Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examination of a perceptual non-native speech contrast: pharyngealized/non-pharyngealized discrimination by French-speaking adults

The study investigates the discrimination of a synthesized non-pharyngealized/pharyngealized place-of-articulation contrast in Arabic [si]-[s/sup /spl zeta//i], presented to Arabic-speaking subjects and French-speaking subjects. An identification task showed group differences in the location of the category boundary, reflecting language-specific experience. An AX discrimination task revealed cross-language differences in the phonemic status of the contrast and that levels of discrimination performance were strongly associated with their assimilation patterns.
Synchrotron radiation study of yttria-stabilized zirconia, Zr0.758Y0.242O1.879.

The fluorite-related cubic structure of yttria-stabilized zirconia, Zr(0.75)(8)Y(0.24)(2)O(1.87)(9), has been studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation and by EXAFS. Two diffraction data sets obtained at X-ray energies of 512 and 10 eV below the Y K edge revealed that in the average structure Zr atoms are displaced from the origin of the space group Fm3;m along <111> by 0.19 Å, while Y atoms reside at the origin. Approximately 48% of the O atoms occupy the ideal position in the fluorite-type structure, while 43% of O atoms are displaced from the ideal position along <001> by 0.31 Å. The remaining 9% of O atoms are presumably sited at interstitial positions. Local structures around Zr and Y are investigated by combining the results of single-crystal X-ray diffraction and EXAFS studies.
Inhibition deficits in individuals with intellectual disability: a meta-regression analysis.

BACKGROUND Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are characterised by inhibition deficits; however, the magnitude of these deficits is still subject to debate. This meta-analytic study therefore has two aims: first to assess the magnitude of inhibition deficits in ID, and second to investigate inhibition type, age, IQ and the presence/absence of comorbid problems as potential moderators of effect sizes. METHOD Twenty-eight effect sizes comparing ID and age matched normal controls on inhibition tasks were included in a random effects meta-regression. Moderators were age, IQ, inhibition type and presence/absence of comorbid disorder. RESULTS The analysis showed a medium to large inhibition deficit in ID. Inhibition type significantly moderated effect size, whereas age and comorbid disorder did not. IQ significantly moderated effect size indicating increasing effect size with decreasing IQ, but only in studies that included a sample of ID participants with mean IQ > 70. The analysis indicated comparable deficits in behavioural inhibition and interference control, but no significant deficits in cognitive inhibition and motivational inhibition. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that ID is characterised by a medium to large inhibition deficit in individuals with ID. ID seems not to be characterised by deficits in cognitive and motivational inhibition, which might indicate that distinct processes underlie distinct inhibition capacities.
Solving the single-circuit NEV test case using the current injection full-newton power flow

The distribution systems analysis sub-committee has been organizing test cases to provide benchmarks and challenging real cases for power systems analysis programs. The present panel summary discusses the results obtained with the application of the current injection method to solve a single-circuit distribution line model with explicit representation of the neutral conductor grounded through resistances, as proposed by W. Kersting.
Issues in hyperlipidemic pancreatitis.

Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is a rare cause of pancreatitis. Pancreatitis secondary to HTG, presents typically as an episode of acute pancreatitis (AP) or recurrent AP, rarely as chronic pancreatitis. A serum triglyceride (TG) level of more than 1,000 to 2,000 mg/dL in patients with type I, IV, or V hyperlipidemia (Fredrickson's classification) is an identifiable risk factor. The typical clinical profile of hyperlipidemic pancreatitis (HLP) is a patient with a preexisting lipid abnormality along with the presence of a secondary factor (e.g., poorly controlled diabetes, alcohol use, or a medication) that can induce HTG. Less commonly, a patient with isolated hyperlipidemia (type V or I) without a precipitating factor presents with pancreatitis. Interestingly, serum pancreatic enzymes may be normal or only minimally elevated, even in the presence of severe pancreatitis diagnosed by imaging studies. The clinical course in HLP is not different from that of pancreatitis of other causes. Routine management of AP caused by hyperlipidemia should be similar to that of other causes. A thorough family history of lipid abnormalities should be obtained, and an attempt to identify secondary causes should be made. Reduction of TG levels to well below 1,000 mg/dL effectively prevents further episodes of pancreatitis. The mainstay of treatment includes dietary restriction of fat and lipid-lowering medications (mainly fibric acid derivatives). Experiences with plasmapheresis, lipid pheresis, and extracorporeal lipid elimination are limited.
Henoch-Schonlein purpura: the Chandigarh experience.

OBJECTIVE To determine the clinical profile of children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). DESIGN Hospital based descriptive follow-up study. SUBJECTS 45 patients attending the Pediatric Rheumatology and Immunology clinic over the last 4 years. RESULTS The patients were aged between 2.5-12 years with a male to female ratio of 2:1. All cases had palpable purpura. Gastrointestinal involvement was seen in 38 patients, with abdominal pain in 35 (78%) and lower GI bleed in 21 (47%). Large joint arthritis occurred in 60%. Renal involvement was seen in 14 subjects (31%). Major renal involvement occurred in 9 patients, with nephritic syndrome in 6 and nephrotic syndrome in 3 cases. Five patients had minor urinary abnormalities; 6 patients with major renal involvement and crescentic glomerulonephritis were treated with high dose pulse steroid therapy followed by oral prednisolone and azathioprine for 12-18 months. Normalization of urinary abnormalities occurred in these patients over 4-8 months and presently all are normotensive and off antihypertensive drugs. CONCLUSIONS HSP in children is a common form of vasculitis. Though short term results in HSP nephritis have been good, long term prognosis in those with major renal involvement would remain guarded.
A Qualitative Study of Depression in Primary Care: Missed Opportunities for Diagnosis and Education

Purpose: Depression is one of the most commonly encountered chronic conditions in primary care, yet it remains substantially underdiagnosed and undertreated. We sought to gain a better understanding of barriers to diagnosis of and entering treatment for depression in primary care. Methods: We conducted and analyzed interviews with 15 subjects currently being treated for depression recruited from primary care clinics in an academic medical center and an academic public hospital. We asked about experiences with being diagnosed with depression and starting treatment, focusing on barriers to diagnosis, subject understanding of depression, and information issues related to treatment decisions. Results: Subjects reported many visits to primary care practitioners without the question of depression being raised. The majority had recurrent depression. Many reported that they did not receive enough information about depression and its treatment options. In the majority of cases, practitioners decided the course of treatment with little input from the patients. Conclusions: In this sample of depressed patients, we found evidence of frequent missed diagnoses, substantial information gaps, and limited patient understanding and choice of treatment options. Quality improvement efforts should address not only screening and follow-up but patient education about depression and treatment options along with elicitation of treatment preferences.
A Comparative Study on Information Security Risk Analysis Methods

Background – Risk Analysis is an integral part of management practice and an essential element of good corporate governance. There are many risk analysis methods available today, and it is a tedious task for an organization (particularly small and mid-scale company) to choose the proper method. Problem – Although many methods and tools are available in this domain, very few inventories do exist that are structured according to a set of common properties. There are many risk analysis methods available today, and the main task for an organization is to determine which one to use. Contribution – The objective of this review paper is to provide researchers, an analysis of four risk analysis methods using the Campbell et al. classification scheme. The major contributions of this paper are; 1) Present a summary of four Information Security Risk analysis methods using ontology, 2) Classify these risk analysis methods using Campbell et al. classification scheme, 3) Compare risk analysis methods based on generic attributes i.e. input, outcome, purpose, effort, scalability, methodology, etc.
p53 Is Abnormally Elevated and Active in the CNS of Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Motor neuron degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a form of apoptosis, but the mechanisms for this neuronal cell death are not known. We evaluated whether motor neuron degeneration in ALS is associated with changes in the levels and function of the apoptosis regulating protein p53. The protein levels and localizations of p53 are abnormal in ALS. By immunoblotting, p53 is elevated in the nuclear compartment of selectively vulnerable CNS regions in individuals with ALS compared to age-matched controls. The levels of a carboxyl-terminal degradation fragment of p53 were decreased in cases of ALS. DNA binding assay demonstrated that the increased p53 in individuals with ALS had competent DNA binding activity. Immunocytochemistry revealed that in normal human CNS p53 is expressed in subsets of nonneuronal cells, but it is found only rarely in neurons; in contrast, in individuals with ALS, p53 is frequently found in motor neurons of spinal cord and motor cortex and is upregulated in astroglia. It is concluded that p53 may participate in the mechanisms for motor neuron apoptosis in ALS.
Factors affecting faecal immunochemical test positive rates: demographic, pathological, behavioural and environmental variables

Objectives Positive rates in faecal immunochemical test (FIT)-based colorectal cancer screening programmes vary, suggesting that differences between programmes may affect test results. We examined whether demographic, pathological, behavioural, and environmental factors affected haemoglobin concentration and positive rates where samples are mailed. Methods A retrospective cohort study; 34,298 collection devices were sent, over five years, to screening invitees (median age 60.6). Participant demographics, temperature on sample postage day, and previous screening were recorded. Outcomes from colonoscopy performed within a year following FIT were collected. Multivariate logistic regression identified significant predictors of test positivity. Results Higher positive rate was independently associated with male gender, older age, lower socioeconomic status, and distally located neoplasia, and negatively associated with previous screening (p < 0.05). Older males had higher faecal haemoglobin concentrations and were less likely to have a false positive result at colonoscopy (p < 0.05). High temperature on the sample postage day was associated with reduced haemoglobin concentration and positivity rate (26–35℃: Odds ratio 0.78, 95% confidence interval 0.66–0.93), but was not associated with missed significant neoplasia at colonoscopy (p > 0.05). Conclusions Haemoglobin concentrations, and therefore FIT positivity, were affected by factors that vary between screening programmes. Participant demographics and high temperature at postage had significant effects. The impact of temperature could be reduced by seasonal scheduling of invitations. The importance of screening, and following up positive test results, particularly in older males, should be promoted.
On optimality of myopic policy in multi-channel opportunistic access

We consider the channel access problem arising in opportunistic scheduling over fading channels, cognitive radio networks, and server scheduling. The multi-channel communication system consists of N channels. Each channel evolves as a time-nonhomogeneous multi-state Markov process. At each time instant, a user chooses M channels to transmit information. Some reward depending on the states of the chosen channels is obtained for each transmission. The objective is to design an access policy that maximizes the expected accumulated discounted reward over a finite or infinite horizon. The considered problem can be cast into a restless multi-armed bandit (RMAB) problem with PSPACE-hardness. A natural alternative is to consider the easily implementable myopic policy. In this paper, we perform an theoretical analysis on the considered RMAB problem, and establish a set of closed-form conditions to guarantee the optimality of the myopic policy.
A Study of the Outcomes of Endovenous Laser Therapy in the Treatment of Varicose Veins

: Background: Lower limb varicose veins affect 25 million people in worldwide, with complaints varying from purely cosmetic to debilitating disease, all of which require some sort of intervention. Methodology: 50 patients of varicose veins admitted under Department of Surgery in MGM Medical College and Hospital, Aurangabad , from April 2014 to November 2015, were studied. All the patients underwent Endovenous Laser Therapy[ EVLT] under local anaesthesia under ultrasonography guidance using 980nm diode laser. Foam Sclerotherapy was given in case of any residual varicosities in the same sitting. Patients were followed up after 1week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months and regression of symptoms alongwith occurrence of any complications were noted. Results: Most of the patients (58%) complained of mild pain 1 week after the procedure, 34% had no pain while 4% had moderate pain. Dilated veins and bleeding disappeared immediately after EVLT. While edema, eczema, ulcers and itching disappeared with time. Pigmentation was still present in some patients at 6 months, but its intensity had significantly faded with time. 62% of the patients complained of pain , 16% patients had ecchymosis, 10% patients had paraesthesia and 2% patients had a palpable superficial vein thrombus one week after the procedure, which disappeared before the 2 nd follow-up visit (before 1 month). Only 4% of our patients returned with recurrence. Conclusion: The results of EVLT are comparable to the results of conventional surgery or other minimally invasive methods for the treatment of varicose veins.
The relationship between spiritual, religious and personal beliefs and disordered eating psychopathology

ABSTRACT Links between religiosity, spirituality and disordered eating have been posited theoretically and empirically, though most studies have accessed predominantly Christian or Jewish samples from private educational institutions, using surveys which contain a heavy Judeo-Christian bias. The aim of the current study is to explore the relationship between disordered eating psychopathology (DEP) and spiritual, religious and personal beliefs (SRPBs) in a diverse sample of students with a wide range of cultural, religious and spiritual affiliations. Using a cross-sectional design, female students (n = 687) across two universities in Sydney, Australia completed the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 and the SRPB portion of the World Health Organisation Quality of Life – Spiritual, Religious and Personal Beliefs bref (WHOQOL-SRPB bref) questionnaire. While both existential and religious beliefs were significantly correlated with lower levels of DEP, multivariate analysis found that existential beliefs alone predicted DEP (p < 0.001). These results reveal that spiritual and personal beliefs may have a greater role in predicting lower levels of DEP than religious beliefs in a secular university setting. Furthermore, the findings may have important clinical implications including the exploration of existential and religious mechanisms within current treatment models.
You ’ re In then You ’ re Out : The Incidence and Effects of Being Outsourced

The nature of the relationship between employers and employees has been changing over the last few decades, with firms increasingly relying on contractors, temp agencies and franchises rather than hiring employees directly. We investigate the impact of this transformation on the wage structure by following jobs that are being moved outside of the boundary of lead employers to contracting firms. For this end we develop a new method for identifying outsourcing of janitorial, security and food services in administrative data using the universe of social security records in Germany. We first document a dramatic growth of outsourcing in Germany over the last three decades. Event-study analysis joint with propensity score matching show that wages in outsourced jobs fall by approximately 10-15% relative to similar jobs that are not outsourced. We find evidence that the wage losses associated with outsourcing come from a loss of firm-specific rents, suggesting that labor cost savings are an important reason why firms choose to contract out these services. Finally, we tie the increase in outsourcing activity to broader changes in the German wage structure, particularly showing how outsourcing contributed to the increase in wage dispersion and the strength of assortative matching between workers and firms. ∗We would like to thank David Autor, David Card, Christian Dustmann, Robert Gibbons, Pat Kline, Hillary Hoynes, Kevin Lang, Mark McCabe, Claudia Olivetti, Jim Rebitzer, David Weil, Birger Wernerfelt, Heidi Williams, and Seminar Participants at Boston University and UC Berkeley. All errors are our own. † dgold11@bu.edu ‡ johannes@bu.edu
Comparison of full length sequences of hepatitis B virus isolates in hepatocellular carcinoma patients and asymptomatic carriers of Korea

Relatively few genomic sequences of Korean hepatitis B virus (HBV) isolates are available. Moreover, no comparative study has been made between the full‐length genomes of Korean HBV isolates and clinical status. To evaluate mutations in HBV isolates obtained from chronically infected HBV patients in terms of clinical significance, we determined the genomic sequences of HBV isolates obtained from three hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients (He52, He53, and He82) and from three asymptomatic carriers (He74, He100, and He127). A comparison of sequence variations showed that the HBV isolates from the three HCC patients showed higher frequencies of mutation than the isolates from the three asymptomatic carriers. Three characteristic mutation patterns were identified in the HBV isolates from the HCC patients, which distinguished the HBV isolates from the asymptomatic carriers. First, HBV isolates from the three HCC patients both had double mutations in a core promoter (T1762/A1764) and a precore mutation (A1896). Second, although these isolates belonged to genotype C, 11 amino acids deletions in the preS1 region, specific for HBV genotype D, were detected in the isolates of two HCC patients (He52 and He82). Third, mutations (I127T/N, K130M, and V131I) at three codons in the carboxy functional region of X protein were observed in isolates from all three HCC patients. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis based on the entire HBV sequences showed that all six isolates belonged to genotype C2, as do other Korean strains. J. Med. Virol. 75:13–19, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
N-Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Inhibition of Rhizobial Growth Is Mediated by Two Quorum-Sensing Genes That Regulate Plasmid Transfer

ABSTRACT The growth of some strains of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae is inhibited by N-(3-hydroxy-7-cis tetradecenoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (3OH-C14:1-HSL), which was previously known as the small bacteriocin before its characterization as an N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL). Tn5-induced mutants of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae resistant to 3OH-C14:1-HSL were isolated, and mutations in two genes were identified. These genes, bisR and triR, which both encode LuxR-type regulators required for plasmid transfer, were found downstream of an operon containing trb genes involved in the transfer of the symbiotic plasmid pRL1JI. The first gene in this operon is traI, which encodes an AHL synthase, and the trbBCDEJKLFGHI genes were found between traI and bisR. Mutations in bisR, triR, traI, or trbL blocked plasmid transfer. Using gene fusions, it was demonstrated that bisR regulates triR in response to the presence of 3OH-C14:1-HSL. In turn, triR is then required for the induction of the traI-trb operon required for plasmid transfer. bisR also represses expression of cinI, which is chromosomally located and determines the level of production of 3OH-C14:1-HSL. The cloned bisR and triR genes conferred 3OH-C14:1-HSL sensitivity to strains of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae normally resistant to this AHL. Furthermore, bisR and triR made Agrobacterium tumefaciens sensitive to R. leguminosarum bv. viciae strains producing 3OH-C14:1-HSL. Analysis of patterns of growth inhibition using mutant strains and synthetic AHLs revealed that maximal growth inhibition required, in addition to 3OH-C14:1-HSL, the presence of other AHLs such as N-octanoyl-l-homoserine lactone and/or N-(3-oxo-octanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone. In an attempt to identify the causes of growth inhibition, a strain of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae carrying cloned bisR and triR was treated with an AHL extract containing 3OH-C14:1-HSL. N-terminal sequencing of induced proteins revealed one with significant similarity to the protein translation factor Ef-Ts.
Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems ( MCIS ) 2012 EXAMINING THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE IT INNOVATION PROCESS

Although there is a considerable literature about t he factors that affect the innovation process, litt le is known concerning the factors that affect the IT inn ovation process. Thus, this exploratory study drawns upon theories such as: Woodman ́s model, Band ur ́s self-efficacy theory, the goal orientation theory, Vroom ́s expectancy theory and the theory of trying to propose an integrative understanding of the factors that influence the IT innovation proces s. Theoretical predictions were empirically tested via a field study of 88 potential innovators. Resul ts provide strong support for the research model. Theoretical implications for IT innovation process re earch are discussed.