Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Association Between Case Volume and Case Processing Times in New York City

Past research has highlighted a number of case- and court-level characteristics that may be associated with differences in case processing time, yet other factors remain relatively unexplored. Drawing on an extensive case-level data set of misdemeanor and felony cases resolved in New York City’s court system, the current study contributes to our knowledge of case processing time by examining the association between the relative volume of arraignments (at the borough level) and case processing time. The analysis employs standard regression techniques to assess the relationship between case volume and case processing time while controlling for a number of individual- and case-level characteristics. Results suggest the relative volume of cases coming into the court system is positively associated with case processing time, net of several relevant case-level characteristics. These findings contribute to the small and inconsistent findings reported in prior work. Implications of these findings for future research and criminal justice policy are discussed.
Patients’ Experiences with Cancer Care: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the psychosocial impact of a cancer diagnosis as patients face concerns about the risk of infection and serious disease and uncertainties about the impact on their treatment. We conducted an online survey (n = 317) and focus groups (n = 19) with patients to examine their experiences with cancer care during the pandemic. Most survey respondents (68%) reported one or more disruptions or delays in care, including appointments switched to telehealth (49%). Patients perceived both benefits (e.g., convenience) and drawbacks (e.g., more impersonal) to telehealth. For many patients, COVID-19-related restrictions on bringing family members to support them during appointments was a major concern and left them feeling alone and vulnerable during treatment. Patients’ self-reported coping during the pandemic was positively associated with age, education, and income (P < .05 for each) and better communication with their doctors during telehealth sessions (P < .001). Study findings highlight the importance of patient-centered care and communication to help patients cope with the challenges of the pandemic. Further research is needed to develop guidelines for use of telehealth as part of patient-centered cancer care.
Decentralization of South Eastern Nigeria’s Local Governments and Achievement of Mandates Enshrined in Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution

In recent times, there has been sustained interest in how local governments in Nigeria can satisfactorily provide the critical needs of the people within their jurisdiction as stipulated in the 1999 constitution. Decentralization is enshrined in the constitution as a means of realizing these needs yet local governments have not been able to satisfactorily achieve them. This study examines the extent local governments apply the three components of decentralization; namely, political, bureaucratic, and fiscal. Relying on cross-sectional survey, the researchers obtained data, using adapted decentralization tool kit from World Bank Group. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test. We found that the three components of decentralization are not completely applied toward achieving local government mandates.
The Control of Plant and Soil Hydraulics on the Interannual Variability of Plant Carbon Uptake Over the Central US

The interannual variability (IAV) of gross primary productivity (GPP) reflects the sensitivity of GPP to climate variations and contributes substantially to the variations and long‐term trend of the atmospheric CO2 growth rate. Analyses of three observation‐based GPP products indicate that their IAVs are consistently correlated to terrestrial water storage anomaly over the central US, where episodic droughts occur. A land surface model explicitly representing plant hydraulics and groundwater capillary rise with an adequate soil hydraulics well captures the observed GPP IAV. Our sensitivity experiments indicate that, without representations of plant hydraulics and groundwater capillary rise or using an alternative soil hydraulics, the land model substantially overestimates the GPP IAV and the GPP sensitivity to water in the central US. This study strongly suggests the use of the van Genuchten water retention model to replace the most commonly used Brooks–Corey model, which generally produces too strong matric suction of soil water especially in dry conditions, in land surface modeling. This study highlights the importance of plant and soil hydraulics and surface–groundwater interactions to Earth system modeling for projections of future climates that may experience more intense and frequent droughts.
Forward Current of Al+ Implanted 4H-SiC Diodes: A Study on Periphery and Area Components

The temperature dependence of the bulk and periphery forward current components of vertical 4H-SiC p+-i-n diodes, with Al+ implanted circular anodes of diameters in the range 150-1000 mm, have been obtained from the analysis of the results of forward current-voltage measurements in the temperature range 30-290°C. The zero voltage bulk and periphery current densities at different temperatures have been used to compute the temperature dependence of: (i) the effective carrier lifetime in the space charge region, (ii) the minority carrier diffusion coefficient to lifetime ratio in the base region, and (iii) a surface quality parameter.
Development of a laboratory bituminous mixtures ageing protocol

The RILEM TC-ATB-TG5, in charge of recycling of bituminous materials has decided to develop a laboratory procedure with the aim of reproducing the ageing of bituminous materials until the end of their service life (milled product). This procedure will help to assess the recyclability of mixtures and will allow Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) production in the laboratory in a realistic way. The ageing of bituminous materials is mainly linked to the ageing of the binder and is normally separated into short and long-term ageing : The short-term ageing simulating ageing caused by the manufacture of the material in the mixing plant, transport and paving, especially the necessity to increase the binder temperature up to 160-190°C according to the type of binder and material to be manufactured. The long-term ageing simulating the influence of the climatic conditions and traffic loading on ageing during service life. In the framework of an LCPC fatigue carousel experiment, a bituminous material with a 35/50 pure bitumen was laid in January 2008. Loose mix and components (aggregates, bitumen) of the mix have been sampled to carry out a laboratory ageing round robin test, organised between the labs of the RILEM group. Also, on the fatigue carousel, coring will be carried out at several intervals to follow the evolution of the material. In this paper, a state of the art regarding the existing methodologies for the laboratory ageing of bituminous materials is presented as well as the round Robin test, including the tested ageing procedures and the tests chosen to validate these procedures according to the field site data. The first results are discussed with the focus on distribution analysis.
Analysis of Risk Factors for Adjacent Segment Degeneration after Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Interbody Fusion at Lumbosacral Spine

Background Adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) has been considered as a serious complication from changes in the biological stress pattern after spinal fusion. The sagittal balance significantly associated with lumbar loading is largely dependent on L5-S1 segment. However, the evidence indicating risk factors for radiological and symptomatic ASD after minimally invasive transforaminal interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) remains insufficient. Methods This single-central retrospective study recruited patients with lumbosacral degeneration receiving MIS-TLIF at the L5-S1 level from January 2015 to December 2018. The targeted variables included demographic information, radiological indicators, surgery-related parameters, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) extracted from the electronic medical system by natural language processing. In these patients, a minimum of 3-year follow-up was done. After reviewing the preoperative and postoperative follow-up digital radiographs, patients were assigned to radiological ASD group (disc height narrowing ≥3 mm, progressive slipping ≥3 mm, angular motion >10°, and osteophyte formation >3 mm), symptomatic ASD group, and control group. We identified potential predictors for radiological and symptomatic ASD with the service of stepwise logistic regression analysis. Results Among the 157 consecutive patients treated with MIS-TLIF in our department, 16 cases (10.2%) were diagnosed with radiological ASD at 3-year follow-up. The clinical evaluation did not reveal suspicious risk factors, but several significant differences were confirmed in radiological indicators. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed postoperative PI, postoperative DA, and ∆PI-LL in radiological ASD group were significantly different from those in control group. Nevertheless, for patients diagnosed with simultaneously radiological and symptomatic ASD, postoperative DA and postoperative PT as risk factors significantly affected the clinical outcome following MIS-TLIF. Conclusion In this study, while approximately 10% of lumbosacral degenerations develop radiographic ASD, prognosis-related symptomatic ASD was shown not to be a frequent postoperative complication. Postoperative PI, postoperative DA, and mismatched PI-LL are risk factors for radiological ASD, and postoperative DA and postoperative PT are responsible for the occurrence of symptomatic ASD following MIS-TLIF. These radiological risk factors demonstrate that restoration of normal sagittal balance is an effective measure to optimize treatment strategies for secondary ASD prevention.
Identification of Road Horizontal Alignment Inconsistencies – A Pilot Study from the Czech Republic

There is a problem with inappropriate speed consequences related to horizontal alignment of Czech rural roads. Evaluation of alignment consistency, i.e. the degree to which a road is designed and constructed to avoid critical driving maneuvers, has been known as one of promising tools in this regard. The objectives of presented pilot study were (1) to prove the practical application on historical rural road, lacking design data, using low-cost technology, (2) to investigate the relation of obtained alignment consistency measures to actual safety, and (3) to propose further steps for practical implementation, e.g. for the needs of road agency. Given these objectives and literature review findings, GPS technology was chosen for data collection, with the aim of using alignment consistency levels. Pilot rural road section was approximately 2.5 km long and consisted of 3 straight segments and 3 curves. Data processing included determination of central trajectory, determination of horizontal alignment elements and segmentation, calculation of consistency measures, and identification of inconsistencies. The results are given in terms of the consistency level of individual curves, followed by validation by the results of accident data analysis. In the end, several practical applications are listed and described.
Revealing the Neuroimaging Mechanism of Acupuncture for Poststroke Aphasia: A Systematic Review

Background Aphasia is a common symptom in stroke patients, presenting with the impairment of spontaneous speech, repetition, naming, auditory comprehension, reading, and writing function. Multiple rehabilitation methods have been suggested for the recovery of poststroke aphasia, including medication treatment, behavioral therapy, and stimulation approach. Acupuncture has been proven to have a beneficial effect on improving speech functions in repetition, oral speech, reading, comprehension, and writing ability. Neuroimaging technology provides a visualized way to explore cerebral neural activity, which helps reveal the therapeutic effect of acupuncture therapy. In this systematic review, we aim to reveal and summarize the neuroimaging mechanism of acupuncture therapy on poststroke aphasia to provide the foundation for further study. Methods Seven electronic databases were searched including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Wanfang databases, and the Chinese Scientific Journal Database. After screening the studies according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we summarized the neuroimaging mechanism of acupuncture on poststroke aphasia, as well as the utilization of acupuncture therapy and the methodological characteristics. Result After searching, 885 articles were retrieved. After removing the literature studies, animal studies, and case reports, 16 studies were included in the final analysis. For the acupuncture type, 10 studies used manual acupuncture and 5 studies used electroacupuncture, while body acupuncture (10 studies), scalp acupuncture (7 studies), and tongue acupuncture (8 studies) were applied for poststroke aphasia patients. Based on blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) technologies, 4 neuroimaging analysis methods were used including amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), seed-based analysis, and independent component analysis (ICA). Two studies reported the instant acupuncture effect, and 14 studies reported the constant acupuncture's effect on poststroke aphasia patients. 5 studies analyzed the correlation between the neuroimaging outcomes and the clinical language scales. Conclusion In this systematic review, we found that the mechanism of acupuncture's effect might be associated with the activation and functional connectivity of language-related brain areas, such as brain areas around Broca's area and Wernicke's area in the left inferior temporal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus. However, these studies were still in the preliminary stage. Multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCT) with large sample sizes were needed to verify current evidence, as well as to explore deeply the neuroimaging mechanisms of acupuncture's effects.
Isolation of Efficient Xylooligosaccharides-Fermenting Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria from Ethnic Pickled Bamboo Shoot Products

Simple Summary Naw Mai Dong is an ethnic fermented bamboo shoot product that is popular in the upper northern region of Thailand. Xylan is a component of hemicellulose that can be found in bamboo shoots. It is a raw material utilized in xylooligosaccharide production. To produce Naw Mai Dong, bamboo shoots are sliced and pickled in bottles or jars that contain water rinsed from rice crops with or without salt. This would differ from the simple brine comprised of water and salt that is associated with most other pickled products. Naw Mai Dong is sour due to its acidity. Importantly, fermented fruits and vegetables are a potential source of lactic acid bacteria, which have been well-documented to possess a number of probiotic characteristics. This would imply that some of the lactic acid bacteria present during bamboo shoot fermentation could serve as efficient xylooligosaccharides-fermenting probiotic lactic acid bacteria. Abstract Xylooligosaccharides (XOSs) are produced from xylan, which is a component of the hemicellulose that can be found in bamboo shoots. Naw Mai Dong, an ethnic pickled bamboo shoot product of northern Thailand, is generally characterized as acidic and has a sour taste. It can be considered a potential source of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB). This study aimed to isolate efficient XOSs-fermenting probiotic LAB from ethnic pickled bamboo shoot products. A total of 51 XOSs-fermenting LAB were recovered from 24 samples of Naw Mai Dong, while 17 strains exhibited luxuriant growth in xylose and XOSs. Among these, seven strains belonging to Levicaseibacillus brevis and Pediococcus acidilactici exhibited similar growth in glucose, xylose, and XOSs, while the rest showed a weaker degree of growth in xylose and XOSs than glucose. Sixteen strains exhibited resistance under gastrointestinal tract conditions and displayed antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens. Notably, Lv. brevis FS2.1 possessed the greatest probiotic properties, with the highest %hydrophobicity index and %auto-aggregation. Effective degradation and utilization of XOSs by probiotic strains are dependent upon xylanase and β-xylosidase production, as well as xylose metabolism. It can be concluded that pickled bamboo shoot products can be a beneficial source of XOSs-fermenting probiotic LAB.
Learning an Accurate State Transition Dynamics Model by Fitting both a Function and Its Derivative

Learning accurate state transition dynamics model in a sample-efficient way is important to predict the future states from the current states and actions of a system both accurately and efficiently in model-based reinforcement learning for many robotic applications. This paper proposes a sample-efficient learning approach that can accurately learn a state transition dynamics model by fitting both the predicted next states and their derivatives. To compute the derivatives of the feedforward neural network output (next states) with respective to the inputs (current states and actions), chain rules are used. In addition, the effects of the activation functions on the learning derivatives are illustrated via sum of elementary sine functions example and compared for various activation functions with respect to accuracy. Significant improvement in accuracy by the proposed learning approach is demonstrated for both one-step and multi-step prediction cases with a six-degree-of-freedom manipulation robot (UR-10) in both the simulation and real environments.
Flipped Classrooms using Blackboard to Enhance the Instructional Design Skills of Postgraduate Students

This study aims to determine the impact of using the flipped classroom approach through Blackboard, to enhance students’ instructional design skills, and identify any challenges that may limit this us. The study was carried out at the Northern Border University in Saudi Arabia in academic year 2020/2021, with ten students on the Instructional Design Course. The study uses a mixed methods approach, employing both a quantitative research method (test), and a qualitative method (semi-structured interviews). The study produced several results, the most important of which being the effectiveness of using flipped classrooms in the development of instructional design skills. The study reveals a set of challenges that may limit the use of the flipped classrooms strategy through Blackboard, split into three sections. The first section includes the challenges relating to faculty members. The second section comprises the challenges relating to students. The third section incorporates external challenges.
7T MRI for Intracranial Vessel Wall Lesions and Its Associated Neurological Disorders: A Systematic Review

Intracranial vessel wall lesions are involved in a variety of neurological diseases. The advanced technique 7T MRI provides greater efficacy in the diagnosis of the pathology changes in the vessel wall and helps to identify potential subtle lesions. The purpose of this literature review was to systematically describe and evaluate the existing literature focusing on the use of 7T MRI in the detection and characterization of intracranial vessel wall lesions and their associated neurological disorders, to highlight the current knowledge gaps, and to formulate a framework to guide future applications and investigations. We systematically reviewed the existing articles up to July 2021, seeking the studies that assessed intracranial vessel wall lesions and their associated neurological disorders using 7T MRI. The literature search provided 12 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The most common intracranial vessel wall lesions were changes related to intracranial atherosclerosis (n = 8) and aneurysms (n = 4), such as intracranial atherosclerosis burden and aneurysm wall enhancement. The associated neurological disorders included aneurysms, ischemic stroke or TIA, small vessel disease, cognitive decline, and extracranial atherosclerosis. No paper studied the use of 7T MRI for investigating vessel wall conditions such as moyamoya disease, small vessel disease, or neurological disorders related to central nervous vasculitis. In conclusion, the novel 7T MRI enables the identification of a wider spectrum of subtle changes and associations. Future research on cerebral vascular diseases other than intracranial atherosclerosis and aneurysms may also benefit from 7T MRI.
Synergistic Effect of Sesame Oil on Chlorantraniliprole Toxicity and Detoxifying Enzymes Activity against Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)

The present study aimed to investigate the toxicity and synergistic effect of binary mixtures containing chlorantraniliprole and sesame oil at different ratios against second and third instar larvae of fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda. The toxicity of different concentrations (LC25 and LC50) of chlorantraniliprole with or without sesame oil (1, 2.5 and 5 per cent) on second and third instar larvae of FAW was determined using the leaf discdip bioassay method. A combination of chlorantraniliprole LC50 plus sesame oil 2.5 per cent has resulted in 74.42 and 81.81 per cent larval mortality on the second and third instars larvae of FAW, respectively. The mortality percentage was 1.52 and 1.57 fold higher than the single effect for the second and third instars of FAW, respectively. These results showed that this combination exhibited high potentiating synergism in both the instars of FAW larvae under laboratory conditions. The activity of Carboxyl Esterase (CarE), Mixed Function Oxidase (MFO) and Glutathione-STransferase (GST) were found to be lesser in chlorantraniliprole LC50 plus sesame oil 2.5 per cent combinations than in single toxicity treatments. Therefore, sesame oil showed good synergism with chlorantraniliprole at the ratio of chlorantraniliprole LC50 plus sesame oil 2.5 per cent on fall armyworm under laboratory conditions.
Topical Formulation of Noscapine, a Benzylisoquinoline Alkaloid, Ameliorates Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-Like Skin Lesions

Psoriasis is considered an autoimmune inflammatory disease. The disease is spread and diagnosed by the infiltration of inflammatory mediators and cells into the epidermis. Recent theoretical developments have focused on the effectiveness of noscapine (NOS) as a potential alkaloid for being used as a valuable treatment for different diseases. In the present study, psoriasis-like dermatitis was induced on the right ear pinna surface of male Balb/c mice by topical application of imiquimod (IMQ) for ten consecutive days, which was treated with noscapine (0.3, 1, 3, and 10% w/v) or clobetasol (0.05% w/v) as a positive control. The levels of ear length, thickness, severity of skin inflammation, psoriatic itch, psoriasis area severity index (PASI) score, and body weight were measured daily. On the 10th day of study, each ear was investigated for inflammation, fibrosis, proliferation, and apoptosis using histopathological (H&E and Masson's trichrome staining) and immunohistochemistry (Ki67 and p53 staining) assays. Furthermore, the levels of inflammatory biomarkers were characterized by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results confirmed IMQ-induced psoriasis for five consecutive days. In contrast, noscapine significantly reduced the ear length, thickness, severity of skin inflammation, psoriatic itch and body weight, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-17, and IL-23p19 in a concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.001–0.05 for all cases). Overall, topical noscapine significantly ameliorated both the macroscopical and microscopical features of psoriasis. However, further clinical investigations are required to translate the effects to clinics.