Detecting Deceptive Dark-Pattern Web Advertisements for Blind Screen-Reader Users

Advertisements have become commonplace on modern websites. While ads are typically designed for visual consumption, it is unclear how they affect blind users who interact with the ads using a screen reader. Existing research studies on non-visual web interaction predominantly focus on general web browsing; the specific impact of extraneous ad content on blind users\u27 experience remains largely unexplored. To fill this gap, we conducted an interview study with 18 blind participants; we found that blind users are often deceived by ads that contextually blend in with the surrounding web page content. While ad blockers can address this problem via a blanket filtering operation, many websites are increasingly denying access if an ad blocker is active. Moreover, ad blockers often do not filter out internal ads injected by the websites themselves. Therefore, we devised an algorithm to automatically identify contextually deceptive ads on a web page. Specifically, we built a detection model that leverages a multi-modal combination of handcrafted and automatically extracted features to determine if a particular ad is contextually deceptive. Evaluations of the model on a representative test dataset and \u27in-the-wild\u27 random websites yielded F1 scores of 0.86 and 0.88, respectively

Parasitization preference of Diaeretiella rapae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) among different aphids in vegetable ecosystem

Solitary, polyphagous, endoparasitoid Diaeretiella rapae (Mc’Intosh) is considered as one of the prominent parasitoid of aphids on several host plants under natural field conditions. However, knowledge about its affinity and host preference towards different prey aphids is very scanty. So the present study on host preference of D. rapae revealed differential response for its parasitization to different aphid species infesting vegetable crops. It preferred maximum to cruciferous aphids, viz. Myzus persicae (59%) followed by Brevicoryne brassicae (51%) and Lipaphis erysimi (46%) than the other vegetable aphids like Aphis craccivora (23.67%) and Aphis spiraecola (19.67%). Seasonal incidence of D. rapae also indicated that its first occurrence was observed on M. persicae (13.67%) and L. erysimi (5.67%) during second fortnight of January, 2013 whereas spiraecola feeding on brinjal parasitized last indicating the preference of cruciferous aphids over other vegetable aphids. However, among the cruciferous aphids, highest parasitoid emergence was observed from L. erysimi (88%) followed by B. brassicae (81%) and M. persicae (80%). Comparatively higher body size (2.81 ± 0.23 mm) and tibial length (0.51 ± 0.05 mm) of M. persicae by the parasitoid for its parasitization and variation in nutritional quality in L. erysimi as food substrate towards D. rapae for its higher emergence might be responsible for their preference over the other host aphids

Thrombopoietin Receptor Levels in Tumor Cell Lines and Primary Tumors

Thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonists represent a new approach for the treatment of thrombocytopenia, which may develop as a consequence of immune thrombocytopenia, chemotherapy treatment, chronic hepatitis C infection, or myelodysplastic syndromes. There are concerns that use of certain growth factors can hasten disease progression in some types of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. In this study, expression of MPL (TPO-R) mRNA was examined in tumor cell lines, patient tumor samples (renal cell carcinoma, prostatic carcinoma, soft tissue and bony/cartilage sarcoma, colon cancer, and lymphoma), and normal tissues using microarray analysis and qRT-PCR. MPL mRNA is expressed at very low or undetectable levels compared with erythropoietin receptor (EPOR), human epidermal growth factor (ERBB2; HER2), and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) in these patient samples. These data suggest TPO-R agonists will likely preferentially stimulate proliferation and differentiation of cells of megakaryocytic lineage, potentially demonstrating their utility for correcting thrombocytopenia in clinical settings

Plain language summary of the MonumenTAL-1 study of talquetamab in people with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma

WHAT IS THIS SUMMARY ABOUT?: This plain language summary describes the results of a phase 1 research study (or clinical trial) called MonumenTAL-1 published in the New England Journal of Medicine in December 2022. A phase 1 study is an early clinical trial where researchers evaluate how safe a medicine is at different doses in a small number of people. In the MonumenTAL-1 study, researchers looked at a new medicine under development called talquetamab, for people living with multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer) who did not respond (refractory), stopped responding (relapsed), or who had difficulty dealing with their previous treatments. HOW WAS THE STUDY CONDUCTED?: The phase 1 MonumenTAL-1 study was performed in 2 parts. Safety was the main focus of Part 1 in which side effects, and how serious they were, were assessed. The results of Part 1 were used to identify doses of talquetamab that were well tolerated, without a need to stop treatment or reduce the doses, for further study in Part 2. Part 2 of the study examined how well talquetamab worked to decrease signs of the cancer and what side effects, and their severity, people experienced at the doses identified in Part 1. WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?: In Part 1 of the study, researchers identified 2 doses of talquetamab for further study: 405 micrograms for every kilogram of body weight (μg/kg) given weekly and 800 μg/kg every other week. All participants experienced at least one side effect of treatment at these 2 doses. Less than half of participants (43% at 405 μg/kg weekly dose and 34% at the 800 μg/kg every other week dose) experienced serious side effects which are those side effects that led to hospitalization, death, or permanent or life-threatening damage). The most common side effects at both doses were a condition known as cytokine release syndrome (CRS); changes in blood cell levels (where different types of cells in the blood were measured); changes in skin such as itching, dry skin, eczema, ulcers or shedding; changes in nails such as discoloration or ridging (lines or dents); and changes in sense of taste such as food tasting sour or metallic. CRS is caused by the overactivation of the immune system (the body's natural defense system) and can result in fever, feeling sick (nausea), being tired (fatigue), low blood pressure, low blood oxygen levels and body aches. Most cases of CRS, as well as most other side effects, were mild or moderate. Most common serious events were CRS, fever and bone pain. Most people had fewer signs of the cancer after taking talquetamab, and the response was similar between the 2 doses. The median duration of response at the 2 identified doses was 8-10 months. WHAT DO THE RESULTS MEAN?: Most of the side effects people experienced when taking talquetamab were mild or moderate. Most people who took talquetamab responded to the treatment even though they hadn't responded or stopped responding to previous multiple myeloma treatments or stopped taking those treatments because they were unable to tolerate them. These results demonstrate the potential of talquetamab as a treatment option in people who have used up other available therapy options. The 2 doses of talquetamab identified here are being examined in a larger group of participants to further test for safety and to test how well people respond

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Not AvailableSummary: Solitary, polyphagous, endoparasitoid Diaeretiella rapae (Mc’Intosh) is considered as one of the prominent parasitoid of aphids on several host plants under natural field conditions. However, knowledge about its affinity and host preference towards different prey aphids is very scanty. So the present study on host preference of D. rapae revealed differential response for its parasitization to different aphid species infesting vegetable crops. It preferred maximum to cruciferous aphids, viz. Myzus persicae (59%) followed by Brevicoryne brassicae (51%) and Lipaphis erysimi (46%) than the other vegetable aphids like Aphis craccivora (23.67%) and Aphis spiraecola (19.67%). Seasonal incidence of D. rapae also indicated that its first occurrence was observed on M. persicae (13.67%) and L. erysimi (5.67%) during second fortnight of January, 2013 whereas A. spiraecola feeding on brinjal parasitized last indicating the preference of cruciferous aphids over other vegetable aphids. However, among the cruciferous aphids, highest parasitoid emergence was observed from L. erysimi (88%) followed by B. brassicae (81%) and M. persicae (80%). Comparatively higher body size (2.81 ± 0.23 mm) and tibial length (0.51 ± 0.05 mm) of M. persicae by the parasitoid for its parasitization and variation in nutritional quality in L. erysimi as food substrate towards D. rapae for its higher emergence might be responsible for their preference over the other host aphids.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableAn overview of insecticides and acaricides with new chemistries for the management of sucking pests in vegetable cropsNot Availabl

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Not AvailableIn India, sucking pests including leafhoppers (Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida) and whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius) cause considerable economic damage to okra cultivation. This study reports the results of field experiments evaluating the bioefficacy, phytotoxicity, and residue dynamics of sprays of flonicamid 50 WG in okra (Abelmoschus esculenta (L.) Moench) crops. Of three doses (50, 75, 100 g a.i ha−1) tested, applications at 75 g a.i ha−1 were equally effective in controlling both leafhoppers and whiteflies with a higher marketable fruit yield of okra under open field conditions. Flonicamid also reduced population of the pest by >85% when compared to untreated controls after three rounds of foliar application at an interval of 10 days. Applications of flonicamid 50 WG did not cause any phytotoxic symptoms. It was also safe to the natural enemies (spiders and rove beetles) prevailing in the okra ecosystem. Initial deposits of flonicamid in okra fruits when applied at the rate of 75 and 150 g a.i. ha−1 were dissipated with half-lives of 3.0 and 3.5 days. Recommendable pre-harvest intervals (PHI) are 16 and 20 days, respectively. The dietary exposure of the measured residues was lower than the maximum permissible intake (MPI) of 0.576 mg person−1 day−1 on all the sampling days at both the doses. These findings are useful in deciding the spray schedule of flonicamid for effective management of sucking pests in okra crop assuring food safety.Not Availabl

Developing of semi-transparent alpha-Fe2O3/Cu2O heterostructures with S-scheme photocatalytic activity and biological interests

The scarcity of water has been an outgrowing problem, while population is increasing so is the demand for the water. Hence conservation of water is most important and this material might bring in drastic changes in recycling the wastewater into portable ones. The alpha-Fe2O3/Cu2O is a desirably tailored nanomaterial synthesized using eco-friendly cost-effective hydrothermal method, where alpha-Fe2O3 and Cu2O were synthesized separately and later combined to produce an effective material. The material are characterized using advanced techniques like XPS, HR-TEM, XRD, FT-IR, BET, UV-DSR, ESR, LC-MS, ICP-AES, and UPS to understand complete morphology and functioning of the material. They are examined for various application in different fields such as dye degradation, heavy metal removal and organic pollutants elimination via photocatalysis under solar irradiation. The alpha-Fe2O3 and Cu2O had the work function of 6.10 and 5.49 eV respectively and band energy of 1.46 and 2.6 eV. Docking analysis was carried out to know the protein docking efficiency. Biocompatibility of the materials is addressed upon the HeLa cell line and alpha-Fe2O3/Cu2O exposure causes inflammation in the lung fluids in a mouse model using the Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) assay at high concentrations, proving that the materials can help with current and future biological applications