Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk factors associated with hospitalization owing to COVID-19: a cross-sectional study in Palestine

Objectives We aimed to identify the risk factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated hospitalization to provide evidence for improved clinical care of patients with COVID-19 infection. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among 300 participants. The collected data comprised sociodemographic data, lifestyle habits, physical activity, medical history, anthropometric measurements, COVID-19-related symptoms, dietary habits prior to and after COVID-19 infection, and psychological status. Results Fifty-nine participants were hospitalized. Fever, dry cough, joint pain, chills, diarrhea, and shortness of breath were significantly associated with hospitalization owing to COVID-19. Adults with obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases had higher rates of hospitalization. The findings also showed that residential area and age were related to COVID-19 hospitalization. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that certain dietary habits were associated with hospitalization rates. Conclusion Our study confirmed that older age, urban residence, illiteracy, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and symptoms of loss of smell and sneezing elevated the risk of hospitalization among patients with COVID-19 infection. Patients with a higher risk of hospitalization may benefit from targeted therapeutic and preventive interventions.
Live Demonstration: Event-Driven Hand Gesture Recognition for Wearable Human-Machine Interface

The demonstration presents a wireless system to control video games with user hand movements. Muscles activity is detected by applying the Average Threshold Crossing (ATC) technique to the surface ElectroMyoGraphic (sEMG) signals acquired from two sets of electrodes on the user forearm. Three hand movements and an idle state are classified in real-time on a computer by implementing a Neural Network (NN) feeded with the acquired ATC values, with accuracies above 97 %. Recognized gestures are then mapped to keyboard inputs to control the maneuvers of a game character.
Cross-Modal Associations Between Harmonic Dissonance and Visual Roughness

Visual associations with auditory stimuli have been the subject of numerous studies. Colour, shape, size, and several other parameters have been linked to musical elements like timbre and pitch. In this article, we aim to examine the relationship between harmonisations with varying degrees of dissonance and visual roughness. Based on past research in which high sensory dissonance was associated with angular shapes, we argued that nontonal and highly dissonant harmonisations will be associated with angular and rough images, while more consonant stimuli will be associated with the images of low visual roughness. A fixed melody was harmonised in 7 different styles, including highly tonal, nontonal, and random variations. Through a listening task, musically trained participants rated the stimuli in terms of enjoyment, familiarity, and matched them to images of variable roughness. The overall consonance of the stimuli was calculated using two distinct models (Harrison & Pearce, 2020; Wang et al., 2013) and a variant of the aggregate dyadic consonance index ( Huron, 1994). Our results demonstrate that dissonance, as calculated by all models, was highly correlated with visual roughness, and enjoyment and familiarity followed expected patterns compared to tonal and nontonal stimuli. In addition to sensory dissonance, however, it appears that other factors, such as the typicality of chord progressions and the sense of tonality may also influence this cross-modal interaction.
Can the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cause choroiditis and optic neuropathy?

Objectives: We aim to investigate the involvement of the choroid and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in COVID-19 patients using spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between April and June 2020. 40 patients (23 female and 17 male) with COVID-19 and 42 healthy individuals (26 female and 16 male) were included in the study. The OCT scans were performed 4 weeks after the COVID-19 diagnosis. Results: In the COVID-19 group, in the right eyes, the mean nasal choroidal thickness was 295.70 ± 7,046 μm (p = 0.017), mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 333.25 ± 6,353 μm (p = 0.003), mean temporal choroidal thickness was 296.63 ± 6,324 μm (p = 0.039), and mean RNFL was 89.23 ± 1.30 μm (p = 0.227). In the left eyes, mean nasal choroidal thickness was 287.88 ± 9,033 μm (p = 0.267), mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 333.80 ± 9,457 μm (p = 0.013), mean temporal choroidal thickness was 298.50 ± 9,158 μm (p = 0.079), and mean RNFL was 89.48 ± 1,289 μm (p = 0.092). Compared with the control group, the patient group had significant thickening of the choroidal thickness in all quadrants of the right eyes, and significant thickening of the subfoveal choroidal thickness in the left eyes. There was no significant difference in the RNFL thickness between groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: COVID-19 may cause a subclinical involvement in the choroidal layer.
Differentially Private Generative Adversarial Networks with Model Inversion

To protect sensitive data in training a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), the standard approach is to use differentially private (DP) stochastic gradient descent method in which controlled noise is added to the gradients. The quality of the output synthetic samples can be adversely affected and the training of the network may not even converge in the presence of these noises. We propose Differentially Private Model Inversion (DPMI) method where the private data is first mapped to the latent space via a public generator, followed by a lower-dimensional DP-GAN with better convergent properties. Experimental results on standard datasets CIFAR10 and SVHN as well as on a facial landmark dataset for Autism screening show that our approach outperforms the standard DP-GAN method based on Inception Score, Frechet Inception Distance, and classification accuracy under the same privacy guarantee.
Training Perception and Innovative Behavior of SME Employees: Examining the Mediating Effects of Firm Commitment

Many critical decisions about an employee’s innovative performance are significantly based on the training results, as they are accountable for a variety of behavioral-related consequences. Training is among the most important human resource management strategies. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between employees’ perceptions of training and their innovative behavior in the Malaysian SME sector, as well as the mediating effect of affective and calculative commitment on this relationship. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the data. A total of 635 employees from 200 SMEs were selected through a stratified random sampling method, and structural equation modeling was applied to test the relationship. The findings of the study supported the hypothesized relationships, as training in Malaysia significantly engaged SME employees in innovative behavior. Furthermore, the study discovered that affective and calculative commitment have partial mediating effects on the association between training and innovative behavior. In the context of the SME sector, theoretical and managerial implications have been addressed. The originality of the study is that it examines the relationship between employees’ perceptions of training and their innovative behavior in SMEs. The relationship was measured using a multidimensional approach in the study. The research also adds to the body of knowledge by identifying the mediating effect of affective and calculative commitment.
Unexpected tendency to bleeding in COVID-19 patients: A case of spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma

While COVID-19 pandemic has become an enormous and devastating pandemic for today’s world, studies on the morbidity of the disease mainly show the disease’s progress with pneumonia and thromboembolic pathologies. In this disease with a predisposition to thromboembolism, findings of nontraumatic focused hemorrhages are unexpected. As spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma is a serious condition with the absence of symptoms, creating a challenge for diagnosis, it should also be considered in COVID-19 which is thought to be predisposed to thromboembolism. Here, a 47-year-old woman with COVID-19 pneumonia diagnosis (diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) scan and approved by nasopharyngeal swab test) is presented with spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma, and its management is reported. This case highlights the importance of considering both thromboembolic events and bleeding in cases with COVID-19 positivity. The balance between two sides of clotting mechanisms needs to be understood with novel research.
Finite element modeling of sub-surface damage while machining aluminum based metal matrix composites

Sub-surface damage during machining of aluminum-based metal matrix composites (MMCs) has been modeled using finite element models. These models are based on reinforcement particles size and volume fractions and particles are distributed uniformly in the metal matrix. In order to simulate particle debonding cohesive zone elements (CZE) have been incorporated along the parting line. In addition, failure criteria based on brittle fracture have been added for ceramic particles to simulate particle fracture. To reduce computational time and simplify the model both CZE and particle fracture is limited to the reinforced particles along the parting lines facing the tip of the cutting tool. The damage depth beneath the machined surface is measured by using the non-zero plastic strain values in the equivalent plastic strain contours obtained from the FE models. The results were compared against published experimental data and found to be in good agreement.
Comparison of invasive intubation and noninvasive mechanical ventilation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome

Objective The concurrence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is defined as overlap syndrome (OS), but investigations into predictors of OS in patients with COPD remain limited. Here, potential markers of OS in patients with COPD were investigated, and results of intubation were compared between patients with COPD only or OS. Methods This retrospective study included patients with COPD who were divided according to OS diagnosis: COPD only (COPD group) or OS (OS group). Results Among 206 patients with COPD, 120 were diagnosed with OS. Mean body mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in the OS versus COPD group (28.95 ± 2.96 versus 23.84 ± 4.06, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses revealed that BMI was associated with OS (area under the curve, 0.835). The rate of invasive intubation within 48 h was lower in the OS versus COPD group (9.2% versus 20.9%, respectively), and the duration of noninvasive ventilation was longer in the OS versus COPD group. Conclusions BMI may be a predictor of OS in patients with COPD. The duration of noninvasive ventilation was longer in patients with OS than in patients with COPD alone.
Intermittent and Perennial Streamflow Regime Characteristics in the Okanagan

Streamflow data from ten Water Survey of Canada gauging stations were analyzed to characterize streamflow regimes in the Okanagan Basin (British Columbia). The differences in the streamflow regime characteristics of the perennial and intermittent streams were subtle, except for the obvious difference in summer low flows. The intermittent streams tended to have faster recessions after spring freshet, steeper flow duration curves, a slightly earlier median day of the year of the start of the freshet, and more variable discharge in fall. In years with high fall precipitation, discharge was also high during fall for the intermittent streams but in other years it was very low. Discharge on August 15th was lower or similar to streamflow on March 15th for the intermittent stream, whereas it was much higher on August 15th for the perennial streams. These subtle streamflow regime differences point to differences in flow pathways, groundwater contributions to streamflow, and residence times between the intermittent and perennial watersheds, and may have important ecological implications.
Multifaceted Art: The Cultural and Political Dynamics of the City of Rio de Janeiro

Sabrina Marques Parracho Sant'Anna Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Sociais, Instituto de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1726-2018 Débora da Silva Suzano Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Sociais, Instituto de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9285-0018 Vitória Ferreira Dias Barenco Departamento de Ciências Sociais, Instituto de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9794-9989 Bianca Vidal Durães Departamento de Ciências Sociais, Instituto de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7114-957X
CTLA4-Mediated Immunosuppression in Glioblastoma is Associated with the Infiltration of Macrophages in the Tumor Microenvironment

Purpose CTLA4, the immune checkpoint, has been widely reported to contribute to immune evasion in anti-tumor activity. The inhibitors of CTLA4 provide a novel strategy to improve the outcome of peripheral cancer, but their clinical effects are limited in glioblastoma (GBM), thus the comprehensive role of CTLA4 needs to be addressed. Patients and Methods A total of 471 GBM cases were enrolled in this study from 5 cohorts. In our works, the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort was divided into the training set, and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), REMBRANDT, and GSE84465 cohorts were divided into validation sets. Tissues from our cohort were collected for histopathologic validation. Then, the role of CTLA4 in the TME of GBM was comprehensively investigated. Results Significant differences exist in immunological characteristics between the low and high CTLA4 expression groups. Mutation analysis found different genomic patterns associated with CTLA4 expression. Next, network analysis found the module named c1-1562 including CTLA4 correlated with over survival (OS) in GBM. We also developed a predictive model to calculate the risk score for every GBM case and the risk score was independently related to OS. Furthermore, the expression of CTLA4 was positively related to the infiltration level and function of macrophage in GBM TME based on seven independent algorithms, single-cell RNA-seq data and immunohistochemistry. Conclusion These findings implicate that CTLA4 could serve as a novel target for prognosis and therapy in GBM patients. CTLA4-mediated immune suppression may be attributed to the infiltration of macrophages in the tumor microenvironment.
Autistic Traits, STEM, and Medicine: Autism Spectrum Quotient Scores Predict Medical Students’ Career Specialty Preferences

There is a higher than chance representation of autistic people and people with elevated autistic traits in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) industries. Medical students, despite studying a STEM subject, have lower autistic traits than other STEM students. Medicine is heterogenous, covering technique-oriented specialties (e.g., surgery) with little patient interaction, person-oriented specialties (e.g., pediatrics), and general practice. We present an online survey in which 502 UK university students (medicine, n = 344; STEM, n = 94; non-STEM, n = 64) reported their study area and career aspirations and completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), a quantitative self-report measure of autistic traits. Our main findings were that medical students had significantly lower AQ scores than other STEM (p < .001, d = 0.614) and non-STEM students (p < .001, d = 0.874), and that medical students aiming to pursue technique-focused career paths had significantly higher AQ scores than medical students aiming to pursue person-oriented career paths (p = .009, d = 0.318). Each of these effects remained statistically significant after adjusting for alpha inflation. The findings of this study corroborate those of previous research reporting a link between autism and STEM; they also provide evidence that autistic traits are a predictor of medical students’ career ambitions, with those students with high AQ scores being more likely to pursue technique-focused (as opposed to person-focused) roles. This may be informative for developing and optimizing the strengths of individuals with differing levels of autistic traits.
Factors Influencing Malaysian Preschool Teachers’ Use of the English Language as a Medium of Instruction

This study investigated Malaysian preschool teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes toward the use of the English language as a medium of instruction (EMI) and proposed a model of how different variables were related to their use of English in the classrooms. In order to obtain a broad picture of the nature and scope of preschool teachers’ use of EMI, a survey study was undertaken. The research instrument was a questionnaire that was distributed to randomly-selected preschool teachers throughout Malaysia. The process of modeling was based on the empirical data and a theoretical model that was constructed on the basis of the two theoretical aspects, that is self-efficacy and attitudes-behavior relation. The theoretical model served as a bridge between the abstractions from theory and the development of the model. The model suggested that strong self-efficacy influenced preschool teachers’ use of English to teach. In addition, the model also indicated that those preschool teachers with positive attitudes also felt self-efficacious in using English to teach and negative attitudes had the opposite effect. Those preschool teachers who had a positive attitude that teaching using English would be useful for the children perceived that they had greater ability toward handling classroom management issues. In addition, they believed too, that they were confident to use appropriate assessment tasks in the classroom when English was used as the medium of instruction. It would appear that self-efficacy and attitudes were mutually related to preschool teachers’ use of English to teach.
Theory and practice of manufacturing strategy

This paper first proposes a methodology for manufacturing strategy development based on a critical review of the theory of manufacturing strategy. The methodology captures the essential factors that must be considered, and the steps that must be taken, by a firm attempting to design a viable manufacturing strategy. An exploratory study of the process of formulating and implementing manufacturing strategy practised by three firms is conducted. Their experiences in the manufacturing strategy process are reported and analysed. While the practice of each firm is different, the process of manufacturing strategy formulation seems to be in line with the conceptual models discussed in the literature. Our findings offer some evidence that manufacturing is slowly shedding its image as the ‘missing link’ in corporate strategy. While managers of the studied firms are fully aware of the competitive advantages that manufacturing can provide, they are not totally committed to articulating a manufacturing strategy becaus.
Exploring Positive School Attributes: Evidence From School Leader and Teacher Perspectives

The extent to which school stakeholders perceive positive school attributes remains unclear in the literature. This study seeks to provide an understanding of positive school attributes from the school leaders and teachers’ perspectives in the Malaysian school context. This study employed a qualitative case study research design with 14 informants selected from seven Malaysian secondary schools. The thematic analysis informed six emerging themes: (1) stimulating positive emotion, (2) promoting positive engagement, (3) fostering positive relationships, (4) cultivating positive meaning, (5) nurturing positive accomplishment, and (6) cultivating spirituality in expressing positive school attributes. Fostering positive relationships were specified as (1) teacher-teacher relationship, (2) teacher-student relationship, and (3) student-student relationship. Cultivating spirituality is a newly emerged theme that is added to the unique positive school attributes. These newly added components of the existing PERMA model can trigger further research in positive education studies.
Phytoremedial effect of fruit extract of Moringa oleifera on alloxan induced diabetic model in Swiss albino mice

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder and global health issue. It arises because of an absolute or relative insulin deficiency that causes hyperglycemia. The study aimed to assess the antihyperglycemic, hepatoprotective, and renal protective effects of ethanolic fruit extract of Moringa oleifera, on alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Four mice were assigned to each group. Alloxan was injected at the dose of 10mg/kg/body weight intraperitoneally to make the diabetic model in mice. Control and diabetic control mice received drinking water as a placebo, while the diabetic model mice group was administered with ethanolic extract of moringa fruit at the dose of 150mg/kg/bodyweight for 12 weeks. After that, animals were sacrificed, and their blood and tissue samples were collected for biochemical and histopathological examination. The glucose level markedly (p<0.0001) increased many folds in Group I (80.73± 1.24 to 221.5±13.4) and Group II (80.73 ± 1.24 from to 221.9±6.88). The level of insulin markedly (P< 0.0001) decreased in both groups (6.8±0.42 to1.378±0.19) and (6.8±0.42 to1.138±0.08) respectively. Serum hepatic and renal marker enzymes increased in the diabetic group of mice. Glucose level was meaningfully (p<0.0001) decreased in the M. oleifera administered group while serum insulin level significantly (p<0.0001) increased. The level of liver marker enzyme and renal marker also decreased as compared to the diabetic control group. Histopathological study revealed that alloxan treatment caused damage to the liver, kidney, and pancreatic tissues while the M. oleifera administered group exhibited significant improvement in the architecture of the liver, kidney, and pancreas. Hence, M. oleifera has great potential to rejuvenate the damaged tissue and consequently can restore all the serum enzymatic and hormonal parameters.
Gender Parity in Spain: Attainments and Remaining Challenges

The purpose of this article is to study the progress made in Spain in terms of gender parity and the challenges still pending to be achieved in this regard. To attain this objective, first of all, the authors review the successive legal regulations aimed at reaching gender equality that have been enacted in Spain. Furthermore, the considerations and findings made are based on the use of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. On the one hand, from a quantitative viewpoint, different statistical data provided mainly by the Spanish Statistics National Institute are analyzed. From these data, the authors prepare a set of tables and figures that allow them to show that, despite the undoubted legislative advances attained, clear gender inequalities continue in Spain. On the other hand, the authors base their assertions both on their participant observation and on a reinterpretation and reanalysis of the results of two previous qualitative researches. One of the most remarkable outcomes of the use of this qualitative methodology is the persistence in Spain of diverse signs of macho mentality. This persistence not only manifests itself among many men, it is also shared by a large number of women.