Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sound quality in adult cochlear implant recipients using the HISQUI19

Abstract Conclusion: On average, adult CI recipients report a moderate sound quality using the Dutch version of the HISQUI19 questionnaire. These results are correlated with their age, speech perception scores, CI aided hearing thresholds, and the SSQ5 and the APHAB questionnaire. Background: The general aim of the study was to assess sound quality in adult cochlear implant (CI) recipients and to link these findings to other patients reported outcome measures (PROM) and subject characteristics. Therefore, the Hearing Implant Sound Quality Index (HISQUI19), which was translated into Dutch, was used. This user-friendly instrument quantifies sound quality experienced by hearing implant users. Methods: The Dutch version of the original German HISQUI19 was obtained by the process of translation and back-translation. The HISQUI19 was assessed in 65 experienced adult CI users at the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) department of the Antwerp University Hospital to assess a sound quality profile of experiences adult CI recipients. Therefore, descriptive statistics were used to summarize the mean, standard deviation, and ceiling or floor effects of the total HISQUI19 scores in a CI population. Spearman correlations between the HISQUI19 scores and objective audiological measures and other PROM were investigated (APHAB and SSQ5 questionnaire). Results: The mean HISQUI19 score of the Dutch version in adult CI recipients was 64.9 (SD = 20.8), which corresponds to moderate sound quality. The psychometric characters of the Dutch questionnaire are similar to the characters of the original HISQUI19 questionnaire, emphasizing good internal consistency (α = 0.93) and construct validity. Moderate correlation was found with speech perception in quiet (r = 0.36, p < 0.01), speech perception in noise (r = 0.29, p < 0.05), CI aided Pure Tone Average (PTA0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz) of the subjects (r = 0.34, p < 0.01), and the age of the subject (r = 0.38, p < 0.01). Gender did not influence the experienced sound quality significantly. Furthermore, the relation to other questionnaires was found to be significantly strong (SSQ5: r = 0.68 and the APHAB: r = 0.64; p < 0.01).
Preparation of Activated Carbon Using the Copyrolysis of Agricultural and Municipal Solid Wastes at a Low Carbonization Temperature

Activated carbon was prepared by the copyrolysis of mixed solid wastes (biomass, cartons and polystyrene) at low carbonization temperatures. The effects of carbonization temperature (200°C, 300°C and 400°C) and chemical activation using different concentrations of a ZnCl2 solution (0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2 M) on the yield and adsorption capacity of activated carbon were investigated. The results show that the activated carbon yield is significantly dependent on both the carbonization temperature and the ZnCl2 concentration. The yield increased as the ZnCl2 concentration increased from 0.0 to 2 M and decreased as the carbonization temperature increased from 200°C to 400°C. In conclusion, treating solid wastes with a low carbonization temperature (200°C) followed by chemical activation with 2 M ZnCl2 yielded AC with a high adsorption efficiency.
Penile erectile function after permanent radioactive seed implantation for treatment of prostate cancer.

PURPOSE We assess erectile function after prostate brachytherapy and analyze those factors affecting potency preservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 416 patients treated from October 1990 to September 1998 with permanent radioactive seed implantation for T1 to T2 prostate cancer had erectile function assessed before and after treatment. Erectile function was assessed using the scoring system of 0-complete inability to have erections, 1-able to have erections but insufficient for intercourse, 2-can have erections sufficient for intercourse but considered suboptimal and 3-has normal erectile function. Implant dose was defined as the D90, which was the dose delivered to 90% of the gland on a dose volume histogram from the 1-month computerized tomography based dosimetric analysis. RESULTS Pretreatment erectile function assessment revealed scores of 0 in 57 (14%), 1 in 46 (11%), 2 in 77 (18%) and 3 in 236 (57%) patients. In 313 patients who were potent with a score 2 or greater before therapy the actuarial freedom from any decrease in erectile function score was 64% and 30% at 3 and 6 years, respectively. The actuarial preservation of potency, with a score 2 or greater, was 79% and 59% at 3 and 6 years, respectively. The 2 factors found to have a significant negative effect on potency in univariate and multivariate analyses were high implant dose (D90 greater than 160 Gy. for I-125 and D90 greater than 100 Gy. for Pd-103) and a pretreatment erectile function score of 2 versus 3. CONCLUSIONS The rate of potency preservation after brachytherapy is high, although a decrease occurs from 3 to 6 years. Pretreatment erectile dysfunction as well as higher implant dose are associated with greater impotency.
Do Poor Rural Households Produce Less Grain than Non‐Poor Rural Households

China's poor rural households produce substantially less grain compared with non-poor rural households. The present paper applies a decomposition approach and uses China's rural household survey data to investigate the causes of this grain output gap. The paper first compares the grain output gap between poor and non-poor rural households, and then decomposes the gap into differences in yield and area sown. The results indicate that the gap in grain output mainly results from differences in the amount of inputs used in production. Differences in the number of labor days and the level of intermediate inputs account for 13.6 and 47.5 percent of the gap, respectively. Poor rural households are also less efficient in their use of intermediate inputs, which contributes to 13.2 percent of the gap. However, the efficiency of poor households' labor days reduces the gap by 7.2 percent, while agricultural physical capital, household head education and agricultural training have no substantial impact on the household grain output gap.
Friends in High Places: Congressional Influence on the Bureaucracy in Chile

Abstract Chile presents a paradox for legislative studies. In most comparative research on the political power of presidents and assemblies in Latin America, the Chilean presidency is considered one of the most powerful in the region. The country's congress is seen, accordingly, as weak and lacking influence over public policy. Such evaluations, however, tend to be based on constitutional and legal faculties (that is, formal powers), and they overlook the substantial influence exerted by the Chilean Congress through informal political channels. This article analyzes literature on informal politics that shows the substantial influence of Chile's Congress on public policy; and, for comparison, presents an empirical study that adds several details to current accounts of congressional influence on the bureaucracy in Chile and describes two mechanisms of congressional influence not contemplated by recent research.
Of coiled oysters and big brains: how to rescue the terminology of heterochrony, now gone astray

SUMMARY During the past decade, the terminology of heterochrony, heretofore consistent and workable, has become internally illogical and incoherent as the unfortunate result of an extension of terms, properly devised to describe shifts in developmental timing of shapes and features, to the rates and timings that cause these shifts. All the resulting, and extensive, confusion in the literature arises as a pure consequence of this error in logic and nomenclature, and not at all from disagreement about the important empirical questions described by this central concept and phenomenon in the integration of evolution and development. In particular, the claim that the same feature in human evolution (the paedomorphic shape of the human cranium) expresses either neoteny or the apparently opposite phenomenon of hypermorphosis only records the terminological error, and not any factual disagreement—for this neotenic feature has probably arisen by a prolongation of juvenile growth patterns inappropriately designated as “hypermorphosis of rate. ” I show that a prominent and unchallenged case of neoteny in fossil oysters arises by exactly the same evolutionary mode. When we restore the terminology of heterochrony by the “paedomorphic” intellectual event of dropping these inadaptive terminal accretions (the illogical extension of shape categories to describe rates), then the concept of heterochrony will again make proper distinctions by designating a clearly meaningful category of evolutionary changes originating by shifts in timing for features already present in ancestors. “It's not all heterochrony”—and this particular statement of “less is more” represents heterochrony's strength as an interesting subset with definite meaning, rather than an illogical hodge‐podge apparently applicable to all phenomena, and therefore explaining nothing.
Correlations between personality factors and coronary artery disease: from type A behaviour pattern to type D personality

During the last 50 years, many studies have analysed the correlations between personality factors, behavioural pattern, personality type, psychiatric disorders and coronary artery disease (CAD). Although consistent evidence of causal association between CAD and major depressive disorders does exist, the role and importance of personality factors and character traits in CAD development and manifestations are still debatable. We reported the most important studies from the literature on type A behaviour pattern (TABP), the first correlated to CAD. After the initial enthusiasms, large clinical trials raised doubts about the role of TABP as CAD risk factor. We reported subsequent researches aimed at extracting from TABP components predisposing to atherosclerosis, such as hostility and anger. Finally, we analysed a recent personality type (type D) introduced in 1995 and identified as a negative prognostic factor in CAD patients.
Anticipated and unanticipated money: a case study of Malaysia

The paper tests the LSW proposition that unanticipated policy changes affect real economic variables by using Malaysian data over the period 1970:1–1990:4. The empirical evidence changes in fiscal policy and balance of payments do not affect real output, thus lending support to the proposition. On the other hand, anticipated monetary policy and inflation influence output in the short-run, lending support to Mishkin's views of the economy and rejecting the LSW proposition. In addition, the long-run neutrality proposition is not supported by the data. Moreover, unanticipated changes in inflation do influence real output in the short-run lending support to the LSW proposition. However, unanticipated changes in monetary policy, balance of payments and fiscal policy do not influence real output, lending support to the classical view of the economy and rejecting the LSW proposition. Furthermore, the Monetarist's view that inflation is a monetary phenomenon is rejected. The findings also show that unanticipated .
Women’s Employment and Commuting: Explaining the Links

This article reviews recent research on the link between women’s commuting and labor force participation and identifies five key themes in the literature. Women’s shorter work trips have been explained in terms of women’s low wages, the need to coordinate dual roles as mothers and wage earners, and as a reflection of a more even distribution of jobs that traditionally hire women. Short work trips may also reflect spatial entrapment in highly localized labor markets. Finally, shorter work trips may reflect a spatial mismatch between low-income and minority women’s residential locations and entry-level jobs; thus, employment may entail much longer commutes for inner-city residents. This article evaluates research within each theme, identifies future research needs, and explores the implications for current policy debates over welfare reform.
Recovery characteristics after current limitation of high temperature superconducting fault current limiting transformer (HTc-SFCLT)

Superconducting Fault Current Limiting Transformer (SFCLT) is one of the promising superconducting power apparatus, since it has both functions of superconducting transformer in normal condition and superconducting fault current limiter in fault condition. In this paper, current limiting and the recovery tests of high temperature SFCLT (HTc-SFCLT) with MCP-BSCCO2212 bulk coils were performed at liquid nitrogen temperature. Experimental results revealed that the HTc-SFCLT could successfully recover into the superconducting state by itself immediately after the fault clearance. Moreover, the recovery criterion of HTc-SFCLT as a function of load current was clarified.
Validation of the 7-Minute Screen for the Detection of Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

Background/Aims: The 7-Minute Screen (7MS) is a screening battery to identify individuals with a high probability of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The 7MS consists of four subtests (Temporal Orientation, Enhanced Cued Recall, Clock Drawing, and Verbal Fluency), each measuring a different aspect of cognition. The present study is designed to examine the predictive validity of the 7MS to distinguish between patients with early-stage AD and healthy control subjects. Methods: Sixty-three patients who were diagnosed as having probable or possible AD and 91 community-dwelling elderly individuals of comparable age, sex distribution, and education were administered the 7MS (paper-and-pencil version) and other screening batteries. All patients were rated Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) 0.5–1, categorized as early-stage AD, and all participants obtained a score of less than 6 for the Geriatric Depression Scale (15-item version). Results: Mean scores for patients and controls on all the four subtests were significantly different. When using the total score of the 7MS, which was calculated by the original logistic regression formula based on all of the four subtests, the sensitivity for early-stage AD was 90.5% with a specificity of 92.3%. Correlation analysis indicated high concurrent validity between the 7MS and existing standard cognitive screening batteries (e.g., MMSE, HDS-R). In correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis, demographic effects (age, sex, and education) were not significantly associated with the total score of the 7MS in controls. Conclusions: The results showed that the 7MS had a high level of sensitivity and specificity. We also found that the 7MS was not affected by demographic characteristics. These findings demonstrated that the 7MS is a useful screening tool for discriminating patients with early-stage AD from intact individuals.
Cultural Hybridization: A Third Way Between Divergence and Convergence

The convergence–divergence debate on whether business cultures are growing alike or not has become an important part of studies of the influence of national cultures on the operation of firms. This article intends to formulate a third way, a third model, by creating synergy between the model of cultural hybridization and Social Integration Theory. We contend that cultural hybridization takes place in multicultural joint ventures but this process happens unevenly and in different parts of the venture. The new model, itself a product of hybridization, is illustrated with examples from Chinese and Indian joint ventures.
Spatial Integration of Wheat Markets in India: Evidence from Cointegration Tests

Using the maximum likelihood method of cointegration, this paper empirically evaluates intra-state and inter-state spatial integration of wheat markets in India. The cointegration tests provide strong evidence in favour of spatial integration of the regional wheat markets. Even though the regional markets are geographically dispersed, the prices across different market centres within and across the selected states have exhibited long-run spatial linkages, suggesting that all the exchange locations are integrated and the prices provide relevant market signals. There are several implications of these results for agricultural price policy and food market liberalization programmes.
Do we need more twin studies? The Healthy Twin Study, Korea.

The success of the Human Genome Project and recent technological progress have made the analysis of individual genetic variation much more feasible. However, genetic variations responsible for common complex human diseases and traits are largely unknown, with a few exceptions of specific subtype of common diseases (e.g. early onset type diabetes or Alzheimer disease). 1 Twin study has evolved from the classical twin study design, in which comparison of concordance in traits or diseases between monozygotic and dizygotic twins provided evidence about the genetic and environmental contributions to the phenotypes/diseases of interest. 2 Current twin studies in Europe, Australia, and other countries are already comprehensive genomic studies rather than a classical twin design, which maximize the presence of twins. Examples of innovation include: linkage study using dizygotic twin pairs; linkage and association study using the family of twins; epigenetic study using monozygotic twins; and tests for gene–environmental
Changing Job Access of the Poor: Effects of Spatial and Socioeconomic Transformations in Chicago, 1990–2010

Research has shown that the job access of the poor has been declining because of two major reasons: the spatial distribution of employment and housing, and socioeconomic restructuring. This paper aims to untangle the effects of the two factors on poor job seekers’ access to jobs in the Chicago metropolitan area from 1990 to 2010. Using census tracts as the unit of analysis, this research examines the effects of these two factors on the growth and distribution of poor job seekers and their matching jobs, as well as the consequential changes in job demand, supply and job access across the study area. Results show that spatial changes have increased job accessibility for the poor while socioeconomic transformation has adversely affected it.
Academic Research on Crowdfunders: What's Been Done and What's To Come?

The majority of published work refers to the pre-investment phase of the crowdfunding process, with only very little academic knowledge currently relating to the post-investment phase. From a crowdfunder's point of view, the crowdfunding process consists of two phases: pre-investment and post-investment. Academic knowledge relating to a crowdfunder's pre-investment phase refers mainly to the funder's motivations to pledge, their due diligence, and their decision to back certain projects but not others. The very limited knowledge relating to the crowdfunder's post-investment phase points toward the potential for crowdfunders to provide added value to fund-seekers in addition to their financial pledge.
Work–family conflict and turnover intentions of indigenous employees: the importance of the whanau/family for Maori

The links between work–family conflict and turnover intentions have received little attention within the OB/IO Psych literature. However, the few findings show that the family–work dimensions are less influential than work–family dimensions. The present study tested work–family and family–work conflict (time and strain dimensions) on the turnover intentions within a sample of 197 New Zealand Maori employees. Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, typically have strong family focus, which we hypothesized might distort the influence of conflict for these workers, increasing the influence from family–work conflict. We found that both work–family and family–work conflict, time and strain, were significantly related to turnover intentions, but work–family conflict dimensions were fully mediated by family–work conflict dimensions. In addition, the moderating effects of whanau (extended family) support were tested and significant interaction effects were found, although in opposite directions: respondents with high whanau support reported higher turnover when family–work time increased, but reported less turnover intentions when family–work strain increased. The implications for research are discussed.
An episode-based framework for analyzing health care expenditures: an application of reward renewal models.

OBJECTIVE To illustrate an episode-based framework for analyzing health care expenditures based on reward renewal models, a stochastic process used in engineering for describing processes that cycle on and off with "rewards" (or costs) occurring at the end of each cycle. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING Data used in the illustration were collected as part of an evaluation of a national initiative to improve mental health services for children and youth. Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal study at a demonstration site and in a comparison community between 1997 and 1999. The illustration involves analyses of mental health expenditures at the two sites and of the dynamics of service use behind those expenditures. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS Services data were derived from management information systems as well as patient records at inpatient facilities in the two communities. These data cover services received between 1997 and 2003. The analysis focuses on the year following study entry. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Between-site differences in expenditures reflect complex between-site differences in the timing of service use. In particular, children at the demonstration stayed in treatment longer but were less likely to return for treatment later. In contrast, children at the comparison site experienced substantially less continuity of care. Costs per day of treatment within an episode were comparable at the two sites. CONCLUSIONS Reward renewal models offer a promising means for integrating research on service episodes and the dynamics of service use with that on health care expenditures.
Residential Aged Care Facilities: Places for Living and Dying

This article explores residential aged care facilities (RACFs) as places of dying and death, and the role these spaces and places have in the construction of self identity for dying residents. It argues that RACFs, rather than being static places where events such as dying and death occur, are places that shape these experiences. They are social institutions where the construction of self identity for dying residents arises out of the individual experience within the setting, most specifically the experience of social interaction. Drawing on ethnographic work in two Australian facilities the article explores how macro level influences such as economic, social and political discourses intersect with micro level experiences of dying for those approaching death as well as family members and health professionals who support the dying.
Humanoid posture generation on non-Euclidean manifolds

We present a reformulation of the posture generation problem that encompasses non-Euclidean manifolds. Such a formulation allows a more elegant mathematical description of the constraints, which we exemplify through some scenarios in the simulation results section. In our previous work, the posture generation problem is formulated as a non-linear optimization program with constraints expressed only through Euclidean manifolds; we solve the latter problem using on-the-shelf solvers. Instead, we decided to implement a new SQP solver that is most suited to non-Euclidean manifolds structural objects. By doing so, we have a better mastering in the way to tune and specialize our SQP solver for robotic problems.
Augmented reality robot navigation using infrared marker

A new augmented reality system is proposed to apply to robot navigation in this paper. It generates pattern IDs by analyzing infrared optical markers projected in the real world. The system enables the robot to guide a complicated motion by the robot commands corresponding to the pattern IDs. A prototype system is constructed to conduct fundamental experiments of remote robot navigation.