Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sex-differential PTSD symptom trajectories across one year following suspected serious injury

ABSTRACT Background Recent years have shown an increased application of prospective trajectory-oriented approaches to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although women are generally considered at increased PTSD risk, sex and gender differences in PTSD symptom trajectories have not yet been extensively studied. Objective To perform an in-depth investigation of differences in PTSD symptom trajectories across one-year post-trauma between men and women, by interpreting the general trends of trajectories observed in sex-disaggregated samples, and comparing within-trajectory symptom course and prevalence rates. Method We included N = 554 participants (62.5% men, 37.5% women) from a multi-centre prospective cohort of emergency department patients with suspected severe injury. PTSD symptom severity was assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-trauma, using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV. Latent growth mixture modelling on longitudinal PTSD symptoms was performed within the sex-disaggregated and whole samples. Bayesian modelling with informative priors was applied for reliable model estimation, considering the imbalanced prevalence of the expected latent trajectories. Results In terms of general trends, the same trajectories were observed for men and women, i.e. resilient, recovery, chronic symptoms and delayed onset. Within-trajectory symptom courses were largely comparable, but resilient women had higher symptoms than resilient men. Sex differences in prevalence rates were observed for the recovery (higher in women) and delayed onset (higher in men) trajectories. Model fit for the sex-disaggregated samples was better than for the whole sample, indicating preferred application of sex-disaggregation. Analyses within the whole sample led to biased estimates of overall and sex-specific trajectory prevalence rates. Conclusions Sex-disaggregated trajectory analyses revealed limited sex differences in PTSD symptom trajectories within one-year post-trauma in terms of general trends, courses and prevalence rates. The observed biased trajectory prevalence rates in the whole sample emphasize the necessity to apply appropriate statistical techniques when conducting sex-sensitive research. HIGHLIGHTS We investigated sex differences in PTSD symptom trajectories over one-year post-trauma. We observed modest differences. Symptom courses were mostly similar. Yet, the recovering trajectory was more prevalent in women, while the delayed onset trajectory was more prevalent in men.
DEVELOPMENT, LONGEVITY, FECUNDITY, AND LIFE TABLE PARAMETERS OF Trissolcus basalis (WOLLASTON), EGG PARASITOID OF THE STINK GREEN BUG, Nezara viridula (L.) IN RELATION TO TEMPERATURE

The developmental time of immature stages, developmental rate, longevity, fecundity and life table parameters of Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) were investigated at three temperatures (24, 28 and 31C). The data reveled that there was a significant variation in the developmental time of immature stages between the three tested temperatures. The higher developmental rate was recorded at 31C. There were significant differences between the three temperatures in percentage of parasitized eggs and sex ratio, while there was no significant difference in percentage of successful parasitism. The female sex ratio was 4:1 (females: males) at 28 and 31C, while it was 3:1 at 24C. There was a significant difference in longevity of females. It was 14.40±1.43, 13.40 ±0.46 and 9.00±2.08 at 24, 28 and 31C, while there was no statistical variation in the fecundity of T. basalis females reared at the three tested temperatures. The simple linear regression between temperatures and longevity of T. basalis females indicated that there was a highly relationship between temperatures and longevity. In addition, there was a positive relationship between the temperatures and fecundity. The calculated value of (T) and (DT) was higher at 24C than 28 and 31C. In contrast, GRR, Ro, rm and λ values were higher at 31C than 24 and 28C. The survivorship (Lx) for female age was higher (0.82) at 28C than at 24 and 31C. There was a significant difference between ages of the host egg masses in choice and non-choice tests. The first age (one day old) was preferred than the other ages. Moreover, the parasitoid was able to parasitize the host eggs in all developmental ages. The present investigation provided useful information of some biological aspects of T. basalis. In conclusion, T. basalis appears to be a promising biological control option for controlling the green stink bug, N. viridula.
Siamese Cross-Domain Tracker Design for Seamless Tracking of Targets in RGB and Thermal Videos

Multimodal (RGB and thermal) applications are swiftly gaining importance in the computer vision community with advancements in self-driving cars, robotics, Internet of Things, and surveillance applications. Both the modalities have complementary performance depending on illumination constraints. Hence, a judicious combination of both modalities will result in robust RGBT systems capable of all-day all-weather applications. Several studies have been proposed in the literature for integrating the multimodal sensor data for object tracking applications. Most of the proposed networks try to delineate the information into modality-specific and modality shared features and attempt to exploit the modality shared features in enhancing the modality specific information. In this work, we propose a novel perspective to this problem using a Siamese inspired network architecture. We design a custom Siamese cross-domain tracker architecture and fuse it with a mean shift tracker to drastically reduce the computational complexity. We also propose a constant false alarm rate inspired coasting architecture to cater for real-time track loss scenarios. The proposed method presents a complete and robust solution for object tracking across domains with seamless track handover for all-day all-weather operation. The algorithm is successfully implemented on a Jetson-Nano, the smallest graphics processing unit (GPU) board offered by NVIDIA Corporation.
Bioactive Bilayer Glass Coating on Porous Titanium Substrates with Enhanced Biofunctional and Tribomechanical Behavior

The use of porous titanium samples fabricated by space-holder powder metallurgy with bioactive coatings has already been reported to prevent resorption of the bone surrounding the implant and improve osseointegration, respectively. However, the presence of pores as well as the poor adherence and the brittle behavior inherent to glassy coatings affect the service behavior of implants fabricated from these samples. Therefore, they need to be optimized. In this work, 50 vol.% of porosity titanium substrates were manufactured with different pore range size (100–200 and 355–500 µm) spacer particles and coated with a bilayer of bioactive glasses (45S5/1393). The effect of the pores on the tribomechanical properties and infiltration of the bioactive glass 1393 along with the bioactivity of the bioactive glass 45S5 were evaluated by instrumented micro-indentation and scratch tests and the formation of hydroxyapatite in simulated body fluid. The results obtained were very promising as potential implants for the replacement of small tumors in cortical bone tissues, mainly due to the smaller pores that present an improved biomechanical and biofunctional balance.
Differences between Vegetarians and Omnivores in Food Choice Motivation and Dietarian Identity

Vegetarianism is on the rise worldwide and its importance is being emphasized in various ways, such as in its sustainability, environmental, food system, and ethical aspects. The purpose of the study is to identify motivations behind food choices and dietarian identity, to investigate the perceptions about plant-based foods, and to identify differences between vegetarians and omnivores. We conducted an online survey of 245 vegetarians and 246 omnivores. There was a significant difference between vegetarians and omnivores. In food choice motivations, vegetarians scored higher in the factors of ‘ethical concern’, ‘health’, and ‘convenience and price’, while omnivores responded higher in ‘sensory appeal’ and ‘weight control’ factors. In the dietarian identity, vegetarians scored higher in the ‘complex motivation’ and ‘strictness’ factors, while on the other hand omnivores scored higher in ‘out-group regard’ and ‘public regard’ factors. Although the reasons can be different, we confirmed that both vegetarians and omnivores are positive toward plant-based foods. Our results suggest that different strategies will be needed to promote plant-based food consumption to vegetarians and to omnivores.
Correlation between serum methotrexate-polyglutamate 3 (MTX-PG3) level and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A prospective cohort study

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases, characterized by systemic inflammation, joint destruction and disability. Methotrexate (MTX) is used as the primary treatment for RA patients. However, the response to MTX therapy is highly varied and difficult to predict. This study sought to determine the role of MTX by measuring the MTX polyglutamate 3 (MTX-PG3) levels and the disease activity score 28 based on C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) of RA patients. Method: A prospective cohort study was conducted at the Rheumatology Polyclinic of Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital. Thirty-four patients with RA were included and followed up to 12 weeks. The RA patients were treated with MTX 10 mg per week and an increased dose of 5 mg per week every month. DAS28-CRP and MTX-PG3 level were assessed at week 8 and 12. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the correlation between MTX-PG3 and DAS28-CRP. Result: A total of 34 RA patients were followed and the MTX was well tolerated in which no increase of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were observed. The mean scores of DAS28-CRP decreased following the MTX-treatment: 3.93, 3.22 and 2.82 at week 0, 8 and 12, respectively. In contrast, the median concentration of MTX-PG3 increased from week 8 to week 12 followed by increasing the dose of MTX. Our analysis suggested there was a moderate positive correlation between MTX-PG3 levels and DAS28-CRP score at week 8 and week 12 post-MTX treatment. Conclusion: The level of MTX-PG3 is correlated with DAS28-CRP score suggesting that MTX-PG3 could be used as an indicator to assess the disease activity in RA patients. Nevertheless, a prospective study with a higher number of patients is needed to confirm this finding.
High-risk behaviors and factors for HIV and sexually transmitted infections among transgender people in Gaborone, Botswana: results from a national survey

Introduction key populations and transgender people in particular are at a high risk of HIV infection. However, very little is known about risk behaviors of transgender people in Botswana. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of high-risk behaviors for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among transgender people in Botswana. Methods data from the Botswana 2017 Biological and Behavioral Surveillance Survey of HIV/STIs among select key populations (BBSS-2) was used. The cross sectional survey documented behavioral risk factors for these infections. This paper only focused on the analysis of the transgender data. Descriptive analysis was done with IBM Statistical Software for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. Results there were 56 transgender people identified of which 12 (21.4%) were transgender women. The median age was 24 (interquartile range (IQR) 22-28). Among transgender women, 2 (16.7%) reported concurrent sexual partners and 9 (75%) reported condom use at last intercourse. However, only 7 (58.3%) reported consistent lubricant use. About 45% of the respondents did not know the HIV status of their last male partner. Only one of the transgender women reported intercourse with at least 1 female in the last month. About a third reported that they had STI symptoms in the past year. Alcohol use was reported in 50% of respondents while 83% had disclosed gender identity and had been accepted by their families. However, 25% reported discrimination by a healthcare worker. Conclusion the high-risk behaviors were frequent among transgender women. This study underlines the need for sustained efforts to reach this key population.
How Volunteer Commitment Differs in Online and Offline Environments

The contemporary media environment transforms the organization-volunteer relationship by attenuating the formation of organizational belonging, often thought to be the result of direct interactions and face-to-face meetings. We examine and compare factors that influence offline and online volunteering. We investigate the ties for communicating about volunteering that bind individuals to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and the ways that multiple levels of identification influence volunteer commitment to these NPOs. Using structural equation modeling, the results from an online survey of 816 volunteers suggest that online volunteers, unlike offline volunteers, are not motivated to volunteer more by exclusive relationships with organizational members or their volunteer identity. Their volunteering is related to their communication ties with both members and nonmembers and their identification with both the organization and the social issue. We discuss implications regarding how the changed dynamics in online volunteering complicates the traditional organization-volunteer relationship.
DETERMINATION OF SOME PESTICIDE RESIDUES ON SOME OILY CROPS.

The present study was carried out to investigate the toxic effect of some pesticides (Lambda-cyhalothrine, methomyl, Carbofuran, Chloropyrifos and Mancozeb) against cotton leaf worm Spodoptera Littoralis. Different samples of peanut, linseed and sunflower seeds were collected, extracted, cleaned up, to use in different studies (toxicity analytical and determination joint action effect of oil peanut extracted with pesticides against S. Littoralis. The pesticides residues mixed with oil extracted, were determined using biochemical's parameters (Acetyl cholinesterase activity). Thin-layer chromatography was used to separate the tested pesticides from each compound. RF values for the tested compounds were recorded alone and in their mixtures with non treated oils. Pesticides residues extracted from the treated samples of peanut, linseed and sunflower seeds oil were determined after studying their effects on Acetyl cholinesterase activities. Results showed that Chloropyrifos insecticide was the most potent compound followed by Lambda-cyhalothrin, Methomyl and Carbofurn. Mancozeb and oil peanut have no toxic effect on S. Littoralis. The joint action effects resulting form mixing oil peanut with each of the tested compounds are shown that synergism was noticed with oil peanut in combination with Methomyl, Chloropyrifos and Lambda respectively.
PROBABLE GENES FOR YELLOW RUST RESISTANCE IN SOME EGYPTIAN WHEAT CULTIVARS

The present work gave evidence to the presence of 11 physiological races of Puccinia striiformis West. , the causal agent of stripe rust of wheat in Egypt during 2005/2006. These races were identified as: 4E0, 4E2, 4E16, 64E4, 76E4, 134E18, 196E18, 198E150, 198E86, 206E30 and 230E186. These races were identified according to their virulence to both the world and European set of wheat differentials. They showed a wide range of virulence. The obtained results indicated the efficacy of Yr4, YrSP, Yr1, Yr5 and Yr10. It was recommended to incorporate such genes within the local wheat cultivars aiming to increase their level of resistance against stripe rust. Matching between cultivars and lines indicated that the wheat cultivar Sakha 61 was postulated to have 9Yr’s. Also, the obtained results indicated that matching amongst cultivars clarified the presence of common resistance genes against stripe rust. This may be the reason behind the considerable level of resistance to stripe rust i.e., Yr6 and Yr2 and this would indicate the genetic approximation of such cultivars (Gemmeza 5, Gemmeza 7, Giza 168, Sakha 61 and Sakha 93). This report is considered a primitive indicator to the presence of resistance genes, it could be confirmed by studying the pedigree of each cultivar and/or making crosses to observe the segregation. Consequently, the present work is considered an effective tool in the breeding program of wheat against rust diseases in general.
Learning social entrepreneurship: Experiences of sociology students

Abstract Social entrepreneurship paves the way for both social and economic development of a country. To learn this unique combination, social entrepreneurship education plays a vital role. It positively influences the entrepreneurial intentions of the students. Previously this education was limited to the realm of business studies, but more recently social entrepreneurship education is encompassing students from different disciplinary backgrounds. The present study aims to highlight the learning experiences of the Sociology students during Social Entrepreneurship. Thematic analysis of the textual reflective papers was conducted to highlight different aspects of their learning experiences. The students were motivated to study the course majorly because of their experience with the instructor. Financial motivations were a main driver towards the selection of the course because social entrepreneurship was viewed as a lucrative alternative owing to the rising unemployment in the country. The students highlighted that experiential learning is indispensable to social entrepreneurship education which was severely affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic as the transition towards online education took place. Gender played a significant role in the motivation and inspiration gained from the course as most female students perceived social entrepreneurship education to be a path towards financial independence. Social entrepreneurship education is a growing filed in Pakistan and the higher educational institutes must take into account the learning experiences of students with different disciplinary backgrounds to enhance the overall entrepreneurial capacity of students by overcoming the barriers that they face. The current study presents insights for the growth of social entrepreneurship education in Pakistan.
Polylactide Fiber Materials and their Application in Agriculture

Nonwoven fibers from biodegradable polymers such as polylactide and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate were obtained by electrospinning. The fiber morphology was studied by optical microscopy. The fiber materials were used like the substrates for the plant growing. The sowing qualities of the "Athena"winter wheat (triticumaestivum L.) and biometric indicators of the plants were determined. The biometric indicators of wheat plants grown on polymer substrates are higher compared with the GOST technique. Eco-friendly fiber materials are promising for the agricultural application. Polylactide and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate undergo a hydrolysis process. They are destroyed to form nutrients for the growth and development of wheat plants.
Unmerging the sibilant merger among speakers of Taiwan Mandarin

This study presents empirical evidence from read vs. interactive speech to shed light on the nature of the alveolar-retroflex sibilant merger by young speakers of Taiwan Mandarin (TM). TM speakers often merge the two sibilants through deretroflexion of the retroflex category. The results of the read speech showed that the variation is on a full continuum, from a complete merger to clear contrasts, and the merger is more prevalent among male speakers, demonstrating the impact of the social stigma associated with the merger. However, the results of the interactive task demonstrated that speakers who merged the contrast produced the retroflex sounds as distinct from their alveolar counterparts, revealing hidden structures in the mental lexicon. The mismatch between the abstract phonological knowledge and actual implementation in production suggests that the exposure to phonological systems of other speakers, especially those who make clear distinctions, has led to the incorporation of discrete categories into the phonological knowledge of the merged speakers. These findings suggest that large individual variation in the early stages of sound change may provide evidence for possible categories in a given language for language learners; however, their implementation may be further modulated by social as well as other phonetic factors.
Zonisamide Ameliorates Microglial Mitochondriopathy in Parkinson’s Disease Models

Mitochondrial dysfunction and exacerbated neuroinflammation are critical factors in the pathogenesis of both familial and non-familial forms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aims to understand the possible ameliorative effects of zonisamide on microglial mitochondrial dysfunction in PD. We prepared 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) co-treated mouse models of PD to investigate the effects of zonisamide on mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation in microglial cells. Consequently, we utilised a mouse BV2 cell line that is commonly used for microglial studies to determine whether zonisamide could ameliorate LPS-treated mitochondrial dysfunction in microglia. Flow cytometry assay indicated that zonisamide abolished microglial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in PD models. Extracellular flux assays showed that LPS exposure to BV2 cells at 1 μg/mL drastically reduced the mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). Zonisamide overcame the inhibitory effects of LPS on mitochondrial OCR. Our present data provide novel evidence on the ameliorative effect of zonisamide against microglial mitochondrial dysfunction and support its clinical use as an antiparkinsonian drug.