Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Count Data Analysis in Randomised Clinical Trials

Choosing the best model for analysis of count data in randomised clinical trials is complicated. In this paper, we review count data analysis with different parametric and non-parametric methods used in randomised clinical trials, and we define procedures for choosing between the two methods and their subtypes. We focus on analysis of simple count data and do not consider methods for analyzing longitudinal count data or Bayesian statistical analysis. We recommend that: (1) a detailed statistical analysis plan is published prior to access to trial data; (2) if there is lack of evidence for a parametric model, both non-parametric tests (either the van Elteren test or the Tadap2 test, based on an aligned rank test with equal stratum weights) and bootstrapping should be used as default methods; and (3) if more than two intervention groups are compared, then the Kruskal–Wallis test may be considered. If our recommendations are followed, the risk of biased results ensuing from analysis of count data in randomised clinical trials is expected to decrease.
Diversity of Micromonospora in Malaysian Mangrove Rhizosphere Soil

Seventy putative micromonosporae were assigned to 12 single and multi- membered colour groups based on their colony colour produced on modified micromonospora (MMS) agar medium. The strains produced well-developed substrate mycelium of approximately 0.2 â€” 0.4 jtm in diameter and had $meso$-DAP in the cell wall hydrolysates. Single spores having an average diameter of 0.4 to 1.0 $\mu m$ were produced on substrate mycelium. A range of diffusible pigments produced by 29% of the isolates on thc MMS agar plates included: brown, 13%; yellow, 10% and purple, blue, and black at 1% each. The results of the cell wall analysis, cultural and morphological characteristics of the selected strains tentatively indicated that they belonged to the genus Micromonospora Orskov 1923.
An Efficient Synthesis of Bibenzylic Oxygen Heterocycles

The first total syntheses of naturally occurring 6-methoxy-4-(2-phenylethyl)benzofuran (1) and 2,2-dimethyl-7-methoxy-5-(2-phenylethyl)chroman (2) and the non-natural 7-methoxy-5-(2-phenylethyl)chromen-2-one (3) are described from 3,5-dimethoxyphenylacetic acid in good yields.
An Empirical Study Evaluating Social Networking Continuance and Success

ABSTRACT Social networking site (SNS) use decisions have led to major economic and social transformations worldwide. While many organizations seek to use SNSs from a strategic perspective to reach their customer, it is important to understand what makes SNSs successful in order to use them for competitive purposes. The current research evaluates the influence of the social capital theory on SNS success measures. A model was developed and empirically tested using two data samples to ensure valid and reliable results for success of SNSs. The results display the importance of social capital in SNS success followed by practitioner and academic implications.
Application of Energy Function as a Measure of Error in the Numerical Solution for Online Transient Stability Assessment

Abstract Online dynamic security assessment (DSA) is a computationally intensive task. In order to reduce the amount of computation, screening of contingencies is performed. Screening involves analyzing the contingencies with the system described by a simpler model so that computation requirement is reduced. Screening identifies those contingencies which are sure to not cause instability and hence can be eliminated from further scrutiny. The numerical method and the step size used for screening should be chosen with a compromise between speed and accuracy. This paper proposes use of energy function as a measure of error in the numerical solution used for screening contingencies. The proposed measure of error can be used to determine the most accurate numerical method satisfying the time constraint of online DSA. Case studies on 17 generator system are reported.
A Study Of Predictive Factors For Success In Electrical Engineering

Many electrical engineering programs require foundations classes that are a hindrance to students attempting to enter the field of engineering. If we could identify the factors that lead to student success, we would be better able to advise students, or perhaps re-shape the curriculum, in ways that would promote success and ease the path towards graduation. In this paper we considered numerous candidate predictive factors for academic success in our foundations class, Electrical Engineering Fundamentals. We used the final course grade as the metric of academic success. The candidate factors that we found to be the most predictive are the students’ college-level grade point average (GPA), their grades in the pre-requisite courses, their scores on an assessment quiz covering pre-requisite course material, and math readiness as measured by the Math Placement Test taken by incoming freshmen. Other candidate factors that we considered are the amount of time that has elapsed since the pre-requisite courses were taken, students’ high-school GPA, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, and whether the students enrolled as freshmen or transfer students. Each candidate factor was compared to the success metric using both linear and rank correlation. Additionally, conditional mean values for the success metric were computed.
Off-Policy Actor-Critic in an Ensemble: Achieving Maximum General Entropy and Effective Environment Exploration in Deep Reinforcement Learning

We propose a new policy iteration theory as an important extension of soft policy iteration and Soft Actor-Critic (SAC), one of the most efficient model free algorithms for deep reinforcement learning. Supported by the new theory, arbitrary entropy measures that generalize Shannon entropy, such as Tsallis entropy and Renyi entropy, can be utilized to properly randomize action selection while fulfilling the goal of maximizing expected long-term rewards. Our theory gives birth to two new algorithms, i.e., Tsallis entropy Actor-Critic (TAC) and Renyi entropy Actor-Critic (RAC). Theoretical analysis shows that these algorithms can be more effective than SAC. Moreover, they pave the way for us to develop a new Ensemble Actor-Critic (EAC) algorithm in this paper that features the use of a bootstrap mechanism for deep environment exploration as well as a new value-function based mechanism for high-level action selection. Empirically we show that TAC, RAC and EAC can achieve state-of-the-art performance on a range of benchmark control tasks, outperforming SAC and several cutting-edge learning algorithms in terms of both sample efficiency and effectiveness.
An Exploration of End-User Critical Incident Classification

Laboratory usability tests can be a rich source of usability information for software design, but are expensive to run and involve time-consuming data analysis. Expert review of software is cheaper, but highly dependent on the experience of the expert. Techniques are needed that maintain user involvement while reducing both the cost of user involvement and the time required to analyze data. The User Action Framework (UAF) is a classification scheme for usability problems that facilitates data analysis and reusability of information learned from one project to another, but is also reliant on expert interpretation of usability data, and classification can be difficult when user-supplied problem descriptions are incomplete. This study explored end-user classification of self-reported critical incidents (usability issues) using the UAF, a technique that was hoped to reduce expert interpretation of usability problems. It also explored end-user critical incident reporting from a usability session recording, rather than reporting incidents as soon as they occur, a technique that could be used in future studies to compare effectiveness of usability methods. Results indicate that users are not good at diagnosing their own critical incidents due to the level of detail required for proper classification, although observations suggest that users were able to provide usability information that would not have been captured by an expert observer. The recording technique was successful, and is recommended for future studies to further explore differences in the kind of information that can be gathered from end-users and from experts during usability studies. DEDICATION This paper is dedicated to my mother, Lenore Flory, who would have been proud. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the support of my husband, Rob. He did everything he could to help me while writing my proposal, running my study, and writing my thesis, from being my liaison with the outside world during the four weeks I spent in the McBryde 102 control room, to typing up handwritten drafts, to dragging me out for ice cream when I really needed a break. He always had an open ear for both my ideas and my difficulties, and sustained me throughout the entire process. I owe much to my parents, who always encouraged me, and made being a good student fun. To my mother, who shared her love of reading and learning, and to my father, who shared his love of science and computers. Thanks to my committee for always …
Visuo-spatial working memory

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Impact of ZnO nanoparticles on the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in estuarine water: ARG variations and their association with the microbial community

The abundances of ARGs increased after exposure to ZnO NPs, especially at low doses (0.2 and 1 mg L−1). Compared to MGEs and dissolved Zn, the microbial community contributed more to the variations in ARGs in estuarine waters when exposed to ZnO NPs.
Alanyl-phosphatidylglycerol-dependent lipid homeostasis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Bacteria are able to adapt their cell envelope to changing environmental conditions by modifying the membrane lipid phosphatidylglycerol (PG) with lysine or alanine. This modification is mediated by aminoacyl-phosphatidylglycerol (aaPG) synthases and confers resistance against several antimicrobial compounds. Most aaPG synthases are specific either for the lysyl-tRNA or the alanyl-tRNA substrate. To date, it is not clear if alanyl-PG and lysyl-PG provide complementary or differing functions in different bacteria. For this, strains of the gram negative model organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa with artificially altered aaPG contents were generated. Phenotype analyses revealed that the employed amino acid but also the overall level of aaPG in the membrane are of importance for the antimicrobial resistance of P. aeruginosa. In several gram negatives, aaPG synthases are encoded in an operon with a second protein. The function of this PA0919 protein from P. aeruginosa was investigated in this study. A PA0919 deficient P. aeruginosa strain exhibited an increased alanyl-PG content, a stationary growth phase phenotype and an increased susceptibility to specific antimicrobial compounds. PA0919 expression was found upregulated under acidic conditions by a specific promoter. The PA0919 protein was recombinantly produced. The analysis of its substrate specificity revealed that PA0919 accepts p nitrophenol esters of amino acids as artificial substrates. The in vitro hydrolysis of the native substrate alanyl-PG was observed and PA0919 was termed A PGH (alanyl-PG hydrolase). Analyses of site-directed mutant proteins and an inhibitor study indicated that the hydrolysis of alanyl-PG depends on the active site amino acid residues serine 307 and histidine 401 of the A-PGH. A localization study identified the A PGH in the inner membrane of P. aeruginosa. This investigation elucidated the regulatory circuit that maintains the alanyl PG dependent membrane lipid homeostasis in P. aeruginosa.
l-Proline-CatalyzedAsymmetric Michael Addition of 2-Oxindoles to Enones: A ConvenientAccess to Oxindoles with a Quaternary Stereocenter

A new organocatalytic approach for 1,4-conjugate addition of 2-oxindoles to α,β-unsaturated ketones using the combination of readily available and nonexpensive L -proline and achiral trans-2,5-dimethylpiperazine as catalytic system is provided. The reaction results in oxindole derivatives with vicinal quaternary and tertiary carbon centers in up to 99% yield and 91 % ee.
Language Matters: Assessing lecture comprehension in Norwegian English-medium higher education

The present study examines lecture comprehension in English-Medium (EM) courses, i.e. non-language subjects taught through English in higher education. It uses a questionnaire with self-assessment items for aspects of lecture comprehension in English and in the first language (L1). The sample comprises 391 respondents from three Norwegian institutions of higher education. Analysis shows that although the differences in comprehension scores between English and the L1 are not substantial, and the respondents experienced much the same difficulties in the L1 and English, a larger number of students have comprehension difficulties in the EM lectures. The main problems are difficulties distinguishing the meaning of words, unfamiliar vocabulary, and difficulties taking notes while listening to lectures. It concludes by arguing the need to take language difficulties seriously, through the use of effective lecturing behavior, and improving the lecturers’ as well as the students’ English proficiency.
Modelling weighted mean temperature in the West African region: implications for GNSS meteorology

Weighted mean temperature (Tm) is a critical parameter in the estimation of precipitable water vapour from ground‐based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. In the present study, three models of Tm are developed for GNSS meteorological applications in the West African region in general and Nigeria in particular. The first is a least squares linear regression model based on National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis II data for Nigeria from 2010 to 2012. A regression of 37 330 data pairs of surface temperature and Tm calculated from the vertical profiles of temperature above each grid node of the reanalysis model was used to produce the Nigerian Weighted Mean Temperature Equation‐I (NWMTE‐I) model after outlier data were removed. By using the same approach, NWMTE‐II was obtained from 11 433 radiosonde profiles from 24 sounding stations in the West African region for the period 2009–2013. NWMTE‐III was produced from a combination of the data used to build NWMTE‐I and NWMTE‐II. To evaluate the accuracy of these three models, they were compared with four global models based on Tm obtained by using the integral method, which was the reference model for this study. The normalized mean absolute error, root‐mean‐square error, model efficiency, reliability index and correlation co‐efficient were used as performance indicators. The performances of the developed models were promising compared with the global models, justifying the importance of using measured meteorological parameters when estimating Tm and fine tuning Tm to specific areas or regions. Finally, NWMTE‐III is recommended for Nigerian users and NWMTE‐II for users in the West African region.
Faculty Technology Usage Resulting from Institutional Migration to a New Learning Management System

Research literature is ﬂush with articles discussing how teachers use individual learning management systems. However, very few studies examine how faculty are affected as they move from one platform to another. This study addresses that gap and examines how faculty adapt their online teaching practices as they migrate systems. In doing so, faculty usage levels were examined for 10 common teaching tools found in two prominent systems, Blackboard and Desire2Learn. Two broad conclusions emerged from the study. First, faculty usage is highly dependent upon system affordances; systems perceived as cumbersome will repress faculty's use of tools and subsequently will alter their teaching practices. Second, faculty adoption rates are not equal across disciplines. As a result, additional training and support may be required for certain units
Is nanofiltration better than reverse osmosis for removal of fluoride from brackish waters to produce drinking water?

In this paper, nanofiltration (NF) was investigated as a suitable technology for defluoridating brackish groundwater. A comparison between NF and reverse osmosis (RO) was performed to evaluate which method is the best for removing fluorine from groundwater to produce drinking water. Although NF employs a membrane that requires a low amount of energy, both NF and RO have advantages and limitations. NF and RO have similar costs for desalinating brackish water, and thus both the membranes can be used for this aim, but we believe that this will change with the next generation of NF membranes.
THE FMOS-COSMOS SURVEY OF STAR-FORMING GALAXIES AT z ∼ 1.6. I. Hα-BASED STAR FORMATION RATES AND DUST EXTINCTION

We present the first results from a near-IR spectroscopic survey of the COSMOS field, using the Fiber Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Subaru telescope, designed to characterize the star-forming galaxy population at 1.4 < z < 1.7. The high-resolution mode is implemented to detect Hα in emission between 1.6–1.8 μm with fHα ≳ 4 × 10−17 erg cm−2 s−1. Here, we specifically focus on 271 sBzK-selected galaxies that yield a Hα detection thus providing a redshift and emission line luminosity to establish the relation between star formation rate and stellar mass. With further J-band spectroscopy for 89 of these, the level of dust extinction is assessed by measuring the Balmer decrement using co-added spectra. We find that the extinction (0.6 ≲ AHα ≲ 2.5) rises with stellar mass and is elevated at high masses compared to low-redshift galaxies. Using this subset of the spectroscopic sample, we further find that the differential extinction between stellar and nebular emission Estar(B − V)/Eneb(B − V) is 0.7–0.8, dissimilar to that typically seen at low redshift. After correcting for extinction, we derive an Hα-based main sequence with a slope (0.81 ± 0.04) and normalization similar to previous studies at these redshifts.
Downsizing of star formation measured from the clustered infrared background correlated with quasars

Powerful quasars can be seen out to large distances. As they reside in massive dark matter haloes, they provide a useful tracer of large scale structure. We stack Herschel-SPIRE images at 250, 350 and 500 microns at the location of 11,235 quasars in ten redshift bins spanning $0.5 \leq z \leq 3.5$. The unresolved dust emission of the quasar and its host galaxy dominate on instrumental beam scales, while extended emission is spatially resolved on physical scales of order a megaparsec. This emission is due to dusty star-forming galaxies clustered around the dark matter haloes hosting quasars. We measure radial surface brightness profiles of the stacked images to compute the angular correlation function of dusty star-forming galaxies correlated with quasars. We then model the profiles to determine large scale clustering properties of quasars and dusty star-forming galaxies as a function of redshift. We adopt a halo model and parameterize it by the most effective halo mass at hosting star-forming galaxies, finding $\log(M_\mathrm{eff}/M_{\odot}) = 13.8^{+0.1}_{-0.1}$ at $z=2.21-2.32$, and, at $z=0.5-0.81$, the mass is $\log(M_\mathrm{eff}/M_{\odot}) = 10.7^{+1.0}_{-0.2}$. Our results indicate a downsizing of dark matter haloes hosting dusty star-forming galaxies between $0.5 \leq z \leq 2.9$. The derived dark matter halo masses are consistent with other measurements of star-forming and sub-millimeter galaxies. The physical properties of dusty star-forming galaxies inferred from the halo model depend on details of the quasar halo occupation distribution in ways that we explore at $z>2.5$, where the quasar HOD parameters are not well constrained.
Chiral pair fluctuations for the inhomogeneous chiral transition

The effects of fluctuations are discussed around the phase boundary of the inhomogeneous chiral transition between the inhomogeneous chiral phase and the chiral-restored phase. The particular roles of thermal and quantum fluctuations are elucidated and a continuity of their effects across the phase boundary is suggested. In addition, it is argued that anomalies in the thermodynamic quantities should have phenomenological implications for the inhomogeneous chiral transition. Some common features for other phase transitions, such as those from the normal to the inhomogeneous Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state in superconductivity, are also emphasized.
Revival of the Deser-Woodard nonlocal gravity model: Comparison of the original nonlocal form and a localized formulation

We examine the origin of two opposite results for the growth of perturbations in the Deser-Woodard (DW) nonlocal gravity model. One group previously analyzed the model in its original nonlocal form and showed that the growth of structure in the DW model is enhanced compared to general relativity (GR) and thus concluded that the model was ruled out. Recently, however, another group has reanalyzed it by localizing the model and found that the growth in their localized version is suppressed even compared to the one in GR. The question was whether the discrepancy originates from an intrinsic difference between the nonlocal and localized formulations or is due to their different implementations of the sub-horizon limit. We show that the nonlocal and local formulations give the same solutions for the linear perturbations as long as the initial conditions are set the same. The different implementations of the sub-horizon limit lead to different transient behaviors of some perturbation variables; however, they do not affect the growth of matter perturbations at the sub-horizon scale much. In the meantime, we also report an error in the numerical calculation code of the former group and verify that after fixing the error the nonlocal version also gives the suppressed growth. Finally, we discuss two alternative definitions of the effective gravitational constant taken by the two groups and some open problems.