Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The use of reverse transfer function (RTF) in the fitting procedure of implantable hearing devices

EABRs have been obtained in several multichannel CI devices (Pelizzone et al., 1989; Shallop et al., 1990; Brown et al., 1994; Gallego et al., 1996; Brown et al., 1999; Gordon et al., 2002), mainly in adult patients and/or after several months of electrical stimulation. All patients of our study were children and most of them were implanted before the age of 5 years. This could explain the differences that we observed such as longer latencies in the intraoperative EABR recorded in congenitally deafened children (Group II, near 4.5 ms instead of 3.8–4 ms as in most studies). These findings could be due to a reduced number of neurons and/or an impaired myelination in the central auditory pathways as recently suggested by animal studies of immature auditory pathways (Hardie and Shepherd, 1999). Electrical stimulation induced different changes in early congenitally deafened children (Group II) and in progressively deafened children (Group I). This could indicate that more profound changes were induced by cochlear implantation in congenitally deafened children (maturation or plastic modifications of the neural circuits) than in progressively deafened children. These data are consistent with those found by others in cortical potentials and support the concept of early implantation in congenitally deafened children (Ponton et al., 1999).
ABC of Breast Diseases: Breast Pain

Breast pain (mastalgia) alone or in association with lumpiness is reported in up to a half of all women attending breast clinics. Two thirds of a group of working women and 77% of a screening population admitted to having had recent breast pain when directly questioned. Most mastalgia is of minor or moderate severity and is accepted as part of the normal changes that occur in relation to the menstrual cycle. Studies have clearly shown that women who complain of mastalgia are psychologically no different from women attending hospital outpatient clinics for other conditions. Breast pain can be separated into two main groups, cyclical and non- cyclical. The best way to assess whether pain is cyclical is to ask a patient to complete a breast pain record chart. Two thirds of women have cyclical pain, and the remaining third have non-cyclical pain. Daily breast pain chart. Breast pain chart of patient with severe cyclical mastalgia. (P indicates menstrual period.) Breast pain chart of patient with moderate continuous non-cyclical mastalgia. Patients with cyclical pain are by definition premenopausal, and their average age is 34. Normal changes in relation to menstrual cycle are heightened awareness, discomfort, fullness, and heaviness of the breast during the three to seven days before each period. Women often report areas of tender lumpiness in their breasts and increased breast size at this time. Patients with cyclical mastalgia typically suffer increasing severity of pain from mid-cycle onwards, with the pain improving at menstruation. The pain is usually described as heavy with the breast being tender to touch, and it classically affects the outer half of the breast. The pain varies in severity from cycle to cycle but can persist for many years. Cyclical mastalgia is relieved by the …
A Maximum Entropy Tagger with Unsupervised Hidden Markov Models

We describe a new tagging model where the states of a hidden Markov model (HMM) estimated by unsupervised learning are incorporated as the features in a maximum entropy model. Our method for exploiting unsupervised learning of a probabilistic model can reduce the cost of building taggers with no dictionary and a small annotated corpus. Experimental results on English POS tagging and Japanese word segmentation show that in both tasks our method greatly improves the tagging accuracy when the model is trained with a small annotated corpus. Furthermore, our English POS tagger achieved betterthan-state-of-the-art POS tagging accuracy (96.84%) when a large annotated corpus is available.
CFD Capabilities for Hypersonic Scramjet Propulsive Flowpath Design

This paper discusses the status of our CFD capabilities for scramjet flow path analysis and design, as well as key enabling technologies that enhance accuracy and efficiency. A scramjet engine flow path encompasses some of the most complex aero-propulsive physics including; laminar to turbulent flow transition, complex shock interactions, and multi-species reacting chemistry. Through the judicious use of advanced modeling and adaptive procedures to ensure adequate resolution, CFD can now predict the performance characteristics of proposed engine designs. Several enhancements to the baseline modeling approach are presented and their influence is demonstrated on unit problems representative of scramjet flow paths. Nomenclature Pr t = Turbulent Prandtl Number Sc t = Turbulent Schmidt Number Le = Lewis Number, Pr t /Sc t Re θ = Reynolds Number based on momentum boundary layer thickness M = Mach Number k,ε = Turbulent kinetic energy, turbulent dissipation rate T w = Temperature of wall PDE = Partial differential equation
Fracture Properties of Cement Studied by Nanoindentation and FIB

The paper shows results of microscale experimental tests performed on cement paste specimens fabricated by focused ion beam milling. The specimens are prepared in the form of cantilever beams and loaded in bending by nanoindenter. The dimensions of specimens are in the order of a few micrometers which corresponds to the single phase size. Intact and notched specimens with a stress concentrator are tested. Tensile strength and fracture energy are derived for the hydration product by analyzing the nanoindentation data and with the aid of analytical and numerical modeling. Although small number of tests is performed good correlation of the results is reached with respect to the available literature and molecular dynamic simulations.
Differentiation of bacterial and viral pneumonia in children

Background: A study was undertaken to investigate the differential diagnostic role of chest radiographic findings, total white blood cell count (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and serum C reactive protein (CRP) in children with community acquired pneumonia of varying aetiology. Methods: The study population consisted of 254 consecutive children admitted to hospital with community acquired pneumonia diagnosed between 1993 and 1995. WBC, ESR, and CRP levels were determined on admission. Seventeen infective agents (10 viruses and seven bacteria) were searched for. Chest radiographs were retrospectively and separately reviewed by three paediatric radiologists. Results: A potential causative agent was found in 215 (85%) of the 254 cases. Bacterial infection was found in 71% of 137 children with alveolar infiltrates on the chest radiograph, while 72% of the 134 cases with a bacterial pneumonia had alveolar infiltrates. Half of the 77 children with solely interstitial infiltrates on the chest radiograph had evidence of bacterial infection. The proportion of patients with increased WBC or ESR did not differ between bacterial and viral pneumonias, but differences in the CRP levels of >40 mg/l, >80 mg/l, and >120 mg/l were significant although the sensitivity for detecting bacterial pneumonia was too low for use in clinical practice. Conclusions: Most children with alveolar pneumonia, especially those with lobar infiltrates, have laboratory evidence of a bacterial infection. Interstitial infiltrates are seen in both viral and bacterial pneumonias.
Thermoelectricity in single-molecule devices

ABSTRACT Harvesting waste energy from heat sources such as electronic devices through exploiting the thermoelectric effect is becoming increasingly attractive as information technique associated devices are now making up over 10% of the worldwide electricity consumption [Mills MP. The cloud begins with coal – big data, big network, big infrastructures and big power; 2013. Available from: https://www.tech-pundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/CloudBeginsWithCoal.pdf]. While solid-state thermogenerators have been developed and have shown promising results, their price in addition to other characteristics make them unattractive for a wide use [Zhang Q, Sun Y, Xu W, et al. Organic thermoelectric materials: emerging green energy materials converting heat to electricity directly and efficiently. Adv Mater. 2014;26(40):6829–6851]. Owing to those limitations, molecular structures have emerged as a possible alternative for fabricating cheap, efficient thermogenerators. Single-molecule devices are not prone to the mechanisms that limit the performance of bulk devices and could potentially be used to build ultra-high-efficiency thermoelectric power generators [Venkatasubramanian R, Siivola E, Colpitts T, et al. Thin-film thermoelectric devices with high room-temperature figures of merit. Nature. 2001;413(6856):597–602]. Since the pioneering work by Reddy et al. in measuring single molecules there has been a steady rise in interest in this field [Reddy P, Jang SY, Segalman RA, et al. Thermoelectricity in molecular junctions. Science. 2007;315(5818):1568–1571]. While a molecular device structure allowing for cheap and scalable fabrication as well as exhibiting high efficiency has not been identified yet, there have been intriguing results in theory and experiment, showing what would be necessary to make molecules a viable alternative. Furthermore, molecular electronics has been shown to permit sensing applications and give additional insight into molecular transport. This review was submitted as part of the 2018 Materials Literature Review Prize of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining run by the Editorial Board of MST. Sponsorship of the prize by TWI Ltd is gratefully acknowledged.
Superoxide anions involved in sympathoexcitation and pressor effects of salusin‐β in paraventricular nucleus in hypertensive rats

Salusin‐β in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) increases renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) release in hypertensive rats but not in normal rats. The present study was designed to investigate the downstream molecular mechanism of salusin‐β in the PVN in hypertension.
The transcription factors SOX9 and SOX5/SOX6 cooperate genome-wide through super-enhancers to drive chondrogenesis

SOX9 is a transcriptional activator required for chondrogenesis, and SOX5 and SOX6 are closely related DNA-binding proteins that critically enhance its function. We use here genome-wide approaches to gain novel insights into the full spectrum of the target genes and modes of action of this chondrogenic trio. Using the RCS cell line as a faithful model for proliferating/early prehypertrophic growth plate chondrocytes, we uncover that SOX6 and SOX9 bind thousands of genomic sites, frequently and most efficiently near each other. SOX9 recognizes pairs of inverted SOX motifs, whereas SOX6 favors pairs of tandem SOX motifs. The SOX proteins primarily target enhancers. While binding to a small fraction of typical enhancers, they bind multiple sites on almost all super-enhancers (SEs) present in RCS cells. These SEs are predominantly linked to cartilage-specific genes. The SOX proteins effectively work together to activate these SEs and are required for in vivo expression of their associated genes. These genes encode key regulatory factors, including the SOX trio proteins, and all essential cartilage extracellular matrix components. Chst11, Fgfr3, Runx2 and Runx3 are among many other newly identified SOX trio targets. SOX9 and SOX5/SOX6 thus cooperate genome-wide, primarily through SEs, to implement the growth plate chondrocyte differentiation program.
Operations Research Models for the Deployment of Emergency Services Vehicles

This paper is a review of the development and current state of the art in operations research for deployment and planning analysis pertaining to Emergency Medical Services and Fire Departments. These public safety systems have received a great deal of attention in the operations research community since they provide important services to people and the problems are amenable to mathematical modeling and solution. The concentration here is on both analytical work and applications. Modeling and problem assumptions are emphasized rather than clever solution procedures and mathematical derivations. This paper is organized both chronologically and by modeling approach / problem issue, so the interested reader can easily trace the chain of modeling improvements that are most closely applicable to their particular problem. The bibliography contains over 115 relevant books, articles, and web sites that represent over 35 years of work from all of the leading operations research analysts and practitioners in the field.
Characteristics and self-rated health of overlap syndrome

Background and objective Overlap syndrome shares features of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to investigate characteristics of overlap syndrome and their effect on self-rated health (SRH). Methods We analyzed data from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2007–2009. Subjects with acceptable spirometry and available wheezing history were included. Subjects were classified into four groups based on forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) results and the presence or absence of self-reported wheezing for the previous 12 months: 1) COPD group, defined as having FEV1/FVC <0.7 without self-reported wheezing history; 2) asthma group, defined as having self-reported wheezing history without FEV1/FVC <0.7; 3) overlap syndrome group, having both FEV1/FVC <0.7 and wheezing history; and 4) non-obstructive disease (NOD) group, having neither FEV1/FVC <0.7 nor self-reported wheezing. SRH was categorized as better or lower based on responses to a questionnaire. Results From a total 9,104 subjects, 700 were assigned to the COPD group, 560 to the asthma group, 210 to the overlap syndrome group, and 7,634 to the NOD group. Compared to the other groups, subjects in the overlap syndrome group were more likely to have low lung function, a high proportion of smokers, low socioeconomic status, short education duration, lower SRH, and past diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis or bronchiectasis. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that both overlap syndrome and asthma groups were independently associated with lower SRH after adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic status, education level, smoking status, comorbidities, and lung function. Female, old age, low education level, low economic status, smoker and other comorbidities were also associated with lower SRH. Conclusion Overlap syndrome was accompanied by high morbidity and was associated with lower SRH, which needs more appropriate care.
Effectiveness of Automated Chinese Sentence Scoring with Latent Semantic Analysis

Automated scoring by means of Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) has been introduced lately to improve the traditional human scoring system. The purposes of the present study were to develop a LSA-based assessment system to evaluate children’s Chinese sentence construction skills and to examine the effectiveness of LSA-based automated scoring function by comparing it with traditional human scoring. Twenty-seven fourth graders and thirty-one six graders were assessed on single-character sentence making test (subtest 1) and two-character words sentence making test (subtest 2). The outcomes of LSA-based automated scoring methods in three Chinese semantic spaces generated from three type weighting functions were compared to the traditional human scoring. The results showed that LSA-based automated scoring in three different Chinese semantic spaces and traditional human scoring were highly correlated in single-character sentence making test and moderately correlated in two-character words sentence making test. The Chinese semantic space generated from Log-IDF outperformed the other two types of weighting function in the present study.
BCR–ABL1 kinase-dependent alteration of mRNA metabolism: potential alternatives for therapeutic intervention

The use of first- and second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) significantly improves prognosis for patients with early chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and efficiently counteracts leukemia in most patients with CML bearing a disease characterized by the expression of BCR–ABL1 mutants. However, the so-called ‘tinib’ TKIs (e.g. imatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib, and bosutinib) are both ineffective in patients who undergo blastic transformation and unable to eradicate CML at the stem cell level. This raises a few important questions. Is BCR–ABL1 expression and/or activity essential for blastic transformation? Is blastic transformation the result of genetic or epigenetic events that occur at the stem cell level which only become apparent in the granulocyte-macrophage progenitor (GMP) cell pool, or does it arise directly at the GMP level? As altered mRNA metabolism contributes to the phenotype of blast crisis CML progenitors (decreased translation of tumor suppressor genes and transcription factors essential for terminal differentiation and increased translation of anti-apoptotic genes), one attractive concept is to restore levels of these essential molecules to their normal levels. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which mRNA processing, translation, and degradation are deregulated in BCR–ABL1 myeloid blast crisis CML progenitors, and present encouraging results from studies with pharmacologic inhibitors which support their inclusion in the clinic.
A 1.8-Gb/s burst-mode clock and data recovery circuit with a 1/4-rate clock technique

In this paper, a burst-mode clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit using a 1/4-rate clock technique is realized for optical communication system. The CDR circuit contains a phase detector and a muxed-oscillator to control the phase of the clocks. In-lock operation is accomplished on the first data transition, and after the first data the clocks are in phase for all data until the data transition is over. The CDR circuit is implemented with 0.18-mum CMOS technology. The experimental results show that the proposed CDR circuit recover the incoming 1.8-Gb/s data
A General Dynamic Information Flow Tracking Framework for Building Security Applications

Many security applications require tracking of control/data dependencies among information objects that flow through programs. While many static analysis tools have been developed to derive these dependencies at compile time, they are not very effective in practice, especially for programs written in C. This paper presents a general dynamic information-flow tracking framework (GDIF) for C programs that allows an application developer to associate application-specific tags to input data, instruments the application to propagate these tags to all the other data that are control/data-dependent on the input data, and invokes application-specific processing on output data with particular tag values. To use GDIF, an application developer only needs to implement input and output proxy functions to tag input data and to apply tag-dependent processing on output data, respectively. GDIF features a novel tagging technique that incurs minimal performance overhead while maintaining compatibility with legacy library functions. To demonstrate the usefulness of GDIF, we implement a complete GDIF application that enables selective sandboxing of application programs based on whether their inputs are ”tainted” or not, and show that its performance overhead ranges from 20% to 170% for the programs we tested.
Under consideration for publication in J. Functional Programming 1 Dependent Types Ensure Partial Correctness of Theorem Provers

Static type systems in programming languages allow many errors to be detected at compile time that wouldn't be detected until runtime otherwise. Dependent types are more expressive than the type systems in most programming languages, so languages that have them should allow programmers to detect more errors earlier. In this paper, using the Twelf system, we show that dependent types in the logic programming setting can be used to ensure partial correctness of programs which implement theorem provers, and thus avoid runtime errors in proof search and proof construction. We present two examples: a tactic-style interactive theorem prover and a unionnd decision procedure.
Are Public Housing Projects Good for Kids?

One of the goals of federal housing policy is to improve the prospects of children in poor families. But little research has been conducted into the effects of participation in housing programs on children, perhaps because it is difficult to find data sets with information about both participation and interesting outcome measures. This paper combines data from several sources in order to provide a first look at the effect of public housing projects on housing quality and the educational attainment of children. We first use administrative data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to impute the probability that a Census household lives in a public housing project. We find that a higher probability of living in a project is associated with poorer outcomes. We then use two-sample instrumental variables (TSIV) techniques to combine information on the probability of living in a project obtained from the 1990 to 1995 Current Population Surveys, with information on outcomes obtained from 1990 Census. The instrument common to both samples is an indicator equal to one if the household is entitled to a larger housing project unit because of the sex composition of the children in the household. Families entitled to a larger unit because of sex composition are 24% more likely to live in projects. When we control for omitted variables bias using TSIV, we find that project households are less likely to suffer from overcrowding and less likely to live in high-density complexes. Project children are also 12 to 17 percentage points less likely to have been held back in school one or more grades, although this effect is confined to boys. Thus, most families do not face a tradeoff between housing quality and child outcomes -- the average project improves both.
Effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma on bone regeneration in mandibular fractures.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on bone regeneration in mandibular fractures via a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-four patients having parasymphyseal fractures participated in this study. They were randomly divided into two equal groups. Group A was treated by two titanium miniplates and screws plus local application of activated PRP along the fracture line, whereas group B was treated by the same bone plates and screws without application of PRP. The patients were recalled at 1 week, 3 and 6 months after surgery for clinical assessment and measuring the bone density via CBCT at a region of interest (ROI) including the fracture line. RESULTS The mean values of the bone density measurements, in both groups, were higher at 3 and 6 months than 1 week after surgery. At 1 week after surgery, the values were 542 ± 93 HU and 515 ± 81 HU in group A and B, respectively. In group A, the mean value of bone density measurements was 728 ± 58 HU (range 620-796 HU) at 3 months after surgery and it was 1024 ± 188 HU (range 825-1490 HU) 6 months later. While in group B, the mean values of the bone density measurements at the ROI were 600 ± 78 HU (range 520-790 HU) and 756 ± 53 HU (range 710-890 HU) at 3 and 6 months after surgery, respectively. The increase in the bone density measurements at 3 and 6 months after surgery was statistically significant only in group A (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS It can be concluded that direct application of the PRP along the fracture lines may enhance the bone regeneration in mandibular fractures.