Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing quality of management practices in Palestinian hospitals

Purpose – This paper aims to provide an assessment of the quality of management practices and implementation in hospitals operating in the West Bank of Palestine using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) Criteria. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the MBNQA Criteria, a survey of 51 hospitals was conducted using questionnaires, interviews and focus groups to gather data. Data were analyzed and compared across all administrative types of hospitals using the MBNQA points system. Findings – The results show that the performance of non-governmental organizations and private hospitals was superior with respect to all other administrative types. A closer look at the results show that all hospitals exhibit areas of concern such as human resource focus, information and analysis, as well as performance results. Research limitations/implications – Despite the exclusion of hospitals operating in the Gaza Strip, this research promotes critical management practices aimed at improving quality of man.
Comparing low cost input devices for interacting with 3D Virtual Environments

Interaction with 3D Virtual Environments has always suffered from a lack of widely available and low cost input devices. Recently, thanks to the diffusion of gaming systems such as the Microsoft XBox 360 or the Nintendo Wii, new input devices are on the market at a relatively cheap price. This paper describes a study whose aim is to compare input devices in order to identify effective alternatives for the mouse and keyboard in such settings where their use is not advisable or feasible, e.g. museums and other public areas. This study has been carried out using a 3D Virtual Environment in which the participants were required to perform three canonical 3D interaction tasks. Two different groups participated to the test: the first group was involved in a pilot study to check the test environment. The second group performed the test.
Innovations in structuring article introductions: The case of Applied Linguistics

This study explores the rhetorical structure of introductions that are followed by an independent Literature Review (L) section. It is motivated by an increasing use or even the prevalent use of both the introduction and L sections in the opening phase of empirical research articles in many disciplines and the lack of systematic genre-based investigation of introductions with a following L section. Based on a detailed examination of 30 introductions with a subsequent L section in Applied Linguistics, this study found that they generally can be classified into two categories according to their communicative functions and structures. They are the traditional CARS type that largely follows the classic "Create a Research Space" (CARS) model and the innovative Two-move Orientation type. Some featured elements used in the introductions with a subsequent L are identified and the "Two-move Orientation" approach is formulated for the rhetorical structure of this new type of introductions. The interesting links between introduction and L are also suggested. The study contributes to our understanding of the structure and function of this important part-genre in a new generic context (that is, introductions being followed by an independent L section) and illuminates the current genre-based teaching of introduction writing
Dishonest Deed, Clear Conscience: Self-Preservation Through Moral Disengagement and Motivated Forgetting

People routinely engage in dishonest acts without feeling guilty about their behavior. When and why does this occur? Across four studies, people justified their dishonest deeds through moral disengagement and exhibited motivated forgetting of information that might otherwise limit their dishonesty. Using hypothetical scenarios (Studies 1 and 2) and real tasks involving the opportunity to cheat (Studies 3 and 4), we find that dishonest behavior increased moral disengagement and motivated forgetting of moral rules. Such changes did not occur in the case of honest behavior or consideration of the behavior of others. In addition, increasing moral saliency by having participants read or sign an honor code significantly reduced or eliminated unethical behavior. While dishonest behavior motivated moral leniency and led to strategic forgetting of moral rules, honest behavior motivated moral stringency and diligent recollection of moral rules.
Acting Strengths: The Development of Resilience and Character Strengths in Actors

An actor’s work environment poses unique challenges that can drain personal resilience. Positive psychology research supports the development of resilience and the use of character strengths to bolster psychological resources that increase well-being in the face of adversity. This paper explores the history, mechanisms, and development of research on resilience and character strengths and their relationship to research on the lives of professional actors. I propose that developing character strengths and resilience creates potential pathways to cultivate well-being in actors and enables perseverance on the path to long-term career success.
Provably Secure Group Signature Schemes From Code-Based Assumptions

We solve an open question in code-based cryptography by introducing two provably secure group signature schemes from code-based assumptions. Our basic scheme satisfies the CPA-anonymity and traceability requirements in the random oracle model, assuming the hardness of the McEliece problem, the Learning Parity with Noise problem, and a variant of the Syndrome Decoding problem. The construction produces smaller key and signature sizes than the previous group signature schemes from lattices, as long as the cardinality of the underlying group does not exceed 224, which is roughly comparable to the current population of the Netherlands. We develop the basic scheme further to achieve the strongest anonymity notion, i.e., CCA-anonymity, with a small overhead in terms of efficiency. The feasibility of two proposed schemes is supported by implementation results. Our two schemes are the first in their respective classes of provably secure groups signature schemes. Additionally, the techniques introduced in this work might be of independent interest. These are a new verifiable encryption protocol for the randomized McEliece encryption and a novel approach to design formal security reductions from the Syndrome Decoding problem.
Inhibition of cyclic GMP‐dependent protein kinase‐mediated effects by (Rp)‐8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMPS

1 The modulation of the guanosine 3′:5′‐cyclic monophosphate (cyclic GMP)‐ and adenosine 3′:5′‐cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP)‐dependent protein kinase activities by the diastereomers of 8‐bromo‐βphenyl‐1,N2‐ethenoguanosine 3′,5′‐cyclic monophosphorothioate, ((Rp)‐ and (Sp)‐8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMPS) was investigated by use of purified protein kinases. In addition, the effects of (Rp)‐8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMPS on protein phosphorylation in intact human platelets and on [3H]‐noradrenaline release and neurogenic vasoconstriction in electrical field stimulated rat tail arteries were also studied. 2 Kinetic analysis with purified cyclic GMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKG) type Iα and I4bT, which are expressed in the rat tail artery, revealed that (Rp)‐8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMPS is a competitive inhibitor with an apparent Ki of 0.03 μm. The activation of purified cyclic AMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKA) type II was antagonized with an apparent Ki of 10 μm. 3 In human platelets, (Rp)‐8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMPS (0.1 mM) antagonized the activation of the PKG by the selective activator 8‐(4‐chlorophenylthio)‐guanosine 3′:5′‐cyclic monophosphate (8‐pCPT‐cyclic GMP; 0.2 mM) without affecting the activation of PKA by (Sp)‐5,6‐dichloro‐1‐β‐D‐ribofuranosylbenzimidazole‐3′:5′‐cyclic monophosphorothioate ((Sp)‐5,6‐DCl‐cyclic BiMPS; 0.1 mM). 4 (Rp)‐8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMPS was not hydrolysed by the cylcic GMP specific phosphodiesterase (PDE) type V from bovine aorta but potently inhibited this PDE. 5 The corresponding sulphur free cyclic nucleotide of the two studied phosphorothioate derivatives, 8‐bromo‐β‐phenyl‐1,N2‐ethenoguanosine‐3′:5′‐cyclic monophosphate (8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMP), had no effect on electrically‐induced [3H]‐noradrenaline release but concentration‐dependently decreased the stimulation‐induced vasoconstriction. (Rp)‐8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMPS (3 μm) shifted the vasoconstriction response to the right without affecting stimulation evoked tritium overflow. 6 The NO donor, 3‐morpholinosydnonimine (SIN‐1) relaxed rat tail arteries precontracted with phenylephrine (1 μm). The SIN‐1 concentration‐relaxation curve was shifted in a parallel manner to the right by (Rp)‐8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMPS, suggesting that the relaxation was mediated by a cyclic GMP/PKG‐dependent mechanism. 7 The [3H]‐noradrenaline release‐enhancing effect and stimulation‐induced decrease in vasoconstriction of forskolin were unaffected by (Rp)‐8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMPS. Moreover, the forskolin concentration‐relaxation curve was not changed in the presence of the PKG inhibitor, suggesting a high selectivity in intact cells for PKG‐ over PKA‐mediated effects. 8 The results obtained indicate that (Rp)‐8‐bromo‐PET‐cyclic GMPS presently is the most potent and selective inhibitor of PKG and is helpful in distinguishing between cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP messenger pathways activation. Therefore, this phosphorothioate stereomer may be a useful tool for studying the role of cyclic GMP in vitro.
A Structural Model of the Pore-Forming Region of the Skeletal Muscle Ryanodine Receptor (RyR1)

Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are ion channels that regulate muscle contraction by releasing calcium ions from intracellular stores into the cytoplasm. Mutations in skeletal muscle RyR (RyR1) give rise to congenital diseases such as central core disease. The absence of high-resolution structures of RyR1 has limited our understanding of channel function and disease mechanisms at the molecular level. Here, we report a structural model of the pore-forming region of RyR1. Molecular dynamics simulations show high ion binding to putative pore residues D4899, E4900, D4938, and D4945, which are experimentally known to be critical for channel conductance and selectivity. We also observe preferential localization of Ca2+ over K+ in the selectivity filter of RyR1. Simulations of RyR1-D4899Q mutant show a loss of preference to Ca2+ in the selectivity filter as seen experimentally. Electrophysiological experiments on a central core disease mutant, RyR1-G4898R, show constitutively open channels that conduct K+ but not Ca2+. Our simulations with G4898R likewise show a decrease in the preference of Ca2+ over K+ in the selectivity filter. Together, the computational and experimental results shed light on ion conductance and selectivity of RyR1 at an atomistic level.
Anthropogenic habitat alteration induces rapid morphological divergence in a native stream fish

Anthropogenic habitat alteration creates novel environments that can alter selection pressures. Construction of reservoirs worldwide has disturbed riverine ecosystems by altering biotic and abiotic environments of impounded streams. Changes to fish communities in impoundments are well documented, but effects of those changes on native species persisting in reservoirs, which are presumably subjected to novel selective pressures, are largely unexplored. I assessed body shape variation of a native stream fish in reservoir habitats and streams from seven reservoir basins in the Central Plains of the USA. Body shape significantly and consistently diverged in reservoirs compared with stream habitats within reservoir basins; individuals from reservoir populations were deeper‐bodied and had smaller heads compared with stream populations. Individuals from reservoir habitats also exhibited lower overall shape variation compared with stream individuals. I assessed the contribution of genotypic divergence and predator‐induced phenotypic plasticity on body shape variation by rearing offspring from a reservoir and a stream population with or without a piscivorous fish. Significant population‐level differences in body shape persisted in offspring, and both populations demonstrated similar predator‐induced phenotypic plasticity. My results suggest that, although components of body shape are plastic, anthropogenic habitat modification may drive trait divergence in native fish populations in reservoir‐altered habitats.
An animation tool for exploring transactions in a DE

The concept of a digital ecosystem (DE) has been used to explore scenarios in which multiple online services and resources can be accessed by users without there being a single point of control. In previous work we have described how the so-called transaction languages can express concurrent and distributed interactions between online services in a transactional environment. In this paper we outline how transaction languages capture the history of a long-running transaction and highlight the benefits of our true-concurrent approach in the context of DEs. This includes support for the recovery of a long-running transaction whenever some failure is encountered. We introduce an animation tool that has been developed to explore the behaviours of long-running transactions within our modelling environment. Further, we discuss how this work supports the declarative approach to the development of open distributed applications.
Review of the Clustering and Feature Extraction Methods of Mass Cytometry Yunqin Lee

Introduction Single cell analysis of heterogeneous populations requires the simultaneous quantitative determination of multiple biomarkers for functional and phenotypical identification. However, detailed characterization of single cells has been limited by available probes and instrumentation, where the number of parameters in conventional flow cytometers has been restricted by spectral overlap between fluorescent probes. Current fluorescence-based flow cytometry technologies typically provide measurements of up to 10-12 parameters, which have been expanded to 17 parameters using improved fluorescent probes or quantum dots with narrower emission bandwidths (Chattopadhyay et al. 2006). On the other hand, limitations in cytometry instrumentation have been overcome with the development of the next-generation mass cytometry platform (CyTOF) (Bandura et al. 2009). The mass cytometer is based on inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry and currently allows single cell measurement of more than 30 parameters (Bandura etal. 2009, Bendall et al. 2011, Gibbs et al. 2012, Newell et al. 2012).
Pengaruh Penambahan Adsorben Pada Pengolahan Gula Semut Siwalan Dengan Metode Reprocessing Dari Gula Cetak Siwalan

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mendapatkan perlakuan terbaik dari jenis dan konsentrasi adsorben (zeolite, bentonit, karbon aktif) pada skala laboratorium. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Laboratorium Agrokimia Jurusan Teknologi Industri Pertanian, Fakultas Teknologi Pertanian, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, pada bulan Oktober sampai selesai. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) dengan dua faktor. Dua faktor tersebut adalah faktor pertama jenis adsorben yang digunakan (zeolite, bentonit, karbon aktif), faktor kedua adalah konsentrasi adsorben (zeolite, bentonit, karbon aktif) yang digunakan yang terdiri dari 5 level, yaitu 1% b/b, 1,5% b/b, 2% b/b, 2,5% b/b, 3% b/b. Hasil penelitian gula semut siwalan diperoleh rerata kadar air yang dihasilkan berkisar antara 0,023 gram.H 2 0/gram.bahan kering sampai 0,162 gram.H 2 0/gram.bahan kering, rerata kadar sukrosa yang dihasilkan berkisar antara 69,86% sampai 78,13%, rerata kadar abu yang dihasilkan berkisar antara 1,492% sampai 2,766%, rerata kadar gula total yang dihasilkan berkisar antara 46,67% sampai 80,67%, rerata kadar gula reduksi yang dihasilkan berkisar antara 5,57% sampai 19,48% dan rerata rendemen total yang dihasilkan 55,07% sampai 85,07%. Alternatif perlakuan terbaik dihasilkan oleh jenis adsorben bentonite dengan konsentrasi adsorben 2% dengan nilai produk sebesar 0,6348. Kata kunci : Gula siwalan, Gula semut, Adsorben.
Statistical dynamical systems for skills acquisition in humanoids

Learning by imitation in humanoids is challenging due to the unpredictable environments these robots have to face during reproduction. Two sets of tools are relevant for this purpose: 1) probabilistic machine learning methods that can extract and exploit the regularities and important features of the task; and 2) dynamical systems that can cope with perturbation in real-time without having to replan the whole movement. We present a learning by imitation approach combining the two benefits. It is based on a superposition of virtual spring-damper systems to drive a humanoid robot's movement. The method relies on a statistical description of the springs attractor points acting in different candidate frames of reference. It extends dynamic movement primitives models by formulating the dynamical systems parameters estimation problem as a Gaussian mixture regression problem with projection in different coordinate systems. The robot exploits local variability information extracted from multiple demonstrations of movements to determine which frames are relevant for the task, and how the movement should be modulated with respect to these frames. The approach is tested on the new prototype of the COMAN compliant humanoid with time-based and time-invariant movements, including bimanual coordination skills.
The Cu-Htk Mandarin Broadcast News Transcription System

This paper discusses the development of the CU-HTK Mandarin broadcast news (BN) transcription system. The Mandarin BN task includes a significant amount of English data. Hence techniques have been investigated to allow the same system to handle both Mandarin and English by augmenting the Mandarin training sets with English acoustic and language model training data. A range of acoustic models were built including models based on Gaussianised features, speaker adaptive training and feature-space MPE. A multi-branch system architecture is described in which multiple acoustic model types, alternate phone sets and segmentations can be used in a system combination framework to generate the final output. The final system shows state-of-the-art performance over a range of test sets
Why Do Voters Lose Trust in Governments? Public Perceptions of Government Honesty and Trustworthiness in Britain 2000–2013

This article: Notes that public perceptions that governments are honest and trustworthy are surprisingly volatile over time, but they move together in a long-term equilibrium relationship with indicators of policy performance and perceptions of fairness of the decision-making process. Argues that if individuals feel that policy delivery, particularly in relation to the economy, is working well then they will trust the government of the day even if they oppose a particular decision. Maintains that if they feel that the process of governing is unfair then they are likely to view the government as being both dishonest and untrustworthy. Indicates that evaluations of political leaders are powerful heuristics for allowing voters to judge the honesty and trustworthiness of a government. Provides evidence that there is a long-term trend decline in perceptions of government honesty even after taking into account policy process and performance. The aim of this article is to analyse trends in public perceptions of the honesty and trustworthiness of British governments over the period 2000 to 2013, years of great political and economic change in British society. These perceptions are surprisingly volatile over time, but they are stimulated by general elections and even more so by a change of government. Perceptions of government honesty can be understood to be the product of both policy delivery and public attitudes to the way democracy works in Britain. If individuals feel that economic policies and the delivery of public services are working well and also that democracy is effective, then they will trust the government of the day. In addition perceptions of government trustworthiness are strongly influenced by the public’s evaluations of the Prime Minister, since the voters use this as a heuristic to judge the honesty of a government.
Novel availability metrics for network topologies

This paper presents two novel definitions for availability concerning communication networks. It is shown that currently used network availability metrics cannot fully describe the resiliency of a network. The aim of this paper is to provide metrics that enable network operators to compare different network topology designs assuming a given population distribution. A transport network is considered to be in down state when at least a certain percentage of all subscribers for at least 10 seconds have no connectivity, or have only poor performance. We also present another availability metric named Session Completion Ratio, which is a more user-centric performance indicator since any user with poor performance or no connectivity deteriorates the overall network performance. Simulation results are presented and different transport network topologies are compared based on their availability performance, followed by a case study, where the availability of a network is improved by allocating extra capacity on the links. The results proved that single link failure-tolerant capacity setting leads to high-availability. Finally a tool is presented that helps identifying those parts of the network that have the strongest influence on resiliency.
Functional neuroimaging of the somatosensory system with Ultra-high-field fMRI and MEG

Multimodal neuroimaging using a combination of Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and ultra-high-field fMRI are used in order to gain further insight into the neural oscillations and haemodynamic responses in the somatosensory cortex. Single pulse electrical median nerve stimulation (MNS) with regular and jittered intervals is used in MEG. A preliminary study is used to determine acceptable trial number and length, and highlights points to be considered in paradigm optimization. Time-frequency analysis shows that the largest activities are beta event-related desynchronization (ERD) and event-related synchronization (ERS) between 13Hz and 30Hz. No significant difference in both the induced oscillations and evoked responses are found. Paired pulse MNS with varying ISIs are studied using MEG and 7T fMRI. The beta ERD is suggested to have a gating role with a magnitude irrespective of the starting point of stimulus. Non-linearity effects both in beta ERD/ERS and P35m are shown for ISIs of up to 2s, implying that the non-linear neural responses to the stimulus may still contribute to the BOLD non-linearity even when the evoked response has returned to baseline. Multiple pulse MNS with varying pulse train length and frequency are also investigated using MEG and MEG-fMRI. The gating role of beta ERD is further confirmed and the N160m is suggested to be modulated under this role. No accumulative effect is seen in the ERS with increasing pulse number but the amplitude of the ERS is modulated by the frequency. This can be explained by a Cortical Activation Model (CAM). Efforts to spatially separate the beta ERD and ERS are shown for all three studies. Group averaged SAM images suggest a separation of activation areas along the central gyrus. Significant difference are found in the z MNI coordinate between beta ERD and ERS peak locations, suggesting that these two effects could arise from different generators. In the multiple pulse frequency study, by including the temporal signature of beta ERD and ERS as a regressor in BOLD fMRI analysis, delayed BOLD responses are located posterior to the standard BOLD response. However, the exact nature of the relationship between this delayed BOLD response and the ERS effects requires further work.