Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SAFE-ME: Scalable and Flexible Middlebox Policy Enforcement with Software Defined Networking

The past decades have seen a proliferation of middlebox deployment in various networks, including backbone networks and datacenters. Since network flows have to traverse specific service function chains (SFCs) for security and performance enhancement, it becomes much complex for SFC routing due to routing loops, traffic dynamics and scalability requirement. The existing SFC routing solutions may consume many resources (e.g., TCAM) on the data plane and lead to massive overhead on the control plane, which decrease the scalability of middlebox networks. Due to SFC requirement and potential routing loops, solutions like traditional default paths (e.g., using ECMP) that are widely used in non-middlebox networks will no longer be feasible. In this paper, we present and implement a scalable and flexible middlebox policy enforcement (SAFE-ME) system to minimize the TCAM usage and control overhead. To this end, we design the smart tag operations for construction of default SFC paths with less TCAM rules in the data plane, and present lightweight SFC routing update with less control overhead for dealing with traffic dynamics in the control plane. We implement our solution and evaluate its performance with experiments on both physical platform (Pica8) and Open vSwitch (OVS), as well as large-scale simulations. Both experimental and simulation results show that SAFE-ME can greatly improve scalability (e.g., TCAM cost, update delay, and control overhead) in middlebox networks. For example, our system can reduce the control traffic overhead by about 83% while achieving almost the similar middlebox load, compared with state-of-the-art solutions.
Characterization of microbial colonization and diversity in reverse osmosis membrane autopsy

Biofouling can cause serious problems in reverse os mosis membranes (RO membranes) reducing module perf ormance and their useful life. The main goal of this study was to gain insight into microbial colonization of used RO membranes with different feed water and inorganic f ouling. We studied three RO membranes. Two were col l cted from the same desalination plant, fed with brackish water. These membranes belonged to two consecutive phases of the desalination process. The third one was from a seawater desalination plant. A three-tiered approac h was proposed: The first-tiered approach was the use of SEM to det ect fouling and presence of adhered microorganisms on the RO membranes. The second-tiered approach was to use sp ecific stains, which indicated viable cells and the pr sence of extracellular biofilm matrix due to microbial colon ization; ATR-FTIR was used to better determine the c mical nature of the matrix. The third-tiered approach was Illumina sequencing to study microbial composition and diversity. The study helped identifying key microorganisms (ba cteria and fungi) as biofilm formers and the extent of the biofilm matrix; this knowledge may be useful for new antifo uling treatments.
Perceptions of Patients and Their Families Regarding Limitation of Therapeutic Effort in the Intensive Care Unit

Objective: Our objective was to determine and describe the opinion and attitudes of patients and their families regarding the limitation of therapeutic effort and advanced directives in critical patients and whether end-of-life planning occurs. Religious affiliation, education level, and pre-admission quality of life were also evaluated to determine whether they may influence decisions regarding appropriate therapeutic effort. Methods: A prospective, observational and descriptive study, approved by the center’s ethical committee, was carried out with 257 participants (94 patients and 163 family members) in the intensive care unit (ICU). A questionnaire regarding the opinions of patients and relatives about situations of therapeutic appropriateness in case of poor prognosis or poor quality of life was used. The questionnaire had three sections. In the first section, sociodemographic features were investigated. In the second section, information was collected on the quality of life and functional situation before ICU admission (taking as a reference the situation one month before admission) assessed by the Karnofsky scale, Barthel index, and the PAEEC scale (Project for the Epidemiological Analysis of Critical Care Patients). The third section aimed to determine whether the family knew the patient’s opinion regarding his/her end of life. Results: Of those interviewed, 62.2% would agree to limit treatment in case of poor prognosis or poor quality of future life. In contrast, 37.7% considered that they should fight for life, even if it is irretrievable. Only 1.6% had advanced directives registered, 43.9% of the participants admitted deterioration in their quality of life before ICU admission, 18.2% with moderate-severe deterioration. Our study shows that the higher the educational level, the lower the desire to fight for life when it is irretrievable and the greater the agreement to limit treatment. Besides, those participants not affiliated with a religion were significantly less likely to fight for life, including when irretrievable, than Catholics and were more likely to agree to limit treatment. Conclusions: More than half of the participants would agree to limit treatment in the case of a poor prognosis. Our results indicate that patients do not prepare for the dying process well in advance. Religion and educational level were determining factors for the choice of procedures at the end of life, both for patients and their families.
Comparative evaluation of the effect of different surface treatments on the bioactivity of zirconia: An In Vitro study

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The present in vitro study was conducted to comparatively evaluate the effect of two different surface treatments on the bioactivity of zirconia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 33 discs with dimensions 10mm x 2mm were obtained from zirconia blanks (AMANN GIRRBACH) and randomly divided into 3 groups (n=11), namely, Group I (Untreated), Group II (Sandblasted) and Group III (UV Photofunctionalization). Surface characteristics of representative test samples were analysed using XRD, AFM, contact angle goniometry, SEM and EDX, to assess type of crystal phase of zirconia, surface roughness, wettability, surface topography and elemental composition, respectively. Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) was prepared & Ca-content in SBF (Ca-SBF) was determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Test samples were incubated in SBF for 3 weeks, mean post-immersion Ca-SBF was determined for each group and representative samples were subjected to XRD and SEM-EDX analyses. Data were analysed by One-way ANOVA, Post-hoc Tukey HSD and students’ paired ‘t’ test for statistical significance (p<0.05 - significant; p<0.01 - highly significant). RESULTS: Surface characteristics analyses revealed: XRD showed predominant tetragonal (t) zirconia crystal phase for all test groups. Mean surface roughness (Sa) of Group I was 41.83 nm and it was significantly lesser than that of Group II (115.65 nm) and Group III (102.43nm). Mean contact angles were 98.26°, 86.77° and 68.03° for Groups I, II and III respectively and these differences were highly significant. SEM revealed relatively flat surface for Group I, irregularly roughened surface for Group II and a homogenously roughened surface for Group III. EDX revealed elemental composition of Zr, O2, Y, Hf, and Al for all test groups. Mean pre-immersion Ca-content in SBF was found to be 159 mg/L. Mean post-immersion Ca-content was 70.10mg/L, 60.80mg/L & 56.20 mg/L, for Groups I, II and III respectively. Significantly high depletion in Ca-content was found for all three test groups as compared to the pre-immersion value. Significant differences were found between Group I as compared to both Groups II and III. Bioactivity of Group III was marginally, but insignificantly higher with respect to Group II. Post-immersion XRD revealed predominant ‘t’ phase and SEM-EDX revealed well-formed, abundant calcium apatite layer on the treated samples as compared to that on untreated sample and an increasing Ca/P ratio from 1.15, 1.79 to 2.08, respectively from Group I to Group III. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of the present study, both sandblasting and UV Photofunctionalization significantly and similarly improved bioactivity of zirconia as compared to the untreated samples, which was corroborated by the SEM-EDX results.
CST6 protein and peptides inhibit breast cancer bone metastasis by suppressing CTSB activity and osteoclastogenesis

Background: Bone metastasis is a frequent symptom of breast cancer and current targeted therapy has limited efficacy. Osteoclasts play critical roles to drive osteolysis and metastatic outgrowth of tumor cells in bone. Previously we identified CST6 as a secretory protein significantly downregulated in bone-metastatic breast cancer cells. Functional analysis showed that CST6 suppresses breast-to-bone metastasis in animal models. However, the functional mechanism and therapeutic potential of CST6 in bone metastasis is unknown. Methods: Using in vitro osteoclastogenesis and in vivo metastasis assays, we studied the effect and mechanism of extracellular CST6 protein in suppressing osteoclastic niches and bone metastasis of breast cancer. A number of peptides containing the functional domain of CST6 were screened to inhibit bone metastasis. The efficacy, stability and toxicity of CST6 recombinant protein and peptides were evaluated in preclinical metastasis models. Results: We show here that CST6 inhibits osteolytic bone metastasis by inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. Cancer cell-derived CST6 enters osteoclasts by endocytosis and suppresses the cysteine protease CTSB, leading to up-regulation of the CTSB hydrolytic substrate SPHK1. SPHK1 suppresses osteoclast maturation by inhibiting the RANKL-induced p38 activation. Importantly, recombinant CST6 protein effectively suppresses bone metastasis in vitro and in vivo. We further identified several peptides mimicking the function of CST6 to suppress cancer cell-induced osteoclastogenesis and bone metastasis. Pre-clinical analyses of CTS6 recombinant protein and peptides demonstrated their potentials in treatment of breast cancer bone metastasis. Conclusion: These findings reveal the CST6-CTSB-SPHK1 signaling axis in osteoclast differentiation and provide a promising approach to treat bone diseases with CST6-based peptides.
An Application for Aesthetic Quality Assessment in Photography with Interpretability Features

Automatic aesthetic quality assessment is a computer vision problem in which we quantify the attractiveness or the appealingness of a photograph. This is especially useful in social networks, where the amount of images generated each day requires automation for processing. This work presents Aesthetic Selector, an application able to identify images of high aesthetic quality, showing also relevant information about the decisions and providing the use of the most appropriate filters to enhance a given image. We then analyzed the main proposals in the aesthetic quality field, describing their strengths and weaknesses in order to determine the filters to be included in the application Aesthetic Selector. This proposed application was tested, giving good results, in three different scenarios: image selection, image finding, and filter selection. Besides, we carried out a study of distinct visualization tools to better understand the models’ behavior. These techniques also allow detecting which areas are more relevant within the images when models perform classification. The application also includes this interpretability module. Aesthetic Selector is an innovative and original program, because in the field of aesthetic quality in photography, there are no applications that identify high-quality images and also because it offers the capability of showing information about which parts of the image have affected this decision.
Theoretical-computational modeling of charge transfer and intersystem crossing reactions in complex chemical systems

In this paper we present a theoretical-computational methodology specifically aimed at describing processes involving internal conversion or intersystem crossing, from atomistic (semiclassical) simulations and, hence, very suitable for treating complex atomic-molecular systems. The core of the presented approach is the evaluation of the diabatic perturbed energy surfaces of a portion of the whole system, treated at the quantum level and therefore preventively selected, in semi-classical interaction with the atomic-molecular environment. Subsequently, the estimation of the coupling between the diabatic surfaces and the inclusion of the obtained observables within a properly designed kinetic model allows the reconstruction of the whole phenomenology directly comparable to the experimental (typically kinetic) data. Application to two systems has demonstrated that the proposed approach can represent a valuable tool, somewhat complementary to other methods based on explicit quantum-dynamical approaches, for the theoretical-computational investigations of large and complex atomic-molecular systems.
Satellite-Observed Effects from Ozone Pollution and Climate Change on Growing-Season Vegetation Activity over China during 1982–2020

Remote sensing vegetation index data contain important information about the effects of ozone pollution, climate change and other factors on vegetation growth. However, the absence of long-term observational data on surface ozone pollution and neglected air pollution-induced effects on vegetation growth have made it difficult to conduct in-depth studies on the long-term, large-scale ozone pollution effects on vegetation health. In this study, a multiple linear regression model was developed, based on normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data, ozone mass mixing ratio (OMR) data at 1000 hPa, and temperature (T), precipitation (P) and surface net radiation (SSR) data during 1982–2020 to quantitatively assess the impact of ozone pollution and climate change on vegetation growth in China on growing season. The OMR data showed an increasing trend in 99.9% of regions in China over the last 39 years, and both NDVI values showed increasing trends on a spatial basis with different ozone pollution levels. Additionally, the significant correlations between NDVI and OMR, temperature and SSR indicate that vegetation activity is closely related to ozone pollution and climate change. Ozone pollution affected 12.5% of NDVI, and climate change affected 26.7% of NDVI. Furthermore, the effects from ozone pollution and climate change on forest, shrub, grass and crop vegetation were evaluated. Notably, the impact of ozone pollution on vegetation growth was 0.47 times that of climate change, indicating that the impact of ozone pollution on vegetation growth cannot be ignored. This study not only deepens the understanding of the effects of ozone pollution and climate change on vegetation growth but also provides a research framework for the large-scale monitoring of air pollution on vegetation health using remote sensing vegetation data.
Circulating microRNAs as Diagnostic Markers in Primary Aldosteronism

Simple Summary Many patients remain at increased risk of primary aldosteronism (PA) and its consequences due to the difficulty of accurate diagnosis. MicroRNAs circulating in the bloodstream are emerging as biomarkers for disease, particularly specific forms of cancer. In this review article, we argue that they may also have a role in the diagnosis of PA, if observed changes in the microRNA profile of PA tissue are reflected in circulating microRNAs, which can be sampled and analysed readily in a clinical setting. However, for various practical reasons, studies of potential diagnostic circulating microRNAs have often proved difficult to reproduce consistently. We describe these problems and how they might be overcome using, as an example, our design of the circulating microRNA arm of the ongoing ENS@T-HT project, which is intended to confirm whether circulating microRNAs can serve as biomarkers for PA. Abstract Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a common and highly treatable condition, usually resulting from adrenocortical tumorous growth or hyperplasia. PA is currently underdiagnosed owing to its complex and protracted diagnostic procedures. A simplified biomarker-based test would be highly valuable in reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Circulating microRNAs are emerging as potential biomarkers for a number of conditions due to their stability and accessibility. PA is known to alter microRNA expression in adrenocortical tissue; if these changes or their effects are mirrored in the circulating miRNA profile, then this could be exploited by a diagnostic test. However, the reproducibility of studies to identify biomarker-circulating microRNAs has proved difficult for other conditions due to a series of technical challenges. Therefore, any studies seeking to definitively identify circulating microRNA biomarkers of PA must address this in their design. To this end, we are currently conducting the circulating microRNA arm of the ongoing ENS@T-HT study. In this review article, we present evidence to support the utility of circulating microRNAs as PA biomarkers, describe the practical challenges to this approach and, using ENS@T-HT as an example, discuss how these might be overcome.
Multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) observations of formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide at three sites in Asia and comparison with the global chemistry transport model CHASER

Abstract. Formaldehyde (HCHO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations and profiles were retrieved from ground-based multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) observations during January 2017–December 2018 at three sites in Asia: (1) Phimai (15.18∘ N, 102.5∘ E), Thailand; (2) Pantnagar (29∘ N, 78.90∘ E) in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), India; and (3) Chiba (35.62∘ N, 140.10∘ E), Japan. Retrievals were performed using the Japanese MAX-DOAS profile retrieval algorithm ver. 2 (JM2). The observations were used to evaluate the NO2 and HCHO partial columns and profiles (0–4 km) simulated using the global chemistry transport model (CTM) CHASER (Chemical Atmospheric General Circulation Model for Study of Atmospheric Environment and Radiative Forcing). The NO2 and HCHO concentrations at all three sites showed consistent seasonal variation throughout the investigated period. Biomass burning affected the HCHO and NO2 variations at Phimai during the dry season and at Pantnagar during spring (March–May) and post-monsoon (September–November). Results found for the HCHO-to-NO2 ratio (RFN), an indicator of high ozone sensitivity, indicate that the transition region (i.e., 1 < RFN < 2) changes regionally, echoing the recent finding for RFN effectiveness. Moreover, reasonable estimates of transition regions can be derived, accounting for the NO2–HCHO chemical feedback. The model was evaluated against global NO2 and HCHO columns data retrieved from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) observations before comparison with ground-based datasets. Despite underestimation, the model well simulated the satellite-observed global spatial distribution of NO2 and HCHO, with respective spatial correlations (r) of 0.73 and 0.74. CHASER demonstrated good performance, reproducing the MAX-DOAS-retrieved HCHO and NO2 abundances at Phimai, mainly above 500 m from the surface. Model results agree with the measured variations within the 1-sigma (1σ) standard deviation of the observations. Simulations at higher resolution improved the modeled NO2 estimates for Chiba, reducing the mean bias error (MBE) for the 0–2 km height by 35 %, but resolution-based improvements were limited to surface layers. Sensitivity studies show that at Phimai, pyrogenic emissions contribute up to 50 % and 35 % to HCHO and NO2 concentrations, respectively.
Layer-Dependent Rashba Band Splitting in 2D Hybrid Perovskites

The strong spin–orbit coupling (SOC) in perovskite materials due to the presence of heavy atoms induces interesting electronic characteristics, such as Rashba band splitting. In spite of several recent reports on Rashba effects in 2D perovskites, the impacts of the nature of surface termination and of the number of inorganic layers on the extent of Rashba band splitting still remain to be determined. Here, using a combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and time-resolved laser spectroscopy, we provide a comprehensive understanding of the Rashba band splitting of the prototype 3D MAPbI3 and of 2D Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) hybrid perovskites. We demonstrate that significant structural distortions associated with different surface terminations are responsible for the observed Rashba effect in 2D perovskites. Interestingly, our theoretical and experimental data clearly indicate that the intrinsic Rashba splitting occurs in the perovskite crystals with an even number of inorganic layers (n = 2.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Sertraline in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objective: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like sertraline have been shown in observational studies and anecdotal reports to improve language development in young children with fragile X syndrome (FXS). A previous controlled trial of sertraline in young children with FXS found significant improvement in expressive language development as measured by the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) among those with comorbid autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in post hoc analysis, prompting the authors to probe whether sertraline is also indicated in nonsyndromic ASD. Methods: The authors evaluated the efficacy of 6 months of treatment with low-dose sertraline in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 58 children with ASD aged 24 to 72 months. Results: 179 subjects were screened for eligibility, and 58 were randomized to sertraline (32) or placebo (26). Eight subjects from the sertraline arm and five from the placebo arm discontinued. Intent-to-treat analysis showed no significant difference from placebo on the primary outcomes (MSEL expressive language raw score and age equivalent combined score) or secondary outcomes. Sertraline was well tolerated, with no difference in side effects between sertraline and placebo groups. No serious adverse events possibly related to study treatment occurred. Conclusion: This randomized controlled trial of sertraline treatment showed no benefit with respect to primary or secondary outcome measures. For the 6-month period, treatment in young children with ASD appears safe, although the long-term side effects of low-dose sertraline in early childhood are unknown. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials. gov, identifier NCT02385799.