Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rumor Gauge

The spread of malicious or accidental misinformation in social media, especially in time-sensitive situations, such as real-world emergencies, can have harmful effects on individuals and society. In this work, we developed models for automated verification of rumors (unverified information) that propagate through Twitter. To predict the veracity of rumors, we identified salient features of rumors by examining three aspects of information spread: linguistic style used to express rumors, characteristics of people involved in propagating information, and network propagation dynamics. The predicted veracity of a time series of these features extracted from a rumor (a collection of tweets) is generated using Hidden Markov Models. The verification algorithm was trained and tested on 209 rumors representing 938,806 tweets collected from real-world events, including the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the 2014 Ferguson unrest, and the 2014 Ebola epidemic, and many other rumors about various real-world events reported on popular websites that document public rumors. The algorithm was able to correctly predict the veracity of 75% of the rumors faster than any other public source, including journalists and law enforcement officials. The ability to track rumors and predict their outcomes may have practical applications for news consumers, financial markets, journalists, and emergency services, and more generally to help minimize the impact of false information on Twitter.
Cervicovaginal microbiota composition correlates with the acquisition of high‐risk human papillomavirus types

High‐risk (hr) human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is closely associated with the clinical conditions of both squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs) and cervical carcinoma. However, it remains unclear what factors determine the type of hrHPV infection. Here, we have comprehensively investigated the bacterial composition of the cervicovaginal microbiota of 280 women infected with one type of hrHPV (HPV 16, 52 or 58) by the pyrosequencing of barcoded 16S rRNA genes. Differential microbiota composition was observed among various SIL groups and within the subgroups of each group. This result showed that it is not the microbiota diversity or the common microbiota, but rather agents that are specific to each SIL that might have a positive influence on the acquisition of hrHPV types, independent of abundance. Specifically, a composition of Oribacterium, Lachnobacterium and Thermus in the cervicovaginal microbiota is more likely to be associated with HPV 16, while a composition of Motilibacter in the cervicovaginal microbiota is more likely to be associated with HPV 52, and a composition of Litorilinea and Paludibaculum with a concomitant paucity of L. iners in the cervicovaginal microbiota is more likely to be associated with HPV 58. Furthermore, functional predictions regarding infectious diseases and cancer‐related genes disclosed significant differences (p < 0.01) among the different (sub)groups. Our study provides an elucidation of the relationship between the composition of the cervicovaginal microbiota and the type of hrHPV acquired.
Benchmarks for measurement of duplicate detection methods in nucleotide databases

Duplication of information in databases is a major data quality challenge. The presence of duplicates, implying either redundancy or inconsistency, can have a range of impacts on the quality of analyses that use the data. To provide a sound basis for research on this issue in databases of nucleotide sequences, we have developed new, large-scale validated collections of duplicates, which can be used to test the effectiveness of duplicate detection methods. Previous collections were either designed primarily to test efficiency, or contained only a limited number of duplicates of limited kinds. To date, duplicate detection methods have been evaluated on separate, inconsistent benchmarks, leading to results that cannot be compared and, due to limitations of the benchmarks, of questionable generality. In this study we present three nucleotide sequence database benchmarks, based on information drawn from a range of resources, including information derived from mapping to Swiss-Prot and TrEMBL. Each benchmark has distinct characteristics. We quantify these characteristics and argue for their complementary value in evaluation. The benchmarks collectively contain a vast number of validated biological duplicates; the largest has nearly half a billion duplicate pairs (although this is probably only a tiny fraction of the total that is present). They are also the first benchmarks targeting the primary nucleotide databases. The records include the 21 most heavily studied organisms in molecular biology research. Our quantitative analysis shows that duplicates in the different benchmarks, and in different organisms, have different characteristics. It is thus unreliable to evaluate duplicate detection methods against any single benchmark. For example, the benchmark derived from Swiss-Prot mappings identifies more diverse types of duplicates, showing the importance of expert curation, but is limited to coding sequences. Overall, these benchmarks form a resource that we believe will be of great value for development and evaluation of the duplicate detection methods that are required to help maintain these essential resources. Availability: The benchmark data sets are available at https://bitbucket.org/biodbqual/benchmarks.
Establishment and evaluation of a peanut association panel and analysis of key nutritional traits.

Breeding programs aim to improve the yield and quality of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.); using association mapping to identify genetic markers linked to these quantitative traits could facilitate selection efficiency. A peanut association panel was established consisting of 268 lines with extensive phenotypic and genetic variation, meeting the requirements for association analysis. These lines were grown over 3 years and the key agronomic traits, including protein and oil content were examined. Population structure (Q) analysis showed two subpopulations and clustering analysis was consistent with Q-based membership assignment and closely related to botanical type. Relative Kinship (K) indicated that most of the panel members have no or weak familial relatedness, with 52.78% of lines showing K = 0. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed a high level of LD occurs in the panel. Model comparisons indicated false positives can be effectively controlled by taking Q and K into consideration and more false positives were generated by K than Q. A preliminary association analysis using a Q + K model found markers significantly associated with oil, protein, oleic acid, and linoleic acid, and identified a set of alleles with positive and negative effects. These results show that this panel is suitable for association analysis, providing a resource for marker-assisted selection for peanut improvement.
Overall mortality of Canadian Armed Forces personnel enrolled 1976-2012.

Background Military personnel may be exposed to hazardous substances or environments, making health surveillance critical. However, surveillance is frequently handicapped by long lag times between exposure(s) and outcomes, which often manifest post-military release and are often not recorded. Aims To describe the burden of mortality in still serving and released Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel. Methods The Canadian Forces Cancer and Mortality Study II (CF CAMS II) is an interdepartmental record linkage study using CAF pay data and Statistics Canada cancer and mortality data. The cohort included all Regular Force and class C Reservist men and women who first enrolled in the CAF between 1976 and 2012, inclusive. The anonymized linked data included death data, including cause and location of death. All-cause mortality (ACM) and International Classification of Disease (ICD)-10 chapter-level mortality (CLM) were quantified using standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), with the Canadian general population (CGP) as the reference population. Results Approximately 6870 deaths occurred during over 5 million person-years of observations. For ACM, the CAF risk of death was significantly lower than the CGP for both sexes (females: n = 540, SMR = 0.76 [95% CI 0.69-0.82]; males: n = 6330, SMR = 0.79 [95% CI 0.77-0.81]). In the CLM analysis, SMRs were significantly lower than, or not statistically different from, 1.0 for all ICD chapters. Conclusions Military service may have a protective effect that may be partly explained by the healthy soldier effect and the stringent selection process at enrolment.
Estimating Working Stressor Based on Pulse Wave

In this paper, we estimate workers' stressors from their pulse waves. When human beings are provided stressful stimulus from outside, their pulse wave would change. Since inexpensive commercial sensors of pulse waves are available nowadays, we can expect to detect stresses of workers in daily working environment. We assume four kinds of stressors. We extract ten kinds of features from the workers' pulse wave. We learn features using the random forest, which is a machine learning algorithm good at discrimination with many input variables. It is possible to create a model to identify four types of stress. We conducted an experiment to verify the effectiveness of the model. As a result of the experiment, the average of the F-measure was 0.32. From this result, it is suggested that the stressor could be identified from the pulse waves.
Multispectral Image Denoising via Nonlocal Multitask Sparse Learning

The goal of multispectral imaging is to obtain the spectrum for each pixel in the image of a scene and deliver much reliable information. It has been widely applied to several fields including mineralogy, oceanography and astronomy. However, multispectral images (MSIs) are often corrupted by various noises. In this paper, we propose a MSI denoising model based on nonlocal multitask sparse learning. The nonlocal self-similarity across space and the high correlation of the MSI along the spectrum via multitask sparse learning are fully exploited in the proposed model. A nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) based algorithm is developed to solve the proposed model. Experimental results on both simulated and real data demonstrate that the proposed method performs better than several existing state-of-the-art denoising methods.
On determining optimal number and layout of wind turbines using space decomposed cost-energy trade-off algorithm

Continuous depletion of conventional sources of energy has arisen the need of renewable sources of energy and wind energy is one of the most promising alternative sources in this regard. Wind turbines are utilized to harness wind energy. However, finding the optimal layout (numbers and positions) of wind turbines inside a wind farm is a challenging task as velocity deficits caused by wake effects have to be minimized. In this study, using a linear wake model, a wind farm layout optimization has been carried out with the aim of maximization of energy and the minimization of the investment cost. A novel space decomposition approach is proposed to solve the cost-energy multi-objective optimization problem to determine the optimal layout of turbines. An indexed form of Binary — real coded Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm, termed as i-NSGA II, has been proposed. The proposed approach is first validated with the rigorously explored literature case study and applied further on a realistic wind farm data. It has been found that the proposed method is able to provide ∼133 % increase in power produced and ∼14% improvement in cost-energy ratio as compared to the benchmark case study. Besides, ∼5% improvement in the cost-energy ratio is also observed as compared to the other reported works. Moreover, in contrast to previous studies, the generated Pareto optimal front (PO) allows a decision maker to choose among various layouts of turbines instead of a single solution.
Trophic Niche Width, Shift, and Specialization of Dascyllus aruanus in Toliara Lagoon, Madagascar

Abstract Intrapopulation diet specializations may result from the use of different dietary items or foraging tactics by individuals within a single population. The damselfish, Dascyllus aruanus, is a highly site-attached coral reef fish living in size hierarchies among branched corals. The trophic niche width and feeding specialization of this species were explored using stable isotopes and stomach content analyses. Intra-group niche variation was mainly related to fish size. Within social groups, D. aruanus gradually shifted its foraging tactics according to size; smaller fish fed on benthic prey such as isopods and copepods, and the larger fish foraged in the water column on planktonic copepods and larger-sized prey. Group density was found to explain some variation in trophic niche characteristics; greater specialization on prey size was observed in the colony having the highest density. All members of the largest colony foraged more frequently in the water column. Knowing that planktonic copepods are more energy-rich than benthic ones, a positive group-size effect facilitating access to preferred prey is suggested. Group size and group density effects on trophic specialization did not have any impact on body condition, suggesting that the behavioral plasticity of D. aruanus in its foraging strategies permits compensation for the maintenance of body conditions.
Population-Based Assessment of Complications Following Surgery for Thyroid Cancer

Context As thyroid cancer incidence rises, more patients undergo thyroid surgery. Although postoperative complication rates have been reported in single institution studies, population-based data are limited. Objective To determine thyroid cancer surgery complication rates and identify at-risk populations. Design/Setting/Patients Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database, we evaluated general complications within 30 days and thyroid surgery-specific complications within 1 year in 27,912 patients who underwent surgery for differentiated or medullary thyroid cancer between 1998 and 2011. Multivariable analyses of patient characteristics associated with postoperative complications were performed. Main Outcome Measures General and thyroid surgery-specific complications. Results Overall, 1820 (6.5%) patients developed general postoperative complications and 3427 (12.3%) developed thyroid surgery-specific complications. In multivariable analyses, general and thyroid surgery-specific complications were significantly higher in patients >65 years [odds ratio (OR), 2.61; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.31 to 2.95; OR, 3.12; 95% CI, 2.85 to 3.42], those with a Charlson/Deyo comorbidity score of 1 (OR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.66 to 3.49; OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.53 to 2.31) and ≥2 (OR, 7.05; 95% CI, 5.33 to 9.56; OR, 3.62; 95% CI, 3.11 to 4.25), and those with regional (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.35; OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.45) or distant disease (OR, 2.83; 95% CI, 2.30 to 3.47; OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.54 to 2.21), respectively. Conclusions The rates of thyroid cancer surgery complications are higher than predicted, and patients with older age, more comorbidities, and advanced disease are at greatest risk. Efforts to reduce complications are needed.
Patterns of Plasma Glucagon Dynamics Do Not Match Metabolic Phenotypes in Young Women

Context The role of hyperglucagonemia in type 2 diabetes is still debated. Objective We analyzed glucagon dynamics during oral glucose tolerance tests (oGTTs) in young women with one out of three metabolic phenotypes: healthy control (normoglycemic after a normoglycemic pregnancy), normoglycemic high-risk (normoglycemic after a pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes), and prediabetes/screening-diagnosed type 2 diabetes. We asked if glucagon patterns were homogeneous within the metabolic phenotypes. Design and Setting Five-point oGTT, sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for glucagon, and functional data analysis with unsupervised clustering. Participants Cross-sectional analysis of 285 women from the monocenter observational study Prediction, Prevention, and Subclassification of gestational and type 2 Diabetes, recruited between November 2011 and May 2016. Results We found four patterns of glucagon dynamics that did not match the metabolic phenotypes. Elevated fasting glucagon and delayed glucagon suppression was overrepresented with prediabetes/diabetes, but this was only detected in 21% of this group. It also occurred in 8% of the control group. Conclusions We conclude that hyperglucagonemia may contribute to type 2 diabetes in a subgroup of affected individuals but that it is not a sine qua non for the disease. This should be considered in future pathophysiological studies and when testing pharmacotherapies addressing glucagon signaling.
Mapping Collaborative Relations among Canada's Chronic Disease Prevention Organizations

In the field of chronic disease prevention (CDP), collaborations between organizations provide a vital framework for intersectoral engagement and exchanges of knowledge, expertise and resources. However, little is known about how the structures of preventive health systems actually articulate with CDP capacity and outcomes. Drawing upon data from the Public Health Organizational Capacity Study – a repeat census of all public health organizations in Canada – we used social network analysis to map and examine interorganizational collaborative relationships in the Canadian preventive health system. The network of relationships obtained through our study shows that provincial boundaries remain a major factor influencing collaborative patterns. Not only are collaborations scarce on the interprovincial level but they are also mostly limited to links with federal and multi-provincial organizations. Given this finding, federal or multi-provincial organizations that occupy central bridging positions in the Canadian CDP collaborative structure should serve as key players for shaping CDP practices in the country.
What Does it Mean to Trust a Robot?: Steps Toward a Multidimensional Measure of Trust

Research on trust in human-human interaction has typically focused on notions of vulnerability, integrity, and exploitation whereas research on trust in human-machine interaction has typically focused on competence and reliability. In this initial study, we explore whether these different aspects of trust can be considered parts of a multidimensional conception and measure of trust. We gathered 62 words from dictionaries and trust literatures and asked participants to evaluate the words as belonging to a "personal" meaning or a "capacity" meaning. Through an iterative process using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and item analysis, we derived four components that capture the multidimensional space occupied by the concept of trust. The resulting four components yield four subscales of trust with five items each and alpha reliabilities as follows: Capable = . 88, Ethical = . 87, Sincere = . 84, and Reliable = . 72.
Effect of Sagittal Balance on Risk of Falling after Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion Surgery Combined with Posterior Surgery

Purpose To demonstrate the impact of correcting sagittal balance (SB) on functional outcomes of surgical treatment for degenerative spinal disease and actual falls via utilization of new minimally invasive lumbar fusion techniques via a lateral approach. Materials and Methods From November 2011 to March 2015, we enrolled 56 patients who underwent minimally invasive lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) and matched 112 patients receiving decompression/postero-lateral fusion (PLF) surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis. According to SB status using C7-plumb line-distance (C7PL) and surgery type, patients were divided into three groups: SB PLF, sagittal imbalance (SI) PLF, and LLIF groups. We then compared their outcomes. Results The mean C7PL was 6.2±13.6 mm in the SB PLF group, 72.9±33.8 mm in the SI PLF group, and 74.8±38.2 mm in the LLIF group preoperatively. Postoperatively, C7PL in only the LLIF group improved significantly (p=0.000). Patients in the LLIF group showed greater improvement in fall-related functional test scores than the SI PLF group (p=0.007 for Alternate-Step test, p=0.032 for Sit-to-Stand test). The average number of postoperative falls was 0.4±0.7 in the SB PLF group, 1.1±1.4 in the SI PLF group, and 0.8±1.0 in the LLIF group (p=0.041). Oswestry Disability Index and the Euro-QoL 5 dimension visual analogue scale scores also showed greater improvements in the LLIF group than in the SI PLF group at postoperative 1 year (p=0.003, 0.016). Conclusion Surgical correction of SI in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis using a combination of minimal invasive LLIF and posterior surgery achieved better surgical outcomes and a lower incidence of actual falls than PLF surgery.
Reprogramming induced by isoliquiritigenin diminishes melanoma cachexia through mTORC2-AKT-GSK3β signaling

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a member of the flavonoids, is known to have anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. The effect of ISL on reprogramming in cancer cells, however, remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the effect of ISL on reprogramming in human melanoma A375 cells. ISL (15 μg/ml) significantly inhibited A375 cell proliferation, anchorage independent cell proliferation and G2/M cell cycle arrest after ISL exposure for 24 h. However, there were no significant changes in apoptosis rate. Terminal differentiation indicators (melanin content, melanogenesis mRNA expression, tyrosinase (TYR) activity) were all up-regulated by ISL treatment. In ISL-treated cells, glucose uptake, lactate levels and mRNA expression levels of GLUT1 and HK2 were significantly decreased, and accompanied by an increase in O2 consumption rate (OCR) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) deficiency. Protein expression levels of mTORC2-AKT-GSK3β signaling pathway components (mTOR, p-mTOR, RICTOR, p-AKT, p-GSK3β) decreased significantly after ISL treatment. Co-treatment of ISL and the mTOR-specific inhibitor Ku-0063794 had a synergistic effect on the inhibition of proliferation, and increased melanin content and TYR activity. Glucose uptake and lactate levels decreased more significantly than treatment with ISL alone. These findings indicate that ISL induced reprogramming in A375 melanoma cells by activating mTORC2-AKT-GSK3β signaling.
Time-Constrained Big Data Transfer for SDN-Enabled Smart City

With advanced ICT, the ever-rapid development of informatization has become an integral part of smart city services in healthcare, transportation, energy, education, business, community life, and so on. A huge amount of data, called big data, is generated from various sources, and effective analysis and utilization of big data has become a key factor in the success of smart city services. However, in order to achieve precise big data analytics and make real-time decisions, one of the challenging issues is how to efficiently deliver the huge amounts of collected data to the processing servers. In this article, we first propose a novel architecture to support smart city services based on SDN technology. Then we study the time-constrained big data transfer scheduling (TBTS) problem under the proposed architecture, and present an intelligent strategy to address the TBTS issue by utilizing the SDN controller to conduct dynamic flow control and multi-path transfer scheduling. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can efficiently support big data transfer in terms of low transfer delay and high bandwidth utilization.