Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
State-Space Architectures for Binaural Environment Modeling

Binaural displays for immersive listening must model reverberant environments, multiple sound sources, and accommodate source and head motion. Many displays model such phenomena as a collection of spatially distributed point sources; source signals are filtered with multiple head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and then combined into a single binaural signal for display. The computational load of such systems scales linearly with the number of HRTFs modeled by the display. ‘Realistic’ auditory scenes often require a large number of HRTFs, hence this framework is computationally untenable. We propose a method that significantly eases this load by formulating the HRTF filter array as a state-space system. Three state-space architectures are explored; MIMO, SIMO and MISO. The relative merits of each are found to depend on the specific application. If only a single source signal is displayed, a SIMO architecture yields the lowest computational cost for a fixed approximation quality. However, if multiple signals are displayed a pair of MISO systems yield the lowest cost. For the MIMO architecture, the interaural time delay degrades performance substantially and a hybrid technique is described to mitigate this problem. Hankel methods are found to be a good choice for model reduction, and yield displays with superior approximation quality relative to conventional FIR filter arrays of equal computational complexity.
Comparison of in vivo activity of fluconazole with that of amphotericin B against Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata, and Candida krusei

Fluconazole (UK-49,858) is a new oral bis-triazole antifungal agent with demonstrated activity against Candida albicans. Because of the increasing importance of infections due to other species of Candida, we studied the efficacy of fluconazole in a rat model of established systemic candidiasis, using clinical isolates of C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, and C. Krusei. In normal rats, oral fluconazole at both 20 and 80 mg/kg per day for 7 days reduced both kidney and liver titers of C. tropicalis and C. glabrata compared with those in control animals and was only slightly inferior to amphotericin B. Both fluconazole and amphotericin B were ineffective in reducing kidney titers of C. krusei, but amphotericin B was more effective than fluconazole in reducing liver titers. Fluconazole showed no increased efficacy at the higher dose of 80 mg/kg per day compared with 20 mg/kg per day in any experiment. These results suggest that oral fluconazole may be useful in the treatment of established disseminated candidiasis caused by species other than C. albicans. Further in vivo studies are needed, however, to define minimum effective doses and length of therapy and to test additional Candida isolates.
Mechanical Strain Regulates Osteoblast Proliferation through Integrin-Mediated ERK Activation

Mechanical strain plays a critical role in the proliferation, differentiation and maturation of bone cells. As mechanical receptor cells, osteoblasts perceive and respond to stress force, such as those associated with compression, strain and shear stress. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of this process remain unclear. Using a four-point bending device, mouse MC3T3-E1 cells was exposed to mechanical tensile strain. Cell proliferation was determined to be most efficient when stimulated once a day by mechanical strain at a frequency of 0.5 Hz and intensities of 2500 µε with once a day, and a periodicity of 1 h/day for 3 days. The applied mechanical strain resulted in the altered expression of 1992 genes, 41 of which are involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Activation of ERK by mechanical strain promoted cell proliferation and inactivation of ERK by PD98059 suppressed proliferation, confirming that ERK plays an important role in the response to mechanical strain. Furthermore, the membrane-associated receptors integrin β1 and integrin β5 were determined to regulate ERK activity and the proliferation of mechanical strain-treated MC3T3-E1 cells in opposite ways. The knockdown of integrin β1 led to the inhibition of ERK activity and cell proliferation, whereas the knockdown of integrin β5 led to the enhancement of both processes. This study proposes a novel mechanism by which mechanical strain regulates bone growth and remodeling.
Gravitational Lensing Signatures of Supermassive Black Holes in Future Radio Surveys

Observational measurements of the relationship between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and the properties of their host galaxies are an important method for probing theoretical hierarchical growth models. Gravitational lensing is a unique mechanism for acquiring this information in systems at cosmologically significant redshifts. We review the calculations required to include SMBHs in two standard galactic lens models, a cored isothermal sphere and a broken power law. The presence of the SMBH produces two primary effects depending on the lens configuration, either blocking the "core" image that is usually predicted to form from a softened lens model or adding an extra, highly demagnified image to the predictions of the unaltered lens model. The magnitudes of these effects are very sensitive to galaxy core sizes and SMBH masses. Therefore, observations of these lenses would probe the properties of the inner regions of galaxies, including their SMBHs. Lensing cross sections and optical depth calculations indicate that to fully observe these characteristic signatures, flux ratios of order 106 or more between the brightest and faintest images of the lens must be detectable, and thus, the next generation of radio telescope technology offers the first opportunity for a serious observational campaign. Core images, however, are already detectable, and with additional observations their statistics may be used to guide future SMBH searches.
International Journal of Hospitality Management How Leader–member Exchange, Work Engagement and Hrm Consistency Explain Chinese Luxury Hotel Employees' Job Performance

Keywords: Leader–member exchange (LMX) HRM process High performance work systems Job performance Hotels China a b s t r a c t This paper provides insights into the relationship between leader–member exchange (LMX) and employee job performance. An integrative model that includes work engagement and human resource management (HRM) consistency, defined as the extent to which various HR practices are viewed as consistent with one other, was developed to explain this relationship. Results from a hierarchical linear model based on 298 employees (survey data) and 54 supervisors in a large luxury hotel in southern China indicated that LMX was positively related to employee job performance. Moreover, as expected, work engagement mediated this relationship and HRM consistency strengthened the influence of LMX on work engagement. Important research and practical implications are discussed.
Impact of month of birth on the development of autoimmune thyroid disease in the United Kingdom and Europe.

CONTEXT Viral/bacterial infection is proposed as a trigger for the autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD): Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). Previous studies in European Caucasian AITD subjects found higher birth rates in the autumn/winter, suggesting those born in the autumn/winter experience increased viral/bacterial exposure after birth, impacting upon immune system development and predisposing to AITD later in life. OBJECTIVE Month of birth effects were investigated in three independent European Caucasian AITD datasets. DESIGN Variation in GD and HT onset was compared across months and seasons, with fluctuations across all 12 months analyzed using a Walter-Elwood test. SETTING The study was conducted at a research laboratory. PATIENTS National UK Caucasian AITD Case Control Collection (2746 GD and 502 HT compared with 1 423 716 UK births), National UK Caucasian GD Family Collection (239 GD and 227 unaffected siblings), and OXAGEN AITD Caucasian Family Collection (885 GD, 717 HT, and 794 unaffected siblings of European Caucasian decent). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Case-control and family-based association studies were measured. RESULTS No consistent month of birth effects were detected in GD females or males across all three collections. In HT females from the OXAGEN AITD Caucasian Family Collection, slightly higher birth rates were detected in autumn (Walter's test statistic = 7.47, P = .024) however, this was not seen in the HT females from the case-control cohort. CONCLUSION Our results suggest in UK/Northern European Caucasian GD subjects, month of birth does not impact on AITD development. Although some month of birth effects for HT females in one collection cannot be excluded, only further work in larger European Caucasian AITD collections can confirm these effects.
Liver transplantation as an ultimate step in the management of iatrogenic bile duct injury complicated by secondary biliary cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND This report summarizes a single center's experience with liver transplantation (LT) performed for secondary biliary cirrhosis resulting from iatrogenic bile duct injury (BDI) sustained during cholecystectomy. MATERIAL/METHODS Secondary biliary cirrhosis was the indication for LT in 5 (1.7%) out of 300 LTs performed in our center between Feb 2002 and April 2011. We analyzed the medical history of the patients, perioperative course and outcome following LT. RESULTS The BDI was classified as Strasberg A in 1 case, B in two cases, and E in 2 cases. There was no hepatic arterial or portal vein injury in any patient. All of the surgical repairs prior to the development of cirrhosis were performed in general surgical units. The median time between BDI and listing the patient for LT was 11 years. The cadaveric whole-organ LT was done in all patients using the Piggy-Back technique. All patients are alive with a median follow-up of 53 months. CONCLUSIONS Liver transplantation in patients with secondary biliary cirrhosis appears to result from a series of inadequate multiple surgical repairs following BDI. The immediate referral of such patients to centers with bile duct surgery experience is crucial.
Endodermal ABA Signaling Promotes Lateral Root Quiescence during Salt Stress in Arabidopsis Seedlings[C][W]

This work examines the role of tissue-specific abscisic acid signaling in the response of the root to salt, finding that salt stress affects root system architecture in seedlings by inhibiting lateral root development through a signaling pathway active in the endodermis. The endodermal tissue layer is found in the roots of vascular plants and functions as a semipermeable barrier, regulating the transport of solutes from the soil into the vascular stream. As a gateway for solutes, the endodermis may also serve as an important site for sensing and responding to useful or toxic substances in the environment. Here, we show that high salinity, an environmental stress widely impacting agricultural land, regulates growth of the seedling root system through a signaling network operating primarily in the endodermis. We report that salt stress induces an extended quiescent phase in postemergence lateral roots (LRs) whereby the rate of growth is suppressed for several days before recovery begins. Quiescence is correlated with sustained abscisic acid (ABA) response in LRs and is dependent upon genes necessary for ABA biosynthesis, signaling, and transcriptional regulation. We use a tissue-specific strategy to identify the key cell layers where ABA signaling acts to regulate growth. In the endodermis, misexpression of the ABA insensitive1-1 mutant protein, which dominantly inhibits ABA signaling, leads to a substantial recovery in LR growth under salt stress conditions. Gibberellic acid signaling, which antagonizes the ABA pathway, also acts primarily in the endodermis, and we define the crosstalk between these two hormones. Our results identify the endodermis as a gateway with an ABA-dependent guard, which prevents root growth into saline environments.
Critical Moments of Clients and Coaches

Purpose: In this study descriptions of critical moments of coaching as experienced by both executive coaches and their clients are analysed and compared, to find out more about what works in coaching conversations. Design/Methodology: This is a real-time direct-comparison study of coaches’ and clients’ critical-moment experiences with data collected straight after mutual coaching conversations. Eighty-six critical-moments descriptions were collected by independent researchers (not the authors) from measurements straight after independent coaching conversations (not with the authors). Exactly half of these descriptions were taken from clients and the other half from their coaches. They are analysed with reference to the full dataset of 352 critical-moment descriptions (102 by clients and 250 by executive coaches). Results: Both coaches and clients report new realisations and insights as most critical in their direct experience of coaching, and they are also in substantial agreement about the specific moments that were critical in the sessions and why. Hence we find no evidence for the so-called ‘Rashomon experience’ in executive coaching. Differences with earlier coach data which showed a completely different picture could be explained by drawing attention to the fact that those earlier data were biased towards moments of exceptional tension experienced by the coach, verging on ‘ruptures’ within the coaching relationship. Conclusions: This study has produced both a confirmation of earlier work when studying critical moments in executive coaching as well as a connection between the various diverging results hitherto found. The findings help us to understand better: (1) why clients’ and coaches’ descriptions in earlier studies were so different; and (2) how descriptions from clients and coaches coming out of coaching sessions can be extremely similar, as was the case here. The main conclusion is that coaches need to be prepared for quite different circumstances in ‘run-of-the-mill’ coaching and in the presence of exceptional tensions and ruptures.
Correction: Clonal Waves of Neisseria Colonisation and Disease in the African Meningitis Belt: Eight-Year Longitudinal Study in Northern Ghana

The text of the Acknowledgments section was incomplete. It should have read: “We acknowledge the use of the Neisseria Multi Locus Sequence Typing Web site (http://pubmlst.org/neisseria) developed by Keith Jolley and Man-Suen Chan and sited at the University of Oxford. The development of this site has been funded by the Wellcome Trust and European Union. We are grateful for support and contributions of E. Arnold, F. Binka, S. Droz, I. Ehrhard, B. Genton, and M. Tanner. In the Navrongo Health Research Center, we greatly appreciate the assistance of A. Bugri, S. Abudulai, and A. Wahab in the laboratory; all nurses and health workers in the War Memorial Hospital, Navrongo and the Health Centers of the KND; C. Tindana with all fi eld workers and drivers for excellent work in the fi eld; and T. Tei and M. Bugase for logistic support. We acknowledge the use of the Navrongo Demographic Surveillance System database, and we thank all study participants for their trust and contribution. ”
Adolescent Alcohol Use in Spain: Connections with Friends, School, and Other Delinquent Behaviors

This study examined the connections between adolescent alcohol use in Alicante, Spain and variables reflecting adolescents’ academic problems, potentially delinquent behaviors, friends’ alcohol consumption, and friendship quality. Information about alcohol use and a number of school and social variables was collected from adolescent students (N = 567) who completed the National Students School-Based Drug Survey in a classroom setting. Results suggested that gender was not significantly associated with alcohol use, although alcohol use increased with age and was more likely for adolescents enrolled in public schools compared to private. After controlling for age and type of school (public vs. private), academic problems explained 5.1% of the variance in adolescents’ alcohol use, potentially delinquent behaviors explained 29.0%, friends’ alcohol use 16.8%, and friendship quality 1.6%. When all unique predictors from these four models were included in a comprehensive model, they explained 32.3% of the variance in adolescents’ alcohol use. In this final model, getting expelled, participating in a fight, going out at night, the hour at which one returns, and the number of friends who have consumed alcohol were uniquely and positively associated with adolescents’ alcohol use. These results provide important information about multi-system influences on adolescent alcohol use in Alicante, Spain and suggest potential areas of focus for intervention research.
Electron Microscopy of Adenovirus 12 Replication 1. Fine Structural Changes in the Nucleus of Infected KB Cells

The ultrastructure of KB cells infected with oncogenic adenovirus 12 was studied at various intervals from 4 to 72 hr after viral inoculation. At 12 hr after infection, the nucleus and the nucleolus became hypertrophic. At 16 hr, bundles of fibers digestable by proteolytic enzymes were seen in the nucleus; they are considered as the early viral antigens identified immunologically by others. Between 24 and 26 hr, four types of nuclear inclusions appeared. Their sequence of appearance and fine structure are described. On the basis of their sensitivity to proteolytic digestion in thin sections, and the results of immunoferritin studies made by others, some of these inclusions are believed to represent viral structural antigens. Throughout the cycle of viral replication, the nucleolus displayed prominent and constant changes in the form of focal condensations and loosening of the nucleolonema, followed by atrophy and fragmentation. It is suggested that the early nucleolar changes reflect an active participation of the nucleolus in the synthesis of adenovirus 12. A hitherto unknown striated structure with definite periodicity, which is easily digested by proteolytic enzymes, was found in the nuclei during the late stages of adenovirus 12 replication.
Performance and cost analysis of time-multiplexed execution on the dynamically reconfigurable processor

Dynamically reconfigurable processors with multi-context facility have been used for various applications. The relationship between context size and performance of such processors is analyzed based on real designs. The parallelism diagram which shows the required PEs in each step of the algorithm is introduced as the basis of the analysis, and models for performance and cost are shown. Evaluation results show that the performance is degraded about 23% when the size of a context becomes 1/2. The performance per cost is improved 7-14 times than that of the case without time-multiplexed execution.
Measurement of the magnetic form factor of the neutron.

The [sup 2]H([ital e],[ital e][prime][ital n])[sup 1]H quasielastic cross section was measured at [ital Q][sup 2] values of 0.109, 0.176, and 0.255 (GeV/[ital c])[sup 2]. The neutron detection efficiency was determined by the associated particle technique with the [sup 2]H([gamma],[ital pn]) reaction for each of the three neutron kinetic energies. These [sup 2]H([ital e],[ital e][prime][ital n]) measurements of the coincidence cross sections are the first at low [ital Q][sup 2]. The cross sections are sensitive primarily to the neutron magnetic form factor [ital G][sub [ital M]][sup [ital n]] at these kinematics. The extracted [ital G][sub [ital M]][sup [ital n]] values have smaller uncertainties than previous data and are consistent with the dipole parametrization at the two higher momentum transfers; at the lowest momentum transfer, the value of [ital G][sub [ital M]][sup [ital n]] is [similar to]10% higher than the dipole value.
Enabling location-based services on wireless LANs

The wide deployment of IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) has made possible the development of application services on WLANs. Due to the small cell size in WLANs, it is practical to develop location dependent services based upon the awareness of the WLAN access points (AP) that mobile devices currently access. In this paper, we propose a location determination technique using the inherent SNMP support in WLAN APs. It is shown that the location of a mobile device can be determined effectively from the SNMP traps sent by APs. Our SNMP-based approach doesn’t need any particular software or hardware in mobile devices. This paper also considers how to determine the location of a mobile device by its IP address. In general, only the IP address of a mobile device can be seen by location-based services. However, APs identify each mobile device by its MAC address. Hence, we propose effective techniques for the mappings between IP addresses and MAC addresses. Through the address mappings, the location of a mobile device can be determined by its current IP address. We further propose a web service framework to enable WLAN location-based services in WWW environments. To verify our approach, we also develop a location-based campus map service based on the web service framework.
Implementation of Continuous Bayesian Networks Using Sums of Weighted Gaussians

Bayesian networks provide a method of representing conditional independence between random variables and computing the probability distributions associated with these random variables. In this paper, we extend Bayesian network structures to compute probability density functions for continuous random variables. We make this extension by approximating prior and conditional densities using sums of weighted Gaussian distributions and then finding the propagation rules for updating the densities in terms of these weights. We present a simple example that illustrates the Bayesian network for continuous variables; this example shows the effect of the network structure and approximation errors on the computation of densities for variables in the network.
Surface roughness and morphologic changes of zirconia following different surface treatments.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the roughness and morphology of zirconia after air abrasion and erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser application of different intensities. BACKGROUND DATA Although surface roughness is important to obtain micromechanical retention, it is unclear which surface treatment is most appropriate for zirconia. METHODS Fifty sintered zirconia specimens were divided into five groups (n=10). The following treatments were applied: control, Er:YAG laser irradiation with different energy intensities (200, 300, and 400 mJ), and air abrasion with aluminum oxide (Al(2)O(3)) particles (110 μm). Morphologic changes after surface treatments were examined in microscope analyses. Then, the surface roughness (Ra in μm) of the specimens was evaluated using a surface texture measuring instrument. Roughness data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) test (p=0.05). RESULTS Results of microscope analyses revealed changes in surface morphology after surface treatments, including the formation of rare pits in the 400 mJ laser group and the formation of microretentive grooves in the air abrasion group. According to the results of the statistical analysis, the mean surface roughness value for the air abrasion group was significantly higher than that of the other groups (p<0.001). Except for the air abrasion group, there were no statistically significant differences within other groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS According to the results of the statistical and microscopic analyses, 400 mJ Er:YAG laser energy or air abrasion can be used to obtain micromechanical retention prior to luting; however, air abrasion is the most effective surface treatment method.