Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancing group recommendation by incorporating social relationship interactions

Group recommendation, which makes recommendations to a group of users instead of individuals, has become increasingly important in both the workspace and people's social activities, such as brainstorming sessions for coworkers and social TV for family members or friends. Group recommendation is a challenging problem due to the dynamics of group memberships and diversity of group members. Previous work focused mainly on the content interests of group members and ignored the social characteristics within a group, resulting in suboptimal group recommendation performance. In this work, we propose a group recommendation method that utilizes both social and content interests of group members. We study the key characteristics of groups and propose (1) a group consensus function that captures the social, expertise, and interest dissimilarity among multiple group members; and (2) a generic framework that automatically analyzes group characteristics and constructs the corresponding group consensus function. Detailed user studies of diverse groups demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques, and the importance of incorporating both social and content interests in group recommender systems.
Osteonecrosis diagnosed on MR images of the knee: Relationship to reduced bone mineral density determined by high resolution peripheral quantitative CT

Purpose: To evaluate if osteonecrosis diagnosed on MR images of the knee relates to reduced bone mineral density (BMD) and may be caused by an insufficiency fracture. Material and Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients (8 men, 24 women; age range 27–82 years, mean 62 years) with MR findings of osteonecrosis of the femoral or tibial condyle were prospectively included. Trabecular and cortical BMD were measured with high resolution peripheral quantitative CT in the non-dominant distal radius and the tibia of the involved extremity. One tibia was not measured due to posttraumatic deformity. Results: The mean trabecular BMD of the radius was 81% of the young-adult average peak BMD (range 19–160%). The mean cortical BMD in the radius was 86% (range 63–108%). The mean trabecular BMD in the tibia was 92% (range 28–160%). The mean cortical BMD in the tibia was 86% (range 49–132%). The values of the trabecular bone of the distal radius (tibia) were normal in 11 (15) patients, osteopenic in 12 (4), and osteoporotic in 9 (12), respectively. The cortical bone values of the distal radius (tibia) were normal in 12 (13) patients, osteopenic in 12 (12), and osteoporotic in 8 (6), respectively. Conclusion: Osteoporosis and osteopenia are commonly found in patients with osteonecrosis of the knee as diagnosed on MR images. This indicates that for some patients an insufficiency mechanism may be responsible for the MR findings. However, in the patients with normal bone density other reasons for osteonecrosis may be present.
Physiological Changes in Teeth as a Tool to Estimate Age.

With increasing age there are many changes in teeth such as attrition, peridontal disease, deposition of secondary dentine, root translucency, cementum apposition, root resorption, color changes, and increase in root roughness. By taking into consideration these secondary changes in teeth with advancing age, various studies were done to estimate the age of an individual. Such research has resulted in multifactorial methods that help in age estimation. A score was calculated noting the various physiological changes in the teeth and a graph was plotted with actual age on one axis and the score calculated on the other. Regression formulae were derived from the obtained graph. Previous regression formulae were used to calculate the age using total score recorded from the physiological factors of teeth. Formula A (newly derived formula) derived from the regression curve obtained by plotting total score against actual age was y = 4.7 x + 9.66 where y is calculated age and x is total score. Correlation of the morphological changes occurring in teeth with other factors like age and sex were also studied.
Competitive Self-Trained Pronoun Interpretation

We describe a system for pronoun interpretation that is self-trained from raw data, that is, using no annotated training data. The result outperforms a Hobbsian baseline algorithm and is only marginally inferior to an essentially identical, state-of-the-art supervised model trained from a substantial manually-annotated coreference corpus.
Short-term association between air pollution and emergency room visits for asthma in Barcelona.

BACKGROUND--Several studies have assessed the association between urban air pollutants and hospital admissions or emergency room visits for asthma with inconsistent results. The objective of this study was to assess the relation between levels of black smoke, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone and adult emergency room visits for asthma in Barcelona, Spain during the five year period 1985-9. METHODS--The daily number of emergency room visits for asthma was obtained from a register of respiratory emergencies designed to study the asthma outbreaks occurring in Barcelona. The association between asthma visits and levels of pollutants was assessed separately for summers and winters with Poisson regression models controlling for meteorological and time related variables. RESULTS--Black smoke was associated with asthma visits in summer but not in winter. The relative risk (RR) of asthma visits for a 25 micrograms/m3 increase of current day concentrations of black smoke was 1.082 (95% CI 1.011 to 1.157). The mean current and previous three day levels of black smoke led to a stronger association (RR = 1.114 (95% CI 1.010 to 1.160). In addition, nitrogen dioxide was associated with asthma visits in both summer (RR = 1.045, 95% CI 1.009 to 1.081) and winter (RR = 1.056, 95% CI 1.011 to 1.104). These associations were slightly higher for the previous day's level of nitrogen dioxide. No associations were found for sulphur dioxide or for ozone. CONCLUSIONS--This study provides further evidence of the effect of particulate pollution on asthma, and it suggests that nitrogen dioxide may have a role in the exacerbation of bronchial asthma in adults.
MicroRNA-6826 and −6875 in plasma are valuable non-invasive biomarkers that predict the efficacy of vaccine treatment against metastatic colorectal cancer

Various vaccine treatments against metastatic colorectal cancer have been developed and applied. However, to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy, biomarkers that can predict the effects are needed. It has been reported that various microRNAs (miRNAs) in peripheral blood may be useful as non-invasive biomarkers. In this study, miRNAs influencing the efficacy of vaccine treatment were screened for in a microarray analysis of 13 plasma samples that were obtained from patients prior to vaccine treatment. To validate the screening results, real-time RT-PCR was performed using 93 plasma samples obtained from patients prior to vaccine treatment. Four candidate miRNAs were selected according to the results of the comprehensive analysis of miRNA expression, which were ranked using the Fisher criterion and the absolute value of the log2 ratio in the screening analysis. The validation analysis showed that in the HLA-A*2402-matched patient group (vaccine-treated group), patients with a high expression of plasma miR-6826 had a poorer prognosis than those with a low expression (P=0.048). In contrast, in the HLA-A*2402-unmatched patient group (control group), there was no difference between the patients with high or low plasma miR-6826 expression (P=0.168). Similar results were obtained in the analysis of miR-6875 (P=0.029 and P=0.754, respectively). Moreover, multivariate analysis of the Cox regression model indicated that the expression of miR-6826 was the most significant predictor for overall survival (P=0.003, hazard ratio, 3.670). In conclusion, plasma miR-6826 and miR-6875 may be predictive biomarkers for a poor response to vaccine treatment. Although further clarification is needed regarding the functions of miR-6826 and miR-6875 and their relationship to immune-related molecules, plasma miR-6826 and miR-6875 may be useful negative biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of vaccine treatment.
A Virtual-Flux Decoupling Hysteresis Current Controller for Mains Connected Inverter Systems

This paper proposes a new simple method of three- phase, sensorless mains voltage, power control with near constant switching frequency based on a decoupling hysteresis current controller (DHC), and the virtual-flux concept. The virtual flux method is used to extract the mains voltage from the switching state, dc voltage, and line currents. From the desired real and reactive powers the three-phase currents are generated using a DHC. The DHC avoids the switching interaction between the phases, and when a variable hysteresis band is employed a near constant switching frequency is achieved. The method is also extended for high power inverter applications that include an inductance- capacitance-inductance output filter, where some undesirable characteristic, such as filter resonance, have to be compensated. Theoretical analysis is presented and the performance of the proposed method is experimentally verified.
A distributed dual-based algorithm for multi-target coverage in wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we formulate the problem of multiple targets coverage in WSNs as determining the sensing range of each sensor node to maximize total utility of the network. Our utility model includes a logarithmic function of sensing range for the utility of each sensor node as an approximation to the number of targets it covers. We used the dual decomposition technique to derive a distributed price-based algorithm for each node to adjust its sensing range during iterations with static targets. By using the dual-based algorithm in consecutive time intervals, it can be used to cover the moving targets. Extensive simulations show the convergence of sensing ranges and objective function of our approach towards optimal values in few iterations with near optimal energy consumption of nodes.
A New HA/TTCP Material for Bone Augmentation: An In Vivo Histological Pilot Study in Primates Sinus Grafting

Objective:Synthetic calcium phosphate bone substitutes are widely used in sinus graft procedures due to their osteoconductive and biocompatible properties. Hydroxyapatite (HA), beta-tricalcium phosphate (&bgr;-TCP), and HA/&bgr;-TCP composite are the most applied materials. The aim of this study was to propose a new mineralogical formulation, HA/tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP), as biomaterial for bone regeneration in the maxillary sinus. Methods:Sinus grafts were performed by using granules of a HA/TTCP blend and a collagen membrane. Bone response at time points of 14 and 17 weeks was histologically evaluated. Results:After 14 weeks of healing, histomorphometric analysis showed the formation of new bone trabeculae among HA/TTCP granules. After 17 weeks, the bone trabeculae were thicker and HA/TTCP granules were still present. Histomorphometric analysis revealed a bone graft contact (BGC) of 64%. Conclusions:After 17 weeks from implantation, HA/TTCP synthetic bone graft performed very well as osteoconductive material: BGC was found very high, and bone volume and vital bone showed an ideal bone density for implant placement. HA/TTCP granules are accounted for to accelerate new bone formation and to reduce the time needed for the graft healing, thus achieving high quantity of the new bone formed.
The New Economy , Network Effects and Market Structure

Much has been said about how the new economy differs from the old economic paradigms. Specifically, it is argued that the antiquated economic theories and antitrust laws are not well suited to deal with modern technology which moves at a lightning pace. One of the defining characteristics of the new economy that distinguishes it from the old economy is the existence of network effects and the corollary theory of lock in.  For example, network effects and lock in were central in the Microsoft antitrust trial. This paper examines the role of network effects on the structure and behavior of markets in which strong network effects exist. The paper begins with a review of the theoretical properties of network effects including a review of some of the seminal work on network effects. The definition of network effects follows that of Katz and Shapiro (1985) and refined by Liebowitz and Margolis (1990). The theoretical treatment of networks follows that of Katz and Shapiro (1985), Arthur (1989), David (1985), Liebowitz and Margolis (1990), Benson and Farrell (1994) and Economides (1995). Wellknown historical examples of industries with strong network effects are examined including the case of keyboards, video cassette recorders and operating system industries. Finally, the implications for current and future industries is provided.
Characterization of particulate cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases from bovine brain: purification of a distinct cGMP-stimulated isoenzyme.

In the absence of detergent, approximately 80-85% of the total cGMP-stimulated phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity in bovine brain was associated with washed particulate fractions; approximately 85-90% of the calmodulin-sensitive PDE was soluble. Particulate cGMP-stimulated PDE was higher in cerebral cortical gray matter than in other regions. Homogenization of the brain particulate fraction in 1% Lubrol increased cGMP-stimulated activity approximately 100% and calmodulin-stimulated approximately 400-500%. Although 1% Lubrol readily solubilized these PDE activities, approximately 75% of the cAMP PDE activity (0.5 microM [3H]cAMP) that was not affected by cGMP was not solubilized. This cAMP PDE activity was very sensitive to inhibition by Rolipram but not cilostamide. Thus, three different PDE types, i.e., cGMP stimulated, calmodulin sensitive, and Rolipram inhibited, are associated in different ways with crude bovine brain particulate fractions. After solubilization and purification by chromatography on cGMP-agarose, heparin-agarose, and Superose 6, the brain particulate cGMP-stimulated PDE cross-reacted with antibody raised against a cGMP-stimulated PDE purified from calf liver supernatant. The brain enzyme exhibited a slightly greater subunit Mr than did soluble forms from calf liver or bovine brain, as evidenced by protein staining or immunoblotting after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions. Incubation of brain particulate and liver soluble cGMP-stimulated PDEs with V8 protease produced several peptides of similar size, as well as at least two distinct fragments of approximately 27 kDa from the brain and approximately 23 kDa from the liver enzyme. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Safety and Immunogenicity of a Live Oral Recombinant Cholera Vaccine VA1.4: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults in a Cholera Endemic Area in Kolkata, India

Background A live oral cholera vaccine VA 1.4 developed from a non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor strain using ctxB gene insertion was further developed into a clinical product following cGMP and was evaluated in a double-blind randomized placebo controlled parallel group two arm trial with allocation ratio of 1∶1 for safety and immunogenicity in men and women aged 18–60 years from Kolkata, India. Method A lyophilized dose of 1.9×109 CFU (n = 44) or a placebo (n = 43) reconstituted with a diluent was administered within 5 minutes of drinking 100 ml of a buffer solution made of sodium bicarbonate and ascorbic acid and a second dose on day 14. Result The vaccine did not elicit any diarrhea related adverse events. Other adverse events were rare, mild and similar in two groups. One subject in the vaccine group excreted the vaccine strain on the second day after first dose. The proportion of participants who seroconverted (i.e. had 4-folds or higher rise in reciprocal titre) in the vaccine group were 65.9% (95% CI: 50.1%–79.5%) at both 7 days (i.e. after 1st dose) and 21 days (i.e. after 2nd dose). None of the placebo recipients seroconverted. Anti-cholera toxin antibody was detected in very few recipients of the vaccine. Conclusion This study demonstrates that VA 1.4 at a single dose of 1.9×109 is safe and immunogenic in adults from a cholera endemic region. No additional benefit after two doses was seen. Trial Registration Clinical Trials Registry-India, National Institute of Medical Statistics (Indian Council of Medical Research) CTRI/2012/04/002582
Vegetation engineers marsh morphology through multiple competing stable states

Marshes display impressive biogeomorphic features, such as zonation, a mosaic of extensive vegetation patches of rather uniform composition, exhibiting sharp transitions in the presence of extremely small topographic gradients. Although generally associated with the accretion processes necessary for marshes to keep up with relative sea level rise, competing environmental constraints, and ecologic controls, zonation is still poorly understood in terms of the underlying biogeomorphic mechanisms. Here we find, through observations and modeling interpretation, that zonation is the result of coupled geomorphological–biological dynamics and that it stems from the ability of vegetation to actively engineer the landscape by tuning soil elevation within preferential ranges of optimal adaptation. We find multiple peaks in the frequency distribution of observed topographic elevation and identify them as the signature of biologic controls on geomorphodynamics through competing stable states modulated by the interplay of inorganic and organic deposition. Interestingly, the stable biogeomorphic equilibria correspond to suboptimal rates of biomass production, a result coherent with recent observations. The emerging biogeomorphic structures may display varying degrees of robustness to changes in the rate of sea level rise and sediment availability, with implications for the overall resilience of marsh ecosystems to climatic changes.
An Efficient FPGA implementation of CCM mode using AES

Due to the exponential growth of wireless and mobile applications, security has become a paramount design aspect. New techniques have been proposed for replacing the broken Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol, which arguably is the most widely security tool used up to now in wireless environments. Under this scenario, AES in CCM (Counter with CBC-MAC) mode has been included in the IEEE 802.11i wireless standard as a promising alternative to the compromised WEP protocol. In this contribution, we present an FPGA implementation of the CCM mode of operation using AES as its block cipher. Our design achieves a throughput of 1.05 Gbits/Sec with reasonable area requirements.
Secret Sharing Schemes with Applications in Security Protocols

Preface A secret sharing scheme starts with a secret and then derives from it certain shares (or shadows) which are distributed to users. The secret may be recovered only by certain predetermined groups which belong to the access structure. Secret sharing schemes have been independently introduced by Blakley [12] and Shamir [134] as a solution for safeguarding cryptographic keys. Secret sharing schemes can be used for any situation in which the access to an important resource has to be restricted. We mention here the case of opening bank vaults or launching a nuclear missile. In the first secret sharing schemes only the number of the participants in the reconstruction phase was important for recovering the secret. Such schemes have been referred to as threshold secret sharing schemes. There are secret sharing schemes that deal with more complex access structures than the threshold ones. We mention here the weighted threshold secret sharing schemes in which a positive weight is associated to each user and the secret can be reconstructed if and only if the sum of the weights of the participants is greater than or equal to a fixed threshold, the hierarchical (or multilevel) secret sharing schemes in which the set of users is partitioned into some levels and the secret can be recovered if and only if there is an initialization level such that the number of the participants from this level or higher levels is greater than or equal to the initialization level threshold, the compartmented secret sharing schemes in which the set of users is partitioned into compartments and the secret can be recovered if and only if the number of participants from any compartment is greater than or equal to a compartment threshold and the total number of participants is greater than or equal to a global threshold. Ito, Saito, and Nishizeki [90], Benaloh and Leichter [9] have proposed constructions for realizing any monotone (i.e., if a group belongs to the access structure, so does a larger group) access iii iv structure. The schemes in which the unauthorized groups gain no information about the secret are referred to as perfect. Karnin, Greene, and Hellman [97] have proved, using the concept of entropy, that in any perfect threshold secret sharing scheme the shares must be at least as long as the secret and, later on, Capocelli, De Santis, Gargano, and Vaccaro [27] have extended this result to the …
Technological Factors Affecting Biogenic Amine Content in Foods: A Review

Biogenic amines (BAs) are molecules, which can be present in foods and, due to their toxicity, can cause adverse effects on the consumers. BAs are generally produced by microbial decarboxylation of amino acids in food products. The most significant BAs occurring in foods are histamine, tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, tryptamine, 2-phenylethylamine, spermine, spermidine, and agmatine. The importance of preventing the excessive accumulation of BAs in foods is related to their impact on human health and food quality. Quality criteria in connection with the presence of BAs in food and food products are necessary from a toxicological point of view. This is particularly important in fermented foods in which the massive microbial proliferation required for obtaining specific products is often relater with BAs accumulation. In this review, up-to-date information and recent discoveries about technological factors affecting BA content in foods are reviewed. Specifically, BA forming-microorganism and decarboxylation activity, genetic and metabolic organization of decarboxylases, risk associated to BAs (histamine, tyramine toxicity, and other BAs), environmental factors influencing BA formation (temperature, salt concentration, and pH). In addition, the technological factors for controlling BA production (use of starter culture, technological additives, effects of packaging, other non-thermal treatments, metabolizing BA by microorganisms, effects of pressure treatments on BA formation and antimicrobial substances) are addressed.
Learning the Structure of Probabilistic Graphical Models with an Extended Cascading Indian Buffet Process

This paper presents an extension of the cascading Indian buffet process (CIBP) intended to learning arbitrary directed acyclic graph structures as opposed to the CIBP, which is limited to purely layered structures. The extended cascading Indian buffet process (eCIBP) essentially consists in adding an extra sampling step to the CIBP to generate connections between non-consecutive layers. In the context of graphical model structure learning, the proposed approach allows learning structures having an unbounded number of hidden random variables and automatically selecting the model complexity. We evaluated the extended process on multivariate density estimation and structure identification tasks by measuring the structure complexity and predictive performance. The results suggest the extension leads to extracting simpler graphs without scarifying predictive precision.