Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Study of Hearing Instruments: A Cross-sectional Longitudinal Audit Based on Consumer Experiences:Estudio clinico de auxiliares auditivos: Revision transversal de revisión basado en las experiencias del consumidor

The objective of the present audit was to document improvements/changes in hearing instrument (HI) benefit in terms of use and satisfaction throughout the 1990s and compare the benefit in consumers fitted with analogue (A), programmable (P), and digital signal processing (DSP) His. The audit data are based on a questionnaire mailed to subjects fitted with His 3 to 4 months after the fitting, including questions concerning satisfaction with the HI, use of the HI, ability to manage the HI, and satisfaction with the overall services in the department. Information was obtained from 32,694 subjects (i.e., 71.2 per cent of those fitted with His throughout the last decade), with a median age at fitting of 78 years (range, 18-102), with a preponderance of females. No significant differences in age, gender distribution, and hearing instrument distribution were found between the respondents and non-respondents. The audit shows that there are no significant differences in any of the benefit parameters throughout the decade, irrespective of the introduction of P-HIs in 1995 and of the DSP-HIs in 1998. Thus, from the consumers’ perspective, no changes have appeared in the last decade. A comparative analysis of the A-HIs, P-Hls, and DSP-HIs shows that among those provided with P-HIs and DSP-HIs, only 69.6 per cent (CI 68.1-71.0) and 65.5 per cent (CI 60.2-78.8), respectively, were very satisfied/satisfied with the HI, which is significantly less than the 73.5 per cent (CI 72.4-74.5) in those fitted with A-HIs. The daily/weekly use of all three types of His was similar. However, the group fitted with DSP-HIs was significantly less satisfied with the general services compared with those fitted with A-HIs and P-HIs, respectively. Based on these audit data, it is concluded that, according to the consumers, the outcome from His has not changed over the last decade, and a comparison between the traditional A-HIs with both P-HIs and DSP-HIs is in favour of the traditional A-HIs.
The subjective evaluation of the expansion time constant in single-channel wide dynamic range compression hearing instruments

The present study investigated the subjective evaluation of expansion time constants in single-channel wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) hearing instruments. Thirty participants utilized binaural WDRC hearing instruments for a two-week trial. Subjective evaluations were conducted by having each participant rate their satisfaction with the expansion time constant on a daily basis and by having each participant indicate their preferred expansion time constant following the completion of the two-week trial. Each change in expansion time constant significantly affected listener satisfaction; however, all time constants resulted in satisfactory performance. Of the users expressing a preference, 75% preferred fast-acting over slow-acting expansion. These findings suggest that dynamic expansion parameters play an important role in determining the effectiveness of the feature for a given listener.
A wideband open-slot antenna with high front-to-end ratio

A new design of open-slot antenna with a high front-to-back (F/B) gain ratio is proposed in this work. In order to enhance unidirectional radiation characteristics of the open-slot antenna, a two-element array and a pair of symmetrical notched slits are utilized. The two-element array achieves a power combination and increases the front-endfire radiation gain. The pair of symmetrical slits acts as a power reflector, which suppresses the backward radiating power. In addition, three arrays of eight-element metal strips are added and used as a power director so that the forward power and the F/B ratio of the open-slot antenna can enhance. From the measured results, the proposed antenna demonstrates a F/B ratio of 22.3 dB and possesses superior unidirectional radiation performance.
Gender discrimination misconducts perceived by female workers of Vietnamese industries

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Vietnamese female workers from various industries perceived gender discrimination and how they reacted against gender discrimination misconducts at workplace. A survey questionnaire was designed and distributed to 450 respondents. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed as statistical methods to analyze the relationships and mediating effect among the variables. Several implications were proposed at the end of the text based upon the research findings.
Randomized controlled trial of weight training and lymphedema in breast cancer survivors.

PURPOSE Lymphedema is a common condition that breast cancer survivors face. Despite a lack of supporting evidence from prospective observational studies, occupational and leisure time physical activity are feared to be possible risk factors for lymphedema onset or exacerbation. We examined effects of supervised upper- and lower-body weight training on the incidence and symptoms of lymphedema in 45 breast cancer survivors who participated in the Weight Training for Breast Cancer Survivors study. METHODS Participants were on average 52 years old, 4 to 36 months post-treatment, and had axillary dissection as part of their treatment. Thirteen women had prevalent lymphedema at baseline. The intervention was twice-a-week weight training over a period of 6 months. Lymphedema was monitored at baseline and 6 months by measuring the circumference of each arm, and by self-report of symptoms and clinical diagnosis. RESULTS None of the intervention-group participants experienced a change in arm circumferences > or = 2.0 cm after a 6-month exercise intervention. Self-reported incidence of a clinical diagnosis of lymphedema or symptom changes over 6 months did not vary by intervention status (P = .40 and P = .22, respectively). CONCLUSION This is the largest randomized controlled trial to examine associations between exercise and lymphedema in breast cancer survivors. The results of this study support the hypotheses that a 6-month intervention of resistance exercise did not increase the risk for or exacerbate symptoms of lymphedema. These results herald the need to start reevaluating common clinical guidelines that breast cancer survivors avoid upper body resistance activity for fear of increasing risk of lymphedema.
Developing an efficient spectral clustering algorithm on large scale graphs in spark

Recently, most of the data can be represented by graph structures, such as social media, Protein-Protein Interaction, transportation system, systems biology,…, etc. Many researches have been achieved to cluster very large graphs but more efficient algorithms are required since such a process takes a long time and requires more memory. In this paper, we propose an Efficient Spectral Clustering Algorithm on Large Scale Graphs in Spark (ESCALG), using map reduce function and shuffling phases in Dijkstra's algorithm. In addition, ESCALG depends mainly on a sparse matrix as a data structure, which less time in execution. Then, GraphX is applied to deal with graph data processing and in GraphX used Pregel in computing shortest path. To test the performance of ESCALG, it is compared with Large-Scale Spectral Clustering on Graphs and Standard Spectral Clustering Algorithms using seven datasets, where ESCALG proved high efciency in terms of memory and time performance.
Oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage in multiple organs of mice acutely exposed to amorphous silica nanoparticles

The use of amorphous silica (SiO2) in biopharmaceutical and industrial fields can lead to human exposure by injection, skin penetration, ingestion, or inhalation. However, the in vivo acute toxicity of amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles (SiNPs) on multiple organs and the mechanisms underlying these effects are not well understood. Presently, we investigated the acute (24 hours) effects of intraperitoneally administered 50 nm SiNPs (0.25 mg/kg) on systemic toxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage in the lung, heart, liver, kidney, and brain of mice. Lipid peroxidation was significantly increased by SiNPs in the lung, liver, kidney, and brain, but was not changed in the heart. Similarly, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were significantly affected by SiNPs in all organs studied. While the concentration of tumor necrosis factor α was insignificantly increased in the liver and brain, its increase was statistically significant in the lung, heart, and kidney. SiNPs induced a significant elevation in pulmonary and renal interleukin 6 and interleukin-1 beta in the lung, liver, and brain. Moreover, SiNPs caused a significant increase in DNA damage, assessed by comet assay, in all the organs studied. SiNPs caused leukocytosis and increased the plasma activities of lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, alanine aminotranferase, and aspartate aminotransferase. These results indicate that acute systemic exposure to SiNPs causes oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage in several major organs, and highlight the need for thorough evaluation of SiNPs before they can be safely used in human beings.
Spectra denoising of hyperspectral thermal infrared emissivity product via sparse representation over learned dictionaries

This paper presents a new approach to post temperature and emissivity separation processing for thermal infrared hyperspectral remote sensing data, based upon sparse signal representation. We address the denoising of emissivity product, where the atmospheric correction error, temperature and emissivty separation error and data noise are to be removed from a given emissivity product. The approach taken is based on a hypothesis of redundancy that among emissivity spectrum of features with common end-member components has strong spectral redundancy, then we can recover the emissivity spectrum based upon Sparse Representation (SR). Using the K-SVD algorithm and a priori spectral library data, we obtain a dictionary that describes the features emissivity spectrum content effectively. We show how such approach leads to a simple and effective spectra denoising that correct the retrieved emissivity close to real value.
Characterization of the Role of the ToxR-Modulated Outer Membrane Porins OmpU and OmpT in Vibrio cholerae Virulence

ABSTRACT ToxR, the transmembrane regulatory protein required for expression of virulence factors in the human diarrheal pathogen Vibrio cholerae, directly activates and represses the transcription of two outer membrane porins, OmpU and OmpT, respectively. In an attempt to dissect the role of the OmpU and OmpT porins in viability and virulence factor expression, in-frame chromosomal deletions were constructed in the coding sequences of ompU andompT of V. cholerae. Two separate deletions were introduced into ompU; the first (small) deletion, ΔompU1, removed the coding sequence for 84 internal amino acids (aa), while the second (large) deletion, ΔompU2, removed the coding sequence for the entire amino-terminal 274 aa. The ΔompU1 strain had a growth defect that could not be complemented by episomal expression of full-length ompU. In contrast, a strain with ΔompU2 displayed wild-type growth kinetics in rich media, suggesting that this is the true phenotype of a strain lacking OmpU and that the truncated OmpU protein, rather than the absence of OmpU, may be the cause for the ΔompU1phenotype. A large deletion removing the coding sequence for the entire N-terminal 273 aa of OmpT (ΔompT) was also constructed in wild-type as well as ΔtoxR and ΔompU2strains, and these strains displayed wild-type growth kinetics in rich media. However, the ΔompU2 strain was deficient for growth in deoxycholate compared to wild-type, ΔompT, and ΔompU2 ΔompT strains, reinforcing a positive role for the OmpU porin and a negative role for the OmpT porin in V. cholerae resistance to anionic detergents. The ΔompU2, ΔompT, and ΔompU2ΔompT strains exhibited wild-type levels of in vitro virulence factor expression and resistance to polymyxin B and serum and in vivo colonization levels similar to a wild-type strain in the infant mouse intestine. Our results demonstrate that (i) OmpU and OmpT are not essential proteins, as was previously thought; (ii) these porins contribute to V. cholerae resistance to anionic detergents; and (iii) OmpU and OmpT are not essential for virulence factor expression in vitro or intestinal colonization in vivo.
Barrier effect of treeing in composite insulating materials with heat-adhesive interfaces of different polymers

A polymer/polymer composite system is widely used in high-voltage equipment and power cables. The interface of this composite system plays an important role in the electrical degradation, such as electrical treeing or partial discharge, of the composite system. Therefore, it is important to study the effect of an interface on the electrical treeing of polymer/polymer-composite insulating materials. In this paper, we describe the tree growth and complete breakdown characteristics of specimens with a polymer barrier film layer molded in ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), in which the interface of EVA and the barrier film is perpendicular to the electric field under an AC voltage. It is found that with a barrier film, the tree growth is retarded on the barrier film, which then punctures the film, or develops along the edge of the film. It is also found that the pressure of decomposing gas in the tree channels plays an important role in tree propagation.
Education level predicts retrospective metamemory accuracy in healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease

The current study investigated the effect of education on retrospective metamemory accuracy in 143 healthy older adults and 143 early to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, using retrospective measures of confidence in the accuracy of retrieval responses in an episodic odor recognition memory task. Relative confidence accuracy was computed as the difference between confidence judgments for correct and incorrect responses. In both AD patients and controls, individuals reporting 17 years of education or more had significantly more accurate levels of confidence than individuals with 12 years or less. Thus, education was a significant predictor of retrospective metamemory accuracy in healthy aging and AD.
Integrated energy and reserve electricity market analysis using probabilistic optimal power flow

In this study a probabilistic optimal power flow approach is used to analyze an energy and reserve co-optimized electricity market using the Philippine Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) model. The probabilistic optimal power flow problem is solved using the Point Estimate Method which is shown to be faster and more efficient than the traditional, resource-heavy and time consuming Monte Carlo Simulation method. Simulation of test cases using various market set-ups are performed to evaluate the performance and accuracy of the Point Estimate Method as applied to the probabilistic optimal power flow problem. The resulting locational marginal prices, generator energy schedules, zonal reserve prices and generator reserve schedules are then compared with the results obtained using the Monte Carlo Simulation method. Analyses of the results show that the Point Estimate Method significantly reduces simulation time while maintaining accuracy.
Delegation Games: A Game Theoretical Perspective for Managerial Incentives

Companies employ managers for either practical, legal or administrative reasons. However, no matter what the reason, the good performance of managers and the success of companies are vital elements for firms. At this point, managerial incentives play a key role. In this paper, we use the VFJS model proposed by Vickers (1985), Fershtman and Judd (1987) and Sklivas (1987). We assume that owners in a duopoly each hire a manager with a publicly observable contract which is not renegotiable. The remuneration of a manager consists of a fixed part and a bonus (incentive), which can be based on pure profits, sales, relative profit or market share.We assume that firms have different marginal costs. We find that even an inefficient firm can obtain Stackelberg leadership profits if it compensates its manager with a market share or a relative profit incentive whereas its rival is just owner-led. We also consider duopolies where the efficient firm remunerates its manager with a market share incentive and the rival firm uses a sales, a relative profit or a market share incentive. We find that the efficient firm could achieve Stackelberg leadership profits if the difference between marginal costs of two firms exceeds a certain benchmark. Finally, we determine that the less efficient firm owner always prefers to use a managerial bonus based on relative profits. If the difference between marginal costs is large enough, the owner of the more efficient firm prefers to use a managerial bonus based on market share.
Assessing financial education methods: Principles vs. rules-of-thumb approaches

ABSTRACT Despite thousands of programs and tremendous public and private interest in improving financial decision-making, little is known about how best to teach financial education. Using an experimental approach, the authors estimated the effects of two different education methodologies (principles-based and rules-of-thumb) on the knowledge, self-assessed knowledge, financial self-efficacy, motivation to learn, willingness to seek advice, risk preferences, and time preferences of high-performing undergraduate students. They found both methods increased cognitive measures of knowledge and noncognitive measures of self-efficacy, motivation to learn, and willingness to take financial risks. They found few differences in the relative effectiveness of each method, although the principles methodology appears to generate larger gains in self-efficacy, while the rules-of-thumb method appears to reduce individuals' willingness to seek advice.
Preliminary investigation of dual mode CMUT probe for ultrasound image guided HIFU therapy

This preliminary study focuses on Capacitive Micro-machined Ultrasound Transducers (CMUTs) for dualmode ultrasound therapy and imaging. A planar probe design is being investigated in the context of Ultrasound-guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (USgHIFU) designed for endocavitary HIFU tissue ablation of the prostate gland. The hypothesis is that this CMUT design could offer potential advantages over currently used piezoelectric probes such as ease of miniaturization, increased elements for improved imaging and more control over electronic focusing allowing focal therapy. A planar dual mode CMUT probe consisting of a 3 MHz, 64-element annular array for therapy and 7 MHz, 256-element linear array for imaging were investigated in simulation and experimentally. Numerical models of the pressure field and tissue heating simulations were performed and compared with an existing piezo-based geometrically focused annular array HIFU probe (16 rings) with a hole in the center that possesses a curvilinear imaging array (128 elements). To validate the modelling and the focusing capabilities, pressure field hydrophone measurements were performed. Simulations showed that the planar annular CMUT design could dynamically focus from 3–7cm which matched well with the experimentally obtained pressure field data. Radiation force balance measurements confirmed the desired 5 W/cm2 surface acoustic intensity. This CMUT prototype will require further investigation for determination of the robustness of this technology and the ability to create lesions, yet according to the modelling and experimental validation thus far, this CMUT design shows promise for improved USgHIFU treatment strategies.
Grade Analysis for households segmentation based on energy usage patterns

The Grade Correspondence Analysis (GCA) with posterior clustering and visualization is introduced and applied to individual households' electricity usage data. The main task of this analysis is to identify a way of representing the variability of a households behavior and to develop an efficient way of clustering the households into a few, usable and homogenous groups. The regularity in terms of the electricity usage is useful information for organizations to allow accurate demand planning with the aim of improving the overall efficiency of the network. The approach is tested using data from 46 households located in Austin, Texas, USA and monitored for 14 months at a sampling interval of 1 hour.
Adaptive scheduling algorithm for video streams in wireless local area networks

This paper proposed an adaptive scheduling algorithm for real-time video streams in wireless local area networks (WLAN). The first job is how to reduce the amount of the video data that must be transmitted on the wireless channel. The second job is how to scheduling the video streams at the access point (AP) and achieving the best overall quality of service (QoS). For the first job, we will compare the deviation of two consecutive frames in the video stream and decide whether or not the follow-up frame should be transmitted. If the deviation of two consecutive frames not reach the threshold, the latter frame will be discarded, and the former will be keep in the server. Otherwise, it will be transmitted. We adaptively adjust the threshold at server to reduce the traffic load over the wireless channel. For the second job, the AP uses different scheduling policy at different stage according to the wireless traffic.
Use of a YAP1 overexpression cassette conferring specific resistance to cerulenin and cycloheximide as an efficient selectable marker in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Drug‐resistance markers for yeast transformation are useful because they can be applied to strains without auxotrophic mutations. However, they are susceptible to technical difficulties, namely lower transformation efficiency and the appearance of drug‐resistant mutants without the marker. To avoid these problems, we have constructed a phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) promoter‐driven YAP1 expression cassette, called PGKp–YAP1. Yeast cells containing PGKp–YAP1 were resistant to cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, and also to cerulenin, a fatty acid synthesis inhibitor, but not to other drugs tested. The transformation efficiency of PGKp–YAP1 using cerulenin selection was comparable to that using a URA3 auxotrophic marker when low concentrations of cerulenin were used. Non‐transformed drug‐resistant colonies did appear on the low‐concentration cerulenin plates. However, these non‐transformed colonies could easily be identified, based on their cycloheximide sensitivity and/or their resistance to aureobasidin A to which the transformants were sensitive. Therefore, the dual drug resistance of PGKp–YAP1 could be used as an effective selection for PGKp–YAP1 recipient cells. The PGKp–YAP1 marker was used to disrupt the LYS2 gene and to transform an industrial yeast strain, indicating that this marker can be used for efficient and reliable gene manipulations in any Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.