographic characteristics on their perception of organizational support. Findings revealed that the perception of organizational support among officers influenced their perception of effectiveness and that older and shorter tenured officers expressed perceptions of greater support. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.
Evaluation of the LIAISON Chemiluminescence Immunoassay for Diagnosis of Syphilis

ABSTRACT We report the results of an evaluation of the LIAISON Treponema pallidum-specific assay, a one-step sandwich chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA), as a screening test and as a confirmatory test for the diagnosis of syphilis. The assay was compared with the CAPTIA Syphilis-G enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and with a testing algorithm that also included the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and T. pallidum particle agglutination (PA) assays. As a screening test, the CLIA showed levels of agreement with the EIA and with the algorithm, respectively, of 94.1 and 100% for 51 samples from patients with primary or secondary syphilis, 93.2 and 98.7% for 999 samples sent to the laboratory for routine syphilis testing, 84.5 and 94.0% for 200 samples from human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients, 98.0 and 100% for 200 samples from pregnant patients, and 94.3 and 98.3% for 992 samples from apparently healthy adults. As a confirmatory test, the CLIA showed 99% agreement with the EIA for 204 RPR-positive samples. After resolution with further T. pallidum PA testing and the discarding of one sample of insufficient quantity, there was 100% agreement for the remaining 203 samples. For the total group of 2,645 samples, the overall relative sensitivity was 95.8% and the relative specificity was 99.1%. We conclude that the LIAISON CLIA demonstrated excellent sensitivity and specificity when evaluated as a confirmatory test and as a screening test for syphilis among various patient populations, including specific populations with reportedly increased rates of false-positive nontreponemal test results.
MISTS FROM STRONG INORGANIC ACIDS Occupational exposures to mists and vapours from sulfuric acid and other strong inorganic

1.1 Manufacturing processes Major industries with exposure to strong inorganic acid mists include those that manufacture phosphate fertilizer, isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol), synthetic ethanol (ethyl alcohol), sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and lead batteries. Exposure also occurs during copper smelting, and pickling and other acid treatment of metals (Suresh, 2009). Minor uses of sulfuric acid include applications in petroleum refining, mining, metallurgy, and ore processing, in the synthesis of inorganic and organic chemicals, synthetic rubber and plastics, in the processing of pulp and paper, the manufacture of soap and detergents, cellulose fibres and films, inorganic pigments and paints, and in water treatment. The use of sulfuric acid is declining in some industries. For example, there is a trend in the steel industry to use hydrochloric acid instead of sulfuric acid in the metallurgic process of pickling, and hydrofluoric acid has replaced sulfuric acid for some applications in the petroleum industry (IARC, 1992; ATSDR, 1998; NTP, 2005). 1.2 Human exposure
Synchronous/Asynchronous Development Learning Environment (SADLE): Comparative with CMSs

The past ten years has seen a rapid increase in Internet use. Institutions and corporations are being continuously subjected to pressures related to maintaining the information on their web sites. Today, the way the web is managed and maintained is characterized by highly manual approaches. The objective of a successful and sustainable web will have to be significantly automated. “Content Management Systems (CMS)” have claimed to be one vehicle serving this objective. CMS is a concept that embraces a set of processes that are highly contextual and therefore by default differ from case to case. Institutional needs are highly individualized and most agree that the solution to a specific CMS is a mixture of “buy&build”. Literature from CMS vendors should be taken with a grain of salt due to the fact that they are over-hyped and filled with jargon. The significance to senior managers is that they need to be aware of the CMS issues and associated costs, and consider efficiency and effectiveness which gives the biggest return on investment. This article focuses on a specific application of CMSs, namely in the e-learning paradigm where these CMSs are arguably referred to learning management systems (LMSs). The article first presents a study that sought to explore the domain of ‘content management systems (CMS)’, compare some major CMSs that are being offered in the marketplace and discuss the differences in a design of a proposed “true” LMS referred to in this study as SADLE. In addition to design considerations that have not been considered by today’s CMSs, practical suggestions towards a new e-learning paradigm are elaborated.
Economic and operation benefits of energy storage — A case study at MISO

Recent changes in the power industry, such as increased renewable generation, higher costs for serving peak demands, capital investments in grid infrastructure for reliability and efficiency, and smart grid initiatives lead to an increased interest in energy storage technologies. Energy storage will bring various economic and operational benefits to the power system. This paper evaluates the potential values that Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) can bring to MISO, and the revenue/cost that CAES will get from both energy and ancillary service market by using production cost simulation software (PLEXOS).
Bridging the paradigm gap: second language acquisition theory and indigenized varieties of English

It is argued that there is a paradigm gap that has prevented research on second-language acquisition (SLA) theory and indigenized varieties of English (IVEs) from making substantive contributions to each other While it is true that studies of IVEs and their acquisition have been impressionistic (non-empirical) and often atheoretical, the lack of rapprochement is also due to SLA theory's excessive reliance for its models on acquisition in native-speaker environments and ignorance of the dynamics of language use in multilingual settings. This has resulted in the neglect and misunderstanding of IVEs. It is shown that IVEs represent a number of significant sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic variables, the investigation of which will put SLA theory on firmer theoretical ground and give it greater explanatory power
The role of relationships and emotions in student perceptions of learning and assessment

The paper addresses the way in which participants in a qualitative study drew upon accounts of relationships and emotions in sharing their perceptions of assessment. By first exploring ideas about emotions and relationships in learning and assessment through the literature and subsequently discussing an interpretation of participant narratives, the author suggests that emotions and relationships surrounding past learning and assessment contexts can influence current perceptions of assessment and learning in powerful ways. The study also reveals how students value opportunities to express their beliefs, feelings and emotions during the assessment process. They also expect teachers to balance objectivity in assessment with empathy for those parts of themselves shared in the process. The conclusion is drawn that there are important implications for learning in the emotional response of students to assessment and in the nature of teaching and learning relationships that are worthy of further investigation.
Normal Metabolic Levels in Prefrontal Cortex in Euthymic Bipolar I Patients with and without Suicide Attempts

Introduction/Objective. Evidence suggests that the prefrontal cortex has been implicated in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD), but few neurochemical studies have evaluated this region in bipolar patients and there is no information from BD suicide attempters using Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (H+MRS). The objective was to evaluate the metabolic function of the medial orbital frontal cortex in euthymic BD type I suicide and nonsuicide attempters compared to healthy subjects by H+MRS. Methods. 40 euthymic bipolar I outpatients, 19 without and 21 with history of suicide attempt, and 22 healthy subjects were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview with the DSM-IV axis I, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Young Mania Rating Scale, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 and underwent H+MRS. Results. We did not find any metabolic abnormality in medial orbital frontal regions of suicide and nonsuicide BD patients and BD patients as a group compared to healthy subjects. Conclusions. The combined chronic use of psychotropic drugs with neuroprotective or neurotrophic effects leading to a euthymic state for longer periods of time may improve neurometabolic function, at least measured by H+MRS, even in suicide attempters. Besides, these results may implicate mood dependent alterations in brain metabolic activity. However, more studies with larger sample sizes of this heterogeneous disorder are warranted to clarify these data.
Diffuse Leptomeningeal Glioneuronal Tumors: A New Entity?

The peculiar radiological and pathological findings of four pediatric cases admitted to the University Hospital of Padua between 1990 and 2007 are described. In all cases, the contrast‐enhanced head and spine magnetic resonance images revealed thickened and abnormally enhancing subarachnoid spaces particularly at the level of basal cisterns and interhemispheric fissure. Furthermore, small cystic lesions scattered throughout the brain and mainly in the cerebellum were also visible. All patients were missing a well‐defined intraparenchymal mass, although during the follow‐up a small intramedullary lesion appeared within the cervical spine in two and subsequently in the frontal horn of the left lateral ventricle in one of those. All patients presented an indolent long‐term follow‐up. Histologically, the tumors were composed by a monotonous population of cells arranged in straight lines or in small lobules. The cells were characterized by round to oval nuclei with finely granular dispersed chromatin, inconspicuous nucleoli with oligodendrocyte‐like features. The morphological and immunohistochemical findings suggested in all cases a “glioneuronal commitment” of the tumors. Because of the unique similar clinical and neuroradiological characteristics, we propose this small series of tumors as a new possible distinct pathological and clinical entity.
Optimization of the Sit-to-Stand Motion

This paper proposes a method to evaluate the influence of moving tracks on body loadings. The sit-to-stand movement is selected and analyzed, in order to illustrate how a special form of physical therapy known as the Alexander technique can effectively reduce the loads placed on the joints. Because force and moment sensors cannot be implemented to take direct measurements within the joints, we used a motion analysis system to analyze information about body position and then input the data into ADAMS models to estimate the reaction forces and moments on the joints. Furthermore, an optimal control algorithm is introduced to quantitatively identify the optimal contours of the movements. By analyzing the reactions of the joints, this paper demonstrates that better moving tracks are beneficial for reducing body loads.
Serum Amino Acids Profile and the Beneficial Effects of L-Arginine or L-Glutamine Supplementation in Dextran Sulfate Sodium Colitis

This study was conducted to investigate serum amino acids profile in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis, and impacts of graded dose of arginine or glutamine supplementation on the colitis. Using DSS-induced colitis model, which is similar to human ulcerative colitis, we determined serum profile of amino acids at day 3, 7, 10 and 12 (5 days post DSS treatment). Meanwhile, effects of graded dose of arginine (0.4%, 0.8%, and 1.5%) or glutamine (0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0%) supplementation on clinical parameters, serum amino acids, colonic tight junction proteins, colonic anti-oxidative indicators [catalase, total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)], colonic pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-17 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)] in DSS-induced colitis were fully analyzed at day 7 and 12. Additionally, the activation of signal transduction pathways, including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), phosphoinositide-3-kinases (PI3K)/PI3K-protein kinase B (Akt), and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK)- myosin light chain (MLC20), were analyzed using immunoblotting. Serum amino acids analysis showed that DSS treatment changed the serum contents of amino acids, such as Trp, Glu, and Gln (P<0.05). Dietary arginine or glutamine supplementation had significant (P<0.05) influence on the clinical and biochemical parameters (T-SOD, IL-17 and TNF-α) in colitis model. These results were associated with colonic NF-κB, PI3K-Akt and MLCK signaling pathways. In conclusion, arginine or glutamine could be a potential therapy for intestinal inflammatory diseases.
Development of the competences of teamwork through cooperative learning at the university

Cooperative learning seems to be the right methodology to tackle the development of the teamwork competence inside the process of teaching? learning at the University. That strategy has been used by lecturers of different faculties and schools of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU who have sorted an Educational Team on cooperative learning. The experience was developed in six different groups which add up as 185 students. The outcome of that experience was analysed by means of a questionnaire which gathers the main competences of teamwork. The analysis of the dimensions of the questionnaire shows a structure with two dimensions: (1) 'interpersonal competences' and (2) 'instrumental competences'. Students seem to prioritise the most technical or procedural competences (instrumental) over personal and relationship competences (interpersonal) in their formative process and assessment of their learning.
Natural Variation in the V3 Crown of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Affects Replicative Fitness and Entry Inhibitor Sensitivity

ABSTRACT Natural polymorphisms in the heterogeneous human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein may have an impact on both sensitivity to entry inhibitors and viral replicative fitness. Of significant interest is variation in the V3 crown due to its involvement in direct engagement with the coreceptor. Two positions in the crown (318 and 319) appear to be important in determining intrinsic susceptibility to multiple entry inhibitors. Thus, we evaluated a series of natural polymorphisms at positions 318 and 319 in three distinct CCR5-tropic envelope genetic backgrounds to address their role in replicative fitness and sensitivity to entry inhibitors. Change at position 319 to each of the three major consensus amino acids (A, T, and R) resulted in variation in sensitivity to entry inhibitors and altered replicative fitness, but the effects of any one amino acid depended on the envelope context. Change of the nearly invariant tyrosine at position 318 to a rare arginine resulted in increased sensitivity to entry inhibitors and decreased replicative fitness independent of envelope context. Polymorphisms in the V3 crown that showed increased susceptibility to entry inhibitors also exhibited decreased entry efficiency, replicative fitness in primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and ability to replicate in primary macrophages. These findings suggest that differences in coreceptor affinity and/or avidity may underlie these phenotypic characteristics.
Simulating Imaging with the Scanning Ion-Conductance Microscope

The scanning ion-conductance microscope (SICM) is a member of the family of scanned probe microscopes (SPM). Examples include the scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). SICM uses the ion-concentration field at the tip of a micropipette filled with an electrolyte solution as a probe to generate images of sample topography. As with other members of the SPM family, the probe geometry determines the observed image. This paper presents mathematical models for simulating the SlCM in its different operating modes with the intent of creating a framework within which the effect of probe-geometry can be studied. We validate our model by comparing simulated approach-curves with empirical data. Finally, we show simulated images of a Gaussian-bump substrate under the different operating modes of the SICM