Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intra‐ and Interindividual Variability in the Behavioral, Affective, and Perceptual Effects of Alcohol Consumption in a Social Context

Background We examined the influence of interindividual differences in alcohol use on the intraindividual associations of drinking occurrence with interpersonal behaviors, affect, and perceptions of others during naturally occurring social interactions. Methods For 14 consecutive days, 219 psychology freshmen (55% female; M age = 20.7 years, SD = 2.18) recorded their behaviors, affect, and perceptions in social interactions soon after an interpersonal event occurred. Interpersonal behaviors and perceptions were assessed in terms of dominance–submissiveness and agreeableness–quarrelsomeness. Participants also reported the number of alcoholic drinks consumed within 3 hours of each interaction. We considered the intraindividual associations of (i) having a drinking episode and (ii) the number of drinks during an episode with behaviors, affect, and perceptions and examined interindividual differences in drinking frequency and intensity during social interactions as potential moderators of these associations. Results Social drinking frequency and intensity moderated the associations between drinking episode and behaviors, affect, and perceptions in social interactions. During a drinking episode, more frequent social drinkers perceived others as more dominant than less frequent social drinkers. During a drinking episode in which more alcohol was consumed than usual, more frequent social drinkers also reported behaving more dominantly and experiencing less pleasant affect. Conclusions As more frequent social drinkers had different interpersonal responses to drinking than less frequent social drinkers, including when they had consumed larger amounts of alcohol than usual, our results suggest a differential susceptibility to the effects of alcohol during naturally occurring social interactions among drinkers with varying drinking frequency.
Tension–compression asymmetry in yield strength and hardening behaviour of as-extruded AZ31 alloy

The effects of texture and twinning on the yield asymmetry and differential work-hardening behaviour of an as-extruded AZ31 alloy under uniaxial compression and tension are investigated using a viscoplastic self-consistent model. The results show that the yield asymmetry and differential work-hardening behaviour can be attributed to the combined effects of strong fibre texture and the polar nature of twinning. The variation in the relative activity of each deformation mode under compressive deformation is much more complex than that under tension. Under tensile deformation, the major deformation modes are prismatic and pyramidal slips, while twinning and basal slip are the major deformation modes under compressive deformation. The presence of extension twins and contraction twins is confirmed by microstructural observations.
Value of interim FDG PET/CT for predicting outcome of patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma

Abstract Subjects were 45 patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) who underwent 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) at baseline and interim after 2–4 cycles. Predictors of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Positive interim PET/CT (Deauville score ≥3) was a significant independent predictor of poor PFS (Hazard ratio, 4.42; p=.028), and showed marginal significance to predict OS (p=.065). Less than 60% decrease in the average change of maximum standardized uptake value normalized by lean body mass (SULmax) also was a significant independent predictor of poor PFS (Hazard ratio, 12.96; p=.001) and poor OS (Hazard ratio, 24.11; p=.006). Interim PET/CT has a significant prognostic value for predicting PFS and OS in patients with AITL. Deauville score and percent decrease of SULmax have the potential to be useful parameter in classifying patients into good and poor responders.
The Salmonella effectors SseF and SseG inhibit Rab1A-mediated autophagy to facilitate intracellular bacterial survival and replication

In mammalian cells, autophagy plays crucial roles in restricting further spread of invading bacterial pathogens. Previous studies have established that the Salmonella virulence factors SseF and SseG are required for intracellular bacterial survival and replication. However, the underlying mechanism by which these two effectors facilitate bacterial infection remains elusive. Here, we report that SseF and SseG secreted by Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) inhibit autophagy in host cells and thereby establish a replicative niche for the bacteria in the cytosol. Mechanistically, SseF and SseG impaired autophagy initiation by directly interacting with the small GTPase Rab1A in the host cell. This interaction abolished Rab1A activation by disrupting the interaction with its guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), the TRAPPIII (transport protein particle III) complex. This disruption of Rab1A signaling blocked the recruitment and activation of Unc-51–like autophagy-activating kinase 1 (ULK1) and decreased phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate biogenesis, which ultimately impeded autophagosome formation. Furthermore, SseF- or SseG-deficient bacterial strains exhibited reduced survival and growth in both mammalian cell lines and mouse infection models, and Rab1A depletion could rescue these defects. These results reveal that virulence factor–dependent inactivation of the small GTPase Rab1A represents a previously unrecognized strategy of S. Typhimurium to evade autophagy and the host defense system.
Combinatorial Effects of VEGFR Kinase Inhibitor Axitinib and Oncolytic Virotherapy in Mouse and Human Glioblastoma Stem-Like Cell Models

Purpose: Glioblastoma (GBM), a fatal brain cancer, contains a subpopulation of GBM stem-like cells (GSCs) that contribute to resistance to current therapy. Angiogenesis also plays a key role in GBM progression. Therefore, we developed a strategy to target the complex GBM microenvironment, including GSCs and tumor vasculature. Experimental Design: We evaluated the cytotoxic effects of VEFGR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) axitinib in vitro and then tested antitumor efficacy of axitinib in combination with oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) expressing antiangiogenic cytokine murine IL12 (G47Δ-mIL12) in two orthotopic GSC-derived GBM models: patient-derived recurrent MGG123 GSCs, forming vascular xenografts in immunodeficient mice; and mouse 005 GSCs, forming syngeneic tumors in immunocompetent mice. Results: GSCs form endothelial-like tubes and were sensitive to axitinib. G47Δ-mIL12 significantly improved survival, as did axitinib, while dual combinations further extended survival significantly compared with single therapies alone in both models. In MGG123 tumors, axitinib was effective only at high doses (50 mg/kg), alone and in combination with G47Δ-mIL12, and this was associated with greatly decreased vascularity, increased macrophage infiltration, extensive tumor necrosis, and PDGFR/ERK pathway inhibition. In the mouse 005 model, antiglioma activity, after single and combination therapy, was only observed in immunocompetent mice and not the T-cell–deficient athymic mice. Interestingly, immune checkpoint inhibition did not improve efficacy. Conclusions: Systemic TKI (axitinib) beneficially combines with G47Δ-mIL12 to enhance antitumor efficacy in both immunodeficient and immunocompetent orthotopic GBM models. Our results support further investigation of TKIs in combination with oHSV for GBM treatment. Clin Cancer Res; 24(14); 3409–22. ©2018 AACR.
Measurement, analysis and reconstruction of residual stresses

Residual stresses, created in a steel beam by elastic–plastic bending, are predicted using an approximate analysis and the finite element method. The predictions are compared to experimental measurements obtained from the application of incremental centre hole drilling, deep hole drilling and neutron diffraction methods. Finite element simulations of the incremental centre hole drilling and deep hole drilling methods applied to the predicted residual stresses permitted an assessment of their ability to reconstruct the stresses. An analytical reconstruction analysis using an Airy stress function together with boundary and equilibrium conditions is developed and applied to the predictions and measurements. The reconstruction of the predictions enabled a reference case to be developed and used to assess the application of the reconstruction process to experimental data. It is shown that satisfactory through depth residual stress profiles can be obtained, providing the errors are about the same of those found in the measurement techniques.
A 20-Year Experience with 202 Segmental Mandibulectomy Defects: A Defect Classification System, Algorithm for Flap Selection, and Surgical Outcomes

Background: This study establishes a novel and broadly applicable defect classification system and flap selection algorithm for segmental mandibulectomy defects that emphasize the importance of the soft-tissue deficit, in addition to that of the bony defect. Methods: Between 1992 and 2011, 202 patients with mandibulectomy defects underwent immediate reconstruction performed by a single surgeon. Details of the bony and soft-tissue defects, recommendations for the most appropriate reconstruction for each clinical scenario, and surgical outcomes are presented. Results: A total of 211 flaps were performed in 202 patients. Forty-one (19 percent) were nonosseous only, and 170 (81 percent) were osseous-containing. The majority of osseous flaps were fibula osseous or osteocutaneous flaps (91 percent), and the majority of nonosseous flaps were vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps (68 percent). Flap selection was influenced by the number of soft-tissue zones resected; defects of one soft-tissue zone or less were predominantly reconstructed with an osseous flap, whereas defects that involved four or more zones underwent reconstruction with only a soft-tissue flap in 55 percent of cases. Conclusions: The algorithm for reconstruction of the mandibulectomy defect must include both nonosseous and osseous flaps based on defect size, location, and number of soft-tissue zones involved. As the extent of the soft-tissue defect increases, nonosseous flaps are preferred because of greater reliability of the skin island. The surgical outcomes associated with this algorithm are similar to or better than what is published in the literature. This series represents the largest reported single-surgeon experience with mandibulectomy defect reconstruction.
The Height-Adaptive Parameterized Step Length Measurement Method and Experiment Based on Motion Parameters

In order to tackle the inaccurate step length measurement of people with different heights and in different motion states, a height-adaptive method of step length measurement based on motion parameters is proposed in this paper. This method takes people’s height, stride frequency, and changing accelerometer output while walking into integrated consideration, and builds a dynamic and parameterized model of their step length. In this study, these parameters were calibrated with thirty sets of experiment data from people with different heights and in different motion states, which were then verified experimentally by motion data of randomly selected subjects, regardless of speed and height. The experiment results indicate that the height-adaptive step length measurement was realized, thus eliminating the influence of height exerted on step length measurement.
A New Electronically Fine Tunable Grounded Voltage Controlled Positive Resistor

A new grounded voltage controlled positive resistor (GVCPR) is proposed in this brief. The proposed GVCPR with a single control voltage is composed of only six MOS transistors operated in saturation region. It has the feature of fine tunability from about 770 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\Omega }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> to about 1370 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\Omega }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. It can be operated properly up to a few hundreds of MHz. It has low power consumption and a wide dynamic range. It does not need any bias currents and voltages. However, its control voltage does not have the property of high input impedance and it requires some active element matching conditions. A novel second-order voltage-mode multifunction filter is given as an application example. A lot of simulation results and some experimental tests are achieved in order to verify the theory.
Evaluating Blended and Flipped Instruction in Numerical Methods at Multiple Engineering Schools

1Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA 3School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA 4Department of Electrical Engineering, Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL 35762, USA 5Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
A Case of Postpartum Ovarian Vein Thrombosis

Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is an rare condition, which can present in the postpartum period. We present a case of a 35-year-old female who presented with right lower quadrant pain and fever. Her computed tomography (CT) abdomen revealed a dilated right ovarian vein with soft tissue attenuation material in its lumen that extended into the inferior vena cava, along with fat stranding of the surrounding soft tissues signifying thrombophlebitis. She was treated with enoxaparin and piperacillin-tazobactam, which lead to a resolution of the thrombus. Our case highlights the importance of prompt diagnosis and treatment of OVT in order to prevent morbidity and mortality.
A comparative study of photocatalytic activities of two different synthesized ZnO composites against Coralene Red F3BS dye in presence of natural solar light

The photocatalytic decolorizing efficiencies of two synthesized ZnO composites (ZnO composite-I and ZnO composite -II) against Coralene Red F3BS dye in aqueous solution was investigated. The ZnO composites were synthesized by simple solution combustion method using hydrazine hydrate as a combustion agent and characterized by Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). All the photocatalytic experiments were carried out in presence of natural sunlight. By varying catalyst concentrations and pH of dye solutions, the influence of these parameters on decolorization were studied. Among the synthesized ZnO composite particles, ZnO composite-II proved to be very efficient by achieving a rapid 98% decolorization of the dye at highly alkaline condition.
CrimeBB: Enabling Cybercrime Research on Underground Forums at Scale

Underground forums allow criminals to interact, exchange knowledge, and trade in products and services. They also provide a pathway into cybercrime, tempting the curious to join those already motivated to obtain easy money. Analysing these forums enables us to better understand the behaviours of offenders and pathways into crime. Prior research has been valuable, but limited by a reliance on datasets that are incomplete or outdated. More complete data, going back many years, allows for comprehensive research into the evolution of forums and their users. We describe CrimeBot, a crawler designed around the particular challenges of capturing data from underground forums. CrimeBot is used to update and maintain CrimeBB, a dataset of more than 48m posts made from 1m accounts in 4 different operational forums over a decade. This dataset presents a new opportunity for large-scale and longitudinal analysis using up-to-date information. We illustrate the potential by presenting a case study using CrimeBB, which analyses which activities lead new actors into engagement with cybercrime. CrimeBB is available to other academic researchers under a legal agreement, designed to prevent misuse and provide safeguards for ethical research.
The Sound of Many Funds

This paper proposes that complexity generates noise in financial markets. A stock’s demand might appear random, not because individual investors are behaving randomly, but because it’s too computationally complex to predict how a wide variety of simple, deterministic, trading rules will interact with one another—even if you yourself are fully rational. There are two parts to our analysis. First, we illustrate how complexity can generate noise by modeling a particular kind of trading-rule interaction: index-fund rebalancing cascades. An initial shock to stock A causes an index fund to buy stock A and sell stock B, which then causes a second fund following a different benchmark to sell stock B and buy stock C, which then causes a third fund following yet another benchmark to. Although it’s easy to predict if this index-fund rebalancing cascade will eventually affect the demand for an unrelated stock Z, predicting how stock Z will be affected (buy? or sell? ) is computationally intractable. Second, we give empirical evidence that complexity actually does generate noise in real-world financial markets by analyzing the end-of-day holdings of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). We show that ETF rebalancing cascades transmit economically large demand shocks, which are also statistically unpredictable. And, we document market participants behaving as if these demand shocks are noise. JEL Classification. G00, G02, G14
Symbol-Level Precoding Design Based on Distance Preserving Constructive Interference Regions

In this paper, we investigate the symbol-level precoding (SLP) design problem in the downlink of a multiuser multiple-input single-output channel. We consider generic two-dimensional constellations with any shape and size, and confine ourselves to one of the main categories of constructive interference regions (CIR), namely distance preserving CIR (DPCIR). We provide a comprehensive study of DPCIRs and derive several properties for these regions. Using these properties, we first show that any signal in a given DPCIR has a norm greater than or equal to the norm of the corresponding constellation point if and only if the convex hull of the constellation contains the origin. It is followed by proving that the power of the noise-free received signal in a DPCIR is a monotonic strictly increasing function of two parameters relating to the infinite Voronoi edges. Using the convex description of DPCIRs and their characteristics, we formulate two design problems, namely the SLP power minimization with signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) constraints, and the SLP SINR balancing problem under max–min fairness criterion. The SLP power minimization based on DPCIRs can straightforwardly be written as a quadratic programming. We derive a simplified reformulation of this problem, which is less computationally complex. The SLP max–min SINR, however, is non-convex in its original form, and hence difficult to tackle. We propose alternative optimization approaches, including semidefinite programming formulation and block coordinate descent optimization. We discuss and evaluate the loss due to the proposed alternative methods through extensive simulation results.
D-ORAM: Path-ORAM Delegation for Low Execution Interference on Cloud Servers with Untrusted Memory

Cloud computing has evolved into a promising computing paradigm. However, it remains a challenging task to protect application privacy and, in particular, the memory access patterns, on cloud servers. The Path ORAM protocol achieves high-level privacy protection but requires large memory bandwidth, which introduces severe execution interference. The recently proposed secure memory model greatly reduces the security enhancement overhead but demands the secure integration of cryptographic logic and memory devices, a memory architecture that is yet to prevail in mainstream cloud servers. ,,,, In this paper, we propose D-ORAM, a novel Path ORAM scheme for achieving high-level privacy protection and low execution interference on cloud servers with untrusted memory. D-ORAM leverages the buffer-on-board (BOB) memory architecture to offload the Path ORAM primitives to a secure engine in the BOB unit, which greatly alleviates the contention for the off-chip memory bus between secure and non-secure applications. D-ORAM upgrades only one secure memory channel and employs Path ORAM tree split to extend the secure application flexibly across multiple channels, in particular, the non-secure channels. D-ORAM optimizes the link utilization to further improve the system performance. Our evaluation shows that D-ORAM effectively protects application privacy on mainstream computing servers with untrusted memory, with an improvement of NS-App performance by 22.5% on average over the Path ORAM baseline.
A quantitative study of mapping and localization algorithms on ROS based differential robot

The ability for to simultaneously map the environment and localise itself with it respect to it, is the most important element of Autonomous Vehicles. The Simultaneous localization and Mapping (SLAM) is a complex process and consumes major chunk of computational power. Many algorithms have been developed to enhance the SLAM process and is a progressing area in Robotics research. ROS is one such framework which provides multiple algorithm nodes to work with and provides a communication layer to Robots. Many of these algorithms majorly in use are HectorSLAM, Gmapping and KartoSLAM. This paper provides with a quantitative analysis of these algorithms and their performance on various parameters on a differential robot equipped with 2D Laser scanner. We Study the optimum parameters of each of these algorithms and then compare the performance of these algorithms against one another. Since computational requirement of these algorithms is expensive, we also study the variation in performance using a Nvidia Jetson TK1 Embedded board and a Personal Laptop with dedicated GPU.
Diagnosis of Liver Fibrosis With Wisteria floribunda Agglutinin-Positive Mac-2 Binding Protein (WFA-M2BP) Among Chronic Hepatitis B Patients

Background Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein (WFA-M2BP) is a protein with altered glycosylation that reacts with lectin, and was recently identified as a useful non-invasive biomarker for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C virus infection.This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of WFA-M2BP for liver fibrosis in the context of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Methods We enrolled 151 patients infected with HBV. Liver biopsy and elastography (Fibroscan) were performed during the initial visit. Fibrosis was graded according to the Knodell histologic activity index (F0–3). WFA-M2BP levels were determined with an automated immunoassay analyzer (M2BPGi, HISCL-5000, Sysmex, Japan). The diagnostic efficacy of WFA-M2BP was compared with those of various conventional or composite biomarkers, including enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) score, Fibroscan, aspartate transaminase (AST)-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and FIB-4, based on the area under the ROC curve (AUC) value. Results The majority of patients were at fibrosis stages F1 and F2. The F2 and F3 AUC values for WFA-M2BP were similar to those for FIB-4, APRI, ELF, and Fibroscan, although the latter showed the best diagnostic efficacy. The diagnostic accuracy of all tested biomarkers for F2 and F3 was 60–70%. In multivariate analysis, WFA-M2BP, ELF, and platelet count significantly predicted stage ≥F2, whereas only platelet count significantly predicted F3. Conclusions WFA-M2BP can support a diagnosis of liver fibrosis with similar diagnostic efficacy to other biomarkers, and predicted liver fibrosis stage ≥2 among patients with chronic hepatitis B.