Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the nature of phonological assembly: Evidence from backward masking

The present study used the backward masking paradigm to investigate the nature and time course of phonological assembly. Two experiments were performed that tried to specify the extent to which phonological assembly is a serial process, or a process that gives special weight to consonants over vowels. Experiment 1 showed that recognition rates in a backward masking task varied as a function of the serial position of the phonemes that were shared between backward masks and target words. When the backward masks and target words shared final phonemes, recognition rates were higher than when they shared initial phonemes. In addition, the data exhibited a weak difference between consonant and vowel preserving masks. In Experiment 2, nonwords were added to the target words of Experiment 1 to discourage guessing from the backward masks. Although serial effects of phonological assembly were again found, the consonant/vowel differences from the previous experiment disappeared. Overall, the results of both experiments showed strong serial effects of assembled phonology compared to much weaker consonant/vowel effects. Furthermore, the emergence of consonant/vowel effects appeared to be modulated by guessing strategies and the consonant/vowel structure of the words. These guessing strategies appear to be an inherent problem with the backward masking task.
Advantage of Recording Single-Unit Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Heart Failure

Elevated sympathetic activation is a characteristic feature of heart failure (HF). Excessive sympathetic activation under resting conditions has been shown to increase from the early stages of the disease, and is related to prognosis. Direct recording of multiunit efferent muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) by microneurography is the best method for quantifying sympathetic nerve activity in humans. To date, this technique has been used to evaluate the actual central sympathetic outflow to the periphery in HF patients at rest and during exercise; however, because the firing occurrence of sympathetic activation is mainly synchronized by pulse pressure, multiunit MSNA, expressed as burst frequency (bursts/min) and burst incidence (bursts/100 heartbeats), may have limitations for the quantification of sympathetic nerve activity. In HF, multiunit MSNA is near the maximum level, and cannot increase further than the heartbeat. Single-unit MSNA analysis in humans is technically demanding, but provides more detailed information regarding central sympathetic firing. Although a great deal is known about the response of multiunit MSNA to stress, little information is available regarding the responses of single-unit MSNA to physiological stress and disease. The purposes of this review are to describe the differences between multiunit and single-unit MSNA during stress and to discuss the advantages of single-unit MSNA recording in improving our understanding the pathology of increased sympathetic activity in HF.
On Computing Mapping of 3D Objects

We review the computation of 3D geometric data mapping, which establishes one-to-one correspondence between or among spatial/spatiotemporal objects. Effective mapping benefits many scientific and engineering tasks that involve the modeling and processing of correlated geometric or image data. We model mapping computation as an optimization problem with certain geometric constraints and go through its general solving pipeline. Different mapping algorithms are discussed and compared according to their formulations of objective functions, constraints, and optimization strategies.
Personalization of Mobile Health Applications for Remote Health Monitoring

Mobile technologies have significantly developed in the last two decades. These technologies are now commonly utilized in many mobile applications, especially on health. Remote health monitoring including wearable sensors and various health applications has attracted the attention of communication and health sectors reducing the cost of patient monitoring and improving the quality of treatment in hospitals or at home during the period of convales-cence, thus increasing patients’ quality of life. In addition, behavior change support features and persuasion strategies are integrated into mobile health applications to provide more efficient healthcare for patients. In this paper, remote health monitoring is explored together with behavior change support features and persuasion strategies used in mobile health applications.
Improving consonant identification in noise and reverberation by steady-state suppression as a preprocessing approach

Noise (N), reverberation (R), and a combination of N and R (NR) differently degrade speech intelligibility. The current study aims to improve speech intelligibility in public spaces by processing speech signals through public address systems (a preprocessing approach). As a preprocessing approach, we proposed steady-state suppression, and it has improved consonant identification in R. The current study tests the effect of steady-state suppression in N, R, and NR at three signal to noise ratios and at reverberation time of 0.9 s. Results showed that steady-state suppression significantly improved consonant identification by 21 young people in NR and in R. Furthermore, steady-state suppression improved consonant identification more in NR than in R. The results indicate that steady-state suppression may be applicable to public spaces having N and R. The results also indicate that an integration of N and R improves the performance of a preprocessing approach in a certain range of N and R.
Persistence of the Dow Jones Index on Rising Volume

This paper documents a relation between the persistence of stock returns for a large firm index and trading volume. Previous results on the negative relation between volume and persistence are replicated, but a second effect is discovered. Persistence is directly related to the current rate of change of volume. Also, this effect appears much stronger for positive returns than negative returns. Various specifications are tested to explore the structure of this phenomenon. Finally, individual firm returns are used showing that much of the correlation is coming from cross firm effects involving leads and lags. Some weak evidence is presented showing that lower beta firms are more likely to lead the overall index movements. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
Neoliberal Developments, National Consciousness, and Political Economies of Resistance in Palestine

This essay explores the concept of political economies of resistance in Palestine as an alternative to the anticolonial imaginary articulated by nationalist visions, and the potential for liberation offered by local actors who articulate these political economies of resistance. It considers Frantz Fanon’s vision of national consciousness, its relevance to Palestinian resistance in the context of settler colonialism, and its aid in the articulation of political economies of resistance as a way to imagine otherwise in global politics. The impact of the Oslo peace process is discussed as a signalling of the end of a sort of Palestinian anticolonial utopia, with particular attention to the Palestinian nationalism embodied by leadership such as the Palestinian Authority, and its weddedness to liberal notions of economics and politics. It then considers contemporary Palestinian claims of politics and economies of resistance that are both local and transnational in their articulation, arguing that nationalist commitments to anticolonial utopias foreclose, not only the ability to imagine otherwise in global politics, but also obscure the otherwise already interrupting the histories of colonial modernity.
A Human PrM Antibody That Recognizes a Novel Cryptic Epitope on Dengue E Glycoprotein

Dengue virus (DENV) is a major mosquito-borne pathogen infecting up to 100 million people each year; so far no effective treatment or vaccines are available. Recently, highly cross-reactive and infection-enhancing pre-membrane (prM)-specific antibodies were found to dominate the anti-DENV immune response in humans, raising concern over vaccine candidates that contain native dengue prM sequences. In this study, we have isolated a broadly cross-reactive prM-specific antibody, D29, during a screen with a non-immunized human Fab-phage library against the four serotypes of DENV. The antibody is capable of restoring the infectivity of virtually non-infectious immature DENV (imDENV) in FcγR-bearing K562 cells. Remarkably, D29 also cross-reacted with a cryptic epitope on the envelope (E) protein located to the DI/DII junction as evidenced by site-directed mutagenesis. This cryptic epitope, while inaccessible to antibody binding in a native virus particle, may become exposed if E is not properly folded. These findings suggest that generation of anti-prM antibodies that enhance DENV infection may not be completely avoided even with immunization strategies employing E protein alone or subunits of E proteins.
A Practical Cluster-Based Channel Estimation Method for IEEE 802.16e

A novel channel estimation method is proposed to improve the performance of highly mobile applications specified by IEEE 802.16e. It utilizes the continuity of channel variations and brings increment of signal-to-interference ratio (SIR). It is suitable to the special scheme of pilot distribution and is also practical for no prior statistical knowledge of channel is needed. Furthermore, based on cluster structure, it significantly reduces the computational complexity. The mean square error (MSE) floor of our estimator drops more than 7 dB due to the improvement in SIR. The simulation results prove the enhanced performance of estimator MSE and system bit error rate (BER) in fading channels of rapid time-variations
Can kiwis and koalas as cultural primes induce perceptual bias in Australian English speaking listeners?

The presence of culturally significant objects has been shown to induce biases in speech perception consistent with features of the dialect relevant to the object. Questions remain about the transferability of this effect to different dialect contexts, and the efficacy of the task in inducing the effect. This paper details an Australian-context experiment modelled on Hay and Drager’s (2010) New Zealand-context stuffed toy study. Seventy-five listeners heard spoken Australian English (AusE) phrases with phrase-final monosyllabic words containing either kit, dress, or trap vowels. Each phrase was followed by audio presentation of a six-step synthesized vowel continuum, from New Zealand English (NZE)-like to exaggerated AusE-like tokens. Listeners attempted to match one of the synthesized variants to the speaker’s realization of the target vowel. Listeners were exposed to one of two priming conditions, established by stuffed toy kiwis (New Zealand) and stuffed toy koalas (Australia), or a control condition (no toy). Contrary to Hay and Drager (2010), token selections did not differ significantly between the New Zealand and Australian priming conditions. However, reversing the order of continuum presentation did significantly affect token selection for kit vowels, raising questions about the task design itself. Results suggest that the influence of regional primes on speech perception may be more limited than previously thought.
Evaluation of the clinical utility of a carotid bruit.

BACKGROUND Uncertainty exists over whether listening for carotid bruits as part of the clinical examination is informative in terms of predicting the presence or severity of carotid stenosis. AIM We sought to undertake a comprehensive meta-analysis and meta-regression of all studies to date that have assessed the relationship between a carotid bruit and severity of degree of stenosis. METHODS Electronic databases were used to identify all published studies in humans evaluating the association between bruit and stenosis published until and including October 2011. Pooled sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated for each stenosis group. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve analysis was performed in studies assessing clinically relevant (i.e. >70%) stenosis. Meta-regression was performed in all studies, using random effects. RESULTS We identified 26 studies evaluating the association between carotid bruit and stenosis, in 15 117 arteries. For clinically relevant stenosis (i.e. >70%), we found pooled sensitivity 0.53 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.5-0.55], specificity 0.83 (95% CI: 0.82-0.84) and DOR 4.32 (95% CI: 2.78-6.66). SROC curve analysis gave an area under the curve of 0.73. Meta-regression analysis showed a (non-significant) (P = 0.067) inverse relationship between carotid bruit and stenosis. CONCLUSION The carotid bruit is of moderate value for detecting clinically relevant carotid stenosis. It gives high specificity but low sensitivity. The likelihood of a carotid bruit does not increase at increasing degrees of stenosis.
Retrieval of aerosol optical depth over land surfaces from AVHRR data

Abstract. The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) provides a global, long-term, consistent time series of radiance data in several wavebands which are used for the retrieval of surface spectral reflectance, albedo and surface temperature. Long-term time series of such data products are necessary for studies addressing climate change, sea ice distribution and movement, and ice sheet coastal configuration. AVHRR radiances have also been used to retrieve aerosol properties over ocean and land surfaces. However, the retrieval of aerosol over land is challenging because of the limited information content in the data which renders the inversion problem ill defined. Solving the radiative transfer equations requires additional information to reduce the number of unknowns. In this contribution we utilise an empirical linear relationship between the surface reflectances in the AVHRR channels at wavelengths of 3.75 μm and 2.1 μm, which has been identified in the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Following the MODIS dark target approach, this relationship is used to obtain the surface reflectance at 0.64 μm. The comparison of the estimated surface reflectances with MODIS reflectance products (MOD09) shows a strong correlation. Once this was established, the MODIS "dark-target" aerosol retrieval method was adapted to AVHRR data. A simplified look-up table (LUT) method, adopted from the Bremen AErosol Retrieval (BAER) algorithm, was used in the retrieval. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) values retrieved from AVHRR with this method compare favourably with ground-based measurements, with 71.8% of the points located within ±(0.1 + 0.15τ) (τ is the AOD) of the identity line. This method can be easily applied to other satellite instruments which do not have a 2.1 μm channel, such as those currently planned to be used on geostationary satellites.
Extended DEVSML as a Model Transformation Intermediary to Make UML Diagrams Executable

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) has been widely used for software and system design. To reduce the cost and risk of the system development, it is very important to validate and evaluate the system precisely in early design phase. Many efforts were made to make UML executable by transforming single diagram to executable model such as Colored Petri Nets (CPN), however, approach like this could not provide more systematic and intuitive simulation of the entire system. Therefore we choose the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) as the target formalism and transform UML Diagrams to systematically simulatable models in this paper. To achieve this goal, we extend the DEVS modeling language (DEVSML) by enhancing its capability of describing complex behavior of systems, and provide an automated code generation process using Extended DEVSML (E-DEVSML) as a model transformation intermediary to help modelers to acquire the benefits of DEVS framework without delving in the DEVS theory. KeywordsUML; DEVS; Model Transformation; Simulation; Executable Model
Orientation and size of the ‘Z’ in X-shaped radio galaxies

Some X-shaped radio galaxies show a Z-symmetric morphology in the less luminous secondary lobes. Within the scenario of a merger between two galaxies, each hosting a supermassive black hole in its centre, this structure has been explained before. As the smaller galaxy spirals towards the common centre, it releases gas to the interstellar medium of the larger active galaxy. The ram pressure of this streaming gas will bend the lobes of the pre-merger jet into a Z-shape. After the black holes have merged, the jet propagates in a new direction that is aligned with the angular momentum of the binary black hole. In this paper we deproject the pre- and post-merger jets. Taking into account the expected angles between the jet pairs and with the assumption that their directions are uncorrelated, we show that one of three possible orientations of the jets with respect to the line of sight is more likely than the others. This actually depends on the distance where the bending occurs. Another result of our deprojection is that the streaming gas bends the jet into a Z-shape in a range between about 30 and 100 kpc distance to the centre of the primary galaxy. We confirm this finding by comparing our predictions for the properties of the rotational velocity field and its radius with observations and numerical simulations of merging galaxies. Thus, our results support the merger scenario as explanation for X- and Z-shaped radio galaxies with the jet pointing along the former axis of orbital angular momentum of the binary.
THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON TRAVEL AGENTS

The travel industry is being fundamentally altered by IT (information technology). Historically airlines and large hotel chains, for example, have been early adopters of new technologies such as Computer Reservations Systems (CRSs). The distribution network being used by the travel industry is in many ways outdated, relying on third parties such as CRS vendors or travel agents who have traditionally justified their presence through a specialized technology infrastructure and specific knowledge. A frequently cited impact of IT is that the emergence of electronic markets will promote the bypassing of intermediaries. This article examines the impact of IT on the travel agent industry in terms of costs and convenience to customers.
Improved Biomedical and Psychological Outcomes 1 Year After Structured Education in Flexible Insulin Therapy for People With Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating), a structured education program in flexible insulin therapy, has been widely adopted in the U.K. after validation in a randomized trial. To determine benefits in routine practice, we collected biomedical and psychological data from all participants attending during a 12-month period. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS HbA1c, weight, self-reported hypoglycemia awareness, severe hypoglycemia frequency, PAID (Problem Areas In Diabetes), HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and EuroQol Group 5-Dimension Self-Report Questionnaire scores were recorded prior to DAFNE and after 1 year. RESULTS Complete baseline and follow-up HbA1c data were available for 639 (54.9%) of 1,163 attendees. HbA1c fell from 8.51 ± 1.41 (mean ± SD) to 8.24 ± 1.29% (difference 0.27 [95% CI 0.16–0.38]; P < 0.001), with a greater mean fall of 0.44% from baseline HbA1c >8.5%. Severe hypoglycemia rate fell from 1.7 ± 8.5 to 0.6 ± 3.7 episodes per person per year (1.1 [0.7–1.4]) and hypoglycemia recognition improved in 43% of those reporting unawareness. Baseline psychological distress was evident, with a PAID score of 25.2 and HADS scores of 5.3 (anxiety) and 4.8 (depression), falling to 16.7 (8.5 [6.6–10.4]), 4.6 (0.7 [0.4–1.0]), and 4.2 (0.6 [0.3–0.8]), respectively (all P < 0.001 at 1 year). Clinically relevant anxiety and depression (HADS ≥8) fell from 24.4 to 18.0% and 20.9 to 15.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS A structured education program delivered in routine clinical practice not only improves HbA1c while reducing severe hypoglycemia rate and restoring hypoglycemia awareness but also reduces psychological distress and improves perceived well-being.
Pattern entropy - revisited

A pattern of a sequence is a sequence of integer indices with each index describing the order of first occurrence of the respective symbol in the original sequence. Several recent works studied entropy and entropy rate of patterns. Specifically, in a recent paper, tight general bounds on the block entropy of patterns of sequences generated by independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) sources were derived. In this paper, precise approximations are given to the pattern block entropies for patterns of sequences generated by i.i. d. uniform and monotonic distributions, including distributions over the integers, and the geometric distribution. Numerical non-asymptotic bounds on the pattern block entropies of these distributions are provided even for very short blocks, and even for distributions that have infinite i.i. d. entropy rates. Conditional index entropy is also studied for distributions over smaller alphabets.
Economics of the 96/92 Directive with Reference to Italian Electricity Market Liberalisation Process

This paper contains an economic review of the law regulating the liberalisation process now under way in the Italian electricity sector. The legal framework is presented focusing first on Community rules, in particular Directive 96/92, which provides for common rules for the internal electricity market, and then on the recent Italian implementation decree no. 79 of 1999. The part concerning the law is then connected with a part where the issue of liberalisation of the electricity sector is tackled in economic terms, with special focus on transition from the public monopoly that has characterised the Italian experience for some time, and also on the new interpretation of the traditional theory of natural monopoly. On the base of the legal framework and the economic theories, the features of each components of the electricity sector is finally analysed in terms of competitiveness: in particular, the future market configuration is considered for generation, for transmission, for distribution, and, for the whole market.