Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Cost of Digital Advertisement: Comparing User and Advertiser Views

Digital advertisements are delivered in the form of static images, animations or videos, with the goal to promote a product, a service or an idea to desktop or mobile users. Thus, the advertiser pays a monetary cost to buy ad-space in a content provider»s medium (e.g., website) to place their advertisement in the consumer»s display. However, is it only the advertiser who pays for the ad delivery? Unlike traditional advertisements in mediums such as newspapers, TV or radio, in the digital world, the end-users are also paying a cost for the advertisement delivery. Whilst the cost on the advertiser»s side is clearly monetary, on the end-user, it includes both quantifiable costs, such as network requests and transferred bytes, and qualitative costs such as privacy loss to the ad ecosystem. In this study, we aim to increase user awareness regarding the hidden costs of digital advertisement in mobile devices, and compare the user and advertiser views. Specifically, we built OpenDAMP, a transparency tool that passively analyzes users» web traffic and estimates the costs in both sides. We use a year-long dataset of 1270 real mobile users and by juxtaposing the costs of both sides, we identify a clear imbalance: the advertisers pay several times less to deliver ads, than the cost paid by the users to download them. In addition, the majority of users experience a significant privacy loss, through the personalized ad delivery mechanics.
Soft nanostructured films for directing the assembly of functional materials

Lipids are a class of biological small molecules with hydrophilic and hydrophobic constituents forming the structural membranes in cells. Over the past century an extensive understanding of lipid biology and biophysics has been developed illuminating lipids as an intricate, highly tunable, and hierarchical soft-matter system. In addition to serving as cell membrane models, lipids have been investigated as microphase separated structures in aqueous solutions. In terms of applications lipids have been realized as powerful structural motifs for the encapsulation and cellular delivery of genetic material. More recently, lipids have also revealed promise as thin film materials, exhibiting long-range periodic nano-scale order and tunable orientation. In this review we summarize the pertinent understanding of lipid nanostructure development in bulk aqueous systems followed by the current and potential perturbations to these results induced by introduction of a substrate. These effects are punctuated by a summary of our published results in the field of lipid thin films with added nucleic acids and key results introducing hard materials into lipid nanostructured substrates.
Novel agents in renal carcinoma: a reality check

The discovery of the molecular mechanisms underlying development of renal cell carcinoma have allowed for the development of novel targeted therapy for treatment of this disease. Recently, multiple agents have become approved by regulatory authorities for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma, including sunitinib, sorafenib, bevacizumab (with interferon alpha), pazopanib, temsirolimus and everolimus. While these therapies have generated excitement and have clearly altered the treatment paradigm, multiple limitations have been elucidated over time. These include but are not limited to the fact that treatment is not associated with complete responses, a significant number of patients are primarily refractory to treatment, and clinical trials mostly include clear cell histology. Furthermore, the role of these therapies in the treatment of brain metastases remains unclear and therapies can have considerable toxicities. RECIST criteria (Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors) can be inadequate for the assessment of these modalities’ treatment efficacy, and biomarkers predictive of individual patient benefit have been elusive. This review summarizes the major clinical data and discusses these limitations.
A framework for the simulation of agents with emotions

The Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma (IPD) has been used as a paradigm for studying the emergence of cooperation among individual agents. Many computer experiments show that cooperation does arise under certain conditions. However, little attention has been paid to aspects of emotions in this context. The goal of this work is thus to develop a framework for modelling agents with emotions. It allows the design of such agents, which interact with neighbours or their social groups. This paper describes a scenario in which agents may have various types of emotions, and which uses the IPD as a metaphor for social interactions. We compare our results with standard ones achieved in the scenario of a two-dimensional array of either cooperators or defectors, without any kind of emotion involved. Our results show that the ratio of cooperators is slightly higher when agents make decisions using emotions. This might be explained by the fact that agents are not so short-sighted in that they always either cooperate or defect. Rather, their flexibility increases when they are able to use emotions to decide which course of action to take during the game.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Implications of Exercise Treadmill and Rest First-Pass Radionuclide Angiography in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension

Purpose Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by abnormally increased pulmonary vascular pressure, leading to deteriorated right ventricular function and premature death. Pulmonary mean transit time (PMTT) and biventricular function response to exercise in first-pass radionuclide angiography (FP-RNA) may provide early detection and timely disease monitoring of PH. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic values of this imaging modality in PH patients. Methods Left and right ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF/RVEF) and PMTT at rest and immediately after exercise treadmill test were measured by FP-RNA in 77 consecutive patients with clinical presentations suggestive of PH (aged 46 ± 15 years, 33 men), mostly with symptoms of unexplained progressive dyspnea. These parameters, along with other clinical variables, were correlated with right-sided heart catheterization data and clinical outcomes. Results Fifty patients (64.9%) were diagnosed as having definite PH. Besides higher N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide levels, right atrial pressure, and pulmonary vascular resistance, PH patients had significantly longer PMTT, lower LVEF after exercise and rest, and lower poststress RVEF (all P < 0.05), compared with non-PH subjects. Moreover, PH patients exhibited stress-induced right ventricular dysfunction and stationary poststress PMTT. Poststress PMTT and echocardiography had comparable diagnostic utility (area under the curve, 0.80 vs 0.84, respectively). Eighteen patients died during a median follow-up period of 380 days. Failure of exercise treadmill test, lower peak heart rate response, and stress/rest LVEF ratio of less than 90% using exercise treadmill FP-RNA were independent predictors of mortality in PH patients. Conclusions Exercise treadmill and rest FP-RNA provided diagnostic value and had prognostic implications in patients with PH.
The contribution of marine aggregate‐associated bacteria to the accumulation of pathogenic bacteria in oysters: an agent‐based model

Abstract Bivalves process large volumes of water, leading to their accumulation of bacteria, including potential human pathogens (e.g., vibrios). These bacteria are captured at low efficiencies when freely suspended in the water column, but they also attach to marine aggregates, which are captured with near 100% efficiency. For this reason, and because they are often enriched with heterotrophic bacteria, marine aggregates have been hypothesized to function as important transporters of bacteria into bivalves. The relative contribution of aggregates and unattached bacteria to the accumulation of these cells, however, is unknown. We developed an agent‐based model to simulate accumulation of vibrio‐type bacteria in oysters. Simulations were conducted over a realistic range of concentrations of bacteria and aggregates and incorporated the dependence of pseudofeces production on particulate matter. The model shows that the contribution of aggregate‐attached bacteria depends strongly on the unattached bacteria, which form the colonization pool for aggregates and are directly captured by the simulated oysters. The concentration of aggregates is also important, but its effect depends on the concentration of unattached bacteria. At high bacterial concentrations, aggregates contribute the majority of bacteria in the oysters. At low concentrations of unattached bacteria, aggregates have a neutral or even a slightly negative effect on bacterial accumulation. These results provide the first evidence suggesting that the concentration of aggregates could influence uptake of pathogenic bacteria in bivalves and show that the tendency of a bacterial species to remain attached to aggregates is a key factor for understanding species‐specific accumulation.
Range of Motion and Orientation of the Lumbar Facet Joints In Vivo

Study Design. Controlled laboratory study. Objective. To measure the range of motion of lumbar facet (zygapophyseal) joints in vivo during various functional weight-bearing positions of the upper body. Summary of Background Data. Determination of normal in vivo motion of the lumbar facet joints remains elusive despite numerous in vitro studies, animal models, and finite element simulations. Alterations in motion of the facet joints have been thought to be associated with various types of lumbar spine pathology including disc degeneration, facet degeneration, and neural impingement. Methods. Eleven healthy subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to obtain three-dimensional models of the lumbar vertebrae from L2–L5. Each patient was then scanned using a dual-fluoroscopic imaging system while positioning the body in different postures: maximal forward-backward bend, side-to-side bending, and maximal left-right torsion. This fluoroscopic set-up was then recreated in solid modeling software where positions of the vertebrae were reproduced at each studied posture by matching the MRI-based models to the fluoroscopic images. The kinematics was measured using a Cartesian coordinate system placed in the center of each facet. The facet orientation in the sagittal and transverse plane was also determined. Results. During flexion-extension movements of the trunk, the facet joints rotated primarily along the mediolateral axis (average: 2°–6°) and were translated in the cephalad caudad direction (average: 2–4 mm). However, during lateral bending and twisting, the facet joints did not rotate or translate in 1 dominant direction. Instead, the resulting motion represented a coupling of rotation and translation in different directions (average: <5° and 3 mm). Further, the kinematic behavior of the facets of the upper lumbar spine (L2–L3 and L3–L4) were similar but different from that of the lower lumbar spine (L4–L5). Conclusion. These findings provide baseline information to enable the study of kinematic changes that occur in pathologic conditions of the spine and to determine how these might be affected following surgical intervention.
ER stress-induced aggresome trafficking of HtrA1 protects against proteotoxicity

Abstract High temperature requirement A1 (HtrA1) belongs to an ancient protein family that is linked to various human disorders. The precise role of exon 1-encoded N-terminal domains and how these influence the biological functions of human HtrA1 remain elusive. In this study, we traced the evolutionary origins of these N-terminal domains to a single gene fusion event in the most recent common ancestor of vertebrates. We hypothesized that human HtrA1 is implicated in unfolded protein response. In highly secretory cells of the retinal pigmented epithelia, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress upregulated HtrA1. HtrA1 co-localized with vimentin intermediate filaments in highly arborized fashion. Upon ER stress, HtrA1 tracked along intermediate filaments, which collapsed and bundled in an aggresome at the microtubule organizing center. Gene silencing of HtrA1 altered the schedule and amplitude of adaptive signaling and concomitantly resulted in apoptosis. Restoration of wild-type HtrA1, but not its protease inactive mutant, was necessary and sufficient to protect from apoptosis. A variant of HtrA1 that harbored exon 1 substitutions displayed reduced efficacy in rescuing cells from proteotoxicity. Our results illuminate the integration of HtrA1 in the toolkit of mammalian cells against protein misfolding and the implications of defects in HtrA1 in proteostasis.
Health Care Burden and Cost Associated with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Based on Official Canadian Data

Background Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a group of disorders caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. From this group, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the only disorder coded in the International Classification of Diseases, version 10 (ICD-10). This coding was used to gain an understanding on the health care utilization and the mortality rate for individuals diagnosed with FAS, as well as to estimate the associated health care costs in Canada for the most recent available fiscal year (2008–2009). Methods Health care utilization data associated with a diagnosis of FAS were directly obtained from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Mortality data associated with a diagnosis of FAS were obtained from Statistics Canada. Results The total direct health care cost of acute care, psychiatric care, day surgery, and emergency department services associated with FAS in Canada in 2008–2009, based on the official CIHI data, was about $6.7 million. The vast majority of the most responsible diagnoses, which account for the majority of a patient’s length of stay in hospital, fall within the ICD-10 category Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00–F99). It was evident that the burden and cost of acute care hospitalizations due to FAS is increasing −1.6 times greater in 2008–2009, compared to 2002–2003. The mortality data due to FAS, obtained from Statistics Canada (2000–2008), may be underreported, and are likely invalid. Discussion The official data on the utilization of health care services by individuals diagnosed with FAS are likely to be underreported and therefore, the reported cost figures are most likely underestimated. The quantification of the health care costs associated with FAS is crucial for policy developers and decision makers alike, of the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure, with the ultimate goal of initiating preventive interventions to address FASD.
Toward the use of precision medicine for the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Precision medicine is a new strategy that aims at preventing and treating human diseases by focusing on individual variations in people's genes, environment and lifestyle. Precision medicine has been used for cancer diagnosis and treatment and shows evident clinical efficacy. Rapid developments in molecular biology, genetics and sequencing technologies, as well as computational technology, has enabled the establishment of “big data”, such as the Human Genome Project, which provides a basis for precision medicine. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive cancer with a high incidence rate and low survival rate. Current therapies are often aggressive and carry considerable side effects. Much research now indicates that precision medicine can be used for HNSCC and may achieve improved results. From this perspective, we present an overview of the current status, potential strategies, and challenges of precision medicine in HNSCC. We focus on targeted therapy based on cell the surface signaling receptors epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), and on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, JAK/STAT3 and RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK cellular signaling pathways. Gene therapy for the treatment of HNSCC is also discussed.
Design and Implementation of 2.45 GHz Passive SAW Temperature Sensors with BPSK Coded RFID Configuration

A surface acoustic wave based passive temperature sensor capable of multiple access is investigated. Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) codes of eight chips were implemented using a reflective delay line scheme on a Y-Z LiNbO3 piezoelectric substrate. An accurate simulation based on the combined finite- and boundary element method (FEM/BEM) was performed in order to determine the optimum design parameters. The scaling factor ‘s’ and time delay factor ‘τ’ were extracted using signal processing techniques based on the wavelet transform of the correlation function, and then evaluated at various ambient temperatures. The scaling factor ‘s’ gave a more stable and reliable response to temperature than the time delay factor ‘τ’. Preliminary results show that the sensor response is fast and consistent subject to ambient temperature and it exhibits good linearity of 0.9992 with temperature varying from 0 to 130 °C.
Section Ii‐ Exercise Physiology & Sports Medicine Determination of Maximal Oxygen Uptake Using the Bruce or a Novel Athlete‐led Protocol in a Mixed Population

Authors submitted their contribution of the article to the editorial board. Treadmill tests for maximal oxygen uptake (V  O2max) have traditionally used set speed and incline increments regardless of participants training or exercise background. The aim of this study was to determine the validity of a novel athlete‐led protocol for determining maximal aerobic fitness in adults. Twenty‐nine participants (21 male, 8 female, age 29.8 ± 9.5 y, BMI 24.4 ± 3.1, mean ± SD) from a variety of exercise backgrounds were asked to complete two maximal treadmill running tests (using the standard Bruce or a novel athlete‐led protocol [ALP]) to volitional failure in a counter‐balanced randomised cross‐over trial one week apart. We found no substantial difference in maximal oxygen uptake (47.0 ± 9.1 and 46.8 ± 10.7 ml.kg ‐1 .min ‐1 , mean ± SD for the ALP and Bruce protocols respectively), evidenced by the Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.93 (90% confidence limits, 0.88‐0.96). However, compared to the Bruce protocol, participants completing the ALP protocol attained a substantially higher maximal heart rate (ALP = 182.8 ± 10.5, Bruce = 179.7 ± 8.7 beats.min ‐1). Additionally, using the Bruce protocol took a longer period of time (23.2 ± 17.0 s) compared to the ALP protocol. It seems that using either treadmill protocol will give you similar maximal oxygen uptake results. We suggest the ALP protocol which is simpler, quicker and probably better at achieving maximal heart rates is a useful alternative to the traditional Bruce protocol.
Comparison of nutritional status between children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children in the Mediterranean Region (Valencia, Spain)

This case-control study investigated nutrient intake, healthy eating index with 10 items on foods and nutrients, on 3-day food diaries and anthropometric measurements in 105 children with autism spectrum disorder and 495 typically developing children (6–9 years) in Valencia (Spain). Children with autism spectrum disorder were at a higher risk for underweight, eating more legumes, vegetables, fiber, and some micronutrients (traditional Mediterranean diet) but fewer dairy and cereal products, and less iodine, sodium, and calcium than their typically developing peers. Differences existed in total energy intake but healthy eating index and food variety score differences were not significant. Autism spectrum disorder group failed to meet dietary recommendations for thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin C, or calcium. Risk of inadequate intake of fiber, vitamin E, and sodium was lower in children with autism spectrum disorder than typically developing children. Results suggest that (1) risk of inadequate intake of some micronutrients in children with autism spectrum disorder and (2) cultural patterns and environment may influence food intake and anthropometric characteristics in autism spectrum disorder. Primary care should include anthropometric and nutritional surveillance in this population to identify intervention on a case-by-case basis. Future research should explore dietary patterns and anthropometric characteristics in different autism spectrum disorder populations in other countries, enhancing our understanding of the disorder’s impact.
Inhibition of RNA polymerase I transcription initiation by CX-5461 activates non-canonical ATM/ATR signaling

RNA polymerase I (Pol I)-mediated transcription of the ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) is confined to the nucleolus and is a rate-limiting step for cell growth and proliferation. Inhibition of Pol I by CX-5461 can selectively induce p53-mediated apoptosis of tumour cells in vivo. Currently, CX-5461 is in clinical trial for patients with advanced haematological malignancies (Peter Mac, Melbourne). Here we demonstrate that CX-5461 also induces p53-independent cell cycle checkpoints mediated by ATM/ATR signaling in the absence of DNA damage. Further, our data demonstrate that the combination of drugs targeting ATM/ATR signaling and CX-5461 leads to enhanced therapeutic benefit in treating p53-null tumours in vivo, which are normally refractory to each drug alone. Mechanistically, we show that CX-5461 induces an unusual chromatin structure in which transcriptionally competent relaxed rDNA repeats are devoid of transcribing Pol I leading to activation of ATM signaling within the nucleoli. Thus, we propose that acute inhibition of Pol transcription initiation by CX-5461 induces a novel nucleolar stress response that can be targeted to improve therapeutic efficacy.
Facial Expression Recognition in Older Adults using Deep Machine Learning

Facial Expression Recognition is still one of the challenging fields in pattern recognition and machine learning science. Despite efforts made in developing various methods for this topic, existing approaches lack generalizability and almost all studies focus on more traditional hand-crafted features extraction to characterize facial expressions. Moreover, effective classifiers to model the spatial and temporary patterns embedded in facial expressions ignore the effects of facial attributes, such as age, on expression recognition even though research indicates that facial expression manifestation varies with ages. Although there are large amount of benchmark datasets available for the recognition of facial expressions, only few datasets contains faces of older adults. Consequently the current scientific literature has not exhausted this topic. Recently, deep learning methods have been attracting more and more researchers due to their great success in various computer vision tasks, mainly because they avoid a process of feature definition and extraction which is often very difficult due to the wide variability of the facial expressions. Based on the deep learning theory, a neural network for facial expression recognition in older adults is constructed by combining a Stacked Denoising Auto-Encoder method to pre-train the network and a supervised training that provides a fine-tuning adjustment of the network. For the supervised classification layer, the (cid:1) -class softmax classifier was implemented, where (cid:1) is the number of expressions to be recognized. The performance are evaluated on two benchmark datasets (FACES and Lifespan), that are the only ones that contain facial expressions of the elderly. The achieved results show the superiority of the proposed deep learning approach compared to the conventional non-deep learning based facial expression recognition methods used in this context.