Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sparse Isotropic Hashing

This paper address the problem of binary coding of real vectors for efficient similarity computations. It has been argued that orthogonal transformation of center-subtracted vectors followed by sign function produces binary codes which well preserve similarities in the original space, especially when orthogonally transformed vectors have covariance matrix with equal diagonal elements. We propose a simple hashing algorithm that can orthogonally transform an arbitrary covariance matrix to the one with equal diagonal elements. We further expand this method to make the projection matrix sparse, which yield faster coding. It is demonstrated that proposed methods have comparable level of similarity preservation to the existing methods.
The bacteriology of discharging ear (otitis media) amongst children in Owerri, Imo State, South East Nigeria.

The prevalence of causative agents of acute otitis media amongst children in some parts of Owerri, Imo State - Nigeria was investigated, between the months of September and December, 2012 using standard microbiological methods. One hundred and fifty two swabs from ear discharge were collected from children under 12 years of age. The results revealed that 128 (84.2%) were positive for bacterial growth while 24 (15.8%) had no growth. The predominant organisms isolated included Pseudomonas aeruginosa (37.5%), Staphylococcus aureus (23.4%), Proteus species (12.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (7.8%), Escherichia coli (7.8%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (7.8%). Antibiotic susceptibility tests revealed that all the isolates were multiresistant to six or more of the tested antibiotics while the most prevalent organisms were susceptible to gentamycin, chloramphenicol and cotrimoxazole. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis were susceptible to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. All the isolates were resistant to amoxicilline/clavulanate spectinomycin and ofloxacin (except Staphylococcus aureus ). Therefore, chloramphenicol, gentamycin, cotrimoxazole ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin, are
Joint Source-Channel Video Transmission

This book deals with the problem of joint source-channel video transmission, i.e., the joint optimal allocation of resources at the application layer and the other network layers, such as data rate adaptation, channel coding, power adaptation in wireless networks, quality of service (QoS) support from the network, and packet scheduling, for efficient video transmission. Real-time video communication applications, such as videoconferencing, video telephony, and on-demand video streaming, have gained increased popularity. However, a key problem in video transmission over the existing Internet and wireless networks is the incompatibility between the nature of the network conditions and the QoS requirements (in terms, for example, of bandwidth, delay, and packet loss) of real-time video applications. To deal with this incompatibility, a natural approach is to adapt the end-system to the network. The joint source-channel coding approach aims to efficiently perform content-aware cross-layer resource allocation, thus increasing the communication efficiency of multiple network layers. Our purpose in this book is to review the basic elements of the state-of-the-art approaches toward joint source-channel video transmission for wired and wireless systems. In this book, we present a general resource-distortion optimization framework, which is used throughout the book to guide our discussions on various techniques of joint source-channel video transmission. In this framework, network resources from multiple layers are assigned to each video packet according to its level of importance. It provides not only an optimization benchmark against which the performance of other sub-optimal systems can be evaluated, but also a useful tool for assessing the effectiveness of different error control components in practical system design. This book is therefore written to be accessible to researchers, expert industrial R&D engineers, and university students who are interested in the cut ing edge technologies in joint source-channel video transmission. Contents: Introduction / Elements of a Video Communication System / Joint Source-Channel Coding / Error-Resilient Video Coding / Channel Modeling and Channel Coding / Internet Video Transmission / Wireless Video Transmission / Conclusions
An Evaluation of the International Graduate Teaching Assistants Training Program

The increase in both diversity and globalization in institutions requires the development of instructors’ cross-cultural competencies to effectively work in international assignments and on cross cultural teams. Effective training and exposure to cultural differences around the world helps instructors learn to be more successful in a variety of class settings. To work effectively with diverse people, managers need to know about the culture of the person with whom they are interacting, in addition to information about their personality, behavior patterns in conflict situations, demographics, and life experiences (Triandis & Singelis, 1998). In class settings, trainers and instructors are managers and therefore need such skills and knowledge of their students. These skills improve the decision-making and problem-solving abilities. Cross-cultural training has long been proposed as an anticipatory mechanism to increase cultural adjustments to foreign cultures (Mendenhall & Oddou, 1985; Tsung, 1981). These days, many institutions provide cultural awareness training and pedagogical skills to instructors, teaching assistants included, to assist them to better deal with the diversity in classrooms. Problem Statement The plight of teaching assistants is taking center stage as more universities rely on international students as teaching assistants to assist faculty in providing instruction. Graduate teaching assistants’ (GTAs) roles are enormous, ranging from conducting research, teaching, problem solving, moderating discussions and laboratory supervision. However, teaching in a multicultural classroom is one challenge the graduate teaching assistants face. Problems relating to cross-cultural communication and cultural differences often arise in a multicultural classroom due to different cultural myths and beliefs. Particularly for international students whose native languages are not English, teaching in a foreign environment and using a foreign language can be very difficult unless one has the necessary preparation. International GTAs are primarily students; they have research papers and assignments to write, and some are parents, essentially, citizen-students. This situation brings in the challenge of juggling between different roles. Being a teaching assistant can at times be demanding and stressful, especially if one lacks classroom management skills and knowledge of the cultural differences and must handle large classes. Therefore there is a need to train the international graduate teaching assistants. Such training programs, if properly conducted, reduce anxiety or confusion that is often common when teaching without necessary preparation. Furthermore, an evaluation of the program is needed to determine success of training programs for international graduate teaching assistants in accomplishing program objectives, and to identify strengths and weaknesses in the HRD process (Philips, 1997).
Data Protection from Insider Threats

As data represent a key asset for today's organizations, the problem of how to protect this data from theft and misuse is at the forefront of these organizations' minds. Even though today several data security techniques are available to protect data and computing infrastructures, many such techniques -- such as firewalls and network security tools -- are unable to protect data from attacks posed by those working on an organization's "inside. " These "insiders" usually have authorized access to relevant information systems, making it extremely challenging to block the misuse of information while still allowing them to do their jobs. This book discusses several techniques that can provide effective protection against attacks posed by people working on the inside of an organization. Chapter One introduces the notion of insider threat and reports some data about data breaches due to insider threats. Chapter Two covers authentication and access control techniques, and Chapter Three shows how these general security techniques can be extended and used in the context of protection from insider threats. Chapter Four addresses anomaly detection techniques that are used to determine anomalies in data accesses by insiders. These anomalies are often indicative of potential insider data attacks and therefore play an important role in protection from these attacks. Security information and event management (SIEM) tools and fine-grained auditing are discussed in Chapter Five. These tools aim at collecting, analyzing, and correlating -- in real-time -- any information and event that may be relevant for the security of an organization. As such, they can be a key element in finding a solution to such undesirable insider threats. Chapter Six goes on to provide a survey of techniques for separation-of-duty (SoD). SoD is an important principle that, when implemented in systems and tools, can strengthen data protection from malicious insiders. However, to date, very few approaches have been proposed for implementing SoD in systems. In Chapter Seven, a short survey of a commercial product is presented, which provides different techniques for protection from malicious users with system privileges -- such as a DBA in database management systems. Finally, in Chapter Eight, the book concludes with a few remarks and additional research directions. Table of Contents: Introduction / Authentication / Access Control / Anomaly Detection / Security Information and Event Management and Auditing / Separation of Duty / Case Study: Oracle Database Vault / Conclusion
An Exploration of the Experiences of Community Integration for Older Adults with Mental Health Issues

ii I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. Community integration is vital for older adults with mental health issues, both as a process and as an outcome. The process of deinstitutionalization has made community integration a primary concern for these individuals. Many researchers recognize the significant lack of community resources that have been established in order to accommodate individuals with mental health issues in the community practitioners alike, however, lack a thorough understanding of the factors that contribute to the successful and lasting community reintegration of older adults with mental health issues. The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth analysis of the experience of community integration for older adults with mental health issues. The study was guided by the conceptual framework of phenomenology, focusing on the lived experiences of these individuals (Patton, 2002). Utilizing qualitative methods, data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, oral member checks and the maintenance of a reflexive journal. Participants in the study were five older adults who had been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, had received treatment on an inpatient geriatric psychiatry unit, and had returned to their homes in the community upon discharge from the hospital. The findings suggest that being healthy and concomitantly maintaining independence played a key role in the process of community integration for these older adults. Independence, from the perspective of these individuals was quite different from the definitions of independence commonly used in North American society. The older adults in this study did not adhere to the principles of autonomy and individualism in relation to independence. Instead, they accepted a certain degree of dependence in order to prevent or avoid future disability, relapse, and readmission to hospital. A number of factors contributed to their independence, both positively and negatively, including: being healthy; social support; a smooth transition from hospital to community; maintaining feelings of self-worth; solitude; the power of knowledge; feelings of burden; and managing stress. These findings point to an emerging model of community integration that incorporates the concepts of empowerment, recovery, inclusion, and independence. The experience of independence, as described by these individuals, evoked feelings of empowerment and was strongly associated with the concept of recovery. For these older adults, …
Case-Based Reasoning: A Concise Introduction

Case-based reasoning is a methodology with a long tradition in artificial intelligence that brings together reasoning and machine learning techniques to solve problems based on past experiences or cases. Given a problem to be solved, reasoning involves the use of methods to retrieve similar past cases in order to reuse their solution for the problem at hand. Once the problem has been solved, learning methods can be applied to improve the knowledge based on past experiences. In spite of being a broad methodology applied in industry and services, case-based reasoning has often been forgotten in both artificial intelligence and machine learning books. The aim of this book is to present a concise introduction to case-based reasoning providing the essential building blocks for the designing of case-based reasoning systems, as well as to bring together the main research lines in this field to encourage students to solve current CBR challenges.
Adjusting for Perception and Unmasking Effects in Longitudinal Clinical Trials

A blinded clinical trial design requires masking of patients to prevent measurement of their outcome from being influenced by knowledge of treatment assignment. However, during the course of a trial, some patients may be practically unmasked either due to experiencing treatment related side effects in the treatment arm, or lack of efficacy in the placebo arm. In a recent paper, we introduced concepts of perception, unmasking, and placebo effects for point treatment studies. In this paper, we generalize these concepts to longitudinal studies, and use recent advancements in causal inference and semi-parametric efficient estimation to define and estimate perception and unmasking effects. This allows differentiation of the impact on measured outcomes of `early‘ versus `late‘ unmasking. In particular, two semi-parametric, substitution methods, one based only on the prediction model (G-computation) and an augmented version of that model for targeted bias-reduction (Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation; TMLE), are used for estimation of perception and treatment effects. We motivate our discussion by analyzing data from a recent longitudinal study on the effect of gabapentin on pain among diabetic patients experiencing painful neuropathy.
Deadly Radon in Montana? A Brief Note

A recent headline in a Montana newspaper read that a professor there was about to embark on a study on “deadly radon” in Montana (Schontzler, 2010). To check the veracity of the claim, that radon is deadly in Montana, the author ecologically compares lung cancer death rates in Montana counties having different radon levels.
Measures of glycemic control:: do we need more than HbA1c?

EASD 2009 Vienna: “Is 1,5 AnhydroGlucitol associated with malondialdehyde a marker for oxidative stress? ” On behalf of the ADAG study group. J.C. Kuenen, R. Borg, P.G. Scheffer, T. Teerlink, H. Zheng D. Schoenfeld, E. Button D.M. Nathan, M. Diamant, R.J. Heine. EASD 2009 Vienna: “Assessing postprandial hyperglycaemia and glucose variability. The ADAG study” R. Borg, J.C. Kuenen, B. Carstensen, D. R. Witte, J. Nerup. ADA 2009 New Orleans: HbA1c and Mean Blood Glucose Show Stronger Association to CVD Risk Factors Than Postprandial Glycemia or Glucose Variability. Abstract type: oral. R. Borg, J.C. Kuenen, B. Carstensen, D.R. Witte, J. Nerup, H. Zheng, R.J. Heine, D.M. Nathan. ADA 2009 New Orleans: 1,5 AnhydroGlucitol Concentrations and measures of glucose control and glucose variability. On behalf of the ADAG study group J.C. Kuenen, R. Borg, E.A. Button, H. Zheng, D.M. Nathan, P.J. Kostense, M.Diamant, R.J. Heine. EASD 2008 Rome: Does glucose variability influence HbA1c levels in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients? On behalf of the ADA/EASD/IDF working group on the ADAG study. ADA 2008 San Francisco: Does glucose variability influence HbA1c levels in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients? On behalf of the ADA/EASD/IDF working group on the ADAG study. Publications and Presentations 251 Internisten dagen 2008: A young woman with an unusual complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus. J.C. Kuenen, A.J.N. Dressel, T.C. M.A. Schreuder, E. Bloemena, R.P.L.M. Hoogma, M. Diamant, VU University Medical Center. Internisten dagen 2005: Continuous Intraperitoneal Insulin Infusion (CIPII) in a type I diabetic patient non-responsive to subcutaneous insulin therapy. S. Simsek, J.C. Kuenen, I.E. v/d Horst-Bruinsma, H.A. Delemarre-vd Waal, R.J. Heine. VU University Medical Center. NIV dagen 2002: Value of various laboratory parameters for diagnosing iron-deficiency anemia in hospitalized patients. A. van Tellingen, J.C. Kuenen, H. van Tinteren, W.L. E. Vasmel.
A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF FACIAL FRACTURE ETIOLOGIES

Because of its close anatomic relations with nosal and oral cavitis, the maxillary sinus is the place of most frequent inflammatory diseases of all paranasal sinuses. Introduction: The aim of this study was to establish differences in etiology and treatment of rhinogenic and odontogenic maxillary sinusitis. Materials and methods: In this study, we analyzed the etiology, clinical characteristics of the disease, x-ray findings, clinical course and treatment of 188 cases, which were diagnosed and treated as odontogenic or rhinogenic maxillary sinusitis in the Departments of Maxillofacial surgery and Otorhinolaringology - "St. Anna" Hospital, Sofia from 2005 to 2010. Patients were divided according to age and sex. Data was systematized and analyzed. Results: This study clearly showed that rhinogenic diseases of maxillary sinus are three times more frequent than odontogenic diseases. Also the etiology of odontogenic sinusitis most often is due to mistakes in the treatment of the upper teeth (alien corpuses, perforation after extraction), which is completely different from rhinogenic sinusitis. In the surgical treatment of rhinogenic maxillary sinusitis usually endonasal polypectomy was followed by operation according to Caldwell-Luc or functional sinus endoscopy. During the surgical treatment of odontogenic sinusitis the most frequent intervention was surgical plastic of oral-antral communication with mucogingival vestibular flap followed by operation according to Caldwell-Luck what is different from the treatment of rhinogenic sinusitis. Conclusion: Maxillary sinus often suffers from inflammatory diseases and should always be examined carefully by means of anamnesis, clinic exam and x-rays to identify its origin. Upper teeth should be treated carefully in everyday's dental practice to avoid being cause of sinusitis.
Results of an Intervention to Reduce Perinatal Depression Among Low-Income Minority Women in Community Primary Care

Abstract With little past research on interventions to reduce perinatal depression among minority women, we tested a multicomponent psychosocial intervention that spanned the puerperium. We recruited 187 low-income African American and Hispanic women from three innercity community health centers. Women with depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to a multicomponent psychosocial intervention or to the usual health center social services. The two intervention conditions were equally effective in reducing depression. Lack of difference may be due to the similarity of the two treatment conditions and logistical barriers in delivering full “doses” of the specialized intervention. Continued research to identify characteristics of effective interventions during pregnancy and postpartum is recommended.
LEUKOCYTE-DEPENDENT HISTAMINE RELEASE FROM RABBIT PLATELETS

We have studied the leukocyte-dependent mechanism of histamine release (LDHR) from rabbit platelets, a complement-independent mechanism which has been implicated in the deposition of immune complexes in acute serum sickness of rabbits. It was found by chromatography and passive transfer of serum from immunized rabbits that the antibody responsible for the LDHR was of IgE type. By electron microscope study of the reaction, the leukocyte involved in agglutination of platelets and release of their histamine content was identified as the basophil. Upon addition of antigen, basophils sensitized with IgE degranulated, released their histamine content and a platelet-activating factor (PAF) that caused aggregation of platelets and release of their histamine. Conditions of preparing and preserving PAF activity and some properties of this factor have been elucidated. LDHR must, therefore, be considered as an immediate hypersensitivity-type mechanism which may link allergic reactions with immunologic disease associated with severe structural injury.
Single Dose of Dietary Supplement Nutrex Lipo-6 Black® Limits the Post Exercise Hypotension Induced by Aerobic Exercise in Young Adults

Abstract: Objective : to evaluate the blood pressure (BP) behavior and sympathetic activity in response to an aerobic exercise session after taking a dose of Nutrex Lipo-6 Black ® . Methods : This randomized, placebo-controlled study utilized seventeen subjects, divided in supplementation (n=10, 26.5±5.3 years) and placebo groups (n=7, 22.4±2.8 years). They ingested a dose of Nutrex Lipo-6 Black ® (containing synephrine, caffeine, yohimbine and diiodine) or placebo and underwent a session of 40min of aerobic exercise of moderate intensity. Heart rate (HR), BP and cardiac autonomic balance (measured by heart rate variability) (CANA) were monitored at baseline, 30min after supplementation, at the end of the exercise and every 10min during a recovery period of 30min. Results : After 30min of intake, Nutrex Lipo-6 Black ® and placebo groups exhibited HR, BP and CANA similar to each other and in relation to the pre-supplementation moment. At the end of the exercise all variables showed a rise in relation to rest, but without statistical difference between groups (p>0,05). Moreover, at 30min of recovery, the Nutrex Lipo-6 Black ® group presented with diastolic hypertensive response (increase of 4.2 mmHg) and a discrete post-exercise hypotension only to systolic pressure (-0.2 mmHg) relative to the pre-supplementation, while the placebo group showed evident both systolic and diastolic hypotension (-6.3 and -0.5 mmHg, respectively). HR and CANA were similar to pre-supplementation at this time. Conclusion : single dose of Nutrex Lipo-6 Black ® is able to limit the benefits of an exercise session in reducing BP, even without affecting the resting conditions of BP and CANA.
Language networks in children: evidence from functional MRI studies.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to review functional MRI and other neuroimaging studies of language skills in children from infancy to adulthood. CONCLUSION Functional MRI (fMRI) and other neuroimaging studies show developmental changes in the networks of brain regions supporting language, which can be affected by brain injuries or neurologic disorders. Particular aspects of language rely on networks that lateralize to the dominant hemisphere; others rely on bilateral or nondominant mechanisms. Multiple fMRI tasks for pediatric patients characterize functional brain reorganization that may accompany language deficits.