Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cochlear implantation in unilateral hearing loss: impact of short- to medium-term auditory deprivation

Introduction Single sided deafness (SSD) results in profound cortical reorganization that presents clinically with a significant impact on sound localization and speech comprehension. Cochlear implantation (CI) has been approved for two manufacturers’ devices in the United States to restore bilateral function in SSD patients with up to 10 years of auditory deprivation. However, there is great variability in auditory performance and it remains unclear how auditory deprivation affects CI benefits within this 10-year window. This prospective study explores how measured auditory performance relates to real-world experience and device use in a cohort of SSD-CI subjects who have between 0 and 10 years of auditory deprivation. Methods Subjects were assessed before implantation and 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-CI activation via Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC) word recognition and Arizona Biomedical Institute (AzBio) sentence recognition in varying spatial speech and noise presentations that simulate head shadow, squelch, and summation effects (S0N0, SSSDNNH, SNHNSSD; 0 = front, SSD = impacted ear, NH = normal hearing ear). Patient-centered assessments were performed using Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Spatial Hearing Questionnaire (SHQ), and Health Utility Index Mark 3 (HUI3). Device use data was acquired from manufacturer software. Further subgroup analysis was performed on data stratified by <5 years and 5–10 years duration of deafness. Results In the SSD ear, median (IQR) CNC word scores pre-implant and at 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-implant were 0% (0–0%), 24% (8–44%), 28% (4–44%), and 18% (7–33%), respectively. At 6 months post-activation, AzBio scores in S0N0 and SSSDNNH configurations (n = 25) demonstrated statistically significant increases in performance by 5% (p = 0.03) and 20% (p = 0.005), respectively. The median HUI3 score was 0.56 pre-implant, lower than scores for common conditions such as anxiety (0.68) and diabetes (0.77), and comparable to stroke (0.58). Scores improved to 0.83 (0.71–0.91) by 3 months post-activation. These audiologic and subjective benefits were observed even in patients with longer durations of deafness. Discussion By merging CI-associated changes in objective and patient-centered measures of auditory function, our findings implicate central mechanisms of auditory compensation and adaptation critical in auditory performance after SSD-CI and quantify the extent to which they affect the real-world experience reported by individuals.
Artificial-intelligence-based MRI brain volumetry in patients with essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease

Abstract Essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease patients may present with various tremor types. Overlapping tremor features can be challenging to diagnosis and misdiagnosis is common. Although underlying neurodegenerative mechanisms are suggested, neuroimaging studies arrived at controversial results and often the different tremor types were not considered. We investigated whether different tremor types displayed distinct structural brain features. Structural MRI of 61 patients with essential tremor and 29 with tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease was analysed using a fully automated artificial-intelligence-based brain volumetry to compare volumes of several cortical and subcortical regions. Furthermore, essential tremor subgroups with and without rest tremor or more pronounced postural and kinetic tremor were investigated. Deviations from an internal reference collective of age- and sex-adjusted healthy controls and volumetric differences between groups were examined; regression analysis was used to determine the contribution of disease-related factors on volumetric measurements. Compared with healthy controls, essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease patients displayed deviations in the occipital lobes, hippocampus, putamen, pallidum and mesencephalon while essential tremor patients exhibited decreased volumes within the nucleus caudatus and thalamus. Analysis of covariance revealed similar volumetric patterns in both diseases. Essential tremor patients without rest tremor showed a significant atrophy within the thalamus compared to tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease and atrophy of the mesencephalon and putamen were found in both subgroups compared to essential tremor with rest tremor. Disease-related factors contribute to volumes of occipital lobes in both diseases and to volumes of temporal lobes in essential tremor and the putamen in Parkinson’s disease. Fully automated artificial-intelligence-based volumetry provides a fast and rater-independent method to investigate brain volumes in different neurological disorders and allows comparisons with an internal reference collective. Our results indicate that essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease share structural changes, indicative of neurodegenerative mechanisms, particularly of the basal-ganglia-thalamocortical circuitry. A discriminating, possibly disease-specific involvement of the thalamus was found in essential tremor patients without rest tremor and the mesencephalon and putamen in tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor without rest tremor.
Interannual variations of tropical instability waves observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission

Eight years of microwave data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite are used to study the interannual variations of tropical instability waves (TIWs) in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. SST signatures of TIWs in the Pacific Ocean are strongest during the cold phase of ENSO, when the cold tongue is most pronounced. The waves are weak during the warm phase of ENSO. A low‐frequency Atlantic air‐sea coupled equatorial mode affects TIW activity in the Atlantic in a similar fashion. Interannual variations in sea‐surface temperatures due to TIW activity can produce interannual variations in the atmospheric mesoscale response.
A sociometabolic reading of the Anthropocene: Modes of subsistence, population size and human impact on Earth

We search for a valid and quantifiable description of how and when humans acquired the ability to dominate major features of the Earth System. While common approaches seek to quantify the human impact upon the carbon cycle by identifying the area of land cleared by humans, our point of departure is different human modes of subsistence, and we base our analysis on their social metabolism, in particular their energy metabolism. As a starting point, we use Ehrlich’s classical IPAT formula, and give it a specific interpretation: human impact on Earth = population size × affluence (interpreted as energy available per person) × technology – for each mode of subsistence. The overall impact (or rather human pressure) then equals the composite sum of these. We qualitatively describe the functional characteristics of hunter gatherers, agrarian and industrial modes of subsistence such as population dynamics, energy regime and the technologies by which they interact with their environment. In a ‘toy’ model, we translate these considerations into global numbers for the past millennia: we estimate the respective population sizes and affluence (energy), and finally also technology concerning its impact on the carbon cycle. We see a major historical dividing line around ad 1500: until then, human population growth and metabolic rates carry about equal weight in increasing human pressure on the environment approximately fivefold from the year ad 1 onwards. From then on, the overall pressure of humanity upon the Earth increases by one order of magnitude; energy intensity contributes to this rise by roughly tripling the impact of population growth. Technology, because it is based upon a shift from biomass to fossil fuels (and other ‘modern’ energy carriers), does not moderate this impact, but enhances it by a factor of 1.5.
Continuous subsurface velocity measurement with coda wave interferometry

[1] A 1-month field experiment was conducted near Kunming in Yunnan Province, China, to continuously monitor subsurface velocity variations along different baselines. The experiment site is located 10 km west to the seismically very active Xiaojiang fault zone. An electric hammer was used as a source to generate highly repeatable seismic waves, which were recorded by 5 short-period seismometers deployed at ∼10 m to 1.2 km away from the source. Velocity variation was estimated by using coda wave interferometry technique. The technique measures changes in differential time between the coda and the first arrival, which is in principal insensitive to timing errors. We obtained a fractional velocity perturbation (δv/v) of 10−3 to 10−2 with a precision of 10−4. The measured velocity variation is consistent among different components and stations and appears to well correlate with deep water level. The velocity variation is featured by a long-term linear trend and well-developed daily cycles. The latter is interpreted as the velocity response to the barometric pressure. A multivariate linear regression analysis of the data indicates that the velocity change exhibits a negative correlation with barometric pressure, with a stress sensitivity of 10−6/Pa at the experimental site.
Impact of medical, surgical and expectant management on spontaneous miscarriage/abortion on first trimester: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials

An increase in miscarriage in the first trimester of gestation and its associated complication is burden-some on the quality of life of a woman. Medical, surgical, and expectant care are carried out after the miscarriage to remove any remaining tissues in the uterus. Understanding the efficacy and safety of these interventions will raise awareness and be a deciding factor to choose an appropriate treatment plan. Present review aims to determine the efficacy and safety of medical, surgical, and expectant care of various medical and surgical methods for first-trimester miscarriage. This review included studies that allocated women to medical, surgical or expectant management in the first trimester. PubMed, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Embase Library were searched for the literature. The primary outcome was the complete evacuation of products of conception. Data were independently reviewed, graded for evidence quality, and assessed for risk bias by using the guidelines of PRISAM (Preferred Report Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis). 21 eligible articles were included in this systematic review, comprising of 7931 patients undergoing medical, surgical or expectant-management for early spontaneous-miscarriage. The success rate in surgical intervention was higher when compared with medical intervention (OR: 16.12 [9.11, 28.52]) and expectant management (OR: 2.78 [2.13, 3.61]). Whereas medical intervention had a high success rate when compared with expectant-management (OR: 4.29 [2.31, 7.97]). The review determines the effect of medical, surgical, and expectant-management procedures on women who have had spontaneous-miscarriages in their first-trimester. PROSPERO-International prospective register of systematic reviews–CRD42020154395.
USING A GIS FOR ESTIMATING INPUT PARAMETERS IN URBAN STORMWATER QUALITY MODELING

ABSTRACT: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are being used increasingly as a method of preparing, analyzing, and displaying data for watershed analysis and modeling. Although GIS technology is a powerful tool for integrating and analyzing watershed characteristics, the initial preparation of the necessary database is often a time consuming and costly endeavor. This demonstration project assesses the viability of creating a cost-effective spatial database for urban stormwater modeling from existing digital and hard-copy data sources. The GIS was used to provide input parameters to the Source Loading and Management Model (SLANM), an empirical urban stormwater quality model. Land use characteristics, drainage boundaries, and soils information were geocoded and referenced to a base data layer consisting of transportation features. GIS overlay and data manipulation capabilities were utilized to preprocess the input data for the model. Model output was analyzed through postprocessing by GIS, and results were compared to a similar recent modeling study of the same watershed. The project, undertaken for a small urban watershed located in Plymouth, Minnesota, successfully demonstrates that the use of GIS in stormwater management can allow even small communities to reap the benefits of stormwater quality modeling.
Workplace coaching: a meta-analysis and recommendations for advancing the science of coaching

Workplace coaching has experienced a dramatic rise in popularity over the past decade and is one of the fastest growing performance-enhancing interventions used by modern organizations. Yet, despite its popularity, workplace coaching has not been the subject of much empirical research and a true science of coaching has yet to be developed. The purpose of this research was to update prior meta-analyzes that investigated the impact of coaching on organizational outcomes and to provide recommendations for how the field needs to evolve. Results indicated that, consistent with prior meta-analyzes, workplace coaching is effective in achieving positive organizational outcomes. The effects of several moderators were also investigated. Finally, we discuss the results in terms of recommendations for future directions that we believe will establish and advance the science of coaching.
Notes on a New Collection of Fossil Echinoidea from Jamaica

Shortly after the appearance of my paper on “ Some Cretaceous Echinoidea from Jamaica ” (Geol. Mag., Vol. LX, 1923, p. 199) Dr. C. T. Trechmann returned from a further visit to the Island, bringing with him a considerable collection of Echinoids. These he has entrusted to me for examination and report, possibly with the hope that the Cretaceous specimens might induce me to change my heretical opinions as to the horizon present! Once again I have to express regret that I can only repay his kindness by expressing views similar to those previously given, and this time with far greater precision than before.
Absolute and relative preferences for mobile phone internet content, mobile phone dependence, and depressive symptoms: a study of Chinese university students in the post-pandemic era

Background Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese university students may have increased mobile phone dependence, a habitual behavior in the student population and a risk factor for depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study explored the association between mobile phone dependence and depressive symptoms in Chinese university students in the post-pandemic era. It also investigated the effects of different types and categories of mobile phone Internet content preferences. In particular, this study examined whether mobile phone dependence mediates the relationship between absolute preference (AP) for mobile phone Internet content and depressive symptoms, and whether relative preference (RP) for mobile phone Internet content moderates the association between mobile phone dependence and depressive symptoms. Methods A cross-sectional study of Chinese university students recruited through Credamo was conducted in February–March, 2023. Participants completed the Mobile Phone Internet Content Preference Questionnaire, Self-rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use, and Center for Epidemiological Survey, Depression Scale. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and analyses of mediation and moderation effects. The final sample comprised 1,602 students (709 males). Results We found a positive association between mobile phone dependence and depressive symptoms. The mediating role of mobile phone dependence between AP for mobile phone Internet content and depressive symptoms differed according to the type and category of content. Meanwhile, different types and categories of RP for mobile phone Internet content moderated the association between mobile phone dependence and depressive symptoms in opposite directions. Conclusion Our results highlight the interrelationships among mobile phone Internet content preferences, mobile phone dependence, and depressive symptoms in Chinese university students. For different types and categories of mobile phone Internet content preferences, we propose distinct preventive measures to alleviate students’ depressive symptoms.
Deformation monitoring in the metro Manila using ALOS/PALSAR

Excessive pumping of groundwater in the Metro Manila district, the Philippines, has occurred huge land subsidence. The purpose of this study is to investigate the distribution of spatial and temporal change on the earth surface in this area. We measured long-term ground subsidence by InSAR using JERS-1/SAR, ENVISAT/ASAR, Fine-beam, polarimetry and ScanSAR mode of ALOS/PALSAR, and TerraSAR-X data. As a result, we detected apparent subsidence and uplift patterns at eight locations. They have been found to correlate with up-down motion of groundwater level. The largest amount of ground subsidence was measured approximately 600 mm over 6 years (100mm/year).
Upper‐mantle earthquakes beneath the Arafura Sea and south Aru Trough: Implications for continental rheology

[1] The extent and controls of long-term elastic strength and seismicity in the upper continental lithospheric mantle (UCLM) are controversial topics in continental tectonics. One key issue is the scarcity of UCLM earthquakes, even where the UCLM is likely to be colder than 600°C. The rarity of these earthquakes could be because the UCLM generally relatively hydrous causing it to deform aseismically even when colder than 600°C, unless it is deforming at exceptionally high strain rates. Alternatively, the UCLM could be relatively anhydrous, and potentially seismogenic at temperatures below 600°C; in which case the rarity of UCLM earthquakes may be because areas where the UCLM is colder than 600°C have such a thick seismogenic layer, and such a cool mantle root, that they deform exceptionally slowly. The identification and study of UCLM earthquakes allows us to distinguish between these possibilities. Here we show that two earthquakes occurred in the UCLM beneath the epicontinental Arafura Sea. Both earthquakes occurred where the UCLM is probably cooler than 600°C and one of these earthquakes lies ∼25 km below the Moho in an region where there is no evidence of unusually high strain rates. There at least, it is probable that the UCLM is relatively anhydrous, and seismogenic at temperatures below 600°C. We also find evidence that regions where the UCLM is colder than 600°C also have a seismogenic lower crust. This results in a single, extremely strong layer comprising the entire crust and the UCLM down to the 600°C isotherm.
A modified multiple cross displacement amplification linked with a gold nanoparticle biosensor for the detection of Epstein-Barr virus in clinical applications

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the family Herpesviridae, infects more than 95% of healthy adults by attacking the host immune system. Here, a novel detection protocol, utilizing the modified multiple cross displacement amplification (MCDA) technique combined with a gold nanoparticles-based lateral flow biosensors (AuNPs-LFB), was devised and developed to detect EBV infection (termed EBV-MCDA-LFB assay). Ten MCDA primers targeting the EBNA-LP gene were designed, including CP1* primers modified with 6-carboxyfluorescein (FAM) and D1* primers modified with biotin. Then, nucleic acid templates extracted from various pathogens and whole blood samples were used to optimize and evaluate the EBV-MCDA-LFB assay. As a result, the lowest concentration of EBNA-plasmids, which can be detected by MCDA-LFB assay with an optimal reaction condition of 67°C for 30 min, was 10 copies/reaction. Here, the MCDA-LFB assay can detect all EBV pathogens used in the study, and no cross-reactions with non-EBV organisms were observed. Meanwhile, the entire detection workflow of the EBV-MCDA-LFB assay for whole blood samples, including DNA template preparation (25 min), EBV-MCDA amplification (30 min), and AuNPs-LFB-mediated validation (2–5 min), can be completed within 1 h. Taken together, the EBV-MCDA-LFB assay established in the current study is a rapid, simplified, sensitive, specific, and easy-to-obtain technique that can be used as a screening or diagnostic tool for EBV infection in clinical applications, especially in resource-poor regions.
Changes in Independency between Two Types of El Nino Events under a Greenhouse Warming Scenario in CMIP5 Models

AbstractThis study uses archives from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) to investigate changes in independency between two types of El Nino events caused by greenhouse warming. In the observations, the independency between cold tongue (CT) and warm pool (WP) El Nino events is distinctively increased in recent decades. The simulated changes in independency between the two types of El Nino events according to the CMIP5 models are quite diverse, although the observed features are simulated to some extent in several climate models. It is found that the climatological change after global warming is an essential factor in determining the changes in independency between the two types of El Nino events. For example, the independency between these events is increased after global warming when the climatological precipitation is increased mainly over the equatorial central Pacific. This climatological precipitation increase extends convective response to the east, particularly for CT El N.
A method for evaluating the effects of stresses and rock strength on fluid flow along the surfaces of mechanical discontinuities in low permeability rocks

Changing confining stress can modify not only rock properties, such as porosity and permeability, but can also affect the ability of fluid to flow along planar mechanical discontinuities, such as faults, shear fractures, tensile cracks, or bedding planes. The degree to which the flow of fluids can be altered with varying confining stresses depends on the spatial orientation of the mechanical discontinuity and the strength of the rock. Similarly, if hydraulic fracture stimulation occurs in the vicinity of a mechanical discontinuity and the pressurized fracture fluids enter the discontinuity, then the high-pressure fluids can alter the effective stress on the mechanical discontinuity. These changes can cause the mechanical discontinuity to reactivate in shear, possibly resulting in an increase in the ability of the mechanical discontinuity surface to experience fluid flow, potentially diverting the stimulation fluids in a direction other than anticipated. A key component in the characterization of fluid flow along mechanical discontinuities is an understanding of the surrounding subsurface stress field. To constrain the present-day horizontal stress magnitude, a stress-strength equilibrium approach can be taken using overburden rock density estimation and information on the present-day tectonic setting. Horizontal stress orientation and magnitudes can also be inferred from structural geology principles via the interpretation of mapped active features and wellbore information, such as drilling history and image logs. Once information about stress magnitudes and orientation is available, one can calculate the shear and normal stress magnitudes acting on planar mechanical discontinuities of all possible orientations. Furthermore, one can evaluate what magnitude of fluid pressure within each mechanical discontinuity would be required to encourage shear failure reactivation. An example from the Barnett Shale play is presented here as an application of the method, offering various solutions to the likely orientations of fractures that could interact with hydraulic fracture treatment.