Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meibomian Gland Dysfunction Determines the Severity of the Dry Eye Conditions in Visual Display Terminal Workers

Objective To explore meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) may determine the severity of dry eye conditions in visual display terminal (VDT) workers. Methodology Prospective, case-control study carried out in China.106 eyes of 53 patients (VDT work time >4 hour per day) were recruited as the Long time VDT group; 80 eyes of 40 control subjects (VDT work time ≤4 hour per day) served as the Short time VDT group. A questionnaire of Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and multiple tests were performed. Three dry eye tests: tear film breakup time (BUT), corneal fluorescein staining, Schirmer I test; and three MGD parameters: lid margin abnormality score, meibum expression assessment (meibum score), and meibomian gland dropout degree (meiboscore) using Keratograph 5 M. Principal Findings OSDI and corneal fluorescein score were significantly higher while BUT was dramatically shorter in the long time VDT group than the short time VDT group. However, the average of Schirmer tear volumes was in normal ranges in both groups. Interestingly, the three MGD parameters were significantly higher in the long time VDT group than the short time one (P<0.0001). When 52 eyes with Schirmer <10 mm and 54 eyes with Schirmer ≥10 mm were separated from the long time VDT workers, no significant differences were found between the two subgroups in OSDI, fluorescein staining and BUT, as well as the three MGD parameters. All three MGD parameters were positively correlated with VDT working time (P<0.0001) and fluorescein scores (P<0.0001), inversely correlated with BUT (P<0.05), but not correlated with Schirmer tear volumes in the VDT workers. Conclusions Our findings suggest that a malfunction of meibomian glands is associated with dry eye patients in long term VDT workers with higher OSDI scores whereas some of those patients presenting a normal tear volume.
Functional Recovery Following Pertrochanteric Hip Fractures Fixated with the Dynamic Hip Screw vs. the Percutaneous Compression Plate

The Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS) is currently the most frequently used implant for the treatment of pertrochanteric hip fractures. The Percutaneous Compression Plate (PCCP) is a recently developed, alternative device that involves minimal invasive surgery. The objective of the present study was to compare functional recovery following these two surgical procedures. A total of 76 consecutive elderly subjects (mean age and standard deviation, 80.6 ± 5.5) following pertrochanteric hip fracture fixation were evaluated prospectively. Functional recovery was assessed 3 and 12 weeks and 2 years following surgery. Differences between groups 3 weeks postsurgery were found only in pain level during ambulation and in the weight-bearing capability of the operated extremity, which were both in favor of the PCCP. By 3 months, both groups had improved in all measures, but did not reach their preinjury level of independence. However, the PCCP group ambulated with fewer assistive devices and demonstrated better recovery of basic activities of daily living (BADL). While the majority of the subjects from both groups ambulated independently 2 years postsurgery, the PCCP group exhibited less pain during ambulation, was more independent in ADL, and required fewer assistive devices for ambulation. To summarize, the PCCP presents enhanced short- and long-term recovery of functional abilities in comparison to DHS. However, given the limited number of patients, further studies are necessary to substantiate these results.
Are personal digital assistants an acceptable incentive for rural community-based preceptors?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study's objective was to evaluate the acceptability, effect, and use of handheld computers (also known as personal digital assistants or PDAs) as a reward for undergraduate rural community-based family medicine preceptors. METHODS All rural, undergraduate family physician teachers who accepted an undergraduate student for a 1-month placement were offered the choice between a PDA that carried medical software or a monetary payment of an equivalent value. Approximately 1 year later, different surveys were sent to both groups of preceptors to collect data on their use of PDAs and computer technology. RESULTS The most commonly reported reason for choosing a PDA in lieu of payment was that it provided a good opportunity to learn about PDA technology. Of those who accepted a PDA, however, 10% had not yet used it, and another 44% of recipients had difficulty in getting started using the PDA. There were more reported problems with the software than the hardware. When surveyed 1 year later, those who received a PDA and were still using it reported satisfaction with the medical software, ranging from 31% for Epocrates qid to 71% for the 5-Minute Medical Consult. More than 90% of those using their PDA 1 year later reported that they used it in clinical settings, with 68% feeling their PDA had some or a significant effect on patient care. CONCLUSIONS Rural family physicians appeared to find PDAs an acceptable reward for teaching, based on the reported use and utility of their PDA, but many had technical difficulties. Recipients of the PDA reported using their PDA primarily in the clinical setting, with the feeling that the PDA had a positive effect on their patient care. Many users had difficulty with technical aspects of PDA use. To support PDA recipients, technical assistance should be provided.
Accountability—can it be fair?

Abstract Deming's concepts of ‘special cause’ and ‘common cause’ effects were applied to measures of A level provision in schools and colleges using multi‐level models to look at a large dataset covering three years. The data were used to discuss accountability using a school effectiveness approach to identify who might reasonably be said to be responsible for what. The analyses, in common with many school effectiveness studies, consistently found differences between institutions and departments within those institutions but there was no evidence of differential effectiveness with various groupings such as male/female or less/more able or less/more affluent. Differences were found between the progress made by males and females as well as by the less and more able but these differences appeared to be due to ‘common causes’ and it is argued that no sixth form should be held accountable for these differences.
Parameterized model order reduction via a two-directional Arnoldi process

This paper presents a multiparameter moment-matching based model order reduction technique for parameterized interconnect networks via a novel two-directional Arnoldi process. It is referred to as a PIMTAP algorithm, which stands for Parameterized Interconnect Macromodeling algorithm via a Two-directional Arnoldi Process. PIMTAP inherits the advantages of previous multiparameter moment-matching algorithms and avoids their shortfalls. It is numerically stable and adaptive, and preserves the passivity of parameterized RLC networks.
ECG noise removal using GA tuned sign-data least mean square algorithm

Adaptive filter is a primary method to filter Electrocardiogram (ECG), because it does not need the signal statistical characteristics. In this paper, an adaptive filtering technique for denoising the ECG based on Genetic Algorithm (GA) tuned Sign-Data Least Mean Square (SD-LMS) algorithm is proposed. This technique minimizes the mean-squared error between the primary input, which is a noisy ECG, and a reference input which can be either noise that is correlated in some way with the noise in the primary input or a signal that is correlated only with ECG in the primary input. Noise is used as the reference signal in this work. The algorithm was applied to the records from the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database for removing the baseline wander and 60Hz power line interference. The proposed algorithm gave an average signal to noise ratio improvement of 10.75 dB for baseline wander and 24.26 dB for power line interference which is better than the previous reported works.
Complementary and alternative medicine use among breast cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVES The use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by patients with breast cancer and survivors has been widely studied. However, scant research has focused on the degree to which CAM activity is related to the cancer experience, as opposed to use for other reasons. The study objective was to examine the use of CAM in a sample of patients with breast cancer. Additional objectives were to measure associations between psychosocial and medical factors and CAM use both related and unrelated to a breast cancer diagnosis. DESIGN Breast cancer survivors (N=115) at least 1 year beyond active medical treatment were recruited during routine clinic visits. Survey data collected via structured telephone interview focused on CAM use, motivations for use, perceived risk of cancer recurrence, and breast cancer-specific and general measures of anxiety. RESULTS Sixty-nine percent (69%) of participants reported use of CAM. Of CAM users, 73% reported initiating or changing CAM activity specifically because of their cancer diagnosis. Patients engaging in CAM for cancer-related reasons were younger (p<0.001) and had been diagnosed with cancer at a younger age (p<0.01). Although overall anxiety scores in this sample were not significantly elevated, higher trait anxiety was associated with CAM use related to one's cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Rate of CAM use was high, with the majority of CAM users associating that activity with their breast cancer. Anxiety levels varied between nonusers, CAM users for cancer, and CAM users for other reasons, with highest trait anxiety among those who associate their CAM use with cancer. Assessing motivations for CAM use may be important in future examinations of the relationship between CAM use and quality of life among breast cancer survivors.
The Gap Between Attitudes and Use in Prediction of Effect of an Online Smoking Cessation Program

This article describes an investigation of the effect of attitude toward and use of different components of an online smoking cessation program on stage transition based on the Transtheoretical Model. Participants were 299 users of the StopSmokingCoach, an online smoking cessation program, who completed an online questionnaire concerning their attitudes toward the program and its components within 6 months after registration. These attitude measurements and participants’ actual use of the program components were linked to stage transitions of these users. Attitudes toward the StopSmokingCoach and its components were positive; however, only one of these attitude measurements (instructiveness of e-mail tips) predicted actual stage transitions. In contrast, frequency/intensity of use of the coach and 3 of its components (advices, forum, and personal charts, but not the diary, tips, or decisional balance) was significantly related to stage transitions. These results suggest that users do not need to have positive attitudes toward a health program in order to achieve behavioral change. Use of some, but not all program components appears to be more important.
Meta-Analysis in Library and Information Science: Method, History, and Recommendations for Reporting Research

Meta-analysis is a method for summarizing statistical findings across multiple research studies. It is a useful method for assessing the level of agreement or disagreement surrounding a given research question. The ability to perform meta-analysis is dependent on the level of consistency in measures and the amount of data shared in published research. Guidelines to minimum standards for reporting research may improve the quality of writing in published research. Inconsistencies in reporting research findings across studies, failing to provide enough detail on method and instrumentation to facilitate replication, and the multiplicity of different operational definitions or measures for the same concept all pose difficulties to successfully attempting any form of research synthesis. This article presents a methodological explanation of meta-analysis, a literature review describing the application of meta-analysis in library and information science, and guidelines for reporting quantitative research that would enable subsequent researchers to perform meta-analysis.
ON GENERALIZED PREINVEX FUNCTIONS AND MONOTONICITIES

In this paper we consider some classes of α-preinvex andα-invex functions. We study some properties of these classes of α-preinvex (α-invex) functions. In particular, we establish the equivalence among the α-preinvex functions, α-invex functions andαη-monotonicity of their differential under some suitable conditions.
Exploiting Temporal Information for DCNN-Based Fine-Grained Object Classification

Fine-grained classification is a relatively new field that has concentrated on using information from a single image, while ignoring the enormous potential of using video data to improve classification. In this work we present the novel task of video-based fine-grained object classification, propose a corresponding new video dataset, and perform a systematic study of several recent deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) based approaches, which we specifically adapt to the task. We evaluate three-dimensional DCNNs, two-stream DCNNs, and bilinear DCNNs. Two forms of the two-stream approach are used, where spatial and temporal data from two independent DCNNs are fused either via early fusion (combination of the fully-connected layers) and late fusion (concatenation of the softmax outputs of the DCNNs). For bilinear DCNNs, information from the convolutional layers of the spatial and temporal DCNNs is combined via local co-occurrences. We then fuse the bilinear DCNN and early fusion of the two-stream approach to combine the spatial and temporal information at the local and global level (Spatio-Temporal Co-occurrence). Using the new and challenging video dataset of birds, classification performance is improved from 23.1% (using single images) to 41.1% when using the Spatio-Temporal Co-occurrence system. Incorporating automatically detected bounding box location further improves the classification accuracy to 53.6%.
Tradeoffs Between Water Conservation and Temperature Amelioration In Phoenix and Portland: Implications For Urban Sustainability

This study addresses a classic sustainability challenge—the tradeoff between water conservation and temperature amelioration in rapidly growing cities, using Phoenix, Arizona and Portland, Oregon as case studies. An urban energy balance model— LUMPS (Local-Scale Urban Meteorological Parameterization Scheme)—is used to represent the tradeoff between outdoor water use and nighttime cooling during hot, dry summer months. Tradeoffs were characterized under three scenarios of land use change and three climate-change assumptions. Decreasing vegetation density reduced outdoor water use but sacrificed nighttime cooling. Increasing vegetated surfaces accelerated nighttime cooling, but increased outdoor water use by ~20%. Replacing impervious surfaces with buildings achieved similar improvements in nighttime cooling with minimal increases in outdoor water use; it was the most water-efficient cooling strategy. The fact that nighttime cooling rates and outdoor water use were more sensitive to land use scenarios than climate-change simulations suggested that cities can adapt to a warmer climate by manipulating land use.
Restrictive Language Education Policies and Emergent Bilingual Youth: A Perfect Storm With Imperfect Outcomes

This article focuses on 2 recent policy changes that have resulted in increased English-only instruction in US schools, with detrimental effects for emergent bilinguals (also known as English language learners): (a) statewide antibilingual education mandates in California, Arizona, and Massachusetts; and (b) the federal passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The causal link between antibilingual education state policies and English-only instruction is transparent, yet NCLB likewise restricts the use of languages other than English in instruction. To support this argument, I share research recently conducted in New York City that demonstrates how the accountability requirements of NCLB have resulted in the dismantling of numerous bilingual education programs. Although restrictive language education policies have been adopted in US schools in the name of improving academic outcomes for emergent bilinguals, this article shares data highlighting how these policies have failed to deliver on their promises, and concludes with implications for future policies.
The Use of Random Coefficient Modeling for Understanding and Predicting Job Performance Ratings

Earlier research using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) suggests that most variance in job performance ratings is not attributable to ratee main effects. In this article, the authors point out several issues associated with CFA methodology and argue that random coefficient modeling (RCM) can be a useful alternative for estimating variances associated with ratee main effects, rater main effects, and the upper bound of Rater × Ratee interaction effects. Using an application of RCM on field data, the authors found that rater main effects variance was nearly two times as large as ratee main effects variance. They report meaningful contingencies of these findings by modeling rater familiarity with the ratee and the number of ratees rated by a rater. Finally, interactions revealed that Conscientiousness-related variables were positively related to job performance only when rater familiarity with the ratee was high or the number of ratees rated was high. The authors discuss how the RCM methodology can be used to assess the construct validity of job performance ratings and to test substantive hypotheses involving variance components, main effects, and interactions within nonindependent observations.
High‐Density Lipoproteins and Peripheral Vascular Disease in Octo‐ and Nonagenarians

In a medical service for ambulant patients, 180 unselected octo‐ and nonagenarians were studied. They showed high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) values similar to those reported for younger age groups. In 81 patients, a combination of various noninvasive angiologic techniques was used in addition to the history and physical examination. The frequencies of the clinical signs of peripheral arterial disease, and of stenoses and occlusions in the lower‐limb vessels, differed significantly between three HDL‐cholesterol subgroups, being highest in the group with the lowest HDL values.
Detecting influence of digital image contrast modification in subjective opinion

In this work an analysis of the influence of contrast modification on people's opinion is performed. Based on a previous study of the impact of image contrast modifications on human feelings, here we address the problem of determining the impact of the image contrast change on the opinion of a person. This analysis is based on subjective tests that have been performed exploiting crowdsourcing. The obtained results show a good correlation with the previous work and they witness the possibility to influence subjective opinion by means of contrast modification. This study can results in forensics tools for blind detection of opinion biasing by means of image processing.
Determining Spatial Span: The Role of Movement Time and Articulation Rate

In studies of verbal memory span individual differences in speech rate have been found to predict the number of items that can be recalled in order. This is thought to happen because overt speech rate is related to the rate of internal verbal rehearsal. For spatial span there may also be an internal rehearsal system linked to overt responding, and if there is a strong analogy to be drawn between the verbal and spatial domains, then movement time between spatial targets should predict the number of spatial locations that can be recalled. In the first study reported, none of the six measures of movement time did predict spatial span, but, as expected, speech rate predicted verbal span. In addition, speech rate predicted spatial span. In a second study the use of articulatory suppression during span presentation showed that verbal span dropped, but was still predicted by speech rate. Spatial span was again predicted by the time it took to say digits rather than the time it took to make movements to spatial targets. There would not seem to be any simple analogy between the limitations on verbal span and those on spatial span. In addition, the relationship between speech rate and sequential memory performance may be more complex than previous studies have suggested.
Client reactions to genetic counseling: self‐reports of influence

Of 628 clients completing questionnaires six months after genetic counseling, 273 (43.5%) reported that their reproductive plans had been influenced by the counseling session. Of those who said that they were influenced, 144 (52.7%) held the same reproductive plans that they reported before counseling: 41 (15%) were planning more pregnancies, 36 (13.2%) were planning fewer, and 52 (19.1 %) became reproductively uncertain. A similar pattern of stability and change appeared in the reproductive plans of those who reported that they were not influenced by genetic counseling. Stepwise logistic regression indicated that clients who reported that their plans were influenced: (1) came to counseling to get information for making a decision about whether to have a child; (2) discussed this decision in depth with the counselor; and (3) had more education than clients who said that they were not influenced. We found no evidence that counseling was supplanting clients' own personal values. In the discussion, we suggest several reasons why clients of higher socio‐economic status are more likely than others to report that they are influenced, and discuss the ethical implications of these results.
A Novel TOA-Based Mobile Localization Technique Under Mixed LOS/NLOS Conditions for Cellular Networks

The presence of a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) link between a base station (BS) and a mobile station (MS) in a cellular network is a major issue that limits the performance of the majority of time-of-arrival (TOA) localization methods. Due to blocking obstacles, a signal has to travel a longer distance to reach the other end of the communication link. Thus, the additional distance introduced by the presence of an NLOS link is usually modeled by a positive measurement bias. In contrast to most of relevant works that are either search based or iterative, in this paper, we propose a two-stage closed-form estimator to localize an MS by three BSs in cellular networks. We use a distance-dependent bias model to derive a range estimator as a first step. We then use trilateration to find an estimate of the MS position. To assess the performance of our technique, we derive the mean square error (MSE) of the estimator and numerically evaluate the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) as a benchmark. We investigate the performance of the proposed method under mixed line-of-sight/NLOS scenarios in four environments, ranging from a bad urban environment to a rural environment. The provided Monte Carlo simulations show that our technique performs, on average, closely with the CRLB and provides localization capability with an average error of approximately 21 m in the worst environment among the four environments.