Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of hearing loss and lead exposure in a North Indian tertiary hospital: a pilot study

Lead poisoning is one of the most common metal poisonings. Lead is present in many man-made structures, work environments and various products. It has been consistently shown that low as well as high exposure levels to heavy metals have an adverse effect on human health, leading to conditions such as cardiovascular and pulmonary dysfunctions. In addition, some studies have shown an association between exposure to heavy metals and hearing disorders in animals. Wu et al showed that lead toxicity had an adverse impact on the peripheral fibers of the auditory nerve. In addition, abnormalities in auditory brainstem response (ABR) latencies induced by lead exposure have been shown to occur in rhesus monkeys. A recent report has linked Beethoven’s progressive hearing loss to axonal degeneration due to a continuous exposure to lead. Occupational lead exposure is often originated in work environments such as steel plants, glass factories. And other industries using lead-based products or processes. Non-occupational lead exposure is often caused by the use of gasoline with lead additives, ABSTRACT
Fully automatic CNN-based segmentation of retinal bifurcations in 2D adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy images

Automated image segmentation is a crucial step to characterize and quantify the morphometry of blood vessels. Adaptive Optics Ophthalmoscopy (AOO) images of eye fundus allow visualizing retinal vessels with a high resolution, especially arterial bifurcations, suitable to morphometric biomarkers measurements. In this paper, we propose a fully automatic hybrid approach based on a modified U-Net convolutional neural network and active contours for segmenting retinal vessel branches and bifurcations with high precision. The obtained segmentation results are within the range of intra-and inter-user variability, and meet the performance of our previous semi-automatic approach in terms of precision and reproducibility, while being obtained in a completely automatic way.
Sustainable Management Activities: A Study on the Relations between Technology Commercialization Capabilities, Sustainable Competitive Advantage, and Business Performance

This study investigates the effects of sustainable management activities (knowledge management activities, quality management activities, and competitive intelligence activities) on technology commercialization capabilities, sustainable competitive advantage, and business performance. In addition, it examines the effects of technology commercialization capabilities on sustainable competitive advantage and business performance as well as the effects of sustainable competitive advantage on business performance. We surveyed 409 global firms for 30 days from 1 October 2018 to 30 October 2018 and performed a structural equation model analysis on the data collected. We limited the scope of the survey to employees working at the level of team leader or above in the R&D department. The results showed that quality management activities and competitive intelligence activities have a statistically significant positive effect on technology commercialization capabilities and quality management activities, competitive intelligence activities, and technology commercialization capabilities have a statistically significant positive effect on sustainable competitive advantage. Additionally, sustainable competitive advantage has a statistically significant positive effect on business performance.
Learning to compare visibility on webcam images

Since the 2000’s, cameras are considered as an interesting source of opportunistic meteorological data. This short study deals with the comparison of visibility, in a meteorological sense, between images. A new dataset has been built from publicly available webcam sequences. An original labeling process, based on a mergesort algorithm, allowed us to sort more than 400 webcam sequences with respect to visibility. Standard Convolutional Neural Networks have been trained to predict pairwise comparisons and tested on independent webcams that are colocalized with visibilimeters. Results on the comparison task are promising.
How external load of youth basketball players varies according to playing position, game period and playing time

ABSTRACT One of the main challenges in sports coaching is to monitor competitive performance in order to adjust training load. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how playing position, game period and playing time influenced the physical demands of youth basketball players. Six measures of external load (total distance covered, high-speed distance, number of accelerations, decelerations, jumps and player load) were collected from 48 youth basketball players, over the course of a short tournament, through the use of a local positioning tracking system (WIMUPROTM). Player activity profiles were analysed in function of i) player position (guard, forward and centers), ii) game period (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) and iii) playing time (important players vs less important players). Forwards presented a greater level of variability in the external load measures while guards were the most stable players throughout the game. An increase in the level of variability of players’ workloads was observed during the game, especially from periods Q1 to Q3 and Q3 to Q4. The number of jumps per minute emerged as the variable with greater variation in association with playing time. Our results provide further support for the importance of considering performance variability for the design of individual training loads.
Online backchannel as a formative assessment in improving writing skills

Technology integration in language assessment has been regarded as a common strategy in an educational setting. However, teachers need to adjust the perception and cogency of assessment in an online setting as well as the concept of formative assessment in online environments. This research aimed to investigate the students' perception of online backchannel implementation as a formative assessment in improving the students' writing skills in an English classroom. For this purpose, a mixed-method was applied with a closed-ended questionnaire distributed to 32 students and semi-structured interviews carried out to 24 students at the eighth-grade students of a state junior high school in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. The collected data were then analyzed quantitatively using SPSS 23 and qualitatively. The findings revealed positive perceptions of online backchannel implementation as a formative assessment in improving their writing skills. They considered it a new and innovative process of an assessment that helped them get the maximum result of writing. Furthermore, students' motivation and confidence in writing were raised. This study's implication calls for the implementation of online backchannel in English class as a formative assessment during the writing process.
Aerobic bacteria and fungi from skin lesions of fish in Khartoum state

Objective: This cross-sectional study was conducted from April to July 2014 in Khartoum state, the Sudan, to investigate aerobic bacteria and fungi of skin lesions of fish in 3 different areas in Khartoum. Material and methods: A total of 50 samples were collected from the skin lesions of different types of fish including Synodontis species (n=17), Tilapia niloticus (n=15), Labeo niloticus (n=10), Hydrocynus species (n=4), and Clarias species (n=4). Liquid, semi-solid, and solid culture media like nutrient broth, blood agar, MacConkey agar, sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA), and Simmon's citrate medium were used for the isolation and identification of bacteria and fungi. Besides, Gram staining and biochemical characterization were also conducted. Results: Culturing of the collected samples revealed growth of bacteria from all (100%), and growth of fungi could be found from 32% samples. A number of 188 bacteria were isolated, mainly Staphylococcus species, Bacillus species, Aeromonas species, Pseudomonas species, and Vibrio species. Besides, 16 fungi could be identified containing Aspergillus niger , A. flavus , A. fumigatus , and Phycomycete. Conclusion: Fishes with skin lesions are harboring many pathogenic bacteria and fungi and may act as a source of zoonotic infections and can transmit several pathogens to workers in fish industry and consumers. Therefore, thorough and strict routine inspection of fish is recommended to ensure safety and that there are no serious risks to consumers. http://doi.org/10.5455/javar.2016. c176
Am I Fit for Tomorrow’s Labor Market? The Effect of Graduates’ Skills Development during Higher Education for the 21st Century’s Labor Market

This study contributes to the employability skills debate by investigating how students’ self-perceived 21st century skills relate to the self-perceived fit between their higher education curriculum and their future labor market for a sustainable entry to this labor market. Survey data from 4670 fourth-year students over a period of four years were analyzed. Furthermore, out of this group, 83 students were monitored longitudinally over their full educational student careers. Results showed a positive relationship between students’ self-perceived 21st century skills and their self-perceived “education-future labor market fit”. Among more recent cohorts, a significant improvement in their self-perceived 21st century skills was found. Overall, this study indicated that in order to deliver “employable” graduates, students need to be thoroughly trained in 21st century skills, and their development should be retained and expanded. This is one of the few studies that uses a vast amount of both cross-sectional and longitudinal data on skills and labor market perspectives among new graduates.
Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy of Living Cells

Living cells are distinguished in their ability to keep the structural stability in the changing environment by means of energy supply. Understanding the mechanisms of energy conversion is impossible without knowledge of the physiological processes involved. This question is addressed to confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) that has become a leader among the group of light microscopy method. The high resolution in CLSM images is reached without deconvolution procedures. Linear characteristics of its variable parameters are important for quantitative image analysis. These properties of CLSM are indispensable in the study of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) using fluorescent dyes. Lipophilic rhodamine dyes freely pass the plasma membrane and accumulate in the mitochondria according to electrical potential difference. CLSM images of TMRE (tetramethylrhodamine, ethyl ester)-stained U937 cells were analyzed by standard image processing procedures in ImageJ software. These procedures allow the creation of mask, applying it to original image. Average fluorescence intensity in selected regions was used as a measure of MMP changes during phytohemagglutinin treatment. This value was decreased by 34% after 2 h of lectin treatment. Some cells after mitogenic stimulation completely lost MMP. Deregulation of mitochondrial calcium handling and changes of cytoplasmic monovalent ion concentration are considered as mechanisms of MMP decrease during lymphocyte stimulation.
Authentication of Leaves and Petioles of Piper betle L. Varieties via Elemental Composition and Multivariate Chemometric Analysis

Abstract Piper betle L. (betel) is largely consumed for mastication, mouth freshening, and medicinal purposes throughout the world. This study reports the authentication of Piper betle L. var. ; Bangla, Sanchi, Misti, Khasia, and BARI Paan 3. The samples were analyzed for Ca, P, K, Mg, Na, Zn, Fe, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Sr, Ba, Li, Be, V, Co, Ga, Se, U, Cs, As, Cd, Tl, and Pb by inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and ICP – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Among the macro elements, the concentrations (0.12-8.37 g/kg) are largely type dependent and statistically different, except for Na (0.12-0.34 g/kg). Furthermore, the analyzed samples may be good sources of K (3.99-8.37 g/kg), Ca (1.86-2.88 g/kg), and Mg (0.51-1.91 g/kg). The trace elements were in safe limits, except for Mn and Pb. Using multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analyses (LDA), the variability indices were 85.5% and 100%, respectively. Hence, chemometrics is a promising approach for the authentication of betel varieties.
Who Knows Best What the Next Year Will Hold for You? The Validity of Direct and Personality–based Predictions of Future Life Experiences across Different Perceivers

This study explored the validity of person judgements by targets and their acquaintances (‘informants’) in longitudinally predicting a broad range of psychologically meaningful life experiences. Judgements were gathered from four sources (targets, N = 189; and three types of informants, N = 1352), and their relative predictive validity was compared for three types of judgement: direct predictions of future life experiences (e.g. number of new friendships), broad (Big Five) domains (e.g. extraversion), and narrower personality nuances (e.g. sociable). Approximately 1 year later, the targets’ actual life experiences were retrospectively assessed by the targets, and by informants nominated by the targets (TNI). Overall, we found evidence for predictive validity across predictor sources and types. Direct predictions by targets were by far the most valid, followed by TNI. Personality–based predictions by targets and TNI had substantial but lower validity. Domain–based predictions were less valid than nuance–based predictions. Overall, informants with lower ‘liking’ and ‘knowing’ towards targets made less valid predictions. Person–centred multilevel analyses showed both considerable validity of direct predictions (which increased with knowing) and positivity bias (which increased with liking). Taken together, given the relatively high methodological rigour of the study, these results provide an especially realistic picture of the rather moderate predictive power of person judgements regarding future life experiences and corroborate the common practice of obtaining such judgements from targets and their close acquaintances. © 2020 The Authors. European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology
Effect of salinity on the distribution of Ponto-Caspian gammarids in a non-native area – environmental and experimental study

ABSTRACT The native area of gammarids from the so-called ‘Caspian complex’, Pontogammarus robustoides (G.O. Sars, 1894), Obesogammarus crassus (G.O. Sars, 1894), Dikerogammarus haemobaphes (Eichwald, 1841) and D. villosus (Sowinsky, 1894), is associated with brackish waters. Over the last several decades they have colonized the European inland waters and part of the brackish Baltic Sea. It is believed that anthropogenic increase in the salinity of inland waters facilitated their expansion. However, the influence of salinity on the dispersal of gammarid species outside their native area is not fully understood. We tested the hypothesis that salinity was a major factor in determining distribution, based on the abundance of Gammaridae in three coastal areas of low salinity (brackish Baltic), i.e. 0.3, 3.4 and 7.3 PSU, successfully inhabited by them. Additionally, for the first time, the effect of water salinity on the osmoregulatory capacity of O. crassus was examined under laboratory conditions, for the salinities given above. The experiments showed that similarly as in the case of other Caspian complex species, salinity values of about 7 PSU create better conditions for osmoregulation in O. crassus than lower salinities (i.e. 0.3 and 3.4 PSU). In the environmental part of the study, we observed that only D. villosus achieved a significantly higher abundance in the area of 7.3 PSU. Thus, we concluded that in the range of 0.3–7.3 PSU, salinity is not a key factor governing the distribution of Ponto-Caspian gammarids.
Does Parental Separation Lower Genetic Influences on Children's School Performance?

Objective: A behavioral genetics approach is used to test whether parental separation lowers the importance of genes for children’s school performance. Background: The Scarr–Rowe hypothesis, which states that the relative importance of genes on cognitive ability is higher for advantaged compared to disadvantaged children, has been expanded to educational outcomes. However, advantage/disadvantage is predominantly conceptualized as parental socioeconomic status and neglects other important factors. This study expands upon the literature to include family structure as an indicator for advantage/disadvantage
Sex ratio and first maturity of blackeye thicklip wrasse Hemigymnus melapterus Bloch, 1791 in Spermonde Archipelago

Blackeye thicklip wrasse Hemigymnus melapterus is a Labridae that was widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of Indo-Pacific. In eastern Indonesia, blackeye thicklip wrasse found from the Strait of Bali, Mentawai Islands, Raja Ampat Islands, Manado and surrounding areas, and Banggai; while in central Indonesia, blackeye thicklip wrasse found in the waters of the Spermonde Archipelago. This research aims to analyze the sex ratio, gonad maturity stage, and the size at first maturity of blackeye thicklip wrasse in the Spermonde Archipelago. This research was done on the population of blackeye thicklip wrasse in the Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Samples were collected from fishermen caught landed in the Rajawali Makassar Fisheries Port at Makassar City. Blackeye thicklip wrasse sex ratio was not balanced. This imbalance was thought to have something to do with the “r” reproductive strategy where blackeye thicklip wrasse tries to produce as many eggs as possible to maintain its population. The success of this strategy probably supported by protogyny reproduction patterns where young fish can produce eggs as fast and as much as possible before being devoured by predators. Based on its gonad structure, blackeye thicklip wrasse could be classified as fish with a total spawning pattern that take place long spawning period or individual different spawning period throughout the year. The size at the first maturity of blackeye thicklip wrasse female was 21.4 cm; it was much smaller than half the size that has ever been caught.
Importance of boreal forested wetlands for epiphytic macrolichen communities

Forested wetlands provide ecosystem services and often support elevated levels of biodiversity and rare species. However, forested wetlands are understudied and face threats such as logging and land conversion. Epiphytic lichens are abundant in forested wetlands and may be useful to help delineate microhabitats across wetland–upland gradients. We investigated epiphytic macrolichen richness, diversity, and community composition in 15 sites in the Avalon Forest Ecoregion, Newfoundland, Canada. Within each site, we set up three parallel 40 m transects in (i) the forested wetland, (ii) the ecotone, and (iii) the upland forest. Along each transect, we selected five balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. ) trees 10 m apart and surveyed for macrolichens on the lower bole. We collected data on tree height and tree diameter at breast height, which differed significantly among forest types. We also collected data on tree age and canopy cover, which did not differ significantly among forest types. Contrary to hypotheses suggesting that biodiversity is highest in ecotones, we found that mean macrolichen richness was significantly higher in wetlands, lower in the ecotones, and lowest in upland forests, and macrolichen diversity followed a similar pattern but with no significant difference among groups. Macrolichen community composition significantly differed among wetlands, ecotones, and upland forests. A lichen of conservation concern, Erioderma pedicellatum (Hue) P.M. Jørg. , was detected primarily in forested wetlands, highlighting wetlands as key habitats for rare epiphytic macrolichens.
Can Solar Wind Decompressive Discontinuities Suppress Magnetospheric Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves Associated With Fresh Proton Injections?

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves play an important role in the energy transfer among particles of different energies and species in the magnetosphere, whose drivers have been commonly recognized as solar wind compressions and storm/substorm proton injections. However, how the solar wind decompressions related to frequently occurring discontinuities compete with the proton injections in the evolution of EMIC waves has been rarely investigated. Here we present a complete end‐to‐end observation by Wind, THEMIS, and Van Allen Probes missions during the main phase of the 23 February 2014 storm of a succession of solar wind rotational discontinuities decompressing the magnetosphere within 200 s, adiabatically decelerating the freshly injected >10 keV protons, and thus suppressing the EMIC waves in the inner magnetosphere. Our results highlight the importance of solar wind conditions for the evolution of inner magnetospheric EMIC waves from a new perspective.
The Effects of Upper‐Hybrid Waves on Energy Dissipation in the Electron Diffusion Region

Using a two‐dimensional particle‐in‐cell simulation, we investigate the effects and roles of upper‐hybrid waves (UHW) near the electron diffusion region (EDR). The energy dissipation via the wave‐particle interaction in our simulation agrees with J · E′ measured by magnetospheric multiscale (MMS) spacecraft. It means that UHW contributes to the local energy dissipation. As a result of wave‐particle interactions, plasma parameters which determine the larger‐scale energy dissipation in the EDR are changed. The y‐directional current decreases while the pressure tensor Pyz increases/decreases when the agyrotropic beam density is low/high, where (x, y, z)‐coordinates correspond the (L, M, N)‐boundary coordinates. Because the reconnection electric field comes from −∂Pyz/∂z, our result implies that UHW plays an additional role in affecting larger‐scale energy dissipation in the EDR by changing plasma parameters. We provide a simple diagram that shows how the UHW activities change the profiles of plasma parameters near the EDR comparing cases with and without UHW.
The Factor Structure of the Tacit Knowledge Inventory for High School Teachers in a Greek Context

This study presents the factor structure underlying Tacit Knowledge Inventory for High School Teachers (TKI-HS) which constitutes an informative measure for the assessment of experienced-based tacit knowledge of Greek secondary school teachers, as well as the effect of the teaching experience factor on teachers’ preferred strategies for their workplace interactions. The aim of this study was to provide an insight into the factor structure underlying this instrument in a Greek context, as the structure of its factors has only been assessed in a limited European context. The sample consisted of 279 high-school teachers, 83 men (29.7%) and 196 women (70.3%) who varied in the amount of teaching experience, ranging from 1 to 19 years. The participants completed a Greek version of the TKI-HS inventory consisting of 11 scenarios, each of which provides seven strategies as a framework for evaluating teachers’ responses to potentially challenging social situations. Confirmatory factor analyses verified the single-factor structure of each of the seven strategies, which were included in each of the 11 scenarios of the Greek version of the TKI-HS inventory, confirming, in total, a slightly different structure of the Greek version of the TKI-HS Inventory from the one suggested by the inventory designers. Teaching experience has been found to have a small effect on the respondents’ choice of tacit knowledge strategies for their interpersonal interactions. Implications for future research were identified and discussed.