Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-Phosphatidylserine, Anti-Prothrombin, and Anti-Annexin V Autoantibodies in Antiphospholipid Syndrome: A Real-Life Study

The antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) increase the risk of developing thrombotic events and may coexist with a variety of autoimmune diseases. They can be detected chronically or temporarily in patients with infectious diseases, during drug therapy, or in cases of cancer. A thrombotic event with aPL detection is known as antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and the diagnostic criteria include the presence of lupus anticoagulant (LA), anticardiolipin (aCL) and β2-glycoprotein-1(aβ2GPI) antibodies. Other autoantigens recognized in APS are phosphatidylserine (aPS), prothrombin (aPT) and Annexin-5 (aA5). This real life study aimed to explore the connections between laboratory criteria and the prevalence of “non-criteria aPL” in APS. This study followed 300 patients with thrombosis and employed two phospholipid sensitivity assays for LA detection, chemiluminescence assays for aCL and aβ2GPI and enzyme-linked immunoassays for aPS, aPT and aA5. A significant association was found between aPS and aCL (r = 0.76) as well as aβ2GPI (r = 0.77), while the association with LA was less significant (r = 0.33). The results of the aPT and aA5 test did not correlate with criteria-antiphospholipid antibodies (r < 0.30). Since the risk of thrombotic complications increases with the intensity and the number of positive autoantibodies, measuring aPT and aA5 autoantibodies may be useful, particularly in aCL/aβ2GPI-negative patients or in cases of isolated LA positivity.
Credit Risk and Profitability Position of Nepalese Private and Joint Venture Commercial Banks

Credit concentrations, credit processes and other externalities have made credit risk more important over the past decade, followed by liquidity issues. This study was conducted to compare the credit risk exposure of various banks in terms of their liquidity, capital ratio, size, operational inefficiency, loan growth rate, and non-performing loans. It also investigated the spontaneous relationship between credit risk and bank profitability. Secondary data of 5 years from ten banks (5 each from joint venture and private banks) have been collected. The descriptive and comparative study designs were employed and SPSS software was used for the analysis of data. The results showed that the private banks surpass joint venture banks in terms of capital ratio and operating efficiency, but joint venture banks lead private banks in terms of liquidity, capital ratio, total assets, loan growth rate, and non-performing loans. However, the independent sample t-test did not show any significant differences on liquidity, capital ratio, size, and loan growth rate. The Pearson’s correlation showed positive associations of capital ratio (moderate and significant), operating inefficiency (weak and insignificant), and loan growth rate (weak and insignificant) with ROA. In contrast, bank size and nonperforming loans have significant moderate negative correlations, but liquidity is not found to be correlated with ROA. The empirical findings of this study are considered helpful in evaluating the comparative credit risk exposure of the banking sector and have both managerial and academic implications.
Assessment of Preference Behavior of Layer Hens under Different Light Colors and Temperature Environments in Long-Time Footage Using a Computer Vision System

Simple Summary Preference behavior can be an important indicator of animal welfare. The effects of different wavelengths of light on laying hens are not completely known. We performed a preference test with few laying hens with three different light sources (green, red, and white) in three thermal environmental conditions (cold, comfort and heat stress). We recorded video footage during the entire period of the experiment and automatically estimated the permanence of the birds in each room of the Environmental Preference Chamber using YOLO v4. The results showed that birds prefer white and red light under thermal comfort conditions and do not show preference under heat stress conditions. Abstract As for all birds, the behavior of chickens is largely determined by environmental conditions. In many production systems, light intensity is low and red feather strains have low contrast with the background, making it impossible to use conventional image segmentation techniques. On the other hand, studies of chicken behavior, even when using video camera resources, depend on human vision to extract the information of interest; and in this case, reduced samples are observed, due to the high cost of time and energy. Our work combined the use of advanced object detection techniques using YOLO v4 architecture to locate chickens in low-quality videos, and we automatically extracted information on the location of birds in more than 648 h of footage. We develop an automated system that allows the chickens to transition among three environments with different illuminations equipped with video cameras to monitor the presence of birds in each compartment, and we automatically count the number of birds in each compartment and determine their preference. Our chicken detection algorithm shows a mean average precision of 99.9%, and a manual inspection of the results showed an accuracy of 98.8%. Behavioral analysis results based on bird unrest index and permanence time indicate that chickens tend to prefer white light and disfavor green light, except in the presence of heat stress when no clear preference can be observed. This study demonstrates the potential of using computer vision techniques with low-resolution, low-cost cameras to monitor chickens in low-light conditions.
Emotional cherry picking: the role of personality and goal orientation in selective emotion regulation for musical practice

Introduction Emotion regulation is an important part of optimising performance and successful goal pursuit in practice-based tasks such as making music. Musicians may regulate their own emotions during the course of their musical practice in order to improve their performance and ultimately attain their practice-related goals. The specific emotions they target may depend upon their personality traits but may also relate to the nature of their goal orientation, and the interaction between the two. This study investigates whether the emotions desired by musicians in their musical practice were dependent on their personality traits and Mastery goal orientation (the desire to master musical and technical skills). Methods Via an online questionnaire, 421 musicians completed a personality scale and answered questions relating to their mastery practice goals. They also completed emotion scales indicating how strongly they desired to increase or decrease the intensity of specific emotions when practicing. Results Overall, musicians preferred to up-regulate positive rather than negative emotions [paired t(420) = 58.13, p < 0.001]. Bayesian Mixed Effects models showed that personality traits affected musicians’ desire to regulate specific emotions. For example, higher levels of Agreeableness predicted greater desire to increase positive but not negative emotions, whereas Extraversion predicted greater desire to increase anger [Est. = 0.05, SE = 0.03, Odds (Est. > 0) = 43.03] but not positive emotions. The inclusion of Mastery goal orientation either amplified or mitigated these effects in several cases, and also introduced new trait-emotion relationships. Findings confirm a general hedonic principle underlying the emotions musicians desired in their musical practice. However, predicted by personality traits, musicians also sometimes sought to increase the intensity of unpleasant emotions. Discussion These findings complement existing research that suggests that some Mastery-oriented musicians may seek an emotional state consisting of both positive and negative emotions. This and future studies on this topic may contribute to a better understanding of individual differences in emotion regulation ability as a potential aspect of individualised musical practice strategies.
Risks after Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Taiwanese Women: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective: An increasing trend in the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been reported in Taiwan. GDM has been linked to various adverse maternal outcomes over a long period, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, evidence implies that the effects of GDM on the mid-term surrogate risk factors for these diseases are limited. Furthermore, data from nationwide cohort studies are limited. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), arterial hypertension (aHTN), and hyperlipidemia (HL) through a 5-year follow-up post-delivery of women with GDM in a nationwide cohort study in Taiwan. The second objective was to investigate the risk of developing insulin resistance syndrome (IRS)-related diseases, including CVD, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD), non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD), and CKD. Methods: This was a retrospective, population-based nationwide cohort study. The data source comprises a merge of the Birth Certificate Application Database (BCA) and the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. Women aged between 15 and 45 years who gave birth in Taiwan between 2004 and 2011 were included. Women who were enrolled and had a GDM diagnosis were assigned to the exposure group. Women who were enrolled without a GDM diagnosis were assigned to the comparison group. The relative risk of developing T2DM, aHTN, HL, and IRS-related diseases, including CVD, AMI, PAOD, NAFLD, and CKD, were analyzed and presented as hazard ratio (HR) through Cox regression and log-rank regression analyses. Results: A total of 1,180,477 women were identified through the BCA database between 2004 and 2011. Of those, 71,611 GDM-diagnosed women and 286,444 women without GDM were included in the final analysis. After adjusting for age, pre-existing cancer, and parity, developing T2DM, aHTN, and HL were still significantly increased in the GDM group (HR and interquartile range (IQR): 2.83 (2.59, 3.08), 1.09 (1.01, 1.06), and 1.29 (1.20, 1.38), accordingly). CVD, NAFLD, and CKD had a very low incidence and showed insignificant results. Conclusion: Our findings provide nationwide cohort data showing that GDM increased the risk of developing T2DM, aHTN, and HL 5 years after delivery within the same group. The GDM complications and risk of CVD, AMI, PAOD, NAFLD, and CKD need further investigation.
Beauty and status: Matching and exchange within Chinese marriages

Status exchange in marriage refers to a marriage pattern in which one spouse compensates for his or her disadvantage in one status area relative to the other spouse with an advantage in another. Two prominent examples of marriage exchange discussed in the existing literature are race–status exchange and beauty–status exchange. Although the marriage exchange theory is well supported by early studies, in recent years, its applicability has been questioned by some scholars. Protracted debates on the topic in question were launched in two top sociological journals, the American Sociological Review and the American Journal of Sociology. This study reviews these debates and offers an in-depth theoretical investigation into the relationship between matching and exchange, and the premise of marriage exchange theory. In addition, we collect and analyze the data from the five waves of the China Family Panel Studies (2010–2018) on beauty–status exchanges and other forms of marriage exchanges in China. We found little evidence of beauty–status exchanges in Chinese marriages and even the well-assumed exchange of “woman's beauty for man's talent” lacks sound empirical support. However, there are ample evidences of exchanges among the four status factors of education, occupation, income, and family background. As indicators of socioeconomic status, these four variables are homogeneous in nature, and therefore can more easily substitute for one another. We argue that the validity of marriage exchange theory depends on the similarity or substitutability between the elements in exchange. Thus, we can neither completely accept nor reject the marriage exchange theory.
Effect of incorporation of cane trash in sugarcane ratoon

Effect of direct incorporation of sugarcane trash in ratoon crop of sugarcane on cane yield, stalk population, juice quality and soil fertility was studied for two consecutive crop years (1995-96 and 1996-97). Applicationof chopped trash @ 7.5 t/ha treated with one kg cellulose decomposing fungal culture per tonne of trash+75% of the recommended dose of nitrogen through inorganic form significantly increased the cane yield by 8.36 t/ha and 21.99 t/ha over application of entire dose of nitrogen (224 kg/ha) through inorganic form and absolute control (no nitrogen) respectively. The other sources of organic manures such as farm yard manure @10.0 t/ha (64.17 t/ha) and press mud cake @5.0 t/ha (61.58 t/ha) in combination with inorganic fertiliser also enhanced the cane yields over application of entire dose of nitrogen through inorganic form (60.75 t/ha). Chopped and unchopped trash treatments were on par with each other when treated with fungal culture in respect of stalk population, cane and sugar yields and growth parameters. Chopped trash (67.29 t/ha) as an organic source of nitrogen to supplement 25% N requirement of sugarcane ratoon was found better than press mud cake (61.58t/ha) and farm yard manure (64.17 t/ha) in respect ofcane yields. In terms of fertility status of the soil, trash (chopped) incorporation by adding fungal culture increased the available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as compared to initial available nutrient status of the soil.
Infarct-like versus Non-Infarct-like Clinical Presentation of Acute Myocarditis: Comparison of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) Findings

Background: The clinical presentation of acute myocarditis (AM) is widely variable, ranging from a subclinical disease to an infarct-like syndrome. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has become the reference non-invasive diagnostic tool for suspected AM, allowing the identification of the various hallmarks of myocardial inflammation (edema, fibrosis, and hyperemia). The aim of the study was to investigate any differences in morphological, functional, and tissue characterization CMR parameters between infarct-like AM in patients with unobstructed coronary arteries and non-infarct-like AM, diagnosed according to the original Lake-Louise Criteria (LLC); Methods: We retrospectively selected 39 patients diagnosed with AM according to LLC, divided into 2 groups according to the clinical presentation: infarct-like in group 1 patients and non-infarct-like in group 2 patients. CMR morphologic, functional, and tissue characterization parameters were analyzed and compared. Results: In group 1, CMR tissue characterization parameters were mainly altereda in septal location with mesocardial myocardial involvement; in group 2, CMR tissue characterization parameters were mainly altered in a lateral location with subepicardial myocardial involvement mainly at the mid-cavity. No significant differences in morphological or functional parameters were observed between the two study groups. Conclusions: Our results showed differences in the localization and distribution of myocardial tissue damage assessed by CMR among forms of AM accompanied by an infarct-like clinical presentation compared with non-infarct-like presentations of AM. The mechanisms underlying the different preferential sites of damage observed in our study are not known, and we do not exclude the possibility of their prognostic implications.
Exploring the architectures of planetary systems that form in thermally evolving viscous disc models

The diversity in observed planets and planetary systems has raised the question of whether they can be explained by a single model of planet formation or whether multiple models are required. The work presented in this thesis aims to examine the oligarchic growth scenario, to determine whether the core accretion model, where planets form bottom-up, can recreate the observed diversity. I begin by exploring how changing model parameters such as disc mass and metallicity influence the types of planetary systems that emerge. I show that rapid inward migration leads to very few planets with masses mp > 10M⊕ surviving, with surviving planetary systems typically containing numerous low-mass planets. I examine what conditions are required for giant planets to form and survive migration, finding that for a planet similar to Jupiter to form and survive, it must form at an orbital radius rp > 10 au. In the second project in this thesis, I update the physical models before examining whether a broader range of parameters can produce planetary systems similar to those observed. I find that compact systems of low-mass planets form in simulations if there is sufficient solid material in the disc or if planetesimals are small, thus having increased mobility. I also find that giant planets can form when the solid abundance and mobility of planetesimals are high, however they all undergo largescale migration into the magnetospheric cavity located close to the star. For the final project of this thesis, I examined the effects that disc radial structuring has on the formation of giant planets. I find that by including radial structures, numerous giant planets are able to form at large orbital radii and survive migration. The observed period valley between 10–100 days is also recreated, of which I attribute to disc dispersal late in the disc’s lifetime.
On the exponent of exponential convergence of the $hp$-FEM spaces

We study the exponent of the exponential rate of convergence in terms of the number of degrees of freedom for various non-standard $hp$-finite element spaces employing reduced cardinality basis. More specifically, we show that serendipity finite element methods and discontinuous Galerkin finite element methods with total degree $\mathcal{P}_p$ basis have a faster exponential convergence with respect to the number of degrees of freedom than their counterparts employing the tensor product $\mathcal{Q}_p$ basis for quadrilateral/hexahedral elements, for piecewise analytic problems under $p$-refinement. The above results are proven by using a new $p$-optimal error bound for the $L^2$-orthogonal projection onto the total degree $\mathcal{P}_p$ basis, and for the $H^1$-projection onto the serendipity finite element space over tensor product elements with dimension $d\geq2$. These new $p$-optimal error bounds lead to a larger exponent of the exponential rate of convergence with respect to the number of degrees of freedom. Moreover, these results show that part of the basis functions in $\mathcal{Q}_p$ basis play no roles in achieving the $hp$-optimal error bound in the Sobolev space. The sharpness of theoretical results is also verified by a series of numerical examples.
Climate Change Displacement and the Right to Education in Small Island Developing States

This policy brief addresses issues of education rights in the context of climate change and potential climate change displacement for SIDS residents. Challenges to adapting learning systems in the context of climate change are common to many SIDS and other countries, but SIDS also face unique challenges due to their geography, culture, and economic activities. It provides the following recommendations to build the resilience of education systems in SIDS to meet the needs of people displaced by climate change: (i) build and maintain multiple facilities that can serve as evacuation centres so schools can continue as learning facilities in the aftermath of extreme weather events; (ii) continue to develop teaching materials and pedagogies within SIDS’ education systems to be employed during times of disruption, while ensuring learners’ socialisation needs are met in the case of online or distance learning; (iii) create parallel curricular competencies between SIDS and destination countries, and advocate for access to education and training in any bilateral or multilateral arrangements for mobility and migration.
High-Performance and Power-Saving Mechanism for Page Activations Based on Full Independent DRAM Sub-Arrays in Multi-Core Systems

Modern <italic>DRAM</italic> devices’ performance and energy efficiency are significantly improved when the row-buffer locality is exploited properly. In multi-core architectures, however, the <italic>DRAM</italic>-based main memory banks used by the processing units, called cores, are shared. Memory interference, also known as memory contention, occurs when many cores contend for simultaneous access to the shared banks. The performance benefits provided by utilizing the available row-buffer locality are diminished by the increased memory contention brought on by the integration of more cores. Large <italic>DRAM</italic> page sizes are therefore activated in order to access only a tiny amount of data. Poor energy efficiency or wasted opportunity to loosen <italic>DRAM</italic> power timing restrictions are both downsides to this page over-fetching issue. This study introduces a Fine-Grained Activation (<italic>FGA</italic>) technique to reduce the number of involved bitlines when accessing <italic>DRAM</italic> memory. This technique significantly improves the parallelism at the <italic>DRAM</italic> subarray level to support multiple memory accesses routed to distinct subarrays inside the same memory bank. The <italic>FGA</italic> technique presented in this research intends to provide large energy savings while simultaneously delivering significant performance gains. Our evaluation findings with 4-core multi-program benchmarks demonstrate that the <italic>FGA</italic> technique proposed in this paper can significantly improve both <italic>DRAM</italic> performance and <italic>DRAM</italic> energy efficiency with a negligible area overhead. In comparison to the baseline, the <italic>Half-DRAM</italic> page activation mechanism, and the recently suggested <italic>FGA</italic> mechanism, the proposed technique in this study reduces the average <italic>DRAM</italic> memory access latency for the evaluated four-core applications by 25.6%, 27.1%, and 14.8%, respectively. Our introduced technique also decreases the <italic>DRAM</italic> activation power by an average of 46.7%, 27.1%, and 14.7%, respectively, when compared with the baseline, <italic>Half-DRAM</italic> technique, and the recently proposed <italic>FGA</italic> mechanism.
IoT System Based on Artificial Intelligence for Hot Spot Detection in Photovoltaic Modules for a Wide Range of Irradiances

Infrared thermography (IRT) is a technique used to diagnose Photovoltaic (PV) installations to detect sub-optimal conditions. The increase of PV installations in smart cities has generated the search for technology that improves the use of IRT, which requires irradiance conditions to be greater than 700 W/m2, making it impossible to use at times when irradiance goes under that value. This project presents an IoT platform working on artificial intelligence (AI) which automatically detects hot spots in PV modules by analyzing the temperature differentials between modules exposed to irradiances greater than 300 W/m2. For this purpose, two AI (Deep learning and machine learning) were trained and tested in a real PV installation where hot spots were induced. The system was able to detect hot spots with a sensitivity of 0.995 and an accuracy of 0.923 under dirty, short-circuited, and partially shaded conditions. This project differs from others because it proposes an alternative to facilitate the implementation of diagnostics with IRT and evaluates the real temperatures of PV modules, which represents a potential economic saving for PV installation managers and inspectors.