Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiological evidence for Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis as a cause of Crohn's disease

SUMMARY Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis is the causative agent of Johne's disease, a chronic enteritis in ruminants including cattle, sheep, goats, and farmed deer. Recently, this bacterium has received an increasingly wide interest because of a rapidly growing body of scientific evidence which suggests that human infection with this microorganism may be causing some, and possibly all, cases of Crohn's disease. Recent studies have shown that a high percentage of people with Crohn's disease are infected with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis; whether the association of this bacterium and Crohn's disease is causal or coincidental is not known. Crohn's disease is a gastrointestinal disease in humans with similar histopathological findings to those observed in the paucibacillary form of Johne's disease in cattle. The search for risk factors in Crohn's disease has been frustrating. However, epidemiologists have gathered enough information that points to an association between M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis and Crohn's disease. This paper reviews epidemiological models of disease causation, the major philosophical doctrines about causation, the established epidemiological criteria for causation, and the currently known epidemiological evidence of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis as a possible cause of Crohn's disease.
Chirp Noise Waveform Aided Fast Acquisition Approach for Large Doppler Shifted TT&C System

In the next generation Ka-band telemetry, track, and command (TT&C) system, the received TT&C signal will suffer from more than 800 kHz of Doppler shift. Even with code phase-Doppler parallel search algorithm based on FFT, the mean acquisition time (MAT) will be more than several seconds. By exploiting the Doppler tolerance of chirp noise waveform (CNW), the authors propose a novel CNW aided spread spectrum signal fast acquisition algorithm for large Doppler shifted TT&C system. Through this article, the authors first describe the ambiguity function (AF) of CNW, and then design a simplified quadrature modulation model, in which the data symbol and the CNW are transmitted simultaneously. At the receiving end, a fast acquisition method based on dual match filters (MFs) is proposed. Due to the delay-Doppler coupling feature, the receiver can achieve both code synchronization and Doppler shift estimation through only 1-Dimensional (1D) delay search, and then MAT can be reduced to a few milliseconds. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Drosophila insulin-like peptide-6 (dilp6) expression from fat body extends lifespan and represses secretion of Drosophila insulin-like peptide-2 from the brain

Reduced insulin/IGF signaling extends lifespan in diverse species, including Drosophila melanogaster where the genome encodes seven insulin‐like peptides (dilp1‐7). Of these, reduced dilp2 expressed in the brain has been associated with longevity assurance when over‐expression of dfoxo in fat bodies extends lifespan. Here, we show that the insulin‐regulated transcription factor dFOXO positively modulates dilp6 mRNA in adult fat body. Over‐expression of dilp6 in adult fat body extends lifespan and increases longevity‐associated metabolic phenotypes. Adult fat body dilp6 expression represses dilp2 and dilp5 mRNA in the brain, and the secretion of DILP2 into the hemolymph. The longevity benefit of expressing dfoxo in fat body, and the nonautonomous effect of fat body dfoxo upon brain dilp expression, is blocked by simultaneously repressing dilp6 by RNAi in fat body. dilp6 thus appears to bridge dFOXO, adipose tissue and brain endocrine function to regulate Drosophila longevity.
Classification of HTTP automated software communication behaviour using NoSql database

Application layer attacks pose an ever serious threat to network security for years since it always comes after a technically legitimate connection has been established. In recent years, cyber criminals turn to fully exploit web as a medium of communication environment to lurk a variety of forbidden or illicit activities through spreading malicious automated software(auto-ware) such as adware, spyware or bot. When these malicious auto-ware infect into a user network, they will act like robot and mimic normal behaviour web access to bypass network firewall or IDS. Besides that, in a private and large network, with huge HTTP traffic generated each day, communication behaviour identification and also classification of auto-ware is really a great challenge. In this paper, based on the previous study and analysis of the auto-ware communication behaviour and addition new features, a method classification of HTTP autoware communication is proposed. In that, a NoSql database is applied to handle with large volume unstructured HTTP requests captured every day. The method is experimented with real HTTP traffic data collected through a proxy server of a private network, from which good results are archived in classification and detection of suspicious auto-ware web access.
Genetic and antigenic analysis of epidemic influenza viruses isolated during 2006–2007 season in Taiwan

Influenza viruses are some of the most active pathogens in Taiwan. The monitoring influenza activity has been coordinated by the Centers for Diseases Control, Taiwan, and the surveillance is based on integrated clinical and virological surveillance components. Data from sentinel physician networks and other sources, mainly hospitals were collected. During 2006‐07 season, a total of 1724 cases of laboratory‐confirmed influenza were reported by collaborating laboratories and sentinels, which was five fold higher than during the corresponding part of the 2005‐06 season. Of the Taiwan isolates analyzed using post‐infection ferret antisera, 1.5% were H1N1 (A/Hi), 21.5% H3N2 (A/H3), and 77.0% influenza B viruses. This reflects the predominance of influenza B viruses during 2006‐07 season. In addition, continued antigenic drift was seen with the A/I‐B viruses compared with the previous season's reference strains. However, an increasing number of recent A/H3 isolates characterized in our report were amantadine sensitive. Preparation for an influenza pandemic is presently a high priority in Taiwan. Laboratory‐based surveillance systems must be timely in order to be effective. The data presented here highlights the need to characterize the circulating strains both antigenically and genetically during regular surveillance. Any contribution of individual genes or gene combinations to usual or unusual epidemic characteristics might thus be identified ensuring that virus strains can be selected for vaccine formulation that will most closely match the circulating viruses. J. Med. Virol. 80:316–322, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Japan’s Challenges in Managing Resources and Implementing Strategies toward Sustainability

Japan’s strategy is based on improving the current resources and productivity by identifying the environmental challenges to progress further in many areas. For example, it will help in understanding the competitive challenges in the industry, emerging innovation, and other progresses. The present study seeks to examine the characteristics of sustainable practices using materials that will last longer and following environmental policies. There has been a major emphasis since 1990s and onwards about recycling and preserving the environment. Furthermore, the present paper analyses and argues how national interest in policy increases resource productivity. It is a universal law, but these actions may be different based on the unique situation of the country. In addition, the present study explains some of the strategies developed by the Environmental Agency of Japan in the last few years. There are a few resources reviewed involving ‘Strategy for an Environmental Nation in the 21st Century’ from 2001, ‘Clean Asia Initiative’ from 2008, and ‘New Growth Strategy’ from 2010. The present paper also highlights the emphasis on increasing efficiency, as it is an important part of sustainability. We finally conclude by providing reasoning on the impact and positivity of reducing production and consumption on the environment, resulting in a productive and progressive Japan for the near and long term future. Keywords—Green innovation, sustainable development, resource productivity, sound material-cycle society, waste management.
Niacin (nicotinic acid) in non-physiological doses causes hyperhomocysteineaemia in Sprague–Dawley rats

Niacin (nicotinic acid) in its non-physiological dose level is known to be an effective lipid-lowering agent; its potential risk as a therapeutic agent, however, has not been critically considered. Since niacin is excreted predominantly as methylated pyridones, requiring methionine as a methyl donor, the present study was undertaken to examine whether metabolism of the amino acid is altered in the presence of large doses of niacin. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were given a nutritionally adequate, semi-synthetic diet containing niacin at a level of either 400 or 1000 mg/kg diet (compared to 30 mg/kg in the control diet) for up to 3 months. Supplementation with niacin (1000 mg/kg diet) for 3 months resulted in a significant increase in plasma and urinary total homocysteine levels; this increase was further accentuated in the presence of a high methionine diet. The hyperhomocysteineaemia was accompanied by a significant decrease in plasma concentrations of vitamins B6 and B12, which are cofactors for the metabolism of homocysteine. The homocysteine-raising action of niacin, in particular, has an important toxicological implication, as hyperhomocysteineaemia is considered to be an independent risk factor for arterial occlusive disease. The niacin-associated change in homocysteine status may be an important limiting factor in the use of this vitamin as a lipid-lowering agent.
Object-related regularities are processed automatically: evidence from the visual mismatch negativity

One of the most challenging tasks of our visual systems is to structure and integrate the enormous amount of incoming information into distinct coherent objects. It is an ongoing debate whether or not the formation of visual objects requires attention. Implicit behavioral measures suggest that object formation can occur for task-irrelevant and unattended visual stimuli. The present study investigated pre-attentive visual object formation by combining implicit behavioral measures and an electrophysiological indicator of pre-attentive visual irregularity detection, the visual mismatch negativity (vMMN) of the event-related potential. Our displays consisted of two symmetrically arranged, task-irrelevant ellipses, the objects. In addition, there were two discs of either high or low luminance presented on the objects, which served as targets. Participants had to indicate whether the targets were of the same or different luminance. In separate conditions, the targets either usually were enclosed in the same object or in two different objects (standards). Occasionally, the regular target-to-object assignment was changed (deviants). That is, standards and deviants were exclusively defined on the basis of the task-irrelevant target-to-object assignment but not on the basis of some feature regularity. Although participants did not notice the regularity nor the occurrence of the deviation in the sequences, task-irrelevant deviations resulted in increased reaction times. Moreover, compared with physically identical standard displays deviating target-to-object assignments elicited a negative potential in the 246–280 ms time window over posterio-temporal electrode positions which was identified as vMMN. With variable resolution electromagnetic tomography (VARETA) object-related vMMN was localized to the inferior temporal gyrus. Our results support the notion that the visual system automatically structures even task-irrelevant aspects of the incoming information into objects.
Exploring Similarities in Music Performances with an Evolutionary Algorithm

The paper presents a novel approach to exploring similarities in music performances. Based on simple measurements of timing and intensity in 12 recordings of a Schubert piano piece, short ‘performance archetypes’ are calculated using a SOM algorithm and labelled with letters. Approximate string matching done by an evolutionary algorithm is applied to find similarities in the performances represented by these letters. We present a way of measuring each pianist’s habit of playing similar phrases in similar ways and propose a ranking of the performers based on that. Finally, an experiment revealing common expression patterns is briefly described.
About the empirical study of solidarity: conceptual and methodological approaches

Solidarity, understood as a social and communicative operation destined to maintain people’s cohesion in the context of modern society, evidences the permanence of a stratified social order that produces exclusion from certain social rights. This article attempts to further discuss this definition by offering an empirical and multidimensional analysis of solidarity conducts in Chile. Through an univariate analysis and MANOVA analysis of data from the “Survey of solidarity 2010” (N = 1389) generated by the measurement center MIDE UC of the Pontifical Catholic University, we conclude that there are certain variables of social stratification that currently predict and address the solidarity ́s orientations in Chile. This suggests that the need for solidarity not only responds to a stratified outlining of modern society, but also that different axes of stratification influence the social dimensions of solidarity.
CS 224 W : Social and Information Network Analysis Project Report : Edge Detection in Review Networks

1 Introduction The goal of this project is to study review networks with the intention of predicting which product a reviewer is going to review next. The question is framed as a link prediction problem, which has been extensively studied. Our primary contribution is in three areas: understanding how product review graphs differ from other types of graphs which have been studied by others, adapting distance measures that have been used in unipartite graphs to bipartite graphs such as a review graph, and finally, understanding what advantage knowledge of other features of the reviewer and the product (such as product similarity) play in link prediction. In Liben-Nowell and Kleinberg[1], the authors try to solve the link prediction problem based solely on the characteristics of the network itself. They exhaustively study a number of unsupervised methods of link prediction and compare the results. We have used the algorithms outlined in this paper,namely, Common Neighbors, Adamic/Adar, Katz and Preferential Attachment as the basis for our analysis. In Murata et al.[2], the authors utilize structural properties of networks to predict network evolution. Improving over the existing approaches based on structural properties like Newman's Common Neighbors and Adamic/Adar which do not take weights of links into account, they present an improved method for predicting links based on weighted proximity measures of social networks. We closely followed their methodology. In Huang et al.[3], the authors employ link prediction approaches to the realm of recommendation systems. In order to infer user interests and preferences and suggest the right products and services to them, they explore correlations between user-product interactions. They derive user neighborhoods by identifying similar users and then make recommendations based on user's neighbors' experiences. The authors have extended six proximity measures commonly used in social network link prediction for making collaborative filtering recommendations. We have extended the linkage measures outlined in the paper. In Benchettara et al[4], the authors attempt to solve the link prediction problem with special emphasis on bipartite networks. They attempt to predict links in the bipartite network and the unimodal network obtained by projecting the bipartite graph on one of its node sets. Using Classical supervised machine learning approaches, they model the problem as a classification problem and learn prediction models. We have closely followed the approach outlined in the paper to compute direct linkage attributes on the bipartite graph and indirect topological linkage attributes on the projected graph. The …
A review on MR vascular image processing: skeleton versus nonskeleton approaches: part II

Vascular segmentation has recently been given much attention. This review paper has two parts. Part I of this review focused on the physics of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and prefiltering techniques applied to MRA. Part II of this review presents the state-of-the-art overview, status, and new achievements in vessel segmentation algorithms from MRA. The first part of this review paper is focused on the nonskeleton or direct-based techniques. Here, we present eight different techniques along with their mathematical foundations, algorithms and their pros and cons. We will also focus on the skeleton or indirect-based techniques. We will discuss three different techniques along with their mathematical foundations, algorithms and their pros and cons. This paper also includes a clinical discussion on skeleton versus nonskeleton-based segmentation techniques. Finally, we shall conclude this paper with the possible challenges, the future, and a brief summary on vascular segmentation techniques.
Simulation of Intramuscular EMG Signals Detected Using Implantable Myoelectric Sensors (IMES)

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of recording independent electromyographic (EMG) signals from the forearm using implantable myoelectric sensors (IMES), for myoelectric prosthetic control. Action potentials were simulated using two different volume conductor models: a finite-element (FE) model that was used to explore the influence of the electrical properties of the surrounding inhomogeneous tissues and an analytical infinite volume conductor model that was used to estimate the approximate detection volume of the implanted sensors. Action potential amplitude increased progressively as conducting electrodes, the ceramic electrode casing and high resistivity encapsulation tissue were added to the model. For the muscle fiber locations examined, the mean increase in EMG root mean square amplitude when the full range of material properties was included in the model was 18.2% (plusmn8.15). Changing the orientation of the electrode with respect to the fiber direction altered the shape of the electrode detection volume and reduced the electrode selectivity. The estimated detection radius of the IMES electrode, assuming a cylindrical muscle cross section, was 4.8, 6.2, and 7.5 mm for electrode orientations of 0deg, 22.5deg, and 45deg with respect to the muscle fiber direction
Rolling Motion Control of a Levitated Mover in a Permanent-Magnet-Type Bearingless Linear Motor

A bearingless linear motor(BLLM) has no support elements such as a linear guide or additional linear magnetic bearing. Instead, it levitates a mover by controlling magnetic forces generated between the mover and stators as well as moves it. Its structure is very similar to a both-sided linear motor which is symmetrically combined of a common mover and two stators with permanent magnet arrays. Also the principle for movement is not quite different from that of conventional linear motors. But, to levitate the mover, the amplitudes of phase currents provided to both-side coils are controlled, based on the air gap between mover and stator. In this system, since the coils are divided into two groups in the movement direction and perform the levitation control separately, pitching motion of the mover can be controlled. And lateral translation and yawing motion are stable if the stable levitation were achieved. However, the rolling motion still needs to be stabilized by an additional control. Thus, this paper suggests a method to stabilize the rolling motion by using a pair of small electromagnetic actuators. It includes the actuator design method which is so as not to affect the BLLM performance, and the derivation of the equation of motion for controller design. Some experimental test results show that the rolling motion can be successfully controlled during levitation.
Novel Use of Similarity Factors f2 and Sd for the Development of Diltiazem HCl Modified-Release Tablets Using a 32 Factorial Design

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to develop modified-release tablets of diltiazem HCl using a direct compression technique. A 32 factorial design was employed using the amount of alkali-treated guar gum and cetyl alcohol as independent variables. This article proposes the use of a novel approach—f2and Sd values as dependent variables—to evaluate the effect of selected independent variables along with other dependent variables (i.e., percentage drug released in x min, Yx; time required for z% drug release, tz; and mean dissolution time (MDT)). It is concluded that when a decision is to be made for the selection of a best batch, it is perhaps more realistic to use the f2 or Sd value which takes into account the dissolution profile as a whole, as opposed to Yx and tz values which use just one point from the dissolution plot. The batch showing the f2 value nearest to 100 or the Sd value nearest to zero is ranked as the best batch (diltiazem HCl 90 mg, alkali-treated guar gum 80 mg and cetyl alcohol 15 mg). The gel strength and matrix erosion of the formulated tablets were dependent on the type and amount of the adjuvants. The drug release rate is well correlated with matrix erosion. The kinetics of drug release fitted best to the Korsmeyer and Peppas model. It is concluded that by using a proper combination of the hydrophilic polymer and cetyl alcohol one can achieve a desirable drug release pattern.
Analysis of the relationship between the childhood experiences of abuse and just world belief in delinquent adolescents

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the level of exposure to childhood abuse and belief in just world in delinquent adolescents and compare them with their non-delinquent peers. Methods: The sample consists of 200 delinquent male adolescents between the ages of 15-18. A Sociodemographic Information Form, General and Personal Just World Belief Scale and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were used to obtain data. Results: The analysis revealed a significant relationship between level of exposure to childhood abuse and just world belief in delinquent adolescents. When the level of exposure to childhood experiences of abuse increases, adolescents' belief in general and personal just world decreases. Belief in a just world in delinquent adolescents who have been previously incarcerated found to be weaker than that of adolescents who are in a detention center for the first time. Previously incarcerated adolescents also scored higher in terms of level exposure to childhood abuse. Comparison of the mean scores of the participants of the current study with that of non-delinquent participants in other studies revealed that delinquent adolescents have higher levels of exposure to childhood abuse and weaker belief in general just world than adolescents without any criminal record. Discussion: The results of the current study are expected to contribute to a better understanding of adolescent delinquency in relation to childhood history of abuse. The findings underline the role of childhood abuse as a potential risk factor that shatters the adolescents' belief in a just world and puts them in conflict with law. These preliminary findings should be supported by further research that explore the causal relationships between these variables.