Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spondee Recognition in a Two-Talker Masker and a Speech-Shaped Noise Masker in Adults and Children

Objective The objective of the study was to examine developmental effects for perceptual masking due a two-talker masker. Both continuous and gated maskers were employed in order to determine the importance of masker continuity for perceptual masking. Design A repeated measures design compared the spondee recognition performance of adults and children using both a speech-shaped noise and a two-talker masker. The masker was either presented continuously, or was gated on and off at about the same time as the target spondee. The ages of the listeners were 19 to 48 yr (adults) and 5 to 10 yr (children). Results The results for the continuous masker indicated higher thresholds for the two-talker masker than for the speech-shaped noise masker. This effect was greater in the children than in the adults. In the gated masking condition, the greater masking effect associated with the two-talker masker was either diminished (children) or eliminated (adults). Conclusions These results suggest a masking effect for two-talker speech competition that is greater in children than in adults. Perceptual masking is greater for continuous than for gated masking.
Controlling Inventories in Divergent Supply Chains with Advance-Order Information

This paper considers a generic one-warehouse multiple-retailer inventory system under continuous review, where customers provide perfect advance-order information. More specifically, each customer order entails a due date specifying when the customer wants the item delivered. The information is perfect in the sense that a placed order cannot be revised. With the intent of using the advance-order information fully throughout the supply chain, each installation replenishes its stock using order base-stock policies (see Hariharan and Zipkin 1995). As for stock allocation, the presence of advance-order information at the central warehouse raises important questions regarding when reservations should be made for different retailers, i.e., how to make best use of the available temporal information to allocate items to retailers. Exact and approximate cost evaluation techniques are presented for the general case, the general reservation policy, as well as for the two special cases of reserving as early as possible, the complete reservation policy, and as late as possible, the last-minute allocation policy. A numerical study illustrates the performance of the proposed heuristics and provides insights on the value of using advance-order information in supply chain inventory control.
Diagnosing Zygosity in Infant Twins: Physical Similarity, Genotyping, and Chorionicity

Abstract We compared the results of different methods for diagnosing zygosity in a sample of 237 same-sex pairs of twins assessed at 5 and 18 months of age. Despite the twins' very young age and early stage of development, physical similarity was concordant with genotyping in 91.9% of cases at 5 months and 93.8% of cases at 18 months, for a subsample of 123 and 113 pairs, respectively. This concordance rate was obtained following a case-by-case assessment of each pair's physical similarity using a shortened version of the Zygosity Questionnaire for Young Twins (Goldsmith, 1991). Taking into account the chorionicity data available from the twins' medical files, we were able to classify correctly 96% of the pairs, an accuracy rate comparable to previously reported rates obtained with older twins. Chorionicity data is especially useful since we found that monochorionic MZ twins are more difficult than dichorionic MZ twins to diagnose by physical similarity at these young ages. The relative cost-benefit of methods based on reported physical similarity and DNA analysis is discussed in light of these results.
How can physicians and their patients with ALS decide to use the newly-available treatments to slow disease progression?

The 1990s decade has seen the testing of treatments to slow disease progression in patients with ALS. Two such treatments (riluzole and myotrophin) have shown minimal or modest efficacy. Of these, riluzole has been approved for marketing in the United States, in Europe and in other countries. Patients and physicians who are trying to decide whether to use these treatments require background information: (a) to place these treatments in the context of other treatments; (b) to under stand the outcome measures used; and (c) to understand the significance of the efficacy these treatments have shown. For example, in some cases treatment efficacy has been shown by some measures, but not others. This paper attempts to assist in this process. In addition, we attempt to show how to integrate objective data with relative or subjective factors, such as patient values, economic considerations, and the role of hope. (Amyot Lat Scler 1999; 1;3–14)
The efficacy of behavioral interventions in reducing HIV risk behaviors and incident sexually transmitted diseases in heterosexual African Americans

Objective:To conduct a meta-analytic review of HIV interventions for heterosexual African Americans to determine the overall efficacy in reducing HIV-risk sex behaviors and incident sexually transmitted diseases and identify intervention characteristics associated with efficacy. Methods:Comprehensive searches included electronic databases from 1988 to 2005, handsearches of journals, reference lists of articles, and contacts with researchers. Thirty-eight randomized controlled trials met the selection criteria. Random-effects models were used to aggregate data. Results:Interventions significantly reduced unprotected sex (odds ratio = 0.75; 95% confidence interval = 0.67, 0.84; 35 trials; N = 14 682) and marginally significantly decreased incident sexually transmitted diseases (odds ratio = 0.88; 95% confidence interval = 0.72, 1.07; 10 trials; N = 10 944). Intervention characteristics associated with efficacy include cultural tailoring, aiming to influence social norms in promoting safe sex behavior, utilizing peer education, providing skills training on correct use of condoms and communication skills needed for negotiating safer sex, and multiple sessions and opportunities to practice learned skills. Conclusion:Interventions targeting heterosexual African Americans are efficacious in reducing HIV-risk sex behaviors. Efficacious intervention components identified in this study should be incorporated into the development of future interventions and further evaluated for effectiveness.
A questionnaire survey on public cancer education obtained from cancer patients and their families

N the October 31, 1955, issue of Life magaI 7ine an article entitled, “A Plea Against Blind Fear of Cancer,” by George Crile, Jr., argued against the overemphasis on public cancer education. He strongly charged that overstress of lay cancer education has led to “cancerophobia” and made a plea for its de-emphasis and a shift to basic research in cancer. There has been general agreement concerning the need for additional basic cancer research, but Crile’s primary charge, shared by others, represents a serious indictment. This has brought about a study at the University of Wisconsin Cancer Research Hospital to evaluate the effect of the present lay educational program in cancer by examining the opinions o f the Tumor Clinic patients and their families. Five hundred and sixty replies were received to a questionriaire prepared by the Tumor Clinic staff. Approximately half of the answers were contributed by patients and visitors in the waiting room of the outpatient Tunior Clinic, and the remainder were lrom mail returns. ‘he random sampling included rural and urban groups arid also represented nearly every county and section of the state ol Tliisconsin. Both positive and negative questions were asked in order to reduce the possibility of automatic or chance answers. It is interesting to observe that a fourth ok the questionnaires were accompanied by comments and full letters in reply to our invitation to feel free to send in criticism, inkonnation, and any further comments. Because these comments and explanations aided materially in explaining the rationale in answering sevcral of the questions, a number of the remarks will be included in this report. Survey questions and fesirlts obtained are in Table 1. It is recognized that a study embracing only 560 individuals is statistically inadequate for a conclusive report. Nevertheless, a number 01
A new model for predicting infectious complications during fludarabine‐based combination chemotherapy among patients with indolent lymphoid malignancies

Fludarabine‐containing combination chemotherapy regimens are increasingly used in the treatment of indolent lymphoid malignancies, with the associated risk of infection being the major toxicity. Predictors of infection during fludarabine‐containing combination therapy are poorly defined and optimal strategies for infection prophylaxis are not known. The authors analyzed their experience with patients treated with the fludarabine‐mitoxantrone (FM) or fludarabine‐cyclophosphamide (FC) regimens to develop a predictive model for infections.
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF A MEMORY TEST BATTERY

In a series of studies we have applied three memory tests (the 30 Word Pair test, the 20 (or 30) Figure test and the 30 Personal Data test) to analyse memory disturbances related to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) . We have, inter al., used them to study retrograde amnesia (Cronholm & Ottosson, 1961, 1963) and anterograde amnesia (Ottosson, 1960) on the day of the first treatment. In these studies we compared test results in the same individuals under control (pre-shock) and experimental (post-shock) conditions. I t may be seen from our earlier reports that the tests have proved to be valid to the influence of ECT. The aim of the present study is to analyse further the properties of the tests. First, we will analyse their internal-consistency reliability under control and experimental conditions. Second, we will examine and obtain a value of the concurrent ualidity relative to the influence of ECT. Third, on the basis of test correlations we will test a hypothesis on a construct ualidity of the tests. Our hypothesis is that corresponding score,s in all the tests measure two underlying, hypothetical constructs that are more or less independent of each other, “learning” and “retention”. Finally, we will study to what extent the reliability and concurrent validity may be increased by combining measures in all three tests. In fact, we have used combined measures in previous studies, on the basis of the expectation a priori that they would be more valid than measures from ,separate tests.
Cooperative Sensor Selection Optimization and Power-Efficient Gathering for Multihop Wireless Sensor Networks

Since a single sensor may be in a fading dip, cooperative sensing among multiple sensors which experience uncorrelated fading is required to guarantee reliable sensing performance. This paper proposes a cooperative sensor selection and power-efficient gathering (CSSPEG) strategy in multihop wireless sensor networks to avoid the “hot spot” problem. Intracluster communication radiuses have different sizes, in which the clusters closer to the base station have smaller size. Furthermore, intracluster member allocation scheme uses cooperative sensor selection and power-efficient gathering strategy. Simulation results show that the proposed CSSPEG can efficiently balance the energy consumption of cluster heads and prolong the lifetime of the network.
Advanced methods and algorithm for high precision astronomical imaging. (Méthodes et algorithmes avancés pour l'imagerie astronomique de haute précision)

One of the biggest challenges of modern cosmology is to gain a more precise knowledge of the dark energy and the dark matter nature. Fortunately, the dark matter can be traced directly through its gravitational effect on galaxies shapes. The European Spatial Agency Euclid mission will precisely provide data for such a purpose. A critical step is analyzing these data will be to accurately model the instrument Point Spread Function (PSF), which the focus of this thesis.We developed non parametric methods to reliably estimate the PSFs across an instrument field-of-view, based on unresolved stars images and accounting for noise, undersampling and PSFs spatial variability. At the core of these contributions, modern mathematical tools and concepts such as sparsity. An important extension of this work will be to account for the PSFs wavelength dependency.
Magnetic resonance properties of ex vivo breast tissue at 1.5 T

The magnetic resonance absorption spectrum, T1 and T2 relaxation time distributions, and magnetization transfer properties of ex vivo breast tissue have been characterized at 1.5 T and 37°C. The fraction of fibroglandular tissue within individual tissue samples (n = 31) was inferred from the tissue volumetric water content obtained by integration of resolvable broad‐line fat and water resonances. The spectroscopically estimated water content was strongly correlated with that extracted enzymatically (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.98, P « 0.01), which enabled the assignment of principal relaxation components for fibroglandular tissue (T2 = 0.04 ± 0.01, T1 = 1.33 ± 0.24 s), and for adipose tissue (T2 = 0.13 ± 0.01, T1 = 0.23 ± 0.01 s, and T2 = 0.38 ± 0.03, T1 = 0.62 ± 0.16 s). The relaxation components for fibroglandular tissue exhibited strong magnetization transfer, whereas those for adipose tissue showed little magnetization transfer effect. These results ultimately have applicability to the optimization of clinical magnetic resonance imaging and research investigations of the breast.
Running head: WARMING AND DROUGHT EFFECTS ON SILVER FIR

7 1. Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, 8 Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK 9 2. Present address: Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC). 10 P.O. Box 1052, 41080 Sevilla, Spain 11 3. Departamento de Ingeniería Forestal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica 12 y de Montes, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Crta. N-IV km. 396, Córdoba 13 14071, Spain. 14 4. Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, 15 Spain. 16 5. CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Barcelona, Spain 17 6. Unitat d’Ecologia, Department of Biologia Animal , Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, 18 Universitat Autónoma Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés 08193, Barcelona, Spain 19 *Corresponding author: lmatias@irnas.csic. es; Tel: +34 954624711; Fax: +34 954624002 20
Prospective evaluation of planar bone scintigraphy, SPECT, SPECT/CT, 18F-NaF PET/CT and whole body 1.5T MRI, including DWI, for the detection of bone metastases in high risk breast and prostate cancer patients: SKELETA clinical trial

Purpose. Detection of bone metastases in breast and prostate cancer patients remains a major clinical challenge. The aim of the current trial was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of 99mTc-hydroxymethane diphosphonate (99mTc-HDP) planar bone scintigraphy (BS), 99mTc-HDP SPECT, 99mTc-HDP SPECT/CT, 18F-NaF PET/CT and whole body 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including diffusion weighted imaging, (wbMRI+DWI) for the detection of bone metastases in high risk breast and prostate cancer patients. Material and methods. Twenty-six breast and 27 prostate cancer patients at high risk of bone metastases underwent 99mTc-HDP BS, 99mTc-HDP SPECT, 99mTc-HDP SPECT/CT, 18F-NaF PET/CT and wbMRI+DWI. Five independent reviewers interpreted each individual modality without the knowledge of other imaging findings. The final metastatic status was based on the consensus reading, clinical and imaging follow-up (minimal and maximal follow-up time was 6, and 32 months, respectively). The bone findings were compared on patient-, region-, and lesion-level. Results. 99mTc-HDP BS was false negative in four patients. In the region-based analysis, sensitivity values for 99mTc-HDP BS, 99mTc-HDP SPECT, 99mTc-HDP SPECT/CT, 18F-NaF PET/CT, and wbMRI+DWI were 62%, 74%, 85%, 93%, and 91%, respectively. The number of equivocal findings for 99mTc-HDP BS, 99mTc-HDP SPECT, 99mTc-HDP SPECT/CT, 18F-NaF PET/CT and wbMRI+DWI was 50, 44, 5, 6, and 4, respectively. Conclusion. wbMRI+DWI showed similar diagnostic accuracy to 18F-NaF PET/CT and outperformed 99mTc-HDP SPECT/CT, and 99mTc-HDP BS.
Improved survival for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in infancy: the experience of EORTC‐Childhood Leukaemia Cooperative Group

Summary Out of 744 newly diagnosed ALL children under the age of 18 years treated according to the EORTC‐CLCG protocols 58831 and 58832, 28 (4%) were infants less than 1 year of age. An elevated risk factor, which takes into account the sizes of the liver and spleen and the number of circulating blasts, was present in 25 cases.
Regional variation in brain lactate in leigh syndrome by localized 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Localized water‐suppressed 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed in an 11‐month‐old infant with Leigh syndrome. Spectra obtained from the basal ganglia, occipital cortex, and brainstem showed elevations in lactate, which were most pronounced in regions where abnormalitites were seen with routine T2‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging. This approach has allowed us to examine metabolism in brain tissue directly and noninvasively, and may provide a sensitive means for evaluating metabolic disease and the response to therapy in the brain.
To Commit or Not to Commit: The Psychiatry Resident as a Variable in Involuntary Commitment Decisions

ObjectiveTo study whether psychiatry residents’ personalvariables (such as age, gender, level of training, previous experience with patient suicide or lawsuits) and their temperamental predispositions have an impact on their decisions to seek involuntary commitment.MethodIn a prospective pilot study, all psychiatry residents in Massachusetts were surveyed using a questionnaire that assessed their risk-taking behavior and clinical vignettes of patients with risk of harm to self or others. Data were analyzed using chisquares and t tests.ResultsLevel of training and the residents’ risk-taking behavior may be linked to their likelihood to seek involuntary commitment.ConclusionsPsychiatric residency training should address non-patient variables that might inappropriately influence the residents’ decisions to seek involuntary commitment.
Serial Morphologic Observation of Bone Marrow in Aplastic Anemia in Children

Recent reports of myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia (t-MDS/AML) developing after treatment with immunosuppressants and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has raised the question of whether previously unrecognized myelodysplastic features had been present or whether actual transformation had occurred. We undertook a multi-institutional study of 112 children with aplastic anemia diagnosed between 1976 and 1996 and then treated with immunosuppressants with or without G-CSF. In each case, bone marrow specimens were tested at study entry and every 6 months for 3 years to detect t-MDS/AML as defined by morphologic and molecular/cytogenetic criteria. As of December 2001, all eligible patients had been followed for a median of 3 years. Morphologic abnormalities were found in 17 cases. The patients in 4 of these cases had clonal cytogenetic abnormalities and received MDS diagnoses. The morphologic features of the patients with and without clonal cytogenetic abnormalities were indistinguishable. However, the mast cell content was lower in cases with cytogenetic abnormalities than in cases without them. An elucidation of the role of mast cells may provide information about the differences between aplastic anemia and MDS or about the transition of aplastic anemia to MDS.
A comparison of patients’ and physicians’ assessments of disease activity using the Swedish version of the Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire

Objectives: We compared patients’ assessments of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity by a Swedish version of the Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire (SLAQ) with physicians’ assessments by the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K). We also explored the performance of the SLAQ in patients with short (< 1 year) versus long (≥ 1 year) disease duration. Method: Patients filled out the SLAQ before physicians’ assessments. Correlations between SLAQ total, subscales (Symptom score, Flares, Patients global) and SLAM and SLEDAI-2K, as well as between the corresponding items in SLAQ and SLAM, were evaluated using Spearman’s ρ. Comparisons between patients with different disease durations were performed with Mann–Whitney U or chi-squared tests. Results: We included 203 patients (79% women), with a median age of 45 years [interquartile range (IQR) 33–57 years] and disease duration of 5 years (IQR 0–14 years). Correlations between physicians‘ SLAM without laboratory items (SLAM-nolab) and patients’ assessments were: SLAQ total, ρ = 0.685, Symptom score, ρ = 0.651, Flares, ρ = 0.547, and Patients global, ρ = 0.600. Of the symptom items, fatigue (ρ = 0.640), seizures (ρ = 0.635), and headache (ρ = 0.604) correlated most closely. Neurology/stroke syndrome, skin, and lymphadenopathy correlated less well (ρ < 0.24). Patients’ and physicians’ assessments were notably more discordant for patients with short disease durations. Conclusion: We confirm that the SLAQ can be used to monitor disease activity. However, the discrepancy between patients’ and physicians’ assessments was greater for patients with short versus long disease duration. We encourage further use of the SLAQ, but would like to develop a shorter version which would be valuable in modern, partly web-based, clinical care.
The Stanford Medical Youth Science Program: 18 Years of a Biomedical Program for Low-Income High School Students

The Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (SMYSP) is a biomedical pipeline program that seeks to diversify the health professions by providing academic enrichment in the medical sciences and college admissions support to very low-income high school students. Each summer 24 students are recruited from over 250 California high schools for the five-week residential program, led by 10 undergraduate students. Participants divide their time between classroom instruction, anatomy practicums, hospital field placements, research projects, and college admissions advising. Since its inception in 1988, 405 students have completed SMYSP and 96% have been observed for up to 18 years. The majority are from underrepresented minority groups (33.3% Latino, 21.7% African American, 4.0% Native American), many with poor academic preparation. One hundred percent of age-eligible participants have graduated from high school, and 99% have been admitted to college. Of those admitted to college (and not currently college students), 81% have earned a four-year college degree, the majority majoring in biological and physical sciences (57.1%). Among four-year college graduates, 52% are attending or have graduated from medical or graduate school. Many of the four-year college graduates (44.4%) are becoming or have become health professionals. This program, distinguished by direct participation in the sciences, strong mentoring, college admissions preparation, and long-term career guidance, has been highly successful in reaching low-income students and preparing them for medical and other careers. Results highlight the need to track students for as long as 10 to 15 years to accurately assess college graduation rates and acceptance to medical and graduate school.