Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ethical Issues in Using Twitter for Public Health Surveillance and Research: Developing a Taxonomy of Ethical Concepts From the Research Literature

Background The rise of social media and microblogging platforms in recent years, in conjunction with the development of techniques for the processing and analysis of “big data”, has provided significant opportunities for public health surveillance using user-generated content. However, relatively little attention has been focused on developing ethically appropriate approaches to working with these new data sources. Objective Based on a review of the literature, this study seeks to develop a taxonomy of public health surveillance-related ethical concepts that emerge when using Twitter data, with a view to: (1) explicitly identifying a set of potential ethical issues and concerns that may arise when researchers work with Twitter data, and (2) providing a starting point for the formation of a set of best practices for public health surveillance through the development of an empirically derived taxonomy of ethical concepts. Methods We searched Medline, Compendex, PsycINFO, and the Philosopher’s Index using a set of keywords selected to identify Twitter-related research papers that reference ethical concepts. Our initial set of queries identified 342 references across the four bibliographic databases. We screened titles and abstracts of these references using our inclusion/exclusion criteria, eliminating duplicates and unavailable papers, until 49 references remained. We then read the full text of these 49 articles and discarded 36, resulting in a final inclusion set of 13 articles. Ethical concepts were then identified in each of these 13 articles. Finally, based on a close reading of the text, a taxonomy of ethical concepts was constructed based on ethical concepts discovered in the papers. Results From these 13 articles, we iteratively generated a taxonomy of ethical concepts consisting of 10 top level categories: privacy, informed consent, ethical theory, institutional review board (IRB)/regulation, traditional research vs Twitter research, geographical information, researcher lurking, economic value of personal information, medical exceptionalism, and benefit of identifying socially harmful medical conditions. Conclusions In summary, based on a review of the literature, we present a provisional taxonomy of public health surveillance-related ethical concepts that emerge when using Twitter data.
The relationship between inflammation and venous thrombosis

Summary During the past decade, the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of arterial thrombosis has been elucidated. However, comparatively little is known about the relationship between inflammation and venous thrombosis. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of clinical studies that have examined the association between inflammation and venous thrombosis, specifically: (1) the value of inflammatory markers in predicting the future development of venous thrombosis; (2) test characteristics of markers of inflammation in the diagnosis of acute venous thrombosis; and (3) effect of venous thrombosis on blood levels of inflammatory markers. Using keywords venous thrombosis, venous thromboembolism, inflammation, acute phase markers, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, PubMed and Medline computerized databases were searched for English language articles published after 1980. Search results were restricted to clinical studies in humans that used study designs that were appropriate to address the above objectives. Results show that plasma CRP levels do not appear to predict risk of future venous thtwo (rombosis studies; N=41,308). Four studies (N=562) have examined the utility of plasma CRP in the diagnosis of venous thrombosis; pooled positive and negative predictive values were 53% (95% CI:47%,59%) and 85% (95% CI: 81%, 89%), respectively.A two- to six-fold increase in the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is associated with elevations in plasma levels of CRP, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1 orTNF-α (three studies). We can conclude that the nature of the relationship between inflammation and clinical venous thrombosis is not yet established. CRP does not appear to be useful in predicting future venous thrombosis or in the diagnosis of acute venous thrombosis. While several markers of inflammation are elevated in acute venous thrombosis, further research is needed to determine the precise relationship between these markers and venous thrombosis. The identification and elucidation of inflammatory markers relevant to venous thrombosis could provide targets for future therapy.
A novel ubiquitin‐specific protease, synUSP, is localized at the post‐synaptic density and post‐synaptic lipid raft

Recent reports suggest an important role for protein ubiquitination in synaptic plasticity. We cloned, from the rat brain, a novel gene that encoded an ubiquitin‐specific protease (USP), and termed this protein synaptic ubiquitin‐specific protease (synUSP, GenBankTM Accession no. AB073880). The homologous human gene was mapped to a locus on chromosome 1p36.12. The deduced synUSP protein consisted of 1036 amino acids, and possessed an ubiquitin‐like domain at the C‐terminus, Cys‐ and His‐boxes, leucine zipper motifs, and six amino acid‐repeats of L/ILCPHG. The protein possessed de‐ubiquitinating activity toward a model substrate, as expected from its sequence. The protein of 125 kDa was present in the rat brain; in particular, it was enriched in the post‐synaptic density and the dendritic lipid raft fractions. The immunostaining of cortical neurons confirmed the post‐synaptic localization. The mRNA for synUSP was localized to dendrites, as well as somas, of neuronal cells. Thus, both the mRNA and the protein were localized in the post‐synaptic compartments. These results suggest a regulatory mechanism for the ubiquitin‐related system at the post‐synaptic sites.
Patch antenna array for X-band FMCW sensor: An antenna system for detection of obstacles in near vicinity of a helicopter

The paper describes concept of the patch antenna array for X-band FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) radar. This antenna is part of a system for detection of obstacles in the near vicinity of a helicopter. The intended function of this system is to detect and inform the flight crew of obstacles while maneuvering at low airspeed typically close to the ground. The antenna works at center frequency 9.5 GHz with bandwidth of 450 MHz. The antenna is fabricated by microstrip technology. Since the broadband antenna is need, the antenna consists of two dielectric layers. The first layer consists of radiation elements (patches). The second layer has, on its top side, a ground plane and on the bottom side, a signal distribution network for a series-fed patch antenna array. Between these two layers is a gap which allows a required bandwidth to be achieved.
Ontology-Based Knowledge Portal Development for University Knowledge Management

Knowledge portal is an approach used to provide view of ontological domain-specific information on the World Wide Web. In this paper we present one approach by using ontological engineering as a conceptual backbone and relationships for knowledge extracting, structuring and formalizing as a comprehensive way for building knowledge portal. For illustration of a practical ontology development of knowledge portal, the described ideas are implemented in a system design for international student service.
Bone mineralization defects and vitamin D deficiency: Histomorphometric analysis of iliac crest bone biopsies and circulating 25‐hydroxyvitamin D in 675 patients

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is only one measurable index of skeletal health, and we reasoned that a histomorphometric analysis of iliac crest biopsies would be another and even more direct approach to assess bone health and address the required minimum 25‐Hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level. A cohort from the northern European population with its known high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency therefore would be ideal to answer the latter question. We examined 675 iliac crest biopsies from male and female individuals, excluding all patients who showed any signs of secondary bone diseases at autopsy. Structural histomorphometric parameters, including osteoid indices, were quantified using the Osteomeasure System according to ASBMR standards, and serum 25(OH)D levels were measured for all patients. Statistical analysis was performed by Student's t test. The histologic results demonstrate an unexpected high prevalence of mineralization defects, that is, a pathologic increase in osteoid. Indeed, 36.15% of the analyzed patients presented with an osteoid surface per bone surface (OS/BS) of more than 20%. Based on the most conservative threshold that defines osteomalacia at the histomorphometric level with a pathologic increase in osteoid volume per bone volume (OV/BV) greater than 2% manifest mineralization defects were present in 25.63% of the patients. The latter were found independent of bone volume per trabecular volume (BV/TV) throughout all ages and affected both sexes equally. While we could not establish a minimum 25(OH)D level that was inevitably associated with mineralization defects, we did not find pathologic accumulation of osteoid in any patient with circulating 25(OH)D above 75 nmol/L. Our data demonstrate that pathologic mineralization defects of bone occur in patients with a serum 25(OH)D below 75 nmol/L and strongly argue that in conjunction with a sufficient calcium intake, the dose of vitamin D supplementation should ensure that circulating levels of 25(OH)D reach this minimum threshold (75 nmol/L or 30 ng/mL) to maintain skeletal health. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
PhishZoo : An Automated Web Phishing Detection Approach Based on Profiling and Fuzzy Matching

Phishing is a web-based attack that uses social engineering techniques to exploit Internet users and acquire sensitive data. Most phishing attacks work by creating a fake version of the real site’s web interface to gain the user’s trust. Despite the fact that these phishing sites look identical or nearly identical to the real sites they imitate, user studies have shown that users ignore browser-based indicators and often use the appearance of a site to judge the authenticity of sites, just as they use the appearance of physical sites to judge their authenticity. This paper proposes a phishing detection approach—PhishZoo—that uses profiles of trusted websites’ appearances built with fuzzy hashing techniques to detect phishing. We evaluate our approach on over 600 phishing sites imitating 20 real sites and show that it provides similar accuracy to blacklisting approaches, with the advantage that it can classify new attacks and targeted attacks against smaller sites (such as corporate intranets). PhishZoo has the potential to have a beneficial impact on the phishing“arms race”by reducing the effectiveness of sites that look too much like the real sites and thus giving users a chance to detect sites that “look phishy. ”
A GENTLE INTRODUCTION TO THE EM ALGORITHM PART I THEORY

Introduction My aim is to introduce the Expectation Maximization EM algorithm to you especially some of its theory I will skip proofs but I will derive many formulae that have practical use The EM algorithm is iterative and you should be familiar with its convergence properties I will discuss them in detail I will present applications of the EM algorithm to signal and image processing in a companion tutorial called A Gentle Introduction to the EM algorithm Part II Applications There are two excellent books about the EM algorithm Martin Tanner s book is concise and deceptively simple looking Every line in that book counts Read it carefully MacLachlan and Krishnan s book is more comprehensive and has many extensions of the EM algorithm I learned a lot from it I recommend both books to the EM enthusiast Be warned that these books are written by statisticians for statis ticians If you are not a statistician then some of the notation might be unfamiliar I cannot introduce the EM algorithm without discussing parameter estimation So without any more fuss let me review the principles of parameter estimation I will assume that you understand the basic principles of probability prior joint and conditional distributions and the Bayes rule
Hyperstimulation syndrome: the levels of inhibin A and B in sera and follicular fluids

Abstract Ovarial hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) represents a serious problem encountered during in vitro fertilization (IVF). We examined 10 patients with OHSS and 50 women also hormonally stimulated in the process of IVF who had no complications. In all women, we evaluated the number of obtained oocytes and the level of inhibins A and B in sera and follicular fluid collected at the time of ovarial puncture, the day embryo transfer and on the day of positivity for hCG. The level of inhibin B in both fluids was significantly higher (t = 0.0403) in women with high quality of oocytes. The higher level of inhibin A was detected in patients with OHSS at the time of oocyte collection and on the day of embryo transfer. Inhibin B was elevated only at the time of oocyte collection. The levels of inhibin A and B were identical in follicular fluids collected from both ovaries. We observed no statistically significant differences between the levels of inhibin A and B in follicular fluids of women in the absence of OHSS. Evaluation of serum levels of inhibin A and B at the time of oocyte collection may contribute to the prognosis and prevention of OHSS.
Human T-lymphotropic Virus, Type 1, Tax Protein Triggers Microtubule Reorientation in the Virological Synapse*

We showed recently that the human T-lymphotropic virus, type 1 (HTLV-1), spreads directly from cell to cell via a virological synapse. The HTLV-1 virological synapse resembles the immunological synapse; each is a specialized contact between a lymphocyte and another cell that contains organized protein microdomains, and each involves repolarization of the T-cell microtubule cytoskeleton. However, formation of the virological synapse is not triggered by T-cell receptor-mediated antigen recognition. On the basis of our previous data, we postulated that formation of the viral synapse was triggered by a conjunction of two signals, one from HTLV-1 infection of the T-cell and one from cell-cell contact. We have recently identified ICAM-1 engagement as a cell-contact signal that causes the microtubule polarization associated with the virological synapse. Here we used confocal microscopy of T-lymphocytes naturally infected with HTLV-1 or transfected with individual HTLV-1 genes to investigate the role of the viral transcriptional transactivator protein Tax. Polarization of the microtubules was induced by cell-cell contact or by cross-linking T-cell surface molecules with monoclonal antibodies adsorbed to latex beads. We show that Tax, which is mainly found in the nucleus, is also present at two specific extranuclear sites as follows: around the microtubule organizing center in association with the cis-Golgi and in the cell-cell contact region. We show that expression of Tax provides an intracellular signal that synergizes with ICAM-1 engagement to cause the T-cell microtubule polarization observed at the virological synapse.
Functional modeling in zebrafish demonstrates that the atrial-fibrillation-associated gene GREM2 regulates cardiac laterality, cardiomyocyte differentiation and atrial rhythm

SUMMARY Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and carries a significant risk of stroke and heart failure. The molecular etiologies of AF are poorly understood, leaving patients with limited therapeutic options. AF has been recognized as an inherited disease in almost 30% of patient cases. However, few genetic loci have been identified and the mechanisms linking genetic variants to AF susceptibility remain unclear. By sequencing 193 probands with lone AF, we identified a Q76E variant within the coding sequence of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonist gremlin-2 (GREM2) that increases its inhibitory activity. Functional modeling in zebrafish revealed that, through regulation of BMP signaling, GREM2 is required for cardiac laterality and atrial differentiation during embryonic development. GREM2 overactivity results in slower cardiac contraction rates in zebrafish, and induction of previously identified AF candidate genes encoding connexin-40, sarcolipin and atrial natriuretic peptide in differentiated mouse embryonic stem cells. By live heart imaging in zebrafish overexpressing wild-type or variant GREM2, we found abnormal contraction velocity specifically in atrial cardiomyocytes. These results implicate, for the first time, regulators of BMP signaling in human AF, providing mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of the disease and identifying potential new therapeutic targets.
Cambios morfofuncionales en un modelo animal experimental de enfermedad hepática por hígado graso no alcohólico tras tratamiento con cirugía bariátrica versus dieta hipocalórica

La enfermedad por higado graso no alcoholico o NAFLD es la primera causa de enfermedad hepatica cronica a nivel mundial. Es considerada la manifestacion hepatica del sindrome metabolico, y en su etiopatogenia participan diversos factores que aun no se conocen por completo (dieteticos, metabolicos, geneticos, medioambientales, inmunologicos e incluso microbiologicos, entre otros). Actualmente no existe tratamiento definitivo conocido, siendo la perdida de peso mediante dieta y ejercicio lo que por el momento se recomienda para su tratamiento. En relacion a esto, en los ultimos anos se propone la cirugia bariatrica como posible terapia debido a su exito en la perdida de peso a largo plazo. Existen datos que demuestran la mejoria del NAFLD tras cirugia bariatrica, los cuales se extraen a partir de estudios observacionales que analizan fundamentalmente los cambios analiticos e histologicos en los pacientes obesos sometidos a cirugia bariatrica y al mismo tiempo enfermos por NAFLD. Sin embargo, no existen aun ensayos clinicos randomizados ni evidencia suficiente que avale estos efectos en la enfermedad por higado graso, y en opinion de las ultimas guias, aun es pronto para considerar a la cirugia bariatrica como tratamiento establecido para el NAFLD. Este trabajo, a partir de un modelo animal de enfermedad por NAFLD creado en ratas alimentadas con una formula de dieta rica en grasas, pretende anadir informacion a la ya existente acerca de la enfermedad y su tratamiento. En el se han querido evaluar los cambios propios de la enfermedad a un nivel bioquimico, histologico, hormonal, molecular y de expresion genica, y analizar despues cuales son los efectos de la cirugia bariatrica en comparacion al tratamiento estandar actual, la dieta hipocalorica, a todos estos niveles. De el se puede extraer que la cirugia bariatrica, concretamente la tecnica de la gastrectomia vertical o "sleeve gastrectomy" (SG), es superior a la dieta hipocalorica para el tratamiento de fases iniciales de NAFLD. Su superioridad radica en una mayor perdida de peso, reversion de signos histopatologicos de la enfermedad, mejoria del dano endotelial sinusoidal hepatico, disminucion de hiperleptinemia e insulinorresistencia, y tambien reduccion del riesgo cardiovascular mediante la disminucion del colesterol total, los trigliceridos en plasma y la mejoria global del NAFLD en si.
Optimizing recursive queries in SQL

Recursion represents an important addition to the SQL language. This work focuses on the optimization of linear recursive queries in SQL. To provide an abstract framework for discussion, we focus on computing the transitive closure of a graph. Three optimizations are studied: (1) Early evaluation of row selection conditions. (2) Eliminating duplicate rows in intermediate tables. (3) Defining an enhanced index to accelerate join computation. Optimizations are evaluated on two types of graphs: binary trees and sparse graphs. Binary trees represent an ideal graph with no cycles and a linear number of edges. Sparse graphs represent an average case with some cycles and a linear number of edges. In general, the proposed optimizations produce a significant reduction in the evaluation time of recursive queries.
Variable within- and between-Herd Diversity of CTX-M Cephalosporinase-Bearing Escherichia coli Isolates from Dairy Cattle

ABSTRACT bla CTX-M beta-lactamases confer resistance to critically important cephalosporin drugs. Recovered from both hospital- and community-acquired infections, bla CTX-M was first reported in U.S. livestock in 2010. It has been hypothesized that veterinary use of cephalosporins in livestock populations may lead to the dissemination of beta-lactamase-encoding genes. Therefore, our objectives were to estimate the frequency and distribution of coliform bacteria harboring bla CTX-M in the fecal flora of Ohio dairy cattle populations. In addition, we characterized the CTX-M alleles carried by the isolates, their plasmidic contexts, and the genetic diversity of the bacterial isolates themselves. We also evaluated the association between ceftiofur use and the likelihood of recovering cephalosporinase-producing bacteria. Thirty fresh fecal samples and owner-reported ceftiofur use data were collected from each of 25 Ohio dairy farms. Fecal samples (n = 747) yielded 70 bla CTX-M-positive Escherichia coli isolates from 5/25 herds, 715 bla CMY-2 E. coli isolates from 25/25 herds, and 274 Salmonella spp. from 20/25 herds. The within-herd prevalence among bla CTX-M-positive herds ranged from 3.3 to 100% of samples. Multiple pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns, plasmid replicon types, and CTX-M genes were detected. Plasmids with CTX-M-1, -15, and -14 alleles were clonal by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) within herds, and specific plasmid incompatibility group markers were consistently associated with each bla CTX-M allele. PFGE of total bacterial DNA showed similar within-herd clustering, with the exception of one herd, which revealed at least 6 different PFGE signatures. We were unable to detect an association between owner-reported ceftiofur use and the probability of recovering E. coli carrying bla CTX-M or bla CMY-2.
Modeling in Event-B - System and Software Engineering

A practical text suitable for an introductory or advanced course in formal methods, this book presents a mathematical approach to modelling and designing systems using an extension of the B formal method: Event-B. Based on the idea of refinement, the author's systematic approach allows the user to construct models gradually and to facilitate a systematic reasoning method by means of proofs. Readers will learn how to build models of programs and, more generally, discrete systems, but this is all done with practice in mind. The numerous examples provided arise from various sources of computer system developments, including sequential programs, concurrent programs and electronic circuits. The book also contains a large number of exercises and projects ranging in difficulty. Each of the examples included in the book has been proved using the Rodin Platform tool set, which is available free for download at www.event-b.org.
Sugeno-type fuzzy logic controller (SFLC) for a Modular Structured Multilevel Inverter (MSMI)

This paper presents a study on the performance of a Sugeno-type fuzzy logic controller (SFLC) as applied to a modular structured multilevel inverter (MSMI) to regulate its output voltage at a specified frequency. Simulation and analysis have been done, which includes comparison on the performance of the SFLC to that of the Mamdani-type fuzzy logic controller (MFLC), which has been conducted in a previous work. The proposed SFLC has shown good performance for closed-loop control of an MSMI during simulation using MATLAB/Simulink with higher execution speed compared to the MFLC.