Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Life after death: Widowhood and volunteering gendered pathways among older adults

Background: Spousal loss is one of the most traumatic events an individual can experience. Studies on behavioral changes before and after this event are scarce. Objective: This study investigates gender differences in pathways of volunteering before and after transition to widowhood among older adults in the United States. Methods: We use longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study and estimate fixed effects models with lags and leads to identify pathways of volunteering on a sample of 1,982 adults aged 50 and over. Results: The results show a U-shaped pattern with a decline in volunteering activities before the death of the partner and then a slight process of adaptation and recovery. The process is strongly gendered, with women considerably more resilient than men. Whether death was expected or not influences the effect of the partner’s death on volunteering, likely due to the pre-death burden of caregiving. Looking at the role of the partner’s volunteering before death, we found for both genders, but especially for women, that the odds of volunteering increase (decrease) if the partner was (was not) volunteering (complementarity hypothesis). Contribution: Given the positive effects of volunteering both for the volunteer and the society as a whole, our findings contribute to the literature highlighting that critical family events may affect participation in society of older people and demonstrating the heterogeneity of the effects, especially in terms of gender differences.
Automated Deception Detection of Males and Females From Non-Verbal Facial Micro-Gestures

Gender bias within Artificial intelligence driven systems is currently a hot topic and is one of a number of areas where the data used to train, validate and test machine learning algorithms is under more scrutiny than ever before. In this paper we investigate if there is a difference between the nonverbal cues to deception generated by males and females through the use of an automated deception detection system. The system uses hierarchical neural networks to extract 36 channels of non-verbal head and facial behaviors whilst male and female participants are engaged in either a deceptive or truthful roleplaying task. An Image Vector dataset, comprising of 86584 vectors, is collated which uses a fixed sliding window slot of 1 second to record deceptive or truthful slots. Experiments were conducted on three variants of the dataset, all males, all females and mixed in order to examine if the differences in cues generated by males and females lead to differences in the accuracies of machine learning algorithms which classify their behavior. Results showed differences in nonverbal cues between males and females, with both genders at a disadvantage when treated by classifiers trained on both genders rather than classifiers specifically trained for each gender. However, there was no striking disadvantageous effect beyond the influence of their relative frequency of occurrence in the dataset.
Volatile organic compound fluxes in a subarctic peatland and lake

Abstract. Ecosystems exchange climate-relevant trace gases with the atmosphere, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are a small but highly reactive part of the carbon cycle. VOCs have important ecological functions and implications for atmospheric chemistry and climate. We measured the ecosystem-level surface–atmosphere VOC fluxes using the eddy covariance technique at a shallow subarctic lake and an adjacent graminoid-dominated fen in northern Sweden during two contrasting periods: the peak growing season (mid-July) and the senescent period post-growing season (September–October). In July, the fen was a net source of methanol, acetaldehyde, acetone, dimethyl sulfide, isoprene, and monoterpenes. All of these VOCs showed a diel cycle of emission with maxima around noon and isoprene dominated the fluxes (93±22 µmol m−2 d−1, mean ± SE). Isoprene emission was strongly stimulated by temperature and presented a steeper response to temperature (Q10=14.5) than that typically assumed in biogenic emission models, supporting the high temperature sensitivity of arctic vegetation. In September, net emissions of methanol and isoprene were drastically reduced, while acetaldehyde and acetone were deposited to the fen, with rates of up to -6.7±2.8 µmol m−2 d−1 for acetaldehyde. Remarkably, the lake was a sink for acetaldehyde and acetone during both periods, with average fluxes up to -19±1.3 µmol m−2 d−1 of acetone in July and up to -8.5±2.3 µmol m−2 d−1 of acetaldehyde in September. The deposition of both carbonyl compounds correlated with their atmospheric mixing ratios, with deposition velocities of -0.23±0.01 and -0.68±0.03 cm s−1 for acetone and acetaldehyde, respectively. Even though these VOC fluxes represented less than 0.5 % and less than 5 % of the CO2 and CH4 net carbon ecosystem exchange, respectively, VOCs alter the oxidation capacity of the atmosphere. Thus, understanding the response of their emissions to climate change is important for accurate prediction of the future climatic conditions in this rapidly warming area of the planet.
Platelet to lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic factor in patients with advanced colorectal cancer undergoing palliative treatment.

BACKGROUND Our study aims to investigate the level of platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and determine its prognostic value in patients with advanced colorectal cancer undergoing palliative treatment. METHODS One hundred and fifty-two patients with advanced colorectal cancer confirmed in our hospital from January 2013 to January 2018 were selected as study participants. The boundary-value of PLR was determined by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. Furthermore, the relationship between PLR and clinical characteristics of patients with advanced colorectal cancer was analyzed. Next, the prognostic factors affecting the survival time were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier single factor survival analysis and Cox multivariate regression model. RESULTS According to the ROC curve, the optimal critical value of PLR was 207.29. Patients were divided into high PLR (n=73) and low PLR (n=79) groups. The median survival time was 68.0 (24.5, 296.5) days for the high PLR group, and 124 (34, 438) days for the low PLR group and differences between the groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). Both groups had similar demographic features, namely gender, age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, and several metastasis sites (P>0.05). Albumin and hemoglobin levels were found to be negatively correlated to PLR (P<0.05). Cox multivariate regression model results showed that PLR, albumin, and ECOG score were independent prognostic factors (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that PLR is an independent prognostic factor of survival time, with good predictive value, in patients with advanced colorectal cancer undergoing palliative treatment. High PLR was significantly correlated to reduced survival rates, while low PLR was associated with better longterm survival rates.
Smart Meter Technology A Ten-Year Study on Urban Water Consumption

There is increasing pressure being placed on water resources globally, arising from external factors such as climate change impacts, changing community values, population growth and urbanisation. In response, there is an urgent need for utilities and communities to adapt to this scenario. One of the ways to achieve this is through the use of technology to support sustainable consumption. This study investigates the effect of smart metering technology on the water consumption of an urban community. From 2008-2010, Sydney Water, the primary water utility in Sydney then serving a population of over 4.2 million, conducted a comprehensive smart metering study in residential homes in the suburb of Westleigh. This study initially involved 1,201 participants residing in 630 households. A key finding was that households with an inhome display (participant group) reduced their consumption by an average of almost 7% over the study period when compared to the control group. The continued accumulation of data up to 2018 has allowed the longerterm effects of smart meters to be investigated. To ensure that the behaviour of a consistent set of households was being measured over time, properties that did not meet certain conditions such as a change in ownership, were removed from the study. This resulted in a reduction from 218 to 88 households (44 pairs of matched participant and controls), with 264 participants residing in these households. The average change in household consumption by the 44 matched pairs of households increased in both the participant and control groups in the 2010-2018 period. However, this increase was much greater in the control group (2.21 kL or 14.2% per month) than in the participant group (0.53 kL or 3.3% per month) compared to the pre-study period. An examination of the average change in consumption from the pre-study to the post-study period shows that the water savings of the participant group is significantly greater than that of the control group. The paper highlights the potential for smart metering technology to change water-use behaviour over the long term, demonstrating the value of this technology in a residential setting.
Morphometric diversity in dwarf sour cherry germplasm in Serbia

Summary The search for growth-reducing rootstocks has produced selections of ‘Oblačinska’ sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) and European ground cherry (Prunus fruticosa Pall.). The methodological approach to germplasm collection was a compromise between a search for specific characters and random sampling of the population. On the principle of 19 variables in 27 accessions, this research brought valuable and diverse plant material into rootstock breeding. The vigour of adult trees on their own roots ranged from extremely weak, such as in selections of European ground cherry (SV1, SV3, SV4) and ‘Oblačinska’ sour cherry (OV31), to vigorous genotypes such as sour cherry (OV33 and OV34) and P. mahaleb. The natural habit of untrained trees varied from upright (e.g., SV7) to dropping (e.g., SV2). Internode lengths ranged from 1.36 cm (in SV8) to 4.11 cm (in SV4). Based on a PCA scatter-plot, six diverse sub-groups showing significant intra- and inter-species variability were distinguished. These findings were supported by high values of heritability, from 78.83 – 92.20%, implying the potential for successful selection of dwarfing genotypes based on their phenotypic characters in succeeding breeding activities. Preliminary field studies suggested that the ‘Oblačinska’ genotypes OV31 and OV32, as well as the European ground cherry genotypes SV1, SV2, and SV4, may represent rootstocks with the lowest vigour.
Effect of neem (Azadirachta indica L.), mustard (Brassica juncea) de-oiled seed cake and bio- fertilizer on the growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

With “green-mindedness” increasing in popularity, the use of organic substrates has become more important in the retail Organic Agriculture. Yield of wheat is reduced due to limited water availability, poor soil fertility and low organic matter contents in the soil. This study comprised of field experiment on the use of organic amendments for growing wheat HD 3086 (Pusa Gautami) to find out their impact on crop growth, yield, and productivity. First experiment compared the efficiency of various organic manures applied solely and in different combination treatments of the chosen manures on loamy sand soil of the organic farm. The organic matters used in the experiment were: Azotobacter, Farm Yard Manure (FYM), Mustard Oil Seed Cake (MOC) and Neem Oil Seed Cake (NOC) @200g/acre, @ 26.67 t/ha, @2.40 t/ha and 1.71 t/ha Respectively. The data of the experimental year 2016–2017 on crop growth and yield attributes revealed that combination of Azotobacter +MOC gave the highest yield followed by NOC, and FYM+NOC. Combined application of MOC and other oil seed cake (OSC) showed significant increase in growth and yield of wheat, while integration of Azotobacter & MOC with other organic matter improved its effectiveness. Soil bulk density was affected significantly by the application of the treatments. Contrastingly, FYM and MOC alone or gave lower N contents in soil, as compared to the integration of the bio-fertilizer and the organic manures. The results revealed that highest N content in wheat grain and straw were found with Azotobacter and MOC and their integration with other organic amendments.
Poor Parasite Community of an Invasive Alien Species: Macroparasites of Pallas's Squirrel in Italy

The aim of the present study was to investigate the macroparasite fauna of Pallas's squirrel, Callosciurus erythraeus, native to SE Asia, recently introduced to Italy and co-occurring with the native Eurasian red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris. A total of 161 Pallas's squirrels harboured a poor macroparasite fauna, characterized by two main ectoparasite species, the flea Ceratophyllus (M.) sciurorum sciurorum (prevalence 50%, mean intensity 1.0 ± 0.1) and the tick Ixodes ricinus (prevalence 47%, mean intensity 3.0 ± 0.7), and a few helminths (Rodentoxyuris sciuri, Trichuris muris, Strongyloides callosciureus) all with prevalence below 10%. All parasites, except S. callosciureus, are native to Europe and were acquired in the invaded range. The loss of native parasites might have contributed to their successful invasion. The acquisition of local parasites C. sciurorum and Trichuris sciuri, and the introduction of the Asiatic nematode S. callosciureus may lead to spill-back and spill-over processes towards red squirrels.
A Model Study on the 1988–89 Warming Event in the Northern North Pacific

Using outputs of a high-resolution ocean general circulation model, upper-ocean heat content budget and mixed layer heat budget are analyzed to investigate the reason for the 1988–89 decadal warming event in the northern North Pacific. The model reproduces realistic upper-ocean temperature changes in comparison with observational data. This analysis suggests that the horizontal mean geostrophic advection of anomalous temperature is the main contributor to the heat content increase around 1988–89, and surface heat flux forcing is the main contributor to increasing mixed layer temperature. The anomalous geostrophic advection of mean temperature plays a negative role in the increase of both the upper-ocean heat content and mixed layer temperature in midlatitudes around 1988–89. Another negative contribution to the mixed layer temperature increase is provided by the Ekman advection. In the Kuroshio Extension region, the warm upper-ocean heat content anomaly appears in 1987–88, in which the mean geostrophic advection also plays a dominant role. South of Japan the decadal warming appears even earlier, around 1985–86. The anomalous Kuroshio transport shows a decadal decreasing trend since the early 1980s and therefore cannot explain the late 1980s warming event in midlatitudes. The 1988–89 event is found to be closely linked with the decadal change of the Kuroshio path south of Japan. It is found that subtropical Rossby waves may influence the decadal temperature changes south of Japan.
Are Neighborhood Effects Explained by Differences in School Quality?

It is widely hypothesized that neighborhood effects on academic achievement are explained by differences in the quality of schools attended by resident children. The authors evaluate this hypothesis using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study and a diverse set of measures to capture a school’s effectiveness, resources, and climate. They implement a novel decomposition that separates the overall effect of neighborhood poverty into components due to mediation versus interaction via these different factors. Results indicate that living in a disadvantaged neighborhood reduces academic achievement. But the authors find little evidence that neighborhood effects are mediated by or interact with any of their measures for school quality. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for theory, research, and policy, addressing the link between concentrated poverty and educational inequality.
Intestinal Morphology of Gallinaceous Birds in Relation to Food Habits

It is well known that various species of grouse can thrive on a winter diet of buds, catkins, and conifer needles that would not support a quail for a week. Why this should be so has not been determined, to my knowledge. In pursuit of a possible explanation of differential digestive abilities I started some years ago casually inspecting the alimentary tracts of various gallinaceous birds. Gross differences in the relative dimensions of intestines and caeca were noted, the browsing grouse having appreciably longer digestive tracts, especially caeca, than the quails, partridges, pheasants and turkeys which generally depend on somewhat higher quality food in the winter diet. A cursory survey of the ornithological literature yielded some data on galliform intestinal morphology (Bump, et al, 1947, for ruffed grouse; Gross, 1928, for heath hen) but apparently no comparative survey of galliforms had been made. Accordingly, over a period of time, samples of most North American galliforms were collected and intestinal tracts measured; the results are here summarized. It is not claimed that these observations completely answer the question posed above, but they undoubtedly have some bearing on the matter. At least they suggest a likely avenue of future research. I am indebted to a number of colleagues for assistance in assembling materials, particularly Frank A. Pitelka of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Fr derick and Frances Hamerstrom of
Alternative or Complementary Role of Serological Rapid Antibody Test in the Management of Possible COVID-19 Cases

Background: Although the gold diagnostic method for COVID-19 is accepted as the detection of viral particles by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), serology testing for SARS-CoV-2 is at increased demand. A primary aim for utilization of serological tests are to better quantify the number of COVID-19 cases including those RT-PCR samples were negative but showing clinical and radiological signs of COVID-19. In this study, we aimed to report the features of the patients that were diagnosed and treated as possible COVID-19 cases whose multiple nasopharyngeal swab samples were negative by RT-PCR but serological IgM/IgG antibody against SARS-CoV-2 were detected by rapid antibody test. Method: We retrospectively analyzed eighty suspected COVID-19 cases that have at least two negative consecutive COVID-19 PCR test and were subjected to serological rapid antibody test. Result: The specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected as positive in twenty-two patients. The mean age of patient group was 63.2+-13.1 years old with male /female ratio 11/11. Cough was the most common symptom with 90.9%. Most common presenting chest CT findings were bilateral ground glass opacities (77.2%) and alveolar consolidations (50.09%). The mean duration from symptom initiation to hospital admission, to hospitalization, to treatment initiation and to detection of antibody positivity were 8.6 +- 7.2, 11.2 +- 5.4, 7.9 +- 3.2 and 24 +- 17 days, respectively. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the feasibility of COVID-19 diagnosis based on rapid antibody test in the cases of patients whose RT-PCR samples were negative. We suggest that the detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 with rapid antibody test should be included in the diagnostic algorithm in suspected COVID-19 patients.
Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout in Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Outbreak

Aims: To assess the level of professional burnout and secondary traumatic stress, and to identify potential risk or protective factors among health care workers (HCWs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study, based on an online survey, collected demographic data and mental distress outcomes from 184 HCWs from May 1st, 2020, to June,15th, 2020, from 45 different countries. The degree of secondary traumatization was assessed using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS), the degrees of perceived stress and burnout were assessed with Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Service Survey (MBI-HSS) respectively. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to identify potential risk and protective factors for STS. Results: 184 HCWs (M=90; Age mean: 46.45; SD:11.02) completed the survey. A considerable proportion of HCWs had symptoms of secondary traumatic stress (41.3%), emotional exhaustion (56.0%), and depersonalization (48.9%). The prevalence of secondary traumatic stress in frontline HCWs was 47.5% while in HCWs working in other units it was 30.3% (p<.023); additionally, the prevalence of the same outcome was 67.1% for the HCWs exposed to patients' death and 32.9% for those HCWs which were not exposed to the same condition (p<.001). In stepwise multiple regression analysis, perceived stress, emotional exhaustion and exposure to patients' death remained as significant predictors in the final model for secondary traumatic stress (adjusted R2 =0.537, p<0.001). Conclusions: During the current COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs facing patients' physical pain, psychological suffering, and death are more likely to develop secondary traumatization.
The Joy of Collaborating with Highly Automated Vehicles

Fully autonomous driving leaves drivers with little opportunity to intervene in the driving decision. Giving drivers more control can enhance their driving experience. We develop two collaborative interface concepts to increase the user experience of drivers in autonomous vehicles. Our aim is to increase the joy of driving and to give drivers competence and autonomy even when driving autonomously. In a driving simulator study (N = 24) we investigate how vehicles and drivers can collaborate to decide on driving actions together. We compare autonomous driving (AD), the option to take back driving control (TBC) and two collaborative driving interface concepts by evaluating usability, user experience, workload, psychological needs, performance criteria and interview statements. The collaborative interfaces significantly increase autonomy and competence compared to AD. Joy is highly represented in the qualitative data during TBC and collaboration. Collaboration proves to be good for situations in which quick decisions are called for.
A Design Space for External Communication of Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles are on the verge of entering the mass market. Communication between these vehicles with vulnerable road users could increase safety and ease their introduction by helping to understand the vehicle’s intention. Numerous communication modalities and messages were proposed and evaluated. However, these explorations do not account for the factors described in communication theory. Therefore, we propose a two-part design space consisting of a concept part with 3 dimensions and a situation part with 6 dimensions based on a literature review on communication theory and a focus group with experts (N=4) on communication. We found that most work until now does not address situation-specific aspects of such communication.