Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IMPACTS OF DIURNALLY EXPOSED SLIME LAYER HYDROGEN SULFIDE CONCENTRATIONS IN SEWER ATMOSPHERE

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a major issue in wastewater collection systems. H2S can cause rapid damage to wastewater infrastructure, affects the public’s quality of life through odor issues and is a safety concern for sewer workers. Relatively recent development and introduction of H2S data loggers has shown that H2S concentrations in the sewer headspace demonstrate a diurnal pattern that is not explained by current models. Odor complaints and toxicity are primarily a result of the peak concentration levels and may be more accurately predicted through a better understanding of the diurnal H2S concentration patterns. Biological slime layer grows in the submerged portion of sanitary sewer pipes and is the primary source of H2S in the sewer atmosphere. The diurnal hydraulic cycle common to sanitary sewer systems results in the periodic exposure of a portion of the slime layer. It was hypothesized that the diurnally exposed slime layer impacts the sewer atmosphere concentration of H2S. Utilizing laboratory style tests in a field sewer system showed that the slime layer, when exposed to the sewer atmosphere, will remove H2S. This has not been previously demonstrated and helps explain the diurnal H2S variation in the sewer atmosphere.
Facilitating the Delegation of Use for Private Devices in the Era of the Internet of Wearable Things

The Internet undergoes a fundamental transformation as billions of connected “things” surround us and embed themselves into the fabric of our everyday lives. However, this is only the beginning of true convergence between the realm of humans and that of machines, which materializes with the advent of connected machines worn by humans, or wearables. The resulting shift from the Internet of Things to the Internet of Wearable Things (IoWT) brings along a truly personalized user experience by capitalizing on the rich contextual information, which wearables produce more than any other today’s technology. The abundance of personally identifiable information handled by wearables creates an unprecedented risk of its unauthorized exposure by the IoWT devices, which fuels novel privacy challenges. In this paper, after reviewing the relevant contemporary background, we propose efficient means for the delegation of use applicable to a wide variety of constrained wearable devices, so that to guarantee privacy and integrity of their data. Our efficient solutions facilitate contexts when one would like to offer their personal device for temporary use (delegate it) to another person in a secure and reliable manner. In connection to the proposed protocol suite for the delegation of use, we also review the possible attack surfaces related to advanced wearables.
Cancer gene prioritization by integrative analysis of mRNA expression and DNA copy number data: a comparative review

A variety of genome-wide profiling techniques are available to investigate complementary aspects of genome structure and function. Integrative analysis of heterogeneous data sources can reveal higher level interactions that cannot be detected based on individual observations. A standard integration task in cancer studies is to identify altered genomic regions that induce changes in the expression of the associated genes based on joint analysis of genome-wide gene expression and copy number profiling measurements. In this review, we highlight common approaches to genomic data integration and provide a transparent benchmarking procedure to quantitatively compare method performances in cancer gene prioritization. Algorithms, data sets and benchmarking results are available at http://intcomp.r-forge.r-project.org.
Towards reliability-aware circuit design in nanoscale FinFET technology: — New-generation aging model and circuit reliability simulator

In this paper, an industry-level new-generation EDA solution for reliability-aware design in nanoscale FinFET technology is presented for the first time, with new compact transistor aging models and upgraded circuit reliability simulator. Our work solves various issues found in FinFET silicon data of NBTI aging. Especially, instead of ignoring or less accurate NBTI recovery effect model in traditional simulators, accurate NBTI degradation and recovery models are proposed and validated by silicon data for full stress/recovery range in the FinFET technology. The history effect, one of the important features of NBTI which is missing in the existing industrial tools, is included based on new simulation methodology. Since FinFET reliability data suggests the conventional linear extrapolation method is no longer valid, an accurate fast-speed long-term prediction method is proposed based on smart iteration flows of equivalence. The frequency dependence of NBTI, which draws much attention, is included in the new simulator automatically. This work has been integrated into Cadence reliability simulator, providing designers an opportunity for accurate reliability-aware circuit design.
AN ANCIENT CHINESE BRONZE FRAGMENT RE-EXAMINED AFTER 50 YEARS: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MODERN AND TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES*

Modern analytical techniques, such as secondary ion mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman microscopy, alongside scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and powder X-ray diffraction, were used to investigate bronze fragments from an ancient Chinese bronze vessel (also known as a hu) in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Previous compositional results obtained by R. J. Gettens in 1951, using traditional optical metallography and powder X-ray diffraction, were compared with the present analysis. The investigation provided a complete description of the composition of the ancient metal alloy and spatially resolved identification of the major and minor corrosion products. Furthermore, the study also provided the opportunity for a better understanding of the possibilities and limitations of the various instrumental techniques available to the analyst for the study of ancient bronzes.
Isolation and Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns of Shigella and Salmonellaamong Under 5 Children with Acute Diarrhoea: A Cross-Sectional Study atSelected Public Health Facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: Diarrhoeal illness remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children<5 years of age worldwide. In Ethiopia, about 230,000 deaths estimated to occur. Shigella and Salmonella are major causes of gastroenteritis in children and is associated with high resistance levels. Thus, the aims of this study was to isolate and determine susceptibility patterns of Shigella and Salmonella, isolated from under five children with diarrhoea attending at some selected health facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A total of 253 children 115 males and 138 females with acute diarrhoea were enrolled. Stool samples were cultured and isolated Shigella and Salmonella species were run for antimicrobial susceptibility testing using disk diffusion method. Results: A total of 190 entropathogens were isolated. Sixty one (24.1%) was E. coli, (9.1%) was Shigella followed by (3.95%) Salmonella and Citrobacter species and 86 (34.0%) was parasites. The overall resistance rates of isolated Shigella and Salmonella spp were high for Ampicillin (95.7%, 80.0%) and Augmentin (91.4%, 80) respectively. However, high sensitivity was observed among both isolates for Ciprofloxacin (91.3%, 100%) and Ceftraxion (91.4%, 100%). More than 87% of Shigella species were multiple resistances (resistance for two or more antibiotics). Whereas, 70.0% for Salmonella species. The prevalence of Shigella species was significantly varied among children with different employment parent’s status. Raw meat consumption was an independent predictor variable for exposures of Salmonella infection (P≤0.05). Conclusion: Isolation of high frequency of multidrug resistant Shigella and Salmonella spp. from children in the study area is an alarming for the present situation of emerging drug resistance. However, there is still a chance to use ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone in area of no culture and sensitivity test performed.
MicroRNA expression profiling of intestinal mucosa tissue predicts multiple crucial regulatory molecules and signaling pathways for gut barrier dysfunction of AIDS patients

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection severely damages the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), the immune system and the gut barrier, which leads to accelerating the disease progression for patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) may contribute to this process. However, few studies have investigated the importance of miRNAs in AIDS pathogenesis and progression. The whole miRNA profile of patients with HIV infection from southwest P.R. China and the mode of interaction between HIV-1 and miRNAs remains to be elucidated. Colon mucosal samples were collected from HIV+ patients and HIV− healthy individuals, miRNAs were isolated and subjected to array hybridization in the present study. A total of 476 human and virus-derived microRNAs were significantly altered in the HIV+ group when compared with the control group (P<0.05), which may be involved in the progression to AIDS. Target genes of the significantly altered miRNAs were predicted using the TargetScan, miRbase and miRanda databases and the 10 shared target genes of upregulated miRNAs and the 391 target genes of downregulated miRNAs were selected. As only 10 target genes were predicted for upregulated miRNAs, subsequent GO and KEGG pathway analyses were focused on the 391 target genes of the downregulated miRNAs. The findings of the present study identified a series of crucial pathways, including cell-extracellular matrix interaction and chemokine regulation, which indicated close affinity with CD4+ T cell activation. These pathways, involving genes such as integrin α5, led to a gut barrier dysfunction of patients with HIV. Important miRNAs include hsa-miRNA-32-5p, hsa-miRNA-195-5p, hsa-miRNA-20b-5p, hsa-miRNA-590-5p. The expression levels of the miRNAs and their target genes were confirmed using RT-qPCR. Taking into previous observations, the findings of the present study identified the importance of miRNAs for regulating gut barrier dysfunction via multiple regulatory molecules and signaling pathways, which elucidated the underlying molecular mechanism of gut barrier dysfunction in patients with HIV.
Using the R-PAS ' Aggressive Content Score For the Evaluation of Aggressive Behaviors in Children

The Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) was developed in 2011 as an alternative to the previous Comprehensive System. The goal was to improve the psychometrics, and particularly the validity, of this assessment method. The norms for children were questionable in the Comprehensive system (e.g., outdated, low numbers of subjects) and validity studies for children were sparse. One of the indicators included in the R-PAS system, the aggressive content indicator (AgC), is intended to reflect aggressive behavior, but few studies have examined the validity of this indicator. This study examined the validity of AgC in a sample of 32 children and adolescents receiving services at a residential treatment center. Subjects’ AgC scores were analyzed in relation to demographics and diagnosis, as well as ratings of aggression and conduct problems from the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) Parent and Teacher Reports. Correlations between the AgC score and BASC-2 aggression and conduct problems scores were not statistically significant. None of the correlations between AgC score and a diagnosis of Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or Mood Disorders were significant either. Given the small sample size, null results may be a result of power concerns. The lack of significant correlations may however, indicate that operational definitions of aggression used in various forms of measurement reflect different constructs. THE R-PAS’ AGGRESSIVE CONTENT SCORE 3
Sonic hedgehog controls stem cell behavior in the postnatal and adult brain

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling controls many aspects of ontogeny, orchestrating congruent growth and patterning. During brain development, Shh regulates early ventral patterning while later on it is critical for the regulation of precursor proliferation in the dorsal brain, namely in the neocortex, tectum and cerebellum. We have recently shown that Shh also controls the behavior of cells with stem cell properties in the mouse embryonic neocortex, and additional studies have implicated it in the control of cell proliferation in the adult ventral forebrain and in the hippocampus. However, it remains unclear whether it regulates adult stem cell lineages in an equivalent manner. Similarly, it is not known which cells respond to Shh signaling in stem cell niches. Here we demonstrate that Shh is required for cell proliferation in the mouse forebrain's subventricular zone (SVZ) stem cell niche and for the production of new olfactory interneurons in vivo. We identify two populations of Gli1+ Shh signaling responding cells: GFAP+ SVZ stem cells and GFAP- precursors. Consistently, we show that Shh regulates the self-renewal of neurosphere-forming stem cells and that it modulates proliferation of SVZ lineages by acting as a mitogen in cooperation with epidermal growth factor (EGF). Together, our data demonstrate a critical and conserved role of Shh signaling in the regulation of stem cell lineages in the adult mammalian brain, highlight the subventricular stem cell astrocytes and their more abundant derived precursors as in vivo targets of Shh signaling, and demonstrate the requirement for Shh signaling in postnatal and adult neurogenesis.
Size, Cost, and Capacity: A Semantic Technique for Hard Random QBFs

As a natural extension of the SAT problem, an array of proof systems for quantified Boolean formulas (QBF) have been proposed, many of which extend a propositional proof system to handle universal quantification. By formalising the construction of the QBF proof system obtained from a propositional proof system by adding universal reduction (Beyersdorff, Bonacina & Chew, ITCS `16), we present a new technique for proving proof-size lower bounds in these systems. The technique relies only on two semantic measures: the cost of a QBF, and the capacity of a proof. By examining the capacity of proofs in several QBF systems, we are able to use the technique to obtain lower bounds based on cost alone. As applications of the technique, we first prove exponential lower bounds for a new family of simple QBFs representing equality. The main application is in proving exponential lower bounds with high probability for a class of randomly generated QBFs, the first `genuine' lower bounds of this kind, which apply to the QBF analogues of resolution, Cutting Planes, and Polynomial Calculus. Finally, we employ the technique to give a simple proof of hardness for the prominent formulas of Kleine B\"uning, Karpinski and Fl\"ogel.
Longitudinal analysis of microbial interaction between humans and the indoor environment

Signature microbes follow you from house to house Householders share more than habitation; they also share inhabitants. In a diverse sample of U.S. homes, Lax et al. found that people and animals sharing homes shared their microbial communities (microbiota) too, probably because of skin shedding and hand and foot contamination. When families moved, their microbiological “aura” followed. If one person left the home even for a few days, their contribution to the microbiome diminished. These findings have implications not only for household identity and composition, but also for indicators of the members' health and well-being. Science, this issue p. 1048 Microbes colonize not only our guts, but also our homes. The bacteria that colonize humans and our built environments have the potential to influence our health. Microbial communities associated with seven families and their homes over 6 weeks were assessed, including three families that moved their home. Microbial communities differed substantially among homes, and the home microbiome was largely sourced from humans. The microbiota in each home were identifiable by family. Network analysis identified humans as the primary bacterial vector, and a Bayesian method significantly matched individuals to their dwellings. Draft genomes of potential human pathogens observed on a kitchen counter could be matched to the hands of occupants. After a house move, the microbial community in the new house rapidly converged on the microbial community of the occupants’ former house, suggesting rapid colonization by the family’s microbiota.
Stabbing Planes

We develop a new semi-algebraic proof system called Stabbing Planes which formalizes modern branch-and-cut algorithms for integer programming and is in the style of DPLL-based modern SAT solvers. As with DPLL there is only a single rule: the current polytope can be subdivided by branching on an inequality and its"integer negation. "That is, we can (nondeterministically choose) a hyperplane $ax \geq b$ with integer coefficients, which partitions the polytope into three pieces: the points in the polytope satisfying $ax \geq b$, the points satisfying $ax \leq b-1$, and the middle slab $b - 1<ax<b$. Since the middle slab contains no integer points it can be safely discarded, and the algorithm proceeds recursively on the other two branches. Each path terminates when the current polytope is empty, which is polynomial-time checkable. Among our results, we show that Stabbing Planes can efficiently simulate the Cutting Planes proof system, and is equivalent to a tree-like variant of the RCP system of [Krajicek98]. As well, we show that it possesses short proofs of the canonical family of systems of $\mathbb{F}_2$-linear equations known as the Tseitin formulas. Finally, we prove linear lower bounds on the rank of Stabbing Planes refutations by adapting lower bounds in communication complexity and use these bounds in order to show that Stabbing Planes proofs cannot be balanced. In doing so, we show that real communication protocols cannot be balanced and establish the first lower bound on the real communication complexity of the set disjointness function.
Pattern ERG as an early glaucoma indicator in ocular hypertension: a long-term, prospective study.

PURPOSE The conversion rate from untreated ocular hypertension (OHT) to glaucoma is only approximately 1% per year. Discrimination of nonconverters and potential converters would help reserve preventative treatment for those who need it and thus avoid unnecessary side effects and expenditure for those who do not. This prospective study was designed to assess the pattern electroretinogram (PERG) as an early indicator of dysfunction preceding glaucoma. METHODS Ninety-five eyes of 54 patients with intraocular pressure > or =25 mm Hg (or > or =23 mm Hg with additional risk factors), normal visual fields, normal optic disc cupping, and visual acuity > or =0.8 were evaluated. Every 6 months during a median follow-up of 8.2 years, the PERG and visual fields were obtained besides other standard diagnostics. PERGs were recorded in steady state mode in response to checkerboard stimuli at 15 reversals/s, and the amplitudes in response to check sizes of 0.8 degrees and 16 degrees as well as the ratio of the amplitude of responses to 0.8 degrees over that to 16 degrees checks were determined. RESULTS Glaucomatous visual field defects developed in eight eyes. For the PERG to 0.8 degrees checks and for the PERG ratio, analysis of the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) yielded steadily increasing ROC areas before conversion (i.e., an increasing ability of the PERG to predict nonconversion or conversion). One year before conversion, the ROC area of the PERG ratio was 0.78; at a threshold of 1.06 this corresponded to a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 71%. CONCLUSIONS The PERG can help to predict stability or progression to glaucoma in OHT at least 1 year ahead of conversion.
Is the Privacy Paradox a Matter of Psychological Distance? An Exploratory Study of the Privacy Paradox from a Construal Level Theory Perspective

Institutional operators in the digital marketplace have delighted consumers with precise, highly personalized and customized products and services through the collection and mining of customers' personally identifiable data. However, the ethical conduct of online businesses continues to be a debatable issue, due to the increasing concerns over information privacy. Despite such controversies, scrutiny of consumer behavior has shown that consumers' concerns for privacy do not transfer into protective behaviors or abstinence during online activity. The aim of this study is to illuminate the disparity known as the 'privacy paradox' through the directions of the construal level theory. Based on semi-structured interviews with 21 online shopping consumers, we explain that, due to spatial, temporal, social, and hypothetical distance of privacy values, privacy is construed as an abstract phenomenon influencing the formation of distant-future attitudes and intentions rather than actual behavior. Publication Details Bandara, R. , Fernando, M. & Akter, S. (2018). Is the privacy paradox a matter of psychological distance? An exploratory study of the privacy paradox from a construal level theory perspective. Proceedings of the 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences | 2018 (pp. 3678-3687). Hawaii, United States: University of Hawaii at Manoa. This conference paper is available at Research Online: https://ro.uow.edu.au/buspapers/1465 Is the Privacy Paradox a Matter of Psychological Distance? An Exploratory Study of the Privacy Paradox from a Construal Level Theory Perspective Ruwan Bandara Faculty of Business University of Wollongong Australia hmrjb180@uowmail.edu.au Mario Fernando Faculty of Business University of Wollongong Australia mariof@uow.edu.au Shahriar Akter Faculty of Business University of Wollongong Australia sakter@uow.edu.au
Parameterisation of bivalve functional traits for mechanistic eco-physiological dynamic energy budget (DEB) models

Mechanistic models such as those based on dynamic energy budget (DEB) theory are emergent ecomechanics tools to investigate the extent of fitness in organisms through changes in life history traits as explained by bioenergetic principles. The rapid growth in interest around this approach originates from the mechanistic characteristics of DEB, which are based on a number of rules dictating the use of mass and energy flow through organisms. One apparent bottleneck in DEB applications comes from the estimations of DEB parameters which are based on mathematical and statistical methods (covariation method). The parameterisation process begins with the knowledge of some functional traits of a target organism (e. g. embryo, sexual maturity and ultimate body size, feeding and assimilation rates, maintenance costs), identified from the literature or laboratory experiments. However, considering the prominent role of the mechanistic approach in ecology, the reduction of possible uncertainties is an important objective. We propose a revaluation of the laboratory procedures commonly used in ecological studies to estimate DEB parameters in marine bivalves. Our experimental organism was Brachidontes pharaonis. We supported our proposal with a validation exercise which compared life history traits as obtained by DEBs (implemented with parameters obtained using classical laboratory methods) with the actual set of species traits obtained in the field. Correspondence between the 2 approaches was very high (>95%) with respect to estimating both size and fitness. Our results demonstrate a good agreement between field data and model output for the effect of temperature and food density on age-size curve, maximum body size and total gamete production per life span. The mechanistic approach is a promising method of providing accurate predictions in a world that is under in creasing anthropogenic pressure.