Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Survival Analysis of Very Low Birth Weight Infant Mortality in Taiwan

This paper examines the determinants of very low birth weight infant (or neonatal) mortality using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research database from 1997 to 2009. After infants are discharged from hospital, it is not possible to track their mortality, so the Cox proportional hazard model is used to analyze the very low birth weight infant mortality rate. In order to clarify treatment responsibility and to avoid selective referral effects, we use the number of infants treated in the preceding five years to observe the effect of a physician’s and hospital’s medical experience on the mortality rate of hospitalized minimal birth weight infants. The empirical results show that, given disease control variables, a higher infant weight, higher quality hospitals, increased hospital medical experience, and higher investment in pediatrics can reduce the mortality rate significantly. However, an increased physician’s medical experience does not seem to influence significantly the very low birth weight infant mortality rate.
Restricted isometry constants where lpsparse recovery can fail for 0 < p <= 1

This paper investigates conditions under which the solution of an underdetermined linear system with minimal lP norm, 0 < p ≤ 1, is guaranteed to be also the sparsest one. Matrices are constructed with restricted isometry constants (RIC) δ2m arbitrarily close to 1/ √2 ≅ 0.707 where sparse recovery with p = 1 fails for at least one m-sparse vector, as well as matrices with δ2m arbitrarily close to one where l1 minimization succeeds for any m-sparse vector. This highlights the pessimism of sparse recovery prediction based on the RIC, and indicates that there is limited room for improving over the best known positive results of Foucart and Lai, which guarantee that l1 minimization recovers all m-sparse vedors for any matrix with δ2m < 2(3 - √2)/7 ≅ 0.4531. These constructions are a by-product of tight conditions for lp recovery (0 ≤ p ≤ 1) with matrices of unit spectral norm, which are expressed in terms of the minimal singular values of 2m-column submatrices. Compared to l1 minimization, lp minimization recovery failure is shown to be only slightly delayed in terms of the RIC values. Furthermore in this case the minimization is nonconvex and it is important to consider the specific minimization algorithm being used. It is shown that when lp optimization is attempted using an iterative reweighted l1 scheme, failure can still occur for δ2m arbitrarily close to 1/ √2.
CMA-ES for Hyperparameter Optimization of Deep Neural Networks

Hyperparameters of deep neural networks are often optimized by grid search, random search or Bayesian optimization. As an alternative, we propose to use the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES), which is known for its state-of-the-art performance in derivative-free optimization. CMA-ES has some useful invariance properties and is friendly to parallel evaluations of solutions. We provide a toy example comparing CMA-ES and state-of-the-art Bayesian optimization algorithms for tuning the hyperparameters of a convolutional neural network for the MNIST dataset on 30 GPUs in parallel.
Distribution and indexation of plant available nutrients of rainfed calcareous soils of Pakistan.

Soil characteristics of Chakwal district were evaluated through physical and chemical analyses. Representative soil samples received/collected from farmers fields were analyzed for texture, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, organic matter (SOM), available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) contents. Texture of the soils varied from sandy loam to loam. About 97% soils had EC values within the normal range ( 8.5. About 86% soils were poor in SOM and P, only 11% samples had satisfactory level of SOM ( > 0.86%) and P ( >7.0 mg kg -1 ) contents. The K status of most of soils (68%) was in satisfactory range. The frequency distribution indicated that most of the soils of Chakwal had SOM content in the range of 0.4-0.6%, P in the range of 2.1-4.0 and K in the range of 81-120 mgkg -1 . The nutrient index values of Chakwal soils in respect of SOM and P were poor, whereas satisfactory for potassium.
Aerosol characterization for agricultural field burning smoke

By Jorge Rodrigo Jimenez, Ph.D. Washington State University December 2006 Chair: Candis Claiborn Rural communities in eastern Washington and northern Idaho have been concerned about health problems related to smoke exposure from agricultural field burning. However, pollution from field burning often does not violate air quality standards, and not much is known about community exposure to smoke from field burning. This research improves the understanding of air quality impacts from regional agricultural field burning in these communities. PM2.5 measurements were made at a monitoring site established in Pullman, WA during the fall 2002. Two source-receptor models were used to apportion PM2.5 from vegetative burning smoke. Contributions of PM2.5 from soil (38%), vegetative burning (35%), and sulfate aerosol (20%), and much less from vehicles (2%) and cooking (1%) were found in the Pullman airshed. However, the source profile for vegetative burning used in the previous study was not able to differentiate agricultural residue smoke versus smoke from woodstoves. Levoglucosan and 19 methoxyphenols (MPs) were evaluated as tracers for wheat and
The Climate Adaptation Feedback

Many behavioral responses to climate change are carbon-intensive, raising concerns that adaptation may cause additional warming. We label this phenomenon the Climate Adaptation Feedback (CAF). The CAF’s sign and magnitude depend on how emissions increases from cooling balance against declines from heating across space and time. We develop a framework for quantifying the CAF that combines high-resolution projections of adaptation-induced energy consumption and source-speciﬁc CO 2 intensities. We ﬁnd energy-based adaptation will decrease cumulative CO 2 emissions, lowering global mean surface temperature in 2099 by 0 . 12 ◦ C relative to baseline projections and avoiding 1.8 trillion USD ($2019) in global damages. Energy-based adaptation lowers business-as-usual emissions for 85% of countries, reducing the mitigation required to meet their unilateral Nationally Determined Contributions under the UNFCCC by 11% on average. More broadly, the CAF breaks the conventional separation between climate mitigation and adaptation, with wide-ranging implications for climate policy and research.
Characteristics of Speckle Errors of SeaWiFS Chlorophyll-α Concentration in the East Sea

Characteristics of speckle errors of Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) chlorophyll- concentration were analyzed, and its causes were investigated by using SeaWiFS data in the East Sea from September 1997 to December 2007. The speckles with anomalously high concentrations were randomly distributed and showed remarkably high bias of greater than , compared with their neighboring pixels. The speckles tended to appear frequently in winter, which might be related to cloud distribution. Ten-year averaged cloudiness of winter was much higher over the southeastern part, with frequent speckles, than the northwestern part of the East Sea. Statistical analysis results showed that the number of the speckles was increased as cloudiness increased. Normalized water-leaving radiance of the speckle pixel was considerably low at the short wavelengths (443, 490, and 510 nm), whereas the radiance at 555 nm band was normal. These low measurements produced extraordinarily high concentration from the chlorophyll- estimation formula. This study presented the speckle errors of SeaWiFS chlorophyll- concentration in the East Sea and suggested that more reliable chlorophyll- data based on appropriate ocean color remote sensing techniques should be used for the oceanic application researches.
Long lasting insecticidal nets use, efficacy and physical integrity in a vector resistance area after a nationwide campaign in southern Benin, West Africa

Although effective malaria control measures such as long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) have been promoted, relatively little is known about their coverage dimension. However, usage varies among households, and such variation may seriously limit the potential impact of nets. Moreover, the efficacy of these measures against Anopheles gambiae in some departments is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate LLINs coverage and use, and their efficacy against A. gambiae in Oueme department after a mass free distribution. A post survey campaign was undertaken in January, 2012 to assess the effect of campaign six months after LLINs (Olyset net) free distribution in southern Benin. A questionnaire has been provided to heads of 1,600 households randomly selected from four districts. Despite LLINs use reaching more than 80%, coverage was low at 50.9%. A considerable damage rate (14%) of Olyset nets after only 6 months of use was observed. Bioassays revealed inefficacy of olyset toward the local population of A. gambiae after only 6 months of use. Free distribution of LLINs rapidly improved their coverage in communities. The rapid wear observed associated with low efficacy raises the problem of the choice of impregnated materials in a context of high vector resistance to insecticides. Key words: Long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), olyset, efficacy, Anopheles gambiae, vector control.
Gout and the risk for incident heart failure and systolic dysfunction

Objectives To determine the effect of specific resistance training on forearm pain and work disability in industrial technicians. Design and setting Two-armed cluster randomised controlled trial of 20 weeks performed at two industrial production units in Copenhagen, Denmark. Participants Working-age industrial technicians both with and without pain and disability. Interventions The training group (n=282) performed specific resistance training for the shoulder, neck and arm muscles three times a week. The control group (n=255) was advised to continue normal physical activity. Outcome All participants rated forearm pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale, 0–100 mm) once a week (primary outcome) and replied to a questionnaire on work disability (Disability of the Arm Shoulder and Hand, 0–100) at baseline and follow-up (secondary outcome). Results Questionnaires were sent to 854 workers of which 30 (n=282) and 27 (n=255) clusters were randomised to training and control, respectively. Of these, 211 and 237 participants, respectively, responded to the follow-up questionnaire. Intention-to-treat analyses including both individuals with and without pain showed that from baseline to follow-up, pain intensity and work disability decreased more in the training group than in the control group (4–5 on a scale of 0–100, p<0.01–0.001). Among those with pain >30 mm Visual Analogue Scale at baseline (n=54), the OR for complete recovery at follow-up in the training group compared with the control group was 4.6 (95% CI 1.2 to 17.9). Among those with work disability >30 at baseline (n=113), the OR for complete recovery at follow-up in the training group compared with the control group was 6.0 (95% CI 1.8 to 19.8). Conclusion Specific resistance training of the shoulder, neck and arm reduces forearm pain and work disability among industrial technicians. Trial registration number NCT01071980.
The Stability of Plagioclase in the Upper Mantle: Subsolidus Experiments on Fertile and Depleted Lherzolite

Plagioclase peridotites are important markers of processes that characterize the petrological and tectonic evolution of the lithospheric mantle in extensional tectonic settings. Studies on equilibrated plagioclase peridotites have documented continuous chemical changes in mantle minerals in response to plagioclase crystallization, potentially tracing the re-equilibration of mantle peridotites up to very low pressure.This experimental study provides new constraints on the stability of plagioclase in mantle peridotites as a function of bulk composition, and the compositional and modal changes in minerals occurring within the plagioclase stability field as a function of P^T^bulk composition. Subsolidus experiments have been performed at pressures ranging from 0·25 to 1·0 GPa, and temperatures ranging from 900 to 12008C on fertile and depleted anhydrous lherzolites modelled in the system TiO2^Cr2O3^Na2O^CaO^FeO^ MgO^Al2O3^SiO2 (Ti,Cr-NCFMAS). In the fertile lherzolite (Na2O/CaO 1⁄4 0·08; XCr 1⁄4 0·07) a plagioclase-bearing assemblage is stable up to 0·7 GPa, 10008C and 0·8 GPa, 11008C, whereas in the depleted lherzolite (Na2O/CaO 1⁄4 0·09; XCr 1⁄4 0·10) the upper limit of plagioclase stability is shifted to lower pressure.The boundary between plagioclase lherzolite and spinel lherzolite has a positive slope in P^T space. In a complex chemical system, the plagioclase-out boundary is multivariant and sensitive to the XCr value [XCr 1⁄4 Cr/(Cr þAl)] of spinel.This latter is controlled by the reaction MgCr2O4 þ CaAl2Si2O8 1⁄4 MgCrAlSiO6 þ CaCrAlSiO6, which is a function of the Cr^Al partitioning between spinel and pyroxenes, and varies with the XCr value and chromite/ anorthite normative ratio of the bulk composition. Within the plagioclase stability field, the Al content of pyroxenes decreases, coupled with an increase in the anorthite content in plagioclase, and Ti and XCr in spinel with decreasing pressure; these chemical variations are combined with systematic changes in modal mineralogy governed by a continuous reaction involving both plagioclase and spinel. As a consequence, the composition of plagioclase varies significantly over a rather narrow pressure range and is similar at the same P^T conditions in the investigated bulk-rocks.This suggests the potential application of plagioclase composition as a geobarometer for plagioclase peridotites.
AGRICULTURIZATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN A REPRESENTATIVE AREA OF THE ECOREGION OF THE PAMPAS, ARGENTINA

Previous studies have shown the existence of the process of agriculturization in the Ecoregion of the Pampas, and Tandil County is a representative example of the process. This paper compares the areas occupied by different land uses and their environmental impacts in the Upper Basin of the Langueyu Creek and in Tandil County, in which the basin is located, in three points of time: 1988, 2002, and 2010. Supervised classification was applied on images captured by the sensor TM with adjustments to field. Between 1988 and 2010, agricultural uses in the Basin increased significantly (159.5%) while in the County, the agricultural areas increased 39.4%. Consequently, the environmental impacts on the environment, measured by sustainability indicators, were more intense in the Basin than in the County as a whole. The results allow collaborate in the development of environmental management proposals aimed at agroecological sustainability.
Influence of tides on sea ice in the Weddell Sea: Investigations with a high‐resolution dynamic‐thermodynamic sea ice model

[1] The effects of tides on the seasonal fluctuations and regional differences of the sea ice cover in the Weddell Sea are investigated using a dynamic-thermodynamic sea ice model operating at high temporal and spatial resolution. Tidal currents add a highly variable stress force at the ice-water interface. They are derived from an eight-constituent barotropic, ocean-only, tidal model. Thermodynamics are calculated for seven ice classes plus open water; dynamics consider an averaged ice class and open water only. Results from runs of the sea ice model with and without the additional tidal stress demonstrate that tidal currents alter the local and, to lesser extent, basin-wide evolution of sea ice. The tidal currents reduce the expansion of the ice cover, mostly cause a speed up of the retreat, and lead to a smaller minimum ice extent. The most significant local differences between the two model simulations are found in tidally active regions over the continental shelf breaks of the western Weddell Sea, in front of Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, and offshore Dronning Maud Land.
A base flow separation algorithm based on the linearized Boussinesq equation for complex hillslopes

The separation of base flow from discharge records is an important issue in hydrology. The objective of this paper is to develop a base flow separation algorithm, based on groundwater theory, in which the shape of the aquifer is taken into account and for which the parameters can be estimated from river discharge measurements. For this purpose, an analytical solution to the linearized Boussinesq equation for realistic aquifer shapes and temporally variable recharge rates is derived. This solution is combined with a mass balance at the land surface in order to construct the base flow separation algorithm. The parameters of the base flow filter are calculated on the basis of the same analytical solution. Comparison of the results of the new algorithm to existing base flow separation methods shows the need for a physical basis for base flow filters.
Current Situation of Escherichia coli Antibiotic Resistance in Food-producing Animals, Wild Animals, Companion Animals, and Birds: One Health Perspectives

Escherichia coli (E. coli) has shown antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to a range of antibiotics, including the last resort antibiotics, which represent a global burden. Thus, it is essential to consider the AMR from a One Health perspective due to the ability of antimicrobial resistance to be transmitted between animals and humans share the same environment. As a result, and to minimize the emergence and spread of the AMR requires coordination in the multi-sectorial effort. However, in most cases, animals and birds have been ignored by public health authorities while antimicrobial resistance is being reported. This gap poses a serious public health burden due to the close contact between food-producing animals, companion animals, or companion birds, humans, and their environment. Therefore, this chapter aims to highlight the current situation of E. coli AMR in food-producing animals, wild animals, companion animals, and birds from One Health perspective. In conclusion, the chapter shows that E. coli exerted resistance to a range of antibiosis, including the last resort of antibiotics in livestock and birds worldwide which calls for joint efforts under one health umbrella to address the challenge of E. coli AMR in animals and birds.
Natural and cultural eutrophication of Sluice Pond, Massachusetts, USA, recorded by algal and protozoan microfossils

Microfossil studies from Sluice Pond, Massachusetts, identified two environmental perturbations that impacted algal and protozoan communities: (1) natural eutrophication and water column mixing driven by the mid-Holocene drought and (2) cultural eutrophication, increasing bottom water anoxia, and toxicity accompanying human settlement. SP09 KC2 from the deep basin of this partially meromictic pond has an abundant and diverse record of dinoflagellate cysts spanning 11,400 years. Bottom water anoxia appears to have prevented benthic protozoans from colonizing until lake levels fell throughout New England during the mid-Holocene drought. Lower lake levels allowed mixing of the water column and a thecamoebian fauna rich in centropyxids, Pontigulasia compressa, and Difflugia oblonga to flourish in SP09 KC2. This lowstand is marked by an unconformity spanning the mid-Holocene hemlock minimum (5400–3500 cal. BP) in SP07 PC4 and by an increase in nutrients in the water column allowing mesotrophic–eutrophic dinoflagellate taxa (Peridinium cf. gatunense and Peridinium willei) to increase at the expense of Peridinium wisconsinense. Rising lake levels in response to the warm, wet climate are recorded by increasing abundances of protozoa tolerant of lower dissolved oxygen (DO) throughout Sluice Pond ~2200 cal. BP – the thecamoebians Arcella vulgaris, Difflugia protaeiformis, and Cucurbitella tricuspis and the ciliate Codonella cratera. Subsequent decline in lake level associated with late Holocene aridity allowed a diverse thecamoebian community to thrive until around 300 years ago when a more intense phase of eutrophication resulted from human impact. Bottom water anoxia due to enhanced biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is recorded by the dominance of C. tricuspis in sediments rich in ragweed pollen and other weedy plants. Peak cyst concentrations in this interval in SP07 PC4 reflect cultural eutrophication leading to high primary productivity and low DO, promoting cyst preservation. Low microfossil concentrations in the surface sediments are attributed to low DO and toxicity.
Designing Student

Undergraduate science students spend a substantial amount of time working in their laboratory groups, and instructors want to make evidence-based decisions on how to best set up these groups. Despite several studies on group composition, the evidence appears to be quite context-specific, and very little has been published about lab groups. Further, many studies focus solely on conceptual learning; however, the lab is an important venue for also supporting non-content outcomes such as confidence, process skills, team skills, and attitudes. Thus, in our introductory course on molecules, cells, and physiology we were interested in the impact of group composition, on a spread of student outcomes. Students were either placed into groups by the instructor, or self-selected into groups. To assess the impact of group composition on student outcome, we collected pre/post data from >500 students over 2 semesters. Our measures assess conceptual knowledge, confidence in lab skills, attitudes toward group learning, lab grades, gender, year of study, and (via open-ended questions) student perspectives. Using a multiple regression approach, we established models that predict student outcomes based on their individual attributes and on their lab group attributes. Surprisingly, the hetero/homogeneity of the initial group, and whether the groups were student-or instructor-selected, did not affect student outcomes in these models. Further MANCOVA analysis demonstrated that student interaction outside of the lab time was the strongest predictor of positive student attitudes toward group learning. Student perspectives on group formation are mixed, and suggest that a simple and flexible choice approach may best support our students. Overall, these findings have clear implications for our course design and instructional choices: we should focus our efforts to promote positive student interactions, rather than worrying about initial composition.
Variability of the apparent von Kármán parameter during aeolian saltation

The variability of the apparent von Kármán parameter κa during aeolian saltation was evaluated in a field experiment at Jericoacoara, Brazil. To test this variability, velocity profiles, Reynolds stress and sand transport data were gathered and analyzed. We used 15 data sets with sand‐laden airflow and 2 runs with clear airflow. Results indicated an inverse linear relationship between κa and bulk, gravimetric sand concentration (R2 = 0.746) and sand transport rate (R2 = 0.577). We found values of κa as low as 0.26. This means that using the von Kármán constant, κ (0.40) rather than the variable κa to estimate shear velocity based on the slope of the velocity profile will lead to over estimation of shear velocity, averaging about 20% in this study. This, in turn, produces an over estimation of wind‐blown sand transport rates based on models that have terms with shear velocity cubed.