Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patient Preferences for Attributes of Health Canada Approved Weight Loss Medications Among Adults Living with Obesity in Canada: A Qualitative Study

Purpose Obesity is a complex disease with negative impacts on physical and mental health. The treatment of obesity is an area where shared decision making and patient preferences play an important role. Recommendations surrounding weight loss medications are evolving and only recently, with the publication of the 2020 Canadian Obesity Management Clinical Guidelines, pharmacotherapy has become a recommended alternative for obesity management. Guidelines recommend three medications: orlistat, liraglutide, and naltrexone/bupropion. This study sought to identify medication attributes relevant to patients starting pharmacotherapy for weight management. Patients and Methods Semi-structured focus groups and interviews were conducted with Canadian residents who were ≥18 years of age and were living with obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30kg/m2 or ≥27kg/m2 with adiposity-related complications). Sessions were conducted virtually, audio recorded, and transcribed. Two team members used a combination of inductive and deductive coding to independently code the data. A final coding template was agreed upon through discussion. Results A total of 21 individuals participated (85.7% female, 76.2% ≥40 years of age) with the average BMI being 44.3 kg/m2. Participants touched upon many attributes which were categorized into five categories: 1) cost, 2) regimen, 3) side effects, 4) benefits, and 5) non-medication attributes. Cost of medications, lack of coverage by insurance companies, and stigma were identified as major barriers to accessing medications. There was consensus in the desire for a simple regimen, however there was heterogeneity among opinions on tolerability of side effects, desired benefits, and route of administration. Conclusion This study identified attributes that influenced patient’s decisions when considering a new anti-obesity medication. Understanding these attributes can assist clinicians in shared decision-making. This study highlighted the stigma that is prevalent among providers and the need for education. Further research should be conducted to understand the tradeoffs patients in our study make between the identified attributes.
A phonetically-based phoneme analysis of the Danish consonant system

ABSTRACT The traditional phoneme analysis of the Danish consonant inventory links onset and coda consonants on the basis of historical alternations and morphologically conditioned alternations within a small subset of the Danish lexicon. This traditional analysis proposes a system resulting in a large number of neutralizations that cannot be dissolved, and in which allophones of the same phoneme lack shared phonetic content. We argue that the system proposed by the traditional analysis is impossible to learn from the language input, which renders the analysis an implausible description of the Danish consonant system. On the basis of theoretical discussions, we offer an alternative phoneme analysis, which we believe to be learnable from the data available in the language input. Our analysis is based on insights from Natural Phonology and Bidirectional Phonetics and Phonology. We propose a system without undissolvable neutralizations, with shared phonetic content between allophones of the same phoneme, and without the need to rely on alternations that children are unlikely to learn in early childhood.
Viability of Controlling Prosthetic Hand Utilizing Electroencephalograph (EEG) Dataset Signal

This project presents the development of an artificial hand controlled by Electroencephalograph (EEG) signal datasets for the prosthetic application. The EEG signal datasets were used as to improvise the way to control the prosthetic hand compared to the Electromyograph (EMG). The EMG has disadvantages to a person, who has not used the muscle for a long time and also to person with degenerative issues due to age factor. Thus, the EEG datasets found to be an alternative for EMG. The datasets used in this work were taken from Brain Computer Interface (BCI) Project. The datasets were already classified for open, close and combined movement operations. It served the purpose as an input to control the prosthetic hand by using an Interface system between Microsoft Visual Studio and Arduino. The obtained results reveal the prosthetic hand to be more efficient and faster in response to the EEG datasets with an additional LiPo (Lithium Polymer) battery attached to the prosthetic. Some limitations were also identified in terms of the hand movements, weight of the prosthetic, and the suggestions to improve were concluded in this paper. Overall, the objective of this paper were achieved when the prosthetic hand found to be feasible in operation utilizing the EEG datasets.
Digital Literacy: Web search ecology and some surprising conclusions about finding and promoting educational resources on the internet

An ecology is a system of interacting and or competing organisms or entities. Alternatively, it may also describe the study of such interactions or competition. In this paper I loosely consider the system of educationalists searching for content to use in their teaching practice to form such a system. Having returned from a course on ICT for social and group learning delivered by the company Smart Solutions (Vassallo 2010) in Malta, I decided to use what I had learnt to build a number of websites publicising the computer tools I had learned about. In choosing free websites, I was choosing platforms which would be available at no cost to educators, as I was hoping to promote teachers’ active participation in the online community, which had been a theme of the course. Using free internet sites, I built a wiki (Cuffe 2011a), on Wikispaces (Anon 2010b), a blog (Cuffe 2010a) on the WordPress.com site (Anon 2011g), a Google group (Cuffe 2010c) , on Google groups (Anon 2011c), and a Trailmeme (Cuffe 2011c), on the Trailmeme site (Anon 2011e). I also built a second blog (Cuffe 2010b) on Blogger (Anon 2011a) and shot a number of Videos (Cuffe 2010d) which I placed on the You Tube site (Anon 2011i). Finally, I built a Prezi (Cuffe 2010e), which I placed on the Prezi site. Some of the sites I created initially placed highly in Google search however web traffic did not seem to correspond in any clear way to my sites rank in search. This was surprising, however I noted that traffic would peak whenever I mentioned a specific site on an online forum, or on an email chat group, and this peak could be many times larger than the regular level of traffic coming in, presumably, from general search (see Figure 1). The rest of this paper describes what I did to explore this further.
Video-Based Teaching in Environmental Education

The present study focuses on the effectiveness of video-based teaching to impart environmental awareness among secondary students. A sample of 300 students was drawn from three types of schools namely, Government, Government Aided and Corporation schools in and aroundCoimbatore. Pretest posttest control group design was adopted. The data was collected by means of administering an achievement test to the experimental and control groups. The findings of the study revealed the fact that the experimental group which was exposed to video-based teaching had scored higher in the posttest when compared to the control group. It is therefore recommended that the usage of videos in environmental lessons would enhance the learning potential of secondary students.
Designing a manufacturing network with additive manufacturing using stochastic optimisation

Two of the major problems Traditional Manufacturing (TM) supply chains face are setting requisite reactive strategies to address the uncertainties in demand and the optimal placement of these buffering capacities in order to be both responsive and cost-effective. With Additive Manufacturing (AM) stepping into large-scale production at different firms, we address the aforementioned supply chain dilemmas by considering the potential role of AM in a TM supply chain network where AM facilities can act as a recourse to the TMs and, also, as a dedicated source providing responsive and cost-effective sourcing alternatives. We develop an analytical allocation rule based on cost differentials, which provides optimal sourcing decisions through sequential demand replenishment and facilitates an efficient performance evaluation of possible network configurations. We first model the scenario as a three-stage stochastic optimisation problem. We then solve it using the allocation rule and present an illustration of our analysis and the optimal supply chain network configuration. Furthermore, we derive some insights as to how different problem characteristics affect the value and usage of AM.
Digital service trade and income inequality: a panel data analysis for 100 countries

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the impact of digital service trade on within-country income inequality based on a panel dataset covering 100 countries from 2005 to 2019. We find consistent evidence that digital service trade has a negative effect on income inequality in general. This effect is shown to be statistically significant in high-income and middle-income countries while it is insignificant in low-income countries.
Technology Readiness among Consumers in Oman: The Case of Adopting E-Services

The adoption and use of new technology have seen a rapid increase and evolution worldwide. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in developed countries. Therefore, this study examines the technology readiness in terms of e-Services adoption among Omanis. Based on the Technology readiness (TR) Index 2.0, the people’s propensity to embrace and use e-Services in Oman is explored. The TR involves understanding four-dimension optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and insecurity, explaining the readiness and use of e-Services in this study. Using a quantitative approach, SPSS performs fundamental descriptive analysis on 322 responses. Subsequently, further assessment is conducted using the Partial Least Square (SmartPLS) software. Thus, the analysis of this study consists of two stages: the assessment of measurement and the structural model. Findings suggest a strong relationship between optimism and innovativeness towards e-service adoption among Omanis, validating the proposed framework. Additionally, discomfort and insecurity are found to have no significant effect on the adoption of e-Services. These findings were then used as a basis to provide recommendations and facilitate government and other non-government agencies responsible for e-Services.
Development and Validation of a Prognostic Nomogram for Predicting Overall Survival for T1 High-Grade Patients After Radical Cystectomy: A Study Based on SEER

Objective To construct a prognostic model that estimates the probability of overall survival for T1 high-grade bladder cancer patients after radical cystectomy. Patients and Methods We enrolled 801 patients diagnosed with T1 high grade and received radical cystectomy from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2004–2015). All patients were randomly divided into the development group (n = 561) and validation group (n = 240) with the ratio of 7:3. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to filter variables and the Kaplan–Meier method to evaluate survival outcomes. The results of sensitivity analysis determined the variables in the final model. The performance of the model was internally validated by calibration curves, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the concordance index (C-index). Results The mean survival months were 56.086 in the development group and 58.21 in the validation group. Six variables including age, marital status, tumour size, tumour sites, region nodes examined, and N stage were incorporated in the final nomogram. The accuracy of the nomogram for prediction of overall survival was estimated by C-index (0.732; 0.712–0.752) and AUC (0.771 for 3-year; 0.766 for 5-year) in the development group. In the validation group, the C-index of the nomogram was 0.752 (0.723–0.781), and AUC was 0.761 for 3-year as well as 0.793 for 5-year. These results all showed better performance than the AJCC stage. Calibration plots for 3- and 5-year overall survival presented good concordance in both the development and validation group. Conclusion We have established a prognostic nomogram that provides a more accurate and relevant individualized probability of overall survival for patients with T1HG bladder transitional cell carcinoma after radical cystectomy. It can contribute to improving patient counselling and treatment selection.
Time Series Based Data Explorer and Stream Analysis for Anomaly Prediction

All over the world, time series-based anomaly prediction plays a vital role in all walks of life such as medical monitoring in hospitals and climate and environment risks. In the present study, a survey on the methods and techniques for time series data mining and proposes is carried, in order to solve a brand-new problem, time series progressive anomaly prediction. In terms of contents, the first part sketches out the methods that have captured most of the interest of researchers, which include an overview of abnormal prediction problems, a summary of main characteristics of anomaly prediction, and an introduction of anomaly prediction methodology in literature. The second part focuses on the future research trends on the phase/staged abnormal prediction of time series, where a novel time series compression method and a corresponding similarity measure will be designed, which can be explored subsequently. Finally, the related challenges to take this trend are mentioned. It is hoped that this paper can provide a profound understanding of anomaly prediction for the time series-based data mining research field.
Therapeutic Mattresses for Chronic Pain

One systematic review (that summarized 9 relevant studies) provided evidence on the use of mattresses for treating chronic low back pain. Medium-firm mattresses may lead to less back pain and better sleep quality compared with firmer mattresses. Mattresses with an air overlay may also improve pain and sleep quality in those with chronic low back pain. Several limitations of the data informing this report were identified, which limits the certainty of the evidence.
Study of a Hydrodynamic Thrust Bearing for Hydroelectric Power Stations

For over a century, hydrodynamic thrust bearings have been used to support the weight and the hydraulic load of hydro generators. Born from the experiments of Tower and the theoretical work of Reynolds, these uid lm bearings can support hundreds of tons of load on a thin oil lm and work for decades with negligible wear. The objective of this work is to analyse a thrust bearing by calculating the pressure distribution of the oil lm between the pad and the runner and the load capacity. Firstly, an analytical solution based on the Reynolds theory of lubrication to the hydrodynamic pressure distribution along the pad will be presented, considering a simpli ed geometry of the pad and the ow to be isoviscous and isothermal. Secondly, the Reynolds equation will be written in a nite di erence equation through a truncated Taylor series expansion and implemented in a Finite Di erences Method algorithm. The solution will produce the pressure distribution over the pad and the optimum minimum lm thickness and tilting.
Growth, Endocrine Features, and Growth Hormone Treatment in Noonan Syndrome

Noonan syndrome is a heterogeneous congenital disorder. The main features are typical facial features, short stature and cardiac defects. The diagnosis is clinical: in 80% of patients with Noonan syndrome a genetic defect can be shown. Inheritance is predominantly autosomal dominant and seldom autosomal recessive. In 2001, PTPN11 was the first gene connected to Noonan syndrome, and until now, at least 20 other genes have been discovered. All genes code for proteins involved in the RAS-MAP-kinase pathway, and therefore, Noonan syndrome is one of the known RASopathies. Other RASopathies include neurofibromatosis and CFC syndrome. Short stature is one of the defining features of Noonan syndrome. The cause is not fully understood but is multifactorial. Other endocrinological features are confined to delayed puberty and hypogonadism in boys and males. To increase adult height, children with Noonan syndrome have been treated with human growth hormone since the 1990s. This seems to be beneficial in most of the children treated. In this narrative review, we describe the current knowledge on growth, endocrinological features and growth hormone treatment in patients with Noonan syndrome.
Thyroid Dysfunction under Amiodarone in Patients with and without Congenital Heart Disease: Results of a Nationwide Analysis

Background: Amiodarone has a profound adverse toxicity profile. Large population-based analyses quantifying the risk of thyroid dysfunction (TD) in adults with and without congenital heart disease (ACHD) are lacking. Methods: All adults registered with a major German health insurer (≈9.2 million members) with amiodarone prescriptions were analyzed. Occurrence of amiodarone-associated TD was assessed. Results: Overall, 48,891 non-ACHD (37% female; median 73 years) and 886 ACHD (34% female; median 66 years) received amiodarone. Over 184,787 patient-years, 10,875 cases of TD occurred. The 10-year risk for TD was 38% in non-ACHD (35% ACHD). Within ACHD, compared to amiodarone-naïve patients, the hazard ratio (HR) for TD was 3.9 at 4 years after any amiodarone exposure. TD was associated with female gender (HR 1.42, p < 0.001) and younger age (HR 0.97 per 10 years, p = 0.009). Patients with congenital heart disease were not at increased risk (HR 0.98, p = 0.80). Diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease, however, was a predictor for TD (HR 1.56, p = 0.02). Amiodarone was continued in 47% of non-ACHD (38% ACHD), and 2.3% of non-ACHD (3.5% ACHD) underwent thyroid surgery/radiotherapy. Conclusions: Amiodarone-associated TD is common and comparable in non-ACHD and ACHD. While female gender and younger age are predictors for TD, congenital heart disease is not necessarily associated with an elevated risk.
Effect Of Environmental Concern, Attitude, Subjective Norms, Perceived Behavioral Control And Availability On Purchase Of Green Skincare Products With Intention To Purchase As A Mediation Variable

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of environmental concern, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and availability on the purchase of green skincare products in Jakarta with intention to purchase as a mediating variable. Data analysis used Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). This study used a purposive sampling method by distributing online questionnaires via google form to 180 respondents. The results showed that environmental concern, attitude and perceived behavioral control had a positive and significant effect on the intention to purchase green skincare products, while subjective norms and availability did not significantly affect the intention to purchase green skincare products. Intention to purchase green skincare products has a positive and significant influence on the purchase of green skincare products. Intention to purchase green skincare products can mediate the effect of environmental concern and attitude towards purchasing of green skincare products.
Nutrient removal in a trapezoidal vegetated drainage ditch used to treat primary domestic sewage in a small catchment of the upper Yangtze River

A trapezoidal constructed ditch (TCD) of 300 m length and 2.2 m width was designed and built in the downstream section of the upper Yangtze River for in situ treatment of primary domestic sewage. The removal efficiencies of TN, NH4‐N, NO3‐N, TP and PO4‐P from the TCD were approximately 61, 63, 48, 58 and 51%, respectively. The concentrations of TN, NH4‐N, NO3‐N, TP and PO4‐P showed a decreasing trend with increasing distance downstream. Plant assimilation and sediment retention were the key mechanisms for N and P removal within the TCD, with subsequent microbial uptake and transformation of the nutrients. The TCD outlet showed significantly higher dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations and lower values of electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids compared to the influent. Results of this study highlight the potential of TCD to mitigate nutrients from primary domestic sewage transported downstream and could be incorporated into local best management practices.
Assessment Of A Urban Sustainability And Life Quality Index For Elderly

The research here presented originates from some of the ongoing challenges of our society: the demographic changes and the high share of population living in urban areas. The aim of the research is the definition of an index of sustainability and quality of life for elderly at suburban scale, not only able to outline aspects related to the local territorial context but also to represent the neighbourhood level. This would provide significant added value to existing indicators that represent the quality of life for much larger areas as cities, regions and nations. Indeed, it is universally recognised that the quality of life varies quite considerably depending on whether you live in different neighbourhoods or urban areas. The index proposed with the research is elaborated on the base of objective and subjective indicators integrated with the judgment of experts, in order to give an accurate and truthful weight to each indicator. Moreover, it has been elaborated for microscale analysis, dividing urban areas into cells, in order to highlight more in detail the real needs of each specific zone. As a result, the elaborated index would be an available tool to be provided to the local public administration to facilitate and optimise the urban planning and management, prioritizing interventions on the base of the sustainability principles and subjective needs of the population, in particular of elderly.