Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 Chest X-Ray Classification Using Compact Convolutional Transformer

The outbreak of Covid-19 in 2019 had a significant impact worldwide, causing long-term breathing problems in many affected individuals. Some people may experience white spots on their lungs after recovering from Covid-19, which can be difficult to identify. One promising approach for identifying abnormal lungs is through image classification. In this work, we utilize three datasets for image classification: the COVID-19 Radiography Dataset, the Chest X-ray Dataset, and the COVID-19 Dataset. To achieve accurate classification, a pre-trained Compact Convolution Transformer (CCT) has been utilized with transfer learning. Our results show that the COVID-19 Radiography Dataset achieved an accuracy of 89.28%, the Chest X-ray Dataset achieved 95.11% accuracy, and the COVID-19 X-ray Dataset achieved an impressive 97.50% accuracy. These findings demonstrate the potential of using image classification to identify abnormal lungs and pave the way for further research in this area.
‘They never mentioned this in medical school!’ A qualitative analysis of medical students’ reflective writings from general practice

Abstract Objective The aim of the study was to identify final-year medical students’ experiences with thought-provoking and challenging situations in general practice. Design setting and subjects We conducted a qualitative analysis of 90 reflective essays written by one cohort of Norwegian final-year medical students during their internship in general practice in 2017. The students were asked to reflect upon a clinical encounter in general practice that had made a strong impression on them. A primary thematic content analysis was performed, followed by a secondary analysis of encounters that stood out as particularly challenging. Main outcome measures Clinical scenarios in general practice that make students feel professionally ‘caught off guard’. Results The analysis identified several themes of challenging student experiences. One of these was ‘disorienting encounters’ for which the students felt totally unprepared in the sense that they did not know how to think and act. Five different scenarios were identified: (1) patients with highly distracting appearances, (2) ‘ordinary consultations’ that suddenly took a dramatic turn, (3) patients who appeared unexpectedly confrontational or devaluating, (4) scornful rejection of the young doctor’s advice, and finally, (5) confusion related to massive contextual complexity. Conclusions Disorienting encounters stood out as particularly challenging clinical experiences for medical students in general practice. These scenarios evoked an acute feeling of incapacitation: not knowing what to think and do. Further curriculum development will focus on preparing the students to ‘know what to do when they don’t know what to do’. KEY POINTS Final-year medical students experience several challenging clinical scenarios in general practice, for which the curriculum has prepared them at least to a certain extent. -However, scenarios occasionally occur, for which students feel totally unprepared. In such ‘disorienting’ encounters they experience moments of not knowing what to do that conflict with their ideas of what it means to be a professional. -The undergraduate curriculum in general practice should aim to prepare students for unexpected, bewildering scenarios to prevent experiences that could alienate the students from general practice as a potential career choice.
A Comparison of Imaging Outcomes From 2 Weightbearing CT Modalities

Background: The use of weightbearing images to diagnose foot and ankle injuries continues to offer hope for improved insight into pathologies, but weightbearing CT imaging has been limited by availability. The ability to apply force to the lower limb in a horizontal bore CT system may offer an adaptation to currently available imaging systems that provides access to weightbearing images without the acquisition of additional expensive imaging space or equipment. Methods: In order to determine whether a horizontal CT system could produce the same results as a standing CT, 3 images of one foot from 10 subjects was obtained and standard measures were calculated. Each subject underwent a standing CT scan, a scan in a horizontal bore CT machine while the subject pressed against a pedal with spring resistance and a finally a scan with the foot placed on the pedal but without any pressure. Results: No statistically significant difference between the standing and pedal-based CTs resulted. Navicular height and Meary angle (axial) were statistically different from nonweightbearing for both standing and horizontal systems. The horizontal results were statistically different from nonweightbearing in IM angle, talocalcaneal angle, and talonavicular coverage. No differences from nonweightbearing were found for either system in talar tilt, talocrural angle, or the lateral Meary angle. Conclusion: The results in this initial study of normal control subjects suggest that a pedal-based loading mechanism may adapt a horizontal-bore CT system for the acquisition of weightbearing images. Clinical Relevance: The ability to acquire a weightbearing CT from a horizontal bore CT machine can make these images more available.
Wave Chronology Effects on Long-Term Shoreline Erosion Predictions

This note presents some initial analysis of the chronology effect on critical shoreline erosion statistics using a recently developed numerical model. A 16-year hindcast wave data set from the East Coast of England was used as input to the model, and simulations were carried out for a 4-year subset of the data. By comparing predictions obtained using a number of alternative methods to generate the input-wave time series, the influence of wave climate statistics and wave sequencing on shoreline erosion predictions were clarified. The computational results have shown that the shoreline evolution was primarily a wave-climate-dependent process for both short and long terms. It was also found that the prediction of the long-term wave chronology effect on the shoreline erosion statistics is affected little by the methods used to generate the input-wave time series as long as the long-shore and cross-shore recessions have distinctly different time scales and can be evaluated separately.
Trends in Total Precipitation and Frequency of Daily Precipitation Extremes over China

Abstract Based on a newly developed daily precipitation dataset of 740 stations in China and more robust trend detection techniques, trends in annual and seasonal total precipitation and in extreme daily precipitation, defined as those larger than its 95th percentile for the year, summer, and winter half years, have been assessed for the period 1951–2000. Possible links between changes in total precipitation and frequency of extremes have also been explored. The results indicate that there is little trend in total precipitation for China as a whole, but there are distinctive regional and seasonal patterns of trends. Annual total precipitation has significantly decreased over southern northeast China, north China, and over the Sichuan Basin but significantly increased in western China, the Yangtze River valley, and the southeastern coast. In western China, precipitation increase has been observed for both cold and warm seasons. However, trends differ from one season to another in eastern China. Spring prec.
Statistical and physical analysis of soil detachment by raindrop impact: Rain erosivity indices and threshold energy

Laboratory experiments have been conducted to study the effects of various simulated rain properties on soil detachment due to raindrop impact. Two soil materials were tested: a fine sand and a silt loam. The mass of detached sediment was measured with the splash cup technique. The splash cups filled with soil material were exposed to simulated rain intensities ranging between 10 and 140 mm h−1. The detached sediment was collected and weighed, whereas rain intensity, drop diameter, and fall velocity of each raindrop were measured with an optical spectropluviometer. A statistical analysis has been made in order to evaluate which rain parameter best predicts the splash detachment rate. Linear fits between the rate of detached sediment and the product of drop size (D) and drop velocity (V), that is, DαVβ with values of α varying between 1 and 6 and values of β varying between 0 and 2, have been computed. The results indicate that values for α ranging between 3 and 6 and for β smaller than or equal to 2 best describe the rate of detached sediment. Although all indices containing the mass of water (i.e., D3) predicted splash detachment rates relatively well, the product of momentum and drop diameter (D4V) was slightly superior in describing splash detachment. The existence of a rain erosivity threshold (critical kinetic energy) to initiate soil detachment is confirmed. This threshold energy equals 5 μJ for the fine sand and 12 μJ for the silt loam and compares relatively well with the threshold energy data for other soils reported in the literature.
Hurricane-generated currents on the outer continental shelf: 2. Model sensitivity studies

A numerical model described and verified in part 1 of this two-part series (Cooper and Thompson, this issue) is applied to study the sensitivity of hurricane-generated currents on the outer shelf and slope. Numerical experiments are performed in a simple basin with a straight shelf. The sensitivity of the response to changes in storm parameters, direction of storm approach, and topography is quantified. Response is measured in terms of the mixed-layer velocity and depth at sites along the storm track. Results reveal the most important factors are (in decreasing order) wind speed, storm translation speed, direction of storm approach, asymmetry in the wind field, entrainment parameterization, and advection at slower storm translation speeds. Response is largely insensitive (less than 10%) to radius of maximum wind, shelf and slope configuration, bottom friction, atmospheric pressure gradients, and further reductions in the model grid size. For a storm approaching cross shelf, the response is primarily baroclinic (greater than 90%) and only weakly dependent (less than 10%) on the water depth at the site.
Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with baricitinib or upadacitinib is associated with reduced scaffold protein NEDD9 levels in CD4+ T cells

The JAK/STAT pathway plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and JAK inhibitors have emerged as a new group of effective drugs for RA treatment. Recently, high STAT3 levels have been associated with the upregulation of the scaffold protein NEDD9, which is a regulator of T‐cell trafficking and promotes collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA). In this study, we aimed to reveal how treatment with JAK inhibitors affects NEDD9 in CD4+ T cells from RA patients. We analyzed NEDD9 expression in CD4+ T cells from 50 patients treated with either baricitinib, tofacitinib, or upadacitinib and performed cell migration assays to assess the potential influence of JAK inhibitor treatment on CD4+ T‐cell migration. We observed that treatment with baricitinib and upadacitinib is associated with reduced NEDD9 expression in CD4+ T cells. In contrast, NEDD9 levels were not altered during treatment with tofacitinib. Moreover, treatment with baricitinib was associated with a significantly reduced migratory capacity of effector CD4+ T cells but not with impaired migration of Treg cells. This study reveals previously unknown associations between JAK inhibitor treatment and NEDD9 expression and indicates that JAK inhibitors could reduce effector T‐cell migration.
Structural brain changes in emotion recognition across the adult lifespan

Abstract Emotion recognition (ER) declines with increasing age, yet little is known whether this observation is based on structural brain changes conveyed by differential atrophy. To investigate whether age-related ER decline correlates with reduced grey matter (GM) volume in emotion-related brain regions, we conducted a voxel-based morphometry analysis using data of the Human Connectome Project-Aging (N = 238, aged 36–87) in which facial ER was tested. We expected to find brain regions that show an additive or super-additive age-related change in GM volume indicating atrophic processes that reduce ER in older adults. The data did not support our hypotheses after correction for multiple comparisons. Exploratory analyses with a threshold of P < 0.001 (uncorrected), however, suggested that relationships between GM volume and age-related general ER may be widely distributed across the cortex. Yet, small effect sizes imply that only a small fraction of the decline of ER in older adults can be attributed to local GM volume changes in single voxels or their multivariate patterns.
Occupational stress is associated with sex and subregion specific modifications of the amygdala volumes

Abstract Background: Despite the rapid increase in reports of exhaustion syndrome (ES) due to daily occupational stress, the mechanisms underlying ES are unknown. In the present study, we investigated whether occupational ES is associated with specific modifications of the subfields of the amygdala and hippocampus resembling those described in other chronic stress conditions. Special focus was paid to possible sex differences. Methods: As a follow up to our previous studies of occupational ES, we carried out MRI-based subfield segmentation of the hippocampus and amygdala volumes in 58 patients with occupational ES (22 males) and 65 age-matched controls (27 males) (age range 30–46 years). Results: There was a significant and bilateral enlargement of the lateral, basal and central nucleus of the amygdala in patients with ES (corrected for the total intracranial volume (ICV)). These differences were detected only in females. Higher values in the right central and right basal amygdala remained when the whole amygdala volume was used as reference, instead of the ICV. Notably, in female patients the volumes of these specific nuclei were positively correlated with the degree of perceived stress. No changes in the hippocampus subfields were detected in female or male patients. Conclusions: The findings underline that ES is a chronic stress condition, suggesting that not only extreme forms of stress, but also the everyday stress is associated with localized differences from controls in the amygdala. The absence of significant alterations among men with ES despite a similar degree of perceived stress supports the notion that women seem more susceptible to stress-related cerebral changes, and may explain the higher prevalence of ES among women.
Gluten proteolysis as alternative therapy for celiac patients: A mini-review

Celiac disease (CD) results from damage to the small intestinal mucosa due to an inappropriate immune response to a cereal protein (wheat, rye, barley). The only treatment for CD is life-long avoidance of gluten proteins. Gluten-free products are not widely available and usually more expensive. That is why; there is an urgent need to develop an alternative therapy. Enzymatic degradation of gluten among other approaches, abolishing its immunogenic and toxigenic activities, is an attractive alternative strategy for oral therapy in CD. Several proteases following different approaches were studied. This review focuses on enzymes (microbial or vegetal) designed to digest gluten. Also, recent biotechnological procedures that use microorganisms (cell factories for enzymes) as starter culture to eliminate gluten are reviewed in this manuscript.
The Use of Goats Grazing to Restore Pastures Invaded by Shrubs and Avoid Desertification: A Preliminary Case Study in the Spanish Cantabrian Mountains

Spanish mountains have been affected by the expansion of shrubs and forests since the mid‐20th century. This secondary succession in vegetation has some positive effects, but also drawbacks, such as an increase in fire risk, loss of diversity in land use, a reduction in landscape and cultural value, less water available in river channels and reservoirs, constraints on livestock farming, a reduced number of local species and loss of biodiversity. This paper analyses the potential for grazing domestic goats to help control the spread of several species of shrubs such as the common broom (Cytisus scoparius), red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) and roses (Rosa sp.) that are commonly found in degraded pastures in the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain. Using experimental plots, the effects of two levels of stocking density (4·5 and 9 goats ha−1 y−1) are compared with other land management systems used in the region: burning, mechanical clearing and trimming. The combined use of goats with support from burning, clearing and trimming controls the spread of shrubs. The most efficient treatment was found with nine goats ha−1 y−1. Goat grazing also changes the distribution of shrubs, transforming a dense and continuous coverage into separate clumps and thereby enabling livestock to graze more easily. Maintaining a mixed structure of shrubs and pastures is the best treatment due to the low population density of the Cantabrian Mountains, as this enhances the biodiversity, controls fire risk and enriches the landscape; it also allows extensive livestock grazing as a main economic resource. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Coccolithophorid blooms in the global ocean

The global distribution pattern of coccolithophorid blooms was mapped in order to ascertain the prevalence of these blooms in the world's oceans and to estimate their worldwide production of CaCO3 and dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Mapping was accomplished by classifying pixels of 5-day global composites of coastal zone color scanner imagery into bloom and nonbloom classes using a supervised, multispectral classification scheme. Surface waters with the spectral signature of coccolithophorid blooms annually covered an average of 1.4×106 km2 in the world oceans from 1979 to 1985, with the subpolar latitudes accounting for 71% of this surface area. Classified blooms were most extensive in the Subarctic North Atlantic. Large expanses of the bloom signal were also detected in the North Pacific, on the Argentine shelf and slope, and in numerous lower latitude marginal seas and shelf regions. The greatest spatial extent of classified blooms in subpolar oceanic regions occurred in the months from summer to early autumn, while those in lower latitude marginal seas occurred in midwinter to early spring. Though the classification scheme was efficient in separating bloom and nonbloom classes during test simulations, and biogeographical literature generally confirms the resulting distribution pattern of blooms in the subpolar regions, the cause of the bloom signal is equivocal in some geographic areas, particularly on shelf regions at lower latitudes. Standing stock estimates suggest that the presumed Emiliania huxleyi blooms act as a significant source of calcite carbon and DMS sulfur on a regional scale. On a global scale, however, the satellite-detected coccolithophorid blooms are estimated to play only a minor role in the annual production of these two compounds and their flux from the surface mixed layer.
Visible spectroscopy at McMurdo Station, Antarctica: 1. Overview and daily variations of NO2 and O3, Austral Spring, 1986

Observations of the visible spectra of the sun and moon were obtained at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, during austral spring in 1986. The data coverage and observing conditions are described. Daily variations of ozone suggest that the bulk of the springtime ozone depletion (or the Antarctic ozone “hole”) occurs rapidly during early September. Total NO2 abundances were less than about 1×1015 cm−2 during August and September inside the polar vortex and displayed a near-absence of diurnal variation from morning to evening twilight. The total NO2 column abundance was closely correlated to 50-mbar temperatures.
Predicted velocity and density structure of the exhuming Papua New Guinea ultrahigh‐pressure terrane

[1] New electron backscatter diffraction measurements show that the Papua New Guinea (PNG) ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane is dominated by rocks with weakly oriented quartz and feldspar and less abundant strongly oriented hornblende, clinopyroxene, and mica. Velocities measured at high pressures (600 MPa) show that VP is 5.8–6.3 km/s for gneiss samples, 6.5–7.7 km/s for amphibolite, and 7.7–8.2 km/s for eclogite and VS is 3.4–3.9 km/s for gneiss, 4.0–4.4 km/s for amphibolite, and 4.5–4.6 km/s for eclogite. Velocities and anisotropies calculated from mineral crystal preferred orientations (CPOs) are equivalent to within 5% of the measured values. The highest seismic anisotropy for the PNG terrane is in amphibolite at 8% and 7% for VP and VS, respectively. Calculations of seismic velocities at depth based on predicted mineral assemblages indicate that the exhuming UHP terrane is of dominantly mafic composition below ∼20 km depth. Anisotropy in the PNG terrane is expected to be quite low and is controlled by the orientation of the foliation. If observable, changes in anisotropy across the exhuming body may be used to differentiate among the different proposed mechanisms of UHP exhumation.
Analytical Voltage Sag and Swell Characterization Using Differential Geometry

This paper presents a unique method for analysing voltage dips and swells using differential geometrical algebra. Differential geometry has been applied to interpret synthetic electrical signals as curves. This is possible since the instantaneous amplitude of a sinusoidal wave can be defined as a curve. This strategy is based on the rotating Frenet-Serret (TNB) frame, defined at each point along the curve. It serves as the basis for the method. Because the Frenet Frame is only locally specified for a curve if the derivative components are present, the moving frame velocity represents the changes in the events in the system. This method provides a better comprehension of circumstances such as sag and swells in contrast to prior methods that utilised the Clark and Park transformation to extract the event information and represent it using ellipsoidal geometry.
Low‐cloud characteristics over the tropical western Pacific from ARM observations and CAM5 simulations

This study evaluates the ability of the Community Atmospheric Model version 5 (CAM5) to reproduce low clouds observed by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) cloud radar at Manus Island of the tropical western Pacific during the Years of Tropical Convection. Here low clouds are defined as clouds with their tops below the freezing level and bases within the boundary layer. Low‐cloud statistics in CAM5 simulations and ARM observations are compared in terms of their general occurrence, mean vertical profiles, fraction of precipitating versus nonprecipitating events, diurnal cycle, and monthly time series. Other types of clouds are included to put the comparison in a broader context. The comparison shows that the model overproduces total clouds and their precipitation fraction but underestimates low clouds in general. The model, however, produces excessive low clouds in a thin layer between 954 and 930 hPa, which coincides with excessive humidity near the top of the mixed layer. This suggests that the erroneously excessive low clouds stem from parameterization of both cloud and turbulence mixing. The model also fails to produce the observed diurnal cycle in low clouds, not exclusively due to the model coarse grid spacing that does not resolve Manus Island. This study demonstrates the utility of ARM long‐term cloud observations in the tropical western Pacific in verifying low clouds simulated by global climate models, illustrates issues of using ARM observations in model validation, and provides an example of severe model biases in producing observed low clouds in the tropical western Pacific.