Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mapping, assessing and promoting multiple psychological senses of community (MPSOC) through clinical pathways for treating substance use problems

Aim: The recent nationally implemented clinical pathways for the treatment of substance use problems in Norway require mapping and assessing of patients’ needs, challenges, and resources. However, there is a lack of tools for systematically mapping and assessing patients’ social situations and social networks as part of the national guidelines. The aim of this article is to present a tool developed to map and assess the patient’s social situation, and to propose approaches for promoting multiple psychological senses of community (MPSOC) through clinical pathways for treating substance use problems. Methods: The proposed tool and approaches are developed based on findings in a previous in-depth collaborative study of MPSOC and recovery among people with substance use problems who received help and services from Norwegian municipalities. Findings: The findings suggest that multiple communities (geographical, relational and ideal) and senses of communities (within and outside treatment) simultaneously can influence individual recovery processes from problematic substance use in both positive as well as negative ways. As such, these community dimensions are of central importance to include in mapping and assessing of patients’ social situations, as well as in the promotion of MPSOC through clinical pathways. Conclusions: The suggested tool and approaches can increase the likelihood of achieving key aims of the national clinical pathways. Most important, mapping, assessing and promoting MPSOC through clinical pathways may promote long-term recovery processes and positive recovery capital for persons with substance use problems.
A review of research on co‐training

Co‐training algorithm is one of the main methods of semi‐supervised learning in machine learning, which explores the effective information in unlabeled data by multi‐learner collaboration. Based on the development of co‐training algorithm, the research work in recent years was further summarized in this article. In particular, three main steps of relevant co‐training algorithms are introduced: view acquisition, learners' differentiation, and label confidence estimation. Finally, we summarized the problems existing in the current co‐training methods, gave some suggestions for improvement, and looked forward to the future development direction of the co‐training algorithm.
Inspection of transverse flaws for railways using phased array ultrasonic technique

Rail monitoring is an important activity which aims to preserve the safety and availability of railways. According to statistics, the primary cause of railway accidents is due to transverse defects that occur in the rail head. These special defects develop generally in a plane orthogonal to the rail running direction. The detection of these defects is a priority to increase the safety of rail transportation. Rail control monitoring techniques mostly rely on infrared thermography, eddy currents, air-coupled acoustic sensors, and ultrasounds. The present research studies the rail diagnosis by means of a non-contact device. The focus is on ultrasonic based methods where excitation is generated by thermal elastic coupling following laser irradiation of the rail head. For the reception of echoes, a special ultrasound sensor was used. In order to sense defects, phased array elements, which use multiple transducers and electronic time delays, are used to increase and to focalise the signal intensity. Flaws that have a moderate extension are better detected by the proposed method than with laser irradiation consisting of a single spot.
Enhanced Binary MQ Arithmetic Coder with Look-Up Table

Binary MQ arithmetic coding is widely used as a basic entropy coder in multimedia coding system. MQ coder esteems high in compression efficiency to be used in JBIG2 and JPEG2000. The importance of arithmetic coding is increasing after it is adopted as a unique entropy coder in HEVC standard. In the binary MQ coder, arithmetic approximation without multiplication is used in the process of recursive subdivision of range interval. Because of the MPS/LPS exchange activity that happens in the MQ coder, the output byte tends to increase. This paper proposes an enhanced binary MQ arithmetic coder to make use of look-up table (LUT) for (A × Qe) using quantization skill to improve the coding efficiency. Multi-level quantization using 2-level, 4-level and 8-level look-up tables is proposed in this paper. Experimental results applying to binary documents show about 3% improvement for basic context-free binary arithmetic coding. In the case of JBIG2 bi-level image compression standard, compression efficiency improved about 0.9%. In addition, in the case of lossless JPEG2000 compression, compressed byte decreases 1.5% using 8-level LUT. For the lossy JPEG2000 coding, this figure is a little lower, about 0.3% improvement of PSNR at the same rate.
Immune modulation attenuates infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis in mice before and after disease onset

Abstract Targeting neuroinflammation in models for infantile and juvenile forms of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL, CLN disease) with the clinically established immunomodulators fingolimod and teriflunomide significantly attenuates the neurodegenerative phenotype when applied preventively, i.e. before the development of substantial neural damage and clinical symptoms. Here, we show that in a mouse model for the early onset and rapidly progressing CLN1 form, more complex clinical phenotypes like disturbed motor coordination and impaired visual acuity are also ameliorated by immunomodulation. Moreover, we show that the disease outcome can be attenuated even when fingolimod and teriflunomide treatment starts after disease onset, i.e. when neurodegeneration is ongoing and clinical symptoms are detectable. In detail, treatment with either drug led to a reduction in T-cell numbers and microgliosis in the CNS, although not to the same extent as upon preventive treatment. Pharmacological immunomodulation was accompanied by a reduction of axonal damage, neuron loss and astrogliosis in the retinotectal system and by reduced brain atrophy. Accordingly, the frequency of myoclonic jerks and disturbed motor coordination were attenuated. Overall, disease alleviation was remarkably substantial upon therapeutic treatment with both drugs, although less robust than upon preventive treatment. To test the relevance of putative immune-independent mechanisms of action in this model, we treated CLN1 mice lacking mature T- and B-lymphocytes. Immunodeficient CLN1 mice showed, as previously reported, an improved neurological phenotype in comparison with genuine CLN1 mice which could not be further alleviated by either of the drugs, reflecting a predominantly immune-related therapeutic mechanism of action. The present study supports and strengthens our previous view that repurposing clinically approved immunomodulators may alleviate the course of CLN1 disease in human patients, even though diagnosis usually occurs when symptoms have already emerged.
Electrodeposition of Aluminum in the 1-Ethyl-3-Methylimidazolium Tetrachloroaluminate Ionic Liquid

The electrodeposition of Al was investigated in an ionic liquid (IL), with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroaluminate ([EMIm]AlCl4) as the electrolyte with AlCl3 precursor. The [EMIm]AlCl4 electrolyte exhibited a wide and stable electrochemical window from 3.2 to 2.3 V on a glassy carbon electrode when temperature was increased from 30 °C to 110 °C. The addition of AlCl3 into [EMIm]AlCl4 generated significant well-developed nucleation growth loops, and new coupled reduction and oxidation peaks in cyclic voltammograms corresponding to the Al deposition and dissolution, respectively. A calculation model was proposed predicting compositions of anions in AlCl3/[EMIm]AlCl4 system, and [Al2Cl7]− was found to be the active species for Al deposition. In AlCl3/[EMIm]AlCl4 (1:5), the reduction rate constants were 1.18 × 10−5 cm s−1 and 3.37 × 10−4 cm s−1 at 30 °C and 110 °C, respectively. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) microscope results showed that the metallic Al film had been successfully deposited on glassy carbon electrodes through constant-potential cathodic reductions. The [EMIm]AlCl4 was a promising electrolyte directly used for Al deposition.
An update and beyond: key landscapes for conservation land cover and change monitoring, thematic and validation datasets for the African, Caribbean and Pacific region

Abstract. Natural resources are increasingly being threatened in the world. Threats to biodiversity and human well-being pose enormous challenges to many vulnerable areas. Effective monitoring and protection of sites with strategic conservation importance require timely monitoring with special focus on certain land cover classes which are especially vulnerable. Larger ecological zones and wildlife corridors warrant monitoring as well, as these areas have an even higher degree of pressure and habitat loss as they are not "protected" compared to Protected Areas (i.e. National Parks, etc.). To address such a need, a satellite-imagery-based monitoring workflow to cover at-risk areas was developed. During the program’s first phase, a total of 560 442 km2 area in sub-Saharan Africa was covered. In this update we remapped some of the areas with the latest satellite images available, and in addition we added some new areas to be mapped. Thus, in this version we updated and mapped an additional 852 025 km2 in the Caribbean, African and Pacific regions with up to 32 land cover classes. Medium to high spatial resolution satellite imagery was used to generate dense time series data from which the thematic land cover maps were derived. Each map and change map were fully verified and validated by an independent team to achieve our strict data quality requirements. The independent validation datasets for each Key Landscape for Conservation (KLC) are also described and presented here (all presented datasets are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4621375, Szantoi et al., 2021).
An Analytical Framework for Measuring Inequality in the Public Opinions on Policing – Assessing the impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic using Twitter Data

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the globe, police forces are charged with new roles as they engage and enforce new policies and laws governing societal behaviours. However, how the police exercise these powers are an important factor in shaping public opinion and confidence concerning their activities across space and time. This research developed an analytical framework for measuring the inequality in the public opinion towards policing efforts during the pandemic using Twitter data. We demonstrate the utility of our framework using 3-months of tweets across 42 police force areas (PFAs) of England and Wales (UK). The results reveal that public opinions on policing is overwhelmingly negative across space and time, and that these opinions have been most exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in three specific PFAs, namely Staffordshire, Thames Valley, and North Wales. We provided the link to the open-source script by which this research could be replicated and adapted to other study areas. This research has the potential to help law enforcement understand the dynamics of public confidence and trust in policing and facilitate action towards improved police services
Dynamic Recognition and Tracking of Barium Flow Field Based on Deglutition Video

Dynamic fluoroscopy was used to study swallowing in 84 adult patients. We proposed a method to extract the barium contrast region by improved interframe difference method, and to indirectly determine the position of epigmatous cartilage and cricopharyngeal muscle according to the location of barium meal. The method is easy to understand, and the extraction effect is good, with 85% probability of successful extraction. On the other hand, in order to evaluate the degree of deglutition difficulty, we used calculation to evaluate variables including displacement, duration, residual quantity, etc., except that there were gender differences in variables and external factors, such as illumination, most of the measurement variables had very good reliability. The experimental results showed that the moving target fluid barium was extracted by quantifying dynamic fluorescence deglutition and using gaussian based background subtraction algorithm. We conclude that this approach significantly reduces the time it takes clinicians to examine moving images. This paper describes how to study swallowing disorders by X-ray barium fluoroscopy, explains the application of interframe difference algorithm and background subtraction in deglutiography, and extracts the residual amounts in three locations: oral cavity, epiglottic cartilage and piriform fosse.
No evidence that horn trimming affects white rhinoceros horn use during comfort behaviour and resource access

Rhino species use their horns in social interactions but also when accessing resources, rubbing and in interspecific defence. The current poaching crisis has seen southern white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum simum) increasingly dehorned as a conservation management practise, but few studies have evaluated whether the procedure has any behavioural effects. This study sought to document and describe horn-contingent behaviours during resource access, wallowing and rubbing in freeranging white rhinos and establish whether dehorning, also known as horn trimming, impacts on their frequency or function. Data were collected through camera trapping and field observations at two sites in South Africa. The results provide no evidence that dehorning disrupts digging behaviours during mineral consumption or wallowing and suggests that dehorning is unlikely to have a strong biological impact on resource access. Furthermore, the frequency of horn-rubbing behaviours did not appear to be influenced by levels of horn growth. This suggests the procedure has a limited impact on these aspects of the species’ ecology and provides support that dehorning can be employed as a management tool to reduce poaching in freeranging populations of white rhino.
Heart Rate Detection and Classification from Speech Spectral Features Using Machine Learning

Measurement of vital signs of the human body such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and respiratory rate is an important part of diagnosing medical conditions and these are usually measured using medical equipment. In this paper, we propose to estimate an important vital sign – heart rate from speech signals using machine learning algorithms. Existing literature, observation and experience suggest the existence of a correlation between speech characteristics and physiological, psychological as well as emotional conditions. In this work, we estimate the heart rate of individuals by applying machine learning based regression algorithms to Mel frequency cepstrum coefficients, which represent speech features in the spectral domain as well as the temporal variation of spectral features. The estimated heart rate is compared with actual measurement made using a conventional medical device at the time of recording speech. We obtain estimation accuracy close to 94% between the estimated and actual measured heart rate values. Binary classification of heart rate as ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’ is also achieved with 100% accuracy. A comparison of machine learning algorithms in terms of heart rate estimation and classification accuracy is also presented. Heart rate measurement using speech has applications in remote monitoring of patients, professional athletes and can facilitate telemedicine.
The role of thrombophilia related polymorphisms in Coronavirus pandemic mortality

The current study represents a comprehensive analysis in several databases and extensive bibliographic review, aiming to evaluate the correlation between the frequency of thrombophilia related polymorphisms with mortality rates by COVID-19 worldwide. We found 8 polymorphisms at 8 genes statistically correlated with Daily Death Rates of COVID-19, being an important clue to assignment of genes involved in poor prognosis of COVID-19, specifically the ones related to thromboembolic events.
Bimodal molecular mass distribution in surfactant-free emulsion polymerization as a consequence of coagulative nucleation

It is demonstrated that the often observed broadness of the molecular weight distribution obtained from latex particles synthesized by means of surfactant-free emulsion polymerization results from the multistage kinetics. The initial stage of the polymerization, by which the primary particles are formed, is of the 01-kind which means that it can be assumed that the particles are so small that at any moment of time there is no more than one radical chain per particle. After the aggregation of primary particles into secondary particles, the so called coagulative nucleation step, the polymerization kinetics in the subsequently coalesced secondary particles is of the pseudo-bulk kind which means that there are so many radicals in the particles that the polymerization process proceeds as in bulk. The important consequence is that the molecular weight of the 01-process is about one order of magnitude larger than that of the pseudo-bulk process. Hence, each of these polymerization modes and the aggregation stage in-between leave their traces in the molecular weight distribution as is shown by experiments aimed at prolonging the initial formation kinetics. Bimodal molecular weight distributions are found both for ionic and non-ionic initiators.
An In‐Depth Analysis of Lightning Trends in Hurricane Harvey Using Satellite and Ground‐Based Measurements

Satellite lightning measurements from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) and ground‐based measurements from Earth Networks Total Lightning Network (ENTLN) for Hurricane Harvey (2017) are combined to obtain a better representation of intra‐cloud and cloud‐to‐ground lightning and their relationship to intensification and weakening of the hurricane. Through this combination, detection efficiencies of ENTLN and GLM are calculated for the rainband and eyewall of Harvey. In addition, the combined data set is used to derive the cloud flash fraction (CFF) and cloud pulse fraction (CPF) throughout the study period. The results show that flash and pulse rates increase in both the eyewall and rainband prior to rapid intensification in Harvey. The rainband lightning has the highest correlation to Harvey's intensification, where increases in lightning correspond to the largest periods of wind‐speed intensification. The eyewall CFF is also highly correlated to intensification, with minima in eyewall CFF and CPF coinciding with slower intensification periods in Harvey, while increasing CFF and CPF corresponds to more rapidly intensifying periods. Further, GLM flash characteristics including the events per flash, groups per flash, maximum group area, maximum number of events per group, flash footprint, flash energy, and flash duration are tracked and compared to Harvey's wind‐speeds. Nearly all seven flash characteristics show an increase prior to rapid intensification, with the strongest correlation to intensification found with the rainband lightning spatial characteristics. This research represents a step forward in the application of lightning data that can be used in future studies of tropical cyclone intensification and weakening.
Partitioning tree diversity patterns to prioritize conservation investments

Summary The available tools and approaches to inform conservation decisions commonly assume detailed distribution data. We examine how well-established ecological concepts about patterns in local richness and community turnover can help overcome data limitations when planning future protected areas. To inform our analyses, we surveyed tree species in protected areas in the southern Appalachian Mountains in the eastern USA. We used the survey data to construct predictive models for alpha and beta diversity based on readily observed biophysical variables and combined them to create a heuristic that could predict among-site richness in trees (gamma diversity). The predictive models suggest that site elevation and latitude in this montane system explain much of the variation in alpha and beta diversity in tree species. We tested how well resulting protected areas would represent species if a conservation planner lacking detailed species inventories for candidate sites were to rely only on our alpha, beta and gamma diversity predictions. Our approach selected sites that, when aggregated, covered a large proportion of the overall species pool. The combined gamma diversity models performed even better when we also accounted for the cost of protecting sites. Our results demonstrate that classic community biogeography concepts remain highly relevant to conservation practice today.
A digital phase-based on-fly offset compensation method for decision feedback equalisers

Universidad Industrial de Santander; The European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN Abstract A low‐complexity method to reduce the offset voltage of dynamic comparators employed as samplers in decision feedback equalisers (DFE) is introduced. The authors propose the phase‐domain offset reduction technique (PORT), which leverages an all‐digital phase estimation of output data for offset compensation, without setting the comparator input to a common‐mode voltage (VCM). While traditional techniques might break the data link for offset adjustment, the proposed technique allows calibrating the comparator on‐the‐ fly. Measurements from a 26‐dB‐loss on‐chip emulated channel with chip‐scope capability validates PORT through eye‐diagrams at sampler input. A prototype was implemented in a TSMC 130 nm 1.2 V process, and experimental results show the possibility of extending PORT to state‐of‐the‐art technology nodes for multi‐gigabit operation.
Characteristics of the Special Physical Fitness of Paddlers at a Distance of 200 m

The aim of the study. The overall goal of this manuscript was to gain a better understanding of differences in the level of functional support for special endurance for paddlers of uniform groups (in terms of sports qualification): men kayakers, men canoeists, and women kayakers who specialize in a distance of 200 m. Material and methods. 20 qualified paddlers’ level of functionality is being assessed, among them are a group of elite athletes, the members of the Chinese national team and winners of the 2018 Asian Games. Results. The important feature of the analysis is the evaluation of the structure of the ergonomic power of a 30-second maximum load. Estimating the average value of the ergometric power of work for 25-30 seconds of operation in accordance with the average power of the entire 30-second load made it possible to determine the ratio of the anaerobic alactic and lactic abilities of the athletes, taking into account the requirements of a 200-meter race for canoe and kayak paddlers. A significant range of individual differences in the indices of reactive properties of the cardiorespiratory system, which are determined by the ratio of the partial pressure of СО2 and the maximum level of pulmonary ventilation (VE/PaCO2) during the10 and 30 second test task, attracts attention. The range of VE/PaCO2 indicators was: the relation of partial pressure СО2 to pulmonary ventilation in the 10 s test – 2.3 ± 0.8 for men kayakers; 2.3 ± 0.7 for men canoeists; 2.2 ± 0.5 for women kayakers; the relation of partial pressure СО2 to pulmonary ventilation in the 30 s test – 3.9 ± 1.0 for men kayakers; 3.8 ± 1.1 for men canoeists; 3.6 ± 0.7 for women kayakers. Conclusion. The results of the study indicate differences in the level of functional support for special endurance for paddlers of uniform groups (in terms of sports qualification): kayakers and canoeists who specialize in a distance of 200 m.