Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pre-existing Opioid Use Worsens Outcomes in Patients With Diverticulitis

Background and objective Diverticulitis occurs in 10-25% of patients with diverticulosis. Although opioids can decrease bowel motility, there is scarce data on the effect of chronic opioid use on the outcomes of diverticulitis. In this study, we aimed to explore the outcomes of diverticulitis in patients with pre-existing opioid use. Methods Data between 2008 and 2014 from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was extracted using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to generate odds ratios (OR). Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) scores predicting mortality and readmission were calculated based on weighted scores from 29 different comorbidities. Scores were compared between the two groups using univariate analysis. Inclusion criteria included patients with a primary diagnosis of diverticulitis. Exclusion criteria included patients less than 18 years of age, and a diagnosis of opioid use disorder in remission. Studied outcomes included inpatient mortality, complications (including perforation, bleeding, sepsis event, ileus, abscess, obstruction, and fistula), length of hospital stay, and total costs. Results A total of 151,708 patients with diverticulitis and no active opioid use and 2,980 patients with diverticulitis and active opioid use were hospitalized in the United States from 2008 to 2014. Opioid users had a higher OR for bleeding, sepsis, obstruction, and fistula formation. Opioid users had a lower risk of developing abscesses. They had longer lengths of stay, higher total hospital charges, and higher Elixhauser readmission scores. Conclusion Hospitalized diverticulitis patients with comorbid opioid use are at an elevated risk of in-hospital mortality and sepsis. This could be attributed to complications from injection drug use predisposing opioid users to these risk factors. Outpatient providers caring for patients with diverticulosis should consider screening their patients for opioid use and try offering them medication-assisted treatment to reduce their risk of poor outcomes.
Massive Star Evolution and SN 1987A

The evolution of massive stars through hydrogen and helium burning is addressed. A set of stellar evolutionary sequences for mass/solar mass of 15, 20, and 25, and metallicity of 0.002, 0.005, 0.007, 0.010, and 0.20 are presented; semiconvection is restricted to operating slower than the local thermal time scale. Using these sequences, simple models of the massive star content of the LMC are found to agree moderately well with the new observational data of Fitzpatrick and Garmany (1990). LMC supergiants were detected only in their postmain-sequence phases, so that 5-10 times more massive stars are there but not identified as such. It is argued that SN 1987A exhibits the normal evolution of a single star of about 20 solar mases having LMC abundances. Despite the variety of envelope behavior, the structure of the core at collapse is rather similar for the stars of a given mass. Variations due to different rates of mass loss are likely to be larger than those due to composition.
Effect of Slope Aspect on Plant Above‐ and Belowground Functional Traits of Alpine Meadow on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, China

Slope aspects could cause significant differences in microclimate (e.g., radiation and moisture) and edaphic properties (e.g., soil nutrients content) in rugged landscapes. Therefore, understanding the variations of the above‐ and belowground functional traits on hillslope scales and their driving factors are essential for disentangling the plant adaptive strategies to local environmental factors. Based on the measurements of community weighted mean traits of alpine meadow from 15 hillslopes (eight south‐facing and seven north‐facing) in the Qinghai Lake watershed, northeastern Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, China, we found that the aboveground morphological traits that is, specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content, and belowground stoichiometric traits, that is, root carbon content (RCC), root nitrogen content (RNC), root phosphorus content (RPC) and RCC: RNC, varied significantly between slope aspects. Hierarchical partitioning indicated that the slope aspect contributed the most to the variations of aboveground morphological and belowground stoichiometric traits, whereas soil properties were the major contributor to aboveground phosphorous‐related traits and belowground morphological traits. Both above‐ and belowground traits displayed a two‐dimensional variation on the hillslope scale. Additionally, the above‐ and belowground traits were weakly coordinated. In general, alpine meadow on the south‐facing slopes tended to adopt the conservative strategy, while acquisitive strategy was preferred by that on the north‐facing slopes. These findings can improve our understanding of spatial variations of functional traits at fine scales, and we highlighted that it is helpful to integrate both above‐ and belowground traits dimensions in disentangling the ecological process and predicting ecosystem function under changing climate.
Modified Theories of Gravitation behind the Spacetime Deformation

In the framework of proposed theory of spacetime deformation/distortion, we have a way to deform the spacetime through a nontrivial choice of the distortion-complex, displaying different connections, which may reveal different post-Riemannian spacetime structures as corollary. We extend this theory to address, in particular, the gauge model of the most general metric-affine gravity carrying both nontrivial torsion and nonmetricity. This model is constructed in the framework of the first order Lagrangian expressed in terms of the gauge potentials and their first derivatives. The equations of the standard theory, which have no propagating modes for torsion, can be equivalently replaced in modified framework by the modified equations, which in the limit of reducing the affine group leads to the modified Einstein-Cartan theory with dynamical torsion and beyond. In testing the modified framework for various particular cases, we use the Lagrange multipliers for extinguishing nonmetricity and torsion.
Adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) based employee experience (EEX) chatbots

PurposeAI-based chatbots are revamping employee communication in organizations. This paper examines the adoption of AI-based employee experience chatbots by employees.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed model is developed using behavioral reasoning theory and empirically validated by surveying 1,130 employees and data was analyzed with PLS-SEM.FindingsThis research presents the “reasons for” and “reasons against” for the acceptance of AI-based employee experience chatbots. The “reasons for” are – personalization, interactivity, perceived intelligence and perceived anthropomorphism and the “reasons against” are perceived risk, language barrier and technological anxiety. It is found that “reasons for” have a positive association with attitude and adoption intention and “reasons against” have a negative association. Employees' values for openness to change are positively associated with “reasons for” and do not affect attitude and “reasons against”. Originality/valueThis is the first study exploring employees' attitude and adoption intention toward AI-based EEX chatbots using behavioral reasoning theory.
On binary differential equations

In this paper we give the local classification of solution curves of binary differential equations a(x,y)dy2+2b(x,y)dxdy+c(x,y)dx2=0 at points at which the discriminant function b2-ac has a Morse singularity. We also discuss the formal reduction of such equations to some normal form. The results determine the topological structure of asymptotic curves on a smooth surface with a flat umbilic, the principal curves at general umbilics, and asymptotic curves at cross-cap points of an otherwise smooth surface.
Excessive Force or Armored Restraint? Government Mechanization and Civilian Casualties in Civil Conflict

Does increasing counterinsurgent mechanization result in higher levels of unintentional civilian casualties? Existing research on unintentional civilian victimization in recent conflicts has focused on air strikes, but this question remains unexplored in research examining counterinsurgent force structure for ground units. However, a host of counterinsurgency practitioners in Iraq have cited the mechanized forces’ effectiveness in delivering precision fires that limit civilian casualties. We propose an armored restraint theory, suggesting that mechanized crews’ armored protection enhances soldiers’ decision space when making the consequential choice to employ lethal force. When this enhanced decision space is combined with units that systematically respect jus in bello principles and non-combatant immunity norms, it results in armored restraint, which may reduce government-caused civilian casualties in civil conflicts. We test this theory using micro-data from Iraq and find mechanized units are associated with significantly lower civilian casualty levels compared to dismounted units.
Convexity of the range of certain integrals

In the line of Lyapunov’s convexity theorem, the author considers the subsets H and K obtained from any number h of given integrable n-vector functions by all possible set decompositions and by all possible convex combinations respectively and integration. Both sets are closed and convex, and the author gives a simple proof that $H = K$.
Molecular weight distribution from viscoelastic data: The importance of tube renewal and Rouse modes

Rheological models based on molecular dynamics (as opposite to empirical relationships) are now preferred to link the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of linear polymers to their rheological properties. These models incorporate the double reptation concept, which represents the relaxation modulus as an integral over the molecular weight distribution. We propose a method that incorporates a detailed modeling of all the relevant relaxation processes, including Rouse fast and longitudinal modes and glassy relaxation. In addition, we take into account the effect of polydispersity on the relaxation times for reptation, i.e., “tube renewal. ” In order to demonstrate the importance of these features of our technique, we compare it with one involving the direct inversion of the double reptation integral without accounting for tube renewal and additional relaxation processes. To invert the relaxation modulus in terms of the molecular weight distribution, one must either solve the ill-posed problem using an effic.
A slln for arrays of rowwise exchangeable fuzzy random sets

In this paper, a SLLN for arrays of rowwise exchangeable fuzzy random sets is presented. Our result is similar to the results in Inoue (1990). However, this paper deals with Banach spaced valued fuzzy random sets along with a more general version of the Hausdorff metric which represents major improvements over the earlier results
Multi-THz spectroscopy of mobile charge carriers in P3HT:PCBM on a sub-100 fs time scale

The dynamics of mobile charge carrier generation in polymer bulk heterojunction films is of vital importance to the development of more efficient organic photovoltaics. As with conventional semiconductors, the optical signatures of mobile carriers lie in the far-infrared (1-30 THz) although the electrodynamics deviate strongly from the Drude model. The key time scales for the process are sub-100 fs to picoseconds, and is a challenge to perform low energy spectroscopy on these time scales as it is less than the period of oscillation for the probing light. In this work, we demonstrate sub-100 fs spectroscopy of a polymer bulk heterojunction film P3HT:PCBM using a single-cycle, phase-locked and coherently detected multi-THz transient as a probe pulse following femtosecond excitation at 400 nm. By observing changes to the reflected THz transients from the film surface following photoexcitation, we can extract the complex optical conductivity spectrum for the film in snapshots of 40 fs following photoexcitation. We find that for our excitation conditions mobile charges are created in less than 120 fs and are characterized by a spectrum which is characteristic of a two dimensional delocalized polaron. A large fraction of mobile carriers relax to a localized state on a 1 ps time scale. Pump energy dependent photon-to- mobile carrier conversion efficiency supports hot exciton dissociation as a mechanism for such fast mobile carrier generation.
Dramatic enhancement of thermoelectric power factor in PbTe:Cr co-doped with iodine

We report thermoelectric properties of PbTe doubly doped with chromium (Cr) and iodine (I). Cr is found to create a local enhancement of density of states (DOS) in the conduction band of PbTe, and I is found to tune the position of the Fermi level. The coincidence of the Fermi level with the enhanced DOS is found to produce up to 135% enhancement in thermopower leading to a high power factor (PF) of 56.16 × 10−4 Wm−1K−2 at 500 K. Such high value of power factor can produce thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) above 2.
Pengaruh Latihan Small Sided Games Terhadap Akurasi Passing di La Brava Futsal Club

Latar Belakang: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh latihan small sided games terhadap akurasi passing di La Brava Futsal Club Metode: Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian deskriptif kuantitatif metode analisis Uji-T dengan dua variable, yaitu : Latihan small sided games dan akurasi passing. Populasi dalam penelitian ini tim La Brava Futsal Club yang berjumlah 25 orang putra. Sampel menggunakan Teknik proposional sampling karena peneliti mendapatkan saran dari pelatih dengan sampel 10 orang atlet yang memenuhi kriteria Hasil: Hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa terdapat yang signifikan data pada pre test dan post test dengan mean 7,700 dan 7,500. Serta dalam error man menujukkan yang signifikan pre test 0,54 dan post test 0,48. Kesimpulan: Hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa terdapat yang signifikan data pada pre test dan post test dengan mean 7,700 dan 7,500. Serta dalam error man menujukkan yang signifikan pre test 0,54 dan post test 0,48. Hasilnya, ditemukan bahwa metode pelatihan permainan lapangan kecil untuk akurasi operan program pelatihan perlu ditingkatkan lagi. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini diharapkan dapat membantu pelatih meningkatkan akurasi operan mereka.
Spatial variation of pollen receipt and effects of heterospecific pollen on seed set in Salvia przewalskii

Abstract Generalized pollinators visit multiple co‐flowering plant species and may transfer heterospecific pollen grains. Recent studies have indicated that the effect of heterospecific pollen (HP) on reproduction success is variable and depends on the identity of donor and recipient species. However, few studies have documented variation in HP receipt and evaluated the reproductive effects of HP receipt across geographic locations under natural conditions. We investigated the spatial variation of pollen deposition across eight sites and how the pollen receipt related to the seed set of Salvia przewalskii, a subalpine perennial herb in Hengduan Mountain in southwest China. We found that stigmatic pollen loads substantially varied among sites for several metrics, including quantities of conspecific and heterospecific pollen, the proportion of HP, and species composition of HP donors. Five different plant families were the most common HP source at one or two sites, and the proportion of HP ranged from 3.4% to 51.3% across sites. The association of conspecific pollen with seed set was positive and variable among sites, whereas the association of HP receipt and seed set was negative and not significantly different among sites. Our results demonstrate variation in the quantity and fitness effect of pollen receipt across sites, which is a precondition for evolution of local adaptation. Further study of variation in patterns and effects of HP receipt for the same recipient species across natural communities would allow better understanding of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of HP receipt.
Self-Disclosure Patterns Among Children and Youth with Epilepsy: Impact of Perceived-Stigma

Abstract This review aimed to synthesize the minimal existing literature on the impact of perceived stigma on self-disclosure patterns among children and youth with epilepsy (YWE). Initial literature searches were conducted in PsycInfo, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed using search terms focused on epilepsy, pediatrics, disclosure, and/or stigma. Articles were included if they were original human research articles published in peer-reviewed journals that were accessible in English through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Pratt Library and fit study aims. Thirteen articles, which primarily used qualitative self-report methodologies, fit the study’s inclusion criteria. YWE report greater perceived stigma and lower illness disclosure compared to youth with other chronic health conditions. Across studies, perceived stigma was consistently identified as a barrier to YWE disclosing their epilepsy diagnosis. Consequences of perceived stigma included lower self-esteem, poorer perceived competency, lack of self-confidence, social withdrawal, and lower quality of life. YWE’s reluctance to disclose epilepsy was associated with worry about differential treatment, negative impact on close relationships, negative impact on others’ perceptions, and negative self-perceptions. While WHO and ILAE have identified stigma as contributing to higher disease burden in people with epilepsy and have highlighted the importance of prioritizing social policy focused on decreasing epilepsy-related stigma, progress has been incremental and much work remains. Future research is needed to understand socio-cultural factors perpetuating stigma among YWE in order to further develop, evaluate, and disseminate evidence-based clinical and education programming to combat epilepsy-related stigma.
High-speed creep process mediated by rapid dislocation absorption in nanocrystalline Cu

A high-speed creep process mediated by rapid dislocation absorption was found in the nanoindentation creep test on nanocrystalline Cu. The creep strain and creep strain rate depend strongly on the loading strain rate and are far higher than those predicted by the models of Coble creep and thermally activated grain boundary sliding. Our analysis revealed that grain boundary dislocation sources can be activated and emitted dislocations from grain boundaries can be stored effectively at a high loading strain rate, but cannot at a low loading strain rate. The observed high-speed creep process is mediated mainly by the rapid absorptions of the stored dislocations and the dislocations newly nucleated during the holding period. An implication of our experimental finding is that dislocation structure in nanocrystalline metals is highly unstable and dislocation activity can proceed after loading and lead to a significant post-loading plasticity.
A Comprehensive Assessment of Apigenin as an Antiproliferative, Proapoptotic, Antiangiogenic and Immunomodulatory Phytocompound

Apigenin (4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavone) (Api) is an important component of the human diet, being distributed in a wide number of fruits, vegetables and herbs with the most important sources being represented by chamomile, celery, celeriac and parsley. This study was designed for a comprehensive evaluation of Api as an antiproliferative, proapoptotic, antiangiogenic and immunomodulatory phytocompound. In the set experimental conditions, Api presents antiproliferative activity against the A375 human melanoma cell line, a G2/M arrest of the cell cycle and cytotoxic events as revealed by the lactate dehydrogenase release. Caspase 3 activity was inversely proportional to the Api tested doses, namely 30 μM and 60 μM. Phenomena of early apoptosis, late apoptosis and necrosis following incubation with Api were detected by Annexin V-PI double staining. The flavone interfered with the mitochondrial respiration by modulating both glycolytic and mitochondrial pathways for ATP production. The metabolic activity of human dendritic cells (DCs) under LPS-activation was clearly attenuated by stimulation with high concentrations of Api. Il-6 and IL-10 secretion was almost completely blocked while TNF alpha secretion was reduced by about 60%. Api elicited antiangiogenic properties in a dose-dependent manner. Both concentrations of Api influenced tumour cell growth and migration, inducing a limited tumour area inside the application ring, associated with a low number of capillaries.
COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE CONJUGATE GRADIENT METHOD OF FUNCTION ESTIMATION

The inverse problem of estimating the spatial and transient variations of the heat transfer coefficient at the surface of a plate, with no information regarding its functional form, is solved by applying the conjugate gradient method with adjoint problem. Three different versions of this method, corresponding to different procedures of computing the search direction, are applied to the solution of the present inverse problem. They include the Fletcher-Reeves, Polak-Ribiere, and Powell-Beale versions. Such versions are compared for test cases involving different numbers of sensors, levels of measurement errors, and initial guesses used for the iterative procedure.
Exploring dynamic locomotion of a quadruped robot: a study of reinforcement learning for the ANYmal robot.

In this work I modify the HalfCheetah environment from OpenAI Gym to resemble the ANYmal robot, creating a HalfANYmal environment. I provide a brief overview of the current reinforcement learning algorithms and benchmarks to inform my choice of reinforcement learning algorithm for this work. To improve the performance on HalfCheetah, I explore and compare two ways of implementing PD control in MuJoCo. One is done entirely in MuJoCo’s MJCF model deﬁnition ﬁle but does not include gravity compensation. The other one does include it but requires changes to client code. After performing initial tests on the HalfCheetah environment, I apply the PPO al-gorithm to the HalfANYmal environment and perform extensive reward shaping. I also develop methods to evaluate the desirability of different reward functions by monitoring their individual components throughout training. Finally, I demonstrate that reinforcement learning can learn dynamic locomotion over both smooth and rugged terrains in the HalfANYmal environment. Surpsisingly, I discover that training on smooth surface can achieve better results on rugged terrain than training on the rugged terrain. I propose some speciﬁc further research into this discovery.
Experiments on strong interactions between solitary waves

Experiments on the interaction between solitary shallow-water waves propagating in the same direction have been performed in a rectangular channel. Two methods were devised to compensate for the dissipation of the waves in order to compare results with Hirota's (1971) solution for the collision of solitons described by the Kortewegde Vries equation. Both qualitative and quantitative agreement with theory is obtained using the proposed corrections for wave damping.
Spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy of electron-beam grown and sputtered CoFeB /MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy at subnanometer resolution is used to investigate CoFeB∕MgO∕CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions grown by electron-beam evaporation and radio frequency (rf) sputtering before and after annealing. Gap states were observed in the MgO layer for both growth methods although the rf-sputtered MgO layer showed significantly more gap states. Asymmetry in oxygen bonding between the top and bottom CoFeB∕MgO interfaces was also observed. Moreover, significant amounts of diffused B as BOx were observed in the rf-sputtered MgO layer. A Mg underlayer between the MgO layer and the bottom electrode greatly reduced BOx formation in the barrier upon annealing.