Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reliability and Validity of the Chinese (Mandarin) Tinnitus Handicap Inventory

Objectives The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) is a commonly used self-reporting tinnitus questionnaire. We undertook this study to determine the reliability and validity of the Chinese-Mandarin version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI-CM) for measuring tinnitus-related handicaps. Methods We tested the test-retest reliability, internal reliability, and construct validity of the THI-CM. Two-hundred patients seeking treatment for primary or secondary tinnitus in Southwest China were asked to complete THI-CM prior to clinical evaluation. Patients were evaluated by a clinician using standard methods, and 40 patients were asked to complete THI-CM a second time 14±3 days after the initial interview. Results The test-retest reliability of THI-CM was high (Pearson correlation, 0.98), as was the internal reliability (Cronbach's α, 0.93). Factor analysis indicated that THI-CM has a unifactorial structure. Conclusion The THI-CM version is reliable. The total score in THI-CM can be used to measure tinnitus-related handicaps in Mandarin-speaking populations.
Contributions of prosodic sensitivity and morphological awareness to word level reading: A perceptual task development study

Morphological awareness and prosodic sensitivity are metalinguistic skills, which have been shown to be significant predictors of word level reading in children (Clin, WadeWoolley, Heggie, 2009; Jarmulowizc, Tarran, & Hay, 2007). The current studies first validated an experimental auditory lexical decision task for prosodic sensitivity to stress shifting in words and pseudowords; secondly, they validated a stress perception task for words; and third, they validated a morphological awareness task. The relationship between prosodic sensitivity, morphological awareness, and reading tasks was also analyzed. Results of the first study indicated that the experimental prosodic sensitivity task accounted for 9% of the variance in word level reading outcomes and that it was significant for real words but not pseudowords. The contribution of prosodic sensitivity to stress shifts in real words was unique when controlling for age, vocabulary, and morphological awareness. This study also found that morphological awareness predicted an additional 4% of the variance in word reading outcomes. The results of the second study found that the prosodic sensitivity to accurate stress and morphological awareness were not significant predictors in word or passage level outcomes. Although both metalinguistic skills were not significant predictors when individually predicting unique contributions in word level outcomes, they were found to be significant components in a metalinguistic factor through factor analysis. This metalinguistic factor was found to significantly predict 5% of the comprehension
A Simple Methodology for Applying UML to Database Design

We present experience and assessment results for the use of UML in an undergraduate database design course. We employed an abbreviated iterative design methodology based on UML in a semester-long course project, with students learning about relational databases and SQL while simultaneously designing and implementing a simple system. UML replaced ER diagrams used in earlier versions of the course in order to support an effort to use UML across the curriculum. We found UML to be an adequate substitute for ER diagrams and that our thought processes in adopting UML led to enhancements of the course. We conclude that an undergraduate textbook employing UML to illustrate relational database design would be highly effective.
Modeling for radio-frequency conductive keratoplasty: implications for the maximum temperature reached in the cornea

Conductive keratoplasty (CK) is a new surgical technique for steepening the contours of the cornea to reduce hyperopia. It has been emphasized that during CK, tissue resistance to radio-frequency electrical current flow generates a localized heat with temperatures between 65 and 75 °C; however, we hypothesize that the maximum temperature reached in the cornea may be higher. For this reason, we developed a finite-element model to estimate the temperature distributions in the cornea during CK. The time evolution of the impedance obtained from computer simulations was compared to that obtained in an experimental study previously published. Our results show that during a typical CK with a 60% setting power (equivalent to 200 V peak-to-peak), the cornea may reach temperatures over 100 °C at the electrode tip. On the other hand, the initial impedance of the cornea has a significant influence on the temperature distribution, while the initial temperature of the cornea is not a significant parameter. The results also suggest that low power settings (30–40%) do not produce temperatures over 100 °C. Finally, although the actual voltage waveform during CK is exponential and pulsed, our model based on a constant voltage (with a value equal to the root mean square value) provides a better agreement between the theoretical impedance time evolution and that obtained experimentally.
A Quantitative Analysis of Ataque de Nervios in Puerto Rico

The authors present a quantitative analysis and assessment of the symptoms of ataque de nervios. A sample of 121 individuals living in Puerto Rico provided qualitative and structured data on ataques de nervios and psychiatric correlates. A total of 77 participants reported having an ataque de nervios during their lifetimes. Their reports of symptoms associated with the ataque-episode were analyzed using factor analysis. Two dimensions emerged from the analysis, representing respectively internalizing and externalizing experiences. Results sustained the heterogeneity of ataque de nervios with a marked anxiety component. The authors discuss results in the context of classification and understanding of ataques de nervios and a model for studying cultural variance among cultural syndromes.
Understanding and Dealing With Organizational Survey Nonresponse

A survey is a potentially powerful assessment, monitoring, and evaluation tool available to organizational scientists. To be effective, however, individuals must complete the survey and in the inevitable case of nonresponse, we must understand if our results exhibit bias. In this article, the nonresponse bias impact assessment strategy (N-BIAS) is proposed. The N-BIAS approach is a series of techniques that when used in combination, provide evidence about a study’s susceptibility to bias and its external validity. The N-BIAS techniques stem from a review of extant research and theory. To inform future revisions of the N-BIAS approach, a future research agenda for advancing the study of survey response and nonresponse is provided.
The complete mitochondrial genome of the Hemibarbus medius (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae)

Abstract We present the complete mitochondrial genome of the Hemibarbus medius in this study. The mitochondrial genome is 16,611 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a control region. The nucleotide compositions of the light strand are 29.82% of A, 27.22% of C, 25.93% of T, and 17.04% of G. With the exception of ND6 and eight tRNA genes, all other mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand. All the protein-coding genes begin with an ATG initiation codon except for COXІ with GTG. Four types of termination codons revealed are TAA (ND1, COXІ, ATP8, ND4L, ND5), T (ND2, ND3, COXП, COXШ, CYTB), TA (ND4, ATP6), and TAG (ND6). Most genes are either abutted or overlapped and many features keep consistent with the other vertebrates.
GeneChip® expression analysis of the iron starvation response in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: identification of novel pyoverdine biosynthesis genes

Upon iron restriction, the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces various virulence factors, including siderophores, exotoxin, proteases and haemolysin. The ferric uptake regulator (Fur) plays a central role in this response and also controls other regulatory genes, such as pvdS, which encodes an alternative sigma factor. This circuit leads to a hierarchical cascade of direct and indirect iron regulation. We used the GeneChip® to analyse the global gene expression profiles in response to iron. In iron‐starved cells, the expression of 118 genes was increased at least fivefold compared with that in iron‐replete cells, whereas the expression of 87 genes was decreased at least fivefold. The GeneChip® data correlated well with results obtained using individual lacZ gene fusions. Strong iron regulation was observed for previously identified genes involved in biosynthesis or uptake of the siderophores pyoverdine and pyochelin, utilization of heterologous siderophores and haem and ferrous iron transport. A low‐iron milieu led to increased expression of the genes encoding TonB, alkaline protease, PrpL protease, exotoxin A, as well as fumarase C, Mn‐dependent superoxide dismutase SodA, a ferredoxin and ferredoxin reductase and several oxidoreductases and dehydrogenases. Iron‐controlled regulatory genes included seven alternative sigma factors and five other transcriptional regulators. Roughly 20% of the iron‐regulated genes encoded proteins of unknown function and lacked any conclusive homologies. Under low‐iron conditions, expression of 26 genes or operons was reduced in a ΔpvdS mutant compared with wild type, including numerous novel pyoverdine biosynthetic genes. The GeneChip® proved to be a very useful tool for rapid gene expression analysis and identification of novel genes controlled by Fur or PvdS.
Sparse representation for hyperspectral image target detection

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the study of sparse representation. Sparse representation has been adopted in this paper for automatic target detection in hyperspectral image(HSI). We using a novel algorithm, the K-SVD, designing overcomplete dictionaries for sparse representation. The sparse representation is recovered by solving a greedy algorithm called Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) and it directly determines the class label of the test sample. As the neighboring HIS pixels usually have similar spectral characteristics and usually belongs to the same class, we use the smoothing of HIS pixels to constraint on sparsity and improve the reconstruction accuracy. The simulation results of this study demonstrated that it is effective.
Internet and Community

Current trends in Internet accessibility and use show that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are becoming increasingly integrated with everyday life (Gackenbach, 2006; Howard & Jones, 2003; Joinson, McKenna, Reips & Postmes, 2007; Wellman & Haythornthwaite, 2002). Broadband, wireless, and mobile computing— combined with social media such as blogging, microblogging, and social networking—provide a vibrant communication and information infrastructure for today’s world. Research has often paid attention, separately and alternately, to highly virtual, online-only experiences and to highly local, geographically oriented use for “community development, economic regeneration, democratic renewal and social support” (Loader & Keeble, 2004, p. 1). These different literatures on ICTs and community have developed all but independently of each other, with little cross-referencing. But a growing body of research is now addressing the intersection, crossovers, and synergies between online and offline worlds. People are using the Internet in ways that are driving change in communities—specifically, where and how they are constituted—and creating transformative effects on how we define, attach to, and retain communal identity across online and offline venues. Current views of community are now tempered by activity and associations at the personal, group, and network levels, spanning multiple geographical locations but surprisingly rooted in local action and activity. Each article in this special issue addresses how ICT use is associated with local, geographically based communities. These studies find that emergent and evolving uses of ICTs reinforce and regenerate geographically based community identities and that the Internet is used to reconnect and reinforce connections to specific locations. The articles fit into the context of a larger sphere of interest in the Internet and community, although they do not cover all aspects of this large and growing area of interest. In broad terms, we find that research on the Internet and community falls into these areas:
Design and static calibration of a six-dimensional force/torque sensor for minimally invasive surgery

Abstract Introduction: The use of surgery robotics is getting more and more important worldwide. In the present study, we propose a novel small-size six-dimensional force/torque sensor with the structure of double cross beams. This technology can be applied in robotic tele-operation systems used in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) robotic systems. Material and methods: The proposed sensor is made of duralumin which totally meets the stiffness requirement. The output voltage of the sensor will alter with the deformation of the elastic body and strain gauges. The feasibility was discussed by finite element analysis (FEA) and the coupling coefficient matrix was established with dimension reduced according to FEA. In addition, we designed a calibration platform and completed static calibration for the sensor. The methods and principles of measurements and data analysis were provided. Results: The calibration curves and coupling coefficient matrix were acquired by using the least squares method (LSM). Conclusion: Experimental tests and calibration error analysis showed that the proposed sensor has high accuracy, appropriate range, and played a role in promoting the application of force feedback technology in MIS.
The challange to infer student's mood in ROODA Virtual Learning Environment

This article considers the affectivity in virtual learning environments (VLE). Our proposition is to identify the mood of the student in order to encourage more appropriate teaching strategies. The challenges of using computational models for recognition and representation of mood into ROODA VLE are discussed. The prototype AnimA-K is presented to verify this possibility.
Generalized h-index for Revealing Latent Facts in Social Networks of Citations

What is the value of a scientist and its impact upon the scientific thinking? How can we measure the prestige of a journal or of a conference? The evaluation of the scientific work of a scientist and the estimation of the quality of a journal or conference has long attracted significant interest, but the definition of a quality metric is not an easy task. To overcome the disadvantages of the present metrics used for ranking scientists and journals, J. E. Hirsch proposed a pioneering metric, the now famous h-index. In this article, we demonstrate several inefficiencies of this index and develop a pair of generalizations and effective variants of it to deal with scientist ranking and with publication forum ranking. The new citation indices are able to disclose trendsetters in scientific research, as well as researchers that constantly shape their field with their influential work, no matter how old they are. We exhibit the effectiveness and the benefits of the new indices to unfold the full potential of the h-index, with extensive experiments on the widely known DBLP.
Development for depression and suicidal risk screening test (version 2009)

Abstract Objective: To study the sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and validity of a depression and suicidal risk screening test that compared with the psychiatristus, diagnosis. Method: The study was devided into four stage. Stage I, Revision of items of prior screening test by expertsu opioids and item analysis reconsideration. Stage II, the agreement test between psychiatristus diagnosis and psychiatric nurseus diagnosis using M.I. N.I. Stage III, the new version of depression and suicidal risk screening test was validate by a sample to 387 outpatients at Khon-Kaen Rajanagarindra Psychiatrict Hospital. Stage IV, validatity testing of this instrument in 1,471 participants at the four Primary Care Unit of Khon-Kaen province. In the last stage, each subject was interviewed by researcherus team, if the test result was positive, they would be referred to the psychiatrist for diagnosis, if the test result was negative, they would be referred to the psychiatric nurse to interview by using M.I. N.I. Data analysis used descriptive statistic, sensitivity and specificity. Results: In depression part, the cronbachus alpha coefficient was 0.66, cut off point >3 scores, sensitivity of 89.9%, specificity of 71.9%, positive predictive value of 27.0%, negative predictive value of 98.4%, accuray of 73.7%. Prevalence of depression in community was 10.4%. In suicidal risk part, the cut off point of >1 scores which was sensitivity of 87.1%, specificity of 89.4%, positive predictive value of 42.2%, negative predictive value of 98.7%, and accuray of 89.2%. Prevalence of suicidal risk in community was 8.2%. Conclusion: The depressing and suicidal risk screening test are high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy at least 70%. It is suitable for primary health care personnel to screen the population at risk.
Production of Superoxide in Bacteria Is Stress- and Cell State-Dependent: A Gating-Optimized Flow Cytometry Method that Minimizes ROS Measurement Artifacts with Fluorescent Dyes

The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in microbial metabolism and stress response has emerged as a major theme in microbiology and infectious disease. Reactive fluorescent dyes have the potential to advance the study of ROS in the complex intracellular environment, especially for high-content and high-throughput analyses. However, current dye-based approaches to measuring intracellular ROS have the potential for significant artifacts. Here, we describe a robust platform for flow cytometric quantification of ROS in bacteria using fluorescent dyes, with ROS measurements in 10s-of-1000s of individual cells under a variety of conditions. False positives and variability among sample types (e.g., bacterial species, stress conditions) are reduced with a flexible four-step gating scheme that accounts for side- and forward-scattered light (morphological changes), background fluorescence, DNA content, and dye uptake to identify cells producing ROS. Using CellROX Green dye with Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium smegmatis, and Mycobacterium bovis BCG as diverse model bacteria, we show that (1) the generation of a quantifiable CellROX Green signal for superoxide, but not hydrogen peroxide-induced hydroxyl radicals, validates this dye as a superoxide detector; (2) the level of dye-detectable superoxide does not correlate with cytotoxicity or antibiotic sensitivity; (3) the non-replicating, antibiotic tolerant state of nutrient-deprived mycobacteria is associated with high levels of superoxide; and (4) antibiotic-induced production of superoxide is idiosyncratic with regard to both the species and the physiological state of the bacteria. We also show that the gating method is applicable to other fluorescent indicator dyes, such as the 5-carboxyfluorescein diacetate acetoxymethyl ester and 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride for cellular esterase and reductive respiratory activities, respectively. These results demonstrate that properly controlled flow cytometry coupled with fluorescent probes provides precise and accurate quantitative analysis of ROS generation and metabolic changes in stressed bacteria.
Does the ‘P300’ speller depend on eye gaze?

Many people affected by debilitating neuromuscular disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brainstem stroke or spinal cord injury are impaired in their ability to, or are even unable to, communicate. A brain–computer interface (BCI) uses brain signals, rather than muscles, to re-establish communication with the outside world. One particular BCI approach is the so-called ‘P300 matrix speller’ that was first described by Farwell and Donchin (1988 Electroencephalogr. Clin. Neurophysiol. 70 510–23). It has been widely assumed that this method does not depend on the ability to focus on the desired character, because it was thought that it relies primarily on the P300-evoked potential and minimally, if at all, on other EEG features such as the visual-evoked potential (VEP). This issue is highly relevant for the clinical application of this BCI method, because eye movements may be impaired or lost in the relevant user population. This study investigated the extent to which the performance in a ‘P300’ speller BCI depends on eye gaze. We evaluated the performance of 17 healthy subjects using a ‘P300’ matrix speller under two conditions. Under one condition (‘letter’), the subjects focused their eye gaze on the intended letter, while under the second condition (‘center’), the subjects focused their eye gaze on a fixation cross that was located in the center of the matrix. The results show that the performance of the ‘P300’ matrix speller in normal subjects depends in considerable measure on gaze direction. They thereby disprove a widespread assumption in BCI research, and suggest that this BCI might function more effectively for people who retain some eye-movement control. The applicability of these findings to people with severe neuromuscular disabilities (particularly in eye-movements) remains to be determined.
Peacemaking criminology and counterterrorism: Muslim Americans and the war on terror

Few studies have used an ethnographic research methodology as a means of expanding the fundamental concepts of peacemaking criminology. Sixteen months of fieldwork among a Muslim‐American community in central Florida, gathering data through participant observation and semi‐structured interviews with 443 immigrant and indigenous Muslim Americans, reveal an increased climate of alienation, mistrust, anger, and fear toward law enforcement agencies, and concern on the part of some that the USA PATRIOT Act has diminished the likelihood of Muslim Americans cooperating with police agencies regarding potential terrorism. This paper also examines themes for improving domestic counterterrorism strategies, including the need for law enforcement agencies to make an effort to educate themselves on the basic tenets of Islam, along with its diverse customs and culture, to establish an open active dialogue with community members, and to sustain a relationship with the Muslim‐American community based on the foundational concepts of mutual participation, respect, dignity, honor, and social justice.
Does Long-Term Marriage Bring Less Frequent Disagreements?

Studies of marital conflict have concluded that the frequency of disagreements between spouses declines over time in a marital relationship. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the National Survey of Families and Households, the authors examine the frequency of marital disagreements concerning household tasks, money, sex, and spending time together reported by married women and men age 20 to 79. The study results refute a developmental explanation for marital disagreement, which posits that disagreements decline as marital partners accommodate themselves to one another over time. The results indicate, however, that increased marital duration may bring increased marital disagreements, depending on family life course stage (particularly, the presence of children in the home), and potentially also depending on spouses’ages and birth cohorts. The results also suggest a limited role of selective attrition in explaining the frequency of marital disagreements, in that couples who disagree more frequently are more likely to divorce or separate, particularly respondents of younger ages/birth cohorts, who have been married for relatively briefer periods of time.