Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ASSESSMENT OF PERDA, E-COMMUNITY PROGRAM, PULAU PINANG

The purpose of this paper is to assess the e-community program launched by Penang Regional Development Authority (PERDA) based on participants. 276 survey forms were distributed randomly throughout four zones Multimedia Training Centers in Penang. Generally, the respondents admitted that PERDA’s e-community program had positive elements towards them. It was found that interpersonal source such as peers, neighbours and family members were main sources to provided information regarding PERDA’s e-community program to the respondents. The results showed that most respondents had positive attitude towards competence, ability to try and complexity of computer and the Internet after going through the program. However, there were respondents which had negative attitudes towards their ability to try using the computer and Internet after involving in this program. The results also found that features in PERDA’s ecommunity program become the core into such involvement. Therefore, efforts are needed now and then in order to enhance the quality of this program thus encouraging more participation in the future.
End-to-end authentication in Under-Water Sensor Networks

Under-Water Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) are a particular class of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) in which sensors are located, as the name suggests, underwater. Applications of UWSNs range from oceanographic data collection to disaster prevention. UWSNs are vulnerable to attacks and because of their idiosyncrasies, security solutions for ground WSNs might not be applicable underwater. As a result, there is a need for mechanisms exclusively tailored to underwater environments. In this work we address the problem of authentication in UWSNs. We evaluate energy costs for different digital signature schemes for end-to-end authentication and discuss the tradeoffs involved in a number of scenarios. Our results show that schemes that perform well in ground WSN do not necessarily do well in UWSNs; and shed light on characteristics of a digital signature scheme that make them particularly suited to underwater networks.
Study of the bone behavior around a neck preserving short stem implant: bone densitometric analysis over a span of two years

Purpose: Study the bone mineral density (BMD) changes and the remodelling process after implantation of a neck preserving short stem implant over a period of two years. Methods: Using specific patients’ selection criterion, a prospective study was done including 26 patients. All were operated upon by a single surgeon using the MiniHipTM, (Corin, Cirencester, UK). Mean age was 42.5 years. Clinical and radiological evaluation was done. Periprosthetic bone density was measured by DEXA. First scan was obtained within 10 days after surgery and served as a baseline for comparison. Results: The mean pre-operative Harris Hip score of 37.8 increased to 95.1 points two years post-operatively. BMD in the overall periprosthetic area showed a significant reduction during the first three months. Restoration to the original levels was reached in all zones except the most proximal zones at one year. A net increase was detected (+3%) after two years. Conclusion: The neck preserving MiniHip short stem implant has proven to be a bone-friendly design. Significant bone remodeling process continues after the first year. Although bone resorption in the greater trochanteric region is still a problem, however, it has proven that the BMD in all the other periprosthetic regions including the calcar and the lesser trochanteric regions, are subjected to bone formation process over a period of two years.
Patterns of cardiovascular responses during angry, sad, and happy emotional recall tasks

Research on emotions and cardiovascular (CV) functioning has focused mainly on reactivity, and suggests that different emotions result in different patterns of reactivity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether different emotions are also associated with different patterns of CV recovery. A total of 32 participants wrote about angry, happy, and sad emotional experiences while having their systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) measured. Consistent with prior research, our results suggest that patterns of CV reactivity and recovery differ between positive and negative emotions. Specifically, we found that sadness elicited significant differences in patterns of CV reactivity and recovery compared to happiness, whereas anger did not.
Compute-and-forward over block-fading channels using algebraic lattices

Previous approaches to compute-and-forward (C&F) are mostly based on quantizing channel coefficients to integers. In this work, we investigate the C&F strategy over block fading channels using Construction A over rings, so as to allow better quantization for the channels. Advantages in decoding error probabilities and computation rates are demonstrated, and the construction is shown to outperform the C&F strategy over the integers Z.
Service-Learning: A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education

THE SERVICE-LEARNING STRUGGLE FOR OVER A QUARTER OF A CENTURY, education researchers and practitioners have struggled to determine how to best characterize service-learning. In 1979, Robert Sigmon defined service-learning as an experiential education approach that is premised on "reciproca1learning" (Sigmon, 1979). He suggested that because learning flows from service activities, both those who provide service and those who receive it "learn" from the experience. In Sigmon's view, service-learning occurs only when both the providers and recipients of service benefit from the activities. Today, however, the term "service-learning" has been used to characterize a wide array of experiential education endeavors, from volunteer and community service projects to field The Corporation for National Service provides a narrower definition that sees service-learning as a "method under which students learn and develop through active participation in . thoughtfully organized service experiences that meet actual community needs, that [are] integrated into the students' academic curriculum or provide structured time for [reflection, and] that enhance what is taught in school by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the community . " (Corporation for National and Community Service, 1990). The confounding use of the service-learning term may be one reason why research on the impacts of service-learning has been difficult to conduct. In 1989, Honnet and Poulsen developed the Wingspread Principles of Good Practice for Combining Service and Learning (Honnet & Poulsen, 1989, TODAY, HOWEVER, THE TERM "SERVICE-LEARNING" HAS BEEN USED TO CHARACTERIZE Appendix B). While these guidelines offer a useful set of best practices for service oriented educational programs, they are not solely germane to service-learning and could easA WIDE ARRAY OF EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION ENDEAVORS, FROM VOLUNTEER AND
Trajetórias de acumulação de competências tecnológicas e os processos subjacentes de aprendizagem: revisando estudos empíricos

This paper reviews empirical studies addressing technological capability accumulation paths and the underlying learning processes. These studies are found in two bodies of literature: the latecomer company literature (LCL) and the technological frontier company literature (TFCL). The paper reviews the different perspectives and approaches to these two issues developed in these two bodies of literature. The objective is to highlight the merits and limitations of these empirical studies, pointing out to the need of new empirical research into these issues.
Local Anesthetic Use in Tumescent Liposuction: An American Society of Plastic Surgeons Survey

BackgroundCurrent guidelines favor the use of lidocaine in liposuction wetting solutions. The use of bupivacaine as an alternative remains controversial despite reports of its use with safe and favorable outcomes suggesting faster postoperative recovery time secondary to improved pain control. The goals of this study were to determine the prevalence of bupivacaine use, examine liposuction practices of bupivacaine users, and elucidate opinions regarding bupivacaine use. MethodsAn online survey was distributed to 2500 randomly selected members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Data were collected and analyzed with special attention toward the practice and opinions of bupivacaine use. ResultsThe response rate of the survey met the average American Society of Plastic Surgeons online survey response rate at 12.8% (n = 320). Respondents (7.2%; n = 22) reported using bupivacaine in their wetting solutions (bupivacaine group) and provided a dosage range of 62.5 to 150 mg. Respondents (83.5%; n =254) reported using either lidocaine or prilocaine (no-bupivacaine group). There were no reports of bupivacaine toxicity in 2011. The demographic profile and liposuction practices of both groups were comparable. Although 36% of the no-bupivacaine group did not know or had no opinion on when it is appropriate to use bupivacaine in liposuction wetting solutions, 85% of this group has used bupivacaine for other clinical purposes. ConclusionsA review of 320 plastic surgeons’ experiences revealed that 7% of respondents are using bupivacaine in their tumescent solutions with no reported cases of toxicity. Bupivacaine users differed dramatically only in their opinion regarding the safety of bupivacaine in tumescent liposuction. The recent studies suggesting better postoperative pain control with bupivacaine along with the proportion of respondents reporting bupivacaine use call for distinct guidelines on bupivacaine use in liposuction. Further studies, including a rigorous clinical trial documenting the safety and efficacy of bupivacaine when compared with lidocaine, would be warranted.
Epidemiology of cholecystectomy and irritable bowel syndrome in a UK population

Some patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may undergo unnecessary cholecystectomy. This paper describes the prevalence of cholecystectomy and IBS in a sample of British adults in Teesside. Associations between the two conditions and their relationship to consultation behaviour and socioeconomic status are described. The results are compared with those from Bristol in an attempt to determine the influence of service‐related factors on the prevalence of cholecystectomy.
Investigating social networks with Agent Based Simulation and Link Prediction methods

Social networks are increasingly being investigated in the context of individual behaviours. Research suggests that friendship connections have the ability to influence individual actions, change personal opinions and subsequently impact upon personal wellbeing. This thesis aims to investigate the effects of social networks, through the use of Agent Based Simulation (ABS) and Link Prediction (LP) methods. Three main investigations form this thesis, culminating in the development of a new simulation-based approach to Link Prediction (PageRank-Max) and a model of behavioural spread through a connected population (Behavioural PageRank-Max). The first project investigates the suitability of ABS to explore a connected social system. The Peter Principle is a theory of managerial incompetence, having the potential to cause detrimental effects to system efficiency. Through the investigation of a theoretical hierarchy of workplace social contacts, it is observed that the structure of a social network has the ability to impact system efficiency, demonstrating the importance of social network structure in conjunction with individual behaviours. The second project aims to further understand the structure of social networks, through the exploration of adolescent offline friendship data, taken from 'A Stop Smoking in Schools Trial' (ASSIST). An initial analysis of the data suggests certain factors may be pertinent in the formation of school social networks, identifying the importance of centrality measures. An ABS aiming to predict the evolution of the ASSIST social networks is created, developing an algorithm based upon the optimisation of an individual's eigen-centrality - termed PageRank-Max. This new approach to Link Prediction is found to predict ASSIST social network evolution more accurately than four existing prominent LP algorithms. The final part of this thesis attempts to improve the PageRank-Max method, by placing particular emphasis upon specific individual attributes. Two new methods are developed, the first restricting the search space of the algorithm (Behavioural Search), while the second alters its calculation process by applying specific attribute weights (Behavioural PageRank-Max). The results demonstrate the importance of individual attributes in adolescent friendship selection. Furthermore, the Behavioural PageRank-Max offers an approach to model the spread of behaviours in conjunction with social network structure, with the value of this being evaluated against alternative models.
Beneficial effects of melatonin on stroke-induced muscle atrophy in focal cerebral ischemic rats

Muscle atrophy is the result of two opposing conditions that can be found in pathological or diseased muscles: an imbalance in protein synthesis and degradation mechanisms. Thus, we investigated whether exogenous melatonin could regulate muscle components in stroke-induced muscle atrophy in rats. Comparing muscle phenotypes, we found that long-term melatonin administration could influence muscle mass. Muscle atrophy-related genes, including muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) and muscle ring finger 1 (MuRF1) were significantly down-regulated in melatonin-administered rats in the gastrocnemius. However, only MAFbx at the mRNA level was attenuated in the soleus of melatonin-administered rats. Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) was significantly over-expressed in melatonin-administered rats in both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Comparing myosin heavy chain (MHC) components, in the gastrocnemius, expression of both slow- and fast-type isoforms were significantly enhanced in melatonin-administered rats. These results suggest that long-term exogenous melatonin-administration may have a prophylactic effect on muscle atrophy through the MuRF1/MAFbx signaling pathway, as well as a potential therapeutic effect on muscle atrophy through the IGF-1-mediated hypertrophic signaling pathway in a stroke animal model.
Human herpesvirus 6 infection of the gastroduodenal mucosa.

BACKGROUND Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infections are usually asymptomatic reactivations in adult liver transplant recipients, but they may also cause fever or graft dysfunction. HHV-6 infection can also present symptoms of gastroenteritis. In this study, we investigated the presence of HHV-6 in the gastroduodenal mucosa of liver transplant recipients and in immunocompetent patients undergoing gastroscopic examination because of dyspeptic symptoms. METHODS HHV-6 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) examinations were performed on gastroduodenal biopsy specimens obtained during upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examinations from 90 liver transplant recipients and from 31 immunocompetent patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. In the gastroduodenal mucosa, HHV-6 and CMV was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in frozen sections using monoclonal antibodies against HHV-6- and CMV-specific antigens. RESULTS HHV-6-positive cells were found in biopsy specimens from 21 (23%) of the liver transplant recipients and 6 (19%) of the immunocompetent patients, CMV-positive cells were found in specimens from 55 (61%) of the transplant recipients and 7 (23%) of the immunocompetent patients, and 12 transplant recipients were found to have both HHV-6 and CMV infection. Fifteen transplant recipients with positive HHV-6 findings in the gastroduodenal mucosa also had HHV-6 antigenemia, whereas 30 patients with HHV-6 antigenemia did not have gastroduodenal involvement. Endoscopic findings in these patients included biliary complications in 10 patients and gastritis in 2 patients. Histopathological findings were nonspecific and included very mild inflammation. A total of 30 (94%) of the transplant recipients with biliary complications also had HHV-6 or CMV detected in the duodenal mucosa. CONCLUSIONS HHV-6-positive cells and CMV-positive cells were frequently found in the gastroduodenal mucosa of liver transplant recipients and of immunocompetent patients undergoing gastroscopic examination because of dyspeptic symptoms.
Isolation and identification of fungi associated with spoilt fruits vended in Gwagwalada market, Abuja, Nigeria

Aim: Annual reports have shown that 20% of fruits and vegetables produced are lost to spoilage. This study was undertaken to isolate and identify fungi that are associated with spoilt fruits commonly sold in Gwagwalada market, Abuja, and recommend appropriate control measure. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in Gwagwalada metropolis, Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. A total of 100 spoilt fruits which include pawpaw (Carica papaya), orange (Citrus sinensis), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), pineapple (Ananas comosus), and watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) were purchased and examined for the presence of fungal organisms using standard methods. The data collected were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics (frequency and mean) and analysis of variance (p<0.05). Results: Aspergillus niger had the highest occurrence in pineapple, watermelon, oranges, pawpaw, and tomatoes with a frequency of 38%. Fusarium avenaceum followed with the frequency of occurrence of 31% in fruits such as pineapple, watermelon, oranges, pawpaw, and tomatoes while Penicillium digitatum and Rhizopus stolonifer had the least frequency of 4% each in tomato; and orange and tomato, respectively. Other fungal species were identified as yeast (Saccharomyces species) (10%), Fusarium solani (8%), and Aspergillus flavus (5%). The highest prevalence rate was 70% of A. niger from orange followed by F. avenaceum of which 65% isolates were recovered from pawpaw. Other fungal organisms such as yeast (Saccharomyces species), P. digitatum and R. stolonifer were isolated with varying prevalence (40%, 20%, and 5%) from watermelon, tomato, and orange, respectively. However, there was no significant difference in the fungal load of the various fruits studied (analysis of variance=478.2857, p<0.05, F=4.680067 and df=34). Conclusion: The pathogenic fungi species associated with fruits spoilage in this study are of economical and public health significance. A. niger causes black mold in certain fruits and vegetables. Some strains of A. niger have been reported to produce potent mycotoxins called ochratoxins that can be harmful to human beings and animals. Care should be taken during handling of these fruits and improved technology based preservation methods are suggested to enhance the keeping quality of fruits.
New enhancements to cut, fade, and dissolve detection processes in video segmentation

We present improved algorithms for cut, fade, and dissolve detection which are fundamental steps in digital video analysis. In particular, we propose a new adaptive threshold determination method that is shown to reduce artifacts created by noise and motion in scene cut detection. We also describe new two-step algorithms for fade and dissolve detection, and introduce a method for eliminating false positives from a list of detected candidate transitions. In our detailed study of these gradual shot transitions, our objective has been to accurately classify the type of transitions (fade-in, fade-out, and dissolve) and to precisely locate the boundary of the transitions. This distinguishes our work from other early work in scene change detection which tends to focus primarily on identifying the existence of a transition rather than its precise temporal extent. We evaluate our improved algorithms against two other commonly used shot detection techniques on a comprehensive data set, and demonstrate the improved performance due to our enhancements.
Measuring workplace bullying in Italy: a study in twenty one organizations

This research addresses the measurement of bullying in Italy. Above 1700 Italian employees compiled the Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ-R) Italian version across more than 20 organizations. The database of the research came indeed from a work of organizational diagnosis. Findings highlighted that bullying is clearly linked to the organizational context, though the nature of the experience varies among companies. Results showed that also the occurrence of each negative act (included in the NAQ-R Italy) varies significantly among the considered organizations. A focus on negative acts is finally suggested at a cross-cultural level, particularly in terms of risk assessemt of negative acts most prevalent in organisational contexts in particular and in nations in general. Keywords: workplace bullying, Negative Acts Questionnaire Revised, negative behaviours, job design, cross-cultural psychology.
Life of Pi: Designing an Innovative Mobile-Mediated Task in an English Language Classroom in Taiwan

An innovative mobile-mediated communication task employed in the curriculum for an EFL course at a Taiwanese university was used. Students used the LINE app to send English-language text messages while role-playing as characters from the novel Life of Pi. Formative evaluation was used to determine whether the task met students' needs and to refine the task using data from group discussions. Response-based evaluation was used to further investigate student language as measured by P-density. Repeated measures one-way ANOVA was employed as the participants performed the MMC task three times. P-density results indicated that task refinement impacted students' performance. Comparisons of the P-densities for each performance showed significant differences, with statistics indicating an improvement in the quality of language that the students produced. The systematic feedback and recommendations from the evaluations may lead to advancements in curriculum design and teacher development.
TDMA versus CSMA/CA for wireless multi-hop communications: A comparison for soft real-time networking

Wireless networks have become a very attractive solution for soft real-time data transport in the industry. For such technologies to carry real-time traffic, reliable bounds on end-to-end communication delays have to be ascertained to warrant a proper system behavior. As for legacy wired embedded and real-time networks, two main wireless multiple access methods can be leveraged: (i) time division multiple access (TDMA), which follows a time-triggered paradigm and (ii) Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA), which follows an event-triggered paradigm. This paper proposes an analytical comparison of the time behavior of two representative TDMA and CSMA/CA protocols in terms of worst-case end-to-end delay. This worst-case delay is expressed in a probabilistic manner because our analytical framework captures the versatility of the wireless medium. Analytical delay bounds are obtained from delay distributions, which are compared to fine-grained simulation results. Exhibited study cases show that TDMA can offer smaller or larger worst-case bounds than CSMA/CA depending on its settings.