Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A systematic review of the use of titanium versus stainless steel implants for fracture fixation

Abstract Background: Controversy exists regarding the use of titanium and stainless steel implants in fracture surgery. To our knowledge, no recent, comprehensive review on this topic has been reported. Purpose: To perform a systematic review of the evidence in the current literature comparing differences between titanium and stainless steel implants for fracture fixation. Methods: A systematic review of original research articles was performed through the PubMed database using PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were English-language studies comparing titanium and stainless steel implants in orthopaedic surgery, and outcome data were extracted. Results: The search returned 938 studies, with 37 studies meeting our criteria. There were 12 clinical research articles performed using human subjects, 11 animal studies, and 14 biomechanical studies. Clinical studies of the distal femur showed the stainless steel cohorts had significantly decreased callus formation and an increased odds radio (OR 6.3, 2.7-15.1; P < .001) of nonunion when compared with the titanium plate cohorts. In the distal radius, 3 clinical trials showed no implant failures in either group, and no difference in incidence of plate removal, or functional outcome. Three clinical studies showed a slightly increased odds ratio of locking screw breakage with stainless steel intramedullary nails compared with titanium intramedullary nails (OR 1.52, CI 1.1-2.13). Conclusion: Stainless steel implants have equal or superior biomechanical properties when compared with titanium implants. However, there is clinical evidence that titanium plates have a lower rate of failure and fewer complications than similar stainless steel implants in some situations. Although our review supports the use of titanium implants in these clinical scenarios, we emphasize that further prospective, comparative clinical studies are required before the conclusions can be made.
MEF2D Participates in Microglia-Mediated Neuroprotection in Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Rats

ABSTRACT Objective: Microglial activation is a vital process in the neuroinflammatory response induced by I/R injury. It has been reported that myocyte enhancer factor (MEF)2D expression in activated microglia is associated with microglia-induced inflammatory responses and plays an important role in neuronal survival. This research aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of MEF2D in microglial activation and neuroinflammation in cerebral I/R in vitro and in vivo. Methods: A cerebral I/R model was established. In vitro, neuronal, or microglial cells were exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation to mimic I/R. MEF2D overexpression was induced, and siRNA was administered in vitro and in vivo. Microglial polarization; MEF2D, nuclear transcription factor (NF)-κb, TLR4, and cytokine levels; neuronal injury; mitochondrial function; brain injury and cognitive function were detected in the different groups in vitro and in vivo. Results: We found that oxygen-glucose deprivation increased MEF2D expression in a time-dependent manner in BV2 cells and primary microglia. MEF2D overexpression inhibited microglial activation, the expression of NF-κb and TLR, cytokine levels, and neuronal injury in microglia exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation. In the middle cerebral artery occlusion model, microglial activation, the neuroinflammatory response, mitochondrial dysfunction, brain injury, and cognitive function were improved by MEF2D overexpression and aggravated by MEF2D siRNA treatment. Conclusion: These results indicate that MEF2D is a necessary molecule for neuroinflammation regulation and neuronal injury in cerebral ischemia.
Student becomes teacher: training faster deep learning lightweight networks for automated identification of optical coherence tomography B-scans of interest using a student-teacher framework.

This work explores a student-teacher framework that leverages unlabeled images to train lightweight deep learning models with fewer parameters to perform fast automated detection of optical coherence tomography B-scans of interest. Twenty-seven lightweight models (LWMs) from four families of models were trained on expert-labeled B-scans (∼70 K) as either "abnormal" or "normal", which established a baseline performance for the models. Then the LWMs were trained from random initialization using a student-teacher framework to incorporate a large number of unlabeled B-scans (∼500 K). A pre-trained ResNet50 model served as the teacher network. The ResNet50 teacher model achieved 96.0% validation accuracy and the validation accuracy achieved by the LWMs ranged from 89.6% to 95.1%. The best performing LWMs were 2.53 to 4.13 times faster than ResNet50 (0.109s to 0.178s vs. 0.452s). All LWMs benefitted from increasing the training set by including unlabeled B-scans in the student-teacher framework, with several models achieving validation accuracy of 96.0% or higher. The three best-performing models achieved comparable sensitivity and specificity in two hold-out test sets to the teacher network. We demonstrated the effectiveness of a student-teacher framework for training fast LWMs for automated B-scan of interest detection leveraging unlabeled, routinely-available data.
Induced Birefringence by Drop Cast in EFBG Ammonia Sensors

In this paper, an induced birefringence was observed on an ammonia sensor based on an etched fiber Bragg grating (EFBG) coated with an organic film. The film was prepared with a solution of the perylene derivative, along with the copolymer PCDTBT in chlorobenzene. The EFBG was coated by drop cast technique, and a split in the reflection band, characteristic of birefringence, was observed after deposition. The response of the two observed peaks as a function of time was modeled by a pair of exponentials that could represent two processes: adsorption followed by diffusion of the gas molecules in the microstructured film. Such phenomena alter the boundary conditions of the optical fiber propagating mode, which allows an indirect ammonia detection by monitoring the EFBG wavelength shift of the reflected peaks. The sensor was experimentally tested in a concentration range from 3 ppm to 41,700 ppm, and the calibrations curves were determined in a range from 27 ppm to 6960 ppm. The two observed peaks showed different sensitivities, which presents an intrinsic potential for multiparameter measurements. The split in the reflection band was hypothesized to be birefringence induced by the formation of an asymmetric film. This hypothesis was numerically evaluated and compared with the experimental results.
Design and Analysis of a Photonic Crystal Based Planar Antenna for THz Applications

Modern advancements in wearable smart devices and ultra-high-speed terahertz (THz) communication systems require low cost, low profile, and highly efficient antenna design with high directionality to address the propagation loss at the THz range. For this purpose, a novel shape, high gain antenna for THz frequency range applications is presented in this work. The proposed antenna is based on a photonic bandgap (PBG)-based crystal polyimide substrate which gives optimum performance in terms of gain (9.45 dB), directivity (9.99 dBi), and highly satisfactory VSWR (<1) at 0.63 THz. The performance of the antenna is studied on PBGs of different geometrical configurations and the results are compared with the antenna based on the homogeneous polyimide-based substrate. The effects of variations in the dimensions of the PBG unit cells are also studied to achieve a −10 dB bandwidth of 28.97 GHz (0.616 to 0.64 THz).
An Asymptotic Solution for Call Options on Zero-Coupon Bonds

We present an asymptotic solution for call options on zero-coupon bonds, assuming a stochastic process for the price of the bond, rather than for interest rates in general. The stochastic process for the bond price incorporates dampening of the price return volatility based on the maturity of the bond. We derive the PDE in a similar way to Black and Scholes. Using a perturbation approach, we derive an asymptotic solution for the value of a call option. The result is interesting, as the leading order terms are equivalent to the Black–Scholes model and the additional next order terms provide an adjustment to Black–Scholes that results from the stochastic process for the price of the bond. In addition, based on the asymptotic solution, we derive delta, gamma, vega and theta solutions. We present some comparison values for the solution and the Greeks.
Associations between depressive symptoms and identity-specific social support among Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) in Baltimore City, Maryland

Abstract Introduction Depression and other adverse mental health outcomes are prevalent among Black men who have sex with men (BMSM). Social support can be protective against symptoms of depression, the effects of which may be amplified by experiences of a shared social identity. Methods We explored the associations between BMSM-specific social support and depressive symptoms among a sample of 280 BMSM. We used chi-square and t-tests to examine bivariate associations between social support, depressive symptoms, and key correlates, and logistic regression to adjust the relationship between social support and depressive symptoms. Results Most participants reported high (43.2%) or moderate (41.8%) levels of BMSM-specific social support, 38% reported depressive symptoms, and 47.6% were living with HIV. Adjusting for socioeconomic and structural vulnerabilities, health, and involvement in the gay community, high social support was associated with a marginal decrease in the odds of depressive symptoms compared to low social support. Conclusions Results indicate that BMSM-specific social support is protective against depressive symptoms even in the context of other socioeconomic and structural vulnerabilities, suggesting that strengths-based interventions focused on building community and mutual support among BMSM may be valuable tools to prevent depression and promote positive mental health outcomes for members of this population.
Optimising Nudges in Public Space: Identifying and Tackling Barriers to Design and Implementation

ABSTRACT This paper explores how applying psychological and cognitive theories in nudge design can increase the effectiveness of nudging in public space. Nudges are those policy instruments that alter human behaviour by exploiting cognitive biases/heuristics, without limiting the choice set. Based on interviews with Dutch urban planners, barriers in applying such behavioural theories are identified. These barriers relate both to urban planners’ inexperience with nudging and to the organisational and societal context in which nudges are designed. A design framework is presented to optimise the design of nudges by helping planners to identify when and where nudging is feasible.
‪Impulse wave generation: a comparison of landslides of block and granular masses by coupled Lagrangian tracking using VOF over a set mesh

This paper presents the numerical results of impulsive waves generated by landslides of solid block, granular materials and heavy block sinking. An impulse product parameter P is developed and a wide range of effective parameters are studied. The volume-of-fluid (VOF) and overset mesh methods have been used to study landslide-generated tsunamis. Also, a Lagrangian tracking approach coupled with the VOF to simulate the granular movement was developed. The effect of the water reservoir depth, the landslide height, the landslide density and the geometrical parameters on the wave height (elevation) has been investigated using the open-source OpenFOAM software. The results have been presented for dimensionless distances and the normalized geometry of the landslide in the ranges 5–7, and 1–2, respectively. These numbers have been normalized to the height of the landslide (a). According to the results of simulations, the tsunami formation process is divided into three stages, which were analyzed in detail by considering the interactions between the solid and the water reservoir. The Scott Russell wave has the highest impulse product parameter among the impulse wave mechanisms which is 58.6% of the total impulse production. In addition, the duration of the wave propagation has been computed based on the wave height.
Online time-optimal path and trajectory planning for robotic multipoint assembly

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose an efficient path and trajectory planning method to solve online robotic multipoint assembly. Design/methodology/approach A path planning algorithm called policy memorized adaptive dynamic programming (PM-ADP) combines with a trajectory planning algorithm called adaptive elite genetic algorithm (AEGA) for online time-optimal path and trajectory planning. Findings Experimental results and comparative study show that the PM-ADP is more efficient and accurate than traditional algorithms in a smaller assembly task. Under the shortest assembly path, AEGA is used to plan the time-optimal trajectories of the robot and be more efficient than GA. Practical implications The proposed method builds a new online and efficient path planning arithmetic to cope with the uncertain and dynamic nature of the multipoint assembly path in the Cartesian space. Moreover, the optimized trajectories of the joints can make the movement of the robot continuously and efficiently. Originality/value The proposed method is a combination of time-optimal path planning with trajectory planning. The traveling salesman problem model of assembly path is established to transfer the assembly process into a Markov decision process (MDP). A new dynamic programming (DP) algorithm, termed PM-ADP, which combines the memorized policy and adaptivity, is developed to optimize the shortest assembly path. GA is improved, termed AEGA, which is used for online time-optimal trajectory planning in joints space.
Evaluation of Nurses' Approaches to Deteriorating Patients: Survey Study.

OBJECTIVE Prevention of cardiopulmonary arrest in hospitalised patients is the first and most important step in the life-saving chain. When the condition of the inpatients is worsened, nurses are usually the first to see and evaluate the patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of the nurses working at the Mersin University Hospital, during their routine follow-up to the deteriorating patients and the early warning scoring (EWS) awareness. METHODS A web-based questionnaire was sent to all nurses working in inpatient services and intensive care units (ICUs) and registered to the hospital database at Mersin University Hospital via e-mail. In the questionnaire, a total of 10 multiple-choice questions were asked to the nurses questioning the unit they worked for, the EWS they used, the complaints they frequently complain about and the applications for the call for help. A total of 146 nurses were included in the study. RESULTS 43.8% (n ¼ 64) of the participants were in ICU, and 56.1% (n ¼ 82) were in service units. Participants were asked whether they used a special scoring system to recognise the deteriorating patient; 45.2% (n ¼ 66) used the scoring system; and 54.8% (n ¼ 80) reported that they did not use it. Participants working in ICU were more likely to use EWS system. Participants answered the most commonly used scoring system as the Glasgow Coma Scale (n ¼ 40). The participants reported that the most common respiratory distress (n ¼ 135), changes in consciousness (n ¼ 109), palpitations (n ¼ 98) and chest pain (n ¼ 92) occurred in the deteriorating patients. Participants reported that they frequently asked for help from a doctor (80.1%), other nurses (7.5%) and a blue code team (7.5%). CONCLUSION According to the findings, it is necessary to determine the habits of calling for help and raising awareness for a functional EWS.
Process Applications and Challenges in Mineral Beneficiation and Recovery of Niobium from Ore Deposits – A Review

ABSTRACT Recent technological and industrial developments in applications of Nb as well as its demand by aviation, communication, electronics, atomic and nuclear energy, metallurgical and steel industries has increased significantly over the years. This has made Nb a critical metal, very strategic and of a high demand. Recovery of Nb from its mineral deposits is dependent on the extractive metallurgy of refractory metals from complex oxide ores. Based on the efficiency of ore concentration and metal extraction, Nb recovery has encountered various challenges. In this regard, new and existing procedures for Nb recovery are reviewed. This review includes evaluation of different ore concentrations, such as the extensive study of Nb mineral separations and flotation; as well as hydrometallurgical extractions of Nb using various extractants. Hitherto, the mineralogy of various Nb deposits with respect to their separation measures and possibilities is also covered in this context. Realization of Nb recovery through solvent extraction, stripping and precipitation is described with comparison of industrially used reagents. This review therefore focuses on investigations of effective/efficient mineral beneficiation process route and also substitution of the conventional dissolution of Nb deposits. Thus, the examination of process applications, challenges and recommendations for future development trend in the extractive metallurgy of Nb from mineral sources. This will serve as a tool to comprehend and put forward the mitigation of existing problems involved in mineral dissolution, separation and Nb recovery.
The role of the built environment in updating design requirements in the post-pandemic scenario: a case study of selected diagnostic facilities in Brazil

ABSTRACT This paper aims to discuss the relations between the built environment and the patient’s health, considering the context of the pandemic experienced since 2020. We assessed the results of a systematic literature review to create a theoretical framework. Based on that, we evaluated the performance of five diagnostic facilities sited in São Paulo, Brazil, during the occupation phase. These buildings share a similar design programme in a way that enables a systematic qualitative assessment. We organised the design requisites in a Table of Diagnostics and Recommendations. Based on the gathered evidence, we proposed reviewing the existing guidelines to promote healthier indoor environments. Among the leading design guidelines updates are issues regarding the management of contamination risk, such as the strategic planning of circulation routes, increasing outdoor air rates, and the specification of disinfection systems. We also present measures to promote healthiness and well-being for both patients and the medical team, including improving solar access to indoor environments and physical and visual access to the outdoors.
Cluster Purging: Efficient Outlier Detection Based on Rate-Distortion Theory

Rate-distortion theory-based outlier detection builds upon the rationale that a good data compression will encode outliers with unique symbols. Based on this rationale, we propose Cluster Purging, which is an extension of clustering-based outlier detection. This extension allows one to assess the representivity of clusterings, and to find data that are best represented by individual unique clusters. We propose two efficient algorithms for performing Cluster Purging, one being parameter-free, while the other algorithm has a parameter that controls representivity estimations, allowing it to be tuned in supervised setups. In an experimental evaluation, we show that Cluster Purging improves upon outliers detected from raw clusterings, and that Cluster Purging competes strongly against state-of-the-art alternatives.
Rootstocks Impact Yield, Fruit Composition, Nutrient Deficiencies, and Winter Survival of Hybrid Cultivars in Eastern Canada

Grafting cold-hardy hybrid grapevines may influence their attributes under different pedoclimatic conditions and may also contribute to cold-hardiness, influence plant physiology, and affect yield and fruit composition. In a six-year study, we evaluated bud survival, plant development, nutrient deficiencies, yield, and fruit composition for three cold-hardy grape varieties: Frontenac, Frontenac blanc, and Marquette. The grape varieties were grafted on four rootstocks: 3309C, SO4, Riparia Gloire, and 101-14. The final combinations were own-rooted. The six-year research period indicated that cold-hardy hybrids were affected differently by each rootstock. Magnesium deficiency was lower for grafted Frontenac and Frontenac blanc compared with own-rooted vines, but bud survival and grapevine development were not affected by rootstock. Moreover, results related to yield components showed that there are significant differences between rootstocks and own-rooted vines. Frontenac was the least affected grape variety compared to Frontenac blanc and Marquette, where only cluster weight and berry weight were impacted. Overall, for the two Frontenac varietals, we also observed a greater maturity for fruits of vines grafted on 101-14 and 3309C compared with own-rooted vines. Grafting affected fruit composition for Marquette differently, where the lowest grape maturity was observed for fruits on vines grafted on SO4. This study demonstrates that rootstocks affect cold-hardy hybrids, highlighting their potential under eastern North American conditions.
Feminism and a View of Conservative Gender Roles among Young Working Women in Malaysia

People are often influenced by norms and ideologies, including the concepts of feminism and conservative gender roles. With perceptions evolving constantly, we intend to investigate the subject of feminism and the view of young working women in Malaysia with regards to conservative gender roles. Studies on the subject have been scarce or minimal so far, hence understanding the general population’s perception will allow us to better measure public awareness on the topic of our research. The demographic of participants in this study specifically encompasses working women, between the ages of eighteen and forty years old. The participants were recruited through virtual mediums, namely WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. They were then asked to participate in a semi-structured interview to aid in the collection of detailed data which was then analysed through the process of transcription and coding for recurring themes. The study suggests that young working women in Malaysia are more in tune with feminism than originally anticipated due to digital platforms. Among the inequalities faced in the workforce, the most cited are equal and fair pay. Family upbringing, tradition and culture were often cited as shaping the general evolution of gender roles. Research can be done on feminism, gender roles and their implications on the LGBT community as a whole.
~5.9 cal ka bp Towada‐Chuseri tephra from Towada volcano: a mid‐Holocene marker layer from Japan to northeast China

Far‐travelled ash layers from explosive volcanic eruptions can provide invaluable marker horizons for dating and correlating regional to global sedimentary archives. Here, we present a new cryptotephra associated with the ~5.9 cal ka bp Towada‐Chuseri eruption (To‐Cu) in a peat sediment record from northeast China. This tephra exhibits a rhyolitic glass composition that can be distinguished from other widespread tephra layers around the region of Japan and northeast China. Our findings extend the known range of this ash significantly, making it now traceable about 1200 km from its source, Towada volcano, Japan. Notably, this tephra provides an important isochron for synchronising palaeoenvironmental studies during the mid‐Holocene period from the western Pacific, central Japan, Japan Sea and northeast China.