Influence of BPPV and Meniere's Disease on Cognitive Abilities: A Questionnaire-Based Study

The vestibular system connects the inner ear to the midbrain and subcortical structures and can affect cognition. Patients with vertigo often experience cognitive symptoms such as attention deficits, memory problems, and spatial perception difficulties. This study aimed to explore the cognitive impairments associated with Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo(BPPV) and Meniere's Disease(MD). A non-experimental group comparison design was used with 107 participants divided into three groups: Group I(clinically normal), Group II(BPPV), and Group III(MD). Participants completed a questionnaire with 10 cognition-related questions, and their responses were scored. The data were found to be non-normally distributed. The analysis revealed a significant difference in scores between Group I and both Group II and Group III. Chi-square tests showed that the responses to cognition-related questions varied among the groups, with Group II exhibiting more cognitive problems. Associated conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and hearing loss did not significantly influence the responses within each group. This study suggests a significant relationship between cognitive problems and patients with BPPV and MD. However, there was no association found between the cognitive problems experienced in BPPV and MD patients. These findings align with previous research indicating that vestibular disorders can lead to deficits in spatial memory, attention, and other cognitive functions. By understanding the link between cognition and vestibular disorders, we can improve diagnosis and rehabilitation services to enhance the quality of life for these patients.

Development and validation of a novel questionnaire regarding vision screening among preschool teachers in Malaysia

AIM:To develop and evaluate the validity and reliability of a knowledge,attitude,and practice questionnaire related to vision screening(KAP-VST)among preschool teachers in Malaysia.METHODS:The questionnaire was developed through a literature review and discussions with experts.Content and face validation were conducted by a panel of experts(n=10)and preschool teachers(n=10),respectively.A pilot study was conducted for construct validation(n=161)and test-retest reliability(n=60)of the newly developed questionnaire.RESULTS:Based on the content and face validation,71 items were generated,and 68 items were selected after exploratory factor analysis.The content validity index for items(I-CVI)score ranged from 0.8-1.0,and the content validity index for scale(S-CVI)/Ave was 0.99.Internal consistency was KR^(2)0=0.93 for knowledge,Cronbach’s alpha=0.758 for attitude,and Cronbach’s alpha=0.856 for practice.CONCLUSION:The KAP-VST is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing knowledge,attitude,and practice in relation to vision screening among preschool teachers in Malaysia.

Diagnostic values of questionnaires of Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey and College of Optometrists Vision Development Quality of Life in the screening of convergence insufficiency

AIM:To compare and analyse the diagnostic efficacy of the College of Optometrists Vision Development Quality of Life Questionnaire(COVD-QOL)and the Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey(CISS)in detecting convergence insufficiency and to compare their diagnostic value in clinical applications.METHODS:Using the diagnostic test method,62 adult patients with convergence insufficiency(age:24.74±3.75y)and 62 normal participants(age:23.61±3.13y)who visited the Optometry Clinic of West China Hospital of Sichuan University from April 2021 to January 2023 were included.All subjects completed the CISS and COVD-QOL.Statistical analysis of the sensitivity and specificity of the CISS and COVD-QOL and comparison and joint experimental analysis of their diagnostic efficacy were performed.RESULTS:The sensitivity of the CISS and COVD-QOL for convergence insufficiency was 64.5%and 71.0%,respectively,while the specificity was 96.8%and 67.7%,respectively.Compared to the CISS alone,the combination of the CISS and COVD-QOL demonstrated lower sensitivity and specificity.The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of CISS,COVD-QOL and CISS combined with COVD-QOL were 0.806,0.694 and 0.782,respectively.CONCLUSION:Considering the low sensitivity of the CISS and the low specificity of the COVD-QOL,it is recommended to supplement these questionnaires with other screening tests for the detection of convergence insufficiency.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Kidney Transplant Questionnaire 25 to Greek

BACKGROUND Kidney transplantation leads to continuous improvement in the survival rates of kidney transplant recipients(KTRs)and has been established as the treatment of choice for patients with end-stage kidney disease.Health-related quality of life(HRQoL)has become an important outcome measure.It is highly important to develop reliable methods to evaluate HRQoL with disease-specific questionnaires.AIM To translate the disease-specific instrument Kidney Transplant Questionnaire 25(KTQ-25)to the Greek language and perform a cross-cultural adaptation.METHODS The translation and adaptation of the original English version of the KTQ-25 to the Greek language were performed based on the International Quality of Life RESULTS Eighty-four KTRs(59 males;mean age 53.5±10.7 years;mean estimated glomerular filtration rate 47.7±15.1 mL/min/1.73 m2;mean transplant vintage 100.5±83.2 months)completed the Greek version of the KTQ-25 and the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey,and the results were used to evaluate the reliability of the Greek KTQ-25.The Cronbach alpha coefficients for all the KTQ-25 dimensions were satisfactory(physical symptoms=0.639,fatigue=0.856,uncertainty/fear=0.661,appearance=0.593,emotions=0.718,total score=0.708).The statistically significant correlation coefficients among the KTQ-25 dimensions ranged from 0.226 to 0.644.The correlation coeffi-cients of the KTQ-25 dimensions with the SF-36 physical component summary(PCS)ranged from 0.196 to 0.550;the correlation coefficients of the KTQ-25 with the SF-36 mental component summary(MCS)ranged from 0.260 to 0.655;and the correlation coefficients of the KTQ-25 with the total scores with the SF-36 PCS and MCS were 0.455 and 0.613,respectively.CONCLUSION According to the findings,the Greek version of the KTQ-25 is valid and reliable for administration among kidney transplant patients in Greece.

基于多尺度Scale-Unet的单样本图像翻译

随着生成对抗网络(GAN)的发展,基于单样本的无监督图像到图像翻译(UI2I)取得了重大进展。然而,以前方法无法捕获图像中的复杂纹理并保留原始内容信息。为解决这个问题,提出了一种基于尺度可变U-Net结构(Scale—Unet)的新型单样本图像翻译结构SUGAN。所提出的SUGAN使用Scale—Unet作为生成器,利用多尺度结构和渐进方法不断改进网络结构,以从粗到细地学习图像特征。同时,提出了尺度像素损失scale-pixel来更好地约束保留原始内容信息,防止信息丢失。实验表明,与SinGAN、TuiGAN、TSIT、StyTR2等公共数据集Summer■Winter、Horse■Zebra上的方法相比,该方法生成图像的SIFID值平均降低了30%。所提方法可更好地保留图像内容信息,同时生成详细逼真的高质量图像。

Voice Response Questionnaire System for Speaker Recognition Using Biometric Authentication Interface

The use of voice to perform biometric authentication is an importanttechnological development,because it is a non-invasive identification methodand does not require special hardware,so it is less likely to arouse user disgust.This study tries to apply the voice recognition technology to the speech-driveninteractive voice response questionnaire system aiming to upgrade the traditionalspeech system to an intelligent voice response questionnaire network so that thenew device may offer enterprises more precise data for customer relationshipmanagement(CRM).The intelligence-type voice response gadget is becominga new mobile channel at the current time,with functions of the questionnaireto be built in for the convenience of collecting information on local preferencesthat can be used for localized promotion and publicity.Authors of this study propose a framework using voice recognition and intelligent analysis models to identify target customers through voice messages gathered in the voice response questionnaire system;that is,transforming the traditional speech system to anintelligent voice complex.The speaker recognition system discussed hereemploys volume as the acoustic feature in endpoint detection as the computationload is usually low in this method.To correct two types of errors found in the endpoint detection practice because of ambient noise,this study suggests ways toimprove the situation.First,to reach high accuracy,this study follows a dynamictime warping(DTW)based method to gain speaker identification.Second,it isdevoted to avoiding any errors in endpoint detection by filtering noise from voicesignals before getting recognition and deleting any test utterances that might negatively affect the results of recognition.It is hoped that by so doing the recognitionrate is improved.According to the experimental results,the method proposed inthis research has a high recognition rate,whether it is on personal-level or industrial-level computers,and can reach the practical application standard.Therefore,the voice management system in this research can be regarded as Virtual customerservice staff to use.

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Affective Exercise Experiences Questionnaire (AFFEXX-C)

Despite the well-established benefits of regular physical activity(PA)on health,a large proportion of the world population does not achieve the recommended level of regular PA.Although affective experiences toward PA may play a key role to foster a sustained engagement in PA,they have been largely overlooked and crudely measured in the existing studies.To address this shortcoming,the Affective Exercise Experiences(AFFEXX)questionnaire has been developed to measure such experiences.Specifically,this questionnaire was developped to assess the following three domains:antecedent appraisals(e.g.,liking vs.disliking exercise in groups),core affective exercise experiences(i.e.,pleasure vs.displeasure,energy vs.tiredness,and calmness vs.tension),and exercise motivation(i.e.,attraction vs.antipathy toward exercise).The current study aimed to validate a Chinese version of the AFFEXX questionnaire(AFFEXX-C).In study 1,722 Chinese college students provided data for analyses of factorial,convergent,discriminant,criterion validity,and test-retest reliability of the AFFEXX-C.In addition,1,300 college students were recruited in study 2 to further validate its structural model.Results showed that the AFFEXX-C demonstrates a goodfit and reliability.Additionally,results further supported the hypothesized model based on previous research:antecedent appraisals predicted core affective exercise experiences,which in turn predicted attraction-antipathy toward physical exercise.The AFFEXX-C was found to be a reliable and valid measure of affective exercise experiences in a population of Chinese college students.

Development of a new 17-item Asthenopia Survey Questionnaire using Rasch analysis

AIM:To develop the 17-item Asthenopia Survey Questionnaire(ASQ)-17 by Rasch analysis,and to generate a predictiveness score.METHODS:Totally 739 participants were recruited and 680 were involved in the result analysis in this prospective,cross-sectional study.Three rounds of Rasch analysis were used to analyze the psychometric characteristics of items and options.RESULTS:Phase 1 assessed the original ASQ-19,adjusted the item scoring mode to a four-point Likert response rating scale and combined the 18th and 19th items into a new item.Phase 2 deleted the 11th item.Phases 3 and 4 assessed the new ASQ-17.All the evaluation indexes of ASQ-17 were acceptable.The Infit and Outfit MnSq values of items were 0.67-1.48,the variance explained by the principal component and the unexplained variance explained by the first contrast were 53.90%-59.40%and 1.50-1.80 in three dimensions.The curve peaks of scores in each dimension were separated and in the same order.The PSR and PSI values were 2.80 and 0.89,respectively.The mean scores of dimensions A(9.5±4.1 vs 3.5±3.2),B(7.3±3.3 vs 2.5±2.7),C(4.3±2.2 vs 1.4±2.0)and total(21.1±8.1 vs 7.4±7.0)in asthenopia participants were significantly higher than those without asthenopia(all P<0.001).The area under the curve in two groups was 0.899(P<0.001).Youden’s index was up to the maximum value of 0.784 when the cut-off value was 12.5.CONCLUSION:ASQ-17 has stronger option sorting and suitability than ASQ-19.It is an effective assessment tool for asthenopia with an optimal cut-off threshold value of 12.5,which is suitable for diagnosis and curative effect evaluation.

Validation of LittleEARS questionnaire in Hindi language

Background:Subjective measures of auditory development are equally important as objective measures to obtain a realistic image of the hearing status in infants and toddlers.Objectives:The objectives of the current study were to translate and validate the LittleEARS questionnaire into the Hindi language,to calculate its psychometric properties and establish a regression curve of the scores obtained as a function of age,to calculate the inter-test and test retest reliability of the same.The secondary objectives were to compare the scores obtained by the normal hearing children and those with hearing impairment and to plot a regression curve of total scores obtained by the hearing-impaired children as a function of the duration of auditory training attended since their first fit of the device.Materials and methods:The procedures involved conventional translation,reverse translation,and content validation before administering the questionnaire.The translated version was administered to parents of 59 children with normal hearing and 41 children with hearing impairment.Results:The finalized version had good reliability and efficient internal consistency with a Cronbach alpha value of 0.96.The mean scores obtained by the normal hearing children showed a progressive pattern as a function of age.Conclusion:The LittleEARS questionnaire has been successfully translated and validated into the Hindi language with excellent validity and reliability and can be used for screening and early identification of hearing impairment and in evaluating the outcome of audiological treatment approaches.

Evidence for the Reliability and Validity of the Arabic Version of the Student Risk Screening Scale for Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors (SRSS-IE)

School-based universal screening for behavioral/emotional risk is a necessary first step to providing services in an educational setting for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs). Psychometric properties are critical to making decisions about choosing a screening instrument. The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the student risk screening scale for internalizing and externalizing behaviors (SRSS-IE). Participants included 3145 students and their teachers. Item-level analyses of the current sample supported the retention of all items. The internal consistency of the SRSS items ranged from 0.83 to 0.85. Convergent validity between the SRSS-IE and a well-established screening tool, the strength and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), was found for the total score (r = 0.70). Additionally, the results of this study demonstrate strong social validity, suggesting the SRSS-IE to be a useful and functional screening tool. We conclude that the SRSS-IE is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the level of emotional and behavioral difficulties among elementary students.

Rate-limiting factors in hydrate decomposition through depressurization across various scales:A mini-review

Natural gas hydrate is an energy resource for methane that has a carbon quantity twice more than all traditional fossil fuels combined.However,their practical application in the field has been limited due to the challenges of long-term preparation,high costs and associated risks.Experimental studies,on the other hand,offer a safe and cost-effective means of exploring the mechanisms of hydrate dissociation and optimizing exploitation conditions.Gas hydrate decomposition is a complicated process along with intrinsic kinetics,mass transfer and heat transfer,which are the influencing factors for hydrate decomposition rate.The identification of the rate-limiting factor for hydrate dissociation during depressurization varies with the scale of the reservoir,making it challenging to extrapolate findings from laboratory experiments to the actual exploitation.This review aims to summarize current knowledge of investigations on hydrate decomposition on the subject of the research scale(core scale,middle scale,large scale and field tests)and to analyze determining factors for decomposition rate,considering the various research scales and their associated influencing factors.

Scale-space effect and scale hybridization in image intelligent recognition of geological discontinuities on rock slopes

Geological discontinuity(GD)plays a pivotal role in determining the catastrophic mechanical failure of jointed rock masses.Accurate and efficient acquisition of GD networks is essential for characterizing and understanding the progressive damage mechanisms of slopes based on monitoring image data.Inspired by recent advances in computer vision,deep learning(DL)models have been widely utilized for image-based fracture identification.The multi-scale characteristics,image resolution and annotation quality of images will cause a scale-space effect(SSE)that makes features indistinguishable from noise,directly affecting the accuracy.However,this effect has not received adequate attention.Herein,we try to address this gap by collecting slope images at various proportional scales and constructing multi-scale datasets using image processing techniques.Next,we quantify the intensity of feature signals using metrics such as peak signal-to-noise ratio(PSNR)and structural similarity(SSIM).Combining these metrics with the scale-space theory,we investigate the influence of the SSE on the differentiation of multi-scale features and the accuracy of recognition.It is found that augmenting the image's detail capacity does not always yield benefits for vision-based recognition models.In light of these observations,we propose a scale hybridization approach based on the diffusion mechanism of scale-space representation.The results show that scale hybridization strengthens the tolerance of multi-scale feature recognition under complex environmental noise interference and significantly enhances the recognition accuracy of GD.It also facilitates the objective understanding,description and analysis of the rock behavior and stability of slopes from the perspective of image data.

Scale effect removal and range migration correction for hypersonic target coherent detection

The detection of hypersonic targets usually confronts range migration(RM)issue before coherent integration(CI).The traditional methods aiming at correcting RM to obtain CI mainly considers the narrow-band radar condition.However,with the increasing requirement of far-range detection,the time bandwidth product,which is corresponding to radar’s mean power,should be promoted in actual application.Thus,the echo signal generates the scale effect(SE)at large time bandwidth product situation,influencing the intra and inter pulse integration performance.To eliminate SE and correct RM,this paper proposes an effective algorithm,i.e.,scaled location rotation transform(ScLRT).The ScLRT can remove SE to obtain the matching pulse compression(PC)as well as correct RM to complete CI via the location rotation transform,being implemented by seeking the actual rotation angle.Compared to the traditional coherent detection algorithms,Sc LRT can address the SE problem to achieve better detection/estimation capabilities.At last,this paper gives several simulations to assess the viability of ScLRT.

Water as a Standard Substance of a Logarithmic Poison Scale

The lethal dose LD50 represents the most important experimental value for acute toxicity. The simple logarithmic calculation of -log10 LD50 = value leads to the possible poison power pLD. As with the pH or pK value, respectively, for acid or the scale of earthquake intensities the logarithm helps making large differences of orders of magnitude easier to understand since they are more comparable. The higher the pLD value, the higher is the power of poison. An increase of the pLD value by 1 stands for a tenfold increase in toxicity. The lethal acute dose for water, one of the most important and at the same time non-toxic substances of all, is about one tenth of the body weight. This leads to a possible pLD value for water of 1, an ideal starting value for a logarithmic poison scale.

Characterization of Small-Scale Farmers and Assessment of Their Access to Crop Production Information in Selected Counties of Kenya

Small-scale farming accounts for 78% of total agricultural production in Kenya and contributes to 23.5% of the country’s GDP. Their crop production activities are mostly rainfed subsistence with any surplus being sold to bring in some income. Timely decisions on farm practices such as farm preparation and planting are critical determinants of the seasonal outcomes. In Kenya, most small-scale farmers have no reliable source of information that would help them make timely and accurate decisions. County governments have extension officers who are mandated with giving farmers advisory services to farmers but they are not able to reach most farmers due to facilitation constraints. The mode and format of sharing information is also critical since it’s important to ensure that it’s timely, well-understood and usable. This study sought to assess access to geospatial derived and other crop production information by farmers in four selected counties of Kenya. Specific objectives were to determine the profile of small-scale farmers in terms of age, education and farm size;to determine the type of information that is made available to them by County and Sub-County extension officers including the format and mode of provision;and to determine if the information provided was useful in terms of accuracy, timeliness and adequacy. The results indicated that over 80% of the farmers were over 35 years of age and over 56% were male. Majority had attained primary education (34%) or secondary education (29%) and most farmers in all the counties grew maize (71%). Notably, fellow farmers were a source of information (71%) with the frequency of sharing information being mostly seasonal (37%) and when information was available (43%). Over 66% of interviewed farmers indicating that they faced challenges while using provided information. The results from the study are insightful and helpful in determining effective ways of providing farmers with useful information to ensure maximum benefits.

Multi-Time Scale Operation and Simulation Strategy of the Park Based on Model Predictive Control

Due to the impact of source-load prediction power errors and uncertainties,the actual operation of the park will have a wide range of fluctuations compared with the expected state,resulting in its inability to achieve the expected economy.This paper constructs an operating simulation model of the park power grid operation considering demand response and proposes a multi-time scale operating simulation method that combines day-ahead optimization and model predictive control(MPC).In the day-ahead stage,an operating simulation plan that comprehensively considers the user’s side comfort and operating costs is proposed with a long-term time scale of 15 min.In order to cope with power fluctuations of photovoltaic,wind turbine and conventional load,MPC is used to track and roll correct the day-ahead operating simulation plan in the intra-day stage to meet the actual operating operation status of the park.Finally,the validity and economy of the operating simulation strategy are verified through the analysis of arithmetic examples.

Multi-Time Scale Optimal Scheduling of a Photovoltaic Energy Storage Building System Based on Model Predictive Control

Building emission reduction is an important way to achieve China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.Aiming at the problem of low carbon economic operation of a photovoltaic energy storage building system,a multi-time scale optimal scheduling strategy based on model predictive control(MPC)is proposed under the consideration of load optimization.First,load optimization is achieved by controlling the charging time of electric vehicles as well as adjusting the air conditioning operation temperature,and the photovoltaic energy storage building system model is constructed to propose a day-ahead scheduling strategy with the lowest daily operation cost.Second,considering inter-day to intra-day source-load prediction error,an intraday rolling optimal scheduling strategy based on MPC is proposed that dynamically corrects the day-ahead dispatch results to stabilize system power fluctuations and promote photovoltaic consumption.Finally,taking an office building on a summer work day as an example,the effectiveness of the proposed scheduling strategy is verified.The results of the example show that the strategy reduces the total operating cost of the photovoltaic energy storage building system by 17.11%,improves the carbon emission reduction by 7.99%,and the photovoltaic consumption rate reaches 98.57%,improving the system’s low-carbon and economic performance.

Upsilon Constants and Their Usefulness in Planck Scale Quantum Cosmology

This paper introduces the two Upsilon constants to the reader. Their usefulness is described with respect to acting as coupling constants between the CMB temperature and the Hubble constant. In addition, this paper summarizes the current state of quantum cosmology with respect to the Flat Space Cosmology (FSC) model. Although the FSC quantum cosmology formulae were published in 2018, they are only rearrangements and substitutions of the other assumptions into the original FSC Hubble temperature formula. In a real sense, this temperature formula was the first quantum cosmology formula developed since Hawking’s black hole temperature formula. A recent development in the last month proves that the FSC Hubble temperature formula can be derived from the Stephan-Boltzmann law. Thus, this Hubble temperature formula effectively unites some quantum developments with the general relativity model inherent in FSC. More progress towards unification in the near-future is expected.

Foundations of the Scale-Symmetric Theory and the Illusory Total Width of the Off-Shell Higgs Bosons

Here we present the foundations of the Scale-Symmetric Theory (SST), i.e. the fundamental phase transitions of the initial inflation field, the atom-like structure of baryons and different types of black holes. Within SST we show that the transition from the nuclear strong interactions in the off-shell Higgs boson production to the nuclear weak interactions causes that the real total width of the Higgs boson from the Higgs line shape (i.e. 3.3 GeV) decreases to 4.3 MeV that is the illusory total width. Moreover, there appear some glueballs/condensates with the energy 3.3 GeV that accompany the production of the off-shell Higgs bosons.

中文简版Spatial Hearing Questionnaire的信效度分析

目的空间听觉指在复杂声环境下,患者能够理解言语和识别不同方位声音的能力,可以采用Spatial Hearing Questionnaire评估。本研究在正常听力受试者及耳聋受试者中进行中文简版Spatial Hearing Questionnaire信效度分析。方法首先对Spatial Hearing Questionnaire进行汉化形成C-SHQ12。纳入50例正常听力受试者及57例耳聋受试者进行研究,采用内部一致性检验评价量表的信度,采用探索性因子分析评价量表的结构效度。采用t检验分析正常听力受试者与耳聋受试者C-SHQ12得分的差别,采用pearson相关分析SHQ量表得分与实验室声源定位测试的相关性。采用配对t检验对人工耳蜗植入术前和术后的C-SHQ12得分进行比较。结果 Cronbach’sα系数为0.98,说明量表具有良好的内部一致性信度。采用探索性因子分析提取了2个公因子,分别是声源定位和噪声环境下言语能力,累计贡献率为94.8%。正常听力受试者C-SHQ12得分为87.74±7.99,耳聋受试者得分为52.80±21.76,P=2.2×10-16<0.01,两者差异有显著统计学意义。C-SHQ12量表得分与实验室声源定位得分有很好的相关性,P=2.858×10-6<0.01。人工耳蜗植入术前和术后的C-SHQ12得分有显著差异。结论 C-SHQ12量表信效度很高,可用于耳聋人群的空间听觉能力评估。