Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bilingual children and adult heritage speakers: The range of comparison

This paper compares the language of child bilinguals and adult unbalanced bilinguals (heritage speakers) against that of bilingual native speakers of their home language (baseline). We identify four major vectors of correspondence across the language spoken by these three groups. First, all varieties may represent a given linguistic property in a similar way (child bilinguals = adult heritage speakers = bilingual native speakers of their home language). This occurs when either (i) the property in question is highly robust and is acquired by learners without difficulty or (ii) the property is already in decline in the baseline. We illustrate scenario (i) with data from Russian count forms, which are morphologically quite complex. The preservation of these forms in child bilinguals and adult heritage speakers suggests that simplicity of encoding is not the only factor determining robustness of retention. Second, child and heritage speakers may share a linguistic structure that differs from the one found in the baseline (bilingual native speakers of their home language ≠ child bilinguals = adult heritage speakers). This scenario occurs when incipient structural changes in the baseline become amplified in the language of next-generation bilinguals, or when a given structure is rare, confined to a specific register, and/or reinforced through literacy. Third, a structure may be acquired by bilingual children faithfully, but undergo reanalysis/attrition in the adult heritage language (bilingual native speakers of their home language = child bilinguals ≠ adult heritage speakers). Russian relativization illustrates this scenario; child bilinguals show native-like performance on relative clauses but adult heritage speakers show an exaggerated subject preference in the interpretation of gaps. Finally, a structure that is not fully learned by child speakers may be reanalyzed by adult heritage speakers following general principles, thus bringing the adult heritage representation closer to that of the baseline (bilingual native speakers of their home language = adult heritage speakers ≠ child bilinguals). Heritage speakers’ production and comprehension of psychological predicates in Spanish illustrates this possibility.
Comparative Study of the Cytokine/Chemokine Response in Children with Differing Disease Severity in Enterovirus 71-Induced Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

Background Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection can lead to a rapidly progressing, life-threatening, and severe neurological disease in young children, including the development of human hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). This study aims to further characterize the specific immunological features in EV71–mediated HFMD patients presenting with differing degrees of disease severity. Methodology Comprehensive cytokine and chemokine expression were broadly evaluated by cytokine antibody array in EV71–infected patients hospitalized for HFMD compared to Coxsackievirus A16-infected patients and age-matched healthy controls. More detailed analysis using Luminex-based cytokine bead array was performed in EV71–infected patients stratified into diverse clinic outcomes. Additionally, immune cell frequencies in peripheral blood and EV71–specific antibodies in plasma were also examined. Principal Findings Expression of several cytokines and chemokines were significantly increased in plasma from EV71–infected patients compared to healthy controls, which further indicated that: (1) GM-CSF, MIP-1β, IL-2, IL-33, and IL-23 secretion was elevated in patients who rapidly developed disease and presented with uncomplicated neurological damage; (2) G-CSF and MCP-1 were distinguishably secreted in EV71 infected very severe patients presenting with acute respiratory failure; (3) IP-10, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8, and G-CSF levels were much higher in cerebrospinal fluid than in plasma from patients with neurological damage; (4) FACS analysis revealed that the frequency of CD19+HLADR+ mature B cells dynamically changed over time during the course of hospitalization and was accompanied by dramatically increased EV71–specific antibodies. Our data provide a panoramic view of specific immune mediator and cellular immune responses of HFMD and may provide useful immunological profiles for monitoring the progress of EV71–induced fatal neurological symptoms with acute respiratory failure.
The use of digital technology in substance misuse recovery

Alongside recent trends in the purchasing of illicit substances online, there has been a growth in the availability of online resources dedicated to treatment and recovery from substance misuse, including online interventions, mutual-aid groups and forums. Currently however, there is a lack of research on the utilisation of these online resources. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the use of these online resources by employing online data collection techniques. A quantitative online survey was used to investigate the range of online recovery resources used, and to compare the types of resources used at different stages of the substance misuse recovery journey. Qualitative online interviews were also conducted to investigate how individuals use these online resources alongside traditional offline recovery resources. Analyses revealed that forums were the most widely accessed online resource, however participants who were currently working towards abstinence were more likely to use therapeutic resources that explore the underlying causes behind substance misuse and help to manage these difficulties. Qualitative findings suggested an interaction between online and offline recovery resources. For example, participants reported that online resources may provide initial contact information for offline recovery meetings, or that offline support with developing digital skills may facilitate access to online resources. Despite these apparent benefits, there is limited signposting advice to direct people to appropriate online treatment and recovery resources for their substance misuse, so it is hoped that the findings from this study will help to inform future research around the production of such signposting advice.
Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of the novel transcription method for selection of potential nerve root compression in MRI study in degenerative disease of the lumbar spine

Background Degenerative disease of the lumbar spine is characterized by symptoms related to the affected nerve root. A recently described method allows the classification of the roots in relation to the occurrence of compression on its course. This method can serve as a clinical selection tool and decision support for semi-invasive pain therapy in back pain patients. Material/Methods We examined 40 lumbar spine MRIs in 3 sessions of transcription each, according to the method being evaluated. Every MRI evaluation was performed by each of 3 different observers. Intra- and interobserver reproducibility was calculated using chance-corrected agreement using a weighted kappa (κ) value with quadratic weights to assess reliability for each nerve root separately. Results We found high intraobserver agreement in indication of the root with most pronounced interference due to potential compression by degenerative changes, at the level mean κ=0.81 (with 95% CI, range 0.04). Less agreement was observed in the interobserver evaluation test with the mean κ=0.75 (95% CI within the range not exceeding 0.03), although it still reached the substantial agreement. Conclusions This zstudy provides evidence for substantial inter- and intraobserver agreement for the decision support method allowing selection of the most serious nerve structure compression in degenerative disease of the lumbar spine based on of the MRI description.
Developing Independent Listening Skills for English as an Additional Language Students.

This paper describes an action research project to develop online, self-access listening resources mirroring the authentic academic contexts experienced by graduate university students. Current listening materials for English as an Additional Language (EAL) students mainly use Standard American English or Standard British pronunciation, and far fewer materialsuse Australian or regional accents. Materials are also simplified or spoken at a slower speed, emphasizing comprehension-type questions, despite the fact that literature reveals effective listening development involves practice in real-life listening contexts. Academic listening materials conversely emphasize the formal lecture and development of note-taking skills. We developed a range of activities where listening input was accompanied by materials reflecting top-down and bottom-up strategies as well as other cognitive and meta-cognitive skills. Materials were developed over two action research cycles involving EAL research student participants. Paper-based exercises were trialed and then developed into online materials where students could create their own listening materials and build portfolios. Results from the participants in the workshops/focus groups indicate they were able to develop their listening skills independently because of the explicit and focused approach of the materials. However, even more explicit and simple instructional design was needed when translated into the online environment.
Biodegradable mesoporous calcium–magnesium silicate-polybutylene succinate scaffolds for osseous tissue engineering

The structural features of bone engineering scaffolds are expected to exhibit osteoinductive behavior and promote cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. In the present study, we employed synthesized ordered mesoporous calcium–magnesium silicate (om-CMS) and polybutylene succinate (PBSu) to develop a novel scaffold with potential applications in osseous tissue engineering. The characteristics, in vitro bioactivity of om-CMS/PBSu scaffold, as well as the cellular responses of MC3T3-E1 cells to the composite were investigated. Our results showed that the om-CMS/PBSu scaffold possesses a large surface area and highly ordered channel pores, resulting in improved degradation and biocompatibility compared to the PBSu scaffold. Moreover, the om-CMS/PBSu scaffold exhibited significantly higher bioactivity and induced apatite formation on its surface after immersion in the simulated body fluid. In addition, the om-CMS/PBSu scaffold provided a high surface area for cell attachment and released Ca, Mg, and Si ions to stimulate osteoblast proliferation. The unique surface characteristics and higher biological efficacy of the om-CMS/PBSu scaffold suggest that it has great potential for being developed into a system that can be employed in osseous tissue engineering.
Control of Supermarket Refrigeration Systems via Online Combinatorial Optimization

Supermarket refrigeration systems consume 4% of the total commercial energy consumption in the United States. Improving their energy efficiency contributes to the sustainability of global energy systems and the supermarket business sector. This paper proposes a new control method that can save the energy consumption of multi-case supermarket refrigerators by explicitly taking into account their interconnected and switched system dynamics. Its novelty is a bilevel combinatorial optimization formulation to generate ON/OFF control actions for expansion valves and compressors. The inner optimization module keeps display case temperatures in a desirable range and the outer optimization module minimizes energy consumption. In addition to its energy-saving capability, the proposed controller significantly reduces the frequency of compressor switchings by employing a conservative compressor control strategy. However, solving this bilevel optimization problem associated with inter-connected and switched systems is a computationally challenging task. To solve the problem in near real time, we propose two approximation algorithms that can solve both the inner and outer optimization problems at once. The first algorithm uses a linear approximation, and the second is based on the submodular structure of the optimization problem. Both are (polynomial-time) scalable algorithms and generate near-optimal solutions with performance guarantees. Our work complements existing optimization-based control methods (e.g., MPC) for supermarket refrigerators, as our algorithms can be adopted as a tool for solving combinatorial optimization problems arising in these methods.
Effects of Clinician-Guided Emergent Literacy Intervention Using Interactive Tablet Technology for Preschool Children With Cochlear Implants

The purpose of this study was to investigate if intervention based on a mobile application would improve the print knowledge and vocabulary of preschool children with and without hearing loss. This was a multiple baseline study that included four preschool children. Two of the children had hearing loss and utilized cochlear implants, while the other two had normal hearing. Clinicians utilized a mobile application to facilitate print knowledge (i.e., sound-symbol relationships) and to acquire new vocabulary. By the end of the study, all four children demonstrated improved familiarity with the targeted letter sounds and improved knowledge of the vocabulary words that were utilized during the study. The results of this study indicate that the mobile application, in combination with clinician scaffolding, was an effective tool for facilitating early literacy skills in preschool children. Prior print knowledge and vocabulary development appeared to be stronger indicators of response to treatment than hearing status.
Simultaneous Coverage : It also makes sense to talk about events that are defined simultaneously over all j ∈

We develop a general approach to valid inference after model selection. In a nutshell, our approach produces post-selection inferences with the same frequency guarantees as those given by data splitting but are more powerful. At the core of our framework is a result that characterizes the distribution of a post-selection estimator conditioned on the selection event. We specialize the approach to model selection by the lasso to form valid confidence intervals for the selected coefficients and test whether all relevant variables have been included in the model.
A variational approach for the fusion of bracketing images

In the very common situation of taking pictures in a night scene with artificial lighting, the light coming from the scene is not enough for most cameras. Using the exposure bracketing feature available in most photo cameras, we obtain a series of pictures taken in rapid succession with different exposure times with the implicit idea that the user picks from this set the better looking image. But often none of these images is good enough: in general, good color information is retained from longer exposure settings while sharp details are obtained from the shorter ones. In this work we propose a variational method for automatically recombining a bracketed pair of images into a single picture that reflects the optimal properties of each one. For this we introduce an energy functional consisting of two terms, one measuring the difference in edge information with the underexposed image, the other term measuring the local color difference with a warped version of the overexposed image. The method is able to handle camera and subject motion as well as noise, and the results compare favorably with the state of the art.
Performance-directed retiming for FPGAs using post-placement delay information

In todays deep-submicron designs, the interconnect delays contribute an increasing part to the overall performance of an implementation. Particularly when targeting field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), interconnect delays are crucial, since they can easily vary by orders of magnitude. Many existing performance-directed retiming methods use simple delay models which either neglect routing delays or use inaccurate delay estimations. In this paper, we propose a retiming approach which overcomes the problem of inaccurate delay models. Our retiming technique uses delay information extracted from a fully placed and routed design and takes account of register timing requirements. By applying physical constraints, we ensure that the delay information remains valid during retiming. In our experiments, we achieved up to 27% performance improvement.
Effect of Dietary Supplementation of the Combination of Gallic and Linoleic Acid in Thigh Meat of Broilers

This study was performed to investigate the combined effect of dietary supplementation of gallic and linoleic acid (GL) on the antioxidative effect and quality of thigh meat from broilers. Broilers received 3 dietary treatments: i) commercial finisher diet (control), ii) 0.5% GL (gallic:linoleic acid = 1 M:1 M), and iii) 1.0% GL during the 22 to 36 d. The pH value of broiler thigh meat was increased by GL supplementation. Water holding capacity of the thigh meat was enhanced by the 1.0% dietary GL supplementation. Antioxidative effect (total phenolic content, DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS+ reducing activity, reducing power, and TBARS value) in the thigh from the broilers improved significantly with 1.0% GL. Linoleic acid and docosahexaenoic acids were higher in the broilers fed both levels of dietary GL. However, volatile basic nitrogen content and microbiological quality was not shown to be different between control and treated group. Results indicate that 1.0% dietary supplementation of GL can improve the antioxidant activity of broiler thigh meat and may enhance the meat quality.
Characterization of the resistance to the anorectic and endocrine effects of leptin in obesity-prone and obesity-resistant rats fed a high-fat diet.

Leptin produced by adipocytes controls body weight by restraining food intake and enhancing energy expenditure at the hypothalamic level. The diet-induced increase in fat mass is associated with the presence of elevated circulating leptin levels, suggesting the development of resistance to its anorectic effect. Rats, like humans, show different susceptibility to diet-induced obesity. The aim of the present study was to compare the degree of leptin resistance in obesity-prone (OP) vs obesity-resistant (OR) rats on a moderate high-fat (HF) diet and to establish if the effects of leptin on hypothalamo-pituitary endocrine functions were preserved. Starting from 6 weeks after birth, male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed on either a commercial HF diet (fat content: 20% of total calorie intake) or a standard pellet chow (CONT diet, fat content: 3%). After 12 weeks of diet, rats fed on HF diet were significantly heavier than rats fed on CONT diet. Animals fed on HF diet were ranked according to body weight; the two tails of the distribution were called OP and OR rats respectively. A polyethylene cannula was implanted into the right ventricle of rats 1 week before central leptin administration. After 12 weeks of HF feeding, both OR and OP rats were resistant to central leptin administration (10 mug, i.c.v.) (24 h calorie intake as a percent of vehicle-treated rats: CONT rats, 62 [50; 78]; OR, 93 [66; 118]; OP, 90 [70; 120] as medians and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of six rats for each group). Conversely, after 32 weeks of diet both OR and OP rats were partially responsive to 10 mug leptin i.c. v. as compared with CONT rats (24 h calorie intake as a percent of vehicle-treated rats: CONT rats, 60 [50; 67]; OR, 65 [50; 80]; OP, 80 [60; 98] as medians and 95% CIs of six rats for each group); the decrease of food intake following 200 mug leptin i.p. administration was similar in all the three groups (calorie intake as a percent of vehicle-treated rats: 86 [80; 92] as median and 95% CI). The long-term intake of HF diet caused hyperleptinemia, hyperinsulinemia and higher plasma glucose levels in OP rats as compared with CONT rats. Plasma thyroxine (T4) was lower in all the rats fed the HF diet as compared with CONT. i.c. v. administration of leptin after 32 weeks of diet restored normal insulin levels in OP rats. Moreover, leptin increased plasma T4 concentration and strongly enhanced GH mRNA expression in the pituitary of OP as well as OR rats (180+/-10% vs vehicle-treated rats). In conclusion, long-term intake of HF diet induced a partial central resistance to the anorectic effect of leptin in both lean and fat animals; the neuroendocrine effects of leptin on T4 and GH were preserved.
Cross Cultural Surveys and Interviewing

Survey and interviews are the most widely used methods in cross cultural research. Some basic questions about designing of surveys have been raised. A paradigm of interview as a form of communication has been proposed. The relevant factors in relation to the interviewer’s background, questions asked, respondent’s background, interview and its setting, questions understood, respondent motivation answer given and answer understood have been discussed in relation to the paradigm. This interviewing process has been discussed in details (purpose, preparation of the schedule, sequencing, questions and responses, structure and scaling). The other topics covered are treating data from interview, interviewer related factors, respondent related factors, cultural factors and authenticity of interviews. Selection and training of interviewers are also discussed.
An efficient strategy for features combination

An important consideration in designing of visual object classification systems is the representation of images. In the past decades, significant improvement has been made, which can owe to two strategies: the proposal of new discriminative local image features together with the combination of existing local image features. In this paper, several strategies which provide the combination weights of different local features are enumerated, and then our own strategy, in which the weights of multiple features are determined by their contributions to the classification performance, is proposed. At the end of the paper, we provide our result in Visual Object Classes Challenge 2009 (VOC 2009), which shows that the strategy is competitive with state-of-the-art methods while the processing time is dramatically reduced.
Self-organising communities formed by middle agents

This paper attempts to construct a flexible and effective organisation involving users and middle agents in distributed information systems. In particular, middle agents are employed to organise users according to users" expressed characteristics (e.g. behaviour). Due to the distributed and dynamically changing properties of users, middle agents are used to search suitable information resources in response to user requests. During search, middle agents also monitor and recognise user behaviour, and group users that have matching behaviour together. So eventually users with similar preferences or interests can be clustered into the same community. Self-organising communities reduce the difficulties of human design work on organisation and user similarity calculation, and avoid the constraints due to the design. The user preferences, at the same time, are reflected accurately. Simulated experiments have shown that self-organising communities can organise users properly, and have continuously improved search speed and search efficiency as the communities are correctly formed. In addition, the formation of communities was scalable as number of users increased.