Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Theory and Modeling of Lasing Modes in Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers

The problem of obtaining the lasing modes and corresponding threshold conditions for vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) is formulated as a frequency-dependent eigenvalue problem in required gain amplitudes and corresponding fields. Both index and gain guiding are treated on an equal footing. The complex gain eigenvalues define necessary but not sufficient conditions for lasing. The actual lasing frequencies and modes that the VCSEL can support are then determined by matching the gain necessary for the optical system in both magnitude and phase to the gain available from the laser's electronic system. Examples are provided.
Weekly Teriparatide Administration and Preoperative Anterior Slippage of the Cranial Vertebra Next to Fusion Segment < 2 mm Promote Osseous Union After Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Study Design. A multicenter case-control study. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the independent predictors of osseous union after posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). Summary of Background Data. PLIF is usually performed to treat lumbar degenerative diseases in elderly patients. Some patients exhibit intervertebral pseudoarthrosis. Methods. We analyzed 66 elderly patients with osteoporosis who underwent PLIF from 2011 to 2014 (all women, mean age 71 years, follow-up period ≥6 months). Patients were randomly allocated to receive either treatment with weekly teriparatide, starting at 1 week postoperatively, or no teriparatide. Preoperative lumbar spine radiographs were obtained, and the amount of anterior slippage was measured. Osseous union was assessed by computed tomography at 6 months postoperatively. Results. Thirty-three patients (50%) showed complete osseous union, while 33 did not. Teriparatide was administered in 20 (61%) patients of the union group and in 9 (27%) patients of the nonunion group (P < 0.01). The preoperative anterior slippage of the cranial vertebra next to fusion segment < 2 mm was observed in 16 (49%) and 4 (12%) patients in the union and nonunion groups, respectively (P < 0.01). Multivariate regression analysis showed that teriparatide administration (odds ratio, 4.75; 95% confidence interval: 1.51–14.90; P < 0.01) and preoperative anterior slippage of the cranial vertebra next to fusion segment < 2 mm (odds ratio, 5.90; 95% confidence interval: 1.53–22.70; P < 0.01) were independently associated with osseous union within 6 months after PLIF. At 6 months postoperatively, the mean femoral neck bone mineral density significantly increased by 1.1% in the union group and decreased by 1.3% in the nonunion group (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Weekly teriparatide administration and preoperative anterior slippage of the cranial vertebra next to fusion segment < 2 mm were independent predictors of osseous union within 6 months after PLIF. Our findings suggest that biological and mechanical factors may influence the improvement of spinal fusion. Level of Evidence: 4
Compositional Data Analysis of Type 1 Diabetes Data

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a chronic disease characterized by a substantial reduction or no production of insulin by the pancreas. Subjects with T1D need to infuse insulin exogenously to avoid high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia). However, if insulin is delivered exaggeratedly, subjects may experience low glucose levels (hypoglycemia). Both conditions are undesirable, and physicians prescribe individualized insulin therapy to cope with the disturbances that jeopardize glycemic control, e.g. meals, physical activity, stress, illness. This work presents a novel methodology for the individual classification of glucose profiles obtained from continuous glucose monitoring. Daily glucose profiles were discretized into time spent in distinct glucose ranges according to different glucose levels and formed a composition. Compositional data (CoDa) analysis was applied to the data and the discovery of groups of similar compositions was possible. Data was expressed in coordinates and k-means algorithm was applied to the coordinates to classify different patterns of days. This classification allowed the extraction of information of the data, which can assist physicians to adjust patients’ treatments.
ETK: An Evaluation Toolkit for Visualization User Studies

This paper describes the design and features of the Evaluation Toolkit (ETK), a set of JavaScript/HTML/CSS modules leveraging the Qualtrics JavaScript API that can be used to automate image-based perceptual user evaluation studies. Automating the presentation of the images can greatly decrease the time to build and implement an evaluation study while minimizing the length and complexity of a study built within Qualtrics, along with decreasing the possibility of error in image presentation. The ETK modules each focus on automating a speciﬁc psychophysical or experimental approach. Because each module is an extension or plug-in to a Qualtrics question, the resultant study can be easily used in a laboratory setting or in a crowdsourced approach. We present the open source repository of ETK with the six modules that currently make up the toolkit and invite the community to explore, utilize, and contribute to the toolkit.
Device Pairing at the Touch of an Electrode

Device pairing is the problem of having two devices securely establish a key that can be used to secure subsequent communication. The problem arises every time two devices that do not already share a secret need to bootstrap a secure communication channel. Many solutions exist, all suited to different situations, and all with their own strengths and weaknesses. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to device pairing that applies whenever a user wants to pair two devises that can be physically touched at the same time. The pairing process is easy to perform, even for novice users. A central problem for a device (Alice) running a device pairing protocol, is determining whether the other party (Bob) is in fact the device that we are supposed to establish a key with. Our scheme is based on the idea that two devices can perform device pairing, if they are physically held by the same person (at the same time). In order to pair two devices, a person touches a conductive surface on each device. While the person is in contact with both devices, the human body acts as a transmission medium for intra-body communication and the two devices can communicate through the body. This body channel is used as part of a pairing protocol which allows the devices to agree on a mutual secret and, at the same time, extract physical features to verify that they are being held by the same person. We prove that our device pairing protocol is secure in our threat model and we build a proof of concept set-up and conduct experiments with 15 people to verify the idea in practice.
Sentiment analysis and topic extraction of the twitter network of #prayforparis

Social media includes a copious amount of sentiment‐embodied sentences. Sentiment is described as “a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty,” which may depict the emotional state of the user, such as happy, glad, terrified, miserable, or the author's viewpoint on a topic. In social science, emotions and sentiment make up a significant part of social life and are interconnected with social relationships. When experiencing emotions, people want to reveal those emotions to other people. This study seeks to validate whether the Emotional Contagion social theory holds true in microblogging data. This theory implies that related people tend to have more similar sentiments or opinions. Motivated by this sociological observation, the study explores the sentiment‐semantics of the Twitter network of #prayforparis through sentiment analysis and topic extraction. Social Network Analysis was conducted using NodeXL to investigate the research questions. The study implemented R for conducting sentiment analysis and generating word clouds with the collected data. The study also conducted content analysis of tweets through topic extraction by applying the most recent version of SAS Enterprise Miner (13.2). In conclusion, the results confirmed the Emotional Contagion Theory in the Twitter network of #prayforparis.
Dynamic Label Placement for Forensic Case Visualization

Forensic case analysis and in court presentation requires comprehensible illustrations and animations of findings and their relations to the course of events. Often this can only be achieved by adding textual descriptions. From a systems point of view, this requires automated label placement functionality for scenes composed of translucent polyhedral models and volumes, which we achieve through tight integration of the automated label placement algorithm and the hybrid volume/surface rendering system. Our method exploits transparency in order to place labels close to their anchors, either inside the scene, on-top or outside the occupied screen region. Inside placement makes it possible to zoom into the dataset, leads to more temporal coherency, and improves layout quality, especially for large numbers of labels. New measures for scene content importance and label occlusion prevent masking of important scene details by labels and vice versa.
Proteomic Analysis of Dendritic Filopodia-Rich Fraction Isolated by Telencephalin and Vitronectin Interaction

Dendritic filopodia are thin, long, and highly mobile protrusions functioning as spine precursors. By contrast with a wealth of knowledge on molecular profiles in spines, little is known about structural and functional proteins present in dendritic filopodia. To reveal the molecular constituents of dendritic filopodia, we developed a new method for biochemical preparation of proteins enriched in dendritic filopodia, by taking advantage of specific and strong binding between a dendritic filopodial membrane protein, telencephalin, and its extracellular matrix ligand, vitronectin. When vitronectin-coated magnetic microbeads were added onto cultured hippocampal neurons, phagocytic cup-like membrane protrusions were formed on dendrites through the binding to telencephalin. Magnetically purified membrane protrusion fraction was subjected to comprehensive mass spectrometric analysis and 319 proteins were identified, many of which were confirmed to be localized to dendritic filopodia. Thus, this study provides a useful resource for studying molecular mechanisms underlying dendritic development, synapse formation, and plasticity.
miR-374a Regulates Inflammatory Response in Diabetic Nephropathy by Targeting MCP-1 Expression

The microRNA (mir)-374a has been implicated in several types of human cancer; however, its role in diabetic nephropathy (DN) remains unclear. Monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 is a chemokine that recruits macrophages to inflammatory sites and is important for the development and progression of DN. However, the relationship between miR-374a and MCP-1 in DN is unknown. We addressed this in the present study by examining the expression of these factors in kidney tissue samples from DN patients and through loss- and gain-of-function experiments using HK2 human renal tubular epithelial cells. We found that miR-374a was downregulated whereas MCP-1 was upregulated in DN tissue. A bioinformatics analysis revealed that MCP-1 is a putative target of miR-374a. To confirm this relationship, HK2 cells treated with normal glucose (5.6 mmol/l D-glucose), high glucose (HG) (30 mmol/l D-glucose), or high osmotic pressure solution (5.6 mmol/l D-glucose + 24.4 mmol/l D-mannitol) were transfected with miR-374a mimic or inhibitor. miR-374a mimic reduced MCP-1 mRNA expression and migration of co-cultured U937 cells, whereas miR-374a inhibition had the opposite effects. Additionally, interleukin-6 and -18 and tumor necrosis factor-α levels were downregulated by transfection of miR-374a mimic. On the other hand, MCP-1 overexpression reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-374a in HK2 cells. Thus, miR-374a suppresses the inflammatory response in DN through negative regulation of MCP-1 expression. These findings suggest that therapeutic strategies that target the miR-374a/MCP-1 axis can be an effective treatment for DN.
Examining task relationships in multitasking consumer search sessions: A query log analysis

With the advancement of the Internet, search has expanded to every aspect of our daily lives including online shopping. Previous research has discovered that the focused, one‐time search task model does not apply in many real‐life settings and people engage in multitasking sessions. In this poster, we examined the relationships among tasks in multitasking product search through query log analysis. We analyzed 2,910 users' 47,387 queries in 18,102 product search sessions from taobao.com, the biggest Chinese C2C e‐commerce site. Results show that: (1) 35.7% of all search sessions were multi‐tasking sessions; (2) users' issued more queries and spent more time in multitasking sessions, but the number of queries per task remained similar for mono‐tasking and multitasking sessions; (3) about 80% of the tasks were unrelated in multitasking sessions, while the other 20% were hierarchical and sibling tasks. The results provide exploratory understanding of the relationships among multiple product search tasks, and could be useful for query recommendation and product recommendation.
K-Miner: Uncovering Memory Corruption in Linux

Operating system kernels are appealing attack targets: compromising the kernel usually allows attackers to bypass all deployed security mechanisms and take control over the entire system. Commodity kernels, like Linux, are written in low-level programming languages that offer only limited type and memory-safety guarantees, enabling adversaries to launch sophisticated run-time attacks against the kernel by exploiting memory-corruption vulnerabilities. Many defenses have been proposed to protect operating systems at run time, such as control-flow integrity (CFI). However, the goal of these run-time monitors is to prevent exploitation as a symptom of memory corruption, rather than eliminating the underlying root cause, i.e., bugs in the kernel code. While finding bugs can be automated, e.g., using static analysis, all existing approaches are limited to local, intra-procedural checks, and face severe scalability challenges due to the large kernel code base. Consequently, there currently exist no tools for conducting global static analysis of operating system kernels. In this paper, we present K-Miner, a new framework to efficiently analyze large, commodity operating system kernels like Linux. Our novel approach exploits the highly standardized interface structure of the kernel code to enable scalable pointer analysis and conduct global, context-sensitive analysis. Through our inter-procedural analysis we show that K-Miner systematically and reliably uncovers several different classes of memory-corruption vulnerabilities, such as dangling pointers, user-after-free, double-free, and double-lock vulnerabilities. We thoroughly evaluate our extensible analysis framework, which leverages the popular and widely used LLVM compiler suite, for the current Linux kernel and demonstrate its effectiveness by reporting several memory-corruption vulnerabilities.
Pitfalls in anaphylaxis diagnosis and management at a university emergency department.

BACKGROUND Some previous reports revealed suboptimal management of anaphylaxis (ANX) in the emergency department (ED). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the recorded diagnosis and management of patients who presented with ANX at our university hospital ED and to assess how the management correlated with the severity of the case and the training level of the ED staff. METHODS A descriptive study that involved reviewing the electronic medical records of patients who presented with ANX at the ED during a period of 4 years. RESULTS When reviewing 1341 charts of potential cases, 60 met the criteria for ANX, but only 23% were correctly coded. Inaccurate coding was noted in 77%, mainly as an "allergic reaction. " Systemic corticosteroids were administered in the ED to 85% of the patients and H1-antihistamines to 73%; only 20% received epinephrine. Ten patients required hospital admission, and, on discharge, only four patients (40%) were given epinephrine autoinjector prescriptions. Of the 50 who were discharged home, 48% were given epinephrine autoinjector prescriptions and 16% were given a referral for allergy evaluation. CONCLUSION The observed low rates of appropriate diagnostic coding of ANX, of epinephrine administration, epinephrine autoinjector prescribing at discharge, and referral for allergy evaluation call for more education on these issues. Some of these pitfalls can be partly attributed to the setting in a university ED where health providers are usually busy in rendering urgent care.
Disability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis compared with traumatic brain injury using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 and the International Classification of Functioning minimal generic set

We compared the functioning of two neurological patient groups, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), using brief and validated International Classification of Functioning (ICF)-based tools. A 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) questionnaire was mailed to ALS and TBI patients and their significant others 2 weeks before their appointment at an outpatient clinic of a university hospital. In addition, a neurologist filled in the ICF minimal generic set. Two years after diagnosis, no significant differences between the two diagnosis groups were found in overall functioning or in working ability using either patient or proxy WHODAS or physician-rated minimal generic set. In single items, however, clear differences were found. Patients and significant others rated household activities, mobility, and self-care as more impaired in the group with ALS, and learning, concentrating, and maintaining friendships in the group with TBI. There were no differences between the two diagnosis groups in the WHODAS items emotional functions, engaging in community, relating with strangers, or in working ability. Both brief ICF-based generic scales, WHODAS and the ICF generic set, could show differences between these patient groups with severe disability. The results of this study should promote assessment of disability with WHODAS 2.0 in ALS and TBI.
Real world outcomes of pomalidomide for treatment of relapsed light chain amyloidosis

Pomalidomide is a next‐generation immunomodulatory agent with activity in relapsed light chain (AL) amyloidosis, but real world outcomes are lacking. We report the experience of the UK National Amyloidosis Centre. All patients with AL amyloidosis treated with pomalidomide between 2009 and 2017 were included. Data was collected on treatment toxicity and clonal response. Survival was calculated by the Kaplan‐Meier method and outcomes reported on an intent‐to‐treat (ITT) basis. A total of 29 patients treated with pomalidomide were identified. Haematological responses at 3 months were: complete response (CR) nil, very good partial response (VGPR) 10 (35%), partial response (PR) 9 (31%), stable or progressive disease 7 (24%), unevaluable 3 (10%). On an ITT basis (n = 28), responses at 6 months were: CR‐ nil, VGPR‐11 (39%), PR‐2 (7%) and the remaining patients were non‐responders 15 (53%). Median overall survival was 27 months (95% confidence interval 15·7–38·1 months). Median progression free survival (PFS) was 15 months (95% confidence interval 6·24–23·77). In conclusion, pomalidomide has activity in patients with relapsed AL amyloidosis. Responses are rapid and early responses may be predictive of a sustained overall response. Deep responses (VGPR or better) are seen in only a third of all patients and combination therapy needs to be explored.
miR‐370 promotes high glucose‐induced podocyte injuries by inhibiting angiotensin II type 1 receptor‐associated protein

miRNAs expression profiles in podocyte injuries have been reported in different models in vivo and in vitro. In the present study, miR‐370 was elevated in high glucose‐stimulated podocyte, and the post‐transcriptional mechanism of miR‐370 was investigated in high glucose‐induced podocyte injuries. The gene and protein levels were assayed by RT‐qPCR and Western blotting, respectively. Annexin V‐fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) staining was used to evaluate the apoptosis in high glucose‐stimulated podocyte. The targeted genes were predicted by a bioinformatics algorithm and confirmed by a dual luciferase reporter assay. The results demonstrated that over‐activation of miR‐370 was verified in high glucose‐treated podocytes, while miR‐370 repression protected against high glucose‐induced apoptosis, cell membrane, and DNA damage in podocytes. We also found that AGTRAP as a direct target of miR‐370 served as an opposite effect to miR‐370, and overexpression of AGTRAP blocked high glucose‐induced podocytes dysfunction. In conclusions, high glucose‐induced podocytes damage by activating miR‐370 signaling targeted to inhibit the expression of AGTRAP, representing a novel and promising therapeutic target for the treatment of DN.
Molecular Recognition of a Thomsen–Friedenreich Antigen Mimetic Targeting Human Galectin‐3

Overexpression of the Thomsen–Friedenreich (TF) antigen in cell membrane proteins occurs in 90 % of adenocarcinomas. Additionally, the binding of the TF antigen to human galectin‐3 (Gal‐3), also frequently overexpressed in malignancy, promotes cancer progression and metastasis. In this context, structures that interfere with this specific interaction have the potential to prevent cancer metastasis. A multidisciplinary approach combining the optimized synthesis of a TF antigen mimetic with NMR, X‐ray crystallography methods, and isothermal titration calorimetry assays was used to unravel the molecular structural details that govern the Gal‐3/TF mimetic interaction. The TF mimetic has a binding affinity for Gal‐3 similar to that of the TF natural antigen and retains the binding epitope and bioactive conformation observed for the native antigen. Furthermore, from a thermodynamic perspective, a decrease in the enthalpic contribution was observed for the Gal‐3/TF mimetic complex; however, this behavior is compensated by a favorable gain in entropy. From a structural perspective, these results establish our TF mimetic as a scaffold to design multivalent solutions to potentially interfere with Gal‐3 aberrant interactions and for likely use in hampering Gal‐3‐mediated cancer cell adhesion and metastasis.