Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maximising Eyeballs but Facilitating Cybercrime? Ethical Challenges for Online Advertising in New Zealand

Rogue websites support their operations through advertising, where advertising networks facilitate the placement of advertising banners paid for by advertisers who seek the most "relevant" eyeballs. While mainstream advertisers risk harm to their brands by being associated with illicit activities on the internet, they also risk harms to users through the co-location of ads for high-risk activities, such as gambling, pornography, and scams. In this paper, we present a quantitative analysis of high risk and mainstream advertising being served to New Zealand consumers. We explore the ethical challenges facing advertisers and advertising networks in potentially facilitating cybercrime and harms to users, in the context of theories of marketing ethics. These theories can be used to explore policy and individual responses to guide ethical conduct in marketing.
EGFR kinase inhibitors and gastric acid suppressants in EGFR-mutant NSCLC: a retrospective database analysis of potential drug interaction

Background Erlotinib and gefitinib are weak base drugs whose absorption and clinical efficacy may be impaired by concomitant gastric acid suppressive (AS) therapy, yet proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2As) are widely indicated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients for the prevention and treatment of erlotinib-induced gastrointestinal injury and corticosteroid-associated gastric irritation. We assessed the clinical relevance of this potential drug-drug interaction (DDI) in a retrospective cohort of EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients. Results The AS usage rate was 35%. In the overall cohort, AS users did not experience poorer OS (HR: 1.47, 95% CI: 0.92 – 2.35, P = 0.10; median, 11.4 versus 17.5 months) or PFS (HR = 1.37, 95% CI: 0.89 – 2.12, P = 0.16; median, 7.6 versus 8.7 months) compared with non-users in multivariate Cox regression analysis. However, subgroup analyses indicated that AS usage was associated with significantly poorer OS and PFS in patients who had fewer or milder comorbidities (Charlson comorbidity index ≤ 2), those with Karnofsky performance status < 90, and never-smokers. Materials and Methods A retrospective database analysis of 157 patients given erlotinib or gefitinib for EGFR-mutant advanced NSCLC from two institutions was conducted. Patients were classified as AS-users if the periods of AS and anti-EGFR therapy overlapped by ≥ 30%. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed according to AS usage. Conclusions Concomitant AS therapy did not have an adverse impact on OS and/or PFS in the overall cohort. Our subgroup findings should be regarded exploratory and require replication in a large prospective cohort.
Bipolar disorder, antidepressants and induction of hypomania or mania. A systematic review

Objective: The literature cautions against the induction of (hypo)mania owing to the use of antidepressants in bipolar disorder. Objectives of this review are to examine: (1) the evidence for this assumption; (2) underlying risk factors; and (3) the extent to which a mood stabilizer may be protective. Method: A systematic literature review was conducted. Results: Thirteen relevant studies were included. All of them had methodological shortcomings. Overall, there is no strong evidence that use of antidepressants in bipolar disorder increases the risk of (hypo)mania. Possible, although unreplicated, risk factors are: a short allele of the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene SCL6A4, substance abuse or dependence, multiple antidepressant trials, lower number of previous manias, less delusions during illness, depressive polarity at illness onset, and rapid cycling that has, however, been contradicted by another study. Subtype of bipolar disorder (I or II) has been considered in four studies, with conflicting results. Mood stabilizers are possibly protective. Conclusion: There is an urgent need for adequate studies of sufficient size. For the time being, treatment of bipolar depression may best be based on the results of the life chart of the individual patient keeping in mind the risk factors found until now.
Creating scalable traffic simulation on clusters

We describe the implementation of a transport simulation in a parallel environment. The implementation is based on a graphical parallel programming environment called P-GRADE. The transport simulator, called MadCity, simulates a specific road network of a city and shows cars moving on the roads. To achieve scalability of the traffic simulation, the use of templates is necessary. This helps to control the number of participating processes required for the simulation without making modifications to the simulator's source code. Performance results are collected from four, eight and sixteen nodes of the Parsifal cluster and compared with the sequential execution results of the simulator. The implementation of the transport simulator is extended further to support the simulation of multiple cities within the same cluster and on the Grid.
Dietary Fat Quality for Optimal Health and Well-Being: Overview of Recommendations

A century ago, dietary fat was mainly seen as a source of energy. In 1929, George and Mildred Burr introduced the concept of essential fats: certain fats, i.e. linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, need to be provided by the diet to prevent deficiencies. Although essential fats were initially considered of marginal nutritional importance for humans, clinical deficiency symptoms were recorded for the first time in the 1960s. Beyond the fact that essential fats can prevent deficiencies, research over the past decades has shown that they also play a major role in preventing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases. This has resulted in an increased interest in the quality of the dietary lipid supply as a major determinant of long-term health and well-being, which is also reflected in recent diet guidelines. This paper will give an overview of key aspects of present recommendations on dietary fats.
ARK: Augmented Reality for Kilobots

Working with large swarms of robots has challenges in calibration, sensing, tracking, and control due to the associated scalability and time requirements. Kilobots solve this through their ease of maintenance and programming, and are widely used in several research laboratories worldwide where their low cost enables large-scale swarms studies. However, the small, inexpensive nature of the Kilobots limits their range of capabilities as they are only equipped with a single sensor. In some studies, this limitation can be a source of motivation and inspiration, while in others it is an impediment. As such, we designed, implemented, and tested a novel system to communicate personalized location-and-state-based information to each robot, and receive information on each robots’ state. In this way, the Kilobots can sense additional information from a virtual environment in real time; for example, a value on a gradient, a direction toward a reference point or a pheromone trail. The augmented reality for Kilobots ( ARK) system implements this in flexible base control software which allows users to define varying virtual environments within a single experiment using integrated overhead tracking and control. We showcase the different functionalities of the system through three demos involving hundreds of Kilobots. The ARK provides Kilobots with additional and unique capabilities through an open-source tool which can be implemented with inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware.
Anaerobic Degradation of Flavonoids by Clostridium orbiscindens

ABSTRACT An anaerobic, quercetin-degrading bacterium was isolated from human feces and identified as Clostridium orbiscindens by comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The organism was tested for its ability to transform several flavonoids. The isolated C. orbiscindens strain converted quercetin and taxifolin to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid; luteolin and eriodictyol to 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propionic acid; and apigenin, naringenin, and phloretin to 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid, respectively. Genistein and daidzein were not utilized. The glycosidic bonds of luteolin-3-glucoside, luteolin-5-glucoside, naringenin-7-neohesperidoside (naringin), quercetin-3-glucoside, quercetin-3-rutinoside (rutin), and phloretin-2′-glucoside were not cleaved. Based on the intermediates and products detected, pathways for the degradation of the flavonol quercetin and the flavones apigenin and luteolin are proposed. To investigate the numerical importance of C. orbiscindens in the human intestinal tract, a species-specific oligonucleotide probe was designed and tested for its specificity. Application of the probe to fecal samples from 10 human subjects proved the presence of C. orbiscindens in 8 out of the 10 samples tested. The numbers ranged from 1.87 × 108 to 2.50 × 109 cells g of fecal dry mass−1, corresponding to a mean count of 4.40 × 108 cells g of dry feces−1.
Preclinical discovery and development of maraviroc for the treatment of HIV

Introduction: Maraviroc is a first-in-class antiretroviral (ARV) drug acting on a host cell target (CCR5), which blocks the entry of the HIV virus into the cell. Maraviroc is currently indicated for combination ARV treatment in adults infected only with CCR5-tropic HIV-1. Areas covered: This drug discovery case history focuses on the key studies that led to the discovery and approval of maraviroc, as well as on post-launch clinical reports. The article is based on the data reported in published preclinical and clinical studies, conference posters and on drug package data. Expert opinion: The profound understanding of HIV’s entry mechanisms has provided a strong biological rationale for targeting the chemokine receptor CCR5. The CCR5-antagonist mariviroc, with its unique mode of action and excellent safety profile, is an important therapeutic option for HIV patients. In general, the authors believe that targeting host factors is a useful approach for combating new and re-emerging transmissible diseases, as well as pathogens that easily become resistant to common antiviral drugs. Maraviroc, offering a potent and safe cellular receptor-mediated pharmacological response to HIV, has paved the way for the development of a new generation of host-targeting antivirals.
Diversity of fate outcomes in cell pairs under lateral inhibition

Cell fate determination by lateral inhibition via Notch/Delta signalling has been extensively studied. Most formalised models consider Notch/Delta interactions in fields of cells, with parameters that typically lead to symmetry breaking of signalling states between neighbouring cells, commonly resulting in salt-and-pepper fate patterns. Here, we consider the case of signalling between isolated cell pairs, and find that the bifurcation properties of a standard mathematical model of lateral inhibition can lead to stable symmetric signalling states. We apply this model to the adult intestinal stem cell (ISC) of Drosophila, the fate of which is stochastic but dependent on the Notch/Delta pathway. We observe a correlation between signalling state in cell pairs and their contact area. We interpret this behaviour in terms of the properties of our model in the presence of population variability in contact areas, which affects the effective signalling threshold of individual cells. Our results suggest that the dynamics of Notch/Delta signalling can contribute to explain stochasticity in stem cell fate decisions, and that the standard model for lateral inhibition can account for a wider range of developmental outcomes than previously considered. Highlighted article: Notch/Delta signalling in Drosophila intestinal stem cells can result in asymmetric or symmetric outcomes, depending on the activation threshold - which depends on cell contact area.
A study of superconductivity in single crystals and thin films using muon-spin rotation and neutron scattering

The archetypal high temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ has been extensively investigated. However, until now, little has been known about the behaviour of the magnetic vortices inside the Vortex Glass and liquid state. μSR measurements have shown a negative skewness for the field probability distributions in these regimes. Such a negative skewness has only recently been explained as being a direct consequence of three-body correlations between vortices in a similar layered superconductor. With a new understanding and knowledge of the physics of these systems, it is instructive to re-visit the superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ to explain the evolution of these three-body correlations occurring here. Comparing this with the ion-irradiated superconductors (of the same Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ material), allows one to observe how three-body correlations between vortices evolve differently to that in the pristine material. Moreover, in the region of the macrosopic irreversibility line, entropically driven disorder exists below the matching field Bφ, whilst there is the appearance of relatively straight vortex lines at fields above Bφ. Such phenomena suggest a significant difference in the evolution of three-body correlations compared with the unirradiated material. There has been much work conducted on the interplay between superconductivity and magnetism in materials of reduced dimensions. Work presented here on the ferromagnet/superconductor trilayer system (Permalloy/Nb/Permalloy) has shown a novel magnetic profile at the interface between the ferromagnetic and superconducting boundary, where, contrary to what is expected, the magnetism appears to be significantly suppressed at the interface before increasing towards the centre of the Nb layer.
Improved Transmission Line Fault Location Using Automated Correlation of Big Data from Lightning Strikes and Fault-Induced Traveling Waves

This paper investigates how correlating cross-domain big data from the lightning surge and the traveling wave measurements in time and space can be used to improve fault location accuracy. The integration and correlation of big data in time and space using Global Positioning System and Geographic Information System respectively improves knowledge about faults on transmission lines caused by lightning. The benefits of proposed method are: (a) the decision process can be accelerated through automation, and (b) better accuracy of fault location result can be provided due to the data correlation. The benefit is a more efficient outage management procedure.
Use of a commercial ELISA for the detection of measles‐specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) in dried blood spots collected from children living in low‐resource settings

Seroepidemiological monitoring of population immunity to vaccine‐preventable diseases is critical to prevent future outbreaks. Dried blood spots (DBS), drops of capillary blood dried on filter paper, are an affordable, minimally invasive alternative to venipuncture for collecting blood in field settings. However, few proven methods exist to analyze DBS for the presence of protective antibodies. This study validates a novel technique for measuring measles‐specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) in capillary DBS using a commercial ELISA. The predictive performance of a new method for analyzing DBS was tested by comparing matched serum and DBS samples from 50 children. The accuracy, precision, and reliability of the procedure were evaluated, and the optimal cut points to classify positive and negative samples were determined. The method was then applied to 1,588 DBS collected during a large survey of children in Mexico and Nicaragua. Measles‐specific IgG in serum samples were 62% negative, 10% equivocal, and 28% positive. In comparisons with matched serum, DBS results were 100% sensitive and 96 · 8% specific, and agreed in 46 of 50 (92%) cases. The inter‐assay and intra‐assay coefficients of variation from kit‐provided controls were greater than desired (24.8% and 8.4%, respectively). However, in predictive simulations the average misclassification was only 3.9%. Procedures were found to be acceptable to surveyors and participants. Analyzing DBS collected in low‐resources settings is a feasible and accurate means of measuring population immunity to measles and should be used to generate objective measures of health status and health system performance. J. Med. Virol. 87:1491–1499, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mortality and Exposure Response among 14,458 Electrical Capacitor Manufacturing Workers Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

Background We expanded an existing cohort of workers (n = 2,588) considered highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at two capacitor manufacturing plants to include all workers with at least 90 days of potential PCB exposure during 1939–1977 (n = 14,458). Causes of death of a priori interest included liver and rectal cancers, previously reported for the original cohort, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), melanoma, and breast, brain, intestine, stomach, and prostate cancers, based on other studies. Methods We ascertained vital status of the workers through 1998, and cumulative PCB exposure was estimated using a new job exposure matrix. Analyses employed standardized mortality ratios (SMRs; U.S., state, and county referents) and Poisson regression modeling. Results Mortality from NHL, melanoma, and rectal, breast, and brain cancers were neither in excess nor associated with cumulative exposure. Mortality was not elevated for liver cancer [21 deaths; SMR 0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.55–1.36], but increased with cumulative exposure (trend p-value = 0.071). Among men, stomach cancer mortality was elevated (24 deaths; SMR 1.53; 95% CI, 0.98–2.28) and increased with cumulative exposure (trend p-value = 0.039). Among women, intestinal cancer mortality was elevated (67 deaths; SMR 1.31; 95% CI, 1.02–1.66), especially in higher cumulative exposure categories, but without a clear trend. Prostate cancer mortality, which was not elevated (34 deaths; SMR 1.04; 95% CI, 0.72–1.45), increased with cumulative exposure (trend p-value = 0.0001). Conclusions This study corroborates previous studies showing increased liver cancer mortality, but we cannot clearly associate rectal, stomach, and intestinal cancers with PCB exposure. This is the first PCB cohort showing a strong exposure–response relationship for prostate cancer mortality.
Detection of stable pre-rRNA in toxigenic Pseudo-nitzschia species

Nucleotide sequence analysis of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) spacer regions is useful for taxonomic comparisons of closely related microorganisms. These regions have been less useful for routine microbial identification and detection, partly because rRNA precursors (pre-rRNAs) in microbial cells are assumed to be too labile to be detectable by high-throughput probe hybridization methods. We characterized the sequence diversity and physiological stability of pre-rRNA in the toxigenic marine diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia australis, P. multiseries, and P. pungens. As with nucleotide sequences of the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) reported previously, sequences of ITS2 and the 5' external transcribed spacer (ETS1) exhibited considerable divergence among these species, including large insertions-deletions detectable by PCR-based spacer length analysis. In slot blot hybridization assays on RNA extracted from lysates of Pseudo-nitzschia cells, oligonucleotide probes directed to pre-rRNA spacers generated much stronger signals than did complementary probes directed to the coding strands of the rDNAs, indicating that the pre-rRNA-targeted probes detected multicopy transcripts. A group of probes directed to a discrete 90-base region within the ITS1 pre-rRNA gave no detectable signal, suggesting that this region is degraded early in the rRNA maturation pathway. Other pre-rRNA regions were always detectable and, in marked contrast to prokaryotic systems analyzed in this manner, were stable and abundant in both actively dividing and nondividing cells. Long, multilabeled RNA probes, which would exhibit considerable cross-reactivity if directed to mature rRNA sequences, detected species-specific pre-rRNA sequences from as few as 1,000 cells. Pre-rRNA is a potentially useful molecular target for detecting and identifying Pseudo-nitzschia species and possibly other unicellular eukaryotes as well.
Pharmacological modulation of learning-induced plasticity in human auditory cortex.

PURPOSE Converging evidence from animals and humans indicate that the primary auditory cortex is continuously reshaped in an experience-dependent way. Reorganisation in primary auditory cortex can be observed at the level of receptive fields, topographic maps and brain activations measured with neuroimaging methods. Several neuromodulatory systems were shown to contribute to such an experience-dependent reorganization. METHODS This paper reviews evidence addressing the cholinergic, noradrenergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic modulation of learning-, experience-, and injury-induced plasticity in the auditory cortex. RESULTS Regarding learning-induced plasticity in the auditory cortex most studies have investigated the role of the cholinergic system and shown that ACh is essential for this form of rapid plasticity. Nevertheless there is also evidence that the catecholamines dopamine and noradrenaline might contribute to learning- and experience-induced changes in the auditory cortex. CONCLUSIONS I suggest, that the available experimental data on cholinergic and noradrenergic modulation of plasticity offers a promising basis for potential pharmacological interventions to aid recovery of aural functions.
The role of organizational justice as mediator in the relationship between Islamic work ethics and work engagement

This research aims to examine organizational justice's role as a mediator in the association between Islamic work ethic and work engagement among Sharia Bank employees. The respondents were 86 employees of Sharia Bank in Jakarta. The hypothesis was examined through a mediation test that involved four steps, including three simple regression and multiple regression. The results showed that organizational justice meditates the relationship between Islamic work ethic and work engagement among Sharia Bank employees. Employees who strongly uphold Islamic work ethics will have a positive perception of organizational justice, which, in turn, leads to higher engagement with their work. These findings have implications on how organizations can enhance employees' work engagement by promoting employees' positive perception of organizational justice.