Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
El Niño Southern Oscillation, monsoon anomaly, and childhood diarrheal disease morbidity in Nepal

Abstract Climate change is adversely impacting the burden of diarrheal diseases. Despite significant reduction in global prevalence, diarrheal disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among young children in low- and middle-income countries. Previous studies have shown that diarrheal disease is associated with meteorological conditions but the role of large-scale climate phenomena such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and monsoon anomaly is less understood. We obtained 13 years (2002–2014) of diarrheal disease data from Nepal and investigated how the disease rate is associated with phases of ENSO (El Niño, La Niña, vs. ENSO neutral) monsoon rainfall anomaly (below normal, above normal, vs. normal), and changes in timing of monsoon onset, and withdrawal (early, late, vs. normal). Monsoon season was associated with a 21% increase in diarrheal disease rates (Incident Rate Ratios [IRR]: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.16–1.27). El Niño was associated with an 8% reduction in risk while the La Niña was associated with a 32% increase in under-5 diarrheal disease rates. Likewise, higher-than-normal monsoon rainfall was associated with increased rates of diarrheal disease, with considerably higher rates observed in the mountain region (IRR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.19–1.92). Our findings suggest that under-5 diarrheal disease burden in Nepal is significantly influenced by ENSO and changes in seasonal monsoon dynamics. Since both ENSO phases and monsoon can be predicted with considerably longer lead time compared to weather, our findings will pave the way for the development of more effective early warning systems for climate sensitive infectious diseases.
Trends detection of flu based on ensemble models with emotional factors from social networks

Influenza is an acute respiratory illness and widespread activity that occurs every year. Detection and prevention of influenza in its earliest stage would reduce the spread range of the illness. Sina microblog is a popular microblogging service in China, which can be treated as perfect reference sources for flu detection because of its real‐time character. A large number of active users post about their daily life continually. In this paper, we investigate the real‐time flu detection problem and propose a flu detection model with emotion factors and semantic information. First, we extract flu‐related microblog posts automatically in real time by adopting support vector machine (SVM) filter and semantic features. We use association rule mining to extract strongly associated features as additional features for posts to overcome the limitation of 140 words, including sentiment information, which can help us to classify the posts without flu‐related features. Then, the conditional random field model is revised and applied to detect the transition time of flu so that we can find out which place is more likely to have influenza outbreak and when it is more likely to have influenza outbreak in a city or province in China. Experimental results on detecting flu situation during certain times in some locations show the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed model, which might help health authorities in predicting flu outbreak ahead and take timely control action and response. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Socially Adaptive Self-Organizing Virtual Academic Adviser

One of the major administrative processes at the university ‐ the term enrolment, starts few weeks before the start of each following term and ends a week after the start of the courses. The students have to submit an enrolment application for the academic term with a selection of courses which then has to be approved by the academic adviser. The virtual academic adviser is introduced to give the student measures of his success in comparison to other students. Further, the future academic terms of the student are mapped according to his average speed and his graduation date is forecast. The component enables the student to perform what-if scenarios and change his load, change plan/program, rearrange courses in order to come up with the best plan until graduation. This paper presents an ongoing work in
From the fringes into mainstream politics: intermediary networks and movement-party coordination of a global anti-immigration campaign in Germany

ABSTRACT Many liberal democracies have witnessed the rise of radical right parties and movements that threaten liberal values of tolerance and inclusion. Extremist movement factions may promote inflammatory ideas that engage broader publics, but party leaders face dilemmas of endorsing content from extremist origins. However, when that content is shared over larger intermediary networks of aligned supporters and media sites, it may become laundered or disconnected from its original sources so that parties can play it back as official communication. With a dynamic network analysis and various-time series analysis we tracked content flows from the German version of a global far-right anti-immigration campaign across different media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, and collections of far-right and mainstream media sites. The analysis shows how content from the small extremist Identitarian Movement spread over expanding networks of low-level activists of the Alternative for Germany party and far-right alternative media sites. That network bridging enabled party leadership to launder the source of the content and roll out its own version of the campaign. As a result, national attention became directed to extremist ideas.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY of HEALTH UNITS of the 6TH GREEK HEALTH REGION DURING an ECONOMIC CRISIS PERIOD through DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS METHOD

The aim of the present study is to investigate the change in relative efficiency through a comparative study on the efficiency of health units within a Greek health region during an economic crisis environment, with the aid of a new application. The study is designed to collect data from the 6 th Greek health region and to process that data with the use of Data Envelopment Analysis software. The study methodology extends to the application of the study of efficiency of organisations and the integration of the analysis in an interpretation framework within the economic crisis. The study refers to similar hospital clinics (pathological) within one of the largest Greek health regions in order for the results to be comparable. We estimate and calculate the DEA sizes based on the CRS, VRS and SE models of the Health Units of a Greek health region, with the use of a new application which calculates the change of overall relative Efficiency during the crisis. The study of the change in the efficiency of health units leads to useful conclusions on the negative changes in the observed efficiency of the units and the integration of the studies on the change of efficiency in the Integrated crisis management. The study ranks the efficient and inefficient units and suggests ways of improvement. This study allows for further case studies in the future and the completion of the integrated crisis management model through comparative studies on the efficiency of systems.
Mid-term outcomes of hemipelvic allograft reconstruction after pelvic bone tumor resections

Nevertheless, none of these reconstruction techniques can be shown superior to the others. All techniques have many complications in terms of oncological disease (recurrences or metastases) and reconstruction (infection, dislocation, and loosening) itself. [4] Objectives: This study aims to evaluate survival of patients and implants, functions, and morbidity of surgical technique of reconstruction with a fresh-frozen massive pelvic allograft following a pelvic resection. Patients and methods: Between January 2009 and December 2016, a total of 19 patients (12 males, 7 females; mean age: 35.8±14.4 years; range, 10 to 53 years) who underwent reconstruction with fresh-frozen massive allograft after internal hemipelvectomy were retrospectively analyzed. Patients̓ age, sex, resection types, histopathology and grades, surgical margins, operative times, intraoperative blood loss, complications experienced during their treatment (infection, dislocation, implant failure, nonunion, local recurrence and metastasis), neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies they received, and functional scores were revelaed and analyzed in 10 years period. Results: According to the Enneking and Dunham classification, two (10%) patients had type I resection only, six (32%) had type I-II, one (5%) had a type II resection, one (5%) had type II-III resection, three (16%) had type I-II-III resection, one (5%) had type I-IV resection, and five (26%) had type I-II-IV resection. The resection involved the acetabulum (type II) in all, but three patients. Several complications were seen in 12 patients, although seven patients had no complication. Pelvic resections had a high mortality rate in patients with malignant tumors and reconstruction with massive allograft had a high morbidity rate with susceptibility to many complications. Prolonged surgical time was found to be directly related to blood loss. Deep infection significantly worsened functional results. Conclusion: Despite the high complication rates seen in pelvic resections, massive pelvic allografts represent a valid option for reconstruction after resection of pelvic tumors, but due to the associated morbidity, patients should be carefully selected.
Beyond Nelson : a post-heroic study of leader-follower interaction in the Royal Navy

Leadership studies have traditionally considered leader characteristics to account for leadership outcomes such as leader emergence or team performance. This heroic narrative has always had its opponents but recently a post-heroic approach is becoming more prominent. Post-heroic approaches contest the assertion that leadership outcomes are mainly the product of leader traits. My research begins with a particular leader trait, the ability to interact, and bridges the two approaches by investigating the process from leader competence to leadership outcomes. The research uses a sequential exploratory design incorporating mixed methods. Three projects were conducted in Royal Navy (RN) warships. A qualitative project developed a leader-follower interaction model. The model suggests that leadership is granted by followers after a long-term series of mundane encounters. These encounters allow followers to build a group consensus of leader prestige. Prestige inuences follower behaviour such as engagement, disengagement and a covert form of resistance called levelling. A second project mapped the advice and participation networks on RN vessels and determined the prestige of team and sub-team leaders. Regression techniques allowed me to verify empirically the signicant relationship between prestige scores and team performance for ships conducting Sea Training. A nal project conducted on a warship in the South Atlantic verified a similar relationship between advice network prestige and intra-team communication. Finally I used the findings of the two empirical projects, based on sub-team or dyadic relationships, to model the effects of prestige at the group level, using computer simulation. I discovered that prestige that is dispersed throughout a group generates more effective teams, in terms of communication, than other conditions. This challenges the traditional top-down view of leadership communication. The resulting leader-follower interaction model describes a series of mundane and contested encounters through which prestige is given to dispersed leaders within a group. The theoretical impact of my research is to develop trait-process approaches to leadership and to describe leader-follower interaction as a post-heroic process. In doing so, I synthesise engagement theory with antropological approaches, including resistance to leadership. Practically, my projects validate the RN's compentency method of selecting leaders but points out that prestigious leaders alone cannot maximise team performance.
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Acceptance in the Global Context: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Large-scale vaccination is the only hope to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies show that many people are hesitant to get vaccinated and the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy varies between countries and non-dominant groups. Our study aims to shed light on the latest trends in vaccine hesitancy and acceptance across countries and identify the predictors driving these trends in the global context. We used meta-analytic techniques to analyse the trends in vaccine hesitancy and acceptance, and a systematic review approach to analyse their predictors in the global context. We found that, across all studies, the acceptance and hesitancy rates for taking the vaccine are 64% and 21% respectively. The acceptance rate among healthcare workers was found to be higher than the general adult population (70% vs 61%). Female gender, concerns on side effects and perceiving the vaccine unsafe were the most reported predictors of hesitancy. Older age, higher educational level, flu vaccine history, and low perceived risks were found to predict COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Many nations face huge challenges to get their significant proportion of populations immune to COVID-19. It is important to disseminate accurate information through trusted channels, and policymakers should address predictors of hesitancy when designing vaccination policies.
Identification of the Citrus Superoxide Dismutase Family and Their Roles in Response to Phytohormones and Citrus Bacterial Canker

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) play critical roles in plants, especially in the maintenance of redox homeostasis. The response of SODs in Citrus (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) to citrus bacterial canker (CBC) infection were investigated. The CsSODs were identified, and their gene structures, phylogeny, conserved domains and motifs, predicted interactions, and chromosomal distribution were analyzed. CsSOD expression in response to stress-related plant hormones (salicylic acid, SA; methyl jasmonate, MeJA; and abscisic acid, ABA) and Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) infection were also investigated. Thirteen CsSODs were identified in C. sinensis, including four Fe/MnSODs and nine Cu/ZnSODs with typical functional domains. The CsSODs were distributed on chromosomes 3, 5, 7, and 8. Specific hormone-response motifs were identified in the gene promoter regions. Ten genes were induced by MeJA treatment, as shown by qRT-PCR, and were upregulated in the CBC-susceptible Wanjincheng citrus variety, while CsSOD06 and CsSOD08 were upregulated by ABA in both the Wanjincheng and the CBC-resistant Kumquat varieties. Xcc infection significantly altered the levels of most CsSODs. The overexpression of CsSOD06 and CsSOD08 resulted in increased hydrogen peroxide levels and SOD activity. Our findings highlight the significance of SOD enzymes in the plant response to pathogen infection and have a potential application for breeding CBC-tolerant citrus varieties.
LTE Radio Planning Using Atoll Radio Planning and Optimization Software

Long Term Evolution (LTE) is most enhanced Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) technology. LTE is the standard in the mobile network technology tree that previously realized the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA technologies. LTE is expected to ensure 3GPP's competitive edge over other cellular technologies. As standardization work of LTE is approaching the end line, it's high time to go for efficient radio network planning guideline for LTE. In LTE just like other cellular technologies, initial planning is normally guided by various industries and operators at their own discretion. They aren't likely to open their advancements and findings. As a result, going on with LTE radio network planning perspective is a well-chosen challenge and a certain hot topic in the current research area. In this work, a detailed LTE radio network planning i.e. capacity and coverage analysis has been performed in order to prepare a radio planning guideline considering possible network implementation in the density in Khartoum city.
Anthropometric indicators of obesity for the prediction of metabolic syndrome in the older adults

Introduction: The anthropometric indicators of obesity may be important in predicting metabolic syndrome (MS). Objective: To evaluate the anthropometric indicators as predictors of MS and verify the association of these indicators with MS in older adult individuals of both sexes. Methods: Cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out with 222 individuals aged 60 years or older residents in the urban area of Aiquara, Bahia state, Brazil. Older adults were measured for anthropometric indicators: body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist circumference, conicity index, the sum of skinfolds; blood pressure; biochemical variables: fasting glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and fractions. For the diagnosis of MS, the definition of the International Diabetes Federation was used. Descriptive and inferential data analysis was tested using correlation, the Poisson regression technique, and the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: The prevalence of MS was 62.3%. There was a correlation of all anthropometric indicators with MS in both sexes. The indicators of visceral fat had a strong association in that these indicators had an area under the ROC curve higher than 0.76 (CI95% 0.66–0.85). Thus, most results showed a weak correlation. Conclusion: All anthropometric indicators can be used to predict MS in older adults for both sexes, however, BMI and WHtR showed the best predictions.
Effects of Extended Short-Term Aging Duration on Asphalt Binder Behaviour at High Temperatures

Many factors affecting pavement performance include variations in binder composition and environmental conditions during asphalt mixture production. Hence, predicting pavement performance is a difficult task. This paper aims to investigate the effects of short term aging on binder viscosity at high temperature. In order to predict the effects of short term aging on the asphalt binder viscosity at high temperatures, a Response Surface Method was performed on the Rotational Viscometer test results. An experimental matrix was planned based on the central composite design for aging duration and test temperature. The test results showed that aging increased the binder viscosity, while increasing test temperature decreased the corresponding value. However, aging effects differ and depend on binder types, test temperatures and aging conditions. It was also found that the Response Surface Method is a fast, effective and reliable method to predict the effects of aging on binder viscosity behaviour at high temperatures.
Improved Rotational-XOR Cryptanalysis of Simon-like Block Ciphers

Rotational-XOR (RX) cryptanalysis is a cryptanalytic method aimed at finding distinguishable statistical properties in ARX-C ciphers, i.e., ciphers that can be described only by using modular addition, cyclic rotation, XOR, and the injection of constants. In this paper we extend RX-cryptanalysis to AND-RX ciphers, a similar design paradigm where the modular addition is replaced by vectorial bitwise AND; such ciphers include the block cipher families Simon and Simeck. We analyze the propagation of RX-differences through AND-RX rounds and develop a closed form formula for their expected probability. Inspired by the MILP verification model proposed by Sadeghi et al., we develop a SAT/SMT model for searching compatible RX-characteristics in Simon-like ciphers, i.e., that there are at least one right pair of messages/keys to satisfy the RK-characteristics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first model that takes the RX-difference transitions and value transitions simultaneously into account in Simon-like ciphers. Meanwhile, we investigate how the choice of the round constants affects the resistance of Simon-like ciphers against RX-cryptanalysis. Finally, we show how to use an RXdistinguisher for a key recovery attack. Evaluating our model we find compatible RX-characteristics of up to 20, 27, and 34 rounds with respective probabilities of 2−26, 2−44, and 2−56 for versions of Simeck with block sizes of 32, 48, and 64 bits, respectively, for large classes of weak keys in the related-key model. In most cases, these are the longest published distinguishers for the respective variants of Simeck. In the case of Simon, we present compatible RX-characteristics for round-reduced versions of all ten instances. We observe that for equal block and key sizes, the RX-distinguishers cover fewer rounds in Simon than in Simeck. Concluding the paper, we present a key recovery attack on Simeck 64 reduced to 28 rounds using a 23-round RX-characteristic.
Industrial upgrading in the apparel value chain and the role of designer in the transition: Comparative analysis of Sri Lanka and Hong Kong

The apparel industry is a major export industry in Sri Lanka that depends upon labour intensive manufacturing. The Sri Lankan apparel industry is transitioning from Cut, Make, Trims (CMT) assembly and Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) to Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) and Original Brand Manufacturing (OBM) , experiencing the economic benefits of apparel product export. The transition relies on having expert professionals who can provide creative, commercial, technical, and leadership skills in the process. In order to identify the creative roles and responsibilities that can contribute to the industrial upgrading process in Sri Lanka, this paper first provides an analysis of the global apparel value chain and the journeys of the countries with newly industrialized economies (NIEs) in the region. Second, a comparison of Hong Kong and Sri Lankan apparel industries contextualises the development of fashion design within each nation’s industry as a competitive advantage. In each country we examine three factors that demonstrate growth in fashion design: development of fashion design education; development of exportable own brands; and the establishment of local showcases to a global audience. The examples of both Hong Kong and Sri Lanka demonstrate the ways in which creative roles may act as a bridge between production and marketing networks, buyers and producers in maintaining and building industry value-adding for highly sophisticated and competitive fashion production systems. Although the Sri Lankan apparel industry has not progressed as far as Hong Kong in this arena, evidence suggests the industry is actively growing design capabilities.