Risk of Cyber Attacks in the Network Systems of a State University in Eastern Visayas, Philippines: A Case Study

Computer network security plays a vital role in the information and communication technology (ICT) environment. This study investigates the status of the existing network security, potential risks, and the possible solutions to the existing network problems. The descriptive research design was used using a survey questionnaire as its main instrument in the conduct of the study. Findings reveal that the current status of the network security of the State University needs improvement as it handles complex information and is important in the university's day-to-day transactions. The university needs to undergo intensive evaluation and system analyses to ensure that their operation will not be hampered by Malicious software or cyber hackers

Measurement of retinal vessel widths from fundus images based on 2-D modeling

Changes in retinal vessel diameter are an important sign of diseases such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis and diabetes mellitus. Obtaining precise measurements of vascular widths is a critical and demanding process in automated retinal image analysis as the typical vessel is only a few pixels wide. This paper presents an algorithm to measure the vessel diameter to subpixel accuracy. The diameter measurement is based on a two-dimensional difference of Gaussian model, which is optimized to fit a two-dimensional intensity vessel segment. The performance of the method is evaluated against Brinchmann-Hansen's half height, Gregson's rectangular profile and Zhou's Gaussian model. Results from 100 sample profiles show that the presented algorithm is over 30% more precise than the compared techniques and is accurate to a third of a pixel

Optic nerve head segmentation

Reliable and efficient optic disk localization and segmentation are important tasks in automated retinal screening. General-purpose edge detection algorithms often fail to segment the optic disk due to fuzzy boundaries, inconsistent image contrast or missing edge features. This paper presents an algorithm for the localization and segmentation of the optic nerve head boundary in low-resolution images (about 20 /spl mu//pixel). Optic disk localization is achieved using specialized template matching, and segmentation by a deformable contour model. The latter uses a global elliptical model and a local deformable model with variable edge-strength dependent stiffness. The algorithm is evaluated against a randomly selected database of 100 images from a diabetic screening programme. Ten images were classified as unusable; the others were of variable quality. The localization algorithm succeeded on all bar one usable image; the contour estimation algorithm was qualitatively assessed by an ophthalmologist as having Excellent-Fair performance in 83% of cases, and performs well even on blurred image

Sudden To Adiabatic Transition in Beta Decay

We discuss effects in beta decays at very low beta energies, of the order of the kinetic energies of atomic electrons. As the beta energy is lowered the atomic response changes from sudden to adiabatic. As a consequence, the beta decay rate increases slightly and the ejection of atomic electrons (shake off) and subsequent production of X rays is turned off. We estimate the transition energy and the change in decay rate. The rate increase is largest in heavy atoms, which have a small Q value in their decay. The X ray switch-off is independent of Q value.Comment: 6 pages LaTe

The Development and Implementation of ALIGN: A Multidimensional Program Designed to Enhance the Success of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Graduate Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders

The critical lack of racially and ethnically diverse healthcare professionals in the field of Communication Sciences & Disorders (CSD) in contrast to the increasing diversity of the U.S. population may contribute to healthcare disparities and negatively impact healthcare outcomes. It is therefore imperative for transformational programs and practices to be enacted to substantially increase the number of CSD professionals representing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). As training institutions that graduate and contribute to the certification of CSD professionals, universities are fundamental for contributing to this change. Numerous barriers have been identified that limit the number of underrepresented minority students who matriculate in and graduate from speech-language pathology and audiology graduate programs. At Syracuse University, a group of academic and clinical CSD faculty developed a program to specifically address these barriers: the Academic Skill Building and Networking (ALIGN) program. ALIGN implements a multifaceted approach toward facilitating the success of CSD BIPOC graduate students through the integration of academic and professional skill building, peer mentoring and networking, and professional mentoring and networking into the program curriculum. This study described the rationale and development of the ALIGN program, and reported quantitative and qualitative survey results to determine the preliminary effects of this program on an inaugural cohort of ALIGN participants. Overall, quantitative and qualitative data indicated that ALIGN had a substantial, positive impact on academic skills relative to study habits, understanding difficult course concepts, and general learning, and provided crucial support and connection opportunities with fellow BIPOC students

Syk Is Required for Integrin Signaling in Neutrophils

AbstractThe Syk tyrosine kinase plays a critical role in the signaling machinery of various receptors of the adaptive immune system. Here we show that Syk is also an essential component of integrin signaling in neutrophils. syk−/− neutrophils failed to undergo respiratory burst, degranulation, or spreading in response to proinflammatory stimuli while adherent to immobilized integrin ligands or when stimulated by direct crosslinking of integrins. Signaling from the β1, β2, or β3 integrins was defective in syk−/− cells. Syk colocalized with CD18 during cell spreading and initiated downstream signaling events leading to actin polymerization. Surprisingly, these defects in integrin-mediated activation did not impair the integrin-dependent in vitro or in vivo migration of syk−/− neutrophils or of cells deficient in Src-family kinases. Thus, integrins use different signaling mechanisms to support migration and adherent activation

Production Mechanism for Quark Gluon Plasma in Heavy Ion Collisions

A general scheme is proposed here to describe the production of semi soft and soft quarks and gluons that form the bulk of the plasma in ultra relativistic heavy ion collisions. We show how to obtain rates as a function of time in a self consistent manner, without any ad-hoc assumption. All the required features - the dynamical nature of QCD vacuum, the non-Markovian nature of the production, and quasi particle nature of the partons, and the importance of quantum interference effects are naturally incorporated. We illustrate the results with a realistic albeit toy model and show how almost all the currently employed source terms are unreliable in their predictions. We show the rates in the momentum space and indicate at the end how to extract the full phase-space dependence.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, two colum

Recurrent network activity drives striatal synaptogenesis

Neural activity during development critically shapes postnatal wiring of the mammalian brain. This is best illustrated by the sensory systems, in which the patterned feed-forward excitation provided by sensory organs and experience drives the formation of mature topographic circuits capable of extracting specific features of sensory stimuli1,2. In contrast, little is known about the role of early activity in the development of the basal ganglia, a phylogenetically ancient group of nuclei fundamentally important for complex motor action and reward-based learning3,4. These nuclei lack direct sensory input and are only loosely topographically organized5,6, forming interlocking feed-forward and feed-back inhibitory circuits without laminar structure. Here we use transgenic mice and viral gene transfer methods to modulate neurotransmitter release and neuronal activity in vivo in the developing striatum. We find that the balance of activity among the two inhibitory and antagonist pathways in the striatum regulates excitatory innervation of the basal ganglia during development. These effects indicate that the propagation of activity through a multi-stage network regulates the wiring of the basal ganglia, revealing an important role of positive feedback in driving network maturation