Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of plot size and plant spatial arrangement on the efficiency of family selection in sugarcane

The purpose of this study was to identify the ideal sample size representing a family in its potential, to identify superior families and, in parallel, determine in which spatial arrangement they may have a better accuracy in the selection of new varieties of sugarcane. For such purpose, five families of full-sibs were evaluated, each with 360 individuals, in the randomized blocks design, with three replications in three different spacing among plants in the row (50 cm, 75 cm, and 100 cm) and 150 cm between the rows. To determine the ideal sample size, as well as the better spacing for evaluation, the bootstrap method was adopted. It was observed that 100 cm spacings provided the best average for the stalk numbers, stalk diameter and for estimated weight of stalks in the stool. The spacing of 75 cm between the plants allowed a better power of discrimination among the families for all characters evaluated. At this 75 cm spacing was also possible to identify superior families with a sample of 30 plants each plot and 3 reps in the trial. Highlights The bootstrap method was efficient to determine the ideal sample size, as well as the best spacing for evaluation. The 75-cm spacing had the highest power of discrimination among families, indicating that this spacing is the most efficient in evaluating sugarcane families for selection purposes. From all the results and considering selective accuracy as the guiding parameter for decision making, the highest values obtained considering the number of stalks and weight of stalks in the stools were found at the 75-cm spacing.
2.2 kV SiC BJTs with Low VCESAT Fast Switching and Short-Circuit Capability

This paper reports large active area (15 mm2) 4H-SiC BJTs with a low VCESAT=0.6 V at IC=20 A (JC=133 A/cm2) and an open-base breakdown voltage BVCEO=2.3 kV at T=25 °C. The corresponding room temperature specific on-resistance RSP-ON=4.5 mΩcm2 is to the authors knowledge the lowest reported value for a large area SiC BJT blocking more than 2 kV. The on-state and blocking characteristics were analyzed by device simulation and found to be in good agreement with measurements. Fast switching with VCE rise- and fall-times in the range of 20-30 ns was demonstrated for a 6 A 1200 V rated SiC BJT. It was concluded that high dynamic base currents are essential for fast switching to charge the BJT parasitic base-collector capacitance. In addition, 10 μs short-circuit capability with VCE=800 V was shown for the 1200 V BJT.
Pharmacognostic, antioxidant and acute toxicity studies of Vitellaria paradoxa stem bark and root extracts

Most of biochemical reactions in the body generates Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)which are involved in the pathogenesis of oxidative stress-related disorders like diabetes,nephrotoxicity, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, inflammation and neurological isorders. Antioxidants are used to protect the cells or tissues against potential attack by ROS. Most medicinal plants possess a rich source of antioxidants such as flavonoids, phenols, tannins, alkaloids among others. These phytochemicals are currently pursued as an alternative and complimentary drug. The study was carried out to ROS. Most medicinal plants possess a rich source of antioxidants such as flavonoids, phenols, tannins, alkaloids among others. These phytochemicals are currently pursued as an alternative and complimentary drug. The study was carried out to determine Pharmacognostic, antioxidant and acute toxicity of Vitellaria paradoxa root and stem bark. The Vitellaria paradoxa was extracted with water and methanol, screened for their phytochemical properties and antioxidant effects. Chemo-microscopical studies revealed the presence of cellulose cell wall, lignin, calcium oxalate crystals, tannins, starch and mucilage while calcium carbonate was absent in the stem bark but present in the root. The average moisture contents were 7.30% and 6.80% in stem bark and root respectively. The water and ethanol/alcohol extractives were 24.0% and 20.0% for stem while 25.50% and 19.0% for the root respectively. Alkaloid, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids, triterpenes, carbohydrate and phenols were detected in both aqueous and methanol extracts while anthraquinones was absent in all the extracts. The DPPH radical scavenging ability of the extract showed the following trend Ascorbic acid ˃ Stem bark extract˃ Root extract. Toxicity of the samples was expressed as LD50, it was found above 5000 mg/kg and did not cause mortality in all the tested rats. These results suggested that Vitellaria paradoxa root and stem bark have moderate antioxidant potentials. Further study is necessary for isolation and characterization of active antioxidant agents which can be used to treat various oxidative stress related diseases.
Economic Impact of Climate Change in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

The study examines the economic impact of climate change. This is done through a field survey design which involves survey of marketers in Port Harcourt with the aid of archival data from Port Harcourt. Climate data were collected from the archives of Nigeria Meteorological Agency from 1950 to 2015 based on the availability of data. And data on prices and quantity of umbrella, cement, ice cream, cream, palm oil, rubber sander, cold sachet water sold, etc. were extracted from the traders’ dairies from 2004 to 2014. The data collected were presented in tables and descriptive diagrams, and analyzed with the multiple regression analysis; this was done to determine the effect of rainfall and temperature on prices of goods in the city. The results revealed an evidence of climate change in Port Harcourt with an increase of 1581 mm and 3°C for rainfall and temperature, and double rain maxima in the months of July and September. It also confirms the concept of econo-climate by establishing strong correlation between rainfall and temperature and price of goods demanded and supplied. The price and the quantity of goods demanded and supplied are significantly dependent on the amount of rainfall and temperature in the area, and as such the quantity of goods demanded and supplied negates the law of demand and supply which states that the higher the price, the higher the quantity supplied in the area. On this premise planners at the federal, state and local government levels are advised to incorporate climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in urban renewer and planning to avoid unforeseen climate disasters in our urban areas.
Modeling of altitude effects on AC flashover of polluted high voltage insulators

The paper introduces a new physical approach to account for the effect of reduced air density on the flashover voltage and critical leakage current of polluted high voltage insulators. The analysis starts by updating the mathematical model, previously established, of power frequency flashover of polluted insulators at normal atmospheric pressure. It then proceeds to introduce the effect of ambient pressure on the physical parameters of the dielectric recovery equation. The effect of reduced pressure on the arc boundary radius is investigated. The combined effect of humidity and reduced air density on the dielectric strength at ambient temperature is also accounted for. The above analysis results in a new expression for the reignition voltage which includes ambient pressure effects. The analytical findings are then used to investigate the effect of reduced air density on the critical leakage current and flashover voltage of simple-shaped polluted insulators. The effect of more complex profiles is subsequently introduced. The model results are compared with experiments and the agreement established is quite satisfactory. Finally simple practical altitude correction factors for polluted insulators are proposed.
Effect of Tamarindus indica juice intake on some oxidative stress markers in carbon tetrachloride induced rats

Tamarind tree is a multipurpose tree of which almost every part finds at least some use, either nutritional or medicinal. Due to its pleasant acidic taste and rich aroma, the pulp is widely used for domestic and industrial purpose. A study was carried out to evaluate the effect of Tamarind juice intake in CCl4 induced oxidative stress albino rats. The Proximate, antinutrient, and Phytochemical contents of tamarind juice were analyzed using standard AOAC methods while mineral contents were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. Oxidative stress markers were also analyzed using colorimetric assay kit. The serum levels of oxidative stress markers were compared between the normal and test groups. Experimental rats were divided into five groups: Normal control group, negative control (CCl4) group, standard drug (Vitamin C) group, tamarind low and high dose group. At the end of the experiment, significant increase in malondialdehyde level and decrease in superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione and glutathione Peroxidase activities were recorded in CCl4-exposed rats as compared to normal control group. In the tamarind supplemented groups, the level of MDA along with the activities of SOD, CAT, GSH and GPx were comparable with the normal control rats (p>0.05). Thus, it appears that tamarind juice ameliorate the effect of CCl4; suggesting that consumption of natural compounds with an antioxidant profile may be a preventive alternative to those diseases associated with oxidative stress.
A Low-Power, Ambiguous Synthetic Aperture Radar Concept for Continuous Ship Monitoring

This article addresses the design of a low-cost synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for a single dedicated application, namely illegal vessel detection, which can be implemented using a small satellite and is characterized by reduced transmit power and high resolution. Minimum requirements in terms of noise equivalent sigma zero and resolution that ensure acceptable detection performance are derived on the basis of ship statistics extracted from TerraSAR-X data. One peculiarity of the design is that a pulse repetition frequency much smaller than the nominal Doppler bandwidth is selected to increase the swath width beyond the classical SAR limitation without using digital beamforming, as the azimuth ambiguities can be tolerated for this specific application. Several design examples of SAR systems operating in X-band demonstrate the potential of this concept for small ship monitoring over swaths of 50–90 km with antennas smaller than 0.6 m2 and very low average transmit powers comprised between 20 and 80 W.
Evaluation of biosimilar trastuzumab MYL-1401O in HER2-positive early-stage and metastatic breast cancer in real-life data

Background The trastuzumab biosimilar MYL-1401O has demonstrated equivalent efficacy and comparable safety to reference trastuzumab (RTZ) in clinical trials of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) as non-dual HER2 therapy. Here, we present the first real-world comparison of MYL-1401O versus RTZ with single/dual HER2-targeted therapy for the neoadjuvant, adjuvan and palliative first-/second-line treatment with HER2-positive early breast cancer (EBC) and metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients in two tertiary hospitals in Turkey. Methods We retrospectively investigated medical records in the Severance Breast Cancer Registry in Turkey. We identified patients with HER2-positive EBC (n=159) who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (n= 92) with RTZ or MYL-1401O±pertuzumab and adjuvant chemotherapy (n=67) with RTZ or MYL-1401O plus taxan between january 2018 and jun 2021. Stage IV MBC (n=53) who had received palliative first-line treatment with RTZ or MYL-1401O, and docetaxel±pertuzumab (THP) or second-line treatment with RTZ or MYL-1401O, and taxan between january 2018 and jun 2021. Primary endpoints were pathological complete response in neoadjuvant grup (pCR) and progression-free survival (PFS) in adjuvant and metastatic grup. Secondary endpoints in the metastatic patient group (MBC) was overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and cardiac safety. Results The rate of achieving pCR in the group receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy was similar between MYL and RTZ (62.7% [37/59] and 55.9% [19/34] p=0.509). Median PFS similar in EBC-adjuvant group, 12-24-36 months PFS respectively 96.3%, 84.7%, 71.5% in patients with MYL and 100%, 88.5%, 64.8% in patients with RTZ (95% CI p=0.577). Median PFS similar in metastatic group, 23.0 (9.8-16.1) months in patients with MYL-1401O and 23 (19.9-26.0) months in patients with RTZ (95% CI p=0.270). The ORR, DCR, and cardiac safety profiles did not also show significant difference efficacy outcomes between two groups. Conclusion These real-world data suggest that biosimilar trastuzumab MYL-1401O has similar effectiveness and cardiac safety to RTZ in HER2-positive EBC and MBC patients when administered as part of single/dual HER2-targeted therapy with chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant or palliative setting.
Fatal Events Associated with Adverse Drug Reactions in the Korean National Pharmacovigilance Database

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) pose a global public health threat, substantially contributing to death. Due to the relative paucity of clinical evidence regarding fatal ADRs, this study was performed to characterize the epidemiology of fatal ADRs in Korea. This was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of ADR cases reported to the Korea Adverse Event Reporting System from 2010 to 2019. All ADRs were coded using the World Health Organization-Adverse Reaction Terminology system and classified as either fatal or non-fatal events. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with fatal events. Among 289,756 ADR records, 629 fatal events (0.2%) occurred. The most common causative agent of fatal ADRs was antibacterials (20.3%), followed by antimycobacterials (5.4%), analgesics (4.0%), and contrast media (1.9%). Among antimicrobials, vancomycin was most frequently implicated without significantly increasing the risk of fatal events. The risk for fatal ADRs was significantly increased with male sex; advanced age; polypharmacy; piperacillin/β-lactamase inhibitor; cefotetan; ceftriaxone; combination antimycobacterial therapy consisting of rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol; morphine; and iopromide (reporting odds ratio > 1, p < 0.05 for all). Although fatal ADRs are uncommon (<1%) in Korea, they are primarily caused by commonly used medications including antibiotics, analgesics, and contrast media.
Simulation of pelvic mobility: topology optimisation of ligamentous system

Female genital prolapse can be defined as fall of all or part of the vaginal wall and comes from a failure of the support system of the pelvic organs. It concerns approximately one in three women, all ages (Samuelsson et al. 1999), and over 60% of the patients above 60 years (Swift 2000). This pathology constitutes a major problem for gynaecologic surgeons. The long-term results of surgery are relatively disappointing with a recurrence rate of 30–50% for conventional surgery and 7% when prosthetic materials are used. This reflects an incomplete knowledge of the suspension system of the pelvic organs and a lack of assessment tools in surgical techniques. In recent years, significant work was undertaken to characterise the behaviour of the pelvic tissues by destructive methods (Ettema et al. 1998; Goh 2002; Rubod et al. 2008; Gilchrist et al. 2010; Gabriel et al. 2011) to define the target behaviour of implants. Unfortunately, little work on the functional aspect of the pelvic system was made, particularly concerning the ligamentous system. This is mainly due to the difficulty to consider the system in a non-destructive manner. To remedy this problem, we propose a numerical model of pelvic system that will allow the characterisation by optimisation of the ligamentous system. This should lead us to a finite element (FE) model that is anatomically and functionally consistent.
Air Pollution Mediates the Association between Human Mobility and COVID-19 Infection

The effects of the restriction policies on human mobility and on the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission were reported. The efficiency of human mobility restriction due to the social distancing measures of cities on preventing SARS-CoV-2 spread remains unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of air pollution on the association between human mobility and daily confirmed COVID-19 cases. Daily mobility data (i.e., walking, driving, and using public transport), air pollutants, and confirmed COVID-19 cases were collected in Taiwan during 1 to 30 May 2021. Associations of air pollution with 7-day-lag confirmed COVID-19 cases and with mobility were examined by linear regression models, while the mediating effects were assessed using a PROCESS analysis. We observed that an increase in air pollution was associated with an increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases ( p < 0.05). We found that 1 min spent on mobility was associated with changes in air pollution levels ( p < 0.05). We observed that levels of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of < 10 µ m (PM 10 ), PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and CO mediated associations of walking, driving, and using public transport with confirmed COVID-19 cases ( p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that the nationwide restrictions (social distancing measures) may reduce human mobility and activities, which was associated with a decrease in confirmed COVID-19 cases due to the mediating effects of air pollution. Reductions in human mobility and air pollution could be effective measures for controlling COVID-19 transmission.
A novel low noise IMPATT diode

IMPATT diodes are currently the main solid state source of power at the higher millimeter-wave frequencies, but can suffer from high noise levels, low efficiency and low reliability, particularly when driven for high power. In the present paper a new concept is proposed which can yield essentially noise free avalanche multiplication at high frequency and should improve both efficiency and reliability. The proposed structures require a layer of narrow gap material adjacent to a wide gap avalanche zone.
Gendered Vocational Identities – Female Students' Strategies for Identity Formation During Workplace-Based Learning in Male-Dominated Work

Purpose: This article investigates female vocational students' strategies for becoming part of a workplace community, what these strategies are and how they are tied to the formation of vocational identities within male-dominated industrial work. Of particular interest is how female students enrolled on Swedish upper secondary industrial programmes experience workplace-based learning at industrial workplaces as part of their vocational education. The theoretical framework derives from Wenger's concept of community of practice, but his theoretical concept does not explicitly include gender dimensions. Therefore, the concept of community of practice is also combined with Paechter's assumption of gender, whereby femininity and masculinity can be considered as different communities of practice. Methods: The article draws on evidence from a Swedish study based on interviews with 20 female students enrolled on the industrial programme at six upper secondary schools. In this vocational programme, there is a distinct gender distribution and only a small minority of the students on the programme are girls. In the analysis, the focus is on the female students' strategies used during workplace-based learning to become part of the work community which consists almost exclusively of male workers.Findings: The female students deliberately negotiated vocational identities as female industrial workers to become accepted in the male-dominated work community. The findings highlight three specific strategies that the female students used: Acting like gender does not matter, acting like boys (not like drama queens), and acting tough and joking around. The female students' strategies were part of – and tied to – a complex vocational identity formation process that featured contradictory requirements. By taking individual responsibility, they identified relevant information for becoming industrial workers and chose to act like boys. The female students saw no problem with being a girl, yet they struggled with implicit, diffuse and hidden gender structures and prejudices in the male-dominated industrial companies. Nevertheless, they strived for what they perceived to be an attractive vocational identity as industrial workers; it was an alternative, atypically feminine way of being that attracted the female students. Conclusions: The study concludes that female students mostly rely on their individual agency when interacting with others in the male-dominated workplace community. A "gendered vocational identity" is formed which shows that the identity formation of female students is a complex double process, in which vocational and gender identities are formed simultaneously and in parallel within the male-dominated workplace.
Steering and Gaze Control Modifications from Directed or Spontaneous Use of a Visual Augmentation Cue

In the perspective of full-windshield HUD in cars, this study investigated whether adding a guidance cue in the visual scene influences drivers' gaze strategies and steering behavior. Participants negotiated a series of bends with or without a visual beacon positioned on the tangent point or close to it. Results revealed that the stability of steering was improved when tracking of the beacon was enforced. The visual cue was not spontaneously used by the drivers and gaze strategy only showed minor changes in that case.
Evaluation of multiple open-source deep learning models for detecting and grading COVID-19 on chest radiographs

Abstract. Purpose: Chest x-rays are complex to report accurately. Viral pneumonia is often subtle in its radiological appearance. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid triage of cases and exclusion of other pathologies with artificial intelligence (AI) can assist over-stretched radiology departments. We aim to validate three open-source AI models on an external test set. Approach: We tested three open-source deep learning models, COVID-Net, COVIDNet-S-GEO, and CheXNet for their ability to detect COVID-19 pneumonia and to determine its severity using 129 chest x-rays from two different vendors Phillips and Agfa. Results: All three models detected COVID-19 pneumonia (AUCs from 0.666 to 0.778). Only the COVID Net-S-GEO and CheXNet models performed well on severity scoring (Pearson’s r 0.927 and 0.833, respectively); COVID-Net only performed well at either task on images taken with a Philips machine (AUC 0.735) and not an Agfa machine (AUC 0.598). Conclusions: Chest x-ray triage using existing machine learning models for COVID-19 pneumonia can be successfully implemented using open-source AI models. Evaluation of the model using local x-ray machines and protocols is highly recommended before implementation to avoid vendor or protocol dependent bias.