Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analyzing the impact of new features on users' communication activities in online social networks

Nowadays, online social networks (OSN) have become popular Internet platforms. While some of them are gathering an increasing number of users (e.g., Facebook), other OSN fail to maintain their user base (e.g., MySpace) and are confronted with a termination of their services. But what makes the difference between successful and less successful OSN? In literature, for instance, network effects, content related aspects and security mechanisms as well as the introduction of new features (e.g., Facebook’s “Places” or Bebo’s “Visitors Map”) are generally considered to be enablers of success for OSN. However, only little research has been done so far to empirically analyze the impact of new features on users’ communication activities and thus indirectly on the success of OSN. For this reason, our research examines whether the introduction of the central feature “Publisher” by Facebook caused a significant increase of users’ communication activities. In order to empirically investigate this question, we use a publicly available dataset of the Facebook New Orleans Network. Moreover, among others, we adapt and use the event study methodology to be able to account for trends in the time series of users’ communication activities. This leads to interesting results that do not support existing statements in literature.
Use of microsatellites for evaluation of genetic diversity in cherry tomato

Much of the diversity of tomato is found in wild forms, the most important being the Solanum lycopersicum L. var. cerasiforme and S. pimpinellifolium. The objective of this research was to assess the genetic diversity of 30 introductions of cherry tomato with 36 microsatellite molecular markers. The study was conducted at the Plant Transformation Research Center (PTRC) of the University of California. A dendrogram was built using the Dice-Nei and Li similarity index and the UPGMA clustering method, where introductions were differentiated without preserving a distribution pattern obeying the geographical area of origin. A coefficient of genetic differentiation was found (Fst = 0.3474), showing a high genetic differentiation of the introductions; those from Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru were the most genetically diverse, presenting 100% of polymorphic loci. The molecular variance analysis indicated a variation of 11% between the groups and 89% within the same. The broad genotypic variability of the evaluated introductions favors the possibility of selecting those for genetic improvement and sustainable use of the species.
Neuropsychological deficits in adults with Neurofibromatosis type 1

Objectives – To examine neuropsychological deficits in adults with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) with and without an affective mental disorder (i.e. dysthymia). Material and methods – Seventy adult NF1 patients were followed‐up after a 12‐year period. Of 65 patients assessed earlier with the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS), 19 patients had died. The remaining patients were assessed by the CPRS with the exception of 4 patients, and were psychiatrically diagnosed according to DSM III‐R. Twelve patients were excluded because of advanced age, and psychiatric illness other than affective disorder. The remaining 30 NF1 patients (7 with affective disorder and 23 psychiatrically healthy), and a control group of 23 normal adults were assessed on a variety of neuropsychological tests. Results – Results indicated NF1‐related deficits in inductive reasoning, visuoconstructive skill, visual and tactual memory, logical abstraction, coordination, and mental flexibility, although basic motor speed and vocabulary were not affected by NF1. An affective disorder exacerbated the neuropsychological deficits associated with NF1 only with regard to tests assessing motor functions. Conclusions – NF1 results in a relatively global cognitive impairment among adults, and additional depressive symptoms appear to slow down basic motor processes. It was speculated that the NF1‐related cognitive deficits may partly result from white‐matter lesions in subcortical brain areas, due to proliferation of glial tissue, aberrant myelination or hamartomas.
Modulation of Physical Activity to Optimize Pain Sensation following an Intra-Articular Corticosteroid Injection in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

Background. Intra-articular corticosteroid injection is often used to relieve pain caused by knee osteoarthritis. This study aims to assess the impact after an intra-articular corticosteroid injection treatment on objective and subjective measurement of physical function in knee osteoarthritis patients. Methods. Fourteen patients with unilateral knee osteoarthritis participated in this open-label uncontrolled trial. The intra-articular corticosteroid injection was given at the end of the second week. Physical activity was objectively measured by an accelerometer worn by the participants for eight weeks. Symptoms, quality of life and spatiotemporal parameters of gait were assessed every two weeks. Results. From the injection until six weeks later, pain and stiffness were reduced by approximately 60%. Patients' daily physical activity time was significantly improved after injection: participation in light and moderate physical activities increased during four and two weeks, respectively. Conclusions. The beneficial effects after the intra-articular corticosteroid injection are visible in the duration and intensity of the knee osteoarthritis patients' daily physical activity. However, these effects declined gradually two weeks after injection. Modulating the intensity and duration of physical activity would allow patients to optimize pain sensation over a longer period following an intra-articular corticosteroid injection. Trial Registration. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials: NCT02049879.
Modeling order-disorder transition in Low-Density Lipoprotein

Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) undergo a reversible order-disorder thermal transition close to biological temperature due to cooperative melting of the cholesteryl esters (CE) in the core of the LDL particle. We have noticed that chain-chain interactions between CE molecules are responsible for the stability of the ordered smectic phase; thus, we formulated a simple “coarse-grained” two-state model to describe the melting process. In this model only nearest neighbor interactions are allowed. On the basis of these assumptions we performed Metropolis Monte Carlo (MC) simulation in order to obtain the heat capacity curve. The resulting profile reveals well-known features of the systems with a finite size.
Denoising of acoustic partial discharge signals corrupted with random noise

Power transformers are one of the most important and expensive electrical equipment that require online condition monitoring. Partial discharge (PD) measurement is considered the most effective and non-destructive approach to observe the condition of power transformers in service. However, many sources of noise interfere with the captured PD signals leading to waveform deformation. Thus, it is important for the detection and classification of PD signals to initially suppress the noise encountered with PD measurement. In this paper, we investigate a method, named power spectral subtraction denoising (PSSD) that uses fast Fourier transform to restrain the random noise encountered in measured acoustic PD signals. The denoising performance of PSSD is compared with those of wavelet-based denoising techniques in addition to the mathematical morphological filter. The denoising techniques are first examined on PD signals contaminated with low and high levels of simulated random noise. The denoising evaluation metrics show the superiority of PSSD over the other techniques. Moreover, a modified PSSD (M-PSSD) method is presented to address the actual PD signals corrupted with real random noise. High reduction in noise levels are achieved using M-PSSD.
Natural Tendency towards Beauty in Humans: Evidence from Binocular Rivalry

Although human preference for beauty is common and compelling in daily life, it remains unknown whether such preference is essentially subserved by social cognitive demands or natural tendency towards beauty encoded in the human mind intrinsically. Here we demonstrate experimentally that humans automatically exhibit preference for visual and moral beauty without explicit cognitive efforts. Using a binocular rivalry paradigm, we identified enhanced gender-independent perceptual dominance for physically attractive persons, and the results suggested universal preference for visual beauty based on perceivable forms. Moreover, we also identified perceptual dominance enhancement for characters associated with virtuous descriptions after controlling for facial attractiveness and vigilance-related attention effects, which suggested a similar implicit preference for moral beauty conveyed in prosocial behaviours. Our findings show that behavioural preference for beauty is driven by an inherent natural tendency towards beauty in humans rather than explicit social cognitive processes.
Tracking a big anticyclonic eddy in the western Mediterranean Sea

In May 1998 a big and deep open ocean anticyclonic eddy (AE 98-1) was sampled in the Algerian basin (western Mediterranean sea) in a region south of the Balearic islands. Fifteen surface Lagrangian buoys, tracked by satellite, were released across the eddy and were used for a few months to observe the continuity of the anticyclonic motion and the westward drift of the eddy. This kind of big and intense eddies in the Mediterranean can be detected by satellite altimeter radars. Using a new method, based on the Okubo-Weiss criterion, to identify mesoscale eddies in Sea Level Anomaly maps derived from measurements of the ERS and TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeters, an independent tracking of the same eddy was performed. There is a remarkable agreement between the two results despite the different nature of the information, mainly due to the fact that SLA maps contain interpolated and smoothed measurements while the drifter? trajectories are in situ data obtained from individual drifter fixes. The location of the eddy centre during two months with the two methods agrees within an average distance lower than the spatial resolution of the altimetric maps (0.2o). The size of the eddy, when it is possible to determine it, is also highly coincident in both cases (96.5% in diameter), and its average westwards translation speed is reasonably similar (24% lower from drifters). These results can be considered a good validation of the new tracking method in SLA maps in this specific case.
3D Coverage Analysis under Heterogeneous Deployment Strategies in Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we propose novel deployment strategies for Wireless Sensor Networks and study 3D coverage under these heterogeneous deployment strategies. Our aim is to find answers to questions like how many sensors are needed to cover a specified 3D terrain at a specified coverage percentage. Furthermore, the effect of sleeping on coverage is also studied. Simulation results demonstrate that depending on application requirements an appropriate deployment strategy can be selected to obtain required 3D coverage.
The Malaysian Breast Cancer Survivorship Cohort (MyBCC): a study protocol

Introduction Over recent decades, the burden of breast cancer has been increasing at an alarming rate in Asia. Prognostic research findings from Western countries may not readily be adapted to Asia, as the outcome of breast cancer depends on a multitude of factors ranging from genetic, clinical and histological predictors, to lifestyle and social predictors. The primary aim of this study is to determine the impact of lifestyle (eg, nutrition, physical activity), mental and sociocultural condition, on the overall survival and quality of life (QoL) among multiethnic Malaysian women following diagnosis of breast cancer. This study aims to advance the evidence on prognostic factors of breast cancer within the Asian setting. The findings may guide management of patients with breast cancer not only during active treatment but also during the survivorship period. Methods This hospital-based prospective cohort study will comprise patients with breast cancer (18 years and above), managed in the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). We aim to recruit 1000 cancer survivors over a 6-year period. Data collection will occur at baseline (within 3 months of diagnosis), 6 months, and 1, 3 and 5 years following diagnosis. The primary outcomes are disease-free survival and overall survival, and secondary outcome is QoL. Factors measured are demographic and socioeconomic factors, lifestyle factors (eg, dietary intake, physical activity), anthropometry measurements (eg, height, weight, waist, hip circumference, body fat analysis), psychosocial aspects, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage. Ethics and dissemination This protocol was approved by the UMMC Ethical Committee in January 2012. All participants are required to provide written informed consent. The findings from our cohort study will be disseminated via scientific publication as well as presentation to stakeholders including the patients, clinicians, the public and policymakers, via appropriate avenues.
BASIC SCIENCE REVIEW

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a disfiguring and deadly cancer. Despite advances in therapy, many patients continue to face a poor prognosis. Early detection is an important factor in determining the survival of patients with OSCC. No accurate, cost-efficient, and reproducible method exists to screen patients for OSCC. As a result, many patients are diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease. Early detection would identify patients, facilitating timely treatment and close monitoring. Mass screening requires a rapid oral cancer diagnostic test that can be used in a clinical setting. Current diagnostic techniques for OSCC require modern laboratory facilities, sophisticated equipment, and elaborate and lengthy processing by skilled personnel. The lab-on-chip technology holds the promise of replacing these techniques with miniaturized, integrated, automated, inexpensive diagnostic devices. This article describes lab-on-chip devices for biomarker-based identification of oral cancer. Similar methods can be employed for the screening of other types of cancers. VC 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 30: 111–121, 2008
Differential Effects of Oral and Transdermal Estrogen Replacement Therapy on Endothelial Function in Postmenopausal Women

BackgroundWe determined whether the vascular effects of estradiol depend on the route of administration by comparing the effects of oral estradiol and transdermal placebo, transdermal estradiol and oral placebo, and transdermal placebo and oral placebo on in vivo endothelial function in 27 postmenopausal women. Methods and ResultsEndothelial function was assessed from blood flow responses to intrabrachial artery infusions of endothelium-dependent (7.5 and 15 &mgr;g/min acetylcholine) and endothelium-independent (3 and 10 &mgr;g/min of sodium nitroprusside) vasodilators at 0, 2, and 12 weeks. In the oral estradiol group, the increase in flow above basal during infusion of the low dose of acetylcholine at 0, 2, and 12 weeks averaged 6.0±0.8, 6.9±0.8, and 11.3±1.2 (P <0.01 versus 0 and 2 weeks) mL · dL−1 · min−1 at 0, 2, and 12 weeks. The percentage increases versus 0 weeks averaged 21±14% at 2 and 120±34% at 12 weeks. During the high-dose acetylcholine infusion, the increase in flow above basal averaged 8.6±1.3, 10.2±1.5, and 15.1±1.8 (P <0.05 versus 0 weeks) mL · dL−1 · min−1, respectively. The percentage increases versus 0 weeks averaged 22±10% at 2 weeks and 119±46% at 12 weeks. In the oral estradiol group, endothelium-independent vasodilatation also improved significantly, but less markedly than endothelium-dependent responses. In the transdermal and placebo groups, all vascular responses remained unchanged. Oral but not transdermal estradiol also induced significant decreases in LDL cholesterol and Lp(a) concentrations and an increase in HDL cholesterol within 2 weeks. ConclusionsWe conclude that oral but not transdermal estradiol induces potentially antiatherogenic changes in in vivo endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and lipid concentrations.
Psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular disease: anxiety, depression and hypertension

Whereas the association of depression with cardiovascular disease is well established, the literature relating to anxiety disorders and cardiovascular disease is much less developed. There have been several studies which have examined the association of anxiety disorders with cardiovascular diagnoses, in particular with hypertension, an independent risk factor both for myocardial infarction and for stroke. Here mechanisms proposed for the association of depression and cardiovascular disease based on cytokines, platelets, the autonomic nervous system and illness behaviour are reviewed. The evidence linking anxiety disorders and cardiovascular disease is then examined. Focussing more specifically on hypertension, data on the associations of abnormal blood pressure with anxiety disorders and with depression are reviewed. While there is considerable evidence for associations of hypertension with panic disorder and some evidence for associations of hypertension with generalized anxiety disorder and depression, associations of low blood pressure with measures of psychological dysfunction have also been reported. Finally the evidence relating to the aetiology of the association of panic disorder with hypertension is explored, again relating to autonomic nervous system dysfunction, cytokines and platelets. A putative neurobiological model of panic and hypertension Simon J.C. Davies, Sean D. Hood, David Christmas et al. 2 involving autonomic nervous system dysfunction modulated by the neurotransmitter serotonin is presented.
Decreased expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 impaires the postischemic recovery of diabetic mouse hearts.

BACKGROUND We hypothesized that the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), which is found in the sensory nerve fibers, could modulate the cardiac function, be impaired by diabetes and could contribute to further severe postischemic heart injury. METHODS AND RESULTS Diabetes was induced in ICR mice by an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. The expression of both TRPV1 and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in diabetes mellitus (DM) hearts was significantly lower, as determined by Western blot and radioimmunoassay, respectively. During the ischemia/reperfusion, the cardiac function was measured by a Medlab system and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the effluents was measured by an ELISA kit. Compared with the non-DM hearts, the DM hearts demonstrated increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and decreased left ventricular developed pressure, heart rate and coronary flow, and also released more LDH in the effluents. Pretreatment with capsaicin attenuated the postischemic injury significantly in non-DM hearts, but not in DM hearts. Pretreatment with CGRP in both non-DM and DM hearts protected hearts against ischemic injury. CONCLUSIONS The alteration of TRPV1 caused by diabetes is related to the poor recovery of cardiac function after myocardial ischemia.
Accountable Care Organizations

This installment of Law and the Public's Health examines accountable care organizations (ACOs) and their role in Medicare and health system reform. In particular, it considers the potential impact of ACOs to achieve greater integration of health care and public health. Sara Rosenbaum, JD The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy, Washington, DC
Automated Analysis of Bangla Poetry for Classification and Poet Identification

Computational analysis of poetry is a challenging and interesting task in NLP. Human expertise on stylistics and aesthetics of poetry is generally expensive and scarce. In this work, we delve into the data to automatically extract stylistic and linguistic information which are useful for analysis and comparison of poems. We make use of semantic (word) features to perform subject-based classification of Bangla poems, and various stylistic as well as semantic features for poet identification. We have used a Multiclass SVM classifier to classify Tagore’s collection of poetry into four categories: devotional, love, nature and nationalism. We identified the most useful word features for each category of poems. The overall accuracy of the classifier was 56.8%, and the analysis led us to conclude that for poetry classification, word features alone do not suffice, due to allusions often being used as a poetic device. We, next, used these features along with stylistic features (syntactic, orthographic and phonemic), for poet identification on a dataset of poems from four poets and achieved a performance of 92.3% using a Multiclass SVM classifier. While contentbased and stylometric analysis of prose in Bangla has been done in the past, this is a first such attempt for poetry.
Clinical Effects of Experimental Dual Infections with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Followed by Swine Influenza Virus in Conventional and Colostrum‐deprived Pigs

Previous studies demonstrated that experimental dual infections of pigs with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) followed by H1N1 influenza virus cause more severe disease and growth retardation than the respective single virus infections. Here three experiments were undertaken to better define the clinical impact of combined PRRSV‐H1N1 infections in conventional and caesarean‐derived colostrum‐deprived (CDCD) pigs. Groups of pigs were inoculated by aerosol with PRRSV followed by H1N1 at 3‐, 7‐ or 14‐day intervals. During the post‐H1N1 period, mean body temperatures, respiratory signs and mean weight gains in the PRRSV‐H1N1 inoculated groups were recorded and compared with those in uninoculated controls (experiments 1 and 2) or in singly virus‐inoculated pigs (experiment 3). In a first experiment with conventional pigs, the PRRSV‐3d‐H1N1 and PRRSV‐7d‐H1N1 infections induced mean body temperatures >40.5°C during 8 days (peaks 41.1 and 41.6°C, respectively) and mean growth reductions of 3.4 and 4.8 kg, respectively, during the 2 weeks after H1N1, along with marked depression and respiratory disease. The PRRSV‐14d‐H1N1 infection, on the contrary, was largely subclinical. In a second experiment with conventional pigs, PRRSV‐3d‐H1N1 and PRRSV‐7d‐H1N1 infections were clinically milder, with smaller increases in mean body temperatures (peak 40.5°C in both groups) and growth reductions (1.4 and 1.6 kg, respectively). In both groups, only one pig showed prominent general and respiratory signs. In a final experiment with CDCD pigs, PRRSV‐7d‐H1N1 infection had minimal effects on mean clinical performances and growth and, except for one pig that was severely affected, differences with the single virus inoculations were negligible. Thus, both the time interval between infections and the sanitary status of pigs can affect the clinical outcome of dual PRRSV‐H1N1 infections. However, factors so far unknown seem to cause large variations in the clinical response between individual pigs.