Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
L 2 Acquisition of Chinese Tone

Chinese languages use tones to distinguish word meaning. Tones are acoustically manifested by changes primarily in fundamental frequency (F0, perceived as pitch) as well as amplitude and duration. Native Chinese speakers process these acoustic correlates as linguistic entities in their perception and production of tonal categories. For learners whose native language (L1) is non-tonal, tones may present great difficulty, since the functional association between the acoustic characteristics and the specific linguistic tonal domain is unfamiliar to them. Research on second language (L2) tone acquisition thus focuses on the extent to which L2 tone learning involves encoding of sensoryacoustic information and how it is shaped by linguistic experience. These issues can be addressed from three perspectives: how L2 Chinese tone processing differs from native patterns, what factors affect tone learning, and what the behavioral and neural manifestations are of increased proficiency and training on the tone learning process.
Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for acute respiratory distress syndrome: our single-center experience

ÖZ Amaç: Bu çalışmada, akut solunum sıkıntısı sendromunun tedavisinde venovenöz ekstrakorporeal membran oksijenasyonuna ilişkin beş yıllık deneyimimiz sunuldu. Ça­lış­ma­ pla­nı:­ Kasım 2010 Kasım 2015 tarihleri arasında konvansiyonel tedaviye dirençli akut solunum sıkıntısı sendromlu 33 hastaya (24 erkek, 9 kadın; ort. yaş 48.6±14.7 yıl; dağılım 19-76 yıl) venovenöz ekstrakorporeal membran oksijenasyonu desteği uygulandı. Venovenöz ekstrakorporeal membran oksijenasyonu desteğinin genel endikasyonu, konvansiyonel tedavinin optimizasyonuna rağmen, refrakter hipoksi, hiperkapni ve solunumsal asidoz idi. Hastaların detaylı klinik verileri retrospektif olarak incelendi. Bul gu lar: Kanülasyon 24 hastada (%73) femoral-femoral venlerden, dokuz hastada (%27) juguler-femoral venlerden gerçekleştirildi. Ortalama venovenöz ekstrakorporeal membran oksijenasyon desteği 17 (dağılım, 1-52) gün idi. En sık görülen komplikasyon, altı hastada (%18) minör kanama idi. On sekiz hasta (%54.5) başarılı bir şekilde venovenöz ekstrakorporeal membran oksijenasyonu desteğinden ayrıldı. Bu hastaların 13’ü (%39.4) sağkaldı ve hastaneden taburcu edildi. So­nuç:­ Venovenöz ekstrakorporeal membran oksijenasyonu, şiddetli akut solunum sıkıntısı sendromlu hastalarda hayat kurtarıcı bir tedavi yöntemi olabilir. Sonuçların iyileşmesi, deneyimlerin artması ve venovenöz ekstrakorporeal membran oksijenasyonunun tedavisine yönelik standart bir protokolün oluşturulması ile sağlanabilir.
Wear of human teeth: A tribological perspective

Abstract The four main types of wear in teeth are attrition (enamel-on-enamel contact), abrasion (wear due to abrasive particles in food or toothpaste), abfraction (cracking in enamel and subsequent material loss), and erosion (chemical decomposition of the tooth). They occur as a result of a number of mechanisms including thegosis (sliding of teeth into their lateral position), bruxism (tooth grinding), mastication (chewing), toothbrushing, tooth flexure, and chemical effects. In this paper the current understanding of wear of enamel and dentine in teeth is reviewed in terms of these mechanisms and the major influencing factors are examined. In vitro tooth wear simulation and in vivo wear measurement and ranking are also discussed.
Financial Reporting Differences Around the World: What Matters?

The international financial reporting literature identifies a multitude of country attributes that each appear to explain financial reporting differences around the world. We first show that a single underlying factor explains across-country variation in 6 reporting quality measures used in the international literature. We then examine 72 country attributes and show that they are highly correlated and that 4 underlying factors explain most of the variation in these attributes across countries. Furthermore, individual country attributes provide essentially no incremental explanatory power for international reporting diversity over these 4 factors, which collectively explain over 70% of the variation in reporting differences. Our findings highlight the very high causal density of country attributes and thus the difficulty in attributing international reporting diversity to specific institutions and policies. We conclude with a discussion of possible future directions for research on financial reporting around the world.
Investigating Text-Based Similarity Measures for Automatic Image Description Evaluation

Automatic image description systems aim to generate accurate descriptions of an image, capturing appropriate meaning of “what” is in the image and expressing that information in a human-like way. Despite increasing perceptive and expressive capabilities of these systems due to ingenious state-of-the-art approaches that are adopted from preceding fields of study such as computer vision and natural language processing, evaluation of computer-generated text has proven to be an persistent challenge. This re-evaluation of previous efforts explores what lexical and semantic properties are currently used in evaluation of machine generated text, and how performance of automatic image description systems is measured. I estimate the correlation of automatic evaluation measures: Bleu, TER, Rouge-SU4, Meteor and CIDEr with expert and crowdsourced human judgements. The main finding is that CIDEr shows the strongest correlation with human judgements, while Ter shows the weakest correlation. I also explore automatic evaluation measure performance on crowdsourced human judgements and estimate inter-annotation agreement between expert and crowdsourced raters, results are difficult to interpreted hence future work is desirable.
Direct observations of the ACC transport across the Kerguelen Plateau

Major pathways and transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) crossing the Kerguelen Plateau were directly observed during the 2009 Track cruise. The net eastward transport to the south of the Heard/McDonald Islands is estimated as 56 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1), 43 Sv of which is tightly channelled into the Fawn Trough that appears as a predominant cross‐plateau gateway of circumpolar flow associated with the Southern ACC Front (SACCF). There are also two secondary passages, with one (6 Sv) being attached to the nearshore slope just south of the Heard/McDonald Islands and the other (7 Sv) passing through the northern Princess Elizabeth Trough. With an additional 2 Sv inferred just south of the Kerguelen Islands, the transport across the entire plateau amounts to 58 Sv, accounting for ∼40% of the total ACC transport transiting through the region, 147–152 Sv, quantities consistent with other independent estimates in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean.
Microwave Dielectric Characteristics of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes

In this article, we studied the microwave permittivity of the complex of the single-walled carbon nanotubes and paraffin in 2-18GHz. In the range, the dielectric loss of single-walled carbon nanotubes are higher, and the real part and the imaginary part of the dielectric constant decrease with the increase of frequency, and the dielectric constant possesses the property of dispersion frequency response. The ? , ? and tanδ of the complex of the single-walled carbon nanotubes and paraffin increase with the increase of the content of carbon tubes, and it presents good second-order function relationship with the volume fraction of carbon in certain range. The polarization dispersion dielectric response is the main reason that the single-walled nanotubes absorbs and wastes microwaves.
AUTONOMOUS GAUSSIAN DECOMPOSITION

We present a new algorithm, named Autonomous Gaussian Decomposition (AGD), for automatically decomposing spectra into Gaussian components. AGD uses derivative spectroscopy and machine learning to provide optimized guesses for the number of Gaussian components in the data, and also their locations, widths, and amplitudes. We test AGD and find that it produces results comparable to human-derived solutions on 21 cm absorption spectra from the 21 cm SPectral line Observations of Neutral Gas with the EVLA (21-SPONGE) survey. We use AGD with Monte Carlo methods to derive the H i line completeness as a function of peak optical depth and velocity width for the 21-SPONGE data, and also show that the results of AGD are stable against varying observational noise intensity. The autonomy and computational efficiency of the method over traditional manual Gaussian fits allow for truly unbiased comparisons between observations and simulations, and for the ability to scale up and interpret the very large data volumes from the upcoming Square Kilometer Array and pathfinder telescopes.
Inhibition of Phospholipase Dα byN-Acylethanolamines1

N-Acylethanolamines (NAEs) are endogenous lipids in plants produced from the phospholipid precursor,N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine, by phospholipase D (PLD). Here, we show that seven types of plant NAEs differing in acyl chain length and degree of unsaturation were potent inhibitors of the well-characterized, plant-specific isoform of PLD—PLDα. It is notable that PLDα, unlike other PLD isoforms, has been shown not to catalyze the formation of NAEs fromN-acylphosphatidylethanolamine. In general, inhibition of PLDα activity by NAEs increased with decreasing acyl chain length and decreasing degree of unsaturation, such thatN-lauroylethanolamine andN-myristoylethanolamine were most potent with IC50s at submicromolar concentrations for the recombinant castor bean (Ricinus communis) PLDα expressed inEscherichia coli and for partially purified cabbage (Brassica oleracea) PLDα. NAEs did not inhibit PLD from Streptomyces chromofuscus, and exhibited only moderate, mixed effects for two other recombinant plant PLD isoforms. Consistent with the inhibitory biochemical effects on PLDα in vitro,N-lauroylethanolamine, but not lauric acid, selectively inhibited abscisic acid-induced closure of stomata in epidermal peels of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv Xanthi) andCommelina communis at low micromolar concentrations. Together, these results provide a new class of biochemical inhibitors to assist in the evaluation of PLDα physiological function(s), and they suggest a novel, lipid mediator role for endogenously produced NAEs in plant cells.
Disorder, social capital, and norm violation: Three field experiments on the broken windows thesis

Adding to the debate about the “broken windows” thesis we discuss an explanation of minor norm violation based on the assumption that individuals infer expected sanctioning probabilities from contextual cues. We modify the classical framework of rational crime by signals of disorder, local social control, and their interaction. Testing our implications we present results from three field experiments showing that violations of norms, which prevent physical as well as social disorder, foster further violations of the same and of different norms. Varying the net gains from deviance it shows that disorder effects are limited to low-cost situations. Moreover, we provide suggestive evidence that disorder effects are significantly stronger in neighborhoods with high social capital.
Reconstruction of Palaeovegetation and Sedimentation Conditions in the Area of Ancient Lake Burtnieks, Northern Latvia

Palaeobotanical investigations were carried out with the aim of reconstructing the development of palaeovegetation and formation of sediments in the northeastern area of ancient Lake Burtnieks. Pollen and plant macroremain studies provide information on vegetation development in the surroundings of the lake, including Stone Age settlements of Brauksas Ⅰ and Brauksas Ⅱ. Results of the investigations indicate that the development of vegetation together with sedimentation conditions in the palaeolake have changed since the Younger Dryas until today. Vegetation composition varies in different parts of the ancient Lake Burtnieks area due to past changes in lake water level which reached different sites at different times. Data from the northern part of ancient Lake Burtnieks indicate its gradual overgrowing since the Preboreal. Deposition of minerogenic lacustrine sediments (silt, clayey silt and sand) lasted until the Boreal or the Atlantic time, depending on the water depth of the lake locality. Clastic sediments were overlain by gyttja, which in turn was later covered by well-decomposed fen (sedge, sedge-grass) peat that started to form at the end of Atlantic time. Pollen and plant macroremain composition of lacustrine sediments and fen peat sequences suggests that people have inhabited the area since Preboreal-Boreal times. However, weak traces of possible presence of people are found already at the very end of the Younger Dryas. Fluctuating curves of broadleaved tree pollen, a significant amount of pollen of cultivated plants and charcoal dust in sediments indicate activities of an early man and refer to start of crop growing in the area in the second half of the Atlantic chronozone.
Approximating the average daily surface albedo with respect to soil roughness and latitude

The present study explores the diurnal variations in blue-sky albedo (α) of soils under clear sky conditions with respect to surface roughness. Three roughness levels of ploughed and unploughed soil surfaces, developed from the same loessial material, were examined. The relation between α of the surfaces and the solar zenith angle, determined during the experiment, enabled us to predict the diurnal α variation of the surfaces throughout the year at a given latitude, between 75° S and 75° N. The optimal time (T O) for measuring the soil albedo by an instantaneous observation was considered as the best represented time for the daily averaged value within an error lower than ±2%. It was found that the T O, falling at different times depending on the soil surface roughness, limits the possibilities of data achievement by remote-sensing satellites along one of their sun-synchronous orbits.
Social Costs of Inequality – Heterogeneous Endowments in Public-Good Experiments

We compare voluntary contributions to the financing of a public good in a symmetric setting to those in asymmetric settings, in which four players have different, randomly allocated endowments. We observe that a weak asymmetry in the endowment distribution leads to the same contribution level as symmetry. Players tend to contribute the same proportion of their respective endowment. In a strongly asymmetric setting, where one player has a higher endowment than the three other players together, we observe significantly lower group contributions than in the other settings. The super-rich player does not contribute significantly more than what the others contribute on average and thus a much lower proportion of the endowment.
Passing the buck

Shifting the responsibility for a necessary but costly action to someone else is often called Passing the Buck. Examples of such behavior in politics are environmental and budget problems which are left to future generations. Small group examples are (not) washing the dishes or (not) dealing with a difficult customer. Under the assumption of altruistic preferences, rational behavior in this game is derived and confronted with experimental data. By comparison, the sequence of possible decision makers in the normal Passing the Buck game is substituted with an expert who alone is competent to fix the problem. It turned out that the marginal probabilities of shifting the responsibility are in good accordance with the theoretical model, although with completely different parameter distributions for experts and non-experts. The structure of the individual decisions, however, is best described by a random parameter model (Cox et al., 2007).
Behavioral / Systems / Cognitive Predicting Movement from Multiunit Activity

Previous studies have shown that intracortical activity can be used to operate prosthetic devices such as an artificial limb. Previously used neuronal signals were either the activity of tens to hundreds of spiking neurons, which are difficult to record for long periods of time, or local field potentials, which are highly correlated with each other. Here, we show that by estimating multiunit activity (MUA), the superimposed activity of many neurons around a microelectrode, and using a small number of electrodes, an accurate prediction of the upcoming movement is obtained. Compared with single-unit spikes, single MUA recordings are obtained more easily and the recordings are more stable over time. Compared with local field potentials, pairs of MUA recordings are considerably less redundant. Compared with any other intracortical signal, single MUA recordings are more informative. MUA is informative even in the absence of spikes. By combining information from multielectrode recordings from the motor cortices of monkeys that performed either discrete prehension or continuous tracing movements, we demonstrate that predictions based on multichannel MUA are superior to those based on either spikes or local field potentials. These results demonstrate that considerable information is retained in the superimposed activity of multiple neurons, and therefore suggest that neurons within the same locality process similar information. They also illustrate that complex movements can be predicted using relatively simple signal processing without the detection of spikes and, thus, hold the potential to greatly expedite the development of motor-cortical prosthetic devices.
INVOLVEMENT OF EPITHELIAL DENDRITIC CELLS (LANGERHANS CELLS) AND MACROPHAGES IN IMMUNE MECHANISMS IN SELECTED TUMOURS OF DOG SKIN

The studies attempted to demonstrate the involvement of epithelial dendritic cells and macrophages in mechanisms of anti-neoplastic immune surveillance in dogs and to define whether local antigen presentation and activation of lymphocytes T takes place in the skin, similarly as it develops in the draining of lymph nodes. Eight skin specimens of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) for the presence of the skin immune system cells above the tumour were examined. Sections of the sampled tissue were used to produce paraffin histopathological sections and ultrastructural preparations. The material was then examined under transmission electron microscope. Langerhans cells, macrophages, mastocytes, and lymphocytes in perilesional skin close to BCC and SCC were found. The presence of numerous dendritic cells, macrophages, as well as mast cells and lymphocytes found in the direct vicinity of the tumour, indicate that the skin immune system is involved in the local immune responce.
From fine- to coarse-grained dynamic information flow control and back

We show that fine-grained and coarse-grained dynamic information-flow control (IFC) systems are equally expressive. To this end, we mechanize two mostly standard languages, one with a fine-grained dynamic IFC system and the other with a coarse-grained dynamic IFC system, and prove a semantics-preserving translation from each language to the other. In addition, we derive the standard security property of non-interference of each language from that of the other, via our verified translation. This result addresses a longstanding open problem in IFC: whether coarse-grained dynamic IFC techniques are less expressive than fine-grained dynamic IFC techniques (they are not! ). The translations also stand to have important implications on the usability of IFC approaches. The coarse- to fine-grained direction can be used to remove the label annotation burden that fine-grained systems impose on developers, while the fine- to coarse-grained translation shows that coarse-grained systems---which are easier to design and implement---can track information as precisely as fine-grained systems and provides an algorithm for automatically retrofitting legacy applications to run on existing coarse-grained systems.
Low‐Frequency Measurements of Seismic Moduli and Attenuation in Antigorite Serpentinite

Laboratory measurements of seismic moduli and attenuation in antigorite serpentinite at a confining pressure of 200 MPa and temperatures up to 550 °C provide new results relevant to the interpretation of geophysical data in subduction zones. A polycrystalline antigorite specimen was tested via forced oscillations at small strain amplitudes and seismic frequencies (millihertz to hertz). The shear modulus has a temperature sensitivity, ∂G/∂T, averaging −0.017 GPa/K. Increasing temperature above 500 °C results in more intensive shear attenuation ( QG−1 ) and associated modulus dispersion, with QG−1 increasing monotonically with increasing oscillation period and temperature. This “background” relaxation is adequately captured by a Burgers model for viscoelasticity and possibly results from intergranular mechanisms. Attenuation is higher in antigorite ( log10QG−1≈−1.5 at 550 °C and 0.01 Hz) than in olivine ( log10QG−1≪−2.0 below 800 °C), but such contrast does not appear to be strong enough to allow robust identification of antigorite from seismic models of attenuation only.
Give them a chance: public attitudes to sentencing young offenders in Western Australia

Public opinion is often reported as punitive towards sentencing young people. Attitudes remain important to investigate given their potential to influence policy within the criminal justice system (Roberts and Indamaur, 2007). Therefore, it is important to understand the formation of these attitudes and their consistency with sentencing principles. Semi-structured interviews (n=72) and surveys (n=502) were used to gauge opinions of sentencing young people under different scenario manipulations (age; weapon; drug treatment; prior record). The findings revealed the public expected punishment, but favoured rehabilitation with an opportunity to repent, suggesting the public are open to alternatives to ‘tough on crime’ approaches.