Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE BIRTH OUTCOMES AND REPRODUCTIVE NEEDS OF PREMENOPAUSAL BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

This mixed methods dissertation examined the risk of adverse birth outcomes, and the reproductive and sexual health needs of premenopausal breast cancer survivors in North Carolina. Using multivariable binomial regression, the first paper examined the prevalence of preterm birth (PTB) and low birthweight (LBW) according to breast cancer history prior to infant delivery and evaluated potential effect modification by race using statewide linked birth certificate files and Central Cancer Registry data from 1990-2009. A breast cancer history corresponded to 50-67% increases in risk of delivering a PTB or LBW infant compared to the general population, with greater increases among women who received chemotherapy or gave birth within two years of diagnosis. The higher prevalence of PTB and LBW associated with a breast cancer history was greater for white versus black mothers. The second paper explored the reproductive healthcare needs of breast cancer survivors by exploring the concordances and discordances of their reproductive and sexual health needs by post-diagnosis childbearing status and race. Seventeen North Carolinian women with a breast cancer history and diagnosed between the ages of 18-45 participated in a two-part, semi-structured interview. We utilized ResearchTalk’s Sort and Sift, Think and Shift© Method, a multidimensional qualitative analysis approach. This approach, along with member checking the findings with a community advisory committee and participants, allowed us to identify the most salient themes from the data. The five overarching themes were that women with a breast cancer history: 1) received limited reproductive health information; 2) desired realistic expectations of conceiving post-cancer; 3) made lifestyle choices based on family breast cancer history; 4) struggled with adjusting to their altered physical appearance; and 5) had menopause symptoms that led to sexual health and quality of life issues. Despite the many concordances in experiences, there were subtle discordances by post-diagnosis childbearing status and race. Women with a breast cancer history desire more education and resources to address their reproductive and sexual health concerns and would greatly benefit from receiving reproductive and sexual health counseling during breast cancer treatment and beyond.
An Automated Segmentation and Counting of Ki67 Cells in Meningioma Using K-Means Clustering Technique

Meningioma is a type of primary brain tumours. The meningiomas account for about one-third of all primary brain tumours. Image segmentation plays an important role in image analysis, especially detecting the tumours or cancerous areas in medical images. The output images from the segmentation prominently affect the system in detecting the tumour cells. Currently, the pathologists use the ‘eye-balling’ estimation technique to count the Ki67 cells. This technique was known as a time-saving measure. However, it has poor reliability and accuracy in counting the Ki67 cells. This paper proposed an automatic Ki67 cell counting in meningioma by using k-means clustering approach. The k-means clustering was used to segment the Ki67 cells and then the cells were classified into positive and negative Ki67 cells. The proposed system has been tested on 12 histopathological meningioma images. The proposed system is compared to the manually segmented images that have been validated in prior by the pathologists. The results show that the proposed system was able to segment the Ki67 cells with an average accuracy of 95.29%. The sensitivity and specificity of the proposed system were also high with an average of 93.56% and 97.39%, respectively.
The Politics of Twitter: Emotions and the Power of Social Media

Social media is becoming a key medium through which we communicate with each other: it is at the center of the very structures of our daily interactions. Yet this infiltration is not unique to interpersonal relations. Political leaders, governments, and states operate within this social media environment, wherein they continually address crises and institute damage control through platforms such as Twitter. A question arises here as to what the turn to Twitter means for conventional structures of power and different levels of communication. This article analyses the emotional dynamics of Twitter, illustrating how emotion is implicated in the power of this social media platform. I argue that Twitter can both represent emotions and provoke emotions, which can play an important role in the escalation or de-escalation of conflict. The emotional conditions Twitter facilitates are implicated in how shifts in temporality and functionality of communication have shaped political discourse so significantly.
Voting-Based Multiagent Reinforcement Learning for Intelligent IoT

The recent success of single-agent reinforcement learning (RL) in Internet of Things (IoT) systems motivates the study of multiagent RL (MARL), which is more challenging but more useful in large-scale IoT. In this article, we consider a voting-based MARL problem, in which the agents vote to make group decisions and the goal is to maximize the globally averaged returns. To this end, we formulate the MARL problem based on the linear programming form of the policy optimization problem and propose a primal–dual algorithm to obtain the optimal solution. We also propose a voting mechanism through which the distributed learning achieves the same sublinear convergence rate as centralized learning. In other words, the distributed decision making does not slow down the process of achieving global consensus on optimality. Finally, we verify the convergence of our proposed algorithm with numerical simulations and conduct case studies in practical multiagent IoT systems.
Engaging visitors of science festivals using augmented reality: asymmetrical modelling

Purpose This paper aims to explore a complex combination of four realms of the experience economy in formulating memories and satisfaction among festival visitors by using augmented reality (AR), thus engaging visitors in the physical science experience. This study also identifies necessary conditions to achieve desired responses from visitors. Design/methodology/approach Asymmetrical modelling with fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to investigate causal recipes of two configurations of the experience economy and evaluation of experience leading to both high and low scores from visitor engagement. Necessary condition analysis was applied to examine necessary predictors in visitor engagement. The proposed configuration model was tested by using data obtained from visitors to science festivals in the UK. Findings Five causal recipes explained the complex conditions in which visitors were more likely engaged in AR. Aesthetics, education, entertainment and satisfaction were necessary for high engagement among festival visitors. Research limitations/implications The results from fsQCA and analyses of necessary conditions help festival organizers improve visitor satisfaction and engagement in a memorable AR experience. Originality/value This empirical study deepens current festival understanding of how visitors experience AR by exploring combinations of complex configurations of the experience economy and evaluations of visitor experience based on memories and satisfaction. Unlike symmetrical approaches, asymmetrical modelling by using fsQCA can explore recipes for both high and low scores of visitor satisfaction and engagement. This is the first empirical study investigating necessary predictors of festival visitor behaviour.
Interactive Marker-based Augmented Reality for CPR Training

CPR, or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, is a lifesaving technique useful for the case in which someone’s heartbeat or breathing has stopped due to heart attack. Without proper CPR, nine out of ten patients die. The American Heart Association recommends CPR with chest compressions in the event of witnessing such an incident. For proper CPR training, taking a class with a CPR instructor is usually the best choice, but it is not practical and costly for mass training, especially in schools and universities. There are many new techniques available that can replace traditional CPR training and Augmented Reality (AR) is one of them. AR is the technology that integrates virtual objects or environments, created by digital technology, with the real world. Augmented Reality using marker-based technique is a good option, since a trainee can have a realistic look at the patient, know the position of the hand on the chest, identify the number of chest compressions per minute, and also know the pressure that he or she puts on the chest. Besides that, the status of the operation can be displayed along with a recording system for analysis. In this research, we chose marker-based AR due to its precision in distance measurement. For measuring the pressure on the chest, we use a marker-marker interaction technique. Unity 3D cross-platform game engine and Qualcomm's Vuforia—an augmented reality software development kit (SDK) for mobile devices that enables the creation of augmented reality applications—are required. The results from our experiment with a group of people with non-CPR training confirm that the configuration increases the speed and accuracy of CPR training.
Modeling Sustainability Scenarios in the Baltimore–Washington (DC) Region

Abstract Problem, research strategy, and findings: Planners today are confronted with unprecedented uncertainty in economic, political, and technological environments, especially at the regional scale. An increasingly common approach to addressing such uncertainty is exploratory scenario analysis. To provide new insights into the methods and utility of such analyses, we conducted a scenario analysis of the Baltimore (MD)–Washington (DC) region by engaging a technical advisory committee and exercising a loosely coupled suite of advanced transportation, land use, and environmental impact models. Our analysis suggests the future is indeed uncertain and may evolve into plausible but quite different alternative scenarios. Key drivers of these scenarios include fuel prices; the rate and form of technological change, especially in the transportation sector; and the restrictiveness of land use controls. Takeaway for practice: By developing exploratory scenario analyses and analyzing them using advanced computational models, planners can gain insights into how best to address uncertain development trends, such as how and to what degree planners can influence the adoption of electric and automated vehicles, how and where to guide development patterns through land use controls, and how best to respond to variation in the cost of energy, which could have dramatic impacts on the future sustainability of cities and regions. Although such scenario analyses cannot in most circumstances provide unambiguous robust or contingent policy prescriptions, they can provide important insights for raising public awareness and provide the foundation for further policy evaluation.
Does Asset Diversification in Banks Reduce Risk? Turkey Case

The banking sector is one of the leading sectors in a country's economy. The fact that banks are financially sound ensures their sustainability on the one hand and a sustainable profit level on the other. In the banking sector, where there is intense competition, it is a necessity to offer products that are suitable for the conditions of the day and the needs of customers. In this context, it is possible to see the usage and distribution of the resources of banks' assets in different areas. At the same time, banks assume different risks at every stage of their activities. In this study, it is investigated whether the diversification of banks' asset items has a financial impact on the risk level. In this context, panel data analysis was conducted by taking into consideration the data of the 15 largest banks operating in the Turkish Banking Sector for the period 2008-2017, and the relationship between banks' asset diversification and riskiness was investigated. While this relationship was found in some banks, it was observed that some banks did not.
PDGFS/PDGFRs in canine osteosarcomas: new targets for innovative therapeutical strategies in comparative oncology

Platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)a and PDGFRp are tyrosine kinase receptors that are over-expressed in 70-80% of human osteosarcomas (OSAs) and may be suitable therapeutic targets for specific kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Canine OSA shows histopathological and clinical features similar to human OSA, and is considered an excellent model in comparative oncology. This study investigated PDGF-A, PDGF-B, PDGFRa and PDGFRp expression in 33 canine OSA samples by immunohistochemistry and in seven primary canine OSA cell lines by Western blot and quantitative PCR analysis. Immunohistochemical data showed that PDGF-A and PDGF-B are expressed in 42% and 60% of the OSAs analysed, respectively, while PDGFRa and PDGFRp were expressed in 78% and 81% of cases, respectively. Quantitative PCR data showed that all canine OSA cell lines overexpressed PDGFRa, while 6/7 overex-pressed PDGFRp and PDGF-A relative to a normal osteoblastic cell line. Moreover, in vitro treatment with a specific PDGFR inhibitor, AG1296, caused a dose- and time-dependent decrease in AKT phosphorylation. Collectively, these data show that PDGFRs/PDGFs are co-expressed in canine osteosarcomas, which suggests that an autocrine and/or paracrine loop is involved and that they play an important role in the aetiology of OSA. PDGFRs may be suitable targets for the treatment of canine OSA with a specific TKI.
Tribological Investigation on the Friction and Wear Behaviors of Biogenic Lubricating Greases in Steel–Steel Contact

The applications of biogenic lubricating greases to machine elements play important roles in the reduction of friction energy and minimizing wear in a tribological contact, as well as the prevention of environmental pollution. The aim of this work was to investigate completely biogenic lubricating greases from a tribological point of view. Model greases were examined using a ball on a disc tribometer at a constant normal force to investigate the friction and wear process according to Fleischer’s energetic wear model. Using the energy-based wear model, the friction and wear process could be interpreted as a cause–effect sequence. Moreover, the influence of the model grease composition on the friction and wear process was analyzed. In addition, rolling bearing tests were performed to investigate the tribological behaviors of some selected biogenic greases during real machine element contact. These tests allowed for the quantification of the friction torque behavior of the full bearing and the evaluation of the wear obtained through lubricant analysis procedures. This experimental work provides useful information regarding the influence that the composition of biogenic model greases has on friction and wear behaviors in a tribological contact.
Quantification of the Arctic Sea Ice‐Driven Atmospheric Circulation Variability in Coordinated Large Ensemble Simulations

A coordinated set of large ensemble atmosphere‐only simulations is used to investigate the impacts of observed Arctic sea ice‐driven variability (SIDV) on the atmospheric circulation during 1979–2014. The experimental protocol permits separating Arctic SIDV from internal variability and variability driven by other forcings including sea surface temperature and greenhouse gases. The geographic pattern of SIDV is consistent across seven participating models, but its magnitude strongly depends on ensemble size. Based on 130 members, winter SIDV is ~0.18 hPa2 for Arctic‐averaged sea level pressure (~1.5% of the total variance), and ~0.35 K2 for surface air temperature (~21%) at interannual and longer timescales. The results suggest that more than 100 (40) members are needed to separate Arctic SIDV from other components for dynamical (thermodynamical) variables, and insufficient ensemble size always leads to overestimation of SIDV. Nevertheless, SIDV is 0.75–1.5 times as large as the variability driven by other forcings over northern Eurasia and Arctic.
An Amygdalo-Parabrachial Pathway Regulates Pain Perception and Chronic Pain

The parabrachial (PB) complex mediates both ascending nociceptive signaling and descending pain modulatory information in the affective/emotional pain pathway. We have recently reported that chronic pain is associated with amplified activity of PB neurons in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Here we demonstrate that similar activity amplification occurs in mice, and that this is related to suppressed inhibition to lateral parabrachial (LPB) neurons from the CeA in animals of either sex. The parabrachial (PB) complex mediates both ascending nociceptive signaling and descending pain modulatory information in the affective/emotional pain pathway. We have recently reported that chronic pain is associated with amplified activity of PB neurons in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Here we demonstrate that similar activity amplification occurs in mice, and that this is related to suppressed inhibition to lateral parabrachial (LPB) neurons from the CeA in animals of either sex. Animals with pain after chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-Pain) displayed higher spontaneous and evoked activity in PB neurons, and a dramatic increase in after-discharges, responses that far outlast the stimulus, compared with controls. LPB neurons in CCI-Pain animals showed a reduction in inhibitory, GABAergic inputs. We show that, in both rats and mice, LPB contains few GABAergic neurons, and that most of its GABAergic inputs arise from CeA. These CeA GABA neurons express dynorphin, somatostatin, and/or corticotropin releasing hormone. We find that the efficacy of this CeA-LPB pathway is suppressed in chronic pain. Further, optogenetically stimulating this pathway suppresses acute pain, and inhibiting it, in naive animals, evokes pain behaviors. These findings demonstrate that the CeA-LPB pathway is critically involved in pain regulation, and in the pathogenesis of chronic pain. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We describe a novel pathway, consisting of inhibition by dynorphin, somatostatin, and corticotropin-releasing hormone-expressing neurons in the CeA that project to the parabrachial nucleus. We show that this pathway regulates the activity of pain-related neurons in parabrachial nucleus, and that, in chronic pain, this inhibitory pathway is suppressed, and that this suppression is causally related to pain perception. We propose that this amygdalo-parabrachial pathway is a key regulator of both chronic and acute pain, and a novel target for pain relief.
Heterosis and Combining Ability Analysis for Seed Yield and its Attributes in Indian Mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss]

Rapeseed and Mustard is the second most important oilseed crop in India after groundnut. India contributes 19.29% and 11.12% to the total world acreage and production respectively (USDA, 2013). According to the Government's assessments the total area under Rapeseed-Mustard in India during rabi 2016-17 was 6.7 million hectares with a production of 7.2 million tons and an average productivity of 1069 kg/hectare (Anonymous, 2017). With approximately 50% of the total edible oil being imported, the scenario of India being self sufficient in the field of oil production is a great challenge. To International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 12 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Diversity of Prokaryotes in the Rumen of Steers Fed a Diet Supplemented with or without Bromochloromethane, an Anti-methanogenic Compound

The effect of bromochloromethane-cyclodextrin (BCM-CD) on the microbial community structure in the rumen of steers was examined in this study. Two animals were fed a diet supplemented with BCM-CD (1.0 g/100 kg body weight/day) for two weeks, while two other animals were fed a basal diet during the same experimental period to serve as controls. Two 16S rRNA gene clone libraries were constructed from the rumen fluid of both the control and BCM-treated animals. DNA sequences from the libraries were searched for homology. The statistical differences between both libraries were examined by LIBSHUFF analysis. The DNA sequences of each library were taxonomically classified and the proportion was calculated. A total of 107 (control) and 110 (BCM-treated) clones were analyzed, and the Chao-1 species estimate was 1.6-fold higher in BCM-treated samples. LIBSHUFF comparison showed a statistically significant difference between the two clone libraries. No methanogenic archaeal clone was detected in the BCM-treated clone library. Within Firmicutes, the proportion of Lachnospiraceae clones in the BCM-treated library was 4.5-fold higher than that in the control library. The proportion of Prevotellaceae clones was 1.7-fold higher in the BCM-treated library than in the control library. These results suggest that BCM-CD indirectly affects eubacterial community in the rumen. Discipline: Animal Science Additional key words: methanogenic archaea, methanogenesis, microbial community, rumen
Sensitivities of the MJO Forecasts on Configurations of Physics in the ECMWF Global Model

Abstract. Sensitivities of MJO forecasts to various different configurations of physics are examined with the ECMWF global model, IFS. A motivation behind this study is to explore a possibility of interpreting the MJO as a nonlinear free wave under active interactions with Rossby waves from and to higher latitudes. With this motivation in mind, various momentum dissipation terms as well as diabatic heating are selectively turned off over the tropics for the range of the latitudes 20° S–20° N, and it is examined how physical tendencies control the MJO dynamics. The former include eddy diffusivities as well as dissipations by both shallow and deep convection. The reduction of momentum dissipations tends to improve the MJO forecasts, but the effects are hardly additive, and their total removals rather lead to a rapid decay of the MJO, illustrating the complexity of interactions between the physics.
Being Smarter about Space: Drawing Lessons from Spatial Science

Smart technology—in its many facets—is often critiqued within geography in ways that parallel the critiques of quantitative geography in the 1960s and GIScience in the 1990s. In this way, both the development of “smart” technology itself and its criticisms are the latest chapter in a long-standing disciplinary debate around quantification and technology. We reevaluate this history and argue that quantitative methodology and its theoretical critiques are not as incompatible as often claimed. To illustrate how we might address this apparent tension between theory and quantitative methods, we review how both approaches conceptualize one of geography’s core concepts—space—and highlight opportunities for symbiosis. Although smart technologies can further orthodox positivist approaches, we argue that the actual practice is more nuanced and not necessarily absolute or totalizing. For example, recent computational work builds on critical geographic theories to analyze and visualize topological and relational spaces, relevant to topics such as gentrification and segregation. The result is not a geography in which smart technology and algorithms remove the need for human input but rather a rejoinder in line with the recent resurgence of a critical quantitative geography. In short, the result is a geography where social theory and the human intellect play a key role in guiding computational approaches to analyze the largest, most versatile, most and relevant data sets on social space that we have ever had. Key Words: geocomputation, GIScience,smart technology, space, spatial science.