Improving health literacy about Tuberculosis among drug users. A pilot randomized controlled trial

Introduction: Despite effective treatment, tuberculosis remains among the top-10 causes of death causing ~1.3 million deaths in 2017. Furthermore, tuberculosis infection rates have increased amongst excluded populations such as people misusing substances. Objectives and design: We conducted a two London sites pilot randomized controlled trial to test interventions, recruitment, attrition rates and assessment procedures of a parallel, three-arms controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of tuberculosis health literacy interventions among drug dependent (heroin, crack cocaine or heroin and crack cocaine) population in treatment. Results: Forty-two subjects were recruited to the pilot trial (response rate = 26%) and randomized to three interventions (1st: Information booklet; 2nd: Interactive seminar; 3rd: Interactive seminar + contingency management targeting tuberculosis-health-related action). Baseline and post-intervention tuberculosis knowledge scores were obtained and re-assessed at 2-months follow up. The overall attrition rate was 43%. The knowledge scale had good internal reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.7). Statistically significant increases in knowledge scores (baseline to post-intervention = 5.9 points, baseline to follow-up = 4.3) were recorded for the whole sample (CI = 99%; p < 0.001 for both analysis), but no statistically significant differences between-groups were observed (p = 0.7). Half of participants in the contingency management group achieved their health-action targets. Conclusion: Health literacy interventions to increase knowledge about tuberculosis among drug users are feasible and achieve promising increases in knowledge and health-related actions but measures to prevent a high attrition rate in a large-scale trial must be introduced. The absence of difference between trial-group outcomes suggests low-intensity interventions may achieve knowledge gain too. Further investigation of contingency management to promote tuberculosis-related health behaviours is needed

Development of a testing protocol for oil solidifier effectiveness evaluation

Chemical countermeasures for oil spill remediation have to be evaluated and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before they may be used to remove or control oil discharges. Solidifiers are chemical agents that change oil from a liquid to a solid by immobilizing the oil and bonding the liquid into a solid carpet-like mass with minimal volume increase. Currently, they are listed as Miscellaneous Oil Spill Control Agent in the National Contingency Plan and there is no protocol for evaluating their effectiveness. An investigation was conducted to test the oil removal efficiency of solidifiers using three newly developed testing protocols. The protocols were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated to determine if they can satisfactorily differentiate effective and mediocre products while still accounting for experimental error. The repeatability of the three protocols was 15.9, 5.1, and 2.7 %. The protocol with the best performance involved measuring the amount of free oil remaining in the water after the solidified product was removed using an ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer and it was adopted to study the effect of solidifier-to-oil mass ratio, mixing energy, salinity, and beaker size (i.e., area affected by the spill) on solidifier efficiency. Analysis of Variances were performed on the data collected and results indicated that the beaker size increased spreading, which reduced removal efficiency. Mixing speed appears to impart a ceiling effect with no additional benefit provided by the highest level over the middle level. Salinity was found to be mostly an insignificant factor on performance

Lightweight Encrytion Scheme against Flow Analysis in Multi-Hop Wireless Network Based on Network Coding

Traffic analysis is a major issue faced in multi-hop wireless networks (MWN) in the case of privacy preservation. Network coding is essential in achieving greater capacity for any network and we extend this network coding for privacy preservation in multi-hop networks as it offers coding and mixing functions at intermediate nodes. Certain existing privacy preserving methods like onion routing can be employed here. Applying homomorphic encryption on Global Encoding Vectors(GEV’s), our method offers confidentiality and privacy preserving features. Only the sink has capability of decrypting the message content by inverting the GEV. Here, we focus on the privacy issue in order to prevent traffic analysis and flow tracing and achieve source anonymity in MWNs. Source anonymity refers to carrying the communication through the network maintaining the secrecy of the source node. Energy consumption when compared with the existing system was found to be reduced. Simulative evaluation by NS2 shows the efficiency of the system. Keywords: MWN, Privacy preservation, NS2, GEV

Fungsi Pengawasan Badan Permusyawaratan Desa dalam Penyerapan Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Desa Menurut UU No. 6 Tahun 2014(studi Kasus di Desa Riang Gede Kecamatan Penebel Kabupaten Tabanan)

Village Consultative Body (BPD) is a village-level institutions which carry out the functions of government. The Law No. 6 of 2014 on the village at this time strengthens the function of Village Consultative Body (BPD) is the supervisory function mainly supervisory function BPD conducted on the absorption Budget Village (APBDes). The purpose of this study is to determine the supervisory function of BPD in the absorption APBDes by referring to the Law No. 6 of 2014 by using the steps in the regulatory process, namely (1) the establishment of standards, (2) the determination of the measurement of the activities, (3) measurement of the activities, (4) comparing the implementation of standards and analysis of deviations and (5) taking corrective action when needed as well as the principles of good governance: accountability, transparency and participation. This type of research used is descriptive qualitative. Data collection techniques used in this study is the technique of interview, observation and documentation study. The results of this study indicate that the monitoring function BPD based on stages in the regulatory process has been implemented, but could not be implemented to the fullest by BPD Riang Gede because BPD could not be close to the village community. When viewed from the principles of good governance in the absorption APBDes in Desa Riang Gede could not be implemented to the maximal by the village government for accountability, transparency and participation have not been able to reach all the village community. Other obstacles that cause BPD Riang Gede has not been able to implement good performance due to the busy activities of BPD members who have other jobs besides carrying out oversight functions APBDes. Besides the lack of operational funds for BPD members in carrying out its performance also affects the performance of BPD

Prognóstico de exploração no Chat GPT com ética de inteligência artificial

Natural language processing innovations in the past few decades have made it feasible to synthesis and comprehend coherent text in a variety of ways, turning theoretical techniques into practical implementations. Both report summarizing software and sectors like content writers have been significantly impacted by the extensive Language-model. A huge language model, however, could show evidence of social prejudice, giving moral as well as environmental hazards from negligence, according to observations. Therefore, it is necessary to develop comprehensive guidelines for responsible LLM (Large Language Models). Despite the fact that numerous empirical investigations show that sophisticated large language models has very few ethical difficulties, there isn't a thorough investigation and consumers study of the legality of present large language model use. We use a qualitative study method on OpenAI's ChatGPT3 to solution-focus the real-world ethical risks in current large language models in order to further guide ongoing efforts on responsibly constructing ethical large language models. We carefully review ChatGPT3 from the four perspectives of bias and robustness. According to our stated opinions, we objectively benchmark ChatGPT3 on a number of sample datasets. In this work, it was found that a substantial fraction of principled problems are not solved by the current benchmarks; therefore new case examples were provided to support this. Additionally discussed were the importance of the findings regarding ChatGPT3's AI ethics, potential problems in the future, and helpful design considerations for big language models. This study may provide some guidance for future investigations into and mitigation of the ethical risks offered by technology in large Language Models applications.Las innovaciones en el procesamiento del lenguaje natural en las últimas décadas han hecho posible sintetizar y comprender textos coherentes en una variedad de formas, transformando las técnicas teóricas en implementaciones prácticas. Ambos informan que el software extenso y las industrias como la de los creadores de contenido se han visto significativamente afectadas por el modelo de lenguaje extensivo. Sin embargo, un modelo de lenguaje enorme podría mostrar evidencia de sesgo social, dando riesgos morales y ambientales por negligencia, según las observaciones. Por lo tanto, es necesario desarrollar lineamientos completos para los LLM (Modelos de Lenguaje Grandes) responsables. A pesar de que numerosas investigaciones empíricas muestran que los modelos sofisticados de lenguaje amplio tienen muy pocas dificultades éticas, no existe una investigación exhaustiva y un estudio del consumidor sobre la legalidad del uso actual de modelos de lenguaje amplio. Usamos un método de estudio cualitativo en ChatGPT3 de OpenAI para enfocarnos en resolver los riesgos éticos del mundo real en los modelos actuales de lenguaje amplio para guiar aún más los esfuerzos en curso en la construcción responsable de modelos éticos de lenguaje amplio. Analizamos cuidadosamente ChatGPT3 desde las cuatro perspectivas de sesgo y robustez. De acuerdo con nuestras opiniones expresadas, comparamos ChatGPT3 objetivamente en múltiples conjuntos de datos de muestra. En este trabajo se encontró que una fracción sustancial de los problemas de principios no son resueltos por los marcos actuales; por lo tanto, se han proporcionado nuevos ejemplos de casos para respaldar esto. Además, se discutió la importancia de los hallazgos sobre la ética de la IA de ChatGPT3, los problemas potenciales en el futuro y las consideraciones de diseño útiles para modelos de lenguaje grandes. Este estudio puede proporcionar algunas pautas para futuras investigaciones y mitigación de los riesgos éticos que ofrece la tecnología en grandes aplicaciones de Language Models.As inovações de processamento de linguagem natural nas últimas décadas tornaram possível sintetizar e compreender textos coerentes de várias maneiras, transformando técnicas teóricas em implementações práticas. Ambos relatam que softwares resumidos e setores como criadores de conteúdo foram significativamente afetados pelo extenso modelo de linguagem. Um enorme modelo de linguagem, no entanto, poderia mostrar evidências de preconceito social, dando riscos morais e ambientais por negligência, de acordo com as observações. Portanto, é necessário desenvolver diretrizes abrangentes para LLM (Large Language Models) responsáveis. Apesar do fato de numerosas investigações empíricas mostrarem que modelos sofisticados de linguagem ampla têm muito poucas dificuldades éticas, não há uma investigação completa e estudo de consumidores sobre a legalidade do uso atual de modelos de linguagem ampla. Usamos um método de estudo qualitativo no ChatGPT3 da OpenAI para focar na solução os riscos éticos do mundo real nos atuais modelos de linguagem ampla, a fim de orientar ainda mais os esforços contínuos na construção responsável de modelos éticos de linguagem ampla. Analisamos cuidadosamente o ChatGPT3 a partir das quatro perspectivas de viés e robustez. De acordo com nossas opiniões declaradas, comparamos objetivamente o ChatGPT3 em vários conjuntos de dados de amostra. Neste trabalho, constatou-se que uma fração substancial dos problemas de princípios não é resolvida pelos referenciais atuais; portanto, novos exemplos de casos foram fornecidos para apoiar isso. Além disso, foram discutidas a importância das descobertas sobre a ética de IA do ChatGPT3, possíveis problemas no futuro e considerações de design úteis para grandes modelos de linguagem. Este estudo pode fornecer algumas orientações para futuras investigações e mitigação dos riscos éticos oferecidos pela tecnologia em grandes aplicações de Modelos de Linguagem

Towards applying FCM with DBSCAN for Detecting DDoS Attack in Cloud Infrastructure to Improve Data Transmission Rate

Cloud is a pay-to-use technology which can be used to offer IT resources instead of buying computer hardware. It is time saving and cheaper technology. This paper analyzes the DDoS attack on cloud infrastructure and can be detected by using FCM with DBSCAN hybrid algorithm that classifies the clusters of data packets and detects the outlier in that particular data packet. The experimental outcome shows that the enhanced hybrid approach has better results in detecting the DDoS attack. The DDoS attack targets the main host of the cloud infrastructure by sending unwanted packets. This attack is a major threat to the network security. The FCM with DBSCAN hybrid approach detects outliers and also assigns one specific data point in clusters to detect DDoS attack in cloud infrastructure. By using this hybrid approach the data can be grouped as clusters and the data beyond the noise level can also be detected. This algorithm helps in identifying the data that are vulnerable to DDoS attack. This detection helps in improving the data transmission rate

Catalytic activity of nickel ferrite nanoparticles in synthesis of 4-aryl benzelidene-2- ((5-fluoro-1H-indol-1-yl)methyl)oxazol-5(4H)-one and its evalute the biological activity

ABSTRACT. Seven 4-arylbenzelidene-2-((5-fluoro-1H-indol-1-yl)methyl)oxazol-5(4H)-one derivatives were synthesized by the condensation of 2-(2-(5-fluoro-1H-indol-1-yl) acetoamide) acetic acid, substituted aromatic aldehydes with acetic anhydride and sodium acetate in the presence of MgO/Al2O3 under reflux using nickel ferrite nanoparticles. Seven of the compounds are new derivatives. 2-(2-(5-fluoro-1H-indol-1-yl)acetoamide) acetic acid was obtained from 2-(5-fluoro-1H-indol-1-yl)acetyl chloride with lysine in the presence of NaOH and HCl in the ice cold solution. 2-(5-fluoro-1H-indol-1-yl)acetyl chloride can be prepared from 5-fluoro indole with chloroacetyl chloride in triethylamine and dichloromethane. The structures of the compounds were evaluated based on 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and LC-MS and by elemental analysis. These compounds were screened by anti-oxidant as well as anti-microbial activity.               KEY WORDS: 2-(5-Fluoro-1H-indol-1-yl)acetyl chloride, 2-(2-(5-Fluoro-1H-indol-1-yl)acetoamide) acetic acid, 4-Aryl Benzelidene-2-((5-fluoro-1H-indol-1-yl)methyl)oxazol-5(4H)-one, Anti-oxidant, Anti-microbial activity, Nickel ferrite Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2019, 33(3), 517-526.  DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v33i3.1

Faktor-faktor yang Berhubungan dengan Pemanfaatan Jamban di Desa Pintu Langit Jae Kecamatan Padangsidimpuan Angkola Julu Tahun 2012

Factors associated with the use of latrines in Desa Pintu Langit Jae Kecamatan Padangsidimpuan Angkola Julu 2012. The most fundamental relathionship eith the quality of the environment in terms of laterine is the availability of facilities and the type of storage used faces. The use of latrines with family participation will be good, when supported by a number of factors. Among the factors that come from inside or outside the individual referred to internal factors such as education, knowledge, attitudes, actions while external factors such as the condition of latrines and water supply. This research aimed to investigate factors associated with the use of latrines in Desa Pintu Langit Jae Kecamatan Padangsidimpuan Angkola Julu 2012. This research used a descriptive analitic design method to look at the relationship of knowledge, attitudes, latrines conditions and cline water to the action latrine utilization using cross sectional study with interviews using questionnaires to 75 respondents who selected systemic sampling. The results showed that there was a significant association between the use of latrines with knowledge (p=0,000), there was a significant association between the use of latrines with attitude (p=0,000), there was a significant association between the use latrines with latrines condition (p=0,030) and there was a significant association between the use of latrines with availability of clean water in latrine (p=0,038). Expected for health workers in Desa Pintu Langit Jae kecamatan Padangsidimpuan Angkola Julu it provides on the importance of using latrines properly through conseling to community so that community have the knowledge and attitudes about self responsibility and the environment