Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Questioning cochlear amplification

Thirty years ago it was hypothesized that motile processes inject mechanical energy into cochlear traveling waves. This mechanical amplification, alternatively described as negative damping, is invoked to explain both the sensitivity and the nonlinear compression of cochlear responses. There is a recent trend to present cochlear amplification as an established fact, even though the evidence is at most circumstantial and several thorny problems have remained unresolved. We analyze several of these issues, and present new basilar membrane recordings that allowed us to quantify cochlear energy flow. Specifically, we address the following questions: (1) Does auditory sensitivity require narrowband amplification? (2) Has the “RC problem” (lowpass filtering of outer hair cell receptor potential) been resolved? (3) Can OHC motility improve auditory sensitivity? (4) Is there a net power gain between neighboring locations on the basilar membrane? The analyses indicate that mechanical amplification in the cochlea i.
Empiric Treatment in HAP/VAP: “Don’t You Want to Take a Leap of Faith?”

Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a frequent cause of ICU-acquired infections. These infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The increase in antibiotic resistance, particularly among Gram-negative bacilli, makes the choice of empiric antibiotic therapy complex for physicians. Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) related infections are associated with a high risk of initial therapeutic inadequacy. It is, therefore, necessary to quickly identify the bacterial species involved and their susceptibility to antibiotics. New diagnostic tools have recently been commercialized to assist in the management of these infections. Moreover, the recent enrichment of the therapeutic arsenal effective on Gram-negative bacilli raises the question of their place in the therapeutic management of these infections. Most national and international guidelines recommend limiting their use to microbiologically documented infections. However, many clinical situations and, in particular, the knowledge of digestive or respiratory carriage by MDROs should lead to the discussion of the use of these new molecules, especially the new combinations with beta-lactamase inhibitors in empirical therapy. In this review, we present the current epidemiological data, particularly in terms of MDRO, as well as the clinical and microbiological elements that may be taken into account in the discussion of empirical antibiotic therapy for patients managed for ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Association of GHR|AluI gene polymorphism with body weight parameters in Grati-PO cattle

The growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene is member of the class I cytokine receptor family that important in growth regulation including in cattle. This study aimed to analyze the association between GHR|AluI gene with body weight, parameters in Grati-PO cattle population. A total of 304 blood samples were collected from the experimental station at the Beef Cattle Research Station, which were also equipped with 304 phenotypic data. DNA was extracted using a zymo extraction kit. Detection of of the polymorphism of GHR gene using PCR-RFLP method with AluI restriction enzymes. polymorphism indicators include genotype frequency, allele frequency, Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (He), polymorphism information content (PIC) and number of effective alleles (Ne). Association analysis was carried out using a linear mixed model. The performance of birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight and 18 months weight were 25.4 + 0.2 kg; 113.8 + 2.3 kg; 159.9 + 2.7 kg and 213.7 + 3.6 kg, respectively. The result of association analysis was significant (P<0.05) on weaning weight, yearling weight and 18 months weight. It could be concluded that the GHR gene has potential to be a candidate genetic marker for growth traits in Grati-PO cattle.
Inferring lumbar lordosis in Neandertals and other hominins

Abstract Lumbar lordosis is a key adaptation to bipedal locomotion in the human lineage. Dorsoventral spinal curvatures enable the body's center of mass to be positioned above the hip, knee, and ankle joints, and minimize the muscular effort required for postural control and locomotion. Previous studies have suggested that Neandertals had less lordotic (ventrally convex) lumbar columns than modern humans, which contributed to historical perceptions of postural and locomotor differences between the two groups. Quantifying lower back curvature in extinct hominins is entirely reliant upon bony correlates of overall lordosis, since the latter is significantly influenced by soft tissue structures (e.g. intervertebral discs). Here, we investigate sexual dimorphism, ancestry, and lifestyle effects on lumbar vertebral body wedging and inferior articular facet angulation, two features previously shown to be significantly correlated with overall lordosis in living individuals, in a large sample of modern humans and Neandertals. Our results demonstrate significant differences between postindustrial cadaveric remains and archaeological samples of people that lived preindustrial lifestyles. We suggest these differences are related to activity and other aspects of lifestyle rather than innate population (ancestry) differences. Neandertal bony correlates of lumbar lordosis are significantly different from all human samples except preindustrial males. Therefore, although Neandertals demonstrate more bony kyphotic wedging than most modern humans, we cast doubt on proposed locomotor and postural differences between the two lineages based on inferred lumbar lordosis (or lack thereof), and we recommend future research compare fossils to modern humans from varied populations and not just recent, postindustrial samples.
Increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients - a retrospective study.

Context Identification of CV risk factors from T2DM diagnosis allows optimization of treatment to prevent CV complications and death. Objective The primary objective of the study was to describe the CV risk factors in patients with T2DM at the time of diagnosis and/or therapeutic specific measures taken. Design This was a non-interventional, multicenter, retrospective chart review of newly diagnosed patients with T2DM in 49 study centers in Romania. Subjects and Methods Adults with a diagnosis of T2DM between January - December 2014. Statistical analysis used appropriate descriptive methods. Results 1218 patients were included, mean age (SD) at diagnosis was 59.16 (10.87) years. Half of the patients (54%) presented obesity and 47.7% of patients had arterial hypertension. Overall, 76.2% of subjects had LDL-cholesterol ≥ 100 mg/dL, and 59.1% had triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dL. The mean glycemia was 198.8 mg/dL (78.3) and 50.2% of patients had HbA1c ≥7%. Sedentary lifestyle in 73.8% of the cases, and 91.3% unhealthy eating habits reported. In addition to diet, 82.2% of patients received anti-diabetes treatment, 62.6% lipid-lowering, and 66.6% anti-hypertensive medication. Conclusion This retrospective study showed a high prevalence of CV risk factors and/or established CV disease at the time of T2DM diagnosis in Romania.
Joint Multi-Grained Popularity-Aware Graph Convolution Collaborative Filtering for Recommendation

Graph convolution networks (GCNs), with their efficient ability to capture high-order connectivity in graphs, have been widely applied in recommender systems. Stacking multiple neighbor aggregation is the major operation in GCNs. It implicitly captures popularity features because the number of neighbor nodes reflects the popularity of a node. However, existing GCN-based methods ignore a universal problem: users’ sensitivity to item popularity is differentiated, but the neighbor aggregations in GCNs actually fix this sensitivity through graph Laplacian normalization, leading to suboptimal personalization. In this work, we propose to model multigrained popularity features and jointly learn them together with high-order connectivity to match the differentiation of user preferences exhibited in popularity features. Specifically, we develop a Joint Multigrained Popularity-aware Graph Convolution Collaborative Filtering model, short for JMP-GCF, which uses a popularity-aware embedding generation to construct multigrained popularity features and uses the idea of joint learning to capture the signals within and between different granularities of popularity features that are relevant for modeling user preferences. In addition, we propose a multistage stacked training strategy to speed up model convergence. We conduct extensive experiments on three public datasets to show the state-of-the-art performance of JMP-GCF. The complete codes of JMP-GCF are released at https://github.com/hfutmars/JMP-GCF.
An overview of solid and liquid materials for adsorption-based atmospheric water harvesting

Thermally driven adsorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is becoming an emerging technology to provide potable water. In this regard, various adsorbent materials including solid (MOFs, silica-gels, and zeolites), liquid (CaCl2 and LiCl), and composite adsorbents are explored in the literature. This study reviews recent advancements in adsorbent materials based on their water production capacity at different conditions that is air temperature and relative humidity (RH). The MOF of type MIL-101(Cr) shows water production capacity of 3.10 L/m2/day at RH ranging from 10% to 40%. Similarly, Zr-MOF-808 possesses water production capacity of 8.60 L/m2/day at RH more than 50%. Among the studied silica-gels, mesoporous silica-gel shows highest water production capacity that is 1.30 L/m2/day at RH ranging from 10% to 40%. The zeolite yielded water production capacity of 0.94 L/m2/day at RH ranging from 10% to 40%. On the other hand, liquid adsorbents like CaCl2 + cloth, K-LiCl showed water production capacity of 3.02 L/m2/day, and 2.9 g/g/day, respectively at RH of about 70%. Composite adsorbent modified with binary salts and functionalized carbon nanotubes resulted water production capacity of 5.60 g/g at RH of about 35%. The study will be useful to identify the energy-efficient adsorbent for the development of sustainable AWH device.
Assessing the effects of cost, revenue and profit efficiency on bank performance: empirical evidence from Indian banking

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effects of cost, revenue and profit efficiency on bank profitability in an emerging economy such as India over the period 1997 to 2017. Additionally, this study examines the effect of efficiency on profitability across different ownership groups for a panel of 70 Indian commercial banks. Design/methodology/approach In the first stage, using stochastic frontier analysis, we estimate the efficiency scores of cost, revenue and profit over the examined period. In the second stage, this study uses the two-step system generalized-method of moments dynamic panel approach to investigate the impact of several efficiency measures on bank profitability. Findings Results estimated through and system generalized-method of moments indicate that a higher level of cost, revenue and efficiency significantly improves India's bank profitability. Regarding ownership groups, this study finds that the public sector banks are most cost-efficient compared to private and foreign banks. Other bank-specific, macroeconomic and institutional variables have played a significant role in determining bank profitability. Practical implications The findings of the study extend some important policy implications. In light of the rapid decline in bank profitability, banks should focus on increasing the efficiency of their operations. Improvement in profit, cost and revenue efficiency can ameliorate bank performance significantly. Profit efficiency that takes into account both cost and revenue efficiency should be maintained reasonably to prevent the declining pattern of bank profitability that the industry has witnessed over the years. Originality/value To the best of the author's knowledge, this study is a fresh piece of research that fulfils an urgent need of investigating the dynamics between bank efficiency and bank profitability in India. In an emerging economy like India, where the banking sector has witnessed substantial structural transformations over the past two decades, such study demands an immediate empirical investigation.
Housewives’ lifestyle and behavior of debt dependency on bank thitil

The fulfillment of household needs can implement various strategies, including debt strategy. A money lending service becomes an attraction to fulfilling the needs of life. The money lending service on credit is known as bank thitil by Javanese. This study presents the factors that make housewives have a dependency behavior on bank thitil loans. This dependency behavior is examined from the perspective of the planned behavior theory by Ajzen. This study used a qualitative approach and the subjects of this study were housewives who have debt in bank thitil. Some factors encourage the dependency behavior of housewives on bank thitil loans. This research finds that the implementation of Ajzen’s planned behavior theory in analyzing the factors of indebted housewives is integrated with some factors, including (1) the influence of attitudes that assume the bank thitil provides benefits, (2) subjective norms in the form of lifestyle and environmental vicinity, and (3) social control that supports the housewives in borrowing money from the bank thitil.
Mobility as a service (MaaS): are effort and seamlessness the keys to MaaS uptake?

There has been a large amount of focus on the M (mobility) in Mobility as a Service (MaaS), which has in many senses dwarfed the focus on S (service). What really matters is that services are available that offer the range of relevant attributes that are important to potential and actual users of specific mobility products. There are two additional words that need to be given elevation in the entire discussion, namely “effort” and “seamlessness”. Effort relates to both the outlay of effort required to find the best or acceptable way of moving around and once decided, the actual human effort required to undertake such movement (Goodwin, 1976; Grotenhuis, Wiegmans, & Rietveld, 2007). Seamlessness refers to the supplied service opportunities that enable a frictionless movement from beginning (origin) to end (destination) of a movement activity. Both effort and seamlessness should ideally be deliverable in any environment in which MaaS is introduced, including cross-border/cross-jurisdiction. It will be interesting, for instance, to see how this works out with the Limburg MaaS pilot in the Netherlands which is to focus on cross-border travel with Belgium and Germany (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, 2019). The real MaaS challenge is to design an offer that aligns with levels of effort and seamlessness that matter to an individual and improves on the current movement circumstance. This means that even within different segments of travellers (e.g. the elderly vs young, tech-savvy vs. tech-dummy), the MaaS product will be different as various levels of effort dictate different choices. MaaS seamlessness – particularly with regard to trip planning – must be designed to reduce effort, which is also consistent with Lyons, Hammond, and Mackay (2019) Level 5 of MaaS integration which relies on decreasing cognitive effort, and in turn increases satisfaction (Van Acker, Ho, & Mulley, 2022). The question here is why we are still so far from achieving this? Simply suggesting a travel time, a waiting time, a price (fare), etc. only matters if it satisfies and delivers against thresholds related to effort and seamlessness which will be customised to users’ preferences (Lai & Chen, 2011; van Lierop, Badami, & ElGeneidy, 2018). In evaluating whether a particular MaaS offer as a subscription plan or a pay-as-you-go (PayG) is attractive to a potential customer, we need to map its underlying attribute profile with what matters to that customer along the spectrums of effort and seamlessness. This may well be the missing ingredient in the identification of a market for a specific MaaS offer and is a key point. Hence, we are a still a long way from a truly personalised offer or one that captures a specific persona segment. Ideally,
Is there passion for public service in authoritarian bureaucracies? Exploring public service motivation across regime types

ABSTRACT Although previous research has explored broadly the determinants of public service motivation (PSM), little is known about how it is affected by formal institutional variations. This article examines the presence of PSM in the bureaucracies of democratic and autocratic political regimes. Merging data from the four waves of the International Social Survey Programme with a recent classification of regime types, this study confirms that autocracies seem neither to diminish public servants’ levels of PSM, nor hinder its cultivation. In fact, we find indications that PSM is likely to be higher in autocracies, where the positive effect of relatedness on PSM is also stronger than in democracies, albeit the latter is partially non-significant. Future research and practical implications of the findings are further discussed.
The Nervous System Contributes to the Tumorigenesis and Progression of Human Digestive Tract Cancer

Tumors of the gastrointestinal tract are one of the highest incidences of morbidity and mortality in humans. Recently, a growing number of researchers have indicated that nerve fibers and nerve signals participate in tumorigenesis. The current overarching view based on the responses to therapy revealed that tumors are partly promoted by the tumor microenvironment (TME), endogenous oncogenic factors, and complex systemic processes. Homeostasis of the neuroendocrine-immune axis (NEI axis) maintains a healthy in vivo environment in humans, and dysfunction of the axis contributes to various cancers, including the digestive tract. Interestingly, nerves might promote tumor development via multiple mechanisms, including perineural invasion (PNI), central level regulation, NEI axis effect, and neurotransmitter induction. This review focuses on the association between digestive tumors and nerve regulation, including PNI, the NEI axis, stress, and neurotransmitters, as well as on the potential clinical application of neurotherapy, aiming to provide a new perspective on the management of digestive cancers.
Comparative Evaluation of Antimicrobial Effects of Herbal Extracts Incorporated in Dentifrices among Adults: An In-vitro Study and a Double Blinded Randomized Control Trial

Introduction: A positive correlation has been observed between Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans and periodontal diseases. Several substances including synthetic chemicals and natural agents have shown promising antimicrobial activity against the S. mutans- C. albicans complex. Extracts of Aloe Vera, Triphala, Tulsi, Pomegranate, and Acacia catechu have established therapeutic effects in medicine. The aim of the study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of five herbal extracts in-vitro and to compare the antibacterial effects of 5 dentifrices containing the herbal extracts and a commercially available dentifrice on the plaque sample counts of S. mutans and C. albicans in-vivo Methodology: Extracts were obtained using a standardized method. Minimum inhibitory concentration was calculated for the test microorganisms using modified agar-well diffusion and macro broth dilution technique and the inhibition zone diameters were calculated. Dentifrices containing the extracts were formulated and the in vivo antimicrobial activity was evaluated by studying the CFU count from plaque samples of 420 participants. Results: Highest antimicrobial activity against S Mutans and C albicans was shown by Acacia catechu and Tulsi respectively and least was by pomegranate. Mean reduction in microbial counts (CFU/ml) by inoculating nutrient broth from baseline to 60 days was highest in Acacia catechu and Triphala for S Mutans and C albicans respectively. All herbal extracts performed better than the commercially available toothpaste. Conclusion: Dentifrices with herbal extracts of Aloe Vera, Triphala, Tulsi, Pomegranate, and Acacia catechu could serve as an alternative to commercially available dentifrices for treating oral diseases whose causative organisms are S. mutans and C. albicans.
Early Holocene palaeoceanographic and glaciological changes in southeast Greenland

Sediment core ER11-16 from Køge Bugt in Southeast Greenland is used to assess early Holocene palaeoceanographic changes and sediment rafting from icebergs calved from the large outlet glaciers in the area. Diatom analysis reconstructs variability in surface water temperature, salinity and sea-ice concentrations, and benthic foraminiferal assemblages is used to reconstruct subsurface ocean conditions. We report Holocene Thermal Maximum in Southeast Greenland during the early Holocene (at least since onset of the record 9100 cal yr BP) until around 4500 cal yr BP, which contrasts with a delay until the mid-Holocene of the Holocene Thermal Maximum in South and Southwest Greenland. The early Holocene warming in Southeast Greenland was caused by a combination of high solar insolation and a weakened subpolar gyre, both of which served to warm the Irminger Current waters subducting onto the shelf. At the same time, the surface temperature was relatively high and sea-ice cover in the polar surface waters of the East Greenland Current was relatively low. High levels of iceberg rafting occurred in Køge Bugt during the early Holocene, synchronously with these warm oceanic temperatures. This is attributed to an increase in iceberg production from the extensive, but retreating, Greenland Ice Sheet. The warm surface conditions were interrupted by a marked and short-lived increase in sea ice around 8200 years ago, providing the first evidence of this global cold episode in Southeast Greenland. After 4500 cal. yr BP, sea-ice cover increased with an expansion of the East Greenland Current, suppressing the inflow of warmer subsurface Irminger Current water to the Southeast Greenland shelf. We relate this oceanic shift to the decreased Northern Hemisphere summer solar insolation. Multi-centennial variability is observed in the grain size spectrum of iceberg rafted debris; a finding we interpret in the context of palaeoceanographic changes.
Effect of data length, spin-up period and spatial model resolution on fully distributed hydrological model calibration in the Moselle basin

ABSTRACT Subjective decisions in hydrologic model calibration can have drastic impacts on our understanding of basin processes and simulated fluxes. Here, we present a multicase calibration approach to determine three pillars of an appropriate hydrological model configuration, i.e. calibration data length, spin-up period, and spatial resolution, using a spatially distributed meso-scale hydrological model (mHM) together with a dynamically dimensioned search (DDS) algorithm and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) for the Moselle basin. The results show that a 10-year calibration data length, 2-year spin-up period, and 4-km model resolution are appropriate for the Moselle basin to reduce the computational burden while simulating streamflow with a decent performance. Although the calibration data length and spatial resolution are related to the extent and quality of the data, and the spin-up period is basin dependent, analysing the combined effects further allowed us to understand the interactions of these three usually overlooked pillars in the mHM configuration.