Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mining user-generated content for incidents = Auswertung von nutzergenerierten Inhalten für Schadensereignisse

Social media changed human interaction by allowing people to connect to each other anytime and from anywhere, resulting in many valuable information shared about a variety of different domains. Because of the large amount of data created every day, social media analytics became an important topic to make use of this source of information. Most importantly, people contribute much valuable information about crisis events such as small-scale incidents, which is currently not taken into account by decision makers in emergency management. Reasons for this are the sheer amount of information as well as the heterogeneous and unstructured nature of the data, which hinder the use of this source of information. In this dissertation, we try to answer the question ”How can user-generated content be made a usable and valuable source of information for situational awareness of decision makers? ”. To answer this question, we present a framework consisting of the necessary steps to process a large amount of social media data in such a way that incident-related information is identified and aggregated to distinct incident clusters, each one containing information about an individual real-world incident. With the contributions presented in this dissertation, previously not usable user-generated content becomes a valuable source for decision making in emergency management. In the first part of the dissertation, we introduce the requirements of a system for small-scale incident detection, which are derived from the (1) spatial, (2) temporal, and (3) thematic dimensions defining an incident. Based on these dimensions, we develop a framework for processing a large amount of user-generated content. As a first step of the framework, we introduce how user-generated content is collected to create an initial information base, which is processed in the subsequent steps of the framework. In the second part, we introduce several steps to preprocess unstructured social media data so it can be used in the subsequent steps of the framework. We show how named entities and temporal expressions are identified and extracted so that they can be used as additional information when creating a machine learning model that is generalizable for data that stems from a different city. We introduce a set of adaptations applied to standard techniques that allow us to extract named entities and temporal expressions from unstructured text. We also present how we make use of the temporal expressions to infer the point in time when an incident occurred. In that part, we also deal with the problem of how to infer the spatial dimensions of user-generated content. We contribute a novel approach for the geolocalization of tweets that is capable of inferring the home location of a Twitter user, the point of origin where a tweet was sent, as well as of inferring the location focus of a
Toluidine blue aids in detection of dysplasia and carcinoma in suspicious oral lesions.

OBJECTIVES Accurate clinical identification of 'higher-risk' oral premalignant lesions or 'higher-risk' areas within lesions is important. Assessment methods that predict their presence have great utility. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A cross-sectional, observational study enrolled a consecutive sample of consenting patients diagnosed with oral leukoplakia, erythroleukoplakia, or erythroplakia. Medical history, visual oral examination, ViziLite(®) examination, toluidine blue staining (TBlue(®) ), and finally a biopsy were completed in a single clinic visit. Seventy-seven of 100 examined lesions in 43 patients were biopsied. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were computed for visual examination, ViziLite(®) , and TBlue(®) using biopsy results as the gold standard. RESULTS The sensitivity of TBlue(®) in detecting high-risk lesions (carcinoma in situ or carcinoma) was 94 (71-100, P < 0.0003) and specificity 45 (32-58, P < 0.53), while for carcinoma, sensitivity was 100 (54-100, P < 0.032) and specificity 39 (28-52, P < 0.097). The results of ViziLite(®) testing either by itself or in combination with the information from toluidine blue testing revealed low sensitivity for the detection of high-risk lesions. CONCLUSIONS Clinical examination of leukoplakia, erythroplakia, or erythroleukoplakia lesions combined with toluidine blue staining may aid in the identification of severe dysplasia (carcinoma in situ) or carcinoma. This may help in determining whether, when, and where (the site within a lesion) a biopsy should be taken.
La compensation dans les interactions plantes-insectes : modélisation, simulation et expérimentation

La resistance et la tolerance, c'est a dire la capacite de la plante a supporter la presence des ravageurs, sont deux moyens dont usent les plantes pour se defendre. La tolerance est fortement liee a un processus de compensation qui est une reponse positive des plantes a la presence des ravageurs (en terme de reproduction et/ou de croissance). Dans le but d'apporter de nouvelles pistes de reflexion dans le domaine des interactions plantes-insectes, nous avons conduit trois etudes differentes sur la compensation chez les plantes. Dans la premiere, nous avons developpe un modele mathematique generique, dont l'etude a mis en evidence l'existence de parametres seuils qui determinent la co-existence ou non de differents types d'equilibres de compensation. La seconde etude, experimentale, visait a tester l'hypothese de compensation chez la tomate en reponse a la mineuse de la tomate, Tuta absoluta. Dans notre experience, le cultivar de tomate a presente des tendances a la compensation pour deux niveaux d'infestation, et a la sur-compensation reproductive en cas de faible infestation. Enfin, toujours dans le cas de la tomate et T. absoluta, les derniers developpements s'appuient sur un modele informatique de type « Structure-Fonction ». Ce modele a permis de tester et visualiser differentes situations (dates et positionnements de l'attaque) sur une representation plus realiste de la plante. Pour conclure, nous avons mis en evidence que la compensation peut avoir un impact important sur l'efficacite des strategies de protection des cultures et qu'elle doit etre prise en compte dans le developpement de ces dernieres.
Anaesthesia – a sedentary specialty? Accelerometer assessment of the activity level of anaesthetists while at work

Current guidance recommends that all adults should take a minimum of 10 000 steps a day to remain healthy. We assessed the activity levels of 45 anaesthetists while at work, using accelerometers. These devices also allowed us to measure sitting, standing and walking time – features of the working day that are also likely to contribute to health and well‐being. In addition, each anaesthetist was asked to guess how many steps they had taken and complete a questionnaire assessing current activity levels. Median (IQR [range]) number of steps taken per day at work was 3694 (2435–4646 [1444–7712]). Almost all anaesthetists underestimated the number of steps they had taken. We concluded that no anaesthetists in our study were able to take the recommended 10 000 steps solely during their working day. A concerted effort is required in recreational time to ensure anaesthetists stay fit and healthy.
Breast cancer in Nigeria and Finland: epidemiological, clinical and histological comparison.

BACKGROUND We compared the histology and patterns of occurrence of breast cancers in Nigeria (n = 297) and Finland (n = 285). PATIENTS AND METHODS The histology of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) was re-evaluated using similar criteria. The clinical data were extracted from medical records. RESULTS The mean age at presentation was 42.7 (12.2) years in Nigeria vs. 58.7 (12.5) years in Finland. In both populations there was an association between reproductive factors and the occurrence of breast cancer. In Nigeria, 53.2% of cases belonged to stages 3 and 4 (vs. 6.7% in Finland). In Finland there were higher frequencies of lobular, tubular and mucinous types than in Nigeria. The Nigerian material had more medullary type (2.7% vs. 0.7% in Finland), extensive necrosis, nuclear atypia and pleomorphism, with coexisting pleomorphic ductal carcinoma in situ. At 2 years after treatment, the survival figures for Nigeria and Finland were 72.8% and 96.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION The histology of Nigerian and Finnish cancers clearly differ. Nigerian cancers appear more advanced with higher grade. The atypical in situ component is clearly more common in Nigeria. Part of the differences can be explained by diagnostic and treatment delays associated with misguided socio-cultural beliefs, poor health care access and impaired immunity.
Effect of adding intrathecal morphine to a multimodal analgesic regimen for postoperative pain management after laparoscopic bariatric surgery: a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial

Background: Pain control after bariatric surgery is a major challenge. Our objective was to study the efficacy and safety of intrathecal (IT) morphine 0.3 mg added to bupivacaine 0.5% for postoperative pain after laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Methods: After local ethics committee approval, 100 morbidly obese patients scheduled for laparoscopic bariatric surgery were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups: Group I received IT 0.3 mg morphine (0.3 mL) added to 1.2 mL of bupivacaine 0.5%; Group II received IT 0.3 mL saline added to 1.2 mL of bupivacaine 0.5%, immediately before induction of general anaesthesia. For both groups, 60 mg ketorolac and 1000 mg paracetamol were infused 30 minutes before the end of surgery. After wound closure, 20 mL bupivacaine 0.25% was infiltrated at wound edges. Results: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score was significantly lower in group I immediately, 30 minutes and 1 hour postoperatively. Time to first ambulation, return of intestinal sounds and hospital stay were shorter in group I than group II (p < 0.05); total morphine consumption was significantly lower in group I than group II (p < 0.05). Sedation score was significantly higher in group I immediately postoperatively, while at 30 minutes, 1, 2 and 6 hours postoperatively sedation scores were significantly higher in group II. Itching was significantly higher in group I. Conclusion: The addition of IT morphine to a multimodal analgesic regimen after laparoscopic bariatric surgery was an effective and safe method that markedly reduced postoperative pain, systemic opioid consumption and length of hospital stay.
Conflict and Ambiguity: Implementing Evolutionary Acquisition

Abstract : In October 2000 the Secretary of Defense announced that a new policy of revolutionary acquisition would become the preferred approach to acquiring defense systems. Implementation of the new policy has been far from automatic. Today - two years after issuance of the evolutionary acquisition policy - the Department continues to struggle to adopt a consistent approach to policy implementation but also to achieve the kind of lasting cultural change that is critical to long-term policy success. The roots of this implementation struggle are explored paying particular attention to the concept of policy ambiguity and how such ambiguity can drive organizational conflict. Organizational conflict is inevitable but not necessarily counterproductive. In fact the original policy can be improved as the organization undergoes an iterative process of interpretation conflict and refinement.
Spatial scale affects landscape genetic analysis of a wetland grasshopper

Most landscape genetic studies assess the impact of landscape elements on species' dispersal and gene flow. Many of these studies perform their analysis on all possible population pairs in a study area and do not explicitly consider the effects of spatial scale and population network topology on their results. Here, we examined the effects of spatial scale and population network topology on the outcome of a landscape genetic analysis. Additionally, we tested whether the relevant spatial scale of landscape genetic analysis could be defined by population network topology or by isolation‐by‐distance (IBD) patterns. A data set of the wetland grasshopper Stethophyma grossum, collected in a fragmented agricultural landscape, was used to analyse population network topology, IBD patterns and dispersal habitats, using least‐cost transect analysis. Landscape genetic analyses neglecting spatial scale and population network topology resulted in models with low fits, with which a most likely dispersal habitat could not be identified. In contrast, analyses considering spatial scale and population network topology resulted in high model fits by restricting landscape genetic analysis to smaller scales (0–3 km) and neighbouring populations, as represented by a Gabriel graph. These models also successfully identified a likely dispersal habitat of S. grossum. The above results suggest that spatial scale and potentially population network topology should be more explicitly considered in future landscape genetic analyses.
Predictors of Metabolic Syndrome among Employees: A Study from Jordan

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major health problem around the world including Jordan and it has received notable consideration from epidemiologists in the latest years. The objective of this study was to estimate MetS prevalence among employees and its associated factors including socio-demographic, lifestyle, and dietary. Methods: A total of 491 employees (344 men and 147 women aged 20 - 65 years) participated in this study. Data concerning fasting plasma glucose level, lipid profile, blood pressure, anthropometric measurements and 24-dietary recalls were obtained. Results: MetS prevalence was 36.3% (38.7% among men and 30.6% among women). Multiple logistic regression analysis results showed that the odds ratio of MetS was increased in older ages (OR: 3.0; 95% CI: 1.43 - 6.47; p < 0.01) and smokers (OR: 2.6; 95% CI: 2.58 - 4.22; p < 0.01). With elevation 1 unit in the body mass index (BMI), risk of MetS increased by 30% (95% CI: 22.9% - 38.4%; p < 0.01) and an increase1 mg/day in dietary iron intake, the risk of MetS increased 2.4% (95% CI: 0.07% - 4.3%; p < 0.01). Conclusions: MetS prevalence is considered to be high among Jordanian employees which highlights the urgent need to develop comprehensive national strategies for prevention and treatment of MetS.
[Association between CHI3L1 SNPs and susceptibility to childhood asthma].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between CHI3L1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the susceptibility to childhood asthma. METHODS A total of 316 children diagnosed with asthma between January 2011 and October 2013 and 297 healthy children were selected as asthma group and control group respectively. Peripheral blood samples were collected from all subjects. Chemiluminescence and flow cytometry were applied to measure total IgE level and the percentage of eosinophils. ELISA was used to measure YKL-40 level. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood hemocytes, and the genotype and allele frequencies at CHI3L1 SNPs rs4950928, rs10399805, and rs883125 were determined by MALDI-TOP mass spectrometry. RESULTS The total IgE and YKL-40 levels were significantly higher in the asthma group than in the control group (P<0.05), while the percentage of eosinophils showed no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The frequency of GG genotype at rs883125 in the asthma group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). For rs4950928, the asthma group had a significantly lower frequency of CC genotype (P<0.05) but a significantly higher frequency of CG genotype (P<0.05) compared with the control group. In the asthma group, the patients with GG and CG genotypes at rs4950928 had significantly increased total IgE and YKL-40 levels compared with those with CC genotype at this locus (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS YKL-40 is a potential molecular biomarker for the primary diagnosis of childhood asthma. CHI3L1 SNPs rs4950928 and rs883125 may be associated with childhood asthma. G allele at rs4950928 may increase the risk of childhood asthma.
Bone Marrow Transplantation in Fanconi Anaemia

Summary Five patients with Fanconi anaemia have been treated by bone marrow transplantation from HLA identical donors. Only one patient survived for more than 3 years. She is now perfectly healthy with complete haematological reconstitution with chimaerism and disparition of chromosomal abnormalities. In contrast, four patients died of acute severe GVHD soon after grafting. In addition, all had signs of severe cyclophosphamide toxicity. This evolution could be explained by a special sensitivity of FA cells to alkylating agents and may indicate the need to modify the conditioning regimen in FA patients.
Well past time to stop using NOELs and LOELs

In this editorial, we convey the fundamental error of the use of no-observed-effect levels (NOELs) and lowestobserved-effect levels (LOELs) (these terms include concentrations as well as levels [e.g., LOECs and NOECs]), alert the ecotoxicology community to the flaws inherent in this practice, and push for this error to cease. We maintain that the time has come, and indeed is past due, to put environmental toxicology, risk assessment and the management decisions that they inform on a scientifically consistent footing. Many researchers have warned that use of NOELs and LOELs reflects a poor application of environmental statistics and laboratory testing (e.g., Skalski 1981; Stephan and Rodgers 1985; Leisenring and Ryan 1992; Hoekstra and Van Ewijk 1993; Laskowski 1995; Chapman et al. 1996; Kooijman 1996; Suter 1996; Moore and Caux 1997; Crane and Newman 2000; Pires et al. 2002). Two recent textbooks point out the lack of technical defensibility of NOELS and LOELS (Newman 2010; Landis et al. 2011). Despite this accumulating evidence, NOELs and LOELs continue to be widely used in the field of ecotoxicology. The problem with NOELs and LOELs is basic. The fundamental model of environmental toxicology is the exposure–response (or concentration–response or dose– response) curve that describes the relationship between exposure and effect. It is a given that the best possible description of this relationship must be the keystone of the field of toxicology. NOEL and LOELs do not meet the criterion of adequately describing the exposure–response curve. The procedure for the derivation of an NOEL and LOEL is the following. First, an analysis of variance is performed to see if differences exist in the groups, and then a multiple comparisons test is done to determine differences among treatments. In the derivation of the NOEL, the lowest exposure that is not different from the control or no-exposure treatment is reported. In other words, what is reported is the treatment for which there is no evidence of an effect given, no a priori model, and no context of what is occurring at the higher and lower exposures. In fact, there can be ample evidence given the entire data set that an effect does occur, but the effect is hidden because only a small subset of the data is used. The LOEL is similarly flawed because only a slice of the exposure–response relationship is used in the analysis. In essence, these types of analyses ignore the fundamental model of toxicology, ignore critical data (at the other exposures), and use a lack of evidence as no-effect. Furthermore, the LOEL and NOEL are merely exposures selected by those doing the testing and are inconsistent between studies. Detailed critiques can be found in Suter (1996), Nelder (1999), and Fox (2008).
O Investidor Inteligente.

O proposito deste livro e fornecer, de uma forma apropriada aos leigos, orientacoes para adocao e execucao de uma politica de investimentos. Entre outros assuntos abordados, pouco sera dito sobre as tecnicas de analise de valores mobiliarios; nossa atencao se focara, principalmente, nos principios de investimento e nas atitudes dos investidores. Apresentaremos, no entanto, algumas comparacoes resumidas de titulos especificos, em geral, em pares que aparecem lado a lado na lista da Bolsa de Nova York, para mostrar, de forma concreta, os elementos importantes envolvidos em escolhas especificas de acoes ordinarias.
Transcriptional Repression by p53 through Direct Binding to a Novel DNA Element* 210

The tumor suppressor protein p53 has been well documented as a transcriptional activator involved in the regulation of a number of critical genes involved in the cell cycle, response to DNA damage, and apoptosis. Activation by p53 requires the interaction of the protein with a consensus binding site consisting of two half-sites, each comprising two copies of the sequence PuPuPuC(A/T) arranged head-to-head and separated by 0–13 base pairs. In addition to activation, p53 has been shown to be a potent repressor of transcription. However, the basis for p53-mediated repression is not well understood and has been proposed to occur indirectly through interactions with other promoter-bound transcription factors. In the present study, we show that p53 can repress transcription directly by binding to a novel head-to-tail (HT) site within the MDR1promoter. A mutation that disrupted p53 binding to the MDR1 HT site blocked p53-mediated repression of the MDR1promoter in transfection assays. Replacement of the HT site with a head-to-head (HH) site converted the activity of p53 from repression to activation, indicating that simple recruitment of p53 to the promoter is not sufficient for repression and that the orientation of the binding element determines the fate of p53-regulated promoters.
Regulation of L-type Ca2+ Channel Activity and Insulin Secretion by the Rem2 GTPase*

Voltage-dependent calcium (Ca2+) channels are involved in many specialized cellular functions and are controlled by a diversity of intracellular signals. Recently, members of the RGK family of small GTPases (Rem, Rem2, Rad, Gem/Kir) have been identified as novel contributors to the regulation of L-type calcium channel activity. In this study, microarray analysis of the mouse insulinoma MIN6 cell line revealed that the transcription of Rem2 gene is strongly induced by exposure to high glucose, which was confirmed by real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR and RNase protection analysis. Because elevation of intracellular Ca2+ in pancreatic β-cells is essential for insulin secretion, we tested the hypothesis that Rem2 attenuates Ca2+ currents to regulate insulin secretion. Co-expression of Rem2 with CaV 1.2 or CaV1.3 L-type Ca + channels in a heterologous expression system completely inhibits de novo Ca2+ current expression. In addition, ectopic overexpression of Rem2 both inhibited L-type Ca2+ channel activity and prevented glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cell lines. Co-immunoprecipitation studies demonstrate that Rem2 associates with a variety of CaVβ subunits. Importantly, surface biotinylation studies demonstrate that the membrane distribution of Ca2+ channels was not reduced at a time when channel activity was potently inhibited by Rem2 expression, indicating that Rem2 modulates channel function without interfering with membrane trafficking. Taken together, these data suggest that inhibition of L-type Ca2+ channels by Rem2 signaling may represent a new and potentially important mechanism for regulating Ca2+-triggered exocytosis in hormone-secreting cells, including insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells.
Heterogeneity of fluorescence in psoriasis after application of 5‐aminolaevulinic acid: an immunohistochemical study

Background Psoriasis has been shown to highly accumulate protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), but a variable distribution within plaques after fluorescence diagnosis is seen. It is unknown what causes this heterogeneity of fluorescence in psoriatic skin, despite adequate keratolytic treatment. Variations in fluorescence might explain the variable and the mostly partial clinical response of psoriasis seen after photodynamic therapy (PDT).