Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A survey of the prevalence of refractive errors among children in lower primary schools in Kampala district.

BACKGROUND Refractive errors are a known cause of visual impairment and may cause blindness worldwide. In children, refractive errors may prevent those afflicted from progressing with their studies. In Uganda, like in many developing countries, there is no established vision-screening programme for children on commencement of school, such that those with early onset of such errors will have many years of poor vision. Over all, there is limited information on refractive errors among children in Africa. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of refractive errors among school children attending lower primary in Kampala district; the frequency of the various types of refractive errors, and their relationship to sexuality and ethnicity. DESIGN A cross-sectional descriptive study. SETTING Kampala district, Uganda PATIENTS A total of 623 children aged between 6 and 9 years had a visual acuity testing done at school using the same protocol; of these 301 (48.3%) were boys and 322 (51.7%) girls. RESULTS Seventy-three children had a significant refractive error of +/-0.50 or worse in one or both eyes, giving a prevalence of 11.6% and the commonest single refractive error was astigmatism, which accounted for 52% of all errors. This was followed by hypermetropia, and myopia was the least common. CONCLUSION Significant refractive errors occur among primary school children aged 6 to 9 years at a prevalence of approximately 12%. Therefore, there is a need to have regular and simple vision testing in primary school children at least at the commencement of school so as to defect those who may suffer from these disabilities.
Molecular recognition of biowarfare agents using micromechanical sensors

Recent terrorist events have demonstrated that an urgent and widespread need exists for the development of novel sensors for threat detection, especially biowarfare agents. The advent of inexpensive, mass-produced microcantilever sensors promises to bring about a revolution in detection of terrorist threats. Extremely sensitive and highly selective sensors can be developed for using a microcantilever platform. Microcantilevers undergo bending when molecules are adsorbed on a single side. For biowarfare agent detection, specificity is achieved by immobilizing antibodies on one side of the cantilever. Antigen adsorption decreases surface energy and stress, resulting in cantilever deflection.
Exploring a striped XML world

EXtensible Markup Language, XML, was designed as a markup language for structuring, storing and transporting data on the World Wide Web. The focus of XML is on data content; arbitrary markup is used to describe data. This versatile, self-describing data representation has established XML as the universal data format and the de facto standard for information exchange on the Web. This has gradually given rise to the need for efficient storage and querying of large XML repositories. To that end, we propose a new model for building a native XML store which is based on a generalisation of vertical decomposition. Nodes of a document satisfying the same label-path, are extracted and stored together in a single container, a Stripe. Stripes make use of a labelling scheme allowing us to maintain full structural information. Over this new representation, we introduce various evaluation techniques, which allow us to handle a large fragment of XPath 2.0. We also focus on the optimisation opportunities that arise from our decomposition model during any query evaluation phase. During query validation, we present an input minimisation process that exploits the proposed model for identifying input that is only relevant to the given query, in terms of Stripes. We also define query equivalence rules for query rewriting over our proposed model. Finally, during query optimisation, we deal with whether and under which circumstances certain evaluation algorithms can be replaced by others having lower I/O and/or CPU cost. We propose three storage schemes under our general decomposition technique. The schemes differ in the compression method imposed on the structural part of the XML document. The first storage scheme imposes no compression. The second storage scheme exploits structural regularities of the document to minimise storage and, thus, I/O cost during query evaluation. Finally, the third storage scheme performs structureagnostic compression of the document structure which results in minimised storage, regardless the actual XML structure. We experiment on XML repositories of varying size, recursion and structural regularity. We consider query input size, execution plan size and query response time as metrics for our experimental results. We process query workloads by applying each of the proposed optimisations in isolation and then all of their combinations. In addition, we apply the same execution pipeline for all proposed storage schemes. As a reference to our proposed query evaluation pipeline, we use the current state-of-the-art system for XML query processing. Our results demonstrate that: • Our proposed data model provides the infrastructure for efficiently selecting the
Introducing Semantic Conflict Resolution to Word Based Software Transactional Memory

In this paper we describe the implementation of a contention manager which deals with semantic conflicts within word based Software Transactional Memory. Semantic conflicts are introduced which prevent transactions from committing their execution due to the presence of some application condition and can be resolved by the reordering of transaction execution. We consider application semantics to be just as important as linearizability in deriving a suitable execution strategy for the progress of the application. The benefit of our approach is demonstrated with benchmarked performance figures demonstrating the ability of our technique to address semantic conflicts within the context of two realistic scenarios in comparison to existing contention management policies. © 2014 Newcastle University. Printed and published by Newcastle University, Computing Science, Claremont Tower, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, England. Bibliographical details SHARP, C. , MORGAN, G. Introducing Semantic Conflict Resolution to Word Based Software Transactional Memory [By] C. Sharp and G. Morgan Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle University: Computing Science, 2014. (Newcastle University, Computing Science, Technical Report Series, No. CS-TR-1409)
Enhancement of the Mechanical Properties and Dimensional Stability of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch-Kenaf Core and Oil Palm Mesocarp-Kenaf Core Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Poly(lactic acid) Biocomposites by Borax Decahydrate Modification of Fibers

The surfaces of kenaf core fiber (KCF), oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFBF), and oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF), were chemically modified using 5 wt. % aqueous sodium tetraborate decahydrate (borax) solution to enhance their hybrid fiber interface bonding with a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix. The untreated fibers (KCF, EFBF, and OPMF) and treated fibers (BXKCF, BXEFBF, and BXOPMF), were examined using chemical analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The treatment caused minimal removal of lignin and significant elimination of hemicellulose and waxy substances. The treated and untreated KCF (5%), as a secondary fiber, was randomly mixed, respectively, with treated and untreated EFBF and OPMF (55%), melt-blended with PLA (40%), and subsequently compression-molded to form hybrid fiber-PLA biocomposites. The resulting composite is aimed to exhibit improvements in its mechanical properties and dimensional stability. The optimum results for tensile and flexural properties, as well as water uptake and thickness swelling, were observed for the borax-treated fibers in comparison with the untreated fibers. The BXEFBF-BXKCF-PLA biocomposites exhibited the best results. This work demonstrated that aqueous borax modification of natural fibers could offer a possible option to the most common mercerization method.
Evaluation of a Multifunctional Hand Prosthesis System Using EMG Controlled Animation

In this communication, we present an on-line real-time simulation system used to evaluate a new method of controlling a multifunctional hand prosthesis. The system employs two computers. Acquisition, analysis, and classification of EMG signals are performed by a minicomputer, and the animation model of the hand prosthesis which is displayed on a monitor TV is controlled by a microcomputer. From three EMG signals picked up from the most suitable muscles of the forearm, three amplitude and three frequency components are derived. Six voluntary movements are then classified by the use of a pattern recognition technique based on the linear discriminant analysis method. Besides the six basic motions, the model can also make eight combined motions using the method of selecting control signals. The experimental results tested on healthy adults indicated that recognition rate was above 90 percent, and nearly 100 percent in some of the better cases. Then the subjects could easily operate the model on the TV screen.
Phylogenetic Analysis of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus in Feral and Companion Domestic Cats of New Zealand

ABSTRACT Nested PCR was used to amplify envelope V3-V6 gene fragments of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) from New Zealand cats. Phylogenetic analyses established that subtypes A and C predominate among New Zealand cats, with clear evidence of intersubtype recombination. In addition, 17 sequences were identified that were distinct from all known FIV clades, and we tentatively suggest these belong to a novel subtype.
Huber cubature particle filter and online state estimation

The cubature particle filter, which utilizes the third-degree spherical–radial cubature rule to generate proposal distribution, performs inaccurately when the measurement noises deviate from the Gaussian probability distribution. To improve the performance of cubature particle filter, the update process is recast by making use of the Huber technique which could generate robustness with respect to deviations from the assumed Gaussian noise. Moreover, the general resampling process is replaced by fine variety resampling approach, and as a result the degeneracy phenomenon is effectively reduced. The improved state estimation algorithm is named as Huber cubature particle filter (HCPF). The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is illustrated via an aircraft actuator model and the experimental results are provided to support the theoretical results.
Format vs. Content: The Impact of Risk and Presentation on Disclosure Decisions

Although the importance of format and presentation of privacy notices has been extensively studied in the privacy literature, less explored is the interplay of presentation and content in influencing users’ disclosure decisions. In two experiments, we manipulate the content as well as the format of privacy notices shown to participants who were asked to choose whether they would like to disclose personal information. We manipulate content by changing the objective privacy risk that participants face from disclosing personal information. We manipulate format by changing the manner in which these notices are presented. We find that participants are significantly less likely to share their personal information when the privacy notice is presented under a ‘Prohibit [disclosure]’ frame, as compared to an ‘Allow [disclosure]’ frame. However, and importantly, we find that the effect of changes in framing on disclosure decisions is small when the objective privacy risk from disclosure is low, but the effect of framing becomes larger when the risk is increased—that is, for potentially more sensitive decisions. Our results highlight the nuanced interaction effects between the objective content of privacy notices and the manner in which they are presented, on disclosure behavior.
Who Suffered Most from the Great Recession? Happiness in the United States

The lowest level of reported happiness since the 1970s occurred in 2010, which was the result of a negative long-term trend and the Great Recession. However, the Recession’s far-reaching consequences were not equally felt. The foreign-born fared the worst, men worse than women, and non-youth worse than youth (eighteen to twenty-four). Declining income and rising unemployment best explain the effects. People reported no change in happiness from the Great Recession when excluding the effects of declining income. This analysis is based on data from the General Social Survey (1972 to 2014). Micro-economic regressions, including macro controls, are used to estimate group-specific trends and deviations from trend occurring in 2008 and 2010. Fixed-effects analysis also supports the main conclusions.
CCD photometry of the nuclei of three supergiant elliptical galaxies - Evidence for a supermassive object in the center of the radio galaxy NGC 6251

We have analyzed charged coupled device (CCD) photometry in the g and r bands of three supergiant elliptical galaxies: NGC 4874 and NGC 4889 in the Coma cluster, and the radio galaxy NGC 6251. The profiles of NGC 4874 and NGC 4889 are closely fitted by King models. The profile of NGC 6251 cannot be fitted by a King model, nor by a King model plus a central point luminosity source (the presence of which is suggested by a blue trend in the colors at small radii). The previously studied profile of M87, when convolved with an appropriate Gaussian function to allow for the difference in distance, closely resembles the profile of NGC 6251 (but not those of NGC 4874 or NGC 4889). NGC 6251 was successfully fitted with a luminosity profile containing both a point luminosity source and a central point mass. The value of this point mass cannot be determined without additional dynamical data. However, if the core velocity dispersion is similar to that of other giant ellipticals of the same absolute magnitude, the point mass is likely to be about 2.4 x 10^9 M_⊙, similar to the value reported earlier for M87. The data are also used to derive upper limits for possible central point masses in NGC 4874 and NGC 4889.
Analysis of Cell Type-specific Expression of CK1ε in Various Tissues of Young Adult BALB/c Mice and in Mammary Tumors of SV40 T-Ag-transgenic Mice

Casein kinase 1 epsilon (CK1ε) is involved in various cellular processes, including cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis, vesicle transport, and control of the circadian rhythm. Deregulation of CK1ε has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. To better understand the cell type-specific functions of CK1ε, we determined its localization by immunhistochemistry in tissues of healthy, young adult BALB/c mice and in mammary tumors of SV40 T-antigen-transgenic mice. CK1ε expression was found to be highly regulated in normal tissues of endodermal, mesodermal, and ectodermal origin and in neoplastic tissue of mammary cancer. The data presented here give an overview of CK1ε reactivity in different organs under normal conditions and outline changes in its expression in mammary carcinomas. Our data suggest a cell/organ type-specific function of CK1ε and indicate that tumorigenic conversion of mammary glands in SV40 T-antigen-transgenic mice leads to downregulation of CK1ε. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http://www.jhc. org. Please visit this article online to view these materials.
3X Faster Speed Solid-State Drive with a Write Order Based Garbage Collection Scheme

Solid-state drives (SSDs) are over-taking hard disk drives (HDDs) as high-volume storage in enterprise servers and data centers. However, SSDs write performance is limited due to their inability to overwrite in-place and need for garbage collection. To reduce the garbage collection (GC) overhead, a logical block address (LBA) scrambler has been proposed. However, the LBA scrambler has two issues: (1) SSD performance decreases with a hot and random workload, and (2) the table size of the LBA scrambler may become upto 0.85% of the SSD capacity. In this work, a write order (WO) based GC scheme is proposed to solve the first issue. The number of valid pages in the NAND flash block, the write order and erase count of the block are considered for victim block selection during GC. One of the key advantages of the WO GC is that it does not require a clock inside the SSD, which will not operate if the SSD power is off. Further, to solve the second issue of the large table size, a Sector Bundling scheme is proposed. From the results, SSD performance is improved 3×, and the LBA scrambler table size is reduced 16%.
Evaluation of cytotoxicity of some common ophthalmic drugs.

OBJECTIVE The study was aimed at evaluating the in vitro cytotoxicity of some commonly used drugs in ophthalmology. Hydrocortisone sodium succinate, Dexamethasone sodium phosphate, 5-Fluorouracil, Tobramycin and Pilocarpine nitrate are frequently used in various indications involving eye care, and the aim was to test the safety of these in cell culture. MATERIALS AND METHODS The in vitro cytotoxicity was carried out on the NIH 3T3 cell line by the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. RESULTS With the exception of 5-Fluorouracil, none of the other drugs demonstrated appreciable cytotoxicity up to high concentrations of 200 µg/ml at 48 hours of drug exposure. CONCLUSIONS Hydrocortisone sodium succinate, Dexamethasone sodium phosphate, Tobramycin and Pilocarpine nitrate were confirmed to be non-cytotoxic while 5-Fluorouracil was highly cytotoxic especially at 48 hours at very low concentrations.
Symptoms and Functional Health Status of Individuals with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is an inherited connective tissue disorder that can have a substantial impact on daily life. The aims of this study were to describe the symptoms reported in a group of individuals with EDS and to investigate the impact on functional health status by means of the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). Seventy-seven individuals, members of the Swedish EDS Association, completed 2 mailed questionnaires. The most frequent symptoms were related to activity, e.g., joint problems (75%), to pain (71%), and to skin/tissue (52%). Pain was reported by 37 individuals (48%) as their most severe symptom. The SIP results showed an overall mean score of 13.0 (females 13.9, males 5.6), compared with a Swedish reference group with a SIP score 1.3. Women with EDS reported a better functional health status than females with rheumatoid arthritis (overall SIP score 13.9 versus 21.4). In comparison with women with fibromyalgia, the EDS females rated their functional health status as worse on the physical dimension (p <0.05) and the subscale home management (p <0.05), and as better on the subscale work (p <0.05). Impact of EDS on the individual’s daily life needs to be acknowledged, assessed, and evaluated in healthcare.
Tools to V isualise the S tructure of M ulti-agent C onversations at V arious L evels of A nalysis

Multi-Agent Based Simulation (MABS) is a suitable way to simulate the dynamics of natural or social systems. However, observing and analysing large-scale simulations involving numerous, complex and heterogeneous agents is still a challenge. Understanding simulation results requires the user to perform the following visual information-seeking tasks: (i) overview, (ii) zoomand-filter, (iii) details-on-demand. This paper concentrates on the analysis of conversations among agents in MABS at various scales, from global overview to local details.
Adaptive uniform finite-/fixed-time convergent second-order sliding-mode control

ABSTRACT This paper presents an adaptive gain algorithm for second-order sliding-mode control (2-SMC), specifically a super-twisting (STW)-like controller, with uniform finite/fixed convergence time, that is robust to perturbations with unknown bounds. It is shown that a second-order sliding mode is established as exact finite-time convergence to the origin if the adaptive gain does not have the ability to get reduced and converge to a small vicinity of the origin if the adaptation algorithm does not overestimate the control gain. The estimate of fixed convergence time of the studied adaptive STW-like controller is derived based on the Lyapunov analysis. The efficacy of the proposed adaptive algorithm is illustrated in a tutorial example, where the adaptive STW-like controller with uniform finite/fixed convergence time is compared to the adaptive STW controller with non-uniform finite convergence time.
Analysis of cooperative MIMO networks with incomplete channel state information

Coordinating the reception and transmission of signals across spatially distributed base stations has been shown to improve sum-rate performance by mitigating the effects of intercell interference in Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) cellular networks. Relying on recent results on the freeness of certain non-Gaussian random matrices, we provide an information theoretic analysis of cooperative MIMO networks. This analysis applies to the case where full channel state information is known at a subset of the bases and where statistical information is known at all others. Tools for evaluating random matrix transforms traditionally exploited in Mean Square Error (MSE) and mutual information analysis are provided, and the general model formulation paves the way for future work, where specific scheduling and/or power assignment schemes could be embodied in the newly presented framework.
Structure and biochemical functions of four simian virus 40 truncated large-T antigens

The structure of four abnormal T antigens which are present in different simian virus 40 (SV40)-transformed mouse cell lines was studied by tryptic peptide mapping, partial proteolysis fingerprinting, immunoprecipitation with monoclonal antibodies, and in vitro translation. The results obtained allowed us to deduce that these proteins, which have apparent molecular weights of 15,000, 22,000, 33,000 and 45,000, are truncated forms of large-T antigen extending to different amounts into the amino acid sequences unique to large-T. The proteins are all phosphorylated, probably at a site between amino acids 106 and 123. The mRNAs coding for the proteins probably contain the normal large-T splice but are shorter than the normal transcripts of the SV40 early region. The truncated large-Ts were tested for the ability to bind to double-stranded DNA-cellulose. This showed that the 33,000- and 45,000-molecular-weight polypeptides contained sequences sufficient for binding under the conditions used, whereas the 15,000- and 22,000-molecular-weight forms did not. Together with published data, this allows the tentative mapping of a region of SV40 large-T between amino acids 109 and 272 that is necessary and may be sufficient for the binding to double-stranded DNA-cellulose in vitro. None of the truncated large-T species formed a stable complex with the host cell protein referred to as nonviral T-antigen or p53, suggesting that the carboxy-terminal sequences of large-T are necessary for complex formation.