Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Scalable Overlay Multicast Architecture for Large-Scale Applications

In this paper, we propose a two-tier overlay multicast architecture (TOMA) to provide scalable and efficient multicast support for various group communication applications. In TOMA, multicast service overlay network (MSON) is advocated as the backbone service domain, while end users in access domains form a number of small clusters, in which an application-layer multicast protocol is used for the communication between the clustered end users. TOMA is able to provide efficient resource utilization with less control overhead, especially for large-scale applications. It also alleviates the state scalability problem and simplifies multicast tree construction and maintenance when there are large numbers of groups in the network. To help MSON providers efficiently plan backbone service overlay, we suggest several provisioning algorithms to locate proxies, select overlay links, and allocate link bandwidth. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate the promising performance of TOMA
Blind Fingerprinting

We study blind fingerprinting, where the host sequence into w hich fingerprints are embedded is partially or completely unknown to the decoder. This proble m relates to a multiuser version of the Gel’fand-Pinsker problem. The number of colluders and the c ollusion channel are unknown, and the colluders and the fingerprint embedder are subject to distor tion constraints. We propose a conditionally constant-composition random bi nning scheme and a universal decoding rule and derive the corresponding false-positive and false -negative error exponents. The encoder is a stacked binning scheme and makes use of an auxiliary random s equence. The decoder is a maximum doubly-penalized mutual information decoder , where the significance of each candidate coalition is assessed relative to a threshold that trades off false-posi tive and false-negative error exponents. The penalty is proportional to coalition size and is a function o f the conditional type of host sequence. Positive exponents are obtained at all rates below a certain value, which is therefore a lower bound on public fingerprinting capacity. We conjecture that this val ue is the public fingerprinting capacity. A simpler threshold decoder is also given, which has similar universa lity properties but also lower achievable rates. An upper bound on public fingerprinting capacity is also deri ved.
ESBL and AmpC beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in poultry in the Czech Republic

A major reason for resistance of Enterobacteriaceae to beta-lactam antibiotics is production of ESBLs and AmpC beta-lactamases. As their more detailed description in poultry is unavailable in the Czech Republic, the presented study aimed at assessing their occurrence and molecular characteristics. A total of 154 composite samples from broilers and 150 cloacal swabs from turkeys were examined. Production of ESBLs was detected in seven Escherichia coli isolates and AmpC enzymes in two E. coli isolates. The most frequent ESBL types were CTX-M-1 and SHV-12 and the most common AmpC enzymes were the CMY-2 types.
Current and Developing Technologies for Monitoring Agents of Bioterrorism and Biowarfare

SUMMARY Recent events have made public health officials acutely aware of the importance of rapidly and accurately detecting acts of bioterrorism. Because bioterrorism is difficult to predict or prevent, reliable platforms to rapidly detect and identify biothreat agents are important to minimize the spread of these agents and to protect the public health. These platforms must not only be sensitive and specific, but must also be able to accurately detect a variety of pathogens, including modified or previously uncharacterized agents, directly from complex sample matrices. Various commercial tests utilizing biochemical, immunological, nucleic acid, and bioluminescence procedures are currently available to identify biological threat agents. Newer tests have also been developed to identify such agents using aptamers, biochips, evanescent wave biosensors, cantilevers, living cells, and other innovative technologies. This review describes these current and developing technologies and considers challenges to rapid, accurate detection of biothreat agents. Although there is no ideal platform, many of these technologies have proved invaluable for the detection and identification of biothreat agents.
Private-by-Design Advertising and Analytics: From Theory to Practice

There are a number of designs for an online advertising system that allow for behavioral targeting without revealing user online behavior or user interest profiles to the ad network. Although these designs purport to be practical solutions, none of them adequately consider the role of ad auctions, which today are central to the operation of online advertising systems. Moreover, none of the proposed designs have been deployed in real-life settings. In this thesis, we present an effort to fill this gap. First, we address the challenge of running ad auctions that leverage user profiles while keeping the profile information private. We define the problem, broadly explore the solution space, and discuss the pros and cons of these solutions. We analyze the performance of our solutions using data from Microsoft Bing advertising auctions. We conclude that, while none of our auctions are ideal in all respects, they are adequate and practical solutions. Second, we build and evaluate a fully functional prototype of a practical privacy-preserving ad system at a reasonably large scale. With more than 13K opted-in users, our system was in operation for over two months serving an average of 4800 active users daily. During the last month alone, we registered 790K ad views, 417 clicks, and even a small number of product purchases. Our system obtained click-through rates comparable with those for Google display ads. In addition, our prototype is equipped with a differentially private analytics mechanism, which we used as the primary means for gathering experimental data. In this thesis, we describe our first-hand experience and lessons learned in running the world's first fully operational “private-by-design” behavioral advertising and analytics system.
Diverse properties of external and internal forms of yeast invertase derived from the same gene.

It has been shown by genetic analysis that the external and internal invertases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae share a common structural gene [Taussig, R. , & Carlson, M. (1983) Nucleic Acids Res. 11, 1943-1954]. However, the only amino acid composition of these two forms of invertase reported to date has revealed extensive differences [Gascon, S. , Neumann, N.P., & Lampen, J.O. (1968) J. Biol. Chem. 243, 1573-1577]. We have found from amino acid analyses of both enzymes and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel analysis of their cyanogen bromide peptides that they are most likely identical in their amino acid sequence. However, the invertases exhibit dramatically different physical properties, particularly in their stability. The most striking difference was in their renaturation following guanidine treatment where it was shown that inactivated external invertase could be renatured completely. Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H treated external invertase was restored to 40% of its original activity while internal invertase remained completely inactive. The observed differences may be attributed to the presence and absence of the oligosaccharide moiety in the external and internal invertases, respectively.
Cancelling known interference in multiple access channels

We study two generalizations of the writing on dirty paper problem. The first scenario is the cross interference multiple access channel, where each user knows the interference that accompanies the transmission of the other user. In the second scenario we consider a two-user multiple access chancel with a common interference known to both transmitters. For the first scenario, we provide new inner and outer bounds for the capacity region. While the capacity region for the second problem was previously known, we provide a constructive coding scheme which attains it.
Cellular metabolism of myeloid cells in sepsis

In recent years, it has become appreciated that immune cells have different metabolic profiles depending on their activation status. During sepsis, circulating leukocytes go through a hyperinflammatory state, which can be accompanied or followed by defective antimicrobial defenses (also described as immune tolerance or paralysis). In this review, the modulation of different cellular metabolic pathways during sepsis in monocytes and macrophages will be discussed. Glycolysis is studied extensively in sepsis and is up‐regulated in hyperinflammatory cells, whereas in immune tolerance, it is often down‐regulated. Few data are available on other metabolic pathways in immune cells from patients with sepsis. The pentose phosphate pathway is up‐regulated during acute hyperinflammatory responses, whereas fatty acid β‐oxidation is increased later during sepsis and is associated with an anti‐inflammatory (M2) phenotype of macrophages. Within the amino acid metabolism we will discuss the most studied metabolites. Collectively, these data argue that exploration of the immunometabolic pathways in sepsis is an important area of research, and the targeting of metabolic pathways may represent a promising novel strategy as a therapy of sepsis.
Nutrition Support Protocols: Enhancing Delivery of Enteral Nutrition

&NA; In critical care, malnutrition has a significant, negative impact on a patient's ability to respond to medical treatment. Enteral nutrition is known to counteract the metabolic changes associated with critical illness that increase the risk for serious complications and poor clinical outcomes. Inadequate delivery of nutrition support and underfeeding persist in intensive care units despite the availability of guidelines and current research for best practice. Recent studies have shown that nutrition support protocols are effective in promoting nutritional goals in a wide variety of intensive care patients. It is essential to find approaches that enhance early delivery of enteral nutrition that meets requirements and supports improved outcomes. Nurses are in a unique position to take an active role in promoting the best nutritional outcomes for their patients by using and evaluating nutrition support protocols.
Evidence for compromised aldosterone synthase enzyme activity in preeclampsia.

BACKGROUND In normal pregnancy, an increased aldosterone (Aldo) concentration coincides with volume expansion. In preeclampsia, Aldo levels are low despite intravascular volume depletion. The present investigation aimed to characterize the compromised Aldo synthesis in preeclampsia, and to identify the molecular basis hereof. METHODS We recruited 66 pregnant women (24 uneventful, 42 preeclamptic). Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes. Urine samples were obtained for gas chromatography-mass spectroscopic measurements of steroid hormones reflecting apparent Aldo synthase (CYP11B2) and 11-hydroxylase (CYP11B1) activities. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based screening for CYP11B2 mutations was performed by SSCP, restriction analysis, and sequencing. RESULTS CYP11B1 activity was unaltered, but reduction of mean tetrahydro (TH)-Aldo excretion by a factor of 3.9 indicated a diminished CYP11B2 activity in preeclampsia. Accordingly, the ratios of (TH-11-dehydrocorticosterone [A]+TH-corticosterone [B]+5alpha-THB) to (TH-cortisone +TH-cortisol [F]+5alpha-THF) and of 18-OH-THA to THAldo were increased in preeclampsia 2.6- and 15.2-fold, respectively, indicating reduced Aldo synthesis due to diminished methyl oxidase (MO) activity. A lower percentage of women with normal pregnancies had CYP11B2 mutations when compared to preeclamptic women (P < 0.05). Eight polymorphisms were detected, two of which were non-amino acid conserving. Of those, the mutation V386A, earlier found to jeopardize MO activity, was exclusively observed in preeclampsia (0% vs. 17%; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Aldo deficiency due to a compromised MO step of Aldo synthesis favors extracellular volume depletion, and may account for an increased risk of placental hypoperfusion and consecutive development of preeclampsia. The sole presence of mutation V386A in preeclamptic mothers may identify a subgroup with an increased risk to develop preeclampsia during pregnancy.
Multiplex bead immunoassay analysis of aqueous humor reveals distinct cytokine profiles in uveitis.

PURPOSE To extensively characterize the complex network of cytokines present in uveitis aqueous humor (AqH), and the relationships between cytokines and the cellular infiltrate. METHODS AqH from noninflammatory control subjects and patients with idiopathic, Fuchs' heterochromic cyclitis (FHC), and herpes-viral or Behçet's uveitis were analyzed for IL-1beta, -2, -4, -5, -7, -8, -10, -12, -13, -15, TNFalpha, IFNgamma, CCL2 (MCP-1), CCL5 (RANTES), CCL11 (Eotaxin), TGFbeta2, and CXCL12 (SDF-1), using multiplex bead immunoassays. The cellular infiltrate was also determined for each sample. RESULTS Idiopathic uveitis AqH, compared with noninflammatory controls, was characterized by high levels of IL-6, IL-8, CCL2 and IFNgamma, the levels of which correlated with each other. For IL-6 and IL-8 these levels were proportional to the number of neutrophils present. By contrast, the levels of both TGFbeta2 and CXCL12 decreased in idiopathic uveitis AqH with increasing inflammation. Cluster analysis showed a degree of segregation between noninflammatory and idiopathic uveitis AqH. Further examination using random forest analysis yielded a complete distinction between these two groups. The minimum cytokines required for this classification were IL-6, IL-8, CCL2, IL-13, TNFalpha, and IL-2. CONCLUSIONS Application of multiplex bead immunoassays has allowed us to identify distinct patterns of cytokines that relate to both clinical disease and the cellular infiltrates present. Bioinformatics analysis allowed identification of cytokines that differentiate idiopathic uveitis from noninflammatory control AqH and are likely to be important for the pathogenesis of uveitis.
Local and Global Intensity Information Integrated Geodesic Model for Image Segmentation

In this paper, we propose a novel active contour model for image segmentation integrating the local and global intensity information into the geodesic model. A signed pressure forces function based on the statistical information of gray intensity is used to replace the edge stopping function in the traditional geodesic model. The minimization of the energy of contour is implemented by level set method with a binary level set function avoiding the problem of reinitializing the traditional level set function to a signed distance function. Experimental results show the proposed model can obtain improved segmentation result compared to related method. It can effectively prevent the boundary leakage while maintaining robustness against the initialization position.
The Economic Burden of Opioid Abuse: Updated Findings.

BACKGROUND Opioid pain relievers can be highly effective in providing relief for patients suffering from pain. At the same time, prescription opioid abuse, dependence, overdose, and poisoning (hereinafter "abuse") have become a national public health concern. Opioid abuse is also costly: previous estimates of the annual excess costs of opioid abuse to payers range from approximately $10,000 to $20,000 per patient. OBJECTIVES To (a) provide a comprehensive, current estimate of the economic burden of opioid abuse to commercial payers and (b) explore the drivers of these excess costs of abuse. METHODS Administrative claims from beneficiaries covered by large self-insured companies throughout the United States were used to identify patients diagnosed with opioid abuse, dependence, and overdose/poisoning ("abuse") between 2012 and 2015. Sample selection criteria identified patients most likely to be misusing opioids. Abusers and nonabuser controls were matched using propensity scores. Excess health care costs were assessed over the 18-month study period. Drivers of excess costs were then evaluated by place of service and medical condition (identified as 3-digit ICD-9-CM groupings). RESULTS 9,342 matched abuser/nonabuser pairs were analyzed. Relative to nonabusers, abusers had significantly higher annual health care resource utilization, leading to $14,810 in per-patient incremental annual health care costs. Excess costs began accumulating 5 months before the formal, incident diagnosis of abuse, driven by alcohol and nonopioid substance abuse. Major drivers of excess costs of abuse included opioid and other substance abuse disorders, mental health conditions, and painful conditions. Many patients had diagnoses for other substance abuse that predated their opioid abuse diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS Opioid abuse imposes a substantial economic burden on payers and often occurs in the context of other substance abuse. Poly-substance abuse often precedes the diagnosis of opioid abuse. DISCLOSURES This study was funded by Purdue Pharma. Mayne is an employee of Purdue Pharma. Kirson, Scarpati, and Birnbaum are employees of Analysis Group, which received funding from Purdue Pharma to conduct this study. Enloe and Dincer were employees of Analysis Group at the time this research was conducted. Study concept and design were contributed by Kirson, Birnbaum, Mayne, and Scarpati, along with Enloe and Dincer. Enloe and Dincer took the lead in data collection, along with Birnbaum and assisted by Kirson and Scarpati. Data interpretation was performed by all the authors. The manuscript was written and revised by Kirson and Scarpati, along with Mayne and Birnbaum.
The Relationship between Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity Fluctuations and Sleep State in Normal Newborns

ABSTRACT: Cerebral blood flow velocity was recorded for an average of 23 4-min epochs during natural sleep in 11 normal full-term newborn babies. Intracranial pressure, core temperature, and respiration were simultaneously and non-invasively monitored. Sleep state was classified using information from EEG, pattern of respiration, and eye and body movements by a trained observer. From a total of 238 epochs, 66 were considered to occur in quiet sleep, 101 in active sleep, and in 77 the baby was awake, in a transitional state or moving excessively. Slow cyclical variations in cerebral blood flow velocity were observed with a frequency of between 2 and 6 cycles/min, and these were of significantly greater amplitude during quiet sleep (24%) compared to active sleep (16%; p < 0.0001, Mann Whitney U test). There was no difference in median cerebral blood flow velocity (7.5 cm/s). The cyclical variation observed in normal babies were similar to those described in preterm babies and adults, at a similar frequency to B waves in intracranial pressure. They may represent vasomotor waves in the small autoregulatory arteries of the brain. Reduction in sensitivity of the receptors initiating the waves may occur in active sleep or there may be competition from other oscillatory mechanisms.
The object paradigm is to be reconsidered for distributed systems

The information hiding property states a clean distinction between external visibility and internal perspective of an object. The external world has reduced visibility of the inside of an object: normally only an interface constitued by operation names is visible. Within any object, instead, there is the full visibility, in particular of the object state. This makes possible thateach object decides its internal policies independently of any environment decision. Object communications produce the global computation in object-based systems. An object can communicate with another if and only if knows it via a reference [Lis79]. In object systems, a communication implies that client objects request operations defined in the interface of server objects. These requests are exchanged by using message-passing mechanisms. Dynamicity of communications means that an object can change its visibility, i.e. the objects it can refer. Classification and factorization by inheritance gives object environments the possibility of applying reusability and extensibility. On the one hand, object applications can be designed and programmed by reusing already developed software. On the other hand, applications based on objectscan evolve to follow changes of specification. In the case of dynamic changes, the possibility of updating classes at run-time constitutes an useful tool.
CD38+ CD45RBlow CD4+ T cells: a population of T cells with immune regulatory activities in vitro

An antibody reactive with CD38 revealed both phenotypic and functional heterogeneity amongst CD45RBlow cells. Functional analysis of the CD38+ and CD38− fractions showed that the latter contained T cells which responded to recall antigens and produced high levels of cytokine in response to polyclonal stimulation. In contrast, the CD38+ population failed to proliferate or to produce detectable levels of cytokines. Despite appearing unresponsive, the CD38+ population significantly inhibited anti‐CD3‐induced proliferation and cytokine secretion by the reciprocal CD38− population. Immune suppression required stimulation through the TCR and was dependent on a physical interaction between regulatory and responding CD4+ populations. It did not involve killing of the responding T cells or secretion of IL‐10 or TGF‐β. Despite some similarities there is no direct correlation between the in vitro suppression characteristic of the CD38+ CD45RBlow subset and in vivo suppression which has been shown to be mediated by unseparated CD45RBlow CD4+ T cells. However, these results demonstrate that two functionally distinct subsets of T cells reside within the antigen‐exposed or CD45RBlow CD4+ T cell population and are thus generated in vivo: (1) conventional memory T cells which proliferate and secrete cytokines in response to activation and (2) a population of regulatory T cells which inhibit T cell activation in vitro. Antibodies reactive with CD38 may provide a useful tool with which to study the role of these T cell subsets in the induction and regulation of the immune response.
Acquired von Willebrand syndrome: An update

Acquired von Willebrand syndrome (aVWS) is a rare bleeding disorder with laboratory findings similar to those for congenital von Willebrand disease (VWD). However, unlike congenital VWD, it arises in individuals with no personal or family history of bleeding. aVWS occurs in association with a variety of underlying disorders, most frequently in lymphoproliferative disorders, myeloproliferative disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. Through an analysis of the more recent literature data, the pathophysiology and the clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic aspects of this syndrome are concisely reported in this review. Am. J. Hematol. , 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Capacity results for a class of deterministic Z-interference channels with unidirectional receiver conferencing

We study the Z-interference channel in which there is an additional orthogonal link from the interference-free receiver to the interfered receiver. We call this channel model the Z-interference channel with unidirectional receiver conferencing. We find the capacity region when the Z-interference channel belongs to the class of deterministic Z-interference channels studied by El Gamal & Costa in 1982. Our results show that in the presence of unidirectional receiver conferencing, it is still optimal for the interfering transmitter to use superposition encoding to control the amount of interference it causes. For the interference-free receiver, it is optimal to forward part of the decoded message over the orthogonal cooperation link. We further note that the same scheme is also optimal for another class of Z-interference channels studied by Liu & Goldsmith in 2009.