Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatially varying parameters in observed new particle formation events

Aerosol particles affect the global climate due to its influence on the scattering and absorption of short-wave and long-wave radiation. The extent of the influence of aerosol particles on the climate varies a lot by time and space, and needs to be quantified. One of the most important natural sources of atmospheric particles is new particle formation (NPF). However, the contribution of NPF events on the aerosol concentrations in different regions need to be better quantified before they can be realistically described in climate models. This is of great interest due to the ongoing climate debate. Atmospheric NPF events are typically studied at stationary measurement sites, at which the observed changes in particle number concentration and size can be linked to both temporal and spatial changes in the particle formation and growth parameters, even though the spatial component is often neglected. The goal of this study is to examine how common the spatial variations in particle formation and growth parameters are, and how they affect the observed NPF events. The method used to examine this was to first use an improved version of an existing model to simulate different NPF cases assuming spatially and/or temporally varying input parameters. From these simulations the “fingerprints” for the different parameter variations were identified. Thereafter we analyze 8 years of particle number size distribution data from measurement sites Pallas and Varrio, in Finnish Lapland, and compared the observations of NPF events to the fingerprints of the different variations in cases when the same air mass was observed at both sites. Our results indicate that the beginning of the event is typically time dependent which could be explained by the diurnal evolution of a turbulent boundary layer. The end of the NPF event tends to be more typically dependent on location. In our observations in Northern Scandinavia this could be connected to the air mass arriving from sea to land or over the Scandinavian mountains. These findings indicate that the spatial variations of the particle formation and growth parameters cannot be neglected when analyzing NPF events.
Effect of Different Rates and Time of Application of Phosphorus on Yield, Soil Fertility, Nutrient Uptake and Monetary Returns of No-till Maize (Zea mays L.) after Lowland Rice

Field experiment was conducted during dry seasons for 2 consecutive years at College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad on no-till maize after lowland kharif rice on sandy clay loam soil. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with factorial concept and replicated thrice. Treatments executed are three Phosphorus levels (30, 45 and 60 kg P2O5 ha-1) and three Phosphorus application times (at 10 days before harvest of rice, at the time of sowing of maize and at the time of first irrigation to maize). The results revealed that application of 60 kg P2O5 ha-1 recorded superior grain and stover yield, gross returns, net returns, benefit cost ratio and nutrient uptake (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) at crop harvest over that of 45 and 30 kg P2O5 ha-1. But, application of 60 kg P2O5 ha-1 left behind the soil with lower amount of available Nitrogen and Potassium and higher Phosphorus status after harvest of the crop. Application of phosphorus at 10 days before harvest of rice and at the time of sowing of maize being on par resulted in better grain and stover yield of maize, gross returns, net returns, benefit cost ratio and nutrient uptake (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) at crop harvest over its delayed application (at the time of first irrigation to maize). The application of Phosphorus at 10 days before harvest of rice or at the time of sowing of maize depleted greater amount of available Phosphorus from the soil than its application along with first irrigation.
Mortality on the move: methods of mortality projection.

The authors examine different methods of projecting mortality rates then analyze recent mortality trends in England and Wales. "Before proceeding to consider the different methods of mortality projection an initial chapter examines the history of mortality changes in the past and makes some comment about current conditions. The authors then proceed to devote individual chapters to the various methods of mortality projection. The pattern of each chapter is as far as possible the same namely a description of the basis of the method followed by a demonstration of the method in operation. In each case the method is used first to project [mortality in England and Wales] from 1961 to 1981 and to compare the results with the actual mortality rates of 1981 in order to give some measure of the track record of the method. The method is then used to project from 1981 to 2001. " An attempt to predict the future course of the AIDS epidemic is included. (EXCERPT)
Shear wave attenuation and dispersion in melt-bearing olivine polycrystals: 1. Specimen fabrication

[1] Five melt-bearing polycrystalline olivine aggregates have been newly prepared by hot isostatic pressing and tested at high temperature and pressure with torsional forced-oscillation and microcreep methods. Cylindrical specimens, varying in average grain size from 7 to 52 μm, were annealed and then tested during slow staged cooling under 200 MPa pressure from maximum temperatures of 1240–1300°C where they contained basaltic melt fractions ranging from ∼0.0001 to 0.037. For temperatures ≥1000°C, pronounced departures from elastic behavior are evident in strain energy dissipation Q−1 and associated dispersion of the shear modulus G. In marked contrast with the high-temperature viscoelastic behavior of melt-free materials, a broad dissipation peak is observed for each of the melt-bearing specimens - superimposed upon a melt-enhanced level of monotonically frequency- and temperature-dependent “background” dissipation. The oscillation period at which the peak is centered decreases systematically with increasing temperature. A “global” model comprising an Andrade-pseudoperiod background plus Gaussian peak accounts adequately for the variation of Q−1 with frequency, temperature, average grain size and melt fraction. In the following paper (Part II) a microstructural explanation for the observed viscoelastic behavior is sought and the global model is used to extrapolate the experimental data to the conditions of teleseismic wave propagation in the Earth's upper mantle.
Large Language Models in Hematology Case Solving: A Comparative Study of ChatGPT-3.5, Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing

Background Large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT-3.5, Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing, have shown promising capabilities in various natural language processing (NLP) tasks. However, their performance and accuracy in solving domain-specific questions, particularly in the field of hematology, have not been extensively investigated. Objective This study aimed to explore the capability of LLMs, namely, ChatGPT-3.5, Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing (Precise), in solving hematology-related cases and comparing their performance. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Physiology and Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, Jharkhand, India. We curated a set of 50 cases on hematology covering a range of topics and complexities. The dataset included queries related to blood disorders, hematologic malignancies, laboratory test parameters, calculations, and treatment options. Each case and related question was prepared with a set of correct answers to compare with. We utilized ChatGPT-3.5, Google Bard Experiment, and Microsoft Bing (Precise) for question-answering tasks. The answers were checked by two physiologists and one pathologist. They rated the answers on a rating scale from one to five. The average score of the three models was compared by Friedman’s test with Dunn’s post-hoc test. The performance of the LLMs was compared with a median of 2.5 by a one-sample median test as the curriculum from which the questions were curated has a 50% pass grade. Results The scores among the three LLMs were significantly different (p-value < 0.0001) with the highest score by ChatGPT (3.15±1.19), followed by Bard (2.23±1.17) and Bing (1.98±1.01). The score of ChatGPT was significantly higher than 50% (p-value = 0.0004), Bard's score was close to 50% (p-value = 0.38), and Bing's score was significantly lower than the pass score (p-value = 0.0015). Conclusion The LLMs reveal significant differences in solving case vignettes in hematology. ChatGPT exhibited the highest score, followed by Google Bard and Microsoft Bing. The observed performance trends suggest that ChatGPT holds promising potential in the medical domain. However, none of the models was capable of answering all questions accurately. Further research and optimization of language models can offer valuable contributions to healthcare and medical education applications.
Rejection methods for vegetation mapping using hyperspectral airborne data

ABSTRACT Vegetation mapping from remote sensing data has proven useful for monitoring ecosystems at local, regional and global scales. Generally based on supervised classification methods, ecosystem mapping needs representative and consistent labelling. Such completeness is often difficult to achieve and requires the exclusion of minority species poorly represented in the studied scene in the training base. This exclusion leads to wrong predictions in the resulting map. In this study, the use of a posteriori classification rejection methods to limit the errors associated with minority species was evaluated in three different mapping scenarios: classification according to vegetation layers, prediction of genera from various vegetation types from low vegetation to trees and mapping of habitat (assemblages of species). For this purpose, several supervised classification methods based on Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forests (RF) and Regularized Logistic Regression (RLR) algorithms were first applied to hyperspectral images covering the reflective domain. On these classifications, the usual evaluation methods (confusion matrix and its derivatives calculated on an independent test set composed of the majority species) showed performances similar to those of the state-of-the-art. However, the introduction of a new score taking into account minority species demonstrated the need to include them in the evaluation process to provide robust performance quantification representing map effectiveness. Three a posteriori rejection methods, based on simple thresholding, K-means and SVM algorithms, were well suited to monitor minority species. The performance gain depended on the mapping scenario, the machine learning model and the rejection method. An increase in performance with the inclusion of minority species of up to 12% could be observed through the new score. These methods also detected a similar proportion of prediction errors associated with predominant species
Examining the Impact of Socioeconomic Factors and Lifestyle Habits on Obesity Prevalence Among Male and Female Adolescent Students in Asser, Saudi Arabia

Background Understanding the relationships between obesity and lifestyle factors is essential for the effective prevention and management of obesity in youth. This study aimed to investigate the association between sociodemographic factors, lifestyle elements such as physical activity and social stress, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Saudi adolescents in the Aseer region. Methodology From December 2022 to March 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional study using the multi-stage stratified random sampling technique. The study included Saudi male and female adolescents aged 12-19 years attending middle and high schools. Ordinal logistic regression was used to analyze the association between the ordinal dependent variable, classified into weight groups (normal, overweight, obese), and the independent variables. Results Of the total of 512 individuals, 90.4% were aged ≥18 years, 77.5% were males, and 76.8% were urban residents. Of the studied population, 33.6% were overweight, and 20.5% were obese. The prevalence of obesity and overweight was significantly higher among males compared to females (20.9% vs. 19.1% and 36.5% vs. 23.5%, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed the following factors to be associated with obesity and overweight: female gender (2.31, 95% CI = 1.45-3.71), age 12-17 years (0.53, 95% CI = 0.28-0.97), place of delivery (Tanoma) (2.32, 95% CI = 1.13-4.75), family size of over eight members (0.43, 95% CI = 0.24-0.74), family monthly income of over 20,000 SAR (3.79, 95% CI = 1.38-11.35), being smokers (0.26, 95% CI = 1.31-2.93), experiencing social stress (1.96, 95% CI = 1.96-2.93), engagement in physical activity less than three times a week (0.49, 95% CI = 0.32-0.75), and engagement in physical activity more than three times a week (0.36, 95% CI = 0.22-0.58). Conclusions These findings emphasize the importance of addressing demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors in combating childhood and adolescent obesity through targeted interventions.
Real-World Use of Immunotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide and accounts for 90% of all primary liver cancers. Chronic inflammation is the hallmark across most prevalent etiologies among which HBV is the leading cause worldwide (33%), followed by alcohol (30%), HCV (21%), other factors like non-alcoholic steatohepatitis linked to insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome, and obesity associated inflammation (16%). Deregulation of the tightly controlled immunological network leads to liver disease, including chronic infection, autoimmunity, and tumor development. While inflammation drives oncogenesis in the liver, HCC also recruits ICOS+ FOXP3+ Tregs and MDSCs and upregulates immune checkpoints to induce a state of immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. As such, research is focused on targeting and modulating the immune system to treat HCC. The Checkmate 040 and Keynote 224 studies established the role of immunotherapy in the treatment of patients with HCC. In Phase I and II trials, nivolumab and pembrolizumab demonstrated durable response rates of 15–20% and were subsequently approved as second-line agents after sorafenib. Due to the success of the IMbrave 150 and HIMALAYA trials, which examined the combination of atezolizumab/bevacizumab and tremelimumab/durvalumab, respectively, the FDA approved these regimens as first-time treatment options for patients with advanced HCC. The encouraging results of immunotherapy in the management of HCC has led researchers to evaluate if combination with locoregional therapies may result in a synergistic effect. Real-world studies represent an invaluable tool to assess and verify the applicability of clinical trials in the bedside setting with a more varied patient population. We herein review current real-life use of ICIs in the management of HCC and highlight some of the ongoing clinical trials that are expected to change current recommended first-line treatment in the near future.
The effects of bromelain on osteoarthritis symptoms: A systematic review

Background and aims: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common skeletal and excruciating disease worldwide. This study aimed to investigate bromelain’s effect and underlying mechanism on OA symptoms. Methods: This systematic review was designed according to the PRISMA guidelines. An extensive search was undertaken in various databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Scopus. Finally, 14 articles were retrieved considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. The desired data were extracted and entered into an Excel file, and the outcomes of the studies underwent investigation. Results: Bromelain downregulates inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-1β, and interferon γ expression in synovial fibroblasts. In addition, bromelain inserts analgesic effects by decreasing vascular permeability to bradykinin and inhabitation its generation. Bromelain counteracts by increasing the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iONS) levels, and lipid peroxidation while reducing those of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and prolidase. Another main antinociceptive effect property of bromelain is associated with its anti-inflammatory effect by relieving neuroinflammation and synovial membrane inflammation. Conclusion: Bromelain indicated good therapeutic effects on reducing OA symptoms due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Although no specific bromelain-related side effects were not reported in the included studies, it is recommended that more laboratory studies should be conducted with different doses and appropriate methodology.
S3GD-MV: Sparse-SignSGD with Majority Vote for Communication-Efficient Distributed Learning

This paper presents S3GD-MV, a communication-efficient distributed learning algorithm that combines the benefits of sparsification and sign quantization. In S3GD-MV, each worker selects the top-K largest components of the local gradient vector in magnitude and only sends the signs of the selected components to the server, which aggregates the signs via a majority vote and returns the result. Our analysis shows that when the sparsification parameter is properly selected, S3GD-MV converges as quickly as signSGD for smooth non-convex functions, but with significantly reduced communication costs. Simulation results of training a convolutional neural network on the MNIST dataset show that S3GD-MV reduces communication costs compared to other conventional optimizers, while improving test accuracy.
A late-Quaternary record of environmental variability from lake sediment cores, Wind River Range, Wyoming

Sediment cores from two alpine lakes in Wyoming's Wind River Range were collected and analyzed to establish a record of depositional and mineralogical variability. Due to the hydrologic setting and isolation of Fiddlers and Louis lakes, these cores yielded the longest continuous limnological record in the region that extends back nearly 20,000 years to full-glacial conditions, a rarity for alpine lakes in the western United States. To develop a paleolimnological record for Fiddlers and Louis lakes, the sediment cores were analyzed using four laboratory techniques. These techniques included particle size analysis, x-ray diffraction, heavy mineral analysis, and loss-on-ignition. Radiocarbon ages from Fiddlers Lake's sediment allowed the record of sedimentological changes to be numerically dated. Using this multi-proxy approach, a history of late-Quaternary depositional and mineralogical variability was established and compared with regional paleoclimate studies. The results from the both lakes' cores showed similar responses to local and regional glacial/post-glacial environmental changes and revealed four distinct depositional phases: full-glacial, late-glacial, transitional and post-glacial. The timing of sedimentological responses in Fiddlers and Louis lakes corroborates previous research in the Wind River Range, most notably that of Fall, Zielinski and Davis (1995). Paleoclimate records developed from this study enhance the present understanding of the region's climate history while the sedimentological data give insight into the depositional characteristics during climate transitions. A LATE-QUATERNARY RECORD OF ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY FROM LAKE SEDIMENT CORES, WIND RIVER RANGE, WYOMING A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Tyler John Johnson University of Northern Iowa July, 2010
Intensity-Modulation and Direct-Detection Model for Simultaneous Terahertz Information and Power Transfer in 6G Network

A breakthrough in the 6G wireless network is imminent with the employment of Terahertz (THz) band transmission to meet both the information and energy demands of their connected devices simultaneously. Inspired by the advances in the THz neighboring bands, a novel non-linear model of an intensity-modulation and direct-detection (IM/DD) is proposed to perform simultaneous THz information and power transfer (STIPT) over a 6G point-to-point link. We present a non-truncated yet tractable analytical diode model of a rectenna-based DD receiver and find an upper bound for the harvested DC power over an IM transmission. Besides, the simultaneous achievable information rate is evaluated for a power-maximizing input traveling through a distance-dependent THz channel. The theoretical model is supported with simulations involving both ideal and real THz GaAs Schottky diode parameters to assess STIPT performance. The results demonstrate that by employing an on-off keying (OOK) scheme in the IM/DD model, a 6G network of battery-less devices can be extended up to several meters while communicating at a Gbps data rate.
BUNCH COMPONENT VARIATIONS OF INBRED PROGENIES IN THIRD CYCLE OF LIMITED BREEDING PROGRAMME OF DURA MATERIALS PLANTED IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA AND SABAH

A total of 7163 bunches were analysed from progenies with identical genotype derived from the third cycle of limited breeding programme (LBP) of dura materials from 2016 to 2020 in Bayok Estate of Pamol Sabah and Gomali Estate in Batu Anam, Peninsular Malaysia. The bunch components of the identical dura inbred progenies showed significant differences in traits when planted in geographically distant locations. The mean square (variance) analysed through ANOVA between the two locations showed that the bunch components of fruit to bunch, oil to dry mesocarp and wet mesocarp to fruits were statistically significant at probability (p)=<5 per cent to result in a significantly low oil to bunch in Sabah when compared to Peninsular Malaysia. Difference in kernel to fruit percent between the two locations was marginally significant at p=<5 per cent, while shell to fruit percent was marginally significant at p=<0.1 per cent. Although the progenies from Sabah showed heavier fruit weight (in grammes), statistically the difference in weights of the fruit in both locations were not significant. Correlation coefficient matrix analysis indicates that the two major bunch analysis components that affected the low oil to bunch were low fruit to bunch and low oil to dry mesocarp percent which were highly significant at p=<0.1 per cent. The differences in bunch phenotypic components on fruit to bunch ratio could be the result of the seasonal high rainfall in Sabah as compared to Peninsular Malaysia. The high soil water table from Typic Endoaquept soil in Sabah during flood and tidal water could be the reason for low oil in dry mesocarp. The low seasonal fruit to bunch percent is a common annual natural phenomenon in Sabah. Keywords: Oil to bunch percent, parthenocarpy, environmental variations, inbred progenies and oil palm breeding