Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing the fate of PAHs in the Boston Inner Harbor using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs)

This study used a relatively new sampling tool called semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) to quantify dissolved concentrations of the following polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in three locations of the Boston Inner Harbor: phenanthrene, methylphenanthrene's, fluoranthene, pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, and chrysene. The field measurements ranged from 0.61 to 90 ng/L for the various PAHs at the base of Tobin Bridge, the mouth of Chelsea River, and near the Logan Airport. A vertical gradient in PAH concentrations was observed at the base of Tobin Bridge, revealing a concentration ten times greater in the upper layer (4 m from the surface) than the lower layer (8 m from the surface). The concentrations increased with distance from the mouth of the Inner Harbor. The ratios of methyphenanthrene's-to-phenanthrene and pyrene-to-fluoranthene were calculated as possible indicators of source and transport behavior. In all three sites, methylated phenanthrene levels were found to be about twice that of phenanthrene levels, indicating that one of the main sources of low molecular weight PAHs into these sections of the harbor is of petrogenic origin. The abundance of small analytes in the samples suggested a low-molecular weight petroleum source such as diesel, creosote, and/or coal tar. The ratios of pyrene-to-fluoranthene suggested another type of origin. Based on the pyrene-tofluoranthene ratios obtained here, Boston air, street dust, and creosote are also potential major primary sources of PAHs in the study area. SPMDs appear to be a useful tool for quantifying dissolved PAHs in the field. The measurements obtained in this study were in good agreement with the results of a box model and 3-D hydrodynamic model of PAH concentrations in the Inner Harbor. Thesis Supervisor: Philip Gschwend, Ph.D. Title: Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Endoscopic ultrasound with combined fine needle aspiration plus biopsy improves diagnostic yield in solid pancreatic masses

Abstract Goals Our aim was to compare the diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) versus combined fine needle aspiration and fine needle biopsy (EUS-FNA + FNB) in the evaluation of solid pancreatic masses (SPMs). Background EUS-FNA and EUS-FNB are established methods to diagnose SPMs. No studies have evaluated the efficacy of combination of both (EUS-FNA + FNB). Our senior author (MRS) hypothesized that combining the two techniques by using a single FNB needle improves diagnostic yield and started combination technique in October 2016. Study Patients who underwent EUS for SPMs by MRS during January 2014–September 2019 were included. They were divided into the EUS-FNA group and EUS-FNA + FNB group. EUS-FNA was performed using a 22 or 25 gauge Expect Slimline needle (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA) and EUS-FNA + FNB was performed using a single 22 or 25 gauge Shark-core needle (Medtronics, Minneapolis, MN, USA). Our primary outcome was to compare the diagnostic yield in the two groups. Results Among 105 patients included, 58 were in the EUS-FNA group and 47 were in the EUS-FNA + FNB group. EUS-FNA + FNB group had significantly higher diagnostic yield and required fewer needle passes compared to EUS-FNA group, 95.7% vs. 77.6%, p = . 01: and 4 vs. 5, p = . 002; respectively. Procedural duration was similar in both groups but the combined technique required less number of needles per procedure. There was no difference in adverse events in the two groups. Conclusion Our study showed that combined EUS-FNA + FNB had higher diagnostic yield compared to EUS-FNA in SPMs along with less number of needle passes and needles required. Further prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and cost-effectiveness of this strategy.
Sex modifies the association between HIV and coronary artery disease among older adults in Uganda

Little is known about the epidemiology of coronary artery disease (CAD) in sub‐Saharan Africa, where the majority of people living with HIV (PLHIV) live. We assessed the association of HIV with CAD and explored relationships with monocyte activation in sex‐stratified analyses of older PLHIV and people without HIV (PWOH) in Uganda.
Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the lymphedema symptom intensity and distress survey

Objectives This study aims to adapt the Lymphedema Symptom Intensity and Distress Survey- Arm (LSIDS-Arm) into Turkish and to test its validity and reliability. Patients and methods Between September 2017 and July 2018, this descriptive, methodological study included a total of 186 women (mean age: 55.4±10.2 years; range, 20 to 80 years) who were diagnosed with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) and followed in the lymphedema outpatient clinic. Data were collected using sociodemographic and clinical features form, LSIDS-Arm, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Breast Cancer Scale+4 (FACT-B+4). After the linguistic and content validity of the scale was achieved, confirmatory factor analysis and known-groups validation were utilized to test the construct validity. Reliability of the survey was tested using the Cronbach alpha and Spearman Brown coefficient, item analysis, and parallel forms reliability. Results All patients completed the questionnaire. After achievement of linguistic and content validity, confirmatory factor analysis results were found to be higher than the accepted value. Known-groups validation revealed a significant difference in the mean scores for the intensity and distress scales between the patients with and without lymphedema. Cronbach alpha for the subscales ranged from 0.61 to 0.86. Parallel forms reliability showed a moderate, significant correlation between subscales of the intensity and distress scales of the survey and the subscales of FACT-B+4. Conclusion The Turkish version of the survey is valid and reliable and can be used to evaluate symptoms, severity of symptoms, and distress caused by BCRL symptoms in the Turkish women.
The Study of Face Processing in Social Anxiety Disorder Based on Face-Specific N170 Component

Although previous studies showed that social anxiety disorder (SAD) exhibits the attentional bias for angry faces, few studies investigated effective face recognition combined with event-related potential (ERP) technique in SAD patients, especially the treatment effect. This study examines the differences in face processing in SAD patients before and after treatment and healthy control people (H-group). High-density EEG scans were registered in response to emotional schematic faces, particularly interested in the face processing N170 component. Analysis of N170 amplitude revealed a larger N170 for P-group-pre in response to inverted and upright stimuli than H-group in the right hemisphere. The result of the intragroup t-test showed that N170 was delayed for inverted relative to upright faces only in P-group-post and H-group but not in P-group-pre. Remarkably, the results of ANOVAs manifested that emotional expression cannot modulate N170 for SAD patients. Besides, the N170-based asymmetry index (AI) was introduced to analyze the left- and right-hemisphere dominance of N170 for three groups. It was found that, with the improvement of patients' treatment, the value of AIN170−base d presented a decreasing trend. These results together suggested that there was no inversion effect observed for patients with SAD. The change in the value of AIN170−base d can be used as potential electrophysiological markers for the diagnosis and treatment effects on patients with SAD.
A research-based map of music therapy in the Czech Republic: Comparisons with other arts therapies

ABSTRACT Introduction The development of music therapy in the Czech Republic is closely connected with the development of other arts therapies (AsTs). This cross-sectional study aims to provide a research-based description of the current state of Czech music therapy and offer comparisons with other AsTs. Method Data were obtained through a modified version of “The Practice in Arts Therapies” questionnaire, which was distributed to arts therapists registered with professional associations in the Czech Republic. From the total sample (N = 144), there were 50 music therapists. The remainder of the sample were drama, dance movement, art therapists, and combinations of these therapies (N = 94). Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed relating to work environment, client groups, and preferred therapeutic trends. Results Czech music therapy is closely connected to working with special needs populations in social care and educational environments. Practitioners follow humanistic, active/directive and artistic/creative trends. Significant differences were found between music therapists and other arts therapists with regard to the client populations (in their age and type of needs), and therapeutic trends. Discussion Czech music therapy has strengths in the area of special needs, but it will be important to achieve further growth, especially in health care. This may have a crucial impact on the formation of a common legislative framework for art therapists. We recommend repeating this survey in the future to see how the university-based program for music therapy will have influenced the profession.
Swedish and Finnish Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of Summative Assessment Practices

Summative assessments are an exercise of authority and something that pupils cannot easily appeal. The importance of teachers being able to assess their pupils correctly is consequently both a question of national equivalence and individual fairness. Therefore, summative assessment is a paramount theme in teacher education, and we aimed to investigate the perceptions and competence of student teachers regarding common summative assessment practices. The study was conducted at three universities, two in Sweden and one in Finland involving prospective language teachers responding to an online survey (N = 131). In addition, interviews were carried out with 20 Swedish and 6 Finnish student teachers. The analysis of the data indicates that student teachers value practices that enhance communication and collaboration as well as the curricular alignment of summative assessments. With respect to perceived competence, the respondents in general felt most confident with deploying traditional forms of summative assessment, while they were more uncertain about process evaluation and oral skills. Regarding significant differences in the participants’ perceptions of competence among the three universities, Finnish university students reported higher levels in all variables. However, room for improvement was found at all universities involved.
Safety and Tolerability of Once Daily Coformulated Bictegravir, Emtricitabine, and Tenofovir Alafenamide for Postexposure Prophylaxis After Sexual Exposure

Background: Antiretroviral post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is recommended to prevent HIV infection after a high-risk exposure, but current regimens have presented challenges in tolerability, regimen completion, and potential drug–drug interactions. Because coformulated bictegravir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide [BIC/FTC/tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)] is effective for HIV treatment, it was evaluated for use for PEP. Setting: Boston community health center. Methods: Individuals accessing PEP were enrolled in an open-label study of coformulated BIC/FTC/TAF, taken as one pill daily for 28 days. Pearson's χ2 and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess whether BIC/FTC/TAF differed with respect to side effects and regimen completion rates compared with historical PEP regimens. Results: Between August, 2018 and March, 2020, 52 individuals enrolled in the study. Most identified as cisgender gay (67.3%) or bisexual (11.5%) men, but 7.7% identified as cisgender heterosexual men and 3.8% cisgender heterosexual women. The most common regimen side effects were nausea or vomiting (15.4%), fatigue (9.6%), and diarrhea/loose stools (7.7%), which were less common than historical controls using other PEP regimens, including those containing other integrase strand transfer inhibitors. Only 1 participant discontinued the regimen because of fatigue, and all other side effects were self-limited. Almost all participants (90.4%) completed the indicated regimen, which was a higher completion rate compared with earlier PEP regimens, and none became HIV-positive. Conclusions: BIC/FTC/TAF coformulated as a single daily pill was found to be safe, well-tolerated, and highly acceptable when used for PEP, and compared more favorably than historical PEP regimens used at an urban health center.
Local selection signals in the genome of blue tits emphasize regulatory and neuronal evolution

Understanding the genomic landscape of adaptation is central to understanding microevolution in wild populations. Genomic targets of selection and the underlying genomic mechanisms of adaptation can be elucidated by genome‐wide scans for past selective sweeps or by scans for direct fitness associations. We sequenced and assembled 150 haplotypes of 75 blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) of a single Central European population by a linked‐read technology. We used these genome data in combination with coalescent simulations (i) to estimate an historical effective population size of ~250,000, which recently declined to ~10,000, and (ii) to identify genome‐wide distributed selective sweeps of beneficial variants probably originating from standing genetic variation (soft sweeps). The genes linked to these soft sweeps, but also those linked to hard sweeps based on new beneficial mutants, showed a significant enrichment for functions associated with gene expression and transcription regulation. This emphasizes the importance of regulatory evolution in the population’s adaptive history. Soft sweeps were further enriched for genes related to axon and synapse development, indicating the significance of neuronal connectivity changes in the brain potentially linked to behavioural adaptations. A previous scan of heterozygosity–fitness correlations revealed a consistent negative effect on arrival date at the breeding site for a single microsatellite in the MDGA2 gene. Here, we used the haplotype structure around this microsatellite to explain the effect as a local and direct outbreeding effect of a gene involved in synapse development.
AnomalyAdapters: Parameter-Efficient Multi-Anomaly Task Detection

The emergence of technological innovations brings sophisticated threats. Cyberattacks are increasing day by day aligned with these innovations and entails rapid solutions for defense mechanisms. These attacks may hinder enterprise operations or more importantly, interrupt critical infrastructure systems, that are essential to safety, security, and well-being of a society. Anomaly detection, as a protection step, is significant for ensuring a system security. Logs, which are accepted sources universally, are utilized in system health monitoring and intrusion detection systems. Recent developments in Natural Language Processing (NLP) studies show that contextual information decreases false-positives yield in detecting anomalous behaviors. Transformers and their adaptations to various language understanding tasks exemplify the enhanced ability to extract this information. Deep network based anomaly detection solutions use generally feature-based transfer learning methods. This type of learning presents a new set of weights for each log type. It is unfeasible and a redundant way considering various log sources. Also, a vague representation of model decisions prevents learning from threat data and improving model capability. In this paper, we propose AnomalyAdapters (AAs) which is an extensible multi-anomaly task detection model. It uses pretrained transformers’ variant to encode a log sequences and utilizes adapters to learn a log structure and anomaly types. Adapter-based approach collects contextual information, eliminates information loss in learning, and learns anomaly detection tasks from different log sources without overuse of parameters. Lastly, our work elucidates the decision making process of the proposed model on different log datasets to emphasize extraction of threat data via explainability experiments.
Fruit harvesting continuum manipulator inspired by elephant trunk

By combining the investigation of the biomechanics and behavior of elephant trunk in the performance of a wide range of dexterous manipulations, a novel approach in the design and kinematics modeling of a fruit harvesting continuum manipulator was proposed. By comparing the structure of two different species of elephant trunk, a new continuum structure which matched the key features of elephant trunk was designed. Based on analysis of the underlying elephant trunk’s grasping mode, a novel kinematics model was proposed. Contrast to traditional robot kinematics which focused on end effector’s position and posture, the proposed continuum manipulator kinematics focus on the center of manipulator’s position and posture, which is more effective when trunk robot realizing grasp and establishes the foundation for its application. Finally, three typical grasping experiments were implemented. The experiment results showed that the manipulator could conduct wrap/pinch manipulations effectively for both small objects and bigger ones. DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe. 20150801.008 Citation: Shao T, Zhang L B, Du M Y, Bao G J, Yang Q H. Fruit harvesting continuum manipulator inspired by elephant trunk. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2015; 8(1): 57－63.
Santulli Procedure Revisited in Congenital Intestinal Malformations and Postnatal Intestinal Injuries: Preliminary Report of Experience

In our experience, the Santulli procedure (SP) can improve bowel recovery in congenital intestinal malformations, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and bowel perforation. All cases managed at our institution using SP between 2012 and 2017 were included in this study. Forty-one patients underwent SP (median age: 39 (0–335) days, median weight: 2987 (1400–8100) g) for intestinal atresia (51%, two gastroschisis), NEC (29%), midgut volvulus (10%), Hirschsprung’s disease (5%), or bowel perforation (5%), with at least one intestinal suture below the Santulli in 10% of cases. The SP was performed as a primary procedure (57%) or as a double-ileostomy reversal. Anal-stool passing occurred within a median of 9 (2–36) days for 95% of patients, regardless of the diversion level or the underlying disease. All three patients requiring repeated surgery for Santulli dysfunction had presented with stoma prolapse (p < 0.01). Stoma closure was performed after a median of 45 (14–270) days allowing efficient transit after a median of 2 (1–6) days. After a median follow-up of 2.9 (0.7–7.2) years, two patients died (cardiopathy and brain hemorrhage), full oral intake had been achieved in 90% of patients, and all survivors had normal bowel movement. Whether used as primary or secondary surgery, the SP allows rapid recovery of intestinal motility and function.
Attitudes Towards the Elderly in Polish Society: Is Knowledge About Old Age and Personal Experiences a Predictor of Ageism?

Purpose The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of ageism in Polish society. In addition, the relationships of opinions with demographic data, knowledge about aging and individual contact with the elderly, in the context of knowledge about their exclusion, were examined. Patients and methods The study involved 923 individuals in Poland. Their demographic characteristics were recorded, and all subjects were assessed using Kogan’s Attitudes toward Old People (KOAP) scale and asked to complete the Facts on Aging Quiz. Subjects were also asked about their knowledge of the definition of ageism and asked to explain it. Results The KOAP scale as a function of predictors was modeled using Bayesian robust linear regression with t distribution. The subjects had a mean (SD) KAOP score of 90.88 (17.41), with the central 50% of the observations ranging from 83 to 101 points. Three statistically credible relationships with responses to the questionnaires were observed. Respondents attending school had slightly lower average KAOP scores than respondents with other professional status. In addition, FAQ was negatively and moderately related to KAOP, whereas contacts with elderly people were positively and moderately related to KAOP. Conclusion Knowledge of aging and contact with elderly individuals significantly affected attitudes and behaviors regarding ageism. Many study subjects were characterized by having unfavorable attitudes towards the elderly.
Women’s driving decree, market orientation, and company performance in Saudi Arabia

This paper investigated whether the royal decree of September 2017 allowing women to drive affects the relationship between market orientation and firm performance of official car dealerships in Saudi Arabia. In the empirical investigation, a quantitative method was used, focusing on car dealership managers and executives. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling with data collected from 94 questioned. Market orientation dimensions that were investigated included customer orientation, competitor orientation, and inter-functional coordination. The results indicate a positive effect of market orientation on company performance in Saudi Arabia over two periods, before and after the application of the decree. Before the royal decree, only two of the three dimensions of market orientation affected company performance, customer orientation, and inter-functional coordination. After the decree, all three dimensions of market orientation affected company performance. This proves that political decision has intensified competition in this market. Our results underlined the non-necessity of equality and the strength of the three components belonging to the market orientation on performance. Yet, our investigation is unprecedented having sought to resolve this classic relationship in a specific context.