Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Disparities in Oral Health in America amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

We conduct a large-scale social media-based study of oral health during the COVID-19 pandemic based on tweets from 9,104 Twitter users across 26 states (with sufficient samples) in the United States for the period between November 12, 2020 and June 14, 2021. To better understand how discussions on different topics/oral diseases vary across the users, we acquire or infer demographic information of users and other characteristics based on retrieved information from user profiles. Women and younger adults (19-29) are more likely to talk about oral health problems. We use the LDA topic model to extract the major topics/oral diseases in tweets. Overall, 26.70% of the Twitter users talk about wisdom tooth pain/jaw hurt, 23.86% tweet about dental service/cavity, 18.97% discuss chipped tooth/tooth break, 16.23% talk about dental pain, and the rest are about tooth decay/gum bleeding. By conducting logistic regression, we find that discussions vary across user characteristics. More importantly, we find social disparities in oral health during the pandemic. Specifically, we find that health insurance coverage rate is the most significant predictor in logistic regression for topic prediction. People from counties with higher insurance coverage tend to tweet less about all topics of oral diseases. People from counties at a higher risk of COVID-19 talk more about tooth decay/gum bleeding and chipped tooth/tooth break. Older adults (50+), who are vulnerable to COVID-19, are more likely to discuss dental pain. To our best knowledge, this is the first large-scale social media-based study to analyze and understand oral health in America amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope the findings of our study through the lens of social media can provide insights for oral health practitioners and policy makers.
Robustness of Safety for Linear Dynamical Systems: Symbolic and Numerical Approaches

In this paper, we study the robustness of safety properties of a linear dynamical system with respect to model uncertainties. Our paper involves three parts. In the first part, we provide symbolic (analytical) and numerical (representation based) techniques for computing the reachable set of uncertain linear systems. We further prove a relationship between the reachable set of a linear uncertain system and the maximum singular value of the uncertain dynamics matrix. Finally, we propose two heuristics to compute the robustness threshold of the system -- the maximum uncertainty that can be introduced to the system without violating the safety property. We evaluate the reachable set computation techniques, effects of singular values, and estimation of robustness threshold on two case studies from varied domains, illustrating the applicability, practicality and scalability of the artifacts, proposed in this paper, on real-world examples. We further evaluate our artifacts on several linear dynamical system benchmarks. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first work to: (i) extend perturbation theory to compute reachable sets of linear uncertain systems, (ii) leverage the relationship between the reachable set of a linear system and the maximum singular values to determine the effect of uncertainties and (3) estimate the threshold of robustness that can be tolerated by the system while remaining safe.
Rota-Baxter $C^{\ast}$-algebras

This paper introduces the notion of Rota-Baxter C∗-algebras. Here a RotaBaxter C∗-algebra is a C∗-algebra with a Rota-Baxter operator. Symmetric Rota-Baxter operators, as special cases of Rota-Baxter operators on C∗-algebra, are defined and studied. A theorem of Rota-Baxter operators on concrete C∗algebras is given, deriving the relationship between two kinds of Rota-Baxter algebras. As a corollary, some connection between ∗-representations and RotaBaxter operators is given. The notion of representations of Rota-Baxter C∗algebras are constructed, and a theorem of representations of direct sums of Rota-Baxter representations is derived. Finally using Rota-Baxter operators, the notion of quasidiagonal operators on C∗-algebra is reconstructed.
Towards Out-of-Distribution Detection with Divergence Guarantee in Deep Generative Models

—Recent research has revealed that deep generative models including ﬂow-based models and Variational autoencoders may assign higher likelihoods to out-of-distribution (OOD) data than in-distribution (ID) data. However, we cannot sample out OOD data from the model. This counterintuitive phenomenon has not been satisfactorily explained. In this paper, we prove theorems to investigate the divergences in ﬂow-based model and give two explanations to the above phenomenon from divergence and geometric perspectives, respectively. Our theoretical analysis inspires us to detect OOD data by Kullback-Leibler divergence between the distribution of representations and prior. Furthermore, we decompose the KL divergence to improve our group-wise anomaly detection method and support point-wise anomaly detection as well. We have conducted experiments on prevalent benchmarks to evaluate our method. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our OOD detection method.
A Convexification Approach for Small-Signal Stability Constrained Optimal Power Flow

In this article, a novel convexification approach for small-signal stability constraint optimal power flow has been presented that does not rely on eigenvalue analysis. The proposed methodology is based on the sufficient condition for the small-signal stability, developed as a bilinear matrix inequality (BMI), and uses network structure-preserving differential algebraic equation modeling of the power system. The proposed formulation is based on semidefinite programming and objective penalization that has been proposed for feasible solution recovery, making the method computationally efficient for large-scale systems. A vector-norm based objective penalty function has also been proposed for feasible solution recovery while working over large and dense BMIs with matrix variables. An effectiveness study carried out on WECC 9-bus, New England 39-bus, and IEEE 118-bus test systems shows that the proposed method is capable of achieving a stable equilibrium point without inflicting a high stability-induced additional cost.
Model Predictive Control with Environment Adaptation for Legged Locomotion

Re-planning in legged locomotion is crucial to track the desired user velocity while adapting to the terrain and rejecting external disturbances. In this work, we propose and test in experiments a real-time Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) tailored to a legged robot for achieving dynamic locomotion on a variety of terrains. We introduce a mobility-based criterion to define an NMPC cost that enhances the locomotion of quadruped robots while maximizing leg mobility and improves adaptation to the terrain features. Our NMPC is based on the real-time iteration scheme that allows us to re-plan online at 25 Hz with a prediction horizon of 2 seconds.We use the single rigid body dynamic model defined in the center of mass frame in order to increase the computational efficiency. In simulations, the NMPC is tested to traverse a set of pallets of different sizes, to walk into a V-shaped chimney, and to locomote over rough terrain. In real experiments, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our NMPC with the mobility feature that allowed IIT’s 87 kg quadruped robot HyQ to achieve an omni-directional walk on flat terrain, to traverse a static pallet, and to adapt to a repositioned pallet during a walk.
The Effect Of Increasing Dialysate Flow Rate In Hemodialysis

Hemodialysis is a technique of removing, or clearing , solutes from the blood and removal of extra fluid from the body, by using dialyzing machine and a dialyzer which is also known as (artificial kidney). The principle of hemodialysis is, primarily, the diffusion of solutes across a semipermeable membrane and ultrafiltration for removal of extra fluid. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effect of increasing nominal dialysate flow rate from 500 ml/min to 800 ml/min on the amount of the small solutes (urea) removed from the blood and examine its effect on the amount of dialysis delivered. In this study the in vivo effects of increase in dialysate flow rate on the delivered dose of dialysis studied on 28 maintenance hemodialysis patients. Hemodialysis was performed at dialysate flow rates 500 and 800 ml/min. The patients treated two times per week for 3 hours. The results show increase in urea clearance and dialysis adequacy, and a significant increase in the urea difference between pre- and post-blood urea concentration by increasing dialysate flow rate from 500 to 800 ml/min. It can be concluded that hemodialysis with dialysate flow rate 800 ml/min should be considered in selected patients not achieving adequacy despite extended treatment times and optimized blood flow rate. And increasing nominal dialysate flow rate from 500 ml/min to 800 ml/min alters the mass transfer characteristics of hollow fiber hemodialyzer and results in a larger increase in urea clearance.
Structure and photoluminescence properties of novel Sr6Ca4(PO4)6F2:Re (Re = Eu2+, Mn2+) phosphors with energy transfer for white-emitting LEDs

A series of Sr6Ca4(PO4)6F2:Eu2+,Mn2+ phosphors were synthesized through traditional solid state reaction. The structural and spectroscopic properties of the series samples along with the energy transfer from Eu2+ to Mn2+ ions have been investigated in detail. Under excitation at 295 or 365 nm, Eu2+ singly doped phosphors exhibit a broad emission band centered at 450 nm. When Eu2+ and Mn2+ were co-doped in Sr6Ca4(PO4)6F2, a broad blue emission band peaking at 450 nm and an orange emission band at 570 nm appeared simultaneously upon ultraviolet (365 nm) excitation, which result from the 4f–5d transition of Eu2+ ions and the 4T1–6A1 transition of Mn2+ ions, respectively. By controlling the doping concentration of Mn2+ ions, a series of tunable luminescent colors including white light are obtained with a wide band emission and a correlated color temperature of 6662 K. The possible energy transfer mechanism was proposed to be dipole–quadrupole, with regard to the analysis of photoluminescence spectra and decay curves experimental results of the series samples. The critical distance between the Eu2+ and Mn2+ ions has been calculated by both the concentration quenching method (11.53 A) and the spectral overlap method (9.43 A). Overall, this research indicated that the prepared samples may be potentially applied in white-light-emitting diodes under UV-pumping.
Exploring the prophylactic role of soy isoflavones against polycystic ovarian syndrome

Abstract Soy isoflavones (SI) have strong estrogenic effect in tissues by binding to estrogen receptors and might be beneficial for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) by reduction in testosterone, cholesterol, insulin, weight gain, inflammatory markers, and oxidative stress. The study was planned to examine the effect of various levels of SI on nutrient intake, digestibility, lipid profile, insulin, and reproductive hormones of estradiol valerate (4 mg/rat/IM) PCOS induced rat models. Thirty‐six Wistar 45 days old rats weighing 95 ± 5 g were divided into 4 groups, each having 9 rats: C (control: without SF), SF10 (SF 0.10 g/kg BW), SF15 (SF 0.15 g/kg BW), and SF20 (SF 0.20 g/kg BW). SF was given through the oral gavage. Food and water were offered ad libitum, and intake was recorded daily. During last week of trial, collected feces by total collection method and blood samples were used to calculate nutrient digestibility and biochemical analysis, respectively. Estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin were (p < .05) high in rats fed SF diet that was 4% and 30% increase from C, respectively. Insulin, testosterone, FSH, and LH were lowest in rats fed diet SF20. Significant (p < .05) reduction in cholesterol was observed in rats fed SF15 and SF20 as compared to C. Serum HDL was improved (p < .05) in all SIF0.10, SIF0.15, and SIF0.20 in comparison with PC. Serum LDL was significantly reduced to 68.89 ± 4.36 (mg/dl) in SIF0.20 and to 108.20 ± 4.14 (mg/dl) in SIF0.15, whereas insignificant reduction was observed in SIF0.10 as compared to PC. Highly significant reduction was noted in triglycerides level in SIF0.20; however, significant reduction was observed in both SIF0.10 and SIF0.15 as compared to PC after 3 months of treatment with soy isoflavones.
The effect of COVID‐19 on the global stock market

Abstract This paper investigates the effect of COVID‐19 on the global stock market. Specifically, we test whether the growth in the number of confirmed cases/deaths affects market quality, measured by return, realised volatility, jumps and co‐jumps for 43 stock indices around the world. We find that an increase in the growth rate of the number of confirmed cases increases volatility and jumps while reducing return. Further, we explore whether economic, financial and political risks play any significant role in the relation between the number of confirmed cases/deaths and market quality. Overall, we find the risk from COVID‐19 overshadows these risks.
An In Vitro and In Vivo Comparison of Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells

The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine, including tissue engineering and transplantation, has generated a great deal of enthusiasm. Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) can be isolated from various tissues, most commonly, bone marrow but more recently adipose tissue, dental pulp, and Wharton's jelly, to name a few. MSCs display varying phenotypic profiles and osteogenic differentiating capacity depending and their site of origin. MSCs have been successfully differentiated into osteoblasts both in vitro an in vivo but discrepancies exist when the two are compared: what happens in vitro does not necessarily happen in vivo, and it is therefore important to understand why these differences occur. The osteogenic process is a complex network of transcription factors, stimulators, inhibitors, proteins, etc., and in vivo experiments are helpful in evaluating the various aspects of this osteogenic process without distractions and confounding variables. With that in mind, the results of in vitro experiments need to be carefully considered and interpreted with caution as they do not perfectly replicate the conditions found within living organisms. This is where in vivo experiments help us better understand interactions that might occur in the osteogenic process that cannot be replicated in vitro. Potentially, these differences could also be exploited to develop an optimal MSC cell therapeutic product that can be used for bone disorders. There are many bone disorders, most of which cause a great deal of discomfort. Clinically acceptable protocols could be developed in which MSCs are used to aid in bone regeneration providing relief for patients with chronic pain. The aim of this review is to examine the differences between studies conducted in vitro and in vivo with regard to the osteogenic process to better define the gaps in current osteogenic research. By better understanding osteogenic differentiation, we can better define treatment strategies for various bone disorders.
COVID‐19 and the uncertain future of HRM: Furlough, job retention and reform

Abstract The article argues that job retention should be a central aim and practice of human resource management (HRM). Set against the global COVID‐19 crisis, theoretical insights are drawn from strategic HRM planning and the economics of ‘labour hoarding’ to consider the potential benefits of workforce furloughing. Furlough has been supported in the UK by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which represents a novel, but temporary, state‐led shift from the UK's market‐orientated restructuring regime. We argue that the withdrawal of state‐financed furlough may mean a quick return in UK firms to the management of redundancy. Yet, if the crisis is to generate any benefit it must create the conditions for a more collaborative HRM that delivers for workers as well as business, with job retention as a core priority. While change in this direction will mean confronting deep‐rooted challenges—such as job security, good work and worker voice—such change remains vital in creating better and healthier workplaces.
Efficacy of Radiofrequency Neurotomy in Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose The objective of the systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the efficacy of radiofrequency neurotomy as a therapeutic lumbar facet joint intervention. Patients and Methods Utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed. A comprehensive literature search of multiple data sources from 1966 to September 2020 including manual searches of bibliography of known review articles was performed. The inclusion criteria were based on the selection of patients with chronic low back pain with diagnosis confirmed based on controlled diagnostic blocks and with the publication of at least 6 months of results of appropriate outcome parameters. Quality assessment of the trials was performed with Cochrane review criteria and interventional pain management techniques-quality appraisal of reliability and risk of bias assessment (IPM-QRB). The level of evidence of effectiveness is classified at five levels ranging from Level I to Level V. The primary outcome measure was a significant reduction in pain, eg, short term (up to 6 months) and long term (more than 6 months). The secondary outcome measure was an improvement in functional status. Results A total of 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met the inclusion criteria for evaluating the efficacy of lumbar radiofrequency neurotomy. Radiofrequency neurotomy showed Level II evidence for efficacy for both the short term and long term. Conclusion This systematic review of the assessment of the efficacy of radiofrequency neurotomy in managing chronic low back pain was based on the inclusion of 12 RCTs with a diagnostic block and at least 6 months of follow-up results that showed Level II evidence for both short-term and long-term improvement.
Principal component analysis of alpha-helix deformations in transmembrane proteins

α-helices are deformable secondary structural components regularly observed in protein folds. The overall flexibility of an α-helix can be resolved into constituent physical deformations such as bending in two orthogonal planes and twisting along the principal axis. We used Principal Component Analysis to identify and quantify the contribution of each of these dominant deformation modes in transmembrane α-helices, extramembrane α-helices, and α-helices in soluble proteins. Using three α-helical samples from Protein Data Bank entries spanning these three cellular contexts, we determined that the relative contributions of these modes towards total deformation are independent of the α-helix’s surroundings. This conclusion is supported by the observation that the identities of the top three deformation modes, the scaling behaviours of mode eigenvalues as a function of α-helix length, and the percentage contribution of individual modes on total variance were comparable across all three α-helical samples. These findings highlight that α-helical deformations are independent of cellular location and will prove to be valuable in furthering the development of flexible templates in de novo protein design.
Daily vaginal temperature in Girolando cows from three different genetic composition under natural heat stress

Abstract The present trial evaluated the effect of crossbred composition and Temperature and Humidity Index (THI) on vaginal temperature (VT) of Girolando dairy cows maintained under tropical pasture during warm seasons. The VT was monitored along 41 to 96 h in 615 Girolando cows with different Holstein (H) × Gir genetic composition (1/2 H = 284, 3/4 H = 248, and 7/8 H = 83) from six Brazilian farms in the summer of 2016 and 2017. VT of each cow at each hour of the day and the respective THI were averaged per hour across all monitoring days to generate an averaged value for VT and THI during 24 h. A linear mixed model with repeated measures using restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method for (co)variance components estimation procedure was employed. The final model adjusted the VT for the effects of cow, time, THI, farm, year, pregnancy status, body condition score (BCS), milk yield, genetic composition, and genetic composition*time interaction. Fixed effects were evaluated by ANOVA and tested with Tukey test in R software version 3.6. 1 (R Core Team, 2019). Overall mean of VT, air temperature (AT), and THI were 39.06 ± 0.52 °C, 25.63 ± 0.40 °C, and 75.06 ± 3.96, respectively. VT had moderate positive correlation with THI (r² = 0.45, P < 0.001) and AT (r² = 0.46, P < 0.001). The VT had estimated linear increase of 0.05 °C for each THI unit increase (P < 0.001). Least square mean of VT varied among the farms (P < 0.001), pregnancy status (P < 0.001), and BCS (P < 0.05) but not for Milk yield (P > 0.05). The daily average VT was affected by genetic composition (P < 0.001) with highest temperature for 3/4 H (39.08 ± 0.06 °C a) and 7/8 H (39.09 ± 0.06 °C a) and lowest temperature for 1/2 H (38.95 ± 0.06 °C b). The difference of VT among the three crossbred groups varied in function of the time of the day, from 12:00 to 20:00 h (P < 0.001), with 3/4 Holstein and 7/8 Holstein cows reaching similar VT, above to the upper limit 39.1 °C and higher than 1/2 Holstein cows during all this period. In conclusion, Girolando cows are sensitive to heat stress in tropical condition during warm seasons. Moreover, Girolando cows with genetic composition higher than 3/4 Holstein display reduced thermoregulatory efficiency. Therefore, Girolando cows in tropical dairy farms require strategies to mitigate heat stress according to their genetic composition.
Prediction of Spontaneous Preterm Birth in At-risk Women Using Thrombospondin 1 from Cervicovaginal Fluid: A Prospective Observational Study

Abstract Introduction Thrombospondin 1, desmoplakin and stratifin are putative biomarkers for the prediction of preterm birth. This study aimed to validate the predictive capability of these biomarkers in patients at risk of preterm birth. Materials and Methods We included 109 women with symptoms of threatened spontaneous preterm birth between weeks 20 0/7 and 31 6/7 of gestation. Inclusion criteria were uterine contractions, cervical length of less than 25 mm, or a personal history of spontaneous preterm birth. Multiple gestations were also included. Samples of cervicovaginal fluid were taken before performing a digital examination and transvaginal ultrasound. Levels of cervicovaginal thrombospondin 1, desmoplakin and stratifin were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The primary endpoint was spontaneous preterm birth before 34 + 0 weeks of gestation. Results Sixteen women (14.7%) delivered before 34 + 0 weeks. Median levels of thrombospondin 1 were higher in samples where birth occurred before 34 weeks vs. ≥ 34 weeks of gestation (4904 vs. 469 pg/mL, p < 0.001). Receiver operator characteristics analysis resulted in an area under the curve of 0.86 (p < 0.0001). At an optimal cut-off value of 2163 pg/mL, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 0.94, 0.77, 0.42 and 0.99, respectively, with an adjusted odds ratio of 32.9 (95% CI: 3.1 – 345, p = 0.004). Multiple gestation, cervical length, and preterm labor had no impact on the results. Survival analysis revealed a predictive period of more than eight weeks. Levels of desmoplakin and stratifin did not differ between groups. Conclusion Thrombospondin 1 allowed long-term risk estimation of spontaneous preterm birth.