Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The rapid reduction of infection-related visits and antibiotic use among people with cystic fibrosis after starting Elexacaftor-Tezacaftor-Ivacaftor.

BACKGROUND People with cystic fibrosis (CF) routinely suffer from recurrent sino-pulmonary infections. Such infections require frequent courses of antimicrobials and often involve multidrug-resistant organisms. The goal of this study was to identify real-world evidence for the effectiveness of Elexacaftor-Tezacaftor-Ivacaftor (ELX/TEZ/IVA) at decreasing infection-related visits and antimicrobial use in people with CF. METHODS Using IBM MarketScan data, we identified 389 enrollees with CF who began taking ELX/TEZ/IVA prior to 12/1/2019 and were enrolled from 7/1/2019-3/14/2020. We also identified a comparison population who did not begin ELX/TEZ/IVA during the study period. We compared the following outcomes in the 15 weeks before and after medication initiation: total healthcare visits, inpatient visits, infection-related visits, and antimicrobial prescriptions. We analyzed outcomes using both a case-crossover analysis and a difference-in-differences analysis, to control for underlying trends. RESULTS For the case-crossover analysis, ELX/TEZ/IVA initiation was associated with 2.20 (95% CI: -3.26, -1.14) fewer overall healthcare visit-days, 0.16 (95% CI: -0.22, -0.11) fewer inpatient admissions, 0.33 (95% CI: -0.59, -0.07) fewer infection-related visit-days, and 0.78 (95% CI: -1.03, -0.54) fewer antibiotic prescriptions over a 15 week period. Results from the difference-in-differences approach were similar. CONCLUSIONS We show a rapid reduction of infection-related visits and antimicrobial use among people with CF after starting a therapy that was not explicitly designed to treat infections. Currently, there are over 30,000 people living with CF in the United States alone. Given that this therapy is effective for approximately 90% of people with CF, the impact on respiratory infections and antimicrobial use may be substantial.
Fat Mass Has Negative Effects on Bone, Especially in Men: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of NHANES 2011-2018.

CONTEXT The effect of high levels of obesity on bone health are not clear. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the associations of body composition and bone mineral density (BMD) in a large, nationally representative population with a wide range of body mass index. METHODS We analyzed 10,814 subjects aged 20-59 from NHANES 2011-2018 who had total body BMD and body composition data. Body composition was examined as lean mass index (LMI) and fat mass index (FMI). Linear regression models were created with BMD as the outcome, while examining LMI and FMI and controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, height, and smoking status. RESULTS In multivariable modeling, every 1 kg/m 2 additional LMI was associated with 0.19 higher T-score, while every additional 1 kg/m 2 in FMI was associated with 0.10 lower T-score (p<0.001 for both). The negative association of FMI with BMD was mainly seen when adjusting for LMI. Effects of LMI were similar in men and women, but the effect of FMI was more negative in men (0.13 lower T-score per additional 1 kg/m 2 of FMI in men vs. 0.08 lower BMD T-score in women, p-for-interaction<0.001). CONCLUSIONS In subjects under 60 years old, lean mass had a strong positive association with BMD. Conversely, fat mass had a moderate, negative association with BMD that was most notable in men at high levels of fat. Our results emphasize the importance of bone health in obesity and may explain site-specific increases in fracture rates in some studies of obese subjects.
Repeatability and Reproducibility Assessment of the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in the Prostate: A Trial of the ECOG‐ACRIN Research Group (ACRIN 6701)

Uncertainty regarding the reproducibility of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) hampers the use of quantitative diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) in evaluation of the prostate with magnetic resonance imaging MRI. The quantitative imaging biomarkers alliance (QIBA) profile for quantitative DWI claims a within‐subject coefficient of variation (wCV) for prostate lesion ADC of 0.17. Improved understanding of ADC reproducibility would aid the use of quantitative diffusion in prostate MRI evaluation.
Cross-Domain Language Modeling: An Empirical Investigation

Transformer encoder models exhibit strong performance in single-domain applications. However, in a cross-domain situation, using a sub-word vocabulary model results in sub-word overlap. This is an issue when there is an overlap between sub-words that share no semantic similarity between domains. We hypothesize that alleviating this overlap allows for a more effective modeling of multi-domain tasks; we consider the biomedical and general domains in this paper. We present a study on reducing sub-word overlap by scaling the vocabulary size in a Transformer encoder model while pretraining with multiple domains. We observe a significant increase in downstream performance in the general-biomedical cross-domain from a reduction in sub-word overlap.
Robustness Analysis of Grover for Machine-Generated News Detection

Advancements in Natural Language Generation have raised concerns on its potential misuse for deep fake news. Grover is a model for both generation and detection of neural fake news. While its performance on automatically discriminating neural fake news surpassed GPT-2 and BERT, Grover could face a variety of adversarial attacks to deceive detection. In this work, we present an investigation of Groverâs susceptibility to adversarial attacks such as character-level and word-level perturbations. The experiment results show that even a singular character alteration can cause Grover to fail, affecting up to 97% of target articles with unlimited attack attempts, exposing a lack of robustness. We further analyse these misclassified cases to highlight affected words, identify vulnerability within Groverâs encoder, and perform a novel visualisation of cumulative classification scores to assist in interpreting model behaviour.
An Ensemble Model for Automatic Grading of Evidence

This paper describes our approach for the automatic grading of evidence task from the Australasian Language Technology Association (ALTA) Shared Task 2021. We developed two classification models with SVM and RoBERTa and applied an ensemble technique to combine the grades from different classifiers. Our results showed that the SVM model achieved comparable results to the RoBERTa model, and the ensemble system outperformed the individual models on this task. Our system achieved the first place among five teams and obtained 3.3% higher accuracy than the second place.
Handling Variance of Pretrained Language Models in Grading Evidence in the Medical Literature

In this paper, we investigate the utility of modern pretrained language models for the evidence grading system in the medical literature based on the ALTA 2021 shared task. We benchmark 1) domain-specific models that are optimized for medical literature and 2) domain-generic models with rich latent discourse representation (i.e. ELECTRA, RoBERTa). Our empirical experiments reveal that these modern pretrained language models suffer from high variance, and the ensemble method can improve the model performance. We found that ELECTRA performs best with an accuracy of 53.6% on the test set, outperforming domain-specific models.1
Ultrasound Shear Modulus and Thickness of Lateral Abdominal Muscles in Different Contractile States in Relation To Self‐ Reported Hip/Groin Problems in Youth Soccer Players

Abstract To date, no studies have assessed lateral abdominal muscles’ (LAM) elasticity and thickness in relation to hip and groin symptoms in any population. The objectives were to a) assess the relationship between LAM ultrasound measurements (elasticity and thickness) and self-reported subscales of the Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS) and b) compare LAM elasticity and thickness between asymptomatic and symptomatic sides. Shear modulus and thickness of the oblique external (OE), internal (OI) and transversus abdominis (TrA) muscles in 25 young soccer players were assessed at rest and during isometric contraction using ultrasound shear wave elastography. HAGOS subscales were used to assess self-reported hip/groin problems. There was a significant (p < 0.05) moderate correlation between allometric-scaled OI resting thickness (mean of right and left) and the Activities of Daily Living (r = 0.40), Sport (r = 0.57) and Quality of Life (QOL) (r = 0.41) HAGOS subscales. Also, a moderate significant correlation was found between allometric-scaled TrA resting thickness and the QOL subscale (r = 0.47). Moderate correlations were found between resting OI shear modulus and the QOL (r = 0.44), between right TrA shear modulus during contraction and Symptoms (r = 0.57), and between the left TrA shear modulus during contraction and Physical Activity (r = 0.41) subscales. No differences were found between the symptomatic and asymptomatic side in thickness and elasticity measurements among soccer players with unilateral symptoms (p > 0.05). The relationships found between LAM and hip/groin problems in youth male soccer players indicate that muscles are thinner and more elastic (less stiff) in more symptomatic athletes.
The Impact of Foreign Direct Investments on Poverty Reduction in the Western Balkans

Abstract This article empirically examines the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows on poverty in six Western Balkan countries and also considers other country characteristics, such as the human development index (HDI), corruption, investment freedom, economic freedom, trade openness, and fertility. The work presents estimations based on a generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator for panel data models with fixed effects during the period from 2002 to 2021. Our results show that FDI has significantly contributed to poverty reduction in the Western Balkan countries. However, attention should be paid to where and how FDI takes place as these investments should be directed at the productive sectors of the economy, thus leading to a higher impact on poverty and inequality. The study also finds that policies and institutions that support a country’s economic freedom and openness are imperative for poverty reduction. In addition, poverty reduction in the Western Balkan region can be achieved through measures that contribute to the improvement of HDI and strengthen institutions to combat corruption. Nevertheless, the empirical results of the paper are subject to a number of drawbacks, such as the limited number of observations and the considerable amount of missing data, some of which is probably questionable, a phenomenon that is quite common for developing countries.
The Impact of Internal Compensatory Mechanisms on Musculoskeletal Pain in Elite Polish Sitting Volleyball Players – a Preliminary Study

Abstract The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of (1) maximal muscular strength of the upper body and (2) fat mass on musculoskeletal pain and sagittal spinal curvature deviations in elite Polish sitting volleyball players. The study examined twelve players (age = 35.4 ± 6.9 years). The assessments were performed based on objective (anthropometric examinations, Medi Mouse, 1RM test) and subjective (NMQ = 7) measurements. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS. The lower back, the upper back and the neck were the most frequent painful areas. Statistical analyses showed a significant relationship between lumbar lordosis (LL) sagittal standing extension (r = 0.62; p = 0.03) and thoracic kyphosis (TK) sagittal standing flexion (r = -0.63; p = 0.28) with the 1RM. Furthermore, correlations between a body adiposity index and TK sagittal standing flexion and extension (r = -0.65; p = 0.05, r = - 0.58; p = 0.0.05) as well as LL sagittal standing flexion (r = 0.61; p = 0.05) were found. The body mass index correlated with wrist pain, whereas a very high relationship was found between pain in the wrists and knee joints. Neck pain positively correlated with TK and LL sagittal standing. Low back pain correlated with LL sagittal standing flexion and TK sagittal standing extension. Fat mass impacts the depth of anteroposterior spinal curvatures, what may cause pain in the neck and the lower back. The 1 RM bench press may influence the prevalence and location of musculoskeletal pain, whereas its values might be predicted by the depth of TK. A lower 1RM in the bench press may impact sagittal spinal curvature deviations. Deepen TK and LL significantly contribute to the prevalence of the neck pain.
Chapter I: The Reading-Writing Connection Viewed Historically

Why a volume on the connection between reading and writing? Why is this topic significant? These are reasonable questions to be asked by readers of this NSSE yearbook, who already know that literacy includes both reading and writing, that a measure of one is often used as an index of proficiency in the other, that writing is produced to be read, that both are included in English and language arts. Why, then, the significance of this topic, the reading-writing connection? It is significant because historically the two components of literacy have been largely i&s-connected in education in the United States. Despite numerous points of contact through the years and various efforts to connect the two, a schism has often existed between reading and writing in theory and research, and reading and writing have often been taught as unrelated subjects. If it were not for this long-standing separation, so much importance would not be given to possible connections. This chapter on historical context is intended to demonstrate the significance of the topic as well as to highlight points of convergence and divergence between reading and writing in American education. We begin with a synoptic history of literacy education from colonial to more recent times. Our broad sweep includes trends at the college level as well as elementary and secondary, since curricular changes at the lower levels are influenced by developments at upper levels, and vice versa. Also included are trends in rhetoric and literary studies, since these subjects overlap with subjects known as reading
Educational Psychology as a Foundation in Teacher Education: Reforming an Old Notion

In this article, the authors raise questions about the place and form of educational psychology in the larger conversation about the thoughtful preparation of teachers. Recent research and theory in cognition and instruction suggest alternatives to traditional concepts of the learner, the teacher, and classroom learning. This research has implications for the reconsideration of the content, curriculum, and methods of teaching educational psychology and also for the ways in which teacher educators learn to teach the adults who will become tomorrow's teachers.
Chapter I: Visions of Sugarplums: The Future of Technology, Education, and the Schools

We are fascinated with technology. We expect it to make a difference in our lives, and particularly in education. We see its effects as beneficent. We look for it to change, and improve, what has come before. We await technological improvements in our lives, from better toaster ovens to improved (more effective, more efficient) schools and learning to rejuvenation of our bodies and protection from our enemies. These images of what technology can do for us are peculiarly American, although not uniquely so. Americans, for a number of reasons, seem particularly susceptible to a set of related propositions: that technology is good, that it is value-free, that it should find application in many fields, disciplines, and aspects of our lives. Perhaps most troubling is the assumption that, if technology makes it possible to do something, then that thing should be done. In our culture, the way in which technology is presented and framed in public forums mirrors these assumptions. The possibility of developing and using a "national information superhighway," of using "smart weapons" in the recent war in Iraq (and the probability of their increased use in the future), or of employing a variety of reproductive technologies to enable previously infertile couples to conceive children have been presented as basically value-free, scientifically neutral, and desirable options. The issues that are presented to us as problematic with regard to these changes (censorship and copyright questions
How Do District Management and Implementation Strategies Relate to the Quality of the Professional Development that Districts Provide to Teachers?

This study examines the policy mechanisms and processes that districts can use to provide high-quality in-service professional development for teachers. The findings are based on a national probability sample of district professional development coordinators in districts that received federal funding from the Eisenhower Professional Development Program. We found that certain management/implementation strategies, such as aligning professional development to standards and assessments, continuous improvement efforts, and teacher involvement in planning, are associated with the provision of higher quality professional development for teachers. Characteristics of high-quality professional development are taken from the research literature and include active learning opportunities, duration, collective participation (e.g., participation of teachers from the same department, grade level, or school), and type of activity (e.g., traditional workshop vs. a more reform-oriented approach, such as teacher networks or study groups.) Thus, in the context of an evaluation of the nation's largest investment in teachers’ professional development, this study provides empirical support, from a national probability sample of Eisenhower district coordinators, for the link between federal policies and strategies of support, implementation, and the quality of teachers’ professional development.
Experimental studies and calculations of the exciting current in the transformer under DC bias magnetization

It is the key problem for studying the exciting current in the transformer under DC bias magnetization.Firstly,based on two methods of injecting DC bias,i.e.DC bias induced from the same side as sinusoidal voltage excitation and from the other side,the differences of the two methods and the reasons were studied by means of experiments and calculations.The results proved that DC bias induced from the same side as sinusoidal voltage excitation was more correct than the other method to reflect geomagnetically induced currents(GIC) and DC bias magnetization problems arose by the monopole operation in HVDC system.Secondly,we analyzed the effect of DC bias on the root-mean-square quantity,DC components and harmonic components of transformer exciting current.At last,the exciting currents of transformer under DC bias were calculated by utilizing of the improved magnetic circuit-electrical circuit coupled time domain method.The calculated results were in good agreement with the measured results.The work in the paper may set up a foundation for studying the transformer under DC bias magnetization.
Social Capital and Dropping Out of High School: Benefits to At-Risk Students of Teachers’ Support and Guidance

Do teachers provide students with valuable forms of social capital? Do these forms of social capital increase the likelihood that students complete high school, particularly students who are at risk of failure? Using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS:88), we address these questions and examine whether social capital reduces the likelihood of dropping out between the 10th and 12th grades for a cohort of 11,000 adolescents who attended more than 1,000 public and private high schools between 1990 and 1992. We measure social capital in two ways: (a) students’ beliefs about how much their 10th-grade teachers support their efforts to succeed in school and (b) teachers’ reports about whether individual 10th-grade students receive guidance from them about school or personal matters. We find that teachers are an important source of social capital for students. These teacher-based forms of social capital reduce the probability of dropping out by nearly half. However, students who come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and who have had academic difficulties in the past find guidance and assistance from teachers especially helpful. We discuss the implications of these findings for investigations of dropping out, risk, and social capital.
Caring and Competence

It is sometimes suggested that caring and competence are somehow in opposition or, even if they are not, that teacher education can address only academic competence. Caring, from this perspective, is a virtue naturally possessed by some teacher candidates, not a type of relationship that can be promoted by sound practices in teacher education and supervision. After brief analyses of caring and competence in teaching, this chapter addresses two large domains of competence in which teacher education may be failing to prepare its candidates adequately. The first is the domain of subject matter considered from the perspective of students’ needs; the second is the domain of moral life and civility in classrooms. Teacher effectiveness in both of these domains requires the establishment of caring relations and a high level of competence.
MICOSE4aPS: Industrially Applicable Maturity Metric to Improve Systematic Reuse of Control Software

automated Production Systems (aPS) are highly complex, mechatronic systems that usually have to operate reliably for many decades. Standardization and reuse of control software modules is a core prerequisite to achieve the required system quality in increasingly shorter development cycles. However, industrial case studies in aPS show that many aPS companies still struggle with strategically reusing software. This paper proposes a metric-based approach to objectively measure the m aturity of i ndustrial IEC 61131-based co ntrol s oftwar e in aPS (MICOSE4aPS) to identify potential weaknesses and quality issues hampering systematic reuse. Module developers in the machine and plant manufacturing industry can directly benefit as the metric calculation is integrated into the software engineering workflow. An in-depth industrial evaluation in a top-ranked machine manufacturing company in food packaging and an expert evaluation with different companies confirmed the benefit of efficiently managing the quality of control software.
OpenVPX Bus and Its Application in Radar Information Processing

As the state-of-the-art bus standard in the world,open versatile protocol switch(OpenVPX) bus with high bandwidth,good real-time performance,flexible topology agility,strong generality,and hush environment resistance is introduced.It is becoming the development direction of a new generation of the military comprehensive information processing system.The technical features of OpenVPX bus are described.A solution to radar comprehensive information processing system based on OpenVPX standard is proposed.