Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
F0inTFS: A lightweight periodicity enhancement strategy for cochlear implants

Periodicity is one of the main cues for pitch-related speech perception but is poorly encoded in cochlear implants (CIs). Most efforts towards CI periodicity enhancement involve explicit fundamental frequency (F0) detection, which requires additional computational loads and may not be reliable in real settings. Here we propose a new strategy, namely F0inTFS, which encodes F0 information without explicit F0 detection. Our idea is inspired by the fact that temporal fine structures (TFS) at the low-frequency channels inherently contain strong F0-related periodicity cues. In F0inTFS, the TFS of the lowest-frequency channel is integrated into the temporal envelopes at all higher-frequency channels using a specifically designed al-gorithm. F0inTFS can be lightly implemented in the FFT-based framework of one clinically used strategy, i.e., the Advanced Combination Encoder (ACE) strategy. The benefits of F0inTFS are supported by a lexical tone perception experiment in simulated CI users.
Influence of spinal anaesthesia on postoperative cognitive decline in elderly population undergoing hip surgeries: A prospective observational study

The primary objective of this study was to estimate POCD after spinal anaesthesia for hip surgeries in elderly patients using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The secondary objectives were functional status assessed with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scores, the spinal anaesthetic factors, serum cortisol and S100B calcium-binding protein (SCP) levels and their relationship with the occurrence of cognitive decline.
Accelerator-Based Production of Scandium Radioisotopes for Applications in Prostate Cancer: Toward Building a Pipeline for Rapid Development of Novel Theranostics

In the field of nuclear medicine, the β+ -emitting 43Sc and β− -emitting 47Sc are promising candidates in cancer diagnosis and targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) due to their favorable decay schema and shared pharmacokinetics as a true theranostic pair. Additionally, scandium is a group-3 transition metal (like 177Lu) and exhibits affinity for DOTA-based chelators, which have been studied in depth, making the barrier to implementation lower for 43/47Sc than for other proposed true theranostics. Before 43/47Sc can see widespread pre-clinical evaluation, however, an accessible production methodology must be established and each isotope’s radiolabeling and animal imaging capabilities studied with a widely utilized tracer. As such, a simple means of converting an 18 MeV biomedical cyclotron to support solid targets and produce 43Sc via the 42Ca(d,n)43Sc reaction has been devised, exhibiting reasonable yields. The NatTi(γ,p)47Sc reaction is also investigated along with the successful implementation of chemical separation and purification methods for 43/47Sc. The conjugation of 43/47Sc with PSMA-617 at specific activities of up to 8.94 MBq/nmol and the subsequent imaging of LNCaP-ENZaR tumor xenografts in mouse models with both 43/47Sc-PSMA-617 are also presented.
Surgical Ulcer Debridement in a Patient With Spina Bifida Complicated by Osteomyelitis, Obesity, and Diabetes

The combination of obesity, diabetes mellitus (DM), and reduced mobility due to spina bifida can contribute to an increased risk of osteomyelitis. Spina bifida, a congenital defect of the spinal cord, causes vertebral column deformities and neurological impairment. Obesity can lead to increased pressure and stress on the bones and joints, as well as poor circulation and immune dysfunction, including neutrophil migration disorders. Similarly, DM can also contribute to poor circulation and inadequate immune function. These changes can increase the risk of neuropathic ulcerations and osteomyelitis. We report a case of a 59-year-old man who presented for surgical consultation at the inpatient care unit. He had a nonhealing sacral ulcer on the left buttock that persisted for a year. He had a history of spina bifida, type 2 DM, and anemia, and his body mass index was 57.6 kg/m2. Physical examination revealed an unstageable left buttock pressure ulcer. The patient was afebrile, and his laboratory findings and imaging results indicated osteomyelitis. Despite intravenous antibiotic treatment, healing of the sacral ulcer remained poor, and the patient experienced chronic pain. Subsequent surgical intervention in the operating room involved debridement of the skin and soft tissue using high-powered water via the VERSAJET™ Hydrosurgery System (Smith & Nephew, London, UK). Ulcerated and necrotic skin and subcutaneous tissue extending deeper than the muscles and bones were observed. Loop colostomy was performed after determining that the wound would not heal owing to its proximity to the rectum and the inevitable contamination with stool. Postoperatively, sacral bone biopsy confirmed osteomyelitis. Alternative treatment options remained limited, as several other treatment methods failed prior to surgical debridement and colostomy placement. Although repeated debridement improved tissue viability, loop colostomy was performed to divert stool and prevent contamination of the ulcer.
Context-Aware Timely Status Updates for Trajectory Control With Limited Communication Resources

Advances in information and control technology act as enablers for the utilization of Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs). Despite the extensive research on trajectory control, most investigations assume that either the communication process is perfect or CAVs know their exact location and system state. To this end, we propose a novel trajectory control scheme that allows a Centralized Manager (CM) to account for the limited communication resources and trajectory uncertainty due to vehicle state evolution errors and measurement errors. In particular, the scheme includes covariance-based context-aware timely status update strategy optimization using Kalman estimation techniques and robust trajectory control using the recently developed theory of covariance steering. Moreover, the original stochastic trajectory control problem under non-convex feasible regions is converted to a deterministic mixed integer programming (MIP) problem in terms of the accessible estimated state. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed scheme and reveal the impact of the different update frequencies on the trajectory.
Why Human Prejudice is so Persistent: A Predictive Coding Analysis

ABSTRACT Although the relationship between prejudice and predictive coding has attracted more attention recently, many important issues remain to be investigated, such as why prejudice is so persistent and how to accommodate seemingly conflicting studies. In this paper, we offer an integrated framework to explain the functional-computational mechanism of prejudice. We argue that this framework better explains (i) why prejudice is somewhat immune to revision, (ii) how inconsistent processing (e.g. one’s moral belief and biased emotional reaction) may occur, (iii) the dispute over the content of ‘alief’ (unconscious belief), and (iv) conflicting data reported in disinformation studies. Finally, we briefly review the main intervention strategies and offer recommendations.
Effects of Meter, Genre and Experience on Pausing, Lengthening and Prosodic Phrasing in German Poetry Reading

The adequate and pleasant delivery of poetic speech remains a challenge for humans and machines alike. The present corpus study analyzes factors and strategies that characterize the stylistic expression of poetry and prose by professional actors as well as laypersons with musical training, focusing on their pausing, lengthening and intonation at verse boundaries. Our results show a clear influence on speakers’ experience in modulating their speech with respect to prosodic timing: professional actors systematically insert more and more diverse prosodic boundaries and pauses than laypersons, and make strategic use of lengthening at verse endings in poetic speech. Our results further point out the relevance of pausing and lengthening as a time-buying strategy that enhances speech fluency, and we make tentative suggestions for modeling (poetic) speech in expressive speech synthesis.
Modeling Life Expectancy of the Philippines from 2001 to 2019; Exploring the Relationship with Undernourished, Healthcare Expenditure, and Gross Domestic Product

Modeling the life expectancy and exploring the factors that can influence this can contribute to policymakers and public health officers to design an efficient and effective program to address the health needs of the nation. This study considers three independent variables that could potentially influence life expectancy namely, the number of undernourished individuals, healthcare expenditure, and gross domestic product of the Philippines from 2001 to 2019. The data that were utilized for the independent variables and life expectancy were collected from Our World in Data. The data were analyzed through regression and time series models namely, linear, exponential, logarithmic, polynomial, power, moving average, exponential smoothing, and autoregression model. Based on the findings of the study, life expectancy is associated with the three independent variables. Moreover, the life expectancy of the country will increase in the year 2024. For the Philippines to continue its progress in improving life expectancy, the government must focus on addressing malnutrition, healthcare expenditure, GDP per capita, and other factors that can influence the country’s life expectancy.
Policing Global Movement : Tourism, Migration, Human Trafficking, and Terrorism

Policing Tourism, Strategic Locations, and Protests Reforming Policing of Sex Tourism in the Philippines and The Gambia: Can We Avoid Confusing Messages? Stephen B. Perrott Improving Policing in the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands Peter Marks, Arie van Sluis, Andre Vervooren, and Marielle Zeer Policing Protesters Without a Cause: Toronto G20 Summit Stephen B. Perrott and Stefani MacNeil Policing Organized Crime and Terrorism Using the Army to Police Organized Crime in Mexico: What Is Its Impact? Marcos Pablo Moloeznik Public-Private Cooperation in Policing Crime and Terrorism in Australia Rick Sarre Police Development in a War Zone: Lessons From Afghanistan Tim Shilston Sensemaking in the Swedish National Police Counterterrorist Unit Oscar Rantatalo Policing Immigration and Human Trafficking Policing of Immigration Detention in South Africa Cornelius Hagenmeier Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in Sub-Saharan Africa Cornelis Roelofse Human Trafficking in Vietnam: Difficulties and Solutions Do Anh Tuan and Ma Dang Thi Thanh Towards More Effective Policing of Sex Trafficking Caroline Norma and S. Caroline Taylor Human Trafficking: Police Response in Andhra Pradesh, India Adki Surender International Police Executive Symposium Index
A Depression Recognition Method Based on the Alteration of Video Temporal Angle Features

In recent years, significant progress has been made in the auxiliary diagnosis system for depression. However, most of the research has focused on combining features from multiple modes to enhance classification accuracy. This approach results in increased space-time overhead and feature synchronization problems. To address this issue, this paper presents a single-modal framework for detecting depression based on changes in facial expressions. Firstly, we propose a robust method for extracting angle features from facial landmarks. Theoretical evidence is provided to demonstrate the translation and rotation invariance of these features. Additionally, we introduce a flip correction method to mitigate angle deviations caused by head flips. The proposed method not only preserves the spatial topological relationship of facial landmarks, but also maintains the temporal correlation between frames preceding and following the facial landmarks. Finally, the GhostNet network is employed for depression detection, and the effectiveness of various modal data is compared. In the depression binary classification task using the DAIC-WOZ dataset, our proposed framework significantly improves the classification performance, achieving an F1 value of 0.80 for depression detection. Experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms other existing depression detection models based on a single modality.
Validity of nursing diagnoses/outcomes and interventions for people with heart failure

Objective: To validate the content of nursing diagnosis/outcome and intervention statements for the care of people with heart failure. Method: This is methodological study, according to the steps for building terminology subsets in Brazil. Survey conducted from 2019-2020. Statements and interventions were organized according to the mid-range theory for nursing in cardiovascular rehabilitation. Results: a total of 58 experts participated in the study. A total of 39 nursing diagnoses/outcomes and 168 interventions were validated. The statements with the highest agreement were related to rehabilitation care followed by the supervised cardiovascular rehabilitation program. Conclusion: The study validated the content of statements of a terminology subset for people with heart failure, and allowed the composition of a nursing language based on a classification system recognized worldwide.
Evaluation of Thyroid and Lipid Profile of Hiv Patients Seen in a Faith-Based Health Facility in Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and thyroid function have been described. Prevalence pattern and atherogenic status significantly differ from HIV-negative control in several studies. Unfortunately, few studies have determined the prevalence of thyroid function and lipids among Nigerians living with HIV. Objective: This study is to evaluate thyroid hormones and lipid profiles in HIV-positive subjects attending a faith-based health facility in Anambra State Nigeria. Materials and methods: The serum concentration of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), free Triiodothyronine (fT3), triiodothyronine (T3), free Thyroxine (fT4), Thyroxine (T4), Total Cholesterol [TC], Triglyceride [TG], High-Density Lipoprotein [HDL], Low-Density Lipoprotein [LDL] and Very Low-Density Lipoprotein [VLDL] was determined in 95 HIV positive subjects which include 48 patients who were on HAART- group 1 and 47 not on HAART- group 2; and compared to 30 HIV negative controls – group 3. Results: The level of TSH and fT3 was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in group 1 participants than in group 2 and the group 3 participants. The level of T4 was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 and group 3 participants. The level of T3 was significantly lower in Control participants in comparison to both HAART and non-HAART participants. The prevalence of fT4 dysfunction across the groups was significantly different from each other. The total mean of Cholesterol (163.5 ± 22.7), Triglyceride (163.5 ± 22.7), and Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (14.2 ± 2.4) of the HIV-positive participants were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than that of the HIV negative participants. Conclusion: The results obtained from this study indicate that serum levels of thyroid hormones may be used as baseline periodic markers during antiretroviral therapy and many people living with HIV may benefit from supplementation if appropriate.
The Importance of Research Experience With a Scoreless Step 1: A Student Survey at a Community-Based Medical School

Purpose: As of January 26, 2022, the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USLME) step 1 exam went from a scored test to pass-fail step 1 (PFS1). The authors were interested in surveying medical students at a community-based medical school to observe their perceptions of the importance of student research given this recent change. Method: A Qualtrics survey was disseminated to medical students (years 1-4) via school emails. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test to assess Likert scale scores, and narrative comments were grouped as qualitative feedback. Survey dissemination and analysis of data were both conducted at a large community-based medical school. Results: The survey sampled 104 students categorized into pre-clerkship (PC) and clerkship (CL) years, with a response rate of 33%. A contradiction was found, as indicated by the higher number (p = 0.047) of clerkship students interested in Primary Care/Family medicine residency compared to pre-clerkship students at 41% and 59%, respectively. Whereas participants who indicated they are interested in pursuing a competitive specialty for residency were 51% of pre-clerkship students over 41% of clerkship students (p = 0.047). Additionally, given the assessment change to pass/fail, students did in fact believe that residencies would now view research as a higher assessed component than before (79% pre-clerkship and 72% clerkship). However, a minority of students said that they increased their research efforts (41% and 47%). Most students supported the research opportunity improvements proposed in our survey. Conclusions: Efforts to make the step 1 exam pass/fail may have alleviated some stress related to performance but may have increased the perception of the importance of other components in a student’s residency application. Our survey highlights how medical students at a community-based medical school perceive this change and how it has affected their research efforts.
Service Quality on Consumer Satisfaction and Non-Wage Consumer Loyalty in BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Pekanbaru Panam Branch

This study aims to analyze the effect of service quality on consumer satisfaction and customer loyalty BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Pekanbaru Panam branch. This research is quantitative research by distributing questionnaires to respondents. The population in this study is the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan branch of Pekanbaru Panam Non-Wage Recipients. The number of samples is 153 respondents. The results of this study indicate that service quality has a positive and significant effect on consumer satisfaction, service quality has a negative and significant effect on consumer loyalty, customer satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on consumer loyalty, and service quality has a significant effect on consumer loyalty through customer satisfaction.
Neural correlates of the sound facilitation effect in the modified Simon task in older adults

Introduction The ability to resolve interference declines with age and is attributed to neurodegeneration and reduced cognitive function and mental alertness in older adults. Our previous study revealed that task-irrelevant but environmentally meaningful sounds improve performance on the modified Simon task in older adults. However, little is known about neural correlates of this sound facilitation effect. Methods Twenty right-handed older adults [mean age = 72 (SD = 4), 11 female] participated in the fMRI study. They performed the modified Simon task in which the arrows were presented either in the locations matching the arrow direction (congruent trials) or in the locations mismatching the arrow direction (incongruent trials). A total of 50% of all trials were accompanied by task-irrelevant but environmentally meaningful sounds. Results Participants were faster on the trials with concurrent sounds, independently of whether trials were congruent or incongruent. The sound effect was associated with activation in the distributed network of auditory, posterior parietal, frontal, and limbic brain regions. The magnitude of the behavioral facilitation effect due to sound was associated with the changes in activation of the bilateral auditory cortex, cuneal cortex, and occipital fusiform gyrus, precuneus, left superior parietal lobule (SPL) for No Sound vs. Sound trials. These changes were associated with the corresponding changes in reaction time (RT). Older adults with a recent history of falls showed greater activation in the left SPL than those without falls history. Conclusion Our findings are consistent with the dedifferentiation hypothesis of cognitive aging. The facilitatory effect of sound could be achieved through recruitment of excessive neural resources, which allows older adults to increase attention and mental alertness during task performance. Considering that the SPL is critical for integration of multisensory information, individuals with slower task responses and those with a history of falls may need to recruit this region more actively than individuals with faster responses and those without a fall history to overcome increased difficulty with interference resolution. Future studies should examine the relationship among activation in the SPL, the effect of sound, and falls history in the individuals who are at heightened risk of falls.
Peasant enterprise and processes of monetisation in highland Peru: the case of pucara

The main theme of the thesis can be summarised as an attempt to explore some classical theoretical statementsabout the so-called 'progressive' character of commercial activities in the Highlands of Peru, and on the other hand,to examine certain methodological issues arising from earlier investigations in the area (see Arguedas, 1957; AlersMontalvo,1967; Adams, 1959; Long and Roberts, 1974, and 1978). In order to explore these two dimensions, the analysis concentrates upon determining the functions of small-scale commercial activities in a rural context, relating them to the existing agrarian structure, patterns of income distribution, consumption and diversification of economic activities at community level, and more systematically to processes of distribution and exchange at regional and national levels. The study focuses upon the role of rural, non-agricultural activities, a persisting feature of the Peruvian economy, which has provided the basis for the development of small-scale, economically dynamic entreprise that has, on the one hand impeded proletarianisation in the rural sector, and yeton the other, increased socio-economic differentiation. To understand this apparently contradictory dynamic, the nature of subordinated groups within the structure of underdevelopment is examined. It is argued that one must not consider such groups merely as a target for manipulation by capitalist interests, which has been the tendency of some writers from both the modernisation and dependency schools. Indeed, these subordinated groups (consisting in the rural sector of small-scale agriculturalists and traders etc.) have throughout much of the history of Peru has been placed outside the principal lines of development strategy adopted by the State and external interests. A sounder interpretation rests, I believe, upon a systematic analysis of the economic and social functions of small-scale enterprise, which, given the weakness of Peruvian capitalism, assumes a complementary dynamic which in certain important ways counterbalances the penetration of the capitalist mode of production The co-existence and inter-penetration of various capitalist and non-capitalist relations in Peruvian society gives a 'flexibility' to social and economic processes: it is this flexibility that is studied in depth through the analysis of small-scale commercial activities. The argument is developed using detailed field data concerning the village of Pucara in the Mantaro region, concentrating on the importance of cash income for the functioning of the household economy, the role of non-agricultural occupations, and the part played by kinship and interpersonal networks in the process of social reproduction of the household unit.