Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activity of preparations from Spilanthes oleracea, propolis, Nigella sativa, and black garlic on different microorganisms involved in oral diseases and on total human salivary bacteria: A pilot study

Due to continuous rise in antibiotic resistance, there is a need for alternative treatment options to reduce the levels of oral pathogens for the maintenance of oral as well as overall health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial potential of tinctures of Spilanthes oleracea and propolis, Nigella seed oil, and an ethanolic extract of black garlic on microorganisms involved in oral diseases. Both the minimum inhibitory concentration assay and the minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration assay were used in this study. Inhibition effects against total human salivary bacteria were also determined. Our results show that all of the preparations tested had potent antimicrobial activities. When measured 10 min after exposure, even low concentrations of the propolis tincture were found to have killed more than 99% of salivary bacteria, whereas Spilanthes tincture and black garlic extract killed more than 90% and Nigella seed oil more than 60% of the pathogens. This suggests that all preparations are promising candidates for the use in oral health care products and that all have the potential to control biofilm associated infections.
GmWRKY49, a Salt-Responsive Nuclear Protein, Improved Root Length and Governed Better Salinity Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis

Plant WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are active guardians against pathogens’ insurgency, key components in developmental processes, contributors in signal transduction pathways, and regulators of diverse biotic and abiotic stress responses. In this research, we isolated, cloned, and functionally characterized a new WRKY TF GmWRKY49 from soybean. GmWRKY49 is a nuclear protein which contains two highly conserved WRKY domains and a C2H2-type zinc-finger structure. The normalized expression (log2 ratio) of GmWRKY49 was 2.75- and 1.90-fold in salt-tolerant and salt-susceptible soybean genotypes, respectively. The transcripts of GmWRKY49 could be detected in roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and almost no expression in pod tissues. The salinity-tolerance response of this gene was studied through overexpression in soybean composite seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis. The effect of GmWRKY49 overexpression on root length of transgenic Arabidopsis was also investigated. Under salt stress, several parameters including germination rate, survival rate, root length, rosette diameter, relative electrolyte leakage, and proline content were significantly higher in composite seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis than those in wild-type. Moreover, GmWRKY49 enhanced salinity tolerance in soybean mosaic seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis. These results suggest that GmWRKY49 is a positive regulator of salinity tolerance in soybean and has high potential utilization for crop improvement.
Synthesis of a thinned planar antenna array with suppressed peak side lobe level using modified binary coded genetic algorithm (MBC-GA)

In this paper, we propose a novel design for the synthesis of a thinned planar antenna (TPA) array that produces a radiation pattern with maximum suppression in peak side lobe level (SLL). The main objective of this paper is to obtain Peak side lobe level (PSLL), equal to or less than - 25dB for uniformly excited antenna elements across the aperture. A Modified Binary Coded GA (MBC-GA) is utilized to find out optimum combination 'ON' and 'OFF' elements by randomly turning on and turning off elements in certain position to obtain the maximum peak side lobe level (PSLL). A novel Crossover and mutation techniques are devised and incorporated in normal BCGA to develop the MBC-GA. In order to validate the effectiveness of proposed method, a 12x12 TPA is considered in present study. Their computed performance is compared with the already proposed literature containing designs of similar size arrays. Comparison shows the superiority of our technique and also indicates acknowledgeable improvements in reduction of peak side lobe levels at bore sight.
DeepCredit: Exploiting User Cickstream for Loan Risk Prediction in P2P Lending

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending or crowdlending,is a recent innovation allows a group of individual or institutional lenders tolend funds to individuals or businesses in return for interest payment on top of capital repayments.The rapid growth of P2P lending marketplaces has heightenedthe need to develop a support system to help lenders make sound lending decisions.But realizing such system is challenging in the absence of formal credit data used by the banking sector.In this paper, we attempt toexplore the possible connections between user credit riskand how users behave in the lendingsites.Wepresent the first analysis of user detailed clickstream datafrom a large P2P lending provider.Our analysisreveals that the users' sequences of repayment histories and financial activities in the lending site,have significant predictive value for their future loan repayments.In the light of this, we propose a deep architecture named DeepCredit, toautomatically acquire theknowledge of credit risk from the sequences of activities that users conduct on the site.Experiments on our large-scale real-world datasetshow that our model generates a high accuracy in predicting both loan delinquency and default, and significantly outperformsa numberof baselines and competitive alternatives.
Identification of Genomic Regions Controlling Leaf Scald Resistance in Sugarcane Using a Bi-parental Mapping Population and Selective Genotyping by Sequencing

Leaf scald, caused by Xanthomonas albilineans, is a major sugarcane disease worldwide. The disease is managed primarily with resistant cultivars obtained through classical breeding. However, erratic symptom expression hinders the reliability and reproducibility of selection for resistance. The development and use of molecular markers associated with incompatible/compatible reactions could overcome this limitation. The aim of the present work was to find leaf scald resistance-associated molecular markers in sugarcane to facilitate marker-assisted breeding. A genetic linkage map was constructed by selective genotyping of 89 pseudo F2 progenies of a cross between LCP 85-384 (resistant) and L 99-226 (susceptible) using 1,948 single dose (SD) markers generated from SSR, eSSR, and SNPs. Of these, 1,437 SD markers were mapped onto 294 linkage groups, which covered 19,464 cM with 120 and 138 LGs assigned to the resistant and susceptible parent, respectively. Composite interval mapping identified 8 QTLs associated with the disease response with LOD scores ranging from 3.0 to 7.6 and explained 5.23 to 16.93% of the phenotypic variance. Comparative genomics analysis with Sorghum bicolor allowed us to pinpoint three SNP markers that explained 16% phenotypic variance. In addition, representative stress-responsive genes close to the major effect QTLs showed upregulation in their expression in response to the bacterial infection in leaf/meristem tissue.
Endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation and endoscopic papillary balloon dilation both without sphincterotomy for removal of large bile duct stones: A propensity‐matched analysis

Endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD) without endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) may facilitate extraction of large bile duct stones through achieving adequate dilation of the ampulla. However, contrary to favorable long‐term outcomes after endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD), that of EPLBD without EST has been little investigated. Therefore, we conducted the current study to evaluate short‐ and long‐term outcomes of EPLBD without EST and EPBD after removal of large bile duct stones (LBDS; ≥10 mm).
Cutting Sayre's Knot: Reading Scene Text without Segmentation. Application to Utility Meters

In this paper we present a segmentation-free system for reading text in natural scenes. A CNN architecture is trained in an end-to-end manner, and is able to directly output readings without any explicit text localization step. In order to validate our proposal, we focus on the specific case of reading utility meters. We present our results in a large dataset of images acquired by different users and devices, so text appears in any location, with different sizes, fonts and lengths, and the images present several distortions such as dirt, illumination highlights or blur.
The effectiveness of text message-based self-management interventions for poorly-controlled diabetes: A systematic review

Background Poorly controlled diabetes leads to debilitating complications at a significant cost to health systems. Text messaging is an ideal platform for the delivery of self-management interventions to patients with poorly controlled diabetes due to the ubiquity of mobile phones, and the ability of text messaging to reach people in their everyday lives when self-management of the condition is vital. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of short message service-based diabetes self-management interventions on glycaemic control in adults with poorly controlled diabetes. Methods/design MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library and PsychINFO were searched from inception through to 23 January 2017 for randomised controlled trials investigating the use of text messaging based self-management interventions on haemoglobin A1c for patients with poorly controlled diabetes. Results Seven studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Three of the studies reported a significant decrease in haemoglobin A1c from baseline to follow-up in the intervention group compared to the control group. No clear relationship between positive outcomes and intervention dose, content and functionality was seen. Discussion Evidence supporting text messaging for improvements in glycaemic control in people with poorly controlled diabetes is mixed. Previous reviews have reported positive impacts on glycaemic control for short message service interventions in patients with diabetes; however, when limited to those with poorly controlled diabetes the evidence is less clear. Large-scale studies with robust methodology and longer-term follow-up are needed to further understand the impact of text-messaging-based self-management interventions for people with poorly controlled diabetes.
Satisfaction, preference and error occurrence of three dry powder inhalers as assessed by a cohort naïve to inhaler operation

Background Inhaled medication is central to the treatment of COPD. Various types of inhaler devices, which directly deliver medication to the lung, have been developed. However, patients often exhibit incorrect techniques of inhaler usage. Effectiveness of therapy may be affected by the ease of device usage, size, convenience of use, durability, clarity of instructions and device preferences of patients. This study compares the satisfaction and preference, as well as error occurrence, with the use of Genuair®, Ellipta™ and Breezhaler™ by healthy subjects in Hong Kong. Subjects and methods One hundred and thirty healthy Hong Kong Chinese subjects aged ≥40 years without a previous diagnosis of COPD and asthma and with no experience of using dry powder inhalers (DPIs) were recruited. Subjects learned to use the three DPIs by initially reading the instructions and then observing a demonstration with verbal explanation. The number of errors committed was evaluated. Subjects also completed a questionnaire to indicate their satisfaction and preference. Results The satisfaction score of comfort for Breezhaler was significantly higher than that for Ellipta (p≤0.05), while the satisfaction score on confidence to have inhaled the entire dose was highest for Genuair compared with Ellipta (p≤0.0001) or Breezhaler (p≤0.05). The overall satisfaction score was significantly higher for Genuair than Ellipta (p≤0.05) or Breezhaler (p≤0.01). After reading the instructions, the highest number of subjects committing one or more critical errors was with Breezhaler (97) followed by Genuair (70) and then Ellipta (33). Demonstration reduced the number of critical errors made by subjects for each DPI to one third or lower. Conclusion Breezhaler seemed to be more comfortable and easy to carry, but users made less critical errors when using Ellipta after reading the instructions only. Genuair provided the clearest indication of correct dose preparation and inhalation.
Modeling of different charge transfer modes in upward flashes constrained by simultaneously measured currents and fields

The purpose of the paper is to investigate charge transfer modes in upward lightning flashes by means of numerical simulation constrained by concurrent observations of electromagnetic fields and currents. In particular, we focus on different types of pulses occurring in upward negative flashes. The MTLE return stroke model is used to compute the electric fields associated with return strokes and mixed-mode pulses, while the M-component model of Rakov et al. (1995) is used to compute electric fields associated with M-components and M-component-type ICC pulses. The simulation results are constrained by experimental data consisting of simultaneous records of lightning currents and electric fields associated with upward flashes at the Säntis tower. The inferred velocities for M-component and M-component-type ICC pulses range from 2.0×107 m/s to 9.0×107 m/s, and the corresponding junction point heights range from 1.0 km to 2.0 km. The inferred pulse velocities for return strokes and mixed-mode pulses range from 1.3×108 m/s to 1.65×108 m/s. The inferred current attenuation constants of the MTLE model obtained in this study range from 0.3 km to 0.8 km, lower than the value of 2.0 km suggested in previous studies. The obtained results confirm the similarity of mixed-mode charge transfer to ground with return strokes on the one hand, and of the M-component-type ICC with classical M-components mode of charge transfer on the other hand.
An In-Depth Analysis of the Mirai Botnet

Multiple news stories, articles, incidents, and attacks have consistently brought to light that IoT devices have a major lack of security. Developing a solution to protect and secure these devices is difficult because of the multitude of devices available on the market, each with their own requirements. This paper will focus on a particularly widespread piece of IoT malware known as the Mirai botnet by examining what its capabilities are, how it spreads to new devices, the impact that it has already had, and propose mitigation solutions to help prevent future attacks.
microRNA-21 regulates astrocytic reaction post-acute phase of spinal cord injury through modulating TGF-β signaling

Astrogliosis following spinal cord injury (SCI) was considered as a negative factor for neural regeneration. We found that miR-21 was significantly upregulated after SCI. So, we aim to determine whether miR-21 acts in a positive manner post SCI. In vitro, we measured the proliferation, apoptosis and cytokine secretion of primary cultured astrocytes after modulating the expression of miR-21 by western blot, RT-PCR and immunofluorescence. In vivo, we performed a modified Allen’s weight drop model. Manipulation of the miR-21 expression level was achieved by interfering with antagomir and agomir. Clinic score was evaluated and recorded every day. Then, western blot, immunohistochemistry, TUNEL assay and ELISA were performed to detect pathological and functional alterations. Our results demonstrate that miR-21 can modulate the secretion, proliferation and apoptosis of astrocytes to promote recovery after SCI both in vivo and in vitro. These effects are likely mediated through transforming growth factor beta mediated targeting of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. These data suggest that miR-21 can regulate astrocytic function, then promote the functional recovery after SCI. We therefore highlight the positive effects of miR-21 after SCI.
Selective constraint and adaptive potential of West Nile virus within and among naturally infected avian hosts and mosquito vectors

Abstract Arthropod-borne viruses are among the most genetically constrained RNA viruses, yet they have a remarkable propensity to adapt and emerge. We studied wild birds and mosquitoes naturally infected with West Nile virus (WNV) in a ‘hot spot’ of virus transmission in Chicago, IL, USA. We generated full coding WNV genome sequences from spatiotemporally matched bird and mosquito samples using high-throughput sequencing, allowing a molecular evolutionary assessment with deep coverage. Mean FST among samples was 0.66 (±0.02 SE) and was bimodal, with mean nucleotide diversity being higher between samples (interhost πN = 0.001; πS = 0.024) than within them (intrahost πN < 0.0001; πS < 0.001). Eight genomic sites with FST > 1.01 (in the PrM, NS2a, NS3, NS4b, and 5'-noncoding genomic regions) showed bird versus mosquito variant frequency differences of >30 per cent and/or polymorphisms fixed in ≥5 host or vector individuals, suggesting host tropism for these variants. However, phylogenetic analyses demonstrated a lack of grouping by bird or mosquito, most inter-sample differences were synonymous (mean interhost πN/πS = 0.04), and there was no significant difference between hosts and vectors in either their nucleotide diversities or levels of purifying selection (mean intrahost πN/πS = 0.28 in birds and πN/πS = 0.21 in mosquitoes). This finding contrasts with the ‘trade-off’ and ‘selective sieve’ hypotheses that have been proposed and tested in the laboratory, which predict strong host versus vector effects on WNV genetic variation, with heightened selective constraint in birds alternating with heightened viral diversity in mosquitoes. Overall, our data show WNV to be highly selectively constrained within and between both hosts and vectors but still able to vary at a limited number of sites across the genome. Such site-specific plasticity in the face of overall selective constraint may offer a mechanism whereby highly constrained viruses such as WNV and its relatives can still adapt and emerge.
A Novel Dynamic Android Malware Detection System With Ensemble Learning

With the popularity of Android smartphones, malicious applications targeted Android platform have explosively increased. Proposing effective Android malware detection method for preventing the spread of malware has become an emerging issue. Various features extracted through static and dynamic analysis in conjunction with machine learning algorithm have been the mainstream in large-scale malware identification. In general, static analysis becomes invalid in detecting applications which adopt sophisticated obfuscation techniques like encryption or dynamic code loading. However, dynamic analysis is suitable to deal with these evasion techniques. In this paper, we propose an effective dynamic analysis framework, called EnDroid, in the aim of implementing highly precise malware detection based on multiple types of dynamic behavior features. These features cover system-level behavior trace and common application-level malicious behaviors like personal information stealing, premium service subscription, and malicious service communication. In addition, EnDroid adopts feature selection algorithm to remove noisy or irrelevant features and extracts critical behavior features. Extracting behavior features through runtime monitor, EnDroid is able to distinguish malicious from benign applications with ensemble learning algorithm. Through experiments, we prove the effectiveness of EnDroid on two datasets. Furthermore, we find Stacking achieves the best classification performance and is promising in Android malware detection.
xGEMs: Generating Examplars to Explain Black-Box Models

This work proposes xGEMs or manifold guided exemplars, a framework to understand black-box classifier behavior by exploring the landscape of the underlying data manifold as data points cross decision boundaries. To do so, we train an unsupervised implicit generative model -- treated as a proxy to the data manifold. We summarize black-box model behavior quantitatively by perturbing data samples along the manifold. We demonstrate xGEMs' ability to detect and quantify bias in model learning and also for understanding the changes in model behavior as training progresses.
Off‐Axis Afterglow Light Curves from High‐Resolution Hydrodynamical Jet Simulations

Numerical jet simulations serve a valuable role in calculating gamma‐ray burst afterglow emission beyond analytical approximations. Here we present the results of high resolution 2D simulations of decelerating relativistic jets performed using the RAM adaptive mesh refinement relativistic hydrodynamics code. We have applied a separate synchrotron radiation code to the simulation results in order to calculate light curves at frequencies varying from radio to X‐ray for observers at various angles from the jet axis. We provide a confirmation from radio light curves from simulations rather than from a simplified jet model for earlier results in the literature finding that only a very small number of local Ibc supernovae can possibly harbor an orphan afterglow.Also, recent studies have noted an unexpected lack of observed jet breaks in the Swift sample. Using a jet simulation with physical parameters representative for an average Swift sample burst, such as a jet half opening angle of 0.1 rad and a source reds.
Experiences, Emotions, and Adjustments of HIV-Infected Men in HIV-Concordant Marital Relationship in Cambodia

Although it has been well documented that the HIV infection experience can be problematic for those affected, the experiences and perceptions of living with HIV among married males in Cambodia have not yet been examined until now. This study’s purpose was to describe the revelations, emotions, reactions, and adjustments to HIV diagnosis among infected Cambodian males in seroconcordant heterosexual relationship. Fifteen qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 HIV-positive males using unstructured, open-ended questions and in the local Khmer language. Conventional content analysis method was employed for analyzing data. After analysis, four main categories were developed: knowledge of HIV-positive status; realization of self-deeds; discouraging news for both partners; and comparative improvement of life. Participants reported the appearance of physical symptoms as the only reason for pursuing HIV testing. Feelings ranged from sadness and guilt to acceptance of HIV infection in their lives. The participants’ wives expressed anger and worry about being infected by their husbands. However, sufficient inspiration from medical personnel and peer groups, as well as a shared concern for their children, helped couples adjust to their dyadic relationship. The study results highlight the link between individual and couple experiences and emotions post-infection, with implications for designing and implementing coping interventions for this population. The findings of this study have public health implications in the design of couple-based intervention and counseling programs for HIV prevention and treatment with the input of the HIV-positive individuals’ voices.