Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Latent Class Analysis of Stigmatizing Attitudes and Knowledge of HIV Risk among Youth in South Africa

Background The current study aims to investigate how the ability to accurately gauge risk factors associated with contracting HIV while taking into consideration various individual and community level socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., race and poverty) predicts the nature of stigmatizing attitudes toward persons with HIV. Methods Data from a sample of 1,347 Cape Town area youth who participated in the Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS) Wave 2a were used. Latent Class Analysis was conducted to ascertain whether response patterns regarding knowledge of HIV contraction suggest the presence of subgroups within the sample. Results Findings indicate that there are four latent classes representing unique response pattern profiles regarding knowledge of HIV contraction. Additionally, our results suggest that those in South Africa who are classified as “white,” live in more affluent communities, and have more phobic perceptions of HIV risk are also more likely to have the most stigmatizing attitudes toward those who are HIV positive. Conclusion Implications of these findings include extending HIV knowledge, education, and awareness programs to those who are not traditionally targeted in an attempt to increase levels of knowledge about HIV and, consequently, decrease stigma.
The evaluation of total flavonoids, total phenolic content and biological activity of Iraqi Lipedium sativum L. crude extract obtained by optimized ultrasound assisted extraction conditions

Lepidium sativum L. also known as garden cress belong to the family Brassi-caceae. The plant species composed of various phytochemicals as well as powerful nutraceutical potential and possess several bioactivities like, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, hypoglycemic, gastrointestinal and bone healing activities. This research paper presents an investigation into the total flavonoids (TFC), total phenolic content (TPC) and biological activity of Iraqi Lepidium sativum L. The study aimed to optimize ultrasound - assisted extraction conditions to obtain a crude extract with enhanced bioactive components. Three variables were examined including methanol concentration, extraction time and ultrasound frequency. The optimum yields of extract, TFC and TPC were (3.22 ± 0.049 g/10 g of dry plant), (17.03 ± 0.060 mg RE/g) and (10.96±0.020 mg GAE/g) respectively. The optimal extraction conditions contributed to these values of experiment 2 and 3 were 70% methanol, 10 min and 40 KHz and 70% methanol, 15 min and 40 KHz respectively. The lowest IC 50 values of optimized methanolic extracts of Iraqi Lepidium sativum aerial parts against 2,2 - diphenyl - 1 - picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals were 31.84 µg/mL for TFC and 35.85 µg/mL for TPC . For the first time, the study provided data about the phenolic and flavonoid contents of the Iraqi plant and optimized conditions for extraction by UAE technique using single factor experiment. The plant can be acknowledged as a potential nutraceutical or functional food rich in antioxidants to combat many diseases.
Impeccable Keccak Towards Fault Resilient SPHINCS+ Implementations

The standardization of the hash-based digital signature scheme SPHINCS+ proceeds faster than initially expected. This development seems to be welcomed by practitioners who appreciate the high confidence in SPHINCS+’s security assumptions and its reliance on well-known hash functions. However, the implementation security of SPHINCS+ leaves many questions unanswered, due to its proneness to fault injection attacks. Previous works have shown, that even imprecise fault injections on the signature generation are sufficient for universal forgery. This led the SPHINCS+ team to promote the usage of hardware countermeasures against such attacks. Since the majority of operations in SPHINCS+ is dedicated to the computation of the Keccak function, we focus on its security. At the core, hardware countermeasures against fault injection attacks are almost exclusively based on redundancy. For hash functions such as Keccak, straightforward instance- or time-redundancy is expensive in terms of chip area or latency. Further, for applications that must withstand powerful fault adversaries, these simple forms of redundancy are not sufficient. To this end, we propose our impeccable Keccak design. It is based on the methodology presented in the original Impeccable Circuits paper by Aghaie et al. from 2018. On the way, we show potential pitfalls when designing impeccable circuits and how the concept of active security can be applied to impeccable circuits. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to provide proofs of active security for impeccable circuits. Further, we show a novel way to implement non-linear functions without look-up tables. We use our findings to design an impeccable Keccak. Assuming an adversary with the ability to flip single bits, our design detects all attacks with three and less flipped bits. Attacks from adversaries who are able to flip four or more bits are still detected with a high probability. Thus, our design is one of the most resilient designs published so far and the only Keccak design that is provably secure within a bit-flip model. At an area overhead of factor 3.2, our design is competitive with state-of-the-art designs with less resilience.
Effect of underlying boron nitride thickness on photocurrent response in molybdenum disulfide — boron nitride heterostructures

Here we report on the photocurrent response of two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures of sputtered MoS_2 on boron nitride (BN) deposited on (001)-oriented Si substrates. The steady state photocurrent ( I _ph) measurements used a continuous laser of λ = 658 nm ( E = 1.88 eV) over a broad range of laser intensities, P (∼1 µW < P < 10 µW), and indicate that I _ph obtained from MoS_2 layers with the 80 nm BN under layer was ∼4 times higher than that obtained from MoS_2 layers with the 30 nm BN under layer. We also found super linear dependence of I _ph on P ( I _ph ∝ P ^γ, with γ > 1) in both the samples. The responsivities obtained over the range of laser intensity studied were in the order of mA/W (∼12 and ∼2.7 mA/W with 80 nm BN and 30 nm BN under layers, respectively). These investigations provide crucial insight into the optical activity of MoS_2 on BN, which could be useful for developing a variety of optoelectronic applications with MoS_2 or other 2D transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructures.
Understanding the Effect of Corporate Entrepreneurship on Firm Performance

The present study is focused on the effect of corporate entrepreneurship (CE) on the performance of the public-listed companies (PLCs) in Malaysia. These companies are currently facing more challenging environments compared to the past as their survival rates are declining and suffering from low level of profitability. In this new era where the resources are tight and highly competitive, the rapid technological changes have shortened the product life cycles and have caused uncertain business environment. The firms that do not practice CE will be competed out of the market. Thus, the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and corporate venturing (CV) are utilized as a proxy of CE. The actual data of sales growth; return on Assets (ROA) and return on sales (ROS) are used as the indicators of firm performance. This study also investigates the moderating influence of environmental dynamism on CE dimensions and firm performance. The data has been collected from 130 companies listed in the main market of Bursa Malaysia. In order to analyse the survey data, the study has used Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach to Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). This study has concluded that the EO is positively related to firm’s profitability but has no relationship with firm’s growth whereas CV is positively related to firm’s growth but has no relationship with firm’s profitability. The environmental dynamism moderates these relationships.
Efficacy and Safety of Hepatic Arterial Infusion of Fluorouracil with Leucovorin as Salvage Treatment for Refractory Liver Metastases from Colorectal Cancer

Background/Aims Limited options remain for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) after failure of standard systemic chemotherapy. Readministration of chemotherapeutic agents by hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) has the rationale of providing higher concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents to hepatic metastases. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HAI of fluorouracil with leucovorin (HAI 5-FU/LV) for patients with liver metastases from CRC. Methods Fourteen patients with liver metastases from CRC who received HAI 5-FU/LV after failure of systemic chemotherapy containing fluorouracil and leucovorin were identified and their medical records were reviewed. Results Of 10 patients evaluable for response, one partial response, six stable disease, and three progressive disease were reported. Additionally, the overall response and disease control rates were 7% and 50%, respectively. The median time to progression was 4.3 months (range, 2.9 to 5.6), to hepatic progression was 5.8 months (range, 4.7 to 6.9), and to extrahepatic progression was 5.8 months (range, 2.3 to 9.2). No grade 3/4 hematologic toxicities occurred and one case of abdominal pain and two cases of oral mucositis were the only grade 3 nonhematologic toxicities. Catheter-related complications occurred in three patients: one thrombosis, one infection, and one displacement. Conclusions HAI 5-FU/LV was well tolerated and showed modest efficacy for patients with liver metastases from refractory CRC. Readministration of previously used chemotherapeutic agents via the hepatic artery could be an effective salvage option and warrants further investigation in a prospective trial.
Sequential Experiment Design for Contour Estimation From Complex Computer Codes

Computer simulation often is used to study complex physical and engineering processes. Although a computer simulator often can be viewed as an inexpensive way to gain insight into a system, it still can be computationally costly. Much of the recent work on the design and analysis of computer experiments has focused on scenarios where the goal is to fit a response surface or process optimization. In this article we develop a sequential methodology for estimating a contour from a complex computer code. The approach uses a stochastic process model as a surrogate for the computer simulator. The surrogate model and associated uncertainty are key components in a new criterion used to identify the computer trials aimed specifically at improving the contour estimate. The proposed approach is applied to exploration of a contour for a network queuing system. Issues related to practical implementation of the proposed approach also are addressed.
Diastolic echo parameters: meaningless numbers or crucial information?

Assessment of diastolic function has emerged as another important contribution of echocardiography to the clinical care of patients. Diastolic dysfunction as diagnosed by echocardiography carries a negative prognostic value,1–3 and diastolic assessment is now a routine part of any complete echocardiographic report.4 Bhella et al,5 in this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging , investigate the reliability of several echocardiographic diastolic parameters in predicting the pulmonary capillary wedge variation in individual subjects subjected to preload manipulation. Bhella et al controversially conclude that “Noninvasive indices do not adequately track changes in left-sided filling pressures as these pressures vary within individual subjects. ” The findings are in contrast to a recent clinical paper published by Nagueh et al6 in a previous issue of the Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. Those authors demonstrated clinical utility of the same indices in patients with acute decompensated heart failure. How can these findings be reconciled, and what is the practicing cardiologist to do? Are the currently available diastolic parameters a bunch of meaningless numbers or crucial information in the treatment of patients? Article see p 482 The first well-accepted parameter of diastolic function, the mitral valve filling pattern assessed by Doppler velocity measurements, reflects the gradient between the left atrium (LA) and left ventricle (LV) in diastole. The gradient is specifically sensitive to LA pressure and LV relaxation. In general, the ratio of the early wave velocity (E) to the late velocity after atrial contraction (A) was helpful in identifying the diastolic function in individual patients. However, the clear preload dependence of the E/A ratio as well as its unreliability in tachycardia, moderate diastolic dysfunction with moderately elevated LA pressures (pseudonormalization), and other issues led to the search for more reliable parameters. The …
Evolutionary Insights into Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Malate Dehydrogenases (MDH) Support the Archaebacterial Origin of Eukaryotes

Malate Dehydrogenase (MDH) stands as a pivotal enzyme crucial for cellular energy metabolism, orchestrating the conversion of malate to oxaloacetate in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. This study delves into the evolutionary trajectories of MDH1 (cytoplasmic) and MDH2 (mitochondrial), offering substantial evidence supporting the archaebacterial origin of eukaryotes. The dataset spans nine groups, encompassing human MDH1 and MDH2, mammalian MDH1 and MDH2, amphibian MDH2, arthropod MDH2, amoeba MDH1, archaea, and bacteria. Protein BLAST analysis revealed significant sequence homology in mammalian MDH1, particularly among primates, underlining a close evolutionary connection. Conversely, lower eukaryotes, including amoeba, arthropods, and amphibians, exhibited marked divergence from human MDH1 and MDH2. Phylogenetic analysis unveils distinct clusters for MDH1 and MDH2, accentuating significant genetic diversity between mitochondrial and cytoplasmic MDH enzymes. Prokaryotic MDH sequences cluster with human mitochondrial MDH2, while MDH1 forms a separate cluster. Staphylococcus MDH aligns with archaeal MDH, emphasizing the diversity within bacterial MDH evolution. Protein variability analysis indicates noteworthy divergence of human MDH1 from prokaryotic MDH, while MDH2 displays comparatively lower divergence. Pairwise evolutionary divergence analysis sheds light on complex relationships among MDH protein sequences. Human MDH1 shows close evolutionary ties to mammalian MDH1, whereas MDH2 exhibits a unique pattern, aligning closely with mammalian MDH2, arthropods, and amphibians. Furthermore, MDH2 demonstrates closer proximity to bacterial MDH, supporting a bacterial origin of mitochondrial MDH. In contrast, MDH1 displays less divergence to archaeal MDH than its bacterial counterpart, endorsing an archaeal origin for cytoplasmic MDH. In conclusion, this study provides compelling support for the archaebacterial origin of eukaryotes, suggesting a bacterial endosymbiont within an archaeal host that evolved into mitochondria. It contributes valuable insights into MDH evolution, unraveling the intricate relationships and unique adaptations shaping the evolutionary history of eukaryotic cells.
A Cognitive Theory of Graphical and Linguistic Reasoning: Logic and Implementation

We discuss external and internal graphical and linguistic representational systems We argue that a cognitive theory of peoples reasoning performance must account for a the logical equivalence of inferences expressed in graphical and linguistic form and b the implementational di erences that a ect facility of inference Our theory proposes that graphical representations limit abstraction and thereby aid processibility We discuss the ideas of speci city and abstraction and their cognitive relevance Empirical support comes from tasks i involving and ii not involving the manipulation of external graphics For i we take Euler s Circles provide a novel computational reconstruction show how it captures abstractions and contrast it with earlier construals and with Mental Models representations We demonstrate equivalence of the graphical Euler system and the non graphical Mental Models system For ii we discuss text comprehension and the mental performance of syllogisms By positing an internal system with the same speci city as Euler s Circles we cover the Mental Models data and generate new empirical predictions Finally we consider how the architecture of working memory explains why such speci c representations are relatively easy to store Acknowledgements The support of the Economic and Social Research Council for the Hu man Communication Research Centre is gratefully acknowledged Our initial thinking on the topics discussed here was greatly in uenced by the work of John Etchemendy and Jon Barwise Our research progressed through helpful discussions with colleagues in the Inference Working Group of the hcrc and it has bene tted from the suggestions of audiences at meetings in Kinloch Rannoch Edinburgh and Stanford and from the constructive advice of our reviewers Continuation of the work has been supported by three grants signal Special Project Grant G from the Joint Councils Initia tive in Cognitive Science and hci Collaborative Research Grant from nato and grace Basic Research Action P from the cec esprit Programme Stenning and Oberlander
Factors Hindering Primary School Pupils to Report Incidences of Physical and Sexual Violence in Tanzania

: The issue of pupils' reluctance to report incidences of physical and sexual violence poses a significant difficulty in Tanzania, resulting in adverse consequences such as bodily harm, psychological distress, behavioural problems, and academic progress for the victims. Despite these challenges, primary school pupils are reluctant to report incidences of physical and sexual violence. This study, therefore, explores factors that hinder primary school pupils to report incidences of physical and sexual violence, a case of Moshi district, in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. This study employed a mixed approach whereby interviews and questionnaires were used as data collection tools. Random sampling technique was utilized to select 92 students from three primary schools as the study's sample unit, while a purposeful sampling technique was employed to select 12 key informants (6 teachers and 6 parents) from the total population. The findings have revealed that pupils failed to report physical and sexual incidences due to fear of perpetrators, lack of awareness on reporting channels and support services, and societal and cultural norms. The study suggests that efforts should be made to ensure the safety and protection of victims who decide to report violence, including providing legal support and confidentiality. In addition, schools and community at large should create a safe environment that will encourage students to feel comfortable reporting incidences of physical and sexual violence.
Distributed Kernel K-Means for Large Scale Clustering

Clustering samples according to an effective metric and/or vector space representation is a challenging unsupervised learning task with a wide spectrum of applications. Among several clustering algorithms, k-means and its kernelized version have still a wide audience because of their conceptual simplicity and efficacy. However, the systematic application of the kernelized version of k-means is hampered by its inherent square scaling in memory with the number of samples. In this contribution, we devise an approximate strategy to minimize the kernel k-means cost function in which the trade-off between accuracy and velocity is automatically ruled by the available system memory. Moreover, we define an ad-hoc parallelization scheme well suited for hybrid cpu-gpu state-of-the-art parallel architectures. We proved the effectiveness both of the approximation scheme and of the parallelization method on standard UCI datasets and on molecular dynamics (MD) data in the realm of computational chemistry. In this applicative domain, clustering can play a key role for both quantitively estimating kinetics rates via Markov State Models or to give qualitatively a human compatible summarization of the underlying chemical phenomenon under study. For these reasons, we selected it as a valuable real-world application scenario.
A Novel Bioinspired Neuromorphic Vision-based Tactile Sensor for Fast Tactile Perception

Tactile sensing represents a crucial technique that can enhance the performance of robotic manipulators in various tasks. This work presents a novel bioinspired neuromorphic vision-based tactile sensor that uses an event-based camera to quickly capture and convey information about the interactions between robotic manipulators and their environment. The camera in the sensor observes the deformation of a flexible skin manufactured from a cheap and accessible 3D printed material, whereas a 3D printed rigid casing houses the components of the sensor together. The sensor is tested in a grasping stage classification task involving several objects using a data-driven learning-based approach. The results show that the proposed approach enables the sensor to detect pressing and slip incidents within a speed of 2 ms. The fast tactile perception properties of the proposed sensor makes it an ideal candidate for safe grasping of different objects in industries that involve high-speed pick-and-place operations.
Inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis by daunorubicin in sensitive and resistant Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in vitro.

The effect of daunorubicin (DNR) on nucleic acid synthesis was investigated in vitro in cells from an Ehrlich ascites tumor that was sensitive in vivo to DNR and in cells from a subline of the tumor in which resistance to DNR had been developed in vivo . DNR inhibited DNA and RNA synthesis in sensitive as well as in resistant cells, as determined from the incorporation of three different radioactive precursors. In order to give the same degree of inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis in resistant cells as in sensitive cells, the DNR concentrations required were approximately 5 times greater. When the synthesis of different RNA species in sensitive cells was analyzed, nucleoplasmic heterodisperse RNA was found to be the least DNR sensitive, while tRNA, 5 S RNA, and two small-molecular-weight RNA components had a medium sensitivity to DNR. Labeling of rRNA and of the 45 S and 32 S nucleolar RNA was found to be inhibited most and to the same extent, indicating that it is the synthesis of 45 S RNA that is inhibited and not the processing of 45 S RNA to rRNA. The preferential inhibition of rRNA was less pronounced in resistant cells than in sensitive cells, thus indicating that the sensitivity of rRNA synthesis was changed more during development of resistance than was the sensitivity of synthesis of other RNA components. The cellular uptake of DNR was less in resistant than in sensitive cells, but the difference was too small to explain the differences in inhibition of the nucleic acid synthesis.
Comparative Analysis of Programming by Demonstration Methods: Kinesthetic Teaching vs Human Demonstration

Programming by demonstration (PbD) is a simple and efficient way to program robots without explicit robot programming. PbD enables unskilled operators to easily demonstrate and guide different robots to execute task. In this paper we present comparison of demonstration methods with comprehensive user study. Each participant had to demonstrate drawing simple pattern with human demonstration using virtual marker and kinesthetic teaching with robot manipulator. To evaluate differences between demonstration methods, we conducted user study with 24 participants which filled out NASA raw task load index (rTLX) and system usability scale (SUS). We also evaluated similarity of the executed trajectories to measure difference between demonstrated and ideal trajectory. We concluded study with finding that human demonstration using a virtual marker is on average 8 times faster, superior in terms of quality and imposes 2 times less overall workload than kinesthetic teaching.