Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IFT Expert Report on Biotechnology and Foods

EXPERT REPORT ON BIOTECHNOLOGY AND FOODS he use of modern biotechnology (recombinant DNA technology) to produce foods and food ingredients is a subject of heightened interest among consumers and public policy makers, and within the scientific community. As a result, the news media have extensively covered the subject, seemingly with each development. Eager to contribute to a meaningful dialogue on scientific issues and consumer concerns about rDNA biotechnology, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the 29,000-member nonprofit society for food science and technology, implemented a new initiative. IFT’s leaders provided the impetus and strategies, including establishment of a Task Force, for the initiative. The Biotechnology Task Force identified the overall goal of providing sciencebased information about this modern tool to multiple audiences, e.g., its members, journalists, and the general public. The Task Force identified issues within three main topics—safety, labeling, and benefits and concerns—and decided that each would be addressed within a comprehensive, scientific report. IFT convened a panel of experts, comprising IFT members and other prominent biotechnology authorities, to prepare report sections on each of the three main topics. Each panel contributed to an Introduction section. Thus, this scientific report consists of four parts: Introduction, Safety, Labeling, and Benefits and Concerns. Members of the panels of experts are identified within each report section. IFT’s Office of Science, Communications, and Government Relations coordinated the development of the report. The report focuses on rDNA biotechnology-derived foods, food ingredients, and animal feed of plant origin, and on the use of rDNA biotechnology-derived microorganisms such as yeasts and enzymes in food production. Milk from cows that have received rDNA biotechnology-derived hormones is discussed; transgenic animals resulting from the application of rDNA biotechnology techniques to animal production are not addressed. The Introduction presents background information to help readers understand rDNA biotechnology-derived foods and federal regulation and oversight of rDNA biotechnology. The Safety section discusses issues relevant to evaluation of rDNA biotechnology-derived foods, including the concept of substantial equivalence, introduced genetic material and gene products, unintended effects, allergenicity, and products without conventional counterparts. The international scientific consensus regarding the safety of rDNA biotechnology-derived foods is also IFT Expert Report on Biotechnology and Foods
Using the Crowd to Generate Content for Scenario-Based Serious-Games

In the last decade, scenario-based serious-games have become a main tool for learning new skills and capabilities. An important factor in the development of such systems is the overhead in time, cost and human resources to manually create the content for these scenarios. We focus on how to create content for scenarios in medical, military, commerce and gaming applications where maintaining the integrity and coherence of the content is integral for the system's success. To do so, we present an automatic method for generating content about everyday activities through combining computer science techniques with the crowd. We use the crowd in three basic ways: to capture a database of scenarios of everyday activities, to generate a database of likely replacements for specific events within that scenario, and to evaluate the resulting scenarios. We found that the generated scenarios were rated as reliable and consistent by the crowd when compared to the scenarios that were originally captured. We also compared the generated scenarios to those created by traditional planning techniques. We found that both methods were equally effective in generated reliable and consistent scenarios, yet the main advantages of our approach is that the content we generate is more varied and much easier to create. We have begun integrating this approach within a scenario-based training application for novice investigators within the law enforcement departments to improve their questioning skills.
Synergistic Effect of Viral Load and Alcohol Consumption on the Risk of Persistent High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infection

Purpose This prospective study aimed to examine the combined effect of viral load and alcohol consumption on the risk of persistent high-risk (HR) human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Methods Among women undergoing health screening between 2002 and 2011 at the National Cancer Center, 284 and 122 women with HR-HPV infection and cytological findings of low-grade squamous intraepithelial or lower-grade lesions were followed up for 1 and 2 years, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed, and the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) and synergy index (S) were calculated. Results Among drinkers, the risks of 1-year (odds ratio [OR] 4.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.05–8.18) and 2-year persistence (OR 8.08, CI 2.36–27.6) were significantly higher for high HPV loads than for low HPV loads; this association was not seen for non-drinkers. The risks for 1-year (OR 4.14, CI 1.89–9.05) and 2-year persistence (OR 6.61, CI 2.09–20.9) were significantly higher in subjects with a high HPV load who were also drinkers than in those who were non-drinkers. A high HPV load together with a longer drinking duration or higher alcohol consumption was associated with increased risks of 1-year (OR 3.07, CI 1.40–6.75 or OR 2.05, CI 0.87–4.83) and 2-year persistence (OR 6.40, CI 1.72–23.8 or OR 4.14, CI 1.18–14.6). The synergistic effect of alcohol consumption and HR-HPV load was stronger on the risk of 2-year persistence (RERI = 3.26, S = 2.38) than on the risk of 1-year persistence (RERI = 1.21, S = 1.63). Conclusions The synergistic effect of HR-HPV load and alcohol consumption was associated with the risk of HR-HPV persistence and was stronger for longer-term HR-HPV infection. Limiting alcohol consumption might be an important measure to prevent the development of cervical cancer in women with a high HR-HPV load.
randomisedcontrolledtrials : synthesisandcritical appraisalofpublishedstudies , 2010 to 2014

Background: Stepped wedge cluster randomised trials introduce interventions to groups of clusters in a random order and have been used to evaluate interventions for health and wellbeing. Standardised guidance for reporting stepped wedge trials is currently absent, and a range of potential analytic approaches have been described. Methods: We systematically identified and reviewed recently published (2010 to 2014) analyses of stepped wedge trials. We extracted data and described the range of reporting and analysis approaches taken across all studies. We critically appraised the strategy described by three trials chosen to reflect a range of design characteristics. Results: Ten reports of completed analyses were identified. Reporting varied: seven of the studies included a CONSORT diagram, and only five also included a diagram of the intervention rollout. Seven assessed the balance achieved by randomisation, and there was considerable heterogeneity among the approaches used. Only six reported the trend in the outcome over time. All used both ‘horizontal’ and ‘vertical’ information to estimate the intervention effect: eight adjusted for time with a fixed effect, one used time as a condition using a Cox proportional hazards model, and one did not account for time trends. The majority used simple random effects to account for clustering and repeat measures, assuming a common intervention effect across clusters. Outcome data from before and after the rollout period were often included in the primary analysis. Potential lags in the outcome response to the intervention were rarely investigated. We use three case studies to illustrate different approaches to analysis and reporting. Conclusions: There is considerable heterogeneity in the reporting of stepped wedge cluster randomised trials. Correct specification of the time-trend underlies the validity of the analytical approaches. The possibility that intervention effects vary by cluster or over time should be considered. Further work should be done to standardise the reporting of the design, attrition, balance, and time-trends in stepped wedge trials.
Optimal Stochastic Coordinated Beamforming for Wireless Cooperative Networks With CSI Uncertainty

Transmit optimization and resource allocation for wireless cooperative networks with channel state information (CSI) uncertainty are important but challenging problems in terms of both the uncertainty modeling and performance optimization. In this paper, we establish a generic stochastic coordinated beamforming (SCB) framework that provides flexibility in the channel uncertainty modeling, while guaranteeing optimality in the transmission strategies. We adopt a general stochastic model for the CSI uncertainty, which is applicable for various practical scenarios. The SCB problem turns out to be a joint chance constrained program (JCCP) and is known to be highly intractable. In contrast to all of the previous algorithms for JCCP that can only find feasible but sub-optimal solutions, we propose a novel stochastic DC (difference-of-convex) programming algorithm with optimality guarantee, which can serve as the benchmark for evaluating heuristic and sub-optimal algorithms. The key observation is that the highly intractable probability constraint can be equivalently reformulated as a dc constraint. This further enables efficient algorithms to achieve optimality. Simulation results will illustrate the convergence, conservativeness, stability and performance gains of the proposed algorithm.
How does patient-centered communication improve emotional health? An exploratory study in China

ABSTRACT In China, people’s emotional health is concerning. The patient-centered communication during medical consultations may play an important role in improving people’s emotional well-being. However, the relationship between communication and health is one of the least developed areas in communication research. This study empirically tested a pathway linking communication to health. Based on survey data collected from 483 Chinese patients, the results showed that patient-centered communication directly improved emotional health. Also, patient-centered communication had an indirect effect on emotional health through uncertainty management skill. In addition, patient trust positively moderated the effects of patient-centered communication on uncertainty management skill and emotional health. Also, one’s Internet health information seeking positively moderated the effect of communication on health. The findings have significant theoretical and practical implications for health education and promotion in the context of China.
Using on-chip configurable logic to reduce embedded system software energy

We examine the energy savings possible by re-mapping critical software loops from a microprocessor to configurable logic appearing on the same-chip in commodity chips now commercially available. That logic is typically intended to implement peripherals and coprocessors without increasing chip count-but we show that reduced software energy is an additional benefit, making such chips even more useful. We find critical software loops and re-implement them in the configurable logic such that a repeating software task completes sooner, allowing us to put the system in a low-power state for longer periods, thus reducing energy. We use simulations and estimations for a hypothetical device having a 32-bit MIPS processor plus configurable logic, yielding energy savings of 25%, increasing to 39% assuming voltage scaling. We physically measured several examples running on two commercial single-chip devices having an 8-bit 8051 microprocessor plus configurable logic and a 32-bit ARM microprocessor with configurable logic, with energy savings of 71% and 53% respectively, increasing to an estimated 89% and 75% assuming voltage scaling.
Reducing Child Malnutrition: How Far Does Income Growth Take Us?

How rapidly will child malnutrition respond to income growth? This article explores that question using household survey data from 12 countries as well as data on malnutrition rates in a cross-section of countries since the 1970s. Both forms of analysis yield similar results. Increases in income at the household and national levels imply similar rates of reduction in malnutrition. Using these estimates and better than historical income growth rates, the article finds that the millennium development goal of halving the prevalence of underweight children by 2015 is unlikely to be met through income growth alone. What is needed to accelerate reductions in malnutrition is a balanced strategy of income growth and investment in more direct interventions.
Antagonistic Regulation of Flowering Time through Distinct Regulatory Subunits of Protein Phosphatase 2A

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) consists of three types of subunits: a catalytic (C), a scaffolding (A), and a regulatory (B) subunit. In Arabidopsis thaliana and other organisms the regulatory B subunits are divided into at least three non-related groups, B55, B’ and B″. Flowering time in plants mutated in B55 or B' genes were investigated in this work. The PP2A-b55α and PP2A-b55β (knockout) lines showed earlier flowering than WT, whereas a PP2A-b’γ (knockdown) line showed late flowering. Average advancements of flowering in PP2A-b55 mutants were 3.4 days in continuous light, 6.6 days in 12 h days, and 8.2 days in 8 h days. Average delays in the PP2A-b’γ mutant line were 7.1 days in 16 h days and 4.7 days in 8 h days. Expression of marker genes of genetically distinct flowering pathways (CO, FLC, MYB33, SPL3), and the floral integrator (FT, SOC1) were tested in WT, pp2a mutants, and two known flowering time mutants elf6 and edm2. The results are compatible with B55 acting at and/or downstream of the floral integrator, in a non-identified pathway. B’ γ was involved in repression of FLC, the main flowering repressor gene. For B’γ the results are consistent with the subunit being a component in the major autonomous flowering pathway. In conclusion PP2A is both a positive and negative regulator of flowering time, depending on the type of regulatory subunit involved.
Flow Map Layout via Spiral Trees

Flow maps are thematic maps that visualize the movement of objects, such as people or goods, between geographic regions. One or more sources are connected to several targets by lines whose thickness corresponds to the amount of flow between a source and a target. Good flow maps reduce visual clutter by merging (bundling) lines smoothly and by avoiding self-intersections. Most flow maps are still drawn by hand and only few automated methods exist. Some of the known algorithms do not support edge-bundling and those that do, cannot guarantee crossing-free flows. We present a new algorithmic method that uses edge-bundling and computes crossing-free flows of high visual quality. Our method is based on so-called spiral trees, a novel type of Steiner tree which uses logarithmic spirals. Spiral trees naturally induce a clustering on the targets and smoothly bundle lines. Our flows can also avoid obstacles, such as map features, region outlines, or even the targets. We demonstrate our approach with extensive experiments.
Factoid Question Answering over Unstructured and Structured Web Content

We describe our experience with two new, builtfrom-scratch, web-based question answering systems applied to the TREC 2005 Main Question Answering task, which use complementary models of answering questions over both structured and unstructured content on the Web. Our approaches depart from previous question answering (QA) work in several ways. For unstructured content, we used a web-based system with novel features such as web snippet pattern matching and generic answer type matching using web counts. We also experimented with a new, complementary question answering approach that uses information from the millions of tables and lists that abound on the web. This system attempts to answer factoid questions by guessing relevant rows and fields in matching web tables and integrating the results. We believe a combination of the two approaches holds promise.
Issue reframing by parties: The effect of issue salience and ownership

Issue reframing occurs when parties, while addressing an issue, shift the frame toward other policy domains. The literature has found that party issue framing affects how voters think about issues, yet scholars remain largely in the dark as to when and how parties frame issues. The study at hand theorizes and investigates when and how parties reframe issues in their external communication. Drawing on novel Belgian data about parties’ official stances regarding a large number of policy issues combined with their verbal argumentation of why they took this exact position, we test a new theory about the drivers and mechanisms of issue reframing. We find that parties reframe issues in terms of policy domains that are both salient to the general public and that are salient to the party itself—meaning that it has a history of devoting attention to the policy domain and “owns” it.
Control of exocytotic processes: cytological and physiological studies of trichocyst mutants in Paramecium tetraurelia

The trichocysts of Paramecium tetraurelia constitute a favorable system for studying secretory process because of the numerous available mutations that block, at various stages, the development of these secretory vesicles, their migration towards and interaction with the cell surface, and their exocytosis. Previous studies of several mutants provided information (a) on the assembly and function of the intramembranous particles arrays in the plasma membrane at trichocyst attachment sites, (b) on the autonomous motility of trichocysts, required for attachment to the cortex, and (c) on a diffusible cytoplasmic factor whose interaction with both trichocyst and plasma membrane is required for exocytosis to take place. We describe here the properties of four more mutants deficient in exocytosis ability, nd6, nd7, tam38, and tam6, which were analyzed by freeze-fracture, microinjection of trichocysts, and assay for repair of the mutational defect through cell-cell interaction during conjugation with wild-type cells. As well as providing confirmation of previous conclusions, our observations show that the mutations nd6 and tam6 (which display striking abnormalities in their plasma membrane particle arrays and are reparable through cell-cell contact but not by microinjection of cytoplasm) affect two distinct properties of the plasma membrane, whereas the other two mutations affect different properties of the trichocysts. Altogether, the mutants so far analyzed now provide a rather comprehensive view of the steps and functions involved in secretory processes in Paramecium and demonstrate that two steps of these processes, trichocyst attachment to the plasma membrane and exocytosis, depend upon specific properties of both the secretory vesicle and the plasma membrane.
Formal Representations of Learning Scenarios: A Methodology to Configure E-Learning Systems

Nowadays, advanced E-Learning systems are generally pedagogy-aware. Commonly, these systems include facilities for defining so-called learning scenarios that reflect sophisticated pedagogical approaches such as collaborative writing or project-oriented learning. To support different learning activities from such scenarios the technological infrastructure of these systems must be appropriately adjusted and configured. Usually, this configuration process is laced with a number of difficulties. Most of these difficulties are caused by the fact that scenario capturing is achieved through informal user-developer dialogues. Typically, the result of such informal dialogues contains inconsistent and incomplete information because of misunderstandings and the complexity of the interactions within a scenario. Consequently, the configuration of the system is suboptimal and a number of iterations are required in order to achieve better results. In this paper an approach to improve this situation is presented. This approach is based on a general formal representation model for describing learning scenarios. A particular formal description of a concrete learning scenario is obtained through a user dialogue with a wizard tool. At the next step, this formal description might be automatically processed to facilitate configuration process. The paper is concluded with some experiences gained by applying this approach in two E-Learning projects.
Quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum: folding and misfolding of vesicular stomatitis virus G protein in cells and in vitro

Parallel experiments in living cells and in vitro were undertaken to characterize the mechanism by which misfolded and unassembled glycoproteins are retained in the ER. A thermoreversible folding mutant of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) G protein called ts045 was analyzed. At 39 degrees C, newly synthesized G failed to fold correctly according to several criteria: intrachain disulfide bonds were incomplete; the B2 epitope was absent; and the protein was associated with immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein (BiP), a heat shock- related, ER protein. When the temperature was lowered to 32 degrees C, these properties were reversed, and the protein was transported to the cell surface. Upon the shift up from 32 degrees C back to 39 degrees C, G protein in the ER returned to the misfolded form and was retained, while the protein that had reached a pre-Golgi compartment or beyond was thermostable and remained transport competent. The misfolding reaction could be reconstituted in a cell free system using ts045 virus particles and protein extracts from microsomes. Taken together, the results showed that ER is unique among the organelles of the secretory pathway in containing specific factors capable of misfolding G protein at the nonpermissive temperature and thus participating in its retention.
Efficient web harvesting strategies for monitoring deep web content

Web content changes rapidly [18]. In Focused Web Harvesting [17] which aim it is to achieve a complete harvest for a given topic, this dynamic nature of the web creates problems for users who need to access a set of all the relevant web data to their topics of interest. Whether you are a fan following your favorite idol or a journalist investigating a topic, you may need not only to access all the relevant information but also the recent changes and updates. General search engines like Google apply several techniques to enhance the freshness of their crawled data. However, in focused web harvesting, we lack an efficient approach that detects changes for a given topic over time. In this paper, we focus on techniques that can keep the relevant content to a given query up-to-date. To do so, we test four different approaches to efficiently harvest all the changed documents matching a given entity by querying web search engines. We define a document with changed content or a newly created or removed document as a changed document. Among the proposed change detection approaches, the FedWeb method outperforms the other approaches in finding the changed content on the web for a given query with 20 percent, on average, better performance.