Estimating readability with the Strathclyde readability measure

Despite their significant limitations, readability measures that are easy to apply have definite appeal. With this in mind, we have been exploring the prospects for more insightful measures that are computer-based and, thereby, still easily applied. The orthodox reliance on intrinsic syntactic features is an inherent limitation of most readability measures, since they have no reference to the likelihood that readers will be acquainted with the constituent words and phrases. To accommodate this feature of 'human familiarity', we have devised a metric that combines traditional factors, such as Average Sentence Length, with a measure of word 'commonality' based upon word frequency. This paper details the derivation, nature and application of the Strathclyde Readability Measure (SRM)

Anti-phishing as a web-based user service

This paper describes the recent phenomenon of phishing, in which email messages are sent to unwitting recipients in order to elicit personal information and perpetrate identity theft and financial fraud. A variety of existing techniques for addressing this problem are detailed and a novel approach to the provision of phishing advice is introduced. This takes the form of a Web-based user-service to which users may forward suspect email messages for inspection. The Anti- Phishing Web Service rates the suspect email and provides a Web-based report that the submitter may view. This approach promises benefits in the form of added security for the end-user and insight on the factors that are most revealing of phishing attacks

A system to support dissemination of knowledge and sharing of experiences in the working environment

In the information era enterprises strive to be productive and efficient. One feature of this goal is to engage their employees in education programmes, help them gain new experiences and knowledge and adapt to an ever-changing working environment. Such programmes require thorough design in order to achieve satisfactory results. Lately, enterprises recognising the role technology can play in the education of their employees, have adopted systems that supplement the traditional educational model with mechanisms that enable the sharing of experiences and knowledge [5]. In this paper we describe an architecture and a system prototype that allows users to search easily for information, interact with colleagues and share experiences, to compose and disseminate best practices and knowledge. The design of this system is based on insights gained from the operation of the Greek Taxation System

The measurement of driver describing functions in simulated steering control tasks

Measurements of driver describing functions in steering control tasks have been made using a driving simulator. The task was to regulate against a random crosswind gust input on a straight roadway, in order to stay in the center of the lane. Although driving is a multiloop task in general, the forcing function and situation were configured so that an inner-loop visual cue feedback of heading angle of heading rate would dominate, and the driver's response was interpreted to be primarily single-loop. The driver describing functions were measured using an STI describing function analyzer. Three replications for each subject showed good repeatability within a subject. There were some intersubject differences as expected, but the crossover frequencies, effective time delays, and stability margins were generally consistent with the prior data and models for similar manual control tasks. The results further confirm the feasibility of measuring human operator response properties in nominal control tasks with full (real-world) visual field displays

Mobile Gamma Spectrometry Survey of the Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, East Kilbride, 17th-19th August 2009

<p>Environmental radioactivity arises from natural geological sources, the redistribution of natural activity through industrial processes, the nuclear industry including routine and accidental discharges into the environment, and various medical or industrial uses of radioisotopes. Mobile gamma spectrometry provides a powerful means of measuring the distribution of radioactivity in the environment. Data collected by such methods provide measures of environmental quality, references for public health assurance, means to assess environmental change, and other uses. Airborne Gamma Spectrometry (AGS) has been developed at SUERC for environmental purposes since 1988, and provides a capability for very rapid and cost effective surveys of large areas, and provides for visualisation and classification of enhanced features of radioactivity within the context of natural variations. Ground based approaches, with equipment mounted on vehicles or backpacks, provide more detailed spatial resolution for smaller areas at significantly reduced area coverage rates.</p> <p>A portable gamma spectrometry system has been developed at SUERC, consisting of a 3x3” NaI(Tl) detector with a digital spectrometer and GPS receiver using a netbook computer for data acquisition. This system can be carried as a backpack and used to conduct surveys of environmental radioactivity in urban areas, where people spend their time.</p> <p>Detector backgrounds and stripping matrices have been measured. A survey of approximately 50,000 m2 of the Scottish Enterprise Technology Park (SETP) has been conducted with two detector systems. The SETP is on the site of the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL) established in East Kilbride in 1948, and acquired by Scottish Enterprise in 1994. In recent years there has been an ongoing programme of renovation on the site, including demolition of old buildings and new construction along with landscaping operations.</p> This report presents the results of initial detector characterisation and the survey of part of the SETP site. Detector stripping matrices were determined from measurements made on the 18th August 2009, with background measurements on Loch Lomond collected on the 28th. The site survey was conducted between 17th and 19th August 2009, with over 4600 spectra with 10s integration time collected. Maps of the distribution of 137Cs, 40K, 214Bi, 208Tl and gamma dose rate were produced. The 137Cs activity clearly shows areas undisturbed since 1986, with fallout from the Chernobyl accident still present on the grass. The footprint of the demolished research reactor at SUERC is evident as a negative feature in the 137Cs map. The natural series activities and gamma dose rate show the range of materials used for building and road construction, including one small area of Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (TENORM), and the local geology and soils. This demonstrates the capability of the SUERC portable gamma spectrometry system to collect high quality data of an area with a complex history, land use and range of buildings. Further application of the technique to other urban areas, and the rest of the SETP site, would allow similar assessments of the radiation environments of a range of different locations

Examining the importance of Aberdeenshire (UK) coastal waters for North Sea bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates)

Using land- and vessel-based surveys, data on the relative abundance, distribution and habitat use of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Aberdeenshire waters were collected between 1999 and 2001. Bottlenose dolphins were present throughout the year, with peak abundance during the months of March to May. The occurrence of calves was seasonal, With the proportion of calves highest during the spring months. Foraging behaviour was recorded mainly in the vicinity of Aberdeen harbour. Dolphins photographed in Aberdeenshire waters were successfully matched and confirmed as Moray Firth animals. The results of the present study suggest that Moray Firth bottlenose dolphins utilize Aberdeenshire waters more frequently than previously reported. Aberdeen harbour is apparently an important feeding area, and Aberdeenshire waters are regularly used by another-calf pairs. This has important management implications since this area of coastline does not currently form part of the designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for this population

Islet β cell mass in diabetes and how it relates to function, birth, and death

In type 1 diabetes (T1D) β cell mass is markedly reduced by autoimmunity. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) results from inadequate β cell mass and function that can no longer compensate for insulin resistance. The reduction of β cell mass in T2D may result from increased cell death and/or inadequate birth through replication and neogenesis. Reduction in mass allows glucose levels to rise, which places β cells in an unfamiliar hyperglycemic environment, leading to marked changes in their phenotype and a dramatic loss of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), which worsens as glucose levels climb. Toxic effects of glucose on β cells (glucotoxicity) appear to be the culprit. This dysfunctional insulin secretion can be reversed when glucose levels are lowered by treatment, a finding with therapeutic significance. Restoration of β cell mass in both types of diabetes could be accomplished by either β cell regeneration or transplantation. Learning more about the relationships between β cell mass, turnover, and function and finding ways to restore β cell mass are among the most urgent priorities for diabetes research

Somatostatin: Diverse Physiological Roles and Therapeutic Implications

In its brief lifetime as a known peptide, somatostatin has provided a truly remarkable story filled with surprising developments from unexpected quarters. The foundation was set in 1969, when Krulich and McCann reported that fractions of a crude hypothalamic extract inhibited the secretion of growth hormone. In 1973, Guillemin\u27s laboratory reported the sequence and synthesis of a fourteen amino acid peptide with the same inhibitory effect. It occurs in both a cyclic and linear form, each displaying equal biological activity. Somatostatin was assigned as its name, but it is also commonly referred to as growth hormone release inhibitory factor (GHRIF) or somatotropin-release inhibiting factor (SRIF)

Differential expression of microRNAs in bovine papillomavirus type 1 transformed equine cells

Bovine papillomavirus (BPV) types 1 and 2 play an important role in the pathogenesis of equine sarcoids (ES), the most common cutaneous tumour affecting horses. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs that regulate essential biological and cellular processes, have been found dysregulated in a wide range of tumours. The aim of this study was to identify miRNAs associated with ES. Differential expression of miRNAs was assessed in control equine fibroblasts (EqPalFs) and EqPalFs transformed with the BPV-1 genome (S6-2 cells). Using a commercially available miRNA microarray, 492 mature miRNAs were interrogated. In total, 206 mature miRNAs were differentially expressed in EqPalFs compared with S6-2 cells. Aberrant expression of these miRNAs in S6-2 cells can be attributed to the presence of BPV-1 genomes. Furthermore, we confirm the presence of 124 miRNAs previously computationally predicted in the horse. Our data supports the involvement of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of ES

Work and the Shema

This article offers a proposal for a spirituality of work that takes its inspiration and guidance from the Shema, ‘the greatest commandment’. Drawing attention to the Hebraic holism and its incorporation of the physical expression of loving God with all one’s ‘might’ or ‘strength’, it calls for a ‘somatic revival’ of human work. It highlights the harmful effects of the sedentary working conditions that have come to characterise the working lives of many in today’s Scotland, and urges the development of a spirituality of work that takes a fuller account of the Shema, ‘which moves its utterers to working in a way that ignites soul, mind and body […] to implement afresh the greatest commandment as integrated in active Christian living’