Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Defense and Popularity of Social Engineering in Norway

Social Engineers attack the weakest link in an organization’s barrier it’s human users. They do this by manipulating the users into performing actions they wouldn’t normally perform. This can have devastating consequences for an organization. The goal may be to get unauthorized access to sensitive information, or gain access to restricted areas, like server rooms. While crackers use their technical skills to break into a computer system and retrieve a password, the Social Engineer use his social skills to make an individual reveal the password themselves. While there has been written books and papers on different attack vectors, and even some methods for defending against this threat, they are not considered scientific they are in many cases the experience and views of one particular individual. The amount of scientific work on Social Engineering do not appear to be comprehensive. This Thesis has gathered the essence of what different authors has conveyed about Social Engineering attacks and defenses, as well as why it actually works. Further it has investigated how popular Social Engineering is in Norway, what vector of attacks are most common and effective, as well as what defense mechanisms one should implement to stand strong against these threats. This has primarily been done by the development of a Questionnaire targeting Norwegian Organizations, a review of existing literature and research, as well as some preliminary interviews with Information Security Professionals. The results suggest that: (i) Social Engineering by E-Mail is by far the most heavily used vector of attack, followed by attacks originating from websites (ii) most Organizations have mechanisms to defend against Social Engineering, (iii) Organizations conceived Security Risk of Social Engineering is leaning towards medium-high and (iv) the ultimate economic consequences due to Social Engineering attacks are loss of millions of NOK. Further, not surprising, the review of earlier literature and research, as well as data gathered from our Questionnaire, suggest that Security Awareness is a very important factor for defending against Social Engineering. We end the Thesis by discussing important steps when developing Security Awareness programs.
What Does Recovery From Schizophrenia Mean? Perceptions of Medical Students and Trainee Psychiatrists

Background: The attitudes of medical professionals towards recovery from schizophrenia are key in defining the therapeutic encounter and may change as they move through their medical career. Method: A qualitative methodology was used based on three focus groups of medical students and trainee psychiatrists in Hong Kong. Both held pessimistic attitudes towards recovery in schizophrenia. Four major categories and one central theme emerged, with little difference between students and doctors. The four categories were: (1) recovery is defined by the cessation of medication and the resumption of normal psychosocial functioning; (2) formal recovery requires medical confirmation plus the patient’s admission of illness; (3) recovery should be discussed, but largely in terms of the contribution of drug compliance; and (4) participants recognized that stigma was an impediment to recovery while holding attitudes that were as unaccepting towards people with schizophrenia as lay people’s. Conclusions: Traditional medical education over-emphasizes symptomatic recovery and ignores the need for a more flexible construction of the concept. Professional knowledge must incorporate both quantitative and qualitative data and inculcate humanitarian concern through active contact with users, and acceptance of the legitimacy of their expert experience. Medical education should seek effective ways to change entrenched negative attitudes in students about schizophrenia and the possibility of recovery. Further large-scale research should be carried out to establish attitudes of medical professionals towards recovery from schizophrenia and how this changes during typical career trajectories. This information could then be used to devise effective means within medical education to combat stigma and change attitudes.
Expression profile viewer (ExProView): a software tool for transcriptome analysis.

A software tool, Expression Profile Viewer (ExProView), for analysis of gene expression profiles derived from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and SAGE (serial analysis of gene expression) is presented. The software visualizes a complete set of classified transcript data in a two-dimensional array of dots, a "virtual chip," in which each dot represents a known gene as characterized in the transcript databases Expressed Gene Anatomy Database or UniGene. The virtual chip display can be changed between representations of different conceptual systems for gene/protein classification and grouping. Four alternative projections are currently available: (i) cellular role, (ii) subcellular compartment, (iii) chromosome localization, and (iv) total UniGene display. However, the chip can be adapted to any other desired layout. By selecting dots, further information about the represented genes is obtained from the local database and WWW links. The software thus provides a visualization of global mRNA expression at the descriptive level and guides in the exploration of patterns of functional expression, while maintaining direct access to detailed information on each individual gene. To evaluate the software, public EST and SAGE gene expression data obtained from the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project at the National Center for Biotechnology Information were analyzed and visualized. A demonstration of the software is available at http://www.biochem. kth. se/exproview/.
Prevalence and clinical consequences of herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA in human cornea tissues.

BACKGROUND We determined the prevalence and clinical consequences of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 (HSV-1), HSV type 2 (HSV-2), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in cornea tissues obtained after penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) was performed. METHODS The excised corneas of 83 patients with a history of herpetic keratitis (HK; hereafter referred to as "patients with HK") and 367 patients without a history of HK (hereafter referred to "patients without HK") were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and virus culture for the presence of HSV-1, HSV-2, and VZV. In addition, 273 post-PKP donor corneoscleral rims were analyzed. The medical records of the transplant patients were reviewed to determine the risk factors influencing intracorneal viral load and graft survival. RESULTS HSV-1 was the most prevalent herpesvirus. Both the prevalence of HSV-1 and the HSV-1 DNA load were higher in the corneas of patients with HK than in those of patients without HK. The HSV-1 DNA load in the corneas of patients with HK correlated with age, the recurrence-free interval, cornea neovascularization, steroid treatment before PKP, and disease severity. Herpesvirus DNA was detected in 2 of 273 corneoscleral rims. Graft survival was inversely correlated with the corneal HSV-1 DNA load in patients with HK. CONCLUSIONS The data presented in this study argue for the implementation of real-time HSV-1 PCR to analyze the excised corneas of patients with HK, to improve post-PKP diagnosis and therapy. Screening of donor corneal tissues for herpesviruses is redundant to prevent newly acquired post-PKP HK.
Oral vitamin B12 can change our practice

Oral vitamin B12 can provide an effective alternative to intramuscular injections, so giving patients a choice and reducing costs in primary care. This study investigated the effectiveness, safety, and acceptability of oral vitamin B12 as replacement therapy in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency in a city general practice population. Forty patients previously maintained on vitamin B12 injections were given 1000 μg of oral cyanocobalamin daily for up to 18 months. All the patients maintained satisfactory serum B12 levels and showed normal haematology and neurology. Compliance and acceptability was excellent. The time for a change in practice has indeed arrived.
Science Should Be in the Public Domain

ABSTRACT Variants of avian influenza H5N1 virus that are transmitted by the airborne route among ferrets have been identified. The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity has advised against publication of the details of the methods used to obtain these viruses and the amino acid changes that lead to transmission in ferrets. This decision is not based on sound scientific principles and risks setting a precedent that will make it easier to put in place highly restrictive regulations on scientific research and publication.
Automated Quantification of Left Ventricular Function by the Automated Contour Tracking Method

The automated contour tracking (ACT) method has been developed for the automated measurement of area volume using the energy minimization method without tracing a region of interest. The purpose of this study was to compare the ACT method and left ventriculography (LVG) for the measurement of left ventricular (LV) function in the clinical setting. An apical four‐chamber view was visualized by two‐dimensional echocardiography and recorded for off‐line analysis in 14 patients with high‐quality images who underwent LVG. The ACT method automatically traces the endocardial border from the recorded images and calculates LV volumes (end‐diastole and end‐systole) and ejection fraction (EF). Both ACT and LVG were compared by linear regression analysis for the measurement of EF. EF determined by the ACT method agreed well with that by LVG ( r = 0.96, y = 0.94x + 4.6 , standard error of the estimate = 3.9%). The mean difference between the ACT and LVG was – 1.4%± 7.3%. In conclusion, the ACT method is reliable for noninvasive estimation of EF in high‐quality images. This suggests that this new technique may be useful in the automated quantification of LV function. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 20, May 2003)
Solid cancer incidence in atomic bomb survivors exposed in utero or as young children.

BACKGROUND In utero exposure to radiation is known to increase risks of childhood cancers, and childhood exposure is associated with increased risks of adult-onset cancers. However, little is known about whether in utero exposure to radiation increases risks of adult-onset cancers. METHODS Solid cancer incidence rates were examined among survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki who were in utero (n = 2452) or younger than 6 years (n = 15388) at the time of the bombings. Poisson regression was used to estimate and compare the levels and temporal patterns of the radiation-associated excess risks of first primary solid cancers among these survivors at ages 12-55. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS There were 94 eligible cancers in the in utero group and 649 in the early childhood group. The excess relative risk (ERR) increased with dose for both in utero (age 50, ERR = 1.0 per Sv, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.2 to 2.3 per Sv) and early childhood (age 50, ERR = 1.7 per Sv, 95% CI = 1.1 to 2.5 Sv) exposures. The ERR declined (P = .046) with increasing attained age in the combined cohort. Excess absolute rates (EARs) increased markedly with attained age among those exposed in early childhood but exhibited little change in the in utero group. At age 50, the estimated EARs per 10,000 person-years per Sv were 6.8 (95% CI = <0 to 49) for those exposed in utero and 56 (95% CI = 36 to 79) for those exposed as young children. CONCLUSIONS Both the in utero and early childhood groups exhibited statistically significant dose-related increases in incidence rates of solid cancers. The apparent difference in EARs between the two groups suggests that lifetime risks following in utero exposure may be considerably lower than for early childhood exposure, but further follow-up is needed.
Variable position wireless power transmitter through multiple cooperative flux generators

Wireless power transfer systems have become more commercially viable and applicable in the recent decade. Research interests have been focused on solving the inherent challenges that implementation of this technology engenders, which include elimination of electromagnetic field energy broadcast combined with spatial freedom of power transfer to receiver systems. The solutions to these two challenges require confining EM flux only to receiver systems and having an arbitrary large area for power transfer. This work presents a novel power transmitter system which tackles these two challenges by producing a simplistic moveable electromagnetic energy field over an arbitrarily large area by switching transmission coil configurations. The transmitter system is validated against the wireless power Qi™ standard limits for adequate power transfer efficiency. This new transmitter accomplishes spatial freedom and EM field confinement to charging systems while maintaining simplicity in construction and control.
The SPARC protein: an overview of its role in lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis and its potential role in chronic airways disease

The SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine) protein is matricellular molecule regulating interactions between cells and their surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). This protein thus governs fundamental cellular functions such as cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. SPARC also regulates the expression and activity of numerous growth factors and matrix metalloproteinases essential for ECM degradation and turnover. Studies in SPARC‐null mice have revealed a critical role for SPARC in tissue development, injury and repair and in the regulation of the immune response. In the lung, SPARC drives pathological responses in non‐small cell lung cancer and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by promoting microvascular remodelling and excessive deposition of ECM proteins. Remarkably, although chronic airway conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) involve significant remodelling in both the airway and vascular compartments, the role of SPARC in these conditions has thus far been overlooked. In this review, we discuss the role of SPARC in lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis, as well as potential mechanisms by which it may contribute to the disease process in asthma and COPD.
Structural and functional healing of critical‐size segmental bone defects by transduced muscle‐derived cells expressing BMP4

Our previous studies have shown that muscle‐derived cells, including a population of muscle stem cells, transduced with a retroviral vector expressing bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) can improve the healing of critical‐size calvarial defects. However, we did not evaluate the functionality of the healed bone. The purpose of this study was to determine whether primary muscle‐derived cells transduced with retroBMP4 can heal a long bone defect both structurally and functionally.
Novel multi-class feature selection methods using sensitivity analysis of posterior probabilities

Novel feature-selection methods are proposed for multi-class support-vector-machine (SVM) learning. They are based on two new feature-ranking criteria. Both criteria, collectively termed multi-class feature-based sensitivity of posterior probabilities (MFSPP), evaluate the importance of a feature by computing the aggregate value, over the feature space, of the absolute difference of the probabilistic outputs of the multi-class SVM with and without the feature. In their original form, the criteria are computationally expensive and three approximations, MFSPP1-MFSPP3, are then proposed. In a carefully controlled experimental study, all these three approximations are tested on various artificial and benchmark datasets. Results show that they outperform the multi-class versions of support-vector-machine recursive feature-elimination method (SVM-RFE) and other standard filtering methods, with one of the three proposed approximations having a slight edge over the other two. Based on the experiments, the advantage of the proposed methods is particularly significant when training dataset is sparse.
In Vitro and in Vivo Characterization of Doxorubicin and Vincristine Coencapsulated within Liposomes through Use of Transition Metal Ion Complexation and pH Gradient Loading

Purpose: There is an opportunity to augment the therapeutic potential of drug combinations through use of drug delivery technology. This report summarizes data obtained using a novel liposomal formulation with coencapsulated doxorubicin and vincristine. The rationale for selecting these drugs is due in part to the fact that liposomal formulations of doxorubicin and vincristine are being separately evaluated as components of drug combinations. Experimental Design: Doxorubicin and vincristine were coencapsulated into liposomes using two distinct methods of drug loading. A manganese-based drug loading procedure, which relies on drug complexation with a transition metal, was used to encapsulate doxorubicin. Subsequently the ionophore A23187 was added to induce formation of a pH gradient, which promoted vincristine encapsulation. Results: Plasma elimination studies in mice indicated that the drug:drug ratio before injection [4:1 doxorubicin:vincristine (wt:wt ratio)] changed to 20:1 at the 24-h time point, indicative of more rapid release of vincristine from the liposomes than doxorubicin. Efficacy studies completed in MDA MB-435/LCC6 tumor-bearing mice suggested that at the maximum tolerated dose, the coencapsulated formulation was therapeutically no better than liposomal vincristine. This result was explained in part by in vitro cytotoxicity studies evaluating doxorubicin and vincristine combinations analyzed using the Chou and Talalay median effect principle. These data clearly indicated that simultaneous addition of vincristine and doxorubicin resulted in pronounced antagonism. Conclusion: These results emphasize that in vitro drug combination screens can be used to predict whether a coformulated drug combination will act in an antagonistic or synergistic manner.
Cytokine gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells during graft‐versus‐host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Summary. Cytokine gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells during the development of graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) in patients who underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo BMT) was analysed using a semiquantitative reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). The expression of interleukin (IL)‐lβ, IL‐6, and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α mRNA was increased during the development of GVHD and the degree of this increment depended on the severity of the disease. IL‐2 expression was not detected at all and interferon‐γ expression was not much changed during GVHD. In patients with hepatic veno‐occlusive disease (VOD), another transplantation‐related complication, the expression of IL‐1β and TNF‐a mRNA was increased but IL‐6 mRNA expression showed little increase. These findings suggest that IL‐lβ, IL‐6 and TNF‐α produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells play an important role in the development of GVHD. Furthermore, liver dysfunction due to GVHD or VOD may be distinguishable by this type of cytokine analysis. Analysis of cytokine mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation may provide important information concerning the immune response and the cytokine network system in marrow transplant patients.
Molecular cloning, expression, and sequence of the pilin gene from nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae M37

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae M37 adheres to human buccal epithelial cells and exhibits mannose-resistant hemagglutination of human erythrocytes. An isogenic variant of this strain which was deficient in hemagglutination was isolated. A protein with an apparent molecular weight of 22,000 was present in the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel profile of sarcosyl-insoluble proteins from the hemagglutination-proficient strain but was absent from the profile of the isogenic hemagglutination-deficient variant. A monoclonal antibody which reacts with the hemagglutination-proficient isolate but not with the hemagglutination-deficient isolate has been characterized. This monoclonal antibody was employed in an affinity column for purification of the protein as well as to screen a genomic library for recombinant clones expressing the gene. Several clones which contained overlapping genomic fragments were identified by reaction with the monoclonal antibody. The gene for the 22-kDa protein was subcloned and sequenced. The gene for the type b pilin from H. influenzae type b strain MinnA was also cloned and sequenced. The DNA sequence of the strain MinnA gene was identical to that reported previously for two other type b strains. The DNA sequence of the strain M37 gene is 77% identical to that of the type b pilin gene, and the derived amino acid sequence is 68% identical to that of the type b pilin.
Severe course of cutaneous melanoma associated paraneoplastic retinopathy.

BACKGROUND--Melanoma associated retinopathy (MAR) is a paraneoplastic syndrome in metastatic cutaneous melanoma presenting with nightblindness, light sensations, mild visual loss, and reduced b-waves in the electroretinogram (ERG). METHODS--A patient with MAR was followed for a period of 25 months with repeated examinations including visual field testing and recording of standard electro-oculography, standard ERG, and photopic On and Off responses. RESULTS--A male patient with a very severe course of MAR is described. In addition to the clinical signs seen in previous patients, severe visual deterioration and vitreous inflammation were the predominant signs. The vitreous inflammation resolved after systemic corticosteroid therapy. Nightblindness and the reduced b-waves in the ERG remained unchanged during the follow up period. However, further visual deterioration and paracentral scotomas developed. Dark adaptation was markedly abnormal. Photopic On responses were reduced, but Off responses were preserved. Antibodies against retinal bipolar cells were isolated from blood samples of this patient. CONCLUSION--Vitreous inflammation may mask the diagnosis of MAR. ERG findings indicate that the more severe and progressive course is the result of local retinal changes and not progressive generalised retinal degeneration.