Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bromocriptine: a novel approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE In vertebrates, body fat stores and insulin action are controlled by the temporal interaction of circadian neuroendocrine oscillations. Bromocriptine modulates neurotransmitter action in the brain and has been shown to improve glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in animal models of obesity and diabetes. We studied the effect of a quick-release bromocriptine formulation on glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in obese type 2 diabetic subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS There were 22 obese subjects with type 2 diabetes randomized to receive a quick-release formulation of bromocriptine (n = 15) or placebo (n = 7) in a 16-week double-blind study. Subjects were prescribed a weight-maintaining diet to exclude any effect of changes in body weight on the primary outcome measurements. Fasting plasma glucose concentration and HbA(1c) were measured at 2- to 4-week intervals during treatment. Body composition (underwater weighing), body fat distribution (magnetic resonance imaging), oral glucose tolerance (oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT]), insulin-mediated glucose disposal, and endogenous glucose production (2-step euglycemic insulin clamp, 40 and 160 mU x min(-1) x m(-2)) were measured before and after treatment. RESULTS No changes in body weight or body composition occurred during the study in either placebo- or bromocriptine-treated subjects. Bromocriptine significantly reduced HbA(1c) (from 8.7 to 8.1%, P = 0.009) and fasting plasma glucose (from 190 to 172 mg/dl, P = 0.02) levels, whereas these variables increased during placebo treatment (from 8.5 to 9.1%, NS, and from 187 to 223 mg/dl, P = 0.02, respectively). The differences in HbA(1c) (delta = 1.2%, P = 0.01) and fasting glucose (delta = 54 mg/dl, P < 0.001) levels between the bromocriptine and placebo group at 16 weeks were highly significant. The mean plasma glucose concentration during OGTT was significantly reduced by bromocriptine (from 294 to 272 mg/dl, P = 0.005), whereas it increased in the placebo group. No change in glucose disposal occurred during the first step of the insulin clamp in either the bromocriptine- or placebo-treated group. During the second insulin clamp step, bromocriptine improved total glucose disposal from 6.8 to 8.4 mg x min(-1) kg(-1) fat-free mass (FFM) (P = 0.01) and nonoxidative glucose disposal from 3.3 to 4.3 mg min(-1) x kg(-1) FFM (P < 0.05), whereas both of these variables deteriorated significantly (P < or = 0.02) in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS Bromocriptine improves glycemic control and glucose tolerance in obese type 2 diabetic patients. Both reductions in fasting and postprandial plasma glucose levels appear to contribute to the improvement in glucose tolerance. The bromocriptine-induced improvement in glycemic control is associated with enhanced maximally stimulated insulin-mediated glucose disposal.
Control of flexible-manufacturing workcells using extended Moore automata

The modeling and control of flexible-manufacturing workcells (FMCs) has generally been performed in a hierarchical structure, where at the highest level they have been modeled as discrete-event systems (DESs). In this paper, a new DES control synthesis technique that combines Moore automata and controlled-automata theories to synthesize supervisors is presented. The obtained supervisors can monitor multiple pieces of information regarding the behavior of the FMC and can explicitly generate control commands issued to individual cell devices.
A Logic for Suspicious Players: Epistemic Actions and Belief-Updates in Games

In this paper, we introduce a notion of ``epistemic action'''' to describe changes in the information states of the players in a game. For this, we use ideas that we have developed in our previous papers [BMS], [BMS2] and [B], enriching them to cover, not just {\it purely epistemic} actions, but also {\it fact-changing actions} (``real moves'''', e.g. choosing a card, exchanging cards etc.) and {\it nondeterministic actions} and {\it strategies} (conditional actions having knowledge tests as conditions). We consider natural {\it operations with epistemic actions} and we use them to describe significant aspects of the interaction between beliefs and actions in a game. For this, we use a logic that combines in a specific way a multi-agent epistemic logic with a dynamic logic of ``epistemic actions''''. We give (without proof) {\it a complete and decidable proof system} for this logic. As an application, we analyze a specific example of a dialogue game (a version of the Muddy Children Puzzle, in which some of the children can ``cheat'''' by engaging in secret communication moves, while others may be punished for their credulity). We also present a sketch of a ``rule-based'''' approach to games with imperfect information (allowing ``sneaky'''' possibilities, such as: cheating, being deceived and suspecting the others to be cheating).
JPEG2000 compression of thin-section CT images of the lung: effect of compression ratio on image quality.

PURPOSE To assess retrospectively the effect of the Joint Photographic Experts Group 2000 (JPEG2000) compression ratio on the quality of thin-section computed tomographic (CT) images. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this institutional review board-approved investigation (protocol 238/2004), thin-section CT images were subjected to irreversible JPEG2000 compression by using five compression ratios (3:1, 5:1, 7:1, 9:1, and 11:1). Three radiologists independently evaluated 60 thin-section CT images, of various diseases, that were obtained with single-detector (weighted dose index, 14.4 mGy) and multidetector (weighted dose index, 9.8 mGy) CT. Toggling between the original and compressed images, readers had to identify the original image by using a forced-choice two-alternative model and to subjectively rank the quality of what they believed to be the compressed image. To assess the reader's ability to distinguish the compressed from the original image, a binomial test was used. Bonferroni correction was applied for all multiple tests. RESULTS Images compressed with a ratio of 3:1 were not distinguishable from original images (P > .2 for all readers). With use of the 5:1 ratio, minor differences in appearance between the compressed and original images were seen by one of the three readers. With use of higher compression ratios (>/=7:1), all readers (P < .001) recognized the original image. The quality of more than 90% of the images compressed with a 7:1 or higher ratio was substantially degraded. Single-detector and multidetector CT results were not significantly different. CONCLUSION The highest ratio that yielded visually lossless compression of thin-section CT images was 3:1. With the 5:1 ratio, there was minor image quality loss, while use of higher compression ratios (>/=7:1) caused substantial degradation of image quality and potential loss of diagnostic information.
Securing Cognitive Radio Networks against Primary User Emulation Attacks

Cognitive radio is a promising technology for next-generation wireless networks in order to efficiently utilize the limited spectrum resources and satisfy the rapidly increasing demand for wireless applications and services. Security is a very important but not well addressed issue in CR networks. In this article we focus on security problems arising from primary user emulation (PUE) attacks in CR networks. We present a comprehensive introduction to PUE attacks, from the attack rationale and its impact on CR networks, to detection and defense approaches. In order to secure CR networks against PUE attacks, a two-level database-assisted detection approach is proposed to detect such attacks. Energy detection and location verification are combined for fast and reliable detection. An admission-control- based defense approach is proposed to mitigate the performance degradation of a CR network under a PUE attack. Illustrative results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed detection and defense approaches.
AN EXTENSION OF THE JARROW-LANDO-TURNBULL MODEL TO RANDOM RECOVERY RATE

We extend the Markovian rating model of Jarrow, Lando and Turnbull for pricing defaultable zero-coupon bonds and other credit sensitive instruments such as credit spread options, allowing for a stochastic recovery rate. The extension is performed by expanding the default state into multiple states to which correspond possibly different recovery rates. We analyze the extended model and generalize the calibration procedures introduced by Jarrow, Lando and Turnbull [17] and Kijima and Komoribayashi [19].
Asthma, rhinitis and air pollution: is traffic to blame?

This issue of the European Respiratory Journal contains two papers that contribute to a growing body of evidence incriminating traffic fumes in respiratory disease. Nicolai etal. 1 report a cross-sectional study that finds significant associations between traffic counts and exposure to traffic-related air pollution on the one hand and current asthma, wheeze and cough on the other. In a sub-group of children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, traffic counts are also related to allergic sensitisation. Lee et al. 2 report a large questionnaire survey from Taiwan, in which a composite measure of exposure to traffic-related air pollution is found tobe associated with physician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis. Aparallel analysis reported previously 3 found a similar association between traffic-related air pollution and physician-diagnosed as well as questionnaire-reported asthma. How do these studies relate to earlier work on air pollution and childhood respiratory illness? How do they relate to earlier work on traffic-related pollution? Large-scale, cross-sectional studies on air pollution and respiratory outcomes in children have been reported from the USA 4, Switzerland 5, Canada 6 and Austria 7. The US and Swiss studies found associations between some air pollutants (especially fine particles) and cough and bronchitis symptoms, the Canadian study found no relationships and the Austrian study documented associations between nitrogen dioxide (NO2; described as a marker for traffic-related air pollution) and asthma, wheeze and cough. East/West comparisons have generally highlighted high bronchitis and cough prevalence in the East, which were ascribed to “classical” pollution, consisting of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and particles 8, with higher rhinitis in the West. A recent study from California, USA, found an association between wheeze prevalence and the air pollution components, …
Perceptions of Undergraduate Students on Social Media for Learning: A Case Study of University of Ibadan

Today’s world is a world of information explosion in every area of our dayto-day endeavor. Information technology invention is rapidly taking place around the globe that makes a literate individual feel as if he or she is ignorant because of the fast changes and rapid innovation of technology in the areas of Information Technology (ICT). Despite the drastic improvement in information and the better roles of social media in managing information, it’s usage among the university students is till insignificant. This study was carried out to examine the usefulness of social media in learning. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Thirtyfive students from faculty of Education, Management Science, Communication and Information Science, Agricultural Science, Art and Technology were purposively selected for the study. The instrument used was researcher designed questionnaire on undergraduate perception on social media for learning in University of Ibadan which was used to gather information. The finding reveals that the undergraduate students subscribed to WhatsApp, google+, Facebook, yahoo messenger, 2go, BBM, Twitter to interact, exchange information and improve their knowledge. In conclusion of this study it is therefore recommended that students should be guided or encouraged in the use of social media for learning due to its various benefits.
Performance analysis of PNNI routing in ATM networks: hierarchical reduced load approximation

We investigate the performance issue of PNNI (private network-to-network interface) routing for ATM networks. An introduction to PNNI routing protocol is given. We extend the reduced load approximation algorithm to ATM networks with PNNI routing. A hierarchical reduced load approximation scheme is proposed. The scheme includes two steps: the reduced load approximation algorithm is first applied on the aggregated network at the upper level; then the approximation is refined at the lower level as needed using the results from the upper level. This hierarchical scheme follows the PNNI routing framework and results a fast and scaleable algorithm.
An 8mW frequency detector for 10Gb/s half-rate CDR using clock phase selection

A half-rate single-loop CDR with a new frequency detection scheme is introduced. The proposed frequency detector selects between the clock phases (I and Q) to reduce cycle slipping, hence improving lock time and capture range. This frequency detector, implemented within a 10Gb/s CDR in Fujitsu 65nm CMOS, consumes only 8mW, but improves the capture range by up to 3.6×. The measured capture range with the FD is from 8.675Gb/s to 11Gb/s.
When every byte counts — Writing minimal length shellcodes

Against vulnerable binary applications both ethical and malicious hackers frequently apply an exploitation technique called egg-hunting. Egg-hunters are small shellcodes whose goal is to search for a usually longer and less restricted egg that executes the next phase of the attack. Here, this method is investigated from several new aspects. First we try to establish the length of the minimal egg-hunter code under various assumptions. Next, we study how this technique can be combined with a modern exploitation technique of return oriented programming (ROP). Lastly, a brief evaluation is given of both the advantages and drawbacks of egg-hunting.
Potential Role of Diploscapter sp. Strain LKC25, a Bacterivorous Nematode from Soil, as a Vector of Food-Borne Pathogenic Bacteria to Preharvest Fruits and Vegetables

ABSTRACT Diploscapter, a thermotolerant, free-living soil bacterial-feeding nematode commonly found in compost, sewage, and agricultural soil in the United States, was studied to determine its potential role as a vehicle of Salmonella enterica serotype Poona, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes in contaminating preharvest fruits and vegetables. The ability of Diploscapter sp. strain LKC25 to survive on agar media, in cow manure, and in composted turkey manure and to be attracted to, ingest, and disperse food-borne pathogens inoculated into soil or a mixture of soil and composted turkey manure was investigated. Diploscapter sp. strain LKC25 survived and reproduced in lawns of S. enterica serotype Poona, E. coli O157:H7, and L. monocytogenes on agar media and in cow manure and composted turkey manure. Attraction of Diploscapter sp. strain LKC25 to colonies of pathogenic bacteria on tryptic soy agar within 10, 20, 30, and 60 min and 24 h was determined. At least 85% of the worms initially placed 0.5 to 1 cm away from bacterial colonies migrated to the colonies within 1 h. Within 24 h, ≥90% of the worms were embedded in colonies. The potential of Diploscapter sp. strain LKC25 to shed pathogenic bacteria after exposure to bacteria inoculated into soil or a mixture of soil and composted turkey manure was investigated. Results indicate that Diploscapter sp. strain LKC25 can shed pathogenic bacteria after exposure to pathogens in these milieus. They also demonstrate its potential to serve as a vector of food-borne pathogenic bacteria in soil, with or without amendment with compost, to the surface of preharvest fruits and vegetables in contact with soil.
Book Review: Desire for Literacy: Writing in the Lives of Adult Learners, by L. Rosenberg

most pedagogically sound media is not for what purposes the media are originally created, but how they are and can be used. Today’s examples include Facebook and YouTube that have been integrated into many curriculum with success when they were not originally created for education in the beginning of the 21st century. Ferster’s reflection on the common problems associated with how most media studies approach the use of media in education is right on. From Kodak’s 2-year research study on the use of educational films in the classroom in 1923, to Sesame Street’s debut in 1969, to The Oregon Trail in the 1990s, and to the MOOCs movement and Wendy Keeney-Kennicutt’s chemistry class in Second Life in the 21st century, the No Significant Difference phenomenon provides adequate evidence of the multipledimensional nature of media’s effect in education. I agree with Ferster’s observation that there is a fundamental difference between studying what the students accomplish through the use of media and how they accomplish their learning. This book is not without limitations. First, the term “media” is not clearly defined and is used interchangeably with the term “technology” throughout the book. The vagueness of how “media” is defined may not be a big problem for those new to the field using this book as an introductory reading. It did, however, create some confusion for me. For example, his labelling of radio, television, videodisc, HyperCard, YouTube, Second Life, and Google Goggle all as media confused me when he defines “media” vaguely as “words, images, video, audio, and animation” (p. 87). I had to jump back and forth between chapters to synch my understanding of media with his. I soon realized that I was too deep in the water when I was not supposed to be. After coming up to the surface, things started to clear up. Second, his media typology needs a bit more work to serve his purpose better. I would argue, for example, traditional media, interactive media, hypermedia, and cloud media are all immersive media. As soon as I turn on TV (traditional media) and switch to a kids’ channel, my kids would immediately put down everything, be immersed in the TV programs, and completely ignore my existence. Despite these limitations, I would say that this book would be good for people entering the field who do not yet need to distinguish media from technology and who are beginning to make sense of different media forms and learning the history of the use of media in education.
Research for Network Security and Reliability and Performance Assess

With the wildly use of heterogeneous security devices like firewalls and intrusion detection systems generates huge amounts of unreliable security events, which are difficult to manage, united platform of network security management is proposed. Using risk assessment and alerts correlation, the platform can analyze the risk of network in real-time, and reduce false positive ratio and false negative ratio effectively. First introduce the framework of the platform and functions of each module, then the implementation of event pre-treatment, real-time risk assessment and alert correlation are discussed in detail.
An Overview of Economic Forecasting

1 What is a forecast? 2 What can be forecast? 3 How confident can we be in forecasts? 4 How is forecasting done generally? 5 How is forecasting done by economists? 6 How can one measure the success or failure of forecasts? 7 How does one analyze the properties of forecasting methods? 8 What special data features matter most? 9 What are the main problems? 10 Do these problems have potential solutions? 11 What is the future of economic forecasting?
FT-ICR Study of Chemical Reaction of Silicon Clusters

Chemical reaction of small silicon cluster ions Sin + (11 ≤ n ≤ 20) with ethylene was studied with a newly implemented Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. Silicon clusters were generated by a pulsed laser-vaporization supersonic-expansion cluster beam source directly connected to FT-ICR spectrometer. Injected and size selected silicon clusters were thermalized to the room temperature by collisions with argon gas. The exposure time of ethylene gas before the mass detection was varied in order to study the reaction kinetics. The reaction rate of chemisorption of first ethylene molecule was generally in good agreement with the ion drift tube experiments. Effect of a hydrogen atom hidden in isotope distribution of mass spectra was clearly determined. Furthermore, the saturated reaction products were summarized. Sin(C2H4)m + when n + m = 19 were observed to be remarkably stable. Furthermore, it was found that a hydrogen atom terminated the reaction as an ethylene molecule.
The Bak-Sneppen model on scale-free networks

We investigate by numerical simulations and analytical calculations the Bak-Sneppen model for biological evolution in scale-free networks. By using large-scale numerical simulations, we study the avalanche size distribution and the activity time behavior at nodes with different connectivities. We argue the absence of a critical barrier and its associated critical behavior for infinite-size systems. These findings are supported by a single-site mean-field analytic treatment of the model.
Learning with patterns: An effective way to implement computer supported pervasive learning

Nowadays computers and networks are everywhere. They take different shapes varying from big electronic whiteboards to small mobile devices. Perhaps all of them have been already used to support some kind of learning activity. Although the literature claims they have been very successful supporting certain, often isolated type of learning activity they can seldom be combined with other systems to enable more consistent and comprehensive support. Researchers have already noted the necessity to develop learning methodologies and systems which can support learners along a continuous flow of different learning settings. In this paper we present a learning system and a methodology based on the use of patterns. Students learn about design and architectural patterns by finding instances of them on the field, or by recognizing new patterns unknown to them so far. This work illustrates how computer technology can support the students in a continuous way without technological or methodological disruptions.
Infrared Properties of Radio-selected Submillimeter Galaxies in the Spitzer First Look Survey Verification Field

We report on submillimeter and infrared observations of 28 radio-selected galaxies in the Spitzer First Look Survey verification field. All of the radio-selected galaxies that show evidence for emission at 850 μm with SCUBA have Spitzer counterparts at 24 μm, while only half of the radio-selected galaxies without 850 μm emission have detectable counterparts at 24 μm. The data show a wide range of infrared colors (S70 μm/S24 μm < 5-30, S8 μm/S3.6 μm < 0.3-4), indicative of a mixture of infrared-warm AGN-dominated and cooler starburst-dominated sources. The galaxies showing 850 μm emission have Spitzer flux densities and flux density ratios consistent with the range of values expected for high-redshift (z = 1-4) ultraluminous infrared galaxies.
On the relationship between packet jitter and buffer loss probabilities

Controlling the jitter buffer at the receiver side is a key component in multimedia and real-time services. A jitter buffer is used to control the packet rate and to compensate for the delay variation, commonly called jitter, by the tradeoff between delay and loss. In this paper, we present simulation results for the relation between the over- and underflow probabilities and the jitter. We then show how we can control a jitter buffer based on an estimation of the variance of the arrival process and a fast computation model for the jitter in this buffer.