Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of selected data mining algorithms implemented in Medical Decision Support Systems

The goal of this master’s thesis is to identify and evaluate data mining algorithms which are commonly implemented in modern Medical Decision Support Systems (MDSS). They are used in various healthcare units all over the world. These institutions store large amounts of medical data. This data may contain relevant medical information hidden in various patterns buried among the records. Within the research several popular MDSS’s are analyzed in order to determine the most common data mining algorithms utilized by them. Three algorithms have been identified: Naive Bayes, Multilayer Perceptron and C4.5. Prior to the very analyses the algorithms are calibrated. Several testing configurations are tested in order to determine the best setting for the algorithms. Afterwards, an ultimate comparison of the algorithms orders them with respect to their performance. The evaluation is based on a set of performance metrics. The analyses are conducted in WEKA on five UCI medical datasets: breast cancer, hepatitis, heart disease, dermatology disease, diabetes. The analyses have shown that it is very difficult to name a single data mining algorithm to be the most suitable for the medical data. The results gained for the algorithms were very similar. However, the final evaluation of the outcomes allowed singling out the Naive Bayes to be the best classifier for the given domain. It was followed by the Multilayer Perceptron and the C4.5.
The Impact of Federal Emergency Management Legislation on At-Risk and Vulnerable Populations for Disaster Preparedness and Response

The Impact of Federal Emergency Management Legislation on At-Risk and Vulnerable Populations for Disaster Preparedness and Response by Joseph Catalino, Jr MPA, Walden University, 2009 MSA, Central Michigan University, 2005 BS, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, 2000 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University April 2015 Abstract It is well documented that in the aftermath of a natural or human caused disaster, certainIt is well documented that in the aftermath of a natural or human caused disaster, certain at-risk and vulnerable populations suffer significantly more than do other population groups. As a result, Congress enacted the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA) in part to address deficiencies in providing aid to vulnerable populations, though little is known if the PKEMRA has resulted as it was intended. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to assess the impact of the PKEMRA on addressing emergency preparedness deficits related to at-risk and vulnerable populations. The theoretical framework followed Howard’s conceptualization of game and drama theory. The research questions focused on the extent to which the PKEMRA recommendations improved disaster lifecycle outcomes for at-risk and vulnerable groups in Orleans Parish, LA between Hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Isaac in 2012. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews of 5 emergency managers with knowledge and experience local to Orleans Parish, LA. Interview data were systematically reviewed using inductive coding and categorized for thematic analysis. Key study findings indicated that the improvements made to family location registries, evacuation procedures, and disaster resources for these populations in Orleans Parish were not a result of the PKEMRA, but of the state and local emergency agencies without input from the federal government. This study contributes to social change by promoting greater transparency of federal programs targeting at-risk and vulnerable populations, making direct recommendations to use Orleans Parish as a relevant example to address the needs of these populations. Such a review will serve as an exportable model for similar communities across the country. The Impact of Federal Emergency Management Legislation on At-Risk and Vulnerable Populations for Disaster Preparedness and Response by Joseph Catalino, Jr MPA, Walden University, 2009 MSA, Central Michigan University, 2005 BS, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, 2000 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration
Towards quality of model-based testing in the ioco framework

Since testing is an expensive process, automatic testing with smart test selection has been proposed as a way to reduce such expense. Such a selection of tests can be done using specification coverage functions. Model-based ioco theory, however, uses test suites which are not suitable for easy computation of coverage because of interdependence of their test cases. We define a new test suite that overcomes such problems. Using such a test suite we cast the test selection problem to a specification selection problem that aims at transforming the model to which a system under test must conform, in order to reduce the set of test cases. We give a canonical representation for the newly defined test suite.
Statistical Methods for User and Team Identification in Multiplayer Games

We present a new machine learning approach to detect collusion in networked games. Our approach analyzes logs of selected game events as observed at the game server. We tested our approach in multiplayer Quake III Arena games, with promising results. In particular, we report the results of applying our approach in both standard game modes and in a game mode that we crafted in order to make collusion detection more difficult. Our approach accurately identified player collusions in all but one game mode, including the one we crafted. We further examine reasons for the failure of our detection mechanism in the cases where it failed. CR Categories: I.5. 2 [Pattern Recognition]: Design Methodology—Classifier Design and Evaluation; H.5. 3 [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: Group and Organization Interfaces—Collaborative Computing—Synchronous Interaction; K.8. 0 [Personal Computing]: General—Games
Residential concentration and marital behaviors of Muslim Chinese

This article examines how the marital behaviors of Hui Muslims respond to varying residential concentrations of Hui. Specifically, the marriage patterns indicating responses to local demographic availability of marriageable Hui and adherence to two Islamic norms – universal marriage and endogamy – were explored. Marriage market conditions were measured by local concentrations of Hui and we estimate discrete-time hazard models of marital outcomes using the China 2005 1% inter-census survey. The results show that in places with higher Hui concentrations, Hui tend to have higher marriage rates, to marry earlier, and to marry more endogamously. Conditional on being married, the logged odds of exogamy over endogamy are significantly lower in places with higher Hui concentrations; nevertheless, if exogamy is treated as an alternative to being single, the coefficient of the logged odds of exogamy over being single is significantly negative only for women. This suggests coexistence and competition between the two Islamic norms. Moreover, women have consistently higher marriage rates than men, regardless of Hui concentration. This suggests that women are universally more strictly constrained by the norm of universal marriage than men are. However, men show more variation in marriage rates, suggesting that they are more responsive to changes in Hui concentrations. Men and women are equally restricted by the norm of endogamy.
Molecular dynamics simulations of glassy polymers

We review recent results from computer simulation studies of polymer glasses, from the chain dynamics around the glass transition temperature Tg to the mechanical behaviour below Tg. These results clearly show that modern computer simulations are able to address and give clear answers to some important issues in the field, in spite of the obvious limitations in terms of length and time scales. In the present review we discuss the cooling rate effects, and the dynamic slowing down of different relaxation processes when approaching Tg for both model and chemistry-specific polymer glasses. The impact of geometric confinement on the glass transition is discussed in detail. We also show that computer simulations are very useful tools to study structure and mechanical response of glassy polymers. The influence of large deformations on mechanical behaviour of polymer glasses in general, and strain hardening effect in particular are reviewed. Finally, we suggest some directions for future research, which we believe will be soon within the capabilities of state of the art computer simulations, and correspond to problems of fundamental interest.
Connectivity Damage to a Graph by the Removal of an Edge or a Vertex

The approach of quantifying the damage inflicted on a graph in Albert, Jeong and Barabasi's (AJB) report "Error and Attack Tolerance of Complex Networks" using the size of the largest connected compo- nent and the average size of the remaining components does not capture our intuitive idea of the damage to a graph caused by disconnections. We evaluate an alternative metric based on average inverse path lengths (AIPLs) that better fits our intuition that a graph can still be reasonably functional even when it is disconnected. We compare our metric with AJB's using a test set of graphs and report the differences. AJB's report should not be confused with a report by Crucitti et al. with the same name. Based on our analysis of graphs of different sizes and types, and using various numerical and statistical tools; the ratio of the average inverse path lengths of a connected graph of the same size as the sum of the size of the fragments of the disconnected graph can be used as a metric about the damage of a graph by the removal of an edge or a node. This damage is reported in the range (0,1) where 0 means that the removal had no effect on the graph's capability to perform its functions. A 1 means that the graph is totally dysfunctional. We exercise our metric on a collection of sample graphs that have been subjected to various attack profiles that focus on edge, node or degree betweenness values. We believe that this metric can be used to quantify the damage done to the graph by an attacker, and that it can be used in evaluating the positive effect of adding additional edges to an existing graph.
Duox, Flotillin-2, and Src42A Are Required to Activate or Delimit the Spread of the Transcriptional Response to Epidermal Wounds in Drosophila

The epidermis is the largest organ of the body for most animals, and the first line of defense against invading pathogens. A breach in the epidermal cell layer triggers a variety of localized responses that in favorable circumstances result in the repair of the wound. Many cellular and genetic responses must be limited to epidermal cells that are close to wounds, but how this is regulated is still poorly understood. The order and hierarchy of epidermal wound signaling factors are also still obscure. The Drosophila embryonic epidermis provides an excellent system to study genes that regulate wound healing processes. We have developed a variety of fluorescent reporters that provide a visible readout of wound-dependent transcriptional activation near epidermal wound sites. A large screen for mutants that alter the activity of these wound reporters has identified seven new genes required to activate or delimit wound-induced transcriptional responses to a narrow zone of cells surrounding wound sites. Among the genes required to delimit the spread of wound responses are Drosophila Flotillin-2 and Src42A, both of which are transcriptionally activated around wound sites. Flotillin-2 and constitutively active Src42A are also sufficient, when overexpressed at high levels, to inhibit wound-induced transcription in epidermal cells. One gene required to activate epidermal wound reporters encodes Dual oxidase, an enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide. We also find that four biochemical treatments (a serine protease, a Src kinase inhibitor, methyl-ß-cyclodextrin, and hydrogen peroxide) are sufficient to globally activate epidermal wound response genes in Drosophila embryos. We explore the epistatic relationships among the factors that induce or delimit the spread of epidermal wound signals. Our results define new genetic functions that interact to instruct only a limited number of cells around puncture wounds to mount a transcriptional response, mediating local repair and regeneration.
Ju n 20 06 PENCILS OF PLANE CURVES AND CHARACTERISTIC VARIETIES

We give a geometric approach to the relation between the irreducible components of the characteristic varieties of local systems on a plane curve arrangement complement and the associated pencils of plane curves discovered recently by M. Falk and S. Yuzvinsky [10] in the case of line arrangements. In this case, this geometric point of view was already hinted to by A. Libgober and S. Yuzvinsky, see [15], Section 7.
LOX-1, OxLDL, and Atherosclerosis

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) contributes to the atherosclerotic plaque formation and progression by several mechanisms, including the induction of endothelial cell activation and dysfunction, macrophage foam cell formation, and smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation. Vascular wall cells express on their surface several scavenger receptors that mediate the cellular effects of OxLDL. The lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) is the main OxLDL receptor of endothelial cells, and it is expressed also in macrophages and smooth muscle cells. LOX-1 is almost undetectable under physiological conditions, but it is upregulated following the exposure to several proinflammatory and proatherogenic stimuli and can be detected in animal and human atherosclerotic lesions. The key contribution of LOX-1 to the atherogenic process has been confirmed in animal models; LOX-1 knockout mice exhibit reduced intima thickness and inflammation and increased expression of protective factors; on the contrary, LOX-1 overexpressing mice present an accelerated atherosclerotic lesion formation which is associated with increased inflammation. In humans, LOX-1 gene polymorphisms were associated with increased susceptibility to myocardial infarction. Inhibition of the LOX-1 receptor with chemicals or antisense nucleotides is currently being investigated and represents an emerging approach for controlling OxLDL-LOX-1 mediated proatherogenic effects.
2016 Ieee International Conference on Big Data (big Data) Fast Distributed K-nn Graph Update

—In this paper, we present an approximate algorithm that is able to quickly modify a large distributed k-nn graph by adding or removing nodes. The algorithm produces an approximate graph that is highly similar to the graph computed using a naïve approach, although it requires the computation of far fewer similarities. To achieve this goal, it relies on a novel, distributed graph based search procedure. All these algorithms are also experimentally evaluated, using both euclidean and non-euclidean datasets.
A Logical View of Effects

Despite their invaluable contribution to the programming language community, monads as a foundation for the study of effects have three problems: they make it difficult to combine effects; they enforce sequentialization of computations by the syntax; they prohibit effect-free evaluations from invoking effectful computations. Building on the judgmental formulation and the possible worlds interpretation of modal logic, we propose a logical analysis of effects based upon the view monads are not identified with effects. Our analysis leads to a language called λ→© which distinguishes between control effects and world effects, enforces sequentialization of computations only by the semantics, and logically explains the invocation of computations from evaluations. λ→© also serves as a unified framework for studying Haskell and ML, which have traditionally been studied separately.
College Choices of Academically Able Students: The Influence of No-Need Financial Aid and Other Factors (Research Monograph No 10)

College preferences and choices of a sample of high-ability high school seniors applying to colleges in spring 1984 were studied to determine the award of no-need (merit) aid to the students and the degree to which such aid influences college choices, in relation to other factors. A multistage model of college choice behavior was employed that focuses on perception formation, preference judgment formation, and choice. The study is based on a national probability sample of 2,000 high-ability high school seniors who had taken the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Students were contacted before and after the actual college choice decision. A total of 1,183 students who had applied to at least two colleges were surveyed by mail and interviewed. Sixty-four percent of these students, received at least one offer of financial aid. Results indicate that most colleges consider a student's academic ability in determining whether a student receives financial aid and the size of the aid package. Monetary factors were important to college choice; however, the primary determinant of college choice was perceived college quality. Appendices include information on the multinomial logit model, the mail questionnaire, and the interview schedule. (SW) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************4************************************************* College Choices of Academically Able Students:The Influence of No-Need Financial Aid and Other Factors Randall G. Chapman and Rex Jackson 'PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL IN MICROFICHE ONLY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION COce d Educetional Research arid Movement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) taredocument hea been mproduced as received from the WWI or organization originating it. O Minor changes have been made to improve repeoduchtm quaMT College Choices of Academically Able Students The Influence of No-Need Financial Aid and Other Fators Research Monograph No. 10 by Randall G. Chapman University of Alberta
Bicarbonate addition promotes coral growth

The addition of 2 mM bicarbonate to aquaria containing tropical ocean water and branches of Porites porites caused a doubling of the skeletal growth rate of the coral. Nitrate or ammonium addition (20 mM) to oligotrophic seawater caused a significant reduction in coral growth, but when seawater containing the extra bicarbonate was supplemented with combined nitrogen, no depression of the higher growth rate was evident. We infer that (1) the present dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) content of the ocean limits coral growth, (2) this limitation is exacerbated by nitrate and ammonium, and (3) adding DIC increases coral calcification rates and confers protection against nutrient enrichment. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) is used by all hard corals for growth of CaCO3 skeletons. Hermatypic corals (reefbuilding corals that harbor zooxanthellae) also require DIC for photosynthesis. Until recently, the general view has been that, at concentrations greater than 2 mM, DIC in seawater is in ample supply compared with other essential solutes such as nitrate and phosphate and trace elements such as iron, zinc, and silicon. There is, however, a growing awareness (Raven 1993) that the supply of DIC limits photosynthesis in planktonic algae, seagrasses (Beer and Rehnberg 1997), coccolithophores (Merrett et al. 1993; Israel and Gonzales 1996), and macroalgae (Johnston et al. 1992). Several authors (Muscatine et al. 1989b; Weis et al. 1989; Dubinsky et al. 1990; Lesser et al. 1994) have speculated on DIC limitation in coral. The only study that tested experimentally the effect of adding DIC (Burris et al. 1983) focused only on photosynthesis and was inconclusive.
Effect of Aldose Reductase Inhibition on Interleukin-1β-Induced Nitric Oxide (NO) Synthesis in Vascular Tissue

Glucose metabolism via sorbitol pathway has been implicated as a possible contributor to the diabetes-related vascular changes. Nitric oxide plays a major regulatory role in the vascular dilatatory and constricted response. Also it has been observed that diabetes causes vascular changes leading to a decrease in nitric oxide production. Additionally the accumulation of sorbitol is also related to decreased nitric oxide production. In the present study we investigated the effect of normal and high glucose in the presence or absence of both interleukin-1β or an aldose reductase inhibitor on nitric oxide production in rat aortic rings in vitro. Aortic rings from normal male Wistar rats were dissected and incubated for 24 to 48 hrs in the presence of glucose (5.0 mM or 20 mM) or with or without interleukin (20 ng/ml). Other rings were incubated in the above media with the addition of the aldose reductase inhibitor (WAY 121509). Interleukin-1β stimulated the 24 hr nitric oxide production and WAY 121509 decreased it under both low and high glucose culture conditions. The interleukin-1β stimulation was continued for 72 hrs. Nitric oxide production in response to interleukin-1β was greater at all time points when compared to the incubation in media without interleukin-1β. In media containing WAY 121509 the nitric oxide production was decreased. Interleukin-1β stimulated a greater increase in nitric oxide production from aortic rings when incubated in high glucose when compared to normal glucose. The inhibitory effect of aldose reductase inhibition was reversible after 24 hr inhibition under both normal and high glucose conditions. We conclude that high glucose enhances the interleukin- 1β-induced nitric oxide synthesis and the cytokine-induced nitric oxide production was inhibited by aldose reductase inhibition. Nitric oxide production may be linked to redox influences caused by the polyol pathway.
Susceptibility to Genital Herpes as a Biomarker Predictive of Increased HIV Risk: Expansion of a Murine Model of Microbicide Safety

Background A crucial gap in the development of microbicides for HIV prevention is the absence of models predictive of safety. Previous studies have demonstrated an increased susceptibility to genital herpes in mice following repeated applications of nonoxynol-9 (N-9). This study was designed to explore the underlying mechanisms, focusing on the effects that N-9 has on genital tract epithelium and to apply this expanded model to evaluate the safety of microbicides that have been advanced to clinical trials. Methods Mice were treated intravaginally with formulated 3.5% N-9, 1% tenofovir, 0.5% or 2% PRO 2000, hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) placebo or no treatment and the effect on herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) susceptibility, epithelial cell architecture, junctional proteins and inflammation were assessed. Results Mice treated with seven daily doses of N-9, but not tenofovir, PRO 2000 or HEC, were significantly more susceptible to challenge with low doses of HSV-2; confocal microscopy demonstrated increased numbers of viral particles deep within the genital tract. N-9 disrupted the epithelium with loss of tight and adherens junctional proteins. By contrast, the epithelium was relatively preserved following tenofovir, PRO 2000 and HEC exposure. Additionally, N-9, but not the other microbicides, triggered a significant inflammatory response relative to untreated mice. Conclusions These findings indicate that disruption of the epithelium contributes to increased HSV-2 susceptibility and might provide a biomarker predictive of increased risk for HIV acquisition. The results are consistent with the safety outcomes of the recently completed Phase IIb clinical trial with 0.5% PRO 2000 gel, and predict that tenofovir gel will not adversely affect the genital tract.