Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Preeclampsia a New Risk Factor for Cochlear Damage and Hearing Loss?

Objective: We investigated whether preeclampsia is a risk factor for cochlear damage and permanent hearing loss. Study Design: Prospective case-control study design. Setting: Academic tertiary medical center. Patients: Subjects included 40 patients with preeclampsia and 30 healthy pregnant women. Interventions: Otoscopic examinations and pure-tone audiometry, tympanometry, otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), and stapedial reflex tests were conducted for all subjects. Negative audiologic tests were reevaluated after the postpartum period. Statistical analyses were performed using &khgr;2 and binary logistic regression testing. Main Outcome Measures: We searched for signs of middle ear ventilation, damage of cochlea, and sensorineural hearing loss. Results: Eight patients from the preeclampsia group had 1 or more otological problems. Two patients from the control group were determined as having otological problems. Otoacoustic emissions of the right and left ears (p = 0.029, p = 0.044), hearing levels of right and left ear bone conduction (BC) at the 500-Hz frequency (right and left-BC 500), and left ear at the 2,000-Hz frequency (left-BC 2000) differed significantly between the preeclampsia and control groups (p = 0.040, p = 0.003, and p = 0.003). There was no significant difference in the OAEs between the right and left ears in the preeclampsia group (p < 0.05). The variables BC 500-left, BC 500-right, OAE-right, and OAE-left differed significantly between groups based on binary logistic testing. The odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for these 4 risk variables were as follows: BC 500-left, 1.167 (1.044-1.306); BC 500-right, 1.117 (1.002-1.244); OAE-right, 0.642 (0.505-0.815); and OAE-left, 0.576 (0.475-0.698), respectively. Conclusion: Preeclampsia is a risk factor for cochlear damage and permanent hearing loss. Even if preeclampsia resolves after delivery, cochlear damage and permanent hearing loss remain unchanged in patients with preeclampsia.
Feasibility of adaptive streaming technologies in developing an integrated learning platform

Education system is going through a reform in terms of delivering lectures, with recent studies suggesting that shorter lectures help students to focus on the concepts thoroughly as well as effectively as they are found to be more engaging than the longer ones. However, making it a reality in traditional classroom settings is a big challenge. One possible alternative is to deliver lecture through short, bite-sized chunks of videos over the Internet which the students can access using their own devices at their own time, thus creating a flexible learning environment. This again posts another challenge in terms of its functionalities in bandwidth-scarce situations. This paper conducts a feasibility study of developing such a system, termed integrated learning platform, or iLEAP, by utilising adaptive streaming technology algorithms. iLEAP is intended to host lecture videos as well as discussion forums for students to engage in active discussions among themselves. This paper discusses the methods by which the data size can be reduced so as to enable the platform to work satisfactorily under varying network conditions. Evaluation of some of these techniques is done to show the viability of such a system which can enhance the learning experience of students. The paper concludes with further insights on the possibility of such techniques in other useful areas such as telemedicine.
Glucagon‐like peptide‐1: modulator of β‐cell dysfunction and death

Glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) is one of the hormones responsible for the incretin effect, a term that refers to the observation that orally administered glucose results in a larger increase in plasma insulin levels and insulin‐dependent decrease in blood glucose concentration when compared to the same amount of glucose given intravenously. GLP‐1 is secreted mainly by gut endocrine L‐cells and is released under the control of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. Upon secretion, GLP‐1 targets different cell types and exerts a wide variety of actions such as potentiation of glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion, reduction of appetite, delay of gastric emptying and increase in β‐cell mass. These beneficial effects have resulted in the application of GLP‐1‐based therapies in patients with type 2 diabetes, but also exploitation of its effects in type 1 diabetes is being envisaged. In this review, we focus on the different, short‐ and long‐term action mechanisms of GLP‐1 with specific emphasis on its role as a modulator of β‐cell function and survival.
Epidemiologic characteristics and risk factors for renal cell cancer

Incidence rates of renal cell cancer, which accounts for 85% of kidney cancers, have been rising in the United States and in most European countries for several decades. Family history is associated with a two- to four-fold increase in risk, but the major forms of inherited predisposition together account for less than 4% of renal cell cancers. Cigarette smoking, obesity, and hypertension are the most consistently established risk factors. Analgesics have not been convincingly linked with renal cell cancer risk. A reduced risk of renal cell cancer among statin users has been hypothesized but has not been adequately studied. A possible protective effect of fruit and vegetable consumption is the only moderately consistently reported dietary finding, and, with the exception of a positive association with parity, evidence for a role of hormonal or reproductive factors in the etiology of renal cell cancer in humans is limited. A recent hypothesis that moderate levels of alcohol consumption may be protective for renal cell cancer is not strongly supported by epidemiologic results, which are inconsistent with respect to the categories of alcohol consumption and the amount of alcohol intake reportedly associated with decreased risk. For occupational factors, the weight of the evidence does not provide consistent support for the hypotheses that renal cell cancer may be caused by asbestos, gasoline, or trichloroethylene exposure. The established determinants of renal cell cancer, cigarette smoking, obesity, and hypertension, account for less than half of these cancers. Novel epidemiologic approaches, including evaluation of gene–environment interactions and epigenetic mechanisms of inherited and acquired increased risk, are needed to explain the increasing incidence of renal cell cancer.
Thrombin generation assays are superior to traditional tests in assessing anticoagulation reversal in vitro

Summary Even though new anticoagulants are being devised with the notion that they do not require regular monitoring, when bleeding occurs, it is important to have an antidote and a reliable test to confirm whether the anticoagulant effects are persisting. We examined the effects of five heparinoids, unfractionated heparin (UFH), tinzaparin, enoxaparin, danaparoid and fondaparinux on the traditional APTT and anti-Xa assays as well as on the calibrated automated thrombogram (CAT). We also studied the ability of protamine sulphate (PS), NovoSeven®, FEIBA® and FFP to reverse maximum anticoagulation induced by the different heparinoids. The CAT was the only test to detect the coagulopathy of all the anticoagulants. PS produced complete reversal of UFH, and this could be monitored with all three tests. Tinzaparin can also be completely neutralised in vitro with high doses of PS, but the maximum enoxaparin reversal achieved with PS is only approximately 60%. Fondaparinux does not significantly affect the APTT and PS has no significant effect on its reversal. Only NovoSeven was able to correct the fondaparinux induced CAT abnormalities whilst having no effect on the anti-Xa level. None of the reversal agents was very effective in danaparoid spiked plasma but NovoSeven, at high dose, increased the ETP by 40% and reduced the anti-Xa level from 0.93 to 0.78 IU/ml. We conclude that the CAT is superior to the traditional coagulation tests in that it not only detects the coagulopathy of all the he-parinoids but can be also be used to monitor their reversal.
Different projections of the central amygdaloid nucleus mediate autonomic and behavioral correlates of conditioned fear

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether lesions of areas projected to by the central amygdaloid nucleus (ACE) would disrupt the classical conditioning of autonomic and/or behavioral emotional responses. The areas studied included 3 projection targets of the ACE: the lateral hypothalamic area (LH), midbrain central gray (CG) region, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Lesions were made either electrolytically or by microinjection of ibotenic acid, which destroys local neurons without interrupting fibers of passage. Two weeks later, the animals were classically conditioned by pairing an acoustic stimulus with footshock. The next day, conditioned changes in autonomic activity (increases in arterial pressure) and emotional behavior (“freezing,” or the arrest of somatomotor activity) evoked by the acoustic conditioned stimulus (CS) were measured during extinction trials. Electrolytic and ibotenic acid lesions of the LH interfered with the conditioned arterial pressure response, but did not affect conditioned freezing. Electrolytic lesions of the rostral CG disrupted conditioned freezing but not conditioned changes in arterial pressure. Ibotenic acid injected into the rostral CG reduced neither the arterial pressure nor the freezing response. Injection of ibotenic acid in the caudal CG, like electrolytic lesions of the rostral CG, disrupted the freezing, but not the arterial pressure response. Injection of ibotenic acid into the BNST had no effect on either response. These data demonstrate that neurons in the LH are involved in the autonomic, but not the behavioral, conditioned response pathway, whereas neurons in the caudal CG are involved in the behavioral, but not the autonomic, pathway. Different efferent projections of the central amygdala thus appear to mediate the behavioral and autonomic concomitants of conditioned fear.
Trajectography of an uncalibrated stereo rig in urban environments

This paper describes an original method to compute the relative motion of an uncalibrated stereo rig in urban environments from features lying on the road. The extraction of significant reliable features on the road remains the critical step of this method. We nevertheless detect them according to the stereo constraints and an a priori knowledge on the scene. The motion between two frames of the stereo rig is considered as rigid: the homography computation is enforced by the redundancy of the feature locations in multiple views. The method has been tested on video sequences recorded from a test vehicle that was driven in an urban environment. Promising results from these experiments are presented.
CD4 cell count and HIV DNA level are independent predictors of disease progression after primary HIV type 1 infection in untreated patients.

BACKGROUND Treatment initiation at the time of primary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) infection has become less frequent in recent years. METHODS In the French prospective PRIMO Cohort, in which patients are enrolled at the time of primary HIV-1 infection, 30% of the 552 patients recruited during 1996-2004 did not start receiving antiretroviral treatment during the first 3 months after diagnosis. We analyzed the patients' clinical and immunological outcomes and examined potential predictors of disease progression. Progression was defined as the occurrence of an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related clinical event or a CD4 cell count <350 cells/mm3. RESULTS Fifty-six (34%) of the untreated patients experienced immunological progression during a median duration of follow-up of 24 months, and 1 of these patients had an AIDS-related event. The estimated risks of progression were 25%, 34%, and 42% at 1, 2, and 3 years after enrollment, respectively. Compared with patients who did not have progression, those with progression had significantly lower CD4 cell counts at diagnosis (455 vs. 738 cells/mm3), higher plasma HIV RNA levels (4.9 vs. 4.5 log10 copies/mL), and higher HIV DNA levels (3.3 vs. 3.0 log(10) copies/10(6) peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMCs]). All 3 parameters were significantly associated with progression in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, only the CD4 cell count and HIV DNA level were independently predictive of disease progression (relative hazard for CD4 cell count, 1.84 per decrease of 100 cells/mm3; relative hazard for HIV DNA level, 2.73 per increase of 1 log(10) copies/10(6) PBMCs). CONCLUSIONS Both a low initial CD4 cell count and a high HIV DNA level are predictive of rapid progression of untreated primary HIV-1 infection. Affected patients may therefore benefit from close clinical and laboratory monitoring and/or early administration of treatment.
Anti-Collision Assessment and Prediction Considering Material Corrosion on an Offshore Protective Device

Corrosion deterioration of steel can heavily degrade the performance of marine and offshore structures. A typical steel protective device, which has worked for a dozen years in a river estuary, is selected as the research object. Its current corrosion response is measured on site and its further corrosive response is predicted based on measurement data and the structure’s current state. Nonlinear finite element method is utilized to analyze the degradation of the protective device’s anti-collision performance. Meanwhile the rubber buffer effect has been investigated for its anti-collision on the protective device. A prediction method is proposed that can accurately forecast degradation of the anti-collision performance of a protective device as time progresses.
Dialect and Register Hybridity: A Case from Schools

This case study explores the academic writing practices of some African American English-speaking high school students, focusing in particular on interactions of dialect and register. In some instances, students appear to draw from a range of dialect and register resources and to deploy them in hybridized forms in their compositions. One implication of this hybridity is that it suggests the need to include register analysis as part of linguistically informed approaches to writing instruction (i.e., approaches that apply variationist research and methods to educational settings). Additionally, this case study examines some of the reasons that motivate the production of hybridity, analyzing how the linguistic tasks in which students are asked to engage and students’ metalinguistic understandings play a role in the creation of hybridized texts. Finally, this study presents analytic methods that, while not new, are applied in a mixed way that attempts to systematically examine both dialect and register in texts.
An exploration of sound timbre using perceptual and time-varying frequency spectrum techniques

This thesis describes the investigation of sound timbre using perceptual and acoustical techniques, with 153 input stimuli. The acoustical methods are based on time and frequency domain representations. The thesis covers the following areas of work: 1. A consideration of previous research in timbre, the different structural forms associated with it, and different definitions concerning timbre and the timbre space representation. 2. A study concerning perceptual similarity reactions to the input stimuli, a statistical analysis of the result structure, and the implications for understanding of the structure of timbral audition. 3. Analysis and synthesis using a time-varying frequency spectrum model, with adaptive viewpoint properties to achieve appropriate time-frequency resolution. 4. Extraction of 335 timbral features from the spectral form, a statistical analysis to find those features which describe perceptual differences between stimuli, and an investigation of timbral dimensionality.
The Legal Framework for Inclusion of Students with Disabilities: A Comparative Analysis of Japan and the United States.

Japan faces an educational challenge even after the start of a new special education system (Tokubetsushienkyouiku). This article addresses the legal framework of the special education system in Japan and analyzes the issues needed to be addressed to reinforce the inclusion of children with disabilities in public regular school settings. The analysis uses published documents, including journal and newspaper articles, government notifications, government data, and court rulings, available through university library databases in Japan and the United States. Articles and court cases selected for review were those that highlighted legal issues in special education related to inclusion of children with disabilities in public regular school settings as well as the underlying philosophies of the legal decisions. Three Japanese cases involving students placement in regular schools were reviewed for comparative analysis to depict the differences in standards and underpinning philosophies in the two countries. This article argues that the U.S. special education system can provide some implications for the Japanese special education system. In this paper, we analyze the extent to which the laws in Japan support the inclusion (i.e., placement in the least restrictive environment) of children with disabilities in regular public schools and compare this legal framework to that of the United States. By focusing on the inclusion of students with disabilities – a main tenet of the legal foundation of the special education system in the United States – the gap between the special education system in Japan and the United States becomes apparent.
Efficacy of Counseling and Psychotherapy in Schools: A Meta-Analytic Review of Treatment Outcome Studies 1Ψ7

This study investigated the efficacy of counseling and psychotherapy interventions for youth in schools. Data were examined for 107 studies that included 132 treatment interventions. Overall efficacy was d = 0.45 and was significantly different from zero. Interventions for adolescents outperformed those of children, treatment groups that were predominately female or male did better than mixed-gender groups, and licensed professional therapists outperformed paraprofessionals, who outperformed graduate students. Implications for supporting the mental health needs of youth in schools are discussed.
Dietary prebiotic oligosaccharides are detectable in the faeces of formula‐fed infants

Human milk oligosaccharides are not digested during intestinal passage and can be detected in stools. In this study it was investigated whether a prebiotic mixture of low‐molecular‐weight galacto‐oligosaccharides (GOS) and high‐molecular‐weight fructo‐oligosaccharides (FOS) can be detected in stool samples of formula‐fed infants. The test formula was supplemented with 0.8 g/dl oligosaccharides (GOS+FOS). In the control formula, maltodextrins were used as placebo. Fecal flora was assessed at the beginning (day 1) and at the end of a 28‐d feeding period (day 2). At day 2 the content of galacto‐ and fructo‐oligosaccharides in the stool samples were measured. On study day 1, the number of bifidobacteria was not different among the groups (supplemented group: 7.7 (6.2) CFU/g; placebo group: 8.0 (6.0) CFU/g). At the end of the 28‐d feeding period, the number of bifidobacteria was significantly higher in the group fed the supplemented formula when compared to placebo (supplemented group: 9.8 (0.7) CFU/g stool; placebo group: 7.1 (4.7) CFU/g stool; p<0.001). In all infants fed the supplemented formula, GOS and FOS could be identified in the stool samples. That was not the case in infants fed the non‐supplemented formula.
PENERAPAN FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION UNTUK MENGEVALUASI KUALITAS LAYANAN JURUSAN TEKNOLOGI INDUSTRI

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Focus Group Discussion Application to Evaluate the Service Quality of Industrial Technology Department at State University of Malang. This re­search aims to explore and analyze the factors that affect service quality delivered to the students by Industrial Technology Department . Data is collected using a focus gro­up discussion that involves 6 groups of students. The data analysis is conducted by using qualitative approach. The results of the focus group discussion show that the top seven factors that affect students’ perception on the service quality delivered by the department are: lecturers, infrastructure, curriculum, students extracurricular, la­­boratory staff, service of the administration staff and information on job career. Ba­sed on the results, it can be concluded that in order to solve students’ dis­sa­tis­fac­tion, the department is required to generate some policies that improve the service quality of these seven factors . Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:. 0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melakukan kajian dan analisis terhadap faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi kualitas layanan yang diberikan Jurusan Teknologi In­­dustri kepada mahasiswa. Data dikumpulkan melalui focus group discussion yang me­­­libatkan 6 kelompok mahasiswa. Analisis data dilakukan dengan menggunakan pen­­dekatan kualitatif. Hasil focus group discussion menunjukkan bahwa tujuh faktor uta­­ma yang berpengaruh terhadap persepsi mahasiswa pada penilaian kualitas layanan yang diberikan jurusan, yaitu: dosen, sarana dan prasarana, kurikulum, kegiatan maha­­siswa, tenaga laboran, pelayanan administrasi akademik, dan informasi peluang ka­rier. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa untuk memecahkan ma­­salah ketidakpuasan mahasiswa diperlukan dukungan dari kebijakan jurusan tentang tujuh faktor tersebut. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:. 0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
A new ELM based on interval-value for modeling in industry systems

In actual industry systems, some input/output variables of the control and optimization models may be not crisp instead of interval-valued. This paper proposes a new Extreme Learning Machine based on interval-value(I-ELM). The model is composed of two parts, one is an ordinary ELM for modelling the midpoint of the interval-valued data, the other is a modified ELM for modelling the width of the interval-valued data. In the modified ELM model, the constrained least-squares estimation method is used to obtain the output weights. Also, Marzullo sensor fusion algorithm is introduced into the ELM model to improve its prediction accuracy. Results of numerical comparison based on data from an actual continuous casting process show the usefulness of the proposed ELM model based on interval-value.