Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image Artifacts in Optical Coherence Angiography

To describe image artifacts of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and their underlying causative mechanisms. To establish a common vocabulary for the artifacts observed. Methods— The methods by which OCTA images are acquired, generated and displayed are reviewed as are the mechanisms by which each or all of these methods can produce extraneous image information. A common set of terminology is proposed and used. Results— OCTA uses motion contrast to image blood flow and thereby images the vasculature without the need for a contrast agent. Artifacts are very common and can arise from the OCT image acquisition, intrinsic characteristics of the eye, eye motion, or image processing and display strategies. OCT image acquisition for angiography takes more time than simple structural scans and necessitates trade-offs in flow resolution, scan quality, and speed. An important set of artifacts are projection artifacts in which images of blood vessels appear at erroneous locations. Image processing used for OCTA can alter vascular appearance through segmentation defects and because of image display strategies can give false impressions of the density and location of vessels. Eye motion leads to discontinuities in displayed data. OCTA artifacts can be detected by interactive evaluation of the images. Conclusions— Image artifacts are common, and can lead to incorrect interpretations of OCTA images. Because of the quantity of data available and the potential for artifacts, physician interaction in viewing the image data will be required, much like what happens in modern radiology practice.
The Impact of Iron and Folate Adherence on the Prevalence of Anaemia in Pregnant Nigerian Women

Introduction: The impact of adherence to taking prescribed medications for chronic illnesses has been widely studied with a view to understanding its role on disease burden. This has been extrapolated to the physiologic pregnancy state, where women are expected to take haematinics due to their susceptibility to anaemia. The prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy is reportedly high with more burden on developing countries. This has led to the recommendation of iron and folate supplements for women during pregnancy. Methods: We set out to determine the level of adherence (and deterrents) to taking iron and folate supplements as well as the prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women (18-45 years old) attending antenatal care at the Stella Obasanjo Women and Children Hospital (SOWCH) and the Central Hospital in Benin City, Nigeria between July-December, 2019. An association between occurrence of anaemia and adherence level was also assessed. Results: 400 pregnant women participated in this study. The mean age (±SD) of the study population was 30±4 years, mean gestational age (±SD) was 31±5 weeks. Majority of the women (82.0%) were in their third trimester, 17.5% and 0.5% in second and first trimesters respectively. Total adherence scores obtained ranged from 0-8, with 63.5% being non-adherent to taking their iron and folate supplements. Factors that influenced adherence positively were higher income (p=0.00) and being employed (p=0.01). Top three identified reason for non-adherence were forgetfulness to take prescribed supplement (62.5%), feeling too bored to take supplements daily (44.3%) and unavailability of supplements (38.0%). The mean Hb (±SD) was 10.9±1.1g/dl. The prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy was 46.8%, with mild (43.8%) and moderate (3.3%) forms only. Of the non-adherent group, 69.7% were anaemic versus 30.3% of the adherent group. There was an association between the occurence of anaemia and non-adherence to taking supplements (p=0.01). Conclusion: There is a high level of non-adherence to taking iron and folate, prevalence of anaemia, and an association between them. Benefits of adherence to these supplements should be reinforced to women of child bearing age.
Electron-beam broadening in electron microscopy by solving the electron transport equation

Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are prominent techniques for the structural characterization of materials. STEM in particular provides high spatial resolution down to the sub-ångström range. The spatial resolution in STEM and SEM is ultimately limited by the electronbeam diameter provided by the microscope’s electron optical system. However, the resolution is frequently degraded by the interaction between electron and matter leading to beam broadening, which depends on the thickness of the analyzed sample. Numerous models are available to calculate beam broadening. However, most of them neglect the energy loss of the electrons and large-angle scattering. These restrictions severely limit the applicability of the approaches for large sample thicknesses in STEM and SEM. In this work, we address beam broadening in a more general way. We numerically solve the electron transport equation without any simplifications, and take into account energy loss along the electron path. For this purpose, we developed the software package CeTE (Computation of electron Transport Equation). We determine beam broadening, energy deposition, and the interaction volume of the scattered electrons in homogeneous matter. The calculated spatial and angular distributions of electrons are not limited to forward scattering and small sample thicknesses. We focus on low electron energies of 30 keV and below, where beam broadening is particularly pronounced. These electron energies are typical for SEM and STEM in scanning electron microscopes.
Efficacy of single vs multiple doses of 5-aminosalicylic acid ( 5-ASA ) in the treatment of mild-moderate ulcerative colitis : an open randomized clinical trial

This trial aimed to investigate the difference between once-daily dosing and three times-daily dosing of 5-ASA. In this study, patients (n = 210) with active UC were recruited, and randomly assigned to two groups, 3 g OD (n = 96) and 1 g TID (n = 114), in which, 3 g 5-ASA was administrated once daily at morning and 1.0 g 5-ASA three times daily for 6 weeks. Visits were scheduled at week 0, 2, 4, and 6 (final visit), and vital signs, hematology, biochemistry and urinalysis tests and clinical signs were recorded/performed at each visit. Endoscopy and histology were compared between baseline and the final visit. Simultaneously, colonic biopsies were obtained for evaluation of inflammatory cytokines by qRT-PCR. Once-daily dosing regimen was efficacious for the induction of clinical remission and endoscopic remission in mild-moderate UC as well as three times-daily treatment. After a 6-week treatment, histological grading was markedly improved in both 3 g OD group and 1 g TID group. In addition, proinflammatory cytokines and some routine biochemical parameters (CRP and ESR) were markedly decreased in both groups after treatment with 5-ASA for 6 weeks. Only 11.8% and 13.7% of the patients in each group were reported adverse events. Among these results, there was no significant difference between the two groups. In conclusion, a 3.0 g once-daily dose of 5-ASA is efficacious to induce the clinical and endoscopic remission compared with 1.0 g TID in active UC patients, and once-daily dose of 5-ASA is well-tolerated and safe.
Impact of Modification to DSM-5 Criterion A for Hypomania/Mania in Newly Diagnosed/First Episode Bipolar Patients – Findings From the Prospective BIO Study

Background: DSM-IV states that criterion A for diagnosing hypomania/mania is mood change. The revised DSM-5 now states that increased energy or activity must be present alongside mood changes to diagnose hypomania/mania, thus raising energy/activity to criterion A. We set out to investigate how the change in criterion A affects the diagnosis of hypomanic/manic visits in patients with a newly diagnosed / first episode bipolar disorder. Results: In this prospective cohort study, 373 patients were included (median age=32; IQR, 27-40). Women constituted 66% (n=245) of the cohort and 68% of the cohort (n=253) met criteria for bipolar type II, the remaining patients were diagnosed bipolar type I. Median number of contributed visits was 2 per subject (IQR, 1-3) and median follow-up time was 3 years (IQR, 2-4). During follow-up, 127 patients had at least one visit with fulfilled DSM-IV criterion A. Applying DSM-5 criterion A reduced the number of patients experiencing a hypomanic/manic visit by 62% at baseline and by 50% during longitudinal follow-up, compared with DSM-IV criterion A. Fulfilling DSM-5 criterion A during follow-up was associated with higher modified young mania rating scale score (OR=1.51, CL [1.34, 1.71], p <.0001) and increased number of visits contributed (OR=1.86, CL [1.52, 2.29], p <.0001). Conclusion: Applying the stricter DSM-5 criterion A in a cohort of newly diagnosed bipolar patients reduced the number of patients experiencing hypomanic/manic visit substantially, and was associated with higher overall young mania rating scale scores, compared with DSM-IV criterion A. Overall, fewer hypomanic/manic visits may be detected in newly diagnosed /first episode bipolar patients with applied DSM-5 criterion A. Consequently, with the DSM-5 criteria applied less severe bipolar disorders may be overlooked, especially early during the course of illness, and result in a diagnostic delay. Further studies are warranted on this issue.
Hierarchical Organization of Railway Networks

In the recent years, networks have proved to be highly useful in modeling and characterizing complex systems that occur in various branches of science. In fact, almost any large-scale system, be it natural or man-made, can be viewed as a network of interacting entities, which is complex, irregular, and usually changing over time. One of the most important observations that researchers have repeatedly made in the past is that complex networks often exhibit hierarchical organization [2, 4–7, 10]. The nodes in the network can be divided into groups, which can be further subdivided in smaller (and possibly more cohesive) groups and so forth. In most of the cases these groups have been shown to correspond to certain functional units such as friendship communities in social networks [2], modules in biochemical networks [4, 5, 10] and sound patterns in consonant and vowel inventories [6, 7].
Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior of Egyptian Medical Students Toward the Novel Coronavirus Disease-19: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: People in times of pandemics, crave after any medical field member (including medical students) to gain their knowledge and correct their behaviors. AIM: We aimed to assess medical students’ coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 related knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB). METHODS: The study is an exploratory cross-sectional study, conducted among medical students using an online survey. Medical students were classified according to their current academic year into either early year’s group (first 3 years in the medical school) or final year’s group (past 3 years in the medical school). RESULTS: A total of 2255 students completed the questionnaire. Regarding their COVID-19 related knowledge; 63.4% gave unsatisfactory responses (answered <75% of the questionnaire items correctly). Most of males (62.9%) and females (64.1%) gave unsatisfactory responses. CONCLUSION: Most of students had unsatisfactory responses of the current pandemic; however, the final year’s group had a significantly higher score in nearly all questionnaire (KAB) subsections than the early year’s group. The majority of both groups significantly believed that there are undeclared numbers in Egypt. Facebook and other platforms were the most common sources of information.
The sense of smell in chronic rhinosinusitis — literature review

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose and paranasal sinuses. One of the four cardinal symptoms is smell distortion. It is estimated that CRS is the cause of 14 — 30% of all olfactory disorders among humans. A wide variety of methods checking olfactory functions have been developed. This literature review is meant to discuss all known up-to-date tests and show their usefulness. The authors also compare the results of treatment, according to the level of smell disorders, in connection with the presence of polyps, time of healing of post-operative wounds, time of the procedure, and others. In conclusion, one can say that all of these characteristics are important and that treatment of dysosmia is a challenging part of chronic sinusitis therapy.
Promoting positive youth development in schools: A program logic analysis of Peer Support Australia

Peer Support Australia (PSA) is an established Australian charity that offers peer support services to schools to assist young people to experience personal and social growth through mentoring and supporting their peers. PSA also offers school and parent consultancy and training services that supplement their peer support services. This report documents the PSA history, activities and psychosocial processes and summarises the evidence for the service benefits. The PSA programs are noted to have some of the strongest evaluation evidence of any peer support program internationally. This report makes recommendations for implementation research to further understand and apply the underpinning evidence to extend the benefits provided through PSA.
Caregiving, and Behavioral Outcome

This paper reviews research on the relationship between infant temperament and maternal caregiving, and discusses conflicting findings. After emphasizing the central importance of independent measures in tests of interactions between temperament and caregiving, the paper reports two studies designed to clarify the relationship. In Study One, 48 mothers and infants participated in an investigation of the extent to which maternal sensitivity at the end of the infant's first year could be predicted from prenatal maternal attitudes, infant irritability during the neonatal period, or an interaction between both. Findings were consistent with the view that the impact of infant temperament on caregiving depends on caregiver characteristics, such as developmental history, personality, e xperience, and stress. An association between infant irritability and maternal insensitivity appeared to evolve over time. In Study Two, conducted from infants' 3rd to 24th month, 40 mothers and their infants participated in an investigation of the antecedents of angry and punitive maternal behavior and the predictors of child anger, noncompliance, low confidence, and social withdrawal. Findings suggested that the origins of anger, noncompliance, and low confidence in children cannot be attributed solely to patterns of maternal care. Concluding discussion explores implications of the findings for studies of attacluent and recommends directions for future research. (RH) *********************************************************************** * ReproCzctions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ***********************************************************************
A comparison of the community dynamics of bioturbating small mammals between livestock and wildlife farming areas in the Kalahari, Namibia

The study compared abundance and diversity of small mammals between a commercial livestock and neighbouring game farm in the Kalahari Thornveld of Namibia’s Omaheke region. Sherman traps baited with standard small-mammal attractants were set out in grids in similar habitats on each land use for four trap-nights during the growing season and the non-growing season of 2015. In total, 174 individuals of five species of small mammals were trapped, 118 on the livestock farm, and 56 on the game farm. Species richness totalled five species of the order Rodentia of which the bioturbating species Gerbillurus paeba represented 79.9% (n=139). All five species were trapped on the livestock farm, and only three on the game farm. With similar stocking rates but different grazing management strategies, it is expected that rangeland condition and perennial grass cover differences influenced the densities and species richness of small mammals. This suggests that ecosystem services associated with these mammal species would be more effective on the livestock farm, leading to better soil moisture infiltration and retention, as well as more effective soil nutrient cycling and seed dispersal.
Electrochemical and theoretical studies of some monoterpenic thiazolidinones as corrosion inhibitors for steel in acidic media

Abstract This work deals with the study of the inhibition activity of three thiazolidinones (prepared from monoterpenic ketones) on the deterioration of S300 steel in hydrochloric acid solution. The potentiodynamic polarization was used to investigate the electrochemical behavior of the studied inhibitors which were revealed to be mixed type ones. It was established that the studied compounds have significantly inhibited the dissolution of steel with the highest inhibition efficiency of 84% at 293 K. This inhibition efficiency increases with an increase in the inhibitor’s concentrations ranging between 1 × 10−4 and 5 × 10−3mol/L, proving the mixed type character. Moreover, the corrosion behavior of steel in 1 M HCl in the absence and presence of the inhibitors at 5 × 10−3mol/L was studied at the temperature range of 293 − 323 K. The obtained results also revealed that the adsorption of inhibitors on steel surface might take place at specific homogeneous sites, obeying to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy, entropy and activation energy were determined. The scanning electron microscopy combined with dispersive X-ray spectroscopy examinations and Raman technique was used to explore the surface morphology and the elemental composition. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that the surface damage is reduced in the presence of the three studied inhibitors. The quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory (DFT) were performed to provide some insights into the electronic density distribution as well as the nature of inhibitor-steel interaction. The corresponding results show that the three thiazolidinones act as inhibitors by improving a good barrier for corrosion protection. Also, the rearrangement in the compound’s structure affects their inhibitory activity.
A new approach to Pairs Trading : Using fundamental data to find optimal portfolios

Since its’ invention at Morgan Stanley in 1987 pairs trading has grown to be one of the most common and most researched strategies for market neutral returns.The strategy identifies stocks, or other financial securities, that historically has co-moved and forms a trading pair. If the price relation is broken a short position is entered in the overperforming stock and a long in the underperforming. The positions are closed when the spread returns to the long-term relation. A pairs trading portfolio is formed by combining a number of pairs.To detect adequate pairs different types of data analysis has been used. The most common way has been to study historical price data with different statistical models such as the distance method. Gatev et al (2006) used this method and provided the most extensive research on the subject and this study will follow the standards set by that article and add new interesting factors. This is done through an investigation on how the analysis can be improved by using the stocks fundamental data, e.g. P/E, P/B, leverage, industry classification. This data is used to set up restrictions and Lasso models (type of regression) to optimize the trading portfolio and achieve higher returns. All models have been back-tested using S&P 500 stocks between 2001-04-01 and 2015-04-01 with portfolios changed every six months.The most important finding of the study is that restricting stocks to have close P/E-ratios combined with traditional price series analysis increases returns. The most conservative measure gives annual returns of 3.99% to 4.98% depending on the trading rules for this portfolio. The returns are significantly (5%-level) higher than those obtained by the traditional distance method.Considerable variations in return levels is shown to be created when capital commitments are changed and trading rules, transaction costs and restrictions on unique portfolio stocks are implemented.Further research regarding how analysis of P/E-ratios can improve pairs trading is suggested.The thesis has been written independently without an external client and studied an area that the author found interesting.
Evaluation of Pre and Post Emergent Herbicides in Kharif Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) at Central Dry Zone of Karnataka, India

The average productivity of groundnut in India is about 1,436 kg ha -1 . In India, 70 per cent of the groundnut area and 75 per cent of the production is concentrated in the states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka. In Karnataka, groundnut is grown in an area of 6.56 lakh ha with a production of 5.83 lakh tonnes and productivity of 889 kg ha -1 (Anon. 2019). The major groundnut growing districts are Chitradurga, Dharwad, Belagavi, Raichur, Vijayapura, Bellary and Bidar. The productivity of groundnut in these districts is lower as compared to national average productivity. Being a kharif crop and slow growth during initial stages, where groundnut encounters severe weed infestation problem especially in the early stages of their growth, as the crop seedling emerges seven to ten days after sowing coupled with the slow growth in the initial stages. The critical period for crop-weed competition in groundnut crop was reported to be, up to 45 DAS and by maintaining weed free condition during this International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 10 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Association of Animal Health Indicators with Welfare Status in Frieswal Cattle at Organized Dairy Herd

The farm level welfare assessment can be used as an advisory tool by farmers, as source of information for management and as a component of quality assurance schemes for consumers. People have high interests in farming and the associated animal welfare standards due to its impact on health and productions of animals and subsequent good impact upon public health. More and more consumers are becoming aware of dairy welfare upon public health, food security and environmental protection. Though this recent interest and concerns about animal welfare are growing day by day, however, the assessment of animal well-being is a complex matter (Rushen et al., 2011). A good welfare is such management where there is no stress which plays an important part in welfare research (Broom et al., 2001). Different methods of on farm monitoring of animal International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 10 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Spectral properties of bipolar surfaces to Otsuki tori

The $i$-th eigenvalue $\lambda_i$ of the Laplace-Beltrami operator on a surface can be considered as a functional on the space of all Riemannian metrics of unit volume on this surface. Surprisingly only few examples of extremal metrics for these functionals are known. In the present paper a new countable family of extremal metrics on the torus is provided.