Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved Prediction of Post-operative Life Expectancy after Thoracic Surgery

Monitoring health outcomes is essential to enhance quality initiatives, healthcare management and consumer education. Thoracic Surgery is the data collected for patients who underwent major lung resections for primary lung cancer. The application of machine learning techniques for predicting post-operative life expectancy in the lung cancer patients is an area with little research and few concrete recommendations. In order to use machine learning techniques effectively, attribute ranking and selection is an integral component to successful health outcome prediction. In this paper, we present three attribute ranking and selection methods to improve algorithms performance for health outcomes research. Two papers results for other researchers are used in comparison to show the efficiency of our proposed attribute ranking and selection methods.
Geo‐environmental evaluation for the preventive conservation of open‐air archaeological sites: the case of the Roman Necropolis of Carmona (Spain)

The Necropolis of Carmona, which has more than 600 tombs carved in calcarenites, is among the most important Roman burial sites preserved in southern Spain. The tombs in the Necropolis show severe alteration and multiple weathering processes after being excavated at the end of the nineteenth century without a preventive conservation plan. The archaeological site shows strong anthropic modifications related to different excavation stages and in relation to the construction of facilities for the visiting public. In particular, the exposure of the buried tombs to meteoric conditions and anthropic modification of natural drainage have led to an important acceleration of the deterioration of the tombs. The conservation status of the Necropolis was defined through a comprehensive geo‐environmental study that combined field observations and laboratory data, modelling and digital mapping and environmental monitoring. Results allow a methodology to be developed providing guidelines to minimize potential risks when excavating new tombs (now buried) in the future. Moreover, the most suitable prospective areas can be defined inside the Necropolis in terms of the environmental, geological and geomorphological conditions which will enhance the preservation of newly exhumed tombs. Geo‐environmental preventive conservation methods that we propose can be entirely applied to other large archaeological sites completely exposed to open‐air atmospheric conditions.
Systems Analysis of SO2-CO2 Co-Capture from a Post-Combustion Coal-Fired Power Plant in Deep Eutectic Solvents

In this study, CO2 and SO2 captures from post-combustion flue gas from a pulverized coal-fired power plant were evaluated using deep eutectic solvents (DES) to replace existing mono-ethanol amine (MEA) and CanSolv technologies. The system design of the DES-based CO2 and SO2 capture was based on the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) 550 MWe pulverized coal-fired power plant model using Illinois #06 coal. Two of the most studied DES (choline chloride and urea at a 1:2 molar ratio and methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (METPB) and ethylene glycol at a 1:3 molar ratio) for CO2 and SO2 capture were evaluated for this system analysis. Physical properties of DES were evaluated using both density functional theory (DFT)-based modeling as well as with documented properties from the literature. A technoeconomic assessment (TEA) was completed to assess DES ability to capture CO2 and SO2. Both solvents were able to fully dissolve and capture all SO2 present in the flue gas. It was also found from the system analyses that choline chloride and urea outperformed METPB and ethylene glycol (had a lower final cost) when assessed at 10–30% CO2 capture at high operating pressures (greater than 10 bar). At high system sizes (flow rate of greater than 50,000 kmoles DES per hour), choline chloride:urea was more cost effective than METPB:ethylene glycol. This study also establishes a modeling framework to evaluate future DES for physical absorption systems by both thermophysical and economic objectives. This framework can be used to greatly expedite DES candidate screening in future studies.
Trimti: Siraiki Feminism and the Role of Women within Siraiki Literary Domain

This paper applies textual analysis and an ethnographic approach to explore the role of women within the Siraiki cultural and literary domain. The debate about Siraiki as an ethno linguistic identity is a postcolonial development in Pakistan. Siraiki language speakers identify themselves being distinct from any other ethnic group in Pakistan. Based on this claim they resist the hegemonic control of Punjabi-Mohajir over their resources, area and disregard towards their literary and cultural tradition. The demand for a new Siraiki province within the federation of Pakistan by bifurcating Punjab is an outcome of this lack of political recognition. We contend that due to social taboos and patriarchal pressures, these women are experiencing suppression that results in limited visibility within mainstream literary circles. The lack of both appreciation and mentorship for their creative outputs has resulted in the dearth of literature produced by Siraiki women writers. The objective of this study is to indicate how this oppression can result in an enactment of power through creative writing. In order to substantiate our argument, we rely on selected works by Iqbal Bano, Shabnam Awan and Mussarat Kalanchvi. In the process, we also attempt to theorize an indigenous manifestation of feminist intent of these Siraiki writers as Trimti
The Assessment of the Patient Safety Culture Based on the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire in a State-Owned Regional Hospital in Taiwan

The patient safety culture based on the safety attitudes questionnaire from a state-owned regional teaching hospital in Taiwan is analyzed in terms of six dimensions by independent sample t test and one-way analysis of variance from the viewpoints of physicians and nurses. Gender, age, job position, job status, and education are critical demographic variables that have significant impacts on five out of six dimensions. In contrast, teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, and perceptions of management are the critical dimensions because they are statistically influenced by six out of nine demographic variables. To relentlessly improve the patient safety culture in this regional hospital, the hospital management needs to pay much attention to critical demographic variables, identify those employees with statistically lower perceptions in terms of dimensions, and then take actions to address their deficiencies.
Using EEG to understand how our brain elaborate information in stated choice experiments: Easy versus hard tasks in the choice of vehicles

In the current study, we aim to provide preliminary evidence that complex consumer choices depends on cognitive processes and executive functions that may not be fully captured by current stated choice (SC) approaches. To address this gap, here we combine the standard SC experiment with electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings while manipulating the cognitive demands of the task. Our study is applied to the choice context of a car purchase between a petrol and an electric vehicle. Respondents were asked to fill in a stated choice experiment online and a subsample of these respondents were then invited to participate in an EEG study during which they repeated the same SC experiment while we continuously recorded EEG signals from their scalp. We then modelled people’s choice behaviours in easy and hard decisions, and compared this analysis of their choice behaviour to their EEG responses in these two conditions. Our results confirm that hard decisions lead to higher cognitive demands and larger EEG responses in electrodes on the frontal part of the scalp and these demands can lead to choices inconsistent with the compensatory assumptions.
Cesarean Delivery in Context

Part of the Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Disorders of Environmental Origin Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons, Evolution Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Maternal and Child Health Commons, Medical Education Commons, Obstetrics and Gynecology Commons, Other Medical Sciences Commons, Other Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, and the Translational Medical Research Commons
Investigating the association between armour coverage and parasite infection in an estuarine population of stickleback.

Background When threespine stickleback colonized fresh water, they repeatedly evolved reduced armour plating via changes in Eda allele frequency. This evolution is typically attributed to differential predation pressure between marine and freshwater environments. However, the chromosomal region containing Eda is associated with many other phenotypes, including schooling, antipredator behaviour, and immunity. Consequently, the evolution of armour plating may be driven by multiple selective pressures acting on Eda or linked genes. Question Is parasite infection associated with armour phenotype? Hypothesis Parasite load differs between stickleback armour plate morphs. Organisms An armour-polymorphic population of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and their parasites. Field site In June 2009 and 2012, we sampled stickleback from a single human-made salt-marsh pool in the Campbell River Estuary on Vancouver Island. Methods We counted macroparasites on approximately 100 fish per year and counted lateral armour plates. We used generalized linear models to test for correlations between armour morph and parasite load. Results Most parasite species were not associated with armour. The gill parasite Thersitina was more abundant on more fully armoured fish in both years. The nematode Eustrongylides also exhibited a marginally significant positive trend. If parasitic infections reduce stickleback fitness, this positive covariance between armour and infection would accelerate the loss of armour plating in stickleback colonizing fresh water.
Detecting malicious PDF using CNN

Malicious PDF files represent one of the biggest threats to computer security. To detect them, significant research has been done using handwritten signatures or machine learning based on manual feature extraction. Those approaches are both time-consuming, require significant prior knowledge and the list of features has to be updated with each newly discovered vulnerability. In this work, we propose a novel algorithm that uses an ensemble of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) on the byte level of the file, without any handcrafted features. We show, using a data set of 90000 files downloadable online, that our approach maintains a high detection rate (94%) of PDF malware and even detects new malicious files, still undetected by most antiviruses. Using automatically generated features from our CNN network, and applying a clustering algorithm, we also obtain high similarity between the antiviruses' labels and the resulting clusters.
Blockchain and the circular economy: potential tensions and critical reflections from practice

Abstract Blockchain technology and the circular economy (CE) are two emergent concepts that can change the way we live for decades. Arrival of Industry 4.0 is set to transform organisational activities through various technological innovations. Blockchain is such a critical technology. Yet, the breadth of the blockchain concept and its application require nuanced investigation in different contexts, including examining some tensions with the applications. This paper examines how blockchain technology is likely to transform and advance circular economy realisation. Using grounded theory building from multiple case studies, we present early evidence linking the blockchain application to circular economy dimensions of regenerate, share, optimise, loop, virtualise, and exchange (ReSOLVE model). Case studies of blockchain application in various industrial sectors, at different adoption levels, for diverse organisational purposes are analysed and discussed. We systematically examine the practices, gaps, potential tensions, and critical reflections. Our study concludes with a summary of research propositions, limitations, and future research directions.
Hypothermia Effects on Liver and Kidney Oxidative Stress Parameters in an Experimental Model of Sepsis in Rats

Abstract Introduction Oxidative stress (OS) seems to be an important mediator of cellular injury, from which sepsis can proceed. Studies have demonstrated the protective effect of controlled hypothermia in sepsis. This study aimed to evaluate its effects on OS parameters in rat hepatic and renal tissue septic after caecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Material and Methods Three groups were appointed (10 rats/group): C (control), SN (sepsis normothermic), and SH (sepsis hypothermic). Ten hours from CLP, the liver and kidneys were harvested and total protein concentration, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, lipid peroxidation level (malondialdehyde (MDA), carbonylated proteins (2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH), and fatty acid profile were analysed. Results Sepsis significantly increased SOD and GPx activities in the liver, regardless of the temperature. In renal tissue, GPx activity increased significantly in normothermic conditions and SOD tended to decrease in hypothermic conditions. MDA and DNPH concentrations increase in both tissues after CLP. Hypothermia significantly lowered MDA in the liver but only changed it insignificantly in the kidneys. The DNPH in the liver and kidneys was significantly lower in hypothermic conditions. The unsaturated-to-saturated fatty acids ratio was significantly lower in sepsis, and the fall in temperature raised this ratio. Conclusion Experimentally induced sepsis in rats enhances OS in the liver and kidneys. The effect of hypothermia on OS indices is dependent on the type of tissue.
Study of ion cyclotron heating scenarios and fast particles generation in the divertor tokamak test facility

In this study we are investigating the physics of ion-cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) plasma interaction in the Divertor Tokamak Test facility, on the basis of the plasma and tokamak parameters characterizing the machine, as well as the antenna design. An assessment of the ICRH scenarios which involves (i) frequency choice, (ii) power spectrum, (iii) minority H and/or 3He heating, (iv) deuterium second harmonic heating, (v) fast particles energies, has been carried out. Well assessed numerical tools have been used for the solution of the relevant electromagnetic wave equation coupled to the quasi-linear Fokker–Planck equation for the ion distribution function, and the Torino Polytechnic Ion Cyclotron Antenna has been used to calculate the launcher design and the coupling performance of the antenna and the wave spectrum in presence of a plasma load. The wave spectrum especially represents an important input parameter for the numerical codes calculating the propagation and absorption of the ICRH wave. In this work the numerical results are reported and discussed with particular attention to the determination of the distribution function of the accelerated ions and its implication in the fast particle physics.
Sexual Activity before and after Total Hip Arthroplasty

Introduction: Sexual life is an important component of the quality of life. However, it is frequently neglected aspect in patients with hip osteoarthritis. The aims of the study were to evaluate the influence of the total hip replacement (THR) surgery on the quality of sexual life (QSL). Methods: a retrospective study using an anonymous questionnaire administered to 270 patients in a face-to-face interview at physical medicine and rehabilitation department. Results: The mean age when sexual difficulties began was 45 years (range: 21-63) two years after hip pain occurred. Sexual difficulties were considered severe to major by 19% of patients. The main causes of sexual difficulties were pain, then joint stiffness. Patients with the most pronounced and early sexual repercussions were young women with hip dysplasia. In patient’s opinion, the implementation of THR improves sexual relations. The frequency of intercourse was increased after THR significantly more frequently in women than in men, due to a change in coital position. Only 17% of patients had information about sexual activity before/after THR. Conclusion: Sexual difficulties should not be marginalized, but should be assessed before and after surgery. It is the role of a multidisciplinary team: surgeon, physiatrist and physiotherapist as they should provide clear information.
The Relationship Between Stakeholder Orientation And Strategy Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises

The social orientation of small and medium-sized enterprises derives primarily from their operational specifics, since these companies are often embedded in their environment that affects their strategy. After presenting the fundamental orientation theories, the article analysis the effects of stakeholder orientation on corporate operations and marketing strategy. While market and marketing orientation focuses primarily on customers and competitors, stakeholder orientation analyzes and prioritizes individual stakeholder groups based on multiple criteria. It this paper the author tests the implementation of the reviewed theoretical concepts using empirical research. The author’s aim is to analyze the relationships between the orientations and the operation of the companies according to the opinion of the managers of small and medium-sized companies.
The Role of Short Chain Fatty Acids in Obesity

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are produced by colonic microbiota, mostly from dietary fiber. Mice studies have shown that excess production of SCFA by the ‘obese microbiota’ (increased Firmicutes and decreased Bacteroidetes), may promote obesity via increased colonic energy availability. However, other studies have shown that colonic fermentation of dietary-fiber to SCFA may play a role in preventing obesity and diabetes. Thus, the primary goals of this work were to investigate whether overweight and obese (OWO) humans produce SCFA more efficiently than lean (LN) humans, and whether SCFA from colonic fermentation of two different fibers affect appetite hormone and glycemic responses. To achieve these goals, 2 studies in LN and OWO human subjects were performed. The first study confirmed higher fecal SCFA concentrations in OWO than LN humans. This could have been due to more efficient SCFA production by the ‘obese microbiota’, since colonic SCFA absorption, dietary intakes and markers for gut transit time were similar in LN and OWO subjects and, therefore, could not explain the difference in fecal SCFA between the groups. However, the second study did not confirm the higher SCFA concentrations in feces or in blood (either at fasting or postprandially following fiber consumption) in OWO compared to LN humans. Unexpectedly the increase in SCFA from inulin or resistant-starch’s fermentation did not affect glycemia or appetite hormone responses (excluding a possible effect of inulin on ghrelin). On the other hand, both fibers induced early effects that were not likely related to colonic fermentation:
“You’re Not an Island”: A Middle Grades Language Arts Teacher’s Changed Perceptions in ESL and Content Teachers’ Collaboration

Abstract Building on previous studies of ESL and content teachers’ collaboration, this qualitative case study relied on Davies and Harré’s positioning theory as a theoretical lens to examine the influences that collaboration between an ESL teacher and a language arts teacher had on the language arts teacher’s approach to planning for and teaching ESL students. Data collection included three audio recorded semi-structured interviews, two video recorded collaborative planning sessions, two reflective journals written by the language arts teacher, document analysis of the created lesson plan documents, and field notes. The findings showed that the language arts teacher changed her perceptions about the content teacher’s role, lesson plan design, and her views about ESL students while working in collaboration with an ESL teacher. These findings implicate the potential for ESL and content teachers’ collaboration to be a space to challenge the content teachers’ accepted notions about language instruction for ESL students and highlight the ESL teacher’s strengthened role in the collaborative partnership. Further, this study warrants further exploration into ESL and content teachers’ collaboration in middle school content classrooms.
Stereological methods in cement-based materials technology: A survey of my research group’s activities during the past half of a century

Four topics of high engineering relevance in which we were involved are introduced herein. Aggregate packing in concrete is of obvious relevance: denser packings lead to reduced cement demands, while modern developments in the (super) high performance range of cementitious materials are based on particle packing. Fiber reinforcement efficiency in concrete that we have studied extensively offers a relatively simple stereological problem for which Cauchy laid down the fundament. In the third problem of damage analysis the dispersion of small cracks in concrete is at issue. Insight into damage characteristics would be relevant in all (fracture) mechanical experiments. This topic can equally be linked to Cauchy. In both cases, the data acquisition by stereological methods is indicated. The fourth topic is of high actual relevance. It involves porosimetry in computer-simulated (virtual) cementitious materials, ultimately aiming permeability estimation. The stereological problems involved are indicated, and - again – Cauchy can be linked to finding solutions. Finally, new, mostly yet unpublished developments are indicated aiming for more economic procedures as well as improving reliability of permeability estimates by nano-packing of globules, so that ultimately this methodology could replace the laborious and expensive (and biased) experimental route.
Mplus Trees: Structural Equation Model Trees Using Mplus

ABSTRACT Structural equation model trees (SEM Trees) allow for the construction of decision trees with structural equation models fit in each of the nodes. Based on covariate information, SEM Trees can be used to create distinct subgroups containing individuals with similar parameter estimates. Currently, the structural equation modeling component of SEM Trees is implemented in the R packages OpenMx and lavaan. We extend SEM Trees so that the models can be fit in Mplus, in the hopes that its efficiency and accessibility allow a broader group of researchers to fit a wider range of models. We discuss the Mplus Trees algorithm, its implementation, and its position among the growing number of tree-based methods in psychological research. We also provide several examples using publicly available data to illustrate how Mplus Trees can be implemented in practice with the R package MplusTrees.
Identification and characterization of invasive multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Bacteroides genomospecies in Canada

We identified and characterized a genome of the multi-drug-resistant Bacteroides genomospecies recovered from an invasive specimen from a hospitalized patient in Canada. The strain was resistant to penicillin, pipercillin-tazobactam, meropenem, clindaymycin and metronidazole. The strain harboured a plasmid containing the nimE gene, which has been shown to be associated with metronidazole resistance. The study highlights the importance of being vigilant in suspecting antimicrobial drug resistance when a patient is not improving on therapy.