Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A deep learning based approach to classification of CT brain images

This study explores the applicability of the state of the art of deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) to the classification of CT brain images, aiming at bring images into clinical applications. Towards this end, three categories are clustered, which contains subjects' data with either Alzheimer's disease (AD) or lesion (e.g. tumour) or normal ageing. Specifically, due to the characteristics of CT brain images with larger thickness along depth (z) direction (~5mm), both 2D and 3D CNN are employed in this research. The fusion is therefore conducted based on both 2D CT images along axial direction and 3D segmented blocks with the accuracy rates are 88.8%, 76.7% and 95% for classes of AD, lesion and normal respectively, leading to an average of 86.8%.
AN ITEM SELECTION PROCEDURE TO MAXIMISE SCALE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY

In industrial- and social-psychological research, the variables of interest are often measured by means of Likert-type questionnaires or scales. The internal validity of the conclusions reached in such research directly depends on the reliability (e.g., internal consistency) and the validity of the questionnaires or scales used. Typically, item-analytic procedures have been used to arrive at sets of internally consistent items and subsequently the validity of these scales was investigated by correlating the total scores on them with criteria of interest. In the case of multi-dimensional scales, both the convergent validity of the respective subscales (i.e., the degree to which the items within a particular subscale measure the same uni-dimensional construct), and their discriminant validity (i.e., the degree to which the items in different subscales measure different rather than the same construct) need to be considered. The analyses to investigate internal consistency, convergent validity and discriminant validity cannot proceed in just any order as the analysis of some of these properties presupposes that particular results have been obtained for the other. For example, in the case of multi-dimensional scales it makes little sense to investigate the internal consistency of the total scale by means of Cronbach’s alpha, as this index assumes uni-dimensionality. Green, Lizzits and Mulaik (1977) have shown that items showing
Expectations of Similarity and Cultural Difference in Conceptual Models of Illness: A Comparison of Medical Staff and Mexican Migrants

Cultural competency has increasingly become a central concept in medical education and practice, focusing on recognizing the variation in patients' health-related beliefs and practices in order to improve cross-cultural communication and health outcomes. While numerous anthropologists critique cultural competency concepts, approaches, and instruments, there is little research regarding the central question of how biomedical providers perceive the health-related beliefs and practices of patients from different cultural backgrounds, how these perceptions compare with patients' own stated beliefs, and how they vary from providers' own concepts of health and illness. Yet, perceptions of difference in conceptual models of health and illness may influence cross-cultural clinical encounters more than measurable variation as they may obscure existing differences while exaggerating others based on notions of cultural difference. We examine these issues by analyzing patterns of variation between Mexican migrants an.
Application of formal analysis to enhancing trust in a complex grid-based operating system

This paper presents a case study in the application of formal modelling and verification techniques to a large-scale distributed operating system for Grids called XtreemOS. The process algebraic language of applied À-calculus is used to model one of the mutual authentication protocols in the XtreemOS trust model, and an associated tool called ProVerif is used to verify the data leakage and mutual authentication properties in the protocol. The results, beside enhancing the level of assurance of the protocol in a critical part of the system, contribute to better understanding of the level of detail in the protocol's specification hence enabling better implementation of the protocol.
Biomass fuel use and indoor air pollution in homes in Malawi

Background: Air pollution from biomass fuels in Africa is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity both in adults and children. The work describes the nature and quantity of smoke exposure from biomass fuel in Malawian homes. Methods: Markers of indoor air quality were measured in 62 homes (31 rural and 31 urban) over a typical 24 h period. Four different devices were used (one gravimetric device, two photometric devices and a carbon monoxide (HOBO) monitor. Gravimetric samples were analysed for transition metal content. Data on cooking and lighting fuel type together with information on indicators of socioeconomic status were collected by questionnaire. Results: Respirable dust levels in both the urban and rural environment were high with the mean (SD) 24 h average levels being 226 μg/m3 (206 μg/m3). Data from real-time instruments indicated respirable dust concentrations were >250 μg/m3 for >1 h per day in 52% of rural homes and 17% of urban homes. Average carbon monoxide levels were significantly higher in urban compared with rural homes (6.14 ppm vs 1.87 ppm; p<0.001). The transition metal content of the smoke was low, with no significant difference found between urban and rural homes. Conclusions: Indoor air pollution levels in Malawian homes are high. Further investigation is justified because the levels that we have demonstrated are hazardous and are likely to be damaging to health. Interventions should be sought to reduce exposure to concentrations less harmful to health.
Functional interactions between the Holliday junction resolvase and the branch migration motor of Escherichia coli

Homologous recombination generates genetic diversity and provides an important cellular pathway for the repair of double‐stranded DNA breaks. Two key steps in this process are the branch migration of Holliday junctions followed by their resolution into mature recombination products. In E.coli, branch migration is catalysed by the RuvB protein, a hexameric DNA helicase that is loaded onto the junction by RuvA, whereas resolution is promoted by the RuvC endonuclease. Here we provide direct evidence for functional interactions between RuvB and RuvC that link these biochemically distinct processes. Using synthetic Holliday junctions, RuvB was found to stabilize the binding of RuvC to a junction and to stimulate its resolvase activity. Conversely, RuvC facilitated interactions between RuvB and the junction such that RuvBC complexes catalysed branch migration. The observed synergy between RuvB and RuvC provides new insight into the structure and function of a RuvABC complex that is capable of facilitating branch migration and resolution of Holliday junctions via a concerted enzymatic mechanism.
Enhancing cybersecurity learning through an augmented reality-based serious game

As social networks and always-connected mobile devices grow in popularity, the control over personal information weakens. This is especially true for teenagers between 15 and 18 years old, one of the population groups that shares more information online, but also the most unaware of the risks associated with this activity. For this reason, many institutions have developed programs to educate the students in the correct use of the new communication mediums. However, the concepts about information security require a lot of expert knowledge and are very difficult to explain appropriately. In this paper, we present a serious game designed to enhance an information security presentation aimed at high school students. This is achieved through the use of augmented reality to give shape and form to the intangible cybersecurity concepts and allow the students to interact with them using the same rule set that was explained during the presentation.
Diagnostic Variance Among Counselors and Counselor Trainees

This study, based on grounded theory, explored aspects of diagnostic variance in the clinical decision-making process among 41 counselors and counselor trainees. As such, this article discusses the various forms of diagnostic variance and the cognitive information-processing tools used by practitioners, to highlight an evolving theory of how helping professionals vary in their clinical decision making. Implications for practice, training and future research are provided.
Evaluation of a Novel Approach for Automatic Volume Determination of Glioblastomas Based on Several Manual Expert Segmentations

The glioblastoma multiforme is the most common malignant primary brain tumor and is one of the highest malignant human neoplasms. During the course of disease, the evaluation of tumor volume is an essential part of the clinical follow-up. However, manual segmentation for acquisition of tumor volume is a time-consuming process. In this paper, a new approach for the automatic segmentation and volume determination of glioblastomas (glioblastoma multiforme) is presented and evaluated. The approach uses a user-defined seed point inside the glioma to set up a directed 3D graph. The nodes of the graph are obtained by sampling along rays that are sent through the surface points of a polyhedron. After the graph has been constructed, the minimal s-t cut is calculated to separate the glioblastoma from the background. For evaluation, 12 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data sets were manually segmented slice by slice, by neurosurgeons with several years of experience in the resection of gliomas. Afterwards, the manual segmentations were compared with the results of the presented approach via the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC). For a better assessment of the DSC results, the manual segmentations of the experts were also compared with each other and evaluated via the DSC. In addition, the 12 data sets were segmented once again by one of the neurosurgeons after a period of two weeks, to also measure the intra-physician deviation of the DSC.
Stochasticity and Cell Fate

Fundamental to living cells is the capacity to differentiate into subtypes with specialized attributes. Understanding the way cells acquire their fates is a major challenge in developmental biology. How cells adopt a particular fate is usually thought of as being deterministic, and in the large majority of cases it is. That is, cells acquire their fate by virtue of their lineage or their proximity to an inductive signal from another cell. In some cases, however, and in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans, cells choose one or another pathway of differentiation stochastically, without apparent regard to environment or history. Stochasticity has important mechanistic requirements. We speculate on why stochasticity is advantageous—and even critical in some circumstances—to the individual, the colony, or the species.
Organised for Inward Investment? Development Agencies, Local Government, and Firms in the Inward Investment Process

Inward investment promotion and aftercare remain central aspects of local economic development for English Regional Development Agencies, Scottish and Welsh development bodies, and local authorities in Britain. In many cases, partnership and consultation mechanisms have become integral to attracting inward investment and providing aftercare. Inward investment is thus an important area in which to explore interinstitutional relations between agents operating along diverse spatial boundaries and with different responsibilities. In this paper we analyse the local and regional institutional structures and relations characterising the inward investment process in Britain using new survey data from local authorities, regional bodies, and inward investors. We find that promotional activities have clearly defined structures which are chiefly led by the regional level. Aftercare is characterised by more collaborative arrangements involving both regional bodies and local government. However, many bodies are little used, with competition and tension between partners remaining frequent within English regions, regardless of recent institutional changes designed to reduce such problems. In Scotland and Wales, however, their national institutions are not only widely used, but they create high levels of satisfaction from firms. Hence, England has yet to respond to the effective challenges of Scotland and Wales. The analysis also highlights the limited importance of all national, regional, and local public institutions in attracting inward investors and their subsequent aftercare. The critical inputs to business decisions appear to be driven chiefly by more general supply-side conditions (for example, general skills versus local public packages) and the general attractions of a particular location.
Robust second-order blind equalization of polyphase channels

This work deals with the problem of linear polyphase blind equalization (BE), i. e. we are interested in equalizing the output of a single-input-multiple-output (SIMO) channel, without observing its input. A recent result by Liu and Dong [1] showed that if the sub-channel polynomials are co-prime, the equalizer output whiteness suffices for the equalization of a white input. Based on this observation, we propose a simple decorrelation criterion for second-order based blind equalization. Due to its second-order nature, this criterion is insensitive to the distance of the input from Gaussianity, hence it performs BE even for Gaussian or non-Gaussian inputs. Moreover, unlike other second-order techniques, our approach bypasses channel estimation and computes directly the equalizer. By doing so, it avoids the problem of ill-conditioning due to channel order mismatch which is crucial to other techniques. Combined to its good convergence properties, these characteristics make the proposed technique an attractive option for robust polyphase BE, as evidenced by both our analysis and computer simulation results.
The incorporation of soft skills into accounting curricula: preparing accounting graduates for their unpredictable futures

This paper explores the changing needs of employers and the business community in relation to the balance between technical and soft skills, such as communication skills, business presentation skills and other interpersonal skills. The researcher discusses the importance of soft relational skills for all business graduates, including accountants. The study further explains how soft skills can complement the technical skills taught to ensure that graduates are equipped to deal with the demands of a complex global business environment. The needs of different stakeholders, possible barriers to change and the way in which academic faculty can contribute are reviewed.
Culture, Emotion, and Well-being: Good Feelings in Japan and the United States

We tested the hypothesis that “good feelings”—the central element of subjective well-being—are associated with interdependence and interpersonal engagement of the self in Japan, but with independence and interpersonal disengagement of the self in the United States. Japanese and American college students (total N = 913) reported how frequently they experienced various emotional states in daily life. In support of the hypothesis, the reported frequency of general positive emotions (e.g. calm, elated) was most closely associated with the reported frequency of interpersonally engaged positive emotions (e.g. friendly feelings) in Japan, but with the reported frequency of interpersonally disengaged positive emotions (e.g. pride) in the United States. Further, for Americans the reported frequency of experience was considerably higher for positive emotions than for negative emotions, but for Japanese it was higher for engaged emotions than for disengaged emotions. Implications for cultural constructions of emotion in general and subjective well-being in particular are discussed.
MNADK, a novel liver-enriched mitochondrion-localized NAD kinase

Summary NADP+ and its reducing equivalent NADPH are essential for counteracting oxidative damage. Mitochondria are the major source of oxidative stress, since the majority of superoxide is generated from the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Because NADP+ cannot pass through the mitochondrial membrane, NADP+ generation within mitochondria is critical. However, only a single human NAD kinase (NADK) has been identified, and it is localized to the cytosol. Therefore, sources of mitochondrial NADP+ and mechanisms for maintaining its redox balance remain largely unknown. Here, we show that the uncharacterized human gene C5ORF33, named MNADK (mouse homologue 1110020G09Rik), encodes a novel mitochondrion-localized NAD kinase. In mice MNADK is mostly expressed in the liver, and also abundant in brown fat, heart, muscle and kidney, all being mitochondrion-rich. Indeed, MNADK is localized to mitochondria in Hep G2 cells, a human liver cell line, as demonstrated by fluorescence imaging. Having a conserved NAD kinase domain, a recombinant MNADK showed NAD kinase activity, confirmed by mass spectrometry analysis. Consistent with a role of NADP+ as a coenzyme in anabolic reactions, such as lipid synthesis, MNADK is nutritionally regulated in mice. Fasting increased MNADK levels in liver and fat, and obesity dramatically reduced its level in fat. MNADK expression was suppressed in human liver tumors. Identification of MNADK immediately suggests a model in which NADK and MNADK are responsible for de novo synthesis of NADP+ in cytosol and mitochondria, respectively, and therefore provides novel insights into understanding the sources and mechanisms of mitochondrial NADP+ and NADH production in human cells.
effects of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic timulation ( rTMS ) on negative symptoms of schizophrenia and the ollow-up study

In this double-blind, randomized controlled study, we assessed the therapeutic effects of high-frequency left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on negative symptoms of schizophrenia. For the study, 117 patients with prominent negative symptoms were randomized to a 20-day course of either active rTMS applied to the left DLPFC (n = 78) or sham rTMS (n = 39). The primary outcome measures were the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Secondary outcomes included the Clinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI) and the Udvalg for Kliniske Under sogelser (UKU) Side Effect Rating Scale. We found that treatment with high-frequency rTMS for 6weeks significantly improved negative symptoms in timulation chizophrenia egative symptoms the active group as compared to the sham group. However, active rTMS was not correlated with significant improvement in the CGI severity of illness scale (CGI-S). The improvement of negative symptoms persisted to the 24-week follow-up assessment. These results indicate that there is a lasting beneficial effect of rTMS on negative symptoms in absence of decrease in CGI scores. We conclude that rTMS may serve as a relatively noninvasive treatment that alleviates negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.
STUDIES ON TUBERCULIN FEVER*

A distinctive feature of many experimental fevers is the development of a diminished reactivity, usually defined as "tolerance," to repeated inoculations of the pyrogenic agent. In the case of Gram-negative endotoxins, tolerance generally appears gradually, reaches its maximum in the 2nd week of dally injections, and persists for several weeks after inoculations are discontinued (1). Since tolerance lapses after a short rest period when antibody titers are still elevated, and may be abolished by blockade of the reticuloendothelial system (2), it clearly does not depend entirely upon specific humoral immunity. Furthermore, tolerance to one endotoxin confers a cross-tolerance to endotoxins of other Gram-negative organisms but there is a degree of specificity since endotoxin-tolerant animals are fully responsive to unrelated pyrogenic agents (3-8). In contrast, the type of tolerance which characteristically follows one or more injections of myxovirus is transient, and less specific in that the host may be rendered less reactive to entirely different pyrogenic stimuli. This type of tolerance may be seen after a single large inoculation of endotoxin as well as of myxovirus and appears to depend upon a different mechanism (6). Tuberculin-sensitive rabbits similarly become tolerant to the pyrogenic effect of old tuberculin (OT) after several injections (7). Since abolition of the febrile response to OT is accompanied by loss of skin sensitivity, it has been inferred that both phenomena are due to desensitization. A characteristic of all these three forms of experimental fever is that the various pyrogenic agents produce their effect either largely or wholly through mobilization of a circulating pyrogen of endogenous origin (9) which presumably acts directly on the thermoregulatory center (10). Conversely, failure to release endogenous pyrogen (EP) appears to be a critical factor in the develop-
Prevalence and determinants of electrocardiographic abnormalities in sub-Saharan African individuals with type 2 diabetes

Aim This study assessed the prevalence and determinants of electrocardiographic abnormalities in a group of type 2 diabetes patients recruited from two referral centres in Cameroon. Methods A total of 420 patients (49% men) receiving chronic diabetes care at the Douala General and Yaoundé Central hospitals were included. Electrocardiographic abnormalities were investigated, identified and related to potential determinants, with logistic regressions. Results The mean age and median duration of diagnosis were 56.7 years and four years, respectively. The main electrocardiographic aberrations (prevalence %) were: T-wave abnormalities (20.9%), Cornell product left ventricular hypertrophy (16.4%), arrhythmia (16.2%), ischaemic heart disease (13.6%), conduction defects (11.9%), QTc prolongation (10.2%) and ectopic beats (4.8%). Blood pressure variables were consistently associated with all electrocardiographic abnormalities. Diabetes-specific factors were associated with some abnormalities only. Conclusions Electrocardiographic aberrations in this population were dominated by repolarisation, conduction defects and left ventricular hypertrophy, and were more related to blood pressure than diabetes-specific factors.
(Wisdom of the Crowds)2: 2010 UK Election Prediction with Social Media

ABSTRACT The vote share of the 2010 UK general election is forecasted here by applying twice the concept behind Galton's predictive “wisdom of the crowds,” first, by aggregating at the media level (Facebook, Twitter, Twitter Sentiment, YouTube, Google) the political opinion of the audience and second, by averaging at the media level each prediction. The auto regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model performs predictions for the Labour Party, Liberal-Democrats, and Conservatives that are respectively only 0.48, 0.83, and 0.19 percentage points off the real vote share, thus well exceeding the predictive power of more traditional and expensive polls.