Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Values (Mis)alignment

Social platforms hold great promise for supporting marginalized communities, such as the LGBTQ+ community, yet they are frequently sites of further stigmatization and harm. By engaging a diverse sample of 31 US LGBTQ+ users in five qualitative, design-based value elicitation exercises, we find that misalignments between perceived platform values and the values of the marginalized users they serve are at the heart of this disconnect. We inductively identify two community-based design values for supporting LGBTQ+ users: self-determination and inclusion. These values can be used as design heuristics for both improving existing platforms as well as guiding future new platform development. Based on participant feedback, we provide directions for enacting these values to better align platform values with this marginalized population's needs.
BGPeek-a-Boo: Active BGP-based Traceback for Amplification DDoS Attacks

Amplification DDoS attacks inherently rely on IP spoofing to steer attack traffic to the victim. At the same time, IP spoofing undermines prosecution, as the originating attack infrastructure remains hidden. Researchers have therefore proposed various mechanisms to trace back amplification attacks (or IP-spoofed attacks in general). However, existing traceback techniques require either the cooperation of external parties or a priori knowledge about the attacker. We propose BGPEEK-A-Boo, a BGP-based approach to trace back amplification attacks to their origin network. BGPEEK-A-Boo monitors amplification attacks with honeypots and uses BGP Poisoning to temporarily shut down ingress traffic from selected Autonomous Systems. By systematically probing the entire AS space, we detect systems forwarding and originating spoofed traffic. We then show how a graph-based model of BGP route propagation can reduce the search space, resulting in a 5 x median speed-up and over 20x for ¼ of all cases. BGPEEK-A-Boo achieves a unique traceback result 60% of the time in a simulation-based evaluation supported by real-world experiments.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a common chronic disease, which lacks a specific diagnostic method. A substantial body of literature has demonstrated that the molecular constituents of extracellular vesicles (EVs) are promising as a novel biomarker for clinical diagnosis, especially exosomal miRNAs in biological fluids. Methods: To find a diagnostic biomarker for T2D, we isolated exosomes from plasma and then quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to detect the miRNA expression in plasma and exosomes from control subjects and T2D subjects. The ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve and AUC (area under curve) were used to evaluate the diagnostic value of exosomal miRNAs. Results: We found the exosomal levels of miR-23a and miR-192 were both significantly higher in T2D subjects. The AUC of miR-23a and miR-192 were 0.828 and 0.717, respectively. Further bioinformatics analysis was performed to speculate possible mechanisms. Conclusions: In conclusion, exosomal miR-23a and miR-192 have good potential as diagnostic biomarkers for type 2 diabetes. (Clin. Lab. 2021;67:xx-xx. DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2020.200612)
Aerobacterial Vaginosis among Women Attending an Infertility Clinic at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Chennai, India and Susceptibility Pattern of Isolates

Genital infections and subsequent vaginosis diagnosed through high vaginal swab in women is caused due to fungi or bacteria. The presented study focused on determining the types, numbers and antibacterial susceptibility pattern of aerobic bacteria causing vaginosis in 147 female patients attending infertility centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Candida spp. caused 17% of infections with 15.7% of vaginosis caused by E.coli, Klebsiella spp. , Acinetobacter spp. , Citrobacter spp. and Gram positive cocci Methicillin Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Coagulase Negative Staphylococci(CONS), Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus spp. causing 12.9% of vaginitis in the study population. A total of 20 different antibiotics cell wall inhibitors, protein synthesis inhibitors and nucleic acid synthesis inhibitors; were tested to determine the response of bacterial isolates by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The study result determined that the most effective drug for treating Gram positive bacterial vaginitis as per CLSI guidelines based on susceptibility pattern as: Linezolid(100%), Gentamycin(91.6%), Amikacin(87.5%),Erythromycin(79.2%), Co-Trimoxazole(72.2%), Ciprofloxacin(65.6%) and least Chloramphenicol(44.3%). High level gentamycin(83.3%) was found to be effective in treating Enterococci. The descending order of susceptibility of Gram negative aerobacteria causing vaginitis as per CLSI guidelines are: Amikacin(87.5%), Gentamycin(82.5%), Cefoperazone sulbactam (76.3%), Ciprofloxacin(68.5%), Ceftazidime(62.5%) and least Amoxyclav(25%). All Gram negative bacteria tested were susceptible to– Imipenem and Meropenem as well as Chloramphenicol. Ceftriaxone (87.5%) and Nitrofurantoin(72.3%) among other antibiotics was effective against Gram negative bacteria while all Enterobacteriaceae members were found to be resistant to tetracycline.
Jojoba Propagation by Leafy Semi Hardwood Stem Cuttings

2 Abstract: The present study was carried out on twelve years old jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis, (Link) Schneider) shrub during two consecutive experimental 2010 & 2011 seasons. Due to propagation of jojoba shrubs by seed, extreme genetic variation was detected. Herein the effect of three factors namely wounding, date of collecting cuttings and dipping in chemical treatments were investigated on cutting's success percentage. Wounded cuttings recorded significantly higher success percentage than that of unwounded cuttings. Success percentage at the end of July date was significantly the highest. Indole butyric acid (3000 ppm) + Naphthalene acetic acid (500 ppm) treatment recorded the highest success percentage and didn't significantly differ from IBA (3000 ppm) + NAA (500 ppm) + vitamin C (1000 ppm) treatment. Success percentage at the end of July with wounded cuttings significantly gave the highest significant values. The best results were recorded by unwounded cuttings of IBA (3000 ppm) with NAA (500 ppm) treatment, wounded cuttings of IBA (3000 ppm) with NAA (500 ppm) plus vitamin C (1000 ppm) treatment and IBA (5000 ppm) + NAA (500 ppm) + boric acid (0.5 ppm) treatment with insignificant difference. The highest success percentage was recorded by using IBA (3000 ppm) plus NAA (500 ppm) treatment and with the addition of vitamin C (1000 ppm) with insignificant difference at the end of July date. Wounded cuttings of IBA (3000 ppm) with NAA (500 ppm) plus C (1000 ppm) and NAA (2000 ppm) treatments and unwounded cuttings of IBA (3000 ppm) + NAA (500 ppm) treatment at the end of July recorded the highest success percentage with insignificant difference between them.
EFFECT OF SOWING DATE AND FOLIAR SPRAY OF LUPINE SEED EXTRACT ON FOLIAGE YIELD, CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, SEED YIELD AND SEED QUALITY OF SPINACH (Spinacia oleracea L

Two field experiments were performed at the Baramoon Experimental Station, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt, during the two seasons of 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 to study the effect of two sowing dates (15 Oct. and 15 Nov.) and foliar application with lupine seed extract at various concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 15% as well as their interaction on foliage yield, chemical composition, seed yield and seed quality of spinach plants cv. Dokki as well as associated weeds. A split plot design with three replicates was used. The obtained results revealed that sowing spinach on midOctober resulted in marked increases in plant height, number of leaves per plant, foliage fresh weight per plant, total yield per fedden, dry matter percentage of leaves, nitrate content of leaves, seed production and its quality as well as associated weeds fresh weight, compared with that sown on mid-November in both seasons. Results also cleared that foliar application with the relatively high used concentration of 15 % lupine seed extract had significant promotion for most of the studied characters except associated weeds fresh weight, dry matter percentage of leaves and nitrate content of leaves which were significantly decreased as compared with the control treatment in both seasons. The interaction effect of sowing date and foliar lupine seed extract exhibited significant effect on all studied traits in both seasons. Generally, it could be concluded that sowing spinach cv. Dokki in mid October interacting with application of lupine seed extract at 15% concentration was found to be the best management system for increasing foliage yield, its quality, seed yield and seed quality under the environmental conditions of Dakhlia district. Moreover, applying lupine seed extract could be considered a powerful and environmental friendly approach to improve plant growth, quality and production, and it might open the door for new strategy for controlling the weeds in spinach fields.
On Disentangled Representations Learned from Correlated Data

The focus of disentanglement approaches has been on identifying independent factors of variation in data. However, the causal variables underlying real-world observations are often not statistically independent. In this work, we bridge the gap to real-world scenarios by analyzing the behavior of the most prominent disentanglement approaches on correlated data in a large-scale empirical study (including 4260 models). We show and quantify that systematically induced correlations in the dataset are being learned and reflected in the latent representations, which has implications for downstream applications of disentanglement such as fairness. We also demonstrate how to resolve these latent correlations, either using weak supervision during training or by post-hoc correcting a pre-trained model with a small number of labels.
Environment Inference for Invariant Learning

Learning models that gracefully handle distribution shifts is central to research on domain generalization, robust optimization, and fairness. A promising formulation is domain-invariant learning, which identifies the key issue of learning which features are domain-specific versus domain-invariant. An important assumption in this area is that the training examples are partitioned into"domains"or"environments". Our focus is on the more common setting where such partitions are not provided. We propose EIIL, a general framework for domain-invariant learning that incorporates Environment Inference to directly infer partitions that are maximally informative for downstream Invariant Learning. We show that EIIL outperforms invariant learning methods on the CMNIST benchmark without using environment labels, and significantly outperforms ERM on worst-group performance in the Waterbirds and CivilComments datasets. Finally, we establish connections between EIIL and algorithmic fairness, which enables EIIL to improve accuracy and calibration in a fair prediction problem.
Heavy Metals in Bottom Ash from a Medical-Waste Incinerator in Thailand

Investigations were carried out to study the heavy metal content in the bottom ash from the medical-waste incinerator of Ratchasima-Thonburi Hospital in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima in Thailand. Relationship between particle size and heavy metal concentrations were determined in the bottom ash and in simulated leachate. The following four metals were selected for this study: lead, silver, iron, and zinc, in the four particle sizes >9.5 mm, 9.5–4.75 mm, 4.75–0.5 mm, and less than 0.5 mm, respectively. The average concentrations of lead, silver, iron, and zinc in bottom ash were 765.3, 327.9, 314, 121.2, and 18,710.7 mg/kg, respectively. The toxicity of leachate from bottom ash was investigated for these metals. The concentrations were compared with the U.S. EPA limits and Thailand’s standards for heavy metals in the leachate of hazardous waste. The average concentrations of lead, silver, iron, and zinc in the simulated leachate were 0.1, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mg/L, respectively, well below the limits set by EPA and Thai standards.
40Hz sensory stimulation induces gamma entrainment and affects brain structure, sleep and cognition in patients with Alzheimer's dementia

Non-invasive Gamma ENtrainment Using Sensory stimulation (GENUS) at 40Hz reduced Alzheimers disease (AD) pathology such as amyloid and tau levels, prevented cerebral atrophy and improved performance during behavioral testing in mouse models of AD. We report data from a randomized, placebo-controlled trial (n = 15) in volunteers with probable mild AD after 4 months of one-hour daily 40Hz sensory stimulation (NCT 04055376) to assess safety, compliance, entrainment and possible effects on brain structure, function, sleep activity and cognitive function. 40Hz light and sound GENUS was well-tolerated and compliance was high in both groups. Electroencephalography recordings show that our novel 40Hz GENUS device safely and effectively induced 40Hz entrainment in participants with mild AD. After 3 months of daily stimulation, the 40Hz GENUS group showed reduced ventricular dilation and stabilization of the hippocampal size compared to the control group. Functional connectivity was found to improve in the default mode network as well as with the medial visual network after 3 months of stimulation. Furthermore, actigraphy recordings show that circadian rhythmicity also improved with 40Hz stimulation. Compared to controls, the active group performed better on the face-name association delayed recall test. These results suggest that 40Hz GENUS can be used safely at home daily and shows favorable outcomes on cognitive function, structure and functional MRI biomarkers of AD-related degeneration. These results support further evaluation of GENUS in larger and longer clinical trials to evaluate its potential as a novel disease modifying therapeutic for Alzheimers dementia.
Design and Performance Evaluation of a Novel Double Cyclone

A novel cyclone design, named double cyclone, adds an extra cylinder wall into a conventional reversed e ow cyclone. The physical performance of the double cyclone has been experimentally compared to a widely used conventional cyclone by measuring the particle concentrations both upstream and downstream of each cyclone with an Aerosizer. Tests with monodisperse polystyrene latex (PSL) particles with diameters ranging from 0.60 πm to 8.8 πm have shown that the double cyclone provides higher collection efe ciency than the conventional cyclone for a tested e ow rate range of 10‐40 L/min. In addition, the collection efe ciency difference between the double cyclone and the conventional cyclone becomes even larger as the aire ow rate increases. Sharper particle-size separation characteristics were also observed for the double cyclone. Furthermore, it was found that the double cyclone operates at a lower pressure drop than the conventional cyclone at the same normalized cut size.
Sorption Thermodynamics of Cypermethrin at High Concentrations on Some Indian Soils

Abstract Sorption thermodynamics of cypermethrin on four different type of Indian soils (alluvial, forest, hill and humid) from water/acetone mixtures (fs = 0.666) at 30°C and 50°C has been investigated through sorption isotherms, Freundlich equation, distribution coefficient and thermodynamic parameters. The measured equilibrium sorption isotherm for all soil-cypermethrin combinations were of non-linear Freundlich type and yielded ‘S’ shaped curves for soils at both temperatures. The sorption of cypermethrin was higher on hill silt loam soil followed by forest loam, alluvial sandy loam and humid loam soils and lower at higher temperature. The order of sorption was anticipated with K and Kd values. Comparison of the Freundlich coefficient K-values in relation to soil properties suggests that organic carbon, CaCO3, clay content and surface area are the most important factors affecting cypermethrin sorption. From Freundlich sorption constant K values, the organic carbon partition coefficient Koc and clay co.
Pushing up or pushing out—an initial investigation into horizontal- versus vertical-force training on swimming start performance: a pilot study

Background The block phase in the swimming start requires a quick reaction to the starting signal and a large take-off velocity that is primarily horizontal in direction. Due to the principle of specificity of training, there is a potential benefit of performing a greater proportion of horizontal force production exercises in a swimmers’ dry-land resistance training sessions. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to provide an insight into the effects of a horizontal- (HF) vs vertical-force (VF) training intervention on swim start performance. Methods Eleven competitive swimmers (six males (age 20.9 ± 1.8 years, body mass 77.3 ± 9.7 kg, height 1.78 ± 0.05 m) and five females (age 21.4 ± 2.0 years, body mass 67.5 ± 7.4 kg, height 1.69 ± 0.05 m)) completed 2 weekly sessions of either a horizontal- or vertical-force focused resistance training programme for 8 weeks. Squat jump force-time characteristics and swim start kinetic and kinematic parameters were collected pre- and post-intervention. Results Across the study duration, the swimmers completed an average of nine swimming sessions per week with an average weekly swim volume of 45.5 ± 17.7 km (HF group) and 53 ± 20.0 km (VF group), but little practice of the swim start per week (n = 9). Within-group analyses indicated a significant increase in predicted one repetition maximum (1RM) hip thrust strength in the HF group, as well as significant increases in grab resultant peak force but reductions in resultant peak force of the block phase for the VF group. No significant between-group differences in predicted 1RM hip thrust and back squat strength, squat jump force-time and swim start performance measures were observed after 8 weeks of training. Significant correlations in the change scores of five block kinetic variables to time to 5 m were observed, whereby increased block kinetic outputs were associated with a reduced time to 5 m. This may be indicative of individual responses to the different training programmes. Discussion The results of this current study have been unable to determine whether a horizontal- or vertical-force training programme enhances swim start performance after an 8-week training intervention. Some reasons for the lack of within and between group effects may reflect the large volume of concurrent training and the relative lack of any deliberate practice of the swim start. Larger samples and longer training duration may be required to determine whether significant differences occur between these training approaches. Such research should also look to investigate how a reduction in the concurrent training loads and/or an increase in the deliberate practice of the swim start may influence the potential changes in swim start performance.
Specific Behavioral Responses Rather Than Autonomic Responses Can Indicate and Quantify Acute Pain among Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at a high risk of experiencing pain. Pain management requires assessment, a challenging mission considering the impaired communication skills in IDD. We analyzed subjective and objective responses following calibrated experimental stimuli to determine whether they can differentiate between painful and non-painful states, and adequately quantify pain among individuals with IDD. Eighteen adults with IDD and 21 healthy controls (HC) received experimental pressure stimuli (innocuous, mildly noxious, and moderately noxious). Facial expressions (analyzed with the Facial Action Coding System (FACS)) and autonomic function (heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), pulse, and galvanic skin response (GSR)) were continuously monitored, and self-reports using a pyramid and a numeric scale were obtained. Significant stimulus-response relationships were observed for the FACS and pyramid scores (but not for the numeric scores), and specific action units could differentiate between the noxious levels among the IDD group. FACS scores of the IDD group were higher and steeper than those of HC. HRV was overall lower among the IDD group, and GSR increased during noxious stimulation in both groups. In conclusion, the facial expressions and self-reports seem to reliably detect and quantify pain among individuals with mild-moderate IDD; their enhanced responses may indicate increased pain sensitivity that requires careful clinical consideration.
Gastric Cancer Risk Prediction Using an Epidemiological Risk Assessment Model and Polygenic Risk Score

Simple Summary Risk prediction models incorporate various established risk factors to estimate individual risk specifically in cancer. These models additionally include biological or genetic risk factors to assess cancer risk more accurately. The polygenic risk score (PRS) combines the effects of multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with disease; its discrimination ability was assessed both alone and when used in combination with conventional risk prediction models. As few studies have evaluated the combination of genetic variants to identify high risk population of gastric cancer (GC), and we examined the performance of a GC risk assessment model in combination with SNPs as a PRS in consideration of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection status. Such a combination improves the identification of a GC-susceptible population among people with H. pylori infection. Abstract We investigated the performance of a gastric cancer (GC) risk assessment model in combination with single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as a polygenic risk score (PRS) in consideration of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection status. Six SNPs identified from genome-wide association studies and a marginal association with GC in the study population were included in the PRS. Discrimination of the GC risk assessment model, PRS, and the combination of the two (PRS-GCS) were examined regarding incremental risk and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), with grouping according to H. pylori infection status. The GC risk assessment model score showed an association with GC, irrespective of H. pylori infection. Conversely, the PRS exhibited an association only for those with H. pylori infection. The PRS did not discriminate GC in those without H. pylori infection, whereas the GC risk assessment model showed a modest discrimination. Among individuals with H. pylori infection, discrimination by the GC risk assessment model and the PRS were comparable, with the PRS-GCS combination resulting in an increase in the AUC of 3%. In addition, the PRS-GCS classified more patients and fewer controls at the highest score quintile in those with H. pylori infection. Overall, the PRS-GCS improved the identification of a GC-susceptible population of people with H. pylori infection. In those without H. pylori infection, the GC risk assessment model was better at identifying the high-risk group.