Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hearing aids: indications, technology, adaptation, and quality control

Hearing loss can be caused by a number of different pathological conditions. Some of them can be successfully treated, mainly by surgery, depending on the individual’s disease process. However, the treatment of chronic sensorineural hearing loss with damaged cochlear structures usually needs hearing rehabilitation by means of technical amplification. During the last two decades tremendous improvements in hearing aid technology led to a higher quality of the hearing rehabilitation process. For example, due to sophisticated signal processing acoustic feedback could be reduced and hence open fitting options are available even for more subjects with higher degrees of hearing loss. In particular for high-frequency hearing loss, the use of open fitting is an option. Both the users’ acceptance and the perceived sound quality were significantly increased by open fittings. However, we are still faced with a low level of readiness in many hearing impaired subjects to accept acoustic amplification. Since ENT specialists play a key-role in hearing aid provision, they should promote early hearing aid rehabilitation and include this in the counselling even in subjects with mild and moderate hearing loss. Recent investigations demonstrated the benefit of early hearing aid use in this group of patients since this may help to reduce subsequent damages as auditory deprivation, social isolation, development of dementia, and cognitive decline. For subjects with tinnitus, hearing aids may also support masking by environmental sounds and enhance cortical inhibition. The present paper describes the latest developments of hearing aid technology and the current state of the art for amplification modalities. Implications for both hearing aid indication and provision are discussed.
Activation of the Estrogen Receptor Through Phosphorylation by Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase

The phosphorylation of the human estrogen receptor (ER) serine residue at position 118 is required for full activity of the ER activation function 1 (AF-1). This Ser118 is phosphorylated by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in vitro and in cells treated with epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) in vivo. Overexpression of MAPK kinase (MAPKK) or of the guanine nucleotide binding protein Ras, both of which activate MAPK, enhanced estrogen-induced and antiestrogen (tamoxifen)-induced transcriptional activity of wild-type ER, but not that of a mutant ER with an alanine in place of Ser118. Thus, the activity of the amino-terminal AF-1 of the ER is modulated by the phosphorylation of Ser118 through the Ras-MAPK cascade of the growth factor signaling pathways.
Whole-Genome Sequencing of Emerging Invasive Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup W in Sweden

ABSTRACT Invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W (MenW) has historically had a low incidence in Sweden, with an average incidence of 0.03 case/100,000 population from 1995 to 2014. In recent years, a significant increase in the incidence of MenW has been noted in Sweden, to an average incidence of 0.15 case/100,000 population in 2015 to 2016. In 2017 (1 January to 30 June), 33% of invasive meningococcal disease cases (7/21 cases) were caused by MenW. In the present study, all invasive MenW isolates from Sweden collected in 1995 to June 2017 (n = 86) were subjected to whole-genome sequencing to determine the population structure and to compare isolates from Sweden with historical and international cases. The increase of MenW in Sweden was determined to be due to isolates belonging to the South American sublineage of MenW clonal complex 11, namely, the novel U.K. 2013 lineage. This lineage was introduced in Sweden in 2013 and has since been the dominant lineage of MenW.
Latent Structure Learning using Gaussian and Dirichlet Processes

The widespread adoption of machine learning has created a pressing need for data efficient, interpretable models with efficient inference schemes. At the same time, a profusion of data sources demands an accounting for relationships between, often heterogeneous, data both within and across datasets. These challenges are particularly faced in the context of unsupervised learning; we would like to derive a (latent) description of the observed data that is both generative (recreates the data) and efficient (shares information between the observations).
Mechanisms for the Relationship between Traditional Masculine Ideologies and Rape Myth Acceptance Among College Men

We explored mechanisms for the relationship between traditional masculine ideologies and rape myth acceptance. We hypothesized that locus of control would serve as a mediator for victim precipitation rape myths, and negative attitudes toward women would serve as a mediator for victim masochism and victim fabrication rape myths. Using a sample of 100 male college students, the results indicated that negative attitudes toward women mediated the relationship between traditional masculine ideologies and all 3 types of rape myths, but locus of control did not serve as a mediator for any. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Classy Classification : Classifying and Generating Expert Wine Review

We use an LSTM to classify wines from expert reviews of the wines according to their geographic location, grape variety, price and quality. We find that using an LSTM outperforms a baseline of Naive Bayes, albeit not significantly. Using the same dataset of reviews, we also use an attribute to sequence model to create alternative reviews for the same wines. We find that we are able to build a language model that creates reviews which contain accurate series of words, but that struggle with grammatical, and syntactic sense.
Consequences, Norms, and Generalized Inaction in Moral Dilemmas: The CNI Model of Moral Decision-Making

Research on moral dilemma judgments has been fundamentally shaped by the distinction between utilitarianism and deontology. According to the principle of utilitarianism, the moral status of behavioral options depends on their consequences; the principle of deontology states that the moral status of behavioral options depends on their consistency with moral norms. To identify the processes underlying utilitarian and deontological judgments, researchers have investigated responses to moral dilemmas that pit one principle against the other (e.g., trolley problem). However, the conceptual meaning of responses in this paradigm is ambiguous, because the central aspects of utilitarianism and deontology—consequences and norms—are not manipulated. We illustrate how this shortcoming undermines theoretical interpretations of empirical findings and describe an alternative approach that resolves the ambiguities of the traditional paradigm. Expanding on this approach, we present a multinomial model that allows researchers to quantify sensitivity to consequences (C), sensitivity to moral norms (N), and general preference for inaction versus action irrespective of consequences and norms (I) in responses to moral dilemmas. We present 8 studies that used this model to investigate the effects of gender, cognitive load, question framing, and psychopathy on moral dilemma judgments. The findings obtained with the proposed CNI model offer more nuanced insights into the determinants of moral dilemma judgments, calling for a reassessment of dominant theoretical assumptions.
Characterization of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Isolated from South Indian Subjects in Health and Disease

Objective: To characterize enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) isolated from children and adults with different forms of diarrhoea, and also from controls. Design: A panel of 40 EAEC isolates from children with acute diarrhoea, adults affected in an epidemic of acute diarrhoea associated with EAEC and isolates from control children and adults were analyzed by adherence pattern, serotyping, DNA probing, haemagglutination, fluorescence actin staining (FAS), internalization/invasion and secretory activity in Ussing chambers in an attempt to distinguish isolates from symptomatic individuals from those obtained from asymptomatic excretors. Setting: A predominantly rural community of 95000 in South India kept under surveillance for diarrhoeal outbreaks. Results: Predominantly cellular adherence was seen in 27/40 (67.5%), adherence to glass in ten (25%) and a honeycomb pattern in three (7.5%). Of 40 isolates, 13 were rough and O untypable, and the remaining belonged to nine different O serogroups. Thirty-one isolates (77.5%) hybridized with the pCVD 432 probe. Erythrocytes from one or more of four species were agglutinated by 33 (82.5%) isolates. All isolates were negative in the FAS assay and a total of 17 (42.5%) isolates were internalized by HEp-2 cells at levels above 5%. In Ussing chamber experiments, an increase in short circuit current was seen with all ten isolates from patients affected by the outbreak and 14 of 20 other isolates from children with acute diarrhoea and controls. Conclusions: Characterization of EAEC from sporadic cases of diarrhoea and controls showed that they were a heterogeneous group of organisms, only some of which possess virulence factors such as toxin production and invasiveness. This differed from the isolates obtained from the diarrhoeal outbreak, which belonged to only two serotypes, had similar haemagglutination patterns and invasive ability.
An ECG Recording Front-End With Continuous-Time Level-Crossing Sampling

An ECG recording front-end with a continuous- time asynchronous level-crossing analog-to-digital converter (LC-ADC) is proposed. The system is a voltage and current mixed-mode system, which comprises a low noise amplifier (LNA), a programmable voltage-to-current converter (PVCC) as a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) and an LC-ADC with calibration DACs and an RC oscillator. The LNA shows an input referred noise of 3.77 μVrms over 0.06 Hz-950 Hz bandwidth. The total harmonic distortion (THD) of the LNA is 0.15% for a 10 mVPP input. The ECG front-end consumes 8.49 μW from a 1 V supply and achieves an ENOB up to 8 bits. The core area of the proposed front-end is 690 ×710 μm2, fabricated in a 0.18 μm CMOS technology.
An alternate PowerFactory Matlab coupling approach

PowerFactory is a powerful power system analysis tool used for simulating the electrical grid. `Smart Grid' envisions a modernized electrical grid that uses communication to gather and act on information. The ever increasing communication and controls in power systems increases the complexity of the system. Co-simulation becomes essential to couple system simulators from different domains. This paper gives an overview of possible PowerFactory / Matlab coupling approaches. It further discusses the advantages and limitations of each of these. Additionally, an alternate coupling approach is suggested, its pros and cons are discussed. Two test cases have been implemented that highlight different advantages of the proposed method.
Practical Application of KDD Techniques to an Industrial Process

In the process of smelting copper mineral a large amount of sulphuric dioxide (SO2) is produced. This compound would be highly pollutant if it was emitted to the atmosphere. By means of an acid plant it is possible to transform it into sulphuric acid, using for this a set of chemical and physical processes. In this way we dispose of a marketable product and, at the same time, the environment is protected. However, there are certain situations in which the gases escape to the atmosphere, creating pollutant situations. This would be avoidable if we exactly knew under which circumstances this problem is produced. In this paper we present a practical application of KDD techniques to the chemical industry. By means of the obtained results we show the viability of using automatic classifiers to improve a productive process, with an increase of the production and a decrease of the environmental pollution.
Modeling and Simulation of a Series Hybrid Propulsion Chain for Small Ships

Hybridization is a promising approach to reduce fuel consumption and environmental impacts of ships. Hybridization is particularly suitable for ships operating on cycles with large power variations and requiring a high degree of maneuverability. The modeling and simulation of such systems is essential in their design, analysis, and power management, especially with the mass and volume constraints of small vessels. In this context, this paper presents a modeling approach of a series hybrid ship propulsion using Matlab / Simulink. This modeling tool associates models of the energy conversion components and hydrodynamics models related to ship hull and propeller. This tool allows evaluating efficiently the performances of such systems.
Very preterm birth, birth trauma, and the risk of anorexia nervosa among girls.

BACKGROUND Obstetrical complications, based on parental recall, have been reported to be associated with development of anorexia nervosa. We used prospectively collected data about pregnancy and perinatal factors to examine the subsequent development of anorexia nervosa. METHODS This population-based, case-control study was nested in cohorts defined by all liveborn girls in Sweden from 1973 to 1984. From the Swedish Inpatient Register, 781 girls had been discharged from any hospital in Sweden with a main diagnosis of anorexia nervosa at the age of 10 to 21 years. For each case, 5 controls were randomly selected, individually matched by year and hospital of birth (n = 3905). Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for potential risk factors. RESULTS Increased risk of anorexia nervosa was found for girls with a cephalhematoma (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.4-4.1) and for very preterm birth (< or = 32 completed gestational weeks) (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.6-6.2). In very preterm births, girls who were small for gestational age faced higher risks (OR, 5.7; 95% CI, 1.1-28.7) than girls with higher birth weight for gestational age (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-5.8). CONCLUSIONS Our results show that perinatal factors, possibly reflecting brain damage, had independent associations with anorexia nervosa. These risk factors may uncover the mechanisms underlying the development of the disorder, even if only a fraction of cases of anorexia nervosa may be attributable to perinatal factors.
The Dynamics of Innocent Flesh on the Bone: Code Reuse Ten Years Later

In 2007, Shacham published a seminal paper on Return-Oriented Programming (ROP), the first systematic formulation of code reuse. The paper has been highly influential, profoundly shaping the way we still think about code reuse today: an attacker analyzes the "geometry" of victim binary code to locate gadgets and chains these to craft an exploit. This model has spurred much research, with a rapid progression of increasingly sophisticated code reuse attacks and defenses over time. After ten years, the common perception is that state-of-the-art code reuse defenses are effective in significantly raising the bar and making attacks exceedingly hard. In this paper, we challenge this perception and show that an attacker going beyond "geometry" (static analysis) and considering the "dynamics" (dynamic analysis) of a victim program can easily find function call gadgets even in the presence of state-of-the-art code-reuse defenses. To support our claims, we present Newton, a run-time gadget-discovery framework based on constraint-driven dynamic taint analysis. Newton can model a broad range of defenses by mapping their properties into simple, stackable, reusable constraints, and automatically generate gadgets that comply with these constraints. Using Newton, we systematically map and compare state-of-the-art defenses, demonstrating that even simple interactions with popular server programs are adequate for finding gadgets for all state-of-the-art code-reuse defenses. We conclude with an nginx case study, which shows that a Newton-enabled attacker can craft attacks which comply with the restrictions of advanced defenses, such as CPI and context-sensitive CFI.
Von Willebrand gene tracking by single-tube automated fluorescent analysis of four short tandem repeat polymorphisms

Summary Molecular diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (VWD) has been hampered by the large size and complex genomic characteristics of the gene involved. For this reason, indirect methods using in-tragenic polymorphic markers described along the von Wille-brand factor (VWF) gene are valuable tools for gene monitoring and linkage analysis. Several studies have demonstrated the four commonly utilized short tandem repeats (STRs), three located in intron 40 and one in the promoter region of the VWF gene, to be highly informative for this task. Our objective was to develop a rapid, automated method to simultaneously analyze these four STRs for VWF gene tracking. Amplification of the four loci is achieved in a single multiplex fluorescent PCR which is then analyzed in the same run by capillary electrophoresis. Data processing with Gene Scan and Genotyper software has simplified management and tabulation of the resulting haplotypes. Analysis of the VWF gene in DNA from 102 individuals (204 chromosomes) revealed that the three STRs within intron 40 showed significant linkage disequilibrium against each other but not against the VWP locus. Moreover, the combination of the four markers offers a high heterozygosity rate (>99%) that improves tracing VWF gene inheritance. In conclusion, the automated fluorescent capillary electrophoresis method presented here is an extremely rapid, simple and highly informative technique for association studies between VWD and the VWF gene in addition to genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis by precise linkage analysis in VWD-affected families.
Human CCL3L1 copy number variation, gene expression, and the role of the CCL3L1-CCR5 axis in lung function

The CCL3L1-CCR5 signaling axis is important in a number of inflammatory responses, including macrophage function, and T-cell-dependent immune responses. Small molecule CCR5 antagonists exist, including the approved antiretroviral drug maraviroc, and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies are in development. Repositioning of drugs and targets into new disease areas can accelerate the availability of new therapies and substantially reduce costs. As it has been shown that drug targets with genetic evidence supporting their involvement in the disease are more likely to be successful in clinical development, using genetic association studies to identify new target repurposing opportunities could be fruitful. Here we investigate the potential of perturbation of the CCL3L1-CCR5 axis as treatment for respiratory disease. Europeans typically carry between 0 and 5 copies of CCL3L1 and this multi-allelic variation is not detected by widely used genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism studies. We directly measured the complex structural variation of CCL3L1 using the Paralogue Ratio Test (PRT) and imputed (with validation) CCR5del32 genotypes in 5,000 individuals from UK Biobank, selected from the extremes of the lung function distribution, and analysed DNA and RNAseq data for CCL3L1 from the 1000 Genomes Project. We confirmed the gene dosage effect of CCL3L1 copy number on CCL3L1 mRNA expression levels. We found no evidence for association of CCL3L1 copy number or CCR5del32 genotype with lung function suggesting that repositioning CCR5 antagonists is unlikely to be successful for the treatment of airflow obstruction.
Children Born After Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection Compared with Spontaneously Conceived Children a Prospective Study

Objective: To study the outcome of ICSI conceived children in our IVF center; their growth, their psychomotor development and to find out possible birth defects and genetic anomalies. Material and Methods: This is a prospective survey about ICSI conceived children and naturally conceived children in our IVF center over the period between 2007 and 2012. One hundred ICSI children aged between 2 and 6 years were invited in order to get a thorough physical examination and to undergo ultrasound imaging and genetic explorations for birth defects. One hundred naturally conceived children paired by age and sexduring the same period were taken as a control population. Results: The comparison of both ICSI and natural conception groups showed that the rate of prematurity was higher in the ICSI group with 50% vs 6% in the natural conception group, p vs 4% in the natural conception group, p vs 4%; p<0.05). These malformations were mainly facial, cardiac, gastrointestinal, orthopedic, neurological, urogenital and inguinal hernia type. In the ICSI group, there was a male predominance (sex ratio=1.3) without any significant difference, while in the control group there was no sex predominance. As for genetic anomalies, 3% of balanced genetic defects were detected in the ICSI children, 1% of which were in the sexual chromosomes and 2% in the autosomes. These anomalies were found in 2 boys and one girl without any significant difference. Conclusion: This work is greatly reassuring about the future of ICSI children. Larger series with long term follow-up are needed as an only guarantee in assessing the safety of ICSI technique.
TCP Proxy Bypass: All the Gain with No Pain!

REFERECENCES [1] Xing Xu et al.2015. Investigating transparent web proxies in cellular networks. In PAM. Springer. [2] Mohammad Al-Fares et al.2011. Overclocking the Yahoo! : CDN for Faster Web Page Loads(IMC ’11). ACM, New York, NY, USA. [3] David Naylor et al.2014. The cost of the S in HTTPS. In CoNEXT. ACM, New York, NY, USA. [4] Giuseppe Siracusano et al.2016. On the Fly TCP Acceleration with Miniproxy. In ACM SIGCOMM HotMiddlebox. [5] Muhammad Shahbaz et al.2016. Pisces: A programmable, protocolindependent software switch. In ACM SIGCOMM. Motivation PoC Implementation
The evaluation of a natural pigment in cotton as a UV absorber

The whiteness hue, and the higher UPF (ultraviolet factor) value of blank-bleached dyed cotton fabrics versus the UPF value of bleached dyed cotton fabrics, indicated the presence of a natural pigment in raw and blank-treated samples. Plain-woven, raw, lightweight cotton fabric was used. Desizing, blank bleaching, blank dyeing, and bleaching and dyeing processes were performed. CIE equations were used for determining sample whiteness and whiteness hue. Cover factor was calculated using the results of image analysis. Raw cotton fabric with the lowest cover factor had a 2.5x greater UPF value than bleached cotton fabric. The UPF value of bleached cotton fabric was cca. 3x lower than the UPF value of desized cotton fabric even through the two fabrics had almost the same cover factor.
Task Scheduling Based on Cultural Genetic Algorithm

The task scheduling strategy based on cultural genetic algorithm(CGA) is proposed in order to improve the efficiency of task scheduling in the cloud computing platform, which targets at minimizing the total time and cost of task scheduling. The improved genetic algorithm is used to construct the main population space and knowledge space under cultural framework which get independent parallel evolution, forming a mechanism of mutual promotion to dispatch the cloud task. Simultaneously, in order to prevent the defects of the genetic algorithm which is easy to fall into local optimum, the non-uniform mutation operator is introduced to improve the search performance of the algorithm. The experimental results show that CGA reduces the total time and lowers the cost of the scheduling, which is an effective algorithm for the cloud task scheduling.