Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Offsetting the genotoxic effects of sleep disruption

In a cross-sectional observational study of 49 healthy doctors, Cheung et al. demonstrated that, compared with normal sleep patterns, acute sleep deprivation through overnight on-site call activity was associated with significantly more DNA breaks and lower baseline DNA repair gene expression [1]. An accompanying editorial by Fuller and Eikermann eloquently cautioned against misinterpreting the clinical consequences of these preliminary results, but went on to summarise other accepted health implications of occupational sleep disruption [2]. If these findings can be repeated (longitudinally) in other geographical populations, individual clinicians and the medical profession as a whole would be right to be concerned, particularly as Cheung et al.’s work demonstrates genotoxicity after only a single night’s sleep disruption. Further work is needed to ascertain whether such damage is cumulative, and therefore whether clinicians incur greater amounts of both DNA damage (risking malignancy, cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative diseases) and telomere shortening (accelerating ageing) [3] throughout a career involving on-call/shift work activity. In the interim, what can the clinician do practically to offset such damage? It is unrealistic to expect anaesthetists not to undertake on-call activities in a 24/7 society. Nor, currently, is it possible pharmacologically to either mitigate DNA damage using anti-oxidants or manipulate telomerase activity to any great effect [4], although CRISPR-Cas9 editing/ non-homologous and homologous repair technology offers future promise [5]. Instead, a relatively low-tech, integrative approach to self-care appears to best offset the occupational epigenesis of cancer, with the added benefit of ameliorating other ‘diseases of affluence’ including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, dementia and auto-immune disease. Thematically, such limited evidence as there is currently supports the lifestyle adoption of a supplemented, plant-based, whole food diet [6] plus physical exercise [7], sleep hygiene [8] and stress reduction [9]: medice, cura te ipsum (‘Physician, heal thyself’). I would encourage the Association of Anaesthetists to consider promoting elements of this advice in its forthcoming Wellbeing and Support guidance on ‘Looking after your own health and work life balance’, and when updating its 2014 guidance (due 2019) ‘Occupational Health and the Anaesthetist’ [10].
Collaborative Intrusion Detection Networks and Insider Attacks

Cyber intrusion is becoming an increasingly global and urgent problem. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) are deployed to identify intrusions and mitigate their damage. A stand alone IDS does not have complete information or knowledge to detect intrusions. A Collaborative Intrusion Detection Network (CIDN) consists in a set of cooperating IDSs which use collective knowledge and experience to achieve improved intrusion detection accuracy. However, insider attackers may severely degrade the efficiency of CIDNs. This paper provides a survey of some CIDNs and analyzes their robustness against insider attacks. We first classify network intrusions, IDSs, and insider attacks for CIDNs according to their behaviors and the techniques they use. A taxonomy of CIDNs is then provided with an analysis based on criteria of topology, scope, specialization, data privacy awareness, and their vulnerabilities to insider attacks. Some of the open challenges and future directions in cooperative CIDNs are discussed in the last section.
A Semi-Supervised Approach to Perceived Age Prediction from Face Images

We address the problem of perceived age estimation from face images, and propose a new semi-supervised approach involving two novel aspects. The first novelty is an efficient active learning strategy for reducing the cost of labeling face samples. Given a large number of unlabeled face samples, we reveal the cluster structure of the data and propose to label cluster-representative samples for covering as many clusters as possible. This simple sampling strategy allows us to boost the performance of a manifold-based semi-supervised learning method only with a relatively small number of labeled samples. The second contribution is to take the heterogeneous characteristics of human age perception into account. It is rare to misjudge the age of a 5-year-old child as 15 years old, but the age of a 35-year-old person is often misjudged as 45 years old. Thus, magnitude of the error is different depending on subjects’ age. We carried out a large-scale questionnaire survey for quantifying human age perception characteristics, and propose to utilize the quantified characteristics in the framework of weighted regression. Consequently, our proposed method is expressed in the form of weighted least-squares with a manifold regularizer, which is scalable to massive datasets. Through real-world age estimation experiments, we demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method.
Differences in norms towards the use of nicotine vaping products among adult smokers, former smokers and nicotine vaping product users: cross-sectional findings from the 2016 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.

AIMS To examine whether norms towards nicotine vaping product (NVP) use varied between Australia, Canada, England and the United States and by socio-demographics, smoking and NVP status. DESIGN Cross-sectional data from the 2016 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey. SETTING Four countries with distinct regulatory policies relating to the sale and advertising of NVPs: Australia (most restrictive), Canada (restrictive), England and the United States (least restrictive). PARTICIPANTS A total of 10900 adult (age 18+) current smokers, former smokers, or at least weekly NVP users. Respondents were from Australia (n = 1366), Canada (n = 3309), England (n = 3835) and the United States (n = 2390). MEASUREMENTS Questions permitted the categorization of respondents as current smokers, former smokers, NVP users and socio-demographic categories (sex, age, country, ethnicity, income and education). Further questions were asked regarding the frequency of exposure to NVPs in public, whether they had a partner or close friends who vaped and whether they believed society or those considered important to them approved of NVPs. FINDINGS Adjusting for relevant covariates, compared with Australian respondents, those in England, Canada and the United States were more likely to report frequent exposure to NVPs in public (83.1%, 57.3% and 48.3%, respectively, compared to 19.8% in Australia; P < 0.0001), having a partner who vaped (13.8%, 7.1% and 7.7%, respectively, compared to 2.1% in Australia; P < 0.0001) and having close friend(s) who vaped (31.7%, 25.3%, 20.9%, respectively, compared to 10.0% in Australia; P < 0.0001). Compared with Australian respondents, respondents from England were more likely to report that society (27.6% compared to 12.3% in Australia; P < 0.0001) and people important to them approved of NVP use (28.9% compared to 14.3% in Australia; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Norms towards nicotine vaping product (NVP) use appear to vary among countries with different regulatory contexts regarding sales and advertising.
Comparison of side-to-end vs. side-to-side proximal arteriovenous fistula anastomosis in chronic renal failure patients

Introduction Anastomotic creation of autogenous arteriovenous fistulas can be performed in different ways, side-to-end or side-to-side. However, there is a paucity of evidence to recommend them. The aim of this study is to compare both anastomosis types in elbow arteriovenous fistulas. Material and methods A prospective observational national multicenter study (ISRCTN62033470) was designed, including patients receiving a native arteriovenous fistula in the elbow using side-to-end or side-to-side anastomosis, between September, 2016 and September, 2017, with six-month postoperative follow-up period. Patient characteristics, surgical details, and follow-up data (primary, assisted primary and secondary patency, maturation, functionality, complications) were recorded and compared between both anastomosis groups using Kaplan–Meier curves estimations, at one and six-month follow-up, and finally a multivariate analysis with Cox regression was performed. Results Three centers participated in the study, including 133 cases (96 side-to-end, 37 side-to-side). The cephalic vein was more often used for side-to-end (58.3%) and basilic for side-to-side (78.4%; P < 0.001). Side-to-end anastomoses were faster to create (65.1–75.1 min; P = 0.009). During follow-up, 23 cases were lost (transplanted, dead, ligated, or lost), with no differences at one month. At six months, primary patency was better for the side-to-end group (78.5 − 55.9%; P = 0.038), but it was not confirmed as an independent predictor in the multivariate analysis. Furthermore, no significant differences in assisted primary or secondary patency, maturation or functionality were seen. Patients with side-to-side anastomosis more often required vein superficialization (2.1–16.2%; P = 0.002) and presented more frequent puncture hematomas (4.9–30.0%; P = 0.015). Conclusions Anastomosis type was not significantly related to different outcomes in the follow-up. Even though side-to-end anastomosis showed better primary patency at six months with lower need of vein superficialization and fewer puncture hematomas during follow-up, it was not confirmed as an independent predictor in the multivariate analysis, and similar assisted primary and secondary patency, maturation, and functionality rates have been seen after arteriovenous fistula creation.
Specificity, strength, and evolution of pretransplant donor‐specific HLA antibodies determine outcome after kidney transplantation

In this cohort study (N = 924), we investigated the evolution and clinical significance of pretransplant donor‐specific HLA antibodies (preDSA), detected in the single‐antigen beads assay but complement‐dependent cytotoxicity crossmatch‐negative. Donor specificity of the preDSA (N = 107) was determined by high‐resolution genotyping of donor‐recipient pairs. We found that in 52% of the patients with preDSA, preDSA spontaneously resolved within the first 3 months posttransplant. PreDSA that persisted posttransplant had higher pretransplant median fluorescence intensity values and more specificity against DQ. Patients with both resolved and persistent DSA had a high incidence of histological picture of antibody‐mediated rejection (ABMRh; 54% and 59% respectively). Patients with preDSA that persisted posttransplant had worse 10‐year graft survival compared to resolved DSA and preDSA‐negative patients. Compared to cases without preDSA, Cox modeling revealed an increased risk of graft failure only in the patients with persistent DSA, in the presence (hazard ratio [HR] = 8.3) but also in the absence (HR = 4.3) of ABMRh. In contrast, no increased risk of graft failure was seen in patients with resolved DSA. We conclude that persistence of preDSA posttransplant has a negative impact on graft survival, beyond ABMRh. Even in the absence of antibody‐targeting therapy, low median fluorescence intensity DSA and non‐DQ preDSA often disappear early posttransplantation and are not deleterious for graft outcome.
A Study on Twitter 4j Libraries for Data Acquisition from Tweets

Due to various programming languages & its compatibility issues with databases and utilization some lead to develop libraries for reusable patterns. In this paper, we explore the utilization of Twitter4J libraries which are reliable Twitter APIs and that can be integrated to any applications for data acquisition in any format. It is a cross-platform tool and can be used on several operating systems, with the latest versions of Java Runtime Environment. The utility can be used as it is without any customizations it has no dependencies to any other system on which it runs. The usage of Twitter4J is simple, as all you need to do is copy the JAR file to the preferred classpath and use it. Here we explore the method of using twitter4J libraries for data acquisition for data analytics. This work will help data scientist, data quality analyst and business users.
A self-driving robot using deep convolutional neural networks on neuromorphic hardware

Neuromorphic computing is a promising solution for reducing the size, weight and power of mobile embedded systems. In this paper, we introduce a realization of such a system by creating the first closed-loop battery-powered communication system between an IBM Neurosynaptic System (IBM TrueNorth chip) and an autonomous Android-Based Robotics platform. Using this system, we constructed a dataset of path following behavior by manually driving the Android-Based robot along steep mountain trails and recording video frames from the camera mounted on the robot along with the corresponding motor commands. We used this dataset to train a deep convolutional neural network implemented on the IBM NS1e board containing a TrueNorth chip of 4096 cores. The NS1e, which was mounted on the robot and powered by the robot's battery, resulted in a self-driving robot that could successfully traverse a steep mountain path in real time. To our knowledge, this represents the first time the IBM TrueNorth has been embedded on a mobile platform under closed-loop control.
FASCIATED EAR4 Encodes a bZIP Transcription Factor That Regulates Shoot Meristem Size in Maize[OPEN]

Maize FASCIATED EAR4 encodes a DNA binding protein that regulates the development of the maize shoot stem cell population, in a manner that may be different from previously known mechanisms. Plant architecture is dictated by precise control of meristematic activity. In the shoot, an imbalance in positive or negative maintenance signals can result in a fasciated or enlarged meristem phenotype. fasciated ear4 (fea4) is a semidwarfed mutant with fasciated ears and tassels as well as greatly enlarged vegetative and inflorescence meristems. We identified FEA4 as a bZIP transcription factor, orthologous to Arabidopsis thaliana PERIANTHIA. FEA4 was expressed in the peripheral zone of the vegetative shoot apical meristem and in the vasculature of immature leaves and conspicuously excluded from the stem cell niche at the tip of the shoot apical meristem and from incipient leaf primordia. Following the transition to reproductive fate, FEA4 was expressed throughout the entire inflorescence and floral meristems. Native expression of a functional YFP:FEA4 fusion recapitulated this pattern of expression. We used chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing to identify 4060 genes proximal to FEA4 binding sites, including ones that were potentially bound and modulated by FEA4 based on transcriptional changes in fea4 mutant ears. Our results suggest that FEA4 promotes differentiation in the meristem periphery by regulating auxin-based responses and genes associated with leaf differentiation and polarity, potentially in opposition to factors such as KNOTTED1 and WUSCHEL.
Low delay and secure M2M communication mechanism for eHealthcare

Currently, the eHealthcare information management is the most critical and hot research topic. Especially with the involvement of new and promising telecommunication technologies like Machine to Machine (M2M) Communication. In M2M communication the devices interact and exchange information with each other in an autonomous manner to accomplish the required tasks. Mostly machine communicate to another machine wirelessly. The wireless communication opens the medium for enormous vulnerabilities and make it very easy for hackers to access the confidential information and can perform malicious activities. In this paper, we propose a Machine to Machine (M2M) Low Delay and Secure (LDS) communication system for e-healthcare community based on random distributive key management scheme and modified Kerberos realm to ensure data security. The system is capable to perform the tasks in an autonomous and intelligent manner that minimizes the workload of medical staffs, and improves the quality of patient care as well as the system performance. We show how the different actors in the e-healthcare community can interact with each other in a secure manner. The system handles dynamic assignments of doctors to specific patients. The proposed architecture further provides security against false attack, false triggering and temper attack. Finally, the simulation type implementation is performed on Visual Basic . net 2013 that shows the feasibility of the proposed Low Delay and Secure (LDS) algorithm.
Intraoperative serious complications of laparoscopic urological surgeries: a single institute experience of 4,380 procedures

ABSTRACT This study aimed to share a single institute experience of 4,380 procedures about in-traoperative serious complications of laparoscopic urological surgeries. From January 2005 to December 2013, 4,380 cases of laparoscopic urological surgeries were recruited in our department. The distribution, incidence, and characteristics of intraoperative serious complications were retrospectively sorted out and analyzed. The surgeries were divided into three groups: very difficult (VD), difficult (D), and easy (E). The com¬plication at Satava class II was defined to be serious. One hundred thirty one cases with intraoperative serious complications were found (3.0%). The incidence of these complications was significantly increased along with the difficulty of the surgeries (P<0.05). The highest morbidity of serious complication belonged to total cystectomy with a ratio of about 17% as compared with other surgeries (P<0.05). The types of these complications included small vascular injury demanding blood transfusion (101 cases, 77.1%), large vascular (venous and artery) injury (16 cases), hypercapnia & acidosis (8 cases), and organ injury (6 cases). The cases of conversion to open surgery were 37 (≤1%). There was no significant difference in the rates of conversion to open surgery among the three groups (P>0.05). The overall tendency of the intraoperative serious complications was decreasing with the time from 2005 to 2013. In conclusion, through standardized training including improving the surgical technique, being familiar with the anatomic relationship, and constantly summarizing the experience and lessons, laparoscopic surgery could be safe and effective with not only minimal invasion but also few complications.
Ipomoeassin F Binds Sec61α to Inhibit Protein Translocation

Ipomoeassin F is a potent natural cytotoxin that inhibits growth of many tumor cell lines with single-digit nanomolar potency. However, its biological and pharmacological properties have remained largely unexplored. Building upon our earlier achievements in total synthesis and medicinal chemistry, we used chemical proteomics to identify Sec61α (protein transport protein Sec61 subunit alpha isoform 1), the pore-forming subunit of the Sec61 protein translocon, as a direct binding partner of ipomoeassin F in living cells. The interaction is specific and strong enough to survive lysis conditions, enabling a biotin analogue of ipomoeassin F to pull down Sec61α from live cells, yet it is also reversible, as judged by several experiments including fluorescent streptavidin staining, delayed competition in affinity pulldown, and inhibition of TNF biogenesis after washout. Sec61α forms the central subunit of the ER protein translocation complex, and the binding of ipomoeassin F results in a substantial, yet selective, inhibition of protein translocation in vitro and a broad ranging inhibition of protein secretion in live cells. Lastly, the unique resistance profile demonstrated by specific amino acid single-point mutations in Sec61α provides compelling evidence that Sec61α is the primary molecular target of ipomoeassin F and strongly suggests that the binding of this natural product to Sec61α is distinctive. Therefore, ipomoeassin F represents the first plant-derived, carbohydrate-based member of a novel structural class that offers new opportunities to explore Sec61α function and to further investigate its potential as a therapeutic target for drug discovery.
Development of nano-dissection chip for analysis of chromosome nanostructure and its function

The dissection of chromosomes followed by extraction of specific DNA fragments constitutes a topic of high interest, especially for cytogenetic studies in the post genome era. The dissected chromosomes can be used in various conventional applications, including establishing probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), the generation of chromosome band-specific libraries and physical mapping for cytogenetic analysis. For this purpose, several reports using micro- and nano-dissection methods by micromanipulators have been published. In the present study, we developed a functional chromosome nano-dissection chip that can dissect various chromosomes in one-chip by using the pattern chip with nano-scale porous anodic alumina. The porous anodic alumina, that makes use of self-organized nanoarray materials as a template for the pattern chip, has a highly oriented porous structure with uniform and nearly parallel pores that can be organized in an almost precise close-packed hexagonal structure. The most characteristic feature of this material has been emphasized with the extremely high aspect ratio of their channels that is difficult to achieve with conventional lithographic techniques. This chromosome nano-dissection chip can dissect directly a specific chromosome into a nano-scale pore without AFM dissection process. Thus, we expect that are chromosome nanoarray chip is very suitable for arraying chromosome fragments without the recovery process with the possibility of direct immobilization of chromosome fragments into nano-scale pore of this chip.
Analysis of Toxigenic Fusarium Species Associated with Wheat Grain from Three Regions of Russia: Volga, Ural, and West Siberia

Wheat grains collected in three regions of Russia—Volga, Ural, and West Siberia—were analyzed for triangulation of methods in analysis of toxigenic Fusarium species. The presence of fungi and quantitative content of their biomass were detected by using various analytical methods, including a mycological and immunochemical methods, and quantitative PCR. Additionally, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry were applied for determination of mycotoxins. Regional differences were found regarding the contamination of wheat grain by Fusarium fungi and their toxins. The most important observation was the detection of F. graminearum in the Ural and West Siberian regions, where this pathogen had not been found previously. A maximum damaged grains by F. graminearum and F. sporotrichioides was found in the grain samples from West Siberia. The DNA of F. graminearum was detected in 19.2% and DNA of F. sporotrichioides was found in 84.1% of the analyzed grain samples. The amount of Fusarium antigens in the grain samples from the West Siberian region was 7–8 times higher than in the grain samples from the other two regions. Significant contamination of the grain with deoxynivalenol and T-2/HT-2 toxins (maximum contents were 2239 ppb and 199 ppb, respectively) was detected in the West Siberian region.