Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Air Pollution Exposure and the Relative Risk of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Taipei

(1) Background: The etiologies of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) remain unclear. The level of mean particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5) was not associated with SSHL, but the maximum PM2.5 level exhibited a negative association with SSHL in Korea. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) for 2 weeks increased the risk of SSHL. The lag effects of SSHL after air pollution exposure were limited. We aimed to evaluate the association of SSHL with air pollution exposure to determine whether air pollution exposure caused delayed effects. (2) Methods: This observational study used inpatient data obtained from electronic health records at the Tri-Service General Hospital from 2011 to 2019. The data of all SSHL patients were retrieved. The air quality dataset from Songshan station from 2011 to 2019 was used. The main outcomes were the relative risks (RRs) of SSHL associated with PM2.5, O3, and NO2 exposures within 1 month. The relationships between these factors were examined using distributed lag nonlinear time series models. (3) Results: The RR of SSHL associated with PM2.5 exposure was 1.195 (95% confidence interval (C.I.: 1.047–1.363) for a 10 unit increase at a lag of 7 days. The RR of SSHL associated with O3 exposure was 1.14 (95% C.I.: 1.003–1.3) for a 10 unit increase at a lag of 9 days. The RR of SSHL associated with NO2 exposure was 1.284 (95% C.I.: 1.05–1.57) for a 10 unit increase at a lag of 23 days. (4) Conclusions: In our study, SSHL was confirmed to be associated with air pollution exposure with a lag effect. We discussed possible mechanisms to explore possible biological hypotheses and support further research. Large-scale studies including participants with other ethnicities and causal relationships are needed to confirm our findings.
Development of a New Pedotransfer Function Addressing Limitations in Soil Hydraulic Models and Observations

The most applied pedotransfer functions (PTFs) often suffer from two main limitations: (a) the soil hydraulic models (SHMs) only account for capillary forces and/or the models show an unrealistic decrease near saturation for fine‐textured soils; (b) the observations of soil hydraulic properties (SHPs) used to generate the PTF generally do not cover very dry conditions. In this paper, we first present a simple method for predicting SHPs in the dry range from soil texture information. Together with measurements that cover only a relatively high matric potential range, the method yielded a good prediction of the complete SHPs from saturation to oven dryness. With this method, we extended a public dataset to cover dry conditions, and then applied it to develop a new PTF for a SHM that accounts for both capillary and adsorption forces and overcomes the unrealistic decrease near saturation for fine‐textured soils. A comparison with other PTF that was developed for the capillary‐based soil hydraulic model showed that the new PTF provided the most accurate predictions of SHPs. It reduced the root‐mean‐square‐error value from 0.055 to 0.045 cm3 cm−3 in predicting water content and from 0.84 to 0.66 log10 (cm d−1) in predicting hydraulic conductivity. We further applied this method to extend an existing capillary‐based PTF to dry conditions. The results showed an improved performance, with reported RMSE reduced from 0.058 (original) to 0.056 (extended) cm3 cm−3 and from 1.43 (original) to 1.20 (extended) log10 (cm d−1) for prediction of water content and hydraulic conductivity, respectively.
The Satisfied Lives of Gifted and Gritty Adolescents: Linking Grit to Career Self-Efficacy and Life Satisfaction

Passion and perseverance for long-term goals (often referred to as grit) has been found to be associated with well-being in typically developing students and adults. However, previous studies primarily relied on a two-factor model of grit, underpinned by perseverance of effort and consistency of interests. This model has received considerable theoretical and methodological criticisms. The research examined the association of an alternative model of grit underpinned by perseverance of effort and adaptability to situations as key dimensions, with students’ life satisfaction in Chinese gifted adolescents in Hong Kong. Structural equation modeling via maximum likelihood estimation approach demonstrated that perseverance was linked to higher levels of life satisfaction. Adaptability was indirectly linked to increased life satisfaction via the intermediate variable – career development self-efficacy. Results indicate that perceived confidence in career-related activities might serve as a mechanism through which grit may be linked to higher well-being in gifted students.
Friday on My Mind: Re-Assessing the Impact of Protest Size on Government Concessions

Do more protesters on the streets make governments likely to grant their demands? Several studies link protest size and government concessions. Yet existing research has limitations: many studies suffer from potential endogeneity due to potential protesters joining protests when they anticipate that concessions are likely, causal mechanisms are often unclear, and many of the most rigorous event-level studies are limited to Western democracies. We reexamine this relationship in a non-Western sample using a novel instrumental variable approach, using Fridays as an instrument for exogenous variation in protest size in predominately Muslim countries. We perform two analyses: one using the NAVCO 3.0 dataset, and the second using the Mass Mobilization in Autocracies Dataset (MMAD). In both analyses exogenous variation in protest size negatively affects the likelihood of concessions. Larger protests are less likely to receive government concessions. We suggest these surprising results point to the importance of unanticipated protests that produce new information about regime stability to motivate government concessions.
Impact of High-Intensity Interval Training on Body Composition and Depressive Symptoms in Adults under Home Confinement

The home confinement derived from the COVID-19 pandemic has led to drastic changes in people’s habits. This situation has influenced their eating, rest, physical activity and socialization patterns, triggering changes in their mental stability. It was demonstrated that physical activity is beneficial for people’s physical and mental health. By its moderate volume and requiring little space or material, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) could prove to be a valid alternative in a situation of confinement. The aim of the present study was to observe the impact of an 8-week HIIT protocol on the body composition and the depressive symptoms of adults in strict home confinement. A total of 21 healthy adults, both male and female, (35.4 ± 5.6 years old; 70.50 ± 12.1 kg; 171 ± 10 cm) were divided into an experimental group (EG, n = 11) who carried out an 8-week Tabata protocol, based upon calisthenic exercises with their own weight in their homes, and a control group (CG, n = 10) who did not carry out any systematic physical activity over the same period. Following the intervention, the EG experienced a significant reduction in percentage (t = 3.86, d = 0.57, p < 0.05) and in kg (t = 4.62, d = 0.29, p < 0.05) of body fat mass (BFM) and body fat mass index (BFMI) (t = 4.61, d = 0.31, p < 0.05), as well as a reduction in depressive symptoms (t = 6.48, d = 1.3, p < 0.05). These results indicate that HIIT is a potential public health tool that could possibly be prescribed to the population in case of future situations of home confinement.
The Impact of Steep Trendelenburg Position on Intraocular Pressure

Intraocular pressure occurring during the Trendelenburg position may be a risk for postoperative visual loss and other ocular complications. Intraocular pressure (IOP) higher than 21 mmHg poses a risk for ocular impairment causing several conditions such as glaucoma, detached retina, and postoperative vision loss. Many factors might play a role in IOP increase, like peak expiratory pressure (PIP), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) and surgical duration and some others (anaesthetic and neuromuscular blockade depth) contribute by reducing IOP during procedures requiring both pneumoperitoneum and steep Trendelenburg position (25–45° head-down tilt). Despite transient visual field loss after surgery, no signs of ischemia or changes to the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) have been shown after surgery. Over the years, several studies have been conducted to control and prevent IOPs intraoperative increase. Multiple strategies have been proposed by different authors over the years to reduce IOP during laparoscopic procedures, especially those involving steep Trendelenburg positions such as robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP), and abdominal and pelvic procedures. These strategies included both positional and pharmacological strategies.
Outcomes after salvage reverse shoulder arthroplasty for failed primary fixation or hemiarthroplasty for proximal humerus fractures: A systematic review

Background Salvage reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) for failed proximal humerus fractures (PHFs) fixation and hemiarthroplasty (HA) may maximize outcomes in the absence of tuberosity healing or a chronically torn rotator cuff. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the improvement in clinical outcomes for patients after revision RSA was performed for failed PHFs fixation or HA. Methods An electronic database search of SCOPUS, PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov was performed. A meta-analysis was carried out to determine weighted mean outcome differences between two primary intervention cohorts (failed fixation: open reduction and internal fixation, intramedullary nail, or K-wire vs. failed HA). Results Fifteen studies were included (primary fixation: 208 patients; HA: 162 patients). Patients improved meaningfully in all clinical outcomes after revision surgery (constant: 18.5–48.3; abduction: 44–95; forward flexion: 47–107; external rotation: 5–10), with a 16.2% complication and 9.4% revision rate. The failed fixation group performed significantly better than the failed HA group in postoperative constant (fixation: 53.3 vs. HA: 45.1, p = 0.016) and shoulder abduction (fixation: 102 vs. HA: 87, p = 0.026). Conclusions RSA is a successful revision intervention for primary PHF operative failures with the greatest benefit for failures of primary fixation versus HA.
The Impact of Interpersonal Conflicts on Job Depression and Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Employer Attitude

The current study aims to explore the influence of interpersonal conflicts at the workplace on job depression and turnover intention. To meet the respective research aim, the current study collected data through an online survey. The study relied on primary data collection by considering 215 employees working in different banks in Pakistan. The direct effects of the structural equation modeling revealed that changes in interpersonal conflicts are responsible for around 41.9%, 15.4%, and 15.8% variations in job depression, turnover intention, and organizational prestige. The findigs of current study showed that interpersonal conflict positively influences job depression and turnover intention at a 10% significance level while negatively influence the organizational presitge at 5% significance level. The employer attitude towards conflict management significantly reduces the job depression and turnover intention. The mediation results suggested that employer attitude significantly improves the orgnaizational prestige through reducing the interpersonal conflicts in the orgnaization. For achieving higher organizational growth and performance, organization need to promote merit based culture, encourage employee frankly policies, and reduce favoritism.
Clinical Characteristics and Management Strategies for Adult Obese Asthma Patients

Abstract The rates of asthma and obesity are increasing concurrently in the United States. Epidemiologic studies demonstrate that the incidence of asthma increases with obesity. Furthermore, obese individuals have asthma that is more severe, harder to control, and resistant to standard medications. In fact, specific asthma-obesity phenotypes have been identified. Various pathophysiologic mechanisms, including mechanical, inflammatory, metabolic and microbiome-associated, are at play in promulgating the obese-asthma phenotypes. While standard asthma medications, such as inhaled corticosteroids and biologics, are currently used to treat obese asthmatics, they may have limited effectiveness. Targeting the underlying aberrant processes, such as addressing steroid resistance, microbiome, metabolic and weight loss approaches, may be helpful.
Schwa deletion and perceived tempo in English

We report on an experiment aimed to test the hypothesis that listeners orient to canonical forms when judging the tempo of reduced speech. Orientation to canonical forms should yield higher tempo estimates than orientation to surface phone strings when canonical phones are deleted. We tested the hypothesis for English, capitalizing on the fact that the non-realization of schwa in an unstressed syllable (e.g. support ) may result in a surface phone string associated with a different word than the intended one ( sport ). We presented listeners with sentences containing ambiguous surface realizations, along with orthographic representations which convinced some that they were listening to disyllabic words ( support etc.) and others that they were listening to monosyllabic ones ( sport etc.). Asking listeners to judge the tempo of the sentences allowed us to assess whether the difference in imposed lexical interpretation had an impact on perceived tempo. Our results reveal the predicted effect of the imposed interpretation: sentences with a ‘disyllabic’ interpretation for the ambiguous word form were judged faster than (the same) sentences with a ‘monosyllabic’ interpretation.
Analysis of Factors Affecting Renewable Energy Consumption Evidenced from Thailand

In Thailand, renewable energy is an essential component in the choice of low-emissions economy growth. This study aims to investigate the factors of renewable energy consumption in Thailand. The data has been analyzed from 1980 to 2018 to identify the influencing factors for the overall energy use of renewable energy in Thailand using the Autoregressive Distributive Lag model (ARDL). The results demonstrate that renewable energy has a long-term relationship with fossil fuel consumption, financial expansion, foreign direct investment, trade openness, and GDP per capita. Further economic and financial development boosts renewables consumption of energy in Thailand. At the same time, trade and non-renewable energy (use of fossil fuel) detract from renewables consumption of energy. Hence the government of Thailand should elaborate on strategies that can increase the renewable energy amount because renewable energy plays a significant role in economic development without affecting the environment. It also increases the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption but less than renewable energy consumption.
Does Energy Star Certification Reduce Energy Use in Commercial Buildings?

A number of policies and programs are aimed at reducing energy use in buildings—building energy codes, disclosure laws, energy-use benchmarking, and mandated or subsidized energy audits. In the United States, many of these initiatives are enacted at the state or local level. At the federal level, one of the main programs is Energy Star certification, which provides a label to top energy-performing buildings. In this paper, we evaluate changes in rents and utility expenditures following Energy Star certification using a national sample of over 4,100 office buildings combined with Energy Star data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We find that building rents increase by 3.6% following certification, but that utility expenditures remain unchanged. We provide novel evidence that buildings do not make upgrades or capital investments to obtain a certification, suggesting that the Energy Star program primarily certifies buildings that are already energy efficient.
The effects of prosodic prominence on the acquisition of L2 phonological features

Mainstream L2 phonology models do not include predictions concerning how the prosodic structure interacts with the acquisition of segments. However, many studies have shown that the realization of pitch accents or melodic contours associated to prosodic boundaries results in the hyper-articulation of segments in correspondence of such prosodic boundaries. Our goal is to provide empirical evidence for the positive effects of prosodic prominence on the acquisition of challenging L2 French sounds The prosodic-phonetic interface has been largely underestimated in second language acquisition. Few studies have investigated whether prosodic prominence may serve as an optimal context for learners to extract information on the acoustic properties of new sounds, which may then be reflected in more accurate productions. In this paper, we report the acoustic patterns of L2 French vowels produced in two different prosodic conditions: (1) in word internal position (unaccented), (2) in initial and final boundaries of Accentual Phrases and Intonation Phrases. We analyzed oral productions by 40 participants: 10 French native speakers and 30 L2 French learners with L1 Spanish, L1 English and L1 Italian (10 each). We extracted acoustic parameters for ~15k vowels and calculated the degree of acoustic overlap via Pillai scores for the following triplets: /i/~/y/~/u/, /e/~/ø/~/o/. Our results show that prosodic prominence results in a smaller acoustic overlap of some L2 French vowel contrasts.
Mutation Prediction for Coronaviruses Using Genome Sequence and Recurrent Neural Networks

The study of viruses and their genetics has been an opportunity as well as a challenge for the scientific community. The recent ongoing SARSCov2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) pandemic proved the unpreparedness for these situations. Not only the countermeasures for the effect caused by virus need to be tackled but the mutation taking place in the very genome of the virus is needed to be kept in check frequently. One major way to find out more information about such pathogens is by extracting the genetic data of such viruses. Though genetic data of viruses have been cultured and stored as well as isolated in form of their genome sequences, there is still limited methods on what new viruses can be generated in future due to mutation. This research proposes a deep learning model to predict the genome sequences of the SARS-Cov2 virus using only the previous viruses of the coronaviridae family with the help of RNN-LSTM (Recurrent Neural Network-Long ShortTerm Memory) and RNN-GRU (Gated Recurrent Unit) so that in the future, several counter measures can be taken by predicting possible changes in the genome with the help of existing mutations in the virus. After the process of testing the model, the F1-recall came out to be more than 0.95. The mutation detection? s accuracy of both the models come out about 98.5% which shows the capability of the recurrent neural network to predict future changes in the genome of virus.
Is what is beautiful good and still more accurately understood? A replication and extension of Lorenzo et al. (2010)

Is what is beautiful good and more accurately understood? Lorenzo et al. (2010) explored this question and found that more attractive targets (as per consensus) were judged more positively and accurately. Perceivers’ specific (idiosyncratic) ratings of targets’ attractiveness were also related to more positive and accurate impressions, but the latter was only true for highly consensually attractive targets. With a larger sample (N = 547), employing a round-robin study design, we aimed to replicate and extend these findings by (1) using a more reliable accuracy criterion, (2) using a direct measure of positive personality impressions, and (3) exploring attention as a potential mechanism of these links. We found that targets’ consensual attractiveness was not significantly related to the positivity or the accuracy of impressions. Replicating the original findings, idiosyncratic attractiveness was related to more positive impressions. The association between idiosyncratic attractiveness and accuracy was again dependent on consensual attractiveness, but here, idiosyncratic attractiveness was associated with lower accuracy for less consensually attractive targets. Perceivers’ attention helped explain these associations. These results partially replicate the original findings while also providing new insight: What is beautiful to the beholder is good but is less accurately understood if the target is consensually less attractive.
Urban-GAN: An artificial intelligence-aided computation system for plural urban design

The current urban design computation is mostly centered on the professional designer while ignoring the plural dimension of urban design. In addition, available public participation computational tools focus mainly on information and idea sharing, leaving the public excluded in design generation because of their lack of design expertise. To address such an issue, this study develops Urban-GAN, a plural urban design computation system, to provide new technical support for design empowerment, allowing the public to generate their own designs. The sub-symbolic representation and artificial intelligence techniques of deep convolutional neural networks, case-based reasoning, and generative adversarial networks are used to acquire and embody design knowledge as the density function, and generate design schemes with this knowledge. The system consists of an urban form database and five process models through which the user with little design expertise can select urban form cases, generate designs similar to those cases, and make design decisions. The Urban-GAN is applied to hypothetical design experiments, which show that the user is able to apply the system to successfully generate distinctive designs following the urban form “styles” in Manhattan, Portland, and Shanghai. This study further extends the discussion about the plural urban design computation to general reflections on the goals and values in AI technique application in planning and design.
The Rice Qa-SNAREs in SYP13 Subfamily Are Involved in Regulating Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis and Seed Fertility

Qa-SNARE gene SYP132 (isoform α) was previously reported to affect arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis in the legume species Medicago truncatula. In non-legumes especially monocots, it remains unknown whether certain SNARE genes are also involved in AM symbiosis. In this work, we studied a rice orthologous gene OsSYP132, which showed induced expression in mycorrhizal roots and two paralogous genes OsSYP131a and OsSYP131b, which were not induced by the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis. After employing CRISPR/Cas9 technique to generate their mutants, the Ossyp131a homozygous mutant T0 plants exhibited a dwarf phenotype and produced no fertile seeds, indicating a required role of this gene in seed fertility. Unlike the case in legume, the Ossyp132 mutants exhibited normal mycorrhizal phenotype, so did the Ossyp131b mutants. In the Ossyp131b Ossyp132 double mutants, however, the colonization rate and arbuscule abundance level decreased markedly, indicating an impaired fungal proliferation ability in rice roots. Such a defect was further confirmed by the reduced expression levels of AM marker genes. Our results in rice therefore demonstrated that while SYP13II members showed evolutionary and induction patterns specific to symbiosis, AM symbiosis is in fact controlled by the combined action of both SYP13I and SYP13II clades, revealing a functional redundancy among SYNTAXIN genes in mutualism.