370 research outputs found

    Evaluating the effect of training along with fit testing on earmuff users in a Chinese textile factory

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    <p>A hearing protection fit testing was conducted on workers (n = 189) in a textile factory in southern China. The 3M E-A-Rfit Dual-Ear Validation System was used to measure the personal attenuation rating (PAR) on an over-the-head style earmuff at the work site. In addition, PARs were obtained several times throughout the same work shift to capture different fits on 39 workers. Follow-up visits were conducted in approximate 6-month or 12-month intervals to repeat the fit testing. Both the immediate and residual effects of training on the field attenuation of hearing protection devices obtained by workers, and the effects of training toward improving the attenuation and protection of earmuffs after a period of daily use, were observed. A questionnaire survey was used to assess the awareness of hearing health and motivation toward the use of earmuffs in a high temperature environment. The results showed that there were wide variations in PARs among the workers tested. The one-on-one training together with fit testing improved PAR and helped to reduce the negative impact caused by use of protective hair covers. Since earmuffs are often used for long periods of time (>1 year), repeating fit tests could be helpful in order to verify the attenuation received throughout their useful life.</p

    On Locally Optimal Designs for Generalized Linear Models with Group Effects

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    Generalized linear models with group effects are commonly used in scientific studies. However, there appear to be no results for selecting optimal designs. In this paper, we identify the structure of locally optimal designs, provide a general strategy to determine the design points and the corresponding weights for optimal designs, and present theoretical results for the special case of D-optimality. The results can be applied to many commonly studied models, including the logistic, probit, and loglinear models. The design region can be restricted or unrestricted, and the results can also be applied for a multi-stage approach

    Additional file 1 of Saikosaponin D alleviates inflammatory response of osteoarthritis and mediates autophagy via elevating microRNA-199-3p to target transcription Factor-4

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    Additional file 1: Figure S1. Effects of SSD and miR-199-3p on anabolic activity and catabolic activity of chondrocytes. A-D. Western blot detected Col2a1 and MMP-13. Col2a1 protein decreased and MMP-13 protein increased in OA chondrocytes. SSD treatment inhibited the expression of Col2a1 protein and promoted the expression of MMP-13 protein. Downregulation of miR-199-3p decreased the effect of SSD on the expression of Col2a1 and MMP-13 proteins. After upregulation of miR-199-3p alone, the expression of Col2a1 protein was increased, and the expression of MMP-13 protein was decreased; while, upregulation of TCF4 could reduce the influence of upregulation of miR-199-3p on the expression of Col2a1 and MMP-13 protein. * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01. N = 3

    Information-Based Optimal Subdata Selection for Big Data Linear Regression

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    <p>Extraordinary amounts of data are being produced in many branches of science. Proven statistical methods are no longer applicable with extraordinary large datasets due to computational limitations. A critical step in big data analysis is data reduction. Existing investigations in the context of linear regression focus on subsampling-based methods. However, not only is this approach prone to sampling errors, it also leads to a covariance matrix of the estimators that is typically bounded from below by a term that is of the order of the inverse of the subdata size. We propose a novel approach, termed information-based optimal subdata selection (IBOSS). Compared to leading existing subdata methods, the IBOSS approach has the following advantages: (i) it is significantly faster; (ii) it is suitable for distributed parallel computing; (iii) the variances of the slope parameter estimators converge to 0 as the full data size increases even if the subdata size is fixed, that is, the convergence rate depends on the full data size; (iv) data analysis for IBOSS subdata is straightforward and the sampling distribution of an IBOSS estimator is easy to assess. Theoretical results and extensive simulations demonstrate that the IBOSS approach is superior to subsampling-based methods, sometimes by orders of magnitude. The advantages of the new approach are also illustrated through analysis of real data. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.</p

    La réforme des rythmes scolaires et les projets éducatifs territoriaux : première analyse des évaluations, bilans et autres expertises réalisés entre 2013 et 2017

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    Publication du CNESCO (Conseil national d’évaluation du système scolaire)Cette étude se donne pour ambition d’approfondir la réflexion sur la réforme dite des rythmes « scolaires » et/ou « éducatifs » et la mise en place des Projets éducatifs de territoire (PEDT) qui l’accompagne. Elle s’attache à clarifier les enjeux et contours de cette réforme et engage surtout un travail d’analyse secondaire d’une partie des différents travaux et rapports dits « d’évaluation », de « bilan » ou « d’études » politico-administratifs, savants ou experts qui ont récemment été produits sur cette dernière. Ceci conduit à soutenir une double série de questionnements sur l’évolution et les aménagements de cette réforme, l’enchevêtrement des logiques et des modes de problématisation des questions scolaires et éducatives qu’elle promeut, les variétés du «discours éducatif et pédagogique» qu’elle sous-tend, ainsi que sur la forme particulière prise par la «littérature experte », qui accompagne, depuis quelques années, sa mise en œuvre controversée.Ce document s’inscrit dans une série de contributions publiées par le Conseil national d’évaluation du système scolaire (Cnesco) sur la thématique : Justice à l’école et territoires

    Boulogne news and Boulogne gazette : published every tuesday

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    10 octobre 18601860/10/10 (N1115).Appartient à l’ensemble documentaire : IledeFr1Appartient à l’ensemble documentaire : NordPdeC

    Zinc finger protein 189 promotes the differentiation of lamina propria T helper 17.1 cells in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis

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    The factors regulating the heterogeneity of interleukin-17A (IL-17A)-expressing CD4+ T cells in inflammatory bowel diseases remain unclear. In the current study, we characterised the expression and function of zinc finger protein 189 (ZFP189) in a murine colitis model. Mice were given dextran sulphate sodium to induce acute colitis. Flow cytometry was applied to recognise and enrich Th17 and Th17.1 cells based on the expression of IL-17A, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3), and C-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4). The expression of ZFP189 in Th17 and Th17.1 cells was determined by Immunoblotting. Lentivirus-mediated ZFP189 knockdown was conducted to evaluate the effect of ZFP189 on the differentiation of Th17 and Th17.1 cells. The adoptive transfer was performed to analyse the pathogenicity of Th17.1 cells in vivo. We found that ZFP189 was mildly up-regulated in IL-17A-expressing CD4+ T cells in colonic lamina propria. Lamina propria Th17.1 cells expressed higher ZFP189 than Th17 cells. In vitro ZFP189 knockdown in CD4+ T cells did not impact Th17 cell differentiation but suppressed Th17.1 cell differentiation, as evidenced by lower T-box expressed in T cells (T-bet) and IFN-γ. When adoptively transferred into mice, ZFP189-deficient Th17.1 cells produced fewer IFN-γ, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) than ZFP189-expressing Th17.1 cells. Moreover, ZFP189-deficient Th17.1 cells induced less severe colitis than ZFP189-expressing Th17.1 cells, as evidenced by less body weight loss, a lower disease activity index, and a lower colon histological score. In summary, ZFP189 acts as a positive regulator of the differentiation and pathogenicity of lamina propria Th17.1 cells in colitis.</p

    Performance evaluation of semantic segmentation models: a cross meta-frontier DEA approach

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    Performance evaluation of semantic segmentation models is an essential task because it helps to identify the best-performing model. Traditional methods, however, are generally concerned with the improvement of a single quality or quantity. Moreover, what causes low performance usually goes unnoticed. To address these issues, a new cross meta-frontier data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach is proposed in this article. For evaluating model performance comprehensively, not only accuracy metrics, but also hardware burden and model structure factors, are taken as DEA outputs and inputs, separately. In addition, the potential inefficiency is attributed to architectures and backbones via efficiency decomposition, so that it can find the sources of inefficiency and provides a direction for performance improvement. Finally, based on the proposed approach, the performance of 16 classical semantic segmentation models on the PASCAL VOC dataset are re-evaluated and explained. The results verify that the proposed approach can be considered as a comprehensive and interpretable performance evaluation technique, which expands the traditional accuracy-based measurement.</p
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