Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Water Poverty and Private Investment in the Water and Sanitation Sector

Abstract Private sector participation in the provision of water and sanitation has been a source of debate among water resources specialists and managers. While acknowledging the limitations of using one measurement to assess the benefit of private investment to the host nation, this paper looks at the impact of private investment on a widely-used water index that measures the population's welfare with regard to water and sanitation. The results of this study suggest that increasing the amount of private investment in the water sector increases accessibility and use of water and sanitation, but has no impact on the environment, the availability of the resource, or socioeconomic outcomes as measured by income, education, and child mortality.
PoET: automated approach for measuring pore edge tension in giant unilamellar vesicles

ABSTRACT Motivation A reliable characterization of the membrane pore edge tension of single giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) requires the measurement of micrometer sized pores in hundreds to thousands of images. When manually performed, this procedure has shown to be extremely time-consuming and to generate inconsistent results among different users and imaging systems. A user-friendly software for such analysis allowing quick processing and generation of reproducible data had not yet been reported. Results We have developed a software (PoET) for automatic pore edge tension measurements on GUVs. The required image processing steps and the characterization of the pore dynamics are performed automatically within the software and its use allowed for a 30-fold reduction in the analysis time. We demonstrate the applicability of the software by comparing the pore edge tension of GUVs of different membrane compositions and surface charges. The approach was applied to electroporated GUVs but is applicable to other means of pore formation. Availability and implementation The complete software is implemented in Python and available for Windows at https://dx.doi. org/10.17617/3.7h. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Advances online.
Global Entity Disambiguation with BERT

We propose a global entity disambiguation (ED) model based on BERT. To capture global contextual information for ED, our model treats not only words but also entities as input tokens, and solves the task by sequentially resolving mentions to their referent entities and using resolved entities as inputs at each step. We train the model using a large entity-annotated corpus obtained from Wikipedia. We achieve new state-of-the-art results on five standard ED datasets: AIDA-CoNLL, MSNBC, AQUAINT, ACE2004, and WNED-WIKI. The source code and model checkpoint are available at https://github.com/studio-ousia/luke.
Anti-inflammatory Effect of Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) Root on Raw 264.7 Cells with Stimulated Lipopolysaccharide

This study tested the anti-inflammatory effect of wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) root in Raw 264.7 cells. We prepared two extracts of B. tinctoria: one in water and the other in 50% ethanol. Then we evaluated the toxicities of the B. tinctoria root extracts at 10 to 100 mg mL-1 concentrations in Raw 264.7 cells and observed 80% cell viability. An anti-inflammatory effect of B. tinctoria root extract in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells was observed with concentrations of 10, 30, and 50 μg·mL-1. The results showed that 77.27–66.82% of nitric oxide (NO) production was inhibited by 50 μg·mL-1 B. tinctoria root extract. The protein expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression dramatically decreased by 93.14% and 52.65% in Raw 264.7 cells treated with water and ethanol extracts of B. tinctoria root, respectively. Moreover, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression decreased by 42.85% and 69.70% in Raw 264.7 cells treated with water and ethanol extracts of B. tinctoria root, respectively. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory markers, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and prostaglandin E synthase 2, was significantly suppressed in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, the B. tinctoria root extracts effectively inhibited enzymes involved in physiological activities. The B. tinctoria root extracts showed excellent anti-inflammatory effects and can be used as a functional material for biological activities. Additional key words: cytokine, macrophage, pro-inflammatory, protein expression, real-time PCR
International Conference on Information and Telecommunication Technologies and Radio Electronics

The paper proposes a new type of broadband patch antennas based on MicroQR codes. To synthesize them, the word “antenna” was used. In this research, several design options were considered that used the variation of the antenna's feeder parameters. For their analysis, the Numerical modeling methods were used due to the complexity of describing the interaction of antennas of non-Euclidean geometry with radio waves. Evaluation and comparison of proposed antennas held by the following characteristics: amplitude-frequency response and voltage standing wave ratio. To expand the frequency band of the synthesized antenna was implemented the split square marker that is the element of MicroQR.
Designing and Optimizing Cognitive Debiasing Strategies for Crowdsourcing Annotation

As artificial intelligence (AI) gets increasingly involved in our daily life, the biases in AI and the downstream negative social impacts have also become a pressing concern. In this position paper, we focus on one important source of AI biases—the biases in crowdsourcing annotations that AI is trained on—and advocate for leveraging cognitive debiasing strategies developed in the psychological literature to mitigate biases in crowdsourced annotations.
Estimating the risks of exposure-induced death associated with common computed tomography procedures

Background : This study aimed to assess the risks of exposure - induced death (REID) in patients and embryos during CT examinations in Yazd province (Iran). Materials and Methods: Data on the exposure parameters were retrospectively collected from six imaging institutions. In total, 932 patients were included in this study and for each patient, organ doses were then estimated using ImpactDose software. The REIDs were calculated by BEIR VII risk model and using PCXMC software. In the case of gestational irradiation, excess cancer risk of 0.006% per mSv was taken into account in terms of the ICRP 84 recommendations, to calculate the excess childhood cancer risk imposed on the embryo. Results: The highest estimated organ doses for abdomen - pelvis, routine chest, chest HRCT, brain, and sinus examinations were obtained as 12.82 mSv for kidneys, 12.09 mSv for thymus, 13.16 mSv for thymus, 29.71 mSv for brain, and 11.70 mSv for oral mucosa, respectively. Across all procedures, abdomen - pelvis CT scan induced the highest excess REID to the patients (240 deaths per million). The highest delivered dose to the fetus was roughly 35 mSv, which was lower than the threshold dose proposed by ICRP (100 mSv) for the induction of malformations. However, the associated excess fatal childhood cancer risk of 2122 incidence per million scans can be a subject of concern for public health experts. Conclusion: Based on the results, although death risks related to induced cancer from CT scans were negligible, this risk can be relatively significant for children exposed during the fetal period.
Health-Related Quality of Life in perimenopausal women with PCOS

Background: Several studies have shown that younger women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have decreased Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) compared with women in general. Method: In this study periand postmenopausal women previously diagnosed with PCOS (n = 27) were compared with randomly selected, age-matched controls (n = 94). Mean age of the study participants was 52 years. Structured interviews and Short Form (SF)-36 questionnaires were used. Results: No differences in SF-36 scores were found, median for the physical summary score was 54 vs. 57, for women with PCOS and controls, respectively; and 53 vs. 53 for the mental summary score, with no differences in any of the eight dimensions of HRQoL. There were no significant difference in prevalence of depression and/or anxiety. The use of drugs for mood disorders was 22% in both groups. Conclusion: PCOS women of periand postmenopausal ages had similar HRQoL compared with age-matched controls.
Towards ice thickness inversion: an evaluation of global DEMs in the glacierized Tibetan Plateau

Accurate estimates of regional ice thickness, which are generally produced by ice-thickness inversion models, are 10 crucial for assessments of available freshwater resources and sea level rise. Digital elevation model (DEM) derived from surface topography of glaciers is a primary data source for such models. However, the scarce in situ measurements of glacier surface elevation limit the evaluation of DEM uncertainty. Hence the influence of DEM uncertainty on ice-thickness modelling remains unclear over the glacierized area of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Here, we examine the performance of six widely used and mainly global-scale DEMs: AW3D30 (30 m), SRTM-GL1 (30 m), NASADEM (30 m), TanDEM-X (90 m), SRTM v4.1 15 (90 m) and MERIT (90 m) over the glacierized TP by comparing with ICESat-2 laser altimetry data while considering the effects of glacier dynamics, terrain factors, and DEM misregistration. The results reveal NASADEM as the best performer in vertical accuracy, with a small mean error (ME) of 0.9 m and a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 12.6 m, followed by AW3D30 (2.6 m ME and 11.3 m RMSE). TanDEM-X also performs well (0.1 m ME and 15.1 m RMSE), but suffers from serious errors and outliers on steep slopes. SRTM-based DEMs (SRTM-GL1, SRTM v4.1, and MERIT) (13.5-17.0 m RMSE) 20 had an inferior performance to NASADEM. Errors in the six DEMs increased from the south-facing to the north-facing aspect and become larger with increasing slope. Misregistration of the six DEMs relative to ICESat-2 footprint in most glacier areas is small (less than one grid spacing). Then, the influence of six DEMs on four ice-thickness models: GlabTop2, Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM), Huss-Farinotti (HF), Ice Thickness Inversion Based on Velocity (ITIBOV) is intercompared. The results show that GlabTop2 is sensitive to the accuracy of both elevation and slope, while OGGM and HF are less sensitive to 25 DEM quality and resolution, and ITIBOV is the most sensitive to slope accuracy. Considering the necessity of DEMs with consistent acquisition dates, NASADEM is the best choice for ice-thickness estimates over the whole TP. Our assessment first figures out the performances of mainly global DEMs over the glacierized TP. This study not only avails the glacier thickness estimation with ice thickness inversion models but also offers references for other cryosphere studies using DEM.
Embodiment and becoming in secondary drama classrooms: The effects of neoliberal education cultures on performances of text and self

This article explores the effects of neoliberalism and performative educational cultures on secondary school drama classrooms. We consider the ways Deleuze and Guattari’s schizoanalysis and Butler’s concept of gender performance enable us to chart the embodied, relational, spatial and affective energies that inhabit the often neoliberal and heterosexually striated space of the drama classroom. These post-humanist analyses are useful methodological tools for mapping the complexities of student becomings in the space context of the secondary school. We also show how Foucault’s governmentality and Ball’s theory of competitive performativity are particularly salient in the context of immanent capitalism that shapes the desires of its subjects. These frameworks, when combined, can be useful in critiquing neoliberal educational assemblages and in indicating emerging deterritorialisations and lines of flight in teachers and students.
Oral Mucosal Conditions in Acute Leukemia- A Clinical, Nutritional and Serologic Analysis

A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in acute leukemia adult patients in order to characterize oral mucosal conditions in acute leukemia, and to analyze their association with certain clinical, nutritional and laboratory parameters. Oral evaluation was performed. Epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory data were considered. Statistical analysis included non-parametric tests and multivariate analysis. A total of 30 patients (60% males) were included; median age of 39 (range 17-62) years old. The median percentage of caloric intake adequacy was 96.8% (range 21.8-205.7%), and the median ideal weight was 117.9% (range 88.2-162.9%). The most common oral mucosal findings were pallor and furred tongue. Leukoedema was seen only in patients <30 years old [OR=1.9 (CI=1.1-3.1); p=0.003]; more cases of fissured tongue [OR=17.1 (CI=1.8-163.8); p=0.005] were seen in subjects >30 years old. Exfoliative cheilitis was more frequent in females [OR=2.7 (CI=1.2-6.1); p=0.02] and in patients with high β-carotene concentrations [Md= 94.5 vs 57.0 µg/dl; (p=0.01)]. Higher rates of diffuse hyperpigmentation were seen (p<0.05) in patients having low vitamin B12 [Me=240 vs 626 pg/ml] and folic acid concentrations [Md=5.8 vs 8.5 ng/ml]; Geographic tongue was found among patients with low serum albumin [Md= 2.7 vs 3.5 g/dl; (p=0.006)] and folic acid [Md=7.9 vs 11.6 ng/mL; (p=0.02)]. Furred tongue was more frequent in patients with low hemoglobin concentration [Md=7.2 vs 8.5 g/dl ;( p=0.01)] and poor oral hygiene [Md=1.1vs 0.7 ;( p=0.04)]. Nutritional depletion was more frequently observed among patients with indentation (p=0.04) and geographic tongue (p=0.03)]. Age, gender and certain micronutrient deficiencies were significantly associated to specific oral mucosal findings in acute leukemia.
Optimization of Mo/Cu(In, Ga)Se2/CdS/ZnO Hetero-Junction Solar Cell Performance by Numerical Simulation with SCAPS-1D

The paper presents a one-dimensional simulation study of chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells, where the effects of the variation of CIGS, CdS, and ZnO layers are presented. Additionlly the influence of the variation of doping and the defects density of shallow uniform donors and acceptors types are also presented. The analyse of the simulation results shows that recombination inside the space charge region (SCR) decrease more our CIGS solar cell model performance. We also found that the electrical parameters increase with increasing CIGS absorber doping density exception of JSC values that reach their maximum at 1016cm-3 and decrease due to recombination of charge carriers in the p-n junction particularly the recombination inside the SCR. We also stressed the fact that the effects of shallow uniforme donor density is very low on the performance of our CIGS solar cell model is important because it will allow to control the width of space charge region from shallow uniform acceptors defect density that has a strong influence on the different electrical parameters. Yet, good optimization of performance of the CIGS-based solar cell necessarily passes though a good control of the space charge region width and will constitute a boosting perspective for the preparation of our next paper. We contact that the results obtained of the numerical simulation with SCAPS-1D show a good agreement comparatively of the literature results. The simulation of our CIGS solar cell presents best performances if the values of the absorber layer thickness is in the range of 0.02 to 0.03 μm, the buffer layer thickness is in the range of 0.02 to 0.06 μm and the defects density of shallow uniform acceptors types is in the range of 1015 to 1017cm-3.
Smart Transformer for Low Voltage Distribution System

As the population grows, so does the need for power transformers increases in a system. The production of low voltage has an impact on the electricity quality of customers that are linked to this grid. To prevent this issue, power transformer condition monitoring and diagnostics must be performed. Power electronic converters can provide this constant monitoring. Here, smart transformers system created may immediately decrease energy consumption by providing a steady, optimum power supply that feeds electrical equipment and improves quality, and utilising renewable energy sources such as solar and wind that can be linked in parallel with smart transformers. In consequence, high-tech microgrids, in particular smart grids, are used to link this technology to energy storage systems, communication networks and, in particular, smart transformer devices in current electrical systems. Supervising, reporting, and analysing every part of the grid enhance overall network performance by reducing losses and cost. The intelligent transformer is a key element of the intelligent grid, consisting of an electronic device transformer coupled with efficient control and communication systems. This allows the electrical separation of the separate, low voltage and medium voltage grids. This enables two-way power streams and also enhances the electrical power quality of the system by filtering and minimizing disturbances, such as flickering, bumps and harmonics from one side of the intelligent transformer to the other.
Integer Programming Models for the Geodesic Classification Problem on Graphs

We study a discrete version of the classical classification problem, to be called geodesic classification problem. It is defined on a graph, where some vertices are initially assigned a class, and the remaining ones must be classified. This vertex partition is grounded on the concept of geodesic convexity on graphs, as a replacement for the Euclidean convexity in the multidimensional space. We propose two integer programming models along with branch-and-cut algorithms to solve them. We also carry out a polyhedral study and run computational experiments to evaluate the proposed approaches.
Ratio and difference of average hazard with survival weight: New measures to quantify survival benefit of new therapy

The hazard ratio (HR) has been the most popular measure to quantify the magnitude of treatment effect on time‐to‐event outcomes in clinical research. However, the traditional Cox's HR approach has several drawbacks. One major issue is that there is no clear interpretation when the proportional hazards (PH) assumption does not hold, because the estimated HR is affected by study‐specific censoring time distribution in non‐PH cases. Another major issue is that the lack of a group‐specific absolute hazard value in each group obscures the clinical significance of the magnitude of the treatment effect. Given these, we propose average hazard with survival weight (AH‐SW) as a summary metric of event time distribution and will use difference in AH‐SW (DAH‐SW) or ratio of AH‐SW (RAH‐SW) to quantify the treatment effect magnitude. The AH‐SW is interpreted as a person‐time incidence rate that does not depend on random censoring. It is defined as the ratio of cumulative incidence probability and restricted mean survival time (RMST), which can be estimated non‐parametrically. Numerical studies demonstrate that DAH‐SW and RAH‐SW offer almost identical power to Cox's HR‐based tests under PH scenarios and can be more powerful for delayed‐difference patterns often seen in immunotherapy trials. Like median and RMST differences, the proposed approach is a good model‐free alternative to the HR‐based approach for evaluating the treatment effect magnitude. Such a model‐free measure will increase the likelihood that results from clinical studies are correctly interpreted and generalized to future populations.
AP-EMOJ210101 1..18

Daniel G. Dillon , Amit Lazarov, Sarah Dolan, Yair Bar-Haim, Diego A. Pizzagalli , and Franklin R. Schneier 5 1 McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, United States 2 Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School 3 School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University 4 New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NewYork, United States 5 Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University
Designing Prosthetic Hands With Embodied Intelligence: The KIT Prosthetic Hands

Hand prostheses should provide functional replacements of lost hands. Yet current prosthetic hands often are not intuitive to control and easy to use by amputees. Commercially available prostheses are usually controlled based on EMG signals triggered by the user to perform grasping tasks. Such EMG-based control requires long training and depends heavily on the robustness of the EMG signals. Our goal is to develop prosthetic hands with semi-autonomous grasping abilities that lead to more intuitive control by the user. In this paper, we present the development of prosthetic hands that enable such abilities as first results toward this goal. The developed prostheses provide intelligent mechatronics including adaptive actuation, multi-modal sensing and on-board computing resources to enable autonomous and intuitive control. The hands are scalable in size and based on an underactuated mechanism which allows the adaptation of grasps to the shape of arbitrary objects. They integrate a multi-modal sensor system including a camera and in the newest version a distance sensor and IMU. A resource-aware embedded system for in-hand processing of sensory data and control is included in the palm of each hand. We describe the design of the new version of the hands, the female hand prosthesis with a weight of 377 g, a grasping force of 40.5 N and closing time of 0.73 s. We evaluate the mechatronics of the hand, its grasping abilities based on the YCB Gripper Assessment Protocol as well as a task-oriented protocol for assessing the hand performance in activities of daily living. Further, we exemplarily show the suitability of the multi-modal sensor system for sensory-based, semi-autonomous grasping in daily life activities. The evaluation demonstrates the merit of the hand concept, its sensor and in-hand computing systems.