Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Allergic Conjunctivitis, Comparative Assessment of the Safety and Effectiveness of Alcaftadine 0.25 Percent, Olopatadine Hydrochloride 0.2 Percent, and Bepotastine Besilate 1.5 Percent

Aim: The aim of the present study to compare the safety and efficacy of Alcaftadine 0.25%, Olopatadine hydrochloride 0.2% and Bepotastine besilate 1.5% in allergic conjunctivitis. Methods: A total of 150 patients with mild or moderate allergic conjunctivitis were randomized into three groups with an allocation ratio of 1:1:1 using computer-generated random number sequence to receive topical anti-allergic medication for 14 days as Group 1: Topical 0.25% Alcaftadine eye drops OD, Group 2: Topical 0.2% Olopatadine eye drops OD and Group 3: Topical 1.5% Bepotastine besilate eye drops BID. Patients were examined and their baseline symptoms and signs (TOSS) were recorded. Results: A total of 180 patients were screened for the study of which 150 patients with mild or moderate allergic conjunctivitis, who met the required inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. The 4 major complaints recorded by patients were itching (50 patients, 100c/o), redness (37 patients, 74%), tearing (42 patients, 84%), and swelling (20 patients, 40%). The total ocular symptom score (TOSS) showed a consistent decrease in subsequent visit in all the Groups and it was statistically significant, when compared from baseline to 14th day in all the groups (p = 0.0006). The difference in mean TOSS between (Group A) Alcaftadine and (Group C) bepotastine treatment groups was observed at the third day of follow-up. This showed early relief of allergic conjunctivitis symptoms by bepotastine (5.77 ± 1.46) compared to Alcaftadine (mean (6.36 ± 1.58) and olopatadine (6.36 ± 1.58) but this was not statistically significant. Conjunctival hyperaemia had reduced in all the treatment groups but there was a significant reduction in Alcaftadine and Bepotastine treatment groups at 14th day compared to olopatadine group (p = 0.0025) Conclusion: All three topical ophthalmic medications used in the study are safe and effective in the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis. However, Bepotastine and Alcaftadine appear to outweigh Olopatadine in resolving the symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis.
Using lateral coefficient of friction to evaluate effectiveness of plowing and sanding operations

Returning the streets to safe driving conditions during wintertime is a priority in cold regions. Using Real-Time Traction Tool (RT3)-Curve’s lateral friction measurements, the effectiveness of plowing and three rates of sanding on different road conditions was investigated. Even a low amount of sand caused a significant reduction in friction on bare dry surfaces. Plowing did not provide significant benefits on ice; though it was a critical operation for snow conditions. While low sanding did not necessarily improve friction over plowed ice and snow, medium and high sanding considerably increased friction over plowed ice and snow. Regression analysis on the collected data revealed that abrasive mixtures can quickly scatter off the road due to high-speed traffic; it also showed that the salt portion of the mixture was not able to melt the ice before it was scattered from the road; however, it was immediately effective for snow at −8 °C.
Learning to Learn Dense Gaussian Processes for Few-Shot Learning

Gaussian processes with deep neural networks demonstrate to be a strong learner for few-shot learning since they combine the strength of deep learning and kernels while being able to well capture uncertainty. However, it remains an open problem to leverage the shared knowledge provided by related tasks. In this paper, we propose to learn Gaussian processes with dense inducing variables by meta-learning for few-shot learning. In contrast to sparse Gaussian processes, we deﬁne a set of dense inducing variables to be of a much larger size than the support set in each task, which collects prior knowledge from experienced tasks. The dense inducing variables specify a shared Gaussian process prior over prediction functions of all tasks, which are learned in a variational inference framework and offer a strong inductive bias for learning new tasks. To achieve task-speciﬁc prediction functions, we propose to adapt the inducing variables to each task by efﬁcient gradient descent. We conduct extensive experiments on common benchmark datasets for a variety of few-shot learning tasks. Our dense Gaussian processes present signiﬁcant improvements over vanilla Gaussian processes and comparable or even better performance with state-of-the-art methods.
For the rest of our lives: Flexibility and innovation in Italy

We study the effect of temporary workers on innovation both theoretically and empirically. First, we develop a model where a representative firm chooses between different types of projects (routine vs innovative) and different types of labor contracts (temporary vs permanent). In doing so, it considers the effect of these different strategies on the workers’ incentives to invest in firm-specific skills. Our key finding is that firms offering temporary contracts are less likely to invest in innovative projects, and that this effect is stronger in industries characterized by a “garage-business” innovation regime. Second, we test our hypotheses using firmlevel data on employment composition and patent filing. Consistently with our theoretical predictions, we find that temporary workers are detrimental to innovation, and that this effect is mitigated by the concentration of patent-filing at the industry-level.
Network-to-Network Regularization: Enforcing Occam's Razor to Improve Generalization

What makes a classiﬁer have the ability to generalize? There have been a lot of important attempts to address this question, but a clear answer is still elusive. Proponents of complexity theory ﬁnd that the complexity of the classiﬁer’s function space is key to deciding generalization, whereas other recent work reveals that classiﬁers which extract invariant feature representations are likely to generalize better. Recent theoretical and empirical studies, however, have shown that even within a classiﬁer’s function space, there can be signiﬁcant differences in the ability to generalize. Speciﬁcally, empirical studies have shown that among functions which have a good training data ﬁt, functions with lower Kolmogorov complexity (KC) are likely to generalize better, while the opposite is true for functions of higher KC. Motivated by these ﬁndings, we propose, in this work, a novel measure of complexity called Kolmogorov Growth (KG), which we use to derive new generalization error bounds that only depend on the ﬁnal choice of the classiﬁcation function. Guided by the bounds, we propose a novel way of regularizing neural networks by constraining the network trajectory to remain in the low KG zone during training. Minimizing KG while learning is akin to applying the Occam’s razor to neural networks. The proposed approach, called network-to-network regularization, leads to clear improvements in the generalization ability of classiﬁers. We verify this for three popular image datasets (MNIST, CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100) across varying training data sizes. Empirical studies ﬁnd that conventional training of neural networks, unlike network-to-network regularization, leads to networks of high KG and lower test accuracies. Furthermore, we present the beneﬁts of N2N regularization in the scenario where the training data labels are noisy. Using N2N regularization, we achieve competitive performance on MNIST, CIFAR-10 and CIFAR-100 datasets with corrupted training labels, signiﬁcantly improving network performance compared to standard cross-entropy baselines in most cases. These ﬁndings illustrate the many beneﬁts obtained from imposing a function complexity prior like Kolmogorov Growth during the training process.
Unsupervised Video Anomaly Detection using 3D CNNs and Novelty Detection techniques

In this work we propose and test a method to perform video anomaly detection exploiting the power of deep convolutional neural nets to extract strong low dimensional representations to be used in conjunction with novelty detection algorithms. Given the outstanding performances obtained in image and human action recognition using convolutional neural networks trained on large datasets, in our work we used a 3D convolutional neural network pretrained on the Kinetics 700 and UCF101 datasets as a feature extractor, to map snippets of surveillance videos into a lower dimensional embedding space. We then tested whether snippets of anomalous events are mapped into statistical outliers in the embedding space, which can be detected using novelty detection algorithms. Using our technique on the UCF Crime dataset we got a ﬁnal AUC score of 74.8 % which is comparable to the 75.4% obtained by the creators of the dataset, Sultani et al. [1] demonstrating the validity of our approach.
The Effect of Income Changes on the Accumulation of Children’s Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Outcomes

The main scope of this paper is to assess the relationship and pathways that link gains and losses in family income to the cognitive and non-cognitive development of children. With data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), I use a value added model to link distributional changes in family income to children’s reading scores and internalising and externalising behaviour trajectories between age 3 and 15. I find that only income losses have a significant negative impact on the non-cognitive development of children and that one third of the effect operates through channels related to mental health and well-being of the parents. Instead, movements upwards and downwards the income distribution affect cognitive outcomes symmetrically. I find evidence suggesting that past income losses matter only in conjunction with current losses in explaining residualised reading test scores and that experiencing an income loss predicts the probability of entering the bottom quintile of the distribution of cognitive and non-cognitive skils.
Talking (and Thinking) Business: Language, Time Encoding and Entrepreneurship

We explore the link between the propensity to engage in entrepreneurship and language, at individual level. We focus on one structural feature of languages’ grammar: the way time is encoded and, in particular, how languages differ in the syntactic expression of future events, i.e. whether they require or not the use of an explicit future marker. The heterogeneity across languages, along this dimension, may indeed affect cognitive domain and the way individuals perceive time, potentially leading to a difference in economic behaviours, especially those involving intertemporal choices. Starting from Chen (2013) linguistic-investment hypothesis, which relates the way languages’ grammar prescribes to mark future events and intertemporal decision (savings, healthy behaviours), we use data from 2000 Swiss Census in order to investigate the relationship between language and propensity to be entrepreneur. Our baseline estimates rely on the sample of natives, but we run a counterfactual analysis on first and second generation of immigrants. The empirical strategy aims at disentangling the individual effect of language future reference from regional and cultural effects nested in linguistic affiliation. We find that, in line with the theoretical hypothesis, futureless languages speakers (Weak Future Refence) are more likely to be entrepreneur with respect to Strong Future Reference languages speakers.
Call me on Sunday: Permanent availability and employee well-being∗

We address how work-related communication during off-work hours through emailing and phone calls is associated with employee well-being in terms of work-to-family conflict, mental health, and job satisfaction. According to the insights of boundary theory (Ashforth et al., 2000), the interference between work and private life domains is detrimental to employee well-being. However, research on this question is, so far, inconclusive. We conjecture that this, among other things, owes to the nature of the previous studies, which often do not disentangle associated factors of work-related off-work communication such as an individual’s work demands or assume a short-term perspective only. We attempt to tackle this issue by utilizing representative employer-employee linked data from Germany. Our rich data allow us to estimate a long-term association net of various confounding factors. While we can neither establish a statistically significant relationship between mental health nor job satisfaction and work-related off-work communication, we find a strong association between work-related off-work communication and work-to-family conflict. This relationship also holds for within-individual comparisons. However, once we account for individual fixed effects, the coefficient estimates drop in size. Hence, our results suggest that there must be self-selection of individuals who are less sensitive to leisure interruptions into jobs associated with work-related off-work communication. JEL-Classification: J28, M50, M54, O33
Is the quantity-quality trade-off real? Quasi-experimental evidence from China

This paper presents new evidence on the child quantity-quality (qq) tradeoff in China. The main contribution comes from applying a novel GMM approach for testing the existence of qq trade-off. This method is favourable than conventional two stage least squares because the underlying assumption is closer to the true distribution of outcome and endogenous variables. GMM estimators give significantly negative effects of fertility on education outcome of children, which is consistent with the Becker-Lewis model that an increase in child quantity increases the shadow price of quality. Moreover, this tradeoff nonlinearly decreases with family size and shows heterogeneous effects by birth order. The identification strategy exploits exogenous variation in family size that is induced by twin births and son preferences. This paper is the first to apply first child’s gender as an instrumental variable for fertility in the context of China where the son preferences are prevailing. This instrument offers the possibility to test the qq trade-off of a marginal second birth on the first born while typically twins and same-sex sibship estimate the effect of a marginal third or higher birth order child on older siblings.
EFFECT OF CIPROFLOXACIN, VITAMIN E AND THEIR COMBINATION ON DNA FRAGMENTATION AND BONE MARROW CYTOGENICITY

The antibacterial activities of the fluorinated 4-quinolone, ciprofloxacin has been ascribed to a marked inhibition of bacterial DNA gyrase. However, evidence is accumulating that ciprofloxacin may cause liver DNA damage. Vitamin E is a free radical scavenger and antioxidant. This study aimed to investigate the influence of ciprofloxacin in recommended dose on liver and spleen deoxyribonucleic acid as well as on micronuclei formation in bone marrow erythrocytes and the effects of vitamin E on these changes.Sixty adult male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four equal groups: control, ciprofloxacin treated, vitamin E treated and ciprofloxacin and vitamin E treated. DNA fragmentation was evidenced in liver and spleen cells of ciprofloxacin treated rats.Micronuclei formation significantly increased in ciprofloxacin treated rats compared to control group. Vitamin E administration reduced liver DNA fragmentation caused by ciprofloxacin in rats. It is suggested that.
Solar energy and sustainable development: evidence from 35 countries

ABSTRACT This study analyzes the relationship between solar energy and sustainable development. Data from 35 countries covering the period 2005–2018 were used. The potential endogeneity problem was considered in solar energy and sustainable development analyses. The predictions confirm the existence of endogeneity among the variables included in the analyses. Instrumental variables and the two-step generalized method of moments method were preferred for solving the endogeneity problem; according to these estimates, solar energy has a positive effect on sustainable development; in other words, solar energy causes an increase in the level of sustainable development. On the other hand, the analysis shows that non-renewable energy causes a decrease in sustainable development. Therefore, this study suggests prioritizing solar energy to increase the level of sustainable development and enable countries to reach the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals more easily.
Hydraulic Transport of Sand/Shell Mixtures

When considering pumping shells through a pipeline we have to consider that the shells are not spherical, but more discs shaped. When shells settle they will settle like leaves where the biggest cross section is exposed to the drag. But when they settle, they will settle in the same orientation, flat on the sediment, so the sides of the shells are exposed to the horizontal flow in the pipeline. Since the side cross section is much smaller than the horizontal cross section, a much higher velocity is required to make them erode and go back into suspension. The settling velocity is much smaller because of the large area of the cross section. Even when the slurry velocity exceeds the settling velocity, there will always be some shells that will reach the bottom of the pipe due to the combination of settling velocity and turbulence. Once these shells are on top of the sediment they are hard to remove by erosion, because they lay flat on the surface and have a small cross section that is exposed to the flow compared with the weight of the shell. So although their settling velocity is much lower than equivalent sand particles, the erosion velocity is much higher. If we look at the beach in an area with many shells, we can always see the shells on top of the sand, covering the sand. In fact the shells are shielding the sand from erosion, because they are hard to erode. The bigger shells will also shield the smaller pieces, because the smaller pieces settle faster. Compare this with leaves falling from a tree, the bigger leaves, although heavier, will fall slower, because they are exposed to higher drag. The same process will happen in the pipeline. Shells settle slower than sand grains, so they will be on top of the bed (if there is a bed), just like on the beach. Since they are hard to erode, in fact they protect the bed from being eroded, even if the line speed is increased. The combination of high erosion velocity and the shell ‘protecting’ the bed means that even a small amount of shells can lead to relatively thick bed in the pipeline. But there will always be velocities above the bed that will make the shells erode. The paper describes the settling and erosion process of shells and the consequences of this on the critical velocity when pumping a sand/shell mixture through a pipeline. A mathematical model of the processes involved will be presented.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Expressive writing during the COVID-19 pandemic: themes of mixed expressive writing

In order to curb the depression levels among youth during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, we examined the recurrent themes of mixed expressive writing among undergraduates during the pandemic. Previous quantitative studies had emphasized on the effectiveness of expressive writing in reducing depressive symptoms, however, less qualitative studies were conducted in evaluating the content within people’s writings. As the pandemic had caused major disruptions among people, we implemented mixed expressive writing in capturing both positive and negative experiences during the pandemic. Ten participants were recruited to perform mixed expressive writing twice per week, for four consecutive weeks. Thematic analysis was used in analyzing their writings and forming the emerged themes. Five themes were formed, which included ‘school’, ‘relationships’, ‘reflection’, ‘work’, and “random incidents’. Future research should examine the effectiveness of expressive writing in writing specific themes on improving its respective psychological constructs.
The self-access center as a social landscape: the case of a Mexican self-access center

Self-Access Centers (SACs) have spread all over the world. Particularly in Mexico they have been opened in many public universities in the last twenty years and some research projects have been conducted in this period of time. SACs provide users with learning support structures which are designed to promote language learning and foster learning autonomy. Studies about these facilities report on different aspects that contribute to their success, this paper addresses the self-access center as a social landscape where literacy practices with specific features occur. The theoretical framework proposed by the New Literacy Studies enabled us to approach the research of a self-access center in a Mexican university. This study allowed us to identify the types of literacy events that take place there, to characterize the design of this center as a social landscape (i.e., comprised of visible and inferred resources, participants and artifacts), and explain the affordances it provides to students’ language learning and autonomy. The social landscape, its features and the interactions of users and the different elements that comprise the learning structure of this language self-access center will be analyzed in this paper.
Insight on Knowledge, Risk Perception and Practices to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study among Italian University Students

Addressing adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions among young adults represents a public health priority since this age group did not directly experience a health risk from COVID-19. The study aims were to investigate the level of knowledge, risk perception and practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among undergraduate university students in Southern Italy. This cross-sectional study was conducted between the 1st and 31st of July 2020. An anonymous and structured questionnaire was sent via institutional email. Among the 1323 sampled students, more than two-thirds gave the correct answer to all the knowledge statements. Good knowledge about COVID-19 showed a positive association with those studying medical or life sciences majors. Almost two-fifths (38.5%) of the sample declared to have quite a bit/extreme fear of falling ill with COVID-19 and it was significantly more likely among females and those with good knowledge. Only 30.2% of the students did not touch their face mask while using it. Moreover, practicing respiratory etiquette was more likely among females, among respondents with higher levels of fear of falling ill with COVID-19 and among those who exhibited good knowledge about COVID-19. The study insights will be valuable for the ongoing mitigation of the current pandemic especially with regard to the correct use of face masks.
Resistance to Airflow of Grain Sorghum

ABSTRACT RESISTANCE to airflow of grain sorghum was determined in the airflow rate range of 0.05 to 0.30 m3/s-m2 by measuring pressure drops across grain bed depths of 150 to 1200 mm. Sorghum at moisture levels of 16.5%, 18.5%, and 23% wet basis was used. The foreign matter initially present in the sorghum was determined to be three percent. The resistance to airflow increased with increasing airflow rate and bed depth and with decreasing moisture content. The pressure drop was observed to increase more rapidly with increasing air velocities than with increasing bed depths.