Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Spoken Language Comprehension is Achieved by Older Listeners in Difficult Listening Situations

Background/Study Context: Comprehending spoken discourse in noisy situations is likely to be more challenging to older adults than to younger adults due to potential declines in the auditory, cognitive, or linguistic processes supporting speech comprehension. These challenges might force older listeners to reorganize the ways in which they perceive and process speech, thereby altering the balance between the contributions of bottom-up versus top-down processes to speech comprehension. Methods: The authors review studies that investigated the effect of age on listeners’ ability to follow and comprehend lectures (monologues), and two-talker conversations (dialogues), and the extent to which individual differences in lexical knowledge and reading comprehension skill relate to individual differences in speech comprehension. Comprehension was evaluated after each lecture or conversation by asking listeners to answer multiple-choice questions regarding its content. Results: Once individual differences in speech recognition for words presented in babble were compensated for, age differences in speech comprehension were minimized if not eliminated. However, younger listeners benefited more from spatial separation than did older listeners. Vocabulary knowledge predicted the comprehension scores of both younger and older listeners when listening was difficult, but not when it was easy. However, the contribution of reading comprehension to listening comprehension appeared to be independent of listening difficulty in younger adults but not in older adults. Conclusion: The evidence suggests (1) that most of the difficulties experienced by older adults are due to age-related auditory declines, and (2) that these declines, along with listening difficulty, modulate the degree to which selective linguistic and cognitive abilities are engaged to support listening comprehension in difficult listening situations. When older listeners experience speech recognition difficulties, their attentional resources are more likely to be deployed to facilitate lexical access, making it difficult for them to fully engage higher-order cognitive abilities in support of listening comprehension.
Mutagenesis, cloning and complementation analysis of C4‐dicarboxylate transport genes from Rhodobacter capsulatus

Transposon mutagenesis was used to isolate insertion mutants of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus which were unable to grow under aerobic conditions in the dark on malate, succinate or fumarate as sole carbon sources. Of five mutants isolated, all were deficient in C4‐dicarboxylate transport. However, these mutants were still capable of photoheterotrophic growth, although at a slower rate than the wild type, on malate and succinate (but not fumarate). The mutated locus (designated dct) was complemented in trans using a cosmid gene bank. Subcloning and complementation analysis indicated that at least three closely linked genes essential for aerobic dicarboxylate transport were contained within an 8.3kb region of the Rhodobacter capsulatus chromosome.
18O‐Labeled lipid hydroperoxides and HPLC coupled to mass spectrometry as valuable tools for studying the generation of singlet oxygen in biological system

Decomposition of lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH) is known to generate toxic products capable to induce tissue injury. We have recently confirmed that decomposition of LOOH into peroxyl radicals is a potential source of singlet oxygen (1O2) in biological system. Using 18O‐labeled linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LA18O18OH) in the presence of Ce4+ or Fe+2, we observed the formation of 18O‐labeled 1O2 (18[1O2]) by chemical trapping of 1O2 with 9,10‐diphenylanthracene (DPA) and detecting the corresponding 18O‐labeled DPA endoperoxide (DPA18O18O) by HPLC coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐MS/MS). 18O‐Labeled alcohol and ketone were also detected providing further evidence for the generation of 1O2by the Russell mechanism. Similarly the reaction of LA18O18OH with peroxynitrite also generated18[1O2]. In conclusion, these results indicates that the use of 18O‐labeled LOOH associated with HPLC‐MS/MS can be an useful tool to clarify mechanistic features involved in the reaction of LOOH in biological media.
Cyclical Variations in Wage Differentials and Unemployment

This paper attempts to reformulate in a general equilibrium framework Reder's model, which explains cyclical variations in wage differentials and their general tendencies to narrow. Specifically, I focus on the three aspects of his model: the microeconomic behavior of a firm under imperfect information about labor quality, the mechanism of the economy creating unemployment, and the interaction between wage differentials and unemployment. I also explore its implications for the macroeconomic issues on the characteristics of current unemployment and the question of why aggregate employment fluctuates.
Path control of dexterous robotic hand using Genetic Algorithm

This paper would presents the path control of a dexterous robotic hand finger reaching in a given search space. The proposed system would adopt the advantages of Genetic Algorithm (GA) to optimize the system performance in terms of path control, speed and accuracy. The system would search for a valid path and optimal velocity. A new genetic operator, namely Real Coded Dynamic Multilayer Chromosome Crossover (RC_DMCC) has been introduced and incorporated in the system. The simulation results of the proposed technique are presented.
On the association of attributes in statistics, with examples from the material of the childhood society, &c

I he paper deals with the theory of association of attributes, invariable attributes, as opposed to the “correlation” of. variables. Two attributes A and B are independent or unassociated if (AB) = (A) (B)/N, (A) being the frequency of the attribute A, (B) that of B, and (AB) the frequency of the pair AB ; N being the total number of observations. If this relation do not hold, they are “associated. ”
Anxiety sensitivity as a predictor of the clinical course of panic disorder: a 1‐year follow‐up study

Background: There is evidence that negative affect (NA) and anxiety sensitivity (AS) predict the development of anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder (PD). The main purpose of this study was to examine whether NA and AS will also predict the clinical course of PD. Methods: Participants were 136 individuals with a DSM‐III‐R diagnosis of PD (with or without agoraphobia) enrolled in a naturalistic and longitudinal study of anxiety disorders, the Harvard/Brown Anxiety Research Project (HARP). Participants were administered the Anxiety Sensitivity Index and the Negative Affect Scales of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule‐Expanded Form (PANAS‐X‐NA) and their percentage of time in PD episode was followed for 1 year after the administration of the measures. Results: Multiple regression analyses indicated that AS, but not NA, was a significant predictor of percentage of time in PD episode after controlling for previous time in PD episodes, comorbid depression, other anxiety disorders, and exposure to psychopharmacological and behavioral treatments. As expected, the Physical Concerns subscale of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index had a significant independent contribution in predicting the course of the disorder. Conclusions: Overall, these findings suggest that AS, as a unique construct, may be predictive of the amount of time patients are in episode of PD. Depression and Anxiety, 2009. Published 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Assessment of the Impact of Internship Programs in the Agricultural Technical Schools of Egypt as Perceived by Participant Groups

Experiential learning including student internships has been central to instructional programs in agriculture for decades. If the Agricultural Technical Schools of Egypt are to prepare students for successful careers and to enhance the agricultural economy, teachers must be well-prepared to use this teaching technique. Further, all stakeholders, including students, teachers, parents, headmasters and agribusiness owners, must recognize the importance and impact that implementing a student internship program could have. In this study, all groups identified important contributions to student learning and growth as a result of student participation in the internship program. While several suggestions were posited to improve the program, all agreed that the schools, the communities, the agribusinesses and the students received valuable benefits. The program of student internships in Egypt could be adopted in other countries where the agricultural economy could be improved through a better prepared agricultural workforce.
Sectoral Distortions and Service Protection in Russia: A Comparison with Benchmark Emerging Markets and EU Accession Candidates

Recent research on gains for Russia from World Trade Organization membership concludes that service trade liberalization through allowing foreign suppliers to invest in Russian service industries promises large gains. Comparing Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimates on effective rates of protection with and without intermediate services for several countries, the paper shows that almost all Russian service industries effectively get taxed due to high tax equivalents for services. Options for European Neighborhood Policy must be based on reciprocity: To access the Russian market, the European Union must open its service markets to Russian companies.
Holter ECG-Based Apnea Hypopnea Index to Screen Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A New Proposal and Evaluation of Feasibility

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common sleep disorder. It has been reported that approximately 40% of patients with moderate or severe OSAS die within the first eight years of disease. In hospitals, OSAS is inspected using polysomnography, which uses a number of sensors. Because of the cumbersome nature of this polysomnography, an initial OSAS screening is usually conducted. In recent years, OSAS screening techniques using Holter electrocardiogram (ECG) have been reported. However, the techniques so far reported cannot perform an OSAS severity assessment. The present study presents a new method to distinguish the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and non-OSA epochs at one-second intervals based on the Apnea Hypopnea Index assessment, defined as the duration of continuous apnea. In the proposed method, the time-frequency components of the heart rate variability and three ECG-derived respiration signals calculated by the complex Morlet wavelet transformation are adopted as features. A support vector machine is employed for classification. The proposed method is evaluated using three eight-hour ECG recordings containing OSA episodes from three subjects. As a result, the sensitivity and specificity of classification are found to reach approximately 90%, a level suitable for OSAS screening in clinical settings.
Multivariated Bayesian Compressive Sensing in Wireless Sensor Networks

Recently, compressive sensing has been studied in wireless sensor networks, which allows an aggregator to recover the desired sparse signal with fewer active sensor nodes. In this paper, we consider heterogeneous sensing environments, where the sensing quality varies due to the differences in the physical environment of each sensor node. We consider a Bayesian compressive sensing approach and propose two efficient algorithms that decrease the number of active sensor nodes while maintaining high performance. Both the selection algorithms aim to reduce the estimation error by minimizing the determinant of the error covariance matrix, which is proportional to the volume of the confidence ellipsoid. The first algorithm is the centralized greedy selection algorithm, which can achieve a nearly optimal solution in terms of the minimum confidence ellipsoid. It can also achieve almost the same level of performance as the combinatorial selection method, but has a lower complexity and outperforms the conventional convex relaxation method. The second algorithm is the decentralized selection algorithm, which is derived by approximating the determinant of the error covariance matrix. Unlike the centralized greedy algorithm, it can be done by each sensor node without heavy overhead or high complexity. Furthermore, we prove that the decentralized selection algorithm becomes equivalent to the centralized greedy algorithm as the number of sensor nodes increases. Our simulation results show that the centralized greedy selection algorithm provides the best performance while the decentralized algorithm performs nearly as well as the centralized algorithm as the number of sensor nodes increases.
Competency‐based medical education: origins, perspectives and potentialities

This article is part of a series in Medical Education entitled ‘Dialogue’. Each publication in the series will be a transcription of an e-mail discussion about a current issue in the field held by two scholars who have approached the issue from different perspectives. For further details, see the editorial published in Med Educ 2012;46 (9):826–7. In this volume, Olle ten Cate, PhD (University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands) and Stephen Billett, PhD (Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) conduct an e-mail conversation on competency-based professional training in medicine. The discussion addressed its roots, significance and limitations, and extended to considerations of canonical knowledge and skill versus context-dependent ability, and legitimate peripheral participation through the development of a growing portfolio of entrustable professional activities.
Consumer Assessment of the Safety of Beef at the Point of Purchase: A Pan-European Study

The paper employs structural equation modelling to explore the process by which consumers assess the safety of beef at the point of purchase. The data employed in the analysis are collected through a telephone survey in six European Union member states. The results indicate differences in the process by which the safety of beef is assessed by consumers between the study countries. The implications of the results for policy within the European Union are discussed.
The Work of Strategizing and Organizing: For a Practice Perspective

It takes a lot of work to make a strategy or design an organization. Consider just the formal side. Data are gathered and analysed, documents are written and presentations made. There are project meetings, board meetings, conferences, workshops and awaydays. Midnight oil is burnt and weekends lost. The work is expensive. It calls on senior managers, middle managers, strategic planners, organization development experts, management consultants, communications specialists and sometimes lawyers and investment bankers. And there is even more work in getting these strategies or organization designs actually implemented. The work of strategizing and organizing is a serious business. My argument here is for the importance of this work to the remit of Strategic Organization. Seeing strategy and organization as achieved by the labour of highly skilled workers brings to the new journal at least six sets of research questions: briefly, where and how is the work of strategizing and organizing actually done; who does this strategizing and organizing work; what are the skills required for this work and how are they acquired; what are the common tools and techniques of strategizing and organizing; how is the work of strategizing and organizing organized itself; and finally how are the products of strategizing and organizing communicated and consumed? These questions are practically important. They are also in tune with the ‘practice turn’ in contemporary organization and social theory (Brown and Duguid, 2001; Orlikowski, 2002; Schatzki et al., 2000). The next section introduces the practice perspective on strategizing and organizing, distinguishing it from the process tradition and making the case for starting with the formal side. I shall then return to the six questions around the who, where, how and what of strategic and organizational work. Besides offering rich opportunities in terms of research, I shall argue that these kinds of questions are particularly pressing for those of us who are workers in business schools ourselves. My closing remarks start with a personal confession; they go on to consider the implications of the practice perspective both for testing theory and for the relationship between strategy and organization. STRATEGIC ORGANIZATION Vol 1(1): 117–125 1476-1270[200302];1:1;117–125;031221 Copyright ©2003 Sage Publications (London,Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi)
Inter-Country Analysis of Electronic Commerce Adoption in South Eastern Europe: Policy Recommendations for the Region

Abstract The 'digital divide' between developed and non-developed countries in terms of adoption of new technologies and particularly the Internet and electronic commerce is a heavily debated issue. In this paper we examine its manifestation in the area of south eastern Europe which is in a less advanced position compared to western Europe. We use data from 8 countries, collected from local key stakeholders such as government agencies and professional bodies. We use a framework developed by King et al. (1994) regarding institutional actions related to IT diffusion and examine the ones pursued by regional policy makers for the diffusion of electronic commerce. The data are presented by using SWOT analysis with the view to portray the situation of electronic commerce adoption in each country under investigation. A collective analysis of the research findings offers the possibility to extract the "success factors " in government intervention in supporting electronic commerce diffusion. Our aim is to provide recommendations about good practices in electronic commerce policy making in the region towards the elimination of the digital divide with western Europe.
Assembly Concept and Technology of the ATLAS Barrel Toroid

The ATLAS detector for the LHC collider at CERN requires a large superconducting Barrel Toroid (BT) with overall dimensions of 25 m length, 22 m diameter which is installed in the ATLAS cavern 100 m underground. The Barrel Toroid provides the magnetic field for the muon detector. The toroid is assembled from 8 flat race track coils of dimensions 25 m times 5 m. Following the on-surface acceptance test of the 8 BT coils, they are successively inserted in the underground cavern and assembled as a full toroid by using 16 supporting rings of struts that link the 8 coils to form a rigid and stable structure. The total mass of the toroid is 850 t. Particular issues are that the axis of the toroid has to be horizontal and the final shape of the toroid cylindrical with a tolerance of +/-10 mm with respect to an overall system diameter of 22 m. The desired shape of the toroid can only be controlled by installing the 8 coils in calculated positions in space (forming an elliptic shaped structure), and by linking them using bolted struts linking the coils. The final release of the structure is done under its self weight hydraulically. This required very large tooling essentially to support all the 8 coils in space in a nearly stress free condition until the toroid supporting rings have been closed. The theoretical positions are found by performing detailed 3-D Finite Element Calculations that predict the shape of the toroid under its operational load. The assembly of this huge toroid is unique and no experience basis exists. This paper presents the concept and technology required for the assembly of the toroid as well as the cryogenic supply lines, highlights the FEA mechanical calculations performed to predict the shape, summarizes the tooling required and reviews the experience gained during the installation
The Regionalization Of The World Economy

Regional economic arrangements such as free trade areas (FTAs), customs unions, and currency blocs, have become increasingly prevalent in the world economy. Both pervasive and controversial, regionalization has some economists optimistic about the opportunities it creates and others fearful that it may corrupt fragile efforts to encourage global free trade. Including both empirical and theoretical studies, this volume addresses several important questions: Why do countries adopt FTAs and other regional trading arrangements? To what extent have existing regional arrangements actually affected patterns of trade? What are the welfare effects of such arrangements? Several chapters explore the economic effects of regional arrangements on patterns of trade, either on price differentials or via the gravity model on bilateral trade flows. In addition, this book examines the theoretical foundation of the gravity model. Making extensive use of the gravity model of bilateral trade, several chapters explore the economic effects of regional arrangements. In addition, this book examines the theoretical foundation of the gravity model.
High HIV incidence during pregnancy: compelling reason for repeat HIV testing

Objective:To determine the incidence of HIV during pregnancy as defined by seroconversion using a repeat HIV rapid testing strategy during late pregnancy. Design:Cross-sectional study nested in a prevention of mother-to-child transmission program Methods:Pregnant women were retested between 36 and 40 weeks of gestation, provided that they had been tested HIV negative at least 3 months prior. Results:Among the 2377 HIV-negative women retested, 1099 (46.2%) and 1278 (53.4%) were tested at urban and rural health facilities, respectively. Seventy-two women (3%) were HIV-positive (679 woman years of exposure) yielding a HIV incidence rate of 10.7/100 woman years [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.2–13.1]. HIV incidence in pregnancy was higher but not statistically significant at the urban facilities (12.4/100 woman years versus 9.1/100 woman years) and at least two-fold higher among the 25–29 and 30–34-year age groups (3.8 and 4.5%, respectively) as compared with the less than 20-year age group (1.9%). Single women were at 2.5 times higher risk of seroconverting during pregnancy (P = 0.017). Conclusion:HIV incidence during pregnancy is four times higher than in the nonpregnant population reported in a recent survey. Public health programs need to continue to reinforce prevention strategies and HIV retesting during pregnancy. The latter also offers an additional opportunity to prevent mother-to-child transmission and further horizontal transmission. Further research is required to understand the cause of primary HIV infection in pregnancy.
Uncoupling of Obesity from Insulin Resistance Through a Targeted Mutation in aP2, the Adipocyte Fatty Acid Binding Protein

Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) are small cytoplasmic proteins that are expressed in a highly tissue-specific manner and bind to fatty acids such as oleic and retinoic acid. Mice with a null mutation in aP2, the gene encoding the adipocyte FABP, were developmentally and metabolically normal. The aP2-deficient mice developed dietary obesity but, unlike control mice, they did not develop insulin resistance or diabetes. Also unlike their obese wild-type counterparts, obese aP2−/− animals failed to express in adipose tissue tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), a molecule implicated in obesity-related insulin resistance. These results indicate that aP2 is central to the pathway that links obesity to insulin resistance, possibly by linking fatty acid metabolism to expression of TNF-α.
Hydrogen Peroxide‐Dependent Arteriolar Dilation in Contracting Muscle of Rats Fed Normal and High Salt Diets

Objective: High dietary salt intake decreases the arteriolar dilation associated with skeletal muscle contraction. Because hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can be released from contracting muscle fibers, this study was designed to assess the possible contribution of H2O2 to skeletal muscle functional hyperemia and its sensitivity to dietary salt.