Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence, determinants, and association of overweight/obesity with non-communicable disease-related biomedical indicators: A cross-sectional study in schoolteachers in Kabul, Afghanistan

Overweight/obesity constitutes a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), whose global prevalence is growing rapidly, including in Afghanistan. However, the effects of risk factors on NCDs have rarely been studied in the educator workforce. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the prevalence, determinants, and association of overweight/obesity with NCD-related biomedical indicators among schoolteachers in Afghanistan. The sample comprised 600 schoolteachers aged 18 years and above. We conducted questionnaire interviews, anthropometric measurements, and blood biochemistry tests. The main explanatory variable was overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥ 25.0 kg/m2). NCD-related biomedical indicators were the outcome variables. Poisson regression models were applied to investigate the association between overweight/obesity and outcome variables. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 58.2%, which was significantly higher in women, those aged 41–50 years, married participants, and those with 10–20 years of working experience than in their counterparts. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables and lifestyle behaviors, overweight/obesity was significantly associated with hypertension (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.83, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33–2.51); elevated levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (aPR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.01–1.79), total cholesterol (aPR = 1.67, 95% CI:1.14–2.44), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (aPR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.10–1.50), and triglycerides (aPR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.57–2.50), and having three or more comorbidities (aPR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.47–2.47). Our findings demonstrated a high prevalence of overweight/obesity among schoolteachers. In addition, we found significant associations of overweight/obesity with a higher prevalence of hypertension; elevated serum levels of HbA1c, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and triglycerides; and comorbid conditions in schoolteachers. The findings highlight the need for worksite interventions that promote weight control among schoolteachers with overweight/obesity to reduce the burden of NCDs.
Noisy speech recognition via wavelet transform enhancement

A speech enhancement system based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT) representation and solved by the estimation maximization algorithm is proposed. This technique can find its counterpart in Wiener filtering where Fourier transform or all-pole modeling representation are used. Very encouraging enhancement results based on the proposed DTW generalized Wiener filtering were obtained, using a time-delay neural network for recognition. <<ETX>>
The backscattered fraction in two-stream approximations.

Abstract New formulas for the backscattered fraction in two-stream theory are derived. They express this fraction, for either isotropically or monodirectionally incident radiation, as a single integral over the scattering phase function, thereby effecting a substantial simplification over the customary multiple-integral definitions. From these formulas the globally averaged backscatter of the earth due to typical aerosols is shown to depend primarily on the forward part (0° to 90°) of the scattering phase function, where the disagreement between spherical-and nonspherical-particle scattering is smallest. The new formulas also lead to connections, in terms of standard elliptic integrals, between the backscatter and the phase function asymmetry factor; while rigorously correct only for the Henyey-Greenstein phase function, these relations are shown to be remarkably accurate for all spherical-particle phase functions. The detailed relationship between backscatter and asymmetry factor is shown to be multi-val.
Topological Optimization Technique for Free Vibration Problems

A topological optimization technique using the conception of OMD (Optimal Material Distribution) is presented for free vibration problems of a structure. A new objective function corresponding to multieigenvalue optimization is suggested for improving the solution of the eigenvalue optimization problem. An improved optimization algorithm is then applied to solve these problems, which is derived by the authors using a new convex generalized-linearization approach via a shift parameter which corresponds to the Lagrange multiplier and the use of the dual method. Finally, three example applications are given to substantiate the feasibility of the approaches presented in this paper.
Spatial and Multilevel Analysis of Unscheduled Contraceptive Discontinuation in Ethiopia: Further analysis of 2005 and 2016 Ethiopia Demography and Health Surveys

Background Unscheduled discontinuation of contraceptives is a public health problem among women of reproductive age. Particularly, it is associated with unwanted pregnancies that lead to maternal and child mortality, but little is known about the spatial distribution of the problem. Therefore, this study aims to assess the spatial distribution and associated factors of unscheduled contraceptive discontinuation in Ethiopia. Method This study used secondary data from the Ethiopia Demography and Health Survey (EDHS) data of 2005 and 2016. The study population was women who used contraceptives in the preceding 5 years before the survey. A total of 2,327 and 3,858 eligible women were included in the final analysis of the 2005 and 2016 EDHS, respectively. For the spatial analysis, both the 2005 and the 2016 EDHS data were analyzed using ArcGIS version 10.7, while for multilevel regression analysis, the 2016 EDHS data were used. The final model reported an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI), and a p-value of 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Result This study revealed that unscheduled discontinuation of contraceptives varied geographically, and hotspots were detected in the central, north, and eastern parts of Ethiopia. Moreover, diploma and higher education (AOR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.01–1.95), urban residence (AOR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.08–1.72), history of termination of pregnancy (AOR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.14–1.94), married women (AOR = 10.79; 95% CI: 6.98–16.69), separated/divorced women (AOR = 1.54: 95% CI: 1.07–2.30), —two to four number of children (AOR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.15–1.84), and involvement in the decision-making process of contraceptive use (AOR = 39.26; 95% CI: 28.84–53.45) were all factors associated with unscheduled discontinuation of contraceptives. Conclusion This study revealed that unscheduled discontinuation of contraceptive distribution was significantly clustered in the central, north, and eastern parts of Ethiopia, as found in two surveys. The magnitude of this discontinuation increased from 2005 to 2016. The finding underscores that further interventions such as the availability of multiple mixed methods and improvement in women's decision-making ability in the choice of contraceptive methods and utilization are needed in hotspot areas of Ethiopia.
Wave reflection from a gently sloping beach

The linear reflection of an obliquely incident gravity wave of frequency ω from a gently sloping beach of shoreline slope σ and characteristic length l is determined for σ [Lt ] 1 [Lt ] ω2l/g. An asymptotic (σ↓0), inviscid approximation that is uniformly valid in the shallow-water domain is matched to Keller's (1958) geometrical-optics approximation for non-shallow water. An exact solution is obtained for the profile h = σl[1−exp (−x/l)] in the shallow-water domain and used to test the asymptotic approximation. The absence of viscosity implies perfect reflection. A model that incorporates both small viscosity and small capillarity predicts a fixed contact line and the reflection coefficient |R| = exp [−πσ−2g−1(2νω3)½], where ν is the kinematic viscosity. These predictions are in qualitative agreement with the experimental results of Mahony & Pritchard (1980).
Decreased transthyretin predicts a poor prognosis in primary myelodysplastic syndrome

Background This study aims to investigate the prognostic significance of transthyretin in newly diagnosed myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Methods The clinical, laboratory, and follow-up data of 280 newly diagnosed patients with MDS were collected. The relationship between serum transthyretin levels and overall survival (OS) and leukemia-free survival (LFS) were analyzed by Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox Regression Model. Result In the MDS cohort, there were 121 cases in the low transthyretin group and 159 cases in the normal transthyretin group. MDS patients with decreased transthyretin had a higher risk score on the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) (p = 0.004) and on the molecular IPSS (IPSS-M) (p = 0.005), a higher frequency of TP53 mutation (p < 0.0001), a shorter OS (p < 0.0001) and LFS (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analyses showed that higher IPSS-R and IPSS-M score were adverse factors for OS (p = 0.008 and p = 0.015, respectively) and LFS (p = 0.024 and p = 0.005, respectively). Mutations of TP53 and NRAS were also poor factors for LFS (p = 0.034 and p = 0.018, respectively). Notably, decreased transthyretin was an independent adverse predictor for OS (p = 0.009, HR = 0.097, 95%CI, 0.017–0.561) but not for LFS (p = 0.167) when IPSS-R was included in the Cox regression model and an independent poor one for OS (p = 0.033, HR = 0.267, 95%CI, 0.080–0.898) and LFS (p = 0.024, HR = 0.290, 95%CI, 0.099–0.848) while IPSS-M involved. Conclusion The results indicate that decreased transthyretin could be an independent adverse prognostic factor in patients with MDS and may provide a supplement to IPSS-R and IPSS-M.
Bayesian Inference on Gravitational Waves

The Bayesian approach is increasingly becoming popular among the astrophysics data analysis communities. However, the Pakistan statistics communities are unaware of this fertile interaction between the two disciplines. Bayesian methods have been in use to address astronomical problems since the very birth of the Bayes probability in eighteenth century. Today the Bayesian methods for the detection and parameter estimation of gravitational waves have solid theoretical grounds with a strong promise for the realistic applications. This article aims to introduce the Pakistan statistics communities to the applications of Bayesian Monte Carlo methods in the analysis of gravitational wave data with an overview of the Bayesian signal detection and estimation methods and demonstration by a couple of simplified examples.
A novel feature of the ancient organ: A possible involvement of the subcommissural organ in neurogenic/gliogenic potential in the adult brain

The subcommissural organ (SCO) is a circumventricular organ highly conserved in vertebrates from Cyclostomata such as lamprey to mammals including human. The SCO locates in the boundary between the third ventricle and the entrance of the aqueduct of Sylvius. The SCO functions as a secretory organ producing a variety of proteins such as SCO-spondin, transthyretin, and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). A significant contribution of the SCO has been thought to maintain the homeostasis of CSF dynamics. However, evidence has shown a possible role of SCO on neurogenesis in the adult brain. This review highlights specific features of the SCO related to adult neurogenesis, suggested by the progress of understanding SCO functions. We begin with a brief history of the SCO discovery and continue to structural features, gene expression, and a possible role in adult neurogenesis suggested by the SCO transplant experiment.
Optimised importance sampling quantile estimation

This paper considers the use of an auxiliary variable X* to estimate quantiles of a test statistic X; X* may be an asymptotic expansion of X, or a simplified version which ignores some of the covariance structure. The proposed estimator involves three stages. First a large sample is drawn, and X* is evaluated. Then a first subsample is drawn, X and X* are evaluated and the conditional distribution of X given X* is estimated. Then a second subsample is drawn with weighting which is optimised for this conditional distribution, and for a particular quantile. From this subsample, an importance sampling estimator of the quantile is obtained. The resulting estimator is shown to have substantially lower mean squared error than the conventional estimator, and to be reasonably robust both to errors in the model for the conditional distribution and to the quantile assumed for the optimisation. An example in genetics is given.
Psychological Factors Affecting Intention to Use Public Transport among Vietnamese Motorcyclists

Previous studies on factors influencing public transport usage have mainly focused on car users and been conducted in the Western world. In contrast, there are few studies on modal choice in motorcycle- dominant countries like Vietnam. This paper contributes to the state of the art by investigating data from 618 Vietnamese motorcyclists to understand psychological factors that influence the intention to use public transport among Vietnamese motorcyclists. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation model (SEM) are employed to explore psychological factors influencing public transport mode choice in Vietnam and to test the relationship between these psychological factors and the intention to use public transport. The results show that in addition to other factors in the theory of planned behavior (TPB), such as personal norms and perceived behavioral control, attitudes toward public transport mode choice are formulated from three components: instrumental attitude, symbolic/affective attitude, and social orderliness attitude. In addition, the SEM result also shows that only personal norms and social orderliness have a direct relationship with the intention to use public transport among five psychological factors. The findings from this paper have contributed both theoretical and empirical value to the existing literature in this field.
Improved ductility of Mg–3Gd–0.6Zr alloy by cuboid-shaped phase: experiments and first-principle calculations

A casting Mg–3Gd–0.6Zr alloy was designed to evaluate the effect of cuboid-shaped phase on its mechanical properties. The morphology of cuboid-shaped phase was correlated with the directional covalent bonding between Gd atoms and H atoms along <100 > directions. The cuboid-shaped phase can be eliminated by a designed annealing treatment, without grain coarsening simultaneously. The ductility of as-cast alloy is about 20% higher than that of the annealed one. The improvement of ductility was caused by cuboid-shaped phase in three aspects: first-principle calculations, hydrogen embrittlement and crystal imperfections.
A direct data approximation based motion estimation algorithm

A novel algorithm for estimating motion and structure from orthographic projections is presented. The estimate is based on the image locations of a set of points on a rigid object viewed in many frames. The object can have an arbitrary shape. Motion is assumed to consist of rotation about a fixed-direction axis and linear translation, each at a constant rate. The algorithm uses closed-form expressions to find estimates of the motion and the structure parameters and can accept any number of points over any number of frames as input. The performance of the algorithm on synthetic data generated to represent a range of motion and structure conditions and on data extracted from real images is evaluated. It is shown that the algorithm produces accurate results from synthetic data given the positions of 10 points over 10 frames, with a total rotation of 90 degrees and with uniformly distributed noise of 0.9%. <<ETX>>
Antioxidative and Protective Effect of Morchella esculenta against Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Alterations in Liver

Morchella esculenta is an edible mushroom with special flavor and high nutritional value for humans, primarily owing to its polysaccharide constituents. M. esculenta polysaccharides (MEPs) possess remarkable pharmaceutical properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-atherogenic activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant potential of MEPs. In vitro activity was determined using free radical scavenging assays, whereas in vivo activity was evaluated through dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced liver injury in mice with acute colitis. MEPs effectively scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2-azinobis-6-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline sulfonic acid) free radicals in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, DSS-induced mice showed severe liver damage, cellular infiltration, tissue necrosis, and decreased antioxidant capacity. In contrast, intragastric administration of MEPs showed hepatoprotective effects against DSS-induced liver injury. MEPs remarkably elevated the expression levels of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase. Additionally, it decreased malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase levels in the liver. These results indicate that the protective effects of MEP against DSS-induced hepatic injury could rely on its ability to reduce oxidative stress, suppress inflammatory responses, and improve antioxidant enzyme activity in the liver. Therefore, MEPs could be explored as potential natural antioxidant agents in medicine or as functional foods to prevent liver injury.
Surface plasmon assisted photoluminescence in GaAs–AlGaAs quantum well microstructures

Surface plasmon resonance has been investigated in a quantum well (QW) GaAs microstructure the photoluminescence (PL) of which is coupled via a submicrometer period grating with surface plasmons (SPs) propagating at SiO2–Au-dielectric interfaces. Introduction of the SiO2 layer allowed to increase both the propagation length and the penetration depth of SPs and, consequently, achieve their enhanced interaction with the QW PL signal. For a QW GaAs–Al0.5Ga0. 5As microstructure emitting at 822nm, a modulated PL emission has been observed in agreement with the calculated resonance conditions expected for such a microstructure and the 375nm period grating.
Dimensionality reduction with subpixel refinement for SLAM

A simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) system continuously explores the environment to causally estimate the ego-motion of a robot and map the environment. Visual SLAM using a single video camera is particularly challenging. Although visual SLAM allows incorporating thousands of features into the system to improve the accuracy, this gain comes with a computational overhead. This thesis advances the state of the art in visual SLAM in terms of efficiency, accuracy and robustness. First, a sub-pixel refinement algorithm is presented to permit efficient pose estimation in monocular SLAM. The algorithm extends spatial domain Gauss-Newton parameter estimation into the frequency domain. Then corresponding features are sub-pixel refined by estimating the affine parameters between the two surrounding patches. Here, the correct frequency range is selected by identifying a direct relationship between the Gabor phase response and the frequency response of a Gaussian multiplied image patch. Further it is shown how parameter estimation can be made more accurate by operating in the frequency domain, which naturally gives rise to a multi-resolution optimisation framework. Next, a novel method is proposed to handle the dimensionality of the SLAM problem which permits the handling of a large number of parameters. The proposed method dramatically reduces the computational complexity of the Kalman-filters by reducing the dimensionality as information is acquired. The validity of the method is proved by applying it to monocular SLAM, where there are a large number of dimensions in the filter that are not subject to process noise (the landmark locations). This has the effect of reducing the cost of running a filter or allowing a single filter to process a much larger set of landmarks. Then, the dimensionality reduction is extended into a relative formulation, which is extensible into a large-scale system. The formulation uses the higher degree of linearity available with the relative formulation to build a Kalman-filter based reduced SLAM system. An un-delayed method for adding features to the filter is also introduced. Then the effect of the number of features used in the system on the final estimation uncertainty is analyzed, and it is shown that the actual number of dimensions that has to be optimised is far less than the number of original dimensions in the problem. Finally, we introduce a novel method to retrieve the pose estimation Jacobian on limited platforms through an efficient partitioning of the matrix, which removes the Jacobian computation overhead. Instead of recalculating the Jacobian every time, we show how it can be precalculated and saved for later retrieval.
DUST PRODUCTION BY EVOLVED STARS IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS

Within the context of the hugely successful SAGE-LMC and SAGE-SMC surveys, Spitzer photometry observations of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds have revealed millions of infrared point sources in each galaxy. The brightest infrared sources are generally dust producing and mass-losing evolved stars, and several tens of thousands of such stars have been classied. After photometrically classifying these objects, the dust production by several kinds of evolved stars - such as Asymptotic Giant Branch stars and Red Supergiants - can be determined. SAGE-Spec is the spectroscopic follow-up to the SAGE-LMC survey, and it has obtained Spitzer-IRS 5-40 m spectroscopy of about 200 sources in the LMC. Combined with archival data from other programs, observations at a total of ~1000 pointings have been obtained in the LMC, while ~250 IRS pointings were observed in the SMC. Of these, a few hundred pointings represent dust producing and mass-losing evolved stars, covering a range in colors, luminosities, and thus mass-loss rates. Red Supergiants and O-rich and C-rich AGB stars - the main dust producers - are well represented in the spectroscopic sample. This paper will summarize what we know about the mineralogy of dust producing evolved stars, and discuss their relative importance in the total dust budget.