Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The gender‐diverse audit committee and audit report lag: Evidence from China

This study investigates the relationship between gender-diverse audit committees and audit report lag. We examine a sample of Chinese listed companies during the period 2010 – 2018 and document a negative relationship between gender-diverse audit committees and audit report lag. This is consistent with the premise that a gender-diverse audit committee is able to better monitor the preparation of financial reports, communicate better with auditors in resolving disagreements between management and auditors and facilitate a more efficient audit engagement, thereby shortening the audit report lag. In additional analysis, we find that female audit committee members possessing professional accounting qualifications and accounting work experience are associated with shorter audit report lag.
Hyoid displacement patterns in healthy swallowing

ABSTRACT Objective To describe the patterns of displacement of the hyoid bone in healthy individuals, considering their displacements during swallowing of different consistencies. Methods Two hundred one swallowing videofluoroscopy exams of 67 adult and elderly individuals without swallowing disorders were analyzed. Descriptive analysis was performed to identify and describe the patterns of displacement of the hyoid bone. Results Seven types of displacement of the hyoid bone were found: H1 (horizontal), H2 (short vertical and long horizontal), H3 (vertical and diagonal to upper), H4 (long vertical and short horizontal), H5 (vertical), H6 (diagonal), and H7 (brief). The standards were maintained in different consistencies. The most frequent pattern of displacement was type H2. The distribution of the types of displacement of the hyoid was different among men and women. Conclusion Seven patterns of displacement of the hyoid bone during swallowing of normal adults and older people have been described. The most frequent pattern of displacement was horizontal, with variations in distribution between men and women. The displacement pattern was maintained during the swallowing of the three different consistencies (thin, pasty and solid liquid).
A Computationally Efficient Musculoskeletal Model of the Lower Limb for the Control of Rehabilitation Robots: Assumptions and Validation

We present and validate a computationally efficient lower limb musculoskeletal model for the control of a rehabilitation robot. It is a parametric model that allows the customization of joint kinematics, and it is able to operate in real time. Methods: Since the rehabilitation exercises corresponds to low-speed movements, a quasi-static model can be assumed, and then muscle force coefficients are position dependent. This enables their calculation in an offline stage. In addition, the concept of a single functional degree of freedom is used to minimize drastically the workspace of the stored coefficients. Finally, we have developed a force calculation process based on Lagrange multipliers that provides a closed-form solution; in this way, the problem of dynamic indeterminacy is solved without the need to use an iterative process. Results: The model has been validated by comparing muscle forces estimated by the model with the corresponding electromyography (EMG) values using squat exercise, in which the Spearman’s correlation coefficient is higher than 0.93. Its computational time is lower than 2.5 ms in a conventional computer using MATLAB. Conclusions: This procedure presents a good agreement with the experimental values of the forces, and it can be integrated into real time control systems.
Area Efficient layout design of Multiply Complements Logic (MCL) Gate using QCA Technology

Quantum dot Cellular Automata (QCA) is one of now popular technology for its highly scalable feature and ultra low power consumption that made its one of the promising alternatives to CMOS technology. This paper present a new layout design of Multiply Complements Logic (MCL) gate based on QCA inverter (INV), QCA wire and QCA majority voter (MV) gates. To verify and simulate the proposed gate QCA Designer and Microwindlite tools are employed. The simulation result confirmed the correctness of the proposed circuits and comparison shows the area efficiency of QCA over CMOS technology. This proposed design layout has a promising future in constructing ultra low power exhausting information processing system and can stimulate higher digital applications in QCA.
Urinary Albumin to Creatinine Ratio to Predict Diabetic Retinopathy: The Eyes Have It!

Introduction The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has provided a push in the search for alternative screening methods to replace annual fundoscopic examination of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to detect diabetic retinopathy (DR). Materials and methods This retrospective study was conducted using the data of T2DM patients from their routine follow-up hospital visits. The details from their history and physical examination were extracted. As part of their routine follow-up visit, they had undergone a panel of investigations that included blood glucose measurements and urinary albumin excretion measurements. Univariate and logistic multivariate regression analyses were applied to identify the potential clinical and laboratory parameters associated with the presence of DR in them. Results Analysis of the medical records of 272 T2DM patients revealed that 147 patients had DR while 125 did not. Furthermore, 135 had non-proliferative DR (64 mild, 53 moderate, and 18 severe grades), whereas the remaining 12 had proliferative DR. On sequential univariate and multiple regression analysis, urinary albumin creatinine ratio (UACR), known duration of T2DM, and history of ischemic heart disease were seen to be independently associated with the presence of DR. Median UACR for those without DR was 42.6 mg/g (range 18.21-183.3 mg/g) while for those with retinopathy it was 214 mg/g (range 45.4-1260 mg/g) (p<0.001). The receiver operating characteristics curve analysis provided an area under the curve of 70% for UACR. UACR value of 140 mg/g could predict the presence of DR with a sensitivity of 60.5% & specificity of 72%, as well as had positive and negative likelihood ratios of 2.16 and 0.54, respectively. Conclusion UACR has the potential to be used as a screening tool for DR until the easing of social restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suicide Attempts among School-Attending Adolescents in Mongolia: Associated Factors and Gender Differences

Attempting suicide is an important risk factor that can lead to suicide death. The aim of the current study was to examine the prevalence of suicide attempts and to identify the gender-specific predictors of suicide among adolescents in Mongolia. We analyzed data from the 2019 Mongolian Global School-Based Health Survey (GSHS) conducted nationwide among 13–18-year-old students. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to assess the correlates of suicide attempts. Overall, 32.1% of the adolescents reported to have had suicide attempts. Multivariable analysis showed a significant association in the total sample of suicide attempts with lack of close friends, anxiety, injury and violence, smoking and alcohol drinking, and sexual intercourse. Male suicide attempters were less likely to have close friends and more likely to have injuries, been physically attacked, been bullied, smoke, drink alcohol, and have had sexual intercourse. Within the female subgroup, anxiety, injury and violence, smoking and alcohol drinking significantly increased the odds of reporting suicide attempts. Increase of the student’s age by one year decreased the odds ratio of suicide attempts. Nearly one in three students had had a suicide attempt. Several factors, including mental distress, violence, and risky behaviors were found to be associated with suicide attempts. These can aid in designing intervention strategies for preventing suicidal behaviors among adolescents.
Analysis of a Video-Based Pain Monitoring System in Raspberry Pi

This work presents an analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of a Video-Based Pain Monitoring System running on a Raspberry selected because it is a cheap device that can be easily carried around. The objective of the evaluated system is to allow the assessment of pain based on two characteristics: Heart Rate (HR) and facial expressions detected through the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). To measure HR an Eulerian Video Magnification (EVM) based method was implemented. EVM is one of the main current approaches to measure HR by Remote PhotoPlethysmoGraphy. FACS was used to detect pain intensity with the Prkachin and Solomon Pain Intensity (PSPI) equation which is one of the most used approaches to detect pain intensity based on facial features. To identify the PSPI value we trained a Regression Neural Network (RNN) with the UNBC-McMaster database. The experimental results demonstrate the strengths and limitations of the evaluated system.
Lymphocyte Subsets in Mild COVID-19 Pediatric Patients

Abstract Objective: The reasons for a high prevalence of asymptomatic or mild coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and rare severe disease in children have been explained by non-immune and immune mechanisms. This study aimed to evaluate the immune system’s response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by investigating lymphocyte subsets. Materials and Methods: This study included 33 coronavirus disease positive children, of whom 12 had mild disease and 21 had an asymptomatic infection as the patient group and 26 age- and gender-matched healthy children as the control group. The demographic information, symptoms, physical examination findings, complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin, and lymphocyte subsets were recorded in all subjects. Results: Leukocyte, lymphocyte, monocyte count, and hemoglobin levels of our pediatric coronavirus disease patients were similar to the control group. Neutrophil was lower in the coronavirus disease cases compared to the control group. CRP and procalcitonin levels of asymptomatic cases were similar to the control group. B cell count, CD8+ T cell count, and CD4/CD8 ratio (dividing the CD4 cell count by the CD8 cell count) ratio were similar in the patient and control groups. Natural killer, T cell, and CD4+ T cell counts were significantly higher in the whole patient group compared to the control group. Conclusion: One reason for mild severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in children may be an increase in some lymphocyte subsets such as natural killer cells, T cell, and CD4+ T cell. Understanding the answer to the question of why children develop more protective immunity to the virus could be an essential step for developing new treatments.
"A new Krasnoselskii’s type algorithm for zeros of strongly monotone and Lipschitz mappings"

"For q > 1, let E be a q-uniformly smooth real Banach space with dual space E∗. Let A : E → E∗ be a Lipschitz and strongly monotone mapping such that A^{−1}(0) ̸= ∅. For given x_1 ∈ E, let {x_n} be generated iteratively by the algorithm : x_{n+1} = x_n − λJ^{−1}(Ax_n), n ≥ 1, where J is the normalized duality mapping from E into E∗ and λ is a positive real number choosen in a suitable interval. Then it is proved that the sequence {xn} converges strongly to x∗, the unique point of A^{−1}(0). Our theorems are applied to the convex minimization problem. Futhermore, our technique of proof is of independent interest. "
Nutritional quality assessment of optimized cereal- based complementary foods fortified with Moringa oleifera

Childhood malnutrition is a household issue and urgent health challenge in Nigeria. In an attempt to address this challenge, the current study evaluated the effect of optimizing blending ratio of cereals and on nutritional quality, storage stability and determined the most effective blend based on selected nutritional profiles. Optimal design mixture using Nutrisurvey (2007) was used to generate six complementary foods (CF) designated F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, and F6 from yellow maize ( Zea mays ), wheat ( Triticum aestivum ), millet ( Pennisetum glaucum ), groundnut ( Arachis hypogea ), soyabeans ( Glycine max ), and Moringa oleifera to meet nutritional specification in codex guideline for cereal based complementary foods. A basal diet was also formulated as control. Forty nine (49) wistar rats (21–28 days old) were divided into 7 groups and fed with the complementary formulations ad libitum for 4 weeks. Feed intake and change in weight were recorded. The urine and faeces were collected for nitrogen content determination. The data obtained was used to calculate various protein quality indices. Upon completion of the feeding trial, the wistar rats were sacriﬁced, and organs excised for subsequent biochemical analysis. Data was subjected to one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and results expressed as means± standard error of mean. Protein quality indices revealed that protein efficiency ratio ranged from (2.47-2.69), net protein ratio (3.64-3.79); while the biological value ranged from (93.06-98.21%). The true protein digestibility and net protein utilization were in the range of (76.02-84.46%), (77.85- 85.66%) respectively. The storage stability profile of the formulated CF at baseline and end line were not signiﬁcantly different ( P > 0.05). F6 (55% millet based CF) was found to have the highest performance for growth parameters evaluated. Therefore, this study has revealed that with proper blending of local foodstuff, it is possible to prepare nutritionally adequate CF.
USP Reference Standard Monoclonal Antibodies: Tools to Verify Glycan Structure

The glycan profile is a critical quality attribute for pharmaceutical monoclonal antibodies due to the potential physiological impact of the glycan composition when used as a drug product. Monoclonal antibody reference standards are useful as system suitability samples for glycan profile testing. The development of future glycan profiling techniques could be better evaluated by testing well-characterized reference standards. The USP has introduced monoclonal antibody reference standards (i.e., USP mAb 001 RS, USP mAb 002 RS, and USP mAb 003 RS) with the glycan profiles reported herein that can be used to assess the analytical testing of monoclonal antibody glycan profiles. Comparison of the USP reference standards to other available reference standards (NISTmAb) is presented. The glycan profile of the USP monoclonal antibody reference standards covers a range of glycan species that complements other available reference standards. The USP mAb reference standards are a valuable tool that can be used to verify the glycan structure and provide the system suitability of analytical methods.
Microscopic Understanding of the Growth and Structural Evolution of Narrow Bandgap III–V Nanostructures

III–V group nanomaterials with a narrow bandgap have been demonstrated to be promising building blocks in future electronic and optoelectronic devices. Thus, revealing the underlying structural evolutions under various external stimuli is quite necessary. To present a clear view about the structure–property relationship of III–V nanowires (NWs), this review mainly focuses on key procedures involved in the synthesis, fabrication, and application of III–V materials-based devices. We summarized the influence of synthesis methods on the nanostructures (NWs, nanodots and nanosheets) and presented the role of catalyst/droplet on their synthesis process through in situ techniques. To provide valuable guidance for device design, we further summarize the influence of structural parameters (phase, defects and orientation) on their electrical, optical, mechanical and electromechanical properties. Moreover, the dissolution and contact formation processes under heat, electric field and ionic water environments are further demonstrated at the atomic level for the evaluation of structural stability of III–V NWs. Finally, the promising applications of III–V materials in the energy-storage field are introduced.
Nonparametric bounds for the survivor function under general dependent truncation

Truncation occurs in cohort studies with complex sampling schemes. When truncation is ignored or incorrectly assumed to be independent of the event time in the observable region, bias can result. We derive completely nonparametric bounds for the survivor function under truncation and censoring; these extend prior nonparametric bounds derived in the absence of truncation. We also define a hazard ratio function that links the unobservable region in which event time is less than truncation time, to the observable region in which event time is greater than truncation time, under dependent truncation. When this function can be bounded, and the probability of truncation is known approximately, it yields narrower bounds than the purely nonparametric bounds. Importantly, our approach targets the true marginal survivor function over its entire support, and is not restricted to the observable region, unlike alternative estimators. We evaluate the methods in simulations and in clinical applications.
Late Ordovician subsurface carbonates and fossil assemblages from the area immediately west and northwest of Peak Hill in central New South Wales and their regional correlation

Abstract Late Ordovician conodonts (14 species), corals (five species) and stromatoporoids (two labechiid species) have been recovered from the carbonate intervals intersected in three drill holes in the area located immediately west and northwest of Peak Hill in central New South Wales. The WNDD0001 drill-core section consists of dominantly calcareous and clastic sedimentary rocks in the upper part and andesites in the lower part. The conodont fauna from the carbonate interval at the top confirms an early Katian age (Taoqupognathus blandus Biozone). The WNDD0002 drill-core section is composed of primarily carbonates in the lower part and dolomitic siltstones and sandstones in the upper part, which have been intruded by andesitic dykes and sills. A distinctive rugose coral species (Favistina plus) occurring in the carbonate interval towards the base of the section indicates a middle Katian age (Taoqupognathus tumidus-Protopanderodus insculptus Biozone). Therefore, the entire WNDD0002 drill-core section is stratigraphically higher than the drill-core section WNDD0001 to form the most complete Upper Ordovician sedimentary succession (unnamed formation) from the northern part of the Junee–Narromine Volcanic Belt. A correlative tabulate coral assemblage of middle Katian age was also recovered from the carbonates in the lower part of the GAMD0001 drill-core section. These new data demonstrate that the Upper Ordovician marine shelf sedimentary facies within these drill holes are comparable with those known from Gunningbland area farther south, a new finding that is important for future geological mapping and mineral exploration in the region. KEY POINTS For the first time, a Late Ordovician conodont, coral and stromatoporoid fauna is recorded from the northern Junee–Narromine Volcanic Belt in NSW. A wide subsurface distribution of an Upper Ordovician marine shelf succession is confirmed in the region. New biostratigraphic data essential for the future geological mapping and mineral exploration are given for the area.
Land Policy for Flood Risk Management—Toward a New Working Paradigm

Flood risk management (FRM) aims to integrate necessary technical measures with environmental and societal approaches. Focusing on the process and governance of how to plan, implement, and maintain solutions therefore becomes essential. Among the different stakeholders, landowners are a key group to be considered. This contribution elaborates on the interconnections between land policy, FRM and private land ownership. It is based on the European COST Action network LAND4FLOOD, which brings together academics and stakeholders from various disciplines and more than 35 countries. We argue for a less project oriented and more process oriented approach, a focus on land management and more emphasis on small‐scale measures. This represents a break with some of the recent working paradigms of FRM.
LW-FIRE: A Lightweight Wildfire Image Classification with a Deep Convolutional Neural Network

Analysis of reports published by the leading national centers for monitoring wildfires and other emergencies revealed that the devastation caused by wildfires has increased by 2.96-fold when compared to a decade earlier. The reports show that the total number of wildfires is declining; however, their impact on the wildlife appears to be more devastating. In recent years, deep neural network models have demonstrated state-of-the-art accuracy on many computer vision tasks. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a lightweight wildfire image classification model (LW-FIRE) based on convolutional neural networks. We explore different ways of using the existing dataset to efficiently train a deep convolutional neural network. We also propose a new method for dataset transformation to increase the number of samples in the dataset and improve the accuracy and generalization of the deep learning model. Experimental results show that the proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art methods, and is suitable for real-time classification of wildfire images.
The Effects of Culture on Active and Passive Reactions to Financial Offenders; the Moderating Role of Type of Harm

ABSTRACT In the present research, we examine how culture influences individuals’ reactions to financial offenders. We hypothesized that horizontal individualists deploy increased active reactions (i.e., punishment-oriented) whereas vertical collectivists deploy increased passive reactions (i.e., condemning beliefs) to financial offenders. Moreover, we hypothesized that horizontal individualists would react stronger to a financial offender when an offense has instrumental (i.e., related to material costs) as opposed to symbolic (i.e., related to one’s self-image) implications for a victim, while vertical collectivists would show the opposite pattern of results. In Studies 1 and 2 we directly compared British (i.e., a horizontal individualist culture) versus Greek (i.e., a vertical collectivist culture) participants. Study 3 aimed to replicate Studies 1 and 2 by measuring cultural values at the individual level. The results obtained in the three studies provided support for most of our hypotheses. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Effect of the PmARF6 Gene from Masson Pine (Pinus massoniana) on the Development of Arabidopsis

Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) is a core industrial tree species that is used for afforestation in southern China. Previous studies have shown that Auxin Response Factors (ARFs) are involved in the growth and development of various species, but the function of ARFs in Masson pine is unclear. In this research, we cloned and identified Masson pine ARF6 cDNA (PmARF6). The results showed that PmARF6 encodes a protein of 681 amino acids that is highly expressed in female flowers. Subcellular analysis showed that the PmARF6 protein occurred predominantly in the nucleus and cytomembrane of Masson pine cells. Compared with wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing PmARF6 had fewer rosette leaves, and their flower development was slower. These results suggest that overexpression of PmARF6 may inhibit the flower and leaf development of Masson pine and provide new insights into the underlying developmental mechanism.