Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A multinational study on online privacy: global concerns and local responses

This study surveyed 1261 internet users from five cities (Bangalore, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and New York) to examine multinational internet users' perceptions and behavioural responses concerning online privacy. It identified a set of individual-level (demographics and internet-related experiences) and macro-level factors (nationality and national culture), and tested the extent to which they affected online privacy concerns and privacy protection behaviours. The results showed that individual differences (age, gender and internet experience), nationality and national culture significantly influenced internet users' privacy concerns to the extent that older, female internet users from an individualistic culture were more concerned about online privacy than their counterparts. The study also identified three underlying dimensions of privacy protection behaviour — avoidance, opt-out and proactive protection — and found that they distinctly related to the individual and macro-level factors. Overall, the findings highlight the conditional and multicultural nature of online privacy.
Robotic assessment of the influence of age on upper-limb sensorimotor function

Purpose This paper examines the influence of age on several attributes of sensorimotor performance while performing a reaching task. Our hypothesis, based on previous studies, is that aged persons will show differences in one or more of the attributes of sensorimotor performance. Patients and methods Fifty-one subjects (aged 20–80 years) with no known neuromotor disorders of the upper limbs participated in the study. Subjects were asked to grasp the end-effector of a pneumatic robotic device with two degrees of freedom in order to reach peripheral targets (1.0 cm radius), “quickly and accurately”, from a centrally located target (1.0 cm radius). Subjects began each trial by holding the hand within the central target for 2000 milliseconds. Afterwards, a peripheral target was illuminated. Then participants were given 3000 milliseconds to complete the movement. When a target was reached, the participant had to return to the central target in order to start a new trial. A total of 64 trials were completed and each peripheral target was illuminated in a random block design. Results Subjects were divided into three groups according to age: group 1 (age 20–40 years), group 2 (age 41–60 years), and group 3 (age 61–80 years). The Kruskal–Wallis test showed significant differences (P < 0.05) between groups, except for the variables postural speed in the dominant arm, and postural speed and initial deviation in the non-dominant arm (P > 0.05). These results suggest that age introduces significant differences in upper-limb motor function. Conclusion Our findings show that there are objective differences in sensorimotor function due to age, and that these differences are greater for the dominant arm. Therefore for the assessment of upper-limb function, we should take into account the influence of age. Moreover, these results suggest that robotic systems can provide a new and effective approach in the assessment of sensorimotor function.
Alternative Transcription Factor ςB Is Involved in Regulation of Biofilm Expression in a Staphylococcus aureusMucosal Isolate

ABSTRACT Osmotic stress was found to induce biofilm formation in aStaphylococcus aureus mucosal isolate. Inactivation of a global regulator of the bacterial stress response, the alternative transcription factor ςB, resulted in a biofilm-negative phenotype and loss of salt-induced biofilm production. Complementation of the mutant strain with an expression plasmid encoding ςB completely restored the wild-type phenotype. The combined data suggest a critical role of ςB in S. aureus biofilm regulation under environmental stress conditions.
Diagnosis and treatment of depression following routine screening in patients with coronary heart disease or diabetes: a database cohort study

Background Depression is common in chronic illness and screening for depression has been widely recommended. There have been no large studies of screening for depression in routine care for patients with chronic illness. Method We performed a retrospective cohort study to examine the timing of new depression diagnosis or treatment in relation to annual screening for depression in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) or diabetes. We examined a database derived from 1.3 million patients registered with general practices in Scotland for the year commencing 1 April 2007. Eligible patients had either CHD or diabetes, were screened for depression during the year and either received a new diagnosis of depression or commenced a new course of antidepressant (excluding those commonly used to treat diabetic neuropathy). Analysis was by the self-controlled case-series method with the outcome measure being the relative incidence (RI) in the period 1–28 days after screening compared to other times. Results A total of 67358 patients were screened for depression and 2269 received a new diagnosis or commenced treatment. For the period after screening, the RI was 3.03 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.44–3.78] for diagnosis and 1.78 (95% CI 1.54–2.05) for treatment. The number needed to screen was 976 (95% CI 886–1104) for a new diagnosis and 687 (95% CI 586–853) for new antidepressant treatment. Conclusions Systematic screening for depression in patients with chronic disease in primary care results in a significant but small increase in new diagnosis and treatment in the following 4 weeks.
Level converters with high immunity to power-supply bouncing for high-speed sub-1-V LSIs

We have developed a pump-hopping level-up converter and a differential-input, level-down converter that, enable level conversion for I/O interfacing in sub-1-V LSIs. The level-up converter transforms signals of 0.64 V to 3.6 V within 5 ns with a 0.14-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. The differential input level down converter enables stable operation even at VDD of 0.5 V. These proposed level converters also provide the immunity against power-supply bouncing, which is essential for low-voltage and high-speed LSIs.
Multisource Assessments of Behavioral Competencies and Selection Interview Performance

This study sought to determine whether and how ratings of leadership in a developmental multisource feedback program compare against those obtained by leadership selection decision makers. Seventy-seven senior managers received feedback on eight competencies that also formed the basis of a subsequent promotional interview for senior executive positions. Each rating source displayed a unique perspective on the participants, but only the supervisor and peer ratings predicted performance on the interview. As well, peer, subordinate, and self-ratings failed to improve upon the supervisors&apos' predictions. The results also suggested a general performance factor underlying both the multisource assessments and the interview ratings.
RECONSTRUCTING THE EVOLUTION OF COMPLEX BIRD SONG IN THE OROPENDOLAS

Abstract The elaborate songs of songbirds are frequent models for investigating the evolution of animal signals. However, few previous studies have attempted to reconstruct historical changes in song evolution using a phylogenetic comparative approach. In particular, no comparative studies of bird song have used a large number of vocal characters and a well-supported, independently derived phylogeny. We identified 32 features in the complex vocal displays of male oropendolas (genera Psarocolius, Gymnostinops, and Ocyalus) that are relatively invariant within taxa and mapped these characters onto a robust molecular phylogeny of the group. Our analysis revealed that many aspects of oropendola song are surprisingly evolutionarily conservative and thus are potentially useful characters for reconstructing historical patterns. Of the characters that varied among taxa, nearly two thirds (19 of 29) showed no evidence of evolutionary convergence or reversal when mapped onto the tree, which was reflected in a high overall consistency index (CI = 0.78) and retention index (RI = 0.88). Some reconstructed patterns provided evidence of selection on these signals. For example, rapid divergence of the songs of the Montezuma oropendola, Gymnostinops montezuma, from those of closely related taxa suggests the recent influence of strong sexual selection. In general, our results provide insights into the mode of vocal evolution in songbirds and suggest that complex vocalizations can provide information about phylogeny. Based on this evidence, we use song characters to estimate the phylogenetic affinities of three oropendola taxa for which molecular data are not yet available.
WWW fisheye-view graphical browser

The paper proposes a visualization tool for the structure of World-Wide Web documents using fisheye-view techniques. Besides helping user navigation, this graphical browser may play an important role in Web information searching. In order to build structural views more efficiently, a set of rules for Web-site authoring, based on nested composition concepts, are proposed to help logically organizing documents.
The motivation, professional development and identity of social work students in four European countries

Four European Universities (University of Durham, UK; University of Jyväskylä, Finland; University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; and Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, Germany) have been collaborating on an EC-funded Erasmus Curriculum Development Project (2001–03) in order to enhance the European dimension in their programmes of social work education. As part of this co-operation, a comparative study of the student groups in each country has been undertaken. The aim of the study is to examine and analyse students’ beliefs about social work as a profession, as well as their personal motivations for training as social workers and their aspirations for their subsequent careers upon completion of their studies. A questionnaire was developed in order to gather data from all students at the outset of their university-based social work education in each of the four countries. In this article, the authors present and analyse findings from this questionnaire. In identifying and comparing the concerns of social work students from diverse cultural contexts at the beginning of their professional education, it is possible to identify some key themes within, and test the concept of, European social work.
Incidence of bacteremia in stressed and unstressed populations of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus

The incidence of bacteremia in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is reported to be in excess of 80%. Because these results have been controversial, a field study was initiated to determine the effect of commercial capture and handling stresses on the incidence and levels of infection in blue crabs. The majority (75%) of "unstressed" crabs which were captured individually and bled immediately upon removal from the water were bacteremic, with a geometric mean level of infection of 14 CFU/ml of hemolymph. Crabs collected by crab pot, confined within these pots for as long as 24 h, and sampled immediately after removal from the water had a similar mean level of infection. Crabs subjected to the stresses of commercial capture, handling, and transport showed a higher incidence of infection (91%) and a mean infection level of 46 CFU/ml. Injuries sustained by crabs during commercial handling are thought to be associated with the higher incidence of infection. Vibrio spp. were primarily responsible for progressive infections in commercially stressed crabs and were the predominant bacterial type in heavily infected crabs. Our results indicated that uninjured healthy crabs do not have sterile hemolymph but instead harbor low-level bacterial infections.
Frequência fundamental da voz de crianças

OBJETIVO: determinar a frequencia fundamental (Fo) da voz de 50 meninos e 50 meninas, nascidos e residentes em Belo Horizonte na faixa etaria de seis a oito anos. METODOS: foram selecionadas criancas de ambos os sexos da cidade de Belo Horizonte. O protocolo de gravacao das vozes foi realizado a partir da digitalizacao da vogal sustentada [e] em tom e intensidade adequada, com duracao de tres segundos, e em ambiente silencioso. Utilizou-se o programa de Analise de Voz Voxmetria®. RESULTADOS: os achados mostraram a media total da frequencia fundamental em 249,71 Hz, a diminuicao significante nos valores de F0 com o aumento da idade nos dois sexos, e diferencas significantes de F0 entre os sexos comparando os sexos e as idades das criancas. CONCLUSAO: a frequencia fundamental da voz de criancas na faixa etaria estudada apresentou media de 249,71 Hz.
Transformational leadership effects on teachers' commitment and effort toward school reform

This article examines the effects of transformational school leadership on the commitment of teachers to school reform, and the effort they are willing to devote to such reform. It does so by building on the knowledge from both educational and non‐educational research into such effects. A model of such effects is tested using two approximately comparable sets of data collected from samples of Canadian and Dutch teachers. Structural equation modeling is applied to test the model within each data set. Results of the Canadian and Dutch studies are then compared. The findings show transformational leadership dimensions to affect both teachers’ commitment and extra effort. The effects of the dimension's vision building and intellectual stimulation appear to be significant in particular. Overall, the findings clearly indicate the importance of analyzing dimensions of transformational leadership for their separate effects on teacher commitment and extra effort within the context of educational reform.
Educational Policy and Country Outcomes in International Cognitive Competence Studies

Prior studies of studentsqqaposxx and adultsqqaposxx cognitive competence have shown large differences between nations, equivalent to a difference of 5 to 10 years of schooling. These differences seem to be relevant because studies using different research paradigms have demonstrated that population-level cognitive abilities are related to a number of important societal outcomes, including productivity, democratization, and health. In this overview of transnational differences, we document a number of positive predictors of international differences in student competence, including the amount of preschool education, student discipline, quantity of education, attendance at additional schools, early tracking, the use of centralized exams and high-stakes tests, and adult educational attainment. We found rather negative relationships for grade retention rates, age of school onset, and class size. Altogether, these results, when combined with the outcomes of earlier studies, demonstrate that international differences in cognitive competence can be explained in part by aspects of the respective countriesqqaposxx educational systems and that these differences consequently can be reduced by reform of their educational policy. This has important implications not just for closing gaps in educational achievement, but for narrowing international gaps in wealth, health, and democracy.
RP-DeLP: a weighted defeasible argumentation framework based on a recursive semantics

In this article, we propose a recursive semantics for warranted formulas in a general defeasible logic argumentation framework by formalizing a notion of collective (non-binary) conflict among arguments. The recursive semantics for warranted formulas is based on the intuitive grounds that if an argument is rejected, then further arguments built on top of it should also be rejected. The main characteristic of our recursive semantics is that an output (or extension) of a knowledge base is a pair consisting of a set of warranted and a set of blocked formulas. Arguments for both warranted and blocked formulas are recursively based on warranted formulas but, while warranted formulas do not generate any collective conflict, blocked conclusions do. Formulas that are neither warranted nor blocked correspond to rejected formulas. Then we extend the framework by attaching levels of preference to defeasible knowledge items and by providing a level-wise definition of warranted and blocked formulas. After we consider the warrant recursive semantics for the particular framework of Possibilistic Defeasible Logic Programming (RP-DeLP for short). Since RP-DeLP programmes may have multiple outputs, we define the maximal ideal output of an RP-DeLP programme as the set of conclusions which are ultimately warranted, and we present an algorithm for computing it in polynomial space and with an upper bound on complexity equal to P NP . Finally, we propose an efficient and scalable implementation of this algorithm using SAT encodings, and we provide an experimental evaluation when solving test sets of instances with single and multiple preference levels for defeasible knowledge.
Age-related injury and compensation claim rates in heavy industry.

BACKGROUND Although ageing workers face specific health and safety concerns, conflicting evidence exists regarding the effects of age on workplace injury rates and workers' compensation claims. AIMS To examine injury and workers' compensation claim rates by age and injury type in an aluminium smelter over a 9-year period. METHODS Routinely collected data for workplace injuries and workers' compensation claims were retrieved for the period from 1997 to 2005. RESULTS The study included a total of 709 workers who experienced 2281 at-work injuries and submitted 446 claims. In 1997, 16% of employees were aged 50 or over; by 2005 that proportion had more than doubled to 35%. Injury and claim rates in all age groups did not change significantly during this period. Workers younger than 30 years of age had the highest injury rates, with differences most significant for injuries other than sprains and strains. Claim rates were not significantly different across age groups. CONCLUSIONS These findings do not provide evidence to support the notion that older workers sustain more injuries and are more likely to claim compensation for their injuries. Our findings demonstrate that in this workplace, older workers were able to maintain their ability to work safely. This contrasts with the finding that younger workers had the highest injury and claim rates. While adapting to the needs of an ageing workforce, employers should not lose sight of the need to nurture a strong culture of working safely among their youngest workers.
Developing an evaluation framework: assessing the contribution of community-based and work-based approaches to lifelong learning amongst educationally marginalised adults

Abstract In the United Kingdom and Europe ‘lifelong learning’ is often propounded to bring both economic and social returns, although the former, rather than the latter is more frequently the focus of policy prescriptions. Despite the significant increases in participation in post-compulsory education, certain socio-economic groups are still poorly represented. This article presents two case studies that promote lifelong learning to adults: a community-based initiative and a work-based scheme. Drawing on a comparison of these initiatives (based on a grounded theory approach) an evaluation framework for assessing the contribution of different approaches to further lifelong learning amongst educationally marginalised adults is proposed. This is then elaborated and utilised to explore the two case studies. This systematic analysis helps to highlight the complexity of the issues pertaining to lifelong learning amongst educationally marginalised adults. In addition, this article presents a substantive theory of evaluation that can be applied by others both to evaluate their work and to contribute towards a formal theory of evaluation.
Analysis of a single-wavelength optical buffer

We present a detailed analysis of the loss performance in an optical buffer having access to a single outgoing channel. Such a system - consisting of a number of fiber delay lines - differs significantly from a conventional electronic buffer, in that only a discrete set of delays can be realized for contention resolution. This leads to an underutilization of the channel capacity, which reduces overall performance. Our analysis does not require any special assumptions about the burst- or packet-size distribution, which allows us to study the impact this distribution has on performance. For the important special case of fixed-sized bursts, it reveals, amongst others, that matching fiber delay line length with burst duration is not necessarily the optimal solution in terms of loss performance. It further reveals that, in general, this optimal solution is function not only of burst-size characteristics, but of the offered load as well, making the buffer design process a delicate task.
The Evaluation of Uterine Rupture in 61Turkish Pregnant Women

Aim: The aim of our study, to evaluate the patients with complete or incomplete uterine rupture which occurred during pregnancy retrospectively and to analyze and present of the risk factors, maternal and perinatal outcomes, and complications. Method: Sixty one patients diagnosed as uterine rupture were investigated retrospectively in our clinic between 1999 and 2009. Result: The incidence of uterine rupture for our department in a ten year period was calculated as 0.12 %. Fifty four patients (88.5%) were in low socioeconomic status. Fifty one (83.6%) patients did not receive any antenatal care. Forty eight (78.6%) of the cases had previous ute rine surgery due to cesarean, myomectomy or metroplasty. Twenty six cases (42.6%) were grand multiparous. Primer repair of uterus was performed in 58 (95.1%) of the patients. Subtotal abdominal hyste rectomy was performed in three patients (4.9%). There were 15 fetal deaths while no maternal death was occurred. Conclusion: Rupture of the pregnant uterus is a major obstetric comp lication that occurs often with no warning signs. Uterine rupture is a potential complication for patients with non-scarred uterus as well as scarred uterus. Grand multiparty is a very important risk factor, especially in patients without uterine scar. Despite to its low rate, uterine rupture is a very important complication for mother and fetus. Early diagnosis, immediate preoperative resuscitation, rapid replacement of blood loss, and urge surgical therapy are very important in treatment of uterine rupture. Hysterectomy is not the first choice in case of uterine rupture management.
Organization Of Stimulus Events And Remembered Apparent Duration

Abstract Two experiments, using Bransford and Johnson's (1972) paradigm, investigated the relationship between the degree of organization of the stimulus events occurring during the interval and the remembered apparent duration of the interval. Experiment 1 used the method of estimation and Experiment 2 the method of comparative judgement to assess the remembered duration of the interval. In both experiments the events were sentences which, depending on the provision of thematic information, could be organized either into a meaningful whole or as a sequence of semantically unrelated sentences. While the experimental manipulation affected memory and comprehension measures there was no effect on judgements of duration. The results are discussed in the context of Ornstein's (1969) memory store size model and Block's (1979) contextual change model of remembered duration.