Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skin Lesion Detection and Classification Using Convolutional Neural Network for Deep Feature Extraction and Support Vector Machine

Pigmented skin lesion identification is essential for detecting harmful pathologies related to this large organ, especially cancer. An analysis of the different methods and projects developed to diagnose these illnesses throughout the years showed that they had become very useful tools to identify melanoma, dermatofibroma, and basal cell carcinoma, among other types of cancer, are seen through the use of new computer-aided technologies. The most common diagnosis is based on dermoscopy and the dermatologist expertise that can improve accuracy with image detection techniques and classification by computer. Therefore, this study aims to develop software models able to detect and classify skin cancer. The following work is based on the use of dermoscopy images obtained from the HAM10000 dataset, a database with 10000 images previously tested and validated for research use. The main process is divided into three relevant parts: image segmentation, feature extraction (FE) using ten different pre-trained Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) to establish a classification model. According to the results, the models of classification performed very well using the image segmentation step, showing average accuracies between 80.67% (Xception) and 90% (Alexnet). In contrast to the process without using image segmentation, where no method reached 60%. AlexNet plus SVM model showed the minor running time and presented the higher accuracy rate (90.34%) for the correct identification and classification of the seven categories of cutaneous lesions taken into account.
Health Status Perception of People Close to Retirement Age: Relationship with Mental Health and Healthy Habits

Background: The ageing of today's society intensifies the need for the correct and healthy ageing of the elderly, in order to ensure their overall well-being. Practical strategies are needed to acquire healthy habits at this stage of life. The aim of this study is to analyse the life habits of subjects close to retirement age and the factors that could influence these habits (gender, physical and mental health). Methods: A national (Spain) observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study, in which people close to retirement age are surveyed. The online survey included matters regarding socio-demographic, family, work, leisure, social participation and health indicators. Results: The study comprised of 1,700 participants (581 working; 714 retired), average age = 63 years (DT 5.7); 52% women. Most reported having a satisfactory social life (90%), living in pairs (74%), not smoking (80%), following a Mediterranean diet (73%) and taking medicines daily (70%). Disability (WHODAS-12) was higher in men (8.2 vs 6.5, p<0.001) although women showed more health problems and depression (mild-severe) (27% vs 17%, p<0.001), with a healthier diet and lower physical/work activity. The multivariate model showed a significant association of health status (EQ-VAS) with disability level, number of chronic diseases, sleep habits, exercise, diet, and alcohol consumption. When the level of depression was introduced, age and being a woman were also found to be related. In the subgroup of those retired or working (n=1295), retirees reported a better health status, associated with less disability, fewer chronic illnesses, lower depression, good eating and sleeping habits, and exercise. Conclusions: The results show that retirement does not necessarily mean worse health, but rather an opportunity in life to reinforce favourable health activities and correct those lifestyle factors that deteriorate it. This, together with the differences observed according to gender in the perception of clinical and psychological health, will allow for the design of strategies that promote healthy ageing.
Event-Triggered Neural-Predictor-Based FCS-MPC for MMC

Traditional predictive control schemes dominated the research field of numerous power electronic applications over the past few years, since they usually lead to control solutions with good dynamic and steady results. However, these solutions strongly depend on the available knowledge of the control system (e.g., accurate modeling information), which often results in the lack of robustness in the presence of parametric uncertainties. Furthermore, unnecessary energy loss heavily correlates with high switching frequency, which directly affects efficiency. Aiming to cumbersome aforementioned scarcities, this letter is concerned with a novel approach to the controller design for a modular multilevel converter, which makes use of event-triggered neural-predictor-based finite-control-set model-predictive control methodology under low-switching-frequency operation. The salient feature of the proposed controller is that the uncertainties and unnecessary energy loss in practical systems can be explicitly dealt with, while keeping the switching frequency in a low value. Finally, steady-state and transient-state performance tests together with the analysis of the simulation and experimental results confirm the interest of the proposal, and the results found are promising and motivate further research in this field.
COVID-19 Restrictions Presented Opportunities and Challenges for Plastic Surgery Residents

Background: Restrictions placed during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent viral spread led to substantial changes in surgical resident education. The aim of this study was to assess the positive and negative impact of COVID-19 on plastic surgery education and training and provide recommendations for continued competency. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of plastic surgery residents across Canada was used to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on clinical exposure, experience with virtual education, and long-term impact of COVID-19 on surgical training. Results: This study included 61 plastic surgery residents (40% participation rate). Common educational modalities used during COVID-19 included online seminars (95%) and workshops (58%). Teaching sessions were effective if structured around patient cases (72%), recorded (66%), and limited to 1 hour (64%). There were mixed reactions towards online education sessions; residents reported feeling grateful (54%), motivated (38%), enthusiastic (28%), overwhelmed (41%), pressured to participate (23%), and anxious (13%). There were significantly less residents who felt that their clinical exposure was sufficient during (21%) versus before (72%) pandemic restrictions (P < .001). Overall, 87% of residents felt that the pandemic had a negative impact on their training, surgical skill development, fellowship plans, and job prospects. Conclusions: During the initial wave of COVID-19, residents faced altered educational opportunities, which elicited positive and negative emotions with concern regarding surgical skill development and impact on future career plans. Characterizing early educational impact on residency training to identify opportunities for change is worthwhile as the overall effect of the pandemic is ongoing and remains uncertain.
A Column-Type Experimental Device for Investigating Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Behavior of Expansive Soils

This paper presents a newly designed column-type experimental device for investigating the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of expansive soils. Sensors and monitoring instruments facilitated continuous and nondestructive measurements of temperature, relative humidity, water content, and total stresses in both axial and lateral directions at various preselected locations of the device. The design features and calibration of specific accessories are presented. System implementation and validation tests were performed to examine the performance of the device at an elevated temperature. In the context of underground storage of nuclear waste, a test was performed with a compacted Calcigel bentonite-sand mixture (50:50) to investigate the thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of the material under an applied temperature gradient involving temperatures of 80°C and 20°C at the opposite ends of the sample. The test results highlighted the key features of temperature-driven processes in unsaturated compacted porous media. Thermal loading caused changes in the water content and relative humidity within the sample. During the temperature equilibration period, the thermal dilation phenomenon in the regions closer to the heat source was found to be responsible for the development of axial and lateral stresses in the sample. A longer duration of thermal loading caused volumetric shrinkage of the material, which in turn affected the magnitudes of both axial and lateral stresses.
Anthills: stressor or opportunity for plant assemblage diversity? Evidence from Mediterranean Dasypyretum grasslands

We explored the structure of plant assemblages that settles around the anthills of a guild of Hymenoptera Formicidae (Messor wasmanni Krausse 1910, Tapinoma nigerrimum Nylander 1856 and Aphaenogaster spinosa Emery 1878), observable in urban grasslands dominated by Dasypyrum villosum (Rome, Central Italy). Since it is known that ants act as a disturbing factor on plant assemblages of grasslands, our hypothesis was that vegetation structures suffer from some stressors that affect, in this plant association, the dominant plant structure. We compared the plant assemblages observed in the plots of the anthills with the control grassland assemblages using a diversity/dominance diagram. We recorded 63 plant taxa. The average number of plant species was found to be significantly lower in anthill plots than in control grassland plots. In anthill plots, dominant plant species (Polygonum romanum, Poa trivialis Vulpia myuros, Aira elegantissima and Vulpia ligustica) have been found to be different from control grassland plots (Convolvolus arvensis, Dasypyrum villosum, Poa trivialis and Sheradia arvensis). Anthill plant assemblages were found to be significantly different (One-way PERMANOVA) and poorer in terms of species richness, less diversified, and with a reduced species turnover than control grassland plots. Whittaker plot analysis seems to show that the plant assemblages of the control, with greater evenness, emphasize a stressed condition in anthill plant assemblages. Non-metric multidimensional scaling shows a set of species strictly linked to anthills. Our data seem to confirm the role of ants as a stressor in the plant assemblage structures of Mediterranean urban grasslands. However, our results also show that the peculiar ant nest conditions may favor plant species less represented in the Dasypyretum grasslands (i.e. Polygonum romanum) or even absent in this plant assemblage (i.e. Aira elegantissima, Cynodon dactylon and Poa annua), thus increasing the overall local plant diversity.
Mentoring: Can you get too much of a ‘good thing’? Proposing enhancements to the ‘effectiveness framework’ the England and Wales Prison and Probation Service

Opt-in, open-ended mentoring for people with convictions, allowing them to dip in and out of services without sanction arguably offers a service configuration to match the paradigm of the zig-zag, nomadic desistance journey. Balancing supporting individual’s agency while avoiding fostering dependency is tricky. What are the conditions which support the former and avoid the latter? We aim to answer this question by drawing on the lived experience of mentees and mentors collected during the evaluation of a mentoring scheme in England. We consider whether mentoring is unequivocally a ‘good thing’. Despite its ubiquity, the evidence for its effectiveness is mixed. We suggest that it is possible to get too much mentoring, and advance the evidence base in the United Kingdom and internationally in other jurisdictions by proposing enhancements to the ‘effectiveness framework’ set out by the prison and probation service in England and Wales.
Preparation of a thermally conductive biodegradable cellulose nanofiber/hydroxylated boron nitride nanosheet film: the critical role of edge-hydroxylation

Chemical modification of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) is a simple but effective method to improve their dispersion and compatibility within polymer nanocomposites. The key point is how to import compatible functional groups but simultaneously retain the intact crystal lattice. In this study, two different hydroxylation methods, namely nitric acid oxidation and aqueous ball milling, were adopted for surface modification of BNNSs. And a comparative study was carried out in terms of hydroxyl (OH) content, position of modification and the thermal conductivity (TC) after mixing them with a biodegradable cellulose nanofiber (CNF). TEM mapping, XRD and HRTEM indicated that nitric acid oxidation mainly resulted in an in-plane hydroxylation of BNNSs (POH-BNNSs) whose crystal lattice was seriously damaged, while aqueous ball milling led to most likely an edge hydroxylation of BNNSs (EOH-BNNSs) whose crystal lattice could be well preserved. As a result, strikingly, the TC of POH-BNNS filled nanocomposites only showed a little growth (10.2%) at a low OH content or even decreased at a higher OH loading, while an impressive thermal enhancement of almost 100% was achieved for CNF/EOH-BNNS nanocomposites. Such a substantial improvement signifies the critical role of edge-hydroxylation, which can simultaneously reduce interfacial thermal resistance and retain the intact basal crystal lattice to facilitate acoustic phonon transfer. This research provides deep insight into modification of two-dimensional nanomaterials from the point of view of the defect position, and an edge-selective modification strategy is expected to be of great advantage for the fabrication of highly thermally conductive nanocomposites.
Estructura y composición floristica en el bosque siempreverde montano de la Cordillera Occidental de los Andes en el sector La Esperanza, parroquia El Tingo, cantón Pujilí provincia de Cotopaxi a los 2000 msnm

El proyecto de investigacion se llevo a cabo en la provincia de Cotopaxi en la parroquia El Tingo - La Esperanza, Canton Pujili en el Bosque Siempreverde Montano de la cordillera occidental de los andes (BsMnO3) segun el mapa Bio climatico del Ecuador. Este ecosistema esta considerado desde los 2000 hasta los 3100 msnm. El objetivo de la investigacion fue levantar la informacion floristica del componente arboreo en esta zona, el inventario arboreo se realizo en el piso altitudinal sobre los 2000 msnm, para esta actividad se trazo una parcela permanente de 50 x 150 m, a esta altura se determino la variabilidad de diversidad floristica con relacion a los otros pisos altitudinales, en esta area se trazaron 3 subparselas de 50 m2 sus limites se determino con una cuerda e indicando con cinta de marcaje color naranja. Dentro de las parcelas se colecto, identifico y tabulo, a la vez que se realizo la medicion de las especies arboreas con la que se documento, todos los individuos con un Diametro a la Altura del Pecho (DAP) igual o superior a 10 cm. El inventario floristico (arboreo y arbustivo) permitio conocer el componente vegetal, la dominacion vegetal y la abundancia de especies arboreas y arbustivas que se encuentran en el Bosque Siempreverde Montano de la Cordillera Occidental de los Andes en el sector La Esperanza, y provee datos relacionados a la densidad, abundancia, dominancia y valor de uso de las especies identificadas. Se inventario 21 especies con una totalidad de 172 individuos encontrados en el lugar entre las que se destacan 3 familias. , Euphorbiaceae: Sapium sp (Caucho), Symploccaceae: Syaploccos sp (motilon blanco) y Lauraceae: Benthamiana sp (canelo). En lo que se refiere al componente arbustivo arbustivo se registraron 188 individuos correspondientes a 5 especies de arbustos pertenecientes a 4 familias. Los taxones con mayor indice de valor de importancia son: Casearia Sylvestris de la familia Salicaceae con 30,4% y Faramea Occidentalis perteneciente a la familia Rubiaceae con el 29,04%, las mismas que ademas presentaron mayor densidad, frecuencia y dominancia. El bosque estudiado tiene un indice de diversidad de Shannon calculado de 1,35 y de Simpson de 0,71; lo que nos demuestra que presenta un indice de diversidad baja de especies arbustivas. Esto debido a que es un Bosque intervenido. Los datos obtenidos constituiran una fuente de informacion a la vez que permitira dar paso al primer objetivo del Banco de Germoplasma, con la informacion se beneficiaran la comunidad universitaria para sus investigaciones.
Perceptions of Social Context and Intention to Quit: The Mediating Role of Work Engagement and Interpersonal Strain

Several studies have investigated turnover intention and its predictors underlining the role of organisational conditions and personal resources. This study focused on the role of the Perceptions of Social Context (PoSC) and Work Engagement as personal resources that can create healthy and productive organisations. The aim of this study is to investigate the factors that contribute to intention to quit focusing on the PoSC, including Work Engagement and a construct that describes mental and emotional detachment from other individuals in work contexts (Interpersonal Strain). A total of 647 employees of an Italian organisation completed a self-report questionnaire. A structural equations model was tested, the findings of which show that work engagement negatively predicts intention to quit, whereas interpersonal strain positively predicts this outcome. Moreover, the PoSC of the immediate supervisor and the PoSC of colleagues have negative mediated effects on intention to quit by reinforcing work engagement and by reducing interpersonal strain, respectively. Finally, the PoSC of management also have negative effects on intention to quit, both directly and by increasing work engagement. Nevertheless, it is now possible to plan different actions and interventions, taking into account these findings to enhance workplace well-being.
Management of upper central incisor with large periapical inflammatory cyst and persistent fistula: Case report

The objective of this case report was to describe the retreatment of an immature upper right central incisor in a 20-year-old female patient after unsuccessful endodontic treatment, who had probable clinical-radiographic diagnosis of a large periapical inflammatory cyst and persistent fistula. After removing the root canal filling material, disinfection of the root canal system, and successive intracanal medication changes over 60 days, the fistula remained active. Therefore, parendodontic surgery was performed. The root canal system was obturated, the periapical cyst was surgically enucleated, and retro-obturation with mineral trioxide aggregate was performed. We used the guided tissue regeneration technique with a xenograft and resorbable membrane. On histopathological examination, we observed bacterial colonies present in the lumen of the cystic lesion. Clinical evaluation, periapical radiograph, and cone-beam tomography confirmed complete healing of the periapical area of the affected tooth. The treatment success was verified by periapical healing over a follow-up period of 21 months.
Influence of the Solar Cycle on the North Atlantic Oscillation

We examine the influence of the solar cycle on the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on its pathway from the upper stratosphere to the surface by applying lagged regression analyses to recent observations, historical observations covering 194 years, and an Earth system model simulation covering 165 years. The propagation of the solar signal can well be explained by a top‐down mechanism, but one that was strongly affected by air‐sea coupling. The solar signal first appears in the subtropical upper stratosphere as a temperature signal. The associated zonal wind signal then propagates downward to the surface in response to stratospheric variability known as the Polar‐night Jet Oscillation. The NAO signal tends to appear in February during years of peak solar activity. The solar signal is further modulated such that positive NAO signals tend to appear earlier in winter with increasing years after peak solar activity associated with the appearance of the NAO‐related SST signal. There are also 50‐year scale fluctuations and amplitude modulations of the solar‐NAO signal, but the tendency of increasing NAO amplitude with increasing NAO‐related SST amplitude suggests a strong influence of decadal ocean dynamics on these modulations.
Long-Term Land Cover Changes in the Western Part of the Korean Demilitarized Zone

After the Korean War, human access to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was highly restricted. However, limited agricultural activity was allowed in the Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) surrounding the DMZ. In this study, land cover and vegetation changes in the western DMZ and CCZ from 1919 to 2017 were investigated. Coniferous forests were nearly completely destroyed during the war and were then converted to deciduous forests by ecological succession. Plains in the DMZ and CCZ areas showed different patterns of land cover changes. In the DMZ, pre-war rice paddies were gradually transformed into grasslands. These grasslands have not returned to forest, and this may be explained by wildfires set for military purposes or hydrological fluctuations in floodplains. Grasslands near the floodplains in the DMZ are highly valued for conservation as a rare land type. Most grasslands in the CCZ were converted back to rice paddies, consistent with their previous use. After the 1990s, ginseng cultivation in the CCZ increased. In addition, the landscape changes in the Korean DMZ and CCZ were affected by political circumstances between South and North Korea. Our results provide baseline information for the development of ecosystem management and conservation plans for the Korean DMZ and CCZ. Given the high biodiversity and ecological integrity of the Korean DMZ region, transboundary governance for conservation should be designed.
Comparison of Nutritional/Inflammatory Scores as a Preoperative Predictor of Short-Term Surgical Risks in Hepatectomy for Colorectal Metastasis

Background: Various nutritional/inflammatory scores reportedly correlate with surgical outcomes of abdominal surgery, while it remains inconclusive which one is the best in prediction of short-term surgical outcomes of patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CLM). Methods: Clinical records of 367 hepatectomies for 267 patients with CLM were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative nutritional/inflammatory status was determined using 14 reported nutritional/inflammatory scores and predictive powers of these scores for short-term surgical outcomes were compared. Results: In receiver operating characteristics curve analysis, controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score showed the highest performance in prediction of major postoperative morbidity (area under the curve [AUC], 0.650) among the tested scores and similar tendency was also confirmed in prediction of global postoperative morbidity (AUC, 0.622). Multivariate analysis confirmed that the CONUT score showed significant correlation with both global morbidity (odds ratio [OR], 1.29; 95% CI, 1.11-1.49, P=0.001) and major morbidity (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.08-1.60; P=0.006). When preoperative degree of malnutrition was classified into normal, light, and moderate according to the original CONUT scoring system, short-term surgical outcomes were well stratified as follows: any morbidity, 21.8% vs. 35.1% vs. 51.9% (P=0.001); major morbidity, 6.2% vs. 11.7% vs. 29.6% (P=0.002); and postoperative hospital stay, 11 days vs. 11 days vs. 12 days (P=0.006). Conclusions: The CONUT score could be a simple and reliable predictor of short-term surgical outcomes of patients undergoing hepatectomy for CLM.