Assessment of obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions: Development and evaluation of the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale.

Although several measures of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms exist, most are limited in that they are not consistent with the most recent empirical findings on the nature and dimensional structure of obsessions and compulsions. In the present research, the authors developed and evaluated a measure called the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) to address limitations of existing OC symptom measures. The DOCS is a 20-item measure that assesses the four dimensions of OC symptoms most reliably replicated in previous structural research. Factorial validity of the DOCS was supported by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of 3 samples, including individuals with OC disorder, those with other anxiety disorders, and nonclinical individuals. Scores on the DOCS displayed good performance on indices of reliability and validity, as well as sensitivity to treatment and diagnostic sensitivity, and hold promise as a measure of OC symptoms in clinical and research settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of Daniella oliveri Wood Flour Characteristics on the Processing and Functional Properties of Wood Polymer Composites

The effects of particle sizes/distribution and contents on the processing, changes in microstructure and functional properties of wood polymer composites (WPCs) prepared from virgin high-density polyethylene (vHDPE) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treated Daniella oliveri wood flour via compression molding have been explored. Findings from this study suggested that an appropriate choice of wood flour characteristics could improve the interactions between the wood flour and the vHDPE matrix by eliminating incomplete wetting, segregation, and agglomeration of wood flour particles during processing while enhancing mechanical and thermal properties of the composites. Properties of the WPCs were optimized when wood flour of particle sizes/distribution and contents of +210–300 µm and 35 wt%, respectively, were blended with vHDPE matrix.     

The Disgust Scale: Item analysis, factor structure, and suggestions for refinement.

In the 4 studies presented (N = 1,939), a converging set of analyses was conducted to evaluate the item adequacy, factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Disgust Scale (DS; J. Haidt, C. McCauley, & P. Rozin, 1994). The results suggest that 7 items (i.e., Items 2, 7, 8, 21, 23, 24, and 25) should be considered for removal from the DS. Secondary to removing the items, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the DS taps 3 dimensions of disgust: Core Disgust, Animal Reminder Disgust, and Contamination-Based Disgust. Women scored higher than men on the 3 disgust dimensions. Structural modeling provided support for the specificity of the 3-factor model, as Core Disgust and Contamination-Based Disgust were significantly predictive of obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) concerns, whereas Animal Reminder Disgust was not. Results from a clinical sample indicated that patients with OCD washing concerns scored significantly higher than patients with OCD without washing concerns on both Core Disgust and Contamination-Based Disgust, but not on Animal Reminder Disgust. These findings are discussed in the context of the refinement of the DS to promote a more psychometrically sound assessment of disgust sensitivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Easing the burden of fixed telephone lines on small-scale entrepreneurs in Nigeria: GSM lines to the rescue

The study reported in this paper investigated the socio-economic characteristics of the adopters of GSM lines and the factors determining the adoption of GSM lines by small-scale entrepreneurs in a major Nigerian city (Ibadan). The results of the study confirm the widely held notion that the advent of mobile telephony in Nigeria has significantly improved telephone access among the strata of the population that could not afford the relatively expensive and inefficient fixed telephone lines. The relatively lower cost of acquiring GSM lines stands out more than any other factor as the driver of decision to adopt GSM lines by small-scale entrepreneurs. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that factors such as number of apprentices employed, sales turnover, and type of business are also important determinants of the adoption of GSM lines by small-scale entrepreneurs. The parameter estimates of these variables have positive sign and are statistically significant at 1% level. Results also suggest that the relatively new small-scale entrepreneurs are more proactive in the adoption of GSM lines than entrepreneurs that are older in business. In addition, the findings suggest that female small-scale entrepreneurs are generally younger in age though it is unclear whether they are more proactive than their male counterparts in the adoption of GSM lines. Entrepreneurs in service sectors are also more likely to adopt GSM lines than those in manufacturing.     

Improved email spam detection model based on support vector machines

Neural Computing and Applications - Email has become extremely popular among people nowadays. In fact, it has been reported to be the cheapest, popular and fastest means of communication in recent...     

金蝉花多糖的抗氧化活性及结构分析

本实验研究金蝉花多糖的抗氧化活性,并对其纯化组分进行结构分析。采用热水浸提、不同浓度乙醇分级沉淀的方法从金蝉花中提取多糖,分别获得50%醇沉金蝉花多糖（50% polysaccharides from Cordyceps cicadas,CP50）和80%醇沉金蝉花多糖（CP80）,并检测两者的体外抗氧化活性。结果表明：CP50较CP80表现出较强的清除自由基的能力,且具有一定的还原能力和总抗氧化能力。CP50进一步经二乙氨乙基（diethylaminoethyl,DEAE）纤维素-52和Sephadex G-100凝胶柱分离纯化,得到活性多糖CPA-1和CPB-1。经紫外扫描光谱法和高效凝胶过滤色谱法鉴定CPA-1和CPB-1为均一多糖;单糖组成分析显示两个组分中均含有葡萄糖、甘露糖和半乳糖,其物质的量比分别为：1∶0.48∶0.52和1∶0.14∶0.114。红外光谱（infrared spectroscopy,IR）及刚果红实验发现,CPA-1和CPB-1具有典型的多糖红外吸收,且含有三股螺旋分子结构。