Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Speech Understanding in Children With Normal Hearing: Sound Field Normative Data for BabyBio, BKB-SIN, and QuickSIN

Objective: The primary goal was to establish normative data for the Pediatric AzBio “BabyBio,” QuickSIN, and BKB-SIN measures in the sound field for children with normal hearing. Setting: Tertiary care hospital; cochlear implant (CI) program. Patients: Forty-one children with normal hearing were recruited across four age groups (5–6, 7–8, 9–10, and 11–12 yr). Interventions: Sentence recognition testing was assessed at four different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs, +10, +5, 0, and −5 dB) for BabyBio sentences as well as for the BKB-SIN and QuickSIN tests. All measures were presented in the sound field at 60 dBA except QuickSIN, which was presented at 70 dBA. Main Outcome Measures: BabyBio sentence recognition, BKB-SIN SNR-50, and QuickSIN SNR-50 were analyzed to establish sound field norms. Results: BabyBio sentence recognition approached ceiling at all SNRs with mean scores ranging from 86% at −5 dB SNR to 99.3% at +10 dB SNR. Mean QuickSIN SNR-50 was 6.6 dB. Mean BKB-SIN SNR-50 was 1.6 dB with sound field data being consistent with insert earphone normative data in the BKB-SIN manual. Performance for all measures improved with age. Conclusion: Children with normal hearing achieve ceiling-level performance for BabyBio sentence recognition at SNRs used for clinical CI testing (≥0 dB SNR) and approach ceiling level even at −5 dB SNR. Consistent with previous reports, speech recognition in noise improved with age from 5 to 12 years in children with normal hearing. Thus, speech recognition in noise might also increase in the CI population across the same age range warranting age-specific norms for CI recipients. Last, the QuickSIN test could be substituted for the BKB-SIN test with appropriate age-normative data.
Bcl2 Deficiency Activates FoxO through Akt Inactivation and Accelerates Osteoblast Differentiation

Osteoblast apoptosis plays an important role in bone development and maintenance, and is in part responsible for osteoporosis in sex steroid deficiency, glucocorticoid excess, and aging. Although Bcl2 subfamily proteins, including Bcl2 and Bcl-XL, inhibit apoptosis, the physiological significance of Bcl2 in osteoblast differentiation has not been fully elucidated. To investigate this, we examined Bcl2-deficient (Bcl2−/−) mice. In Bcl2−/− mice, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive osteoblasts were reduced in number, while terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL)-positive osteoblasts were increased. Unexpectedly, osteoblast differentiation was accelerated in Bcl2−/− mice as shown by the early appearance of osteocalcin-positive osteoblasts. Osteoblast differentiation was also accelerated in vitro when primary osteoblasts were seeded at a high concentration to minimize the reduction of the cell density by apoptosis during culture. FoxO transcription factors, whose activities are negatively regulated through the phosphorylation by Akt, play important roles in multiple cell events, including proliferation, death, differentiation, longevity, and stress response. Expressions of FasL, Gadd45a, and Bim, which are regulated by FoxOs, were upregulated; the expression and activity of FoxOs were enhanced; and the phosphorylation of Akt and that of FoxO1 and FoxO3a by Akt were reduced in Bcl2−/− calvariae. Further, the levels of p53 mRNA and protein were increased, and the expression of p53-target genes, Pten and Igfbp3 whose proteins inhibit Akt activation, was upregulated in Bcl2−/− calvariae. However, Pten but not Igfbp3 was upregulated in Bcl2−/− primary osteoblasts, and p53 induced Pten but not Igfbp3 in vitro. Silencing of either FoxO1 or FoxO3a inhibited and constitutively-active FoxO3a enhanced osteoblast differentiation. These findings suggest that Bcl2 deficiency induces and activates FoxOs through Akt inactivation, at least in part, by upregulating Pten expression through p53 in osteoblasts, and that the enhanced expression and activities of FoxOs may be one of the causes of accelerated osteoblast differentiation in Bcl2−/− mice.
Perspectives on treatment for communication deficits associated with right hemisphere brain damage.

PURPOSE To describe the current treatment research for communication (prosodic, discourse, and pragmatic) deficits associated with right hemisphere brain damage and to provide suggestions for treatment selection given the paucity of evidence specifically for this population. METHOD The discussion covers (a) clinical decision processes and evidence-based practice; (b) a review of right hemisphere communication deficits and existing treatment studies; (c) accounts of right hemisphere function, right hemisphere deficits, and theoretically motivated treatments; and (d) a guide for exploring and selecting treatments based on deficits rather than etiology. CONCLUSIONS Controlled treatment studies for communication deficits specifically for adults with right hemisphere brain damage are limited to aprosodia. For other communication deficits, clinicians may select treatments based on current theories of right hemisphere function and right hemisphere deficits, and/or treatments developed for other etiologies for which deficits are similar to those associated with right hemisphere damage.
Predicting Relationship Status and Satisfaction after Six Months among Dating Couples.

This study used the investment model to predict relationship status and satisfaction among a sample of heterosexual dating couples. Both partners of 42 couples completed measures of commitment, relationship satisfaction, alternative quality (i.e., perceptions of how easy it would be to do better in another relationship than in the present one), and relationship duration at Time 1. Six months later, measures of relationship status and satisfaction were completed. On several dimensions, females had cognitions that were more relationship maintaining than did males. A path analysis did not support the investment model. However, females' perceptions at Time 1 that they had poor quality relationship alternatives predicted positive relationship status 6 months later. Time 1 scores predicted both males' and females' Time 2 relationship satisfaction, although males' Time 1 views of the relationship were more strongly predictive of females' Time 2 relationship satisfaction than vice versa. These findings suggest that females may be more invested in their relationships than are males and that this greater investment may provide them with more influence over the future course of their relationships.
New Avenues for Framing Research

In this article, the author reviews the studies in this special issue of the American Behavioral Scientist. It is a strong collection of articles reporting findings from an integrated project that looks at frame building, frames, and effects of frames. The project is part of an exciting large-scale Swiss research program on democracy, NCCR. The author reflects not only on the contents of the issue but also on the framing concept in political communication research more generally. He offers suggestions for conceptual clarity and makes three recommendations about future framing research. They pertain to (a) the types of frames that framing researchers look at, (b) the dynamics of framing effects, and (c) advances in research designs in framing research.
Changes in Lifestyle Initiated by Breast Cancer Patients: Who Does and Who Doesn't

The American Cancer Society recommends a variety of health-promoting behaviors to prevent cancer. Little is known, however, about the health-promoting behaviors of individuals with cancer. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that might influence cancer patients to make health-promoting changes in their own behavior. Three factors — Coping Strategies, Social Support, and Patient Attitudes concerning responsibility for their own recovery — were hypothesized to influence changes in stress levels, diet, exercise, and mental outlook. Findings indicate that coping strategies are significant predictors of changes in stress level, diet, and mental outlook, and patient attitudes concerning responsibility for recovery contribute to positive changes in exercise. The latter finding suggests that taking responsibility for one's own health is important in motivating breast cancer patients to engage in health-promoting physical activity. Our study findings have important implications for both health com.
Empirical Entropy, Minimax Regret and Minimax Risk

We consider the random design regression model with square loss. We propose a method that aggregates empirical minimizers (ERM) over appropriately chosen random subsets and reduces to ERM in the extreme case, and we establish sharp oracle inequalities for its risk. We show that, under the $\varepsilon^{-p}$ growth of the empirical $\varepsilon$-entropy, the excess risk of the proposed method attains the rate $n^{-2/(2+p)}$ for $p\in(0,2)$ and $n^{-1/p}$ for $p>2$ where $n$ is the sample size. Furthermore, for $p\in(0,2)$, the excess risk rate matches the behavior of the minimax risk of function estimation in regression problems under the well-specified model. This yields a conclusion that the rates of statistical estimation in well-specified models (minimax risk) and in misspecified models (minimax regret) are equivalent in the regime $p\in(0,2)$. In other words, for $p\in(0,2)$ the problem of statistical learning enjoys the same minimax rate as the problem of statistical estimation. On the contrary, for $p>2$ we show that the rates of the minimax regret are, in general, slower than for the minimax risk. Our oracle inequalities also imply the $v\log(n/v)/n$ rates for Vapnik-Chervonenkis type classes of dimension $v$ without the usual convexity assumption on the class; we show that these rates are optimal. Finally, for a slightly modified method, we derive a bound on the excess risk of $s$-sparse convex aggregation improving that of Lounici [Math. Methods Statist. 16 (2007) 246-259] and providing the optimal rate.
[Evaluation of a new electronic handheld meter for measurement of β-hydroxybutyric acid in dairy cows].

OBJECTIVE Subclinical ketosis (SCK), an important disease in lactating dairy cows, is defined as the presence of elevated concentrations of circulating ketone bodies without the development of clinical signs. Therefore, diagnostic methods are limited to the detection of the concentrations of ketone bodies in different body fluids. The objective of this study was to evaluate a recently developed electronic hand- held meter (NovaVet) for the determination of β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) in the blood of dairy cows. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 155 lactating dairy cows were included in the trial. Blood samples were taken from each cow and analyzed using the BHB meter. The obtained concentrations were compared to the results determined by a commercial laboratory. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was determined between the two methods. A Wilcoxon test was performed and a Bland-Altman plot was generated. Test characteristics (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value) for established BHB cut points for the diagnosis of SCK were calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS The two methods were highly correlated (rs = 0.87; p < 0.05). A difference (median 0.0 mmol/l; interquartile range [IQR] -0.1 to 0.2 mmol/l; p < 0.05) was found between BHB concentrations determined using the BHB meter (median 1.0 mmol/l; IQR 0.7-1.3 mmol/l) and by the laboratory (median 0.9 mmol/l; IQR 0.7-1.1 mmol/l). Using a cut point of 1.2 mmol/l, sensitivity and specificity of the BHB meter were 97% and 82%, respectively. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE There was a good agreement between BHB concentrations determined using the BHB meter and the laboratory. Furthermore, the BHB meter displayed good test characteristics. The specificity of 82% results in a number of false-positive results. However, this new device can be recommended for the detection of SCK in cows under practical conditions.
Growth hormone treatment in hemodialysis patientsA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Objective: Renal failure and hemodialysis (HD) affect the anabolic growth hormone (GH)–insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis. A positive correlation between serum IGF-I and normalized protein catabolic rate (PCRn) in HD patients has been reported, and the aim of this study was to assess the metabolic impact of recombinant human (rh)GH in these patients. Material and Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, rhGH was given to 35 HD patients for 8 weeks: 0.025 IU/kg/day for 1 week, increasing to 0.05 IU/kg/day. Patients with diabetes, malignancy or clinical signs of infection and those receiving steroid treatment were excluded. Results: All patients completed the study. Side-effects were rare and equally distributed between the two groups. Post-treatment, serum IGF-I and IGF-I standard deviation score (IGF-I SD) increased in the rhGH group compared to the placebo group: 283 ± 33 vs 151 ± 16 mg/l (p = 0.001) and 1.8 ± 0.6 vs −0.2 ± 0.6 (p = 0.002), respectively. IGF binding protein-3 was higher in the rhGH group compared to the placebo group: 5859 ± 285 vs 4369 ± 321 mg/l (p = 0.002). PCRn was significantly higher in the rhGH group compared to the placebo group: 1.09 ± 0.06 vs 0.90 ± 0.06 g/kg/day (p = 0.029). No differences were found in body weight, serum albumin or leptin between the two groups. There was no change in C-reactive protein (CRP) in the rhGH group compared to the placebo group: 17.4 ± 9.0 vs 12.3 ± 4.6 mg/l (p = NS). When the patients were subgrouped according to the CRP level (< or >10 mg/l), the effect on PCRn persisted only in rhGH-treated subjects with a normal CRP level: 1.10 ± 0.08 vs 0.81 ± 0.09 g/kg/day (p = 0.025). Conclusion: Treatment of HD patients with rhGH at a moderate dose causes augmentation of PCRn which is considered to indicate a higher dietary protein intake. The anabolic effect of rhGH seems to be abolished by subclinical inflammation.
Defining the clinical and cognitive phenotype of child savants with autism spectrum disorder.

Objective: Whilst savant syndrome is most commonly observed in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it has historically been associated with intellectual impairment, and little is known about the clinical and cognitive characteristics of intellectually able individuals with ASD and savant skills. Methods: Participants with ASD and validated savant skills were compared with age and intelligence matched non-savants with ASD using a range of diagnostic and standardised tests. Results: Although the analysis of the clinical data revealed few differences between the groups, striking differences emerged during cognitive testing. Children with savant skills exhibited highly superior working memory and their scores on tests of analytic skills were also superior to those of non-savants. Conclusion: We propose that obsessionality, focused attention, superior working memory and analytic skills facilitate veridical mapping and pattern perception abilities characteristic in savant syndrome.
We cannot teach what we don’t know: Indiana teachers talk about global citizenship education

Globalization significantly influences the very notion of citizenship by challenging the key principle of citizenship as idiosyncratically nation or nation-state related concept.Therefore, the discourse of global citizenship is getting more attention in programmatic educational texts and curricula. However, unlike their colleagues in Europe, Canada or South-East Asia, US educators are still less enthusiastic about introducing the concept of global citizenship in their classrooms. This study investigates how Indiana teachers conceptualize global citizenship and what in their opinions is impeding global perspectives on citizenship education in schools. In general, this research supports the findings of other studies that (1) teachers tend to rationalize the unfamiliar concept of global citizenship through more familiar concepts and discourses and (2) educators need more rigorous assistance to teach emerging types of citizenship. The study demonstrates that despite the fact that participants rarely use the term global citizenship in their instruction, they provide rationales that correspond to the notion of global citizenship.
Chinese Part-of-Speech Tagging: One-at-a-Time or All-at-Once? Word-Based or Character-Based?

Chinese part-of-speech (POS) tagging assigns one POS tag to each word in a Chinese sentence. However, since words are not demarcated in a Chinese sentence, Chinese POS tagging requires word segmentation as a prerequisite. We could perform Chinese POS tagging strictly after word segmentation (one-at-a-time approach), or perform both word segmentation and POS tagging in a combined, single step simultaneously (all-atonce approach). Also, we could choose to assign POS tags on a word-by-word basis, making use of word features in the surrounding context (word-based), or on a character-by-character basis with character features (character-based). This paper presents an in-depth study on such issues of processing architecture and feature representation for Chinese POS tagging, within a maximum entropy framework. We found that while the all-at-once, characterbased approach is the best, the one-at-a-time, character-based approach is a worthwhile compromise, performing only slightly worse in terms of accuracy, but taking shorter time to train and run. As part of our investigation, we also built a state-of-the-art Chinese word segmenter, which outperforms the best SIGHAN 2003 word segmenters in the closed track on 3 out of 4 test corpora.
Lagrangian analysis of hemodynamics data from FSI simulation

We present the computation of Lagrangian‐based flow characterization measures for time‐dependent, deformable‐wall, finite‐element blood flow simulations. Applicability of the algorithm is demonstrated in a fluid–structure interaction simulation of blood flow through a total cavopulmonary connection (Fontan procedure), and results are compared with a rigid‐vessel simulation. Specifically, we report on several important Lagrangian‐based measures including flow distributions, finite‐time Lyapunov exponent fields, particle residence time, and exposure time calculations. Overall, strong similarity in Lagrangian measures of the flow between deformable and rigid‐vessel models was observed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Peer Assessment Between Students in Colleges and Universities

A definition and typology of peer assessment between students in higher education is proposed, and the theoretical underpinnings of the method are discussed. A review of the developing literature follows, including both process and outcome studies. This indicates that peer assessment is of adequate reliability and validity in a wide variety of applications. Peer assessment of writing and peer assessment using marks, grades, and tests have shown positive formative effects on student achievement and attitudes. These effects are as good as or better than the effects of teacher assessment. Evidence for such effects from other types of peer assessment (of presentation skills, group work or projects, and professional skills) is, as yet, more limited. Computer-assisted peer assessment is an emerging growth area. Important factors in successful implementation are summarized, and recommendations for future research and practice are made.
The Brief Implicit Association Test is Valid: Experimental Evidence

As a new variant of Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998), the Brief Implicit Association Test (BIAT; Sriram & Greenwald, 2009) has been shown to be useful in predicting various behaviors. This research aims to examine experimental validity of the BIAT. Two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 demonstrated that the BIAT was sensitive to implicit favoritism toward and identification with a newly established ingroup by memorization procedure, a minimal group induction procedure (Pinter & Greenwald, 2011). Experiment 2 showed that the BIAT was responsive to the threat effect on intergroup attitudes and further predictive of resultant intention to boycott outgroup. Moreover, mediation analysis showed that the change in implicit favoritism revealed by BIAT partially explained changes in the intention to boycott. These findings suggest that BIAT is not only sensitive to newly formed associations but also to the change of an existing association.
Effects of Acute Laboratory Stress on Executive Functions

Recent research indicates that stress can affect executive functioning. However, previous results are mixed with respect to the direction and size of effects, especially when considering different subcomponents of executive functions. The current study systematically investigates the effects of stress on the five components of executive functions proposed by Smith and Jonides (1999): attention and inhibition; task management; planning; monitoring; and coding. Healthy participants (N = 40) were either exposed to the computerized version of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test as a stressor (N = 20), or to a rest condition (N = 20). Stress reactions were assessed with heart rate and subjective measures. After the experimental manipulation, all participants performed tasks that measure the different executive functions. The manipulation check indicates that stress induction was successful (i.e., the stress group showed a higher heart rate and higher subjective responses than the control group). The main results demonstrate that stressed participants show a poorer performance compared with unstressed participants in all executive subcomponents, with the exception of monitoring. Effect sizes for the tasks that reveal differences between stressed and unstressed participants are high. We conclude that the laboratory stressor used here overall reduced executive functioning.
Understanding the Drivers of Job Satisfaction of Frontline Service Employees

In this article, we examine the antecedent structure of the terminal level of job satisfaction of frontline service employees who have recently quit a firm. The results from the estimation of a latent, finite-mixture model, using data collected from former employees of a large supermarket chain, point to a two-dimensional heterogeneity among exiting employees. We find systematic variation in the relative importance of the drivers of job satisfaction, such as work environment, personality, and demographics, across employee subgroups. We also find that the threshold level of the terminal satisfaction for exiting employees could be high for some and low for others. These findings stand in contrast to the inverse satisfaction-turnover intent link documented for existing employees and provide new explanations for the observed weakness in the relationship. They are also inconsistent with the attraction-selection-attrition model that argues for a convergence in employee dispositions. We suggest that job satisfaction and turnover models can be enhanced by adopting a utility-theoretic perspective that accommodates variations in the structure and threshold levels of terminal satisfaction. To this end, we provide some guidelines for how exiting rather than existing employees can provide an alternative avenue for diagnosing the quitting process and ultimately improving the predictive power of turnover models. Finally, we suggest that the allocation of employee retention resources based on either a common model of job satisfaction, or assuming a monotonic satisfaction-intent relationship, may be inefficient. Instead, we argue for model-based, group-specific retention programs to reduce frontline service employee turnover.