Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychometric validation of the youth quality of life-facial differences questionnaire in patients following ear reconstruction with rib cartilage in microtia.

1. Cho BC, Lee SH. Surgical results of two-stage reconstruction of the auricle in congenital microtia using an autogenous costal cartilage alone or combined with canaloplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2006;117:936–947. 2. Moore KL, Dalley AF. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005. 3. Briscoe C. The interchondral joints of the human thorax. J Anat. 1925;59:432–437. 4. Chin W, Zhang R, Zhang Q, Xu Z, Li D, Wu J. Modifications of three-dimensional costal cartilage framework grafting in auricular reconstruction for microtia. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2009; 124:1940–1946. Psychometric Validation of the Youth Quality of Life-Facial Differences Questionnaire in Patients following Ear Reconstruction with Rib Cartilage in Microtia Sir: M icrotia repair with rib cartilage leads to superior aesthetic results.1 Several surgeons have reported increased quality of life using polyethylene implants.2 More attention has been paid to the psychosocial situations of patients with microtia using validated psychometric instruments.2,3 In particular, disease-related quality-of-life tools offer the opportunity to recognize specific everyday problems of patients with facial deformities in a standardized manner. Because adolescents represent the most relevant age group and because age dependency is well known in the psychosocial context,4 the age aspect requires consideration. The Youth Quality of Life-Facial Differences questionnaire is a validated instrument that focuses on head and neck deformities and concentrates on adolescents,5 and is available in English and Spanish. Our study aimed to establish a linguistic German translation according to the Youth Quality of Life-Facial Differences questionnaire guidelines and to assess psychometric test criteria. A forward translation was established by two German native speakers. After clarifying different interpretations, a backward translation was performed by a bilingual English native speaker who had not read the original version. In a third step, six German adolescents with different congenital conditions in the head and neck area filled out the quesFig. 1. The operative technique is shown. (Left) The helix from the eighth costal cartilage and the antihelix from the lateral
Using Hierarchical Cluster Analysis in Nursing Research

This article is a pedagogical piece on hierarchical cluster analysis, a method for investigating the structure underlying data. Such methods are useful for finding similar groups of cases in data sets when it is not known a priori how many groups are present. The article is laid out as follows: First, a brief history and overview of the methods is presented; second, an illustrative example with a small hypothetical data set is used to clarify fundamental concepts; third, hierarchical cluster analysis is applied to a data set from the author’s own program of research to illustrate one way in which the methods may be employed in nursing research; fourth, the limitations of the methods are discussed; and finally, a list of suggested readings, at varying levels of detail, are provided for the interested researcher.
The Political Structure of a Small Community

The Political Structure of a Small Community Author(s): Robert E. Agger and Vincent Ostrom Source: The Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 1, Special Issue on Studies in Political Communication (Spring, 1956), pp. 81-89 Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Stable URL: http://www.jstor. org/stable/2746554 Accessed: 04/04/2010 08:22
Governing Wildfire Risks: What Shapes County Hazard Mitigation Programs?

Land use policies and programs offer a diverse set of strategies for management of wildfire risk. Many county governments have only recently begun to implement such strategies, and relatively little research has been conducted on county activity in wildfire risk reduction such as hazard assessment, plan making, regulation of land use, and subdivision design. Based on a questionnaire survey, the authors explore influences over choice of risk reduction strategy by county governments. Our findings underscore the importance of governance variables including intergovernmental grants in development of mitigation programs.
Human corneal epithelial extracellular matrix perlecan serves as a site for Pseudomonas aeruginosa binding

Purpose. Previous data has shown that basement membrane associated perlecan serves as a binding site for Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the wounded mouse cornea. The current study determined whether it also provides a binding site for Pseudomonas aeruginosa in transformed human corneal epithelium. Methods. Bacterial adherence to transformed human corneal epithelial cells grown in normal or in media containing various inhibitors of glycosaminoglycan synthesis was tested. Bacterial binding was similarly tested in wild-type and in mutant Chinese hamster ovary cell lines naturally deficient in glycosaminoglycan synthesis. Transformed human corneal epithelial extracellular matrix also was tested before and after treatment with anti-proteoglycan monoclonal antibodies or heparinase III before bacterial inoculation. Scanning electron microscopy was used to quantitate adherent bacteria. Intact transformed human corneal epithelial cells or extracellular matrix, the latter either treated or not treated with heparinase III or chondroitin ABC lyase were stained to localize perlecan. Results. Examination of the binding of bacteria to transformed human corneal epithelial cells (normal media vs with inhibitors) and Chinese hamster ovary cell lines suggested that bacterial binding was not associated with the surface of either cell type. In contrast, anti-perlecan antibody, as well as heparinase III decreased the binding of bacteria to corneal extracellular matrix. Fluorescence staining localized perlecan to the extracellular matrix beneath the corneal epithelial cells. Conclusions. Perlecan localized to the extracellular matrix but not the apical surface of transformed human corneal epithelial cells, provides a binding site for Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Existence and Approximation for Variational Problems Under Uniform Constraints on the Gradient by Power Penalty

Variational problems under uniform quasi-convex constraints on the gradient are studied. Our technique consists in approximating the original problem by a one-parameter family of smooth unconstrained optimization problems. Existence of solutions to the problems under consideration is proved as well as existence of Lagrange multipliers associated to the uniform constraint; no constraint qualification condition is required. The solution-multiplier pairs are shown to satisfy an Euler--Lagrange equation and a complementarity property. Numerical experiments confirm the ability of our method to accurately compute solutions and Lagrange multipliers.
Oligonucleotide‐Directed Mutagenesis without Phenotypic Selection

A DNA sequence can be specifically altered by synthesizing the desired sequence change within an oligonucleotide, and then converting this into a biologically active circular DNA strand by using the oligonucleotide to prime in vitro synthesis on a single‐stranded circular template. This protocol uses a DNA template containing a small number of uracil residues in place of thymine. Use of the uracil‐containing template allows rapid and efficient recovery of mutants; in principle this same template can be applied to most of the other mutagenesis protocols in use.
Is There a Gap in the Gap? Regional Differences in the Gender Pay Gap

In this paper, we investigate regional differences in the gender pay gap both theoretically and empirically. Within a spatial oligopsony model, we show that more densely populated labour markets are more competitive and constrain employers' ability to discriminate against women. Utilising a large administrative data set for western Germany and a flexible semi-parametric propensity score matching approach, we find that the unexplained gender pay gap for young workers is substantially lower in large metropolitan than in rural areas. This regional gap in the gap of roughly ten percentage points remained surprisingly constant over the entire observation period of thirty years.
Post-1965 Immigration to the United States: Structural Determinants

List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction Post-1965 Immigration to the United States: Background, Trends, and Cross-National Variations Structural Determinants of Cross-National Variation in Immigration: A Theoretical Overview Data and Methodology Structural Determinants of Cross-National Variation in Total Immigration to the U.S.: A Cross-National Analysis General Applicability of the Analytical Framework Conclusion Appendix A: Immigration Preference Systems Appendix B: Countries and Their Classifications Used in the Analyses Appendix C: Measurement Models for Latent Variables in Final Causal Models Selected Bibliography
Natural and Unnatural Constraints in Hungarian Vowel Harmony

Abstract: Phonological constraints can, in principle, be classified according to whether they are natural (founded in principles of universal grammar (UG)) or unnatural (arbitrary, learned inductively from the language data). Recent work has used this distinction as the basis for arguments about the role of UG in learning. Some languages have phonological patterns that arguably reflect unnatural constraints. With experimental testing, one can assess whether such patterns are actually learned by native speakers. Becker, Ketrez, and Nevins (2007), testing speakers of Turkish, suggest that they do indeed go unlearned. They interpret this result with a strong UG position: humans are unable to learn data patterns not backed by UG principles. This article pursues the same research line, locating similarly unnatural data patterns in the vowel harmony system of Hungarian, such as the tendency (among certain stem types) for a final bilabial stop to favor front harmony. Our own test leads to the opposite conclusion of Becker and colleagues’: Hungarians evidently do learn the unnatural patterns. To conclude we consider a bias account—that speakers are able to learn unnatural environments, but devalue them relative to natural ones. We outline a method for testing the strength of constraints as learned by speakers against the strength of the corresponding patterns in the lexicon, and show that it offers tentative support for the hypothesis that unnatural constraints are disfavored by language learners.
Embryonic Lethal Abnormal Vision-Like RNA-Binding Proteins Regulate Neurite Outgrowth and Tau Expression in PC12 Cells

The embryonic lethal abnormal vision (ELAV)-like proteins are mRNA-binding proteins that regulate mRNA stability. The neuronal members of this family are required for neuronal differentiation. We identified the binding region of purified HuD protein to a target neuronal mRNA encoding for the tau microtubule-associated protein and demonstrated an in vivo interaction between the ELAV-like protein and its target tau mRNA. We show that treatment of neuronal cells with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides directed against HuD blocks the induction of neurite outgrowth and decreases the levels of tau mRNAs, indicating that the ELAV-like proteins are required for neuronal differentiation.
Culture at work: Polish migrants in the ethnic division of labour on Norwegian construction sites

Abstract Following large-scale labour migration from Poland to the Norwegian construction sector since 2004, new ethnic divisions of labour have been established between the usually native core workforces of construction firms, and Polish migrant workers hired through temporary subcontracting and staffing agencies. Survey data suggest that there is very little mobility between these segments of the labour market. The establishment and reproduction of this ethnic division of labour is analysed through qualitative interviews with Norwegian employers and Polish migrant workers. Polish migrants and their particular ‘work culture’ are perceived by Norwegian employers as well-suited for work in the firms’ temporary external workforces but unfit for permanent positions unless they assimilate to a ‘Norwegian work culture’. These stereotyped employment practices are reinforced by the migrants’ own tactical use of the cultural capital available to them when negotiating the conflicting expectations in different job segments.
GDCSim-An Integrated Tool Chain for Analyzing Green Data Center Physical Design and Resource Management Techniques

Energy consumption in data centers can be reduced by efficient design of the data centers and efficient management of computing resources and cooling units. A major obstacle in the analysis of data centers is the lack of a holistic simulator, where the impact of a new computing resource (or cooling) management approach can be tested with different design (i.e., layout and configuration) of data centers (or vice versa). To fill this gap, this paper proposes Green Data Center Simulator (GDCSim) for analyzing data center energy efficiency by studying and testing: (i) different data center geometries, (ii) workload characteristics, (iii) platform power management schemes; (iv) scheduling algorithms; and (v) data center configurations. GDCSim is used to iteratively design green data centers. Further, it is validated against established CFD simulators. GDCSim is developed as a part of the BlueTool infrastructure project at Impact Lab. Keywords-Simulator; energy efficient; green, data center;
Secure wireless communications using secret sharing and vector coding

A secret sharing is a method to protect the information for security. The information is divided into n shares, and the information is reconstructed from any k shares but no knowledge of it is revealed from k - 1 shares. A physical layer security is a method to yield a favorable receive condition to the destination terminal in wireless communications. In this study, we propose a security scheme using the secret sharing based on systematic Reed Solomon (RS) codes and the physical layer security based on vector coding. The vector coding realizes the physical layer security in one-antenna system over multi-path channels and the secret sharing with systematic RS codes enhances the security.
Disciplinary action against members of the founding bodies of the ICAEW

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to present an analysis of the disciplinary action taken against members of the founding bodies of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). This exercise illuminates an aspect of accounting's past which has tended to be overlooked in conventional histories of the profession. Design/methodology/approach - An analysis of the internal records of the ICAEW has been conducted. In addition, the archives of the ICAEW's predecessor bodies, entries in various censuses and contemporary sources have been reviewed for relevant material. Findings - Analysis of the records of the ICAEW and its founding bodies reveals a number of cases where disciplinary action was taken for breaches of ethical principles. The expulsion of a member, however, was always preceded by an external “prompt” such as the member's conviction on criminal charge, his disappearance or bankruptcy. This perhaps suggests that the early professional bodies were more inclined to protect the private interests of their members rather than the public interest. Originality/value - The paper's findings add to the literature on the professionalisation of the British accountancy profession. By focussing on the less-celebrated aspects of the founders' behaviour, this paper puts the success of the profession in achieving public acceptance into sharper perspective.
A Genetic Algorithm based Approach for Test Data Generation in Basis Path Testing

Software Testing is a process to identify the quality and reliability of software, which can be achieved through the help of proper test data. However, doing this manually is a difficult task due to the presence of number of predicate nodes in the module. So, this leads towards a problem of NP-complete. Therefore some intelligence-based search algorithms have to be used to generate test data. In this paper, we use a soft computing based approach, genetic algorithm to generate test data based on the set of basis paths. This paper combines the characteristics of genetic algorithm with test data, making use of the merits of respective global and local optimization capability to improve the generation capacity of test data. This automated process of generating test data optimally helps in reducing the test effort and time of a tester. Finally, the proposed approach is applied for ATM withdrawal task. Experimental results show that genetic algorithm was able to generate suitable test data based on a fitness value and avoid redundant data by optimization.
The Role of Inhibition in the Regulation of Sequential Action

We investigated the regulation of sequential action using a new paradigm. Participants learned a sequence of seven stimulus categories and then monitored for them during successive displays. All displays were instances of these categories, presented in pseudorandom order. On each trial, participants monitored for an instance of Category 1, pressed a key on a computer keyboard, then monitored for an instance of Category 2, pressed a key on the keyboard, and so on for all seven categories. Thus, a perfect trial contained exactly seven responses. Intrusion errors were classified as a function of ordinal distance from the current serial position (n). Fewer intrusion errors were made at near serial positions than at far ones, suggesting a gradient of lateral inhibition. In addition, more intrusions were made on n + 1 categories than n − 1 categories, suggesting greater availability of intended than completed goals. In accord with current models of sequential action, the results indicate lateral and self-inhibition as important mechanisms in regulation of sequential action.
SAAM: a method for analyzing the properties of software architectures

While software architecture has become an increasingly important research topic in recent years, insufficient attention has been paid to methods for evaluation of these architectures. Evaluating architectures is difficult for two main reasons. First, there is no common language used to describe different architectures. Second, there is no clear way of understanding an architecture with respect to an organization's life cycle concerns -software quality concerns such as maintainability portability, modularity, reusability, and so forth. We address these shortcomings by describing three perspectives by which we can understand the description of a software architecture and then proposing a five-step method for analyzing software architectures called SAAM (Software Architecture Analysis Method). We illustrate the method by analyzing three separate user interface architectures with respect to the quality of modifiability. <<ETX>>
Failure Prediction of Oil Wells by Support Vector Regression with Variable Selection, Hyperparameter Tuning and Uncertainty Analysis

Failure Prediction of Oil Wells by Support Vector Regression with Variable Selection, Hyperparameter Tuning and Uncertainty Analysis Isis Lins*, Márcio Moura, Enrique Droguett, Enrico Zio, Carlos Jacinto Center for Risk Analysis and Environmental Modeling, Federal University of Pernambuco, Av. da Arquitetura, s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50740-550, Recife, PE, Brazil Department of Production Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Av. Acadêmico Hélio Ramos, s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50740-530, Recife, PE, Brazil Department of Energy, Polytecnic of Milan, Via Ponzio 34/3, 20133, Milan, Italy Chair on Systems Science and the Energetic Challenge, European Foundation for New Energy, Electricité de France, at Ecole Centrale Paris LGI Supelec, Grande Voie des Vignes, 92295, Chatenay-Malabry Cedex, France CENPES, Petrobras, Av. Horácio Macedo, 950, Cidade Universitária, 21941-915, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil isis.lins@ceerma.org
Short-term Temporal Changes in Free Recall

An experimental study of short-term memory for lists of familiar English words is reported. Lists of 10, 20, and 30 unrelated words were presented at a 1-sec. rate. Retention was measured by free recall after intervals of 0, 15 and 30 sec. A counting task was used to prevent rehearsal during the retention interval. The absolute level of recall increased with length of list whereas the percentages retained showed the reverse trend. The recall scores decreased steadily as a function of retention interval, with the rates of forgetting comparable for the three lengths of list. The decline in the amount recalled was due in large measure to the loss of the terminal items in the list. Consequently, the pronounced recency effect present on the immediate test of recall was progressively reduced as a function of time. By contrast retention of the initial part of the list was relatively stable. These variations in rate of forgetting are attributed to differences among serial positions in susceptibility to proactive inhibition.
Mechanisms of Change in the Development of Cognitive Structures.

KUHN, DEANNA. Mechanisms of Change in the Development of Cognitive Structures. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1972, 43, 833-844. The study is concerned with the mechanisms in terms of which the developmental transformation from 1 cognitive structure to another occurs. An equilibration model of change (Piaget 1967) is contrasted with an alternative, imitation model. An experiment is presented in which it is attempted to induce change by presenting 3-8-year-old children with experimental models, the structure of which reflects differing degrees of relationship to the child's own, previously assessed structural level. The domain is the stage sequence in the child's concept of class and classification. Results support the equilibration model in that what change occurs appears to take place in terms of an invariant sequence of progressively more advanced stages.
Visual monitoring of numeric variables embedded in source code

Numeric variables are one of the most frequently used data types. During the execution of a program, their values might change often. Tracing these changes can be necessary for understanding specific behavior of the program or for locating bugs. However, using a breakpoint debugger requires tedious stepping, and logging changes implies analyzing large text files. To make the monitoring of numeric variables easier, this work introduces a visualization approach that augments the source code view of an IDE by small, word-sized graphics: the visualizations accompanying the declarations of monitored variables plot read and write accesses on a timeline; detail views can be retrieved on demand. As suggested by a case study, this approach might support program comprehension and debugging.