Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vascular Implications of COVID-19: Role of Radiological Imaging, Artificial Intelligence, and Tissue Characterization: A Special Report

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a pandemic, infecting nearly 80 million people worldwide, with mortality exceeding six million. The average survival span is just 14 days from the time the symptoms become aggressive. The present study delineates the deep-driven vascular damage in the pulmonary, renal, coronary, and carotid vessels due to SARS-CoV-2. This special report addresses an important gap in the literature in understanding (i) the pathophysiology of vascular damage and the role of medical imaging in the visualization of the damage caused by SARS-CoV-2, and (ii) further understanding the severity of COVID-19 using artificial intelligence (AI)-based tissue characterization (TC). PRISMA was used to select 296 studies for AI-based TC. Radiological imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound were selected for imaging of the vasculature infected by COVID-19. Four kinds of hypotheses are presented for showing the vascular damage in radiological images due to COVID-19. Three kinds of AI models, namely, machine learning, deep learning, and transfer learning, are used for TC. Further, the study presents recommendations for improving AI-based architectures for vascular studies. We conclude that the process of vascular damage due to COVID-19 has similarities across vessel types, even though it results in multi-organ dysfunction. Although the mortality rate is ~2% of those infected, the long-term effect of COVID-19 needs monitoring to avoid deaths. AI seems to be penetrating the health care industry at warp speed, and we expect to see an emerging role in patient care, reduce the mortality and morbidity rate.
Testing the effectiveness of rbcLa DNA-barcoding for species discrimination in tropical montane cloud forest vascular plants (Oaxaca, Mexico) using BLAST, genetic distance, and tree-based methods

DNA-barcoding is a species identification tool that uses a short section of the genome that provides a genetic signature of the species. The main advantage of this novel technique is that it requires a small sample of tissue from the tested organism. In most animal groups, this technique is very effective. However, in plants, the recommended standard markers, such as rbcLa, may not always work, and their efficacy remains to be tested in many plant groups, particularly from the Neotropical region. We examined the discriminating power of rbcLa in 55 tropical cloud forest vascular plant species from 38 families (Oaxaca, Mexico). We followed the CBOL criteria using BLASTn, genetic distance, and monophyly tree-based analyses (neighbor-joining, NJ, maximum likelihood, ML, and Bayesian inference, BI). rbcLa universal primers amplified 69.0% of the samples and yielded 91.3% bi-directional sequences. Sixty-three new rbcLa sequences were established. BLAST discriminates 80.8% of the genus but only 15.4% of the species. There was nil minimum interspecific genetic distances in Quercus, Oreopanax, and Daphnopsis. Contrastingly, Ericaceae (5.6%), Euphorbiaceae (4.6%), and Asteraceae (3.3%) species displayed the highest within-family genetic distances. According to the most recent angiosperm classification, NJ and ML trees successfully resolved (100%) monophyletic species. ML trees showed the highest mean branch support value (87.3%). Only NJ and ML trees could successfully discriminate Quercus species belonging to different subsections: Quercus martinezii (white oaks) from Q. callophylla and Q. laurina (red oaks). The ML topology could distinguish species in the Solanaceae clade with similar BLAST matches. Also, the BI topology showed a polytomy in this clade, and the NJ tree displayed low-support values. We do not recommend genetic-distance approaches for species discrimination. Severe shortages of rbcLa sequences in public databases of neotropical species hindered effective BLAST comparisons. Instead, ML tree-based analysis displays the highest species discrimination among the tree-based analyses. With the ML topology in selected genera, rbcLa helped distinguish infra-generic taxonomic categories, such as subsections, grouping affine species within the same genus, and discriminating species. Since the ML phylogenetic tree could discriminate 48 species out of our 55 studied species, we recommend this approach to resolve tropical montane cloud forest species using rbcLa, as an initial step and improve DNA amplification methods.
Issues and Methods Concerning the Evaluation of Hypersingular and Near-Hypersingular Integrals in BEM Formulations

It is known that higher order modeling of the sources and the geometry in Boundary Element Modeling (BEM) formulations is essential to highly efficient computational electromagnetics. However, in order to achieve the benefits of hIgher order basis and geometry modeling, the singular and near-singular terms arising in BEM formulations must be integrated accurately. In particular, the accurate integration of near-singular terms, which occur when observation points are near but not on source regions of the scattering object, has been considered one of the remaining limitations on the computational efficiency of integral equation methods. The method of singularity subtraction has been used extensively for the evaluation of singular and near-singular terms. Piecewise integration of the source terms in this manner, while manageable for bases of constant and linear orders, becomes unwieldy and prone to error for bases of higher order. Furthermore, we find that the singularity subtraction method is not conducive to object-oriented programming practices, particularly in the context of multiple operators. To extend the capabilities, accuracy, and maintainability of general-purpose codes, the subtraction method is being replaced in favor of the purely numerical quadrature schemes. These schemes employ singularity cancellation methods in which a change of variables is chosen such that the Jacobian of the transformation cancels the singularity. An example of the sin,oularity cancellation approach is the Duffy method, which has two major drawbacks: 1) In the resulting integrand, it produces an angular variation about the singular point that becomes nearly-singular for observation points close to an edge of the parent element, and 2) it appears not to work well when applied to nearly-singular integrals. Recently, the authors have introduced the transformation u(x(prime))= sinh (exp -1) x(prime)/Square root of ((y prime (exp 2))+ z(exp 2) for integrating functions of the form I = Integral of (lambda(r(prime))((e(exp -jkR))/(4 pi R) d D where A (r (prime)) is a vector or scalar basis function and R = Square root of( (x(prime)(exp2) + (y(prime)(exp2) + z(exp 2)) is the distance between source and observation points. This scheme has all of the advantages of the Duffy method while avoiding the disadvantages listed above. In this presentation we will survey similar approaches for handling singular and near-singular terms for kernels with 1/R(exp 2) type behavior, addressing potential pitfalls and offering techniques to efficiently handle special cases.
Matching and Sorting when Like Attracts Like

This paper examines a class of two-sided matching problems with non-transferable utility. Agents are horizontally differentiated, and each would prefer to be matched to a similar partner, i.e. "like attracts like". Such preferences imply a unique equilibrium assignment describing the pattern of matching; however, the pattern of assortment in equilibrium is found to depend critically on the distribution of types among the two sexes.
Willingness to use nonpharmacologic treatments for musculoskeletal pain in the emergency department: a cross-sectional study

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Patients in emergency department with musculoskeletal pain report high willingness to try nonpharmacologic treatments, and health care provider encouragement correlated with greater nonpharmacologic treatment use. Abstract Objectives: Pain is an individual experience that should incorporate patient-centered care. This study seeks to incorporate patient perspectives toward expanding nonpharmacologic treatment options for pain from the emergency department (ED). Methods: In this cross-sectional study of adult patients in ED with musculoskeletal neck, back, or extremity pain, patient-reported outcomes were collected including willingness to try and prior use of various nonpharmacologic pain treatments, sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, functional outcomes, psychological distress, and nonmusculoskeletal symptoms. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression identified variables associated with (1) willingness to try and (2) having previously tried nonpharmacologic treatments. Results: Responses were analyzed from 206 adults, with a mean age of 45.4 (SD 16.4) years. The majority (90.3%) of patients in ED were willing to try at least one form of nonpharmacologic pain treatment, with 70.4%, 81.6%, and 70.9% willing to try respective subcategories of active (eg, exercise), passive (eg, heat), and psychosocial (eg, prayer) modalities. Only 56.3% of patients had previously tried any, with 35.0%, 52.4%, and 41.3% having tried active, passive, and psychosocial modalities, respectively. Patient-level factors associated with willingness included pain in upper back, more severe pain-related symptoms, and functional impairments. The factor most consistently associated with treatment use was health care provider encouragement to do so. Conclusions: Patients in ED report high willingness to try nonpharmacologic treatments for pain. Higher pain severity and interference may indicate greater willingness, while health care provider encouragement correlated with treatment use. These findings may inform future strategies to increase the introduction of nonpharmacologic treatments from the ED.
affects beef production, health

chromium. Chromium chloride is an inorganic form of chromium and has also been researched in the past. The actual bioavailability of these different sources is still relatively unknown, but generally, organic sources have displayed more advantages in production, immune response and blood metabolites, suggesting that they are more bioavailable. Initial research investigating chromium revealed inconsistent results from trial to trial. These variations in results were attributed to disparities in the chromium status of the cattle prior to initiation of the study, the basal chromium level of the diet, the level of chromium supplementation and the bioavailability of the source of chromium supplementation (Spears, 2000). Recent studies utilizing CrPro have consistently revealed benefi cial performance results, primarily gain and effi ciency advantages, as shown in Table 1.
Reaction Time Trends in the Sprint and Hurdle Events at the 2004 Olympic Games: Differences Between Male and Female Athletes

Reaction time values, though very small, can differentiate overall performance in sprint races, where the margin of victory is often measured in thousandths of a second. This study, the second from a project examining the sprint and hurdle events at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, aimed to determine the differences in reaction times between male and female athletes. The results confirm previous findings that mean reaction time values are less for men than for women. However, unlike with the women, statistically significant differences for different competitive levels (defined by how far the athlete advanced in the competition) within the analysed events were not found for the men and, therefore, it was not possible to use reaction time as a parameter for drawing conclusions about competitive quality. It was found that men had significantly better mean reaction time values at all levels in three events: 100m, 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles. Interestingly, men had better reaction times only at the lower competitive levels of some events (first and second rounds) while the men and women finalists in most events did not differ significantly in reaction time. In the 200m men and women did not differ in reaction time at any level.
Trophic processes constrain seasonal ungulate distributions at two scales in an East African savanna

Habitat selection is a dynamic biological process where species respond to spatiotemporal variation in resource availability. The resulting distribution patterns can be detected as presence–absence or heterogeneity in abundance and indicate habitat preferences based on environmental correlations at multiple scales. Variation in habitat selection by ungulates is constrained by trade-offs in top-down and bottom-up trophic processes arising from differences in forage requirements, water dependency, anthropogenic effects, and predation avoidance, and mediated by physiological (feeding guild) and morphological (body size) factors. We conducted distance sampling over 7 years in the Tarangire Ecosystem (TE) of northern Tanzania for six resident ungulate species: Kirk's dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii), Grant's gazelle (Nanger granti), Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii), Masai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi), impala (Aepyceros melampus), and common waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), and tested hypotheses related to effects of top-down and bottom-up processes on ungulate presence and abundance. We modeled ecological correlates against two distributional responses to understand which environmental factors constrained these ungulate species at different scales; (i) presence–absence observations modeled in a logistic regression to assess habitat selection at an ecosystem scale; (ii) local abundances from presence-only observations modeled using a negative binomial distribution for finer-scale selection. Browser and grazer species in the TE selected suitable habitat proximal to rivers and avoided the Combretum–Azanza woody plant assemblage. Browsers and grazers also showed strong preference for habitat with more dense cover of preferred forage species, and abundance was influenced by the presence of specific forage species with significant seasonal variation. Mixed feeders were more heterogeneous in habitat suitability implying that broader diets allow avoidance of areas with high human activity. Small-bodied and dehydration-sensitive species selected areas near rivers and seasonal tributaries. Seasonal habitat selection was more pronounced among mixed feeders. Conservation strategies based on spatially and seasonally explicit resource selection studies such as ours can minimize impacts to biodiversity by protecting vital resources to ungulates through all seasons of the year.
Factors Affecting Urinary Incontinence-related Quality of Life in Geriatric Patients: An observational Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Hospital Urology Clinic in Turkey

Introduction: Geriatric syndromes are associated with morbidity and poor quality of life (QOL). Urinary incontinence (UI) is one of the most prevalent geriatric syndromes. However, there is little research on the association of UI and UI-related QOL with other geriatric syndromes. The aim of this exploratory study were to examine the effect and coexistence of geriatric syndromes, admission type and surgical severity on UI-related QoL in patients hospitalized in the urology clinic. Materials and methods: This study was conducted among 250 older inpatients (aged 65 years and older between October 2019 and March 2020) at Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University department of Urology, Zonguldak, Turkey. After ethical approval and patient consent, we examined geriatric syndromes and related factors including cognitive impairment, delirium, depression, decreased mobility, multiple drug use, malnutrition, pain and fecal incontinence as well as hospitalization patterns and surgical severity of the patients. UI-related QOL was assessed using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate these associations. Results: Geriatric syndromes and related factors were associated with UI. Moderate cognitive decline (odds ratio [OR], 3.764; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.621- 8.742), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (odds ratio [OR], 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24–5.05) and the number of medication used (odds ratio [OR], 1,33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11–1.58) were associated with increased probability of having UI. Cognitive impairment, length of hospital stay had an inverse and age of patients had a direct effect on patients UI-related QoL. Conclusions: UI-related quality of life was associated with some factors. Especially in the urology clinic, evaluating the cognitive functions of elderly patients, reviewing the drugs they use and minimizing the length of stay in this patient group will contribute significantly to their quality of life.
The Anatomy of Blockchain Database Systems

Blockchains are around for more than ten years and currently, we are witnessing the adoption of blockchain techniques in databases, and vice-versa. For example, typical blockchain data structures, such as cryptographically-linked blocks and Merkle trees, have been integrated into verifiable databases. On the other hand, database techniques, such as sharding and concurrency control, have been integrated into blockchains. In this paper, we are looking at systems that combine both blockchain and database techniques. We classify these systems into (i) permissioned blockchains, (ii) hybrid blockchain database systems, and (iii) ledger databases. We present their anatomy, including features, techniques, and design choices, by analyzing a few representative systems. In the end, we highlight their limitations and discuss future research directions.
Reconstruction of the mutual coherence function for a moving source

A method of reconstructing the mutual coherence function for a moving source from a set of far-field radiation data is presented. It is based on the theory of Radon transform in higher dimensions after a sequence of invertible transformations and a far-field approximation. The inversion formulas are applied to two special cases for a moving line-source to obtain the explicit results.
Information Technology Adoption on Supply Chain in Small and Medium Enterprises

:- The adoption of information technologies (IT) in supply chain management (SME) has a vital role within small and medium enterprises, it change data and behaviour, both in internal process of the supply chain process, in all the company process, and also in the business external relationships. Nowadays, the information technologies on supply chain management (ITSCM) are however more and more complex. Between the need and the complexity of ITSCM, SME have difficulties and barriers to adopt them. In this article, we propose to evaluation IT adoption as well as their obstacles and limitations in the context of Moroccan SME in their particular interest in their adoption in SCM.
Reference scenarios for evaluating wood pellet production in the Southeastern United States

Wood pellet exports from the Southeastern United States (SE US) to Europe have been increasing in response to European Union member state policies to displace coal with renewable biomass for electricity generation. An understanding of the interactions among SE US forest markets, forest management, and forest ecosystem services is required to quantify the effects of pellet production compared to what would be expected under a reference case or ‘counterfactual scenario’ without pellet production. Inconsistent methods to define and justify the counterfactual scenario result in conflicting estimates and large uncertainties about the impacts of pellet production on SE US forests. Guidelines to support more consistent and transparent counterfactual scenarios are proposed. The guidelines include identifying major influences on current SE US forest conditions, developing potential futures that clearly document underlying assumptions and associated uncertainties, identifying the most likely alternative feedstock fates, and estimating the effects of no pellet demand on future forest conditions. The guidelines can help modelers to more accurately reflect the past and current forest dynamics and to consider the implications for SE US forest landscapes of future scenarios with and without pellet production. WIREs Energy Environ 2017, 6:e259. doi: 10.1002/wene.259
An Analogue of Pitman’s 2M — X Theorem for Exponential Wiener Functionals Part II: The Role of the Generalized Inverse Gaussian Laws

In Part I of this work, we have shown that the stochastic process Z(µ) defined by (8.1) below is a diffusion process, which may be considered as an extension of Pitman’s 2M — X theorem. In this Part II, we deduce from an identity in law partly due to Dufresne that Z(µ) is intertwined with Brownian motion with drift µ and that the intertwining kernel may be expressed in terms of Generalized Inverse Gaussian laws.
A probabilistic approach for the study of epidemiological dynamics of infectious diseases: basic model and properties

The dynamics of epidemiological phenomena associated to infectious diseases have long been modelled with different approaches. However, recent pandemic events exposed many areas of opportunity to improve the existing models. We develop a model based on the idea that infection and also, transitions between different stages during an infection and possibly the disease that it may cause, are alike sampling processes. The resulting modelling scheme proves to be easy to implement but very robust, and easy to extend to answer questions that emerge from close examination of data trends in the COVID-19 pandemic, and other infectious diseases.
Data mining for enhanced driving effectiveness: an eco-driving behaviour analysis model for better driving decisions

With the growing demand for energy efficient vehicles, automobile companies are constantly searching for better ways to study their customers’ driving behaviour for effective new product design and development. One emerging driving behaviour among modern, eco-friendly drivers is the utilising of advanced vehicle technology for smarter, safer and more fuel-efficient driving. While many eco-driving studies focus on minimising fuel consumption, little attention is paid to how the behaviour of an individual driver and the type of vehicle used impact driving effectiveness. This study addresses this gap by proposing a novel overall drive effectiveness index that uses data mining for better driving decisions. Utilising data mining techniques, the index examines the impact of driving behaviour on driving effectiveness. A novel fuel consumption prediction model based on vehicle speed, engine speed and engine load was constructed. This decision-making support model accurately predicts real-time fuel consumption based on different driving behaviours, and hence, the driving effectiveness. Both the proposed index and fuel consumption model can be used to support decision-making in new product design and development.