Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A CTC(M−1) Model for Different Types of Raters

Many psychologists collect multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) data to assess the convergent and discriminant validity of psychological measures. In order to choose the most appropriate model, the types of methods applied have to be considered. It is shown how the combination of interchangeable and structurally different raters can be analyzed with an extension of the correlated trait-correlated method minus one [CTC(M−1)] model. This extension allows for disentangling individual rater biases (unique method effects) from shared rater biases (common method effects). The basic ideas of this model are presented and illustrated by an empirical example.
Increased enthesopathy among Behçet's syndrome patients with acne and arthritis: an ultrasonography study.

OBJECTIVE Behçet's syndrome is characterized by clusters of disease expression, one of which is the coexistence of acne and arthritis. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that enthesopathy is increased in this cluster, having features reminiscent of acne-associated arthritis. METHODS The study group comprised 35 patients with Behçet's syndrome who had acne and arthritis (BS-AA), 38 patients with Behçet's syndrome who did not have arthritis (BS-WA), 37 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 25 healthy control subjects. Five entheseal sites (the superior and inferior poles of the patella, the tibial tuberosity, and the superior and inferior poles of the calcaneus) on both lower extremities were examined by 2 independent observers, using ultrasonography. A previously validated composite score was calculated for each patient. The numbers of entheseal sites giving a positive power Doppler signal in each group were also compared. RESULTS Patients with AS had the highest enthesopathy score (mean +/- SD 4.1 +/- 2.4; F [4df] = 8.43, P < 0.001) followed by BS-AA patients (3.0 +/- 1.9; F [3df] = 3.63, P = 0.015). The mean +/- SD enthesopathy scores among the remaining 3 groups were similar (for BS-WA, 1.8 +/- 1.4; for RA, 2.2 +/- 1.6; for healthy controls, 2.0 +/- 1.5 [F (2df) = 0.65, P = 0.53]). Power Doppler scores were highest for the BS-AA group (mean +/- SD 3.0 +/- 1.5; F [4df] = 15.54, P < 0.001) followed by the AS group (2.7 +/- 1.8; F [3df] = 14.38, P < 0.001), the RA group (2.6 +/- 1.8; F [2df] = 13.88, P < 0.001), the BS-WA group (1.2 +/- 1.3; F [1df] = 4.48, P = 0.038), and the control group (0.5 +/- 1.1). There was 87% agreement between the 2 observers (kappa = 0.55, intraclass correlation coefficient 0.71). CONCLUSION The increased presence of enthesopathy among BS-AA patients compared with that among BS-WA patients further supports the hypothesis that patients with Behçet's syndrome who also have arthritis and acne form a distinct cluster.
Psychometric Evaluation of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in Three Diverse Samples

Our objective was to evaluate the utility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in both non-clinical and clinical populations. The MoCA, a tool used widely in clinical geriatric practice to detect and quantify cognitive impairment, was administered to three diverse samples to assess the psychometric properties of the instrument. Participants were 482 healthy persons seen in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study (CCLS), 1923 healthy volunteers evaluated by the Dallas Heart Study (DHS), a population-based sample of Dallas County residents and 69 persons with known or suspected brain pathology, seen for clinical evaluation. The standard deviations in the CCLS and DHS groups were small (2.81, 3.87) and moderate in the clinical group (5.22). The corresponding raw coefficients alpha were. 50,. 63, and. 75. Thus, variability and internal consistency were associated. MoCA scores generally did not correlate with gender and correlated with age only in the clinical group. However, there were moderately strong positive correlations between MoCA scores and education in all three samples. The reliability of the MoCA was extremely low in the two non-clinical groups, but was high in the clinical group. Although useful in large non-clinical studies, the MoCA is best suited to detect and quantify cognitive impairment in clinical patients.
Two-Component Transcriptional Regulation of N -Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Production inPseudomonas aureofaciens

ABSTRACT Production of phenazine antibiotics by the biological control bacterium Pseudomonas aureofaciens 30-84 is regulated in part by the PhzI/PhzR N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) response system (L. S. Pierson III, V. D. Keppenne, and D. W. Wood, J. Bacteriol. 176:3966–3974, 1994; D. W. Wood and L. S. Pierson III, Gene 168:49–53, 1996). Two mutants, 30-84W and 30-84.A2, were isolated and were found to be deficient in the production of phenazine, protease, hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and the AHL signal N-hexanoyl-homoserine lactone. These mutants were not complemented by phzI, phzR, or the phenazine biosynthetic genes (phzFABCD) (L. S. Pierson III, T. Gaffney, S. Lam, and F. Gong, FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 134:299–307, 1995). A 2.2-kb region of the 30-84 chromosome which fully restored production of all of these compounds in strain 30-84W was identified. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this region revealed a single open reading frame encoding a predicted 213-amino-acid protein which is very similar to the global response regulator GacA. Strain 30-84.A2 was not complemented by gacA or any cosmid from a genomic library of strain 30-84 but was complemented bygacS (formerly lemA) homologs fromPseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5 (N. Corbel and J. E. Loper, J. Bacteriol. 177:6230–6236, 1995) and Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B728a (E. M. Hrabek and D. K. Willis, J. Bacteriol. 174:3011–3020, 1992). Transcription ofphzR was not altered in either mutant; however,phzI transcription was eliminated in strains 30-84W and 30-84.A2. These results indicated that the GacS/GacA two-component signal transduction system of P. aureofaciens 30-84 controls the production of AHL required for phenazine production by mediating the transcription of phzI. Addition of exogenous AHL did not complement either mutant for phenazine production, indicating that the GacS/GacA global regulatory system controls phenazine production at multiple levels. Our results reveal for the first time a mechanism by which a two-component regulatory system and an AHL-mediated regulatory system interact.
Seasonal mood variation among Japanese residents of Stockholm

Depressive symptoms estimated by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were examined in winter and summer in a total of 242 Japanese adults staying less than 2 years or longer than 10 years in Stockholm, where the length of daylight changes dramatically throughout the winter and summer seasons. In spite of the difference in the period of residency, both groups of subjects showed more mental and somatic depressive symptoms in the winter than in the summer. Moreover, the winter BDI score of long stayers was significantly higher than that of short stayers. Accordingly, our results suggest that, although seasonal mood variation is essentially produced by a chronobiological factor, Swedish lifestyle to which long stayers have been accustomed also influences the seasonal mood variation.
Social Networks and Career Advancement of People With Disabilities

Although organizational social networks are known to influence career mobility, the specific direction of this influence is different for diverse employee groups. Diversity in organizational network research has been operationalized on various dimensions such as race and ethnicity, age, religion, education, occupation, and gender. Missing in this stream of research are application and implications of social networks as they influence career advancement of people with disabilities. The objective of this conceptual article is to outline how social network characteristics such as network density, multiplexity, cohesiveness, and homophily influence career advancement of individuals with a disability. The author concludes by proposing that human resource development professionals can engage in structured socialization programs, network audits, focused training, and the creation of an inclusive climate to ensure that social networks do not pose a deterrent to career advancement of minorities such as people with a disability.
Perceived Control, Self-Reinforcement, and Depression Among Asian American and Caucasian American Elders

This study investigated the role of perceived control and self-reinforcement in depression among community-dwelling elders from different ethnic backgrounds. The first purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the behavioral competencies of self-reinforcement and perceived control covary with and predict depression scores among 205 elderly individuals (77 Asian American and 128 Caucasian American). The second purpose was to examine possible cultural differences in depression, self-reinforcement, and perceived control scores. It was found that self-reinforcement predicted depression for the total sample and each ethnic subsample concurrently and 5 months later. Perceived control predicted depression concurrently and subsequently for the Caucasian elders only. Implications for the multicultural assessment of depression among the elderly are discussed.
Psychosocial intervention for people with learning disabilities

Psychosocial interventions are a core part of the service structures of mainstream mental health services. Research and clinical services for people with learning disabilities have often adopted a broadly psychosocial perspective. However, there is surprisingly little literature that considers psychosocial intervention for people with learning disabilities who have mental health problems. This paper describes the structure of psychosocial intervention and then considers the evidence base that is available to develop this approach for people with learning disabilities and mental health problems.
Decentralized Topology Aggregation for QoS Estimation in Large Overlay Networks

This paper introduces a scalable approach for efficient, low-cost multi-level Quality of Service (QoS) estimation in large overlay networks (ON). We modify an existing distributed partitioning algorithm, and use it to create "QoS maps". QoS maps empower applications to quickly predict several QoS metrics for any given route, and to obtain multiple alternative routes to any target node in the ON. We show that our modifications of the partitioning algorithm permit the aggregation of large hubs, but still preserve the sub-linear runtime of the original heuristic. Simulations with large ONs are performed to evaluate the proposed approach and demonstrate its scalability. Finally, we outline our estimation algorithm that we use to predict QoS and perform QoS aware routing in any given ON.
Adaptation and Natural Selection revisited

In Adaptation and Natural Selection, George C. Williams linked the distinction between group and individual adaptation with the distinction between group and individual selection. Williams’ Principle, as we will call it, says that adaptation at a level requires selection at that level. This is a necessary but not a sufficient condition; for example, group adaptation requires group selection, but the fact that group selection influences a trait’s evolution does not suffice for the resulting trait frequency to be a group adaptation. What more is required? In this paper, we describe an answer to this question that has been developed in multilevel selection theory. We also discuss an alternative framework for defining units of adaptation that violates Williams’ Principle.
An Empirical Comparison of Model Validation Techniques for Defect Prediction Models

Defect prediction models help software quality assurance teams to allocate their limited resources to the most defect-prone modules. Model validation techniques, such as <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$</tex-math> <alternatives><inline-graphic xlink:href="tantithamthavorn-ieq1-2584050.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>-fold cross-validation, use historical data to estimate how well a model will perform in the future. However, little is known about how accurate the estimates of model validation techniques tend to be. In this paper, we investigate the bias and variance of model validation techniques in the domain of defect prediction. Analysis of 101 public defect datasets suggests that 77 percent of them are highly susceptible to producing unstable results– - selecting an appropriate model validation technique is a critical experimental design choice. Based on an analysis of 256 studies in the defect prediction literature, we select the 12 most commonly adopted model validation techniques for evaluation. Through a case study of 18 systems, we find that single-repetition holdout validation tends to produce estimates with 46-229 percent more bias and 53-863 percent more variance than the top-ranked model validation techniques. On the other hand, out-of-sample bootstrap validation yields the best balance between the bias and variance of estimates in the context of our study. Therefore, we recommend that future defect prediction studies avoid single-repetition holdout validation, and instead, use out-of-sample bootstrap validation.
Reconfigurable leaky wave antenna using a gradient index plasma

We present a leaky wave antenna operating at a fixed frequency in which the radiation angle is controlled by varying the electron density of a large volume plasma discharge. The plasma is generated by means of a radio-frequency source. We highlight the way we take advantage of the index gradient of the plasma in order to prevent the microwave propagation towards the RF source which could caused radiation degradation of the antenna.
The Mediating Effect of Employee"s Trust on E-government and Good Governance in the Public Sector of Developing Countries

The main purpose of this paper is to study the mediating effect of employee’s trust between e-government and good governance in the public sector of the developing countries. In addition, it presents a conceptual research framework to understand these relationships supported by literature review from recent studies. The main findings indicate that empowering public sector employees through practicing e-government creates trustworthy behaviors which are necessary to promote effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and innovativeness as means of good governance. Implications and limitations of the study are also discussed where future studies are recommended to extend the research empirically and highlight more on governments of developing countries which are in need to such kind of transformation for an effective economic reform.
Lexical morphology and verb use in child first language loss: A preliminary case study investigation

In this paper, preliminary longitudinal data on the effects of first language loss on verb inflection and use by two Spanish-speaking siblings who were in an English-speaking environment were gathered. Both children were followed for approximately two years and were video-recorded while interacting with a familiar Spanish-speaking adult. Spontaneous Spanish speech samples were used to monitor patterns of L1 loss in the children's use of verbal lexemes and inflections. Bybee's (1985,1995) lexical morphology model was followed to predict the course of L1 loss. In particular, the concepts of semantic relevancy and input frequency, and their effects on verbal inflection in a child L1 loss context were examined. Results in general follow the predictions made by Bybee's model. Specifically, less semantically relevant distinctions, such as person/number inflection, appear to be more vulnerable to loss. Frequency of use also appears to impact the relative strength of verbal schemas. Nevertheless, individual differences were noted in the degree of loss observed. Directions for future research in the area of verbal morphology and language loss in children are suggested.
Epidermal growth factor selectively increases maltase and sucrase activities in neonatal piglet intestine.

1. Pig intestinal sucrase and maltase activities increase markedly, and lactase activity decreases, during the second week of post‐natal life. Correlations noted between the time course describing these changes and that found previously to describe a decline in the ability of the pig intestine to take up macromolecules suggest that both events are subject to the same type of developmental control. 2. Injection of epidermal growth factor (EGF) into 3‐day‐old piglets increase sucrase and maltase activities measured 3 days later. These increases, which are not seen when measuring other hydrolase enzymes, are confined to the mid and distal regions of the small intestine. 3. Dexamethasone injected into 3‐day‐old piglets inhibits lactase and, on occasion, sucrase activities without affecting other intestinal hydrolases. Significant increases in sucrase and maltase activities also occur in distal intestine following injection of EGF plus dexamethasone into 3‐day‐old pigs. 4. Cytochemical analysis shows EGF effects on sucrase and maltase activities to be exerted in crypt and basal villus enterocytes produced post‐natally. Dexamethasone inhibits lactase activity mainly by acting on mid and upper villus enterocytes produced before birth. 5. EGF appears to increase sucrase and maltase activities by extending the time during which young enterocytes continue to accumulate these enzymes in their brush‐border membranes. Dexamethasone appears to cause a more fundamental change in the biochemistry of older enterocytes. accompanied by an increasing ability of these cells to transport neutral amino acids through a sodium‐dependent mechanism (see James, Smith, Tivey & Wilson, 1987a).
Role of poly(A) polymerase in the cleavage and polyadenylation of mRNA precursor

To determine the role of poly(A) polymerase in 3'-end processing of mRNA, the effect of purified poly(A) polymerase antibodies on endonucleolytic cleavage and polyadenylation was studied in HeLa nuclear extracts, using adenovirus L3 pre-mRNA as the substrate. Both Mg2+- and Mn2+-dependent reactions catalyzing addition of 200 to 250 and 400 to 800 adenylic acid residues, respectively, were inhibited by the antibodies, which suggested that the two reactions were catalyzed by the same enzyme. Anti-poly(A) polymerase antibodies also inhibited the cleavage reaction when the reaction was coupled or chemically uncoupled with polyadenylation. These antibodies also prevented formation of specific complexes between the RNA substrate and components of nuclear extracts during cleavage or polyadenylation, with the concurrent appearance of another, antibody-specific complex. These studies demonstrate that (i) previously characterized poly(A) polymerase is the enzyme responsible for addition of the poly(A) tract at the correct cleavage site and probably for the elongation of poly(A) chains and (ii) the coupling of these two 3'-end processing reactions appears to result from the potential requirement of poly(A) polymerase for the cleavage reaction. The results suggest that the specific endonuclease is associated with poly(A) polymerase in a functional complex.
Infectious Disease Issues in Xenotransplantation

SUMMARY Xenotransplantation, the transplantation of living organs, tissues, or cells from one species to another, is viewed as a potential solution to the existing shortage of human organs for transplantation. While whole-organ xenotransplantation is still in the preclinical stage, cellular xenotransplantation and extracorporeal perfusion applications are showing promise in early clinical trials. Advances in immunosuppressive therapy, gene engineering, and cloning of animals bring a broader array of xenotransplantation protocols closer to clinical trials. Despite several potential advantages over allotransplantation, xenotransplantation encompasses a number of problems. Immunologic rejection remains the primary hindrance. The potential to introduce infections across species barriers, another major concern, is the main focus of this review. Nonhuman primates are unlikely to be a main source for xenotransplantation products despite their phylogenetic proximity to humans. Genetically engineered pigs, bred under special conditions, are currently envisaged as the major source. Thus far, there has been no evidence for human infections caused by pig xenotransplantation products. However, the existence of xenotropic endogenous retroviruses and the clinical evidence of long-lasting porcine cell microchimerism indicate the potential for xenogeneic infections. Thus, further trials should continue under regulatory oversight, with close clinical and laboratory monitoring for potential xenogeneic infections.
The Virtual Placement: An Alternative to the Traditional Work Placement in the Geographical Sciences?

Work placements are a well-established part of the curricula of many geographical sciences, as are opportunities for online learning. Whilst many aspects of the learning experience for undergraduates have been given an online makeover the placement has remained a ‘real’ experience. This paper considers the potential value of an online placement and outlines pedagogical and technical aspects of the e-MapScholar Virtual Placement. Findings from evaluation of the first Virtual Placement case study are presented and issues regarding wider adoption are raised.
The Structure of Petrarch's Canzoniere: A Chronological, Psychological and Stylistic Analysis

Part 1 Modes and techniques: the application of catastrophe theory to Petrach's psychology in the "Canzoniere" evidence of the cycles of catastrophe theory in the poetry of the "Canzoniere" modalities and techniques for the preparation of a graph of Petrach's lyrical cycles. Part 2 The cycles: The first cycle - the sixth cycle. Part 3 Style and language: tone, narrative structure and modes of transfiguration prosodic, rhetorical and linguistic features.
The Relationship Between Time Perspective and Subjective Well-being of Older Adults

Time perspective is crucial for our present and future plans, and for the way we act in the present. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between time perspective and subjective well-being in older adults. The sample of our questionnaire study consisted of 149 older adults aged between 65 and 96 years. Time perspective was measured with the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory. The five time perspective dimensions were related to four specific aspects of subjective well-being (positive affect, negative affect, life satisfaction and depression). Future-oriented older persons had a more positive affect. Older adults who were positively oriented towards the past appeared to be more satisfied with life. A hedonistic view of the present was related to a high positive affect. Older persons with a Past-Negative perspective were more likely to experience negative affect and depressive feelings, along with a lower level of positive affect and satisfaction with life. The Present-Fatalistic time perspective correlated with more depressive symptoms. The findings emphasize the relevance of time perspective styles for the subjective well-being, which has specific implications for the way caregivers could interact with older adults to enhance quality of life.