Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The state of Microsoft?: the role of corporations in international norm creation

This research seeks to understand the role that corporations can play as global cyber norm entrepreneurs via a case study of tech giant Microsoft’s engagement in emergent international cybersecurity norms. Two key questions are addressed, including how Microsoft has been acting as a norm entrepreneur and what these actions indicate about the company's underlying objectives. Understanding Microsoft's processes and aims as a norm entrepreneur can help scholars better determine how corporate actors may fit into – or challenge – both existing norm creation theories and the development of global cyber policies. This research highlights three key takeaways that may inform further research: (1) In contrast to traditionally state-centric IR norm research, more focus is needed on the relationship between corporations and citizens when companies are acting as cyber norm entrepreneurs; (2) Four main objectives drive Microsoft’s attempts at cybersecurity norm entrepreneurship: trust building, software protection, balance of responsibility and sociopolitical influence; and (3) Microsoft provides an empirical example of a private corporation utilising all of Finnemore and Hollis’ tool categories for norm entrepreneurs. Through exploring the paths by which Microsoft strives to influence state behaviour and position themselves as a legitimate stakeholder in global cyber norm debates, we can gain insight into the methods and objectives of this newly identified form of corporate entrepreneurship and better understand the role that private actors may have in the ongoing formation of global cyber norms.
PENGARUH KUALITAS PELAYANAN KLINIK GIGI TERHADAP KEPUASAN DAN KEPERCAYAAN PASIEN SEHINGGA MENINGKATKAN KEINGINAN UNTUK BEROBAT KEMBALI

The background of this research was due to intense competition, the management of dental clinic seeks to attract patients by providing excellent quality of service. The objective of this research wasto analyze whether the quality of services provided from a dental clinic can rise the desire of patients to seek treatment again.The design of this research applies a survey. The type of investigation was casuality. Total sample researched was 201 dental patients. The result of this research conclude thatamong the three factors studied, patients trust have the most influence on patient intention for treatment again. Key words: Service quality, costumer’s satisfaction, trust, intention to come.
Mechanism of Riparian Vegetation Growth and Sediment Transport Interaction in Floodplain: A Dynamic Riparian Vegetation Model (DRIPVEM) Approach

The ecological dynamics of riparian areas interact with sediment transport in river systems, which plays an active role in riparian vegetation growth in the floodplain. The fluvial dynamics, hydraulics, hydro-meteorological and geomorphological characteristics of rivers are associated with sediment transport in river systems and around the riparian area. The flood disturbance, sediment with nutrients and seeds transported by river, sediment deposition, and erosion phenomena in the floodplain change the bare land area to vegetation area and vice versa. The difference in riparian vegetation area in the river floodplain is dependent on the sediment grain size distribution which is deposited in the river floodplain. Mathematical models describing vegetation growth in a short period exist in literature, but long-term modelling and validations are still lacking. In order to cover long-term vegetation growth modelling, a Dynamic Riparian Vegetation Model (DRIPVEM) was proposed. This paper highlights the existing modelling technique of DRIPVEM coupled with a Dynamic Herbaceous Model used to establish the interactive relationship of sediment grain sizes and riparian vegetation in the floodplain.
In Vitro Impact of FSH Glycosylation Variants on FSH Receptor-stimulated Signal Transduction and Functional Selectivity

Abstract FSH exists as different glycoforms that differ in glycosylation of the hormone-specific β-subunit. Tetra-glycosylated FSH (FSH24) and hypo-glycosylated FSH (FSH18/21) are the most abundant glycoforms found in humans. Employing distinct readouts in HEK293 cells expressing the FSH receptor, we compared signaling triggered by human pituitary FSH preparations (FSH18/21 and FSH24) as well as by equine FSH (eFSH), and human recombinant FSH (recFSH), each exhibiting distinct glycosylation patterns. The potency in eliciting cAMP production was greater for eFSH than for FSH18/21, FSH24, and recFSH, whereas in the ERK1/2 activation readout, potency was highest for FSH18/21 followed by eFSH, recFSH, and FSH24. In β-arrestin1/2 CRISPR/Cas9 HEK293-KO cells, FSH18/21 exhibited a preference toward β-arrestin-mediated ERK1/2 activation as revealed by a drastic decrease in pERK during the first 15-minute exposure to this glycoform. Exposure of β-arrestin1/2 KO cells to H89 additionally decreased pERK1/2, albeit to a significantly lower extent in response to FSH18/21. Concurrent silencing of β-arrestin and PKA signaling, incompletely suppressed pERK response to FSH glycoforms, suggesting that pathways other than those dependent on Gs-protein and β-arrestins also contribute to FSH-stimulated pERK1/2. All FSH glycoforms stimulated intracellular Ca2+ (iCa2+) accumulation through both influx from Ca2+ channels and release from intracellular stores; however, iCa2+ in response to FSH18/21 depended more on the latter, suggesting differences in mechanisms through which glycoforms promote iCa2+ accumulation. These data indicate that FSH glycosylation plays an important role in defining not only the intensity but also the functional selectivity for the mechanisms leading to activation of distinct signaling cascades.
Fully Convolutional Network for Consistent Voxel-Wise Correspondence

In this paper, we propose a fully convolutional network-based dense map from voxels to invertible pair of displacement vector fields regarding a template grid for the consistent voxel-wise correspondence. We parameterize the volumetric mapping using a convolutional network and train it in an unsupervised way by leveraging the spatial transformer to minimize the gap between the warped volumetric image and the template grid. Instead of learning the unidirectional map, we learn the nonlinear mapping functions for both forward and backward transformations. We introduce the combinational inverse constraints for the volumetric one-to-one maps, where the pairwise and triple constraints are utilized to learn the cycle-consistent correspondence maps between volumes. Experiments on both synthetic and clinically captured volumetric cone-beam CT (CBCT) images show that the proposed framework is effective and competitive against state-of-the-art deformable registration techniques.
The Role of Diffusion Weighted MR Imaging in Assessment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Radiofrequency Ablation

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy. Surgical resection and local ablative therapies represent the most frequent first lines therapies adopted when liver transplantation cannot be offered. Aim of the work: was to evaluate the feasibility of DWI and the corresponding ADC values to detect tumor response after radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma. Materials and methods: MR examinations were done for 20 HCC patients post-RFA. Pre and postgadolinium enhanced images as well as DW sequences were performed. ADC values of ablation zones and liver parenchyma were assessed. ADC values of ablation zones and adjacent signal alterations identified in DWI were analyzed. Results: Residual or recurrent lesions were detected in 4 patients (20%). The mean ADC value of ablated zones differed significantly from that of normal liver parenchyma. The corresponding ADC values were significantly lower in patients with residual lesion than in patients without residual lesion. Conclusion: It could be concluded thatDWI is a feasible follow-up tool for postablation liver contributing in detection of residual lesion.
NIGHT LIGHTS IN ECONOMICS: SOURCES AND USES1

Night lights, as detected by satellites, are increasingly used by economists, typically as a proxy for economic activity. The growing popularity of these data reflects either the absence, or the presumed inaccuracy, of more conventional economic statistics, like national or regional GDP. Further growth in use of night lights is likely, as they have been included in the AidData geo-query tool for providing sub-national data, and in geographic data that the Demographic and Health Survey links to anonymised survey enumeration areas. Yet this ease of obtaining night lights data may lead to inappropriate use, if users fail to recognize that most of the satellites providing these data were not designed to assist economists, and have features that may threaten validity of analyses based on these data, especially for temporal comparisons, and for small and rural areas. In this paper we review sources of satellite data on night lights, discuss issues with these data, and survey some of their uses in economics.
Exploring the indirect costs of a firm in business rescue

It may be argued that the indirect costs of financial distress are substantially higher than the direct costs. Consequently, indirect costs of participating in a formal turnaround may hinder the success of a reorganisation attempt. This study set out to explore the indirect costs financially distressed firms face as a consequence of participating in business rescue in South Africa. Due to the implicit nature of these costs, the focus was placed on investigating and identifying the sources of the indirect costs associated with business rescue. This study employed a qualitative research design, whereby semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 business rescue practitioners. The study confirmed that firms may experience six difficulties during business rescue. However, there are several factors that influence the severity of these difficulties. Conversely, it appears that indirect costs may also offer firms several benefits. The results of the study may assist affected parties, as they offer some insight and clarity on the indirect costs of business rescue. Understanding indirect costs may assist stakeholders involved in the process to find strategies that will help to preserve the value of the firm and reduce the negative impact for all stakeholders involved.
Validation of a Patient-Completed Caprini Risk Score for Venous Thromboembolism Risk Assessment

Abstract Introduction Individualized risk assessment for venous thromboembolism (VTE) using the Caprini risk score (CRS), coupled with targeted prophylaxis based on the score, is effective in reducing postoperative VTE. Critics contend that using this tool is time consuming for health care providers. We decided to create a patient-completed CRS and conducted a prospective study to compare the scores calculated by a patient with those calculated by a blinded physician for the same patient. Methods In phase 1, we interviewed patients in our deep vein thrombosis (DVT) support group who had a history of thrombosis and included their family members to determine areas of misunderstanding in the original CRS. We created a patient-completed form based on these interviews. In phase 2, we further optimized the questions after a CRS-trained, blinded physician scored 20 hospitalized patients during the pilot study. In the final (third) phase, we measured the agreement level between the new form filled out by the trained physicians and those filled out by the patients. The study was approved by our local institutional review board. Using PASS version 11, we determined that a sample size of 37 individuals achieves a power of 80%, to detect a 0.1 difference between the null hypothesis correlation of 0.5 and the alternative hypothesis correlation of 0.7 using a two-sided hypothesis test with a significance level of 0.05. We tabulated the individuals' answers and categorized the scores by using SPSS version 23 to estimate the kappa value, linear correlation, and the Bland–Altman test. A kappa value greater than 0.8 indicated an “almost perfect agreement. ” Results We tested the first patient-completed CRS version (phase 2) in a 20-patient pilot study. A poor agreement was observed with the body mass index (BMI) responses in multiple iterations, and so we excluded the BMI calculation from the final patient-completed CRS form. We recruited 42 patients with an average age of 55, mostly female (45%), who completed less than college education (62%) to fill out the updated CRS form (phase 3). An almost perfect agreement was found for both the individual questions and the overall score comparing physician and patient answers, resulting in a high correlation (r = 0.95). In Bland–Altman, we did not find any trend for extreme values. Conclusion We created and validated a patient-completed CRS form that has an excellent agreement level with the physician-completed form. From the results, the physician only needs to calculate the BMI. The average time for a patient to complete the form was 5 minutes. The average time for the physician to finalize the score was approximately 6 minutes. Implementation studies are needed to assess the correlation of the aggregated score, derived from this form, with the occurrence of perioperative VTE.
Validity and correlates of the Brief Satisfaction With Appearance Scale for patients with limited and diffuse systemic sclerosis: Analysis from the University of California, Los Angeles Scleroderma Quality of Life Study

Objective: The Brief Satisfaction With Appearance Scale measures two dimensions (Dissatisfaction with Appearance and Social Discomfort) of body image dissatisfaction in systemic sclerosis. This study examined the structural validity of the Brief Satisfaction With Appearance Scale across limited and diffuse systemic sclerosis subtypes, compared body image dissatisfaction by systemic sclerosis subtype, and identified the significant sociodemographic and medical correlates of body image dissatisfaction and whether they differed by subtype. Methods: Participants were 183 adults participating in the University of California, Los Angeles Scleroderma Quality of Life Study with limited cutaneous (n = 101) or diffuse cutaneous (n = 82) systemic sclerosis who received clinical examinations and completed questionnaires. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and structural equation modeling were used. Results: The Brief Satisfaction With Appearance Scale’s two-factor structure fit well for both subtypes. Patients with diffuse systemic sclerosis reported greater body image dissatisfaction on both factors than patients with limited disease. Greater Dissatisfaction with Appearance was associated with younger age and being unmarried for limited patients, and with younger age and increased finger/hand skin involvement for diffuse patients. Greater Social Discomfort was associated with younger age and being unmarried for both subtypes. Conclusion: The Brief Satisfaction With Appearance Scale scores can be meaningfully compared across limited and diffuse systemic sclerosis. Patients with diffuse disease reported more body image dissatisfaction than those with limited disease. Findings demonstrate that both medical and sociodemographic variables are associated with body image dissatisfaction in systemic sclerosis and can be used to identify which patients may be at increased risk for body image dissatisfaction.
Investigating the Effect of Trust Manipulations on Affect over Time in Human-Human versus Human-Robot Interactions

The current study explored the influence of trust and distrust behaviors on affect over time. We examined the differences in affect when participants (N=97) were paired with a human or a robot while playing a modified version of the investor game. Results indicated that there were no differences in affect between partner types when the partner performed a trustful behavior. When the partner performed a distrustful behavior, positive affect was higher for human partners than for robot partners. When robot partners performed a distrustful behavior, negative affect had a steeper incline compared to human partners. These findings suggest that people are more sensitive to distrust behaviors that are performed by a robot over a human.
A Novel SAR Sidelobe Suppression Method Based on CNN

Sidelobe suppression is a basic but important task for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, since the existing sidelobes can reduce the image quality and complicate image interpretation. The main task of sidelobe suppression is to suppress the sidelobes effectively while maintaining high image resolution and the mainlobe’s energy. However, the most effective method, robust spatially variant apodization (RSVA), still faces the problem of energy loss on cluttered targets caused by phase factors. This letter proposes an SAR sidelobe suppression method based on the convolutional neural network (CNN) to compensate for the energy loss in RSVA. The experiments on the SAR images show better performance on both sidelobe suppression evaluation metrics and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) preservation compared with conventional methods.
Who will rule the world in the future

Abstract New technologies are dramatically changing human civilization in a way few could have imagined even at the end of the 20th century. And yet, many things will change even more. Very soon, computer intelligence will surpass the abilities of the human brain, genetic research and regenerative medicine will create practically immortal genetically enhanced humans with super-intelligence and superpowers, and natural people will become a minority in the world of human cyborgs. In such a new world, the supremacy of humans will be disputed. This paper presents the issues arising from the mind controlled devices, pointing out those viewpoints which might completely destroy, and those which can preserve the equilibrium of the world we live in.
Characteristics of participants who benefit most from personalised nutrition: findings from the pan-European Food4Me randomised controlled trial

Abstract Little is known about who would benefit from Internet-based personalised nutrition (PN) interventions. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of participants who achieved greatest improvements (i.e. benefit) in diet, adiposity and biomarkers following an Internet-based PN intervention. Adults (n 1607) from seven European countries were recruited into a 6-month, randomised controlled trial (Food4Me) and randomised to receive conventional dietary advice (control) or PN advice. Information on dietary intake, adiposity, physical activity (PA), blood biomarkers and participant characteristics was collected at baseline and month 6. Benefit from the intervention was defined as ≥5 % change in the primary outcome (Healthy Eating Index) and secondary outcomes (waist circumference and BMI, PA, sedentary time and plasma concentrations of cholesterol, carotenoids and omega-3 index) at month 6. For our primary outcome, benefit from the intervention was greater in older participants, women and participants with lower HEI scores at baseline. Benefit was greater for individuals reporting greater self-efficacy for ‘sticking to healthful foods’ and who ‘felt weird if [they] didn’t eat healthily’. Participants benefited more if they reported wanting to improve their health and well-being. The characteristics of individuals benefiting did not differ by other demographic, health-related, anthropometric or genotypic characteristics. Findings were similar for secondary outcomes. These findings have implications for the design of more effective future PN intervention studies and for tailored nutritional advice in public health and clinical settings.
Exploiting feedback information in cognitive radio systems

School of Sciences and Engineering Electronics and Communications Engineering Department Doctor of Philosophy Exploiting Feedback Information in Cognitive Radio Systems by Sara Abozeid Attlla In this thesis, we consider a cognitive radio (CR) network where the primary network’s feedback information is utilized to design access schemes for the secondary network, to exploit the underutilized primary spectrum resources. Secondary users (SUs) identify the spectrum opportunities by sensing the spectrum for primary users (PUs) activities and by listening to the PUs feedback. The feedback signals monitored in this research work are the channel quality indicator (CQI) and automatic repeat request (ARQ) available in the PUs network. For detecting the PUs activities, SUs employ hard/soft energy sensing. The secondary access decisions are optimized to maximize the SUs service rate while maintaining the PUs queues’ stability. The proposed systems are modeled as multi-dimensional Markov chains (MCs) that capture the number of packets in the PUs queues and the state of the one/two observed PUs’ feedback signals. The performance of the proposed systems are evaluated by deriving the SUs service rate and the average PUs packet delay. We compare the performance of the proposed systems with other baseline systems utilizing different types of PUs’ feedback signals. Results reveal the improvement in the SUs service rate and the PUs’ delay of the proposed systems compared to the baseline systems. This improvement is mainly due to the fact that in our proposed system SUs have access to extra information, in terms of PUs feedback, as compared to
Dynamics of a Diffusive Two-Prey-One-Predator Model with Nonlocal Intra-Specific Competition for Both the Prey Species

Investigation of interacting populations is an active area of research, and various modeling approaches have been adopted to describe their dynamics. Mathematical models of such interactions using differential equations are capable to mimic the stationary and oscillating (regular or irregular) population distributions. Recently, some researchers have paid their attention to explain the consequences of transient dynamics of population density (especially the long transients) and able to capture such behaviors with simple models. Existence of multiple stationary patches and settlement to a stable distribution after a long quasi-stable transient dynamics can be explained by spatiotemporal models with nonlocal interaction terms. However, the studies of such interesting phenomena for three interacting species are not abundant in literature. Motivated by these facts here we have considered a three species prey–predator model where the predator is generalist in nature as it survives on two prey species. Nonlocalities are introduced in the intra-specific competition terms for the two prey species in order to model the accessibility of nearby resources. Using linear analysis, we have derived the Turing instability conditions for both the spatiotemporal models with and without nonlocal interactions. Validation of such conditions indicates the possibility of existence of stationary spatially heterogeneous distributions for all the three species. Existence of long transient dynamics has been presented under certain parametric domain. Exhaustive numerical simulations reveal various scenarios of stabilization of population distribution due to the presence of nonlocal intra-specific competition for the two prey species. Chaotic oscillation exhibited by the temporal model is significantly suppressed when the populations are allowed to move over their habitat and prey species can access the nearby resources.