Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantifying User Reputation Scores, Data Trustworthiness, and User Incentives in Mobile Crowd-Sensing

Ubiquity of mobile devices with rich sensory capabilities has given rise to the mobile crowd-sensing (MCS) concept, in which a central authority (the platform) and its participants (mobile users) work collaboratively to acquire sensory data over a wide geographic area. Recent research in MCS highlights the following facts: 1) a utility metric can be defined for both the platform and the users, quantifying the value received by either side; 2) incentivizing the users to participate is a non-trivial challenge; 3) correctness and truthfulness of the acquired data must be verified, because the users might provide incorrect or inaccurate data, whether due to malicious intent or malfunctioning devices; and 4) an intricate relationship exists among platform utility, user utility, user reputation, and data trustworthiness, suggesting a co-quantification of these inter-related metrics. In this paper, we study two existing approaches that quantify crowd-sensed data trustworthiness, based on statistical and vote-based user reputation scores. We introduce a new metric—collaborative reputation scores—to expand this definition. Our simulation results show that collaborative reputation scores can provide an effective alternative to the previously proposed metrics and are able to extend crowd sensing to applications that are driven by a centralized as well as decentralized control.
Real-Time Monitoring of Flu Epidemics through Linguistic and Statistical Analysis of Twitter Messages

The recent rise in popularity of Twitter and its open API provides developers the opportunity to extract amounts of data which can be a thesaurus of information. This opportunity led to the development of an open source and open API system called Flu track (http://flutrack.org) that monitors influenza epidemics, based on geo-located self-reports on Twitter. In particular, we detect words such as sore throat, cough, fever etc. Moreover, we detect the aggravation of a patient's clinical condition when a user posts a second flu related tweet that contains words indicating further symptoms such as: worse, deteriorating. Finally, we present flu-positives with real time anonymous visualizations using maps (mapping), which might be helpful for authorities and sensitive populations to plan upcoming events or activities. In order to further aid the surveillance of the spreading of the disease, a classification experiment has been conducted for automatically identifying Tweets that describe cases with acute and more critical symptoms from those referring to milder cases. We found that making use of mereley very small n-gram keyword lexica, the automatic identification of critical cases reaches an accuracy of 92%.
High-Level Face Adaptation Without Awareness

When a visual stimulus is suppressed from awareness, processing of the suppressed image is necessarily reduced. Although adaptation to simple image properties such as orientation still occurs, adaptation to high-level properties such as face identity is eliminated. Here we show that emotional facial expression continues to be processed even under complete suppression, as indexed by substantial facial expression aftereffects.
Limited Access to Food and Physiological Trade‐Offs in a Long‐Distance Migrant Shorebird. I. Energy Metabolism, Behavior, and Body‐Mass Regulation

Previous experiments showed reduction of basal metabolic rate (BMR) in birds facing energetic challenges. We alternately exposed two groups of red knots (Calidris canutus) to either 6 h or 22 h of food availability for periods of 22 d. Six h of access to food led to a 6%–10% loss of body mass over the first 8 d, with nearly all of the birds' daily energy expenditures supported by body nutrient stores during the first 2 d. Birds responded by increasing feeding behavior and food intake, but the response was slow. There were no gains of mass before day 15, which suggests a digestive bottleneck and a period of physiological adjustment. Food‐restricted birds exhibited decreases in pectoral‐muscle thickness and BMR in association with a loss of body mass. Although a decrease in BMR saves energy, savings represented only 2%–7% of the daily energy spent in excess of that acquired during the deficit period. Red knots did not downregulate mass‐independent BMR. On the bases of recent independent findings and the pattern of mass gain observed when food access was switched from 6 h to 22 h, we suggest that these birds routinely maintain nutrient stores as a buffer against periods of energy shortages, thereby precluding the need for downregulation of mass‐independent BMR.
Effect of an Oxygen-Tolerant Bifurcating Butyryl Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase/Electron-Transferring Flavoprotein Complex from Clostridium difficile on Butyrate Production in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT The butyrogenic genes from Clostridium difficile DSM 1296T have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzymes acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) C-acetyltransferase, 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, crotonase, phosphate butyryltransferase, and butyrate kinase and the butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase complex composed of the dehydrogenase and two electron-transferring flavoprotein subunits were individually produced in E. coli and kinetically characterized in vitro. While most of these enzymes were measured using well-established test systems, novel methods to determine butyrate kinase and butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase activities with respect to physiological function were developed. Subsequently, the individual genes were combined to form a single plasmid-encoded operon in a plasmid vector, which was successfully used to confer butyrate-forming capability to the host. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that C. difficile possesses a bifurcating butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase which catalyzes the NADH-dependent reduction of ferredoxin coupled to the reduction of crotonyl-CoA also by NADH. Since the reoxidation of ferredoxin by a membrane-bound ferredoxin:NAD+-oxidoreductase enables electron transport phosphorylation, additional ATP is formed. The butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase from C. difficile is oxygen stable and apparently uses oxygen as a co-oxidant of NADH in the presence of air. These properties suggest that this enzyme complex might be well suited to provide butyryl-CoA for solventogenesis in recombinant strains. The central role of bifurcating butyryl-CoA dehydrogenases and membrane-bound ferredoxin:NAD oxidoreductases (Rhodobacter nitrogen fixation [RNF]), which affect the energy yield of butyrate fermentation in the clostridial metabolism, is discussed.
Retrograde arterial flush of the liver graft in living donor liver transplantation may ameliorate post‐transplantational cholestasis – a prospective randomized study

Liu C, Loong C‐C, Hsia C‐Y, Wang S‐C, Yeh Y‐C, Lin N‐C, Tsai H‐L, Tsou M‐Y. Retrograde arterial flush of the liver graft in living donor liver transplantation may ameliorate post‐transplantational cholestasis – a prospective randomized study. Clin Transplant 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2011. 01493.x. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
P023: The BC Emergency Medicine Network: Evaluation approach and early findings

Introduction: September 2017 saw the launch of the British Columbia (BC) Emergency Medicine Network (EM Network), an innovative clinical network established to improve emergency care across the province. The intent of the EM Network is to support the delivery of evidence-informed, patient-centered care in all 108 Emergency Departments and Diagnostic & Treatment Centres in BC. After one year, the Network undertook a formative evaluation to guide its growth. Our objective is to describe the evaluation approach and early findings. Methods: The EM Network was evaluated on three levels: member demographics, online engagement and member perceptions of value and progress. For member demographics and online engagement, data were captured from member registration information on the Network's website, Google Analytics and Twitter Analytics. Membership feedback was sought through an online survey using a social network analysis tool, PARTNER (Program to Analyze, Record, and Track Networks to Enhance Relationships), and semi-structured individual interviews. This framework was developed based on literature recommendations in collaboration with Network members, including patient representatives. Results: There are currently 622 EM Network members from an eligible denominator of approximately 1400 physicians (44%). Seventy-three percent of the Emergency Departments and Diagnostic and Treatment Centres in BC currently have Network members, and since launch, the EM Network website has been accessed by 11,154 unique IP addresses. Online discussion forum use is low but growing, and Twitter following is high. There are currently 550 Twitter followers and an average of 27 ‘mentions’ of the Network by Twitter users per month. Member feedback through the survey and individual interviews indicates that the Network is respected and credible, but many remain unaware of its purpose and offerings. Conclusion: Our findings underscore that early evaluation is useful to identify development needs, and for the Network this includes increasing awareness and online dialogue. However, our results must be interpreted cautiously in such a young Network, and thus, we intend to re-evaluate regularly. Specific action recommendations from this baseline evaluation include: increasing face-to-face visits of targeted communities; maintaining or accelerating communication strategies to increase engagement; and providing new techniques that encourage member contributions in order to grow and improve content.
Parasight F test compared with the polymerase chain reaction and microscopy for the diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in travelers.

Imported malaria is an increasing problem worldwide. A rapid and accurate test for Plasmodium falciparum infection would facilitate the diagnosis of malaria in the returned traveler. The ParaSight F antigen capture assay (dipstick test) is a new diagnostic test for P. falciparum based on detection of circulating histidine-rich protein-2 antigen. We performed a blinded evaluation of this assay compared with microscopy and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of P. falciparum infection in 151 febrile travelers. Compared with the PCR, the dipstick test had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 97%. The ability of the dipstick test to detect P. falciparum was similar with that of microscopy (88% versus 83%) since the species of Plasmodium in 14 of 133 malaria-infected patients could not be determined by microscopy due to low parasite numbers. The dipstick test was 40% sensitive for infections with < 50 parasites/microliter, 89% with 50-100 parasites/microliter, and > or = 93% with > 100 parasites/microliter. Circulating antigen was detectable in 68% of the patients seven days after initiation of treatment and in 27% at day 28. The dipstick test represents a simple and accurate test for the diagnosis of P. falciparum infection in the returned traveler.
Prevalence and factors associated with left ventricular dysfunction in the EULAR Scleroderma Trial and Research group (EUSTAR) database of patients with systemic sclerosis

Objectives: To measure the prevalence of, and factors associated with, left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods: The EUSTAR database was first searched. A case-control study of a patient subset was then performed to further identify independent factors associated with LV dysfunction by simple and multiple regression. Results: Of 7073 patients, 383 (5.4%) had an LV ejection fraction (EF) of <55%. By multiple regression analysis, age, sex, diffuse cutaneous disease, disease duration, digital ulcerations, renal and muscle involvement, disease activity score, pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension were associated with LV dysfunction. In the second phase, 129 patients with SSc with LVEF <55% were compared with 256 patients with SSc with normal LVEF. Male sex (OR 3.48; 95% CI 1.74 to 6.98), age (OR 1.03; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.06), digital ulcerations (OR 1.91; 95% CI 1.05 to 3.50), myositis (OR 2.88; 95% CI 1.15 to 7.19) and use of calcium channel blockers (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.22 to 0.74) were independent factors associated with LV dysfunction. Conclusion: The prevalence of LV dysfunction in SSc is 5.4%. Age, male gender, digital ulcerations, myositis and lung involvement are independently associated with an increased prevalence of LV dysfunction. Conversely, the use of calcium channel blockers may be protective.
Many ways to dilate the P2X7 receptor pore

The P2X7 receptor is associated with two different membrane permeabilities: a small cation conductance which opens within milliseconds, followed by the appearance of a second channel carrying higher molecular weight compounds (including organic dyes) after prolonged agonist stimulation. This activation profile has also been found in cells expressing P2X2 and P2X4 receptors; however, the P2X7 receptor‐dependent pathway has the unique ability to activate pro‐inflammatory signalling in macrophages. In this issue of the BJP, Marques‐da‐Silva et al. demonstrate that colchicine is a potent inhibitor of both P2X7 and P2X2 receptor‐dependent dye uptake, without affecting the ion channels. Colchicine also blocked the pro‐inflammatory signalling downstream of P2X7 receptor activation, both in vitro and in vivo. This report suggests that the dye uptake associated with activation of P2X7 receptors is distinct from the P2X7 receptor ion channel and could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of chronic inflammation.
Reduction of AM Radio Noise of a VVVF Inverter for an Electric Railway Car and a Simulation Model of Noise Current

Variable voltage variable frequency (VVVF) inverter systems have been utilized for propulsion of electric railway cars, and it has been essential to reduce electromagnetic noise caused by those inverter systems. One of the EMI issues is AM radio noise which should be reduced in order to guarantee the service for railway passengers. However, detailed countermeasures of noise reduction and circuit simulation methods to estimate the noise current focusing on the AM radio frequency band have not been reported yet. This paper focuses on AM radio noise and its current, and suggests a detailed noise reduction method targeting a VVVF inverter on an electric railway car. The simulated and measured currents are compared, and the effectiveness of the simulation model is verified under the conditions of with and without the countermeasure.
Ethical problems related to intravenous fluids in nursing homes

Background: Intravenous fluids and/or antibiotics are applied to only a limited extent in Norwegian nursing homes, and the patients are often sent to hospital in these situations. A transfer and a stay in hospital may be unnecessary strains for frail older patients. Given this background, a collaborative research project was initiated in a Norwegian county in 2009. A teaching programme was developed, which aimed to strengthen the awareness of ethics, assessments and practical procedures related to intravenous fluid and/or antibiotics among healthcare professionals. Objectives: This qualitative study aimed to increase our knowledge of the ethical problems experienced by nursing home nurses in situations related to the administration of intravenous fluids and/or antibiotics. Research design: An exploratory design was used, and five focus group interviews were conducted with 26 registered nurses. A hermeneutic analytic approach was applied. Ethical considerations: This study was reported to the Norwegian Social Science Data Services in May 2010. The Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics approved the collaborative research project. Findings: The analysis showed that the nurses experienced difficult decision-making situations, which were interpreted as external pressure and internal pressure. External pressure emerged in interactions with patients and relatives. Organizational factors were also interpreted as external pressure. Internal pressure was interpreted as the nurses’ experience of feeling inadequate in situations where it was difficult to protect the dignity of patients. Discussion: These findings correspond with international studies, which show that ethical problems often arise during decision-making situations. Conclusion: In agreement with the definition of an ethical problem, we found that the nurses experienced uncertainty and disagreements about how situations should be managed. External and internal pressures related to intravenous fluids and/or antibiotics in nursing homes have not been reported in previous studies. Thus, these findings merit further exploration.
Use of administrative data to find substandard care: validation of the complications screening program.

OBJECTIVE The use of administrative data to identify inpatient complications is technically feasible and inexpensive but unproven as a quality measure. Our objective was to validate whether a screening method that uses data from standard hospital discharge abstracts identifies complications of care and potential quality problems. DESIGN This was a case-control study with structured implicit physician reviews. SETTING Acute-care hospitals in California and Connecticut in 1994. PATIENTS The study included 1,025 Medicare beneficiaries greater than 265 years of age. METHODS Using administrative data, we stratified acute-care hospitals by observed-to-expected complication rates and randomly selected hospitals within each state. We randomly selected cases flagged with 1 of 17 surgical complications and 6 medical complications. We randomly selected controls from unflagged cases. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Peer-review organization physicians' judgments about the presence of the flagged complication and potential quality-of-care problems. RESULTS Physicians confirmed flagged complications in 68.4% of surgical and 27.2% of medical cases. They identified potential quality problems in 29.5% of flagged surgical and 15.7% of medical cases but in only 2.1% of surgical and medical controls. The rate of physician-identified potential quality problems among flagged cases exceeded 25% in 9 surgical screens and 1 medical screen. Reviewers noted several potentially mitigating circumstances that affected their judgments about quality, including factors related to the patients' illness, the complexity of the case, and technical difficulties that clinicians encountered. CONCLUSIONS For some types of complications, screening administrative data may offer an efficient approach for identifying potentially problematic cases for physician review. Understanding the basis for physicians' judgments about quality requires more investigation.
Heart Rate Variability Monitoring During Strength and High-Intensity Interval Training Overload Microcycles

Objective: In two independent study arms, we determine the effects of strength training (ST) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) overload on cardiac autonomic modulation by measuring heart rate (HR) and vagal heart rate variability (HRV). Methods: In the study, 37 well-trained athletes (ST: 7 female, 12 male; HIIT: 9 female, 9 male) were subjected to orthostatic tests (HR and HRV recordings) each day during a 4-day baseline period, a 6-day overload microcycle, and a 4-day recovery period. Discipline-specific performance was assessed before and 1 and 4 days after training. Results: Following ST overload, supine HR, and vagal HRV (Ln RMSSD) were clearly increased and decreased (small effects), respectively, and the standing recordings remained unchanged. In contrast, HIIT overload resulted in decreased HR and increased Ln RMSSD in the standing position (small effects), whereas supine recordings remained unaltered. During the recovery period, these responses were reversed (ST: small effects, HIIT: trivial to small effects). The correlations between changes in HR, vagal HRV measures, and performance were weak or inconsistent. At the group and individual levels, moderate to strong negative correlations were found between HR and Ln RMSSD when analyzing changes between testing days (ST: supine and standing position, HIIT: standing position) and individual time series, respectively. Use of rolling 2–4-day averages enabled more precise estimation of mean changes with smaller confidence intervals compared to single-day values of HR or Ln RMSSD. However, the use of averaged values displayed unclear effects for evaluating associations between HR, vagal HRV measures, and performance changes, and have the potential to be detrimental for classification of individual short-term responses. Conclusion: Measures of HR and Ln RMSSD during an orthostatic test could reveal different autonomic responses following ST or HIIT which may not be discovered by supine or standing measures alone. However, these autonomic changes were not consistently related to short-term changes in performance and the use of rolling averages may alter these relationships differently on group and individual level.
Outbreak of tularaemia in Castilla y León, Spain.

In late June 2007, the Epidemiological Surveillance Network in Castilla y Leon, northern Spain, reported a series of cases in a rural area in the province of Palencia and in the provincial capital city of Leon, labelled as “fever of unknown origin”. Subsequent epidemiological investigation confirmed an outbreak of tularaemia.
An Assessment of the Durability and Susceptibility of Scab Resistance in Apple Cultivars

Durable resistance to scab (Venturia inaequalis) of newly introduced cultivars is needed to achieve a considerable reduction of pesticide use. However, the assessment in the field on the level and durability of scab resistance is time and space consuming. A proper and fast indoor test should be a convenient tool to discard cultivars with a limited level of resistance at an early stage. As a result, field tests can include only the better cultivars. This approach has been tried out by comparing field data with data from a glasshouse test, comprising twelve new and seven well-known susceptible and resistant (with and without Vf) cultivars which have been tested with six isolates of scab from different origins, virulence and aggressiveness, including race 6 and 7. Young trees on M.9 rootstock were infected and after a 17 day period at high humidity, sporulation and chlorosis have been observed. If the set of isolates is broad and well-chosen it seems possible to assess susceptibility and possibly also durability. To optimize the choice of isolates, it is desirable to know the pedigree of the cultivars that are tested. In addition, this procedure allows the use of highly virulent and aggressive races, that should be avoided in field tests for the risk of spreading