Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of multichannel compression on vowel and stop-consonant discrimination in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects.

Objective Multichannel compression (MCC) processing can alter the speech spectrum, perhaps reducing spectral contrasts that are important for the discrimination of certain speech sounds. The effect of MCC processing on the discrimination of vowels and voiced stop consonants was studied. Design Vowels and voiced stop consonants were MCC-processed in two ways: 1) FLAT MCC having the same compression ratio in each channel, and 2) SHAPED MCC having compression ratios in each channel adjusted to the auditory area of the particular subject. The stimuli were processed both ways using 2, 4, 8, 16, and 31 independent compression channels. Unprocessed and linearly amplified stimuli were used as control conditions. Normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects were tested for changes in discrimination performance as a function of the MCC processing parameters. Results When the MCC processing was adjusted specifically for an individual hearing-impaired subject, no negative effect of increasing numbers of channels (2 to 31) was found. In the case of FLAT MCC processing, increasingly degraded discrimination performance was found for both subject groups as the compression ratio increased and as the number of channels increased. There was also a strong interaction between the effects of the number of channels and the compression ratio, with the negative effects of increasing numbers of channels being much greater at the highest compression ratio. Conclusions Negative effects of MCC were found only for very extreme MCC conditions. MCC processing with compression ratios adjusted in each channel for the individual subject, and having as many as 31 channels, revealed no negative effects on vowel or voiced stop-consonant discrimination. These results do not support the prevalent view that MCC with more than two or three channels will be detrimental and should encourage further research on MCC processing with larger numbers of channels.
Study of Cortical Folding Process with Prenatal MR Imaging

The most striking, interesting, yet poorly understood grossmorphological features of the human cerebral cortex are the diverseand complex arrangements of gyri and sulci [1]. Cortical foldingpatterns exhibit varied forms in different individuals, which preventsthe brain mapping community from using them as a straightforwardreferential to localize functional activations. Recent results tend toprove that the solution should stem from a better understanding of thebrain growth process [2]. The primary cortical folds that appear on thefetal cortex, indeed, are especially stable across individuals. Duringulterior stages of brain growth, these sulcal roots merge with eachother and form different patterns depending on the subjects.Deformations of the depth of adult sulci corresponding to burried gyri,however, may be some clues to the sulcal root fusions. Therefore, amap of these sulcal roots may turn out to be the adequate genericmodel required to match different adult folding patterns. Brain fetalanatomy has been previously studied using US, 2D MRI and post-mortem pathological examination. This abstract describes a sequenceof image processing tools leading to 3D reconstruction of the fetalbrain and automatic detection of sulcal roots. This sequence stemsfrom the adaptation of a similar sequence developed for the adultbrain. These tools aim at building sulcal root maps including theirchronology and date of appearance.
Hybrid simulation for modelling large systems: An example of integrated care model

Developing models for large systems is not a trivial task. Using only Discrete Event Simulation (DES) as a modelling technique may mean that the complexity of the underlying model will increase exponentially with the size of the model. An alternative to this is the use of System Dynamics (SD) for modeling large systems using the positive and negative feedback loops. However, for modelling a human-centric system like healthcare, DES is important as it provides individuality analysis; similarly, SD is important as it facilitates the whole systems approach. The combined application of OR/Simulation methods enable the symbiotic realization of the strengths of individual techniques, while reducing their limitations; in this paper it is suggested that a combined SD-DES approach (also referred to as hybrid technique) can be effectively used for modelling large systems. The example being used in this context is the modelling of an Integrated Care (IC) system in healthcare.
Visual access for 3D data

ABSTRACTWe describe a novel solution to the problem of occlusion inviewing three-dimensional data. A distortion function is usedto clear a line of sight to previously obscured interior ele-ments.KeywordsDistortion viewing, 3D interactionINTRODUCTIONThere is accumulating evidence [1] supporting the idea thatthree-dimensional representations of data are advantageous.Unlike 2D techniques, 3D viewing encounters a fundament-al problem in the display of information in that it is possiblefor an object of interest to be partially or wholly occluded byother objects. Current solutions provide access to such inter-nal details through the use of cutting planes, layer removal,fly-through, and transparency. However, such techniques re-sult in the loss of contextual information.The recent desire to integrate knowledge and experiencefrom the field of cognitive science into the design of user in-terfaces and new interaction paradigms has led to an appre-ciation of the importance of presenting data within its con-text [3, 4]. Our goal is to allow interactive access to 3D in-formation spaces while maintaining context. This is achievedby providing a viewer aligned visual access distortion whichclears a line of sight to the object of interest, permitting ex-amination from all angles.VISUAL ACCESS DISTORTIONThe problem of occlusion arises when objects lie on or nearthe line of sight, between the viewpoint and the focus. Thesolution is to move data objects away from the line of sightwhere necessary, clearing a path to the focus. A distortion isapplied radially about the line of sight, displacing data itemsin gradually decreasing amounts as their distance from theline of sight increases (Figure 1). Here the scale and hue ofthe focal node have been adjusted to distinguish it from thefield.
Residential Concentration, Political Socialization, and Voter Turnout

Although many have hypothesized that neighborhoods and social context are important influences on the decision to vote, the data to study these phenomenon have often been inadequate. We examine a unique source of data, registered voter lists, from a rich variety of locations that allow us to tap into this social participation dynamic using a multilevel research design. We find that neighborhood context does have a socializing influence on voters, sometimes mobilizing them while at other times demobilizing them. Notably, this effect is separate from the effect of individual-level sociodemographic influences on participation and is manifest over and above these long- standing explanations.
Pasado, Presente y Futuro de la Musicología en la Universidad española

The presence of Music in Spanish Universities has been through different stages and situations from the antiquity until the present. There are numerous works that allow us to approach this transformation. At the present time music presence has been reduced to several degrees the most novel being that of Music History and Sciences. The most immediate future will bring the joining of forces between the different strata and will allow a gradual coming together of the educational institutions and those that impart other artistic studies, some dedicated to pedagogy and historiography, and others to interpretation.
Psychological, physiological and social effects to elderly people by robot assisted activity at a health service facility for the aged

We have been developing mental commit robots that provide psychological, physiological, and social effects to human beings through physical interaction. The appearances of these robots look like real animals such as cat and seal. The seal robot was developed especially for therapy. We have applied seal robots to assisting activity of elderly people at a health service facility for the aged. In order to investigate psychological, physiological and social effects of seal robots to the elderly people, we evaluated elderly people's moods by face scales (which express person's moods by illustration of person's faces) and urinary tests. Seal robots were provided into the facility for three weeks. As the results, feelings of elderly people were improved by interaction with the seal robots.
Deficiency of the Cog8 Subunit in Normal and CDG‐Derived Cells Impairs the Assembly of the COG and Golgi SNARE Complexes

Multiple mutations in different subunits of the tethering complex Conserved Oligomeric Golgi (COG) have been identified as a cause for Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation (CDG) in humans. Yet, the mechanisms by which COG mutations induce the pleiotropic CDG defects have not been fully defined. By detailed analysis of Cog8 deficiency in either HeLa cells or CDG‐derived fibroblasts, we show that Cog8 is required for the assembly of both the COG complex and the Golgi Stx5‐GS28‐Ykt6‐GS15 and Stx6‐Stx16‐Vti1a‐VAMP4 SNARE complexes. The assembly of these SNARE complexes is also impaired in cells derived from a Cog7‐deficient CDG patient. Likewise, the integrity of the COG complex is also impaired in Cog1‐, Cog4‐ and Cog6‐depleted cells. Significantly, deficiency of Cog1, Cog4, Cog6 or Cog8 distinctly influences the production of COG subcomplexes and their Golgi targeting. These results shed light on the structural organization of the COG complex and its subcellular localization, and suggest that its integrity is required for both tethering of transport vesicles to the Golgi apparatus and the assembly of Golgi SNARE complexes. We propose that these two key functions are generally and mechanistically impaired in COG‐associated CDG patients, thereby exerting severe pleiotropic defects.
Induction of brain tumors in newborn hamsters by simian adenovirus SA7.

Intracerebral inoculation of the simian adenovirus SA7 induced brain tumors in 26 of 118 hamsters inoculated as new-borns. The tumors were primarily of two histologic types. Twenty-four resembled human medulloblastomas, but two tumors were histologically similar to the perivascular sarcoma because there was reticulum in part of the tumor. Other areas contained no reticulum and were almost identical with the astrocytoma IV. The tumor cells could be grown in tissue culture only after passage on feeder layers of irradiated cells. No antibodies to the SA7 tumor antigen could be detected in the sera of tumor-bearing hamsters, although some of the brain tumors were positive for the presence of this antigen by complement fixation. One of the brain tumors has been maintained by serial subcutaneous and intracerebral passage; the resultant tumors have retained their original histologic pattern and low level of virus-induced tumor antigen. Failure to detect antibody to tumor antigen in hamsters bearing brain tumors suggests that similar results with human sera from patients with brain tumors would not rule out the possibility of viral etiology for this type of neoplasia.
How Useful Word Fluency Tasks Will be in the Case of Reduced WorkingMemory Capacity and Impaired Attention Functions

In the present study, we investigated the Word Fluency Functions when reduced Working Memory (WM) capacity and impaired Attention Functions are recognized. We imposed the Japanese version of the reading span test (RST) and 3 types (category, letter, and verb) of word fluency tasks (WFTs) on 14 patients with attention disorder recognized as reduced WM capacity and 28 normal subjects. In the WFTs, 4 trials with a time limit of 60 s were conducted in each condition. The numbers of words generated in the WFTs were compared between the groups, and the correlation coefficient between the proportion of correctly recalled words in the Japanese RST version and the number of words generated in each WFT was calculated. Comparison of the numbers of generated words between the groups resulted in significantly more words by the normal subjects in all 3 conditions. Regarding the correlation between the proportion of correctly recalled words and number of generated words, a positive correlation was observed in the 3 conditions for normal subjects and category and verb conditions for patients with attention disorder. These results reveal that difference in WM capacity exerts influences on word fluency functions of patients with attention disorder. They also indicate that when using the letter fluency task as an assessment battery for fluency functions of patients with attention disorder, we need to fully consider the relationship between fluency and WM functions.
A local branching approach for network-constrained thermal unit commitment problem under uncertainty

This paper addresses the day ahead network constrained thermal unit commitment problem under uncertainty. In this problem the electrical network is considered by a DC power flow model with phase angles represented directly into the model and the associated flow limit constraints dynamically introduced through an iterative process. The uncertainty regards to the stochastic demand to be supplied by thermal plants, possibly due to a configuration with high wind penetration. Two main contributions are presented: the first is a new compact mixed-integer formulation for unit commitment constraints such as minimum up/down times, by defining “multi-node constraints” that comprise integer variables related to all nodes in given sub-trees of the original scenario tree. The second is the application of a local branching strategy instead of a standard branch-and-cut algorithm to solve the problem. Computational experiments are carried out with an IEEE 118 buses system, assuming severe constraints on transmission lines capacities, in two scenarios trees for a 24 hour period.
Gesture Recognition on Kinect Time Series Data Using Dynamic Time Warping and Hidden Markov Models

In this paper we analyse the variation of the gesture recognition accuracy of several time series classifiers, based on input provided by two different sensors: Kinect for XBox 360 (Kinect 1) and its improved, newer version, Kinect for XBox One (Kinect 2). This work builds upon a previous study analysing classifiers' performance on pose recognition, considering multiple factors, such as the machine learning methods applied, the sensors used for data collection, as well as data interpretation and sample size. As for the classification of time series gestures, we analyse similar factors, by constructing several one-hand gesture databases that are used to train and test the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) and Hidden Markov Models (HMM) algorithms. We observed no significant difference in classification accuracy between the results obtained with the two sensors on time series data, although Kinect 2 performs better in pose recognition. Overall, DTW obtained the best accuracy for Kinect 1 time series data, on datasets with fewer samples per class (about 15), the accuracy decreasing drastically with the increase of the number of samples for each class (from 97.8% drops to 66.6%). However, for HMM the accuracy is similar or higher (between 90.7% and 94.9%) for databases with more samples per class (up to 90 entries) than for those with fewer, which makes it preferable to use in a dynamic system.
Natural foci of tsutsugamushi disease in the Nan Peng Lie Islands in China.

OBJECTIVE To investigate natural foci of tsutsugamushi disease whose incidence has increased in the Nan Peng Lie Islands in China, an area where this disease has not been previously recorded. METHODS We recorded the natural foci and isolated Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi) organism. We also studied prevention measures. RESULTS These islands had the natural foci of a south subtropical zone. The main host and vector were Rattus norvegicus and Leptotrombidium deliens (L. deliens), respectively. The seasonal quantity trends of Rattus norvegicus and Leptotrombidium deliens were consistent with the incidence of human infection. Thirty-five strains of O. tsutsugamushi were isolated from Rattus norvegicus and L. deliense. The identification of 7 strains showed that most strains were Karp. Seroepidemiology showed a high prevalence of antibody against O. tsatsugamushi among local people. After prevention measures were used, the incidence was decreased. CONCLUSION This was the first successful confirmation that the Nan Peng Lie Islands were natural foci of tsutsugamushi disease.
The practicality and relevance of second language critical pedagogy

The paper reviews eight topics in the area of second language critical pedagogy: (i) historical inheritances and lines of development associated with critical pedagogies; (ii) advocacy (and the need for critical language teachers to engage in it); (iii) the diverse institutional contexts that could be explored for critical language pedagogy; (iv) the range of languages within which critical approaches have been explored; (v) EFL critical pedagogy; (vi) the broad range of categories of oppression addressed by critical language pedagogy; (vii) materials for critical language pedagogy, and (viii) the role of the ‘imaginary’ in encouraging critical language pedagogy. I suggest that these constitute matters which, if given attention by critical language pedagogy specialists, could enhance the perceived practicality and/or relevance of the area.
Cultural Transitions in First-Generation Immigrants

This article focuses on the process of acculturation for first-generation Soviet Jewish refugee adolescents and their parents who have resettled in the United States. First, the extent of acculturation to the new and the old culture is assessed independently. Second, acculturation is assessed multidimensionally, including the constructs of language competence, behavioral acculturation, and cultural identity. Third, the extent to which life stage differences at immigration affect the acculturation process is assessed. Overall, the data suggest that acculturation appears to occur in a linear pattern over time for most dimensions of acculturation, with acculturation to the American culture increasing and acculturation to the Russian culture decreasing. However, Russian language competence for the parents did not diminish with length of residence in the country. Furthermore, an unexpected acculturative gap was observed between parents and children with respect to Russian identity, with adolescents being more identified with the Russian culture than their parents.
The transtheoretical stages of change as a predictor of premature termination, attendance and alliance in psychotherapy.

OBJECTIVE The Transtheoretical Model proposes that clients' stage of change will predict their engagement in therapy. This study tested the hypotheses that clients with high Precontemplation scores would prematurely terminate from therapy and that clients with high Action scores would attend a greater number of sessions and establish a more positive therapeutic alliance. DESIGN Using a within-subjects design, baseline measures of stage of change were used to predict the number of sessions attended, premature drop-out from therapy, and the therapeutic alliance after sessions one and three. METHODS Sixty clients completed the Stages of Change Scales and the Brief Symptom Inventory prior to therapy. The therapeutic alliance was assessed after the first and third therapy session using the Agnew Relationship Measure. RESULTS The specific hypotheses were not supported. Premature termination from therapy was predicted by high level of initial symptom severity and low Contemplation scores. Positive therapeutic alliance at session one and session three was predicted by high Contemplation at baseline. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the Transtheoretical Model, which was developed in the context of interventions for behavioural change, may not be directly generalizable to outpatient psychotherapy populations. However, Contemplation did predict premature termination and engagement. This implies that with adaptation the model may be a useful adjunct to psychotherapy assessment.
Pushing reactive services to XML repositories using active rules

Abstract Push technology, i.e., the ability of sending relevant information to clients in reaction to new events, is a fundamental aspect of modern information systems; XML is rapidly emerging as the widely adopted standard for information exchange and representation and hence, several XML-based protocols have been defined and are the object of investigation at W3C and throughout commercial organizations. In this paper, we propose the new concept of active XML rules for “pushing” reactive services to XML-enabled repositories. Rules operate on XML documents and deliver information to interested remote users in reaction to update events occurring at the repository site. The proposed mechanism assumes the availability of XML repositories supporting a standard XML query language, such as XQuery that is being developed by the W3C; for the implementation of the reactive components, it capitalizes on the use of standard DOM events and of the SOAP interchange standard to enable the remote installation of active rules. A simple protocol is proposed for subscribing and unsubscribing remote rules.
Crossing the FE/HE divide: the transition experiences of direct entrants at Level 6

For students who have experienced higher education (HE) in the further education (FE) sector, the transfer to an HE institution (HEI) to complete an honours degree can bring many challenges. The transition for some can be difficult, as students cope with crossing both institutional and programme boundaries, whilst also negotiating a new academic culture. Direct entrants to an honours year, such as those who have completed a foundation degree in the FE sector, are often expected to present as fully autonomous learners, an expectation which can be at odds with their experiences at an FE college (FEC). This article outlines the findings of a qualitative study of the transition experiences of a small group of students directly entering the final years of honours degree programmes at a post‐1992 HEI. Findings are grouped under four key themes and resonate with those identified in the limited number of previous studies in this field. The expected expansion of foundation degrees increases the potential growth of direct entrants crossing the divide between the FE and HE sectors. This research may provide insights which have a sufficient element of universality to enable generalisation to other institutions. The article presents suggestions for improving transitions between the two sectors, and calls for HEIs with a commitment to widening participation through partnerships with FECs to regularly review the infrastructure in place to ensure that students wanting to make the transition from one institution to the other are supported to do so as painlessly as possible.