Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Reassessment and Review of the Bam Earthquake Five Years Onward: What Was Done Wrong?

Abstract Introduction: An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale on 23 December 2003 devastated the city of Bam in southeastern Iran. During the response and recovery phases, considerable shortcomings were discovered. The dire situation in the affected area, a variety of urgently required interventions, and the large number of aid organizations involved brought about difficulties in management, coordination, and communication among authorities and aid organizations. This article highlights flaws in management in the var-ious aspects of this disaster in order to assess what was done, and what should be done to overcome these shortcomings in future disasters. Methods: A retrospective review of the various aspects of management related to the Bam disaster was done via the assessment of files, multi-center studies, governmental data, and available literature from 2003–2008. Results: A review of the available data relevant to search and rescue (S&R) operations and short-term aid provision revealed flaws in different aspects of disaster management including personnel, the transfer of the injured, availability medical supplies, treatment planning, problems concerning the composition of treatment forces dispatched to the region, distribution of tasks among treatment workers, transferring of equipment, availability of facilities, and lack of coordination among the organizations responsible for the management of the disaster. Most of the aforementioned issues have been addressed. Conclusions: A comprehensive disaster management plan must not be limited only to the response phase, but rather must include: preparedness, recovery with optimal legislation and budgeting, improvement of healthcare facilities, and organized communication channels between the different governmental departments. This important issue has been addressed, and a disaster management organization under the supervision of the President has been established, developing a national S&R strategy and protocol for unified managerial organization, an alert system, an international disaster command system (under which S&R and emergency medical service teams can be deployed, increasing the efficacy and coordination of the arrival of foreign teams and the con-struction field hospitals), and developing a flowchart to coordinate international agencies and the domestic authorities in charge. Continuous education, training of the general population, conducting periodic exercise drills, and provision for prepared task force mobilization in disaster management all are important aspects of the management of disasters due to natural hazards.
Patchwork quilt or woven cloth? The student experience of coping with assessment across disciplines

ABSTRACT This paper explores assessment experiences of undergraduates studying across disciplines. Within a participatory research design, students as researchers were involved in data collection and interpretation. The student lens is brought to bear on the experiences of academically successful final-year students and their strategies for negotiating assessment across disciplinary departments. Findings highlight perceptions of invisibility, academic homelessness and disadvantage despite participants’ high academic achievement. These successful students viewed the divergent disciplinary approaches to assessment they encountered as legitimate but felt challenged and disadvantaged by their diversity. Findings are discussed within a framing of assessment practice as socially situated and embedded in the educational values and epistemologies of learning communities, thus problematising development of student assessment literacy across disciplinary communities. The paper concludes that it is neither feasible nor educationally valuable to iron out divergence but more intentional ways of revealing and sharing different epistemological positions in assessment practice could mitigate challenges.
Juha Tervala Export pricing and the cross-country correlation of stock prices Bank of Finland

This study analyses cross-country correlations of stock prices (values of firms) using the basic New Open Economy Macroeconomics model. We show that cross-country correlations of stock prices greatly depend on the currency of export pricing in the case of monetary shocks but not notably for temporary technology shocks. In the case of a money supply shock, the producer (local) currency pricing version of the model generates a negative (positive) cross-country correlation of stock prices.
Frameworks for principal preparation and leadership development

The International Study of Principal Preparation has made major contributions to research on novice principals across the world. The network has carried out cross-cultural research on novice principals in 15 countries on five continents since 2004. ISPP employed a mixed methods research design. The first stage was qualitative and carried out through case studies and in-depth interviews. The second stage included narrative accounts of new principals. The third stage of the study employed a survey to gauge principals’ challenges. The chief question of the study was: How can principal preparation programs be useful to novice principals? In spite of cultural differences and economic development of the countries studied, the challenges faced by novice school principals had more commonalities than differences. They included feelings of professional isolation and loneliness, the style of the previous principal, management of time, multiple tasks, and priorities, the school budget (Liang, 2011), ineffective staff, implementation of new government initiatives, and problems with school buildings and site management. Two principal preparation frameworks are presented based on the findings. They highlight the importance of context over standardization. Recommendations are made in the areas of policy, practice, and research. Formal principal preparation programs should be expanded to both developed and developing countries. Beyond basic instruction on management issues, the ISPP frameworks argue for the development of a conscious identity as a professional and an entrepreneur who is rooted in place. These roles are important, but they must be understood within the broader social, political, and economic forces that are affecting their students. Principals need to be in a position to help teachers guide students to learn to be critical of the status quo and become agents of change for a more just community.
An Approach to Web Page Prediction Using Markov Model and Web Page Ranking

Markov Models have been widely used for predicting next Web-page from the users’ navigational behavior recorded in the Web-log. This usage-based technique can be combined with the structural properties of the Web-pages to achieve better prediction accuracy. This paper proposes one of the pre-fetching techniques relying both on Markov Model and Ranking which considers the structural properties of the Web. In this paper, prediction accuracy is realized as a linear function of transition probability of first order Markov Model and ranking of the Webpage. The chance of the predicted Web-page being the next Web-page would be higher if the prediction accuracy of the Web-page is higher.
Unsupervised corrections of unknown chromatic dominants using a Brownian-path-based Retinex algorithm

An experimental analysis of chromatic equalization based on a new implementation of the Retinex algorithm is pre- sented. The experiments are carried out on a colored Mondrian patchwork illuminated with different commercial light sources and on synthetic images generated with a photometric ray tracer using dif- ferent illuminants. Regarding the Mondrian patchwork, the spectral characteristics of the bulbs and the reflected light from each patch are measured using a commercial spectrometer. From the mea- sured data, synthetic images of the patchwork with different illumi- nants are created and processed by the Retinex algorithm. The chromatic correction capabilities of the Retinex implementation have been measured and compared with unfiltered values and with the results of another Retinex implementation and classic color equal- ization algorithms. Results show that Retinex performs an unsuper- vised color correction without requiring any information about the spectral composition of the illuminant. © 2003 SPIE and IS&T.
Basal Ganglia Output and Cognition: Evidence from Anatomical, Behavioral, and Clinical Studies

The traditional view that the basal ganglia are simply involved in the control of movement has been challenged in recent years. Three lines of evidence indicate that the basal ganglia also are involved in nonmotor operations. First, the results of anatomical studies clearly indicate that the basal ganglia participate in multiple circuits or 'loops' with cognitive areas of the cerebral cortex. Second, the activity of neurons within selected portions of the basal ganglia is more related to cognitive or sensory operations than to motor functions. Finally, in some instances basal ganglia lesions cause primarily cognitive or sensory disturbances without gross motor impairments. In this report, we briefly review some of these data and present a new anatomical framework for understanding the basal ganglia contributions to nonmotor function.
Rolling-circle transposons in eukaryotes

All eukaryotic DNA transposons reported so far belong to a single category of elements transposed by the so-called “cut-and-paste” mechanism. Here, we report a previously unknown category of eukaryotic DNA transposons, Helitron, which transpose by rolling-circle replication. Autonomous Helitrons encode a 5′-to-3′ DNA helicase and nuclease/ligase similar to those encoded by known rolling-circle replicons. Helitron-like transposons have conservative 5′-TC and CTRR-3′ termini and do not have terminal inverted repeats. They contain 16- to 20-bp hairpins separated by 10–12 nucleotides from the 3′-end and transpose precisely between the 5′-A and T-3′, with no modifications of the AT target sites. Together with their multiple diverged nonautonomous descendants, Helitrons constitute ≈2% of both the Arabidopsis thaliana and Caenorhabditis elegans genomes and also colonize the Oriza sativa genome. Sequence conservation suggests that Helitrons continue to be transposed.
Response timing in the lunge and target change in elite versus medium-level fencers

Abstract The aim of the present work is to examine the differences between two groups of fencers with different levels of competition, elite and medium level. The timing parameters of the response reaction have been compared together with the kinetic variables which determine the sequence of segmented participation used during the lunge with a change in target during movement. A total of 30 male sword fencers participated, 13 elite and 17 medium level. Two force platforms recorded the horizontal component of the force and the start of the movement. One system filmed the movement in 3D, recording the spatial positions of 11 markers, while another system projected a mobile target over a screen. For synchronisation, an electronic signal enabled all the systems to be started simultaneously. Among the timing parameters of the reaction response, the choice reaction time (CRT) to the target change during the lunge was measured. The results revealed differences between the groups regarding the flight time, horizontal velocity at the end of the acceleration phase, and the length of the lunge, these being higher for the elite group, as well as other variables related to the temporal sequence of movement. No significant differences have been found in the simple reaction time or in CRT. According to the literature, the CRT appears to improve with sports practice, although this factor did not differentiate the elite from medium-level fencers. The coordination of fencing movements, that is, the right technique, constitutes a factor that differentiates elite fencers from medium-level ones.
Incremental learning of temporal sequences using state memory and a resource allocating network

A network, which can learn temporal patterns incrementally, is proposed. The network uses: a) Gaussian functions to represent various output values and b) chunking to group similar patterns so that a compact network can be realized. The learning capacity limits of the network are evaluated for the worst case sequences. Learning of sequences can be performed using a simple one step algorithm.
Quantifying participation in, and the effectiveness of, remediating assessment in a university mathematics module

Abstract In Maths for Business, a large first-year mathematics module, the continuous assessment component comprises 10 weekly quizzes which combine to contribute 40% of the final module mark. If students did not receive the full five marks on their weekly quiz, they were provided with the opportunity to resubmit their corrected weekly quiz with an explanation of their error(s) for one additional mark. We refer to this process as ‘remediation’. Of the students who had the opportunity to remediate, ∼70% did. Through examining learning management system data, we show that the remediation process encouraged students to access module resources. Furthermore, by using a Bayesian hierarchical model to account for students’ level of participation, achievement and prior knowledge, we show that participation in the remediation process positively impacted the final examination marks of moderate to high-achieving students (based on initial continuous assessment marks). However, participation in the remediation process provided limited benefit to low-achieving students. We conjecture this is because these students had not achieved a level of understanding whereby participation in the remediation process could progress their knowledge.
Energy-efficient cooperative routing in multi-hop wireless ad hoc networks

We study the routing problem for multi-hop wireless ad hoc networks based on cooperative transmission. We prove that the minimum energy cooperative path (MECP) routing problem, i.e., using cooperative radio transmission to find the best route with the minimum energy cost from a source node to a destination node, is NP-complete. We thus propose a cooperative shortest path (CSP) algorithm that uses the Dijkstra's algorithm as the basic building block and reflects the cooperative transmission properties in the relaxation procedure. Simulation results show that with more nodes added in the network, our approach achieves more energy saving compared to traditional non-cooperative shortest path algorithms. Another interesting observation is that the proposed algorithm achieves better fairness among different nodes with denser networks. Implementation issues are also discussed
Comparison of Tissue Plasminogen Activator Administration Management Between Telestroke Network Hospitals and Academic Stroke Centers: The Telemedical Pilot Project for Integrative Stroke Care in Bavaria/Germany

Background and Purpose— Systemic thrombolysis is the only therapy proven to be effective for ischemic stroke. Telemedicine may help to extend its use. However, concerns remain whether management and safety of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) administration after telemedical consultation are equivalent in less experienced hospitals compared with tPA administration in academic stroke centers. Methods— During the second year of the ongoing Telemedical Pilot Project for Integrative Stroke Care, all systemic thrombolyses in stroke patients of the 12 regional clinics and the 2 stroke centers were recorded prospectively. Patients’ demographics, stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale), frequency of administration, time management, protocol violations, and safety were included in the analysis. Results— In 2004, 115 of 4727 stroke or transient ischemic attack patients (2.4%) in the community hospitals and 110 of 1889 patients in the stroke centers (5.8%) received systemic thrombolysis. Prehospital latencies were shorter in the regional hospitals despite longer distances. Door to needle times were shorter in the stroke centers. Although blood pressure was controlled more strictly in community hospitals, symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage rate (7.8%) was higher (P=0.14) than in stroke centers (2.7%) but still within the range of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke trial. In-hospital mortality rate was low in community hospitals (3.5%) and in stroke centers (4.5%). Conclusions— Although with a lower rate of systemic thrombolysis, there was no evidence of lower treatment quality in the remote hospitals. With increasing numbers of tPA administration and growing training effects, the telestroke concept promises better coverage of systemic thrombolysis in nonurban areas.
Recent Progress in Understanding Apolipoprotein B

For the past 5 years, investigators from many different laboratories have contributed to a greatly increased understanding of two very important lipid-carrying proteins in plasma--apo B-100 and apo B-48. Apo B-100, an extremely large protein composed of 4,536 amino acids, is synthesized by the liver and is crucial for the assembly of triglyceride-rich VLDL particles. Apo B-100 is virtually the only protein of LDL, a cholesteryl ester-enriched class of lipoproteins that are metabolic products of VLDL. The apo B-100 of LDL serves as a ligand for the LDL receptor-mediated uptake of LDL particles by the liver and extrahepatic tissues. The LDL receptor-binding region of apo B-100 is located in the carboxyterminal portion of the molecule, whereas its lipid-binding regions appear to be broadly dispersed throughout its length. Apo B-48 contains the amino-terminal 2,152 amino acids of apo B-100 and is produced by the intestine as a result of editing of a single nucleotide of the apo B mRNA, which changes the codon specifying apo B-100 amino acid 2,153 to a premature stop codon. Apo B-48 has an obligatory structural role in the formation of chylomicrons; therefore, its synthesis is essential for absorption of dietary fats and fat-soluble vitamins. Both apo B-48 and apo B-100 are encoded on chromosome 2 by a single gene that contains 29 exons and 28 introns. An elevated level of apo B-100 in the plasma is a potent risk factor for developing premature atherosclerotic disease. In the past 3 years, many different apo B gene mutations that affect the concentrations of both apo B and cholesterol in the plasma have been characterized. A missense mutation in the codon for apo B-100 amino aid 3,500 is associated with hypercholesterolemia. This mutation results in poor binding of apo B-100 to the LDL receptor, thereby causing the cholesteryl ester-enriched LDL particles to accumulate in the plasma. This disorder is called familial defective apo B-100, and it is probably a cause of premature atherosclerotic disease. Familial hypobetalipoproteinemia is a condition associated with abnormally low levels of apo B and cholesterol; affected individuals may actually have a reduced risk of atherosclerotic disease. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Optic disc segmentation by weighting the vessels density within the strongest candidates

Optic disc segmentation is a key element in automatic screening systems, which facilitates the detection of lesions that affect the interior surface of the eye (i.e. fundus). Therefore, this paper aims to provide a fully automated technique for detecting and segmenting the optic disc. First, the fundus image is preprocessed in order to estimate the approximate location of the optic disc, excluding the positions that doubtfully contain the optic disc. Consequently, the top candidates for the optic disc are detected and then ranked based on their strengths. Afterwards, the vessels density within each candidate is calculated and then weighted according to the candidate's strength, in which the one having the highest score is chosen to be the segmented optic disc. The performance of the proposed segmentation algorithm is evaluated over nine heterogeneous datasets of fundus images, achieving a sensitivity of 94.72%.
The Relationship Between Anaerobic Performance and Lower Extremity Volume and Mass in Female Athletes in Individual Sports and Team Sports

This study aims to analyze the relationship between anaerobic performance and leg and foot volume and mass in female athletes in individual sports and team sports. 90 female athletes who have been active in sports for at least three years voluntarily participated in the study. The average age of participants is 21. Frustum and Hanavan methods were used to calculate leg volume and mass, respectively. 20-meter sprint test and vertical jump test were carried out in order to determine anaerobic performance. SPSS 22.0 package program for Windows was used for descriptive statistics and correlation analysis of the obtained data. In this study it was demonstrated that leg volume and mass of female athletes varied in each sport and that right and left leg volume and mass of these athletes were fairly close. Leg volume and mass were higher in team sports athletes than individual sports athletes. In addition, vertical jump performance was better in individual sports athletes. Therewithal it was found very highly negative significant correlation between vertical jump and 20-meter speed values in individual and team sports. As a result it was found that leg volume and mass were higher in team sports athletes than individual sports athletes. Besides when the relationship between leg volume and mass and anaerobic performance is analyzed, a very high positive significance was found between 20 meter speed and right leg mass in boxers. In this way the development of both leg volumes and mass is therefore important for a better anaerobic performance for athletes.
Secured Cloud Storage using Raptor Codes

Cloud computing has developed as one of the most persuasive paradigms in the IT industry for last few years. To achieve the assertion of cloud data integrity and availability and impose the quality of dependable cloud storage service for users, an effective and flexible distributed scheme with explicit dynamic data support, including block update, delete, and append is designed. Erasure-correcting code in the file distribution preparation provides redundancy parity vectors and guarantees the data dependability. By utilizing the homomorphic token with distributed verification of erasure-coded data, this scheme achieves the integration of storage. The system safeguarded the security and dependability for cloud data storage under the aforementioned adversary model. Analysis shows the proposed scheme is highly efficient and resilient against Byzantine failure, malicious data modification attack, and even server colluding attacks. This paper enhances the work by using Raptor codes, which is an additional pre-coding on an appropriate LT-Code. In asymptotic settings, a class of universal Raptor Codes with linear encode/decode time for which the failure probability converges to 1 polynomial fast in input size.
A Comparison of Static Analysis and Fault Injection Techniques for Developing Robust System Services

Static source code analysis and software fault injection are two popular approaches to testing and verifying the robustness of software. We chose a set of commonly-used applications: CUPS, Berkeley DB, the GNU file utilities, Apache, MySQL, sudo and zlib, and tested them with both static analysis and fault injection tools to discover errors. The results of our tests provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each technique. These results also suggest possibilities for improving each type of tool, as well as ways to form a synergistic combination of the two.