Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Poster: Directed Hybrid Fuzzing on Binary Code

Hybrid fuzzers combine both fuzzing and concolic execution with the wish that the fuzzer will quickly explore input spaces and the concolic execution will solve the complex path conditions. However, existing hybrid fuzzers such as Driller cannot be effectively directed, for instance, towards unsafe system calls or suspicious locations, or towards functions in the call stack of a reported vulnerability that we wish to reproduce. In this poster, we propose DrillerGO, a directed hybrid fuzzing system, to mitigate this problem. It mainly consists of a static analysis and a dynamic analysis module. In the static analysis, it searches suspicious API call strings in the recovered control flow graph (CFG). After targeting some suspicious API call lines, it runs the concolic execution along with path guiding. The path guiding is helped by backward pathfinding, which is a novel technique to find paths backward from the target to the start of main(). Also, we will show that DrillerGo can find the crashes faster than Driller through experimental results.
Titanium Implants with two Different Surfaces: Histomorphologic and Histomorphometric Evaluation in Rabbit Tibia

This study aimed to compare two different implant surface treatments of the implant system Bi-Implant (Plan 1 Health): one surface sandblasted with hydroxyapatite (HA) (Osseogrip) and one machined surface. Histomorphologic and histomorphometric evaluations of the bone healing at the interface between a titanium implant and bone were performed using a light microscopic technique. Twenty-four commercially pure titanium implants with a smooth surface and 24 implants with a sandblasted surface were inserted in the tibias of 12 rabbits. The 12 rabbits were divided into three groups, each consisting of four animals, were sacrificed at 4 weeks (I group), 8 weeks (II group) and 12 weeks (III group) after the insertion of the biomaterial. The results emphasized that in the sections examined with the light microscope, the bone was in intimate contact with the implant surface and the bone surrounding the implants was mostly lamellar. After 4 weeks, mature bone tightly surrounding some areas of the implant perimeter was observed. The implant with the Osseogrip surface showed an average percentage of bone-implant contact (%BIC) equal to 33%, while the one with the machined surface showed a %BIC equal to 17%. After 8 weeks, a progressive increase in mineralized bone surrounding the implant surface was detected, making the results of the machined surface superposable to the Osseogrip surface results (48 and 44%). After 12 weeks, the implants with the machined surface exhibited close contact with the bone tissue corresponding to 62% of their perimeter, while for the implants with the Osseogrip surface the surface contact was 67% of the implant surface. The morphometric evaluation of %BIC at the three time points evidenced an increase in bone-titanium contact over time on both machined and Osseogrip surfaces. Moreover, implants with rough surfaces demonstrated better behavior than the implants with the machined surface when taking into account the earlier osteointegration (4 weeks) of the peri-implantar tissues. (Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Biomechanics 2005; 3: 168-75)
The Effects of Systemic Administration of Amylin on the Tibia of Laying Hens

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of systemic administration of amylin on the avian tibia using histological, histomorphometrical and biochemical methods. Forty “Super Nick” laying hens 10 weeks of age were used. The experimental groups were injected subcutaneously in the loose skin at the nape of neck every other day with 75 μg kg-1 doses of rat amylin. The morphology of the cells and organic components of bone were studied in standard decalcified preparations at 14, 16, 18 and 20 weeks of age. Cortical bone and tibial growth plate widths were measured from the histological sections. Serum calcium, plasma amylin, parathyroid hormone related peptide (PTHrP) and calcitonin levels were determined at the same ages. Our results suggest that, when administered systemically to laying hens, amylin stimulates the proliferation of chondrocytes and osteoblasts and increases tibial growth plate thickness.
Inhibitory Effect of Sirtuin6 (SIRT6) on Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Background The imbalance between bone resorption and formation is the basic mechanism underlying osteoporosis in the elderly. Osteogenesis is the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) into osteoblasts. Sirtuin6 (SIRT6) regulates various biological functions, including differentiation. Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) is a non-selective cation channel that can be activated by physical and chemical stimulation. However, experimental data supporting the role of SIRT6 in osteogenic differentiation (OD) of hMSCs are lacking. Material/Methods Differentiation of hMSCs was induced. The expressions of SIRT6, TRPV1, and CGRP were detected by Q-PCR, Western blot, and ELISA, respectively. SIRT6 was overexpressed in hMSCs by transfection. ALP activity and Alizarin Red staining were utilized to detect the effect of SIRT6 on hMSC OD. Then, capsaicin and capsazepine, the TRPV1 agonist and antagonist, respectively, were administrated to assess the role of TRPV1. Results SIRT6 expression was downregulated during hMSC differentiation. SIRT6 overexpression was accompanied by reduced expression of specific genes and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in osteoblasts. Furthermore, TRPV1 channel was also reduced by SIRT6 overexpression via ubiquitinating TRPV1. Capsaicin was utilized in SIRT6-overexpressed cells. Capsaicin therapy counteracted the effect of SIRT6 overexpression on OD, and markedly decreased OD. Conclusion The SIRT6-TRPV1-CGRP signal axis is the key to regulating OD in hMSCs, which could be a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis and bone loss-related diseases.
Diverse and Flexible Transmission of fosA3 Associated with Heterogeneous Multidrug Resistance Regions in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium and Indiana Isolates

We identified fosA3 at a rate of 2.6% in 310 Salmonella isolates from food animals in Guangdong province, China. The fosA3 gene was genetically linked to diverse antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), including mcr-1, blaCTX-M-14/55, oqxAB, and rmtB. These gene combinations were embedded in heterogeneous fosA3-containing multidrug resistance regions on the transferable ST3-IncHI2 and F33:A−:B− plasmids and the chromosome. ABSTRACT We identified fosA3 at a rate of 2.6% in 310 Salmonella isolates from food animals in Guangdong province, China. The fosA3 gene was genetically linked to diverse antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), including mcr-1, blaCTX-M-14/55, oqxAB, and rmtB. These gene combinations were embedded in heterogeneous fosA3-containing multidrug resistance regions on the transferable ST3-IncHI2 and F33:A−:B− plasmids and the chromosome. This indicated a great flexibility of fosA3 cotransmission with multiple important ARGs among Salmonella species.
Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in domestic animals in southeastern South Africa

Toxoplasma gondii is a major neglected parasitic infection occurring in settings of extreme poverty in Africa. Apart from causing reproductive failure in animals it is also a significant zoonotic concern. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of T. gondii infection in cats, chickens, goats, sheep and pigs in the southeast of South Africa, of which little is known. Sera was obtained from 601 domestic animals including 109 cats, 137 chickens, 128 goats, 121 sheep and 106 pigs managed under different production systems in different agro-ecological regions and evaluated by the Toxoreagent, a latex agglutination test for T. gondii antibody detection. Household-level and animal-level data were collected by interviewing animal owners and/or herders using a closed-ended questionnaire. The study revealed an overall farm seroprevalence of 83.33% (125/150 farms) with the highest rate of infection for the parasite found in sheep with 64.46% (78/121), followed by goats with 53.91% (69/128), pigs with 33.96% (36/106), cats with 32.11% (35/109 cats) and chickens with 33.58% (46/137). The risk factors that were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05) to different species of seropositivites were age, location, climate, animal production system, rodent control, seropositive cat, cat-feed access and cat faecal disposal. The relatively high seroprevalence of T. gondii detected in this region suggests that domestic animals may pose a substantial public health risk through the consumption of T. gondii-infected raw meat as well as via contact with cat faeces.
Co‐transplantation of Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cell‐derived osteoblasts with differentiated endothelial cells does not stimulate blood vessel and osteoid formation in nude mice models

A major challenge in bone tissue engineering is the lack of post‐implantation vascular growth into biomaterials. In the skeletal system, blood vessel growth appears to be coupled to osteogenesis—suggesting the existence of molecular crosstalk between endothelial cells (ECs) and osteoblastic cells. The present study (performed in two murine ectopic models) was designed to determine whether co‐transplantation of human Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cell‐derived osteoblasts (WJMSC‐OBs) and human differentiated ECs enhances bone regeneration and stimulates angiogenesis, relative to the seeding of WJMSC‐OBs alone.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: A REVIEW

The drugs administered by oral route are versatile, flexible in dosage strength, relatively stable, present lesser problem in formulation and packaging and are convenient to manufacturer, store, handle and use. Solid dosage forms provide best protection to drugs against temperature, light, oxygen and stress during transportation. As a drug entity nears the end of its patent life, it is common for pharmaceutical manufacturers to develop a given drug entity in a new and improved dosage form. Drug delivery systems (DDS) are a strategic tool for expanding markets/indications, extending product life cycles and generating opportunities. Oral administration is the most popular route for systemic effects due to its ease of ingestion, pain, avoidance, versatility and most importantly, patient compliance. Tablet is the most popular among all dosage forms existing today because of its convenience of self-administration, compactness and easy manufacturing, however in many cases immediate onset of action is required than conventional therapy. To overcome these drawbacks, immediate release pharmaceutical dosage form has emerged as alternative oral dosage forms. Immediate release solid oral dosage forms are classified as either having rapid or slow dissolution rates. Immediate release dosage forms are those for which ≥85% of labelled amount dissolves within 30 min. For immediate release tablets, the only barrier to drug release is simple disintegration or erosion stage, which is generally accomplished in less than one hour.Disintegrating agents are substances routinely included in tablet formulations and in some hard shell capsule formulations to promote moisture penetration and dispersion of the matrix of the dosage form in dissolution fluids.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADER-MEMBER EXCHANGE (LMX) AND COWORKER EXCHANGE (CWX) THEORY IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS

Electronic health records (EHRs) have fuelled more sophisticated leadership models and shorten product lifecycles. Managers must understand how the relationships between biomedical informatics technicians and healthcare providers contribute to the survival and profitability of business operations. However, little research exists regarding this relationship. This study postulates a positive correlation between biomedical informatics technicians and administrators leader-member exchange (LMX) relationship with their supervisor and relationships between biomedical informatics technicians and administrators relationships with healthcare provider co-workers (CWX) they assist in implementing EHRs. An invitation to participate in a survey to measure LMX and CWX was posted by the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Web site, in which 72 usable surveys were analyzed. The research discovered a statistically significant positive correlation between LMX and CWX scores, measured by the LMX7 questionnaire. The research also found younger, more educated employees with less time in their work profession are training more healthcare providers in the implementation of EHRs. These younger workers report having strong co-worker relationships with the healthcare providers they are helping in the adoption of EHRs. This study provides insights for managers in their search for factors that influence the successful implementation of EHRs in their organization.
THE CONCISE GUIDE TO PHARMACOLOGY 2019/20: Transporters

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2019/20 is the fourth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews of the key properties of nearly 1800 human drug targets with an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands ( www.guidetopharmacology.org ), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide represents approximately 400 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point‐in‐time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/10.1111/bph.14753 . Transporters are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: G protein‐coupled receptors, ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors and enzymes. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid‐2019, and supersedes data presented in the 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology Committee on Receptor Nomenclature and Drug Classification (NC‐IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate.
The Dynamic Relationship between Asthma and Obesity in School Children.

Asthma and obesity are two of the most prevalent chronic health conditions in children. Although there has been compelling evidence of co-occurrence of asthma and obesity, it is uncertain whether asthma contributes to the development of obesity or obesity contributes to the onset of asthma or both. In this study, we used a joint transition modeling approach with cross-lagged structure to understand how asthma and obesity influence each other dynamically over time. Subjects for this study included 5193 kindergarten and first-grade students enrolled from 13 communities in 2002-03 in the Southern California Children's Health Study (CHS) with up to 10 years of follow-up. We found that non-obese children with diagnosed asthma at a study visit were at 37% increased odds of becoming obese by the next annual visit compared with children without asthma (OR=1.38; 95% CI=1.12-1.71). However, the presence of obesity at the current visit was not statistically significantly associated with asthma onset in the next visit (OR=1.25; 95% CI=0.94-1.62). In conclusion, childhood asthma drives an increase in the onset of obesity among school children, while the onset of obesity does not necessarily imply the future onset of asthma at least in the short term.
Class-Specific Reconstruction Transfer Learning for Visual Recognition Across Domains

Subspace learning and reconstruction have been widely explored in recent transfer learning work. Generally, a specially designed projection and reconstruction transfer functions bridging multiple domains for heterogeneous knowledge sharing are wanted. However, we argue that the existing subspace reconstruction based domain adaptation algorithms neglect the class prior, such that the learned transfer function is biased, especially when data scarcity of some class is encountered. Different from those previous methods, in this article, we propose a novel class-wise reconstruction-based adaptation method called Class-specific Reconstruction Transfer Learning (CRTL), which optimizes a well modeled transfer loss function by fully exploiting intra-class dependency and inter-class independency. The merits of the CRTL are three-fold. 1) Using a class-specific reconstruction matrix to align the source domain with the target domain fully exploits the class prior in modeling the domain distribution consistency, which benefits the cross-domain classification. 2) Furthermore, to keep the intrinsic relationship between data and labels after feature augmentation, a projected Hilbert-Schmidt Independence Criterion (pHSIC), that measures the dependency between data and label, is first proposed in transfer learning community by mapping the data from raw space to RKHS. 3) In addition, by imposing low-rank and sparse constraints on the class-specific reconstruction coefficient matrix, the global and local data structure that contributes to domain correlation can be effectively preserved. Extensive experiments on challenging benchmark datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over state-of-the-art representation-based domain adaptation methods. The demo code is available in https://github.com/wangshanshanCQU/CRTL.
Endothelial Cell Adhesion Force Estimation at the Nanoscale

Endothelial cell adhesion to a synthetic surface includes a definite set of molecular interactions. Cell adhesion is managed by fibronectin and vitronectin in extracellular matrix (ECM) that binds the receptor site of the trans-membrane protein dimers, the integrins. These proteins contain one of the binding sites (I-like domain receptor) for the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides that are the established adhesion receptor sites in the ECM. A molecular approach can quantify the adhesion strength by ligand-receptor force computation. The molecular interaction energy between a polyethylene (PE) surface covalently grafted with the adhesion sites (RGD-containing) and trans-membrane integrin receptor (I-domain) was evaluated through a molecular model of a single ligand-receptor complex. The aims of this work were: (i) the generation of the receptor molecular model: the I-like domain; (ii) the evaluation of the greatest binding chemical affinity between the I-like domain and three RGD-containing peptides; (iii) the development of the molecular model of crystalline lamellae of PE; and (iv) the evaluation of the interaction energies and the interaction force between the I-like domain and the grafted biomaterial. The calculation of the interaction energies can provide an estimation of the adhesion force of the ligand-receptor complex and, finally, of the endothelial cell adhesion force. The calculated cell adhesion force is in agreement with experimental data. (Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Biomechanics 2005; 3: 42-9)
Accuracy of computer-assisted image analysis in the diagnosis of maxillofacial radiolucent lesions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to search for scientific evidence concerning the accuracy of computer-assisted analysis for diagnosing maxillofacial radiolucent lesions. METHODS A systematic review was conducted according to the statements of PRISMA-P and considering ten databases, including the grey literature. Protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD [Blinding]). The PICO strategy was used to define the eligibility criteria and only diagnostic test studies were included. Their risk of bias was assessed by the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tool. Random-effects model meta-analysis was performed and heterogeneity among the included studies was estimated using the I2 statistic. The GRADE tool assessed the quality of evidence and strength of recommendation across included studies. RESULTS Out of 715 identified citations, four papers, published between 2009 and 2017, fulfilled the criteria and were included in this systematic review. A total of 191 lesions, classified as periapical granuloma and cyst, dentigerous cyst, or keratocystic odontogenic tumor, were analyzed. All selected articles scored low risk of bias. The pooled accuracy estimation, regardless of the classification method used, was 88.75% (95% CI = 85.19-92.30). Heterogeneity test reached moderate values (I2 = 57.89%). According to the GRADE tool, the analyzed outcome was classified as having low level of certainty. CONCLUSIONS The overall evaluation showed all studies presented high accuracy rates of computer-aided diagnosis systems in classifying radiolucent maxillofacial lesions compared to histopathological biopsy. However, due to the moderate heterogeneity found among the studies included in this meta-analysis, a pragmatic recommendation about the use of computer-assisted analysis is not possible.
Relational Social Class, Self-Rated Health, and Mortality in the United States

Applying a relational class theory based on property ownership, authority, and credentials/skill, we analyzed the relationship between class, self-rated health (SRH), and mortality using the 1972–2016 General Social Survey. In a simple measure of class, we assigned respondents to worker, manager, petty bourgeois, or capitalist classes. In a complex measure, we subdivided workers (less-skilled/more-skilled), managers (low/high), and capitalists (small/large). Next, we estimated trends in class structure. Finally, after gender-stratification, we estimated the relationships between class, SRH, and mortality and, in sensitivity analyses, tested for class-by-race interaction. Class structure changed little over time, with workers constituting over half the population each decade. Concerning SRH, for the simple measure, managers, petty bourgeoisie, and capitalists reported better health than workers. For the complex measure, patterns were similar, although skilled workers reported better health than less-skilled workers, low managers, and petty bourgeoisie. Concerning mortality, for the simple measure, inequities were small among women; among men, only capitalists’ hazard was lower than workers’ hazard. For the complex measure, across genders, the hazards of less-skilled workers and petty bourgeoisie were highest, while skilled workers’ hazard resembled that of managers and capitalists. Finally, we found some evidence that the relationship between class and mortality varied by race, although the estimates were imprecise.
Author Response to Comment on: Conventional and Microwave Hydrothermal Synthesis and Application of Functional Materials: A Review

We recently published an article “Conventional and Microwave Hydrothermal Synthesis and Application of Functional Materials: A Review” on Materials, and we are honored to receive a comment article from Jalouli et al. We will give a detailed explanation for the confusion of the mechanism of crystal nucleation and growth in the comment article.