Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Don’t Forget the Psychology in Analyses of Psychological Data: The Case of Sequential Testing

Sequential testing enables researchers to monitor and analyze data as it arrives, and decide whether or not to continue data collection depending on the results. Although there are approaches that can mitigate many statistical issues with sequential testing, we suggest that current discussions of the topic are limited by focusing almost entirely on the mathematical underpinnings of analytic approaches. An important but largely neglected assumption of sequential testing is that the data generating process under investigation remains constant across the experimental cycle. Without care, psychological factors may result in violations of this assumption when sequential testing is used: researchers’ behavior may be changed by the observation of incoming data, in turn influencing the process under investigation. We argue for the consideration of an ‘insulated’ sequential testing approach, in which research personnel remain blind to the results of interim analyses. We discuss different ways of achieving this, from automation to collaborative inter-lab approaches. As a practical supplement to the issues we raise, we introduce an evolving resource aimed at helping researchers navigate both the statistical and psychological pitfalls of sequential testing: the Sequential Testing Hub (www.sequentialtesting.com). The site includes a guide for involving an independent analyst in a sequential testing pipeline, an annotated bibliography of relevant articles covering statistical aspects of sequential testing, links to tools and tutorials centered around how to actually implement a sequential analysis in practice, and space for suggestions to help develop this resource further. We aim to show that although unfettered use of sequential testing may raise problems, carefully designed procedures can limit the pitfalls arising from its use, allowing researchers to capitalize on the benefits it provides.
Stabilizing the Efficiency Beyond 20% with a Mixed Cation Perovskite Solar Cell Fabricated in Ambient Air under Controlled Humidity

Perovskite solar cells have evolved to have compatible high efficiency and stability by employing mixed cation/halide type perovskite crystals as pinhole‐free large grain absorbers. The cesium (Cs)–formamidium–methylammonium triple cation‐based perovskite device fabricated in a glove box enables reproducible high‐voltage performance. This study explores the method to reproduce stable and high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of a triple cation perovskite prepared using a one‐step solution deposition and low‐temperature annealing fully conducted in controlled ambient humidity conditions. Optimizing the perovskite grain size by Cs concentration and solution processes, a route is created to obtain highly uniform, pinhole‐free large grain perovskite films that work with reproducible PCE up to 20.8% and high preservation stability without cell encapsulation for more than 18 weeks. This study further investigates the light intensity characteristics of open‐circuit voltage (Voc) of small (5 × 5 mm2, PCE > 20%) and large (10 × 10 mm2, PCE of 18%) devices. Intensity dependence of Voc shows an ideality factor in the range of 1.7‐1.9 for both devices, implying that the triple cation perovskite involves trap‐assisted recombination loss at the hetero junction interfaces that influences Voc. Despite relatively high ideality factor, perovskite device is capable of supplying high power conversion efficiency under low light intensity (0.01 Sun) whereas maintaining Voc over 0.9 V.
Massive MIMO, mmWave and mmWave-Massive MIMO Communications: Performance Assessment with Beamforming Techniques

A considerable amount of enabling technologies are being explored in the era of fifth generation (5G) mobile system. The dream is to build a wireless network that substantially improves the existing mobile networks in all performance metrics. To address this 5G design targets, massive MIMO (multiple input multiple output) and mmWave (millimeter wave) communication are also candidate technologies. Luckily, in many respects these two technologies share a symbiotic integration. Accordingly, a logical step is to integrate mmWave communications and massive MIMO to form mmWave-massive MIMO which substantially increases user throughput, improve spectral and energy efficiencies, increase the capacity of mobile networks and achieve high multiplexing gains. Thus, this work analyses the concepts, performances, comparison and discussion of these technologies called: massive MIMO, mmWave Communications and mmWave-massive MIMO systems jointly. Besides, outcomes of extensive researches, emerging trends together with their respective benefits, challenges, proposed solutions and their comparative analysis is addressed. The performance of hybrid analog-digital beamforming architecture with a fully digital and analog beamforming techniques are also analyzed. Analytical and simulation results show that the low-complexity hybrid analog-digital precoding achieves all round comparable precoding gains for mmWave-Massive MIMO technology.
Scale-Dependent Pore and Hydraulic Connectivity of Shale Matrix

Shale resources have distinctive characteristics compared to conventional reservoirs, including microsized pores (IUPAC definition), ultralow permeability, several gas storage mechanisms, and complex fluid flow behavior. Prediction of productivity and deliverability of shale systems requires knowledge about in situ porosity and permeability. In this study, we evaluate pore and hydraulic connectivity of matrix for Barnett and Haynesville shale plays based on mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) data and percolation theory. Using MICP porosity values measured at the laboratory for different sample size, accessible porosity and permeability for Barnett and Haynesville shale samples are reported. Next, pore and hydraulic connectivity for both Barnett and Haynesville samples are evaluated based on percolation theory. Moreover, permeability values that have been calculated based on MICP data are used to estimate the average coordination number as a function of sample size. Our results indicate that acces.
Facial Expressions of Emotion Categories are Embedded within a Dimensional Space of Valence-arousal

One of the longest standing debates in the emotion sciences is whether emotions are represented as discrete categories such as happy or sad or as continuous fundamental dimensions such as valence and arousal. Theories of communication make specific predictions about the facial expression signals that would represent emotions as either discrete or dimensional messages. Here, we address this debate by testing whether facial expressions of emotion categories are embedded in a dimensional space of affective signals, leading to multiplexed communication of affective information. Using a data-driven method based on human perception, we modelled the facial expressions representing the six classic emotion categories – happy, surprise, fear, disgust, anger and sad – and those representing the dimensions of valence and arousal. We then evaluated their embedding by mapping and validating the facial expressions categories onto the valence-arousal space. Results showed that facial expressions of these six classic emotion categories formed dissociable clusters within the valence-arousal space, each located in semantically congruent regions (e.g., happy facial expressions distributed in positively valenced regions). Crucially, we further demonstrated the generalization of the embedding beyond the six classic categories, using a broader set of 19 complex emotion categories (e.g., delighted, fury, and terrified). Together, our results show that facial expressions of emotion categories comprise specific combinations of valence and arousal related face movements, suggesting a multiplexed signalling of categorical and dimensional affective information. Our results unite current theories of emotion representation to form the basis of a new framework of multiplexed communication of affective information.
A Seamless Mode Transfer Method of Droop Control based Grid-connected Parallel Inverters

중요부하를 가지고 있는 계통연계 병렬인버터는 계통과의 연 결이 끊길 경우 중요부하에 안정적인 전압공급을 위하여 끊김 없는 모드전환 동작이 요구된다. 기존 병렬인버터는 계통연계 시 전류제어모드 운전을 하고, 독립운전 시에는 전압제어모드 운전을 한다. 그래서 단독운전 발생 시 불안정한 전압을 부하 에 공급하게 되고, 모드전환 시 제어기절체로 인해 인버터출력 전압에 심각한 과도상태를 발생시켜 중요부하에 큰 손상을 입 힐 수 있다. 본 논문에서는 Droop 제어 기반 계통연계 병렬인 버터의 끊김 없는 모드전환 기법을 제안한다. 제안된 알고리즘 은 1kW 시작품을 제작하여 타당성을 검증하였다.
Viralização de Questionários Online: desafios e oportunidades

Resumo. Nos últimos anos, temos observado um aumento na quantidade de coletas de dados realizadas através de questionários online. A partir da coleta e análise de 64 questionários online, mostramos como o uso desse recurso é suscetı́vel a usuários maliciosos, que podem agir de forma automatizada no comprometimento da confiabilidade dos dados coletados. Os questionários dos principais sistemas empregados, como Google Forms, foram submetidos a testes básicos de segurança, como personificação e poluição de conteúdo. Os resultados apontam que a maioria dos questionários criados e aplicados online é suscetı́vel a ataques do tipo sybil. Além disso, verificamos que a maioria dos sistemas de criação dos questionários online é desprovida de recursos cruciais para algumas pesquisas, como a limitação do grupo de respondentes, a privacidade e a confidencialidade dos dados coletados.
How Did the NRA Employ Presidential Election Year Propaganda Against Barack Obama within the Shifting Paradigm of the Digital Age

p. iii List of Figures.p. v Chapter One: Introduction.p. 1 Shaping the Gun Control Narrative.p. 1 Chapter Two: Literature Review.p. 13 History of Propaganda Analysis in the United States.p. 19 Propaganda Analysis and Propaganda Theory in Media Studies.p. 21 Chapter Three: Methods. p. 34 Procedures Used in Data Analysis. p. 35 Chapter Four: Results.p. 46 I. Barack Obama’s 10 Point Plan To “CHANGE” The Second Amendment (Digital Poster). p. 46 II. Barack Obama’s 10 Point Plan To “CHANGE” The Second Amendment (Article). p. 64 Chapter Five: Discussion.p. 78 The Sum Total of Barack Obama’s Proposed Gun Control Legislation.p. 80 Chapter 6: Conclusion. p. 82 References.p. 85 Curriculum Vitae.p. 91
Fossil fuel subsidies: determining their size and removing reform obstacles

Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies (FFS) has been high on the international agenda since the G20 summit in 2009. The 2015 Paris Agreement explicitly aims at “making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development”. Yet, FFS seem to be a persistent phenomenon. The IEA (2017) estimated their global value in 2016 at around USD 260 billion, whereas a paper by IMF staff (Coady et al., 2015) even arrived at a figure of more than USD 4 trillion for 2013.
Inhibiting CBX4 efficiently suppress YAP nucleus translocation in hepatocellular carcinoma cells to protect against sorafenib resistance

Background The discovery of biomarkers that predict the response to sorafenib and increase the efficiency of drug therapy represents a clinical challenge. This study aimed to investigate the possible role of inhibiting CBX4 to deregulate of CSCs and to evaluate the contribution of these molecules to sorafenib resistance in advanced HCC. Methods HCC cell lines and a xenograft mouse model with resistance to sorafenib were employed to analyze the effects of miR424 on CSC characteristics. RNA expression was analyzed by RT-PCR and next-generation sequencing in a cohort of 106 HCC cancer patients and sorafenib-resistant (SR) cell lines, respectively, to validate the key microRNAs and targets in the network. CBX4 expression was determined in HCC cells to examine YAP1-mediated stem-cell-like activation and its association with sorafenib resistance. Results MicroRNA and mRNA profiles of SR cell lines identified miR424 and its direct target CBX4 as significantly associated with stem-cell-like properties, poor survival and clinical characteristics. Functional experiments demonstrated that miR424 suppressed CBX4, and CBX4 induced nuclear translocation of YAP protein but was not associated with protein production. When YAP1 and CBX4 were modulated either alone or together in SR tumors with CA3 and UNC3866, respectively, tumorigenicity and stem-like properties were extremely inhibited, thus indicated that these compounds exerted a strong antitumor effect in vivo against SR HCC cells. Conclusions Our results revealed that blocking the crosstalk between CBX4 and YAP1 is critical in response to sorafenib resistance, and it could be a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with advanced HCC.
Ratios in the evolutionary behavioural sciences: problems and solutions

Ratios are widely used in the social and life sciences, particularly the evolutionary behavioural sciences. However, over the past few decades, several problems have been identified with them leading many disciplines to abandon their use. Ratios show statistical properties that are not always obvious, are difficult to interpret properly and can have unintended implications. Uncertainty about their precise meaning impedes the development of effective theory. Arbitrary choices of which variable is used as the numerator and which is used as the denominator can lead to different results. Additionally anthropometric variables rarely remove the influence of body size and can induce spurious effects. Fortunately, advances in statistical techniques and software mean that most of these issues are easily resolved and have rendered ratios mostly unnecessary. Any researcher with a firm grasp of multiple regression can avoid the pitfalls associated with ratios. This review aims to introduce readers to the many issues associated with ratios and how to overcome them, with a special emphasis on the ratios most widely used in the evolutionary behavioural sciences. Using open access datasets I demonstrate both the potential problems with ratios and their solutions. I outline the times when ratios are acceptable and useful, and when our science would be more rigorous and productive without them.
Development and Evaluation of Prognostic Nomogram for Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma and follicular thyroid carcinoma are both well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas. Here, we aimed to establish and evaluate a nomogram for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. ﻿Methods: Patient records were available from SEER database. We enrolled 17,659 patients in total and randomly separated them into a modeling cohort (n = 12,363, 70%) and a validation cohort (n = 5,296, 30%). Predictive models were established via univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis of potential risk factors and used to produce a nomogram. ﻿Performance of the nomograms in terms of discrimination ability and calibration was evaluated by determining the concordance index (C-index) and by generating calibration plots, respectively, using the internal (modeling cohort) and external (validation cohort) validity. ﻿Results: Seven independent prognostic factors (age, race, sex, grade, AJCC T stage, AJCC N stage, and AJCC M stage) were identified and used to develop the nomogram for OS prediction of patients with DTC. The C-index for the modeling cohort was 0.829 (95% CI: 0.807-0.851), and the C-index for the validation cohort was 0.833 (95% CI: 0.803-0.862). Calibration plots of the nomogram indicated acceptable agreement between the predicted 3-, 5-year survival rates and the actual observations in the modeling and validation groups. ﻿Conclusions: We have constructed and verified a nomogram containing clinical factors, which showed better prognostic judgment and predictive accuracy for DTC. This will enable clinicians and patients to easily personalize and quantify the probability of DTC during the postoperative period.
Distinguishing Sensory Sensitivity and Reactivity, and How They Relate to Autistic Traits

Sensory processing issues are common across neurodevelopmental disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and intellectual disabilities, as well as other mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression. This study uses a novel behavioural paradigm and a questionnaire to assess sensory issues and these two methods are directly compared to distinguish sensory sensitivity and sensory reactivity. We also used autistic traits as an empirical testbed to shed light on the relationships between sensory processing issues and traits associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Sensory processing issues are highly prevalent in the autistic population, and previous findings have strongly supported a relationship between parent or self-reported sensory sensitivity and autistic traits, whereas studies that have examined this relationship through behavioural assessments of sensitivity are less consistent. The current study explores these differences and suggests that sensory sensitivity and sensory reactivity are distinct constructs, with questionnaires assessing reactivity whereas behavioural measures assess sensitivity. One hundred and eighteen typically-developed adults completed a visual detection task, an auditory detection task, and questionnaires on sensory processing and autistic traits. Visual thresholds, derived from the behavioural paradigm and self-report visual sensitivity were not correlated, but both were related to and predictive of autistic traits. Auditory thresholds and self-report auditory sensitivity were also unrelated. Overall, sensitivity is highly associated with autistic traits, however, behavioural and questionnaire assessments of sensitivity lack convergent validity and, therefore, likely assess distinct constructs. In conclusion, sensory sensitivity and sensory reactivity are unique concepts that fall under the umbrella of sensory processing differences and need to be researched as such in relation to behavioural traits across clinical populations.
SOME NEW RESULTS ON AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION OF VIETNAMESE FOLK SONGS CHEO AND QUANHO

Vietnamese folk songs are very rich in genre and content. Identifying Vietnamese folk tunes will contribute to the storage and search for information about these tunes automatically. The paper will present an overview of the classification of music genres that have been performed in Vietnam and abroad. For two types of very popular folk songs of Vietnam such as Cheo and Quan ho, the paper describes the dataset and GMM (Gaussian Mixture Model) to perform the experiments on identifying some of these folk songs. The GMM used for experiment with 4 sets of parameters containing MFCC (Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients), energy, first derivative and second derivative of MFCC and energy, tempo, intensity, and fundamental frequency. The results showed that the parameters added to the MFCCs contributed significantly to the improvement of the identification accuracy with the appropriate values of Gaussian component number M. Our experiments also showed that, on average, the length of the excerpts was only 29.63% of the whole song for Cheo and 38.1% of the whole song for Quan ho, the identification rate was only 3.1% and 2.33% less than the whole song for Cheo and Quan ho respectively.
Estimating nitrogen inputs, storage, and exports for a small watershed in the upper Mississippi river basin, USA

Nitrogen contributions to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone from agriculture watersheds are well documented. Beargrass creek watershed a 5,985hectare agriculturally dominated watershed in northern Indiana was instrumented to collect water quality data. A nitrogen budget was developed to account for net input and export of nitrogen from the watershed. Inputs consisted of fertilizer application, soil mineralization, and atmospheric deposition. Exports consisted of nitrogen removal in grain and stream exportation. Water quality testing at two gage stations, fourteen access tubes, and nine drainage tiles determined where excess nitrogen was stored. Nitrogen inputs was estimated at 1,004,213kg/year or 168 kg/ha/year in 2015. Total nitrogen exports accounted for 860,250kg/ha or 144kg/ha/year: with 30% of the applied nitrogen removed by Beargrass Creek through baseflow, tile flows, and storm event runoff.
Identification of Key Genes and Pathways Associated with Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy Sensitivity in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer

Objectives: Currently, the standard treatment approach for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) is concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). However, resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy often leads to treatment failure. Intrinsic resistance is often a decisive factor in treatment response. Thus, it is urgent to identify the key genes and pathways associated with CCRT sensitivity in LACC.Materials and Methods: We searched the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database for patients with LACC and analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between responders and non-responders. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of DEGs were performed using DAVID tools. And Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs were conducted using R package cluster Profiler. The Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) from R package WGCNA was used for the identification of highly correlated gene modules. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING and 20 hub genes were selected. The expression levels of these 20 genes were was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA 2) databases. Furthermore, single-cell transcriptome sequencing was used to elucidate the cell type composition of the cervix sample and analyze the expression levels of 10 hub genes in cells.Results: Compared with non-responders, 580 genes were significantly up-regulated. The up-regulated genes were mainly related to Human papillomavirus infection, focal adhesion, and ECM-receptor interaction signaling pathway. We screened 10 hub genes (COL1A1, COL6A1, COL6A2, LAMA4, COL6A3, LAMC1, HSPG2, ITGA9, CTGF, PDGFRB) and further studied them. Compared with healthy people, these 10 genes were low expressed in cervical cancer patients, and their mRNA levels were positively correlated. Receiver Operator Characteristic curve (ROC) analysis indicated that 10 hub genes could differentiate responders from non-responders. Furthermore, we showed that COL1A1, COL6A1, COL6A2 were highly expressed after radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. By analyzing the single-cell sequence, we found that the main cell types in cervical tissue include Fibroblasts, Smooth muscle cells, Tissue stem cells, Endothelial cells, Progenitor cells, Epithelial cells, T cells, Basal cells, Macrophages, and Mast cells. And COL1A1, COL6A1, COL6A2, COL6A3, CTGF, PDGFRB were highly expressed in Progenitor cells.Conclusions: In summary, COL1A1, COL6A1, COL6A2, LAMA4, COL6A3, LAMC1, HSPG2, ITGA9, CTGF, and PDGFRB might serve as therapeutic targets to enhance the therapeutic effect of CCRT in the treatment of LACC. These genes were involved in Human papillomavirus infection, focal adhesion, and ECM-receptor interaction signaling pathway. And they were involved in various biological processes, including cell adhesion and extracellular matrix organizations. Besides, COL1A1, COL6A1, COL6A2, COL6A3, CTGF, and PDGFRB were highly expressed in Progenitor cells.