Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancing cellular M2M random access with binary countdown contention resolution

Accommodating Machine-to-Machine applications and their requirements is one of the challenges on the way from LTE towards 5G networks. The envisioned high density of devices, alongside with their sporadic and synchronized transmission patterns, might create signaling storms and overload in the current LTE network. Here, we address the notorious random access (RA) challenge, namely, scalability of the radio link connection establishment protocol in LTE networks. We revisit the binary countdown technique for contention resolution (BCCR), and apply it to the LTE RA procedure. We analytically investigate the performance gains and trade-offs of applying BCCR in LTE. We further simulatively compare BCCR RA with the state-of-the-art RA techniques, and demonstrate its advantages in terms of delay and throughput.
Enhanced range-free localization in wireless sensor networks using a new weighted hop-size estimation technique

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have recently enabled many new applications often dubbed ”smart” as a result of it. And researchers are currently giving much attention to localization in WSNs for the increasing number its use cases in real life. Two main localization categories prevail in the literature: range-based and range-free. The latter exploit the networks connectivity information in order to approximate the nodes locations, while the former accomplishes that by measuring actual distances. One of the widely investigated range-free WSN localization techniques is the DV-Hop. In this paper, we will develop and analyze the performance of a new enhanced version of this reference technique using a novel weighted hop-size expression. The simulation results indicate an improvement of the performance in terms of accuracy.
Genetic parameters for the prediction of abdominal fat traits using blood biochemical indicators in broilers

ABSTRACT 1. Excessive deposition of body fat, especially abdominal fat, is detrimental in chickens and the prevention of excessive fat accumulation is an important problem. The aim of this study was to identify blood biochemical indicators that could be used as criteria to select lean Yellow-feathered chicken lines. 2. Levels of blood biochemical indicators in the fed and fasted states and the abdominal fat traits were measured in 332 Guangxi Yellow chickens. In the fed state, the genetic correlations (rg) of triglycerides and very low density lipoprotein levels were positive for the abdominal fat traits (0.47 ≤ rg ≤ 0.67), whereas total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) showed higher negative correlations with abdominal fat traits (–0.59 ≤ rg ≤ −0.33). Heritabilities of these blood biochemical parameters were high, varying from 0.26 to 0.60. 3. In the fasted state, HDL-C:LDL-C level was positively correlated with abdominal fat traits (0.35 ≤ rg ≤ 0.38), but triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, total protein, albumin, aspartate transaminase, uric acid and creatinine levels were negatively correlated with abdominal fat traits (–0.79 ≤ rg ≤ −0.35). The heritabilities of these 10 blood biochemical parameters were high (0.22 ≤ h2 ≤ 0.59). 4. In the fed state, optimal multiple regression models were constructed to predict abdominal fat traits by using triglycerides and LDL-C. In the fasted state, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, total protein, albumin and uric acid could be used to predict abdominal fat content. 5. It was concluded that these models in both nutritional states could be used to predict abdominal fat content in Guangxi Yellow broiler chickens.
CoSimulating Communication Networks and Electrical System for Performance Evaluation in Smart Grid

In smart grid research domain, simulation study is the first choice, since the analytic complexity is too high and constructing a testbed is very expensive. However, since communication infrastructure and the power grid are tightly coupled with each other in the smart grid, a well-defined combination of simulation tools for the systems is required for the simulation study. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a cosimulation work called OOCoSim, which consists of OPNET (network simulation tool) and OpenDSS (power system simulation tool). By employing the simulation tool, an organic and dynamic cosimulation can be realized since both simulators operate on the same computing platform and provide external interfaces through which the simulation can be managed dynamically. In this paper, we provide OOCoSim design principles including a synchronization scheme and detailed descriptions of its implementation. To present the effectiveness of OOCoSim, we define a smart grid application model and conduct a simulation study to see the impact of the defined application and the underlying network system on the distribution system. The simulation results show that the proposed OOCoSim can successfully simulate the integrated scenario of the power and network systems and produce the accurate effects of the networked control in the smart grid.
Race and food store availability in an inner-city neighbourhood

Abstract Background A growing body of research has shown that disparities in resources, including food stores, exist at the neighbourhood level and the greatest disparities are seen in minority neighbourhoods, the same neighbourhoods at increased risk of obesity and diabetes. Less is known about whether differences in availability of resources by African American or Latino race/ethnicity exist within a single minority community. Objective The present study examined whether census blocks either 75% African American (AA) or 75% Latino (L) are associated with food store availability, as compared with racially mixed (RM) census blocks, in East Harlem, New York. Design/methods A cross-sectional study utilising a walking survey of East Harlem was performed. Food stores were classified into: supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, specialty stores, full-service restaurants and fast-food stores. Results One hundred and sixty-five East Harlem census blocks were examined; 17 were AA, 34 were L and 114 were RM. Of AA census blocks, 100% had neither supermarkets nor grocery stores. AA census blocks were less likely to have convenience stores (prevalence ratio (PR) = 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07–0.86) compared with RM census blocks. In contrast, predominantly L census blocks were more likely to have convenience stores (PR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.20–2.70), specialty food stores (PR = 3.74, 95% CI 2.06–7.15), full-service restaurants (PR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.04–3.38) and fast-food restaurants (PR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.33–3.44) compared with RM census blocks. Conclusions We found that inequities in food store availability exist by race/ethnicity in East Harlem, New York. This has implications for racial/ethnic differences in dietary quality, obesity and obesity-related disorders.
Assessment of diagnostic information and quality of working alliance with clients diagnosed with personality disorders during the mental health intake

Abstract Background: A primary purpose of diagnostic systems is to improve care, yet, little is known about how providers use it routine clinical care. Aims: We investigated specific DSM-IV personality disorders (PDs) diagnostic information therapists collected during intake visits and the association between a therapist PD diagnosis and clients’ and therapists’ reports of the quality of working alliance during the intake. Method: A total of 122 intakes (n = 34, 27.9% were diagnosed with PD) in four community mental health clinics in Israel were audiotaped. Immediately following the intake, clients and therapists completed the working alliance inventory (WAI). Independent clinicians coded the intakes using an information checklist. Results: Despite the relatively high prevalence of PD in regular psychiatric care, very limited PD diagnostic information was directly assessed during the intake. Therapists evaluated the quality of the working alliance when they saw a client they diagnosed with PD as significantly lower than the rating of a client without a PD, while the clients’ ratings did not differ as a result of their diagnosis. Conclusions: Therapists do not collect sufficient explicit diagnostic information to base their PD diagnostic decisions. Yet, the presence of PD diagnosis affects their rapport with their clients as early as the intake.
Security Implications of Redirection Trail in Popular Websites Worldwide

URL redirection is a popular technique that automatically navigates users to an intended destination webpage with- out user awareness. However, such a seemingly advantageous feature may offer inadequate protection from security vulnerabilities unless every redirection is performed over HTTPS. Even worse, as long as the final redirection to a website is performed over HTTPS, the browser's URL bar indicates that the website is secure regardless of the security of prior redirections, which may provide users with a false sense of security. This paper reports a well-rounded investigation to analyze the wellness of URL redirection security. As an initial large-scale investigation, we screened the integrity and consistency of URL redirections for the Alexa top one million (1M) websites, and further examined 10,000 (10K) websites with their login features. Our results suggest that 1) the majority (83.3% in the 1M dataset and 78.6% in the 10K dataset) of redirection trails among web- sites that support only HTTPS are vulnerable to attacks, and 2) current incoherent practices (e.g., naked domains and www subdomains being redirected to different destinations with varying security levels) undermine the security guarantees provided by HTTPS and HSTS.
Ultrasound-guided Regional Anesthesia Current State of the Art

HIGH-RESOLUTION ultrasound can provide direct realtime imaging of peripheral nerves and identify tissue planes that permit favorable local anesthetic distribution for conduction block and catheter placement. To be successful at ultrasound-guided neural blockade, one must be familiar with the relevant cross-sectional anatomy and the coordination of the imaging probe with the block needle. Ultrasound has many roles in pain management interventions, both peripheral and neuraxial.
Electrical and structural adaptations of the paediatric athlete’s heart: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Aim To describe the electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic manifestations of the paediatric athlete’s heart, and examine the impact of age, race and sex on cardiac remodelling responses to competitive sport. Design Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources Six electronic databases were searched to May 2016: MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus. Inclusion criteria (1) Male and/or female competitive athletes, (2) participants aged 6–18 years, (3) original research article published in English language. Results Data from 14 278 athletes and 1668 non-athletes were included for qualitative (43 articles) and quantitative synthesis (40 articles). Paediatric athletes demonstrated a greater prevalence of training-related and training-unrelated ECG changes than non-athletes. Athletes ≥14 years were 15.8 times more likely to have inferolateral T-wave inversion than athletes <14 years. Paediatric black athletes had significantly more training-related and training-unrelated ECG changes than Caucasian athletes. Age was a positive predictor of left ventricular (LV) internal diameter during diastole, interventricular septum thickness during diastole, relative wall thickness and LV mass. When age was accounted for, these parameters remained significantly larger in athletes than non-athletes. Paediatric black athletes presented larger posterior wall thickness during diastole (PWTd) than Caucasian athletes. Paediatric male athletes also presented larger PWTd than females. Conclusions The paediatric athlete’s heart undergoes significant remodelling both before and during ‘maturational years’. Paediatric athletes have a greater prevalence of training related and training-unrelated ECG changes than non-athletes, with age, race and sex mediating factors on cardiac electrical and LV structural remodelling.
An Envelope-Modified Tetravalent Dengue Virus-Like-Particle Vaccine Has Implications for Flavivirus Vaccine Design

ABSTRACT Dengue viruses (DENV) infect 50 to 100 million people each year. The spread of DENV-associated infections is one of the most serious public health problems worldwide, as there is no widely available vaccine or specific therapeutic for DENV infections. To address this, we developed a novel tetravalent dengue vaccine by utilizing virus-like particles (VLPs). We created recombinant DENV1 to -4 (DENV1-4) VLPs by coexpressing precursor membrane (prM) and envelope (E) proteins, with an F108A mutation in the fusion loop structure of E to increase the production of VLPs in mammalian cells. Immunization with DENV1-4 VLPs as individual, monovalent vaccines elicited strong neutralization activity against each DENV serotype in mice. For use as a tetravalent vaccine, DENV1-4 VLPs elicited high levels of neutralization activity against all four serotypes simultaneously. The neutralization antibody responses induced by the VLPs were significantly higher than those with DNA or recombinant E protein immunization. Moreover, antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) was not observed against any serotype at a 1:10 serum dilution. We also demonstrated that the Zika virus (ZIKV) VLP production level was enhanced by introducing the same F108A mutation into the ZIKV envelope protein. Taken together, these results suggest that our strategy for DENV VLP production is applicable to other flavivirus VLP vaccine development, due to the similarity in viral structures, and they describe the promising development of an effective tetravalent vaccine against the prevalent flavivirus. IMPORTANCE Dengue virus poses one of the most serious public health problems worldwide, and the incidence of diseases caused by the virus has increased dramatically. Despite decades of effort, there is no effective treatment against dengue. A safe and potent vaccine against dengue is still needed. We developed a novel tetravalent dengue vaccine by using virus-like particles (VLPs), which are noninfectious because they lack the viral genome. Previous attempts of other groups to use dengue VLPs resulted in generally poor yields. We found that a critical amino acid mutation in the envelope protein enhances the production of VLPs. Our tetravalent vaccine elicited potent neutralizing antibody responses against all four DENV serotypes. Our findings can also be applied to vaccine development against other flaviviruses, such as Zika virus or West Nile virus.
FTY720 in multiple sclerosis: the emerging evidence of its therapeutic value

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system which can cause severe disability and has profound effects on patients’ quality of life over several decades. Although there is no cure for the disease, recently developed disease-modifying agents have modest effects on the impact of disease progression. There is therefore a need for a new, effective, and well-tolerated treatment for multiple sclerosis and FTY720 (an orally administered immunomodulatory compound with a novel mechanism of action) is one of a number of agents being evaluated for the treatment of this disease. Aims: The objective of this article is to assess the therapeutic potential for FTY720, now in phase II clinical trials, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis through a review of the published evidence. Emerging evidence: There is good evidence that FTY720 achieves immunomodulation as shown by a reversible redistribution of peripheral blood lymphocytes after oral administration. Two meeting abstracts have been published showing results obtained with FTY720 in a 12-month phase II clinical trial in patients with active relapsing multiple sclerosis. There is modest evidence that FTY720 significantly improves both patient-oriented (relapse rate) and disease-oriented outcomes (inflammatory disease activity). There is good evidence that FTY720 is well tolerated. Profile: Based on these early results from the clinical development program, FTY720 has the potential to be an effective disease-modifying agent for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Further results from ongoing multinational phase III studies are awaited.
Snapshot of Teleretinal Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy at the West Los Angeles Medical Center.

INTRODUCTION The West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center is a large urban facility with a robust teleretinal screening program in primary care clinic, established in 2006. The purpose of this article is to provide a snapshot of teleretinal screening at this site. METHODS Diabetic patients from 2012 were analyzed with a prospective cohort study. Demographic information, results of teleretinal screening, referral to eye clinic, and loss to follow-up (defined as no eye care within 2 years) were collected. RESULTS Of 516 patients with diabetes screened with teleretinal imaging, 120 patient charts were reviewed for data analysis. Teleretinal imaging diagnosed 15% (18/120) of patients with varying stages of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR). Of patients screened, 55.8% (67/120) of the patients were referred to an eye clinic for further ophthalmic evaluation. Nondiabetic retinopathy reasons for eye clinic referral included glaucoma suspect (13.3%, 16/120) and age-related macular degeneration (10.0%, 12/120). Of all patients screened, 37.5% (45/120) of them were lost to follow-up, defined as no teleretinal screening or eye clinic appointment within 2 years. Patients who lived farther away from clinic had a higher risk of loss to follow-up (p = 0.04). DISCUSSION We found, although only 15% of patients were diagnosed with DR from teleretinal screening, more than 50% of patients were referred to eye clinic. In addition, of all screened patients, there was a high rate of not returning to the Veterans Affairs (VA) for eye care.
HMGA2 and Smads Co-regulate SNAIL1 Expression during Induction of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition*

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is important during embryonic cell layer movement and tumor cell invasiveness. EMT converts adherent epithelial cells to motile mesenchymal cells, favoring metastasis in the context of cancer progression. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) triggers EMT via intracellular Smad transducers and other signaling proteins. We previously reported that the high mobility group A2 (HMGA2) gene is required for TGF-β to elicit EMT in mammary epithelial cells. In the present study we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which HMGA2 induces EMT. We found that HMGA2 regulates expression of many important repressors of E-cadherin. Among these, we analyzed in detail the zinc-finger transcription factor SNAIL1, which plays key roles in tumor progression and EMT. We demonstrate that HMGA2 directly binds to the SNAIL1 promoter and acts as a transcriptional regulator of SNAIL1 expression. Furthermore, we observed that HMGA2 cooperates with the TGF-β/Smad pathway in regulating SNAIL1 gene expression. The mechanism behind this cooperation involves physical interaction between these factors, leading to an increased binding of Smads to the SNAIL1 promoter. SNAIL1 seems to play the role of a master effector downstream of HMGA2 for induction of EMT, as SNAIL1 knock-down partially reverts HMGA2-induced loss of epithelial differentiation. The data propose that HMGA2 acts in a gene-specific manner to orchestrate the transcriptional network necessary for the EMT program.
Systemic immunologic and inflammatory response after laparoscopic versus open nephrectomy: a prospective cohort trial.

PURPOSE To compare the dynamics of systemic inflammatory indices during laparoscopic nephrectomy (LN) and standard open donor nephrectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Participants in this cohort study were 54 adults without a history of renal surgery and no evidence of urinary tract infection who underwent transperitoneal LN (n=29) and open donor nephrectomy (n=25, control group). We recorded demographic characteristics, intraoperative parameters, and changes 24 hours postoperatively in systemic inflammatory and immunologic values (body temperature, concentrations of white blood cell count [WBC], C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin [IL]-6, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α), and compared the mean changes between groups. RESULTS Mean age was older in the LN group (45.6 vs 30.9 years; P<0.0001), and mean operative time was significantly shorter (83.1 min vs 101.6 min; P=0.004). Mean postoperative increase in IL-6 and body temperature in LN was significantly less than in control: For IL-6, 15.87 vs 29.09 pg/mL, P=0.03; for body temperature, +0.22°C vs +0.71°C, P=0.001). Mean postoperative increases in levels of other inflammatory markers (CRP, TNF-α, WBC) did not differ significantly. No statistical correlation was found between operative time and changes in IL-6, CRP, TNF-α, WBC, or body temperature. CONCLUSION Based on the smaller increase in serum IL-6 as the most important indicator of surgical stress, the surgical trauma-induced immune dysfunction may be less intense after LN than open surgery. This may explain the smooth convalescence after LN.
Hippocampal sclerosis in association with neurocysticercosis.

OBJECTIVE To discuss the possible mechanisms underlying a dual pathology combining neurocysticercosis and hippocampal atrophy, illustrated by the observation of four patients with epilepsy. CASE REPORTS The first patient presented at the age of four years with a first episode of status epilepticus, presumably due to an inflamed, calcified, parenchymal cysticercus granuloma. Thereafter, he had occasional seizures. Routine MRI undertaken several years later revealed unilateral hippocampal atrophy and sclerosis. Two other patients with initial imaging evidence of active neurocysticercosis located close to the hippocampus, and occasional seizures, developed ipsilateral hippocampal sclerosis. The seizure disorder of our fourth patient, with medically intractable epilepsy, was initially attributed to a calcified cysticercus granuloma. Clinical description, video-EEG telemetry and imaging work-up suggested a diagnosis of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy due to hippocampal sclerosis. CONCLUSIONS Definitive conclusions as to the underlying mechanisms cannot be derived from the present, retrospective series of only four patients. However, the following suggestions can be made: 1) seizures due to neurocysticercosis may constitute the initial precipitating illness for the development of hippocampal sclerosis, 2) the hippocampus may be involved in host brain inflammation and gliosis in response to a nearby, degenerating cysticercus, 3) the seizure focus formed by the degenerating cysticercus, engenders epileptogenic changes in the hippocampus through kindling, and 4) the two conditions may coexist purely by chance. Systematic and prospective, serial MRI evaluations of hippocampal structures in patients with neurocysticercosis should contribute to further clarify the underlying mechanisms.
Anthracoidea caricis-meadii is a new North American smut fungus on Carex sect. Paniceae

The morphology and phylogeny of Anthracoidea on Carex meadii (sect. Paniceae) collected in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, USA, were studied by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and LSU rDNA sequence analyses. As a result A. caricis-meadii sp. nov. is described. The fungus differs morphologically from Anthracoidea laxae and A. paniceae, which also occur on sedges from the section Paniceae. Molecular analyses support the placement of the latter species and Anthracoidea caricis-meadii in different phylogenetic lineages. Because of morphological discrepancies in the literature, A. laxae and A. paniceae also are described and illustrated based on re-examination of respective holotype and isotype specimens.