Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Numerical Study on the Autoignition of Biogas in Moderate or Intense Low Oxygen Dilution Nonpremixed Combustion Systems

The ignition delay of biogas in mixing layers is investigated using a one-dimensional combustion model, with its application in Moderate or Intense Low oxygen Dilution (MILD) combustion being the focus. The current study reveals the key aspects of the ignition of biogas in a nonpremixed, igniting mixing layer with a hot oxidizer of low oxygen content. The observed characteristics are contrasted against the existing studies on ignition in homogeneous mixtures under similar conditions. Biogas is considered here as a mixture of CH4 with variable amounts CO2. The influence of reactive, thermal, and transport properties of CO2 on the ignition is evaluated using artificial species to mimic the respective characteristics of CO2. While the ignition delay in homogeneous mixtures shows a strong dependence on CO2 content in the fuel, the ignition delay predictions from one-dimensional mixing layers show no significant influence of CO2 levels in biogas. In addition, the influence of oxidizer composition and temperature on ignition delay is determined for CO2 levels ranging from 0% to 90%. A sensitivity analysis of chemical reactions on the ignition delay shows a negligible effect of CO2 concentration in biogas. The current study emphasizes the role of oxidizer composition and temperature on the ignition characteristics of a MILD biogas flame.
A Mobile App–Based Intervention for Depression: End-User and Expert Usability Testing Study

Background Despite the growing number of mental health apps available for smartphones, the perceived usability of these apps from the perspectives of end users or health care experts has rarely been reported. This information is vital, particularly for self-guided mHealth interventions, as perceptions of navigability and quality of content are likely to impact participant engagement and treatment compliance. Objective The aim of this study was to conduct a usability evaluation of a personalized, self-guided, app-based intervention for depression. Methods Participants were administered the System Usability Scale and open-ended questions as part of a semistructured interview. There were 15 participants equally divided into 3 groups: (1) individuals with clinical depression who were the target audience for the app, (2) mental health professionals, and (3) researchers who specialize in the area of eHealth interventions and/or depression research. Results The end-user group rated the app highly, both in quantitative and qualitative assessments. The 2 expert groups highlighted the self-monitoring features and range of established psychological treatment options (such as behavioral activation and cognitive restructuring) but had concerns that the amount and layout of content may be difficult for end users to navigate in a self-directed fashion. The end-user data did not confirm these concerns. Conclusions Encouraging participant engagement via self-monitoring and feedback, as well as personalized messaging, may be a viable way to maintain participation in self-guided interventions. Further evaluation is necessary to determine whether levels of engagement with these features enhance treatment effects.
THE EVOLUTION OF POLLEN TETRADS IN ONAGRACEAE.

In Onagraceae, pollen is shed in mature tetrads in most Epilobieae, many species of Ludwigia (Jussiaeeae), and two closely related species of the large genus Camissonia (Onagreae). Mature tetrads of Camissonia cardiophylla and representative species of Epilobium and Ludwigia were examined with light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopes. Morphological diagnoses of monad units indicated that individual taxa could be readily distinguished. Statistical analyses of tetrads which remained after acetolysis treatment revealed significant differences in the strength of the binding mechanisms. Mechanisms of tetrad cohesion were found to consist of two principal types. Common to all taxa is cohesion of pollen wall surfaces at the aperture margins; this mechanism is well known in many angiosperm groups. With the exception of Camissonia, the remaining taxa also display binding by means of short exine fragments between adjacent pollen units. These fragments, termed bridges and reported here for the first time, are located in the area extending from the aperture margins to near the center of the proximal exine faces. Thin sections reveal that layers of the bridges are identical with those of the exine. Comparisons were made between bridges and viscin threads, both of which occur on the proximal faces of the grains. Viscin threads are present on all pollen grains in Onagraceae and exhibit distinctive morphologies, and bridges were viewed morphogenetically as related to viscin threads but including an endexine layer and occupying a position near the apertures where cohesion of wall surfaces also occurs. In an evolutionary sense, the formation of mature tetrads almost certainly occurred independently in Camissonia and may have done so in Ludwigia and the Epilobieae.
The Effects of a Compression Garment on Lower Body Kinematics and Kinetics During a Drop Vertical Jump in Female Collegiate Athletes

Background: The use of compression garments has spread rapidly among athletes, largely because of marketing and perceived benefits. Upon review, it is unclear whether compression garments have a significant effect on performance and recovery, although they have been found to enhance proprioception. Further, it is reported that compression of the knee joint improves both dynamic and static balance. However, there is currently a paucity of data demonstrating the effects of compression garments on the biomechanical risk factors of knee-related injuries in female athletes. Purpose: To evaluate the ability of a directional compression garment to alter hip and knee kinematics and kinetics during a drop vertical jump (DVJ) in healthy college-aged female athletes. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A sample of 23 healthy female collegiate athletes (mean age, 19.6 ± 1.3 years) participating in jumping sports (volleyball, basketball, and soccer) was included in this analysis. Each athlete performed 2 sets of 3 DVJs with and without a directional compression garment. Three-dimensional hip and knee kinematics and kinetics were collected using a standard Helen-Hayes 29-marker set, which was removed and reapplied after the garment was fitted, as well as 8 visible-red cameras and 2 force platforms. Each participant was tested in a single session. Results: Hip abduction range of motion was significantly reduced from 12.6° ± 5.5° to 10.2° ± 4.6° (P = .002) while performing DVJs without and with the compression garment, respectively. No statistically significant differences between conditions were found in peak hip abduction, knee valgus range of motion, peak valgus, peak hip abduction moment, and peak knee valgus moment. Conclusion: The results of this study show that wearing compression garments does have minimal effects on lower body mechanics during landing from a DVJ, partially supporting the idea that compression garments could acutely alter movement patterns associated with the knee injury risk. However, further research should focus on muscle activation patterns and adaptations over time. Clinical Relevance: The use of specifically designed compression garments could aid in the prevention of knee injuries by inducing changes in jumping mechanics.
Germline Mutations and Polymorphisms of Androgen Receptor in Prostate Cancer Patients: Frequency and Results of in Silico Analysis

Background: Germline and somatic polymorphisms and mutations of the Androgen Receptor (AR) gene are known to be associated with the incidence of prostate cancer (PCa) in different populations. In this study we assessed germline AR polymorphisms and mutations in PCa patients with prediction of pathogenicity of the identified mutations by in silico analysis. Methods: Diagnosis of PCa was based on histopathology of prostate tissue (Gleason Score criteria) and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 38 patients. All exons and exon-intron boundaries of AR were amplified using polymerase chain reactions (PCR) followed by Sanger sequencing. In silico analysis was performed using Polyphen-2 and Mutation Taster®. Results: Two polymorphisms, CAG repeat sequence (13-34 repeats in length) and p.Pro214Glu (MAF: 0.0789) located in exon 1 were identified. A missense mutation (c.47C>A/p.Pro146Glu) and in-frame deletion of a CAG sequence leading to loss of Arginine at codon 85 (c.252_254delCAG/p.Arg85-) were identified in a 70 year old patient with a Gleason Score and PSA level of 2 and 2.4ng/dL, respectively. His PSA level decreased to < 0.5 ng/dL after 9 months of androgen deprivation therapy. Identified mutations were predicted to be non-disease causing by Polyphen-2 and Mutation Taster®. Conclusion: Our data demonstrated that the frequency of germline mutations of AR was low in PCa patients in Indonesia (5.26%: 2/38 alleles), so that they are not likely to be major etiological factors. The in silico analysis of identified AR mutations in this study corroborated the clinopathology features of the patient.
Participation in online courses from the students’ perspective

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to uncover factors that affect participation in online classes from the student’s perspective. Interest in the online environment has been increasing and renders the opinions of students participating in online courses more important since the opinions of students in this environment are closely related to interaction. It has been seen that lack of interaction creates a sense of loneliness, which causes students to drop their classes. For this reason, a qualitative study has been conducted about student experiences on the use of methods that increase interaction in an online environment and participation. Participants were given tasks based on collaboration, special attention was paid to make sure that the setting in which the participants found themselves was in accordance with the principles of the community of inquiry, computerized equipment was used to facilitate online interactions. 15 students worked based on collaboration and 15 students worked individually. Data was collected with interviews and reflection reports. Open, axial and selective coding was made by using the theorizing method. At the end of the study, it was determined that participation in online environment was affected in both groups by factors such as personal approaches, changing variables, mediated attributes.
Exploring Shared Structures and Hierarchies for Multiple NLP Tasks

Designing shared neural architecture plays an important role in multi-task learning. The challenge is that finding an optimal sharing scheme heavily relies on the expert knowledge and is not scalable to a large number of diverse tasks. Inspired by the promising work of neural architecture search (NAS), we apply reinforcement learning to automatically find possible shared architecture for multi-task learning. Specifically, we use a controller to select from a set of shareable modules and assemble a task-specific architecture, and repeat the same procedure for other tasks. The controller is trained with reinforcement learning to maximize the expected accuracies for all tasks. We conduct extensive experiments on two types of tasks, text classification and sequence labeling, which demonstrate the benefits of our approach.
Exploring the values of writing collaboratively through a digital storytelling platform: a mixed-methods analysis of users’ participation, perspectives and practices

ABSTRACT Digital technologies allow teachers and students to experience new pedagogical approaches leveraging on interactivity and collaboration. Among the available techniques, digital storytelling (DST) has been usually regarded as an activity that can both enrich the teaching practices and foster students’ active behaviour. This paper aims at analysing to what extent a DST platform proposing the collaborative writing of a fictional story and leveraging on an active learning technique such as role-play can affect a variety of dimensions, namely students’ performance, commitment, creativity and social skills. Combining the analysis of the data-log automatically collected by the system with the evaluations given by teachers before and after the activity, this article shows that the use of a DST tool in the teaching practice can have positive effects on students, including the ones that usually manifest moderate scores for the previously mentioned dimensions. Additionally, semi-structured interviews and direct observations provide an insight on how the benefits stemming from the use of a DST tool in the classroom can especially lie on the collaborative process that is activated.
Clean intermittent catheterization: Single use vs. reuse.

INTRODUCTION Intermittent catheterization (IC) is one of the fundamental aspects of managing patients with chronic urinary retention. Although reuse of catheters has been allowed to be chosen as the first option for IC, the optimal method of IC and the type of catheter has been a long-standing debate. We conducted a literature review regarding risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) and the costs associated with different methods and catheters. METHODS A MEDLINE search via PubMed, EMBASE, and EBSCO host was conducted in March 2018. The date of publication was limited to 2014 to present/current. RESULTS Single use of catheters (hydrophilic-coated [HC] or uncoated [UC]) was considered to impose a lower risk of UTI in all studies, except in one study that included children, but did not test their dexterity to handle HC catheters. Cost-effectiveness of single-use catheters was confirmed by all studies during this period. CONCLUSIONS Reuse of catheters exposes the patient to a plethora of possible cleaning techniques and duration of catheter use. Patient adherence to cleaning method cannot be predicted and this further amplifies the risk of complications and their burden on the healthcare system. We recommend a patient-centred approach to consider HC catheters as the first option, while considering the patient's/caregiver's ability to accommodate the usage technique. Single-use UC catheters, and finally reuse of catheters are considered as next options if HC catheters are found difficult to handle (especially in children doing self-catheterization). Larger trials investigating this matter are required.
Mapping Text to Knowledge Graph Entities using Multi-Sense LSTMs

This paper addresses the problem of mapping natural language text to knowledge base entities. The mapping process is approached as a composition of a phrase or a sentence into a point in a multi-dimensional entity space obtained from a knowledge graph. The compositional model is an LSTM equipped with a dynamic disambiguation mechanism on the input word embeddings (a Multi-Sense LSTM), addressing polysemy issues. Further, the knowledge base space is prepared by collecting random walks from a graph enhanced with textual features, which act as a set of semantic bridges between text and knowledge base entities. The ideas of this work are demonstrated on large-scale text-to-entity mapping and entity classification tasks, with state of the art results.
Cathodal tDCS Over Motor Cortex Does Not Improve Tourette Syndrome: Lessons Learned From a Case Series

Introduction: Current pathophysiological hypotheses of Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (GTS) refer to temporally abnormal neuronal activation in cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) networks. Modifying cortical activity by non-invasive brain-stimulation appears to be a new treatment option in GTS. Background: Previous studies suggested therapeutic effects of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to pre-supplementary motor areas (SMA), however, treatment modalities concerning electrode placement, current intensity and stimulation-rate have not been systematically explored. Aim of this study was to assess efficacy of an alternative stimulation regime on GTS symptoms in a pilot study. To test a treatment protocol with tDCS twice a day, we administered 10 sessions over 5 days of bilateral cathodal tDCS (30 min, 2 mA) over the pre-SMA in three patients with severe GTS. Tic severity as well as obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms and affective scales were rated before and after tDCS treatment. Discussion: Only one out of three patients showed a 34.5% reduction in tic severity. The two other patients showed an increase in tic severity. All patients showed a mild increase in positive affect and a reduction in negative affect, OC symptom changes were heterogeneous. Our results do not support earlier findings of extensive therapeutic effects of cathodal tDCS on tics in patients with GTS and show that prediction of stimulation effects on a targeted brain area remains inaccurate. Concluding Remarks: Future research will have to focus on the determination of most effective stimulation modes regarding site, polarity and frequency of tDCS in GTS patients.
Combined Effect of CO2 and Temperature on Wheat Powdery Mildew Development

The effect of simulated climate changes by applying different temperatures and CO2 levels was investigated in the Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici/wheat pathosystem. Healthy and inoculated plants were exposed in single phytotrons to six CO2+temperature combinations: (1) 450 ppm CO2/18–22°C (ambient CO2 and low temperature), (2) 850 ppm CO2/18–22°C (elevated CO2 and low temperature), (3) 450 ppm CO2/22–26°C (ambient CO2 and medium temperature), (4) 850 ppm CO2/22–26°C (elevated CO2 and medium temperature), (5) 450 ppm CO2/26–30°C (ambient CO2 and high temperature), and (6) 850 ppm CO2/26–30°C (elevated CO2 and high temperature). Powdery mildew disease index, fungal DNA quantity, plant death incidence, plant expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, plant growth parameters, carbohydrate and chlorophyll content were evaluated. Both CO2 and temperature, and their interaction significantly influenced powdery mildew development. The most advantageous conditions for the progress of powdery mildew on wheat were low temperature and ambient CO2. High temperatures inhibited pathogen growth independent of CO2 conditions, and no typical powdery mildew symptoms were observed. Elevated CO2 did not stimulate powdery mildew development, but was detrimental for plant vitality. Similar abundance of three PR transcripts was found, and the level of their expression was different between six phytotron conditions. Real time PCR quantification of Bgt was in line with the disease index results, but this technique succeeded to detect the pathogen also in asymptomatic plants. Overall, future global warming scenarios may limit the development of powdery mildew on wheat in Mediterranean area, unless the pathogen will adapt to higher temperatures.
The influence of a gesture-based learning approach on preschoolers’ learning performance, motor skills, and motion behaviors

ABSTRACT This study developed a gesture-based learning approach to build a virtual interactive learning environment for preschoolers by combining a gesture-based computing device and a game-based learning model. Using sequential analysis, this study investigated how this approach influenced children’s learning performance, motor skills, and motion behaviors. A quasi-experiment was conducted with 142 kindergarten-level-3 preschoolers. The results showed that the gesture-based learning approach improved the students’ learning performance and motor skills compared with the traditional activity-based learning approach. The main learning pattern showed that the preschoolers controlled their body motion behaviors and movements to learning cognitive knowledge, which achieving a flow state that improved preschoolers’ learning performance and motor skills. In addition, the main motion pattern showed that the preschoolers interacted with the game by coordinating their body movement with the projected human skeleton’s movement, which improved their motor skills.
WISDOM survey: attitudes and behaviors of physicians toward vulvar and vaginal atrophy (VVA) treatment in women including those with breast cancer history

Objective: To evaluate and compare physicians’ behaviors and attitudes regarding vulvar and vaginal atrophy (VVA) treatment in menopausal women, including women with breast cancer, using an internet-based survey. Methods: The WISDOM survey queried obstetricians and gynecologists (OB/GYNs) and primary care physicians (PCPs) with 23 multipart questions assessing behaviors and attitudes towards VVA treatment. Results: Of 2,424 surveys sent, 945 (39%) responded and 644 (27%) were completed. Of the menopausal women seen by OB/GYNs and PCPs, 44% to 55% reported having VVA symptoms. Physicians prescribed VVA treatments primarily because of effectiveness. Only 34% of OB/GYNs and 17% of PCPs felt comfortable prescribing VVA therapies to women with a personal history of breast cancer. In general, the most common VVA treatment recommended by all was prescription therapy (49%; with or without other therapies) in the form of US Food and Drug Administration-approved vaginal estrogen creams. More OB/GYNs (72%) than PCPs (47%) disagreed that VVA was best treated with over the counter than prescription products. Out-of-pocket cost and fear of risks associated with estrogens were believed to be the main barriers for why women choose not to get treated and why they discontinue treatment. Conclusions: More OB/GYNs than PCPs prescribed VVA treatment, especially vaginal estrogens, for menopausal women, but both groups generally had similar attitudes and behaviors regarding VVA treatment. Physician comfort was low when prescribing to women with a history of breast cancer, despite women's health medical societies supporting vaginal estrogen use in women with a history of estrogen-dependent breast cancer who were unresponsive to nonhormonal therapies when offered in consultation with their oncologist.
Noncontact Monitoring of Respiratory Rate in Newborn Infants Using Thermal Imaging

Monitoring of respiratory rate (RR) is very important for patient assessment. In fact, it is considered one of the relevant vital parameters in critical care medicine. Nowadays, standard monitoring relies on obtrusive and invasive techniques, which require adhesive electrodes or sensors to be attached to the patient's body. Unfortunately, these procedures cause stress, pain, and frequently damage the vulnerable skin of preterm infants. This paper presents a “black-box” algorithm for remote monitoring of RR in thermal videos. “Black-box” in this context means that the algorithm does not rely on tracking of specific anatomic landmarks. Instead, it automatically distinguishes regions of interest in the video containing the respiratory signal from those containing only noise. To examine its performance and robustness during physiological (phase A) and pathological scenarios (phase B), a study on 12 healthy volunteers was carried out. After a successful validation on adults, a clinical study on eight newborn infants was conducted. A good agreement between estimated RR and ground truth was achieved. In the study involving adult volunteers, a mean root-mean-square error (RMSE) of (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.31 \pm 0.09$</tex-math></inline-formula>) breaths/min and (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3.27 \pm 0.72$</tex-math></inline-formula>) breaths/min was obtained for phase A and phase B, respectively. In the study involving infants, the mean RMSE hovered around (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4.15 \pm 1.44$</tex-math></inline-formula>) breaths/min. In brief, this paper demonstrates that infrared thermography might become a clinically relevant alternative for the currently available RR monitoring modalities in neonatal care.