Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Data Security Measures in a Network Environment Towards Developing Cooperate Data Security Guidelines

Data security in a networked environment is a topic that has become significant in organizations. As companies and organizations rely more on technology to run their businesses, connecting system to each other in different departments for efficiency data security is the concern for administrators. This research assessed the data security measures put in place at Mumias Sugar Company and the effort it was using to protect its data. The researcher also highlighted major security issues that were significantly impacting the operations of Mumias Sugar Company. The researcher used the case study methods where both qualitative and quantitative data was collected by use of questionnaire, interviewing and observation. From the findings the researcher developed data security guidelines for Mumias Sugar Company. The information gained from extensive literature review was tested and observed during the case study.The research revealed that data security lapses in the company was as a result of system administrators’ failure to update and train computer users in the company on how to implement different data security measures that were in place. The final outcome of the research was data security guidelines that were practical enough to be used at Mumias Sugar Company.
Epidural anesthesia dysfunction is associated with postoperative complications after pancreatectomy

Epidural anesthesia is an accepted measure of pain control after major abdominal surgery. However, if the epidural anesthesia is unsuccessful, a variety of adverse effects can occur – excessive stress response, poor patient mobilization, increased opioid use, and hypotension due to vasodilation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of epidural dysfunction on outcomes after pan‐createctomy.
Modern Masters of an Ancient Game

The $100,004 Fredkin Prize for Computer Chess, created in 1980 to honor the first program to beat a reigning world chess champion, was awarded to the inventors of the Deep Blue chess machine Tuesday, July 29, at the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) in Providence, Rhode Island.
College Student Motives for Chatting on ICQ

Results from a random sample of 576 college students show that relaxation, entertainment and fashion are instrumental motives for ICQ (`I seek you') use while inclusion, affection, sociability and escape are the intrinsic motives. Students who are heavy users of ICQ are motivated by affection and sociability whilst light users are motivated by fashion. Use of emails and ownership of cellular phones seem to be significant predictors of ICQ use. Students who spend longer time on ICQ sessions also play online games more often for entertainment, live in dormitories, have a lower household income, and do not subscribe to any ISP service at home. Female ICQ users tend to chat longer and more frequently for reasons of sociability while males spend less time on each session for entertainment and relaxation. The findings suggest that ICQ is a technology that facilitates social relations and is a major source of entertainment for college students.
Refinement of the 14C-urea breath test for detection of Helicobacter pylori.

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori is recognized as the main etiological factor for chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and possibly also gastric malignancies. A 14C-urea breath test was successively refined to correctly diagnose the presence of H. pylori. METHODS After intake of a 14C-urea cocktail, 14CO2 in breath was trapped in benzethoniumhydroxide/ethanol. Serology by ELISA, followed by Western blot, was used as reference method for confirmation of presence or absence of H. pylori. RESULTS Breath measurements at 10 and 20 min were determined to be optimal for diagnostic purposes. With 2.5 microCi of 14C-urea, a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 100% was obtained for the 10-min values. Corresponding data for the 20-min values were 86% and 99%, respectively. When 50 mmol L(-1) citric acid was added to the 2.5 microCi 14C-urea cocktail, separation between positive and negative results became more distinct along with improved sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 100%. As the isotope amount was reduced to 1.0 microCi in the citric acid-containing cocktail, a sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 100% were obtained at both 10 and 20 min. CONCLUSION Diagnostic urea breath test has a high concordance with H. pylori serology, combining ELISA and Western blot. Stepwise refinements proved the optimal urea breath test cocktail to include 1.0 microCi 14C-urea in citric acid solution with breath measurement at 10 min.
Optimising Figure of Merit for phonetic spoken term detection

This paper introduces a novel technique to directly optimise the Figure of Merit (FOM) for phonetic spoken term detection. The FOM is a popular measure of STD accuracy, making it an ideal candidate for use as an objective function. A simple linear model is introduced to transform the phone log-posterior probabilities output by a phone classifier to produce enhanced log-posterior features that are more suitable for the STD task. Direct optimisation of the FOM is then performed by training the parameters of this model using a nonlinear gradient descent algorithm. Substantial FOM improvements of 11% relative are achieved on held-out evaluation data, demonstrating the generalisability of the approach.
Evaluation of tuberculin skin testing in tuberculosis contacts in Victoria, Australia, 2005-2013.

AIM To review the programmatic use of the tuberculin skin test (TST) following tuberculosis (TB) exposure in Victoria, Australia. METHODS A retrospective review of data collected for public health surveillance was performed to identify contact demographic factors, including bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) status and age and outcomes of TST. RESULTS Contact tracing was performed for 15 094 people, of whom 13 427 (89.0%) had a TST performed. The TST was positive in 31.4% (95%CI 30.6-32.2) of all contacts, and 48.8% of contacts born outside of Australia. Amongst contacts who were TST-negative at baseline, the conversion rate following exposure was 14.8%. Conversion was most common in those aged 45-54 years, with <12% positivity in both the youngest (<5 years) and oldest (⩾65 years) age groups. Active TB developed in 1.1% of all contacts. Contacts aged <5 years had the highest risk of developing active TB following exposure (3.8%), while low risk was seen in those aged ⩾65 years (0.3%). CONCLUSION Overall, contact tracing and TST in this setting appear to yield a high proportion of people at risk for the development of active TB. The yield of testing in some groups, particularly those aged ⩾65 years, was low, and investigation of alternative strategies should be considered.
Symptom Dimensions as Predictors of Clinical Outcome, Duration of Hospitalization, and Aggressive Behaviours in Acutely Hospitalized Patients with Psychotic Exacerbation

In the present study we extract clusters of symptoms in acute hospitalized psychotic patients during a re-exacerbation phase, using factor analysis of BPRS-E. We aim to investigate the relative contribution of each symptom dimension in predicting the severity of symptoms at discharge, the length of acute hospitalization, and the occurrence of aggressive behaviours during acute hospitalization. The data are drawn from a prospective, naturalistic, observational study of 183 patients with Psychotic Disorders consecutively admitted to a psychiatric ward, during a re-exacerbation phase. General symptomatology has been measured through BPRS-E at admission and at discharge. Statistical analyses include principal component analysis and multiple linear regression. We found symptoms of acute psychosis disorder to cluster together in four distinct domains, labelled "Excitement/Activation", "Positive symptoms", and "Negative symptoms", and "Depression/Anxiety". Excitement/activation was the dimension most associated with occurrence of aggressive behaviours and severity of psychopathological symptoms at discharge. The negative symptoms dimension, also, predicted the severity of symptoms at discharge. Positive and negative symptoms dimensions were both predictors of duration of hospitalization. The depressive dimension was significantly associated only to self-aggression. These data indicate that during acute hospitalization due to re-exacerbation of psychosis each symptom dimension has a specific impact on distinct measures of outcome.
A novel stereo image coder based on quad-tree analysis and morphological representation of wavelet coefficients

In this paper, we propose a novel stereoscopic image coder, which consists of a coding unit based on the morphological representation of the wavelet transform coefficients and a disparity compensation unit based on the quad-tree analysis and the disparity compensation between the images of a stereo pair. The coding unit employs a Discrete Wavelet Transform followed by a morphological coder, which exploits the intra-band and inter-band statistical properties of the wavelet coefficients in order to create partitions between significant and insignificant coefficients that reduce the entropy. The disparity compensation procedure employs the block-matching algorithm, which is implemented on blocks of variable size that appear after a quad-tree decomposition of the target image using a simplified rate-distortion criterion. Initially, the target image is segmented into blocks of homogeneous intensity by its quad-tree decomposition with an intensity difference threshold. Then, quad-tree decomposition with a simplified rate-distortion criterion follows, which permits the splitting of an already existing block to four children blocks only if there is a rate-distortion benefit. The extensive experimental evaluation, shows that the proposed coder demonstrates very good performance as far as PSNR measures and visual quality are concerned and low complexity with respect to others state of the art coders.
Direct Neuronal Glucose Uptake Is Required for Contextual Fear Acquisition in the Dorsal Hippocampus

The metabolism of glucose is a nearly exclusive source of energy for maintaining neuronal survival, synaptic transmission and information processing in the brain. Two glucose metabolism pathways have been reported, direct neuronal glucose uptake and the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS), which can be involved in these functions simultaneously or separately. Although ANLS in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) has been proved to be required for memory consolidation, the specific metabolic pathway involved during memory acquisition remains unclear. The DH and amygdala are two key brain regions for acquisition of contextual fear conditioning (CFC). In 2-NBDG experiments, we observed that 2-NBDG-positive neurons were significantly increased during the acquisition of CFC in the DH. However, in the amygdala and cerebellum, 2-NBDG-positive neurons were not changed during CFC training. Strikingly, microinjection of a glucose transporter (GLUT) inhibitor into the DH decreased freezing values during CFC training and 1 h later, while injection of a monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) inhibitor into the amygdala also reduced freezing values. Therefore, we demonstrated that direct neuronal glucose uptake was the primary means of energy supply in the DH, while ANLS might supply energy in the amygdala during acquisition. Furthermore, knockdown of GLUT3 by a lentivirus in the DH impaired the acquisition of CFC. Taken together, the results indicated that there were two different glucose metabolism pathways in the DH and amygdala during acquisition of contextual fear memory and that direct neuronal glucose uptake in the DH may be regulated by GLUT3.
The coupled stratosphere-troposphere response to impulsive forcing from the troposphere

A simple atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) is used to investigate the transient response of the stratosphere–troposphere system to externally imposed pulses of lower-tropospheric planetary wave activity. The atmospheric GCM is a dry, hydrostatic, global primitive-equations model, whose circulation includes an active polar vortex and a tropospheric jet maintained by baroclinic eddies. Planetary wave activity pulses are generated by a perturbation of the solid lower boundary that grow and decay over a period of 10 days. The planetary wave pulses propagate upward and break in the stratosphere. Subsequently, a zonal-mean circulation anomaly propagates downward, often into the troposphere, at lags of 30–100 days. The evolution of the response is found to be dependent on the state of the stratosphere– troposphere system at the time the pulse is generated. In particular, on the basis of a large ensemble of these simulations, it is found that the length of time the signal takes to propagate downward from the stratosphere is controlled by initial anomalies in the zonal-mean circulation and in the zonal-mean wave drag. Criteria based on these anomaly patterns can be used, therefore, to predict the long-term surface response of the stratosphere–troposphere system to a planetary wave pulse up to 90 days after the pulse is generated. In an independent test, it is verified that the initial states that most strongly satisfy these criteria respond in the expected way to the lower-tropospheric wave activity pulse.
Experimental Investigations on the Contour Generation of a Reconfigurable Stewart Platform

Reconfiguration of Stewart platform for varying tasks accentuates the importance for determination of optimum geometry catering to the specified task. The authors in their earlier work Satheesh et al., 2008 have indicated the non availability of an efficient holistic methodology for determining the optimum geometry. Further, they have proposed a solution using the variable geometry approach through the formulation of dimensionless parameters in combination with generic parameters like configuration and joint vector. The methodology proposed provides an approach to develop a complete set of design tool for any new reconfigurable Stewart platform for two identified applications viz., contour generation and vibration isolation. This paper details the experimental investigations carried out to validate the analytical results obtained on a developed Stewart platform test rig and error analysis is performed for contour generation. The experimental natural frequency of the developed Stewart platform has also been obtained.
Functional analysis results across a known and unknown assessor

ABSTRACT Functional analyses determine behavior function by examining response patterns across various contingency conditions. Typically, functional analyses are conducted by a trained clinician with whom the participant is often unfamiliar. This unfamiliarity might influence the outcome of the analysis, potentially leading to misidentification of function. This study examined the responding of two participants during functional analyses conducted by a known and unknown assessor. The influence of familiarity was initially observed across both participants; however, with extended exposure to the functional analysis responding became similar across assessors for both participants. Importantly, different conclusions regarding function may be drawn at various points during the analysis. These findings are discussed with regard to the influence of participant–assessor history and recommendations are provided regarding conducting a functional analysis.
Obtained effect size as a function of sample size in approved antidepressants: a real-world illustration in support of better trial design

The high failure rate of antidepressant trials has spurred exploration of the factors that affect trial sensitivity. In the current analysis, Food and Drug Administration antidepressant drug registration trial data compiled by Turner et al. is extended to include the most recently approved antidepressants. The expanded dataset is examined to further establish the likely population effect size (ES) for monoaminergic antidepressants and to demonstrate the relationship between observed ES and sample size in trials on compounds with proven efficacy. Results indicate that the overall underlying ES for antidepressants is approximately 0.30, and that the variability in observed ES across trials is related to the sample size of the trial. The current data provide a unique real-world illustration of an often underappreciated statistical truism: that small N trials are more likely to mislead than to inform, and that by aligning sample size to the population ES, risks of both erroneously high and low effects are minimized. The results in the current study make this abstract concept concrete and will help drug developers arrive at informed gate decisions with greater confidence and fewer risks, improving the odds of success for future antidepressant trials.
Inhibition of aggregate formation as therapeutic target in protein misfolding diseases: effect of tetracycline and trehalose

Importance of the field: The identification of molecules that inhibit protein deposition or reverse fibril formation could open new strategies for therapeutic intervention in misfolding diseases. Numerous compounds have been shown to inhibit amyloid fibril formation in vitro. Among these compounds, tetracycline and the disaccharide trehalose have been reported to inhibit or reverse amyloid aggregation but their efficiency as potential drugs is controversial. Areas covered in this review: The results obtained using tetracycline and trehalose, reported in the last 15 years, are described and discussed. What the reader will gain: The conclusions have important implications for the development of therapeutic agents for protein deposition diseases. If fibrillar proteins contribute to cell degeneration, then the disassembly of fibrils may reverse or slow down disease progression; however, if the action of therapeutic agents produces intermediates of fibrillation and/or products of fibril disaggregation, then their accumulation could be harmful. Take home message: Care should be taken to ensure that strategies aimed at inhibiting fibril formation do not cause a corresponding increase in the concentration of toxic oligomeric species.
Experiences of Black MSM at an HBCU Regarding Stigma and HIV Risk Behavior.

Experiences of Black MSM at an HBCU Regarding Stigma and HIV Risk Behavior by Natasha Harden Jeter MPH, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2005 BA, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1995 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Management of HLA-based distributed legacy SLX-models

This article discusses management tasks that have to be supported for an efficient re-use of simulation models within HLA-based distributed simulation environments. After a review of the controversial discussions on the deployment of distributed simulation in the industrial domain, this article derives the need of support for such basic management tasks. Based on the practical experiences from an industrial project from the manufacturing domain, in which several legacy SLX models had to be integrated, we demonstrate how these management tasks have been supported and which tools were needed for this purpose. We furthermore discuss the results of the distributed simulation and show the necessity and the added benefit provided through its usage in industry.
MANNIFOLDS OF NEGATIVE CURVATURE

A C∞ function f on a riemannian manifold M is convex provided its hessian (second covariant differential) is positive semidefinite, or equivalently if (f ◦σ)′′ ≥ 0 for every geodesic in M . We shall apply this notion in a variety of ways to the study of manifolds of negative or nonpositive curvature. Convexity has, of course, long been associated with negative curvature, but convex function seem to have bee used only locally or along curves. In the first part of this paper we give an abstract global treatment. Nonconstant convex functions exist only on manifolds of infinite volume (2.2); the first question about such a function on M (complete, K ≤ 0) is whether it has a critical point–necessarily an absolute minimum. If not, M is diffeomorphic to a product L × R (3.12). If so, much of the topology and geometry of M is determined by the minimum set C of f . This comes about as follows. Like any set {m ∈ M |f(m) ≤ a}, C is totally convex, that is, contains a geodesic segment σ whenever it contains the endpoints of σ. Let A be an arbitrary closed, totally convex set in M . In case A is a submanifold, it is totally geodesic and M is, via exponentiation, its normal bundle (3.1). This situation does not change greatly if A is not a submanifold (e.g., 3.4); A is always a topological manifold with boundary (possibly nonsmooth), whose interior is locally totally geodesic submanifold. We describe a number of geometrically significant ways of constructing convex functions (4.1, 4.2, 4.8, 5.5, etc.); these show in particular that C may or may not be a submanifold. In the second part of the paper we define and study the mobility sequence of a nonpositive curvature manifold M . The basic fact is that the set P(M) of common zeros of all Killing fields on M is a closed, totally geodesic submanifold (5.1). Thus M is a vector bundle over P(M), which is totally geodesic and hence again has K ≤ 0. The mobility sequence is then constructed by iteration: M → P(M) → · · · → P(M) = Q. It terminates with a submanifold that is either mobile (P(Q) empty) or immobile (P(Q) = Q). We prove that if Q is mobile, of if π1(M) has nontrivial center, then (with a trivial exception) M is a product L × R and if also M contains a closed geodesic then in particular M is a vector bundle over a circle (4.9, 6.4)). Since P(M) is invariant under all isometries of M , the mobility sequence is closely related to the isometry group of M (e.g. 8.1). We introduce the notion of warped product (or, more generally, warped bundle), which uses convex functions to construct a wide variety of manifolds of negative curvature (7.5). For example, negative space forms can easily be constructed in this
Examining the Distribution of Sampling Point Sets on Sphere for Monte Carlo Image Rendering

This paper presents a study of several non‐uniform and uniform techniques for sampling of unit sphere and gives an comparative analysis on uniform sampling techniques. Each sampling technique generates point sets distributed on sphere. We are interested to examine the quality of their distributions, which could impact on the Monte Carlo image creation. Generalized discrepancy is designed as a measure for equidistribution of point sets on spherical sampling patterns as well as applied to analyze sampling techniques used in rendering. We generate sphere sampling patterns using various random number generators and Halton low discrepancy sequence. The generalized discrepancy is computed for increasing number of points for each sampling pattern. Finally, the results for different uniform sampling techniques are studied and analyzed by comparison of the uniformity of distributions.