Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting online health community participation behavior in patients with thyroid cancer

Globally, cancer patients obtain much of their disease information online. Online health communities allow patients to share questions and information about diseases. However, there have been few studies on the factors affecting online health community participation behavior in cancer patients. Online social networking is associated with mental health problems, and patients with thyroid cancer experience high levels of distress, anxiety and depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with use of online health communities by patients with thyroid cancer to understand the characteristics of patients participating in such online communities. A questionnaire survey was completed by 114 thyroid cancer patients admitted for surgery at a general hospital in Seoul, Korea. General characteristics, clinical characteristics, attitude toward cancer, distress, and anxiety and depression scores of patients who joined an online health community (user group) and patients who did not (non-user group) were compared. The factors affecting online health community participation were education (p = 0.049), tumor size (p = 0.010), attitude toward cancer (p = 0.022), and anxiety and depression (p = 0.021). The average score of satisfaction with the online health community was 4.25 of 5. The user group had larger tumors, a high awareness of the risk of thyroid cancer, and high levels of anxiety and depression. Patients who actively used the online health community have relatively larger cancer size and had higher levels of mental stress. As such patients are often very anxious and depend heavily on the gathered information, the quality of this information is important. Healthcare professionals need to develop appropriate interventions for patients participating in the online health community.
Identification by quantitative gas chromatography of common Fusobacterium species isolated from clinical specimens

Two unusual hydroxy acids have recently been described in broth cultures of certain anaerobes. Based on these and other known metabolic end‐products, an identification scheme from quantitative gas chromatography for common Fusobacterium species was established. After examining 137 isolates and eight type strains the scheme agrees with conventional procedures. This was assisted by only three simple tests: gas, indole and lipase production. No other subculture was needed.
Do male hoots betray parasite loads in Tawny Owls

Bird song structure may honestly reveal the health and vigour of individual males to potential mates and competitors. If this is the case then song may reflect the level of parasitic infections in males. We initially examined the relationship between blood parasite infections and the time taken to respond by 22 male Tawny Owls to a broadcast hoot. We then examined the call structure (total length and frequency) in relation to parasite infection, an index of owl condition and an index of food abundance. Owls with higher parasite loads responded more slowly to an intruder, although this relationship was not significant once condition and vole abundance were controlled for. We found no relationship between call length and any of the measured variables. However, the high frequency and the range of frequencies used in calls decreased with increasing parasite load. Thus, there was the potential for individuals to assess male parasite load from the speed of response and the structure of the call. Experimental tests of these relationships are now required.
LinggleWrite: a Coaching System for Essay Writing

This paper presents LinggleWrite, a writing coach that provides writing suggestions, assesses writing proficiency levels, detects grammatical errors, and offers corrective feedback in response to user’s essay. The method involves extracting grammar patterns, training models for automated essay scoring (AES) and grammatical error detection (GED), and finally retrieving plausible corrections from a n-gram search engine. Experiments on public test sets indicate that both AES and GED models achieve state-of-the-art performance. These results show that LinggleWrite is potentially useful in helping learners improve their writing skills.
Macroinvertebrate community responses to selection logging in riparian and upland areas of headwater catchments in a northern hardwood forest

Abstract Aquatic insect communities were examined in 2 streams at different selection logging intensities in headwater catchments of a northern hardwood forest. Insect communities of these streams were compared to those of a nearby reference stream (no harvesting) over a 2-y pre- and 3-y post-logging period. The experimental catchments were logged by a mechanical harvester and cable skidders, one at a low-intensity (29% basal area removal) and the other at a moderate-intensity (42% basal area removal) harvesting rate. There were no riparian reserves or buffer zones, but logging was conducted in compliance with a riparian code of practice (3-m setback from stream edges) and other best management practices. Changes in community structure, community metrics, or relative abundance of discriminatory taxa attributable to logging impacts were not detected at the low-intensity site. Some deviations from reference and pre-logging trends in community structure, multivariate dispersion, and population levels of discriminatory taxa were detected at the moderate-intensity site after the logging. These deviations were mainly driven by small, but usually significant, increases in abundance of 5 gatherer taxa. The increases in abundance of gatherer taxa appeared to be a response to a significant increase (∼2.5×) in streambed deposition of fine particulate organic material at that site. However, the shifts in community structure and changes in abundance of these taxa at the moderate-intensity site were not larger than some natural changes in abundance among other taxa at the reference site over the 5-y study. The increases in abundance of some taxa at the moderate-intensity site may indicate a logging impact, but the changes were small and there were no indications of reciprocal declines among other taxa. It appears that selection logging at up to 42% basal area removal in compliance with the riparian code of practice and other good management practices largely mitigated harmful alterations to stream habitat and insect communities in these northern hardwood forest catchments.
EFFECT OF PACKAGING MATERIALS ON THE QUALITY OF IRON‐FORTIFIED WHOLEMEAL FLOUR DURING STORAGE

ABSTRACT The effect of packaging materials on the physicochemical and rheological characteristics of iron-fortified wholemeal flour (WMF) during storage was determined. WMF was fortified with three fortificants, namely ferrous sulfate (30 ppm), ferrous sulfate + ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) (20 + 20 ppm) and elemental iron (60 ppm). Each flour was also fortified with 1.5 ppm folic acid. Moisture, flour acidity and peroxide value increased during storage, while protein and fat contents decreased. Highest conversion of Fe2+ into Fe3+was observed in flour fortified with ferrous sulfate (2.72%), followed by that fortified with ferrous sulfate + EDTA (1.49%) and elemental iron (1.06%). Water absorption and dough viscosity of iron-fortified flours increased during storage. The flour containing ferrous sulfate was most acceptable regarding sensory characteristics, followed by samples containing ferrous sulfate + EDTA. Fortified flours were more stable during storage than unfortified. Addition of EDTA increased the stability of flours and fortificants. The fortified flours stored in polypropylene bags proved more stable than those stored in the tin boxes. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The main role of packaging is to protect the product during handling, distribution and storage against environmental and mechanical hazards. The success of a fortification program depends on the stability of micronutrients and food to which these are added. Chemical changes during storage badly affect chapatti making and sensory properties. Exposure of the fortificant to any factor including heat, moisture, air or light, and acid or alkaline environments during processing, packaging, distribution, or storage affects its stability. Flour containing elemental iron and ferrous sulfate with EDTA remained stable up to 42 days. The unfortified flour and flour containing ferrous sulfate remained stable for 21 days in tin boxes and 28 days in the polypropylene bags. Wheat flour milling industry would be benefited from this research if government is keen to launch iron fortification program in the country to curb iron deficiency anemia among population.
Comparative trials on the effects of two fungicides on a predatory mite in the laboratory and in the field

Both laboratory tests with the open glass plate method of Louis & Ufer (1995) and a field study in a vineyard were carried out to test the side effects of the two fungicides, Dithane Ultra WG75 and Polyram Combi WG70, on the predatory mite Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten (Acarina: Phytoseiidae). The effects of both fungicides in the residual contact test in the laboratory were more pronounced than the actual effects obtained in the field even after multiple application of the test products. The study results suggest, that for the selected test products the current laboratory guidelines correctly triggered the field test. Methodological problems of the laboratory test due to the repellent effect of the fungicides are discussed.
Antifungal activity of Punicalagin - nystatin combinations against Candida albicans.

OBJECTIVES Oral candidiasis is the most common opportunistic fungal infection of oral mucosa and results from an overgrowth of Candida, especially Candida albicans. The potential anti-C. albicans and cytotoxicity of punicalagin (PCG), isolated from Punica granatum, alone or with nystatin (NYS) were evaluated. METHODS Activity of compounds alone or in combinations was determined against two C. albicans strains (ATCC 90028 and SC5314). Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)-50 and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) were assessed by XTT-assay and CFU counts, respectively. For combinations, determination of fractional inhibitory concentration index was performed. Ergosterol pathway was investigated as a possible PCG antifungal mechanism. Cytotoxicity assays were undertaken on human primary oral keratinocytes and gingival fibroblasts incubated with antifungal concentrations of PCG and/or NYS for 24 h. RESULTS Combination of NYS and PCG increased antifungal efficacy, compared to compounds tested alone. Combinations 4 (PCG-6.25μg/mL; NYS-3.9μg/mL) and 5 (PCG-12.5μg/mL; NYS-1.95μg/mL) were more effective since they reduced the MIC-50 of PCG (50μg/mL) by 8 and 4 times, respectively, increased the candidal inhibition and nullified the PCG cytotoxicity for keratinocytes. PCG antifungal mechanism did not involve ergosterol biosynthesis pathway. CONCLUSIONS The favorable outcomes for combination of PCG and NYS encourage further testing this therapeutic strategy against C. albicans.
Microsatellite analysis of genetic population structure in an endangered salmonid: the coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki clarki)

The genetic population structure of coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki clarki) in Washington state was investigated by analysis of variation in allele frequencies at six highly polymorphic microsatellite loci for 13 anadromous populations, along with one outgroup population from the Yellowstone subspecies (O. clarki bouvieri) (mean heterozygosity = 67%; average number of alleles per locus = 24). Tests for genetic differentiation revealed highly significant differences in genotypic frequencies for pairwise comparisons between all populations within geographical regions and overall population subdivision was substantial (FST = 0.121, RST = 0.093), with 44.6% and 55.4% of the among‐population diversity being attributable to differences between streams (FSR = 0.054) and between regions (FRT = 0.067), respectively. Analysis of genetic distances and geographical distances did not support a simple model of isolation by distance for these populations. With one exception, neighbour‐joining dendrograms from the Cavalli‐Sforza and Edwards’ chord distances and maximum likelihood algorithms clustered populations by physiogeographic region, although overall bootstrap support was relatively low (53%). Our results suggest that coastal cutthroat trout populations are ultimately structured genetically at the level of individual streams. It appears that the dynamic balance between gene flow and genetic drift in the subspecies favours a high degree of genetic differentiation and population subdivision with the simultaneous maintenance of high heterozygosity levels within local populations. Results are discussed in terms of coastal cutthroat trout ecology along with implications for the designation of evolutionarily significant units pursuant to the US Endangered Species Act of 1973 and analogous conservation units.
SyntaxGym: An Online Platform for Targeted Evaluation of Language Models

Targeted syntactic evaluations have yielded insights into the generalizations learned by neural network language models. However, this line of research requires an uncommon confluence of skills: both the theoretical knowledge needed to design controlled psycholinguistic experiments, and the technical proficiency needed to train and deploy large-scale language models. We present SyntaxGym, an online platform designed to make targeted evaluations accessible to both experts in NLP and linguistics, reproducible across computing environments, and standardized following the norms of psycholinguistic experimental design. This paper releases two tools of independent value for the computational linguistics community: 1. A website, syntaxgym.org, which centralizes the process of targeted syntactic evaluation and provides easy tools for analysis and visualization; 2. Two command-line tools, ‘syntaxgym‘ and ‘lm-zoo‘, which allow any user to reproduce targeted syntactic evaluations and general language model inference on their own machine.
Spatial variability in forest soil CO2 efflux assessed with a calibrated soda lime technique

Accurate estimates of soil CO2 efflux are important in the current discussion on the carbon balance of forests, and can be used to validate models and remotely sensed data. Due to the typically large spatial variability, large sample numbers are required to estimate mean forest soil CO2 efflux with reasonable confidence intervals. Most infrared gas analysis (IRGA) systems are not well suited to simultaneously produce daily means and handle this spatial variability problem. The soda lime technique gives daily means and allows the required large sample numbers, but is less accurate than the IRGA systems. Using an elaborate cross-calibration, we tried to combine the accuracy of an IRGA method with the spatial integration potential of the soda lime technique. This paper reports on the calibration technique used to improve the accuracy of the soda lime technique and confirms the spatial variability in soil CO2 efflux in a heterogeneous forest.
Effect of PIERCE1 on colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second most lethal cancer type across all ages and sexes, the many mechanisms of which are still currently being further elucidated. PIERCE1 has been known to be involved in the cell cycle and proliferation, the expression of which is regulated by stress conditions in a p53-dependent manner. Through a database search, we found that PIERCE1 was significantly augmented in patients with colorectal carcinoma compared to normal samples, suggesting its possible role in tumor regulation. Recently, PIERCE1 has also been reported to increase proliferation of a liver cancer cell line, indicating its possible role as an oncogene. To examine its relevance to tumorigenesis, such as whether it has either oncogenic or tumor suppressive function, PIERCE1 was knocked down and overexpressed in several colorectal cancer cell lines and mice, respectively. To evaluate the roles of Pierce1 in vivo, we established a Pierce1 transgenic (TG) mouse model and then administered azoxymethane with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to induce colorectal carcinogenesis via promoting mutations in Apc and Kras. Nonetheless, PIERCE1 depletion in these cell lines showed no significant change in cell growth. AOM/DSS-treated Pierce1 TG mice were comparable with respect to colon lengths, the number of polyps, and tumor sizes to those of the control mice. These results implicate that PIERCE1 does not play an oncogenic or tumor suppressive role in AOM/DSS-induced colorectal cancer.
Application-Aware SDN-Based Iterative Reconfigurable Routing Protocol for Internet of Things (IoT)

The central intelligence offered by Software Defined Networking (SDN) promise the smart and reliable reconfiguration which enables the scalability of dynamic enterprise networks. The decoupled forwarding plane and control plane of SDN infrastructure is a key feature that supports the SDN controller to extract the physical network topology information at runtime to formulate network reconfigurations. This SDN-based network reconfiguration enables application-aware routing capability for Internet of Thing (IoT). However, these IoT enabled SDN-based routing protocols face some performance limitations in iterative reconfiguration process due to complete centralized path selection mechanism To this end, in this paper, we propose SDN-Based Application-aware Distributed adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring (SADFIR) routing protocol. The proposed routing protocol enables the distributed SDN iterative solver controller to maintain the load-balancing between flow reconfiguration and flow allocation cost. In particular, the proposed routing protocol of SADFIR implements multiple SDN controllers that collaborate with network devices at forwarding plane to develop appropriate clustering strategy for routing the sensed information. This distributed SDN controllers are assisted to clustering topology that successfully map the residual network resources and also enable unique multi-hop application-aware data transmission. In addition, the proposed SADFIR monitor the iterative reconfiguration settings according to the network traffic of heterogeneity-aware network devices. The simulation experiments are conducted in comparison with the state-of-the-art routing protocols which demonstrates that SADFIR is heterogeneity-aware which is able to adopt the different scales of network with maximum network lifetime.
Distractor Analysis and Selection for Multiple-Choice Cloze Questions for Second-Language Learners

We consider the problem of automatically suggesting distractors for multiple-choice cloze questions designed for second-language learners. We describe the creation of a dataset including collecting manual annotations for distractor selection. We assess the relationship between the choices of the annotators and features based on distractors and the correct answers, both with and without the surrounding passage context in the cloze questions. Simple features of the distractor and correct answer correlate with the annotations, though we find substantial benefit to additionally using large-scale pretrained models to measure the fit of the distractor in the context. Based on these analyses, we propose and train models to automatically select distractors, and measure the importance of model components quantitatively.
Presynaptic diadenosine polyphosphate receptors: Interaction with other neurotransmitter systems

Diadenosine polyphosphates (ApnA n = 2–6) are natural compounds that can play a neurotransmitter role in the synaptic terminals of the central nervous system. Microfluorimetric studies of [Ca2+]i in single synaptic terminals have shown the presence of specific ionotropic receptors for nucleotides and dinucleotides. These dinucleotide receptors may or may not coexist at the same terminal. Aminergic terminals from rat basal ganglia have been immunologically characterised by the presence of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 after the functional studies. Fifty‐eight percent of these terminals respond to nucleotides, and of these, 17% respond only to Ap5A. Cholinergic terminals from rat midbrain were immunologically characterised by the vesicular acetylcholine transporter. Sixty‐three percent of these terminals responded to nucleotides, and of these, 22% responded only to Ap5A. The presynaptic ionotropic dinucleotide receptors can coexist not only with the ATP receptors, but also with various subtypes of nicotinic receptors. GABAergic terminals from rat midbrain were immunologically characterised by the vesicular inhibitory amino acid transporter. Fifty‐nine percent of these terminals responded to nucleotides, and of these, 17% responded only to Ap5A. The presynaptic dinucleotide receptors, when stimulated, are able to induce the GABA release from synaptosomal preparations. These data clearly show the broad interaction of nucleotides and dinucleotides with other neurotransmitter systems. Drug Dev. Res. 52:239–248, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Real‐world non‐interventional long‐term post‐authorisation safety study of ruxolitinib in myelofibrosis

Primary objective of this non‐interventional, post‐authorisation safety study was to provide real‐world safety data [incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs)/serious adverse events (SAEs)] on adult patients with myelofibrosis exposed/or not exposed to ruxolitinib. Key secondary objectives included the incidence/outcome of events of special interest (bleeding events, serious/opportunistic infections, second primary malignancies, and deaths). Overall, 462 patients were included [prevalent users = 260, new users = 32, non‐exposed = 170 (inclusive of ruxolitinib‐switch, n = 57)]. The exposure‐adjusted incidence rates (per 100 patient‐years) of ADRs (19·3 vs. 19·6) and SAEs (25·2 vs. 25·0) were comparable amongst new‐users versus prevalent‐users cohorts, respectively; most frequent ADRs across all cohorts included thrombocytopenia, anaemia, epistaxis, urinary tract infection, and herpes zoster. Anaemia, pneumonia, general physical health deterioration, sepsis, and death were the most frequent SAEs across all cohorts. Incidence rates of bleeding events (21·6) and serious/opportunistic infections (34·5) were higher in ruxolitinib‐switch cohort versus other cohorts. The incidence rate of second primary malignancies was higher in the prevalent‐users cohort (10·1) versus other cohorts. The observed safety profile of ruxolitinib in the present study along with the safety findings from the COMFORT/JUMP/EXPAND studies support the use of ruxolitinib for long‐term treatment of patients with myelofibrosis.
Effectively Aligning and Filtering Parallel Corpora under Sparse Data Conditions

Parallel corpora are key to developing good machine translation systems. However, abundant parallel data are hard to come by, especially for languages with a low number of speakers. When rich morphology exacerbates the data sparsity problem, it is imperative to have accurate alignment and filtering methods that can help make the most of what is available by maximising the number of correctly translated segments in a corpus and minimising noise by removing incorrect translations and segments containing extraneous data. This paper sets out a research plan for improving alignment and filtering methods for parallel texts in low-resource settings. We propose an effective unsupervised alignment method to tackle the alignment problem. Moreover, we propose a strategy to supplement state-of-the-art models with automatically extracted information using basic NLP tools to effectively handle rich morphology.